-----BEGIN PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE----- Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov Originator-Key-Asymmetric: MFgwCgYEVQgBAQICAf8DSgAwRwJAW2sNKK9AVtBzYZmr6aGjlWyK3XmZv3dTINen TWSM7vrzLADbmYQaionwg5sDW3P6oaM5D3tdezXMm7z1T+B+twIDAQAB MIC-Info: RSA-MD5,RSA, WZkuKiN4LssTW3DPFYbpOwdCbbxNilscaASjeL437YkSFjcXVdx8vwXTKpzGGNGC MjeYrZWLxk/fIZ+GKe/CLA== 0001193125-09-158220.txt : 20090729 0001193125-09-158220.hdr.sgml : 20090729 20090729164833 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0001193125-09-158220 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: 485BPOS PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 212 FILED AS OF DATE: 20090729 DATE AS OF CHANGE: 20090729 EFFECTIVENESS DATE: 20090801 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: COLUMBIA FUNDS SERIES TRUST CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001097519 IRS NUMBER: 000000000 STATE OF INCORPORATION: DE FISCAL YEAR END: 0331 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: 485BPOS SEC ACT: 1940 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 811-09645 FILM NUMBER: 09970727 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: ONE FINANCIAL CENTER CITY: BOSTON STATE: MA ZIP: 02111 BUSINESS PHONE: 6174263750 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: ONE FINANCIAL CENTER CITY: BOSTON STATE: MA ZIP: 02111 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: NATIONS FUNDS TRUST DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 19991022 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: COLUMBIA FUNDS SERIES TRUST CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001097519 IRS NUMBER: 000000000 STATE OF INCORPORATION: DE FISCAL YEAR END: 0331 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: 485BPOS SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-89661 FILM NUMBER: 09970728 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: ONE FINANCIAL CENTER CITY: BOSTON STATE: MA ZIP: 02111 BUSINESS PHONE: 6174263750 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: ONE FINANCIAL CENTER CITY: BOSTON STATE: MA ZIP: 02111 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: NATIONS FUNDS TRUST DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 19991022 0001097519 S000010774 Columbia LifeGoal Balanced Growth Portfolio C000029775 Class A NBIAX C000029776 Class B NLBBX C000029777 Class C NBICX C000029778 Class R CLBRX C000029779 Class Z NBGPX 0001097519 S000010785 Columbia LifeGoal Growth Portfolio C000029820 Class A NLGIX C000029821 Class B NLGBX C000029822 Class C NLGCX C000029823 Class R CLGRX C000029824 Class Z NGPAX 0001097519 S000010790 Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II C000029841 Class A PHAAX C000029842 Class B NBASX C000029843 Class C NAACX C000029844 Class Z NPRAX 0001097519 S000010796 Columbia LifeGoal Income and Growth Portfolio C000029869 Class A NLGAX C000029870 Class B NLIBX C000029871 Class C NIICX C000029872 Class R CLIRX C000029873 Class Z NIPAX 0001097519 S000010805 Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio C000029909 Class A CMTAX C000029910 Class B CMTBX C000029911 Class C CMTCX C000029912 Class R CMERX C000029913 Class Z CMTZX 0001097519 S000010806 Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio C000029914 Class A CMEAX C000029915 Class B CMEBX C000029916 Class C CMECX C000029917 Class Z CMEZX 0001097519 S000010807 Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio C000029918 Class A NLFAX C000029919 Class B NLOBX C000029920 Class C NLFCX C000029921 Class Z 0001097519 S000010808 Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio C000029922 Class A CMHAX C000029923 Class B CMHBX C000029924 Class C CMHCX C000029925 Class Z CMHZX 485BPOS 1 d485bpos.htm COLUMBIA FUNDS SERIES TRUST Columbia Funds Series Trust
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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 29, 2009

Registration No. 333-89661; 811-09645

 

 

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

FORM N-1A   

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

   x  
Post-Effective Amendment No. 77   

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940

   x  
Amendment No. 78   

(Check appropriate box or boxes)

 

 

COLUMBIA FUNDS SERIES TRUST

(Exact Name of Registrant as specified in Charter)

One Financial Center

Boston, MA 02111

(Address of Principal Executive Offices, including Zip Code)

 

 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: (800) 321-7854

James R. Bordewick, Jr.

c/o Columbia Management Group

One Financial Center

Boston, MA 02111

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

 

 

With copies to:

Robert M. Kurucza, Esq.

Marco E. Adelfio, Esq.

Goodwin Procter LLP

901 New York Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20001

 

 

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):

 

¨ Immediately upon filing pursuant to Rule 485(b), or

 

x on August 1, 2009 pursuant to Rule 485(b), or

 

¨ 60 days after filing pursuant to Rule 485(a), or

 

¨ on (date) pursuant to Rule 485(a), or

 

¨ 75 days after filing pursuant to Rule 485 (a)(2)

 

¨ on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485.

If appropriate, check the following box:

 

¨ this post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.

This Post-Effective Amendment relates solely to the Registrant’s Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II, Columbia LifeGoal Growth Portfolio, Columbia LifeGoal Balanced Growth Portfolio, Columbia LifeGoal Income and Growth Portfolio, Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio, Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio, Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio and Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio. Information contained in the Registrant’s Registration Statement relating to any other series of the Registrant is neither amended nor superseded hereby.

 

 

 

 


Table of Contents

LOGO

Prospectus

August 1, 2009

Columbia Funds

 

Class A, Class B and Class C Shares

  Advised by Columbia Management Advisors, LLC

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II

 

LOGO The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


Table of Contents

Fund shares are NOT deposits or other obligations of, or issued, endorsed or guaranteed by, Bank of America, N.A. or any of its affiliates. Fund shares are NOT issued, insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, the FDIC or any other government agency.

Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) and its affiliates are paid for the services they provide to the Fund and may be compensated or incented in connection with the sale of Fund shares. The Fund may be used as an investment option for various products and services offered by Bank of America that may raise economic and other conflicts of interest, which are discussed in this prospectus.

AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND INVOLVES CERTAIN RISKS, INCLUDING LOSS OF PRINCIPAL.

 

2


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Prospectus Primer

This prospectus tells you about Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II (the Fund), which is one of the balanced funds in the Columbia Funds family of mutual funds (Columbia Funds). It is designed to provide you with important information about the Fund in a concise and easy to understand manner that is meant to help you make informed investment decisions.

The prospectus first summarizes the key characteristics of the Fund, including:

 

   

investment objective,

 

   

principal investment strategies and risks,

 

   

year-by-year performance information,

 

   

fees and expenses, and

 

   

a description of the Fund’s additional investment strategies and policies.

This summary is followed by other important information, including:

 

   

a discussion of the Fund’s primary service providers, including the roles and relationships of Bank of America and its affiliates, and conflicts of interest, and

 

   

a summary of the Fund’s various share classes offered by this prospectus.

Later sections of the prospectus talk about the details of investing in the Fund, including:

 

   

how to buy, sell and exchange shares of the Fund, and

 

   

how you will receive your investment proceeds.

The prospectus also includes:

 

   

information about how federal and certain other taxes may affect your investment,

 

   

highlights of the Fund’s financial information, and

 

   

hypothetical fee and expense data that show the costs associated with investing in the Fund.

We have included a number of features designed to facilitate your use of this prospectus, including:

 

   

“FUNDamentals™” sections that provide simple explanations of key terms and concepts, as well as some basics of mutual fund investing,

 

   

a “FUNDimensions™” section that is meant to give you a “snapshot” of the Fund’s main attributes, and

 

   

graphic icons which are defined in the guide below.

 

Icons Guide

LOGO   Investment Objective
LOGO   Principal Investment Strategies
LOGO   Principal Risks
LOGO   Performance Information
LOGO   Fees and Expenses
LOGO   Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates - Certain Conflicts of Interest

For More Information

You can contact Columbia Funds:

 

   

by mail at Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

 

   

by telephone at 800.345.6611.

 

   

by email at serviceinquiries@columbiamanagement.com or online at www.columbiafunds.com.

 

   

through your financial advisor, who can help you select from among the Columbia Funds to meet your investment needs.

You also can find more information about the Fund in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI), which includes more detailed information about the Fund’s investments, policies and management, among other things. Turn to the back cover to find out how you can get a copy.

The SEC provides a “Beginners’ Guide to Mutual Funds” which may be useful to some investors and is available online, free of charge, at www.sec.gov.

 

3


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Table of Contents

 

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II

   5

Investment Objective

   5

Principal Investment Strategies

   5

Principal Risks

   7

Performance Information

   10

Fees and Expenses

   12

Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

   15

Management of the Fund

   17

Primary Service Providers

   17

Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

   19

Certain Legal Matters

   20

Choosing a Share Class

   21

Comparison of the Share Classes

   21

Sales Charges and Commissions

   22

Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges

   26

Distribution and Service Fees

   28

Financial Intermediary Compensation

   29

Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

   30

Share Price Determination

   30

Transaction Rules and Policies

   31

Opening an Account and Placing Orders

   35

Distributions and Taxes

   39

Financial Highlights

   42

Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

   45

Columbia Management Group, LLC

The Fund is sponsored by Columbia Management Group, LLC (Columbia Management), which is the primary investment division of Bank of America. Columbia Management is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110.

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC is the Fund’s investment advisor (the Advisor) and its administrator (the Administrator). Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. is the Fund’s distributor (the Distributor). Columbia Management Services, Inc. is the Fund’s transfer agent (the Transfer Agent).

The Fund, like all mutual funds, is designed to be a part of a broad and diversified investment portfolio and is not intended to fulfill all of your investment needs.

You should consider the objectives, risks and expenses of the Fund and any other Columbia Fund carefully before investing.

FUNDamentals™ and FUNDimensions™ are trademarks of Bank of America.

 

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Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II

FUNDimensionsTM

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II

Investment Objective:

   Total return, consisting of long-term capital appreciation and current income

Investment Style:

   Moderate Allocation

Benchmarks:

  

Russell 1000 Index

Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate

Bond Index

Ticker Symbols:

  

Class A: PHAAX

Class B: NBASX

Class C: NAACX

Principal Risks:

  

Investment strategy risk

Market risk

Allocation risk

Growth securities risk

Interest rate risk

Credit risk

Reinvestment risk

Derivatives risk

Dollar rolls risk

U.S. Government obligations risk

Asset-backed securities risk

Mortgage-backed securities risk

Frequent trading risk

FUNDamentalsTM

Benchmarks

Benchmarks are indices that provide some guidance in assessing fund performance. A fund does not, however, limit its investments to the securities within its benchmark(s), and a fund’s holdings can differ from those of any particular benchmark or index. Benchmarks are only guideposts for performance.

LOGO Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return, consisting of long-term capital appreciation and current income.

LOGO Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests in a mix of equity and debt securities, as well as cash equivalents, including U.S. Government obligations, commercial paper and other short-term, interest-bearing instruments.

The Advisor uses asset allocation and active security selection as its main investment approach and allocates the Fund’s assets among equity and debt securities, as well as cash equivalents, based on the Advisor’s assessment of the expected risks and returns of each asset class.

With respect to its equity securities investments, the Fund invests primarily in equity securities of medium- and large-capitalization companies that have market capitalizations typically of at least $1 billion at the time of purchase, that generally are included in the Russell 1000 Index and that the Advisor believes have potential for long-term growth. The Advisor uses quantitative analysis to evaluate the relative attractiveness of each potential investment and to construct the Fund’s portfolio by considering a wide variety of factors which may include, among other factors, value measures, growth measures, price momentum and earnings momentum.

With respect to its debt securities investments, the Fund invests primarily in investment grade bonds and notes. The Fund may invest up to 35% of total assets in mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities. The Fund normally invests at least 25% of total assets in senior securities.

The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund may invest in derivatives for both hedging and non-hedging purposes, including, for example, to seek to enhance returns or as a substitute for a position in an underlying asset.

The Fund also may participate in mortgage dollar rolls up to the Fund’s then current position in mortgage-backed securities.

The Advisor may sell a security when the Fund’s asset allocation changes; when the security’s price reaches a target

 

5


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set by the Advisor; if the Advisor believes that there is deterioration in the issuer’s financial circumstances or fundamental prospects, or that other investments are more attractive; or for other reasons.

The Fund’s investment strategy may involve the frequent trading of portfolio securities. This may cause the Fund to incur higher transaction costs (which may adversely affect the Fund’s performance) and may increase taxable distributions for shareholders.

FUNDamentalsTM

Asset Allocation Funds

Asset allocation funds use a process called “asset allocation,” which is the process of creating a portfolio by investing in different asset classes – for example, domestic equity securities, foreign securities and debt securities – in varying proportions.

The mix of asset classes and how much is invested in each is an important factor in how an asset allocation fund performs and the amount of risk involved. Each asset class, and each sub-asset class within a class, like large-, mid- and small-capitalization equity securities, has different risk and return characteristics, and may react in different ways to changes in the financial markets and to the economy in general. An investment approach that combines asset classes and sub-asset classes may help to reduce overall volatility.

Asset allocation funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio, and

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income.

FUNDamentalsTM

U.S. Treasury and U.S. Government Obligations

U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. Obligations of certain U.S. Government agencies, authorities, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises can be supported by either (i) the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, (ii) the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, (iii) the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase certain obligations of the issuer or (iv) only the credit of the issuer.

FUNDamentalsTM

Investment Grade and Below Investment Grade Securities

Investment grade securities include securities that are rated in one of the four highest rating categories as determined by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization, such as Standard & Poor’s, Fitch or Moody’s, or are unrated securities determined to be of comparable quality. Investment grade securities are rated (from highest to lowest quality) as AAA, AA, A or BBB by Standard & Poor’s and Fitch or as Aaa, Aa, A or Baa by Moody’s. Below investment grade securities include securities that are rated lower than investment grade securities and also may include securities that are unrated.

 

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FUNDamentalsTM

Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities

Mortgage-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of underlying mortgages. Mortgage-backed securities may include U.S. Government obligations, or securities that are issued or guaranteed by private issuers, including collateralized mortgage obligations, commercial mortgage-backed securities, and mortgage-backed securities that are traded on a to-be-announced basis.

Asset-backed securities are interests in, or are backed by, pools of receivables, such as automobile loans, credit card loans, equipment leases, home equity loans, manufactured housing loans, collateralized debt obligations and other types of consumer loans or lease receivables.

LOGO Principal Risks

 

   

Investment Strategy Risk – The Advisor uses the principal investment strategies and other investment strategies to seek to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Investment decisions made by the Advisor in using these strategies may not produce the returns expected by the Advisor, may cause the Fund’s shares to lose value or may cause the Fund to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.

 

   

Market Risk – Market risk refers to the possibility that the market values of securities that the Fund holds will rise or fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Security values may fall because of factors affecting individual companies, industries or sectors, or the markets as a whole, reducing the value of an investment in the Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. The market values of the securities the Fund holds also can be affected by changes or perceived changes in U.S. or foreign economies and financial markets, and the liquidity of these securities, among other factors. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

 

   

Allocation Risk – The Fund uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Fund’s allocation among asset classes or investments will cause the Fund’s shares to lose value or cause the Fund to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

 

   

Growth Securities Risk – Because growth securities typically trade at a higher multiple of earnings than other types of securities, the prices of growth securities may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other types of securities. In addition, growth securities, at times, may not perform as well as value securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Interest Rate Risk – Debt securities are subject to interest rate risk. In general, if prevailing interest rates rise, the values of debt securities will tend to fall, and if interest rates fall, the values of debt securities will tend to rise. Changes in the value of a debt security usually will not affect the amount of income the Fund receives from it but may affect the value of the Fund’s shares. Interest rate risk is generally greater for debt securities with longer maturities/durations.

 

   

Credit Risk – Credit risk applies to most debt securities, but is generally not a factor for obligations backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government. The Fund could lose money if the issuer of a debt security is unable or perceived to be unable to pay interest or repay principal when it becomes due. Various factors could affect the issuer’s actual or perceived willingness or ability to make timely interest or principal payments, including changes in the issuer’s financial condition or in general economic conditions. Debt securities backed by an issuer’s taxing authority may be subject to legal limits on the issuer’s power to increase taxes or otherwise to raise revenue, or may be dependent on legislative appropriation or government aid. Certain debt securities are backed only by revenues derived from a particular project or source, rather than by an issuer’s taxing authority, and thus may have a greater risk of default.

 

   

Reinvestment Risk – Income from the Fund’s debt securities portfolio will decline if and when the Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called securities in securities with market interest rates that are below the current earnings rate of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

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Derivatives Risk – Derivatives are financial contracts whose values are, for example, based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or bond), assets (such as a commodity like gold or a foreign currency), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Derivatives involve special risks and may result in losses or may limit the Fund’s potential gain from favorable market movements. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying security. The values of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in unusual market conditions, and may result in increased volatility, among other consequences. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Other risks arise from the Fund’s potential inability to terminate or sell derivative positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Fund’s derivative positions at times when the Fund might wish to terminate or sell such positions. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid, and transactions in derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. The use of derivatives also involves the risks of mispricing or improper valuation and that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying security, asset, reference rate or index. The Fund also may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to engage in derivative transactions when it is deemed favorable to do so, or at all. For more information on the risks of derivative investments and strategies, see the SAI.

 

   

Dollar Rolls Risk – Dollar rolls are transactions in which the Fund sells securities to a counterparty and simultaneously agrees to purchase those or similar securities in the future at a predetermined price. Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Fund is obligated to repurchase may decline below the repurchase price, or that the counterparty may default on its obligations. These transactions may also increase the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. If the Fund reinvests the proceeds of the security sold, the Fund will also be subject to the risk that the investments purchased with such proceeds will decline in value (a form of leverage risk).

 

   

U.S. Government Obligations Risk – U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government and generally have negligible credit risk. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. For example, securities issued by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Banks are neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. Government. These securities may be supported by the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or only by the credit of the issuing agency, authority, instrumentality or enterprise and, as a result, are subject to greater credit risk than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

 

   

Asset-Backed Securities Risk – The value of the Fund’s asset-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the receivables, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Asset-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of receivables such as credit card, auto, student and home equity loans. They may also be backed, in turn, by securities backed by these types of loans and others, such as mortgage loans. Asset-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Most asset-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying debt may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of asset-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of asset-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

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Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The value of the Fund’s mortgage-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes or perceived changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the mortgages, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Mortgage-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of mortgages from which payments of interest and principal (net of fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of the securities) are distributed to the holders of the mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage-backed securities (but not the market value of the securities themselves) may be guaranteed (i) by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association) or (ii) by its agencies, authorities, enterprises or instrumentalities (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC)), which are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government (although FNMA and FHLMC may be able to access capital from the U.S. Treasury to meet their obligations under such securities). Mortgage-backed securities issued by non-governmental issuers (such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers) may be supported by various credit enhancements, such as pool insurance, guarantees issued by governmental entities, letters of credit from a bank or senior/subordinated structures, and may entail greater risk than obligations guaranteed by the U.S. Government, whether or not such obligations are guaranteed by the private issuer. Mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying mortgage may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of mortgage-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of mortgage-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

   

Frequent Trading Risk – Frequent trading of investments increases the possibility that the Fund will realize taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Fund’s after-tax return. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Fund’s return.

These are summaries of the principal risks associated with the principal investment strategies of the Fund. Additional risks are associated with other permissible investments of the Fund that are described in the SAI together with further information about these principal risks. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

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LOGO Performance Information

The following bar chart and table show you how the Fund has performed in the past, and can help you understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s past performance (before or after taxes) is no guarantee of how the Fund will perform in the future.

Year by Year Total Return (%) as of December 31 Each Year*

The bar chart below shows you how the performance of the Fund’s Class A shares has varied from year to year. These returns do not reflect deductions of sales charges, if any, paid by investors and would be lower if they did.

LOGO

 

* Year-to-date return as of June 30, 2009: 5.39%.

Best and Worst Quarterly Returns During this Period

 

Best:

   2nd Quarter 2003:    10.22%

Worst:

   4th Quarter 2008:    -14.09%

FUNDamentalsTM

Fund Performance

Many factors can affect a mutual fund’s performance, including, for example:

 

   

management of fund holdings,

 

   

market conditions,

 

   

fund expenses, and

 

   

flows of investment dollars into and out of the fund.

The returns for the various share classes may vary based on differences in sales charges and expenses.

 

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Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2008

The table below shows the Fund’s Class A shares’ average annual total returns (i) before taxes, (ii) after taxes on distributions and (iii) after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares. The returns shown reflect applicable sales charges. The table also shows the average annual returns for the Fund’s Class B and Class C shares, but it does not show those classes’ after-tax returns, which will vary from those shown for the Fund’s Class A shares.

The table compares the Fund’s returns for each period with those of the Russell 1000 Index and the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The Russell 1000 Index measures the performance of 1,000 of the largest U.S. companies based on market capitalization. The Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a market value-weighted index that tracks the daily price, coupon, pay-downs and total return performance of fixed-rate, publicly placed, dollar-denominated and non-convertible investment-grade debt issues with at least $250 million par amount outstanding and with at least one year to final maturity. Indices are not available for investment, and do not reflect sales charges, fees, brokerage commissions, taxes or other expenses of investing.

 

     1 year     5 years     10 years  

Class A shares returns before taxes

   -31.45   -2.36   -0.74

Class A shares returns after taxes on distributions

   -31.82   -2.78   -1.46

Class A shares returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares

   -20.20   -2.09   -0.90

Class B shares returns before taxes

   -31.37   -2.31   -0.91

Class C shares returns before taxes

   -28.48   -1.92   -0.90

Russell 1000 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   -37.60   -2.04   -1.09

Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   5.24   4.65   5.63

FUNDamentalsTM

After-Tax Returns

The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state, local or foreign taxes.

Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your personal tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown in the table do not apply to shares held in tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k) plans or IRAs.

 

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LOGO Fees and Expenses

The fee table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. Additional hypothetical fee and expense information relating to Class A, Class B and Class C shares of the Fund can be found in Hypothetical Fees and Expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Fund Expenses

In general, there are two kinds of fund expenses:

 

   

shareholder expenses that you pay directly (e.g., sales charges and redemption fees), and

 

   

annual operating expenses that are paid by the Fund and deducted from the Fund’s assets.

Annual operating expenses include:

 

   

management fees, which are paid out of the Fund’s assets to the Advisor and the Administrator as compensation for managing and administering the Fund’s portfolio. See Management of the Fund – Primary Service Providers for more information.

 

   

distribution and service fees (sometimes referred to in the industry as “Rule 12b-1 fees”), which are paid out of the Fund’s assets to compensate the Distributor and selling and/or servicing agents for the services they provide to investors, including affiliates of Bank of America. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for more information.

 

   

other expenses, which generally include, but are not limited to, transfer agency, custody, audit and legal fees as well as costs related to registration of Fund shares for sale and the printing and mailing of Fund documents. The specific expenses that make up the Fund’s other expenses will vary from time to time and may include expenses not described above.

Annual fund operating expenses are calculated based on actual expenses incurred during the Fund’s most recently completed fiscal year and are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets during the year. The rate of annual fund operating expenses will likely vary from year to year as a result of various factors, including, for example, changes in the level of the Fund’s net assets. Although many factors can affect fund operating expenses, in general, annual fund operating expenses, as a percentage of average net assets, will increase as the Fund’s net assets decrease, and will decrease as the Fund’s net assets increase. Net expenses also may vary from year to year based on any fee waivers or expense reimbursements.

The Fund may incur significant transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, in addition to the annual Fund operating expenses disclosed in the fee table.

 

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Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

 

     Class A Shares     Class B Shares     Class C Shares  

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases, as a % of offering price

   5.75   N/A      N/A   

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions, as a % of the lower of the original purchase price or net asset value

   1.00 %(a)    5.00 %(b)    1.00 %(c) 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (deducted from the Fund’s assets)

 

     Class A Shares     Class B Shares     Class C Shares  

Management fees(d)

   0.72   0.72   0.72

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

   0.25   1.00   1.00

Other expenses(e)

   0.38   0.38   0.38

Acquired fund fees and expenses

   —        —        —     

Total annual Fund operating expenses(f)

   1.35   2.10   2.10

 

(a) This charge applies to investors who buy $1 million or more of Class A shares and redeem them within one year of purchase, with certain limited exceptions. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.
(b) This charge decreases over time. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.
(c) This charge applies to investors who buy Class C shares and redeem them within one year of purchase, with certain limited exceptions. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.
(d) Management fees include an investment advisory fee of 0.60% and an administration fee of 0.12%.
(e) Other expenses have been restated to reflect contractual changes to the fees paid by the Fund.
(f) The Advisor has voluntarily agreed to reimburse a portion of the Fund’s expenses so that the Fund’s ordinary operating expenses (excluding any distribution and service fees, brokerage commissions, interest, taxes and extraordinary expenses, but including custodian charges relating to overdrafts, if any), after giving effect to any balance credits from the Fund’s custodian, do not exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s average daily net assets on an annualized basis. If these reimbursements were reflected in the table, the total annual Fund operating expenses would be 1.20% for Class A shares, 1.95% for Class B shares and 1.95% for Class C shares. The Advisor, in its discretion, may revise or discontinue this arrangement at any time.

 

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Example

The following 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 illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over the time periods indicated, and assumes that:

 

   

you invest $10,000 in Class A, Class B or Class C shares of the Fund for the periods indicated,

 

   

you pay the maximum applicable sales charge,

 

   

you reinvest all dividends and distributions in the Fund,

 

   

your investment has a 5% return each year,

 

   

your Class B shares convert to Class A shares after you’ve owned them for eight years, and

 

   

the Fund’s total annual operating expenses remain the same as shown in the table above.

Based on the assumptions listed above, your costs would be:

 

     1 year    3 years    5 years    10 years

Class A Shares

   $ 705    $ 978    $ 1,272    $ 2,105

Class B Shares

           

Assuming no redemption

   $ 213    $ 658    $ 1,129    $ 2,240

Assuming complete redemption of shares at the end of the period

   $ 713    $ 958    $ 1,329    $ 2,240

Class C Shares

           

Assuming no redemption

   $ 213    $ 658    $ 1,129    $ 2,431

Assuming complete redemption of shares at the end of the period

   $ 313    $ 658    $ 1,129    $ 2,431

Remember this is an example only. It is not necessarily representative of the Fund’s actual expenses in the past or future. Your actual costs could be higher or lower depending on the amount you invest and on the Fund’s actual expenses and performance.

 

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Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

This section describes certain strategies and policies that the Fund may utilize in pursuit of its investment objective, and describes some additional factors and risks involved with investing in the Fund.

Changing the Fund’s Investment Objective and Policies

The Fund’s investment objective and certain of its investment policies can be changed without shareholder approval unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the SAI. Shareholders vote on changes to other investment policies that are designated as fundamental in accordance with the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act).

Investment Guidelines

As a general matter, unless otherwise noted, whenever an investment policy or limitation states a percentage of the Fund’s assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding an investment standard, compliance with that percentage limitation or standard will be determined solely at the time of the Fund’s acquisition of the security or asset.

Holding Other Kinds of Investments

The Fund may hold investments that aren’t part of its principal investment strategies. These investments are described in the SAI. The Fund may choose not to invest in certain securities described in this prospectus and in the SAI, although it has the ability to do so.

Investing in Columbia Money Market Funds

The Fund may invest uninvested cash and cash collateral received in connection with its securities lending program in shares of the registered or unregistered money market funds advised by the Advisor. The Advisor and its affiliates receive fees from these funds for providing advisory and other services in addition to the fees which they are entitled to receive from the Fund for services provided directly.

Lending Securities

The Fund may lend portfolio securities to approved broker/dealers or other financial intermediaries on a fully collateralized basis in order to earn additional income. The Fund may lose money from securities lending if, for example, it is delayed in or prevented from selling the collateral after the loan is made or recovering the securities loaned or if it incurs losses on the reinvestment of cash collateral. The Fund may invest some or all of the cash collateral it receives in connection with its securities lending program in one or more pooled investment vehicles, including, among other vehicles, money market funds managed by the Fund’s securities lending agent (or its affiliate). The securities lending agent shares in any income resulting from the investment of such cash collateral, and an affiliate of the securities lending agent receives asset-based fees for the management of such pooled investment vehicles, which may create a conflict of interest between the securities lending agent (or its affiliate) and the Fund with respect to the management of such cash collateral. Engaging in securities lending is subject to certain risks, including counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty to a transaction could default.

Portfolio Holdings Disclosure

A description of Columbia Funds’ policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of Fund portfolio securities is available in the SAI. The Fund discloses its portfolio holdings on the Columbia Funds’ website, www.columbiafunds.com, as described below. Once posted, the portfolio holdings information will remain available on the website until at least the date on which such Fund files a Form N-CSR or Form N-Q (forms filed with the SEC that include portfolio holdings information) for the period that includes the date as of which the information is current.

The Fund’s complete portfolio holdings as of a month-end are disclosed approximately 15 calendar days after such month-end.

In addition, more current information concerning the Fund’s portfolio holdings as of specified dates may also be disclosed on the Columbia Funds’ website.

Investing Defensively

The Fund may from time to time take temporary defensive investment positions that are inconsistent with the Fund’s principal investment strategies in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions including, for example, investments in money market instruments or holdings of cash or cash equivalents. The Fund

 

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may not achieve its investment objective while it is investing defensively.

Mailings to Households

In order to reduce shareholder expenses we may, if prior consent has been provided, mail only one copy of the Fund’s prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents, call 800.345.6611 or, if your shares are held through a financial intermediary, contact your intermediary directly.

Portfolio Turnover

A mutual fund that replaces, or turns over, more than 100% of its investments in a year is considered to have a high portfolio turnover rate. A high portfolio turnover rate can generate larger distributions of short-term capital gains to shareholders, which for individuals are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes. A high portfolio turnover rate can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce a fund’s returns. In general, the greater the volume of buying and selling by a fund, the greater the impact that brokerage commissions will have on its returns. The Fund generally buys securities for capital appreciation, investment income or both. However, the Fund may sell securities regardless of how long they’ve been held. You’ll find the Fund’s historical portfolio turnover rates in the Financial Highlights.

 

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Management of the Fund

Primary Service Providers

The Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, currently provide key services to the Fund and the other Columbia Funds, including investment advisory, administration, distribution, shareholder servicing and transfer agency, and are paid for providing these services. These service relationships are described below.

The Advisor

The Advisor (which is also the Administrator) is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110, and serves as investment advisor to over 100 Columbia Funds mutual fund portfolios. As of June 30, 2009, the Advisor had assets under management of approximately $310.5 billion. The Advisor is a registered investment advisor and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. Its management experience covers all major asset classes, including equity securities, fixed income securities and money market instruments. In addition to serving as investment advisor to mutual funds, the Advisor acts as an investment manager for individuals, corporations, retirement plans, private investment companies and financial intermediaries.

Subject to oversight by the Board, the Advisor manages the day-to-day operations of the Fund, determining what securities and other investments the Fund should buy or sell and executing the Fund’s portfolio transactions. Although the Advisor is responsible for the investment management of the Fund, the Advisor may delegate certain of its duties to one or more investment sub-advisors. In rendering investment advisory services, the Advisor may use the portfolio management and research resources of Columbia Management Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of the Advisor. The Advisor may also use the research and other expertise of other affiliates and third parties in managing the Fund’s investments.

The Fund pays the Advisor a fee for its investment advisory services. The fee is calculated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of the Fund and is paid monthly. For the Fund’s most recent fiscal year, aggregate advisory fees paid to the Advisor by the Fund amounted to 0.60% of average daily net assets of the Fund.

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Fund’s investment advisory agreement with the Advisor is available in the Fund’s annual report to shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.

Sub-Advisor(s)

The Advisor may engage an investment sub-advisor or sub-advisors to make the day-to-day investment decisions for the Fund. The Advisor retains ultimate responsibility (subject to Board oversight) for overseeing any sub-advisor it engages and for evaluating the Fund’s needs and available sub-advisors’ skills and abilities on an ongoing basis. Based on its evaluations, the Advisor may at times recommend to the Board that the Fund change, add or terminate one or more sub-advisors; continue to retain a sub-advisor even though the sub-advisor’s ownership or corporate structure has changed; or materially change a sub-advisory agreement with a sub-advisor. Applicable law requires the Fund to obtain shareholder approval in order to act on most of these types of recommendations, even if the Board has approved the proposed action and believes that the action is in shareholders’ best interests. The Advisor and the Columbia Funds have applied for relief from the SEC to permit the Fund to act on many of the Advisor’s recommendations with approval only by the Board and not by Fund shareholders. The Advisor or the Fund would inform the Fund’s shareholders of any actions taken in reliance on this relief. Until the Advisor and the Fund obtain this relief, the Fund will continue to submit these matters to shareholders for their approval to the extent required by applicable law.

At present, the Advisor has not engaged any investment sub-advisor for the Fund.

 

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Portfolio Managers

Information about the Advisor’s portfolio managers who are primarily responsible for overseeing the Fund’s investments is shown in the table below. The SAI provides more information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by each portfolio manager and each portfolio manager’s ownership of securities in the Fund.

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Fund since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Colin Moore

Co-manager. Service with the Fund since 2009.

Chief Investment Officer of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Kent M. Peterson, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Fund since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since January 2006. Prior to January 2006, Mr. Peterson was a trading associate at Bridgewater Associates from 2004 to 2005.

Marie M. Schofield, CFA

Co-manager. Service with the Fund since 2009.

Managing Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 1990.

The Administrator

The Administrator is responsible for overseeing the administrative operations of the Fund, including the general supervision of the Fund’s operations, coordination of the Fund’s service providers, and the provision of office facilities and related clerical and administrative services.

The Fund pays the Administrator a fee for its services, plus certain out-of-pocket expenses. The fee is calculated as an annual percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets and is paid monthly, as follows:

Annual Administration Fee,

as a % of Average Daily Net Assets

 

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II    0.12

The Distributor

Shares of the Fund are distributed by the Distributor, which is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111. The Distributor is a registered broker/dealer and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Distributor and its affiliates may pay commissions, distribution and service fees and/or other compensation to entities, including Bank of America affiliates, for selling shares and providing services to investors.

The Transfer Agent

The Transfer Agent is a registered transfer agent and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Transfer Agent is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111, and its responsibilities include processing purchases, sales and exchanges, calculating and paying distributions, keeping shareholder records, preparing account statements and providing customer service. The Fund pays the Transfer Agent monthly fees on a per-account basis. Fees paid to the Transfer Agent include reimbursements for certain out-of-pocket expenses and sub-transfer agency fees, subject to certain limitations, paid by the Transfer Agent on the Fund’s behalf.

 

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LOGO Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

As described in Management of the Fund – Primary Service Providers, the Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, provide various services to the Fund for which they are compensated. Bank of America and its affiliates may also provide other services to the Fund and be compensated for them.

The Advisor and its affiliates may provide investment advisory and other services to other clients and customers substantially similar to those provided to the Fund. These activities, and other financial services activities of Bank of America and its affiliates (including Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.), may present actual and potential conflicts of interest and introduce certain investment constraints.

Bank of America is a major financial services company, engaged in a broad range of financial activities beyond the mutual fund-related activities of the Advisor, including, among others, commercial banking, investment banking, broker/dealer (sales and trading), asset management, insurance and other financial activities. These additional activities may involve multiple advisory, transactional, lending, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments, and in companies that issue securities and other instruments, which may be bought, sold or held by the Fund.

Conflicts of interest and limitations that could affect the Fund may arise from, for example, the following:

 

   

compensation and other benefits received by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates related to the management/administration of the Fund and the sale of its shares;

 

   

the allocation of, and competition for, investment opportunities among the Fund and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

separate and potentially divergent management of the Fund and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

regulatory and other investment restrictions on investment activities of the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates and accounts advised/managed by them;

 

   

lending, investment banking and other relationships of Bank of America affiliates with companies and other entities in which the Fund invests; and

 

   

regulatory and other restrictions relating to the sharing of information between Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, and the Fund.

Bank of America and its affiliates also provide a variety of products and services that, in some manner, may use the Fund and other Columbia Funds as investment options. For example:

 

   

the Columbia Funds are available as investments in connection with brokerage or other securities products offered by Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. or Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, both wholly-owned retail broker/dealers of Bank of America;

 

   

the Columbia Funds are used as investments in connection with fiduciary, investment management and other accounts offered by U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, as well as certain Columbia Funds structured as “funds of funds”; and

 

   

the Columbia Money Market Funds are offered as an investment option for a variety of cash “sweep” account programs offered by Bank of America and its affiliates.

The use of the Columbia Funds as investment options in connection with other products and services offered by Bank of America and its affiliates may introduce economic and other conflicts of interest of which you should be aware. These types of conflicts of interest are highlighted in sections of account documentation and other disclosure materials relating to these products and services, as well as in the SAI.

The Advisor and Bank of America have adopted various policies and procedures that are intended to identify, monitor and address conflicts of interest. However, there is no absolute assurance that these policies, procedures and disclosures will be effective.

Additional information about Bank of America and the types of conflicts of interest and other matters referenced above is set forth in the Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest section of the SAI, which is identified by the LOGO icon. Investors in the Fund should carefully review these disclosures and consult with their financial advisor if they have any questions.

 

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Certain Legal Matters

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. (collectively, the Columbia Group) are subject to a settlement agreement with the New York Attorney General (NYAG) (the NYAG Settlement) and a settlement order with the SEC (the SEC Order) on matters relating to mutual fund trading, each dated February 9, 2005. Under the terms of the SEC Order, the Columbia Group (or predecessor or affiliated entities) agreed, among other things, to: pay disgorgement and civil money penalties collectively totaling $375 million; cease and desist from violations of the antifraud provisions and certain other provisions of the federal securities laws; maintain certain compliance and ethics oversight structures; and retain an independent consultant to review the Columbia Group’s applicable supervisory, compliance, control and other policies and procedures. The NYAG Settlement, among other things, requires Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and its affiliates to reduce management fees for certain funds in the Columbia family of mutual funds in a projected total of $160 million over five years through November 30, 2009 and to make certain disclosures to investors relating to expenses. In connection with the Columbia Group providing services to the Columbia Funds, the Columbia Funds have voluntarily undertaken to implement certain governance measures designed to maintain the independence of their boards of trustees and certain special consulting and compliance measures.

Pursuant to the SEC Order and related procedures, the $375 million in settlement amounts described above, of which approximately $90 million has been earmarked for certain Columbia Funds and their shareholders, is being distributed in accordance with a distribution plan developed by an independent distribution consultant and approved by the SEC on December 27, 2007. Distributions under the distribution plan began in mid-June 2008.

Civil Litigation

In connection with the events that resulted in the NYAG Settlement and SEC Order, various parties filed suits against Bank of America Corporation and certain of its affiliates, including Banc of America Capital Management, LLC (BACAP, now known as Columbia Management Advisors, LLC) and BACAP Distributors, LLC (now known as Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.) (collectively BAC), Nations Funds Trust (now known as Columbia Funds Series Trust) and its Board of Trustees. On February 20, 2004, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transferred these cases and cases against other mutual fund companies based on similar allegations to the United States District Court in Maryland for consolidated or coordinated pretrial proceedings (the MDL). Subsequently, additional related cases were transferred to the MDL. On September 29, 2004, the plaintiffs in the MDL filed amended and consolidated complaints. One of these amended complaints is a putative class action that includes claims under the federal securities laws and state common law, and that names Nations Funds Trust, the Trustees, BAC and others as defendants. Another of the amended complaints is a derivative action purportedly on behalf of the Nations Funds Trust against BAC and others that asserts claims under federal securities laws and state common law. Nations Funds Trust is a nominal defendant in this action.

On February 25, 2005, BAC and other defendants filed motions to dismiss the claims in the pending cases. On December 15, 2005, BAC and others entered into a Stipulation of Settlement of the direct and derivative claims brought on behalf of the Nations Funds shareholders. The settlement is subject to court approval. If the settlement is approved, BAC would pay settlement administration costs and fees to plaintiffs’ counsel as approved by the court. The stipulation has not yet been presented to the court for approval.

 

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Choosing a Share Class

Comparison of the Share Classes

Share Class Features

The Fund offers three classes of shares in this prospectus: Class A, Class B and Class C shares. The Fund may also offer other classes of shares through a separate prospectus. Each share class has its own investment eligibility criteria, cost structure and other features. The following summarizes the primary features of the Class A, Class B and Class C shares offered by this prospectus. Contact your financial advisor or Columbia Funds for more information about the Fund’s share classes and how to choose among them.

 

   

Class A Shares

 

Class B Shares

 

Class C Shares

Eligible Investors and Minimum Initial Investments(a)   Minimum initial investments range from $0 to $2,500; the share class is available to the general public for investment.   The Fund no longer accepts investments from new or existing investors in Class B shares, except for certain limited transactions from existing investors in Class B shares as described in more detail under Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders – Buying Shares – Class B Shares Closing.   Minimum initial investments range from $0 to $2,500; the share class is available to the general public for investment.
Investment Limits   none   up to $49,999 (based on aggregate account value)(b)   up to $999,999
Conversion Features   none   convert to Class A shares eight years after purchase   none
Front-End Sales Charges(c)   5.75% maximum, declining to 0.00% on investments of $1 million or more   none   none
Contingent Deferred Sales Charges (CDSCs)(c)   none, except a 1.00% CDSC applies to certain investments of between $1 million and $50 million sold within one year of purchase   5.00% maximum, gradually declining to 0.00% after six years   1.00% on investments sold within one year of purchase
Maximum Distribution and Service Fees   0.25% combined distribution and service fee   0.75% distribution fee 0.25% service fee   0.75% distribution fee 0.25% service fee

 

(a)

See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders for more details on the eligible investors and investment minimums of these share classes.

(b)

If you hold Class B shares of the Fund and your account has a value of less than $49,999, you may purchase additional Class B shares of the Fund in amounts that increase your account value up to a maximum of $49,999. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders – Buying Shares – Class B Shares Closing for important information regarding purchases of Class B shares. The value of your account, for this purpose, includes the value of all eligible accounts held by you and your “immediate family.” See the discussion about account value aggregation and eligible accounts in Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for more information. If you have reached the $49,999 limit, any additional amounts you invest in Class B shares of the Fund will be invested in Class A shares of the Fund, without regard to the normal minimum investment amount for Class A shares. Such investments will, however, be subject to a front-end sales charge that generally applies to Class A shares.

(c)

See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for information about certain exceptions to these sales charges.

 

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FUNDamentalsTM

Selling and/or Servicing Agents

The terms “selling agent” and “servicing agent” refer to the financial intermediary that employs your financial advisor. Selling and/or servicing agents include, for example, brokerage firms, banks, investment advisors, third party administrators and other financial intermediaries, including affiliates of Bank of America, such as Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.

Sales Charges and Commissions

Sales charges, commissions and distribution and service fees (discussed in a separate sub-section below) compensate selling and/or servicing agents, and typically your financial advisor, for selling shares to you and for maintaining and servicing the shares held in your account. These charges, commissions and fees are intended to provide incentives for selling and/or servicing agents to provide these services.

Depending on which share class you choose you will pay these charges either at the outset as a front-end sales charge, at the time you sell your shares as a contingent deferred sales charge and/or over time in the form of increased ongoing fees. Whether the ultimate cost is higher for one class over the other depends on how long you hold your shares.

Class A Shares—Front-End Sales Charge

You’ll pay a front-end sales charge when you buy Class A shares unless you qualify for a waiver of the sales charge or you buy the shares through reinvested distributions. See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for more information.

FUNDamentalsTM

Front-End Sales Charge Calculation

The following table presents the front-end sales charge as a percentage of both the offering price and the net amount invested.

 

   

The offering price per share is the net asset value per share plus any front-end sales charge that applies.

 

   

The net asset value (or NAV) per share is the price of a share calculated by the Fund every business day.

The dollar amount of the sales charge is the difference between the offering price of the shares you buy (based on the applicable sales charge in the table) and the net asset value of those shares.

To determine the front-end sales charge you will pay when you buy your shares, the Fund will add the amount of your investment to the value of your account and base the sales charge on the aggregate amount. This approach is designed to assure that you pay the lowest applicable sales charge possible. See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/ Waivers of Sales Charges for a discussion of account value aggregation.

The front-end sales charge you’ll pay on Class A shares:

 

   

depends on the amount you’re investing (generally, the larger the investment, the smaller the percentage sales charge), and

 

   

is based on the total amount of your purchase and the value of your account.

 

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Class A Shares—Front-End Sales Charge—Breakpoint Schedule

 

Dollar amount of shares bought(a)

   Sales charge as a %
of the offering price(b)
    Sales charge as a %
of the net amount invested(b)
    Amount retained by or paid to
selling and/or servicing agents
as a % of the offering price
 

$0 – $49,999

   5.75   6.10   5.00

$50,000 – $99,999

   4.50   4.71   3.75

$100,000 – $249,999

   3.50   3.63   2.75

$250,000 – $499,999

   2.50   2.56   2.00

$500,000 – $999,999

   2.00   2.04   1.75

$1,000,000 or more

   0.00   0.00   1.00 %(c)(d) 

 

(a)

Purchase amounts and account values are aggregated among all eligible Columbia Fund accounts for the purposes of this table.

(b)

Because the offering price is calculated to two decimal places, the dollar amount of the sales charge as a percentage of the offering price and your net amount invested for any particular purchase of Fund shares may be higher or lower depending on whether downward or upward rounding was required during the calculation process.

(c)

1.00% on purchases from $1 million up to $3 million, 0.50% on purchases of $3 million up to $50 million and 0.25% on amounts of $50 million or more. The Distributor pays selling and/or servicing agents on investments of $1 million or more, but may be reimbursed if a CDSC is deducted when the shares are sold.

(d)

For certain group retirement plans, selling and/or servicing agents are eligible to receive a 1.00% commission from the Distributor on all purchases up to $3 million, including those in amounts of less than $1 million that are coded as commission eligible trades.

 

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Class A Shares—CDSC and Commissions

In some cases, you’ll pay a CDSC if you sell Class A shares that you bought without an initial sales charge.

 

   

If you bought Class A shares without an initial sales charge because your accounts aggregated $1 million to $50 million at the time of purchase, you will incur a 1.00% CDSC if you redeem those shares within one year of buying them.

 

   

Subsequent Class A share purchases that bring your aggregate account value to $1 million or more (but less than $50 million) will also be subject to a CDSC if you redeem them within one year of buying them.

The CDSC on Class A shares:

 

   

is applied to the net asset value at the time of your purchase or sale, whichever is lower, and

 

   

will not be applied to any shares you receive through reinvested distributions.

For purposes of calculating the CDSC, the start of the holding period is the first day of the month in which the purchase was made. When you place an order to sell your Class A shares, the Fund will first redeem any shares that aren’t subject to a CDSC followed by those you have held the longest. The CDSC on Class A shares does not apply to retirement plans buying through a fee-based program.

The Distributor may pay your selling and/or servicing agent an up-front commission of up to 5.00% of the offering price per share when you buy Class A shares. The Distributor funds the commission through the applicable sales charge.

The Distributor may also pay your selling and/or servicing agent a cumulative commission when you buy $1 million or more of Class A shares, according to the following schedule:

Class A Shares—Commission Schedule

 

Purchase Amount

   Commission Level
(as a % of net asset
value per share)
 

$1 million – $2,999,999

   1.00

$3 million – $49,999,999

   0.50

$50 million or more

   0.25

FUNDamentalsTM

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge

A contingent deferred sales charge or CDSC is a sales charge applied at the time you sell your shares, unlike a front-end sales charge that is applied at the time of purchase. A CDSC varies based on the length of time that you have held your shares.

Class B and Class C Shares—Sales Charges

You don’t pay a front-end sales charge when you buy Class B or Class C shares, but you may pay a CDSC when you sell Class B or Class C shares.

The CDSC on Class B and Class C shares:

 

   

is applied to the net asset value at the time of your purchase or sale, whichever is lower,

 

   

will not be applied to any shares you receive through reinvested distributions, and

 

   

generally declines each year until there is no sales charge for selling shares.

For purposes of calculating the CDSC, the start of the holding period is the first day of the month in which your purchase was made. When you place an order to sell your Class B or Class C shares, the Fund will first redeem any shares that aren’t subject to a CDSC followed by those you have held the longest.

 

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Class B Shares—CDSC and Commissions

You’ll pay a CDSC if you sell Class B shares unless you qualify for a waiver of the CDSC or the shares you’re selling were bought through reinvested distributions. See Choosing a Share Class—Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for details. The CDSC you pay on Class B shares depends on how long you’ve held your shares:

Class B Shares—CDSC Schedule

 

Number of Years Class B Shares Held

   Applicable
CDSC

One

   5.00%

Two

   4.00%

Three

   3.00%

Four

   3.00%

Five

   2.00%

Six

   1.00%

Seven

   none

Eight

   none

Nine

   Conversion to Class A Shares

The Distributor pays an up-front commission directly to your selling and/or servicing agent of up to 4.00% of the net asset value per share when you buy Class B shares. The Distributor seeks to recover this commission through distribution fees it receives under the Fund’s distribution plan and any applicable CDSC when you sell your shares. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for details.

Class B shares automatically convert to Class A shares after you’ve owned them for eight years. This conversion feature allows you to benefit from the lower operating costs of Class A shares, which can help increase your total returns from an investment in the Fund.

The following rules apply to the conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares:

 

   

Class B shares are converted on or about the 15th day of the month that they become eligible for conversion.

 

   

Any shares you received from reinvested distributions on these shares generally will convert to Class A shares at the same time.

 

   

You’ll receive the same dollar value of Class A shares as the Class B shares that were converted. Class B shares that you received from an exchange of Class B shares of another Columbia Fund will convert based on the day you bought the original shares.

 

   

No sales charge or other charges apply, and conversions are free from federal income tax.

Class C Shares—CDSC and Commissions

You’ll pay a CDSC of 1.00% if you sell Class C shares within one year of buying them unless you qualify for a waiver of the CDSC or the shares you’re selling were bought through reinvested distributions. See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for details.

The Distributor pays an up-front commission directly to your selling and/or servicing agent of up to 1.00% of the net asset value per share when you buy Class C shares. The Distributor seeks to recover this commission through distribution fees it receives under the Fund’s distribution plan and any applicable CDSC applied when you sell your shares. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for details.

 

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Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges

Front-End Sales Charge Reductions

There are two ways in which you may be able to reduce the front-end sales charge that you may pay when you buy Class A shares of the Fund. These types of sales charge reductions are also referred to as breakpoint discounts.

First, through the right of accumulation, you may combine the value of eligible accounts maintained by you and your immediate family to reach a breakpoint discount level and apply a lower sales charge to your purchase. To calculate the combined value of your accounts, the Fund will use the current public offering price per share.

Second, by making a statement of intent to purchase additional shares, you may pay a lower sales charge on all purchases of Class A shares made within 13 months of the date of your statement of intent. Your statement of intent must state the aggregate amount of purchases you intend to make in that 13-month period, which must be at least $50,000. If you do not complete the purchases described in your statement of intent within 13 months, you will be charged the applicable sales charge on the amount you have invested to that date. To calculate the total value of the purchases you’ve made under a statement of intent, the Fund will use the historic cost (i.e. dollars invested) of the shares held in each eligible account.

To obtain a breakpoint discount, you must notify your financial advisor in writing at the time you buy your shares of each eligible account maintained by you and/or your immediate family. It is the responsibility of you and your financial advisor to ensure that you receive discounts for which you are eligible; the Fund is not responsible for a financial advisor’s failure to apply the eligible discount to your account. You may be asked by your financial advisor for account statements or other records to verify your discount eligibility, including, when applicable, records for accounts opened with a different financial advisor and records of accounts established by members of your immediate family.

FUNDamentalsTM

Your “Immediate Family” and Account Value Aggregation

For purposes of reaching the Class B shares investment limits described in Choosing a Share Class – Comparison of the Share Classes and obtaining a Class A shares breakpoint discount, the value of your account will be deemed to include the value of all applicable shares in eligible accounts that are held by your “immediate family,” which includes your spouse (or legal equivalent under state law), parent, step-parent, legal guardian, child, step-child, father-in-law and mother-in-law. Remember that in order to obtain a breakpoint discount, you must notify your financial advisor in writing at the time you buy your shares of each eligible account maintained by you and/or your immediate family. Group plan accounts are valued at the plan level.

Eligible Accounts

The types of accounts that are eligible for the account value aggregation purposes described above are:

 

   

individual accounts,

 

   

joint accounts,

 

   

certain IRA accounts,

 

   

certain health savings accounts,

 

   

certain trust accounts, and

 

   

Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA)/Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) accounts.

Eligible accounts include those registered in the name of the broker/dealer or other financial intermediary through which you own shares of the Columbia Funds.

Eligible accounts do not include Class R share accounts or accounts holding institutional share classes of the Columbia Money Market Funds (Capital Class shares, Liquidity Class shares, Adviser Class shares, Investor Class shares, Trust Class shares, Institutional Class shares and Marsico shares). Certain share classes are not offered by this prospectus.

 

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Front-End Sales Charge Waivers

Certain investors may buy Class A shares of the Fund at net asset value, without any front-end sales charge that would otherwise apply. These investors include affiliates of the Fund, broker/dealers, investors in wrap fee programs, investors through fee-based advisors, certain retirement plans, certain health savings accounts, certain shareholders of funds that were reorganized into Columbia Funds, investors using the proceeds of sales of Fund shares or of certain Bank of America trust or similar accounts, as well as insurance company separate accounts purchasing for the benefit of group retirement plans. Restrictions may apply to certain accounts and certain transactions.

CDSC Waivers

You may be able to avoid an otherwise applicable CDSC when you sell Class A, Class B or Class C shares of the Fund. This could happen because of the way in which you originally invested in the Fund, because of your relationship with the Columbia Funds or for other reasons.

Generally, a CDSC that would otherwise be applied may be waived for certain sales, including sales made under the Systematic Withdrawal Plan or in connection with the death or post-purchase disability of a shareholder; certain medical expenses; charitable gifts; involuntary sales; and agreements by selling and/or servicing agents to waive or return their commissions. Restrictions may apply to certain accounts and certain transactions.

The Fund may change or cancel these terms at any time. Any change or cancellation applies only to future purchases.

For more information about the sales charge reductions and waivers described here, consult the SAI.

 

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Distribution and Service Fees

Pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, the Board has approved, and the Fund has adopted, distribution and shareholder servicing plans which set the distribution and service fees that are periodically deducted from the Fund’s assets. These fees are calculated daily, may vary by share class and are intended to compensate the Distributor and/or eligible selling and/or servicing agents for selling shares of the Fund and providing services to investors. Because the fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets on an ongoing basis, they will increase the cost of your investment over time.

The table below shows the maximum annual distribution and service fees (as an annual % of average daily net assets) and the combined amount of such fees applicable to each share class:

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) and Service Fees

 

     Distribution
Fee
    Service
Fee
    Combined
Total
 
Class A    —   (a)    —   (a)    0.25 %(a) 
Class B    0.75   0.25   1.00
Class C    0.75   0.25   1.00

 

(a)

The Fund’s Class A shares pay a combined distribution and service fee pursuant to the Fund’s combined distribution and shareholder servicing plan for Class A shares.

The Fund will pay these fees to the Distributor and/or to eligible selling and/or servicing agents for as long as the distribution and/or shareholder servicing plans continue. The Fund may reduce or discontinue payments at any time. Your selling and/or servicing agent may also charge you other fees for providing services to your account, which may be different from those described here.

 

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Financial Intermediary Compensation

The Distributor and the Advisor make payments, from their own resources, to certain financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, for marketing/sales support services relating to the Columbia Funds. Such payments are generally based upon one or more of the following factors: average net assets of the Columbia Funds sold by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, gross sales of the Columbia Funds distributed by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, reimbursement of ticket charges (fees that an intermediary firm charges its representatives for effecting transactions in Fund shares) or a negotiated lump sum payment. While the financial arrangements may vary for each intermediary, the support payments to any one intermediary are generally between 0.05% and 0.50% (and 0.03% and 0.12% with regard to the Columbia Money Market Funds) on an annual basis for payments based on average net assets of the Fund attributable to the intermediary, and between 0.05% and 0.25% on an annual basis for firms receiving a payment based on gross sales of the Columbia Funds (other than the Columbia Money Market Funds) attributable to the intermediary.

The Distributor and the Advisor may make payments in larger amounts or on a basis other than those described above when dealing with other affiliates of Bank of America. Such increased payments to the other Bank of America affiliate may enable the other Bank of America affiliate to offset credits that it may provide to customers in order to avoid having such customers pay fees to multiple Bank of America entities in connection with the customers’ investments in the Fund.

The Distributor, the Transfer Agent and the Advisor may also make payments to financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, that provide shareholder services to retirement plans and other investment programs to compensate those intermediaries for services they provide to such programs, including, but not limited to, sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, similar shareholder or participant recordkeeping, shareholder or participant reporting, or shareholder or participant transaction processing.

These payments for shareholder servicing support vary by financial intermediary but generally are not expected, with certain limited exceptions, to exceed 0.40% of the average aggregate value of the Fund’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, and 0.45% of the average aggregate value of the Fund’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that do not pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

The Board has authorized the Fund to reimburse the Transfer Agent for amounts paid to financial intermediaries that maintain assets in omnibus accounts, subject to an annual cap of 0.15% of the average aggregate value of the Fund’s shares maintained in such accounts. The amounts in excess of that reimbursed by the Fund are borne by the Distributor or the Advisor. The Distributor and the Advisor may make other payments or allow promotional incentives to broker/dealers to the extent permitted by SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rules and by other applicable laws and regulations.

Amounts paid by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates are paid out of the Distributor’s and the Advisor’s own resources and do not increase the amount paid by you or the Fund. You can find further details about the payments made by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates and the services provided by financial intermediaries as well as a list of the intermediaries to which the Distributor and the Advisor have agreed to make marketing support payments in the SAI. Your financial intermediary may charge you fees and commissions in addition to those described in this prospectus. You should consult with your financial intermediary and review carefully any disclosure your financial intermediary provides regarding its services and compensation. Depending on the financial arrangement in place at any particular time, a financial intermediary and its financial consultants may have a financial incentive for recommending the Fund or a particular share class over others. See Management of the Fund – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information.

 

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Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

Share Price Determination

The price you pay or receive when you buy, sell or exchange shares is the Fund’s next determined net asset value (or NAV) per share for a given share class. The Fund calculates the net asset value per share for each class of the Fund at the end of each business day.

FUNDamentalsTM

NAV Calculation

Each of the Fund’s share classes calculates its NAV as follows:

 

    (Value of assets of the share class)      
NAV   =  

—(Liabilities of the share class)

     
    Number of outstanding shares of the class      

The value of the Fund’s shares is based on the total market value of all of the securities and other assets that it holds as of a specified time. The prices reported on stock exchanges and other securities markets around the world are usually used to value securities in the Fund. The Fund uses the amortized cost method, which approximates market value, to value short-term investments maturing in 60 days or less.

If a market price isn’t readily available, the Fund will determine the price of the security held by the Fund based on the Advisor’s determination of the security’s fair value. A market price is considered not readily available if, among other circumstances, the most recent reported price is deemed unreliable. In addition, the Fund may use fair valuation to price securities that trade on a foreign exchange when a significant event has occurred after the foreign exchange closes but before the time at which the Fund’s share price is calculated. Foreign exchanges typically close before the time at which Fund share prices are calculated, and may be closed altogether on some days when the Fund is open. Such significant events affecting a foreign security may include, but are not limited to: (1) those impacting a single issuer; (2) governmental action that affects securities in one sector or country; (3) natural disasters or armed conflicts affecting a country or region; or (4) significant domestic or foreign market fluctuations. The Fund uses various criteria, including an evaluation of U.S. market moves after the close of foreign markets, in determining whether a security’s market price is readily available and, if not, the fair value of the security.

Fair valuation may have the effect of reducing stale pricing arbitrage opportunities presented by the pricing of Fund shares. However, when the Fund uses fair valuation to price securities, it may value those securities higher or lower than another mutual fund. Also, the use of fair valuation may cause the Fund’s performance to diverge to a greater degree from the performance of various benchmarks used to compare the Fund’s performance because benchmarks generally do not use fair valuation techniques. Because of the judgment involved in fair valuation decisions, there can be no assurance that the value ascribed to a particular security is accurate. The Fund has retained an independent fair valuation pricing service to assist in the fair valuation process for foreign securities. International markets are sometimes open on days when U.S. markets are closed, which means that the value of foreign securities owned by the Fund could change on days when Fund shares cannot be bought or sold.

 

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Transaction Rules and Policies

Remember that sales charges may apply to your transactions. You should also ask your selling and/or servicing agent about its rules, fees and policies for buying, selling and exchanging shares, which may be different from those described here, and about its related programs or services.

Also remember that the Fund may refuse any order to buy or exchange shares. If this happens, we’ll return any money we’ve received, but no interest will be paid on that money.

Order Processing

Orders to buy, sell or exchange shares are processed on business days. Orders can be delivered by mail, by telephone or online. Orders received in “good form” by the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent before the end of a business day will receive that day’s net asset value per share. Orders received after the end of a business day will receive the next business day’s net asset value per share. The market value of the Fund’s investments may change between the time you submit your order and the time the Fund next calculates its net asset value per share. The business day that applies to your order is also called a trade date.

FUNDamentalsTM

Business Days

A business day is any day that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. A business day ends at the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. If the NYSE closes early, the business day ends as of the time the NYSE closes. On holidays and other days when the NYSE is closed, the Fund’s net asset value is not calculated and the Fund does not accept buy or sell orders. However, the value of the Fund’s assets may still be affected on such days to the extent that the Fund holds foreign securities that trade on days that foreign markets are open.

“Good Form”

An order is in “good form” if the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent has all of the information and documentation it deems necessary to effect your order. For example, when you sell shares by letter of instruction, “good form” means that your letter has (i) complete instructions and the signatures of all account owners, (ii) a Medallion signature guarantee for amounts equal to or greater than $100,000 and (iii) any other required documents completed and attached. For the documents required for sales by corporations, agents, fiduciaries, surviving joint owners and other legal entities, call 800.345.6611.

Medallion Signature Guarantees

Qualified customers can obtain a Medallion signature guarantee from any financial institution – including commercial banks such as Bank of America, credit unions and broker/dealers – that participates in one of the three Medallion signature guarantee programs recognized by the SEC. These Medallion signature guarantee programs are the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (STAMP), the Stock Exchanges Medallion Program (SEMP) and the New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program (MSP).

Written Transactions

Once you have an account, you can communicate written buy, sell and exchange orders to the Transfer Agent at the following address: Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

Telephone Transactions

Once you have an account, you may place orders to buy, sell or exchange by telephone. To place orders by telephone, call 800.422.3737. Have your account number and taxpayer identification number (TIN) available when calling.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares via the telephone in any 30-day period if you qualify for telephone orders. Wire redemptions requested via the telephone are not subject to this maximum amount. You can buy up to $100,000 of shares through your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction via the telephone per day if you qualify for telephone orders.

Telephone orders may not be as secure as written orders. Columbia Funds will take reasonable steps to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. For example, we require proof of your identification before we will act on instructions received by telephone and may record telephone conversations. However, the Fund and its agents will not be

 

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responsible for any losses, costs or expenses resulting from an unauthorized telephone instruction when reasonable steps have been taken to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. Telephone orders may be difficult to complete during periods of significant economic or market change or business interruption.

Online Transactions

Once you have an account, contact Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for more information on account trading restrictions and the special sign-up procedures required for online transactions. The Transfer Agent has procedures in place to authenticate electronic orders you deliver through the internet. You will be required to accept the terms of an online agreement and establish and utilize a password in order to access online account services.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares through the internet in any 30-day period if you qualify for internet orders.

Customer Identification Program

Federal law requires the Fund to obtain and record specific personal information to verify your identity when you open an account. This information may include your name, address, date of birth (for individuals), and taxpayer or other government issued identification. If you fail to provide the requested information, the Fund may need to delay the date of your purchase or may be unable to open your account, which may result in a return of your investment monies. In addition, if the Fund is unable to verify your identity after your account is open, the Fund reserves the right to close your account or take other steps as deemed reasonable. The Fund shall not be held liable for any loss resulting from any purchase delay, application rejection or account closure due to a failure to provide proper identifying information.

Small Account Policy—Accounts Below $250

Columbia Funds generally will automatically sell your shares if the value of your account (treating each account of the Fund you own separately from any other account of the Fund you may own) falls below $250. If your shares are sold, the Transfer Agent will remit the sale proceeds to you. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of any automatic sale, which will provide details on how you may avoid such an automatic sale. Generally, you may avoid such an automatic sale by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information. The automatic sale of shares of accounts valued at less than $250 is expected to take place in the second quarter of each calendar year.

Columbia Funds may also sell your shares if a financial intermediary tells us to sell your shares pursuant to arrangements made with you, and under certain other circumstances allowed under the 1940 Act.

Small Account Policy—Minimum Balance Fee

If the value of your account (treating each account of the Fund you own separately from any other account of the Fund you may own) falls below the minimum initial investment requirement applicable to you, your account generally will be subject to a $20 annual fee. This fee will be assessed through the automatic sale of shares in your account. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will reduce the expenses paid by the Fund by any amounts it collects from the assessment of this fee. For Funds that do not have transfer agency expenses against which to offset the amount collected through assessment of this fee, the fee will be paid directly to the Fund. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of assessing any fee, which will provide details on how you can avoid the imposition of such fee. Generally, you may avoid the imposition of such fee by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information.

Columbia Funds reserves the right to change the minimum investment requirements for any Fund. We also reserve the right to lower the account size trigger point for the minimum balance fee in any year or for any class of shares when we believe it is appropriate to do so in light of declines in the

 

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market value of Fund shares, sales loads applicable to a particular class of shares, or for other reasons.

Exceptions to the Small Account Policy

The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 and the annual minimum balance fee described previously do not apply to shareholders of Class R shares or shareholders holding their shares through broker/dealer networked accounts; wrap fee and omnibus accounts; accounts with active Systematic Investment Plans or payroll deduction plans; and certain qualified retirement plans and health savings accounts. The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 does not apply to individual retirement plans.

Cash Flows

The timing and magnitude of cash inflows from investors buying Fund shares could prevent the Fund from always being fully invested. Conversely, the timing and magnitude of cash outflows to investors selling Fund shares could require large ready reserves of uninvested cash to meet shareholder redemptions. Either situation could adversely impact the Fund’s performance.

Information Sharing Agreements

As required by Rule 22c-2 under the 1940 Act, the Columbia Funds or certain of their service providers will enter into information sharing agreements with financial intermediaries, including participating life insurance companies and financial intermediaries that sponsor or offer retirement plans through which shares of the Columbia Funds are made available for purchase. Pursuant to Rule 22c-2, financial intermediaries are required, upon request, to: (i) provide shareholder account and transaction information and (ii) execute instructions from the Fund to restrict or prohibit further purchases of Fund shares by shareholders who have been identified by the Fund as having engaged in transactions that violate the Fund’s excessive trading policies and procedures. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Excessive Trading Practices for more information.

Excessive Trading Practices

Right to Reject or Restrict Share Transaction Orders – The Fund is intended for investors with long-term investment purposes and is not intended as a vehicle for frequent trading activity (market timing) that is excessive. Investors should transact in Fund shares primarily for investment purposes. The Board has adopted excessive trading policies and procedures that are designed to deter excessive trading by investors (the Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures). The Fund discourages and does not accommodate excessive trading.

The Fund reserves the right to reject, without any prior notice, any buy or exchange order for any reason, and will not be liable for any loss resulting from rejected orders. For example, the Fund may in its discretion restrict or reject a buy or exchange order even if the transaction is not subject to the specific exchange limitation described below if the Fund or its agents determine that accepting the order could interfere with efficient management of the Fund’s portfolio or is otherwise contrary to the Fund’s best interests. The Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures apply equally to buy or exchange transactions communicated directly to the Transfer Agent and to those received by selling and/or servicing agents.

Specific Buying and Exchanging Limitations – If the Fund detects that an investor has made two “material round trips” in any 28-day period, it will generally reject the investor’s future buy orders, including exchange buy orders, involving any Columbia Fund.

For these purposes, a “round trip” is a purchase or exchange into the Fund followed by a sale or exchange out of the Fund. A “material” round trip is one that is deemed by the Fund to be material in terms of its amount or its potential detrimental impact on the Fund. Independent of this limit, the Fund may, in its discretion, reject future buy orders by any person, group or account that appears to have engaged in any type of excessive trading activity.

These limits generally do not apply to automated transactions or transactions by registered investment companies that invest in the Fund using a “fund of funds” structure. These limits do not apply to payroll deduction contributions by retirement plan participants, transactions initiated by a retirement plan sponsor or certain other retirement plan transactions consisting of rollover transactions, loan repayments and disbursements, and required minimum distribution redemptions. They may be modified or rescinded for accounts held by certain retirement plans to conform to plan limits, for considerations relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or regulations of the Department of Labor, and for certain asset allocation or wrap

 

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programs. Accounts known to be under common ownership or control generally will be counted together, but accounts maintained or managed by a common intermediary generally will not be considered to be under common ownership or control. The Fund retains the right to modify these restrictions at any time without prior notice to shareholders.

Limitations on the Ability to Detect and Prevent Excessive Trading Practices – The Fund takes various steps designed to detect and prevent excessive trading, including daily review of available shareholder transaction information. However, the Fund receives buy, sell and exchange orders through financial intermediaries, and cannot always know or reasonably detect excessive trading that may be facilitated by financial intermediaries or by the use of the omnibus account arrangements they offer. Omnibus account arrangements are common forms of holding shares of mutual funds, particularly among certain financial intermediaries such as broker/ dealers, retirement plans and variable insurance products. These arrangements often permit financial intermediaries to aggregate their clients’ transactions and accounts, and in these circumstances, the identity of the shareholders is often not known.

Some financial intermediaries apply their own restrictions or policies to underlying investor accounts, which may be more or less restrictive than those described here. This may impact the Fund’s ability to curtail excessive trading, even where it is identified. For these and other reasons, it is possible that excessive trading may occur despite the Fund’s efforts to detect and prevent it.

Although these restrictions and policies involve judgments that are inherently subjective and may involve some selectivity in their application, the Fund seeks to act in a manner that it believes is consistent with the best interests of shareholders in making any such judgments.

Risks of Excessive Trading – Excessive trading creates certain risks to the Fund’s long-term shareholders and may create the following adverse effects:

 

   

negative impact on the Fund’s performance;

 

   

potential dilution of the value of the Fund’s shares;

 

   

interference with the efficient management of the Fund’s portfolio, such as the need to maintain undesirably large cash positions, the need to use its line of credit or the need to buy or sell securities it otherwise would not have bought or sold;

 

   

losses on the sale of investments resulting from the need to sell securities at less favorable prices;

 

   

increased taxable gains to the Fund’s remaining shareholders resulting from the need to sell securities to meet sell orders; and

 

   

increased brokerage and administrative costs.

To the extent that the Fund invests significantly in foreign securities traded on markets that close before the Fund’s valuation time, it may be particularly susceptible to dilution as a result of excessive trading. Because events may occur after the close of foreign markets and before the Fund’s valuation time that influence the value of foreign securities, investors may seek to trade Fund shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of foreign securities as of the Fund’s valuation time. This is often referred to as price arbitrage. The Fund has adopted procedures designed to adjust closing market prices of foreign securities under certain circumstances to reflect what the Fund believes to be the fair value of those securities as of its valuation time. To the extent the adjustments don’t work fully, investors engaging in price arbitrage may cause dilution in the value of the Fund’s shares held by other shareholders.

Similarly, to the extent that the Fund invests significantly in thinly traded high-yield bonds (junk bonds) or equity securities of small-capitalization companies, because these securities are often traded infrequently, investors may seek to trade their shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of these securities. This is also a type of price arbitrage. Any such frequent trading strategies may interfere with efficient management of the Fund’s portfolio to a greater degree than would be the case for mutual funds that invest in highly liquid securities, in part because the Fund may have difficulty selling those portfolio securities at advantageous times or prices to satisfy large and/or frequent sell orders. Any successful price arbitrage may also cause dilution in the value of Fund shares held by other shareholders.

 

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Opening an Account and Placing Orders

Columbia Funds encourages you to consult with a financial advisor who can help you with your investment decisions and who can help you open an account. Once you have an account, you can buy, sell and exchange shares by contacting your financial advisor who will send your order to the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent. As described in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies, once you have an account you can also communicate your orders directly to the Transfer Agent by mail, by telephone or online.

Buying Shares

Eligible Investors

Class A and Class C shares are available to the general public for investment. Once you have opened an account, you can buy Class A and Class C shares in a lump sum, through our Systematic Investment Plan, by dividend diversification, by wire or by electronic funds transfer.

Class B Shares Closing

The Fund no longer accepts investments from new or existing investors in Class B shares, except for certain limited transactions involving existing investors in Class B shares as described in more detail below.

Additional Class B shares will be issued only to existing investors in Class B shares and only through the following two types of transactions (Qualifying Transactions):

 

   

Dividends and/or capital gain distributions may continue to be reinvested in Class B shares of the Fund.

 

   

Shareholders invested in Class B shares of the Fund may exchange those shares for Class B shares of other Columbia Funds offering such shares.

Any initial purchase orders for the Fund’s Class B shares will be rejected (other than through a Qualifying Transaction that is an exchange transaction).

Unless contrary instructions are received in advance by the Fund, purchase orders (except those submitted by a financial intermediary through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC) as described in more detail below) for additional Class B shares of the Fund received from existing investors in Class B shares, including orders made through an active systematic investment plan or payroll deduction plan, will be invested in Class A shares of the Fund, without regard to the normal minimum initial investment for Class A shares, but subject to the front-end sales charge that generally applies to Class A shares. See Choosing a Share Class – Class A Shares – Front-end Sales Charge for additional information.

Additional purchase orders for a Fund’s Class B shares by an existing Class B shareholder, submitted by such shareholder’s financial intermediary through the NSCC, will be rejected due to operational limitations of the NSCC. Investors should consult their financial advisor if they wish to invest in the Fund by purchasing a share class of the Fund other than Class B shares.

In addition, dividend and/or capital gain distributions from Class B shares of a Columbia Fund will no longer be automatically invested in Class B shares of another Columbia Fund. Unless contrary instructions are received in advance of the date of declaration, such dividend and/or capital gain distributions from Class B shares of a Columbia Fund will be reinvested in Class B shares of the same Columbia Fund that is making the distribution.

Minimum Initial Investments

The minimum initial investment for Class A and Class C shares is $2,500 for regular accounts and $1,000 for individual retirement plans (including traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts) and non-omnibus group retirement plans. For investors establishing a Systematic Investment Plan, the minimum initial investment is $50. There is no minimum initial investment for Class A or Class C shares bought through omnibus accounts, wrap accounts or health savings accounts, although your selling and/or servicing agent may impose its own investment minimum. For group retirement plans, the minimum initial investment and minimum additional investment are determined based on the plan’s investment rather than that of its individual participants.

Minimum Additional Investments

There is no minimum additional investment for Class A or Class C shares.

 

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Systematic Investment Plan

The Systematic Investment Plan allows you to make regular purchases in amounts of $50 or more via automatic transfers from your bank account to the Fund on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan.

Dividend Diversification

Generally, you may automatically invest distributions made by another Columbia Fund into the same class of shares (and in some cases certain other classes of shares) of the Fund at no additional sales charge. A sales charge may apply when you invest distributions made by a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase. Call Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for details. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders – Buying Shares – Class B Shares Closing for restrictions applicable to Class B shares.

Wire Purchases

You may buy Class A or Class C shares of the Fund by wiring money from your bank account to your Fund account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737.

Electronic Funds Transfer

You may buy Class A or Class C shares of the Fund by electronically transferring money from your bank account to your Fund account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. An electronic funds transfer may take up to three business days to settle and be considered in “good form.” You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Other Purchase Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your buy order in “good form,” your purchase will be made at the next calculated public offering price per share, which is the net asset value per share plus any sales charge that applies.

 

   

You generally buy Class A shares at the public offering price per share because purchases of Class A shares are generally subject to a front-end sales charge.

 

   

You buy Class B and Class C shares at net asset value per share because no front-end sales charge applies to purchases of these share classes.

 

   

The Fund reserves the right to cancel your order if it doesn’t receive payment within three business days of receiving your buy order. The Fund will return any payment received for orders that have been cancelled, but no interest will be paid on that money.

 

   

Selling and/or servicing agents are responsible for sending your buy orders to the Transfer Agent and ensuring that we receive your money on time.

 

   

Shares bought are recorded on the books of the Fund. The Fund doesn’t issue certificates.

Selling Shares

When you sell your shares, the Fund is effectively buying them back from you. This is called a redemption.

Wire Redemptions

You may request that your Class A, Class B or Class C shares sale proceeds be wired to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. You must set up this feature prior to your request. For shares sold by Fedwire, there is generally a fee of $7.50. The receiving bank may charge an additional fee. The Transfer Agent may waive the fee for certain accounts. The minimum amount that can be redeemed by wire is $500.

Electronic Funds Transfer

You may sell Class A, Class B or Class C shares of the Fund and request that the proceeds be electronically transferred to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It may take up to three business days for the sale proceeds to be received by your bank. You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan

The Systematic Withdrawal Plan lets you withdraw funds from your Class A, Class B and/or Class C shares account any day of the month on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. Your account balance generally must be at least $5,000 to set up the plan, but certain fee-based and wrap accounts are not subject to this requirement. All dividend and capital gain distributions must be reinvested to set up the plan. A Systematic Withdrawal Plan cannot be set up on an account that already has a Systematic Investment Plan established. If you set up the plan after you’ve opened your

 

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account, we may require your signature to be Medallion guaranteed.

You can choose to receive your withdrawals via check or direct deposit into your bank account. You won’t pay a CDSC on Class A, Class B or Class C shares if you withdraw 12% or less of the value of those shares in a year. Otherwise, Columbia Funds will deduct any applicable CDSC from the withdrawals before sending the balance to you. You can cancel the plan by giving Columbia Funds 30 days notice in writing or by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It’s important to remember that if you withdraw more than your investment in the Fund is earning, you’ll eventually use up your original investment.

In-Kind Distributions

The Fund reserves the right to honor sell orders with in-kind distributions of portfolio securities instead of cash. In the event the Fund makes such an in-kind distribution, you may incur the brokerage and transaction costs associated with converting the portfolio securities you receive into cash. Also, the portfolio securities you receive may increase or decrease in value before you convert them into cash.

Other Redemption Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your sell order in “good form,” your shares will be sold at the next calculated net asset value per share. Any applicable CDSC will be deducted from the amount you’re selling and the balance will be remitted to you.

 

   

If you sell your shares directly through Columbia Funds, we will normally send the sale proceeds by mail or electronically transfer them to your bank account within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you sell your shares through a selling agent, Columbia Funds will normally send the sale proceeds by Fedwire within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you paid for your shares by check or from your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction, Columbia Funds will hold the sale proceeds when you sell those shares for up to 10 days after the trade date of the purchase.

 

   

No interest will be paid on uncashed redemption checks.

 

   

Columbia Funds can delay payment of the sale proceeds for up to seven days and may suspend redemptions and/or postpone payment of redemption proceeds when the NYSE is closed or during emergency circumstances as determined by the SEC.

 

   

Other restrictions may apply to retirement accounts. For information about these restrictions, contact your retirement plan administrator.

 

   

Also keep in mind Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy, which is described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies.

Exchanging Shares

You can generally sell shares of the Fund to buy shares of another Columbia Fund, in what is called an exchange. You should read the prospectus of, and make sure you understand the investment objective and principal investment strategies of, the Columbia Fund into which you are exchanging.

Systematic Exchanges

You may buy Class A, Class B and/or Class C shares of the Fund by exchanging $100 or more each month from another Columbia Fund for shares of the same class of the Fund at no additional cost. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. If you set up your plan to exchange more than $100,000 each month, you must have your signature Medallion guaranteed.

Exchanges will continue as long as your balance is sufficient to complete the systematic monthly transfers, subject to Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies. You may terminate the program or change the amount you would like to exchange (subject to the $100 minimum) by calling Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611. A sales charge may apply when you exchange shares of a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase.

The rules described below for making exchanges apply to systematic exchanges.

Other Exchange Rules You Should Know

 

   

Exchanges are made at net asset value.

 

   

You can generally make exchanges between like share classes of any Columbia Fund. Some exceptions apply.

 

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A sales charge may apply when you exchange shares of a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase.

 

   

If your shares are subject to a CDSC, you will not be charged a CDSC upon the exchange of those shares. Any CDSC will be deducted when you sell the shares you received from the exchange. The CDSC imposed at that time will be based on the period that begins when you bought shares of the original Columbia Fund and ends when you sell the shares of the Columbia Fund you received from the exchange. The applicable CDSC will be the CDSC of the original Columbia Fund.

 

   

The rules for buying shares of a Columbia Fund generally apply to exchanges into that Fund.

 

   

You may make exchanges only into a Columbia Fund that is legally offered and sold in your state of residence.

 

   

You generally may make an exchange only into a Columbia Fund that is accepting investments.

 

   

The Fund may change or cancel your right to make an exchange by giving the amount of notice required by regulatory authorities (generally 60 days for a material change or cancellation).

 

   

Unless your account is part of a tax-advantaged retirement plan, an exchange for shares of another fund is a taxable event, and you may recognize a gain or loss for tax purposes.

Same-Fund Exchange Privilege for Class Z Shares

Certain shareholders invested in a class of shares other than Class Z may become eligible to invest in Class Z shares. Upon a determination of such eligibility, any such shareholders will be eligible to exchange their shares for Class Z shares of the same fund, if offered. No sales charges or other charges will apply to any such exchange. Ordinarily, shareholders will not recognize a gain or loss for federal income tax purposes upon such an exchange. Investors should contact their selling and/or servicing agents to learn more about the details of the Class Z shares exchange privilege.

 

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Distributions and Taxes

Distributions to Shareholders

A mutual fund can make money two ways:

 

   

It can earn income on its investments. Examples of fund income are interest paid on money market instruments and bonds, and dividends paid on common stocks.

 

   

A mutual fund can also have capital gains if the value of its investments increases. While a fund continues to hold an investment, any gain is unrealized. If the fund sells an investment, it generally will realize a capital gain if it sells that investment for a higher price than it originally paid. Capital gains are either short-term or long-term, depending on whether the fund holds the securities for one year or less (short-term gains) or more than one year (long-term gains).

FUNDamentalsTM

Distributions

Mutual funds make payments of fund earnings to shareholders, distributing them among all shareholders of the fund. As a shareholder, you are entitled to your portion of a fund’s distributed income, including capital gains.

Reinvesting your distributions buys you more shares of a fund – which lets you take advantage of the potential for compound growth. Putting the money you earn back into your investment means it, in turn, may earn even more money. Over time, the power of compounding has the potential to significantly increase the value of your investment. There is no assurance, however, that you’ll earn more money if you reinvest your distributions rather than receive them in cash.

The Fund intends to pay out, in the form of distributions to shareholders, a sufficient amount of its income and gains so that the Fund will qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company and generally will not have to pay any federal excise tax. The Fund generally intends to distribute any net realized capital gain (whether long-term or short-term gain) at least once a year. Normally, the Fund will declare and pay distributions of net investment income according to the following schedule:

Declaration and Distribution Schedule

 

Declarations   quarterly
Distributions   quarterly

The Fund may, however, declare and pay distributions of net investment income more frequently.

Different share classes of the Fund usually pay different net investment income distribution amounts, because each class has different expenses. Each time a distribution is made, the net asset value per share of the share class is reduced by the amount of the distribution.

The Fund generally pays cash distributions within five business days after the distribution was declared. If you sell all of your shares after the record date, but before the payment date, for a distribution, you’ll normally receive that distribution in cash within five business days after the sale was made.

The Fund will automatically reinvest distributions in additional shares of the same share class of the Fund unless you inform us you want to receive your distributions in cash. You can do this by writing Columbia Funds at the address on the back cover, or by calling us at 800.345.6611. No sales charges apply to the purchase or sale of such shares. Distributions of $10 or less will automatically be reinvested in additional Fund shares only. If you elect to receive distributions by check and the check is returned as undeliverable, all subsequent distributions will be reinvested in additional shares of the Fund.

Unless you are investing through a tax-deferred retirement account (such as an IRA), you should consider avoiding buying Fund shares shortly before the Fund makes a distribution of net investment income or net realized capital gain, because doing so can cost you money in taxes. This is because you will, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back in the distribution. This is known as “buying a dividend.” To avoid “buying a dividend,” check the Fund’s distribution schedule online at www.columbiafunds.com, or by calling us at 800.345.6611, before you invest.

If you buy shares of the Fund when it holds securities with unrealized capital gain, you may, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back if and when the Fund sells those securities and distributes any net realized gain. Any such distribution is generally subject to tax. The Fund may have, or

 

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may build up over time, high levels of unrealized capital gain. If you buy shares of the Fund when it has capital loss carryforwards, the Fund may have the ability to offset capital gains realized by the Fund that otherwise would have been distributed to shareholders with such carryforwards, although capital loss carryforwards generally expire after eight taxable years and may be subject to substantial limitations.

 

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Taxes and Your Investment

The Fund will send you a statement each year showing how much you’ve received in distributions in the prior year and the distributions’ character for federal income tax purposes. In addition, you should be aware of the following:

 

   

The Fund intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company. A regulated investment company generally is not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are distributed to shareholders. However, the Fund’s failure to qualify as a regulated investment company would result in fund level taxation, and consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to you.

 

   

Distributions generally are taxable to you when paid, whether they are paid in cash or automatically reinvested in additional shares of the Fund.

 

   

Distributions of the Fund’s ordinary income and net short-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions of the Fund’s net long-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as long-term capital gain. Whether capital gains are long-term or short-term is determined by how long the Fund has owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long you have owned your shares.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, if you are an individual and you meet certain holding period and other requirements for your Fund shares, a portion of your distributions may be treated as “qualified dividend income” taxable at lower net long-term capital gain rates. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this provision to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010. Qualified dividend income is income attributable to the Fund’s dividends received from certain U.S. and foreign corporations, as long as the Fund meets certain holding period and other requirements for the stock producing such dividends.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, the maximum individual federal income tax rate on net long-term capital gain (and thus qualified dividend income) has been temporarily reduced to 15%. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this rate reduction to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010.

 

   

A sale, redemption or exchange of Fund shares is a taxable event. This includes redemptions where you are paid in securities. Your sales, redemptions and exchanges of Fund shares (including those paid in securities) usually will result in a taxable capital gain or loss to you, equal to the difference between the amount you receive for your shares (or are deemed to have received in the case of exchanges) and the amount you paid (or are deemed to have paid in the case of exchanges) for them. Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held your Fund shares for more than one year at the time of sale or exchange. In certain circumstances, capital losses may be converted from short-term to long-term or disallowed.

 

   

The Fund is required by federal law to withhold tax on any taxable distributions and sale proceeds paid to you (including amounts paid to you in securities and amounts deemed to be paid to you upon an exchange of shares) if: you haven’t provided a correct taxpayer identification number (TIN) or haven’t certified to the Fund that withholding doesn’t apply; the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has notified us that the TIN listed on your account is incorrect according to its records; or the IRS informs the Fund that you are otherwise subject to backup withholding.

FUNDamentalsTM

Taxes

The information provided above is only a summary of how U.S. federal income taxes may affect your investment in the Fund. It is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Your investment in the Fund may have other tax implications.

It does not apply to certain types of investors who may be subject to special rules, including foreign or tax-exempt investors or those holding Fund shares through a tax-advantaged account, such as a 401(k) plan or IRA.

You should consult with your own tax advisor about the particular tax consequences to you of an investment in the Fund, including the effect of any foreign, state and local taxes, and the effect of possible changes in applicable tax laws.

 

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights tables are designed to help you understand how the Fund has performed for the past five full fiscal years, or if shorter, the Fund’s period of operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total return line indicates how much an investment in the Fund would have earned each period assuming all dividends and distributions had been reinvested.

This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm whose report, along with the Fund’s financial statements, is included in the Fund’s annual report. The independent registered public accounting firm’s report and the Fund’s financial statements are also incorporated by reference into the SAI.

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II—Class A Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 22.39      $ 24.00      $ 22.22      $ 20.84      $ 20.20   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income(b)

     0.45        0.48        0.43        0.32        0.31 (c) 

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments, futures contracts and foreign currency

     (6.44     (1.60     1.78        1.37        0.65 (d) 

Total from investment operations

     (5.99     (1.12     2.21        1.69        0.96   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.46     (0.49     (0.43     (0.31     (0.32

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 15.94      $ 22.39      $ 24.00      $ 22.22      $ 20.84   

Total return(e)(f)

     (27.03 )%      (4.78 )%      10.06     8.17     4.80 %(g) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses before interest expense(h)

     1.29     1.22     1.22     1.13     1.25

Interest expense

     —          —   %(i)      —   %(i)      —   %(i)      —   %(i) 

Net expenses(h)

     1.29     1.22     1.22     1.13     1.25

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.09     0.07     0.07     0.04     0.08

Net investment income(h)

     2.31     1.99     1.89     1.49     1.50

Portfolio turnover rate

     67     63     55     102     136

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 58,511      $ 94,827      $ 115,393      $ 119,408      $ 109,409   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Fund’s Investor A shares were renamed Class A shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Net investment income per share reflects a special dividend. The effect of this dividend amounted to $0.03 per share.

(d)

The effect of the investment advisor’s reimbursement for the Fund exceeding certain investment restrictions is included in the net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments (per share). The effect of this reimbursement was to increase net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments by $0.01.

(e)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge.

(f)

Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(g)

Without the effect of the investment advisor’s reimbursement for the Fund exceeding certain investment restrictions, total return would have been 4.73%.

(h)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(i)

Rounds to less than 0.01%.

 

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Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II—Class B Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 22.20      $ 23.81      $ 22.04      $ 20.67      $ 20.04   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income(b)

     0.29        0.30        0.26        0.14        0.15 (c) 

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments, futures contracts and foreign currency

     (6.37     (1.60     1.77        1.38        0.64 (d) 

Total from investment operations

     (6.08     (1.30     2.03        1.52        0.79   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.31     (0.31     (0.26     (0.15     (0.16

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 15.81      $ 22.20      $ 23.81      $ 22.04      $ 20.67   

Total return(e)(f)

     (27.55 )%      (5.54 )%      9.27     7.38     3.97 %(g) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses before interest expense(h)

     2.04     1.97     1.97     1.88     2.00

Interest expense

     —          —   %(i)      —   %(i)      —   %(i)      —   %(i) 

Net expenses(h)

     2.04     1.97     1.97     1.88     2.00

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.09     0.07     0.07     0.04     0.07

Net investment income(h)

     1.49     1.25     1.14     0.68     0.75

Portfolio turnover rate

     67     63     55     102     136

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 2,414      $ 7,349      $ 15,225      $ 22,247      $ 43,962   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Fund’s Investor B shares were renamed Class B shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Net investment income per share reflects a special dividend. The effect of this dividend amounted to $0.03 per share.

(d)

The effect of the investment advisor’s reimbursement for the Fund exceeding certain investment restrictions is included in the net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments (per share). The effect of this reimbursement was to increase net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments by $0.01.

(e)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no contingent deferred sales charge.

(f)

Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(g)

Without the effect of the investment advisor’s reimbursement for the Fund exceeding certain investment restrictions, total return would have been 3.92%.

(h)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(i)

Rounds to less than 0.01%.

 

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Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II—Class C Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 22.18      $ 23.79      $ 22.02      $ 20.65      $ 20.02   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income(b)

     0.30        0.32        0.26        0.15        0.15 (c) 

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments, futures contracts and foreign currency

     (6.38     (1.62     1.77        1.37        0.65 (d) 

Total from investment operations

     (6.08     (1.30     2.03        1.52        0.80   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.31     (0.31     (0.26     (0.15     (0.17

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 15.79      $ 22.18      $ 23.79      $ 22.02      $ 20.65   

Total return(e)(f)

     (27.58 )%      (5.54 )%      9.28     7.39     4.02 %(g) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses before interest expense(h)

     2.04     1.97     1.97     1.88     2.00

Interest expense

     —          —   %(i)      —   %(i)      —   %(i)      —   %(i) 

Net expenses(h)

     2.04     1.97     1.97     1.88     2.00

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.09     0.07     0.07     0.04     0.07

Net investment income(h)

     1.59     1.32     1.14     0.73     0.75

Portfolio turnover rate

     67     63     55     102     136

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 515      $ 730      $ 2,105      $ 2,468      $ 2,628   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Fund’s Investor C shares were renamed Class C shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Net investment income per share reflects a special dividend. The effect of this dividend amounted to $0.03 per share.

(d)

The effect of the investment advisor’s reimbursement for the Fund exceeding certain investment restrictions is included in the net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments (per share). The effect of this reimbursement was to increase net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments by $0.01.

(e)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no contingent deferred sales charge.

(f)

Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(g)

Without the effect of the investment advisor’s reimbursement for the Fund exceeding certain investment restrictions, total return would have been 3.95%.

(h)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(i)

Rounds to less than 0.01%.

 

44


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Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

The following supplemental hypothetical investment information provides additional information about the effect of the fees and expenses of the Fund, including investment advisory fees and other Fund costs, on the Fund’s returns over a 10-year period. The charts show the estimated fees and expenses that would be charged on a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in each share class of the Fund, assuming a 5% return each year, the cumulative return after fees and expenses and the hypothetical year-end balance after fees and expenses. The charts also assume that all dividends and distributions are reinvested and that Class B shares convert to Class A shares after eight years. The annual expense ratio used for each share class, which is the same as that stated in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses table, is presented in the charts and is net of any contractual fee waivers or expense reimbursements for the period of contractual commitment. Your actual costs may be higher or lower. The charts shown below reflect the maximum initial sales charge. If contingent deferred sales charges were reflected, the “Hypothetical Year-End Balance After Fees and Expenses” amounts shown would be lower and the “Annual Fees and Expenses” amounts shown would be higher.

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II—Class A Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 5.75%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses (a)

1

   5.00   1.35   -2.31 %(b)    $ 9,769.01    $ 704.56

2

   10.25   1.35   1.26   $ 10,125.58    $ 134.29

3

   15.76   1.35   4.95   $ 10,495.16    $ 139.19

4

   21.55   1.35   8.78   $ 10,878.23    $ 144.27

5

   27.63   1.35   12.75   $ 11,275.29    $ 149.54

6

   34.01   1.35   16.87   $ 11,686.84    $ 154.99

7

   40.71   1.35   21.13   $ 12,113.41    $ 160.65

8

   47.75   1.35   25.56   $ 12,555.55    $ 166.52

9

   55.13   1.35   30.14   $ 13,013.83    $ 172.59

10

   62.89   1.35   34.89   $ 13,488.83    $ 178.89

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,488.83   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,105.49

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

(b)

Reflects deduction of the maximum initial sales charge.

 

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Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II—Class B Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses (a)

1

   5.00   2.10   2.90   $ 10,290.00    $ 213.05

2

   10.25   2.10   5.88   $ 10,588.41    $ 219.22

3

   15.76   2.10   8.95   $ 10,895.47    $ 225.58

4

   21.55   2.10   12.11   $ 11,211.44    $ 232.12

5

   27.63   2.10   15.37   $ 11,536.57    $ 238.85

6

   34.01   2.10   18.71   $ 11,871.13    $ 245.78

7

   40.71   2.10   22.15   $ 12,215.39    $ 252.91

8

   47.75   2.10   25.70   $ 12,569.64    $ 260.24

9

   55.13   1.35   30.28   $ 13,028.43    $ 172.79

10

   62.89   1.35   35.04   $ 13,503.97    $ 179.09

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,503.97   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,239.63

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II—Class C Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses (a)

1

   5.00   2.10   2.90   $ 10,290.00    $ 213.05

2

   10.25   2.10   5.88   $ 10,588.41    $ 219.22

3

   15.76   2.10   8.95   $ 10,895.47    $ 225.58

4

   21.55   2.10   12.11   $ 11,211.44    $ 232.12

5

   27.63   2.10   15.37   $ 11,536.57    $ 238.85

6

   34.01   2.10   18.71   $ 11,871.13    $ 245.78

7

   40.71   2.10   22.15   $ 12,215.39    $ 252.91

8

   47.75   2.10   25.70   $ 12,569.64    $ 260.24

9

   55.13   2.10   29.34   $ 12,934.16    $ 267.79

10

   62.89   2.10   33.09   $ 13,309.25    $ 275.56

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,309.25   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,431.10

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

 

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LOGO

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II

Class A, Class B and Class C Shares

Prospectus, August 1, 2009

For More Information

You’ll find more information about the Fund and the other Columbia Funds in the documents described below. Contact Columbia Funds as follows to obtain these documents free of charge:

 

By Mail:   

Columbia Funds

c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc.

P.O. Box 8081

Boston, MA 02266-8081

By Telephone:    800.345.6611
Online:    www.columbiafunds.com

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders

Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year.

Shareholder Communications with the Board

The Fund’s Board of Trustees has adopted procedures by which shareholders may communicate with the Board. Shareholders who wish to communicate with the Board should send their written communications to the Board by mail, c/o Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, One Financial Center, Mail Stop MA5-515-11-05, Boston, MA 02111, Attention: Secretary. Shareholder communications must (i) be in writing, (ii) identify the Columbia Fund to which the communication relates and (iii) state the particular class of shares and number of shares held by the communicating shareholder.

Statement of Additional Information

The SAI provides more detailed information about the Fund and its policies. The SAI is legally part of this prospectus (incorporated by reference). A copy has been filed with the SEC.

Information Provided by the SEC

You can review and copy information about the Fund (including this prospectus, the SAI and shareholder reports) at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. To find out more about the operation of the Public Reference Room, call the SEC at 202.551.8090 or 800.SEC.0330. Reports and other information about the Fund are also available in the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You can receive copies of this information, for a fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov or by writing the Public Reference Section, Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, DC 20549-0102.

For purposes of any electronic version of this prospectus, all references to websites, or universal resource locators (URLs), are intended to be inactive and are not meant to incorporate the contents of any website into this prospectus.

The investment company registration number of Columbia Funds Series Trust, of which the Fund is a series, is 811-09645.

©2009 Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.

One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111-2621

800.345.6611 www.columbiafunds.com

INT-36/18003-0809


Table of Contents

LOGO

Prospectus

August 1, 2009

Columbia Funds

 

Class Z Shares    Advised by Columbia Management Advisors, LLC
Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II   

LOGO The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


Table of Contents

Fund shares are NOT deposits or other obligations of, or issued, endorsed or guaranteed by, Bank of America, N.A. or any of its affiliates. Fund shares are NOT issued, insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, the FDIC or any other government agency.

Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) and its affiliates are paid for the services they provide to the Fund and may be compensated or incented in connection with the sale of Fund shares. The Fund may be used as an investment option for various products and services offered by Bank of America that may raise economic and other conflicts of interest, which are discussed in this prospectus.

AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND INVOLVES CERTAIN RISKS, INCLUDING LOSS OF PRINCIPAL.

 

2


Table of Contents

Prospectus Primer

This prospectus tells you about Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II (the Fund), which is one of the balanced funds in the Columbia Funds family of mutual funds (Columbia Funds). It is designed to provide you with important information about the Fund in a concise and easy to understand manner that is meant to help you make informed investment decisions.

The prospectus first summarizes the key characteristics of the Fund, including:

 

   

investment objective,

 

   

principal investment strategies and risks,

 

   

year-by-year performance information,

 

   

fees and expenses, and

 

   

a description of the Fund’s additional investment strategies and policies.

This summary is followed by other important information, including:

 

   

a discussion of the Fund’s primary service providers, including the roles and relationships of Bank of America and its affiliates, and conflicts of interest, and

 

   

a description of the Fund’s Class Z shares offered by this prospectus.

Later sections of the prospectus talk about the details of investing in the Fund, including:

 

   

how to buy, sell and exchange shares of the Fund, and

 

   

how you will receive your investment proceeds.

The prospectus also includes:

 

   

information about how federal and certain other taxes may affect your investment,

 

   

highlights of the Fund’s financial information, and

 

   

hypothetical fee and expense data that show the costs associated with investing in the Fund.

We have included a number of features designed to facilitate your use of this prospectus, including:

 

   

“FUNDamentals™” sections that provide simple explanations of key terms and concepts, as well as some basics of mutual fund investing,

 

   

a “FUNDimensions™” section that is meant to give you a “snapshot” of the Fund’s main attributes, and

 

   

graphic icons which are defined in the guide below.

Icons Guide

LOGO    Investment Objective

LOGO    Principal Investment Strategies

LOGO    Principal Risks

LOGO    Performance Information

LOGO    Fees and Expenses

LOGO    Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates - Certain Conflicts of Interest

For More Information

You can contact Columbia Funds:

 

   

by mail at Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

 

   

by telephone at 800.345.6611.

 

   

by email at serviceinquiries@columbiamanagement.com or online at www.columbiafunds.com.

 

   

through your financial advisor, who can help you select from among the Columbia Funds to meet your investment needs.

You also can find more information about the Fund in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI), which includes more detailed information about the Fund’s investments, policies and management, among other things. Turn to the back cover to find out how you can get a copy.

The SEC provides a “Beginners’ Guide to Mutual Funds” which may be useful to some investors and is available online, free of charge, at www.sec.gov.

 

3


Table of Contents

Table of Contents

 

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II

   5

Investment Objective

   5

Principal Investment Strategies

   5

Principal Risks

   7

Performance Information

   10

Fees and Expenses

   12

Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

   15

Management of the Fund

   17

Primary Service Providers

   17

Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

   19

Certain Legal Matters

   20

About Class Z Shares

   21

Description of the Share Class

   21

Financial Intermediary Compensation

   22

Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

   23

Share Price Determination

   23

Transaction Rules and Policies

   24

Opening an Account and Placing Orders

   28

Distributions and Taxes

   32

Financial Highlights

   35

Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

   36

Columbia Management Group, LLC

The Fund is sponsored by Columbia Management Group, LLC (Columbia Management), which is the primary investment division of Bank of America. Columbia Management is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110.

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC is the Fund’s investment advisor (the Advisor) and its administrator (the Administrator). Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. is the Fund’s distributor (the Distributor). Columbia Management Services, Inc. is the Fund’s transfer agent (the Transfer Agent).

The Fund, like all mutual funds, is designed to be a part of a broad and diversified investment portfolio and is not intended to fulfill all of your investment needs.

You should consider the objectives, risks and expenses of the Fund and any other Columbia Fund carefully before investing.

FUNDamentals™ and FUNDimensions™ are trademarks of Bank of America.

 

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Table of Contents

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II

FUNDimensionsTM

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II

 

Investment Objective:    Total return, consisting of long-term capital appreciation and current income
Investment Style:    Moderate Allocation
Benchmarks:   

Russell 1000 Index

Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

Ticker Symbol:    Class Z: NPRAX
Principal Risks:    Investment strategy risk
   Market risk
   Allocation risk
   Growth securities risk
   Interest rate risk
   Credit risk
   Reinvestment risk
   Derivatives risk
   Dollar rolls risk
   U.S. Government obligations risk
   Asset-backed securities risk
   Mortgage-backed securities risk
   Frequent trading risk

FUNDamentalsTM

Benchmarks

Benchmarks are indices that provide some guidance in assessing fund performance. A fund does not, however, limit its investments to the securities within its benchmark(s), and a fund’s holdings can differ from those of any particular benchmark or index. Benchmarks are only guideposts for performance.

LOGO Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return, consisting of long-term capital appreciation and current income.

LOGO Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests in a mix of equity and debt securities, as well as cash equivalents, including U.S. Government obligations, commercial paper and other short-term, interest-bearing instruments.

The Advisor uses asset allocation and active security selection as its main investment approach and allocates the Fund’s assets among equity and debt securities, as well as cash equivalents, based on the Advisor’s assessment of the expected risks and returns of each asset class.

With respect to its equity securities investments, the Fund invests primarily in equity securities of medium- and large-capitalization companies that have market capitalizations typically of at least $1 billion at the time of purchase, that generally are included in the Russell 1000 Index and that the Advisor believes have potential for long-term growth. The Advisor uses quantitative analysis to evaluate the relative attractiveness of each potential investment and to construct the Fund’s portfolio by considering a wide variety of factors which may include, among other factors, value measures, growth measures, price momentum and earnings momentum.

With respect to its debt securities investments, the Fund invests primarily in investment grade bonds and notes. The Fund may invest up to 35% of total assets in mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities. The Fund normally invests at least 25% of total assets in senior securities.

The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund may invest in derivatives for both hedging and non-hedging purposes, including, for example, to seek to enhance returns or as a substitute for a position in an underlying asset.

The Fund also may participate in mortgage dollar rolls up to the Fund’s then current position in mortgage-backed securities.

The Advisor may sell a security when the Fund’s asset allocation changes; when the security’s price reaches a target

 

5


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set by the Advisor; if the Advisor believes that there is deterioration in the issuer’s financial circumstances or fundamental prospects, or that other investments are more attractive; or for other reasons.

The Fund’s investment strategy may involve the frequent trading of portfolio securities. This may cause the Fund to incur higher transaction costs (which may adversely affect the Fund’s performance) and may increase taxable distributions for shareholders.

FUNDamentalsTM

Asset Allocation Funds

Asset allocation funds use a process called “asset allocation,” which is the process of creating a portfolio by investing in different asset classes – for example, domestic equity securities, foreign securities and debt securities – in varying proportions.

The mix of asset classes and how much is invested in each is an important factor in how an asset allocation fund performs and the amount of risk involved. Each asset class, and each sub-asset class within a class, like large-, mid- and small-capitalization equity securities, has different risk and return characteristics, and may react in different ways to changes in the financial markets and to the economy in general. An investment approach that combines asset classes and sub-asset classes may help to reduce overall volatility.

Asset allocation funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio, and

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income.

FUNDamentalsTM

U.S. Treasury and U.S. Government Obligations

U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. Obligations of certain U.S. Government agencies, authorities, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises can be supported by either (i) the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, (ii) the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, (iii) the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase certain obligations of the issuer or (iv) only the credit of the issuer.

FUNDamentalsTM

Investment Grade and Below Investment Grade Securities

Investment grade securities include securities that are rated in one of the four highest rating categories as determined by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization, such as Standard & Poor’s, Fitch or Moody’s, or are unrated securities determined to be of comparable quality. Investment grade securities are rated (from highest to lowest quality) as AAA, AA, A or BBB by Standard & Poor’s and Fitch or as Aaa, Aa, A or Baa by Moody’s. Below investment grade securities include securities that are rated lower than investment grade securities and also may include securities that are unrated.

 

6


Table of Contents

FUNDamentalsTM

Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities

Mortgage-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of underlying mortgages. Mortgage-backed securities may include U.S. Government obligations, or securities that are issued or guaranteed by private issuers, including collateralized mortgage obligations, commercial mortgage-backed securities, and mortgage-backed securities that are traded on a to-be-announced basis.

Asset-backed securities are interests in, or are backed by, pools of receivables, such as automobile loans, credit card loans, equipment leases, home equity loans, manufactured housing loans, collateralized debt obligations and other types of consumer loans or lease receivables.

LOGO Principal Risks

 

   

Investment Strategy Risk – The Advisor uses the principal investment strategies and other investment strategies to seek to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Investment decisions made by the Advisor in using these strategies may not produce the returns expected by the Advisor, may cause the Fund’s shares to lose value or may cause the Fund to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.

 

   

Market Risk – Market risk refers to the possibility that the market values of securities that the Fund holds will rise or fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Security values may fall because of factors affecting individual companies, industries or sectors, or the markets as a whole, reducing the value of an investment in the Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. The market values of the securities the Fund holds also can be affected by changes or perceived changes in U.S. or foreign economies and financial markets, and the liquidity of these securities, among other factors. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

 

   

Allocation Risk – The Fund uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Fund’s allocation among asset classes or investments will cause the Fund’s shares to lose value or cause the Fund to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

 

   

Growth Securities Risk – Because growth securities typically trade at a higher multiple of earnings than other types of securities, the prices of growth securities may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other types of securities. In addition, growth securities, at times, may not perform as well as value securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Interest Rate Risk – Debt securities are subject to interest rate risk. In general, if prevailing interest rates rise, the values of debt securities will tend to fall, and if interest rates fall, the values of debt securities will tend to rise. Changes in the value of a debt security usually will not affect the amount of income the Fund receives from it but may affect the value of the Fund’s shares. Interest rate risk is generally greater for debt securities with longer maturities/durations.

 

   

Credit Risk – Credit risk applies to most debt securities, but is generally not a factor for obligations backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government. The Fund could lose money if the issuer of a debt security is unable or perceived to be unable to pay interest or repay principal when it becomes due. Various factors could affect the issuer’s actual or perceived willingness or ability to make timely interest or principal payments, including changes in the issuer’s financial condition or in general economic conditions. Debt securities backed by an issuer’s taxing authority may be subject to legal limits on the issuer’s power to increase taxes or otherwise to raise revenue, or may be dependent on legislative appropriation or government aid. Certain debt securities are backed only by revenues derived from a particular project or source, rather than by an issuer’s taxing authority, and thus may have a greater risk of default.

 

   

Reinvestment Risk – Income from the Fund’s debt securities portfolio will decline if and when the Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called securities in securities with market interest rates that are below the current earnings rate of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

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Derivatives Risk – Derivatives are financial contracts whose values are, for example, based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or bond), assets (such as a commodity like gold or a foreign currency), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Derivatives involve special risks and may result in losses or may limit the Fund’s potential gain from favorable market movements. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying security. The values of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in unusual market conditions, and may result in increased volatility, among other consequences. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Other risks arise from the Fund’s potential inability to terminate or sell derivative positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Fund’s derivative positions at times when the Fund might wish to terminate or sell such positions. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid, and transactions in derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. The use of derivatives also involves the risks of mispricing or improper valuation and that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying security, asset, reference rate or index. The Fund also may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to engage in derivative transactions when it is deemed favorable to do so, or at all. For more information on the risks of derivative investments and strategies, see the SAI.

 

   

Dollar Rolls Risk – Dollar rolls are transactions in which the Fund sells securities to a counterparty and simultaneously agrees to purchase those or similar securities in the future at a predetermined price. Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Fund is obligated to repurchase may decline below the repurchase price, or that the counterparty may default on its obligations. These transactions may also increase the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. If the Fund reinvests the proceeds of the security sold, the Fund will also be subject to the risk that the investments purchased with such proceeds will decline in value (a form of leverage risk).

 

   

U.S. Government Obligations Risk – U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government and generally have negligible credit risk. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. For example, securities issued by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Banks are neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. Government. These securities may be supported by the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or only by the credit of the issuing agency, authority, instrumentality or enterprise and, as a result, are subject to greater credit risk than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

 

   

Asset-Backed Securities Risk – The value of the Fund’s asset-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the receivables, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Asset-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of receivables such as credit card, auto, student and home equity loans. They may also be backed, in turn, by securities backed by these types of loans and others, such as mortgage loans. Asset-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Most asset-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying debt may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of asset-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of asset-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

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Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The value of the Fund’s mortgage-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes or perceived changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the mortgages, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Mortgage-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of mortgages from which payments of interest and principal (net of fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of the securities) are distributed to the holders of the mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage-backed securities (but not the market value of the securities themselves) may be guaranteed (i) by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association) or (ii) by its agencies, authorities, enterprises or instrumentalities (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC)), which are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government (although FNMA and FHLMC may be able to access capital from the U.S. Treasury to meet their obligations under such securities). Mortgage-backed securities issued by non-governmental issuers (such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers) may be supported by various credit enhancements, such as pool insurance, guarantees issued by governmental entities, letters of credit from a bank or senior/subordinated structures, and may entail greater risk than obligations guaranteed by the U.S. Government, whether or not such obligations are guaranteed by the private issuer. Mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying mortgage may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of mortgage-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of mortgage-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

   

Frequent Trading Risk – Frequent trading of investments increases the possibility that the Fund will realize taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Fund’s after-tax return. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Fund’s return.

These are summaries of the principal risks associated with the principal investment strategies of the Fund. Additional risks are associated with other permissible investments of the Fund that are described in the SAI together with further information about these principal risks. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

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LOGO Performance Information

The following bar chart and table show you how the Fund has performed in the past, and can help you understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s past performance (before or after taxes) is no guarantee of how the Fund will perform in the future.

Year by Year Total Return (%) as of December 31 Each Year*

The bar chart below shows you how the performance of the Fund’s Class Z(a) shares has varied from year to year.

LOGO

 

* Year-to-date return as of June 30, 2009: 5.47%.
(a)

The returns shown for Class Z shares include the returns of Class A shares for periods prior to May 21, 1999. These returns shown reflect differences in sales charges but have not been adjusted to reflect any differences in expenses. If differences in expenses were reflected, the returns shown for periods prior to May 21, 1999 for Class Z shares would have been higher.

Best and Worst Quarterly Returns During this Period

 

Best:   2nd Quarter 2003:   10.24
Worst:   4th Quarter 2008:   -14.01

FUNDamentalsTM

Fund Performance

Many factors can affect a mutual fund’s performance, including, for example:

 

   

management of fund holdings,

 

   

market conditions,

 

   

fund expenses, and

 

   

flows of investment dollars into and out of the fund.

The returns for the various share classes may vary based on differences in sales charges and expenses.

 

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Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2008

The table below shows the Fund’s Class Z shares’ average annual total returns (i) before taxes, (ii) after taxes on distributions and (iii) after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares.

The table compares the Fund’s returns for each period with those of the Russell 1000 Index and the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The Russell 1000 Index measures the performance of 1,000 of the largest U.S. companies based on market capitalization. The Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a market value-weighted index that tracks the daily price, coupon, pay-downs and total return performance of fixed-rate, publicly placed, dollar-denominated and non-convertible investment-grade debt issues with at least $250 million par amount outstanding and with at least one year to final maturity. Indices are not available for investment, and do not reflect sales charges, fees, brokerage commissions, taxes or other expenses of investing.

 

     1 year     5 years     10 years  

Class Z shares returns before taxes

   -27.06   -0.95   0.20 %(a) 

Class Z shares returns after taxes on distributions

   -27.50   -1.43   -0.60 %(a) 

Class Z shares returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares

   -17.30   -0.92   -0.15 %(a) 

Russell 1000 Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   -37.60   -2.04   -1.09

Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   5.24   4.65   5.63

 

(a)

The returns shown for Class Z shares include the returns of Class A shares for periods prior to May 21, 1999. These returns shown reflect differences in sales charges but have not been adjusted to reflect any differences in expenses. If differences in expenses were reflected, the returns shown for periods prior to May 21, 1999 for Class Z shares would have been higher.

FUNDamentalsTM

After-Tax Returns

The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state, local or foreign taxes.

Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your personal tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown in the table do not apply to shares held in tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k) plans or IRAs.

 

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LOGO Fees and Expenses

The fee table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. Additional hypothetical fee and expense information relating to Class Z shares of the Fund can be found in Hypothetical Fees and Expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Fund Expenses

In general, there are two kinds of fund expenses:

 

   

shareholder expenses that you pay directly (e.g., sales charges and redemption fees), and

 

   

annual operating expenses that are paid by the Fund and deducted from the Fund’s assets.

Annual operating expenses include:

 

   

management fees, which are paid out of the Fund’s assets to the Advisor and the Administrator as compensation for managing and administering the Fund’s portfolio. See Management of the Fund – Primary Service Providers for more information.

 

   

other expenses, which generally include, but are not limited to, transfer agency, custody, audit and legal fees as well as costs related to registration of Fund shares for sale and the printing and mailing of Fund documents. The specific expenses that make up the Fund’s other expenses will vary from time to time and may include expenses not described above.

Annual fund operating expenses are calculated based on actual expenses incurred during the Fund’s most recently completed fiscal year and are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets during the year. The rate of annual fund operating expenses will likely vary from year to year as a result of various factors, including, for example, changes in the level of the Fund’s net assets. Although many factors can affect fund operating expenses, in general, annual fund operating expenses, as a percentage of average net assets, will increase as the Fund’s net assets decrease, and will decrease as the Fund’s net assets increase. Net expenses also may vary from year to year based on any fee waivers or expense reimbursements.

The Fund may incur significant transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, in addition to the annual Fund operating expenses disclosed in the fee table.

 

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Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

 

     Class Z Shares

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases, as a % of offering price

   N/A

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions, as a % of the lower of the original purchase price or net asset value

   N/A

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (deducted from the Fund’s assets)

 

     Class Z Shares  

Management fees(a)

   0.72

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

   0.00

Other expenses(b)

   0.38

Acquired fund fees and expenses

   —     

Total annual Fund operating expenses(c)

   1.10

 

(a)

Management fees include an investment advisory fee of 0.60% and an administration fee of 0.12%.

(b)

Other expenses have been restated to reflect contractual changes to the fees paid by the Fund.

(c)

The Advisor has voluntarily agreed to reimburse a portion of the Fund’s expenses so that the Fund’s ordinary operating expenses (excluding any distribution and service fees, brokerage commissions, interest, taxes and extraordinary expenses, but including custodian charges relating to overdrafts, if any), after giving effect to any balance credits from the Fund’s custodian, do not exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s average daily net assets on an annualized basis. If these reimbursements were reflected in the table, the total annual Fund operating expenses would be 0.95%. The Advisor, in its discretion, may revise or discontinue this arrangement at any time.

 

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Example

The following 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 illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over the time periods indicated, and assumes that:

 

   

you invest $10,000 in Class Z shares of the Fund for the periods indicated,

 

   

you reinvest all dividends and distributions in the Fund,

 

   

your investment has a 5% return each year, and

 

   

the Fund’s total annual operating expenses remain the same as shown in the table above.

Based on the assumptions listed above, your costs would be:

 

     1 year    3 years    5 years    10 years

Class Z Shares

   $ 112    $ 350    $ 606    $ 1,340

Remember this is an example only. It is not necessarily representative of the Fund’s actual expenses in the past or future. Your actual costs could be higher or lower depending on the amount you invest and on the Fund’s actual expenses and performance.

 

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Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

This section describes certain strategies and policies that the Fund may utilize in pursuit of its investment objective, and describes some additional factors and risks involved with investing in the Fund.

Changing the Fund’s Investment Objective and Policies

The Fund’s investment objective and certain of its investment policies can be changed without shareholder approval unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the SAI. Shareholders vote on changes to other investment policies that are designated as fundamental in accordance with the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act).

Investment Guidelines

As a general matter, unless otherwise noted, whenever an investment policy or limitation states a percentage of the Fund’s assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding an investment standard, compliance with that percentage limitation or standard will be determined solely at the time of the Fund’s acquisition of the security or asset.

Holding Other Kinds of Investments

The Fund may hold investments that aren’t part of its principal investment strategies. These investments are described in the SAI. The Fund may choose not to invest in certain securities described in this prospectus and in the SAI, although it has the ability to do so.

Investing in Columbia Money Market Funds

The Fund may invest uninvested cash and cash collateral received in connection with its securities lending program in shares of the registered or unregistered money market funds advised by the Advisor. The Advisor and its affiliates receive fees from these funds for providing advisory and other services in addition to the fees which they are entitled to receive from the Fund for services provided directly.

Lending Securities

The Fund may lend portfolio securities to approved broker/dealers or other financial intermediaries on a fully collateralized basis in order to earn additional income. The Fund may lose money from securities lending if, for example, it is delayed in or prevented from selling the collateral after the loan is made or recovering the securities loaned or if it incurs losses on the reinvestment of cash collateral. The Fund may invest some or all of the cash collateral it receives in connection with its securities lending program in one or more pooled investment vehicles, including, among other vehicles, money market funds managed by the Fund’s securities lending agent (or its affiliate). The securities lending agent shares in any income resulting from the investment of such cash collateral, and an affiliate of the securities lending agent receives asset-based fees for the management of such pooled investment vehicles, which may create a conflict of interest between the securities lending agent (or its affiliate) and the Fund with respect to the management of such cash collateral. Engaging in securities lending is subject to certain risks, including counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty to a transaction could default.

Portfolio Holdings Disclosure

A description of Columbia Funds’ policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of Fund portfolio securities is available in the SAI. The Fund discloses its portfolio holdings on the Columbia Funds’ website, www.columbiafunds.com, as described below. Once posted, the portfolio holdings information will remain available on the website until at least the date on which such Fund files a Form N-CSR or Form N-Q (forms filed with the SEC that include portfolio holdings information) for the period that includes the date as of which the information is current.

The Fund’s complete portfolio holdings as of a month-end are disclosed approximately 15 calendar days after such month-end.

In addition, more current information concerning the Fund’s portfolio holdings as of specified dates may also be disclosed on the Columbia Funds’ website.

Investing Defensively

The Fund may from time to time take temporary defensive investment positions that are inconsistent with the Fund’s principal investment strategies in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions including, for example, investments in money market instruments or holdings of cash or cash equivalents. The Fund

 

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may not achieve its investment objective while it is investing defensively.

Mailings to Households

In order to reduce shareholder expenses we may, if prior consent has been provided, mail only one copy of the Fund’s prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents, call 800.345.6611 or, if your shares are held through a financial intermediary, contact your intermediary directly.

Portfolio Turnover

A mutual fund that replaces, or turns over, more than 100% of its investments in a year is considered to have a high portfolio turnover rate. A high portfolio turnover rate can generate larger distributions of short-term capital gains to shareholders, which for individuals are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes. A high portfolio turnover rate can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce a fund’s returns. In general, the greater the volume of buying and selling by a fund, the greater the impact that brokerage commissions will have on its returns. The Fund generally buys securities for capital appreciation, investment income or both. However, the Fund may sell securities regardless of how long they’ve been held. You’ll find the Fund’s historical portfolio turnover rates in the Financial Highlights.

 

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Management of the Fund

Primary Service Providers

The Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, currently provide key services to the Fund and the other Columbia Funds, including investment advisory, administration, distribution, shareholder servicing and transfer agency, and are paid for providing these services. These service relationships are described below.

The Advisor

The Advisor (which is also the Administrator) is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110, and serves as investment advisor to over 100 Columbia Funds mutual fund portfolios. As of June 30, 2009, the Advisor had assets under management of approximately $310.5 billion. The Advisor is a registered investment advisor and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. Its management experience covers all major asset classes, including equity securities, fixed income securities and money market instruments. In addition to serving as investment advisor to mutual funds, the Advisor acts as an investment manager for individuals, corporations, retirement plans, private investment companies and financial intermediaries.

Subject to oversight by the Board, the Advisor manages the day-to-day operations of the Fund, determining what securities and other investments the Fund should buy or sell and executing the Fund’s portfolio transactions. Although the Advisor is responsible for the investment management of the Fund, the Advisor may delegate certain of its duties to one or more investment sub-advisors. In rendering investment advisory services, the Advisor may use the portfolio management and research resources of Columbia Management Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of the Advisor. The Advisor may also use the research and other expertise of other affiliates and third parties in managing the Fund’s investments.

The Fund pays the Advisor a fee for its investment advisory services. The fee is calculated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of the Fund and is paid monthly. For the Fund’s most recent fiscal year, aggregate advisory fees paid to the Advisor by the Fund amounted to 0.60% of average daily net assets of the Fund.

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Fund’s investment advisory agreement with the Advisor is available in the Fund’s annual report to shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.

Sub-Advisor(s)

The Advisor may engage an investment sub-advisor or sub-advisors to make the day-to-day investment decisions for the Fund. The Advisor retains ultimate responsibility (subject to Board oversight) for overseeing any sub-advisor it engages and for evaluating the Fund’s needs and available sub-advisors’ skills and abilities on an ongoing basis. Based on its evaluations, the Advisor may at times recommend to the Board that the Fund change, add or terminate one or more sub-advisors; continue to retain a sub-advisor even though the sub-advisor’s ownership or corporate structure has changed; or materially change a sub-advisory agreement with a sub-advisor. Applicable law requires the Fund to obtain shareholder approval in order to act on most of these types of recommendations, even if the Board has approved the proposed action and believes that the action is in shareholders’ best interests. The Advisor and the Columbia Funds have applied for relief from the SEC to permit the Fund to act on many of the Advisor’s recommendations with approval only by the Board and not by Fund shareholders. The Advisor or the Fund would inform the Fund’s shareholders of any actions taken in reliance on this relief. Until the Advisor and the Fund obtain this relief, the Fund will continue to submit these matters to shareholders for their approval to the extent required by applicable law.

At present, the Advisor has not engaged any investment sub-advisor for the Fund.

 

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Portfolio Managers

Information about the Advisor’s portfolio managers who are primarily responsible for overseeing the Fund’s investments is shown in the table below. The SAI provides more information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by each portfolio manager and each portfolio manager’s ownership of securities in the Fund.

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Fund since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Colin Moore

Co-manager. Service with the Fund since 2009.

Chief Investment Officer of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Kent M. Peterson, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Fund since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since January 2006. Prior to January 2006, Mr. Peterson was a trading associate at Bridgewater Associates from 2004 to 2005.

Marie M. Schofield, CFA

Co-manager. Service with the Fund since 2009.

Managing Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 1990.

The Administrator

The Administrator is responsible for overseeing the administrative operations of the Fund, including the general supervision of the Fund’s operations, coordination of the Fund’s service providers, and the provision of office facilities and related clerical and administrative services.

The Fund pays the Administrator a fee for its services, plus certain out-of-pocket expenses. The fee is calculated as an annual percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets and is paid monthly, as follows:

Annual Administration Fee,

as a % of Average Daily Net Assets

 

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II

   0.12

The Distributor

Shares of the Fund are distributed by the Distributor, which is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111. The Distributor is a registered broker/dealer and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Distributor and its affiliates may pay commissions, distribution and service fees and/or other compensation to entities, including Bank of America affiliates, for selling shares and providing services to investors.

The Transfer Agent

The Transfer Agent is a registered transfer agent and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Transfer Agent is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111, and its responsibilities include processing purchases, sales and exchanges, calculating and paying distributions, keeping shareholder records, preparing account statements and providing customer service. The Fund pays the Transfer Agent monthly fees on a per-account basis. Fees paid to the Transfer Agent include reimbursements for certain out-of-pocket expenses and sub-transfer agency fees, subject to certain limitations, paid by the Transfer Agent on the Fund’s behalf.

 

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LOGO Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

As described in Management of the Fund – Primary Service Providers, the Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, provide various services to the Fund for which they are compensated. Bank of America and its affiliates may also provide other services to the Fund and be compensated for them.

The Advisor and its affiliates may provide investment advisory and other services to other clients and customers substantially similar to those provided to the Fund. These activities, and other financial services activities of Bank of America and its affiliates (including Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.), may present actual and potential conflicts of interest and introduce certain investment constraints.

Bank of America is a major financial services company, engaged in a broad range of financial activities beyond the mutual fund-related activities of the Advisor, including, among others, commercial banking, investment banking, broker/dealer (sales and trading), asset management, insurance and other financial activities. These additional activities may involve multiple advisory, transactional, lending, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments, and in companies that issue securities and other instruments, which may be bought, sold or held by the Fund.

Conflicts of interest and limitations that could affect the Fund may arise from, for example, the following:

 

   

compensation and other benefits received by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates related to the management/administration of the Fund and the sale of its shares;

 

   

the allocation of, and competition for, investment opportunities among the Fund and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

separate and potentially divergent management of the Fund and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

regulatory and other investment restrictions on investment activities of the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates and accounts advised/managed by them;

 

   

lending, investment banking and other relationships of Bank of America affiliates with companies and other entities in which the Fund invests; and

 

   

regulatory and other restrictions relating to the sharing of information between Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, and the Fund.

Bank of America and its affiliates also provide a variety of products and services that, in some manner, may use the Fund and other Columbia Funds as investment options. For example:

 

   

the Columbia Funds are available as investments in connection with brokerage or other securities products offered by Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. or Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, both wholly-owned retail broker/dealers of Bank of America;

 

   

the Columbia Funds are used as investments in connection with fiduciary, investment management and other accounts offered by U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, as well as certain Columbia Funds structured as “funds of funds”; and

 

   

the Columbia Money Market Funds are offered as an investment option for a variety of cash “sweep” account programs offered by Bank of America and its affiliates.

The use of the Columbia Funds as investment options in connection with other products and services offered by Bank of America and its affiliates may introduce economic and other conflicts of interest of which you should be aware. These types of conflicts of interest are highlighted in sections of account documentation and other disclosure materials relating to these products and services, as well as in the SAI.

The Advisor and Bank of America have adopted various policies and procedures that are intended to identify, monitor and address conflicts of interest. However, there is no absolute assurance that these policies, procedures and disclosures will be effective.

Additional information about Bank of America and the types of conflicts of interest and other matters referenced above is set forth in the Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest section of the SAI, which is identified by the LOGO icon. Investors in the Fund should carefully review these disclosures and consult with their financial advisor if they have any questions.

 

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Certain Legal Matters

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. (collectively, the Columbia Group) are subject to a settlement agreement with the New York Attorney General (NYAG) (the NYAG Settlement) and a settlement order with the SEC (the SEC Order) on matters relating to mutual fund trading, each dated February 9, 2005. Under the terms of the SEC Order, the Columbia Group (or predecessor or affiliated entities) agreed, among other things, to: pay disgorgement and civil money penalties collectively totaling $375 million; cease and desist from violations of the antifraud provisions and certain other provisions of the federal securities laws; maintain certain compliance and ethics oversight structures; and retain an independent consultant to review the Columbia Group’s applicable supervisory, compliance, control and other policies and procedures. The NYAG Settlement, among other things, requires Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and its affiliates to reduce management fees for certain funds in the Columbia family of mutual funds in a projected total of $160 million over five years through November 30, 2009 and to make certain disclosures to investors relating to expenses. In connection with the Columbia Group providing services to the Columbia Funds, the Columbia Funds have voluntarily undertaken to implement certain governance measures designed to maintain the independence of their boards of trustees and certain special consulting and compliance measures.

Pursuant to the SEC Order and related procedures, the $375 million in settlement amounts described above, of which approximately $90 million has been earmarked for certain Columbia Funds and their shareholders, is being distributed in accordance with a distribution plan developed by an independent distribution consultant and approved by the SEC on December 27, 2007. Distributions under the distribution plan began in mid-June 2008.

Civil Litigation

In connection with the events that resulted in the NYAG Settlement and SEC Order, various parties filed suits against Bank of America Corporation and certain of its affiliates, including Banc of America Capital Management, LLC (BACAP, now known as Columbia Management Advisors, LLC) and BACAP Distributors, LLC (now known as Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.) (collectively BAC), Nations Funds Trust (now known as Columbia Funds Series Trust) and its Board of Trustees. On February 20, 2004, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transferred these cases and cases against other mutual fund companies based on similar allegations to the United States District Court in Maryland for consolidated or coordinated pretrial proceedings (the MDL). Subsequently, additional related cases were transferred to the MDL. On September 29, 2004, the plaintiffs in the MDL filed amended and consolidated complaints. One of these amended complaints is a putative class action that includes claims under the federal securities laws and state common law, and that names Nations Funds Trust, the Trustees, BAC and others as defendants. Another of the amended complaints is a derivative action purportedly on behalf of the Nations Funds Trust against BAC and others that asserts claims under federal securities laws and state common law. Nations Funds Trust is a nominal defendant in this action.

On February 25, 2005, BAC and other defendants filed motions to dismiss the claims in the pending cases. On December 15, 2005, BAC and others entered into a Stipulation of Settlement of the direct and derivative claims brought on behalf of the Nations Funds shareholders. The settlement is subject to court approval. If the settlement is approved, BAC would pay settlement administration costs and fees to plaintiffs’ counsel as approved by the court. The stipulation has not yet been presented to the court for approval.

 

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About Class Z Shares

Description of the Share Class

Share Class Features

The Fund offers one class of shares in this prospectus: Class Z shares. The Fund may also offer other classes of shares through a separate prospectus. Each share class has its own investment eligibility criteria, cost structure and other features. The following summarizes the primary features of the Class Z shares offered by this prospectus. Contact your financial advisor or Columbia Funds for more information about the Fund’s share classes and how to choose among them.

 

    

Class Z Shares

Eligible Investors and Minimum Initial Investments    Class Z shares are available only to certain eligible investors, which are subject to different minimum initial investment requirements. These minimum initial investment amounts range from $0 to $2,500. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders for details.
Investment Limits    none
Conversion Features    none
Front-End Sales Charges    none
Contingent Deferred Sales Charges (CDSCs)    none
Maximum Distribution and Service Fees    none

FUNDamentalsTM

Selling and/or Servicing Agents

The terms “selling agent” and “servicing agent” refer to the financial intermediary that employs your financial advisor. Selling and/or servicing agents include, for example, brokerage firms, banks, investment advisors, third party administrators and other financial intermediaries, including affiliates of Bank of America, such as Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.

 

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Financial Intermediary Compensation

The Distributor and the Advisor make payments, from their own resources, to certain financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, for marketing/sales support services relating to the Columbia Funds. Such payments are generally based upon one or more of the following factors: average net assets of the Columbia Funds sold by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, gross sales of the Columbia Funds distributed by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, reimbursement of ticket charges (fees that an intermediary firm charges its representatives for effecting transactions in Fund shares) or a negotiated lump sum payment. While the financial arrangements may vary for each intermediary, the support payments to any one intermediary are generally between 0.05% and 0.50% (and 0.03% and 0.12% with regard to the Columbia Money Market Funds) on an annual basis for payments based on average net assets of the Fund attributable to the intermediary, and between 0.05% and 0.25% on an annual basis for firms receiving a payment based on gross sales of the Columbia Funds (other than the Columbia Money Market Funds) attributable to the intermediary.

The Distributor and the Advisor may make payments in larger amounts or on a basis other than those described above when dealing with other affiliates of Bank of America. Such increased payments to the other Bank of America affiliate may enable the other Bank of America affiliate to offset credits that it may provide to customers in order to avoid having such customers pay fees to multiple Bank of America entities in connection with the customers’ investments in the Fund.

The Distributor, the Transfer Agent and the Advisor may also make payments to financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, that provide shareholder services to retirement plans and other investment programs to compensate those intermediaries for services they provide to such programs, including, but not limited to, sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, similar shareholder or participant recordkeeping, shareholder or participant reporting, or shareholder or participant transaction processing.

These payments for shareholder servicing support vary by financial intermediary but generally are not expected, with certain limited exceptions, to exceed 0.40% of the average aggregate value of the Fund’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, and 0.45% of the average aggregate value of the Fund’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that do not pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

The Board has authorized the Fund to reimburse the Transfer Agent for amounts paid to financial intermediaries that maintain assets in omnibus accounts, subject to an annual cap of 0.15% of the average aggregate value of the Fund’s shares maintained in such accounts. The amounts in excess of that reimbursed by the Fund are borne by the Distributor or the Advisor. The Distributor and the Advisor may make other payments or allow promotional incentives to broker/dealers to the extent permitted by SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rules and by other applicable laws and regulations.

Amounts paid by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates are paid out of the Distributor’s and the Advisor’s own resources and do not increase the amount paid by you or the Fund. You can find further details about the payments made by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates and the services provided by financial intermediaries as well as a list of the intermediaries to which the Distributor and the Advisor have agreed to make marketing support payments in the SAI. Your financial intermediary may charge you fees and commissions in addition to those described in this prospectus. You should consult with your financial intermediary and review carefully any disclosure your financial intermediary provides regarding its services and compensation. Depending on the financial arrangement in place at any particular time, a financial intermediary and its financial consultants may have a financial incentive for recommending the Fund or a particular share class over others. See Management of the Fund – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information.

 

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Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

Share Price Determination

The price you pay or receive when you buy, sell or exchange shares is the Fund’s next determined net asset value (or NAV) per share for a given share class. The Fund calculates the net asset value per share for each class of the Fund at the end of each business day.

FUNDamentalsTM

NAV Calculation

Each of the Fund’s share classes calculates its NAV as follows:

 

      (Value of assets of the share class)      
NAV    =   

—(Liabilities of the share class)

     
      Number of outstanding shares of the class      

The value of the Fund’s shares is based on the total market value of all of the securities and other assets that it holds as of a specified time. The prices reported on stock exchanges and other securities markets around the world are usually used to value securities in the Fund. The Fund uses the amortized cost method, which approximates market value, to value short-term investments maturing in 60 days or less.

If a market price isn’t readily available, the Fund will determine the price of the security held by the Fund based on the Advisor’s determination of the security’s fair value. A market price is considered not readily available if, among other circumstances, the most recent reported price is deemed unreliable. In addition, the Fund may use fair valuation to price securities that trade on a foreign exchange when a significant event has occurred after the foreign exchange closes but before the time at which the Fund’s share price is calculated. Foreign exchanges typically close before the time at which Fund share prices are calculated, and may be closed altogether on some days when the Fund is open. Such significant events affecting a foreign security may include, but are not limited to: (1) those impacting a single issuer; (2) governmental action that affects securities in one sector or country; (3) natural disasters or armed conflicts affecting a country or region; or (4) significant domestic or foreign market fluctuations. The Fund uses various criteria, including an evaluation of U.S. market moves after the close of foreign markets, in determining whether a security’s market price is readily available and, if not, the fair value of the security.

Fair valuation may have the effect of reducing stale pricing arbitrage opportunities presented by the pricing of Fund shares. However, when the Fund uses fair valuation to price securities, it may value those securities higher or lower than another mutual fund. Also, the use of fair valuation may cause the Fund’s performance to diverge to a greater degree from the performance of various benchmarks used to compare the Fund’s performance because benchmarks generally do not use fair valuation techniques. Because of the judgment involved in fair valuation decisions, there can be no assurance that the value ascribed to a particular security is accurate. The Fund has retained an independent fair valuation pricing service to assist in the fair valuation process for foreign securities. International markets are sometimes open on days when U.S. markets are closed, which means that the value of foreign securities owned by the Fund could change on days when Fund shares cannot be bought or sold.

 

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Transaction Rules and Policies

Remember that sales charges may apply to your transactions. You should also ask your selling and/or servicing agent about its rules, fees and policies for buying, selling and exchanging shares, which may be different from those described here, and about its related programs or services.

Also remember that the Fund may refuse any order to buy or exchange shares. If this happens, we’ll return any money we’ve received, but no interest will be paid on that money.

Order Processing

Orders to buy, sell or exchange shares are processed on business days. Orders can be delivered by mail, by telephone or online. Orders received in “good form” by the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent before the end of a business day will receive that day’s net asset value per share. Orders received after the end of a business day will receive the next business day’s net asset value per share. The market value of the Fund’s investments may change between the time you submit your order and the time the Fund next calculates its net asset value per share. The business day that applies to your order is also called a trade date.

FUNDamentalsTM

Business Days

A business day is any day that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. A business day ends at the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. If the NYSE closes early, the business day ends as of the time the NYSE closes. On holidays and other days when the NYSE is closed, the Fund’s net asset value is not calculated and the Fund does not accept buy or sell orders. However, the value of the Fund’s assets may still be affected on such days to the extent that the Fund holds foreign securities that trade on days that foreign markets are open.

“Good Form”

An order is in “good form” if the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent has all of the information and documentation it deems necessary to effect your order. For example, when you sell shares by letter of instruction, “good form” means that your letter has (i) complete instructions and the signatures of all account owners, (ii) a Medallion signature guarantee for amounts equal to or greater than $100,000 and (iii) any other required documents completed and attached. For the documents required for sales by corporations, agents, fiduciaries, surviving joint owners and other legal entities, call 800.345.6611.

Medallion Signature Guarantees

Qualified customers can obtain a Medallion signature guarantee from any financial institution – including commercial banks such as Bank of America, credit unions and broker/dealers – that participates in one of the three Medallion signature guarantee programs recognized by the SEC. These Medallion signature guarantee programs are the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (STAMP), the Stock Exchanges Medallion Program (SEMP) and the New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program (MSP).

Written Transactions

Once you have an account, you can communicate written buy, sell and exchange orders to the Transfer Agent at the following address: Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

Telephone Transactions

Once you have an account, you may place orders to buy, sell or exchange by telephone. To place orders by telephone, call 800.422.3737. Have your account number and taxpayer identification number (TIN) available when calling.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares via the telephone in any 30-day period if you qualify for telephone orders. Wire redemptions requested via the telephone are not subject to this maximum amount. You can buy up to $100,000 of shares through your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction via the telephone per day if you qualify for telephone orders.

Telephone orders may not be as secure as written orders. Columbia Funds will take reasonable steps to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. For example, we require proof of your identification before we will act on instructions received by telephone and may record telephone conversations. However, the Fund and its agents will not be

 

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responsible for any losses, costs or expenses resulting from an unauthorized telephone instruction when reasonable steps have been taken to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. Telephone orders may be difficult to complete during periods of significant economic or market change or business interruption.

Online Transactions

Once you have an account, contact Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for more information on account trading restrictions and the special sign-up procedures required for online transactions. The Transfer Agent has procedures in place to authenticate electronic orders you deliver through the internet. You will be required to accept the terms of an online agreement and establish and utilize a password in order to access online account services.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares through the internet in any 30-day period if you qualify for internet orders.

Customer Identification Program

Federal law requires the Fund to obtain and record specific personal information to verify your identity when you open an account. This information may include your name, address, date of birth (for individuals), and taxpayer or other government issued identification. If you fail to provide the requested information, the Fund may need to delay the date of your purchase or may be unable to open your account, which may result in a return of your investment monies. In addition, if the Fund is unable to verify your identity after your account is open, the Fund reserves the right to close your account or take other steps as deemed reasonable. The Fund shall not be held liable for any loss resulting from any purchase delay, application rejection or account closure due to a failure to provide proper identifying information.

Small Account Policy—Accounts Below $250

Columbia Funds generally will automatically sell your shares if the value of your account (treating each account of the Fund you own separately from any other account of the Fund you may own) falls below $250. If your shares are sold, the Transfer Agent will remit the sale proceeds to you. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of any automatic sale, which will provide details on how you may avoid such an automatic sale. Generally, you may avoid such an automatic sale by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information. The automatic sale of shares of accounts valued at less than $250 is expected to take place in the second quarter of each calendar year.

Columbia Funds may also sell your shares if a financial intermediary tells us to sell your shares pursuant to arrangements made with you, and under certain other circumstances allowed under the 1940 Act.

Small Account Policy—Minimum Balance Fee

If the value of your account (treating each account of the Fund you own separately from any other account of the Fund you may own) falls below the minimum initial investment requirement applicable to you, your account generally will be subject to a $20 annual fee. This fee will be assessed through the automatic sale of shares in your account. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will reduce the expenses paid by the Fund by any amounts it collects from the assessment of this fee. For Funds that do not have transfer agency expenses against which to offset the amount collected through assessment of this fee, the fee will be paid directly to the Fund. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of assessing any fee, which will provide details on how you can avoid the imposition of such fee. Generally, you may avoid the imposition of such fee by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information.

Columbia Funds reserves the right to change the minimum investment requirements for any Fund. We also reserve the right to lower the account size trigger point for the minimum balance fee in any year or for any class of shares when we believe it is appropriate to do so in light of declines in the

 

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market value of Fund shares, sales loads applicable to a particular class of shares, or for other reasons.

Exceptions to the Small Account Policy

The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 and the annual minimum balance fee described previously do not apply to shareholders of Class R shares or shareholders holding their shares through broker/dealer networked accounts; wrap fee and omnibus accounts; accounts with active Systematic Investment Plans or payroll deduction plans; and certain qualified retirement plans and health savings accounts. The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 does not apply to individual retirement plans.

Cash Flows

The timing and magnitude of cash inflows from investors buying Fund shares could prevent the Fund from always being fully invested. Conversely, the timing and magnitude of cash outflows to investors selling Fund shares could require large ready reserves of uninvested cash to meet shareholder redemptions. Either situation could adversely impact the Fund’s performance.

Information Sharing Agreements

As required by Rule 22c-2 under the 1940 Act, the Columbia Funds or certain of their service providers will enter into information sharing agreements with financial intermediaries, including participating life insurance companies and financial intermediaries that sponsor or offer retirement plans through which shares of the Columbia Funds are made available for purchase. Pursuant to Rule 22c-2, financial intermediaries are required, upon request, to: (i) provide shareholder account and transaction information and (ii) execute instructions from the Fund to restrict or prohibit further purchases of Fund shares by shareholders who have been identified by the Fund as having engaged in transactions that violate the Fund’s excessive trading policies and procedures. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Excessive Trading Practices for more information.

Excessive Trading Practices

Right to Reject or Restrict Share Transaction Orders – The Fund is intended for investors with long-term investment purposes and is not intended as a vehicle for frequent trading activity (market timing) that is excessive. Investors should transact in Fund shares primarily for investment purposes. The Board has adopted excessive trading policies and procedures that are designed to deter excessive trading by investors (the Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures). The Fund discourages and does not accommodate excessive trading.

The Fund reserves the right to reject, without any prior notice, any buy or exchange order for any reason, and will not be liable for any loss resulting from rejected orders. For example, the Fund may in its discretion restrict or reject a buy or exchange order even if the transaction is not subject to the specific exchange limitation described below if the Fund or its agents determine that accepting the order could interfere with efficient management of the Fund’s portfolio or is otherwise contrary to the Fund’s best interests. The Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures apply equally to buy or exchange transactions communicated directly to the Transfer Agent and to those received by selling and/or servicing agents.

Specific Buying and Exchanging Limitations – If the Fund detects that an investor has made two “material round trips” in any 28-day period, it will generally reject the investor’s future buy orders, including exchange buy orders, involving any Columbia Fund.

For these purposes, a “round trip” is a purchase or exchange into the Fund followed by a sale or exchange out of the Fund. A “material” round trip is one that is deemed by the Fund to be material in terms of its amount or its potential detrimental impact on the Fund. Independent of this limit, the Fund may, in its discretion, reject future buy orders by any person, group or account that appears to have engaged in any type of excessive trading activity.

These limits generally do not apply to automated transactions or transactions by registered investment companies that invest in the Fund using a “fund of funds” structure. These limits do not apply to payroll deduction contributions by retirement plan participants, transactions initiated by a retirement plan sponsor or certain other retirement plan transactions consisting of rollover transactions, loan repayments and disbursements, and required minimum distribution redemptions. They may be modified or rescinded for accounts held by certain retirement plans to conform to plan limits, for considerations relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or regulations of the Department of Labor, and for certain asset allocation or wrap

 

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programs. Accounts known to be under common ownership or control generally will be counted together, but accounts maintained or managed by a common intermediary generally will not be considered to be under common ownership or control. The Fund retains the right to modify these restrictions at any time without prior notice to shareholders.

Limitations on the Ability to Detect and Prevent Excessive Trading Practices – The Fund takes various steps designed to detect and prevent excessive trading, including daily review of available shareholder transaction information. However, the Fund receives buy, sell and exchange orders through financial intermediaries, and cannot always know or reasonably detect excessive trading that may be facilitated by financial intermediaries or by the use of the omnibus account arrangements they offer. Omnibus account arrangements are common forms of holding shares of mutual funds, particularly among certain financial intermediaries such as broker/ dealers, retirement plans and variable insurance products. These arrangements often permit financial intermediaries to aggregate their clients’ transactions and accounts, and in these circumstances, the identity of the shareholders is often not known.

Some financial intermediaries apply their own restrictions or policies to underlying investor accounts, which may be more or less restrictive than those described here. This may impact the Fund’s ability to curtail excessive trading, even where it is identified. For these and other reasons, it is possible that excessive trading may occur despite the Fund’s efforts to detect and prevent it.

Although these restrictions and policies involve judgments that are inherently subjective and may involve some selectivity in their application, the Fund seeks to act in a manner that it believes is consistent with the best interests of shareholders in making any such judgments.

Risks of Excessive Trading – Excessive trading creates certain risks to the Fund’s long-term shareholders and may create the following adverse effects:

 

   

negative impact on the Fund’s performance;

 

   

potential dilution of the value of the Fund’s shares;

 

   

interference with the efficient management of the Fund’s portfolio, such as the need to maintain undesirably large cash positions, the need to use its line of credit or the need to buy or sell securities it otherwise would not have bought or sold;

 

   

losses on the sale of investments resulting from the need to sell securities at less favorable prices;

 

   

increased taxable gains to the Fund’s remaining shareholders resulting from the need to sell securities to meet sell orders; and

 

   

increased brokerage and administrative costs.

To the extent that the Fund invests significantly in foreign securities traded on markets that close before the Fund’s valuation time, it may be particularly susceptible to dilution as a result of excessive trading. Because events may occur after the close of foreign markets and before the Fund’s valuation time that influence the value of foreign securities, investors may seek to trade Fund shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of foreign securities as of the Fund’s valuation time. This is often referred to as price arbitrage. The Fund has adopted procedures designed to adjust closing market prices of foreign securities under certain circumstances to reflect what the Fund believes to be the fair value of those securities as of its valuation time. To the extent the adjustments don’t work fully, investors engaging in price arbitrage may cause dilution in the value of the Fund’s shares held by other shareholders.

Similarly, to the extent that the Fund invests significantly in thinly traded high-yield bonds (junk bonds) or equity securities of small-capitalization companies, because these securities are often traded infrequently, investors may seek to trade their shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of these securities. This is also a type of price arbitrage. Any such frequent trading strategies may interfere with efficient management of the Fund’s portfolio to a greater degree than would be the case for mutual funds that invest in highly liquid securities, in part because the Fund may have difficulty selling those portfolio securities at advantageous times or prices to satisfy large and/or frequent sell orders. Any successful price arbitrage may also cause dilution in the value of Fund shares held by other shareholders.

 

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Opening an Account and Placing Orders

Columbia Funds encourages you to consult with a financial advisor who can help you with your investment decisions and who can help you open an account. Once you have an account, you can buy, sell and exchange shares by contacting your financial advisor who will send your order to the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent. As described in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies, once you have an account you can also communicate your orders directly to the Transfer Agent by mail, by telephone or online.

Buying Shares

Once you have opened an account, you can buy Class Z shares in a lump sum, through our Systematic Investment Plan, by dividend diversification, by wire or by electronic funds transfer. Class Z shares are only available to the categories of eligible investors described below, each of which is subject to its own minimum initial investment requirements.

Minimum Initial Investments

There is no minimum initial investment in Class Z shares for the following categories of eligible investors:

 

   

Any person investing all or part of the proceeds of a distribution, rollover or transfer of assets into a Columbia Management Individual Retirement Account, from any deferred compensation plan which was a shareholder of any of the funds of Columbia Acorn Trust (formerly named Liberty Acorn Trust) on September 29, 2000, in which the investor was a participant and through which the investor invested in one or more of the funds of Columbia Acorn Trust immediately prior to the distribution, transfer or rollover.

 

   

Any health savings account sponsored by a third party platform, including those sponsored by Bank of America affiliates, and any omnibus group retirement plan for which a financial intermediary or other entity provides services and is not compensated by the Fund for those services, other than in the form of payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent.

 

   

Any investor participating in a wrap program sponsored by a financial intermediary or other entity that is paid an asset-based fee by the investor and that is not compensated by the Fund for those services, other than payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent.

The minimum initial investment in Class Z shares for the following categories of eligible investors is $1,000:

 

   

Any individual retirement plan (assuming the eligibility criteria below are met) or group retirement plan that is not held in an omnibus manner for which a financial intermediary or other entity provides services and is not compensated by the Fund for those services, other than in the form of payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent.

The minimum initial investment in Class Z shares for the following categories of eligible investors is $2,500:

 

   

Any client of Bank of America or one of its subsidiaries buying shares through an asset management company, trust, fiduciary, retirement plan administration or similar arrangement with Bank of America or the subsidiary.

 

   

Any investor buying shares through a Columbia Management state tuition plan organized under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

   

Any shareholder (as well as any family member of a shareholder or person listed on an account registration for any account of the shareholder) of another fund distributed by the Distributor (i) who holds Class Z shares; (ii) who held Primary A shares prior to the share class redesignation of Primary A shares as Class Z shares that occurred on August 22, 2005; (iii) who holds Class A shares that were obtained by an exchange of Class Z shares; or (iv) who bought shares of certain mutual funds that were not subject to sales charges and that merged with another fund distributed by the Distributor.

 

   

Any trustee or director (or family member of a trustee or director) of a fund distributed by the Distributor.

 

   

Any employee (or family member of an employee) of Bank of America or one of its subsidiaries.

 

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Any investor participating in an account offered by a financial intermediary or other entity that provides services to such an account, is paid an asset-based fee by the investor and is not compensated by the Fund for those services, other than payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent (each investor buying shares through a financial intermediary must independently satisfy the minimum investment requirement noted above).

 

   

Any institutional investor who is a corporation, partnership, trust, foundation, endowment, institution, government entity, or similar organization, which meets the respective qualifications for an accredited investor, as defined under the Securities Act of 1933.

 

   

Certain financial institutions and intermediaries, such as insurance companies, trust companies, banks, endowments, investment companies or foundations, buying shares for their own account, including Bank of America and its affiliates and/or subsidiaries.

For investors establishing a Systematic Investment Plan, the minimum initial investment is $50.

Minimum Additional Investments

There is no minimum additional investment for Class Z shares.

Systematic Investment Plan

The Systematic Investment Plan allows you to make regular purchases in amounts of $50 or more via automatic transfers from your bank account to the Fund on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan.

Dividend Diversification

Generally, you may automatically invest distributions made by another Columbia Fund into the same class of shares (and in some cases certain other classes of shares) of the Fund at no additional sales charge. A sales charge may apply when you invest distributions made by a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase. Call Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for details.

Wire Purchases

You may buy Class Z shares of the Fund by wiring money from your bank account to your Fund account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737.

Electronic Funds Transfer

You may buy Class Z shares of the Fund by electronically transferring money from your bank account to your Fund account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. An electronic funds transfer may take up to three business days to settle and be considered in “good form.” You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Other Purchase Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your buy order in “good form,” your purchase will be made at the next calculated net asset value per share.

 

   

You generally buy Class Z shares at net asset value per share because no front-end sales charge applies to purchases of this share class.

 

   

The Fund reserves the right to cancel your order if it doesn’t receive payment within three business days of receiving your buy order. The Fund will return any payment received for orders that have been cancelled, but no interest will be paid on that money.

 

   

Selling and/or servicing agents are responsible for sending your buy orders to the Transfer Agent and ensuring that we receive your money on time.

 

   

Shares bought are recorded on the books of the Fund. The Fund doesn’t issue certificates.

Selling Shares

When you sell your shares, the Fund is effectively buying them back from you. This is called a redemption.

Wire Redemptions

You may request that your Class Z shares sale proceeds be wired to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. You must set up this feature prior to your request. For shares sold by Fedwire, there is generally a fee of $7.50. The receiving bank may charge an additional fee. The Transfer Agent may waive the fee for certain accounts. The minimum amount that can be redeemed by wire is $500.

 

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Electronic Funds Transfer

You may sell Class Z shares of the Fund and request that the proceeds be electronically transferred to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It may take up to three business days for the sale proceeds to be received by your bank. You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan

The Systematic Withdrawal Plan lets you withdraw funds from your Class Z shares account any day of the month on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. Your account balance generally must be at least $5,000 to set up the plan, but certain fee-based and wrap accounts are not subject to this requirement. All dividend and capital gain distributions must be reinvested to set up the plan. A Systematic Withdrawal Plan cannot be set up on an account that already has a Systematic Investment Plan established. If you set up the plan after you’ve opened your account, we may require your signature to be Medallion guaranteed.

You can choose to receive your withdrawals via check or direct deposit into your bank account. You can cancel the plan by giving Columbia Funds 30 days notice in writing or by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It’s important to remember that if you withdraw more than your investment in the Fund is earning, you’ll eventually use up your original investment.

In-Kind Distributions

The Fund reserves the right to honor sell orders with in-kind distributions of portfolio securities instead of cash. In the event the Fund makes such an in-kind distribution, you may incur the brokerage and transaction costs associated with converting the portfolio securities you receive into cash. Also, the portfolio securities you receive may increase or decrease in value before you convert them into cash.

Other Redemption Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your sell order in “good form,” your shares will be sold at the next calculated net asset value per share.

 

   

If you sell your shares directly through Columbia Funds, we will normally send the sale proceeds by mail or electronically transfer them to your bank account within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you sell your shares through a selling agent, Columbia Funds will normally send the sale proceeds by Fedwire within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you paid for your shares by check or from your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction, Columbia Funds will hold the sale proceeds when you sell those shares for up to 10 days after the trade date of the purchase.

 

   

No interest will be paid on uncashed redemption checks.

 

   

Columbia Funds can delay payment of the sale proceeds for up to seven days and may suspend redemptions and/or postpone payment of redemption proceeds when the NYSE is closed or during emergency circumstances as determined by the SEC.

 

   

Other restrictions may apply to retirement accounts. For information about these restrictions, contact your retirement plan administrator.

 

   

Also keep in mind Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy, which is described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies.

Exchanging Shares

You can generally sell shares of the Fund to buy shares of another Columbia Fund, in what is called an exchange. You should read the prospectus of, and make sure you understand the investment objective and principal investment strategies of, the Columbia Fund into which you are exchanging.

Systematic Exchanges

You may buy Class Z shares of the Fund by exchanging $100 or more each month from another Columbia Fund for shares of the same class of the Fund at no additional cost. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. If you set up your plan to exchange more than $100,000 each month, you must have your signature Medallion guaranteed.

Exchanges will continue as long as your balance is sufficient to complete the systematic monthly transfers, subject to Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and

 

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Policies. You may terminate the program or change the amount you would like to exchange (subject to the $100 minimum) by calling Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611. A sales charge may apply when you exchange shares of a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase.

The rules described below for making exchanges apply to systematic exchanges.

Other Exchange Rules You Should Know

 

   

Exchanges are made at net asset value.

 

   

You can generally make exchanges between like share classes of any Columbia Fund. Some exceptions apply.

 

   

The rules for buying shares of a Columbia Fund generally apply to exchanges into that Fund.

 

   

You may make exchanges only into a Columbia Fund that is legally offered and sold in your state of residence.

 

   

You generally may make an exchange only into a Columbia Fund that is accepting investments.

 

   

The Fund may change or cancel your right to make an exchange by giving the amount of notice required by regulatory authorities (generally 60 days for a material change or cancellation).

 

   

Unless your account is part of a tax-advantaged retirement plan, an exchange for shares of another fund is a taxable event, and you may recognize a gain or loss for tax purposes.

 

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Distributions and Taxes

Distributions to Shareholders

A mutual fund can make money two ways:

 

   

It can earn income on its investments. Examples of fund income are interest paid on money market instruments and bonds, and dividends paid on common stocks.

 

   

A mutual fund can also have capital gains if the value of its investments increases. While a fund continues to hold an investment, any gain is unrealized. If the fund sells an investment, it generally will realize a capital gain if it sells that investment for a higher price than it originally paid. Capital gains are either short-term or long-term, depending on whether the fund holds the securities for one year or less (short-term gains) or more than one year (long-term gains).

FUNDamentalsTM

Distributions

Mutual funds make payments of fund earnings to shareholders, distributing them among all shareholders of the fund. As a shareholder, you are entitled to your portion of a fund’s distributed income, including capital gains.

Reinvesting your distributions buys you more shares of a fund – which lets you take advantage of the potential for compound growth. Putting the money you earn back into your investment means it, in turn, may earn even more money. Over time, the power of compounding has the potential to significantly increase the value of your investment. There is no assurance, however, that you’ll earn more money if you reinvest your distributions rather than receive them in cash.

The Fund intends to pay out, in the form of distributions to shareholders, a sufficient amount of its income and gains so that the Fund will qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company and generally will not have to pay any federal excise tax. The Fund generally intends to distribute any net realized capital gain (whether long-term or short-term gain) at least once a year. Normally, the Fund will declare and pay distributions of net investment income according to the following schedule:

Declaration and Distribution Schedule

 

Declarations    quarterly
Distributions    quarterly

The Fund may, however, declare and pay distributions of net investment income more frequently.

Different share classes of the Fund usually pay different net investment income distribution amounts, because each class has different expenses. Each time a distribution is made, the net asset value per share of the share class is reduced by the amount of the distribution.

The Fund generally pays cash distributions within five business days after the distribution was declared. If you sell all of your shares after the record date, but before the payment date, for a distribution, you’ll normally receive that distribution in cash within five business days after the sale was made.

The Fund will automatically reinvest distributions in additional shares of the same share class of the Fund unless you inform us you want to receive your distributions in cash. You can do this by writing Columbia Funds at the address on the back cover, or by calling us at 800.345.6611. No sales charges apply to the purchase or sale of such shares. Distributions of $10 or less will automatically be reinvested in additional Fund shares only. If you elect to receive distributions by check and the check is returned as undeliverable, all subsequent distributions will be reinvested in additional shares of the Fund.

Unless you are investing through a tax-deferred retirement account (such as an IRA), you should consider avoiding buying Fund shares shortly before the Fund makes a distribution of net investment income or net realized capital gain, because doing so can cost you money in taxes. This is because you will, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back in the distribution. This is known as “buying a dividend.” To avoid “buying a dividend,” check the Fund’s distribution schedule online at www.columbiafunds.com, or by calling us at 800.345.6611, before you invest.

If you buy shares of the Fund when it holds securities with unrealized capital gain, you may, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back if and when the Fund sells those securities and distributes any net realized gain. Any such distribution is generally subject to tax. The Fund may have, or

 

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may build up over time, high levels of unrealized capital gain. If you buy shares of the Fund when it has capital loss carryforwards, the Fund may have the ability to offset capital gains realized by the Fund that otherwise would have been distributed to shareholders with such carryforwards, although capital loss carryforwards generally expire after eight taxable years and may be subject to substantial limitations.

 

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Taxes and Your Investment

The Fund will send you a statement each year showing how much you’ve received in distributions in the prior year and the distributions’ character for federal income tax purposes. In addition, you should be aware of the following:

 

   

The Fund intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company. A regulated investment company generally is not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are distributed to shareholders. However, the Fund’s failure to qualify as a regulated investment company would result in fund level taxation, and consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to you.

 

   

Distributions generally are taxable to you when paid, whether they are paid in cash or automatically reinvested in additional shares of the Fund.

 

   

Distributions of the Fund’s ordinary income and net short-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions of the Fund’s net long-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as long-term capital gain. Whether capital gains are long-term or short-term is determined by how long the Fund has owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long you have owned your shares.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, if you are an individual and you meet certain holding period and other requirements for your Fund shares, a portion of your distributions may be treated as “qualified dividend income” taxable at lower net long-term capital gain rates. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this provision to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010. Qualified dividend income is income attributable to the Fund’s dividends received from certain U.S. and foreign corporations, as long as the Fund meets certain holding period and other requirements for the stock producing such dividends.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, the maximum individual federal income tax rate on net long-term capital gain (and thus qualified dividend income) has been temporarily reduced to 15%. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this rate reduction to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010.

 

   

A sale, redemption or exchange of Fund shares is a taxable event. This includes redemptions where you are paid in securities. Your sales, redemptions and exchanges of Fund shares (including those paid in securities) usually will result in a taxable capital gain or loss to you, equal to the difference between the amount you receive for your shares (or are deemed to have received in the case of exchanges) and the amount you paid (or are deemed to have paid in the case of exchanges) for them. Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held your Fund shares for more than one year at the time of sale or exchange. In certain circumstances, capital losses may be converted from short-term to long-term or disallowed.

 

   

The Fund is required by federal law to withhold tax on any taxable distributions and sale proceeds paid to you (including amounts paid to you in securities and amounts deemed to be paid to you upon an exchange of shares) if: you haven’t provided a correct taxpayer identification number (TIN) or haven’t certified to the Fund that withholding doesn’t apply; the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has notified us that the TIN listed on your account is incorrect according to its records; or the IRS informs the Fund that you are otherwise subject to backup withholding.

FUNDamentalsTM

Taxes

The information provided above is only a summary of how U.S. federal income taxes may affect your investment in the Fund. It is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Your investment in the Fund may have other tax implications.

It does not apply to certain types of investors who may be subject to special rules, including foreign or tax-exempt investors or those holding Fund shares through a tax-advantaged account, such as a 401(k) plan or IRA.

You should consult with your own tax advisor about the particular tax consequences to you of an investment in the Fund, including the effect of any foreign, state and local taxes, and the effect of possible changes in applicable tax laws.

 

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights table is designed to help you understand how the Fund has performed for the past five full fiscal years, or if shorter, the Fund’s period of operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total return line indicates how much an investment in the Fund would have earned each period assuming all dividends and distributions had been reinvested.

This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm whose report, along with the Fund’s financial statements, is included in the Fund’s annual report. The independent registered public accounting firm’s report and the Fund’s financial statements are also incorporated by reference into the SAI.

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II—Class Z Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 22.34      $ 23.95      $ 22.17      $ 20.81      $ 20.18   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income(b)

     0.50        0.54        0.49        0.37        0.36 (c) 

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments, futures contracts and foreign currency

     (6.43     (1.60     1.78        1.36        0.64 (d) 

Total from investment operations

     (5.93     (1.06     2.27        1.73        1.00   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.51     (0.55     (0.49     (0.37     (0.37

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 15.90      $ 22.34      $ 23.95      $ 22.17      $ 20.81   

Total return(e)(f)

     (26.86 )%      (4.55 )%      10.35     8.35     5.01 %(g) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses before interest expense(h)

     1.04     0.97     0.97     0.88     1.00

Interest expense

     —          —   %(i)      —   %(i)      —   %(i)      —   %(i) 

Net expenses(h)

     1.04     0.97     0.97     0.88     1.00

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.09     0.07     0.07     0.04     0.07

Net investment income(h)

     2.58     2.24     2.15     1.72     1.75

Portfolio turnover rate

     67     63     55     102     136

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 17,541      $ 24,859      $ 24,680      $ 25,336      $ 26,425   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Fund’s Primary A shares were renamed Class Z shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Net investment income per share reflects a special dividend. The effect of this dividend amounted to $0.03 per share.

(d)

The effect of the investment advisor’s reimbursement for the Fund exceeding certain investment restrictions is included in the net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments (per share). The effect of this reimbursement was to increase net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments by $0.01.

(e)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested.

(f)

Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(g)

Without the effect of the investment advisor’s reimbursement for the Fund exceeding certain investment restrictions, total return would have been 4.94%.

(h)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(i)

Rounds to less than 0.01%.

 

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Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

The following supplemental hypothetical investment information provides additional information about the effect of the fees and expenses of the Fund, including investment advisory fees and other Fund costs, on the Fund’s returns over a 10-year period. The chart shows the estimated fees and expenses that would be charged on a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in Class Z shares of the Fund, assuming a 5% return each year, the cumulative return after fees and expenses and the hypothetical year-end balance after fees and expenses. The chart also assumes that all dividends and distributions are reinvested. The annual expense ratio used for the share class, which is the same as that stated in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses table, is presented in the chart and is net of any contractual fee waivers or expense reimbursements for the period of contractual commitment. Your actual costs may be higher or lower.

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II—Class Z Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.10   3.90   $ 10,390.00    $ 112.15

2

   10.25   1.10   7.95   $ 10,795.21    $ 116.52

3

   15.76   1.10   12.16   $ 11,216.22    $ 121.06

4

   21.55   1.10   16.54   $ 11,653.65    $ 125.78

5

   27.63   1.10   21.08   $ 12,108.14    $ 130.69

6

   34.01   1.10   25.80   $ 12,580.36    $ 135.79

7

   40.71   1.10   30.71   $ 13,070.99    $ 141.08

8

   47.75   1.10   35.81   $ 13,580.76    $ 146.58

9

   55.13   1.10   41.10   $ 14,110.41    $ 152.30

10

   62.89   1.10   46.61   $ 14,660.72    $ 158.24

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 4,660.72   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 1,340.19

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

 

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LOGO

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II

Class Z Shares

Prospectus, August 1, 2009

For More Information

You’ll find more information about the Fund and the other Columbia Funds in the documents described below. Contact Columbia Funds as follows to obtain these documents free of charge:

 

By Mail:  

Columbia Funds

c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc.

P.O. Box 8081

Boston, MA 02266-8081

By Telephone:   800.345.6611
Online:   www.columbiafunds.com

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders

Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year.

Shareholder Communications with the Board

The Fund’s Board of Trustees has adopted procedures by which shareholders may communicate with the Board. Shareholders who wish to communicate with the Board should send their written communications to the Board by mail, c/o Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, One Financial Center, Mail Stop MA5-515-11-05, Boston, MA 02111, Attention: Secretary. Shareholder communications must (i) be in writing, (ii) identify the Columbia Fund to which the communication relates and (iii) state the particular class of shares and number of shares held by the communicating shareholder.

Statement of Additional Information

The SAI provides more detailed information about the Fund and its policies. The SAI is legally part of this prospectus (incorporated by reference). A copy has been filed with the SEC.

Information Provided by the SEC

You can review and copy information about the Fund (including this prospectus, the SAI and shareholder reports) at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. To find out more about the operation of the Public Reference Room, call the SEC at 202.551.8090 or 800.SEC.0330. Reports and other information about the Fund are also available in the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You can receive copies of this information, for a fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov or by writing the Public Reference Section, Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, DC 20549-0102.

For purposes of any electronic version of this prospectus, all references to websites, or universal resource locators (URLs), are intended to be inactive and are not meant to incorporate the contents of any website into this prospectus.

The investment company registration number of Columbia Funds Series Trust, of which the Fund is a series, is 811-09645.

©2009 Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.

One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111-2621

800.345.6611 www.columbiafunds.com

INT-36/18004-0809


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LOGO

Prospectus

August 1, 2009

Columbia Funds

 

Class A, Class B and Class C Shares   Advised by Columbia Management Advisors, LLC

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio

 

LOGO The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


Table of Contents

Portfolio shares are NOT deposits or other obligations of, or issued, endorsed or guaranteed by, Bank of America, N.A. or any of its affiliates. Portfolio shares are NOT issued, insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, the FDIC or any other government agency.

Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) and its affiliates are paid for the services they provide to the Portfolio and may be compensated or incented in connection with the sale of Portfolio shares. The Portfolio may be used as an investment option for various products and services offered by Bank of America that may raise economic and other conflicts of interest, which are discussed in this prospectus.

AN INVESTMENT IN THE PORTFOLIO INVOLVES CERTAIN RISKS, INCLUDING LOSS OF PRINCIPAL.

 

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Prospectus Primer

This prospectus tells you about Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio (the Portfolio), which is one of the mutual funds in the Columbia Funds family of mutual funds (Columbia Funds). The Portfolio is a “fund of funds” that invests its assets in a mix of underlying mutual funds (each, an Underlying Fund and together, the Underlying Funds) that may change over time. This prospectus is designed to provide you with important information about the Portfolio in a concise and easy to understand manner that is meant to help you make informed investment decisions.

The prospectus first summarizes the key characteristics of the Portfolio, including:

 

   

investment objective,

 

   

principal investment strategies and risks,

 

   

year-by-year performance information,

 

   

fees and expenses, and

 

   

a description of the Portfolio’s additional investment strategies and policies.

This summary is followed by other important information, including:

 

   

a discussion of the Portfolio’s primary service providers, including the roles and relationships of Bank of America and its affiliates, and conflicts of interest, and

 

   

a summary of the Portfolio’s various share classes offered by this prospectus.

Later sections of the prospectus talk about the details of investing in the Portfolio, including:

 

   

how to buy, sell and exchange shares of the Portfolio, and

 

   

how you will receive your investment proceeds.

The prospectus also includes:

 

   

information about how federal and certain other taxes may affect your investment,

 

   

highlights of the Portfolio’s financial information, and

 

   

hypothetical fee and expense data that show the costs associated with investing in the Portfolio.

We have included a number of features designed to facilitate your use of this prospectus, including:

 

   

“FUNDamentals™” sections that provide simple explanations of key terms and concepts, as well as some basics of mutual fund investing,

 

   

a “FUNDimensions™” section that is meant to give you a “snapshot” of the Portfolio’s main attributes, and

 

   

graphic icons which are defined in the guide below.

Icons Guide

 

LOGO    Investment Objective
LOGO    Principal Investment Strategies
LOGO    Principal Risks
LOGO    Performance Information
LOGO    Fees and Expenses
LOGO    Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates - Certain Conflicts of Interest

For More Information

You can contact Columbia Funds:

 

   

by mail at Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

 

   

by telephone at 800.345.6611.

 

   

by email at serviceinquiries@columbiamanagement.com or online at www.columbiafunds.com.

 

   

through your financial advisor, who can help you select from among the Columbia Funds to meet your investment needs.

You also can find more information about the Portfolio in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI), which includes more detailed information about the Portfolio’s investments, policies and management, among other things. Turn to the back cover to find out how you can get a copy.

The SEC provides a “Beginners’ Guide to Mutual Funds” which may be useful to some investors and is available online, free of charge, at www.sec.gov.

 

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Table of Contents

 

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio

   5

Investment Objective

   5

Principal Investment Strategies

   5

Principal Risks

   8

Performance Information

   12

Fees and Expenses

   14

Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

   17

Management of the Portfolio

   19

Primary Service Providers

   19

Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

   21

Certain Legal Matters

   22

Choosing a Share Class

   23

Comparison of the Share Classes

   23

Sales Charges and Commissions

   24

Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges

   28

Distribution and Service Fees

   30

Redemption Fee

   31

Financial Intermediary Compensation

   33

Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

   34

Share Price Determination

   34

Transaction Rules and Policies

   35

Opening an Account and Placing Orders

   40

Distributions and Taxes

   44

Financial Highlights

   48

Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

   51

Columbia Management Group, LLC

The Portfolio is sponsored by Columbia Management Group, LLC (Columbia Management), which is the primary investment division of Bank of America. Columbia Management is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110.

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC is the Portfolio’s investment advisor (the Advisor) and its administrator (the Administrator). Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. is the Portfolio’s distributor (the Distributor). Columbia Management Services, Inc. is the Portfolio’s transfer agent (the Transfer Agent).

The Portfolio, like all mutual funds, is designed to be a part of a broad and diversified investment portfolio and is not intended to fulfill all of your investment needs.

You should consider the objectives, risks and expenses of the Portfolio and any other Columbia Fund carefully before investing.

Portfolio Liquidation. It is expected that the Portfolio will be liquidated in 2009. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders for more information.

FUNDamentals™ and FUNDimensions™ are trademarks of Bank of America.

 

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Table of Contents

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio

FUNDimensionsTM

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio
Investment Objective:    Capital appreciation
Investment Style:    World Stock
Benchmark:    MSCI World Index
Ticker Symbols:   

Class A: CMEAX

Class B: CMEBX

Class C: CMECX

Principal Risks:   

Investment strategy risk

Allocation risk

Investing in other funds risk

Market risk

Smaller company securities risk

Foreign securities risk

Derivatives risk

Convertible securities risk

Currency risk

Real estate investment trusts risk

Industry sector risk

Emerging market securities risk

Growth securities risk

Value securities risk

Special situations risk

Frequent trading risk

FUNDamentalsTM

Benchmarks

Benchmarks are indices that provide some guidance in assessing fund performance. A fund does not, however, limit its investments to the securities within its benchmark(s), and a fund’s holdings can differ from those of any particular benchmark or index. Benchmarks are only guideposts for performance.

LOGO Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks capital appreciation.

LOGO Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests in Class Z shares of specific Columbia Funds (Underlying Funds) so that at least 80% of its net assets are invested indirectly through such Underlying Funds in equity securities. The Portfolio invests in a combination of Underlying Funds on a fixed percentage basis. The Underlying Funds, in turn, invest primarily in domestic and foreign equity securities.

The Portfolio currently makes allocations among four Underlying Funds as follows:

 

   

25% of the Portfolio’s total assets in Columbia Strategic Investor Fund.

 

   

25% of the Portfolio’s total assets in Columbia Marsico 21st Century Fund.

 

   

40% of the Portfolio’s total assets in Columbia Multi-Advisor International Equity Fund.

 

   

10% of the Portfolio’s total assets in Columbia Acorn International.

The Advisor monitors the percentage allocations to the Underlying Funds and rebalances the Portfolio’s allocations to the Underlying Funds to ensure that actual allocations do not exceed plus or minus 3% of the fixed allocation percentages.

Columbia Strategic Investor Fund seeks long-term growth of capital by using a “value” approach and, under normal circumstances, invests primarily in common stocks of companies that the Advisor believes are attractively valued and have the potential for long-term growth. The Fund may invest in companies that have market capitalizations of any size and may invest a significant amount of its assets in smaller companies. The Fund may invest up to 33% of its total assets in foreign securities, including securities of companies in emerging market countries. The Fund may invest in special situations such as initial public offerings, in companies involved in management changes, tender offers, mergers and other corporate restructurings and in companies developing new technologies.

Columbia Marsico 21st Century Fund seeks long-term growth of capital and invests primarily in equity securities of companies of any capitalization size, generally holding a core

 

5


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position of between 35 and 50 common stocks. It may invest without limit in foreign securities, including emerging market securities.

Columbia Multi-Advisor International Equity Fund seeks long-term growth of capital and invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of established companies located in at least three countries other than the United States, including emerging market countries. It invests in mutual funds managed by the Advisor or any affiliate, third-party advised mutual funds, foreign investment funds or trusts, convertible securities, real estate investment trusts and depositary receipts.

Columbia Acorn International seeks long-term capital appreciation and, under normal circumstances, invests at least 75% of its total assets in foreign companies in developed markets (for example, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom) and in emerging markets (for example, China, India and Brazil) and invests a majority of its net assets in small- and mid-sized companies with market capitalizations under $5 billion at the time of investment.

The Advisor’s allocations to the Underlying Funds are expected to remain constant, but the Advisor can modify this list of Underlying Funds at any time, including by adding Underlying Funds introduced after the date of this prospectus.

The Portfolio’s policy regarding the 80% investment requirement of “net assets” (which includes net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) discussed above may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval as long as shareholders are given 60 days notice of the change.

FUNDamentalsTM

Fund of Funds

Unlike a traditional mutual fund, which invests in individual securities, a “fund of funds” invests in a mix of underlying funds typically by using an asset allocation approach. A fund of funds indirectly bears a portion of the underlying funds’ expenses, in addition to the fund of funds’ own expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Foreign Securities

Foreign securities include debt, equity or derivative securities which are determined to be “foreign” on the basis of an issuer’s domicile, its principal place of business, its primary stock exchange listing, the source of its revenues or other factors.

FUNDamentalsTM

Global Equity Funds

Global equity funds invest in equity securities of both domestic and foreign companies. Equity securities have the potential to provide you with higher returns than many other kinds of investments, but they also tend to have the highest risk. Foreign securities involve special risks not associated with investing in the U.S. stock market. Global equity funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio,

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income, and

 

   

are prepared to accept the risks associated with foreign securities.

 

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Table of Contents

FUNDamentalsTM

Asset Allocation Funds

Asset allocation funds use a process called “asset allocation,” which is the process of creating a portfolio by investing in different asset classes – for example, domestic equity securities, foreign securities and debt securities – in varying proportions.

The mix of asset classes and how much is invested in each is an important factor in how an asset allocation fund performs and the amount of risk involved. Each asset class, and each sub-asset class within a class, like large-, mid- and small-capitalization equity securities, has different risk and return characteristics, and may react in different ways to changes in the financial markets and to the economy in general. An investment approach that combines asset classes and sub-asset classes may help to reduce overall volatility.

Asset allocation funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio, and

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income.

 

7


Table of Contents

LOGO Principal Risks

 

   

Investment Strategy Risk – The Advisor uses the principal investment strategies and other investment strategies to seek to achieve the Portfolio’s investment objective. Investment decisions made by the Advisor in using these strategies may not produce the returns expected by the Advisor, may cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or may cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.

 

   

Allocation Risk – The Portfolio uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Portfolio’s allocation among asset classes or investments will cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

 

   

Investing in Other Funds Risk – The performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests could be adversely affected if other entities that invest in the same Underlying Funds make relatively large investments or redemptions in the Underlying Funds. Because the expenses and costs of an Underlying Fund are shared by its investors, redemptions by other investors in the Underlying Fund could result in decreased economies of scale and increased operating expenses for the Underlying Fund. The Portfolio, and its shareholders, indirectly bear a portion of the expenses of the Underlying Funds. These transactions might also result in higher brokerage, tax or other costs for the Portfolio. This risk may be particularly important when one investor owns a substantial portion of any Underlying Fund. In addition, the Advisor has the authority to change the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or to change the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. If an Underlying Fund pays fees to the Advisor or its affiliates, such as advisory fees, this could result in the Advisor having a potential conflict of interest in selecting the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or in determining the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. There are also circumstances in which the Advisor’s fiduciary duties to the Portfolio may conflict with its fiduciary duties to the Underlying Funds.

The Portfolio is subject indirectly to the following risks of the Underlying Funds:

 

   

Market Risk – The Underlying Funds are subject to market risk, which refers to the possibility that the market values of securities that the Underlying Fund holds will rise or fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Security values may fall because of factors affecting individual companies, industries or sectors, or the markets as a whole, reducing the value of an investment in the Underlying Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Underlying Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. The market values of the securities the Underlying Fund holds also can be affected by changes or perceived changes in U.S. or foreign economies and financial markets and the liquidity of these securities, among other factors. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

 

   

Smaller Company Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of small- or mid-capitalization companies (“smaller companies”) which can, in certain circumstances, have a higher potential for gains than securities of large-capitalization companies but may also have more risk. For example, smaller companies may be more vulnerable to market downturns and adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies because they may have more limited financial resources and business operations. These companies are also more likely than larger companies to have more limited product lines and operating histories and to depend on smaller management teams. Their securities may trade less frequently and in smaller volumes and may be less liquid and fluctuate more sharply in value than securities of larger companies. In addition, some smaller companies may not be widely followed by the investment community, which can lower the demand for their stocks.

 

8


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Foreign Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in foreign securities, which are subject to special risks as compared to securities of U.S. issuers. For example, foreign markets can be extremely volatile. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may impact the value of foreign securities denominated in foreign currencies, or in U.S. dollars, without a change in the intrinsic value of those securities. Foreign securities may be less liquid than domestic securities so that the Underlying Fund may, at times, be unable to sell foreign securities at desirable times or prices. Brokerage commissions, custodial fees and other fees are also generally higher for foreign securities. The Underlying Fund may have limited or no legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain foreign securities, including those issued by foreign governments. In addition, foreign governments may impose potentially confiscatory withholding or other taxes, which could reduce the amount of income and capital gains available to distribute to shareholders. Other risks include possible delays in the settlement of transactions or in the payment of income; generally less publicly available information about companies; the impact of political, social or diplomatic events; possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of a company or its assets; possible imposition of currency exchange controls; and accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards that may be less comprehensive and stringent than those applicable to domestic companies.

 

   

Derivatives Risk – Certain Underlying Funds use derivatives, which are financial contracts whose values are, for example, based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or bond), assets (such as a commodity like gold or a foreign currency), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Derivatives involve special risks and may result in losses or may limit the Fund’s potential gain from favorable market movements. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying security. The values of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in unusual market conditions, and may result in increased volatility, among other consequences. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Other risks arise from the Underlying Fund’s potential inability to terminate or sell derivative positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Underlying Fund’s derivative positions at times when the Underlying Fund might wish to terminate or sell such positions. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid, and transactions in derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. The use of derivatives also involves the risks of mispricing or improper valuation and that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying security, asset, reference rate or index. The Underlying Fund may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to engage in derivative transactions when it is deemed favorable to do so, or at all. For more information on the risks of derivative investments and strategies, see the SAI.

 

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Convertible Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in convertible securities, which are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate risk and credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. Because the value of a convertible security can be influenced by both interest rates and market movements, a convertible security generally is not as sensitive to interest rates as a similar debt security, and generally will not vary in value in response to other factors to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities would typically be paid before the company’s common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. The Underlying Fund may be forced to convert a convertible security before it otherwise would choose to do so, which may decrease the Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Currency Risk – Certain Underlying Funds are subject to currency risk. Securities denominated in different currencies are subject to the risk that, for example, if the value of a foreign currency were to decline against the U.S. dollar, such decline would reduce the U.S. dollar value of any securities held by the Fund denominated in that currency.

 

   

Real Estate Investment Trusts Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs), which are entities that either own properties or make construction or mortgage loans, and may also include operating or finance companies. The value of REIT shares is affected by, among other factors, changes in the value of the underlying properties owned by the REIT and/or by changes in the prospect for earnings and/or cash flow growth of the REIT itself. In addition, certain of the risks associated with general real estate ownership apply to the Underlying Fund’s REIT investments, including risks related to general and local economic conditions, possible lack of availability of financing and changes in interest rates.

 

   

Industry Sector Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of companies in different, but closely related, industries. These securities are considered as being in the same broad economic sector. The values of such securities in the same sector may be similarly affected by particular economic or market events, making the Underlying Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that sector than funds investing in multiple sectors. The Underlying Fund does not intend to focus on any particular sector; however, at times the Underlying Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in a particular sector.

 

   

Emerging Market Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries, like those in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America or Africa. These emerging market securities are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in foreign securities that are described in “Foreign Securities Risk.” In addition, these countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid social, political and economic development. Their economies are usually less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity than more developed countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade, which makes them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries. Some emerging market countries have a higher risk of currency devaluations, and some of these countries may experience periods of high inflation or rapid changes in inflation rates.

 

   

Growth Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in growth securities. Because growth securities typically trade at a higher multiple of earnings than other types of securities, the prices of growth securities may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other types of securities. In addition, growth securities, at times, may not perform as well as value securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

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Value Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in value securities, which are securities of companies that may have experienced, for example, adverse business, industry or other developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the securities to be out of favor and, in turn, potentially undervalued. The market value of a portfolio security may not meet the Advisor’s future value assessment of that security, or may decline. There is also a risk that it may take longer than expected for the value of these investments to rise to the believed value. In addition, value securities, at times, may not perform as well as growth securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Special Situations Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of companies that are involved in an initial public offering or a major corporate event, such as a business consolidation or restructuring, which may present special risk because of the high degree of uncertainty that can be associated with such events. Securities issued in initial public offerings often are issued by companies that are in the early stages of development, have a history of little or no revenues and may operate at a loss following the offering. It is possible that there will be no active trading market for the securities after the offering, and the market price of the securities may be subject to significant and unpredictable fluctuations. Investing in special situations may have a magnified effect on the performance of funds with small amounts of assets.

 

   

Frequent Trading Risk – Certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve the frequent trading of portfolio securities. Frequent trading of investments increases the possibility that the Underlying Fund will realize taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s after-tax return. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s return.

These are summaries of the principal risks associated with the principal investment strategies of the Portfolio. Additional risks are associated with other permissible investments of the Portfolio that are described in the SAI together with further information about these principal risks. There is no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.

 

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LOGO Performance Information

The following bar chart and table show you how the Portfolio has performed in the past, and can help you understand the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s past performance (before or after taxes) is no guarantee of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Year by Year Total Return (%) as of December 31 Each Year*

The bar chart below shows you how the performance of the Portfolio’s Class A shares has varied from year to year. These returns do not reflect deductions of sales charges, if any, paid by investors and would be lower if they did.

LOGO

 

* Year-to-date return as of June 30, 2009: 9.23%.

Best and Worst Quarterly Returns During this Period

 

Best:

   2nd Quarter 2007:    7.89%

Worst:

   4th Quarter 2008:    -24.64%

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Performance

Many factors can affect a mutual fund’s performance, including, for example:

 

   

management of fund holdings,

 

   

market conditions,

 

   

fund expenses, and

 

   

flows of investment dollars into and out of the fund.

The returns for the various share classes may vary based on differences in sales charges and expenses.

 

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Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2008

The table below shows the Portfolio’s Class A shares’ average annual total returns (i) before taxes, (ii) after taxes on distributions and (iii) after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares. The returns shown reflect applicable sales charges. The table also shows the average annual returns for the Portfolio’s Class B and Class C shares, but it does not show those classes’ after-tax returns, which will vary from those shown for the Portfolio’s Class A shares.

The table compares the Portfolio’s returns for each period with those of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) World Index, which tracks the performance of global stocks. Indices are not available for investment, and do not reflect sales charges, fees, brokerage commissions, taxes or other expenses of investing.

 

     1 year     Life of Portfolio(a)  

Class A shares returns before taxes

   -48.21   -12.21

Class A shares returns after taxes on distributions

   -48.63   -13.02

Class A shares returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares

   -30.28   -9.81

Class B shares returns before taxes

   -47.98   -11.86

Class C shares returns before taxes

   -45.87   -11.00

MSCI World Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   -40.71   -9.36

 

(a)

The inception date of the Portfolio’s Class A, Class B and Class C shares is February 15, 2006.

FUNDamentalsTM

After-Tax Returns

The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state, local or foreign taxes.

Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your personal tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown in the table do not apply to shares held in tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k) plans or IRAs.

 

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LOGO Fees and Expenses

The fee table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. Additional hypothetical fee and expense information relating to Class A, Class B and Class C shares of the Portfolio can be found in Hypothetical Fees and Expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Expenses

In general, there are two kinds of fund expenses:

 

   

shareholder expenses that you pay directly (e.g., sales charges and redemption fees), and

 

   

annual operating expenses that are paid by the Portfolio and deducted from the Portfolio’s assets.

Annual operating expenses include:

 

   

management fees, which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to the Advisor and the Administrator as compensation for managing and administering the Portfolio’s portfolio. See Management of the Portfolio – Primary Service Providers for more information.

 

   

distribution and service fees (sometimes referred to in the industry as “Rule 12b-1 fees”), which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to compensate the Distributor and selling and/or servicing agents for the services they provide to investors, including affiliates of Bank of America. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for more information.

 

   

other expenses, which generally include, but are not limited to, transfer agency, custody, audit and legal fees as well as costs related to registration of Portfolio shares for sale and the printing and mailing of Portfolio documents. The specific expenses that make up the Portfolio’s other expenses will vary from time to time and may include expenses not described above.

Annual fund operating expenses are calculated based on actual expenses incurred during the Portfolio’s most recently completed fiscal year and are expressed as a percentage of the Portfolio’s average net assets during the year. The rate of annual fund operating expenses will likely vary from year to year as a result of various factors, including, for example, changes in the level of the Portfolio’s net assets. Although many factors can affect fund operating expenses, in general, annual fund operating expenses, as a percentage of average net assets, will increase as the Portfolio’s net assets decrease, and will decrease as the Portfolio’s net assets increase. Net expenses also may vary from year to year based on any fee waivers or expense reimbursements.

The Portfolio may incur significant transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, in addition to the annual Portfolio operating expenses disclosed in the fee table.

 

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Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

 

     Class A Shares     Class B Shares     Class C Shares  

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases, as a % of offering price

   5.75   N/A      N/A   

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions, as a % of the lower of the original purchase price or net asset value

   1.00 %(a)    5.00 %(b)    1.00 %(c) 

Redemption fee, as a % of total redemption proceeds

   2.00 %(d)    2.00 %(d)    2.00 %(d) 

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (deducted from the Portfolio’s assets)

 

     Class A Shares     Class B Shares     Class C Shares  

Management fees(e)

   0.00   0.00   0.00

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

   0.25   1.00   1.00

Other expenses

   0.87   0.87   0.87

Acquired fund fees and expenses(f)

   1.00   1.00   1.00

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses(g)

   2.12   2.87   2.87

Fee waivers and/or reimbursements(h)

   -0.87   -0.87   -0.87

Total net expenses

   1.25   2.00   2.00

 

(a)

This charge applies to investors who buy $1 million or more of Class A shares and redeem them within one year of purchase, with certain limited exceptions. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(b)

This charge decreases over time. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(c)

This charge applies to investors who buy Class C shares and redeem them within one year of purchase, with certain limited exceptions. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(d)

This redemption fee may apply to shares that are redeemed (either by sale or exchange into another Columbia Fund) within 60 days of purchase. See Choosing a Share Class – Redemption Fee for details.

(e)

The Portfolio does not pay investment advisory fees or an administration fee.

(f)

Acquired fund fees and expenses include fees and expenses associated with the Portfolio’s investments in other investment companies. Since they are incurred only indirectly by the Portfolio, such fees and expenses are not considered ordinary operating expenses of the Portfolio for purposes of a fee waiver or expense limitation, if any.

(g)

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses include acquired fund fees and expenses. As a result, the amount shown is higher than the ratio of expenses to average net assets included in the section entitled “Financial Highlights” which reflects only those expenses paid directly by the Portfolio.

(h)

The Advisor has contractually agreed to bear a portion of the Portfolio’s expenses so that the Portfolio’s ordinary operating expenses (excluding any distribution and service fees, brokerage commissions, interest, taxes and extraordinary expenses, but including custodian charges relating to overdrafts, if any), after giving effect to any balance credits from the Portfolio’s custodian, do not exceed 0.00% annually through July 31, 2010.

 

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Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The example illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over the time periods indicated, and assumes that:

 

   

you invest $10,000 in Class A, Class B or Class C shares of the Portfolio for the periods indicated,

 

   

you pay the maximum applicable sales charge,

 

   

you reinvest all dividends and distributions in the Portfolio,

 

   

your investment has a 5% return each year,

 

   

your Class B shares convert to Class A shares after you’ve owned them for eight years, and

 

   

the Portfolio’s total annual operating expenses remain the same as shown in the table above.

Since the waivers and/or reimbursements shown in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses table above expire on July 31, 2010, they are only reflected in the 1 year and the first year of the 3, 5 and 10 year examples.

Based on the assumptions listed above, your costs would be:

 

     1 year    3 years    5 years    10 years

Class A Shares

   $ 695    $ 1,122    $ 1,573    $ 2,821

Class B Shares

           

Assuming no redemption

   $ 203    $ 807    $ 1,437    $ 2,954

Assuming complete redemption of shares at the end of the period

   $ 703    $ 1,107    $ 1,637    $ 2,954

Class C Shares

           

Assuming no redemption

   $ 203    $ 807    $ 1,437    $ 3,133

Assuming complete redemption of shares at the end of the period

   $ 303    $ 807    $ 1,437    $ 3,133

Remember this is an example only. It is not necessarily representative of the Portfolio’s actual expenses in the past or future. Your actual costs could be higher or lower depending on the amount you invest and on the Portfolio’s actual expenses and performance.

 

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Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

This section describes certain strategies and policies that the Portfolio may utilize in pursuit of its investment objective, and describes some additional factors and risks involved with investing in the Portfolio.

Changing the Portfolio’s Investment Objective and Policies

The Portfolio’s investment objective and certain of its investment policies can be changed without shareholder approval unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the SAI. Shareholders vote on changes to other investment policies that are designated as fundamental in accordance with the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act).

Investment Guidelines

As a general matter, unless otherwise noted, whenever an investment policy or limitation states a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding an investment standard, compliance with that percentage limitation or standard will be determined solely at the time of the Portfolio’s acquisition of the security or asset.

Holding Other Kinds of Investments

The Portfolio may hold investments that aren’t part of its principal investment strategies. These investments are described in the SAI. The Portfolio may choose not to invest in certain securities described in this prospectus and in the SAI, although it has the ability to do so.

Investing in Affiliated Funds

The Advisor has the authority to select the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests its assets. The Advisor or one of its affiliates is the investment advisor to each of the Underlying Funds. The Advisor may be subject to a conflict of interest in selecting Underlying Funds for the Portfolio because the fees paid to it or its affiliates are higher than the fees paid to other Underlying Funds. However, as a fiduciary to the Portfolio, the Advisor has a duty to act in the best interest of the Portfolio in selecting Underlying Funds.

Investing in Columbia Money Market Funds

The Portfolio may invest uninvested cash and cash collateral received in connection with its securities lending program in shares of the registered or unregistered money market funds advised by the Advisor. The Advisor and its affiliates receive fees from these funds for providing advisory and other services in addition to the fees which they are entitled to receive from the Portfolio for services provided directly.

Lending Securities

The Portfolio may lend portfolio securities to approved broker/dealers or other financial intermediaries on a fully collateralized basis in order to earn additional income. The Portfolio may lose money from securities lending if, for example, it is delayed in or prevented from selling the collateral after the loan is made or recovering the securities loaned or if it incurs losses on the reinvestment of cash collateral. The Portfolio may invest some or all of the cash collateral it receives in connection with its securities lending program in one or more pooled investment vehicles, including, among other vehicles, money market funds managed by the Portfolio’s securities lending agent (or its affiliate). The securities lending agent shares in any income resulting from the investment of such cash collateral, and an affiliate of the securities lending agent receives asset-based fees for the management of such pooled investment vehicles, which may create a conflict of interest between the securities lending agent (or its affiliate) and the Portfolio with respect to the management of such cash collateral. Engaging in securities lending is subject to certain risks, including counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty to a transaction could default.

Portfolio Holdings Disclosure

A description of Columbia Funds’ policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of Portfolio portfolio securities is available in the SAI. The Portfolio discloses its portfolio holdings on the Columbia Funds’ website, www.columbiafunds.com, as described below. Once posted, the portfolio holdings information will remain available on the website until at least the date on which the Portfolio files a Form N-CSR or Form N-Q (forms filed with the SEC that include portfolio holdings information) for the period that includes the date as of which the information is current.

The Portfolio’s complete portfolio holdings as of a month-end are disclosed approximately 15 calendar days after such month-end.

 

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In addition, more current information concerning the Portfolio’s portfolio holdings as of specified dates may also be disclosed on the Columbia Funds’ website.

Investing Defensively

The Portfolio may from time to time take temporary defensive investment positions that are inconsistent with the Portfolio’s principal investment strategies in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions including, for example, investments in money market instruments or holdings of cash or cash equivalents. The Portfolio may not achieve its investment objective while it is investing defensively.

Mailings to Households

In order to reduce shareholder expenses we may, if prior consent has been provided, mail only one copy of the Portfolio’s prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents, call 800.345.6611 or, if your shares are held through a financial intermediary, contact your intermediary directly.

Portfolio Turnover

A mutual fund that replaces, or turns over, more than 100% of its investments in a year is considered to have a high portfolio turnover rate. A high portfolio turnover rate can generate larger distributions of short-term capital gains to shareholders, which for individuals are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes. A high portfolio turnover rate can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce a fund’s returns. In general, the greater the volume of buying and selling by a fund, the greater the impact that brokerage commissions will have on its returns. The Portfolio generally buys securities for capital appreciation, investment income or both. However, the Portfolio may sell securities regardless of how long they’ve been held. You’ll find the Portfolio’s historical portfolio turnover rates in the Financial Highlights.

 

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Management of the Portfolio

Primary Service Providers

The Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, currently provide key services to the Portfolio and the other Columbia Funds, including investment advisory, administration, distribution, shareholder servicing and transfer agency, and are paid for providing these services. These service relationships are described below.

The Advisor

The Advisor (which is also the Administrator) is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110, and serves as investment advisor to over 100 Columbia Funds mutual fund portfolios. As of June 30, 2009, the Advisor had assets under management of approximately $310.5 billion. The Advisor is a registered investment advisor and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. Its management experience covers all major asset classes, including equity securities, fixed income securities and money market instruments. In addition to serving as investment advisor to mutual funds, the Advisor acts as an investment manager for individuals, corporations, retirement plans, private investment companies and financial intermediaries.

Subject to oversight by the Board, the Advisor manages the day-to-day operations of the Portfolio, determining what securities and other investments the Portfolio should buy or sell and executing the Portfolio’s portfolio transactions. Although the Advisor is responsible for the investment management of the Portfolio, the Advisor may delegate certain of its duties to one or more investment sub-advisors. In rendering investment advisory services, the Advisor may use the portfolio management and research resources of Columbia Management Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of the Advisor. The Advisor may also use the research and other expertise of other affiliates and third parties in managing the Portfolio’s investments.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Portfolio’s investment advisory agreement with the Advisor is available in the Portfolio’s annual report to shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.

Sub-Advisor(s)

The Advisor may engage an investment sub-advisor or sub-advisors to make the day-to-day investment decisions for the Portfolio. The Advisor retains ultimate responsibility (subject to Board oversight) for overseeing any sub-advisor it engages and for evaluating the Portfolio’s needs and available sub-advisors’ skills and abilities on an ongoing basis. Based on its evaluations, the Advisor may at times recommend to the Board that the Portfolio change, add or terminate one or more sub-advisors; continue to retain a sub-advisor even though the sub-advisor’s ownership or corporate structure has changed; or materially change a sub-advisory agreement with a sub-advisor. Applicable law requires the Portfolio to obtain shareholder approval in order to act on most of these types of recommendations, even if the Board has approved the proposed action and believes that the action is in shareholders’ best interests. The Advisor and the Columbia Funds have applied for relief from the SEC to permit the Portfolio to act on many of the Advisor’s recommendations with approval only by the Board and not by Portfolio shareholders. The Advisor or the Portfolio would inform the Portfolio’s shareholders of any actions taken in reliance on this relief. Until the Advisor and the Portfolio obtain this relief, the Portfolio will continue to submit these matters to shareholders for their approval to the extent required by applicable law.

At present, the Advisor has not engaged any investment sub-advisor for the Portfolio.

 

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Portfolio Managers

Information about the Advisor’s portfolio managers who are primarily responsible for overseeing the Portfolio’s investments is shown in the table below. The SAI provides more information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by each portfolio manager and each portfolio manager’s ownership of securities in the Portfolio.

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Colin Moore

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Chief Investment Officer of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Kent M. Peterson, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since January 2006. Prior to January 2006, Mr. Peterson was a trading associate at Bridgewater Associates from 2004 to 2005.

Marie M. Schofield, CFA

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Managing Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 1990.

The Administrator

The Administrator is responsible for overseeing the administrative operations of the Portfolio, including the general supervision of the Portfolio’s operations, coordination of the Portfolio’s service providers, and the provision of office facilities and related clerical and administrative services. The Administrator does not currently receive any fees for the administrative services it provides to the Portfolio.

The Distributor

Shares of the Portfolio are distributed by the Distributor, which is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111. The Distributor is a registered broker/dealer and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Distributor and its affiliates may pay commissions, distribution and service fees and/or other compensation to entities, including Bank of America affiliates, for selling shares and providing services to investors.

The Transfer Agent

The Transfer Agent is a registered transfer agent and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Transfer Agent is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111, and its responsibilities include processing purchases, sales and exchanges, calculating and paying distributions, keeping shareholder records, preparing account statements and providing customer service. The Portfolio pays the Transfer Agent monthly fees on a per-account basis. Fees paid to the Transfer Agent include reimbursements for certain out-of-pocket expenses and sub-transfer agency fees, subject to certain limitations, paid by the Transfer Agent on the Portfolio’s behalf.

 

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LOGO Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

As described in Management of the Portfolio – Primary Service Providers, the Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, provide various services to the Portfolio for which they are compensated. Bank of America and its affiliates may also provide other services to the Portfolio and be compensated for them.

The Advisor and its affiliates may provide investment advisory and other services to other clients and customers substantially similar to those provided to the Portfolio. These activities, and other financial services activities of Bank of America and its affiliates (including Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.), may present actual and potential conflicts of interest and introduce certain investment constraints.

Bank of America is a major financial services company, engaged in a broad range of financial activities beyond the mutual fund-related activities of the Advisor, including, among others, commercial banking, investment banking, broker/dealer (sales and trading), asset management, insurance and other financial activities. These additional activities may involve multiple advisory, transactional, lending, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments, and in companies that issue securities and other instruments, which may be bought, sold or held by the Portfolio.

Conflicts of interest and limitations that could affect the Portfolio may arise from, for example, the following:

 

   

compensation and other benefits received by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates related to the management/administration of the Portfolio and the sale of its shares;

 

   

the allocation of, and competition for, investment opportunities among the Portfolio and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

separate and potentially divergent management of the Portfolio and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

regulatory and other investment restrictions on investment activities of the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates and accounts advised/managed by them;

 

   

lending, investment banking and other relationships of Bank of America affiliates with companies and other entities in which the Portfolio invests; and

 

   

regulatory and other restrictions relating to the sharing of information between Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, and the Portfolio.

Bank of America and its affiliates also provide a variety of products and services that, in some manner, may use the Portfolio and other Columbia Funds as investment options. For example:

 

   

the Columbia Funds are available as investments in connection with brokerage or other securities products offered by Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. or Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, both wholly-owned retail broker/dealers of Bank of America;

 

   

the Columbia Funds are used as investments in connection with fiduciary, investment management and other accounts offered by U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, as well as certain Columbia Funds structured as “funds of funds”; and

 

   

the Columbia Money Market Funds are offered as an investment option for a variety of cash “sweep” account programs offered by Bank of America and its affiliates.

The use of the Columbia Funds as investment options in connection with other products and services offered by Bank of America and its affiliates may introduce economic and other conflicts of interest of which you should be aware. These types of conflicts of interest are highlighted in sections of account documentation and other disclosure materials relating to these products and services, as well as in the SAI.

The Advisor and Bank of America have adopted various policies and procedures that are intended to identify, monitor and address conflicts of interest. However, there is no absolute assurance that these policies, procedures and disclosures will be effective.

Additional information about Bank of America and the types of conflicts of interest and other matters referenced above is set forth in the Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest section of the SAI, which is identified by the LOGO icon. Investors in the Portfolio should carefully review these disclosures and consult with their financial advisor if they have any questions.

 

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Certain Legal Matters

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. (collectively, the Columbia Group) are subject to a settlement agreement with the New York Attorney General (NYAG) (the NYAG Settlement) and a settlement order with the SEC (the SEC Order) on matters relating to mutual fund trading, each dated February 9, 2005. Under the terms of the SEC Order, the Columbia Group (or predecessor or affiliated entities) agreed, among other things, to: pay disgorgement and civil money penalties collectively totaling $375 million; cease and desist from violations of the antifraud provisions and certain other provisions of the federal securities laws; maintain certain compliance and ethics oversight structures; and retain an independent consultant to review the Columbia Group’s applicable supervisory, compliance, control and other policies and procedures. The NYAG Settlement, among other things, requires Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and its affiliates to reduce management fees for certain funds in the Columbia family of mutual funds in a projected total of $160 million over five years through November 30, 2009 and to make certain disclosures to investors relating to expenses. In connection with the Columbia Group providing services to the Columbia Funds, the Columbia Funds have voluntarily undertaken to implement certain governance measures designed to maintain the independence of their boards of trustees and certain special consulting and compliance measures.

Pursuant to the SEC Order and related procedures, the $375 million in settlement amounts described above, of which approximately $90 million has been earmarked for certain Columbia Funds and their shareholders, is being distributed in accordance with a distribution plan developed by an independent distribution consultant and approved by the SEC on December 27, 2007. Distributions under the distribution plan began in mid-June 2008.

Civil Litigation

In connection with the events that resulted in the NYAG Settlement and SEC Order, various parties filed suits against Bank of America Corporation and certain of its affiliates, including Banc of America Capital Management, LLC (BACAP, now known as Columbia Management Advisors, LLC) and BACAP Distributors, LLC (now known as Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.) (collectively BAC), Nations Funds Trust (now known as Columbia Funds Series Trust) and its Board of Trustees. On February 20, 2004, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transferred these cases and cases against other mutual fund companies based on similar allegations to the United States District Court in Maryland for consolidated or coordinated pretrial proceedings (the MDL). Subsequently, additional related cases were transferred to the MDL. On September 29, 2004, the plaintiffs in the MDL filed amended and consolidated complaints. One of these amended complaints is a putative class action that includes claims under the federal securities laws and state common law, and that names Nations Funds Trust, the Trustees, BAC and others as defendants. Another of the amended complaints is a derivative action purportedly on behalf of the Nations Funds Trust against BAC and others that asserts claims under federal securities laws and state common law. Nations Funds Trust is a nominal defendant in this action.

On February 25, 2005, BAC and other defendants filed motions to dismiss the claims in the pending cases. On December 15, 2005, BAC and others entered into a Stipulation of Settlement of the direct and derivative claims brought on behalf of the Nations Funds shareholders. The settlement is subject to court approval. If the settlement is approved, BAC would pay settlement administration costs and fees to plaintiffs’ counsel as approved by the court. The stipulation has not yet been presented to the court for approval.

 

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Choosing a Share Class

Comparison of the Share Classes

Share Class Features

The Portfolio offers three classes of shares in this prospectus: Class A, Class B and Class C shares. The Portfolio may also offer other classes of shares through a separate prospectus. Each share class has its own investment eligibility criteria, cost structure and other features. The following summarizes the primary features of the Class A, Class B and Class C shares offered by this prospectus. Contact your financial advisor or Columbia Funds for more information about the Portfolio’s share classes and how to choose among them.

 

    

Class A Shares

  

Class B Shares

  

Class C Shares

Eligible Investors and

Minimum Initial

Investments(a)

   Minimum initial investments range from $0 to $2,500; the share class is available to the general public for investment.    The Portfolio no longer accepts investments from new or existing investors in Class B shares, except for certain limited transactions from existing investors in Class B shares as described in more detail under Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders – Buying Shares – Class B Shares Closing.    Minimum initial investments range from $0 to $2,500; the share class is available to the general public for investment.
Investment Limits    none    up to $49,999 (based on aggregate account value)(b)    up to $999,999
Conversion Features    none    convert to Class A shares eight years after purchase    none
Front-End Sales Charges(c)    5.75% maximum, declining to 0.00% on investments of $1 million or more    none    none
Contingent Deferred Sales Charges (CDSCs)(c)    none, except a 1.00% CDSC applies to certain investments of between $1 million and $50 million sold within one year of purchase    5.00% maximum, gradually declining to 0.00% after six years    1.00% on investments sold within one year of purchase
Maximum Distribution and Service Fees    0.25% combined distribution and service fee    0.75% distribution fee 0.25% service fee    0.75% distribution fee 0.25% service fee

 

(a)

See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders for more details on the eligible investors and investment minimums of these share classes.

(b)

If you hold Class B shares of the Portfolio and your account has a value of less than $49,999, you may purchase additional Class B shares of the Portfolio in amounts that increase your account value up to a maximum of $49,999. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares - Opening an Account and Placing Orders - Buying Shares - Class B Shares Closing for important information regarding purchases of Class B shares. The value of your account, for this purpose, includes the value of all eligible accounts held by you and your “immediate family.” See the discussion about account value aggregation and eligible accounts in Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for more information. If you have reached the $49,999 limit, any additional amounts you invest in Class B shares of the Portfolio will be invested in Class A shares of the Portfolio, without regard to the normal minimum investment amount for Class A shares. Such investments will, however, be subject to a front-end sales charge that generally applies to Class A shares.

(c)

See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for information about certain exceptions to these sales charges.

 

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FUNDamentalsTM

Selling and/or Servicing Agents

The terms “selling agent” and “servicing agent” refer to the financial intermediary that employs your financial advisor. Selling and/or servicing agents include, for example, brokerage firms, banks, investment advisors, third party administrators and other financial intermediaries, including affiliates of Bank of America, such as Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.

Sales Charges and Commissions

Sales charges, commissions and distribution and service fees (discussed in a separate sub-section below) compensate selling and/or servicing agents, and typically your financial advisor, for selling shares to you and for maintaining and servicing the shares held in your account. These charges, commissions and fees are intended to provide incentives for selling and/or servicing agents to provide these services.

Depending on which share class you choose you will pay these charges either at the outset as a front-end sales charge, at the time you sell your shares as a contingent deferred sales charge and/or over time in the form of increased ongoing fees. Whether the ultimate cost is higher for one class over the other depends on how long you hold your shares.

Class A Shares—Front-End Sales Charge

You’ll pay a front-end sales charge when you buy Class A shares unless you qualify for a waiver of the sales charge or you buy the shares through reinvested distributions. See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for more information.

FUNDamentalsTM

Front-End Sales Charge Calculation

The following table presents the front-end sales charge as a percentage of both the offering price and the net amount invested.

 

   

The offering price per share is the net asset value per share plus any front-end sales charge that applies.

 

   

The net asset value (or NAV) per share is the price of a share calculated by the Portfolio every business day.

The dollar amount of the sales charge is the difference between the offering price of the shares you buy (based on the applicable sales charge in the table) and the net asset value of those shares.

To determine the front-end sales charge you will pay when you buy your shares, the Portfolio will add the amount of your investment to the value of your account and base the sales charge on the aggregate amount. This approach is designed to assure that you pay the lowest applicable sales charge possible. See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/ Waivers of Sales Charges for a discussion of account value aggregation.

 

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The front-end sales charge you’ll pay on Class A shares:

 

   

depends on the amount you’re investing (generally, the larger the investment, the smaller the percentage sales charge), and

 

   

is based on the total amount of your purchase and the value of your account.

Class A Shares—Front-End Sales Charge—Breakpoint Schedule

 

Dollar amount of shares bought(a)

  

Sales charge as a %

of the offering price(b)

   

Sales charge as a %

of the net amount invested(b)

   

Amount retained by or paid to

selling and/or servicing agents

as a % of the offering price

 

$0 – $49,999

   5.75   6.10   5.00

$50,000 – $99,999

   4.50   4.71   3.75

$100,000 – $249,999

   3.50   3.63   2.75

$250,000 – $499,999

   2.50   2.56   2.00

$500,000 – $999,999

   2.00   2.04   1.75

$1,000,000 or more

   0.00   0.00   1.00 %(c)(d) 

 

(a)

Purchase amounts and account values are aggregated among all eligible Columbia Fund accounts for the purposes of this table.

(b)

Because the offering price is calculated to two decimal places, the dollar amount of the sales charge as a percentage of the offering price and your net amount invested for any particular purchase of Portfolio shares may be higher or lower depending on whether downward or upward rounding was required during the calculation process.

(c)

1.00% on purchases from $1 million up to $3 million, 0.50% on purchases of $3 million up to $50 million and 0.25% on amounts of $50 million or more. The Distributor pays selling and/or servicing agents on investments of $1 million or more, but may be reimbursed if a CDSC is deducted when the shares are sold.

(d)

For certain group retirement plans, selling and/or servicing agents are eligible to receive a 1.00% commission from the Distributor on all purchases up to $3 million, including those in amounts of less than $1 million that are coded as commission eligible trades.

 

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Class A Shares—CDSC and Commissions

In some cases, you’ll pay a CDSC if you sell Class A shares that you bought without an initial sales charge.

 

   

If you bought Class A shares without an initial sales charge because your accounts aggregated $1 million to $50 million at the time of purchase, you will incur a 1.00% CDSC if you redeem those shares within one year of buying them.

 

   

Subsequent Class A share purchases that bring your aggregate account value to $1 million or more (but less than $50 million) will also be subject to a CDSC if you redeem them within one year of buying them.

The CDSC on Class A shares:

 

   

is applied to the net asset value at the time of your purchase or sale, whichever is lower, and

 

   

will not be applied to any shares you receive through reinvested distributions.

For purposes of calculating the CDSC, the start of the holding period is the first day of the month in which the purchase was made. When you place an order to sell your Class A shares, the Portfolio will first redeem any shares that aren’t subject to a CDSC followed by those you have held the longest. The CDSC on Class A shares does not apply to retirement plans buying through a fee-based program.

The Distributor may pay your selling and/or servicing agent an up-front commission of up to 5.00% of the offering price per share when you buy Class A shares. The Distributor funds the commission through the applicable sales charge.

The Distributor may also pay your selling and/or servicing agent a cumulative commission when you buy $1 million or more of Class A shares, according to the following schedule:

Class A Shares—Commission Schedule

 

Purchase Amount

   Commission Level
(as a % of net asset
value per share)
 

$1 million – $2,999,999

   1.00

$3 million – $49,999,999

   0.50

$50 million or more

   0.25

FUNDamentalsTM

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge

A contingent deferred sales charge or CDSC is a sales charge applied at the time you sell your shares, unlike a front-end sales charge that is applied at the time of purchase. A CDSC varies based on the length of time that you have held your shares.

Class B and Class C Shares—Sales Charges

You don’t pay a front-end sales charge when you buy Class B or Class C shares, but you may pay a CDSC when you sell Class B or Class C shares.

The CDSC on Class B and Class C shares:

 

   

is applied to the net asset value at the time of your purchase or sale, whichever is lower,

 

   

will not be applied to any shares you receive through reinvested distributions, and

 

   

generally declines each year until there is no sales charge for selling shares.

For purposes of calculating the CDSC, the start of the holding period is the first day of the month in which your purchase was made. When you place an order to sell your Class B or Class C shares, the Portfolio will first redeem any shares that aren’t subject to a CDSC followed by those you have held the longest.

 

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Class B Shares—CDSC and Commissions

You’ll pay a CDSC if you sell Class B shares unless you qualify for a waiver of the CDSC or the shares you’re selling were bought through reinvested distributions. See Choosing a Share Class—Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for details. The CDSC you pay on Class B shares depends on how long you’ve held your shares:

Class B Shares—CDSC Schedule

 

Number of Years Class B Shares Held

   Applicable
CDSC

One

   5.00%

Two

   4.00%

Three

   3.00%

Four

   3.00%

Five

   2.00%

Six

   1.00%

Seven

   none

Eight

   none

Nine

   Conversion to Class A Shares

The Distributor pays an up-front commission directly to your selling and/or servicing agent of up to 4.00% of the net asset value per share when you buy Class B shares. The Distributor seeks to recover this commission through distribution fees it receives under the Portfolio’s distribution plan and any applicable CDSC when you sell your shares. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for details.

Class B shares automatically convert to Class A shares after you’ve owned them for eight years. This conversion feature allows you to benefit from the lower operating costs of Class A shares, which can help increase your total returns from an investment in the Portfolio.

The following rules apply to the conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares:

 

   

Class B shares are converted on or about the 15th day of the month that they become eligible for conversion.

 

   

Any shares you received from reinvested distributions on these shares generally will convert to Class A shares at the same time.

 

   

You’ll receive the same dollar value of Class A shares as the Class B shares that were converted. Class B shares that you received from an exchange of Class B shares of another Columbia Fund will convert based on the day you bought the original shares.

 

   

No sales charge or other charges apply, and conversions are free from federal income tax.

Class C Shares—CDSC and Commissions

You’ll pay a CDSC of 1.00% if you sell Class C shares within one year of buying them unless you qualify for a waiver of the CDSC or the shares you’re selling were bought through reinvested distributions. See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for details.

The Distributor pays an up-front commission directly to your selling and/or servicing agent of up to 1.00% of the net asset value per share when you buy Class C shares. The Distributor seeks to recover this commission through distribution fees it receives under the Portfolio’s distribution plan and any applicable CDSC applied when you sell your shares. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for details.

 

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Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges

Front-End Sales Charge Reductions

There are two ways in which you may be able to reduce the front-end sales charge that you may pay when you buy Class A shares of the Portfolio. These types of sales charge reductions are also referred to as breakpoint discounts.

First, through the right of accumulation, you may combine the value of eligible accounts maintained by you and your immediate family to reach a breakpoint discount level and apply a lower sales charge to your purchase. To calculate the combined value of your accounts, the Portfolio will use the current public offering price per share.

Second, by making a statement of intent to purchase additional shares, you may pay a lower sales charge on all purchases of Class A shares made within 13 months of the date of your statement of intent. Your statement of intent must state the aggregate amount of purchases you intend to make in that 13-month period, which must be at least $50,000. If you do not complete the purchases described in your statement of intent within 13 months, you will be charged the applicable sales charge on the amount you have invested to that date. To calculate the total value of the purchases you’ve made under a statement of intent, the Portfolio will use the historic cost (i.e. dollars invested) of the shares held in each eligible account.

To obtain a breakpoint discount, you must notify your financial advisor in writing at the time you buy your shares of each eligible account maintained by you and/or your immediate family. It is the responsibility of you and your financial advisor to ensure that you receive discounts for which you are eligible; the Portfolio is not responsible for a financial advisor’s failure to apply the eligible discount to your account. You may be asked by your financial advisor for account statements or other records to verify your discount eligibility, including, when applicable, records for accounts opened with a different financial advisor and records of accounts established by members of your immediate family.

FUNDamentalsTM

Your “Immediate Family” and Account Value Aggregation

For purposes of reaching the Class B shares investment limits described in Choosing a Share Class – Comparison of the Share Classes and obtaining a Class A shares breakpoint discount, the value of your account will be deemed to include the value of all applicable shares in eligible accounts that are held by your “immediate family,” which includes your spouse (or legal equivalent under state law), parent, step-parent, legal guardian, child, step-child, father-in-law and mother-in-law. Remember that in order to obtain a breakpoint discount, you must notify your financial advisor in writing at the time you buy your shares of each eligible account maintained by you and/or your immediate family. Group plan accounts are valued at the plan level.

Eligible Accounts

The types of accounts that are eligible for the account value aggregation purposes described above are:

 

   

individual accounts,

 

   

joint accounts,

 

   

certain IRA accounts,

 

   

certain health savings accounts,

 

   

certain trust accounts, and

 

   

Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA)/Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) accounts.

Eligible accounts include those registered in the name of the broker/dealer or other financial intermediary through which you own shares of the Columbia Funds.

Eligible accounts do not include Class R share accounts or accounts holding institutional share classes of the Columbia Money Market Funds (Capital Class shares, Liquidity Class shares, Adviser Class shares, Investor Class shares, Trust Class shares, Institutional Class shares and Marsico shares). Certain share classes are not offered by this prospectus.

 

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Front-End Sales Charge Waivers

Certain investors may buy Class A shares of the Portfolio at net asset value, without any front-end sales charge that would otherwise apply. These investors include affiliates of the Portfolio, broker/dealers, investors in wrap fee programs, investors through fee-based advisors, certain retirement plans, certain health savings accounts, certain shareholders of funds that were reorganized into Columbia Funds, investors using the proceeds of sales of Portfolio shares or of certain Bank of America trust or similar accounts, as well as insurance company separate accounts purchasing for the benefit of group retirement plans. Restrictions may apply to certain accounts and certain transactions.

CDSC Waivers

You may be able to avoid an otherwise applicable CDSC when you sell Class A, Class B or Class C shares of the Portfolio. This could happen because of the way in which you originally invested in the Portfolio, because of your relationship with the Columbia Funds or for other reasons.

Generally, a CDSC that would otherwise be applied may be waived for certain sales, including sales made under the Systematic Withdrawal Plan or in connection with the death or post-purchase disability of a shareholder; certain medical expenses; charitable gifts; involuntary sales; and agreements by selling and/or servicing agents to waive or return their commissions. Restrictions may apply to certain accounts and certain transactions.

The Portfolio may change or cancel these terms at any time. Any change or cancellation applies only to future purchases.

For more information about the sales charge reductions and waivers described here, consult the SAI.

 

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Distribution and Service Fees

Pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, the Board has approved, and the Portfolio has adopted, distribution and shareholder servicing plans which set the distribution and service fees that are periodically deducted from the Portfolio’s assets. These fees are calculated daily, may vary by share class and are intended to compensate the Distributor and/or eligible selling and/or servicing agents for selling shares of the Portfolio and providing services to investors. Because the fees are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets on an ongoing basis, they will increase the cost of your investment over time.

The table below shows the maximum annual distribution and service fees (as an annual % of average daily net assets) and the combined amount of such fees applicable to each share class:

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) and Service Fees

 

     Distribution
Fee
    Service
Fee
    Combined
Total
 

Class A

   —   (a)    —   (a)    0.25 %(a) 

Class B

   0.75   0.25   1.00

Class C

   0.75   0.25   1.00

 

(a)

The Portfolio’s Class A shares pay a combined distribution and service fee pursuant to the Portfolio’s combined distribution and shareholder servicing plan for Class A shares.

The Portfolio will pay these fees to the Distributor and/or to eligible selling and/or servicing agents for as long as the distribution and/or shareholder servicing plans continue. The Portfolio may reduce or discontinue payments at any time. Your selling and/or servicing agent may also charge you other fees for providing services to your account, which may be different from those described here.

 

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Redemption Fee

When you sell or exchange shares of a mutual fund, the fund effectively buys those shares back from you in what is called a redemption.

The Columbia Funds international/global equity funds assess, subject to limited exceptions, a 2.00% redemption fee on the proceeds from Columbia Fund shares that you redeem (either by sale or exchange into another Columbia Fund) within 60 days of buying them. To determine which shares you are selling in a transaction, the Transfer Agent generally applies a first-in, first-out approach. This means that the Transfer Agent will deem those shares that you have held the longest to be sold first, followed by increasingly recently purchased shares. When selling or exchanging shares of a Columbia Fund that you acquired by a previous exchange, the period you held shares of the first Columbia Fund prior to first exchange will not be considered in determining whether the redemption fee applies to the second sale or exchange. When it does apply, the redemption fee is paid to the Columbia Fund from which you are redeeming shares (either by sale or exchange into another Columbia Fund).

The redemption fee described above will not be imposed if you qualify for a waiver and the Transfer Agent has received proper notification of your qualification. The Transfer Agent will redeem any shares that are eligible for a waiver first. Please be aware that it is the responsibility of you and your financial advisor to notify the Transfer Agent that you may qualify for a waiver before you buy or sell your shares.

The categories of transactions which qualify for a waiver of the redemption fee are as follows:

 

   

shares sold following the death or disability (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code) of the shareholder, including a registered joint owner,

 

   

shares sold by or distributions from participant-directed retirement plans, such as 401(k), 403(b), 457, Keogh, profit-sharing and money-purchase pension plans, where Columbia Funds does not have access to information about the individual participant account activity, but not where Columbia Funds has received an indication that the plan administrator is able to assess the redemption fee on the appropriate accounts,

 

   

shares sold by certain investment funds (e.g., Columbia LifeGoal Portfolios and Future Scholar 529 Plan) that have provided assurances reasonably satisfactory to the Advisor that the investment fund is not a vehicle for excessive trading practices (the Advisor or its affiliates may manage certain of the approved investment funds),

 

   

shares sold in certain transactions in connection with certain asset allocation or wrap programs where the program sponsor has provided assurances reasonably satisfactory to the Advisor that the program is not designed to be a vehicle for excessive trading practices,

 

   

shares sold by accounts where Columbia Funds has received information reasonably satisfactory to the Advisor indicating that financial intermediaries maintaining the accounts are currently unable for administrative reasons to assess the redemption fee on underlying shareholders,

 

   

shares sold by an account which has demonstrated a severe hardship, such as a medical emergency, as determined in the absolute discretion of the Advisor,

 

   

shares that were bought with reinvested distributions,

 

   

shares that are sold or exchanged through Columbia Funds’ Systematic Withdrawal Plan or Systematic Exchange Feature, or similar affiliated or unaffiliated automated plans,

 

   

the following retirement plan distributions: lump sum or other distributions from a qualified corporate or self-employed retirement plan following the retirement (or following attainment of age 59 1/2 in the case of a “key employee” of a “top heavy” plan); and distributions from an IRA or Custodial Account under Section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code, following attainment of age 59 1/2, and

 

   

the following retirement plan transactions: payroll deduction contributions by retirement plan participants, transactions initiated by a retirement plan sponsor and certain other retirement plan transactions consisting of rollover transactions, loan repayments and disbursements, and required minimum distribution redemptions.

Certain financial intermediaries may not assess a redemption fee on certain categories of redemptions that they believe do not present significant excessive trading practices concerns (such as Systematic Withdrawal Plan redemptions). For a discussion of the effects of excessive trading practices, see Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies.

 

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Conversely, certain financial intermediaries may assess a redemption fee on certain redemptions by accounts maintained with them that would be exempt from the redemption fee if the accounts were maintained directly with the Transfer Agent or with a different financial intermediary. Columbia Funds and its agents reserve the right to permit imposition of the redemption fee under these circumstances. Columbia Funds’ ability to assess redemption fees or apply waivers is generally limited by the policies of financial intermediaries. Accordingly, the parameters of the exemption categories described above are subject to the different policies of the various financial intermediaries that maintain accounts. You should check with your financial intermediary about its redemption fee and waiver policies before investing or submitting a redemption order within the specified time period.

Columbia Funds reserves the right to impose the redemption fee in the future if it determines that a financial intermediary that previously did not or was not able to assess the redemption fee on underlying shareholders has developed the policy or capability to assess the fee on some or all of its underlying shareholders. However, Columbia Funds may determine not to impose the redemption fee under certain circumstances. From time to time, as circumstances change, Columbia Funds may modify or eliminate certain exemption categories without advance notice to shareholders.

 

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Financial Intermediary Compensation

The Distributor and the Advisor make payments, from their own resources, to certain financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, for marketing/sales support services relating to the Columbia Funds. Such payments are generally based upon one or more of the following factors: average net assets of the Columbia Funds sold by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, gross sales of the Columbia Funds distributed by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, reimbursement of ticket charges (fees that an intermediary firm charges its representatives for effecting transactions in Portfolio shares) or a negotiated lump sum payment. While the financial arrangements may vary for each intermediary, the support payments to any one intermediary are generally between 0.05% and 0.50% (and 0.03% and 0.12% with regard to the Columbia Money Market Funds) on an annual basis for payments based on average net assets of the Portfolio attributable to the intermediary, and between 0.05% and 0.25% on an annual basis for firms receiving a payment based on gross sales of the Columbia Funds (other than the Columbia Money Market Funds) attributable to the intermediary.

The Distributor and the Advisor may make payments in larger amounts or on a basis other than those described above when dealing with other affiliates of Bank of America. Such increased payments to the other Bank of America affiliate may enable the other Bank of America affiliate to offset credits that it may provide to customers in order to avoid having such customers pay fees to multiple Bank of America entities in connection with the customers’ investments in the Portfolio.

The Distributor, the Transfer Agent and the Advisor may also make payments to financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, that provide shareholder services to retirement plans and other investment programs to compensate those intermediaries for services they provide to such programs, including, but not limited to, sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, similar shareholder or participant recordkeeping, shareholder or participant reporting, or shareholder or participant transaction processing.

These payments for shareholder servicing support vary by financial intermediary but generally are not expected, with certain limited exceptions, to exceed 0.40% of the average aggregate value of the Portfolio’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, and 0.45% of the average aggregate value of the Portfolio’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that do not pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

The Board has authorized the Portfolio to reimburse the Transfer Agent for amounts paid to financial intermediaries that maintain assets in omnibus accounts, subject to an annual cap of 0.15% of the average aggregate value of the Portfolio’s shares maintained in such accounts. The amounts in excess of that reimbursed by the Portfolio are borne by the Distributor or the Advisor. The Distributor and the Advisor may make other payments or allow promotional incentives to broker/dealers to the extent permitted by SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rules and by other applicable laws and regulations.

Amounts paid by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates are paid out of the Distributor’s and the Advisor’s own resources and do not increase the amount paid by you or the Portfolio. You can find further details about the payments made by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates and the services provided by financial intermediaries as well as a list of the intermediaries to which the Distributor and the Advisor have agreed to make marketing support payments in the SAI. Your financial intermediary may charge you fees and commissions in addition to those described in this prospectus. You should consult with your financial intermediary and review carefully any disclosure your financial intermediary provides regarding its services and compensation. Depending on the financial arrangement in place at any particular time, a financial intermediary and its financial consultants may have a financial incentive for recommending the Portfolio or a particular share class over others. See Management of the Portfolio – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information.

 

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Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

Share Price Determination

The price you pay or receive when you buy, sell or exchange shares is the Portfolio’s next determined net asset value (or NAV) per share for a given share class. The Portfolio calculates the net asset value per share for each class of the Portfolio at the end of each business day. The net asset value per share of the Portfolio is based on the net asset value per share of the Underlying Funds the Portfolio invests in.

FUNDamentalsTM

NAV Calculation

Each of the Portfolio’s share classes calculates its NAV as follows:

 

      (Value of assets of the share class)      
NAV    =   

— (Liabilities of the share class)

     
      Number of outstanding shares of the class      

The value of the Portfolio’s shares is based on the total market value of all of the securities and other assets that it holds as of a specified time. The prices reported on stock exchanges and other securities markets around the world are usually used to value securities in the Portfolio. The Portfolio uses the amortized cost method, which approximates market value, to value short-term investments maturing in 60 days or less.

If a market price isn’t readily available, the Portfolio will determine the price of the security held by the Portfolio based on the Advisor’s determination of the security’s fair value. A market price is considered not readily available if, among other circumstances, the most recent reported price is deemed unreliable. In addition, the Portfolio may use fair valuation to price securities that trade on a foreign exchange when a significant event has occurred after the foreign exchange closes but before the time at which the Portfolio’s share price is calculated. Foreign exchanges typically close before the time at which Portfolio share prices are calculated, and may be closed altogether on some days when the Portfolio is open. Such significant events affecting a foreign security may include, but are not limited to: (1) those impacting a single issuer; (2) governmental action that affects securities in one sector or country; (3) natural disasters or armed conflicts affecting a country or region; or (4) significant domestic or foreign market fluctuations. The Portfolio uses various criteria, including an evaluation of U.S. market moves after the close of foreign markets, in determining whether a security’s market price is readily available and, if not, the fair value of the security.

Fair valuation may have the effect of reducing stale pricing arbitrage opportunities presented by the pricing of Portfolio shares. However, when the Portfolio uses fair valuation to price securities, it may value those securities higher or lower than another mutual fund. Also, the use of fair valuation may cause the Portfolio’s performance to diverge to a greater degree from the performance of various benchmarks used to compare the Portfolio’s performance because benchmarks generally do not use fair valuation techniques. Because of the judgment involved in fair valuation decisions, there can be no assurance that the value ascribed to a particular security is accurate. The Portfolio has retained an independent fair valuation pricing service to assist in the fair valuation process for foreign securities. International markets are sometimes open on days when U.S. markets are closed, which means that the value of foreign securities owned by the Portfolio could change on days when Portfolio shares cannot be bought or sold.

 

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Transaction Rules and Policies

Remember that sales charges may apply to your transactions. You should also ask your selling and/or servicing agent about its rules, fees and policies for buying, selling and exchanging shares, which may be different from those described here, and about its related programs or services.

Also remember that the Portfolio may refuse any order to buy or exchange shares. If this happens, we’ll return any money we’ve received, but no interest will be paid on that money.

Order Processing

Orders to buy, sell or exchange shares are processed on business days. Orders can be delivered by mail, by telephone or online. Orders received in “good form” by the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent before the end of a business day will receive that day’s net asset value per share. Orders received after the end of a business day will receive the next business day’s net asset value per share. The market value of the Portfolio’s investments may change between the time you submit your order and the time the Portfolio next calculates its net asset value per share. The business day that applies to your order is also called a trade date.

FUNDamentalsTM

Business Days

A business day is any day that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. A business day ends at the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. If the NYSE closes early, the business day ends as of the time the NYSE closes. On holidays and other days when the NYSE is closed, the Portfolio’s net asset value is not calculated and the Portfolio does not accept buy or sell orders. However, the value of the Portfolio’s assets may still be affected on such days to the extent that the Portfolio holds foreign securities that trade on days that foreign markets are open.

“Good Form”

An order is in “good form” if the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent has all of the information and documentation it deems necessary to effect your order. For example, when you sell shares by letter of instruction, “good form” means that your letter has (i) complete instructions and the signatures of all account owners, (ii) a Medallion signature guarantee for amounts equal to or greater than $100,000 and (iii) any other required documents completed and attached. For the documents required for sales by corporations, agents, fiduciaries, surviving joint owners and other legal entities, call 800.345.6611.

Medallion Signature Guarantees

Qualified customers can obtain a Medallion signature guarantee from any financial institution – including commercial banks such as Bank of America, credit unions and broker/dealers – that participates in one of the three Medallion signature guarantee programs recognized by the SEC. These Medallion signature guarantee programs are the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (STAMP), the Stock Exchanges Medallion Program (SEMP) and the New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program (MSP).

Written Transactions

Once you have an account, you can communicate written buy, sell and exchange orders to the Transfer Agent at the following address: Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

Telephone Transactions

Once you have an account, you may place orders to buy, sell or exchange by telephone. To place orders by telephone, call 800.422.3737. Have your account number and taxpayer identification number (TIN) available when calling.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares via the telephone in any 30-day period if you qualify for telephone orders. Wire redemptions requested via the telephone are not subject to this maximum amount. You can buy up to $100,000 of shares through your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction via the telephone per day if you qualify for telephone orders.

 

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Telephone orders may not be as secure as written orders. Columbia Funds will take reasonable steps to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. For example, we require proof of your identification before we will act on instructions received by telephone and may record telephone conversations. However, the Portfolio and its agents will not be responsible for any losses, costs or expenses resulting from an unauthorized telephone instruction when reasonable steps have been taken to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. Telephone orders may be difficult to complete during periods of significant economic or market change or business interruption.

Online Transactions

Once you have an account, contact Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for more information on account trading restrictions and the special sign-up procedures required for online transactions. The Transfer Agent has procedures in place to authenticate electronic orders you deliver through the internet. You will be required to accept the terms of an online agreement and establish and utilize a password in order to access online account services.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares through the internet in any 30-day period if you qualify for internet orders.

Customer Identification Program

Federal law requires the Portfolio to obtain and record specific personal information to verify your identity when you open an account. This information may include your name, address, date of birth (for individuals), and taxpayer or other government issued identification. If you fail to provide the requested information, the Portfolio may need to delay the date of your purchase or may be unable to open your account, which may result in a return of your investment monies. In addition, if the Portfolio is unable to verify your identity after your account is open, the Portfolio reserves the right to close your account or take other steps as deemed reasonable. The Portfolio shall not be held liable for any loss resulting from any purchase delay, application rejection or account closure due to a failure to provide proper identifying information.

Small Account Policy—Accounts Below $250

Columbia Funds generally will automatically sell your shares if the value of your account (treating each account of the Portfolio you own separately from any other account of the Portfolio you may own) falls below $250. If your shares are sold, the Transfer Agent will remit the sale proceeds to you. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of any automatic sale, which will provide details on how you may avoid such an automatic sale. Generally, you may avoid such an automatic sale by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information. The automatic sale of shares of accounts valued at less than $250 is expected to take place in the second quarter of each calendar year.

Columbia Funds may also sell your shares if a financial intermediary tells us to sell your shares pursuant to arrangements made with you, and under certain other circumstances allowed under the 1940 Act.

Small Account Policy—Minimum Balance Fee

If the value of your account (treating each account of the Portfolio you own separately from any other account of the Portfolio you may own) falls below the minimum initial investment requirement applicable to you, your account generally will be subject to a $20 annual fee. This fee will be assessed through the automatic sale of shares in your account. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will reduce the expenses paid by the Portfolio by any amounts it collects from the assessment of this fee. For Portfolios that do not have transfer agency expenses against which to offset the amount collected through assessment of this fee, the fee will be paid directly to the Portfolio. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of assessing any fee, which will provide details on how you can avoid the imposition of such fee. Generally, you may avoid the imposition of such fee by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information.

 

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Columbia Funds reserves the right to change the minimum investment requirements for any Portfolio. We also reserve the right to lower the account size trigger point for the minimum balance fee in any year or for any class of shares when we believe it is appropriate to do so in light of declines in the market value of Portfolio shares, sales loads applicable to a particular class of shares, or for other reasons.

Exceptions to the Small Account Policy

The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 and the annual minimum balance fee described previously do not apply to shareholders of Class R shares or shareholders holding their shares through broker/dealer networked accounts; wrap fee and omnibus accounts; accounts with active Systematic Investment Plans or payroll deduction plans; and certain qualified retirement plans and health savings accounts. The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 does not apply to individual retirement plans.

Cash Flows

The timing and magnitude of cash inflows from investors buying Portfolio shares could prevent the Portfolio from always being fully invested. Conversely, the timing and magnitude of cash outflows to investors selling Portfolio shares could require large ready reserves of uninvested cash to meet shareholder redemptions. Either situation could adversely impact the Portfolio’s performance.

Information Sharing Agreements

As required by Rule 22c-2 under the 1940 Act, the Columbia Funds or certain of their service providers will enter into information sharing agreements with financial intermediaries, including participating life insurance companies and financial intermediaries that sponsor or offer retirement plans through which shares of the Columbia Funds are made available for purchase. Pursuant to Rule 22c-2, financial intermediaries are required, upon request, to: (i) provide shareholder account and transaction information and (ii) execute instructions from the Portfolio to restrict or prohibit further purchases of Portfolio shares by shareholders who have been identified by the Portfolio as having engaged in transactions that violate the Portfolio’s excessive trading policies and procedures. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Excessive Trading Practices for more information.

Excessive Trading Practices

Right to Reject or Restrict Share Transaction Orders – The Portfolio is intended for investors with long-term investment purposes and is not intended as a vehicle for frequent trading activity (market timing) that is excessive. Investors should transact in Portfolio shares primarily for investment purposes. The Board has adopted excessive trading policies and procedures that are designed to deter excessive trading by investors (the Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures). The Portfolio discourages and does not accommodate excessive trading.

The Portfolio reserves the right to reject, without any prior notice, any buy or exchange order for any reason, and will not be liable for any loss resulting from rejected orders. For example, the Portfolio may in its discretion restrict, reject or cancel a buy or exchange order even if the transaction is not subject to the specific exchange limitation described below if the Portfolio or its agents determine that accepting the order could interfere with efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio or is otherwise contrary to the Portfolio’s best interests. The Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures apply equally to buy or exchange transactions communicated directly to the Transfer Agent and to those received by selling and/or servicing agents.

Specific Buying and Exchanging Limitations – If the Portfolio detects that an investor has made two “material round trips” in any 28-day period, it will generally reject the investor’s future buy orders, including exchange buy orders, involving any Columbia Fund.

For these purposes, a “round trip” is a purchase or exchange into the Portfolio followed by a sale or exchange out of the Portfolio. A “material” round trip is one that is deemed by the Portfolio to be material in terms of its amount or its potential detrimental impact on the Portfolio.

Independent of this limit, the Portfolio may, in its discretion, reject future buy orders by any person, group or account that appears to have engaged in any type of excessive trading activity.

These limits generally do not apply to automated transactions or transactions by registered investment companies that invest in the Portfolio using a “fund of funds” structure. These limits do not apply to payroll deduction contributions by

 

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retirement plan participants, transactions initiated by a retirement plan sponsor or certain other retirement plan transactions consisting of rollover transactions, loan repayments and disbursements, and required minimum distribution redemptions. They may be modified or rescinded for accounts held by certain retirement plans to conform to plan limits, for considerations relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or regulations of the Department of Labor, and for certain asset allocation or wrap programs. Accounts known to be under common ownership or control generally will be counted together, but accounts maintained or managed by a common intermediary generally will not be considered to be under common ownership or control. The Portfolio retains the right to modify these restrictions at any time without prior notice to shareholders.

Limitations on the Ability to Detect and Prevent Excessive Trading Practices – The Portfolio takes various steps designed to detect and prevent excessive trading, including daily review of available shareholder transaction information. However, the Portfolio receives buy, sell and exchange orders through financial intermediaries, and cannot always know or reasonably detect excessive trading that may be facilitated by financial intermediaries or by the use of the omnibus account arrangements they offer. Omnibus account arrangements are common forms of holding shares of mutual funds, particularly among certain financial intermediaries such as broker/ dealers, retirement plans and variable insurance products. These arrangements often permit financial intermediaries to aggregate their clients’ transactions and accounts, and in these circumstances, the identity of the shareholders is often not known.

Some financial intermediaries apply their own restrictions or policies to underlying investor accounts, which may be more or less restrictive than those described here. This may impact the Portfolio’s ability to curtail excessive trading, even where it is identified. For these and other reasons, it is possible that excessive trading may occur despite the Portfolio’s efforts to detect and prevent it.

Although these restrictions and policies involve judgments that are inherently subjective and may involve some selectivity in their application, the Portfolio seeks to act in a manner that it believes is consistent with the best interests of shareholders in making any such judgments.

Risks of Excessive Trading – Excessive trading creates certain risks to the Portfolio’s long-term shareholders and may create the following adverse effects:

 

   

negative impact on the Portfolio’s performance;

 

   

potential dilution of the value of the Portfolio’s shares;

 

   

interference with the efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio, such as the need to maintain undesirably large cash positions, the need to use its line of credit or the need to buy or sell securities it otherwise would not have bought or sold;

 

   

losses on the sale of investments resulting from the need to sell securities at less favorable prices;

 

   

increased taxable gains to the Portfolio’s remaining shareholders resulting from the need to sell securities to meet sell orders; and

 

   

increased brokerage and administrative costs.

To the extent that the Portfolio invests significantly in foreign securities traded on markets that close before the Portfolio’s valuation time, it may be particularly susceptible to dilution as a result of excessive trading. Because events may occur after the close of foreign markets and before the Portfolio’s valuation time that influence the value of foreign securities, investors may seek to trade Portfolio shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of foreign securities as of the Portfolio’s valuation time. This is often referred to as price arbitrage. The Portfolio has adopted procedures designed to adjust closing market prices of foreign securities under certain circumstances to reflect what the Portfolio believes to be the fair value of those securities as of its valuation time. To the extent the adjustments don’t work fully, investors engaging in price arbitrage may cause dilution in the value of the Portfolio’s shares held by other shareholders.

Similarly, to the extent that the Portfolio invests significantly in thinly traded high-yield bonds (junk bonds) or equity securities of small-capitalization companies, because these securities are often traded infrequently, investors may seek to trade their shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of these securities. This is also a type of price arbitrage. Any such frequent trading strategies may interfere with efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio to a greater degree than would be the case for mutual funds that invest in highly liquid securities, in part because the Portfolio may have difficulty selling those portfolio

 

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securities at advantageous times or prices to satisfy large and/or frequent sell orders. Any successful price arbitrage may also cause dilution in the value of Portfolio shares held by other shareholders.

 

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Opening an Account and Placing Orders

Columbia Funds encourages you to consult with a financial advisor who can help you with your investment decisions and who can help you open an account. Once you have an account, you can buy, sell and exchange shares by contacting your financial advisor who will send your order to the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent. As described in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies, once you have an account you can also communicate your orders directly to the Transfer Agent by mail, by telephone or online.

Portfolio Liquidation

It is expected that the Portfolio will be liquidated in 2009. As soon as practicable following the completion of all final liquidating distributions, the Portfolio will be terminated. Shareholders of the Portfolio may redeem their investments in the Portfolio at any time prior to the date of liquidation.

Buying Shares

Eligible Investors

Class A and Class C shares are available to the general public for investment. Once you have opened an account, you can buy Class A and Class C shares in a lump sum, through our Systematic Investment Plan, by dividend diversification, by wire or by electronic funds transfer.

Class B Shares Closing

The Portfolio no longer accepts investments from new or existing investors in Class B shares, except for certain limited transactions involving existing investors in Class B shares as described in more detail below.

Additional Class B shares will be issued only to existing investors in Class B shares and only through the following two types of transactions (Qualifying Transactions):

 

   

Dividends and/or capital gain distributions may continue to be reinvested in Class B shares of the same Portfolio.

 

   

Shareholders invested in Class B shares of a Columbia Fund may exchange those shares for Class B shares of a Portfolio.

Any initial purchase orders for the Portfolio’s Class B shares received from new investors in Class B shares will be rejected (other than through a Qualifying Transaction that is an exchange transaction).

Unless contrary instructions are received in advance by the Portfolio, purchase orders (except those submitted by a financial intermediary through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC) as described in more detail below) for additional Class B shares of the Portfolio received from existing investors in Class B shares, including orders made through an active systematic investment plan or payroll deduction plan, will be invested in Class A shares of the Portfolio, without regard to the normal minimum initial investment for Class A shares, but subject to the front-end sales charge that generally applies to Class A shares. See Choosing a Share Class – Class A Shares – Front-end Sales Charge for additional information.

Additional purchase orders for a Portfolio’s Class B shares by an existing Class B shareholder, submitted by such shareholder’s financial intermediary through the NSCC, will be rejected due to operational limitations of the NSCC. Investors should consult their financial advisor if they wish to invest in a Portfolio by purchasing a share class of the Portfolio other than Class B shares.

In addition, dividend and/or capital gain distributions from Class B shares of a Columbia Fund will no longer be automatically invested in Class B shares of another Columbia Fund. Unless contrary instructions are received in advance of the date of declaration, such dividend and/or capital gain distributions from Class B shares of a Columbia Fund will be reinvested in Class B shares of the same Columbia Fund that is making the distribution.

Minimum Initial Investments

The minimum initial investment for Class A and Class C shares is $2,500 for regular accounts and $1,000 for individual retirement plans (including traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts) and non-omnibus group retirement plans. For investors establishing a Systematic Investment Plan, the minimum initial investment is $50. There is no minimum initial investment for Class A or Class C shares bought through omnibus accounts, wrap accounts or health savings accounts, although your selling and/or servicing agent may impose its own investment

 

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minimum. For group retirement plans, the minimum initial investment and minimum additional investment are determined based on the plan’s investment rather than that of its individual participants.

Minimum Additional Investments

There is no minimum additional investment for Class A or Class C shares.

Systematic Investment Plan

The Systematic Investment Plan allows you to make regular purchases in amounts of $50 or more via automatic transfers from your bank account to the Portfolio on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan.

Dividend Diversification

Generally, you may automatically invest distributions made by another Columbia Fund into the same class of shares (and in some cases certain other classes of shares) of the Portfolio at no additional sales charge. A sales charge may apply when you invest distributions made by a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase. Call Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for details. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders – Buying Shares – Class B Shares Closing for restrictions applicable to Class B shares.

Wire Purchases

You may buy Class A or Class C shares of the Portfolio by wiring money from your bank account to your Portfolio account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737.

Electronic Funds Transfer

You may buy Class A or Class C shares of the Portfolio by electronically transferring money from your bank account to your Portfolio account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. An electronic funds transfer may take up to three business days to settle and be considered in “good form.” You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Other Purchase Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your buy order in “good form,” your purchase will be made at the next calculated public offering price per share, which is the net asset value per share plus any sales charge that applies.

 

   

You generally buy Class A shares at the public offering price per share because purchases of Class A shares are generally subject to a front-end sales charge.

 

   

You buy Class B and Class C shares at net asset value per share because no front-end sales charge applies to purchases of these share classes.

 

   

The Portfolio reserves the right to cancel your order if it doesn’t receive payment within three business days of receiving your buy order. The Portfolio will return any payment received for orders that have been cancelled, but no interest will be paid on that money.

 

   

Selling and/or servicing agents are responsible for sending your buy orders to the Transfer Agent and ensuring that we receive your money on time.

 

   

Shares bought are recorded on the books of the Portfolio. The Portfolio doesn’t issue certificates.

Selling Shares

When you sell your shares, the Portfolio is effectively buying them back from you. This is called a redemption.

Wire Redemptions

You may request that your Class A, Class B or Class C shares sale proceeds be wired to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. You must set up this feature prior to your request. For shares sold by Fedwire, there is generally a fee of $7.50. The receiving bank may charge an additional fee. The Transfer Agent may waive the fee for certain accounts. The minimum amount that can be redeemed by wire is $500.

 

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Electronic Funds Transfer

You may sell Class A, Class B or Class C shares of the Portfolio and request that the proceeds be electronically transferred to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It may take up to three business days for the sale proceeds to be received by your bank. You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan

The Systematic Withdrawal Plan lets you withdraw funds from your Class A, Class B and/or Class C shares account any day of the month on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. Your account balance generally must be at least $5,000 to set up the plan, but certain fee-based and wrap accounts are not subject to this requirement. All dividend and capital gain distributions must be reinvested to set up the plan. A Systematic Withdrawal Plan cannot be set up on an account that already has a Systematic Investment Plan established. If you set up the plan after you’ve opened your account, we may require your signature to be Medallion guaranteed.

You can choose to receive your withdrawals via check or direct deposit into your bank account. You won’t pay a CDSC on Class A, Class B or Class C shares if you withdraw 12% or less of the value of those shares in a year. Otherwise, Columbia Funds will deduct any applicable CDSC from the withdrawals before sending the balance to you. You can cancel the plan by giving Columbia Funds 30 days notice in writing or by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It’s important to remember that if you withdraw more than your investment in the Portfolio is earning, you’ll eventually use up your original investment.

In-Kind Distributions

The Portfolio reserves the right to honor sell orders with in-kind distributions of portfolio securities instead of cash. In the event the Portfolio makes such an in-kind distribution, you may incur the brokerage and transaction costs associated with converting the portfolio securities you receive into cash. Also, the portfolio securities you receive may increase or decrease in value before you convert them into cash.

Other Redemption Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your sell order in “good form,” your shares will be sold at the next calculated net asset value per share. Any applicable CDSC will be deducted from the amount you’re selling and the balance will be remitted to you.

 

   

If you sell your shares directly through Columbia Funds, we will normally send the sale proceeds by mail or electronically transfer them to your bank account within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you sell your shares through a selling agent, Columbia Funds will normally send the sale proceeds by Fedwire within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you paid for your shares by check or from your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction, Columbia Funds will hold the sale proceeds when you sell those shares for up to 10 days after the trade date of the purchase.

 

   

No interest will be paid on uncashed redemption checks.

 

   

Columbia Funds can delay payment of the sale proceeds for up to seven days and may suspend redemptions and/or postpone payment of redemption proceeds when the NYSE is closed or during emergency circumstances as determined by the SEC.

 

   

Other restrictions may apply to retirement accounts. For information about these restrictions, contact your retirement plan administrator.

 

   

Also keep in mind Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy, which is described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies.

Exchanging Shares

You can generally sell shares of the Portfolio to buy shares of another Columbia Fund, in what is called an exchange. You should read the prospectus of, and make sure you understand the investment objective and principal investment strategies of, the Columbia Fund into which you are exchanging.

Systematic Exchanges

You may buy Class A, Class B and/or Class C shares of the Portfolio by exchanging $100 or more each month from another Columbia Fund for shares of the same class of the Portfolio at no additional cost. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. If you set up your

 

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plan to exchange more than $100,000 each month, you must have your signature Medallion guaranteed.

Exchanges will continue as long as your balance is sufficient to complete the systematic monthly transfers, subject to Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies. You may terminate the program or change the amount you would like to exchange (subject to the $100 minimum) by calling Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611. A sales charge may apply when you exchange shares of a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase.

The rules described below for making exchanges apply to systematic exchanges.

Other Exchange Rules You Should Know

 

   

Exchanges are made at net asset value.

 

   

You can generally make exchanges between like share classes of any Columbia Fund. Some exceptions apply.

 

   

A sales charge may apply when you exchange shares of a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase.

 

   

If your shares are subject to a CDSC, you will not be charged a CDSC upon the exchange of those shares. Any CDSC will be deducted when you sell the shares you received from the exchange. The CDSC imposed at that time will be based on the period that begins when you bought shares of the original Columbia Fund and ends when you sell the shares of the Columbia Fund you received from the exchange. The applicable CDSC will be the CDSC of the original Columbia Fund.

 

   

The rules for buying shares of a Columbia Fund generally apply to exchanges into that Fund.

 

   

You may make exchanges only into a Columbia Fund that is legally offered and sold in your state of residence.

 

   

You generally may make an exchange only into a Columbia Fund that is accepting investments.

 

   

The Portfolio may change or cancel your right to make an exchange by giving the amount of notice required by regulatory authorities (generally 60 days for a material change or cancellation).

 

   

Unless your account is part of a tax-advantaged retirement plan, an exchange for shares of another fund is a taxable event, and you may recognize a gain or loss for tax purposes.

Same-Fund Exchange Privilege for Class Z Shares

Certain shareholders invested in a class of shares other than Class Z may become eligible to invest in Class Z shares. Upon a determination of such eligibility, any such shareholders will be eligible to exchange their shares for Class Z shares of the same fund, if offered. No sales charges or other charges will apply to any such exchange. Ordinarily, shareholders will not recognize a gain or loss for federal income tax purposes upon such an exchange. Investors should contact their selling and/or servicing agents to learn more about the details of the Class Z shares exchange privilege.

 

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Distributions and Taxes

Distributions to Shareholders

A mutual fund can make money two ways:

 

   

It can earn income on its investments. Examples of fund income are interest paid on money market instruments and bonds, and dividends paid on common stocks.

 

   

A mutual fund can also have capital gains if the value of its investments increases. While a fund continues to hold an investment, any gain is unrealized. If the fund sells an investment, it generally will realize a capital gain if it sells that investment for a higher price than it originally paid. Capital gains are either short-term or long-term, depending on whether the fund holds the securities for one year or less (short-term gains) or more than one year (long-term gains).

FUNDamentalsTM

Distributions

Mutual funds make payments of fund earnings to shareholders, distributing them among all shareholders of the fund. As a shareholder, you are entitled to your portion of a fund’s distributed income, including capital gains.

Reinvesting your distributions buys you more shares of a fund – which lets you take advantage of the potential for compound growth. Putting the money you earn back into your investment means it, in turn, may earn even more money. Over time, the power of compounding has the potential to significantly increase the value of your investment. There is no assurance, however, that you’ll earn more money if you reinvest your distributions rather than receive them in cash.

The Portfolio intends to pay out, in the form of distributions to shareholders, a sufficient amount of its income and gains so that the Portfolio will qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company and generally will not have to pay any federal excise tax. The Portfolio generally intends to distribute any net realized capital gain (whether long-term or short-term gain) at least once a year. Normally, the Portfolio will declare and pay distributions of net investment income according to the following schedule:

Declaration and Distribution Schedule

 

Declarations    semi-annually
Distributions    semi-annually

The Portfolio may, however, declare and pay distributions of net investment income more frequently.

Different share classes of the Portfolio usually pay different net investment income distribution amounts, because each class has different expenses. Each time a distribution is made, the net asset value per share of the share class is reduced by the amount of the distribution.

The Portfolio generally pays cash distributions within five business days after the distribution was declared. If you sell all of your shares after the record date but before the payment date for a distribution, you’ll normally receive that distribution in cash within five business days after the sale was made.

The Portfolio will automatically reinvest distributions in additional shares of the same share class of the Portfolio unless you inform us you want to receive your distributions in cash. You can do this by writing Columbia Funds at the address on the back cover, or by calling us at 800.345.6611. No sales charges apply to the purchase or sale of such shares. Distributions of $10 or less will automatically be reinvested in additional Portfolio shares only. If you elect to receive distributions by check and the check is returned as undeliverable, all subsequent distributions will be reinvested in additional shares of the Portfolio.

Unless you are investing through a tax-deferred retirement account (such as an IRA), you should consider avoiding buying Portfolio shares shortly before the Portfolio makes a distribution of net investment income or net realized capital gain, because doing so can cost you money in taxes. This is because you will, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back in the distribution. This is known as “buying a dividend.” To avoid “buying a dividend,” check the Portfolio’s distribution schedule online at www.columbiafunds.com, or by calling us at 800.345.6611, before you invest.

 

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If you buy shares of the Portfolio when it holds securities with unrealized capital gain, you may, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back if and when the Portfolio sells those securities and distributes any net realized gain. Any such distribution is generally subject to tax. The Portfolio may have, or may build up over time, high levels of unrealized capital gain. If you buy shares of the Portfolio when it has capital loss carryforwards, the Portfolio may have the ability to offset capital gains realized by the Portfolio that otherwise would have been distributed to shareholders with such carryforwards, although capital loss carryforwards generally expire after eight taxable years and may be subject to substantial limitations.

 

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Taxes and Your Investment

The Portfolio will send you a statement each year showing how much you’ve received in distributions in the prior year and the distributions’ character for federal income tax purposes. In addition, you should be aware of the following:

 

   

The Portfolio intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company. A regulated investment company generally is not subject to tax at the portfolio level on income and gains from investments that are distributed to shareholders. However, the Portfolio’s failure to qualify as a regulated investment company would result in portfolio level taxation, and consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to you.

 

   

Distributions generally are taxable to you when paid, whether they are paid in cash or automatically reinvested in additional shares of the Portfolio.

 

   

Distributions of the Portfolio’s ordinary income and net short-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions of the Portfolio’s net long-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as long-term capital gain. Whether capital gains are long-term or short-term is determined by how long the Portfolio has owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long you have owned your shares.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, if you are an individual and you meet certain holding period and other requirements for your Portfolio shares, a portion of your distributions may be treated as “qualified dividend income” taxable at lower net long-term capital gain rates. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this provision to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010. Qualified dividend income is income attributable to the Portfolio’s dividends received from certain U.S. and foreign corporations, as long as the Portfolio meets certain holding period and other requirements for the stock producing such dividends.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, the maximum individual federal income tax rate on net long-term capital gain (and thus qualified dividend income) has been temporarily reduced to 15%. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this rate reduction to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010.

 

   

A sale, redemption or exchange of Portfolio shares is a taxable event. This includes redemptions where you are paid in securities. Your sales, redemptions and exchanges of Portfolio shares (including those paid in securities) usually will result in a taxable capital gain or loss to you, equal to the difference between the amount you receive for your shares (or are deemed to have received in the case of exchanges) and the amount you paid (or are deemed to have paid in the case of exchanges) for them. Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held your Portfolio shares for more than one year at the time of sale or exchange. In certain circumstances, capital losses may be converted from short-term to long-term or disallowed.

 

   

The Portfolio is required by federal law to withhold tax on any taxable distributions and sale proceeds paid to you (including amounts paid to you in securities and amounts deemed to be paid to you upon an exchange of shares) if: you haven’t provided a correct taxpayer identification number (TIN) or haven’t certified to the Portfolio that withholding doesn’t apply; the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has notified us that the TIN listed on your account is incorrect according to its records; or the IRS informs the Portfolio that you are otherwise subject to backup withholding.

 

   

If at the end of the taxable year more than 50% of the value of the Portfolio’s assets consists of securities of foreign corporations, and the Portfolio makes a special election, you will generally be required to include in income your share of the foreign taxes paid by the Portfolio. You may be able to either deduct this amount from your income or claim it as a foreign tax credit. There is no assurance that the Portfolio will make a special election for a taxable year, even if it is eligible to do so.

 

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FUNDamentalsTM

Taxes

The information provided above is only a summary of how U.S. federal income taxes may affect your investment in the Portfolio. It is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Your investment in the Portfolio may have other tax implications.

It does not apply to certain types of investors who may be subject to special rules, including foreign or tax-exempt investors or those holding Portfolio shares through a tax-advantaged account, such as a 401(k) plan or IRA.

You should consult with your own tax advisor about the particular tax consequences to you of an investment in the Portfolio, including the effect of any foreign, state and local taxes, and the effect of possible changes in applicable tax laws.

 

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights tables are designed to help you understand how the Portfolio has performed for the past five full fiscal years, or if shorter, the Portfolio’s period of operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Portfolio share. The total return line indicates how much an investment in the Portfolio would have earned each period assuming all dividends and distributions had been reinvested.

This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm whose report, along with the Portfolio’s financial statements, is included in the Portfolio’s annual report. The independent registered public accounting firm’s report and the Portfolio’s financial statements are also incorporated by reference into the SAI.

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio—Class A Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Period Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 10.77      $ 11.07      $ 10.29      $ 10.00   

Income from Investment Operations:

        

Net investment income(b)

     0.03        0.09        0.10        —   (d) 

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (4.66     0.16        1.25        0.29   

Total from investment operations

     (4.63     0.25        1.35        0.29   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

        

From net investment income

     —          (0.07     (0.09     —     

From net realized gains

     (0.57     (0.48     (0.48     —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.57     (0.55     (0.57     —     

Redemption Fees:

        

Redemption fees added to paid-in-capital(b)(d)

     —          —          —          —     

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 5.57      $ 10.77      $ 11.07      $ 10.29   

Total return(e)(f)

     (45.32 )%      1.76     13.17     2.90 %(g) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

        

Net expenses(h)(i)

     0.25     0.25     0.25     0.25 %(c) 

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.87     0.76     1.40     21.19 %(c) 

Net investment income (loss)(i)

     0.31     0.75     0.92     (0.25 )%(c) 

Portfolio turnover rate

     9     9     2     —     

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 10,348      $ 23,668      $ 18,588      $ 3,902   

 

(a)

Class A shares commenced operations on February 15, 2006. Per share data and total return reflect activity from that date.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Annualized.

(d)

Rounds to less than $0.01 per share.

(e)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge.

(f)

Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(g)

Not annualized.

(h)

Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the Portfolio invests, if these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(i)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

 

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Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio—Class B Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Period Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 10.71      $ 11.04      $ 10.28      $ 10.00   

Income from Investment Operations:

        

Net investment income (loss)(b)

     (0.04     (0.01     0.03        (0.01

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (4.60     0.16        1.24        0.29   

Total from investment operations

     (4.64     0.15        1.27        0.28   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

        

From net investment income

     —          —   (d)      (0.03     —     

From net realized gains

     (0.57     (0.48     (0.48     —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.57     (0.48     (0.51     —     

Redemption Fees:

        

Redemption fees added to paid-in-capital(b)(d)

     —          —          —          —     

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 5.50      $ 10.71      $ 11.04      $ 10.28   

Total return(e)(f)

     (45.68 )%      0.94     12.40     2.80 %(g) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

        

Net expenses(h)(i)

     1.00     1.00     1.00     1.00 %(c) 

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.87     0.76     1.40     21.19 %(c) 

Net investment income (loss)(i)

     (0.44 )%      (0.08 )%      0.25     (1.00 )%(c) 

Portfolio turnover rate

     9     9     2     —     

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 3,778      $ 8,362      $ 6,933      $ 1,488   

 

(a)

Class B shares commenced operations on February 15, 2006. Per share data and total return reflect activity from that date.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Annualized.

(d)

Rounds to less than $0.01 per share.

(e)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no contingent deferred sales charge.

(f)

Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(g)

Not annualized.

(h)

Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the Portfolio invests, if these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(i)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

 

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Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio—Class C Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Period Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 10.72      $ 11.05      $ 10.29      $ 10.00   

Income from Investment Operations:

        

Net investment income (loss)(b)

     (0.04     —          0.03        (0.01

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (4.61     0.15        1.24        0.30   

Total from investment operations

     (4.65     0.15        1.27        0.29   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

        

From net investment income

     —          —          (0.03     —     

From net realized gains

     (0.57     (0.48     (0.48     —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.57     (0.48     (0.51     —     

Redemption Fees:

        

Redemption fees added to paid-in-capital(b)(d)

     —          —          —          —     

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 5.50      $ 10.72      $ 11.05      $ 10.29   

Total return(e)(f)

     (45.74 )%      0.93     12.38     2.90 %(g) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

        

Net expenses(h)(i)

     1.00     1.00     1.00     1.00 %(c) 

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.87     0.76     1.40     21.19 %(c) 

Net investment income (loss)(i)

     (0.44 )%      (0.03 )%      0.29     (1.00 )%(c) 

Portfolio turnover rate

     9     9     2     —     

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 2,942      $ 6,722      $ 4,923      $ 929   

 

(a)

Class C shares commenced operations on February 15, 2006. Per share data and total return reflect activity from that date.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Annualized.

(d)

Rounds to less than $0.01 per share.

(e)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no contingent deferred sales charge.

(f)

Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(g)

Not annualized.

(h)

Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the Portfolio invests, if these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(i)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

 

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Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

The following supplemental hypothetical investment information provides additional information about the effect of the fees and expenses of the Portfolio, including investment advisory fees and other Portfolio costs, on the Portfolio’s returns over a 10-year period. The charts show the estimated fees and expenses that would be charged on a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in each share class of the Portfolio, assuming a 5% return each year, the cumulative return after fees and expenses and the hypothetical year-end balance after fees and expenses. The charts also assume that all dividends and distributions are reinvested and that Class B shares convert to Class A shares after eight years. The annual expense ratio used for each share class, which is the same as that stated in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses table, is presented in the charts and is net of any contractual fee waivers or expense reimbursements for the period of contractual commitment. Your actual costs may be higher or lower. The charts shown below reflect the maximum initial sales charge. If contingent deferred sales charges were reflected, the “Hypothetical Year-End Balance After Fees and Expenses” amounts shown would be lower and the “Annual Fees and Expenses” amounts shown would be higher.

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio—Class A Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 5.75%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.25   -2.22 %(b)    $ 9,778.44    $ 695.02

2

   10.25   2.12   0.60   $ 10,060.06    $ 210.29

3

   15.76   2.12   3.50   $ 10,349.79    $ 216.34

4

   21.55   2.12   6.48   $ 10,647.86    $ 222.58

5

   27.63   2.12   9.55   $ 10,954.52    $ 228.99

6

   34.01   2.12   12.70   $ 11,270.01    $ 235.58

7

   40.71   2.12   15.95   $ 11,594.59    $ 242.36

8

   47.75   2.12   19.29   $ 11,928.51    $ 249.34

9

   55.13   2.12   22.72   $ 12,272.05    $ 256.53

10

   62.89   2.12   26.25   $ 12,625.49    $ 263.91

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 2,625.49   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,820.94

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

(b)

Reflects deduction of the maximum initial sales charge.

 

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Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio—Class B Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   2.00   3.00   $ 10,300.00    $ 203.00

2

   10.25   2.87   5.19   $ 10,519.39    $ 298.76

3

   15.76   2.87   7.43   $ 10,743.45    $ 305.12

4

   21.55   2.87   9.72   $ 10,972.29    $ 311.62

5

   27.63   2.87   12.06   $ 11,206.00    $ 318.26

6

   34.01   2.87   14.45   $ 11,444.69    $ 325.04

7

   40.71   2.87   16.88   $ 11,688.46    $ 331.96

8

   47.75   2.87   19.37   $ 11,937.42    $ 339.03

9

   55.13   2.12   22.81   $ 12,281.22    $ 256.72

10

   62.89   2.12   26.35   $ 12,634.92    $ 264.11

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 2,634.92   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,953.62

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio—Class C Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   2.00   3.00   $ 10,300.00    $ 203.00

2

   10.25   2.87   5.19   $ 10,519.39    $ 298.76

3

   15.76   2.87   7.43   $ 10,743.45    $ 305.12

4

   21.55   2.87   9.72   $ 10,972.29    $ 311.62

5

   27.63   2.87   12.06   $ 11,206.00    $ 318.26

6

   34.01   2.87   14.45   $ 11,444.69    $ 325.04

7

   40.71   2.87   16.88   $ 11,688.46    $ 331.96

8

   47.75   2.87   19.37   $ 11,937.42    $ 339.03

9

   55.13   2.87   21.92   $ 12,191.69    $ 346.25

10

   62.89   2.87   24.51   $ 12,451.37    $ 353.63

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 2,451.37   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 3,132.67

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

 

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LOGO

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio

Class A, Class B and Class C Shares

Prospectus, August 1, 2009

For More Information

You’ll find more information about the Portfolio and the other Columbia Funds in the documents described below. Contact Columbia Funds as follows to obtain these documents free of charge:

 

By Mail:  

Columbia Funds

c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc.

P.O. Box 8081

Boston, MA 02266-8081

By Telephone:   800.345.6611
Online:   www.columbiafunds.com

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders

Additional information about the Portfolio’s investments is available in the Portfolio’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Portfolio’s performance during its last fiscal year.

Shareholder Communications with the Board

The Portfolio’s Board of Trustees has adopted procedures by which shareholders may communicate with the Board. Shareholders who wish to communicate with the Board should send their written communications to the Board by mail, c/o Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, One Financial Center, Mail Stop MA5-515-11-05, Boston, MA 02111, Attention: Secretary. Shareholder communications must (i) be in writing, (ii) identify the Columbia Fund to which the communication relates and (iii) state the particular class of shares and number of shares held by the communicating shareholder.

Statement of Additional Information

The SAI provides more detailed information about the Portfolio and its policies. The SAI is legally part of this prospectus (incorporated by reference). A copy has been filed with the SEC.

Information Provided by the SEC

You can review and copy information about the Portfolio (including this prospectus, the SAI and shareholder reports) at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. To find out more about the operation of the Public Reference Room, call the SEC at 202.551.8090 or 800.SEC.0330. Reports and other information about the Portfolio are also available in the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You can receive copies of this information, for a fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov or by writing the Public Reference Section, Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, DC 20549-0102.

For purposes of any electronic version of this prospectus, all references to websites, or universal resource locators (URLs), are intended to be inactive and are not meant to incorporate the contents of any website into this prospectus.

The investment company registration number of Columbia Funds Series Trust, of which the Portfolio is a series, is 811-09645.

©2009 Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.

One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111-2621

800.345.6611 www.columbiafunds.com

INT-36/18209-0809


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LOGO

Prospectus

August 1, 2009

Columbia Funds

 

Class Z Shares   Advised by Columbia Management Advisors, LLC
Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio  

LOGO The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


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Portfolio shares are NOT deposits or other obligations of, or issued, endorsed or guaranteed by, Bank of America, N.A. or any of its affiliates. Portfolio shares are NOT issued, insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, the FDIC or any other government agency.

Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) and its affiliates are paid for the services they provide to the Portfolio and may be compensated or incented in connection with the sale of Portfolio shares. The Portfolio may be used as an investment option for various products and services offered by Bank of America that may raise economic and other conflicts of interest, which are discussed in this prospectus.

AN INVESTMENT IN THE PORTFOLIO INVOLVES CERTAIN RISKS, INCLUDING LOSS OF PRINCIPAL.

 

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Prospectus Primer

This prospectus tells you about Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio (the Portfolio), which is one of the mutual funds in the Columbia Funds family of mutual funds (Columbia Funds). The Portfolio is a “fund of funds” that invests its assets in a mix of underlying mutual funds (each, an Underlying Fund and together, the Underlying Funds) that may change over time. This prospectus is designed to provide you with important information about the Portfolio in a concise and easy to understand manner that is meant to help you make informed investment decisions.

The prospectus first summarizes the key characteristics of the Portfolio, including:

 

   

investment objective,

 

   

principal investment strategies and risks,

 

   

year-by-year performance information,

 

   

fees and expenses, and

 

   

a description of the Portfolio’s additional investment strategies and policies.

This summary is followed by other important information, including:

 

   

a discussion of the Portfolio’s primary service providers, including the roles and relationships of Bank of America and its affiliates, and conflicts of interest, and

 

   

a description of the Portfolio’s Class Z shares offered by this prospectus.

Later sections of the prospectus talk about the details of investing in the Portfolio, including:

 

   

how to buy, sell and exchange shares of the Portfolio, and

 

   

how you will receive your investment proceeds.

The prospectus also includes:

 

   

information about how federal and certain other taxes may affect your investment,

 

   

highlights of the Portfolio’s financial information, and

 

   

hypothetical fee and expense data that show the costs associated with investing in the Portfolio.

We have included a number of features designed to facilitate your use of this prospectus, including:

 

   

“FUNDamentals™” sections that provide simple explanations of key terms and concepts, as well as some basics of mutual fund investing,

 

   

a “FUNDimensions™” section that is meant to give you a “snapshot” of the Portfolio’s main attributes, and

 

   

graphic icons which are defined in the guide below.

Icons Guide

 

LOGO   Investment Objective
LOGO   Principal Investment Strategies
LOGO   Principal Risks
LOGO   Performance Information
LOGO   Fees and Expenses
LOGO   Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates - Certain Conflicts of Interest

For More Information

You can contact Columbia Funds:

 

   

by mail at Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

 

   

by telephone at 800.345.6611.

 

   

by email at serviceinquiries@columbiamanagement.com or online at www.columbiafunds.com.

 

   

through your financial advisor, who can help you select from among the Columbia Funds to meet your investment needs.

You also can find more information about the Portfolio in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI), which includes more detailed information about the Portfolio’s investments, policies and management, among other things. Turn to the back cover to find out how you can get a copy.

The SEC provides a “Beginners’ Guide to Mutual Funds” which may be useful to some investors and is available online, free of charge, at www.sec.gov.

 

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Table of Contents

 

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio

   5

Investment Objective

   5

Principal Investment Strategies

   5

Principal Risks

   8

Performance Information

   12

Fees and Expenses

   14

Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

   17

Management of the Portfolio

   19

Primary Service Providers

   19

Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

   21

Certain Legal Matters

   22

About Class Z Shares

   23

Description of the Share Class

   23

Redemption Fee

   24

Financial Intermediary Compensation

   26

Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

   27

Share Price Determination

   27

Transaction Rules and Policies

   28

Opening an Account and Placing Orders

   33

Distributions and Taxes

   37

Financial Highlights

   41

Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

   42

Columbia Management Group, LLC

The Portfolio is sponsored by Columbia Management Group, LLC (Columbia Management), which is the primary investment division of Bank of America. Columbia Management is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110.

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC is the Portfolio’s investment advisor (the Advisor) and its administrator (the Administrator). Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. is the Portfolio’s distributor (the Distributor). Columbia Management Services, Inc. is the Portfolio’s transfer agent (the Transfer Agent).

The Portfolio, like all mutual funds, is designed to be a part of a broad and diversified investment portfolio and is not intended to fulfill all of your investment needs.

You should consider the objectives, risks and expenses of the Portfolio and any other Columbia Fund carefully before investing.

Portfolio Liquidation. It is expected that the Portfolio will be liquidated in 2009. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders for more information.

FUNDamentalsTM and FUNDimensionsTM are trademarks of Bank of America.

 

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Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio

FUNDimensionsTM

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio

 

Investment Objective:    Capital appreciation
Investment Style:    World Stock
Benchmark:    MSCI World Index
Ticker Symbol:    Class Z: CMEZX
Principal Risks:   

Investment strategy risk

Allocation risk

Investing in other funds risk

Market risk

Smaller company securities risk

Foreign securities risk

Derivatives risk

Convertible securities risk

Currency risk

Real estate investment trusts risk

Industry sector risk

Emerging market securities risk

Growth securities risk

Value securities risk

Special situations risk

Frequent trading risk

FUNDamentalsTM

Benchmarks

Benchmarks are indices that provide some guidance in assessing fund performance. A fund does not, however, limit its investments to the securities within its benchmark(s), and a fund’s holdings can differ from those of any particular benchmark or index. Benchmarks are only guideposts for performance.

LOGO Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks capital appreciation.

LOGO Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests in Class Z shares of specific Columbia Funds (Underlying Funds) so that at least 80% of its net assets are invested indirectly through such Underlying Funds in equity securities. The Portfolio invests in a combination of Underlying Funds on a fixed percentage basis. The Underlying Funds, in turn, invest primarily in domestic and foreign equity securities.

The Portfolio currently makes allocations among four Underlying Funds as follows:

 

   

25% of the Portfolio’s total assets in Columbia Strategic Investor Fund.

 

   

25% of the Portfolio’s total assets in Columbia Marsico 21st Century Fund.

 

   

40% of the Portfolio’s total assets in Columbia Multi-Advisor International Equity Fund.

 

   

10% of the Portfolio’s total assets in Columbia Acorn International.

The Advisor monitors the percentage allocations to the Underlying Funds and rebalances the Portfolio’s allocations to the Underlying Funds to ensure that actual allocations do not exceed plus or minus 3% of the fixed allocation percentages.

Columbia Strategic Investor Fund seeks long-term growth of capital by using a “value” approach and, under normal circumstances, invests primarily in common stocks of companies that the Advisor believes are attractively valued and have the potential for long-term growth. The Fund may invest in companies that have market capitalizations of any size and may invest a significant amount of its assets in smaller companies. The Fund may invest up to 33% of its total assets in foreign securities, including securities of companies in emerging market countries. The Fund may invest in special situations such as initial public offerings, in companies involved in management changes, tender offers, mergers and other corporate restructurings and in companies developing new technologies.

Columbia Marsico 21st Century Fund seeks long-term growth of capital and invests primarily in equity securities of companies of any capitalization size, generally holding a core

 

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position of between 35 and 50 common stocks. It may invest without limit in foreign securities, including emerging market securities.

Columbia Multi-Advisor International Equity Fund seeks long-term growth of capital and invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of established companies located in at least three countries other than the United States, including emerging market countries. It invests in mutual funds managed by the Advisor or any affiliate, third-party advised mutual funds, foreign investment funds or trusts, convertible securities, real estate investment trusts and depositary receipts.

Columbia Acorn International seeks long-term capital appreciation and, under normal circumstances, invests at least 75% of its total assets in foreign companies in developed markets (for example, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom) and in emerging markets (for example, China, India and Brazil) and invests a majority of its net assets in small- and mid-sized companies with market capitalizations under $5 billion at the time of investment.

The Advisor’s allocations to the Underlying Funds are expected to remain constant, but the Advisor can modify this list of Underlying Funds at any time, including by adding Underlying Funds introduced after the date of this prospectus.

The Portfolio’s policy regarding the 80% investment requirement of “net assets” (which includes net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) discussed above may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval as long as shareholders are given 60 days notice of the change.

FUNDamentalsTM

Fund of Funds

Unlike a traditional mutual fund, which invests in individual securities, a “fund of funds” invests in a mix of underlying funds typically by using an asset allocation approach. A fund of funds indirectly bears a portion of the underlying funds’ expenses, in addition to the fund of funds’ own expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Foreign Securities

Foreign securities include debt, equity or derivative securities which are determined to be “foreign” on the basis of an issuer’s domicile, its principal place of business, its primary stock exchange listing, the source of its revenues or other factors.

FUNDamentalsTM

Global Equity Funds

Global equity funds invest in equity securities of both domestic and foreign companies. Equity securities have the potential to provide you with higher returns than many other kinds of investments, but they also tend to have the highest risk. Foreign securities involve special risks not associated with investing in the U.S. stock market. Global equity funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio,

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income, and

 

   

are prepared to accept the risks associated with foreign securities.

 

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FUNDamentalsTM

Asset Allocation Funds

Asset allocation funds use a process called “asset allocation,” which is the process of creating a portfolio by investing in different asset classes – for example, domestic equity securities, foreign securities and debt securities – in varying proportions.

The mix of asset classes and how much is invested in each is an important factor in how an asset allocation fund performs and the amount of risk involved. Each asset class, and each sub-asset class within a class, like large-, mid- and small-capitalization equity securities, has different risk and return characteristics, and may react in different ways to changes in the financial markets and to the economy in general. An investment approach that combines asset classes and sub-asset classes may help to reduce overall volatility.

Asset allocation funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio, and

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income.

 

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LOGO Principal Risks

 

   

Investment Strategy Risk – The Advisor uses the principal investment strategies and other investment strategies to seek to achieve the Portfolio’s investment objective. Investment decisions made by the Advisor in using these strategies may not produce the returns expected by the Advisor, may cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or may cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.

 

   

Allocation Risk – The Portfolio uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Portfolio’s allocation among asset classes or investments will cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

 

   

Investing in Other Funds Risk – The performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests could be adversely affected if other entities that invest in the same Underlying Funds make relatively large investments or redemptions in the Underlying Funds. Because the expenses and costs of an Underlying Fund are shared by its investors, redemptions by other investors in the Underlying Fund could result in decreased economies of scale and increased operating expenses for the Underlying Fund. The Portfolio, and its shareholders, indirectly bear a portion of the expenses of the Underlying Funds. These transactions might also result in higher brokerage, tax or other costs for the Portfolio. This risk may be particularly important when one investor owns a substantial portion of any Underlying Fund. In addition, the Advisor has the authority to change the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or to change the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. If an Underlying Fund pays fees to the Advisor or its affiliates, such as advisory fees, this could result in the Advisor having a potential conflict of interest in selecting the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or in determining the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. There are also circumstances in which the Advisor’s fiduciary duties to the Portfolio may conflict with its fiduciary duties to the Underlying Funds.

The Portfolio is subject indirectly to the following risks of the Underlying Funds:

 

   

Market Risk – The Underlying Funds are subject to market risk, which refers to the possibility that the market values of securities that the Underlying Fund holds will rise or fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Security values may fall because of factors affecting individual companies, industries or sectors, or the markets as a whole, reducing the value of an investment in the Underlying Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Underlying Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. The market values of the securities the Underlying Fund holds also can be affected by changes or perceived changes in U.S. or foreign economies and financial markets and the liquidity of these securities, among other factors. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

 

   

Smaller Company Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of small- or mid-capitalization companies (“smaller companies”) which can, in certain circumstances, have a higher potential for gains than securities of large-capitalization companies but may also have more risk. For example, smaller companies may be more vulnerable to market downturns and adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies because they may have more limited financial resources and business operations. These companies are also more likely than larger companies to have more limited product lines and operating histories and to depend on smaller management teams. Their securities may trade less frequently and in smaller volumes and may be less liquid and fluctuate more sharply in value than securities of larger companies. In addition, some smaller companies may not be widely followed by the investment community, which can lower the demand for their stocks.

 

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Foreign Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in foreign securities, which are subject to special risks as compared to securities of U.S. issuers. For example, foreign markets can be extremely volatile. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may impact the value of foreign securities denominated in foreign currencies, or in U.S. dollars, without a change in the intrinsic value of those securities. Foreign securities may be less liquid than domestic securities so that the Underlying Fund may, at times, be unable to sell foreign securities at desirable times or prices. Brokerage commissions, custodial fees and other fees are also generally higher for foreign securities. The Underlying Fund may have limited or no legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain foreign securities, including those issued by foreign governments. In addition, foreign governments may impose potentially confiscatory withholding or other taxes, which could reduce the amount of income and capital gains available to distribute to shareholders. Other risks include possible delays in the settlement of transactions or in the payment of income; generally less publicly available information about companies; the impact of political, social or diplomatic events; possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of a company or its assets; possible imposition of currency exchange controls; and accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards that may be less comprehensive and stringent than those applicable to domestic companies.

 

   

Derivatives Risk – Certain Underlying Funds use derivatives, which are financial contracts whose values are, for example, based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or bond), assets (such as a commodity like gold or a foreign currency), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Derivatives involve special risks and may result in losses or may limit the Fund’s potential gain from favorable market movements. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying security. The values of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in unusual market conditions, and may result in increased volatility, among other consequences. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Other risks arise from the Underlying Fund’s potential inability to terminate or sell derivative positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Underlying Fund’s derivative positions at times when the Underlying Fund might wish to terminate or sell such positions. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid, and transactions in derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. The use of derivatives also involves the risks of mispricing or improper valuation and that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying security, asset, reference rate or index. The Underlying Fund may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to engage in derivative transactions when it is deemed favorable to do so, or at all. For more information on the risks of derivative investments and strategies, see the SAI.

 

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Convertible Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in convertible securities, which are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate risk and credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. Because the value of a convertible security can be influenced by both interest rates and market movements, a convertible security generally is not as sensitive to interest rates as a similar debt security, and generally will not vary in value in response to other factors to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities would typically be paid before the company’s common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. The Underlying Fund may be forced to convert a convertible security before it otherwise would choose to do so, which may decrease the Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Currency Risk – Certain Underlying Funds are subject to currency risk. Securities denominated in different currencies are subject to the risk that, for example, if the value of a foreign currency were to decline against the U.S. dollar, such decline would reduce the U.S. dollar value of any securities held by the Fund denominated in that currency.

 

   

Real Estate Investment Trusts Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs), which are entities that either own properties or make construction or mortgage loans, and may also include operating or finance companies. The value of REIT shares is affected by, among other factors, changes in the value of the underlying properties owned by the REIT and/or by changes in the prospect for earnings and/or cash flow growth of the REIT itself. In addition, certain of the risks associated with general real estate ownership apply to the Underlying Fund’s REIT investments, including risks related to general and local economic conditions, possible lack of availability of financing and changes in interest rates.

 

   

Industry Sector Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of companies in different, but closely related, industries. These securities are considered as being in the same broad economic sector. The values of such securities in the same sector may be similarly affected by particular economic or market events, making the Underlying Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that sector than funds investing in multiple sectors. The Underlying Fund does not intend to focus on any particular sector; however, at times the Underlying Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in a particular sector.

 

   

Emerging Market Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries, like those in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America or Africa. These emerging market securities are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in foreign securities that are described in “Foreign Securities Risk.” In addition, these countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid social, political and economic development. Their economies are usually less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity than more developed countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade, which makes them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries. Some emerging market countries have a higher risk of currency devaluations, and some of these countries may experience periods of high inflation or rapid changes in inflation rates.

 

   

Growth Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in growth securities. Because growth securities typically trade at a higher multiple of earnings than other types of securities, the prices of growth securities may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other types of securities. In addition, growth securities, at times, may not perform as well as value securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

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Value Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in value securities, which are securities of companies that may have experienced, for example, adverse business, industry or other developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the securities to be out of favor and, in turn, potentially undervalued. The market value of a portfolio security may not meet the Advisor’s future value assessment of that security, or may decline. There is also a risk that it may take longer than expected for the value of these investments to rise to the believed value. In addition, value securities, at times, may not perform as well as growth securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Special Situations Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of companies that are involved in an initial public offering or a major corporate event, such as a business consolidation or restructuring, which may present special risk because of the high degree of uncertainty that can be associated with such events. Securities issued in initial public offerings often are issued by companies that are in the early stages of development, have a history of little or no revenues and may operate at a loss following the offering. It is possible that there will be no active trading market for the securities after the offering, and the market price of the securities may be subject to significant and unpredictable fluctuations. Investing in special situations may have a magnified effect on the performance of funds with small amounts of assets.

 

   

Frequent Trading Risk – Certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve the frequent trading of portfolio securities. Frequent trading of investments increases the possibility that the Underlying Fund will realize taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s after-tax return. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s return.

These are summaries of the principal risks associated with the principal investment strategies of the Portfolio. Additional risks are associated with other permissible investments of the Portfolio that are described in the SAI together with further information about these principal risks. There is no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.

 

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LOGO Performance Information

The following bar chart and table show you how the Portfolio has performed in the past, and can help you understand the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s past performance (before or after taxes) is no guarantee of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Year by Year Total Return (%) as of December 31 Each Year*

The bar chart below shows you how the performance of the Portfolio’s Class Z shares has varied from year to year.

LOGO

 

* Year-to-date return as of June 30, 2009: 9.34%.

Best and Worst Quarterly Returns During this Period

 

Best:

   2nd Quarter 2007:    7.88%

Worst:

   4th Quarter 2008:    -24.52%

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Performance

Many factors can affect a mutual fund’s performance, including, for example:

 

   

management of fund holdings,

 

   

market conditions,

 

   

fund expenses, and

 

   

flows of investment dollars into and out of the fund.

The returns for the various share classes may vary based on differences in sales charges and expenses.

 

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Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2008

The table below shows the Portfolio’s Class Z shares’ average annual total returns (i) before taxes, (ii) after taxes on distributions and (iii) after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares.

The table compares the Portfolio’s returns for each period with those of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) World Index, which tracks the performance of global stocks. Indices are not available for investment, and do not reflect sales charges, fees, brokerage commissions, taxes or other expenses of investing.

 

     1 year     Life of Portfolio(a)  

Class Z shares returns before taxes

   -44.79   -10.09

Class Z shares returns after taxes on distributions

   -45.23   -10.94

Class Z shares returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares

   -28.00   -8.07

MSCI World Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   -40.71   -9.36

 

(a)

The inception date of the Portfolio’s Class Z shares is February 15, 2006.

FUNDamentalsTM

After-Tax Returns

The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state, local or foreign taxes.

Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your personal tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown in the table do not apply to shares held in tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k) plans or IRAs.

 

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LOGO Fees and Expenses

The fee table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. Additional hypothetical fee and expense information relating to Class Z shares of the Portfolio can be found in Hypothetical Fees and Expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Expenses

In general, there are two kinds of fund expenses:

 

   

shareholder expenses that you pay directly (e.g., sales charges and redemption fees), and

 

   

annual operating expenses that are paid by the Portfolio and deducted from the Portfolio’s assets.

Annual operating expenses include:

 

   

management fees, which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to the Advisor and the Administrator as compensation for managing and administering the Portfolio’s portfolio. See Management of the Portfolio – Primary Service Providers for more information.

 

   

other expenses, which generally include, but are not limited to, transfer agency, custody, audit and legal fees as well as costs related to registration of Portfolio shares for sale and the printing and mailing of Portfolio documents. The specific expenses that make up the Portfolio’s other expenses will vary from time to time and may include expenses not described above.

Annual fund operating expenses are calculated based on actual expenses incurred during the Portfolio’s most recently completed fiscal year and are expressed as a percentage of the Portfolio’s average net assets during the year. The rate of annual fund operating expenses will likely vary from year to year as a result of various factors, including, for example, changes in the level of the Portfolio’s net assets. Although many factors can affect fund operating expenses, in general, annual fund operating expenses, as a percentage of average net assets, will increase as the Portfolio’s net assets decrease, and will decrease as the Portfolio’s net assets increase. Net expenses also may vary from year to year based on any fee waivers or expense reimbursements.

The Portfolio may incur significant transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, in addition to the annual Portfolio operating expenses disclosed in the fee table.

 

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Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

 

     Class Z Shares  

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases, as a % of offering price

   N/A   

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions, as a % of the lower of the original purchase price or net asset value

   N/A   

Redemption fee, as a % of total redemption proceeds

   2.00 %(a) 

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (deducted from the Portfolio’s assets)

 

     Class Z Shares  

Management fees(b)

   0.00

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

   0.00

Other expenses

   0.87

Acquired fund fees and expenses(c)

   1.00

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses(d)

   1.87

Fee waivers and/or reimbursements(e)

   -0.87

Total net expenses

   1.00

 

(a)

This redemption fee may apply to shares that are redeemed (either by sale or exchange into another Columbia Fund) within 60 days of purchase. See About Class Z Shares – Redemption Fee for details.

(b)

The Portfolio does not pay investment advisory fees or an administration fee.

(c)

Acquired fund fees and expenses include fees and expenses associated with the Portfolio’s investments in other investment companies. Since they are incurred only indirectly by the Portfolio, such fees and expenses are not considered ordinary operating expenses of the Portfolio for purposes of a fee waiver or expense limitation, if any.

(d)

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses include acquired fund fees and expenses. As a result, the amount shown is higher than the ratio of expenses to average net assets included in the section entitled “Financial Highlights” which reflects only those expenses paid directly by the Portfolio.

(e)

The Advisor has contractually agreed to bear a portion of the Portfolio’s expenses so that the Portfolio’s ordinary operating expenses (excluding any distribution and service fees, brokerage commissions, interest, taxes and extraordinary expenses, but including custodian charges relating to overdrafts, if any), after giving effect to any balance credits from the Portfolio’s custodian, do not exceed 0.00% annually through July 31, 2010.

 

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Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The example illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over the time periods indicated, and assumes that:

 

   

you invest $10,000 in Class Z shares of the Portfolio for the periods indicated,

 

   

you reinvest all dividends and distributions in the Portfolio,

 

   

your investment has a 5% return each year, and

 

   

the Portfolio’s total annual operating expenses remain the same as shown in the table above.

Since the waivers and/or reimbursements shown in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses table above expire on July 31, 2010, they are only reflected in the 1 year and the first year of the 3, 5 and 10 year examples.

Based on the assumptions listed above, your costs would be:

 

     1 year    3 years    5 years    10 years

Class Z Shares

   $ 102    $ 503    $ 930    $ 2,119

Remember this is an example only. It is not necessarily representative of the Portfolio’s actual expenses in the past or future. Your actual costs could be higher or lower depending on the amount you invest and on the Portfolio’s actual expenses and performance.

 

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Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

This section describes certain strategies and policies that the Portfolio may utilize in pursuit of its investment objective, and describes some additional factors and risks involved with investing in the Portfolio.

Changing the Portfolio’s Investment Objective and Policies

The Portfolio’s investment objective and certain of its investment policies can be changed without shareholder approval unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the SAI. Shareholders vote on changes to other investment policies that are designated as fundamental in accordance with the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act).

Investment Guidelines

As a general matter, unless otherwise noted, whenever an investment policy or limitation states a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding an investment standard, compliance with that percentage limitation or standard will be determined solely at the time of the Portfolio’s acquisition of the security or asset.

Holding Other Kinds of Investments

The Portfolio may hold investments that aren’t part of its principal investment strategies. These investments are described in the SAI. The Portfolio may choose not to invest in certain securities described in this prospectus and in the SAI, although it has the ability to do so.

Investing in Affiliated Funds

The Advisor has the authority to select the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests its assets. The Advisor or one of its affiliates is the investment advisor to each of the Underlying Funds. The Advisor may be subject to a conflict of interest in selecting Underlying Funds for the Portfolio because the fees paid to it or its affiliates are higher than the fees paid to other Underlying Funds. However, as a fiduciary to the Portfolio, the Advisor has a duty to act in the best interest of the Portfolio in selecting Underlying Funds.

Investing in Columbia Money Market Funds

The Portfolio may invest uninvested cash and cash collateral received in connection with its securities lending program in shares of the registered or unregistered money market funds advised by the Advisor. The Advisor and its affiliates receive fees from these funds for providing advisory and other services in addition to the fees which they are entitled to receive from the Portfolio for services provided directly.

Lending Securities

The Portfolio may lend portfolio securities to approved broker/dealers or other financial intermediaries on a fully collateralized basis in order to earn additional income. The Portfolio may lose money from securities lending if, for example, it is delayed in or prevented from selling the collateral after the loan is made or recovering the securities loaned or if it incurs losses on the reinvestment of cash collateral. The Portfolio may invest some or all of the cash collateral it receives in connection with its securities lending program in one or more pooled investment vehicles, including, among other vehicles, money market funds managed by the Portfolio’s securities lending agent (or its affiliate). The securities lending agent shares in any income resulting from the investment of such cash collateral, and an affiliate of the securities lending agent receives asset-based fees for the management of such pooled investment vehicles, which may create a conflict of interest between the securities lending agent (or its affiliate) and the Portfolio with respect to the management of such cash collateral. Engaging in securities lending is subject to certain risks, including counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty to a transaction could default.

Portfolio Holdings Disclosure

A description of Columbia Funds’ policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of Portfolio portfolio securities is available in the SAI. The Portfolio discloses its portfolio holdings on the Columbia Funds’ website, www.columbiafunds.com, as described below. Once posted, the portfolio holdings information will remain available on the website until at least the date on which the Portfolio files a Form N-CSR or Form N-Q (forms filed with the SEC that include portfolio holdings information) for the period that includes the date as of which the information is current.

The Portfolio’s complete portfolio holdings as of a month-end are disclosed approximately 15 calendar days after such month-end.

 

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In addition, more current information concerning the Portfolio’s portfolio holdings as of specified dates may also be disclosed on the Columbia Funds’ website.

Investing Defensively

The Portfolio may from time to time take temporary defensive investment positions that are inconsistent with the Portfolio’s principal investment strategies in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions including, for example, investments in money market instruments or holdings of cash or cash equivalents. The Portfolio may not achieve its investment objective while it is investing defensively.

Mailings to Households

In order to reduce shareholder expenses we may, if prior consent has been provided, mail only one copy of the Portfolio’s prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents, call 800.345.6611 or, if your shares are held through a financial intermediary, contact your intermediary directly.

Portfolio Turnover

A mutual fund that replaces, or turns over, more than 100% of its investments in a year is considered to have a high portfolio turnover rate. A high portfolio turnover rate can generate larger distributions of short-term capital gains to shareholders, which for individuals are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes. A high portfolio turnover rate can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce a fund’s returns. In general, the greater the volume of buying and selling by a fund, the greater the impact that brokerage commissions will have on its returns. The Portfolio generally buys securities for capital appreciation, investment income or both. However, the Portfolio may sell securities regardless of how long they’ve been held. You’ll find the Portfolio’s historical portfolio turnover rates in the Financial Highlights.

 

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Management of the Portfolio

Primary Service Providers

The Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, currently provide key services to the Portfolio and the other Columbia Funds, including investment advisory, administration, distribution, shareholder servicing and transfer agency, and are paid for providing these services. These service relationships are described below.

The Advisor

The Advisor (which is also the Administrator) is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110, and serves as investment advisor to over 100 Columbia Funds mutual fund portfolios. As of June 30, 2009, the Advisor had assets under management of approximately $310.5 billion. The Advisor is a registered investment advisor and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. Its management experience covers all major asset classes, including equity securities, fixed income securities and money market instruments. In addition to serving as investment advisor to mutual funds, the Advisor acts as an investment manager for individuals, corporations, retirement plans, private investment companies and financial intermediaries.

Subject to oversight by the Board, the Advisor manages the day-to-day operations of the Portfolio, determining what securities and other investments the Portfolio should buy or sell and executing the Portfolio’s portfolio transactions. Although the Advisor is responsible for the investment management of the Portfolio, the Advisor may delegate certain of its duties to one or more investment sub-advisors. In rendering investment advisory services, the Advisor may use the portfolio management and research resources of Columbia Management Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of the Advisor. The Advisor may also use the research and other expertise of other affiliates and third parties in managing the Portfolio’s investments.

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Portfolio’s investment advisory agreement with the Advisor is available in the Portfolio’s annual report to shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.

Sub-Advisor(s)

The Advisor may engage an investment sub-advisor or sub-advisors to make the day-to-day investment decisions for the Portfolio. The Advisor retains ultimate responsibility (subject to Board oversight) for overseeing any sub-advisor it engages and for evaluating the Portfolio’s needs and available sub-advisors’ skills and abilities on an ongoing basis. Based on its evaluations, the Advisor may at times recommend to the Board that the Portfolio change, add or terminate one or more sub-advisors; continue to retain a sub-advisor even though the sub-advisor’s ownership or corporate structure has changed; or materially change a sub-advisory agreement with a sub-advisor. Applicable law requires the Portfolio to obtain shareholder approval in order to act on most of these types of recommendations, even if the Board has approved the proposed action and believes that the action is in shareholders’ best interests. The Advisor and the Columbia Funds have applied for relief from the SEC to permit the Portfolio to act on many of the Advisor’s recommendations with approval only by the Board and not by Portfolio shareholders. The Advisor or the Portfolio would inform the Portfolio’s shareholders of any actions taken in reliance on this relief. Until the Advisor and the Portfolio obtain this relief, the Portfolio will continue to submit these matters to shareholders for their approval to the extent required by applicable law.

At present, the Advisor has not engaged any investment sub-advisor for the Portfolio.

 

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Portfolio Managers

Information about the Advisor’s portfolio managers who are primarily responsible for overseeing the Portfolio’s investments is shown in the table below. The SAI provides more information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by each portfolio manager and each portfolio manager’s ownership of securities in the Portfolio.

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Colin Moore

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Chief Investment Officer of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Kent M. Peterson, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since January 2006. Prior to January 2006, Mr. Peterson was a trading associate at Bridgewater Associates from 2004 to 2005.

Marie M. Schofield, CFA

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Managing Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 1990.

The Administrator

The Administrator is responsible for overseeing the administrative operations of the Portfolio, including the general supervision of the Portfolio’s operations, coordination of the Portfolio’s service providers, and the provision of office facilities and related clerical and administrative services. The Administrator does not currently receive any fees for the administrative services it provides to the Portfolio.

The Distributor

Shares of the Portfolio are distributed by the Distributor, which is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111. The Distributor is a registered broker/dealer and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Distributor and its affiliates may pay commissions, distribution and service fees and/or other compensation to entities, including Bank of America affiliates, for selling shares and providing services to investors.

The Transfer Agent

The Transfer Agent is a registered transfer agent and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Transfer Agent is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111, and its responsibilities include processing purchases, sales and exchanges, calculating and paying distributions, keeping shareholder records, preparing account statements and providing customer service. The Portfolio pays the Transfer Agent monthly fees on a per-account basis. Fees paid to the Transfer Agent include reimbursements for certain out-of-pocket expenses and sub-transfer agency fees, subject to certain limitations, paid by the Transfer Agent on the Portfolio’s behalf.

 

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LOGO Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

As described in Management of the Portfolio – Primary Service Providers, the Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, provide various services to the Portfolio for which they are compensated. Bank of America and its affiliates may also provide other services to the Portfolio and be compensated for them.

The Advisor and its affiliates may provide investment advisory and other services to other clients and customers substantially similar to those provided to the Portfolio. These activities, and other financial services activities of Bank of America and its affiliates (including Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.), may present actual and potential conflicts of interest and introduce certain investment constraints.

Bank of America is a major financial services company, engaged in a broad range of financial activities beyond the mutual fund-related activities of the Advisor, including, among others, commercial banking, investment banking, broker/dealer (sales and trading), asset management, insurance and other financial activities. These additional activities may involve multiple advisory, transactional, lending, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments, and in companies that issue securities and other instruments, which may be bought, sold or held by the Portfolio.

Conflicts of interest and limitations that could affect the Portfolio may arise from, for example, the following:

 

   

compensation and other benefits received by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates related to the management/administration of the Portfolio and the sale of its shares;

 

   

the allocation of, and competition for, investment opportunities among the Portfolio and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

separate and potentially divergent management of the Portfolio and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

regulatory and other investment restrictions on investment activities of the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates and accounts advised/managed by them;

 

   

lending, investment banking and other relationships of Bank of America affiliates with companies and other entities in which the Portfolio invests; and

 

   

regulatory and other restrictions relating to the sharing of information between Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, and the Portfolio.

Bank of America and its affiliates also provide a variety of products and services that, in some manner, may use the Portfolio and other Columbia Funds as investment options. For example:

 

   

the Columbia Funds are available as investments in connection with brokerage or other securities products offered by Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. or Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, both wholly-owned retail broker/dealers of Bank of America;

 

   

the Columbia Funds are used as investments in connection with fiduciary, investment management and other accounts offered by U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, as well as certain Columbia Funds structured as “funds of funds”; and

 

   

the Columbia Money Market Funds are offered as an investment option for a variety of cash “sweep” account programs offered by Bank of America and its affiliates.

The use of the Columbia Funds as investment options in connection with other products and services offered by Bank of America and its affiliates may introduce economic and other conflicts of interest of which you should be aware. These types of conflicts of interest are highlighted in sections of account documentation and other disclosure materials relating to these products and services, as well as in the SAI.

The Advisor and Bank of America have adopted various policies and procedures that are intended to identify, monitor and address conflicts of interest. However, there is no absolute assurance that these policies, procedures and disclosures will be effective.

Additional information about Bank of America and the types of conflicts of interest and other matters referenced above is set forth in the Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest section of the SAI, which is identified by the LOGO icon. Investors in the Portfolio should carefully review these disclosures and consult with their financial advisor if they have any questions.

 

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Certain Legal Matters

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. (collectively, the Columbia Group) are subject to a settlement agreement with the New York Attorney General (NYAG) (the NYAG Settlement) and a settlement order with the SEC (the SEC Order) on matters relating to mutual fund trading, each dated February 9, 2005. Under the terms of the SEC Order, the Columbia Group (or predecessor or affiliated entities) agreed, among other things, to: pay disgorgement and civil money penalties collectively totaling $375 million; cease and desist from violations of the antifraud provisions and certain other provisions of the federal securities laws; maintain certain compliance and ethics oversight structures; and retain an independent consultant to review the Columbia Group’s applicable supervisory, compliance, control and other policies and procedures. The NYAG Settlement, among other things, requires Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and its affiliates to reduce management fees for certain funds in the Columbia family of mutual funds in a projected total of $160 million over five years through November 30, 2009 and to make certain disclosures to investors relating to expenses. In connection with the Columbia Group providing services to the Columbia Funds, the Columbia Funds have voluntarily undertaken to implement certain governance measures designed to maintain the independence of their boards of trustees and certain special consulting and compliance measures.

Pursuant to the SEC Order and related procedures, the $375 million in settlement amounts described above, of which approximately $90 million has been earmarked for certain Columbia Funds and their shareholders, is being distributed in accordance with a distribution plan developed by an independent distribution consultant and approved by the SEC on December 27, 2007. Distributions under the distribution plan began in mid-June 2008.

Civil Litigation

In connection with the events that resulted in the NYAG Settlement and SEC Order, various parties filed suits against Bank of America Corporation and certain of its affiliates, including Banc of America Capital Management, LLC (BACAP, now known as Columbia Management Advisors, LLC) and BACAP Distributors, LLC (now known as Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.) (collectively BAC), Nations Funds Trust (now known as Columbia Funds Series Trust) and its Board of Trustees. On February 20, 2004, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transferred these cases and cases against other mutual fund companies based on similar allegations to the United States District Court in Maryland for consolidated or coordinated pretrial proceedings (the MDL). Subsequently, additional related cases were transferred to the MDL. On September 29, 2004, the plaintiffs in the MDL filed amended and consolidated complaints. One of these amended complaints is a putative class action that includes claims under the federal securities laws and state common law, and that names Nations Funds Trust, the Trustees, BAC and others as defendants. Another of the amended complaints is a derivative action purportedly on behalf of the Nations Funds Trust against BAC and others that asserts claims under federal securities laws and state common law. Nations Funds Trust is a nominal defendant in this action.

On February 25, 2005, BAC and other defendants filed motions to dismiss the claims in the pending cases. On December 15, 2005, BAC and others entered into a Stipulation of Settlement of the direct and derivative claims brought on behalf of the Nations Funds shareholders. The settlement is subject to court approval. If the settlement is approved, BAC would pay settlement administration costs and fees to plaintiffs’ counsel as approved by the court. The stipulation has not yet been presented to the court for approval.

 

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About Class Z Shares

Description of the Share Class

Share Class Features

The Portfolio offers one class of shares in this prospectus: Class Z shares. The Portfolio may also offer other classes of shares through a separate prospectus. Each share class has its own investment eligibility criteria, cost structure and other features. The following summarizes the primary features of the Class Z shares offered by this prospectus. Contact your financial advisor or Columbia Funds for more information about the Portfolio’s share classes and how to choose among them.

 

    

Class Z Shares

Eligible Investors and

Minimum Initial

Investments

   Class Z shares are available only to certain eligible investors, which are subject to different minimum initial investment requirements. These minimum initial investment amounts range from $0 to $2,500. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders for details.
Investment Limits    none
Conversion Features    none
Front-End Sales Charges    none

Contingent Deferred Sales

Charges (CDSCs)

   none

Maximum Distribution and

Service Fees

   none

FUNDamentalsTM

Selling and/or Servicing Agents

The terms “selling agent” and “servicing agent” refer to the financial intermediary that employs your financial advisor. Selling and/or servicing agents include, for example, brokerage firms, banks, investment advisors, third party administrators and other financial intermediaries, including affiliates of Bank of America, such as Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.

 

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Redemption Fee

When you sell or exchange shares of a mutual fund, the fund effectively buys those shares back from you in what is called a redemption.

The Columbia Funds international/global equity funds assess, subject to limited exceptions, a 2.00% redemption fee on the proceeds from Columbia Fund shares that you redeem (either by sale or exchange into another Columbia Fund) within 60 days of buying them. To determine which shares you are selling in a transaction, the Transfer Agent generally applies a first-in, first-out approach. This means that the Transfer Agent will deem those shares that you have held the longest to be sold first, followed by increasingly recently purchased shares. When selling or exchanging shares of a Columbia Fund that you acquired by a previous exchange, the period you held shares of the first Columbia Fund prior to first exchange will not be considered in determining whether the redemption fee applies to the second sale or exchange. When it does apply, the redemption fee is paid to the Columbia Fund from which you are redeeming shares (either by sale or exchange into another Columbia Fund).

The redemption fee described above will not be imposed if you qualify for a waiver and the Transfer Agent has received proper notification of your qualification. The Transfer Agent will redeem any shares that are eligible for a waiver first. Please be aware that it is the responsibility of you and your financial advisor to notify the Transfer Agent that you may qualify for a waiver before you buy or sell your shares.

The categories of transactions which qualify for a waiver of the redemption fee are as follows:

 

   

shares sold following the death or disability (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code) of the shareholder, including a registered joint owner,

 

   

shares sold by or distributions from participant-directed retirement plans, such as 401(k), 403(b), 457, Keogh, profit-sharing and money-purchase pension plans, where Columbia Funds does not have access to information about the individual participant account activity, but not where Columbia Funds has received an indication that the plan administrator is able to assess the redemption fee on the appropriate accounts,

 

   

shares sold by certain investment funds (e.g., Columbia LifeGoal Portfolios and Future Scholar 529 Plan) that have provided assurances reasonably satisfactory to the Advisor that the investment fund is not a vehicle for excessive trading practices (the Advisor or its affiliates may manage certain of the approved investment funds),

 

   

shares sold in certain transactions in connection with certain asset allocation or wrap programs where the program sponsor has provided assurances reasonably satisfactory to the Advisor that the program is not designed to be a vehicle for excessive trading practices,

 

   

shares sold by accounts where Columbia Funds has received information reasonably satisfactory to the Advisor indicating that financial intermediaries maintaining the accounts are currently unable for administrative reasons to assess the redemption fee on underlying shareholders,

 

   

shares sold by an account which has demonstrated a severe hardship, such as a medical emergency, as determined in the absolute discretion of the Advisor,

 

   

shares that were bought with reinvested distributions,

 

   

shares that are sold or exchanged through Columbia Funds’ Systematic Withdrawal Plan or Systematic Exchange Feature, or similar affiliated or unaffiliated automated plans,

 

   

the following retirement plan distributions: lump sum or other distributions from a qualified corporate or self-employed retirement plan following the retirement (or following attainment of age 59 1/2 in the case of a “key employee” of a “top heavy” plan); and distributions from an IRA or Custodial Account under Section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code, following attainment of age 59 1/2, and

 

   

the following retirement plan transactions: payroll deduction contributions by retirement plan participants, transactions initiated by a retirement plan sponsor and certain other retirement plan transactions consisting of rollover transactions, loan repayments and disbursements, and required minimum distribution redemptions.

Certain financial intermediaries may not assess a redemption fee on certain categories of redemptions that they believe do not present significant excessive trading practices concerns (such as Systematic Withdrawal Plan redemptions). For a discussion of the effects of excessive trading practices, see Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies.

 

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Conversely, certain financial intermediaries may assess a redemption fee on certain redemptions by accounts maintained with them that would be exempt from the redemption fee if the accounts were maintained directly with the Transfer Agent or with a different financial intermediary. Columbia Funds and its agents reserve the right to permit imposition of the redemption fee under these circumstances. Columbia Funds’ ability to assess redemption fees or apply waivers is generally limited by the policies of financial intermediaries. Accordingly, the parameters of the exemption categories described above are subject to the different policies of the various financial intermediaries that maintain accounts. You should check with your financial intermediary about its redemption fee and waiver policies before investing or submitting a redemption order within the specified time period.

Columbia Funds reserves the right to impose the redemption fee in the future if it determines that a financial intermediary that previously did not or was not able to assess the redemption fee on underlying shareholders has developed the policy or capability to assess the fee on some or all of its underlying shareholders. However, Columbia Funds may determine not to impose the redemption fee under certain circumstances. From time to time, as circumstances change, Columbia Funds may modify or eliminate certain exemption categories without advance notice to shareholders.

 

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Financial Intermediary Compensation

The Distributor and the Advisor make payments, from their own resources, to certain financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, for marketing/sales support services relating to the Columbia Funds. Such payments are generally based upon one or more of the following factors: average net assets of the Columbia Funds sold by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, gross sales of the Columbia Funds distributed by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, reimbursement of ticket charges (fees that an intermediary firm charges its representatives for effecting transactions in Portfolio shares) or a negotiated lump sum payment. While the financial arrangements may vary for each intermediary, the support payments to any one intermediary are generally between 0.05% and 0.50% (and 0.03% and 0.12% with regard to the Columbia Money Market Funds) on an annual basis for payments based on average net assets of the Portfolio attributable to the intermediary, and between 0.05% and 0.25% on an annual basis for firms receiving a payment based on gross sales of the Columbia Funds (other than the Columbia Money Market Funds) attributable to the intermediary.

The Distributor and the Advisor may make payments in larger amounts or on a basis other than those described above when dealing with other affiliates of Bank of America. Such increased payments to the other Bank of America affiliate may enable the other Bank of America affiliate to offset credits that it may provide to customers in order to avoid having such customers pay fees to multiple Bank of America entities in connection with the customers’ investments in the Portfolio.

The Distributor, the Transfer Agent and the Advisor may also make payments to financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, that provide shareholder services to retirement plans and other investment programs to compensate those intermediaries for services they provide to such programs, including, but not limited to, sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, similar shareholder or participant recordkeeping, shareholder or participant reporting, or shareholder or participant transaction processing.

These payments for shareholder servicing support vary by financial intermediary but generally are not expected, with certain limited exceptions, to exceed 0.40% of the average aggregate value of the Portfolio’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, and 0.45% of the average aggregate value of the Portfolio’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that do not pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

The Board has authorized the Portfolio to reimburse the Transfer Agent for amounts paid to financial intermediaries that maintain assets in omnibus accounts, subject to an annual cap of 0.15% of the average aggregate value of the Portfolio’s shares maintained in such accounts. The amounts in excess of that reimbursed by the Portfolio are borne by the Distributor or the Advisor. The Distributor and the Advisor may make other payments or allow promotional incentives to broker/dealers to the extent permitted by SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rules and by other applicable laws and regulations.

Amounts paid by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates are paid out of the Distributor’s and the Advisor’s own resources and do not increase the amount paid by you or the Portfolio. You can find further details about the payments made by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates and the services provided by financial intermediaries as well as a list of the intermediaries to which the Distributor and the Advisor have agreed to make marketing support payments in the SAI. Your financial intermediary may charge you fees and commissions in addition to those described in this prospectus. You should consult with your financial intermediary and review carefully any disclosure your financial intermediary provides regarding its services and compensation. Depending on the financial arrangement in place at any particular time, a financial intermediary and its financial consultants may have a financial incentive for recommending the Portfolio or a particular share class over others. See Management of the Portfolio – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information.

 

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Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

Share Price Determination

The price you pay or receive when you buy, sell or exchange shares is the Portfolio’s next determined net asset value (or NAV) per share for a given share class. The Portfolio calculates the net asset value per share for each class of the Portfolio at the end of each business day. The net asset value per share of the Portfolio is based on the net asset value per share of the Underlying Funds the Portfolio invests in.

FUNDamentalsTM

NAV Calculation

Each of the Portfolio’s share classes calculates its NAV as follows:

 

      (Value of assets of the share class)      
NAV    =   

—(Liabilities of the share class)

     
      Number of outstanding shares of the class

The value of the Portfolio’s shares is based on the total market value of all of the securities and other assets that it holds as of a specified time. The prices reported on stock exchanges and other securities markets around the world are usually used to value securities in the Portfolio. The Portfolio uses the amortized cost method, which approximates market value, to value short-term investments maturing in 60 days or less.

If a market price isn’t readily available, the Portfolio will determine the price of the security held by the Portfolio based on the Advisor’s determination of the security’s fair value. A market price is considered not readily available if, among other circumstances, the most recent reported price is deemed unreliable. In addition, the Portfolio may use fair valuation to price securities that trade on a foreign exchange when a significant event has occurred after the foreign exchange closes but before the time at which the Portfolio’s share price is calculated. Foreign exchanges typically close before the time at which Portfolio share prices are calculated, and may be closed altogether on some days when the Portfolio is open. Such significant events affecting a foreign security may include, but are not limited to: (1) those impacting a single issuer; (2) governmental action that affects securities in one sector or country; (3) natural disasters or armed conflicts affecting a country or region; or (4) significant domestic or foreign market fluctuations. The Portfolio uses various criteria, including an evaluation of U.S. market moves after the close of foreign markets, in determining whether a security’s market price is readily available and, if not, the fair value of the security.

Fair valuation may have the effect of reducing stale pricing arbitrage opportunities presented by the pricing of Portfolio shares. However, when the Portfolio uses fair valuation to price securities, it may value those securities higher or lower than another mutual fund. Also, the use of fair valuation may cause the Portfolio’s performance to diverge to a greater degree from the performance of various benchmarks used to compare the Portfolio’s performance because benchmarks generally do not use fair valuation techniques. Because of the judgment involved in fair valuation decisions, there can be no assurance that the value ascribed to a particular security is accurate. The Portfolio has retained an independent fair valuation pricing service to assist in the fair valuation process for foreign securities. International markets are sometimes open on days when U.S. markets are closed, which means that the value of foreign securities owned by the Portfolio could change on days when Portfolio shares cannot be bought or sold.

 

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Transaction Rules and Policies

Remember that sales charges may apply to your transactions. You should also ask your selling and/or servicing agent about its rules, fees and policies for buying, selling and exchanging shares, which may be different from those described here, and about its related programs or services.

Also remember that the Portfolio may refuse any order to buy or exchange shares. If this happens, we’ll return any money we’ve received, but no interest will be paid on that money.

Order Processing

Orders to buy, sell or exchange shares are processed on business days. Orders can be delivered by mail, by telephone or online. Orders received in “good form” by the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent before the end of a business day will receive that day’s net asset value per share. Orders received after the end of a business day will receive the next business day’s net asset value per share. The market value of the Portfolio’s investments may change between the time you submit your order and the time the Portfolio next calculates its net asset value per share. The business day that applies to your order is also called a trade date.

FUNDamentalsTM

Business Days

A business day is any day that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. A business day ends at the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. If the NYSE closes early, the business day ends as of the time the NYSE closes. On holidays and other days when the NYSE is closed, the Portfolio’s net asset value is not calculated and the Portfolio does not accept buy or sell orders. However, the value of the Portfolio’s assets may still be affected on such days to the extent that the Portfolio holds foreign securities that trade on days that foreign markets are open.

“Good Form”

An order is in “good form” if the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent has all of the information and documentation it deems necessary to effect your order. For example, when you sell shares by letter of instruction, “good form” means that your letter has (i) complete instructions and the signatures of all account owners, (ii) a Medallion signature guarantee for amounts equal to or greater than $100,000 and (iii) any other required documents completed and attached. For the documents required for sales by corporations, agents, fiduciaries, surviving joint owners and other legal entities, call 800.345.6611.

Medallion Signature Guarantees

Qualified customers can obtain a Medallion signature guarantee from any financial institution – including commercial banks such as Bank of America, credit unions and broker/dealers – that participates in one of the three Medallion signature guarantee programs recognized by the SEC. These Medallion signature guarantee programs are the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (STAMP), the Stock Exchanges Medallion Program (SEMP) and the New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program (MSP).

Written Transactions

Once you have an account, you can communicate written buy, sell and exchange orders to the Transfer Agent at the following address: Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

Telephone Transactions

Once you have an account, you may place orders to buy, sell or exchange by telephone. To place orders by telephone, call 800.422.3737. Have your account number and taxpayer identification number (TIN) available when calling.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares via the telephone in any 30-day period if you qualify for telephone orders. Wire redemptions requested via the telephone are not subject to this maximum amount. You can buy up to $100,000 of shares through your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction via the telephone per day if you qualify for telephone orders.

 

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Telephone orders may not be as secure as written orders. Columbia Funds will take reasonable steps to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. For example, we require proof of your identification before we will act on instructions received by telephone and may record telephone conversations. However, the Portfolio and its agents will not be responsible for any losses, costs or expenses resulting from an unauthorized telephone instruction when reasonable steps have been taken to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. Telephone orders may be difficult to complete during periods of significant economic or market change or business interruption.

Online Transactions

Once you have an account, contact Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for more information on account trading restrictions and the special sign-up procedures required for online transactions. The Transfer Agent has procedures in place to authenticate electronic orders you deliver through the internet. You will be required to accept the terms of an online agreement and establish and utilize a password in order to access online account services.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares through the internet in any 30-day period if you qualify for internet orders.

Customer Identification Program

Federal law requires the Portfolio to obtain and record specific personal information to verify your identity when you open an account. This information may include your name, address, date of birth (for individuals), and taxpayer or other government issued identification. If you fail to provide the requested information, the Portfolio may need to delay the date of your purchase or may be unable to open your account, which may result in a return of your investment monies. In addition, if the Portfolio is unable to verify your identity after your account is open, the Portfolio reserves the right to close your account or take other steps as deemed reasonable. The Portfolio shall not be held liable for any loss resulting from any purchase delay, application rejection or account closure due to a failure to provide proper identifying information.

Small Account Policy—Accounts Below $250

Columbia Funds generally will automatically sell your shares if the value of your account (treating each account of the Portfolio you own separately from any other account of the Portfolio you may own) falls below $250. If your shares are sold, the Transfer Agent will remit the sale proceeds to you. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of any automatic sale, which will provide details on how you may avoid such an automatic sale. Generally, you may avoid such an automatic sale by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information. The automatic sale of shares of accounts valued at less than $250 is expected to take place in the second quarter of each calendar year.

Columbia Funds may also sell your shares if a financial intermediary tells us to sell your shares pursuant to arrangements made with you, and under certain other circumstances allowed under the 1940 Act.

Small Account Policy—Minimum Balance Fee

If the value of your account (treating each account of the Portfolio you own separately from any other account of the Portfolio you may own) falls below the minimum initial investment requirement applicable to you, your account generally will be subject to a $20 annual fee. This fee will be assessed through the automatic sale of shares in your account. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will reduce the expenses paid by the Portfolio by any amounts it collects from the assessment of this fee. For Portfolios that do not have transfer agency expenses against which to offset the amount collected through assessment of this fee, the fee will be paid directly to the Portfolio. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of assessing any fee, which will provide details on how you can avoid the imposition of such fee. Generally, you may avoid the imposition of such fee by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information.

 

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Columbia Funds reserves the right to change the minimum investment requirements for any Portfolio. We also reserve the right to lower the account size trigger point for the minimum balance fee in any year or for any class of shares when we believe it is appropriate to do so in light of declines in the market value of Portfolio shares, sales loads applicable to a particular class of shares, or for other reasons.

Exceptions to the Small Account Policy

The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 and the annual minimum balance fee described previously do not apply to shareholders of Class R shares or shareholders holding their shares through broker/dealer networked accounts; wrap fee and omnibus accounts; accounts with active Systematic Investment Plans or payroll deduction plans; and certain qualified retirement plans and health savings accounts. The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 does not apply to individual retirement plans.

Cash Flows

The timing and magnitude of cash inflows from investors buying Portfolio shares could prevent the Portfolio from always being fully invested. Conversely, the timing and magnitude of cash outflows to investors selling Portfolio shares could require large ready reserves of uninvested cash to meet shareholder redemptions. Either situation could adversely impact the Portfolio’s performance.

Information Sharing Agreements

As required by Rule 22c-2 under the 1940 Act, the Columbia Funds or certain of their service providers will enter into information sharing agreements with financial intermediaries, including participating life insurance companies and financial intermediaries that sponsor or offer retirement plans through which shares of the Columbia Funds are made available for purchase. Pursuant to Rule 22c-2, financial intermediaries are required, upon request, to: (i) provide shareholder account and transaction information and (ii) execute instructions from the Portfolio to restrict or prohibit further purchases of Portfolio shares by shareholders who have been identified by the Portfolio as having engaged in transactions that violate the Portfolio’s excessive trading policies and procedures. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Excessive Trading Practices for more information.

Excessive Trading Practices

Right to Reject or Restrict Share Transaction Orders – The Portfolio is intended for investors with long-term investment purposes and is not intended as a vehicle for frequent trading activity (market timing) that is excessive. Investors should transact in Portfolio shares primarily for investment purposes. The Board has adopted excessive trading policies and procedures that are designed to deter excessive trading by investors (the Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures). The Portfolio discourages and does not accommodate excessive trading.

The Portfolio reserves the right to reject, without any prior notice, any buy or exchange order for any reason, and will not be liable for any loss resulting from rejected orders. For example, the Portfolio may in its discretion restrict, reject or cancel a buy or exchange order even if the transaction is not subject to the specific exchange limitation described below if the Portfolio or its agents determine that accepting the order could interfere with efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio or is otherwise contrary to the Portfolio’s best interests. The Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures apply equally to buy or exchange transactions communicated directly to the Transfer Agent and to those received by selling and/or servicing agents.

Specific Buying and Exchanging Limitations – If the Portfolio detects that an investor has made two “material round trips” in any 28-day period, it will generally reject the investor’s future buy orders, including exchange buy orders, involving any Columbia Fund.

For these purposes, a “round trip” is a purchase or exchange into the Portfolio followed by a sale or exchange out of the Portfolio. A “material” round trip is one that is deemed by the Portfolio to be material in terms of its amount or its potential detrimental impact on the Portfolio.

Independent of this limit, the Portfolio may, in its discretion, reject future buy orders by any person, group or account that appears to have engaged in any type of excessive trading activity.

These limits generally do not apply to automated transactions or transactions by registered investment companies that invest in the Portfolio using a “fund of funds” structure. These limits do not apply to payroll deduction contributions by

 

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retirement plan participants, transactions initiated by a retirement plan sponsor or certain other retirement plan transactions consisting of rollover transactions, loan repayments and disbursements, and required minimum distribution redemptions. They may be modified or rescinded for accounts held by certain retirement plans to conform to plan limits, for considerations relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or regulations of the Department of Labor, and for certain asset allocation or wrap programs. Accounts known to be under common ownership or control generally will be counted together, but accounts maintained or managed by a common intermediary generally will not be considered to be under common ownership or control. The Portfolio retains the right to modify these restrictions at any time without prior notice to shareholders.

Limitations on the Ability to Detect and Prevent Excessive Trading Practices – The Portfolio takes various steps designed to detect and prevent excessive trading, including daily review of available shareholder transaction information. However, the Portfolio receives buy, sell and exchange orders through financial intermediaries, and cannot always know or reasonably detect excessive trading that may be facilitated by financial intermediaries or by the use of the omnibus account arrangements they offer. Omnibus account arrangements are common forms of holding shares of mutual funds, particularly among certain financial intermediaries such as broker/ dealers, retirement plans and variable insurance products. These arrangements often permit financial intermediaries to aggregate their clients’ transactions and accounts, and in these circumstances, the identity of the shareholders is often not known.

Some financial intermediaries apply their own restrictions or policies to underlying investor accounts, which may be more or less restrictive than those described here. This may impact the Portfolio’s ability to curtail excessive trading, even where it is identified. For these and other reasons, it is possible that excessive trading may occur despite the Portfolio’s efforts to detect and prevent it.

Although these restrictions and policies involve judgments that are inherently subjective and may involve some selectivity in their application, the Portfolio seeks to act in a manner that it believes is consistent with the best interests of shareholders in making any such judgments.

Risks of Excessive Trading – Excessive trading creates certain risks to the Portfolio’s long-term shareholders and may create the following adverse effects:

 

   

negative impact on the Portfolio’s performance;

 

   

potential dilution of the value of the Portfolio’s shares;

 

   

interference with the efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio, such as the need to maintain undesirably large cash positions, the need to use its line of credit or the need to buy or sell securities it otherwise would not have bought or sold;

 

   

losses on the sale of investments resulting from the need to sell securities at less favorable prices;

 

   

increased taxable gains to the Portfolio’s remaining shareholders resulting from the need to sell securities to meet sell orders; and

 

   

increased brokerage and administrative costs.

To the extent that the Portfolio invests significantly in foreign securities traded on markets that close before the Portfolio’s valuation time, it may be particularly susceptible to dilution as a result of excessive trading. Because events may occur after the close of foreign markets and before the Portfolio’s valuation time that influence the value of foreign securities, investors may seek to trade Portfolio shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of foreign securities as of the Portfolio’s valuation time. This is often referred to as price arbitrage. The Portfolio has adopted procedures designed to adjust closing market prices of foreign securities under certain circumstances to reflect what the Portfolio believes to be the fair value of those securities as of its valuation time. To the extent the adjustments don’t work fully, investors engaging in price arbitrage may cause dilution in the value of the Portfolio’s shares held by other shareholders.

Similarly, to the extent that the Portfolio invests significantly in thinly traded high-yield bonds (junk bonds) or equity securities of small-capitalization companies, because these securities are often traded infrequently, investors may seek to trade their shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of these securities. This is also a type of price arbitrage. Any such frequent trading strategies may interfere with efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio to a greater degree than would be the case for mutual funds that invest in highly liquid securities, in part because the Portfolio may have difficulty selling those portfolio

 

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securities at advantageous times or prices to satisfy large and/or frequent sell orders. Any successful price arbitrage may also cause dilution in the value of Portfolio shares held by other shareholders.

 

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Opening an Account and Placing Orders

Columbia Funds encourages you to consult with a financial advisor who can help you with your investment decisions and who can help you open an account. Once you have an account, you can buy, sell and exchange shares by contacting your financial advisor who will send your order to the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent. As described in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies, once you have an account you can also communicate your orders directly to the Transfer Agent by mail, by telephone or online.

Portfolio Liquidation

It is expected that the Portfolio will be liquidated in 2009. As soon as practicable following the completion of all final liquidating distributions, the Portfolio will be terminated. Shareholders of the Portfolio may redeem their investments in the Portfolio at any time prior to the date of liquidation.

Buying Shares

Once you have opened an account, you can buy Class Z shares in a lump sum, through our Systematic Investment Plan, by dividend diversification, by wire or by electronic funds transfer. Class Z shares are only available to the categories of eligible investors described below, each of which is subject to its own minimum initial investment requirements.

For investors establishing a Systematic Investment Plan, the minimum initial investment is $50.

Minimum Initial Investments

There is no minimum initial investment in Class Z shares for the following categories of eligible investors:

 

   

Any person investing all or part of the proceeds of a distribution, rollover or transfer of assets into a Columbia Management Individual Retirement Account, from any deferred compensation plan which was a shareholder of any of the funds of Columbia Acorn Trust (formerly named Liberty Acorn Trust) on September 29, 2000, in which the investor was a participant and through which the investor invested in one or more of the funds of Columbia Acorn Trust immediately prior to the distribution, transfer or rollover.

 

   

Any health savings account sponsored by a third party platform, including those sponsored by Bank of America affiliates, and any omnibus group retirement plan for which a financial intermediary or other entity provides services and is not compensated by the Portfolio for those services, other than in the form of payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent.

 

   

Any investor participating in a wrap program sponsored by a financial intermediary or other entity that is paid an asset-based fee by the investor and that is not compensated by the Portfolio for those services, other than payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent.

The minimum initial investment in Class Z shares for the following categories of eligible investors is $1,000:

 

   

Any individual retirement plan (assuming the eligibility criteria below are met) or group retirement plan that is not held in an omnibus manner for which a financial intermediary or other entity provides services and is not compensated by the Portfolio for those services, other than in the form of payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent.

The minimum initial investment in Class Z shares for the following categories of eligible investors is $2,500:

 

   

Any client of Bank of America or one of its subsidiaries buying shares through an asset management company, trust, fiduciary, retirement plan administration or similar arrangement with Bank of America or the subsidiary.

 

   

Any investor buying shares through a Columbia Management state tuition plan organized under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

   

Any shareholder (as well as any family member of a shareholder or person listed on an account registration for any account of the shareholder) of another fund distributed by the Distributor (i) who holds Class Z shares; (ii) who held Primary A shares prior to the share class redesignation of Primary A shares as Class Z shares that occurred on August 22, 2005; (iii) who holds Class A shares that were obtained by an exchange of Class Z shares; or (iv) who bought shares of certain mutual funds that were not subject to sales charges and that merged with another fund distributed by the Distributor.

 

   

Any trustee or director (or family member of a trustee or director) of a fund distributed by the Distributor.

 

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Any employee (or family member of an employee) of Bank of America or one of its subsidiaries.

 

   

Any investor participating in an account offered by a financial intermediary or other entity that provides services to such an account, is paid an asset-based fee by the investor and is not compensated by the Portfolio for those services, other than payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent (each investor buying shares through a financial intermediary must independently satisfy the minimum investment requirement noted above).

 

   

Any institutional investor who is a corporation, partnership, trust, foundation, endowment, institution, government entity, or similar organization, which meets the respective qualifications for an accredited investor, as defined under the Securities Act of 1933.

 

   

Certain financial institutions and intermediaries, such as insurance companies, trust companies, banks, endowments, investment companies or foundations, buying shares for their own account, including Bank of America and its affiliates and/or subsidiaries.

Minimum Additional Investments

There is no minimum additional investment for Class Z shares.

Systematic Investment Plan

The Systematic Investment Plan allows you to make regular purchases in amounts of $50 or more via automatic transfers from your bank account to the Portfolio on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan.

Dividend Diversification

Generally, you may automatically invest distributions made by another Columbia Fund into the same class of shares (and in some cases certain other classes of shares) of the Portfolio at no additional sales charge. A sales charge may apply when you invest distributions made by a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase. Call Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for details.

Wire Purchases

You may buy Class Z shares of the Portfolio by wiring money from your bank account to your Portfolio account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737.

Electronic Funds Transfer

You may buy Class Z shares of the Portfolio by electronically transferring money from your bank account to your Portfolio account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. An electronic funds transfer may take up to three business days to settle and be considered in “good form.” You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Other Purchase Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your buy order in “good form,” your purchase will be made at the next calculated net asset value per share.

 

   

You generally buy Class Z shares at net asset value per share because no front-end sales charge applies to purchases of this share class.

 

   

The Portfolio reserves the right to cancel your order if it doesn’t receive payment within three business days of receiving your buy order. The Portfolio will return any payment received for orders that have been cancelled, but no interest will be paid on that money.

 

   

Selling and/or servicing agents are responsible for sending your buy orders to the Transfer Agent and ensuring that we receive your money on time.

 

   

Shares bought are recorded on the books of the Portfolio. The Portfolio doesn’t issue certificates.

Selling Shares

When you sell your shares, the Portfolio is effectively buying them back from you. This is called a redemption.

Wire Redemptions

You may request that your Class Z shares sale proceeds be wired to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. You must set up this feature prior to your request. For shares sold by Fedwire, there is generally a fee of $7.50. The receiving bank may charge an additional fee. The Transfer Agent may waive the fee for certain accounts. The minimum amount that can be redeemed by wire is $500.

Electronic Funds Transfer

You may sell Class Z shares of the Portfolio and request that the proceeds be electronically transferred to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It may take up to three business days for the sale proceeds to be

 

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received by your bank. You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan

The Systematic Withdrawal Plan lets you withdraw funds from your Class Z shares account any day of the month on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. Your account balance generally must be at least $5,000 to set up the plan, but certain fee-based and wrap accounts are not subject to this requirement. All dividend and capital gain distributions must be reinvested to set up the plan. A Systematic Withdrawal Plan cannot be set up on an account that already has a Systematic Investment Plan established. If you set up the plan after you’ve opened your account, we may require your signature to be Medallion guaranteed.

You can choose to receive your withdrawals via check or direct deposit into your bank account. You can cancel the plan by giving Columbia Funds 30 days notice in writing or by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It’s important to remember that if you withdraw more than your investment in the Portfolio is earning, you’ll eventually use up your original investment.

In-Kind Distributions

The Portfolio reserves the right to honor sell orders with in-kind distributions of portfolio securities instead of cash. In the event the Portfolio makes such an in-kind distribution, you may incur the brokerage and transaction costs associated with converting the portfolio securities you receive into cash. Also, the portfolio securities you receive may increase or decrease in value before you convert them into cash.

Other Redemption Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your sell order in “good form,” your shares will be sold at the next calculated net asset value per share.

 

   

If you sell your shares directly through Columbia Funds, we will normally send the sale proceeds by mail or electronically transfer them to your bank account within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you sell your shares through a selling agent, Columbia Funds will normally send the sale proceeds by Fedwire within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you paid for your shares by check or from your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction, Columbia Funds will hold the sale proceeds when you sell those shares for up to 10 days after the trade date of the purchase.

 

   

No interest will be paid on uncashed redemption checks.

 

   

Columbia Funds can delay payment of the sale proceeds for up to seven days and may suspend redemptions and/or postpone payment of redemption proceeds when the NYSE is closed or during emergency circumstances as determined by the SEC.

 

   

Other restrictions may apply to retirement accounts. For information about these restrictions, contact your retirement plan administrator.

 

   

Also keep in mind Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy, which is described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies.

Exchanging Shares

You can generally sell shares of the Portfolio to buy shares of another Columbia Fund, in what is called an exchange. You should read the prospectus of, and make sure you understand the investment objective and principal investment strategies of, the Columbia Fund into which you are exchanging.

Systematic Exchanges

You may buy Class Z shares of the Portfolio by exchanging $100 or more each month from another Columbia Fund for shares of the same class of the Portfolio at no additional cost. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. If you set up your plan to exchange more than $100,000 each month, you must have your signature Medallion guaranteed.

Exchanges will continue as long as your balance is sufficient to complete the systematic monthly transfers, subject to Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies. You may terminate the program or change the amount you would like to exchange (subject to the $100 minimum) by calling Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611. A sales charge may apply when you exchange shares of a Columbia Fund that

 

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were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase.

The rules described below for making exchanges apply to systematic exchanges.

Other Exchange Rules You Should Know

 

   

Exchanges are made at net asset value.

 

   

You can generally make exchanges between like share classes of any Columbia Fund. Some exceptions apply.

 

   

The rules for buying shares of a Columbia Fund generally apply to exchanges into that Fund.

 

   

You may make exchanges only into a Columbia Fund that is legally offered and sold in your state of residence.

 

   

You generally may make an exchange only into a Columbia Fund that is accepting investments.

 

   

The Portfolio may change or cancel your right to make an exchange by giving the amount of notice required by regulatory authorities (generally 60 days for a material change or cancellation).

 

   

Unless your account is part of a tax-advantaged retirement plan, an exchange for shares of another fund is a taxable event, and you may recognize a gain or loss for tax purposes.

 

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Distributions and Taxes

Distributions to Shareholders

A mutual fund can make money two ways:

 

   

It can earn income on its investments. Examples of fund income are interest paid on money market instruments and bonds, and dividends paid on common stocks.

 

   

A mutual fund can also have capital gains if the value of its investments increases. While a fund continues to hold an investment, any gain is unrealized. If the fund sells an investment, it generally will realize a capital gain if it sells that investment for a higher price than it originally paid. Capital gains are either short-term or long-term, depending on whether the fund holds the securities for one year or less (short-term gains) or more than one year (long-term gains).

FUNDamentalsTM

Distributions

Mutual funds make payments of fund earnings to shareholders, distributing them among all shareholders of the fund. As a shareholder, you are entitled to your portion of a fund’s distributed income, including capital gains.

Reinvesting your distributions buys you more shares of a fund – which lets you take advantage of the potential for compound growth. Putting the money you earn back into your investment means it, in turn, may earn even more money. Over time, the power of compounding has the potential to significantly increase the value of your investment. There is no assurance, however, that you’ll earn more money if you reinvest your distributions rather than receive them in cash.

The Portfolio intends to pay out, in the form of distributions to shareholders, a sufficient amount of its income and gains so that the Portfolio will qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company and generally will not have to pay any federal excise tax. The Portfolio generally intends to distribute any net realized capital gain (whether long-term or short-term gain) at least once a year. Normally, the Portfolio will declare and pay distributions of net investment income according to the following schedule:

Declaration and Distribution Schedule

 

Declarations   semi-annually
Distributions   semi-annually

The Portfolio may, however, declare and pay distributions of net investment income more frequently.

Different share classes of the Portfolio usually pay different net investment income distribution amounts, because each class has different expenses. Each time a distribution is made, the net asset value per share of the share class is reduced by the amount of the distribution.

The Portfolio generally pays cash distributions within five business days after the distribution was declared. If you sell all of your shares after the record date but before the payment date for a distribution, you’ll normally receive that distribution in cash within five business days after the sale was made.

The Portfolio will automatically reinvest distributions in additional shares of the same share class of the Portfolio unless you inform us you want to receive your distributions in cash. You can do this by writing Columbia Funds at the address on the back cover, or by calling us at 800.345.6611. No sales charges apply to the purchase or sale of such shares. Distributions of $10 or less will automatically be reinvested in additional Portfolio shares only. If you elect to receive distributions by check and the check is returned as undeliverable, all subsequent distributions will be reinvested in additional shares of the Portfolio.

Unless you are investing through a tax-deferred retirement account (such as an IRA), you should consider avoiding buying Portfolio shares shortly before the Portfolio makes a distribution of net investment income or net realized capital gain, because doing so can cost you money in taxes. This is because you will, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back in the distribution. This is known as “buying a dividend.” To avoid “buying a dividend,” check the Portfolio’s distribution schedule online at www.columbiafunds.com, or by calling us at 800.345.6611, before you invest.

 

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If you buy shares of the Portfolio when it holds securities with unrealized capital gain, you may, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back if and when the Portfolio sells those securities and distributes any net realized gain. Any such distribution is generally subject to tax. The Portfolio may have, or may build up over time, high levels of unrealized capital gain. If you buy shares of the Portfolio when it has capital loss carryforwards, the Portfolio may have the ability to offset capital gains realized by the Portfolio that otherwise would have been distributed to shareholders with such carryforwards, although capital loss carryforwards generally expire after eight taxable years and may be subject to substantial limitations.

 

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Taxes and Your Investment

The Portfolio will send you a statement each year showing how much you’ve received in distributions in the prior year and the distributions’ character for federal income tax purposes. In addition, you should be aware of the following:

 

   

The Portfolio intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company. A regulated investment company generally is not subject to tax at the portfolio level on income and gains from investments that are distributed to shareholders. However, the Portfolio’s failure to qualify as a regulated investment company would result in portfolio level taxation, and consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to you.

 

   

Distributions generally are taxable to you when paid, whether they are paid in cash or automatically reinvested in additional shares of the Portfolio.

 

   

Distributions of the Portfolio’s ordinary income and net short-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions of the Portfolio’s net long-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as long-term capital gain. Whether capital gains are long-term or short-term is determined by how long the Portfolio has owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long you have owned your shares.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, if you are an individual and you meet certain holding period and other requirements for your Portfolio shares, a portion of your distributions may be treated as “qualified dividend income” taxable at lower net long-term capital gain rates. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this provision to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010. Qualified dividend income is income attributable to the Portfolio’s dividends received from certain U.S. and foreign corporations, as long as the Portfolio meets certain holding period and other requirements for the stock producing such dividends.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, the maximum individual federal income tax rate on net long-term capital gain (and thus qualified dividend income) has been temporarily reduced to 15%. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this rate reduction to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010.

 

   

A sale, redemption or exchange of Portfolio shares is a taxable event. This includes redemptions where you are paid in securities. Your sales, redemptions and exchanges of Portfolio shares (including those paid in securities) usually will result in a taxable capital gain or loss to you, equal to the difference between the amount you receive for your shares (or are deemed to have received in the case of exchanges) and the amount you paid (or are deemed to have paid in the case of exchanges) for them. Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held your Portfolio shares for more than one year at the time of sale or exchange. In certain circumstances, capital losses may be converted from short-term to long-term or disallowed.

 

   

The Portfolio is required by federal law to withhold tax on any taxable distributions and sale proceeds paid to you (including amounts paid to you in securities and amounts deemed to be paid to you upon an exchange of shares) if: you haven’t provided a correct taxpayer identification number (TIN) or haven’t certified to the Portfolio that withholding doesn’t apply; the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has notified us that the TIN listed on your account is incorrect according to its records; or the IRS informs the Portfolio that you are otherwise subject to backup withholding.

 

   

If at the end of the taxable year more than 50% of the value of the Portfolio’s assets consists of securities of foreign corporations, and the Portfolio makes a special election, you will generally be required to include in income your share of the foreign taxes paid by the Portfolio. You may be able to either deduct this amount from your income or claim it as a foreign tax credit. There is no assurance that the Portfolio will make a special election for a taxable year, even if it is eligible to do so.

 

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FUNDamentalsTM

Taxes

The information provided above is only a summary of how U.S. federal income taxes may affect your investment in the Portfolio. It is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Your investment in the Portfolio may have other tax implications.

It does not apply to certain types of investors who may be subject to special rules, including foreign or tax-exempt investors or those holding Portfolio shares through a tax-advantaged account, such as a 401(k) plan or IRA.

You should consult with your own tax advisor about the particular tax consequences to you of an investment in the Portfolio, including the effect of any foreign, state and local taxes, and the effect of possible changes in applicable tax laws.

 

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights table is designed to help you understand how the Portfolio has performed for the past five full fiscal years, or if shorter, the Portfolio’s period of operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Portfolio share. The total return line indicates how much an investment in the Portfolio would have earned each period assuming all dividends and distributions had been reinvested.

This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm whose report, along with the Portfolio’s financial statements, is included in the Portfolio’s annual report. The independent registered public accounting firm’s report and the Portfolio’s financial statements are also incorporated by reference into the SAI.

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio—Class Z Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Period Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 10.80      $ 11.09      $ 10.29      $ 10.00   

Income from Investment Operations:

        

Net investment income(b)

     0.05        0.16        0.12        —   (d) 

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (4.67     0.12        1.26        0.29   

Total from investment operations

     (4.62     0.28        1.38        0.29   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

        

From net investment income

     —          (0.09     (0.10     —     

From net realized gains

     (0.57     (0.48     (0.48     —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.57     (0.57     (0.58     —     

Redemption Fees:

        

Redemption fees added to paid-in-capital(b)(d)

     —          —          —          —     

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 5.61      $ 10.80      $ 11.09      $ 10.29   

Total return(e)(f)

     (45.09 )%      2.03     13.56     2.90 %(g) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

        

Net expenses(h)(i)

     —          —          —          —     

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.87     0.76     1.40     21.19 %(j) 

Net investment income(i)

     0.58     1.37     1.15     —   %(j)(c) 

Portfolio turnover rate

     9     9     2     —     

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 459      $ 994      $ 556      $ 28   

 

(a)

Class Z shares commenced operations on February 15, 2006. Per share data and total return reflect activity from that date.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Rounds to less than 0.01%.

(d)

Rounds to less than $0.01 per share.

(e)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested.

(f)

Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(g)

Not annualized.

(h)

Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the Portfolio invests, if these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(i)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(j)

Annualized.

 

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Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

The following supplemental hypothetical investment information provides additional information about the effect of the fees and expenses of the Portfolio, including investment advisory fees and other Portfolio costs, on the Portfolio’s returns over a 10-year period. The chart shows the estimated fees and expenses that would be charged on a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in Class Z shares of the Portfolio, assuming a 5% return each year, the cumulative return after fees and expenses and the hypothetical year-end balance after fees and expenses. The chart also assumes that all dividends and distributions are reinvested. The annual expense ratio used for the share class, which is the same as that stated in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses table, is presented in the chart and is net of any contractual fee waivers or expense reimbursements for the period of the contractual commitment. Your actual costs may be higher or lower.

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio—Class Z Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.00   4.00   $ 10,400.00    $ 102.00

2

   10.25   1.87   7.26   $ 10,725.52    $ 197.52

3

   15.76   1.87   10.61   $ 11,061.23    $ 203.71

4

   21.55   1.87   14.07   $ 11,407.45    $ 210.08

5

   27.63   1.87   17.64   $ 11,764.50    $ 216.66

6

   34.01   1.87   21.33   $ 12,132.73    $ 223.44

7

   40.71   1.87   25.12   $ 12,512.48    $ 230.43

8

   47.75   1.87   29.04   $ 12,904.12    $ 237.65

9

   55.13   1.87   33.08   $ 13,308.02    $ 245.08

10

   62.89   1.87   37.25   $ 13,724.56    $ 252.75

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

  $ 3,724.56   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

     $ 2,119.32

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

 

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LOGO

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio

Class Z Shares

Prospectus, August 1, 2009

For More Information

You’ll find more information about the Portfolio and the other Columbia Funds in the documents described below. Contact Columbia Funds as follows to obtain these documents free of charge:

 

By Mail:  

Columbia Funds

c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc.

P.O. Box 8081

Boston, MA 02266-8081

By Telephone:   800.345.6611
Online:   www.columbiafunds.com

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders

Additional information about the Portfolio’s investments is available in the Portfolio’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Portfolio’s performance during its last fiscal year.

Shareholder Communications with the Board

The Portfolio’s Board of Trustees has adopted procedures by which shareholders may communicate with the Board. Shareholders who wish to communicate with the Board should send their written communications to the Board by mail, c/o Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, One Financial Center, Mail Stop MA5-515-11-05, Boston, MA 02111, Attention: Secretary. Shareholder communications must (i) be in writing, (ii) identify the Columbia Fund to which the communication relates and (iii) state the particular class of shares and number of shares held by the communicating shareholder.

Statement of Additional Information

The SAI provides more detailed information about the Portfolio and its policies. The SAI is legally part of this prospectus (incorporated by reference). A copy has been filed with the SEC.

Information Provided by the SEC

You can review and copy information about the Portfolio (including this prospectus, the SAI and shareholder reports) at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. To find out more about the operation of the Public Reference Room, call the SEC at 202.551.8090 or 800.SEC.0330. Reports and other information about the Portfolio are also available in the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You can receive copies of this information, for a fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov or by writing the Public Reference Section, Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, DC 20549-0102.

For purposes of any electronic version of this prospectus, all references to websites, or universal resource locators (URLs), are intended to be inactive and are not meant to incorporate the contents of any website into this prospectus.

The investment company registration number of Columbia Funds Series Trust, of which the Portfolio is a series, is 811-09645.

©2009 Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.

One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111-2621

800.345.6611 www.columbiafunds.com

INT-36/18005-0809


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LOGO

Prospectus

August 1, 2009

Columbia Funds

 

Class A, Class B and Class C Shares    Advised by Columbia Management Advisors, LLC
Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio   

LOGO The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


Table of Contents

Portfolio shares are NOT deposits or other obligations of, or issued, endorsed or guaranteed by, Bank of America, N.A. or any of its affiliates. Portfolio shares are NOT issued, insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, the FDIC or any other government agency.

Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) and its affiliates are paid for the services they provide to the Portfolio and may be compensated or incented in connection with the sale of Portfolio shares. The Portfolio may be used as an investment option for various products and services offered by Bank of America that may raise economic and other conflicts of interest, which are discussed in this prospectus.

AN INVESTMENT IN THE PORTFOLIO INVOLVES CERTAIN RISKS, INCLUDING LOSS OF PRINCIPAL.

 

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Prospectus Primer

This prospectus tells you about Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio (the Portfolio), which is one of the mutual funds in the Columbia Funds family of mutual funds (Columbia Funds). The Portfolio is a “fund of funds” that invests its assets in a mix of underlying mutual funds (each, an Underlying Fund and together, the Underlying Funds) that may change over time. This prospectus is designed to provide you with important information about the Portfolio in a concise and easy to understand manner that is meant to help you make informed investment decisions.

The prospectus first summarizes the key characteristics of the Portfolio, including:

 

   

investment objective,

 

   

principal investment strategies and risks,

 

   

year-by-year performance information,

 

   

fees and expenses, and

 

   

a description of the Portfolio’s additional investment strategies and policies.

This summary is followed by other important information, including:

 

   

a discussion of the Portfolio’s primary service providers, including the roles and relationships of Bank of America and its affiliates, and conflicts of interest, and

 

   

a summary of the Portfolio’s various share classes offered by this prospectus.

Later sections of the prospectus talk about the details of investing in the Portfolio, including:

 

   

how to buy, sell and exchange shares of the Portfolio, and

 

   

how you will receive your investment proceeds.

The prospectus also includes:

 

   

information about how federal and certain other taxes may affect your investment,

 

   

highlights of the Portfolio’s financial information, and

 

   

hypothetical fee and expense data that show the costs associated with investing in the Portfolio.

We have included a number of features designed to facilitate your use of this prospectus, including:

 

   

“FUNDamentals™” sections that provide simple explanations of key terms and concepts, as well as some basics of mutual fund investing,

 

   

a “FUNDimensions™” section that is meant to give you a “snapshot” of the Portfolio’s main attributes, and

 

   

graphic icons which are defined in the guide below.

Icons Guide

 

LOGO    Investment Objective
LOGO    Principal Investment Strategies
LOGO    Principal Risks
LOGO    Performance Information
LOGO    Fees and Expenses
LOGO    Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates - Certain Conflicts of Interest

For More Information

You can contact Columbia Funds:

 

   

by mail at Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

 

   

by telephone at 800.345.6611.

 

   

by email at serviceinquiries@columbiamanagement.com or online at www.columbiafunds.com.

 

   

through your financial advisor, who can help you select from among the Columbia Funds to meet your investment needs.

You also can find more information about the Portfolio in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI), which includes more detailed information about the Portfolio’s investments, policies and management, among other things. Turn to the back cover to find out how you can get a copy.

The SEC provides a “Beginners’ Guide to Mutual Funds” which may be useful to some investors and is available online, free of charge, at www.sec.gov.

 

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Table of Contents

 

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio

   5

Investment Objective

   5

Principal Investment Strategies

   5

Principal Risks

   7

Performance Information

   12

Fees and Expenses

   14

Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

   17

Management of the Portfolio

   19

Primary Service Providers

   19

Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

   21

Certain Legal Matters

   22

Choosing a Share Class

   23

Comparison of the Share Classes

   23

Sales Charges and Commissions

   24

Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges

   28

Distribution and Service Fees

   30

Financial Intermediary Compensation

   31

Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

   32

Share Price Determination

   32

Transaction Rules and Policies

   33

Opening an Account and Placing Orders

   38

Distributions and Taxes

   42

Financial Highlights

   45

Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

   48

Columbia Management Group, LLC

The Portfolio is sponsored by Columbia Management Group, LLC (Columbia Management), which is the primary investment division of Bank of America. Columbia Management is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110.

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC is the Portfolio’s investment advisor (the Advisor) and its administrator (the Administrator). Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. is the Portfolio’s distributor (the Distributor). Columbia Management Services, Inc. is the Portfolio’s transfer agent (the Transfer Agent).

The Portfolio, like all mutual funds, is designed to be a part of a broad and diversified investment portfolio and is not intended to fulfill all of your investment needs.

You should consider the objectives, risks and expenses of the Portfolio and any other Columbia Fund carefully before investing.

Portfolio Liquidation. It is expected that the Portfolio will be liquidated in 2009. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders for more information.

FUNDamentals™ and FUNDimensions™ are trademarks of Bank of America.

 

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Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio

 

FUNDimensions™
Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio
Investment Objective:    Capital appreciation
Investment Style:    Moderate Allocation
Benchmarks:   

S&P 500® Index (a)

Barclays Capital U.S. Intermediate Government/Credit Bond Index

Ticker Symbols:   

Class A: CMHAX

Class B: CMHBX

Class C: CMHCX

Principal Risks:   

Investment strategy risk

Allocation risk

Investing in other funds risk

Market risk

Smaller company securities risk

Foreign securities risk

Convertible securities risk

U.S. Government obligations risk

Asset-backed securities risk

Mortgage-backed securities risk

Dollar rolls risk

Interest rate risk

Value securities risk

Emerging market securities risk

Derivatives risk

Currency risk

Reinvestment risk

Low and below investment grade securities risk

Credit risk

Special situations risk

Growth securities risk

Frequent trading risk

 

(a)

“Standard & Poor’s” and “S&P” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by the Advisor. The Portfolio is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s and Standard & Poor’s makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Portfolio.

FUNDamentals™

Benchmarks

Benchmarks are indices that provide some guidance in assessing fund performance. A fund does not, however, limit its investments to the securities within its benchmark(s), and a fund’s holdings can differ from those of any particular benchmark or index. Benchmarks are only guideposts for performance.

FUNDamentals™

Fund of Funds

Unlike a traditional mutual fund, which invests in individual securities, a “fund of funds” invests in a mix of underlying funds typically by using an asset allocation approach. A fund of funds indirectly bears a portion of the underlying funds’ expenses, in addition to the fund of funds’ own expenses.

LOGO Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks capital appreciation.

LOGO Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests in Class Z shares of specific Columbia Funds (Underlying Funds) on a fixed percentage basis. The Underlying Funds, in turn, invest primarily in domestic and, to a lesser extent, foreign equity securities and domestic and foreign debt securities.

The Portfolio currently makes allocations among three Underlying Funds as follows:

 

   

33 1/3% of the Portfolio’s total assets in Columbia Strategic Investor Fund.

 

   

33 1/3% of the Portfolio’s total assets in Columbia Marsico 21st Century Fund.

 

   

33 1/3% of the Portfolio’s total assets in Columbia Strategic Income Fund.

The Advisor monitors the percentage allocations to the Underlying Funds and rebalances the Portfolio’s allocations to the Underlying Funds to ensure that actual allocations do not exceed plus or minus 3% of the fixed allocation percentages.

Columbia Strategic Investor Fund seeks long-term growth of capital by using a “value” approach and, under normal circumstances, invests primarily in common stocks of companies that the Advisor believes are attractively valued and have the potential for long-term growth. The Fund may invest in companies that have market capitalizations of any size and may invest a significant amount of its assets in smaller companies. The Fund may invest up to 33% of its total assets in foreign securities, including securities of companies in emerging market countries. The Fund may invest in special situations such as initial public offerings, in companies

 

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involved in management changes, tender offers, mergers and other corporate restructurings and in companies developing new technologies.

Columbia Marsico 21st Century Fund seeks long-term growth of capital and invests primarily in equity securities of companies of any capitalization size, generally holding a core position of between 35 and 50 common stocks. It may invest without limit in foreign securities, including emerging market securities.

Columbia Strategic Income Fund seeks total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation and, under normal circumstances, invests primarily in debt securities in the following three segments of the debt securities market: (i) securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies, including mortgage- and other asset-backed securities; (ii) securities issued by foreign governments, companies or other entities, including in emerging market countries and non-dollar denominated securities; and (iii) below investment grade corporate debt securities or unrated corporate debt securities determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality, which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.”

The Advisor’s allocations to the Underlying Funds are expected to remain constant, but the Advisor can modify this list of Underlying Funds at any time, including by adding Underlying Funds introduced after the date of this prospectus.

FUNDamentals™

Asset Allocation Funds

Asset allocation funds use a process called “asset allocation,” which is the process of creating a portfolio by investing in different asset classes – for example, domestic equity securities, foreign securities and debt securities – in varying proportions.

The mix of asset classes and how much is invested in each is an important factor in how an asset allocation fund performs and the amount of risk involved. Each asset class, and each sub-asset class within a class, like large-, mid- and small-capitalization equity securities, has different risk and return characteristics, and may react in different ways to changes in the financial markets and to the economy in general. An investment approach that combines asset classes and sub-asset classes may help to reduce overall volatility.

Asset allocation funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio, and

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income.

 

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LOGO Principal Risks

 

   

Investment Strategy Risk – The Advisor uses the principal investment strategies and other investment strategies to seek to achieve the Portfolio’s investment objective. Investment decisions made by the Advisor in using these strategies may not produce the returns expected by the Advisor, may cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or may cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.

 

   

Allocation Risk – The Portfolio uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Portfolio’s allocation among asset classes or investments will cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

 

   

Investing in Other Funds Risk – The performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests could be adversely affected if other entities that invest in the same Underlying Funds make relatively large investments or redemptions in the Underlying Funds. Because the expenses and costs of an Underlying Fund are shared by its investors, redemptions by other investors in the Underlying Fund could result in decreased economies of scale and increased operating expenses for the Underlying Fund. The Portfolio, and its shareholders, indirectly bear a portion of the expenses of the Underlying Funds. These transactions might also result in higher brokerage, tax or other costs for the Portfolio. This risk may be particularly important when one investor owns a substantial portion of any Underlying Fund. In addition, the Advisor has the authority to change the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or to change the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. If an Underlying Fund pays fees to the Advisor or its affiliates, such as advisory fees, this could result in the Advisor having a potential conflict of interest in selecting the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or in determining the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. There are also circumstances in which the Advisor’s fiduciary duties to the Portfolio may conflict with its fiduciary duties to the Underlying Funds.

The Portfolio is subject indirectly to the following risks of the Underlying Funds:

 

   

Market Risk – The Underlying Funds are subject to market risk, which refers to the possibility that the market values of securities that the Underlying Fund holds will rise or fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Security values may fall because of factors affecting individual companies, industries or sectors, or the markets as a whole, reducing the value of an investment in the Underlying Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Underlying Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. The market values of the securities the Underlying Fund holds also can be affected by changes or perceived changes in U.S. or foreign economies and financial markets and the liquidity of these securities, among other factors. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

 

   

Smaller Company Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of small- or mid-capitalization companies (“smaller companies”) which can, in certain circumstances, have a higher potential for gains than securities of large-capitalization companies but may also have more risk. For example, smaller companies may be more vulnerable to market downturns and adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies because they may have more limited financial resources and business operations. These companies are also more likely than larger companies to have more limited product lines and operating histories and to depend on smaller management teams. Their securities may trade less frequently and in smaller volumes and may be less liquid and fluctuate more sharply in value than securities of larger companies. In addition, some smaller companies may not be widely followed by the investment community, which can lower the demand for their stocks.

 

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Foreign Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in foreign securities, which are subject to special risks as compared to securities of U.S. issuers. For example, foreign markets can be extremely volatile. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may impact the value of foreign securities denominated in foreign currencies, or in U.S. dollars, without a change in the intrinsic value of those securities. Foreign securities may be less liquid than domestic securities so that the Underlying Fund may, at times, be unable to sell foreign securities at desirable times or prices. Brokerage commissions, custodial fees and other fees are also generally higher for foreign securities. The Underlying Fund may have limited or no legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain foreign securities, including those issued by foreign governments. In addition, foreign governments may impose potentially confiscatory withholding or other taxes, which could reduce the amount of income and capital gains available to distribute to shareholders. Other risks include possible delays in the settlement of transactions or in the payment of income; generally less publicly available information about companies; the impact of political, social or diplomatic events; possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of a company or its assets; possible imposition of currency exchange controls; and accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards that may be less comprehensive and stringent than those applicable to domestic companies.

 

   

Convertible Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in convertible securities, which are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate risk and credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. Because the value of a convertible security can be influenced by both interest rates and market movements, a convertible security generally is not as sensitive to interest rates as a similar debt security, and generally will not vary in value in response to other factors to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities would typically be paid before the company’s common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. The Underlying Fund may be forced to convert a convertible security before it otherwise would choose to do so, which may decrease the Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

U.S. Government Obligations Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in U.S. Government obligations. U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government and generally have negligible credit risk. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. For example, securities issued by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Banks are neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. Government. These securities may be supported by the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the credit of the issuing agency, authority, instrumentality or enterprise and, as a result, are subject to greater credit risk than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

 

   

Asset-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in asset-backed securities. The value of an Underlying Fund’s asset-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the receivables, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Asset-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of receivables such as credit card, auto, student and home equity loans. They may also be backed, in turn, by securities backed by these types of loans and others, such as mortgage loans. Asset-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Most asset-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying debt may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of asset-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of asset-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

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Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in mortgage-backed securities. The value of the Underlying Fund’s mortgage-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the mortgages, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Mortgage-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of mortgages from which payments of interest and principal (net of fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of the securities) are distributed to the holders of the mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage-backed securities (but not the market value of the securities themselves) may be guaranteed (i) by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association) or (ii) by its agencies, authorities, enterprises or instrumentalities (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Federal National Mortgage Association or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation), which are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government. Mortgage-backed securities issued by non-governmental issuers (such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers) may be supported by various credit enhancements, such as pool insurance, guarantees issued by governmental entities, letters of credit from a bank or senior/subordinated structures, and may entail greater risk than obligations guaranteed by the U.S. Government, whether or not such obligations are guaranteed by the private issuer. Mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying mortgage may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of mortgage-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of mortgage-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

   

Dollar Rolls Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may use dollar rolls, which are transactions in which the Underlying Fund sells securities to a counterparty and simultaneously agrees to purchase those or similar securities in the future at a predetermined price. Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Underlying Fund is obligated to repurchase may decline below the repurchase price, or that the counterparty may default on its obligations. These transactions may also increase the Underlying Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. If the Underlying Fund reinvests the proceeds of the security sold, the Underlying Fund will also be subject to the risk that the investments purchased with such proceeds will decline in value (a form of leverage risk).

 

   

Interest Rate Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in debt securities, which are subject to interest rate risk. In general, if prevailing interest rates rise, the values of debt securities will tend to fall, and if interest rates fall, the values of debt securities will tend to rise. Changes in the value of a debt security usually will not affect the amount of income the Underlying Fund receives from it but will affect the value of the Underlying Fund’s shares. Interest rate risk is generally greater for debt securities with longer maturities/durations.

 

   

Value Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in value securities, which are securities of companies that may have experienced, for example, adverse business, industry or other developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the securities to be out of favor and, in turn, potentially undervalued. The market value of a portfolio security may not meet the Advisor’s future value assessment of that security, or may decline. There is also a risk that it may take longer than expected for the value of these investments to rise to the believed value. In addition, value securities, at times, may not perform as well as growth securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

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Emerging Market Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries, like those in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America or Africa. These emerging market securities are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in foreign securities that are described in “Foreign Securities Risk.” In addition, these countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid social, political and economic development. Their economies are usually less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity than more developed countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade, which makes them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries. Some emerging market countries have a higher risk of currency devaluations, and some of these countries may experience periods of high inflation or rapid changes in inflation rates.

 

   

Derivatives Risk – Certain Underlying Funds use derivatives, which are financial contracts whose values are, for example, based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or bond), assets (such as a commodity like gold or a foreign currency), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Derivatives involve special risks and may result in losses or may limit the Fund’s potential gain from favorable market movements. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying security. The values of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in unusual market conditions, and may result in increased volatility, among other consequences. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Other risks arise from the Underlying Fund’s potential inability to terminate or sell derivative positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Underlying Fund’s derivative positions at times when the Underlying Fund might wish to terminate or sell such positions. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid, and transactions in derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. The use of derivatives also involves the risks of mispricing or improper valuation and that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying security, asset, reference rate or index. The Underlying Fund may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to engage in derivative transactions when it is deemed favorable to do so, or at all. For more information on the risks of derivative investments and strategies, see the SAI.

 

   

Currency Risk – Certain Underlying Funds are subject to currency risk. Securities denominated in different currencies are subject to the risk that, for example, if the value of a foreign currency were to decline against the U.S. dollar, such decline would reduce the U.S. dollar value of any securities held by the Fund denominated in that currency.

 

   

Reinvestment Risk – Because certain Underlying Funds invest in debt securities, income from those Underlying Funds’ debt securities portfolios will decline if and when the Underlying Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called securities in securities with market interest rates that are below the current earnings rate of the Underlying Fund’s portfolio.

 

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Low and Below Investment Grade Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in debt securities with the lowest investment grade rating (e.g., BBB by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch) or that are below investment grade (which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) (e.g., BB or below by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch). These securities are more speculative than securities with higher ratings, and tend to be more sensitive to credit risk, particularly during a downturn in the economy, which is more likely to weaken the ability of the issuers to make principal and interest payments on these securities than is the case for higher-rated securities. These securities typically pay a premium – a high interest rate or yield – because of the increased risk of loss, including default. These securities also are generally less liquid than higher rated securities. The securities ratings provided by Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch are based on analyses by these ratings agencies of the credit quality of the securities and may not take into account every risk related to whether interest or principal will be timely repaid.

 

   

Credit Risk – Certain Underlying Funds are subject to credit risk, which applies to most debt securities, but is generally not a factor for obligations backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose money if the issuer of a debt security is unable or perceived to be unable to pay interest or repay principal when it becomes due. Various factors could affect the issuer’s actual or perceived willingness or ability to make timely interest or principal payments, including changes in the issuer’s financial condition or in general economic conditions. Debt securities backed by an issuer’s taxing authority may be subject to legal limits on the issuer’s power to increase taxes or otherwise to raise revenue, or may be dependent on legislative appropriation or government aid. Certain debt securities are backed only by revenues derived from a particular project or source, rather than by an issuer’s taxing authority, and thus may have a greater risk of default.

 

   

Special Situations Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of companies that are involved in an initial public offering or a major corporate event, such as a business consolidation or restructuring, which may present special risk because of the high degree of uncertainty that can be associated with such events. Securities issued in initial public offerings often are issued by companies that are in the early stages of development, have a history of little or no revenues and may operate at a loss following the offering. It is possible that there will be no active trading market for the securities after the offering, and the market price of the securities may be subject to significant and unpredictable fluctuations. Investing in special situations may have a magnified effect on the performance of funds with small amounts of assets.

 

   

Growth Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in growth securities. Because growth securities typically trade at a higher multiple of earnings than other types of securities, the prices of growth securities may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other types of securities. In addition, growth securities, at times, may not perform as well as value securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Frequent Trading Risk – Certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve the frequent trading of portfolio securities. Frequent trading of investments increases the possibility that the Underlying Fund will realize taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s after-tax return. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s return.

These are summaries of the principal risks associated with the principal investment strategies of the Portfolio. Additional risks are associated with other permissible investments of the Portfolio that are described in the SAI together with further information about these principal risks. There is no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.

 

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LOGO Performance Information

The following bar chart and table show you how the Portfolio has performed in the past, and can help you understand the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s past performance (before or after taxes) is no guarantee of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Year by Year Total Return (%) as of December 31 Each Year*

The bar chart below shows you how the performance of the Portfolio’s Class A shares has varied from year to year. These returns do not reflect deductions of sales charges, if any, paid by investors and would be lower if they did.

LOGO

 

* Year-to-date return as of June 30, 2009: 6.70%.

Best and Worst Quarterly Returns During this Period

 

Best:

   2nd Quarter 2007:    5.66%

Worst:

   4th Quarter 2008:    -18.25%

FUNDamentals™

Portfolio Performance

Many factors can affect a mutual fund’s performance, including, for example:

 

   

management of fund holdings,

 

   

market conditions,

 

   

fund expenses, and

 

   

flows of investment dollars into and out of the fund.

The returns for the various share classes may vary based on differences in sales charges and expenses.

 

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Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2008

 

The table below shows the Portfolio’s Class A shares’ average annual total returns (i) before taxes, (ii) after taxes on distributions and (iii) after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares. The returns shown reflect applicable sales charges. The table also shows the average annual returns for the Portfolio’s Class B and Class C shares, but it does not show those classes’ after-tax returns, which will vary from those shown for the Portfolio’s Class A shares.

 

The table compares the Portfolio’s returns for each period with those of the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500® Index and the Barclays Capital U.S. Intermediate Government/Credit Bond Index. The S&P 500® Index tracks the performance of 500 widely held, large-capitalization U.S. stocks. The Barclays Capital U.S. Intermediate Government/Credit Bond Index tracks the performance of intermediate term U.S. government and corporate bonds. Indices are not available for investment, and do not reflect sales charges, fees, brokerage commissions, taxes or other expenses of investing.

 

     1 year     Life of Portfolio(a)  

Class A shares returns before taxes

   -36.36   -7.90

Class A shares returns after taxes on distributions

   -37.24   -9.00

Class A shares returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares

   -22.90   -6.76

Class B shares returns before taxes

   -36.17   -7.55

Class C shares returns before taxes

   -33.62   -6.68

S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   -37.00   -9.45

Barclays Capital U.S. Intermediate Government/Credit Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   5.08   5.86

 

(a)      The inception date of the Portfolio’s Class A, Class B and Class C shares is February 15, 2006.

FUNDamentals™

After-Tax Returns

The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state, local or foreign taxes.

Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your personal tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown in the table do not apply to shares held in tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k) plans or IRAs.

 

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LOGO Fees and Expenses

The fee table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. Additional hypothetical fee and expense information relating to Class A, Class B and Class C shares of the Portfolio can be found in Hypothetical Fees and Expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Expenses

In general, there are two kinds of fund expenses:

 

   

shareholder expenses that you pay directly (e.g., sales charges and redemption fees), and

 

   

annual operating expenses that are paid by the Portfolio and deducted from the Portfolio’s assets.

Annual operating expenses include:

 

   

management fees, which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to the Advisor and the Administrator as compensation for managing and administering the Portfolio’s portfolio. See Management of the Portfolio – Primary Service Providers for more information.

 

   

distribution and service fees (sometimes referred to in the industry as “Rule 12b-1 fees”), which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to compensate the Distributor and selling and/or servicing agents for the services they provide to investors, including affiliates of Bank of America. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for more information.

 

   

other expenses, which generally include, but are not limited to, transfer agency, custody, audit and legal fees as well as costs related to registration of Portfolio shares for sale and the printing and mailing of Portfolio documents. The specific expenses that make up the Portfolio’s other expenses will vary from time to time and may include expenses not described above.

Annual fund operating expenses are calculated based on actual expenses incurred during the Portfolio’s most recently completed fiscal year and are expressed as a percentage of the Portfolio’s average net assets during the year. The rate of annual fund operating expenses will likely vary from year to year as a result of various factors, including, for example, changes in the level of the Portfolio’s net assets. Although many factors can affect fund operating expenses, in general, annual fund operating expenses, as a percentage of average net assets, will increase as the Portfolio’s net assets decrease, and will decrease as the Portfolio’s net assets increase. Net expenses also may vary from year to year based on any fee waivers or expense reimbursements.

The Portfolio may incur significant transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, in addition to the annual Portfolio operating expenses disclosed in the fee table.

 

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Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

 

     Class A Shares     Class B Shares     Class C Shares  

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases, as a % of offering price

   5.75   N/A      N/A   

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions, as a % of the lower of the original purchase price or net asset value

   1.00 %(a)    5.00 %(b)    1.00 %(c) 

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (deducted from the Portfolio’s assets)

 

     Class A Shares     Class B Shares     Class C Shares  

Management fees(d)

   0.00   0.00   0.00

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

   0.25   1.00   1.00

Other expenses

   0.36   0.36   0.36

Acquired fund fees and expenses(e)

   0.90   0.90   0.90

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses(f)

   1.51   2.26   2.26

Fee waivers and/or reimbursements(g)

   -0.36   -0.36   -0.36

Total net expenses

   1.15   1.90   1.90

 

 

(a)

 

 

This charge applies to investors who buy $1 million or more of Class A shares and redeem them within one year of purchase, with certain limited exceptions. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(b)

  This charge decreases over time. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(c)

  This charge applies to investors who buy Class C shares and redeem them within one year of purchase, with certain limited exceptions. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(d)

  The Portfolio does not pay investment advisory fees or an administration fee.

(e)

  Acquired fund fees and expenses include fees and expenses associated with the Portfolio’s investments in other investment companies. Since they are incurred only indirectly by the Portfolio, such fees and expenses are not considered ordinary operating expenses of the Portfolio for purposes of a fee waiver or expense limitation, if any.

(f)

  Total annual Portfolio operating expenses include acquired fund fees and expenses. As a result, the amount shown is higher than the ratio of expenses to average net assets included in the section entitled “Financial Highlights” which reflects only those expenses paid directly by the Portfolio.

(g)

  The Advisor has contractually agreed to bear a portion of the Portfolio’s expenses so that the Portfolio’s ordinary operating expenses (excluding any distribution and service fees, brokerage commissions, interest, taxes and extraordinary expenses, but including custodian charges relating to overdrafts, if any), after giving effect to any balance credits from the Portfolio’s custodian, do not exceed 0.00% annually through July 31, 2010.

 

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Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The example illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over the time periods indicated, and assumes that:

 

   

you invest $10,000 in Class A, Class B or Class C shares of the Portfolio for the periods indicated,

 

   

you pay the maximum applicable sales charge,

 

   

you reinvest all dividends and distributions in the Portfolio,

 

   

your investment has a 5% return each year,

 

   

your Class B shares convert to Class A shares after you’ve owned them for eight years, and

 

   

the Portfolio’s total annual operating expenses remain the same as shown in the table above.

 

Since the waivers and/or reimbursements shown in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses table above expire on July 31, 2010, they are only reflected in the 1 year and the first year of the 3, 5 and 10 year examples.

 

Based on the assumptions listed above, your costs would be:

 

     1 year    3 years    5 years    10 years

Class A Shares

   $ 685    $ 991    $ 1,319    $ 2,244

Class B Shares

           

Assuming no redemption

   $ 193    $ 672    $ 1,177    $ 2,378

Assuming complete redemption of shares at the end of the period

   $ 693    $ 972    $ 1,377    $ 2,378

Class C Shares

           

Assuming no redemption

   $ 193    $ 672    $ 1,177    $ 2,567

Assuming complete redemption of shares at the end of the period

   $ 293    $ 672    $ 1,177    $ 2,567

Remember this is an example only. It is not necessarily representative of the Portfolio’s actual expenses in the past or future. Your actual costs could be higher or lower depending on the amount you invest and on the Portfolio’s actual expenses and performance.

 

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Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

This section describes certain strategies and policies that the Portfolio may utilize in pursuit of its investment objective, and describes some additional factors and risks involved with investing in the Portfolio.

Changing the Portfolio’s Investment Objective and Policies

The Portfolio’s investment objective and certain of its investment policies can be changed without shareholder approval unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the SAI. Shareholders vote on changes to other investment policies that are designated as fundamental in accordance with the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act).

Investment Guidelines

As a general matter, unless otherwise noted, whenever an investment policy or limitation states a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding an investment standard, compliance with that percentage limitation or standard will be determined solely at the time of the Portfolio’s acquisition of the security or asset.

Holding Other Kinds of Investments

The Portfolio may hold investments that aren’t part of its principal investment strategies. These investments are described in the SAI. The Portfolio may choose not to invest in certain securities described in this prospectus and in the SAI, although it has the ability to do so.

Investing in Affiliated Funds

The Advisor has the authority to select the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests its assets. The Advisor or one of its affiliates is the investment advisor to each of the Underlying Funds. The Advisor may be subject to a conflict of interest in selecting Underlying Funds for the Portfolio because the fees paid to it or its affiliates are higher than the fees paid to other Underlying Funds. However, as a fiduciary to the Portfolio, the Advisor has a duty to act in the best interest of the Portfolio in selecting Underlying Funds.

Investing in Columbia Money Market Funds

The Portfolio may invest uninvested cash and cash collateral received in connection with its securities lending program in shares of the registered or unregistered money market funds advised by the Advisor. The Advisor and its affiliates receive fees from these funds for providing advisory and other services in addition to the fees which they are entitled to receive from the Portfolio for services provided directly.

Lending Securities

The Portfolio may lend portfolio securities to approved broker/dealers or other financial intermediaries on a fully collateralized basis in order to earn additional income. The Portfolio may lose money from securities lending if, for example, it is delayed in or prevented from selling the collateral after the loan is made or recovering the securities loaned or if it incurs losses on the reinvestment of cash collateral. The Portfolio may invest some or all of the cash collateral it receives in connection with its securities lending program in one or more pooled investment vehicles, including, among other vehicles, money market funds managed by the Portfolio’s securities lending agent (or its affiliate). The securities lending agent shares in any income resulting from the investment of such cash collateral, and an affiliate of the securities lending agent receives asset-based fees for the management of such pooled investment vehicles, which may create a conflict of interest between the securities lending agent (or its affiliate) and the Portfolio with respect to the management of such cash collateral. Engaging in securities lending is subject to certain risks, including counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty to a transaction could default.

Portfolio Holdings Disclosure

A description of Columbia Funds’ policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of Portfolio portfolio securities is available in the SAI. The Portfolio discloses its portfolio holdings on the Columbia Funds’ website, www.columbiafunds.com, as described below. Once posted, the portfolio holdings information will remain available on the website until at least the date on which the Portfolio files a Form N-CSR or Form N-Q (forms filed with the SEC that include portfolio holdings information) for the period that includes the date as of which the information is current.

The Portfolio’s complete portfolio holdings as of a month-end are disclosed approximately 15 calendar days after such month-end.

 

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In addition, more current information concerning the Portfolio’s portfolio holdings as of specified dates may also be disclosed on the Columbia Funds’ website.

Investing Defensively

The Portfolio may from time to time take temporary defensive investment positions that are inconsistent with the Portfolio’s principal investment strategies in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions including, for example, investments in money market instruments or holdings of cash or cash equivalents. The Portfolio may not achieve its investment objective while it is investing defensively.

Mailings to Households

In order to reduce shareholder expenses we may, if prior consent has been provided, mail only one copy of the Portfolio’s prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents, call 800.345.6611 or, if your shares are held through a financial intermediary, contact your intermediary directly.

Portfolio Turnover

A mutual fund that replaces, or turns over, more than 100% of its investments in a year is considered to have a high portfolio turnover rate. A high portfolio turnover rate can generate larger distributions of short-term capital gains to shareholders, which for individuals are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes. A high portfolio turnover rate can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce a fund’s returns. In general, the greater the volume of buying and selling by a fund, the greater the impact that brokerage commissions will have on its returns. The Portfolio generally buys securities for capital appreciation, investment income or both. However, the Portfolio may sell securities regardless of how long they’ve been held. You’ll find the Portfolio’s historical portfolio turnover rates in the Financial Highlights.

 

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Management of the Portfolio

Primary Service Providers

The Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, currently provide key services to the Portfolio and the other Columbia Funds, including investment advisory, administration, distribution, shareholder servicing and transfer agency, and are paid for providing these services. These service relationships are described below.

The Advisor

The Advisor (which is also the Administrator) is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110, and serves as investment advisor to over 100 Columbia Funds mutual fund portfolios. As of June 30, 2009, the Advisor had assets under management of approximately $310.5 billion. The Advisor is a registered investment advisor and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. Its management experience covers all major asset classes, including equity securities, fixed income securities and money market instruments. In addition to serving as investment advisor to mutual funds, the Advisor acts as an investment manager for individuals, corporations, retirement plans, private investment companies and financial intermediaries.

Subject to oversight by the Board, the Advisor manages the day-to-day operations of the Portfolio, determining what securities and other investments the Portfolio should buy or sell and executing the Portfolio’s portfolio transactions. Although the Advisor is responsible for the investment management of the Portfolio, the Advisor may delegate certain of its duties to one or more investment sub-advisors. In rendering investment advisory services, the Advisor may use the portfolio management and research resources of Columbia Management Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of the Advisor. The Advisor may also use the research and other expertise of other affiliates and third parties in managing the Portfolio’s investments.

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Portfolio’s investment advisory agreement with the Advisor is available in the Portfolio’s annual report to shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.

Sub-Advisor(s)

The Advisor may engage an investment sub-advisor or sub-advisors to make the day-to-day investment decisions for the Portfolio. The Advisor retains ultimate responsibility (subject to Board oversight) for overseeing any sub-advisor it engages and for evaluating the Portfolio’s needs and available sub-advisors’ skills and abilities on an ongoing basis. Based on its evaluations, the Advisor may at times recommend to the Board that the Portfolio change, add or terminate one or more sub-advisors; continue to retain a sub-advisor even though the sub-advisor’s ownership or corporate structure has changed; or materially change a sub-advisory agreement with a sub-advisor. Applicable law requires the Portfolio to obtain shareholder approval in order to act on most of these types of recommendations, even if the Board has approved the proposed action and believes that the action is in shareholders’ best interests. The Advisor and the Columbia Funds have applied for relief from the SEC to permit the Portfolio to act on many of the Advisor’s recommendations with approval only by the Board and not by Portfolio shareholders. The Advisor or the Portfolio would inform the Portfolio’s shareholders of any actions taken in reliance on this relief. Until the Advisor and the Portfolio obtain this relief, the Portfolio will continue to submit these matters to shareholders for their approval to the extent required by applicable law.

At present, the Advisor has not engaged any investment sub-advisor for the Portfolio.

 

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Portfolio Managers

Information about the Advisor’s portfolio managers who are primarily responsible for overseeing the Portfolio’s investments is shown in the table below. The SAI provides more information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by each portfolio manager and each portfolio manager’s ownership of securities in the Portfolio.

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Colin Moore

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Chief Investment Officer of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Kent M. Peterson, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since January 2006. Prior to January 2006, Mr. Peterson was a trading associate at Bridgewater Associates from 2004 to 2005.

Marie M. Schofield, CFA

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Managing Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 1990.

The Administrator

The Administrator is responsible for overseeing the administrative operations of the Portfolio, including the general supervision of the Portfolio’s operations, coordination of the Portfolio’s service providers, and the provision of office facilities and related clerical and administrative services. The Administrator does not currently receive any fees for the administrative services it provides to the Portfolio.

The Distributor

Shares of the Portfolio are distributed by the Distributor, which is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111. The Distributor is a registered broker/dealer and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Distributor and its affiliates may pay commissions, distribution and service fees and/or other compensation to entities, including Bank of America affiliates, for selling shares and providing services to investors.

The Transfer Agent

The Transfer Agent is a registered transfer agent and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Transfer Agent is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111, and its responsibilities include processing purchases, sales and exchanges, calculating and paying distributions, keeping shareholder records, preparing account statements and providing customer service. The Portfolio pays the Transfer Agent monthly fees on a per-account basis. Fees paid to the Transfer Agent include reimbursements for certain out-of-pocket expenses and sub-transfer agency fees, subject to certain limitations, paid by the Transfer Agent on the Portfolio’s behalf.

 

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LOGO Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

As described in Management of the Portfolio – Primary Service Providers, the Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, provide various services to the Portfolio for which they are compensated. Bank of America and its affiliates may also provide other services to the Portfolio and be compensated for them.

The Advisor and its affiliates may provide investment advisory and other services to other clients and customers substantially similar to those provided to the Portfolio. These activities, and other financial services activities of Bank of America and its affiliates (including Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.), may present actual and potential conflicts of interest and introduce certain investment constraints.

Bank of America is a major financial services company, engaged in a broad range of financial activities beyond the mutual fund-related activities of the Advisor, including, among others, commercial banking, investment banking, broker/dealer (sales and trading), asset management, insurance and other financial activities. These additional activities may involve multiple advisory, transactional, lending, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments, and in companies that issue securities and other instruments, which may be bought, sold or held by the Portfolio.

Conflicts of interest and limitations that could affect the Portfolio may arise from, for example, the following:

 

   

compensation and other benefits received by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates related to the management/administration of the Portfolio and the sale of its shares;

 

   

the allocation of, and competition for, investment opportunities among the Portfolio and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

separate and potentially divergent management of the Portfolio and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

regulatory and other investment restrictions on investment activities of the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates and accounts advised/managed by them;

 

   

lending, investment banking and other relationships of Bank of America affiliates with companies and other entities in which the Portfolio invests; and

 

   

regulatory and other restrictions relating to the sharing of information between Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, and the Portfolio.

Bank of America and its affiliates also provide a variety of products and services that, in some manner, may use the Portfolio and other Columbia Funds as investment options. For example:

 

   

the Columbia Funds are available as investments in connection with brokerage or other securities products offered by Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. or Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, both wholly-owned retail broker/dealers of Bank of America;

 

   

the Columbia Funds are used as investments in connection with fiduciary, investment management and other accounts offered by U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, as well as certain Columbia Funds structured as “funds of funds”; and

 

   

the Columbia Money Market Funds are offered as an investment option for a variety of cash “sweep” account programs offered by Bank of America and its affiliates.

The use of the Columbia Funds as investment options in connection with other products and services offered by Bank of America and its affiliates may introduce economic and other conflicts of interest of which you should be aware. These types of conflicts of interest are highlighted in sections of account documentation and other disclosure materials relating to these products and services, as well as in the SAI.

The Advisor and Bank of America have adopted various policies and procedures that are intended to identify, monitor and address conflicts of interest. However, there is no absolute assurance that these policies, procedures and disclosures will be effective.

Additional information about Bank of America and the types of conflicts of interest and other matters referenced above is set forth in the Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest section of the SAI, which is identified by the LOGO icon. Investors in the Portfolio should carefully review these disclosures and consult with their financial advisor if they have any questions.

 

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Certain Legal Matters

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. (collectively, the Columbia Group) are subject to a settlement agreement with the New York Attorney General (NYAG) (the NYAG Settlement) and a settlement order with the SEC (the SEC Order) on matters relating to mutual fund trading, each dated February 9, 2005. Under the terms of the SEC Order, the Columbia Group (or predecessor or affiliated entities) agreed, among other things, to: pay disgorgement and civil money penalties collectively totaling $375 million; cease and desist from violations of the antifraud provisions and certain other provisions of the federal securities laws; maintain certain compliance and ethics oversight structures; and retain an independent consultant to review the Columbia Group’s applicable supervisory, compliance, control and other policies and procedures. The NYAG Settlement, among other things, requires Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and its affiliates to reduce management fees for certain funds in the Columbia family of mutual funds in a projected total of $160 million over five years through November 30, 2009 and to make certain disclosures to investors relating to expenses. In connection with the Columbia Group providing services to the Columbia Funds, the Columbia Funds have voluntarily undertaken to implement certain governance measures designed to maintain the independence of their boards of trustees and certain special consulting and compliance measures.

Pursuant to the SEC Order and related procedures, the $375 million in settlement amounts described above, of which approximately $90 million has been earmarked for certain Columbia Funds and their shareholders, is being distributed in accordance with a distribution plan developed by an independent distribution consultant and approved by the SEC on December 27, 2007. Distributions under the distribution plan began in mid-June 2008.

Civil Litigation

In connection with the events that resulted in the NYAG Settlement and SEC Order, various parties filed suits against Bank of America Corporation and certain of its affiliates, including Banc of America Capital Management, LLC (BACAP, now known as Columbia Management Advisors, LLC) and BACAP Distributors, LLC (now known as Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.) (collectively BAC), Nations Funds Trust (now known as Columbia Funds Series Trust) and its Board of Trustees. On February 20, 2004, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transferred these cases and cases against other mutual fund companies based on similar allegations to the United States District Court in Maryland for consolidated or coordinated pretrial proceedings (the MDL). Subsequently, additional related cases were transferred to the MDL. On September 29, 2004, the plaintiffs in the MDL filed amended and consolidated complaints. One of these amended complaints is a putative class action that includes claims under the federal securities laws and state common law, and that names Nations Funds Trust, the Trustees, BAC and others as defendants. Another of the amended complaints is a derivative action purportedly on behalf of the Nations Funds Trust against BAC and others that asserts claims under federal securities laws and state common law. Nations Funds Trust is a nominal defendant in this action.

On February 25, 2005, BAC and other defendants filed motions to dismiss the claims in the pending cases. On December 15, 2005, BAC and others entered into a Stipulation of Settlement of the direct and derivative claims brought on behalf of the Nations Funds shareholders. The settlement is subject to court approval. If the settlement is approved, BAC would pay settlement administration costs and fees to plaintiffs’ counsel as approved by the court. The stipulation has not yet been presented to the court for approval.

 

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Choosing a Share Class

Comparison of the Share Classes

Share Class Features

The Portfolio offers three classes of shares in this prospectus: Class A, Class B and Class C shares. The Portfolio may also offer other classes of shares through a separate prospectus. Each share class has its own investment eligibility criteria, cost structure and other features. The following summarizes the primary features of the Class A, Class B and Class C shares offered by this prospectus. Contact your financial advisor or Columbia Funds for more information about the Portfolio’s share classes and how to choose among them.

 

    

Class A Shares

  

Class B Shares

  

Class C Shares

Eligible Investors and Minimum Initial Investments(a)    Minimum initial investments range from $0 to $2,500; the share class is available to the general public for investment.    The Portfolio no longer accepts investments from new or existing investors in Class B shares, except for certain limited transactions from existing investors in Class B shares as described in more detail under Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares - Opening an Account and Placing Orders - Buying Shares - Class B Shares Closing.    Minimum initial investments range from $0 to $2,500; the share class is available to the general public for investment.
Investment Limits    none    up to $49,999 (based on aggregate account value)(b)    up to $999,999
Conversion Features    none    convert to Class A shares eight years after purchase    none
Front-End Sales Charges(c)    5.75% maximum, declining to 0.00% on investments of $1 million or more    none    none
Contingent Deferred Sales Charges (CDSCs)(c)    none, except a 1.00% CDSC applies to certain investments of between $1 million and $50 million sold within one year of purchase    5.00% maximum, gradually declining to 0.00% after six years    1.00% on investments sold within one year of purchase
Maximum Distribution and Service Fees    0.25% combined distribution and service fee   

0.75% distribution fee

0.25% service fee

  

0.75% distribution fee

0.25% service fee

 

(a)      See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders for more details on the eligible investors and investment minimums of these share classes.

(b)      If you hold Class B shares of the Portfolio and your account has a value of less than $49,999, you may purchase additional Class B shares of the Portfolio in amounts that increase your account value up to a maximum of $49,999. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders – Buying Shares – Class B Shares Closing for important information regarding purchases of Class B shares. The value of your account, for this purpose, includes the value of all eligible accounts held by you and your “immediate family.” See the discussion about account value aggregation and eligible accounts in Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for more information. If you have reached the $49,999 limit, any additional amounts you invest in Class B shares of the Portfolio will be invested in Class A shares of the Portfolio, without regard to the normal minimum investment amount for Class A shares. Such investments will, however, be subject to a front-end sales charge that generally applies to Class A shares.

(c)      See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for information about certain exceptions to these sales charges.

 

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FUNDamentalsTM

Selling and/or Servicing Agents

The terms “selling agent” and “servicing agent” refer to the financial intermediary that employs your financial advisor. Selling and/or servicing agents include, for example, brokerage firms, banks, investment advisors, third party administrators and other financial intermediaries, including affiliates of Bank of America, such as Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.

Sales Charges and Commissions

Sales charges, commissions and distribution and service fees (discussed in a separate sub-section below) compensate selling and/or servicing agents, and typically your financial advisor, for selling shares to you and for maintaining and servicing the shares held in your account. These charges, commissions and fees are intended to provide incentives for selling and/or servicing agents to provide these services.

Depending on which share class you choose you will pay these charges either at the outset as a front-end sales charge, at the time you sell your shares as a contingent deferred sales charge and/or over time in the form of increased ongoing fees. Whether the ultimate cost is higher for one class over the other depends on how long you hold your shares.

Class A Shares—Front-End Sales Charge

You’ll pay a front-end sales charge when you buy Class A shares unless you qualify for a waiver of the sales charge or you buy the shares through reinvested distributions. See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for more information.

FUNDamentalsTM

Front-End Sales Charge Calculation

The following table presents the front-end sales charge as a percentage of both the offering price and the net amount invested.

 

   

The offering price per share is the net asset value per share plus any front-end sales charge that applies.

 

   

The net asset value (or NAV) per share is the price of a share calculated by the Portfolio every business day.

The dollar amount of the sales charge is the difference between the offering price of the shares you buy (based on the applicable sales charge in the table) and the net asset value of those shares.

To determine the front-end sales charge you will pay when you buy your shares, the Portfolio will add the amount of your investment to the value of your account and base the sales charge on the aggregate amount. This approach is designed to assure that you pay the lowest applicable sales charge possible. See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/ Waivers of Sales Charges for a discussion of account value aggregation.

 

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The front-end sales charge you’ll pay on Class A shares:

 

   

depends on the amount you’re investing (generally, the larger the investment, the smaller the percentage sales charge), and

 

   

is based on the total amount of your purchase and the value of your account.

Class A Shares—Front-End Sales Charge—Breakpoint Schedule

 

Dollar amount of shares bought(a)

   Sales charge as a %
of the offering price(b)
    Sales charge as a %
of the net amount invested(b)
    Amount retained by or paid to
selling and/or servicing agents
as a % of the offering price
 

$0 – $49,999

   5.75   6.10   5.00

$50,000 – $99,999

   4.50   4.71   3.75

$100,000 – $249,999

   3.50   3.63   2.75

$250,000 – $499,999

   2.50   2.56   2.00

$500,000 – $999,999

   2.00   2.04   1.75

$1,000,000 or more

   0.00   0.00   1.00 %(c)(d) 

 

(a)

Purchase amounts and account values are aggregated among all eligible Columbia Fund accounts for the purposes of this table.

(b)

Because the offering price is calculated to two decimal places, the dollar amount of the sales charge as a percentage of the offering price and your net amount invested for any particular purchase of Portfolio shares may be higher or lower depending on whether downward or upward rounding was required during the calculation process.

(c)

1.00% on purchases from $1 million up to $3 million, 0.50% on purchases of $3 million up to $50 million and 0.25% on amounts of $50 million or more. The Distributor pays selling and/or servicing agents on investments of $1 million or more, but may be reimbursed if a CDSC is deducted when the shares are sold.

(d)

For certain group retirement plans, selling and/or servicing agents are eligible to receive a 1.00% commission from the Distributor on all purchases up to $3 million, including those in amounts of less than $1 million that are coded as commission eligible trades.

 

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Class A Shares—CDSC and Commissions

In some cases, you’ll pay a CDSC if you sell Class A shares that you bought without an initial sales charge.

 

   

If you bought Class A shares without an initial sales charge because your accounts aggregated $1 million to $50 million at the time of purchase, you will incur a 1.00% CDSC if you redeem those shares within one year of buying them.

 

   

Subsequent Class A share purchases that bring your aggregate account value to $1 million or more (but less than $50 million) will also be subject to a CDSC if you redeem them within one year of buying them.

The CDSC on Class A shares:

 

   

is applied to the net asset value at the time of your purchase or sale, whichever is lower, and

 

   

will not be applied to any shares you receive through reinvested distributions.

For purposes of calculating the CDSC, the start of the holding period is the first day of the month in which the purchase was made. When you place an order to sell your Class A shares, the Portfolio will first redeem any shares that aren’t subject to a CDSC followed by those you have held the longest. The CDSC on Class A shares does not apply to retirement plans buying through a fee-based program.

The Distributor may pay your selling and/or servicing agent an up-front commission of up to 5.00% of the offering price per share when you buy Class A shares. The Distributor funds the commission through the applicable sales charge.

The Distributor may also pay your selling and/or servicing agent a cumulative commission when you buy $1 million or more of Class A shares, according to the following schedule:

Class A Shares—Commission Schedule

 

Purchase Amount

   Commission Level
(as a % of net asset
value per share)
 

$1 million – $2,999,999

   1.00

$3 million – $49,999,999

   0.50

$50 million or more

   0.25

FUNDamentalsTM

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge

A contingent deferred sales charge or CDSC is a sales charge applied at the time you sell your shares, unlike a front-end sales charge that is applied at the time of purchase. A CDSC varies based on the length of time that you have held your shares.

Class B and Class C Shares—Sales Charges

You don’t pay a front-end sales charge when you buy Class B or Class C shares, but you may pay a CDSC when you sell Class B or Class C shares.

The CDSC on Class B and Class C shares:

 

   

is applied to the net asset value at the time of your purchase or sale, whichever is lower,

 

   

will not be applied to any shares you receive through reinvested distributions, and

 

   

generally declines each year until there is no sales charge for selling shares.

For purposes of calculating the CDSC, the start of the holding period is the first day of the month in which your purchase was made. When you place an order to sell your Class B or Class C shares, the Portfolio will first redeem any shares that aren’t subject to a CDSC followed by those you have held the longest.

 

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Class B Shares—CDSC and Commissions

You’ll pay a CDSC if you sell Class B shares unless you qualify for a waiver of the CDSC or the shares you’re selling were bought through reinvested distributions. See Choosing a Share Class—Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for details. The CDSC you pay on Class B shares depends on how long you’ve held your shares:

Class B Shares—CDSC Schedule

 

Number of Years Class B Shares Held

   Applicable
CDSC

One

   5.00%

Two

   4.00%

Three

   3.00%

Four

   3.00%

Five

   2.00%

Six

   1.00%

Seven

   none

Eight

   none

Nine

   Conversion to Class A Shares

The Distributor pays an up-front commission directly to your selling and/or servicing agent of up to 4.00% of the net asset value per share when you buy Class B shares. The Distributor seeks to recover this commission through distribution fees it receives under the Portfolio’s distribution plan and any applicable CDSC when you sell your shares. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for details.

Class B shares automatically convert to Class A shares after you’ve owned them for eight years. This conversion feature allows you to benefit from the lower operating costs of Class A shares, which can help increase your total returns from an investment in the Portfolio.

The following rules apply to the conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares:

 

   

Class B shares are converted on or about the 15th day of the month that they become eligible for conversion.

 

   

Any shares you received from reinvested distributions on these shares generally will convert to Class A shares at the same time.

 

   

You’ll receive the same dollar value of Class A shares as the Class B shares that were converted. Class B shares that you received from an exchange of Class B shares of another Columbia Fund will convert based on the day you bought the original shares.

 

   

No sales charge or other charges apply, and conversions are free from federal income tax.

Class C Shares—CDSC and Commissions

You’ll pay a CDSC of 1.00% if you sell Class C shares within one year of buying them unless you qualify for a waiver of the CDSC or the shares you’re selling were bought through reinvested distributions. See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for details.

The Distributor pays an up-front commission directly to your selling and/or servicing agent of up to 1.00% of the net asset value per share when you buy Class C shares. The Distributor seeks to recover this commission through distribution fees it receives under the Portfolio’s distribution plan and any applicable CDSC applied when you sell your shares. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for details.

 

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Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges

Front-End Sales Charge Reductions

There are two ways in which you may be able to reduce the front-end sales charge that you may pay when you buy Class A shares of the Portfolio. These types of sales charge reductions are also referred to as breakpoint discounts.

First, through the right of accumulation, you may combine the value of eligible accounts maintained by you and your immediate family to reach a breakpoint discount level and apply a lower sales charge to your purchase. To calculate the combined value of your accounts, the Portfolio will use the current public offering price per share.

Second, by making a statement of intent to purchase additional shares, you may pay a lower sales charge on all purchases of Class A shares made within 13 months of the date of your statement of intent. Your statement of intent must state the aggregate amount of purchases you intend to make in that 13-month period, which must be at least $50,000. If you do not complete the purchases described in your statement of intent within 13 months, you will be charged the applicable sales charge on the amount you have invested to that date. To calculate the total value of the purchases you’ve made under a statement of intent, the Portfolio will use the historic cost (i.e. dollars invested) of the shares held in each eligible account.

To obtain a breakpoint discount, you must notify your financial advisor in writing at the time you buy your shares of each eligible account maintained by you and/or your immediate family. It is the responsibility of you and your financial advisor to ensure that you receive discounts for which you are eligible; the Portfolio is not responsible for a financial advisor’s failure to apply the eligible discount to your account. You may be asked by your financial advisor for account statements or other records to verify your discount eligibility, including, when applicable, records for accounts opened with a different financial advisor and records of accounts established by members of your immediate family.

FUNDamentalsTM

Your “Immediate Family” and Account Value Aggregation

For purposes of reaching the Class B shares investment limits described in Choosing a Share Class – Comparison of the Share Classes and obtaining a Class A shares breakpoint discount, the value of your account will be deemed to include the value of all applicable shares in eligible accounts that are held by your “immediate family,” which includes your spouse (or legal equivalent under state law), parent, step-parent, legal guardian, child, step-child, father-in-law and mother-in-law. Remember that in order to obtain a breakpoint discount, you must notify your financial advisor in writing at the time you buy your shares of each eligible account maintained by you and/or your immediate family. Group plan accounts are valued at the plan level.

Eligible Accounts

The types of accounts that are eligible for the account value aggregation purposes described above are:

 

   

individual accounts,

 

   

joint accounts,

 

   

certain IRA accounts,

 

   

certain health savings accounts,

 

   

certain trust accounts, and

 

   

Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA)/Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) accounts.

Eligible accounts include those registered in the name of the broker/dealer or other financial intermediary through which you own shares of the Columbia Funds.

Eligible accounts do not include Class R share accounts or accounts holding institutional share classes of the Columbia Money Market Funds (Capital Class shares, Liquidity Class shares, Adviser Class shares, Investor Class shares, Trust Class shares, Institutional Class shares and Marsico shares). Certain share classes are not offered by this prospectus.

 

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Front-End Sales Charge Waivers

Certain investors may buy Class A shares of the Portfolio at net asset value, without any front-end sales charge that would otherwise apply. These investors include affiliates of the Portfolio, broker/dealers, investors in wrap fee programs, investors through fee-based advisors, certain retirement plans, certain health savings accounts, certain shareholders of funds that were reorganized into Columbia Funds, investors using the proceeds of sales of Portfolio shares or of certain Bank of America trust or similar accounts, as well as insurance company separate accounts purchasing for the benefit of group retirement plans. Restrictions may apply to certain accounts and certain transactions.

CDSC Waivers

You may be able to avoid an otherwise applicable CDSC when you sell Class A, Class B or Class C shares of the Portfolio. This could happen because of the way in which you originally invested in the Portfolio, because of your relationship with the Columbia Funds or for other reasons.

Generally, a CDSC that would otherwise be applied may be waived for certain sales, including sales made under the Systematic Withdrawal Plan or in connection with the death or post-purchase disability of a shareholder; certain medical expenses; charitable gifts; involuntary sales; and agreements by selling and/or servicing agents to waive or return their commissions. Restrictions may apply to certain accounts and certain transactions.

The Portfolio may change or cancel these terms at any time. Any change or cancellation applies only to future purchases.

For more information about the sales charge reductions and waivers described here, consult the SAI.

 

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Distribution and Service Fees

Pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, the Board has approved, and the Portfolio has adopted, distribution and shareholder servicing plans which set the distribution and service fees that are periodically deducted from the Portfolio’s assets. These fees are calculated daily, may vary by share class and are intended to compensate the Distributor and/or eligible selling and/or servicing agents for selling shares of the Portfolio and providing services to investors. Because the fees are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets on an ongoing basis, they will increase the cost of your investment over time.

The table below shows the maximum annual distribution and service fees (as an annual % of average daily net assets) and the combined amount of such fees applicable to each share class:

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) and Service Fees

 

     Distribution
Fee
    Service
Fee
    Combined
Total
 

Class A

   —   (a)    —   (a)    0.25 %(a) 

Class B

   0.75   0.25   1.00

Class C

   0.75   0.25   1.00

 

(a)

The Portfolio’s Class A shares pay a combined distribution and service fee pursuant to the Portfolio’s combined distribution and shareholder servicing plan for Class A shares.

The Portfolio will pay these fees to the Distributor and/or to eligible selling and/or servicing agents for as long as the distribution and/or shareholder servicing plans continue. The Portfolio may reduce or discontinue payments at any time. Your selling and/or servicing agent may also charge you other fees for providing services to your account, which may be different from those described here.

 

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Financial Intermediary Compensation

The Distributor and the Advisor make payments, from their own resources, to certain financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, for marketing/sales support services relating to the Columbia Funds. Such payments are generally based upon one or more of the following factors: average net assets of the Columbia Funds sold by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, gross sales of the Columbia Funds distributed by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, reimbursement of ticket charges (fees that an intermediary firm charges its representatives for effecting transactions in Portfolio shares) or a negotiated lump sum payment. While the financial arrangements may vary for each intermediary, the support payments to any one intermediary are generally between 0.05% and 0.50% (and 0.03% and 0.12% with regard to the Columbia Money Market Funds) on an annual basis for payments based on average net assets of the Portfolio attributable to the intermediary, and between 0.05% and 0.25% on an annual basis for firms receiving a payment based on gross sales of the Columbia Funds (other than the Columbia Money Market Funds) attributable to the intermediary.

The Distributor and the Advisor may make payments in larger amounts or on a basis other than those described above when dealing with other affiliates of Bank of America. Such increased payments to the other Bank of America affiliate may enable the other Bank of America affiliate to offset credits that it may provide to customers in order to avoid having such customers pay fees to multiple Bank of America entities in connection with the customers’ investments in the Portfolio.

The Distributor, the Transfer Agent and the Advisor may also make payments to financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, that provide shareholder services to retirement plans and other investment programs to compensate those intermediaries for services they provide to such programs, including, but not limited to, sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, similar shareholder or participant recordkeeping, shareholder or participant reporting, or shareholder or participant transaction processing.

These payments for shareholder servicing support vary by financial intermediary but generally are not expected, with certain limited exceptions, to exceed 0.40% of the average aggregate value of the Portfolio’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, and 0.45% of the average aggregate value of the Portfolio’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that do not pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

The Board has authorized the Portfolio to reimburse the Transfer Agent for amounts paid to financial intermediaries that maintain assets in omnibus accounts, subject to an annual cap of 0.15% of the average aggregate value of the Portfolio’s shares maintained in such accounts. The amounts in excess of that reimbursed by the Portfolio are borne by the Distributor or the Advisor. The Distributor and the Advisor may make other payments or allow promotional incentives to broker/dealers to the extent permitted by SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rules and by other applicable laws and regulations.

Amounts paid by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates are paid out of the Distributor’s and the Advisor’s own resources and do not increase the amount paid by you or the Portfolio. You can find further details about the payments made by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates and the services provided by financial intermediaries as well as a list of the intermediaries to which the Distributor and the Advisor have agreed to make marketing support payments in the SAI. Your financial intermediary may charge you fees and commissions in addition to those described in this prospectus. You should consult with your financial intermediary and review carefully any disclosure your financial intermediary provides regarding its services and compensation. Depending on the financial arrangement in place at any particular time, a financial intermediary and its financial consultants may have a financial incentive for recommending the Portfolio or a particular share class over others. See Management of the Portfolio – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information.

 

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Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

Share Price Determination

The price you pay or receive when you buy, sell or exchange shares is the Portfolio’s next determined net asset value (or NAV) per share for a given share class. The Portfolio calculates the net asset value per share for each class of the Portfolio at the end of each business day. The net asset value per share of the Portfolio is based on the net asset value per share of the Underlying Funds the Portfolio invests in.

FUNDamentalsTM

NAV Calculation

Each of the Portfolio’s share classes calculates its NAV as follows:

 

      (Value of assets of the share class)      
NAV    =   

—(Liabilities of the share class)

     
      Number of outstanding shares of the class   

The value of the Portfolio’s shares is based on the total market value of all of the securities and other assets that it holds as of a specified time. The prices reported on stock exchanges and other securities markets around the world are usually used to value securities in the Portfolio. The Portfolio uses the amortized cost method, which approximates market value, to value short-term investments maturing in 60 days or less.

If a market price isn’t readily available, the Portfolio will determine the price of the security held by the Portfolio based on the Advisor’s determination of the security’s fair value. A market price is considered not readily available if, among other circumstances, the most recent reported price is deemed unreliable. In addition, the Portfolio may use fair valuation to price securities that trade on a foreign exchange when a significant event has occurred after the foreign exchange closes but before the time at which the Portfolio’s share price is calculated. Foreign exchanges typically close before the time at which Portfolio share prices are calculated, and may be closed altogether on some days when the Portfolio is open. Such significant events affecting a foreign security may include, but are not limited to: (1) those impacting a single issuer; (2) governmental action that affects securities in one sector or country; (3) natural disasters or armed conflicts affecting a country or region; or (4) significant domestic or foreign market fluctuations. The Portfolio uses various criteria, including an evaluation of U.S. market moves after the close of foreign markets, in determining whether a security’s market price is readily available and, if not, the fair value of the security.

Fair valuation may have the effect of reducing stale pricing arbitrage opportunities presented by the pricing of Portfolio shares. However, when the Portfolio uses fair valuation to price securities, it may value those securities higher or lower than another mutual fund. Also, the use of fair valuation may cause the Portfolio’s performance to diverge to a greater degree from the performance of various benchmarks used to compare the Portfolio’s performance because benchmarks generally do not use fair valuation techniques. Because of the judgment involved in fair valuation decisions, there can be no assurance that the value ascribed to a particular security is accurate. The Portfolio has retained an independent fair valuation pricing service to assist in the fair valuation process for foreign securities. International markets are sometimes open on days when U.S. markets are closed, which means that the value of foreign securities owned by the Portfolio could change on days when Portfolio shares cannot be bought or sold.

 

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Transaction Rules and Policies

Remember that sales charges may apply to your transactions. You should also ask your selling and/or servicing agent about its rules, fees and policies for buying, selling and exchanging shares, which may be different from those described here, and about its related programs or services.

Also remember that the Portfolio may refuse any order to buy or exchange shares. If this happens, we’ll return any money we’ve received, but no interest will be paid on that money.

Order Processing

Orders to buy, sell or exchange shares are processed on business days. Orders can be delivered by mail, by telephone or online. Orders received in “good form” by the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent before the end of a business day will receive that day’s net asset value per share. Orders received after the end of a business day will receive the next business day’s net asset value per share. The market value of the Portfolio’s investments may change between the time you submit your order and the time the Portfolio next calculates its net asset value per share. The business day that applies to your order is also called a trade date.

FUNDamentalsTM

Business Days

A business day is any day that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. A business day ends at the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. If the NYSE closes early, the business day ends as of the time the NYSE closes. On holidays and other days when the NYSE is closed, the Portfolio’s net asset value is not calculated and the Portfolio does not accept buy or sell orders. However, the value of the Portfolio’s assets may still be affected on such days to the extent that the Portfolio holds foreign securities that trade on days that foreign markets are open.

“Good Form”

An order is in “good form” if the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent has all of the information and documentation it deems necessary to effect your order. For example, when you sell shares by letter of instruction, “good form” means that your letter has (i) complete instructions and the signatures of all account owners, (ii) a Medallion signature guarantee for amounts equal to or greater than $100,000 and (iii) any other required documents completed and attached. For the documents required for sales by corporations, agents, fiduciaries, surviving joint owners and other legal entities, call 800.345.6611.

Medallion Signature Guarantees

Qualified customers can obtain a Medallion signature guarantee from any financial institution – including commercial banks such as Bank of America, credit unions and broker/dealers – that participates in one of the three Medallion signature guarantee programs recognized by the SEC. These Medallion signature guarantee programs are the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (STAMP), the Stock Exchanges Medallion Program (SEMP) and the New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program (MSP).

Written Transactions

Once you have an account, you can communicate written buy, sell and exchange orders to the Transfer Agent at the following address: Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

Telephone Transactions

Once you have an account, you may place orders to buy, sell or exchange by telephone. To place orders by telephone, call 800.422.3737. Have your account number and taxpayer identification number (TIN) available when calling.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares via the telephone in any 30-day period if you qualify for telephone orders. Wire redemptions requested via the telephone are not subject to this maximum amount. You can buy up to $100,000 of shares through your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction via the telephone per day if you qualify for telephone orders.

 

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Telephone orders may not be as secure as written orders. Columbia Funds will take reasonable steps to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. For example, we require proof of your identification before we will act on instructions received by telephone and may record telephone conversations. However, the Portfolio and its agents will not be responsible for any losses, costs or expenses resulting from an unauthorized telephone instruction when reasonable steps have been taken to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. Telephone orders may be difficult to complete during periods of significant economic or market change or business interruption.

Online Transactions

Once you have an account, contact Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for more information on account trading restrictions and the special sign-up procedures required for online transactions. The Transfer Agent has procedures in place to authenticate electronic orders you deliver through the internet. You will be required to accept the terms of an online agreement and establish and utilize a password in order to access online account services.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares through the internet in any 30-day period if you qualify for internet orders.

Customer Identification Program

Federal law requires the Portfolio to obtain and record specific personal information to verify your identity when you open an account. This information may include your name, address, date of birth (for individuals), and taxpayer or other government issued identification. If you fail to provide the requested information, the Portfolio may need to delay the date of your purchase or may be unable to open your account, which may result in a return of your investment monies. In addition, if the Portfolio is unable to verify your identity after your account is open, the Portfolio reserves the right to close your account or take other steps as deemed reasonable. The Portfolio shall not be held liable for any loss resulting from any purchase delay, application rejection or account closure due to a failure to provide proper identifying information.

Small Account Policy—Accounts Below $250

Columbia Funds generally will automatically sell your shares if the value of your account (treating each account of the Portfolio you own separately from any other account of the Portfolio you may own) falls below $250. If your shares are sold, the Transfer Agent will remit the sale proceeds to you. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of any automatic sale, which will provide details on how you may avoid such an automatic sale. Generally, you may avoid such an automatic sale by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information. The automatic sale of shares of accounts valued at less than $250 is expected to take place in the second quarter of each calendar year.

Columbia Funds may also sell your shares if a financial intermediary tells us to sell your shares pursuant to arrangements made with you, and under certain other circumstances allowed under the 1940 Act.

Small Account Policy—Minimum Balance Fee

If the value of your account (treating each account of the Portfolio you own separately from any other account of the Portfolio you may own) falls below the minimum initial investment requirement applicable to you, your account generally will be subject to a $20 annual fee. This fee will be assessed through the automatic sale of shares in your account. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will reduce the expenses paid by the Portfolio by any amounts it collects from the assessment of this fee. For Portfolios that do not have transfer agency expenses against which to offset the amount collected through assessment of this fee, the fee will be paid directly to the Portfolio. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of assessing any fee, which will provide details on how you can avoid the imposition of such fee. Generally, you may avoid the imposition of such fee by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information.

 

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Columbia Funds reserves the right to change the minimum investment requirements for any Portfolio. We also reserve the right to lower the account size trigger point for the minimum balance fee in any year or for any class of shares when we believe it is appropriate to do so in light of declines in the market value of Portfolio shares, sales loads applicable to a particular class of shares, or for other reasons.

Exceptions to the Small Account Policy

The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 and the annual minimum balance fee described previously do not apply to shareholders of Class R shares or shareholders holding their shares through broker/dealer networked accounts; wrap fee and omnibus accounts; accounts with active Systematic Investment Plans or payroll deduction plans; and certain qualified retirement plans and health savings accounts. The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 does not apply to individual retirement plans.

Cash Flows

The timing and magnitude of cash inflows from investors buying Portfolio shares could prevent the Portfolio from always being fully invested. Conversely, the timing and magnitude of cash outflows to investors selling Portfolio shares could require large ready reserves of uninvested cash to meet shareholder redemptions. Either situation could adversely impact the Portfolio’s performance.

Information Sharing Agreements

As required by Rule 22c-2 under the 1940 Act, the Columbia Funds or certain of their service providers will enter into information sharing agreements with financial intermediaries, including participating life insurance companies and financial intermediaries that sponsor or offer retirement plans through which shares of the Columbia Funds are made available for purchase. Pursuant to Rule 22c-2, financial intermediaries are required, upon request, to: (i) provide shareholder account and transaction information and (ii) execute instructions from the Portfolio to restrict or prohibit further purchases of Portfolio shares by shareholders who have been identified by the Portfolio as having engaged in transactions that violate the Portfolio’s excessive trading policies and procedures. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Excessive Trading Practices for more information.

Excessive Trading Practices

Right to Reject or Restrict Share Transaction Orders – The Portfolio is intended for investors with long-term investment purposes and is not intended as a vehicle for frequent trading activity (market timing) that is excessive. Investors should transact in Portfolio shares primarily for investment purposes. The Board has adopted excessive trading policies and procedures that are designed to deter excessive trading by investors (the Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures). The Portfolio discourages and does not accommodate excessive trading.

The Portfolio reserves the right to reject, without any prior notice, any buy or exchange order for any reason, and will not be liable for any loss resulting from rejected orders. For example, the Portfolio may in its discretion restrict, reject or cancel a buy or exchange order even if the transaction is not subject to the specific exchange limitation described below if the Portfolio or its agents determine that accepting the order could interfere with efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio or is otherwise contrary to the Portfolio’s best interests. The Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures apply equally to buy or exchange transactions communicated directly to the Transfer Agent and to those received by selling and/or servicing agents.

Specific Buying and Exchanging Limitations – If the Portfolio detects that an investor has made two “material round trips” in any 28-day period, it will generally reject the investor’s future buy orders, including exchange buy orders, involving any Columbia Fund.

For these purposes, a “round trip” is a purchase or exchange into the Portfolio followed by a sale or exchange out of the Portfolio. A “material” round trip is one that is deemed by the Portfolio to be material in terms of its amount or its potential detrimental impact on the Portfolio.

Independent of this limit, the Portfolio may, in its discretion, reject future buy orders by any person, group or account that appears to have engaged in any type of excessive trading activity.

These limits generally do not apply to automated transactions or transactions by registered investment companies that invest in the Portfolio using a “fund of funds” structure. These limits do not apply to payroll deduction contributions by

 

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retirement plan participants, transactions initiated by a retirement plan sponsor or certain other retirement plan transactions consisting of rollover transactions, loan repayments and disbursements, and required minimum distribution redemptions. They may be modified or rescinded for accounts held by certain retirement plans to conform to plan limits, for considerations relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or regulations of the Department of Labor, and for certain asset allocation or wrap programs. Accounts known to be under common ownership or control generally will be counted together, but accounts maintained or managed by a common intermediary generally will not be considered to be under common ownership or control. The Portfolio retains the right to modify these restrictions at any time without prior notice to shareholders.

Limitations on the Ability to Detect and Prevent Excessive Trading Practices – The Portfolio takes various steps designed to detect and prevent excessive trading, including daily review of available shareholder transaction information. However, the Portfolio receives buy, sell and exchange orders through financial intermediaries, and cannot always know or reasonably detect excessive trading that may be facilitated by financial intermediaries or by the use of the omnibus account arrangements they offer. Omnibus account arrangements are common forms of holding shares of mutual funds, particularly among certain financial intermediaries such as broker/ dealers, retirement plans and variable insurance products. These arrangements often permit financial intermediaries to aggregate their clients’ transactions and accounts, and in these circumstances, the identity of the shareholders is often not known.

Some financial intermediaries apply their own restrictions or policies to underlying investor accounts, which may be more or less restrictive than those described here. This may impact the Portfolio’s ability to curtail excessive trading, even where it is identified. For these and other reasons, it is possible that excessive trading may occur despite the Portfolio’s efforts to detect and prevent it.

Although these restrictions and policies involve judgments that are inherently subjective and may involve some selectivity in their application, the Portfolio seeks to act in a manner that it believes is consistent with the best interests of shareholders in making any such judgments.

Risks of Excessive Trading – Excessive trading creates certain risks to the Portfolio’s long-term shareholders and may create the following adverse effects:

 

   

negative impact on the Portfolio’s performance;

 

   

potential dilution of the value of the Portfolio’s shares;

 

   

interference with the efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio, such as the need to maintain undesirably large cash positions, the need to use its line of credit or the need to buy or sell securities it otherwise would not have bought or sold;

 

   

losses on the sale of investments resulting from the need to sell securities at less favorable prices;

 

   

increased taxable gains to the Portfolio’s remaining shareholders resulting from the need to sell securities to meet sell orders; and

 

   

increased brokerage and administrative costs.

To the extent that the Portfolio invests significantly in foreign securities traded on markets that close before the Portfolio’s valuation time, it may be particularly susceptible to dilution as a result of excessive trading. Because events may occur after the close of foreign markets and before the Portfolio’s valuation time that influence the value of foreign securities, investors may seek to trade Portfolio shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of foreign securities as of the Portfolio’s valuation time. This is often referred to as price arbitrage. The Portfolio has adopted procedures designed to adjust closing market prices of foreign securities under certain circumstances to reflect what the Portfolio believes to be the fair value of those securities as of its valuation time. To the extent the adjustments don’t work fully, investors engaging in price arbitrage may cause dilution in the value of the Portfolio’s shares held by other shareholders.

Similarly, to the extent that the Portfolio invests significantly in thinly traded high-yield bonds (junk bonds) or equity securities of small-capitalization companies, because these securities are often traded infrequently, investors may seek to trade their shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of these securities. This is also a type of price arbitrage. Any such frequent trading strategies may interfere with efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio to a greater degree than would be the case for mutual funds that invest in highly liquid securities, in part because the Portfolio may have difficulty selling those portfolio

 

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securities at advantageous times or prices to satisfy large and/or frequent sell orders. Any successful price arbitrage may also cause dilution in the value of Portfolio shares held by other shareholders.

 

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Opening an Account and Placing Orders

Columbia Funds encourages you to consult with a financial advisor who can help you with your investment decisions and who can help you open an account. Once you have an account, you can buy, sell and exchange shares by contacting your financial advisor who will send your order to the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent. As described in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies, once you have an account you can also communicate your orders directly to the Transfer Agent by mail, by telephone or online.

Portfolio Liquidation

It is expected that the Portfolio will be liquidated in 2009. As soon as practicable following the completion of all final liquidating distributions, the Portfolio will be terminated. Shareholders of the Portfolio may redeem their investments in the Portfolio at any time prior to the date of liquidation.

Buying Shares

Eligible Investors

Subject to the Portfolio closing and liquidation described above, once you have opened an account, you can buy Class A and Class C shares in a lump sum, through our Systematic Investment Plan, by dividend diversification, by wire or by electronic funds transfer.

Class B Shares Closing

The Portfolio no longer accepts investments from new or existing investors in Class B shares, except for certain limited transactions involving existing investors in Class B shares as described in more detail below.

Additional Class B shares will be issued only to existing investors in Class B shares and only through the following two types of transactions (Qualifying Transactions):

 

   

Dividends and/or capital gain distributions may continue to be reinvested in Class B shares of the same Portfolio.

 

   

Shareholders invested in Class B shares of a Columbia Fund may exchange those shares for Class B shares of a Portfolio.

Any initial purchase orders for the Portfolio’s Class B shares received from new investors in Class B shares will be rejected (other than through a Qualifying Transaction that is an exchange transaction).

Unless contrary instructions are received in advance by the Portfolio, purchase orders (except those submitted by a financial intermediary through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC) as described in more detail below) for additional Class B shares of the Portfolio received from existing investors in Class B shares, including orders made through an active systematic investment plan or payroll deduction plan, will be invested in Class A shares of the Portfolio, without regard to the normal minimum initial investment for Class A shares, but subject to the front-end sales charge that generally applies to Class A shares. See Choosing a Share Class – Class A Shares – Front-end Sales Charge for additional information.

Additional purchase orders for a Portfolio’s Class B shares by an existing Class B shareholder, submitted by such shareholder’s financial intermediary through the NSCC, will be rejected due to operational limitations of the NSCC. Investors should consult their financial advisor if they wish to invest in a Portfolio by purchasing a share class of the Portfolio other than Class B shares.

In addition, dividend and/or capital gain distributions from Class B shares of a Columbia Fund will no longer be automatically invested in Class B shares of another Columbia Fund. Unless contrary instructions are received in advance of the date of declaration, such dividend and/or capital gain distributions from Class B shares of a Columbia Fund will be reinvested in Class B shares of the same Columbia Fund that is making the distribution.

 

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Minimum Initial Investments

The minimum initial investment for Class A and Class C shares is $2,500 for regular accounts and $1,000 for individual retirement plans (including traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts) and non-omnibus group retirement plans. For investors establishing a Systematic Investment Plan, the minimum initial investment is $50. There is no minimum initial investment for Class A or Class C shares bought through omnibus accounts, wrap accounts or health savings accounts, although your selling and/or servicing agent may impose its own investment minimum. For group retirement plans, the minimum initial investment and minimum additional investment are determined based on the plan’s investment rather than that of its individual participants.

Minimum Additional Investments

There is no minimum additional investment for Class A or Class C shares.

Systematic Investment Plan

The Systematic Investment Plan allows you to make regular purchases in amounts of $50 or more via automatic transfers from your bank account to the Portfolio on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan.

Dividend Diversification

Generally, you may automatically invest distributions made by another Columbia Fund into the same class of shares (and in some cases certain other classes of shares) of the Portfolio at no additional sales charge. A sales charge may apply when you invest distributions made by a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase. Call Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for details. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders – Buying Shares – Class B Shares Closing for restrictions applicable to Class B shares.

Wire Purchases

You may buy Class A or Class C shares of the Portfolio by wiring money from your bank account to your Portfolio account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737.

Electronic Funds Transfer

You may buy Class A or Class C shares of the Portfolio by electronically transferring money from your bank account to your Portfolio account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. An electronic funds transfer may take up to three business days to settle and be considered in “good form.” You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Other Purchase Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your buy order in “good form,” your purchase will be made at the next calculated public offering price per share, which is the net asset value per share plus any sales charge that applies.

 

   

You generally buy Class A shares at the public offering price per share because purchases of Class A shares are generally subject to a front-end sales charge.

 

   

You buy Class B and Class C shares at net asset value per share because no front-end sales charge applies to purchases of these share classes.

 

   

The Portfolio reserves the right to cancel your order if it doesn’t receive payment within three business days of receiving your buy order. The Portfolio will return any payment received for orders that have been cancelled, but no interest will be paid on that money.

 

   

Selling and/or servicing agents are responsible for sending your buy orders to the Transfer Agent and ensuring that we receive your money on time.

 

   

Shares bought are recorded on the books of the Portfolio. The Portfolio doesn’t issue certificates.

Selling Shares

When you sell your shares, the Portfolio is effectively buying them back from you. This is called a redemption.

Wire Redemptions

You may request that your Class A, Class B or Class C shares sale proceeds be wired to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. You must set up this feature prior to your request. For shares sold by Fedwire, there is generally a fee of $7.50. The receiving bank may charge an additional fee. The Transfer Agent may waive the fee for certain accounts. The minimum amount that can be redeemed by wire is $500.

 

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Electronic Funds Transfer

You may sell Class A, Class B or Class C shares of the Portfolio and request that the proceeds be electronically transferred to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It may take up to three business days for the sale proceeds to be received by your bank. You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan

The Systematic Withdrawal Plan lets you withdraw funds from your Class A, Class B and/or Class C shares account any day of the month on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. Your account balance generally must be at least $5,000 to set up the plan, but certain fee-based and wrap accounts are not subject to this requirement. All dividend and capital gain distributions must be reinvested to set up the plan. A Systematic Withdrawal Plan cannot be set up on an account that already has a Systematic Investment Plan established. If you set up the plan after you’ve opened your account, we may require your signature to be Medallion guaranteed.

You can choose to receive your withdrawals via check or direct deposit into your bank account. You won’t pay a CDSC on Class A, Class B or Class C shares if you withdraw 12% or less of the value of those shares in a year. Otherwise, Columbia Funds will deduct any applicable CDSC from the withdrawals before sending the balance to you. You can cancel the plan by giving Columbia Funds 30 days notice in writing or by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It’s important to remember that if you withdraw more than your investment in the Portfolio is earning, you’ll eventually use up your original investment.

In-Kind Distributions

The Portfolio reserves the right to honor sell orders with in-kind distributions of portfolio securities instead of cash. In the event the Portfolio makes such an in-kind distribution, you may incur the brokerage and transaction costs associated with converting the portfolio securities you receive into cash. Also, the portfolio securities you receive may increase or decrease in value before you convert them into cash.

Other Redemption Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your sell order in “good form,” your shares will be sold at the next calculated net asset value per share. Any applicable CDSC will be deducted from the amount you’re selling and the balance will be remitted to you.

 

   

If you sell your shares directly through Columbia Funds, we will normally send the sale proceeds by mail or electronically transfer them to your bank account within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you sell your shares through a selling agent, Columbia Funds will normally send the sale proceeds by Fedwire within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you paid for your shares by check or from your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction, Columbia Funds will hold the sale proceeds when you sell those shares for up to 10 days after the trade date of the purchase.

 

   

No interest will be paid on uncashed redemption checks.

 

   

Columbia Funds can delay payment of the sale proceeds for up to seven days and may suspend redemptions and/or postpone payment of redemption proceeds when the NYSE is closed or during emergency circumstances as determined by the SEC.

 

   

Other restrictions may apply to retirement accounts. For information about these restrictions, contact your retirement plan administrator.

 

   

Also keep in mind Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy, which is described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies.

Exchanging Shares

You can generally sell shares of the Portfolio to buy shares of another Columbia Fund, in what is called an exchange. You should read the prospectus of, and make sure you understand the investment objective and principal investment strategies of, the Columbia Fund into which you are exchanging.

Systematic Exchanges

You may buy Class A, Class B and/or Class C shares of the Portfolio by exchanging $100 or more each month from another Columbia Fund for shares of the same class of the Portfolio at no additional cost. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. If you set up your

 

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plan to exchange more than $100,000 each month, you must have your signature Medallion guaranteed.

Exchanges will continue as long as your balance is sufficient to complete the systematic monthly transfers, subject to Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies. You may terminate the program or change the amount you would like to exchange (subject to the $100 minimum) by calling Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611. A sales charge may apply when you exchange shares of a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase.

The rules described below for making exchanges apply to systematic exchanges.

Other Exchange Rules You Should Know

 

   

Exchanges are made at net asset value.

 

   

You can generally make exchanges between like share classes of any Columbia Fund. Some exceptions apply.

 

   

A sales charge may apply when you exchange shares of a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase.

 

   

If your shares are subject to a CDSC, you will not be charged a CDSC upon the exchange of those shares. Any CDSC will be deducted when you sell the shares you received from the exchange. The CDSC imposed at that time will be based on the period that begins when you bought shares of the original Columbia Fund and ends when you sell the shares of the Columbia Fund you received from the exchange. The applicable CDSC will be the CDSC of the original Columbia Fund.

 

   

The rules for buying shares of a Columbia Fund generally apply to exchanges into that Fund.

 

   

You may make exchanges only into a Columbia Fund that is legally offered and sold in your state of residence.

 

   

You generally may make an exchange only into a Columbia Fund that is accepting investments.

 

   

The Portfolio may change or cancel your right to make an exchange by giving the amount of notice required by regulatory authorities (generally 60 days for a material change or cancellation).

 

   

Unless your account is part of a tax-advantaged retirement plan, an exchange for shares of another fund is a taxable event, and you may recognize a gain or loss for tax purposes.

Same-Fund Exchange Privilege for Class Z Shares

Certain shareholders invested in a class of shares other than Class Z may become eligible to invest in Class Z shares. Upon a determination of such eligibility, any such shareholders will be eligible to exchange their shares for Class Z shares of the same fund, if offered. No sales charges or other charges will apply to any such exchange. Ordinarily, shareholders will not recognize a gain or loss for federal income tax purposes upon such an exchange. Investors should contact their selling and/or servicing agents to learn more about the details of the Class Z shares exchange privilege.

 

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Distributions and Taxes

Distributions to Shareholders

A mutual fund can make money two ways:

 

   

It can earn income on its investments. Examples of fund income are interest paid on money market instruments and bonds, and dividends paid on common stocks.

 

   

A mutual fund can also have capital gains if the value of its investments increases. While a fund continues to hold an investment, any gain is unrealized. If the fund sells an investment, it generally will realize a capital gain if it sells that investment for a higher price than it originally paid. Capital gains are either short-term or long-term, depending on whether the fund holds the securities for one year or less (short-term gains) or more than one year (long-term gains).

FUNDamentalsTM

Distributions

Mutual funds make payments of fund earnings to shareholders, distributing them among all shareholders of the fund. As a shareholder, you are entitled to your portion of a fund’s distributed income, including capital gains.

Reinvesting your distributions buys you more shares of a fund – which lets you take advantage of the potential for compound growth. Putting the money you earn back into your investment means it, in turn, may earn even more money. Over time, the power of compounding has the potential to significantly increase the value of your investment. There is no assurance, however, that you’ll earn more money if you reinvest your distributions rather than receive them in cash.

The Portfolio intends to pay out, in the form of distributions to shareholders, a sufficient amount of its income and gains so that the Portfolio will qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company and generally will not have to pay any federal excise tax. The Portfolio generally intends to distribute any net realized capital gain (whether long-term or short-term gain) at least once a year. Normally, the Portfolio will declare and pay distributions of net investment income according to the following schedule:

Declaration and Distribution Schedule

 

Declarations   quarterly
Distributions   quarterly

The Portfolio may, however, declare and pay distributions of net investment income more frequently.

Different share classes of the Portfolio usually pay different net investment income distribution amounts, because each class has different expenses. Each time a distribution is made, the net asset value per share of the share class is reduced by the amount of the distribution.

The Portfolio generally pays cash distributions within five business days after the distribution was declared. If you sell all of your shares after the record date but before the payment date for a distribution, you’ll normally receive that distribution in cash within five business days after the sale was made.

The Portfolio will automatically reinvest distributions in additional shares of the same share class of the Portfolio unless you inform us you want to receive your distributions in cash. You can do this by writing Columbia Funds at the address on the back cover, or by calling us at 800.345.6611. No sales charges apply to the purchase or sale of such shares. Distributions of $10 or less will automatically be reinvested in additional Portfolio shares only. If you elect to receive distributions by check and the check is returned as undeliverable, all subsequent distributions will be reinvested in additional shares of the Portfolio.

Unless you are investing through a tax-deferred retirement account (such as an IRA), you should consider avoiding buying Portfolio shares shortly before the Portfolio makes a distribution of net investment income or net realized capital gain, because doing so can cost you money in taxes. This is because you will, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back in the distribution. This is known as “buying a dividend.” To avoid “buying a dividend,” check the Portfolio’s distribution schedule online at www.columbiafunds.com, or by calling us at 800.345.6611, before you invest.

 

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If you buy shares of the Portfolio when it holds securities with unrealized capital gain, you may, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back if and when the Portfolio sells those securities and distributes any net realized gain. Any such distribution is generally subject to tax. The Portfolio may have, or may build up over time, high levels of unrealized capital gain. If you buy shares of the Portfolio when it has capital loss carryforwards, the Portfolio may have the ability to offset capital gains realized by the Portfolio that otherwise would have been distributed to shareholders with such carryforwards, although capital loss carryforwards generally expire after eight taxable years and may be subject to substantial limitations.

 

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Taxes and Your Investment

The Portfolio will send you a statement each year showing how much you’ve received in distributions in the prior year and the distributions’ character for federal income tax purposes. In addition, you should be aware of the following:

 

   

The Portfolio intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company. A regulated investment company generally is not subject to tax at the portfolio level on income and gains from investments that are distributed to shareholders. However, the Portfolio’s failure to qualify as a regulated investment company would result in portfolio level taxation, and consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to you.

 

   

Distributions generally are taxable to you when paid, whether they are paid in cash or automatically reinvested in additional shares of the Portfolio.

 

   

Distributions of the Portfolio’s ordinary income and net short-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions of the Portfolio’s net long-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as long-term capital gain. Whether capital gains are long-term or short-term is determined by how long the Portfolio has owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long you have owned your shares.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, if you are an individual and you meet certain holding period and other requirements for your Portfolio shares, a portion of your distributions may be treated as “qualified dividend income” taxable at lower net long-term capital gain rates. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this provision to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010. Qualified dividend income is income attributable to the Portfolio’s dividends received from certain U.S. and foreign corporations, as long as the Portfolio meets certain holding period and other requirements for the stock producing such dividends.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, the maximum individual federal income tax rate on net long-term capital gain (and thus qualified dividend income) has been temporarily reduced to 15%. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this rate reduction to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010.

 

   

A sale, redemption or exchange of Portfolio shares is a taxable event. This includes redemptions where you are paid in securities. Your sales, redemptions and exchanges of Portfolio shares (including those paid in securities) usually will result in a taxable capital gain or loss to you, equal to the difference between the amount you receive for your shares (or are deemed to have received in the case of exchanges) and the amount you paid (or are deemed to have paid in the case of exchanges) for them. Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held your Portfolio shares for more than one year at the time of sale or exchange. In certain circumstances, capital losses may be converted from short-term to long-term or disallowed.

 

   

The Portfolio is required by federal law to withhold tax on any taxable distributions and sale proceeds paid to you (including amounts paid to you in securities and amounts deemed to be paid to you upon an exchange of shares) if: you haven’t provided a correct taxpayer identification number (TIN) or haven’t certified to the Portfolio that withholding doesn’t apply; the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has notified us that the TIN listed on your account is incorrect according to its records; or the IRS informs the Portfolio that you are otherwise subject to backup withholding.

FUNDamentalsTM

Taxes

The information provided above is only a summary of how U.S. federal income taxes may affect your investment in the Portfolio. It is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Your investment in the Portfolio may have other tax implications.

It does not apply to certain types of investors who may be subject to special rules, including foreign or tax-exempt investors or those holding Portfolio shares through a tax-advantaged account, such as a 401(k) plan or IRA.

You should consult with your own tax advisor about the particular tax consequences to you of an investment in the Portfolio, including the effect of any foreign, state and local taxes, and the effect of possible changes in applicable tax laws.

 

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights tables are designed to help you understand how the Portfolio has performed for the past five full fiscal years, or if shorter, the Portfolio’s period of operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Portfolio share. The total return line indicates how much an investment in the Portfolio would have earned each period assuming all dividends and distributions had been reinvested.

This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm whose report, along with the Portfolio’s financial statements, is included in the Portfolio’s annual report. The independent registered public accounting firm’s report and the Portfolio’s financial statements are also incorporated by reference into the SAI.

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio—Class A Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Period Ended
March 31,
2006 (a)
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 10.39      $ 10.42      $ 10.19      $ 10.00   

Income from Investment Operations:

        

Net investment income(b)

     0.21        0.21        0.26        0.03   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (3.38     0.12        0.61        0.17   

Total from investment operations

     (3.17     0.33        0.87        0.20   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

        

From net investment income

     (0.22     (0.24     (0.23     (0.01

From net realized gains

     (0.34     (0.12     (0.41     —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.56     (0.36     (0.64     (0.01

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 6.66      $ 10.39      $ 10.42      $ 10.19   

Total return(d)(e)

     (31.84 )%      2.96     8.77     2.01 %(f) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

        

Net expenses(g)(h)

     0.25     0.25     0.25     0.25 %(c) 

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.36     0.34     0.48     6.51 %(c) 

Net investment income(h)

     2.46     2.05     2.49     2.04 %(c) 

Portfolio turnover rate

     10     8     2     —     

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 38,188      $ 65,837      $ 53,710      $ 13,131   

 

(a)      Class A shares commenced operations on February 15, 2006. Per share data and total return reflect activity from that date.

(b)      Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)      Annualized.

(d)      Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge.

(e)      Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(f)      Not annualized.

(g)      Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the portfolio invests, if these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(h)      The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

 

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Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio—Class B Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Period Ended
March 31,
2006 (a)
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 10.43      $ 10.42      $ 10.19      $ 10.00   

Income from Investment Operations:

        

Net investment income(b)

     0.15        0.14        0.18        0.01   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (3.39     0.11        0.62        0.18   

Total from investment operations

     (3.24     0.25        0.80        0.19   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

        

From net investment income

     (0.16     (0.12     (0.16     —   (d) 

From net realized gains

     (0.34     (0.12     (0.41     —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.50     (0.24     (0.57     —   (d) 

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 6.69      $ 10.43      $ 10.42      $ 10.19   

Total return(e)(f)

     (32.34 )%      2.22     7.96     1.91 %(g) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

        

Net expenses(h)(i)

     1.00     1.00     1.00     1.00 %(c) 

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.36     0.34     0.48     6.51 %(c) 

Net investment income(i)

     1.73     1.32     1.75     0.90 %(c) 

Portfolio turnover rate

     10     8     2     —     

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 14,152      $ 23,020      $ 19,388      $ 4,700   

 

(a)      Class B shares commenced operations on February 15, 2006. Per share data and total return reflect activity from that date.

(b)      Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)      Annualized.

(d)      Rounds to less than $0.01 per share.

(e)      Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no contingent deferred sales charge.

(f)      Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(g)      Not annualized.

(h)      Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the portfolio invests, if these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(i)       The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

 

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Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio—Class C Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Period Ended
March 31,
2006 (a)
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 10.43      $ 10.42      $ 10.19      $ 10.00   

Income from Investment Operations:

        

Net investment income(b)

     0.15        0.14        0.18        0.01   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (3.39     0.11        0.62        0.18   

Total from investment operations

     (3.24     0.25        0.80        0.19   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

        

From net investment income

     (0.16     (0.12     (0.16     —   (d) 

From net realized gains

     (0.34     (0.12     (0.41     —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.50     (0.24     (0.57     —   (d) 

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 6.69      $ 10.43      $ 10.42      $ 10.19   

Total return(e)(f)

     (32.34 )%      2.22     7.96     1.91 %(g) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

        

Net expenses(h)(i)

     1.00     1.00     1.00     1.00 %(c) 

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.36     0.34     0.48     6.51 %(c) 

Net investment income(i)

     1.71     1.32     1.74     0.80 %(c) 

Portfolio turnover rate

     10     8     2     —     

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 11,576      $ 21,207      $ 17,715      $ 2,958   

 

(a)      Class C shares commenced operations on February 15, 2006. Per share data and total return reflect activity from that date.

(b)      Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)      Annualized.

(d)      Rounds to less than $0.01 per share.

(e)      Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no contingent deferred sales charge.

(f)      Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(g)      Not annualized.

(h)      Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the portfolio invests, if these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(i)       The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

 

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Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

The following supplemental hypothetical investment information provides additional information about the effect of the fees and expenses of the Portfolio, including investment advisory fees and other Portfolio costs, on the Portfolio’s returns over a 10-year period. The charts show the estimated fees and expenses that would be charged on a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in each share class of the Portfolio, assuming a 5% return each year, the cumulative return after fees and expenses and the hypothetical year-end balance after fees and expenses. The charts also assume that all dividends and distributions are reinvested and that Class B shares convert to Class A shares after eight years. The annual expense ratio used for each share class, which is the same as that stated in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses table, is presented in the charts and is net of any contractual fee waivers or expense reimbursements for the period of contractual commitment. Your actual costs may be higher or lower. The charts shown below reflect the maximum initial sales charge. If contingent deferred sales charges were reflected, the “Hypothetical Year-End Balance After Fees and Expenses” amounts shown would be lower and the “Annual Fees and Expenses” amounts shown would be higher.

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio—Class A Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 5.75%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses (a)

1

   5.00   1.15   -2.12 %(b)    $ 9,787.86    $ 685.47

2

   10.25   1.51   1.29   $ 10,129.46    $ 150.38

3

   15.76   1.51   4.83   $ 10,482.98    $ 155.62

4

   21.55   1.51   8.49   $ 10,848.84    $ 161.06

5

   27.63   1.51   12.27   $ 11,227.46    $ 166.68

6

   34.01   1.51   16.19   $ 11,619.30    $ 172.49

7

   40.71   1.51   20.25   $ 12,024.81    $ 178.51

8

   47.75   1.51   24.44   $ 12,444.48    $ 184.74

9

   55.13   1.51   28.79   $ 12,878.79    $ 191.19

10

   62.89   1.51   33.28   $ 13,328.26    $ 197.86

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

  $ 3,328.26   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

     $ 2,244.00

 

(a)      Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

(b)      Reflects deduction of the maximum initial sales charge.

 

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Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio—Class B Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses (a)

1

   5.00   1.90   3.10   $ 10,310.00    $ 192.95

2

   10.25   2.26   5.92   $ 10,592.49    $ 236.20

3

   15.76   2.26   8.83   $ 10,882.72    $ 242.67

4

   21.55   2.26   11.81   $ 11,180.91    $ 249.32

5

   27.63   2.26   14.87   $ 11,487.27    $ 256.15

6

   34.01   2.26   18.02   $ 11,802.02    $ 263.17

7

   40.71   2.26   21.25   $ 12,125.40    $ 270.38

8

   47.75   2.26   24.58   $ 12,457.64    $ 277.79

9

   55.13   1.51   28.92   $ 12,892.41    $ 191.39

10

   62.89   1.51   33.42   $ 13,342.36    $ 198.07

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

  $ 3,342.36   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

     $ 2,378.09

 

(a)      Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio—Class C Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses (a)

1

   5.00   1.90   3.10   $ 10,310.00    $ 192.95

2

   10.25   2.26   5.92   $ 10,592.49    $ 236.20

3

   15.76   2.26   8.83   $ 10,882.72    $ 242.67

4

   21.55   2.26   11.81   $ 11,180.91    $ 249.32

5

   27.63   2.26   14.87   $ 11,487.27    $ 256.15

6

   34.01   2.26   18.02   $ 11,802.02    $ 263.17

7

   40.71   2.26   21.25   $ 12,125.40    $ 270.38

8

   47.75   2.26   24.58   $ 12,457.64    $ 277.79

9

   55.13   2.26   27.99   $ 12,798.98    $ 285.40

10

   62.89   2.26   31.50   $ 13,149.67    $ 293.22

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

  $ 3,149.67   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

     $ 2,567.25

 

(a)      Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

 

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LOGO

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio

Class A, Class B and Class C Shares

Prospectus, August 1, 2009

For More Information

You’ll find more information about the Portfolio and the other Columbia Funds in the documents described below. Contact Columbia Funds as follows to obtain these documents free of charge:

 

By Mail:   

Columbia Funds

c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc.

P.O. Box 8081

Boston, MA 02266-8081

By Telephone:    800.345.6611
Online:    www.columbiafunds.com

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders

Additional information about the Portfolio’s investments is available in the Portfolio’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Portfolio’s performance during its last fiscal year.

Shareholder Communications with the Board

The Portfolio’s Board of Trustees has adopted procedures by which shareholders may communicate with the Board. Shareholders who wish to communicate with the Board should send their written communications to the Board by mail, c/o Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, One Financial Center, Mail Stop MA5-515-11-05, Boston, MA 02111, Attention: Secretary. Shareholder communications must (i) be in writing, (ii) identify the Columbia Fund to which the communication relates and (iii) state the particular class of shares and number of shares held by the communicating shareholder.

Statement of Additional Information

The SAI provides more detailed information about the Portfolio and its policies. The SAI is legally part of this prospectus (incorporated by reference). A copy has been filed with the SEC.

Information Provided by the SEC

You can review and copy information about the Portfolio (including this prospectus, the SAI and shareholder reports) at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. To find out more about the operation of the Public Reference Room, call the SEC at 202.551.8090 or 800.SEC.0330. Reports and other information about the Portfolio are also available in the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You can receive copies of this information, for a fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov or by writing the Public Reference Section, Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, DC 20549-0102.

For purposes of any electronic version of this prospectus, all references to websites, or universal resource locators (URLs), are intended to be inactive and are not meant to incorporate the contents of any website into this prospectus.

The investment company registration number of Columbia Funds Series Trust, of which the Portfolio is a series, is 811-09645.

©2009 Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.

One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111-2621

800.345.6611 www.columbiafunds.com

INT-36/18006-0809


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LOGO

Prospectus

August 1, 2009

Columbia Funds

 

Class Z Shares   Advised by Columbia Management Advisors, LLC
Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio  

LOGO The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


Table of Contents

Portfolio shares are NOT deposits or other obligations of, or issued, endorsed or guaranteed by, Bank of America, N.A. or any of its affiliates. Portfolio shares are NOT issued, insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, the FDIC or any other government agency.

Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) and its affiliates are paid for the services they provide to the Portfolio and may be compensated or incented in connection with the sale of Portfolio shares. The Portfolio may be used as an investment option for various products and services offered by Bank of America that may raise economic and other conflicts of interest, which are discussed in this prospectus.

AN INVESTMENT IN THE PORTFOLIO INVOLVES CERTAIN RISKS, INCLUDING LOSS OF PRINCIPAL.

 

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Prospectus Primer

This prospectus tells you about Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio (the Portfolio), which is one of the mutual funds in the Columbia Funds family of mutual funds (Columbia Funds). The Portfolio is a “fund of funds” that invests its assets in a mix of underlying mutual funds (each, an Underlying Fund and together, the Underlying Funds) that may change over time. This prospectus is designed to provide you with important information about the Portfolio in a concise and easy to understand manner that is meant to help you make informed investment decisions.

The prospectus first summarizes the key characteristics of the Portfolio, including:

 

   

investment objective,

 

   

principal investment strategies and risks,

 

   

year-by-year performance information,

 

   

fees and expenses, and

 

   

a description of the Portfolio’s additional investment strategies and policies.

This summary is followed by other important information, including:

 

   

a discussion of the Portfolio’s primary service providers, including the roles and relationships of Bank of America and its affiliates, and conflicts of interest, and

 

   

a description of the Portfolio’s Class Z shares offered by this prospectus.

Later sections of the prospectus talk about the details of investing in the Portfolio, including:

 

   

how to buy, sell and exchange shares of the Portfolio, and

 

   

how you will receive your investment proceeds.

The prospectus also includes:

 

   

information about how federal and certain other taxes may affect your investment,

 

   

highlights of the Portfolio’s financial information, and

 

   

hypothetical fee and expense data that show the costs associated with investing in the Portfolio.

We have included a number of features designed to facilitate your use of this prospectus, including:

 

   

“FUNDamentals™” sections that provide simple explanations of key terms and concepts, as well as some basics of mutual fund investing,

 

   

a “FUNDimensions™” section that is meant to give you a “snapshot” of the Portfolio’s main attributes, and

 

   

graphic icons which are defined in the guide below.

Icons Guide

 

LOGO    Investment Objective
LOGO    Principal Investment Strategies
LOGO    Principal Risks
LOGO    Performance Information
LOGO    Fees and Expenses
LOGO    Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates - Certain Conflicts of Interest

For More Information

You can contact Columbia Funds:

 

   

by mail at Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

 

   

by telephone at 800.345.6611.

 

   

by email at serviceinquiries@columbiamanagement.com or online at www.columbiafunds.com.

 

   

through your financial advisor, who can help you select from among the Columbia Funds to meet your investment needs.

You also can find more information about the Portfolio in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI), which includes more detailed information about the Portfolio’s investments, policies and management, among other things. Turn to the back cover to find out how you can get a copy.

The SEC provides a “Beginners’ Guide to Mutual Funds” which may be useful to some investors and is available online, free of charge, at www.sec.gov.

 

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Table of Contents

 

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio

   5

Investment Objective

   5

Principal Investment Strategies

   5

Principal Risks

   7

Performance Information

   12

Fees and Expenses

   14

Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

   17

Management of the Portfolio

   19

Primary Service Providers

   19

Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

   21

Certain Legal Matters

   22

About Class Z Shares

   23

Description of the Share Class

   23

Financial Intermediary Compensation

   24

Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

   25

Share Price Determination

   25

Transaction Rules and Policies

   26

Opening an Account and Placing Orders

   31

Distributions and Taxes

   35

Financial Highlights

   38

Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

   39

Columbia Management Group, LLC

The Portfolio is sponsored by Columbia Management Group, LLC (Columbia Management), which is the primary investment division of Bank of America. Columbia Management is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110.

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC is the Portfolio’s investment advisor (the Advisor) and its administrator (the Administrator). Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. is the Portfolio’s distributor (the Distributor). Columbia Management Services, Inc. is the Portfolio’s transfer agent (the Transfer Agent).

The Portfolio, like all mutual funds, is designed to be a part of a broad and diversified investment portfolio and is not intended to fulfill all of your investment needs.

You should consider the objectives, risks and expenses of the Portfolio and any other Columbia Fund carefully before investing.

Portfolio Liquidation. It is expected that the Portfolio will be liquidated in 2009. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares—Opening an Account and Placing Orders for more information.

FUNDamentals™ and FUNDimensions™ are trademarks of Bank of America.

 

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Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio

FUNDimensionsTM

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio

 

Investment Objective:    Capital appreciation
Investment Style:    Moderate Allocation
Benchmarks:    S&P 500® Index(a) Barclays Capital U.S. Intermediate Government/Credit Bond Index
Ticker Symbol:    Class Z: CMHZX
Principal Risks:   

Investment strategy risk

Allocation risk

Investing in other funds risk

Market risk

Smaller company securities risk

Foreign securities risk

Convertible securities risk

U.S. Government obligations risk

Asset-backed securities risk

Mortgage-backed securities risk

Dollar rolls risk

Interest rate risk

Value securities risk

Emerging market securities risk

Derivatives risk

Currency risk

Reinvestment risk

Low and below investment grade securities risk

Credit risk

Special situations risk

Growth securities risk

Frequent trading risk

 

(a)

“Standard & Poor’s” and “S&P” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by the Advisor. The Portfolio is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s and Standard & Poor’s makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Portfolio.

FUNDamentalsTM

Benchmarks

Benchmarks are indices that provide some guidance in assessing fund performance. A fund does not, however, limit its investments to the securities within its benchmark(s), and a fund’s holdings can differ from those of any particular benchmark or index. Benchmarks are only guideposts for performance.

FUNDamentalsTM

Fund of Funds

Unlike a traditional mutual fund, which invests in individual securities, a “fund of funds” invests in a mix of underlying funds typically by using an asset allocation approach. A fund of funds indirectly bears a portion of the underlying funds’ expenses, in addition to the fund of funds’ own expenses.

LOGO Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks capital appreciation.

LOGO Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests in Class Z shares of specific Columbia Funds (Underlying Funds) on a fixed percentage basis. The Underlying Funds, in turn, invest primarily in domestic and, to a lesser extent, foreign equity securities and domestic and foreign debt securities.

The Portfolio currently makes allocations among three Underlying Funds as follows:

 

   

33 1/3% of the Portfolio’s total assets in Columbia Strategic Investor Fund.

 

   

33 1/3% of the Portfolio’s total assets in Columbia Marsico 21st Century Fund.

 

   

33 1/3% of the Portfolio’s total assets in Columbia Strategic Income Fund.

The Advisor monitors the percentage allocations to the Underlying Funds and rebalances the Portfolio’s allocations to the Underlying Funds to ensure that actual allocations do not exceed plus or minus 3% of the fixed allocation percentages.

Columbia Strategic Investor Fund seeks long-term growth of capital by using a “value” approach and, under normal circumstances, invests primarily in common stocks of companies that the Advisor believes are attractively valued and have the potential for long-term growth. The Fund may invest in companies that have market capitalizations of any size and may invest a significant amount of its assets in smaller companies. The Fund may invest up to 33% of its total assets in foreign securities, including securities of companies in emerging market countries. The Fund may invest in special situations such as initial public offerings, in companies

 

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involved in management changes, tender offers, mergers and other corporate restructurings and in companies developing new technologies.

Columbia Marsico 21st Century Fund seeks long-term growth of capital and invests primarily in equity securities of companies of any capitalization size, generally holding a core position of between 35 and 50 common stocks. It may invest without limit in foreign securities, including emerging market securities.

Columbia Strategic Income Fund seeks total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation and, under normal circumstances, invests primarily in debt securities in the following three segments of the debt securities market: (i) securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies, including mortgage- and other asset-backed securities; (ii) securities issued by foreign governments, companies or other entities, including in emerging market countries and non-dollar denominated securities; and (iii) below investment grade corporate debt securities or unrated corporate debt securities determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality, which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.”

The Advisor’s allocations to the Underlying Funds are expected to remain constant, but the Advisor can modify this list of Underlying Funds at any time, including by adding Underlying Funds introduced after the date of this prospectus.

FUNDamentalsTM

Asset Allocation Funds

Asset allocation funds use a process called “asset allocation,” which is the process of creating a portfolio by investing in different asset classes – for example, domestic equity securities, foreign securities and debt securities – in varying proportions.

The mix of asset classes and how much is invested in each is an important factor in how an asset allocation fund performs and the amount of risk involved. Each asset class, and each sub-asset class within a class, like large-, mid- and small-capitalization equity securities, has different risk and return characteristics, and may react in different ways to changes in the financial markets and to the economy in general. An investment approach that combines asset classes and sub-asset classes may help to reduce overall volatility.

Asset allocation funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio, and

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income.

 

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LOGO Principal Risks

 

   

Investment Strategy Risk – The Advisor uses the principal investment strategies and other investment strategies to seek to achieve the Portfolio’s investment objective. Investment decisions made by the Advisor in using these strategies may not produce the returns expected by the Advisor, may cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or may cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.

 

   

Allocation Risk – The Portfolio uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Portfolio’s allocation among asset classes or investments will cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

 

   

Investing in Other Funds Risk – The performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests could be adversely affected if other entities that invest in the same Underlying Funds make relatively large investments or redemptions in the Underlying Funds. Because the expenses and costs of an Underlying Fund are shared by its investors, redemptions by other investors in the Underlying Fund could result in decreased economies of scale and increased operating expenses for the Underlying Fund. The Portfolio, and its shareholders, indirectly bear a portion of the expenses of the Underlying Funds. These transactions might also result in higher brokerage, tax or other costs for the Portfolio. This risk may be particularly important when one investor owns a substantial portion of any Underlying Fund. In addition, the Advisor has the authority to change the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or to change the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. If an Underlying Fund pays fees to the Advisor or its affiliates, such as advisory fees, this could result in the Advisor having a potential conflict of interest in selecting the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or in determining the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. There are also circumstances in which the Advisor’s fiduciary duties to the Portfolio may conflict with its fiduciary duties to the Underlying Funds.

The Portfolio is subject indirectly to the following risks of the Underlying Funds:

 

   

Market Risk – The Underlying Funds are subject to market risk, which refers to the possibility that the market values of securities that the Underlying Fund holds will rise or fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Security values may fall because of factors affecting individual companies, industries or sectors, or the markets as a whole, reducing the value of an investment in the Underlying Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Underlying Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. The market values of the securities the Underlying Fund holds also can be affected by changes or perceived changes in U.S. or foreign economies and financial markets and the liquidity of these securities, among other factors. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

 

   

Smaller Company Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of small- or mid-capitalization companies (“smaller companies”) which can, in certain circumstances, have a higher potential for gains than securities of large-capitalization companies but may also have more risk. For example, smaller companies may be more vulnerable to market downturns and adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies because they may have more limited financial resources and business operations. These companies are also more likely than larger companies to have more limited product lines and operating histories and to depend on smaller management teams. Their securities may trade less frequently and in smaller volumes and may be less liquid and fluctuate more sharply in value than securities of larger companies. In addition, some smaller companies may not be widely followed by the investment community, which can lower the demand for their stocks.

 

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Foreign Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in foreign securities, which are subject to special risks as compared to securities of U.S. issuers. For example, foreign markets can be extremely volatile. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may impact the value of foreign securities denominated in foreign currencies, or in U.S. dollars, without a change in the intrinsic value of those securities. Foreign securities may be less liquid than domestic securities so that the Underlying Fund may, at times, be unable to sell foreign securities at desirable times or prices. Brokerage commissions, custodial fees and other fees are also generally higher for foreign securities. The Underlying Fund may have limited or no legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain foreign securities, including those issued by foreign governments. In addition, foreign governments may impose potentially confiscatory withholding or other taxes, which could reduce the amount of income and capital gains available to distribute to shareholders. Other risks include possible delays in the settlement of transactions or in the payment of income; generally less publicly available information about companies; the impact of political, social or diplomatic events; possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of a company or its assets; possible imposition of currency exchange controls; and accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards that may be less comprehensive and stringent than those applicable to domestic companies.

 

   

Convertible Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in convertible securities, which are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate risk and credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. Because the value of a convertible security can be influenced by both interest rates and market movements, a convertible security generally is not as sensitive to interest rates as a similar debt security, and generally will not vary in value in response to other factors to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities would typically be paid before the company’s common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. The Underlying Fund may be forced to convert a convertible security before it otherwise would choose to do so, which may decrease the Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

U.S. Government Obligations Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in U.S. Government obligations. U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government and generally have negligible credit risk. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. For example, securities issued by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Banks are neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. Government. These securities may be supported by the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the credit of the issuing agency, authority, instrumentality or enterprise and, as a result, are subject to greater credit risk than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

 

   

Asset-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in asset-backed securities. The value of an Underlying Fund’s asset-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the receivables, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Asset-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of receivables such as credit card, auto, student and home equity loans. They may also be backed, in turn, by securities backed by these types of loans and others, such as mortgage loans. Asset-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Most asset-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying debt may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of asset-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of asset-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

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Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in mortgage-backed securities. The value of the Underlying Fund’s mortgage-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the mortgages, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Mortgage-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of mortgages from which payments of interest and principal (net of fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of the securities) are distributed to the holders of the mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage-backed securities (but not the market value of the securities themselves) may be guaranteed (i) by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association) or (ii) by its agencies, authorities, enterprises or instrumentalities (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Federal National Mortgage Association or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation), which are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government. Mortgage-backed securities issued by non-governmental issuers (such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers) may be supported by various credit enhancements, such as pool insurance, guarantees issued by governmental entities, letters of credit from a bank or senior/subordinated structures, and may entail greater risk than obligations guaranteed by the U.S. Government, whether or not such obligations are guaranteed by the private issuer. Mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying mortgage may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of mortgage-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of mortgage-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

   

Dollar Rolls Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may use dollar rolls, which are transactions in which the Underlying Fund sells securities to a counterparty and simultaneously agrees to purchase those or similar securities in the future at a predetermined price. Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Underlying Fund is obligated to repurchase may decline below the repurchase price, or that the counterparty may default on its obligations. These transactions may also increase the Underlying Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. If the Underlying Fund reinvests the proceeds of the security sold, the Underlying Fund will also be subject to the risk that the investments purchased with such proceeds will decline in value (a form of leverage risk).

 

   

Interest Rate Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in debt securities, which are subject to interest rate risk. In general, if prevailing interest rates rise, the values of debt securities will tend to fall, and if interest rates fall, the values of debt securities will tend to rise. Changes in the value of a debt security usually will not affect the amount of income the Underlying Fund receives from it but will affect the value of the Underlying Fund’s shares. Interest rate risk is generally greater for debt securities with longer maturities/durations.

 

   

Value Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in value securities, which are securities of companies that may have experienced, for example, adverse business, industry or other developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the securities to be out of favor and, in turn, potentially undervalued. The market value of a portfolio security may not meet the Advisor’s future value assessment of that security, or may decline. There is also a risk that it may take longer than expected for the value of these investments to rise to the believed value. In addition, value securities, at times, may not perform as well as growth securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

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Emerging Market Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries, like those in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America or Africa. These emerging market securities are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in foreign securities that are described in “Foreign Securities Risk.” In addition, these countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid social, political and economic development. Their economies are usually less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity than more developed countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade, which makes them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries. Some emerging market countries have a higher risk of currency devaluations, and some of these countries may experience periods of high inflation or rapid changes in inflation rates.

 

   

Derivatives Risk – Certain Underlying Funds use derivatives, which are financial contracts whose values are, for example, based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or bond), assets (such as a commodity like gold or a foreign currency), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Derivatives involve special risks and may result in losses or may limit the Fund’s potential gain from favorable market movements. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying security. The values of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in unusual market conditions, and may result in increased volatility, among other consequences. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Other risks arise from the Underlying Fund’s potential inability to terminate or sell derivative positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Underlying Fund’s derivative positions at times when the Underlying Fund might wish to terminate or sell such positions. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid, and transactions in derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. The use of derivatives also involves the risks of mispricing or improper valuation and that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying security, asset, reference rate or index. The Underlying Fund may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to engage in derivative transactions when it is deemed favorable to do so, or at all. For more information on the risks of derivative investments and strategies, see the SAI.

 

   

Currency Risk – Certain Underlying Funds are subject to currency risk. Securities denominated in different currencies are subject to the risk that, for example, if the value of a foreign currency were to decline against the U.S. dollar, such decline would reduce the U.S. dollar value of any securities held by the Fund denominated in that currency.

 

   

Reinvestment Risk – Because certain Underlying Funds invest in debt securities, income from those Underlying Funds’ debt securities portfolios will decline if and when the Underlying Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called securities in securities with market interest rates that are below the current earnings rate of the Underlying Fund’s portfolio.

 

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Low and Below Investment Grade Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in debt securities with the lowest investment grade rating (e.g., BBB by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch) or that are below investment grade (which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) (e.g., BB or below by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch). These securities are more speculative than securities with higher ratings, and tend to be more sensitive to credit risk, particularly during a downturn in the economy, which is more likely to weaken the ability of the issuers to make principal and interest payments on these securities than is the case for higher-rated securities. These securities typically pay a premium – a high interest rate or yield – because of the increased risk of loss, including default. These securities also are generally less liquid than higher rated securities. The securities ratings provided by Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch are based on analyses by these ratings agencies of the credit quality of the securities and may not take into account every risk related to whether interest or principal will be timely repaid.

 

   

Credit Risk – Certain Underlying Funds are subject to credit risk, which applies to most debt securities, but is generally not a factor for obligations backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose money if the issuer of a debt security is unable or perceived to be unable to pay interest or repay principal when it becomes due. Various factors could affect the issuer’s actual or perceived willingness or ability to make timely interest or principal payments, including changes in the issuer’s financial condition or in general economic conditions. Debt securities backed by an issuer’s taxing authority may be subject to legal limits on the issuer’s power to increase taxes or otherwise to raise revenue, or may be dependent on legislative appropriation or government aid. Certain debt securities are backed only by revenues derived from a particular project or source, rather than by an issuer’s taxing authority, and thus may have a greater risk of default.

 

   

Special Situations Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of companies that are involved in an initial public offering or a major corporate event, such as a business consolidation or restructuring, which may present special risk because of the high degree of uncertainty that can be associated with such events. Securities issued in initial public offerings often are issued by companies that are in the early stages of development, have a history of little or no revenues and may operate at a loss following the offering. It is possible that there will be no active trading market for the securities after the offering, and the market price of the securities may be subject to significant and unpredictable fluctuations. Investing in special situations may have a magnified effect on the performance of funds with small amounts of assets.

 

   

Growth Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in growth securities. Because growth securities typically trade at a higher multiple of earnings than other types of securities, the prices of growth securities may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other types of securities. In addition, growth securities, at times, may not perform as well as value securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Frequent Trading Risk – Certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve the frequent trading of portfolio securities. Frequent trading of investments increases the possibility that the Underlying Fund will realize taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s after-tax return. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s return.

These are summaries of the principal risks associated with the principal investment strategies of the Portfolio. Additional risks are associated with other permissible investments of the Portfolio that are described in the SAI together with further information about these principal risks. There is no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.

 

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LOGO Performance Information

The following bar chart and table show you how the Portfolio has performed in the past, and can help you understand the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s past performance (before or after taxes) is no guarantee of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Year by Year Total Return (%) as of December 31 Each Year*

The bar chart below shows you how the performance of the Portfolio’s Class Z shares has varied from year to year.

LOGO

 

* Year-to-date return as of June 30, 2009: 6.71%.

Best and Worst Quarterly Returns During this Period

 

Best:

   2nd quarter 2007:    5.73%

Worst:

   4th quarter 2008:    -18.24%

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Performance

Many factors can affect a mutual fund’s performance, including, for example:

 

   

management of fund holdings,

 

   

market conditions,

 

   

fund expenses, and

 

   

flows of investment dollars into and out of the fund.

The returns for the various share classes may vary based on differences in sales charges and expenses.

 

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Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2008

The table below shows the Portfolio’s Class Z shares’ average annual total returns (i) before taxes, (ii) after taxes on distributions and (iii) after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares.

The table compares the Portfolio’s returns for each period with those of the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500® Index and the Barclays Capital U.S. Intermediate Government/Credit Bond Index. The S&P 500® Index tracks the performance of 500 widely held, large-capitalization U.S. stocks. The Barclays Capital U.S. Intermediate Government/Credit Bond Index tracks the performance of intermediate term U.S. government and corporate bonds. Indices are not available for investment, and do not reflect sales charges, fees, brokerage commissions, taxes or other expenses of investing.

 

     1 year     Life of Portfolio(a)  

Class Z shares returns before taxes

   -32.30   -5.79

Class Z shares returns after taxes on distributions

   -33.30   -7.00

Class Z shares returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares

   -20.21   -5.04

S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   -37.00   -9.45

Barclays Capital U.S. Intermediate Government/Credit Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   5.08   5.86

 

(a)

The inception date of the Portfolio’s Class Z shares is February 15, 2006.

FUNDamentalsTM

After-Tax Returns

The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state, local or foreign taxes.

Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your personal tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown in the table do not apply to shares held in tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k) plans or IRAs.

 

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LOGO Fees and Expenses

The fee table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. Additional hypothetical fee and expense information relating to Class Z shares of the Portfolio can be found in Hypothetical Fees and Expenses.

FUNDamentals TM

Portfolio Expenses

In general, there are two kinds of fund expenses:

 

   

shareholder expenses that you pay directly (e.g., sales charges and redemption fees), and

 

   

annual operating expenses that are paid by the Portfolio and deducted from the Portfolio’s assets.

Annual operating expenses include:

 

   

management fees, which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to the Advisor and the Administrator as compensation for managing and administering the Portfolio’s portfolio. See Management of the Portfolio – Primary Service Providers for more information.

 

   

other expenses, which generally include, but are not limited to, transfer agency, custody, audit and legal fees as well as costs related to registration of Portfolio shares for sale and the printing and mailing of Portfolio documents. The specific expenses that make up the Portfolio’s other expenses will vary from time to time and may include expenses not described above.

Annual fund operating expenses are calculated based on actual expenses incurred during the Portfolio’s most recently completed fiscal year and are expressed as a percentage of the Portfolio’s average net assets during the year. The rate of annual fund operating expenses will likely vary from year to year as a result of various factors, including, for example, changes in the level of the Portfolio’s net assets. Although many factors can affect fund operating expenses, in general, annual fund operating expenses, as a percentage of average net assets, will increase as the Portfolio’s net assets decrease, and will decrease as the Portfolio’s net assets increase. Net expenses also may vary from year to year based on any fee waivers or expense reimbursements.

The Portfolio may incur significant transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, in addition to the annual Portfolio operating expenses disclosed in the fee table.

 

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Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

 

     Class Z Shares

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases, as a % of offering price

   N/A

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions, as a % of the lower of the original purchase price or net asset value

   N/A

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (deducted from the Portfolio’s assets)

 

     Class Z Shares  

Management fees(a)

   0.00

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

   0.00

Other expenses

   0.36

Acquired fund fees and expenses(b)

   0.90

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses(c)

   1.26

Fee waivers and/or reimbursements(d)

   -0.36

Total net expenses

   0.90

 

(a)

The Portfolio does not pay investment advisory fees or an administration fee.

(b)

Acquired fund fees and expenses include fees and expenses associated with the Portfolio’s investments in other investment companies. Since they are incurred only indirectly by the Portfolio, such fees and expenses are not considered ordinary operating expenses of the Portfolio for purposes of a fee waiver or expense limitation, if any.

(c)

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses include acquired fund fees and expenses. As a result, the amount shown is higher than the ratio of expenses to average net assets included in the section entitled “Financial Highlights” which reflects only those expenses paid directly by the Portfolio.

(d)

The Advisor has contractually agreed to bear a portion of the Portfolio’s expenses so that the Portfolio’s ordinary operating expenses (excluding any distribution and service fees, brokerage commissions, interest, taxes and extraordinary expenses, but including custodian charges relating to overdrafts, if any), after giving effect to any balance credits from the Portfolio’s custodian, do not exceed 0.00% annually through July 31, 2010.

 

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Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The example illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over the time periods indicated, and assumes that:

 

   

you invest $10,000 in Class Z shares of the Portfolio for the periods indicated,

 

   

you reinvest all dividends and distributions in the Portfolio,

 

   

your investment has a 5% return each year, and

 

   

the Portfolio’s total annual operating expenses remain the same as shown in the table above.

Since the waivers and/or reimbursements shown in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses table above expire on July 31, 2010, they are only reflected in the 1 year and the first year of the 3, 5 and 10 year examples.

Based on the assumptions listed above, your costs would be:

 

     1 year    3 years    5 years    10 years

Class Z Shares

   $ 92    $ 364    $ 657    $ 1,491

Remember this is an example only. It is not necessarily representative of the Portfolio’s actual expenses in the past or future. Your actual costs could be higher or lower depending on the amount you invest and on the Portfolio’s actual expenses and performance.

 

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Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

This section describes certain strategies and policies that the Portfolio may utilize in pursuit of its investment objective, and describes some additional factors and risks involved with investing in the Portfolio.

Changing the Portfolio’s Investment Objective and Policies

The Portfolio’s investment objective and certain of its investment policies can be changed without shareholder approval unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the SAI. Shareholders vote on changes to other investment policies that are designated as fundamental in accordance with the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act).

Investment Guidelines

As a general matter, unless otherwise noted, whenever an investment policy or limitation states a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding an investment standard, compliance with that percentage limitation or standard will be determined solely at the time of the Portfolio’s acquisition of the security or asset.

Holding Other Kinds of Investments

The Portfolio may hold investments that aren’t part of its principal investment strategies. These investments are described in the SAI. The Portfolio may choose not to invest in certain securities described in this prospectus and in the SAI, although it has the ability to do so.

Investing in Affiliated Funds

The Advisor has the authority to select the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests its assets. The Advisor or one of its affiliates is the investment advisor to each of the Underlying Funds. The Advisor may be subject to a conflict of interest in selecting Underlying Funds for the Portfolio because the fees paid to it or its affiliates are higher than the fees paid to other Underlying Funds. However, as a fiduciary to the Portfolio, the Advisor has a duty to act in the best interest of the Portfolio in selecting Underlying Funds.

Investing in Columbia Money Market Funds

The Portfolio may invest uninvested cash and cash collateral received in connection with its securities lending program in shares of the registered or unregistered money market funds advised by the Advisor. The Advisor and its affiliates receive fees from these funds for providing advisory and other services in addition to the fees which they are entitled to receive from the Portfolio for services provided directly.

Lending Securities

The Portfolio may lend portfolio securities to approved broker/dealers or other financial intermediaries on a fully collateralized basis in order to earn additional income. The Portfolio may lose money from securities lending if, for example, it is delayed in or prevented from selling the collateral after the loan is made or recovering the securities loaned or if it incurs losses on the reinvestment of cash collateral. The Portfolio may invest some or all of the cash collateral it receives in connection with its securities lending program in one or more pooled investment vehicles, including, among other vehicles, money market funds managed by the Portfolio’s securities lending agent (or its affiliate). The securities lending agent shares in any income resulting from the investment of such cash collateral, and an affiliate of the securities lending agent receives asset-based fees for the management of such pooled investment vehicles, which may create a conflict of interest between the securities lending agent (or its affiliate) and the Portfolio with respect to the management of such cash collateral. Engaging in securities lending is subject to certain risks, including counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty to a transaction could default.

Portfolio Holdings Disclosure

A description of Columbia Funds’ policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of Portfolio portfolio securities is available in the SAI. The Portfolio discloses its portfolio holdings on the Columbia Funds’ website, www.columbiafunds.com, as described below. Once posted, the portfolio holdings information will remain available on the website until at least the date on which the Portfolio files a Form N-CSR or Form N-Q (forms filed with the SEC that include portfolio holdings information) for the period that includes the date as of which the information is current.

The Portfolio’s complete portfolio holdings as of a month-end are disclosed approximately 15 calendar days after such month-end.

 

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In addition, more current information concerning the Portfolio’s portfolio holdings as of specified dates may also be disclosed on the Columbia Funds’ website.

Investing Defensively

The Portfolio may from time to time take temporary defensive investment positions that are inconsistent with the Portfolio’s principal investment strategies in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions including, for example, investments in money market instruments or holdings of cash or cash equivalents. The Portfolio may not achieve its investment objective while it is investing defensively.

Mailings to Households

In order to reduce shareholder expenses we may, if prior consent has been provided, mail only one copy of the Portfolio’s prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents, call 800.345.6611 or, if your shares are held through a financial intermediary, contact your intermediary directly.

Portfolio Turnover

A mutual fund that replaces, or turns over, more than 100% of its investments in a year is considered to have a high portfolio turnover rate. A high portfolio turnover rate can generate larger distributions of short-term capital gains to shareholders, which for individuals are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes. A high portfolio turnover rate can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce a fund’s returns. In general, the greater the volume of buying and selling by a fund, the greater the impact that brokerage commissions will have on its returns. The Portfolio generally buys securities for capital appreciation, investment income or both. However, the Portfolio may sell securities regardless of how long they’ve been held. You’ll find the Portfolio’s historical portfolio turnover rates in the Financial Highlights.

 

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Management of the Portfolio

Primary Service Providers

The Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, currently provide key services to the Portfolio and the other Columbia Funds, including investment advisory, administration, distribution, shareholder servicing and transfer agency, and are paid for providing these services. These service relationships are described below.

The Advisor

The Advisor (which is also the Administrator) is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110, and serves as investment advisor to over 100 Columbia Funds mutual fund portfolios. As of June 30, 2009, the Advisor had assets under management of approximately $310.5 billion. The Advisor is a registered investment advisor and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. Its management experience covers all major asset classes, including equity securities, fixed income securities and money market instruments. In addition to serving as investment advisor to mutual funds, the Advisor acts as an investment manager for individuals, corporations, retirement plans, private investment companies and financial intermediaries.

Subject to oversight by the Board, the Advisor manages the day-to-day operations of the Portfolio, determining what securities and other investments the Portfolio should buy or sell and executing the Portfolio’s portfolio transactions. Although the Advisor is responsible for the investment management of the Portfolio, the Advisor may delegate certain of its duties to one or more investment sub-advisors. In rendering investment advisory services, the Advisor may use the portfolio management and research resources of Columbia Management Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of the Advisor. The Advisor may also use the research and other expertise of other affiliates and third parties in managing the Portfolio’s investments.

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Portfolio’s investment advisory agreement with the Advisor is available in the Portfolio’s annual report to shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.

Sub-Advisor(s)

The Advisor may engage an investment sub-advisor or sub-advisors to make the day-to-day investment decisions for the Portfolio. The Advisor retains ultimate responsibility (subject to Board oversight) for overseeing any sub-advisor it engages and for evaluating the Portfolio’s needs and available sub-advisors’ skills and abilities on an ongoing basis. Based on its evaluations, the Advisor may at times recommend to the Board that the Portfolio change, add or terminate one or more sub-advisors; continue to retain a sub-advisor even though the sub-advisor’s ownership or corporate structure has changed; or materially change a sub-advisory agreement with a sub-advisor. Applicable law requires the Portfolio to obtain shareholder approval in order to act on most of these types of recommendations, even if the Board has approved the proposed action and believes that the action is in shareholders’ best interests. The Advisor and the Columbia Funds have applied for relief from the SEC to permit the Portfolio to act on many of the Advisor’s recommendations with approval only by the Board and not by Portfolio shareholders. The Advisor or the Portfolio would inform the Portfolio’s shareholders of any actions taken in reliance on this relief. Until the Advisor and the Portfolio obtain this relief, the Portfolio will continue to submit these matters to shareholders for their approval to the extent required by applicable law.

At present, the Advisor has not engaged any investment sub-advisor for the Portfolio.

 

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Portfolio Managers

Information about the Advisor’s portfolio managers who are primarily responsible for overseeing the Portfolio’s investments is shown in the table below. The SAI provides more information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by each portfolio manager and each portfolio manager’s ownership of securities in the Portfolio.

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Colin Moore

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Chief Investment Officer of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Kent M. Peterson, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since January 2006. Prior to January 2006, Mr. Peterson was a trading associate at Bridgewater Associates from 2004 to 2005.

Marie M. Schofield, CFA

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Managing Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 1990.

The Administrator

The Administrator is responsible for overseeing the administrative operations of the Portfolio, including the general supervision of the Portfolio’s operations, coordination of the Portfolio’s service providers, and the provision of office facilities and related clerical and administrative services. The Administrator does not currently receive any fees for the administrative services it provides to the Portfolio.

The Distributor

Shares of the Portfolio are distributed by the Distributor, which is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111. The Distributor is a registered broker/dealer and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Distributor and its affiliates may pay commissions, distribution and service fees and/or other compensation to entities, including Bank of America affiliates, for selling shares and providing services to investors.

The Transfer Agent

The Transfer Agent is a registered transfer agent and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Transfer Agent is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111, and its responsibilities include processing purchases, sales and exchanges, calculating and paying distributions, keeping shareholder records, preparing account statements and providing customer service. The Portfolio pays the Transfer Agent monthly fees on a per-account basis. Fees paid to the Transfer Agent include reimbursements for certain out-of-pocket expenses and sub-transfer agency fees, subject to certain limitations, paid by the Transfer Agent on the Portfolio’s behalf.

 

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LOGO Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

As described in Management of the Portfolio – Primary Service Providers, the Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, provide various services to the Portfolio for which they are compensated. Bank of America and its affiliates may also provide other services to the Portfolio and be compensated for them.

The Advisor and its affiliates may provide investment advisory and other services to other clients and customers substantially similar to those provided to the Portfolio. These activities, and other financial services activities of Bank of America and its affiliates (including Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.), may present actual and potential conflicts of interest and introduce certain investment constraints.

Bank of America is a major financial services company, engaged in a broad range of financial activities beyond the mutual fund-related activities of the Advisor, including, among others, commercial banking, investment banking, broker/dealer (sales and trading), asset management, insurance and other financial activities. These additional activities may involve multiple advisory, transactional, lending, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments, and in companies that issue securities and other instruments, which may be bought, sold or held by the Portfolio.

Conflicts of interest and limitations that could affect the Portfolio may arise from, for example, the following:

 

   

compensation and other benefits received by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates related to the management/administration of the Portfolio and the sale of its shares;

 

   

the allocation of, and competition for, investment opportunities among the Portfolio and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

separate and potentially divergent management of the Portfolio and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

regulatory and other investment restrictions on investment activities of the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates and accounts advised/managed by them;

 

   

lending, investment banking and other relationships of Bank of America affiliates with companies and other entities in which the Portfolio invests; and

 

   

regulatory and other restrictions relating to the sharing of information between Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, and the Portfolio.

Bank of America and its affiliates also provide a variety of products and services that, in some manner, may use the Portfolio and other Columbia Funds as investment options. For example:

 

   

the Columbia Funds are available as investments in connection with brokerage or other securities products offered by Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. or Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, both wholly-owned retail broker/dealers of Bank of America;

 

   

the Columbia Funds are used as investments in connection with fiduciary, investment management and other accounts offered by U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, as well as certain Columbia Funds structured as “funds of funds”; and

 

   

the Columbia Money Market Funds are offered as an investment option for a variety of cash “sweep” account programs offered by Bank of America and its affiliates.

The use of the Columbia Funds as investment options in connection with other products and services offered by Bank of America and its affiliates may introduce economic and other conflicts of interest of which you should be aware. These types of conflicts of interest are highlighted in sections of account documentation and other disclosure materials relating to these products and services, as well as in the SAI.

The Advisor and Bank of America have adopted various policies and procedures that are intended to identify, monitor and address conflicts of interest. However, there is no absolute assurance that these policies, procedures and disclosures will be effective.

Additional information about Bank of America and the types of conflicts of interest and other matters referenced above is set forth in the Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest section of the SAI, which is identified by the LOGO icon. Investors in the Portfolio should carefully review these disclosures and consult with their financial advisor if they have any questions.

 

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Certain Legal Matters

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. (collectively, the Columbia Group) are subject to a settlement agreement with the New York Attorney General (NYAG) (the NYAG Settlement) and a settlement order with the SEC (the SEC Order) on matters relating to mutual fund trading, each dated February 9, 2005. Under the terms of the SEC Order, the Columbia Group (or predecessor or affiliated entities) agreed, among other things, to: pay disgorgement and civil money penalties collectively totaling $375 million; cease and desist from violations of the antifraud provisions and certain other provisions of the federal securities laws; maintain certain compliance and ethics oversight structures; and retain an independent consultant to review the Columbia Group’s applicable supervisory, compliance, control and other policies and procedures. The NYAG Settlement, among other things, requires Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and its affiliates to reduce management fees for certain funds in the Columbia family of mutual funds in a projected total of $160 million over five years through November 30, 2009 and to make certain disclosures to investors relating to expenses. In connection with the Columbia Group providing services to the Columbia Funds, the Columbia Funds have voluntarily undertaken to implement certain governance measures designed to maintain the independence of their boards of trustees and certain special consulting and compliance measures.

Pursuant to the SEC Order and related procedures, the $375 million in settlement amounts described above, of which approximately $90 million has been earmarked for certain Columbia Funds and their shareholders, is being distributed in accordance with a distribution plan developed by an independent distribution consultant and approved by the SEC on December 27, 2007. Distributions under the distribution plan began in mid-June 2008.

Civil Litigation

In connection with the events that resulted in the NYAG Settlement and SEC Order, various parties filed suits against Bank of America Corporation and certain of its affiliates, including Banc of America Capital Management, LLC (BACAP, now known as Columbia Management Advisors, LLC) and BACAP Distributors, LLC (now known as Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.) (collectively BAC), Nations Funds Trust (now known as Columbia Funds Series Trust) and its Board of Trustees. On February 20, 2004, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transferred these cases and cases against other mutual fund companies based on similar allegations to the United States District Court in Maryland for consolidated or coordinated pretrial proceedings (the MDL). Subsequently, additional related cases were transferred to the MDL. On September 29, 2004, the plaintiffs in the MDL filed amended and consolidated complaints. One of these amended complaints is a putative class action that includes claims under the federal securities laws and state common law, and that names Nations Funds Trust, the Trustees, BAC and others as defendants. Another of the amended complaints is a derivative action purportedly on behalf of the Nations Funds Trust against BAC and others that asserts claims under federal securities laws and state common law. Nations Funds Trust is a nominal defendant in this action.

On February 25, 2005, BAC and other defendants filed motions to dismiss the claims in the pending cases. On December 15, 2005, BAC and others entered into a Stipulation of Settlement of the direct and derivative claims brought on behalf of the Nations Funds shareholders. The settlement is subject to court approval. If the settlement is approved, BAC would pay settlement administration costs and fees to plaintiffs’ counsel as approved by the court. The stipulation has not yet been presented to the court for approval.

 

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About Class Z Shares

Description of the Share Class

Share Class Features

The Portfolio offers one class of shares in this prospectus: Class Z shares. The Portfolio may also offer other classes of shares through a separate prospectus. Each share class has its own investment eligibility criteria, cost structure and other features. The following summarizes the primary features of the Class Z shares offered by this prospectus. Contact your financial advisor or Columbia Funds for more information about the Portfolio’s share classes and how to choose among them.

 

    

Class Z Shares

Eligible Investors

and Minimum

Initial Investments

   Class Z shares are available only to certain eligible investors, which are subject to different minimum initial investment requirements. These minimum initial investment amounts range from $0 to $2,500. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders for details.
Investment Limits    none
Conversion Features    none

Front-End

Sales Charges

   none
Contingent Deferred Sales Charges (CDSCs)    none

Maximum Distribution

and Service Fees

   none

FUNDamentalsTM

Selling and/or Servicing Agents

The terms “selling agent” and “servicing agent” refer to the financial intermediary that employs your financial advisor. Selling and/or servicing agents include, for example, brokerage firms, banks, investment advisors, third party administrators and other financial intermediaries, including affiliates of Bank of America, such as Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.

 

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Financial Intermediary Compensation

The Distributor and the Advisor make payments, from their own resources, to certain financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, for marketing/sales support services relating to the Columbia Funds. Such payments are generally based upon one or more of the following factors: average net assets of the Columbia Funds sold by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, gross sales of the Columbia Funds distributed by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, reimbursement of ticket charges (fees that an intermediary firm charges its representatives for effecting transactions in Portfolio shares) or a negotiated lump sum payment. While the financial arrangements may vary for each intermediary, the support payments to any one intermediary are generally between 0.05% and 0.50% (and 0.03% and 0.12% with regard to the Columbia Money Market Funds) on an annual basis for payments based on average net assets of the Portfolio attributable to the intermediary, and between 0.05% and 0.25% on an annual basis for firms receiving a payment based on gross sales of the Columbia Funds (other than the Columbia Money Market Funds) attributable to the intermediary.

The Distributor and the Advisor may make payments in larger amounts or on a basis other than those described above when dealing with other affiliates of Bank of America. Such increased payments to the other Bank of America affiliate may enable the other Bank of America affiliate to offset credits that it may provide to customers in order to avoid having such customers pay fees to multiple Bank of America entities in connection with the customers’ investments in the Portfolio.

The Distributor, the Transfer Agent and the Advisor may also make payments to financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, that provide shareholder services to retirement plans and other investment programs to compensate those intermediaries for services they provide to such programs, including, but not limited to, sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, similar shareholder or participant recordkeeping, shareholder or participant reporting, or shareholder or participant transaction processing.

These payments for shareholder servicing support vary by financial intermediary but generally are not expected, with certain limited exceptions, to exceed 0.40% of the average aggregate value of the Portfolio’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, and 0.45% of the average aggregate value of the Portfolio’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that do not pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

The Board has authorized the Portfolio to reimburse the Transfer Agent for amounts paid to financial intermediaries that maintain assets in omnibus accounts, subject to an annual cap of 0.15% of the average aggregate value of the Portfolio’s shares maintained in such accounts. The amounts in excess of that reimbursed by the Portfolio are borne by the Distributor or the Advisor. The Distributor and the Advisor may make other payments or allow promotional incentives to broker/dealers to the extent permitted by SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rules and by other applicable laws and regulations.

Amounts paid by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates are paid out of the Distributor’s and the Advisor’s own resources and do not increase the amount paid by you or the Portfolio. You can find further details about the payments made by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates and the services provided by financial intermediaries as well as a list of the intermediaries to which the Distributor and the Advisor have agreed to make marketing support payments in the SAI. Your financial intermediary may charge you fees and commissions in addition to those described in this prospectus. You should consult with your financial intermediary and review carefully any disclosure your financial intermediary provides regarding its services and compensation. Depending on the financial arrangement in place at any particular time, a financial intermediary and its financial consultants may have a financial incentive for recommending the Portfolio or a particular share class over others. See Management of the Portfolio – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information.

 

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Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

Share Price Determination

The price you pay or receive when you buy, sell or exchange shares is the Portfolio’s next determined net asset value (or NAV) per share for a given share class. The Portfolio calculates the net asset value per share for each class of the Portfolio at the end of each business day. The net asset value per share of the Portfolio is based on the net asset value per share of the Underlying Funds the Portfolio invests in.

FUNDamentalsTM

NAV Calculation

Each of the Portfolio’s share classes calculates its NAV as follows:

 

      (Value of assets of the share class)      
NAV    =   

— (Liabilities of the share class)

     
      Number of outstanding shares of the class      

The value of the Portfolio’s shares is based on the total market value of all of the securities and other assets that it holds as of a specified time. The prices reported on stock exchanges and other securities markets around the world are usually used to value securities in the Portfolio. The Portfolio uses the amortized cost method, which approximates market value, to value short-term investments maturing in 60 days or less.

If a market price isn’t readily available, the Portfolio will determine the price of the security held by the Portfolio based on the Advisor’s determination of the security’s fair value. A market price is considered not readily available if, among other circumstances, the most recent reported price is deemed unreliable. In addition, the Portfolio may use fair valuation to price securities that trade on a foreign exchange when a significant event has occurred after the foreign exchange closes but before the time at which the Portfolio’s share price is calculated. Foreign exchanges typically close before the time at which Portfolio share prices are calculated, and may be closed altogether on some days when the Portfolio is open. Such significant events affecting a foreign security may include, but are not limited to: (1) those impacting a single issuer; (2) governmental action that affects securities in one sector or country; (3) natural disasters or armed conflicts affecting a country or region; or (4) significant domestic or foreign market fluctuations. The Portfolio uses various criteria, including an evaluation of U.S. market moves after the close of foreign markets, in determining whether a security’s market price is readily available and, if not, the fair value of the security.

Fair valuation may have the effect of reducing stale pricing arbitrage opportunities presented by the pricing of Portfolio shares. However, when the Portfolio uses fair valuation to price securities, it may value those securities higher or lower than another mutual fund. Also, the use of fair valuation may cause the Portfolio’s performance to diverge to a greater degree from the performance of various benchmarks used to compare the Portfolio’s performance because benchmarks generally do not use fair valuation techniques. Because of the judgment involved in fair valuation decisions, there can be no assurance that the value ascribed to a particular security is accurate. The Portfolio has retained an independent fair valuation pricing service to assist in the fair valuation process for foreign securities. International markets are sometimes open on days when U.S. markets are closed, which means that the value of foreign securities owned by the Portfolio could change on days when Portfolio shares cannot be bought or sold.

 

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Transaction Rules and Policies

Remember that sales charges may apply to your transactions. You should also ask your selling and/or servicing agent about its rules, fees and policies for buying, selling and exchanging shares, which may be different from those described here, and about its related programs or services.

Also remember that the Portfolio may refuse any order to buy or exchange shares. If this happens, we’ll return any money we’ve received, but no interest will be paid on that money.

Order Processing

Orders to buy, sell or exchange shares are processed on business days. Orders can be delivered by mail, by telephone or online. Orders received in “good form” by the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent before the end of a business day will receive that day’s net asset value per share. Orders received after the end of a business day will receive the next business day’s net asset value per share. The market value of the Portfolio’s investments may change between the time you submit your order and the time the Portfolio next calculates its net asset value per share. The business day that applies to your order is also called a trade date.

FUNDamentalsTM

Business Days

A business day is any day that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. A business day ends at the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. If the NYSE closes early, the business day ends as of the time the NYSE closes. On holidays and other days when the NYSE is closed, the Portfolio’s net asset value is not calculated and the Portfolio does not accept buy or sell orders. However, the value of the Portfolio’s assets may still be affected on such days to the extent that the Portfolio holds foreign securities that trade on days that foreign markets are open.

“Good Form”

An order is in “good form” if the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent has all of the information and documentation it deems necessary to effect your order. For example, when you sell shares by letter of instruction, “good form” means that your letter has (i) complete instructions and the signatures of all account owners, (ii) a Medallion signature guarantee for amounts equal to or greater than $100,000 and (iii) any other required documents completed and attached. For the documents required for sales by corporations, agents, fiduciaries, surviving joint owners and other legal entities, call 800.345.6611.

Medallion Signature Guarantees

Qualified customers can obtain a Medallion signature guarantee from any financial institution – including commercial banks such as Bank of America, credit unions and broker/dealers – that participates in one of the three Medallion signature guarantee programs recognized by the SEC. These Medallion signature guarantee programs are the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (STAMP), the Stock Exchanges Medallion Program (SEMP) and the New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program (MSP).

Written Transactions

Once you have an account, you can communicate written buy, sell and exchange orders to the Transfer Agent at the following address: Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

Telephone Transactions

Once you have an account, you may place orders to buy, sell or exchange by telephone. To place orders by telephone, call 800.422.3737. Have your account number and taxpayer identification number (TIN) available when calling.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares via the telephone in any 30-day period if you qualify for telephone orders. Wire redemptions requested via the telephone are not subject to this maximum amount. You can buy up to $100,000 of shares through your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction via the telephone per day if you qualify for telephone orders.

 

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Telephone orders may not be as secure as written orders. Columbia Funds will take reasonable steps to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. For example, we require proof of your identification before we will act on instructions received by telephone and may record telephone conversations. However, the Portfolio and its agents will not be responsible for any losses, costs or expenses resulting from an unauthorized telephone instruction when reasonable steps have been taken to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. Telephone orders may be difficult to complete during periods of significant economic or market change or business interruption.

Online Transactions

Once you have an account, contact Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for more information on account trading restrictions and the special sign-up procedures required for online transactions. The Transfer Agent has procedures in place to authenticate electronic orders you deliver through the internet. You will be required to accept the terms of an online agreement and establish and utilize a password in order to access online account services.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares through the internet in any 30-day period if you qualify for internet orders.

Customer Identification Program

Federal law requires the Portfolio to obtain and record specific personal information to verify your identity when you open an account. This information may include your name, address, date of birth (for individuals), and taxpayer or other government issued identification. If you fail to provide the requested information, the Portfolio may need to delay the date of your purchase or may be unable to open your account, which may result in a return of your investment monies. In addition, if the Portfolio is unable to verify your identity after your account is open, the Portfolio reserves the right to close your account or take other steps as deemed reasonable. The Portfolio shall not be held liable for any loss resulting from any purchase delay, application rejection or account closure due to a failure to provide proper identifying information.

Small Account Policy—Accounts Below $250

Columbia Funds generally will automatically sell your shares if the value of your account (treating each account of the Portfolio you own separately from any other account of the Portfolio you may own) falls below $250. If your shares are sold, the Transfer Agent will remit the sale proceeds to you. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of any automatic sale, which will provide details on how you may avoid such an automatic sale. Generally, you may avoid such an automatic sale by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information. The automatic sale of shares of accounts valued at less than $250 is expected to take place in the second quarter of each calendar year.

Columbia Funds may also sell your shares if a financial intermediary tells us to sell your shares pursuant to arrangements made with you, and under certain other circumstances allowed under the 1940 Act.

Small Account Policy—Minimum Balance Fee

If the value of your account (treating each account of the Portfolio you own separately from any other account of the Portfolio you may own) falls below the minimum initial investment requirement applicable to you, your account generally will be subject to a $20 annual fee. This fee will be assessed through the automatic sale of shares in your account. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will reduce the expenses paid by the Portfolio by any amounts it collects from the assessment of this fee. For Portfolios that do not have transfer agency expenses against which to offset the amount collected through assessment of this fee, the fee will be paid directly to the Portfolio. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of assessing any fee, which will provide details on how you can avoid the imposition of such fee. Generally, you may avoid the imposition of such fee by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information.

 

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Columbia Funds reserves the right to change the minimum investment requirements for any Portfolio. We also reserve the right to lower the account size trigger point for the minimum balance fee in any year or for any class of shares when we believe it is appropriate to do so in light of declines in the market value of Portfolio shares, sales loads applicable to a particular class of shares, or for other reasons.

Exceptions to the Small Account Policy

The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 and the annual minimum balance fee described previously do not apply to shareholders of Class R shares or shareholders holding their shares through broker/dealer networked accounts; wrap fee and omnibus accounts; accounts with active Systematic Investment Plans or payroll deduction plans; and certain qualified retirement plans and health savings accounts. The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 does not apply to individual retirement plans.

Cash Flows

The timing and magnitude of cash inflows from investors buying Portfolio shares could prevent the Portfolio from always being fully invested. Conversely, the timing and magnitude of cash outflows to investors selling Portfolio shares could require large ready reserves of uninvested cash to meet shareholder redemptions. Either situation could adversely impact the Portfolio’s performance.

Information Sharing Agreements

As required by Rule 22c-2 under the 1940 Act, the Columbia Funds or certain of their service providers will enter into information sharing agreements with financial intermediaries, including participating life insurance companies and financial intermediaries that sponsor or offer retirement plans through which shares of the Columbia Funds are made available for purchase. Pursuant to Rule 22c-2, financial intermediaries are required, upon request, to: (i) provide shareholder account and transaction information and (ii) execute instructions from the Portfolio to restrict or prohibit further purchases of Portfolio shares by shareholders who have been identified by the Portfolio as having engaged in transactions that violate the Portfolio’s excessive trading policies and procedures. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Excessive Trading Practices for more information.

Excessive Trading Practices

Right to Reject or Restrict Share Transaction Orders – The Portfolio is intended for investors with long-term investment purposes and is not intended as a vehicle for frequent trading activity (market timing) that is excessive. Investors should transact in Portfolio shares primarily for investment purposes. The Board has adopted excessive trading policies and procedures that are designed to deter excessive trading by investors (the Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures). The Portfolio discourages and does not accommodate excessive trading.

The Portfolio reserves the right to reject, without any prior notice, any buy or exchange order for any reason, and will not be liable for any loss resulting from rejected orders. For example, the Portfolio may in its discretion restrict, reject or cancel a buy or exchange order even if the transaction is not subject to the specific exchange limitation described below if the Portfolio or its agents determine that accepting the order could interfere with efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio or is otherwise contrary to the Portfolio’s best interests. The Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures apply equally to buy or exchange transactions communicated directly to the Transfer Agent and to those received by selling and/or servicing agents.

Specific Buying and Exchanging Limitations – If the Portfolio detects that an investor has made two “material round trips” in any 28-day period, it will generally reject the investor’s future buy orders, including exchange buy orders, involving any Columbia Fund.

For these purposes, a “round trip” is a purchase or exchange into the Portfolio followed by a sale or exchange out of the Portfolio. A “material” round trip is one that is deemed by the Portfolio to be material in terms of its amount or its potential detrimental impact on the Portfolio.

Independent of this limit, the Portfolio may, in its discretion, reject future buy orders by any person, group or account that appears to have engaged in any type of excessive trading activity.

These limits generally do not apply to automated transactions or transactions by registered investment companies that invest in the Portfolio using a “fund of funds” structure. These limits do not apply to payroll deduction contributions by

 

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retirement plan participants, transactions initiated by a retirement plan sponsor or certain other retirement plan transactions consisting of rollover transactions, loan repayments and disbursements, and required minimum distribution redemptions. They may be modified or rescinded for accounts held by certain retirement plans to conform to plan limits, for considerations relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or regulations of the Department of Labor, and for certain asset allocation or wrap programs. Accounts known to be under common ownership or control generally will be counted together, but accounts maintained or managed by a common intermediary generally will not be considered to be under common ownership or control. The Portfolio retains the right to modify these restrictions at any time without prior notice to shareholders.

Limitations on the Ability to Detect and Prevent Excessive Trading Practices – The Portfolio takes various steps designed to detect and prevent excessive trading, including daily review of available shareholder transaction information. However, the Portfolio receives buy, sell and exchange orders through financial intermediaries, and cannot always know or reasonably detect excessive trading that may be facilitated by financial intermediaries or by the use of the omnibus account arrangements they offer. Omnibus account arrangements are common forms of holding shares of mutual funds, particularly among certain financial intermediaries such as broker/ dealers, retirement plans and variable insurance products. These arrangements often permit financial intermediaries to aggregate their clients’ transactions and accounts, and in these circumstances, the identity of the shareholders is often not known.

Some financial intermediaries apply their own restrictions or policies to underlying investor accounts, which may be more or less restrictive than those described here. This may impact the Portfolio’s ability to curtail excessive trading, even where it is identified. For these and other reasons, it is possible that excessive trading may occur despite the Portfolio’s efforts to detect and prevent it.

Although these restrictions and policies involve judgments that are inherently subjective and may involve some selectivity in their application, the Portfolio seeks to act in a manner that it believes is consistent with the best interests of shareholders in making any such judgments.

Risks of Excessive Trading – Excessive trading creates certain risks to the Portfolio’s long-term shareholders and may create the following adverse effects:

 

   

negative impact on the Portfolio’s performance;

 

   

potential dilution of the value of the Portfolio’s shares;

 

   

interference with the efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio, such as the need to maintain undesirably large cash positions, the need to use its line of credit or the need to buy or sell securities it otherwise would not have bought or sold;

 

   

losses on the sale of investments resulting from the need to sell securities at less favorable prices;

 

   

increased taxable gains to the Portfolio’s remaining shareholders resulting from the need to sell securities to meet sell orders; and

 

   

increased brokerage and administrative costs.

To the extent that the Portfolio invests significantly in foreign securities traded on markets that close before the Portfolio’s valuation time, it may be particularly susceptible to dilution as a result of excessive trading. Because events may occur after the close of foreign markets and before the Portfolio’s valuation time that influence the value of foreign securities, investors may seek to trade Portfolio shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of foreign securities as of the Portfolio’s valuation time. This is often referred to as price arbitrage. The Portfolio has adopted procedures designed to adjust closing market prices of foreign securities under certain circumstances to reflect what the Portfolio believes to be the fair value of those securities as of its valuation time. To the extent the adjustments don’t work fully, investors engaging in price arbitrage may cause dilution in the value of the Portfolio’s shares held by other shareholders.

Similarly, to the extent that the Portfolio invests significantly in thinly traded high-yield bonds (junk bonds) or equity securities of small-capitalization companies, because these securities are often traded infrequently, investors may seek to trade their shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of these securities. This is also a type of price arbitrage. Any such frequent trading strategies may interfere with efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio to a greater degree than would be the case for mutual funds that invest in highly liquid securities, in part because the Portfolio may have difficulty selling those portfolio

 

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securities at advantageous times or prices to satisfy large and/or frequent sell orders. Any successful price arbitrage may also cause dilution in the value of Portfolio shares held by other shareholders.

 

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Opening an Account and Placing Orders

Columbia Funds encourages you to consult with a financial advisor who can help you with your investment decisions and who can help you open an account. Once you have an account, you can buy, sell and exchange shares by contacting your financial advisor who will send your order to the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent. As described in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies, once you have an account you can also communicate your orders directly to the Transfer Agent by mail, by telephone or online.

Portfolio Liquidation

It is expected that the Portfolio will be liquidated in 2009. As soon as practicable following the completion of all final liquidating distributions, the Portfolio will be terminated. Shareholders of the Portfolio may redeem their investments in the Portfolio at any time prior to the date of liquidation.

Buying Shares

Once you have opened an account, you can buy Class Z shares in a lump sum, through our Systematic Investment Plan, by dividend diversification, by wire or by electronic funds transfer. Class Z shares are only available to the categories of eligible investors described below, each of which is subject to its own minimum initial investment requirements.

For investors establishing a Systematic Investment Plan, the minimum initial investment is $50.

Minimum Initial Investments

There is no minimum initial investment in Class Z shares for the following categories of eligible investors:

 

   

Any person investing all or part of the proceeds of a distribution, rollover or transfer of assets into a Columbia Management Individual Retirement Account, from any deferred compensation plan which was a shareholder of any of the funds of Columbia Acorn Trust (formerly named Liberty Acorn Trust) on September 29, 2000, in which the investor was a participant and through which the investor invested in one or more of the funds of Columbia Acorn Trust immediately prior to the distribution, transfer or rollover.

 

   

Any health savings account sponsored by a third party platform, including those sponsored by Bank of America affiliates, and any omnibus group retirement plan for which a financial intermediary or other entity provides services and is not compensated by the Portfolio for those services, other than in the form of payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent.

 

   

Any investor participating in a wrap program sponsored by a financial intermediary or other entity that is paid an asset-based fee by the investor and that is not compensated by the Portfolio for those services, other than payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent.

The minimum initial investment in Class Z shares for the following categories of eligible investors is $1,000:

 

   

Any individual retirement plan (assuming the eligibility criteria below are met) or group retirement plan that is not held in an omnibus manner for which a financial intermediary or other entity provides services and is not compensated by the Portfolio for those services, other than in the form of payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent.

The minimum initial investment in Class Z shares for the following categories of eligible investors is $2,500:

 

   

Any client of Bank of America or one of its subsidiaries buying shares through an asset management company, trust, fiduciary, retirement plan administration or similar arrangement with Bank of America or the subsidiary.

 

   

Any investor buying shares through a Columbia Management state tuition plan organized under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

   

Any shareholder (as well as any family member of a shareholder or person listed on an account registration for any account of the shareholder) of another fund distributed by the Distributor (i) who holds Class Z shares; (ii) who held Primary A shares prior to the share class redesignation of Primary A shares as Class Z shares that occurred on August 22, 2005; (iii) who holds Class A shares that were obtained by an exchange of Class Z shares; or (iv) who bought shares of certain mutual funds that were not subject to sales charges and that merged with another fund distributed by the Distributor.

 

   

Any trustee or director (or family member of a trustee or director) of a fund distributed by the Distributor.

 

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Any employee (or family member of an employee) of Bank of America or one of its subsidiaries.

 

   

Any investor participating in an account offered by a financial intermediary or other entity that provides services to such an account, is paid an asset-based fee by the investor and is not compensated by the Portfolio for those services, other than payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent (each investor buying shares through a financial intermediary must independently satisfy the minimum investment requirement noted above).

 

   

Any institutional investor who is a corporation, partnership, trust, foundation, endowment, institution, government entity, or similar organization, which meets the respective qualifications for an accredited investor, as defined under the Securities Act of 1933.

 

   

Certain financial institutions and intermediaries, such as insurance companies, trust companies, banks, endowments, investment companies or foundations, buying shares for their own account, including Bank of America and its affiliates and/or subsidiaries.

Minimum Additional Investments

There is no minimum additional investment for Class Z shares.

Systematic Investment Plan

The Systematic Investment Plan allows you to make regular purchases in amounts of $50 or more via automatic transfers from your bank account to the Portfolio on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan.

Dividend Diversification

Generally, you may automatically invest distributions made by another Columbia Fund into the same class of shares (and in some cases certain other classes of shares) of the Portfolio at no additional sales charge. A sales charge may apply when you invest distributions made by a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase. Call Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for details.

Wire Purchases

You may buy Class Z shares of the Portfolio by wiring money from your bank account to your Portfolio account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737.

Electronic Funds Transfer

You may buy Class Z shares of the Portfolio by electronically transferring money from your bank account to your Portfolio account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. An electronic funds transfer may take up to three business days to settle and be considered in “good form.” You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Other Purchase Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your buy order in “good form,” your purchase will be made at the next calculated net asset value per share.

 

   

You generally buy Class Z shares at net asset value per share because no front-end sales charge applies to purchases of this share class.

 

   

The Portfolio reserves the right to cancel your order if it doesn’t receive payment within three business days of receiving your buy order. The Portfolio will return any payment received for orders that have been cancelled, but no interest will be paid on that money.

 

   

Selling and/or servicing agents are responsible for sending your buy orders to the Transfer Agent and ensuring that we receive your money on time.

 

   

Shares bought are recorded on the books of the Portfolio. The Portfolio doesn’t issue certificates.

Selling Shares

When you sell your shares, the Portfolio is effectively buying them back from you. This is called a redemption.

Wire Redemptions

You may request that your Class Z shares sale proceeds be wired to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. You must set up this feature prior to your request. For shares sold by Fedwire, there is generally a fee of $7.50. The receiving bank may charge an additional fee. The Transfer Agent may waive the fee for certain accounts. The minimum amount that can be redeemed by wire is $500.

Electronic Funds Transfer

You may sell Class Z shares of the Portfolio and request that the proceeds be electronically transferred to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It may take up to three business days for the sale proceeds to be

 

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received by your bank. You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan

The Systematic Withdrawal Plan lets you withdraw funds from your Class Z shares account any day of the month on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. Your account balance generally must be at least $5,000 to set up the plan, but certain fee-based and wrap accounts are not subject to this requirement. All dividend and capital gain distributions must be reinvested to set up the plan. A Systematic Withdrawal Plan cannot be set up on an account that already has a Systematic Investment Plan established. If you set up the plan after you’ve opened your account, we may require your signature to be Medallion guaranteed.

You can choose to receive your withdrawals via check or direct deposit into your bank account. You can cancel the plan by giving Columbia Funds 30 days notice in writing or by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It’s important to remember that if you withdraw more than your investment in the Portfolio is earning, you’ll eventually use up your original investment.

In-Kind Distributions

The Portfolio reserves the right to honor sell orders with in-kind distributions of portfolio securities instead of cash. In the event the Portfolio makes such an in-kind distribution, you may incur the brokerage and transaction costs associated with converting the portfolio securities you receive into cash. Also, the portfolio securities you receive may increase or decrease in value before you convert them into cash.

Other Redemption Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your sell order in “good form,” your shares will be sold at the next calculated net asset value per share.

 

   

If you sell your shares directly through Columbia Funds, we will normally send the sale proceeds by mail or electronically transfer them to your bank account within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you sell your shares through a selling agent, Columbia Funds will normally send the sale proceeds by Fedwire within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you paid for your shares by check or from your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction, Columbia Funds will hold the sale proceeds when you sell those shares for up to 10 days after the trade date of the purchase.

 

   

No interest will be paid on uncashed redemption checks.

 

   

Columbia Funds can delay payment of the sale proceeds for up to seven days and may suspend redemptions and/or postpone payment of redemption proceeds when the NYSE is closed or during emergency circumstances as determined by the SEC.

 

   

Other restrictions may apply to retirement accounts. For information about these restrictions, contact your retirement plan administrator.

 

   

Also keep in mind Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy, which is described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies.

Exchanging Shares

You can generally sell shares of the Portfolio to buy shares of another Columbia Fund, in what is called an exchange. You should read the prospectus of, and make sure you understand the investment objective and principal investment strategies of, the Columbia Fund into which you are exchanging.

Systematic Exchanges

You may buy Class Z shares of the Portfolio by exchanging $100 or more each month from another Columbia Fund for shares of the same class of the Portfolio at no additional cost. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. If you set up your plan to exchange more than $100,000 each month, you must have your signature Medallion guaranteed.

Exchanges will continue as long as your balance is sufficient to complete the systematic monthly transfers, subject to Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies. You may terminate the program or change the amount you would like to exchange (subject to the $100 minimum) by calling Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611. A sales charge may apply when you exchange shares of a Columbia Fund that

 

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were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase.

The rules described below for making exchanges apply to systematic exchanges.

Other Exchange Rules You Should Know

 

   

Exchanges are made at net asset value.

 

   

You can generally make exchanges between like share classes of any Columbia Fund. Some exceptions apply.

 

   

The rules for buying shares of a Columbia Fund generally apply to exchanges into that Fund.

 

   

You may make exchanges only into a Columbia Fund that is legally offered and sold in your state of residence.

 

   

You generally may make an exchange only into a Columbia Fund that is accepting investments.

 

   

The Portfolio may change or cancel your right to make an exchange by giving the amount of notice required by regulatory authorities (generally 60 days for a material change or cancellation).

 

   

Unless your account is part of a tax-advantaged retirement plan, an exchange for shares of another fund is a taxable event, and you may recognize a gain or loss for tax purposes.

 

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Distributions and Taxes

Distributions to Shareholders

A mutual fund can make money two ways:

 

   

It can earn income on its investments. Examples of fund income are interest paid on money market instruments and bonds, and dividends paid on common stocks.

 

   

A mutual fund can also have capital gains if the value of its investments increases. While a fund continues to hold an investment, any gain is unrealized. If the fund sells an investment, it generally will realize a capital gain if it sells that investment for a higher price than it originally paid. Capital gains are either short-term or long-term, depending on whether the fund holds the securities for one year or less (short-term gains) or more than one year (long-term gains).

FUNDamentalsTM

Distributions

Mutual funds make payments of fund earnings to shareholders, distributing them among all shareholders of the fund. As a shareholder, you are entitled to your portion of a fund’s distributed income, including capital gains.

Reinvesting your distributions buys you more shares of a fund – which lets you take advantage of the potential for compound growth. Putting the money you earn back into your investment means it, in turn, may earn even more money. Over time, the power of compounding has the potential to significantly increase the value of your investment. There is no assurance, however, that you’ll earn more money if you reinvest your distributions rather than receive them in cash.

The Portfolio intends to pay out, in the form of distributions to shareholders, a sufficient amount of its income and gains so that the Portfolio will qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company and generally will not have to pay any federal excise tax. The Portfolio generally intends to distribute any net realized capital gain (whether long-term or short-term gain) at least once a year. Normally, the Portfolio will declare and pay distributions of net investment income according to the following schedule:

Declaration and Distribution Schedule

 

Declarations   quarterly
Distributions   quarterly

The Portfolio may, however, declare and pay distributions of net investment income more frequently.

Different share classes of the Portfolio usually pay different net investment income distribution amounts, because each class has different expenses. Each time a distribution is made, the net asset value per share of the share class is reduced by the amount of the distribution.

The Portfolio generally pays cash distributions within five business days after the distribution was declared. If you sell all of your shares after the record date but before the payment date for a distribution, you’ll normally receive that distribution in cash within five business days after the sale was made.

The Portfolio will automatically reinvest distributions in additional shares of the same share class of the Portfolio unless you inform us you want to receive your distributions in cash. You can do this by writing Columbia Funds at the address on the back cover, or by calling us at 800.345.6611. No sales charges apply to the purchase or sale of such shares. Distributions of $10 or less will automatically be reinvested in additional Portfolio shares only. If you elect to receive distributions by check and the check is returned as undeliverable, all subsequent distributions will be reinvested in additional shares of the Portfolio.

Unless you are investing through a tax-deferred retirement account (such as an IRA), you should consider avoiding buying Portfolio shares shortly before the Portfolio makes a distribution of net investment income or net realized capital gain, because doing so can cost you money in taxes. This is because you will, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back in the distribution. This is known as “buying a dividend.” To avoid “buying a dividend,” check the Portfolio’s distribution schedule online at www.columbiafunds.com, or by calling us at 800.345.6611, before you invest.

 

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If you buy shares of the Portfolio when it holds securities with unrealized capital gain, you may, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back if and when the Portfolio sells those securities and distributes any net realized gain. Any such distribution is generally subject to tax. The Portfolio may have, or may build up over time, high levels of unrealized capital gain. If you buy shares of the Portfolio when it has capital loss carryforwards, the Portfolio may have the ability to offset capital gains realized by the Portfolio that otherwise would have been distributed to shareholders with such carryforwards, although capital loss carryforwards generally expire after eight taxable years and may be subject to substantial limitations.

 

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Taxes and Your Investment

The Portfolio will send you a statement each year showing how much you’ve received in distributions in the prior year and the distributions’ character for federal income tax purposes. In addition, you should be aware of the following:

 

   

The Portfolio intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company. A regulated investment company generally is not subject to tax at the portfolio level on income and gains from investments that are distributed to shareholders. However, the Portfolio’s failure to qualify as a regulated investment company would result in portfolio level taxation, and consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to you.

 

   

Distributions generally are taxable to you when paid, whether they are paid in cash or automatically reinvested in additional shares of the Portfolio.

 

   

Distributions of the Portfolio’s ordinary income and net short-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions of the Portfolio’s net long-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as long-term capital gain. Whether capital gains are long-term or short-term is determined by how long the Portfolio has owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long you have owned your shares.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, if you are an individual and you meet certain holding period and other requirements for your Portfolio shares, a portion of your distributions may be treated as “qualified dividend income” taxable at lower net long-term capital gain rates. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this provision to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010. Qualified dividend income is income attributable to the Portfolio’s dividends received from certain U.S. and foreign corporations, as long as the Portfolio meets certain holding period and other requirements for the stock producing such dividends.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, the maximum individual federal income tax rate on net long-term capital gain (and thus qualified dividend income) has been temporarily reduced to 15%. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this rate reduction to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010.

 

   

A sale, redemption or exchange of Portfolio shares is a taxable event. This includes redemptions where you are paid in securities. Your sales, redemptions and exchanges of Portfolio shares (including those paid in securities) usually will result in a taxable capital gain or loss to you, equal to the difference between the amount you receive for your shares (or are deemed to have received in the case of exchanges) and the amount you paid (or are deemed to have paid in the case of exchanges) for them. Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held your Portfolio shares for more than one year at the time of sale or exchange. In certain circumstances, capital losses may be converted from short-term to long-term or disallowed.

 

   

The Portfolio is required by federal law to withhold tax on any taxable distributions and sale proceeds paid to you (including amounts paid to you in securities and amounts deemed to be paid to you upon an exchange of shares) if: you haven’t provided a correct taxpayer identification number (TIN) or haven’t certified to the Portfolio that withholding doesn’t apply; the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has notified us that the TIN listed on your account is incorrect according to its records; or the IRS informs the Portfolio that you are otherwise subject to backup withholding.

FUNDamentalsTM

Taxes

The information provided above is only a summary of how U.S. federal income taxes may affect your investment in the Portfolio. It is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Your investment in the Portfolio may have other tax implications.

It does not apply to certain types of investors who may be subject to special rules, including foreign or tax-exempt investors or those holding Portfolio shares through a tax-advantaged account, such as a 401(k) plan or IRA.

You should consult with your own tax advisor about the particular tax consequences to you of an investment in the Portfolio, including the effect of any foreign, state and local taxes, and the effect of possible changes in applicable tax laws.

 

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights table is designed to help you understand how the Portfolio has performed for the past five full fiscal years, or if shorter, the Portfolio’s period of operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Portfolio share. The total return line indicates how much an investment in the Portfolio would have earned each period assuming all dividends and distributions had been reinvested.

This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm whose report, along with the Portfolio’s financial statements, is included in the Portfolio’s annual report. The independent registered public accounting firm’s report and the Portfolio’s financial statements are also incorporated by reference into the SAI.

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio—Class Z Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Period Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 10.36      $ 10.41      $ 10.18      $ 10.00   

Income from Investment Operations:

        

Net investment income(b)

     0.23        0.26        0.30        0.02   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (3.37     0.09        0.60        0.17   

Total from investment operations

     (3.14     0.35        0.90        0.19   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

        

From net investment income

     (0.24     (0.28     (0.26     (0.01

From net realized gains

     (0.34     (0.12     (0. 41     —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.58     (0.40     (0.67     (0.01

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 6.64      $ 10.36      $ 10.41      $ 10.18   

Total return(d)(e)

     (31.66 )%      3.14     9.04     1.94 %(f) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

        

Net expenses(g)(h)

     —          —          —          —     

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.36     0.34     0.48     6.51 %(c) 

Net investment income(h)

     2.65     2.53     2.96     1.48 %(c) 

Portfolio turnover rate

     10     8     2     —     

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 1,042      $ 2,393      $ 1,851      $ 92   

 

(a)

Class Z shares commenced operations on February 15, 2006. Per share data and total return reflect activity from that date.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Annualized.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested.

(e)

Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(f)

Not annualized.

(g)

Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the portfolio invests, if these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(h)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

 

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Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

The following supplemental hypothetical investment information provides additional information about the effect of the fees and expenses of the Portfolio, including investment advisory fees and other Portfolio costs, on the Portfolio’s returns over a 10-year period. The chart shows the estimated fees and expenses that would be charged on a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in Class Z shares of the Portfolio, assuming a 5% return each year, the cumulative return after fees and expenses and the hypothetical year-end balance after fees and expenses. The chart also assumes that all dividends and distributions are reinvested. The annual expense ratio used for the share class, which is the same as that stated in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses table, is presented in the chart and is net of any contractual fee waivers or expense reimbursements for the period of the contractual commitment. Your actual costs may be higher or lower.

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio—Class Z Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   0.90   4.10   $ 10,410.00    $ 91.85

2

   10.25   1.26   7.99   $ 10,799.33    $ 133.62

3

   15.76   1.26   12.03   $ 11,203.22    $ 138.62

4

   21.55   1.26   16.22   $ 11,622.22    $ 143.80

5

   27.63   1.26   20.57   $ 12,056.89    $ 149.18

6

   34.01   1.26   25.08   $ 12,507.82    $ 154.76

7

   40.71   1.26   29.76   $ 12,975.61    $ 160.55

8

   47.75   1.26   34.61   $ 13,460.90    $ 166.55

9

   55.13   1.26   39.64   $ 13,964.34    $ 172.78

10

   62.89   1.26   44.87   $ 14,486.61    $ 179.24

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

      $ 4,486.61   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

         $ 1,490.95

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

 

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LOGO

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio

Class Z Shares

Prospectus, August 1, 2009

For More Information

You’ll find more information about the Portfolio and the other Columbia Funds in the documents described below. Contact Columbia Funds as follows to obtain these documents free of charge:

 

By Mail:  

Columbia Funds

c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc.

P.O. Box 8081

Boston, MA 02266-8081

By Telephone:   800.345.6611
Online:   www.columbiafunds.com

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders

Additional information about the Portfolio’s investments is available in the Portfolio’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Portfolio’s performance during its last fiscal year.

Shareholder Communications with the Board

The Portfolio’s Board of Trustees has adopted procedures by which shareholders may communicate with the Board. Shareholders who wish to communicate with the Board should send their written communications to the Board by mail, c/o Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, One Financial Center, Mail Stop MA5-515-11-05, Boston, MA 02111, Attention: Secretary. Shareholder communications must (i) be in writing, (ii) identify the Columbia Fund to which the communication relates and (iii) state the particular class of shares and number of shares held by the communicating shareholder.

Statement of Additional Information

The SAI provides more detailed information about the Portfolio and its policies. The SAI is legally part of this prospectus (incorporated by reference). A copy has been filed with the SEC.

Information Provided by the SEC

You can review and copy information about the Portfolio (including this prospectus, the SAI and shareholder reports) at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. To find out more about the operation of the Public Reference Room, call the SEC at 202.551.8090 or 800.SEC.0330. Reports and other information about the Portfolio are also available in the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You can receive copies of this information, for a fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov or by writing the Public Reference Section, Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, DC 20549-0102.

For purposes of any electronic version of this prospectus, all references to websites, or universal resource locators (URLs), are intended to be inactive and are not meant to incorporate the contents of any website into this prospectus.

The investment company registration number of Columbia Funds Series Trust, of which the Portfolio is a series, is 811-09645.

©2009 Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.

One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111-2621

800.345.6611 www.columbiafunds.com

INT-36/18007-0809


Table of Contents

LOGO

Columbia Funds

August 1, 2009

Prospectus

 

Class A, Class B, Class C and Class R Shares    Advised by Columbia Management Advisors, LLC
Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio   

LOGO The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


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Portfolio shares are NOT deposits or other obligations of, or issued, endorsed or guaranteed by, Bank of America, N.A. or any of its affiliates. Portfolio shares are NOT issued, insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, the FDIC or any other government agency.

Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) and its affiliates are paid for the services they provide to the Portfolio and may be compensated or incented in connection with the sale of Portfolio shares. The Portfolio may be used as an investment option for various products and services offered by Bank of America that may raise economic and other conflicts of interest, which are discussed in this prospectus.

AN INVESTMENT IN THE PORTFOLIO INVOLVES CERTAIN RISKS, INCLUDING LOSS OF PRINCIPAL.

 

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Prospectus Primer

This prospectus tells you about Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio (the Portfolio), which is one of the mutual funds in the Columbia Funds family of mutual funds (Columbia Funds). The Portfolio is a “fund of funds” that invests its assets in a mix of underlying mutual funds (each, an Underlying Fund and together, the Underlying Funds) that may change over time. This prospectus is designed to provide you with important information about the Portfolio in a concise and easy to understand manner that is meant to help you make informed investment decisions.

The prospectus first summarizes the key characteristics of the Portfolio, including:

 

   

investment objective,

 

   

principal investment strategies and risks,

 

   

year-by-year performance information,

 

   

fees and expenses, and

 

   

a description of the Portfolio’s additional investment strategies and policies.

This summary is followed by other important information, including:

 

   

a discussion of the Portfolio’s primary service providers, including the roles and relationships of Bank of America and its affiliates, and conflicts of interest, and

 

   

a summary of the Portfolio’s various share classes offered by this prospectus.

Later sections of the prospectus talk about the details of investing in the Portfolio, including:

 

   

how to buy, sell and exchange shares of the Portfolio, and

 

   

how you will receive your investment proceeds.

The prospectus also includes:

 

   

information about how federal and certain other taxes may affect your investment,

 

   

highlights of the Portfolio’s financial information, and

 

   

hypothetical fee and expense data that show the costs associated with investing in the Portfolio.

We have included a number of features designed to facilitate your use of this prospectus, including:

 

   

“FUNDamentals™” sections that provide simple explanations of key terms and concepts, as well as some basics of mutual fund investing,

 

   

a “FUNDimensions™” section that is meant to give you a “snapshot” of the Portfolio’s main attributes, and

 

   

graphic icons which are defined in the guide below.

 

Icons Guide
LOGO    Investment Objective
LOGO    Principal Investment Strategies
LOGO    Principal Risks
LOGO    Performance Information
LOGO    Fees and Expenses
LOGO    Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates - Certain Conflicts of Interest

For More Information

You can contact Columbia Funds:

 

   

by mail at Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

 

   

by telephone at 800.345.6611.

 

   

by email at serviceinquiries@columbiamanagement.com or online at www.columbiafunds.com.

 

   

through your financial advisor, who can help you select from among the Columbia Funds to meet your investment needs.

You also can find more information about the Portfolio in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI), which includes more detailed information about the Portfolio’s investments, policies and management, among other things. Turn to the back cover to find out how you can get a copy.

The SEC provides a “Beginners’ Guide to Mutual Funds” which may be useful to some investors and is available online, free of charge, at www.sec.gov.

 

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Table of Contents

 

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

   5

Investment Objective

   5

Principal Investment Strategies

   5

Principal Risks

   7

Performance Information

   11

Fees and Expenses

   13

Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

   16

Management of the Portfolio

   18

Primary Service Providers

   18

Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

   20

Certain Legal Matters

   21

Choosing a Share Class

   22

Comparison of the Share Classes

   22

Sales Charges and Commissions

   23

Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges

   27

Distribution and Service Fees

   29

Redemption Fee

   30

Financial Intermediary Compensation

   32

Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

   33

Share Price Determination

   33

Transaction Rules and Policies

   34

Opening an Account and Placing Orders

   39

Distributions and Taxes

   43

Financial Highlights

   47

Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

   51

Columbia Management Group, LLC

The Portfolio is sponsored by Columbia Management Group, LLC (Columbia Management), which is the primary investment division of Bank of America. Columbia Management is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110.

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC is the Portfolio’s investment advisor (the Advisor) and its administrator (the Administrator). Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. is the Portfolio’s distributor (the Distributor). Columbia Management Services, Inc. is the Portfolio’s transfer agent (the Transfer Agent).

The Portfolio, like all mutual funds, is designed to be a part of a broad and diversified investment portfolio and is not intended to fulfill all of your investment needs.

You should consider the objectives, risks and expenses of the Portfolio and any other Columbia Fund carefully before investing.

FUNDamentals™ and FUNDimensions™ are trademarks of Bank of America.

 

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Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

 

FUNDimensions
Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio
Investment Objective:    Capital appreciation
Investment Style:    Foreign Large Blend
Benchmark:    MSCI EAFE Index
Ticker Symbols:   

Class A: CMTAX

Class B: CMTBX

Class C: CMTCX

Class R: CMERX

Principal Risks:   

Investment strategy risk

Allocation risk

Investing in other funds risk

Market risk

Smaller company securities risk

Foreign securities risk

Derivatives risk

Currency risk

Special situations risk

Convertible securities risk

Real estate investment trusts risk

Industry sector risk

Emerging market securities risk

Growth securities risk

Value securities risk

FUNDamentals

Benchmarks

Benchmarks are indices that provide some guidance in assessing fund performance. A fund does not, however, limit its investments to the securities within its benchmark(s), and a fund’s holdings can differ from those of any particular benchmark or index. Benchmarks are only guideposts for performance.

LOGO Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks capital appreciation.

LOGO Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests in Class Z shares of specific Columbia Funds (Underlying Funds) so that at least 80% of its net assets are invested indirectly through such Underlying Funds in equity securities. The Portfolio invests in a combination of Underlying Funds on a fixed percentage basis. The Underlying Funds, in turn, invest primarily in foreign equity securities.

The Portfolio currently makes allocations between two Underlying Funds as follows:

 

   

80% of the Portfolio’s total assets in Columbia Multi-Advisor International Equity Fund.

 

   

20% of the Portfolio’s total assets in Columbia Acorn International.

The Advisor monitors the percentage allocations to the Underlying Funds and rebalances the Portfolio’s allocations to the Underlying Funds to ensure that actual allocations do not exceed plus or minus 3% of the fixed allocation percentages.

Columbia Multi-Advisor International Equity Fund seeks long-term growth of capital and invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of established companies located in at least three countries other than the United States, including emerging market countries. It invests in mutual funds managed by the Advisor or an affiliate, third-party advised mutual funds, foreign investment funds or trusts, convertible securities, real estate investment trusts and depositary receipts.

Columbia Acorn International seeks long-term capital appreciation and, under normal circumstances, invests at least 75% of its total assets in foreign companies in developed markets (for example, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom) and in emerging markets (for example, China, India and Brazil) and invests a majority of its net assets in small- and mid-sized companies with market capitalizations under $5 billion at the time of investment.

The Advisor’s allocations to the Underlying Funds are expected to remain constant, but the Advisor can modify this

 

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list of Underlying Funds at any time, including by adding Underlying Funds introduced after the date of this prospectus.

The Portfolio’s policy regarding the 80% investment requirement of “net assets” (which includes net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) discussed above may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval as long as shareholders are given 60 days notice of the change.

FUNDamentals

Fund of Funds

Unlike a traditional mutual fund, which invests in individual securities, a “fund of funds” invests in a mix of underlying funds typically by using an asset allocation approach. A fund of funds indirectly bears a portion of the underlying funds’ expenses, in addition to the fund of funds’ own expenses.

FUNDamentals

Asset Allocation Funds

Asset allocation funds use a process called “asset allocation,” which is the process of creating a portfolio by investing in different asset classes – for example, domestic equity securities, foreign securities and debt securities – in varying proportions.

The mix of asset classes and how much is invested in each is an important factor in how an asset allocation fund performs and the amount of risk involved. Each asset class, and each sub-asset class within a class, like large-, mid- and small-capitalization equity securities, has different risk and return characteristics, and may react in different ways to changes in the financial markets and to the economy in general. An investment approach that combines asset classes and sub-asset classes may help to reduce overall volatility.

Asset allocation funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio, and

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income.

FUNDamentals

International Equity Funds

International equity funds invest primarily in equity securities of companies outside of the United States. Equity securities have the potential to provide you with higher returns than many other kinds of investments, but they also tend to have the highest risk. Foreign securities involve special risks not associated with investing in the U.S. stock market. International equity funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio,

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income, and

 

   

are prepared to accept the risks associated with foreign securities.

 

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LOGO Principal Risks

 

   

Investment Strategy Risk – The Advisor uses the principal investment strategies and other investment strategies to seek to achieve the Portfolio’s investment objective. Investment decisions made by the Advisor in using these strategies may not produce the returns expected by the Advisor, may cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or may cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.

 

   

Allocation Risk – The Portfolio uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Portfolio’s allocation among asset classes or investments will cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

 

   

Investing in Other Funds Risk – The performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests could be adversely affected if other entities that invest in the same Underlying Funds make relatively large investments or redemptions in the Underlying Funds. Because the expenses and costs of an Underlying Fund are shared by its investors, redemptions by other investors in the Underlying Fund could result in decreased economies of scale and increased operating expenses for the Underlying Fund. The Portfolio, and its shareholders, indirectly bear a portion of the expenses of the Underlying Funds. These transactions might also result in higher brokerage, tax or other costs for the Portfolio. This risk may be particularly important when one investor owns a substantial portion of any Underlying Fund. In addition, the Advisor has the authority to change the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or to change the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. If an Underlying Fund pays fees to the Advisor or its affiliates, such as advisory fees, this could result in the Advisor having a potential conflict of interest in selecting the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or in determining the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. There are also circumstances in which the Advisor’s fiduciary duties to the Portfolio may conflict with its fiduciary duties to the Underlying Funds.

The Portfolio is subject indirectly to the following risks of the Underlying Funds:

 

   

Market Risk – The Underlying Funds are subject to market risk, which refers to the possibility that the market values of securities that the Underlying Fund holds will rise or fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Security values may fall because of factors affecting individual companies, industries or sectors, or the markets as a whole, reducing the value of an investment in the Underlying Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Underlying Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. The market values of the securities the Underlying Fund holds also can be affected by changes or perceived changes in U.S. or foreign economies and financial markets and the liquidity of these securities, among other factors. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

 

   

Smaller Company Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of small- or mid-capitalization companies (“smaller companies”) which can, in certain circumstances, have a higher potential for gains than securities of large-capitalization companies but may also have more risk. For example, smaller companies may be more vulnerable to market downturns and adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies because they may have more limited financial resources and business operations. These companies are also more likely than larger companies to have more limited product lines and operating histories and to depend on smaller management teams. Their securities may trade less frequently and in smaller volumes and may be less liquid and fluctuate more sharply in value than securities of larger companies. In addition, some smaller companies may not be widely followed by the investment community, which can lower the demand for their stocks.

 

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Foreign Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in foreign securities, which are subject to special risks as compared to securities of U.S. issuers. For example, foreign markets can be extremely volatile. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may impact the value of foreign securities denominated in foreign currencies, or in U.S. dollars, without a change in the intrinsic value of those securities. Foreign securities may be less liquid than domestic securities so that the Underlying Fund may, at times, be unable to sell foreign securities at desirable times or prices. Brokerage commissions, custodial fees and other fees are also generally higher for foreign securities. The Underlying Fund may have limited or no legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain foreign securities, including those issued by foreign governments. In addition, foreign governments may impose potentially confiscatory withholding or other taxes, which could reduce the amount of income and capital gains available to distribute to shareholders. Other risks include possible delays in the settlement of transactions or in the payment of income; generally less publicly available information about companies; the impact of political, social or diplomatic events; possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of a company or its assets; possible imposition of currency exchange controls; and accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards that may be less comprehensive and stringent than those applicable to domestic companies.

 

   

Derivatives Risk – Certain Underlying Funds use derivatives, which are financial contracts whose values are, for example, based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or bond), assets (such as a commodity like gold or a foreign currency), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Derivatives involve special risks and may result in losses or may limit the Fund’s potential gain from favorable market movements. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying security. The values of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in unusual market conditions, and may result in increased volatility, among other consequences. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Other risks arise from the Underlying Fund’s potential inability to terminate or sell derivative positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Underlying Fund’s derivative positions at times when the Underlying Fund might wish to terminate or sell such positions. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid, and transactions in derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. The use of derivatives also involves the risks of mispricing or improper valuation and that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying security, asset, reference rate or index. The Underlying Fund may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to engage in derivative transactions when it is deemed favorable to do so, or at all. For more information on the risks of derivative investments and strategies, see the SAI.

 

   

Currency Risk – Certain Underlying Funds are subject to currency risk. Securities denominated in different currencies are subject to the risk that, for example, if the value of a foreign currency were to decline against the U.S. dollar, such decline would reduce the U.S. dollar value of any securities held by the Fund denominated in that currency.

 

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Special Situations Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of companies that are involved in an initial public offering or a major corporate event, such as a business consolidation or restructuring, which may present special risk because of the high degree of uncertainty that can be associated with such events. Securities issued in initial public offerings often are issued by companies that are in the early stages of development, have a history of little or no revenues and may operate at a loss following the offering. It is possible that there will be no active trading market for the securities after the offering, and the market price of the securities may be subject to significant and unpredictable fluctuations. Investing in special situations may have a magnified effect on the performance of funds with small amounts of assets.

 

   

Convertible Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in convertible securities, which are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate risk and credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. Because the value of a convertible security can be influenced by both interest rates and market movements, a convertible security generally is not as sensitive to interest rates as a similar debt security, and generally will not vary in value in response to other factors to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities would typically be paid before the company’s common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. The Underlying Fund may be forced to convert a convertible security before it otherwise would choose to do so, which may decrease the Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Real Estate Investment Trusts Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs), which are entities that either own properties or make construction or mortgage loans, and may also include operating or finance companies. The value of REIT shares is affected by, among other factors, changes in the value of the underlying properties owned by the REIT and/or by changes in the prospect for earnings and/or cash flow growth of the REIT itself. In addition, certain of the risks associated with general real estate ownership apply to the Underlying Fund’s REIT investments, including risks related to general and local economic conditions, possible lack of availability of financing and changes in interest rates.

 

   

Industry Sector Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of companies in different, but closely related, industries. These securities are considered as being in the same broad economic sector. The values of such securities in the same sector may be similarly affected by particular economic or market events, making the Underlying Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that sector than funds investing in multiple sectors. The Underlying Fund does not intend to focus on any particular sector; however, at times the Underlying Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in a particular sector.

 

   

Emerging Market Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries, like those in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America or Africa. These emerging market securities are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in foreign securities that are described in “Foreign Securities Risk.” In addition, these countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid social, political and economic development. Their economies are usually less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity than more developed countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade, which makes them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries. Some emerging market countries have a higher risk of currency devaluations, and some of these countries may experience periods of high inflation or rapid changes in inflation rates.

 

   

Growth Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in growth securities. Because growth securities typically trade at a higher multiple of earnings than other types of securities, the prices of growth securities may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other types of securities. In addition, growth securities, at times, may not perform as well as value securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

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Value Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in value securities, which are securities of companies that may have experienced, for example, adverse business, industry or other developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the securities to be out of favor and, in turn, potentially undervalued. The market value of a portfolio security may not meet the Advisor’s future value assessment of that security, or may decline. There is also a risk that it may take longer than expected for the value of these investments to rise to the believed value. In addition, value securities, at times, may not perform as well as growth securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

These are summaries of the principal risks associated with the principal investment strategies of the Portfolio. Additional risks are associated with other permissible investments of the Portfolio that are described in the SAI together with further information about these principal risks. There is no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.

 

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LOGO Performance Information

The following bar chart and table show you how the Portfolio has performed in the past, and can help you understand the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s past performance (before or after taxes) is no guarantee of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Year by Year Total Return (%) as of December 31 Each Year*

The bar chart below shows you how the performance of the Portfolio’s Class A shares has varied from year to year. These returns do not reflect deductions of sales charges, if any, paid by investors and would be lower if they did.

LOGO

 

* Year-to-date return as of June 30, 2009: 13.47%.

Best and Worst Quarterly Returns During this Period

 

Best:

   2nd Quarter 2007:    6.98%

Worst:

   4th Quarter 2008:    -24.11%

FUNDamentals

Portfolio Performance

Many factors can affect a mutual fund’s performance, including, for example:

 

   

management of fund holdings,

 

   

market conditions,

 

   

fund expenses, and

 

   

flows of investment dollars into and out of the fund.

The returns for the various share classes may vary based on differences in sales charges and expenses.

 

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Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2008

The table below shows the Portfolio’s Class A shares’ average annual total returns (i) before taxes, (ii) after taxes on distributions and (iii) after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares. The returns shown reflect applicable sales charges. The table also shows the average annual returns for the Portfolio’s Class B, Class C and Class R shares, but it does not show those classes’ after-tax returns, which will vary from those shown for the Portfolio’s Class A shares.

The table compares the Portfolio’s returns for each period with those of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Europe, Australasia, Far East (EAFE) Index, which is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure developed market equity performance, excluding the U.S. and Canada. Indices are not available for investment, and do not reflect sales charges, fees, brokerage commissions, taxes or other expenses of investing.

 

     1 year     Life of Portfolio(a)  

Class A shares returns before taxes

   -49.95   -12.78

Class A shares returns after taxes on distributions

   -50.34   -13.66

Class A shares returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares

   -31.44   -10.31

Class B shares returns before taxes

   -49.75   -12.39

Class C shares returns before taxes

   -47.79   -11.63

Class R shares returns before taxes

   -47.05   -11.22

MSCI EAFE Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   -43.38   -8.83

 

(a)

The inception date of the Portfolio’s Class A, Class B, Class C and Class R shares is February 15, 2006.

FUNDamentals

After-Tax Returns

The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state, local or foreign taxes.

Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your personal tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown in the table do not apply to shares held in tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k) plans or IRAs.

 

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LOGO Fees and Expenses

The fee table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. Additional hypothetical fee and expense information relating to Class A, Class B, Class C and Class R shares of the Portfolio can be found in Hypothetical Fees and Expenses.

FUNDamentals

Portfolio Expenses

In general, there are two kinds of fund expenses:

 

   

shareholder expenses that you pay directly (e.g., sales charges and redemption fees), and

 

   

annual operating expenses that are paid by the Portfolio and deducted from the Portfolio’s assets.

Annual operating expenses include:

 

   

management fees, which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to the Advisor and the Administrator as compensation for managing and administering the Portfolio’s portfolio. See Management of the Portfolio – Primary Service Providers for more information.

 

   

distribution and service fees (sometimes referred to in the industry as “Rule 12b-1 fees”), which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to compensate the Distributor and selling and/or servicing agents for the services they provide to investors, including affiliates of Bank of America. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for more information.

 

   

other expenses, which generally include, but are not limited to, transfer agency, custody, audit and legal fees as well as costs related to registration of Portfolio shares for sale and the printing and mailing of Portfolio documents. The specific expenses that make up the Portfolio’s other expenses will vary from time to time and may include expenses not described above.

Annual fund operating expenses are calculated based on actual expenses incurred during the Portfolio’s most recently completed fiscal year and are expressed as a percentage of the Portfolio’s average net assets during the year. The rate of annual fund operating expenses will likely vary from year to year as a result of various factors, including, for example, changes in the level of the Portfolio’s net assets. Although many factors can affect fund operating expenses, in general, annual fund operating expenses, as a percentage of average net assets, will increase as the Portfolio’s net assets decrease, and will decrease as the Portfolio’s net assets increase. Net expenses also may vary from year to year based on any fee waivers or expense reimbursements.

The Portfolio may incur significant transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, in addition to the annual Portfolio operating expenses disclosed in the fee table.

 

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Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

 

     Class A Shares     Class B Shares     Class C Shares     Class R Shares  

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases, as a % of offering price

   5.75   N/A      N/A      N/A   

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions, as a % of the lower of the original purchase price or net asset value

   1.00 %(a)    5.00 %(b)    1.00 %(c)    N/A   

Redemption fee, as a % of total redemption proceeds

   2.00 %(d)    2.00 %(d)    2.00 %(d)    2.00 %(d) 

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (deducted from the Portfolio’s assets)

 

     Class A Shares     Class B Shares     Class C Shares     Class R Shares  

Management fees(e)

   0.00   0.00   0.00   0.00

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

   0.25   1.00   1.00   0.50

Other expenses

   0.26   0.26   0.26   0.26

Acquired fund fees and expenses(f)

   1.01   1.01   1.01   1.01

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses(g)

   1.52   2.27   2.27   1.77

Fee waivers and/or reimbursements(h)

   -0.26   -0.26   -0.26   -0.26

Total net expenses

   1.26   2.01   2.01   1.51

 

(a)

This charge applies to investors who buy $1 million or more of Class A shares and redeem them within one year of purchase, with certain limited exceptions. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(b)

This charge decreases over time. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(c)

This charge applies to investors who buy Class C shares and redeem them within one year of purchase, with certain limited exceptions. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(d)

This redemption fee may apply to shares that are redeemed (either by sale or exchange into another Columbia Fund) within 60 days of purchase. See Choosing a Share Class – Redemption Fee for details.

(e)

The Portfolio does not pay investment advisory fees or an administration fee.

(f)

Acquired fund fees and expenses include fees and expenses associated with the Portfolio’s investments in other investment companies. Since they are incurred only indirectly by the Portfolio, such fees and expenses are not considered ordinary operating expenses of the Portfolio for purposes of a fee waiver or expense limitation, if any.

(g)

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses include acquired fund fees and expenses. As a result, the amount shown is higher than the ratio of expenses to average net assets included in the section entitled “Financial Highlights” which reflects only those expenses paid directly by the Portfolio.

(h)

The Advisor has contractually agreed to bear a portion of the Portfolio’s expenses so that the Portfolio’s ordinary operating expenses (excluding any distribution and service fees, brokerage commissions, interest, taxes and extraordinary expenses, but including custodian charges relating to overdrafts, if any), after giving effect to any balance credits from the Portfolio’s custodian, do not exceed 0.00% annually through July 31, 2010.

 

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Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The example illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over the time periods indicated, and assumes that:

 

   

you invest $10,000 in Class A, Class B, Class C or Class R shares of the Portfolio for the periods indicated,

 

   

you pay the maximum applicable sales charge,

 

   

you reinvest all dividends and distributions in the Portfolio,

 

   

your investment has a 5% return each year,

 

   

your Class B shares convert to Class A shares after you’ve owned them for eight years, and

 

   

the Portfolio’s total annual operating expenses remain the same as shown in the table above.

Since the waivers and/or reimbursements shown in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses table above expire on July 31, 2010, they are only reflected in the 1 year and the first year of the 3, 5 and 10 year examples.

Based on the assumptions listed above, your costs would be:

 

     1 year    3 years    5 years    10 years

Class A Shares

   $ 696    $ 1,004    $ 1,333    $ 2,262

Class B Shares

           

Assuming no redemption

   $ 204    $ 684    $ 1,191    $ 2,396

Assuming complete redemption of shares at the end of the period

   $ 704    $ 984    $ 1,391    $ 2,396

Class C Shares

           

Assuming no redemption

   $ 204    $ 684    $ 1,191    $ 2,585

Assuming complete redemption of shares at the end of the period

   $ 304    $ 684    $ 1,191    $ 2,585

Class R Shares

   $ 154    $ 532    $ 935    $ 2,062

Remember this is an example only. It is not necessarily representative of the Portfolio’s actual expenses in the past or future. Your actual costs could be higher or lower depending on the amount you invest and on the Portfolio’s actual expenses and performance.

 

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Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

This section describes certain strategies and policies that the Portfolio may utilize in pursuit of its investment objective, and describes some additional factors and risks involved with investing in the Portfolio.

Changing the Portfolio’s Investment Objective and Policies

The Portfolio’s investment objective and certain of its investment policies can be changed without shareholder approval unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the SAI. Shareholders vote on changes to other investment policies that are designated as fundamental in accordance with the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act).

Investment Guidelines

As a general matter, unless otherwise noted, whenever an investment policy or limitation states a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding an investment standard, compliance with that percentage limitation or standard will be determined solely at the time of the Portfolio’s acquisition of the security or asset.

Holding Other Kinds of Investments

The Portfolio may hold investments that aren’t part of its principal investment strategies. These investments are described in the SAI. The Portfolio may choose not to invest in certain securities described in this prospectus and in the SAI, although it has the ability to do so.

Investing in Affiliated Funds

The Advisor has the authority to select the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests its assets. The Advisor or one of its affiliates is the investment advisor to each of the Underlying Funds. The Advisor may be subject to a conflict of interest in selecting Underlying Funds for the Portfolio because the fees paid to it or its affiliates are higher than the fees paid to other Underlying Funds. However, as a fiduciary to the Portfolio, the Advisor has a duty to act in the best interest of the Portfolio in selecting Underlying Funds.

Investing in Columbia Money Market Funds

The Portfolio may invest uninvested cash and cash collateral received in connection with its securities lending program in shares of the registered or unregistered money market funds advised by the Advisor. The Advisor and its affiliates receive fees from these funds for providing advisory and other services in addition to the fees which they are entitled to receive from the Portfolio for services provided directly.

Lending Securities

The Portfolio may lend portfolio securities to approved broker/dealers or other financial intermediaries on a fully collateralized basis in order to earn additional income. The Portfolio may lose money from securities lending if, for example, it is delayed in or prevented from selling the collateral after the loan is made or recovering the securities loaned or if it incurs losses on the reinvestment of cash collateral. The Portfolio may invest some or all of the cash collateral it receives in connection with its securities lending program in one or more pooled investment vehicles, including, among other vehicles, money market funds managed by the Portfolio’s securities lending agent (or its affiliate). The securities lending agent shares in any income resulting from the investment of such cash collateral, and an affiliate of the securities lending agent receives asset-based fees for the management of such pooled investment vehicles, which may create a conflict of interest between the securities lending agent (or its affiliate) and the Portfolio with respect to the management of such cash collateral. Engaging in securities lending is subject to certain risks, including counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty to a transaction could default.

Portfolio Holdings Disclosure

A description of Columbia Funds’ policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of Portfolio portfolio securities is available in the SAI. The Portfolio discloses its portfolio holdings on the Columbia Funds’ website, www.columbiafunds.com, as described below. Once posted, the portfolio holdings information will remain available on the website until at least the date on which the Portfolio files a Form N-CSR or Form N-Q (forms filed with the SEC that include portfolio holdings information) for the period that includes the date as of which the information is current.

The Portfolio’s complete portfolio holdings as of a month-end are disclosed approximately 15 calendar days after such month-end.

 

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In addition, more current information concerning the Portfolio’s portfolio holdings as of specified dates may also be disclosed on the Columbia Funds’ website.

Investing Defensively

The Portfolio may from time to time take temporary defensive investment positions that are inconsistent with the Portfolio’s principal investment strategies in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions including, for example, investments in money market instruments or holdings of cash or cash equivalents. The Portfolio may not achieve its investment objective while it is investing defensively.

Mailings to Households

In order to reduce shareholder expenses we may, if prior consent has been provided, mail only one copy of the Portfolio’s prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents, call 800.345.6611 or, if your shares are held through a financial intermediary, contact your intermediary directly.

Portfolio Turnover

A mutual fund that replaces, or turns over, more than 100% of its investments in a year is considered to have a high portfolio turnover rate. A high portfolio turnover rate can generate larger distributions of short-term capital gains to shareholders, which for individuals are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes. A high portfolio turnover rate can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce a fund’s returns. In general, the greater the volume of buying and selling by a fund, the greater the impact that brokerage commissions will have on its returns. The Portfolio generally buys securities for capital appreciation, investment income or both. However, the Portfolio may sell securities regardless of how long they’ve been held. You’ll find the Portfolio’s historical portfolio turnover rates in the Financial Highlights.

 

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Management of the Portfolio

Primary Service Providers

The Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, currently provide key services to the Portfolio and the other Columbia Funds, including investment advisory, administration, distribution, shareholder servicing and transfer agency, and are paid for providing these services. These service relationships are described below.

The Advisor

The Advisor (which is also the Administrator) is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110, and serves as investment advisor to over 100 Columbia Funds mutual fund portfolios. As of June 30, 2009, the Advisor had assets under management of approximately $310.5 billion. The Advisor is a registered investment advisor and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. Its management experience covers all major asset classes, including equity securities, fixed income securities and money market instruments. In addition to serving as investment advisor to mutual funds, the Advisor acts as an investment manager for individuals, corporations, retirement plans, private investment companies and financial intermediaries.

Subject to oversight by the Board, the Advisor manages the day-to-day operations of the Portfolio, determining what securities and other investments the Portfolio should buy or sell and executing the Portfolio’s portfolio transactions. Although the Advisor is responsible for the investment management of the Portfolio, the Advisor may delegate certain of its duties to one or more investment sub-advisors. In rendering investment advisory services, the Advisor may use the portfolio management and research resources of Columbia Management Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of the Advisor. The Advisor may also use the research and other expertise of other affiliates and third parties in managing the Portfolio’s investments.

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Portfolio’s investment advisory agreement with the Advisor is available in the Portfolio’s annual report to shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.

Sub-Advisor(s)

The Advisor may engage an investment sub-advisor or sub-advisors to make the day-to-day investment decisions for the Portfolio. The Advisor retains ultimate responsibility (subject to Board oversight) for overseeing any sub-advisor it engages and for evaluating the Portfolio’s needs and available sub-advisors’ skills and abilities on an ongoing basis. Based on its evaluations, the Advisor may at times recommend to the Board that the Portfolio change, add or terminate one or more sub-advisors; continue to retain a sub-advisor even though the sub-advisor’s ownership or corporate structure has changed; or materially change a sub-advisory agreement with a sub-advisor. Applicable law requires the Portfolio to obtain shareholder approval in order to act on most of these types of recommendations, even if the Board has approved the proposed action and believes that the action is in shareholders’ best interests. The Advisor and the Columbia Funds have applied for relief from the SEC to permit the Portfolio to act on many of the Advisor’s recommendations with approval only by the Board and not by Portfolio shareholders. The Advisor or the Portfolio would inform the Portfolio’s shareholders of any actions taken in reliance on this relief. Until the Advisor and the Portfolio obtain this relief, the Portfolio will continue to submit these matters to shareholders for their approval to the extent required by applicable law.

At present, the Advisor has not engaged any investment sub-advisor for the Portfolio.

 

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Portfolio Managers

Information about the Advisor’s portfolio managers who are primarily responsible for overseeing the Portfolio’s investments is shown in the table below. The SAI provides more information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by each portfolio manager and each portfolio manager’s ownership of securities in the Portfolio.

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Colin Moore

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Chief Investment Officer of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Kent M. Peterson, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since January 2006. Prior to January 2006, Mr. Peterson was a trading associate at Bridgewater Associates from 2004 to 2005.

Marie M. Schofield, CFA

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Managing Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 1990.

The Administrator

The Administrator is responsible for overseeing the administrative operations of the Portfolio, including the general supervision of the Portfolio’s operations, coordination of the Portfolio’s service providers, and the provision of office facilities and related clerical and administrative services. The Administrator does not currently receive any fees for the administrative services it provides to the Portfolio.

The Distributor

Shares of the Portfolio are distributed by the Distributor, which is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111. The Distributor is a registered broker/dealer and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Distributor and its affiliates may pay commissions, distribution and service fees and/or other compensation to entities, including Bank of America affiliates, for selling shares and providing services to investors.

The Transfer Agent

The Transfer Agent is a registered transfer agent and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Transfer Agent is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111, and its responsibilities include processing purchases, sales and exchanges, calculating and paying distributions, keeping shareholder records, preparing account statements and providing customer service. The Portfolio pays the Transfer Agent monthly fees on a per-account basis. Fees paid to the Transfer Agent include reimbursements for certain out-of-pocket expenses and sub-transfer agency fees, subject to certain limitations, paid by the Transfer Agent on the Portfolio’s behalf.

 

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LOGO Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

As described in Management of the Portfolio – Primary Service Providers, the Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, provide various services to the Portfolio for which they are compensated. Bank of America and its affiliates may also provide other services to the Portfolio and be compensated for them.

The Advisor and its affiliates may provide investment advisory and other services to other clients and customers substantially similar to those provided to the Portfolio. These activities, and other financial services activities of Bank of America and its affiliates (including Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.), may present actual and potential conflicts of interest and introduce certain investment constraints.

Bank of America is a major financial services company, engaged in a broad range of financial activities beyond the mutual fund-related activities of the Advisor, including, among others, commercial banking, investment banking, broker/dealer (sales and trading), asset management, insurance and other financial activities. These additional activities may involve multiple advisory, transactional, lending, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments, and in companies that issue securities and other instruments, which may be bought, sold or held by the Portfolio.

Conflicts of interest and limitations that could affect the Portfolio may arise from, for example, the following:

 

   

compensation and other benefits received by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates related to the management/administration of the Portfolio and the sale of its shares;

 

   

the allocation of, and competition for, investment opportunities among the Portfolio and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

separate and potentially divergent management of the Portfolio and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

regulatory and other investment restrictions on investment activities of the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates and accounts advised/managed by them;

 

   

lending, investment banking and other relationships of Bank of America affiliates with companies and other entities in which the Portfolio invests; and

 

   

regulatory and other restrictions relating to the sharing of information between Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, and the Portfolio.

Bank of America and its affiliates also provide a variety of products and services that, in some manner, may use the Portfolio and other Columbia Funds as investment options. For example:

 

   

the Columbia Funds are available as investments in connection with brokerage or other securities products offered by Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. or Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, both wholly-owned retail broker/dealers of Bank of America;

 

   

the Columbia Funds are used as investments in connection with fiduciary, investment management and other accounts offered by U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, as well as certain Columbia Funds structured as “funds of funds”; and

 

   

the Columbia Money Market Funds are offered as an investment option for a variety of cash “sweep” account programs offered by Bank of America and its affiliates.

The use of the Columbia Funds as investment options in connection with other products and services offered by Bank of America and its affiliates may introduce economic and other conflicts of interest of which you should be aware. These types of conflicts of interest are highlighted in sections of account documentation and other disclosure materials relating to these products and services, as well as in the SAI.

The Advisor and Bank of America have adopted various policies and procedures that are intended to identify, monitor and address conflicts of interest. However, there is no absolute assurance that these policies, procedures and disclosures will be effective.

Additional information about Bank of America and the types of conflicts of interest and other matters referenced above is set forth in the Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest section of the SAI, which is identified by the LOGO icon. Investors in the Portfolio should carefully review these disclosures and consult with their financial advisor if they have any questions.

 

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Certain Legal Matters

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. (collectively, the Columbia Group) are subject to a settlement agreement with the New York Attorney General (NYAG) (the NYAG Settlement) and a settlement order with the SEC (the SEC Order) on matters relating to mutual fund trading, each dated February 9, 2005. Under the terms of the SEC Order, the Columbia Group (or predecessor or affiliated entities) agreed, among other things, to: pay disgorgement and civil money penalties collectively totaling $375 million; cease and desist from violations of the antifraud provisions and certain other provisions of the federal securities laws; maintain certain compliance and ethics oversight structures; and retain an independent consultant to review the Columbia Group’s applicable supervisory, compliance, control and other policies and procedures. The NYAG Settlement, among other things, requires Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and its affiliates to reduce management fees for certain funds in the Columbia family of mutual funds in a projected total of $160 million over five years through November 30, 2009 and to make certain disclosures to investors relating to expenses. In connection with the Columbia Group providing services to the Columbia Funds, the Columbia Funds have voluntarily undertaken to implement certain governance measures designed to maintain the independence of their boards of trustees and certain special consulting and compliance measures.

Pursuant to the SEC Order and related procedures, the $375 million in settlement amounts described above, of which approximately $90 million has been earmarked for certain Columbia Funds and their shareholders, is being distributed in accordance with a distribution plan developed by an independent distribution consultant and approved by the SEC on December 27, 2007. Distributions under the distribution plan began in mid-June 2008.

Civil Litigation

In connection with the events that resulted in the NYAG Settlement and SEC Order, various parties filed suits against Bank of America Corporation and certain of its affiliates, including Banc of America Capital Management, LLC (BACAP, now known as Columbia Management Advisors, LLC) and BACAP Distributors, LLC (now known as Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.) (collectively BAC), Nations Funds Trust (now known as Columbia Funds Series Trust) and its Board of Trustees. On February 20, 2004, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transferred these cases and cases against other mutual fund companies based on similar allegations to the United States District Court in Maryland for consolidated or coordinated pretrial proceedings (the MDL). Subsequently, additional related cases were transferred to the MDL. On September 29, 2004, the plaintiffs in the MDL filed amended and consolidated complaints. One of these amended complaints is a putative class action that includes claims under the federal securities laws and state common law, and that names Nations Funds Trust, the Trustees, BAC and others as defendants. Another of the amended complaints is a derivative action purportedly on behalf of the Nations Funds Trust against BAC and others that asserts claims under federal securities laws and state common law. Nations Funds Trust is a nominal defendant in this action.

On February 25, 2005, BAC and other defendants filed motions to dismiss the claims in the pending cases. On December 15, 2005, BAC and others entered into a Stipulation of Settlement of the direct and derivative claims brought on behalf of the Nations Funds shareholders. The settlement is subject to court approval. If the settlement is approved, BAC would pay settlement administration costs and fees to plaintiffs’ counsel as approved by the court. The stipulation has not yet been presented to the court for approval.

 

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Choosing a Share Class

Comparison of the Share Classes

Share Class Features

The Portfolio offers four classes of shares in this prospectus: Class A, Class B, Class C and Class R shares. The Portfolio may also offer other classes of shares through a separate prospectus. Each share class has its own investment eligibility criteria, cost structure and other features. The following summarizes the primary features of the Class A, Class B, Class C and Class R shares offered by this prospectus. Contact your financial advisor or Columbia Funds for more information about the Portfolio’s share classes and how to choose among them.

 

    

Class A Shares

  

Class B Shares

  

Class C Shares

  

Class R Shares

Eligible Investors and Minimum Initial Investments(a)    Minimum initial investments range from $0 to $2,500; the share class is available to the general public for investment.    The Portfolio no longer accepts investments from new or existing investors in Class B shares, except for certain limited transactions from existing investors in Class B shares as described in more detail under Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders – Buying Shares – Class B Shares Closing.    Minimum initial investments range from $0 to $2,500; the share class is available to the general public for investment.    There is no minimum initial investment, but Class R shares are available only through eligible retirement plans and health savings accounts.
Investment Limits    none    up to $49,999 (based on aggregate account value)(b)    up to $999,999    none
Conversion Features    none    convert to Class A shares eight years after purchase    none    none
Front-End Sales Charges(c)    5.75% maximum, declining to 0.00% on investments of $1 million or more    none    none    none
Contingent Deferred Sales Charges (CDSCs)(c)    none, except a 1.00% CDSC applies to certain investments of between $1 million and $50 million sold within one year of purchase    5.00% maximum, gradually declining to 0.00% after six years    1.00% on investments sold within one year of purchase    none
Maximum Distribution and Service Fees    0.25% combined distribution and service fee    0.75% distribution fee 0.25% service fee    0.75% distribution fee 0.25% service fee    0.50% distribution fee

 

(a)

See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders for more details on the eligible investors and investment minimums of these share classes.

 

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(b)

If you hold Class B shares of the Portfolio and your account has a value of less than $49,999, you may purchase additional Class B shares of the Portfolio in amounts that increase your account value up to a maximum of $49,999. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares - Opening an Account and Placing Order - Buying Shares - Class B Shares Closing for important information regarding purchases of Class B shares. The value of your account, for this purpose, includes the value of all eligible accounts held by you and your “immediate family.” See the discussion about account value aggregation and eligible accounts in Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for more information. If you have reached the $49,999 limit, any additional amounts you invest in Class B shares of the Portfolio will be invested in Class A shares of the Portfolio, without regard to the normal minimum investment amount for Class A shares. Such investments will, however, be subject to a front-end sales charge that generally applies to Class A shares.

(c)

See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for information about certain exceptions to these sales charges.

FUNDamentals

Selling and/or Servicing Agents

The terms “selling agent” and “servicing agent” refer to the financial intermediary that employs your financial advisor. Selling and/or servicing agents include, for example, brokerage firms, banks, investment advisors, third party administrators and other financial intermediaries, including affiliates of Bank of America, such as Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.

Sales Charges and Commissions

Sales charges, commissions and distribution and service fees (discussed in a separate sub-section below) compensate selling and/or servicing agents, and typically your financial advisor, for selling shares to you and for maintaining and servicing the shares held in your account. These charges, commissions and fees are intended to provide incentives for selling and/or servicing agents to provide these services.

Depending on which share class you choose you will pay these charges either at the outset as a front-end sales charge, at the time you sell your shares as a contingent deferred sales charge and/or over time in the form of increased ongoing fees. Whether the ultimate cost is higher for one class over the other depends on how long you hold your shares.

Class A Shares—Front-End Sales Charge

You’ll pay a front-end sales charge when you buy Class A shares unless you qualify for a waiver of the sales charge or you buy the shares through reinvested distributions. See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for more information.

FUNDamentals

Front-End Sales Charge Calculation

The following table presents the front-end sales charge as a percentage of both the offering price and the net amount invested.

 

   

The offering price per share is the net asset value per share plus any front-end sales charge that applies.

 

   

The net asset value (or NAV) per share is the price of a share calculated by the Portfolio every business day.

The dollar amount of the sales charge is the difference between the offering price of the shares you buy (based on the applicable sales charge in the table) and the net asset value of those shares.

To determine the front-end sales charge you will pay when you buy your shares, the Portfolio will add the amount of your investment to the value of your account and base the sales charge on the aggregate amount. This approach is designed to assure that you pay the lowest applicable sales charge possible. See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/ Waivers of Sales Charges for a discussion of account value aggregation.

 

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The front-end sales charge you’ll pay on Class A shares:

 

   

depends on the amount you’re investing (generally, the larger the investment, the smaller the percentage sales charge), and

 

   

is based on the total amount of your purchase and the value of your account.

Class A Shares—Front-End Sales Charge—Breakpoint Schedule

 

Dollar amount of shares bought(a)

  Sales charge as a %
of the offering price(b)
    Sales charge as a % of
the net amount invested(b)
    Amount retained by or paid to
selling and/or servicing agents

as a % of the offering price
 
$0 – $49,999   5.75   6.10   5.00
$50,000 –$99,999   4.50   4.71   3.75
$100,000 –$249,999   3.50   3.63   2.75
$250,000 –$499,999   2.50   2.56   2.00
$500,000 –$999,999   2.00   2.04   1.75
$1,000,000 or more   0.00   0.00   1.00 %(c)(d) 

 

(a)

Purchase amounts and account values are aggregated among all eligible Columbia Fund accounts for the purposes of this table.

(b)

Because the offering price is calculated to two decimal places, the dollar amount of the sales charge as a percentage of the offering price and your net amount invested for any particular purchase of Portfolio shares may be higher or lower depending on whether downward or upward rounding was required during the calculation process.

(c)

1.00% on purchases from $1 million up to $3 million, 0.50% on purchases of $3 million up to $50 million and 0.25% on amounts of $50 million or more. The Distributor pays selling and/or servicing agents on investments of $1 million or more, but may be reimbursed if a CDSC is deducted when the shares are sold.

(d)

For certain group retirement plans, selling and/or servicing agents are eligible to receive a 1.00% commission from the Distributor on all purchases up to $3 million, including those in amounts of less than $1 million that are coded as commission eligible trades.

 

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Class A Shares—CDSC and Commissions

In some cases, you’ll pay a CDSC if you sell Class A shares that you bought without an initial sales charge.

 

   

If you bought Class A shares without an initial sales charge because your accounts aggregated $1 million to $50 million at the time of purchase, you will incur a 1.00% CDSC if you redeem those shares within one year of buying them.

 

   

Subsequent Class A share purchases that bring your aggregate account value to $1 million or more (but less than $50 million) will also be subject to a CDSC if you redeem them within one year of buying them.

The CDSC on Class A shares:

 

   

is applied to the net asset value at the time of your purchase or sale, whichever is lower, and

 

   

will not be applied to any shares you receive through reinvested distributions.

For purposes of calculating the CDSC, the start of the holding period is the first day of the month in which the purchase was made. When you place an order to sell your Class A shares, the Portfolio will first redeem any shares that aren’t subject to a CDSC followed by those you have held the longest. The CDSC on Class A shares does not apply to retirement plans buying through a fee-based program.

The Distributor may pay your selling and/or servicing agent an up-front commission of up to 5.00% of the offering price per share when you buy Class A shares. The Distributor funds the commission through the applicable sales charge.

The Distributor may also pay your selling and/or servicing agent a cumulative commission when you buy $1 million or more of Class A shares, according to the following schedule:

Class A Shares—Commission Schedule

 

Purchase Amount

   Commission Level
(as a % of net asset
value per share)
 

$1 million – $2,999,999

   1.00

$3 million – $49,999,999

   0.50

$50 million or more

   0.25

FUNDamentals

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge

A contingent deferred sales charge or CDSC is a sales charge applied at the time you sell your shares, unlike a front-end sales charge that is applied at the time of purchase. A CDSC varies based on the length of time that you have held your shares.

Class B and Class C Shares—Sales Charges

You don’t pay a front-end sales charge when you buy Class B or Class C shares, but you may pay a CDSC when you sell Class B or Class C shares.

The CDSC on Class B and Class C shares:

 

   

is applied to the net asset value at the time of your purchase or sale, whichever is lower,

 

   

will not be applied to any shares you receive through reinvested distributions, and

 

   

generally declines each year until there is no sales charge for selling shares.

For purposes of calculating the CDSC, the start of the holding period is the first day of the month in which your purchase was made. When you place an order to sell your Class B or Class C shares, the Portfolio will first redeem any shares that aren’t subject to a CDSC followed by those you have held the longest.

 

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Class B Shares—CDSC and Commissions

You’ll pay a CDSC if you sell Class B shares unless you qualify for a waiver of the CDSC or the shares you’re selling were bought through reinvested distributions. See Choosing a Share Class—Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for details. The CDSC you pay on Class B shares depends on how long you’ve held your shares:

Class B Shares—CDSC Schedule

 

Number of Years Class B Shares Held

   Applicable CDSC

One

   5.00%

Two

   4.00%

Three

   3.00%

Four

   3.00%

Five

   2.00%

Six

   1.00%

Seven

   none

Eight

   none

Nine

   Conversion to Class A Shares

The Distributor pays an up-front commission directly to your selling and/or servicing agent of up to 4.00% of the net asset value per share when you buy Class B shares. The Distributor seeks to recover this commission through distribution fees it receives under the Portfolio’s distribution plan and any applicable CDSC when you sell your shares. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for details.

Class B shares automatically convert to Class A shares after you’ve owned them for eight years. This conversion feature allows you to benefit from the lower operating costs of Class A shares, which can help increase your total returns from an investment in the Portfolio.

The following rules apply to the conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares:

 

   

Class B shares are converted on or about the 15th day of the month that they become eligible for conversion.

 

   

Any shares you received from reinvested distributions on these shares generally will convert to Class A shares at the same time.

 

   

You’ll receive the same dollar value of Class A shares as the Class B shares that were converted. Class B shares that you received from an exchange of Class B shares of another Columbia Fund will convert based on the day you bought the original shares.

 

   

No sales charge or other charges apply, and conversions are free from federal income tax.

Class C Shares—CDSC and Commissions

You’ll pay a CDSC of 1.00% if you sell Class C shares within one year of buying them unless you qualify for a waiver of the CDSC or the shares you’re selling were bought through reinvested distributions. See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for details.

The Distributor pays an up-front commission directly to your selling and/or servicing agent of up to 1.00% of the net asset value per share when you buy Class C shares. The Distributor seeks to recover this commission through distribution fees it receives under the Portfolio’s distribution plan and any applicable CDSC applied when you sell your shares. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for details.

Class R Shares—Sales Charges and Commissions

You don’t pay a front-end sales charge when you buy Class R shares or a CDSC when you sell your Class R shares. Class R shares are only available for purchase through certain eligible retirement plans and health savings accounts. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders for more information about investing in Class R shares of the Portfolio. The Distributor pays an up-front commission directly to your selling and/or servicing agent when you buy Class R shares, according to the following schedule:

Class R Shares—Commission Schedule

 

Purchase Amount

   Commission Level
(as a % of net asset
value per share)
 

$0 – $49,999,999

   0.50

$50 million or more

   0.25

The Distributor seeks to recover this commission through distribution fees it receives under the Portfolio’s distribution plan. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for details.

 

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Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges

Front-End Sales Charge Reductions

There are two ways in which you may be able to reduce the front-end sales charge that you may pay when you buy Class A shares of the Portfolio. These types of sales charge reductions are also referred to as breakpoint discounts.

First, through the right of accumulation, you may combine the value of eligible accounts maintained by you and your immediate family to reach a breakpoint discount level and apply a lower sales charge to your purchase. To calculate the combined value of your accounts, the Portfolio will use the current public offering price per share.

Second, by making a statement of intent to purchase additional shares, you may pay a lower sales charge on all purchases of Class A shares made within 13 months of the date of your statement of intent. Your statement of intent must state the aggregate amount of purchases you intend to make in that 13-month period, which must be at least $50,000. If you do not complete the purchases described in your statement of intent within 13 months, you will be charged the applicable sales charge on the amount you have invested to that date. To calculate the total value of the purchases you’ve made under a statement of intent, the Portfolio will use the historic cost (i.e. dollars invested) of the shares held in each eligible account.

To obtain a breakpoint discount, you must notify your financial advisor in writing at the time you buy your shares of each eligible account maintained by you and/or your immediate family. It is the responsibility of you and your financial advisor to ensure that you receive discounts for which you are eligible; the Portfolio is not responsible for a financial advisor’s failure to apply the eligible discount to your account. You may be asked by your financial advisor for account statements or other records to verify your discount eligibility, including, when applicable, records for accounts opened with a different financial advisor and records of accounts established by members of your immediate family.

FUNDamentals

Your “Immediate Family” and Account Value Aggregation

For purposes of reaching the Class B shares investment limits described in Choosing a Share Class – Comparison of the Share Classes and obtaining a Class A shares breakpoint discount, the value of your account will be deemed to include the value of all applicable shares in eligible accounts that are held by your “immediate family,” which includes your spouse (or legal equivalent under state law), parent, step-parent, legal guardian, child, step-child, father-in-law and mother-in-law. Remember that in order to obtain a breakpoint discount, you must notify your financial advisor in writing at the time you buy your shares of each eligible account maintained by you and/or your immediate family. Group plan accounts are valued at the plan level.

Eligible Accounts

The types of accounts that are eligible for the account value aggregation purposes described above are:

 

   

individual accounts,

 

   

joint accounts,

 

   

certain IRA accounts,

 

   

certain health savings accounts,

 

   

certain trust accounts, and

 

   

Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA)/Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) accounts.

Eligible accounts include those registered in the name of the broker/dealer or other financial intermediary through which you own shares of the Columbia Funds.

Eligible accounts do not include Class R share accounts or accounts holding institutional share classes of the Columbia Money Market Funds (Capital Class shares, Liquidity Class shares, Adviser Class shares, Investor Class shares, Trust Class shares, Institutional Class shares and Marsico shares). Certain share classes are not offered by this prospectus.

 

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Front-End Sales Charge Waivers

Certain investors may buy Class A shares of the Portfolio at net asset value, without any front-end sales charge that would otherwise apply. These investors include affiliates of the Portfolio, broker/dealers, investors in wrap fee programs, investors through fee-based advisors, certain retirement plans, certain health savings accounts, certain shareholders of funds that were reorganized into Columbia Funds, investors using the proceeds of sales of Portfolio shares or of certain Bank of America trust or similar accounts, as well as insurance company separate accounts purchasing for the benefit of group retirement plans. Restrictions may apply to certain accounts and certain transactions.

CDSC Waivers

You may be able to avoid an otherwise applicable CDSC when you sell Class A, Class B or Class C shares of the Portfolio. This could happen because of the way in which you originally invested in the Portfolio, because of your relationship with the Columbia Funds or for other reasons.

Generally, a CDSC that would otherwise be applied may be waived for certain sales, including sales made under the Systematic Withdrawal Plan or in connection with the death or post-purchase disability of a shareholder; certain medical expenses; charitable gifts; involuntary sales; and agreements by selling and/or servicing agents to waive or return their commissions. Restrictions may apply to certain accounts and certain transactions.

The Portfolio may change or cancel these terms at any time. Any change or cancellation applies only to future purchases.

For more information about the sales charge reductions and waivers described here, consult the SAI.

 

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Distribution and Service Fees

Pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, the Board has approved, and the Portfolio has adopted, distribution and shareholder servicing plans which set the distribution and service fees that are periodically deducted from the Portfolio’s assets. These fees are calculated daily, may vary by share class and are intended to compensate the Distributor and/or eligible selling and/or servicing agents for selling shares of the Portfolio and providing services to investors. Because the fees are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets on an ongoing basis, they will increase the cost of your investment over time.

The table below shows the maximum annual distribution and service fees (as an annual % of average daily net assets) and the combined amount of such fees applicable to each share class:

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) and Service Fees

 

     Distribution
Fee
    Service
Fee
    Combined
Total
 

Class A

   —   (a)    —   (a)    0.25 %(a) 

Class B

   0.75   0.25   1.00

Class C

   0.75   0.25   1.00

Class R

   0.50 %(b)    —   (b)    0.50 %(b) 

 

(a)

The Portfolio’s Class A shares pay a combined distribution and service fee pursuant to the Portfolio’s combined distribution and shareholder servicing plan for Class A shares.

(b)

The Portfolio’s Class R shares pay a distribution fee pursuant to the Portfolio’s distribution plan for Class R shares. The Portfolio does not have a shareholder servicing plan for Class R shares.

The Portfolio will pay these fees to the Distributor and/or to eligible selling and/or servicing agents for as long as the distribution and/or shareholder servicing plans continue. The Portfolio may reduce or discontinue payments at any time. Your selling and/or servicing agent may also charge you other fees for providing services to your account, which may be different from those described here.

 

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Redemption Fee

When you sell or exchange shares of a mutual fund, the fund effectively buys those shares back from you in what is called a redemption.

The Columbia Funds international/global equity funds assess, subject to limited exceptions, a 2.00% redemption fee on the proceeds from Columbia Fund shares that you redeem (either by sale or exchange into another Columbia Fund) within 60 days of buying them. To determine which shares you are selling in a transaction, the Transfer Agent generally applies a first-in, first-out approach. This means that the Transfer Agent will deem those shares that you have held the longest to be sold first, followed by increasingly recently purchased shares. When selling or exchanging shares of a Columbia Fund that you acquired by a previous exchange, the period you held shares of the first Columbia Fund prior to first exchange will not be considered in determining whether the redemption fee applies to the second sale or exchange. When it does apply, the redemption fee is paid to the Columbia Fund from which you are redeeming shares (either by sale or exchange into another Columbia Fund).

The redemption fee described above will not be imposed if you qualify for a waiver and the Transfer Agent has received proper notification of your qualification. The Transfer Agent will redeem any shares that are eligible for a waiver first. Please be aware that it is the responsibility of you and your financial advisor to notify the Transfer Agent that you may qualify for a waiver before you buy or sell your shares.

The categories of transactions which qualify for a waiver of the redemption fee are as follows:

 

   

shares sold following the death or disability (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code) of the shareholder, including a registered joint owner,

 

   

shares sold by or distributions from participant-directed retirement plans, such as 401(k), 403(b), 457, Keogh, profit-sharing and money-purchase pension plans, where Columbia Funds does not have access to information about the individual participant account activity, but not where Columbia Funds has received an indication that the plan administrator is able to assess the redemption fee on the appropriate accounts,

 

   

shares sold by certain investment funds (e.g., Columbia LifeGoal Portfolios and Future Scholar 529 Plan) that have provided assurances reasonably satisfactory to the Advisor that the investment fund is not a vehicle for excessive trading practices (the Advisor or its affiliates may manage certain of the approved investment funds),

 

   

shares sold in certain transactions in connection with certain asset allocation or wrap programs where the program sponsor has provided assurances reasonably satisfactory to the Advisor that the program is not designed to be a vehicle for excessive trading practices,

 

   

shares sold by accounts where Columbia Funds has received information reasonably satisfactory to the Advisor indicating that financial intermediaries maintaining the accounts are currently unable for administrative reasons to assess the redemption fee on underlying shareholders,

 

   

shares sold by an account which has demonstrated a severe hardship, such as a medical emergency, as determined in the absolute discretion of the Advisor,

 

   

shares that were bought with reinvested distributions,

 

   

shares that are sold or exchanged through Columbia Funds’ Systematic Withdrawal Plan or Systematic Exchange Feature, or similar affiliated or unaffiliated automated plans,

 

   

the following retirement plan distributions: lump sum or other distributions from a qualified corporate or self-employed retirement plan following the retirement (or following attainment of age 59 1/2 in the case of a “key employee” of a “top heavy” plan); and distributions from an IRA or Custodial Account under Section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code, following attainment of age 59 1/2, and

 

   

the following retirement plan transactions: payroll deduction contributions by retirement plan participants, transactions initiated by a retirement plan sponsor and certain other retirement plan transactions consisting of rollover transactions, loan repayments and disbursements, and required minimum distribution redemptions.

Certain financial intermediaries may not assess a redemption fee on certain categories of redemptions that they believe do not present significant excessive trading practices concerns (such as Systematic Withdrawal Plan redemptions). For a discussion of the effects of excessive trading practices, see Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies.

 

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Conversely, certain financial intermediaries may assess a redemption fee on certain redemptions by accounts maintained with them that would be exempt from the redemption fee if the accounts were maintained directly with the Transfer Agent or with a different financial intermediary. Columbia Funds and its agents reserve the right to permit imposition of the redemption fee under these circumstances. Columbia Funds’ ability to assess redemption fees or apply waivers is generally limited by the policies of financial intermediaries. Accordingly, the parameters of the exemption categories described above are subject to the different policies of the various financial intermediaries that maintain accounts. You should check with your financial intermediary about its redemption fee and waiver policies before investing or submitting a redemption order within the specified time period.

Columbia Funds reserves the right to impose the redemption fee in the future if it determines that a financial intermediary that previously did not or was not able to assess the redemption fee on underlying shareholders has developed the policy or capability to assess the fee on some or all of its underlying shareholders. However, Columbia Funds may determine not to impose the redemption fee under certain circumstances. From time to time, as circumstances change, Columbia Funds may modify or eliminate certain exemption categories without advance notice to shareholders.

 

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Financial Intermediary Compensation

The Distributor and the Advisor make payments, from their own resources, to certain financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, for marketing/sales support services relating to the Columbia Funds. Such payments are generally based upon one or more of the following factors: average net assets of the Columbia Funds sold by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, gross sales of the Columbia Funds distributed by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, reimbursement of ticket charges (fees that an intermediary firm charges its representatives for effecting transactions in Portfolio shares) or a negotiated lump sum payment. While the financial arrangements may vary for each intermediary, the support payments to any one intermediary are generally between 0.05% and 0.50% (and 0.03% and 0.12% with regard to the Columbia Money Market Funds) on an annual basis for payments based on average net assets of the Portfolio attributable to the intermediary, and between 0.05% and 0.25% on an annual basis for firms receiving a payment based on gross sales of the Columbia Funds (other than the Columbia Money Market Funds) attributable to the intermediary.

The Distributor and the Advisor may make payments in larger amounts or on a basis other than those described above when dealing with other affiliates of Bank of America. Such increased payments to the other Bank of America affiliate may enable the other Bank of America affiliate to offset credits that it may provide to customers in order to avoid having such customers pay fees to multiple Bank of America entities in connection with the customers’ investments in the Portfolio.

The Distributor, the Transfer Agent and the Advisor may also make payments to financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, that provide shareholder services to retirement plans and other investment programs to compensate those intermediaries for services they provide to such programs, including, but not limited to, sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, similar shareholder or participant recordkeeping, shareholder or participant reporting, or shareholder or participant transaction processing.

These payments for shareholder servicing support vary by financial intermediary but generally are not expected, with certain limited exceptions, to exceed 0.40% of the average aggregate value of the Portfolio’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, and 0.45% of the average aggregate value of the Portfolio’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that do not pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

The Board has authorized the Portfolio to reimburse the Transfer Agent for amounts paid to financial intermediaries that maintain assets in omnibus accounts, subject to an annual cap of 0.15% of the average aggregate value of the Portfolio’s shares maintained in such accounts. The amounts in excess of that reimbursed by the Portfolio are borne by the Distributor or the Advisor. The Distributor and the Advisor may make other payments or allow promotional incentives to broker/dealers to the extent permitted by SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rules and by other applicable laws and regulations.

Amounts paid by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates are paid out of the Distributor’s and the Advisor’s own resources and do not increase the amount paid by you or the Portfolio. You can find further details about the payments made by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates and the services provided by financial intermediaries as well as a list of the intermediaries to which the Distributor and the Advisor have agreed to make marketing support payments in the SAI. Your financial intermediary may charge you fees and commissions in addition to those described in this prospectus. You should consult with your financial intermediary and review carefully any disclosure your financial intermediary provides regarding its services and compensation. Depending on the financial arrangement in place at any particular time, a financial intermediary and its financial consultants may have a financial incentive for recommending the Portfolio or a particular share class over others. See Management of the Portfolio – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information.

 

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Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

Share Price Determination

The price you pay or receive when you buy, sell or exchange shares is the Portfolio’s next determined net asset value (or NAV) per share for a given share class. The Portfolio calculates the net asset value per share for each class of the Portfolio at the end of each business day. The net asset value per share of the Portfolio is based on the net asset value per share of the Underlying Funds the Portfolio invests in.

FUNDamentals

NAV Calculation

Each of the Portfolio’s share classes calculates its NAV as follows:

 

      (Value of assets of the share class)      

NAV

   =   

—(Liabilities of the share class)

     
      Number of outstanding shares of the class      

The value of the Portfolio’s shares is based on the total market value of all of the securities and other assets that it holds as of a specified time. The prices reported on stock exchanges and other securities markets around the world are usually used to value securities in the Portfolio. The Portfolio uses the amortized cost method, which approximates market value, to value short-term investments maturing in 60 days or less.

If a market price isn’t readily available, the Portfolio will determine the price of the security held by the Portfolio based on the Advisor’s determination of the security’s fair value. A market price is considered not readily available if, among other circumstances, the most recent reported price is deemed unreliable. In addition, the Portfolio may use fair valuation to price securities that trade on a foreign exchange when a significant event has occurred after the foreign exchange closes but before the time at which the Portfolio’s share price is calculated. Foreign exchanges typically close before the time at which Portfolio share prices are calculated, and may be closed altogether on some days when the Portfolio is open. Such significant events affecting a foreign security may include, but are not limited to: (1) those impacting a single issuer; (2) governmental action that affects securities in one sector or country; (3) natural disasters or armed conflicts affecting a country or region; or (4) significant domestic or foreign market fluctuations. The Portfolio uses various criteria, including an evaluation of U.S. market moves after the close of foreign markets, in determining whether a security’s market price is readily available and, if not, the fair value of the security.

Fair valuation may have the effect of reducing stale pricing arbitrage opportunities presented by the pricing of Portfolio shares. However, when the Portfolio uses fair valuation to price securities, it may value those securities higher or lower than another mutual fund. Also, the use of fair valuation may cause the Portfolio’s performance to diverge to a greater degree from the performance of various benchmarks used to compare the Portfolio’s performance because benchmarks generally do not use fair valuation techniques. Because of the judgment involved in fair valuation decisions, there can be no assurance that the value ascribed to a particular security is accurate. The Portfolio has retained an independent fair valuation pricing service to assist in the fair valuation process for foreign securities. International markets are sometimes open on days when U.S. markets are closed, which means that the value of foreign securities owned by the Portfolio could change on days when Portfolio shares cannot be bought or sold.

 

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Transaction Rules and Policies

Remember that sales charges may apply to your transactions. You should also ask your selling and/or servicing agent about its rules, fees and policies for buying, selling and exchanging shares, which may be different from those described here, and about its related programs or services.

Also remember that the Portfolio may refuse any order to buy or exchange shares. If this happens, we’ll return any money we’ve received, but no interest will be paid on that money.

Order Processing

Orders to buy, sell or exchange shares are processed on business days. Orders can be delivered by mail, by telephone or online. Orders received in “good form” by the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent before the end of a business day will receive that day’s net asset value per share. Orders received after the end of a business day will receive the next business day’s net asset value per share. The market value of the Portfolio’s investments may change between the time you submit your order and the time the Portfolio next calculates its net asset value per share. The business day that applies to your order is also called a trade date.

FUNDamentals

Business Days

A business day is any day that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. A business day ends at the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. If the NYSE closes early, the business day ends as of the time the NYSE closes. On holidays and other days when the NYSE is closed, the Portfolio’s net asset value is not calculated and the Portfolio does not accept buy or sell orders. However, the value of the Portfolio’s assets may still be affected on such days to the extent that the Portfolio holds foreign securities that trade on days that foreign markets are open.

“Good Form”

An order is in “good form” if the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent has all of the information and documentation it deems necessary to effect your order. For example, when you sell shares by letter of instruction, “good form” means that your letter has (i) complete instructions and the signatures of all account owners, (ii) a Medallion signature guarantee for amounts equal to or greater than $100,000 and (iii) any other required documents completed and attached. For the documents required for sales by corporations, agents, fiduciaries, surviving joint owners and other legal entities, call 800.345.6611.

Medallion Signature Guarantees

Qualified customers can obtain a Medallion signature guarantee from any financial institution – including commercial banks such as Bank of America, credit unions and broker/dealers – that participates in one of the three Medallion signature guarantee programs recognized by the SEC. These Medallion signature guarantee programs are the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (STAMP), the Stock Exchanges Medallion Program (SEMP) and the New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program (MSP).

Class R Shares

Remember that Class R shares are only available for purchase, sale or exchange through eligible retirement plans and health savings accounts sponsored by third party platforms, including those sponsored by Bank of America affiliates. Your retirement plan or health savings account administrator or selling and/or servicing agent is responsible for sending your orders to the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent, ensuring that we receive your money on time, ensuring that you receive any sale proceeds on time, and recording and reporting your beneficial ownership of shares of the Portfolio. Contact your retirement plan or health savings account administrator for details.

Written Transactions

Once you have an account, you can communicate written buy, sell and exchange orders to the Transfer Agent at the following address: Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

 

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Telephone Transactions

Once you have an account, you may place orders to buy, sell or exchange by telephone. To place orders by telephone, call 800.422.3737. Have your account number and taxpayer identification number (TIN) available when calling.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares via the telephone in any 30-day period if you qualify for telephone orders. Wire redemptions requested via the telephone are not subject to this maximum amount. You can buy up to $100,000 of shares through your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction via the telephone per day if you qualify for telephone orders.

Telephone orders may not be as secure as written orders. Columbia Funds will take reasonable steps to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. For example, we require proof of your identification before we will act on instructions received by telephone and may record telephone conversations. However, the Portfolio and its agents will not be responsible for any losses, costs or expenses resulting from an unauthorized telephone instruction when reasonable steps have been taken to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. Telephone orders may be difficult to complete during periods of significant economic or market change or business interruption.

Online Transactions

Once you have an account, contact Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for more information on account trading restrictions and the special sign-up procedures required for online transactions. The Transfer Agent has procedures in place to authenticate electronic orders you deliver through the internet. You will be required to accept the terms of an online agreement and establish and utilize a password in order to access online account services.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares through the internet in any 30-day period if you qualify for internet orders.

Customer Identification Program

Federal law requires the Portfolio to obtain and record specific personal information to verify your identity when you open an account. This information may include your name, address, date of birth (for individuals), and taxpayer or other government issued identification. If you fail to provide the requested information, the Portfolio may need to delay the date of your purchase or may be unable to open your account, which may result in a return of your investment monies. In addition, if the Portfolio is unable to verify your identity after your account is open, the Portfolio reserves the right to close your account or take other steps as deemed reasonable. The Portfolio shall not be held liable for any loss resulting from any purchase delay, application rejection or account closure due to a failure to provide proper identifying information.

Small Account Policy—Accounts Below $250

Columbia Funds generally will automatically sell your shares if the value of your account (treating each account of the Portfolio you own separately from any other account of the Portfolio you may own) falls below $250. If your shares are sold, the Transfer Agent will remit the sale proceeds to you. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of any automatic sale, which will provide details on how you may avoid such an automatic sale. Generally, you may avoid such an automatic sale by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information. The automatic sale of shares of accounts valued at less than $250 is expected to take place in the second quarter of each calendar year.

Columbia Funds may also sell your shares if a financial intermediary tells us to sell your shares pursuant to arrangements made with you, and under certain other circumstances allowed under the 1940 Act.

Small Account Policy—Minimum Balance Fee

If the value of your account (treating each account of the Portfolio you own separately from any other account of the Portfolio you may own) falls below the minimum initial investment requirement applicable to you, your account generally will be subject to a $20 annual fee. This fee will be assessed through the automatic sale of shares in your account. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent

 

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will reduce the expenses paid by the Portfolio by any amounts it collects from the assessment of this fee. For Portfolios that do not have transfer agency expenses against which to offset the amount collected through assessment of this fee, the fee will be paid directly to the Portfolio. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of assessing any fee, which will provide details on how you can avoid the imposition of such fee. Generally, you may avoid the imposition of such fee by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information.

Columbia Funds reserves the right to change the minimum investment requirements for any Portfolio. We also reserve the right to lower the account size trigger point for the minimum balance fee in any year or for any class of shares when we believe it is appropriate to do so in light of declines in the market value of Portfolio shares, sales loads applicable to a particular class of shares, or for other reasons.

Exceptions to the Small Account Policy

The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 and the annual minimum balance fee described previously do not apply to shareholders of Class R shares or shareholders holding their shares through broker/dealer networked accounts; wrap fee and omnibus accounts; accounts with active Systematic Investment Plans or payroll deduction plans; and certain qualified retirement plans and health savings accounts. The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 does not apply to individual retirement plans.

Cash Flows

The timing and magnitude of cash inflows from investors buying Portfolio shares could prevent the Portfolio from always being fully invested. Conversely, the timing and magnitude of cash outflows to investors selling Portfolio shares could require large ready reserves of uninvested cash to meet shareholder redemptions. Either situation could adversely impact the Portfolio’s performance.

Information Sharing Agreements

As required by Rule 22c-2 under the 1940 Act, the Columbia Funds or certain of their service providers will enter into information sharing agreements with financial intermediaries, including participating life insurance companies and financial intermediaries that sponsor or offer retirement plans through which shares of the Columbia Funds are made available for purchase. Pursuant to Rule 22c-2, financial intermediaries are required, upon request, to: (i) provide shareholder account and transaction information and (ii) execute instructions from the Portfolio to restrict or prohibit further purchases of Portfolio shares by shareholders who have been identified by the Portfolio as having engaged in transactions that violate the Portfolio’s excessive trading policies and procedures. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Excessive Trading Practices for more information.

Excessive Trading Practices

Right to Reject or Restrict Share Transaction Orders – The Portfolio is intended for investors with long-term investment purposes and is not intended as a vehicle for frequent trading activity (market timing) that is excessive. Investors should transact in Portfolio shares primarily for investment purposes. The Board has adopted excessive trading policies and procedures that are designed to deter excessive trading by investors (the Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures). The Portfolio discourages and does not accommodate excessive trading.

The Portfolio reserves the right to reject, without any prior notice, any buy or exchange order for any reason, and will not be liable for any loss resulting from rejected orders. For example, the Portfolio may in its discretion restrict, reject or cancel a buy or exchange order even if the transaction is not subject to the specific exchange limitation described below if the Portfolio or its agents determine that accepting the order could interfere with efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio or is otherwise contrary to the Portfolio’s best interests. The Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures apply equally to buy or exchange transactions communicated directly to the Transfer Agent and to those received by selling and/or servicing agents.

Specific Buying and Exchanging Limitations – If the Portfolio detects that an investor has made two “material round trips” in any 28-day period, it will generally reject the investor’s future buy orders, including exchange buy orders, involving any Columbia Fund.

 

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For these purposes, a “round trip” is a purchase or exchange into the Portfolio followed by a sale or exchange out of the Portfolio. A “material” round trip is one that is deemed by the Portfolio to be material in terms of its amount or its potential detrimental impact on the Portfolio.

Independent of this limit, the Portfolio may, in its discretion, reject future buy orders by any person, group or account that appears to have engaged in any type of excessive trading activity.

These limits generally do not apply to automated transactions or transactions by registered investment companies that invest in the Portfolio using a “fund of funds” structure. These limits do not apply to payroll deduction contributions by retirement plan participants, transactions initiated by a retirement plan sponsor or certain other retirement plan transactions consisting of rollover transactions, loan repayments and disbursements, and required minimum distribution redemptions. They may be modified or rescinded for accounts held by certain retirement plans to conform to plan limits, for considerations relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or regulations of the Department of Labor, and for certain asset allocation or wrap programs. Accounts known to be under common ownership or control generally will be counted together, but accounts maintained or managed by a common intermediary generally will not be considered to be under common ownership or control. The Portfolio retains the right to modify these restrictions at any time without prior notice to shareholders.

Limitations on the Ability to Detect and Prevent Excessive Trading Practices – The Portfolio takes various steps designed to detect and prevent excessive trading, including daily review of available shareholder transaction information. However, the Portfolio receives buy, sell and exchange orders through financial intermediaries, and cannot always know or reasonably detect excessive trading that may be facilitated by financial intermediaries or by the use of the omnibus account arrangements they offer. Omnibus account arrangements are common forms of holding shares of mutual funds, particularly among certain financial intermediaries such as broker/ dealers, retirement plans and variable insurance products. These arrangements often permit financial intermediaries to aggregate their clients’ transactions and accounts, and in these circumstances, the identity of the shareholders is often not known.

Some financial intermediaries apply their own restrictions or policies to underlying investor accounts, which may be more or less restrictive than those described here. This may impact the Portfolio’s ability to curtail excessive trading, even where it is identified. For these and other reasons, it is possible that excessive trading may occur despite the Portfolio’s efforts to detect and prevent it.

Although these restrictions and policies involve judgments that are inherently subjective and may involve some selectivity in their application, the Portfolio seeks to act in a manner that it believes is consistent with the best interests of shareholders in making any such judgments.

Risks of Excessive Trading – Excessive trading creates certain risks to the Portfolio’s long-term shareholders and may create the following adverse effects:

 

   

negative impact on the Portfolio’s performance;

 

   

potential dilution of the value of the Portfolio’s shares;

 

   

interference with the efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio, such as the need to maintain undesirably large cash positions, the need to use its line of credit or the need to buy or sell securities it otherwise would not have bought or sold;

 

   

losses on the sale of investments resulting from the need to sell securities at less favorable prices;

 

   

increased taxable gains to the Portfolio’s remaining shareholders resulting from the need to sell securities to meet sell orders; and

 

   

increased brokerage and administrative costs.

To the extent that the Portfolio invests significantly in foreign securities traded on markets that close before the Portfolio’s valuation time, it may be particularly susceptible to dilution as a result of excessive trading. Because events may occur after the close of foreign markets and before the Portfolio’s valuation time that influence the value of foreign securities, investors may seek to trade Portfolio shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of foreign securities as of the Portfolio’s valuation time. This is often referred to as price arbitrage. The Portfolio has adopted procedures designed to adjust closing market prices of foreign securities under certain circumstances to reflect what the Portfolio believes to be the fair value of those securities as of its valuation time. To the extent the adjustments don’t work fully, investors engaging in price arbitrage may cause dilution

 

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in the value of the Portfolio’s shares held by other shareholders.

Similarly, to the extent that the Portfolio invests significantly in thinly traded high-yield bonds (junk bonds) or equity securities of small-capitalization companies, because these securities are often traded infrequently, investors may seek to trade their shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of these securities. This is also a type of price arbitrage. Any such frequent trading strategies may interfere with efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio to a greater degree than would be the case for mutual funds that invest in highly liquid securities, in part because the Portfolio may have difficulty selling those portfolio securities at advantageous times or prices to satisfy large and/or frequent sell orders. Any successful price arbitrage may also cause dilution in the value of Portfolio shares held by other shareholders.

 

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Opening an Account and Placing Orders

Columbia Funds encourages you to consult with a financial advisor who can help you with your investment decisions and who can help you open an account. Once you have an account, you can buy, sell and exchange shares by contacting your financial advisor who will send your order to the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent. As described in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies, once you have an account you can also communicate your orders directly to the Transfer Agent by mail, by telephone or online.

Buying Shares

Eligible Investors

Class A and Class C shares are available to the general public for investment. Once you have opened an account, you can buy Class A and Class C shares in a lump sum, through our Systematic Investment Plan, by dividend diversification, by wire or by electronic funds transfer. Class R shares can only be bought through eligible health savings accounts sponsored by third party platforms, including those sponsored by Bank of America affiliates, and the following eligible retirement plans: 401(k) plans; 457 plans; employer-sponsored 403(b) plans; profit sharing and money purchase pension plans; defined benefit plans; and non-qualified deferred compensation plans. Class R shares are not available for investment through retail nonretirement accounts, traditional and Roth IRAs, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, SEPs, SAR-SEPs, Simple IRAs, individual 403(b) plans or 529 tuition programs. Contact Columbia Funds or your retirement plan or health savings account administrator for more information about investing in Class R shares.

Class B Shares Closing

The Portfolio no longer accepts investments from new or existing investors in Class B shares, except for certain limited transactions involving existing investors in Class B shares as described in more detail below.

Additional Class B shares will be issued only to existing investors in Class B shares and only through the following two types of transactions (Qualifying Transactions):

 

   

Dividends and/or capital gain distributions may continue to be reinvested in Class B shares of the same Portfolio.

 

   

Shareholders invested in Class B shares of a Columbia Fund may exchange those shares for Class B shares of a Portfolio.

Any initial purchase orders for the Portfolio’s Class B shares received from new investors in Class B shares will be rejected (other than through a Qualifying Transaction that is an exchange transaction).

Unless contrary instructions are received in advance by the Portfolio, purchase orders (except those submitted by a financial intermediary through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC) as described in more detail below) for additional Class B shares of the Portfolio received from existing investors in Class B shares, including orders made through an active systematic investment plan or payroll deduction plan, will be invested in Class A shares of the Portfolio, without regard to the normal minimum initial investment for Class A shares, but subject to the front-end sales charge that generally applies to Class A shares. See Choosing a Share Class – Class A Shares – Front-end Sales Charge for additional information.

Additional purchase orders for a Portfolio’s Class B shares by an existing Class B shareholder, submitted by such shareholder’s financial intermediary through the NSCC, will be rejected due to operational limitations of the NSCC. Investors should consult their financial advisor if they wish to invest in a Portfolio by purchasing a share class of the Portfolio other than Class B shares.

In addition, dividend and/or capital gain distributions from Class B shares of a Columbia Fund will no longer be automatically invested in Class B shares of another Columbia Fund. Unless contrary instructions are received in advance of the date of declaration, such dividend and/or capital gain distributions from Class B shares of a Columbia Fund will be reinvested in Class B shares of the same Columbia Fund that is making the distribution.

Minimum Initial Investments

The minimum initial investment for Class A and Class C shares is $2,500 for regular accounts and $1,000 for individual retirement plans (including traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts) and non-omnibus group retirement plans. For investors establishing a Systematic Investment Plan, the minimum initial investment

 

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is $50. There is no minimum initial investment for Class A or Class C shares bought through omnibus accounts, wrap accounts or health savings accounts, although your selling and/or servicing agent may impose its own investment minimum. For group retirement plans, the minimum initial investment and minimum additional investment are determined based on the plan’s investment rather than that of its individual participants.

There is no minimum initial investment for Class R shares.

Minimum Additional Investments

There is no minimum additional investment for Class A, Class C or Class R shares.

Systematic Investment Plan

The Systematic Investment Plan allows you to make regular purchases in amounts of $50 or more via automatic transfers from your bank account to the Portfolio on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan.

Dividend Diversification

Generally, you may automatically invest distributions made by another Columbia Fund into the same class of shares (and in some cases certain other classes of shares) of the Portfolio at no additional sales charge. A sales charge may apply when you invest distributions made by a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase. Call Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for details. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders – Buying Shares – Class B Shares Closing for restrictions applicable to Class B shares.

Wire Purchases

You may buy Class A or Class C shares of the Portfolio by wiring money from your bank account to your Portfolio account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737.

Electronic Funds Transfer

You may buy Class A or Class C shares of the Portfolio by electronically transferring money from your bank account to your Portfolio account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. An electronic funds transfer may take up to three business days to settle and be considered in “good form.” You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Other Purchase Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your buy order in “good form,” your purchase will be made at the next calculated public offering price per share, which is the net asset value per share plus any sales charge that applies.

 

   

You generally buy Class A shares at the public offering price per share because purchases of Class A shares are generally subject to a front-end sales charge.

 

   

You buy Class B, Class C and Class R shares at net asset value per share because no front-end sales charge applies to purchases of these share classes.

 

   

The Portfolio reserves the right to cancel your order if it doesn’t receive payment within three business days of receiving your buy order. The Portfolio will return any payment received for orders that have been cancelled, but no interest will be paid on that money.

 

   

Selling and/or servicing agents are responsible for sending your buy orders to the Transfer Agent and ensuring that we receive your money on time.

 

   

Shares bought are recorded on the books of the Portfolio. The Portfolio doesn’t issue certificates.

Selling Shares

When you sell your shares, the Portfolio is effectively buying them back from you. This is called a redemption.

Remember that Class R shares can only be sold through your eligible retirement plan or health savings account. For detailed rules regarding the sale of Class R shares, contact your retirement plan or health savings account administrator.

Wire Redemptions

You may request that your Class A, Class B or Class C shares sale proceeds be wired to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. You must set up this feature prior to your request. For shares sold by Fedwire, there is generally a fee of $7.50. The receiving bank may charge an additional fee. The Transfer Agent may waive the fee for certain accounts. The minimum amount that can be redeemed by wire is $500.

 

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Electronic Funds Transfer

You may sell Class A, Class B or Class C shares of the Portfolio and request that the proceeds be electronically transferred to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It may take up to three business days for the sale proceeds to be received by your bank. You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan

The Systematic Withdrawal Plan lets you withdraw funds from your Class A, Class B and/or Class C shares account any day of the month on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. Your account balance generally must be at least $5,000 to set up the plan, but certain fee-based and wrap accounts are not subject to this requirement. All dividend and capital gain distributions must be reinvested to set up the plan. A Systematic Withdrawal Plan cannot be set up on an account that already has a Systematic Investment Plan established. If you set up the plan after you’ve opened your account, we may require your signature to be Medallion guaranteed.

You can choose to receive your withdrawals via check or direct deposit into your bank account. You won’t pay a CDSC on Class A, Class B or Class C shares if you withdraw 12% or less of the value of those shares in a year. Otherwise, Columbia Funds will deduct any applicable CDSC from the withdrawals before sending the balance to you. You can cancel the plan by giving Columbia Funds 30 days notice in writing or by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It’s important to remember that if you withdraw more than your investment in the Portfolio is earning, you’ll eventually use up your original investment.

In-Kind Distributions

The Portfolio reserves the right to honor sell orders with in-kind distributions of portfolio securities instead of cash. In the event the Portfolio makes such an in-kind distribution, you may incur the brokerage and transaction costs associated with converting the portfolio securities you receive into cash. Also, the portfolio securities you receive may increase or decrease in value before you convert them into cash.

Other Redemption Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your sell order in “good form,” your shares will be sold at the next calculated net asset value per share. Any applicable CDSC will be deducted from the amount you’re selling and the balance will be remitted to you.

 

   

If you sell your shares directly through Columbia Funds, we will normally send the sale proceeds by mail or electronically transfer them to your bank account within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you sell your shares through a selling agent, Columbia Funds will normally send the sale proceeds by Fedwire within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you paid for your shares by check or from your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction, Columbia Funds will hold the sale proceeds when you sell those shares for up to 10 days after the trade date of the purchase.

 

   

No interest will be paid on uncashed redemption checks.

 

   

Columbia Funds can delay payment of the sale proceeds for up to seven days and may suspend redemptions and/or postpone payment of redemption proceeds when the NYSE is closed or during emergency circumstances as determined by the SEC.

 

   

Other restrictions may apply to retirement accounts. For information about these restrictions, contact your retirement plan administrator.

 

   

Also keep in mind Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy, which is described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies.

Exchanging Shares

You can generally sell shares of the Portfolio to buy shares of another Columbia Fund, in what is called an exchange. You should read the prospectus of, and make sure you understand the investment objective and principal investment strategies of, the Columbia Fund into which you are exchanging.

Systematic Exchanges

You may buy Class A, Class B and/or Class C shares of the Portfolio by exchanging $100 or more each month from another Columbia Fund for shares of the same class of the Portfolio at no additional cost. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. If you set up your

 

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plan to exchange more than $100,000 each month, you must have your signature Medallion guaranteed.

Exchanges will continue as long as your balance is sufficient to complete the systematic monthly transfers, subject to Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies. You may terminate the program or change the amount you would like to exchange (subject to the $100 minimum) by calling Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611. A sales charge may apply when you exchange shares of a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase.

The rules described below for making exchanges apply to systematic exchanges.

Other Exchange Rules You Should Know

 

   

Exchanges are made at net asset value.

 

   

You can generally make exchanges between like share classes of any Columbia Fund. Some exceptions apply.

 

   

A sales charge may apply when you exchange shares of a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase.

 

   

If your shares are subject to a CDSC, you will not be charged a CDSC upon the exchange of those shares. Any CDSC will be deducted when you sell the shares you received from the exchange. The CDSC imposed at that time will be based on the period that begins when you bought shares of the original Columbia Fund and ends when you sell the shares of the Columbia Fund you received from the exchange. The applicable CDSC will be the CDSC of the original Columbia Fund.

 

   

The rules for buying shares of a Columbia Fund generally apply to exchanges into that Fund.

 

   

You may make exchanges only into a Columbia Fund that is legally offered and sold in your state of residence.

 

   

You generally may make an exchange only into a Columbia Fund that is accepting investments.

 

   

The Portfolio may change or cancel your right to make an exchange by giving the amount of notice required by regulatory authorities (generally 60 days for a material change or cancellation).

 

   

Unless your account is part of a tax-advantaged retirement plan, an exchange for shares of another fund is a taxable event, and you may recognize a gain or loss for tax purposes.

Same-Fund Exchange Privilege for Class Z Shares

Certain shareholders invested in a class of shares other than Class Z may become eligible to invest in Class Z shares. Upon a determination of such eligibility, any such shareholders will be eligible to exchange their shares for Class Z shares of the same fund, if offered. No sales charges or other charges will apply to any such exchange. Ordinarily, shareholders will not recognize a gain or loss for federal income tax purposes upon such an exchange. Investors should contact their selling and/or servicing agents to learn more about the details of the Class Z shares exchange privilege.

 

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Distributions and Taxes

Distributions to Shareholders

A mutual fund can make money two ways:

 

   

It can earn income on its investments. Examples of fund income are interest paid on money market instruments and bonds, and dividends paid on common stocks.

 

   

A mutual fund can also have capital gains if the value of its investments increases. While a fund continues to hold an investment, any gain is unrealized. If the fund sells an investment, it generally will realize a capital gain if it sells that investment for a higher price than it originally paid. Capital gains are either short-term or long-term, depending on whether the fund holds the securities for one year or less (short-term gains) or more than one year (long-term gains).

FUNDamentals

Distributions

Mutual funds make payments of fund earnings to shareholders, distributing them among all shareholders of the fund. As a shareholder, you are entitled to your portion of a fund’s distributed income, including capital gains.

Reinvesting your distributions buys you more shares of a fund – which lets you take advantage of the potential for compound growth. Putting the money you earn back into your investment means it, in turn, may earn even more money. Over time, the power of compounding has the potential to significantly increase the value of your investment. There is no assurance, however, that you’ll earn more money if you reinvest your distributions rather than receive them in cash.

The Portfolio intends to pay out, in the form of distributions to shareholders, a sufficient amount of its income and gains so that the Portfolio will qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company and generally will not have to pay any federal excise tax. The Portfolio generally intends to distribute any net realized capital gain (whether long-term or short-term gain) at least once a year. Normally, the Portfolio will declare and pay distributions of net investment income according to the following schedule:

Declaration and Distribution Schedule

 

Declarations

   semi-annually

Distributions

   semi-annually

The Portfolio may, however, declare and pay distributions of net investment income more frequently.

Different share classes of the Portfolio usually pay different net investment income distribution amounts, because each class has different expenses. Each time a distribution is made, the net asset value per share of the share class is reduced by the amount of the distribution.

The Portfolio generally pays cash distributions within five business days after the distribution was declared. If you sell all of your shares after the record date but before the payment date for a distribution, you’ll normally receive that distribution in cash within five business days after the sale was made.

The Portfolio will automatically reinvest distributions in additional shares of the same share class of the Portfolio unless you inform us you want to receive your distributions in cash. You can do this by writing Columbia Funds at the address on the back cover, or by calling us at 800.345.6611. No sales charges apply to the purchase or sale of such shares. Distributions of $10 or less will automatically be reinvested in additional Portfolio shares only. If you elect to receive distributions by check and the check is returned as undeliverable, all subsequent distributions will be reinvested in additional shares of the Portfolio.

Unless you are investing through a tax-deferred retirement account (such as an IRA), you should consider avoiding buying Portfolio shares shortly before the Portfolio makes a distribution of net investment income or net realized capital gain, because doing so can cost you money in taxes. This is because you will, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back in the distribution. This is known as “buying a dividend.” To avoid “buying a dividend,” check the Portfolio’s distribution schedule online at www.columbiafunds.com, or by calling us at 800.345.6611, before you invest.

 

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If you buy shares of the Portfolio when it holds securities with unrealized capital gain, you may, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back if and when the Portfolio sells those securities and distributes any net realized gain. Any such distribution is generally subject to tax. The Portfolio may have, or may build up over time, high levels of unrealized capital gain. If you buy shares of the Portfolio when it has capital loss carryforwards, the Portfolio may have the ability to offset capital gains realized by the Portfolio that otherwise would have been distributed to shareholders with such carryforwards, although capital loss carryforwards generally expire after eight taxable years and may be subject to substantial limitations.

 

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Taxes and Your Investment

The Portfolio will send you a statement each year showing how much you’ve received in distributions in the prior year and the distributions’ character for federal income tax purposes. In addition, you should be aware of the following:

 

   

The Portfolio intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company. A regulated investment company generally is not subject to tax at the portfolio level on income and gains from investments that are distributed to shareholders. However, the Portfolio’s failure to qualify as a regulated investment company would result in portfolio level taxation, and consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to you.

 

   

Distributions generally are taxable to you when paid, whether they are paid in cash or automatically reinvested in additional shares of the Portfolio.

 

   

Distributions of the Portfolio’s ordinary income and net short-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions of the Portfolio’s net long-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as long-term capital gain. Whether capital gains are long-term or short-term is determined by how long the Portfolio has owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long you have owned your shares.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, if you are an individual and you meet certain holding period and other requirements for your Portfolio shares, a portion of your distributions may be treated as “qualified dividend income” taxable at lower net long-term capital gain rates. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this provision to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010. Qualified dividend income is income attributable to the Portfolio’s dividends received from certain U.S. and foreign corporations, as long as the Portfolio meets certain holding period and other requirements for the stock producing such dividends.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, the maximum individual federal income tax rate on net long-term capital gain (and thus qualified dividend income) has been temporarily reduced to 15%. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this rate reduction to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010.

 

   

A sale, redemption or exchange of Portfolio shares is a taxable event. This includes redemptions where you are paid in securities. Your sales, redemptions and exchanges of Portfolio shares (including those paid in securities) usually will result in a taxable capital gain or loss to you, equal to the difference between the amount you receive for your shares (or are deemed to have received in the case of exchanges) and the amount you paid (or are deemed to have paid in the case of exchanges) for them. Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held your Portfolio shares for more than one year at the time of sale or exchange. In certain circumstances, capital losses may be converted from short-term to long-term or disallowed.

 

   

The Portfolio is required by federal law to withhold tax on any taxable distributions and sale proceeds paid to you (including amounts paid to you in securities and amounts deemed to be paid to you upon an exchange of shares) if: you haven’t provided a correct taxpayer identification number (TIN) or haven’t certified to the Portfolio that withholding doesn’t apply; the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has notified us that the TIN listed on your account is incorrect according to its records; or the IRS informs the Portfolio that you are otherwise subject to backup withholding.

 

   

If at the end of the taxable year more than 50% of the value of the Portfolio’s assets consists of securities of foreign corporations, and the Portfolio makes a special election, you will generally be required to include in income your share of the foreign taxes paid by the Portfolio. You may be able to either deduct this amount from your income or claim it as a foreign tax credit. There is no assurance that the Portfolio will make a special election for a taxable year, even if it is eligible to do so.

 

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FUNDamentals

Taxes

The information provided above is only a summary of how U.S. federal income taxes may affect your investment in the Portfolio. It is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Your investment in the Portfolio may have other tax implications.

It does not apply to certain types of investors who may be subject to special rules, including foreign or tax-exempt investors or those holding Portfolio shares through a tax-advantaged account, such as a 401(k) plan or IRA.

You should consult with your own tax advisor about the particular tax consequences to you of an investment in the Portfolio, including the effect of any foreign, state and local taxes, and the effect of possible changes in applicable tax laws.

 

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights tables are designed to help you understand how the Portfolio has performed for the past five full fiscal years, or if shorter, the Portfolio’s period of operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Portfolio share. The total return line indicates how much an investment in the Portfolio would have earned each period assuming all dividends and distributions had been reinvested.

This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm whose report, along with the Portfolio’s financial statements, is included in the Portfolio’s annual report. The independent registered public accounting firm’s report and the Portfolio’s financial statements are also incorporated by reference into the SAI.

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio—Class A Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Period Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 11.14      $ 11.69      $ 10.26      $ 10.00   

Income from Investment Operations:

        

Net investment income(b)

     0.05        0.17        0.15        —   (d) 

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (5.14     0.11        1.63        0.26   

Total from investment operations

     (5.09     0.28        1.78        0.26   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

        

From net investment income

     —          (0.13     (0.07     —     

From net realized gains

     (0.56     (0.70     (0.28     —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.56     (0.83     (0.35     —     

Redemption Fees:

        

Redemption fees added to paid-in-capital(b)(d)

     —          —          —          —     

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 5.49      $ 11.14      $ 11.69      $ 10.26   

Total return(e)(f)

     (48.03 )%      1.76     17.39     2.60 %(g) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

        

Net expenses(h)(i)

     0.25     0.25     0.25     0.25 %(c) 

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.26     0.22     0.59     13.23 %(c) 

Net investment income (loss)(i)

     0.56     1.39     1.31     (0.25 )%(c) 

Portfolio turnover rate

     20     3     1     —     

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 44,548      $ 119,670      $ 75,289      $ 5,846   

 

(a)

Class A shares commenced operations on February 15, 2006. Per share data and total return reflect activity from that date.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Annualized.

(d)

Rounds to less than $0.01.

(e)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge.

(f)

Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(g)

Not annualized.

(h)

Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the Portfolio invests, if these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(i)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

 

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Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio—Class B Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Period Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 11.09      $ 11.66      $ 10.26      $ 10.00   

Income from Investment Operations:

        

Net investment income (loss)(b)

     (0.01     0.07        0.10        (0.01

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (5.09     0.12        1.59        0.27   

Total from investment operations

     (5.10     0.19        1.69        0.26   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

        

From net investment income

     —          (0.06     (0.01     —     

From net realized gains

     (0.56     (0.70     (0.28     —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.56     (0.76     (0.29     —     

Redemption Fees:

        

Redemption fees added to paid-in-capital(b)(d)

     —          —          —          —     

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 5.43      $ 11.09      $ 11.66      $ 10.26   

Total return(e)(f)

     (48.35 )%      1.03     16.50     2.60 %(g) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

        

Net expenses(h)(i)

     1.00     1.00     1.00     1.00 %(c) 

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.26     0.22     0.59     13.23 %(c) 

Net investment income (loss)(i)

     (0.18 )%      0.55     0.93     (1.00 )%(c) 

Portfolio turnover rate

     20     3     1     —     

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 3,043      $ 7,490      $ 5,960      $ 1,176   

 

(a)

Class B shares commenced operations on February 15, 2006. Per share data and total return reflect activity from that date.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Annualized.

(d)

Rounds to less than $0.01 per share.

(e)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no contingent deferred sales charge.

(f)

Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(g)

Not annualized.

(h)

Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the Portfolio invests, if these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(i)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

 

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Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio—Class C Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Period Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 11.08      $ 11.66      $ 10.25      $ 10.00   

Income from Investment Operations:

        

Net investment income (loss)(b)

     (0.02     0.07        0.10        (0.01

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (5.08     0.11        1.60        0.26   

Total from investment operations

     (5.10     0.18        1.70        0.25   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

        

From net investment income

     —          (0.06     (0.01     —     

From net realized gains

     (0.56     (0.70     (0.28     —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.56     (0.76     (0.29     —     

Redemption Fees:

        

Redemption fees added to paid-in-capital(b)(d)

     —          —          —          —     

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 5.42      $ 11.08      $ 11.66      $ 10.25   

Total return(e)(f)

     (48.39 )%      0.94     16.61     2.50 %(g) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

        

Net expenses(h)(i)

     1.00     1.00     1.00     1.00 %(c) 

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.26     0.22     0.59     13.23 %(c) 

Net investment income (loss)(i)

     (0.19 )%      0.60     0.88     (1.00 )%(c) 

Portfolio turnover rate

     20     3     1     —     

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 9,087      $ 27,656      $ 21,210      $ 3,140   

 

(a)

Class C shares commenced operations on February 15, 2006. Per share data and total return reflect activity from that date.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Annualized.

(d)

Rounds to less than $0.01 per share.

(e)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no contingent deferred sales charge.

(f)

Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(g)

Not annualized.

(h)

Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the Portfolio invests, if these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(i)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

 

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Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio—Class R Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Period Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 11.12      $ 11.68      $ 10.26      $ 10.00   

Income from Investment Operations:

        

Net investment income (loss)(b)

     0.02        0.15        0.16        (0.01

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (5.11     0.09        1. 59        0.27   

Total from investment operations

     (5.09     0.24        1.75        0.26   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

        

From net investment income

     —          (0.10     (0.05     —     

From net realized gains

     (0.56     (0.70     (0.28     —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.56     (0.80     (0.33     —     

Redemption Fees:

        

Redemption fees added to paid-in-capital(b)(d)

     —          —          —          —     

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 5.47      $ 11.12      $ 11.68      $ 10.26   

Total return(e)(f)

     (48.12 )%      1.48     17.09     2.60 %(g) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

        

Net expenses(h)(i)

     0.50     0.50     0.50     0.50 %(c) 

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.26     0.22     0.59     13.23 %(c) 

Net investment income (loss)(i)

     0.26     1.22     1.46     (0.50 )%(c) 

Portfolio turnover rate

     20     3     1     —     

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 26      $ 44      $ 12      $ 10   

 

(a)

Class R shares commenced operations on February 15, 2006. Per share data and total return reflect activity from that date.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Annualized.

(d)

Rounds to less than $0.01 per share.

(e)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested.

(f)

Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(g)

Not annualized.

(h)

Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the Portfolio invests, if these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(i)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

 

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Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

The following supplemental hypothetical investment information provides additional information about the effect of the fees and expenses of the Portfolio, including investment advisory fees and other Portfolio costs, on the Portfolio’s returns over a 10-year period. The charts show the estimated fees and expenses that would be charged on a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in each share class of the Portfolio, assuming a 5% return each year, the cumulative return after fees and expenses and the hypothetical year-end balance after fees and expenses. The charts also assume that all dividends and distributions are reinvested and that Class B shares convert to Class A shares after eight years. The annual expense ratio used for each share class, which is the same as that stated in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses table, is presented in the charts and is net of any contractual fee waivers or expense reimbursements for the period of contractual commitment. Your actual costs may be higher or lower. The charts shown below reflect the maximum initial sales charge. If contingent deferred sales charges were reflected, the “Hypothetical Year-End Balance After Fees and Expenses” amounts shown would be lower and the “Annual Fees and Expenses” amounts shown would be higher.

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio—Class A Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 5.75%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.26   -2.22 %(b)    $ 9,777.50    $ 695.98

2

   10.25   1.52   1.18   $ 10,117.76    $ 151.20

3

   15.76   1.52   4.70   $ 10,469.86    $ 156.47

4

   21.55   1.52   8.34   $ 10,834.21    $ 161.91

5

   27.63   1.52   12.11   $ 11,211.24    $ 167.55

6

   34.01   1.52   16.01   $ 11,601.39    $ 173.38

7

   40.71   1.52   20.05   $ 12,005.12    $ 179.41

8

   47.75   1.52   24.23   $ 12,422.90    $ 185.65

9

   55.13   1.52   28.55   $ 12,855.22    $ 192.11

10

   62.89   1.52   33.03   $ 13,302.58    $ 198.80

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,302.58   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,262.46

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

(b)

Reflects deduction of the maximum initial sales charge.

 

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Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio—Class B Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   2.01   2.99   $ 10,299.00    $ 204.00

2

   10.25   2.27   5.80   $ 10,580.16    $ 236.98

3

   15.76   2.27   8.69   $ 10,869.00    $ 243.45

4

   21.55   2.27   11.66   $ 11,165.72    $ 250.09

5

   27.63   2.27   14.71   $ 11,470.54    $ 256.92

6

   34.01   2.27   17.84   $ 11,783.69    $ 263.94

7

   40.71   2.27   21.05   $ 12,105.38    $ 271.14

8

   47.75   2.27   24.36   $ 12,435.86    $ 278.54

9

   55.13   1.52   28.69   $ 12,868.63    $ 192.31

10

   62.89   1.52   33.16   $ 13,316.46    $ 199.01

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,316.46   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,396.38

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio—Class C Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   2.01   2.99   $ 10,299.00    $ 204.00

2

   10.25   2.27   5.80   $ 10,580.16    $ 236.98

3

   15.76   2.27   8.69   $ 10,869.00    $ 243.45

4

   21.55   2.27   11.66   $ 11,165.72    $ 250.09

5

   27.63   2.27   14.71   $ 11,470.54    $ 256.92

6

   34.01   2.27   17.84   $ 11,783.69    $ 263.94

7

   40.71   2.27   21.05   $ 12,105.38    $ 271.14

8

   47.75   2.27   24.36   $ 12,435.86    $ 278.54

9

   55.13   2.27   27.75   $ 12,775.36    $ 286.15

10

   62.89   2.27   31.24   $ 13,124.13    $ 293.96

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,124.13   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,585.17

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

 

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Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio—Class R Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.51   3.49   $ 10,349.00    $ 153.63

2

   10.25   1.77   6.83   $ 10,683.27    $ 186.14

3

   15.76   1.77   10.28   $ 11,028.34    $ 192.15

4

   21.55   1.77   13.85   $ 11,384.56    $ 198.35

5

   27.63   1.77   17.52   $ 11,752.28    $ 204.76

6

   34.01   1.77   21.32   $ 12,131.88    $ 211.37

7

   40.71   1.77   25.24   $ 12,523.74    $ 218.20

8

   47.75   1.77   29.28   $ 12,928.26    $ 225.25

9

   55.13   1.77   33.46   $ 13,345.84    $ 232.53

10

   62.89   1.77   37.77   $ 13,776.91    $ 240.04

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,776.91   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,062.42

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

 

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Table of Contents

LOGO

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

Class A, Class B, Class C and Class R Shares

Prospectus, August 1, 2009

For More Information

You’ll find more information about the Portfolio and the other Columbia Funds in the documents described below. Contact Columbia Funds as follows to obtain these documents free of charge:

 

By Mail:  

Columbia Funds

c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc.

P.O. Box 8081

Boston, MA 02266-8081

By Telephone:   800.345.6611
Online:   www.columbiafunds.com

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders

Additional information about the Portfolio’s investments is available in the Portfolio’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Portfolio’s performance during its last fiscal year.

Shareholder Communications with the Board

The Portfolio’s Board of Trustees has adopted procedures by which shareholders may communicate with the Board. Shareholders who wish to communicate with the Board should send their written communications to the Board by mail, c/o Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, One Financial Center, Mail Stop MA5-515-11-05, Boston, MA 02111, Attention: Secretary. Shareholder communications must (i) be in writing, (ii) identify the Columbia Fund to which the communication relates and (iii) state the particular class of shares and number of shares held by the communicating shareholder.

Statement of Additional Information

The SAI provides more detailed information about the Portfolio and its policies. The SAI is legally part of this prospectus (incorporated by reference). A copy has been filed with the SEC.

Information Provided by the SEC

You can review and copy information about the Portfolio (including this prospectus, the SAI and shareholder reports) at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. To find out more about the operation of the Public Reference Room, call the SEC at 202.551.8090 or 800.SEC.0330. Reports and other information about the Portfolio are also available in the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You can receive copies of this information, for a fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov or by writing the Public Reference Section, Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, DC 20549-0102.

For purposes of any electronic version of this prospectus, all references to websites, or universal resource locators (URLs), are intended to be inactive and are not meant to incorporate the contents of any website into this prospectus.

The investment company registration number of Columbia Funds Series Trust, of which the Portfolio is a series, is 811-09645.

©2009 Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.

One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111-2621

800.345.6611 www.columbiafunds.com

INT-36/18210-0809


Table of Contents

LOGO

Prospectus

August 1, 2009

Columbia Funds

 

Class Z Shares   Advised by Columbia Management Advisors, LLC
Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio  

LOGO The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


Table of Contents

Portfolio shares are NOT deposits or other obligations of, or issued, endorsed or guaranteed by, Bank of America, N.A. or any of its affiliates. Portfolio shares are NOT issued, insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, the FDIC or any other government agency.

Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) and its affiliates are paid for the services they provide to the Portfolio and may be compensated or incented in connection with the sale of Portfolio shares. The Portfolio may be used as an investment option for various products and services offered by Bank of America that may raise economic and other conflicts of interest, which are discussed in this prospectus.

AN INVESTMENT IN THE PORTFOLIO INVOLVES CERTAIN RISKS, INCLUDING LOSS OF PRINCIPAL.

 

2


Table of Contents

Prospectus Primer

This prospectus tells you about Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio (the Portfolio), which is one of the mutual funds in the Columbia Funds family of mutual funds (Columbia Funds). The Portfolio is a “fund of funds” that invests its assets in a mix of underlying mutual funds (each, an Underlying Fund and together, the Underlying Funds) that may change over time. This prospectus is designed to provide you with important information about the Portfolio in a concise and easy to understand manner that is meant to help you make informed investment decisions.

The prospectus first summarizes the key characteristics of the Portfolio, including:

 

   

investment objective,

 

   

principal investment strategies and risks,

 

   

year-by-year performance information,

 

   

fees and expenses, and

 

   

a description of the Portfolio’s additional investment strategies and policies.

This summary is followed by other important information, including:

 

   

a discussion of the Portfolio’s primary service providers, including the roles and relationships of Bank of America and its affiliates, and conflicts of interest, and

 

   

a description of the Portfolio’s Class Z shares offered by this prospectus.

Later sections of the prospectus talk about the details of investing in the Portfolio, including:

 

   

how to buy, sell and exchange shares of the Portfolio, and

 

   

how you will receive your investment proceeds.

The prospectus also includes:

 

   

information about how federal and certain other taxes may affect your investment,

 

   

highlights of the Portfolio’s financial information, and

 

   

hypothetical fee and expense data that show the costs associated with investing in the Portfolio.

We have included a number of features designed to facilitate your use of this prospectus, including:

 

   

“FUNDamentals™” sections that provide simple explanations of key terms and concepts, as well as some basics of mutual fund investing,

 

   

a “FUNDimensions™” section that is meant to give you a “snapshot” of the Portfolio’s main attributes, and

 

   

graphic icons which are defined in the guide below.

Icons Guide

 

LOGO    Investment Objective
LOGO    Principal Investment Strategies
LOGO    Principal Risks
LOGO    Performance Information
LOGO    Fees and Expenses
LOGO    Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates - Certain Conflicts of Interest

For More Information

You can contact Columbia Funds:

 

   

by mail at Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

 

   

by telephone at 800.345.6611.

 

   

by email at serviceinquiries@columbiamanagement.com or online at www.columbiafunds.com.

 

   

through your financial advisor, who can help you select from among the Columbia Funds to meet your investment needs.

You also can find more information about the Portfolio in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI), which includes more detailed information about the Portfolio’s investments, policies and management, among other things. Turn to the back cover to find out how you can get a copy.

The SEC provides a “Beginners’ Guide to Mutual Funds” which may be useful to some investors and is available online, free of charge, at www.sec.gov.

 

3


Table of Contents

Table of Contents

 

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

   5

Investment Objective

   5

Principal Investment Strategies

   5

Principal Risks

   7

Performance Information

   11

Fees and Expenses

   13

Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

   16

Management of the Portfolio

   18

Primary Service Providers

   18

Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

   20

Certain Legal Matters

   21

About Class Z Shares

   22

Description of the Share Class

   22

Redemption Fee

   23

Financial Intermediary Compensation

   25

Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

   26

Share Price Determination

   26

Transaction Rules and Policies

   27

Opening an Account and Placing Orders

   32

Distributions and Taxes

   36

Financial Highlights

   40

Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

   41

Columbia Management Group, LLC

The Portfolio is sponsored by Columbia Management Group, LLC (Columbia Management), which is the primary investment division of Bank of America. Columbia Management is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110.

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC is the Portfolio’s investment advisor (the Advisor) and its administrator (the Administrator). Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. is the Portfolio’s distributor (the Distributor). Columbia Management Services, Inc. is the Portfolio’s transfer agent (the Transfer Agent).

The Portfolio, like all mutual funds, is designed to be a part of a broad and diversified investment portfolio and is not intended to fulfill all of your investment needs.

You should consider the objectives, risks and expenses of the Portfolio and any other Columbia Fund carefully before investing.

FUNDamentals™ and FUNDimensions™ are trademarks of Bank of America.

 

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Table of Contents

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

FUNDimensionsTM

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

 

Investment Objective:   Capital appreciation
Investment Style:   Foreign Large Blend
Benchmark:   MSCI EAFE Index
Ticker Symbol:   Class Z: CMTZX
Principal Risks:  

Investment strategy risk

Allocation risk

Investing in other funds risk

Market risk

Smaller company securities risk

Foreign securities risk

Derivatives risk

Currency risk

Special situations risk

Convertible securities risk

Real estate investment trusts risk

Industry sector risk

Emerging market securities risk

Growth securities risk

Value securities risk

FUNDamentalsTM

Benchmarks

Benchmarks are indices that provide some guidance in assessing fund performance. A fund does not, however, limit its investments to the securities within its benchmark(s), and a fund’s holdings can differ from those of any particular benchmark or index. Benchmarks are only guideposts for performance.

LOGO Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks capital appreciation.

LOGO Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests in Class Z shares of specific Columbia Funds (Underlying Funds) so that at least 80% of its net assets are invested indirectly through such Underlying Funds in equity securities. The Portfolio invests in a combination of Underlying Funds on a fixed percentage basis. The Underlying Funds, in turn, invest primarily in foreign equity securities.

The Portfolio currently makes allocations between two Underlying Funds as follows:

 

   

80% of the Portfolio’s total assets in Columbia Multi-Advisor International Equity Fund.

 

   

20% of the Portfolio’s total assets in Columbia Acorn International.

The Advisor monitors the percentage allocations to the Underlying Funds and rebalances the Portfolio’s allocations to the Underlying Funds to ensure that actual allocations do not exceed plus or minus 3% of the fixed allocation percentages.

Columbia Multi-Advisor International Equity Fund seeks long-term growth of capital and invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of established companies located in at least three countries other than the United States, including emerging market countries. It invests in mutual funds managed by the Advisor or an affiliate, third-party advised mutual funds, foreign investment funds or trusts, convertible securities, real estate investment trusts and depositary receipts.

Columbia Acorn International seeks long-term capital appreciation and, under normal circumstances, invests at least 75% of its total assets in foreign companies in developed markets (for example, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom) and in emerging markets (for example, China, India and Brazil) and invests a majority of its net assets in small- and mid-sized companies with market capitalizations under $5 billion at the time of investment.

The Advisor’s allocations to the Underlying Funds are expected to remain constant, but the Advisor can modify this

 

5


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list of Underlying Funds at any time, including by adding Underlying Funds introduced after the date of this prospectus.

The Portfolio’s policy regarding the 80% investment requirement of “net assets” (which includes net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) discussed above may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval as long as shareholders are given 60 days notice of the change.

FUNDamentalsTM

Fund of Funds

Unlike a traditional mutual fund, which invests in individual securities, a “fund of funds” invests in a mix of underlying funds typically by using an asset allocation approach. A fund of funds indirectly bears a portion of the underlying funds’ expenses, in addition to the fund of funds’ own expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Asset Allocation Funds

Asset allocation funds use a process called “asset allocation,” which is the process of creating a portfolio by investing in different asset classes – for example, domestic equity securities, foreign securities and debt securities – in varying proportions.

The mix of asset classes and how much is invested in each is an important factor in how an asset allocation fund performs and the amount of risk involved. Each asset class, and each sub-asset class within a class, like large-, mid- and small-capitalization equity securities, has different risk and return characteristics, and may react in different ways to changes in the financial markets and to the economy in general. An investment approach that combines asset classes and sub-asset classes may help to reduce overall volatility.

Asset allocation funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio, and

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income.

FUNDamentalsTM

International Equity Funds

International equity funds invest primarily in equity securities of companies outside of the United States. Equity securities have the potential to provide you with higher returns than many other kinds of investments, but they also tend to have the highest risk. Foreign securities involve special risks not associated with investing in the U.S. stock market. International equity funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio,

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income, and

 

   

are prepared to accept the risks associated with foreign securities.

 

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LOGO Principal Risks

 

   

Investment Strategy Risk – The Advisor uses the principal investment strategies and other investment strategies to seek to achieve the Portfolio’s investment objective. Investment decisions made by the Advisor in using these strategies may not produce the returns expected by the Advisor, may cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or may cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.

 

   

Allocation Risk – The Portfolio uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Portfolio’s allocation among asset classes or investments will cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

 

   

Investing in Other Funds Risk – The performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests could be adversely affected if other entities that invest in the same Underlying Funds make relatively large investments or redemptions in the Underlying Funds. Because the expenses and costs of an Underlying Fund are shared by its investors, redemptions by other investors in the Underlying Fund could result in decreased economies of scale and increased operating expenses for the Underlying Fund. The Portfolio, and its shareholders, indirectly bear a portion of the expenses of the Underlying Funds. These transactions might also result in higher brokerage, tax or other costs for the Portfolio. This risk may be particularly important when one investor owns a substantial portion of any Underlying Fund. In addition, the Advisor has the authority to change the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or to change the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. If an Underlying Fund pays fees to the Advisor or its affiliates, such as advisory fees, this could result in the Advisor having a potential conflict of interest in selecting the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or in determining the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. There are also circumstances in which the Advisor’s fiduciary duties to the Portfolio may conflict with its fiduciary duties to the Underlying Funds.

The Portfolio is subject indirectly to the following risks of the Underlying Funds:

 

   

Market Risk – The Underlying Funds are subject to market risk, which refers to the possibility that the market values of securities that the Underlying Fund holds will rise or fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Security values may fall because of factors affecting individual companies, industries or sectors, or the markets as a whole, reducing the value of an investment in the Underlying Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Underlying Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. The market values of the securities the Underlying Fund holds also can be affected by changes or perceived changes in U.S. or foreign economies and financial markets and the liquidity of these securities, among other factors. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

 

   

Smaller Company Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of small- or mid-capitalization companies (“smaller companies”) which can, in certain circumstances, have a higher potential for gains than securities of large-capitalization companies but may also have more risk. For example, smaller companies may be more vulnerable to market downturns and adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies because they may have more limited financial resources and business operations. These companies are also more likely than larger companies to have more limited product lines and operating histories and to depend on smaller management teams. Their securities may trade less frequently and in smaller volumes and may be less liquid and fluctuate more sharply in value than securities of larger companies. In addition, some smaller companies may not be widely followed by the investment community, which can lower the demand for their stocks.

 

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Foreign Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in foreign securities, which are subject to special risks as compared to securities of U.S. issuers. For example, foreign markets can be extremely volatile. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may impact the value of foreign securities denominated in foreign currencies, or in U.S. dollars, without a change in the intrinsic value of those securities. Foreign securities may be less liquid than domestic securities so that the Underlying Fund may, at times, be unable to sell foreign securities at desirable times or prices. Brokerage commissions, custodial fees and other fees are also generally higher for foreign securities. The Underlying Fund may have limited or no legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain foreign securities, including those issued by foreign governments. In addition, foreign governments may impose potentially confiscatory withholding or other taxes, which could reduce the amount of income and capital gains available to distribute to shareholders. Other risks include possible delays in the settlement of transactions or in the payment of income; generally less publicly available information about companies; the impact of political, social or diplomatic events; possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of a company or its assets; possible imposition of currency exchange controls; and accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards that may be less comprehensive and stringent than those applicable to domestic companies.

 

   

Derivatives Risk – Certain Underlying Funds use derivatives, which are financial contracts whose values are, for example, based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or bond), assets (such as a commodity like gold or a foreign currency), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Derivatives involve special risks and may result in losses or may limit the Fund’s potential gain from favorable market movements. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying security. The values of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in unusual market conditions, and may result in increased volatility, among other consequences. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Other risks arise from the Underlying Fund’s potential inability to terminate or sell derivative positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Underlying Fund’s derivative positions at times when the Underlying Fund might wish to terminate or sell such positions. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid, and transactions in derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. The use of derivatives also involves the risks of mispricing or improper valuation and that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying security, asset, reference rate or index. The Underlying Fund may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to engage in derivative transactions when it is deemed favorable to do so, or at all. For more information on the risks of derivative investments and strategies, see the SAI.

 

   

Currency Risk – Certain Underlying Funds are subject to currency risk. Securities denominated in different currencies are subject to the risk that, for example, if the value of a foreign currency were to decline against the U.S. dollar, such decline would reduce the U.S. dollar value of any securities held by the Fund denominated in that currency.

 

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Special Situations Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of companies that are involved in an initial public offering or a major corporate event, such as a business consolidation or restructuring, which may present special risk because of the high degree of uncertainty that can be associated with such events. Securities issued in initial public offerings often are issued by companies that are in the early stages of development, have a history of little or no revenues and may operate at a loss following the offering. It is possible that there will be no active trading market for the securities after the offering, and the market price of the securities may be subject to significant and unpredictable fluctuations. Investing in special situations may have a magnified effect on the performance of funds with small amounts of assets.

 

   

Convertible Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in convertible securities, which are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate risk and credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. Because the value of a convertible security can be influenced by both interest rates and market movements, a convertible security generally is not as sensitive to interest rates as a similar debt security, and generally will not vary in value in response to other factors to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities would typically be paid before the company’s common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. The Underlying Fund may be forced to convert a convertible security before it otherwise would choose to do so, which may decrease the Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Real Estate Investment Trusts Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs), which are entities that either own properties or make construction or mortgage loans, and may also include operating or finance companies. The value of REIT shares is affected by, among other factors, changes in the value of the underlying properties owned by the REIT and/or by changes in the prospect for earnings and/or cash flow growth of the REIT itself. In addition, certain of the risks associated with general real estate ownership apply to the Underlying Fund’s REIT investments, including risks related to general and local economic conditions, possible lack of availability of financing and changes in interest rates.

 

   

Industry Sector Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of companies in different, but closely related, industries. These securities are considered as being in the same broad economic sector. The values of such securities in the same sector may be similarly affected by particular economic or market events, making the Underlying Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that sector than funds investing in multiple sectors. The Underlying Fund does not intend to focus on any particular sector; however, at times the Underlying Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in a particular sector.

 

   

Emerging Market Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries, like those in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America or Africa. These emerging market securities are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in foreign securities that are described in “Foreign Securities Risk.” In addition, these countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid social, political and economic development. Their economies are usually less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity than more developed countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade, which makes them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries. Some emerging market countries have a higher risk of currency devaluations, and some of these countries may experience periods of high inflation or rapid changes in inflation rates.

 

   

Growth Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in growth securities. Because growth securities typically trade at a higher multiple of earnings than other types of securities, the prices of growth securities may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other types of securities. In addition, growth securities, at times, may not perform as well as value securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

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Value Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in value securities, which are securities of companies that may have experienced, for example, adverse business, industry or other developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the securities to be out of favor and, in turn, potentially undervalued. The market value of a portfolio security may not meet the Advisor’s future value assessment of that security, or may decline. There is also a risk that it may take longer than expected for the value of these investments to rise to the believed value. In addition, value securities, at times, may not perform as well as growth securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

These are summaries of the principal risks associated with the principal investment strategies of the Portfolio. Additional risks are associated with other permissible investments of the Portfolio that are described in the SAI together with further information about these principal risks. There is no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.

 

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LOGO Performance Information

The following bar chart and table show you how the Portfolio has performed in the past, and can help you understand the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s past performance (before or after taxes) is no guarantee of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Year by Year Total Return (%) as of December 31 Each Year*

The bar chart below shows you how the performance of the Portfolio’s Class Z shares has varied from year to year.

LOGO

 

* Year-to-date return as of June 30, 2009: 13.76%.

Best and Worst Quarterly Returns During this Period

 

Best:    2nd Quarter 2007:    7.06%
Worst:    4th Quarter 2008:    -24.05%

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Performance

Many factors can affect a mutual fund’s performance, including, for example:

 

   

management of fund holdings,

 

   

market conditions,

 

   

fund expenses, and

 

   

flows of investment dollars into and out of the fund.

The returns for the various share classes may vary based on differences in sales charges and expenses.

 

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Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2008

The table below shows the Portfolio’s Class Z shares’ average annual total returns (i) before taxes, (ii) after taxes on distributions and (iii) after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares.

The table compares the Portfolio’s returns for each period with those of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Europe, Australasia, Far East (EAFE) Index, which is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure developed market equity performance, excluding the U.S. and Canada. Indices are not available for investment, and do not reflect sales charges, fees, brokerage commissions, taxes or other expenses of investing.

 

     1 year     Life of Portfolio(a)  

Class Z shares returns before taxes

   -46.76   -10.77

Class Z shares returns after taxes on distributions

   -47.17   -11.69

Class Z shares returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares

   -29.31   -8.67

MSCI EAFE Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   -43.38   -8.83

 

(a)

The inception date of the Portfolio’s Class Z shares is February 15, 2006.

FUNDamentalsTM

After-Tax Returns

The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state, local or foreign taxes.

Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your personal tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown in the table do not apply to shares held in tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k) plans or IRAs.

 

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LOGO Fees and Expenses

The fee table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. Additional hypothetical fee and expense information relating to Class Z shares of the Portfolio can be found in Hypothetical Fees and Expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Expenses

In general, there are two kinds of fund expenses:

 

   

shareholder expenses that you pay directly (e.g., sales charges and redemption fees), and

 

   

annual operating expenses that are paid by the Portfolio and deducted from the Portfolio’s assets.

Annual operating expenses include:

 

   

management fees, which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to the Advisor and the Administrator as compensation for managing and administering the Portfolio’s portfolio. See Management of the Portfolio – Primary Service Providers for more information.

 

   

other expenses, which generally include, but are not limited to, transfer agency, custody, audit and legal fees as well as costs related to registration of Portfolio shares for sale and the printing and mailing of Portfolio documents. The specific expenses that make up the Portfolio’s other expenses will vary from time to time and may include expenses not described above.

Annual fund operating expenses are calculated based on actual expenses incurred during the Portfolio’s most recently completed fiscal year and are expressed as a percentage of the Portfolio’s average net assets during the year. The rate of annual fund operating expenses will likely vary from year to year as a result of various factors, including, for example, changes in the level of the Portfolio’s net assets. Although many factors can affect fund operating expenses, in general, annual fund operating expenses, as a percentage of average net assets, will increase as the Portfolio’s net assets decrease, and will decrease as the Portfolio’s net assets increase. Net expenses also may vary from year to year based on any fee waivers or expense reimbursements.

The Portfolio may incur significant transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, in addition to the annual Portfolio operating expenses disclosed in the fee table.

 

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Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

 

     Class Z Shares  

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases, as a % of offering price

   N/A   

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions, as a % of the lower of the original purchase price or net asset value

   N/A   

Redemption fee, as a % of total redemption proceeds

   2.00 %(a) 

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (deducted from the Portfolio’s assets)

 

     Class Z Shares  

Management fees(b)

   0.00

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

   0.00

Other expenses

   0.26

Acquired fund fees and expenses(c)

   1.01

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses(d)

   1.27

Fee waivers and/or reimbursements(e)

   -0.26

Total net expenses

   1.01

 

(a)

This redemption fee may apply to shares that are redeemed (either by sale or exchange into another Columbia Fund) within 60 days of purchase. See About Class Z Shares – Redemption Fee for details.

(b)

The Portfolio does not pay investment advisory fees or an administration fee.

(c)

Acquired fund fees and expenses include fees and expenses associated with the Portfolio’s investments in other investment companies. Since they are incurred only indirectly by the Portfolio, such fees and expenses are not considered ordinary operating expenses of the Portfolio for purposes of a fee waiver or expense limitation, if any.

(d)

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses include acquired fund fees and expenses. As a result, the amount shown is higher than the ratio of expenses to average net assets included in the section entitled “Financial Highlights” which reflects only those expenses paid directly by the Portfolio.

(e)

The Advisor has contractually agreed to bear a portion of the Portfolio’s expenses so that the Portfolio’s ordinary operating expenses (excluding any distribution and service fees, brokerage commissions, interest, taxes and extraordinary expenses, but including custodian charges relating to overdrafts, if any), after giving effect to any balance credits from the Portfolio’s custodian, do not exceed 0.00% annually through July 31, 2010.

 

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Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The example illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over the time periods indicated, and assumes that:

 

   

you invest $10,000 in Class Z shares of the Portfolio for the periods indicated,

 

   

you reinvest all dividends and distributions in the Portfolio,

 

   

your investment has a 5% return each year, and

 

   

the Portfolio’s total annual operating expenses remain the same as shown in the table above.

Since the waivers and/or reimbursements shown in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses table above expire on July 31, 2010, they are only reflected in the 1 year and the first year of the 3, 5 and 10 year examples.

Based on the assumptions listed above, your costs would be:

 

     1 year    3 years    5 years    10 years

Class Z Shares

   $ 103    $ 377    $ 672    $ 1,511

Remember this is an example only. It is not necessarily representative of the Portfolio’s actual expenses in the past or future. Your actual costs could be higher or lower depending on the amount you invest and on the Portfolio’s actual expenses and performance.

 

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Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

This section describes certain strategies and policies that the Portfolio may utilize in pursuit of its investment objective, and describes some additional factors and risks involved with investing in the Portfolio.

Changing the Portfolio’s Investment Objective and Policies

The Portfolio’s investment objective and certain of its investment policies can be changed without shareholder approval unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the SAI. Shareholders vote on changes to other investment policies that are designated as fundamental in accordance with the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act).

Investment Guidelines

As a general matter, unless otherwise noted, whenever an investment policy or limitation states a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding an investment standard, compliance with that percentage limitation or standard will be determined solely at the time of the Portfolio’s acquisition of the security or asset.

Holding Other Kinds of Investments

The Portfolio may hold investments that aren’t part of its principal investment strategies. These investments are described in the SAI. The Portfolio may choose not to invest in certain securities described in this prospectus and in the SAI, although it has the ability to do so.

Investing in Affiliated Funds

The Advisor has the authority to select the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests its assets. The Advisor or one of its affiliates is the investment advisor to each of the Underlying Funds. The Advisor may be subject to a conflict of interest in selecting Underlying Funds for the Portfolio because the fees paid to it or its affiliates are higher than the fees paid to other Underlying Funds. However, as a fiduciary to the Portfolio, the Advisor has a duty to act in the best interest of the Portfolio in selecting Underlying Funds.

Investing in Columbia Money Market Funds

The Portfolio may invest uninvested cash and cash collateral received in connection with its securities lending program in shares of the registered or unregistered money market funds advised by the Advisor. The Advisor and its affiliates receive fees from these funds for providing advisory and other services in addition to the fees which they are entitled to receive from the Portfolio for services provided directly.

Lending Securities

The Portfolio may lend portfolio securities to approved broker/dealers or other financial intermediaries on a fully collateralized basis in order to earn additional income. The Portfolio may lose money from securities lending if, for example, it is delayed in or prevented from selling the collateral after the loan is made or recovering the securities loaned or if it incurs losses on the reinvestment of cash collateral. The Portfolio may invest some or all of the cash collateral it receives in connection with its securities lending program in one or more pooled investment vehicles, including, among other vehicles, money market funds managed by the Portfolio’s securities lending agent (or its affiliate). The securities lending agent shares in any income resulting from the investment of such cash collateral, and an affiliate of the securities lending agent receives asset-based fees for the management of such pooled investment vehicles, which may create a conflict of interest between the securities lending agent (or its affiliate) and the Portfolio with respect to the management of such cash collateral. Engaging in securities lending is subject to certain risks, including counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty to a transaction could default.

Portfolio Holdings Disclosure

A description of Columbia Funds’ policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of Portfolio portfolio securities is available in the SAI. The Portfolio discloses its portfolio holdings on the Columbia Funds’ website, www.columbiafunds.com, as described below. Once posted, the portfolio holdings information will remain available on the website until at least the date on which the Portfolio files a Form N-CSR or Form N-Q (forms filed with the SEC that include portfolio holdings information) for the period that includes the date as of which the information is current.

The Portfolio’s complete portfolio holdings as of a month-end are disclosed approximately 15 calendar days after such month-end.

 

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In addition, more current information concerning the Portfolio’s portfolio holdings as of specified dates may also be disclosed on the Columbia Funds’ website.

Investing Defensively

The Portfolio may from time to time take temporary defensive investment positions that are inconsistent with the Portfolio’s principal investment strategies in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions including, for example, investments in money market instruments or holdings of cash or cash equivalents. The Portfolio may not achieve its investment objective while it is investing defensively.

Mailings to Households

In order to reduce shareholder expenses we may, if prior consent has been provided, mail only one copy of the Portfolio’s prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents, call 800.345.6611 or, if your shares are held through a financial intermediary, contact your intermediary directly.

Portfolio Turnover

A mutual fund that replaces, or turns over, more than 100% of its investments in a year is considered to have a high portfolio turnover rate. A high portfolio turnover rate can generate larger distributions of short-term capital gains to shareholders, which for individuals are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes. A high portfolio turnover rate can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce a fund’s returns. In general, the greater the volume of buying and selling by a fund, the greater the impact that brokerage commissions will have on its returns. The Portfolio generally buys securities for capital appreciation, investment income or both. However, the Portfolio may sell securities regardless of how long they’ve been held. You’ll find the Portfolio’s historical portfolio turnover rates in the Financial Highlights.

 

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Management of the Portfolio

Primary Service Providers

The Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, currently provide key services to the Portfolio and the other Columbia Funds, including investment advisory, administration, distribution, shareholder servicing and transfer agency, and are paid for providing these services. These service relationships are described below.

The Advisor

The Advisor (which is also the Administrator) is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110, and serves as investment advisor to over 100 Columbia Funds mutual fund portfolios. As of June 30, 2009, the Advisor had assets under management of approximately $310.5 billion. The Advisor is a registered investment advisor and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. Its management experience covers all major asset classes, including equity securities, fixed income securities and money market instruments. In addition to serving as investment advisor to mutual funds, the Advisor acts as an investment manager for individuals, corporations, retirement plans, private investment companies and financial intermediaries.

Subject to oversight by the Board, the Advisor manages the day-to-day operations of the Portfolio, determining what securities and other investments the Portfolio should buy or sell and executing the Portfolio’s portfolio transactions. Although the Advisor is responsible for the investment management of the Portfolio, the Advisor may delegate certain of its duties to one or more investment sub-advisors. In rendering investment advisory services, the Advisor may use the portfolio management and research resources of Columbia Management Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of the Advisor. The Advisor may also use the research and other expertise of other affiliates and third parties in managing the Portfolio’s investments.

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Portfolio’s investment advisory agreement with the Advisor is available in the Portfolio’s annual report to shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.

Sub-Advisor(s)

The Advisor may engage an investment sub-advisor or sub-advisors to make the day-to-day investment decisions for the Portfolio. The Advisor retains ultimate responsibility (subject to Board oversight) for overseeing any sub-advisor it engages and for evaluating the Portfolio’s needs and available sub-advisors’ skills and abilities on an ongoing basis. Based on its evaluations, the Advisor may at times recommend to the Board that the Portfolio change, add or terminate one or more sub-advisors; continue to retain a sub-advisor even though the sub-advisor’s ownership or corporate structure has changed; or materially change a sub-advisory agreement with a sub-advisor. Applicable law requires the Portfolio to obtain shareholder approval in order to act on most of these types of recommendations, even if the Board has approved the proposed action and believes that the action is in shareholders’ best interests. The Advisor and the Columbia Funds have applied for relief from the SEC to permit the Portfolio to act on many of the Advisor’s recommendations with approval only by the Board and not by Portfolio shareholders. The Advisor or the Portfolio would inform the Portfolio’s shareholders of any actions taken in reliance on this relief. Until the Advisor and the Portfolio obtain this relief, the Portfolio will continue to submit these matters to shareholders for their approval to the extent required by applicable law.

At present, the Advisor has not engaged any investment sub-advisor for the Portfolio.

 

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Portfolio Managers

Information about the Advisor’s portfolio managers who are primarily responsible for overseeing the Portfolio’s investments is shown in the table below. The SAI provides more information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by each portfolio manager and each portfolio manager’s ownership of securities in the Portfolio.

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Colin Moore

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Chief Investment Officer of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Kent M. Peterson, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since January 2006. Prior to January 2006, Mr. Peterson was a trading associate at Bridgewater Associates from 2004 to 2005.

Marie M. Schofield, CFA

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolio since 2009.

Managing Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 1990.

The Administrator

The Administrator is responsible for overseeing the administrative operations of the Portfolio, including the general supervision of the Portfolio’s operations, coordination of the Portfolio’s service providers, and the provision of office facilities and related clerical and administrative services. The Administrator does not currently receive any fees for the administrative services it provides to the Portfolio.

The Distributor

Shares of the Portfolio are distributed by the Distributor, which is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111. The Distributor is a registered broker/dealer and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Distributor and its affiliates may pay commissions, distribution and service fees and/or other compensation to entities, including Bank of America affiliates, for selling shares and providing services to investors.

The Transfer Agent

The Transfer Agent is a registered transfer agent and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Transfer Agent is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111, and its responsibilities include processing purchases, sales and exchanges, calculating and paying distributions, keeping shareholder records, preparing account statements and providing customer service. The Portfolio pays the Transfer Agent monthly fees on a per-account basis. Fees paid to the Transfer Agent include reimbursements for certain out-of-pocket expenses and sub-transfer agency fees, subject to certain limitations, paid by the Transfer Agent on the Portfolio’s behalf.

 

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LOGO Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

As described in Management of the Portfolio – Primary Service Providers, the Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, provide various services to the Portfolio for which they are compensated. Bank of America and its affiliates may also provide other services to the Portfolio and be compensated for them.

The Advisor and its affiliates may provide investment advisory and other services to other clients and customers substantially similar to those provided to the Portfolio. These activities, and other financial services activities of Bank of America and its affiliates (including Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.), may present actual and potential conflicts of interest and introduce certain investment constraints.

Bank of America is a major financial services company, engaged in a broad range of financial activities beyond the mutual fund-related activities of the Advisor, including, among others, commercial banking, investment banking, broker/dealer (sales and trading), asset management, insurance and other financial activities. These additional activities may involve multiple advisory, transactional, lending, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments, and in companies that issue securities and other instruments, which may be bought, sold or held by the Portfolio.

Conflicts of interest and limitations that could affect the Portfolio may arise from, for example, the following:

 

   

compensation and other benefits received by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates related to the management/administration of the Portfolio and the sale of its shares;

 

   

the allocation of, and competition for, investment opportunities among the Portfolio and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

separate and potentially divergent management of the Portfolio and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

regulatory and other investment restrictions on investment activities of the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates and accounts advised/managed by them;

 

   

lending, investment banking and other relationships of Bank of America affiliates with companies and other entities in which the Portfolio invests; and

 

   

regulatory and other restrictions relating to the sharing of information between Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, and the Portfolio.

Bank of America and its affiliates also provide a variety of products and services that, in some manner, may use the Portfolio and other Columbia Funds as investment options. For example:

 

   

the Columbia Funds are available as investments in connection with brokerage or other securities products offered by Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. or Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, both wholly-owned retail broker/dealers of Bank of America;

 

   

the Columbia Funds are used as investments in connection with fiduciary, investment management and other accounts offered by U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, as well as certain Columbia Funds structured as “funds of funds”; and

 

   

the Columbia Money Market Funds are offered as an investment option for a variety of cash “sweep” account programs offered by Bank of America and its affiliates.

The use of the Columbia Funds as investment options in connection with other products and services offered by Bank of America and its affiliates may introduce economic and other conflicts of interest of which you should be aware. These types of conflicts of interest are highlighted in sections of account documentation and other disclosure materials relating to these products and services, as well as in the SAI.

The Advisor and Bank of America have adopted various policies and procedures that are intended to identify, monitor and address conflicts of interest. However, there is no absolute assurance that these policies, procedures and disclosures will be effective.

Additional information about Bank of America and the types of conflicts of interest and other matters referenced above is set forth in the Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest section of the SAI, which is identified by the LOGO icon. Investors in the Portfolio should carefully review these disclosures and consult with their financial advisor if they have any questions.

 

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Certain Legal Matters

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. (collectively, the Columbia Group) are subject to a settlement agreement with the New York Attorney General (NYAG) (the NYAG Settlement) and a settlement order with the SEC (the SEC Order) on matters relating to mutual fund trading, each dated February 9, 2005. Under the terms of the SEC Order, the Columbia Group (or predecessor or affiliated entities) agreed, among other things, to: pay disgorgement and civil money penalties collectively totaling $375 million; cease and desist from violations of the antifraud provisions and certain other provisions of the federal securities laws; maintain certain compliance and ethics oversight structures; and retain an independent consultant to review the Columbia Group’s applicable supervisory, compliance, control and other policies and procedures. The NYAG Settlement, among other things, requires Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and its affiliates to reduce management fees for certain funds in the Columbia family of mutual funds in a projected total of $160 million over five years through November 30, 2009 and to make certain disclosures to investors relating to expenses. In connection with the Columbia Group providing services to the Columbia Funds, the Columbia Funds have voluntarily undertaken to implement certain governance measures designed to maintain the independence of their boards of trustees and certain special consulting and compliance measures.

Pursuant to the SEC Order and related procedures, the $375 million in settlement amounts described above, of which approximately $90 million has been earmarked for certain Columbia Funds and their shareholders, is being distributed in accordance with a distribution plan developed by an independent distribution consultant and approved by the SEC on December 27, 2007. Distributions under the distribution plan began in mid-June 2008.

Civil Litigation

In connection with the events that resulted in the NYAG Settlement and SEC Order, various parties filed suits against Bank of America Corporation and certain of its affiliates, including Banc of America Capital Management, LLC (BACAP, now known as Columbia Management Advisors, LLC) and BACAP Distributors, LLC (now known as Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.) (collectively BAC), Nations Funds Trust (now known as Columbia Funds Series Trust) and its Board of Trustees. On February 20, 2004, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transferred these cases and cases against other mutual fund companies based on similar allegations to the United States District Court in Maryland for consolidated or coordinated pretrial proceedings (the MDL). Subsequently, additional related cases were transferred to the MDL. On September 29, 2004, the plaintiffs in the MDL filed amended and consolidated complaints. One of these amended complaints is a putative class action that includes claims under the federal securities laws and state common law, and that names Nations Funds Trust, the Trustees, BAC and others as defendants. Another of the amended complaints is a derivative action purportedly on behalf of the Nations Funds Trust against BAC and others that asserts claims under federal securities laws and state common law. Nations Funds Trust is a nominal defendant in this action.

On February 25, 2005, BAC and other defendants filed motions to dismiss the claims in the pending cases. On December 15, 2005, BAC and others entered into a Stipulation of Settlement of the direct and derivative claims brought on behalf of the Nations Funds shareholders. The settlement is subject to court approval. If the settlement is approved, BAC would pay settlement administration costs and fees to plaintiffs’ counsel as approved by the court. The stipulation has not yet been presented to the court for approval.

 

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About Class Z Shares

Description of the Share Class

Share Class Features

The Portfolio offers one class of shares in this prospectus: Class Z shares. The Portfolio may also offer other classes of shares through a separate prospectus. Each share class has its own investment eligibility criteria, cost structure and other features. The following summarizes the primary features of the Class Z shares offered by this prospectus. Contact your financial advisor or Columbia Funds for more information about the Portfolio’s share classes and how to choose among them.

 

     

Class Z Shares

Eligible Investors and Minimum Initial

Investments

   Class Z shares are available only to certain eligible investors, which are subject to different minimum initial investment requirements. These minimum initial investment amounts range from $0 to $2,500. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders for details.
Investment Limits    none
Conversion Features    none
Front-End Sales Charges    none

Contingent Deferred Sales

Charges (CDSCs)

   none

Maximum Distribution and

Service Fees

   none

FUNDamentalsTM

Selling and/or Servicing Agents

The terms “selling agent” and “servicing agent” refer to the financial intermediary that employs your financial advisor. Selling and/or servicing agents include, for example, brokerage firms, banks, investment advisors, third party administrators and other financial intermediaries, including affiliates of Bank of America, such as Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.

 

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Redemption Fee

When you sell or exchange shares of a mutual fund, the fund effectively buys those shares back from you in what is called a redemption.

The Columbia Funds international/global equity funds assess, subject to limited exceptions, a 2.00% redemption fee on the proceeds from Columbia Fund shares that you redeem (either by sale or exchange into another Columbia Fund) within 60 days of buying them. To determine which shares you are selling in a transaction, the Transfer Agent generally applies a first-in, first-out approach. This means that the Transfer Agent will deem those shares that you have held the longest to be sold first, followed by increasingly recently purchased shares. When selling or exchanging shares of a Columbia Fund that you acquired by a previous exchange, the period you held shares of the first Columbia Fund prior to first exchange will not be considered in determining whether the redemption fee applies to the second sale or exchange. When it does apply, the redemption fee is paid to the Columbia Fund from which you are redeeming shares (either by sale or exchange into another Columbia Fund).

The redemption fee described above will not be imposed if you qualify for a waiver and the Transfer Agent has received proper notification of your qualification. The Transfer Agent will redeem any shares that are eligible for a waiver first. Please be aware that it is the responsibility of you and your financial advisor to notify the Transfer Agent that you may qualify for a waiver before you buy or sell your shares.

The categories of transactions which qualify for a waiver of the redemption fee are as follows:

 

   

shares sold following the death or disability (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code) of the shareholder, including a registered joint owner,

 

   

shares sold by or distributions from participant-directed retirement plans, such as 401(k), 403(b), 457, Keogh, profit-sharing and money-purchase pension plans, where Columbia Funds does not have access to information about the individual participant account activity, but not where Columbia Funds has received an indication that the plan administrator is able to assess the redemption fee on the appropriate accounts,

 

   

shares sold by certain investment funds (e.g., Columbia LifeGoal Portfolios and Future Scholar 529 Plan) that have provided assurances reasonably satisfactory to the Advisor that the investment fund is not a vehicle for excessive trading practices (the Advisor or its affiliates may manage certain of the approved investment funds),

 

   

shares sold in certain transactions in connection with certain asset allocation or wrap programs where the program sponsor has provided assurances reasonably satisfactory to the Advisor that the program is not designed to be a vehicle for excessive trading practices,

 

   

shares sold by accounts where Columbia Funds has received information reasonably satisfactory to the Advisor indicating that financial intermediaries maintaining the accounts are currently unable for administrative reasons to assess the redemption fee on underlying shareholders,

 

   

shares sold by an account which has demonstrated a severe hardship, such as a medical emergency, as determined in the absolute discretion of the Advisor,

 

   

shares that were bought with reinvested distributions,

 

   

shares that are sold or exchanged through Columbia Funds’ Systematic Withdrawal Plan or Systematic Exchange Feature, or similar affiliated or unaffiliated automated plans,

 

   

the following retirement plan distributions: lump sum or other distributions from a qualified corporate or self-employed retirement plan following the retirement (or following attainment of age 59 1/2 in the case of a “key employee” of a “top heavy” plan); and distributions from an IRA or Custodial Account under Section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code, following attainment of age 59 1/2, and

 

   

the following retirement plan transactions: payroll deduction contributions by retirement plan participants, transactions initiated by a retirement plan sponsor and certain other retirement plan transactions consisting of rollover transactions, loan repayments and disbursements, and required minimum distribution redemptions.

Certain financial intermediaries may not assess a redemption fee on certain categories of redemptions that they believe do not present significant excessive trading practices concerns (such as Systematic Withdrawal Plan redemptions). For a discussion of the effects of excessive trading practices, see Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies.

 

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Conversely, certain financial intermediaries may assess a redemption fee on certain redemptions by accounts maintained with them that would be exempt from the redemption fee if the accounts were maintained directly with the Transfer Agent or with a different financial intermediary. Columbia Funds and its agents reserve the right to permit imposition of the redemption fee under these circumstances. Columbia Funds’ ability to assess redemption fees or apply waivers is generally limited by the policies of financial intermediaries. Accordingly, the parameters of the exemption categories described above are subject to the different policies of the various financial intermediaries that maintain accounts. You should check with your financial intermediary about its redemption fee and waiver policies before investing or submitting a redemption order within the specified time period.

Columbia Funds reserves the right to impose the redemption fee in the future if it determines that a financial intermediary that previously did not or was not able to assess the redemption fee on underlying shareholders has developed the policy or capability to assess the fee on some or all of its underlying shareholders. However, Columbia Funds may determine not to impose the redemption fee under certain circumstances. From time to time, as circumstances change, Columbia Funds may modify or eliminate certain exemption categories without advance notice to shareholders.

 

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Financial Intermediary Compensation

The Distributor and the Advisor make payments, from their own resources, to certain financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, for marketing/sales support services relating to the Columbia Funds. Such payments are generally based upon one or more of the following factors: average net assets of the Columbia Funds sold by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, gross sales of the Columbia Funds distributed by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, reimbursement of ticket charges (fees that an intermediary firm charges its representatives for effecting transactions in Portfolio shares) or a negotiated lump sum payment. While the financial arrangements may vary for each intermediary, the support payments to any one intermediary are generally between 0.05% and 0.50% (and 0.03% and 0.12% with regard to the Columbia Money Market Funds) on an annual basis for payments based on average net assets of the Portfolio attributable to the intermediary, and between 0.05% and 0.25% on an annual basis for firms receiving a payment based on gross sales of the Columbia Funds (other than the Columbia Money Market Funds) attributable to the intermediary.

The Distributor and the Advisor may make payments in larger amounts or on a basis other than those described above when dealing with other affiliates of Bank of America. Such increased payments to the other Bank of America affiliate may enable the other Bank of America affiliate to offset credits that it may provide to customers in order to avoid having such customers pay fees to multiple Bank of America entities in connection with the customers’ investments in the Portfolio.

The Distributor, the Transfer Agent and the Advisor may also make payments to financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, that provide shareholder services to retirement plans and other investment programs to compensate those intermediaries for services they provide to such programs, including, but not limited to, sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, similar shareholder or participant recordkeeping, shareholder or participant reporting, or shareholder or participant transaction processing.

These payments for shareholder servicing support vary by financial intermediary but generally are not expected, with certain limited exceptions, to exceed 0.40% of the average aggregate value of the Portfolio’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, and 0.45% of the average aggregate value of the Portfolio’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that do not pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

The Board has authorized the Portfolio to reimburse the Transfer Agent for amounts paid to financial intermediaries that maintain assets in omnibus accounts, subject to an annual cap of 0.15% of the average aggregate value of the Portfolio’s shares maintained in such accounts. The amounts in excess of that reimbursed by the Portfolio are borne by the Distributor or the Advisor. The Distributor and the Advisor may make other payments or allow promotional incentives to broker/dealers to the extent permitted by SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rules and by other applicable laws and regulations.

Amounts paid by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates are paid out of the Distributor’s and the Advisor’s own resources and do not increase the amount paid by you or the Portfolio. You can find further details about the payments made by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates and the services provided by financial intermediaries as well as a list of the intermediaries to which the Distributor and the Advisor have agreed to make marketing support payments in the SAI. Your financial intermediary may charge you fees and commissions in addition to those described in this prospectus. You should consult with your financial intermediary and review carefully any disclosure your financial intermediary provides regarding its services and compensation. Depending on the financial arrangement in place at any particular time, a financial intermediary and its financial consultants may have a financial incentive for recommending the Portfolio or a particular share class over others. See Management of the Portfolio – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information.

 

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Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

Share Price Determination

The price you pay or receive when you buy, sell or exchange shares is the Portfolio’s next determined net asset value (or NAV) per share for a given share class. The Portfolio calculates the net asset value per share for each class of the Portfolio at the end of each business day. The net asset value per share of the Portfolio is based on the net asset value per share of the Underlying Funds the Portfolio invests in.

FUNDamentalsTM

NAV Calculation

Each of the Portfolio’s share classes calculates its NAV as follows:

 

      (Value of assets of the share class)      
NAV    =   

— (Liabilities of the share class)

     
      Number of outstanding shares of the class      

The value of the Portfolio’s shares is based on the total market value of all of the securities and other assets that it holds as of a specified time. The prices reported on stock exchanges and other securities markets around the world are usually used to value securities in the Portfolio. The Portfolio uses the amortized cost method, which approximates market value, to value short-term investments maturing in 60 days or less.

If a market price isn’t readily available, the Portfolio will determine the price of the security held by the Portfolio based on the Advisor’s determination of the security’s fair value. A market price is considered not readily available if, among other circumstances, the most recent reported price is deemed unreliable. In addition, the Portfolio may use fair valuation to price securities that trade on a foreign exchange when a significant event has occurred after the foreign exchange closes but before the time at which the Portfolio’s share price is calculated. Foreign exchanges typically close before the time at which Portfolio share prices are calculated, and may be closed altogether on some days when the Portfolio is open. Such significant events affecting a foreign security may include, but are not limited to: (1) those impacting a single issuer; (2) governmental action that affects securities in one sector or country; (3) natural disasters or armed conflicts affecting a country or region; or (4) significant domestic or foreign market fluctuations. The Portfolio uses various criteria, including an evaluation of U.S. market moves after the close of foreign markets, in determining whether a security’s market price is readily available and, if not, the fair value of the security.

Fair valuation may have the effect of reducing stale pricing arbitrage opportunities presented by the pricing of Portfolio shares. However, when the Portfolio uses fair valuation to price securities, it may value those securities higher or lower than another mutual fund. Also, the use of fair valuation may cause the Portfolio’s performance to diverge to a greater degree from the performance of various benchmarks used to compare the Portfolio’s performance because benchmarks generally do not use fair valuation techniques. Because of the judgment involved in fair valuation decisions, there can be no assurance that the value ascribed to a particular security is accurate. The Portfolio has retained an independent fair valuation pricing service to assist in the fair valuation process for foreign securities. International markets are sometimes open on days when U.S. markets are closed, which means that the value of foreign securities owned by the Portfolio could change on days when Portfolio shares cannot be bought or sold.

 

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Transaction Rules and Policies

Remember that sales charges may apply to your transactions. You should also ask your selling and/or servicing agent about its rules, fees and policies for buying, selling and exchanging shares, which may be different from those described here, and about its related programs or services.

Also remember that the Portfolio may refuse any order to buy or exchange shares. If this happens, we’ll return any money we’ve received, but no interest will be paid on that money.

Order Processing

Orders to buy, sell or exchange shares are processed on business days. Orders can be delivered by mail, by telephone or online. Orders received in “good form” by the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent before the end of a business day will receive that day’s net asset value per share. Orders received after the end of a business day will receive the next business day’s net asset value per share. The market value of the Portfolio’s investments may change between the time you submit your order and the time the Portfolio next calculates its net asset value per share. The business day that applies to your order is also called a trade date.

FUNDamentalsTM

Business Days

A business day is any day that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. A business day ends at the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. If the NYSE closes early, the business day ends as of the time the NYSE closes. On holidays and other days when the NYSE is closed, the Portfolio’s net asset value is not calculated and the Portfolio does not accept buy or sell orders. However, the value of the Portfolio’s assets may still be affected on such days to the extent that the Portfolio holds foreign securities that trade on days that foreign markets are open.

“Good Form”

An order is in “good form” if the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent has all of the information and documentation it deems necessary to effect your order. For example, when you sell shares by letter of instruction, “good form” means that your letter has (i) complete instructions and the signatures of all account owners, (ii) a Medallion signature guarantee for amounts equal to or greater than $100,000 and (iii) any other required documents completed and attached. For the documents required for sales by corporations, agents, fiduciaries, surviving joint owners and other legal entities, call 800.345.6611.

Medallion Signature Guarantees

Qualified customers can obtain a Medallion signature guarantee from any financial institution – including commercial banks such as Bank of America, credit unions and broker/dealers – that participates in one of the three Medallion signature guarantee programs recognized by the SEC. These Medallion signature guarantee programs are the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (STAMP), the Stock Exchanges Medallion Program (SEMP) and the New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program (MSP).

Written Transactions

Once you have an account, you can communicate written buy, sell and exchange orders to the Transfer Agent at the following address: Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

Telephone Transactions

Once you have an account, you may place orders to buy, sell or exchange by telephone. To place orders by telephone, call 800.422.3737. Have your account number and taxpayer identification number (TIN) available when calling.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares via the telephone in any 30-day period if you qualify for telephone orders. Wire redemptions requested via the telephone are not subject to this maximum amount. You can buy up to $100,000 of shares through your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction via the telephone per day if you qualify for telephone orders.

 

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Telephone orders may not be as secure as written orders. Columbia Funds will take reasonable steps to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. For example, we require proof of your identification before we will act on instructions received by telephone and may record telephone conversations. However, the Portfolio and its agents will not be responsible for any losses, costs or expenses resulting from an unauthorized telephone instruction when reasonable steps have been taken to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. Telephone orders may be difficult to complete during periods of significant economic or market change or business interruption.

Online Transactions

Once you have an account, contact Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for more information on account trading restrictions and the special sign-up procedures required for online transactions. The Transfer Agent has procedures in place to authenticate electronic orders you deliver through the internet. You will be required to accept the terms of an online agreement and establish and utilize a password in order to access online account services.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares through the internet in any 30-day period if you qualify for internet orders.

Customer Identification Program

Federal law requires the Portfolio to obtain and record specific personal information to verify your identity when you open an account. This information may include your name, address, date of birth (for individuals), and taxpayer or other government issued identification. If you fail to provide the requested information, the Portfolio may need to delay the date of your purchase or may be unable to open your account, which may result in a return of your investment monies. In addition, if the Portfolio is unable to verify your identity after your account is open, the Portfolio reserves the right to close your account or take other steps as deemed reasonable. The Portfolio shall not be held liable for any loss resulting from any purchase delay, application rejection or account closure due to a failure to provide proper identifying information.

Small Account Policy—Accounts Below $250

Columbia Funds generally will automatically sell your shares if the value of your account (treating each account of the Portfolio you own separately from any other account of the Portfolio you may own) falls below $250. If your shares are sold, the Transfer Agent will remit the sale proceeds to you. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of any automatic sale, which will provide details on how you may avoid such an automatic sale. Generally, you may avoid such an automatic sale by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information. The automatic sale of shares of accounts valued at less than $250 is expected to take place in the second quarter of each calendar year.

Columbia Funds may also sell your shares if a financial intermediary tells us to sell your shares pursuant to arrangements made with you, and under certain other circumstances allowed under the 1940 Act.

Small Account Policy—Minimum Balance Fee

If the value of your account (treating each account of the Portfolio you own separately from any other account of the Portfolio you may own) falls below the minimum initial investment requirement applicable to you, your account generally will be subject to a $20 annual fee. This fee will be assessed through the automatic sale of shares in your account. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will reduce the expenses paid by the Portfolio by any amounts it collects from the assessment of this fee. For Portfolios that do not have transfer agency expenses against which to offset the amount collected through assessment of this fee, the fee will be paid directly to the Portfolio. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of assessing any fee, which will provide details on how you can avoid the imposition of such fee. Generally, you may avoid the imposition of such fee by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information.

 

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Columbia Funds reserves the right to change the minimum investment requirements for any Portfolio. We also reserve the right to lower the account size trigger point for the minimum balance fee in any year or for any class of shares when we believe it is appropriate to do so in light of declines in the market value of Portfolio shares, sales loads applicable to a particular class of shares, or for other reasons.

Exceptions to the Small Account Policy

The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 and the annual minimum balance fee described previously do not apply to shareholders of Class R shares or shareholders holding their shares through broker/dealer networked accounts; wrap fee and omnibus accounts; accounts with active Systematic Investment Plans or payroll deduction plans; and certain qualified retirement plans and health savings accounts. The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 does not apply to individual retirement plans.

Cash Flows

The timing and magnitude of cash inflows from investors buying Portfolio shares could prevent the Portfolio from always being fully invested. Conversely, the timing and magnitude of cash outflows to investors selling Portfolio shares could require large ready reserves of uninvested cash to meet shareholder redemptions. Either situation could adversely impact the Portfolio’s performance.

Information Sharing Agreements

As required by Rule 22c-2 under the 1940 Act, the Columbia Funds or certain of their service providers will enter into information sharing agreements with financial intermediaries, including participating life insurance companies and financial intermediaries that sponsor or offer retirement plans through which shares of the Columbia Funds are made available for purchase. Pursuant to Rule 22c-2, financial intermediaries are required, upon request, to: (i) provide shareholder account and transaction information and (ii) execute instructions from the Portfolio to restrict or prohibit further purchases of Portfolio shares by shareholders who have been identified by the Portfolio as having engaged in transactions that violate the Portfolio’s excessive trading policies and procedures. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Excessive Trading Practices for more information.

Excessive Trading Practices

Right to Reject or Restrict Share Transaction Orders – The Portfolio is intended for investors with long-term investment purposes and is not intended as a vehicle for frequent trading activity (market timing) that is excessive. Investors should transact in Portfolio shares primarily for investment purposes. The Board has adopted excessive trading policies and procedures that are designed to deter excessive trading by investors (the Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures). The Portfolio discourages and does not accommodate excessive trading.

The Portfolio reserves the right to reject, without any prior notice, any buy or exchange order for any reason, and will not be liable for any loss resulting from rejected orders. For example, the Portfolio may in its discretion restrict, reject or cancel a buy or exchange order even if the transaction is not subject to the specific exchange limitation described below if the Portfolio or its agents determine that accepting the order could interfere with efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio or is otherwise contrary to the Portfolio’s best interests. The Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures apply equally to buy or exchange transactions communicated directly to the Transfer Agent and to those received by selling and/or servicing agents.

Specific Buying and Exchanging Limitations – If the Portfolio detects that an investor has made two “material round trips” in any 28-day period, it will generally reject the investor’s future buy orders, including exchange buy orders, involving any Columbia Fund.

For these purposes, a “round trip” is a purchase or exchange into the Portfolio followed by a sale or exchange out of the Portfolio. A “material” round trip is one that is deemed by the Portfolio to be material in terms of its amount or its potential detrimental impact on the Portfolio.

Independent of this limit, the Portfolio may, in its discretion, reject future buy orders by any person, group or account that appears to have engaged in any type of excessive trading activity.

These limits generally do not apply to automated transactions or transactions by registered investment companies that invest in the Portfolio using a “fund of funds” structure. These limits do not apply to payroll deduction contributions by

 

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retirement plan participants, transactions initiated by a retirement plan sponsor or certain other retirement plan transactions consisting of rollover transactions, loan repayments and disbursements, and required minimum distribution redemptions. They may be modified or rescinded for accounts held by certain retirement plans to conform to plan limits, for considerations relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or regulations of the Department of Labor, and for certain asset allocation or wrap programs. Accounts known to be under common ownership or control generally will be counted together, but accounts maintained or managed by a common intermediary generally will not be considered to be under common ownership or control. The Portfolio retains the right to modify these restrictions at any time without prior notice to shareholders.

Limitations on the Ability to Detect and Prevent Excessive Trading Practices – The Portfolio takes various steps designed to detect and prevent excessive trading, including daily review of available shareholder transaction information. However, the Portfolio receives buy, sell and exchange orders through financial intermediaries, and cannot always know or reasonably detect excessive trading that may be facilitated by financial intermediaries or by the use of the omnibus account arrangements they offer. Omnibus account arrangements are common forms of holding shares of mutual funds, particularly among certain financial intermediaries such as broker/ dealers, retirement plans and variable insurance products. These arrangements often permit financial intermediaries to aggregate their clients’ transactions and accounts, and in these circumstances, the identity of the shareholders is often not known.

Some financial intermediaries apply their own restrictions or policies to underlying investor accounts, which may be more or less restrictive than those described here. This may impact the Portfolio’s ability to curtail excessive trading, even where it is identified. For these and other reasons, it is possible that excessive trading may occur despite the Portfolio’s efforts to detect and prevent it.

Although these restrictions and policies involve judgments that are inherently subjective and may involve some selectivity in their application, the Portfolio seeks to act in a manner that it believes is consistent with the best interests of shareholders in making any such judgments.

Risks of Excessive Trading – Excessive trading creates certain risks to the Portfolio’s long-term shareholders and may create the following adverse effects:

 

   

negative impact on the Portfolio’s performance;

 

   

potential dilution of the value of the Portfolio’s shares;

 

   

interference with the efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio, such as the need to maintain undesirably large cash positions, the need to use its line of credit or the need to buy or sell securities it otherwise would not have bought or sold;

 

   

losses on the sale of investments resulting from the need to sell securities at less favorable prices;

 

   

increased taxable gains to the Portfolio’s remaining shareholders resulting from the need to sell securities to meet sell orders; and

 

   

increased brokerage and administrative costs.

To the extent that the Portfolio invests significantly in foreign securities traded on markets that close before the Portfolio’s valuation time, it may be particularly susceptible to dilution as a result of excessive trading. Because events may occur after the close of foreign markets and before the Portfolio’s valuation time that influence the value of foreign securities, investors may seek to trade Portfolio shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of foreign securities as of the Portfolio’s valuation time. This is often referred to as price arbitrage. The Portfolio has adopted procedures designed to adjust closing market prices of foreign securities under certain circumstances to reflect what the Portfolio believes to be the fair value of those securities as of its valuation time. To the extent the adjustments don’t work fully, investors engaging in price arbitrage may cause dilution in the value of the Portfolio’s shares held by other shareholders.

Similarly, to the extent that the Portfolio invests significantly in thinly traded high-yield bonds (junk bonds) or equity securities of small-capitalization companies, because these securities are often traded infrequently, investors may seek to trade their shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of these securities. This is also a type of price arbitrage. Any such frequent trading strategies may interfere with efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio to a greater degree than would be the case for mutual funds that invest in highly liquid securities, in part because the Portfolio may have difficulty selling those portfolio

 

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securities at advantageous times or prices to satisfy large and/or frequent sell orders. Any successful price arbitrage may also cause dilution in the value of Portfolio shares held by other shareholders.

 

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Opening an Account and Placing Orders

Columbia Funds encourages you to consult with a financial advisor who can help you with your investment decisions and who can help you open an account. Once you have an account, you can buy, sell and exchange shares by contacting your financial advisor who will send your order to the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent. As described in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies, once you have an account you can also communicate your orders directly to the Transfer Agent by mail, by telephone or online.

Buying Shares

Once you have opened an account, you can buy Class Z shares in a lump sum, through our Systematic Investment Plan, by dividend diversification, by wire or by electronic funds transfer. Class Z shares are only available to the categories of eligible investors described below, each of which is subject to its own minimum initial investment requirements.

For investors establishing a Systematic Investment Plan, the minimum initial investment is $50.

Minimum Initial Investments

There is no minimum initial investment in Class Z shares for the following categories of eligible investors:

 

   

Any person investing all or part of the proceeds of a distribution, rollover or transfer of assets into a Columbia Management Individual Retirement Account, from any deferred compensation plan which was a shareholder of any of the funds of Columbia Acorn Trust (formerly named Liberty Acorn Trust) on September 29, 2000, in which the investor was a participant and through which the investor invested in one or more of the funds of Columbia Acorn Trust immediately prior to the distribution, transfer or rollover.

 

   

Any health savings account sponsored by a third party platform, including those sponsored by Bank of America affiliates, and any omnibus group retirement plan for which a financial intermediary or other entity provides services and is not compensated by the Portfolio for those services, other than in the form of payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent.

 

   

Any investor participating in a wrap program sponsored by a financial intermediary or other entity that is paid an asset-based fee by the investor and that is not compensated by the Portfolio for those services, other than payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent.

The minimum initial investment in Class Z shares for the following categories of eligible investors is $1,000:

 

   

Any individual retirement plan (assuming the eligibility criteria below are met) or group retirement plan that is not held in an omnibus manner for which a financial intermediary or other entity provides services and is not compensated by the Portfolio for those services, other than in the form of payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent.

The minimum initial investment in Class Z shares for the following categories of eligible investors is $2,500:

 

   

Any client of Bank of America or one of its subsidiaries buying shares through an asset management company, trust, fiduciary, retirement plan administration or similar arrangement with Bank of America or the subsidiary.

 

   

Any investor buying shares through a Columbia Management state tuition plan organized under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

   

Any shareholder (as well as any family member of a shareholder or person listed on an account registration for any account of the shareholder) of another fund distributed by the Distributor (i) who holds Class Z shares; (ii) who held Primary A shares prior to the share class redesignation of Primary A shares as Class Z shares that occurred on August 22, 2005; (iii) who holds Class A shares that were obtained by an exchange of Class Z shares; or (iv) who bought shares of certain mutual funds that were not subject to sales charges and that merged with another fund distributed by the Distributor.

 

   

Any trustee or director (or family member of a trustee or director) of a fund distributed by the Distributor.

 

   

Any employee (or family member of an employee) of Bank of America or one of its subsidiaries.

 

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Any investor participating in an account offered by a financial intermediary or other entity that provides services to such an account, is paid an asset-based fee by the investor and is not compensated by the Portfolio for those services, other than payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent (each investor buying shares through a financial intermediary must independently satisfy the minimum investment requirement noted above).

 

   

Any institutional investor who is a corporation, partnership, trust, foundation, endowment, institution, government entity, or similar organization, which meets the respective qualifications for an accredited investor, as defined under the Securities Act of 1933.

 

   

Certain financial institutions and intermediaries, such as insurance companies, trust companies, banks, endowments, investment companies or foundations, buying shares for their own account, including Bank of America and its affiliates and/or subsidiaries.

Minimum Additional Investments

There is no minimum additional investment for Class Z shares.

Systematic Investment Plan

The Systematic Investment Plan allows you to make regular purchases in amounts of $50 or more via automatic transfers from your bank account to the Portfolio on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan.

Dividend Diversification

Generally, you may automatically invest distributions made by another Columbia Fund into the same class of shares (and in some cases certain other classes of shares) of the Portfolio at no additional sales charge. A sales charge may apply when you invest distributions made by a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase. Call Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for details.

Wire Purchases

You may buy Class Z shares of the Portfolio by wiring money from your bank account to your Portfolio account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737.

Electronic Funds Transfer

You may buy Class Z shares of the Portfolio by electronically transferring money from your bank account to your Portfolio account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. An electronic funds transfer may take up to three business days to settle and be considered in “good form.” You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Other Purchase Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your buy order in “good form,” your purchase will be made at the next calculated net asset value per share.

 

   

You generally buy Class Z shares at net asset value per share because no front-end sales charge applies to purchases of this share class.

 

   

The Portfolio reserves the right to cancel your order if it doesn’t receive payment within three business days of receiving your buy order. The Portfolio will return any payment received for orders that have been cancelled, but no interest will be paid on that money.

 

   

Selling and/or servicing agents are responsible for sending your buy orders to the Transfer Agent and ensuring that we receive your money on time.

 

   

Shares bought are recorded on the books of the Portfolio. The Portfolio doesn’t issue certificates.

Selling Shares

When you sell your shares, the Portfolio is effectively buying them back from you. This is called a redemption.

Wire Redemptions

You may request that your Class Z shares sale proceeds be wired to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. You must set up this feature prior to your request. For shares sold by Fedwire, there is generally a fee of $7.50. The receiving bank may charge an additional fee. The Transfer Agent may waive the fee for certain accounts. The minimum amount that can be redeemed by wire is $500.

Electronic Funds Transfer

You may sell Class Z shares of the Portfolio and request that the proceeds be electronically transferred to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It may take up to three business days for the sale proceeds to be

 

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received by your bank. You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan

The Systematic Withdrawal Plan lets you withdraw funds from your Class Z shares account any day of the month on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. Your account balance generally must be at least $5,000 to set up the plan, but certain fee-based and wrap accounts are not subject to this requirement. All dividend and capital gain distributions must be reinvested to set up the plan. A Systematic Withdrawal Plan cannot be set up on an account that already has a Systematic Investment Plan established. If you set up the plan after you’ve opened your account, we may require your signature to be Medallion guaranteed.

You can choose to receive your withdrawals via check or direct deposit into your bank account. You can cancel the plan by giving Columbia Funds 30 days notice in writing or by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It’s important to remember that if you withdraw more than your investment in the Portfolio is earning, you’ll eventually use up your original investment.

In-Kind Distributions

The Portfolio reserves the right to honor sell orders with in-kind distributions of portfolio securities instead of cash. In the event the Portfolio makes such an in-kind distribution, you may incur the brokerage and transaction costs associated with converting the portfolio securities you receive into cash. Also, the portfolio securities you receive may increase or decrease in value before you convert them into cash.

Other Redemption Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your sell order in “good form,” your shares will be sold at the next calculated net asset value per share.

 

   

If you sell your shares directly through Columbia Funds, we will normally send the sale proceeds by mail or electronically transfer them to your bank account within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you sell your shares through a selling agent, Columbia Funds will normally send the sale proceeds by Fedwire within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you paid for your shares by check or from your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction, Columbia Funds will hold the sale proceeds when you sell those shares for up to 10 days after the trade date of the purchase.

 

   

No interest will be paid on uncashed redemption checks.

 

   

Columbia Funds can delay payment of the sale proceeds for up to seven days and may suspend redemptions and/or postpone payment of redemption proceeds when the NYSE is closed or during emergency circumstances as determined by the SEC.

 

   

Other restrictions may apply to retirement accounts. For information about these restrictions, contact your retirement plan administrator.

 

   

Also keep in mind Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy, which is described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies.

Exchanging Shares

You can generally sell shares of the Portfolio to buy shares of another Columbia Fund, in what is called an exchange. You should read the prospectus of, and make sure you understand the investment objective and principal investment strategies of, the Columbia Fund into which you are exchanging.

Systematic Exchanges

You may buy Class Z shares of the Portfolio by exchanging $100 or more each month from another Columbia Fund for shares of the same class of the Portfolio at no additional cost. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. If you set up your plan to exchange more than $100,000 each month, you must have your signature Medallion guaranteed.

Exchanges will continue as long as your balance is sufficient to complete the systematic monthly transfers, subject to Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies. You may terminate the program or change the amount you would like to exchange (subject to the $100 minimum) by calling Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611. A sales charge may apply when you exchange shares of a Columbia Fund that

 

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were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase.

The rules described below for making exchanges apply to systematic exchanges.

Other Exchange Rules You Should Know

 

   

Exchanges are made at net asset value.

 

   

You can generally make exchanges between like share classes of any Columbia Fund. Some exceptions apply.

 

   

The rules for buying shares of a Columbia Fund generally apply to exchanges into that Fund.

 

   

You may make exchanges only into a Columbia Fund that is legally offered and sold in your state of residence.

 

   

You generally may make an exchange only into a Columbia Fund that is accepting investments.

 

   

The Portfolio may change or cancel your right to make an exchange by giving the amount of notice required by regulatory authorities (generally 60 days for a material change or cancellation).

 

   

Unless your account is part of a tax-advantaged retirement plan, an exchange for shares of another fund is a taxable event, and you may recognize a gain or loss for tax purposes.

 

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Distributions and Taxes

Distributions to Shareholders

A mutual fund can make money two ways:

 

   

It can earn income on its investments. Examples of fund income are interest paid on money market instruments and bonds, and dividends paid on common stocks.

 

   

A mutual fund can also have capital gains if the value of its investments increases. While a fund continues to hold an investment, any gain is unrealized. If the fund sells an investment, it generally will realize a capital gain if it sells that investment for a higher price than it originally paid. Capital gains are either short-term or long-term, depending on whether the fund holds the securities for one year or less (short-term gains) or more than one year (long-term gains).

FUNDamentalsTM

Distributions

Mutual funds make payments of fund earnings to shareholders, distributing them among all shareholders of the fund. As a shareholder, you are entitled to your portion of a fund’s distributed income, including capital gains.

Reinvesting your distributions buys you more shares of a fund – which lets you take advantage of the potential for compound growth. Putting the money you earn back into your investment means it, in turn, may earn even more money. Over time, the power of compounding has the potential to significantly increase the value of your investment. There is no assurance, however, that you’ll earn more money if you reinvest your distributions rather than receive them in cash.

The Portfolio intends to pay out, in the form of distributions to shareholders, a sufficient amount of its income and gains so that the Portfolio will qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company and generally will not have to pay any federal excise tax. The Portfolio generally intends to distribute any net realized capital gain (whether long-term or short-term gain) at least once a year. Normally, the Portfolio will declare and pay distributions of net investment income according to the following schedule:

Declaration and Distribution Schedule

 

Declarations    semi-annually
Distributions    semi-annually

The Portfolio may, however, declare and pay distributions of net investment income more frequently.

Different share classes of the Portfolio usually pay different net investment income distribution amounts, because each class has different expenses. Each time a distribution is made, the net asset value per share of the share class is reduced by the amount of the distribution.

The Portfolio generally pays cash distributions within five business days after the distribution was declared. If you sell all of your shares after the record date but before the payment date for a distribution, you’ll normally receive that distribution in cash within five business days after the sale was made.

The Portfolio will automatically reinvest distributions in additional shares of the same share class of the Portfolio unless you inform us you want to receive your distributions in cash. You can do this by writing Columbia Funds at the address on the back cover, or by calling us at 800.345.6611. No sales charges apply to the purchase or sale of such shares. Distributions of $10 or less will automatically be reinvested in additional Portfolio shares only. If you elect to receive distributions by check and the check is returned as undeliverable, all subsequent distributions will be reinvested in additional shares of the Portfolio.

Unless you are investing through a tax-deferred retirement account (such as an IRA), you should consider avoiding buying Portfolio shares shortly before the Portfolio makes a distribution of net investment income or net realized capital gain, because doing so can cost you money in taxes. This is because you will, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back in the distribution. This is known as “buying a dividend.” To avoid “buying a dividend,” check the Portfolio’s distribution schedule online at www.columbiafunds.com, or by calling us at 800.345.6611, before you invest.

 

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If you buy shares of the Portfolio when it holds securities with unrealized capital gain, you may, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back if and when the Portfolio sells those securities and distributes any net realized gain. Any such distribution is generally subject to tax. The Portfolio may have, or may build up over time, high levels of unrealized capital gain. If you buy shares of the Portfolio when it has capital loss carryforwards, the Portfolio may have the ability to offset capital gains realized by the Portfolio that otherwise would have been distributed to shareholders with such carryforwards, although capital loss carryforwards generally expire after eight taxable years and may be subject to substantial limitations.

 

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Taxes and Your Investment

The Portfolio will send you a statement each year showing how much you’ve received in distributions in the prior year and the distributions’ character for federal income tax purposes. In addition, you should be aware of the following:

 

   

The Portfolio intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company. A regulated investment company generally is not subject to tax at the portfolio level on income and gains from investments that are distributed to shareholders. However, the Portfolio’s failure to qualify as a regulated investment company would result in portfolio level taxation, and consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to you.

 

   

Distributions generally are taxable to you when paid, whether they are paid in cash or automatically reinvested in additional shares of the Portfolio.

 

   

Distributions of the Portfolio’s ordinary income and net short-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions of the Portfolio’s net long-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as long-term capital gain. Whether capital gains are long-term or short-term is determined by how long the Portfolio has owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long you have owned your shares.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, if you are an individual and you meet certain holding period and other requirements for your Portfolio shares, a portion of your distributions may be treated as “qualified dividend income” taxable at lower net long-term capital gain rates. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this provision to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010. Qualified dividend income is income attributable to the Portfolio’s dividends received from certain U.S. and foreign corporations, as long as the Portfolio meets certain holding period and other requirements for the stock producing such dividends.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, the maximum individual federal income tax rate on net long-term capital gain (and thus qualified dividend income) has been temporarily reduced to 15%. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this rate reduction to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010.

 

   

A sale, redemption or exchange of Portfolio shares is a taxable event. This includes redemptions where you are paid in securities. Your sales, redemptions and exchanges of Portfolio shares (including those paid in securities) usually will result in a taxable capital gain or loss to you, equal to the difference between the amount you receive for your shares (or are deemed to have received in the case of exchanges) and the amount you paid (or are deemed to have paid in the case of exchanges) for them. Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held your Portfolio shares for more than one year at the time of sale or exchange. In certain circumstances, capital losses may be converted from short-term to long-term or disallowed.

 

   

The Portfolio is required by federal law to withhold tax on any taxable distributions and sale proceeds paid to you (including amounts paid to you in securities and amounts deemed to be paid to you upon an exchange of shares) if: you haven’t provided a correct taxpayer identification number (TIN) or haven’t certified to the Portfolio that withholding doesn’t apply; the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has notified us that the TIN listed on your account is incorrect according to its records; or the IRS informs the Portfolio that you are otherwise subject to backup withholding.

 

   

If at the end of the taxable year more than 50% of the value of the Portfolio’s assets consists of securities of foreign corporations, and the Portfolio makes a special election, you will generally be required to include in income your share of the foreign taxes paid by the Portfolio. You may be able to either deduct this amount from your income or claim it as a foreign tax credit. There is no assurance that the Portfolio will make a special election for a taxable year, even if it is eligible to do so.

 

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FUNDamentalsTM

Taxes

The information provided above is only a summary of how U.S. federal income taxes may affect your investment in the Portfolio. It is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Your investment in the Portfolio may have other tax implications.

It does not apply to certain types of investors who may be subject to special rules, including foreign or tax-exempt investors or those holding Portfolio shares through a tax-advantaged account, such as a 401(k) plan or IRA.

You should consult with your own tax advisor about the particular tax consequences to you of an investment in the Portfolio, including the effect of any foreign, state and local taxes, and the effect of possible changes in applicable tax laws.

 

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights table is designed to help you understand how the Portfolio has performed for the past five full fiscal years, or if shorter, the Portfolio’s period of operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Portfolio share. The total return line indicates how much an investment in the Portfolio would have earned each period assuming all dividends and distributions had been reinvested.

This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm whose report, along with the Portfolio’s financial statements, is included in the Portfolio’s annual report. The independent registered public accounting firm’s report and the Portfolio’s financial statements are also incorporated by reference into the SAI.

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio—Class Z Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Period Ended
March 31,
2006(a )
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 11.16      $ 11.70      $ 10.26      $ 10.00   

Income from Investment Operations:

        

Net investment income(b)

     0.07        0. 23        0.12        —   (d) 

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (5.15     0.08        1.69        0.26   

Total from investment operations

     (5.08     0.31        1.81        0.26   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

        

From net investment income

     —          (0.15     (0.09     —     

From net realized gains

     (0.56     (0.70     (0.28     —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.56     (0.85     (0.37     —     

Redemption Fees:

        

Redemption fees added to paid-in-capital(b)(d)

     —          —          —          —     

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 5.52      $ 11.16      $ 11.70      $ 10.26   

Total return(e)(f)

     (47.84 )%      2.03     17.69     2.60 %(g) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

        

Net expenses(h)(i)

     —          —          —          —     

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.26     0.22     0.59     13.23 %(j) 

Net investment income(i)

     0.83     1.89     0.93     —   %(j)(c

Portfolio turnover rate

     20     3     1     —     

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 58,268      $ 89,568      $ 31,029      $ 316   

 

(a)

Class Z shares commenced operations on February 15, 2006. Per share data and total return reflect activity from that date.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Rounds to less than 0.01%.

(d)

Rounds to less than $0.01 per share.

(e)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested.

(f)

Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(g)

Not annualized.

(h)

Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the Portfolio invests, if these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(i)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(j)

Annualized.

 

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Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

The following supplemental hypothetical investment information provides additional information about the effect of the fees and expenses of the Portfolio, including investment advisory fees and other Portfolio costs, on the Portfolio’s returns over a 10-year period. The chart shows the estimated fees and expenses that would be charged on a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in Class Z shares of the Portfolio, assuming a 5% return each year, the cumulative return after fees and expenses and the hypothetical year-end balance after fees and expenses. The chart also assumes that all dividends and distributions are reinvested. The annual expense ratio used for the share class, which is the same as that stated in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses table, is presented in the chart and is net of any contractual fee waivers or expense reimbursements for the period of the contractual commitment. Your actual costs may be higher or lower.

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio—Class Z Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After

Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.01   3.99   $ 10,399.00    $ 103.01

2

   10.25   1.27   7.87   $ 10,786.88    $ 134.53

3

   15.76   1.27   11.89   $ 11,189.23    $ 139.55

4

   21.55   1.27   16.07   $ 11,606.59    $ 144.75

5

   27.63   1.27   20.40   $ 12,039.52    $ 150.15

6

   34.01   1.27   24.89   $ 12,488.59    $ 155.75

7

   40.71   1.27   29.54   $ 12,954.41    $ 161.56

8

   47.75   1.27   34.38   $ 13,437.61    $ 167.59

9

   55.13   1.27   39.39   $ 13,938.83    $ 173.84

10

   62.89   1.27   44.59   $ 14,458.75    $ 180.32

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 4,458.75   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 1,511.05

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

 

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LOGO

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

Class Z Shares

Prospectus, August 1, 2009

For More Information

You’ll find more information about the Portfolio and the other Columbia Funds in the documents described below. Contact Columbia Funds as follows to obtain these documents free of charge:

 

By Mail:   

Columbia Funds

c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc.

P.O. Box 8081

Boston, MA 02266-8081

By Telephone:    800.345.6611
Online:    www.columbiafunds.com

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders

Additional information about the Portfolio’s investments is available in the Portfolio’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Portfolio’s performance during its last fiscal year.

Shareholder Communications with the Board

The Portfolio’s Board of Trustees has adopted procedures by which shareholders may communicate with the Board. Shareholders who wish to communicate with the Board should send their written communications to the Board by mail, c/o Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, One Financial Center, Mail Stop MA5-515-11-05, Boston, MA 02111, Attention: Secretary. Shareholder communications must (i) be in writing, (ii) identify the Columbia Fund to which the communication relates and (iii) state the particular class of shares and number of shares held by the communicating shareholder.

Statement of Additional Information

The SAI provides more detailed information about the Portfolio and its policies. The SAI is legally part of this prospectus (incorporated by reference). A copy has been filed with the SEC.

Information Provided by the SEC

You can review and copy information about the Portfolio (including this prospectus, the SAI and shareholder reports) at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. To find out more about the operation of the Public Reference Room, call the SEC at 202.551.8090 or 800.SEC.0330. Reports and other information about the Portfolio are also available in the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You can receive copies of this information, for a fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov or by writing the Public Reference Section, Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, DC 20549-0102.

For purposes of any electronic version of this prospectus, all references to websites, or universal resource locators (URLs), are intended to be inactive and are not meant to incorporate the contents of any website into this prospectus.

The investment company registration number of Columbia Funds Series Trust, of which the Portfolio is a series, is 811-09645.

©2009 Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.

One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111-2621

800.345.6611 www.columbiafunds.com

INT-36/18108-0809


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LOGO

Prospectus

August 1, 2009

Columbia Funds

 

Class A, Class B, Class C and Class R Shares   Advised by Columbia Management Advisors, LLC

•        Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

 

•        Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

 

•        Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

 

•        Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

 

LOGO The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


Table of Contents

Portfolio shares are NOT deposits or other obligations of, or issued, endorsed or guaranteed by, Bank of America, N.A. or any of its affiliates. Portfolio shares are NOT issued, insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, the FDIC or any other government agency.

Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) and its affiliates are paid for the services they provide to the Portfolios and may be compensated or incented in connection with the sale of Portfolio shares. The Portfolios may be used as an investment option for various products and services offered by Bank of America that may raise economic and other conflicts of interest, which are discussed in this prospectus.

AN INVESTMENT IN THE PORTFOLIOS INVOLVES CERTAIN RISKS, INCLUDING LOSS OF PRINCIPAL.

 

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Prospectus Primer

This prospectus tells you about the four Columbia LifeGoal® Portfolios (each a Portfolio and together, the Portfolios) in the Columbia Funds family of mutual funds (Columbia Funds). Each Portfolio is a “fund of funds” that invests most of its assets in a mix of underlying mutual funds that may change over time. This prospectus is designed to provide you with important information about the Portfolios in a concise and easy to understand manner that is meant to help you make informed investment decisions.

The prospectus first summarizes the key characteristics of each Portfolio, including:

 

   

investment objective,

 

   

principal investment strategies and risks,

 

   

year-by-year performance information,

 

   

fees and expenses, and

 

   

a description of the Portfolios’ additional investment strategies and policies.

This summary is followed by other important information, including:

 

   

a summary of the key characteristics of certain underlying funds in which the Portfolios may invest,

 

   

a discussion of the Portfolios’ primary service providers, including the roles and relationships of Bank of America and its affiliates, and conflicts of interest, and

 

   

a summary of the Portfolios’ various share classes offered by this prospectus.

Later sections of the prospectus talk about the details of investing in the Portfolios, including:

 

   

how to buy, sell and exchange shares of the Portfolios, and

 

   

how you will receive your investment proceeds.

The prospectus also includes:

 

   

information about how federal and certain other taxes may affect your investment,

 

   

highlights of each Portfolio’s financial information, and

 

   

hypothetical fee and expense data that show the costs associated with investing in the Portfolios.

We have included a number of features designed to facilitate your use of this prospectus, including:

 

   

“FUNDamentals™” sections that provide simple explanations of key terms and concepts, as well as some basics of mutual fund investing,

 

   

a “FUNDimensions™” section that is meant to give you a “snapshot” of each Portfolio’s main attributes, and

 

   

graphic icons which are defined in the guide below.

Icons Guide

 

LOGO    Investment Objective
LOGO    Principal Investment Strategies
LOGO    Principal Risks
LOGO    Performance Information
LOGO    Fees and Expenses
LOGO    Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates - Certain Conflicts of Interest

For More Information

You can contact Columbia Funds:

 

   

by mail at Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

 

   

by telephone at 800.345.6611.

 

   

by email at serviceinquiries@columbiamanagement.com or online at www.columbiafunds.com.

 

   

through your financial advisor, who can help you select from among the Columbia Funds to meet your investment needs.

You also can find more information about the Portfolios in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI), which includes more detailed information about each Portfolio’s investments, policies and management, among other things. Turn to the back cover to find out how you can get a copy.

The SEC provides a “Beginners’ Guide to Mutual Funds” which may be useful to some investors and is available online, free of charge, at www.sec.gov.

 

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Table of Contents

 

Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

   5

Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

   21

Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

   37

Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

   53

Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

   69

Underlying Funds Summary

   71

Management of the Portfolios

   89

Primary Service Providers

   89

Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

   91

Certain Legal Matters

   92

Choosing a Share Class

   93

Comparison of the Share Classes

   93

Sales Charges and Commissions

   94

Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges

   99

Distribution and Service Fees

   101

Financial Intermediary Compensation

   102

Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

   103

Share Price Determination

   103

Transaction Rules and Policies

   104

Opening an Account and Placing Orders

   109

Distributions and Taxes

   113

Financial Highlights

   116

Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

   131

Columbia Management Group, LLC

The Portfolios are sponsored by Columbia Management Group, LLC (Columbia Management), which is the primary investment division of Bank of America. Columbia Management is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110.

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC is the Portfolios’ investment advisor (the Advisor) and their administrator (the Administrator). Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. is the Portfolios’ distributor (the Distributor). Columbia Management Services, Inc. is the Portfolios’ transfer agent (the Transfer Agent).

The Portfolios, like all mutual funds, are designed to be a part of a broad and diversified investment portfolio and are not intended to fulfill all of your investment needs.

You should consider the objectives, risks and expenses of the Portfolios and any other Columbia Fund carefully before investing.

FUNDamentals™ and FUNDimensions™ are trademarks of Bank of America.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

FUNDimensionsTM

Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

 

Investment Objective:

   Capital appreciation

Investment Style:

   Large Blend

Benchmark:

   S&P 500® Index(a)

Ticker Symbols:

  

Class A: NLGIX

Class B: NLGBX

Class C: NLGCX

Class R: CLGRX

Principal Risks:

  

Investment strategy risk

Allocation risk

Investing in other funds risk

Asset-backed securities risk

Changing distribution levels risk

Convertible securities risk

Credit risk

Currency risk

Derivatives risk

Dollar rolls risk

Emerging market securities risk

Foreign securities risk

Frequent trading risk

Growth securities risk

Index risk

Industry sector risk

Interest rate risk

Liquidity risk

Low and below investment grade securities risk

Market risk

Money Market Fund risk

Mortgage-backed securities risk

Municipal securities risk

Non-diversified mutual fund risk

Pacific/Asia regional risk

Real estate investment trusts risk

Reinvestment risk

Repurchase agreements risk

Short sales risk

Smaller company securities risk

Special situations risk

Technology sector risk

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities risk

U.S. Government obligations risk

Value securities risk

Zero-coupon bonds risk

 

(a)

“Standard & Poor’s” and “S&P” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by the Advisor. The Portfolio is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s and Standard & Poor’s makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Portfolio.

FUNDamentalsTM

Benchmarks

Benchmarks are indices that provide some guidance in assessing fund performance. A fund does not, however, limit its investments to the securities within its benchmark(s), and a fund’s holdings can differ from those of any particular benchmark or index. Benchmarks are only guideposts for performance.

LOGO Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks capital appreciation.

LOGO Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests most of its assets in Class Z shares of mutual funds managed by the Advisor or its affiliates (Columbia Funds), exchange traded funds (ETFs) and third party-advised funds (collectively, Underlying Funds), equity and fixed income securities, including Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), and other instruments such as derivatives.

The Advisor uses asset allocation as its principal investment approach and:

 

   

allocates the Portfolio’s assets among asset class categories within the target asset allocations set for the Portfolio, based on the Portfolio’s investment objective and historical and projected returns for each asset class.

 

   

chooses individual Columbia Funds within each asset class category and the amount that will be allocated to each Columbia Fund, based on each Columbia Fund’s historical returns and expected performance.

 

   

may choose third party-advised Underlying Funds if a Columbia Fund is not available in the desired asset class category.

 

   

may choose equity and fixed income securities, including TIPS, and other instruments such as derivatives.

 

   

reviews the asset allocations to Underlying Funds and instruments at least monthly, and may change these allocations when the Advisor believes it is appropriate to do so.

 

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The Portfolio’s targeted allocation to Columbia Funds, as a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets, is as follows:

 

   

0-80% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in large-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-40% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in mid-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-20% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in small-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-70% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in international/global equity securities.

 

   

0-20% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in convertible securities.

 

   

0-30% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in specialty securities, including Columbia Funds that invest in equity securities of companies principally engaged in certain market sectors such as real estate or technology.

 

   

0-70% to Columbia Funds that invest in government and corporate debt securities.

 

   

0-20% to Columbia Funds that invest in below investment grade debt securities.

 

   

0-50% in Columbia money market funds.

The Portfolio’s targeted allocations to third party advised funds and instruments, as a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets, is as follows:

 

   

0-15% to fixed income securities, including TIPS.

 

   

0-10% to equity securities.

 

   

0-20% to futures and commodity-related instruments.

 

   

0-10% to third party funds/ETFs.

The Portfolio’s actual allocation may vary from these target allocations at any time. The Advisor may use various strategies to try to manage how much the actual amount varies and for how long. The Advisor can modify the list of Underlying Funds and types of instruments in which the Portfolio invests, or the asset categories, at any time, including by adding Underlying Funds introduced after the date of this prospectus.

The Advisor may sell investments to adjust the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets; if the Advisor believes that an investment is no longer a suitable investment, or that other investments are more attractive; to meet redemption requests; or for other reasons. When selling shares to meet redemption requests, the Advisor normally will, to the extent feasible, sell a proportionate amount of the shares the Portfolio owns in each Underlying Fund and instrument.

FUNDamentalsTM

About the Portfolios

Each Portfolio has its own asset allocation strategy, which gives it distinctive risk/return characteristics. The performance of each Portfolio depends on many factors, including its allocation strategy and the performance of the Underlying Funds and other assets it invests in. In general, the more a Portfolio allocates to equity securities and Underlying Funds that invest in them, the greater the potential return and the greater the risk of loss. The more a Portfolio allocates to fixed income and money market securities and Underlying Funds that invest in them, the greater the potential for price stability and the lower the potential for loss. There is always a risk, however, that you will lose money or that you may not earn as much as you expect, and that the performance of a Portfolio at any point in time may not meet your anticipated level of return for the Portfolio to fund retirement, living expense or other investment goals.

The Portfolios may be a suitable investment for you if:

 

   

you have longer-term investment goals, and

 

   

they are part of a balanced portfolio that includes other investments.

The Portfolios may not be a suitable investment for you if:

 

   

you’re not prepared to accept or are unable to bear the risks associated with equity and fixed income securities,

 

   

you have shorter-term investment goals, and

 

   

you’re looking for a regular stream of income.

 

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FUNDamentalsTM

Fund of Funds

Unlike a traditional mutual fund, which invests in individual securities, a “fund of funds” invests in a mix of underlying funds typically by using an asset allocation approach. A fund of funds indirectly bears a portion of the underlying funds’ expenses, in addition to the fund of funds’ own expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Asset Allocation Funds

Asset allocation funds use a process called “asset allocation,” which is the process of creating a portfolio by investing in different asset classes – for example, domestic equity securities, foreign securities and debt securities – in varying proportions.

The mix of asset classes and how much is invested in each is an important factor in how an asset allocation fund performs and the amount of risk involved. Each asset class, and each sub-asset class within a class, like large-, mid- and small-capitalization equity securities, has different risk and return characteristics, and may react in different ways to changes in the financial markets and to the economy in general. An investment approach that combines asset classes and sub-asset classes may help to reduce overall volatility.

Asset allocation funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio, and

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income.

LOGO Principal Risks

 

   

Investment Strategy Risk – The Advisor uses the principal investment strategies and other investment strategies to seek to achieve the Portfolio’s investment objective. Investment decisions made by the Advisor in using these strategies may not produce the returns expected by the Advisor, may cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or may cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.

 

   

Allocation Risk – The Portfolio uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Portfolio’s allocation among asset classes or investments will cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

 

   

Investing in Other Funds Risk – The performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests could be adversely affected if other entities that invest in the same Underlying Funds make relatively large investments or redemptions in the Underlying Funds. Because the expenses and costs of an Underlying Fund are shared by its investors, redemptions by other investors in the Underlying Fund could result in decreased economies of scale and increased operating expenses for the Underlying Fund. The Portfolio, and its shareholders, indirectly bear a portion of the expenses of the Underlying Funds. These transactions might also result in higher brokerage, tax or other costs for the Portfolio. This risk may be particularly important when one investor owns a substantial portion of any Underlying Fund. In addition, the Advisor has the authority to change the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or to change the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. If an Underlying Fund pays fees to the Advisor or its affiliates, such as advisory fees, this could result in the Advisor having a potential conflict of interest in selecting the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or in determining the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. There are also circumstances in which the Advisor’s fiduciary duties to the Portfolio may conflict with its fiduciary duties to the Underlying Funds.

 

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The Portfolio is subject directly to the extent it invests in individual securities and other instruments and/or indirectly to the extent it invests in Underlying Funds to the following risks:

 

   

Asset-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in asset-backed securities. The value of an Underlying Fund’s asset-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the receivables, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Asset-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of receivables such as credit card, auto, student and home equity loans. They may also be backed, in turn, by securities backed by these types of loans and others, such as mortgage loans. Asset-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Most asset-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying debt may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of asset-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of asset-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

   

Changing Distribution Levels Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may be subject to changing distribution levels risk. The amount of the distributions paid by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund generally depends on the amount of income and/or dividends received by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund on the securities it holds. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not be able to pay distributions or may have to reduce its distribution level if the income and/or dividends the Portfolio or Underlying Fund receives from its investments decline.

 

   

Convertible Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in convertible securities, which are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate risk and credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. Because the value of a convertible security can be influenced by both interest rates and market movements, a convertible security generally is not as sensitive to interest rates as a similar debt security, and generally will not vary in value in response to other factors to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities would typically be paid before the company’s common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may be forced to convert a convertible security before it otherwise would choose to do so, which may decrease the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Credit Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may be subject to credit risk, which applies to most debt securities, but is generally not a factor for obligations backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose money if the issuer of a debt security is unable or perceived to be unable to pay interest or repay principal when it becomes due. Various factors could affect the issuer’s actual or perceived willingness or ability to make timely interest or principal payments, including changes in the issuer’s financial condition or in general economic conditions. Debt securities backed by an issuer’s taxing authority may be subject to legal limits on the issuer’s power to increase taxes or otherwise to raise revenue, or may be dependent on legislative appropriation or government aid. Certain debt securities are backed only by revenues derived from a particular project or source, rather than by an issuer’s taxing authority, and thus may have a greater risk of default.

 

   

Currency Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may be subject to currency risk. Securities denominated in different currencies are subject to the risk that, for example, if the value of a foreign currency were to decline against the U.S. dollar, such decline would reduce the U.S. dollar value of any securities held by the Fund denominated in that currency.

 

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Derivatives Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, which are financial contracts whose values are, for example, based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or bond), assets (such as a commodity like gold or a foreign currency), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Derivatives involve special risks and may result in losses or may limit the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s potential gain from favorable market movements. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Underlying Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying security. The values of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in unusual market conditions, and may result in increased volatility, among other consequences. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Other risks arise from the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s potential inability to terminate or sell derivative positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Portfolio or Underlying Fund’s derivative positions at times when the Portfolio or Underlying Fund might wish to terminate or sell such positions. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid, and transactions in derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. The use of derivatives also involves the risks of mispricing or improper valuation and that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying security, asset, reference rate or index. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund also may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to engage in derivative transactions when it is deemed favorable to do so, or at all. For more information on the risks of derivative investments and strategies, see the SAI.

 

   

Dollar Rolls Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may use dollar rolls, which are transactions in which the Underlying Fund sells securities to a counterparty and simultaneously agrees to purchase those or similar securities in the future at a predetermined price. Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Underlying Fund is obligated to repurchase may decline below the repurchase price, or that the counterparty may default on its obligations. These transactions may also increase the Underlying Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. If the Underlying Fund reinvests the proceeds of the security sold, the Underlying Fund will also be subject to the risk that the investments purchased with such proceeds will decline in value (a form of leverage risk).

 

   

Emerging Market Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries, like those in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America or Africa, which are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in foreign securities that are described in Foreign Securities Risk. In addition, emerging market countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid social, political and economic development. Their economies are usually less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity than more developed countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade, which makes them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries. Some emerging market countries have a higher risk of currency devaluations, and some of these countries may experience periods of high inflation or rapid changes in inflation rates.

 

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Foreign Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in foreign securities, which are subject to special risks as compared to securities of U.S. issuers. For example, foreign markets can be extremely volatile. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may impact the value of foreign securities denominated in foreign currencies, or in U.S. dollars, without a change in the intrinsic value of those securities. Foreign securities may be less liquid than domestic securities so that the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may, at times, be unable to sell foreign securities at desirable times or prices. Brokerage commissions, custodial fees and other fees are also generally higher for foreign securities. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may have limited or no legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain foreign securities, including those issued by foreign governments. In addition, foreign governments may impose potentially confiscatory withholding or other taxes, which could reduce the amount of income and capital gains available to distribute to shareholders. Other risks include possible delays in the settlement of transactions or in the payment of income; generally less publicly available information about companies; the impact of political, social or diplomatic events; possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of a company or its assets; possible imposition of currency exchange controls; and accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards that may be less comprehensive and stringent than those applicable to domestic companies.

 

   

Frequent Trading Risk – The Portfolio’s and certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve the frequent trading of portfolio securities. Frequent trading of investments increases the possibility that the Underlying Fund will realize taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s after-tax return. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Growth Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in growth securities. Because growth securities typically trade at a higher multiple of earnings than other types of securities, the value of growth securities may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other types of securities. In addition, growth securities, at times, may not perform as well as value securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Index Risk – The Portfolio’s and certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve investing in an index. The Underlying Fund’s value will generally decline when the performance of its targeted index declines. Because such an Underlying Fund is designed to track an index before fees and expenses, the Underlying Fund cannot purchase other securities that may help offset declines in its index. In addition, because the Underlying Fund may not hold all issues included in its index, may not always be fully invested, and bears advisory, administrative and other expenses and transaction costs in trading securities, the Underlying Fund’s performance may fail to match the performance of its targeted index, after taking expenses into account. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

 

   

Industry Sector Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of companies in different, but closely related, industries. These securities are considered as being in the same broad economic sector. The values of such securities in the same sector may be similarly affected by particular economic or market events, making an Underlying Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that sector than funds investing in multiple sectors.

 

   

Interest Rate Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities, which are subject to interest rate risk. In general, if prevailing interest rates rise, the values of debt securities will tend to fall, and if interest rates fall, the values of debt securities will tend to rise. Changes in the value of a debt security usually will not affect the amount of income the Portfolio or Underlying Fund receives from it but will affect the value of the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s shares. Interest rate risk is generally greater for debt securities with longer maturities/durations.

 

   

Liquidity Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in illiquid securities, which are securities that cannot be readily disposed of in the normal course of business. There is a risk that the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not be able to sell such securities at the time it desires, or that it cannot sell such securities without adversely affecting their price.

 

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Low and Below Investment Grade Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities with the lowest investment grade rating (e.g., BBB by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch) or that are below investment grade (which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) (e.g., BB or below by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch). These securities are more speculative than securities with higher ratings, and tend to be more sensitive to credit risk, particularly during a downturn in the economy, which is more likely to weaken the ability of the issuers to make principal and interest payments on these securities than is the case for higher-rated securities. These securities typically pay a premium – a higher interest rate or yield – because of the increased risk of loss, including default. These securities also are generally less liquid than higher-rated securities. The securities ratings provided by Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch are based on analyses by these ratings agencies of the credit quality of the securities and may not take into account every risk related to whether interest or principal will be timely repaid.

 

   

Market Risk – The Portfolio and Underlying Funds are subject to market risk, which refers to the possibility that the market values of securities that the Portfolio and Underlying Fund hold will rise or fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Security values may fall because of factors affecting individual companies, industries or sectors, or the markets as a whole, reducing the value of an investment in the Portfolio or Underlying Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. The market values of the securities the Portfolio or Underlying Fund hold also can be affected by changes or perceived changes in U.S. or foreign economies and financial markets and the liquidity of these securities, among other factors. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

 

   

Money Market Fund Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in (and certain Underlying Funds may be) money market funds, but an investment in a money market fund is not a bank deposit, and is not insured or guaranteed by Bank of America, the FDIC or any other government agency. Although money market funds seek to preserve the value of an investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in such funds.

 

   

Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in mortgage-backed securities. The value of the Underlying Fund’s mortgage-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the mortgages, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Mortgage-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of mortgages from which payments of interest and principal (net of fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of the securities) are distributed to the holders of the mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage-backed securities (but not the market value of the securities themselves) may be guaranteed (i) by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association) or (ii) by its agencies, authorities, enterprises or instrumentalities (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Federal National Mortgage Association or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation), which are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government. Mortgage-backed securities issued by non-governmental issuers (such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers) may be supported by various credit enhancements, such as pool insurance, guarantees issued by governmental entities, letters of credit from a bank or senior/subordinated structures, and may entail greater risk than obligations guaranteed by the U.S. Government, whether or not such obligations are guaranteed by the private issuer. Mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying mortgage may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of mortgage-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of mortgage-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

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Municipal Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in municipal securities, which are debt obligations generally issued to obtain funds for various public purposes, including general financing for state and local governments, or financing for a specific project or public facility. Municipal securities may be fully or partially backed by the taxing authority of the local government, by the credit of a private issuer, by the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets or by domestic or foreign entities providing credit support, such as letters of credit, guarantees or insurance, and are generally classified into general obligation bonds and special revenue obligations. General obligation bonds are backed by an issuer’s taxing authority and may be vulnerable to limits on a government’s power or ability to raise revenue or increase taxes. They also may depend for payment on legislative appropriation and/or funding or other support from other governmental bodies. Revenue obligations are payable from revenues generated by a particular project or other revenue source, and are typically subject to greater risk of default than general obligation bonds because investors can look only to the revenue generated by the project or other revenue source backing the project, rather than to the general taxing authority of the state or local government issuer of the obligations. Because many municipal securities are issued to finance projects in sectors such as education, health care, transportation and utilities, conditions in those sectors can affect the overall municipal market. Municipal securities pay interest that, in the opinion of bond counsel, is free from U.S. federal income tax (and, in some cases, the federal alternative minimum tax). There is no assurance that the IRS will agree with this opinion. In the event the IRS determines that the issuer does not comply with relevant tax requirements, interest payments from a security could become federally taxable, possibly retroactively to the date the security was issued, and the value of the security would likely fall. As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you may be required to file an amended tax return and pay additional taxes as a result.

 

   

Non-Diversified Mutual Fund Risk – Certain Underlying Funds are non-diversified, which generally means that each such Underlying Fund may invest a greater percentage of its total assets in the securities of fewer issuers than a “diversified” fund. This increases the risk that a change in the value of any one investment held by the Underlying Fund could affect the overall value of the Underlying Fund more than it would affect that of a diversified fund holding a greater number of investments. Accordingly, the Underlying Fund’s value will likely be more volatile than the value of more diversified funds. A non-diversified Underlying Fund may not operate as a non-diversified fund at all times.

 

   

Pacific/Asia Regional Risk – The Pacific/Asia region consists of countries in the Pacific Basin, including Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, among other countries within this region, and certain Underlying Fund investments in the region are thus particularly susceptible to risks in the region. Events in any one country within the region may impact other countries in the region or the Pacific/Asia region as a whole. As a result, events in the region will generally have a greater effect on the Underlying Fund than if the Underlying Fund were more geographically diversified, which could result in great volatility and losses. Countries within this region can be significantly affected by currency fluctuations and rapid changes in inflation and interest rates. Markets in the Pacific/Asia region can experience significant volatility due to social, regulatory and political uncertainties. In addition, changes in governmental policies in the region could significantly affect local markets in the region. Continued growth of economies and securities markets in the Pacific/Asia region will require sustained economic and fiscal discipline, as well as continued commitment to governmental reforms. Development also may be influenced by international economic conditions, particularly those in the United States and Japan, and by world demand for goods produced in countries in the Pacific/Asia region.

 

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Real Estate Investment Trusts Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs), which are entities that either own properties or make construction or mortgage loans, and also may include operating or finance companies. The value of REIT shares is affected by, among other factors, changes in the value of the underlying properties owned by the REIT and/or by changes in the prospect for earnings and/or cash flow growth of the REIT itself. In addition, certain of the risks associated with general real estate ownership apply to the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s REIT investments, including risks related to general and local economic conditions, possible lack of availability of financing and changes in interest rates.

 

   

Reinvestment Risk – Because the Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities, income from the Portfolio’s and those Underlying Funds’ debt securities portfolios will decline if and when the Portfolio or Underlying Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called securities in securities with market interest rates that are below the current earnings rate of the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s portfolio.

 

   

Repurchase Agreements Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may use repurchase agreements, which are agreements in which the seller of a security to the Portfolio or Underlying Fund agrees to repurchase that security from the Portfolio or Underlying Fund at a mutually agreed upon price and time. Repurchase agreements carry the risk that the counterparty may not fulfill its obligations under the agreement. This could cause the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s income and the value of your investment in the Portfolio or, indirectly, the Underlying Fund to decline.

 

   

Short Sales Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may engage in short selling. A short sale generally involves the sale by the Underlying Fund of a security it does not own with the expectation of acquiring the security at a later time at a lower price, but can involve the sale by the Underlying Fund of a security it does own. In order to short sell a common stock, the Underlying Fund must borrow, buy or already hold the security in order to make delivery to the counterparty. If the Underlying Fund borrows the security, it then is obligated to replace the security at some later time. The price of the security at such time may be higher or lower than the price at which the security was sold short by the Underlying Fund. Therefore, the Underlying Fund bears the risk that the price of the security at the time of replacement has not decreased. Short sales can potentially involve unlimited loss, as the market price of securities sold short may continue to increase, although the Underlying Fund may be able to limit any such losses by purchasing the securities sold short. There also is a risk that the Underlying Fund may experience difficulty purchasing the security necessary for replacement if the security does not have a liquid market at the time that the replacement must occur or that an event may occur.

 

   

Smaller Company Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of small- or mid-capitalization companies (“smaller companies”) which can, in certain circumstances, have a higher potential for gains than securities of large-capitalization companies but also may have more risk. For example, smaller companies may be more vulnerable to market downturns and adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies because they may have more limited financial resources and business operations. These companies are also more likely than larger companies to have more limited product lines and operating histories and to depend on smaller management teams. Their securities may trade less frequently and in smaller volumes and may be less liquid and fluctuate more sharply in value than securities of larger companies. In addition, some smaller companies may not be widely followed by the investment community, which can lower the demand for their stocks.

 

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Special Situations Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of companies that are involved in an initial public offering or a major corporate event, such as a business consolidation or restructuring, which may present special risk because of the high degree of uncertainty that can be associated with such events. Securities issued in initial public offerings often are issued by companies that are in the early stages of development, have a history of little or no revenues and may operate at a loss following the offering. It is possible that there will be no active trading market for the securities after the offering, and the market price of the securities may be subject to significant and unpredictable fluctuations. Investing in special situations may have a magnified effect on the performance of funds with small amounts of assets.

 

   

Technology Sector Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of companies in the technology sector, which are subject to significant competitive pressures, such as aggressive pricing of their products or services, new market entrants, competition for market share, short product cycles due to an accelerated rate of technological developments and the potential for limited earnings and/or falling profit margins. These companies also face the risks that new services, equipment or technologies will not be accepted by consumers and businesses or will become rapidly obsolete. These factors can affect the profitability of technology companies and, as a result, the value of their securities. In addition, many technology companies have limited operating histories. Prices of these companies’ securities historically have been more volatile than other securities, especially over the short term.

 

   

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), which are U.S. Treasury securities that are designed to provide some degree of protection against inflation. The interest rate paid on TIPS is fixed while the principal value of TIPS rises or falls semiannually based on changes in the Consumer Price All Urban Non-Seasonally Adjusted Index (CPI), which is calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. There can be no assurance that the CPI will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. TIPS will pay interest on a semi-annual basis, equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted principal amount. If inflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS are adjusted upward to protect investors from inflationary loss. If deflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS will be adjusted downward. TIPS are redeemable for the greater of either their inflation-adjusted principal amount or their face value. The current market value of TIPS is not guaranteed and will fluctuate. TIPS generally sacrifice some yield as a tradeoff for the inflation protection and the inflation adjustment is federally taxable annually although not paid out until maturity.

 

   

U.S. Government Obligations Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in U.S. Government obligations. U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government and generally have negligible credit risk. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. For example, securities issued by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Banks are neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. Government. These securities may be supported by the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the credit of the issuing agency, authority, instrumentality or enterprise and, as a result, are subject to greater credit risk than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

 

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Value Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in value securities, which are securities of companies that may have experienced, for example, adverse business, industry or other developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the securities to be out of favor and, in turn, potentially undervalued. The market value of a portfolio security may not meet the Advisor’s future value assessment of that security, or may decline. There is also a risk that it may take longer than expected for the value of these investments to rise to the believed value. In addition, value securities, at times, may not perform as well as growth securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Zero-Coupon Bonds Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in zero-coupon bonds, which are bonds that do not pay interest in cash on a current basis, but instead accrue interest over the life of the bond. As a result, these securities are issued at a discount and their values may fluctuate more than the values of similar securities that pay interest periodically. Although these securities pay no interest to holders prior to maturity, interest accrued on these securities is reported as income to the Portfolio or Underlying Fund and distributed to its shareholders.

These are summaries of the principal risks associated with the principal investment strategies of the Portfolio. Additional risks are associated with other permissible investments of the Portfolio that are described in the SAI together with further information about these principal risks. There is no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.

 

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LOGO Performance Information

The following bar chart and table show you how the Portfolio has performed in the past, and can help you understand the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s past performance (before or after taxes) is no guarantee of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Year by Year Total Return (%) as of December 31 Each Year*

The bar chart below shows you how the performance of the Portfolio’s Class A shares has varied from year to year. These returns do not reflect deductions of sales charges, if any, paid by investors and would be lower if they did.

LOGO

 

* Year-to-date return as of June 30, 2009: 9.46%.

Best and Worst Quarterly Returns During this Period

 

Best:

   4th quarter 1999:    19.49%

Worst:

   4th quarter 2008:    -22.88%

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Performance

Many factors can affect a mutual fund’s performance, including, for example:

 

   

management of fund holdings,

 

   

market conditions,

 

   

fund expenses, and

 

   

flows of investment dollars into and out of the fund.

The returns for the various share classes may vary based on differences in sales charges and expenses.

 

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Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2008

The table below shows the Portfolio’s Class A shares’ average annual total returns (i) before taxes, (ii) after taxes on distributions and (iii) after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares. The returns shown reflect applicable sales charges. The table also shows the average annual returns for the Portfolio’s Class B, Class C and Class R shares, but it does not show those classes’ after-tax returns, which will vary from those shown for the Portfolio’s Class A shares.

The table compares the Portfolio’s returns for each period with those of the S&P 500® Index, which tracks the performance of 500 widely held, large-capitalization U.S. stocks. Indices are not available for investment, and do not reflect sales charges, fees, brokerage commissions, taxes or other expenses of investing.

 

     1 year     5 years(a)     10 years(a)  

Class A shares returns before taxes

   -42.95   -1.72   0.91

Class A shares returns after taxes on distributions

   -44.59   -2.84   -0.45

Class A shares returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares

   -24.27   -0.87   0.69

Class B shares returns before taxes

   -42.41   -1.60   0.73

Class C shares returns before taxes

   -40.41   -1.31   0.73

Class R shares returns before taxes

   -39.64   -0.70   1.44

S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   -37.00   -2.19   -1.38

 

(a)

The inception date of the Portfolio’s Class R shares was January 23, 2006. The performance shown for Class R shares prior to its inception date is that of Class A shares. If Class R shares fees and expenses were included, performance would have been lower.

FUNDamentalsTM

After-Tax Returns

The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state, local or foreign taxes.

Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your personal tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown in the table do not apply to shares held in tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k) plans or IRAs.

 

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LOGO Fees and Expenses

The fee table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. Additional hypothetical fee and expense information relating to Class A, Class B, Class C and Class R shares of the Portfolio can be found in Hypothetical Fees and Expenses.

FUNDamentals TM

Portfolio Expenses

In general, there are two kinds of fund expenses:

 

   

shareholder expenses that you pay directly (e.g., sales charges and redemption fees), and

 

   

annual operating expenses that are paid by the Portfolio and deducted from the Portfolio’s assets.

Annual operating expenses include:

 

   

management fees, which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to the Advisor and the Administrator as compensation for managing and administering the Portfolio’s portfolio. See Management of the Portfolios – Primary Service Providers for more information.

 

   

distribution and service fees (sometimes referred to in the industry as “Rule 12b-1 fees”), which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to compensate the Distributor and selling and/or servicing agents for the services they provide to investors, including affiliates of Bank of America. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for more information.

 

   

other expenses, which generally include, but are not limited to, transfer agency, custody, audit and legal fees as well as costs related to registration of Portfolio shares for sale and the printing and mailing of Portfolio documents. The specific expenses that make up the Portfolio’s other expenses will vary from time to time and may include expenses not described above.

Annual fund operating expenses are calculated based on actual expenses incurred during the Portfolio’s most recently completed fiscal year and are expressed as a percentage of the Portfolio’s average net assets during the year. The rate of annual fund operating expenses will likely vary from year to year as a result of various factors, including, for example, changes in the level of the Portfolio’s net assets. Although many factors can affect fund operating expenses, in general, annual fund operating expenses, as a percentage of average net assets, will increase as the Portfolio’s net assets decrease, and will decrease as the Portfolio’s net assets increase. Net expenses also may vary from year to year based on any fee waivers or expense reimbursements.

The Portfolio may incur significant transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, in addition to the annual Portfolio operating expenses disclosed in the fee table.

 

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Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

 

     Class A Shares     Class B Shares     Class C Shares     Class R Shares

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases, as a % of offering price

   5.75   N/A      N/A      N/A

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions, as a % of the lower of the original purchase price or net asset value

   1.00 %(a)    5.00 %(b)    1.00 %(c)    N/A

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (deducted from the Portfolio’s assets)

 

     Class A Shares     Class B Shares     Class C Shares     Class R Shares  

Management fees

   0.25   0.25   0.25   0.25

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

   0.25   1.00   1.00   0.50

Other expenses

   0.00   0.00   0.00   0.00

Acquired fund fees and expenses(d)

   0.99   0.99   0.99   0.99

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses(e)

   1.49   2.24   2.24   1.74

 

(a)

This charge applies to investors who buy $1 million or more of Class A shares and redeem them within one year of purchase, with certain limited exceptions. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(b)

This charge decreases over time. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(c)

This charge applies to investors who buy Class C shares and redeem them within one year of purchase, with certain limited exceptions. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(d)

Acquired fund fees and expenses include fees and expenses associated with the Portfolio’s investments in other investment companies. Since they are incurred only indirectly by the Portfolio, such fees and expenses are not considered ordinary operating expenses of the Portfolio for purposes of a fee waiver or expense limitation, if any.

(e)

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses include acquired fund fees and expenses. As a result, the amount shown is higher than the ratio of expenses to average net assets included in the section entitled “Financial Highlights” which reflects only those expenses paid directly by the Portfolio.

 

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Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The example illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over the time periods indicated, and assumes that:

 

   

you invest $10,000 in Class A, Class B, Class C or Class R shares of the Portfolio for the periods indicated,

 

   

you pay the maximum applicable sales charge,

 

   

you reinvest all dividends and distributions in the Portfolio,

 

   

your investment has a 5% return each year,

 

   

your Class B shares convert to Class A shares after you’ve owned them for eight years, and

 

   

the Portfolio’s total annual operating expenses remain the same as shown in the table above.

Based on the assumptions listed above, your costs would be:

 

     1 year    3 years    5 years    10 years

Class A Shares

   $ 718    $ 1,019    $ 1,341    $ 2,252

Class B Shares

           

Assuming no redemption

   $ 227    $ 700    $ 1,200    $ 2,386

Assuming complete redemption of shares at the end of the period

   $ 727    $ 1,000    $ 1,400    $ 2,386

Class C Shares

           

Assuming no redemption

   $ 227    $ 700    $ 1,200    $ 2,575

Assuming complete redemption of shares at the end of the period

   $ 327    $ 700    $ 1,200    $ 2,575

Class R Shares

   $ 177    $ 548    $ 944    $ 2,052

Remember this is an example only. It is not necessarily representative of the Portfolio’s actual expenses in the past or future. Your actual costs could be higher or lower depending on the amount you invest and on the Portfolio’s actual expenses and performance.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

FUNDimensionsTM

Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

 

Investment Objective:    Total return, consisting of capital appreciation and current income
Investment Style:    Moderate Allocation
Benchmarks:    S&P 500® Index(a)
   Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index
Ticker Symbols:   

Class A: NBIAX

Class B: NLBBX

Class C: NBICX

Class R: CLBRX

Principal Risks:   

Investment strategy risk

Allocation risk

Investing in other funds risk

Asset-backed securities risk

Changing distribution levels risk

Convertible securities risk

Credit risk

Currency risk

Derivatives risk

Dollar rolls risk

Emerging market securities risk

Foreign securities risk

Frequent trading risk

Growth securities risk

Index risk

Industry sector risk

Interest rate risk

Liquidity risk

Low and below investment grade securities risk

Market risk

Money Market Fund risk

Mortgage-backed securities risk

Municipal securities risk

Non-diversified mutual fund risk

Pacific/Asia regional risk

Real estate investment trusts risk

Reinvestment risk

Repurchase agreements risk

Short sales risk

Smaller company securities risk

Special situations risk

Technology sector risk

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities risk

U.S. Government obligations risk

Value securities risk

Zero-coupon bonds risk

 

(a)

“Standard & Poor’s” and “S&P” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by the Advisor. The Portfolio is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s and Standard & Poor’s makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Portfolio.

FUNDamentalsTM

Benchmarks

Benchmarks are indices that provide some guidance in assessing fund performance. A fund does not, however, limit its investments to the securities within its benchmark(s), and a fund’s holdings can differ from those of any particular benchmark or index. Benchmarks are only guideposts for performance.

LOGO Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks total return, consisting of capital appreciation and current income.

LOGO Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests most of its assets in Class Z shares of mutual funds managed by the Advisor or its affiliates (Columbia Funds), exchange traded funds (ETFs) and third party-advised funds (collectively, Underlying Funds), equity and fixed income securities, including Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), and other instruments such as derivatives.

The Advisor uses asset allocation as its principal investment approach and:

 

   

allocates the Portfolio’s assets among asset class categories within the target asset allocations set for the Portfolio, based on the Portfolio’s investment objective and historical and projected returns for each asset class.

 

   

chooses individual Columbia Funds within each asset class category and the amount that will be allocated to each Columbia Fund, based on each Columbia Fund’s historical returns and expected performance.

 

   

may choose third party-advised Underlying Funds if a Columbia Fund is not available in the desired asset class category.

 

   

may choose equity and fixed income securities, including TIPS, and other instruments such as derivatives.

 

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reviews the asset allocations to Underlying Funds and instruments at least monthly, and may change these allocations when the Advisor believes it is appropriate to do so.

The Portfolio’s targeted allocation to Columbia Funds, as a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets, is as follows:

 

   

0-80% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in large-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-30% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in mid-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-15% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in small-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-50% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in international/global equity securities.

 

   

0-10% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in convertible securities.

 

   

0-30% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in specialty securities, including Columbia Funds that invest in equity securities of companies principally engaged in certain market sectors such as real estate or technology.

 

   

0-80% to Columbia Funds that invest in government and corporate debt securities.

 

   

0-20% to Columbia Funds that invest in below investment grade debt securities.

 

   

0-50% in Columbia money market funds.

The Portfolio’s targeted allocations to third party advised funds and instruments, as a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets, is as follows:

 

   

0-15% to fixed income securities, including TIPS.

 

   

0-10% to equity securities.

 

   

0-20% to futures and commodity-related instruments.

 

   

0-10% to third party funds/ETFs.

The Portfolio’s actual allocation may vary from these target allocations at any time. The Advisor may use various strategies to try to manage how much the actual amount varies and for how long. The Advisor can modify the list of Underlying Funds and types of instruments in which the Portfolio invests, or the asset categories, at any time, including by adding Underlying Funds introduced after the date of this prospectus.

The Advisor may sell investments to adjust the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets; if the Advisor believes that an investment is no longer a suitable investment, or that other investments are more attractive; to meet redemption requests; or for other reasons. When selling shares to meet redemption requests, the Advisor normally will, to the extent feasible, sell a proportionate amount of the shares the Portfolio owns in each Underlying Fund and instrument.

FUNDamentalsTM

About the Portfolios

Each Portfolio has its own asset allocation strategy, which gives it distinctive risk/return characteristics. The performance of each Portfolio depends on many factors, including its allocation strategy and the performance of the Underlying Funds and other assets it invests in. In general, the more a Portfolio allocates to equity securities and Underlying Funds that invest in them, the greater the potential return and the greater the risk of loss. The more a Portfolio allocates to fixed income and money market securities and Underlying Funds that invest in them, the greater the potential for price stability and the lower the potential for loss. There is always a risk, however, that you will lose money or that you may not earn as much as you expect, and that the performance of a Portfolio at any point in time may not meet your anticipated level of return for the Portfolio to fund retirement, living expense or other investment goals.

The Portfolios may be a suitable investment for you if:

 

   

you have longer-term investment goals, and

 

   

they are part of a balanced portfolio that includes other investments.

The Portfolios may not be a suitable investment for you if:

 

   

you’re not prepared to accept or are unable to bear the risks associated with equity and fixed income securities,

 

   

you have shorter-term investment goals, and

 

   

you’re looking for a regular stream of income.

 

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FUNDamentalsTM

Fund of Funds

Unlike a traditional mutual fund, which invests in individual securities, a “fund of funds” invests in a mix of underlying funds typically by using an asset allocation approach. A fund of funds indirectly bears a portion of the underlying funds’ expenses, in addition to the fund of funds’ own expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Asset Allocation Funds

Asset allocation funds use a process called “asset allocation,” which is the process of creating a portfolio by investing in different asset classes – for example, domestic equity securities, foreign securities and debt securities – in varying proportions.

The mix of asset classes and how much is invested in each is an important factor in how an asset allocation fund performs and the amount of risk involved. Each asset class, and each sub-asset class within a class, like large-, mid- and small-capitalization equity securities, has different risk and return characteristics, and may react in different ways to changes in the financial markets and to the economy in general. An investment approach that combines asset classes and sub-asset classes may help to reduce overall volatility.

Asset allocation funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio, and

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income.

LOGO Principal Risks

 

   

Investment Strategy Risk – The Advisor uses the principal investment strategies and other investment strategies to seek to achieve the Portfolio’s investment objective. Investment decisions made by the Advisor in using these strategies may not produce the returns expected by the Advisor, may cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or may cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.

 

   

Allocation Risk – The Portfolio uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Portfolio’s allocation among asset classes or investments will cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

 

   

Investing in Other Funds Risk – The performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests could be adversely affected if other entities that invest in the same Underlying Funds make relatively large investments or redemptions in the Underlying Funds. Because the expenses and costs of an Underlying Fund are shared by its investors, redemptions by other investors in the Underlying Fund could result in decreased economies of scale and increased operating expenses for the Underlying Fund. The Portfolio, and its shareholders, indirectly bear a portion of the expenses of the Underlying Funds. These transactions might also result in higher brokerage, tax or other costs for the Portfolio. This risk may be particularly important when one investor owns a substantial portion of any Underlying Fund. In addition, the Advisor has the authority to change the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or to change the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. If an Underlying Fund pays fees to the Advisor or its affiliates, such as advisory fees, this could result in the Advisor having a potential conflict of interest in selecting the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or in determining the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. There are also circumstances in which the Advisor’s fiduciary duties to the Portfolio may conflict with its fiduciary duties to the Underlying Funds.

 

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The Portfolio is subject directly to the extent it invests in individual securities and other instruments and/or indirectly to the extent it invests in Underlying Funds to the following risks:

 

   

Asset-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in asset-backed securities. The value of an Underlying Fund’s asset-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the receivables, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Asset-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of receivables such as credit card, auto, student and home equity loans. They may also be backed, in turn, by securities backed by these types of loans and others, such as mortgage loans. Asset-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Most asset-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying debt may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of asset-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of asset-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

   

Changing Distribution Levels Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may be subject to changing distribution levels risk. The amount of the distributions paid by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund generally depends on the amount of income and/or dividends received by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund on the securities it holds. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not be able to pay distributions or may have to reduce its distribution level if the income and/or dividends the Portfolio or Underlying Fund receives from its investments decline.

 

   

Convertible Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in convertible securities, which are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate risk and credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. Because the value of a convertible security can be influenced by both interest rates and market movements, a convertible security generally is not as sensitive to interest rates as a similar debt security, and generally will not vary in value in response to other factors to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities would typically be paid before the company’s common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may be forced to convert a convertible security before it otherwise would choose to do so, which may decrease the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Credit Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may be subject to credit risk, which applies to most debt securities, but is generally not a factor for obligations backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose money if the issuer of a debt security is unable or perceived to be unable to pay interest or repay principal when it becomes due. Various factors could affect the issuer’s actual or perceived willingness or ability to make timely interest or principal payments, including changes in the issuer’s financial condition or in general economic conditions. Debt securities backed by an issuer’s taxing authority may be subject to legal limits on the issuer’s power to increase taxes or otherwise to raise revenue, or may be dependent on legislative appropriation or government aid. Certain debt securities are backed only by revenues derived from a particular project or source, rather than by an issuer’s taxing authority, and thus may have a greater risk of default.

 

   

Currency Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may be subject to currency risk. Securities denominated in different currencies are subject to the risk that, for example, if the value of a foreign currency were to decline against the U.S. dollar, such decline would reduce the U.S. dollar value of any securities held by the Fund denominated in that currency.

 

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Derivatives Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, which are financial contracts whose values are, for example, based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or bond), assets (such as a commodity like gold or a foreign currency), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Derivatives involve special risks and may result in losses or may limit the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s potential gain from favorable market movements. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Underlying Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying security. The values of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in unusual market conditions, and may result in increased volatility, among other consequences. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Other risks arise from the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s potential inability to terminate or sell derivative positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Portfolio or Underlying Fund’s derivative positions at times when the Portfolio or Underlying Fund might wish to terminate or sell such positions. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid, and transactions in derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. The use of derivatives also involves the risks of mispricing or improper valuation and that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying security, asset, reference rate or index. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund also may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to engage in derivative transactions when it is deemed favorable to do so, or at all. For more information on the risks of derivative investments and strategies, see the SAI.

 

   

Dollar Rolls Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may use dollar rolls, which are transactions in which the Underlying Fund sells securities to a counterparty and simultaneously agrees to purchase those or similar securities in the future at a predetermined price. Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Underlying Fund is obligated to repurchase may decline below the repurchase price, or that the counterparty may default on its obligations. These transactions may also increase the Underlying Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. If the Underlying Fund reinvests the proceeds of the security sold, the Underlying Fund will also be subject to the risk that the investments purchased with such proceeds will decline in value (a form of leverage risk).

 

   

Emerging Market Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries, like those in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America or Africa, which are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in foreign securities that are described in Foreign Securities Risk. In addition, emerging market countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid social, political and economic development. Their economies are usually less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity than more developed countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade, which makes them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries. Some emerging market countries have a higher risk of currency devaluations, and some of these countries may experience periods of high inflation or rapid changes in inflation rates.

 

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Foreign Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in foreign securities, which are subject to special risks as compared to securities of U.S. issuers. For example, foreign markets can be extremely volatile. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may impact the value of foreign securities denominated in foreign currencies, or in U.S. dollars, without a change in the intrinsic value of those securities. Foreign securities may be less liquid than domestic securities so that the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may, at times, be unable to sell foreign securities at desirable times or prices. Brokerage commissions, custodial fees and other fees are also generally higher for foreign securities. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may have limited or no legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain foreign securities, including those issued by foreign governments. In addition, foreign governments may impose potentially confiscatory withholding or other taxes, which could reduce the amount of income and capital gains available to distribute to shareholders. Other risks include possible delays in the settlement of transactions or in the payment of income; generally less publicly available information about companies; the impact of political, social or diplomatic events; possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of a company or its assets; possible imposition of currency exchange controls; and accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards that may be less comprehensive and stringent than those applicable to domestic companies.

 

   

Frequent Trading Risk – The Portfolio’s and certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve the frequent trading of portfolio securities. Frequent trading of investments increases the possibility that the Underlying Fund will realize taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s after-tax return. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Growth Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in growth securities. Because growth securities typically trade at a higher multiple of earnings than other types of securities, the value of growth securities may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other types of securities. In addition, growth securities, at times, may not perform as well as value securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Index Risk – The Portfolio’s and certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve investing in an index. The Underlying Fund’s value will generally decline when the performance of its targeted index declines. Because such an Underlying Fund is designed to track an index before fees and expenses, the Underlying Fund cannot purchase other securities that may help offset declines in its index. In addition, because the Underlying Fund may not hold all issues included in its index, may not always be fully invested, and bears advisory, administrative and other expenses and transaction costs in trading securities, the Underlying Fund’s performance may fail to match the performance of its targeted index, after taking expenses into account. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

 

   

Industry Sector Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of companies in different, but closely related, industries. These securities are considered as being in the same broad economic sector. The values of such securities in the same sector may be similarly affected by particular economic or market events, making an Underlying Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that sector than funds investing in multiple sectors.

 

   

Interest Rate Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities, which are subject to interest rate risk. In general, if prevailing interest rates rise, the values of debt securities will tend to fall, and if interest rates fall, the values of debt securities will tend to rise. Changes in the value of a debt security usually will not affect the amount of income the Portfolio or Underlying Fund receives from it but will affect the value of the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s shares. Interest rate risk is generally greater for debt securities with longer maturities/durations.

 

   

Liquidity Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in illiquid securities, which are securities that cannot be readily disposed of in the normal course of business. There is a risk that the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not be able to sell such securities at the time it desires, or that it cannot sell such securities without adversely affecting their price.

 

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Low and Below Investment Grade Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities with the lowest investment grade rating (e.g., BBB by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch) or that are below investment grade (which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) (e.g., BB or below by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch). These securities are more speculative than securities with higher ratings, and tend to be more sensitive to credit risk, particularly during a downturn in the economy, which is more likely to weaken the ability of the issuers to make principal and interest payments on these securities than is the case for higher-rated securities. These securities typically pay a premium – a higher interest rate or yield – because of the increased risk of loss, including default. These securities also are generally less liquid than higher-rated securities. The securities ratings provided by Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch are based on analyses by these ratings agencies of the credit quality of the securities and may not take into account every risk related to whether interest or principal will be timely repaid.

 

   

Market Risk – The Portfolio and Underlying Funds are subject to market risk, which refers to the possibility that the market values of securities that the Portfolio and Underlying Fund hold will rise or fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Security values may fall because of factors affecting individual companies, industries or sectors, or the markets as a whole, reducing the value of an investment in the Portfolio or Underlying Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. The market values of the securities the Portfolio or Underlying Fund hold also can be affected by changes or perceived changes in U.S. or foreign economies and financial markets and the liquidity of these securities, among other factors. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

 

   

Money Market Fund Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in (and certain Underlying Funds may be) money market funds, but an investment in a money market fund is not a bank deposit, and is not insured or guaranteed by Bank of America, the FDIC or any other government agency. Although money market funds seek to preserve the value of an investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in such funds.

 

   

Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in mortgage-backed securities. The value of the Underlying Fund’s mortgage-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the mortgages, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Mortgage-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of mortgages from which payments of interest and principal (net of fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of the securities) are distributed to the holders of the mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage-backed securities (but not the market value of the securities themselves) may be guaranteed (i) by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association) or (ii) by its agencies, authorities, enterprises or instrumentalities (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Federal National Mortgage Association or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation), which are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government. Mortgage-backed securities issued by non-governmental issuers (such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers) may be supported by various credit enhancements, such as pool insurance, guarantees issued by governmental entities, letters of credit from a bank or senior/subordinated structures, and may entail greater risk than obligations guaranteed by the U.S. Government, whether or not such obligations are guaranteed by the private issuer. Mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying mortgage may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of mortgage-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of mortgage-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

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Municipal Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in municipal securities, which are debt obligations generally issued to obtain funds for various public purposes, including general financing for state and local governments, or financing for a specific project or public facility. Municipal securities may be fully or partially backed by the taxing authority of the local government, by the credit of a private issuer, by the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets or by domestic or foreign entities providing credit support, such as letters of credit, guarantees or insurance, and are generally classified into general obligation bonds and special revenue obligations. General obligation bonds are backed by an issuer’s taxing authority and may be vulnerable to limits on a government’s power or ability to raise revenue or increase taxes. They also may depend for payment on legislative appropriation and/or funding or other support from other governmental bodies. Revenue obligations are payable from revenues generated by a particular project or other revenue source, and are typically subject to greater risk of default than general obligation bonds because investors can look only to the revenue generated by the project or other revenue source backing the project, rather than to the general taxing authority of the state or local government issuer of the obligations. Because many municipal securities are issued to finance projects in sectors such as education, health care, transportation and utilities, conditions in those sectors can affect the overall municipal market. Municipal securities pay interest that, in the opinion of bond counsel, is free from U.S. federal income tax (and, in some cases, the federal alternative minimum tax). There is no assurance that the IRS will agree with this opinion. In the event the IRS determines that the issuer does not comply with relevant tax requirements, interest payments from a security could become federally taxable, possibly retroactively to the date the security was issued, and the value of the security would likely fall. As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you may be required to file an amended tax return and pay additional taxes as a result.

 

   

Non-Diversified Mutual Fund Risk – Certain Underlying Funds are non-diversified, which generally means that each such Underlying Fund may invest a greater percentage of its total assets in the securities of fewer issuers than a “diversified” fund. This increases the risk that a change in the value of any one investment held by the Underlying Fund could affect the overall value of the Underlying Fund more than it would affect that of a diversified fund holding a greater number of investments. Accordingly, the Underlying Fund’s value will likely be more volatile than the value of more diversified funds. A non-diversified Underlying Fund may not operate as a non-diversified fund at all times.

 

   

Pacific/Asia Regional Risk – The Pacific/Asia region consists of countries in the Pacific Basin, including Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, among other countries within this region, and certain Underlying Fund investments in the region are thus particularly susceptible to risks in the region. Events in any one country within the region may impact other countries in the region or the Pacific/Asia region as a whole. As a result, events in the region will generally have a greater effect on the Underlying Fund than if the Underlying Fund were more geographically diversified, which could result in great volatility and losses. Countries within this region can be significantly affected by currency fluctuations and rapid changes in inflation and interest rates. Markets in the Pacific/Asia region can experience significant volatility due to social, regulatory and political uncertainties. In addition, changes in governmental policies in the region could significantly affect local markets in the region. Continued growth of economies and securities markets in the Pacific/Asia region will require sustained economic and fiscal discipline, as well as continued commitment to governmental reforms. Development also may be influenced by international economic conditions, particularly those in the United States and Japan, and by world demand for goods produced in countries in the Pacific/Asia region.

 

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Real Estate Investment Trusts Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs), which are entities that either own properties or make construction or mortgage loans, and also may include operating or finance companies. The value of REIT shares is affected by, among other factors, changes in the value of the underlying properties owned by the REIT and/or by changes in the prospect for earnings and/or cash flow growth of the REIT itself. In addition, certain of the risks associated with general real estate ownership apply to the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s REIT investments, including risks related to general and local economic conditions, possible lack of availability of financing and changes in interest rates.

 

   

Reinvestment Risk – Because the Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities, income from the Portfolio’s and those Underlying Funds’ debt securities portfolios will decline if and when the Portfolio or Underlying Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called securities in securities with market interest rates that are below the current earnings rate of the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s portfolio.

 

   

Repurchase Agreements Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may use repurchase agreements, which are agreements in which the seller of a security to the Portfolio or Underlying Fund agrees to repurchase that security from the Portfolio or Underlying Fund at a mutually agreed upon price and time. Repurchase agreements carry the risk that the counterparty may not fulfill its obligations under the agreement. This could cause the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s income and the value of your investment in the Portfolio or, indirectly, the Underlying Fund to decline.

 

   

Short Sales Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may engage in short selling. A short sale generally involves the sale by the Underlying Fund of a security it does not own with the expectation of acquiring the security at a later time at a lower price, but can involve the sale by the Underlying Fund of a security it does own. In order to short sell a common stock, the Underlying Fund must borrow, buy or already hold the security in order to make delivery to the counterparty. If the Underlying Fund borrows the security, it then is obligated to replace the security at some later time. The price of the security at such time may be higher or lower than the price at which the security was sold short by the Underlying Fund. Therefore, the Underlying Fund bears the risk that the price of the security at the time of replacement has not decreased. Short sales can potentially involve unlimited loss, as the market price of securities sold short may continue to increase, although the Underlying Fund may be able to limit any such losses by purchasing the securities sold short. There also is a risk that the Underlying Fund may experience difficulty purchasing the security necessary for replacement if the security does not have a liquid market at the time that the replacement must occur or that an event may occur.

 

   

Smaller Company Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of small- or mid-capitalization companies (“smaller companies”) which can, in certain circumstances, have a higher potential for gains than securities of large-capitalization companies but also may have more risk. For example, smaller companies may be more vulnerable to market downturns and adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies because they may have more limited financial resources and business operations. These companies are also more likely than larger companies to have more limited product lines and operating histories and to depend on smaller management teams. Their securities may trade less frequently and in smaller volumes and may be less liquid and fluctuate more sharply in value than securities of larger companies. In addition, some smaller companies may not be widely followed by the investment community, which can lower the demand for their stocks.

 

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Special Situations Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of companies that are involved in an initial public offering or a major corporate event, such as a business consolidation or restructuring, which may present special risk because of the high degree of uncertainty that can be associated with such events. Securities issued in initial public offerings often are issued by companies that are in the early stages of development, have a history of little or no revenues and may operate at a loss following the offering. It is possible that there will be no active trading market for the securities after the offering, and the market price of the securities may be subject to significant and unpredictable fluctuations. Investing in special situations may have a magnified effect on the performance of funds with small amounts of assets.

 

   

Technology Sector Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of companies in the technology sector, which are subject to significant competitive pressures, such as aggressive pricing of their products or services, new market entrants, competition for market share, short product cycles due to an accelerated rate of technological developments and the potential for limited earnings and/or falling profit margins. These companies also face the risks that new services, equipment or technologies will not be accepted by consumers and businesses or will become rapidly obsolete. These factors can affect the profitability of technology companies and, as a result, the value of their securities. In addition, many technology companies have limited operating histories. Prices of these companies’ securities historically have been more volatile than other securities, especially over the short term.

 

   

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), which are U.S. Treasury securities that are designed to provide some degree of protection against inflation. The interest rate paid on TIPS is fixed while the principal value of TIPS rises or falls semiannually based on changes in the Consumer Price All Urban Non-Seasonally Adjusted Index (CPI), which is calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. There can be no assurance that the CPI will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. TIPS will pay interest on a semi-annual basis, equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted principal amount. If inflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS are adjusted upward to protect investors from inflationary loss. If deflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS will be adjusted downward. TIPS are redeemable for the greater of either their inflation-adjusted principal amount or their face value. The current market value of TIPS is not guaranteed and will fluctuate. TIPS generally sacrifice some yield as a tradeoff for the inflation protection and the inflation adjustment is federally taxable annually although not paid out until maturity.

 

   

U.S. Government Obligations Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in U.S. Government obligations. U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government and generally have negligible credit risk. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. For example, securities issued by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Banks are neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. Government. These securities may be supported by the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the credit of the issuing agency, authority, instrumentality or enterprise and, as a result, are subject to greater credit risk than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

 

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Value Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in value securities, which are securities of companies that may have experienced, for example, adverse business, industry or other developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the securities to be out of favor and, in turn, potentially undervalued. The market value of a portfolio security may not meet the Advisor’s future value assessment of that security, or may decline. There is also a risk that it may take longer than expected for the value of these investments to rise to the believed value. In addition, value securities, at times, may not perform as well as growth securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Zero-Coupon Bonds Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in zero-coupon bonds, which are bonds that do not pay interest in cash on a current basis, but instead accrue interest over the life of the bond. As a result, these securities are issued at a discount and their values may fluctuate more than the values of similar securities that pay interest periodically. Although these securities pay no interest to holders prior to maturity, interest accrued on these securities is reported as income to the Portfolio or Underlying Fund and distributed to its shareholders.

These are summaries of the principal risks associated with the principal investment strategies of the Portfolio. Additional risks are associated with other permissible investments of the Portfolio that are described in the SAI together with further information about these principal risks. There is no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.

 

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LOGO Performance Information

The following bar chart and table show you how the Portfolio has performed in the past, and can help you understand the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s past performance (before or after taxes) is no guarantee of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Year by Year Total Return (%) as of December 31 Each Year*

The bar chart below shows you how the performance of the Portfolio’s Class A shares has varied from year to year. These returns do not reflect deductions of sales charges, if any, paid by investors and would be lower if they did.

LOGO

 

* Year-to-date return as of June 30, 2009: 10.64%.

Best and Worst Quarterly Returns During this Period

 

Best:

   2nd quarter 2003:    12.44%

Worst:

   4th quarter 2008:    -14.57%

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Performance

Many factors can affect a mutual fund’s performance, including, for example:

 

   

management of fund holdings,

 

   

market conditions,

 

   

fund expenses, and

 

   

flows of investment dollars into and out of the fund.

The returns for the various share classes may vary based on differences in sales charges and expenses.

 

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Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2008

The table below shows the Portfolio’s Class A shares’ average annual total returns (i) before taxes, (ii) after taxes on distributions and (iii) after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares. The returns shown reflect applicable sales charges. The table also shows the average annual returns for the Portfolio’s Class B, Class C and Class R shares, but it does not show those classes’ after-tax returns, which will vary from those shown for the Portfolio’s Class A shares.

The table compares the Portfolio’s returns for each period with those of the S&P 500® Index and the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The S&P 500® Index tracks the performance of 500 widely held, large-capitalization U.S. stocks. The Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a market value-weighted index that tracks the daily price, coupon, pay-downs, and total return performance of fixed-rate, publicly placed, dollar-denominated, and non-convertible investment grade debt issues with at least $250 million par amount outstanding and with at least one year to final maturity. Indices are not available for investment, and do not reflect sales charges, fees, brokerage commissions, taxes or other expenses of investing.

 

     1 year     5 years(a)     10 years(a)  

Class A shares returns before taxes

   -32.43   -0.96   2.31

Class A shares returns after taxes on distributions

   -33.91   -2.38   0.67

Class A shares returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares

   -19.04   -0.91   1.39

Class B shares returns before taxes

   -32.02   -0.81   2.14

Class C shares returns before taxes

   -29.58   -0.54   2.13

Class R shares returns before taxes

   -28.53   0.05   2.83

S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   -37.00   -2.19   -1.38

Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   5.24   4.65   5.63

 

(a)

The inception date of the Portfolio’s Class R shares was January 23, 2006. The performance shown for Class R shares prior to its inception date is that of Class A shares. If Class R shares fees and expenses were included, performance would have been lower.

FUNDamentalsTM

After-Tax Returns

The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state, local or foreign taxes.

Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your personal tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown in the table do not apply to shares held in tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k) plans or IRAs.

 

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LOGO Fees and Expenses

The fee table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. Additional hypothetical fee and expense information relating to Class A, Class B, Class C and Class R shares of the Portfolio can be found in Hypothetical Fees and Expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Expenses

In general, there are two kinds of fund expenses:

 

   

shareholder expenses that you pay directly (e.g., sales charges and redemption fees), and

 

   

annual operating expenses that are paid by the Portfolio and deducted from the Portfolio’s assets.

Annual operating expenses include:

 

   

management fees, which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to the Advisor and the Administrator as compensation for managing and administering the Portfolio’s portfolio. See Management of the Portfolios – Primary Service Providers for more information.

 

   

distribution and service fees (sometimes referred to in the industry as “Rule 12b-1 fees”), which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to compensate the Distributor and selling and/or servicing agents for the services they provide to investors, including affiliates of Bank of America. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for more information.

 

   

other expenses, which generally include, but are not limited to, transfer agency, custody, audit and legal fees as well as costs related to registration of Portfolio shares for sale and the printing and mailing of Portfolio documents. The specific expenses that make up the Portfolio’s other expenses will vary from time to time and may include expenses not described above.

Annual fund operating expenses are calculated based on actual expenses incurred during the Portfolio’s most recently completed fiscal year and are expressed as a percentage of the Portfolio’s average net assets during the year. The rate of annual fund operating expenses will likely vary from year to year as a result of various factors, including, for example, changes in the level of the Portfolio’s net assets. Although many factors can affect fund operating expenses, in general, annual fund operating expenses, as a percentage of average net assets, will increase as the Portfolio’s net assets decrease, and will decrease as the Portfolio’s net assets increase. Net expenses also may vary from year to year based on any fee waivers or expense reimbursements.

The Portfolio may incur significant transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, in addition to the annual Portfolio operating expenses disclosed in the fee table.

 

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Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

 

     Class A Shares     Class B Shares     Class C Shares     Class R Shares

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases, as a % of offering price

   5.75   N/A      N/A      N/A

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions, as a % of the lower of the original purchase price or net asset value

   1.00 %(a)    5.00 %(b)    1.00 %(c)    N/A

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (deducted from the Portfolio’s assets)

 

     Class A Shares     Class B Shares     Class C Shares     Class R Shares  

Management fees

   0.25   0.25   0.25   0.25

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

   0.25   1.00   1.00   0.50

Other expenses

   0.00   0.00   0.00   0.00

Acquired fund fees and expenses(d)

   0.88   0.88   0.88   0.88

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses(e)

   1.38   2.13   2.13   1.63

 

(a)

This charge applies to investors who buy $1 million or more of Class A shares and redeem them within one year of purchase, with certain limited exceptions. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(b)

This charge decreases over time. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(c)

This charge applies to investors who buy Class C shares and redeem them within one year of purchase, with certain limited exceptions. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(d)

Acquired fund fees and expenses include fees and expenses associated with the Portfolio’s investments in other investment companies. Since they are incurred only indirectly by the Portfolio, such fees and expenses are not considered ordinary operating expenses of the Portfolio for purposes of a fee waiver or expense limitation, if any.

(e)

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses include acquired fund fees and expenses. As a result, the amount shown is higher than the ratio of expenses to average net assets included in the section entitled “Financial Highlights” which reflects only those expenses paid directly by the Portfolio.

 

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Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The example illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over the time periods indicated, and assumes that:

 

   

you invest $10,000 in Class A, Class B, Class C or Class R shares of the Portfolio for the periods indicated,

 

   

you pay the maximum applicable sales charge,

 

   

you reinvest all dividends and distributions in the Portfolio,

 

   

your investment has a 5% return each year,

 

   

your Class B shares convert to Class A shares after you’ve owned them for eight years, and

 

   

the Portfolio’s total annual operating expenses remain the same as shown in the table above.

Based on the assumptions listed above, your costs would be:

 

     1 year    3 years    5 years    10 years

Class A Shares

   $ 707    $ 987    $ 1,287    $ 2,137

Class B Shares

           

Assuming no redemption

   $ 216    $ 667    $ 1,144    $ 2,271

Assuming complete redemption of shares at the end of the period

   $ 716    $ 967    $ 1,344    $ 2,271

Class C Shares

           

Assuming no redemption

   $ 216    $ 667    $ 1,144    $ 2,462

Assuming complete redemption of shares at the end of the period

   $ 316    $ 667    $ 1,144    $ 2,462

Class R Shares

   $ 166    $ 514    $ 887    $ 1,933

Remember this is an example only. It is not necessarily representative of the Portfolio’s actual expenses in the past or future. Your actual costs could be higher or lower depending on the amount you invest and on the Portfolio’s actual expenses and performance.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

FUNDimensionsTM

Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

 

Investment Objective:    Total return, consisting of current income and modest capital appreciation
Investment Style:    Conservative Allocation
Benchmarks:    S&P 500® Index(a)
   Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index
Ticker Symbols:   

Class A: NLGAX

Class B: NLIBX

Class C: NIICX

Class R: CLIRX

Principal Risks:   

Investment strategy risk

Allocation risk

Investing in other funds risk

Asset-backed securities risk

Changing distribution levels risk

Convertible securities risk

Credit risk

Currency risk

Derivatives risk

Dollar rolls risk

Emerging market securities risk

Foreign securities risk

Frequent trading risk

Growth securities risk

Index risk

Industry sector risk

Interest rate risk

Liquidity risk

Low and below investment grade securities risk

Market risk

Money Market Fund risk

Mortgage-backed securities risk

Municipal securities risk

Non-diversified mutual fund risk

Pacific/Asia regional risk

Real estate investment trusts risk

Reinvestment risk

Repurchase agreements risk

Short sales risk

Smaller company securities risk

Special situations risk

Technology sector risk

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities risk

U.S. Government obligations risk

Value securities risk

Zero-coupon bonds risk

 

(a) “Standard & Poor’s” and “S&P” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by the Advisor. The Portfolio is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s and Standard & Poor’s makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Portfolio.

FUNDamentalsTM

Benchmarks

Benchmarks are indices that provide some guidance in assessing fund performance. A fund does not, however, limit its investments to the securities within its benchmark(s), and a fund’s holdings can differ from those of any particular benchmark or index. Benchmarks are only guideposts for performance.

LOGO Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks total return, consisting of current income and modest capital appreciation.

LOGO Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests most of its assets in Class Z shares of mutual funds managed by the Advisor or its affiliates (Columbia Funds), exchange traded funds (ETFs) and third party-advised funds (collectively, Underlying Funds), equity and fixed income securities, including Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), and other instruments such as derivatives.

The Advisor uses asset allocation as its principal investment approach and:

 

   

allocates the Portfolio’s assets among asset class categories within the target asset allocations set for the Portfolio, based on the Portfolio’s investment objective and historical and projected returns for each asset class.

 

   

chooses individual Columbia Funds within each asset class category and the amount that will be allocated to each Columbia Fund, based on each Columbia Fund’s historical returns and expected performance.

 

   

may choose third party-advised Underlying Funds if a Columbia Fund is not available in the desired asset class category.

 

   

may choose equity and fixed income securities, including TIPS, and other instruments such as derivatives.

 

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reviews the asset allocations to Underlying Funds and instruments at least monthly, and may change these allocations when the Advisor believes it is appropriate to do so.

The Portfolio’s targeted allocation to Columbia Funds, as a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets, is as follows:

 

   

0-50% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in large-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-30% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in mid-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-10% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in small-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-30% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in international/global equity securities.

 

   

0-10% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in convertible securities.

 

   

0-30% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in specialty securities, including Columbia Funds that invest in equity securities of companies principally engaged in certain market sectors such as real estate or technology.

 

   

0-100% to Columbia Funds that invest in government and corporate debt securities.

 

   

0-15% to Columbia Funds that invest in below investment grade debt securities.

 

   

0-50% in Columbia money market funds.

The Portfolio’s targeted allocations to third party advised funds and instruments, as a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets, is as follows:

 

   

0-15% to fixed income securities, including TIPS.

 

   

0-10% to equity securities.

 

   

0-20% to futures and commodity-related instruments.

 

   

0-10% to third party funds/ETFs.

The Portfolio’s actual allocation may vary from these target allocations at any time. The Advisor may use various strategies to try to manage how much the actual amount varies and for how long. The Advisor can modify the list of Underlying Funds and types of instruments in which the Portfolio invests, or the asset categories, at any time, including by adding Underlying Funds introduced after the date of this prospectus.

The Advisor may sell investments to adjust the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets; if the Advisor believes that an investment is no longer a suitable investment, or that other investments are more attractive; to meet redemption requests; or for other reasons. When selling shares to meet redemption requests, the Advisor normally will, to the extent feasible, sell a proportionate amount of the shares the Portfolio owns in each Underlying Fund and instrument.

FUNDamentalsTM

About the Portfolios

Each Portfolio has its own asset allocation strategy, which gives it distinctive risk/return characteristics. The performance of each Portfolio depends on many factors, including its allocation strategy and the performance of the Underlying Funds and other assets it invests in. In general, the more a Portfolio allocates to equity securities and Underlying Funds that invest in them, the greater the potential return and the greater the risk of loss. The more a Portfolio allocates to fixed income and money market securities and Underlying Funds that invest in them, the greater the potential for price stability and the lower the potential for loss. There is always a risk, however, that you will lose money or that you may not earn as much as you expect, and that the performance of a Portfolio at any point in time may not meet your anticipated level of return for the Portfolio to fund retirement, living expense or other investment goals.

The Portfolios may be a suitable investment for you if:

 

   

you have longer-term investment goals, and

 

   

they are part of a balanced portfolio that includes other investments.

The Portfolios may not be a suitable investment for you if:

 

   

you’re not prepared to accept or are unable to bear the risks associated with equity and fixed income securities,

 

   

you have shorter-term investment goals, and

 

   

you’re looking for a regular stream of income.

 

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FUNDamentalsTM

Fund of Funds

Unlike a traditional mutual fund, which invests in individual securities, a “fund of funds” invests in a mix of underlying funds typically by using an asset allocation approach. A fund of funds indirectly bears a portion of the underlying funds’ expenses, in addition to the fund of funds’ own expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Asset Allocation Funds

Asset allocation funds use a process called “asset allocation,” which is the process of creating a portfolio by investing in different asset classes – for example, domestic equity securities, foreign securities and debt securities – in varying proportions.

The mix of asset classes and how much is invested in each is an important factor in how an asset allocation fund performs and the amount of risk involved. Each asset class, and each sub-asset class within a class, like large-, mid- and small-capitalization equity securities, has different risk and return characteristics, and may react in different ways to changes in the financial markets and to the economy in general. An investment approach that combines asset classes and sub-asset classes may help to reduce overall volatility.

Asset allocation funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio, and

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income.

LOGO Principal Risks

 

   

Investment Strategy Risk – The Advisor uses the principal investment strategies and other investment strategies to seek to achieve the Portfolio’s investment objective. Investment decisions made by the Advisor in using these strategies may not produce the returns expected by the Advisor, may cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or may cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.

 

   

Allocation Risk – The Portfolio uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Portfolio’s allocation among asset classes or investments will cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

 

   

Investing in Other Funds Risk – The performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests could be adversely affected if other entities that invest in the same Underlying Funds make relatively large investments or redemptions in the Underlying Funds. Because the expenses and costs of an Underlying Fund are shared by its investors, redemptions by other investors in the Underlying Fund could result in decreased economies of scale and increased operating expenses for the Underlying Fund. The Portfolio, and its shareholders, indirectly bear a portion of the expenses of the Underlying Funds. These transactions might also result in higher brokerage, tax or other costs for the Portfolio. This risk may be particularly important when one investor owns a substantial portion of any Underlying Fund. In addition, the Advisor has the authority to change the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or to change the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. If an Underlying Fund pays fees to the Advisor or its affiliates, such as advisory fees, this could result in the Advisor having a potential conflict of interest in selecting the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or in determining the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. There are also circumstances in which the Advisor’s fiduciary duties to the Portfolio may conflict with its fiduciary duties to the Underlying Funds.

 

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The Portfolio is subject directly to the extent it invests in individual securities and other instruments and/or indirectly to the extent it invests in Underlying Funds to the following risks:

 

   

Asset-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in asset-backed securities. The value of an Underlying Fund’s asset-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the receivables, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Asset-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of receivables such as credit card, auto, student and home equity loans. They may also be backed, in turn, by securities backed by these types of loans and others, such as mortgage loans. Asset-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Most asset-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying debt may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of asset-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of asset-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

   

Changing Distribution Levels Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may be subject to changing distribution levels risk. The amount of the distributions paid by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund generally depends on the amount of income and/or dividends received by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund on the securities it holds. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not be able to pay distributions or may have to reduce its distribution level if the income and/or dividends the Portfolio or Underlying Fund receives from its investments decline.

 

   

Convertible Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in convertible securities, which are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate risk and credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. Because the value of a convertible security can be influenced by both interest rates and market movements, a convertible security generally is not as sensitive to interest rates as a similar debt security, and generally will not vary in value in response to other factors to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities would typically be paid before the company’s common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may be forced to convert a convertible security before it otherwise would choose to do so, which may decrease the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Credit Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may be subject to credit risk, which applies to most debt securities, but is generally not a factor for obligations backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose money if the issuer of a debt security is unable or perceived to be unable to pay interest or repay principal when it becomes due. Various factors could affect the issuer’s actual or perceived willingness or ability to make timely interest or principal payments, including changes in the issuer’s financial condition or in general economic conditions. Debt securities backed by an issuer’s taxing authority may be subject to legal limits on the issuer’s power to increase taxes or otherwise to raise revenue, or may be dependent on legislative appropriation or government aid. Certain debt securities are backed only by revenues derived from a particular project or source, rather than by an issuer’s taxing authority, and thus may have a greater risk of default.

 

   

Currency Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may be subject to currency risk. Securities denominated in different currencies are subject to the risk that, for example, if the value of a foreign currency were to decline against the U.S. dollar, such decline would reduce the U.S. dollar value of any securities held by the Fund denominated in that currency.

 

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Derivatives Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, which are financial contracts whose values are, for example, based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or bond), assets (such as a commodity like gold or a foreign currency), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Derivatives involve special risks and may result in losses or may limit the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s potential gain from favorable market movements. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Underlying Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying security. The values of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in unusual market conditions, and may result in increased volatility, among other consequences. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Other risks arise from the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s potential inability to terminate or sell derivative positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Portfolio or Underlying Fund’s derivative positions at times when the Portfolio or Underlying Fund might wish to terminate or sell such positions. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid, and transactions in derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. The use of derivatives also involves the risks of mispricing or improper valuation and that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying security, asset, reference rate or index. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund also may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to engage in derivative transactions when it is deemed favorable to do so, or at all. For more information on the risks of derivative investments and strategies, see the SAI.

 

   

Dollar Rolls Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may use dollar rolls, which are transactions in which the Underlying Fund sells securities to a counterparty and simultaneously agrees to purchase those or similar securities in the future at a predetermined price. Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Underlying Fund is obligated to repurchase may decline below the repurchase price, or that the counterparty may default on its obligations. These transactions may also increase the Underlying Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. If the Underlying Fund reinvests the proceeds of the security sold, the Underlying Fund will also be subject to the risk that the investments purchased with such proceeds will decline in value (a form of leverage risk).

 

   

Emerging Market Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries, like those in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America or Africa, which are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in foreign securities that are described in Foreign Securities Risk. In addition, emerging market countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid social, political and economic development. Their economies are usually less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity than more developed countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade, which makes them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries. Some emerging market countries have a higher risk of currency devaluations, and some of these countries may experience periods of high inflation or rapid changes in inflation rates.

 

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Foreign Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in foreign securities, which are subject to special risks as compared to securities of U.S. issuers. For example, foreign markets can be extremely volatile. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may impact the value of foreign securities denominated in foreign currencies, or in U.S. dollars, without a change in the intrinsic value of those securities. Foreign securities may be less liquid than domestic securities so that the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may, at times, be unable to sell foreign securities at desirable times or prices. Brokerage commissions, custodial fees and other fees are also generally higher for foreign securities. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may have limited or no legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain foreign securities, including those issued by foreign governments. In addition, foreign governments may impose potentially confiscatory withholding or other taxes, which could reduce the amount of income and capital gains available to distribute to shareholders. Other risks include possible delays in the settlement of transactions or in the payment of income; generally less publicly available information about companies; the impact of political, social or diplomatic events; possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of a company or its assets; possible imposition of currency exchange controls; and accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards that may be less comprehensive and stringent than those applicable to domestic companies.

 

   

Frequent Trading Risk – The Portfolio’s and certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve the frequent trading of portfolio securities. Frequent trading of investments increases the possibility that the Underlying Fund will realize taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s after-tax return. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Growth Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in growth securities. Because growth securities typically trade at a higher multiple of earnings than other types of securities, the value of growth securities may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other types of securities. In addition, growth securities, at times, may not perform as well as value securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Index Risk – The Portfolio’s and certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve investing in an index. The Underlying Fund’s value will generally decline when the performance of its targeted index declines. Because such an Underlying Fund is designed to track an index before fees and expenses, the Underlying Fund cannot purchase other securities that may help offset declines in its index. In addition, because the Underlying Fund may not hold all issues included in its index, may not always be fully invested, and bears advisory, administrative and other expenses and transaction costs in trading securities, the Underlying Fund’s performance may fail to match the performance of its targeted index, after taking expenses into account. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

 

   

Industry Sector Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of companies in different, but closely related, industries. These securities are considered as being in the same broad economic sector. The values of such securities in the same sector may be similarly affected by particular economic or market events, making an Underlying Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that sector than funds investing in multiple sectors.

 

   

Interest Rate Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities, which are subject to interest rate risk. In general, if prevailing interest rates rise, the values of debt securities will tend to fall, and if interest rates fall, the values of debt securities will tend to rise. Changes in the value of a debt security usually will not affect the amount of income the Portfolio or Underlying Fund receives from it but will affect the value of the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s shares. Interest rate risk is generally greater for debt securities with longer maturities/durations.

 

   

Liquidity Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in illiquid securities, which are securities that cannot be readily disposed of in the normal course of business. There is a risk that the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not be able to sell such securities at the time it desires, or that it cannot sell such securities without adversely affecting their price.

 

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Low and Below Investment Grade Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities with the lowest investment grade rating (e.g., BBB by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch) or that are below investment grade (which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) (e.g., BB or below by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch). These securities are more speculative than securities with higher ratings, and tend to be more sensitive to credit risk, particularly during a downturn in the economy, which is more likely to weaken the ability of the issuers to make principal and interest payments on these securities than is the case for higher-rated securities. These securities typically pay a premium – a higher interest rate or yield – because of the increased risk of loss, including default. These securities also are generally less liquid than higher-rated securities. The securities ratings provided by Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch are based on analyses by these ratings agencies of the credit quality of the securities and may not take into account every risk related to whether interest or principal will be timely repaid.

 

   

Market Risk – The Portfolio and Underlying Funds are subject to market risk, which refers to the possibility that the market values of securities that the Portfolio and Underlying Fund hold will rise or fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Security values may fall because of factors affecting individual companies, industries or sectors, or the markets as a whole, reducing the value of an investment in the Portfolio or Underlying Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. The market values of the securities the Portfolio or Underlying Fund hold also can be affected by changes or perceived changes in U.S. or foreign economies and financial markets and the liquidity of these securities, among other factors. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

 

   

Money Market Fund Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in (and certain Underlying Funds may be) money market funds, but an investment in a money market fund is not a bank deposit, and is not insured or guaranteed by Bank of America, the FDIC or any other government agency. Although money market funds seek to preserve the value of an investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in such funds.

 

   

Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in mortgage-backed securities. The value of the Underlying Fund’s mortgage-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the mortgages, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Mortgage-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of mortgages from which payments of interest and principal (net of fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of the securities) are distributed to the holders of the mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage-backed securities (but not the market value of the securities themselves) may be guaranteed (i) by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association) or (ii) by its agencies, authorities, enterprises or instrumentalities (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Federal National Mortgage Association or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation), which are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government. Mortgage-backed securities issued by non-governmental issuers (such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers) may be supported by various credit enhancements, such as pool insurance, guarantees issued by governmental entities, letters of credit from a bank or senior/subordinated structures, and may entail greater risk than obligations guaranteed by the U.S. Government, whether or not such obligations are guaranteed by the private issuer. Mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying mortgage may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of mortgage-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of mortgage-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

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Municipal Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in municipal securities, which are debt obligations generally issued to obtain funds for various public purposes, including general financing for state and local governments, or financing for a specific project or public facility. Municipal securities may be fully or partially backed by the taxing authority of the local government, by the credit of a private issuer, by the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets or by domestic or foreign entities providing credit support, such as letters of credit, guarantees or insurance, and are generally classified into general obligation bonds and special revenue obligations. General obligation bonds are backed by an issuer’s taxing authority and may be vulnerable to limits on a government’s power or ability to raise revenue or increase taxes. They also may depend for payment on legislative appropriation and/or funding or other support from other governmental bodies. Revenue obligations are payable from revenues generated by a particular project or other revenue source, and are typically subject to greater risk of default than general obligation bonds because investors can look only to the revenue generated by the project or other revenue source backing the project, rather than to the general taxing authority of the state or local government issuer of the obligations. Because many municipal securities are issued to finance projects in sectors such as education, health care, transportation and utilities, conditions in those sectors can affect the overall municipal market. Municipal securities pay interest that, in the opinion of bond counsel, is free from U.S. federal income tax (and, in some cases, the federal alternative minimum tax). There is no assurance that the IRS will agree with this opinion. In the event the IRS determines that the issuer does not comply with relevant tax requirements, interest payments from a security could become federally taxable, possibly retroactively to the date the security was issued, and the value of the security would likely fall. As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you may be required to file an amended tax return and pay additional taxes as a result.

 

   

Non-Diversified Mutual Fund Risk – Certain Underlying Funds are non-diversified, which generally means that each such Underlying Fund may invest a greater percentage of its total assets in the securities of fewer issuers than a “diversified” fund. This increases the risk that a change in the value of any one investment held by the Underlying Fund could affect the overall value of the Underlying Fund more than it would affect that of a diversified fund holding a greater number of investments. Accordingly, the Underlying Fund’s value will likely be more volatile than the value of more diversified funds. A non-diversified Underlying Fund may not operate as a non-diversified fund at all times.

 

   

Pacific/Asia Regional Risk – The Pacific/Asia region consists of countries in the Pacific Basin, including Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, among other countries within this region, and certain Underlying Fund investments in the region are thus particularly susceptible to risks in the region. Events in any one country within the region may impact other countries in the region or the Pacific/Asia region as a whole. As a result, events in the region will generally have a greater effect on the Underlying Fund than if the Underlying Fund were more geographically diversified, which could result in great volatility and losses. Countries within this region can be significantly affected by currency fluctuations and rapid changes in inflation and interest rates. Markets in the Pacific/Asia region can experience significant volatility due to social, regulatory and political uncertainties. In addition, changes in governmental policies in the region could significantly affect local markets in the region. Continued growth of economies and securities markets in the Pacific/Asia region will require sustained economic and fiscal discipline, as well as continued commitment to governmental reforms. Development also may be influenced by international economic conditions, particularly those in the United States and Japan, and by world demand for goods produced in countries in the Pacific/Asia region.

 

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Real Estate Investment Trusts Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs), which are entities that either own properties or make construction or mortgage loans, and also may include operating or finance companies. The value of REIT shares is affected by, among other factors, changes in the value of the underlying properties owned by the REIT and/or by changes in the prospect for earnings and/or cash flow growth of the REIT itself. In addition, certain of the risks associated with general real estate ownership apply to the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s REIT investments, including risks related to general and local economic conditions, possible lack of availability of financing and changes in interest rates.

 

   

Reinvestment Risk – Because the Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities, income from the Portfolio’s and those Underlying Funds’ debt securities portfolios will decline if and when the Portfolio or Underlying Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called securities in securities with market interest rates that are below the current earnings rate of the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s portfolio.

 

   

Repurchase Agreements Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may use repurchase agreements, which are agreements in which the seller of a security to the Portfolio or Underlying Fund agrees to repurchase that security from the Portfolio or Underlying Fund at a mutually agreed upon price and time. Repurchase agreements carry the risk that the counterparty may not fulfill its obligations under the agreement. This could cause the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s income and the value of your investment in the Portfolio or, indirectly, the Underlying Fund to decline.

 

   

Short Sales Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may engage in short selling. A short sale generally involves the sale by the Underlying Fund of a security it does not own with the expectation of acquiring the security at a later time at a lower price, but can involve the sale by the Underlying Fund of a security it does own. In order to short sell a common stock, the Underlying Fund must borrow, buy or already hold the security in order to make delivery to the counterparty. If the Underlying Fund borrows the security, it then is obligated to replace the security at some later time. The price of the security at such time may be higher or lower than the price at which the security was sold short by the Underlying Fund. Therefore, the Underlying Fund bears the risk that the price of the security at the time of replacement has not decreased. Short sales can potentially involve unlimited loss, as the market price of securities sold short may continue to increase, although the Underlying Fund may be able to limit any such losses by purchasing the securities sold short. There also is a risk that the Underlying Fund may experience difficulty purchasing the security necessary for replacement if the security does not have a liquid market at the time that the replacement must occur or that an event may occur.

 

   

Smaller Company Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of small- or mid-capitalization companies (“smaller companies”) which can, in certain circumstances, have a higher potential for gains than securities of large-capitalization companies but also may have more risk. For example, smaller companies may be more vulnerable to market downturns and adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies because they may have more limited financial resources and business operations. These companies are also more likely than larger companies to have more limited product lines and operating histories and to depend on smaller management teams. Their securities may trade less frequently and in smaller volumes and may be less liquid and fluctuate more sharply in value than securities of larger companies. In addition, some smaller companies may not be widely followed by the investment community, which can lower the demand for their stocks.

 

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Special Situations Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of companies that are involved in an initial public offering or a major corporate event, such as a business consolidation or restructuring, which may present special risk because of the high degree of uncertainty that can be associated with such events. Securities issued in initial public offerings often are issued by companies that are in the early stages of development, have a history of little or no revenues and may operate at a loss following the offering. It is possible that there will be no active trading market for the securities after the offering, and the market price of the securities may be subject to significant and unpredictable fluctuations. Investing in special situations may have a magnified effect on the performance of funds with small amounts of assets.

 

   

Technology Sector Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of companies in the technology sector, which are subject to significant competitive pressures, such as aggressive pricing of their products or services, new market entrants, competition for market share, short product cycles due to an accelerated rate of technological developments and the potential for limited earnings and/or falling profit margins. These companies also face the risks that new services, equipment or technologies will not be accepted by consumers and businesses or will become rapidly obsolete. These factors can affect the profitability of technology companies and, as a result, the value of their securities. In addition, many technology companies have limited operating histories. Prices of these companies’ securities historically have been more volatile than other securities, especially over the short term.

 

   

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), which are U.S. Treasury securities that are designed to provide some degree of protection against inflation. The interest rate paid on TIPS is fixed while the principal value of TIPS rises or falls semiannually based on changes in the Consumer Price All Urban Non-Seasonally Adjusted Index (CPI), which is calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. There can be no assurance that the CPI will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. TIPS will pay interest on a semi-annual basis, equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted principal amount. If inflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS are adjusted upward to protect investors from inflationary loss. If deflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS will be adjusted downward. TIPS are redeemable for the greater of either their inflation-adjusted principal amount or their face value. The current market value of TIPS is not guaranteed and will fluctuate. TIPS generally sacrifice some yield as a tradeoff for the inflation protection and the inflation adjustment is federally taxable annually although not paid out until maturity.

 

   

U.S. Government Obligations Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in U.S. Government obligations. U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government and generally have negligible credit risk. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. For example, securities issued by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Banks are neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. Government. These securities may be supported by the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the credit of the issuing agency, authority, instrumentality or enterprise and, as a result, are subject to greater credit risk than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

 

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Value Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in value securities, which are securities of companies that may have experienced, for example, adverse business, industry or other developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the securities to be out of favor and, in turn, potentially undervalued. The market value of a portfolio security may not meet the Advisor’s future value assessment of that security, or may decline. There is also a risk that it may take longer than expected for the value of these investments to rise to the believed value. In addition, value securities, at times, may not perform as well as growth securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Zero-Coupon Bonds Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in zero-coupon bonds, which are bonds that do not pay interest in cash on a current basis, but instead accrue interest over the life of the bond. As a result, these securities are issued at a discount and their values may fluctuate more than the values of similar securities that pay interest periodically. Although these securities pay no interest to holders prior to maturity, interest accrued on these securities is reported as income to the Portfolio or Underlying Fund and distributed to its shareholders.

These are summaries of the principal risks associated with the principal investment strategies of the Portfolio. Additional risks are associated with other permissible investments of the Portfolio that are described in the SAI together with further information about these principal risks. There is no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.

 

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LOGO Performance Information

The following bar chart and table show you how the Portfolio has performed in the past, and can help you understand the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s past performance (before or after taxes) is no guarantee of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Year by Year Total Return (%) as of December 31 Each Year*

The bar chart below shows you how the performance of the Portfolio’s Class A shares has varied from year to year. These returns do not reflect deductions of sales charges, if any, paid by investors and would be lower if they did.

LOGO

 

* Year-to-date return as of June 30, 2009: 9.65%.

Best and Worst Quarterly Returns During this Period

 

Best:

   2nd quarter 2003:    7.28%

Worst:

   4th quarter 2008:    -9.87%

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Performance

Many factors can affect a mutual fund’s performance, including, for example:

 

   

management of fund holdings,

 

   

market conditions,

 

   

fund expenses, and

 

   

flows of investment dollars into and out of the fund.

The returns for the various share classes may vary based on differences in sales charges and expenses.

 

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Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2008

The table below shows the Portfolio’s Class A shares’ average annual total returns (i) before taxes, (ii) after taxes on distributions and (iii) after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares. The returns shown reflect applicable sales charges. The table also shows the average annual returns for the Portfolio’s Class B, Class C and Class R shares, but it does not show those classes’ after-tax returns, which will vary from those shown for the Portfolio’s Class A shares.

The table compares the Portfolio’s returns for each period with those of the S&P 500® Index and the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The S&P 500® Index tracks the performance of 500 widely held, large-capitalization U.S. stocks. The Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a market value-weighted index that tracks the daily price, coupon, pay-downs, and total return performance of fixed-rate, publicly placed, dollar-denominated, and non-convertible investment grade debt issues with at least $250 million par amount outstanding and with at least one year to final maturity. Indices are not available for investment, and do not reflect sales charges, fees, brokerage commissions, taxes or other expenses of investing.

 

      1 year     5 years(a)     10 years(a)  

Class A shares returns before taxes

   -23.24   -0.31   2.27

Class A shares returns after taxes on distributions

   -24.54   -1.84   0.64

Class A shares returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares

   -14.24   -0.73   1.17

Class B shares returns before taxes

   -22.97   -0.19   2.12

Class C shares returns before taxes

   -19.96   0.11   2.09

Class R shares returns before taxes

   -18.80   0.72   2.81

S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   -37.00   -2.19   -1.38

Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   5.24   4.65   5.63

 

(a)

The inception date of the Portfolio’s Class R shares was January 23, 2006. The performance shown for Class R shares prior to its inception date is that of Class A shares. If Class R shares fees and expenses were included, performance would have been lower.

FUNDamentalsTM

After-Tax Returns

The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state, local or foreign taxes.

Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your personal tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown in the table do not apply to shares held in tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k) plans or IRAs.

 

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LOGO Fees and Expenses

The fee table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. Additional hypothetical fee and expense information relating to Class A, Class B, Class C and Class R shares of the Portfolio can be found in Hypothetical Fees and Expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Expenses

In general, there are two kinds of fund expenses:

 

   

shareholder expenses that you pay directly (e.g., sales charges and redemption fees), and

 

   

annual operating expenses that are paid by the Portfolio and deducted from the Portfolio’s assets.

Annual operating expenses include:

 

   

management fees, which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to the Advisor and the Administrator as compensation for managing and administering the Portfolio’s portfolio. See Management of the Portfolios – Primary Service Providers for more information.

 

   

distribution and service fees (sometimes referred to in the industry as “Rule 12b-1 fees”), which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to compensate the Distributor and selling and/or servicing agents for the services they provide to investors, including affiliates of Bank of America. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for more information.

 

   

other expenses, which generally include, but are not limited to, transfer agency, custody, audit and legal fees as well as costs related to registration of Portfolio shares for sale and the printing and mailing of Portfolio documents. The specific expenses that make up the Portfolio’s other expenses will vary from time to time and may include expenses not described above.

Annual fund operating expenses are calculated based on actual expenses incurred during the Portfolio’s most recently completed fiscal year and are expressed as a percentage of the Portfolio’s average net assets during the year. The rate of annual fund operating expenses will likely vary from year to year as a result of various factors, including, for example, changes in the level of the Portfolio’s net assets. Although many factors can affect fund operating expenses, in general, annual fund operating expenses, as a percentage of average net assets, will increase as the Portfolio’s net assets decrease, and will decrease as the Portfolio’s net assets increase. Net expenses also may vary from year to year based on any fee waivers or expense reimbursements.

The Portfolio may incur significant transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, in addition to the annual Portfolio operating expenses disclosed in the fee table.

 

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Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

 

     Class A Shares     Class B Shares     Class C Shares     Class R Shares

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases, as a % of offering price

   5.75   N/A      N/A      N/A

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions, as a % of the lower of the original purchase price or net asset value

   1.00 %(a)    5.00 %(b)    1.00 %(c)    N/A

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (deducted from the Portfolio’s assets)

 

     Class A Shares     Class B Shares     Class C Shares     Class R Shares  

Management fees

   0.25   0.25   0.25   0.25

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

   0.25   1.00   1.00   0.50

Other expenses

   0.00   0.00   0.00   0.00

Acquired fund fees and expenses(d)

   0.73   0.73   0.73   0.73

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses(e)

   1.23   1.98   1.98   1.48

 

(a)

This charge applies to investors who buy $1 million or more of Class A shares and redeem them within one year of purchase, with certain limited exceptions. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(b)

This charge decreases over time. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(c)

This charge applies to investors who buy Class C shares and redeem them within one year of purchase, with certain limited exceptions. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(d)

Acquired fund fees and expenses include fees and expenses associated with the Portfolio’s investments in other investment companies. Since they are incurred only indirectly by the Portfolio, such fees and expenses are not considered ordinary operating expenses of the Portfolio for purposes of a fee waiver or expense limitation, if any.

(e)

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses include acquired fund fees and expenses. As a result, the amount shown is higher than the ratio of expenses to average net assets included in the section entitled “Financial Highlights” which reflects only those expenses paid directly by the Portfolio.

 

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Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The example illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over the time periods indicated, and assumes that:

 

   

you invest $10,000 in Class A, Class B, Class C or Class R shares of the Portfolio for the periods indicated,

 

   

you pay the maximum applicable sales charge,

 

   

you reinvest all dividends and distributions in the Portfolio,

 

   

your investment has a 5% return each year,

 

   

your Class B shares convert to Class A shares after you’ve owned them for eight years, and

 

   

the Portfolio’s total annual operating expenses remain the same as shown in the table above.

Based on the assumptions listed above, your costs would be:

 

      1 year    3 years    5 years    10 years

Class A Shares

   $ 693    $ 943    $ 1,212    $ 1,978

Class B Shares

           

Assuming no redemption

   $ 201    $ 621    $ 1,068    $ 2,113

Assuming complete redemption of shares at the end of the period

   $ 701    $ 921    $ 1,268    $ 2,113

Class C Shares

           

Assuming no redemption

   $ 201    $ 621    $ 1,068    $ 2,306

Assuming complete redemption of shares at the end of the period

   $ 301    $ 621    $ 1,068    $ 2,306

Class R Shares

   $ 151    $ 468    $ 808    $ 1,768

Remember this is an example only. It is not necessarily representative of the Portfolio’s actual expenses in the past or future. Your actual costs could be higher or lower depending on the amount you invest and on the Portfolio’s actual expenses and performance.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

FUNDimensionsTM

Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

 

Investment Objective:

   Current income, consistent with relative stability of principal

Investment Style:

   Intermediate-Term Bond

Benchmarks:

  

Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Years Index

Blended 80% Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Years Index/20% Barclays Capital U.S. Corporate High Yield Index

Ticker Symbols:

  

Class A: NLFAX

Class B: NLOBX

Class C: NLFCX

Principal Risks:

  

Investment strategy risk

Allocation risk

Investing in other funds risk

Asset-backed securities risk

Changing distribution levels risk

Convertible securities risk

Credit risk

Currency risk

Derivatives risk

Dollar rolls risk

Emerging market securities risk

Foreign securities risk

Frequent trading risk

Growth securities risk

Index risk

Industry sector risk

Interest rate risk

Liquidity risk

Low and below investment grade securities risk

Market risk

Money Market Fund risk

Mortgage-backed securities risk

Municipal securities risk

Non-diversified mutual fund risk

Pacific/Asia regional risk

Real estate investment trusts risk

Reinvestment risk

Repurchase agreements risk

Short sales risk

Smaller company securities risk

Special situations risk

Technology sector risk

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities risk

U.S. Government obligations risk

Value securities risk

Zero-coupon bonds risk

FUNDamentalsTM

Benchmarks

Benchmarks are indices that provide some guidance in assessing fund performance. A fund does not, however, limit its investments to the securities within its benchmark(s), and a fund’s holdings can differ from those of any particular benchmark or index. Benchmarks are only guideposts for performance.

LOGO Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks current income, consistent with relative stability of principal.

LOGO Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests most of its assets in Class Z shares of mutual funds managed by the Advisor or its affiliates (Columbia Funds), exchange traded funds (ETFs) and third party-advised funds (collectively, Underlying Funds), equity and fixed income securities, including Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), and other instruments such as derivatives.

The Advisor uses asset allocation as its principal investment approach and:

 

   

allocates the Portfolio’s assets among asset class categories within the target asset allocations set for the Portfolio, based on the Portfolio’s investment objective and historical and projected returns for each asset class.

 

   

chooses individual Columbia Funds within each asset class category and the amount that will be allocated to each Columbia Fund, based on each Columbia Fund’s historical returns and expected performance.

 

   

may choose third party-advised Underlying Funds if a Columbia Fund is not available in the desired asset class category.

 

   

may choose equity and fixed income securities, including TIPS, and other instruments such as derivatives.

 

   

reviews the asset allocations to Underlying Funds and instruments at least monthly, and may change these allocations when the Advisor believes it is appropriate to do so.

 

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The Portfolio’s targeted allocation to Columbia Funds, as a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets, is as follows:

 

   

0-30% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in large-capitalization domestic equity securities, mid-capitalization domestic equity securities and/or small-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-15% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in international/global equity securities.

 

   

0-20% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in convertible securities.

 

   

0-30% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in specialty securities, including Columbia Funds that invest in equity securities of companies principally engaged in certain market sectors such as real estate or technology.

 

   

0-100% to Columbia Funds that invest in government and corporate debt securities.

 

   

0-40% to Columbia Funds that invest in below investment grade debt securities.

 

   

0-50% in Columbia money market funds.

The Portfolio’s targeted allocations to third party advised funds and instruments, as a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets, is as follows:

 

   

0-15% to fixed income securities, including TIPS.

 

   

0-10% to equity securities.

 

   

0-20% to futures and commodity-related instruments.

 

   

0-10% to third party funds/ETFs.

The Portfolio’s actual allocation may vary from these target allocations at any time. The Advisor may use various strategies to try to manage how much the actual amount varies and for how long. The Advisor can modify the list of Underlying Funds and types of instruments in which the Portfolio invests, or the asset categories, at any time, including by adding Underlying Funds introduced after the date of this prospectus.

The Advisor may sell investments to adjust the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets; if the Advisor believes that an investment is no longer a suitable investment, or that other investments are more attractive; to meet redemption requests; or for other reasons. When selling shares to meet redemption requests, the Advisor normally will, to the extent feasible, sell a proportionate amount of the shares the Portfolio owns in each Underlying Fund and instrument.

FUNDamentalsTM

About the Portfolios

Each Portfolio has its own asset allocation strategy, which gives it distinctive risk/return characteristics. The performance of each Portfolio depends on many factors, including its allocation strategy and the performance of the Underlying Funds and other assets it invests in. In general, the more a Portfolio allocates to equity securities and Underlying Funds that invest in them, the greater the potential return and the greater the risk of loss. The more a Portfolio allocates to fixed income and money market securities and Underlying Funds that invest in them, the greater the potential for price stability and the lower the potential for loss. There is always a risk, however, that you will lose money or that you may not earn as much as you expect, and that the performance of a Portfolio at any point in time may not meet your anticipated level of return for the Portfolio to fund retirement, living expense or other investment goals.

The Portfolios may be a suitable investment for you if:

 

   

you have longer-term investment goals, and

 

   

they are part of a balanced portfolio that includes other investments.

The Portfolios may not be a suitable investment for you if:

 

   

you’re not prepared to accept or are unable to bear the risks associated with equity and fixed income securities,

 

   

you have shorter-term investment goals, and

 

   

you’re looking for a regular stream of income.

 

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FUNDamentalsTM

Fund of Funds

Unlike a traditional mutual fund, which invests in individual securities, a “fund of funds” invests in a mix of underlying funds typically by using an asset allocation approach. A fund of funds indirectly bears a portion of the underlying funds’ expenses, in addition to the fund of funds’ own expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Asset Allocation Funds

Asset allocation funds use a process called “asset allocation,” which is the process of creating a portfolio by investing in different asset classes – for example, domestic equity securities, foreign securities and debt securities – in varying proportions.

The mix of asset classes and how much is invested in each is an important factor in how an asset allocation fund performs and the amount of risk involved. Each asset class, and each sub-asset class within a class, like large-, mid- and small-capitalization equity securities, has different risk and return characteristics, and may react in different ways to changes in the financial markets and to the economy in general. An investment approach that combines asset classes and sub-asset classes may help to reduce overall volatility.

Asset allocation funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio, and

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income.

LOGO Principal Risks

 

   

Investment Strategy Risk – The Advisor uses the principal investment strategies and other investment strategies to seek to achieve the Portfolio’s investment objective. Investment decisions made by the Advisor in using these strategies may not produce the returns expected by the Advisor, may cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or may cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.

 

   

Allocation Risk – The Portfolio uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Portfolio’s allocation among asset classes or investments will cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

 

   

Investing in Other Funds Risk – The performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests could be adversely affected if other entities that invest in the same Underlying Funds make relatively large investments or redemptions in the Underlying Funds. Because the expenses and costs of an Underlying Fund are shared by its investors, redemptions by other investors in the Underlying Fund could result in decreased economies of scale and increased operating expenses for the Underlying Fund. The Portfolio, and its shareholders, indirectly bear a portion of the expenses of the Underlying Funds. These transactions might also result in higher brokerage, tax or other costs for the Portfolio. This risk may be particularly important when one investor owns a substantial portion of any Underlying Fund. In addition, the Advisor has the authority to change the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or to change the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. If an Underlying Fund pays fees to the Advisor or its affiliates, such as advisory fees, this could result in the Advisor having a potential conflict of interest in selecting the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or in determining the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. There are also circumstances in which the Advisor’s fiduciary duties to the Portfolio may conflict with its fiduciary duties to the Underlying Funds.

 

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The Portfolio is subject directly to the extent it invests in individual securities and other instruments and/or indirectly to the extent it invests in Underlying Funds to the following risks:

 

   

Asset-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in asset-backed securities. The value of an Underlying Fund’s asset-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the receivables, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Asset-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of receivables such as credit card, auto, student and home equity loans. They may also be backed, in turn, by securities backed by these types of loans and others, such as mortgage loans. Asset-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Most asset-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying debt may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of asset-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of asset-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

   

Changing Distribution Levels Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may be subject to changing distribution levels risk. The amount of the distributions paid by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund generally depends on the amount of income and/or dividends received by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund on the securities it holds. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not be able to pay distributions or may have to reduce its distribution level if the income and/or dividends the Portfolio or Underlying Fund receives from its investments decline.

 

   

Convertible Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in convertible securities, which are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate risk and credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. Because the value of a convertible security can be influenced by both interest rates and market movements, a convertible security generally is not as sensitive to interest rates as a similar debt security, and generally will not vary in value in response to other factors to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities would typically be paid before the company’s common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may be forced to convert a convertible security before it otherwise would choose to do so, which may decrease the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Credit Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may be subject to credit risk, which applies to most debt securities, but is generally not a factor for obligations backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose money if the issuer of a debt security is unable or perceived to be unable to pay interest or repay principal when it becomes due. Various factors could affect the issuer’s actual or perceived willingness or ability to make timely interest or principal payments, including changes in the issuer’s financial condition or in general economic conditions. Debt securities backed by an issuer’s taxing authority may be subject to legal limits on the issuer’s power to increase taxes or otherwise to raise revenue, or may be dependent on legislative appropriation or government aid. Certain debt securities are backed only by revenues derived from a particular project or source, rather than by an issuer’s taxing authority, and thus may have a greater risk of default.

 

   

Currency Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may be subject to currency risk. Securities denominated in different currencies are subject to the risk that, for example, if the value of a foreign currency were to decline against the U.S. dollar, such decline would reduce the U.S. dollar value of any securities held by the Fund denominated in that currency.

 

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Derivatives Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, which are financial contracts whose values are, for example, based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or bond), assets (such as a commodity like gold or a foreign currency), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Derivatives involve special risks and may result in losses or may limit the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s potential gain from favorable market movements. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Underlying Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying security. The values of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in unusual market conditions, and may result in increased volatility, among other consequences. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Other risks arise from the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s potential inability to terminate or sell derivative positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Portfolio or Underlying Fund’s derivative positions at times when the Portfolio or Underlying Fund might wish to terminate or sell such positions. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid, and transactions in derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. The use of derivatives also involves the risks of mispricing or improper valuation and that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying security, asset, reference rate or index. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund also may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to engage in derivative transactions when it is deemed favorable to do so, or at all. For more information on the risks of derivative investments and strategies, see the SAI.

 

   

Dollar Rolls Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may use dollar rolls, which are transactions in which the Underlying Fund sells securities to a counterparty and simultaneously agrees to purchase those or similar securities in the future at a predetermined price. Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Underlying Fund is obligated to repurchase may decline below the repurchase price, or that the counterparty may default on its obligations. These transactions may also increase the Underlying Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. If the Underlying Fund reinvests the proceeds of the security sold, the Underlying Fund will also be subject to the risk that the investments purchased with such proceeds will decline in value (a form of leverage risk).

 

   

Emerging Market Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries, like those in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America or Africa, which are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in foreign securities that are described in Foreign Securities Risk. In addition, emerging market countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid social, political and economic development. Their economies are usually less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity than more developed countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade, which makes them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries. Some emerging market countries have a higher risk of currency devaluations, and some of these countries may experience periods of high inflation or rapid changes in inflation rates.

 

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Foreign Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in foreign securities, which are subject to special risks as compared to securities of U.S. issuers. For example, foreign markets can be extremely volatile. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may impact the value of foreign securities denominated in foreign currencies, or in U.S. dollars, without a change in the intrinsic value of those securities. Foreign securities may be less liquid than domestic securities so that the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may, at times, be unable to sell foreign securities at desirable times or prices. Brokerage commissions, custodial fees and other fees are also generally higher for foreign securities. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may have limited or no legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain foreign securities, including those issued by foreign governments. In addition, foreign governments may impose potentially confiscatory withholding or other taxes, which could reduce the amount of income and capital gains available to distribute to shareholders. Other risks include possible delays in the settlement of transactions or in the payment of income; generally less publicly available information about companies; the impact of political, social or diplomatic events; possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of a company or its assets; possible imposition of currency exchange controls; and accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards that may be less comprehensive and stringent than those applicable to domestic companies.

 

   

Frequent Trading Risk – The Portfolio’s and certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve the frequent trading of portfolio securities. Frequent trading of investments increases the possibility that the Underlying Fund will realize taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s after-tax return. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Growth Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in growth securities. Because growth securities typically trade at a higher multiple of earnings than other types of securities, the value of growth securities may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other types of securities. In addition, growth securities, at times, may not perform as well as value securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Index Risk – The Portfolio’s and certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve investing in an index. The Underlying Fund’s value will generally decline when the performance of its targeted index declines. Because such an Underlying Fund is designed to track an index before fees and expenses, the Underlying Fund cannot purchase other securities that may help offset declines in its index. In addition, because the Underlying Fund may not hold all issues included in its index, may not always be fully invested, and bears advisory, administrative and other expenses and transaction costs in trading securities, the Underlying Fund’s performance may fail to match the performance of its targeted index, after taking expenses into account. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

 

   

Industry Sector Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of companies in different, but closely related, industries. These securities are considered as being in the same broad economic sector. The values of such securities in the same sector may be similarly affected by particular economic or market events, making an Underlying Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that sector than funds investing in multiple sectors.

 

   

Interest Rate Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities, which are subject to interest rate risk. In general, if prevailing interest rates rise, the values of debt securities will tend to fall, and if interest rates fall, the values of debt securities will tend to rise. Changes in the value of a debt security usually will not affect the amount of income the Portfolio or Underlying Fund receives from it but will affect the value of the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s shares. Interest rate risk is generally greater for debt securities with longer maturities/durations.

 

   

Liquidity Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in illiquid securities, which are securities that cannot be readily disposed of in the normal course of business. There is a risk that the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not be able to sell such securities at the time it desires, or that it cannot sell such securities without adversely affecting their price.

 

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Low and Below Investment Grade Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities with the lowest investment grade rating (e.g., BBB by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch) or that are below investment grade (which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) (e.g., BB or below by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch). These securities are more speculative than securities with higher ratings, and tend to be more sensitive to credit risk, particularly during a downturn in the economy, which is more likely to weaken the ability of the issuers to make principal and interest payments on these securities than is the case for higher-rated securities. These securities typically pay a premium – a higher interest rate or yield – because of the increased risk of loss, including default. These securities also are generally less liquid than higher-rated securities. The securities ratings provided by Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch are based on analyses by these ratings agencies of the credit quality of the securities and may not take into account every risk related to whether interest or principal will be timely repaid.

 

   

Market Risk – The Portfolio and Underlying Funds are subject to market risk, which refers to the possibility that the market values of securities that the Portfolio and Underlying Fund hold will rise or fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Security values may fall because of factors affecting individual companies, industries or sectors, or the markets as a whole, reducing the value of an investment in the Portfolio or Underlying Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. The market values of the securities the Portfolio or Underlying Fund hold also can be affected by changes or perceived changes in U.S. or foreign economies and financial markets and the liquidity of these securities, among other factors. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

 

   

Money Market Fund Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in (and certain Underlying Funds may be) money market funds, but an investment in a money market fund is not a bank deposit, and is not insured or guaranteed by Bank of America, the FDIC or any other government agency. Although money market funds seek to preserve the value of an investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in such funds.

 

   

Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in mortgage-backed securities. The value of the Underlying Fund’s mortgage-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the mortgages, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Mortgage-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of mortgages from which payments of interest and principal (net of fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of the securities) are distributed to the holders of the mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage-backed securities (but not the market value of the securities themselves) may be guaranteed (i) by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association) or (ii) by its agencies, authorities, enterprises or instrumentalities (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Federal National Mortgage Association or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation), which are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government. Mortgage-backed securities issued by non-governmental issuers (such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers) may be supported by various credit enhancements, such as pool insurance, guarantees issued by governmental entities, letters of credit from a bank or senior/subordinated structures, and may entail greater risk than obligations guaranteed by the U.S. Government, whether or not such obligations are guaranteed by the private issuer. Mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying mortgage may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of mortgage-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of mortgage-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

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Municipal Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in municipal securities, which are debt obligations generally issued to obtain funds for various public purposes, including general financing for state and local governments, or financing for a specific project or public facility. Municipal securities may be fully or partially backed by the taxing authority of the local government, by the credit of a private issuer, by the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets or by domestic or foreign entities providing credit support, such as letters of credit, guarantees or insurance, and are generally classified into general obligation bonds and special revenue obligations. General obligation bonds are backed by an issuer’s taxing authority and may be vulnerable to limits on a government’s power or ability to raise revenue or increase taxes. They also may depend for payment on legislative appropriation and/or funding or other support from other governmental bodies. Revenue obligations are payable from revenues generated by a particular project or other revenue source, and are typically subject to greater risk of default than general obligation bonds because investors can look only to the revenue generated by the project or other revenue source backing the project, rather than to the general taxing authority of the state or local government issuer of the obligations. Because many municipal securities are issued to finance projects in sectors such as education, health care, transportation and utilities, conditions in those sectors can affect the overall municipal market. Municipal securities pay interest that, in the opinion of bond counsel, is free from U.S. federal income tax (and, in some cases, the federal alternative minimum tax). There is no assurance that the IRS will agree with this opinion. In the event the IRS determines that the issuer does not comply with relevant tax requirements, interest payments from a security could become federally taxable, possibly retroactively to the date the security was issued, and the value of the security would likely fall. As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you may be required to file an amended tax return and pay additional taxes as a result.

 

   

Non-Diversified Mutual Fund Risk – Certain Underlying Funds are non-diversified, which generally means that each such Underlying Fund may invest a greater percentage of its total assets in the securities of fewer issuers than a “diversified” fund. This increases the risk that a change in the value of any one investment held by the Underlying Fund could affect the overall value of the Underlying Fund more than it would affect that of a diversified fund holding a greater number of investments. Accordingly, the Underlying Fund’s value will likely be more volatile than the value of more diversified funds. A non-diversified Underlying Fund may not operate as a non-diversified fund at all times.

 

   

Pacific/Asia Regional Risk – The Pacific/Asia region consists of countries in the Pacific Basin, including Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, among other countries within this region, and certain Underlying Fund investments in the region are thus particularly susceptible to risks in the region. Events in any one country within the region may impact other countries in the region or the Pacific/Asia region as a whole. As a result, events in the region will generally have a greater effect on the Underlying Fund than if the Underlying Fund were more geographically diversified, which could result in great volatility and losses. Countries within this region can be significantly affected by currency fluctuations and rapid changes in inflation and interest rates. Markets in the Pacific/Asia region can experience significant volatility due to social, regulatory and political uncertainties. In addition, changes in governmental policies in the region could significantly affect local markets in the region. Continued growth of economies and securities markets in the Pacific/Asia region will require sustained economic and fiscal discipline, as well as continued commitment to governmental reforms. Development also may be influenced by international economic conditions, particularly those in the United States and Japan, and by world demand for goods produced in countries in the Pacific/Asia region.

 

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Real Estate Investment Trusts Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs), which are entities that either own properties or make construction or mortgage loans, and also may include operating or finance companies. The value of REIT shares is affected by, among other factors, changes in the value of the underlying properties owned by the REIT and/or by changes in the prospect for earnings and/or cash flow growth of the REIT itself. In addition, certain of the risks associated with general real estate ownership apply to the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s REIT investments, including risks related to general and local economic conditions, possible lack of availability of financing and changes in interest rates.

 

   

Reinvestment Risk – Because the Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities, income from the Portfolio’s and those Underlying Funds’ debt securities portfolios will decline if and when the Portfolio or Underlying Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called securities in securities with market interest rates that are below the current earnings rate of the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s portfolio.

 

   

Repurchase Agreements Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may use repurchase agreements, which are agreements in which the seller of a security to the Portfolio or Underlying Fund agrees to repurchase that security from the Portfolio or Underlying Fund at a mutually agreed upon price and time. Repurchase agreements carry the risk that the counterparty may not fulfill its obligations under the agreement. This could cause the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s income and the value of your investment in the Portfolio or, indirectly, the Underlying Fund to decline.

 

   

Short Sales Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may engage in short selling. A short sale generally involves the sale by the Underlying Fund of a security it does not own with the expectation of acquiring the security at a later time at a lower price, but can involve the sale by the Underlying Fund of a security it does own. In order to short sell a common stock, the Underlying Fund must borrow, buy or already hold the security in order to make delivery to the counterparty. If the Underlying Fund borrows the security, it then is obligated to replace the security at some later time. The price of the security at such time may be higher or lower than the price at which the security was sold short by the Underlying Fund. Therefore, the Underlying Fund bears the risk that the price of the security at the time of replacement has not decreased. Short sales can potentially involve unlimited loss, as the market price of securities sold short may continue to increase, although the Underlying Fund may be able to limit any such losses by purchasing the securities sold short. There also is a risk that the Underlying Fund may experience difficulty purchasing the security necessary for replacement if the security does not have a liquid market at the time that the replacement must occur or that an event may occur.

 

   

Smaller Company Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of small- or mid-capitalization companies (“smaller companies”) which can, in certain circumstances, have a higher potential for gains than securities of large-capitalization companies but also may have more risk. For example, smaller companies may be more vulnerable to market downturns and adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies because they may have more limited financial resources and business operations. These companies are also more likely than larger companies to have more limited product lines and operating histories and to depend on smaller management teams. Their securities may trade less frequently and in smaller volumes and may be less liquid and fluctuate more sharply in value than securities of larger companies. In addition, some smaller companies may not be widely followed by the investment community, which can lower the demand for their stocks.

 

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Special Situations Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of companies that are involved in an initial public offering or a major corporate event, such as a business consolidation or restructuring, which may present special risk because of the high degree of uncertainty that can be associated with such events. Securities issued in initial public offerings often are issued by companies that are in the early stages of development, have a history of little or no revenues and may operate at a loss following the offering. It is possible that there will be no active trading market for the securities after the offering, and the market price of the securities may be subject to significant and unpredictable fluctuations. Investing in special situations may have a magnified effect on the performance of funds with small amounts of assets.

 

   

Technology Sector Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of companies in the technology sector, which are subject to significant competitive pressures, such as aggressive pricing of their products or services, new market entrants, competition for market share, short product cycles due to an accelerated rate of technological developments and the potential for limited earnings and/or falling profit margins. These companies also face the risks that new services, equipment or technologies will not be accepted by consumers and businesses or will become rapidly obsolete. These factors can affect the profitability of technology companies and, as a result, the value of their securities. In addition, many technology companies have limited operating histories. Prices of these companies’ securities historically have been more volatile than other securities, especially over the short term.

 

   

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), which are U.S. Treasury securities that are designed to provide some degree of protection against inflation. The interest rate paid on TIPS is fixed while the principal value of TIPS rises or falls semiannually based on changes in the Consumer Price All Urban Non-Seasonally Adjusted Index (CPI), which is calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. There can be no assurance that the CPI will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. TIPS will pay interest on a semi-annual basis, equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted principal amount. If inflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS are adjusted upward to protect investors from inflationary loss. If deflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS will be adjusted downward. TIPS are redeemable for the greater of either their inflation-adjusted principal amount or their face value. The current market value of TIPS is not guaranteed and will fluctuate. TIPS generally sacrifice some yield as a tradeoff for the inflation protection and the inflation adjustment is federally taxable annually although not paid out until maturity.

 

   

U.S. Government Obligations Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in U.S. Government obligations. U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government and generally have negligible credit risk. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. For example, securities issued by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Banks are neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. Government. These securities may be supported by the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the credit of the issuing agency, authority, instrumentality or enterprise and, as a result, are subject to greater credit risk than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

 

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Value Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in value securities, which are securities of companies that may have experienced, for example, adverse business, industry or other developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the securities to be out of favor and, in turn, potentially undervalued. The market value of a portfolio security may not meet the Advisor’s future value assessment of that security, or may decline. There is also a risk that it may take longer than expected for the value of these investments to rise to the believed value. In addition, value securities, at times, may not perform as well as growth securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Zero-Coupon Bonds Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in zero-coupon bonds, which are bonds that do not pay interest in cash on a current basis, but instead accrue interest over the life of the bond. As a result, these securities are issued at a discount and their values may fluctuate more than the values of similar securities that pay interest periodically. Although these securities pay no interest to holders prior to maturity, interest accrued on these securities is reported as income to the Portfolio or Underlying Fund and distributed to its shareholders.

These are summaries of the principal risks associated with the principal investment strategies of the Portfolio. Additional risks are associated with other permissible investments of the Portfolio that are described in the SAI together with further information about these principal risks. There is no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.

 

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LOGO Performance Information

The following bar chart and table show you how the Portfolio has performed in the past, and can help you understand the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s past performance (before or after taxes) is no guarantee of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Year by Year Total Return (%) as of December 31 Each Year*

The bar chart below shows you how the performance of the Portfolio’s Class A shares has varied from year to year. These returns do not reflect deductions of sales charges, if any, paid by investors and would be lower if they did.

LOGO

 

* Year-to-date return as of June 30, 2009: 8.12%.

Best and Worst Quarterly Returns During this Period

 

Best:

   3rd quarter 2006:    2.63%

Worst:

   4th quarter 2008:    -5.50%

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Performance

Many factors can affect a mutual fund’s performance, including, for example:

 

   

management of fund holdings,

 

   

market conditions,

 

   

fund expenses, and

 

   

flows of investment dollars into and out of the fund.

The returns for the various share classes may vary based on differences in sales charges and expenses.

 

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Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2008

The table below shows the Portfolio’s Class A shares’ average annual total returns (i) before taxes, (ii) after taxes on distributions and (iii) after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares. The returns shown reflect applicable sales charges. The table also shows the average annual returns for the Portfolio’s Class B and Class C shares, but it does not show those classes’ after-tax returns, which will vary from those shown for the Portfolio’s Class A shares.

The table compares the Portfolio’s returns for each period with those of the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Years Index, an index of publicly-issued investment-grade corporate, U.S. Treasury and government agency securities with remaining maturities of one to three years. The Portfolio’s returns are also compared to a blended index; this blend is 80% Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Years Index and 20% Barclays Capital U.S. Corporate High-Yield Bond Index. The Barclays Capital U.S. Corporate High-Yield Bond Index is an index of fixed-rate, non-investment-grade bonds with at least one year remaining to maturity. Indices are not available for investment, and do not reflect sales charges, fees, brokerage commissions, taxes or other expenses of investing.

 

      1 year     5 years     Life of Portfolio(a)  

Class A shares returns before taxes

   -13.22   0.26   0.92

Class A shares returns after taxes on distributions

   -14.53   -1.21   -0.55

Class A shares returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares

   -8.43   -0.56   -0.01

Class B shares returns before taxes

   -13.45   0.17   0.79

Class C shares returns before taxes

   -11.85   0.14   0.75

Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Years Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   4.63   3.77   3.82 %(b) 

Blended 80% Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Years Index/20% Barclays Capital U.S. Corporate High-Yield Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   -1.99   2.94   3.29 %(b) 

 

(a)

The inception dates of the Portfolio’s Class A, Class B and Class C shares are September 4, 2003, September 4, 2003 and September 5, 2003, respectively.

(b)

The returns for the indices shown are from September 4, 2003.

FUNDamentalsTM

After-Tax Returns

The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state, local or foreign taxes.

Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your personal tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown in the table do not apply to shares held in tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k) plans or IRAs.

 

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LOGO Fees and Expenses

The fee table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. Additional hypothetical fee and expense information relating to Class A, Class B and Class C shares of the Portfolio can be found in Hypothetical Fees and Expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Expenses

In general, there are two kinds of fund expenses:

 

   

shareholder expenses that you pay directly (e.g., sales charges and redemption fees), and

 

   

annual operating expenses that are paid by the Portfolio and deducted from the Portfolio’s assets.

Annual operating expenses include:

 

   

management fees, which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to the Advisor and the Administrator as compensation for managing and administering the Portfolio’s portfolio. See Management of the Portfolios – Primary Service Providers for more information.

 

   

distribution and service fees (sometimes referred to in the industry as “Rule 12b-1 fees”), which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to compensate the Distributor and selling and/or servicing agents for the services they provide to investors, including affiliates of Bank of America. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for more information.

 

   

other expenses, which generally include, but are not limited to, transfer agency, custody, audit and legal fees as well as costs related to registration of Portfolio shares for sale and the printing and mailing of Portfolio documents. The specific expenses that make up the Portfolio’s other expenses will vary from time to time and may include expenses not described above.

Annual fund operating expenses are calculated based on actual expenses incurred during the Portfolio’s most recently completed fiscal year and are expressed as a percentage of the Portfolio’s average net assets during the year. The rate of annual fund operating expenses will likely vary from year to year as a result of various factors, including, for example, changes in the level of the Portfolio’s net assets. Although many factors can affect fund operating expenses, in general, annual fund operating expenses, as a percentage of average net assets, will increase as the Portfolio’s net assets decrease, and will decrease as the Portfolio’s net assets increase. Net expenses also may vary from year to year based on any fee waivers or expense reimbursements.

The Portfolio may incur significant transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, in addition to the annual Portfolio operating expenses disclosed in the fee table.

 

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Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

 

     Class A Shares     Class B Shares     Class C Shares  

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases, as a % of offering price

   3.25   N/A      N/A   

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions, as a % of the lower of the original purchase price or net asset value

   1.00 %(a)    3.00 %(b)    1.00 %(c) 

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (deducted from the Portfolio’s assets)

 

     Class A Shares     Class B Shares     Class C Shares  

Management fees(d)(e)

   0.28   0.28   0.28

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

   0.25   1.00   1.00

Other expenses

   0.53   0.53   0.53

Acquired fund fees and expenses(f)

   0.57   0.57   0.57

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses(g)

   1.63   2.38   2.38

Fee waivers and/or reimbursements(e)(h)

   -0.39   -0.39   -0.39

Total net expenses(g)

   1.24   1.99   1.99

 

(a)

This charge applies to investors who buy $1 million or more of Class A shares and redeem them within one year of purchase, with certain limited exceptions. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(b)

This charge decreases over time. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(c)

This charge applies to investors who buy Class C shares and redeem them within one year of purchase, with certain limited exceptions. See Choosing a Share Class – Sales Charges and Commissions for details.

(d)

Management fees include an investment advisory fee of 0.05% and an administration fee of 0.23%.

(e)

The Advisor has implemented a schedule for the Portfolio’s advisory fees whereby the Portfolio pays 0.00% on its assets that are invested in Underlying Funds (excluding the Corporate Bond Portfolio and the Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Portfolio) and pays 0.50% on its assets that are invested in individual securities, the Corporate Bond Portfolio and the Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Portfolio. The Advisor has also contractually agreed to waive 0.10% of advisory fees payable to it on the Portfolio’s assets that are invested in individual securities, the Corporate Bond Portfolio and the Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Portfolio until July 31, 2010. And, the Administrator has contractually agreed to waive 0.10% of administration fees payable to it on the Portfolio’s assets that are invested in Underlying Funds (excluding the Corporate Bond Portfolio and the Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Portfolio) until July 31, 2010.

(f)

Acquired fund fees and expenses include fees and expenses associated with the Portfolio’s investments in other investment companies. Since they are incurred only indirectly by the Portfolio, such fees and expenses are not considered ordinary operating expenses of the Portfolio for purposes of a fee waiver or expense limitation, if any.

(g)

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses include acquired fund fees and expenses. As a result, the amount shown is higher than the ratio of expenses to average net assets included in the section entitled “Financial Highlights” which reflects only those expenses paid directly by the Portfolio.

(h)

The Advisor has contractually agreed to bear a portion of the Portfolio’s expenses so that the Portfolio’s ordinary operating expenses (excluding any distribution and service fees, brokerage commissions, interest, taxes and extraordinary expenses and expenses associated with the Portfolio’s investments in other investment companies, but including custodian charges relating to overdrafts, if any), after giving effect to any balance credits from the Portfolio’s custodian, do not exceed 0.42% annually of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets through July 31, 2010. There is no guarantee that this expense limitation will continue thereafter.

 

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Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The example illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over the time periods indicated, and assumes that:

 

   

you invest $10,000 in Class A, Class B or Class C shares of the Portfolio for the periods indicated,

 

   

you pay the maximum applicable sales charge,

 

   

you reinvest all dividends and distributions in the Portfolio,

 

   

your investment has a 5% return each year,

 

   

your Class B shares convert to Class A shares after you’ve owned them for eight years, and

 

   

the Portfolio’s total annual operating expenses remain the same as shown in the table above.

Since the waivers and/or reimbursements shown in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses table above expire on July 31, 2010, they are only reflected in the 1 year and the first year of the 3, 5 and 10 year examples.

Based on the assumptions listed above, your costs would be:

 

     1 year    3 years    5 years    10 years

Class A Shares

   $ 447    $ 786    $ 1,147    $ 2,163

Class B Shares

           

Assuming no redemption

   $ 202    $ 705    $ 1,235    $ 2,500

Assuming complete redemption of shares at the end of the period

   $ 502    $ 905    $ 1,235    $ 2,500

Class C Shares

           

Assuming no redemption

   $ 202    $ 705    $ 1,235    $ 2,687

Assuming complete redemption of shares at the end of the period

   $ 302    $ 705    $ 1,235    $ 2,687

Remember this is an example only. It is not necessarily representative of the Portfolio’s actual expenses in the past or future. Your actual costs could be higher or lower depending on the amount you invest and on the Portfolio’s actual expenses and performance.

 

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Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

This section describes certain strategies and policies that each Portfolio may utilize in pursuit of its investment objective, and describes some additional factors and risks involved with investing in the Portfolios.

Changing the Portfolios’ Investment Objectives and Policies

Each Portfolio’s investment objective and certain of its investment policies can be changed without shareholder approval unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the SAI. Shareholders vote on changes to other investment policies that are designated as fundamental in accordance with the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act).

Investment Guidelines

As a general matter, unless otherwise noted, whenever an investment policy or limitation states a percentage of each Portfolio’s assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding an investment standard, compliance with that percentage limitation or standard will be determined solely at the time of a Portfolio’s acquisition of the security or asset.

Holding Other Kinds of Investments

Each Portfolio may hold investments that aren’t part of its principal investment strategies. These investments are described in the SAI. Each Portfolio may choose not to invest in certain securities described in this prospectus and in the SAI, although it has the ability to do so.

Investing in Affiliated Funds

The Advisor has the authority to select the Underlying Funds in which each Portfolio invests its assets. The Advisor or one of its affiliates is the investment advisor to each of the Underlying Funds. The Advisor may be subject to a conflict of interest in selecting Underlying Funds for a Portfolio because the fees paid to it or its affiliates are higher than the fees paid to other Underlying Funds. However, as a fiduciary to each Portfolio, the Advisor has a duty to act in the best interest of each Portfolio in selecting Underlying Funds.

Investing in Columbia Money Market Funds

Each Portfolio may invest uninvested cash and cash collateral received in connection with its securities lending program in shares of the registered or unregistered money market funds advised by the Advisor. The Advisor and its affiliates receive fees from these funds for providing advisory and other services in addition to the fees which they are entitled to receive from the Portfolios for services provided directly.

Lending Securities

Each Portfolio may lend portfolio securities to approved broker/dealers or other financial intermediaries on a fully collateralized basis in order to earn additional income. A Portfolio may lose money from securities lending if, for example, it is delayed in or prevented from selling the collateral after the loan is made or recovering the securities loaned or if it incurs losses on the reinvestment of cash collateral. A Portfolio may invest some or all of the cash collateral it receives in connection with its securities lending program in one or more pooled investment vehicles, including, among other vehicles, money market funds managed by the Portfolio’s securities lending agent (or its affiliate). The securities lending agent shares in any income resulting from the investment of such cash collateral, and an affiliate of the securities lending agent receives asset-based fees for the management of such pooled investment vehicles, which may create a conflict of interest between the securities lending agent (or its affiliate) and the Portfolio with respect to the management of such cash collateral. Engaging in securities lending is subject to certain risks, including counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty to a transaction could default.

Portfolio Holdings Disclosure

A description of Columbia Funds’ policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of Portfolio portfolio securities is available in the SAI. Each Portfolio discloses its portfolio holdings on the Columbia Funds’ website, www.columbiafunds.com, as described below. Once posted, the portfolio holdings information will remain available on the website until at least the date on which such Portfolio files a Form N-CSR or Form N-Q (forms filed with the SEC that include portfolio holdings information) for the period that includes the date as of which the information is current.

Each Portfolio’s (except Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio’s) complete portfolio holdings as of a month-end are disclosed approximately 15 calendar days after such month-end. Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio’s complete portfolio

 

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holdings as of a month-end are disclosed approximately 30 calendar days after such month-end.

In addition, more current information concerning each Portfolio’s portfolio holdings as of specified dates may also be disclosed on the Columbia Funds’ website.

Investing Defensively

Each Portfolio may from time to time take temporary defensive investment positions that are inconsistent with the Portfolio’s principal investment strategies in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions including, for example, investments in money market instruments or holdings of cash or cash equivalents. Each Portfolio may not achieve its investment objective while it is investing defensively.

Mailings to Households

In order to reduce shareholder expenses we may, if prior consent has been provided, mail only one copy of a Portfolio’s prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents, call 800.345.6611 or, if your shares are held through a financial intermediary, contact your intermediary directly.

Portfolio Turnover

A mutual fund that replaces, or turns over, more than 100% of its investments in a year is considered to have a high portfolio turnover rate. A high portfolio turnover rate can generate larger distributions of short-term capital gains to shareholders, which for individuals are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes. A high portfolio turnover rate can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce a fund’s returns. In general, the greater the volume of buying and selling by a fund, the greater the impact that brokerage commissions will have on its returns. The Portfolios generally buy securities for capital appreciation, investment income or both. However, the Portfolios may sell securities regardless of how long they’ve been held. You’ll find each Portfolio’s historical portfolio turnover rates in the Financial Highlights.

 

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Underlying Funds Summary

The table starting below provides a brief overview of the investment objectives and principal investments of certain of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolios may invest. The Portfolios invest in the Underlying Funds in varying proportions.

You’ll find more detailed information about each of these Underlying Fund’s investment strategies and risks in its prospectus and SAI. Refer to www.columbiafunds.com or contact your financial advisor or the Transfer Agent for details.

The Underlying Funds

 

   

Investment Objectives

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Large Capitalization Domestic Equity      
Columbia Contrarian Core Fund     The Fund seeks total return, consisting of long-term capital appreciation and current income.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in common stocks. In addition, under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of U.S. companies that have large market capitalizations (generally over $2 billion) that the Advisor believes have the potential for long-term growth and current income. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments.
Columbia Disciplined Value Fund     The Fund seeks total return, consisting primarily of long-term capital appreciation and secondarily of current income.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities that the Advisor believes are undervalued. The Fund may invest in companies that have market capitalizations of any size, but invests most of its assets in companies that have market capitalizations of more than $1.5 billion. The Fund typically will hold a selection of common stocks included in the Russell 1000 Value Index. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

   

Investment Objectives

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia Dividend Income Fund     The Fund seeks total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in a diversified portfolio of income-producing (dividend-paying) equity securities, which will consist primarily of common stocks but also may include preferred stocks and convertible securities. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in debt securities, including securities that, at the time of purchase, are rated low and below investment grade or are unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality, which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.” The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its net assets in foreign securities. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments.
Columbia Large Cap Core Fund     The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in securities of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of companies in the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500® Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities. The Fund normally invests in common stocks, preferred stocks and convertible securities like warrants and rights. The Fund also may invest in exchange-traded funds.
Columbia Large Cap Enhanced Core Fund     The Fund seeks total return before fees and expenses that exceeds the total return of the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500® Index.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in common stocks that comprise the S&P 500® Index, convertible securities that are convertible into stocks included in that index, and derivatives whose returns are closely equivalent to the returns of the S&P 500® Index or its components.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

   

Investment Objectives

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia Large Cap Growth Fund     The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.     Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of large-capitalization companies, primarily common stocks and securities that can be converted into common stocks. These companies generally have market capitalizations in the range of companies in the Russell 1000 Growth Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments.
Columbia Large Cap Value Fund     The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of the companies in the Russell 1000 Value Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities. The Fund also may invest in real estate investment trusts.
Columbia Marsico Focused Equities Fund     The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities. These investments mostly consist of equity securities of large-capitalization companies that have market capitalizations of $5 billion or more at the time of purchase. The Fund, which is non-diversified, generally will hold a core position of between 20 and 30 common stocks that are believed to have potential for long-term growth. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in foreign securities, including in emerging market securities.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

   

Investment Objectives

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia Select Large Cap Growth Fund     The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in common stocks of U.S. and foreign companies that have market capitalizations in the range of companies in the Russell 1000 Growth Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may invest directly in foreign securities or indirectly through depositary receipts. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund will not concentrate its assets in any single industry but may invest more than 25% of its assets in companies in the technology and health care sectors, respectively.
Columbia Value and Restructuring Fund     The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 65% of its assets in common stocks of companies that the Advisor believes will benefit from various types of restructuring efforts or industry consolidation. The Fund may invest in companies that have market capitalizations of any size. The Fund may invest in foreign securities, including securities of companies in emerging market countries. The Fund may invest directly in foreign securities or indirectly through depositary receipts. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund may invest in special situations such as initial public offerings, in companies involved in management changes, tender offers, mergers and other corporate restructurings and in companies developing new technologies.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

   

Investment Objectives

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Mid-Capitalization Domestic Equity

       
Columbia Mid Cap Index Fund     The Fund seeks total return before fees and expenses that corresponds to the total return of the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) MidCap 400® Index.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in common stocks that comprise the S&P MidCap 400® Index. The Fund may invest in derivatives, consisting of stock index futures or options, as substitutes for the underlying securities in the S&P MidCap 400® Index. The Fund attempts to achieve at least a 95% correlation between the performance of the S&P MidCap 400® Index and the Fund’s investment results, before fees and expenses.
Columbia Mid Cap Growth Fund     The Fund seeks significant capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of the companies in the Russell Midcap Index at the time of purchase. The Fund also may invest up to 20% of net assets in equity securities of companies that have market capitalizations outside the range of the Russell Midcap Index. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities. The Fund may invest directly in foreign securities or indirectly through depositary receipts. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund may also invest in convertible securities, including preferred stock, warrants and debentures. The Fund may invest in special situations such as initial public offerings, in companies involved in management changes, tender offers, mergers and other corporate restructurings and in companies developing new technologies.
Columbia Mid Cap Value Fund     The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of the companies in the Russell Midcap Value Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities. The Fund also may invest in real estate investment trusts.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

   

Investment Objectives

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Small-Capitalization Domestic Equity        
Columbia Acorn USA     The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. companies. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests a majority of its net assets in small- and mid-sized companies with market capitalizations under $5 billion at the time of investment.
Columbia Small Cap Core Fund     The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.     Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of net assets in stocks of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of companies in the Russell 2000 Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of total assets in foreign equity securities. The Fund may invest directly in foreign securities or indirectly through depositary receipts. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments.
Columbia Small Cap Growth Fund I     The Fund seeks capital appreciation by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks of companies with a market capitalization, at the time of initial purchase, equal to or less than the largest stock in the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) SmallCap 600 Index.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of companies in the S&P SmallCap 600 Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities. The Fund may invest directly in foreign securities or indirectly through depositary receipts. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund may also invest in convertible securities, including preferred stock, warrants and debentures.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

   

Investment Objectives

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia Small Cap Growth Fund II     The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in securities of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of companies in the Russell 2000 Growth Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities.
Columbia Small Cap Value Fund I     The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of net assets in equity securities of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of the companies in the Russell 2000® Value Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may invest up to 20% of total assets in foreign securities.
Columbia Small Cap Value Fund II     The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of the companies in the Russell 2000 Value Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities. The Fund also may invest in real estate investment trusts.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

   

Investment Objectives

 

Principal Investment Strategies

International/Global Equity        
Columbia Acorn International     The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 75% of its total assets in foreign companies in developed markets (for example, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom) and in emerging markets (for example, China, India and Brazil). Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests a majority of its net assets in small- and mid-sized companies with market capitalizations under $5 billion at the time of investment.
Columbia Emerging Markets Fund     The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies located in emerging market countries. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund may invest in special situations such as initial public offerings, in companies involved in management changes, tender offers, mergers and other corporate restructurings and in companies developing new technologies.
Columbia International Value Fund     The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.     The Fund invests all or substantially all of its assets in Columbia International Value Master Portfolio, which has the same investment objective as the Fund. Under normal circumstances, the Master Portfolio invests at least 65% of its total assets in equity securities of foreign companies that have market capitalizations of more than $1 billion at the time of purchase. The Master Portfolio typically invests in foreign companies in at least three countries, other than the United States, at any one time and may invest in emerging market countries. The Master Portfolio invests primarily in foreign equity securities, either directly or indirectly through closed-end investment companies and depositary receipts.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

   

Investment Objectives

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia Marsico International Opportunities Fund     The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 65% of its total assets in common stocks of foreign companies. The Fund may invest in an unlimited number of companies of any size throughout the world that are selected for their long-term growth potential. The Fund normally invests in issuers from at least three different countries not including the United States. The Fund may invest in common stocks of companies operating in, or economically tied to, emerging market countries.
Columbia Multi-Advisor International Equity Fund     The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of established companies located in at least three countries other than the United States, including emerging market countries. The Fund may invest in mutual funds managed by the Advisor or an affiliate, third-party advised mutual funds, foreign investment funds or trusts, convertible securities, real estate investment trusts and depositary receipts.
Columbia Pacific/Asia Fund     The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies located in Asia and the Pacific Basin, including Australia, New Zealand and India and other countries within this region. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund may invest in special situations such as initial public offerings, in companies involved in management changes, tender offers, mergers and other corporate restructurings and in companies developing new technologies.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

   

Investment Objectives

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Specialty Securities        
Columbia Real Estate Equity Fund     The Fund seeks capital appreciation and above-average income by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in the stocks of companies principally engaged in the real estate industry, including real estate investment trusts (REITs).     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies principally engaged in the real estate industry, including REITs. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it can invest a greater percentage of its assets in a single issuer than can a diversified fund.
Government and Corporate Debt        
Columbia Bond Fund     The Fund seeks current income, consistent with minimal fluctuation of principal.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in bonds and other debt securities. The Fund generally invests at least 65% of its assets in debt securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies and instrumentalities, debt securities issued by corporations, and mortgage- and other asset-backed securities that, at the time of purchase, are rated in at least one of the three highest rating categories or are unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its assets in dollar-denominated debt securities issued by foreign governments, companies or other entities and up to 20% of its assets in preferred stock. The Fund also may invest up to 25% of its assets in securities that, at the time of purchase, are rated below investment grade or unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality, which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.” The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund may also invest in private placements. The Fund may invest in mortgage dollar rolls up to the Fund’s then current position in mortgage-backed securities.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

   

Investment Objectives

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia Core Bond Fund     The Fund seeks total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in debt securities of investment grade quality. The Fund invests in debt securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies and corporations, mortgage-and other asset-backed securities, and dollar-denominated debt securities issued by foreign governments, companies or other entities. The Fund also invests in money market instruments, including commercial paper and obligations of U.S. and foreign banks. The Fund may invest in unrated securities determined by the Advisor, at the time of purchase, to be of comparable quality to investment grade securities. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund also may invest in private placements. The Fund may also participate in mortgage dollar rolls up to the Fund’s then current position in mortgage-backed securities.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

   

Investment Objectives

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia Income Fund     The Fund seeks total return, consisting primarily of current income and secondarily of capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of net assets in bonds, including debt securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies, debt securities issued by corporations, mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, municipal securities and dollar-denominated debt securities issued by foreign governments, companies or other entities. The Fund also invests at least 60% of total assets in securities that, at the time of purchase, are investment grade securities or unrated securities determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest up to 40% of total assets in securities that, at the time of purchase, are below investment grade securities or in unrated securities determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund also may invest in private placements. The Fund may also participate in mortgage dollar rolls up to the Fund’s then current position in mortgage-backed securities.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

   

Investment Objectives

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia International Bond Fund     The Fund seeks total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets in fixed income securities of foreign issuers. Generally, the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in debt securities of issuers in at least three foreign countries, including foreign governments, quasi-governments, provincials, agencies, instrumentalities, supranationals and corporate entities. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in the securities of issuers in emerging or developing countries. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets in debt securities that, at the time of purchase, are rated B or higher by Moody’s or S&P, or are unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund also may invest in private placements. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it can invest a greater percentage of its assets in a single issuer than can a diversified fund.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

   

Investment Objectives

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia Short Term Bond Fund     The Fund seeks current income, consistent with minimal fluctuation of principal.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in bonds, including debt securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies, debt securities issued by corporations, mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, and dollar-denominated securities issued by foreign governments, companies or other entities. The Fund also invests at least 65% of its total assets in securities that, at the time of purchase, are rated investment grade or are unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund also may invest in private placements. The Fund also may participate in mortgage dollar rolls up to the Fund’s then current position in mortgage-backed securities.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

   

Investment Objectives

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia Total Return Bond Fund     The Fund seeks total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in bonds, including debt securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies, debt securities issued by corporations, mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, and dollar-denominated securities issued by foreign governments, companies or other entities. The Fund normally invests at least 65% of its total assets in securities that, at the time of purchase, are rated investment grade or are unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest up to 20% of total assets in securities that, at the time of purchase, are rated below investment grade or are unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality, which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.” The Fund also may invest up to 20% of total assets in non-U.S. dollar denominated foreign debt securities. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund may also invest in private placements. The Fund may participate in mortgage dollar rolls up to the Fund’s then current position in mortgage-backed securities.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

   

Investment Objectives

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Corporate Bond Portfolio     The Portfolio seeks total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests at least 80% of its net assets in corporate debt securities (rated BBB or better by Standard & Poor’s (S&P)), including asset-backed securities and dollar denominated foreign securities. The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its net assets in U.S. Treasury obligations or other U.S. Government obligations, preferred stocks and convertible securities. The Portfolio may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Portfolio may also invest in private placements. The Portfolio may also participate in mortgage dollar rolls up to the Portfolio’s then current position in mortgage-backed securities.
Mortgage- and Asset- Backed Portfolio     The Portfolio seeks total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests at least 80% of its net assets in mortgage-related securities or other asset-backed securities. The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its net assets in U.S. Treasury obligations or other U.S. Government obligations. The Portfolio may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Portfolio may also participate in mortgage dollar rolls up to the Portfolio’s then current position in mortgage-backed securities.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

   

Investment Objectives

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia U.S. Treasury Index Fund     The Fund seeks total return that corresponds to the total return of the Citigroup Bond U.S. Treasury Index, before fees and expenses.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of net assets in securities that comprise the Citigroup Bond U.S. Treasury Index. The Citigroup Bond U.S. Treasury Index is an unmanaged index composed of U.S. Treasury notes and bonds with remaining maturities of at least one year and outstanding principal of at least $25 million and which are included in the Citigroup Broad Investment Grade Bond Index. The Fund attempts to achieve at least a 95% correlation between the performance of the Citigroup Bond U.S. Treasury Index and the Fund’s investment results, before fees and expenses.
Convertible Securities        
Columbia Convertible Securities Fund     The Fund seeks total return, consisting of capital appreciation and current income.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in convertible securities. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in Eurodollar convertible securities and up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities. Convertible securities tend to have credit ratings that are below investment grade or are unrated. The Fund also may invest in other equity securities.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

   

Investment Objectives

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Below Investment Grade        
Columbia Conservative High Yield Fund     The Fund seeks a high level of income, with capital appreciation as a secondary goal, by investing in non-investment grade corporate debt securities, commonly referred to as “junk” or “high-yield” bonds.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in bonds rated, at the time of purchase, Ba or B by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody’s) or BB or B by Standard & Poor’s Corporation (S&P). These securities are commonly referred to as “junk” or “high-yield” bonds. The Fund may invest in securities that are publicly offered or privately placed. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund may invest up to 20% of total assets in foreign debt securities.
Columbia High Income Fund     The Fund seeks total return, consisting of a high level of income and capital appreciation.     Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in domestic and foreign corporate below investment grade debt securities. These securities generally will be, at the time of purchase, rated “BB” or below by Standard & Poor’s Corporation (S&P) or unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality, which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds”. The Fund invests primarily in domestic corporate below investment grade securities (including private placements), U.S. dollar-denominated foreign corporate below investment grade securities (including private placements), zero-coupon bonds and U.S. Government obligations. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in equity securities that may include convertible securities.
Money Market Instruments        
Columbia Cash Reserves     The Fund seeks current income, consistent with capital preservation and maintenance of a high degree of liquidity.     The Fund invests in high-quality money market instruments, including primarily short-term debt securities of U.S. and foreign issuers. The Fund purchases only first-tier securities. The Fund may invest more than 25% of its assets in U.S. dollar-denominated bank obligations of U.S. banks, foreign branches of U.S. banks and U.S. branches of foreign banks.

 

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Management of the Portfolios

Primary Service Providers

The Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, currently provide key services to the Portfolios and the other Columbia Funds, including investment advisory, administration, distribution, shareholder servicing and transfer agency, and are paid for providing these services. These service relationships are described below.

The Advisor

The Advisor (which is also the Administrator) is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110, and serves as investment advisor to over 100 Columbia Funds mutual fund portfolios. As of June 30, 2009, the Advisor had assets under management of approximately $310.5 billion. The Advisor is a registered investment advisor and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. Its management experience covers all major asset classes, including equity securities, fixed income securities and money market instruments. In addition to serving as investment advisor to mutual funds, the Advisor acts as an investment manager for individuals, corporations, retirement plans, private investment companies and financial intermediaries.

Subject to oversight by the Board, the Advisor manages the day-to-day operations of the Portfolios, determining what securities and other investments the Portfolios should buy or sell and executing the Portfolios’ portfolio transactions. Although the Advisor is responsible for the investment management of the Portfolios, the Advisor may delegate certain of its duties to one or more investment sub-advisors. In rendering investment advisory services, the Advisor may use the portfolio management and research resources of Columbia Management Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of the Advisor. The Advisor may also use the research and other expertise of other affiliates and third parties in managing the Portfolios’ investments.

The Portfolios pay the Advisor a fee for its investment advisory services. The fee is calculated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of each Portfolio and is paid monthly. For the Portfolios’ most recent fiscal year, the amount of aggregate advisory fees paid to the Advisor by each Portfolio is shown in the following chart.

Annual Advisory Fee

as a % of Average Daily Net Assets

 

Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

   0.25

Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

   0.25

Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

   0.25

Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

   0.50 %* 

 

* The Advisor is entitled to receive an investment advisory fee based on the Portfolio’s assets that are invested in individual securities, Mortgage- and Asset- Backed Portfolio and Corporate Bond Portfolio of the Columbia Funds Series Trust. The Portfolio is not charged an advisory fee on its assets that are invested in other Columbia Funds (excluding Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Portfolio and Corporate Bond Portfolio. Actual management fees will be charged to the Portfolio based on a weighted average of applicable underlying assets of the Portfolio.)

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Portfolios’ investment advisory agreement with the Advisor is available in the Portfolios’ annual report to shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.

Sub-Advisor(s)

The Advisor may engage an investment sub-advisor or sub-advisors to make the day-to-day investment decisions for the Portfolios. The Advisor retains ultimate responsibility (subject to Board oversight) for overseeing any sub-advisor it engages and for evaluating each Portfolio’s needs and available sub-advisors’ skills and abilities on an ongoing basis. Based on its evaluations, the Advisor may at times recommend to the Board that the Portfolios change, add or terminate one or more sub-advisors; continue to retain a sub-advisor even though the sub-advisor’s ownership or corporate structure has changed; or materially change a sub-advisory agreement with a sub-advisor. Applicable law requires the Portfolios to obtain shareholder approval in order to act on most of these types of recommendations, even if the Board has approved the proposed action and believes that the action is in shareholders’ best interests. The Advisor and the Columbia Funds have applied for relief from the SEC to permit the Portfolios to act on many of the Advisor’s recommendations with approval only by the Board and not by Portfolio shareholders. The Advisor or the Portfolios would inform the Portfolios’ shareholders of any actions taken in reliance on this relief. Until the Advisor and the Portfolios obtain this relief, the Portfolios will continue to submit these matters to

 

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shareholders for their approval to the extent required by applicable law.

At present, the Advisor has not engaged any investment sub-advisor for the Portfolios.

Portfolio Managers

Information about the Advisor’s portfolio managers who are primarily responsible for overseeing the Portfolios’ investments is shown in the table below. The SAI provides more information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by each portfolio manager and each portfolio manager’s ownership of securities in the Portfolios.

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolios since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Colin Moore

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolios since 2009.

Chief Investment Officer of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Kent M. Peterson, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolios since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since January 2006. Prior to January 2006, Mr. Peterson was a trading associate at Bridgewater Associates from 2004 to 2005.

Marie M. Schofield, CFA

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolios since 2009.

Managing Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 1990.

The Administrator

The Administrator is responsible for overseeing the administrative operations of the Portfolios, including the general supervision of the Portfolios’ operations, coordination of the Portfolios’ service providers, and the provision of office facilities and related clerical and administrative services.

The Administrator does not currently receive any fees for the administrative services it provides to the Portfolios, except for Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio. Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio pays the Administrator a fee for its services, plus certain out-of-pocket expenses. The fee is calculated as an annual percentage of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets and is paid monthly, as follows:

Annual Administration Fee,

as a % of Average Daily Net Assets

 

Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

   0.23

The Distributor

Shares of the Portfolios are distributed by the Distributor, which is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111. The Distributor is a registered broker/dealer and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Distributor and its affiliates may pay commissions, distribution and service fees and/or other compensation to entities, including Bank of America affiliates, for selling shares and providing services to investors.

The Transfer Agent

The Transfer Agent is a registered transfer agent and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Transfer Agent is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111, and its responsibilities include processing purchases, sales and exchanges, calculating and paying distributions, keeping shareholder records, preparing account statements and providing customer service. The Portfolios pay the Transfer Agent monthly fees on a per-account basis. Fees paid to the Transfer Agent include reimbursements for certain out-of-pocket expenses and sub-transfer agency fees, subject to certain limitations, paid by the Transfer Agent on the Portfolios’ behalf.

 

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LOGO Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

As described in Management of the Portfolios – Primary Service Providers, the Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, provide various services to the Portfolios for which they are compensated. Bank of America and its affiliates may also provide other services to the Portfolios and be compensated for them.

The Advisor and its affiliates may provide investment advisory and other services to other clients and customers substantially similar to those provided to the Portfolios. These activities, and other financial services activities of Bank of America and its affiliates (including Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.), may present actual and potential conflicts of interest and introduce certain investment constraints.

Bank of America is a major financial services company, engaged in a broad range of financial activities beyond the mutual fund-related activities of the Advisor, including, among others, commercial banking, investment banking, broker/dealer (sales and trading), asset management, insurance and other financial activities. These additional activities may involve multiple advisory, transactional, lending, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments, and in companies that issue securities and other instruments, which may be bought, sold or held by the Portfolios.

Conflicts of interest and limitations that could affect the Portfolios may arise from, for example, the following:

 

   

compensation and other benefits received by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates related to the management/administration of the Portfolios and the sale of their shares;

 

   

the allocation of, and competition for, investment opportunities among the Portfolios and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

separate and potentially divergent management of the Portfolios and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

regulatory and other investment restrictions on investment activities of the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates and accounts advised/managed by them;

 

   

lending, investment banking and other relationships of Bank of America affiliates with companies and other entities in which the Portfolios invest; and

 

   

regulatory and other restrictions relating to the sharing of information between Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, and the Portfolios.

Bank of America and its affiliates also provide a variety of products and services that, in some manner, may use the Portfolios and other Columbia Funds as investment options. For example:

 

   

the Columbia Funds are available as investments in connection with brokerage or other securities products offered by Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. or Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, both wholly-owned retail broker/dealers of Bank of America;

 

   

the Columbia Funds are used as investments in connection with fiduciary, investment management and other accounts offered by U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, as well as certain Columbia Funds structured as “funds of funds”; and

 

   

the Columbia Money Market Funds are offered as an investment option for a variety of cash “sweep” account programs offered by Bank of America and its affiliates.

The use of the Columbia Funds as investment options in connection with other products and services offered by Bank of America and its affiliates may introduce economic and other conflicts of interest of which you should be aware. These types of conflicts of interest are highlighted in sections of account documentation and other disclosure materials relating to these products and services, as well as in the SAI.

The Advisor and Bank of America have adopted various policies and procedures that are intended to identify, monitor and address conflicts of interest. However, there is no absolute assurance that these policies, procedures and disclosures will be effective.

Additional information about Bank of America and the types of conflicts of interest and other matters referenced above is set forth in the Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest section of the SAI, which is identified by the LOGO icon. Investors in the Portfolios should carefully review these disclosures and consult with their financial advisor if they have any questions.

 

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Certain Legal Matters

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. (collectively, the Columbia Group) are subject to a settlement agreement with the New York Attorney General (NYAG) (the NYAG Settlement) and a settlement order with the SEC (the SEC Order) on matters relating to mutual fund trading, each dated February 9, 2005. Under the terms of the SEC Order, the Columbia Group (or predecessor or affiliated entities) agreed, among other things, to: pay disgorgement and civil money penalties collectively totaling $375 million; cease and desist from violations of the antifraud provisions and certain other provisions of the federal securities laws; maintain certain compliance and ethics oversight structures; and retain an independent consultant to review the Columbia Group’s applicable supervisory, compliance, control and other policies and procedures. The NYAG Settlement, among other things, requires Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and its affiliates to reduce management fees for certain funds in the Columbia family of mutual funds in a projected total of $160 million over five years through November 30, 2009 and to make certain disclosures to investors relating to expenses. In connection with the Columbia Group providing services to the Columbia Funds, the Columbia Funds have voluntarily undertaken to implement certain governance measures designed to maintain the independence of their boards of trustees and certain special consulting and compliance measures.

Pursuant to the SEC Order and related procedures, the $375 million in settlement amounts described above, of which approximately $90 million has been earmarked for certain Columbia Funds and their shareholders, is being distributed in accordance with a distribution plan developed by an independent distribution consultant and approved by the SEC on December 27, 2007. Distributions under the distribution plan began in mid-June 2008.

Civil Litigation

In connection with the events that resulted in the NYAG Settlement and SEC Order, various parties filed suits against Bank of America Corporation and certain of its affiliates, including Banc of America Capital Management, LLC (BACAP, now known as Columbia Management Advisors, LLC) and BACAP Distributors, LLC (now known as Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.) (collectively BAC), Nations Funds Trust (now known as Columbia Funds Series Trust) and its Board of Trustees. On February 20, 2004, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transferred these cases and cases against other mutual fund companies based on similar allegations to the United States District Court in Maryland for consolidated or coordinated pretrial proceedings (the MDL). Subsequently, additional related cases were transferred to the MDL. On September 29, 2004, the plaintiffs in the MDL filed amended and consolidated complaints. One of these amended complaints is a putative class action that includes claims under the federal securities laws and state common law, and that names Nations Funds Trust, the Trustees, BAC and others as defendants. Another of the amended complaints is a derivative action purportedly on behalf of the Nations Funds Trust against BAC and others that asserts claims under federal securities laws and state common law. Nations Funds Trust is a nominal defendant in this action.

On February 25, 2005, BAC and other defendants filed motions to dismiss the claims in the pending cases. On December 15, 2005, BAC and others entered into a Stipulation of Settlement of the direct and derivative claims brought on behalf of the Nations Funds shareholders. The settlement is subject to court approval. If the settlement is approved, BAC would pay settlement administration costs and fees to plaintiffs’ counsel as approved by the court. The stipulation has not yet been presented to the court for approval.

 

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Choosing a Share Class

Comparison of the Share Classes

Share Class Features

The Portfolios offer four classes of shares in this prospectus: Class A, Class B, Class C and Class R shares. The Portfolios may also offer other classes of shares through a separate prospectus. Each share class has its own investment eligibility criteria, cost structure and other features. The following summarizes the primary features of the Class A, Class B, Class C and Class R shares offered by this prospectus. Contact your financial advisor or Columbia Funds for more information about the Portfolios’ share classes and how to choose among them.

 

   

Class A Shares

 

Class B Shares

 

Class C Shares

 

Class R Shares

Eligible Investors and

Minimum Initial

Investments(a)

  Minimum initial investments range from $0 to $2,500; the share class is available to the general public for investment.   The Portfolios no longer accept investments from new or existing investors in Class B shares, except for certain limited transactions from existing investors in Class B shares as described in more detail under Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares - Opening an Account and Placing Orders - Buying Shares - Class B Shares Closing.   Minimum initial investments range from $0 to $2,500; the share class is available to the general public for investment.   There is no minimum initial investment, but Class R shares are available only through eligible retirement plans and health savings accounts.
Investment Limits   none   up to $49,999 (based on aggregate account value)(b)   up to $999,999   none
Conversion Features   none   convert to Class A shares eight years after purchase   none   none
Front-End Sales Charges(c)   5.75% (3.25% for Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio) maximum, declining to 0.00% on investments of $1 million or more   none   none   none

Contingent Deferred Sales

Charges (CDSCs)(c)

  none, except a 1.00% CDSC applies to certain investments of between $1 million and $50 million sold within one year of purchase   5.00% (3.00% for Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio) maximum, gradually declining to 0.00% after six years (four years for Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio)   1.00% on investments sold within one year of purchase   none

Maximum Distribution and

Service Fees

  0.25% combined distribution and service fee   0.75% distribution fee 0.25% service fee   0.75% distribution fee 0.25% service fee   0.50% distribution fee

 

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(a)

See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders for more details on the eligible investors and investment minimums of these share classes.

(b)

If you hold Class B shares of a Portfolio and your account has a value of less than $49,999, you may purchase additional Class B shares of the Portfolio in amounts that increase your account value up to a maximum of $49,999. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares - Opening an Account and Placing Orders - Buying Shares - Class B Shares Closing for important information regarding purchases of Class B shares. The value of your account, for this purpose, includes the value of all eligible accounts held by you and your “immediate family.” See the discussion about account value aggregation and eligible accounts in Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for more information. If you have reached the $49,999 limit, any additional amounts you invest in Class B shares of the Portfolio will be invested in Class A shares of the Portfolio, without regard to the normal minimum investment amount for Class A shares. Such investments will, however, be subject to a front-end sales charge that generally applies to Class A shares.

(c)

See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for information about certain exceptions to these sales charges.

FUNDamentalsTM

Selling and/or Servicing Agents

The terms “selling agent” and “servicing agent” refer to the financial intermediary that employs your financial advisor. Selling and/or servicing agents include, for example, brokerage firms, banks, investment advisors, third party administrators and other financial intermediaries, including affiliates of Bank of America, such as Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.

Sales Charges and Commissions

Sales charges, commissions and distribution and service fees (discussed in a separate sub-section below) compensate selling and/or servicing agents, and typically your financial advisor, for selling shares to you and for maintaining and servicing the shares held in your account. These charges, commissions and fees are intended to provide incentives for selling and/or servicing agents to provide these services.

Depending on which share class you choose you will pay these charges either at the outset as a front-end sales charge, at the time you sell your shares as a contingent deferred sales charge and/or over time in the form of increased ongoing fees. Whether the ultimate cost is higher for one class over the other depends on how long you hold your shares.

Class A Shares—Front-End Sales Charge

You’ll pay a front-end sales charge when you buy Class A shares unless you qualify for a waiver of the sales charge or you buy the shares through reinvested distributions. See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for more information.

FUNDamentalsTM

Front-End Sales Charge Calculation

The following table presents the front-end sales charge as a percentage of both the offering price and the net amount invested.

 

   

The offering price per share is the net asset value per share plus any front-end sales charge that applies.

 

   

The net asset value (or NAV) per share is the price of a share calculated by a Portfolio every business day.

The dollar amount of the sales charge is the difference between the offering price of the shares you buy (based on the applicable sales charge in the table) and the net asset value of those shares.

To determine the front-end sales charge you will pay when you buy your shares, each Portfolio will add the amount of your investment to the value of your account and base the sales charge on the aggregate amount. This approach is designed to assure that you pay the lowest applicable sales charge possible. See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/ Waivers of Sales Charges for a discussion of account value aggregation.

 

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The front-end sales charge you’ll pay on Class A shares:

 

   

depends on the amount you’re investing (generally, the larger the investment, the smaller the percentage sales charge), and

 

   

is based on the total amount of your purchase and the value of your account.

Class A Shares—Front-End Sales Charge—Breakpoint Schedule (for all Portfolios except Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio)

 

Dollar amount of shares bought(a)

   Sales charge as a %
of the offering price(b)
    Sales charge as a %
of the net amount invested(b)
    Amount retained by or paid to
selling and/or servicing agents
as a % of the offering price
 

$0 – $49,999

   5.75   6.10   5.00

$50,000 – $99,999

   4.50   4.71   3.75

$100,000 – $249,999

   3.50   3.63   2.75

$250,000 – $499,999

   2.50   2.56   2.00

$500,000 – $999,999

   2.00   2.04   1.75

$1,000,000 or more

   0.00   0.00   1.00 %(c)(d) 

 

(a)

Purchase amounts and account values are aggregated among all eligible Columbia Fund accounts for the purposes of this table.

(b)

Because the offering price is calculated to two decimal places, the dollar amount of the sales charge as a percentage of the offering price and your net amount invested for any particular purchase of Portfolio shares may be higher or lower depending on whether downward or upward rounding was required during the calculation process.

(c)

1.00% on purchases from $1 million up to $3 million, 0.50% on purchases of $3 million up to $50 million and 0.25% on amounts of $50 million or more. The Distributor pays selling and/or servicing agents on investments of $1 million or more, but may be reimbursed if a CDSC is deducted when the shares are sold.

(d)

For certain group retirement plans, selling and/or servicing agents are eligible to receive a 1.00% commission from the Distributor on all purchases up to $3 million, including those in amounts of less than $1 million that are coded as commission eligible trades.

Class A Shares—Front-End Sales Charge—Breakpoint Schedule (Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio)

 

Dollar amount of shares bought(a)

   Sales charge as a %
of the offering price(b)
    Sales charge as a %
of the net amount invested(b)
    Amount retained by or paid to
selling and/or servicing agents
as a % of the offering price
 

$0 – $99,999

   3.25   3.36   3.00

$100,000 – $249,999

   2.50   2.56   2.25

$250,000 – $499,999

   2.00   2.04   1.75

$500,000 – $999,999

   1.50   1.52   1.25

$1,000,000 or more

   0.00   0.00   1.00 %(c)(d) 

 

(a)

Purchase amounts and account values are aggregated among all eligible Columbia Fund accounts for the purposes of this table.

(b)

Because the offering price is calculated to two decimal places, the dollar amount of the sales charge as a percentage of the offering price and your net amount invested for any particular purchase of Portfolio shares may be higher or lower depending on whether downward or upward rounding was required during the calculation process.

(c)

1.00% on purchases from $1 million up to $3 million, 0.50% on purchases of $3 million up to $50 million and 0.25% on amounts of $50 million or more. The Distributor pays selling and/or servicing agents on investments of $1 million or more, but may be reimbursed if a CDSC is deducted when the shares are sold.

(d)

For certain group retirement plans, selling and/or servicing agents are eligible to receive a 1.00% commission from the Distributor on all purchases up to $3 million, including those in amounts of less than $1 million that are coded as commission eligible trades.

 

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Class A Shares—CDSC and Commissions

In some cases, you’ll pay a CDSC if you sell Class A shares that you bought without an initial sales charge.

 

   

If you bought Class A shares without an initial sales charge because your accounts aggregated $1 million to $50 million at the time of purchase, you will incur a 1.00% CDSC if you redeem those shares within one year of buying them.

 

   

Subsequent Class A share purchases that bring your aggregate account value to $1 million or more (but less than $50 million) will also be subject to a CDSC if you redeem them within one year of buying them.

The CDSC on Class A shares:

 

   

is applied to the net asset value at the time of your purchase or sale, whichever is lower, and

 

   

will not be applied to any shares you receive through reinvested distributions.

For purposes of calculating the CDSC, the start of the holding period is the first day of the month in which the purchase was made. When you place an order to sell your Class A shares, the Portfolios will first redeem any shares that aren’t subject to a CDSC followed by those you have held the longest. The CDSC on Class A shares does not apply to retirement plans buying through a fee-based program.

The Distributor may pay your selling and/or servicing agent an up-front commission of up to 5.00% (up to 3.00% for Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio) of the offering price per share when you buy Class A shares. The Distributor funds the commission through the applicable sales charge.

The Distributor may also pay your selling and/or servicing agent a cumulative commission when you buy $1 million or more of Class A shares, according to the following schedule:

Class A Shares—Commission Schedule

 

Purchase Amount

   Commission Level
(as a % of net asset
value per share)
 

$1 million – $2,999,999

   1.00

$3 million – $49,999,999

   0.50

$50 million or more

   0.25

FUNDamentalsTM

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge

A contingent deferred sales charge or CDSC is a sales charge applied at the time you sell your shares, unlike a front-end sales charge that is applied at the time of purchase. A CDSC varies based on the length of time that you have held your shares.

Class B and Class C Shares—Sales Charges

You don’t pay a front-end sales charge when you buy Class B or Class C shares, but you may pay a CDSC when you sell Class B or Class C shares.

The CDSC on Class B and Class C shares:

 

   

is applied to the net asset value at the time of your purchase or sale, whichever is lower,

 

   

will not be applied to any shares you receive through reinvested distributions, and

 

   

generally declines each year until there is no sales charge for selling shares.

For purposes of calculating the CDSC, the start of the holding period is the first day of the month in which your purchase was made. When you place an order to sell your Class B or Class C shares, the Portfolios will first redeem any shares that aren’t subject to a CDSC followed by those you have held the longest.

 

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Class B Shares—CDSC and Commissions

You’ll pay a CDSC if you sell Class B shares unless you qualify for a waiver of the CDSC or the shares you’re selling were bought through reinvested distributions. See Choosing a Share Class—Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for details. The CDSC you pay on Class B shares depends on how long you’ve held your shares:

Class B Shares—CDSC Schedule (all Portfolios except Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio)

 

Number of Years Class B Shares Held

   Applicable CDSC

One

   5.00%

Two

   4.00%

Three

   3.00%

Four

   3.00%

Five

   2.00%

Six

   1.00%

Seven

   none

Eight

   none

Nine

   Conversion to Class A Shares

Class B Shares—CDSC Schedule (Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio)

 

Number of Years Class B Shares Held

   Applicable CDSC

One

   3.00%

Two

   3.00%

Three

   2.00%

Four

   1.00%

Five

   none

Six

   none

Seven

   none

Eight

   none

Nine

   Conversion to Class A Shares

The Distributor pays an up-front commission directly to your selling and/or servicing agent of up to 4.00% (up to 2.75% for Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio) of the net asset value per share when you buy Class B shares. The Distributor seeks to recover this commission through distribution fees it receives under the Portfolios’ distribution plan and any applicable CDSC when you sell your shares. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for details.

Class B shares automatically convert to Class A shares after you’ve owned them for eight years. This conversion feature allows you to benefit from the lower operating costs of Class A shares, which can help increase your total returns from an investment in the Portfolios.

The following rules apply to the conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares:

 

   

Class B shares are converted on or about the 15th day of the month that they become eligible for conversion.

 

   

Any shares you received from reinvested distributions on these shares generally will convert to Class A shares at the same time.

 

   

You’ll receive the same dollar value of Class A shares as the Class B shares that were converted. Class B shares that you received from an exchange of Class B shares of another Columbia Fund will convert based on the day you bought the original shares.

 

   

No sales charge or other charges apply, and conversions are free from federal income tax.

Class C Shares—CDSC and Commissions

You’ll pay a CDSC of 1.00% if you sell Class C shares within one year of buying them unless you qualify for a waiver of the CDSC or the shares you’re selling were bought through reinvested distributions. See Choosing a Share Class – Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges for details.

The Distributor pays an up-front commission directly to your selling and/or servicing agent of up to 1.00% of the net asset value per share when you buy Class C shares. The Distributor seeks to recover this commission through distribution fees it receives under the Portfolios’ distribution plan and any applicable CDSC applied when you sell your shares. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for details.

Class R Shares—Sales Charges and Commissions

You don’t pay a front-end sales charge when you buy Class R shares or a CDSC when you sell your Class R shares. Class R shares are only available for purchase through certain eligible retirement plans and health savings accounts. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders for more information about investing in Class R shares of the Portfolios. The Distributor pays an up-front commission directly to your selling and/or servicing agent when you buy Class R shares, according to the following schedule:

 

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Class R Shares—Commission Schedule

 

Purchase Amount

   Commission Level
(as a % of net asset
value per share)
 

$0 – $49,999,999

   0.50

$50 million or more

   0.25

The Distributor seeks to recover this commission through distribution fees it receives under the Portfolios’ distribution plan. See Choosing a Share Class – Distribution and Service Fees for details.

 

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Reductions/Waivers of Sales Charges

Front-End Sales Charge Reductions

There are two ways in which you may be able to reduce the front-end sales charge that you may pay when you buy Class A shares of the Portfolios. These types of sales charge reductions are also referred to as breakpoint discounts.

First, through the right of accumulation, you may combine the value of eligible accounts maintained by you and your immediate family to reach a breakpoint discount level and apply a lower sales charge to your purchase. To calculate the combined value of your accounts, the Portfolios will use the current public offering price per share.

Second, by making a statement of intent to purchase additional shares, you may pay a lower sales charge on all purchases of Class A shares made within 13 months of the date of your statement of intent. Your statement of intent must state the aggregate amount of purchases you intend to make in that 13-month period, which must be at least $50,000. If you do not complete the purchases described in your statement of intent within 13 months, you will be charged the applicable sales charge on the amount you have invested to that date. To calculate the total value of the purchases you’ve made under a statement of intent, the Portfolios will use the historic cost (i.e. dollars invested) of the shares held in each eligible account.

To obtain a breakpoint discount, you must notify your financial advisor in writing at the time you buy your shares of each eligible account maintained by you and/or your immediate family. It is the responsibility of you and your financial advisor to ensure that you receive discounts for which you are eligible; the Portfolios are not responsible for a financial advisor’s failure to apply the eligible discount to your account. You may be asked by your financial advisor for account statements or other records to verify your discount eligibility, including, when applicable, records for accounts opened with a different financial advisor and records of accounts established by members of your immediate family.

FUNDamentalsTM

Your “Immediate Family” and Account Value Aggregation

For purposes of reaching the Class B shares investment limits described in Choosing a Share Class – Comparison of the Share Classes and obtaining a Class A shares breakpoint discount, the value of your account will be deemed to include the value of all applicable shares in eligible accounts that are held by your “immediate family,” which includes your spouse (or legal equivalent under state law), parent, step-parent, legal guardian, child, step-child, father-in-law and mother-in-law. Remember that in order to obtain a breakpoint discount, you must notify your financial advisor in writing at the time you buy your shares of each eligible account maintained by you and/or your immediate family. Group plan accounts are valued at the plan level.

Eligible Accounts

The types of accounts that are eligible for the account value aggregation purposes described above are:

 

   

individual accounts,

 

   

joint accounts,

 

   

certain IRA accounts,

 

   

certain health savings accounts,

 

   

certain trust accounts, and

 

   

Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA)/Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) accounts.

Eligible accounts include those registered in the name of the broker/dealer or other financial intermediary through which you own shares of the Columbia Funds.

Eligible accounts do not include Class R share accounts or accounts holding institutional share classes of the Columbia Money Market Funds (Capital Class shares, Liquidity Class shares, Adviser Class shares, Investor Class shares, Trust Class shares, Institutional Class shares and Marsico shares). Certain share classes are not offered by this prospectus.

 

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Front-End Sales Charge Waivers

Certain investors may buy Class A shares of the Portfolios at net asset value, without any front-end sales charge that would otherwise apply. These investors include affiliates of the Portfolios, broker/dealers, investors in wrap fee programs, investors through fee-based advisors, certain retirement plans, certain health savings accounts, certain shareholders of funds that were reorganized into Columbia Funds, investors using the proceeds of sales of Portfolio shares or of certain Bank of America trust or similar accounts, as well as insurance company separate accounts purchasing for the benefit of group retirement plans. Restrictions may apply to certain accounts and certain transactions.

CDSC Waivers

You may be able to avoid an otherwise applicable CDSC when you sell Class A, Class B or Class C shares of the Portfolios. This could happen because of the way in which you originally invested in the Portfolios, because of your relationship with the Columbia Funds or for other reasons.

Generally, a CDSC that would otherwise be applied may be waived for certain sales, including sales made under the Systematic Withdrawal Plan or in connection with the death or post-purchase disability of a shareholder; certain medical expenses; charitable gifts; involuntary sales; and agreements by selling and/or servicing agents to waive or return their commissions. Restrictions may apply to certain accounts and certain transactions.

The Portfolios may change or cancel these terms at any time. Any change or cancellation applies only to future purchases.

For more information about the sales charge reductions and waivers described here, consult the SAI.

 

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Distribution and Service Fees

Pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, the Board has approved, and the Portfolios have adopted, distribution and shareholder servicing plans which set the distribution and service fees that are periodically deducted from the Portfolios’ assets. These fees are calculated daily, may vary by share class and are intended to compensate the Distributor and/or eligible selling and/or servicing agents for selling shares of the Portfolios and providing services to investors. Because the fees are paid out of the Portfolios’ assets on an ongoing basis, they will increase the cost of your investment over time.

The table below shows the maximum annual distribution and service fees (as an annual % of average daily net assets) and the combined amount of such fees applicable to each share class:

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) and Service Fees

 

     Distribution
Fee
    Service
Fee
    Combined
Total
 

Class A

   —   (a)    —   (a)    0.25 %(a) 

Class B

   0.75   0.25   1.00

Class C

   0.75   0.25   1.00

Class R

   0.50 %(b)    —   (b)    0.50 %(b) 

 

(a)

The Portfolios’ Class A shares pay a combined distribution and service fee pursuant to the Portfolios’ combined distribution and shareholder servicing plan for Class A shares.

(b)

The Portfolios’ Class R shares pay a distribution fee pursuant to the Portfolios’ distribution plan for Class R shares. The Portfolios do not have a shareholder servicing plan for Class R shares.

The Portfolios will pay these fees to the Distributor and/or to eligible selling and/or servicing agents for as long as the distribution and/or shareholder servicing plans continue. The Portfolios may reduce or discontinue payments at any time. Your selling and/or servicing agent may also charge you other fees for providing services to your account, which may be different from those described here.

 

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Financial Intermediary Compensation

The Distributor and the Advisor make payments, from their own resources, to certain financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, for marketing/sales support services relating to the Columbia Funds. Such payments are generally based upon one or more of the following factors: average net assets of the Columbia Funds sold by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, gross sales of the Columbia Funds distributed by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, reimbursement of ticket charges (fees that an intermediary firm charges its representatives for effecting transactions in Columbia Fund shares) or a negotiated lump sum payment. While the financial arrangements may vary for each intermediary, the support payments to any one intermediary are generally between 0.05% and 0.50% (and 0.03% and 0.12% with regard to the Columbia Money Market Funds) on an annual basis for payments based on average net assets of the Portfolio attributable to the intermediary, and between 0.05% and 0.25% on an annual basis for firms receiving a payment based on gross sales of the Columbia Funds (other than the Columbia Money Market Funds) attributable to the intermediary.

The Distributor and the Advisor may make payments in larger amounts or on a basis other than those described above when dealing with other affiliates of Bank of America. Such increased payments to the other Bank of America affiliate may enable the other Bank of America affiliate to offset credits that it may provide to customers in order to avoid having such customers pay fees to multiple Bank of America entities in connection with the customers’ investments in the Portfolios.

The Distributor, the Transfer Agent and the Advisor may also make payments to financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, that provide shareholder services to retirement plans and other investment programs to compensate those intermediaries for services they provide to such programs, including, but not limited to, sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, similar shareholder or participant recordkeeping, shareholder or participant reporting, or shareholder or participant transaction processing.

These payments for shareholder servicing support vary by financial intermediary but generally are not expected, with certain limited exceptions, to exceed 0.40% of the average aggregate value of each Portfolio’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, and 0.45% of the average aggregate value of each Portfolio’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that do not pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

The Board has authorized the Portfolios to reimburse the Transfer Agent for amounts paid to financial intermediaries that maintain assets in omnibus accounts, subject to an annual cap of 0.15% of the average aggregate value of each Portfolio’s shares maintained in such accounts. The amounts in excess of that reimbursed by the Portfolios are borne by the Distributor or the Advisor. The Distributor and the Advisor may make other payments or allow promotional incentives to broker/dealers to the extent permitted by SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rules and by other applicable laws and regulations.

Amounts paid by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates are paid out of the Distributor’s and the Advisor’s own resources and do not increase the amount paid by you or the Portfolios. You can find further details about the payments made by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates and the services provided by financial intermediaries as well as a list of the intermediaries to which the Distributor and the Advisor have agreed to make marketing support payments in the SAI. Your financial intermediary may charge you fees and commissions in addition to those described in this prospectus. You should consult with your financial intermediary and review carefully any disclosure your financial intermediary provides regarding its services and compensation. Depending on the financial arrangement in place at any particular time, a financial intermediary and its financial consultants may have a financial incentive for recommending the Portfolios or a particular share class over others. See Management of the Portfolios – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information.

 

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Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

Share Price Determination

The price you pay or receive when you buy, sell or exchange shares is a Portfolio’s next determined net asset value (or NAV) per share for a given share class. The Portfolios calculate the net asset value per share for each class of the Portfolios at the end of each business day.

FUNDamentalsTM

NAV Calculation

Each of the Portfolio’s share classes calculates its NAV as follows:

 

      (Value of assets of the share class)      
NAV    =   

—(Liabilities of the share class)

     
      Number of outstanding shares of the class      

The value of each Portfolio’s shares is based on the total market value of all of the securities and other assets that it holds as of a specified time. The prices reported on stock exchanges and other securities markets around the world are usually used to value securities in the Portfolios. The Portfolios use the amortized cost method, which approximates market value, to value short-term investments maturing in 60 days or less.

If a market price isn’t readily available, the Portfolios will determine the price of the security held by the Portfolio based on the Advisor’s determination of the security’s fair value. A market price is considered not readily available if, among other circumstances, the most recent reported price is deemed unreliable. In addition, a Portfolio may use fair valuation to price securities that trade on a foreign exchange when a significant event has occurred after the foreign exchange closes but before the time at which the Portfolio’s share price is calculated. Foreign exchanges typically close before the time at which Portfolio share prices are calculated, and may be closed altogether on some days when the Portfolios are open. Such significant events affecting a foreign security may include, but are not limited to: (1) those impacting a single issuer; (2) governmental action that affects securities in one sector or country; (3) natural disasters or armed conflicts affecting a country or region; or (4) significant domestic or foreign market fluctuations. The Portfolios use various criteria, including an evaluation of U.S. market moves after the close of foreign markets, in determining whether a security’s market price is readily available and, if not, the fair value of the security.

Fair valuation may have the effect of reducing stale pricing arbitrage opportunities presented by the pricing of Portfolio shares. However, when the Portfolios use fair valuation to price securities, they may value those securities higher or lower than another mutual fund. Also, the use of fair valuation may cause a Portfolio’s performance to diverge to a greater degree from the performance of various benchmarks used to compare the Portfolio’s performance because benchmarks generally do not use fair valuation techniques. Because of the judgment involved in fair valuation decisions, there can be no assurance that the value ascribed to a particular security is accurate. The Portfolios have retained an independent fair valuation pricing service to assist in the fair valuation process for foreign securities. International markets are sometimes open on days when U.S. markets are closed, which means that the value of foreign securities owned by the Portfolios could change on days when Portfolio shares cannot be bought or sold.

 

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Transaction Rules and Policies

Remember that sales charges may apply to your transactions. You should also ask your selling and/or servicing agent about its rules, fees and policies for buying, selling and exchanging shares, which may be different from those described here, and about its related programs or services.

Also remember that the Portfolios may refuse any order to buy or exchange shares. If this happens, we’ll return any money we’ve received, but no interest will be paid on that money.

Order Processing

Orders to buy, sell or exchange shares are processed on business days. Orders can be delivered by mail, by telephone or online. Orders received in “good form” by the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent before the end of a business day will receive that day’s net asset value per share. Orders received after the end of a business day will receive the next business day’s net asset value per share. The market value of the Portfolios’ investments may change between the time you submit your order and the time the Portfolios next calculate their net asset value per share. The business day that applies to your order is also called a trade date.

FUNDamentalsTM

Business Days

A business day is any day that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. A business day ends at the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. If the NYSE closes early, the business day ends as of the time the NYSE closes. On holidays and other days when the NYSE is closed, the Portfolios’ net asset value is not calculated and the Portfolios do not accept buy or sell orders. However, the value of a Portfolio’s assets may still be affected on such days to the extent that a Portfolio holds foreign securities that trade on days that foreign markets are open.

“Good Form”

An order is in “good form” if the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent has all of the information and documentation it deems necessary to effect your order. For example, when you sell shares by letter of instruction, “good form” means that your letter has (i) complete instructions and the signatures of all account owners, (ii) a Medallion signature guarantee for amounts equal to or greater than $100,000 and (iii) any other required documents completed and attached. For the documents required for sales by corporations, agents, fiduciaries, surviving joint owners and other legal entities, call 800.345.6611.

Medallion Signature Guarantees

Qualified customers can obtain a Medallion signature guarantee from any financial institution – including commercial banks such as Bank of America, credit unions and broker/dealers – that participates in one of the three Medallion signature guarantee programs recognized by the SEC. These Medallion signature guarantee programs are the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (STAMP), the Stock Exchanges Medallion Program (SEMP) and the New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program (MSP).

Class R Shares

Remember that Class R shares are only available for purchase, sale or exchange through eligible retirement plans and health savings accounts sponsored by third party platforms, including those sponsored by Bank of America affiliates. Your retirement plan or health savings account administrator or selling and/or servicing agent is responsible for sending your orders to the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent, ensuring that we receive your money on time, ensuring that you receive any sale proceeds on time, and recording and reporting your beneficial ownership of shares of the Portfolios. Contact your retirement plan or health savings account administrator for details.

Written Transactions

Once you have an account, you can communicate written buy, sell and exchange orders to the Transfer Agent at the following address: Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

 

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Telephone Transactions

Once you have an account, you may place orders to buy, sell or exchange by telephone. To place orders by telephone, call 800.422.3737. Have your account number and taxpayer identification number (TIN) available when calling.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares via the telephone in any 30-day period if you qualify for telephone orders. Wire redemptions requested via the telephone are not subject to this maximum amount. You can buy up to $100,000 of shares through your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction via the telephone per day if you qualify for telephone orders.

Telephone orders may not be as secure as written orders. Columbia Funds will take reasonable steps to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. For example, we require proof of your identification before we will act on instructions received by telephone and may record telephone conversations. However, the Portfolios and their agents will not be responsible for any losses, costs or expenses resulting from an unauthorized telephone instruction when reasonable steps have been taken to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. Telephone orders may be difficult to complete during periods of significant economic or market change or business interruption.

Online Transactions

Once you have an account, contact Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for more information on account trading restrictions and the special sign-up procedures required for online transactions. The Transfer Agent has procedures in place to authenticate electronic orders you deliver through the internet. You will be required to accept the terms of an online agreement and establish and utilize a password in order to access online account services.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares through the internet in any 30-day period if you qualify for internet orders.

Customer Identification Program

Federal law requires the Portfolios to obtain and record specific personal information to verify your identity when you open an account. This information may include your name, address, date of birth (for individuals), and taxpayer or other government issued identification. If you fail to provide the requested information, the Portfolios may need to delay the date of your purchase or may be unable to open your account, which may result in a return of your investment monies. In addition, if the Portfolios are unable to verify your identity after your account is open, the Portfolios reserve the right to close your account or take other steps as deemed reasonable. The Portfolios shall not be held liable for any loss resulting from any purchase delay, application rejection or account closure due to a failure to provide proper identifying information.

Small Account Policy—Accounts Below $250

Columbia Funds generally will automatically sell your shares if the value of your account (treating each account of the Portfolio you own separately from any other account of the Portfolio you may own) falls below $250. If your shares are sold, the Transfer Agent will remit the sale proceeds to you. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of any automatic sale, which will provide details on how you may avoid such an automatic sale. Generally, you may avoid such an automatic sale by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information. The automatic sale of shares of accounts valued at less than $250 is expected to take place in the second quarter of each calendar year.

Columbia Funds may also sell your shares if a financial intermediary tells us to sell your shares pursuant to arrangements made with you, and under certain other circumstances allowed under the 1940 Act.

Small Account Policy—Minimum Balance Fee

If the value of your account (treating each account of the Portfolio you own separately from any other account of the Portfolio you may own) falls below the minimum initial investment requirement applicable to you, your account generally will be subject to a $20 annual fee. This fee will be assessed through the automatic sale of shares in your account. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed

 

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on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will reduce the expenses paid by the Portfolio by any amounts it collects from the assessment of this fee. For Portfolios that do not have transfer agency expenses against which to offset the amount collected through assessment of this fee, the fee will be paid directly to the Portfolio. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of assessing any fee, which will provide details on how you can avoid the imposition of such fee. Generally, you may avoid the imposition of such fee by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information.

Columbia Funds reserves the right to change the minimum investment requirements for any Portfolio. We also reserve the right to lower the account size trigger point for the minimum balance fee in any year or for any class of shares when we believe it is appropriate to do so in light of declines in the market value of Portfolio shares, sales loads applicable to a particular class of shares, or for other reasons.

Exceptions to the Small Account Policy

The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 and the annual minimum balance fee described previously do not apply to shareholders of Class R shares or shareholders holding their shares through broker/dealer networked accounts; wrap fee and omnibus accounts; accounts with active Systematic Investment Plans or payroll deduction plans; and certain qualified retirement plans and health savings accounts. The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 does not apply to individual retirement plans.

Cash Flows

The timing and magnitude of cash inflows from investors buying Portfolio shares could prevent the Portfolios from always being fully invested. Conversely, the timing and magnitude of cash outflows to investors selling Portfolio shares could require large ready reserves of uninvested cash to meet shareholder redemptions. Either situation could adversely impact the Portfolios’ performance.

Information Sharing Agreements

As required by Rule 22c-2 under the 1940 Act, the Columbia Funds or certain of their service providers will enter into information sharing agreements with financial intermediaries, including participating life insurance companies and financial intermediaries that sponsor or offer retirement plans through which shares of the Columbia Funds are made available for purchase. Pursuant to Rule 22c-2, financial intermediaries are required, upon request, to: (i) provide shareholder account and transaction information and (ii) execute instructions from the Portfolios to restrict or prohibit further purchases of Portfolio shares by shareholders who have been identified by the Portfolios as having engaged in transactions that violate the Portfolios’ excessive trading policies and procedures. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Excessive Trading Practices for more information.

Excessive Trading Practices

Right to Reject or Restrict Share Transaction Orders – The Portfolios are intended for investors with long-term investment purposes and are not intended as a vehicle for frequent trading activity (market timing) that is excessive. Investors should transact in Portfolio shares primarily for investment purposes. The Board has adopted excessive trading policies and procedures that are designed to deter excessive trading by investors (the Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures). The Portfolios discourage and do not accommodate excessive trading.

The Portfolios reserve the right to reject, without any prior notice, any buy or exchange order for any reason, and will not be liable for any loss resulting from rejected orders. For example, the Portfolios may in their discretion restrict, reject or cancel a buy or exchange order even if the transaction is not subject to the specific exchange limitation described below if the Portfolios or their agents determine that accepting the order could interfere with efficient management of the Portfolios or is otherwise contrary to the Portfolios’ best interests. The Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures apply equally to buy or exchange transactions communicated directly to the Transfer Agent and to those received by selling and/or servicing agents.

Specific Buying and Exchanging Limitations – If a Portfolio detects that an investor has made two “material round trips” in any 28-day period, it will generally reject the investor’s

 

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future buy orders, including exchange buy orders, involving any Columbia Fund.

For these purposes, a “round trip” is a purchase or exchange into the Portfolio followed by a sale or exchange out of the Portfolio. A “material” round trip is one that is deemed by the Portfolio to be material in terms of its amount or its potential detrimental impact on the Portfolio.

Independent of this limit, the Portfolios may, in their discretion, reject future buy orders by any person, group or account that appears to have engaged in any type of excessive trading activity.

These limits generally do not apply to automated transactions or transactions by registered investment companies that invest in the Portfolios using a “fund of funds” structure. These limits do not apply to payroll deduction contributions by retirement plan participants, transactions initiated by a retirement plan sponsor or certain other retirement plan transactions consisting of rollover transactions, loan repayments and disbursements, and required minimum distribution redemptions. They may be modified or rescinded for accounts held by certain retirement plans to conform to plan limits, for considerations relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or regulations of the Department of Labor, and for certain asset allocation or wrap programs. Accounts known to be under common ownership or control generally will be counted together, but accounts maintained or managed by a common intermediary generally will not be considered to be under common ownership or control. The Portfolios retain the right to modify these restrictions at any time without prior notice to shareholders.

Limitations on the Ability to Detect and Prevent Excessive Trading Practices – The Portfolios take various steps designed to detect and prevent excessive trading, including daily review of available shareholder transaction information. However, the Portfolios receive buy, sell and exchange orders through financial intermediaries, and cannot always know or reasonably detect excessive trading that may be facilitated by financial intermediaries or by the use of the omnibus account arrangements they offer. Omnibus account arrangements are common forms of holding shares of mutual funds, particularly among certain financial intermediaries such as broker/dealers, retirement plans and variable insurance products. These arrangements often permit financial intermediaries to aggregate their clients’ transactions and accounts, and in these circumstances, the identity of the shareholders is often not known.

Some financial intermediaries apply their own restrictions or policies to underlying investor accounts, which may be more or less restrictive than those described here. This may impact the Portfolios’ ability to curtail excessive trading, even where it is identified. For these and other reasons, it is possible that excessive trading may occur despite the Portfolios’ efforts to detect and prevent it.

Although these restrictions and policies involve judgments that are inherently subjective and may involve some selectivity in their application, the Portfolios seek to act in a manner that they believe is consistent with the best interests of shareholders in making any such judgments.

Risks of Excessive Trading – Excessive trading creates certain risks to the Portfolios’ long-term shareholders and may create the following adverse effects:

 

   

negative impact on the Portfolios’ performance;

 

   

potential dilution of the value of the Portfolios’ shares;

 

   

interference with the efficient management of the Portfolios’ portfolios, such as the need to maintain undesirably large cash positions, the need to use their line of credit or the need to buy or sell securities they otherwise would not have bought or sold;

 

   

losses on the sale of investments resulting from the need to sell securities at less favorable prices;

 

   

increased taxable gains to the Portfolios’ remaining shareholders resulting from the need to sell securities to meet sell orders; and

 

   

increased brokerage and administrative costs.

To the extent that a Portfolio invests significantly in foreign securities traded on markets that close before the Portfolio’s valuation time, it may be particularly susceptible to dilution as a result of excessive trading. Because events may occur after the close of foreign markets and before the Portfolio’s valuation time that influence the value of foreign securities, investors may seek to trade Portfolio shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of foreign securities as of the Portfolio’s valuation time. This is often referred to as price arbitrage. The Portfolios have adopted procedures designed to adjust closing market prices of foreign

 

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securities under certain circumstances to reflect what the Portfolios believe to be the fair value of those securities as of its valuation time. To the extent the adjustments don’t work fully, investors engaging in price arbitrage may cause dilution in the value of the Portfolios’ shares held by other shareholders.

Similarly, to the extent that a Portfolio invests significantly in thinly traded high-yield bonds (junk bonds) or equity securities of small-capitalization companies, because these securities are often traded infrequently, investors may seek to trade their shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of these securities. This is also a type of price arbitrage. Any such frequent trading strategies may interfere with efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio to a greater degree than would be the case for mutual funds that invest in highly liquid securities, in part because the Portfolio may have difficulty selling those portfolio securities at advantageous times or prices to satisfy large and/or frequent sell orders. Any successful price arbitrage may also cause dilution in the value of Portfolio shares held by other shareholders.

 

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Opening an Account and Placing Orders

Columbia Funds encourages you to consult with a financial advisor who can help you with your investment decisions and who can help you open an account. Once you have an account, you can buy, sell and exchange shares by contacting your financial advisor who will send your order to the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent. As described in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies, once you have an account you can also communicate your orders directly to the Transfer Agent by mail, by telephone or online.

Buying Shares

Eligible Investors

Class A and Class C shares are available to the general public for investment. Once you have opened an account, you can buy Class A and Class C shares in a lump sum, through our Systematic Investment Plan, by dividend diversification, by wire or by electronic funds transfer. Class R shares can only be bought through eligible health savings accounts sponsored by third party platforms, including those sponsored by Bank of America affiliates, and the following eligible retirement plans: 401(k) plans; 457 plans; employer-sponsored 403(b) plans; profit sharing and money purchase pension plans; defined benefit plans; and non-qualified deferred compensation plans. Class R shares are not available for investment through retail nonretirement accounts, traditional and Roth IRAs, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, SEPs, SAR-SEPs, Simple IRAs, individual 403(b) plans or 529 tuition programs. Contact Columbia Funds or your retirement plan or health savings account administrator for more information about investing in Class R shares.

Class B Shares Closing

The Portfolios no longer accept investments from new or existing investors in Class B shares, except for certain limited transactions involving existing investors in Class B shares as described in more detail below.

Additional Class B shares will be issued only to existing investors in Class B shares and only through the following two types of transactions (Qualifying Transactions):

 

   

Dividends and/or capital gain distributions may continue to be reinvested in Class B shares of the same Portfolio.

 

   

Shareholders invested in Class B shares of a Columbia Fund may exchange those shares for Class B shares of a Portfolio.

Any initial purchase orders for a Portfolio’s Class B shares received from new investors in Class B shares will be rejected (other than through a Qualifying Transaction that is an exchange transaction).

Unless contrary instructions are received in advance by a Portfolio, purchase orders (except those submitted by a financial intermediary through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC) as described in more detail below) for additional Class B shares of the Portfolio received from existing investors in Class B shares, including orders made through an active systematic investment plan or payroll deduction plan, will be invested in Class A shares of the Portfolio, without regard to the normal minimum initial investment for Class A shares, but subject to the front-end sales charge that generally applies to Class A shares. See Choosing a Share Class – Class A Shares – Front-end Sales Charge for additional information.

Additional purchase orders for a Portfolio’s Class B shares by an existing Class B shareholder, submitted by such shareholder’s financial intermediary through the NSCC, will be rejected due to operational limitations of the NSCC. Investors should consult their financial advisor if they wish to invest in a Portfolio by purchasing a share class of the Portfolio other than Class B shares.

In addition, dividend and/or capital gain distributions from Class B shares of a Columbia Fund will no longer be automatically invested in Class B shares of another Columbia Fund. Unless contrary instructions are received in advance of the date of declaration, such dividend and/or capital gain distributions from Class B shares of a Columbia Fund will be reinvested in Class B shares of the same Columbia Fund that is making the distribution.

Minimum Initial Investments

The minimum initial investment for Class A and Class C shares is $2,500 for regular accounts and $1,000 for individual retirement plans (including traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts) and non-omnibus group retirement plans. For investors establishing a Systematic Investment Plan, the minimum initial investment

 

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is $50. There is no minimum initial investment for Class A or Class C shares bought through omnibus accounts, wrap accounts or health savings accounts, although your selling and/or servicing agent may impose its own investment minimum. For group retirement plans, the minimum initial investment and minimum additional investment are determined based on the plan’s investment rather than that of its individual participants.

There is no minimum initial investment for Class R shares.

Minimum Additional Investments

There is no minimum additional investment for Class A, Class C or Class R shares.

Systematic Investment Plan

The Systematic Investment Plan allows you to make regular purchases in amounts of $50 or more via automatic transfers from your bank account to the Portfolios on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan.

Dividend Diversification

Generally, you may automatically invest distributions made by another Columbia Fund into the same class of shares (and in some cases certain other classes of shares) of the Portfolios at no additional sales charge. A sales charge may apply when you invest distributions made by a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase. Call Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for details. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders – Buying Shares – Class B Shares Closing for restrictions applicable to Class B shares.

Wire Purchases

You may buy Class A or Class C shares of the Portfolios by wiring money from your bank account to your Portfolio account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737.

Electronic Funds Transfer

You may buy Class A or Class C shares of the Portfolios by electronically transferring money from your bank account to your Portfolio account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. An electronic funds transfer may take up to three business days to settle and be considered in “good form.” You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Other Purchase Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your buy order in “good form,” your purchase will be made at the next calculated public offering price per share, which is the net asset value per share plus any sales charge that applies.

 

   

You generally buy Class A shares at the public offering price per share because purchases of Class A shares are generally subject to a front-end sales charge.

 

   

You buy Class B, Class C and Class R shares at net asset value per share because no front-end sales charge applies to purchases of these share classes.

 

   

The Portfolios reserve the right to cancel your order if it doesn’t receive payment within three business days of receiving your buy order. The Portfolios will return any payment received for orders that have been cancelled, but no interest will be paid on that money.

 

   

Selling and/or servicing agents are responsible for sending your buy orders to the Transfer Agent and ensuring that we receive your money on time.

 

   

Shares bought are recorded on the books of the Portfolios. The Portfolios don’t issue certificates.

Selling Shares

When you sell your shares, the Portfolio is effectively buying them back from you. This is called a redemption.

Remember that Class R shares can only be sold through your eligible retirement plan or health savings account. For detailed rules regarding the sale of Class R shares, contact your retirement plan or health savings account administrator.

Wire Redemptions

You may request that your Class A, Class B or Class C shares sale proceeds be wired to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. You must set up this feature prior to your request. For shares sold by Fedwire, there is generally a fee of $7.50. The receiving bank may charge an additional fee. The Transfer Agent may waive the fee for certain accounts. The minimum amount that can be redeemed by wire is $500.

 

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Electronic Funds Transfer

You may sell Class A, Class B or Class C shares of the Portfolios and request that the proceeds be electronically transferred to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It may take up to three business days for the sale proceeds to be received by your bank. You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan

The Systematic Withdrawal Plan lets you withdraw funds from your Class A, Class B and/or Class C shares account any day of the month on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. Your account balance generally must be at least $5,000 to set up the plan, but certain fee-based and wrap accounts are not subject to this requirement. All dividend and capital gain distributions must be reinvested to set up the plan. A Systematic Withdrawal Plan cannot be set up on an account that already has a Systematic Investment Plan established. If you set up the plan after you’ve opened your account, we may require your signature to be Medallion guaranteed.

You can choose to receive your withdrawals via check or direct deposit into your bank account. You won’t pay a CDSC on Class A, Class B or Class C shares if you withdraw 12% or less of the value of those shares in a year. Otherwise, Columbia Funds will deduct any applicable CDSC from the withdrawals before sending the balance to you. You can cancel the plan by giving Columbia Funds 30 days notice in writing or by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It’s important to remember that if you withdraw more than your investment in the Portfolios are earning, you’ll eventually use up your original investment.

In-Kind Distributions

Each Portfolio reserves the right to honor sell orders with in-kind distributions of portfolio securities instead of cash. In the event a Portfolio makes such an in-kind distribution, you may incur the brokerage and transaction costs associated with converting the portfolio securities you receive into cash. Also, the portfolio securities you receive may increase or decrease in value before you convert them into cash.

Other Redemption Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your sell order in “good form,” your shares will be sold at the next calculated net asset value per share. Any applicable CDSC will be deducted from the amount you’re selling and the balance will be remitted to you.

 

   

If you sell your shares directly through Columbia Funds, we will normally send the sale proceeds by mail or electronically transfer them to your bank account within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you sell your shares through a selling agent, Columbia Funds will normally send the sale proceeds by Fedwire within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you paid for your shares by check or from your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction, Columbia Funds will hold the sale proceeds when you sell those shares for up to 10 days after the trade date of the purchase.

 

   

No interest will be paid on uncashed redemption checks.

 

   

Columbia Funds can delay payment of the sale proceeds for up to seven days and may suspend redemptions and/or postpone payment of redemption proceeds when the NYSE is closed or during emergency circumstances as determined by the SEC.

 

   

Other restrictions may apply to retirement accounts. For information about these restrictions, contact your retirement plan administrator.

 

   

Also keep in mind Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy, which is described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies.

Exchanging Shares

You can generally sell shares of the Portfolios to buy shares of another Columbia Fund, in what is called an exchange. You should read the prospectus of, and make sure you understand the investment objective and principal investment strategies of, the Columbia Fund into which you are exchanging.

Systematic Exchanges

You may buy Class A, Class B and/or Class C shares of the Portfolios by exchanging $100 or more each month from another Columbia Fund for shares of the same class of the Portfolios at no additional cost. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. If you set up your

 

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plan to exchange more than $100,000 each month, you must have your signature Medallion guaranteed.

Exchanges will continue as long as your balance is sufficient to complete the systematic monthly transfers, subject to Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies. You may terminate the program or change the amount you would like to exchange (subject to the $100 minimum) by calling Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611. A sales charge may apply when you exchange shares of a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase.

The rules described below for making exchanges apply to systematic exchanges.

Other Exchange Rules You Should Know

 

   

Exchanges are made at net asset value.

 

   

You can generally make exchanges between like share classes of any Columbia Fund. Some exceptions apply.

 

   

A sales charge may apply when you exchange shares of a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase.

 

   

If your shares are subject to a CDSC, you will not be charged a CDSC upon the exchange of those shares. Any CDSC will be deducted when you sell the shares you received from the exchange. The CDSC imposed at that time will be based on the period that begins when you bought shares of the original Columbia Fund and ends when you sell the shares of the Columbia Fund you received from the exchange. The applicable CDSC will be the CDSC of the original Columbia Fund.

 

   

The rules for buying shares of a Columbia Fund generally apply to exchanges into that Fund.

 

   

You may make exchanges only into a Columbia Fund that is legally offered and sold in your state of residence.

 

   

You generally may make an exchange only into a Columbia Fund that is accepting investments.

 

   

The Portfolios may change or cancel your right to make an exchange by giving the amount of notice required by regulatory authorities (generally 60 days for a material change or cancellation).

 

   

Unless your account is part of a tax-advantaged retirement plan, an exchange for shares of another fund is a taxable event, and you may recognize a gain or loss for tax purposes.

Same-Fund Exchange Privilege for Class Z Shares

Certain shareholders invested in a class of shares other than Class Z may become eligible to invest in Class Z shares. Upon a determination of such eligibility, any such shareholders will be eligible to exchange their shares for Class Z shares of the same fund, if offered. No sales charges or other charges will apply to any such exchange. Ordinarily, shareholders will not recognize a gain or loss for federal income tax purposes upon such an exchange. Investors should contact their selling and/or servicing agents to learn more about the details of the Class Z shares exchange privilege.

 

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Distributions and Taxes

Distributions to Shareholders

A mutual fund can make money two ways:

 

   

It can earn income on its investments. Examples of fund income are interest paid on money market instruments and bonds, and dividends paid on common stocks.

 

   

A mutual fund can also have capital gains if the value of its investments increases. While a fund continues to hold an investment, any gain is unrealized. If the fund sells an investment, it generally will realize a capital gain if it sells that investment for a higher price than it originally paid. Capital gains are either short-term or long-term, depending on whether the fund holds the securities for one year or less (short-term gains) or more than one year (long-term gains).

FUNDamentalsTM

Distributions

Mutual funds make payments of fund earnings to shareholders, distributing them among all shareholders of the fund. As a shareholder, you are entitled to your portion of a fund’s distributed income, including capital gains.

Reinvesting your distributions buys you more shares of a fund – which lets you take advantage of the potential for compound growth. Putting the money you earn back into your investment means it, in turn, may earn even more money. Over time, the power of compounding has the potential to significantly increase the value of your investment. There is no assurance, however, that you’ll earn more money if you reinvest your distributions rather than receive them in cash.

Each Portfolio intends to pay out, in the form of distributions to shareholders, a sufficient amount of its income and gains so that the Portfolio will qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company and generally will not have to pay any federal excise tax. Each Portfolio generally intends to distribute any net realized capital gain (whether long-term or short-term gain) at least once a year. Normally, each Portfolio except Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio will declare and pay distributions of net investment income according to the following schedule:

Declaration and Distribution Schedule

 

Declarations   quarterly
Distributions   quarterly

Normally, Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio will declare and pay distributions of net investment income according to the following schedule:

Declaration and Distribution Schedule

 

Declarations   monthly
Distributions   monthly

The Portfolios may, however, declare and pay distributions of net investment income more frequently.

Different share classes of the Portfolios usually pay different net investment income distribution amounts, because each class has different expenses. Each time a distribution is made, the net asset value per share of the share class is reduced by the amount of the distribution.

The Portfolios generally pay cash distributions within five business days after the distribution was declared. If you sell all of your shares after the record date, but before the payment date, for a distribution, you’ll normally receive that distribution in cash within five business days after the sale was made.

Each Portfolio will automatically reinvest distributions in additional shares of the same share class of the Portfolio unless you inform us you want to receive your distributions in cash. You can do this by writing Columbia Funds at the address on the back cover, or by calling us at 800.345.6611. No sales charges apply to the purchase or sale of such shares. Distributions of $10 or less will automatically be reinvested in additional Portfolio shares only. If you elect to receive distributions by check and the check is returned as undeliverable, all subsequent distributions will be reinvested in additional shares of a Portfolio.

Unless you are investing through a tax-deferred retirement account (such as an IRA), you should consider avoiding buying Portfolio shares shortly before a Portfolio makes a distribution of net investment income or net realized capital gain, because doing so can cost you money in taxes. This is because you will, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back in the distribution. This is known as “buying a dividend.” To avoid “buying a dividend,” check the Portfolios’ distribution

 

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schedule online at www.columbiafunds.com, or by calling us at 800.345.6611, before you invest.

If you buy shares of a Portfolio when it holds securities with unrealized capital gain, you may, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back if and when the Portfolio sells those securities and distributes any net realized gain. Any such distribution is generally subject to tax. The Portfolios may have, or may build up over time, high levels of unrealized capital gain. If you buy shares of a Portfolio when it has capital loss carryforwards, the Portfolio may have the ability to offset capital gains realized by the Portfolio that otherwise would have been distributed to shareholders with such carryforwards, although capital loss carryforwards generally expire after eight taxable years and may be subject to substantial limitations.

 

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Taxes and Your Investment

Each Portfolio will send you a statement each year showing how much you’ve received in distributions in the prior year and the distributions’ character for federal income tax purposes. Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio expects that distributions will consist primarily of ordinary income. In addition, you should be aware of the following:

 

   

Each Portfolio intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company. A regulated investment company generally is not subject to tax at the portfolio level on income and gains from investments that are distributed to shareholders. However, a Portfolio’s failure to qualify as a regulated investment company would result in portfolio level taxation, and consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to you.

 

   

Distributions generally are taxable to you when paid, whether they are paid in cash or automatically reinvested in additional shares of the Portfolio.

 

   

Distributions of a Portfolio’s ordinary income and net short-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions of a Portfolio’s net long-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as long-term capital gain. Whether capital gains are long-term or short-term is determined by how long a Portfolio has owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long you have owned your shares.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, if you are an individual and you meet certain holding period and other requirements for your Portfolio shares, a portion of your distributions may be treated as “qualified dividend income” taxable at lower net long-term capital gain rates. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this provision to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010. Qualified dividend income is income attributable to a Portfolio’s dividends received from certain U.S. and foreign corporations, as long as the Portfolio meets certain holding period and other requirements for the stock producing such dividends.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, the maximum individual federal income tax rate on net long-term capital gain (and thus qualified dividend income) has been temporarily reduced to 15%. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this rate reduction to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010.

 

   

A sale, redemption or exchange of Portfolio shares is a taxable event. This includes redemptions where you are paid in securities. Your sales, redemptions and exchanges of Portfolio shares (including those paid in securities) usually will result in a taxable capital gain or loss to you, equal to the difference between the amount you receive for your shares (or are deemed to have received in the case of exchanges) and the amount you paid (or are deemed to have paid in the case of exchanges) for them. Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held your Portfolio shares for more than one year at the time of sale or exchange. In certain circumstances, capital losses may be converted from short-term to long-term or disallowed.

 

   

Each Portfolio is required by federal law to withhold tax on any taxable distributions and sale proceeds paid to you (including amounts paid to you in securities and amounts deemed to be paid to you upon an exchange of shares) if: you haven’t provided a correct taxpayer identification number (TIN) or haven’t certified to the Portfolio that withholding doesn’t apply; the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has notified us that the TIN listed on your account is incorrect according to its records; or the IRS informs the Portfolio that you are otherwise subject to backup withholding.

FUNDamentalsTM

Taxes

The information provided above is only a summary of how U.S. federal income taxes may affect your investment in the Portfolios. It is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Your investment in the Portfolios may have other tax implications.

It does not apply to certain types of investors who may be subject to special rules, including foreign or tax-exempt investors or those holding Portfolio shares through a tax-advantaged account, such as a 401(k) plan or IRA.

You should consult with your own tax advisor about the particular tax consequences to you of an investment in the Portfolios, including the effect of any foreign, state and local taxes, and the effect of possible changes in applicable tax laws.

 

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights tables are designed to help you understand how each Portfolio has performed for the past five full fiscal years, or if shorter, the Portfolio’s period of operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Portfolio share. The total return line indicates how much an investment in each Portfolio would have earned each period assuming all dividends and distributions had been reinvested.

This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm whose report, along with the Portfolios’ financial statements, is included in the Portfolios’ annual report. The independent registered public accounting firm’s report and the Portfolios’ financial statements are also incorporated by reference into the SAI.

Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio—Class A Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 13.24      $ 14.69      $ 13.92      $ 12.19      $ 11.28   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income(b)

     0.06        0.05        0.07        0.05        0.04   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (4.12     (0.59     1.38        2.34        0.95   

Total from investment operations

     (4.06     (0.54     1.45        2.39        0.99   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.03     (0.05     (0.05     (0.09     (0.08

From net realized gains

     (2.46     (0.86     (0.63     (0.57     —     

From return of capital

     (0.01     —          —          —          —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (2.50     (0.91     (0.68     (0.66     (0.08

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 6.68      $ 13.24      $ 14.69      $ 13.92      $ 12.19   

Total return(d)

     (37.62 )%      (4.31 )%      10.74     20.01     8.76

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses(e)

     0.50 %(c)      0.50 %(c)      0.50     0.50     0.50

Net investment income

     0.68 %(c)      0.31 %(c)      0.31     0.37     0.37

Portfolio turnover rate

     45     21     8     30     13

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 116,169      $ 210,861      $ 206,715      $ 142,967      $ 93,070   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Portfolio’s Investor A shares were renamed Class A shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge.

(e)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio—Class B Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 12.46      $ 13.93      $ 13.28      $ 11.72      $ 10.91   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income (loss)(b)

     (0.01     (0.06     (0.04     (0.05     (0.04

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (3.80     (0.55     1.32        2.25        0.91   

Total from investment operations

     (3.81     (0.61     1.28        2.20        0.87   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.01     —          —          (0.07     (0.06

From net realized gains

     (2.46     (0.86     (0.63     (0.57     —     

From return of capital

     (0.01     —          —          —          —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (2.48     (0.86     (0.63     (0.64     (0.06

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 6.17      $ 12.46      $ 13.93      $ 13.28      $ 11.72   

Total return(d)

     (37.99 )%      (5.08 )%      9.90     19.13     7.95

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses(e)

     1.25 %(c)      1.25 %(c)      1.25     1.25     1.25

Net investment income (loss)

     (0.09 )%(c)      (0.46 )%(c)      (0.45 )%      (0.38 )%      (0.38 )% 

Portfolio turnover rate

     45     21     8     30     13

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 74,197      $ 150,705      $ 170,971      $ 153,920      $ 119,995   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Portfolio’s Investor B shares were renamed Class B shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no contingent deferred sales charge.

(e)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio—Class C Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 12.38      $ 13.85      $ 13.20      $ 11.66      $ 10.85   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income (loss)(b)

     (0.01     (0.06     (0.04     (0.05     (0.04

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (3.77     (0.55     1.32        2.23        0.91   

Total from investment operations

     (3.78     (0.61     1.28        2.18        0.87   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.01     —          —          (0.07     (0.06

From net realized gains

     (2.46     (0.86     (0.63     (0.57     —     

From return of capital

     (0.01     —          —          —          —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (2.48     (0.86     (0.63     (0.64     (0.06

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 6.12      $ 12.38      $ 13.85      $ 13.20      $ 11.66   

Total return(d)

     (37.99 )%      (5.11 )%      9.97     19.06     8.00

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses(e)

     1.25 %(c)      1.25 %(c)      1.25     1.25     1.25

Net investment income (loss)

     (0.09 )%(c)      (0.41 )%(c)      (0.43 )%      (0.38 )%      (0.38 )% 

Portfolio turnover rate

     45     21     8     30     13

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 50,343      $ 98,889      $ 96,558      $ 66,261      $ 36,008   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Portfolio’s Investor C shares were renamed Class C shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no contingent deferred sales charge.

(e)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

 

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Table of Contents

Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio—Class R Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Period Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 13.19      $ 14.67      $ 13.92      $ 13.19   

Income from Investment Operations:

        

Net investment income (loss)(b)

     0.04        0.02        0.14        (0.03

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (4.10     (0.60     1.27        0.76   

Total from investment operations

     (4.06     (0.58     1.41        0.73   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

        

From net investment income

     (0.02     (0.04     (0.03     —     

From net realized gains

     (2.46     (0.86     (0.63     —     

From return of capital

     (0.01     —          —          —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (2.49     (0.90     (0.66     —     

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 6.64      $ 13.19      $ 14.67      $ 13.92   

Total Return(d)

     (37.76 )%      (4.65 )%      10.45     5.53 %(e) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

        

Net expenses(f)

     0.75 %(g)      0.75 %(g)      0.75     0.75 %(c) 

Net investment income (loss)

     0.45 %(g)      0.12 %(g)      0.76     (1.15 )%(c) 

Portfolio turnover rate

     45     21     8     30 %(e) 

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 831      $ 1,206      $ 1,169      $ 10   

 

(a)

The Portfolio’s Class R shares commenced operations on January 23, 2006.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Annualized.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested.

(e)

Not annualized.

(f)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(g)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

 

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Table of Contents

Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio—Class A Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 11.36      $ 12.38      $ 11.86      $ 11.50      $ 11.20   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income(b)

     0.22        0.25        0.26        0.22        0.16   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (2.91     (0.45     0.88        1.08        0.47   

Total from investment operations

     (2.69     (0.20     1.14        1.30        0.63   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.22     (0.25     (0.26     (0.27     (0.22

From net realized gains

     (1.12     (0.57     (0.36     (0.67     (0.11

Total distributions to shareholders

     (1.34     (0.82     (0.62     (0.94     (0.33

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 7.33      $ 11.36      $ 12.38      $ 11.86      $ 11.50   

Total return(d)

     (26.48 )%      (1.99 )%      9.95     11.75     5.75

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses(e)

     0.50 %(c)      0.50 %(c)      0.50     0.50     0.50

Net investment income

     2.44 %(c)      2.05 %(c)      2.17     1.89     1.45

Portfolio turnover rate

     47     18     18     46     17

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 170,155      $ 275,576      $ 266,506      $ 219,302      $ 156,938   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Portfolio’s Investor A shares were renamed Class A shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge.

(e)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

 

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Table of Contents

Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio—Class B Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 11.30      $ 12.31      $ 11.81      $ 11.45      $ 11.16   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income(b)

     0.15        0.16        0.17        0.13        0.08   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (2.89     (0.44     0.86        1.08        0.46   

Total from investment operations

     (2.74     (0.28     1.03        1.21        0.54   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.15     (0.16     (0.17     (0.18     (0.14

From net realized gains

     (1.12     (0.57     (0.36     (0.67     (0.11

Total distributions to shareholders

     (1.27     (0.73     (0.53     (0.85     (0.25

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 7.29      $ 11.30      $ 12.31      $ 11.81      $ 11.45   

Total return(d)

     (27.01 )%      (2.66 )%      9.00     10.99     4.94

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses(e)

     1.25 %(c)      1.25 %(c)      1.25     1.25     1.25

Net investment income

     1.67 %(c)      1.28 %(c)      1.42     1.14     0.70

Portfolio turnover rate

     47     18     18     46     17

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 156,679      $ 282,912      $ 325,190      $ 318,564      $ 271,691   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Portfolio’s Investor B shares were renamed Class B shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no contingent deferred sales charge.

(e)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

 

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Table of Contents

Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio—Class C Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 11.43      $ 12.44      $ 11.92      $ 11.56      $ 11.26   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income(b)

     0.15        0.16        0.17        0.14        0.08   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (2.93     (0.44     0.88        1.07        0.47   

Total from investment operations

     (2.78     (0.28     1.05        1.21        0.55   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.15     (0.16     (0.17     (0.18     (0.14

From net realized gains

     (1.12     (0.57     (0.36     (0.67     (0.11

Total distributions to shareholders

     (1.27     (0.73     (0.53     (0.85     (0.25

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 7.38      $ 11.43      $ 12.44      $ 11.92      $ 11.56   

Total return(d)

     (27.05 )%      (2.63 )%      9.09     10.88     4.99

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses(e)

     1.25 %(c)      1.25 %(c)      1.25     1.25     1.25

Net investment income

     1.67 %(c)      1.30 %(c)      1.42     1.14     0.70

Portfolio turnover rate

     47     18     18     46     17

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 64,940      $ 112,902      $ 118,747      $ 98,160      $ 62,615   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Portfolio’s Investor C shares were renamed Class C shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no contingent deferred sales charge.

(e)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

 

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Table of Contents

Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio—Class R Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Period Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 11.36      $ 12.37      $ 11.86      $ 11.59   

Income from Investment Operations:

        

Net investment income(b)

     0.22        0.21        0.29        0.03   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (2.94     (0.43     0.81        0.28   

Total from investment operations

     (2.72     (0.22     1.10        0.31   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

        

From net investment income

     (0.19     (0.22     (0.23     (0.04

From net realized gains

     (1.12     (0.57     (0.36     —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (1.31     (0.79     (0.59     (0.04

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 7.33      $ 11.36      $ 12.37      $ 11.86   

Total Return(d)

     (26.67 )%      (2.15 )%      9.59     2.68 %(e) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

        

Net expenses(f)

     0.75 %(g)      0.75 %(g)      0.75     0.75 %(c) 

Net investment income

     2.48 %(g)      1.69 %(g)      2.34     1.13 %(c) 

Portfolio turnover rate

     47     18     18     46 %(e) 

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 1,666      $ 1,257      $ 1,916      $ 10   

 

(a)

The Portfolio’s Class R shares commenced operations on January 23, 2006.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Annualized.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested.

(e)

Not annualized.

(f)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(g)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

 

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Table of Contents

Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio—Class A Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 10.40      $ 11.04      $ 10.80      $ 11.04      $ 11.11   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income(b)

     0.33        0.36        0.34        0.28        0.23   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (1.97     (0.30     0.50        0.54        0.10   

Total from investment operations

     (1.64     0.06        0.84        0.82        0.33   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.33     (0.36     (0.34     (0.32     (0.28

From net realized gains

     (0.40     (0.34     (0.26     (0.74     (0.12

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.73     (0.70     (0.60     (1.06     (0.40

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 8.03      $ 10.40      $ 11.04      $ 10.80      $ 11.04   

Total return(d)

     (16.58 )%      0.34     8.07     7.91     3.05

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses before interest expense(e)

     0.50 %(f)      0.50 %(f)      0.50     0.50     0.50

Interest expense

     —   %(c)      —          —          —          —     

Net expenses(e)

     0.50 %(f)      0.50 %(f)      0.50     0.50     0.50

Net investment income

     3.59 %(f)      3.29 %(f)      3.15     2.61     2.03

Portfolio turnover rate

     52     20     25     30     34

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 44,825      $ 54,370      $ 50,829      $ 48,112      $ 42,816   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Portfolio’s Investor A shares were renamed Class A shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Rounds to less than 0.01%.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge.

(e)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(f)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

 

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Table of Contents

Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio—Class B Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 10.36      $ 11.00      $ 10.77      $ 11.01      $ 11.08   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income(b)

     0.26        0.28        0.26        0.20        0.14   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (1.95     (0.31     0.49        0.54        0.11   

Total from investment operations

     (1.69     (0.03     0.75        0.74        0.25   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.26     (0.27     (0.26     (0.24     (0.20

From net realized gains

     (0.40     (0.34     (0.26     (0.74     (0.12

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.66     (0.61     (0.52     (0.98     (0.32

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 8.01      $ 10.36      $ 11.00      $ 10.77      $ 11.01   

Total return(d)

     (17.09 )%      (0.41 )%      7.20     7.12     2.30

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses before interest expense(e)

     1.25 %(f)      1.25 %(f)      1.25     1.25     1.25

Interest expense

     —   %(c)      —          —          —          —     

Net expenses(e)

     1.25 %(f)      1.25 %(f)      1.25     1.25     1.25

Net investment income

     2.80 %(f)      2.53 %(f)      2.39     1.86     1.28

Portfolio turnover rate

     52     20     25     30     34

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 40,270      $ 66,558      $ 75,119      $ 82,098      $ 85,762   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Portfolio’s Investor B shares were renamed Class B shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Rounds to less than 0.01%.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no contingent deferred sales charge.

(e)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(f)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

 

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Table of Contents

Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio—Class C Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 10.30      $ 10.94      $ 10.71      $ 10.96      $ 11.03   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income(b)

     0.26        0.28        0.26        0.20        0.14   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (1.94     (0.31     0.49        0.53        0.11   

Total from investment operations

     (1.68     (0.03     0.75        0.73        0.25   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.26     (0.27     (0.26     (0.24     (0.20

From net realized gains

     (0.40     (0.34     (0.26     (0.74     (0.12

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.66     (0.61     (0.52     (0.98     (0.32

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 7.96      $ 10.30      $ 10.94      $ 10.71      $ 10.96   

Total return(d)

     (17.09 )%      (0.41 )%      7.24     7.06     2.32

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses before interest expense(e)

     1.25 %(f)      1.25 %(f)      1.25     1.25     1.25

Interest expense

     —   %(c)      —          —          —          —     

Net expenses(e)

     1.25 %(f)      1.25 %(f)      1.25     1.25     1.25

Net investment income

     2.81 %(f)      2.55 %(f)      2.41     1.86     1.28

Portfolio turnover rate

     52     20     25     30     34

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 18,370      $ 26,501      $ 24,367      $ 21,104      $ 17,708   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Portfolio’s Investor C shares were renamed Class C shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Rounds to less than 0.01%.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no contingent deferred sales charge.

(e)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(f)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

 

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Table of Contents

Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio—Class R Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Period Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 10.40      $ 11.04      $ 10.80      $ 10.69   

Income from Investment Operations:

        

Net investment income(b)

     0.31        0.32        0.36        0.05   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (1.96     (0.29     0.46        0.12   

Total from investment operations

     (1.65     0.03        0.82        0.17   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

        

From net investment income

     (0.31     (0.33     (0.32     (0.06

From net realized gains

     (0.40     (0.34     (0.26     —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.71     (0.67     (0.58     (0.06

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 8.04      $ 10.40      $ 11.04      $ 10.80   

Total Return(d)

     (16.69 )%      0.09     7.80     1.62 %(e) 

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

        

Net expenses before interest expense(f)

     0.75 %(g)      0.75 %(g)      0.75     0.75 %(h) 

Interest expense

     —   %(c)      —          —          —     

Net expenses(f)

     0.75 %(g)      0.75 %(g)      0.75     0.75 %(h) 

Net investment income

     3.34 %(g)      2.93 %(g)      3.25     2.61 %(h) 

Portfolio turnover rate

     52     20     25     30 %(e) 

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 358      $ 451      $ 896      $ 10   

 

(a)

The Portfolio’s Class R shares commenced operations on January 23, 2006.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Rounds to less than 0.01%.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested.

(e)

Not annualized.

(f)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(g)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(h)

Annualized.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio—Class A Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 9.83      $ 10.22      $ 9.99      $ 10.07      $ 10.31   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income(b)

     0.38        0.44        0.42        0.38        0.31   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (1.19     (0.38     0.25        (0.06     (0.09

Total from investment operations

     (0.81     0.06        0.67        0.32        0.22   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.40     (0.43     (0.43     (0.38     (0.42

From net realized gains

     (0.04     (0.02     (0.01     (0.02     (0.04

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.44     (0.45     (0.44     (0.40     (0.46

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 8.58      $ 9.83      $ 10.22      $ 9.99      $ 10.07   

Total return(d)(e)

     (8.37 )%      0.60     6.91     3.22     2.12

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses(f)

     0.67     0.67 %(c)      0.67     0.67     0.67

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.39     0.47     0.54     0.37     0.45

Net investment income

     4.40     4.34 %(c)(f)      4.19     3.60     3.01

Portfolio turnover rate

     51     24     42     19     48

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 11,281      $ 13,941      $ 15,240      $ 15,687      $ 25,211   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Portfolio’s Investor A shares were renamed Class A shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge.

(e)

Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(f)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio—Class B Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 9.82      $ 10.21      $ 9.98      $ 10.06      $ 10.30   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income(b)

     0.31        0.36        0.35        0.29        0.24   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (1.20     (0.37     0.25        (0.05     (0.10

Total from investment operations

     (0.89     (0.01     0.60        0.24        0.14   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.33     (0.36     (0.36     (0.30     (0.34

From net realized gains

     (0.04     (0.02     (0.01     (0.02     (0.04

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.37     (0.38     (0.37     (0.32     (0.38

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 8.56      $ 9.82      $ 10.21      $ 9.98      $ 10.06   

Total return(d)(e)

     (9.17 )%      (0.15 )%      6.13     2.44     1.35

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses(f)

     1.42     1.42 %(c)      1.42     1.42     1.42

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.39     0.47     0.54     0.37     0.45

Net investment income

     3.66     3.58 %(c)      3.43     2.85     2.36

Portfolio turnover rate

     51     24     42     19     48

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 7,467      $ 8,849      $ 9,591      $ 10,946      $ 12,740   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Portfolio’s Investor B shares were renamed Class B shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no contingent deferred sales charge.

(e)

Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(f)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio—Class C Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 9.81      $ 10.19      $ 9.97      $ 10.05      $ 10.28   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income(b)

     0.31        0.36        0.35        0.30        0.24   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (1.20     (0.36     0.24        (0.06     (0.09

Total from investment operations

     (0.89     0.00        0.59        0.24        0.15   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.33     (0.36     (0.36     (0.30     (0.34

From net realized gains

     (0.04     (0.02     (0.01     (0.02     (0.04

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.37     (0.38     (0.37     (0.32     (0.38

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 8.55      $ 9.81      $ 10.19      $ 9.97      $ 10.05   

Total return(d)(e)

     (9.18 )%      (0.05 )%      6.03     2.45     1.46

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses(f)

     1.42     1.42 %(c)      1.42     1.42     1.42

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.39     0.47     0.54     0.37     0.45

Net investment income

     3.70     3.59 %(c)      3.44     2.85     2.36

Portfolio turnover rate

     51     24     42     19     48

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 5,104      $ 4,932      $ 4,734      $ 6,082      $ 9,881   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Portfolio’s Investor C shares were renamed Class C shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested and no contingent deferred sales charge.

(e)

Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(f)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

 

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Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

The following supplemental hypothetical investment information provides additional information about the effect of the fees and expenses of the Portfolios, including investment advisory fees and other Portfolio costs, on each Portfolio’s returns over a 10-year period. The charts show the estimated fees and expenses that would be charged on a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in each share class of each Portfolio, assuming a 5% return each year, the cumulative return after fees and expenses and the hypothetical year-end balance after fees and expenses. The charts also assume that all dividends and distributions are reinvested and that Class B shares convert to Class A shares after eight years. The annual expense ratio used for each share class, which is the same as that stated in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses table, is presented in the charts and is net of any contractual fee waivers or expense reimbursements for the period of the contractual commitment. Your actual costs may be higher or lower. The charts shown below reflect the maximum initial sales charge. If contingent deferred sales charges were reflected, the “Hypothetical Year-End Balance After Fees and Expenses” amounts shown would be lower and the “Annual Fees and Expenses” amounts shown would be higher.

Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio—Class A Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 5.75%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.49   -2.44 %(b)    $ 9,755.82    $ 717.90

2

   10.25   1.49   0.98   $ 10,098.25    $ 147.91

3

   15.76   1.49   4.53   $ 10,452.70    $ 153.10

4

   21.55   1.49   8.20   $ 10,819.59    $ 158.48

5

   27.63   1.49   11.99   $ 11,199.36    $ 164.04

6

   34.01   1.49   15.92   $ 11,592.46    $ 169.80

7

   40.71   1.49   19.99   $ 11,999.36    $ 175.76

8

   47.75   1.49   24.21   $ 12,420.54    $ 181.93

9

   55.13   1.49   28.57   $ 12,856.50    $ 188.31

10

   62.89   1.49   33.08   $ 13,307.76    $ 194.92

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,307.76   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,252.15

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

(b)

Reflects deduction of the maximum initial sales charge.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio—Class B Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   2.24   2.76   $ 10,276.00    $ 227.09

2

   10.25   2.24   5.60   $ 10,559.62    $ 233.36

3

   15.76   2.24   8.51   $ 10,851.07    $ 239.80

4

   21.55   2.24   11.51   $ 11,150.56    $ 246.42

5

   27.63   2.24   14.58   $ 11,458.32    $ 253.22

6

   34.01   2.24   17.75   $ 11,774.57    $ 260.21

7

   40.71   2.24   21.00   $ 12,099.55    $ 267.39

8

   47.75   2.24   24.34   $ 12,433.50    $ 274.77

9

   55.13   1.49   28.70   $ 12,869.92    $ 188.51

10

   62.89   1.49   33.22   $ 13,321.65    $ 195.13

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,321.65   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,385.90

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio—Class C Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   2.24   2.76   $ 10,276.00    $ 227.09

2

   10.25   2.24   5.60   $ 10,559.62    $ 233.36

3

   15.76   2.24   8.51   $ 10,851.07    $ 239.80

4

   21.55   2.24   11.51   $ 11,150.56    $ 246.42

5

   27.63   2.24   14.58   $ 11,458.32    $ 253.22

6

   34.01   2.24   17.75   $ 11,774.57    $ 260.21

7

   40.71   2.24   21.00   $ 12,099.55    $ 267.39

8

   47.75   2.24   24.34   $ 12,433.50    $ 274.77

9

   55.13   2.24   27.77   $ 12,776.66    $ 282.35

10

   62.89   2.24   31.29   $ 13,129.30    $ 290.15

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,129.30   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,574.76

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

 

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Table of Contents

Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio—Class R Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.74   3.26   $ 10,326.00    $ 176.84

2

   10.25   1.74   6.63   $ 10,662.63    $ 182.60

3

   15.76   1.74   10.10   $ 11,010.23    $ 188.55

4

   21.55   1.74   13.69   $ 11,369.16    $ 194.70

5

   27.63   1.74   17.40   $ 11,739.79    $ 201.05

6

   34.01   1.74   21.23   $ 12,122.51    $ 207.60

7

   40.71   1.74   25.18   $ 12,517.70    $ 214.37

8

   47.75   1.74   29.26   $ 12,925.78    $ 221.36

9

   55.13   1.74   33.47   $ 13,347.16    $ 228.57

10

   62.89   1.74   37.82   $ 13,782.28    $ 236.03

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,782.28   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,051.67

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio—Class A Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 5.75%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.38   -2.34 %(b)    $ 9,766.19    $ 707.42

2

   10.25   1.38   1.20   $ 10,119.73    $ 137.21

3

   15.76   1.38   4.86   $ 10,486.06    $ 142.18

4

   21.55   1.38   8.66   $ 10,865.66    $ 147.33

5

   27.63   1.38   12.59   $ 11,259.00    $ 152.66

6

   34.01   1.38   16.67   $ 11,666.58    $ 158.19

7

   40.71   1.38   20.89   $ 12,088.91    $ 163.91

8

   47.75   1.38   25.27   $ 12,526.53    $ 169.85

9

   55.13   1.38   29.80   $ 12,979.99    $ 175.99

10

   62.89   1.38   34.50   $ 13,449.87    $ 182.37

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,449.87   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,137.11

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

(b)

Reflects deduction of the maximum initial sales charge.

 

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Table of Contents

Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio—Class B Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   2.13   2.87   $ 10,287.00    $ 216.06

2

   10.25   2.13   5.82   $ 10,582.24    $ 222.26

3

   15.76   2.13   8.86   $ 10,885.95    $ 228.64

4

   21.55   2.13   11.98   $ 11,198.38    $ 235.20

5

   27.63   2.13   15.20   $ 11,519.77    $ 241.95

6

   34.01   2.13   18.50   $ 11,850.39    $ 248.89

7

   40.71   2.13   21.91   $ 12,190.50    $ 256.04

8

   47.75   2.13   25.40   $ 12,540.37    $ 263.38

9

   55.13   1.38   29.94   $ 12,994.33    $ 176.19

10

   62.89   1.38   34.65   $ 13,464.72    $ 182.57

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,464.72   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,271.18

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio—Class C Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   2.13   2.87   $ 10,287.00    $ 216.06

2

   10.25   2.13   5.82   $ 10,582.24    $ 222.26

3

   15.76   2.13   8.86   $ 10,885.95    $ 228.64

4

   21.55   2.13   11.98   $ 11,198.38    $ 235.20

5

   27.63   2.13   15.20   $ 11,519.77    $ 241.95

6

   34.01   2.13   18.50   $ 11,850.39    $ 248.89

7

   40.71   2.13   21.91   $ 12,190.50    $ 256.04

8

   47.75   2.13   25.40   $ 12,540.37    $ 263.38

9

   55.13   2.13   29.00   $ 12,900.28    $ 270.94

10

   62.89   2.13   32.71   $ 13,270.52    $ 278.72

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,270.52   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,462.08

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

 

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Table of Contents

Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio—Class R Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.63   3.37   $ 10,337.00    $ 165.75

2

   10.25   1.63   6.85   $ 10,685.36    $ 171.33

3

   15.76   1.63   10.45   $ 11,045.46    $ 177.11

4

   21.55   1.63   14.18   $ 11,417.69    $ 183.07

5

   27.63   1.63   18.02   $ 11,802.47    $ 189.24

6

   34.01   1.63   22.00   $ 12,200.21    $ 195.62

7

   40.71   1.63   26.11   $ 12,611.36    $ 202.21

8

   47.75   1.63   30.36   $ 13,036.36    $ 209.03

9

   55.13   1.63   34.76   $ 13,475.69    $ 216.07

10

   62.89   1.63   39.30   $ 13,929.82    $ 223.35

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,929.82   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 1,932.78

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio—Class A Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 5.75%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.23   -2.20 %(b)    $ 9,780.32    $ 693.11

2

   10.25   1.23   1.49   $ 10,149.04    $ 122.57

3

   15.76   1.23   5.32   $ 10,531.66    $ 127.19

4

   21.55   1.23   9.29   $ 10,928.70    $ 131.98

5

   27.63   1.23   13.41   $ 11,340.71    $ 136.96

6

   34.01   1.23   17.68   $ 11,768.25    $ 142.12

7

   40.71   1.23   22.12   $ 12,211.91    $ 147.48

8

   47.75   1.23   26.72   $ 12,672.30    $ 153.04

9

   55.13   1.23   31.50   $ 13,150.05    $ 158.81

10

   62.89   1.23   36.46   $ 13,645.81    $ 164.79

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,645.81   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 1,978.05

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

(b)

Reflects deduction of the maximum initial sales charge.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio—Class B Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.98   3.02   $ 10,302.00    $ 200.99

2

   10.25   1.98   6.13   $ 10,613.12    $ 207.06

3

   15.76   1.98   9.34   $ 10,933.64    $ 213.31

4

   21.55   1.98   12.64   $ 11,263.84    $ 219.76

5

   27.63   1.98   16.04   $ 11,604.01    $ 226.39

6

   34.01   1.98   19.54   $ 11,954.45    $ 233.23

7

   40.71   1.98   23.15   $ 12,315.47    $ 240.27

8

   47.75   1.98   26.87   $ 12,687.40    $ 247.53

9

   55.13   1.23   31.66   $ 13,165.71    $ 159.00

10

   62.89   1.23   36.62   $ 13,662.06    $ 164.99

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,662.06   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,112.53

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio—Class C Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.98   3.02   $ 10,302.00    $ 200.99

2

   10.25   1.98   6.13   $ 10,613.12    $ 207.06

3

   15.76   1.98   9.34   $ 10,933.64    $ 213.31

4

   21.55   1.98   12.64   $ 11,263.84    $ 219.76

5

   27.63   1.98   16.04   $ 11,604.01    $ 226.39

6

   34.01   1.98   19.54   $ 11,954.45    $ 233.23

7

   40.71   1.98   23.15   $ 12,315.47    $ 240.27

8

   47.75   1.98   26.87   $ 12,687.40    $ 247.53

9

   55.13   1.98   30.71   $ 13,070.56    $ 255.00

10

   62.89   1.98   34.65   $ 13,465.29    $ 262.70

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,465.29   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,306.24

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio—Class R Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.48   3.52   $ 10,352.00    $ 150.60

2

   10.25   1.48   7.16   $ 10,716.39    $ 155.91

3

   15.76   1.48   10.94   $ 11,093.61    $ 161.39

4

   21.55   1.48   14.84   $ 11,484.11    $ 167.08

5

   27.63   1.48   18.88   $ 11,888.35    $ 172.96

6

   34.01   1.48   23.07   $ 12,306.82    $ 179.04

7

   40.71   1.48   27.40   $ 12,740.02    $ 185.35

8

   47.75   1.48   31.88   $ 13,188.47    $ 191.87

9

   55.13   1.48   36.53   $ 13,652.70    $ 198.62

10

   62.89   1.48   41.33   $ 14,133.28    $ 205.62

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 4,133.28   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 1,768.44

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio—Class A Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 3.25%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.24   0.39 %(b)    $ 10,038.78    $ 447.23

2

   10.25   1.63   3.77   $ 10,377.09    $ 166.39

3

   15.76   1.63   7.27   $ 10,726.80    $ 172.00

4

   21.55   1.63   10.88   $ 11,088.29    $ 177.79

5

   27.63   1.63   14.62   $ 11,461.97    $ 183.78

6

   34.01   1.63   18.48   $ 11,848.24    $ 189.98

7

   40.71   1.63   22.48   $ 12,247.53    $ 196.38

8

   47.75   1.63   26.60   $ 12,660.27    $ 203.00

9

   55.13   1.63   30.87   $ 13,086.92    $ 209.84

10

   62.89   1.63   35.28   $ 13,527.95    $ 216.91

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,527.95   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,163.30

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

(b)

Reflects deduction of the maximum initial sales charge.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio—Class B Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.99   3.01   $ 10,301.00    $ 201.99

2

   10.25   2.38   5.71   $ 10,570.89    $ 248.38

3

   15.76   2.38   8.48   $ 10,847.85    $ 254.88

4

   21.55   2.38   11.32   $ 11,132.06    $ 261.56

5

   27.63   2.38   14.24   $ 11,423.72    $ 268.41

6

   34.01   2.38   17.23   $ 11,723.02    $ 275.45

7

   40.71   2.38   20.30   $ 12,030.16    $ 282.66

8

   47.75   2.38   23.45   $ 12,345.35    $ 290.07

9

   55.13   1.63   27.61   $ 12,761.39    $ 204.62

10

   62.89   1.63   31.91   $ 13,191.45    $ 211.52

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,191.45   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,499.54

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio—Class C Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.99   3.01   $ 10,301.00    $ 201.99

2

   10.25   2.38   5.71   $ 10,570.89    $ 248.38

3

   15.76   2.38   8.48   $ 10,847.85    $ 254.88

4

   21.55   2.38   11.32   $ 11,132.06    $ 261.56

5

   27.63   2.38   14.24   $ 11,423.72    $ 268.41

6

   34.01   2.38   17.23   $ 11,723.02    $ 275.45

7

   40.71   2.38   20.30   $ 12,030.16    $ 282.66

8

   47.75   2.38   23.45   $ 12,345.35    $ 290.07

9

   55.13   2.38   26.69   $ 12,668.80    $ 297.67

10

   62.89   2.38   30.01   $ 13,000.72    $ 305.47

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

    $ 3,000.72   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

       $ 2,686.54

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

 

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LOGO

Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

Class A, Class B, Class C and Class R Shares

Prospectus, August 1, 2009

For More Information

You’ll find more information about the Portfolios and the other Columbia Funds in the documents described below. Contact Columbia Funds as follows to obtain these documents free of charge:

 

By Mail:   

Columbia Funds

c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc.

P.O. Box 8081

Boston, MA 02266-8081

By Telephone:    800.345.6611
Online:    www.columbiafunds.com

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders

Additional information about the Portfolios’ investments is available in the Portfolios’ annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Portfolios’ performance during their last fiscal year.

Shareholder Communications with the Board

The Portfolios’ Board of Trustees has adopted procedures by which shareholders may communicate with the Board. Shareholders who wish to communicate with the Board should send their written communications to the Board by mail, c/o Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, One Financial Center, Mail Stop MA5-515-11-05, Boston, MA 02111, Attention: Secretary. Shareholder communications must (i) be in writing, (ii) identify the Columbia Fund to which the communication relates and (iii) state the particular class of shares and number of shares held by the communicating shareholder.

Statement of Additional Information

The SAI provides more detailed information about the Portfolios and their policies. The SAI is legally part of this prospectus (incorporated by reference). A copy has been filed with the SEC.

Information Provided by the SEC

You can review and copy information about the Portfolios (including this prospectus, the SAI and shareholder reports) at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. To find out more about the operation of the Public Reference Room, call the SEC at 202.551.8090 or 800.SEC.0330. Reports and other information about the Portfolios are also available in the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You can receive copies of this information, for a fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov. or by writing the Public Reference Section, Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, DC 20549-0102.

For purposes of any electronic version of this prospectus, all references to websites, or universal resource locators (URLs), are intended to be inactive and are not meant to incorporate the contents of any website into this prospectus.

The investment company registration number of Columbia Funds Series Trust, of which the Portfolios are series, is 811-09645.

©2009 Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.

One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111-2621

800.345.6611 www.columbiafunds.com

INT-36/18105-0809


Table of Contents

LOGO

Prospectus

August 1, 2009

Columbia Funds

 

Class Z Shares   Advised by Columbia Management Advisors, LLC

•        Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

 

•        Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

 

•        Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

 

•        Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

 

LOGO The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


Table of Contents

Portfolio shares are NOT deposits or other obligations of, or issued, endorsed or guaranteed by, Bank of America, N.A. or any of its affiliates. Portfolio shares are NOT issued, insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, the FDIC or any other government agency.

Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) and its affiliates are paid for the services they provide to the Portfolios and may be compensated or incented in connection with the sale of Portfolio shares. The Portfolios may be used as an investment option for various products and services offered by Bank of America that may raise economic and other conflicts of interest, which are discussed in this prospectus.

AN INVESTMENT IN THE PORTFOLIOS INVOLVES CERTAIN RISKS, INCLUDING LOSS OF PRINCIPAL.

 

2


Table of Contents

Prospectus Primer

This prospectus tells you about the four Columbia LifeGoal® Portfolios (each a Portfolio and together, the Portfolios) in the Columbia Funds family of mutual funds (Columbia Funds). Each Portfolio is a “fund of funds” that invests most of its assets in a mix of underlying mutual funds that may change over time. This prospectus is designed to provide you with important information about the Portfolios in a concise and easy to understand manner that is meant to help you make informed investment decisions.

The prospectus first summarizes the key characteristics of each Portfolio, including:

 

   

investment objective,

 

   

principal investment strategies and risks,

 

   

year-by-year performance information,

 

   

fees and expenses, and

 

   

a description of the Portfolios’ additional investment strategies and policies.

This summary is followed by other important information, including:

 

   

a summary of the key characteristics of certain underlying funds in which the Portfolios may invest,

 

   

a discussion of the Portfolios’ primary service providers, including the roles and relationships of Bank of America and its affiliates, and conflicts of interest, and

 

   

a summary of the Portfolios’ Class Z shares offered by this prospectus.

Later sections of the prospectus talk about the details of investing in the Portfolios, including:

 

   

how to buy, sell and exchange shares of the Portfolios, and

 

   

how you will receive your investment proceeds.

The prospectus also includes:

 

   

information about how federal and certain other taxes may affect your investment,

 

   

highlights of each Portfolio’s financial information, and

 

   

hypothetical fee and expense data that show the costs associated with investing in the Portfolios.

We have included a number of features designed to facilitate your use of this prospectus, including:

 

   

“FUNDamentals™” sections that provide simple explanations of key terms and concepts, as well as some basics of mutual fund investing,

 

   

a “FUNDimensions™” section that is meant to give you a “snapshot” of each Portfolio’s main attributes, and

 

   

graphic icons which are defined in the guide below.

Icons Guide

 

LOGO

   Investment Objective

LOGO

   Principal Investment Strategies

LOGO

   Principal Risks

LOGO

   Performance Information

LOGO

   Fees and Expenses

LOGO

   Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates - Certain Conflicts of Interest

For More Information

You can contact Columbia Funds:

 

   

by mail at Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

 

   

by telephone at 800.345.6611.

 

   

by email at serviceinquiries@columbiamanagement.com or online at www.columbiafunds.com.

 

   

through your financial advisor, who can help you select from among the Columbia Funds to meet your investment needs.

You also can find more information about the Portfolios in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI), which includes more detailed information about each Portfolio’s investments, policies and management, among other things. Turn to the back cover to find out how you can get a copy.

The SEC provides a “Beginners’ Guide to Mutual Funds” which may be useful to some investors and is available online, free of charge, at www.sec.gov.

 

3


Table of Contents

Table of Contents

 

Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

   5

Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

   21

Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

   37

Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

   53

Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

   69

Underlying Funds Summary

   71

Management of the Portfolios

   89

Primary Service Providers

   89

Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

   91

Certain Legal Matters

   92

About Class Z Shares

   93

Description of the Share Class

   93

Financial Intermediary Compensation

   94

Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

   95

Share Price Determination

   95

Transaction Rules and Policies

   96

Opening an Account and Placing Orders

   100

Distributions and Taxes

   104

Financial Highlights

   107

Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

   111

Columbia Management Group, LLC

The Portfolios are sponsored by Columbia Management Group, LLC (Columbia Management), which is the primary investment division of Bank of America. Columbia Management is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110.

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC is the Portfolios’ investment advisor (the Advisor) and their administrator (the Administrator). Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. is the Portfolios’ distributor (the Distributor). Columbia Management Services, Inc. is the Portfolios’ transfer agent (the Transfer Agent).

The Portfolios, like all mutual funds, are designed to be a part of a broad and diversified investment portfolio and are not intended to fulfill all of your investment needs.

You should consider the objectives, risks and expenses of the Portfolios and any other Columbia Fund carefully before investing.

FUNDamentals™ and FUNDimensions™ are trademarks of Bank of America.

 

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Table of Contents

Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

FUNDimensionsTM

Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

 

Investment Objective:

   Capital appreciation

Investment Style:

   Large Blend

Benchmark:

   S&P 500® Index(a)

Ticker Symbol:

   Class Z: NGPAX

Principal Risks:

   Investment strategy risk
   Allocation risk
   Investing in other funds risk
   Asset-backed securities risk
   Changing distribution levels risk
   Convertible securities risk
   Credit risk
   Currency risk
   Derivatives risk
   Dollar rolls risk
   Emerging market securities risk
   Foreign securities risk
   Frequent trading risk
   Growth securities risk
   Index risk
   Industry sector risk
   Interest rate risk
   Liquidity risk
   Low and below investment grade securities risk
   Market risk
   Money Market Fund risk
   Mortgage-backed securities risk
   Municipal securities risk
   Non-diversified mutual fund risk
   Pacific/Asia regional risk
   Real estate investment trusts risk
   Reinvestment risk
   Repurchase agreements risk
   Short sales risk
   Smaller company securities risk
   Special situations risk
   Technology sector risk
   Treasury Inflation Protected Securities risk
   U.S. Government obligations risk
   Value securities risk
   Zero-coupon bonds risk

 

(a)

“Standard & Poor’s” and “S&P” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by the Advisor. The Portfolio is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s and Standard & Poor’s makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Portfolio.

FUNDamentalsTM

Benchmarks

Benchmarks are indices that provide some guidance in assessing fund performance. A fund does not, however, limit its investments to the securities within its benchmark(s), and a fund’s holdings can differ from those of any particular benchmark or index. Benchmarks are only guideposts for performance.

LOGO Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks capital appreciation.

LOGO Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests most of its assets in Class Z shares of mutual funds managed by the Advisor or its affiliates (Columbia Funds), exchange traded funds (ETFs) and third party-advised funds (collectively, Underlying Funds), equity and fixed income securities, including Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), and other instruments such as derivatives.

The Advisor uses asset allocation as its principal investment approach and:

 

   

allocates the Portfolio’s assets among asset class categories within the target asset allocations set for the Portfolio, based on the Portfolio’s investment objective and historical and projected returns for each asset class.

 

   

chooses individual Columbia Funds within each asset class category and the amount that will be allocated to each Columbia Fund, based on each Columbia Fund’s historical returns and expected performance.

 

   

may choose third party-advised Underlying Funds if a Columbia Fund is not available in the desired asset class category.

 

   

may choose equity and fixed income securities, including TIPS, and other instruments such as derivatives.

 

   

reviews the asset allocations to Underlying Funds and instruments at least monthly, and may change these allocations when the Advisor believes it is appropriate to do so.

The Portfolio’s targeted allocation to Columbia Funds, as a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets, is as follows:

 

5


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0-80% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in large-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-40% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in mid-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-20% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in small-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-70% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in international/global equity securities.

 

   

0-20% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in convertible securities.

 

   

0-30% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in specialty securities, including Columbia Funds that invest in equity securities of companies principally engaged in certain market sectors such as real estate or technology.

 

   

0-70% to Columbia Funds that invest in government and corporate debt securities.

 

   

0-20% to Columbia Funds that invest in below investment grade debt securities.

 

   

0-50% in Columbia money market funds.

The Portfolio’s targeted allocations to third party advised funds and instruments, as a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets, is as follows:

 

   

0-15% to fixed income securities, including TIPS.

 

   

0-10% to equity securities.

 

   

0-20% to futures and commodity-related instruments.

 

   

0-10% to third party funds/ETFs.

The Portfolio’s actual allocation may vary from these target allocations at any time. The Advisor may use various strategies to try to manage how much the actual amount varies and for how long. The Advisor can modify the list of Underlying Funds and types of instruments in which the Portfolio invests, or the asset categories, at any time, including by adding Underlying Funds introduced after the date of this prospectus.

The Advisor may sell investments to adjust the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets; if the Advisor believes that an investment is no longer a suitable investment, or that other investments are more attractive; to meet redemption requests; or for other reasons. When selling shares to meet redemption requests, the Advisor normally will, to the extent feasible, sell a proportionate amount of the shares the Portfolio owns in each Underlying Fund and instrument.

FUNDamentalsTM

About the Portfolios

Each Portfolio has its own asset allocation strategy, which gives it distinctive risk/return characteristics. The performance of each Portfolio depends on many factors, including its allocation strategy and the performance of the Underlying Funds and other assets it invests in. In general, the more a Portfolio allocates to equity securities and Underlying Funds that invest in them, the greater the potential return and the greater the risk of loss. The more a Portfolio allocates to fixed income and money market securities and Underlying Funds that invest in them, the greater the potential for price stability and the lower the potential for loss. There is always a risk, however, that you will lose money or that you may not earn as much as you expect, and that the performance of a Portfolio at any point in time may not meet your anticipated level of return for the Portfolio to fund retirement, living expense or other investment goals.

The Portfolios may be a suitable investment for you if:

 

   

you have longer-term investment goals, and

 

   

they are part of a balanced portfolio that includes other investments.

The Portfolios may not be a suitable investment for you if:

 

   

you’re not prepared to accept or are unable to bear the risks associated with equity and fixed income securities,

 

   

you have shorter-term investment goals, and

 

   

you’re looking for a regular stream of income.

FUNDamentalsTM

Fund of Funds

Unlike a traditional mutual fund, which invests in individual securities, a “fund of funds” invests in a mix of underlying funds typically by using an asset allocation approach. A fund of funds indirectly bears a portion of the underlying funds’ expenses, in addition to the fund of funds’ own expenses.

 

6


Table of Contents

FUNDamentalsTM

Asset Allocation Funds

Asset allocation funds use a process called “asset allocation,” which is the process of creating a portfolio by investing in different asset classes – for example, domestic equity securities, foreign securities and debt securities – in varying proportions.

The mix of asset classes and how much is invested in each is an important factor in how an asset allocation fund performs and the amount of risk involved. Each asset class, and each sub-asset class within a class, like large-, mid- and small-capitalization equity securities, has different risk and return characteristics, and may react in different ways to changes in the financial markets and to the economy in general. An investment approach that combines asset classes and sub-asset classes may help to reduce overall volatility.

Asset allocation funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio, and

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income.

LOGO Principal Risks

 

   

Investment Strategy Risk – The Advisor uses the principal investment strategies and other investment strategies to seek to achieve the Portfolio’s investment objective. Investment decisions made by the Advisor in using these strategies may not produce the returns expected by the Advisor, may cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or may cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.

 

   

Allocation Risk – The Portfolio uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Portfolio’s allocation among asset classes or investments will cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

 

   

Investing in Other Funds Risk – The performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests could be adversely affected if other entities that invest in the same Underlying Funds make relatively large investments or redemptions in the Underlying Funds. Because the expenses and costs of an Underlying Fund are shared by its investors, redemptions by other investors in the Underlying Fund could result in decreased economies of scale and increased operating expenses for the Underlying Fund. The Portfolio, and its shareholders, indirectly bear a portion of the expenses of the Underlying Funds. These transactions might also result in higher brokerage, tax or other costs for the Portfolio. This risk may be particularly important when one investor owns a substantial portion of any Underlying Fund. In addition, the Advisor has the authority to change the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or to change the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. If an Underlying Fund pays fees to the Advisor or its affiliates, such as advisory fees, this could result in the Advisor having a potential conflict of interest in selecting the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or in determining the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. There are also circumstances in which the Advisor’s fiduciary duties to the Portfolio may conflict with its fiduciary duties to the Underlying Funds.

 

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The Portfolio is subject directly to the extent it invests in individual securities and other instruments and/or indirectly to the extent it invests in Underlying Funds to the following risks:

 

   

Asset-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in asset-backed securities. The value of an Underlying Fund’s asset-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the receivables, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Asset-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of receivables such as credit card, auto, student and home equity loans. They may also be backed, in turn, by securities backed by these types of loans and others, such as mortgage loans. Asset-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Most asset-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying debt may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of asset-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of asset-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

   

Changing Distribution Levels Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may be subject to changing distribution levels risk. The amount of the distributions paid by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund generally depends on the amount of income and/or dividends received by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund on the securities it holds. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not be able to pay distributions or may have to reduce its distribution level if the income and/or dividends the Portfolio or Underlying Fund receives from its investments decline.

 

   

Convertible Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in convertible securities, which are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate risk and credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. Because the value of a convertible security can be influenced by both interest rates and market movements, a convertible security generally is not as sensitive to interest rates as a similar debt security, and generally will not vary in value in response to other factors to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities would typically be paid before the company’s common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may be forced to convert a convertible security before it otherwise would choose to do so, which may decrease the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Credit Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may be subject to credit risk, which applies to most debt securities, but is generally not a factor for obligations backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose money if the issuer of a debt security is unable or perceived to be unable to pay interest or repay principal when it becomes due. Various factors could affect the issuer’s actual or perceived willingness or ability to make timely interest or principal payments, including changes in the issuer’s financial condition or in general economic conditions. Debt securities backed by an issuer’s taxing authority may be subject to legal limits on the issuer’s power to increase taxes or otherwise to raise revenue, or may be dependent on legislative appropriation or government aid. Certain debt securities are backed only by revenues derived from a particular project or source, rather than by an issuer’s taxing authority, and thus may have a greater risk of default.

 

   

Currency Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may be subject to currency risk. Securities denominated in different currencies are subject to the risk that, for example, if the value of a foreign currency were to decline against the U.S. dollar, such decline would reduce the U.S. dollar value of any securities held by the Fund denominated in that currency.

 

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Derivatives Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, which are financial contracts whose values are, for example, based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or bond), assets (such as a commodity like gold or a foreign currency), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Derivatives involve special risks and may result in losses or may limit the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s potential gain from favorable market movements. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Underlying Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying security. The values of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in unusual market conditions, and may result in increased volatility, among other consequences. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Other risks arise from the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s potential inability to terminate or sell derivative positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Portfolio or Underlying Fund’s derivative positions at times when the Portfolio or Underlying Fund might wish to terminate or sell such positions. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid, and transactions in derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. The use of derivatives also involves the risks of mispricing or improper valuation and that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying security, asset, reference rate or index. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund also may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to engage in derivative transactions when it is deemed favorable to do so, or at all. For more information on the risks of derivative investments and strategies, see the SAI.

 

   

Dollar Rolls Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may use dollar rolls, which are transactions in which the Underlying Fund sells securities to a counterparty and simultaneously agrees to purchase those or similar securities in the future at a predetermined price. Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Underlying Fund is obligated to repurchase may decline below the repurchase price, or that the counterparty may default on its obligations. These transactions may also increase the Underlying Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. If the Underlying Fund reinvests the proceeds of the security sold, the Underlying Fund will also be subject to the risk that the investments purchased with such proceeds will decline in value (a form of leverage risk).

 

   

Emerging Market Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries, like those in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America or Africa, which are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in foreign securities that are described in Foreign Securities Risk. In addition, emerging market countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid social, political and economic development. Their economies are usually less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity than more developed countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade, which makes them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries. Some emerging market countries have a higher risk of currency devaluations, and some of these countries may experience periods of high inflation or rapid changes in inflation rates.

 

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Foreign Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in foreign securities, which are subject to special risks as compared to securities of U.S. issuers. For example, foreign markets can be extremely volatile. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may impact the value of foreign securities denominated in foreign currencies, or in U.S. dollars, without a change in the intrinsic value of those securities. Foreign securities may be less liquid than domestic securities so that the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may, at times, be unable to sell foreign securities at desirable times or prices. Brokerage commissions, custodial fees and other fees are also generally higher for foreign securities. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may have limited or no legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain foreign securities, including those issued by foreign governments. In addition, foreign governments may impose potentially confiscatory withholding or other taxes, which could reduce the amount of income and capital gains available to distribute to shareholders. Other risks include possible delays in the settlement of transactions or in the payment of income; generally less publicly available information about companies; the impact of political, social or diplomatic events; possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of a company or its assets; possible imposition of currency exchange controls; and accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards that may be less comprehensive and stringent than those applicable to domestic companies.

 

   

Frequent Trading Risk – The Portfolio’s and certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve the frequent trading of portfolio securities. Frequent trading of investments increases the possibility that the Underlying Fund will realize taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s after-tax return. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Growth Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in growth securities. Because growth securities typically trade at a higher multiple of earnings than other types of securities, the value of growth securities may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other types of securities. In addition, growth securities, at times, may not perform as well as value securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Index Risk – The Portfolio’s and certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve investing in an index. The Underlying Fund’s value will generally decline when the performance of its targeted index declines. Because such an Underlying Fund is designed to track an index before fees and expenses, the Underlying Fund cannot purchase other securities that may help offset declines in its index. In addition, because the Underlying Fund may not hold all issues included in its index, may not always be fully invested, and bears advisory, administrative and other expenses and transaction costs in trading securities, the Underlying Fund’s performance may fail to match the performance of its targeted index, after taking expenses into account. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

 

   

Industry Sector Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of companies in different, but closely related, industries. These securities are considered as being in the same broad economic sector. The values of such securities in the same sector may be similarly affected by particular economic or market events, making an Underlying Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that sector than funds investing in multiple sectors.

 

   

Interest Rate Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities, which are subject to interest rate risk. In general, if prevailing interest rates rise, the values of debt securities will tend to fall, and if interest rates fall, the values of debt securities will tend to rise. Changes in the value of a debt security usually will not affect the amount of income the Portfolio or Underlying Fund receives from it but will affect the value of the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s shares. Interest rate risk is generally greater for debt securities with longer maturities/durations.

 

   

Liquidity Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in illiquid securities, which are securities that cannot be readily disposed of in the normal course of business. There is a risk that the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not be able to sell such securities at the time it desires, or that it cannot sell such securities without adversely affecting their price.

 

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Low and Below Investment Grade Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities with the lowest investment grade rating (e.g., BBB by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch) or that are below investment grade (which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) (e.g., BB or below by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch). These securities are more speculative than securities with higher ratings, and tend to be more sensitive to credit risk, particularly during a downturn in the economy, which is more likely to weaken the ability of the issuers to make principal and interest payments on these securities than is the case for higher-rated securities. These securities typically pay a premium – a higher interest rate or yield – because of the increased risk of loss, including default. These securities also are generally less liquid than higher-rated securities. The securities ratings provided by Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch are based on analyses by these ratings agencies of the credit quality of the securities and may not take into account every risk related to whether interest or principal will be timely repaid.

 

   

Market Risk – The Portfolio and Underlying Funds are subject to market risk, which refers to the possibility that the market values of securities that the Portfolio and Underlying Fund hold will rise or fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Security values may fall because of factors affecting individual companies, industries or sectors, or the markets as a whole, reducing the value of an investment in the Portfolio or Underlying Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. The market values of the securities the Portfolio or Underlying Fund hold also can be affected by changes or perceived changes in U.S. or foreign economies and financial markets and the liquidity of these securities, among other factors. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

 

   

Money Market Fund Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in (and certain Underlying Funds may be) money market funds, but an investment in a money market fund is not a bank deposit, and is not insured or guaranteed by Bank of America, the FDIC or any other government agency. Although money market funds seek to preserve the value of an investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in such funds.

 

   

Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in mortgage-backed securities. The value of the Underlying Fund’s mortgage-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the mortgages, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Mortgage-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of mortgages from which payments of interest and principal (net of fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of the securities) are distributed to the holders of the mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage-backed securities (but not the market value of the securities themselves) may be guaranteed (i) by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association) or (ii) by its agencies, authorities, enterprises or instrumentalities (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Federal National Mortgage Association or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation), which are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government. Mortgage-backed securities issued by non-governmental issuers (such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers) may be supported by various credit enhancements, such as pool insurance, guarantees issued by governmental entities, letters of credit from a bank or senior/subordinated structures, and may entail greater risk than obligations guaranteed by the U.S. Government, whether or not such obligations are guaranteed by the private issuer. Mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying mortgage may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of mortgage-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of mortgage-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

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Municipal Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in municipal securities, which are debt obligations generally issued to obtain funds for various public purposes, including general financing for state and local governments, or financing for a specific project or public facility. Municipal securities may be fully or partially backed by the taxing authority of the local government, by the credit of a private issuer, by the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets or by domestic or foreign entities providing credit support, such as letters of credit, guarantees or insurance, and are generally classified into general obligation bonds and special revenue obligations. General obligation bonds are backed by an issuer’s taxing authority and may be vulnerable to limits on a government’s power or ability to raise revenue or increase taxes. They also may depend for payment on legislative appropriation and/or funding or other support from other governmental bodies. Revenue obligations are payable from revenues generated by a particular project or other revenue source, and are typically subject to greater risk of default than general obligation bonds because investors can look only to the revenue generated by the project or other revenue source backing the project, rather than to the general taxing authority of the state or local government issuer of the obligations. Because many municipal securities are issued to finance projects in sectors such as education, health care, transportation and utilities, conditions in those sectors can affect the overall municipal market. Municipal securities pay interest that, in the opinion of bond counsel, is free from U.S. federal income tax (and, in some cases, the federal alternative minimum tax). There is no assurance that the IRS will agree with this opinion. In the event the IRS determines that the issuer does not comply with relevant tax requirements, interest payments from a security could become federally taxable, possibly retroactively to the date the security was issued, and the value of the security would likely fall. As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you may be required to file an amended tax return and pay additional taxes as a result.

 

   

Non-Diversified Mutual Fund Risk – Certain Underlying Funds are non-diversified, which generally means that each such Underlying Fund may invest a greater percentage of its total assets in the securities of fewer issuers than a “diversified” fund. This increases the risk that a change in the value of any one investment held by the Underlying Fund could affect the overall value of the Underlying Fund more than it would affect that of a diversified fund holding a greater number of investments. Accordingly, the Underlying Fund’s value will likely be more volatile than the value of more diversified funds. A non-diversified Underlying Fund may not operate as a non-diversified fund at all times.

 

   

Pacific/Asia Regional Risk – The Pacific/Asia region consists of countries in the Pacific Basin, including Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, among other countries within this region, and certain Underlying Fund investments in the region are thus particularly susceptible to risks in the region. Events in any one country within the region may impact other countries in the region or the Pacific/Asia region as a whole. As a result, events in the region will generally have a greater effect on the Underlying Fund than if the Underlying Fund were more geographically diversified, which could result in great volatility and losses. Countries within this region can be significantly affected by currency fluctuations and rapid changes in inflation and interest rates. Markets in the Pacific/Asia region can experience significant volatility due to social, regulatory and political uncertainties. In addition, changes in governmental policies in the region could significantly affect local markets in the region. Continued growth of economies and securities markets in the Pacific/Asia region will require sustained economic and fiscal discipline, as well as continued commitment to governmental reforms. Development also may be influenced by international economic conditions, particularly those in the United States and Japan, and by world demand for goods produced in countries in the Pacific/Asia region.

 

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Real Estate Investment Trusts Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs), which are entities that either own properties or make construction or mortgage loans, and also may include operating or finance companies. The value of REIT shares is affected by, among other factors, changes in the value of the underlying properties owned by the REIT and/or by changes in the prospect for earnings and/or cash flow growth of the REIT itself. In addition, certain of the risks associated with general real estate ownership apply to the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s REIT investments, including risks related to general and local economic conditions, possible lack of availability of financing and changes in interest rates.

 

   

Reinvestment Risk – Because the Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities, income from the Portfolio’s and those Underlying Funds’ debt securities portfolios will decline if and when the Portfolio or Underlying Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called securities in securities with market interest rates that are below the current earnings rate of the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s portfolio.

 

   

Repurchase Agreements Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may use repurchase agreements, which are agreements in which the seller of a security to the Portfolio or Underlying Fund agrees to repurchase that security from the Portfolio or Underlying Fund at a mutually agreed upon price and time. Repurchase agreements carry the risk that the counterparty may not fulfill its obligations under the agreement. This could cause the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s income and the value of your investment in the Portfolio or, indirectly, the Underlying Fund to decline.

 

   

Short Sales Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may engage in short selling. A short sale generally involves the sale by the Underlying Fund of a security it does not own with the expectation of acquiring the security at a later time at a lower price, but can involve the sale by the Underlying Fund of a security it does own. In order to short sell a common stock, the Underlying Fund must borrow, buy or already hold the security in order to make delivery to the counterparty. If the Underlying Fund borrows the security, it then is obligated to replace the security at some later time. The price of the security at such time may be higher or lower than the price at which the security was sold short by the Underlying Fund. Therefore, the Underlying Fund bears the risk that the price of the security at the time of replacement has not decreased. Short sales can potentially involve unlimited loss, as the market price of securities sold short may continue to increase, although the Underlying Fund may be able to limit any such losses by purchasing the securities sold short. There also is a risk that the Underlying Fund may experience difficulty purchasing the security necessary for replacement if the security does not have a liquid market at the time that the replacement must occur or that an event may occur.

 

   

Smaller Company Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of small- or mid-capitalization companies (“smaller companies”) which can, in certain circumstances, have a higher potential for gains than securities of large-capitalization companies but also may have more risk. For example, smaller companies may be more vulnerable to market downturns and adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies because they may have more limited financial resources and business operations. These companies are also more likely than larger companies to have more limited product lines and operating histories and to depend on smaller management teams. Their securities may trade less frequently and in smaller volumes and may be less liquid and fluctuate more sharply in value than securities of larger companies. In addition, some smaller companies may not be widely followed by the investment community, which can lower the demand for their stocks.

 

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Special Situations Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of companies that are involved in an initial public offering or a major corporate event, such as a business consolidation or restructuring, which may present special risk because of the high degree of uncertainty that can be associated with such events. Securities issued in initial public offerings often are issued by companies that are in the early stages of development, have a history of little or no revenues and may operate at a loss following the offering. It is possible that there will be no active trading market for the securities after the offering, and the market price of the securities may be subject to significant and unpredictable fluctuations. Investing in special situations may have a magnified effect on the performance of funds with small amounts of assets.

 

   

Technology Sector Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of companies in the technology sector, which are subject to significant competitive pressures, such as aggressive pricing of their products or services, new market entrants, competition for market share, short product cycles due to an accelerated rate of technological developments and the potential for limited earnings and/or falling profit margins. These companies also face the risks that new services, equipment or technologies will not be accepted by consumers and businesses or will become rapidly obsolete. These factors can affect the profitability of technology companies and, as a result, the value of their securities. In addition, many technology companies have limited operating histories. Prices of these companies’ securities historically have been more volatile than other securities, especially over the short term.

 

   

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), which are U.S. Treasury securities that are designed to provide some degree of protection against inflation. The interest rate paid on TIPS is fixed while the principal value of TIPS rises or falls semiannually based on changes in the Consumer Price All Urban Non-Seasonally Adjusted Index (CPI), which is calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. There can be no assurance that the CPI will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. TIPS will pay interest on a semi-annual basis, equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted principal amount. If inflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS are adjusted upward to protect investors from inflationary loss. If deflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS will be adjusted downward. TIPS are redeemable for the greater of either their inflation-adjusted principal amount or their face value. The current market value of TIPS is not guaranteed and will fluctuate. TIPS generally sacrifice some yield as a tradeoff for the inflation protection and the inflation adjustment is federally taxable annually although not paid out until maturity.

 

   

U.S. Government Obligations Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in U.S. Government obligations. U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government and generally have negligible credit risk. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. For example, securities issued by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Banks are neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. Government. These securities may be supported by the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the credit of the issuing agency, authority, instrumentality or enterprise and, as a result, are subject to greater credit risk than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

 

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Value Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in value securities, which are securities of companies that may have experienced, for example, adverse business, industry or other developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the securities to be out of favor and, in turn, potentially undervalued. The market value of a portfolio security may not meet the Advisor’s future value assessment of that security, or may decline. There is also a risk that it may take longer than expected for the value of these investments to rise to the believed value. In addition, value securities, at times, may not perform as well as growth securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Zero-Coupon Bonds Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in zero-coupon bonds, which are bonds that do not pay interest in cash on a current basis, but instead accrue interest over the life of the bond. As a result, these securities are issued at a discount and their values may fluctuate more than the values of similar securities that pay interest periodically. Although these securities pay no interest to holders prior to maturity, interest accrued on these securities is reported as income to the Portfolio or Underlying Fund and distributed to its shareholders.

These are summaries of the principal risks associated with the principal investment strategies of the Portfolio. Additional risks are associated with other permissible investments of the Portfolio that are described in the SAI together with further information about these principal risks. There is no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.

 

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LOGO Performance Information

The following bar chart and table show you how the Portfolio has performed in the past, and can help you understand the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s past performance (before or after taxes) is no guarantee of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Year by Year Total Return (%) as of December 31 Each Year*

The bar chart below shows you how the performance of the Portfolio’s Class Z shares has varied from year to year.

LOGO

 

* Year-to-date return as of June 30, 2009: 9.68%.

Best and Worst Quarterly Returns During this Period

 

Best:    4th quarter 1999:    19.55%
Worst:    4th quarter 2008:    -22.86%

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Performance

Many factors can affect a mutual fund’s performance, including, for example:

 

   

management of fund holdings,

 

   

market conditions,

 

   

fund expenses, and

 

   

flows of investment dollars into and out of the fund.

The returns for the various share classes may vary based on differences in sales charges and expenses.

 

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Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2008

The table below shows the Portfolio’s Class Z shares’ average annual total returns (i) before taxes, (ii) after taxes on distributions and (iii) after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares.

The table compares the Portfolio’s returns for each period with those of the S&P 500® Index, which tracks the performance of 500 widely held, large-capitalization U.S. stocks. Indices are not available for investment, and do not reflect sales charges, fees, brokerage commissions, taxes or other expenses of investing.

 

     1 year     5 years     10 years  

Class Z shares returns before taxes

   -39.28   -0.30   1.74

Class Z shares returns after taxes on distributions

   -41.03   -1.45   0.33

Class Z shares returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares

   -21.67   0.33   1.38

S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   -37.00   -2.19   -1.38

FUNDamentalsTM

After-Tax Returns

The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state, local or foreign taxes.

Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your personal tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown in the table do not apply to shares held in tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k) plans or IRAs.

 

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LOGO Fees and Expenses

The fee table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. Additional hypothetical fee and expense information relating to Class Z shares of the Portfolio can be found in Hypothetical Fees and Expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Expenses

In general, there are two kinds of fund expenses:

 

   

shareholder expenses that you pay directly (e.g., sales charges and redemption fees), and

 

   

annual operating expenses that are paid by the Portfolio and deducted from the Portfolio’s assets.

Annual operating expenses include:

 

   

management fees, which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to the Advisor and the Administrator as compensation for managing and administering the Portfolio’s portfolio. See Management of the Portfolios – Primary Service Providers for more information.

 

   

other expenses, which generally include, but are not limited to, transfer agency, custody, audit and legal fees as well as costs related to registration of Portfolio shares for sale and the printing and mailing of Portfolio documents. The specific expenses that make up the Portfolio’s other expenses will vary from time to time and may include expenses not described above.

Annual fund operating expenses are calculated based on actual expenses incurred during the Portfolio’s most recently completed fiscal year and are expressed as a percentage of the Portfolio’s average net assets during the year. The rate of annual fund operating expenses will likely vary from year to year as a result of various factors, including, for example, changes in the level of the Portfolio’s net assets. Although many factors can affect fund operating expenses, in general, annual fund operating expenses, as a percentage of average net assets, will increase as the Portfolio’s net assets decrease, and will decrease as the Portfolio’s net assets increase. Net expenses also may vary from year to year based on any fee waivers or expense reimbursements.

The Portfolio may incur significant transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, in addition to the annual Portfolio operating expenses disclosed in the fee table.

 

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Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

 

     Class Z Shares

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases, as a % of offering price

   N/A

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions, as a % of the lower of the original purchase price or net asset value

   N/A

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (deducted from the Portfolio’s assets)

 

     Class Z Shares  

Management fees

   0.25

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

   0.00

Other expenses

   0.00

Acquired fund fees and expenses(a)

   0.99

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses(b)

   1.24

 

(a)

Acquired fund fees and expenses include fees and expenses associated with the Portfolio’s investments in other investment companies. Since they are incurred only indirectly by the Portfolio, such fees and expenses are not considered ordinary operating expenses of the Portfolio for purposes of a fee waiver or expense limitation, if any.

(b)

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses include acquired fund fees and expenses. As a result, the amount shown is higher than the ratio of expenses to average net assets included in the section entitled “Financial Highlights” which reflects only those expenses paid directly by the Portfolio.

 

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Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The example illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over the time periods indicated, and assumes that:

 

   

you invest $10,000 in Class Z shares of the Portfolio for the periods indicated,

 

   

you reinvest all dividends and distributions in the Portfolio,

 

   

your investment has a 5% return each year, and

 

   

the Portfolio’s total annual operating expenses remain the same as shown in the table above.

Based on the assumptions listed above, your costs would be:

 

     1 year    3 years    5 years    10 years

Class Z Shares

   $ 126    $ 393    $ 681    $ 1,500

Remember this is an example only. It is not necessarily representative of the Portfolio’s actual expenses in the past or future. Your actual costs could be higher or lower depending on the amount you invest and on the Portfolio’s actual expenses and performance.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

FUNDimensionsTM

Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

 

Investment Objective:    Total return, consisting of capital appreciation and current income
Investment Style:    Moderate Allocation
Benchmarks:    S&P 500® Index(a)
   Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index
Ticker Symbol:    Class Z: NBGPX
Principal Risks:    Investment strategy risk
   Allocation risk
   Investing in other funds risk
   Asset-backed securities risk
   Changing distribution levels risk
   Convertible securities risk
   Credit risk
   Currency risk
   Derivatives risk
   Dollar rolls risk
   Emerging market securities risk
   Foreign securities risk
   Frequent trading risk
   Growth securities risk
   Index risk
   Industry sector risk
   Interest rate risk
   Liquidity risk
   Low and below investment grade securities risk
   Market risk
   Money Market Fund risk
   Mortgage-backed securities risk
   Municipal securities risk
   Non-diversified mutual fund risk
   Pacific/Asia regional risk
   Real estate investment trusts risk
   Reinvestment risk
   Repurchase agreements risk
   Short sales risk
   Smaller company securities risk
   Special situations risk
   Technology sector risk
   Treasury Inflation Protected Securities risk
   U.S. Government obligations risk
   Value securities risk
   Zero-coupon bonds risk

 

(a)

“Standard & Poor’s” and “S&P” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by the Advisor. The Portfolio is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s and Standard & Poor’s makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Portfolio.

FUNDamentalsTM

Benchmarks

Benchmarks are indices that provide some guidance in assessing fund performance. A fund does not, however, limit its investments to the securities within its benchmark(s), and a fund’s holdings can differ from those of any particular benchmark or index. Benchmarks are only guideposts for performance.

LOGO Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks total return, consisting of capital appreciation and current income.

LOGO Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests most of its assets in Class Z shares of mutual funds managed by the Advisor or its affiliates (Columbia Funds), exchange traded funds (ETFs) and third party-advised funds (collectively, Underlying Funds), equity and fixed income securities, including Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), and other instruments such as derivatives.

The Advisor uses asset allocation as its principal investment approach and:

 

   

allocates the Portfolio’s assets among asset class categories within the target asset allocations set for the Portfolio, based on the Portfolio’s investment objective and historical and projected returns for each asset class.

 

   

chooses individual Columbia Funds within each asset class category and the amount that will be allocated to each Columbia Fund, based on each Columbia Fund’s historical returns and expected performance.

 

   

may choose third party-advised Underlying Funds if a Columbia Fund is not available in the desired asset class category.

 

   

may choose equity and fixed income securities, including TIPS, and other instruments such as derivatives.

 

   

reviews the asset allocations to Underlying Funds and instruments at least monthly, and may change these allocations when the Advisor believes it is appropriate to do so.

 

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The Portfolio’s targeted allocation to Columbia Funds, as a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets, is as follows:

 

   

0-80% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in large-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-30% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in mid-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-15% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in small-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-50% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in international/global equity securities.

 

   

0-10% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in convertible securities.

 

   

0-30% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in specialty securities, including Columbia Funds that invest in equity securities of companies principally engaged in certain market sectors such as real estate or technology.

 

   

0-80% to Columbia Funds that invest in government and corporate debt securities.

 

   

0-20% to Columbia Funds that invest in below investment grade debt securities.

 

   

0-50% in Columbia money market funds.

The Portfolio’s targeted allocations to third party advised funds and instruments, as a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets, is as follows:

 

   

0-15% to fixed income securities, including TIPS.

 

   

0-10% to equity securities.

 

   

0-20% to futures and commodity-related instruments.

 

   

0-10% to third party funds/ETFs.

The Portfolio’s actual allocation may vary from these target allocations at any time. The Advisor may use various strategies to try to manage how much the actual amount varies and for how long. The Advisor can modify the list of Underlying Funds and types of instruments in which the Portfolio invests, or the asset categories, at any time, including by adding Underlying Funds introduced after the date of this prospectus.

The Advisor may sell investments to adjust the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets; if the Advisor believes that an investment is no longer a suitable investment, or that other investments are more attractive; to meet redemption requests; or for other reasons. When selling shares to meet redemption requests, the Advisor normally will, to the extent feasible, sell a proportionate amount of the shares the Portfolio owns in each Underlying Fund and instrument.

FUNDamentalsTM

About the Portfolios

Each Portfolio has its own asset allocation strategy, which gives it distinctive risk/return characteristics. The performance of each Portfolio depends on many factors, including its allocation strategy and the performance of the Underlying Funds and other assets it invests in. In general, the more a Portfolio allocates to equity securities and Underlying Funds that invest in them, the greater the potential return and the greater the risk of loss. The more a Portfolio allocates to fixed income and money market securities and Underlying Funds that invest in them, the greater the potential for price stability and the lower the potential for loss. There is always a risk, however, that you will lose money or that you may not earn as much as you expect, and that the performance of a Portfolio at any point in time may not meet your anticipated level of return for the Portfolio to fund retirement, living expense or other investment goals.

The Portfolios may be a suitable investment for you if:

 

   

you have longer-term investment goals, and

 

   

they are part of a balanced portfolio that includes other investments.

The Portfolios may not be a suitable investment for you if:

 

   

you’re not prepared to accept or are unable to bear the risks associated with equity and fixed income securities,

 

   

you have shorter-term investment goals, and

 

   

you’re looking for a regular stream of income.

 

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FUNDamentalsTM

Asset Allocation Funds

Asset allocation funds use a process called “asset allocation,” which is the process of creating a portfolio by investing in different asset classes – for example, domestic equity securities, foreign securities and debt securities – in varying proportions.

The mix of asset classes and how much is invested in each is an important factor in how an asset allocation fund performs and the amount of risk involved. Each asset class, and each sub-asset class within a class, like large-, mid- and small-capitalization equity securities, has different risk and return characteristics, and may react in different ways to changes in the financial markets and to the economy in general. An investment approach that combines asset classes and sub-asset classes may help to reduce overall volatility.

Asset allocation funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio, and

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income.

FUNDamentalsTM

Fund of Funds

Unlike a traditional mutual fund, which invests in individual securities, a “fund of funds” invests in a mix of underlying funds typically by using an asset allocation approach. A fund of funds indirectly bears a portion of the underlying funds’ expenses, in addition to the fund of funds’ own expenses.

LOGO Principal Risks

 

   

Investment Strategy Risk – The Advisor uses the principal investment strategies and other investment strategies to seek to achieve the Portfolio’s investment objective. Investment decisions made by the Advisor in using these strategies may not produce the returns expected by the Advisor, may cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or may cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.

 

   

Allocation Risk – The Portfolio uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Portfolio’s allocation among asset classes or investments will cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

 

   

Investing in Other Funds Risk – The performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests could be adversely affected if other entities that invest in the same Underlying Funds make relatively large investments or redemptions in the Underlying Funds. Because the expenses and costs of an Underlying Fund are shared by its investors, redemptions by other investors in the Underlying Fund could result in decreased economies of scale and increased operating expenses for the Underlying Fund. The Portfolio, and its shareholders, indirectly bear a portion of the expenses of the Underlying Funds. These transactions might also result in higher brokerage, tax or other costs for the Portfolio. This risk may be particularly important when one investor owns a substantial portion of any Underlying Fund. In addition, the Advisor has the authority to change the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or to change the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. If an Underlying Fund pays fees to the Advisor or its affiliates, such as advisory fees, this could result in the Advisor having a potential conflict of interest in selecting the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or in determining the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. There are also circumstances in which the Advisor’s fiduciary duties to the Portfolio may conflict with its fiduciary duties to the Underlying Funds.

The Portfolio is subject directly to the extent it invests in individual securities and other instruments and/or indirectly to the extent it invests in Underlying Funds to the following risks:

 

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Asset-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in asset-backed securities. The value of an Underlying Fund’s asset-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the receivables, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Asset-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of receivables such as credit card, auto, student and home equity loans. They may also be backed, in turn, by securities backed by these types of loans and others, such as mortgage loans. Asset-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Most asset-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying debt may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of asset-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of asset-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

   

Changing Distribution Levels Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may be subject to changing distribution levels risk. The amount of the distributions paid by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund generally depends on the amount of income and/or dividends received by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund on the securities it holds. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not be able to pay distributions or may have to reduce its distribution level if the income and/or dividends the Portfolio or Underlying Fund receives from its investments decline.

 

   

Convertible Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in convertible securities, which are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate risk and credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. Because the value of a convertible security can be influenced by both interest rates and market movements, a convertible security generally is not as sensitive to interest rates as a similar debt security, and generally will not vary in value in response to other factors to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities would typically be paid before the company’s common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may be forced to convert a convertible security before it otherwise would choose to do so, which may decrease the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Credit Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may be subject to credit risk, which applies to most debt securities, but is generally not a factor for obligations backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose money if the issuer of a debt security is unable or perceived to be unable to pay interest or repay principal when it becomes due. Various factors could affect the issuer’s actual or perceived willingness or ability to make timely interest or principal payments, including changes in the issuer’s financial condition or in general economic conditions. Debt securities backed by an issuer’s taxing authority may be subject to legal limits on the issuer’s power to increase taxes or otherwise to raise revenue, or may be dependent on legislative appropriation or government aid. Certain debt securities are backed only by revenues derived from a particular project or source, rather than by an issuer’s taxing authority, and thus may have a greater risk of default.

 

   

Currency Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may be subject to currency risk. Securities denominated in different currencies are subject to the risk that, for example, if the value of a foreign currency were to decline against the U.S. dollar, such decline would reduce the U.S. dollar value of any securities held by the Fund denominated in that currency.

 

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Derivatives Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, which are financial contracts whose values are, for example, based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or bond), assets (such as a commodity like gold or a foreign currency), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Derivatives involve special risks and may result in losses or may limit the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s potential gain from favorable market movements. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Underlying Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying security. The values of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in unusual market conditions, and may result in increased volatility, among other consequences. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Other risks arise from the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s potential inability to terminate or sell derivative positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Portfolio or Underlying Fund’s derivative positions at times when the Portfolio or Underlying Fund might wish to terminate or sell such positions. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid, and transactions in derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. The use of derivatives also involves the risks of mispricing or improper valuation and that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying security, asset, reference rate or index. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund also may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to engage in derivative transactions when it is deemed favorable to do so, or at all. For more information on the risks of derivative investments and strategies, see the SAI.

 

   

Dollar Rolls Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may use dollar rolls, which are transactions in which the Underlying Fund sells securities to a counterparty and simultaneously agrees to purchase those or similar securities in the future at a predetermined price. Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Underlying Fund is obligated to repurchase may decline below the repurchase price, or that the counterparty may default on its obligations. These transactions may also increase the Underlying Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. If the Underlying Fund reinvests the proceeds of the security sold, the Underlying Fund will also be subject to the risk that the investments purchased with such proceeds will decline in value (a form of leverage risk).

 

   

Emerging Market Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries, like those in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America or Africa, which are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in foreign securities that are described in Foreign Securities Risk. In addition, emerging market countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid social, political and economic development. Their economies are usually less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity than more developed countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade, which makes them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries. Some emerging market countries have a higher risk of currency devaluations, and some of these countries may experience periods of high inflation or rapid changes in inflation rates.

 

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Foreign Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in foreign securities, which are subject to special risks as compared to securities of U.S. issuers. For example, foreign markets can be extremely volatile. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may impact the value of foreign securities denominated in foreign currencies, or in U.S. dollars, without a change in the intrinsic value of those securities. Foreign securities may be less liquid than domestic securities so that the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may, at times, be unable to sell foreign securities at desirable times or prices. Brokerage commissions, custodial fees and other fees are also generally higher for foreign securities. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may have limited or no legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain foreign securities, including those issued by foreign governments. In addition, foreign governments may impose potentially confiscatory withholding or other taxes, which could reduce the amount of income and capital gains available to distribute to shareholders. Other risks include possible delays in the settlement of transactions or in the payment of income; generally less publicly available information about companies; the impact of political, social or diplomatic events; possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of a company or its assets; possible imposition of currency exchange controls; and accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards that may be less comprehensive and stringent than those applicable to domestic companies.

 

   

Frequent Trading Risk – The Portfolio’s and certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve the frequent trading of portfolio securities. Frequent trading of investments increases the possibility that the Underlying Fund will realize taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s after-tax return. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Growth Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in growth securities. Because growth securities typically trade at a higher multiple of earnings than other types of securities, the value of growth securities may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other types of securities. In addition, growth securities, at times, may not perform as well as value securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Index Risk – The Portfolio’s and certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve investing in an index. The Underlying Fund’s value will generally decline when the performance of its targeted index declines. Because such an Underlying Fund is designed to track an index before fees and expenses, the Underlying Fund cannot purchase other securities that may help offset declines in its index. In addition, because the Underlying Fund may not hold all issues included in its index, may not always be fully invested, and bears advisory, administrative and other expenses and transaction costs in trading securities, the Underlying Fund’s performance may fail to match the performance of its targeted index, after taking expenses into account. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

 

   

Industry Sector Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of companies in different, but closely related, industries. These securities are considered as being in the same broad economic sector. The values of such securities in the same sector may be similarly affected by particular economic or market events, making an Underlying Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that sector than funds investing in multiple sectors.

 

   

Interest Rate Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities, which are subject to interest rate risk. In general, if prevailing interest rates rise, the values of debt securities will tend to fall, and if interest rates fall, the values of debt securities will tend to rise. Changes in the value of a debt security usually will not affect the amount of income the Portfolio or Underlying Fund receives from it but will affect the value of the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s shares. Interest rate risk is generally greater for debt securities with longer maturities/durations.

 

   

Liquidity Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in illiquid securities, which are securities that cannot be readily disposed of in the normal course of business. There is a risk that the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not be able to sell such securities at the time it desires, or that it cannot sell such securities without adversely affecting their price.

 

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Low and Below Investment Grade Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities with the lowest investment grade rating (e.g., BBB by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch) or that are below investment grade (which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) (e.g., BB or below by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch). These securities are more speculative than securities with higher ratings, and tend to be more sensitive to credit risk, particularly during a downturn in the economy, which is more likely to weaken the ability of the issuers to make principal and interest payments on these securities than is the case for higher-rated securities. These securities typically pay a premium – a higher interest rate or yield – because of the increased risk of loss, including default. These securities also are generally less liquid than higher-rated securities. The securities ratings provided by Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch are based on analyses by these ratings agencies of the credit quality of the securities and may not take into account every risk related to whether interest or principal will be timely repaid.

 

   

Market Risk – The Portfolio and Underlying Funds are subject to market risk, which refers to the possibility that the market values of securities that the Portfolio and Underlying Fund hold will rise or fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Security values may fall because of factors affecting individual companies, industries or sectors, or the markets as a whole, reducing the value of an investment in the Portfolio or Underlying Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. The market values of the securities the Portfolio or Underlying Fund hold also can be affected by changes or perceived changes in U.S. or foreign economies and financial markets and the liquidity of these securities, among other factors. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

 

   

Money Market Fund Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in (and certain Underlying Funds may be) money market funds, but an investment in a money market fund is not a bank deposit, and is not insured or guaranteed by Bank of America, the FDIC or any other government agency. Although money market funds seek to preserve the value of an investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in such funds.

 

   

Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in mortgage-backed securities. The value of the Underlying Fund’s mortgage-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the mortgages, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Mortgage-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of mortgages from which payments of interest and principal (net of fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of the securities) are distributed to the holders of the mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage-backed securities (but not the market value of the securities themselves) may be guaranteed (i) by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association) or (ii) by its agencies, authorities, enterprises or instrumentalities (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Federal National Mortgage Association or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation), which are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government. Mortgage-backed securities issued by non-governmental issuers (such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers) may be supported by various credit enhancements, such as pool insurance, guarantees issued by governmental entities, letters of credit from a bank or senior/subordinated structures, and may entail greater risk than obligations guaranteed by the U.S. Government, whether or not such obligations are guaranteed by the private issuer. Mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying mortgage may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of mortgage-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of mortgage-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

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Municipal Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in municipal securities, which are debt obligations generally issued to obtain funds for various public purposes, including general financing for state and local governments, or financing for a specific project or public facility. Municipal securities may be fully or partially backed by the taxing authority of the local government, by the credit of a private issuer, by the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets or by domestic or foreign entities providing credit support, such as letters of credit, guarantees or insurance, and are generally classified into general obligation bonds and special revenue obligations. General obligation bonds are backed by an issuer’s taxing authority and may be vulnerable to limits on a government’s power or ability to raise revenue or increase taxes. They also may depend for payment on legislative appropriation and/or funding or other support from other governmental bodies. Revenue obligations are payable from revenues generated by a particular project or other revenue source, and are typically subject to greater risk of default than general obligation bonds because investors can look only to the revenue generated by the project or other revenue source backing the project, rather than to the general taxing authority of the state or local government issuer of the obligations. Because many municipal securities are issued to finance projects in sectors such as education, health care, transportation and utilities, conditions in those sectors can affect the overall municipal market. Municipal securities pay interest that, in the opinion of bond counsel, is free from U.S. federal income tax (and, in some cases, the federal alternative minimum tax). There is no assurance that the IRS will agree with this opinion. In the event the IRS determines that the issuer does not comply with relevant tax requirements, interest payments from a security could become federally taxable, possibly retroactively to the date the security was issued, and the value of the security would likely fall. As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you may be required to file an amended tax return and pay additional taxes as a result.

 

   

Non-Diversified Mutual Fund Risk – Certain Underlying Funds are non-diversified, which generally means that each such Underlying Fund may invest a greater percentage of its total assets in the securities of fewer issuers than a “diversified” fund. This increases the risk that a change in the value of any one investment held by the Underlying Fund could affect the overall value of the Underlying Fund more than it would affect that of a diversified fund holding a greater number of investments. Accordingly, the Underlying Fund’s value will likely be more volatile than the value of more diversified funds. A non-diversified Underlying Fund may not operate as a non-diversified fund at all times.

 

   

Pacific/Asia Regional Risk – The Pacific/Asia region consists of countries in the Pacific Basin, including Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, among other countries within this region, and certain Underlying Fund investments in the region are thus particularly susceptible to risks in the region. Events in any one country within the region may impact other countries in the region or the Pacific/Asia region as a whole. As a result, events in the region will generally have a greater effect on the Underlying Fund than if the Underlying Fund were more geographically diversified, which could result in great volatility and losses. Countries within this region can be significantly affected by currency fluctuations and rapid changes in inflation and interest rates. Markets in the Pacific/Asia region can experience significant volatility due to social, regulatory and political uncertainties. In addition, changes in governmental policies in the region could significantly affect local markets in the region. Continued growth of economies and securities markets in the Pacific/Asia region will require sustained economic and fiscal discipline, as well as continued commitment to governmental reforms. Development also may be influenced by international economic conditions, particularly those in the United States and Japan, and by world demand for goods produced in countries in the Pacific/Asia region.

 

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Real Estate Investment Trusts Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs), which are entities that either own properties or make construction or mortgage loans, and also may include operating or finance companies. The value of REIT shares is affected by, among other factors, changes in the value of the underlying properties owned by the REIT and/or by changes in the prospect for earnings and/or cash flow growth of the REIT itself. In addition, certain of the risks associated with general real estate ownership apply to the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s REIT investments, including risks related to general and local economic conditions, possible lack of availability of financing and changes in interest rates.

 

   

Reinvestment Risk – Because the Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities, income from the Portfolio’s and those Underlying Funds’ debt securities portfolios will decline if and when the Portfolio or Underlying Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called securities in securities with market interest rates that are below the current earnings rate of the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s portfolio.

 

   

Repurchase Agreements Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may use repurchase agreements, which are agreements in which the seller of a security to the Portfolio or Underlying Fund agrees to repurchase that security from the Portfolio or Underlying Fund at a mutually agreed upon price and time. Repurchase agreements carry the risk that the counterparty may not fulfill its obligations under the agreement. This could cause the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s income and the value of your investment in the Portfolio or, indirectly, the Underlying Fund to decline.

 

   

Short Sales Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may engage in short selling. A short sale generally involves the sale by the Underlying Fund of a security it does not own with the expectation of acquiring the security at a later time at a lower price, but can involve the sale by the Underlying Fund of a security it does own. In order to short sell a common stock, the Underlying Fund must borrow, buy or already hold the security in order to make delivery to the counterparty. If the Underlying Fund borrows the security, it then is obligated to replace the security at some later time. The price of the security at such time may be higher or lower than the price at which the security was sold short by the Underlying Fund. Therefore, the Underlying Fund bears the risk that the price of the security at the time of replacement has not decreased. Short sales can potentially involve unlimited loss, as the market price of securities sold short may continue to increase, although the Underlying Fund may be able to limit any such losses by purchasing the securities sold short. There also is a risk that the Underlying Fund may experience difficulty purchasing the security necessary for replacement if the security does not have a liquid market at the time that the replacement must occur or that an event may occur.

 

   

Smaller Company Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of small- or mid-capitalization companies (“smaller companies”) which can, in certain circumstances, have a higher potential for gains than securities of large-capitalization companies but also may have more risk. For example, smaller companies may be more vulnerable to market downturns and adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies because they may have more limited financial resources and business operations. These companies are also more likely than larger companies to have more limited product lines and operating histories and to depend on smaller management teams. Their securities may trade less frequently and in smaller volumes and may be less liquid and fluctuate more sharply in value than securities of larger companies. In addition, some smaller companies may not be widely followed by the investment community, which can lower the demand for their stocks.

 

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Special Situations Risk – Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of companies that are involved in an initial public offering or a major corporate event, such as a business consolidation or restructuring, which may present special risk because of the high degree of uncertainty that can be associated with such events. Securities issued in initial public offerings often are issued by companies that are in the early stages of development, have a history of little or no revenues and may operate at a loss following the offering. It is possible that there will be no active trading market for the securities after the offering, and the market price of the securities may be subject to significant and unpredictable fluctuations. Investing in special situations may have a magnified effect on the performance of funds with small amounts of assets.

 

   

Technology Sector Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of companies in the technology sector, which are subject to significant competitive pressures, such as aggressive pricing of their products or services, new market entrants, competition for market share, short product cycles due to an accelerated rate of technological developments and the potential for limited earnings and/or falling profit margins. These companies also face the risks that new services, equipment or technologies will not be accepted by consumers and businesses or will become rapidly obsolete. These factors can affect the profitability of technology companies and, as a result, the value of their securities. In addition, many technology companies have limited operating histories. Prices of these companies’ securities historically have been more volatile than other securities, especially over the short term.

 

   

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), which are U.S. Treasury securities that are designed to provide some degree of protection against inflation. The interest rate paid on TIPS is fixed while the principal value of TIPS rises or falls semiannually based on changes in the Consumer Price All Urban Non-Seasonally Adjusted Index (CPI), which is calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. There can be no assurance that the CPI will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. TIPS will pay interest on a semi-annual basis, equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted principal amount. If inflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS are adjusted upward to protect investors from inflationary loss. If deflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS will be adjusted downward. TIPS are redeemable for the greater of either their inflation-adjusted principal amount or their face value. The current market value of TIPS is not guaranteed and will fluctuate. TIPS generally sacrifice some yield as a tradeoff for the inflation protection and the inflation adjustment is federally taxable annually although not paid out until maturity.

 

   

U.S. Government Obligations Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in U.S. Government obligations. U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government and generally have negligible credit risk. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. For example, securities issued by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Banks are neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. Government. These securities may be supported by the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the credit of the issuing agency, authority, instrumentality or enterprise and, as a result, are subject to greater credit risk than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

 

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Value Securities Risk – The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in value securities, which are securities of companies that may have experienced, for example, adverse business, industry or other developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the securities to be out of favor and, in turn, potentially undervalued. The market value of a portfolio security may not meet the Advisor’s future value assessment of that security, or may decline. There is also a risk that it may take longer than expected for the value of these investments to rise to the believed value. In addition, value securities, at times, may not perform as well as growth securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Zero-Coupon Bonds Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in zero-coupon bonds, which are bonds that do not pay interest in cash on a current basis, but instead accrue interest over the life of the bond. As a result, these securities are issued at a discount and their values may fluctuate more than the values of similar securities that pay interest periodically. Although these securities pay no interest to holders prior to maturity, interest accrued on these securities is reported as income to the Portfolio or Underlying Fund and distributed to its shareholders.

These are summaries of the principal risks associated with the principal investment strategies of the Portfolio. Additional risks are associated with other permissible investments of the Portfolio that are described in the SAI together with further information about these principal risks. There is no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.

 

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LOGO Performance Information

The following bar chart and table show you how the Portfolio has performed in the past, and can help you understand the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s past performance (before or after taxes) is no guarantee of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Year by Year Total Return (%) as of December 31 Each Year*

The bar chart below shows you how the performance of the Portfolio’s Class Z shares has varied from year to year.

LOGO

 

* Year-to-date return as of June 30, 2009: 10.79%.

Best and Worst Quarterly Returns During this Period

 

Best:    2nd quarter 2003:    12.53%
Worst:    4th quarter 2008:    -14.62%

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Performance

Many factors can affect a mutual fund’s performance, including, for example:

 

   

management of fund holdings,

 

   

market conditions,

 

   

fund expenses, and

 

   

flows of investment dollars into and out of the fund.

The returns for the various share classes may vary based on differences in sales charges and expenses.

 

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Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2008

The table below shows the Portfolio’s Class Z shares’ average annual total returns (i) before taxes, (ii) after taxes on distributions and (iii) after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares.

The table compares the Portfolio’s returns for each period with those of the S&P 500® Index and the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The S&P 500® Index tracks the performance of 500 widely held, large-capitalization U.S. stocks. The Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a market value-weighted index that tracks the daily price, coupon, pay-downs, and total return performance of fixed-rate, publicly placed, dollar-denominated, and non-convertible investment grade debt issues with at least $250 million par amount outstanding and with at least one year to final maturity. Indices are not available for investment, and do not reflect sales charges, fees, brokerage commissions, taxes or other expenses of investing.

 

     1 year     5 years     10 years  

Class Z shares returns before taxes

   -28.03   0.50   3.18

Class Z shares returns after taxes on distributions

   -29.66   -1.02   1.44

Class Z shares returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares

   -16.03   0.28   2.09

S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   -37.00   -2.19   -1.38

Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   5.24   4.65   5.63

FUNDamentalsTM

After-Tax Returns

The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state, local or foreign taxes.

Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your personal tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown in the table do not apply to shares held in tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k) plans or IRAs.

 

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LOGO Fees and Expenses

The fee table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. Additional hypothetical fee and expense information relating to Class Z shares of the Portfolio can be found in Hypothetical Fees and Expenses.

FUNDamentals TM

Portfolio Expenses

In general, there are two kinds of fund expenses:

 

   

shareholder expenses that you pay directly (e.g., sales charges and redemption fees), and

 

   

annual operating expenses that are paid by the Portfolio and deducted from the Portfolio’s assets.

Annual operating expenses include:

 

   

management fees, which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to the Advisor and the Administrator as compensation for managing and administering the Portfolio’s portfolio. See Management of the Portfolios – Primary Service Providers for more information.

 

   

other expenses, which generally include, but are not limited to, transfer agency, custody, audit and legal fees as well as costs related to registration of Portfolio shares for sale and the printing and mailing of Portfolio documents. The specific expenses that make up the Portfolio’s other expenses will vary from time to time and may include expenses not described above.

Annual fund operating expenses are calculated based on actual expenses incurred during the Portfolio’s most recently completed fiscal year and are expressed as a percentage of the Portfolio’s average net assets during the year. The rate of annual fund operating expenses will likely vary from year to year as a result of various factors, including, for example, changes in the level of the Portfolio’s net assets. Although many factors can affect fund operating expenses, in general, annual fund operating expenses, as a percentage of average net assets, will increase as the Portfolio’s net assets decrease, and will decrease as the Portfolio’s net assets increase. Net expenses also may vary from year to year based on any fee waivers or expense reimbursements.

The Portfolio may incur significant transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, in addition to the annual Portfolio operating expenses disclosed in the fee table.

 

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Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

 

     Class Z Shares

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases, as a % of offering price

   N/A

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions, as a % of the lower of the original purchase price or net asset value

   N/A

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (deducted from the Portfolio’s assets)

 

     Class Z Shares  

Management fees

   0.25

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

   0.00

Other expenses

   0.00

Acquired fund fees and expenses(a)

   0.88

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses(b)

   1.13

 

(a)

Acquired fund fees and expenses include fees and expenses associated with the Portfolio’s investments in other investment companies. Since they are incurred only indirectly by the Portfolio, such fees and expenses are not considered ordinary operating expenses of the Portfolio for purposes of a fee waiver or expense limitation, if any.

(b)

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses include acquired fund fees and expenses. As a result, the amount shown is higher than the ratio of expenses to average net assets included in the section entitled “Financial Highlights” which reflects only those expenses paid directly by the Portfolio.

 

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Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The example illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over the time periods indicated, and assumes that:

 

   

you invest $10,000 in Class Z shares of the Portfolio for the periods indicated,

 

   

you reinvest all dividends and distributions in the Portfolio,

 

   

your investment has a 5% return each year, and

 

   

the Portfolio’s total annual operating expenses remain the same as shown in the table above.

Based on the assumptions listed above, your costs would be:

 

     1 year    3 years    5 years    10 years

Class Z Shares

   $ 115    $ 359    $ 622    $ 1,375

Remember this is an example only. It is not necessarily representative of the Portfolio’s actual expenses in the past or future. Your actual costs could be higher or lower depending on the amount you invest and on the Portfolio’s actual expenses and performance.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

FUNDimensionsTM

Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

 

Investment Objective:    Total return, consisting of current income and modest capital appreciation
Investment Style:    Conservative Allocation
Benchmarks:    S&P 500® Index(a)
   Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index
Ticker Symbol:    Class Z: NIPAX
Principal Risks:    Investment strategy risk
   Allocation risk
   Investing in other funds risk
   Asset-backed securities risk
   Changing distribution levels risk
   Convertible securities risk
   Credit risk
   Currency risk
   Derivatives risk
   Dollar rolls risk
   Emerging market securities risk
   Foreign securities risk
   Frequent trading risk
   Growth securities risk
   Index risk
   Industry sector risk
   Interest rate risk
   Liquidity risk
   Low and below investment grade securities risk
   Market risk
   Money Market Fund risk
   Mortgage-backed securities risk
   Municipal securities risk
   Non-diversified mutual fund risk
   Pacific/Asia regional risk
   Real estate investment trusts risk
   Reinvestment risk
   Repurchase agreements risk
   Short sales risk
   Smaller company securities risk
   Special situations risk
   Technology sector risk
   Treasury Inflation Protected Securities risk
   U.S. Government obligations risk
   Value securities risk
   Zero-coupon bonds risk

 

(a)

“Standard & Poor’s” and “S&P” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by the Advisor. The Portfolio is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s and Standard & Poor’s makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Portfolio.

FUNDamentalsTM

Benchmarks

Benchmarks are indices that provide some guidance in assessing fund performance. A fund does not, however, limit its investments to the securities within its benchmark(s), and a fund’s holdings can differ from those of any particular benchmark or index. Benchmarks are only guideposts for performance.

LOGO Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks total return, consisting of current income and modest capital appreciation.

LOGO Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests most of its assets in Class Z shares of mutual funds managed by the Advisor or its affiliates (Columbia Funds), exchange traded funds (ETFs) and third party-advised funds (collectively, Underlying Funds), equity and fixed income securities, including Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), and other instruments such as derivatives.

The Advisor uses asset allocation as its principal investment approach and:

 

   

allocates the Portfolio’s assets among asset class categories within the target asset allocations set for the Portfolio, based on the Portfolio’s investment objective and historical and projected returns for each asset class.

 

   

chooses individual Columbia Funds within each asset class category and the amount that will be allocated to each Columbia Fund, based on each Columbia Fund’s historical returns and expected performance.

 

   

may choose third party-advised Underlying Funds if a Columbia Fund is not available in the desired asset class category.

 

   

may choose equity and fixed income securities, including TIPS, and other instruments such as derivatives.

 

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reviews the asset allocations to Underlying Funds and instruments at least monthly, and may change these allocations when the Advisor believes it is appropriate to do so.

The Portfolio’s targeted allocation to Columbia Funds, as a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets, is as follows:

 

   

0-50% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in large-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-30% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in mid-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-10% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in small-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-30% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in international/global equity securities.

 

   

0-10% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in convertible securities.

 

   

0-30% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in specialty securities, including Columbia Funds that invest in equity securities of companies principally engaged in certain market sectors such as real estate or technology.

 

   

0-100% to Columbia Funds that invest in government and corporate debt securities.

 

   

0-15% to Columbia Funds that invest in below investment grade debt securities.

 

   

0-50% in Columbia money market funds.

The Portfolio’s targeted allocations to third party advised funds and instruments, as a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets, is as follows:

 

   

0-15% to fixed income securities, including TIPS.

 

   

0-10% to equity securities.

 

   

0-20% to futures and commodity-related instruments.

 

   

0-10% to third party funds/ETFs.

The Portfolio’s actual allocation may vary from these target allocations at any time. The Advisor may use various strategies to try to manage how much the actual amount varies and for how long. The Advisor can modify the list of Underlying Funds and types of instruments in which the Portfolio invests, or the asset categories, at any time, including by adding Underlying Funds introduced after the date of this prospectus.

The Advisor may sell investments to adjust the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets; if the Advisor believes that an investment is no longer a suitable investment, or that other investments are more attractive; to meet redemption requests; or for other reasons. When selling shares to meet redemption requests, the Advisor normally will, to the extent feasible, sell a proportionate amount of the shares the Portfolio owns in each Underlying Fund and instrument.

FUNDamentalsTM

About the Portfolios

Each Portfolio has its own asset allocation strategy, which gives it distinctive risk/return characteristics. The performance of each Portfolio depends on many factors, including its allocation strategy and the performance of the Underlying Funds and other assets it invests in. In general, the more a Portfolio allocates to equity securities and Underlying Funds that invest in them, the greater the potential return and the greater the risk of loss. The more a Portfolio allocates to fixed income and money market securities and Underlying Funds that invest in them, the greater the potential for price stability and the lower the potential for loss. There is always a risk, however, that you will lose money or that you may not earn as much as you expect, and that the performance of a Portfolio at any point in time may not meet your anticipated level of return for the Portfolio to fund retirement, living expense or other investment goals.

The Portfolios may be a suitable investment for you if:

 

   

you have longer-term investment goals, and

 

   

they are part of a balanced portfolio that includes other investments.

The Portfolios may not be a suitable investment for you if:

 

   

you’re not prepared to accept or are unable to bear the risks associated with equity and fixed income securities,

 

   

you have shorter-term investment goals, and

 

   

you’re looking for a regular stream of income.

 

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FUNDamentalsTM

Fund of Funds

Unlike a traditional mutual fund, which invests in individual securities, a “fund of funds” invests in a mix of underlying funds typically by using an asset allocation approach. A fund of funds indirectly bears a portion of the underlying funds’ expenses, in addition to the fund of funds’ own expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Asset Allocation Funds

Asset allocation funds use a process called “asset allocation,” which is the process of creating a portfolio by investing in different asset classes – for example, domestic equity securities, foreign securities and debt securities – in varying proportions.

The mix of asset classes and how much is invested in each is an important factor in how an asset allocation fund performs and the amount of risk involved. Each asset class, and each sub-asset class within a class, like large-, mid- and small-capitalization equity securities, has different risk and return characteristics, and may react in different ways to changes in the financial markets and to the economy in general. An investment approach that combines asset classes and sub-asset classes may help to reduce overall volatility.

Asset allocation funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio, and

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income.

LOGO Principal Risks

 

   

Investment Strategy Risk The Advisor uses the principal investment strategies and other investment strategies to seek to achieve the Portfolio’s investment objective. Investment decisions made by the Advisor in using these strategies may not produce the returns expected by the Advisor, may cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or may cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.

 

   

Allocation Risk The Portfolio uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Portfolio’s allocation among asset classes or investments will cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

 

   

Investing in Other Funds Risk The performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests could be adversely affected if other entities that invest in the same Underlying Funds make relatively large investments or redemptions in the Underlying Funds. Because the expenses and costs of an Underlying Fund are shared by its investors, redemptions by other investors in the Underlying Fund could result in decreased economies of scale and increased operating expenses for the Underlying Fund. The Portfolio, and its shareholders, indirectly bear a portion of the expenses of the Underlying Funds. These transactions might also result in higher brokerage, tax or other costs for the Portfolio. This risk may be particularly important when one investor owns a substantial portion of any Underlying Fund. In addition, the Advisor has the authority to change the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or to change the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. If an Underlying Fund pays fees to the Advisor or its affiliates, such as advisory fees, this could result in the Advisor having a potential conflict of interest in selecting the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or in determining the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. There are also circumstances in which the Advisor’s fiduciary duties to the Portfolio may conflict with its fiduciary duties to the Underlying Funds.

 

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The Portfolio is subject directly to the extent it invests in individual securities and other instruments and/or indirectly to the extent it invests in Underlying Funds to the following risks:

 

   

Asset-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in asset-backed securities. The value of an Underlying Fund’s asset-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the receivables, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Asset-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of receivables such as credit card, auto, student and home equity loans. They may also be backed, in turn, by securities backed by these types of loans and others, such as mortgage loans. Asset-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Most asset-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying debt may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of asset-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of asset-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

   

Changing Distribution Levels Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may be subject to changing distribution levels risk. The amount of the distributions paid by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund generally depends on the amount of income and/or dividends received by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund on the securities it holds. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not be able to pay distributions or may have to reduce its distribution level if the income and/or dividends the Portfolio or Underlying Fund receives from its investments decline.

 

   

Convertible Securities Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in convertible securities, which are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate risk and credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. Because the value of a convertible security can be influenced by both interest rates and market movements, a convertible security generally is not as sensitive to interest rates as a similar debt security, and generally will not vary in value in response to other factors to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities would typically be paid before the company’s common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may be forced to convert a convertible security before it otherwise would choose to do so, which may decrease the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Credit Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may be subject to credit risk, which applies to most debt securities, but is generally not a factor for obligations backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose money if the issuer of a debt security is unable or perceived to be unable to pay interest or repay principal when it becomes due. Various factors could affect the issuer’s actual or perceived willingness or ability to make timely interest or principal payments, including changes in the issuer’s financial condition or in general economic conditions. Debt securities backed by an issuer’s taxing authority may be subject to legal limits on the issuer’s power to increase taxes or otherwise to raise revenue, or may be dependent on legislative appropriation or government aid. Certain debt securities are backed only by revenues derived from a particular project or source, rather than by an issuer’s taxing authority, and thus may have a greater risk of default.

 

   

Currency Risk Certain Underlying Funds may be subject to currency risk. Securities denominated in different currencies are subject to the risk that, for example, if the value of a foreign currency were to decline against the U.S. dollar, such decline would reduce the U.S. dollar value of any securities held by the Fund denominated in that currency.

 

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Derivatives Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, which are financial contracts whose values are, for example, based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or bond), assets (such as a commodity like gold or a foreign currency), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Derivatives involve special risks and may result in losses or may limit the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s potential gain from favorable market movements. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Underlying Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying security. The values of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in unusual market conditions, and may result in increased volatility, among other consequences. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Other risks arise from the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s potential inability to terminate or sell derivative positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Portfolio or Underlying Fund’s derivative positions at times when the Portfolio or Underlying Fund might wish to terminate or sell such positions. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid, and transactions in derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. The use of derivatives also involves the risks of mispricing or improper valuation and that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying security, asset, reference rate or index. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund also may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to engage in derivative transactions when it is deemed favorable to do so, or at all. For more information on the risks of derivative investments and strategies, see the SAI.

 

   

Dollar Rolls Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may use dollar rolls, which are transactions in which the Underlying Fund sells securities to a counterparty and simultaneously agrees to purchase those or similar securities in the future at a predetermined price. Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Underlying Fund is obligated to repurchase may decline below the repurchase price, or that the counterparty may default on its obligations. These transactions may also increase the Underlying Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. If the Underlying Fund reinvests the proceeds of the security sold, the Underlying Fund will also be subject to the risk that the investments purchased with such proceeds will decline in value (a form of leverage risk).

 

   

Emerging Market Securities Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries, like those in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America or Africa, which are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in foreign securities that are described in Foreign Securities Risk. In addition, emerging market countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid social, political and economic development. Their economies are usually less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity than more developed countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade, which makes them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries. Some emerging market countries have a higher risk of currency devaluations, and some of these countries may experience periods of high inflation or rapid changes in inflation rates.

 

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Foreign Securities Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in foreign securities, which are subject to special risks as compared to securities of U.S. issuers. For example, foreign markets can be extremely volatile. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may impact the value of foreign securities denominated in foreign currencies, or in U.S. dollars, without a change in the intrinsic value of those securities. Foreign securities may be less liquid than domestic securities so that the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may, at times, be unable to sell foreign securities at desirable times or prices. Brokerage commissions, custodial fees and other fees are also generally higher for foreign securities. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may have limited or no legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain foreign securities, including those issued by foreign governments. In addition, foreign governments may impose potentially confiscatory withholding or other taxes, which could reduce the amount of income and capital gains available to distribute to shareholders. Other risks include possible delays in the settlement of transactions or in the payment of income; generally less publicly available information about companies; the impact of political, social or diplomatic events; possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of a company or its assets; possible imposition of currency exchange controls; and accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards that may be less comprehensive and stringent than those applicable to domestic companies.

 

   

Frequent Trading Risk The Portfolio’s and certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve the frequent trading of portfolio securities. Frequent trading of investments increases the possibility that the Underlying Fund will realize taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s after-tax return. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Growth Securities Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in growth securities. Because growth securities typically trade at a higher multiple of earnings than other types of securities, the value of growth securities may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other types of securities. In addition, growth securities, at times, may not perform as well as value securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Index Risk The Portfolio’s and certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve investing in an index. The Underlying Fund’s value will generally decline when the performance of its targeted index declines. Because such an Underlying Fund is designed to track an index before fees and expenses, the Underlying Fund cannot purchase other securities that may help offset declines in its index. In addition, because the Underlying Fund may not hold all issues included in its index, may not always be fully invested, and bears advisory, administrative and other expenses and transaction costs in trading securities, the Underlying Fund’s performance may fail to match the performance of its targeted index, after taking expenses into account. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

 

   

Industry Sector Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of companies in different, but closely related, industries. These securities are considered as being in the same broad economic sector. The values of such securities in the same sector may be similarly affected by particular economic or market events, making an Underlying Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that sector than funds investing in multiple sectors.

 

   

Interest Rate Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities, which are subject to interest rate risk. In general, if prevailing interest rates rise, the values of debt securities will tend to fall, and if interest rates fall, the values of debt securities will tend to rise. Changes in the value of a debt security usually will not affect the amount of income the Portfolio or Underlying Fund receives from it but will affect the value of the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s shares. Interest rate risk is generally greater for debt securities with longer maturities/durations.

 

   

Liquidity Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in illiquid securities, which are securities that cannot be readily disposed of in the normal course of business. There is a risk that the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not be able to sell such securities at the time it desires, or that it cannot sell such securities without adversely affecting their price.

 

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Low and Below Investment Grade Securities Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities with the lowest investment grade rating (e.g., BBB by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch) or that are below investment grade (which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) (e.g., BB or below by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch). These securities are more speculative than securities with higher ratings, and tend to be more sensitive to credit risk, particularly during a downturn in the economy, which is more likely to weaken the ability of the issuers to make principal and interest payments on these securities than is the case for higher-rated securities. These securities typically pay a premium – a higher interest rate or yield – because of the increased risk of loss, including default. These securities also are generally less liquid than higher-rated securities. The securities ratings provided by Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch are based on analyses by these ratings agencies of the credit quality of the securities and may not take into account every risk related to whether interest or principal will be timely repaid.

 

   

Market Risk The Portfolio and Underlying Funds are subject to market risk, which refers to the possibility that the market values of securities that the Portfolio and Underlying Fund hold will rise or fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Security values may fall because of factors affecting individual companies, industries or sectors, or the markets as a whole, reducing the value of an investment in the Portfolio or Underlying Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. The market values of the securities the Portfolio or Underlying Fund hold also can be affected by changes or perceived changes in U.S. or foreign economies and financial markets and the liquidity of these securities, among other factors. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

 

   

Money Market Fund Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in (and certain Underlying Funds may be) money market funds, but an investment in a money market fund is not a bank deposit, and is not insured or guaranteed by Bank of America, the FDIC or any other government agency. Although money market funds seek to preserve the value of an investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in such funds.

 

   

Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in mortgage-backed securities. The value of the Underlying Fund’s mortgage-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the mortgages, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Mortgage-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of mortgages from which payments of interest and principal (net of fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of the securities) are distributed to the holders of the mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage-backed securities (but not the market value of the securities themselves) may be guaranteed (i) by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association) or (ii) by its agencies, authorities, enterprises or instrumentalities (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Federal National Mortgage Association or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation), which are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government. Mortgage-backed securities issued by non-governmental issuers (such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers) may be supported by various credit enhancements, such as pool insurance, guarantees issued by governmental entities, letters of credit from a bank or senior/subordinated structures, and may entail greater risk than obligations guaranteed by the U.S. Government, whether or not such obligations are guaranteed by the private issuer. Mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying mortgage may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of mortgage-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of mortgage-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

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Municipal Securities Risk Certain Underlying Funds may invest in municipal securities, which are debt obligations generally issued to obtain funds for various public purposes, including general financing for state and local governments, or financing for a specific project or public facility. Municipal securities may be fully or partially backed by the taxing authority of the local government, by the credit of a private issuer, by the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets or by domestic or foreign entities providing credit support, such as letters of credit, guarantees or insurance, and are generally classified into general obligation bonds and special revenue obligations. General obligation bonds are backed by an issuer’s taxing authority and may be vulnerable to limits on a government’s power or ability to raise revenue or increase taxes. They also may depend for payment on legislative appropriation and/or funding or other support from other governmental bodies. Revenue obligations are payable from revenues generated by a particular project or other revenue source, and are typically subject to greater risk of default than general obligation bonds because investors can look only to the revenue generated by the project or other revenue source backing the project, rather than to the general taxing authority of the state or local government issuer of the obligations. Because many municipal securities are issued to finance projects in sectors such as education, health care, transportation and utilities, conditions in those sectors can affect the overall municipal market. Municipal securities pay interest that, in the opinion of bond counsel, is free from U.S. federal income tax (and, in some cases, the federal alternative minimum tax). There is no assurance that the IRS will agree with this opinion. In the event the IRS determines that the issuer does not comply with relevant tax requirements, interest payments from a security could become federally taxable, possibly retroactively to the date the security was issued, and the value of the security would likely fall. As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you may be required to file an amended tax return and pay additional taxes as a result.

 

   

Non-Diversified Mutual Fund Risk Certain Underlying Funds are non-diversified, which generally means that each such Underlying Fund may invest a greater percentage of its total assets in the securities of fewer issuers than a “diversified” fund. This increases the risk that a change in the value of any one investment held by the Underlying Fund could affect the overall value of the Underlying Fund more than it would affect that of a diversified fund holding a greater number of investments. Accordingly, the Underlying Fund’s value will likely be more volatile than the value of more diversified funds. A non-diversified Underlying Fund may not operate as a non-diversified fund at all times.

 

   

Pacific/Asia Regional Risk – The Pacific/Asia region consists of countries in the Pacific Basin, including Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, among other countries within this region, and certain Underlying Funds investments in the region are thus particularly susceptible to risks in the region. Events in any one country within the region may impact other countries in the region or the Pacific/Asia region as a whole. As a result, events in the region will generally have a greater effect on the Underlying Fund than if the Underlying Fund were more geographically diversified, which could result in great volatility and losses. Countries within this region can be significantly affected by currency fluctuations and rapid changes in inflation and interest rates. Markets in the Pacific/Asia region can experience significant volatility due to social, regulatory and political uncertainties. In addition, changes in governmental policies in the region could significantly affect local markets in the region. Continued growth of economies and securities markets in the Pacific/Asia region will require sustained economic and fiscal discipline, as well as continued commitment to governmental reforms. Development also may be influenced by international economic conditions, particularly those in the United States and Japan, and by world demand for goods produced in countries in the Pacific/Asia region.

 

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Real Estate Investment Trusts Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs), which are entities that either own properties or make construction or mortgage loans, and also may include operating or finance companies. The value of REIT shares is affected by, among other factors, changes in the value of the underlying properties owned by the REIT and/or by changes in the prospect for earnings and/or cash flow growth of the REIT itself. In addition, certain of the risks associated with general real estate ownership apply to the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s REIT investments, including risks related to general and local economic conditions, possible lack of availability of financing and changes in interest rates.

 

   

Reinvestment Risk Because the Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities, income from the Portfolio’s and those Underlying Funds’ debt securities portfolios will decline if and when the Portfolio or Underlying Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called securities in securities with market interest rates that are below the current earnings rate of the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s portfolio.

 

   

Repurchase Agreements Risk Certain Underlying Funds may use repurchase agreements, which are agreements in which the seller of a security to the Portfolio or Underlying Fund agrees to repurchase that security from the Portfolio or Underlying Fund at a mutually agreed upon price and time. Repurchase agreements carry the risk that the counterparty may not fulfill its obligations under the agreement. This could cause the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s income and the value of your investment in the Portfolio or, indirectly, the Underlying Fund to decline.

 

   

Short Sales Risk Certain Underlying Funds may engage in short selling. A short sale generally involves the sale by the Underlying Fund of a security it does not own with the expectation of acquiring the security at a later time at a lower price, but can involve the sale by the Underlying Fund of a security it does own. In order to short sell a common stock, the Underlying Fund must borrow, buy or already hold the security in order to make delivery to the counterparty. If the Underlying Fund borrows the security, it then is obligated to replace the security at some later time. The price of the security at such time may be higher or lower than the price at which the security was sold short by the Underlying Fund. Therefore, the Underlying Fund bears the risk that the price of the security at the time of replacement has not decreased. Short sales can potentially involve unlimited loss, as the market price of securities sold short may continue to increase, although the Underlying Fund may be able to limit any such losses by purchasing the securities sold short. There also is a risk that the Underlying Fund may experience difficulty purchasing the security necessary for replacement if the security does not have a liquid market at the time that the replacement must occur or that an event may occur.

 

   

Smaller Company Securities Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of small- or mid-capitalization companies (“smaller companies”) which can, in certain circumstances, have a higher potential for gains than securities of large-capitalization companies but also may have more risk. For example, smaller companies may be more vulnerable to market downturns and adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies because they may have more limited financial resources and business operations. These companies are also more likely than larger companies to have more limited product lines and operating histories and to depend on smaller management teams. Their securities may trade less frequently and in smaller volumes and may be less liquid and fluctuate more sharply in value than securities of larger companies. In addition, some smaller companies may not be widely followed by the investment community, which can lower the demand for their stocks.

 

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Special Situations Risk Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of companies that are involved in an initial public offering or a major corporate event, such as a business consolidation or restructuring, which may present special risk because of the high degree of uncertainty that can be associated with such events. Securities issued in initial public offerings often are issued by companies that are in the early stages of development, have a history of little or no revenues and may operate at a loss following the offering. It is possible that there will be no active trading market for the securities after the offering, and the market price of the securities may be subject to significant and unpredictable fluctuations. Investing in special situations may have a magnified effect on the performance of funds with small amounts of assets.

 

   

Technology Sector Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of companies in the technology sector, which are subject to significant competitive pressures, such as aggressive pricing of their products or services, new market entrants, competition for market share, short product cycles due to an accelerated rate of technological developments and the potential for limited earnings and/or falling profit margins. These companies also face the risks that new services, equipment or technologies will not be accepted by consumers and businesses or will become rapidly obsolete. These factors can affect the profitability of technology companies and, as a result, the value of their securities. In addition, many technology companies have limited operating histories. Prices of these companies’ securities historically have been more volatile than other securities, especially over the short term.

 

   

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), which are U.S. Treasury securities that are designed to provide some degree of protection against inflation. The interest rate paid on TIPS is fixed while the principal value of TIPS rises or falls semiannually based on changes in the Consumer Price All Urban Non-Seasonally Adjusted Index (CPI), which is calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. There can be no assurance that the CPI will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. TIPS will pay interest on a semi-annual basis, equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted principal amount. If inflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS are adjusted upward to protect investors from inflationary loss. If deflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS will be adjusted downward. TIPS are redeemable for the greater of either their inflation-adjusted principal amount or their face value. The current market value of TIPS is not guaranteed and will fluctuate. TIPS generally sacrifice some yield as a tradeoff for the inflation protection and the inflation adjustment is federally taxable annually although not paid out until maturity.

 

   

U.S. Government Obligations Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in U.S. Government obligations. U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government and generally have negligible credit risk. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. For example, securities issued by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Banks are neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. Government. These securities may be supported by the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the credit of the issuing agency, authority, instrumentality or enterprise and, as a result, are subject to greater credit risk than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

 

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Value Securities Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in value securities, which are securities of companies that may have experienced, for example, adverse business, industry or other developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the securities to be out of favor and, in turn, potentially undervalued. The market value of a portfolio security may not meet the Advisor’s future value assessment of that security, or may decline. There is also a risk that it may take longer than expected for the value of these investments to rise to the believed value. In addition, value securities, at times, may not perform as well as growth securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Zero-Coupon Bonds Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in zero-coupon bonds, which are bonds that do not pay interest in cash on a current basis, but instead accrue interest over the life of the bond. As a result, these securities are issued at a discount and their values may fluctuate more than the values of similar securities that pay interest periodically. Although these securities pay no interest to holders prior to maturity, interest accrued on these securities is reported as income to the Portfolio or Underlying Fund and distributed to its shareholders.

These are summaries of the principal risks associated with the principal investment strategies of the Portfolio. Additional risks are associated with other permissible investments of the Portfolio that are described in the SAI together with further information about these principal risks. There is no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.

 

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LOGO Performance Information

The following bar chart and table show you how the Portfolio has performed in the past, and can help you understand the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s past performance (before or after taxes) is no guarantee of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Year by Year Total Return (%) as of December 31 Each Year*

The bar chart below shows you how the performance of the Portfolio’s Class Z shares has varied from year to year.

LOGO

 

* Year-to-date return as of June 30, 2009: 9.88%.

Best and Worst Quarterly Returns During this Period

 

Best:

   2nd quarter 2003:    7.27%

Worst:

   4th quarter 2008:    -9.80%

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Performance

Many factors can affect a mutual fund’s performance, including, for example:

 

   

management of fund holdings,

 

   

market conditions,

 

   

fund expenses, and

 

   

flows of investment dollars into and out of the fund.

The returns for the various share classes may vary based on differences in sales charges and expenses.

 

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Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2008

The table below shows the Portfolio’s Class Z shares’ average annual total returns (i) before taxes, (ii) after taxes on distributions and (iii) after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares.

The table compares the Portfolio’s returns for each period with those of the S&P 500® Index and the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The S&P 500® Index tracks the performance of 500 widely held, large-capitalization U.S. stocks. The Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a market value-weighted index that tracks the daily price, coupon, pay-downs, and total return performance of fixed-rate, publicly placed, dollar-denominated, and non-convertible investment grade debt issues with at least $250 million par amount outstanding and with at least one year to final maturity. Indices are not available for investment, and do not reflect sales charges, fees, brokerage commissions, taxes or other expenses of investing.

 

     1 year     5 years     10 years  

Class Z shares returns before taxes

   -18.51   1.08   3.09

Class Z shares returns after taxes on distributions

   -19.98   -0.56   1.35

Class Z shares returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares

   -11.10   0.40   1.82

S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   -37.00   -2.19   -1.38

Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   5.24   4.65   5.63

FUNDamentalsTM

After-Tax Returns

The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state, local or foreign taxes.

Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your personal tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown in the table do not apply to shares held in tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k) plans or IRAs.

 

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LOGO Fees and Expenses

The fee table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. Additional hypothetical fee and expense information relating to Class Z shares of the Portfolio can be found in Hypothetical Fees and Expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Expenses

In general, there are two kinds of fund expenses:

 

   

shareholder expenses that you pay directly (e.g., sales charges and redemption fees), and

 

   

annual operating expenses that are paid by the Portfolio and deducted from the Portfolio’s assets.

Annual operating expenses include:

 

   

management fees, which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to the Advisor and the Administrator as compensation for managing and administering the Portfolio’s portfolio. See Management of the Portfolios – Primary Service Providers for more information.

 

   

other expenses, which generally include, but are not limited to, transfer agency, custody, audit and legal fees as well as costs related to registration of Portfolio shares for sale and the printing and mailing of Portfolio documents. The specific expenses that make up the Portfolio’s other expenses will vary from time to time and may include expenses not described above.

Annual fund operating expenses are calculated based on actual expenses incurred during the Portfolio’s most recently completed fiscal year and are expressed as a percentage of the Portfolio’s average net assets during the year. The rate of annual fund operating expenses will likely vary from year to year as a result of various factors, including, for example, changes in the level of the Portfolio’s net assets. Although many factors can affect fund operating expenses, in general, annual fund operating expenses, as a percentage of average net assets, will increase as the Portfolio’s net assets decrease, and will decrease as the Portfolio’s net assets increase. Net expenses also may vary from year to year based on any fee waivers or expense reimbursements.

The Portfolio may incur significant transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, in addition to the annual Portfolio operating expenses disclosed in the fee table.

 

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Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

 

     Class Z Shares  

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases, as a % of offering price

   N/A    

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions, as a % of the lower of the original purchase price or net asset value

   N/A    

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (deducted from the Portfolio’s assets)

 

     Class Z Shares  

Management fees

   0.25

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

   0.00

Other expenses

   0.00

Acquired fund fees and expenses(a)

   0.73

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses(b)

   0.98

 

(a)

Acquired fund fees and expenses include fees and expenses associated with the Portfolio’s investments in other investment companies. Since they are incurred only indirectly by the Portfolio, such fees and expenses are not considered ordinary operating expenses of the Portfolio for purposes of a fee waiver or expense limitation, if any.

(b)

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses include acquired fund fees and expenses. As a result, the amount shown is higher than the ratio of expenses to average net assets included in the section entitled “Financial Highlights” which reflects only those expenses paid directly by the Portfolio.

 

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Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The example illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over the time periods indicated, and assumes that:

 

   

you invest $10,000 in Class Z shares of the Portfolio for the periods indicated,

 

   

you reinvest all dividends and distributions in the Portfolio,

 

   

your investment has a 5% return each year, and

 

   

the Portfolio’s total annual operating expenses remain the same as shown in the table above.

Based on the assumptions listed above, your costs would be:

 

     1 year    3 years    5 years    10 years

Class Z Shares

   $ 100    $ 312    $ 542    $ 1,201

Remember this is an example only. It is not necessarily representative of the Portfolio’s actual expenses in the past or future. Your actual costs could be higher or lower depending on the amount you invest and on the Portfolio’s actual expenses and performance.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

FUNDimensionsTM

Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

 

Investment Objective:   Current income, consistent with relative stability of principal
Investment Style:   Intermediate-Term Bond
Benchmarks:   Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Years Index
  Blended 80% Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Years Index/20% Barclays Capital U.S. Corporate High Yield Index
Ticker Symbol:   Class Z: N/A
Principal Risks:   Investment strategy risk
  Allocation risk
  Investing in other funds risk
  Asset-backed securities risk
  Changing distribution levels risk
  Convertible securities risk
  Credit risk
  Currency risk
  Derivatives risk
  Dollar rolls risk
  Emerging market securities risk
  Foreign securities risk
  Frequent trading risk
  Growth securities risk
  Index risk
  Industry sector risk
  Interest rate risk
  Liquidity risk
  Low and below investment grade securities risk
  Market risk
  Money Market Fund risk
  Mortgage-backed securities risk
  Municipal securities risk
  Non-diversified mutual fund risk
  Pacific/Asia regional risk
  Real estate investment trusts risk
  Reinvestment risk
  Repurchase agreements risk
  Short sales risk
  Smaller company securities risk
  Special situations risk
  Technology sector risk
  Treasury Inflation Protected Securities risk
  U.S. Government obligations risk
  Value securities risk
  Zero-coupon bonds risk

FUNDamentalsTM

Benchmarks

Benchmarks are indices that provide some guidance in assessing fund performance. A fund does not, however, limit its investments to the securities within its benchmark(s), and a fund’s holdings can differ from those of any particular benchmark or index. Benchmarks are only guideposts for performance.

LOGO Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks current income, consistent with relative stability of principal.

LOGO Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests most of its assets in Class Z shares of mutual funds managed by the Advisor or its affiliates (Columbia Funds), exchange traded funds (ETFs) and third party-advised funds (collectively, Underlying Funds), equity and fixed income securities, including Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), and other instruments such as derivatives.

The Advisor uses asset allocation as its principal investment approach and:

 

   

allocates the Portfolio’s assets among asset class categories within the target asset allocations set for the Portfolio, based on the Portfolio’s investment objective and historical and projected returns for each asset class.

 

   

chooses individual Columbia Funds within each asset class category and the amount that will be allocated to each Columbia Fund, based on each Columbia Fund’s historical returns and expected performance.

 

   

may choose third party-advised Underlying Funds if a Columbia Fund is not available in the desired asset class category.

 

   

may choose equity and fixed income securities, including TIPS, and other instruments such as derivatives.

 

   

reviews the asset allocations to Underlying Funds and instruments at least monthly, and may change these allocations when the Advisor believes it is appropriate to do so.

 

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The Portfolio’s targeted allocation to Columbia Funds, as a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets, is as follows:

 

   

0-30% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in large-capitalization domestic equity securities, mid-capitalization domestic equity securities and/or small-capitalization domestic equity securities.

 

   

0-15% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in international/global equity securities.

 

   

0-20% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in convertible securities.

 

   

0-30% to one or more Columbia Funds that invest in specialty securities, including Columbia Funds that invest in equity securities of companies principally engaged in certain market sectors such as real estate or technology.

 

   

0-100% to Columbia Funds that invest in government and corporate debt securities.

 

   

0-40% to Columbia Funds that invest in below investment grade debt securities.

 

   

0-50% in Columbia money market funds.

The Portfolio’s targeted allocations to third party advised funds and instruments, as a percentage of the Portfolio’s assets, is as follows:

 

   

0-15% to fixed income securities, including TIPS.

 

   

0-10% to equity securities.

 

   

0-20% to futures and commodity-related instruments.

 

   

0-10% to third party funds/ETFs.

The Portfolio’s actual allocation may vary from these target allocations at any time. The Advisor may use various strategies to try to manage how much the actual amount varies and for how long. The Advisor can modify the list of Underlying Funds and types of instruments in which the Portfolio invests, or the asset categories, at any time, including by adding Underlying Funds introduced after the date of this prospectus.

The Advisor may sell investments to adjust the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets; if the Advisor believes that an investment is no longer a suitable investment, or that other investments are more attractive; to meet redemption requests; or for other reasons. When selling shares to meet redemption requests, the Advisor normally will, to the extent feasible, sell a proportionate amount of the shares the Portfolio owns in each Underlying Fund and instrument.

FUNDamentalsTM

About the Portfolios

Each Portfolio has its own asset allocation strategy, which gives it distinctive risk/return characteristics. The performance of each Portfolio depends on many factors, including its allocation strategy and the performance of the Underlying Funds and other assets it invests in. In general, the more a Portfolio allocates to equity securities and Underlying Funds that invest in them, the greater the potential return and the greater the risk of loss. The more a Portfolio allocates to fixed income and money market securities and Underlying Funds that invest in them, the greater the potential for price stability and the lower the potential for loss. There is always a risk, however, that you will lose money or that you may not earn as much as you expect, and that the performance of a Portfolio at any point in time may not meet your anticipated level of return for the Portfolio to fund retirement, living expense or other investment goals.

The Portfolios may be a suitable investment for you if:

 

   

you have longer-term investment goals, and

 

   

they are part of a balanced portfolio that includes other investments.

The Portfolios may not be a suitable investment for you if:

 

   

you’re not prepared to accept or are unable to bear the risks associated with equity and fixed income securities,

 

   

you have shorter-term investment goals, and

 

   

you’re looking for a regular stream of income.

 

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FUNDamentalsTM

Fund of Funds

Unlike a traditional mutual fund, which invests in individual securities, a “fund of funds” invests in a mix of underlying funds typically by using an asset allocation approach. A fund of funds indirectly bears a portion of the underlying funds’ expenses, in addition to the fund of funds’ own expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Asset Allocation Funds

Asset allocation funds use a process called “asset allocation,” which is the process of creating a portfolio by investing in different asset classes – for example, domestic equity securities, foreign securities and debt securities – in varying proportions.

The mix of asset classes and how much is invested in each is an important factor in how an asset allocation fund performs and the amount of risk involved. Each asset class, and each sub-asset class within a class, like large-, mid- and small-capitalization equity securities, has different risk and return characteristics, and may react in different ways to changes in the financial markets and to the economy in general. An investment approach that combines asset classes and sub-asset classes may help to reduce overall volatility.

Asset allocation funds may be a suitable investment for you if you:

 

   

have longer-term investment goals,

 

   

maintain a diversified investment portfolio, and

 

   

are not looking for a regular stream of income.

LOGO Principal Risks

 

   

Investment Strategy Risk The Advisor uses the principal investment strategies and other investment strategies to seek to achieve the Portfolio’s investment objective. Investment decisions made by the Advisor in using these strategies may not produce the returns expected by the Advisor, may cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or may cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.

 

   

Allocation Risk The Portfolio uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Portfolio’s allocation among asset classes or investments will cause the Portfolio’s shares to lose value or cause the Portfolio to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

 

   

Investing in Other Funds Risk The performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests could be adversely affected if other entities that invest in the same Underlying Funds make relatively large investments or redemptions in the Underlying Funds. Because the expenses and costs of an Underlying Fund are shared by its investors, redemptions by other investors in the Underlying Fund could result in decreased economies of scale and increased operating expenses for the Underlying Fund. The Portfolio, and its shareholders, indirectly bear a portion of the expenses of the Underlying Funds. These transactions might also result in higher brokerage, tax or other costs for the Portfolio. This risk may be particularly important when one investor owns a substantial portion of any Underlying Fund. In addition, the Advisor has the authority to change the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or to change the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. If an Underlying Fund pays fees to the Advisor or its affiliates, such as advisory fees, this could result in the Advisor having a potential conflict of interest in selecting the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests or in determining the percentage of the Portfolio’s investments allocated to each Underlying Fund. There are also circumstances in which the Advisor’s fiduciary duties to the Portfolio may conflict with its fiduciary duties to the Underlying Funds.

 

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The Portfolio is subject directly to the extent it invests in individual securities and other instruments and/or indirectly to the extent it invests in Underlying Funds to the following risks:

 

   

Asset-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in asset-backed securities. The value of an Underlying Fund’s asset-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the receivables, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Asset-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of receivables such as credit card, auto, student and home equity loans. They may also be backed, in turn, by securities backed by these types of loans and others, such as mortgage loans. Asset-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Most asset-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying debt may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of asset-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of asset-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

   

Changing Distribution Levels Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may be subject to changing distribution levels risk. The amount of the distributions paid by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund generally depends on the amount of income and/or dividends received by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund on the securities it holds. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not be able to pay distributions or may have to reduce its distribution level if the income and/or dividends the Portfolio or Underlying Fund receives from its investments decline.

 

   

Convertible Securities Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in convertible securities, which are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate risk and credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. Because the value of a convertible security can be influenced by both interest rates and market movements, a convertible security generally is not as sensitive to interest rates as a similar debt security, and generally will not vary in value in response to other factors to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities would typically be paid before the company’s common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may be forced to convert a convertible security before it otherwise would choose to do so, which may decrease the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Credit Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may be subject to credit risk, which applies to most debt securities, but is generally not a factor for obligations backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose money if the issuer of a debt security is unable or perceived to be unable to pay interest or repay principal when it becomes due. Various factors could affect the issuer’s actual or perceived willingness or ability to make timely interest or principal payments, including changes in the issuer’s financial condition or in general economic conditions. Debt securities backed by an issuer’s taxing authority may be subject to legal limits on the issuer’s power to increase taxes or otherwise to raise revenue, or may be dependent on legislative appropriation or government aid. Certain debt securities are backed only by revenues derived from a particular project or source, rather than by an issuer’s taxing authority, and thus may have a greater risk of default.

 

   

Currency Risk Certain Underlying Funds may be subject to currency risk. Securities denominated in different currencies are subject to the risk that, for example, if the value of a foreign currency were to decline against the U.S. dollar, such decline would reduce the U.S. dollar value of any securities held by the Fund denominated in that currency.

 

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Derivatives Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, which are financial contracts whose values are, for example, based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or bond), assets (such as a commodity like gold or a foreign currency), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Derivatives involve special risks and may result in losses or may limit the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s potential gain from favorable market movements. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Underlying Fund to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying security. The values of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in unusual market conditions, and may result in increased volatility, among other consequences. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders. Other risks arise from the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s potential inability to terminate or sell derivative positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Portfolio or Underlying Fund’s derivative positions at times when the Portfolio or Underlying Fund might wish to terminate or sell such positions. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid, and transactions in derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. The use of derivatives also involves the risks of mispricing or improper valuation and that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying security, asset, reference rate or index. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund also may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to engage in derivative transactions when it is deemed favorable to do so, or at all. For more information on the risks of derivative investments and strategies, see the SAI.

 

   

Dollar Rolls Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may use dollar rolls, which are transactions in which the Underlying Fund sells securities to a counterparty and simultaneously agrees to purchase those or similar securities in the future at a predetermined price. Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Underlying Fund is obligated to repurchase may decline below the repurchase price, or that the counterparty may default on its obligations. These transactions may also increase the Underlying Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. If the Underlying Fund reinvests the proceeds of the security sold, the Underlying Fund will also be subject to the risk that the investments purchased with such proceeds will decline in value (a form of leverage risk).

 

   

Emerging Market Securities Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries, like those in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America or Africa, which are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in foreign securities that are described in Foreign Securities Risk. In addition, emerging market countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid social, political and economic development. Their economies are usually less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity than more developed countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade, which makes them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries. Some emerging market countries have a higher risk of currency devaluations, and some of these countries may experience periods of high inflation or rapid changes in inflation rates.

 

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Foreign Securities Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in foreign securities, which are subject to special risks as compared to securities of U.S. issuers. For example, foreign markets can be extremely volatile. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may impact the value of foreign securities denominated in foreign currencies, or in U.S. dollars, without a change in the intrinsic value of those securities. Foreign securities may be less liquid than domestic securities so that the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may, at times, be unable to sell foreign securities at desirable times or prices. Brokerage commissions, custodial fees and other fees are also generally higher for foreign securities. The Portfolio or Underlying Fund may have limited or no legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain foreign securities, including those issued by foreign governments. In addition, foreign governments may impose potentially confiscatory withholding or other taxes, which could reduce the amount of income and capital gains available to distribute to shareholders. Other risks include possible delays in the settlement of transactions or in the payment of income; generally less publicly available information about companies; the impact of political, social or diplomatic events; possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of a company or its assets; possible imposition of currency exchange controls; and accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards that may be less comprehensive and stringent than those applicable to domestic companies.

 

   

Frequent Trading Risk The Portfolio’s and certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve the frequent trading of portfolio securities. Frequent trading of investments increases the possibility that the Underlying Fund will realize taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s after-tax return. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Underlying Fund’s return.

 

   

Growth Securities Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in growth securities. Because growth securities typically trade at a higher multiple of earnings than other types of securities, the value of growth securities may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other types of securities. In addition, growth securities, at times, may not perform as well as value securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Index Risk The Portfolio’s and certain Underlying Funds’ investment strategies may involve investing in an index. The Underlying Fund’s value will generally decline when the performance of its targeted index declines. Because such an Underlying Fund is designed to track an index before fees and expenses, the Underlying Fund cannot purchase other securities that may help offset declines in its index. In addition, because the Underlying Fund may not hold all issues included in its index, may not always be fully invested, and bears advisory, administrative and other expenses and transaction costs in trading securities, the Underlying Fund’s performance may fail to match the performance of its targeted index, after taking expenses into account. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

 

   

Industry Sector Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of companies in different, but closely related, industries. These securities are considered as being in the same broad economic sector. The values of such securities in the same sector may be similarly affected by particular economic or market events, making an Underlying Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that sector than funds investing in multiple sectors.

 

   

Interest Rate Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities, which are subject to interest rate risk. In general, if prevailing interest rates rise, the values of debt securities will tend to fall, and if interest rates fall, the values of debt securities will tend to rise. Changes in the value of a debt security usually will not affect the amount of income the Portfolio or Underlying Fund receives from it but will affect the value of the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s shares. Interest rate risk is generally greater for debt securities with longer maturities/durations.

 

   

Liquidity Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in illiquid securities, which are securities that cannot be readily disposed of in the normal course of business. There is a risk that the Portfolio or Underlying Fund may not be able to sell such securities at the time it desires, or that it cannot sell such securities without adversely affecting their price.

 

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Low and Below Investment Grade Securities Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities with the lowest investment grade rating (e.g., BBB by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch) or that are below investment grade (which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) (e.g., BB or below by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch). These securities are more speculative than securities with higher ratings, and tend to be more sensitive to credit risk, particularly during a downturn in the economy, which is more likely to weaken the ability of the issuers to make principal and interest payments on these securities than is the case for higher-rated securities. These securities typically pay a premium – a higher interest rate or yield – because of the increased risk of loss, including default. These securities also are generally less liquid than higher-rated securities. The securities ratings provided by Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch are based on analyses by these ratings agencies of the credit quality of the securities and may not take into account every risk related to whether interest or principal will be timely repaid.

 

   

Market Risk The Portfolio and Underlying Funds are subject to market risk, which refers to the possibility that the market values of securities that the Portfolio and Underlying Fund hold will rise or fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Security values may fall because of factors affecting individual companies, industries or sectors, or the markets as a whole, reducing the value of an investment in the Portfolio or Underlying Fund. Accordingly, an investment in the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. The market values of the securities the Portfolio or Underlying Fund hold also can be affected by changes or perceived changes in U.S. or foreign economies and financial markets and the liquidity of these securities, among other factors. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

 

   

Money Market Fund Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in (and certain Underlying Funds may be) money market funds, but an investment in a money market fund is not a bank deposit, and is not insured or guaranteed by Bank of America, the FDIC or any other government agency. Although money market funds seek to preserve the value of an investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in such funds.

 

   

Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in mortgage-backed securities. The value of the Underlying Fund’s mortgage-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes in: interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the mortgages, the creditworthiness of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements, or the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets. Mortgage-backed securities represent interests in, or are backed by, pools of mortgages from which payments of interest and principal (net of fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of the securities) are distributed to the holders of the mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities can have a fixed or an adjustable rate. Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage-backed securities (but not the market value of the securities themselves) may be guaranteed (i) by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association) or (ii) by its agencies, authorities, enterprises or instrumentalities (in the case of securities guaranteed by the Federal National Mortgage Association or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation), which are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government. Mortgage-backed securities issued by non-governmental issuers (such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers) may be supported by various credit enhancements, such as pool insurance, guarantees issued by governmental entities, letters of credit from a bank or senior/subordinated structures, and may entail greater risk than obligations guaranteed by the U.S. Government, whether or not such obligations are guaranteed by the private issuer. Mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the possibility that the underlying mortgage may be refinanced or prepaid prior to maturity during periods of declining or low interest rates, causing the Underlying Fund to have to reinvest the money received in securities that have lower yields. In addition, the impact of prepayments on the value of mortgage-backed securities may be difficult to predict and may result in greater volatility. Rising or high interest rates tend to extend the duration of mortgage-backed securities, making them more volatile and more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

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Municipal Securities Risk Certain Underlying Funds may invest in municipal securities, which are debt obligations generally issued to obtain funds for various public purposes, including general financing for state and local governments, or financing for a specific project or public facility. Municipal securities may be fully or partially backed by the taxing authority of the local government, by the credit of a private issuer, by the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets or by domestic or foreign entities providing credit support, such as letters of credit, guarantees or insurance, and are generally classified into general obligation bonds and special revenue obligations. General obligation bonds are backed by an issuer’s taxing authority and may be vulnerable to limits on a government’s power or ability to raise revenue or increase taxes. They also may depend for payment on legislative appropriation and/or funding or other support from other governmental bodies. Revenue obligations are payable from revenues generated by a particular project or other revenue source, and are typically subject to greater risk of default than general obligation bonds because investors can look only to the revenue generated by the project or other revenue source backing the project, rather than to the general taxing authority of the state or local government issuer of the obligations. Because many municipal securities are issued to finance projects in sectors such as education, health care, transportation and utilities, conditions in those sectors can affect the overall municipal market. Municipal securities pay interest that, in the opinion of bond counsel, is free from U.S. federal income tax (and, in some cases, the federal alternative minimum tax). There is no assurance that the IRS will agree with this opinion. In the event the IRS determines that the issuer does not comply with relevant tax requirements, interest payments from a security could become federally taxable, possibly retroactively to the date the security was issued, and the value of the security would likely fall. As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you may be required to file an amended tax return and pay additional taxes as a result.

 

   

Non-Diversified Mutual Fund Risk Certain Underlying Funds are non-diversified, which generally means that each such Underlying Fund may invest a greater percentage of its total assets in the securities of fewer issuers than a “diversified” fund. This increases the risk that a change in the value of any one investment held by the Underlying Fund could affect the overall value of the Underlying Fund more than it would affect that of a diversified fund holding a greater number of investments. Accordingly, the Underlying Fund’s value will likely be more volatile than the value of more diversified funds. A non-diversified Underlying Fund may not operate as a non-diversified fund at all times.

 

   

Pacific/Asia Regional Risk – The Pacific/Asia region consists of countries in the Pacific Basin, including Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, among other countries within this region, and certain Underlying Fund investments in the region are thus particularly susceptible to risks in the region. Events in any one country within the region may impact other countries in the region or the Pacific/Asia region as a whole. As a result, events in the region will generally have a greater effect on the Underlying Fund than if the Underlying Fund were more geographically diversified, which could result in great volatility and losses. Countries within this region can be significantly affected by currency fluctuations and rapid changes in inflation and interest rates. Markets in the Pacific/Asia region can experience significant volatility due to social, regulatory and political uncertainties. In addition, changes in governmental policies in the region could significantly affect local markets in the region. Continued growth of economies and securities markets in the Pacific/Asia region will require sustained economic and fiscal discipline, as well as continued commitment to governmental reforms. Development also may be influenced by international economic conditions, particularly those in the United States and Japan, and by world demand for goods produced in countries in the Pacific/Asia region.

 

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Real Estate Investment Trusts Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs), which are entities that either own properties or make construction or mortgage loans, and also may include operating or finance companies. The value of REIT shares is affected by, among other factors, changes in the value of the underlying properties owned by the REIT and/or by changes in the prospect for earnings and/or cash flow growth of the REIT itself. In addition, certain of the risks associated with general real estate ownership apply to the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s REIT investments, including risks related to general and local economic conditions, possible lack of availability of financing and changes in interest rates.

 

   

Reinvestment Risk Because the Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in debt securities, income from the Portfolio’s and those Underlying Funds’ debt securities portfolios will decline if and when the Portfolio or Underlying Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called securities in securities with market interest rates that are below the current earnings rate of the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s portfolio.

 

   

Repurchase Agreements Risk Certain Underlying Funds may use repurchase agreements, which are agreements in which the seller of a security to the Portfolio or Underlying Fund agrees to repurchase that security from the Portfolio or Underlying Fund at a mutually agreed upon price and time. Repurchase agreements carry the risk that the counterparty may not fulfill its obligations under the agreement. This could cause the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s income and the value of your investment in the Portfolio or, indirectly, the Underlying Fund to decline.

 

   

Short Sales Risk Certain Underlying Funds may engage in short selling. A short sale generally involves the sale by the Underlying Fund of a security it does not own with the expectation of acquiring the security at a later time at a lower price, but can involve the sale by the Underlying Fund of a security it does own. In order to short sell a common stock, the Underlying Fund must borrow, buy or already hold the security in order to make delivery to the counterparty. If the Underlying Fund borrows the security, it then is obligated to replace the security at some later time. The price of the security at such time may be higher or lower than the price at which the security was sold short by the Underlying Fund. Therefore, the Underlying Fund bears the risk that the price of the security at the time of replacement has not decreased. Short sales can potentially involve unlimited loss, as the market price of securities sold short may continue to increase, although the Underlying Fund may be able to limit any such losses by purchasing the securities sold short. There also is a risk that the Underlying Fund may experience difficulty purchasing the security necessary for replacement if the security does not have a liquid market at the time that the replacement must occur or that an event may occur.

 

   

Smaller Company Securities Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of small- or mid-capitalization companies (“smaller companies”) which can, in certain circumstances, have a higher potential for gains than securities of large-capitalization companies but also may have more risk. For example, smaller companies may be more vulnerable to market downturns and adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies because they may have more limited financial resources and business operations. These companies are also more likely than larger companies to have more limited product lines and operating histories and to depend on smaller management teams. Their securities may trade less frequently and in smaller volumes and may be less liquid and fluctuate more sharply in value than securities of larger companies. In addition, some smaller companies may not be widely followed by the investment community, which can lower the demand for their stocks.

 

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Special Situations Risk Certain Underlying Funds invest in securities of companies that are involved in an initial public offering or a major corporate event, such as a business consolidation or restructuring, which may present special risk because of the high degree of uncertainty that can be associated with such events. Securities issued in initial public offerings often are issued by companies that are in the early stages of development, have a history of little or no revenues and may operate at a loss following the offering. It is possible that there will be no active trading market for the securities after the offering, and the market price of the securities may be subject to significant and unpredictable fluctuations. Investing in special situations may have a magnified effect on the performance of funds with small amounts of assets.

 

   

Technology Sector Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in securities of companies in the technology sector, which are subject to significant competitive pressures, such as aggressive pricing of their products or services, new market entrants, competition for market share, short product cycles due to an accelerated rate of technological developments and the potential for limited earnings and/or falling profit margins. These companies also face the risks that new services, equipment or technologies will not be accepted by consumers and businesses or will become rapidly obsolete. These factors can affect the profitability of technology companies and, as a result, the value of their securities. In addition, many technology companies have limited operating histories. Prices of these companies’ securities historically have been more volatile than other securities, especially over the short term.

 

   

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), which are U.S. Treasury securities that are designed to provide some degree of protection against inflation. The interest rate paid on TIPS is fixed while the principal value of TIPS rises or falls semiannually based on changes in the Consumer Price All Urban Non-Seasonally Adjusted Index (CPI), which is calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. There can be no assurance that the CPI will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. TIPS will pay interest on a semi-annual basis, equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted principal amount. If inflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS are adjusted upward to protect investors from inflationary loss. If deflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS will be adjusted downward. TIPS are redeemable for the greater of either their inflation-adjusted principal amount or their face value. The current market value of TIPS is not guaranteed and will fluctuate. TIPS generally sacrifice some yield as a tradeoff for the inflation protection and the inflation adjustment is federally taxable annually although not paid out until maturity.

 

   

U.S. Government Obligations Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in U.S. Government obligations. U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government and generally have negligible credit risk. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. For example, securities issued by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Banks are neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. Government. These securities may be supported by the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the credit of the issuing agency, authority, instrumentality or enterprise and, as a result, are subject to greater credit risk than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

 

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Value Securities Risk The Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may invest in value securities, which are securities of companies that may have experienced, for example, adverse business, industry or other developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the securities to be out of favor and, in turn, potentially undervalued. The market value of a portfolio security may not meet the Advisor’s future value assessment of that security, or may decline. There is also a risk that it may take longer than expected for the value of these investments to rise to the believed value. In addition, value securities, at times, may not perform as well as growth securities or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

 

   

Zero-Coupon Bonds Risk – Certain Underlying Funds may invest in zero-coupon bonds, which are bonds that do not pay interest in cash on a current basis, but instead accrue interest over the life of the bond. As a result, these securities are issued at a discount and their values may fluctuate more than the values of similar securities that pay interest periodically. Although these securities pay no interest to holders prior to maturity, interest accrued on these securities is reported as income to the Portfolio or Underlying Fund and distributed to its shareholders.

These are summaries of the principal risks associated with the principal investment strategies of the Portfolio. Additional risks are associated with other permissible investments of the Portfolio that are described in the SAI together with further information about these principal risks. There is no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.

 

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LOGO Performance Information

The following bar chart and table show you how the Portfolio has performed in the past, and can help you understand the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s past performance (before or after taxes) is no guarantee of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Year by Year Total Return (%) as of December 31 Each Year*

The bar chart below shows you how the performance of the Portfolio’s Class Z shares has varied from year to year.

LOGO

 

* Year-to-date return as of June 30, 2009: 8.25%.

Best and Worst Quarterly Returns During this Period

 

Best:

   3rd quarter 2006:    2.59%

Worst:

   4th quarter 2008:    -5.44%

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Performance

Many factors can affect a mutual fund’s performance, including, for example:

 

   

management of fund holdings,

 

   

market conditions,

 

   

fund expenses, and

 

   

flows of investment dollars into and out of the fund.

The returns for the various share classes may vary based on differences in sales charges and expenses.

 

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Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2008

The table below shows the Portfolio’s Class Z shares’ average annual total returns (i) before taxes, (ii) after taxes on distributions and (iii) after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares.

The table compares the Portfolio’s returns for each period with those of the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Years Index, an index of publicly-issued investment-grade corporate, U.S. Treasury and government agency securities with remaining maturities of one to three years. The Portfolio’s returns are also compared to a blended index; this blend is 80% Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Years Index and 20% Barclays Capital U.S. Corporate High-Yield Bond Index. The Barclays Capital U.S. Corporate High-Yield Bond Index is an index of fixed-rate, non-investment-grade bonds with at least one year remaining to maturity. Indices are not available for investment, and do not reflect sales charges, fees, brokerage commissions, taxes or other expenses of investing.

 

     1 year     5 years     Life of Portfolio(a)  

Class Z shares returns before taxes

   -9.97   1.17   1.80

Class Z shares returns after taxes on distributions

   -11.41   -0.40   0.23

Class Z shares returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Portfolio shares

   -6.30   0.15   0.69

Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Years Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   4.63   3.77   3.82 %(b) 

Blended 80% Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Years Index/20% Barclays Capital U.S. Corporate High-Yield Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)

   -1.99   2.94   3.29 %(b) 

 

(a)

The inception date of the Portfolio’s Class Z shares is September 4, 2003.

(b)

The returns for the indices shown are from September 4, 2003.

FUNDamentalsTM

After-Tax Returns

The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state, local or foreign taxes.

Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your personal tax situation and may differ from those shown in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown in the table do not apply to shares held in tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k) plans or IRAs.

 

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LOGO Fees and Expenses

The fee table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. Additional hypothetical fee and expense information relating to Class Z shares of the Portfolio can be found in Hypothetical Fees and Expenses.

FUNDamentalsTM

Portfolio Expenses

In general, there are two kinds of fund expenses:

 

   

shareholder expenses that you pay directly (e.g., sales charges and redemption fees), and

 

   

annual operating expenses that are paid by the Portfolio and deducted from the Portfolio’s assets.

Annual operating expenses include:

 

   

management fees, which are paid out of the Portfolio’s assets to the Advisor and the Administrator as compensation for managing and administering the Portfolio’s portfolio. See Management of the Portfolios – Primary Service Providers for more information.

 

   

other expenses, which generally include, but are not limited to, transfer agency, custody, audit and legal fees as well as costs related to registration of Portfolio shares for sale and the printing and mailing of Portfolio documents. The specific expenses that make up the Portfolio’s other expenses will vary from time to time and may include expenses not described above.

Annual fund operating expenses are calculated based on actual expenses incurred during the Portfolio’s most recently completed fiscal year and are expressed as a percentage of the Portfolio’s average net assets during the year. The rate of annual fund operating expenses will likely vary from year to year as a result of various factors, including, for example, changes in the level of the Portfolio’s net assets. Although many factors can affect fund operating expenses, in general, annual fund operating expenses, as a percentage of average net assets, will increase as the Portfolio’s net assets decrease, and will decrease as the Portfolio’s net assets increase. Net expenses also may vary from year to year based on any fee waivers or expense reimbursements.

The Portfolio may incur significant transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, in addition to the annual Portfolio operating expenses disclosed in the fee table.

 

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Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)

 

     Class Z Shares  

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases, as a % of offering price

   N/A    

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions, as a % of the lower of the original purchase price or net asset value

   N/A    

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (deducted from the Portfolio’s assets)

 

     Class Z Shares  

Management fees(a)(b)

   0.28

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

   0.00

Other expenses

   0.53

Acquired fund fees and expenses(c)

   0.57

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses(d)

   1.38

Fee waivers and/or reimbursements(b)(e)

   -0.39

Total net expenses(d)

   0.99

 

(a)

Management fees include an investment advisory fee of 0.05% and an administration fee of 0.23%.

(b)

The Advisor has implemented a schedule for the Portfolio’s advisory fees whereby the Portfolio pays 0.00% on its assets that are invested in Underlying Funds (excluding the Corporate Bond Portfolio and the Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Portfolio) and pays 0.50% on its assets that are invested in individual securities, the Corporate Bond Portfolio and the Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Portfolio. The Advisor has also contractually agreed to waive 0.10% of advisory fees payable to it on the Portfolio’s assets that are invested in individual securities, the Corporate Bond Portfolio and the Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Portfolio until July 31, 2010. And, the Administrator has contractually agreed to waive 0.10% of administration fees payable to it on the Portfolio’s assets that are invested in Underlying Funds (excluding the Corporate Bond Portfolio and the Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Portfolio) until July 31, 2010.

(c)

Acquired fund fees and expenses include fees and expenses associated with the Portfolio’s investments in other investment companies. Since they are incurred only indirectly by the Portfolio, such fees and expenses are not considered ordinary operating expenses of the Portfolio for purposes of a fee waiver or expense limitation, if any.

(d)

Total annual Portfolio operating expenses include acquired fund fees and expenses. As a result, the amount shown is higher than the ratio of expenses to average net assets included in the section entitled “Financial Highlights” which reflects only those expenses paid directly by the Portfolio.

(e)

The Advisor has contractually agreed to bear a portion of the Portfolio’s expenses so that the Portfolio’s ordinary operating expenses (excluding any distribution and service fees, brokerage commissions, interest, taxes and extraordinary expenses and expenses associated with the Portfolio’s investments in other investment companies, but including custodian charges relating to overdrafts, if any), after giving effect to any balance credits from the Portfolio’s custodian, do not exceed 0.42% annually of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets through July 31, 2010. There is no guarantee that this expense limitation will continue thereafter.

 

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Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The example illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over the time periods indicated, and assumes that:

 

   

you invest $10,000 in Class Z shares of the Portfolio for the periods indicated,

 

   

you reinvest all dividends and distributions in the Portfolio,

 

   

your investment has a 5% return each year, and

 

   

the Portfolio’s total annual operating expenses remain the same as shown in the table above.

Since the waivers and/or reimbursements shown in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses table above expire on July 31, 2010, they are only reflected in the 1 year and the first year of the 3, 5 and 10 year examples.

Based on the assumptions listed above, your costs would be:

 

     1 year    3 years    5 years    10 years

Class Z Shares

   $ 101    $ 399    $ 718    $ 1,624

Remember this is an example only. It is not necessarily representative of the Portfolio’s actual expenses in the past or future. Your actual costs could be higher or lower depending on the amount you invest and on the Portfolio’s actual expenses and performance.

 

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Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

Additional Investment Strategies and Policies

This section describes certain strategies and policies that each Portfolio may utilize in pursuit of its investment objective, and describes some additional factors and risks involved with investing in the Portfolios.

Changing the Portfolios’ Investment Objectives and Policies

Each Portfolio’s investment objective and certain of its investment policies can be changed without shareholder approval unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the SAI. Shareholders vote on changes to other investment policies that are designated as fundamental in accordance with the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act).

Investment Guidelines

As a general matter, unless otherwise noted, whenever an investment policy or limitation states a percentage of each Portfolio’s assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding an investment standard, compliance with that percentage limitation or standard will be determined solely at the time of a Portfolio’s acquisition of the security or asset.

Holding Other Kinds of Investments

Each Portfolio may hold investments that aren’t part of its principal investment strategies. These investments are described in the SAI. Each Portfolio may choose not to invest in certain securities described in this prospectus and in the SAI, although it has the ability to do so.

Investing in Affiliated Funds

The Advisor has the authority to select the Underlying Funds in which each Portfolio invests its assets. The Advisor or one of its affiliates is the investment advisor to each of the Underlying Funds. The Advisor may be subject to a conflict of interest in selecting Underlying Funds for a Portfolio because the fees paid to it or its affiliates are higher than the fees paid to other Underlying Funds. However, as a fiduciary to each Portfolio, the Advisor has a duty to act in the best interest of each Portfolio in selecting Underlying Funds.

Investing in Columbia Money Market Funds

Each Portfolio may invest uninvested cash and cash collateral received in connection with its securities lending program in shares of the registered or unregistered money market funds advised by the Advisor. The Advisor and its affiliates receive fees from these funds for providing advisory and other services in addition to the fees which they are entitled to receive from the Portfolios for services provided directly.

Lending Securities

Each Portfolio may lend portfolio securities to approved broker/dealers or other financial intermediaries on a fully collateralized basis in order to earn additional income. A Portfolio may lose money from securities lending if, for example, it is delayed in or prevented from selling the collateral after the loan is made or recovering the securities loaned or if it incurs losses on the reinvestment of cash collateral. A Portfolio may invest some or all of the cash collateral it receives in connection with its securities lending program in one or more pooled investment vehicles, including, among other vehicles, money market funds managed by the Portfolio’s securities lending agent (or its affiliate). The securities lending agent shares in any income resulting from the investment of such cash collateral, and an affiliate of the securities lending agent receives asset-based fees for the management of such pooled investment vehicles, which may create a conflict of interest between the securities lending agent (or its affiliate) and the Portfolio with respect to the management of such cash collateral. Engaging in securities lending is subject to certain risks, including counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty to a transaction could default.

Portfolio Holdings Disclosure

A description of Columbia Funds’ policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of Portfolio portfolio securities is available in the SAI. Each Portfolio discloses its portfolio holdings on the Columbia Funds’ website, www.columbiafunds.com, as described below. Once posted, the portfolio holdings information will remain available on the website until at least the date on which such Portfolio files a Form N-CSR or Form N-Q (forms filed with the SEC that include portfolio holdings information) for the period that includes the date as of which the information is current.

Each Portfolio’s (except Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio’s) complete portfolio holdings as of a month-end are disclosed approximately 15 calendar days after such month-end. Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio’s complete portfolio

 

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holdings as of a month-end are disclosed approximately 30 calendar days after such month-end.

In addition, more current information concerning each Portfolio’s portfolio holdings as of specified dates may also be disclosed on the Columbia Funds’ website.

Investing Defensively

Each Portfolio may from time to time take temporary defensive investment positions that are inconsistent with the Portfolio’s principal investment strategies in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions including, for example, investments in money market instruments or holdings of cash or cash equivalents. Each Portfolio may not achieve its investment objective while it is investing defensively.

Mailings to Households

In order to reduce shareholder expenses we may, if prior consent has been provided, mail only one copy of a Portfolio’s prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents, call 800.345.6611 or, if your shares are held through a financial intermediary, contact your intermediary directly.

Portfolio Turnover

A mutual fund that replaces, or turns over, more than 100% of its investments in a year is considered to have a high portfolio turnover rate. A high portfolio turnover rate can generate larger distributions of short-term capital gains to shareholders, which for individuals are generally taxable at higher rates than long-term capital gains for federal income tax purposes. A high portfolio turnover rate can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce a fund’s returns. In general, the greater the volume of buying and selling by a fund, the greater the impact that brokerage commissions will have on its returns. The Portfolios generally buy securities for capital appreciation, investment income or both. However, the Portfolios may sell securities regardless of how long they’ve been held. You’ll find each Portfolio’s historical portfolio turnover rates in the Financial Highlights.

 

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Underlying Funds Summary

The table starting below provides a brief overview of the investment objectives and principal investments of certain of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolios may invest. The Portfolios invest in the Underlying Funds in varying proportions.

You’ll find more detailed information about each of these Underlying Fund’s investment strategies and risks in its prospectus and SAI. Refer to www.columbiafunds.com or contact your financial advisor or the Transfer Agent for details.

The Underlying Funds

 

    

Investment Objectives

  

Principal Investment Strategies

Large Capitalization Domestic Equity      
Columbia Contrarian Core Fund       The Fund seeks total return, consisting of long-term capital appreciation and current income.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in common stocks. In addition, under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of U.S. companies that have large market capitalizations (generally over $2 billion) that the Advisor believes have the potential for long-term growth and current income. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments.
Columbia Disciplined Value Fund       The Fund seeks total return, consisting primarily of long-term capital appreciation and secondarily of current income.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities that the Advisor believes are undervalued. The Fund may invest in companies that have market capitalizations of any size, but invests most of its assets in companies that have market capitalizations of more than $1.5 billion. The Fund typically will hold a selection of common stocks included in the Russell 1000 Value Index. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

    

Investment Objectives

  

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia Dividend Income Fund       The Fund seeks total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in a diversified portfolio of income-producing (dividend-paying) equity securities, which will consist primarily of common stocks but also may include preferred stocks and convertible securities. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in debt securities, including securities that, at the time of purchase, are rated low and below investment grade or are unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality, which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.” The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its net assets in foreign securities. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments.
Columbia Large Cap Core Fund       The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in securities of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of companies in the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500® Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities. The Fund normally invests in common stocks, preferred stocks and convertible securities like warrants and rights. The Fund also may invest in exchange-traded funds.
Columbia Large Cap Enhanced Core Fund       The Fund seeks total return before fees and expenses that exceeds the total return of the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500® Index.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in common stocks that comprise the S&P 500® Index, convertible securities that are convertible into stocks included in that index, and derivatives whose returns are closely equivalent to the returns of the S&P 500® Index or its components.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

    

Investment Objectives

  

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia Large Cap Growth Fund       The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.       Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of large-capitalization companies, primarily common stocks and securities that can be converted into common stocks. These companies generally have market capitalizations in the range of companies in the Russell 1000 Growth Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments.
Columbia Large Cap Value Fund       The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of the companies in the Russell 1000 Value Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities. The Fund also may invest in real estate investment trusts.
Columbia Marsico Focused Equities Fund       The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities. These investments mostly consist of equity securities of large-capitalization companies that have market capitalizations of $5 billion or more at the time of purchase. The Fund, which is non-diversified, generally will hold a core position of between 20 and 30 common stocks that are believed to have potential for long-term growth. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in foreign securities, including in emerging market securities.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

    

Investment Objectives

  

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia Select Large Cap Growth Fund       The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in common stocks of U.S. and foreign companies that have market capitalizations in the range of companies in the Russell 1000 Growth Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may invest directly in foreign securities or indirectly through depositary receipts. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund will not concentrate its assets in any single industry but may invest more than 25% of its assets in companies in the technology and health care sectors, respectively.
Columbia Value and Restructuring Fund       The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 65% of its assets in common stocks of companies that the Advisor believes will benefit from various types of restructuring efforts or industry consolidation. The Fund may invest in companies that have market capitalizations of any size. The Fund may invest in foreign securities, including securities of companies in emerging market countries. The Fund may invest directly in foreign securities or indirectly through depositary receipts. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund may invest in special situations such as initial public offerings, in companies involved in management changes, tender offers, mergers and other corporate restructurings and in companies developing new technologies.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

    

Investment Objectives

  

Principal Investment Strategies

Mid-Capitalization Domestic Equity   
Columbia Mid Cap Index Fund       The Fund seeks total return before fees and expenses that corresponds to the total return of the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) MidCap 400® Index.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in common stocks that comprise the S&P MidCap 400® Index. The Fund may invest in derivatives, consisting of stock index futures or options, as substitutes for the underlying securities in the S&P MidCap 400® Index. The Fund attempts to achieve at least a 95% correlation between the performance of the S&P MidCap 400® Index and the Fund’s investment results, before fees and expenses.
Columbia Mid Cap Growth Fund       The Fund seeks significant capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of the companies in the Russell Midcap Index at the time of purchase. The Fund also may invest up to 20% of net assets in equity securities of companies that have market capitalizations outside the range of the Russell Midcap Index. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities. The Fund may invest directly in foreign securities or indirectly through depositary receipts. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund may also invest in convertible securities, including preferred stock, warrants and debentures. The Fund may invest in special situations such as initial public offerings, in companies involved in management changes, tender offers, mergers and other corporate restructurings and in companies developing new technologies.
Columbia Mid Cap Value Fund       The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of the companies in the Russell Midcap Value Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities. The Fund also may invest in real estate investment trusts.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

    

Investment Objectives

  

Principal Investment Strategies

Small-Capitalization Domestic Equity   
Columbia Acorn USA       The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. companies. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests a majority of its net assets in small- and mid-sized companies with market capitalizations under $5 billion at the time of investment.
Columbia Small Cap Core Fund       The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.       Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of net assets in stocks of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of companies in the Russell 2000 Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of total assets in foreign equity securities. The Fund may invest directly in foreign securities or indirectly through depositary receipts. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments.
Columbia Small Cap Growth Fund I       The Fund seeks capital appreciation by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks of companies with a market capitalization, at the time of initial purchase, equal to or less than the largest stock in the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) SmallCap 600 Index.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of companies in the S&P SmallCap 600 Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities. The Fund may invest directly in foreign securities or indirectly through depositary receipts. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund may also invest in convertible securities, including preferred stock, warrants and debentures.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

    

Investment Objectives

  

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia Small Cap Growth Fund II       The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in securities of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of companies in the Russell 2000 Growth Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities.
Columbia Small Cap Value Fund I       The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of net assets in equity securities of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of the companies in the Russell 2000® Value Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may invest up to 20% of total assets in foreign securities.
Columbia Small Cap Value Fund II       The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies that have market capitalizations in the range of the companies in the Russell 2000 Value Index at the time of purchase. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities. The Fund also may invest in real estate investment trusts.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

    

Investment Objectives

  

Principal Investment Strategies

International/Global Equity
Columbia Acorn International       The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 75% of its total assets in foreign companies in developed markets (for example, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom) and in emerging markets (for example, China, India and Brazil). Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests a majority of its net assets in small- and mid-sized companies with market capitalizations under $5 billion at the time of investment.
Columbia Emerging Markets Fund       The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies located in emerging market countries. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund may invest in special situations such as initial public offerings, in companies involved in management changes, tender offers, mergers and other corporate restructurings and in companies developing new technologies.
Columbia International Value Fund       The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.       The Fund invests all or substantially all of its assets in Columbia International Value Master Portfolio, which has the same investment objective as the Fund. Under normal circumstances, the Master Portfolio invests at least 65% of its total assets in equity securities of foreign companies that have market capitalizations of more than $1 billion at the time of purchase. The Master Portfolio typically invests in foreign companies in at least three countries, other than the United States, at any one time and may invest in emerging market countries. The Master Portfolio invests primarily in foreign equity securities, either directly or indirectly through closed-end investment companies and depositary receipts.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

    

Investment Objectives

  

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia Marsico International Opportunities Fund       The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 65% of its total assets in common stocks of foreign companies. The Fund may invest in an unlimited number of companies of any size throughout the world that are selected for their long-term growth potential. The Fund normally invests in issuers from at least three different countries not including the United States. The Fund may invest in common stocks of companies operating in, or economically tied to, emerging market countries.
Columbia Multi-Advisor International Equity Fund       The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of established companies located in at least three countries other than the United States, including emerging market countries. The Fund may invest in mutual funds managed by the Advisor or an affiliate, third-party advised mutual funds, foreign investment funds or trusts, convertible securities, real estate investment trusts and depositary receipts.
Columbia Pacific/Asia Fund       The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies located in Asia and the Pacific Basin, including Australia, New Zealand and India and other countries within this region. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund may invest in special situations such as initial public offerings, in companies involved in management changes, tender offers, mergers and other corporate restructurings and in companies developing new technologies.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

    

Investment Objectives

  

Principal Investment Strategies

Specialty Securities
Columbia Real Estate Equity Fund       The Fund seeks capital appreciation and above-average income by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in the stocks of companies principally engaged in the real estate industry, including real estate investment trusts (REITs).       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies principally engaged in the real estate industry, including REITs. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it can invest a greater percentage of its assets in a single issuer than can a diversified fund.
Government and Corporate Debt
Columbia Bond Fund       The Fund seeks current income, consistent with minimal fluctuation of principal.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in bonds and other debt securities. The Fund generally invests at least 65% of its assets in debt securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies and instrumentalities, debt securities issued by corporations, and mortgage- and other asset-backed securities that, at the time of purchase, are rated in at least one of the three highest rating categories or are unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its assets in dollar-denominated debt securities issued by foreign governments, companies or other entities and up to 20% of its assets in preferred stock. The Fund also may invest up to 25% of its assets in securities that, at the time of purchase, are rated below investment grade or unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality, which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.” The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund may also invest in private placements. The Fund may invest in mortgage dollar rolls up to the Fund’s then current position in mortgage-backed securities.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

    

Investment Objectives

  

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia Core Bond Fund       The Fund seeks total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in debt securities of investment grade quality. The Fund invests in debt securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies and corporations, mortgage-and other asset-backed securities, and dollar-denominated debt securities issued by foreign governments, companies or other entities. The Fund also invests in money market instruments, including commercial paper and obligations of U.S. and foreign banks. The Fund may invest in unrated securities determined by the Advisor, at the time of purchase, to be of comparable quality to investment grade securities. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund also may invest in private placements. The Fund may also participate in mortgage dollar rolls up to the Fund’s then current position in mortgage-backed securities.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

    

Investment Objectives

  

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia Income Fund       The Fund seeks total return, consisting primarily of current income and secondarily of capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of net assets in bonds, including debt securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies, debt securities issued by corporations, mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, municipal securities and dollar-denominated debt securities issued by foreign governments, companies or other entities. The Fund also invests at least 60% of total assets in securities that, at the time of purchase, are investment grade securities or unrated securities determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest up to 40% of total assets in securities that, at the time of purchase, are below investment grade securities or in unrated securities determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund also may invest in private placements. The Fund may also participate in mortgage dollar rolls up to the Fund’s then current position in mortgage-backed securities.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

    

Investment Objectives

  

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia International Bond Fund       The Fund seeks total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets in fixed income securities of foreign issuers. Generally, the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in debt securities of issuers in at least three foreign countries, including foreign governments, quasi-governments, provincials, agencies, instrumentalities, supranationals and corporate entities. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in the securities of issuers in emerging or developing countries. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets in debt securities that, at the time of purchase, are rated B or higher by Moody’s or S&P, or are unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund also may invest in private placements. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it can invest a greater percentage of its assets in a single issuer than can a diversified fund.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

    

Investment Objectives

  

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia Short Term Bond Fund       The Fund seeks current income, consistent with minimal fluctuation of principal.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in bonds, including debt securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies, debt securities issued by corporations, mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, and dollar-denominated securities issued by foreign governments, companies or other entities. The Fund also invests at least 65% of its total assets in securities that, at the time of purchase, are rated investment grade or are unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund also may invest in private placements. The Fund also may participate in mortgage dollar rolls up to the Fund’s then current position in mortgage-backed securities.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

    

Investment Objectives

  

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia Total Return Bond Fund       The Fund seeks total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in bonds, including debt securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies, debt securities issued by corporations, mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, and dollar-denominated securities issued by foreign governments, companies or other entities. The Fund normally invests at least 65% of its total assets in securities that, at the time of purchase, are rated investment grade or are unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest up to 20% of total assets in securities that, at the time of purchase, are rated below investment grade or are unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality, which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.” The Fund also may invest up to 20% of total assets in non-U.S. dollar denominated foreign debt securities. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund may also invest in private placements. The Fund may participate in mortgage dollar rolls up to the Fund’s then current position in mortgage-backed securities.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

    

Investment Objectives

  

Principal Investment Strategies

Corporate Bond Portfolio       The Portfolio seeks total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests at least 80% of its net assets in corporate debt securities (rated BBB or better by Standard & Poor’s (S&P)), including asset-backed securities and dollar denominated foreign securities. The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its net assets in U.S. Treasury obligations or other U.S. Government obligations, preferred stocks and convertible securities. The Portfolio may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Portfolio may also invest in private placements. The Portfolio may also participate in mortgage dollar rolls up to the Portfolio’s then current position in mortgage-backed securities.
Mortgage- and Asset- Backed Portfolio       The Portfolio seeks total return, consisting of current income and capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests at least 80% of its net assets in mortgage-related securities or other asset-backed securities. The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its net assets in U.S. Treasury obligations or other U.S. Government obligations. The Portfolio may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Portfolio may also participate in mortgage dollar rolls up to the Portfolio’s then current position in mortgage-backed securities.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

    

Investment Objectives

  

Principal Investment Strategies

Columbia U.S. Treasury Index Fund       The Fund seeks total return that corresponds to the total return of the Citigroup Bond U.S. Treasury Index, before fees and expenses.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of net assets in securities that comprise the Citigroup Bond U.S. Treasury Index. The Citigroup Bond U.S. Treasury Index is an unmanaged index composed of U.S. Treasury notes and bonds with remaining maturities of at least one year and outstanding principal of at least $25 million and which are included in the Citigroup Broad Investment Grade Bond Index. The Fund attempts to achieve at least a 95% correlation between the performance of the Citigroup Bond U.S. Treasury Index and the Fund’s investment results, before fees and expenses.
Convertible Securities            
Columbia Convertible Securities Fund       The Fund seeks total return, consisting of capital appreciation and current income.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in convertible securities. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in Eurodollar convertible securities and up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities. Convertible securities tend to have credit ratings that are below investment grade or are unrated. The Fund also may invest in other equity securities.

 

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The Underlying Funds

 

    

Investment Objectives

  

Principal Investment Strategies

Below Investment Grade
Columbia Conservative High Yield Fund       The Fund seeks a high level of income, with capital appreciation as a secondary goal, by investing in non-investment grade corporate debt securities, commonly referred to as “junk” or “high-yield” bonds.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in bonds rated, at the time of purchase, Ba or B by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody’s) or BB or B by Standard & Poor’s Corporation (S&P). These securities are commonly referred to as “junk” or “high-yield” bonds. The Fund may invest in securities that are publicly offered or privately placed. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures, forwards, options, swap contracts and other derivative instruments. The Fund may invest up to 20% of total assets in foreign debt securities.
Columbia High Income Fund       The Fund seeks total return, consisting of a high level of income and capital appreciation.       Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in domestic and foreign corporate below investment grade debt securities. These securities generally will be, at the time of purchase, rated “BB” or below by Standard & Poor’s Corporation (S&P) or unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality, which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds”. The Fund invests primarily in domestic corporate below investment grade securities (including private placements), U.S. dollar-denominated foreign corporate below investment grade securities (including private placements), zero-coupon bonds and U.S. Government obligations. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in equity securities that may include convertible securities.
Money Market Instruments
Columbia Cash Reserves       The Fund seeks current income, consistent with capital preservation and maintenance of a high degree of liquidity.       The Fund invests in high-quality money market instruments, including primarily short-term debt securities of U.S. and foreign issuers. The Fund purchases only first-tier securities. The Fund may invest more than 25% of its assets in U.S. dollar-denominated bank obligations of U.S. banks, foreign branches of U.S. banks and U.S. branches of foreign banks.

 

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Management of the Portfolios

Primary Service Providers

The Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, currently provide key services to the Portfolios and the other Columbia Funds, including investment advisory, administration, distribution, shareholder servicing and transfer agency, and are paid for providing these services. These service relationships are described below.

The Advisor

The Advisor (which is also the Administrator) is located at 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110, and serves as investment advisor to over 100 Columbia Funds mutual fund portfolios. As of June 30, 2009, the Advisor had assets under management of approximately $310.5 billion. The Advisor is a registered investment advisor and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. Its management experience covers all major asset classes, including equity securities, fixed income securities and money market instruments. In addition to serving as investment advisor to mutual funds, the Advisor acts as an investment manager for individuals, corporations, retirement plans, private investment companies and financial intermediaries.

Subject to oversight by the Board, the Advisor manages the day-to-day operations of the Portfolios, determining what securities and other investments the Portfolios should buy or sell and executing the Portfolios’ portfolio transactions. Although the Advisor is responsible for the investment management of the Portfolios, the Advisor may delegate certain of its duties to one or more investment sub-advisors. In rendering investment advisory services, the Advisor may use the portfolio management and research resources of Columbia Management Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of the Advisor. The Advisor may also use the research and other expertise of other affiliates and third parties in managing the Portfolios’ investments.

The Portfolios pay the Advisor a fee for its investment advisory services. The fee is calculated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of each Portfolio and is paid monthly. For the Portfolios’ most recent fiscal year, the amount of aggregate advisory fees paid to the Advisor by each Portfolio is shown in the following chart.

Annual Advisory Fee

as a % of Average Daily Net Assets

 

Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

   0.25

Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

   0.25

Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

   0.25

Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

   0.50 %* 

 

* The Advisor is entitled to receive an investment advisory fee based on the Portfolio’s assets that are invested in individual securities, Mortgage- and Asset- Backed Portfolio and Corporate Bond Portfolio of the Columbia Funds Series Trust. The Portfolio is not charged an advisory fee on its assets that are invested in other Columbia Funds (excluding Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Portfolio and Corporate Bond Portfolio. Actual management fees will be charged to the Portfolio based on a weighted average of applicable underlying assets of the Portfolio.)

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Portfolios’ investment advisory agreement with the Advisor is available in the Portfolios’ annual report to shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.

Sub-Advisor(s)

The Advisor may engage an investment sub-advisor or sub-advisors to make the day-to-day investment decisions for the Portfolios. The Advisor retains ultimate responsibility (subject to Board oversight) for overseeing any sub-advisor it engages and for evaluating each Portfolio’s needs and available sub-advisors’ skills and abilities on an ongoing basis. Based on its evaluations, the Advisor may at times recommend to the Board that the Portfolios change, add or terminate one or more sub-advisors; continue to retain a sub-advisor even though the sub-advisor’s ownership or corporate structure has changed; or materially change a sub-advisory agreement with a sub-advisor. Applicable law requires the Portfolios to obtain shareholder approval in order to act on most of these types of recommendations, even if the Board has approved the proposed action and believes that the action is in shareholders’ best interests. The Advisor and the Columbia Funds have applied for relief from the SEC to permit the Portfolios to act on many of the Advisor’s recommendations with approval only by the Board and not by Portfolio shareholders. The Advisor or the Portfolios would inform the Portfolios’ shareholders of any actions taken in reliance on this relief. Until the Advisor and the Portfolios obtain this relief, the Portfolios will continue to submit these matters to

 

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shareholders for their approval to the extent required by applicable law.

At present, the Advisor has not engaged any investment sub-advisor for the Portfolios.

Portfolio Managers

Information about the Advisor’s portfolio managers who are primarily responsible for overseeing the Portfolios’ investments is shown in the table below. The SAI provides more information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by each portfolio manager and each portfolio manager’s ownership of securities in the Portfolios.

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolios since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Colin Moore

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolios since 2009.

Chief Investment Officer of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 2002.

Kent M. Peterson, PhD

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolios since 2009.

Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since January 2006. Prior to January 2006, Mr. Peterson was a trading associate at Bridgewater Associates from 2004 to 2005.

Marie M. Schofield, CFA

Co-manager. Service with the Portfolios since 2009.

Managing Director of the Advisor; associated with the Advisor or its predecessors as an investment professional since 1990.

The Administrator

The Administrator is responsible for overseeing the administrative operations of the Portfolios, including the general supervision of the Portfolios’ operations, coordination of the Portfolios’ service providers, and the provision of office facilities and related clerical and administrative services.

The Administrator does not currently receive any fees for the administrative services it provides to the Portfolios, except for Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio. Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio pays the Administrator a fee for its services, plus certain out-of-pocket expenses. The fee is calculated as an annual percentage of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets and is paid monthly, as follows:

Annual Administration Fee,

as a % of Average Daily Net Assets

 

Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

   0.23

The Distributor

Shares of the Portfolios are distributed by the Distributor, which is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111. The Distributor is a registered broker/dealer and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Distributor and its affiliates may pay commissions, distribution and service fees and/or other compensation to entities, including Bank of America affiliates, for selling shares and providing services to investors.

The Transfer Agent

The Transfer Agent is a registered transfer agent and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America. The Transfer Agent is located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111, and its responsibilities include processing purchases, sales and exchanges, calculating and paying distributions, keeping shareholder records, preparing account statements and providing customer service. The Portfolios pay the Transfer Agent monthly fees on a per-account basis. Fees paid to the Transfer Agent include reimbursements for certain out-of-pocket expenses and sub-transfer agency fees, subject to certain limitations, paid by the Transfer Agent on the Portfolios’ behalf.

 

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LOGO Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates—Certain Conflicts of Interest

As described in Management of the Portfolios – Primary Service Providers, the Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, provide various services to the Portfolios for which they are compensated. Bank of America and its affiliates may also provide other services to the Portfolios and be compensated for them.

The Advisor and its affiliates may provide investment advisory and other services to other clients and customers substantially similar to those provided to the Portfolios. These activities, and other financial services activities of Bank of America and its affiliates (including Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.), may present actual and potential conflicts of interest and introduce certain investment constraints.

Bank of America is a major financial services company, engaged in a broad range of financial activities beyond the mutual fund-related activities of the Advisor, including, among others, commercial banking, investment banking, broker/dealer (sales and trading), asset management, insurance and other financial activities. These additional activities may involve multiple advisory, transactional, lending, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments, and in companies that issue securities and other instruments, which may be bought, sold or held by the Portfolios.

Conflicts of interest and limitations that could affect the Portfolios may arise from, for example, the following:

 

   

compensation and other benefits received by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates related to the management/administration of the Portfolios and the sale of their shares;

 

   

the allocation of, and competition for, investment opportunities among the Portfolios and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

separate and potentially divergent management of the Portfolios and other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates;

 

   

regulatory and other investment restrictions on investment activities of the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates and accounts advised/managed by them;

 

   

lending, investment banking and other relationships of Bank of America affiliates with companies and other entities in which the Portfolios invest; and

 

   

regulatory and other restrictions relating to the sharing of information between Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, and the Portfolios.

Bank of America and its affiliates also provide a variety of products and services that, in some manner, may use the Portfolios and other Columbia Funds as investment options. For example:

 

   

the Columbia Funds are available as investments in connection with brokerage or other securities products offered by Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. or Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, both wholly-owned retail broker/dealers of Bank of America;

 

   

the Columbia Funds are used as investments in connection with fiduciary, investment management and other accounts offered by U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, as well as certain Columbia Funds structured as “funds of funds”; and

 

   

the Columbia Money Market Funds are offered as an investment option for a variety of cash “sweep” account programs offered by Bank of America and its affiliates.

The use of the Columbia Funds as investment options in connection with other products and services offered by Bank of America and its affiliates may introduce economic and other conflicts of interest of which you should be aware. These types of conflicts of interest are highlighted in sections of account documentation and other disclosure materials relating to these products and services, as well as in the SAI.

The Advisor and Bank of America have adopted various policies and procedures that are intended to identify, monitor and address conflicts of interest. However, there is no absolute assurance that these policies, procedures and disclosures will be effective.

Additional information about Bank of America and the types of conflicts of interest and other matters referenced above is set forth in the Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest section of the SAI, which is identified by the LOGO icon. Investors in the Portfolios should carefully review these disclosures and consult with their financial advisor if they have any questions.

 

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Certain Legal Matters

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. (collectively, the Columbia Group) are subject to a settlement agreement with the New York Attorney General (NYAG) (the NYAG Settlement) and a settlement order with the SEC (the SEC Order) on matters relating to mutual fund trading, each dated February 9, 2005. Under the terms of the SEC Order, the Columbia Group (or predecessor or affiliated entities) agreed, among other things, to: pay disgorgement and civil money penalties collectively totaling $375 million; cease and desist from violations of the antifraud provisions and certain other provisions of the federal securities laws; maintain certain compliance and ethics oversight structures; and retain an independent consultant to review the Columbia Group’s applicable supervisory, compliance, control and other policies and procedures. The NYAG Settlement, among other things, requires Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and its affiliates to reduce management fees for certain funds in the Columbia family of mutual funds in a projected total of $160 million over five years through November 30, 2009 and to make certain disclosures to investors relating to expenses. In connection with the Columbia Group providing services to the Columbia Funds, the Columbia Funds have voluntarily undertaken to implement certain governance measures designed to maintain the independence of their boards of trustees and certain special consulting and compliance measures.

Pursuant to the SEC Order and related procedures, the $375 million in settlement amounts described above, of which approximately $90 million has been earmarked for certain Columbia Funds and their shareholders, is being distributed in accordance with a distribution plan developed by an independent distribution consultant and approved by the SEC on December 27, 2007. Distributions under the distribution plan began in mid-June 2008.

Civil Litigation

In connection with the events that resulted in the NYAG Settlement and SEC Order, various parties filed suits against Bank of America Corporation and certain of its affiliates, including Banc of America Capital Management, LLC (BACAP, now known as Columbia Management Advisors, LLC) and BACAP Distributors, LLC (now known as Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.) (collectively BAC), Nations Funds Trust (now known as Columbia Funds Series Trust) and its Board of Trustees. On February 20, 2004, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transferred these cases and cases against other mutual fund companies based on similar allegations to the United States District Court in Maryland for consolidated or coordinated pretrial proceedings (the MDL). Subsequently, additional related cases were transferred to the MDL. On September 29, 2004, the plaintiffs in the MDL filed amended and consolidated complaints. One of these amended complaints is a putative class action that includes claims under the federal securities laws and state common law, and that names Nations Funds Trust, the Trustees, BAC and others as defendants. Another of the amended complaints is a derivative action purportedly on behalf of the Nations Funds Trust against BAC and others that asserts claims under federal securities laws and state common law. Nations Funds Trust is a nominal defendant in this action.

On February 25, 2005, BAC and other defendants filed motions to dismiss the claims in the pending cases. On December 15, 2005, BAC and others entered into a Stipulation of Settlement of the direct and derivative claims brought on behalf of the Nations Funds shareholders. The settlement is subject to court approval. If the settlement is approved, BAC would pay settlement administration costs and fees to plaintiffs’ counsel as approved by the court. The stipulation has not yet been presented to the court for approval.

 

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About Class Z Shares

Description of the Share Class

Share Class Features

The Portfolios offer one class of shares in this prospectus: Class Z shares. The Portfolios may also offer other classes of shares through a separate prospectus. Each share class has its own investment eligibility criteria, cost structure and other features. The following summarizes the primary features of the Class Z shares offered by this prospectus. Contact your financial advisor or Columbia Funds for more information about the Portfolios’ share classes and how to choose among them.

 

    

Class Z Shares

Eligible Investors and Minimum Initial Investments    Class Z shares are available only to certain eligible investors, which are subject to different minimum initial investment requirements. These minimum initial investment amounts range from $0 to $2,500. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Opening an Account and Placing Orders for details.
Investment Limits    none
Conversion Features    none
Front-End Sales Charges    none
Contingent Deferred Sales Charges (CDSCs)    none
Maximum Distribution and Service Fees    none

FUNDamentalsTM

Selling and/or Servicing Agents

The terms “selling agent” and “servicing agent” refer to the financial intermediary that employs your financial advisor. Selling and/or servicing agents include, for example, brokerage firms, banks, investment advisors, third party administrators and other financial intermediaries, including affiliates of Bank of America, such as Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.

 

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Financial Intermediary Compensation

The Distributor and the Advisor make payments, from their own resources, to certain financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, for marketing/ sales support services relating to the Columbia Funds. Such payments are generally based upon one or more of the following factors: average net assets of the Columbia Funds sold by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, gross sales of the Columbia Funds distributed by the Distributor attributable to that intermediary, reimbursement of ticket charges (fees that an intermediary firm charges its representatives for effecting transactions in Columbia Fund shares) or a negotiated lump sum payment. While the financial arrangements may vary for each intermediary, the support payments to any one intermediary are generally between 0.05% and 0.50% (and 0.03% and 0.12% with regard to the Columbia Money Market Funds) on an annual basis for payments based on average net assets of the Portfolio attributable to the intermediary, and between 0.05% and 0.25% on an annual basis for firms receiving a payment based on gross sales of the Columbia Funds (other than the Columbia Money Market Funds) attributable to the intermediary.

The Distributor and the Advisor may make payments in larger amounts or on a basis other than those described above when dealing with other affiliates of Bank of America. Such increased payments to the other Bank of America affiliate may enable the other Bank of America affiliate to offset credits that it may provide to customers in order to avoid having such customers pay fees to multiple Bank of America entities in connection with the customers’ investments in the Portfolios.

The Distributor, the Transfer Agent and the Advisor may also make payments to financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, that provide shareholder services to retirement plans and other investment programs to compensate those intermediaries for services they provide to such programs, including, but not limited to, sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, similar shareholder or participant recordkeeping, shareholder or participant reporting, or shareholder or participant transaction processing.

These payments for shareholder servicing support vary by financial intermediary but generally are not expected, with certain limited exceptions, to exceed 0.40% of the average aggregate value of each Portfolio’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, and 0.45% of the average aggregate value of each Portfolio’s shares in any intermediary’s program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that do not pay a service fee pursuant to a plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

The Board has authorized the Portfolios to reimburse the Transfer Agent for amounts paid to financial intermediaries that maintain assets in omnibus accounts, subject to an annual cap of 0.15% of the average aggregate value of each Portfolio’s shares maintained in such accounts. The amounts in excess of that reimbursed by the Portfolios are borne by the Distributor or the Advisor. The Distributor and the Advisor may make other payments or allow promotional incentives to broker/dealers to the extent permitted by SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rules and by other applicable laws and regulations.

Amounts paid by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates are paid out of the Distributor’s and the Advisor’s own resources and do not increase the amount paid by you or the Portfolios. You can find further details about the payments made by the Distributor and the Advisor and their affiliates and the services provided by financial intermediaries as well as a list of the intermediaries to which the Distributor and the Advisor have agreed to make marketing support payments in the SAI. Your financial intermediary may charge you fees and commissions in addition to those described in this prospectus. You should consult with your financial intermediary and review carefully any disclosure your financial intermediary provides regarding its services and compensation. Depending on the financial arrangement in place at any particular time, a financial intermediary and its financial consultants may have a financial incentive for recommending the Portfolios or a particular share class over others. See Management of the Portfolios – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information.

 

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Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares

Share Price Determination

The price you pay or receive when you buy, sell or exchange shares is a Portfolio’s next determined net asset value (or NAV) per share for a given share class. The Portfolios calculate the net asset value per share for each class of the Portfolios at the end of each business day.

FUNDamentalsTM

NAV Calculation

Each of the Portfolio’s share classes calculates its NAV as follows:

 

      (Value of assets of the share class)      
NAV    =   

—(Liabilities of the share class)

     
      Number of outstanding shares of the class   

The value of each Portfolio’s shares is based on the total market value of all of the securities and other assets that it holds as of a specified time. The prices reported on stock exchanges and other securities markets around the world are usually used to value securities in the Portfolios. The Portfolios use the amortized cost method, which approximates market value, to value short-term investments maturing in 60 days or less.

If a market price isn’t readily available, the Portfolios will determine the price of the security held by the Portfolio based on the Advisor’s determination of the security’s fair value. A market price is considered not readily available if, among other circumstances, the most recent reported price is deemed unreliable. In addition, a Portfolio may use fair valuation to price securities that trade on a foreign exchange when a significant event has occurred after the foreign exchange closes but before the time at which the Portfolio’s share price is calculated. Foreign exchanges typically close before the time at which Portfolio share prices are calculated, and may be closed altogether on some days when the Portfolios are open. Such significant events affecting a foreign security may include, but are not limited to: (1) those impacting a single issuer; (2) governmental action that affects securities in one sector or country; (3) natural disasters or armed conflicts affecting a country or region; or (4) significant domestic or foreign market fluctuations. The Portfolios use various criteria, including an evaluation of U.S. market moves after the close of foreign markets, in determining whether a security’s market price is readily available and, if not, the fair value of the security.

Fair valuation may have the effect of reducing stale pricing arbitrage opportunities presented by the pricing of Portfolio shares. However, when the Portfolios use fair valuation to price securities, they may value those securities higher or lower than another mutual fund. Also, the use of fair valuation may cause a Portfolio’s performance to diverge to a greater degree from the performance of various benchmarks used to compare the Portfolio’s performance because benchmarks generally do not use fair valuation techniques. Because of the judgment involved in fair valuation decisions, there can be no assurance that the value ascribed to a particular security is accurate. The Portfolios have retained an independent fair valuation pricing service to assist in the fair valuation process for foreign securities. International markets are sometimes open on days when U.S. markets are closed, which means that the value of foreign securities owned by the Portfolios could change on days when Portfolio shares cannot be bought or sold.

 

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Transaction Rules and Policies

Remember that sales charges may apply to your transactions. You should also ask your selling and/or servicing agent about its rules, fees and policies for buying, selling and exchanging shares, which may be different from those described here, and about its related programs or services.

Also remember that the Portfolios may refuse any order to buy or exchange shares. If this happens, we’ll return any money we’ve received, but no interest will be paid on that money.

Order Processing

Orders to buy, sell or exchange shares are processed on business days. Orders can be delivered by mail, by telephone or online. Orders received in “good form” by the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent before the end of a business day will receive that day’s net asset value per share. Orders received after the end of a business day will receive the next business day’s net asset value per share. The market value of the Portfolios’ investments may change between the time you submit your order and the time the Portfolios next calculate their net asset value per share. The business day that applies to your order is also called a trade date.

FUNDamentalsTM

Business Days

A business day is any day that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. A business day ends at the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. If the NYSE closes early, the business day ends as of the time the NYSE closes. On holidays and other days when the NYSE is closed, the Portfolios’ net asset value is not calculated and the Portfolios do not accept buy or sell orders. However, the value of a Portfolio’s assets may still be affected on such days to the extent that a Portfolio holds foreign securities that trade on days that foreign markets are open.

 

“Good Form”

An order is in “good form” if the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent has all of the information and documentation it deems necessary to effect your order. For example, when you sell shares by letter of instruction, “good form” means that your letter has (i) complete instructions and the signatures of all account owners, (ii) a Medallion signature guarantee for amounts equal to or greater than $100,000 and (iii) any other required documents completed and attached. For the documents required for sales by corporations, agents, fiduciaries, surviving joint owners and other legal entities, call 800.345.6611.

Medallion Signature Guarantees

Qualified customers can obtain a Medallion signature guarantee from any financial institution – including commercial banks such as Bank of America, credit unions and broker/dealers – that participates in one of the three Medallion signature guarantee programs recognized by the SEC. These Medallion signature guarantee programs are the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (STAMP), the Stock Exchanges Medallion Program (SEMP) and the New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program (MSP).

Written Transactions

Once you have an account, you can communicate written buy, sell and exchange orders to the Transfer Agent at the following address: Columbia Funds, c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081.

Telephone Transactions

Once you have an account, you may place orders to buy, sell or exchange by telephone. To place orders by telephone, call 800.422.3737. Have your account number and taxpayer identification number (TIN) available when calling.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares via the telephone in any 30-day period if you qualify for telephone orders. Wire redemptions requested via the telephone are not subject to this maximum amount. You can buy up to $100,000 of shares through your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction via the telephone per day if you qualify for telephone orders.

Telephone orders may not be as secure as written orders. Columbia Funds will take reasonable steps to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. For example, we require proof of your identification before we will act on instructions received by telephone and may record telephone

 

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conversations. However, the Portfolios and their agents will not be responsible for any losses, costs or expenses resulting from an unauthorized telephone instruction when reasonable steps have been taken to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. Telephone orders may be difficult to complete during periods of significant economic or market change or business interruption.

Online Transactions

Once you have an account, contact Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for more information on account trading restrictions and the special sign-up procedures required for online transactions. The Transfer Agent has procedures in place to authenticate electronic orders you deliver through the internet. You will be required to accept the terms of an online agreement and establish and utilize a password in order to access online account services.

You can sell up to an aggregate of $100,000 of shares through the internet in any 30-day period if you qualify for internet orders.

Customer Identification Program

Federal law requires the Portfolios to obtain and record specific personal information to verify your identity when you open an account. This information may include your name, address, date of birth (for individuals), and taxpayer or other government issued identification. If you fail to provide the requested information, the Portfolios may need to delay the date of your purchase or may be unable to open your account, which may result in a return of your investment monies. In addition, if the Portfolios are unable to verify your identity after your account is open, the Portfolios reserve the right to close your account or take other steps as deemed reasonable. The Portfolios shall not be held liable for any loss resulting from any purchase delay, application rejection or account closure due to a failure to provide proper identifying information.

Small Account Policy—Accounts Below $250

Columbia Funds generally will automatically sell your shares if the value of your account (treating each account of the Portfolio you own separately from any other account of the Portfolio you may own) falls below $250. If your shares are sold, the Transfer Agent will remit the sale proceeds to you. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of any automatic sale, which will provide details on how you may avoid such an automatic sale. Generally, you may avoid such an automatic sale by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information. The automatic sale of shares of accounts valued at less than $250 is expected to take place in the second quarter of each calendar year.

Columbia Funds may also sell your shares if a financial intermediary tells us to sell your shares pursuant to arrangements made with you, and under certain other circumstances allowed under the 1940 Act.

Small Account Policy—Minimum Balance Fee

If the value of your account (treating each account of the Portfolio you own separately from any other account of the Portfolio you may own) falls below the minimum initial investment requirement applicable to you, your account generally will be subject to a $20 annual fee. This fee will be assessed through the automatic sale of shares in your account. Any otherwise applicable CDSC will not be imposed on such an automatic sale of your shares. The Transfer Agent will reduce the expenses paid by the Portfolio by any amounts it collects from the assessment of this fee. For Portfolios that do not have transfer agency expenses against which to offset the amount collected through assessment of this fee, the fee will be paid directly to the Portfolio. The Transfer Agent will send you written notification in advance of assessing any fee, which will provide details on how you can avoid the imposition of such fee. Generally, you may avoid the imposition of such fee by raising your account balance, consolidating your accounts through an exchange of shares of another Columbia Fund in which you hold shares, or setting up a Systematic Investment Plan. Contact the Transfer Agent, review our website at www.columbiafunds.com, call 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor for more information.

Columbia Funds reserves the right to change the minimum investment requirements for any Portfolio. We also reserve the right to lower the account size trigger point for the minimum

 

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balance fee in any year or for any class of shares when we believe it is appropriate to do so in light of declines in the market value of Portfolio shares, sales loads applicable to a particular class of shares, or for other reasons.

Exceptions to the Small Account Policy

The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 and the annual minimum balance fee described previously do not apply to shareholders of Class R shares or shareholders holding their shares through broker/dealer networked accounts; wrap fee and omnibus accounts; accounts with active Systematic Investment Plans or payroll deduction plans; and certain qualified retirement plans and health savings accounts. The automatic sale of shares of accounts under $250 does not apply to individual retirement plans.

Cash Flows

The timing and magnitude of cash inflows from investors buying Portfolio shares could prevent the Portfolios from always being fully invested. Conversely, the timing and magnitude of cash outflows to investors selling Portfolio shares could require large ready reserves of uninvested cash to meet shareholder redemptions. Either situation could adversely impact the Portfolios’ performance.

Information Sharing Agreements

As required by Rule 22c-2 under the 1940 Act, the Columbia Funds or certain of their service providers will enter into information sharing agreements with financial intermediaries, including participating life insurance companies and financial intermediaries that sponsor or offer retirement plans through which shares of the Columbia Funds are made available for purchase. Pursuant to Rule 22c-2, financial intermediaries are required, upon request, to: (i) provide shareholder account and transaction information and (ii) execute instructions from the Portfolios to restrict or prohibit further purchases of Portfolio shares by shareholders who have been identified by the Portfolios as having engaged in transactions that violate the Portfolios’ excessive trading policies and procedures. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Excessive Trading Practices for more information.

Excessive Trading Practices

Right to Reject or Restrict Share Transaction Orders – The Portfolios are intended for investors with long-term investment purposes and are not intended as a vehicle for frequent trading activity (market timing) that is excessive. Investors should transact in Portfolio shares primarily for investment purposes. The Board has adopted excessive trading policies and procedures that are designed to deter excessive trading by investors (the Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures). The Portfolios discourage and do not accommodate excessive trading.

The Portfolios reserve the right to reject, without any prior notice, any buy or exchange order for any reason, and will not be liable for any loss resulting from rejected orders. For example, the Portfolios may in their discretion restrict, reject or cancel a buy or exchange order even if the transaction is not subject to the specific exchange limitation described below if the Portfolios or their agents determine that accepting the order could interfere with efficient management of the Portfolios or is otherwise contrary to the Portfolios’ best interests. The Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures apply equally to buy or exchange transactions communicated directly to the Transfer Agent and to those received by selling and/or servicing agents.

Specific Buying and Exchanging Limitations – If a Portfolio detects that an investor has made two “material round trips” in any 28-day period, it will generally reject the investor’s future buy orders, including exchange buy orders, involving any Columbia Fund.

For these purposes, a “round trip” is a purchase or exchange into the Portfolio followed by a sale or exchange out of the Portfolio. A “material” round trip is one that is deemed by the Portfolio to be material in terms of its amount or its potential detrimental impact on the Portfolio.

Independent of this limit, the Portfolios may, in their discretion, reject future buy orders by any person, group or account that appears to have engaged in any type of excessive trading activity.

These limits generally do not apply to automated transactions or transactions by registered investment companies that invest in the Portfolios using a “fund of funds” structure. These limits do not apply to payroll deduction contributions by retirement plan participants, transactions initiated by a retirement plan sponsor or certain other retirement plan transactions consisting of rollover transactions, loan repayments and disbursements, and required minimum

 

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distribution redemptions. They may be modified or rescinded for accounts held by certain retirement plans to conform to plan limits, for considerations relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or regulations of the Department of Labor, and for certain asset allocation or wrap programs. Accounts known to be under common ownership or control generally will be counted together, but accounts maintained or managed by a common intermediary generally will not be considered to be under common ownership or control. The Portfolios retain the right to modify these restrictions at any time without prior notice to shareholders.

Limitations on the Ability to Detect and Prevent Excessive Trading Practices – The Portfolios take various steps designed to detect and prevent excessive trading, including daily review of available shareholder transaction information. However, the Portfolios receive buy, sell and exchange orders through financial intermediaries, and cannot always know or reasonably detect excessive trading that may be facilitated by financial intermediaries or by the use of the omnibus account arrangements they offer. Omnibus account arrangements are common forms of holding shares of mutual funds, particularly among certain financial intermediaries such as broker/ dealers, retirement plans and variable insurance products.

These arrangements often permit financial intermediaries to aggregate their clients’ transactions and accounts, and in these circumstances, the identity of the shareholders is often not known.

Some financial intermediaries apply their own restrictions or policies to underlying investor accounts, which may be more or less restrictive than those described here. This may impact the Portfolios’ ability to curtail excessive trading, even where it is identified. For these and other reasons, it is possible that excessive trading may occur despite the Portfolios’ efforts to detect and prevent it.

Although these restrictions and policies involve judgments that are inherently subjective and may involve some selectivity in their application, the Portfolios seek to act in a manner that they believe is consistent with the best interests of shareholders in making any such judgments.

Risks of Excessive Trading – Excessive trading creates certain risks to the Portfolios’ long-term shareholders and may create the following adverse effects:

 

   

negative impact on the Portfolios’ performance;

 

   

potential dilution of the value of the Portfolios’ shares;

 

   

interference with the efficient management of the Portfolios’ portfolios, such as the need to maintain undesirably large cash positions, the need to use their line of credit or the need to buy or sell securities they otherwise would not have bought or sold;

 

   

losses on the sale of investments resulting from the need to sell securities at less favorable prices;

 

   

increased taxable gains to the Portfolios’ remaining shareholders resulting from the need to sell securities to meet sell orders; and

 

   

increased brokerage and administrative costs.

To the extent that a Portfolio invests significantly in foreign securities traded on markets that close before the Portfolio’s valuation time, it may be particularly susceptible to dilution as a result of excessive trading. Because events may occur after the close of foreign markets and before the Portfolio’s valuation time that influence the value of foreign securities, investors may seek to trade Portfolio shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of foreign securities as of the Portfolio’s valuation time. This is often referred to as price arbitrage. The Portfolios have adopted procedures designed to adjust closing market prices of foreign securities under certain circumstances to reflect what the Portfolios believe to be the fair value of those securities as of its valuation time. To the extent the adjustments don’t work fully, investors engaging in price arbitrage may cause dilution in the value of the Portfolios’ shares held by other shareholders.

Similarly, to the extent that a Portfolio invests significantly in thinly traded high-yield bonds (junk bonds) or equity securities of small-capitalization companies, because these securities are often traded infrequently, investors may seek to trade their shares in an effort to benefit from their understanding of the value of these securities. This is also a type of price arbitrage. Any such frequent trading strategies may interfere with efficient management of the Portfolio’s portfolio to a greater degree than would be the case for mutual funds that invest in highly liquid securities, in part because the Portfolio may have difficulty selling those portfolio securities at advantageous times or prices to satisfy large and/or frequent sell orders. Any successful price arbitrage may also cause dilution in the value of Portfolio shares held by other shareholders.

 

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Opening an Account and Placing Orders

Columbia Funds encourages you to consult with a financial advisor who can help you with your investment decisions and who can help you open an account. Once you have an account, you can buy, sell and exchange shares by contacting your financial advisor who will send your order to the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent. As described in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies, once you have an account you can also communicate your orders directly to the Transfer Agent by mail, by telephone or online.

Buying Shares

Once you have opened an account, you can buy Class Z shares in a lump sum, through our Systematic Investment Plan, by dividend diversification, by wire or by electronic funds transfer. Class Z shares are only available to the categories of eligible investors described below, each of which is subject to its own minimum initial investment requirements.

For investors establishing a Systematic Investment Plan, the minimum initial investment is $50.

Minimum Initial Investments

There is no minimum initial investment in Class Z shares for the following categories of eligible investors:

 

   

Any person investing all or part of the proceeds of a distribution, rollover or transfer of assets into a Columbia Management Individual Retirement Account, from any deferred compensation plan which was a shareholder of any of the funds of Columbia Acorn Trust (formerly named Liberty Acorn Trust) on September 29, 2000, in which the investor was a participant and through which the investor invested in one or more of the funds of Columbia Acorn Trust immediately prior to the distribution, transfer or rollover.

 

   

Any health savings account sponsored by a third party platform, including those sponsored by Bank of America affiliates, and any omnibus group retirement plan for which a financial intermediary or other entity provides services and is not compensated by the Portfolios for those services, other than in the form of payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent.

 

   

Any investor participating in a wrap program sponsored by a financial intermediary or other entity that is paid an asset-based fee by the investor and that is not compensated by the Portfolio for those services, other than payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent.

The minimum initial investment in Class Z shares for the following categories of eligible investors is $1,000:

 

   

Any individual retirement plan (assuming the eligibility criteria below are met) or group retirement plan that is not held in an omnibus manner for which a financial intermediary or other entity provides services and is not compensated by the Portfolios for those services, other than in the form of payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent.

The minimum initial investment in Class Z shares for the following categories of eligible investors is $2,500:

 

   

Any client of Bank of America or one of its subsidiaries buying shares through an asset management company, trust, fiduciary, retirement plan administration or similar arrangement with Bank of America or the subsidiary.

 

   

Any investor buying shares through a Columbia Management state tuition plan organized under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

   

Any shareholder (as well as any family member of a shareholder or person listed on an account registration for any account of the shareholder) of another fund distributed by the Distributor (i) who holds Class Z shares; (ii) who held Primary A shares prior to the share class redesignation of Primary A shares as Class Z shares that occurred on August 22, 2005; (iii) who holds Class A shares that were obtained by an exchange of Class Z shares; or (iv) who bought shares of certain mutual funds that were not subject to sales charges and that merged with another fund distributed by the Distributor.

 

   

Any trustee or director (or family member of a trustee or director) of a fund distributed by the Distributor.

 

   

Any employee (or family member of an employee) of Bank of America or one of its subsidiaries.

 

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Any investor participating in an account offered by a financial intermediary or other entity that provides services to such an account, is paid an asset-based fee by the investor and is not compensated by the Portfolios for those services, other than payments for shareholder servicing or sub-accounting performed in place of the Transfer Agent (each investor buying shares through a financial intermediary must independently satisfy the minimum investment requirement noted above).

 

   

Any institutional investor who is a corporation, partnership, trust, foundation, endowment, institution, government entity, or similar organization, which meets the respective qualifications for an accredited investor, as defined under the Securities Act of 1933.

 

   

Certain financial institutions and intermediaries, such as insurance companies, trust companies, banks, endowments, investment companies or foundations, buying shares for their own account, including Bank of America and its affiliates and/or subsidiaries.

Minimum Additional Investments

There is no minimum additional investment for Class Z shares.

Systematic Investment Plan

The Systematic Investment Plan allows you to make regular purchases in amounts of $50 or more via automatic transfers from your bank account to the Portfolios on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan.

Dividend Diversification

Generally, you may automatically invest distributions made by another Columbia Fund into the same class of shares (and in some cases certain other classes of shares) of the Portfolios at no additional sales charge. A sales charge may apply when you invest distributions made by a Columbia Fund that were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase. Call Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 for details.

Wire Purchases

You may buy Class Z shares of the Portfolios by wiring money from your bank account to your Portfolio account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737.

Electronic Funds Transfer

You may buy Class Z shares of the Portfolios by electronically transferring money from your bank account to your Portfolio account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. An electronic funds transfer may take up to three business days to settle and be considered in “good form.” You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Other Purchase Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your buy order in “good form,” your purchase will be made at the next calculated net asset value per share.

 

   

You generally buy Class Z shares at net asset value per share because no front-end sales charge applies to purchases of this share class.

 

   

Each Portfolio reserves the right to cancel your order if it doesn’t receive payment within three business days of receiving your buy order. The Portfolios will return any payment received for orders that have been cancelled, but no interest will be paid on that money.

 

   

Selling and/or servicing agents are responsible for sending your buy orders to the Transfer Agent and ensuring that we receive your money on time.

 

   

Shares bought are recorded on the books of the Portfolios. The Portfolios don’t issue certificates.

Selling Shares

When you sell your shares, the Portfolio is effectively buying them back from you. This is called a redemption.

Wire Redemptions

You may request that your Class Z shares sale proceeds be wired to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. You must set up this feature prior to your request. For shares sold by Fedwire, there is generally a fee of $7.50. The receiving bank may charge an additional fee. The Transfer Agent may waive the fee for certain accounts. The minimum amount that can be redeemed by wire is $500.

Electronic Funds Transfer

You may sell Class Z shares of the Portfolios and request that the proceeds be electronically transferred to your bank account by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It may take up to three business days for the sale proceeds to be

 

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received by your bank. You must set up this feature by contacting the Transfer Agent prior to your request to obtain any necessary forms.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan

The Systematic Withdrawal Plan lets you withdraw funds from your Class Z shares account any day of the month on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. Your account balance generally must be at least $5,000 to set up the plan, but certain fee-based and wrap accounts are not subject to this requirement. All dividend and capital gain distributions must be reinvested to set up the plan. A Systematic Withdrawal Plan cannot be set up on an account that already has a Systematic Investment Plan established. If you set up the plan after you’ve opened your account, we may require your signature to be Medallion guaranteed.

You can choose to receive your withdrawals via check or direct deposit into your bank account. You can cancel the plan by giving Columbia Funds 30 days notice in writing or by calling the Transfer Agent at 800.422.3737. It’s important to remember that if you withdraw more than your investment in the Portfolios are earning, you’ll eventually use up your original investment.

In-Kind Distributions

Each Portfolio reserves the right to honor sell orders with in-kind distributions of portfolio securities instead of cash. In the event a Portfolio makes such an in-kind distribution, you may incur the brokerage and transaction costs associated with converting the portfolio securities you receive into cash. Also, the portfolio securities you receive may increase or decrease in value before you convert them into cash.

Other Redemption Rules You Should Know

 

   

Once the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your sell order in “good form,” your shares will be sold at the next calculated net asset value per share.

 

   

If you sell your shares directly through Columbia Funds, we will normally send the sale proceeds by mail or electronically transfer them to your bank account within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you sell your shares through a selling agent, Columbia Funds will normally send the sale proceeds by Fedwire within three business days after the Transfer Agent or your selling and/or servicing agent receives your order in “good form.”

 

   

If you paid for your shares by check or from your bank account as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction, Columbia Funds will hold the sale proceeds when you sell those shares for up to 10 days after the trade date of the purchase.

 

   

No interest will be paid on uncashed redemption checks.

 

   

Columbia Funds can delay payment of the sale proceeds for up to seven days and may suspend redemptions and/or postpone payment of redemption proceeds when the NYSE is closed or during emergency circumstances as determined by the SEC.

 

   

Other restrictions may apply to retirement accounts. For information about these restrictions, contact your retirement plan administrator.

 

   

Also keep in mind Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy, which is described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies.

Exchanging Shares

You can generally sell shares of the Portfolios to buy shares of another Columbia Fund, in what is called an exchange. You should read the prospectus of, and make sure you understand the investment objective and principal investment strategies of, the Columbia Fund into which you are exchanging.

Systematic Exchanges

You may buy Class Z shares of the Portfolios by exchanging $100 or more each month from another Columbia Fund for shares of the same class of the Portfolios at no additional cost. Contact the Transfer Agent or your financial advisor to set up the plan. If you set up your plan to exchange more than $100,000 each month, you must have your signature Medallion guaranteed.

Exchanges will continue as long as your balance is sufficient to complete the systematic monthly transfers, subject to Columbia Funds’ Small Account Policy described above in Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares – Transaction Rules and Policies. You may terminate the program or change the amount you would like to exchange (subject to the $100 minimum) by calling Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611. A sales charge may apply when you exchange shares of a Columbia Fund that

 

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were not assessed a sales charge at the time of your initial purchase.

The rules described below for making exchanges apply to systematic exchanges.

Other Exchange Rules You Should Know

 

   

Exchanges are made at net asset value.

 

   

You can generally make exchanges between like share classes of any Columbia Fund. Some exceptions apply.

 

   

The rules for buying shares of a Columbia Fund generally apply to exchanges into that Fund.

 

   

You may make exchanges only into a Columbia Fund that is legally offered and sold in your state of residence.

 

   

You generally may make an exchange only into a Columbia Fund that is accepting investments.

 

   

The Portfolios may change or cancel your right to make an exchange by giving the amount of notice required by regulatory authorities (generally 60 days for a material change or cancellation).

 

   

Unless your account is part of a tax-advantaged retirement plan, an exchange for shares of another fund is a taxable event, and you may recognize a gain or loss for tax purposes.

 

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Distributions and Taxes

Distributions to Shareholders

A mutual fund can make money two ways:

 

   

It can earn income on its investments. Examples of fund income are interest paid on money market instruments and bonds, and dividends paid on common stocks.

 

   

A mutual fund can also have capital gains if the value of its investments increases. While a fund continues to hold an investment, any gain is unrealized. If the fund sells an investment, it generally will realize a capital gain if it sells that investment for a higher price than it originally paid. Capital gains are either short-term or long-term, depending on whether the fund holds the securities for one year or less (short-term gains) or more than one year (long-term gains).

FUNDamentalsTM

Distributions

Mutual funds make payments of fund earnings to shareholders, distributing them among all shareholders of the fund. As a shareholder, you are entitled to your portion of a fund’s distributed income, including capital gains.

Reinvesting your distributions buys you more shares of a fund – which lets you take advantage of the potential for compound growth. Putting the money you earn back into your investment means it, in turn, may earn even more money. Over time, the power of compounding has the potential to significantly increase the value of your investment. There is no assurance, however, that you’ll earn more money if you reinvest your distributions rather than receive them in cash.

Each Portfolio intends to pay out, in the form of distributions to shareholders, a sufficient amount of its income and gains so that the Portfolio will qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company and generally will not have to pay any federal excise tax. Each Portfolio generally intends to distribute any net realized capital gain (whether long-term or short-term gain) at least once a year. Normally, each Portfolio except Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio will declare and pay distributions of net investment income according to the following schedule:

Declaration and Distribution Schedule

 

Declarations   quarterly
Distributions   quarterly

Normally, Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio will declare and pay distributions of net investment income according to the following schedule:

Declaration and Distribution Schedule

 

Declarations   monthly
Distributions   monthly

The Portfolios may, however, declare and pay distributions of net investment income more frequently.

Different share classes of the Portfolios usually pay different net investment income distribution amounts, because each class has different expenses. Each time a distribution is made, the net asset value per share of the share class is reduced by the amount of the distribution.

The Portfolios generally pay cash distributions within five business days after the distribution was declared. If you sell all of your shares after the record date, but before the payment date, for a distribution, you’ll normally receive that distribution in cash within five business days after the sale was made.

Each Portfolio will automatically reinvest distributions in additional shares of the same share class of the Portfolio unless you inform us you want to receive your distributions in cash. You can do this by writing Columbia Funds at the address on the back cover, or by calling us at 800.345.6611. No sales charges apply to the purchase or sale of such shares. Distributions of $10 or less will automatically be reinvested in additional Portfolio shares only. If you elect to receive distributions by check and the check is returned as undeliverable, all subsequent distributions will be reinvested in additional shares of a Portfolio.

Unless you are investing through a tax-deferred retirement account (such as an IRA), you should consider avoiding buying Portfolio shares shortly before a Portfolio makes a distribution of net investment income or net realized capital gain, because doing so can cost you money in taxes. This is because you will, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back in the distribution. This is known as “buying a dividend.” To avoid “buying a dividend,” check the Portfolios’ distribution

 

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schedule online at www.columbiafunds.com, or by calling us at 800.345.6611, before you invest.

If you buy shares of a Portfolio when it holds securities with unrealized capital gain, you may, in effect, receive part of your purchase price back if and when the Portfolio sells those securities and distributes any net realized gain. Any such distribution is generally subject to tax. The Portfolios may have, or may build up over time, high levels of unrealized capital gain. If you buy shares of a Portfolio when it has capital loss carryforwards, the Portfolio may have the ability to offset capital gains realized by the Portfolio that otherwise would have been distributed to shareholders with such carryforwards, although capital loss carryforwards generally expire after eight taxable years and may be subject to substantial limitations.

 

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Taxes and Your Investment

Each Portfolio will send you a statement each year showing how much you’ve received in distributions in the prior year and the distributions’ character for federal income tax purposes. Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio expects that distributions will consist primarily of ordinary income. In addition, you should be aware of the following:

 

   

Each Portfolio intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company. A regulated investment company generally is not subject to tax at the portfolio level on income and gains from investments that are distributed to shareholders. However, a Portfolio’s failure to qualify as a regulated investment company would result in portfolio level taxation, and consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to you.

 

   

Distributions generally are taxable to you when paid, whether they are paid in cash or automatically reinvested in additional shares of the Portfolio.

 

   

Distributions of a Portfolio’s ordinary income and net short-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions of a Portfolio’s net long-term capital gain, if any, generally are taxable to you as long-term capital gain. Whether capital gains are long-term or short-term is determined by how long a Portfolio has owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long you have owned your shares.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, if you are an individual and you meet certain holding period and other requirements for your Portfolio shares, a portion of your distributions may be treated as “qualified dividend income” taxable at lower net long-term capital gain rates. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this provision to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010. Qualified dividend income is income attributable to a Portfolio’s dividends received from certain U.S. and foreign corporations, as long as the Portfolio meets certain holding period and other requirements for the stock producing such dividends.

 

   

For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2010, the maximum individual federal income tax rate on net long-term capital gain (and thus qualified dividend income) has been temporarily reduced to 15%. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this rate reduction to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010.

 

   

A sale, redemption or exchange of Portfolio shares is a taxable event. This includes redemptions where you are paid in securities. Your sales, redemptions and exchanges of Portfolio shares (including those paid in securities) usually will result in a taxable capital gain or loss to you, equal to the difference between the amount you receive for your shares (or are deemed to have received in the case of exchanges) and the amount you paid (or are deemed to have paid in the case of exchanges) for them. Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held your Portfolio shares for more than one year at the time of sale or exchange. In certain circumstances, capital losses may be converted from short-term to long-term or disallowed.

 

   

Each Portfolio is required by federal law to withhold tax on any taxable distributions and sale proceeds paid to you (including amounts paid to you in securities and amounts deemed to be paid to you upon an exchange of shares) if: you haven’t provided a correct taxpayer identification number (TIN) or haven’t certified to the Portfolio that withholding doesn’t apply; the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has notified us that the TIN listed on your account is incorrect according to its records; or the IRS informs the Portfolio that you are otherwise subject to backup withholding.

FUNDamentalsTM

Taxes

The information provided above is only a summary of how U.S. federal income taxes may affect your investment in the Portfolios. It is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Your investment in the Portfolios may have other tax implications.

It does not apply to certain types of investors who may be subject to special rules, including foreign or tax-exempt investors or those holding Portfolio shares through a tax-advantaged account, such as a 401(k) plan or IRA.

You should consult with your own tax advisor about the particular tax consequences to you of an investment in the Portfolios, including the effect of any foreign, state and local taxes, and the effect of possible changes in applicable tax laws.

 

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Financial Highlights

The financial highlights tables are designed to help you understand how each Portfolio has performed for the past five full fiscal years, or if shorter, the Portfolio’s period of operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Portfolio share. The total return line indicates how much an investment in each Portfolio would have earned each period assuming all dividends and distributions had been reinvested.

This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm whose report, along with the Portfolios’ financial statements, is included in the Portfolios’ annual report. The independent registered public accounting firm’s report and the Portfolios’ financial statements are also incorporated by reference into the SAI.

Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio—Class Z Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 13.37      $ 14.80      $ 14.01      $ 12.24      $ 11.30   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income(b)

     0.09        0.16        0.10        0.08        0.07   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (4.17     (0.66     1.40        2.36        0.96   

Total from investment operations

     (4.08     (0.50     1.50        2.44        1.03   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.04     (0.07     (0.08     (0.10     (0.09

From net realized gains

     (2.46     (0.86     (0.63     (0.57     —     

From return of capital

     (0.01     —          —          —          —     

Total distributions to shareholders

     (2.51     (0.93     (0.71     (0.67     (0.09

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 6.78      $ 13.37      $ 14.80      $ 14.01      $ 12.24   

Total return(d)

     (37.38 )%      (4.02 )%      11.01     20.33     9.07

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses(e)

     0.25 %(c)      0.25 %(c)      0.25     0.25     0.25

Net investment income

     0.90 %(c)      1.07 %(c)      0.55     0.62     0.62

Portfolio turnover rate

     45     21     8     30     13

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 29,467      $ 55,202      $ 252,536      $ 188,132      $ 132,748   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Portfolio’s Primary A shares were renamed Class Z shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested.

(e)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio—Class Z Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 11.36      $ 12.35      $ 11.84      $ 11.48      $ 11.18   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income(b)

     0.25        0.34        0.29        0.25        0.19   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (2.92     (0.47     0.87        1.08        0.47   

Total from investment operations

     (2.67     (0.13     1.16        1.33        0.66   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.24     (0.29     (0.29     (0.30     (0.25

From net realized gains

     (1.12     (0.57     (0.36     (0.67     (0.11

Total distributions to shareholders

     (1.36     (0.86     (0.65     (0.97     (0.36

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 7.33      $ 11.36      $ 12.35      $ 11.84      $ 11.48   

Total return(d)

     (26.28 )%      (1.49 )%      10.15     12.05     6.02

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses(e)

     0.25 %(c)      0.25 %(c)      0.25     0.25     0.25

Net investment income

     2.83 %(c)      2.68 %(c)      2.42     2.14     1.70

Portfolio turnover rate

     47     18     18     46     17

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 44,020      $ 46,711      $ 292,939      $ 251,980      $ 220,296   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Portfolio’s Primary A shares were renamed Class Z shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested.

(e)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio—Class Z Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 10.30      $ 10.96      $ 10.73      $ 10.97      $ 11.04   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income(b)

     0.35        0.42        0.37        0.31        0.25   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (1.93     (0.36     0.49        0.54        0.11   

Total from investment operations

     (1.58     0.06        0.86        0.85        0.36   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.36     (0.38     (0.37     (0.35     (0.31

From net realized gains

     (0.40     (0.34     (0.26     (0.74     (0.12

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.76     (0.72     (0.63     (1.09     (0.43

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 7.96      $ 10.30      $ 10.96      $ 10.73      $ 10.97   

Total return(d)

     (16.23 )%      0.40     8.30     8.22     3.32

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses before interest expense(e)

     0.25 %(f)      0.25 %(f)      0.25     0.25     0.25

Interest expense

     —   %(c)      —          —          —          —     

Net expenses(e)

     0.25 %(f)      0.25 %(f)      0.25     0.25     0.25

Net investment income

     3.98 %(f)      3.78 %(f)      3.42     2.86     2.28

Portfolio turnover rate

     52     20     25     30     34

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 16,275      $ 13,598      $ 68,749      $ 66,806      $ 56,897   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Portfolio’s Primary A shares were renamed Class Z shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Rounds to less than 0.01%.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested.

(e)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

(f)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio—Class Z Shares

 

     Year Ended
March 31,
2009
    Year Ended
March 31,
2008
    Year Ended
March 31,
2007
    Year Ended
March 31,
2006(a)
    Year Ended
March 31,
2005
 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

   $ 9.83      $ 10.22      $ 10.00      $ 10.08      $ 10.31   

Income from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income(b)

     0.42        0.46        0.46        0.38        0.32   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and capital gains distributions received

     (1.21     (0.37     0.23        (0.04     (0.07

Total from investment operations

     (0.79     0.09        0.69        0.34        0.25   

Less Distributions to Shareholders:

          

From net investment income

     (0.43     (0.46     (0.46     (0.40     (0.44

From net realized gains

     (0.04     (0.02     (0.01     (0.02     (0.04

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.47     (0.48     (0.47     (0.42     (0.48

Net Asset Value, End of Period

   $ 8.57      $ 9.83      $ 10.22      $ 10.00      $ 10.08   

Total return(d)(e)

     (8.25 )%      0.85     7.07     3.47     2.47

Ratios to Average Net Assets/Supplemental Data:

          

Net expenses(f)

     0.42     0.42 %(c)      0.42     0.42     0.42

Waiver/Reimbursement

     0.39     0.47     0.54     0.37     0.45

Net investment income

     4.60     4.57 %(c)      4.50     3.85     3.26

Portfolio turnover rate

     51     24     42     19     48

Net assets, end of period (000’s)

   $ 4,472      $ 5,813      $ 3,731      $ 403      $ 667   

 

(a)

On August 22, 2005, the Portfolio’s Primary A shares were renamed Class Z shares.

(b)

Per share data was calculated using the average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

The benefits derived from expense reductions had an impact of less than 0.01%.

(d)

Total return at net asset value assuming all distributions reinvested.

(e)

Had the investment advisor and/or any of its affiliates not waived fees or reimbursed a portion of expenses, total return would have been reduced.

(f)

Does not include expenses of the underlying investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. If these expenses were included, the expense ratios would have been higher.

 

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Hypothetical Fees and Expenses

The following supplemental hypothetical investment information provides additional information about the effect of the fees and expenses of the Portfolios, including investment advisory fees and other Portfolio costs, on each Portfolio’s returns over a 10-year period. The charts show the estimated fees and expenses that would be charged on a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in Class Z shares of each Portfolio, assuming a 5% return each year, the cumulative return after fees and expenses and the hypothetical year-end balance after fees and expenses. The charts also assume that all dividends and distributions are reinvested. The annual expense ratio used for the share class, which is the same as that stated in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses table, is presented in the charts and is net of any contractual fee waivers or expense reimbursements for the period of the contractual commitment. Your actual costs may be higher or lower.

Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio—Class Z Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.24   3.76   $ 10,376.00    $ 126.33

2

   10.25   1.24   7.66   $ 10,766.14    $ 131.08

3

   15.76   1.24   11.71   $ 11,170.95    $ 136.01

4

   21.55   1.24   15.91   $ 11,590.98    $ 141.12

5

   27.63   1.24   20.27   $ 12,026.80    $ 146.43

6

   34.01   1.24   24.79   $ 12,479.01    $ 151.94

7

   40.71   1.24   29.48   $ 12,948.22    $ 157.65

8

   47.75   1.24   34.35   $ 13,435.07    $ 163.58

9

   55.13   1.24   39.40   $ 13,940.23    $ 169.73

10

   62.89   1.24   44.64   $ 14,464.38    $ 176.11

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

  $ 4,464.38   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

     $ 1,499.98

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio—Class Z Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   1.13   3.87   $ 10,387.00    $ 115.19

2

   10.25   1.13   7.89   $ 10,788.98    $ 119.64

3

   15.76   1.13   12.07   $ 11,206.51    $ 124.27

4

   21.55   1.13   16.40   $ 11,640.20    $ 129.08

5

   27.63   1.13   20.91   $ 12,090.68    $ 134.08

6

   34.01   1.13   25.59   $ 12,558.59    $ 139.27

7

   40.71   1.13   30.45   $ 13,044.61    $ 144.66

8

   47.75   1.13   35.49   $ 13,549.44    $ 150.26

9

   55.13   1.13   40.74   $ 14,073.80    $ 156.07

10

   62.89   1.13   46.18   $ 14,618.46    $ 162.11

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

  $ 4,618.46   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

     $ 1,374.63

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio—Class Z Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   0.98   4.02   $ 10,402.00    $ 99.97

2

   10.25   0.98   8.20   $ 10,820.16    $ 103.99

3

   15.76   0.98   12.55   $ 11,255.13    $ 108.17

4

   21.55   0.98   17.08   $ 11,707.59    $ 112.52

5

   27.63   0.98   21.78   $ 12,178.24    $ 117.04

6

   34.01   0.98   26.68   $ 12,667.81    $ 121.75

7

   40.71   0.98   31.77   $ 13,177.06    $ 126.64

8

   47.75   0.98   37.07   $ 13,706.78    $ 131.73

9

   55.13   0.98   42.58   $ 14,257.79    $ 137.03

10

   62.89   0.98   48.31   $ 14,830.95    $ 142.53

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

  $ 4,830.95   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

     $ 1,201.37

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

 

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Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio—Class Z Shares

 

Maximum Initial Sales Charge 0.00%

    Initial Hypothetical Investment Amount
$10,000.00
    Assumed Rate of Return 5%

Year

   Cumulative Return
Before Fees and
Expenses
    Annual Expense
Ratio
    Cumulative Return
After Fees and
Expenses
    Hypothetical Year-
End Balance After
Fees and Expenses
   Annual Fees and
Expenses(a)

1

   5.00   0.99   4.01   $ 10,401.00    $ 100.98

2

   10.25   1.38   7.78   $ 10,777.52    $ 146.13

3

   15.76   1.38   11.68   $ 11,167.67    $ 151.42

4

   21.55   1.38   15.72   $ 11,571.94    $ 156.90

5

   27.63   1.38   19.91   $ 11,990.84    $ 162.58

6

   34.01   1.38   24.25   $ 12,424.91    $ 168.47

7

   40.71   1.38   28.75   $ 12,874.69    $ 174.57

8

   47.75   1.38   33.41   $ 13,340.75    $ 180.89

9

   55.13   1.38   38.24   $ 13,823.69    $ 187.43

10

   62.89   1.38   43.24   $ 14,324.11    $ 194.22

Total Gain After Fees and Expenses

  

  $ 4,324.11   

Total Annual Fees and Expenses Paid

  

     $ 1,623.59

 

(a)

Annual Fees and Expenses are calculated based on the average between the beginning and ending balance for each year. All information is calculated on an annual compounding basis.

 

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LOGO

Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

Class Z Shares

Prospectus, August 1, 2009

For More Information

You’ll find more information about the Portfolios and the other Columbia Funds in the documents described below. Contact Columbia Funds as follows to obtain these documents free of charge:

 

By Mail:    Columbia Funds
   c/o Columbia Management Services, Inc.
   P.O. Box 8081
   Boston, MA 02266-8081
By Telephone:    800.345.6611
Online:    www.columbiafunds.com

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders

Additional information about the Portfolios’ investments is available in the Portfolios’ annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Portfolios’ performance during their last fiscal year.

Shareholder Communications with the Board

The Portfolios’ Board of Trustees has adopted procedures by which shareholders may communicate with the Board. Shareholders who wish to communicate with the Board should send their written communications to the Board by mail, c/o Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, One Financial Center, Mail Stop MA5-515-11-05, Boston, MA 02111, Attention: Secretary. Shareholder communications must (i) be in writing, (ii) identify the Columbia Fund to which the communication relates and (iii) state the particular class of shares and number of shares held by the communicating shareholder.

Statement of Additional Information

The SAI provides more detailed information about the Portfolios and their policies. The SAI is legally part of this prospectus (incorporated by reference). A copy has been filed with the SEC.

Information Provided by the SEC

You can review and copy information about the Portfolios (including this prospectus, the SAI and shareholder reports) at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. To find out more about the operation of the Public Reference Room, call the SEC at 202.551.8090 or 800.SEC.0330. Reports and other information about the Portfolios are also available in the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You can receive copies of this information, for a fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov. or by writing the Public Reference Section, Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, DC 20549-0102.

For purposes of any electronic version of this prospectus, all references to websites, or universal resource locators (URLs), are intended to be inactive and are not meant to incorporate the contents of any website into this prospectus.

The investment company registration number of Columbia Funds Series Trust, of which the Portfolios are series, is 811-09645.

©2009 Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.

One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111-2621

800.345.6611 www.columbiafunds.com

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Table of Contents

Columbia Management®

 

  COLUMBIA FUNDS SERIES TRUST
  Class A, Class B, Class C and Class Z Shares
  STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
 

August 1, 2009

 

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II

This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a prospectus, is not a substitute for reading any prospectus and is intended to be read in conjunction with the Fund’s prospectuses dated August 1, 2009. The most recent annual report for the Fund, which includes the Fund’s audited financial statements dated March 31, 2009, is incorporated by reference into this SAI.

Copies of the Fund’s current prospectuses and annual and semi-annual reports may be obtained without charge by writing Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081, by calling Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 or by visiting the Columbia Funds’ website at www.columbiafunds.com.

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Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

SAI PRIMER

   3

ABOUT THE TRUST

   6

ABOUT THE FUND’S INVESTMENTS

   7

Certain Investment Activity Limits

   7

Fundamental and Non-Fundamental Investment Policies

   7

Exemptive Orders

   8

Permissible Investments and Related Risks

   8

Borrowings

   38

Short Sales

   38

Lending Securities

   40

Portfolio Turnover

   40

Disclosure of Portfolio Information

   40

INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND OTHER SERVICES

   46

The Advisor and Investment Advisory Services

   46

The Administrator

   50

Pricing and Bookkeeping Services

   50

The Principal Underwriter/Distributor

   51

LOGO

 

Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its
Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest

   52

Other Services Provided

   56

Distribution and Servicing Plans

   57

Expense Limitations

   58

Codes of Ethics

   58

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

   58

Expenses Paid by Third Parties

   59

FUND GOVERNANCE

   61

The Board

   61

The Officers

   65

BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES

   68

General Brokerage Policy, Brokerage Transactions and Broker Selection

   68

Brokerage Commissions

   70

Directed Brokerage

   70

Securities of Regular Broker/Dealers

   71

Additional Shareholder Servicing Payments

   71

Additional Financial Intermediary Payments

   73

CAPITAL STOCK AND OTHER SECURITIES

   75

Description of the Trust’s Shares

   75

PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND PRICING OF SHARES

   77

Purchase and Redemption

   77

Offering Price

   80

TAXATION

   82

CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

   94

APPENDIX A — DESCRIPTIONS OF SECURITIES RATINGS

   A-1

APPENDIX B — PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

   B-1

 

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Table of Contents

SAI PRIMER

The SAI is a part of the Fund’s registration statement that is filed with the SEC. The registration statement includes the Fund’s prospectuses, the SAI and certain exhibits. The SAI, and any supplements to it, can be found online at www.columbiafunds.com, or by accessing the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

The SAI generally provides additional information about the Fund that is not required to be in the Fund’s prospectuses. The SAI expands discussions of certain matters described in the Fund’s prospectuses and provides certain additional information about the Fund that may be of interest to some investors. Among other things, the SAI provides information about:

 

   

the organization of the Trust;

 

   

the Fund’s investments;

 

   

the Fund’s investment advisor, investment sub-advisor(s) (if any) and other service providers, including roles and relationships of Bank of America and its affiliates, and conflicts of interest;

 

   

the governance of the Fund;

 

   

the Fund’s brokerage practices;

 

   

the share classes offered by the Fund;

 

   

the purchase, redemption and pricing of Fund shares; and

 

   

the application of U.S. federal income tax laws.

Investors may find this information important and helpful. If you have any questions about the Fund, please call Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor.

Before reading the SAI, you should consult the Glossary below, which defines certain of the terms used in the SAI.

Glossary

 

1933 Act   Securities Act of 1933, as amended
1934 Act   Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
1940 Act   Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
Administration Agreement   The administration agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the Administrator
Administrator   Columbia Management Advisors, LLC
Advisor   Columbia Management Advisors, LLC
AMEX   American Stock Exchange
Asset Allocation Fund II   Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II
BAI   Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.
BANA   Bank of America, National Association
BAS   Banc of America Securities LLC
Bank of America   Bank of America Corporation
BFDS/DST   Boston Financial Data Services, Inc./DST Systems, Inc.
Board   The Trust’s Board of Trustees
CMOs   Collateralized mortgage obligations
Code   Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
Codes of Ethics   The codes of ethics adopted by the Board pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act
Columbia Funds Complex   The mutual fund complex that is comprised of the open-end investment management companies advised by the Advisor or its affiliates and principally underwritten by Columbia Management Distributors, Inc., as that term is defined under Item 17 of Form N-1A

 

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Glossary

 

Columbia Funds or

Columbia Funds Family

  The fund complex that is comprised of the open-end investment management companies advised by the Advisor or its affiliates and principally underwritten by Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.
Custodian or State Street   State Street Bank and Trust Company
Distributor   Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.
Distribution Agreement   The distribution agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the Distributor
Distribution Plan(s)   One or more of the plans adopted by the Board pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act for the distribution of the Fund’s shares
FHLMC   Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation
Fitch   Fitch Investors Service, Inc.
FNMA   Federal National Mortgage Association
The Fund or a Fund   The open-end management investment company listed on the front cover of this SAI that is a series of the Trust
GNMA   Government National Mortgage Association
Independent Trustees   The Trustees of the Board who are not “interested persons” of the Fund as defined in the 1940 Act
Interested Trustee   The Trustee of the Board who is an “interested person” of the Fund as defined in the 1940 Act
Investment Advisory Agreement   The investment advisory agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the Advisor
IRS   United States Internal Revenue Service
LIBOR   London Interbank Offered Rate
Merrill Lynch   Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.
MLPF&S   Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated
Money Market Fund(s)   One or more of the money market funds in the Columbia Funds Family
Moody’s   Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
NASDAQ   National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations system
NRSRO   Nationally recognized statistical ratings organization (such as Moody’s, Fitch or S&P)
NSCC   National Securities Clearing Corporation
NYSE   New York Stock Exchange
Principal Underwriter   Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.
REIT   Real estate investment trust
REMIC   Real estate mortgage investment conduit
RIC   A “regulated investment company,” as such term is used in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
S&P   Standard & Poor’s Corporation (“Standard & Poor’s” and “S&P” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by the Advisor. The Columbia Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s and Standard & Poor’s makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Columbia Funds).
SAI   This Statement of Additional Information
SEC   United States Securities and Exchange Commission
Selling Agent(s)   One or more of the banks, broker/dealers or other financial institutions that have entered into a sales support agreement with the Distributor
Servicing Agent(s)   One or more of the banks, broker/dealers or other financial institutions that have entered into a shareholder servicing agreement with the Distributor
Transfer Agency Agreement   The transfer agency agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and Columbia Management Services, Inc.
Transfer Agent   Columbia Management Services, Inc.
The Trust or CFST   Columbia Funds Series Trust, the registered investment company in the Columbia Funds Family to which this SAI relates

 

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Trustee(s)   One or more of the Board’s Trustees

 

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ABOUT THE TRUST

The Trust is a registered investment company under the 1940 Act within the Columbia Funds Family. Columbia Funds offers over 100 mutual funds in major asset classes, and the Advisor had approximate assets under management of $310.5 billion as of June 30, 2009.

The Trust was organized as a Delaware business trust, a form of entity now known as a statutory trust, on October 22, 1999. On September 26, 2005, the Trust changed its name from Nations Funds Trust to Columbia Funds Series Trust.

On September 26, 2005, the name of the Fund was changed as follows: Nations Asset Allocation Fund to Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II.

The Fund represents a separate series of the Trust and is an open-end diversified management investment company. The Fund has a fiscal year end of March 31st.

 

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ABOUT THE FUND’S INVESTMENTS

The investment objective, principal investment strategies (i.e., as used in this SAI and the corresponding prospectuses, a strategy which generally involves the ability to invest 10% or more of the Fund’s total assets) and related principal investment risks for the Fund are discussed in the Fund’s prospectuses.

Certain Investment Activity Limits

The overall investment and other activities of the Advisor and its affiliates may limit the investment opportunities for the Fund in certain markets where limitations are imposed by regulators upon the amount of investment by affiliated investors, in the aggregate or in individual issuers. From time to time, the Fund’s activities also may be restricted because of regulatory restrictions applicable to the Advisor and its affiliates and/or because of their internal policies. See Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest.

Fundamental and Non-Fundamental Investment Policies

The following discussion of “fundamental” and “non-fundamental” investment policies and limitations for the Fund supplements the discussion of investment policies in the Fund’s prospectuses. A fundamental policy may be changed only with Board and shareholder approval. A non-fundamental policy may be changed by the Board and does not require shareholder approval, but may require notice to shareholders in certain instances.

Unless otherwise noted, whenever an investment policy or limitation states a maximum percentage of the Fund’s assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding an investment standard, compliance with such percentage limitation or standard will be determined solely at the time of the Fund’s acquisition of such security or asset. Borrowings and other instruments that may give rise to leverage and the restriction on investing in illiquid securities are monitored on an ongoing basis.

Fundamental Investment Policies

The 1940 Act provides that a “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” of the Fund means the affirmative vote of the lesser of (1) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund, or (2) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting if more than 50% of the outstanding shares are represented at the meeting in person or by proxy. The following fundamental investment policies cannot be changed without such a vote.

The Fund may not, as a matter of fundamental policy:

 

1. Underwrite any issue of securities within the meaning of the 1933 Act except when it might technically be deemed to be an underwriter either: (i) in connection with the disposition of a portfolio security; or (ii) in connection with the purchase of securities directly from the issuer thereof in accordance with its investment objective. This restriction shall not limit the Fund’s ability to invest in securities issued by other registered management investment companies;

 

2. Purchase or sell real estate, except the Fund may purchase securities of issuers which deal or invest in real estate and may purchase securities which are secured by real estate or interests in real estate;

 

3. Purchase or sell commodities, except that the Fund may, to the extent consistent with its investment objective, invest in securities of companies that purchase or sell commodities or which invest in such programs, and purchase and sell options, forward contracts, futures contracts, and options on futures contracts. This limitation does not apply to foreign currency transactions, including, without limitation, forward currency contracts;

 

4. Purchase any securities which would cause 25% or more of the value of its total assets at the time of purchase to be invested in the securities of one or more issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry, provided that: (i) there is no limitation with respect to obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, any state or territory of the United States, or any of their agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions; and (ii) notwithstanding this limitation or any other fundamental investment limitation, assets may be invested in the securities of one or more management investment companies to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief obtained by the Fund;

 

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5. Make loans, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief obtained by the Fund;

 

6. Borrow money or issue senior securities except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief obtained by the Fund; and

 

7. Purchase securities (except securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities) of any one issuer if, as a result, more than 5% of its total assets will be invested in the securities of such issuer or it would own more than 10% of the voting securities of such issuer, except that: (i) up to 25% of its total assets may be invested without regard to these limitations; and (ii) the Fund’s assets may be invested in the securities of one or more management investment companies to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief obtained by the Fund.

Non-Fundamental Investment Policies

 

1. The Fund may not purchase securities of other investment companies except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief. If shares of the Fund are purchased by another fund in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act, for so long as shares of the Fund are held by such fund, the Fund will not purchase securities of a registered open-end investment company or registered unit investment trust in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act.

 

2. The Fund may not invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities.

 

3. The Fund may not sell securities short, except as permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.

Exemptive Orders

In addition to the policies outlined above, the Columbia Funds Family has received the following exemptive orders from the SEC which enable the Fund to participate in certain transactions beyond the investment limitations described above or described in otherwise applicable restrictions:

 

1. Pursuant to an exemptive order dated October 5, 1993, all current and future Funds advised by the Advisor may, subject to certain conditions, pool their uninvested cash balances in one or more joint accounts and use the daily balance of such accounts to enter into repurchase agreements, including the condition that such agreements have a maturity of not more than seven days.

 

2. Pursuant to an exemptive order dated September 5, 2003, the Fund may, subject to certain conditions, borrow money from other Funds in the Columbia Funds Family for temporary emergency purposes in order to facilitate redemption requests, or for other purposes consistent with Fund investment policies and restrictions. All loans are set at an interest rate between the rates charged on overnight repurchase agreements and short-term bank loans.

Permissible Investments and Related Risks

The Fund’s prospectuses identify and summarize the individual types of securities in which the Fund invests as part of its principal investment strategies and the principal risks associated with such investments.

The table below identifies for the Fund certain types of securities in which it is permitted to invest, including certain types of securities that are described in the Fund’s prospectuses. The Fund generally has the ability to invest 10% or more of its total assets in each type of security described in its prospectuses (and in each sub-category of such security type described in this SAI). To the extent that a type of security identified below for the Fund is not described in the Fund’s prospectuses (or as a sub-category of such security type in this SAI), the Fund generally invests less than 10% of the Fund’s total assets in such security type.

Information about individual types of securities (including certain of their associated risks) in which the Fund may invest is set forth below. The Fund’s investment in these types of securities is subject to its investment objective and fundamental and non-fundamental investment policies.

Temporary Defensive Positions. The Fund may temporarily invest in money market instruments or hold cash. It may do so without limit, when the Advisor or the Fund’s sub-advisor, if applicable: (i) believes that the market

 

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conditions are not favorable for profitable investing; (ii) is unable to locate favorable investment opportunities or (iii) determines that a temporary defensive position is advisable or necessary in order to meet anticipated redemption requests, or for other reasons. While the Fund engages in such strategies, it may not achieve its investment objective.

See also About the Fund’s Investments – Permissible Investments and Related Risks – Money Market Instruments.

Permissible Fund Investments

 

Investment Type

 

Asset Allocation Fund II

Asset-Backed Securities   ü
Bank Obligations (Domestic and Foreign)   ü
Common Stock   ü
Convertible Securities   ü
Corporate Debt Securities   ü
Custody Receipts and Trust Certificates   ü
Derivatives   ü

Index or Linked Securities (Structured Products)

  ü

Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts

  ü

Stock Options and Stock Index Options

  ü

Swap Agreements

  ü
Dollar Rolls   ü
Foreign Currency Transactions   ü
Foreign Securities   ü
Guaranteed Investment Contracts (Funding Agreements)   ü
Illiquid Securities   ü
Investments in Other Investment Companies   ü
Low and Below Investment Grade Securities   ü
Money Market Instruments   ü
Mortgage-Backed Securities   ü
Municipal Securities   ü
Participation Interests   ü
Preferred Stock   ü
Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities   ü
Real Estate Investment Trusts and Master Limited Partnerships   ü
Repurchase Agreements   ü
Reverse Repurchase Agreements   ü
Standby Commitments   ü
Stripped Securities   ü
U.S. Government and Related Obligations   ü
Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations   ü
Warrants and Rights   ü
When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions   ü
Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities   ü

Asset-Backed Securities

Asset-backed securities represent interests in, or debt instruments that are backed by, pools of various types of assets that generate cash payments generally over fixed periods of time. Such securities entitle the security holders to receive distributions that are tied to the payments made on the underlying assets (less fees paid to the originator, servicer, or other parties, and fees paid for credit enhancement), so that the payments made on the underlying assets effectively pass through to such security holders. Asset-backed securities typically are created by an originator of loans or owner of accounts receivable that sells such underlying assets to a special purpose entity in a process called a securitization. The special purpose entity issues securities that are backed by the payments on the underlying assets, and have a minimum denomination and specific term. Asset-backed securities may be structured as fixed-,

 

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variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Fund Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Fund Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Fund Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Investing in asset-backed securities is subject to certain risks. For example, the value of asset-backed securities may be affected by, among other factors, changes in: interest rates, the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets, the creditworthiness of the servicer for the underlying assets, information concerning the originator of the underlying assets, or the creditworthiness or rating of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds, derivative instruments, or other credit enhancement. The value of asset-backed securities also will be affected by the exhaustion, termination or expiration of any credit enhancement.

Declining or low interest rates may lead to a more rapid rate of repayment on the underlying assets, resulting in accelerated payments on asset-backed securities that then would be reinvested at a lesser rate of interest. Rising or high interest rates tend to lead to a slower rate of repayment on the underlying assets, resulting in slower than expected payments on asset-backed securities that can, in turn, lead to a decline in value. The impact of changing interest rates on the value of asset-backed securities may be difficult to predict and result in greater volatility. Holders of asset-backed securities generally have no recourse against the originator of the underlying assets in the event of a default on the underlying assets. Credit risk reflects the risk that a holder of asset-backed securities, backed by pools of receivables such as mortgage loans, may not receive all or part of its principal because the issuer, any credit enhancer and/or an underlying obligor has defaulted on its obligations. Credit risk is increased for asset-backed securities that are subordinated to another security (i.e., if the holder of an asset-backed security is entitled to receive payments only after payment obligations to holders of the other security are satisfied). The more deeply subordinated the security, the greater the credit risk associated with the security will be.

Bank Obligations (Domestic and Foreign)

Bank obligations include certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, time deposits and promissory notes that earn a specified rate of return and may be issued by (i) a domestic branch of a domestic bank, (ii) a foreign branch of a domestic bank, (iii) a domestic branch of a foreign bank or (iv) a foreign branch of a foreign bank. Bank obligations may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations. See Permissible Fund Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations for more information.

Certificates of deposit, or so-called CDs, typically are interest-bearing debt instruments issued by banks and have maturities ranging from a few weeks to several years. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on and accepted by banks, are a customary means of effecting payment for merchandise sold in import-export transactions and are a general source of financing. Yankee dollar certificates of deposit are negotiable CDs issued in the United States by branches and agencies of foreign banks. Eurodollar certificates of deposit are CDs issued by foreign (mainly European) banks with interest and principal paid in U.S. dollars. Such CDs typically have maturities of less than two years and have interest rates that typically are pegged to the London Interbank Offered Rate or LIBOR. A time deposit can be either a savings account or CD that is an obligation of a financial institution for a fixed term. Typically, there are penalties for early withdrawals of time deposits. Promissory notes are written commitments of the maker to pay the payee a specified sum of money either on demand or at a fixed or determinable future date, with or without interest.

Bank investment contracts are issued by banks. Pursuant to such contracts, the Fund may make cash contributions to a deposit fund of a bank. The bank then credits to the Fund payments at floating or fixed interest rates. The Fund also may hold funds on deposit with its custodian for temporary purposes.

Investing in bank obligations is subject to certain risks. Certain bank obligations, such as some CDs, are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) up to certain specified limits. Many other bank obligations, however, are neither guaranteed nor insured by the FDIC or the U.S. Government. These bank obligations are “backed” only by the creditworthiness of the issuing bank or parent financial institution. Domestic and foreign banks are subject to different governmental regulation. Accordingly, certain obligations of foreign banks, including Eurodollar and Yankee dollar obligations, involve different investment risks than those affecting obligations of domestic banks, including, among others, the possibilities that: (i) their liquidity could be impaired because of political or economic developments; (ii) the obligations may be less marketable than comparable

 

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obligations of domestic banks; (iii) a foreign jurisdiction might impose withholding and other taxes at high levels on interest income; (iv) foreign deposits may be seized or nationalized; (v) foreign governmental restrictions such as exchange controls may be imposed, which could adversely affect the payment of principal or interest on those obligations; (vi) there may be less publicly available information concerning foreign banks issuing the obligations; and (vii) the reserve requirements and accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements applicable to foreign banks may differ from those applicable to domestic banks. Foreign banks generally are not subject to examination by any U.S. Government agency or instrumentality.

Common Stock

Common stock represents a unit of equity ownership of a corporation. Owners typically are entitled to vote on the selection of directors and other important corporate governance matters, and to receive dividend payments, if any, on their holdings. However, ownership of common stock does not entitle owners to participate in the day-to-day operations of the corporation. Common stocks of domestic and foreign public corporations can be listed and traded on domestic stock exchanges, such as the NYSE, AMEX or the NASDAQ Stock Market. Domestic and foreign corporations also may have their shares traded on foreign exchanges, such as the London Stock Exchange or Tokyo Stock Exchange. Common stock may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Fund Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Investing in common stocks is subject to certain risks. Stock market risk, for example, is the risk that the value of such stocks, like the broader stock markets, may decline over short or even extended periods of time, perhaps substantially or unexpectedly. Domestic and foreign stock markets tend to be cyclical, with periods when stock prices generally rise and periods when stock prices generally decline. The value of individual stocks will rise and fall based on factors specific to each company, such as changes in earnings or management, as well as general economic and market factors.

If a corporation is liquidated, the claims of secured and unsecured creditors and owners of debt securities and “preferred” stock take priority over the claims of those who own common stock.

Investing in common stocks also poses risks applicable to the particular type of company issuing the common stock. For example, stocks of smaller companies tend to have greater price swings than stocks of larger companies because, among other things, they trade less frequently and in lower volumes, are more susceptible to changes in economic conditions, may be more reliant on singular products or services and are more vulnerable to larger competitors. Common stocks of these types of companies may have a higher potential for gains, but also may be subject to greater risk of loss.

Investing in common stocks also poses risks applicable to a particular industry, such as technology, financial services, consumer goods or natural resources (e.g., oil and gas). To some extent, the prices of common stocks tend to move by industry sector. When market conditions favorably affect, or are expected to favorably affect, an industry, the share prices of the common stocks of companies in that industry tend to rise. Conversely, negative news or a poor outlook for a particular industry can cause the share prices of the common stocks of companies in that industry to decline quickly.

Convertible Securities

Convertible securities include bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stocks or other securities that may be converted or exchanged (by the holder or by the issuer) into shares of the underlying common stock (or cash or securities of equivalent value) at a stated exchange ratio or predetermined price (the conversion price). As such, convertible securities combine the investment characteristics of debt securities and equity securities. A holder of convertible securities is entitled to receive the income of a bond, debenture or note or the dividend of a preferred stock until the conversion privilege is exercised. The market value of convertible securities generally is a function of, among other factors, interest rates, the rates of return of similar nonconvertible securities and the financial strength of the issuer. The market value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates rise and, conversely, to rise as interest rates decline. However, a convertible security’s market value tends to reflect the market price of the common stock of the issuing company when that stock price approaches or is greater than its conversion price. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the price of the convertible security tends to be influenced more by the rate of return of the convertible security. Because both interest rate and market

 

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movements can influence their value, convertible securities generally are not as sensitive to changes in interest rates as similar debt securities nor generally are they as sensitive to changes in share price as their underlying common stock. Convertible securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Fund Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Fund Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Fund Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Investing in convertible securities is subject to certain risks. Certain convertible securities, particularly securities that are convertible into securities of an issuer other than the issuer of the convertible security, may be illiquid and, therefore, may be more difficult to resell in a timely fashion or for a fair price, which could result in investment losses. Certain convertible securities may have a mandatory conversion feature, pursuant to which the securities convert automatically into common stock or other equity securities (of the same or a different issuer) at a specified date and a specified exchange ratio. Certain convertible securities may be convertible at the option of the issuer, which may require a holder to convert the security into the underlying common stock, even at times when the value of the underlying common stock or other equity security has declined substantially.

In addition, some convertible securities may be rated below investment grade or may not be rated and, therefore, may be considered speculative investments. Companies that issue convertible securities frequently are small- and mid-capitalization companies and, accordingly, carry the risks associated with such companies. In addition, the credit rating of a company’s convertible securities generally is lower than that of its conventional debt securities. Convertible securities are senior to equity securities and have a claim to the assets of an issuer prior to the holders of the issuer’s common stock in the event of liquidation but generally are subordinate to similar non-convertible debt securities of the same issuer. Some convertible securities are particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates when their predetermined conversion price is much higher than the price for the issuing company’s common stock.

Corporate Debt Securities

Corporate debt securities include fixed income securities issued by businesses to finance their operations. Notes, bonds, debentures and commercial paper are the most common types of corporate debt securities, with the primary difference being their interest rates, maturity dates and secured or unsecured status. Commercial paper has the shortest term and usually is unsecured. The broad category of corporate debt securities includes debt issued by domestic or foreign companies of all kinds, including those with small-, mid- and large-capitalizations. Corporate debt securities may be rated investment grade or below investment grade and may be structured as fixed-, variable—or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Fund Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Fund Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Fund Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Extendible commercial notes (ECNs) are very similar to commercial paper except that with ECNs, the issuer has the option to extend the notes’ maturity. ECNs are issued at a discount rate, with an initial redemption of not more than 90 days from the date of issue. If ECNs are not redeemed by the issuer on the initial redemption date, the issuer will pay a premium (step-up) rate based on the ECN’s credit rating at the time.

Because of the wide range of types and maturities of corporate debt securities, as well as the range of creditworthiness of issuers, corporate debt securities can have widely varying risk/return profiles. For example, commercial paper issued by a large established domestic corporation that is rated by an NRSRO as investment grade may have a relatively modest return on principal but present relatively limited risk. On the other hand, a long-term corporate note issued, for example, by a small foreign corporation from an emerging market country that has not been rated by an NRSRO may have the potential for relatively large returns on principal but carries a relatively high degree of risk.

Investing in corporate debt securities is subject to certain risks including, among others, credit and interest rate risk. Credit risk is the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer of a corporate debt security is unable to pay interest or repay principal when it becomes due. Some corporate debt securities that are rated below investment grade by an NRSRO generally are considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality debt securities. The credit risk of a particular issuer’s debt security may vary based on its

 

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priority for repayment. For example, higher ranking (senior) debt securities have a higher priority than and, therefore, may be paid in full before, lower ranking (subordinated) securities. In addition, in the event of bankruptcy, holders of higher-ranking senior securities may receive amounts otherwise payable to the holders of more junior securities. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of certain corporate debt securities will tend to fall when interest rates rise. In general, corporate debt securities with longer terms tend to fall more in value when interest rates rise than do corporate debt securities with shorter terms.

Custody Receipts and Trust Certificates

Custody receipts and trust certificates are derivative products that evidence direct ownership in a pool of securities. Typically, a sponsor will deposit a pool of securities with a custodian in exchange for custody receipts evidencing interests in those securities. The sponsor generally then will sell the custody receipts or trust certificates in negotiated transactions at varying prices. Each custody receipt or trust certificate evidences the individual securities in the pool and the holder of a custody receipt or trust certificate generally will have all the rights and privileges of owners of those securities.

Investing in custody receipts and trust certificates is subject to certain risks. Custody receipts and trust certificates generally are subject to the same risks as the securities evidenced by the receipts or certificates. Custody receipts and trust certificates also may be less liquid than the underlying securities.

Derivatives

General

Derivatives are financial instruments whose values are based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or a bond), assets (such as a commodity, like gold), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Some forms of derivatives, such as exchange-traded futures and options on securities, commodities, or indices, are traded on regulated exchanges. These types of derivatives are standardized contracts that can easily be bought and sold, and whose market values are determined and published daily. Non-standardized derivatives, on the other hand, tend to be more specialized or complex, and may be harder to value. Derivatives afford leverage and, when used properly, can enhance returns and be useful in hedging portfolios. Some common types of derivatives include futures; options; options on futures; forward foreign currency exchange contracts; forward contracts on securities and securities indices; linked securities and structured products; CMOs; stripped securities; warrants; swap agreements and swaptions.

The Fund may use derivatives for a variety of reasons, including, for example: (i) to enhance its return; (ii) to attempt to protect against possible changes in the market value of securities held in or to be purchased for its portfolio resulting from securities markets or currency exchange rate fluctuations (i.e., to hedge); (iii) to protect its unrealized gains reflected in the value of its portfolios securities; (iv) to facilitate the sale of such securities for investment purposes; (v) to reduce transaction costs; and/or (vi) to manage the effective maturity or duration of its portfolio.

The Fund’s use of derivatives presents risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in traditional securities. The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the underlying security, asset, index or reference rate, which may be magnified by certain features of the derivatives. These risks are heightened when the Fund uses derivatives to enhance its return or as a substitute for a position or security, rather than solely to hedge or offset the risk of a position or security held by the Fund. There is also a risk that the derivative will not correlate well with the security for which it is substituting. The Fund’s use of derivatives to leverage risk also may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Fund to lose more money than if it had invested in the underlying security, or limit a potential gain. The success of management’s derivative strategies will depend on its ability to assess and predict the impact of market or economic developments on the underlying security, asset, index or reference rate and the derivative itself, without necessarily the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions. Other risks arise from the Fund’s potential inability to terminate or sell its derivative positions as a liquid secondary market for such positions may not exist at times when the Fund may wish to terminate or sell them. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid. Derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. Also, with some derivative strategies there is the risk that the Fund may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to invest in derivatives

 

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altogether. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount and accelerate the timing of taxes payable by shareholders.

The Fund may use any or all of the above investment techniques and may purchase different types of derivative instruments at any time and in any combination. There is no particular strategy that dictates the use of one technique over another, as the use of derivatives is a function of numerous variables, including market conditions.

Index or Linked Securities (Structured Products)

General. Indexed or linked securities, also often referred to as “structured products,” are instruments that may have varying combinations of equity and debt characteristics. These instruments are structured to recast the investment characteristics of the underlying security or reference asset. If the issuer is a unit investment trust or other special purpose vehicle, the structuring will typically involve the deposit with or purchase by such issuer of specified instruments (such as commercial bank loans or securities) and/or the execution of various derivative transactions, and the issuance by that entity of one or more classes of securities (structured securities) backed by, or representing interests in, the underlying instruments. The cash flow on the underlying instruments may be apportioned among the newly issued structured securities to create securities with different investment characteristics, such as varying maturities, payment priorities and interest rate provisions, and the extent of such payments made with respect to structured securities is dependent on the extent of the cash flow on the underlying instruments.

Indexed and Inverse Floating Rate Securities. The Fund may invest in securities that provide a potential return based on a particular index of value or interest rates. For example, the Fund may invest in securities that pay interest based on an index of interest rates. The principal amount payable upon maturity of certain securities also may be based on the value of the index. To the extent the Fund invests in these types of securities, the Fund’s return on such securities will rise and fall with the value of the particular index: that is, if the value of the index falls, the value of the indexed securities owned by the Fund will fall. Interest and principal payable on certain securities may also be based on relative changes among particular indices.

The Fund may also invest in so-called “inverse floaters” or “residual interest bonds” on which the interest rates vary inversely with a floating rate (which may be reset periodically by a dutch auction, a remarketing agent, or by reference to a short-term tax-exempt interest rate index). The Fund may purchase synthetically-created inverse floating rate bonds evidenced by custodial or trust receipts. Generally, income on inverse floating rate bonds will decrease when interest rates increase, and will increase when interest rates decrease. Such securities have the effect of providing a degree of investment leverage, since they may increase or decrease in value in response to changes, as an illustration, in market interest rates at a rate that is a multiple of the rate at which fixed-rate securities increase or decrease in response to such changes. As a result, the market values of such securities will generally be more volatile than the market values of fixed-rate securities. To seek to limit the volatility of these securities, the Fund may purchase inverse floating obligations that have shorter-term maturities or that contain limitations on the extent to which the interest rate may vary. Certain investments in such obligations may be illiquid. The Fund may invest in indexed and inverse securities for hedging purposes or to seek to increase returns. When used for hedging purposes, indexed and inverse securities involve correlation risk. Furthermore, where such a security includes a contingent liability, in the event of an adverse movement in the underlying index or interest rate, the Fund may be required to pay substantial additional margin to maintain the position.

Credit Linked Securities. Among the income producing securities in which the Fund may invest are credit linked securities. The issuers of these securities frequently are limited purpose trusts or other special purpose vehicles that, in turn, invest in a derivative instrument or basket of derivative instruments, such as credit default swaps, interest rate swaps and other securities, in order to provide exposure to certain fixed income markets. For instance, the Fund may invest in credit linked securities as a cash management tool in order to gain exposure to a certain market and/or to remain fully invested when more traditional income producing securities are not available.

Like an investment in a bond, investments in these credit linked securities represent the right to receive periodic income payments (in the form of distributions) and payment of principal at the end of the term of the security. However, these payments are conditioned on or linked to the issuer’s receipt of payments from, and the issuer’s potential obligations to, the counterparties to the derivative instruments and other securities in which the issuer invests. For instance, the issuer may sell one or more credit default swaps, under which the issuer would

 

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receive a stream of payments over the term of the swap agreements provided that no event of default has occurred with respect to the referenced debt obligation upon which the swap is based. If a default occurs, the stream of payments may stop and the issuer would be obligated to pay the counterparty the par (or other agreed upon value) of the referenced debt obligation. This, in turn, would reduce the amount of income and/or principal that the Fund would receive. The Fund’s investments in these instruments are indirectly subject to the risks associated with derivative instruments, including, among others, credit risk, default or similar event risk, counterparty risk, interest rate risk, leverage risk and management risk. These securities generally are exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. Accordingly, there may be no established trading market for the securities and they may constitute illiquid investments.

Index-, Commodity-, Currency- and Equity-Linked Securities. “Index-linked” or “commodity-linked” notes are debt securities of companies that call for interest payments and/or payment at maturity in different terms than the typical note where the borrower agrees to make fixed interest payments and to pay a fixed sum at maturity. Principal and/or interest payments on an index-linked or commodity-linked note depend on the performance of one or more market indices, such as the S&P 500® Index, a weighted index of commodity futures such as crude oil, gasoline and natural gas or the market prices of a particular commodity or basket of commodities. Equity-linked securities are short-term or intermediate term instruments having a value at maturity, and /or interest rate, determined by reference to the market prices of one or more equity securities. At maturity, the principal amount of an equity-linked debt security is often exchanged for common stock of the issuer or is payable in an amount based on the issuer’s common stock price at the time of maturity. Currency-linked debt securities are short-term or intermediate-term instruments having a value at maturity, and/or an interest rate, determined by reference to one or more foreign currencies. Payment of principal or periodic interest may be calculated as a multiple of the movement of one currency against another currency, or against an index.

Index, commodity, currency and equity-linked securities may entail substantial risks. Such instruments may be subject to significant price volatility. The company issuing the instrument may fail to pay the amount due on maturity. The underlying investment or security may not perform as expected by the Advisor. Markets, underlying securities and indexes may move in a direction that was not anticipated by the Advisor. Performance of the derivatives may be influenced by interest rate and other market changes in the United States and abroad, and certain derivative instruments may be illiquid.

Linked securities are often issued by unit investment trusts. Examples of this include such index-linked securities as S&P Depositary Receipts (SPDRs), which is an interest in a unit investment trust holding a portfolio of securities linked to the S&P 500® Index, and a type of exchange-traded fund (ETF). Because a unit investment trust is an investment company under the 1940 Act, the Fund’s investments in SPDRs are subject to the limitations set forth in Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act. SPDRs closely track the underlying portfolio of securities, trade like a share of common stock and pay periodic dividends proportionate to those paid by the portfolio of stocks that comprise the S&P 500® Index. As a holder of interests in a unit investment trust, the Fund would indirectly bear its ratable share of that unit investment trust’s expenses. At the same time, the Fund would continue to pay its own management and advisory fees and other expenses, as a result of which the Fund and its shareholders in effect would be absorbing levels of fees with respect to investments in such unit investment trusts.

Equity-linked securities include issues such as Structured Yield Product Exchangeable for Stock (STRYPES), Trust Automatic Common Exchange Securities (TRACES), Trust Issued Mandatory Exchange Securities (TIMES), and Trust Enhanced Dividend Securities (TRENDS). The issuers of these equity-linked securities generally purchase and hold a portfolio of stripped U.S. Treasury securities maturing on a quarterly basis through the conversion date, and a forward purchase contract with an existing shareholder of the company relating to the common stock. Quarterly distributions on such equity-linked securities generally consist of the cash received from the U.S. Treasury securities and such equity-linked securities generally are not entitled to any dividends that may be declared on the common stock.

Investing in structured products and linked securities is subject to certain risks. Because structured products typically involve no credit enhancement, their credit risk generally will be equivalent to that of the underlying instruments. Investments in structured products may be structured as a class that is either subordinated or unsubordinated to the right of payment of another class. Subordinated structured products typically have higher rates of return and present greater risks than unsubordinated structured products. Structured products sometimes are sold in private placement transactions and often have a limited trading market.

 

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Investments in “linked” securities have the potential to lead to significant losses because of unexpected movements in the underlying financial asset, index, currency or other investment. The ability of the Fund to utilize linked-securities successfully will depend on its ability correctly to predict pertinent market movements, which cannot be assured. Because currency-linked securities usually relate to foreign currencies, some of which may be currency from emerging market countries, there are certain additional risks associated with such investments.

SPDRs are subject to the risks of an investment in a broadly based portfolio of common stocks, including the risk that the general level of stock prices may decline, thereby adversely affecting the value of such investment. In addition, because individual investments in SPDRs are not redeemable, except upon termination of the unit investment trust, the liquidity of small holdings of SPDRs will depend upon the existence of a secondary market. Large holdings of SPDRs are called “creation unit size” and are redeemable in-kind only and are not redeemable for cash from the unit investment trust. The price of a SPDR is derived from and based upon the securities held by the unit investment trust. Accordingly, the level of risk involved in the purchase or sale of a SPDR is similar to the risk involved in the purchase or sale of traditional common stock, with the exception that the pricing mechanism for SPDRs is based on a basket of stocks. Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying SPDRs purchased or sold by the Fund could result in losses on SPDRs.

Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts

Futures Contracts. A futures contract sale creates an obligation by the seller to deliver the type of security or other asset called for in the contract at a specified delivery time for a stated price. A futures contract purchase creates an obligation by the purchaser to take delivery of the type of security or other asset called for in the contract at a specified delivery time for a stated price. The specific security or other asset delivered or taken at the settlement date are not determined until on or near that date. The determination is made in accordance with the rules of the exchange on which the futures contract was made. The Fund may enter into futures contracts which are traded on national or foreign futures exchanges and are standardized as to maturity date and underlying security or other asset. Futures exchanges and trading in the United States are regulated under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a U.S. Government agency.

Traders in futures contracts may be broadly classified as either “hedgers” or “speculators.” Hedgers use the futures markets primarily to offset unfavorable changes (anticipated or potential) in the value of securities or other assets currently owned or expected to be acquired by them. Speculators less often own the securities or other assets underlying the futures contracts which they trade, and generally use futures contracts with the expectation of realizing profits from fluctuations in the value of the underlying securities or other assets. Pursuant to a notice of eligibility claiming exclusion from the definition of commodity pool operator filed with the CFTC and the National Futures Association on behalf of the Fund, neither the Trust nor any of the individual Funds is deemed to be a “commodity pool operator” under the CEA, and, accordingly, they are not subject to registration or regulation as such under the CEA.

Upon entering into futures contracts, in compliance with the SEC’s requirements, cash or liquid securities, equal in value to the amount of the Fund’s obligation under the contract (less any applicable margin deposits and any assets that constitute “cover” for such obligation), will be segregated with the Fund’s custodian.

Unlike when the Fund purchases or sells a security, no price is paid or received by the Fund upon the purchase or sale of a futures contract, although the Fund is required to deposit with its custodian in a segregated account in the name of the futures broker an amount of cash and/or U.S. Government securities in order to initiate and maintain open positions in futures contracts. This amount is known as “initial margin.” The nature of initial margin in futures transactions is different from that of margin in security transactions, in that futures contract margin does not involve the borrowing of funds by the Fund to finance the transactions. Rather, initial margin is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit intended to assure completion of the contract (delivery or acceptance of the underlying security or other asset) that is returned to the Fund upon termination of the futures contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Minimum initial margin requirements are established by the relevant futures exchange and may be changed. Brokers may establish deposit requirements which are higher than the exchange minimums. Futures contracts are customarily purchased and sold on margin which may range upward from less than 5% of the value of the contract being traded. Subsequent payments, called “variation margin,” to and from the broker (or the custodian) are made on a daily basis as the price of the underlying security or other asset fluctuates, a process known as “marking to market.” If the futures contract price changes to the extent that the

 

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margin on deposit does not satisfy margin requirements, payment of additional variation margin will be required. Conversely, a change in the contract value may reduce the required margin, resulting in a repayment of excess margin to the contract holder. Variation margin payments are made for as long as the contract remains open. The Fund expects to earn interest income on its margin deposits.

Although futures contracts by their terms call for actual delivery or acceptance of securities or other assets (stock index futures contracts or futures contracts that reference other intangible assets do not permit delivery of the referenced assets), the contracts usually are closed out before the settlement date without the making or taking of delivery. The Fund may elect to close some or all of its futures positions at any time prior to their expiration. The purpose of taking such action would be to reduce or eliminate the hedge position then currently held by the Fund. Closing out an open futures position is done by taking an opposite position (“buying” a contract which has previously been “sold,” “selling” a contract previously “purchased”) in an identical contract (i.e., the same aggregate amount of the specific type of security or other asset with the same delivery date) to terminate the position. Final determinations are made as to whether the price of the initial sale of the futures contract exceeds or is below the price of the offsetting purchase, or whether the purchase price exceeds or is below the offsetting sale price. Final determinations of variation margin are then made, additional cash is required to be paid by or released to the Fund, and the Fund realizes a loss or a gain. Brokerage commissions are incurred when a futures contract is bought or sold.

Successful use of futures contracts by the Fund is subject to the Advisor’s ability to predict correctly movements in the direction of interest rates and other factors affecting securities and commodities markets. This requires different skills and techniques than those required to predict changes in the prices of individual securities. The Fund, therefore, bears the risk that future market trends will be incorrectly predicted.

The risk of loss in trading futures contracts in some strategies can be substantial, due both to the relatively low margin deposits required and the potential for an extremely high degree of leverage involved in futures contracts. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in an immediate and substantial loss to the investor. For example, if at the time of purchase, 10% of the value of the futures contract is deposited as margin, a subsequent 10% decrease in the value of the futures contract would result in a total loss of the margin deposit, before any deduction for the transaction costs, if the account were then closed out. A 15% decrease would result in a loss equal to 150% of the original margin deposit if the contract were closed out. Thus, a purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount posted as initial margin for the contract.

In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments in order to maintain its required margin. In such a situation, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities in order to meet daily margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. The inability to close the futures position also could have an adverse impact on the ability to hedge effectively.

To reduce or eliminate a hedge position held by the Fund, the Fund may seek to close out a position. The ability to establish and close out positions will be subject to the development and maintenance of a liquid secondary market. It is not certain that this market will develop or continue to exist for a particular futures contract, which may limit the Fund’s ability to realize its profits or limit its losses. Reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there may be insufficient trading interest in certain contracts; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions, closing transactions or both; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of contracts, or underlying securities; (iv) unusual or unforeseen circumstances, such as volume in excess of trading or clearing capability, may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v) the facilities of an exchange or a clearing corporation may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or (vi) one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of contracts (or a particular class or series of contracts), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in the class or series of contracts) would cease to exist, although outstanding contracts on the exchange that had been issued by a clearing corporation as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.

Interest Rate Futures Contracts. Bond prices are established in both the cash market and the futures market. In the cash market, bonds are purchased and sold with payment for the full purchase price of the bond being made in cash, generally within five business days after the trade. In the futures market, a contract is made to purchase or sell a bond in the future for a set price on a certain date. Historically, the prices for bonds established in the futures

 

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markets have tended to move generally in the aggregate in concert with the cash market prices and have maintained fairly predictable relationships. Accordingly, the Fund may use interest rate futures contracts as a defense, or hedge, against anticipated interest rate changes. The Fund presently could accomplish a similar result to that which it hopes to achieve through the use of interest rate futures contracts by selling bonds with long maturities and investing in bonds with short maturities when interest rates are expected to increase, or conversely, selling bonds with short maturities and investing in bonds with long maturities when interest rates are expected to decline. However, because of the liquidity that is often available in the futures market, the protection is more likely to be achieved, perhaps at a lower cost and without changing the rate of interest being earned by the Fund, through using futures contracts.

Interest rate futures contracts are traded in an auction environment on the floors of several exchanges – principally, the Chicago Board of Trade, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the New York Futures Exchange. Each exchange guarantees performance under contract provisions through a clearing corporation, a nonprofit organization managed by the exchange membership. A public market exists in futures contracts covering various financial instruments including long-term U.S. Treasury Bonds and Notes; GNMA modified pass-through mortgage backed securities; three-month U.S. Treasury Bills; and ninety-day commercial paper. The Fund may also invest in exchange-traded Eurodollar contracts, which are interest rate futures on the forward level of LIBOR. These contracts are generally considered liquid securities and trade on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Such Eurodollar contracts are generally used to “lock-in” or hedge the future level of short-term rates. The Fund may trade in any interest rate futures contracts for which there exists a public market, including, without limitation, the foregoing instruments.

Index Futures Contracts. An index futures contract is a contract to buy or sell units of an index at a specified future date at a price agreed upon when the contract is made. Entering into a contract to buy units of an index is commonly referred to as buying or purchasing a contract or holding a long position in the index. Entering into a contract to sell units of an index is commonly referred to as selling a contract or holding a short position in the index. A unit is the current value of the index. The Fund may enter into stock index futures contracts, debt index futures contracts, or other index futures contracts appropriate to its objective(s).

There are several risks in connection with the use by the Fund of index futures as a hedging device. One risk arises because of the imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of the index futures and movements in the prices of securities which are the subject of the hedges. The Advisor will attempt to reduce this risk by selling, to the extent possible, futures on indices the movements of which will, in its judgment, have a significant correlation with movements in the prices of the Fund’s portfolio securities sought to be hedged.

Municipal Bond Index Futures Contracts. Municipal bond index futures contracts may act as a hedge against changes in market conditions. A municipal bond index assigns values daily to the municipal bonds included in the index based on the independent assessment of dealer-to-dealer municipal bond brokers. A municipal bond index futures contract represents a firm commitment by which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount equal to a specified dollar amount multiplied by the difference between the municipal bond index value on the last trading date of the contract and the price at which the futures contract is originally struck. No physical delivery of the underlying securities in the index is made.

Options on Futures Contracts. The Fund may purchase and write call and put options on those futures contracts that it is permitted to buy or sell. The Fund may use such options on futures contracts in lieu of writing options directly on the underlying securities or other assets or purchasing and selling the underlying futures contracts. Such options generally operate in the same manner as options purchased or written directly on the underlying investments. A futures option gives the holder, in return for the premium paid, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the writer of the option a futures contract at a specified price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise, the writer of the option is obligated to pay the difference between the cash value of the futures contract and the exercise price. Like the buyer or seller of a futures contract, the holder or writer of an option has the right to terminate its position prior to the scheduled expiration of the option by selling or purchasing an option of the same series, at which time the person entering into the closing purchase transaction will realize a gain or loss. There is no guarantee that such closing purchase transactions can be effected.

The Fund will enter into written options on futures contracts only when, in compliance with the SEC’s requirements, cash or liquid securities equal in value to the underlying security’s or other asset’s value (less any applicable margin deposits) have been deposited in a segregated account. The Fund will be required to deposit initial

 

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margin and maintenance margin with respect to put and call options on futures contracts written by it pursuant to brokers’ requirements similar to those described above.

Investments in futures options involve some of the same risks that are involved in connection with investments in futures contracts (for example, the existence of a liquid secondary market). In addition, the purchase of an option also entails the risk that changes in the value of the underlying futures contract will not be fully reflected in the value of the option purchased. There may be circumstances when the purchase of a call or put option on a futures contract would result in a loss to the Fund when the purchase or sale of a futures contract would not, such as when there is no movement in the prices of the hedged investments. In general, the market prices of options can be expected to be more volatile than the market prices on the underlying futures contracts. Compared to the purchase or sale of futures contracts, however, the purchase of call or put options on futures contracts may frequently involve less potential risk to the Fund because the maximum amount at risk is the premium paid for the options (plus transaction costs).

Successful use of index futures by the Fund is also subject to the Advisor’s ability to predict correctly movements in the direction of the market. It is possible that, for example, where the Fund has sold futures to hedge its portfolio against a decline in the market, the index on which the futures are written may advance and the value of securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may decline. If this occurred, the Fund would lose money on the futures and also experience a decline in the value of its portfolio securities, as the Fund’s ability to effectively hedge all or a portion of the securities in its portfolio, in anticipation of or during a market decline, through transactions in futures or put options on stock indices, depends on the degree to which price movements in the underlying index correlate with the price movements of the securities held by the Fund. Inasmuch as the Fund’s securities will not duplicate the components of an index, the correlation will not be perfect. Consequently, the Fund bears the risk that the prices of its securities being hedged will not move to the same extent as do the prices of its put options on the stock indices. It is also possible that, if the Fund has hedged against the possibility of a decline in the market adversely affecting securities held in its portfolio and securities prices increase instead, the Fund will lose part or all of the benefit of the increased values of those securities that it has hedged, because it will have offsetting losses in its futures positions. In addition, in such situations, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell securities to meet daily variation margin requirements.

In addition to the possibility that there may be an imperfect correlation, or no correlation at all, between movements in the index futures and the securities of the portfolio being hedged, the prices of index futures may not correlate perfectly with movements in the underlying index due to certain market distortions. First, all participants in the futures markets are subject to margin deposit and maintenance requirements. Rather than meeting additional margin deposit requirements, investors may close futures contracts through offsetting transactions, which would distort the normal relationship between the index and futures markets. Second, margin requirements in the futures market are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities market, and as a result, the futures market may attract more speculators than the securities market. Increased participation by speculators in the futures market may also cause temporary price distortions. Due to the possibility of price distortions in the futures market, and also because of the imperfect correlation between movements in an index and movements in the prices of index futures, even a correct forecast of general market trends by the Advisor may still not result in a successful hedging transaction.

There is also the risk of loss by the Fund of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom the Fund has an open position in a futures contract or related option. Most futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in some contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of contract, no trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movement during a particular trading day and, therefore, does not limit potential losses, because the limit may prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. Futures contract prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and subjecting some futures traders to substantial losses.

Options on Index Futures Contracts. The Fund may also purchase and sell options on index futures contracts. Options on index futures give the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in an index futures contract (a long position if the option is a call and a short position if the option is a put), at a specified

 

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exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of the option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the accumulated balance in the writer’s futures margin account, which represents the amount by which the market price of the index futures contract, at exercise, exceeds (in the case of a call) or is less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option on the index future. If an option is exercised on the last trading day prior to the expiration date of the option, the settlement will be made entirely in cash equal to the difference between the exercise price of the option and the closing level of the index on which the future is based on the expiration date. Purchasers of options who fail to exercise their options prior to the exercise date suffer a loss of the premium paid.

There are various risks in connection with the use by the Fund of index futures as a hedging device. For example, a risk arises because of the imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of the index futures and movements in the prices of securities which are the subject of the hedges. The Advisor will attempt to reduce this risk by selling, to the extent possible, futures on indices the movements of which will, in its judgment, have a significant correlation with movements in the prices of the Fund’s portfolio securities sought to be hedged; there can be no assurance that the Advisor will be successful in doing so.

Use by Tax-Exempt Funds of Interest Rate and U.S. Treasury Security Futures Contracts and Options. The Fund investing in tax-exempt securities may purchase and sell futures contracts and related options on interest rate and U.S. Treasury securities when, in the opinion of the Advisor, price movements in these security futures and related options will correlate closely with price movements in the tax-exempt securities which are the subject of the hedge. Interest rate and U.S. Treasury securities futures contracts require the seller to deliver, or the purchaser to take delivery of, the type of security called for in the contract at a specified date and price. Options on interest rate and U.S. Treasury security futures contracts give the purchaser the right in return for the premium paid to assume a position in a futures contract at the specified option exercise price at any time during the period of the option.

In addition to the risks generally involved in using futures contracts, there is also a risk that price movements in interest rate and U.S. Treasury security futures contracts and related options will not correlate closely with price movements in markets for tax-exempt securities.

Stock Options and Stock Index Options

The Fund may purchase and write (i.e., sell) put and call options. Such options may relate to particular stocks or stock indices, and may or may not be listed on a domestic or foreign securities exchange and may or may not be issued by the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC). Stock index options are put options and call options on various stock indices. In most respects, they are identical to listed options on common stocks.

There is a key difference between stock options and stock index options in connection with their exercise. In the case of stock options, the underlying security, common stock, is delivered. However, upon the exercise of an index option, settlement does not occur by delivery of the securities comprising the index. The option holder who exercises the index option receives an amount of cash if the closing level of the stock index upon which the option is based is greater than (in the case of a call) or less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option. This amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the stock index and the exercise price of the option expressed in dollars times a specified multiple. A stock index fluctuates with changes in the market value of the securities included in the index. For example, some stock index options are based on a broad market index, such as the S&P 500® Index or a narrower market index, such as the S&P 100® Index. Indices may also be based on an industry or market segment, such as the AMEX Oil and Gas Index or the Computer and Business Equipment Index.

The successful use of the Fund’s options strategies depends on the ability of the Advisor to forecast interest rate and market movements correctly. When it purchases an option, the Fund runs the risk that it will lose its entire investment in the option in a relatively short period of time, unless the Fund exercises the option or enters into a closing sale transaction for such option during the life of the option. If the price of the underlying security does not rise (in the case of a call) or fall (in the case of a put) to an extent sufficient to cover the option premium and transaction costs, the Fund will lose part or all of its investment in the option. This contrasts with an investment by the Fund in the underlying securities, since the Fund may continue to hold its investment in those securities notwithstanding the lack of a change in price of those securities.

The effective use of options also depends on the Fund’s ability to terminate option positions at times when the Advisor deems it desirable to do so. Although the Fund will take an option position only if the Advisor believes

 

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there is a liquid secondary market for the option, there is no assurance that the Fund will be able to effect closing transactions at any particular time or at an acceptable price.

If a secondary trading market in options were to become unavailable, the Fund could no longer engage in closing transactions. The writer in such circumstances would be subject to the risk of market decline or appreciation in the instrument during such period. If an option purchased by the Fund expires unexercised, the Fund will realize a loss equal to the premium paid. Reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options, or underlying securities; (iv) unusual or unforeseen circumstances, such as volume in excess of trading or clearing capability, may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v) the facilities of an exchange or a clearing corporation may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or (vi) one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in the class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options on the exchange that had been issued by a clearing corporation as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.

Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying options purchased or sold by the Fund could result in losses on the options. If trading is interrupted in an underlying security, the trading of options on that security is normally halted as well. As a result, the Fund as purchaser or writer of an option will be unable to close out its positions until options trading resumes, and it may be faced with losses if trading in the security reopens at a substantially different price. In addition, the OCC or other options markets may impose exercise restrictions. If a prohibition on exercise is imposed at a time when trading in the option has also been halted, the Fund as purchaser or writer of an option will be locked into its position until one of the two restrictions has been lifted. If a prohibition on exercise remains in effect until an option owned by the Fund has expired, the Fund could lose the entire value of its option.

Special risks are presented by internationally traded options. Because of time differences between the United States and various foreign countries, and because different holidays are observed in different countries, foreign options markets may be open for trading during hours or on days when U.S. markets are closed. As a result, option premiums may not reflect the current prices of the underlying interest in the United States.

Dealer (Over-the-Counter) Options. Dealer options are options negotiated individually through dealers rather than traded on an exchange. Certain risks are specific to dealer options. While the Fund might look to a clearing corporation to exercise exchange-traded options, if the Fund purchases a dealer option it must rely on the selling dealer to perform if the Fund exercises the option. Failure by the dealer to do so would result in the loss of the premium paid by the Fund as well as loss of the expected benefit of the transaction. Exchange-traded options generally have a continuous liquid market while dealer options more often may not. Consequently, the Fund can realize the value of a dealer option it has purchased only by exercising or reselling the option to the issuing dealer. Similarly, when the Fund writes a dealer option, the Fund can close out the option prior to its expiration only by entering into a closing purchase transaction with the dealer. While the Fund seeks to enter into dealer options only with dealers who will agree to and can enter into closing transactions with the Fund, no assurance exists that the Fund will at any time be able to liquidate a dealer option at a favorable price at any time prior to expiration. Unless the Fund, as a covered dealer call option writer, can effect a closing purchase transaction, it will not be able to liquidate securities (or other assets) used as cover until the option expires or is exercised. In the event of insolvency of the other party, the Fund may be unable to liquidate a dealer option. With respect to options written by the Fund, the inability to enter into a closing transaction may result in material losses to the Fund. For example, because the Fund must maintain a secured position with respect to any call option on a security it writes, the Fund may not sell the assets, which it has segregated to secure the position while it is obligated under the option. This requirement may impair the Fund’s ability to sell portfolio securities at a time when such sale might be advantageous.

The Fund generally will treat purchased dealer options as illiquid securities. The Fund may treat the cover used for written dealer options as liquid if the dealer agrees that the Fund may repurchase the dealer option it has written for a maximum price to be calculated by a predetermined formula. In such cases, the dealer option would be considered illiquid only to the extent the maximum purchase price under the formula exceeds the intrinsic value of the option.

 

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Writing Covered Options. The Fund may write covered call options and covered put options on securities held in its portfolio when, in the opinion of the Advisor, such transactions are consistent with the Fund’s investment goal and policies. Call options written by the Fund give the purchaser the right to buy the underlying securities from the Fund at the stated exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option, regardless of the security’s market price; put options give the purchaser the right to sell the underlying securities to the Fund at the stated exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option, regardless of the security’s market price.

The Fund may write only covered options, which means that, so long as the Fund is obligated as the writer of a call option, it will own the underlying securities subject to the option (or comparable securities satisfying the cover requirements of securities exchanges). In the case of put options, the Fund will hold cash and/or high-grade short-term debt obligations equal to the price to be paid if the option is exercised. In addition, the Fund will be considered to have covered a put or call option if and to the extent that it holds an option that offsets some or all of the risk of the option it has written. The Fund may write combinations of covered puts and calls (straddles) on the same underlying security.

The Fund will receive a premium from writing a put or call option, which increases the Fund’s return on the underlying security if the option expires unexercised or is closed out at a profit. The amount of the premium reflects, among other things, the relationship between the exercise price and the current market value of the underlying security, the volatility of the underlying security, the amount of time remaining until expiration, current interest rates, and the effect of supply and demand in the options market and in the market for the underlying security. By writing a call option, the Fund limits its opportunity to profit from any increase in the market value of the underlying security above the exercise price of the option but continues to bear the risk of a decline in the value of the underlying security. By writing a put option, the Fund assumes the risk that it may be required to purchase the underlying security for an exercise price higher than the security’s then-current market value, resulting in a potential capital loss unless the security subsequently appreciates in value.

The Fund’s obligation to sell an instrument subject to a call option written by it, or to purchase an instrument subject to a put option written by it, may be terminated prior to the expiration date of the option by the Fund’s execution of a closing purchase transaction, which is effected by purchasing on an exchange an offsetting option of the same series (i.e., same underlying instrument, exercise price and expiration date) as the option previously written. A closing purchase transaction will ordinarily be effected in order to realize a profit on an outstanding option, to prevent an underlying instrument from being called, to permit the sale of the underlying instrument or to permit the writing of a new option containing different terms on such underlying instrument. The Fund realizes a profit or loss from a closing purchase transaction if the cost of the transaction (option premium plus transaction costs) is less or more than the premium received from writing the option. Because increases in the market price of a call option generally reflect increases in the market price of the security underlying the option, any loss resulting from a closing purchase transaction may be offset in whole or in part by unrealized appreciation of the underlying security.

If the Fund writes a call option but does not own the underlying security, and when it writes a put option, the Fund may be required to deposit cash or securities with its broker as “margin” or collateral for its obligation to buy or sell the underlying security. As the value of the underlying security varies, the Fund may also have to deposit additional margin with the broker. Margin requirements are complex and are fixed by individual brokers, subject to minimum requirements currently imposed by the Federal Reserve Board and by stock exchanges and other self-regulatory organizations.

Purchasing Put Options. The Fund may purchase put options to protect its portfolio holdings in an underlying security against a decline in market value. Such hedge protection is provided during the life of the put option since the Fund, as holder of the put option, is able to sell the underlying security at the put exercise price regardless of any decline in the underlying security’s market price. For a put option to be profitable, the market price of the underlying security must decline sufficiently below the exercise price to cover the premium and transaction costs. By using put options in this manner, the Fund will reduce any profit it might otherwise have realized from appreciation of the underlying security by the premium paid for the put option and by transaction costs.

Purchasing Call Options. The Fund may purchase call options to hedge against an increase in the price of securities that the Fund wants ultimately to buy. Such hedge protection is provided during the life of the call option since the Fund, as holder of the call option, is able to buy the underlying security at the exercise price regardless of

 

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any increase in the underlying security’s market price. In order for a call option to be profitable, the market price of the underlying security must rise sufficiently above the exercise price to cover the premium and transaction costs. These costs will reduce any profit the Fund might have realized had it bought the underlying security at the time it purchased the call option.

Over-the-Counter (OTC) Options. The Fund will enter into OTC options transactions only with primary dealers in U.S. Government securities and, in the case of OTC options written by the Fund, only pursuant to agreements that will assure that the Fund will at all times have the right to repurchase the option written by it from the dealer at a specified formula price. The Fund will treat the amount by which such formula price exceeds the amount, if any, by which the option may be “in-the-money” as an illiquid investment. It is the present policy of the Fund not to enter into any OTC option transaction if, as a result, more than 15% (10% in some cases, refer to your Fund’s prospectuses) of the Fund’s net assets would be invested in (i) illiquid investments (determined under the foregoing formula) relating to OTC options written by the Fund, (ii) OTC options purchased by the Fund, (iii) securities which are not readily marketable, and (iv) repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days.

Index Options. As an alternative to purchasing call and put options on index futures, the Fund may purchase call and put options on the underlying indices themselves. Such options could be used in a manner identical to the use of options on index futures. Options involving securities indices provide the holder with the right to make or receive a cash settlement upon exercise of the option based on movements in the relevant index. Such options must be listed on a national securities exchange and issued by the OCC. Such options may relate to particular securities or to various stock indices, except that the Fund may not write covered options on an index.

Foreign Stock Index Options. The Fund may, for the purpose of hedging its portfolio, subject to applicable securities regulations, purchase and write put and call options on foreign stock indices listed on foreign and domestic stock exchanges.

Swap Agreements

Swap agreements are derivative instruments that can be individually negotiated and structured to include exposure to a variety of different types of investments or market factors. Depending on their structure, swap agreements may increase or decrease the Fund’s exposure to long- or short-term interest rates, foreign currency values, mortgage securities, corporate borrowing rates, or other factors such as security prices or inflation rates. The Fund may enter into a variety of swap agreements, including interest rate, index, commodity, equity, credit default and currency exchange rate swap agreements, and other types of swap agreements such as caps, collars and floors. The Fund also may enter into swaptions, which are options to enter into a swap agreement.

In a typical interest rate swap, one party agrees to make regular payments equal to a floating interest rate times a “notional principal amount,” in return for payments equal to a fixed rate times the same amount, for a specified period of time. If a swap agreement provides for payments in different currencies, the parties might agree to exchange notional principal amount as well. In a total return swap agreement, the non-floating rate side of the swap is based on the total return of an individual security, a basket of securities, an index or another reference asset. Swaps may also depend on other prices or rates, such as the value of an index or mortgage prepayment rates.

In a typical cap or floor agreement, one party agrees to make payments only under specified circumstances, usually in return for payment of a fee by the other party. For example, the buyer of an interest rate cap obtains the right to receive payments to the extent that a specified interest rate exceeds an agreed-upon level, while the seller of an interest rate floor is obligated to make payments to the extent that a specified interest rate falls below an agreed-upon level. Caps and floors have an effect similar to buying or writing options. A collar combines elements of buying a cap and selling a floor.

Swap agreements will tend to shift the Fund’s investment exposure from one type of investment to another. For example, if the Fund agreed to pay fixed rates in exchange for floating rates while holding fixed-rate bonds, the swap would tend to decrease the Fund’s exposure to long-term interest rates. Another example is if the Fund agreed to exchange payments in dollars for payments in foreign currency, the swap agreement would tend to decrease the Fund’s exposure to U.S. interest rates and increase its exposure to foreign currency and interest rates.

 

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Swap agreements are sophisticated hedging instruments that typically involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of risks assumed. As a result, swaps can be highly volatile and may have a considerable impact on the Fund’s performance. Depending on how they are used, swap agreements may increase or decrease the overall volatility of the Fund’s investments and its share price and yield. Additionally, whether the Fund’s use of swap agreements will be successful in furthering its investment objective will depend on the Advisor’s ability correctly to predict whether certain types of investments likely are to produce greater returns than other investments. Because they are two party contracts and because they may have terms of greater than seven days, swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid. Moreover, the Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. The most significant factor in the performance of swap agreements is the change in the specific interest rate, currency, or other factor that determines the amounts of payments due to and from the Fund. If a swap agreement calls for payments by the Fund, the Fund must be prepared to make such payments when due. In addition, if the counterparty’s creditworthiness declines, the value of a swap agreement likely would decline, potentially resulting in losses for the Fund. The Fund will closely monitor the credit of a swap agreement counterparty in order to attempt to minimize this risk. The Fund may also suffer losses if it is unable to terminate outstanding swap agreements (either by assignment or other disposition) or reduce its exposure through offsetting transactions (i.e., by entering into an offsetting swap agreement with the same party or a similarly creditworthy party).

Credit Default Swap Agreements. The Fund may enter into credit default swap agreements, which may have as reference obligations one or more securities or a basket of securities that are or are not currently held by the Fund. The protection “buyer” in a credit default contract is generally obligated to pay the protection “seller” an upfront or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract provided that no credit event, such as a default, on a reference obligation has occurred. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the “par value” (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. If the Fund is a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Fund may recover nothing if the swap is held through its termination date. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer generally may elect to receive the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity whose value may have significantly decreased. As a seller, the Fund generally receives an upfront payment or a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the swap provided that there is no credit event. As the seller, the Fund would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap.

Credit default swap agreements may involve greater risks than if the Fund had invested in the reference obligation directly since, in addition to risks relating to the reference obligation, credit default swaps are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk and credit risk. The Fund will enter into credit default swap agreements generally with counterparties that meet certain standards of creditworthiness. A buyer generally will lose its investment and recover nothing if no credit event occurs and the swap is held to its termination date. If a credit event were to occur, the value of any deliverable obligation received by the seller, coupled with the upfront or periodic payments previously received, may be less than the full notional value it pays to the buyer, resulting in a loss of value to the seller.

Equity Swaps. The Fund may engage in equity swaps. Equity swaps allow the parties to the swap agreement to exchange components of return on one equity investment (e.g., a basket of equity securities or an index) for a component of return on another non-equity or equity investment, including an exchange of differential rates of return. Equity swaps may be used to invest in a market without owning or taking physical custody of securities in circumstances where direct investment may be restricted for legal reasons or is otherwise impractical. Equity swaps also may be used for other purposes, such as hedging or seeking to increase total return.

The values of equity swaps can be very volatile. To the extent that the Advisor does not accurately analyze and predict the potential relative fluctuation on the components swapped with the other party, the Fund may suffer a loss. The value of some components of an equity swap (such as the dividend on a common stock) may also be sensitive to changes in interest rates. Furthermore, during the period a swap is outstanding, the Fund may suffer a loss if the counterparty defaults.

Total Return Swap Agreements. Total return swap agreements are contracts in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the change in market value of the assets underlying the contract, which

 

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may include a specified security, basket of securities or securities indices during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from other underlying assets. Total return swap agreements may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Total return swap agreements may effectively add leverage to the Fund’s portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap.

Total return swap agreements are subject to the risk that a counterparty will default on its payment obligations to the Fund thereunder, and conversely, that the Fund will not be able to meet its obligation to the counterparty. Generally, the Fund will enter into total return swaps on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted against one another with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments). The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each total return swap will be accrued on a daily basis, and an amount of liquid assets having an aggregate net asset value at least equal to the accrued excess will be segregated by the Fund. If the total return swap transaction is entered into on other than a net basis, the full amount of the Fund’s obligations will be accrued on a daily basis, and the full amount of the Fund’s obligations will be segregated by the Fund in an amount equal to or greater than the market value of the liabilities under the total return swap agreement or the amount it would have cost the Fund initially to make an equivalent direct investment, plus or minus any amount the Fund is obligated to pay or is to receive under the total return swap agreement.

Variance, Volatility and Correlation Swap Agreements. Variance and volatility swaps are contracts that provide exposure to increases or decreases in the volatility of certain referenced assets. Correlation swaps are contracts that provide exposure to increases or decreases in the correlation between the prices of different assets or different market rates.

Dollar Rolls

Dollar rolls involve selling securities (e.g., mortgage-backed securities or U.S. Treasury securities) and simultaneously entering into a commitment to purchase those or similar (same collateral type, coupon and maturity) securities on a specified future date and price. Mortgage dollar rolls and U.S. Treasury rolls are types of dollar rolls. The Fund foregoes principal and interest paid on the securities during the “roll” period. The Fund is compensated by the difference between the current sales price and the lower forward price for the future purchase of the securities as well as the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the initial sale.

Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Fund is obligated to repurchase may decline below the repurchase price or that the transaction costs may exceed the return earned by the Fund from the transaction. Dollar rolls also involve risk to the Fund if the other party should default on its obligation and the Fund is delayed or prevented from completing the transaction. In the event that the buyer of securities under a dollar roll files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the Fund’s use of proceeds of the dollar roll may be restricted pending a determination by the other party, or its trustee or receiver, whether to enforce the Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities. In addition, the security to be delivered in the future may turn out to be inferior to the security sold upon entering into the transaction.

Foreign Currency Transactions

Foreign currency transactions may be used to protect, to some extent, against uncertainty in the level of future currency exchange rates by establishing a fixed exchange rate. Foreign currency transactions may involve the purchase or sale of foreign currencies on a “spot” (cash) basis at the prevailing exchange rate or may involve “forward contracts” that allow the Fund to purchase or sell foreign currencies at a future date. Forward contracts may be used for “transaction hedging,” “position hedging” and “cross-hedging.” The Fund may use forward sale contracts to sell an amount of a foreign currency approximating the value of the Fund’s securities denominated in the foreign security when that foreign currency suffers a substantial decline against the U.S. dollar. The Fund may use forward purchase contracts to purchase a foreign currency when it is believed that the U.S. dollar may suffer a substantial decline against the foreign currency. Although these transactions tend to minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency, they also tend to limit any potential gain that might be realized if the value of the hedged currency increases.

 

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Transaction hedging may allow the Fund to “lock in” the U.S. dollar price of a security it has agreed to purchase or sell, or the U.S. dollar equivalent of a dividend or interest rate payment in a foreign currency. The Fund may use transaction hedging to protect itself against a possible loss resulting from an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the applicable foreign currency during the period between the date on which the security is purchased or sold, or on which the dividend or interest payment is declared, and the date on which such payments are made or received.

Position hedging may allow the Fund to protect against an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the applicable foreign currencies in which its portfolio securities are denominated. The Fund may use position hedging when it is believed that the U.S. dollar may suffer a decline against the foreign currency by entering into a forward purchase contract to purchase that foreign currency for a fixed dollar amount.

Cross-hedging may allow the Fund to enter into a forward contract to sell a different foreign currency for a fixed U.S. dollar amount when it is believed that the U.S. dollar value of the currency to be sold pursuant to the forward contract will fall if there is a decline in the U.S. dollar value of the currency in which the Fund’s securities are denominated.

The Fund also may purchase exchange-listed and over-the-counter call and put options on foreign currencies and foreign currency contracts. Options on foreign currencies and foreign currency contracts give the holder a right to buy or sell the underlying foreign currencies or foreign currency contracts for a specified period of time and for a specified amount. The value of an option on foreign currencies or foreign currency contracts reflects the value of an exchange rate, which depends on the relative values of the U.S. dollar and the relevant foreign currency.

Engaging in foreign currency transactions is subject to certain risks. For example, if the value of a foreign currency were to decline against the U.S. dollar, such decline would reduce the dollar value of any securities held by the Fund denominated in that currency. It is impossible to forecast with precision the market value of portfolio securities at the expiration or maturity of a forward or futures contract, which may make it necessary for the Fund to purchase additional foreign currency on the spot market if the market value of the security being hedged is less than the amount of foreign currency the Fund is obligated to deliver at the time the Fund sells the security being hedged. The value of any currency, including the U.S. dollar, may be affected by political and economic factors applicable to the issuer’s country. The exchange rates of currencies also may be affected adversely by governmental actions. Transaction, position and cross-hedging do not eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of securities that the Fund owns or intends to purchase or sell and may limit the amount of potential gain that might result from the increase in value of the currency being hedged. Settlement procedures relating to the Fund’s foreign currency transactions may be more complex than those relating to investments in securities of U.S. issuers.

Foreign Securities

Foreign securities include debt, equity and derivative securities that the Advisor determines are “foreign” based on the consideration of an issuer’s domicile, its principal place of business, its primary stock exchange listing, the source of its revenue or other factors. Foreign securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Fund Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Fund Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Fund Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Foreign securities may include depositary receipts, such as American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), European Depositary Receipts (EDRs) and Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs). ADRs are U.S. dollar-denominated receipts issued in registered form by a domestic bank or trust company that evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign issuer. EDRs are foreign currency-denominated receipts issued in Europe, typically by foreign banks or trust companies and foreign branches of domestic banks, that evidence ownership of foreign or domestic securities. GDRs are receipts structured similarly to ADRs and EDRs and are marketed globally. Depositary receipts will not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities. In general, ADRs, in registered form, are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, and EDRs, in bearer form, are designed for use in European securities markets. GDRs are tradable both in the United States and in Europe and are designed for use throughout the world. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts through “sponsored” or “unsponsored” facilities. A sponsored facility is established jointly by the issuer of the underlying security and a depositary, whereas a

 

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depositary may establish an unsponsored facility without participation by the issuer of the deposited security. Holders of unsponsored depositary receipts generally bear all the costs of such facilities and the depositary of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute interestholder communications received from the issuer of the deposited security or to pass through voting rights to the holders of such receipts in respect of the deposited securities. The issuers of unsponsored depositary receipts are not obligated to disclose material information in the United States, and, therefore, there may be limited information available regarding such issuers and/or limited correlation between available information and the market value of the depositary receipts.

Investing in foreign securities is subject to certain risks. For example, foreign markets can be extremely volatile. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates also may impact the value of foreign securities denominated in foreign currencies or U.S. dollars, without a change in the intrinsic value of those securities. Additionally, the U.S. dollar value of a foreign security tends to decrease when the value of the U.S. dollar rises against the foreign currency in which the security is denominated and tends to increase when the value of the U.S. dollar falls against such currency. The Fund may attempt to minimize the risk from adverse changes in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies by purchasing and selling forward foreign currency exchange contracts and foreign currency futures contracts and related options. Foreign securities may be less liquid than domestic securities so that the Fund may, at times, be unable to sell foreign securities at desirable prices. Brokerage commissions, custodial fees and other fees also are generally higher for foreign securities. The Fund may have limited legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain debt securities issued by foreign governments. In addition, foreign governments may impose potentially confiscatory withholding or other taxes, which would reduce the Fund’s return on these securities. Other risks include: possible delays in the settlement of transactions or in the notification of income; generally less publicly available information about companies; adverse impact of political, social or diplomatic events; possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of a company or its assets; possible imposition of currency exchange controls; and that foreign companies generally are not subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards comparable to those mandated for domestic companies.

Risks associated with investments in foreign securities are increased with respect to investments in emerging market countries. Political and economic structures in many emerging market countries, especially those in Eastern Europe, the Pacific Basin and the Far East, are undergoing significant evolutionary changes and rapid development, and may lack the social, political and economic stability of more developed countries. Investing in emerging market securities also involves risks beyond the risks applicable to foreign investments. For example, some emerging market countries may have fixed or managed currencies that are not free-floating against the U.S. dollar. Further, certain currencies may not be traded internationally, and some countries with emerging securities markets have sustained long periods of very high inflation or rapid fluctuation in inflation rates which can have negative effects on a country’s economy and securities markets.

Guaranteed Investment Contracts (Funding Agreements)

Guaranteed investment contracts, or funding agreements, are debt instruments issued by insurance companies. Pursuant to such contracts, the Fund may make cash contributions to a deposit fund of the insurance company’s general account. The insurance company then credits to the Fund payments at negotiated, floating or fixed interest rates. The Fund will purchase guaranteed investment contracts only from issuers that, at the time of purchase, meet certain credit and quality standards.

Investing in guaranteed investment contracts is subject to certain risks. In general, guaranteed investment contracts are not assignable or transferable without the permission of the issuing insurance companies, and an active secondary market does not exist for these investments. In addition, the issuer may not be able to pay the principal amount to the Fund on seven days notice or less, at which time the investment may be considered illiquid under applicable SEC regulatory guidance and subject to certain restrictions.

Illiquid Securities

Illiquid securities are defined by the Fund consistent with SEC staff’s current guidance and interpretations which provide that an illiquid security is an asset which may not be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the value at which the Fund has valued the investment on its books. Some securities, such as those not registered under U.S. securities laws, cannot be sold in public transactions.

 

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Subject to its investment policies, the Fund may invest in illiquid investments and may invest in certain restricted securities that are deemed to be illiquid securities.

Investments in Other Investment Companies

Investing in other investment companies may be a means by which the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective. The Fund may invest in securities issued by other investment companies within the limits prescribed by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive orders currently or in the future obtained by the Fund from the SEC.

Except with respect to funds structured as funds-of-funds or so-called master/feeder funds, the 1940 Act generally requires that a fund limit its investments in another investment company or series thereof so that, as determined at the time a securities purchase is made: (i) no more than 5% of the value of its total assets will be invested in the securities of any one investment company; (ii) no more than 10% of the value of its total assets will be invested in the aggregate in securities of other investment companies; and (iii) no more than 3% of the outstanding voting stock of any one investment company or series thereof will be owned by a fund or by companies controlled by the fund. Such other investment companies may include ETFs, which are shares of publicly traded unit investment trusts, open-end funds or depositary receipts that seek to track the performance of specific indexes or companies in related industries.

Investing in other investment companies is subject to certain risks. Although a fund may derive certain advantages from being able to invest in shares of other investment companies, such as to be fully invested, there may be potential disadvantages. Investing in other investment companies may result in higher fees and expenses for a fund and its shareholders. A shareholder may be charged fees not only on fund shares held directly but also on the investment company shares that a fund purchases.

In addition, investing in ETFs is subject to certain other risks. ETFs generally are subject to the same risks as the underlying securities the ETFs are designed to track as well as to the risks of the specific sector or industry on which the ETF relates. ETFs also are subject to the risk that their prices may not totally correlate to the prices of the underlying securities the ETFs are designed to track and the risk of possible trading halts due to market conditions or for other reasons.

Under the 1940 Act and rules and regulations thereunder, a fund may purchase shares of other affiliated Columbia Funds, including the Money Market Funds, subject to certain conditions. Investing in affiliated funds may present certain actual or potential conflicts of interest. For more information about such actual and potential conflicts of interest, see Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates Certain Conflicts of Interest.

Low and Below Investment Grade Securities

Low and below investment grade securities (below investment grade securities are also known as “junk bonds”) are debt securities with the lowest investment grade rating (e.g., BBB by S&P and Fitch or Baa by Moody’s), that are below investment grade (e.g., lower than BBB by S&P and Fitch or Baa by Moody’s) or that are unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. These types of securities may be issued to fund corporate transactions or restructurings, such as leveraged buyouts, mergers, acquisitions, debt reclassifications or similar events, are more speculative in nature than securities with higher ratings and tend to be more sensitive to credit risk, particularly during a downturn in the economy. These types of securities generally are issued by unseasoned companies without long track records of sales and earnings, or by companies or municipalities that have questionable credit strength. Low and below investment grade securities and comparable unrated securities: (i) likely will have some quality and protective characteristics that, in the judgment of one or more NRSROs, are outweighed by large uncertainties or major risk exposures to adverse conditions; (ii) are speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation; and (iii) may have a less liquid secondary market, potentially making it difficult to value or sell such securities. Low and below investment grade securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Fund Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Fund Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Fund Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

 

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Investing in low and below investment grade securities and comparable unrated securities is subject to certain risks. The rates of return on these types of securities generally are higher than the rates of return available on more highly rated securities, but generally involve greater volatility of price and risk of loss of principal and income, including the possibility of default by or insolvency of the issuers of such securities. Accordingly, the Fund may be more dependent on the Advisor’s credit analysis with respect to these types of securities than is the case for more highly rated securities.

The market values of certain low and below investment grade securities and comparable unrated securities tend to be more sensitive to individual corporate developments and changes in economic conditions than are the market value of more highly rated securities. In addition, issuers of low and below investment grade and comparable unrated securities often are highly leveraged and may not have more traditional methods of financing available to them, so that their ability to service their debt obligations during an economic downturn or during sustained periods of rising interest rates may be impaired.

The risk of loss due to default is greater for low and below investment grade and comparable unrated securities than it is for higher rated securities because low and below investment grade securities and comparable unrated securities generally are unsecured and frequently are subordinated to more senior indebtedness. The Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent that it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of principal or interest on its holdings of such securities. The existence of limited markets for lower-rated debt securities may diminish the Fund’s ability to: (i) obtain accurate market quotations for purposes of valuing such securities and calculating portfolio net asset value; and (ii) sell the securities at fair market value either to meet redemption requests or to respond to changes in the economy or in financial markets.

Many lower-rated securities are not registered for offer and sale to the public under the 1933 Act. Investments in these restricted securities may be determined to be liquid (able to be sold within seven days at approximately the price at which they are valued by the Fund) pursuant to policies approved by the Fund’s Trustees. Investments in illiquid securities, including restricted securities that have not been determined to be liquid, may not exceed 15% of the Fund’s net assets. The Fund is not otherwise subject to any limitation on its ability to invest in restricted securities. Restricted securities may be less liquid than other lower-rated securities, potentially making it difficult to value or sell such securities.

Money Market Instruments

Money market instruments are high-quality, short-term debt obligations, which include: (i) bank obligations, including certificates of deposit, time deposits and bankers’ acceptances; (ii) funding agreements; (iii) repurchase agreements; (iv) obligations of the United States, foreign countries and supranational entities, and each of their subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities; (v) certain corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper, short-term corporate obligations and extendible commercial notes; (vi) participation interests; and (vii) municipal securities. Money market instruments may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Fund Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations and Permissible Fund Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Investing in money market instruments is subject to certain risks. Money market instruments (other than certain U.S. Government obligations) are not backed or insured by the U.S. Government, its agencies or its instrumentalities. Accordingly, only the creditworthiness of an issuer, or guarantees of that issuer, supports such instruments.

Mortgage-Backed Securities

Mortgage-backed securities are a type of asset-backed security and represent interests in, or debt instruments backed by, pools of underlying mortgages. In some cases, these underlying mortgages may be insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies. Mortgage-backed securities entitle the security holders to receive distributions that are tied to the payments made on the underlying mortgage collateral (less fees paid to the originator, servicer, or other parties, and fees paid for credit enhancement), so that the payments made on the underlying mortgage collateral effectively pass through to such security holders. Mortgage-backed securities are created when mortgage originators (or mortgage loan sellers who have purchased mortgage loans from mortgage loan originators) sell the underlying mortgages to a special purpose entity in a process called a securitization. The

 

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special purpose entity issues securities that are backed by the payments on the underlying mortgage loans, and have a minimum denomination and specific term. Mortgage-backed securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Fund Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Fund Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Fund Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Mortgage-backed securities may be issued or guaranteed by GNMA (also known as Ginnie Mae), FNMA (also known as Fannie Mae), or FHLMC (also known as Freddie Mac), but also may be issued or guaranteed by other issuers, including private companies. GNMA is a government-owned corporation that is an agency of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It guarantees, with the full faith and credit of the United States, full and timely payment of all monthly principal and interest on its mortgage-backed securities. Until recently, FNMA and FHLMC were government-sponsored corporations owned entirely by private stockholders. Both issue mortgage-related securities that contain guarantees as to timely payment of interest and principal but that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. The value of the companies’ securities fell sharply in 2008 due to concerns that the firms did not have sufficient capital to offset losses. In mid-2008, the U.S. Treasury was authorized to increase the size of home loans that FNMA and FHLMC could purchase in certain residential areas and, until 2009, to lend FNMA and FHLMC emergency funds and to purchase the companies’ stock. More recently, in September 2008, the U.S. Treasury announced that FNMA and FHLMC had been placed in conservatorship by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), a newly created independent regulator. In addition to placing the companies in conservatorship, the U.S. Treasury announced three additional steps that it intended to take with respect to FNMA and FHLMC. First, the U.S. Treasury has entered into “Preferred Stock Purchase Agreements” (PSPAs) under which, if the FHFA determines that FNMA’s or FHLMC’s liabilities have exceeded its assets under generally accepted accounting principles, the U.S. Treasury will contribute cash capital to the company in an amount equal to the difference between liabilities and assets. The PSPAs are designed to provide protection to the senior and subordinated debt and the mortgage-backed securities issued by FNMA and FHLMC. Second, the U.S. Treasury established a new secured lending credit facility that is available to FNMA and FHLMC until December 2009. Third, the U.S. Treasury initiated a temporary program to purchase FNMA and FHLMC mortgage-backed securities, which is expected to continue until December 2009. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Treasury initiatives discussed above with respect to the debt and mortgage-backed securities issued by FNMA and FHLMC will be successful.

CMOs are debt obligations issued by special-purpose trusts, collateralized by underlying mortgage assets. Principal prepayments on underlying mortgage assets may cause the CMOs to be retired substantially earlier than their stated maturities or final distribution dates, resulting in a loss of all or part of the premium if any has been paid. Interest is paid or accrues on all classes of the CMOs on a periodic basis. The principal and interest payments on the underlying mortgage assets may be allocated among the various classes of CMOs in several ways. Typically, payments of principal, including any prepayments, on the underlying mortgage assets are applied to the classes in the order of their respective stated maturities or final distribution dates, so that no payment of principal is made on CMOs of a class until all CMOs of other classes having earlier stated maturities or final distribution dates have been paid in full.

REMICs are entities that own mortgages and elect REMIC status under the Code and, like CMOs, issue debt obligations collateralized by underlying mortgage assets that have characteristics similar to those issued by CMOs.

Investing in mortgage-backed securities is subject to certain risks, including, among others, prepayment, market and credit risks. Prepayment risk reflects the risk that borrowers may prepay their mortgages more quickly than expected, which may affect the security’s average maturity and rate of return. Whether or not a mortgage loan is prepaid is almost entirely controlled by the borrower. Borrowers are most likely to exercise prepayment options at the time when it is least advantageous to investors, generally prepaying mortgages as interest rates fall, and slowing payments as interest rates rise. Besides the effect of prevailing interest rates, the rate of prepayment and refinancing of mortgages also may be affected by home value appreciation, ease of the refinancing process and local economic conditions, among other factors. Market risk reflects the risk that the price of a security may fluctuate over time. The price of mortgage-backed securities can be particularly sensitive to prevailing interest rates, the length of time the security is expected to be outstanding and the liquidity of the issue. In a period of unstable interest rates, there may be decreased demand for certain types of mortgage-backed securities, which in turn may decrease their value. Credit risk reflects the risk that a holder of mortgage-backed securities may not receive all or part of its principal because

 

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the issuer, any credit enhancer and/or the underlying mortgage borrower has defaulted on its obligations. Credit risk is increased for mortgage-backed securities that are backed by mortgages to so-called subprime borrowers (who may pose a greater risk of defaulting on their loans) or that are subordinated to another security (i.e., if the holder of a mortgage-backed security is entitled to receive payments only after payment obligations to holders of the other security are satisfied). The more deeply subordinated the security, the greater the credit risk associated with the security will be. Mortgage-backed securities issued by private issuers, whether or not such obligations are subject to guarantees by the private issuer, may entail greater risk than mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by the U.S. Government. The performance of mortgage-backed securities issued by private issuers generally depends on the financial health of those institutions.

Municipal Securities

Municipal securities include debt obligations issued by governmental entities to obtain funds for various public purposes, including the construction of a wide range of public facilities, the refunding of outstanding obligations, the payment of general operating expenses, and the extension of loans to public institutions and facilities. Municipal securities can be classified into two principal categories, including “general obligation” bonds and other securities and “revenue” bonds and other securities. General obligation bonds are secured by the issuer’s full faith, credit and taxing power for the payment of principal and interest. Revenue securities are payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise tax or other specific revenue source, such as the user of the facility being financed. Municipal securities also may include “moral obligation” securities, which normally are issued by special purpose public authorities. If the issuer of moral obligation securities is unable to meet its debt service obligations from current revenues, it may draw on a reserve fund, the restoration of which is a moral commitment but not a legal obligation of the governmental entity that created the special purpose public authority. Municipal securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Fund Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Fund Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Fund Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Municipal securities may include municipal bonds, municipal notes and municipal leases. Municipal bonds are debt obligations of a governmental entity that obligate the municipality to pay the holder a specified sum of money at specified intervals and to repay the principal amount of the loan at maturity.

Municipal notes may be issued by governmental entities and other tax-exempt issuers in order to finance short-term cash needs or, occasionally, to finance construction. Most municipal notes are general obligations of the issuing entity payable from taxes or designated revenues expected to be received within the relevant fiscal period. Municipal notes generally have maturities of one year or less. Municipal notes can be subdivided into two sub-categories: (i) municipal commercial paper and (ii) municipal demand obligations.

Municipal commercial paper typically consists of very short-term unsecured negotiable promissory notes that are sold, for example, to meet seasonal working capital or interim construction financing needs of a governmental entity or agency. While these obligations are intended to be paid from general revenues or refinanced with long-term debt, they frequently are backed by letters of credit, lending agreements, note repurchase agreements or other credit facility agreements offered by banks or institutions.

Municipal demand obligations can be subdivided into two general types: variable rate demand notes and master demand obligations. Variable rate demand notes are tax-exempt municipal obligations or participation interests that provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the notes. They permit the holder to demand payment of the notes, or to demand purchase of the notes at a purchase price equal to the unpaid principal balance, plus accrued interest either directly by the issuer or by drawing on a bank letter of credit or guaranty issued with respect to such note. The issuer of the municipal obligation may have a corresponding right to prepay at its discretion the outstanding principal of the note plus accrued interest upon notice comparable to that required for the holder to demand payment. The variable rate demand notes in which the Fund may invest are payable, or are subject to purchase, on demand usually on notice of seven calendar days or less. The terms of the notes generally provide that interest rates are adjustable at intervals ranging from daily to six months.

 

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Master demand obligations are tax-exempt municipal obligations that provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid and permit daily changes in the amount borrowed. The interest on such obligations is, in the opinion of counsel for the borrower, excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes (but not necessarily for alternative minimum tax purposes). Although there is no secondary market for master demand obligations, such obligations are considered by the Fund to be liquid because they are payable upon demand.

Municipal lease obligations are participations in privately arranged loans to state or local government borrowers. In general, such loans are unrated, in which case they will be determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality at the time of purchase to rated instruments that may be acquired by the Fund. Frequently, privately arranged loans have variable interest rates and may be backed by a bank letter of credit. In other cases, they may be unsecured or may be secured by assets not easily liquidated. Moreover, such loans in most cases are not backed by the taxing authority of the issuers and may have limited marketability or may be marketable only by virtue of a provision requiring repayment following demand by the lender.

Although lease obligations do not constitute general obligations of the municipal issuer to which the government’s taxing power is pledged, a lease obligation ordinarily is backed by the government’s covenant to budget for, appropriate, and make the payments due under the lease obligation. However, certain lease obligations contain “non-appropriation” clauses that provide that the government has no obligation to make lease or installment purchase payments in future years unless money is appropriated for such purpose on a periodic basis. In the case of a “non-appropriation” lease, the Fund’s ability to recover under the lease in the event of non-appropriation or default likely will be limited to the repossession of the leased property in the event that foreclosure proves difficult.

Tender option bonds are municipal securities having relatively long maturities and bearing interest at a fixed interest rate substantially higher than prevailing short-term tax-exempt rates that is coupled with the agreement of a third party, such as a bank, broker/dealer or other financial institution, to grant the security holders the option, at periodic intervals, to tender their securities to the institution and receive the face value thereof. The financial institution receives periodic fees equal to the difference between the municipal security’s coupon rate and the rate that would cause the security to trade at face value on the date of determination.

Investing in municipal securities is subject to certain risks. There are variations in the quality of municipal securities, both within a particular classification and between classifications, and the rates of return on municipal securities can depend on a variety of factors, including general money market conditions, the financial condition of the issuer, general conditions of the municipal bond market, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation, and the rating of the issue. The ratings of NRSROs represent their opinions as to the quality of municipal securities. It should be emphasized, however, that these ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality, and municipal securities with the same maturity, interest rate, and rating may have different rates of return while municipal securities of the same maturity and interest rate with different ratings may have the same rate of return.

The payment of principal and interest on most municipal securities purchased by the Fund will depend upon the ability of the issuers to meet their obligations. An issuer’s obligations under its municipal securities are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency, and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the United States Bankruptcy Code. The power or ability of an issuer to meet its obligations for the payment of interest on and principal of its municipal securities may be materially adversely affected by litigation or other conditions.

There are particular considerations and risks relevant to investing in a portfolio of a single state’s municipal securities, such as the greater risk of the concentration of portfolio holdings.

The Fund ordinarily purchases municipal securities whose interest, in the opinion of bond counsel, is excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes. The opinion of bond counsel may assert that such interest is not an item of tax preference for the purposes of the alternative minimum tax or is exempt from certain state or local taxes. There is no assurance that the applicable taxing authorities will agree with this opinion. In the event, for example, that the IRS determines that an issuer does not comply with the relevant tax requirements, interest payments from a security could become federally taxable, possibly retroactively to the date the security was issued. As a shareholder of the Fund, you may be required to file an amended tax return as a result, reporting such income as taxable.

 

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Participation Interests

Participation interests (also called pass-through certificates or securities) represent an interest in a pool of debt obligations, such as municipal bonds or notes, that have been “packaged” by an intermediary, such as a bank or broker/dealer. Participation interests typically are issued by partnerships or trusts through which the Fund receives principal and interest payments that are passed through to the holder of the participation interest from the payments made on the underlying debt obligations. The purchaser of a participation interest receives an undivided interest in the underlying debt obligations. The issuers of the underlying debt obligations make interest and principal payments to the intermediary, as an initial purchaser, which are passed through to purchasers in the secondary market, such as the Fund. Mortgage-backed securities are a common type of participation interest. Participation interests may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Fund Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Fund Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Fund Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Loan participations also are a type of participation interest. Loan participations are interests in loans that are administered by a lending bank or agent for a syndicate of lending banks and sold by the bank or syndicate members.

Investing in participation interests is subject to certain risks. Participation interests generally are subject to the credit risk associated with the underlying borrowers. If the underlying borrower defaults, the Fund may be subject to delays, expenses and risks that are greater than those that would have been involved if the Fund had purchased a direct obligation of the borrower. The Fund also may be deemed a creditor of the lending bank or syndicate members and be subject to the risk that the lending bank or syndicate members may become insolvent.

Preferred Stock

Preferred stock represents units of ownership of a corporation that frequently have dividends that are set at a specified rate. Preferred stock has preference over common stock in the payment of dividends and the liquidation of assets. Preferred stock shares some of the characteristics of both debt and equity. Preferred stock ordinarily does not carry voting rights. Most preferred stock is cumulative; if dividends are passed (i.e., not paid for any reason), they accumulate and must be paid before common stock dividends. Participating preferred stock entitles its holders to share in profits above and beyond the declared dividend, along with common shareholders, as distinguished from nonparticipating preferred stock, which is limited to the stipulated dividend. Convertible preferred stock is exchangeable for a given number of shares of common stock and thus tends to be more volatile than nonconvertible preferred stock, which generally behaves more like a fixed income bond. Preferred stock may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Fund Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Auction preferred stock (APS) is a type of adjustable-rate preferred stock with a dividend determined periodically in a Dutch auction process by corporate bidders. Shares typically are bought and sold at face values generally ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 per share.

In addition to reinvestment risk if interest rates fall, some specific risks with regard to APS include:

 

   

Failed auction: A breakdown in the auction process can occur; in the event that the process fails, the rate is reset at the maximum applicable rate, which is usually described in the prospectuses and typically is influenced by the issuer’s credit rating. In a failed auction, current shareholders generally are unable to sell some, or all, of the shares when the auction is completed. Typically, the liquidity for APS that have experienced a failed auction becomes very limited. If a failed auction were to occur, the shareholder generally would hold his or her shares until the next auction. Should there not be subsequent auctions that “cure” the failed process, the shareholder may: (1) hold the APS in anticipation of a refinancing by the issuer that would cause the APS to be called, or (2) hold securities either indefinitely or in anticipation of the development of a secondary market.

 

   

Early call risk: APS generally is redeemable at any time, usually upon notice, at the issuer’s option, at par plus accrued dividends.

 

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Investing in preferred stock is subject to certain risks. For example, stock market risk is the risk that the value of such stocks, like the broader stock markets, may decline over short or even extended periods. Domestic and foreign stock markets tend to be cyclical, with periods when prices generally rise and periods when prices generally decline. The value of individual stocks will rise and decline based on factors specific to each corporation, such as changes in earnings or management.

Investing in preferred stock also may involve the risks applicable to investing in a particular company. For example, stocks of smaller companies tend to have greater price fluctuations than stocks of larger companies because, among other things, they trade less frequently and in lower volumes, are more susceptible to changes in economic conditions, are more reliant on singular products or services and are more vulnerable to larger competitors. Stocks of these companies may have a higher potential for gains but also are subject to greater risk of loss.

Investing in preferred stock also may involve the risks applicable to investing in a particular industry, such as technology, financial services, consumer goods or natural resources (e.g., oil and gas). To some extent, the prices of stocks tend to move by industry sector. When market conditions favorably affect, or are expected to favorably affect, an industry, the prices of the stocks of companies in that industry tend to rise. Conversely, negative news or a poor outlook for a particular industry can cause the value of those companies’ stock to decline.

Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities

Private placement securities are securities that have been privately placed and are not registered under the 1933 Act. They are eligible for sale only to certain eligible investors. Private placements often may offer attractive opportunities for investment not otherwise available on the open market. Private placement and other “restricted” securities often cannot be sold to the public without registration under the 1933 Act or the availability of an exemption from registration (such as Rules 144 or 144A), or they are “not readily marketable” because they are subject to other legal or contractual delays in or restrictions on resale. Asset-backed securities, common stock, convertible securities, corporate debt securities, foreign securities, low and below investment grade securities, mortgage-backed securities, municipal securities, participation interests, preferred stock and other types of equity and debt instruments may be privately placed or restricted securities.

Private placements typically may be sold only to qualified institutional buyers (or, in the case of the initial sale of certain securities, such as those issued in collateralized debt obligations or collateralized loan obligations, to accredited investors (as defined in Rule 501(a) under the 1933 Act), or in a privately negotiated transaction or to a limited number of purchasers, or in limited quantities after they have been held for a specified period of time and other conditions are met pursuant to an exemption from registration.

Investing in private placement and other restricted securities is subject to certain risks. Private placements may be considered illiquid securities. Private placements typically are subject to restrictions on resale as a matter of contract or under federal securities laws. Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for such securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so or it may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were more widely held. At times, it also may be more difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the Fund’s net asset value due to the absence of a trading market.

Real Estate Investment Trusts and Master Limited Partnerships

REITs are entities that either own properties or make construction or mortgage loans and also may include operating or finance companies. An equity REIT generally holds equity positions in real estate and seeks to provide its shareholders with income from the leasing of its properties and with capital gains from any sales of properties. A mortgage REIT generally specializes in lending money to owners of properties and passes through any interest income it may earn to its shareholders.

Partnership units of real estate and other types of companies sometimes are organized as master limited partnerships in which ownership interests are publicly traded. Master limited partnerships often own several properties or businesses (or directly own interests) that are related to real estate development and the oil and gas industries, but they also may finance motion pictures, research and development and other projects.

 

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REITs are subject to certain risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, including, for example, declines in the value of real estate, risks related to general and local economic conditions, overbuilding and increased competition, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, and variations in rental income. REITs also may be subject to interest rate risk. In general, increases in interest rates will decrease the value of high-yield securities and increase the costs of obtaining financing, which could decrease the value of a REIT’s investments. In addition, equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the REITs, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of credit extended. Both equity and mortgage REITs are dependent upon management skills. REITs also may be subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers, and the possibility of failing to qualify for preferential tax treatment under the Code, which could adversely affect dividend payments. REITs also may not be diversified.

Investing in master limited partnerships generally is subject to the risks applicable to investing in a partnership as opposed to a corporation, which may include fewer protections afforded to investors. Additional risks include those associated with the specific industries in which a master limited partnership invests, such as the risks associated with investing in the real estate or oil and gas industries.

Repurchase Agreements

Repurchase agreements are agreements under which the Fund acquires a security for a relatively short period of time subject to the obligation of a seller to repurchase and the Fund to resell such security at a fixed time and price (representing the Fund’s cost plus interest). Repurchase agreements also may be viewed as loans made by the Fund that are collateralized by the securities subject to repurchase. The Fund typically will enter into repurchase agreements only with commercial banks, registered broker/dealers and the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation. Such transactions are monitored to ensure that the value of the underlying securities will be at least equal at all times to the total amount of the repurchase obligation, including any accrued interest. Repurchase agreements generally are subject to counterparty risk.

If a counterparty defaults, the Fund could realize a loss on the sale of the underlying security to the extent that the proceeds of the sale are less than the resale price provided in the repurchase agreement including interest. In the event that a counterparty fails to perform because it is insolvent or otherwise subject to insolvency proceedings against it, the Fund’s right to take possession of the underlying securities would be subject to applicable insolvency law and procedure, including an automatic stay (which would preclude immediate enforcement of the Fund’s rights) and exemptions thereto (which would permit the Fund to take possession of the underlying securities or to void a repurchase agreement altogether). Since it is possible that an exemption from the automatic stay would not be available, the Fund might be prevented from immediately enforcing its rights against the counterparty. Accordingly, if a counterparty becomes insolvent or otherwise subject to insolvency proceedings against it, the Fund may incur delays in or be prevented from liquidating the underlying securities and could experience losses, including the possible decline in value of the underlying securities during the period in which the Fund seeks to enforce its rights thereto, possible subnormal levels of income or lack of access to income during such time, as well as the costs incurred in enforcing the Fund’s rights. For example, if the Fund enters into a repurchase agreement with a broker that becomes insolvent, it is possible for the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) to institute a liquidation proceeding in federal court against the broker counterparty which could lead to a foreclosure by SIPC of the underlying securities or SIPC may stay, or preclude, the Fund’s ability under contract to terminate the repurchase agreement.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements

Reverse repurchase agreements are agreements under which the Fund sells a security subject to the obligation of a buyer to resell and the Fund to repurchase such security at a fixed time and price. Reverse repurchase agreements also may be viewed as borrowings made by the Fund.

Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Fund is obligated to repurchase under the agreement may decline below the repurchase price. In the event the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the Fund’s use of proceeds of the agreement may be restricted pending a determination by the other party, or its trustee or receiver, whether to enforce the Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities. In addition, reverse repurchase agreements are techniques involving leverage, and are subject to asset coverage requirements. Under the requirements of the 1940 Act, the

 

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Fund is required to maintain an asset coverage (including the proceeds of the borrowings) of at least 300% of all borrowings.

Standby Commitments

Standby commitments are securities under which a purchaser, usually a bank or broker/dealer, agrees to purchase, for a fee, an amount of the Fund’s municipal obligations. The amount payable by a bank or broker/dealer to purchase securities subject to a standby commitment typically will be substantially the same as the value of the underlying municipal securities. The Fund may pay for standby commitments either separately in cash or by paying a higher price for portfolio securities that are acquired subject to such a commitment.

Using standby commitments is subject to certain risks. Standby commitments are subject to the risk that a counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to purchase securities subject to a standby commitment.

Stripped Securities

Stripped securities are securities that evidence ownership in either the future interest or principal payments on an instrument. There are many different types and variations of stripped securities. For example, Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal Securities (STRIPS) can be component parts of a U.S. Treasury security where the principal and interest components are traded independently through DTC, a clearing agency registered pursuant to Section 17A of the 1934 Act and created to hold securities for its participants, and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions between participants through electronic computerized book-entries, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates. Treasury Investor Growth Receipts (TIGERS) are U.S. Treasury securities stripped by brokers. Stripped mortgage-backed securities, or SMBS, also can be issued by the U.S. Government or its agencies. Stripped securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations. See Permissible Fund Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations for more information.

SMBS usually are structured with two or more classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions from a pool of mortgage-backed assets. Common types of SMBS will be structured so that one class receives some of the interest and most of the principal from the mortgage-backed assets, while another class receives most of the interest and the remainder of the principal.

Investing in stripped securities is subject to certain risks. If the underlying obligations experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, the Fund may fail fully to recoup its initial investment in such securities. The market value of the class consisting primarily or entirely of principal payments can be especially volatile in response to changes in interest rates. The rates of return on a class of SMBS that receives all or most of the interest are generally higher than prevailing market rates of return on other mortgage-backed obligations because their cash flow patterns also are volatile and there is a greater risk that the initial investment will not be recouped fully.

U.S. Government and Related Obligations

U.S. Government obligations include U.S. Treasury obligations and securities issued or guaranteed by various agencies of the U.S. Government or by various instrumentalities which have been established or sponsored by the U.S. Government. U.S. Treasury obligations and securities issued or guaranteed by various agencies of the U.S. Government differ in their interest rates, maturities and time of issuance, as well as with respect to whether they are guaranteed by the U.S. Government. U.S. Government and related obligations may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations. See Permissible Fund Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations for more information.

Investing in U.S. Government and related obligations is subject to certain risks. While U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government, securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. These securities may be supported by the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or only by the credit of the issuing agency or instrumentality and, as a result, may be subject to greater credit risk than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury. Obligations of U.S. Government agencies, authorities, instrumentalities and sponsored enterprises historically have involved limited risk of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, no assurance can be given that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to any of these entities if it is not obligated to do so by law.

 

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Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations

Variable- and floating-rate obligations provide for periodic adjustments in the interest rate and, under certain circumstances, varying principal amounts. Unlike a fixed interest rate, a variable, or floating, rate is one that rises and declines based on the movement of an underlying index of interest rates and may pay interest at rates that are adjusted periodically according to a specified formula. Asset-backed securities, bank obligations, convertible securities, corporate debt securities, foreign securities, low and below investment grade securities, money market instruments, mortgage-backed securities, municipal securities, participation interests, stripped securities, U.S. Government and related obligations and other types of debt instruments may be structured as variable- and floating-rate obligations.

Investing in variable- and floating-rate obligations is subject to certain risks. Variable- and floating-rate obligations may involve direct lending arrangements between the purchaser and the issuer and there may be no active secondary market, making it difficult to resell such obligations to a third party. Variable- and floating-rate obligations also may be subject to interest rate and credit risks. Changes in interest rates can affect the rate of return on such obligations. If an issuer of a variable- or floating-rate obligation defaults, the Fund could sustain a loss to the extent of such default.

Warrants and Rights

Warrants and rights are types of securities that give a holder a right to purchase shares of common stock. Warrants usually are issued together with a bond or preferred stock and entitle a holder to purchase a specified amount of common stock at a specified price typically for a period of years. Rights usually have a specified purchase price that is lower than the current market price and entitle a holder to purchase a specified amount of common stock typically for a period of only weeks. Warrants may be used to enhance the marketability of a bond or preferred stock.

Warrants and rights may be subject to the risk that the securities could lose value. There also is the risk that the potential exercise price may exceed the market price of the warrants or rights, such as when there is no movement in the market price or the market price of such securities declines.

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

When-issued, delayed delivery and forward commitment transactions involve the purchase or sale of securities by the Fund, with payment and delivery taking place in the future. When engaging in when-issued, delayed delivery and forward commitment transactions, the Fund typically will hold cash or liquid securities in a segregated account in an amount equal to or greater than the purchase price. The payment obligation and, if applicable, the interest rate that will be received on the securities, are fixed at the time that the Fund agrees to purchase the securities. The Fund generally will enter into when-issued, delayed delivery and forward commitment transactions only with the intention of completing such transactions. However, the Advisor may determine not to complete a transaction if it deems it appropriate. In such cases, the Fund may realize short-term gains or losses.

When-issued, delayed delivery and forward commitment transactions involve the risks that the securities purchased may fall in value by the time they actually are issued or that the other party may fail to honor the contract terms. The Fund that invests in delayed delivery securities may rely on a third party to complete the transaction. Failure by a third party to deliver a security purchased on a delayed delivery basis may result in a financial loss to the Fund or the loss of an opportunity to make an alternative investment.

Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities

Zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities are types of debt instruments that do not necessarily make payments of interest in fixed amounts or at fixed intervals. Asset-backed securities, convertible securities, corporate debt securities, foreign securities, low and below investment grade securities, mortgage-backed securities, municipal securities, participation interests, stripped securities, U.S. Government and related obligations and other types of debt instruments may be structured as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities.

Zero-coupon securities do not pay interest on a current basis but instead accrue interest over the life of the security. These securities include, among others, zero-coupon bonds, which either may be issued at a discount by a corporation or government entity or may be created by a brokerage firm when it strips the coupons from a bond or

 

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note and then sells the bond or note and the coupon separately. This technique is used frequently with U.S. Treasury bonds, and zero-coupon securities are marketed under such names as CATS (Certificate of Accrual on Treasury Securities), TIGERs (Treasury Investor Growth Receipts) or STRIPS (Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities). Zero-coupon bonds also are issued by municipalities. Buying a municipal zero-coupon bond frees its purchaser of the obligation to pay regular federal income tax on imputed interest, since the interest is exempt for regular federal income tax purposes. Zero-coupon certificates of deposit and zero-coupon mortgages are generally structured in the same fashion as zero-coupon bonds; the certificate of deposit holder or mortgage holder receives face value at maturity and no payments until then.

Pay-in-kind securities normally give the issuer an option to pay cash at a coupon payment date or to give the holder of the security a similar security with the same coupon rate and a face value equal to the amount of the coupon payment that would have been made.

Step-coupon securities trade at a discount from their face value and pay coupon interest. The coupon rate is paid according to a schedule for a series of periods, typically lower for an initial period and then increasing to a higher coupon rate thereafter. The discount from the face amount or par value depends on the time remaining until cash payments begin, prevailing interest rates, liquidity of the security and the perceived credit quality of the issue.

Zero-coupon, step-coupon and pay-in-kind securities holders generally have substantially all the rights and privileges of holders of the underlying coupon obligations or principal obligations. Holders of these securities have the right upon default on the underlying coupon obligations or principal obligations to proceed directly and individually against the issuer and are not required to act in concert with other holders of such securities.

Investing in zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities is subject to certain risks, including that market prices of zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities generally are more volatile than the prices of securities that pay interest periodically and in cash, and are likely to respond to changes in interest rates to a greater degree than other types of debt securities.

Because zero-coupon securities bear no interest, they are volatile. Since zero-coupon bondholders do not receive interest payments, zero-coupon securities fall more dramatically than bonds paying interest on a current basis when interest rates rise. However, when interest rates fall, zero-coupon securities rise more rapidly in value than interest paying bonds.

Borrowings

The Fund has a fundamental policy with respect to borrowing that can be found under the heading About the Fund’s Investments – Fundamental and Non-Fundamental Investment Policies. Specifically, the Fund may not borrow money or issue senior securities except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief obtained by the Fund. In general, pursuant to the 1940 Act, the Fund may borrow money only from banks in an amount not exceeding 33  1 /3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) less liabilities (other than borrowings). Any borrowings that come to exceed this amount must be reduced within three days (not including Sundays and holidays) to the extent necessary to comply with the 33  1/3% limitation.

The Fund participates in a committed line of credit (Line of Credit). Any advance under the Line of Credit is contemplated primarily for temporary or emergency purposes, including the meeting of redemption requests that otherwise might require the untimely sale of portfolio securities.

Pursuant to an exemptive order from the SEC, the Fund may, subject to certain conditions, borrow money from other funds in the Columbia Funds Family for temporary emergency purposes in order to facilitate redemption requests, or for other purposes consistent with Fund investment policies and restrictions. All loans are set at an interest rate between the rates charged on overnight repurchase agreements and short-term bank loans.

Short Sales

The Fund will sometimes sell securities short when it owns an equal amount of such securities as those securities sold short. This is a technique known as selling short “against the box.” If the Fund makes a short sale “against the box,” it would not immediately deliver the securities sold and would not receive the proceeds from the sale. The seller is said to have a short position in the securities sold until it delivers the securities sold, at which time it receives the proceeds of the sale. To secure its obligation to deliver securities sold short, the Fund will deposit in

 

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escrow in a separate account with the custodian an equal amount of the securities sold short or securities convertible into or exchangeable for such securities. The Fund can close out its short position by purchasing and delivering an equal amount of the securities sold short, rather than by delivering securities already held by the Fund, because the Fund might want to continue to receive interest and dividend payments on securities in its portfolio that are convertible into the securities sold short.

Short sales “against the box” entail many of the same risks and considerations described above regarding short sales not “against the box.” However, when the Fund sells short “against the box” it typically limits the amount of securities that it has leveraged. The Fund’s decision to make a short sale “against the box” may be a technique to hedge against market risks when the Advisor believes that the price of a security may decline, causing a decline in the value of a security owned by the Fund or a security convertible into or exchangeable for such security. In such case, any future losses in the Fund’s long position would be reduced by a gain in the short position. The extent to which such gains or losses in the long position are reduced will depend upon the amount of securities sold short relative to the amount of the securities the Fund owns, either directly or indirectly, and, in the case where the Fund owns convertible securities, changes in the investment values or conversion premiums of such securities. Short sales may have adverse tax consequences to the Fund and its shareholders.

Subject to its fundamental and non-fundamental investment policies, the Fund may engage in short sales that are not “against the box,” which are sales by the Fund of securities or commodity futures contracts that it does not own in hopes of purchasing the same security at a later date at a lower price. The technique is also used to protect a profit in a long-term position in a security or commodity futures contract. To make delivery to the buyer, the Fund must borrow or purchase the security. If borrowed, the Fund is then obligated to replace the security borrowed from the third party, so the Fund must purchase the security at the market price at a later time. If the price of the security has increased during this time, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price of the security from the time of the short sale plus any premiums and interest paid to the third party. (Until the security is replaced, the Fund is required to pay to the lender amounts equal to any dividends or interest which accrue during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, the Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. The proceeds of the short sale will be retained by the broker, to the extent necessary to meet the margin requirements, until the short position is closed out.)

Short sales by the Fund that are not made “against the box” create opportunities to increase the Fund’s return but, at the same time, involve specific risk considerations and may be considered a speculative technique. Because the Fund in effect profits from a decline in the price of the securities sold short without the need to invest the full purchase price of the securities on the date of the short sale, the Fund’s NAV per share tends to increase more when the securities it has sold short decrease in value, and to decrease more when the securities it has sold short increase in value, than if it had not engaged in such short sales. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of any premium, dividends or interest the Fund may be required to pay in connection with the short sale. Short sales could potentially involve unlimited loss, as the market price of securities sold short may continually increase, although the Fund can mitigate any such losses by replacing the securities sold short. Under adverse market conditions, the Fund might have difficulty purchasing securities to meet its short sale delivery obligations, and might have to sell portfolio securities to raise the capital necessary to meet its short sale obligations at a time when fundamental investment considerations would not favor such sales. There is also the risk that the third party to the short sale may fail to honor its contract terms, causing a loss to the Fund.

The Fund’s successful use of short sales also will be subject to the ability of the Advisor to predict movements in the directions of the relevant market. The Fund therefore bears the risk that the Advisor will incorrectly predict future price directions. In addition, if the Fund sells a security short, and that security’s price goes up, the Fund will have to make up the margin on its open position (i.e., purchase more securities on the market to cover the position). It may be unable to do so and thus its position may not be closed out. There can be no assurance that the Fund will not incur significant losses in such a case.

In the view of the SEC, a short sale involves the creation of a “senior security” as such term is defined in the 1940 Act, unless the sale is “against the box” and the securities sold short are placed in a segregated account (not with the broker), or unless the Fund’s obligation to deliver the securities sold short is “covered” by placing in a segregated account (not with the broker) cash, U.S. Government securities or other liquid debt or equity securities in an amount equal to the difference between the market value of the securities sold short at the time of the short sale and any such collateral required to be deposited with a broker in connection with the sale (not including the proceeds from the short sale), which difference is adjusted daily for changes in the value of the securities sold short. The total value of the cash, U.S. Government securities or other liquid debt or equity securities deposited with the broker and

 

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otherwise segregated may not at any time be less than the market value of the securities sold short at the time of the short sale.

Lending Securities

Securities lending refers to the lending of the Fund’s portfolio securities. Subject to its investment policies described above and in the prospectuses, the Fund may make secured loans of its portfolio securities to broker/dealers and other institutional investors. Securities loans by the Fund are made pursuant to agreements that require that loans be secured continuously by collateral in cash. The Fund retains all or a portion of the income received on investment of cash collateral. A borrower will pay to the Fund an amount equal to any dividends or interest received on securities loaned, but the borrower typically will receive a portion of the income earned on investments of cash collateral. Although voting rights, or rights to consent, with respect to loaned securities pass to a borrower, the Fund retains the right to call the loans at any time on reasonable notice, and may do so in order to vote upon matters affecting, or to sell, the loaned securities.

The Fund typically invests the cash collateral it receives in connection with its securities lending program directly or indirectly in high quality, short-term investments. The Fund may invest some or all of such cash collateral in one or more pooled investment vehicles, including, among other vehicles, money market funds managed by the Fund’s securities lending agent or its affiliates. The securities lending agent shares in any income resulting from the investment of such cash collateral, and an affiliate of the securities lending agent receives asset-based fees for the management of such pooled investment vehicles, which may create a conflict of interest between the securities lending agent (or its affiliate) and the Fund with respect to the management of such cash collateral.

Engaging in securities lending is subject to certain risks, including counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty to a transaction could default. There also is a risk of possible delay in the recovery of loaned securities or possible loss of rights in the collateral if a borrower fails financially.

Portfolio Turnover

A change in the securities held by the Fund is known as “portfolio turnover.” High portfolio turnover (e.g., over 100%) involves correspondingly greater expenses to the Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Such sales may also result in adverse tax consequences to the Fund’s shareholders. The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect the Fund’s performance.

For the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate, see the Financial Highlights section in the prospectuses for that Fund.

Disclosure of Portfolio Information

The Board has adopted policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Columbia Funds’ portfolio holdings. These policies and procedures are designed to ensure that disclosure of information regarding the Columbia Funds’ portfolio securities is in the best interests of Columbia Fund shareholders and to address conflicts between the interests of Columbia Fund shareholders, on the one hand, and those of the Advisor, the Distributor or any affiliated person of a Columbia Fund, on the other. These policies and procedures provide that Columbia Funds portfolio holdings information generally may not be disclosed to any party prior to the earlier of: (i) the business day next following the posting of such information on the Columbia Funds’ website, if applicable, or (ii) the time a Columbia Fund discloses the information in a publicly available SEC filing required to include such information. Certain limited exceptions that have been approved consistent with the policies and procedures are described below. The Board is updated as needed regarding compliance with these policies and procedures. The policies and procedures prohibit the Advisor and the Columbia Funds’ other service providers from entering into any agreement to disclose Columbia Fund portfolio holdings information in exchange for any form of consideration. These policies and procedures apply to all categories of Columbia Funds and include some variations tailored to the different categories of Columbia Funds. Accordingly, some of the provisions described below do not apply to the Columbia Fund(s) covered by this SAI. The Advisor also has adopted policies and procedures to monitor for compliance with these portfolio holdings disclosure policies and procedures.

 

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Public Disclosures

The Columbia Funds’ portfolio holdings are currently disclosed to the public through required filings with the SEC and on the Columbia Funds’ website. This information is available on the Columbia Funds’ website as described below.

 

   

For equity, convertible, balanced and asset allocation Columbia Funds, other than small cap and specialty Columbia Funds, a complete list of portfolio holdings as of a month-end is posted approximately 15 calendar days after such month-end.

 

   

For small cap and specialty Columbia Funds and those Columbia Funds that are sub-advised by Marsico Capital Management, LLC, a sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds, a complete list of portfolio holdings as of a month end is posted approximately 30 calendar days after such month-end.

 

   

For fixed income Columbia Funds, a complete list of portfolio holdings as of a fiscal quarter-end is posted approximately 60 calendar days after such quarter-end.

 

   

For Columbia Money Market Funds, a complete list of portfolio holdings as of a month-end is posted approximately 5 business days after such month-end.

Certain Columbia Funds also disclose their largest holdings, as a percent of the market values of the Columbia Funds’ portfolios, as of a month-end on their website, generally within 15 calendar days after such month-end. In general, the equity Columbia Funds post their largest 10-15 holdings, the balanced Columbia Funds post their largest 5 equity holdings, and certain fixed income Columbia Funds post their largest 5-15 holdings (by security or issuer).

The Columbia Funds may also disclose more current portfolio holdings information as of specified dates on the Columbia Funds’ website.

The scope of the information that is made available on the Columbia Funds’ website pursuant to the Columbia Funds’ policies relating to a Columbia Fund’s portfolio may change from time to time without prior notice.

The Columbia Funds file their portfolio holdings with the SEC for each fiscal quarter on Form N-CSR (with respect to each annual period and semi-annual period) and Form N-Q (with respect to the first and third quarters of each Columbia Fund’s fiscal year). Shareholders may obtain each Columbia Fund’s Form N-CSR and N-Q filings on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, a link to which is provided on the Columbia Funds’ website. In addition, each Columbia Fund’s Form N-CSR and N-Q filings may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s public reference room in Washington, D.C. You may call the SEC at 800.SEC.0330 for information about the SEC’s website or the operation of the public reference room.

With respect to variable insurance trusts in the Columbia Funds Family, holdings information is disclosed no earlier than the time such information is filed in a publicly available SEC filing required to include such information.

The Columbia Funds, the Advisor and their affiliates may include portfolio holdings information that already has been made public through a website posting or SEC filing in marketing literature and other communications to shareholders, advisors or other parties, provided that the information is disclosed no earlier than the business day after the date the information is disclosed publicly on the Columbia Funds’ website or no earlier than the time a Columbia Fund files such information in a publicly available SEC filing required to include such information.

Other Disclosures

The Columbia Funds’ policies and procedures provide that no disclosures of the Columbia Funds’ portfolio holdings may be made prior to the portfolio holdings information being made public unless (i) the Columbia Funds have a legitimate business purpose for making such disclosure, (ii) the Columbia Funds’ President authorizes such non-public disclosure of information, and (iii) the party receiving the non-public information enters into an appropriate confidentiality agreement or is otherwise subject to a confidentiality obligation.

In determining the existence of a legitimate business purpose for making portfolio disclosures, the following factors, among others, are considered: (i) any prior disclosure must be consistent with the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws and the fiduciary duties of the Advisor; (ii) any conflicts of interest between the interests of Columbia Fund shareholders, on the one hand, and those of the Advisor, the Distributor or any affiliated person

 

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of a Columbia Fund, on the other; and (iii) any prior disclosure to a third party, although subject to a confidentiality agreement, would not make conduct lawful that otherwise is unlawful.

In addition, the Columbia Funds periodically disclose their portfolio information on a confidential basis to various service providers that require such information to assist the Columbia Funds with their day-to-day business affairs. In addition to the Advisor and its affiliates, these service providers include each Columbia Fund’s sub-advisor(s) (if any), the Columbia Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm, legal counsel, financial printers, proxy solicitor and proxy voting service provider, as well as ratings agencies that maintain ratings on certain Columbia Funds. These service providers are required to keep such information confidential, and are prohibited from trading based on the information or otherwise using the information except as necessary in providing services to the Columbia Funds. The Columbia Funds also may disclose portfolio holdings information to broker/dealers and certain other entities in connection with potential transactions and management of the Columbia Funds, provided that reasonable precautions, including limitations on the scope of the portfolio holdings information disclosed, are taken to avoid any potential misuse of the disclosed information.

The Columbia Funds currently have ongoing arrangements with certain approved recipients with respect to the disclosure of portfolio holdings information prior to such information being made public. Portfolio holdings information disclosed to such recipients is current as of the time of its disclosure, is disclosed to each recipient solely for purposes consistent with the services described below and has been authorized by the Columbia Funds’ President. These special arrangements are described in the table below.

Ongoing Portfolio Holdings Disclosure Arrangements

 

IDENTITY OF RECIPIENT

  

COMPENSATION/
CONSIDERATION
RECEIVED

  

CONDITIONS/RESTRICTIONS

ON USE OF INFORMATION

  

FREQUENCY OF

DISCLOSURE

Standard & Poor’s    None    Use to maintain ratings for certain Money Market Funds.    Weekly
InvestorTools, Inc.    None    Access granted solely for the purpose of testing back office conversion of trading systems.    Real time
ING Insurance Company    None    Access granted for specific Columbia Funds for ING’s creation of client/shareholder materials. ING may not distribute materials until the holdings information is made public.    Quarterly
Glass-Lewis & Co.    None    Access in connection with testing the firm’s proxy services.    Daily
CMS Bondedge    None    Access when assisting in resolving technical difficulties with application used by the Advisor’s Fixed Income Portfolio Management team as an analytical and trading tool.    Ad hoc
Linedata Services, Inc.    None    Access when assisting in resolving technical difficulties with the software for the LongView Trade Order Management System.    Ad hoc

 

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IDENTITY OF RECIPIENT

  

COMPENSATION/

CONSIDERATION

RECEIVED

  

CONDITIONS/RESTRICTIONS

ON USE OF INFORMATION

  

FREQUENCY OF

DISCLOSURE

JP Morgan    None    Access to provide the Advisor’s High Yield portfolio management team with peer group analysis reports for purposes of analyzing the portfolio.    Monthly
Malaspina Communications    None    Use to facilitate writing, publishing and mailing Columbia Fund shareholder reports and communications including shareholder letter and management’s discussion of Columbia Fund performance.    Quarterly
Evare LLP    None    Use for standardizing and reformatting data according to the Advisor’s specifications for use in the reconciliation process.    Daily
FactSet Research Systems, Inc.    None    Use for provision of quantitative analytics, charting and fundamental data to the Advisor, and Marsico Capital Management, LLC, sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds.    Daily
RR Donnelley/WE Andrews    None    Access as printers for the Columbia Funds’ prospectuses, supplements, SAIs, fact sheets and brochures.    Monthly
Merrill Corporation    None    Use to provide fulfillment of the Columbia Funds’ prospectuses, supplements, SAIs and sales materials.    Monthly
Citigroup    None    Access when assisting in resolving technical difficulties with Yield Book, an analytic software program that the Advisor uses to perform ongoing risk analysis and management of certain fixed income Columbia Funds and fixed income separately managed accounts.    Daily
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS)    None    Proxy voting administration and research on proxy matters utilized by MacKay Shields LLC, sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds.    Daily
Cogent Consulting LLC    None    Utilized by Marsico Capital Management, LLC, sub-advisor to    Daily

 

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IDENTITY OF RECIPIENT

  

COMPENSATION/

CONSIDERATION

RECEIVED

  

CONDITIONS/RESTRICTIONS

ON USE OF INFORMATION

  

FREQUENCY OF

DISCLOSURE

      certain Columbia Funds, to facilitate the evaluation of commission rates and to provide flexible commission reporting.   
Moody’s    None    Ongoing portfolio surveillance for ratings they maintain on the Money Market Funds.    Monthly
Kynex    None    Use to provide portfolio attribution reports.    Daily
Bowne & Co.    None    Use for printing of the following materials: prospectuses, supplements and SAIs.    Monthly/quarterly
Bloomberg    None    Use for portfolio analytics.    Daily
Barclays Point    None    Use for analytics including risk and attribution assessment.    Daily
ADP    None    Proxy voting and research utilized by Marsico Capital Management, LLC, sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds.    Daily
Investment Technology Group, Inc. (ITG, formerly known as Macgregor)    None    Order management system utilized by Marsico Capital Management, LLC, sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds that stores trading data and is used for trading and compliance purposes.    Ad hoc
Advent/AXP    None    Portfolio accounting system utilized by Marsico Capital Management, LLC, sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds, for both portfolio accounting and internal recordkeeping purposes.    Ad hoc
Investment Technology Group, Inc. (ITG, formerly known as Plexus Group)    None    Evaluation and assessment of trading activity, execution and practices by the Advisor.    Five days after quarter-end
Checkfree    None    To facilitate the investment management of bank client accounts.    Daily
BANA and State Street    None    Credit analysis performed by lenders.    Ad hoc
State Street    None    Use to provide custodian services.    Real time

 

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IDENTITY OF RECIPIENT

  

COMPENSATION/

CONSIDERATION

RECEIVED

  

CONDITIONS/RESTRICTIONS

ON USE OF INFORMATION

  

FREQUENCY OF

DISCLOSURE

Lipper    None    Use to create metrics for board and executive management reporting, product and marketing analysis, and fund performance.    Daily
Morningstar, Inc.    None    Use for independent research and ranking of Columbia Funds.    Daily

 

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INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND OTHER SERVICES

The Advisor and Investment Advisory Services

The Advisor (which is also the Administrator) has been a registered investment advisor since 1995. The Advisor is a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbia Management Group, LLC, which is the primary investment division of Bank of America. The Advisor and Columbia Management Group, LLC are located at 100 Federal Street, Boston MA 02110.

Services Provided

Pursuant to the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Advisor is responsible for the overall management and supervision of the investment management of the Fund. The Advisor performs its duties subject at all times to the control of the Board and in conformity with the stated policies of the Fund. In rendering investment advisory services, the Advisor may use the portfolio management and research resources of Columbia Management Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of the Advisor. Columbia Management Pte. Ltd. is not registered with the SEC as an investment advisor under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Columbia Management Pte. Ltd. has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Advisor pursuant to which Columbia Management Pte. Ltd. is considered a “participating affiliate” of the Advisor as that term is used in relief granted by the staff of the SEC allowing U.S. registered investment advisors to use portfolio management or research resources of advisory affiliates subject to the supervision of a registered investment advisor. Investment professionals from Columbia Management Pte. Ltd. may render portfolio management or research services to clients of the Advisor, including the Fund, under the MOU, and are subject to supervision by the Advisor.

The Investment Advisory Agreement generally provides that in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence or reckless disregard of the Advisor’s obligations or duties thereunder, the Advisor shall not be subject to liability to the Trust or to the Fund for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services thereunder.

The Investment Advisory Agreement became effective with respect to the Fund after approval by the Board, and after an initial two year period, continues from year to year, provided that such continuation of the Investment Advisory Agreement is specifically approved at least annually by the Board, including its Independent Trustees. The Investment Advisory Agreement terminates automatically in the event of its assignment, and is terminable with respect to the Fund at any time without penalty by the Trust (by vote of the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund) on at least 60 days’ notice or by the Advisor on at least 60 days’ written notice.

The Advisor pays all salaries of officers of the Trust, except for the Chief Compliance Officer, a portion of whose salary is paid by the Columbia Funds. The Trust pays all expenses not assumed by the Advisor including, but not limited to, auditing, legal, custodial, shareholder servicing and shareholder reporting expenses. The Trust pays the cost of printing and mailing Fund prospectuses to shareholders. The Distributor pays the cost of printing and distributing all other prospectuses.

Advisory Fee Rates and Fees Paid

The Fund pays the Advisor an annual fee for its investment advisory services, as set forth in the Investment Advisory Agreement, and as shown in the section entitled Fees and Expenses – Annual Fund Operating Expenses in the Fund’s prospectuses. The fee is calculated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of the Fund and is paid monthly. The Advisor also may pay amounts from its own assets to the Distributor and/or to selling and/or servicing agents for services they provide.

The Advisor received fees from the Fund for its services as reflected in the following chart, which shows the advisory fees paid to the Advisor and the advisory fees waived/reimbursed by the Advisor, where applicable, for the three most recently completed fiscal years.

 

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Advisory Fees Paid by the Fund

 

Fund

   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2009
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2008
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2007

Asset Allocation Fund II

        

Advisory Fee Paid

   $ 624,721    $ 884,316    $ 970,196

Amount Waived by the Advisor

     —        —        —  

Amount Reimbursed by the Advisor

     —        —        —  

Portfolio Manager(s)

The following provides additional information about the portfolio manager(s) of the Advisor who are responsible for making the day-to-day investment decisions for the Fund. As described in the Management of the Fund – Primary Service Providers section of the Fund’s prospectuses, the portfolio manager(s) of the Advisor who are responsible for the Fund are:

Portfolio Manager(s) of the Advisor

 

Portfolio Manager

  

Fund

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD    Asset Allocation Fund II
Colin Moore    Asset Allocation Fund II
Kent Peterson, PhD    Asset Allocation Fund II
Marie Schofield    Asset Allocation Fund II

Compensation

As of the Fund’s most recent fiscal year end, the Advisor’s portfolio managers received all of their compensation from the Advisor and its parent company, Columbia Management Group, LLC, in the form of salary, bonus, stock options, restricted stock, and notional investments through an incentive plan, the value of which is measured by reference to the performance of the Columbia Funds in which the account is invested. A portfolio manager’s bonus is variable and generally is based on (1) an evaluation of the portfolio manager’s investment performance and (2) the results of a peer and/or management review of the portfolio manager, which takes into account skills and attributes such as team participation, investment process, communication and professionalism. In evaluating investment performance, the Advisor generally considers the one, three and five year performance of mutual funds and other accounts managed by the portfolio manager relative to the benchmarks and peer groups noted below, emphasizing the portfolio manager’s three and five year performance. The Advisor also may consider a portfolio manager’s performance in managing client assets in sectors and industries assigned to the portfolio manager as part of his/her investment team responsibilities, where applicable. For portfolio managers who also have group management responsibilities, another factor in their evaluation is an assessment of the group’s overall investment performance.

Performance Benchmarks

 

Portfolio Manager

  

Primary

Benchmark(s)

  

Peer Group(s)

(Lipper Classification)

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD
(Asset Allocation Fund II)

  

Russell 1000 Index/Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

  

Lipper Mixed-Asset Target Allocation Growth Funds Classification

Colin Moore
(Asset Allocation Fund II)

  

Russell 1000 Index/Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

  

Lipper Mixed-Asset Target Allocation Growth Funds Classification

Kent Peterson, PhD
(Asset Allocation Fund II)

  

Russell 1000 Index/Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

  

Lipper Mixed-Asset Target Allocation Growth Funds Classification

Marie Schofield

  

Russell 1000 Index/Barclays Capital U.S.

  

Lipper Mixed-Asset Target Allocation Growth

 

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Performance Benchmarks

 

Portfolio Manager

  

Primary

Benchmark(s)

  

Peer Group(s)

(Lipper Classification)

(Asset Allocation Fund II)

  

Aggregate Bond Index

  

Funds Classification

The size of the overall bonus pool each year is determined by Columbia Management Group, LLC and depends on, among other factors, the levels of compensation generally in the investment management industry (based on market compensation data) and the Advisor’s profitability for the year, which is largely determined by assets under management.

Other Accounts

The following table shows the number and assets of other investment accounts (or portions of investment accounts) that the portfolio manager(s) of the Advisor managed, as of March 31, 2009.

Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Manager(s)

 

     Other SEC-registered
open-end and closed-end funds
   Other pooled
investment vehicles
   Other accounts

Portfolio Manager

   Number of
accounts
   Assets    Number of
accounts
   Assets    Number of
accounts
   Assets

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD

   10    $ 537 million    26    $ 1.562 billion    22    $ 235.2 million

Colin Moore

   19    $ 1.734 billion    26      1.6 billion    17      23.5 million

Kent Peterson, PhD

   10    $ 537 million    26    $ 1.562 billion    22    $ 235.2 million

Marie Schofield

   10    $ 537 million    26    $ 1.562 billion    29    $ 1.702 billion

The following table shows the number and assets of the above accounts (or portions of such accounts) for which the advisory fee is based on performance, as of March 31, 2009.

Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Manager(s) for which the Advisory Fee is Based on Performance

 

     Other SEC-
registered open-
end and closed-end funds
   Other pooled
investment vehicles
   Other accounts

Portfolio Manager

   Number of
accounts
   Assets    Number of
accounts
   Assets    Number of
accounts
   Assets

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD

   —      —      —      —      —      —  

Colin Moore

   —      —      —      —      —      —  

Kent Peterson, PhD

   —      —      —      —      —      —  

Marie Schofield

   —      —      —      —      —      —  

Ownership of Securities

The table below shows the dollar ranges of shares of the Fund beneficially owned (as determined pursuant to Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the 1934 Act) by the Advisor’s portfolio manager(s), as of March 31, 2009.

 

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Portfolio Manager Ownership of the Fund as of March 31, 2009

 

Portfolio Manager

  

Fund

   Dollar Range of Equity Securities
in the Fund Beneficially Owned
Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD    Asset Allocation Fund II    None
Colin Moore    Asset Allocation Fund II    None
Kent Peterson, PhD    Asset Allocation Fund II    None
Marie Schofield    Asset Allocation Fund II    None

The Advisor’s Portfolio Managers and Potential Conflicts of Interest

Like other investment professionals with multiple clients, the Fund’s portfolio manager(s) may face certain potential conflicts of interest in connection with managing both the Fund and other accounts at the same time. The Advisor and the Fund has adopted compliance policies and procedures that attempt to address certain of the potential conflicts that portfolio managers face in this regard. Certain of these conflicts of interest are summarized below.

The management of accounts with different advisory fee rates and/or fee structures, including accounts that pay advisory fees based on account performance (performance fee accounts), may raise potential conflicts of interest for a portfolio manager by creating an incentive to favor higher fee accounts.

Potential conflicts of interest also may arise when a portfolio manager has personal investments in other accounts that may create an incentive to favor those accounts. As a general matter and subject to the Advisor’s Code of Ethics and certain limited exceptions, the Advisor’s investment professionals do not have the opportunity to invest in client accounts, other than the Fund.

A portfolio manager who is responsible for managing multiple funds and/or accounts may devote unequal time and attention to the management of those funds and/or accounts. The effects of this potential conflict may be more pronounced where funds and/or accounts managed by a particular portfolio manager have different investment strategies.

A portfolio manager may be able to select or influence the selection of the broker/dealers that are used to execute securities transactions for the Fund. A portfolio manager’s decision as to the selection of broker/dealers could produce disproportionate costs and benefits among the Fund and the other accounts the portfolio manager manages.

A potential conflict of interest may arise when a portfolio manager buys or sells the same securities for the Fund and other accounts. On occasions when a portfolio manager considers the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interests of the Fund as well as other accounts, the Advisor’s trading desk may, to the extent consistent with applicable laws and regulations, aggregate the securities to be sold or bought in order to obtain the best execution and lower brokerage commissions, if any. Aggregation of trades may create the potential for unfairness to the Fund or another account if a portfolio manager favors one account over another in allocating the securities bought or sold.

“Cross trades,” in which a portfolio manager sells a particular security held by the Fund to another account (potentially saving transaction costs for both accounts), could involve a potential conflict of interest if, for example, a portfolio manager is permitted to sell a security from one account to another account at a higher price than an independent third party would pay. The Advisor and the Fund have adopted compliance procedures that provide that any transactions between the Fund and another account managed by the Advisor are to be made at a current market price, consistent with applicable laws and regulations.

Another potential conflict of interest may arise based on the different investment objectives and strategies of the Fund and other accounts managed by its portfolio manager(s). Depending on another account’s objectives and other factors, a portfolio manager may give advice to and make decisions for the Fund that may differ from advice given, or the timing or nature of decisions made, with respect to another account. A portfolio manager’s investment decisions are the product of many factors in addition to basic suitability for the particular account involved. Thus, a portfolio manager may buy or sell a particular security for certain accounts, and not for the Fund, even though it could have been bought or sold for the Fund at the same time. A portfolio manager also may buy a particular security for one or more accounts when one or more other accounts are selling the security (including short sales).

 

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There may be circumstances when a portfolio manager’s purchases or sales of portfolio securities for one or more accounts may have an adverse effect on other accounts, including the Fund.

The Fund’s portfolio manager(s) also may have other potential conflicts of interest in managing the Fund, and the description above is not a complete description of every conflict that could exist in managing the Fund and other accounts. Many of the potential conflicts of interest to which the Advisor’s portfolio managers are subject are essentially the same or similar to the potential conflicts of interest related to the investment management activities of the Advisor and its affiliates. See Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information about conflicts of interest, including those that relate to the Advisor and its affiliates.

The Administrator

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (which is also the Advisor) serves as Administrator of the Fund.

Services Provided

Pursuant to the terms of the Administration Agreement, the Administrator has agreed to, among other things, (i) provide office space, equipment and clerical personnel; (ii) arrange, if desired by the Trust, for its directors, officers and employees to serve as Trustees, officers or agents of the Fund; (iii) prepare and, if applicable, file all documents required for compliance by the Fund with applicable laws and regulations; (iv) prepare agendas and supporting documents for and minutes of meetings of Trustees, committees of Trustees and shareholders; (v) coordinate and oversee the activities of the Fund’s other third party service providers; and (vi) maintain certain books and records of the Fund.

Administration Fee Rates and Fees Paid

The Administrator receives fees as compensation for its services, which are computed daily and paid monthly, as set forth in the Administration Agreement, and as shown in the section entitled Fees and Expenses – Annual Fund Operating Expenses in the Fund’s prospectuses.

The following chart shows the administration fees paid to the Administrator for the three most recently completed fiscal years.

Administration Fees Paid by the Fund

 

Fund

   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2009
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2008
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2007

Asset Allocation Fund II

        

Administration Fee Paid

   $ 68,070    $ 103,492    $ 112,850

Amount Waived/Reimbursed by the Administrator

     —        —        —  

Pricing and Bookkeeping Services

State Street Bank and Trust Company is responsible for providing certain pricing and bookkeeping services to the Fund. Columbia Management Advisors, LLC is responsible for overseeing the performance of these services and for certain other services.

Services Provided

Effective December 15, 2006, the Trust entered into a Financial Reporting Services Agreement with State Street Bank and Trust Company and Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (the Financial Reporting Services Agreement) pursuant to which State Street Bank and Trust Company provides financial reporting services to the Fund. Also effective December 15, 2006, the Trust entered into an Accounting Services Agreement with State Street Bank and Trust Company and Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (collectively with the Financial Reporting Services Agreement, the State Street Agreements) pursuant to which State Street Bank and Trust Company provides accounting services to the Fund. Under the State Street Agreements, the Fund pays State Street Bank and Trust

 

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Company an annual fee of $38,000 paid monthly plus an additional monthly fee based on an annualized percentage rate of average daily net assets of the Fund for the month. The aggregate fee for the Fund during any year shall not exceed $140,000 annually (exclusive of out-of-pocket expenses and charges). The Fund also reimburses State Street Bank and Trust Company for certain out-of-pocket expenses and charges.

Effective December 15, 2006, the Trust entered into a Pricing and Bookkeeping Oversight and Services Agreement (the Services Agreement) with Columbia Management Advisors, LLC. Under the Services Agreement, Columbia Management Advisors, LLC provides services related to Fund expenses and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and provides oversight of the accounting and financial reporting services provided by State Street Bank and Trust Company. Under the Services Agreement, the Fund reimburses Columbia Management Advisors, LLC for out-of-pocket expenses and charges, including fees payable to third parties, such as for pricing the Fund’s portfolio securities, incurred by Columbia Management Advisors, LLC in the performance of services under the Services Agreement. Prior to January 1, 2008, the Fund also reimbursed Columbia Management Advisors, LLC for accounting oversight services, services related to Fund expenses and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Prior to December 15, 2006, Columbia Management Advisors, LLC was responsible for providing pricing and bookkeeping services to the Fund under a pricing and bookkeeping agreement and was entitled to receive an annual fee at the same rate described above under the State Street Agreements. Under separate agreements between Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and State Street Bank and Trust Company, Columbia Management Advisors, LLC delegated certain functions to State Street Bank and Trust Company. As a result of the delegation, the total fees payable under the pricing and bookkeeping agreement (other than certain reimbursements paid to Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and discussed below) were paid to State Street Bank and Trust Company. The Fund also reimbursed Columbia Management Advisors, LLC for out-of-pocket expenses and charges, including fees payable to third parties for pricing the Fund’s portfolio securities and direct internal costs incurred by Columbia Management Advisors, LLC in connection with providing fund accounting oversight and monitoring and certain other services.

Pricing and Bookkeeping Fees Paid

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and State Street Bank and Trust Company received fees from the Fund for their services as reflected in the following chart, which shows the net pricing and bookkeeping fees paid to State Street Bank and Trust Company and to Columbia Management Advisors, LLC for the three most recently completed fiscal years.

Pricing and Bookkeeping Fees Paid by the Fund

 

Fund

   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2009
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2008
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2007

Asset Allocation Fund II

   $ 73,930    $ 88,963    $ 103,354

Amount Paid to Columbia Management Advisors, LLC

   $ 0    $ 10,280   

Amount Paid to State Street Bank and Trust Company

   $ 73,930    $ 78,683   

The Principal Underwriter/Distributor

Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. (the Distributor) serves as the principal underwriter and distributor for the continuous offering of shares of the Fund pursuant to a Distribution Agreement. The Distribution Agreement obligates the Distributor to use appropriate efforts to find purchasers for the shares of the Fund. The Distributor’s address is: One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111.

Distribution Obligations

Pursuant to a Distribution Agreement, the Distributor, as agent, sells shares of the Fund on a continuous basis and transmits purchase and redemption orders that it receives to the Trust or the Transfer Agent, or their designated agents. Additionally, the Distributor has agreed to use appropriate efforts to solicit orders for the sale of shares and to undertake advertising and promotion as it believes appropriate in connection with such solicitation. Pursuant to the Distribution Agreement, the Distributor, at its own expense, finances those activities which are primarily

 

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intended to result in the sale of shares of the Fund, including, but not limited to, advertising, compensation of underwriters, dealers and sales personnel, the printing and mailing of prospectuses to other than existing shareholders, and the printing and mailing of sales literature. The Distributor, however, may be compensated or reimbursed for all or a portion of such expenses to the extent permitted by a Distribution Plan adopted by the Trust pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

The Distribution Agreement became effective with respect to the Fund after approval by its Board, and, after an initial two year period, continues from year to year, provided that such continuation of the Distribution Agreement is specifically approved at least annually by the Board, including its Independent Trustees. The Distribution Agreement terminates automatically in the event of its assignment, and is terminable with respect to the Fund at any time without penalty by the Trust (by vote of the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund) or by the Distributor on 60 days’ written notice.

Underwriting Commissions

The following table shows all commissions and other compensation received by the Distributor, as well as amounts the Distributor retained, for the three most recently completed fiscal years.

Underwriting Commissions Paid by the Fund and Retained by the Distributor

 

Fund

   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2009
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2008
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2007

Asset Allocation Fund II

        

Amount Paid

        

Class A shares

   $ 23,096    $ 40,023    $ 28,171

Amount Retained

        

Class A shares

   $ 3,460    $ 6,401    $ 5,780

Class B shares

   $ 6,156    $ 4,775    $ 15,969

Class C shares

   $ 350    $ 115    $ 570

 

LOGO

   Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest

As described above in the Investment Advisory and Other Services section of this SAI, and in the Management of the Fund – Primary Service Providers section of the Fund’s prospectuses, the Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, receive compensation from the Fund for the various services they provide to the Fund. Additional information as to the specific terms regarding such compensation is set forth in these affiliated service providers’ contracts with the Fund, each of which typically is included as an exhibit to Part C of the Fund’s registration statement.

In many instances, the compensation paid to the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates for the services they provide to the Fund is based, in some manner, on the size of the Fund’s assets under management. As the size of the Fund’s assets under management grows, so does the amount of compensation paid to the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates for providing services to the Fund. This relationship between Fund assets and affiliated service provider compensation may create economic and other conflicts of interests of which Fund investors should be aware. These potential conflicts of interest, as well as additional ones, are discussed in detail below and also are addressed in other disclosure materials, including the Fund’s prospectuses. These conflicts of interest also are highlighted in account documentation and other disclosure materials of Bank of America affiliates that make available or offer the Columbia Funds as investments in connection with their respective products and services. In addition, Part 1A of the Advisor’s Form ADV, which it must file with the SEC as an investment advisor registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, provides information about the Advisor’s business, assets under management, affiliates and potential conflicts of interest. Part 1A of the Advisor’s Form ADV is available online through the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

Additional actual or potential conflicts of interest and certain investment activity limitations that could affect the Fund may arise from the financial services activities of Bank of America and its affiliates, including, for example, the investment advisory/management services it provides for clients and customers other than the Fund. In this regard, Bank of America is a major financial services company. Bank of America and its affiliates, including,

 

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for example, BANA (including its U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management division), BAS, BAI, Merrill Lynch, MLPF&S and the First Republic division of Merrill Lynch Bank & Trust Co., are engaged in a wide range of financial activities beyond the mutual fund-related activities of the Advisor, including, among others, commercial banking, investment banking, broker/dealer (sales and trading), asset management, insurance and other financial activities. The broad range of financial services activities of Bank of America and its affiliates may involve multiple advisory, transactional, lending, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments, and in companies, that may be bought, sold or held by the Fund. The following describes certain actual and potential conflicts of interest that may be presented.

Actual and Potential Conflicts of Interest Related to the Investment Advisory/Management Activities of Bank of America and its Affiliates in Connection With Other Advised/Managed Funds and Accounts

The Advisor and other affiliates of Bank of America may advise or manage funds and accounts other than the Fund. In this regard, Bank of America and its affiliates may provide investment advisory/management and other services to other advised/managed funds and accounts that are similar to those provided to the Fund. The Advisor and Bank of America’s other investment advisor affiliates (including Columbia Wanger Asset Management, L.P.) will give advice to and make decisions for all advised/managed funds and accounts, including the Fund, as they believe to be in that fund’s and/or account’s best interests, consistent with their fiduciary duties. The Fund and the other advised/managed funds and accounts of Bank of America and its affiliates are separately and potentially divergently managed, and there is no assurance that any investment advice Bank of America and its affiliates give to other advised/managed funds and accounts will also be given simultaneously or otherwise to the Fund.

A variety of other actual and potential conflicts of interest may arise from the advisory relationships of the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates with other clients and customers. Advice given to the Fund and/or investment decisions made for the Fund by the Advisor or other Bank of America affiliates may differ from, or may conflict with, advice given to and/or investment decisions made for other advised/managed funds and accounts. As a result, the performance of the Fund may differ from the performance of other funds or accounts advised/managed by the Advisor or other Bank of America affiliates. Similarly, a position taken by Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, on behalf of other funds or accounts may be contrary to a position taken on behalf of the Fund. Moreover, Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, may take a position on behalf of other advised/managed funds and accounts, or for their own proprietary accounts, that is adverse to companies or other issuers in which the Fund is invested. For example, the Fund may hold equity securities of a company while another advised/managed fund or account may hold debt securities of the same company. If the portfolio company were to experience financial difficulties, it might be in the best interest of the Fund for the company to reorganize while the interests of the other advised/managed fund or account might be better served by the liquidation of the company. This type of conflict of interest could arise as the result of circumstances that cannot be generally foreseen within the broad range of investment advisory/management activities in which Bank of America and its affiliates engage.

Investment transactions made on behalf of other funds or accounts advised/managed by the Advisor or other Bank of America affiliates also may have a negative effect on the value, price or investment strategies of the Fund. For example, this could occur if another advised/managed fund or account implements an investment decision ahead of, or at the same time as, the Fund and causes the Fund to experience less favorable trading results than it otherwise would have experienced based on market liquidity factors. In addition, the other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates, including the other Columbia Funds, may have the same or very similar investment objective and strategies as the Fund. In this situation, the allocation of, and competition for, investment opportunities among the Fund and other funds and/or accounts advised/managed by the Advisor or other Bank of America affiliates may create conflicts of interest especially where, for example, limited investment availability is involved. The Advisor has adopted policies and procedures addressing the allocation of investment opportunities among the Fund and other funds and accounts advised by the Advisor and other affiliates of Bank of America. For more information, see Investment Advisory and Other Services – The Advisor and Investment Advisory Services – Portfolio Manager(s) – The Advisor’s Portfolio Managers and Potential Conflicts of Interest.

Sharing of Information among Advised/Managed Accounts

Bank of America and its affiliates also may possess information that could be material to the management of the Fund and may not be able to, or may determine not to, share that information with the Fund, even though the information might be beneficial to the Fund. This information may include actual knowledge regarding the

 

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particular investments and transactions of other advised/managed funds and accounts, as well as proprietary investment, trading and other market research, analytical and technical models, and new investment techniques, strategies and opportunities. Depending on the context, Bank of America and its affiliates generally will have no obligation to share any such information with the Fund. In general, employees of Bank of America and its affiliates, including the portfolio managers of the Advisor, will make investment decisions without regard to information otherwise known by other employees of Bank of America and its affiliates, and generally will have no obligation to access any such information and may, in some instances, not be able to access such information because of legal and regulatory constraints or the internal policies and procedures of Bank of America and its affiliates. For example, if the Advisor or another Bank of America affiliate, or their respective employees, come into possession of non-public information regarding another advised/managed fund or account, they may be prohibited by legal and regulatory constraints, or internal policies and procedures, from using that information in connection with transactions made on behalf of the Fund. For more information, see Investment Advisory and Other Services – The Advisor and Investment Advisory Services – Portfolio Manager(s) – The Advisor’s Portfolio Managers and Potential Conflicts of Interests.

Soft Dollar Benefits

Certain products and services, commonly referred to as “soft dollar services” (including, to the extent permitted by law, research reports, economic and financial data, financial publications, proxy analysis, computer databases and other research-oriented materials), that the Advisor may receive in connection with brokerage services provided to the Fund may have the inadvertent effect of disproportionately benefiting other advised/managed funds or accounts. This could happen because of the relative amount of brokerage services provided to the Fund as compared to other advised/managed funds or accounts, as well as the relative compensation paid by the Fund.

Services Provided to Other Advised/Managed Accounts

Bank of America and its affiliates also may act as an investment advisor, investment manager, administrator, transfer agent, custodian, trustee, broker/dealer, agent, or in another capacity, for advised/managed funds and accounts other than the Fund, and may receive compensation for acting in such capacity. This compensation that the Advisor, Distributor and Transfer Agent and other Bank of America affiliates receive could be greater than the compensation Bank of America and its affiliates receive for acting in the same or similar capacity for the Fund. In addition, the Advisor, Distributor and Transfer Agent and other Bank of America affiliates may receive other benefits, including enhancement of new or existing business relationships. This compensation and/or the benefits that Bank of America and its affiliates may receive from other advised/managed funds and accounts and other relationships could potentially create incentives to favor other advised/managed funds and accounts over the Fund. Trades made by Bank of America and its affiliates for the Fund may be, but are not required to be, aggregated with trades made for other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates. If trades are aggregated among the Fund and those other funds and accounts, the various prices of the securities being traded may be averaged, which could have the potential effect of disadvantaging the Fund as compared to the other funds and accounts with which trades were aggregated.

Proxy Voting

Although the Advisor endeavors to make all proxy voting decisions with respect to the interests of the Fund for which it is responsible in accordance with its proxy voting policies and procedures, the Advisor’s proxy voting decisions with respect to the Fund’s portfolio securities may nonetheless benefit other advised/managed funds and accounts, and/or clients, of Bank of America and its affiliates. The Advisor has adopted proxy voting policies and procedures that are designed to provide that all proxy voting is done in the best interests of its clients, including the Fund, without any resulting benefit or detriment to the Advisor and/or its affiliates, including Bank of America and its affiliates. For more information about the Advisor’s proxy voting policies and procedures, see Investment Advisory and Other Services – Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures.

Certain Trading Activities

The directors/trustees, officers and employees of Bank of America and its affiliates may buy and sell securities or other investments for their own accounts, and in doing so may take a position that is adverse to the Fund. In order to reduce the possibility that such personal investment activities of the directors/trustees, officers and employees of Bank of America and its affiliates will materially adversely affect the Fund, Bank of America and its affiliates have

 

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adopted policies and procedures, and the Fund, the Board, the Advisor and the Distributor have each adopted a Code of Ethics that addresses such personal investment activities. For more information, see Investment Advisory and Other Services – Codes of Ethics.

Affiliate Transactions

Subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements, the Fund may enter into transactions in which Bank of America and/or its affiliates may have an interest that potentially conflicts with the interests of the Fund. For example, BAS or MLPF&S may sell securities to the Fund from an offering in which it is an underwriter or from securities that it owns as a dealer, subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Investment Limitations Arising from Bank of America Activities

Regulatory restrictions applicable to Bank of America and its affiliates may limit the Fund’s investment activities in various ways. For example, regulations regarding certain industries and markets, such as those in emerging or international markets, and certain transactions, such as those involving certain futures and derivatives, may impose a cap on the aggregate amount of investments that may be made by affiliated investors, including accounts managed by the same affiliated manager, in the aggregate or in individual issuers. At certain times, Bank of America and its affiliates also may be restricted in the securities that can be bought or sold for the Fund and other advised/managed funds and accounts because of the investment banking, lending or other relationships Bank of America and its affiliates have with the issuers of securities. This could happen, for example, if the Fund and/or other advised/managed funds and accounts desired to buy a security issued by a company for which Bank of America or its affiliates served as underwriter. The internal policies and procedures of Bank of America and its affiliates covering these types of regulatory restrictions and addressing similar issues also may at times restrict the Fund’s investment activities. A client not advised by Bank of America and its affiliates would not be subject to many of these restrictions. See also About the Fund’s Investments – Certain Investment Activity Limits.

Actual and Potential Conflicts of Interest Related to Bank of America and its Affiliates’ Non-Advisory Relationships with Clients and Customers other than the Fund

The lending, investment banking and other relationships that Bank of America and its affiliates may have with companies and other entities in which the Fund may invest can give rise to actual and potential conflicts of interest. Subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements, the Fund may invest (a) in the securities of Bank of America and/or its affiliates and/or in companies in which Bank of America and its affiliates have a lending, investment banking, equity, debt or other interest, and/or (b) in the securities of companies held by other Columbia Funds. The purchase, holding and sale of such securities by the Fund may enhance the profitability and the business interests of Bank of America and/or its affiliates and/or other Columbia Funds. There also may be limitations as to the sharing with the Advisor of information derived from the non-investment advisory/management activities of Bank of America and its affiliates because of legal and regulatory constraints and internal policies and procedures (such as information barriers and ethical walls). Because of these limitations, Bank of America and its affiliates generally will not share information derived from its non-investment advisory/management activities with the Advisor.

Actual and Potential Conflicts of Interest Related to Bank of America Affiliates’ Marketing and Use of the Columbia Funds as an Investment Options

 

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Bank of America and its affiliates also provide a variety of products and services that, in some manner, may utilize the Columbia Funds as investment options. For example, the Columbia Funds may be offered as investments in connection with brokerage and other securities products offered by BAI or MLPF&S, and may be utilized as investments in connection with fiduciary, investment management and other accounts offered by U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management or the First Republic division of Merrill Lynch Bank & Trust Co., as well as for other Columbia Funds structured as “funds of funds.” In addition, the Columbia Money Market Funds are offered as an investment option for a variety of cash management and “sweep” account programs offered by Bank of America and its affiliates. The Columbia Funds also may use the Columbia Money Market Funds for cash investment purposes. The use of the Columbia Funds in connection with other products and services offered by Bank of America and its affiliates may introduce economic and other conflicts of interest. These conflicts of interest are highlighted in account documentation and other disclosure materials for the other products and services offered by Bank of America and its affiliates.

Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, may make payments to their affiliates in connection with the promotion and sale of the Fund’s shares, in addition to the sales-related and other compensation that these parties may receive from the Fund. As a general matter, personnel of Bank of America and its affiliates, including BAI, do not receive compensation in connection with their sales or use of the Fund that is greater than that paid in connection with their sales of other comparable products and services. Nonetheless, because the compensation that the Advisor and other affiliates of Bank of America may receive for providing services to the Fund is generally based on the Fund’s assets under management and those assets will grow as shares of the Fund are sold, potential conflicts of interest may exist. See Brokerage Allocation and Other Practices – Additional Financial Intermediary Payments for more information.

Other Services Provided

The Transfer Agent

Columbia Management Services, Inc. acts as Transfer Agent for the Fund’s shares and can be contacted at P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081. Under the Transfer Agency Agreement, the Transfer Agent provides transfer agency, dividend disbursing agency and shareholder servicing agency services to the Fund. Effective January 1, 2008, the Fund pays the Transfer Agent an annual transfer agency fee of $17.34 per account, payable monthly. In addition, the Fund may pay the Transfer Agent for the fees and expenses the Transfer Agent pays to third party dealer firms that maintain omnibus accounts with the Fund, subject to a cap equal to 0.15% of the Fund’s net assets represented by the account. The Fund also pays certain reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses to the Transfer Agent. The Transfer Agent also may retain as additional compensation for its services revenues for fees for wire, telephone and redemption orders, IRA trustee agent fees and account transcripts due the Transfer Agent from Fund shareholders and credits (net of bank charges) earned with respect to balances in accounts the Transfer Agent maintains in connection with its services to the Fund. For the period April 1, 2006 through December 31, 2007, the Fund paid the Transfer Agent an annual fee of $17.00 per account, payable monthly. For the period November 1, 2005 through March 31, 2006, the Fund paid the Transfer Agent an annual fee of $15.23 per account, payable monthly. For the period September 1, 2005 through December 31, 2007, the Transfer Agent was entitled to reimbursement by the Fund for the fees and expenses that the Transfer Agent pays to dealer firms or transfer agents that maintain omnibus accounts with the Fund, subject to a cap equal to 0.11% of the Fund’s net assets represented by the account.

The Transfer Agent retains BFDS/DST, 2 Heritage Drive, North Quincy, MA 02171 as the Fund’s sub-transfer agent. BFDS/DST assists the Transfer Agent in carrying out its duties.

The Custodian

State Street, which is located at State Street Financial Center, One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111, is the Fund’s Custodian. State Street is responsible for safeguarding the Fund’s cash and securities, receiving and delivering securities and collecting the Fund’s interest and dividends.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, which is located at 125 High Street, Boston, MA 02110, is the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. The Fund issues unaudited financial statements semi-annually and audited financial statements annually. The annual financial statements for the Fund’s fiscal year ended March 31,

 

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2009 have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. The Board has selected PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm to audit the Fund’s books and review its tax returns for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010.

The Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm and the audited financial statements included in the Annual Report to Shareholders of the Fund dated March 31, 2009 is incorporated herein by reference. No other parts of the annual reports or semi-annual reports to shareholders are incorporated by reference herein. The financial statements incorporated by reference into the Fund’s prospectuses and this SAI have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of the independent registered public accounting firm, given on its authority as an expert in auditing and accounting.

Counsel

Goodwin Procter LLP serves as legal counsel to the Trust. Its address is 901 New York Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001.

Distribution and Servicing Plans

The Trust has adopted a Rule 12b-1, or distribution plan, for Class A shares, Class B shares and Class C shares of the Fund. The Fund no longer accepts investments from new or existing investors in Class B shares, except for certain limited transactions from existing investors in Class B shares. See the prospectuses for Class B shares of the Fund for details.

The Trust has adopted shareholder servicing plans (Servicing Plans) and Distribution Plans for the Class B and Class C shares and a combined distribution and shareholder servicing plan for Class A shares. The Servicing Plans permit the Fund to compensate or reimburse servicing agents for the shareholder services they have provided. The Distribution Plans, adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, permit the Fund to compensate or reimburse the Distributor and/or selling agents for activities or expenses primarily intended to result in the sale of the classes’ shares. Payments are made at an annual rate and paid monthly, as a percentage of average daily net assets, set from time to time by the Board, and are charged as expenses of the Fund directly to the applicable share class. A substantial portion of the expenses incurred pursuant to these plans is paid to affiliates of BOA and the Distributor.

The annual rates in effect and plan limits, as a percentage of average daily net assets are as follows:

 

     Current Rate     Plan Limit  

Class A Combined Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Plan

   0.25   0.25

Class B and Class C Shareholder Servicing Plans

   0.25   0.25

Class B and Class C Distribution Plans

   0.75   0.75

Payments under the Class A Distribution and Servicing Plan, the Class B Distribution Plan and the Class C Distribution Plan generally may be made with respect to the following: (i) preparation, printing and distribution of prospectuses, sales literature and advertising materials; (ii) commissions, incentive compensation or other compensation to, and expenses of, account executives or other employees of the Distributor or Selling Agents, attributable to distribution or sales support activities, respectively; (iii) overhead and other office expenses of the Distributor or Selling Agents, attributable to distribution or sales support activities, respectively; (iv) opportunity costs relating to the foregoing (which may be calculated as a carrying charge on the Distributor’s or Selling Agents’ unreimbursed expenses incurred in connection with distribution or sales support activities, respectively); and (v) any other costs and expenses relating to distribution or sales support activities.

All of the Distribution Plans may be terminated with respect to their respective shares by vote of a majority of the Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Board Members, or by vote of a majority of the holders of the outstanding voting securities of the appropriate share class. Any change in a Rule 12b-1 Plan that would increase materially the distribution expenses paid by the appropriate share class requires shareholder approval.

 

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Expenses incurred by the Distributor pursuant to a Distribution Plan in any given year may exceed the sum of the fees received under the Distribution Plan. Any such excess may be recovered by the Distributor in future years so long as the Distribution Plan is in effect. If the Distribution Plan were terminated or not continued, the Fund would not be contractually obligated to pay the Distributor for any expenses not previously reimbursed by the Fund. There were no unreimbursed expenses incurred under any of the Distribution Plans in the previous fiscal year to be carried over to the current fiscal year.

The Fund participates in joint distribution activities with other Funds in the Columbia Funds Family. The fees paid under each Distribution Plan adopted by the Fund may be used to finance the distribution of the shares of other Funds in the Columbia Funds Family. Such distribution costs are allocated based on the relative net asset size of the respective Funds.

During the most recently completed fiscal year, the Distributor received distribution and service fees from the Fund for its services as reflected in the following chart. The Trust is not aware as to what amount, if any, of the Rule 12b-1 fees paid to the Distributor were, on a Fund-by-Fund basis, used for advertising, printing and mailing of prospectuses to other than current shareholders, compensation to broker-dealers, compensation to sales personnel or interest, carrying or other financing charges.

Distribution and Service Fees Paid by the Fund for the Fiscal Period Ended March 31, 2009

 

Fund

   Class A Shares    Class B Shares    Class C Shares    Class Z Shares

Asset Allocation Fund II

           

Combined Shareholder Serving and Distribution Fee

   193,639              —  

Distribution Fee

   —      $ 35,845    $ 4,589    —  

Service Fee

   —      $ 11,950    $ 1,530    —  

Expense Limitations

The Advisor has voluntarily agreed to reimburse a portion of the Fund’s expenses so that the Fund’s ordinary expenses (excluding any distribution and service fees, brokerage commissions, interest, taxes and extraordinary expenses, but including custodian charges relating to overdrafts, if any) after giving effect to any balance credits from the Fund’s custodian, do not exceed 0.95% of the Fund’s average daily net assets on an annualized basis. The Advisor, in its discretion, may revise or discontinue this arrangement at any time.

Codes of Ethics

The Fund, the Advisor and the Distributor have adopted Codes of Ethics pursuant to the requirements of the 1940 Act, including Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. These Codes of Ethics permit personnel subject to the Codes of Ethics to invest in securities, including securities that may be bought or held by the Fund. These Codes of Ethics are included as exhibits to Part C of the Fund’s registration statement. These Codes of Ethics can be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room and may be obtained by calling the SEC at 202.551.8090; they also are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, and may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request to publicinfo@sec.gov or by writing to the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102.

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

The Fund has delegated to the Advisor or, as applicable, a sub-advisor, the responsibility to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Fund. In deciding to delegate this responsibility to the Advisor, the Board reviewed and approved the policies and procedures adopted by the Advisor and, as applicable, a sub-advisor. These included the procedures that the Advisor follows when a vote presents a conflict between the interests of the Fund and their shareholders and the Advisor (or sub-advisor), its affiliates, its other clients or other persons.

The Advisor’s policy is to vote proxies for Fund securities in a manner considered by the Advisor to be in the best interest of the Fund and their shareholders without regard to any benefit to the Advisor, its affiliates, its other clients or other persons. The Advisor examines each proposal and votes against the proposal, if, in its judgment, approval or adoption of the proposal would be expected to have an adverse impact on the current or potential market value of the issuer’s securities. The Advisor also examines each proposal and votes the proxies against the proposal,

 

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if, in its judgment, the proposal would be expected to affect adversely the best interest of the Fund. The Advisor determines the best interest of the Fund in light of the potential economic return on the Fund’s investment.

The Advisor seeks to address potential material conflicts of interest by having predetermined voting guidelines. For those proposals that require special consideration or in instances where special circumstances may require varying from the predetermined guideline, the Advisor’s Proxy Voting Committee determines the vote in the best interest of the Fund, without consideration of any benefit to the Advisor, its affiliates, its other clients or other persons. The Advisor’s Proxy Voting Committee is composed of representatives of the Advisor’s equity investments, equity research, compliance, legal and operations functions. In addition to the responsibilities described above, the Proxy Voting Committee has the responsibility to review, at least annually, the Advisor’s proxy voting policies to ensure consistency with internal policies and regulatory requirements and to develop additional predetermined voting guidelines to assist in the review of proxy proposals.

The Proxy Voting Committee may vary from a predetermined guideline if it determines that voting on the proposal according to the predetermined guideline would be expected to have an adverse impact on the current or potential market value of the issuer’s securities or to affect adversely the best interest of the Fund. References to the best interests of the Fund refer to the interest of the Fund in terms of the potential economic return on the client’s investment. In determining the vote on any proposal, the Proxy Voting Committee does not consider any benefit other than benefits to the Fund. A member of the Proxy Voting Committee is prohibited from voting on any proposal for which he or she has a conflict of interest by reason of a direct relationship with the issuer or other party affected by a given proposal. Persons making recommendations to the Proxy Voting Committee or its members are required to disclose to the Committee any relationship with a party making a proposal or other matter known to the person that would create a potential conflict of interest.

The Advisor has retained Glass-Lewis & Co., a third-party vendor, to implement its proxy voting process. Glass-Lewis & Co. provides proxy analysis, record keeping services and vote disclosure services.

Information regarding how the Columbia Funds (except certain Columbia Funds that do not invest in voting securities) voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent twelve month period ended June 30 will be available by August 31 of this year free of charge: (i) through the Columbia Funds’ website at www.columbiafunds.com and (ii) on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. For a copy of the Advisor’s policies and procedures that are used to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Columbia Funds, see Appendix B to this SAI.

Expenses Paid by Third Parties

The Distributor and the Administrator furnish, without additional cost to the Fund, the services of certain officers of the Fund and such other personnel (other than the personnel of the Advisor or the investment sub-advisor(s), if applicable) as are required for the proper conduct of the Fund’s affairs. The Distributor bears the incremental expenses of printing and distributing prospectuses used by the Distributor or furnished by the Distributor to investors in connection with the public offering of the Fund’s shares and the costs of any other promotional or sales literature, except that to the extent permitted under the Distribution Plans of the Fund, sales-related expenses incurred by the Distributor may be reimbursed by the Fund.

The Fund pays or causes to be paid all other expenses of the Fund, including, without limitation: the fees of the Advisor, the Distributor and the Administrator; the charges and expenses of any registrar, any custodian or depository appointed by the Fund for the safekeeping of their cash, Fund securities and other property, and any stock transfer, dividend or accounting agent or agents appointed by the Fund; brokerage commissions chargeable to the Fund in connection with Fund securities transactions to which the Fund is a party; all taxes, including securities issuance and transfer taxes; corporate fees payable by the Fund to federal, state or other governmental agencies; all costs and expenses in connection with the registration and maintenance of registration of the Fund’s shares with the SEC and various states and other jurisdictions (including filing fees, legal fees and disbursements of counsel); the costs and expenses of preparing and typesetting prospectuses and statements of additional information of the Fund (including supplements thereto) and periodic reports and of printing and distributing such prospectuses and statements of additional information (including supplements thereto) to the Fund’s shareholders; all expenses of shareholders’ and Trustee meetings and of preparing, printing and mailing proxy statements and reports to shareholders; fees and travel expenses of directors or director members of any advisory board or committee; all expenses incident to the payment of any distribution, whether in shares or cash; charges and expenses of any outside

 

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service used for pricing of the Fund’s shares; fees and expenses of legal counsel and of independent auditors in connection with any matter relating to the Fund; membership dues of industry associations; interest payable on Fund borrowings; postage and long-distance telephone charges; insurance premiums on property or personnel (including officers and directors) of the Fund which inure to their benefit; extraordinary expenses (including, but not limited to, legal claims and liabilities and litigation costs and any indemnification related thereto); and all other charges and costs of the Fund’s operation unless otherwise explicitly assumed by the Advisor or the Administrator.

Expenses of the Fund which are not attributable to the operations of any class of shares or Fund are pro-rated among all classes of shares or certain Columbia Funds, including the Fund based upon the relative net assets of each class or Fund. Expenses which are not directly attributable to a specific class of shares but are attributable to a specific Fund are prorated among all the classes of shares of such Fund based upon the relative net assets of each such class of shares. Expenses which are directly attributable to a class of shares are charged against the income available for distribution as dividends to such class of shares.

 

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FUND GOVERNANCE

The Board

Responsibilities

The Board oversees the Trust and the Fund. The Trustees have a fiduciary duty to protect shareholders’ interests when supervising and overseeing the management and operations of the Trust and have the responsibility to assure that the Fund is managed in the best interests of shareholders. The following table provides basic information about the Trustees as of the date of this SAI, including their principal occupations during the past five years, although their specific titles may have varied over the period. The mailing address of each Trustee is: c/o Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, One Financial Center, Mail Stop MA5-515-11-05, Boston, MA 02111.

Independent Trustee Biographical Information

 

Name, Year of

Birth and Position

Held with the Trust

  

Year First

Appointed or

Elected to a

Board in the

Columbia

Funds Complex

  

Principal

Occupation(s) During

the Past Five Years

  

Number
of Funds
in the
Columbia
Funds
Complex
Overseen

  

Other Directorships

Held by Trustee

Edward J. Boudreau, Jr.

(Born 1944)

Trustee

   Indefinite term; Trustee since January 2005    Managing Director – E.J. Boudreau & Associates (consulting), from 2000 through current    66    None

William P. Carmichael

(Born 1943)

Trustee and Chairman of the Board

   Indefinite term; Trustee since 1999    Retired    66    Director – Cobra Electronics Corporation (electronic equipment manufacturer); Spectrum Brands, Inc. (consumer products); Simmons Company (bedding); and The Finish Line (sportswear)

William A. Hawkins

(Born 1942)

Trustee

   Indefinite term; Trustee since January 2005    President and Chief Executive Officer – California Bank, N.A., from January 2008 through current    66    None

R. Glenn Hilliard

(Born 1943)

Trustee

   Indefinite term; Trustee since January 2005    Chairman and Chief Executive Officer – Hilliard Group LLC (investing and consulting), from April 2003 through current; Non-Executive Director & Chairman – Conseco, Inc. (insurance), September 2003 through current; Executive Chairman – Conseco, Inc. (insurance), August 2004 through September 2005    66    Director – Conseco, Inc. (insurance)

 

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Name, Year of

Birth and Position

Held with the Trust

  

Year First

Appointed or

Elected to a

Board in the

Columbia

Funds Complex

  

Principal

Occupation(s) During

the Past Five Years

  

Number
of Funds
in the
Columbia
Funds
Complex
Overseen

  

Other Directorships

Held by Trustee

John J. Nagorniak

(Born 1944)

Trustee

   Indefinite term; Trustee since January 2008   

Retired; President and Director – Foxstone Financial, Inc. (consulting), 2000 through December 2007; Director – Mellon Financial Corporation affiliates (investing), 2000 through 2007; Chairman – Franklin Portfolio Associates (investing – Mellon affiliate) 1982 through 2007

   66    Trustee and Chairman – Research Foundation of CFA Institute; Director – MIT Investment Company; Trustee – MIT 401k Plan

Minor M. Shaw

(Born 1947)

Trustee

   Indefinite term; Trustee since 2003    President – Micco Corporation and Mickel Investment Group    66    Board Member – Piedmont Natural Gas
Interested Trustee Biographical Information

Anthony M. Santomero*

(Born 1946)

Trustee

   Indefinite term; Trustee since January 2008    Richard K. Mellon Professor Emeritus of Finance, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, from 1972 through current; Senior Advisor – McKinsey & Company (consulting), July 2006 through December 2007; President and Chief Executive Officer – Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, 2000 through April 2006    66    Director – Renaissance Reinsurance Ltd.; Director – Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company; Director – Citigroup

 

* Mr. Santomero is currently deemed by the Columbia Funds to be an “interested person” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Funds because he serves as a Director of Citigroup, Inc. and Citibank, N.A. Citigroup, Inc., through its subsidiaries and affiliates, including Citibank, N.A., may engage from time-to-time in brokerage execution, principal transactions and/or lending relationships with the Columbia Funds or other funds or accounts advised/managed by the Advisor.

 

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Standing Committees

The Trust has four standing committees, including the Audit Committee, the Contracts Review Committee, the Governance Committee and the Investment Committee.

The function of the Audit Committee is oversight. Management (which generally means the appropriate officers of a Company, and the Fund’s investment advisor(s), administrator(s) and other key service providers (other than the independent registered public accounting firm)) is primarily responsible for the preparation of the financial statements of the Fund, and the independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing those financial statements. Management also is responsible for maintaining appropriate systems for accounting and “internal controls over financial reporting” (as such term is defined in Rule 30a-3 under the 1940 Act), and the independent registered public accounting firm is primarily responsible for considering such internal controls over financial reporting in connection with its financial statement audits. While the Audit Committee has the duties and powers set forth in the Audit Committee charter, the Audit Committee is not responsible for planning or conducting any Fund audit or for determining whether the Fund’s financial statements are complete and accurate and are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

The Audit Committee has, among other things, specific power and responsibility to: (i) oversee its Funds’ accounting and financial reporting processes and practices, its internal controls over financial reporting and, as appropriate, the internal controls over financial reporting of the Fund maintained by key service providers; (ii) approve, and recommend to the full Board for its approval in accordance with applicable law, the selection and appointment of an independent auditor for the Fund prior to the engagement of such independent auditor; (iii) pre-approve all audit and non-audit services provided to the Fund by its independent auditor, directly or by establishing pre-approval policies and procedures pursuant to which such services may be rendered, provided however, that the policies and procedures are detailed as to the particular service and the Audit Committee is informed of each service, and such policies do not include the delegation to management of the Audit Committee’s responsibilities under the 1934 Act or applicable rules or listing requirements; and (iv) pre-approve all non-audit services provided by the Fund’s independent auditor to the Fund’s investment advisor and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment advisor that provides ongoing services to the Fund, if the engagement relates directly to the operations and financial reporting of the Fund. The members of the Audit Committee are William A. Hawkins, Edward J. Boudreau, Jr. and William P. Carmichael. The Audit Committee members are all not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Audit Committee met on six occasions during the last fiscal year.

The primary responsibilities of the Contracts Review Committee, as set forth in its charter, include reviewing and making recommendations to the Board as to: (i) contractual arrangements; (ii) the factors considered in approving advisory and sub-advisory contracts; and (iii) service provider oversight and performance. Among other responsibilities, the Contracts Review Committee also oversees and coordinates activities of consultants and legal or financial experts that may be engaged under certain circumstances. The members of the Contracts Review Committee are R. Glenn Hilliard, William P. Carmichael, John J. Nagorniak and Anthony M. Santomero. With the exception of the Interested Trustee, the Contracts Review Committee members are all not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Contracts Review Committee met on five occasions during the last fiscal year.

The primary responsibilities of the Governance Committee include, as set forth in its charter: (i) nominating Independent Trustees; (ii) addressing matters relating to compensation of Trustees who are not current directors, officers or employees of the Fund’s investment advisor or sub-advisor or any control affiliate thereof, including deferred compensation and retirement policies; and (iii) evaluating each Board and its committee structure as often as it deems necessary or desirable to determine whether each is functioning effectively. The Governance Committee shall determine the nature of the evaluation and its role therein in its sole discretion. The members of the Governance Committee are Minor M. Shaw, William A. Hawkins, R. Glenn Hilliard and William P. Carmichael. The Governance Committee members are all not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Governance Committee met on four occasions during the last fiscal year.

The primary responsibilities of the Investment Committee are, as set forth in its charter, to assist the Board in carrying out its oversight responsibilities in specific areas of investment management, both by acting as liaison between the full Board and the Advisor on investment matters, and by acting on behalf of the Board, on an interim

 

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basis, on investment issues in non-recurring or extraordinary circumstances when it is impractical to convene a meeting of the full Board. In carrying out these general responsibilities, the Investment Committee assists the Board in connection with issues relating to: the investment policies and procedures adopted for the Fund; appropriate performance benchmarks and other comparative issues; portfolio management staffing and other personnel issues of the Advisor; investment related compliance issues; possible exemptive applications or other relief necessary or appropriate with respect to investment matters; and other investment related matters referred from time to time to the Committee by the full Board. The Committee reports its activities to the full Board on a regular basis and is responsible for making such recommendations with respect to the matters described above and other matters as the Committee may deem necessary or appropriate. Each Trustee is a member of the Investment Committee. With the exception of the Interested Trustee, the Investment Committee members are all not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Investment Committee met on five occasions during the last fiscal year.

Compensation

Trustees are compensated for their services to the Columbia Funds Family on a complex-wide basis, as shown in the table below.

Independent Trustee Compensation for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2009 and the Calendar Year Ended December 31, 2008

 

Name of Trustee

   Aggregate Compensation from Asset
Allocation Fund II for the Fiscal
Year ended March 31, 2009(a)
   Aggregate Compensation from the
Columbia Funds Complex for the
Calendar Year ended
December 31, 2008(a)

Edward J. Boudreau, Jr.(b)

   $ 3,696    $ 245,000

William P. Carmichael(c)

   $ 4,591    $ 302,500

Minor M. Shaw(d)

   $ 3,540    $ 227,500

R. Glenn Hilliard(e)

   $ 3,540    $ 231,250

William A. Hawkins(f)

   $ 3,655    $ 240,000

John J. Nagorniak (g)

   $ 3,151    $ 185,000

Interested Trustee Compensation for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2009 and the Calendar Year Ended December 31, 2008

 

Anthony M. Santomero(h)

   $ 3,074    $ 180,000

 

(a)

All Trustees receive reimbursements for reasonable expenses related to their attendance at meetings of the Board or standing committees, which are not included in the amounts shown.

(b)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Mr. Boudreau deferred $1,121 of his compensation from the Fund. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Boudreau deferred $66,069 of his total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

(c)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Mr. Carmichael deferred $0 of his compensation from the Fund. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Carmichael deferred $46,032 of his total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

(d)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Ms. Shaw deferred $1,790 of her compensation from the Fund. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Ms. Shaw deferred $104,833 of her total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

(e)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Mr. Hilliard deferred $3,271 of his compensation from the Fund. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Hilliard deferred $213,121 of his total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

(f)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Mr. Hawkins deferred $0 of his compensation from the Fund. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Hawkins deferred $0 of his total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

(g)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Mr. Nagorniak deferred $969 of his compensation from the Fund. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Nagorniak deferred $51,156 of his total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

(h)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Mr. Santomero deferred $1,577 of his compensation from the Fund. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Santomero deferred $82,952 of his total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

 

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Columbia Funds Deferred Compensation Plan

Under the terms of the Deferred Fee Agreement (the Deferred Compensation Plan), each eligible Trustee may elect, on an annual basis, to defer receipt of all or a portion of compensation payable to him or her for service as Trustee for that calendar year (expressly, a Trustee may elect to defer his/her annual retainer, his/her attendance fees, or both components, which together comprise total compensation for service). Fees deferred by a Trustee are credited to a book reserve account (the Deferral Account) established by the Columbia Funds, the value of which is derived from the rate of return of one or more Columbia Funds selected by the Trustee (with accruals to the Deferral Account beginning at such time as a Trustee’s fund elections having been established, and fees for service having been paid into such account, and terminating at such time as when proceeds become payable to such Trustee under the Deferred Compensation Plan). Trustees may change their fund elections only in accordance with the provisions of the Deferred Compensation Plan.

Distributions from a Trustee’s Deferral Account will be paid by check, either in a lump sum or in annual installments. Payments made in annual installments are disbursed over a period of up to ten years, following such time as a Trustee may qualify to receive such payments. If a deferring Trustee dies prior to or after the commencement of the disbursement of amounts accrued in his/her Deferral Account, the balance of the account will be distributed to his/her designated beneficiary either in lump sum or in annual payments as established by such Trustee himself/herself, his/her beneficiary or his/her estate. Amounts payable under the Deferred Compensation Plan are not funded or secured in any way, and each deferring Trustee has the status of an unsecured creditor of the Columbia Fund(s) selected by such Trustee.

Beneficial Equity Ownership

As of the date of this SAI, the Trustees and Officers of the Trust, as a group, beneficially owned less than 1% of each class of shares of the Fund. The table below shows, for each Trustee, the amount of Fund equity securities beneficially owned by the Trustee and the aggregate value of all investments in equity securities of the Columbia Funds Family, including notional amounts through the Deferred Compensation Plan, stated as one of the following ranges: A = $0; B = $1-$10,000; C = $10,001-$50,000; D = $50,001-$100,000; and E = over $100,000.

Independent Trustee Ownership for the Calendar Year Ended December 31, 2008

 

Trustee

  Dollar Range of Equity
Securities in the Fund
          Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities        
in all Funds in the Columbia Funds Family
Edward J. Boudreau, Jr.   Asset Allocation Fund II   —     B           E
William P. Carmichael   Asset Allocation Fund II   —     A           E
Minor M. Shaw   Asset Allocation Fund II   —     A           E
R. Glenn Hilliard   Asset Allocation Fund II   —     A           E
William A. Hawkins   Asset Allocation Fund II   —     A           E
John J. Nagorniak   Asset Allocation Fund II   —     A           E

 

Interested Trustee Ownership for the Calendar Year Ended December 31, 2008

 

Anthony M. Santomero   Asset Allocation Fund II     A           D

The Officers

The following table provides basic information about the Officers of the Trust as of the date of this SAI, including their principal occupations during the past five years, although their specific titles may have varied over the period. The mailing address of each Officer is: c/o Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, One Financial Center, Mail Stop MA5-515-11-05, Boston, MA 02110.

 

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Officer Biographical Information

 

Name, Year of

Birth and Address

  

Position

with

the Trust

  

Year First

Elected or

Appointed

to Office

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During the Past Five Years

J. Kevin Connaughton

(Born 1964)

   President    2009    Managing Director of Columbia Management Advisors, LLC since December 2004; Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer – Columbia Funds, from June 2008 to January 2009; Treasurer – Columbia Funds, October 2003 – May 2008; Treasurer – the Liberty Funds, Stein Roe Funds and Liberty All-Star Funds, December 2000 – December 2006; Senior Vice President – Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, April 2003 – December 2004; President – Columbia Funds, Liberty Funds and Stein Roe Funds, February 2004 to October 2004; Treasurer – Galaxy Funds, September 2002 to December 2005; Treasurer, December 2002 to December 2004, and President, February 2004 to December 2004 – Columbia Management Multi-Strategy Hedge Fund, LLC; and a senior officer or director of various other Bank of America-affiliated entities, including other registered and unregistered funds.

James R. Bordewick, Jr.

(Born 1959)

   Senior Vice President, Secretary and Chief Legal Officer    2006    Associate General Counsel, Bank of America since April 2005; Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel, MFS Investment Management (investment management) prior to April 2005.

Linda J. Wondrack

(Born 1964)

   Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer    2007    Director (Columbia Management Group, LLC and Investment Product Group Compliance), Bank of America since June 2005; Director of Corporate Compliance and Conflicts Officer, MFS Investment Management (investment management), August 2004 to May 2005; Managing Director, Deutsche Asset Management (investment management) prior to August 2004.

Michael G. Clarke

(Born 1969)

   Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer    2008    Director of Fund Administration of the Advisor since January 2006; Managing Director of the Advisor, September 2004 to December 2005; Vice President Fund Administration, June 2002 to September 2004.

Jeffrey R. Coleman

(Born 1969)

   Treasurer    2008    Director of Fund Administration of the Advisor since January 2006; Fund Controller from October 2004 to January 2006; Vice President of CDC IXIS Asset Management Services, Inc. (investment management) from August 2000 to September 2004.

Julian Quero

(Born 1967)

  

Deputy

Treasurer

   2003    Senior Tax Manager of the Advisor since August 2006; Senior Compliance Manager of the Advisor from April 2002 to August 2006.

 

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Name, Year of

Birth and Address

  

Position

with

the Trust

  

Year First

Elected or

Appointed

to Office

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During the Past Five Years

Timothy P. Kane

(Born 1974)

   Assistant Treasurer    2008    Head of Valuation of the Advisor since July 2007; Manager, Accounting Oversight Department of the Advisor since September 2004; Internal Auditor, State Street Corporation (financial services) from June 2004 to September 2004; Senior Auditor, Deloitte (public accounting firm) prior to June 2004.

Kenneth E. O’Connor

(Born 1970)

   Assistant Treasurer    2008    Head of Mutual Fund Performance of the Advisor since September 2006; Senior Manager, Mutual Fund Performance of the Advisor from 2003 to September 2006.

Joseph F. DiMaria

(Born 1968)

   Chief Accounting Officer    2008    Director of Fund Administration of the Advisor since January 2006; Head of Tax/Compliance and Assistant Treasurer from November 2004 to December 2005; Director of Trustee Administration (Sarbanes-Oxley) from May 2003 to October 2004.

Stephen T. Welsh

(Born 1957)

   Vice President    1996    President and Director, Columbia Management Services, Inc. since July 2004; Managing Director, Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. since August 2007; Senior Vice President and Controller, Columbia Management Services, Inc. prior to July 2004.

Kathryn Thompson

(Born 1967)

   Assistant Treasurer    2006    Vice President, Mutual Fund Accounting Oversight of the Advisor since December 2004; Vice President, State Street Corporation (financial services) prior to December 2004.

Philip N. Prefontaine

(Born 1948)

   Assistant Treasurer    2006    Vice President, Mutual Fund Reporting of the Advisor since November 2004; Assistant Vice President of CDC IXIS Asset Management Services, Inc. (investment management) prior to November 2004.

Keith E. Stone

(Born 1974)

   Assistant Treasurer    2006    Vice President, Trustee Reporting of the Advisor since September 2003.

Barry S. Vallan

(Born 1969)

   Controller    2006    Vice President-Fund Treasury of the Advisor since October 2004; Vice President-Trustee Reporting from April 2002 to October 2004.

Peter T. Fariel

(Born 1957)

   Assistant Secretary    2006    Associate General Counsel, Bank of America since April 2005; Partner, Goodwin Procter LLP (law firm) prior to April 2005.

Julie B. Lyman

(Born 1970)

   Assistant Secretary    2007    Managing Director of the Advisor since May 2009; Assistant General Counsel, Bank of America from October 2006 through May 2009; Associate, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham LLP (law firm) from April 2004 through October 2006.

 

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Name, Year of

Birth and Address

  

Position

with

the Trust

  

Year First

Elected or

Appointed

to Office

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During the Past Five Years

Ryan C. Larrenaga

(Born 1970)

   Assistant Secretary    2005    Assistant General Counsel, Bank of America since March 2005; Associate, Ropes & Gray LLP (law firm) from 1998 to February 2005.

Laura E. Flores

(Born 1976)

   Assistant Secretary    2008    Assistant General Counsel, Bank of America since September 2008; Associate, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP (law firm) from September 2004 to September 2008.

BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES

General Brokerage Policy, Brokerage Transactions and Broker Selection

Subject to policies established by the Board, the Advisor (or the investment sub-advisor(s) who make(s) the day-to-day investment decisions for the Fund, as applicable) is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for the Fund, for the selection of broker/dealers, for the execution of the Fund’s securities transactions and for the allocation of brokerage commissions in connection with such transactions. The Advisor’s primary consideration in effecting a security transaction is to obtain the best net price and the most favorable execution of the order. Purchases and sales of securities on a securities exchange are effected through brokers who charge negotiated commissions for their services. Orders may be directed to any broker to the extent and in the manner permitted by applicable law.

In the over-the-counter market, securities generally are traded on a “net” basis with dealers acting as principals for their own accounts without stated commissions, although the price of a security usually includes a profit to the dealer. In underwritten offerings, securities are bought at a fixed price that includes an amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter’s “concession” or “discount.” On occasion, certain money market instruments may be bought directly from an issuer, in which case no commissions or discounts are paid.

The Fund is affiliated with the NYSE specialist firm Banc of America Specialist, Inc. In order to ensure that markets are fair, orderly and competitive, NYSE specialist firms are responsible for maintaining a liquid and continuous two-sided auction market by acting as both an agent and a principal. Specialists are entrusted to hold the interests of customer orders above the specialist’s own interests, and will buy and sell securities as principal when such transactions are necessary to minimize imbalances between supply and demand. Banc of America Specialist, Inc. may make a market in certain securities held by the Fund.

In placing orders for portfolio securities of the Fund, the Advisor gives primary consideration to obtaining the best net prices and most favorable execution. This means that the Advisor will seek to execute each transaction at a price and commission, if any, which provides the most favorable total cost or proceeds reasonably attainable in the circumstances. In seeking such execution, the Advisor will use its best judgment in evaluating the terms of a transaction, and will give consideration to various relevant factors, including, without limitation, the size and type of the transaction, the nature and character of the market for the security, the confidentiality, speed and certainty of effective execution required for the transaction, the general execution and operational capabilities of the broker/dealer, the reputation, reliability, experience and financial condition of the broker/dealer, the value and quality of the services rendered by the broker/dealer in this instance and other transactions and the reasonableness of the spread or commission, if any. Research services received from broker/dealers supplement the Advisor’s own research and may include the following types of information: statistical and background information on industry groups and individual companies; forecasts and interpretations with respect to U.S. and foreign economies, securities, markets, specific industry groups and individual companies; information on political developments; Fund management strategies; performance information on securities and information concerning prices of securities; and information supplied by specialized services to the Advisor and to the Board with respect to the performance, investment activities and fees and expenses of other mutual funds. Such information may be communicated electronically, orally or in written form. Research services also may include the arranging of meetings with management of companies and the provision of access to consultants who supply research information.

 

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The outside research is useful to the Advisor since, in certain instances, the broker/dealers utilized by the Advisor may follow a different universe of securities issuers and other matters than those that the Advisor’s staff can follow. In addition, this research provides the Advisor with a different perspective on financial markets, even if the securities research obtained relates to issues followed by the Advisor. Research services that are provided to the Advisor by broker/dealers are available for the benefit of all accounts managed or advised by the Advisor. In some cases, the research services are available only from the broker/dealer providing such services. In other cases, the research services may be obtainable from alternative sources. The Advisor is of the opinion that because the broker/dealer research supplements rather than replaces the Advisor’s own research, the receipt of such research does not tend to decrease the Advisor’s expenses, but tends to improve the quality of its investment advice. However, to the extent that the Advisor would have bought any such research services had such services not been provided by broker/dealers, the expenses of such services to the Advisor could be considered to have been reduced accordingly. Certain research services furnished by broker/dealers may be useful to the clients of the Advisor other than the Fund. Conversely, any research services received by the Advisor through the placement of transactions of other clients may be of value to the Advisor in fulfilling its obligations to the Fund. The Advisor is of the opinion that this material is beneficial in supplementing its research and analysis; and, therefore, it may benefit the Trust by improving the quality of the Advisor’s investment advice. The advisory fees paid by the Trust are not reduced because the Advisor receives such services.

Under Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act, the Advisor shall not be “deemed to have acted unlawfully or to have breached its fiduciary duty” solely because under certain circumstances it has caused the account to pay a higher commission than the lowest available. To obtain the benefit of Section 28(e), the Advisor must make a good faith determination that the commissions paid are “reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such member, broker, or dealer, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or his overall responsibilities with respect to the accounts as to which he exercises investment discretion.” Accordingly, the price to the Fund in any transaction may be less favorable than that available from another broker/dealer if the difference is reasonably justified by other aspects of the portfolio execution services offered. Some broker/dealers may indicate that the provision of research services is dependent upon the generation of certain specified levels of commissions and underwriting concessions by the Advisor’s clients, including the Fund.

Commission rates are established pursuant to negotiations with broker/dealers based on the quality and quantity of execution services provided by broker/dealers in light of generally prevailing rates. On exchanges on which commissions are negotiated, the cost of transactions may vary among different broker/dealers. Transactions on foreign stock exchanges involve payment of brokerage commissions that generally are fixed. Transactions in both foreign and domestic over-the-counter markets generally are principal transactions with dealers, and the costs of such transactions involve dealer spreads rather than brokerage commissions. With respect to over-the-counter transactions, the Advisor, where possible, will deal directly with dealers who make a market in the securities involved, except in those circumstances in which better prices and execution are available elsewhere.

In certain instances there may be securities that are suitable for more than one Fund as well as for one or more of the other clients of the Advisor. Investment decisions for the Fund and for the Advisor’s other clients are made with the goal of achieving their respective investment objectives. A particular security may be bought or sold for only one client even though it may be held by, or bought or sold for, other clients. Likewise, a particular security may be bought for one or more clients when one or more other clients are selling that same security. Some simultaneous transactions are inevitable when a number of accounts receive investment advice from the same investment advisor, particularly when the same security is suitable for the investment objectives of more than one client. When two or more clients are engaged simultaneously in the purchase or sale of the same security, the securities are allocated among clients in a manner believed to be equitable to each. In some cases, this policy could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security in a particular transaction that may affect the Fund.

The Fund may participate, if and when practicable, in bidding for the purchase of portfolio securities directly from an issuer in order to take advantage of the lower purchase price available to members of a bidding group. The Fund will engage in this practice, however, only when the Advisor, in its sole discretion, believes such practice to be otherwise in the Fund’s interests.

The Trust will not execute portfolio transactions through, or buy or sell portfolio securities from or to, the Distributor, the Advisor, the Administrator or their affiliates acting as principal (including repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements), except to the extent permitted by applicable law, regulation or order. However, the Advisor

 

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is authorized to allocate buy and sell orders for portfolio securities to certain broker/dealers and financial institutions, including, in the case of agency transactions, broker/dealers and financial institutions that are affiliated with Bank of America. To the extent that the Fund executes any securities trades with an affiliate of Bank of America, the Fund does so in conformity with Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act and the procedures that the Fund has adopted pursuant to the rule. In this regard, for each transaction, the Board will determine that: (i) the transaction resulted in prices for and execution of securities transactions at least as favorable to the particular Fund as those likely to be derived from a non-affiliated qualified broker/dealer; (ii) the affiliated broker/dealer charged the Fund commission rates consistent with those charged by the affiliated broker/dealer in similar transactions to clients comparable to the Fund and that are not affiliated with the broker/dealer in question; and (iii) the fees, commissions or other remuneration paid by the Fund did not exceed 2% of the sales price of the securities if the sale was effected in connection with a secondary distribution, or 1% of the purchase or sale price of such securities if effected in other than a secondary distribution.

Certain affiliates of Bank of America, such as its subsidiary banks, may have deposit, loan or commercial banking relationships with the corporate users of facilities financed by industrial development revenue bonds or private activity bonds bought by certain of the Columbia Funds. Bank of America or certain of its affiliates may serve as trustee, custodian, tender agent, guarantor, placement agent, underwriter, or in some other capacity, with respect to certain issues of securities. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may buy securities from a member of an underwriting syndicate in which an affiliate of Bank of America is a member. The Trust has adopted procedures pursuant to Rule 10f-3 under the 1940 Act, and intends to comply with the requirements of Rule 10f-3, in connection with any purchases of municipal securities that may be subject to Rule 10f-3.

Given the breadth of the Advisor’s investment management activities, investment decisions for the Fund are not always made independently from those for other funds, or other investment companies and accounts advised or managed by the Advisor. When a purchase or sale of the same security is made at substantially the same time on behalf of one or more of the Columbia Funds and another investment portfolio, investment company or account, the transaction will be averaged as to price and available investments allocated as to amount in a manner which the Advisor believes to be equitable to the Fund and such other funds, investment portfolio, investment company or account. In some instances, this investment procedure may adversely affect the price paid or received by the Fund or the size of the position obtained or sold by the Fund. To the extent permitted by law, the Advisor may aggregate the securities to be sold or bought for the Fund with those to be sold or bought for other funds, investment portfolios, investment companies, or accounts in executing transactions.

See Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information about these and other conflicts of interest.

Brokerage Commissions

The following tables describe the amounts of brokerage commissions paid by the Fund during their three most recently completed fiscal years. In certain instances the Fund may pay brokerage commissions to broker/dealers that are affiliates of Bank of America. As indicated above, all such transactions involving the payment of brokerage commissions to affiliates are done in compliance with Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act.

 

Aggregate Brokerage Commissions Paid by the Fund*

Fund

   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2009
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2008
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2007

Asset Allocation Fund II

   $ 41,585    $ 28,943    $ 32,814

 

* Differences, year to year, in the amount of brokerage commissions paid by a Fund (as disclosed in the table above) were primarily the result of increased market volatility as well as shareholder purchase and redemption activity in the Fund.

The Fund paid no brokerage commissions to affiliated broker/dealers for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2007, March 31, 2008 and March 31, 2009.

Directed Brokerage

The Fund or the Advisor, through an agreement or understanding with a broker/dealer, or otherwise through an internal allocation procedure, may direct, subject to applicable legal requirements, the Fund’s brokerage transactions to a broker/dealer because of the research services it provides the Fund or the Advisor.

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, the Fund directed no brokerage transactions.

 

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Securities of Regular Broker/Dealers

In certain cases, the Fund, as part of their principal investment strategies, or otherwise as a permissible investment, will invest in the common stock or debt obligations of the regular broker/dealers that the Advisor uses to transact brokerage for the Columbia Funds Family.

As of March 31, 2009, the Fund owned securities of its “regular brokers or dealers” or their parents, as defined in Rule 10b-1 under the 1940 Act, as shown in the table below.

Investments in Securities of Regular Broker/Dealers as of March 31, 2009

 

Fund

  

Broker/Dealer

   Dollar Amount of
Securities Held

Asset Allocation Fund II

   Morgan Stanley    $ 332,228

Additional Shareholder Servicing Payments

The Fund, along with the Transfer Agent and/or the Distributor and the Advisor may pay significant amounts to financial intermediaries (as defined below), including other Bank of America affiliates, for providing the types of services that would typically be provided directly by a mutual fund’s transfer agent. The level of payments made to financial intermediaries may vary. A number of factors may be considered in determining payments to a financial intermediary, including, without limitation, the nature of the services provided to shareholders or retirement plan participants that invest in the Fund through retirement plans. These services may include sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency or similar recordkeeping services, shareholder or participant reporting, shareholder or participant transaction processing, and/or the provision of call center support (additional shareholder services). These payments for shareholder servicing support vary by financial intermediary but generally are not expected, with certain limited exceptions, to exceed 0.40% of the average aggregate value of the Fund’s shares in the program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that pay a service fee pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 Plan, and 0.45% of the average aggregate value of the Fund’s shares in the program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that do not pay a service fee pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 Plan. The Board has authorized the Fund to pay up to 0.15% of the average aggregate value of the Fund’s shares. Such payments will be made by the Fund to the Transfer Agent who will in turn make payments to the financial intermediary for the provision of such additional shareholder services. The Fund’s Transfer Agent, Distributor or their affiliates will pay, from its or their own resources, amounts in excess of the amount paid by the Fund to financial intermediaries in connection with the provision of these additional shareholder services and other services.

For purposes of this section the term “financial intermediary” includes any broker/dealer, bank, bank trust department, registered investment advisor, financial planner, retirement plan or other third party administrator and any other institution having a selling, services or any similar agreement with the Distributor and/or other Bank of America affiliates.

The Fund also may make additional payments to financial intermediaries that charge networking fees for certain services provided in connection with the maintenance of shareholder accounts through the NSCC.

In addition, the Distributor and other Bank of America affiliates may make lump sum payments to selected financial intermediaries receiving shareholder servicing payments in reimbursement of printing costs for literature for participants, account maintenance fees or fees for establishment of the Fund on the financial intermediary’s system or other similar services.

As of the date of this SAI, the Distributor and/or other Bank of America affiliates had agreed to make shareholder servicing payments to the financial intermediaries or their affiliates shown below.

Recipients of Shareholder Servicing Payments from the Distributor and/or other Bank of America Affiliates

 

•        Acclaim Benefits, Inc.

 

•        Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company

•        A.G. Edwards

 

•        Matrix Settlement & Clearance Services

•        Alerus Retirement Solutions

 

•        Mercer HR Services, LLC

•        Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

 

•        Merrill Lynch Life Insurance Company

•        Bank of America, N.A.*

 

•        Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith

 

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Incorporated*

•        Benefit Plan Administrators

 

•        Mid Atlantic Capital Corporation

•        Bisys Retirement Services

 

•        Morgan Keegan & Co., Inc.

•        Charles Schwab & Co.

 

•        Morgan Stanley & Co., Incorporated

•        Charles Schwab Trust Co.

 

•        MSCS Financial Services, LLC

•        Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

 

•        National Investor Services Corp.

•        CitiStreet LLC

 

•        Newport Retirement Services, Inc.

•        City National Bank

 

•        New York State Deferred Compensation Plan

•        Compensation & Capital Administrative Services, Inc.

 

•        NYLife Distributors LLC

•        CPI Qualified Plan Consultants

 

•        PNC Advisors

•        Daily Access Concepts, Inc.

 

•        Princeton Retirement Group

•        Digital Retirement Solutions

 

•        Principal Life Insurance Company

•        Dreyfus

 

•        Prudential Insurance Company of America

•        Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P.

 

•        Prudential Retirement Insurance & Annuity Co.

•        E*Trade Group, Inc.

 

•        Reliance Trust Company

•        ExpertPlan

 

•        Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc.

•        Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Co.

 

•        Royal Alliance Associates, Inc.

•        First Clearing LLC

 

•        Standard Retirement Services, Inc.

•        Genworth Financial

 

•        TD Ameritrade Clearing Inc.

•        GPC Securities, Inc.*

 

•        TD Ameritrade Trust Company

•        Guardian Life Insurance Company

 

•        Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America

•        GWFS Equities, Inc.

 

•        The 401k Company

•        Hartford Life Insurance Company

 

•        T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.

•        Hewitt Associates LLC

 

•        The Vanguard Group, Inc.

•        ICMA Retirement Corporation

 

•        Unified Trust Company, N.A.

•        ING Life Insurance and Annuity Company

 

•        UPromise Investments, Inc.

•        ING Institutional Plan Services, LLP

 

•        VALIC Retirement Services

•        John Hancock Life Insurance Company (USA)

 

•        Wachovia Bank, N.A.

•        John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York

 

•        Wachovia Securities, LLC

•        JP Morgan Retirement Plan Services LLC

 

•        Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

•        Lincoln Financial Group

 

•        Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC

•        LPL Financial Corporation

 

•        Wilmington Trust Corporation

•        Marshall & Illsley Trust Company

 

•        Wilmington Trust Retirement & Institutional Services Company

 

* Bank of America affiliate

The Distributor and/or other Bank of America affiliates may enter into similar arrangements with other financial intermediaries from time to time. Therefore, the preceding list is subject to change at any time without notice.

 

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Additional Financial Intermediary Payments

Financial intermediaries may receive different commissions, sales charge reallowances and other payments with respect to sales of different classes of shares of the Fund. These other payments may include servicing payments to retirement plan administrators and other institutions at rates up to those described above under Brokerage Allocation and Other Practices – Additional Shareholder Servicing Payments. For purposes of this section the term “financial intermediary” includes any broker/dealer, bank, bank trust department, registered investment advisor, financial planner, retirement plan or other third party administrator and any other institution having a selling, services or any similar agreement with the Distributor and other Bank of America affiliates.

The Distributor and other Bank of America affiliates may pay additional compensation to selected financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, under the categories described below. These categories are not mutually exclusive, and a single financial intermediary may receive payments under all categories. A financial intermediary also may receive payments described above in Brokerage Allocation and Other Practices – Additional Shareholder Servicing Payments. These payments may create an incentive for a financial intermediary or its representatives to recommend or offer shares of the Fund to its customers. The amount of payments made to financial intermediaries may vary. In determining the amount of payments to be made, the Distributor and other Bank of America affiliates may consider a number of factors, including, without limitation, asset mix and length or relationship with the financial intermediary, the size of the customer/shareholder base of the financial intermediary, the manner in which customers of the financial intermediary make investments in the Fund, the nature and scope of marketing support or services provided by the financial intermediary (as described more fully below) and the costs incurred by the financial intermediary in connection with maintaining the infrastructure necessary or desirable to support investments in the Fund.

These additional payments by the Distributor and other Bank of America affiliates are made pursuant to agreements between the Distributor and other Bank of America affiliates and financial intermediaries, and do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of a share, the amount the Fund will receive as proceeds from such sales or the distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund as shown under the heading Fees and Expenses in the Fund’s prospectuses.

Marketing Support Payments

The Distributor and the Advisor may make payments, from their own resources, to certain financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, for marketing support services relating to the Columbia Funds, including, but not limited to, business planning assistance, educating financial intermediary personnel about the Fund and shareholder financial planning needs, placement on the financial intermediary’s preferred or recommended fund list or otherwise identifying the Fund as being part of a complex to be accorded a higher degree of marketing support than complexes not making such payments, access to sales meetings, sales representatives and management representatives of the financial intermediary, client servicing and systems infrastructure support. These payments are generally based upon one or more of the following factors: average net assets of the Columbia Funds distributed by the Distributor attributable to that financial intermediary, gross sales of the Columbia Funds distributed by the Distributor attributable to that financial intermediary, reimbursement of ticket charges (fees that a financial intermediary firm charges its representatives for effecting transactions in fund shares) or a negotiated lump sum payment.

While the financial arrangements may vary for each financial intermediary, the marketing support payments to each financial intermediary generally are expected to be between 0.05% and 0.50% (between 0.03% and 0.12% in the case of the Money Market Funds) on an annual basis for payments based on average net assets of the Columbia Funds attributable to the financial intermediary. The Distributor and the Advisor may make payments in materially larger amounts or on a basis materially different from those described above when dealing with other affiliates of Bank of America. Such increased payments to the other Bank of America affiliate may enable the other Bank of America affiliate to offset credits that it may provide to its customers in order to avoid having such customers pay fees to multiple Bank of America entities in connection with the customer’s investment in a Columbia Fund.

As of the date of this SAI, the Distributor and/or the Advisor had agreed to make marketing support payments to the financial intermediaries or their affiliates shown below.

Recipients of Marketing Support Payments from the Distributor and/or other Bank of America Affiliates

 

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•        AIG Advisor Group

  

•        Linsco/Private Ledger Corp.

•        Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

  

•        Mellon Financial Markets, LLC

•        AXA Advisors, LLC

  

•        Merrill Lynch Life Insurance Company

•        Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.*

  

•        Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated*

•        Banc of America Securities LLC*

  

•        Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated

•        Bank of America, N.A.*

  

•        MSCS Financial Services, LLC

•        Bank of New York

  

•        National Financial Services LLC

•        Citibank, N.A.

  

•        Pershing LLC

•        Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

  

•        Prudential Investment Management Services, LLC

•        Commonwealth Financial Network

  

•        Raymond James & Associates, Inc.

•        Custodial Trust Company

  

•        Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.

•        Fidelity Brokerage Services, Inc.

  

•        SEI Investments Inc.

•        Genworth Financial, Inc.

  

•        State Street Global Markets, LLC

•        Goldman, Sachs & Co.

  

•        Transamerica Corporation

•        GunAllen Financial, Inc.

  

•        UBS Financial Services Inc.

•        Harris Corporation

  

•        US Bank National Association

•        ING Life Insurance and Annuity Co.

  

•        Wachovia Securities LLC

•        J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons, Inc.

  

•        Webster Investment Services, Inc.

•        J.P. Morgan Clearing Corp.

  

•        Wells Fargo Corporate Trust Services

•        Liberty Life Insurance Co.

  

•        Wells Fargo Funds Management LLC

•        Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp.

  

•        Wells Fargo Investments, LLC

 

* Bank of America affiliate

The Distributor and/or the Advisor may enter into similar arrangements with other financial intermediaries from time to time. Therefore, the preceding list is subject to change at any time without notice.

Other Payments

From time to time, the Distributor, from its own resources, may provide additional compensation to certain financial intermediaries that sell or arrange for the sale of shares of the Fund to the extent not prohibited by laws or the rules of any self-regulatory agency, such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Such compensation provided by the Distributor may include financial assistance to financial intermediaries that enable the Distributor to participate in and/or present at financial intermediary-sponsored conferences or seminars, sales or training programs for invited registered representatives and other financial intermediary employees, financial intermediary entertainment and other financial intermediary-sponsored events, and travel expenses, including lodging incurred by registered representatives and other employees in connection with prospecting, retention and due diligence trips. The Distributor makes payments for entertainment events it deems appropriate, subject to the Distributor’s internal guidelines and applicable law. These payments may vary depending upon the nature of the event.

Your financial intermediary may charge you fees or commissions in addition to those disclosed in this SAI. You should consult with your financial intermediary and review carefully any disclosure your financial intermediary provides regarding its services and compensation. Depending on the financial arrangement in place at any particular time, a financial intermediary and its financial consultants may have a financial incentive for recommending a particular Fund or a particular share class over other funds or share classes. See Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information.

 

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CAPITAL STOCK AND OTHER SECURITIES

Description of the Trust’s Shares

The Fund offers shares in the classes shown in the table below. Subject to certain limited exceptions discussed in the Fund’s prospectuses, the Fund may no longer be accepting new investments from current shareholders or prospective investors. Class B shares of the Fund are closed to new investments, except for certain limited transactions from existing investors in Class B shares. Additional Class B shares of the Fund will be issued only in connection with (i) reinvestment of dividends and/or capital gain distributions in Class B shares of the Fund by the Fund’s existing Class B shareholders and (ii) exchanges by shareholders invested in Class B shares of a Columbia Fund may exchange those shares for Class B shares of the Fund. The Fund, however, may at any time and without notice, offer any of these classes to the general public for investment.

The Trust’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (Declaration of Trust) permits it to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares of beneficial interest of the Fund, without par value, and to divide or combine the shares of any series into a greater or lesser number of shares of that Fund without thereby changing the proportionate beneficial interests in that Fund and to divide such shares into classes. Each share of a class of the Fund represents an equal proportional interest in that Fund with each other share in the same class and is entitled to such distributions out of the income earned on the assets belonging to that Fund as are declared in the discretion of the Board. However, different share classes of the Fund pay different distribution amounts because each share class has different expenses. Each time a distribution is made, the net asset value per share of the share class is reduced by the amount of the distribution.

Share Classes Offered by the Fund

 

Fund

   Class A
Shares
   Class B
Shares*
   Class C
Shares
   Class Z
Shares

Asset Allocation Fund II

   ü    ü    ü    ü

 

* Class B shares of the Fund are closed to new investments, except for certain limited transactions from existing investors in Class B shares. Additional Class B shares of the Fund will be issued only in connection with (i) reinvestment of dividends and/or capital gain distributions in Class B shares of the Fund by the Fund’s existing Class B shareholders and (ii) exchanges by shareholders invested in Class B shares of a Columbia Fund may exchange those shares for Class B shares of the Fund. See the prospectuses for Class B shares of the Fund for details.

Restrictions on Holding or Disposing of Shares

There are no restrictions on the right of shareholders to retain or dispose of the Fund’s shares, other than the possible future termination of the Fund. The Fund may be terminated by reorganization into another mutual fund or by liquidation and distribution of their assets. Unless terminated by reorganization or liquidation, the Fund will continue indefinitely.

Shareholder Liability

The Trust is organized under Delaware law, which provides that shareholders of a statutory trust are entitled to the same limitations of personal liability as shareholders of a corporation organized under Delaware law. Effectively, this means that a shareholder of the Fund will not be personally liable for payment of the Fund’s debts except by reason of his or her own conduct or acts. In addition, a shareholder could incur a financial loss on account of the Fund’s obligation only if the Fund had no remaining assets with which to meet such obligation. We believe that the possibility of such a situation arising is extremely remote.

Dividend Rights

The shareholders of the Fund are entitled to receive any dividends or other distributions declared for the Fund. No shares have priority or preference over any other shares of the Fund with respect to distributions. Distributions will be made from the assets of the Fund, and will be paid pro rata to all shareholders of the Fund (or class) according to the number of shares of the Fund (or class) held by shareholders on the record date. The amount of income dividends per share may vary between separate share classes of the Fund based upon differences in the way that expenses are allocated between share classes pursuant to a multiple class plan.

 

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Voting Rights and Shareholder Meetings

Shareholders have the power to vote only as expressly granted under the 1940 Act or under Delaware statutory trust law. Shareholders have no independent right to vote on any matter, including the creation, operation, dissolution or termination of the Trust. Shareholders have the right to vote on other matters only as the Board authorizes. Currently, the 1940 Act requires that shareholders have the right to vote, under certain circumstances, to: (i) elect Trustees; (ii) approve investment advisory agreements and principal underwriting agreements; (iii) approve a change in subclassification of the Fund; (iv) approve any change in fundamental investment policies; (v) approve a distribution plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act; and (vi) to terminate the independent accountant.

With respect to matters that affect one class but not another, shareholders vote as a class; for example, the approval of a distribution plan applicable to that class. Subject to the foregoing, all shares of the Trust have equal voting rights and will be voted in the aggregate, and not by Fund, except where voting by Fund is required by law or where the matter involved only affects one Fund. For example, a change in the Fund’s fundamental investment policy affects only one Fund and would be voted upon only by shareholders of the Fund involved. Additionally, approval of an Investment Advisory Agreement or investment sub-advisory agreement, since it only affects one Fund, is a matter to be determined separately by the Fund. Approval by the shareholders of one Fund is effective as to that Fund whether or not sufficient votes are received from the shareholders of the other series to approve the proposal as to those Funds. Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each whole share held and a proportional fractional vote for each fractional vote held, on matters on which they are entitled to vote. Fund shareholders do not have cumulative voting rights. The Trust is not required to hold, and has no present intention of holding, annual meetings of shareholders.

Liquidation Rights

In the event of the liquidation or dissolution of the Trust or the Fund, shareholders of the Fund are entitled to receive the assets attributable to the relevant class of shares of the Fund that are available for distribution and to distribution of any general assets not attributable to a particular investment portfolio that are available for distribution in such manner and on such basis as the Board may determine.

Preemptive Rights

There are no preemptive rights associated with Fund shares.

Conversion Rights

With the exception of Class B shares, which no longer accept investments from new or existing investors in Class B shares, except for certain limited transactions from existing investors in Class B shares as described in the prospectus for Class B shares of the Fund, shareholders have the right, which is subject to change by the Board, to convert or “exchange” shares of one class for another. Such right is outlined and subject to certain conditions set forth in the Fund’s prospectuses.

Redemptions

The Fund’s dividend, distribution and redemption policies can be found in its prospectuses under the headings Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares and Distributions and Taxes. However, the Board may suspend the right of shareholders to sell shares when permitted or required to do so by law or compel sales of shares in certain cases.

Sinking Fund Provisions

The Trust has no sinking fund provisions.

Calls or Assessment

All Fund shares are issued in uncertificated form only and when issued will be fully paid and non-assessable by the Trust.

 

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PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND PRICING OF SHARES

Purchase and Redemption

An investor may buy, sell and exchange shares in the Fund utilizing the methods, and subject to the restrictions, described in the Fund’s prospectuses. The following information supplements information in the Fund’s prospectuses.

The Fund has authorized one or more broker/dealers to accept buy and sell orders on the Fund’s behalf. These broker/dealers are authorized to designate other intermediaries to accept buy and sell orders on the Fund’s behalf. The Fund will be deemed to have received a buy or sell order when an authorized broker/dealer, or, if applicable, a broker/dealer’s authorized designee, accepts the order. Customer orders will be priced at the Fund’s net asset value next computed after they are accepted by an authorized broker/dealer or the broker’s authorized designee.

The Trust also may make payment for sales in readily marketable securities or other property if it is appropriate to do so in light of the Trust’s responsibilities under the 1940 Act.

Under the 1940 Act, the Fund may suspend the right of redemption or postpone the date of payment for shares during any period when (i) trading on the NYSE is restricted by applicable rules and regulations of the SEC; (ii) the NYSE is closed for other than customary weekend and holiday closings; (iii) the SEC has by order permitted such suspension; (iv) an emergency exists as determined by the SEC. (The Fund may also suspend or postpone the recordation of the transfer of their shares upon the occurrence of any of the foregoing conditions).

The Trust has elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act, as a result of which the Fund is obligated to redeem shares, subject to the exceptions listed above, with respect to any one shareholder during any 90-day period, solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the net asset value of the Fund at the beginning of the period.

Tax-Advantaged Retirement Plans (Retirement Plans). The Transfer Agent maintains prototype tax-qualified plans, including Pension and Profit-Sharing Plans, for individuals, corporations, employees and the self-employed. The minimum initial Retirement Plan investment is $1,000, applied at the plan level. BANA is the custodian/trustee and plan sponsor of the Columbia Management prototype plans offered through the Distributor. In general a $20 annual fee is charged.

Participants in Retirement Plans not sponsored by BANA, not including IRAs, may be subject to an annual fee of $20 unless the Retirement Plan maintains an omnibus account with the Transfer Agent. Participants in BANA sponsored prototype plans (other than IRAs) who liquidate the total value of their account may also be charged a $20 close-out processing fee payable to the Transfer Agent. The close-out fee applies to plans opened after September 1, 1996. The fee is in addition to any applicable CDSC. The fee will not apply if the participant uses the proceeds to open a Columbia Management IRA Rollover account in any fund distributed by the Distributor, or if the Retirement Plan maintains an omnibus account.

Consultation with a competent financial advisor regarding these Retirement Plans and consideration of the suitability of fund shares as an investment under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or otherwise is recommended.

Front-End Sales Charge Waivers

The investors listed below can buy Class A shares or Class T shares without paying a front-end sales charge.

 

   

Employees of Bank of America (and its predecessors), its affiliates and subsidiaries.

 

   

Trustees of funds advised or administered by the Advisor.

 

   

Directors, officers and employees of the Advisor, the Distributor, and their respective successors, any investment sub-advisor and companies affiliated with the Advisor.

 

   

Insurance company separate accounts for the benefit of group retirement plans.

 

   

Registered representatives and employees of selling and servicing agents (including their affiliates) that are parties to dealer agreements or other sales arrangements with the Distributor.

 

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Broker/dealers if purchases are in accordance with the internal policies and procedures of the employing broker/dealer and made for their own investment purposes.

 

   

Employees or partners of any service provider to the Columbia Funds.

 

   

Families of the parties listed above and their beneficial accounts. Family members include: spouses, parents, stepparents, legal guardians, children, stepchildren, father-in-laws and mother-in-laws.

 

   

Individuals receiving a distribution from a Bank of America trust, fiduciary, custodial or other similar account may use the proceeds of that distribution to buy Class A shares without paying a front-end sales charge, as long as the proceeds are invested in the funds within 90 days of the date of distribution.

 

   

Registered broker/dealer firms that have entered into a dealer agreement with the Distributor may buy Class A shares without paying a front-end sales charge for their investment account only.

 

   

Banks, trust companies and thrift institutions, acting as fiduciaries.

 

   

Any shareholder who owned shares of any fund of Columbia Acorn Trust (formerly named Liberty Acorn Trust) on September 29, 2000 (when all of the then outstanding shares of Columbia Acorn Trust were re-designated Class Z shares) and who since that time has remained a shareholder of the Fund, may buy Class A shares of the Fund without paying a front-end sales charge in those cases where a Columbia Fund Class Z share is not available.

 

   

Galaxy Fund shareholders prior to December 1, 1995; and shareholders who (i) bought Galaxy Fund Prime A shares without paying a front-end sales charge and received Class A shares in exchange for those shares during the Galaxy/Liberty Fund reorganization; and (ii) continue to maintain the account in which the Prime A shares were originally bought.

 

   

(For Class T shares only) Shareholders who (i) bought Galaxy Fund Retail A shares at net asset value and received Class T shares in exchange for those shares during the Galaxy/Liberty Fund reorganization; and (ii) continue to maintain the account in which the Retail A shares were originally bought; and Boston 1784 Fund shareholders on the date that those funds were reorganized into Galaxy Funds.

 

   

Class A, Class E and Class T shares (Class E shares and Class T shares are not currently open to new investors) of certain funds may also be bought at reduced or no sales charge by clients of dealers, brokers or registered investment advisors that have entered into arrangements with the Distributor pursuant to which the funds are included as investments options in wrap fee accounts, other managed agency/asset allocation accounts or programs involving fee-based compensation arrangements, and by participants in certain retirement plans.

 

   

Certain pension, profit-sharing or other employee benefit plans offered to non-U.S. investors.

 

   

At the Fund’s discretion, front-end sales charges may be waived for shares issued in plans of reorganization, such as mergers, asset acquisitions and exchange offers, to which the Columbia Funds are a party.

Investors can also buy Class A shares without paying a sales charge if the purchase is made from the proceeds of a sale from any Columbia Fund Class A, B, C or T shares within 365 days, up to the amount of the sales proceeds. The purchase must be made into an account for the same owner but does not need to be into the same Columbia Fund from which the shares were sold. The reinstatement privilege does not apply to any shares bought through a previous reinstatement. The Transfer Agent, Distributor or their agents must receive a written reinstatement request within 365 days after the shares are sold and purchases of Class A shares through this reinstatement privilege will be made at the NAV of such shares next calculated after the request is received in good order.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge Waivers (Class A, Class B and Class C Shares)

Shareholders won’t pay a CDSC in the following circumstances:

Death: CDSCs may be waived on sales following the death of: (i) the sole shareholder on an individual account; (ii) a joint tenant on an account; or (iii) the beneficiary of a Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA),

 

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Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) or other custodial account. If the account is transferred to an account registered in the name of the deceased’s estate, the CDSC will be waived on any sale from the estate account. If the account is transferred to a new registration and then a sale is requested, the applicable CDSC will be charged.

Disability: CDSCs may be waived on sales after the sole shareholder on an individual account or a joint tenant on a joint tenant account becomes disabled (as defined by Section 72(m)(7) of the Code). To be eligible for such a waiver: (i) the disability must arise after the account is opened and (ii) a letter from a physician must be signed under penalty of perjury stating the nature of the disability. If the account is transferred to a new registration and then shares are sold, the applicable CDSC will be charged.

Death of a trustee: CDSCs may be waived on sales occurring upon dissolution of a revocable living or grantor trust following the death of the sole trustee where: (i) the grantor of the trust is the sole trustee and the sole life beneficiary, (ii) death occurs following the purchase, and (iii) the trust document provides for the dissolution of the trust upon the trustee’s death. If the account is transferred to a new registration (including that of a successor trustee), the applicable CDSC will be charged upon any subsequent sale.

Health savings accounts: CDSCs may be waived on shares sold by health savings accounts sponsored by third party platforms, including those sponsored by Bank of America affiliates.

Medical payments: Upon request by a shareholder, CDSCs may be waived on (i) shares sold for medical payments that exceed 7.5% of income and (ii) distributions made to pay for insurance by an individual who has separated from employment and who has received unemployment compensation under a federal or state program for at least twelve weeks.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP): CDSCs may be waived on sales occurring pursuant to a SWP established with the Transfer Agent, to the extent that the sales do not exceed, on an annual basis, 12% of the account’s value as long as distributions are reinvested. Otherwise, a CDSC will be charged on SWP sales until this requirement is met.

Qualified retirement plans: CDSCs may be waived on shares (except for Class B shares) sold by certain group retirement plans held in omnibus accounts.

Redemptions under certain retirement plans and accounts: CDSCs may be waived on shares sold in connection with distributions from qualified retirement plans, government (Section 457) plans, individual retirement accounts or custodial accounts under Section 403(b)(7) of the Code following normal retirement or the attainment of age 59  1/2 .

Loans from qualified retirement plans: CDSCs may be waived on shares sold in connection with loans from qualified retirement plans to shareholders.

Accounts liquidated by Distributor: CDSCs may be waived for shares sold under the Distributor’s right to liquidate a shareholder’s account, including but not limited to, instances where the aggregate net asset value of Class A, Class B or Class C shares held in the account is less than the minimum account size.

Returns of excess contributions: CDSCs may be waived on sales required to return excess contributions made to retirement plans or individual retirement accounts, so long as the financial intermediary returns the applicable portion of any commission paid by the Distributor.

Return of commission: CDSCs may be waived on shares sold by intermediaries that are part of the Columbia Funds selling group where the intermediary has entered into an agreement with Columbia Funds not to receive (or to return if received) all or any applicable portion of an upfront commission.

Plans of reorganization: At the Fund’s discretion, CDSCs may be waived for shares issued in connection with plans of reorganization, such as mergers, asset acquisitions and exchange offers, to which the Fund is a party.

 

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Anti-Money Laundering Compliance

The Fund is required to comply with various anti-money laundering laws and regulations. Consequently, the Fund may request additional required information from you to verify your identity. Your application will be rejected if it does not contain your name, social security number, date of birth and permanent street address. If at any time the Fund believes a shareholder may be involved in suspicious activity or if certain account information matches information on government lists of suspicious persons, the Fund may choose not to establish a new account or may be required to “freeze” a shareholder’s account. The Fund also may be required to provide a governmental agency with information about transactions that have occurred in a shareholder’s account or to transfer monies received to establish a new account, transfer an existing account or transfer the proceeds of an existing account to a governmental agency. In some circumstances, the law may not permit the Fund to inform the shareholder that it has taken the actions described above.

Offering Price

The share price of the Fund is based on the Fund’s net asset value per share, which is calculated separately for each class of shares as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE (which is usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern time unless the NYSE closes earlier) on each day the Fund is open for business, unless the Board determines otherwise.

The value of the Fund’s portfolio securities for which a market quotation is available is determined in accordance with the Trust’s valuation procedures. In general terms, the valuation procedures provide that domestic exchange traded securities (other than NASDAQ listed equity securities) generally will be valued at their last traded sale prices as reported on the principal exchange where those securities are traded. If no sales of those securities are reported on a particular day on the principal exchange, the securities generally will be valued at the mean between the latest bid and asked prices as reported on the principal exchange where those securities are traded. Securities traded on a foreign securities exchange will generally be valued at their last sale prices on the exchange where the securities are primarily traded, or in the absence of a reported sale on a particular day, at their bid prices (in the case of securities held long) or ask prices (in the case of securities held short) as reported by that exchange. Securities traded primarily on NASDAQ will generally be valued at the NASDAQ Official Closing Price (NOCP) (which is the last trade price at or before 4:00:02 p.m. (Eastern Time) adjusted up to NASDAQ’s best bid price if the last trade price is below such bid price or adjusted down to NASDAQ’s best ask price if the last trade price is above such ask price). If no NOCP is available, the security will generally be valued at the last sale price shown on NASDAQ prior to the calculation of the NAV of the Fund. If no sale price is shown on NASDAQ, the latest bid price will be used. If no sale price is shown and no latest bid price is available, the price will be deemed “stale” and the value will be determined in accordance with the Fund’s fair valuation procedures.

Securities not traded upon any exchange will generally be valued at the mean between the latest bid and asked prices based upon quotes furnished by the appropriate market makers. If quoted prices are unavailable or are believed to be inaccurate, market values will generally be determined based on quotes obtained from one or more broker(s) or dealer(s) or based on a price obtained from a reputable independent pricing service.

Financial futures will generally be valued at the latest reported sales price. Forward foreign currency contracts will generally be valued using market quotations from a widely used quotation system that reflects the current cost of covering or off-setting the contract. Exchange traded options will generally be valued at the latest reported sales price on their exchange. If there is no reported sale on the valuation date, the options will generally be valued at the mean between the latest bid and asked prices.

Over-the-counter derivatives will generally be valued at fair value in accordance with the Fund’s fair valuation procedures.

Repurchase agreements will generally be valued at a price equal to the amount of the cash invested in the repurchase agreement at the time of valuation. The market value of the securities underlying a repurchase agreement will be determined in accordance with the procedures above, as appropriate, for the purpose of determining the adequacy of collateral.

Shares of open-end investment companies held in the Fund’s portfolio will generally be valued at the latest net asset value reported by the investment company.

 

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Debt securities will generally be valued by a pricing service which may employ a matrix or other indications of value, including but not limited to broker quotes, to determine valuations for normal institutional size trading units. The matrix can take into account various factors including, without limitation, bids, yield spreads, and/or other market data and specific security characteristics (e.g., credit quality, maturity and coupon rate). Debt securities for which a pricing service does not furnish valuations and for which market quotations are readily available will generally be valued based on the mean of the latest bid prices obtained from one or more dealers. Debt securities with remaining maturities of 60 days or less will, absent unusual circumstances, be valued at amortized cost.

Securities for which market quotations are not readily available for any reason, including that the latest quotation is deemed unreliable or unreasonable, securities and other assets and liabilities are valued at “fair value” as determined in good faith by the Advisor’s valuation committee. In general, any one or more of the following factors may be taken into account in determining fair value: the fundamental analytical data relating to the security; the value of other financial instruments, including derivative securities, traded on other markets or among dealers; trading volumes on markets, exchanges, or among dealers; values of baskets of securities traded on other markets; changes in interest rates; observations from financial institutions; government (domestic or foreign) actions or pronouncements; other news events; information as to any transactions or offers with respect to the security; price and extent of public trading in similar securities of the issuer or comparable companies; nature and expected duration of the event, if any, giving rise to the valuation issue; pricing history of the security; the relative size of the position in the portfolio; and other relevant information.

With respect to securities traded on foreign markets, the following factors also may be relevant: the value of foreign securities traded on other foreign markets; ADR trading; closed-end fund trading; foreign currency exchange activity; and the trading of financial products that are tied to baskets of foreign securities, such as World Equity Benchmark Shares™.

The Board has determined, and the valuation procedures provide, that in certain circumstances it may be necessary to use an alternative valuation method, such as in-kind redemptions with affiliated benefit plans where the Department of Labor requires that valuation to be done in accordance with Rule 17a-7 of the 1940 Act.

 

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TAXATION

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Fund’s prospectuses entitled Distributions and Taxes. The prospectuses generally describe the U.S. federal income tax treatment of distributions by the Fund. This section of the SAI provides additional information concerning U.S. federal income taxes. It is based on the Code, applicable Treasury Regulations, judicial authority, and administrative rulings and practice, all as in effect as of the date of this SAI and all of which are subject to change, including changes with retroactive effect. Except as specifically set forth below, the following discussion does not address any state, local or foreign tax matters.

A shareholder’s tax treatment may vary depending upon his or her particular situation. This discussion applies only to shareholders holding Fund shares as capital assets within the meaning of the Code. Except as otherwise noted, it may not apply to certain types of shareholders who may be subject to special rules, such as insurance companies, tax-exempt organizations, shareholders holding Fund shares through tax-advantaged accounts (such as 401(k) Plan Accounts or Individual Retirement Accounts), financial institutions, broker-dealers, entities that are not organized under the laws of the United States or a political subdivision thereof, persons who are neither citizens nor residents of the United States, shareholders holding Fund shares as part of a hedge, straddle, or conversion transaction, and shareholders who are subject to the U.S. federal alternative minimum tax.

The Trust has not requested and will not request an advance ruling from the IRS as to the U.S. federal income tax matters described below. The IRS could adopt positions contrary to those discussed below and such positions could be sustained. In addition, the following discussion and the discussions in the prospectuses applicable to each shareholder address only some of the U.S. federal income tax considerations generally affecting investments in the Fund. Prospective shareholders are urged to consult with their own tax advisors and financial planners regarding the U.S. federal tax consequences of an investment in the Fund, the application of state, local, or foreign laws, and the effect of any possible changes in applicable tax laws on their investment in the Fund.

Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company

It is intended that the Fund qualify as a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of Subtitle A, Chapter 1 of the Code. The Fund will be treated as a separate entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Thus, the provisions of the Code applicable to regulated investment companies generally will apply separately to the Fund, even though the Fund is a series of the Trust. Furthermore, the Fund will separately determine its income, gains, losses, and expenses for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

In order to qualify for the special tax treatment accorded regulated investment companies and their shareholders, the Fund must, among other things, derive at least 90% of its gross income each taxable year generally from (i) dividends, interest, certain payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, and other income attributable to its business of investing in such stock, securities or foreign currencies (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) and (ii) net income derived from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership, as defined below. In general, for purposes of this 90% gross income requirement, income derived from a partnership will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership which would be qualifying income if realized directly by the regulated investment company. However, 100% of the net income derived from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership (defined as a partnership (x) the interests in which are traded on an established securities market or readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof, (y) that derives at least 90% of its income from the passive income sources defined in Code Section 7704(d), and (z) that derives less than 90% of its income from the qualifying income described in clause (i) above) will be treated as qualifying income. Certain of the Fund’s investments in master limited partnerships (MLPs) may qualify as interests in qualified publicly traded partnerships. In addition, although in general the passive loss rules do not apply to a regulated investment company, such rules do apply to a regulated investment company with respect to items attributable to an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership.

The Fund must also diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the Fund’s taxable year: (i) at least 50% of the fair market value of its total assets consists of (A) cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. government securities and securities of other regulated investment companies, and (B) securities of any one issuer

 

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(other than those described in clause (A)) to the extent such securities do not exceed 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and are not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets consists of the securities of any one issuer (other than those described in clause (i)(A)), the securities of two or more issuers the Fund controls and which are engaged in the same, similar, or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships. In addition, for purposes of meeting this diversification requirement, the term “outstanding voting securities of such issuer” includes the equity securities of a qualified publicly traded partnership and in the case of the Fund’s investments in loan participations, the Fund shall treat both the financial intermediary and the issuer of the underlying loan as an issuer. The qualifying income and diversification requirements described above may limit the extent to which the Fund can engage in certain derivative transactions, as well as the extent to which it can invest in MLPs.

In addition, the Fund generally must distribute to its shareholders at least 90% of its investment company taxable income for the taxable year, which generally includes its ordinary income and the excess of any net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss, and at least 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income (if any) for the taxable year.

If the Fund qualifies as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment, it generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any of the investment company taxable income and net capital gain (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) it distributes to its shareholders (including Capital Gain Dividends, as defined below). The Fund generally intends to distribute at least annually substantially all of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction) and substantially all of its net capital gain. However, no assurance can be given that the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation. Any investment company taxable income retained by the Fund will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates.

In addition, although the Fund generally intends to distribute all of its net capital gain, the Fund may determine to retain for investment all or a portion of its net capital gain. If the Fund retains any net capital gain, it will be subject to a tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained, but may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders, who (i) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their shares of such undistributed amount, and (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Fund on such undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Fund will be increased by an amount equal under current law to the difference between the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s gross income under clause (i) of the preceding sentence and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder under clause (ii) of the preceding sentence.

In determining its net capital gain for Capital Gain Dividend purposes, a regulated investment company generally must treat any net capital loss or any net long-term capital loss incurred after October 31 as if it had been incurred in the succeeding year. Treasury Regulations permit a regulated investment company, in determining its taxable income, to elect to treat all or part of any net capital loss, any net long-term capital loss or any foreign currency loss incurred after October 31 as if it had been incurred in the succeeding year.

In order to comply with the distribution requirements described above applicable to regulated investment companies, the Fund generally must make the distributions in the same taxable year that it realizes the income and gain, although in certain circumstances, the Fund may make the distributions in the following taxable year in respect of income and gains from the prior taxable year. Shareholders generally are taxed on any distributions from the Fund in the year they are actually distributed. If the Fund declares a distribution to shareholders of record in October, November or December of one calendar year and pays the distribution by January 31 of the following calendar year, however, the Fund and its shareholders will be treated as if the Fund paid the distribution by December 31 of the earlier year.

If, for any taxable year, the Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company accorded special tax treatment under the Code, it will be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation without any deduction for its distributions to shareholders, and all distributions from the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits (including any distributions of its net tax-exempt income and net long-term capital gains) to its shareholders will be

 

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taxable to shareholders as dividend income. In addition, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial distributions before requalifying as a regulated investment company.

Excise Tax

If the Fund fails to distribute by December 31 of each calendar year at least the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for that year (excluding capital gains and losses) and 98% of its capital gain net income (adjusted for net ordinary losses) for the 1-year period ending on October 31 of that year, and any of its ordinary income and capital gain net income from previous years that were not distributed during such years, the Fund will be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax on the undistributed amounts. For these purposes, the Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it has been subject to corporate income tax in the taxable year ending within the calendar year. The Fund generally intends to actually distribute or be deemed to have distributed substantially all of its ordinary income and capital gain net income, if any, by the end of each calendar year and, thus, expects not to be subject to the excise tax. However, no assurance can be given that the Fund will not be subject to the excise tax. Moreover, the Fund reserves the right to pay an excise tax rather than make an additional distribution when circumstances warrant (for example, if the amount of excise tax to be paid is deemed de minimis by the Fund).

Capital Loss Carryforwards

Subject to certain limitations, the Fund is permitted to carry forward a net capital loss from any year to offset its capital gains, if any, realized during the eight years following the year of the loss. The Fund’s capital loss carryforward is treated as a short-term capital loss in the year to which it is carried. If future capital gains are offset by carried forward capital losses, such future capital gains are not subject to fund-level U.S. federal income taxation, regardless of whether they are distributed to shareholders. Accordingly, the Fund does not expect to distribute any such offsetting capital gains. The Fund cannot carry back or carry forward any net operating losses.

Equalization Accounting

The Fund may use the so-called “equalization method” of accounting to allocate a portion of its “accumulated earnings and profits,” which generally equals the Fund’s undistributed net investment income and realized capital gains, with certain adjustments, to redemption proceeds. This method permits the Fund to achieve more balanced distributions for both continuing and redeeming shareholders. Although using this method generally will not affect the Fund’s total returns, it may reduce the amount of income and gains that the Fund would otherwise distribute to continuing shareholders by reducing the effect of redemptions of Fund shares on Fund distributions to shareholders. The IRS has not sanctioned the particular equalization method used by the Fund, and thus the Fund’s use of this method may be subject to IRS scrutiny.

Taxation of Fund Investments

In general, realized gains or losses on the sale of securities held by the Fund will be treated as capital gains or losses, and long-term capital gains or losses if the Fund has held or is deemed to have held the securities for more than one year at the time of disposition.

If the Fund purchases a debt obligation with original issue discount (OID) (generally a debt obligation with an issue price less than its stated principal amount, such as a zero-coupon bond), the Fund may be required to annually include in its income a portion of the OID as ordinary income, even though the Fund will not receive cash payments for such discount until maturity or disposition of the obligation. Inflation-protected bonds generally can be expected to produce OID income as their principal amounts are adjusted upward for inflation. In general, gains recognized on the disposition of (or the receipt of any partial payment of principal on) a debt obligation (including a municipal obligation) purchased by the Fund at a market discount, generally at a price less than its principal amount, will be treated as ordinary income to the extent of the portion of market discount which accrued, but was not previously recognized pursuant to an available election, during the term that the Fund held the debt obligation. The Fund generally will be required to make distributions to shareholders representing the OID or market discount (if an election is made by the Fund to accrue market discount over the holding period of the applicable debt obligation) on debt securities that is currently includible in income, even though the cash representing such income may not have

 

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been received by the Fund. Cash to pay such distributions may be obtained from borrowing or from sales proceeds of securities held by the Fund which the Fund otherwise might have continued to hold; obtaining such cash might be disadvantageous for the Fund.

In addition, payment-in-kind securities similarly will give rise to income which is required to be distributed and is taxable even though the Fund receives no cash interest payment on the security during the year. A portion of the interest paid or accrued on certain high-yield discount obligations (such as high-yield corporate debt securities) may not (and interest paid on debt obligations owned by the Fund that are considered for tax purposes to be payable in the equity of the issuer or a related party will not) be deductible to the issuer, possibly affecting the cash flow of the issuer.

If the Fund invests in debt obligations that are in the lowest rating categories or are unrated, including debt obligations of issuers not currently paying interest or who are in default, special tax issues may exist for the Fund. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as whether the Fund should recognize market discount on a debt obligation and, if so, the amount of market discount the Fund should recognize, when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, OID or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless securities and how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income. These and other related issues will be addressed by the Fund when, as and if it invests in such securities, in order to seek to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to preserve its status as a regulated investment company and does not become subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax.

If an option granted by the Fund is sold, lapses or is otherwise terminated through a closing transaction, such as a repurchase by the Fund of the option from its holder, the Fund generally will realize a short-term capital gain or loss, depending on whether the premium income is greater or less than the amount paid by the Fund in the closing transaction. Some capital losses realized by the Fund in the sale, exchange, exercise or other disposition of an option may be deferred if they result from a position that is part of a “straddle,” discussed below. If securities are sold by the Fund pursuant to the exercise of a covered call option granted by it, the Fund generally will add the premium received to the sale price of the securities delivered in determining the amount of gain or loss on the sale. If securities are purchased by the Fund pursuant to the exercise of a put option written by it, the Fund generally will subtract the premium received from its cost basis in the securities purchased.

Some regulated futures contracts, foreign currency contracts, and non-equity, listed options that may be used by the Fund will be deemed “Section 1256 contracts.” The Fund will be required to “mark to market” any such contracts held at the end of the taxable year by treating them as if they had been sold on the last day of that year at market value. Sixty percent of any net gain or loss realized on all dispositions of Section 1256 contracts, including deemed dispositions under the “mark-to-market” rule, generally will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and the remaining 40% will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss, although certain foreign currency gains and losses from such contracts may be treated as ordinary income or loss as described below. These provisions may require the Fund to recognize income or gains without a concurrent receipt of cash. Transactions that qualify as designated hedges are exempt from the mark-to-market rule and the “60%/40%” rule and may require the Fund to defer the recognition of losses on certain futures contracts, foreign currency contracts, and non-equity options.

Foreign exchange gains and losses realized by the Fund in connection with certain transactions involving foreign currency-denominated debt securities, certain options, futures contracts, forward contracts and similar instruments relating to foreign currency, foreign currencies, or payables or receivables denominated in a foreign currency are subject to Section 988 of the Code, which generally causes such gains and losses to be treated as ordinary income or loss and may affect the amount and timing of recognition of the Fund’s income. Under future Treasury Regulations, any such transactions that are not directly related to the Fund’s investments in stock or securities (or its options contracts or futures contracts with respect to stock or securities) may have to be limited in order to enable the Fund to satisfy the 90% qualifying income test described above. If the net foreign exchange loss exceeds the Fund’s net investment company taxable income (computed without regard to such loss) for a taxable year, the resulting ordinary loss for such year will not be available as a carryforward and thus cannot be deducted by the Fund or its shareholders in future years.

Offsetting positions held by the Fund involving certain derivative instruments, such as forward, futures and options contracts, may be considered, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, to constitute “straddles.” “Straddles” are

 

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defined to include “offsetting positions” in actively traded personal property. The tax treatment of “straddles” is governed by Section 1092 of the Code which, in certain circumstances, overrides or modifies the provisions of Section 1256. If the Fund is treated as entering into a “straddle” and at least one (but not all) of the Fund’s positions in derivative contracts comprising a part of such straddle is governed by Section 1256 of the Code, described above, then such straddle could be characterized as a “mixed straddle.” The Fund may make one or more elections with respect to “mixed straddles.” Depending upon which election is made, if any, the results with respect to the Fund may differ. Generally, to the extent the straddle rules apply to positions established by the Fund, losses realized by the Fund may be deferred to the extent of unrealized gain in any offsetting positions. Moreover, as a result of the straddle rules, short-term capital loss on straddle positions may be recharacterized as long-term capital loss, and long-term capital gain may be characterized as short-term capital gain. In addition, the existence of a straddle may affect the holding period of the offsetting positions. As a result, the straddle rules could cause distributions that would otherwise constitute “qualified dividend income” or qualify for the dividends-received deduction to fail to satisfy the applicable holding period requirements (as described below). Furthermore, the Fund may be required to capitalize, rather than deduct currently, any interest expense and carrying charges applicable to a position that is part of a straddle, including any interest on indebtedness incurred or continued to purchase or carry any positions that are part of a straddle. The application of the straddle rules to certain offsetting Fund positions can therefore affect the amount, timing, and character of distributions to shareholders, and may result in significant differences from the amount, timing and character of distributions that would have been made by the Fund if it had not entered into offsetting positions in respect of certain of its portfolio securities.

If the Fund enters into a “constructive sale” of any appreciated financial position in stock, a partnership interest, or certain debt instruments, the Fund will be treated as if it had sold and immediately repurchased the property and must recognize gain (but not loss) with respect to that position. A constructive sale of an appreciated financial position occurs when the Fund enters into certain offsetting transactions with respect to the same or substantially identical property, including, but not limited to: (i) a short sale; (ii) an offsetting notional principal contract; (iii) a futures or forward contract; or (iv) other transactions identified in future Treasury Regulations. The character of the gain from constructive sales will depend upon the Fund’s holding period in the appreciated financial position. Losses realized from a sale of a position that was previously the subject of a constructive sale will be recognized when the position is subsequently disposed of. The character of such losses will depend upon the Fund’s holding period in the position beginning with the date the constructive sale was deemed to have occurred and the application of various loss deferral provisions in the Code. Constructive sale treatment does not apply to certain closed transactions, including if such a transaction is closed on or before the 30th day after the close of the Fund’s taxable year and the Fund holds the appreciated financial position unhedged throughout the 60-day period beginning with the day such transaction was closed.

The amount of long-term capital gain the Fund may recognize from certain derivative transactions with respect to interests in certain pass-through entities is limited under the Code’s constructive ownership rules. The amount of long-term capital gain is limited to the amount of such gain the Fund would have had if the Fund directly invested in the pass-through entity during the term of the derivative contract. Any gain in excess of this amount is treated as ordinary income. An interest charge is imposed on the amount of gain that is treated as ordinary income.

If the Fund makes a distribution of income received by the Fund in lieu of dividends (a “substitute payment”) with respect to securities on loan pursuant to a securities lending transaction, such income will not constitute qualified dividend income to individual shareholders and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders. Similar consequences may apply to repurchase and other derivative transactions.

In addition, the Fund’s transactions in securities and certain types of derivatives (e.g., options, futures contracts, forward contracts and swap agreements) may be subject to other special tax rules, such as the wash-sale rules or the short-sale rules, the effect of which may be to accelerate income to the Fund, defer losses to the Fund, cause adjustments in the holding periods of the Fund’s securities, convert long-term capital gains into short-term capital gains, and/or convert short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses. These rules could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders.

Certain of the Fund’s investments in derivative instruments and foreign currency-denominated instruments, as well as any of its foreign currency transactions and hedging activities, are likely to produce a difference between its book income and its taxable income. If the Fund’s book income exceeds the sum of its taxable income and net tax-

 

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exempt income (if any), the distribution (if any) of such excess generally will be treated as (i) a dividend to the extent of the Fund’s remaining earnings and profits (including earnings and profits arising from tax-exempt income), (ii) thereafter, as a return of capital to the extent of the recipient’s basis in its shares, and (iii) thereafter, as gain from the sale or exchange of a capital asset. If the Fund’s book income is less than the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any), the Fund could be required to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment.

Rules governing the U.S. federal income tax aspects of derivatives, including swap agreements, are in a developing stage and are not entirely clear in certain respects. Accordingly, while the Fund intends to account for such transactions in a manner it deems to be appropriate, an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to these rules (which determination or guidance could be retroactive) may affect whether the Fund has made sufficient distributions, and otherwise satisfied the relevant requirements to maintain its qualification as a regulated investment company and avoid fund-level tax. Certain requirements that must be met under the Code in order for the Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company may limit the extent to which the Fund will be able to engage in certain derivatives transactions.

Any investment by the Fund in REIT equity securities may result in the Fund’s receipt of cash in excess of the REIT’s earnings; if the Fund distributes these amounts, these distributions could constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Investments in REIT equity securities also may require the Fund to accrue and distribute income not yet received. To generate sufficient cash to make the requisite distributions, the Fund may be required to sell securities in its portfolio (including when it is not advantageous to do so) that it otherwise would have continued to hold. Dividends received by the Fund from a REIT generally will not constitute qualified dividend income and will not qualify for the dividends-received deduction.

The Fund may invest directly or indirectly in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in taxable mortgage pools (TMPs). Under an IRS notice, and Treasury Regulations that have yet to be issued but may apply retroactively, a portion of the Fund’s income (including income allocated to the Fund from a REIT or other pass-through entity) that is attributable to a residual interest in a REMIC or an equity interest in a TMP (referred to in the Code as an “excess inclusion”) will be subject to U.S. federal income tax in all events. This notice also provides, and the regulations are expected to provide, that excess inclusion income of a regulated investment company, such as the Fund, will be allocated to shareholders of the regulated investment company in proportion to the dividends received by such shareholders, with the same consequences as if the shareholders held the related interest directly. As a result, the Fund may not be a suitable investment for certain tax-exempt shareholders, as noted under Tax-Exempt Shareholders below.

In general, excess inclusion income allocated to shareholders (i) cannot be offset by net operating losses (subject to a limited exception for certain thrift institutions), (ii) will constitute unrelated business taxable income (UBTI) to entities (including a qualified pension plan, an individual retirement account, a 401(k) plan, a Keogh plan or certain other tax-exempt entities) subject to tax on UBTI, thereby potentially requiring such an entity that is allocated excess inclusion income, and otherwise might not be required to file a tax return, to file a tax return and pay tax on such income, and (iii) in the case of a foreign shareholder, will not qualify for any reduction in U.S. federal withholding tax.

Some amounts received by the Fund from its investments in MLPs will likely be treated as returns of capital because of accelerated deductions available with respect to the activities of MLPs. On the disposition of an investment in such an MLP, the Fund will likely realize taxable income in excess of economic gain from that asset (or if the Fund does not dispose of the MLP, the Fund will likely realize taxable income in excess of cash flow received by the Fund from the MLP in a later period), and the Fund must take such income into account in determining whether the Fund has satisfied its regulated investment company distribution requirements. The Fund may have to borrow or liquidate securities to satisfy its distribution requirements and meet its redemption requests, even though investment considerations might otherwise make it undesirable for the Fund to borrow money or sell securities at the time. In addition, distributions attributable to gain from the sale of MLPs that are characterized as ordinary income under the Code’s recapture provisions will be taxable to Fund shareholders as ordinary income.

“Passive foreign investment companies” (PFICs) are generally defined as foreign corporations where at least 75% of their gross income for their taxable year is income from passive sources (such as interest, dividends, certain

 

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rents and royalties, or capital gains) or at least 50% of their assets on average produce such passive income. If the Fund acquires any equity interest in a PFIC, the Fund could be subject to U.S. federal income tax and interest charges on “excess distributions” received from the PFIC or on gain from the sale of such equity interest in the PFIC, even if all income or gain actually received by the Fund is timely distributed to its shareholders. Excess distributions and gain from the sale of interests in PFICs may be characterized as ordinary income even though, absent the application of PFIC rules, these amounts may otherwise have been classified as capital gain.

The Fund will not be permitted to pass through to its shareholders any credit or deduction for these special taxes and interest charges incurred with respect to a PFIC. Elections may be available that would ameliorate these adverse tax consequences, but such elections would require the Fund to include its share of the PFIC’s income and net capital gains annually, regardless of whether it receives any distribution from the PFIC (in the case of a “QEF election”), or to mark the gains (and to a limited extent losses) in its interests in the PFIC “to the market” as though the Fund had sold and repurchased such interests on the last day of the Fund’s taxable year, treating such gains and losses as ordinary income and loss (in the case of a “mark-to-market election”). The QEF and mark-to-market elections may require the Fund to recognize taxable income or gain without the concurrent receipt of cash and increase the amount required to be distributed by the Fund to avoid taxation . Making either of these elections therefore may require the Fund to liquidate other investments prematurely to meet the minimum distribution requirements described above, which also may accelerate the recognition of gain and adversely affect the Fund’s total return. The Fund may attempt to limit and/or manage its holdings in PFICs to minimize tax liability and/or maximize returns from these investments but there can be no assurance that it will be able to do so. Moreover, because it is not always possible to identify a foreign corporation as a PFIC in advance of acquiring shares in the corporation, the Fund may incur the tax and interest charges described above in some instances. Dividends paid by PFICs will not be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income, as defined below.

In addition to the investments described above, prospective shareholders should be aware that other investments made by the Fund may involve complex tax rules that may result in income or gain recognition by the Fund without corresponding current cash receipts. Although the Fund seeks to avoid significant noncash income, such noncash income could be recognized by the Fund, in which case the Fund may distribute cash derived from other sources in order to meet the minimum distribution requirements described above. In this regard, the Fund could be required at times to liquidate investments prematurely in order to satisfy its minimum distribution requirements, which may accelerate the recognition of gain and adversely affect the Fund’s total return.

Taxation of Distributions

Distributions paid out of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, whether paid in cash or reinvested in the Fund, generally are deemed to be taxable distributions and must be reported by each shareholder who is required to file a U.S. federal income tax return. Dividends and distributions on the Fund’s shares are generally subject to U.S. federal income tax as described herein to the extent they do not exceed the Fund’s realized income and gains, even though such dividends and distributions may economically represent a return of a particular shareholder’s investment. Such distributions are likely to occur in respect of shares purchased at a time when the Fund’s net asset value reflects either unrealized gains, or realized but undistributed income or gains. Such realized income and gains may be required to be distributed even when the Fund’s net asset value also reflects unrealized losses. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Fund’s earnings and profits, described above, are determined at the end of the Fund’s taxable year and are allocated pro rata to distributions paid over the entire year. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will first be treated as a return of capital up to the amount of a shareholder’s tax basis in his or her Fund shares and then as capital gain. A return of capital is not taxable, but it reduces a shareholder’s tax basis in his or her Fund shares, thus reducing any loss or increasing any gain on a subsequent taxable disposition by the shareholder of his or her shares. The Fund may make distributions in excess of its earnings and profits to a limited extent, from time to time.

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, distributions of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income, and distributions of gains from the sale of investments that the Fund owned (or is deemed to have owned) for one year or less will be taxable as ordinary income. Distributions properly designated by the Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gain (to the extent such distributions do not exceed the Fund’s actual net long-term capital gain for the taxable year), regardless of how long a shareholder has held Fund shares, and do not qualify as dividends for purposes of the dividends-received

 

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deduction or as qualified dividend income (defined below). The Fund will designate Capital Gain Dividends, if any, in a written notice mailed by the Fund to its shareholders not later than 60 days after the close of the Fund’s taxable year.

Some states will not tax distributions made to individual shareholders that are attributable to interest the Fund earns on direct obligations of the U.S. government if the Fund meets the state’s minimum investment or reporting requirements, if any. Investments in GNMA or FNMA securities, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper, and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities generally do not qualify for tax-free treatment. This exemption may not apply to corporate shareholders.

Sales and Exchanges of Fund Shares

If a shareholder sells or exchanges his or her Fund shares, he or she generally will realize a taxable capital gain or loss on the difference between the amount received for the shares (or deemed received in the case of an exchange) and his or her tax basis in the shares. This gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if he or she has held (or is deemed to have held) such Fund shares for more than one year at the time of the sale or exchange, and short-term capital gain or loss otherwise.

If a shareholder sells or exchanges Fund shares within 90 days of having acquired such shares and if, as a result of having initially acquired those shares, he or she subsequently pays a reduced sales charge on a new purchase of shares of the Fund or a different regulated investment company, the sales charge previously incurred in acquiring the Fund’s shares generally shall not be taken into account (to the extent the previous sales charges do not exceed the reduction in sales charges on the new purchase) for the purpose of determining the amount of gain or loss on the disposition, but generally will be treated as having been incurred in the new purchase. Also, if a shareholder realizes a loss on a disposition of Fund shares, the loss will be disallowed under “wash sale” rules to the extent that he or she purchases substantially identical shares within the 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition. Any disallowed loss generally will be reflected in an adjustment to the tax basis of the purchased shares.

If a shareholder receives a Capital Gain Dividend or is deemed to receive a distribution of long-term capital gain with respect to any Fund share and such Fund share is held or treated as held for six months or less, then (unless otherwise disallowed) any loss on the sale or exchange of that Fund share will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of the Capital Gain Dividend or deemed long-term capital gain distribution.

Foreign Taxes

Amounts realized by the Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of securities of foreign corporations, the Fund will be eligible to file an annual election with the IRS pursuant to which the Fund may pass through to its shareholders on a pro rata basis foreign income and similar taxes paid by the Fund with respect to foreign securities that the Fund has held for at least the minimum holding periods specified in the Code and such taxes may be claimed, subject to certain limitations, either as a tax credit or deduction by the shareholders. It is not expected that the Fund will qualify for this election.

U.S. Federal Income Tax Rates

As of the date of this SAI, the maximum stated U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to individuals generally is 35% for ordinary income and 15% for net long-term capital gain. Long-term capital gain rates applicable to individuals have been temporarily reduced—in general, to 15% with lower rates applying to taxpayers in the 10% and 15% rate brackets—for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2011. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this provision for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2011.

For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2011, U.S. federal income tax law also provides for a maximum individual U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to “qualified dividend income” equal to the highest net long-term capital gain rate, which, as described above, generally is 15%. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend

 

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this provision for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2011. In general, “qualified dividend income” is income attributable to dividends received by the Fund from certain domestic and foreign corporations, as long as certain holding period and other requirements are met by the Fund with respect to the dividend-paying corporation’s stock and by the shareholders with respect to the Fund’s shares. If 95% or more of the Fund’s gross income (excluding net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) constitutes qualified dividend income, all of its distributions (other than Capital Gain Dividends) will be generally treated as qualified dividend income in the hands of individual shareholders, as long as they have owned their Fund shares for at least 61 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the Fund’s ex-dividend date (or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date) and meet certain other requirements specified in the Code. In general, if less than 95% of the Fund’s income is attributable to qualified dividend income, then only the portion of the Fund’s distributions that is attributable to qualified dividend income and designated as such in a timely manner will be so treated in the hands of individual shareholders who meet the aforementioned holding period requirements. The rules regarding the qualification of Fund distributions as qualified dividend income are complex, including the holding period requirements. Individual Fund shareholders therefore are urged to consult their own tax advisors and financial planners.

The maximum stated corporate U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to ordinary income and net capital gain is 35%. Actual marginal tax rates may be higher for some shareholders, for example, through reductions in deductions. Naturally, the amount of tax payable by any taxpayer will be affected by a combination of tax laws covering, for example, deductions, credits, deferrals, exemptions, sources of income and other matters. U.S. federal income tax rates are set to increase in future years under various “sunset” provisions of U.S. federal income tax laws.

Backup Withholding

The Fund generally is required to withhold, and remit to the U.S. Treasury, subject to certain exemptions, an amount equal to 28% of all distributions and redemption proceeds (including proceeds from exchanges and redemptions in-kind) paid or credited to a Fund shareholder if (1) the shareholder fails to furnish the Fund with a correct “taxpayer identification number” (TIN) or has not certified to the Fund that withholding does not apply or (2) the IRS notifies the Fund that the shareholder’s TIN is incorrect or the shareholder is otherwise subject to backup withholding. This backup withholding is not an additional tax imposed on the shareholder. The shareholder may apply amounts required to be withheld as a credit against his or her future U.S. federal income tax liability, provided that the required information is furnished to the IRS. If a shareholder fails to furnish a valid TIN upon request, the shareholder can also be subject to IRS penalties. The rate of backup withholding is set to increase for amounts distributed or paid after December 31, 2010.

Tax-Deferred Plans

The shares of the Fund may be available for a variety of tax-deferred retirement and other tax-advantaged plans and accounts. Prospective investors should contact their tax advisors and financial planners regarding the tax consequences to them of holding Fund shares through such plans and/or accounts.

Corporate Shareholders

Subject to limitations and other rules, a corporate shareholder of the Fund may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction on Fund distributions attributable to dividends received by the Fund from domestic corporations, which, if received directly by the corporate shareholder, would qualify for such a deduction. For eligible corporate shareholders, the dividends-received deduction may be subject to certain reductions, and a distribution by the Fund attributable to dividends of a domestic corporation will be eligible for the deduction only if certain holding period and other requirements are met. These requirements are complex; therefore, corporate shareholders of the Fund are urged to consult their own tax advisors and financial planners.

As discussed above, a portion of the interest paid or accrued on certain high-yield discount obligations that the Fund may own may not be deductible to the issuer. If a portion of the interest paid or accrued on these obligations is not deductible, that portion will be treated as a dividend. In such cases, if the issuer of the obligation is a domestic corporation, dividend payments by the Fund may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction to the extent of

 

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the dividend portion of such interest.

Foreign Shareholders

For purposes of this discussion, “foreign shareholders” generally include: (i) nonresident alien individuals, (ii) foreign trusts (i.e., a trust other than a trust with respect to which a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over administration of that trust and one or more U.S. persons have authority to control substantial decisions of that trust), (iii) foreign estates (i.e., the income of which is not subject to U.S. tax regardless of source), and (iv) foreign corporations.

Generally, unless an exception applies, dividend distributions made to foreign shareholders other than Capital Gain Dividends will be subject to non-refundable U.S. federal income tax withholding at a 30% rate (or such lower rate as may be provided under an applicable income tax treaty) even if they are funded by income or gains (such as portfolio interest, short-term capital gains, or foreign-source dividend and interest income) that, if paid to a foreign person directly, would not be subject to withholding. However, generally, for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2010, distributions made to foreign shareholders and properly designated by the Fund as “interest-related dividends” are exempt from U.S. federal income tax withholding. The exemption for interest-related dividends does not apply to any distribution to a foreign shareholder (i) to the extent that the dividend is attributable to certain interest on an obligation if the foreign shareholder is the issuer or is a 10% shareholder of the issuer; (ii) that is within certain foreign countries that have inadequate information exchange with the United States, or (iii) to the extent the dividend is attributable to interest paid by a person that is a related person of the foreign shareholder and the foreign shareholder is a controlled foreign corporation. Interest-related dividends are generally attributable to the Fund’s net U.S.-source interest income of types similar to those not subject to U.S. federal income tax if earned directly by an individual foreign shareholder. In order to qualify as an interest-related dividend, the Fund must designate a distribution as such in a written notice mailed to its shareholders not later than 60 days after the close of the Fund’s taxable year. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a distribution described above is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business (or, if an income tax treaty applies, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment) of the recipient foreign shareholder, neither U.S. federal income tax withholding nor the exemption for interest-related dividends will apply. Instead, the distribution will be subject to the tax, reporting and withholding requirements generally applicable to U.S. persons, and an additional branch profits tax may apply if the recipient foreign shareholder is a foreign corporation.

In general, a foreign shareholder’s capital gains realized on the disposition of Fund shares, distributions properly designated as Capital Gain Dividends and, with respect to taxable years of the Fund beginning before January 1, 2010, “short-term capital gain dividends” (defined below) are not subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax, unless: (i) such gains or distributions are effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business (or, if an income tax treaty applies, are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment) of the foreign shareholder; (ii) in the case of an individual foreign shareholder, the shareholder is present in the U.S. for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the disposition of Fund shares or the receipt of Capital Gain Dividends or short-term capital gain dividends and certain other conditions are met; or (iii) the Fund shares on which the foreign shareholder realized gain constitute U.S. real property interests (USRPIs, defined below) or, in certain cases, the distributions are attributable to gain from the sale or exchange of a USRPI, as discussed below. If the requirements of clause (i) are met, the tax, reporting and withholding requirements applicable to U.S. persons generally will apply to the foreign shareholder and an additional branch profits tax may apply if the foreign shareholder is a foreign corporation. If the requirements of clause (i) are not met, but the requirements of clause (ii) are met, such gains and distributions will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a 30% rate (or such lower rate as may be provided under an applicable income tax treaty). Please see below for a discussion of the tax implications to foreign shareholders in the event that clause (iii) applies. “Short-term capital gain dividends” are distributions attributable to the Fund’s net short-term capital gain in excess of its net long-term capital loss and designated as such by the Fund in a written notice mailed by the Fund to its shareholders not later than 60 days after the close of the Fund’s taxable year.

It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend the exemptions from withholding for interest-related dividends and short-term capital gain dividends for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2010.

 

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In the case of shares held through an intermediary, even if the Fund makes a designation with respect to a payment, no assurance can be made that the intermediary will respect such a designation, and an intermediary may withhold even if the Fund makes a designation with respect to a payment. Foreign shareholders should contact their intermediaries regarding the application of these rules to their accounts.

Even if permitted to do so, the Fund provides no assurance that it will designate any distributions as interest-related dividends or short-term capital gain dividends.

Special rules apply to distributions to foreign shareholders from the Fund if it is either a “U.S. real property holding corporation” (USRPHC) or would be a USRPHC but for the operation of certain exceptions described below. Additionally, special rules apply to the sale of shares in the Fund if it is a USRPHC. Generally, a USRPHC is a domestic corporation that holds USRPIs – defined generally as any interest in U.S. real property or any equity interest in a USRPHC – the fair market value of which equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market values of the corporation’s USRPIs, interests in real property located outside the United States and other assets. If the Fund holds (directly or indirectly) significant interests in REITs, it may be a USRPHC. The special rules discussed in the next paragraph will also apply to distributions from the Fund if it would be a USRPHC absent exclusions from USRPI treatment for interests in domestically controlled REITs or regulated investment companies and not-greater-than-5% interests in publicly traded classes of stock in REITs or regulated investment companies.

If the Fund is a USRPHC or would be a USRPHC but for the above-mentioned exceptions, amounts the Fund receives from REITs derived from gains realized from USRPIs generally will retain their character as such in the hands of the Fund’s foreign shareholders. In the hands of a foreign shareholder that holds (or has held in the prior 12 months) more than a 5% interest in any class of the Fund, such amounts generally will be treated as gains “effectively connected” with the conduct of a “U.S. trade or business,” and subject to tax at graduated rates. Moreover, such shareholder generally will be required to file a U.S. income tax return for the year recognized, and the Fund must withhold 35% of the amount of such distribution. Otherwise, in the case of all other foreign shareholders (i.e., those whose interest in any class of the Fund did not exceed 5% at any time during the prior 12 months), such amounts generally will be treated as ordinary income (regardless of any designation by the Fund that such distribution is a short-term capital gain dividend or Capital Gain Dividend), and the Fund must withhold 30% (or a lower applicable treaty rate) of the amount of the distribution paid to such shareholders. If a Fund is subject to the rules of this paragraph, its foreign shareholders may also be subject to “wash sale” rules to prevent the avoidance of the foregoing tax-filing and payment obligations through the sale and repurchase of Fund shares. Prior to January 1, 2010, if a Fund is a USRPHC or would be a USRPHC but for the above-mentioned exceptions, similar rules generally also apply to any non-REIT USRPI gains recognized by the Fund directly or indirectly through certain lower-tier regulated investment companies. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this treatment to January 1, 2010 and beyond.

In addition, if the Fund is a USRPHC, it generally must withhold 10% of the amount realized in redemption by a greater-than-5% foreign shareholder, and that shareholder must file a U.S. income tax return for the year of the disposition of the USRPI and pay any additional tax due on the gain. Prior to January 1, 2010, no such withholding is generally required with respect to amounts paid in redemption of shares of a Fund if the Fund is a domestically controlled USRPHC or, in certain limited cases, if the Fund (whether or not domestically controlled) holds substantial investments in regulated investment companies that are domestically controlled USRPHCs. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this exemption from withholding to January 1, 2010 and beyond.

In order to qualify for any exemptions from withholding described above or for lower withholding tax rates under income tax treaties, or to establish an exemption from backup withholding, a foreign shareholder must comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its foreign status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN or substitute form). Foreign shareholders should consult their tax advisers in this regard.

Special rules (including withholding and reporting requirements) apply to foreign partnerships and those holding Fund shares through foreign partnerships. In addition, additional considerations may apply to foreign trusts and foreign estates. Investors holding Fund shares through foreign entities should consult their tax advisors about their particular situation.

A beneficial holder of shares who is a foreign person may be subject to state and local tax and to the U.S.

 

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federal estate tax in addition to the U.S. federal income tax referred to above.

Tax-Exempt Shareholders

Under current law, the Fund serves to “block” (that is, prevent the attribution to shareholders of) UBTI from being realized by tax-exempt shareholders. Notwithstanding this “blocking” effect, a tax-exempt shareholder could realize UBTI by virtue of its investment in the Fund if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Code Section 514(b).

It is possible that a tax-exempt shareholder will also recognize UBTI if the Fund recognizes excess inclusion income (as described above) derived from direct or indirect investments in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in TMPs. Furthermore, any investment in residual interests of a CMO that has elected to be treated as a REMIC can create complex tax consequences, especially if the Fund has state or local governments or other tax-exempt organizations as shareholders.

In addition, special tax consequences apply to charitable remainder trusts (CRTs) that invest in regulated investment companies that invest directly or indirectly in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in TMPs. Under legislation enacted in December 2006, a CRT, as defined in Section 664 of the Code, that realizes UBTI for a taxable year must pay an excise tax annually of an amount equal to such UBTI. Under IRS guidance issued in October 2006, a CRT will not recognize UBTI solely as a result of investing in the Fund to the extent that it recognizes excess inclusion income. Rather, if at any time during any taxable year a CRT (or one of certain other tax-exempt shareholders, such as the United States, a state or political subdivision, or an agency or instrumentality thereof, and certain energy cooperatives) is a record holder of a share in the Fund and the Fund recognizes excess inclusion income, then the Fund will be subject to a tax on that portion of its excess inclusion income for the taxable year that is allocable to such shareholders at the highest U.S. federal corporate income tax rate. The extent to which the IRS guidance remains applicable in light of the December 2006 legislation is unclear. To the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the Fund may elect to specially allocate any such tax to the applicable CRT, or other shareholder, and thus reduce such shareholder’s distributions for the year by the amount of the tax that relates to such shareholder’s interest in the Fund. The Fund has not yet determined whether such an election will be made. CRTs are urged to consult their tax advisors concerning the consequences of investing in the Fund.

Tax Shelter Reporting Regulations

Under Treasury Regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a regulated investment company are not excepted. Future guidance may extend the current exception from this reporting requirement to shareholders of most or all regulated investment companies. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

 

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CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

As of June 30, 2009, the name, address and percentage of ownership of each person who may be deemed to be a “principal holder “(i.e., owns of record or is known by the Trust to own beneficially 5% or more of any class of the Fund’s outstanding shares) is listed below.

Principal Holder Ownership of the Fund

 

Fund / Share Class

  

Shareholder Account Registration

   Share Balance    Percentage
of Class
 

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II

Class C

  

UBS FINANCIAL SERVICES INC. FBO

BARBARA PHILLIPS

8610 NE 17TH ST

BELLEVUE, WA 98004-3241

   11,375.1660    34.73

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II

Class C

  

MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INC FOR THE SOLE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS

ATTN: SERVICE TEAM

4800 DEER LAKE DR E FL 3

JACKSONVILLE, FL 32246-6484

   4,708.2200    14.38

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II

Class Z

  

BANK OF AMERICA NA, TRUSTEE

ATTN BETTY BARLEY/FUNDS ACCOUNTING

1201 MAIN STREET 10TH FLOOR

DALLAS, TX 75202-3908

   1,054,890.2120    94.81

As of June 30, 2009, the name, address and percentage of ownership of each person who may be deemed to be a “control person” (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund because it owns greater than 25% of the outstanding shares, either beneficially or by virtue of its fiduciary or trust roles or otherwise, is shown below. A controlling person’s vote could have a more significant effect on matters presented to shareholders for approval than the vote of other Fund shareholders.

Control Person Ownership of the Fund

 

Fund

  

Shareholder Account

Registration

  

Share

Balance

  

Percentage

of Fund

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II

   NONE    N/A    N/A

 

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APPENDIX A — DESCRIPTIONS OF SECURITIES RATINGS

This Appendix summarizes the various descriptions of securities ratings applicable to securities purchased by the Columbia Funds Family. Please refer to the Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information to determine whether that Fund may invest in securities that have ratings described in this Appendix.

STANDARD & POOR’S (S&P)

Bonds

The following summarizes the ratings used by S&P for bonds. The ratings AAA, AA, A and BBB denote investment grade securities.

AAA bonds have the highest rating assigned by S&P and are considered to have an extremely strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal.

AA bonds are considered to have a very strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal, and they differ from AAA only in small degree.

A bonds are considered to have a strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal, although they are somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than debt in higher rated categories.

BBB bonds are considered to have an adequate capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Whereas they normally exhibit adequate protection parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay interest and repay principal than for bonds in the A category.

BB, B, CCC, CC and C bonds are considered to have predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation. BB indicates the lowest degree of speculation and C the highest degree. While such debt will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these are outweighed by large uncertainties or large exposures to adverse conditions.

BB bonds are considered to have less near-term vulnerability to default than other speculative issues. However, they face major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to inadequate capacity to meet timely interest and principal payments. The BB rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied BBB- rating.

B bonds are considered to have a greater vulnerability to default but currently have the capacity to meet interest payments and principal repayments. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair capacity or willingness to pay interest and repay principal. The B rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied BB or BB — rating.

CCC bonds are considered to have a currently identifiable vulnerability to default, and are dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions to meet timely payment of interest and repayment of principal. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the bonds are not likely to have the capacity to pay interest and repay principal. The CCC rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied B or B — rating.

CC rating typically is applied to debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied CCC rating.

C rating typically is applied to debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied CCC — debt rating. The C rating may be used to cover a situation, for example, where a bankruptcy petition has been filed, but debt service payments are continued.

CI rating is reserved for income bonds on which no interest is being paid.

D bonds are in payment default. The D rating category is used when interest payments or principal payments are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless S&P believes that such

 

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payments will be made during such grace period. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition if debt service payments are jeopardized.

Plus (+) or minus (-): The ratings from AA to CCC may be modified by the addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

Municipal Notes

SP-1. Notes rated SP-1 are considered to have very strong or strong capacity to pay principal and interest. Those issues determined to possess overwhelming safety characteristics are designated as SP-1+.

SP-2. Notes rated SP-2 are considered to have satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest.

Notes due in three years or less normally receive a note rating. Notes maturing beyond three years normally receive a bond rating, although the following criteria are used in making that assessment:

Amortization schedule (the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely the issue will be rated as a note).

Source of payment (the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be rated as a note).

Commercial Paper

A. Issues assigned this highest rating are regarded as having the greatest capacity for timely payment. Issues in this category are further refined with the designations 1, 2, and 3 to indicate the relative degree of safety.

A-1. Issues assigned to this rating are considered to have overwhelming or very strong capacity for timely payment. Those issues determined to possess overwhelming safety characteristics are designed A-1+.

MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC. (MOODY’S)

Municipal Bonds

Aaa bonds are considered to be of the best quality. They are considered to have the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as ‘‘gilt edge’’. Interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally stable margin and principal is secure. While various protective elements are likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair a fundamentally strong position of such issues.

Aa bonds are considered to be of high quality by all standards. Together with Aaa bonds they comprise what are generally known as high-grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of protection may not be as large in Aaa securities or fluctuation of protective elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be other elements present which make the long-term risks appear somewhat larger than in Aaa securities.

Those bonds in the Aa through B groups that Moody’s believes possess the strongest investment attributes are designated by the symbols Aa1, A1 or Baa1.

A bonds are considered to possess many favorable investment attributes and are to be considered to be upper-medium-grade obligations. Factors giving security to principal and interest are considered adequate, but elements may be present that suggest a susceptibility to impairment at some time in the future.

Baa bonds are considered to be medium grade obligations: they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Interest payments and principal security appear adequate for the present but certain protective elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great period of time. Such bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and, in fact, have speculative characteristics as well.

Ba bonds are considered to have speculative elements: their future cannot be considered as well secured. Often, the protection of interest and principal payments may be very moderate and thereby not well safeguarded during both good and bad times in the future. Uncertainty of position characterizes bonds in this grade.

 

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B bonds are considered generally to lack characteristics of a desirable investment. Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance of other terms of the contract over any long period of time may be small.

Caa bonds are considered to be of poor standing. Such issues may be in default or there may be present elements of danger with respect to principal or interest.

Ca bonds are considered to represent obligations that are speculative in a high degree. Such issues are often in default or have other marked shortcomings.

C bonds are the lowest rated class of bonds and issues so rated are considered to have extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing.

Conditional Ratings. Bonds for which the security depends upon the completion of some act or the fulfillment of some condition are rated conditionally. These are bonds secured by (a) earnings of projects under construction, (b) earnings of projects unseasoned in operating experience, (c) rentals which begin when facilities are completed, or (d) payments to which some other limiting conditions attach. Parenthetical rating denotes probable credit stature upon completion of construction or elimination of basis of condition.

Corporate Bonds

The description of the applicable rating symbols (Aaa, Aa, A, Baa, etc.) and their meanings is identical to that of the Municipal Bond ratings as set forth above, except for the numerical modifiers. Moody’s applies numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 in the Aa and A classifications of its corporate bond rating system. The modifier 1 indicates that the security ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a midrange ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates that the issuer ranks in the lower end of its generic rating category.

Municipal Notes

MIG 1. This designation denotes best quality. There is present strong protection by established cash flows, superior liquidity support or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

MIG 2. This designation denotes high quality. Margins of protection are ample although not so large as in the preceding group.

MIG 3. This designation denotes favorable quality. All security elements are accounted for, but there is lacking the undeniable strength of the preceding grades. Liquidity and cash flow protection may be narrow and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well established.

Commercial Paper

Moody’s employs the following three designations, all judged to be investment grade, to indicate the relative repayment capacity of rated issuers:

Prime-1 Highest Quality

Prime-2 Higher Quality

Prime-3 High Quality

If an issuer represents to Moody’s that its commercial paper obligations are supported by the credit of another entity or entities, Moody’s, in assigning ratings to such issuers, evaluates the financial strength of the indicated affiliated corporations, commercial banks, insurance companies, foreign governments, or other entities, but only as one factor in the total rating assessment.

 

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FITCH, INC. (FITCH)

Long-Term Debt

Investment Grade Bond Ratings

AAA bonds are considered to be investment grade and of the highest credit quality. The obligor has an exceptionally strong ability to pay interest and/or dividends and repay principal, which is unlikely to be affected by reasonably foreseeable events.

AA bonds are considered to be investment grade and of very high credit quality. The obligor’s ability to pay interest and repay principal is very strong, although not quite as strong as bonds rated AAA. Because bonds rated in the AAA and AA categories are not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable future developments, short-term debt of these issuers is generally rated F-1+.

A bonds are considered to be investment grade and of high credit quality. The obligor’s ability to pay interest and repay principal is considered to be strong, but may be more vulnerable to adverse changes in economic conditions and circumstances than debt securities with higher ratings.

BBB bonds are considered to be investment grade and of satisfactory credit quality. The obligor’s ability to pay interest or dividends and repay principal is considered to be adequate. Adverse changes in economic conditions and circumstances, however, are more likely to have adverse impact on these securities and, therefore, impair timely payment. The likelihood that the ratings of these bonds will fall below investment grade is higher than for securities with higher ratings.

Speculative Grade Bond Ratings

BB bonds are considered speculative. The obligor’s ability to pay interest and repay principal may be affected over time by adverse economic changes. However, business and financial alternatives can be identified, which could assist the obligor in satisfying its debt service requirements.

B bonds are considered highly speculative. While securities in this class are currently meeting debt service requirements, the probability of continued timely payment of principal and interest reflects the obligor’s limited margin of safety and the need for reasonable business and economic activity throughout the life of the issue.

CCC bonds are considered to have certain identifiable characteristics that, if not remedied, may lead to default. The ability to meet obligations requires an advantageous business and economic environment.

CC bonds are considered to be minimally protected. Default in payment of interest and/or principal seems probable over time.

C bonds are in imminent default in payment of interest or principal.

DDD, DD, and D bonds are in default on interest and/or principal payments. Such securities are extremely speculative and should be valued on the basis of their ultimate recovery value in liquidation or reorganization of the obligor. DDD represents the highest potential for recovery on these securities and D represents the lowest potential for recovery.

Plus (+) or minus (-): Plus or minus signs are used to show relative standing within the major rating categories. Plus and minus signs, however, are not used in the DDD, DD, or D categories.

Short-Term Debt

Fitch’s short-term ratings apply to debt obligations that are payable on demand or have original maturities of up to three years, including commercial paper, certificates of deposit, medium-term notes, and investment notes.

F-1+ obligations have exceptionally strong credit quality and are considered to have the strongest degree of assurance for timely payment.

 

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F-1 obligations are considered to reflect an assurance of timely payment only slightly less in degree than issues rated F-1+.

F-2 obligations are considered to have good credit quality. Securities in this class have a satisfactory degree of assurance for timely payment, but the margin of safety is not as great as for issues assigned F-1+ and F-1 ratings.

F-3 obligations are considered to have characteristics suggesting that the degree of assurance for timely payment is adequate; however, near-term adverse changes could cause these securities to be rated below investment grade.

F-S rating is assigned to obligations that are considered to have a minimal degree of assurance for timely payment and to be vulnerable to near-term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

B obligations are considered to have a minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments and a susceptibility to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions.

C rating is assigned to obligations that are considered to have a high default risk and whose capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.

D obligations are in actual or imminent payment default.

 

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APPENDIX B — PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (“CMA”) — Proxy Voting Policy

 

Last Review Date:    March 2009
Applicable Regulatory Authority:   

Rule 206(4)-6 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940

Form N-PX

ERISA Department of Labor Bulletin 08-2

Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (SEC No Action Letter dated September 15, 2004)

Explanation/Summary of Regulatory Requirements

An investment adviser that exercises voting authority over clients’ proxies must adopt written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that those proxies are voted in the best economic interests of clients. An adviser’s policies and procedures must address how the adviser resolves material conflicts of interest between its interests and those of its clients. An investment adviser must comply with certain record keeping and disclosure requirements with respect to its proxy voting responsibilities. In addition, an investment adviser to Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) accounts has an affirmative obligation to vote proxies for an ERISA account, unless the client expressly retains proxy voting authority.

Policy Summary

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (“CMA”) has adopted and implemented the following policy, which it believes is reasonably designed to: (1) ensure that proxies are voted in the best economic interest of clients; and (2) address material conflicts of interest that may arise. This policy applies primarily to the Global Wealth and Investment Management (“GWIM”) Investment Operations Group, the Investment groups (particularly, Equity and Chief Investment Officer’s Office), as well as to Compliance Risk Management (“CRM”) and Legal. CRM and Business groups to which this policy directly applies must adopt written procedures to implement this Policy.

Policy

All proxies regarding client securities for which CMA has authority to vote will, unless CMA determines in accordance with policies stated below to refrain from voting, be voted in a manner considered by CMA to be in the best interest of CMA’s clients without regard to any resulting benefit or detriment to CMA, its associates, or its affiliates. The best interest of clients is defined for this purpose as the interest of enhancing or protecting the economic value of client accounts, considered as a group rather than individually, as CMA determines in its sole and absolute discretion. In the event a client believes that its other interests require a different vote, CMA will vote as the client clearly instructs, provided CMA receives such instructions in time to act accordingly. Information regarding CMA’s proxy voting decisions is confidential. Therefore, the information may be shared on a need to know basis only, including within CMA and with CMA affiliates. Advisory clients, including mutual funds’ and other funds’ boards, may obtain information on how their proxies were voted by CMA. However, CMA will not selectively disclose its investment company clients’ proxy voting records to third parties. Rather, the investment company clients’ proxy records will be disclosed to shareholders by publicly-available annual filings for 12-month periods ending each year on June 30th on Form N-PX.

CMA endeavors to vote, in accordance with this Policy, all proxies of which it becomes aware prior to the vote deadline date, subject to certain general exceptions described below.

CMA seeks to avoid the occurrence of actual or apparent material conflicts of interest in the proxy voting process by voting in accordance with predetermined voting guidelines and observing other procedures that are intended to prevent where practicable and manage conflicts of interest (refer to Conflicts of Interest section below). CMA’s

 

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proxy voting policy and practices are summarized in its Form ADV. Additionally, CMA will provide clients with a copy of its policies, as they may be updated from time to time, upon request.

Means of Achieving Compliance

The Proxy Group within GWIM Investment Operations is primarily responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the proxy voting process. The Proxy Group’s monitoring will take into account the following elements: (1) periodic review of the proxy vendor’s votes to ensure that the proxy vendor is accurately voting consistent with CMA’s Voting Guidelines; and (2) review of the Columbia Funds’ fund website to ensure that annual proxy voting reports are posted in a timely and accurate manner. CMA has established a Proxy Committee which is responsible for overseeing the proxy voting process.

The specific responsibilities of the Proxy Committee and scope of its oversight are described in the Proxy Committee’s charter.

CMA’S INVESTMENT ASSOCIATES’ RESPONSIBILITIES

Under CMA’s Voting Guidelines, certain matters must be determined on a case-by-case basis. In general, the Proxy Group within GWIM Investment Operations will refer these matters first to the relevant CMA research analyst after first confirming that the proxy matter does not present a potential conflict to CMA. If there is not a research analyst assigned to the particular security, the matter will be referred to the appropriate portfolio manager.

In considering a particular proxy matter, the research analyst or portfolio manager must vote in the clients’ best interest as defined above. Information regarding CMA’s proxy voting decisions is confidential information. Therefore, research analysts and portfolio managers generally must not discuss proxy votes with any person outside of CMA and within CMA except on a need to know basis only.

Research analysts and portfolio managers must discharge their responsibilities consistent with the obligations set forth below (refer to Management of Conflicts of Interest – Additional Procedures). A research analyst or portfolio manager must disclose in writing any inappropriate attempt to influence their recommendation or any other personal interest that they have with the issuer (see Appendix B - Conflicts of Interest Disclosure and Certification Form). For each Proxy Referral (defined below), the research analyst or portfolio manager is responsible for memorializing their recommendation on the Proxy Voting Recommendation Form (see Appendix C) and communicating their recommendation to the Proxy Group.

Research analysts and portfolio managers should seek advice from CRM or Legal with respect to any questions that they have regarding personal conflicts of interests, communications regarding proxies, or other related matters.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

For purposes of this policy, a material conflict of interest is a relationship or activity engaged in by CMA, a CMA affiliate1, or a CMA associate that creates an incentive (or appearance thereof) to favor the interests of CMA, the affiliate, or associate, rather than the clients’ interests. However, a material conflict of interest is not automatically created when there is a relationship or activity engaged in by a CMA affiliate, but there is a possibility that a CMA affiliate could cause a conflict. CMA may have a conflict of interest if either CMA has a significant business relationship with a company that is soliciting a proxy, or if a CMA associate involved in the proxy voting decision-making process has a significant personal or family relationship with the particular company. A conflict of interest is considered to be “material” to the extent that a reasonable person could expect the conflict to influence CMA’s

 

1

Bank of America Corporation (“BAC”), the ultimate corporate parent of CMA, Bank of America, N.A. and all of their numerous affiliates owns, operates and has interests in many lines of business that may create or give rise to the appearance of a conflict of interest between BAC or its affiliates and those of CMA-advised clients. For example, the commercial and investment banking business lines may have interests with respect to issuers of voting securities that could appear to or even actually conflict with CMA’s duty, in the proxy voting process, to act in the best economic interest of its clients.

 

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decision on the particular vote at issue. In all cases where there is deemed to be a material conflict of interest, CMA will seek to resolve said conflict in the clients’ best interests.

For those proxy proposals that: (1) are not addressed by CMA’s proxy voting guidelines; (2) the guidelines specify the issue must be evaluated and determined on a case-by-case basis; or (3) a CMA investment associate believes that an exception to the guidelines may be in the best economic interest of CMA’s clients (collectively, “Proxy Referrals”), CMA may vote the proxy, subject to the conflicts of interest procedures set forth below.

In the case of Proxy Referrals, CRM identifies companies with which CMA has a significant business relationships and Proxy Referrals of such companies will be voted consistent with CMA’s conflicts management procedures described below. For Proxy Referrals that do not involve companies with which CMA has a significant business relationship the relevant CMA investment personnel (i.e. research analyst, portfolio manager, members of Proxy Committee) involved in the particular Proxy Referral must report any personal conflict of interest circumstances (e.g., relationships with nominees for directorship, members of an issuer’s or dissident’s management or otherwise, unusual communications with parties outside the investment organization concerning a proxy matter) to Columbia Management’s Conflicts of Interest Officer in writing (see Appendix B). In the event any member of the Proxy Committee has a conflict of interest regarding a given matter, he or she will abstain from participating in the Committee’s determination of whether and/or how to vote in the matter.

If the Proxy Committee, the Chairperson of the Proxy Committee, or the Conflicts Officer determines that a proxy matter presents a material conflict of interest, CMA will invoke one or more of the following conflict management procedures:

 

   

Causing the proxies to be voted in accordance with the recommendations of an independent third party (which generally will be CMA’s proxy voting agent);

 

   

Causing the proxies to be delegated to a qualified, independent third party, which may include CMA’s proxy voting agent; or

 

   

In unusual cases, with the Client’s consent and upon ample notice, forwarding the proxies to CMA’s clients so that they may vote the proxies directly.

Affiliate Investment Companies and Public Companies

CMA considers (1) proxies solicited by open-end and closed-end investment companies for which CMA or an affiliate serves as an investment adviser or principal underwriter; and (2) proxies solicited by Bank of America Corporation (“BAC”) or other public companies within the BAC organization to present a material conflict of interest for CMA. Consequently, the proxies of such affiliates will be voted following one of the conflict management practices discussed above.

Management of Conflicts of Interest – Additional Procedures

In certain circumstances, CMA follows the proxy guidelines and uses other research services provided by the proxy vendor or another independent third party. CMA reviews its proxy vendor’s conflicts of interest procedures as part of its oversight of the proxy vendor’s services.

CMA and other BAC affiliates have adopted various other policies and procedures that help reinforce this Policy. Please see any associated documents.

Ownership Limits – Delegation of Proxy Voting to an Independent Third Party

From time to time, CMA may face regulatory or compliance limits on the types or amounts of voting securities that it may purchase or hold for client accounts. Among other limits, federal, state, foreign regulatory restrictions, or company-specific ownership limits may restrict the total percentage of an issuer’s voting securities that CMA can hold for clients (collectively, “Ownership Limits”).

 

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The regulations or company-specific documents governing a number of these Ownership Limits often focus upon holdings in voting securities. As a result, in limited circumstances in order to comply with such Ownership Limits and/or internal policies designed to comply with such limits, CMA may delegate proxy voting in certain issuers to a qualified, independent third party, who may be CMA’s proxy voting agent.

PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES

A. CMA’s Proxy Voting Guidelines – General Practices.

The Proxy Committee has adopted the guidelines for voting proxies specified in Appendix A of this policy. CMA uses an independent, third-party proxy vendor to implement its proxy voting process as CMA’s proxy voting agent. In general, whenever a vote is solicited, the proxy vendor will execute the vote according to CMA’s Voting Guidelines.

B. Ability to Vote Proxies Other than as Provided by Voting Guidelines.

A Portfolio Manager or other party involved with a client’s account may conclude that the best interest of the firm’s client, as defined above, requires that a proxy be voted in a manner that differs from the predetermined proxy Voting Guidelines. In this situation, he or she will request in writing that the Proxy Committee consider voting the proxy other than according to such Guidelines and provide information as the Proxy Committee may request. The Proxy Committee may consider the matter, subject to the conflicts of interest procedures discussed above.

C. Other Proxy Matters

For the following categories, proxies will be voted as stated below:

1. New Proposals. For certain new proposals that are expected to be proposed to shareholders of multiple companies, the Proxy Committee may develop a Voting Guideline which will be incorporated into this Policy.

2. Accounts Adhering to Taft Hartley Principles. All proposals for accounts adhering to Taft Hartley principles will be voted according to the Taft Hartley Guidelines developed by the proxy vendor.

3. Accounts Adhering to Socially Responsible Principles. All proposals for accounts adhering to socially responsible principles will be voted according to the Socially Responsible Guidelines developed by the proxy vendor or as specified by the client.

4. Proxies of International Issuers. In general, CMA will refrain from voting securities in cases where international issuers impose share blocking restrictions. However, in the exceptional circumstances that CMA determines that it would be appropriate to vote such securities, all proposals for these securities will be voted only on the specific instruction of the Proxy Committee and to the extent practicable in accordance with the Voting Guidelines set forth in this Policy. Additionally, proxies will typically not be voted in markets where powers of attorney are required to be executed in order to vote shares.

5. Proxies of Investment Company Shares. Proposals on issues other than affiliated investment companies (previously described) will be voted on the specific instruction of the Proxy Committee.

6. Proxy Referrals for Passive Index Accounts. Proxy Referrals for a security that is held only within a passive index account managed by CMA’s Quantitative Strategies Group and not in any other account within CMA, shall be voted according to the guidelines developed by the proxy vendor or as specified by the client. However, if a security is held within a passive index account managed by CMA’s Quantitative Strategies Group and within another CMA-managed account (including without limitation an account actively managed by CMA’s Quantitative Strategies Group), all proposals, including Proxy Referrals, will be voted in accordance with the Voting Guidelines, subject to the other provisions of this Policy.

7. Proxy Voting for Securities on Loan. CMA generally votes in cases where shares have been loaned from actively managed Columbia Funds as long as the shares have been recalled in a timely manner. However, CMA generally does not vote shares that have been loaned from passively managed Columbia

 

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Index Funds. Other CMA clients may have their own stock loan programs and may or may not recall their shares for proxy voting.

Supervision

Managers and supervisory personnel are responsible for ensuring that their associates understand and follow this policy and any applicable procedures adopted by the business group to implement the policy. The Proxy Committee has ultimate responsibility for the implementation of this Policy.

Escalation

With the exception of conflicts of interest-related matters, issues arising under this policy should be escalated to the Proxy Committee. Issues involving potential or actual conflicts of interest should be promptly communicated to the Columbia Management Conflicts Officer.

Monitoring/Oversight

CRM and/or Corporate Internal Audit Group perform periodic reviews and assessments of various lines of businesses, including a review of Columbia Management’s compliance with the Proxy Voting Policy.

Recordkeeping

CMA will create and maintain records of each investment company’s proxy record for 12-month periods ended June 30th. CMA will compile the following information for each matter relating to a portfolio security considered at any shareholder meeting during the period covered by the annual report and for which CMA was entitled to vote:

 

   

The name of the issuer of the security;

 

   

The exchange ticker symbol of the portfolio security (if symbol is available through reasonably practicable means);

 

   

The Council on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures number for the portfolio security (if number is available through reasonably practicable means);

 

   

The shareholder meeting date;

 

   

A brief identification of the matter voted on;

 

   

Whether the matter was proposed by the issuer or by a security holder;

 

   

Whether the company cast its vote on the matter;

 

   

How the company cast its vote (e.g., for or against proposal, or abstain; for or withhold regarding the election of directors); and

 

   

Whether the company cast its vote for or against management.

Business groups and support partners are responsible for maintaining all records necessary to evidence compliance with this policy. The records must be properly maintained and readily accessible in order to evidence compliance with this policy.

These records include:

 

Document

 

Responsible Party

Proxy Committee Meeting Minutes and Related Materials   Proxy Group in GWIM Investment Operations
Proxy Vote Recommendation Form and Supporting Materials of Investment Management Personnel Concerning Proxy Decisions and Recommendations (or any other document created by CMA that was material to making a voting decision or that memorializes the basis for the voting decision)   Proxy Group in GWIM Investment Operations

 

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Conflicts of Interest Review Documentation, including Conflicts of Interest Forms   Compliance Risk Management
Client Communications Regarding Proxy Matters   Client Service Group
Copy of Each Applicable Proxy Statement Unless it has been Filed with the SEC and may be Obtained from the SEC’s EDGAR System   Proxy Group in GWIM Investment Operations

Records should be retained for a period of not less than six years plus the current year. Records must be retained in an appropriate office of CM for the first three years.

 

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APPENDIX A – CMA’s Proxy Voting Policy

CMA’S VOTING GUIDELINES

A. The Proxy Committee has adopted the following guidelines for voting proxies:

1. Matters Relating to the Board of Directors/Corporate Governance

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Proposals for the election of directors or for an increase or decrease in the number of directors, provided that no more than one-third of the Board of Directors would, presently or at any time during the previous three-year period, be from management.

However, CMA generally will WITHHOLD votes from pertinent director nominees if:

 

  (i) the board as proposed to be constituted would have more than one-third of its members from management;

 

  (ii) the board does not have audit, nominating, and compensation committees composed solely of directors who qualify as being regarded as “independent,” i.e. having no material relationship, directly or indirectly, with the Company, as CMA’s proxy voting agent may determine (subject to the Proxy Committee’s contrary determination of independence or non-independence);

 

  (iii) the nominee, as a member of the audit committee, permitted the company to incur excessive non-audit fees (as defined below regarding other business matters — ratification of the appointment of auditors);

 

  (iv) a director serves on more than six public company boards;

 

  (v) the CEO serves on more than two public company boards other than the company’s board.

On a CASE-BY-CASE basis, CMA may WITHHOLD votes for a director nominee who has failed to observe good corporate governance practices or, through specific corporate action or inaction (e.g. failing to implement policies for which a majority of shareholders has previously cast votes in favor), has demonstrated a disregard for the interests of shareholders.

 

   

Proposals requesting that the board audit, compensation and/or nominating committee be composed solely of independent directors. The Audit Committee must satisfy the independence and experience requirements established by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the New York Stock Exchange, or appropriate local requirements for foreign securities. At least one member of the Audit Committee must qualify as a “financial expert” in accordance with SEC rules.

 

   

Proposals to declassify a board, absent special circumstances that would indicate that shareholder interests are better served by a classified board structure.

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Proposals to create or eliminate positions or titles for senior management. CMA generally prefers that the role of Chairman of the Board and CEO be held by different persons unless there are compelling reasons to vote AGAINST a proposal to separate these positions, such as the existence of a counter-balancing governance structure that includes at least the following elements in addition to applicable listing standards:

 

   

Established governance standards and guidelines.

 

   

Full board composed of not less than two-thirds “independent” directors, as defined by applicable regulatory and listing standards.

 

   

Compensation, as well as audit and nominating (or corporate governance) committees composed entirely of independent directors.

 

   

A designated or rotating presiding independent director appointed by and from the independent directors with the authority and responsibility to call and preside at regularly and, as necessary, specially scheduled meetings of the independent directors to be conducted, unless the participating independent directors otherwise wish, in executive session with no members of management present.

 

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Disclosed processes for communicating with any individual director, the presiding independent director (or, alternatively, all of the independent directors, as a group) and the entire board of directors, as a group.

 

   

The pertinent class of the Company’s voting securities has out-performed, on a three-year basis, both an appropriate peer group and benchmark index, as indicated in the performance summary table of the Company’s proxy materials. This requirement shall not apply if there has been a change in the Chairman/CEO position within the three-year period.

 

   

Proposals that grant or restore shareholder ability to remove directors with or without cause.

 

   

Proposals to permit shareholders to elect directors to fill board vacancies.

 

   

Proposals that encourage directors to own a minimum amount of company stock.

 

   

Proposals to provide or to restore shareholder appraisal rights.

 

   

Proposals to adopt cumulative voting.

 

   

Proposals for the company to adopt confidential voting.

CMA will generally vote FOR shareholder proposals calling for majority voting thresholds for director elections unless the company has adopted formal corporate governance principles that present a meaningful alternative to the majority voting standard and/or provides an adequate response to both new nominees as well as incumbent nominees who fail to receive a majority of votes cast.

CMA generally will vote AGAINST:

 

   

Proposals to classify boards, absent special circumstances indicating that shareholder interests would be better served by a classified board structure.

 

   

Proposals that give management the ability to alter the size of the board without shareholder approval.

 

   

Proposals that provide directors may be removed only by supermajority vote.

 

   

Proposals to eliminate cumulative voting.

 

   

Proposals which allow more than one vote per share in the election of directors.

 

   

Proposals that provide that only continuing directors may elect replacements to fill board vacancies.

 

   

Proposals that mandate a minimum amount of company stock that directors must own.

 

   

Proposals to limit the tenure of non-management directors.

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis in contested elections of directors.

CMA generally will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis on board approved proposals relating to corporate governance. Such proposals include, but are not limited to:

 

   

Reimbursement of proxy solicitation expenses taking into consideration whether or not CMA was in favor of the dissidents.

 

   

Proxy contest advance notice. CMA generally will vote FOR proposals that allow shareholders to submit proposals as close to the meeting date as possible while allowing for sufficient time for Company response, SEC review, and analysis by other shareholders.

 

   

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis to indemnify directors and officers, and AGAINST proposals to indemnify external auditors.

 

   

CMA will vote FOR the indemnification of internal auditors, unless the costs associated with the approval are not disclosed.

2. Compensation

CMA generally will vote FOR management sponsored compensation plans (such as bonus plans, incentive plans, stock option plans, pension and retirement benefits, stock purchase plans or thrift plans) if they are consistent with industry and country standards. However, CMA generally is opposed to compensation plans that substantially dilute ownership interest in a company, provide participants with excessive awards, or have objectionable structural features. Specifically, for equity-based plans, if the proposed number of shares authorized for option programs (excluding authorized shares for expired options) exceeds an average of 5% of the currently outstanding shares over the previous three years or an average of 3% over the previous three years for directors only, the proposal should be referred to the Proxy Committee. The Committee will then consider the circumstances surrounding the issue and

 

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vote in the best interest of CMA’s clients. CMA requires that management provide substantial justification for the repricing of options.

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Proposals requiring that executive severance arrangements be submitted for shareholder ratification.

 

   

Proposals asking a company to expense stock options.

 

   

Proposals to put option repricings to a shareholder vote.

 

   

Employee stock purchase plans that have the following features: (i) the shares purchased under the plan are acquired for no less than 85% of their market value, (ii) the offering period under the plan is 27 months or less, and (iii) dilution is 10% or less.

 

   

Proposals for the remuneration of auditors if no more than 25% of the compensation costs comes from non audit activity.

CMA generally will vote AGAINST:

 

   

Stock option plans that permit issuance of options with an exercise price below the stock’s current market price, or that permit replacing or repricing of out-of-the money options.

 

   

Proposals to authorize the replacement or repricing of out-of-the money options.

 

   

Proposals requesting that plan administrators have advance authority to amend the terms of a plan without detailed disclosure of the specific amendments. When sufficient details are provided on the amendments permitted by the advance authority, CMA will recommend on such proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals regarding approval of specific executive severance arrangements.

3. Capitalization

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Proposals to increase the authorized shares for stock dividends, stock splits (and reverse stock splits) or general issuance, unless proposed as an anti-takeover measure or a general issuance proposal increases the authorization by more than 30% without a clear need presented by the company. Proposals for reverse stock splits should include an overall reduction in authorization.

For companies recognizing preemptive rights for existing shareholders, CMA generally will vote FOR general issuance proposals that increase the authorized shares by more than 30%. CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis all such proposals by companies that do not recognize preemptive rights for existing shareholders.

 

   

Proposals for the elimination of authorized but unissued shares or retirement of those shares purchased for sinking fund or treasury stock.

 

   

Proposals to institute/renew open market share repurchase plans in which all shareholders may participate on equal terms.

 

   

Proposals to reduce or change the par value of common stock, provided the number of shares is also changed in order to keep the capital unchanged.

CMA will evaluate on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals regarding:

 

   

Management proposals that allow listed companies to de-list and terminate the registration of their common stock. CMA will determine whether the transaction enhances shareholder value by giving consideration to:

 

   

Whether the company has attained benefits from being publicly traded.

 

   

Cash-out value

 

   

Balanced interests of continuing vs. cashed-out shareholders

 

   

Market reaction to public announcement of transaction

4. Mergers, Restructurings and Other Transactions

CMA will review, on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, business transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, liquidations, spinoffs, buyouts and sale of all or substantially all of a company’s assets.

 

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5. Anti-Takeover Measures

CMA generally will vote AGAINST proposals intended largely to avoid acquisition prior to the occurrence of an actual event or to discourage acquisition by creating a cost constraint. With respect to the following measures, CMA generally will vote as follows:

Poison Pills

 

   

CMA votes FOR shareholder proposals that ask a company to submit its poison pill for shareholder ratification.

 

   

CMA generally votes FOR shareholder proposals to eliminate a poison pill.

 

   

CMA generally votes AGAINST management proposals to ratify a poison pill.

Greenmail

 

   

CMA will vote FOR proposals to adopt anti-greenmail charter or bylaw amendments or to otherwise restrict a company’s ability to make greenmail payments.

Supermajority vote

 

   

CMA will vote AGAINST board-approved proposals to adopt anti-takeover measures such as supermajority voting provisions, issuance of blank check preferred stock, the creation of a separate class of stock with disparate voting rights and charter amendments adopting control share acquisition provisions.

Control Share Acquisition Provisions

 

   

CMA will vote FOR proposals to opt out of control share acquisition statutes.

6. Other Business Matters

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Bylaw amendments giving holders of at least 25% of outstanding common stock the ability to call a special meeting of stockholders.

 

   

Board governance document amendments or other proposals which give the lead independent director the authority to call special meetings of the independent directors at any time.

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Proposals to approve routine business matters such as changing the company’s name and procedural matters relating to the shareholder meeting such as approving the minutes of a prior meeting.

 

   

Proposals to ratify the appointment of auditors, unless any of the following apply in which case CMA will generally vote AGAINST the proposal:

 

   

Credible reason exists to question:

 

   

The auditor’s independence, as determined by applicable regulatory requirements.

 

   

The accuracy or reliability of the auditor’s opinion as to the company’s financial position.

 

   

Fees paid to the auditor or its affiliates for “non-audit” services were excessive, i.e., in excess of the total fees paid for “audit,” “audit-related” and “tax compliance” and/or “tax return preparation” services, as disclosed in the company’s proxy materials.

 

   

Bylaw or charter changes that are of a housekeeping nature (e.g., updates or corrections).

 

   

Proposals to approve the annual reports and accounts provided the certifications required by the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 have been provided.

CMA generally will vote AGAINST:

 

   

Proposals to eliminate the right of shareholders to act by written consent or call special meetings.

 

   

Proposals providing management with authority to adjourn an annual or special shareholder meeting absent compelling reasons, or to adopt, amend or repeal bylaws without shareholder approval, or to vote unmarked proxies in favor of management.

 

   

Shareholder proposals to change the date, time or location of the company’s annual meeting of shareholders.

 

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CMA will vote AGAINST:

 

   

Authorization to transact other unidentified substantive (as opposed to procedural) business at a meeting.

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis:

 

   

Proposals to change the location of the company’s state of incorporation. CMA considers whether financial benefits (e.g., reduced fees or taxes) likely to accrue to the company as a result of a reincorporation or other change of domicile outweigh any accompanying material diminution of shareholder rights.

 

   

Proposals on whether and how to vote on “bundled” or otherwise conditioned proposals, depending on the overall economic effects upon shareholders.

CMA generally will ABSTAIN from voting on shareholder proposals predominantly involving social, socio-economic, environmental, political or other similar matters on the basis that their impact on share value can rarely be anticipated with any high degree of confidence. CMA may, on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, vote:

 

   

FOR proposals seeking inquiry and reporting with respect to, rather than cessation or affirmative implementation of, specific policies where the pertinent issue warrants separate communication to shareholders; and

 

   

FOR or AGAINST the latter sort of proposal in light of the relative benefits and detriments (e.g. distraction, costs, other burdens) to share value which may be expected to flow from passage of the proposal.

7. Other Matters Relating to Foreign Issues

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Most stock (scrip) dividend proposals. CMA votes AGAINST proposals that do not allow for a cash option unless management demonstrates that the cash option is harmful to shareholder value.

 

   

Proposals to capitalize the company’s reserves for bonus issues of shares or to increase the par value of shares.

 

   

Proposals to approve control and profit transfer agreements between a parent and its subsidiaries.

 

   

Management proposals seeking the discharge of management and supervisory board members, unless there is concern about the past actions of the company’s auditors/directors and/or legal action is being taken against the board by other shareholders.

 

   

Management proposals concerning allocation of income and the distribution of dividends, unless the proxy vendor would vote against such proposal in accordance with its guidelines, in which case CMA will evaluate the proposal on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

 

   

Proposals for the adoption of financing plans if they are in the best economic interests of shareholders.

CMA will generally vote FOR proposals to approve Directors’ Fees, unless the proxy vendor would vote against such proposal in accordance with its guidelines, in which case CMA will evaluate the proposal on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

CMA will evaluate management proposals to approve protective preference shares for Netherlands located company-friendly foundations proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis and will only support resolutions if:

 

   

The supervisory board needs to approve an issuance of shares while the supervisory board is independent within the meaning of CMA’ categorization rules and the Dutch Corporate Governance Code.

 

   

No call/put option agreement exists between the company and the foundation.

 

   

There is a qualifying offer clause or there are annual management and supervisory board elections.

 

   

The issuance authority is for a maximum of 18 months.

 

   

The board of the company-friendly foundation is independent.

 

   

The company has disclosed under what circumstances it expects to make use of the possibility to issue preference shares.

 

   

There are no priority shares or other egregious protective or entrenchment tools.

 

   

The company releases its proxy circular, with details of the poison pill proposal, at least three weeks prior to the meeting.

 

   

Art 2:359c Civil Code of the legislative proposal has been implemented.

 

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8. Investment Company Matters

Election of Directors:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals for the election of directors, considering the following factors:

 

   

Board structure

 

   

Attendance at board and committee meetings.

CMA will WITHHOLD votes from directors who:

 

   

Attend less than 75 percent of the board and committee meetings without a valid excuse for the absences. Valid reasons include illness or absence due to company business. Participation via telephone is acceptable. In addition, if the director missed only one meeting or one day’s meetings, votes should not be withheld even if such absence dropped the director’s attendance below 75 percent.

 

   

Ignore a shareholder proposal that is approved by a majority of shares outstanding;

 

   

Ignore a shareholder proposal this is approved by a majority of the votes cast for two consecutive years;

 

   

Are interested directors and sit on the audit or nominating committee; or

 

   

Are interested directors and the full board serves as the audit or nominating committee or the company does not have one of these committees.

Proxy Contests:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals for proxy contests, considering the following factors:

 

   

Past performance relative to its peers

 

   

Market in which fund invests

 

   

Measures taken by the board to address the pertinent issues (e.g., closed-end fund share market value discount to NAV)

 

   

Past shareholder activism, board activity and votes on related proposals

 

   

Strategy of the incumbents versus the dissidents

 

   

Independence of incumbent directors; director nominees

 

   

Experience and skills of director nominees

 

   

Governance profile of the company

 

   

Evidence of management entrenchment

Converting Closed-end Fund to Open-end Fund:

CMA will vote conversion proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering the following factors:

 

   

Past performance as a closed-end fund

 

   

Market in which the fund invests

 

   

Measures taken by the board to address the discount

 

   

Past shareholder activism, board activity, and votes on related proposals.

Investment Advisory Agreements:

CMA will vote investment advisory agreements on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering the following factors:

 

   

Proposed and current fee schedules

 

   

Fund category/investment objective

 

   

Performance benchmarks

 

   

Share price performance as compared with peers

 

   

Resulting fees relative to peers

 

   

Assignments (where the adviser undergoes a change of control)

 

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Approving New Classes or Series of Shares:

CMA will vote FOR the establishment of new classes or series of shares.

Preferred Stock Proposals:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals for the authorization for or increase in the preferred shares, considering the following factors:

 

   

Stated specific financing purpose

 

   

Possible dilution for common shares

 

   

Whether the shares can be used for antitakeover purposes

Policies Addressed by the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”):

CMA will vote proposals regarding adoption or changes of policies addressed by the 1940 Act on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering the following factors:

 

   

Potential competitiveness

 

   

Regulatory developments

 

   

Current and potential returns

 

   

Current and potential risk

CMA generally will vote FOR these amendments as long as the proposed changes do not fundamentally alter the investment focus of the fund and do comply with current SEC interpretations.

Changing a Fundamental Restriction to a Non-fundamental Restriction:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to change a fundamental restriction to a non-fundamental restriction, considering the following factors:

 

   

Fund’s target investments

 

   

Reasons given by the fund for the change

 

   

Projected impact of the change on the portfolio

Change Fundamental Investment Objective to Non-fundamental:

CMA will vote AGAINST proposals to change a fund’s investment objective from fundamental to non-fundamental unless management acknowledges meaningful limitations upon its future requested ability to change the objective

Name Change Proposals:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to change a fund’s name, considering the following factors:

 

   

Political/economic changes in the target market

 

   

Consolidation in the target market

 

   

Current asset composition

Change in Fund’s Subclassification:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to change a fund’s subclassification, considering the following factors:

 

   

Potential competitiveness

 

   

Current and potential returns

 

   

Risk of concentration

 

   

Consolidation in target industry

Disposition of Assets/Termination/Liquidation:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis these proposals, considering the following factors:

 

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Strategies employed to salvage the company

 

   

Past performance of the fund

 

   

Terms of the liquidation

Changes to the Charter Document:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to change the charter document, considering the following factors:

 

   

The degree of change implied by the proposal

 

   

The efficiencies that could result

 

   

The state of incorporation; net effect on shareholder rights

 

   

Regulatory standards and implications

CMA will vote FOR:

 

   

Proposals allowing the Board to impose, without shareholder approval, fees payable upon redemption of fund shares, provided imposition of such fees is likely to benefit long-term fund investors (e.g., by deterring market timing activity by other fund investors)

 

   

Proposals enabling the Board to amend, without shareholder approval, the fund’s management agreement(s) with its investment adviser(s) or sub-advisers, provided the amendment is not required by applicable law (including the Investment Company Act of 1940) or interpretations thereunder to require such approval

CMA will vote AGAINST:

 

   

Proposals enabling the Board to:

 

   

Change, without shareholder approval the domicile of the fund

 

   

Adopt, without shareholder approval, material amendments of the fund’s declaration of trust or other organizational document

Changing the Domicile of a Fund:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to reincorporate, considering the following factors:

 

   

Regulations of both states

 

   

Required fundamental policies of both states

 

   

The increased flexibility available

Authorizing the Board to Hire and Terminate Subadvisors Without Shareholder Approval:

CMA will vote FOR proposals to enable the Board or Investment Adviser to hire and terminate sub-advisers, without shareholder approval, in accordance with applicable rules or exemptive orders under the Investment Company Act of 1940

Distribution Agreements:

CMA will vote these proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering the following factors:

 

   

Fees charged to comparably sized funds with similar objectives

 

   

The proposed distributor’s reputation and past performance

 

   

The competitiveness of the fund in the industry

 

   

Terms of the agreement

Master-Feeder Structure:

CMA will vote FOR the establishment of a master-feeder structure.

 

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Mergers:

CMA will vote merger proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering the following factors:

 

   

Resulting fee structure

 

   

Performance of both funds

 

   

Continuity of management personnel

 

   

Changes in corporate governance and their impact on shareholder rights

Shareholder Proposals to Establish Director Ownership Requirement:

CMA will generally vote AGAINST shareholder proposals that mandate a specific minimum amount of stock that directors must own in order to qualify as a director or to remain on the board. While CMA favors stockownership on the part of directors, the company should determine the appropriate ownership requirement.

Shareholder Proposals to Reimburse Shareholder for Expenses Incurred:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to reimburse proxy solicitation expenses.

Shareholder Proposals to Terminate the Investment Adviser:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to terminate the investment adviser, considering the following factors:

 

   

Performance of the fund’s NAV

 

   

The fund’s history of shareholder relations

 

   

The performance of other funds under the adviser’s management

 

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APPENDIX B

Conflicts of Interest Disclosure and Certification Form

Conflict Review Questionnaire for Proxy Voting Working Group Members and Other Individuals Participating in the Proxy Voting Decision-Making Process.

Instructions: Please complete each of the questions. Please provide an explanation for any affirmative responses. Return the completed questionnaire to Columbia Management Conflicts of Interest Officer.

 

 

Issuer and Proxy Matter:  

 

 

 

  1. Do you or any member of your immediate family have an existing (or potential) business, financial, personal or other relationship with any management personnel of the issuer1?

 

 

 

 

  2. Do you or any member of your immediate family have an existing (or potential) business, financial, personal or other relationship with any person participating, supporting, opposing or otherwise connected with the particular proxy proposal (e.g., principals of the issuer; director nominees of issuer company; shareholder activists)?

 

 

 

 

  3. Have you discussed this particular proxy proposal with anyone outside of Columbia Management’s investment group2?

 

 

 

 

  4. Are you aware of any other potential personal conflicts of interest not described above? Please detail below.

 

 

 

 

Name:  

 

Signed:  

 

Date:  

 

 

1 Personal investing in the issuer by you or a member of your immediate family does not require an affirmative response to this item.
2 Communications with issuer or solicitors in the regular course of business would not have to be disclosed on this form.

 

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APPENDIX C

CMA Proxy Vote Recommendation/Proxy Committee Request Form

 

Name of Investment Associate:  

 

 

 

Company Name:  

 

 

 

Overview of Proxy Vote and Meeting Date:  

 

 

 

 

 

Proxy Agenda Item(s)

 

Description of Item:  

 

 

 

 

 

(The above information will be pre-populated by the Proxy Department.)

 

Recommendation (FOR, AGAINST, ABSTAIN) including brief rationale:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please attach any supporting information other than analysis or reports provided by the Proxy Department.

 

 

Signed

By signing, I am certifying that I either have no conflicts of interest-related information to report or have sent a completed “Conflicts of Interest Disclosure and Certification Form” to Compliance Risk Management (Conflicts Officer).

 

 

Send Completed Forms to:

GWIM Investment Operations – Proxy Department

or

In the case of Proxy Votes to be referred to the Proxy Committee, submit this form and materials to the Chair of the Proxy Committee

 

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Columbia Management®

 

   COLUMBIA FUNDS SERIES TRUST
   Class A, Class B, Class C, Class R and Class Z Shares
   STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
  

August 1, 2009

  

Columbia LifeGoal® Portfolios

  

Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

  

Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

  

Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

  

Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a prospectus, is not a substitute for reading any prospectus and is intended to be read in conjunction with the Portfolios’ prospectuses dated August 1, 2009. The most recent annual report for the Portfolios, which include the Portfolios’ audited financial statements dated March 31, 2009, is incorporated by reference into this SAI.

Copies of any Portfolio’s current prospectuses and annual and semi-annual reports may be obtained without charge by writing Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081, by calling Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 or by visiting the Columbia Funds’ website at www.columbiafunds.com.

INT-39/18115-0809


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         Page

SAI PRIMER

   3

ABOUT THE TRUST

   7

ABOUT THE PORTFOLIOS’ INVESTMENTS

   8

Certain Investment Activity Limits

   8

Fundamental and Non-Fundamental Investment Policies

   8

Exemptive Orders

   9

Permissible Investments and Related Risks

   10

Borrowings

   35

Short Sales

   36

Lending Securities

   37

Portfolio Turnover

   37

Disclosure of Portfolio Information

   37

INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND OTHER SERVICES

   42

The Advisor and Investment Advisory Services

   42

The Administrator

   46

Pricing and Bookkeeping Services

   47

The Principal Underwriter/Distributor

   48

LOGO

 

Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest

   49
 

Other Services Provided

   53

Distribution and Servicing Plans

   53

Expense Limitations

   55

Codes of Ethics

   55

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

   55

Expenses Paid by Third Parties

   56

FUND GOVERNANCE

   57

The Board

   57

The Officers

   62

BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES

   64

General Brokerage Policy, Brokerage Transactions and Broker Selection

   64

Brokerage Commissions

   66

Directed Brokerage

   66

Securities of Regular Broker/Dealers

   66

Additional Shareholder Servicing Payments

   66

Additional Financial Intermediary Payments

   68

CAPITAL STOCK AND OTHER SECURITIES

   71

Description of the Trust’s Shares

   71

PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND PRICING OF SHARES

   73

Purchase and Redemption

   73

Offering Price

   75

TAXATION

   77

CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

   91

APPENDIX A — DESCRIPTIONS OF SECURITIES RATINGS

   A-1

APPENDIX B — PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

   B-1

 

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SAI PRIMER

The SAI is a part of the Portfolios’ registration statement that is filed with the SEC. The registration statement includes the Portfolios’ prospectuses, the SAI and certain exhibits. The SAI, and any supplements to it, can be found online at www.columbiafunds.com, or by accessing the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

The SAI generally provides additional information about the Portfolios that is not required to be in the Portfolios’ prospectuses. The SAI expands discussions of certain matters described in the Portfolios’ prospectuses and provides certain additional information about the Portfolios that may be of interest to some investors. Among other things, the SAI provides information about:

 

   

the organization of the Trust;

 

   

the Portfolios’ investments;

 

   

the Portfolios’ investment advisor, investment sub-advisor(s) (if any) and other service providers, including roles and relationships of Bank of America and its affiliates, and conflicts of interest;

 

   

the governance of the Portfolios;

 

   

the Portfolios’ brokerage practices;

 

   

the share classes offered by the Portfolios;

 

   

the purchase, redemption and pricing of Portfolio shares; and

 

   

the application of U.S. federal income tax laws.

Investors may find this information important and helpful. If you have any questions about the Portfolios, please call Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor.

Before reading the SAI, you should consult the Glossary below, which defines certain of the terms used in the SAI.

 

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Glossary   
1933 Act    Securities Act of 1933, as amended
1934 Act    Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
1940 Act    Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
Administration Agreement    The administration agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Portfolios, and the Administrator
Administrator    Columbia Management Advisors, LLC
Advisor    Columbia Management Advisors, LLC
AMEX    American Stock Exchange
BAI    Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.
BANA    Bank of America, National Association
BAS    Banc of America Securities LLC
Bank of America    Bank of America Corporation
BFDS/DST    Boston Financial Data Services, Inc./DST Systems, Inc.
Board    The Trust’s Board of Trustees
CMOs    Collateralized mortgage obligations
Code    Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
Codes of Ethics    The codes of ethics adopted by the Board pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act
Columbia Funds Complex    The mutual fund complex that is comprised of the open-end investment management companies advised by the Advisor or its affiliates and principally underwritten by Columbia Management Distributors, Inc., as that term is defined under Item 17 of Form N-1A

Columbia Funds or

Columbia Funds Family

   The fund complex that is comprised of the open-end investment management companies advised by the Advisor or its affiliates and principally underwritten by Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.
Custodian or State Street    State Street Bank and Trust Company
Distributor    Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.
Distribution Agreement    The distribution agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Portfolios, and the Distributor
Distribution Plan(s)    One or more of the plans adopted by the Board pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act for the distribution of the Portfolios’ shares
FHLMC    Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation
Fitch    Fitch Investors Service, Inc.
FNMA    Federal National Mortgage Association
Fund(s) of Funds    One or more of the “funds of funds” in the Columbia Funds Family, including the Portfolios, that invests its assets in a mix of Underlying Funds

 

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GNMA    Government National Mortgage Association
Independent Trustees    The Trustees of the Board who are not “interested persons” of the Portfolios as defined in the 1940 Act
Interested Trustee    The Trustee of the Board who is an “interested person” of the Portfolios as defined in the 1940 Act
Investment Advisory Agreement    The investment advisory agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Portfolios, and the Advisor
IRS    United States Internal Revenue Service
LIBOR    London Interbank Offered Rate
LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio    Columbia LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio
LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio    Columbia LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio
LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio    Columbia LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio
LifeGoal® Income Portfolio    Columbia LifeGoal® Income Portfolio
Merrill Lynch    Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.
MLPF&S    Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated
Money Market Fund(s)    One or more of the money market funds in the Columbia Funds Family
Moody’s    Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
NASDAQ    National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations system
NRSRO    Nationally recognized statistical ratings organization (such as Moody’s, Fitch or S&P)
NSCC    National Securities Clearing Corporation
NYSE    New York Stock Exchange
The Portfolio(s) or a Portfolio    One or more of the open-end management investment companies listed on the front cover of this SAI that are series of the Trust
Principal Underwriter    Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.
REIT    Real estate investment trust
REMIC    Real estate mortgage investment conduit

 

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Glossary   
RIC    A “regulated investment company,” as such term is used in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
S&P    Standard & Poor’s Corporation (“Standard & Poor’s” and “S&P” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by the Advisor. The Columbia Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s and Standard & Poor’s makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Columbia Funds).
SAI    This Statement of Additional Information
SEC    United States Securities and Exchange Commission
Selling Agent(s)    One or more of the banks, broker/dealers or other financial institutions that have entered into a sales support agreement with the Distributor
Servicing Agent(s)    One or more of the banks, broker/dealers or other financial institutions that have entered into a shareholder servicing agreement with the Distributor
Transfer Agency Agreement    The transfer agency agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Portfolios, and Columbia Management Services, Inc.
Transfer Agent    Columbia Management Services, Inc.
The Trust or CFST    Columbia Funds Series Trust, the registered investment company in the Columbia Funds Family to which this SAI relates
Trustee(s)    One or more of the Board’s Trustees
Underlying Fund(s)    One or more of the underlying mutual funds in which a “funds of funds” in the Columbia Funds Family, including a Portfolio that is the subject of this SAI, invests all or a portion of its assets

 

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ABOUT THE TRUST

The Trust is a registered investment company under the 1940 Act within the Columbia Funds Family. Columbia Funds offers over 100 mutual funds in major asset classes, and the Advisor had approximate assets under management of $310.5 billion as of June 30, 2009.

The Trust was organized as a Delaware business trust, a form of entity now known as a statutory trust, on October 22, 1999. On September 26, 2005, the Trust changed its name from Nations Funds Trust to Columbia Funds Series Trust.

On September 26, 2005, the names of the Portfolios were changed as follows: Nations LifeGoal Growth Portfolio to Columbia LifeGoal Growth Portfolio, Nations LifeGoal Balanced Growth Portfolio to Columbia LifeGoal Balanced Growth Portfolio, Nations LifeGoal Income and Growth Portfolio to Columbia LifeGoal Income and Growth Portfolio and Nations LifeGoal Income Portfolio to Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio.

Each of the Portfolios represents a separate series of the Trust and is an open-end diversified management investment company. Each of the Portfolios has a fiscal year end of March 31st.

Each of the Portfolios is a “fund of funds” that invests its assets in a mix of Underlying Funds using an asset allocation approach.

 

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ABOUT THE PORTFOLIOS’ INVESTMENTS

The investment objective, principal investment strategies (i.e., as used in this SAI and the corresponding prospectuses, a strategy which generally involves the ability to invest 10% or more of a Portfolio’s total assets) and related principal investment risks for each Portfolio are discussed in each Portfolio’s prospectuses.

Certain Investment Activity Limits

The overall investment and other activities of the Advisor and its affiliates may limit the investment opportunities for each Portfolio in certain markets where limitations are imposed by regulators upon the amount of investment by affiliated investors, in the aggregate or in individual issuers. From time to time, each Portfolio’s activities also may be restricted because of regulatory restrictions applicable to the Advisor and its affiliates and/or because of their internal policies. See Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest.

Fundamental and Non-Fundamental Investment Policies

The following discussion of “fundamental” and “non-fundamental” investment policies and limitations for each Portfolio supplements the discussion of investment policies in the Portfolios’ prospectuses. A fundamental policy may be changed only with Board and shareholder approval. A non-fundamental policy may be changed by the Board and does not require shareholder approval, but may require notice to shareholders in certain instances.

Unless otherwise noted, whenever an investment policy or limitation states a maximum percentage of a Portfolio’s assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding an investment standard, compliance with such percentage limitation or standard will be determined solely at the time of the Portfolio’s acquisition of such security or asset. Borrowings and other instruments that may give rise to leverage and the restriction on investing in illiquid securities are monitored on an ongoing basis.

 

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Fundamental Investment Policies

The 1940 Act provides that a “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” of a Portfolio means the affirmative vote of the lesser of (1) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of a Portfolio, or (2) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting if more than 50% of the outstanding shares are represented at the meeting in person or by proxy. The following fundamental investment policies cannot be changed without such a vote.

Each Portfolio may not, as a matter of fundamental policy:

 

1. Underwrite any issue of securities within the meaning of the 1933 Act except when it might technically be deemed to be an underwriter either: (i) in connection with the disposition of a portfolio security; or (ii) in connection with the purchase of securities directly from the issuer thereof in accordance with its investment objective. This restriction shall not limit the Portfolio’s ability to invest in securities issued by other registered management investment companies;

 

2. Purchase or sell real estate, except each Portfolio may purchase securities of issuers which deal or invest in real estate and may purchase securities which are secured by real estate or interests in real estate;

 

3. Purchase or sell commodities, except that each Portfolio may, to the extent consistent with its investment objective, invest in securities of companies that purchase or sell commodities or which invest in such programs, and purchase and sell options, forward contracts, futures contracts, and options on futures contracts. This limitation does not apply to foreign currency transactions, including, without limitation, forward currency contracts;

 

4. Purchase any securities which would cause 25% or more of the value of its total assets at the time of purchase to be invested in the securities of one or more issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry, provided that: (i) there is no limitation with respect to obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, any state or territory of the United States, or any of their agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions; and (ii) notwithstanding this limitation or any other fundamental investment limitation, assets may be invested in the securities of one or more management investment companies to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief obtained by the Portfolios;

 

5. Make loans, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief obtained by the Portfolios;

 

6. Borrow money or issue senior securities except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief obtained by the Portfolios; and

 

7. Purchase securities (except securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities) of any one issuer if, as a result, more than 5% of its total assets will be invested in the securities of such issuer or it would own more than 10% of the voting securities of such issuer, except that: (i) up to 25% of its total assets may be invested without regard to these limitations; and (ii) a Portfolio’s assets may be invested in the securities of one or more management investment companies to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief obtained by the Portfolios.

Non-Fundamental Investment Policies

 

1. The Portfolios may not purchase securities of other investment companies except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief. If shares of a Portfolio are purchased by another fund in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act, for so long as shares of the Portfolio are held by such fund, the Portfolio will not purchase securities of a registered open-end investment company or registered unit investment trust in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act.

 

2. Each Portfolio may not invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities.

 

3. The Portfolios may not sell securities short, except as permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.

Exemptive Orders

In addition to the policies outlined above, the Columbia Funds Family has received the following exemptive orders from the SEC which enable the Funds to participate in certain transactions beyond the investment limitations described above or described in otherwise applicable restrictions:

 

1. Pursuant to an exemptive order dated October 5, 1993, all current and future Funds advised by the Advisor may, subject to certain conditions, pool their uninvested cash balances in one or more joint accounts and use the daily balance of such accounts to enter into repurchase agreements, including the condition that such agreements have a maturity of not more than seven days.

 

2. Pursuant to an exemptive order dated September 5, 2003, each Portfolio may, subject to certain conditions, borrow money from other Funds in the Columbia Funds Family for temporary emergency purposes in order to facilitate redemption requests, or for other purposes consistent with Portfolio investment policies and restrictions. All loans are set at an interest rate between the rates charged on overnight repurchase agreements and short-term bank loans.

 

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Permissible Investments and Related Risks

Each Portfolio’s prospectuses identify and summarize the individual types of securities in which the Portfolio invests as part of its principal investment strategies and the principal risks associated with such investments. In this section, the term “Portfolio” refers to a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund except where otherwise indicated.

The 1940 Act normally prohibits mutual funds from investing in other mutual funds beyond certain limits. Because each Portfolio is a Fund of Funds, it takes advantage of a rule under the 1940 Act that allows it to exceed those limits subject to certain conditions. Accordingly, each Portfolio may: (i) own more than 3% of the total outstanding stock of an Underlying Fund; (ii) invest more than 5% of its total assets in any one such Underlying Fund; and (iii) invest more than 10% of its total assets, collectively, in Underlying Fund shares. See About the Portfolios’ Investments – Permissible Portfolio Investments – Investment in Other Investment Companies for more information.

The table below identifies for each Portfolio, or each Underlying Fund, certain types of securities in which it is permitted to invest, including certain types of securities that are described in each Portfolio’s prospectuses. A Portfolio generally has the ability to invest 10% or more of its total assets in each type of security described in its prospectuses (and in each sub-category of such security type described in this SAI). To the extent that a type of security identified below for a Portfolio is not described in a Portfolio’s prospectuses (or as a sub-category of such security type in this SAI), the Portfolio generally invests less than 10% of the Portfolio’s total assets in such security type.

Information about individual types of securities (including certain of their associated risks) in which some or all of the Portfolios or Underlying Funds may invest is set forth below. Each Portfolio’s investment in these types of securities is subject to its investment objective and fundamental and non-fundamental investment policies.

Temporary Defensive Positions. Each Portfolio may temporarily invest in money market instruments or hold cash. It may do so without limit, when the Advisor or a Portfolio’s sub-advisor, if applicable: (i) believes that the market conditions are not favorable for profitable investing; (ii) is unable to locate favorable investment opportunities; or (iii) determines that a temporary defensive position is advisable or necessary in order to meet anticipated redemption requests, or for other reasons. While a Portfolio engages in such strategies, it may not achieve its investment objective.

See also About the Portfolios’ Investments – Permissible Investments and Related Risks – Money Market Instruments.

Permissible Portfolio Investments

 

Investment Type

   LifeGoal®
Growth Portfolio
   LifeGoal®
Balanced
Growth
Portfolio
   LifeGoal®
Income and
Growth Portfolio
   LifeGoal®
Income
Portfolio

Asset-Backed Securities

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Bank Obligations (Domestic and Foreign)

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Common Stock

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Convertible Securities

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Corporate Debt Securities

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Custody Receipts and Trust Certificates

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Derivatives

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Index or Linked Securities (Structured Products)

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Stock Options and Stock Index Options

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Swap Agreements

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Dollar Rolls

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Foreign Currency Transactions

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Foreign Securities

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Guaranteed Investment Contracts (Funding Agreements)

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Illiquid Securities

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Initial Public Offerings

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Investing in a Master Portfolio

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Investments in Other Investment Companies

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Low and Below Investment Grade Securities

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Money Market Instruments

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Mortgage-Backed Securities

   ü    ü    ü    ü

 

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Permissible Portfolio Investments

 

Investment Type

   LifeGoal®
Growth Portfolio
   LifeGoal®
Balanced
Growth
Portfolio
   LifeGoal®
Income and
Growth Portfolio
   LifeGoal®
Income
Portfolio

Municipal Securities

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Participation Interests

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Preferred Stock

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Real Estate Investment Trusts and Master Limited Partnerships

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Repurchase Agreements

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Reverse Repurchase Agreements

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Standby Commitments

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Stripped Securities

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPs)

   ü    ü    ü    ü

U.S. Government and Related Obligations

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Warrants and Rights

   ü    ü    ü    ü

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities

   ü    ü    ü    ü

Asset-Backed Securities

Asset-backed securities represent interests in, or debt instruments that are backed by, pools of various types of assets that generate cash payments generally over fixed periods of time. Such securities entitle the security holders to receive distributions that are tied to the payments made on the underlying assets (less fees paid to the originator, servicer, or other parties, and fees paid for credit enhancement), so that the payments made on the underlying assets effectively pass through to such security holders. Asset-backed securities typically are created by an originator of loans or owner of accounts receivable that sells such underlying assets to a special purpose entity in a process called a securitization. The special purpose entity issues securities that are backed by the payments on the underlying assets, and have a minimum denomination and specific term. Asset-backed securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Portfolio Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Investing in asset-backed securities is subject to certain risks. For example, the value of asset-backed securities may be affected by, among other factors, changes in: interest rates, the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets, the creditworthiness of the servicer for the underlying assets, information concerning the originator of the underlying assets, or the creditworthiness or rating of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds, derivative instruments, or other credit enhancement. The value of asset-backed securities also will be affected by the exhaustion, termination or expiration of any credit enhancement.

Declining or low interest rates may lead to a more rapid rate of repayment on the underlying assets, resulting in accelerated payments on asset-backed securities that then would be reinvested at a lesser rate of interest. Rising or high interest rates tend to lead to a slower rate of repayment on the underlying assets, resulting in slower than expected payments on asset-backed securities that can, in turn, lead to a decline in value. The impact of changing interest rates on the value of asset-backed securities may be difficult to predict and result in greater volatility. Holders of asset- backed securities generally have no recourse against the originator of the underlying assets in the event of a default on the underlying assets. Credit risk reflects the risk that a holder of asset-backed securities, backed by pools of receivables such as mortgage loans, may not receive all or part of its principal because the issuer, any credit enhancer and/or an underlying obligor has defaulted on its obligations. Credit risk is increased for asset-backed securities that are subordinated to another security (i.e., if the holder of an asset-backed security is entitled to receive payments only after payment obligations to holders of the other security are satisfied). The more deeply subordinated the security, the greater the credit risk associated with the security will be.

Bank Obligations (Domestic and Foreign)

Bank obligations include certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, time deposits and promissory notes that earn a specified rate of return and may be issued by (i) a domestic branch of a domestic bank, (ii) a foreign branch of a domestic bank, (iii) a domestic branch of a foreign bank or (iv) a foreign branch of a foreign bank. Bank obligations may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations for more information.

 

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Certificates of deposit, or so-called CDs, typically are interest-bearing debt instruments issued by banks and have maturities ranging from a few weeks to several years. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on and accepted by banks, are a customary means of effecting payment for merchandise sold in import-export transactions and are a general source of financing. Yankee dollar certificates of deposit are negotiable CDs issued in the United States by branches and agencies of foreign banks. Eurodollar certificates of deposit are CDs issued by foreign (mainly European) banks with interest and principal paid in U.S. dollars. Such CDs typically have maturities of less than two years and have interest rates that typically are pegged to the London Interbank Offered Rate or LIBOR. A time deposit can be either a savings account or CD that is an obligation of a financial institution for a fixed term. Typically, there are penalties for early withdrawals of time deposits. Promissory notes are written commitments of the maker to pay the payee a specified sum of money either on demand or at a fixed or determinable future date, with or without interest.

Bank investment contracts are issued by banks. Pursuant to such contracts, a Portfolio may make cash contributions to a deposit fund of a bank. The bank then credits to the Portfolio payments at floating or fixed interest rates. A Portfolio also may hold funds on deposit with its custodian for temporary purposes.

Investing in bank obligations is subject to certain risks. Certain bank obligations, such as some CDs, are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) up to certain specified limits. Many other bank obligations, however, are neither guaranteed nor insured by the FDIC or the U.S. Government. These bank obligations are “backed” only by the creditworthiness of the issuing bank or parent financial institution. Domestic and foreign banks are subject to different governmental regulation. Accordingly, certain obligations of foreign banks, including Eurodollar and Yankee dollar obligations, involve different investment risks than those affecting obligations of domestic banks, including, among others, the possibilities that: (i) their liquidity could be impaired because of political or economic developments; (ii) the obligations may be less marketable than comparable obligations of domestic banks; (iii) a foreign jurisdiction might impose withholding and other taxes at high levels on interest income; (iv) foreign deposits may be seized or nationalized; (v) foreign governmental restrictions such as exchange controls may be imposed, which could adversely affect the payment of principal or interest on those obligations; (vi) there may be less publicly available information concerning foreign banks issuing the obligations; and (vii) the reserve requirements and accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements applicable to foreign banks may differ from those applicable to domestic banks. Foreign banks generally are not subject to examination by any U.S. Government agency or instrumentality.

Common Stock

Common stock represents a unit of equity ownership of a corporation. Owners typically are entitled to vote on the selection of directors and other important corporate governance matters, and to receive dividend payments, if any, on their holdings. However, ownership of common stock does not entitle owners to participate in the day-to-day operations of the corporation. Common stocks of domestic and foreign public corporations can be listed and traded on domestic stock exchanges, such as the NYSE, AMEX or the NASDAQ Stock Market. Domestic and foreign corporations also may have their shares traded on foreign exchanges, such as the London Stock Exchange or Tokyo Stock Exchange. Common stock may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Investing in common stocks is subject to certain risks. Stock market risk, for example, is the risk that the value of such stocks, like the broader stock markets, may decline over short or even extended periods of time, perhaps substantially or unexpectedly. Domestic and foreign stock markets tend to be cyclical, with periods when stock prices generally rise and periods when stock prices generally decline. The value of individual stocks will rise and fall based on factors specific to each company, such as changes in earnings or management, as well as general economic and market factors.

If a corporation is liquidated, the claims of secured and unsecured creditors and owners of debt securities and “preferred” stock take priority over the claims of those who own common stock.

Investing in common stocks also poses risks applicable to the particular type of company issuing the common stock. For example, stocks of smaller companies tend to have greater price swings than stocks of larger companies because, among other things, they trade less frequently and in lower volumes, are more susceptible to changes in economic conditions, may be more reliant on singular products or services and are more vulnerable to larger competitors. Common stocks of these types of companies may have a higher potential for gains, but also may be subject to greater risk of loss.

Investing in common stocks also poses risks applicable to a particular industry, such as technology, financial services, consumer goods or natural resources (e.g., oil and gas). To some extent, the prices of common stocks tend to move by industry sector. When market conditions favorably affect, or are expected to favorably affect, an industry, the share prices of the common stocks of companies in that industry tend to rise. Conversely, negative news or a poor outlook for a particular industry can cause the share prices of the common stocks of companies in that industry to decline quickly.

 

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Convertible Securities

Convertible securities include bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stocks or other securities that may be converted or exchanged (by the holder or by the issuer) into shares of the underlying common stock (or cash or securities of equivalent value) at a stated exchange ratio or predetermined price (the conversion price). As such, convertible securities combine the investment characteristics of debt securities and equity securities. A holder of convertible securities is entitled to receive the income of a bond, debenture or note or the dividend of a preferred stock until the conversion privilege is exercised. The market value of convertible securities generally is a function of, among other factors, interest rates, the rates of return of similar nonconvertible securities and the financial strength of the issuer. The market value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates rise and, conversely, to rise as interest rates decline. However, a convertible security’s market value tends to reflect the market price of the common stock of the issuing company when that stock price approaches or is greater than its conversion price. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the price of the convertible security tends to be influenced more by the rate of return of the convertible security. Because both interest rate and market movements can influence their value, convertible securities generally are not as sensitive to changes in interest rates as similar debt securities nor generally are they as sensitive to changes in share price as their underlying common stock. Convertible securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Portfolio Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Investing in convertible securities is subject to certain risks. Certain convertible securities, particularly securities that are convertible into securities of an issuer other than the issuer of the convertible security, may be illiquid and, therefore, may be more difficult to resell in a timely fashion or for a fair price, which could result in investment losses. Certain convertible securities may have a mandatory conversion feature, pursuant to which the securities convert automatically into common stock or other equity securities (of the same or a different issuer) at a specified date and a specified exchange ratio. Certain convertible securities may be convertible at the option of the issuer, which may require a holder to convert the security into the underlying common stock, even at times when the value of the underlying common stock or other equity security has declined substantially.

In addition, some convertible securities may be rated below investment grade or may not be rated and, therefore, may be considered speculative investments. Companies that issue convertible securities frequently are small- and mid-capitalization companies and, accordingly, carry the risks associated with such companies. In addition, the credit rating of a company’s convertible securities generally is lower than that of its conventional debt securities. Convertible securities are senior to equity securities and have a claim to the assets of an issuer prior to the holders of the issuer’s common stock in the event of liquidation but generally are subordinate to similar non-convertible debt securities of the same issuer. Some convertible securities are particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates when their predetermined conversion price is much higher than the price for the issuing company’s common stock.

Corporate Debt Securities

Corporate debt securities include fixed income securities issued by businesses to finance their operations. Notes, bonds, debentures and commercial paper are the most common types of corporate debt securities, with the primary difference being their interest rates, maturity dates and secured or unsecured status. Commercial paper has the shortest term and usually is unsecured. The broad category of corporate debt securities includes debt issued by domestic or foreign companies of all kinds, including those with small-, mid- and large-capitalizations. Corporate debt securities may be rated investment grade or below investment grade and may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Portfolio Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Extendible commercial notes (ECNs) are very similar to commercial paper except that with ECNs, the issuer has the option to extend the notes’ maturity. ECNs are issued at a discount rate, with an initial redemption of not more than 90 days from the date of issue. If ECNs are not redeemed by the issuer on the initial redemption date, the issuer will pay a premium (step-up) rate based on the ECN’s credit rating at the time.

Because of the wide range of types and maturities of corporate debt securities, as well as the range of creditworthiness of issuers, corporate debt securities can have widely varying risk/return profiles. For example, commercial paper issued by a large established domestic corporation that is rated by an NRSRO as investment grade may have a relatively modest return on principal but present relatively limited risk. On the other hand, a long-term corporate note issued, for example, by a small foreign corporation from an emerging market country that has not been rated by an NRSRO may have the potential for relatively large returns on principal but carries a relatively high degree of risk.

 

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Investing in corporate debt securities is subject to certain risks including, among others, credit and interest rate risk. Credit risk is the risk that a Portfolio could lose money if the issuer of a corporate debt security is unable to pay interest or repay principal when it becomes due. Some corporate debt securities that are rated below investment grade by an NRSRO generally are considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality debt securities. The credit risk of a particular issuer’s debt security may vary based on its priority for repayment. For example, higher ranking (senior) debt securities have a higher priority than and, therefore, may be paid in full before, lower ranking (subordinated) securities. In addition, in the event of bankruptcy, holders of higher-ranking senior securities may receive amounts otherwise payable to the holders of more junior securities. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of certain corporate debt securities will tend to fall when interest rates rise. In general, corporate debt securities with longer terms tend to fall more in value when interest rates rise than do corporate debt securities with shorter terms.

Custody Receipts and Trust Certificates

Custody receipts and trust certificates are derivative products that evidence direct ownership in a pool of securities. Typically, a sponsor will deposit a pool of securities with a custodian in exchange for custody receipts evidencing interests in those securities. The sponsor generally then will sell the custody receipts or trust certificates in negotiated transactions at varying prices. Each custody receipt or trust certificate evidences the individual securities in the pool and the holder of a custody receipt or trust certificate generally will have all the rights and privileges of owners of those securities.

Investing in custody receipts and trust certificates is subject to certain risks. Custody receipts and trust certificates generally are subject to the same risks as the securities evidenced by the receipts or certificates. Custody receipts and trust certificates also may be less liquid than the underlying securities.

Derivatives

General

Derivatives are financial instruments whose values are based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or a bond), assets (such as a commodity, like gold), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Some forms of derivatives, such as exchange-traded futures and options on securities, commodities, or indices, are traded on regulated exchanges. These types of derivatives are standardized contracts that can easily be bought and sold, and whose market values are determined and published daily. Non-standardized derivatives, on the other hand, tend to be more specialized or complex, and may be harder to value. Derivatives afford leverage and, when used properly, can enhance returns and be useful in hedging portfolios. Some common types of derivatives include futures; options; options on futures; forward foreign currency exchange contracts; forward contracts on securities and securities indices; linked securities and structured products; CMOs; stripped securities; warrants; swap agreements and swaptions.

A Portfolio may use derivatives for a variety of reasons, including, for example: (i) to enhance its return; (ii) to attempt to protect against possible changes in the market value of securities held in or to be purchased for its portfolio resulting from securities markets or currency exchange rate fluctuations (i.e., to hedge); (iii) to protect its unrealized gains reflected in the value of its portfolios securities; (iv) to facilitate the sale of such securities for investment purposes; (v) to reduce transaction costs; and/or (vi) to manage the effective maturity or duration of its portfolio.

A Portfolio’s use of derivatives presents risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in traditional securities. The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the underlying security, asset, index or reference rate, which may be magnified by certain features of the derivatives. These risks are heightened when a Portfolio uses derivatives to enhance its return or as a substitute for a position or security, rather than solely to hedge or offset the risk of a position or security held by a Portfolio. There is also a risk that the derivative will not correlate well with the security for which it is substituting. A Portfolio’s use of derivatives to leverage risk also may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing a Portfolio to lose more money than if it had invested in the underlying security, or limit a potential gain. The success of management’s derivative strategies will depend on its ability to assess and predict the impact of market or economic developments on the underlying security, asset, index or reference rate and the derivative itself, without necessarily the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions. Other risks arise from a Portfolio’s potential inability to terminate or sell its derivative positions as a liquid secondary market for such positions may not exist at times when a Portfolio may wish to terminate or sell them. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid. Derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. Also, with some derivative strategies there is the risk that a Portfolio may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to invest in derivatives altogether. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount and accelerate the timing of taxes payable by shareholders.

 

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A Portfolio may use any or all of the above investment techniques and may purchase different types of derivative instruments at any time and in any combination. There is no particular strategy that dictates the use of one technique over another, as the use of derivatives is a function of numerous variables, including market conditions.

Index or Linked Securities (Structured Products)

General. Indexed or linked securities, also often referred to as “structured products,” are instruments that may have varying combinations of equity and debt characteristics. These instruments are structured to recast the investment characteristics of the underlying security or reference asset. If the issuer is a unit investment trust or other special purpose vehicle, the structuring will typically involve the deposit with or purchase by such issuer of specified instruments (such as commercial bank loans or securities) and/or the execution of various derivative transactions, and the issuance by that entity of one or more classes of securities (structured securities) backed by, or representing interests in, the underlying instruments. The cash flow on the underlying instruments may be apportioned among the newly issued structured securities to create securities with different investment characteristics, such as varying maturities, payment priorities and interest rate provisions, and the extent of such payments made with respect to structured securities is dependent on the extent of the cash flow on the underlying instruments.

Indexed and Inverse Floating Rate Securities. A Portfolio may invest in securities that provide a potential return based on a particular index of value or interest rates. For example, a Portfolio may invest in securities that pay interest based on an index of interest rates. The principal amount payable upon maturity of certain securities also may be based on the value of the index. To the extent a Portfolio invests in these types of securities, a Portfolio’s return on such securities will rise and fall with the value of the particular index: that is, if the value of the index falls, the value of the indexed securities owned by a Portfolio will fall. Interest and principal payable on certain securities may also be based on relative changes among particular indices.

A Portfolio may also invest in so-called “inverse floaters” or “residual interest bonds” on which the interest rates vary inversely with a floating rate (which may be reset periodically by a dutch auction, a remarketing agent, or by reference to a short-term tax-exempt interest rate index). A Portfolio may purchase synthetically-created inverse floating rate bonds evidenced by custodial or trust receipts. Generally, income on inverse floating rate bonds will decrease when interest rates increase, and will increase when interest rates decrease. Such securities have the effect of providing a degree of investment leverage, since they may increase or decrease in value in response to changes, as an illustration, in market interest rates at a rate that is a multiple of the rate at which fixed-rate securities increase or decrease in response to such changes. As a result, the market values of such securities will generally be more volatile than the market values of fixed-rate securities. To seek to limit the volatility of these securities, a Portfolio may purchase inverse floating obligations that have shorter-term maturities or that contain limitations on the extent to which the interest rate may vary. Certain investments in such obligations may be illiquid. A Portfolio may invest in indexed and inverse securities for hedging purposes or to seek to increase returns. When used for hedging purposes, indexed and inverse securities involve correlation risk. Furthermore, where such a security includes a contingent liability, in the event of an adverse movement in the underlying index or interest rate, a Portfolio may be required to pay substantial additional margin to maintain the position.

Credit Linked Securities. Among the income producing securities in which a Portfolio may invest are credit linked securities. The issuers of these securities frequently are limited purpose trusts or other special purpose vehicles that, in turn, invest in a derivative instrument or basket of derivative instruments, such as credit default swaps, interest rate swaps and other securities, in order to provide exposure to certain fixed income markets. For instance, a Portfolio may invest in credit linked securities as a cash management tool in order to gain exposure to a certain market and/or to remain fully invested when more traditional income producing securities are not available.

Like an investment in a bond, investments in these credit linked securities represent the right to receive periodic income payments (in the form of distributions) and payment of principal at the end of the term of the security. However, these payments are conditioned on or linked to the issuer’s receipt of payments from, and the issuer’s potential obligations to, the counterparties to the derivative instruments and other securities in which the issuer invests. For instance, the issuer may sell one or more credit default swaps, under which the issuer would receive a stream of payments over the term of the swap agreements provided that no event of default has occurred with respect to the referenced debt obligation upon which the swap is based. If a default occurs, the stream of payments may stop and the issuer would be obligated to pay the counterparty the par (or other agreed upon value) of the referenced debt obligation. This, in turn, would reduce the amount of income and/or principal that a Portfolio would receive. A Portfolio’s investments in these instruments are indirectly subject to the risks associated with derivative instruments, including, among others, credit risk, default or similar event risk, counterparty risk, interest rate risk, leverage risk and management risk. These securities generally are exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. Accordingly, there may be no established trading market for the securities and they may constitute illiquid investments.

Index-, Commodity-, Currency- and Equity-Linked Securities. “Index-linked” or “commodity-linked” notes are debt securities of companies that call for interest payments and/or payment at maturity in different terms than the typical note where the borrower agrees to make fixed interest payments and to pay a fixed sum at maturity. Principal and/or interest payments on an index-linked or commodity-linked note depend on the performance of one or more market indices, such as the S&P 500® Index, a weighted index of

 

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commodity futures such as crude oil, gasoline and natural gas or the market prices of a particular commodity or basket of commodities. Equity-linked securities are short-term or intermediate term instruments having a value at maturity and/or interest rate determined by reference to the market prices of one or more equity securities. At maturity, the principal amount of an equity-linked debt security is often exchanged for common stock of the issuer or is payable in an amount based on the issuer’s common stock price at the time of maturity. Currency-linked debt securities are short-term or intermediate-term instruments having a value at maturity, and/or an interest rate, determined by reference to one or more foreign currencies. Payment of principal or periodic interest may be calculated as a multiple of the movement of one currency against another currency, or against an index.

Index, commodity, currency and equity-linked securities may entail substantial risks. Such instruments may be subject to significant price volatility. The company issuing the instrument may fail to pay the amount due on maturity. The underlying investment or security may not perform as expected by the Advisor. Markets, underlying securities and indexes may move in a direction that was not anticipated by the Advisor. Performance of the derivatives may be influenced by interest rate and other market changes in the United States and abroad, and certain derivative instruments may be illiquid.

Linked securities are often issued by unit investment trusts. Examples of this include such index-linked securities as S&P Depositary Receipts (SPDRs), which is an interest in a unit investment trust holding a portfolio of securities linked to the S&P 500® Index, and a type of exchange-traded fund (ETF). Because a unit investment trust is an investment company under the 1940 Act, a Portfolio’s investments in SPDRs are subject to the limitations set forth in Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act. SPDRs closely track the underlying portfolio of securities, trade like a share of common stock and pay periodic dividends proportionate to those paid by the portfolio of stocks that comprise the S&P 500® Index. As a holder of interests in a unit investment trust, a Portfolio would indirectly bear its ratable share of that unit investment trust’s expenses. At the same time, a Portfolio would continue to pay its own management and advisory fees and other expenses, as a result of which a Portfolio and its shareholders in effect would be absorbing levels of fees with respect to investments in such unit investment trusts.

Equity-linked securities include issues such as Structured Yield Product Exchangeable for Stock (STRYPES), Trust Automatic Common Exchange Securities (TRACES), Trust Issued Mandatory Exchange Securities (TIMES), and Trust Enhanced Dividend Securities (TRENDS). The issuers of these equity-linked securities generally purchase and hold a portfolio of stripped U.S. Treasury securities maturing on a quarterly basis through the conversion date, and a forward purchase contract with an existing shareholder of the company relating to the common stock. Quarterly distributions on such equity-linked securities generally consist of the cash received from the U.S. Treasury securities and such equity-linked securities generally are not entitled to any dividends that may be declared on the common stock.

Investing in structured products and linked securities is subject to certain risks. Because structured products typically involve no credit enhancement, their credit risk generally will be equivalent to that of the underlying instruments. Investments in structured products may be structured as a class that is either subordinated or unsubordinated to the right of payment of another class. Subordinated structured products typically have higher rates of return and present greater risks than unsubordinated structured products. Structured products sometimes are sold in private placement transactions and often have a limited trading market.

Investments in “linked” securities have the potential to lead to significant losses because of unexpected movements in the underlying financial asset, index, currency or other investment. The ability of a Portfolio to utilize linked-securities successfully will depend on its ability correctly to predict pertinent market movements, which cannot be assured. Because currency-linked securities usually relate to foreign currencies, some of which may be currency from emerging market countries, there are certain additional risks associated with such investments.

SPDRs are subject to the risks of an investment in a broadly based portfolio of common stocks, including the risk that the general level of stock prices may decline, thereby adversely affecting the value of such investment. In addition, because individual investments in SPDRs are not redeemable, except upon termination of the unit investment trust, the liquidity of small holdings of SPDRs will depend upon the existence of a secondary market. Large holdings of SPDRs are called “creation unit size” and are redeemable in-kind only and are not redeemable for cash from the unit investment trust. The price of a SPDR is derived from and based upon the securities held by the unit investment trust. Accordingly, the level of risk involved in the purchase or sale of a SPDR is similar to the risk involved in the purchase or sale of traditional common stock, with the exception that the pricing mechanism for SPDRs is based on a basket of stocks. Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying SPDRs purchased or sold by a Portfolio could result in losses on SPDRs.

Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts

Futures Contracts. A futures contract sale creates an obligation by the seller to deliver the type of security or other asset called for in the contract at a specified delivery time for a stated price. A futures contract purchase creates an obligation by the purchaser to take delivery of the type of security or other asset called for in the contract at a specified delivery time for a stated price. The specific security or other asset delivered or taken at the settlement date are not determined until on or near that date. The determination is made in accordance with the rules of the exchange on which the futures contract was made. A Portfolio may enter into futures

 

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contracts which are traded on national or foreign futures exchanges and are standardized as to maturity date and underlying security or other asset. Futures exchanges and trading in the United States are regulated under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a U.S. Government agency.

Traders in futures contracts may be broadly classified as either “hedgers” or “speculators.” Hedgers use the futures markets primarily to offset unfavorable changes (anticipated or potential) in the value of securities or other assets currently owned or expected to be acquired by them. Speculators less often own the securities or other assets underlying the futures contracts which they trade, and generally use futures contracts with the expectation of realizing profits from fluctuations in the value of the underlying securities or other assets. Pursuant to a notice of eligibility claiming exclusion from the definition of commodity pool operator filed with the CFTC and the National Futures Association on behalf of the Portfolios, neither the Trust nor any of the individual Portfolios is deemed to be a “commodity pool operator” under the CEA, and, accordingly, they are not subject to registration or regulation as such under the CEA.

Upon entering into futures contracts, in compliance with the SEC’s requirements, cash or liquid securities, equal in value to the amount of a Portfolio’s obligation under the contract (less any applicable margin deposits and any assets that constitute “cover” for such obligation), will be segregated with a Portfolio’s custodian.

Unlike when a Portfolio purchases or sells a security, no price is paid or received by a Portfolio upon the purchase or sale of a futures contract, although a Portfolio is required to deposit with its custodian in a segregated account in the name of the futures broker an amount of cash and/or U.S. Government securities in order to initiate and maintain open positions in futures contracts. This amount is known as “initial margin.” The nature of initial margin in futures transactions is different from that of margin in security transactions, in that futures contract margin does not involve the borrowing of funds by a Portfolio to finance the transactions. Rather, initial margin is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit intended to assure completion of the contract (delivery or acceptance of the underlying security or other asset) that is returned to a Portfolio upon termination of the futures contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Minimum initial margin requirements are established by the relevant futures exchange and may be changed. Brokers may establish deposit requirements which are higher than the exchange minimums. Futures contracts are customarily purchased and sold on margin which may range upward from less than 5% of the value of the contract being traded. Subsequent payments, called “variation margin,” to and from the broker (or the custodian) are made on a daily basis as the price of the underlying security or other asset fluctuates, a process known as “marking to market.” If the futures contract price changes to the extent that the margin on deposit does not satisfy margin requirements, payment of additional variation margin will be required. Conversely, a change in the contract value may reduce the required margin, resulting in a repayment of excess margin to the contract holder. Variation margin payments are made for as long as the contract remains open. A Portfolio expects to earn interest income on its margin deposits.

Although futures contracts by their terms call for actual delivery or acceptance of securities or other assets (stock index futures contracts or futures contracts that reference other intangible assets do not permit delivery of the referenced assets), the contracts usually are closed out before the settlement date without the making or taking of delivery. A Portfolio may elect to close some or all of its futures positions at any time prior to their expiration. The purpose of taking such action would be to reduce or eliminate the hedge position then currently held by a Portfolio. Closing out an open futures position is done by taking an opposite position (“buying” a contract which has previously been “sold,” “selling” a contract previously “purchased”) in an identical contract (i.e., the same aggregate amount of the specific type of security or other asset with the same delivery date) to terminate the position. Final determinations are made as to whether the price of the initial sale of the futures contract exceeds or is below the price of the offsetting purchase, or whether the purchase price exceeds or is below the offsetting sale price. Final determinations of variation margin are then made, additional cash is required to be paid by or released to a Portfolio, and a Portfolio realizes a loss or a gain. Brokerage commissions are incurred when a futures contract is bought or sold.

Successful use of futures contracts by a Portfolio is subject to the Advisor’s ability to predict correctly movements in the direction of interest rates and other factors affecting securities and commodities markets. This requires different skills and techniques than those required to predict changes in the prices of individual securities. A Portfolio, therefore, bears the risk that future market trends will be incorrectly predicted.

The risk of loss in trading futures contracts in some strategies can be substantial, due both to the relatively low margin deposits required and the potential for an extremely high degree of leverage involved in futures contracts. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in an immediate and substantial loss to the investor. For example, if at the time of purchase, 10% of the value of the futures contract is deposited as margin, a subsequent 10% decrease in the value of the futures contract would result in a total loss of the margin deposit, before any deduction for the transaction costs, if the account were then closed out. A 15% decrease would result in a loss equal to 150% of the original margin deposit if the contract were closed out. Thus, a purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount posted as initial margin for the contract.

In the event of adverse price movements, a Portfolio would continue to be required to make daily cash payments in order to maintain its required margin. In such a situation, if a Portfolio has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities in order to meet daily margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. The inability to close the futures position also could have an adverse impact on the ability to hedge effectively.

 

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To reduce or eliminate a hedge position held by a Portfolio, a Portfolio may seek to close out a position. The ability to establish and close out positions will be subject to the development and maintenance of a liquid secondary market. It is not certain that this market will develop or continue to exist for a particular futures contract, which may limit a Portfolio’s ability to realize its profits or limit its losses. Reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there may be insufficient trading interest in certain contracts; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions, closing transactions or both; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of contracts, or underlying securities; (iv) unusual or unforeseen circumstances, such as volume in excess of trading or clearing capability, may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v) the facilities of an exchange or a clearing corporation may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or (vi) one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of contracts (or a particular class or series of contracts), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in the class or series of contracts) would cease to exist, although outstanding contracts on the exchange that had been issued by a clearing corporation as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.

Interest Rate Futures Contracts. Bond prices are established in both the cash market and the futures market. In the cash market, bonds are purchased and sold with payment for the full purchase price of the bond being made in cash, generally within five business days after the trade. In the futures market, a contract is made to purchase or sell a bond in the future for a set price on a certain date. Historically, the prices for bonds established in the futures markets have tended to move generally in the aggregate in concert with the cash market prices and have maintained fairly predictable relationships. Accordingly, a Portfolio may use interest rate futures contracts as a defense, or hedge, against anticipated interest rate changes. A Portfolio presently could accomplish a similar result to that which it hopes to achieve through the use of interest rate futures contracts by selling bonds with long maturities and investing in bonds with short maturities when interest rates are expected to increase, or conversely, selling bonds with short maturities and investing in bonds with long maturities when interest rates are expected to decline. However, because of the liquidity that is often available in the futures market, the protection is more likely to be achieved, perhaps at a lower cost and without changing the rate of interest being earned by a Portfolio, through using futures contracts.

Interest rate futures contracts are traded in an auction environment on the floors of several exchanges – principally, the Chicago Board of Trade, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the New York Futures Exchange. Each exchange guarantees performance under contract provisions through a clearing corporation, a nonprofit organization managed by the exchange membership. A public market exists in futures contracts covering various financial instruments including long-term U.S. Treasury Bonds and Notes; GNMA modified pass-through mortgage backed securities; three-month U.S. Treasury Bills; and ninety-day commercial paper. A Portfolio may also invest in exchange-traded Eurodollar contracts, which are interest rate futures on the forward level of LIBOR. These contracts are generally considered liquid securities and trade on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Such Eurodollar contracts are generally used to “lock-in” or hedge the future level of short-term rates. A Portfolio may trade in any interest rate futures contracts for which there exists a public market, including, without limitation, the foregoing instruments.

Index Futures Contracts. An index futures contract is a contract to buy or sell units of an index at a specified future date at a price agreed upon when the contract is made. Entering into a contract to buy units of an index is commonly referred to as buying or purchasing a contract or holding a long position in the index. Entering into a contract to sell units of an index is commonly referred to as selling a contract or holding a short position in the index. A unit is the current value of the index. A Portfolio may enter into stock index futures contracts, debt index futures contracts, or other index futures contracts appropriate to its objective(s).

There are several risks in connection with the use by a Portfolio of index futures as a hedging device. One risk arises because of the imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of the index futures and movements in the prices of securities which are the subject of the hedges. The Advisor will attempt to reduce this risk by selling, to the extent possible, futures on indices the movements of which will, in its judgment, have a significant correlation with movements in the prices of a Portfolio’s portfolio securities sought to be hedged.

Municipal Bond Index Futures Contracts. Municipal bond index futures contracts may act as a hedge against changes in market conditions. A municipal bond index assigns values daily to the municipal bonds included in the index based on the independent assessment of dealer-to-dealer municipal bond brokers. A municipal bond index futures contract represents a firm commitment by which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount equal to a specified dollar amount multiplied by the difference between the municipal bond index value on the last trading date of the contract and the price at which the futures contract is originally struck. No physical delivery of the underlying securities in the index is made.

Options on Futures Contracts. A Portfolio may purchase and write call and put options on those futures contracts that it is permitted to buy or sell. A Portfolio may use such options on futures contracts in lieu of writing options directly on the underlying securities or other assets or purchasing and selling the underlying futures contracts. Such options generally operate in the same manner

 

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as options purchased or written directly on the underlying investments. A futures option gives the holder, in return for the premium paid, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the writer of the option a futures contract at a specified price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise, the writer of the option is obligated to pay the difference between the cash value of the futures contract and the exercise price. Like the buyer or seller of a futures contract, the holder or writer of an option has the right to terminate its position prior to the scheduled expiration of the option by selling or purchasing an option of the same series, at which time the person entering into the closing purchase transaction will realize a gain or loss. There is no guarantee that such closing purchase transactions can be effected.

A Portfolio will enter into written options on futures contracts only when, in compliance with the SEC’s requirements, cash or liquid securities equal in value to the underlying security’s or other asset’s value (less any applicable margin deposits) have been deposited in a segregated account. A Portfolio will be required to deposit initial margin and maintenance margin with respect to put and call options on futures contracts written by it pursuant to brokers’ requirements similar to those described above.

Investments in futures options involve some of the same risks that are involved in connection with investments in futures contracts (for example, the existence of a liquid secondary market). In addition, the purchase of an option also entails the risk that changes in the value of the underlying futures contract will not be fully reflected in the value of the option purchased. There may be circumstances when the purchase of a call or put option on a futures contract would result in a loss to a Portfolio when the purchase or sale of a futures contract would not, such as when there is no movement in the prices of the hedged investments. In general, the market prices of options can be expected to be more volatile than the market prices on the underlying futures contracts. Compared to the purchase or sale of futures contracts, however, the purchase of call or put options on futures contracts may frequently involve less potential risk to a Portfolio because the maximum amount at risk is the premium paid for the options (plus transaction costs).

Successful use of index futures by a Portfolio is also subject to the Advisor’s ability to predict correctly movements in the direction of the market. It is possible that, for example, where a Portfolio has sold futures to hedge its portfolio against a decline in the market, the index on which the futures are written may advance and the value of securities held in a Portfolio’s portfolio may decline. If this occurred, a Portfolio would lose money on the futures and also experience a decline in the value of its portfolio securities, as a Portfolio’s ability to effectively hedge all or a portion of the securities in its portfolio, in anticipation of or during a market decline, through transactions in futures or put options on stock indices, depends on the degree to which price movements in the underlying index correlate with the price movements of the securities held by a Portfolio. Inasmuch as a Portfolio’s securities will not duplicate the components of an index, the correlation will not be perfect. Consequently, a Portfolio bears the risk that the prices of its securities being hedged will not move to the same extent as do the prices of its put options on the stock indices. It is also possible that, if a Portfolio has hedged against the possibility of a decline in the market adversely affecting securities held in its portfolio and securities prices increase instead, a Portfolio will lose part or all of the benefit of the increased values of those securities that it has hedged, because it will have offsetting losses in its futures positions. In addition, in such situations, if a Portfolio has insufficient cash, it may have to sell securities to meet daily variation margin requirements.

In addition to the possibility that there may be an imperfect correlation, or no correlation at all, between movements in the index futures and the securities of the portfolio being hedged, the prices of index futures may not correlate perfectly with movements in the underlying index due to certain market distortions. First, all participants in the futures markets are subject to margin deposit and maintenance requirements. Rather than meeting additional margin deposit requirements, investors may close futures contracts through offsetting transactions, which would distort the normal relationship between the index and futures markets. Second, margin requirements in the futures market are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities market, and as a result, the futures market may attract more speculators than the securities market. Increased participation by speculators in the futures market may also cause temporary price distortions. Due to the possibility of price distortions in the futures market, and also because of the imperfect correlation between movements in an index and movements in the prices of index futures, even a correct forecast of general market trends by the Advisor may still not result in a successful hedging transaction.

There is also the risk of loss by a Portfolio of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom a Portfolio has an open position in a futures contract or related option. Most futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in some contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of contract, no trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movement during a particular trading day and, therefore, does not limit potential losses, because the limit may prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. Futures contract prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and subjecting some futures traders to substantial losses.

Options on Index Futures Contracts. A Portfolio may also purchase and sell options on index futures contracts. Options on index futures give the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in an index futures contract (a long position if the option is a call and a short position if the option is a put), at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of the option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the accumulated balance in the writer’s futures margin account, which represents the amount by which

 

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the market price of the index futures contract, at exercise, exceeds (in the case of a call) or is less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option on the index future. If an option is exercised on the last trading day prior to the expiration date of the option, the settlement will be made entirely in cash equal to the difference between the exercise price of the option and the closing level of the index on which the future is based on the expiration date. Purchasers of options who fail to exercise their options prior to the exercise date suffer a loss of the premium paid.

There are various risks in connection with the use by a Portfolio of index futures as a hedging device. For example, a risk arises because of the imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of the index futures and movements in the prices of securities which are the subject of the hedges. The Advisor will attempt to reduce this risk by selling, to the extent possible, futures on indices the movements of which will, in its judgment, have a significant correlation with movements in the prices of a Portfolio’s portfolio securities sought to be hedged; there can be no assurance that the Advisor will be successful in doing so.

Use by Tax-Exempt Funds of Interest Rate and U.S. Treasury Security Futures Contracts and Options. A Portfolio investing in tax-exempt securities may purchase and sell futures contracts and related options on interest rate and U.S. Treasury securities when, in the opinion of the Advisor, price movements in these security futures and related options will correlate closely with price movements in the tax-exempt securities which are the subject of the hedge. Interest rate and U.S. Treasury securities futures contracts require the seller to deliver, or the purchaser to take delivery of, the type of security called for in the contract at a specified date and price. Options on interest rate and U.S. Treasury security futures contracts give the purchaser the right in return for the premium paid to assume a position in a futures contract at the specified option exercise price at any time during the period of the option.

In addition to the risks generally involved in using futures contracts, there is also a risk that price movements in interest rate and U.S. Treasury security futures contracts and related options will not correlate closely with price movements in markets for tax-exempt securities.

Stock Options and Stock Index Options

A Portfolio may purchase and write (i.e., sell) put and call options. Such options may relate to particular stocks or stock indices, and may or may not be listed on a domestic or foreign securities exchange and may or may not be issued by the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC). Stock index options are put options and call options on various stock indices. In most respects, they are identical to listed options on common stocks.

There is a key difference between stock options and stock index options in connection with their exercise. In the case of stock options, the underlying security, common stock, is delivered. However, upon the exercise of an index option, settlement does not occur by delivery of the securities comprising the index. The option holder who exercises the index option receives an amount of cash if the closing level of the stock index upon which the option is based is greater than (in the case of a call) or less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option. This amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the stock index and the exercise price of the option expressed in dollars times a specified multiple. A stock index fluctuates with changes in the market value of the securities included in the index. For example, some stock index options are based on a broad market index, such as the S&P 500® Index or a narrower market index, such as the S&P 100® Index. Indices may also be based on an industry or market segment, such as the AMEX Oil and Gas Index or the Computer and Business Equipment Index.

The successful use of a Portfolio’s options strategies depends on the ability of the Advisor to forecast interest rate and market movements correctly. When it purchases an option, a Portfolio runs the risk that it will lose its entire investment in the option in a relatively short period of time, unless a Portfolio exercises the option or enters into a closing sale transaction for such option during the life of the option. If the price of the underlying security does not rise (in the case of a call) or fall (in the case of a put) to an extent sufficient to cover the option premium and transaction costs, a Portfolio will lose part or all of its investment in the option. This contrasts with an investment by a Portfolio in the underlying securities, since a Portfolio may continue to hold its investment in those securities notwithstanding the lack of a change in price of those securities.

The effective use of options also depends on a Portfolio’s ability to terminate option positions at times when the Advisor deems it desirable to do so. Although a Portfolio will take an option position only if the Advisor believes there is a liquid secondary market for the option, there is no assurance that a Portfolio will be able to effect closing transactions at any particular time or at an acceptable price.

If a secondary trading market in options were to become unavailable, a Portfolio could no longer engage in closing transactions. The writer in such circumstances would be subject to the risk of market decline or appreciation in the instrument during such period. If an option purchased by a Portfolio expires unexercised, a Portfolio will realize a loss equal to the premium paid. Reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options, or underlying securities; (iv) unusual or unforeseen circumstances, such as volume in excess of trading or clearing capability, may interrupt normal operations

 

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on an exchange; (v) the facilities of an exchange or a clearing corporation may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or (vi) one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in the class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options on the exchange that had been issued by a clearing corporation as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.

Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying options purchased or sold by a Portfolio could result in losses on the options. If trading is interrupted in an underlying security, the trading of options on that security is normally halted as well. As a result, a Portfolio as purchaser or writer of an option will be unable to close out its positions until options trading resumes, and it may be faced with losses if trading in the security reopens at a substantially different price. In addition, the OCC or other options markets may impose exercise restrictions. If a prohibition on exercise is imposed at a time when trading in the option has also been halted, a Portfolio as purchaser or writer of an option will be locked into its position until one of the two restrictions has been lifted. If a prohibition on exercise remains in effect until an option owned by a Portfolio has expired, a Portfolio could lose the entire value of its option.

Special risks are presented by internationally traded options. Because of time differences between the United States and various foreign countries, and because different holidays are observed in different countries, foreign options markets may be open for trading during hours or on days when U.S. markets are closed. As a result, option premiums may not reflect the current prices of the underlying interest in the United States.

Dealer (Over-the-Counter) Options. Dealer options are options negotiated individually through dealers rather than traded on an exchange. Certain risks are specific to dealer options. While a Portfolio might look to a clearing corporation to exercise exchange-traded options, if a Portfolio purchases a dealer option it must rely on the selling dealer to perform if a Portfolio exercises the option. Failure by the dealer to do so would result in the loss of the premium paid by a Portfolio as well as loss of the expected benefit of the transaction. Exchange-traded options generally have a continuous liquid market while dealer options more often may not. Consequently, a Portfolio can realize the value of a dealer option it has purchased only by exercising or reselling the option to the issuing dealer. Similarly, when a Portfolio writes a dealer option, a Portfolio can close out the option prior to its expiration only by entering into a closing purchase transaction with the dealer. While each Portfolio seeks to enter into dealer options only with dealers who will agree to and can enter into closing transactions with a Portfolio, no assurance exists that a Portfolio will at any time be able to liquidate a dealer option at a favorable price at any time prior to expiration. Unless a Portfolio, as a covered dealer call option writer, can effect a closing purchase transaction, it will not be able to liquidate securities (or other assets) used as cover until the option expires or is exercised. In the event of insolvency of the other party, a Portfolio may be unable to liquidate a dealer option. With respect to options written by a Portfolio, the inability to enter into a closing transaction may result in material losses to a Portfolio. For example, because a Portfolio must maintain a secured position with respect to any call option on a security it writes, a Portfolio may not sell the assets, which it has segregated to secure the position while it is obligated under the option. This requirement may impair a Portfolio’s ability to sell portfolio securities at a time when such sale might be advantageous.

A Portfolio generally will treat purchased dealer options as illiquid securities. A Portfolio may treat the cover used for written dealer options as liquid if the dealer agrees that a Portfolio may repurchase the dealer option it has written for a maximum price to be calculated by a predetermined formula. In such cases, the dealer option would be considered illiquid only to the extent the maximum purchase price under the formula exceeds the intrinsic value of the option.

Writing Covered Options. A Portfolio may write covered call options and covered put options on securities held in its portfolio when, in the opinion of the Advisor, such transactions are consistent with a Portfolio’s investment goal and policies. Call options written by a Portfolio give the purchaser the right to buy the underlying securities from a Portfolio at the stated exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option, regardless of the security’s market price; put options give the purchaser the right to sell the underlying securities to a Portfolio at the stated exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option, regardless of the security’s market price.

A Portfolio may write only covered options, which means that, so long as a Portfolio is obligated as the writer of a call option, it will own the underlying securities subject to the option (or comparable securities satisfying the cover requirements of securities exchanges). In the case of put options, a Portfolio will hold cash and/or high-grade short-term debt obligations equal to the price to be paid if the option is exercised. In addition, a Portfolio will be considered to have covered a put or call option if and to the extent that it holds an option that offsets some or all of the risk of the option it has written. A Portfolio may write combinations of covered puts and calls (straddles) on the same underlying security.

A Portfolio will receive a premium from writing a put or call option, which increases a Portfolio’s return on the underlying security if the option expires unexercised or is closed out at a profit. The amount of the premium reflects, among other things, the relationship between the exercise price and the current market value of the underlying security, the volatility of the underlying security, the amount of time remaining until expiration, current interest rates, and the effect of supply and demand in the options market and in the market for the underlying security. By writing a call option, a Portfolio limits its opportunity to profit from any

 

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increase in the market value of the underlying security above the exercise price of the option but continues to bear the risk of a decline in the value of the underlying security. By writing a put option, a Portfolio assumes the risk that it may be required to purchase the underlying security for an exercise price higher than the security’s then-current market value, resulting in a potential capital loss unless the security subsequently appreciates in value.

A Portfolio’s obligation to sell an instrument subject to a call option written by it, or to purchase an instrument subject to a put option written by it, may be terminated prior to the expiration date of the option by a Portfolio’s execution of a closing purchase transaction, which is effected by purchasing on an exchange an offsetting option of the same series (i.e., same underlying instrument, exercise price and expiration date) as the option previously written. A closing purchase transaction will ordinarily be effected in order to realize a profit on an outstanding option, to prevent an underlying instrument from being called, to permit the sale of the underlying instrument or to permit the writing of a new option containing different terms on such underlying instrument. A Portfolio realizes a profit or loss from a closing purchase transaction if the cost of the transaction (option premium plus transaction costs) is less or more than the premium received from writing the option. Because increases in the market price of a call option generally reflect increases in the market price of the security underlying the option, any loss resulting from a closing purchase transaction may be offset in whole or in part by unrealized appreciation of the underlying security.

If a Portfolio writes a call option but does not own the underlying security, and when it writes a put option, a Portfolio may be required to deposit cash or securities with its broker as “margin” or collateral for its obligation to buy or sell the underlying security. As the value of the underlying security varies, a Portfolio may also have to deposit additional margin with the broker. Margin requirements are complex and are fixed by individual brokers, subject to minimum requirements currently imposed by the Federal Reserve Board and by stock exchanges and other self-regulatory organizations.

Purchasing Put Options. A Portfolio may purchase put options to protect its portfolio holdings in an underlying security against a decline in market value. Such hedge protection is provided during the life of the put option since a Portfolio, as holder of the put option, is able to sell the underlying security at the put exercise price regardless of any decline in the underlying security’s market price. For a put option to be profitable, the market price of the underlying security must decline sufficiently below the exercise price to cover the premium and transaction costs. By using put options in this manner, a Portfolio will reduce any profit it might otherwise have realized from appreciation of the underlying security by the premium paid for the put option and by transaction costs.

Purchasing Call Options. A Portfolio may purchase call options to hedge against an increase in the price of securities that a Portfolio wants ultimately to buy. Such hedge protection is provided during the life of the call option since a Portfolio, as holder of the call option, is able to buy the underlying security at the exercise price regardless of any increase in the underlying security’s market price. In order for a call option to be profitable, the market price of the underlying security must rise sufficiently above the exercise price to cover the premium and transaction costs. These costs will reduce any profit a Portfolio might have realized had it bought the underlying security at the time it purchased the call option.

Over-the-Counter (OTC) Options. A Portfolio will enter into OTC options transactions only with primary dealers in U.S. Government securities and, in the case of OTC options written by a Portfolio, only pursuant to agreements that will assure that a Portfolio will at all times have the right to repurchase the option written by it from the dealer at a specified formula price. A Portfolio will treat the amount by which such formula price exceeds the amount, if any, by which the option may be “in-the-money” as an illiquid investment. It is the present policy of a Portfolio not to enter into any OTC option transaction if, as a result, more than 15% (10% in some cases, refer to your Portfolio’s prospectuses) of a Portfolio’s net assets would be invested in (i) illiquid investments (determined under the foregoing formula) relating to OTC options written by a Portfolio, (ii) OTC options purchased by a Portfolio, (iii) securities which are not readily marketable, and (iv) repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days.

Index Options. As an alternative to purchasing call and put options on index futures, a Portfolio may purchase call and put options on the underlying indices themselves. Such options could be used in a manner identical to the use of options on index futures. Options involving securities indices provide the holder with the right to make or receive a cash settlement upon exercise of the option based on movements in the relevant index. Such options must be listed on a national securities exchange and issued by the OCC. Such options may relate to particular securities or to various stock indices, except that a Portfolio may not write covered options on an index.

Foreign Stock Index Options. A Portfolio may, for the purpose of hedging its portfolio, subject to applicable securities regulations, purchase and write put and call options on foreign stock indices listed on foreign and domestic stock exchanges.

Swap Agreements

Swap agreements are derivative instruments that can be individually negotiated and structured to include exposure to a variety of different types of investments or market factors. Depending on their structure, swap agreements may increase or decrease a Portfolio’s exposure to long- or short-term interest rates, foreign currency values, mortgage securities, corporate borrowing rates, or other factors such as security prices or inflation rates. A Portfolio may enter into a variety of swap agreements, including interest rate, index, commodity, equity, credit default and currency exchange rate swap agreements, and other types of swap agreements such as caps, collars and floors. A Portfolio also may enter into swaptions, which are options to enter into a swap agreement.

In a typical interest rate swap, one party agrees to make regular payments equal to a floating interest rate times a “notional principal amount,” in return for payments equal to a fixed rate times the same amount, for a specified period of time. If a swap agreement provides for payments in different currencies, the parties might agree to exchange notional principal amount as well. In a total return swap agreement, the non-floating rate side of the swap is based on the total return of an individual security, a basket of securities, an index or another reference asset. Swaps may also depend on other prices or rates, such as the value of an index or mortgage prepayment rates.

In a typical cap or floor agreement, one party agrees to make payments only under specified circumstances, usually in return for payment of a fee by the other party. For example, the buyer of an interest rate cap obtains the right to receive payments to the extent that a specified interest rate exceeds an agreed-upon level, while the seller of an interest rate floor is obligated to make payments to the extent that a specified interest rate falls below an agreed-upon level. Caps and floors have an effect similar to buying or writing options. A collar combines elements of buying a cap and selling a floor.

Swap agreements will tend to shift a Portfolio’s investment exposure from one type of investment to another. For example, if a Portfolio agreed to pay fixed rates in exchange for floating rates while holding fixed-rate bonds, the swap would tend to decrease a Portfolio’s exposure to long-term interest rates. Another example is if a Portfolio agreed to exchange payments in dollars for payments in foreign currency, the swap agreement would tend to decrease a Portfolio’s exposure to U.S. interest rates and increase its exposure to foreign currency and interest rates.

 

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Swap agreements are sophisticated hedging instruments that typically involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of risks assumed. As a result, swaps can be highly volatile and may have a considerable impact on a Portfolio’s performance. Depending on how they are used, swap agreements may increase or decrease the overall volatility of a Portfolio’s investments and its share price and yield. Additionally, whether a Portfolio’s use of swap agreements will be successful in furthering its investment objective will depend on the Advisor’s ability correctly to predict whether certain types of investments likely are to produce greater returns than other investments. Because they are two party contracts and because they may have terms of greater than seven days, swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid. Moreover, a Portfolio bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. The most significant factor in the performance of swap agreements is the change in the specific interest rate, currency, or other factor that determines the amounts of payments due to and from a Portfolio. If a swap agreement calls for payments by a Portfolio, a Portfolio must be prepared to make such payments when due. In addition, if the counterparty’s creditworthiness declines, the value of a swap agreement likely would decline, potentially resulting in losses for a Portfolio. A Portfolio will closely monitor the credit of a swap agreement counterparty in order to attempt to minimize this risk. A Portfolio may also suffer losses if it is unable to terminate outstanding swap agreements (either by assignment or other disposition) or reduce its exposure through offsetting transactions (i.e., by entering into an offsetting swap agreement with the same party or a similarly creditworthy party).

Credit Default Swap Agreements. A Portfolio may enter into credit default swap agreements, which may have as reference obligations one or more securities or a basket of securities that are or are not currently held by a Portfolio. The protection “buyer” in a credit default contract is generally obligated to pay the protection “seller” an upfront or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract provided that no credit event, such as a default, on a reference obligation has occurred. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the “par value” (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. A Portfolio may be either the buyer or seller in the transaction. If a Portfolio is a buyer and no credit event occurs, a Portfolio may recover nothing if the swap is held through its termination date. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer generally may elect to receive the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity whose value may have significantly decreased. As a seller, a Portfolio generally receives an upfront payment or a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the swap provided that there is no credit event. As the seller, a Portfolio would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, a Portfolio would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap.

Credit default swap agreements may involve greater risks than if a Portfolio had invested in the reference obligation directly since, in addition to risks relating to the reference obligation, credit default swaps are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk and credit risk. A Portfolio will enter into credit default swap agreements generally with counterparties that meet certain standards of creditworthiness. A buyer generally will lose its investment and recover nothing if no credit event occurs and the swap is held to its termination date. If a credit event were to occur, the value of any deliverable obligation received by the seller, coupled with the upfront or periodic payments previously received, may be less than the full notional value it pays to the buyer, resulting in a loss of value to the seller.

Equity Swaps. A Portfolio may engage in equity swaps. Equity swaps allow the parties to the swap agreement to exchange components of return on one equity investment (e.g., a basket of equity securities or an index) for a component of return on another non-equity or equity investment, including an exchange of differential rates of return. Equity swaps may be used to invest in a market without owning or taking physical custody of securities in circumstances where direct investment may be restricted for legal reasons or is otherwise impractical. Equity swaps also may be used for other purposes, such as hedging or seeking to increase total return.

The values of equity swaps can be very volatile. To the extent that the Advisor does not accurately analyze and predict the potential relative fluctuation on the components swapped with the other party, a Portfolio may suffer a loss. The value of some components of an equity swap (such as the dividend on a common stock) may also be sensitive to changes in interest rates. Furthermore, during the period a swap is outstanding, a Portfolio may suffer a loss if the counterparty defaults.

Total Return Swap Agreements. Total return swap agreements are contracts in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the change in market value of the assets underlying the contract, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or securities indices during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from other underlying assets. Total return swap agreements may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Total return swap agreements may effectively add leverage to a Portfolio’s portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, a Portfolio would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap.

Total return swap agreements are subject to the risk that a counterparty will default on its payment obligations to a Portfolio thereunder, and conversely, that a Portfolio will not be able to meet its obligation to the counterparty. Generally, a Portfolio will enter into total return swaps on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted against one another with a Portfolio receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments). The net amount of the excess, if any, of a Portfolio’s obligations over

 

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its entitlements with respect to each total return swap will be accrued on a daily basis, and an amount of liquid assets having an aggregate net asset value at least equal to the accrued excess will be segregated by a Portfolio. If the total return swap transaction is entered into on other than a net basis, the full amount of a Portfolio’s obligations will be accrued on a daily basis, and the full amount of a Portfolio’s obligations will be segregated by a Portfolio in an amount equal to or greater than the market value of the liabilities under the total return swap agreement or the amount it would have cost a Portfolio initially to make an equivalent direct investment, plus or minus any amount a Portfolio is obligated to pay or is to receive under the total return swap agreement.

Variance, Volatility and Correlation Swap Agreements. Variance and volatility swaps are contracts that provide exposure to increases or decreases in the volatility of certain referenced assets. Correlation swaps are contracts that provide exposure to increases or decreases in the correlation between the prices of different assets or different market rates.

Dollar Rolls

Dollar rolls involve selling securities (e.g., mortgage-backed securities or U.S. Treasury securities) and simultaneously entering into a commitment to purchase those or similar (same collateral type, coupon and maturity) securities on a specified future date and price. Mortgage dollar rolls and U.S. Treasury rolls are types of dollar rolls. A Portfolio foregoes principal and interest paid on the securities during the “roll” period. A Portfolio is compensated by the difference between the current sales price and the lower forward price for the future purchase of the securities as well as the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the initial sale.

Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities a Portfolio is obligated to repurchase may decline below the repurchase price or that the transaction costs may exceed the return earned by a Portfolio from the transaction. Dollar rolls also involve risk to a Portfolio if the other party should default on its obligation and a Portfolio is delayed or prevented from completing the transaction. In the event that the buyer of securities under a dollar roll files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, a Portfolio’s use of proceeds of the dollar roll may be restricted pending a determination by the other party, or its trustee or receiver, whether to enforce a Portfolio’s obligation to repurchase the securities. In addition, the security to be delivered in the future may turn out to be inferior to the security sold upon entering into the transaction.

Foreign Currency Transactions

Foreign currency transactions may be used to protect, to some extent, against uncertainty in the level of future currency exchange rates by establishing a fixed exchange rate. Foreign currency transactions may involve the purchase or sale of foreign currencies on a “spot” (cash) basis at the prevailing exchange rate or may involve “forward contracts” that allow a Portfolio to purchase or sell foreign currencies at a future date. Forward contracts may be used for “transaction hedging,” “position hedging” and “cross-hedging.” A Portfolio may use forward sale contracts to sell an amount of a foreign currency approximating the value of a Portfolio’s securities denominated in the foreign security when that foreign currency suffers a substantial decline against the U.S. dollar. A Portfolio may use forward purchase contracts to purchase a foreign currency when it is believed that the U.S. dollar may suffer a substantial decline against the foreign currency. Although these transactions tend to minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency, they also tend to limit any potential gain that might be realized if the value of the hedged currency increases.

Transaction hedging may allow a Portfolio to “lock in” the U.S. dollar price of a security it has agreed to purchase or sell, or the U.S. dollar equivalent of a dividend or interest rate payment in a foreign currency. A Portfolio may use transaction hedging to protect itself against a possible loss resulting from an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the applicable foreign currency during the period between the date on which the security is purchased or sold, or on which the dividend or interest payment is declared, and the date on which such payments are made or received.

Position hedging may allow a Portfolio to protect against an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the applicable foreign currencies in which its portfolio securities are denominated. A Portfolio may use position hedging when it is believed that the U.S. dollar may suffer a decline against the foreign currency by entering into a forward purchase contract to purchase that foreign currency for a fixed dollar amount.

Cross-hedging may allow a Portfolio to enter into a forward contract to sell a different foreign currency for a fixed U.S. dollar amount when it is believed that the U.S. dollar value of the currency to be sold pursuant to the forward contract will fall if there is a decline in the U.S. dollar value of the currency in which a Portfolio’s securities are denominated.

A Portfolio also may purchase exchange-listed and over-the-counter call and put options on foreign currencies and foreign currency contracts. Options on foreign currencies and foreign currency contracts give the holder a right to buy or sell the underlying foreign currencies or foreign currency contracts for a specified period of time and for a specified amount. The value of an option on foreign currencies or foreign currency contracts reflects the value of an exchange rate, which depends on the relative values of the U.S. dollar and the relevant foreign currency.

 

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Engaging in foreign currency transactions is subject to certain risks. For example, if the value of a foreign currency were to decline against the U.S. dollar, such decline would reduce the dollar value of any securities held by a Portfolio denominated in that currency. It is impossible to forecast with precision the market value of portfolio securities at the expiration or maturity of a forward or futures contract, which may make it necessary for a Portfolio to purchase additional foreign currency on the spot market if the market value of the security being hedged is less than the amount of foreign currency a Portfolio is obligated to deliver at the time a Portfolio sells the security being hedged. The value of any currency, including the U.S. dollar, may be affected by political and economic factors applicable to the issuer’s country. The exchange rates of currencies also may be affected adversely by governmental actions. Transaction, position and cross-hedging do not eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of securities that a Portfolio owns or intends to purchase or sell and may limit the amount of potential gain that might result from the increase in value of the currency being hedged. Settlement procedures relating to a Portfolio’s foreign currency transactions may be more complex than those relating to investments in securities of U.S. issuers.

Foreign Securities

Foreign securities include debt, equity and derivative securities that the Advisor determines are “foreign” based on the consideration of an issuer’s domicile, its principal place of business, its primary stock exchange listing, the source of its revenue or other factors. Foreign securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Portfolio Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Foreign securities may include depositary receipts, such as American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), European Depositary Receipts (EDRs) and Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs). ADRs are U.S. dollar-denominated receipts issued in registered form by a domestic bank or trust company that evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign issuer. EDRs are foreign currency-denominated receipts issued in Europe, typically by foreign banks or trust companies and foreign branches of domestic banks, that evidence ownership of foreign or domestic securities. GDRs are receipts structured similarly to ADRs and EDRs and are marketed globally. Depositary receipts will not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities. In general, ADRs, in registered form, are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, and EDRs, in bearer form, are designed for use in European securities markets. GDRs are tradable both in the United States and in Europe and are designed for use throughout the world. A Portfolio may invest in depositary receipts through “sponsored” or “unsponsored” facilities. A sponsored facility is established jointly by the issuer of the underlying security and a depositary, whereas a depositary may establish an unsponsored facility without participation by the issuer of the deposited security. Holders of unsponsored depositary receipts generally bear all the costs of such facilities and the depositary of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute interestholder communications received from the issuer of the deposited security or to pass through voting rights to the holders of such receipts in respect of the deposited securities. The issuers of unsponsored depositary receipts are not obligated to disclose material information in the United States, and, therefore, there may be limited information available regarding such issuers and/or limited correlation between available information and the market value of the depositary receipts.

Investing in foreign securities is subject to certain risks. For example, foreign markets can be extremely volatile. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates also may impact the value of foreign securities denominated in foreign currencies or U.S. dollars, without a change in the intrinsic value of those securities. Additionally, the U.S. dollar value of a foreign security tends to decrease when the value of the U.S. dollar rises against the foreign currency in which the security is denominated and tends to increase when the value of the U.S. dollar falls against such currency. A Portfolio may attempt to minimize the risk from adverse changes in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies by purchasing and selling forward foreign currency exchange contracts and foreign currency futures contracts and related options. Foreign securities may be less liquid than domestic securities so that a Portfolio may, at times, be unable to sell foreign securities at desirable prices. Brokerage commissions, custodial fees and other fees also are generally higher for foreign securities. A Portfolio may have limited legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain debt securities issued by foreign governments. In addition, foreign governments may impose potentially confiscatory withholding or other taxes, which would reduce a Portfolio’s return on these securities. Other risks include: possible delays in the settlement of transactions or in the notification of income; generally less publicly available information about companies; adverse impact of political, social or diplomatic events; possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of a company or its assets; possible imposition of currency exchange controls; and that foreign companies generally are not subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards comparable to those mandated for domestic companies.

Risks associated with investments in foreign securities are increased with respect to investments in emerging market countries. Political and economic structures in many emerging market countries, especially those in Eastern Europe, the Pacific Basin and the Far East, are undergoing significant evolutionary changes and rapid development, and may lack the social, political and economic stability of more developed countries. Investing in emerging market securities also involves risks beyond the risks applicable to foreign investments. For example, some emerging market countries may have fixed or managed currencies that are not free-floating against the U.S. dollar. Further, certain currencies may not be traded internationally, and some countries with emerging securities markets have sustained long periods of very high inflation or rapid fluctuation in inflation rates which can have negative effects on a country’s economy and securities markets.

 

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Guaranteed Investment Contracts (Funding Agreements)

Guaranteed investment contracts, or funding agreements, are debt instruments issued by insurance companies. Pursuant to such contracts, a Portfolio may make cash contributions to a deposit fund of the insurance company’s general account. The insurance company then credits to a Portfolio payments at negotiated, floating or fixed interest rates. A Portfolio will purchase guaranteed investment contracts only from issuers that, at the time of purchase, meet certain credit and quality standards.

Investing in guaranteed investment contracts is subject to certain risks. In general, guaranteed investment contracts are not assignable or transferable without the permission of the issuing insurance companies, and an active secondary market does not exist for these investments. In addition, the issuer may not be able to pay the principal amount to a Portfolio on seven days notice or less, at which time the investment may be considered illiquid under applicable SEC regulatory guidance and subject to certain restrictions.

Illiquid Securities

Illiquid securities are defined by a Portfolio consistent with SEC staff’s current guidance and interpretations which provide that an illiquid security is an asset which may not be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the value at which a Portfolio has valued the investment on its books. Some securities, such as those not registered under U.S. securities laws, cannot be sold in public transactions. Subject to its investment policies, a Portfolio may invest in illiquid investments and may invest in certain restricted securities that are deemed to be illiquid securities.

Initial Public Offerings

A Portfolio may invest in initial public offerings (IPOs) of common stock or other primary or secondary syndicated offerings of equity or debt securities issued by a corporate issuer. A purchase of IPO securities often involves higher transaction costs than those associated with the purchase of securities already traded on exchanges or markets. IPO securities are subject to market risk and liquidity risk. The market value of recently issued IPO securities may fluctuate considerably due to factors such as the absence of a prior public market, unseasoned trading and speculation, a potentially small number of securities available for trading, limited information about the issuer, and other factors. A Portfolio may hold IPO securities for a period of time, or may sell them soon after the purchase. Investments in IPOs could have a magnified impact – either positive or negative – on a Portfolio’s performance while the Portfolio’s assets are relatively small. The impact of an IPO on a Portfolio’s performance may tend to diminish as the Portfolio’s assets grow. In circumstances when investments in IPOs make a significant contribution to a Portfolio’s performance, there can be no assurance that similar contributions from IPOs will continue in the future.

Investments in Other Investment Companies

Investing in other investment companies may be a means by which a Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective. A Portfolio may invest in securities issued by other investment companies within the limits prescribed by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive orders currently or in the future obtained by a Portfolio from the SEC.

Except with respect to funds structured as funds-of-funds or so-called master/feeder funds, the 1940 Act generally requires that a fund limit its investments in another investment company or series thereof so that, as determined at the time a securities purchase is made: (i) no more than 5% of the value of its total assets will be invested in the securities of any one investment company; (ii) no more than 10% of the value of its total assets will be invested in the aggregate in securities of other investment companies; and (iii) no more than 3% of the outstanding voting stock of any one investment company or series thereof will be owned by a fund or by companies controlled by the fund. Such other investment companies may include ETFs which are shares of publicly traded unit investment trusts, open-end funds or depositary receipts that seek to track the performance of specific indexes or companies in related industries.

Investing in other investment companies is subject to certain risks. Although a fund may derive certain advantages from being able to invest in shares of other investment companies, such as to be fully invested, there may be potential disadvantages. Investing in other investment companies may result in higher fees and expenses for a fund and its shareholders. A shareholder may be charged fees not only on fund shares held directly but also on the investment company shares that a fund purchases.

In addition, investing in ETFs is subject to certain other risks. ETFs generally are subject to the same risks as the underlying securities the ETFs are designed to track as well as to the risks of the specific sector or industry on which the ETF relates. ETFs also are subject to the risk that their prices may not totally correlate to the prices of the underlying securities the ETFs are designed to track and the risk of possible trading halts due to market conditions or for other reasons.

 

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Under the 1940 Act and rules and regulations thereunder, a Portfolio may purchase shares of other affiliated Columbia Funds, including the Money Market Funds, subject to certain conditions. Investing in affiliated funds may present certain actual or potential conflicts of interest. For more information about such actual and potential conflicts of interest, see Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest.

Low and Below Investment Grade Securities

Low and below investment grade securities (below investment grade securities are also known as “junk bonds”) are debt securities with the lowest investment grade rating (e.g., BBB by S&P and Fitch or Baa by Moody’s), that are below investment grade (e.g., lower than BBB by S&P and Fitch or Baa by Moody’s) or that are unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. These types of securities may be issued to fund corporate transactions or restructurings, such as leveraged buyouts, mergers, acquisitions, debt reclassifications or similar events, are more speculative in nature than securities with higher ratings and tend to be more sensitive to credit risk, particularly during a downturn in the economy. These types of securities generally are issued by unseasoned companies without long track records of sales and earnings, or by companies or municipalities that have questionable credit strength. Low and below investment grade securities and comparable unrated securities: (i) likely will have some quality and protective characteristics that, in the judgment of one or more NRSROs, are outweighed by large uncertainties or major risk exposures to adverse conditions; (ii) are speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation; and (iii) may have a less liquid secondary market, potentially making it difficult to value or sell such securities. Low and below investment grade securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Portfolio Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Investing in low and below investment grade securities and comparable unrated securities is subject to certain risks. The rates of return on these types of securities generally are higher than the rates of return available on more highly rated securities, but generally involve greater volatility of price and risk of loss of principal and income, including the possibility of default by or insolvency of the issuers of such securities. Accordingly, a Portfolio may be more dependent on the Advisor’s credit analysis with respect to these types of securities than is the case for more highly rated securities.

The market values of certain low and below investment grade securities and comparable unrated securities tend to be more sensitive to individual corporate developments and changes in economic conditions than are the market value of more highly rated securities. In addition, issuers of low and below investment grade and comparable unrated securities often are highly leveraged and may not have more traditional methods of financing available to them, so that their ability to service their debt obligations during an economic downturn or during sustained periods of rising interest rates may be impaired.

The risk of loss due to default is greater for low and below investment grade and comparable unrated securities than it is for higher rated securities because low and below investment grade securities and comparable unrated securities generally are unsecured and frequently are subordinated to more senior indebtedness. A Portfolio may incur additional expenses to the extent that it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of principal or interest on its holdings of such securities. The existence of limited markets for lower-rated debt securities may diminish a Portfolio’s ability to: (i) obtain accurate market quotations for purposes of valuing such securities and calculating portfolio net asset value; and (ii) sell the securities at fair market value either to meet redemption requests or to respond to changes in the economy or in financial markets.

Many lower-rated securities are not registered for offer and sale to the public under the 1933 Act. Investments in these restricted securities may be determined to be liquid (able to be sold within seven days at approximately the price at which they are valued by a Portfolio) pursuant to policies approved by the Portfolio’s Trustees. Investments in illiquid securities, including restricted securities that have not been determined to be liquid, may not exceed 15% of a Portfolio’s net assets. A Portfolio is not otherwise subject to any limitation on its ability to invest in restricted securities. Restricted securities may be less liquid than other lower-rated securities, potentially making it difficult to value or sell such securities.

Money Market Instruments

Money market instruments are high-quality, short-term debt obligations, which include: (i) bank obligations, including certificates of deposit, time deposits and bankers’ acceptances; (ii) funding agreements; (iii) repurchase agreements; (iv) obligations of the United States, foreign countries and supranational entities, and each of their subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities; (v) certain corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper, short-term corporate obligations and extendible commercial notes; (vi) participation interests; and (vii) municipal securities. Money market instruments may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations and Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

 

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Investing in money market instruments is subject to certain risks. Money market instruments (other than certain U.S. Government obligations) are not backed or insured by the U.S. Government, its agencies or its instrumentalities. Accordingly, only the creditworthiness of an issuer, or guarantees of that issuer, supports such instruments.

Mortgage-Backed Securities

Mortgage-backed securities are a type of asset-backed security and represent interests in, or debt instruments backed by, pools of underlying mortgages. In some cases, these underlying mortgages may be insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies. Mortgage-backed securities entitle the security holders to receive distributions that are tied to the payments made on the underlying mortgage collateral (less fees paid to the originator, servicer, or other parties, and fees paid for credit enhancement), so that the payments made on the underlying mortgage collateral effectively pass through to such security holders. Mortgage-backed securities are created when mortgage originators (or mortgage loan sellers who have purchased mortgage loans from mortgage loan originators) sell the underlying mortgages to a special purpose entity in a process called a securitization. The special purpose entity issues securities that are backed by the payments on the underlying mortgage loans, and have a minimum denomination and specific term. Mortgage-backed securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Portfolio Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Mortgage-backed securities may be issued or guaranteed by GNMA (also known as Ginnie Mae), FNMA (also known as Fannie Mae), or FHLMC (also known as Freddie Mac), but also may be issued or guaranteed by other issuers, including private companies. GNMA is a government-owned corporation that is an agency of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It guarantees, with the full faith and credit of the United States, full and timely payment of all monthly principal and interest on its mortgage-backed securities. Until recently, FNMA and FHLMC were government-sponsored corporations owned entirely by private stockholders. Both issue mortgage-related securities that contain guarantees as to timely payment of interest and principal but that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. The value of the companies’ securities fell sharply in 2008 due to concerns that the firms did not have sufficient capital to offset losses. In mid-2008, the U.S. Treasury was authorized to increase the size of home loans that FNMA and FHLMC could purchase in certain residential areas and, until 2009, to lend FNMA and FHLMC emergency funds and to purchase the companies’ stock. More recently, in September 2008, the U.S. Treasury announced that FNMA and FHLMC had been placed in conservatorship by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), a newly created independent regulator. In addition to placing the companies in conservatorship, the U.S. Treasury announced three additional steps that it intended to take with respect to FNMA and FHLMC. First, the U.S. Treasury has entered into “Preferred Stock Purchase Agreements” (PSPAs) under which, if the FHFA determines that FNMA’s or FHLMC’s liabilities have exceeded its assets under generally accepted accounting principles, the U.S. Treasury will contribute cash capital to the company in an amount equal to the difference between liabilities and assets. The PSPAs are designed to provide protection to the senior and subordinated debt and the mortgage-backed securities issued by FNMA and FHLMC. Second, the U.S. Treasury established a new secured lending credit facility that is available to FNMA and FHLMC until December 2009. Third, the U.S. Treasury initiated a temporary program to purchase FNMA and FHLMC mortgage-backed securities, which is expected to continue until December 2009. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Treasury initiatives discussed above with respect to the debt and mortgage-backed securities issued by FNMA and FHLMC will be successful.

CMOs are debt obligations issued by special-purpose trusts, collateralized by underlying mortgage assets. Principal prepayments on underlying mortgage assets may cause the CMOs to be retired substantially earlier than their stated maturities or final distribution dates, resulting in a loss of all or part of the premium if any has been paid. Interest is paid or accrues on all classes of the CMOs on a periodic basis. The principal and interest payments on the underlying mortgage assets may be allocated among the various classes of CMOs in several ways. Typically, payments of principal, including any prepayments, on the underlying mortgage assets are applied to the classes in the order of their respective stated maturities or final distribution dates, so that no payment of principal is made on CMOs of a class until all CMOs of other classes having earlier stated maturities or final distribution dates have been paid in full.

REMICs are entities that own mortgages and elect REMIC status under the Code and, like CMOs, issue debt obligations collateralized by underlying mortgage assets that have characteristics similar to those issued by CMOs.

Investing in mortgage-backed securities is subject to certain risks, including, among others, prepayment, market and credit risks. Prepayment risk reflects the risk that borrowers may prepay their mortgages more quickly than expected, which may affect the security’s average maturity and rate of return. Whether or not a mortgage loan is prepaid is almost entirely controlled by the borrower. Borrowers are most likely to exercise prepayment options at the time when it is least advantageous to investors, generally prepaying mortgages as interest rates fall, and slowing payments as interest rates rise. Besides the effect of prevailing interest rates, the rate of prepayment and refinancing of mortgages also may be affected by home value appreciation, ease of the refinancing process and local economic conditions, among other factors. Market risk reflects the risk that the price of a security may fluctuate over time. The price of mortgage-backed securities can be particularly sensitive to prevailing interest rates, the length of time the security is expected to be

 

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outstanding and the liquidity of the issue. In a period of unstable interest rates, there may be decreased demand for certain types of mortgage-backed securities, which in turn may decrease their value. Credit risk reflects the risk that a holder of mortgage-backed securities may not receive all or part of its principal because the issuer, any credit enhancer and/or the underlying mortgage borrower has defaulted on its obligations. Credit risk is increased for mortgage-backed securities that are backed by mortgages to so-called subprime borrowers (who may pose a greater risk of defaulting on their loans) or that are subordinated to another security (i.e., if the holder of a mortgage-backed security is entitled to receive payments only after payment obligations to holders of the other security are satisfied). The more deeply subordinated the security, the greater the credit risk associated with the security will be. Mortgage-backed securities issued by private issuers, whether or not such obligations are subject to guarantees by the private issuer, may entail greater risk than mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by the U.S. Government. The performance of mortgage-backed securities issued by private issuers generally depends on the financial health of those institutions.

Municipal Securities

Municipal securities include debt obligations issued by governmental entities to obtain funds for various public purposes, including the construction of a wide range of public facilities, the refunding of outstanding obligations, the payment of general operating expenses, and the extension of loans to public institutions and facilities. Municipal securities can be classified into two principal categories, including “general obligation” bonds and other securities and “revenue” bonds and other securities. General obligation bonds are secured by the issuer’s full faith, credit and taxing power for the payment of principal and interest. Revenue securities are payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise tax or other specific revenue source, such as the user of the facility being financed. Municipal securities also may include “moral obligation” securities, which normally are issued by special purpose public authorities. If the issuer of moral obligation securities is unable to meet its debt service obligations from current revenues, it may draw on a reserve fund, the restoration of which is a moral commitment but not a legal obligation of the governmental entity that created the special purpose public authority. Municipal securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Portfolio Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Municipal securities may include municipal bonds, municipal notes and municipal leases. Municipal bonds are debt obligations of a governmental entity that obligate the municipality to pay the holder a specified sum of money at specified intervals and to repay the principal amount of the loan at maturity.

Municipal notes may be issued by governmental entities and other tax-exempt issuers in order to finance short-term cash needs or, occasionally, to finance construction. Most municipal notes are general obligations of the issuing entity payable from taxes or designated revenues expected to be received within the relevant fiscal period. Municipal notes generally have maturities of one year or less. Municipal notes can be subdivided into two sub-categories: (i) municipal commercial paper and (ii) municipal demand obligations.

Municipal commercial paper typically consists of very short-term unsecured negotiable promissory notes that are sold, for example, to meet seasonal working capital or interim construction financing needs of a governmental entity or agency. While these obligations are intended to be paid from general revenues or refinanced with long-term debt, they frequently are backed by letters of credit, lending agreements, note repurchase agreements or other credit facility agreements offered by banks or institutions.

Municipal demand obligations can be subdivided into two general types: variable rate demand notes and master demand obligations. Variable rate demand notes are tax-exempt municipal obligations or participation interests that provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the notes. They permit the holder to demand payment of the notes, or to demand purchase of the notes at a purchase price equal to the unpaid principal balance, plus accrued interest either directly by the issuer or by drawing on a bank letter of credit or guaranty issued with respect to such note. The issuer of the municipal obligation may have a corresponding right to prepay at its discretion the outstanding principal of the note plus accrued interest upon notice comparable to that required for the holder to demand payment. The variable rate demand notes in which a Portfolio may invest are payable, or are subject to purchase, on demand usually on notice of seven calendar days or less. The terms of the notes generally provide that interest rates are adjustable at intervals ranging from daily to six months.

Master demand obligations are tax-exempt municipal obligations that provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid and permit daily changes in the amount borrowed. The interest on such obligations is, in the opinion of counsel for the borrower, excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes (but not necessarily for alternative minimum tax purposes). Although there is no secondary market for master demand obligations, such obligations are considered by a Portfolio to be liquid because they are payable upon demand.

Municipal lease obligations are participations in privately arranged loans to state or local government borrowers. In general, such loans are unrated, in which case they will be determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality at the time of purchase to

 

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rated instruments that may be acquired by a Portfolio. Frequently, privately arranged loans have variable interest rates and may be backed by a bank letter of credit. In other cases, they may be unsecured or may be secured by assets not easily liquidated. Moreover, such loans in most cases are not backed by the taxing authority of the issuers and may have limited marketability or may be marketable only by virtue of a provision requiring repayment following demand by the lender.

Although lease obligations do not constitute general obligations of the municipal issuer to which the government’s taxing power is pledged, a lease obligation ordinarily is backed by the government’s covenant to budget for, appropriate, and make the payments due under the lease obligation. However, certain lease obligations contain “non-appropriation” clauses that provide that the government has no obligation to make lease or installment purchase payments in future years unless money is appropriated for such purpose on a periodic basis. In the case of a “non-appropriation” lease, a Portfolio’s ability to recover under the lease in the event of non-appropriation or default likely will be limited to the repossession of the leased property in the event that foreclosure proves difficult.

Tender option bonds are municipal securities having relatively long maturities and bearing interest at a fixed interest rate substantially higher than prevailing short-term tax-exempt rates that is coupled with the agreement of a third party, such as a bank, broker/dealer or other financial institution, to grant the security holders the option, at periodic intervals, to tender their securities to the institution and receive the face value thereof. The financial institution receives periodic fees equal to the difference between the municipal security’s coupon rate and the rate that would cause the security to trade at face value on the date of determination.

Investing in municipal securities is subject to certain risks. There are variations in the quality of municipal securities, both within a particular classification and between classifications, and the rates of return on municipal securities can depend on a variety of factors, including general money market conditions, the financial condition of the issuer, general conditions of the municipal bond market, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation, and the rating of the issue. The ratings of NRSROs represent their opinions as to the quality of municipal securities. It should be emphasized, however, that these ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality, and municipal securities with the same maturity, interest rate, and rating may have different rates of return while municipal securities of the same maturity and interest rate with different ratings may have the same rate of return.

The payment of principal and interest on most municipal securities purchased by a Portfolio will depend upon the ability of the issuers to meet their obligations. An issuer’s obligations under its municipal securities are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency, and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the United States Bankruptcy Code. The power or ability of an issuer to meet its obligations for the payment of interest on and principal of its municipal securities may be materially adversely affected by litigation or other conditions.

There are particular considerations and risks relevant to investing in a portfolio of a single state’s municipal securities, such as the greater risk of the concentration of portfolio holdings.

The Portfolio ordinarily purchases municipal securities whose interest, in the opinion of bond counsel, is excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes. The opinion of bond counsel may assert that such interest is not an item of tax preference for the purposes of the alternative minimum tax or is exempt from certain state or local taxes. There is no assurance that the applicable taxing authorities will agree with this opinion. In the event, for example, that the IRS determines that an issuer does not comply with the relevant tax requirements, interest payments from a security could become federally taxable, possibly retroactively to the date the security was issued. As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you may be required to file an amended tax return as a result, reporting such income as taxable.

Participation Interests

Participation interests (also called pass-through certificates or securities) represent an interest in a pool of debt obligations, such as municipal bonds or notes, that have been “packaged” by an intermediary, such as a bank or broker/dealer. Participation interests typically are issued by partnerships or trusts through which a Portfolio receives principal and interest payments that are passed through to the holder of the participation interest from the payments made on the underlying debt obligations. The purchaser of a participation interest receives an undivided interest in the underlying debt obligations. The issuers of the underlying debt obligations make interest and principal payments to the intermediary, as an initial purchaser, which are passed through to purchasers in the secondary market, such as a Portfolio. Mortgage-backed securities are a common type of participation interest. Participation interests may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Portfolio Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Loan participations also are a type of participation interest. Loan participations are interests in loans that are administered by a lending bank or agent for a syndicate of lending banks and sold by the bank or syndicate members.

Investing in participation interests is subject to certain risks. Participation interests generally are subject to the credit risk associated with the underlying borrowers. If the underlying borrower defaults, a Portfolio may be subject to delays, expenses and risks

 

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that are greater than those that would have been involved if a Portfolio had purchased a direct obligation of the borrower. A Portfolio also may be deemed a creditor of the lending bank or syndicate members and be subject to the risk that the lending bank or syndicate members may become insolvent.

Preferred Stock

Preferred stock represents units of ownership of a corporation that frequently have dividends that are set at a specified rate. Preferred stock has preference over common stock in the payment of dividends and the liquidation of assets. Preferred stock shares some of the characteristics of both debt and equity. Preferred stock ordinarily does not carry voting rights. Most preferred stock is cumulative; if dividends are passed (i.e., not paid for any reason), they accumulate and must be paid before common stock dividends. Participating preferred stock entitles its holders to share in profits above and beyond the declared dividend, along with common shareholders, as distinguished from nonparticipating preferred stock, which is limited to the stipulated dividend. Convertible preferred stock is exchangeable for a given number of shares of common stock and thus tends to be more volatile than nonconvertible preferred stock, which generally behaves more like a fixed income bond. Preferred stock may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Auction preferred stock (APS) is a type of adjustable-rate preferred stock with a dividend determined periodically in a Dutch auction process by corporate bidders. Shares typically are bought and sold at face values generally ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 per share.

In addition to reinvestment risk if interest rates fall, some specific risks with regard to APS include:

 

   

Failed auction: A breakdown in the auction process can occur; in the event that the process fails, the rate is reset at the maximum applicable rate, which is usually described in the prospectuses and typically is influenced by the issuer’s credit rating. In a failed auction, current shareholders generally are unable to sell some, or all, of the shares when the auction is completed. Typically, the liquidity for APS that have experienced a failed auction becomes very limited. If a failed auction were to occur, the shareholder generally would hold his or her shares until the next auction. Should there not be subsequent auctions that “cure” the failed process, the shareholder may: (1) hold the APS in anticipation of a refinancing by the issuer that would cause the APS to be called, or (2) hold securities either indefinitely or in anticipation of the development of a secondary market.

 

   

Early call risk: APS generally is redeemable at any time, usually upon notice, at the issuer’s option, at par plus accrued dividends.

Investing in preferred stock is subject to certain risks. For example, stock market risk is the risk that the value of such stocks, like the broader stock markets, may decline over short or even extended periods. Domestic and foreign stock markets tend to be cyclical, with periods when prices generally rise and periods when prices generally decline. The value of individual stocks will rise and decline based on factors specific to each corporation, such as changes in earnings or management.

Investing in preferred stock also may involve the risks applicable to investing in a particular company. For example, stocks of smaller companies tend to have greater price fluctuations than stocks of larger companies because, among other things, they trade less frequently and in lower volumes, are more susceptible to changes in economic conditions, are more reliant on singular products or services and are more vulnerable to larger competitors. Stocks of these companies may have a higher potential for gains but also are subject to greater risk of loss.

Investing in preferred stock also may involve the risks applicable to investing in a particular industry, such as technology, financial services, consumer goods or natural resources (e.g., oil and gas). To some extent, the prices of stocks tend to move by industry sector. When market conditions favorably affect, or are expected to favorably affect, an industry, the prices of the stocks of companies in that industry tend to rise. Conversely, negative news or a poor outlook for a particular industry can cause the value of those companies’ stock to decline.

Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities

Private placement securities are securities that have been privately placed and are not registered under the 1933 Act. They are eligible for sale only to certain eligible investors. Private placements often may offer attractive opportunities for investment not otherwise available on the open market. Private placement and other “restricted” securities often cannot be sold to the public without registration under the 1933 Act or the availability of an exemption from registration (such as Rules 144 or 144A), or they are “not readily marketable” because they are subject to other legal or contractual delays in or restrictions on resale. Asset-backed securities, common stock, convertible securities, corporate debt securities, foreign securities, low and below investment grade securities, mortgage-backed securities, municipal securities, participation interests, preferred stock and other types of equity and debt instruments may be privately placed or restricted securities.

 

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Private placements typically may be sold only to qualified institutional buyers (or, in the case of the initial sale of certain securities, such as those issued in collateralized debt obligations or collateralized loan obligations, to accredited investors (as defined in Rule 501(a) under the 1933 Act), or in a privately negotiated transaction or to a limited number of purchasers, or in limited quantities after they have been held for a specified period of time and other conditions are met pursuant to an exemption from registration.

Investing in private placement and other restricted securities is subject to certain risks. Private placements may be considered illiquid securities. Private placements typically are subject to restrictions on resale as a matter of contract or under federal securities laws. Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for such securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, a Portfolio could find it more difficult to sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so or it may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were more widely held. At times, it also may be more difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing a Portfolio’s net asset value due to the absence of a trading market.

Real Estate Investment Trusts and Master Limited Partnerships

REITs are entities that either own properties or make construction or mortgage loans and also may include operating or finance companies. An equity REIT generally holds equity positions in real estate and seeks to provide its shareholders with income from the leasing of its properties and with capital gains from any sales of properties. A mortgage REIT generally specializes in lending money to owners of properties and passes through any interest income it may earn to its shareholders.

Partnership units of real estate and other types of companies sometimes are organized as master limited partnerships in which ownership interests are publicly traded. Master limited partnerships often own several properties or businesses (or directly own interests) that are related to real estate development and the oil and gas industries, but they also may finance motion pictures, research and development and other projects.

REITs are subject to certain risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, including, for example, declines in the value of real estate, risks related to general and local economic conditions, overbuilding and increased competition, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, and variations in rental income. REITs also may be subject to interest rate risk. In general, increases in interest rates will decrease the value of high-yield securities and increase the costs of obtaining financing, which could decrease the value of a REIT’s investments. In addition, equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the REITs, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of credit extended. Both equity and mortgage REITs are dependent upon management skills. REITs also may be subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers, and the possibility of failing to qualify for preferential tax treatment under the Code, which could adversely affect dividend payments. REITs also may not be diversified.

Investing in master limited partnerships generally is subject to the risks applicable to investing in a partnership as opposed to a corporation, which may include fewer protections afforded to investors. Additional risks include those associated with the specific industries in which a master limited partnership invests, such as the risks associated with investing in the real estate or oil and gas industries.

Repurchase Agreements

Repurchase agreements are agreements under which a Fund acquires a security for a relatively short period of time subject to the obligation of a seller to repurchase and a Fund to resell such security at a fixed time and price (representing a Fund’s cost plus interest). Repurchase agreements also may be viewed as loans made by a Fund that are collateralized by the securities subject to repurchase. A Fund typically will enter into repurchase agreements only with commercial banks, registered broker/dealers and the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation. Such transactions are monitored to ensure that the value of the underlying securities will be at least equal at all times to the total amount of the repurchase obligation, including any accrued interest. Repurchase agreements generally are subject to counterparty risk.

If a counterparty defaults, a Fund could realize a loss on the sale of the underlying security to the extent that the proceeds of the sale are less than the resale price provided in the repurchase agreement including interest. In the event that a counterparty fails to perform because it is insolvent or otherwise subject to insolvency proceedings against it, a Fund’s right to take possession of the underlying securities would be subject to applicable insolvency law and procedure, including an automatic stay (which would preclude immediate enforcement of the Fund’s rights) and exemptions thereto (which would permit the Fund to take possession of the underlying securities or to void a repurchase agreement altogether). Since it is possible that an exemption from the automatic stay would not be available, a Fund might be prevented from immediately enforcing its rights against the counterparty. Accordingly, if a counterparty becomes insolvent or otherwise subject to insolvency proceedings against it, a Fund may incur delays in or be prevented from liquidating the underlying securities and could experience losses, including the possible decline in value of the underlying securities during the period in which the Fund seeks to enforce its rights thereto, possible subnormal levels of income or lack of access

 

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to income during such time, as well as the costs incurred in enforcing the Fund’s rights. For example, if a Fund enters into a repurchase agreement with a broker that becomes insolvent, it is possible for the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) to institute a liquidation proceeding in federal court against the broker counterparty which could lead to a foreclosure by SIPC of the underlying securities or SIPC may stay, or preclude, the Fund’s ability under contract to terminate the repurchase agreement.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements

Reverse repurchase agreements are agreements under which a Portfolio sells a security subject to the obligation of a buyer to resell and a Portfolio to repurchase such security at a fixed time and price. Reverse repurchase agreements also may be viewed as borrowings made by a Portfolio.

Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities a Portfolio is obligated to repurchase under the agreement may decline below the repurchase price. In the event the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, a Portfolio’s use of proceeds of the agreement may be restricted pending a determination by the other party, or its trustee or receiver, whether to enforce a Portfolio’s obligation to repurchase the securities. In addition, reverse repurchase agreements are techniques involving leverage, and are subject to asset coverage requirements. Under the requirements of the 1940 Act, a Portfolio is required to maintain an asset coverage (including the proceeds of the borrowings) of at least 300% of all borrowings.

Standby Commitments

Standby commitments are securities under which a purchaser, usually a bank or broker/dealer, agrees to purchase, for a fee, an amount of a Portfolio’s municipal obligations. The amount payable by a bank or broker/dealer to purchase securities subject to a standby commitment typically will be substantially the same as the value of the underlying municipal securities. A Portfolio may pay for standby commitments either separately in cash or by paying a higher price for portfolio securities that are acquired subject to such a commitment.

Using standby commitments is subject to certain risks. Standby commitments are subject to the risk that a counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to purchase securities subject to a standby commitment.

Stripped Securities

Stripped securities are securities that evidence ownership in either the future interest or principal payments on an instrument. There are many different types and variations of stripped securities. For example, Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal Securities (STRIPS) can be component parts of a U.S. Treasury security where the principal and interest components are traded independently through DTC, a clearing agency registered pursuant to Section 17A of the 1934 Act and created to hold securities for its participants, and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions between participants through electronic computerized book-entries, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates. Treasury Investor Growth Receipts (TIGERS) are U.S. Treasury securities stripped by brokers. Stripped mortgage-backed securities, or SMBS, also can be issued by the U.S. Government or its agencies. Stripped securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations for more information.

SMBS usually are structured with two or more classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions from a pool of mortgage-backed assets. Common types of SMBS will be structured so that one class receives some of the interest and most of the principal from the mortgage-backed assets, while another class receives most of the interest and the remainder of the principal.

Investing in stripped securities is subject to certain risks. If the underlying obligations experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, a Portfolio may fail fully to recoup its initial investment in such securities. The market value of the class consisting primarily or entirely of principal payments can be especially volatile in response to changes in interest rates. The rates of return on a class of SMBS that receives all or most of the interest are generally higher than prevailing market rates of return on other mortgage-backed obligations because their cash flow patterns also are volatile and there is a greater risk that the initial investment will not be recouped fully.

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPs)

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) are U.S. Treasury securities that are designed to provide some degree of protection against inflation. The interest rate paid on TIPS is fixed while the principal value of TIPS rises or falls semi-annually based on changes in the Consumer Price All Urban Non-Seasonally Adjusted Index (CPI), which is calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. TIPS will pay interest on a semi-annual basis, equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted principal amount. If inflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS are adjusted upward to protect investors from inflationary loss. If deflation occurs, the principal and interest payments on TIPS will be adjusted downward. TIPS are redeemable for the greater of either their inflation-adjusted principal amount or their face value.

 

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TIPS are subject to various risks. Although the principal and interest payments on TIPS are adjusted in order to reflect the rates of inflation or deflation as measured by the CPI, there can be no assurance that the CPI will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. In addition, the current market value of TIPS is not guaranteed and will fluctuate. As such, there is a risk that TIPS could be sold at a loss of principal. To the extent that inflation is low, other types of fixed income securities may provide relatively better returns than those provided by TIPS. TIPS generally sacrifice some yield as a tradeoff for the inflation protection and the inflation adjustment is federally taxable annually although not paid out until maturity.

U.S. Government and Related Obligations

U.S. Government obligations include U.S. Treasury obligations and securities issued or guaranteed by various agencies of the U.S. Government or by various instrumentalities which have been established or sponsored by the U.S. Government. U.S. Treasury obligations and securities issued or guaranteed by various agencies of the U.S. Government differ in their interest rates, maturities and time of issuance, as well as with respect to whether they are guaranteed by the U.S. Government. U.S. Government and related obligations may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations for more information.

Investing in U.S. Government and related obligations is subject to certain risks. While U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government, securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. These securities may be supported by the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or only by the credit of the issuing agency or instrumentality and, as a result, may be subject to greater credit risk than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury. Obligations of U.S. Government agencies, authorities, instrumentalities and sponsored enterprises historically have involved limited risk of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, no assurance can be given that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to any of these entities if it is not obligated to do so by law.

Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations

Variable- and floating-rate obligations provide for periodic adjustments in the interest rate and, under certain circumstances, varying principal amounts. Unlike a fixed interest rate, a variable, or floating, rate is one that rises and declines based on the movement of an underlying index of interest rates and may pay interest at rates that are adjusted periodically according to a specified formula. Asset-backed securities, bank obligations, convertible securities, corporate debt securities, foreign securities, low and below investment grade securities, mortgage-backed securities, municipal securities, participation interests, stripped securities, U.S. Government and related obligations and other types of debt instruments may be structured as variable- and floating-rate obligations.

Investing in variable- and floating-rate obligations is subject to certain risks. Variable- and floating-rate obligations may involve direct lending arrangements between the purchaser and the issuer and there may be no active secondary market, making it difficult to resell such obligations to a third party. Variable- and floating-rate obligations also may be subject to interest rate and credit risks. Changes in interest rates can affect the rate of return on such obligations. If an issuer of a variable- or floating-rate obligation defaults, a Portfolio could sustain a loss to the extent of such default.

Warrants and Rights

Warrants and rights are types of securities that give a holder a right to purchase shares of common stock. Warrants usually are issued together with a bond or preferred stock and entitle a holder to purchase a specified amount of common stock at a specified price typically for a period of years. Rights usually have a specified purchase price that is lower than the current market price and entitle a holder to purchase a specified amount of common stock typically for a period of only weeks. Warrants may be used to enhance the marketability of a bond or preferred stock.

Warrants and rights may be subject to the risk that the securities could lose value. There also is the risk that the potential exercise price may exceed the market price of the warrants or rights, such as when there is no movement in the market price or the market price of such securities declines.

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

When-issued, delayed delivery and forward commitment transactions involve the purchase or sale of securities by a Portfolio, with payment and delivery taking place in the future. When engaging in when-issued, delayed delivery and forward commitment transactions, a Portfolio typically will hold cash or liquid securities in a segregated account in an amount equal to or greater than the purchase price. The payment obligation and, if applicable, the interest rate that will be received on the securities, are fixed at the time that a Portfolio agrees to purchase the securities. A Portfolio generally will enter into when-issued, delayed delivery and forward commitment transactions only with the intention of completing such transactions. However, the Advisor may determine not to complete a transaction if it deems it appropriate. In such cases, a Portfolio may realize short-term gains or losses.

 

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When-issued, delayed delivery and forward commitment transactions involve the risks that the securities purchased may fall in value by the time they actually are issued or that the other party may fail to honor the contract terms. A Portfolio that invests in delayed delivery securities may rely on a third party to complete the transaction. Failure by a third party to deliver a security purchased on a delayed delivery basis may result in a financial loss to a Portfolio or the loss of an opportunity to make an alternative investment.

Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities

Zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities are types of debt instruments that do not necessarily make payments of interest in fixed amounts or at fixed intervals. Asset-backed securities, convertible securities, corporate debt securities, foreign securities, low and below investment grade securities, mortgage-backed securities, municipal securities, participation interests, stripped securities, U.S. Government and related obligations and other types of debt instruments may be structured as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities.

Zero-coupon securities do not pay interest on a current basis but instead accrue interest over the life of the security. These securities include, among others, zero-coupon bonds, which either may be issued at a discount by a corporation or government entity or may be created by a brokerage firm when it strips the coupons from a bond or note and then sells the bond or note and the coupon separately. This technique is used frequently with U.S. Treasury bonds, and zero-coupon securities are marketed under such names as CATS (Certificate of Accrual on Treasury Securities), TIGERs (Treasury Investor Growth Receipts) or STRIPS (Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities). Zero-coupon bonds also are issued by municipalities. Buying a municipal zero-coupon bond frees its purchaser of the obligation to pay regular federal income tax on imputed interest, since the interest is exempt for regular federal income tax purposes. Zero-coupon certificates of deposit and zero-coupon mortgages are generally structured in the same fashion as zero-coupon bonds; the certificate of deposit holder or mortgage holder receives face value at maturity and no payments until then.

Pay-in-kind securities normally give the issuer an option to pay cash at a coupon payment date or to give the holder of the security a similar security with the same coupon rate and a face value equal to the amount of the coupon payment that would have been made.

Step-coupon securities trade at a discount from their face value and pay coupon interest. The coupon rate is paid according to a schedule for a series of periods, typically lower for an initial period and then increasing to a higher coupon rate thereafter. The discount from the face amount or par value depends on the time remaining until cash payments begin, prevailing interest rates, liquidity of the security and the perceived credit quality of the issue.

Zero-coupon, step-coupon and pay-in-kind securities holders generally have substantially all the rights and privileges of holders of the underlying coupon obligations or principal obligations. Holders of these securities have the right upon default on the underlying coupon obligations or principal obligations to proceed directly and individually against the issuer and are not required to act in concert with other holders of such securities.

Investing in zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities is subject to certain risks, including that market prices of zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities generally are more volatile than the prices of securities that pay interest periodically and in cash, and are likely to respond to changes in interest rates to a greater degree than other types of debt securities.

Because zero-coupon securities bear no interest, they are volatile. Since zero-coupon bondholders do not receive interest payments, zero-coupon securities fall more dramatically than bonds paying interest on a current basis when interest rates rise. However, when interest rates fall, zero-coupon securities rise more rapidly in value than interest paying bonds.

Borrowings

Each Portfolio has a fundamental policy with respect to borrowing that can be found under the heading About the Portfolios’ Investments – Fundamental and Non-Fundamental Investment Policies. Specifically, each Portfolio may not borrow money or issue senior securities except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief obtained by the Portfolios. In general, pursuant to the 1940 Act, a Portfolio may borrow money only from banks in an amount not exceeding 33  1/3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) less liabilities (other than borrowings). Any borrowings that come to exceed this amount must be reduced within three days (not including Sundays and holidays) to the extent necessary to comply with the 33  1/3% limitation.

The Portfolios participate in a committed line of credit (Line of Credit). Any advance under the Line of Credit is contemplated primarily for temporary or emergency purposes, including the meeting of redemption requests that otherwise might require the untimely sale of portfolio securities.

 

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Pursuant to an exemptive order from the SEC, a Portfolio may, subject to certain conditions, borrow money from other funds in the Columbia Funds Family for temporary emergency purposes in order to facilitate redemption requests, or for other purposes consistent with Portfolio investment policies and restrictions. All loans are set at an interest rate between the rates charged on overnight repurchase agreements and short-term bank loans.

Short Sales

A Portfolio will sometimes sell securities short when it owns an equal amount of such securities as those securities sold short. This is a technique known as selling short “against the box.” If a Portfolio makes a short sale “against the box,” it would not immediately deliver the securities sold and would not receive the proceeds from the sale. The seller is said to have a short position in the securities sold until it delivers the securities sold, at which time it receives the proceeds of the sale. To secure its obligation to deliver securities sold short, a Portfolio will deposit in escrow in a separate account with the custodian an equal amount of the securities sold short or securities convertible into or exchangeable for such securities. A Portfolio can close out its short position by purchasing and delivering an equal amount of the securities sold short, rather than by delivering securities already held by a Portfolio, because a Portfolio might want to continue to receive interest and dividend payments on securities in its portfolio that are convertible into the securities sold short.

Short sales “against the box” entail many of the same risks and considerations described above regarding short sales not “against the box.” However, when a Portfolio sells short “against the box” it typically limits the amount of securities that it has leveraged. A Portfolio’s decision to make a short sale “against the box” may be a technique to hedge against market risks when the Advisor believes that the price of a security may decline, causing a decline in the value of a security owned by a Portfolio or a security convertible into or exchangeable for such security. In such case, any future losses in a Portfolio’s long position would be reduced by a gain in the short position. The extent to which such gains or losses in the long position are reduced will depend upon the amount of securities sold short relative to the amount of the securities a Portfolio owns, either directly or indirectly, and, in the case where a Portfolio owns convertible securities, changes in the investment values or conversion premiums of such securities. Short sales may have adverse tax consequences to a Portfolio and its shareholders.

Subject to its fundamental and non-fundamental investment policies, a Portfolio may engage in short sales that are not “against the box,” which are sales by a Portfolio of securities or commodity futures contracts that it does not own in hopes of purchasing the same security at a later date at a lower price. The technique is also used to protect a profit in a long-term position in a security or commodity futures contract. To make delivery to the buyer, a Portfolio must borrow or purchase the security. If borrowed, a Portfolio is then obligated to replace the security borrowed from the third party, so a Portfolio must purchase the security at the market price at a later time. If the price of the security has increased during this time, then a Portfolio will incur a loss equal to the increase in price of the security from the time of the short sale plus any premiums and interest paid to the third party. (Until the security is replaced, a Portfolio is required to pay to the lender amounts equal to any dividends or interest which accrue during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, a Portfolio also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. The proceeds of the short sale will be retained by the broker, to the extent necessary to meet the margin requirements, until the short position is closed out.)

Short sales by a Portfolio that are not made “against the box” create opportunities to increase a Portfolio’s return but, at the same time, involve specific risk considerations and may be considered a speculative technique. Because a Portfolio in effect profits from a decline in the price of the securities sold short without the need to invest the full purchase price of the securities on the date of the short sale, a Portfolio’s NAV per share tends to increase more when the securities it has sold short decrease in value, and to decrease more when the securities it has sold short increase in value, than if it had not engaged in such short sales. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of any premium, dividends or interest a Portfolio may be required to pay in connection with the short sale. Short sales could potentially involve unlimited loss, as the market price of securities sold short may continually increase, although a Portfolio can mitigate any such losses by replacing the securities sold short. Under adverse market conditions, a Portfolio might have difficulty purchasing securities to meet its short sale delivery obligations, and might have to sell portfolio securities to raise the capital necessary to meet its short sale obligations at a time when fundamental investment considerations would not favor such sales. There is also the risk that the third party to the short sale may fail to honor its contract terms, causing a loss to a Portfolio.

A Portfolio’s successful use of short sales also will be subject to the ability of the Advisor to predict movements in the directions of the relevant market. A Portfolio therefore bears the risk that the Advisor will incorrectly predict future price directions. In addition, if a Portfolio sells a security short, and that security’s price goes up, a Portfolio will have to make up the margin on its open position (i.e., purchase more securities on the market to cover the position). It may be unable to do so and thus its position may not be closed out. There can be no assurance that a Portfolio will not incur significant losses in such a case.

In the view of the SEC, a short sale involves the creation of a “senior security” as such term is defined in the 1940 Act, unless the sale is “against the box” and the securities sold short are placed in a segregated account (not with the broker), or unless a Portfolio’s obligation to deliver the securities sold short is “covered” by placing in a segregated account (not with the broker) cash,

 

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U.S. Government securities or other liquid debt or equity securities in an amount equal to the difference between the market value of the securities sold short at the time of the short sale and any such collateral required to be deposited with a broker in connection with the sale (not including the proceeds from the short sale), which difference is adjusted daily for changes in the value of the securities sold short. The total value of the cash, U.S. Government securities or other liquid debt or equity securities deposited with the broker and otherwise segregated may not at any time be less than the market value of the securities sold short at the time of the short sale.

Lending Securities

Securities lending refers to the lending of a Portfolio’s portfolio securities. Subject to its investment policies described above and in the prospectuses, a Portfolio may make secured loans of its portfolio securities to broker/dealers and other institutional investors. Securities loans by a Portfolio are made pursuant to agreements that require that loans be secured continuously by collateral in cash. A Portfolio retains all or a portion of the income received on investment of cash collateral. A borrower will pay to a Portfolio an amount equal to any dividends or interest received on securities loaned, but the borrower typically will receive a portion of the income earned on investments of cash collateral. Although voting rights, or rights to consent, with respect to loaned securities pass to a borrower, a Portfolio retains the right to call the loans at any time on reasonable notice, and may do so in order to vote upon matters affecting, or to sell, the loaned securities.

A Portfolio typically invests the cash collateral it receives in connection with its securities lending program directly or indirectly in high quality, short-term investments. A Portfolio may invest some or all of such cash collateral in one or more pooled investment vehicles, including, among other vehicles, money market funds managed by a Portfolio’s securities lending agent or its affiliates. The securities lending agent shares in any income resulting from the investment of such cash collateral, and an affiliate of the securities lending agent receives asset-based fees for the management of such pooled investment vehicles, which may create a conflict of interest between the securities lending agent (or its affiliate) and a Portfolio with respect to the management of such cash collateral.

Engaging in securities lending is subject to certain risks, including counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty to a transaction could default. There also is a risk of possible delay in the recovery of loaned securities or possible loss of rights in the collateral if a borrower fails financially.

Portfolio Turnover

A change in the securities held by a Portfolio is known as “portfolio turnover.” High portfolio turnover (e.g., over 100%) involves correspondingly greater expenses to the Portfolio, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Such sales may also result in adverse tax consequences to a Portfolio’s shareholders. The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance.

For each Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate, see the Financial Highlights section in the prospectuses for that Portfolio.

Disclosure of Portfolio Information

The Board has adopted policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Columbia Funds’ portfolio holdings. These policies and procedures are designed to ensure that disclosure of information regarding the Columbia Funds’ portfolio securities is in the best interests of Columbia Fund shareholders and to address conflicts between the interests of Columbia Fund shareholders, on the one hand, and those of the Advisor, the Distributor or any affiliated person of a Columbia Fund, on the other. These policies and procedures provide that Columbia Funds portfolio holdings information generally may not be disclosed to any party prior to the earlier of: (i) the business day next following the posting of such information on the Columbia Funds’ website, if applicable, or (ii) the time a Columbia Fund discloses the information in a publicly available SEC filing required to include such information. Certain limited exceptions that have been approved consistent with the policies and procedures are described below. The Board is updated as needed regarding compliance with these policies and procedures. The policies and procedures prohibit the Advisor and the Columbia Funds’ other service providers from entering into any agreement to disclose Columbia Fund portfolio holdings information in exchange for any form of consideration. These policies and procedures apply to all categories of Columbia Funds and include some variations tailored to the different categories of Columbia Funds. Accordingly, some of the provisions described below do not apply to the Columbia Fund(s) covered by this SAI. The Advisor also has adopted policies and procedures to monitor for compliance with these portfolio holdings disclosure policies and procedures.

Public Disclosures

The Columbia Funds’ portfolio holdings are currently disclosed to the public through required filings with the SEC and on the Columbia Funds’ website. This information is available on the Columbia Funds’ website as described below.

 

   

For equity, convertible, balanced and asset allocation Columbia Funds, other than small cap and specialty Columbia Funds, a complete list of portfolio holdings as of a month-end is posted approximately 15 calendar days after such month-end.

 

   

For small cap and specialty Columbia Funds and those Columbia Funds that are sub-advised by Marsico Capital Management, LLC, a sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds, a complete list of portfolio holdings as of a month-end is posted approximately 30 calendar days after such month-end.

 

   

For fixed income Columbia Funds, a complete list of portfolio holdings as of a fiscal quarter-end is posted approximately 60 calendar days after such quarter-end.

 

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For Columbia Money Market Funds, a complete list of portfolio holdings as of a month-end is posted approximately 5 business days after such month-end.

Certain Columbia Funds also disclose their largest holdings, as a percent of the market values of the Columbia Funds’ portfolios, as of a month-end on their website, generally within 15 calendar days after such month-end. In general, the equity Columbia Funds post their largest 10-15 holdings, the balanced Columbia Funds post their largest 5 equity holdings, and certain fixed income Columbia Funds post their largest 5-15 holdings (by security or issuer).

The Columbia Funds may also disclose more current portfolio holdings information as of specified dates on the Columbia Funds’ website.

The scope of the information that is made available on the Columbia Funds’ website pursuant to the Columbia Funds’ policies relating to a Columbia Fund’s portfolio may change from time to time without prior notice.

The Columbia Funds file their portfolio holdings with the SEC for each fiscal quarter on Form N-CSR (with respect to each annual period and semi-annual period) and Form N-Q (with respect to the first and third quarters of each Columbia Fund’s fiscal year). Shareholders may obtain each Columbia Fund’s Form N-CSR and N-Q filings on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, a link to which is provided on the Columbia Funds’ website. In addition, each Columbia Fund’s Form N-CSR and N-Q filings may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s public reference room in Washington, D.C. You may call the SEC at 800.SEC.0330 for information about the SEC’s website or the operation of the public reference room.

With respect to variable insurance trusts in the Columbia Funds Family, holdings information is disclosed no earlier than the time such information is filed in a publicly available SEC filing required to include such information.

The Columbia Funds, the Advisor and their affiliates may include portfolio holdings information that already has been made public through a website posting or SEC filing in marketing literature and other communications to shareholders, advisors or other parties, provided that the information is disclosed no earlier than the business day after the date the information is disclosed publicly on the Columbia Funds’ website or no earlier than the time a Columbia Fund files such information in a publicly available SEC filing required to include such information.

Other Disclosures

The Columbia Funds’ policies and procedures provide that no disclosures of the Columbia Funds’ portfolio holdings may be made prior to the portfolio holdings information being made public unless (i) the Columbia Funds have a legitimate business purpose for making such disclosure, (ii) the Columbia Funds’ President authorizes such non-public disclosure of information, and (iii) the party receiving the non-public information enters into an appropriate confidentiality agreement or is otherwise subject to a confidentiality obligation.

In determining the existence of a legitimate business purpose for making portfolio disclosures, the following factors, among others, are considered: (i) any prior disclosure must be consistent with the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws and the fiduciary duties of the Advisor; (ii) any conflicts of interest between the interests of Columbia Fund shareholders, on the one hand, and those of the Advisor, the Distributor or any affiliated person of a Columbia Fund, on the other; and (iii) any prior disclosure to a third party, although subject to a confidentiality agreement, would not make conduct lawful that otherwise is unlawful.

In addition, the Columbia Funds periodically disclose their portfolio information on a confidential basis to various service providers that require such information to assist the Columbia Funds with their day-to-day business affairs. In addition to the Advisor and its affiliates, these service providers include each Columbia Fund’s sub-advisor(s) (if any), the Columbia Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm, legal counsel, financial printers, proxy solicitor and proxy voting service provider, as well as ratings agencies that maintain ratings on certain Columbia Funds. These service providers are required to keep such information confidential, and are prohibited from trading based on the information or otherwise using the information except as necessary in providing services to the Columbia Funds. The Columbia Funds also may disclose portfolio holdings information to broker/dealers and certain other entities in connection with potential transactions and management of the Columbia Funds, provided that reasonable precautions, including limitations on the scope of the portfolio holdings information disclosed, are taken to avoid any potential misuse of the disclosed information.

The Columbia Funds currently have ongoing arrangements with certain approved recipients with respect to the disclosure of portfolio holdings information prior to such information being made public. Portfolio holdings information disclosed to such recipients is current as of the time of its disclosure, is disclosed to each recipient solely for purposes consistent with the services described below and has been authorized by the Columbia Funds’ President. These special arrangements are described in the table below.

 

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Ongoing Portfolio Holdings Disclosure Arrangements

 

IDENTITY OF RECIPIENT

  

COMPENSATION/
CONSIDERATION
RECEIVED

  

CONDITIONS/RESTRICTIONS
ON USE OF INFORMATION

  

FREQUENCY OF
DISCLOSURE

Standard & Poor’s    None    Use to maintain ratings for certain Money Market Funds.   

Weekly

InvestorTools, Inc.    None    Access granted solely for the purpose of testing back office conversion of trading systems.   

Real time

ING Insurance Company    None    Access granted for specific Columbia Funds for ING’s creation of client/shareholder materials. ING may not distribute materials until the holdings information is made public.   

Quarterly

Glass-Lewis & Co.    None    Access in connection with testing the firm’s proxy services.   

Daily

CMS Bondedge    None    Access when assisting in resolving technical difficulties with application used by the Advisor’s Fixed Income Portfolio Management team as an analytical and trading tool.   

Ad hoc

Linedata Services, Inc.    None    Access when assisting in resolving technical difficulties with the software for the LongView Trade Order Management System.    Ad hoc
JP Morgan    None    Access to provide the Advisor’s High Yield portfolio management team with peer group analysis reports for purposes of analyzing the portfolio.    Monthly
Malaspina Communications    None    Use to facilitate writing, publishing and mailing Columbia Fund shareholder reports and communications including shareholder letter and management’s discussion of Columbia Fund performance.    Quarterly

 

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Evare LLP    None    Use for standardizing and reformatting data according to the Advisor’s specifications for use in the reconciliation process.   

Daily

FactSet Research Systems, Inc.    None    Use for provision of quantitative analytics, charting and fundamental data to the Advisor, and Marsico Capital Management, LLC, sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds.   

Daily

RR Donnelley/WE Andrews    None    Access as printers for the Columbia Funds’ prospectuses, supplements, SAIs, fact sheets and brochures.   

Monthly

Merrill Corporation    None    Use to provide fulfillment of the Columbia Funds’ prospectuses, supplements, SAIs and sales materials.   

Monthly

Citigroup    None    Access when assisting in resolving technical difficulties with Yield Book, an analytic software program that the Advisor uses to perform ongoing risk analysis and management of certain fixed income Columbia Funds and fixed income separately managed accounts.   

Daily

Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS)    None    Proxy voting administration and research on proxy matters utilized by MacKay Shields LLC, sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds.   

Daily

Cogent Consulting LLC    None    Utilized by Marsico Capital Management, LLC, sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds, to facilitate the evaluation of commission rates and to provide flexible commission reporting.    Daily

 

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Moody’s    None    Ongoing portfolio surveillance for ratings they maintain on the Money Market Funds.   

Monthly

Kynex    None    Use to provide portfolio attribution reports.    Daily
Bowne & Co.    None    Use for printing of the following materials: prospectuses, supplements and SAIs.    Monthly/quarterly
Bloomberg    None    Use for portfolio analytics.   

Daily

Barclays Point    None    Use for analytics including risk and attribution assessment.   

Daily

ADP    None    Proxy voting and research utilized by Marsico Capital Management, LLC, sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds.   

Daily

Investment Technology Group, Inc. (ITG, formerly known as Macgregor)    None    Order management system utilized by Marsico Capital Management, LLC, sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds that stores trading data and is used for trading and compliance purposes.    Ad hoc
Advent/AXP    None    Portfolio accounting system utilized by Marsico Capital Management, LLC, sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds, for both portfolio accounting and internal recordkeeping purposes.    Ad hoc
Investment Technology Group, Inc. (ITG, formerly known as Plexus Group)    None    Evaluation and assessment of trading activity, execution and practices by the Advisor.    Five days after quarter-end
Checkfree    None    To facilitate the investment management of bank client accounts.    Daily
BANA and State Street    None    Credit analysis performed by lenders.    Ad hoc
State Street    None    Use to provide custodian services.    Real time
Lipper    None    Use to create metrics for board and executive management reporting, product and marketing analysis, and fund performance.    Daily
Morningstar, Inc.    None    Use for independent research and ranking of Columbia Funds.    Daily

 

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INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND OTHER SERVICES

The Advisor and Investment Advisory Services

The Advisor (which is also the Administrator) has been a registered investment advisor since 1995. The Advisor is a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbia Management Group, LLC, which is the primary investment division of Bank of America. The Advisor and Columbia Management Group, LLC are located at 100 Federal Street, Boston MA 02110.

Services Provided

Pursuant to the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Advisor is responsible for the overall management and supervision of the investment management of each Portfolio. The Advisor performs its duties subject at all times to the control of the Board and in conformity with the stated policies of each Portfolio. In rendering investment advisory services, the Advisor may use the portfolio management and research resources of Columbia Management Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of the Advisor. Columbia Management Pte. Ltd. is not registered with the SEC as an investment advisor under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Columbia Management Pte. Ltd. has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Advisor pursuant to which Columbia Management Pte. Ltd. is considered a “participating affiliate” of the Advisor as that term is used in relief granted by the staff of the SEC allowing U.S. registered investment advisors to use portfolio management or research resources of advisory affiliates subject to the supervision of a registered investment advisor. Investment professionals from Columbia Management Pte. Ltd. may render portfolio management or research services to clients of the Advisor, including the Portfolios, under the MOU, and are subject to supervision by the Advisor.

The Investment Advisory Agreement generally provides that in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence or reckless disregard of the Advisor’s obligations or duties thereunder, the Advisor shall not be subject to liability to the Trust or to a Portfolio for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services thereunder.

The Investment Advisory Agreement became effective with respect to each Portfolio after approval by the Board, and after an initial two year period, continues from year to year, provided that such continuation of the Investment Advisory Agreement is specifically approved at least annually by the Board, including its Independent Trustees. The Investment Advisory Agreement terminates automatically in the event of its assignment, and is terminable with respect to a Portfolio at any time without penalty by the Trust (by vote of the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio) on at least 60 days’ notice or by the Advisor on at least 60 days’ written notice.

The Advisor pays all salaries of officers of the Trust, except for the Chief Compliance Officer, a portion of whose salary is paid by the Columbia Funds. The Trust pays all expenses not assumed by the Advisor including, but not limited to, auditing, legal, custodial, shareholder servicing and shareholder reporting expenses. The Trust pays the cost of printing and mailing Portfolio prospectuses to shareholders. The Distributor pays the cost of printing and distributing all other prospectuses.

Advisory Fee Rates and Fees Paid

The Portfolios pay the Advisor an annual fee for its investment advisory services, as set forth in the Investment Advisory Agreement, and as shown in the section entitled Fees and Expenses – Annual Fund Operating Expenses in each Portfolio’s prospectuses. The fee is calculated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of each Portfolio and is paid monthly. The Advisor also may pay amounts from its own assets to the Distributor and/or to selling and/or servicing agents for services they provide.

The Advisor received fees from the Portfolios for its services as reflected in the following chart, which shows the advisory fees paid to the Advisor and the advisory fees waived/reimbursed by the Advisor, where applicable, for the three most recently completed fiscal years.

Advisory Fees Paid by the Portfolios

 

Portfolio

   Fiscal Year
Ended
March 31,
2009
   Fiscal Year
Ended
March 31,
2008
   Fiscal Year
Ended
March 31,
2007

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

        

Advisory Fee Paid

   $ 1,008,735    $ 1,849,265    $ 1,549,618

Amount Waived by the Advisor

     —        —        —  

Amount Reimbursed by the Advisor

     —        —        —  

 

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Advisory Fees Paid by the Portfolios

 

Portfolio

   Fiscal Year
Ended
March 31,
2009
   Fiscal Year
Ended
March 31,
2008
   Fiscal Year
Ended
March 31,
2007

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

        

Advisory Fee Paid

   $ 1,479,159    $ 2,458,096    $ 2,318,180

Amount Waived by the Advisor

     —        —        —  

Amount Reimbursed by the Advisor

     —        —        —  

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

        

Advisory Fee Paid

   $ 362,391    $ 528,855    $ 530,287

Amount Waived by the Advisor

     —        —        —  

Amount Reimbursed by the Advisor

     —        —        —  

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

        

Advisory Fee Paid

   $ 16,419    $ 18,539    $ 19,142

Amount Waived by the Advisor

   $ 3,284    $ 3,708    $ 3,389

Amount Reimbursed by the Advisor

   $ 88,426    $ 127,894    $ 139,832

Portfolio Manager(s)

The following provides additional information about the portfolio manager(s) of the Advisor who are responsible for making the day-to-day investment decisions for the Portfolios. As described in the Management of the Portfolio – Primary Service Providers section of each Portfolio’s prospectuses, the portfolio manager(s) of the Advisor who are responsible for the Portfolios are:

Portfolio Manager(s) of the Advisor

 

Portfolio Manager

 

Portfolio

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD  

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

Colin Moore  

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

Kent M. Peterson, PhD  

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

Marie M. Schofield  

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

Compensation

As of the Portfolios’ most recent fiscal year end, the Advisor’s portfolio managers received all of their compensation from the Advisor and its parent company, Columbia Management Group, LLC, in the form of salary, bonus, stock options, restricted stock, and notional investments through an incentive plan, the value of which is measured by reference to the performance of the Columbia Funds in which the account is invested. A portfolio manager’s bonus is variable and generally is based on (1) an evaluation of the portfolio manager’s investment performance and (2) the results of a peer and/or management review of the portfolio manager, which takes into account skills and attributes such as team participation, investment process, communication and professionalism. In evaluating investment performance, the Advisor generally considers the one, three and five year performance of mutual funds and other accounts managed by the portfolio manager relative to the benchmarks and peer groups noted below, emphasizing the portfolio manager’s three and five year performance. The Advisor also may consider a portfolio manager’s performance in managing client assets in sectors and industries assigned to the portfolio manager as part of his/her investment team responsibilities, where applicable. For portfolio managers who also have group management responsibilities, another factor in their evaluation is an assessment of the group’s overall investment performance.

 

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Performance Benchmarks

 

Portfolio Manager

 

Primary Benchmark(s)

 

Peer Group(s)

(Lipper Fund Classification )

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD

Colin Moore

Kent M. Peterson, PhD

Marie M. Schofield

 

S&P 500 Index (LifeGoal® Growth

Portfolio, LifeGoal® Balanced

Growth Portfolio, LifeGoal®

Income and Growth Portfolio)

 

Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate

Bond Index (LifeGoal® Balanced

Growth Portfolio, LifeGoal ®

Income and Growth Portfolio)

 

Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate

1-3 Years Index (LifeGoal® Income

Portfolio)

 

Blended: 80% Barclays Capital

U.S. Aggregate 1-3 Years

Index/20% Barclays Capital U.S.

Corporate High-Yield Bond Index

(LifeGoal® Income Portfolio)

 

Lipper Large Cap Core Funds Classification

(LifeGoal ® Growth Portfolio)

 

Lipper Mixed-Asset Target Allocation

Growth Funds Classification

(LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio)

 

Lipper Mixed-Asset Target Allocation

Conservative Funds Classification

(LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio)

 

Lipper Mixed-Asset Target Allocation

Conservative Funds Classification

(LifeGoal® Income Portfolio)

The size of the overall bonus pool each year is determined by Columbia Management Group, LLC and depends on, among other factors, the levels of compensation generally in the investment management industry (based on market compensation data) and the Advisor’s profitability for the year, which is largely determined by assets under management.

Other Accounts

The following table shows the number and assets of other investment accounts (or portions of investment accounts) that the portfolio manager(s) of the Advisor managed, as of March 31, 2009.

Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Manager(s)

 

Portfolio Manager

   Other SEC-registered
open-end

and closed-end funds
   Other pooled
investment vehicles
   Other accounts
     Number of
accounts
   Assets    Number of
accounts
   Assets    Number of
accounts
   Assets

Anwiti Bahuguna, Ph.D.(a)

   18    $
 
1,489.6
million
   26    $
 
1,561.8
million
   22    $

 

235.2

million

Anwiti Bahuguna, Ph.D.(b)

   18    $
 
1,322.7
million
   26    $
 
1,561.8
million
   22    $

 

235.2

million

Anwiti Bahuguna, Ph.D.(c)

   18    $
 
1,644.6
million
   26    $
 
1,561.8
million
   22    $

 

235.2

million

Anwiti Bahuguna, Ph.D.(d)

   18    $
 
1,766.6
million
   26    $
 
1,561.8
million
   22    $
 
235.2
million

Colin Moore(a)

   19    $
 
1.52
billion
   26    $
 
1.6
billion
   17    $
 
23.5
million

Colin Moore(b)

   19    $
 
1.36
billion
   26    $
 
1.6
billion
   17    $
 
23.5
million

Colin Moore(c)

   19    $
 
1.68
billion
   26    $
 
1.6
billion
   17    $
 
23.5
million

Colin Moore(d)

   19    $
 
1.52
billion
   26    $
 
1.6
billion
   17    $
 
23.5
million

Kent M. Peterson, Ph.D.(a)

   18    $
 
1,489.6
million
   26    $
 
1,561.8
million
   22    $
 
235.38
million

Kent M. Peterson, Ph.D.(b)

   18    $
 
1,322.7
million
   26    $
 
1,561.8
million
   22    $
 
235.38
million

Kent M. Peterson, Ph.D.(c)

   18    $
 
1,644.6
million
   26    $
 
1,561.8
million
   22    $
 
235.38
million

Kent M. Peterson, Ph.D.(d)

   18    $
 
1,766.6
million
   26    $
 
1,561.8
million
   22    $
 
235.38
million

Marie M. Schofield(a)

   18    $
 
1,489.6
million
   26    $
 
1,561.8
million
   29    $
 
1,701.8
million

Marie M. Schofield(b)

   18    $
 
1,322.7
million
   26    $
 
1,561.8
million
   29    $
 
1,701.8
million

Marie M. Schofield(c)

   18    $
 
1,644.6
million
   26    $
 
1,561.8
million
   29    $
 
1,701.8
million

Marie M. Schofield(d)

   18    $
 
1,766.6
million
   26    $
 
1,561.8
million
   29    $
 
1,701.8
million

 

(a)

“Other SEC-registered open-end and closed-end funds” represents funds other than LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio.

(b)

“Other SEC-registered open-end and closed-end funds” represents funds other than LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio.

(c)

“Other SEC-registered open-end and closed-end funds” represents funds other than LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio.

(d)

“Other SEC-registered open-end and closed-end funds” represents funds other than LifeGoal® Income Portfolio.

The following table shows the number and assets of the above accounts (or portions of such accounts) for which the advisory fee is based on performance, as of March 31, 2009.

 

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Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Manager(s) for which the Advisory Fee is Based on Performance

 

Portfolio Manager

   Other SEC-registered open-end
and closed-end funds
   Other pooled
investment vehicles
   Other accounts
     Number of
accounts
   Assets    Number of
accounts
   Assets    Number of
accounts
   Assets

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD

   —      $ —      —      $ —      —      $ —  

Colin Moore

   —      $ —      —      $ —      —      $ —  

Kent M. Peterson, PhD

   —      $ —      —      $ —      —      $ —  

Marie M. Schofield

   —      $ —      —      $ —      —      $ —  

Ownership of Securities

The table below shows the dollar ranges of shares of each Portfolio beneficially owned (as determined pursuant to Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the 1934 Act) by the Advisor’s portfolio manager(s), as of March 31, 2009.

Portfolio Manager Ownership of the Portfolio as of March 31, 2009

 

Portfolio Manager

 

Portfolio

 

Dollar Range of Equity Securities
in the Portfolio Beneficially Owned

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD  

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

 

None

None

None

None

Colin Moore  

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

 

None

None

None

None

Kent M. Peterson, PhD  

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

 

None

None

None

None

Marie M. Schofield  

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

 

None

None

None

None

The Advisor’s Portfolio Managers and Potential Conflicts of Interest

Like other investment professionals with multiple clients, a Portfolio’s portfolio manager(s) may face certain potential conflicts of interest in connection with managing both the Portfolio and other accounts at the same time. The Advisor and the Portfolios have adopted compliance policies and procedures that attempt to address certain of the potential conflicts that portfolio managers face in this regard. Certain of these conflicts of interest are summarized below.

The management of accounts with different advisory fee rates and/or fee structures, including accounts that pay advisory fees based on account performance (performance fee accounts), may raise potential conflicts of interest for a portfolio manager by creating an incentive to favor higher fee accounts.

Potential conflicts of interest also may arise when a portfolio manager has personal investments in other accounts that may create an incentive to favor those accounts. As a general matter and subject to the Advisor’s Code of Ethics and certain limited exceptions, the Advisor’s investment professionals do not have the opportunity to invest in client accounts, other than the Portfolios.

A portfolio manager who is responsible for managing multiple funds and/or accounts may devote unequal time and attention to the management of those funds and/or accounts. The effects of this potential conflict may be more pronounced where funds and/or accounts managed by a particular portfolio manager have different investment strategies.

A portfolio manager may be able to select or influence the selection of the broker/dealers that are used to execute securities transactions for the Portfolios. A portfolio manager’s decision as to the selection of broker/dealers could produce disproportionate costs and benefits among the Portfolios and the other accounts the portfolio manager manages.

 

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A potential conflict of interest may arise when a portfolio manager buys or sells the same securities for a Portfolio and other accounts. On occasions when a portfolio manager considers the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interests of a Portfolio as well as other accounts, the Advisor’s trading desk may, to the extent consistent with applicable laws and regulations, aggregate the securities to be sold or bought in order to obtain the best execution and lower brokerage commissions, if any. Aggregation of trades may create the potential for unfairness to a Portfolio or another account if a portfolio manager favors one account over another in allocating the securities bought or sold.

“Cross trades,” in which a portfolio manager sells a particular security held by a Portfolio to another account (potentially saving transaction costs for both accounts), could involve a potential conflict of interest if, for example, a portfolio manager is permitted to sell a security from one account to another account at a higher price than an independent third party would pay. The Advisor and the Portfolios have adopted compliance procedures that provide that any transactions between a Portfolio and another account managed by the Advisor are to be made at a current market price, consistent with applicable laws and regulations.

Another potential conflict of interest may arise based on the different investment objectives and strategies of a Portfolio and other accounts managed by its portfolio manager(s). Depending on another account’s objectives and other factors, a portfolio manager may give advice to and make decisions for a Portfolio that may differ from advice given, or the timing or nature of decisions made, with respect to another account. A portfolio manager’s investment decisions are the product of many factors in addition to basic suitability for the particular account involved. Thus, a portfolio manager may buy or sell a particular security for certain accounts, and not for a Portfolio, even though it could have been bought or sold for the Portfolio at the same time. A portfolio manager also may buy a particular security for one or more accounts when one or more other accounts are selling the security (including short sales). There may be circumstances when a portfolio manager’s purchases or sales of portfolio securities for one or more accounts may have an adverse effect on other accounts, including the Portfolios.

A Portfolio’s portfolio manager(s) also may have other potential conflicts of interest in managing the Portfolio, and the description above is not a complete description of every conflict that could exist in managing the Portfolio and other accounts. Many of the potential conflicts of interest to which the Advisor’s portfolio managers are subject are essentially the same or similar to the potential conflicts of interest related to the investment management activities of the Advisor and its affiliates. See Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information about conflicts of interest, including those that relate to the Advisor and its affiliates.

The Administrator

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (which is also the Advisor) serves as Administrator of the Portfolios.

Services Provided

Pursuant to the terms of the Administration Agreement, the Administrator has agreed to, among other things, (i) provide office space, equipment and clerical personnel; (ii) arrange, if desired by the Trust, for its directors, officers and employees to serve as Trustees, officers or agents of each Portfolio; (iii) prepare and, if applicable, file all documents required for compliance by each Portfolio with applicable laws and regulations; (iv) prepare agendas and supporting documents for and minutes of meetings of Trustees, committees of Trustees and shareholders; (v) coordinate and oversee the activities of each Portfolio’s other third party service providers; and (vi) maintain certain books and records of each Portfolio.

Administration Fee Rates and Fees Paid

The Administrator receives fees as compensation for its services, which are computed daily and paid monthly, as set forth in the Administration Agreement, and as shown in the section entitled Fees and Expenses – Annual Fund Operating Expenses in each Portfolio’s prospectuses.

The following chart shows the administration fees paid to the Administrator for the three most recently completed fiscal years.

 

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Administration Fees Paid by the Portfolios

 

Portfolio

   Fiscal Year
Ended
March 31,
2009
   Fiscal Year
Ended
March 31,
2008
   Fiscal Year
Ended
March 31,
2007

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

        

Administration Fee Paid

     —        —        —  

Amount Waived/Reimbursed by the Administrator

     —        —        —  

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

        

Administration Fee Paid

     —        —        —  

Amount Waived/Reimbursed by the Administrator

     —        —        —  

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

        

Administration Fee Paid

     —        —        —  

Amount Waived/Reimbursed by the Administrator

     —        —        —  

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

        

Administration Fee Paid

   $ 38,550    $ 39,819    $ 27,469

Amount Waived/Reimbursed by the Administrator

   $ 26,949    $ 30,446    $ 27,788

Pricing and Bookkeeping Services

State Street Bank and Trust Company is responsible for providing certain pricing and bookkeeping services to the Portfolios. Columbia Management Advisors, LLC is responsible for overseeing the performance of these services and for certain other services.

Services Provided

Effective December 15, 2006, the Trust entered into a Financial Reporting Services Agreement with State Street Bank and Trust Company and Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (the Financial Reporting Services Agreement) pursuant to which State Street Bank and Trust Company provides financial reporting services to the Portfolios. Also effective December 15, 2006, the Trust entered into an Accounting Services Agreement with State Street Bank and Trust Company and Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (collectively with the Financial Reporting Services Agreement, the State Street Agreements) pursuant to which State Street Bank and Trust Company provides accounting services to the Portfolios. Under the State Street Agreements, LifeGoal Income Portfolio pays State Street Bank and Trust Company an annual fee of $26,000 paid monthly. LifeGoal Income Portfolio also reimburses State Street Bank and Trust Company for certain out-of-pocket expenses and charges. Except for LifeGoal® Income Portfolio, the Portfolios do not pay any separate fees for services rendered under the State Street Agreements, and, except for LifeGoal® Income Portfolio, the fees for pricing and bookkeeping services incurred by the Portfolios are paid as part of the management fee.

Effective December 15, 2006, the Trust entered into a Pricing and Bookkeeping Oversight and Services Agreement (the Services Agreement) with Columbia Management Advisors, LLC. Under the Services Agreement, Columbia Management Advisors, LLC provides services related to Portfolio expenses and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and provides oversight of the accounting and financial reporting services provided by State Street Bank and Trust Company. Under the Services Agreement, LifeGoal Income Portfolio reimburses Columbia Management Advisors, LLC for out-of-pocket expenses and charges, including fees payable to third parties, such as for pricing the Portfolio’s portfolio securities, incurred by Columbia Management Advisors, LLC in the performance of services under the Services Agreement. Prior to January 1, 2008, LifeGoal Income Portfolio also reimbursed Columbia Management Advisors, LLC for accounting oversight services, services related to Portfolio expenses and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Prior to December 15, 2006, Columbia Management Advisors, LLC was responsible for providing pricing and bookkeeping services to the Portfolios under a pricing and bookkeeping agreement and was entitled to receive an annual fee at the same rate described above under the State Street Agreements. Under separate agreements between Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and State Street Bank and Trust Company, Columbia Management Advisors, LLC delegated certain functions to State Street Bank and Trust Company. As a result of the delegation, the total fees payable under the pricing and bookkeeping agreement (other than certain reimbursements paid to Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and discussed below) were paid to State Street Bank and Trust

 

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Company. Each Portfolio also reimbursed Columbia Management Advisors, LLC for out-of-pocket expenses and charges, including fees payable to third parties for pricing the Portfolios’ portfolio securities and direct internal costs incurred by Columbia Management Advisors, LLC in connection with providing fund accounting oversight and monitoring and certain other services.

Pricing and Bookkeeping Fees Paid

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and State Street Bank and Trust Company received fees from the Portfolios for their services as reflected in the following chart, which shows the net pricing and bookkeeping fees paid to State Street Bank and Trust Company and to Columbia Management Advisors, LLC for the three most recently completed fiscal years.

Pricing and Bookkeeping Fees Paid by the Portfolios

 

Portfolio

   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2009
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2008
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2007

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

     —        —        —  

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

     —        —        —  

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

     —        —        —  

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

   $ 26,128    $ 34,032    $ 45,283

Amount Paid to Columbia Management Advisors, LLC

   $ 0    $ 8,032    $ 38,777

Amount Paid to State Street Bank and Trust Company

   $ 26,128    $ 26,000    $ 6,506

The Principal Underwriter/Distributor

Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. (the Distributor) serves as the principal underwriter and distributor for the continuous offering of shares of the Portfolios pursuant to a Distribution Agreement. The Distribution Agreement obligates the Distributor to use appropriate efforts to find purchasers for the shares of the Portfolios. The Distributor’s address is: One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111.

Distribution Obligations

Pursuant to a Distribution Agreement, the Distributor, as agent, sells shares of the Portfolios on a continuous basis and transmits purchase and redemption orders that it receives to the Trust or the Transfer Agent, or their designated agents. Additionally, the Distributor has agreed to use appropriate efforts to solicit orders for the sale of shares and to undertake advertising and promotion as it believes appropriate in connection with such solicitation. Pursuant to the Distribution Agreement, the Distributor, at its own expense, finances those activities which are primarily intended to result in the sale of shares of the Portfolios, including, but not limited to, advertising, compensation of underwriters, dealers and sales personnel, the printing and mailing of prospectuses to other than existing shareholders, and the printing and mailing of sales literature. The Distributor, however, may be compensated or reimbursed for all or a portion of such expenses to the extent permitted by a Distribution Plan adopted by the Trust pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

The Distribution Agreement became effective with respect to a Portfolio after approval by its Board, and, after an initial two-year period, continues from year to year, provided that such continuation of the Distribution Agreement is specifically approved at least annually by the Board, including its Independent Trustees. The Distribution Agreement terminates automatically in the event of its assignment, and is terminable with respect to a Portfolio at any time without penalty by the Trust (by vote of the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio) or by the Distributor on 60 days’ written notice.

Underwriting Commissions

The following table shows all commissions and other compensation received by the Distributor, as well as amounts the Distributor retained, for the three most recently completed fiscal years.

 

Portfolio

   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2009
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2008
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2007

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

        

Amount Paid

        

Class A shares

   $ 619,512    $ 1,467,904    $ 1,744,197

Amount Retained

        

Class A shares

   $ 99,409    $ 252,171    $ 285,692

 

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Portfolio

   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2009
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2008
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2007

Class B shares

   $ 230,340    $ 294,499    $ 274,776

Class C shares

   $ 14,107    $ 28,334    $ 27,089

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

        

Amount Paid

        

Class A shares

   $ 824,098    $ 1,678,950    $ 1,787,917

Amount Retained

        

Class A shares

   $ 132,234    $ 288,116    $ 303,983

Class B shares

   $ 479,481    $ 556,817    $ 591,256

Class C shares

   $ 56,297    $ 30,593    $ 30,267

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

        

Amount Paid

        

Class A shares

   $ 248,920    $ 376,066    $ 292,135

Amount Retained

        

Class A shares

   $ 45,674    $ 63,391    $ 50,119

Class B shares

   $ 137,664    $ 125,774    $ 190,638

Class C shares

   $ 9,112    $ 7,352    $ 3,215

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

        

Amount Paid

        

Class A shares

   $ 20,370    $ 28,029    $ 33,880

Amount Retained

        

Class A shares

   $ 1,738    $ 2,616    $ 3,545

Class B shares

   $ 5,919    $ 11,651    $ 16,256

Class C shares

   $ 1,609    $ 26    $ 1,270

 

LOGO   Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest

As described above in the Investment Advisory and Other Services section of this SAI, and in the Management of the Portfolio – Primary Service Providers section of each Portfolio’s prospectuses, the Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, receive compensation from the Portfolios for the various services they provide to the Portfolios. Additional information as to the specific terms regarding such compensation is set forth in these affiliated service providers’ contracts with the Portfolios, each of which typically is included as an exhibit to Part C of the Portfolios’ registration statement.

In many instances, the compensation paid to the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates for the services they provide to the Portfolios is based, in some manner, on the size of the Portfolios’ assets under management. As the size of the Portfolios’ assets under management grows, so does the amount of compensation paid to the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates for providing services to the Portfolios. This relationship between Portfolio assets and affiliated service provider compensation may create economic and other conflicts of interests of which Portfolio investors should be aware. These potential conflicts of interest, as well as additional

 

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ones, are discussed in detail below and also are addressed in other disclosure materials, including the Portfolios’ prospectuses. These conflicts of interest also are highlighted in account documentation and other disclosure materials of Bank of America affiliates that make available or offer the Columbia Funds as investments in connection with their respective products and services. In addition, Part 1A of the Advisor’s Form ADV, which it must file with the SEC as an investment advisor registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, provides information about the Advisor’s business, assets under management, affiliates and potential conflicts of interest. Part 1A of the Advisor’s Form ADV is available online through the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

Additional actual or potential conflicts of interest and certain investment activity limitations that could affect the Portfolios may arise from the financial services activities of Bank of America and its affiliates, including, for example, the investment advisory/management services it provides for clients and customers other than the Portfolios. In this regard, Bank of America is a major financial services company. Bank of America and its affiliates, including, for example, BANA (including its U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management division), BAS, BAI, Merrill Lynch, MLPF&S and the First Republic division of Merrill Lynch Bank & Trust Co., are engaged in a wide range of financial activities beyond the mutual fund-related activities of the Advisor, including, among others, commercial banking, investment banking, broker/dealer (sales and trading), asset management, insurance and other financial activities. The broad range of financial services activities of Bank of America and its affiliates may involve multiple advisory, transactional, lending, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments, and in companies, that may be bought, sold or held by the Portfolios. The following describes certain actual and potential conflicts of interest that may be presented.

Actual and Potential Conflicts of Interest Related to the Investment Advisory/Management Activities of Bank of America and its Affiliates in Connection With Other Advised/Managed Funds and Accounts

The Advisor and other affiliates of Bank of America may advise or manage funds and accounts other than the Portfolios. In this regard, Bank of America and its affiliates may provide investment advisory/management and other services to other advised/managed funds and accounts that are similar to those provided to the Portfolios. The Advisor and Bank of America’s other investment advisor affiliates (including Columbia Wanger Asset Management, L.P.) will give advice to and make decisions for all advised/managed funds and accounts, including the Portfolios, as they believe to be in that fund’s and/or account’s best interests, consistent with their fiduciary duties. The Portfolios and the other advised/managed funds and accounts of Bank of America and its affiliates are separately and potentially divergently managed, and there is no assurance that any investment advice Bank of America and its affiliates give to other advised/managed funds and accounts will also be given simultaneously or otherwise to the Portfolios.

A variety of other actual and potential conflicts of interest may arise from the advisory relationships of the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates with other clients and customers. Advice given to a Portfolio and/or investment decisions made for a Portfolio by the Advisor or other Bank of America affiliates may differ from, or may conflict with, advice given to and/or investment decisions made for other advised/managed funds and accounts. As a result, the performance of a Portfolio may differ from the performance of other funds or accounts advised/managed by the Advisor or other Bank of America affiliates. Similarly, a position taken by Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, on behalf of other funds or accounts may be contrary to a position taken on behalf of a Portfolio. Moreover, Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, may take a position on behalf of other advised/managed funds and accounts, or for their own proprietary accounts, that is adverse to companies or other issuers in which a Portfolio is invested. For example, a Portfolio may hold equity securities of a company while another advised/managed fund or account may hold debt securities of the same company. If the portfolio company were to experience financial difficulties, it might be in the best interest of the Portfolio for the company to reorganize while the interests of the other advised/managed fund or account might be better served by the liquidation of the company. This type of conflict of interest could arise as the result of circumstances that cannot be generally foreseen within the broad range of investment advisory/management activities in which Bank of America and its affiliates engage.

Investment transactions made on behalf of other funds or accounts advised/managed by the Advisor or other Bank of America affiliates also may have a negative effect on the value, price or investment strategies of a Portfolio. For example, this could occur if another advised/managed fund or account implements an investment decision ahead of, or at the same time as, a Portfolio and causes the Portfolio to experience less favorable trading results than it otherwise would have experienced based on market liquidity factors. In addition, the other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates, including the other Columbia Funds, may have the same or very similar investment objective and strategies as a Portfolio. In this situation, the allocation of, and competition for, investment opportunities among a Portfolio and other funds and/or accounts advised/managed by the Advisor or other Bank of America affiliates may create conflicts of interest especially where, for example, limited investment availability is involved. The Advisor has adopted policies and procedures addressing the allocation of investment opportunities among the Portfolios and other funds and accounts advised by the Advisor and other affiliates of Bank of America. For more information, see Investment Advisory and Other Services – The Advisor and Investment Advisory Services – Portfolio Manager(s) – The Advisor’s Portfolio Managers and Potential Conflicts of Interest.

 

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Sharing of Information among Advised/Managed Accounts

Bank of America and its affiliates also may possess information that could be material to the management of a Portfolio and may not be able to, or may determine not to, share that information with the Portfolio, even though the information might be beneficial to the Portfolio. This information may include actual knowledge regarding the particular investments and transactions of other advised/managed funds and accounts, as well as proprietary investment, trading and other market research, analytical and technical models, and new investment techniques, strategies and opportunities. Depending on the context, Bank of America and its affiliates generally will have no obligation to share any such information with the Portfolios. In general, employees of Bank of America and its affiliates, including the portfolio managers of the Advisor, will make investment decisions without regard to information otherwise known by other employees of Bank of America and its affiliates, and generally will have no obligation to access any such information and may, in some instances, not be able to access such information because of legal and regulatory constraints or the internal policies and procedures of Bank of America and its affiliates. For example, if the Advisor or another Bank of America affiliate, or their respective employees, come into possession of non-public information regarding another advised/managed fund or account, they may be prohibited by legal and regulatory constraints, or internal policies and procedures, from using that information in connection with transactions made on behalf of the Portfolios. For more information, see Investment Advisory and Other Services – The Advisor and Investment Advisory Services – Portfolio Manager(s) – The Advisor’s Portfolio Managers and Potential Conflicts of Interest.

Soft Dollar Benefits

Certain products and services, commonly referred to as “soft dollar services” (including, to the extent permitted by law, research reports, economic and financial data, financial publications, proxy analysis, computer databases and other research-oriented materials), that the Advisor may receive in connection with brokerage services provided to a Portfolio may have the inadvertent effect of disproportionately benefiting other advised/managed funds or accounts. This could happen because of the relative amount of brokerage services provided to a Portfolio as compared to other advised/managed funds or accounts, as well as the relative compensation paid by a Portfolio.

Services Provided to Other Advised/Managed Accounts

Bank of America and its affiliates also may act as an investment advisor, investment manager, administrator, transfer agent, custodian, trustee, broker/dealer, agent, or in another capacity, for advised/managed funds and accounts other than the Portfolios, and may receive compensation for acting in such capacity. This compensation that the Advisor, Distributor and Transfer Agent and other Bank of America affiliates receive could be greater than the compensation Bank of America and its affiliates receive for acting in the same or similar capacity for the Portfolios. In addition, the Advisor, Distributor and Transfer Agent and other Bank of America affiliates may receive other benefits, including enhancement of new or existing business relationships. This compensation and/or the benefits that Bank of America and its affiliates may receive from other advised/managed funds and accounts and other relationships could potentially create incentives to favor other advised/managed funds and accounts over the Portfolios. Trades made by Bank of America and its affiliates for the Portfolios may be, but are not required to be, aggregated with trades made for other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates. If trades are aggregated among the Portfolios and those other funds and accounts, the various prices of the securities being traded may be averaged, which could have the potential effect of disadvantaging the Portfolios as compared to the other funds and accounts with which trades were aggregated.

Proxy Voting

Although the Advisor endeavors to make all proxy voting decisions with respect to the interests of the Portfolios for which it is responsible in accordance with its proxy voting policies and procedures, the Advisor’s proxy voting decisions with respect to a Portfolio’s portfolio securities may nonetheless benefit other advised/managed funds and accounts, and/or clients, of Bank of America and its affiliates. The Advisor has adopted proxy voting policies and procedures that are designed to provide that all proxy voting is done in the best interests of its clients, including the Portfolios, without any resulting benefit or detriment to the Advisor and/or its affiliates, including Bank of America and its affiliates. For more information about the Advisor’s proxy voting policies and procedures, see Investment Advisory and Other Services – Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures.

Certain Trading Activities

The directors/trustees, officers and employees of Bank of America and its affiliates may buy and sell securities or other investments for their own accounts, and in doing so may take a position that is adverse to a Portfolio. In order to reduce the possibility that such personal investment activities of the directors/trustees, officers and employees of Bank of America and its affiliates will materially adversely affect the Portfolios, Bank of America and its affiliates have adopted policies and procedures, and the Portfolios, the Board, the Advisor and the Distributor have each adopted a Code of Ethics that addresses such personal investment activities. For more information, see Investment Advisory and Other Services – Codes of Ethics.

 

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Affiliate Transactions

Subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements, the Portfolios may enter into transactions in which Bank of America and/or its affiliates may have an interest that potentially conflicts with the interests of the Portfolios. For example, BAS or MLPF&S may sell securities to a Portfolio from an offering in which it is an underwriter or from securities that it owns as a dealer, subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Investment Limitations Arising from Bank of America Activities

Regulatory restrictions applicable to Bank of America and its affiliates may limit the Portfolios’ investment activities in various ways. For example, regulations regarding certain industries and markets, such as those in emerging or international markets, and certain transactions, such as those involving certain futures and derivatives, may impose a cap on the aggregate amount of investments that may be made by affiliated investors, including accounts managed by the same affiliated manager, in the aggregate or in individual issuers. At certain times, Bank of America and its affiliates also may be restricted in the securities that can be bought or sold for the Portfolios and other advised/managed funds and accounts because of the investment banking, lending or other relationships Bank of America and its affiliates have with the issuers of securities. This could happen, for example, if the Portfolios and/or other advised/managed funds and accounts desired to buy a security issued by a company for which Bank of America or its affiliates served as underwriter. The internal policies and procedures of Bank of America and its affiliates covering these types of regulatory restrictions and addressing similar issues also may at times restrict the Portfolios’ investment activities. A client not advised by Bank of America and its affiliates would not be subject to many of these restrictions. See also About the Portfolios’ Investments – Certain Investment Activity Limits.

Actual and Potential Conflicts of Interest Related to Bank of America and its Affiliates’ Non-Advisory Relationships with Clients and Customers other than the Portfolios

The lending, investment banking and other relationships that Bank of America and its affiliates may have with companies and other entities in which a Portfolio may invest can give rise to actual and potential conflicts of interest. Subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements, a Portfolio may invest (a) in the securities of Bank of America and/or its affiliates and/or in companies in which Bank of America and its affiliates have a lending, investment banking, equity, debt or other interest, and/or (b) in the securities of companies held by other Columbia Funds. The purchase, holding and sale of such securities by a Portfolio may enhance the profitability and the business interests of Bank of America and/or its affiliates and/or other Columbia Funds. There also may be limitations as to the sharing with the Advisor of information derived from the non-investment advisory/management activities of Bank of America and its affiliates because of legal and regulatory constraints and internal policies and procedures (such as information barriers and ethical walls). Because of these limitations, Bank of America and its affiliates generally will not share information derived from its non-investment advisory/management activities with the Advisor.

Actual and Potential Conflicts of Interest Related to Bank of America Affiliates’ Marketing and Use of the Columbia Funds as Investment Options

Bank of America and its affiliates also provide a variety of products and services that, in some manner, may utilize the Columbia Funds as investment options. For example, the Columbia Funds may be offered as investments in connection with brokerage and other securities products offered by BAI or MLPF&S, and may be utilized as investments in connection with fiduciary, investment management and other accounts offered by U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management or the First Republic division of Merrill Lynch Bank & Trust Co., as well as for other Columbia Funds structured as “funds of funds.” In addition, the Columbia Money Market Funds are offered as an investment option for a variety of cash management and “sweep” account programs offered by Bank of America and its affiliates. The Columbia Funds also may use the Columbia Money Market Funds for cash investment purposes. The use of the Columbia Funds in connection with other products and services offered by Bank of America and its affiliates may introduce economic and other conflicts of interest. These conflicts of interest are highlighted in account documentation and other disclosure materials for the other products and services offered by Bank of America and its affiliates.

Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, may make payments to their affiliates in connection with the promotion and sale of the Portfolios’ shares, in addition to the sales-related and other compensation that these parties may receive from the Portfolios. As a general matter, personnel of Bank of America and its affiliates, including BAI, do not receive compensation in connection with their sales or use of the Portfolios that is greater than that paid in connection with their sales of other comparable products and services. Nonetheless, because the compensation that the Advisor and other affiliates of Bank of America may receive for providing services to the Portfolios is generally based on the Portfolios’ assets under management and those assets will grow as shares of the Portfolios are sold, potential conflicts of interest may exist. See Brokerage Allocation and Other Practices – Additional Financial Intermediary Payments for more information.

 

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Other Services Provided

The Transfer Agent

Columbia Management Services, Inc. acts as Transfer Agent for each Portfolio’s shares and can be contacted at P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081. Under the Transfer Agency Agreement, the Transfer Agent provides transfer agency, dividend disbursing agency and shareholder servicing agency services to the Portfolios. Except for LifeGoal® Income Portfolio, the Portfolios do not pay any separate fees and expenses for services rendered under the Transfer Agency Agreement: the annual transfer agent fee together with all out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Portfolios are paid as part of the management fee. Effective January 1, 2008, LifeGoal® Income Portfolio pays the Transfer Agent an annual transfer agency fee of $17.34 per account, payable monthly. In addition, LifeGoal® Income Portfolio may pay the Transfer Agent for the fees and expenses the Transfer Agent pays to third party dealer firms that maintain omnibus accounts with the Portfolios, subject to a cap equal to 0.15% of a Portfolio’s net assets represented by the account. The Portfolios also pay certain reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses to the Transfer Agent. The Transfer Agent also may retain as additional compensation for its services revenues for fees for wire, telephone and redemption orders, IRA trustee agent fees and account transcripts due the Transfer Agent from Portfolio shareholders and credits (net of bank charges) earned with respect to balances in accounts the Transfer Agent maintains in connection with its services to the Portfolios. For the period April 1, 2006 through December 31, 2007, the Portfolios paid the Transfer Agent an annual fee of $17.00 per account, payable monthly. For the period November 1, 2005 through March 31, 2006, the Portfolios paid the Transfer Agent an annual fee of $15.23 per account, payable monthly. For the period September 1, 2005 through December 31, 2007, the Transfer Agent was entitled to reimbursement by the Portfolios for the fees and expenses that the Transfer Agent pays to dealer firms or transfer agents that maintain omnibus accounts with the Portfolios, subject to a cap equal to 0.11% of a Portfolio’s net assets represented by the account.

The Transfer Agent retains BFDS/DST, 2 Heritage Drive, North Quincy, MA 02171 as the Portfolios’ sub-transfer agent. BFDS/DST assists the Transfer Agent in carrying out its duties.

The Custodian

State Street, which is located at State Street Financial Center, One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111, is the Portfolios’ Custodian. State Street is responsible for safeguarding the Portfolios’ cash and securities, receiving and delivering securities and collecting the Portfolios’ interest and dividends.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, which is located at 125 High Street, Boston, MA 02110, is the Portfolios’ independent registered public accounting firm. The Portfolios issue unaudited financial statements semi-annually and audited financial statements annually. The annual financial statements for the Portfolios’ fiscal year ended March 31, 2009 have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. The Board has selected PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm to audit the Portfolios’ books and review their tax returns for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010.

The Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm and the audited financial statements included in the Annual Report to Shareholders of the Portfolios dated March 31, 2009 are incorporated herein by reference. No other parts of the annual report or semi-annual report to shareholders are incorporated by reference herein. The financial statements incorporated by reference into the Portfolios’ prospectuses and this SAI have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of the independent registered public accounting firm, given on its authority as an expert in auditing and accounting.

Counsel

Goodwin Procter LLP serves as legal counsel to the Trust. Its address is 901 New York Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001.

Distribution and Servicing Plans

The Trust has adopted a Rule 12b-1, or distribution plan, for Class A shares, Class B shares, Class C shares and Class R shares of the Portfolios that offer those classes. See Capital Stock and Other Securities for information about which Portfolios offer which classes of shares. The Portfolios no longer accept investments from new or existing investors in Class B shares, except for certain limited transactions from existing investors in Class B shares. See the prospectus for Class B shares of the Portfolios for details.

The Trust has adopted shareholder servicing plans (Servicing Plans) and Distribution Plans for the Class B and Class C shares and a combined distribution and shareholder servicing plan for Class A shares. The Trust has also adopted a Distribution Plan for Class R shares. The Servicing Plans permit the Portfolios to compensate or reimburse servicing agents for the shareholder services they have provided. The Distribution Plans, adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, permit the Portfolios to compensate or reimburse the Distributor and/or selling agents for activities or expenses primarily intended to result in the sale of the classes’ shares. Payments are made at an annual rate and paid monthly, as a percentage of average daily net assets, set from time to time by the Board, and are charged as expenses of each Portfolio directly to the applicable share class. A substantial portion of the expenses incurred pursuant to these plans is paid to affiliates of BOA and the Distributor.

 

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The annual rates in effect and plan limits, as a percentage of average daily net assets are as follows:

 

     Current Rate     Plan Limit  

Class A Combined Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Plan

   0.25   0.25

Class B and Class C Shareholder Servicing Plans

   0.25   0.25

Class B and Class C Distribution Plans

   0.75   0.75

Class R Distribution Plan

   0.50   0.50

Payments under the Class A Distribution and Servicing Plan, the Class B Distribution Plan, the Class C Distribution Plan and the Class R Distribution Plan generally may be made with respect to the following: (i) preparation, printing and distribution of prospectuses, sales literature and advertising materials; (ii) commissions, incentive compensation or other compensation to, and expenses of, account executives or other employees of the Distributor or Selling Agents, attributable to distribution or sales support activities, respectively; (iii) overhead and other office expenses of the Distributor or Selling Agents, attributable to distribution or sales support activities, respectively; (iv) opportunity costs relating to the foregoing (which may be calculated as a carrying charge on the Distributor’s or Selling Agents’ unreimbursed expenses incurred in connection with distribution or sales support activities, respectively); and (v) any other costs and expenses relating to distribution or sales support activities.

All of the Distribution Plans may be terminated with respect to their respective shares by vote of a majority of the Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Board Members, or by vote of a majority of the holders of the outstanding voting securities of the appropriate share class. Any change in a Rule 12b-1 Plan that would increase materially the distribution expenses paid by the appropriate share class requires shareholder approval.

Expenses incurred by the Distributor pursuant to a Distribution Plan in any given year may exceed the sum of the fees received under the Distribution Plan. Any such excess may be recovered by the Distributor in future years so long as the Distribution Plan is in effect. If the Distribution Plan were terminated or not continued, a Portfolio would not be contractually obligated to pay the Distributor for any expenses not previously reimbursed by the Portfolio. There were no unreimbursed expenses incurred under any of the Distribution Plans in the previous fiscal year to be carried over to the current fiscal year.

The Portfolios participate in joint distribution activities with other Funds in the Columbia Funds Family. The fees paid under each Distribution Plan adopted by a Portfolio may be used to finance the distribution of the shares of other Funds in the Columbia Funds Family. Such distribution costs are allocated based on the relative net asset size of the respective Funds.

During the most recently completed fiscal year, the Distributor received distribution and service fees from the Portfolios for its services as reflected in the following chart. The Trust is not aware as to what amount, if any, of the Rule 12b-1 fees paid to the Distributor were, on a Fund-by-Fund basis, used for advertising, printing and mailing of prospectuses to other than current shareholders, compensation to broker-dealers, compensation to sales personnel or interest, carrying or other financing charges.

Distribution and Service Fees Paid by the Portfolios for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2009

 

Fund

   Class A Shares    Class B Shares    Class C Shares    Class R Shares

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

           

Combined Shareholder Servicing and Distribution Fee

   $ 422,179      —        —        —  

Distribution Fee

     —      $ 861,988    $ 582,418    $ 4,954

Service Fee

     —      $ 287,272    $ 194,470      —  

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

           

Combined Shareholder Servicing and Distribution Fee

   $ 571,545      —        —        —  

Distribution Fee

     —      $ 1,681,449    $ 681,326    $ 7,391

Service Fee

     —      $ 560,527    $ 227,100      —  

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

           

Combined Shareholder Servicing and Distribution Fee

   $ 123,146      —        —        —  

Distribution Fee

     —      $ 407,317    $ 171,199    $ 2,034

Service Fee

     —      $ 135,794    $ 57,307      —  

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

           

Combined Shareholder Servicing and Distribution Fee

   $ 30,060      —        —        —  

Distribution Fee

     —      $ 59,380    $ 35,955      —  

Service Fee

     —      $ 19,783    $ 11,985      —  

 

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Expense Limitations

The Advisor has contractually agreed to reimburse a portion of LifeGoal Income Portfolio’s expenses through July 31, 2010 so that the Portfolio’s ordinary operating expenses (excluding any distribution and service fees, brokerage commissions, interest, taxes and extraordinary expenses, and expenses associated with the Portfolio’s investments in other investment companies, but including custodian charges relating to overdrafts, if any), after giving effect to any balance credits from the Portfolio’s custodian, do not exceed the following percentages:

 

Portfolio

  

Expenses Exceeding:

LifeGoal Income Portfolio (Portfolio-level commitment)

   0.42% of average daily net assets

Advisory/Administration Fee Waivers - Period ending July 31, 2010

 

Portfolio

   Advisory
Waivers
  Administration
Waivers

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

   0.10%(1)   0.10%(2)

 

(1)

The Advisor shall waive advisory fees payable to it under the Investment Advisory Agreement on assets invested in individual securities and Advisor-advised Fixed Income Sector Portfolios.

 

(2)

The Advisor shall waive administration fees payable to it under the Administration Agreement on assets invested in other Columbia Funds (Fixed Income Sector Portfolios are not considered Columbia Funds).

Codes of Ethics

The Portfolios, the Advisor and the Distributor have adopted Codes of Ethics pursuant to the requirements of the 1940 Act, including Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. These Codes of Ethics permit personnel subject to the Codes of Ethics to invest in securities, including securities that may be bought or held by the Portfolios. These Codes of Ethics are included as exhibits to Part C of the Portfolios’ registration statement. These Codes of Ethics can be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room and may be obtained by calling the SEC at 202.551.8090; they also are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, and may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request to publicinfo@sec.gov or by writing to the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102.

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

The Portfolios have delegated to the Advisor or, as applicable, a sub-advisor, the responsibility to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Portfolios. In deciding to delegate this responsibility to the Advisor, the Board reviewed and approved the policies and procedures adopted by the Advisor and, as applicable, a sub-advisor. These included the procedures that the Advisor follows when a vote presents a conflict between the interests of the Portfolios and their shareholders and the Advisor (or sub-advisor), its affiliates, its other clients or other persons.

The Advisor’s policy is to vote proxies for Portfolio securities in a manner considered by the Advisor to be in the best interest of the Portfolios and their shareholders without regard to any benefit to the Advisor, its affiliates, its other clients or other persons. The Advisor examines each proposal and votes against the proposal, if, in its judgment, approval or adoption of the proposal would be expected to have an adverse impact on the current or potential market value of the issuer’s securities. The Advisor also examines each proposal and votes the proxies against the proposal, if, in its judgment, the proposal would be expected to affect adversely the best interest of the Portfolios. The Advisor determines the best interest of a Portfolio in light of the potential economic return on the Portfolio’s investment.

 

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The Advisor seeks to address potential material conflicts of interest by having predetermined voting guidelines. For those proposals that require special consideration or in instances where special circumstances may require varying from the predetermined guideline, the Advisor’s Proxy Voting Committee determines the vote in the best interest of the Portfolios, without consideration of any benefit to the Advisor, its affiliates, its other clients or other persons. The Advisor’s Proxy Voting Committee is composed of representatives of the Advisor’s equity investments, equity research, compliance, legal and operations functions. In addition to the responsibilities described above, the Proxy Voting Committee has the responsibility to review, at least annually, the Advisor’s proxy voting policies to ensure consistency with internal policies and regulatory requirements and to develop additional predetermined voting guidelines to assist in the review of proxy proposals.

The Proxy Voting Committee may vary from a predetermined guideline if it determines that voting on the proposal according to the predetermined guideline would be expected to have an adverse impact on the current or potential market value of the issuer’s securities or to affect adversely the best interest of the Portfolios. References to the best interests of the Portfolios refer to the interest of the Portfolios in terms of the potential economic return on the client’s investment. In determining the vote on any proposal, the Proxy Voting Committee does not consider any benefit other than benefits to the Portfolios. A member of the Proxy Voting Committee is prohibited from voting on any proposal for which he or she has a conflict of interest by reason of a direct relationship with the issuer or other party affected by a given proposal. Persons making recommendations to the Proxy Voting Committee or its members are required to disclose to the Committee any relationship with a party making a proposal or other matter known to the person that would create a potential conflict of interest.

The Advisor has retained Glass-Lewis & Co., a third-party vendor, to implement its proxy voting process. Glass-Lewis & Co. provides proxy analysis, record keeping services and vote disclosure services.

Information regarding how the Columbia Funds (except certain Columbia Funds that do not invest in voting securities) voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent twelve month period ended June 30 will be available by August 31 of this year free of charge: (i) through the Columbia Funds’ website at www.columbiafunds.com and (ii) on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. For a copy of the Advisor’s policies and procedures that are used to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Columbia Funds, see Appendix B to this SAI.

Expenses Paid by Third Parties

The Distributor and the Administrator furnish, without additional cost to the Portfolios, the services of certain officers of the Portfolios and such other personnel (other than the personnel of the Advisor or the investment sub-advisor(s), if applicable) as are required for the proper conduct of the Portfolios’ affairs. The Distributor bears the incremental expenses of printing and distributing prospectuses used by the Distributor or furnished by the Distributor to investors in connection with the public offering of the Portfolios’ shares and the costs of any other promotional or sales literature, except that to the extent permitted under the Distribution Plans of each Portfolio, sales-related expenses incurred by the Distributor may be reimbursed by the Portfolios.

The Portfolios pay or cause to be paid all other expenses of the Portfolios, including, without limitation: the fees of the Advisor, the Distributor and the Administrator; the charges and expenses of any registrar, any custodian or depository appointed by the Portfolios for the safekeeping of their cash, Portfolio securities and other property, and any stock transfer, dividend or accounting agent or agents appointed by the Portfolios; brokerage commissions chargeable to the Portfolios in connection with Portfolio securities transactions to which the Portfolios are a party; all taxes, including securities issuance and transfer taxes; corporate fees payable by the Portfolios to federal, state or other governmental agencies; all costs and expenses in connection with the registration and maintenance of registration of the Portfolios’ shares with the SEC and various states and other jurisdictions (including filing fees, legal fees and disbursements of counsel); the costs and expenses of preparing and typesetting prospectuses and statements of additional information of the Portfolios (including supplements thereto) and periodic reports and of printing and distributing such prospectuses and statements of additional information (including supplements thereto) to the Portfolios’ shareholders; all expenses of shareholders’ and Trustee meetings and of preparing, printing and mailing proxy statements and reports to shareholders; fees and travel expenses of directors or director members of any advisory board or committee; all expenses incident to the payment of any distribution, whether in shares or cash; charges and expenses of any outside service used for pricing of the Portfolios’ shares; fees and expenses of legal counsel and of independent auditors in connection with any matter relating to the Portfolios; membership dues of industry associations; interest payable on Portfolio borrowings; postage and long-distance telephone charges; insurance premiums on property or personnel (including officers and directors) of the Portfolios which inure to their benefit; extraordinary expenses (including, but not limited to, legal claims and liabilities and litigation costs and any indemnification related thereto); and all other charges and costs of the Portfolios’ operation unless otherwise explicitly assumed by the Advisor or the Administrator.

Expenses of the Portfolios which are not attributable to the operations of any class of shares or Portfolio are pro-rated among all classes of shares or certain Columbia Funds, including the Portfolios, based upon the relative net assets of each class or Portfolio. Expenses which are not directly attributable to a specific class of shares but are attributable to a specific Portfolio are prorated among all the classes of shares of such Portfolio based upon the relative net assets of each such class of shares. Expenses which are directly attributable to a class of shares are charged against the income available for distribution as dividends to such class of shares.

 

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FUND GOVERNANCE

The Board

Responsibilities

The Board oversees the Trust and the Portfolios. The Trustees have a fiduciary duty to protect shareholders’ interests when supervising and overseeing the management and operations of the Trust and have the responsibility to assure that the Portfolios are managed in the best interests of shareholders. The following table provides basic information about the Trustees as of the date of this SAI, including their principal occupations during the past five years, although their specific titles may have varied over the period. The mailing address of each Trustee is: c/o Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, One Financial Center, Mail Stop MA5-515-11-05, Boston, MA 02111.

Independent Trustee Biographical Information

 

Name, Year of

Birth and Position
Held with the Trust

  

Year First
Appointed or
Elected to a

Board in the
Columbia
Funds Complex

  

Principal

Occupation(s) During

the Past Five Years

  

Number of
Funds in the
Columbia
Funds

Complex
Overseen

  

Other Directorships Held by Trustee

Edward J. Boudreau, Jr.

(Born 1944)

Trustee

   Indefinite term; Trustee since January 2005    Managing Director – E.J. Boudreau & Associates (consulting), through current    66    None

William P. Carmichael

(Born 1943)

Trustee and Chairman of the Board

  

Indefinite term; Trustee since

1999

   Retired    66    Director – Cobra Electronics Corporation (electronic equipment manufacturer); Spectrum Brands, Inc. (consumer products); Simmons Company (bedding); and The Finish Line (sportswear)

William A. Hawkins

(Born 1942)

Trustee

   Indefinite term; Trustee since January 2005    President and Chief Executive Officer — California Bank, N.A., from January 2008 through current    66    None

R. Glenn Hilliard

(Born 1943)

Trustee

   Indefinite term; Trustee since January 2005    Chairman and Chief Executive Officer — Hilliard Group LLC (investing and consulting), from April 2003 through current; Non-Executive Director & Chairman — Conseco, Inc. (insurance), September 2003 through current; Executive Chairman — Conseco, Inc. (insurance), August 2004 through September 2005    66    Director – Conseco, Inc. (insurance)

John J. Nagorniak

(Born 1944)

Trustee

   Indefinite term; Trustee since January 2008    Retired; President and Director — Foxstone Financial, Inc. (consulting), 2000 through December 2007; Director — Mellon Financial Corporation affiliates (investing), 2000 through 2007; Chairman — Franklin Portfolio Associates (investing — Mellon affiliate) 1982 through 2007    66    Trustee and Chairman — Research Foundation of CFA Institute; Director — MIT Investment Company; Trustee — MIT 401k Plan

Minor M. Shaw

(Born 1947)

Trustee

  

Indefinite term; Trustee since

2003

   President — Micco Corporation and Mickel Investment Group    66    Board Member – Piedmont Natural Gas

 

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Table of Contents

Interested Trustee Biographical Information

 

Name, Year of

Birth and Position
Held with the Trust

  

Year First
Appointed or
Elected to a Board
in the Columbia
Funds Complex

  

Principal

Occupation(s) During

the Past Five Years

  

Number of
Funds in the
Columbia
Funds
Complex
Overseen

  

Other Directorships Held by Trustee

Anthony M. Santomero*

(Born 1946)

Trustee

   Indefinite term; Trustee since January 2008    Richard K. Mellon Professor Emeritus of Finance, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, through current; Senior Advisor—McKinsey & Company (consulting), July 2006 through January 2008; President and Chief Executive Officer—Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, 2000 through April 2006    66    Director-Renaissance Reinsurance Ltd.; Director—Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company; Director-Citigroup

 

* Mr. Santomero is currently deemed by the Columbia Funds to be an “interested person” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Funds because he serves as a Director of Citigroup, Inc. and Citibank, N.A. Citigroup, Inc., through its subsidiaries and affiliates, including Citibank, N.A., may engage from time-to-time in brokerage execution, principal transactions and/or lending relationships with the Columbia Funds or other funds or accounts advised/managed by the Advisor.

Standing Committees

The Trust has four standing committees, including the Audit Committee, the Contracts Review Committee, the Governance Committee and the Investment Committee.

The function of the Audit Committee is oversight. Management (which generally means the appropriate officers of a Company, and a Portfolio’s investment advisor(s), administrator(s) and other key service providers (other than the independent registered public accounting firm)) is primarily responsible for the preparation of the financial statements of each Portfolio, and the independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing those financial statements. Management also is responsible for maintaining appropriate systems for accounting and “internal controls over financial reporting” (as such term is defined in Rule 30a-3 under the 1940 Act), and the independent registered public accounting firm is primarily responsible for considering such internal controls over financial reporting in connection with its financial statement audits. While the Audit Committee has the duties and powers set forth in the Audit Committee charter, the Audit Committee is not responsible for planning or conducting any Portfolio audit or for determining whether a Portfolio’s financial statements are complete and accurate and are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

The Audit Committee has, among other things, specific power and responsibility to: (i) oversee its Portfolios’ accounting and financial reporting processes and practices, its internal controls over financial reporting and, as appropriate, the internal controls over financial reporting of the Portfolio’s maintained by key service providers; (ii) approve, and recommend to the full Board for its approval in accordance with applicable law, the selection and appointment of an independent auditor for each Portfolio prior to the engagement of such independent auditor; (iii) pre-approve all audit and non-audit services provided to each Portfolio by its independent auditor, directly or by establishing pre-approval policies and procedures pursuant to which such services may be rendered, provided however, that the policies and procedures are detailed as to the particular service and the Audit Committee is informed of each service, and such policies do not include the delegation to management of the Audit Committee’s responsibilities under the 1934 Act or applicable rules or listing requirements; and (iv) pre-approve all non-audit services provided by a Portfolio’s independent auditor to the Portfolio’s investment advisor and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment advisor that provides ongoing services to the Portfolio, if the engagement relates directly to the operations and financial reporting of the Portfolio. The members of the Audit Committee are William A. Hawkins, Edward J. Boudreau, Jr. and William P. Carmichael. The Audit Committee members are all not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Audit Committee met on six occasions during the last fiscal year.

The primary responsibilities of the Contracts Review Committee, as set forth in its charter, include reviewing and making recommendations to the Board as to: (i) contractual arrangements; (ii) the factors considered in approving advisory and sub-advisory contracts; and (iii) service provider oversight and performance. Among other responsibilities, the Contracts Review Committee also oversees and coordinates activities of consultants and legal or financial experts that may be engaged under certain circumstances. The members of the Contracts Review Committee are R. Glenn Hilliard, William P. Carmichael, John J. Nagorniak and Anthony M. Santomero. With the exception of the Interested Trustee, the Contracts Review Committee members are all not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Contracts Review Committee met on five occasions during the last fiscal year.

 

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The primary responsibilities of the Governance Committee include, as set forth in its charter: (i) nominating Independent Trustees; (ii) addressing matters relating to compensation of Trustees who are not current directors, officers or employees of a Portfolio’s investment advisor or sub-advisor or any control affiliate thereof, including deferred compensation and retirement policies; and (iii) evaluating each Board and its committee structure as often as it deems necessary or desirable to determine whether each is functioning effectively. The Governance Committee shall determine the nature of the evaluation and its role therein in its sole discretion. The members of the Governance Committee are Minor M. Shaw, William A. Hawkins, R. Glenn Hilliard and William P. Carmichael. The Governance Committee members are all not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Governance Committee met on four occasions during the last fiscal year.

The primary responsibilities of the Investment Committee are, as set forth in its charter, to assist the Board in carrying out its oversight responsibilities in specific areas of investment management, both by acting as liaison between the full Board and the Advisor on investment matters, and by acting on behalf of the Board, on an interim basis, on investment issues in non-recurring or extraordinary circumstances when it is impractical to convene a meeting of the full Board. In carrying out these general responsibilities, the Investment Committee assists the Board in connection with issues relating to: the investment policies and procedures adopted for the Portfolios; appropriate performance benchmarks and other comparative issues; portfolio management staffing and other personnel issues of the Advisor; investment related compliance issues; possible exemptive applications or other relief necessary or appropriate with respect to investment matters; and other investment related matters referred from time to time to the Committee by the full Board. The Committee reports its activities to the full Board on a regular basis and is responsible for making such recommendations with respect to the matters described above and other matters as the Committee may deem necessary or appropriate. Each Trustee is a member of the Investment Committee. With the exception of the Interested Trustee, the Investment Committee members are all not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Investment Committee met on five occasions during the last fiscal year.

Compensation

Trustees are compensated for their services to the Columbia Funds Family on a complex-wide basis, as shown in the table below.

Independent Trustee Compensation for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2009

 

Name of Trustee

   Aggregate
Compensation from
LifeGoal® Growth
Portfolio for the Fiscal
Year ended
March 31, 2009(a)
   Aggregate
Compensation from
LifeGoal® Balanced
Growth Portfolio for
the Fiscal Year ended
March 31, 2009(a)
   Aggregate Compensation
from LifeGoal® Income
and Growth Portfolio for
the Fiscal Year ended
March 31, 2009(a)
   Aggregate
Compensation
from LifeGoal®
Income Portfolio
for the Fiscal
Year ended
March 31, 2009(a)
   Aggregate
Compensation from
the Columbia Funds
Complex Paid to
Independent Trustees
 

Edward J. Boudreau, Jr.(b)

   $ 3,696    $ 3,696    $ 3,696    $ 3,696    $ 245,000   

William P. Carmichael(c)

   $ 4,591    $ 4,591    $ 4,591    $ 4,591    $ 302,500   

Minor M. Shaw(d)

   $ 3,540    $ 3,540    $ 3,540    $ 3,540    $ 227,500   

R. Glenn Hilliard(e)

   $ 3,540    $ 3,540    $ 3,540    $ 3,540    $ 231,250   

William A. Hawkins(f)

   $ 3,655    $ 3,655    $ 3,655    $ 3,655    $ 240,000   

John J. Nagorniak(g)

   $ 3,151    $ 3,151    $ 3,151    $ 3,151    $ 185,000   

 

(a)

All Trustees receive reimbursements for reasonable expenses related to their attendance at meetings of the Board or standing committees, which are not included in the amounts shown.

(b)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Mr. Boudreau deferred $0 of his compensation from each Portfolio. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Boudreau deferred $66,069 of his total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

(c)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Mr. Carmichael deferred $0 of his compensation from each Portfolio. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Carmichael deferred $46,032 of his total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

(d)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Ms. Shaw deferred $0 of her compensation from each Portfolio. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Ms. Shaw deferred $104,833 of her total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

(e)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Mr. Hilliard deferred $0 of his compensation from each Portfolio. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Hilliard deferred $213,121 of his total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

(f)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Mr. Hawkins deferred $0 of his compensation from each Portfolio. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Hawkins deferred $0 of his total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

(g)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Mr. Nagorniak deferred $0 of his compensation from each Portfolio. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Nagorniak deferred $51,156 of his total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

 

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Table of Contents

Interested Trustee Compensation for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2009

 

Name of Trustee

   Aggregate
Compensation from
LifeGoal® Growth
Portfolio for the Fiscal
Year ended
March 31, 2009 (a)
   Aggregate
Compensation from
LifeGoal® Balanced
Growth Portfolio for
the Fiscal Year ended
March 31, 2009 (a)
   Aggregate
Compensation
from LifeGoal®
Income and
Growth Portfolio
for the Fiscal
Year ended
March 31, 2009 (a)
   Aggregate
Compensation
from LifeGoal®
Income Portfolio
for the Fiscal
Year ended
March 31, 2009 (a)
   Total
Compensation
from the
Columbia
Funds
Complex Paid
to Independent
Trustees
 

Anthony M. Santomero(h)

   $ 3,074    $ 3,074    $ 3,074    $ 3,074    $ 180,000   

 

(h)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Mr. Santomero deferred $0 of his compensation from each Portfolio. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Santomero deferred $82,952 of his total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

Columbia Funds Deferred Compensation Plan

Under the terms of the Deferred Fee Agreement (the Deferred Compensation Plan), each eligible Trustee may elect, on an annual basis, to defer receipt of all or a portion of compensation payable to him or her for service as Trustee for that calendar year (expressly, a Trustee may elect to defer his/her annual retainer, his/her attendance fees, or both components, which together comprise total compensation for service). Fees deferred by a Trustee are credited to a book reserve account (the Deferral Account) established by the Columbia Funds, the value of which is derived from the rate of return of one or more Columbia Funds selected by the Trustee (with accruals to the Deferral Account beginning at such time as a Trustee’s fund elections having been established, and fees for service having been paid into such account, and terminating at such time as when proceeds become payable to such Trustee under the Deferred Compensation Plan). Trustees may change their fund elections only in accordance with the provisions of the Deferred Compensation Plan.

Distributions from a Trustee’s Deferral Account will be paid by check, either in a lump sum or in annual installments. Payments made in annual installments are disbursed over a period of up to ten years, following such time as a Trustee may qualify to receive such payments. If a deferring Trustee dies prior to or after the commencement of the disbursement of amounts accrued in his/her Deferral Account, the balance of the account will be distributed to his/her designated beneficiary either in lump sum or in annual payments as established by such Trustee himself/herself, his/her beneficiary or his/her estate. Amounts payable under the Deferred Compensation Plan are not funded or secured in any way, and each deferring Trustee has the status of an unsecured creditor of the Columbia Fund(s) selected by such Trustee.

Beneficial Equity Ownership

As of the date of this SAI, the Trustees and Officers of the Trust, as a group, beneficially owned less than 1% of each class of shares of each Portfolio. The table below shows, for each Trustee, the amount of Portfolio equity securities beneficially owned by the Trustee and the aggregate value of all investments in equity securities of the Columbia Funds Family, including notional amounts through the Deferred Compensation Plan, stated as one of the following ranges: A = $0; B = $1-$10,000; C = $10,001-$50,000; D = $50,001-$100,000; and E = over $100,000.

Independent Trustee Ownership for the Calendar Year Ended December 31, 2008

 

  

Trustee

  

Dollar Range of Equity
Securities in the Portfolios

  

Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity
Securities in all Funds in the
Columbia Funds Family

Edward J. Boudreau, Jr.   

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio – A

   E
William P. Carmichael   

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio – A

   E
Minor M. Shaw   

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio – A

   E
R. Glenn Hilliard   

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio – A

   E

 

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Table of Contents
William A. Hawkins   

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio – A

  

E

John J. Nagorniak   

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio – A

  

E

Interested Trustee Ownership for the Calendar Year Ended December 31, 2008
Anthony M. Santomero   

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio – A

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio – A

  

D

 

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Table of Contents

The Officers

The following table provides basic information about the Officers of the Trust as of the date of this SAI, including their principal occupations during the past five years, although their specific titles may have varied over the period. The mailing address of each Officer is: c/o Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, One Financial Center, Mail Stop MA5-515-11-05, Boston, MA 02110.

Officer Biographical Information

 

Name, Year of

Birth and Address

  

Position with

the Trust

  

Year First
Elected or
Appointed
to Office

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During the Past Five Years

J. Kevin Connaughton

(Born 1964)

   President    2009    Managing Director of Columbia Management Advisors, LLC since December 2004; Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer — Columbia Funds, from June 2008 to January 2009; Treasurer — Columbia Funds, October 2003 — May 2008; Treasurer — the Liberty Funds, Stein Roe Funds and Liberty All-Star Funds, December 2000 — December 2006; Senior Vice President — Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, April 2003 — December 2004; President — Columbia Funds, Liberty Funds and Stein Roe Funds, February 2004 to October 2004; Treasurer — Galaxy Funds, September 2002 to December 2005; Treasurer, December 2002 to December 2004, and President, February 2004 to December 2004 — Columbia Management Multi-Strategy Hedge Fund, LLC; and a senior officer or director of various other Bank of America-affiliated entities, including other registered and unregistered funds.

James R. Bordewick, Jr.

(Born 1959)

   Senior Vice President, Secretary and Chief Legal Officer    2006    Associate General Counsel, Bank of America since April 2005; Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel, MFS Investment Management (investment management) prior to April 2005.

Linda J. Wondrack

(Born 1964)

   Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer    2007    Director (Columbia Management Group, LLC and Investment Product Group Compliance), Bank of America since June 2005; Director of Corporate Compliance and Conflicts Officer, MFS Investment Management (investment management), August 2004 to May 2005; Managing Director, Deutsche Asset Management (investment management) prior to August 2004.

Michael G. Clarke

(Born 1969)

   Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer    2009    Director of Fund Administration of the Advisor since January 2006; Managing Director of the Advisor, September 2004 to December 2005; Vice President Fund Administration, June 2002 to September 2004.

Jeffrey R. Coleman

(Born 1969)

   Treasurer    2008    Director of Fund Administration of the Advisor since January 2006; Fund Controller from October 2004 to January 2006; Vice President of CDC IXIS Asset Management Services, Inc. (investment management) from August 2000 to September 2004.

Julian Quero

(Born 1967)

   Deputy Treasurer    2008    Senior Tax Manager of the Advisor since August 2006; Senior Compliance Manager of the Advisor from April 2002 to August 2006.

Timothy P. Kane

(Born 1974)

   Assistant Treasurer    2008    Head of Valuation of the Advisor since July 2007; Manager, Accounting Oversight Department of the Advisor since September 2004; Internal Auditor, State Street Corporation (financial services) from June 2004 to September 2004; Senior Auditor, Deloitte (public accounting firm) prior to June 2004.

Kenneth E. O’Connor

(Born 1970)

   Assistant Treasurer    2008    Head of Mutual Fund Performance of the Advisor since September 2006; Senior Manager, Mutual Fund Performance of the Advisor from 2003 to September 2006.

Joseph F. DiMaria

(Born 1968)

   Chief Accounting Officer    2008    Director of Fund Administration of the Advisor since January 2006; Head of Tax/Compliance and Assistant Treasurer from November 2004 to December 2005; Director of Trustee Administration (Sarbanes-Oxley) from May 2003 to October 2004.

 

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Table of Contents

Officer Biographical Information

 

Name, Year of

Birth and Address

  

Position with

the Trust

  

Year First
Elected or
Appointed
to Office

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During the Past Five Years

Stephen T. Welsh

(Born 1957)

   Vice President    1996    President and Director, Columbia Management Services, Inc. since July 2004; Managing Director, Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. since August 2007; Senior Vice President and Controller, Columbia Management Services, Inc. prior to July 2004.

Kathryn Thompson

(Born 1967)

   Assistant Treasurer    2006    Vice President, Mutual Fund Accounting Oversight of the Advisor since December 2004; Vice President, State Street Corporation (financial services) prior to December 2004.

Philip N. Prefontaine

(Born 1948)

   Assistant Treasurer    2006    Vice President, Mutual Fund Reporting of the Advisor since November 2004; Assistant Vice President of CDC IXIS Asset Management Services, Inc. (investment management) prior to November 2004.

Keith E. Stone

(Born 1974)

   Assistant Treasurer    2006    Vice President, Trustee Reporting of the Advisor since September 2003.

Barry S. Vallan

(Born 1969)

   Controller    2006    Vice President-Fund Treasury of the Advisor since October 2004; Vice President-Trustee Reporting from April 2002 to October 2004.

Peter T. Fariel

(Born 1957)

   Assistant Secretary    2006    Associate General Counsel, Bank of America since April 2005; Partner, Goodwin Procter LLP (law firm) prior to April 2005.

Julie B. Lyman

(Born 1970)

   Assistant Secretary    2007    Managing Director of the Advisor since May 2009; Assistant General Counsel, Bank of America from October 2006 through May 2009; Associate, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham LLP (law firm) from April 2004 to October 2006.

Ryan C. Larrenaga

(Born 1970)

   Assistant Secretary    2005    Assistant General Counsel, Bank of America since March 2005; Associate, Ropes & Gray LLP (law firm) from 1998 to February 2005.

Laura E. Flores

(Born 1976)

   Assistant Secretary    2008    Assistant General Counsel, Bank of America since September 2008; Associate, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP (law firm) from September 2004 to September 2008.

 

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BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES

General Brokerage Policy, Brokerage Transactions and Broker Selection

Subject to policies established by the Board, the Advisor (or the investment sub-advisor(s) who make(s) the day-to-day investment decisions for a Portfolio, as applicable) is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for each Portfolio, for the selection of broker/dealers, for the execution of a Portfolio’s securities transactions and for the allocation of brokerage commissions in connection with such transactions. The Advisor’s primary consideration in effecting a security transaction is to obtain the best net price and the most favorable execution of the order. Purchases and sales of securities on a securities exchange are effected through brokers who charge negotiated commissions for their services. Orders may be directed to any broker to the extent and in the manner permitted by applicable law.

In the over-the-counter market, securities generally are traded on a “net” basis with dealers acting as principals for their own accounts without stated commissions, although the price of a security usually includes a profit to the dealer. In underwritten offerings, securities are bought at a fixed price that includes an amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter’s “concession” or “discount.” On occasion, certain money market instruments may be bought directly from an issuer, in which case no commissions or discounts are paid.

The Portfolios are affiliated with the NYSE specialist firm Banc of America Specialist, Inc. In order to ensure that markets are fair, orderly and competitive, NYSE specialist firms are responsible for maintaining a liquid and continuous two-sided auction market by acting as both an agent and a principal. Specialists are entrusted to hold the interests of customer orders above the specialist’s own interests, and will buy and sell securities as principal when such transactions are necessary to minimize imbalances between supply and demand. Banc of America Specialist, Inc. may make a market in certain securities held by the Portfolios.

In placing orders for portfolio securities of a Portfolio, the Advisor gives primary consideration to obtaining the best net prices and most favorable execution. This means that the Advisor will seek to execute each transaction at a price and commission, if any, which provides the most favorable total cost or proceeds reasonably attainable in the circumstances. In seeking such execution, the Advisor will use its best judgment in evaluating the terms of a transaction, and will give consideration to various relevant factors, including, without limitation, the size and type of the transaction, the nature and character of the market for the security, the confidentiality, speed and certainty of effective execution required for the transaction, the general execution and operational capabilities of the broker/dealer, the reputation, reliability, experience and financial condition of the broker/dealer, the value and quality of the services rendered by the broker/dealer in this instance and other transactions and the reasonableness of the spread or commission, if any. Research services received from broker/dealers supplement the Advisor’s own research and may include the following types of information: statistical and background information on industry groups and individual companies; forecasts and interpretations with respect to U.S. and foreign economies, securities, markets, specific industry groups and individual companies; information on political developments; Portfolio management strategies; performance information on securities and information concerning prices of securities; and information supplied by specialized services to the Advisor and to the Board with respect to the performance, investment activities and fees and expenses of other mutual funds. Such information may be communicated electronically, orally or in written form. Research services also may include the arranging of meetings with management of companies and the provision of access to consultants who supply research information.

The outside research is useful to the Advisor since, in certain instances, the broker/dealers utilized by the Advisor may follow a different universe of securities issuers and other matters than those that the Advisor’s staff can follow. In addition, this research provides the Advisor with a different perspective on financial markets, even if the securities research obtained relates to issues followed by the Advisor. Research services that are provided to the Advisor by broker/dealers are available for the benefit of all accounts managed or advised by the Advisor. In some cases, the research services are available only from the broker/dealer providing such services. In other cases, the research services may be obtainable from alternative sources. The Advisor is of the opinion that because the broker/dealer research supplements rather than replaces the Advisor’s own research, the receipt of such research does not tend to decrease the Advisor’s expenses, but tends to improve the quality of its investment advice. However, to the extent that the Advisor would have bought any such research services had such services not been provided by broker/dealers, the expenses of such services to the Advisor could be considered to have been reduced accordingly. Certain research services furnished by broker/dealers may be useful to the clients of the Advisor other than the Portfolios. Conversely, any research services received by the Advisor through the placement of transactions of other clients may be of value to the Advisor in fulfilling its obligations to the Portfolios. The Advisor is of the opinion that this material is beneficial in supplementing its research and analysis; and, therefore, it may benefit the Trust by improving the quality of the Advisor’s investment advice. The advisory fees paid by the Trust are not reduced because the Advisor receives such services.

Under Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act, the Advisor shall not be “deemed to have acted unlawfully or to have breached its fiduciary duty” solely because under certain circumstances it has caused the account to pay a higher commission than the lowest available. To obtain the benefit of Section 28(e), the Advisor must make a good faith determination that the commissions paid are “reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such member, broker, or dealer, viewed in

 

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terms of either that particular transaction or his overall responsibilities with respect to the accounts as to which he exercises investment discretion.” Accordingly, the price to a Portfolio in any transaction may be less favorable than that available from another broker/dealer if the difference is reasonably justified by other aspects of the portfolio execution services offered. Some broker/dealers may indicate that the provision of research services is dependent upon the generation of certain specified levels of commissions and underwriting concessions by the Advisor’s clients, including the Portfolios.

Commission rates are established pursuant to negotiations with broker/dealers based on the quality and quantity of execution services provided by broker/dealers in light of generally prevailing rates. On exchanges on which commissions are negotiated, the cost of transactions may vary among different broker/dealers. Transactions on foreign stock exchanges involve payment of brokerage commissions that generally are fixed. Transactions in both foreign and domestic over-the-counter markets generally are principal transactions with dealers, and the costs of such transactions involve dealer spreads rather than brokerage commissions. With respect to over-the-counter transactions, the Advisor, where possible, will deal directly with dealers who make a market in the securities involved, except in those circumstances in which better prices and execution are available elsewhere.

In certain instances there may be securities that are suitable for more than one Portfolio as well as for one or more of the other clients of the Advisor. Investment decisions for each Portfolio and for the Advisor’s other clients are made with the goal of achieving their respective investment objectives. A particular security may be bought or sold for only one client even though it may be held by, or bought or sold for, other clients. Likewise, a particular security may be bought for one or more clients when one or more other clients are selling that same security. Some simultaneous transactions are inevitable when a number of accounts receive investment advice from the same investment advisor, particularly when the same security is suitable for the investment objectives of more than one client. When two or more clients are engaged simultaneously in the purchase or sale of the same security, the securities are allocated among clients in a manner believed to be equitable to each. In some cases, this policy could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security in a particular transaction that may affect a Portfolio.

The Portfolios may participate, if and when practicable, in bidding for the purchase of portfolio securities directly from an issuer in order to take advantage of the lower purchase price available to members of a bidding group. A Portfolio will engage in this practice, however, only when the Advisor, in its sole discretion, believes such practice to be otherwise in the Portfolios’ interests.

The Trust will not execute portfolio transactions through, or buy or sell portfolio securities from or to, the Distributor, the Advisor, the Administrator or their affiliates acting as principal (including repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements), except to the extent permitted by applicable law, regulation or order. However, the Advisor is authorized to allocate buy and sell orders for portfolio securities to certain broker/dealers and financial institutions, including, in the case of agency transactions, broker/dealers and financial institutions that are affiliated with Bank of America. To the extent that a Portfolio executes any securities trades with an affiliate of Bank of America, the Portfolio does so in conformity with Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act and the procedures that the Portfolio has adopted pursuant to the rule. In this regard, for each transaction, the Board will determine that: (i) the transaction resulted in prices for and execution of securities transactions at least as favorable to the particular Portfolio as those likely to be derived from a non-affiliated qualified broker/dealer; (ii) the affiliated broker/dealer charged the Portfolio commission rates consistent with those charged by the affiliated broker/dealer in similar transactions to clients comparable to the Portfolio and that are not affiliated with the broker/dealer in question; and (iii) the fees, commissions or other remuneration paid by the Portfolio did not exceed 2% of the sales price of the securities if the sale was effected in connection with a secondary distribution, or 1% of the purchase or sale price of such securities if effected in other than a secondary distribution.

Certain affiliates of Bank of America, such as its subsidiary banks, may have deposit, loan or commercial banking relationships with the corporate users of facilities financed by industrial development revenue bonds or private activity bonds bought by certain of the Columbia Funds. Bank of America or certain of its affiliates may serve as trustee, custodian, tender agent, guarantor, placement agent, underwriter, or in some other capacity, with respect to certain issues of securities. Under certain circumstances, the Portfolios may buy securities from a member of an underwriting syndicate in which an affiliate of Bank of America is a member. The Trust has adopted procedures pursuant to Rule 10f-3 under the 1940 Act, and intends to comply with the requirements of Rule 10f-3, in connection with any purchases of municipal securities that may be subject to Rule 10f-3.

Given the breadth of the Advisor’s investment management activities, investment decisions for each Portfolio are not always made independently from those for other funds, or other investment companies and accounts advised or managed by the Advisor. When a purchase or sale of the same security is made at substantially the same time on behalf of one or more of the Columbia Funds and another investment portfolio, investment company or account, the transaction will be averaged as to price and available investments allocated as to amount in a manner which the Advisor believes to be equitable to each Portfolio and such other funds, investment portfolio, investment company or account. In some instances, this investment procedure may adversely affect the price paid or received by a Portfolio or the size of the position obtained or sold by the Portfolio. To the extent permitted by law, the Advisor may aggregate the securities to be sold or bought for the Portfolios with those to be sold or bought for other funds, investment portfolios, investment companies, or accounts in executing transactions.

 

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See Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information about these and other conflicts of interest.

Brokerage Commissions

The following tables describe the amounts of brokerage commissions paid by the Portfolios during their three most recently completed fiscal years. In certain instances the Portfolios may pay brokerage commissions to broker/dealers that are affiliates of Bank of America. As indicated above, all such transactions involving the payment of brokerage commissions to affiliates are done in compliance with Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act.

Aggregate Brokerage Commissions Paid by the Portfolios

 

Portfolio

   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2009
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2008
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2007

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

   —      —      —  

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

   —      —      —  

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

   —      —      —  

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

   —      —      —  

The Portfolios paid no brokerage commissions to affiliated broker/dealers for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Directed Brokerage

The Portfolios or the Advisor, through an agreement or understanding with a broker/dealer, or otherwise through an internal allocation procedure, may direct, subject to applicable legal requirements, the Portfolios’ brokerage transactions to a broker/dealer because of the research services it provides the Portfolios or the Advisor.

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, no Portfolio directed brokerage transactions.

Securities of Regular Broker/Dealers

In certain cases, the Portfolios, as part of their principal investment strategies, or otherwise as a permissible investment, will invest in the common stock or debt obligations of the regular broker/dealers that the Advisor uses to transact brokerage for the Columbia Funds Family.

As of March 31, 2009, the Portfolios owned securities of its “regular brokers or dealers” or their parents, as defined in Rule 10b-1 under the 1940 Act, as shown in the table below.

Investments in Securities of Regular Broker/Dealers as of March 31, 2009

 

Portfolio

  

Broker/Dealer

  

Dollar Amount of Securities Held

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

   —      —  

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

   —      —  

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

   —      —  

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

   —      —  

Additional Shareholder Servicing Payments

The Portfolios, along with the Transfer Agent and/or the Distributor and the Advisor may pay significant amounts to financial intermediaries (as defined below), including other Bank of America affiliates, for providing the types of services that would typically be provided directly by a mutual fund’s transfer agent. The level of payments made to financial intermediaries may vary. A number of

 

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factors may be considered in determining payments to a financial intermediary, including, without limitation, the nature of the services provided to shareholders or retirement plan participants that invest in the Portfolio through retirement plans. These services may include sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency or similar recordkeeping services, shareholder or participant reporting, shareholder or participant transaction processing, and/or the provision of call center support (additional shareholder services). These payments for shareholder servicing support vary by financial intermediary but generally are not expected, with certain limited exceptions, to exceed 0.40% of the average aggregate value of each Portfolio’s shares in the program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that pay a service fee pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 Plan, and 0.45% of the average aggregate value of each Portfolio’s shares in the program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that do not pay a service fee pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 Plan. The Board has authorized the Portfolios to pay up to 0.15% of the average aggregate value of each Portfolio’s shares. Such payments will be made by a Portfolio to the Transfer Agent who will in turn make payments to the financial intermediary for the provision of such additional shareholder services. The Portfolio’s Transfer Agent, Distributor or their affiliates will pay, from its or their own resources, amounts in excess of the amount paid by the Portfolio to financial intermediaries in connection with the provision of these additional shareholder services and other services.

For purposes of this section the term “financial intermediary” includes any broker/dealer, bank, bank trust department, registered investment advisor, financial planner, retirement plan or other third party administrator and any other institution having a selling, services or any similar agreement with the Distributor and/or other Bank of America affiliates.

The Portfolios also may make additional payments to financial intermediaries that charge networking fees for certain services provided in connection with the maintenance of shareholder accounts through the NSCC.

In addition, the Distributor and other Bank of America affiliates may make lump sum payments to selected financial intermediaries receiving shareholder servicing payments in reimbursement of printing costs for literature for participants, account maintenance fees or fees for establishment of the Portfolios on the financial intermediary’s system or other similar services.

As of the date of this SAI, the Distributor and/or other Bank of America affiliates had agreed to make shareholder servicing payments to the financial intermediaries or their affiliates shown below.

 

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Recipients of Shareholder Servicing Payments from the Distributor and/or other Bank of America Affiliates

 

•     Acclaim Benefits, Inc.

•     A.G. Edwards

•     Alerus Retirement Solutions

•     Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

•     Bank of America, N.A.*

•     Benefit Plan Administrators

•     Bisys Retirement Services

•     Charles Schwab & Co.

•     Charles Schwab Trust Co.

•     Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

•     CitiStreet LLC

•     City National Bank

•     Compensation & Capital Administrative Services, Inc.

•     CPI Qualified Plan Consultants

•     Daily Access Concepts, Inc.

•     Digital Retirement Solutions

•     Dreyfus

•     Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P.

•     E*Trade Group, Inc.

•     ExpertPlan

•     Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Co.

•     First Clearing LLC

•     Genworth Financial

•     GPC Securities, Inc.*

•     Guardian Life Insurance Company

•     GWFS Equities, Inc.

•     Hartford Life Insurance Company

•     Hewitt Associates LLC

•     ICMA Retirement Corporation

•     ING Life Insurance and Annuity Company

•     ING Institutional Plan Services, LLP

•     John Hancock Life Insurance Company (USA)

•     John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York

•     JP Morgan Retirement Plan Services LLC

•     Lincoln Financial Group

•     LPL Financial Corporation

•     Marshall & Illsley Trust Company

  

•     Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company

•     Matrix Settlement & Clearance Services

•     Mercer HR Services, LLC

•     Merrill Lynch Life Insurance Company

•     Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated*

•     Mid Atlantic Capital Corporation

•     Morgan Keegan & Co., Inc.

•     Morgan Stanley & Co., Incorporated

•     MSCS Financial Services, LLC

•     National Investor Services Corp.

•     Newport Retirement Services, Inc.

•     New York State Deferred Compensation Plan

•     NYLife Distributors LLC

•     PNC Advisors

•     Princeton Retirement Group

•     Principal Life Insurance Company

•     Prudential Insurance Company of America

•     Prudential Retirement Insurance & Annuity Co.

•     Reliance Trust Company

•     Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc.

•     Royal Alliance Associates, Inc.

•     Standard Retirement Services, Inc.

•     TD Ameritrade Clearing Inc.

•     TD Ameritrade Trust Company

•     Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America

•     The 401k Company

•     T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.

•     The Vanguard Group, Inc.

•     Unified Trust Company, N.A.

•     UPromise Investments, Inc.

•     VALIC Retirement Services

•     Wachovia Bank, N.A.

•     Wachovia Securities, LLC

•     Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

•     Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC

•     Wilmington Trust Corporation

•     Wilmington Trust Retirement & Institutional Services Company

 

* Bank of America affiliate

The Distributor and/or other Bank of America affiliates may enter into similar arrangements with other financial intermediaries from time to time. Therefore, the preceding list is subject to change at any time without notice.

Additional Financial Intermediary Payments

Financial intermediaries may receive different commissions, sales charge reallowances and other payments with respect to sales of different classes of shares of the Portfolios. These other payments may include servicing payments to retirement plan administrators and other institutions at rates up to those described above under Brokerage Allocation and Other Practices – Additional Shareholder Servicing Payments. For purposes of this section the term “financial intermediary” includes any broker/dealer, bank, bank trust department, registered investment advisor, financial planner, retirement plan or other third party administrator and any other institution having a selling, services or any similar agreement with the Distributor and other Bank of America affiliates.

The Distributor and other Bank of America affiliates may pay additional compensation to selected financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, under the categories described below. These categories are not mutually exclusive, and a single financial intermediary may receive payments under all categories. A financial intermediary also may receive payments described above in Brokerage Allocation and Other Practices – Additional Shareholder Servicing Payments. These payments may

 

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create an incentive for a financial intermediary or its representatives to recommend or offer shares of a Portfolio to its customers. The amount of payments made to financial intermediaries may vary. In determining the amount of payments to be made, the Distributor and other Bank of America affiliates may consider a number of factors, including, without limitation, asset mix and length or relationship with the financial intermediary, the size of the customer/shareholder base of the financial intermediary, the manner in which customers of the financial intermediary make investments in the Portfolios, the nature and scope of marketing support or services provided by the financial intermediary (as described more fully below) and the costs incurred by the financial intermediary in connection with maintaining the infrastructure necessary or desirable to support investments in the Portfolios.

These additional payments by the Distributor and other Bank of America affiliates are made pursuant to agreements between the Distributor and other Bank of America affiliates and financial intermediaries, and do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of a share, the amount a Portfolio will receive as proceeds from such sales or the distribution fees and expenses paid by the Portfolio as shown under the heading Fees and Expenses in the Portfolio’s prospectuses.

Marketing Support Payments

The Distributor and the Advisor may make payments, from their own resources, to certain financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, for marketing support services relating to the Columbia Funds, including, but not limited to, business planning assistance, educating financial intermediary personnel about the Portfolios and shareholder financial planning needs, placement on the financial intermediary’s preferred or recommended fund list or otherwise identifying the Portfolios as being part of a complex to be accorded a higher degree of marketing support than complexes not making such payments, access to sales meetings, sales representatives and management representatives of the financial intermediary, client servicing and systems infrastructure support. These payments are generally based upon one or more of the following factors: average net assets of the Columbia Funds distributed by the Distributor attributable to that financial intermediary, gross sales of the Columbia Funds distributed by the Distributor attributable to that financial intermediary, reimbursement of ticket charges (fees that a financial intermediary firm charges its representatives for effecting transactions in fund shares) or a negotiated lump sum payment.

While the financial arrangements may vary for each financial intermediary, the marketing support payments to each financial intermediary generally are expected to be between 0.05% and 0.50% (between 0.03% and 0.12% in the case of the Money Market Funds) on an annual basis for payments based on average net assets of the Columbia Funds attributable to the financial intermediary, and between 0.10% and 0.25% on an annual basis for firms receiving a payment based on gross sales of the Columbia Funds (other than the Money Market Funds) attributable to the financial intermediary. The Distributor and the Advisor may make payments in materially larger amounts or on a basis materially different from those described above when dealing with other affiliates of Bank of America. Such increased payments to the other Bank of America affiliate may enable the other Bank of America affiliate to offset credits that it may provide to its customers in order to avoid having such customers pay fees to multiple Bank of America entities in connection with the customer’s investment in a Columbia Fund.

As of the date of this SAI, the Distributor and/or the Advisor had agreed to make marketing support payments to the financial intermediaries or their affiliates shown below.

Recipients of Marketing Support Payments from the Distributor and/or other Bank of America Affiliates

 

•        AIG Advisor Group

•        Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

•        AXA Advisors, LLC

•        Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.*

•        Banc of America Securities LLC*

•        Bank of America, N.A.*

•        Bank of New York

•        Citibank, N.A.

•        Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

•        Commonwealth Financial Network

•        Custodial Trust Company

•        Fidelity Brokerage Services, Inc.

•        Genworth Financial, Inc.

•        Goldman, Sachs & Co.

•        GunAllen Financial, Inc.

•        Harris Corporation

  

•        Linsco/Private Ledger Corp.

•        Mellon Financial Markets, LLC

•        Merrill Lynch Life Insurance Company

•        Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated*

•        Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated

•        MSCS Financial Services, LLC

•        National Financial Services LLC

•        Pershing LLC

•        Prudential Investment Management Services, LLC

•        Raymond James & Associates, Inc.

•        Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.

•        SEI Investments Inc.

•        State Street Global Markets, LLC

•        Transamerica Corporation

•        UBS Financial Services Inc.

•        US Bank National Association

 

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•        ING Life Insurance and Annuity Co.

•        J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons, Inc.

•        J.P. Morgan Clearing Corp.

•        Liberty Life Insurance Co.

•        Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp.

  

•        Wachovia Securities LLC

•        Webster Investment Services, Inc.

•        Wells Fargo Corporate Trust Services

•        Wells Fargo Funds Management LLC

•        Wells Fargo Investments, LLC

 

* Bank of America affiliate

The Distributor and/or the Advisor may enter into similar arrangements with other financial intermediaries from time to time. Therefore, the preceding list is subject to change at any time without notice.

Other Payments

From time to time, the Distributor, from its own resources, may provide additional compensation to certain financial intermediaries that sell or arrange for the sale of shares of the Portfolios to the extent not prohibited by laws or the rules of any self-regulatory agency, such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Such compensation provided by the Distributor may include financial assistance to financial intermediaries that enable the Distributor to participate in and/or present at financial intermediary-sponsored conferences or seminars, sales or training programs for invited registered representatives and other financial intermediary employees, financial intermediary entertainment and other financial intermediary-sponsored events, and travel expenses, including lodging incurred by registered representatives and other employees in connection with prospecting, retention and due diligence trips. The Distributor makes payments for entertainment events it deems appropriate, subject to the Distributor’s internal guidelines and applicable law. These payments may vary depending upon the nature of the event.

Your financial intermediary may charge you fees or commissions in addition to those disclosed in this SAI. You should consult with your financial intermediary and review carefully any disclosure your financial intermediary provides regarding its services and compensation. Depending on the financial arrangement in place at any particular time, a financial intermediary and its financial consultants may have a financial incentive for recommending a particular Portfolio or a particular share class over other funds or share classes. See Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information.

 

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CAPITAL STOCK AND OTHER SECURITIES

Description of the Trust’s Shares

The Portfolios offer shares in the classes shown in the table below. Subject to certain limited exceptions discussed in each Portfolio’s prospectuses, a Portfolio may no longer be accepting new investments from current shareholders or prospective investors. Class B shares of the Portfolios are closed to new investments, except for certain limited transactions from existing investors in Class B shares. Additional Class B shares of the Portfolios will be issued only in connection with (i) reinvestment of dividends and/or capital gain distributions in Class B shares of each Portfolios by the Portfolio’s existing Class B shareholders and (ii) exchanges by shareholders invested in Class B shares of a Columbia Fund may exchange those shares for Class B shares of a Portfolio. The Portfolios, however, may at any time and without notice, offer any of these classes to the general public for investment.

The Trust’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (Declaration of Trust) permits it to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares of beneficial interest of each Portfolio, without par value, and to divide or combine the shares of any series into a greater or lesser number of shares of that Portfolio without thereby changing the proportionate beneficial interests in that Portfolio and to divide such shares into classes. Each share of a class of a Portfolio represents an equal proportional interest in that Portfolio with each other share in the same class and is entitled to such distributions out of the income earned on the assets belonging to that Portfolio as are declared in the discretion of the Board. However, different share classes of a Portfolio pay different distribution amounts because each share class has different expenses. Each time a distribution is made, the net asset value per share of the share class is reduced by the amount of the distribution.

Share Classes Offered by the Portfolios

 

Portfolio

   Class A
Shares
   Class B
Shares*
   Class C
Shares
   Class R
Shares
   Class Z
Shares

LifeGoal® Growth Portfolio

   ü    ü    ü    ü    ü

LifeGoal® Balanced Growth Portfolio

   ü    ü    ü    ü    ü

LifeGoal® Income and Growth Portfolio

   ü    ü    ü    ü    ü

LifeGoal® Income Portfolio

   ü    ü    ü       ü

 

* Class B shares of the Portfolios are closed to new investments, except for certain limited transactions from existing investors in Class B shares. Additional Class B shares of the Portfolios will be issued only in connection with (i) reinvestment of dividends and/or capital gain distributions in Class B shares of each Portfolios by the Portfolio’s existing Class B shareholders and (ii) exchanges by shareholders invested in Class B shares of a Columbia Fund may exchange those shares for Class B shares of a Portfolio. See the prospectus for Class B shares of the Portfolios for details.

Restrictions on Holding or Disposing of Shares

There are no restrictions on the right of shareholders to retain or dispose of the Portfolios’ shares, other than the possible future termination of the Portfolios. The Portfolios may be terminated by reorganization into another mutual fund or by liquidation and distribution of their assets. Unless terminated by reorganization or liquidation, the Portfolios will continue indefinitely.

Shareholder Liability

The Trust is organized under Delaware law, which provides that shareholders of a statutory trust are entitled to the same limitations of personal liability as shareholders of a corporation organized under Delaware law. Effectively, this means that a shareholder of the Portfolios will not be personally liable for payment of the Portfolios’ debts except by reason of his or her own conduct or acts. In addition, a shareholder could incur a financial loss on account of the Portfolios’ obligation only if the Portfolios had no remaining assets with which to meet such obligation. We believe that the possibility of such a situation arising is extremely remote.

Dividend Rights

The shareholders of a Portfolio are entitled to receive any dividends or other distributions declared for the Portfolios. No shares have priority or preference over any other shares of the Portfolios with respect to distributions. Distributions will be made from the assets of the Portfolios, and will be paid pro rata to all shareholders of each Portfolio (or class) according to the number of shares of each Portfolio (or class) held by shareholders on the record date. The amount of income dividends per share may vary between separate share classes of the Portfolios based upon differences in the way that expenses are allocated between share classes pursuant to a multiple class plan.

 

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Voting Rights and Shareholder Meetings

Shareholders have the power to vote only as expressly granted under the 1940 Act or under Delaware statutory trust law. Shareholders have no independent right to vote on any matter, including the creation, operation, dissolution or termination of the Trust. Shareholders have the right to vote on other matters only as the Board authorizes. Currently, the 1940 Act requires that shareholders have the right to vote, under certain circumstances, to: (i) elect Trustees; (ii) approve investment advisory agreements and principal underwriting agreements; (iii) approve a change in subclassification of a Portfolio; (iv) approve any change in fundamental investment policies; (v) approve a distribution plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act; and (vi) to terminate the independent accountant.

With respect to matters that affect one class but not another, shareholders vote as a class; for example, the approval of a distribution plan applicable to that class. Subject to the foregoing, all shares of the Trust have equal voting rights and will be voted in the aggregate, and not by Portfolio, except where voting by Portfolio is required by law or where the matter involved only affects one Portfolio. For example, a change in a Portfolio’s fundamental investment policy affects only one Portfolio and would be voted upon only by shareholders of the Portfolio involved. Additionally, approval of an Investment Advisory Agreement or investment sub-advisory agreement, since it only affects one Portfolio, is a matter to be determined separately by each Portfolio. Approval by the shareholders of one Portfolio is effective as to that Portfolio whether or not sufficient votes are received from the shareholders of the other series to approve the proposal as to those Portfolios. Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each whole share held and a proportional fractional vote for each fractional vote held, on matters on which they are entitled to vote. Portfolio shareholders do not have cumulative voting rights. The Trust is not required to hold, and has no present intention of holding, annual meetings of shareholders.

Liquidation Rights

In the event of the liquidation or dissolution of the Trust or the Portfolios, shareholders of the Portfolios are entitled to receive the assets attributable to the relevant class of shares of the Portfolios that are available for distribution and to a distribution of any general assets not attributable to a particular investment portfolio that are available for distribution in such manner and on such basis as the Board may determine.

Preemptive Rights

There are no preemptive rights associated with Portfolio shares.

Conversion Rights

With the exception of Class B shares, which no longer accept investments from new or existing investors in Class B shares, except for certain limited transactions from existing investors in Class B shares as described in the prospectus for Class B shares of the Portfolios, shareholders have the right, which is subject to change by the Board, to convert or “exchange” shares of one class for another. Such right is outlined and subject to certain conditions set forth in each Portfolio’s prospectuses.

Redemptions

Each Portfolio’s dividend, distribution and redemption policies can be found in its prospectuses under the headings Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares and Distributions and Taxes. However, the Board may suspend the right of shareholders to sell shares when permitted or required to do so by law or compel sales of shares in certain cases.

Sinking Fund Provisions

The Trust has no sinking fund provisions.

Calls or Assessment

All Portfolio shares are issued in uncertificated form only and when issued will be fully paid and non-assessable by the Trust.

 

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PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND PRICING OF SHARES

Purchase and Redemption

An investor may buy, sell and exchange shares in the Portfolios utilizing the methods, and subject to the restrictions, described in the Portfolios’ prospectuses. The following information supplements information in the Portfolios’ prospectuses.

The Portfolios have authorized one or more broker/dealers to accept buy and sell orders on the Portfolios’ behalf. These broker/dealers are authorized to designate other intermediaries to accept buy and sell orders on the Portfolios’ behalf. The Portfolios will be deemed to have received a buy or sell order when an authorized broker/dealer, or, if applicable, a broker/dealer’s authorized designee, accepts the order. Customer orders will be priced at each Portfolio’s net asset value next computed after they are accepted by an authorized broker/dealer or the broker’s authorized designee.

The Trust also may make payment for sales in readily marketable securities or other property if it is appropriate to do so in light of the Trust’s responsibilities under the 1940 Act.

Under the 1940 Act, the Portfolios may suspend the right of redemption or postpone the date of payment for shares during any period when (i) trading on the NYSE is restricted by applicable rules and regulations of the SEC; (ii) the NYSE is closed for other than customary weekend and holiday closings; (iii) the SEC has by order permitted such suspension; (iv) an emergency exists as determined by the SEC. (The Portfolios may also suspend or postpone the recordation of the transfer of their shares upon the occurrence of any of the foregoing conditions).

The Trust has elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act, as a result of which each Portfolio is obligated to redeem shares, subject to the exceptions listed above, with respect to any one shareholder during any 90-day period, solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the net asset value of each Portfolio at the beginning of the period.

Tax-Advantaged Retirement Plans (Retirement Plans). The Transfer Agent maintains prototype tax-qualified plans, including Pension and Profit-Sharing Plans, for individuals, corporations, employees and the self-employed. The minimum initial Retirement Plan investment is $1,000, applied at the plan level. BANA is the custodian/trustee and plan sponsor of the Columbia Management prototype plans offered through the Distributor. In general a $20 annual fee is charged.

Participants in Retirement Plans not sponsored by BANA, not including IRAs, may be subject to an annual fee of $20 unless the Retirement Plan maintains an omnibus account with the Transfer Agent. Participants in BANA sponsored prototype plans (other than IRAs) who liquidate the total value of their account may also be charged a $20 close-out processing fee payable to the Transfer Agent. The close-out fee applies to plans opened after September 1, 1996. The fee is in addition to any applicable CDSC. The fee will not apply if the participant uses the proceeds to open a Columbia Management IRA Rollover account in any fund distributed by the Distributor, or if the Retirement Plan maintains an omnibus account.

Consultation with a competent financial advisor regarding these Retirement Plans and consideration of the suitability of fund shares as an investment under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or otherwise is recommended.

Front-End Sales Charge Waivers

The investors listed below can buy Class A shares or Class T shares without paying a front-end sales charge.

 

   

Employees of Bank of America (and its predecessors), its affiliates and subsidiaries.

 

   

Trustees of funds advised or administered by the Advisor.

 

   

Directors, officers and employees of the Advisor, the Distributor, and their respective successors, any investment sub-advisor and companies affiliated with the Advisor.

 

   

Insurance company separate accounts for the benefit of group retirement plans.

 

   

Registered representatives and employees of selling and servicing agents (including their affiliates) that are parties to dealer agreements or other sales arrangements with the Distributor.

 

   

Broker/dealers if purchases are in accordance with the internal policies and procedures of the employing broker/dealer and made for their own investment purposes.

 

   

Employees or partners of any service provider to the Columbia Funds.

 

   

Families of the parties listed above and their beneficial accounts. Family members include: spouses, parents, stepparents, legal guardians, children, stepchildren, father-in-laws and mother-in-laws.

 

   

Individuals receiving a distribution from a Bank of America trust, fiduciary, custodial or other similar account may use the proceeds of that distribution to buy Class A shares without paying a front-end sales charge, as long as the proceeds are invested in the funds within 90 days of the date of distribution.

 

   

Registered broker/dealer firms that have entered into a dealer agreement with the Distributor may buy Class A shares without paying a front-end sales charge for their investment account only.

 

   

Banks, trust companies and thrift institutions, acting as fiduciaries.

 

   

Any shareholder who owned shares of any fund of Columbia Acorn Trust (formerly named Liberty Acorn Trust) on September 29, 2000 (when all of the then outstanding shares of Columbia Acorn Trust were re-designated Class Z shares) and who since that time has remained a shareholder of any Portfolio, may buy Class A shares of any Portfolio without paying a front-end sales charge in those cases where a Columbia Fund Class Z share is not available.

 

   

Galaxy Fund shareholders prior to December 1, 1995; and shareholders who (i) bought Galaxy Fund Prime A shares without paying a front-end sales charge and received Class A shares in exchange for those shares during the Galaxy/Liberty Fund reorganization; and (ii) continue to maintain the account in which the Prime A shares were originally bought.

 

   

(For Class T shares only) Shareholders who (i) bought Galaxy Fund Retail A shares at net asset value and received Class T shares in exchange for those shares during the Galaxy/Liberty Fund reorganization; and (ii) continue to maintain the account in which the Retail A shares were originally bought; and Boston 1784 Fund shareholders on the date that those funds were reorganized into Galaxy Funds.

 

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Class A, Class E and Class T shares (Class E shares and Class T shares are not currently open to new investors) of certain funds may also be bought at reduced or no sales charge by clients of dealers, brokers or registered investment advisors that have entered into arrangements with the Distributor pursuant to which the funds are included as investments options in wrap fee accounts, other managed agency/asset allocation accounts or programs involving fee-based compensation arrangements, and by participants in certain retirement plans.

 

   

Certain pension, profit-sharing or other employee benefit plans offered to non-U.S. investors.

 

   

At the Portfolio’s discretion, front-end sales charges may be waived for shares issued in plans of reorganization, such as mergers, asset acquisitions and exchange offers, to which the Columbia Funds are a party.

Investors can also buy Class A shares without paying a sales charge if the purchase is made from the proceeds of a sale from any Columbia Fund Class A, B, C or T shares within 365 days, up to the amount of the sales proceeds. The purchase must be made into an account for the same owner but does not need to be into the same Columbia Fund from which the shares were sold. The reinstatement privilege does not apply to any shares bought through a previous reinstatement. The Transfer Agent, Distributor or their agents must receive a written reinstatement request within 365 days after the shares are sold and purchases of Class A shares through this reinstatement privilege will be made at the NAV of such shares next calculated after the request is received in good order.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge Waivers (Class A, Class B and Class C Shares)

Shareholders won’t pay a CDSC in the following circumstances:

Death: CDSCs may be waived on sales following the death of: (i) the sole shareholder on an individual account; (ii) a joint tenant on an account; or (iii) the beneficiary of a Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA), Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) or other custodial account. If the account is transferred to an account registered in the name of the deceased’s estate, the CDSC will be waived on any sale from the estate account. If the account is transferred to a new registration and then a sale is requested, the applicable CDSC will be charged.

Disability: CDSCs may be waived on sales after the sole shareholder on an individual account or a joint tenant on a joint tenant account becomes disabled (as defined by Section 72(m)(7) of the Code). To be eligible for such a waiver: (i) the disability must arise after the account is opened and (ii) a letter from a physician must be signed under penalty of perjury stating the nature of the disability. If the account is transferred to a new registration and then shares are sold, the applicable CDSC will be charged.

Death of a trustee: CDSCs may be waived on sales occurring upon dissolution of a revocable living or grantor trust following the death of the sole trustee where: (i) the grantor of the trust is the sole trustee and the sole life beneficiary, (ii) death occurs following the purchase, and (iii) the trust document provides for the dissolution of the trust upon the trustee’s death. If the account is transferred to a new registration (including that of a successor trustee), the applicable CDSC will be charged upon any subsequent sale.

Health savings accounts: CDSCs may be waived on shares sold by health savings accounts sponsored by third party platforms, including those sponsored by Bank of America affiliates.

Medical payments: Upon request by a shareholder, CDSCs may be waived on (i) shares sold for medical payments that exceed 7.5% of income and (ii) distributions made to pay for insurance by an individual who has separated from employment and who has received unemployment compensation under a federal or state program for at least twelve weeks.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP): CDSCs may be waived on sales occurring pursuant to a SWP established with the Transfer Agent, to the extent that the sales do not exceed, on an annual basis, 12% of the account’s value as long as distributions are reinvested. Otherwise, a CDSC will be charged on SWP sales until this requirement is met.

Qualified retirement plans: CDSCs may be waived on shares (except for Class B shares) sold by certain group retirement plans held in omnibus accounts.

Redemptions under certain retirement plans and accounts: CDSCs may be waived on shares sold in connection with distributions from qualified retirement plans, government (Section 457) plans, individual retirement accounts or custodial accounts under Section 403(b)(7) of the Code following normal retirement or the attainment of age 59 1/2.

Loans from qualified retirement plans: CDSCs may be waived on shares sold in connection with loans from qualified retirement plans to shareholders.

 

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Accounts liquidated by Distributor: CDSCs may be waived for shares sold under the Distributor’s right to liquidate a shareholder’s account, including but not limited to, instances where the aggregate net asset value of Class A, Class B or Class C shares held in the account is less than the minimum account size.

Returns of excess contributions: CDSCs may be waived on sales required to return excess contributions made to retirement plans or individual retirement accounts, so long as the financial intermediary returns the applicable portion of any commission paid by the Distributor.

Return of commission: CDSCs may be waived on shares sold by intermediaries that are part of the Columbia Funds selling group where the intermediary has entered into an agreement with Columbia Funds not to receive (or to return if received) all or any applicable portion of an upfront commission.

Plans of reorganization: At a Portfolio’s discretion, CDSCs may be waived for shares issued in connection with plans of reorganization, such as mergers, asset acquisitions and exchange offers, to which the Fund is a party.

Anti-Money Laundering Compliance

The Portfolios are required to comply with various anti-money laundering laws and regulations. Consequently, the Portfolios may request additional required information from you to verify your identity. Your application will be rejected if it does not contain your name, social security number, date of birth and permanent street address. If at any time the Portfolios believe a shareholder may be involved in suspicious activity or if certain account information matches information on government lists of suspicious persons, the Portfolios may choose not to establish a new account or may be required to “freeze” a shareholder’s account. The Portfolios also may be required to provide a governmental agency with information about transactions that have occurred in a shareholder’s account or to transfer monies received to establish a new account, transfer an existing account or transfer the proceeds of an existing account to a governmental agency. In some circumstances, the law may not permit the Portfolios to inform the shareholder that it has taken the actions described above.

Offering Price

The share price of each Portfolio is based on each Portfolio’s net asset value per share, which is calculated separately for each class of shares as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE (which is usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern time unless the NYSE closes earlier) on each day the Portfolios are open for business, unless the Board determines otherwise.

The value of each Portfolio’s portfolio securities for which a market quotation is available is determined in accordance with the Trust’s valuation procedures. In general terms, the valuation procedures provide that domestic exchange traded securities (other than NASDAQ listed equity securities) generally will be valued at their last traded sale prices as reported on the principal exchange where those securities are traded. If no sales of those securities are reported on a particular day on the principal exchange, the securities generally will be valued at the mean between the latest bid and asked prices as reported on the principal exchange where those securities are traded. Securities traded on a foreign securities exchange will generally be valued at their last sale prices on the exchange where the securities are primarily traded, or in the absence of a reported sale on a particular day, at their bid prices (in the case of securities held long) or ask prices (in the case of securities held short) as reported by that exchange. Securities traded primarily on NASDAQ will generally be valued at the NASDAQ Official Closing Price (NOCP) (which is the last trade price at or before 4:00:02 p.m. (Eastern Time) adjusted up to NASDAQ’s best bid price if the last trade price is below such bid price or adjusted down to NASDAQ’s best ask price if the last trade price is above such ask price). If no NOCP is available, the security will generally be valued at the last sale price shown on NASDAQ prior to the calculation of the NAV of the Portfolio. If no sale price is shown on NASDAQ, the latest bid price will be used. If no sale price is shown and no latest bid price is available, the price will be deemed “stale” and the value will be determined in accordance with the Portfolios’ fair valuation procedures.

Securities not traded upon any exchange will generally be valued at the mean between the latest bid and asked prices based upon quotes furnished by the appropriate market makers. If quoted prices are unavailable or are believed to be inaccurate, market values will generally be determined based on quotes obtained from one or more broker(s) or dealer(s) or based on a price obtained from a reputable independent pricing service.

Financial futures will generally be valued at the latest reported sales price. Forward foreign currency contracts will generally be valued using market quotations from a widely used quotation system that reflects the current cost of covering or off-setting the contract. Exchange traded options will generally be valued at the latest reported sales price on their exchange. If there is no reported sale on the valuation date, the options will generally be valued at the mean between the latest bid and asked prices.

 

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Over-the-counter derivatives will generally be valued at fair value in accordance with the Portfolios’ fair valuation procedures.

Repurchase agreements will generally be valued at a price equal to the amount of the cash invested in the repurchase agreement at the time of valuation. The market value of the securities underlying a repurchase agreement will be determined in accordance with the procedures above, as appropriate, for the purpose of determining the adequacy of collateral.

Shares of open-end investment companies held in each Portfolio’s portfolio will generally be valued at the latest net asset value reported by the investment company.

Debt securities will generally be valued by a pricing service which may employ a matrix or other indications of value, including but not limited to broker quotes, to determine valuations for normal institutional size trading units. The matrix can take into account various factors including, without limitation, bids, yield spreads, and/or other market data and specific security characteristics (e.g., credit quality, maturity and coupon rate). Debt securities for which a pricing service does not furnish valuations and for which market quotations are readily available will generally be valued based on the mean of the latest bid prices obtained from one or more dealers. Debt securities with remaining maturities of 60 days or less will, absent unusual circumstances, be valued at amortized cost.

Securities for which market quotations are not readily available for any reason, including that the latest quotation is deemed unreliable or unreasonable, securities and other assets and liabilities are valued at “fair value” as determined in good faith by the Advisor’s valuation committee. In general, any one or more of the following factors may be taken into account in determining fair value: the fundamental analytical data relating to the security; the value of other financial instruments, including derivative securities, traded on other markets or among dealers; trading volumes on markets, exchanges, or among dealers; values of baskets of securities traded on other markets; changes in interest rates; observations from financial institutions; government (domestic or foreign) actions or pronouncements; other news events; information as to any transactions or offers with respect to the security; price and extent of public trading in similar securities of the issuer or comparable companies; nature and expected duration of the event, if any, giving rise to the valuation issue; pricing history of the security; the relative size of the position in the portfolio; and other relevant information.

With respect to securities traded on foreign markets, the following factors also may be relevant: the value of foreign securities traded on other foreign markets; ADR trading; closed-end fund trading; foreign currency exchange activity; and the trading of financial products that are tied to baskets of foreign securities, such as World Equity Benchmark Shares™.

The Board has determined, and the valuation procedures provide, that in certain circumstances it may be necessary to use an alternative valuation method, such as in-kind redemptions with affiliated benefit plans where the Department of Labor requires that valuation to be done in accordance with Rule 17a-7 of the 1940 Act.

 

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TAXATION

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Portfolios’ prospectuses entitled Distributions and Taxes. The prospectuses generally describe the U.S. federal income tax treatment of distributions by the Portfolios. This section of the SAI provides additional information concerning U.S. federal income taxes. It is based on the Code, applicable Treasury Regulations, judicial authority, and administrative rulings and practice, all as in effect as of the date of this SAI and all of which are subject to change, including changes with retroactive effect. Except as specifically set forth below, the following discussion does not address any state, local or foreign tax matters.

A shareholder’s tax treatment may vary depending upon his or her particular situation. This discussion applies only to shareholders holding Portfolio shares as capital assets within the meaning of the Code. Except as otherwise noted, it may not apply to certain types of shareholders who may be subject to special rules, such as insurance companies, tax-exempt organizations, shareholders holding Portfolio shares through tax-advantaged accounts (such as 401(k) Plan Accounts or Individual Retirement Accounts), financial institutions, broker-dealers, entities that are not organized under the laws of the United States or a political subdivision thereof, persons who are neither citizens nor residents of the United States, shareholders holding Portfolio shares as part of a hedge, straddle, or conversion transaction, and shareholders who are subject to the U.S. federal alternative minimum tax.

The Trust has not requested and will not request an advance ruling from the IRS as to the U.S. federal income tax matters described below. The IRS could adopt positions contrary to those discussed below and such positions could be sustained. In addition, the following discussion and the discussions in the prospectuses applicable to each shareholder address only some of the U.S. federal income tax considerations generally affecting investments in the Portfolios. Prospective shareholders are urged to consult with their own tax advisors and financial planners regarding the U.S. federal tax consequences of an investment in a Portfolio, the application of state, local, or foreign laws, and the effect of any possible changes in applicable tax laws on their investment in the Portfolios.

Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company

It is intended that each Portfolio qualify as a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of Subtitle A, Chapter 1 of the Code. Each Portfolio will be treated as a separate entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Thus, the provisions of the Code applicable to regulated investment companies generally will apply separately to each Portfolio, even though each Portfolio is a series of the Trust. Furthermore, each Portfolio will separately determine its income, gains, losses, and expenses for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

In order to qualify for the special tax treatment accorded regulated investment companies and their shareholders, each Portfolio must, among other things, derive at least 90% of its gross income each taxable year generally from (i) dividends, interest, certain payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, and other income attributable to its business of investing in such stock, securities or foreign currencies (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) and (ii) net income derived from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership, as defined below. In general, for purposes of this 90% gross income requirement, income derived from a partnership will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership which would be qualifying income if

 

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realized directly by the regulated investment company. However, 100% of the net income derived from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership (defined as a partnership (x) the interests in which are traded on an established securities market or readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof, (y) that derives at least 90% of its income from the passive income sources defined in Code Section 7704(d), and (z) that derives less than 90% of its income from the qualifying income described in clause (i) above) will be treated as qualifying income. Certain of a Portfolio’s investments in master limited partnerships (MLPs) may qualify as interests in qualified publicly traded partnerships. In addition, although in general the passive loss rules do not apply to a regulated investment company, such rules do apply to a regulated investment company with respect to items attributable to an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership.

Each Portfolio must also diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the Portfolio’s taxable year: (i) at least 50% of the fair market value of its total assets consists of (A) cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. government securities and securities of other regulated investment companies, and (B) securities of any one issuer (other than those described in clause (A)) to the extent such securities do not exceed 5% of the value of the Portfolio’s total assets and are not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of the Portfolio’s total assets consists of the securities of any one issuer (other than those described in clause (i)(A)), the securities of two or more issuers the Portfolio controls and which are engaged in the same, similar, or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships. In addition, for purposes of meeting this diversification requirement, the term “outstanding voting securities of such issuer” includes the equity securities of a qualified publicly traded partnership and in the case of a Portfolio’s investments in loan participations, the Portfolio shall treat both the financial intermediary and the issuer of the underlying loan as an issuer. The qualifying income and diversification requirements described above may limit the extent to which a Portfolio can engage in certain derivative transactions, as well as the extent to which it can invest in MLPs.

In addition, each Portfolio generally must distribute to its shareholders at least 90% of its investment company taxable income for the taxable year, which generally includes its ordinary income and the excess of any net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss, and at least 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income (if any) for the taxable year.

If a Portfolio qualifies as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment, it generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any of the investment company taxable income and net capital gain (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) it distributes to its shareholders (including Capital Gain Dividends, as defined below). Each Portfolio generally intends to distribute at least annually substantially all of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction) and substantially all of its net capital gain. However, no assurance can be given that a Portfolio will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation. Any investment company taxable income retained by the Portfolio will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates.

In addition, although each Portfolio generally intends to distribute all of its net capital gain, a Portfolio may determine to retain for investment all or a portion of its net capital gain. If a Portfolio retains any net capital gain, it will be subject to a tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained, but may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders, who (i) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their shares of such undistributed amount, and (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Portfolio on such undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of a Portfolio will be increased by an amount equal under current law to the difference between the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s gross income under clause (i) of the preceding sentence and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder under clause (ii) of the preceding sentence.

 

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In determining its net capital gain for Capital Gain Dividend purposes, a regulated investment company generally must treat any net capital loss or any net long-term capital loss incurred after October 31 as if it had been incurred in the succeeding year. Treasury Regulations permit a regulated investment company, in determining its taxable income, to elect to treat all or part of any net capital loss, any net long-term capital loss or any foreign currency loss incurred after October 31 as if it had been incurred in the succeeding year.

In order to comply with the distribution requirements described above applicable to regulated investment companies, a Portfolio generally must make the distributions in the same taxable year that it realizes the income and gain, although in certain circumstances, a Portfolio may make the distributions in the following taxable year in respect of income and gains from the prior taxable year. Shareholders generally are taxed on any distributions from a Portfolio in the year they are actually distributed. If a Portfolio declares a distribution to shareholders of record in October, November or December of one calendar year and pays the distribution by January 31 of the following calendar year, however, the Portfolio and its shareholders will be treated as if the Portfolio paid the distribution by December 31 of the earlier year.

If, for any taxable year, a Portfolio fails to qualify as a regulated investment company accorded special tax treatment under the Code, it will be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation without any deduction for its distributions to shareholders, and all distributions from the Portfolio’s current and accumulated earnings and profits (including any distributions of its net tax-exempt income and net long-term capital gains) to its shareholders will be taxable to shareholders as dividend income. In addition, the Portfolio could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial distributions before requalifying as a regulated investment company.

Excise Tax

If a Portfolio fails to distribute by December 31 of each calendar year at least the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for that year (excluding capital gains and losses) and 98% of its capital gain net income (adjusted for net ordinary losses) for the 1-year period ending on October 31 of that year, and any of its ordinary income and capital gain net income from previous years that were not distributed during such years, the Portfolio will be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax on the undistributed amounts. For these purposes, a Portfolio will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it has been subject to corporate income tax in the taxable year ending within the calendar year. Each Portfolio generally intends to actually distribute or be deemed to have distributed substantially all of its ordinary income and capital gain net income, if any, by the end of each calendar year and, thus, expects not to be subject to the excise tax. However, no assurance can be given that a Portfolio will not be subject to the excise tax. Moreover, each Portfolio reserves the right to pay an excise tax rather than make an additional distribution when circumstances warrant (for example, if the amount of excise tax to be paid is deemed de minimis by a Portfolio).

Capital Loss Carryforwards

Subject to certain limitations, a Portfolio is permitted to carry forward a net capital loss from any year to offset its capital gains, if any, realized during the eight years following the year of the loss. A Portfolio’s capital loss carryforward is treated as a short-term capital loss in the year to which it is carried. If future capital gains are offset by carried forward capital losses, such future capital gains are not subject to portfolio-level U.S. federal income taxation, regardless of whether they are distributed to shareholders. Accordingly, the Portfolios do not expect to distribute any such offsetting capital gains. The Portfolios cannot carry back or carry forward any net operating losses.

 

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Equalization Accounting

Each Portfolio may use the so-called “equalization method” of accounting to allocate a portion of its “accumulated earnings and profits,” which generally equals a Portfolio’s undistributed net investment income and realized capital gains, with certain adjustments, to redemption proceeds. This method permits a Portfolio to achieve more balanced distributions for both continuing and redeeming shareholders. Although using this method generally will not affect a Portfolio’s total returns, it may reduce the amount of income and gains that the Portfolio would otherwise distribute to continuing shareholders by reducing the effect of redemptions of Portfolio shares on Portfolio distributions to shareholders. The IRS has not sanctioned the particular equalization method used by the Portfolios, and thus a Portfolio’s use of this method may be subject to IRS scrutiny.

Taxation of Investments

In general, realized gains or losses on the sale of securities held by an Underlying Fund will be treated as capital gains or losses, and long-term capital gains or losses if the Underlying Fund has held or is deemed to have held the securities for more than one year at the time of disposition.

If an Underlying Fund purchases a debt obligation with original issue discount (OID) (generally a debt obligation with an issue price less than its stated principal amount, such as a zero-coupon bond), the Underlying Fund may be required to annually include in its income a portion of the OID as ordinary income, even though the Underlying Fund will not receive cash payments for such discount until maturity or disposition of the obligation. Inflation-protected bonds generally can be expected to produce OID income as their principal amounts are adjusted upward for inflation. In general, gains recognized on the disposition of (or the receipt of any partial payment of principal on) a debt obligation (including a municipal obligation) purchased by an Underlying Fund at a market discount, generally at a price less than its principal amount, will be treated as ordinary income to the extent of the portion of market discount which accrued, but was not previously recognized pursuant to an available election, during the term that the Underlying Fund held the debt obligation. An Underlying Fund generally will be required to make distributions to shareholders representing the OID or market discount (if an election is made by the Underlying Fund to accrue market discount over the holding period of the applicable debt obligation) on debt securities that is currently includible in income, even though the cash representing such income may not have been received by the Underlying Fund. Cash to pay such distributions may be obtained from borrowing or from sales proceeds of securities held by an Underlying Fund which the Underlying Fund otherwise might have continued to hold; obtaining such cash might be disadvantageous for the Underlying Fund.

In addition, payment-in-kind securities similarly will give rise to income which is required to be distributed and is taxable even though an Underlying Fund receives no cash interest payment on the security during the year. A portion of the interest paid or accrued on certain high-yield discount obligations (such as high-yield corporate debt securities) may not (and interest paid on debt obligations owned by an Underlying Fund that are considered for tax purposes to be payable in the equity of the issuer or a related party will not) be deductible to the issuer, possibly affecting the cash flow of the issuer.

If an Underlying Fund invests in debt obligations that are in the lowest rating categories or are unrated, including debt obligations of issuers not currently paying interest or who are in default, special tax issues may exist for the Underlying Fund. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as whether an Underlying Fund should recognize market discount on a debt obligation and, if so, the amount of market discount the Underlying Fund should recognize, when an Underlying Fund may cease to accrue interest, OID or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless securities and how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income. These and other related issues will be addressed by an Underlying Fund when, as and if it invests in such securities, in order to seek to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to preserve its status as a regulated investment company and does not become subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax.

 

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If an option granted by an Underlying Fund is sold, lapses or is otherwise terminated through a closing transaction, such as a repurchase by the Underlying Fund of the option from its holder, the Underlying Fund generally will realize a short-term capital gain or loss, depending on whether the premium income is greater or less than the amount paid by the Underlying Fund in the closing transaction. Some capital losses realized by an Underlying Fund in the sale, exchange, exercise or other disposition of an option may be deferred if they result from a position that is part of a “straddle,” discussed below. If securities are sold by an Underlying Fund pursuant to the exercise of a covered call option granted by it, the Underlying Fund generally will add the premium received to the sale price of the securities delivered in determining the amount of gain or loss on the sale. If securities are purchased by an Underlying Fund pursuant to the exercise of a put option written by it, the Underlying Fund generally will subtract the premium received from its cost basis in the securities purchased.

Some regulated futures contracts, foreign currency contracts, and non-equity, listed options that may be used by an Underlying Fund will be deemed “Section 1256 contracts.” An Underlying Fund will be required to “mark to market” any such contracts held at the end of the taxable year by treating them as if they had been sold on the last day of that year at market value. Sixty percent of any net gain or loss realized on all dispositions of Section 1256 contracts, including deemed dispositions under the “mark-to-market” rule, generally will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and the remaining 40% will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss, although certain foreign currency gains and losses from such contracts may be treated as ordinary income or loss as described below. These provisions may require an Underlying Fund to recognize income or gains without a concurrent receipt of cash. Transactions that qualify as designated hedges are exempt from the mark-to-market rule and the “60%/40%” rule and may require the Underlying Fund to defer the recognition of losses on certain futures contracts, foreign currency contracts, and non-equity options.

Foreign exchange gains and losses realized by an Underlying Fund in connection with certain transactions involving foreign currency-denominated debt securities, certain options, futures contracts, forward contracts and similar instruments relating to foreign currency, foreign currencies, or payables or receivables denominated in a foreign currency are subject to Section 988 of the Code, which generally causes such gains and losses to be treated as ordinary income or loss and may affect the amount and timing of recognition of the Underlying Fund’s income. Under future Treasury Regulations, any such transactions that are not directly related to an Underlying Fund’s investments in stock or securities (or its options contracts or futures contracts with respect to stock or securities) may have to be limited in order to enable the Underlying Fund to satisfy the 90% qualifying income test described above. If the net foreign exchange loss exceeds an Underlying Fund’s net investment company taxable income (computed without regard to such loss) for a taxable year, the resulting ordinary loss for such year will not be available as a carryforward and thus cannot be deducted by the Underlying Fund or its shareholders in future years.

Offsetting positions held by an Underlying Fund involving certain derivative instruments, such as forwards, futures and options contracts, may be considered, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, to constitute “straddles.” “Straddles” are defined to include “offsetting positions” in actively traded personal property. The tax treatment of “straddles” is governed by Section 1092 of the Code which, in certain circumstances, overrides or modifies the provisions of Section 1256. If an Underlying Fund is treated as entering into a “straddle” and at least one (but not all) of the Underlying Fund’s positions in derivative contracts comprising a part of such straddle is governed by Section 1256 of the Code, described above, then such straddle could be characterized as a “mixed straddle.” An Underlying Fund may make one or more elections with respect to “mixed straddles.” Depending upon which election is made, if any, the results with respect to an Underlying Fund may differ. Generally, to the extent the straddle rules apply to positions established by an Underlying Fund, losses realized by the Underlying Fund may be deferred to the extent of unrealized gain in any offsetting positions. Moreover, as a result of the straddle rules, short-

 

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term capital loss on straddle positions may be recharacterized as long-term capital loss, and long-term capital gain may be characterized as short-term capital gain. In addition, the existence of a straddle may affect the holding period of the offsetting positions. As a result, the straddle rules could cause distributions that would otherwise constitute “qualified dividend income” or qualify for the dividends-received deduction to fail to satisfy the applicable holding period requirements (as described below). Furthermore, the Underlying Fund may be required to capitalize, rather than deduct currently, any interest expense and carrying charges applicable to a position that is part of a straddle, including any interest on indebtedness incurred or continued to purchase or carry any positions that are part of a straddle. The application of the straddle rules to certain offsetting Underlying Fund positions can therefore affect the amount, timing, and character of distributions to shareholders, and may result in significant differences from the amount, timing and character of distributions that would have been made by the Underlying Fund if it had not entered into offsetting positions in respect of certain of its portfolio securities.

If an Underlying Fund enters into a “constructive sale” of any appreciated financial position in stock, a partnership interest, or certain debt instruments, the Underlying Fund will be treated as if it had sold and immediately repurchased the property and must recognize gain (but not loss) with respect to that position. A constructive sale of an appreciated financial position occurs when an Underlying Fund enters into certain offsetting transactions with respect to the same or substantially identical property, including, but not limited to: (i) a short sale; (ii) an offsetting notional principal contract; (iii) a futures or forward contract; or (iv) other transactions identified in future Treasury Regulations. The character of the gain from constructive sales will depend upon an Underlying Fund’s holding period in the appreciated financial position. Losses realized from a sale of a position that was previously the subject of a constructive sale will be recognized when the position is subsequently disposed of. The character of such losses will depend upon an Underlying Fund’s holding period in the position beginning with the date the constructive sale was deemed to have occurred and the application of various loss deferral provisions in the Code. Constructive sale treatment does not apply to certain closed transactions, including if such a transaction is closed on or before the 30th day after the close of the Underlying Fund’s taxable year and the Underlying Fund holds the appreciated financial position unhedged throughout the 60-day period beginning with the day such transaction was closed.

The amount of long-term capital gain an Underlying Fund may recognize from certain derivative transactions with respect to interests in certain pass-through entities is limited under the Code’s constructive ownership rules. The amount of long-term capital gain is limited to the amount of such gain the Underlying Fund would have had if the Underlying Fund directly invested in the pass-through entity during the term of the derivative contract. Any gain in excess of this amount is treated as ordinary income. An interest charge is imposed on the amount of gain that is treated as ordinary income.

If the Underlying Fund makes a distribution of income received by the Underlying Fund in lieu of dividends (a “substitute payment”) with respect to securities on loan pursuant to a securities lending transaction, such income will not constitute qualified dividend income to individual shareholders and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders. Similar consequences may apply to repurchase and other derivative transactions.

In addition, an Underlying Fund’s transactions in securities and certain types of derivatives (e.g., options, futures contracts, forward contracts and swap agreements) may be subject to other special tax rules, such as the wash-sale rules or the short-sale rules, the effect of which may be to accelerate income to the Underlying Fund, defer losses to the Underlying Fund, cause adjustments in the holding periods of the Underlying Fund’s securities, convert long-term capital gains into short-term capital gains, and/or convert short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses. These rules could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders.

Certain of an Underlying Fund’s investments in derivative instruments and foreign currency-denominated instruments, as well as any of its foreign currency transactions and hedging activities, are

 

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likely to produce a difference between its book income and its taxable income. If an Underlying Fund’s book income exceeds the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any), the distribution (if any) of such excess generally will be treated as (i) a dividend to the extent of the Underlying Fund’s remaining earnings and profits (including earnings and profits arising from tax-exempt income), (ii) thereafter, as a return of capital to the extent of the Portfolio’s basis in its Underlying Fund shares, and (iii) thereafter, as gain from the sale or exchange of a capital asset. If an Underlying Fund’s book income is less than the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any), the Underlying Fund could be required to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment.

Rules governing the U.S. federal income tax aspects of derivatives, including swap agreements, are in a developing stage and are not entirely clear in certain respects. Accordingly, an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to these rules (which determination or guidance could be retroactive) may affect whether an Underlying Fund (as well as a Portfolio investing in such Underlying Fund) has made sufficient distributions, and otherwise satisfied the relevant requirements to maintain its qualification as a regulated investment company and avoid entity-level tax. Certain requirements that must be met under the Code in order for an Underlying Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company may limit the extent to which an Underlying Fund will be able to engage in certain derivatives transactions.

An Underlying Fund’s investments in REIT equity securities may result in the Underlying Fund’s receipt of cash in excess of the REIT’s earnings; if the Underlying Fund distributes these amounts, these distributions could constitute a return of capital to Underlying Fund shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Investments in REIT equity securities also may require an Underlying Fund to accrue and distribute income not yet received. To generate sufficient cash to make the requisite distributions, the Underlying Fund may be required to sell securities in its portfolio (including when it is not advantageous to do so) that it otherwise would have continued to hold. Dividends received by the Underlying Fund from a REIT generally will not constitute qualified dividend income and will not qualify for the dividends-received deduction.

An Underlying Fund may invest directly or indirectly in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in taxable mortgage pools (TMPs). Under an IRS notice, and Treasury Regulations that have yet to be issued but may apply retroactively, a portion of an Underlying Fund’s income (including income allocated to the Underlying Fund from a REIT or other pass-through entity) that is attributable to a residual interest in a REMIC or an equity interest in a TMP (referred to in the Code as an “excess inclusion”) will be subject to U.S. federal income tax in all events. This notice also provides, and the regulations are expected to provide, that excess inclusion income of a regulated investment company, such as an Underlying Fund, will be allocated to shareholders of the regulated investment company in proportion to the dividends received by such shareholders, with the same consequences as if the shareholders held the related interest directly.

In general, excess inclusion income allocated to shareholders (i) cannot be offset by net operating losses (subject to a limited exception for certain thrift institutions), (ii) will constitute unrelated business taxable income (UBTI) to entities (including a qualified pension plan, an individual retirement account, a 401(k) plan, a Keogh plan or certain other tax-exempt entities) subject to tax on UBTI, thereby potentially requiring such an entity that is allocated excess inclusion income, and otherwise might not be required to file a tax return, to file a tax return and pay tax on such income, and (iii) in the case of a foreign shareholder, will not qualify for any reduction in U.S. federal withholding tax.

Some amounts received by an Underlying Fund from its investments in MLPs will likely be treated as returns of capital because of accelerated deductions available with respect to the activities of MLPs. On the disposition of an investment in such an MLP, the Underlying Fund will likely realize taxable income in excess of economic gain from that asset (or if an Underlying Fund does not dispose of the MLP, the

 

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Underlying Fund will likely realize taxable income in excess of cash flow received by the Underlying Fund from the MLP in a later period), and the Underlying Fund must take such income into account in determining whether the Underlying Fund has satisfied its regulated investment company distribution requirements. The Underlying Fund may have to borrow or liquidate securities to satisfy its distribution requirements and meet its redemption requests, even though investment considerations might otherwise make it undesirable for the Underlying Fund to borrow money or sell securities at the time. In addition, distributions attributable to gain from the sale of MLPs that are characterized as ordinary income under the Code’s recapture provisions will be taxable to Underlying Fund shareholders as ordinary income.

“Passive foreign investment companies” (PFICs) are generally defined as foreign corporations where at least 75% of their gross income for their taxable year is income from passive sources (such as interest, dividends, certain rents and royalties, or capital gains) or at least 50% of their assets on average produce such passive income. If an Underlying Fund acquires any equity interest in a PFIC, the Underlying Fund could be subject to U.S. federal income tax and interest charges on “excess distributions” received from the PFIC or on gain from the sale of such equity interest in the PFIC, even if all income or gain actually received by the Underlying Fund is timely distributed to its shareholders. Excess distributions and gain from the sale of interests in PFICs may be characterized as ordinary income even though, absent the application of PFIC rules, these amounts may otherwise have been classified as capital gain.

An Underlying Fund will not be permitted to pass through to its shareholders any credit or deduction for these special taxes and interest charges incurred with respect to a PFIC. Elections may be available that would ameliorate these adverse tax consequences, but such elections would require an Underlying Fund to include its share of the PFIC’s income and net capital gains annually, regardless of whether it receives any distribution from the PFIC (in the case of a “QEF election”), or to mark the gains (and to a limited extent losses) in its interests in the PFIC “to the market” as though the Underlying Fund had sold and repurchased such interests on the last day of the Underlying Fund’s taxable year, treating such gains and losses as ordinary income and loss (in the case of a “mark-to-market election”). The QEF and mark-to-market elections may require an Underlying Fund to recognize taxable income or gain without the concurrent receipt of cash and increase the amount required to be distributed by the Underlying Fund to avoid taxation. Making either of these elections therefore may require an Underlying Fund to liquidate other investments prematurely to meet the minimum distribution requirements described above, which also may accelerate the recognition of gain and adversely affect the Underlying Fund’s total return. Each Underlying Fund may attempt to limit and/or manage its holdings in PFICs to minimize tax liability and/or maximize returns from these investments but there can be no assurance that it will be able to do so. Moreover, because it is not always possible to identify a foreign corporation as a PFIC in advance of acquiring shares in the corporation, an Underlying Fund may incur the tax and interest charges described above in some instances. Dividends paid by PFICs will not be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income, as defined below.

In addition to the investments described above, prospective shareholders should be aware that other investments made by an Underlying Fund may involve complex tax rules that may result in income or gain recognition by the Underlying Fund without corresponding current cash receipts. If an Underlying Fund recognizes any noncash income, the Underlying Fund may distribute cash derived from other sources in order to meet the minimum distribution requirements described above. In this regard, an Underlying Fund could be required at times to liquidate investments prematurely in order to satisfy its minimum distribution requirements, which may accelerate the recognition of gain and adversely affect the Underlying Fund’s total return.

Considerations similar to those set forth above would apply to any investments made directly by a Portfolio. In addition, a Portfolio may receive taxable income or gain upon the receipt of distributions from an Underlying Fund or upon a sale, exchange or redemption of shares in an Underlying Fund. A redemption of shares in an Underlying Fund may be characterized as a dividend (taxable as ordinary income rather than capital gain) to the extent provided in the Code and Treasury Regulations.

 

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Taxation of Distributions

Distributions paid out of a Portfolio’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, whether paid in cash or reinvested in the Portfolio, generally are deemed to be taxable distributions and must be reported by each shareholder who is required to file a U.S. federal income tax return. Dividends and distributions on a Portfolio’s shares are generally subject to U.S. federal income tax as described herein to the extent they do not exceed the Portfolio’s realized income and gains, even though such dividends and distributions may economically represent a return of a particular shareholder’s investment. Such distributions are likely to occur in respect of shares purchased at a time when the Portfolio’s net asset value reflects either unrealized gains, or realized but undistributed income or gains. Such realized income and gains may be required to be distributed even when the Portfolio’s net asset value also reflects unrealized losses. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, a Portfolio’s earnings and profits, described above, are determined at the end of the Portfolio’s taxable year and are allocated pro rata to distributions paid over the entire year. Distributions in excess of a Portfolio’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will first be treated as a return of capital up to the amount of a shareholder’s tax basis in his or her Portfolio shares and then as capital gain. A return of capital is not taxable, but it reduces a shareholder’s tax basis in his or her Portfolio shares, thus reducing any loss or increasing any gain on a subsequent taxable disposition by the shareholder of his or her shares. A Portfolio may make distributions in excess of its earnings and profits to a limited extent, from time to time.

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, distributions of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income, and distributions of gains from the sale of investments that a Portfolio owned (or is deemed to have owned) for one year or less will be taxable as ordinary income. Distributions properly designated by a Portfolio as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gain (to the extent such distributions do not exceed the Portfolio’s actual net long-term capital gain for the taxable year), regardless of how long a shareholder has held Portfolio shares, and do not qualify as dividends for purposes of the dividends-received deduction or as qualified dividend income (defined below). Each Portfolio will designate Capital Gain Dividends, if any, in a written notice mailed by the Portfolio to its shareholders not later than 60 days after the close of the Portfolio’s taxable year.

Income and capital gain received by a Portfolio from an Underlying Fund generally will be distributed by the Portfolio (after deductions for the Portfolio’s allowable losses and expenses) and generally will be taxable to shareholders as described above. However, special rules may apply to Portfolio distributions attributable to Underlying Fund distributions and the extent to which such Portfolio distributions may result in qualified dividend income, the dividends-received deduction, and other tax consequences discussed herein. Accordingly, the tax consequences of an investment in a Portfolio may differ from, and may be less favorable than, the tax consequences of a direct investment in an Underlying Fund.

Some states will not tax distributions made to individual shareholders that are attributable to interest a Portfolio earns on direct obligations of the U.S. government if the Portfolio meets the state’s minimum investment or reporting requirements, if any. Investments in GNMA or FNMA securities, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper, and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities generally do not qualify for tax-free treatment. This exemption may not apply to corporate shareholders.

Sales and Exchanges of Portfolio Shares

If a shareholder sells or exchanges his or her Portfolio shares, he or she generally will realize a taxable capital gain or loss on the difference between the amount received for the shares (or deemed received in the case of an exchange) and his or her tax basis in the shares. This gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if he or she has held (or is deemed to have held) such Portfolio shares for more than one year at the time of the sale or exchange, and short-term capital gain or loss otherwise.

 

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If a shareholder sells or exchanges Portfolio shares within 90 days of having acquired such shares and if, as a result of having initially acquired those shares, he or she subsequently pays a reduced sales charge on a new purchase of shares of the Portfolio or a different regulated investment company, the sales charge previously incurred in acquiring the Portfolio’s shares generally shall not be taken into account (to the extent the previous sales charges do not exceed the reduction in sales charges on the new purchase) for the purpose of determining the amount of gain or loss on the disposition, but generally will be treated as having been incurred in the new purchase. Also, if a shareholder realizes a loss on a disposition of Portfolio shares, the loss will be disallowed under “wash sale” rules to the extent that he or she purchases substantially identical shares within the 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition. Any disallowed loss generally will be reflected in an adjustment to the tax basis of the purchased shares.

If a shareholder receives a Capital Gain Dividend or is deemed to receive a distribution of long-term capital gain with respect to any Portfolio share and such Portfolio share is held or treated as held for six months or less, then (unless otherwise disallowed) any loss on the sale or exchange of that Portfolio share will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of the Capital Gain Dividend or deemed long-term capital gain distribution.

Foreign Taxes

The Portfolio will not be permitted to claim a credit or deduction for foreign taxes paid in that year, nor will the Portfolio shareholders be permitted to include their proportionate share of the foreign taxes paid by the Portfolio in their gross income by treating that amount as paid by them for the purpose of the foreign tax credit or deduction.

U.S. Federal Income Tax Rates

As of the date of this SAI, the maximum stated U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to individuals generally is 35% for ordinary income and 15% for net long-term capital gain. Long-term capital gain rates applicable to individuals have been temporarily reduced—in general, to 15% with lower rates applying to taxpayers in the 10% and 15% rate brackets—for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2011. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this provision for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2011.

For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2011, U.S. federal income tax law also provides for a maximum individual U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to “qualified dividend income” equal to the highest net long-term capital gain rate, which, as described above, generally is 15%. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this provision for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2011. In general, “qualified dividend income” is income attributable to dividends received by a Portfolio from certain domestic and foreign corporations, as long as certain holding period and other requirements are met by the Portfolio with respect to the dividend-paying corporation’s stock and by the shareholders with respect to the Portfolio’s shares. If 95% or more of a Portfolio’s gross income (excluding net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) constitutes qualified dividend income, all of its distributions (other than Capital Gain Dividends) will be generally treated as qualified dividend income in the hands of individual shareholders, as long as they have owned their Portfolio shares for at least 61 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the Portfolio’s ex-dividend date (or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date) and meet certain other requirements specified in the Code. In general, if less than 95% of a Portfolio’s income is attributable to qualified dividend income, then only the portion of the Portfolio’s distributions that is attributable to qualified dividend income and designated as such in a timely manner will be so treated in the hands of individual shareholders who meet the aforementioned holding period requirements. The rules regarding the qualification of Portfolio distributions as qualified dividend income are complex, including the holding period requirements. Individual Portfolio shareholders therefore are urged to consult their own tax advisors and financial planners.

 

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The maximum stated corporate U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to ordinary income and net capital gain is 35%. Actual marginal tax rates may be higher for some shareholders, for example, through reductions in deductions. Naturally, the amount of tax payable by any taxpayer will be affected by a combination of tax laws covering, for example, deductions, credits, deferrals, exemptions, sources of income and other matters. U.S. federal income tax rates are set to increase in future years under various “sunset” provisions of U.S. federal income tax laws.

Backup Withholding

Each Portfolio generally is required to withhold, and remit to the U.S. Treasury, subject to certain exemptions, an amount equal to 28% of all distributions and redemption proceeds (including proceeds from exchanges and redemptions in-kind) paid or credited to a Portfolio shareholder if (1) the shareholder fails to furnish the Portfolio with a correct “taxpayer identification number” (TIN) or has not certified to the Portfolio that withholding does not apply or (2) the IRS notifies the Portfolio that the shareholder’s TIN is incorrect or the shareholder is otherwise subject to backup withholding. This backup withholding is not an additional tax imposed on the shareholder. The shareholder may apply amounts required to be withheld as a credit against his or her future U.S. federal income tax liability, provided that the required information is furnished to the IRS. If a shareholder fails to furnish a valid TIN upon request, the shareholder can also be subject to IRS penalties. The rate of backup withholding is set to increase for amounts distributed or paid after December 31, 2010.

Tax-Deferred Plans

The shares of a Portfolio may be available for a variety of tax-deferred retirement and other tax-advantaged plans and accounts. Prospective investors should contact their tax advisors and financial planners regarding the tax consequences to them of holding Portfolio shares through such plans and/or accounts.

Corporate Shareholders

Subject to limitations and other rules, a corporate shareholder of a Portfolio may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction on Portfolio distributions attributable to dividends received by the Portfolio from domestic corporations, which, if received directly by the corporate shareholder, would qualify for such a deduction. For eligible corporate shareholders, the dividends-received deduction may be subject to certain reductions, and a distribution by a Portfolio attributable to dividends of a domestic corporation will be eligible for the deduction only if certain holding period and other requirements are met. These requirements are complex; therefore, corporate shareholders of the Portfolios are urged to consult their own tax advisors and financial planners.

As discussed above, a portion of the interest paid or accrued on certain high-yield discount obligations that a Portfolio may own may not be deductible to the issuer. If a portion of the interest paid or accrued on these obligations is not deductible, that portion will be treated as a dividend. In such cases, if the issuer of the obligation is a domestic corporation, dividend payments by a Portfolio may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction to the extent of the dividend portion of such interest.

Foreign Shareholders

For purposes of this discussion, “foreign shareholders” generally include: (i) nonresident alien individuals, (ii) foreign trusts (i.e., a trust other than a trust with respect to which a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over administration of that trust and one or more U.S. persons have authority to control substantial decisions of that trust), (iii) foreign estates (i.e., the income of which is not subject to U.S. tax regardless of source), and (iv) foreign corporations.

 

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Generally, unless an exception applies, dividend distributions made to foreign shareholders other than Capital Gain Dividends will be subject to non-refundable U.S. federal income tax withholding at a 30% rate (or such lower rate as may be provided under an applicable income tax treaty) even if they are funded by income or gains (such as portfolio interest, short-term capital gains, or foreign-source dividend and interest income) that, if paid to a foreign person directly, would not be subject to withholding. However, generally, for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2010, distributions made to foreign shareholders and properly designated by a Portfolio as “interest-related dividends” are exempt from U.S. federal income tax withholding. The exemption for interest-related dividends does not apply to any distribution to a foreign shareholder (i) to the extent that the dividend is attributable to certain interest on an obligation if the foreign shareholder is the issuer or is a 10% shareholder of the issuer; (ii) that is within certain foreign countries that have inadequate information exchange with the United States, or (iii) to the extent the dividend is attributable to interest paid by a person that is a related person of the foreign shareholder and the foreign shareholder is a controlled foreign corporation. Interest-related dividends are generally attributable to the Portfolio’s net U.S.-source interest income of types similar to those not subject to U.S. federal income tax if earned directly by an individual foreign shareholder. In order to qualify as an interest-related dividend, the Portfolio must designate a distribution as such in a written notice mailed to its shareholders not later than 60 days after the close of the Portfolio’s taxable year. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a distribution described above is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business (or, if an income tax treaty applies, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment) of the recipient foreign shareholder, neither U.S. federal income tax withholding nor the exemption for interest-related dividends will apply. Instead, the distribution will be subject to the tax, reporting and withholding requirements generally applicable to U.S. persons, and an additional branch profits tax may apply if the recipient foreign shareholder is a foreign corporation.

In general, a foreign shareholder’s capital gains realized on the disposition of Portfolio shares, distributions properly designated as Capital Gain Dividends and, with respect to taxable years of a Portfolio beginning before January 1, 2010, “short-term capital gain dividends” (defined below) are not subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax, unless: (i) such gains or distributions are effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business (or, if an income tax treaty applies, are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment) of the foreign shareholder; (ii) in the case of an individual foreign shareholder, the shareholder is present in the U.S. for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the disposition of Portfolio shares or the receipt of Capital Gain Dividends or short-term capital gain dividends and certain other conditions are met; or (iii) the Portfolio shares on which the foreign shareholder realized gain constitute U.S. real property interests (USRPIs, defined below) or, in certain cases, the distributions are attributable to gain from the sale or exchange of a USRPI, as discussed below. If the requirements of clause (i) are met, the tax, reporting and withholding requirements applicable to U.S. persons generally will apply to the foreign shareholder and an additional branch profits tax may apply if the foreign shareholder is a foreign corporation. If the requirements of clause (i) are not met, but the requirements of clause (ii) are met, such gains and distributions will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a 30% rate (or such lower rate as may be provided under an applicable income tax treaty). Please see below for a discussion of the tax implications to foreign shareholders in the event that clause (iii) applies. “Short-term capital gain dividends” are distributions attributable to a Portfolio’s net short-term capital gain in excess of its net long-term capital loss and designated as such by the Portfolio in a written notice mailed by the Portfolio to its shareholders not later than 60 days after the close of the Portfolio’s taxable year.

It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend the exemptions from withholding for interest-related dividends and short-term capital gain dividends for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2010.

 

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In the case of shares held through an intermediary, even if a Portfolio makes a designation with respect to a payment, no assurance can be made that the intermediary will respect such a designation, and an intermediary may withhold even if a Portfolio makes a designation with respect to a payment. Foreign shareholders should contact their intermediaries regarding the application of these rules to their accounts.

Even if permitted to do so, each Portfolio provides no assurance that it will designate any distributions as interest-related dividends or short-term capital gain dividends.

Special rules apply to distributions to foreign shareholders from a Portfolio if it is either a “U.S. real property holding corporation” (USRPHC) or would be a USRPHC but for the operation of certain exceptions described below. Additionally, special rules apply to the sale of shares in a Portfolio if it is a USRPHC. Generally, a USRPHC is a domestic corporation that holds USRPIs – defined generally as any interest in U.S. real property or any equity interest in a USRPHC – the fair market value of which equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market values of the corporation’s USRPIs, interests in real property located outside the United States and other assets. If a Portfolio holds (directly or indirectly) significant interests in REITs, it may be a USRPHC. The special rules discussed in the next paragraph will also apply to distributions from a Portfolio if it would be a USRPHC absent exclusions from USRPI treatment for interests in domestically controlled REITs or regulated investment companies and not-greater-than-5% interests in publicly traded classes of stock in REITs or regulated investment companies.

If a Portfolio is a USRPHC or would be a USRPHC but for the above-mentioned exceptions, amounts the Portfolio receives from REITs derived from gains realized from USRPIs generally will retain their character as such in the hands of the Portfolio’s foreign shareholders. In the hands of a foreign shareholder that holds (or has held in the prior 12 months) more than a 5% interest in any class of the Portfolio, such amounts generally will be treated as gains “effectively connected” with the conduct of a “U.S. trade or business,” and subject to tax at graduated rates. Moreover, such shareholder generally will be required to file a U.S. income tax return for the year recognized, and the Portfolio must withhold 35% of the amount of such distribution. Otherwise, in the case of all other foreign shareholders (i.e., those whose interest in any class of the Portfolio did not exceed 5% at any time during the prior 12 months), such amounts generally will be treated as ordinary income (regardless of any designation by the Portfolio that such distribution is a short-term capital gain dividend or Capital Gain Dividend), and the Portfolio must withhold 30% (or a lower applicable treaty rate) of the amount of the distribution paid to such shareholders. If a Portfolio is subject to the rules of this paragraph, its foreign shareholders may also be subject to “wash sale” rules to prevent the avoidance of the foregoing tax-filing and payment obligations through the sale and repurchase of Portfolio shares. Prior to January 1, 2010, if a Portfolio is a USRPHC or would be a USRPHC but for the above-mentioned exceptions, similar rules generally also apply to any non-REIT USRPI gains recognized by the Portfolio directly or indirectly through certain lower-tier regulated investment companies. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this treatment to January 1, 2010 and beyond.

In addition, if a Portfolio is a USRPHC, it generally must withhold 10% of the amount realized in redemption by a greater-than-5% foreign shareholder, and that shareholder must file a U.S. income tax return for the year of the disposition of the USRPI and pay any additional tax due on the gain. Prior to January 1, 2010, no such withholding is generally required with respect to amounts paid in redemption of shares of a Portfolio if the Portfolio is a domestically controlled USRPHC or, in certain limited cases, if the Portfolio (whether or not domestically controlled) holds substantial investments in regulated investment companies that are domestically controlled USRPHCs. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this exemption from withholding to January 1, 2010 and beyond.

In order to qualify for any exemptions from withholding described above or for lower withholding tax rates under income tax treaties, or to establish an exemption from backup withholding, a foreign shareholder must comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its foreign status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN or substitute form). Foreign shareholders should consult their tax advisers in this regard.

 

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Special rules (including withholding and reporting requirements) apply to foreign partnerships and those holding Portfolio shares through foreign partnerships. In addition, additional considerations may apply to foreign trusts and foreign estates. Investors holding Portfolio shares through foreign entities should consult their tax advisors about their particular situation.

A beneficial holder of shares who is a foreign person may be subject to state and local tax and to the U.S. federal estate tax in addition to the U.S. federal income tax referred to above.

Tax-Exempt Shareholders

Under current law, a Portfolio serves to “block” (that is, prevent the attribution to shareholders of) UBTI from being realized by tax-exempt shareholders. Notwithstanding this “blocking” effect, a tax-exempt shareholder could realize UBTI by virtue of its investment in a Portfolio if shares in the Portfolio constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Code Section 514(b).

It is possible that a tax-exempt shareholder will also recognize UBTI if a Portfolio recognizes excess inclusion income (as described above) derived from direct or indirect investments in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in TMPs. Furthermore, any investment in residual interests of a CMO that has elected to be treated as a REMIC can create complex tax consequences, especially if the Portfolio has state or local governments or other tax-exempt organizations as shareholders.

In addition, special tax consequences apply to charitable remainder trusts (CRTs) that invest in regulated investment companies that invest directly or indirectly in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in TMPs. Under legislation enacted in December 2006, a CRT, as defined in Section 664 of the Code, that realizes UBTI for a taxable year must pay an excise tax annually of an amount equal to such UBTI. Under IRS guidance issued in October 2006, a CRT will not recognize UBTI solely as a result of investing in a Portfolio to the extent that it recognizes excess inclusion income. Rather, if at any time during any taxable year a CRT (or one of certain other tax-exempt shareholders, such as the United States, a state or political subdivision, or an agency or instrumentality thereof, and certain energy cooperatives) is a record holder of a share in a Portfolio and the Portfolio recognizes excess inclusion income, then the Portfolio will be subject to a tax on that portion of its excess inclusion income for the taxable year that is allocable to such shareholders at the highest U.S. federal corporate income tax rate. The extent to which the IRS guidance remains applicable in light of the December 2006 legislation is unclear. To the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, each Portfolio may elect to specially allocate any such tax to the applicable CRT, or other shareholder, and thus reduce such shareholder’s distributions for the year by the amount of the tax that relates to such shareholder’s interest in the Portfolio. Each Portfolio has not yet determined whether such an election will be made. CRTs are urged to consult their tax advisors concerning the consequences of investing in a Portfolio.

Tax Shelter Reporting Regulations

Under Treasury Regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a regulated investment company are not excepted. Future guidance may extend the current exception from this reporting requirement to shareholders of most or all regulated investment companies. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

 

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CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

As of June 30, 2009, the name, address and percentage of ownership of each person who may be deemed to be a “principal holder “(i.e., owns of record or is known by the Trust to own beneficially 5% or more of any class of a Portfolio’s outstanding shares) is listed below.

Principal Holder Ownership of the Portfolios

 

Portfolio

  

Shareholder Account Registration

  

Share

Balance

  

Percentage
of class

Columbia LifeGoal Growth Portfolio

Class C

  

MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INC FOR THE SOLE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS

ATTN: SERVICE TEAM

4800 DEER LAKE DR E FL 3

JACKSONVILLE, FL 32246-6484

   1,272,756.8720    16.10%

Columbia LifeGoal Growth Portfolio

Class R

  

MG TRUST CO CUST FBO

O DANIEL AUTOMOTIVE GROUP 401K SA

700 17TH ST STE 300

DENVER, CO 80202-3531

   57,476.1300    38.51%

Columbia LifeGoal Growth Portfolio

Class R

  

FRONTIER TRUST CO FBO

RIVERFRONT STEEL 401K PLAN

PO BOX 10758

FARGO, ND 58106-0758

   22,126.4190    14.83%

Columbia LifeGoal Growth Portfolio

Class R

  

MG TRUST CO CUST FBO

CLINICA CAMPESINA FAMILY

HEALTH SER

700 17TH ST STE 300

DENVER, CO 80202-3531

   17,920.8340    12.01%

Columbia LifeGoal Growth Portfolio

Class R

  

MG TRUST CO CUST FBO

ALBERT FREI & SONS INC 401K PLAN

700 17TH ST STE 300

DENVER, CO 80202-3531

   7,535.4250    5.05%

Columbia LifeGoal Growth Portfolio

Class Z

  

BANK OF AMERICA NA, TRUSTEE

ATTN BETTY BARLEY/FUNDS ACCOUNTING

1201 MAIN STREET 10TH FLOOR

DALLAS, TX 75202-3908

   1,738,676.6260    41.56%

Columbia LifeGoal Growth Portfolio

Class Z

  

GPC SECURITIES INC AGENT FOR BANK OF AMERICA FBO

PRATT INDUSTRIES USA INC 401 K PSP

PO BOX 105117

ATLANTA, GA 30348-5117

   470,016.5900    11.23%

Columbia LifeGoal Growth Portfolio

Class Z

  

NFS LLC FEBO

STATE STREET BANK TRUST CO

TTEE VARIOUS RETIREMENT PLANS

4 MANHATTANVILLE RD

PURCHASE, NY 10577-2139

   433,492.9340    10.36%

Columbia LifeGoal Growth Portfolio

Class Z

  

GPC SECURITIES INC AS AGENT FOR BANK OF AMERICA FBO

APPLE HEALTHCARE 401K SECURITY

EXPRESS PLAN

PO BOX 105117

ATLANTA, GA 30348-5117

   312,556.4810    7.47%

Columbia LifeGoal Balanced Growth Portfolio

Class C

  

MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INC FOR THE SOLE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS

ATTN: SERVICE TEAM

4800 DEER LAKE DR E FL 3

JACKSONVILLE, FL 32246-6484

   1,376,035.4500    15.91%

Columbia LifeGoal Balanced Growth Portfolio

Class R

  

MG TRUST CO CUST FBO

O DANIEL AUTOMOTIVE GROUP 401K SA

700 17TH ST STE 300

DENVER, CO 80202-3531

   105,215.4430    43.03%

Columbia LifeGoal Balanced Growth Portfolio

Class R

  

KEITH MILLER FBO

ARMED FORCES SERVICES CORP

401K PSP & TRUST

2800 S SHIRLINGTON RD STE 30

ARLINGTON, VA 22206-3601

   88,292.3100    36.11%

Columbia LifeGoal Balanced Growth Portfolio

Class R

  

GUY VIDRA FBO

PROTEUS INC 401 K PROFIT SHARING PLAN & TRUST

2020-14TH ST N SUITE 500

ARLINGTON, VA 22201

   18,670.6910    7.64%

Columbia LifeGoal Balanced Growth Portfolio

Class Z

  

BANK OF AMERICA NA, TRUSTEE

ATTN BETTY BARLEY/FUNDS ACCOUNTING

1201 MAIN STREET 10TH FLOOR

DALLAS, TX 75202-3908

   2,094,841.1110    34.58%

Columbia LifeGoal Balanced Growth Portfolio

Class Z

  

GPC SECURITIES INC AGENT FOR BANK OF AMERICA FBO

PRATT INDUSTRIES USA INC 401K PSP

PO BOX 105117

ATLANTA, GA 30348-5117

   1,447,575.6460    23.89%

Columbia LifeGoal Balanced Growth Portfolio

Class Z

  

GPC SECURITIES INC AGENT FOR BANK OF AMERICA FBO

EFW INC SUPPLEMENTAL SAVINGS INVESTMENT PLAN

PO BOX 105117

ATLANTA, GA 30348-5117

   452,560.3800    7.47%

Columbia LifeGoal Income and Growth Portfolio

Class C

  

MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INC FOR THE SOLE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS

ATTN: SERVICE TEAM

4800 DEER LAKE DR E FL 3

JACKSONVILLE, FL 32246-6484

   312,721.0560    13.07%

Columbia LifeGoal Income and Growth Portfolio

Class R

  

MG TRUST CO CUST FBO

O DANIEL AUTOMOTIVE GROUP 401K SA

700 17TH ST STE 300

DENVER, CO 80202-3531

   32,770.1180    62.90%

Columbia LifeGoal Income and Growth Portfolio

Class R

  

AL HARNISCH FBO

EASTERN DATACOMM INC 401K PSP & TRUST

44 COMMERCE WAY

HACKENSACK, NJ 07601-6302

   6,688.2340    12.84%

Columbia LifeGoal Income and Growth Portfolio

Class R

  

MG TRUST CO CUST FBO

MIRAMAR LABS 401K PROFIT-SHARING

700 17TH ST STE 300

DENVER, CO 80202-3531

   4,860.9070    9.33%

Columbia LifeGoal Income and Growth Portfolio

Class R

  

FRONTIER TRUST CO FBO

TRI-EAGLE SALES 401K PROFIT SHARI

PO BOX 10758

FARGO, ND 58106-0758

   3,268.1700    6.27%

Columbia LifeGoal Income and Growth Portfolio

Class Z

  

BANK OF AMERICA NA, TRUSTEE

ATTN BETTY BARLEY/FUNDS ACCOUNTING

1201 MAIN STREET 10TH FLOOR

DALLAS, TX 75202-3908

   740,737.3530    38.25%

Columbia LifeGoal Income and Growth Portfolio

Class Z

  

GPC SECURITIES INC AS AGENT FOR BANK OF AMERICA FBO

APPLE HEALTHCARE 401K SECURITY

EXPRESS PLAN

PO BOX 105117

ATLANTA, GA 30348-5117

   349,024.8610    18.02%

Columbia LifeGoal Income and Growth Portfolio

Class Z

  

NFS LLC FEBO

STATE STREET BANK TRUST CO

TTEE VARIOUS RETIREMENT PLANS

4 MANHATTANVILLE RD

PURCHASE, NY 10577-2139

   155,872.6500    8.05%

Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio

Class C

  

MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INC FOR THE SOLE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS

ATTN: SERVICE TEAM

4800 DEER LAKE DR E FL 3

JACKSONVILLE, FL 32246-6484

   45,563.4000    7.60%

Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio

Class Z

  

BANK OF AMERICA NA, TRUSTEE

ATTN BETTY BARLEY/FUNDS ACCOUNTING

1201 MAIN STREET 10TH FLOOR

DALLAS, TX 75202-3908

   206,449.6980    40.24%

Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio

Class Z

  

GPC SECURITIES INC AGENT FOR BANK OF AMERICA FBO

PRATT INDUSTRIES USA INC 401K PSP

PO BOX 105117

ATLANTA, GA 30348-5117

   181,086.5000    35.30%

Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio

Class Z

  

GPC SECURITIES INC AGENT FOR BANK OF AMERICA FBO

EFW INC SUPPLEMENTAL SAVINGS INVESTMENT PLAN

PO BOX 105117

ATLANTA, GA 30348-5117

   40,813.6940    7.96%

 

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As of June 30, 2009, there were no persons who would be deemed to be a “control person” (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act) of the Portfolios because it owns greater than 25% of the outstanding shares, either beneficially or by virtue of its fiduciary or trust roles or otherwise. A controlling person’s vote could have a more significant effect on matters presented to shareholders for approval than the vote of other Portfolio shareholders.

Control Person Ownership of the Portfolios

None

 

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APPENDIX A — DESCRIPTIONS OF SECURITIES RATINGS

This Appendix summarizes the various descriptions of securities ratings applicable to securities purchased by the Columbia Funds Family. Please refer to a Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information to determine whether that Fund may invest in securities that have ratings described in this Appendix.

STANDARD & POOR’S (S&P)

Bonds

The following summarizes the ratings used by S&P for bonds. The ratings AAA, AA, A and BBB denote investment grade securities.

AAA bonds have the highest rating assigned by S&P and are considered to have an extremely strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal.

AA bonds are considered to have a very strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal, and they differ from AAA only in small degree.

A bonds are considered to have a strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal, although they are somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than debt in higher rated categories.

BBB bonds are considered to have an adequate capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Whereas they normally exhibit adequate protection parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay interest and repay principal than for bonds in the A category.

BB, B, CCC, CC and C bonds are considered to have predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation. BB indicates the lowest degree of speculation and C the highest degree. While such debt will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these are outweighed by large uncertainties or large exposures to adverse conditions.

BB bonds are considered to have less near-term vulnerability to default than other speculative issues. However, they face major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to inadequate capacity to meet timely interest and principal payments. The BB rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied BBB – rating.

B bonds are considered to have a greater vulnerability to default but currently have the capacity to meet interest payments and principal repayments. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair capacity or willingness to pay interest and repay principal. The B rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied BB or BB – rating.

CCC bonds are considered to have a currently identifiable vulnerability to default, and are dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions to meet timely payment of interest and repayment of principal. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the bonds are not likely to have the capacity to pay interest and repay principal. The CCC rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied B or B – rating.

CC rating typically is applied to debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied CCC rating.

C rating typically is applied to debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied CCC – debt rating. The C rating may be used to cover a situation, for example, where a bankruptcy petition has been filed, but debt service payments are continued.

 

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CI rating is reserved for income bonds on which no interest is being paid.

D bonds are in payment default. The D rating category is used when interest payments or principal payments are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition if debt service payments are jeopardized.

Plus (+) or minus (-): The ratings from AA to CCC may be modified by the addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

Municipal Notes

SP-1. Notes rated SP-1 are considered to have very strong or strong capacity to pay principal and interest.

Those issues determined to possess overwhelming safety characteristics are designated as SP-1+.

SP-2. Notes rated SP-2 are considered to have satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest.

Notes due in three years or less normally receive a note rating. Notes maturing beyond three years normally receive a bond rating, although the following criteria are used in making that assessment:

Amortization schedule (the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely the issue will be rated as a note).

Source of payment (the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be rated as a note).

Commercial Paper

A. Issues assigned this highest rating are regarded as having the greatest capacity for timely payment. Issues in this category are further refined with the designations 1, 2, and 3 to indicate the relative degree of safety.

A-1. Issues assigned to this rating are considered to have overwhelming or very strong capacity for timely payment. Those issues determined to possess overwhelming safety characteristics are designed A-1+.

MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC. (MOODY’S)

Municipal Bonds

Aaa bonds are considered to be of the best quality. They are considered to have the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as “gilt edge”. Interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally stable margin and principal is secure. While various protective elements are likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair a fundamentally strong position of such issues.

Aa bonds are considered to be of high quality by all standards. Together with Aaa bonds they comprise what are generally known as high-grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of protection may not be as large in Aaa securities or fluctuation of protective elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be other elements present which make the long-term risks appear somewhat larger than in Aaa securities.

Those bonds in the Aa through B groups that Moody’s believes possess the strongest investment attributes are designated by the symbols Aa1, A1 or Baa1.

A bonds are considered to possess many favorable investment attributes and are to be considered to be upper-medium-grade obligations. Factors giving security to principal and interest are considered adequate, but elements may be present that suggest a susceptibility to impairment at some time in the future.

Baa bonds are considered to be medium grade obligations: they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Interest payments and principal security appear adequate for the present but certain protective elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great period of time. Such bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and, in fact, have speculative characteristics as well.

 

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Ba bonds are considered to have speculative elements: their future cannot be considered as well secured.

Often, the protection of interest and principal payments may be very moderate and thereby not well safeguarded during both good and bad times in the future. Uncertainty of position characterizes bonds in this grade.

B bonds are considered generally to lack characteristics of a desirable investment. Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance of other terms of the contract over any long period of time may be small.

Caa bonds are considered to be of poor standing. Such issues may be in default or there may be present elements of danger with respect to principal or interest.

Ca bonds are considered to represent obligations that are speculative in a high degree. Such issues are often in default or have other marked shortcomings.

C bonds are the lowest rated class of bonds and issues so rated are considered to have extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing.

Conditional Ratings. Bonds for which the security depends upon the completion of some act or the fulfillment of some condition are rated conditionally. These are bonds secured by (a) earnings of projects under construction, (b) earnings of projects unseasoned in operating experience, (c) rentals which begin when facilities are completed, or (d) payments to which some other limiting conditions attach. Parenthetical rating denotes probable credit stature upon completion of construction or elimination of basis of condition.

Corporate Bonds

The description of the applicable rating symbols (Aaa, Aa, A, Baa, etc.) and their meanings is identical to that of the Municipal Bond ratings as set forth above, except for the numerical modifiers. Moody’s applies numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 in the Aa and A classifications of its corporate bond rating system. The modifier 1 indicates that the security ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a midrange ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates that the issuer ranks in the lower end of its generic rating category.

Municipal Notes

MIG 1. This designation denotes best quality. There is present strong protection by established cash flows, superior liquidity support or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

MIG 2. This designation denotes high quality. Margins of protection are ample although not so large as in the preceding group.

MIG 3. This designation denotes favorable quality. All security elements are accounted for, but there is lacking the undeniable strength of the preceding grades. Liquidity and cash flow protection may be narrow and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well established.

Commercial Paper

Moody’s employs the following three designations, all judged to be investment grade, to indicate the relative repayment capacity of rated issuers:

Prime-1 Highest Quality

Prime-2 Higher Quality

Prime-3 High Quality

 

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If an issuer represents to Moody’s that its commercial paper obligations are supported by the credit of another entity or entities, Moody’s, in assigning ratings to such issuers, evaluates the financial strength of the indicated affiliated corporations, commercial banks, insurance companies, foreign governments, or other entities, but only as one factor in the total rating assessment.

FITCH, INC. (FITCH)

Long-Term Debt

Investment Grade Bond Ratings

AAA bonds are considered to be investment grade and of the highest credit quality. The obligor has an exceptionally strong ability to pay interest and/or dividends and repay principal, which is unlikely to be affected by reasonably foreseeable events.

AA bonds are considered to be investment grade and of very high credit quality. The obligor’s ability to pay interest and repay principal is very strong, although not quite as strong as bonds rated AAA. Because bonds rated in the AAA and AA categories are not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable future developments, short-term debt of these issuers is generally rated F-1+.

A bonds are considered to be investment grade and of high credit quality. The obligor’s ability to pay interest and repay principal is considered to be strong, but may be more vulnerable to adverse changes in economic conditions and circumstances than debt securities with higher ratings.

BBB bonds are considered to be investment grade and of satisfactory credit quality. The obligor’s ability to pay interest or dividends and repay principal is considered to be adequate. Adverse changes in economic conditions and circumstances, however, are more likely to have adverse impact on these securities and, therefore, impair timely payment. The likelihood that the ratings of these bonds will fall below investment grade is higher than for securities with higher ratings.

Speculative Grade Bond Ratings

BB bonds are considered speculative. The obligor’s ability to pay interest and repay principal may be affected over time by adverse economic changes. However, business and financial alternatives can be identified, which could assist the obligor in satisfying its debt service requirements.

B bonds are considered highly speculative. While securities in this class are currently meeting debt service requirements, the probability of continued timely payment of principal and interest reflects the obligor’s limited margin of safety and the need for reasonable business and economic activity throughout the life of the issue.

CCC bonds are considered to have certain identifiable characteristics that, if not remedied, may lead to default. The ability to meet obligations requires an advantageous business and economic environment.

CC bonds are considered to be minimally protected. Default in payment of interest and/or principal seems probable over time.

C bonds are in imminent default in payment of interest or principal.

DDD, DD, and D bonds are in default on interest and/or principal payments. Such securities are extremely speculative and should be valued on the basis of their ultimate recovery value in liquidation or reorganization of the obligor. DDD represents the highest potential for recovery on these securities and D represents the lowest potential for recovery.

Plus (+) or minus (-): Plus or minus signs are used to show relative standing within the major rating categories. Plus and minus signs, however, are not used in the DDD, DD, or D categories.

 

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Short-Term Debt

Fitch’s short-term ratings apply to debt obligations that are payable on demand or have original maturities of up to three years, including commercial paper, certificates of deposit, medium-term notes, and investment notes.

F-1+ obligations have exceptionally strong credit quality and are considered to have the strongest degree of assurance for timely payment.

F-1 obligations are considered to reflect an assurance of timely payment only slightly less in degree than issues rated F-1+.

F-2 obligations are considered to have good credit quality. Securities in this class have a satisfactory degree of assurance for timely payment, but the margin of safety is not as great as for issues assigned F-1+ and F-1 ratings.

F-3 obligations are considered to have characteristics suggesting that the degree of assurance for timely payment is adequate; however, near-term adverse changes could cause these securities to be rated below investment grade.

F-S rating is assigned to obligations that are considered to have a minimal degree of assurance for timely payment and to be vulnerable to near-term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

B obligations are considered to have a minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments and a susceptibility to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions.

C rating is assigned to obligations that are considered to have a high default risk and whose capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.

D obligations are in actual or imminent payment default.

 

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APPENDIX B — PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (“CMA”) - Proxy Voting Policy

 

Last Review Date:    March 2009
Applicable Regulatory Authority:   

Rule 206(4)-6 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940

Form N-PX

ERISA Department of Labor Bulletin 08-2

Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (SEC No Action Letter dated September 15, 2004)

Explanation/Summary of Regulatory Requirements

An investment adviser that exercises voting authority over clients’ proxies must adopt written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that those proxies are voted in the best economic interests of clients. An adviser’s policies and procedures must address how the adviser resolves material conflicts of interest between its interests and those of its clients. An investment adviser must comply with certain record keeping and disclosure requirements with respect to its proxy voting responsibilities. In addition, an investment adviser to Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) accounts has an affirmative obligation to vote proxies for an ERISA account, unless the client expressly retains proxy voting authority.

Policy Summary

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (“CMA”) has adopted and implemented the following policy, which it believes is reasonably designed to: (1) ensure that proxies are voted in the best economic interest of clients; and (2) address material conflicts of interest that may arise. This policy applies primarily to the Global Wealth and Investment Management (“GWIM”) Investment Operations Group, the Investment groups (particularly, Equity and Chief Investment Officer’s Office), as well as to Compliance Risk Management (“CRM”) and Legal. CRM and Business groups to which this policy directly applies must adopt written procedures to implement this Policy.

Policy

All proxies regarding client securities for which CMA has authority to vote will, unless CMA determines in accordance with policies stated below to refrain from voting, be voted in a manner considered by CMA to be in the best interest of CMA’s clients without regard to any resulting benefit or detriment to CMA, its associates, or its affiliates. The best interest of clients is defined for this purpose as the interest of enhancing or protecting the economic value of client accounts, considered as a group rather than individually, as CMA determines in its sole and absolute discretion. In the event a client believes that its other interests require a different vote, CMA will vote as the client clearly instructs, provided CMA receives such instructions in time to act accordingly. Information regarding CMA’s proxy voting decisions is confidential. Therefore, the information may be shared on a need to know basis only, including within CMA and with CMA affiliates. Advisory clients, including mutual funds’ and other funds’ boards, may obtain information on how their proxies were voted by CMA. However, CMA will not selectively disclose its investment company clients’ proxy voting records to third parties. Rather, the investment company clients’ proxy records will be disclosed to shareholders by publicly-available annual filings for 12-month periods ending each year on June 30th on Form N-PX.

CMA endeavors to vote, in accordance with this Policy, all proxies of which it becomes aware prior to the vote deadline date, subject to certain general exceptions described below.

CMA seeks to avoid the occurrence of actual or apparent material conflicts of interest in the proxy voting process by voting in accordance with predetermined voting guidelines and observing other procedures that are intended to prevent where practicable and manage conflicts of interest (refer to Conflicts of Interest section below). CMA’s proxy voting policy and practices are summarized in its Form ADV. Additionally, CMA will provide clients with a copy of its policies, as they may be updated from time to time, upon request.

 

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Means of Achieving Compliance

The Proxy Group within GWIM Investment Operations is primarily responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the proxy voting process. The Proxy Group’s monitoring will take into account the following elements: (1) periodic review of the proxy vendor’s votes to ensure that the proxy vendor is accurately voting consistent with CMA’s Voting Guidelines; and (2) review of the Columbia Funds’ fund website to ensure that annual proxy voting reports are posted in a timely and accurate manner. CMA has established a Proxy Committee which is responsible for overseeing the proxy voting process.

The specific responsibilities of the Proxy Committee and scope of its oversight are described in the Proxy Committee’s charter.

 

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CMA’S INVESTMENT ASSOCIATES’ RESPONSIBILITIES

Under CMA’s Voting Guidelines, certain matters must be determined on a case-by-case basis. In general, the Proxy Group within GWIM Investment Operations will refer these matters first to the relevant CMA research analyst after first confirming that the proxy matter does not present a potential conflict to CMA. If there is not a research analyst assigned to the particular security, the matter will be referred to the appropriate portfolio manager.

In considering a particular proxy matter, the research analyst or portfolio manager must vote in the clients’ best interest as defined above. Information regarding CMA’s proxy voting decisions is confidential information. Therefore, research analysts and portfolio managers generally must not discuss proxy votes with any person outside of CMA and within CMA except on a need to know basis only.

Research analysts and portfolio managers must discharge their responsibilities consistent with the obligations set forth below (refer to Management of Conflicts of Interest – Additional Procedures). A research analyst or portfolio manager must disclose in writing any inappropriate attempt to influence their recommendation or any other personal interest that they have with the issuer (see Appendix B—Conflicts of Interest Disclosure and Certification Form). For each Proxy Referral (defined below), the research analyst or portfolio manager is responsible for memorializing their recommendation on the Proxy Voting Recommendation Form (see Appendix C) and communicating their recommendation to the Proxy Group.

Research analysts and portfolio managers should seek advice from CRM or Legal with respect to any questions that they have regarding personal conflicts of interests, communications regarding proxies, or other related matters.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

For purposes of this policy, a material conflict of interest is a relationship or activity engaged in by CMA, a CMA affiliate1, or a CMA associate that creates an incentive (or appearance thereof) to favor the interests of CMA, the affiliate, or associate, rather than the clients’ interests. However, a material conflict of interest is not automatically created when there is a relationship or activity engaged in by a CMA affiliate, but there is a possibility that a CMA affiliate could cause a conflict. CMA may have a conflict of interest if either CMA has a significant business relationship with a company that is soliciting a proxy, or if a CMA associate involved in the proxy voting decision-making process has a significant personal or family relationship with the particular company. A conflict of interest is considered to be “material” to the extent that a reasonable person could expect the conflict to influence CMA’s decision on the particular vote at issue. In all cases where there is deemed to be a material conflict of interest, CMA will seek to resolve said conflict in the clients’ best interests.

For those proxy proposals that: (1) are not addressed by CMA’s proxy voting guidelines; (2) the guidelines specify the issue must be evaluated and determined on a case-by-case basis; or (3) a CMA investment associate believes that an exception to the guidelines may be in the best economic interest of CMA’s clients (collectively, “Proxy Referrals”), CMA may vote the proxy, subject to the conflicts of interest procedures set forth below.

In the case of Proxy Referrals, CRM identifies companies with which CMA has a significant business relationships and Proxy Referrals of such companies will be voted consistent with CMA’s conflicts management procedures described below. For Proxy Referrals that do not involve companies with which CMA has a significant business relationship the relevant CMA investment personnel (i.e. research analyst, portfolio manager, members of Proxy Committee) involved in the particular Proxy Referral must report any personal conflict of interest circumstances (e.g., relationships with nominees for directorship, members of an issuer’s or dissident’s management or otherwise, unusual communications with parties outside the investment organization concerning a proxy matter) to Columbia Management’s Conflicts of Interest Officer in writing (see Appendix B). In the event any member of the Proxy Committee has a conflict of interest regarding a given matter, he or she will abstain from participating in the Committee’s determination of whether and/or how to vote in the matter.

 

 

1 Bank of America Corporation (“BAC”), the ultimate corporate parent of CMA, Bank of America, N.A. and all of their numerous affiliates owns, operates and has interests in many lines of business that may create or give rise to the appearance of a conflict of interest between BAC or its affiliates and those of CMA-advised clients. For example, the commercial and investment banking business lines may have interests with respect to issuers of voting securities that could appear to or even actually conflict with CMA’s duty, in the proxy voting process, to act in the best economic interest of its clients.

 

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If the Proxy Committee, the Chairperson of the Proxy Committee, or the Conflicts Officer determines that a proxy matter presents a material conflict of interest, CMA will invoke one or more of the following conflict management procedures:

 

   

Causing the proxies to be voted in accordance with the recommendations of an independent third party (which generally will be CMA’s proxy voting agent);

 

   

Causing the proxies to be delegated to a qualified, independent third party, which may include CMA’s proxy voting agent; or

 

   

In unusual cases, with the Client’s consent and upon ample notice, forwarding the proxies to CMA’s clients so that they may vote the proxies directly.

Affiliate Investment Companies and Public Companies

CMA considers (1) proxies solicited by open-end and closed-end investment companies for which CMA or an affiliate serves as an investment adviser or principal underwriter; and (2) proxies solicited by Bank of America Corporation (“BAC”) or other public companies within the BAC organization to present a material conflict of interest for CMA. Consequently, the proxies of such affiliates will be voted following one of the conflict management practices discussed above.

 

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Management of Conflicts of Interest – Additional Procedures

In certain circumstances, CMA follows the proxy guidelines and uses other research services provided by the proxy vendor or another independent third party. CMA reviews its proxy vendor’s conflicts of interest procedures as part of its oversight of the proxy vendor’s services.

CMA and other BAC affiliates have adopted various other policies and procedures that help reinforce this Policy. Please see any associated documents.

Ownership Limits – Delegation of Proxy Voting to an Independent Third Party

From time to time, CMA may face regulatory or compliance limits on the types or amounts of voting securities that it may purchase or hold for client accounts. Among other limits, federal, state, foreign regulatory restrictions, or company-specific ownership limits may restrict the total percentage of an issuer’s voting securities that CMA can hold for clients (collectively, “Ownership Limits”).

The regulations or company-specific documents governing a number of these Ownership Limits often focus upon holdings in voting securities. As a result, in limited circumstances in order to comply with such Ownership Limits and/or internal policies designed to comply with such limits, CMA may delegate proxy voting in certain issuers to a qualified, independent third party, who may be CMA’s proxy voting agent.

PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES

A. CMA’s Proxy Voting Guidelines – General Practices.

The Proxy Committee has adopted the guidelines for voting proxies specified in Appendix A of this policy. CMA uses an independent, third-party proxy vendor to implement its proxy voting process as CMA’s proxy voting agent. In general, whenever a vote is solicited, the proxy vendor will execute the vote according to CMA’s Voting Guidelines.

B. Ability to Vote Proxies Other than as Provided by Voting Guidelines.

A Portfolio Manager or other party involved with a client’s account may conclude that the best interest of the firm’s client, as defined above, requires that a proxy be voted in a manner that differs from the predetermined proxy Voting Guidelines. In this situation, he or she will request in writing that the Proxy Committee consider voting the proxy other than according to such Guidelines and provide information as the Proxy Committee may request. The Proxy Committee may consider the matter, subject to the conflicts of interest procedures discussed above.

C. Other Proxy Matters

For the following categories, proxies will be voted as stated below:

1. New Proposals. For certain new proposals that are expected to be proposed to shareholders of multiple companies, the Proxy Committee may develop a Voting Guideline which will be incorporated into this Policy.

 

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2. Accounts Adhering to Taft Hartley Principles. All proposals for accounts adhering to Taft Hartley principles will be voted according to the Taft Hartley Guidelines developed by the proxy vendor.

3. Accounts Adhering to Socially Responsible Principles. All proposals for accounts adhering to socially responsible principles will be voted according to the Socially Responsible Guidelines developed by the proxy vendor or as specified by the client.

4. Proxies of International Issuers. In general, CMA will refrain from voting securities in cases where international issuers impose share blocking restrictions. However, in the exceptional circumstances that CMA determines that it would be appropriate to vote such securities, all proposals for these securities will be voted only on the specific instruction of the Proxy Committee and to the extent practicable in accordance with the Voting Guidelines set forth in this Policy. Additionally, proxies will typically not be voted in markets where powers of attorney are required to be executed in order to vote shares.

5. Proxies of Investment Company Shares. Proposals on issues other than affiliated investment companies (previously described) will be voted on the specific instruction of the Proxy Committee.

6. Proxy Referrals for Passive Index Accounts. Proxy Referrals for a security that is held only within a passive index account managed by CMA’s Quantitative Strategies Group and not in any other account within CMA, shall be voted according to the guidelines developed by the proxy vendor or as specified by the client. However, if a security is held within a passive index account managed by CMA’s Quantitative Strategies Group and within another CMA-managed account (including without limitation an account actively managed by CMA’s Quantitative Strategies Group), all proposals, including Proxy Referrals, will be voted in accordance with the Voting Guidelines, subject to the other provisions of this Policy.

7. Proxy Voting for Securities on Loan. CMA generally votes in cases where shares have been loaned from actively managed Columbia Funds as long as the shares have been recalled in a timely manner. However, CMA generally does not vote shares that have been loaned from passively managed Columbia Index Funds. Other CMA clients may have their own stock loan programs and may or may not recall their shares for proxy voting.

Supervision

Managers and supervisory personnel are responsible for ensuring that their associates understand and follow this policy and any applicable procedures adopted by the business group to implement the policy. The Proxy Committee has ultimate responsibility for the implementation of this Policy.

Escalation

With the exception of conflicts of interest-related matters, issues arising under this policy should be escalated to the Proxy Committee. Issues involving potential or actual conflicts of interest should be promptly communicated to the Columbia Management Conflicts Officer.

 

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Monitoring/Oversight

CRM and/or Corporate Internal Audit Group perform periodic reviews and assessments of various lines of businesses, including a review of Columbia Management’s compliance with the Proxy Voting Policy.

 

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Recordkeeping

CMA will create and maintain records of each investment company’s proxy record for 12-month periods ended June 30th. CMA will compile the following information for each matter relating to a portfolio security considered at any shareholder meeting during the period covered by the annual report and for which CMA was entitled to vote:

 

   

The name of the issuer of the security;

 

   

The exchange ticker symbol of the portfolio security (if symbol is available through reasonably practicable means);

 

   

The Council on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures number for the portfolio security (if number is available through reasonably practicable means);

 

   

The shareholder meeting date;

 

   

A brief identification of the matter voted on;

 

   

Whether the matter was proposed by the issuer or by a security holder;

 

   

Whether the company cast its vote on the matter;

 

   

How the company cast its vote (e.g., for or against proposal, or abstain; for or withhold regarding the election of directors); and

 

   

Whether the company cast its vote for or against management.

Business groups and support partners are responsible for maintaining all records necessary to evidence compliance with this policy. The records must be properly maintained and readily accessible in order to evidence compliance with this policy.

These records include:

 

Document

  

Responsible Party

Proxy Committee Meeting Minutes and Related Materials    Proxy Group in GWIM Investment Operations
Proxy Vote Recommendation Form and Supporting Materials of Investment Management Personnel Concerning Proxy Decisions and Recommendations (or any other document created by CMA that was material to making a voting decision or that memorializes the basis for the voting decision)    Proxy Group in GWIM Investment Operations
Conflicts of Interest Review Documentation, including Conflicts of Interest Forms    Compliance Risk Management
Client Communications Regarding Proxy Matters    Client Service Group
Copy of Each Applicable Proxy Statement Unless it has been Filed with the SEC and may be Obtained from the SEC’s EDGAR System    Proxy Group in GWIM Investment Operations

Records should be retained for a period of not less than six years plus the current year. Records must be retained in an appropriate office of CM for the first three years.

 

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APPENDIX A – CMA’s Proxy Voting Policy

CMA’S VOTING GUIDELINES

A. The Proxy Committee has adopted the following guidelines for voting proxies:

1. Matters Relating to the Board of Directors/Corporate Governance

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Proposals for the election of directors or for an increase or decrease in the number of directors, provided that no more than one-third of the Board of Directors would, presently or at any time during the previous three-year period, be from management.

However, CMA generally will WITHHOLD votes from pertinent director nominees if:

 

  (i) the board as proposed to be constituted would have more than one-third of its members from management;

 

  (ii) the board does not have audit, nominating, and compensation committees composed solely of directors who qualify as being regarded as “independent,” i.e. having no material relationship, directly or indirectly, with the Company, as CMA’s proxy voting agent may determine (subject to the Proxy Committee’s contrary determination of independence or non-independence);

 

  (iii) the nominee, as a member of the audit committee, permitted the company to incur excessive non-audit fees (as defined below regarding other business matters — ratification of the appointment of auditors);

 

  (iv) a director serves on more than six public company boards;

 

  (v) the CEO serves on more than two public company boards other than the company’s board.

On a CASE-BY-CASE basis, CMA may WITHHOLD votes for a director nominee who has failed to observe good corporate governance practices or, through specific corporate action or inaction (e.g. failing to implement policies for which a majority of shareholders has previously cast votes in favor), has demonstrated a disregard for the interests of shareholders.

 

   

Proposals requesting that the board audit, compensation and/or nominating committee be composed solely of independent directors. The Audit Committee must satisfy the independence and experience requirements established by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the New York Stock Exchange, or appropriate local requirements for foreign securities. At least one member of the Audit Committee must qualify as a “financial expert” in accordance with SEC rules.

 

   

Proposals to declassify a board, absent special circumstances that would indicate that shareholder interests are better served by a classified board structure.

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Proposals to create or eliminate positions or titles for senior management. CMA generally prefers that the role of Chairman of the Board and CEO be held by different persons unless there are compelling reasons to vote AGAINST a proposal to separate these positions, such as the existence of a counter-balancing governance structure that includes at least the following elements in addition to applicable listing standards:

 

   

Established governance standards and guidelines.

 

   

Full board composed of not less than two-thirds “independent” directors, as defined by applicable regulatory and listing standards.

 

   

Compensation, as well as audit and nominating (or corporate governance) committees composed entirely of independent directors.

 

   

A designated or rotating presiding independent director appointed by and from the independent directors with the authority and responsibility to call and preside at regularly and, as necessary, specially scheduled meetings of the independent directors to be conducted, unless the participating independent directors otherwise wish, in executive session with no members of management present.

 

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Disclosed processes for communicating with any individual director, the presiding independent director (or, alternatively, all of the independent directors, as a group) and the entire board of directors, as a group.

 

   

The pertinent class of the Company’s voting securities has out-performed, on a three-year basis, both an appropriate peer group and benchmark index, as indicated in the performance summary table of the Company’s proxy materials. This requirement shall not apply if there has been a change in the Chairman/CEO position within the three-year period.

 

   

Proposals that grant or restore shareholder ability to remove directors with or without cause.

 

   

Proposals to permit shareholders to elect directors to fill board vacancies.

 

   

Proposals that encourage directors to own a minimum amount of company stock.

 

   

Proposals to provide or to restore shareholder appraisal rights.

 

   

Proposals to adopt cumulative voting.

 

   

Proposals for the company to adopt confidential voting.

CMA will generally vote FOR shareholder proposals calling for majority voting thresholds for director elections unless the company has adopted formal corporate governance principles that present a meaningful alternative to the majority voting standard and/or provides an adequate response to both new nominees as well as incumbent nominees who fail to receive a majority of votes cast.

CMA generally will vote AGAINST:

 

   

Proposals to classify boards, absent special circumstances indicating that shareholder interests would be better served by a classified board structure.

 

   

Proposals that give management the ability to alter the size of the board without shareholder approval.

 

   

Proposals that provide directors may be removed only by supermajority vote.

 

   

Proposals to eliminate cumulative voting.

 

   

Proposals which allow more than one vote per share in the election of directors.

 

   

Proposals that provide that only continuing directors may elect replacements to fill board vacancies.

 

   

Proposals that mandate a minimum amount of company stock that directors must own.

 

   

Proposals to limit the tenure of non-management directors.

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis in contested elections of directors.

CMA generally will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis on board approved proposals relating to corporate governance. Such proposals include, but are not limited to:

 

   

Reimbursement of proxy solicitation expenses taking into consideration whether or not CMA was in favor of the dissidents.

 

   

Proxy contest advance notice. CMA generally will vote FOR proposals that allow shareholders to submit proposals as close to the meeting date as possible while allowing for sufficient time for Company response, SEC review, and analysis by other shareholders.

 

   

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis to indemnify directors and officers, and AGAINST proposals to indemnify external auditors.

 

   

CMA will vote FOR the indemnification of internal auditors, unless the costs associated with the approval are not disclosed.

2. Compensation

CMA generally will vote FOR management sponsored compensation plans (such as bonus plans, incentive plans, stock option plans, pension and retirement benefits, stock purchase plans or thrift plans) if they are consistent with industry and country standards. However, CMA generally is opposed to compensation plans that substantially dilute ownership interest in a company, provide participants with excessive awards, or have objectionable structural features. Specifically, for equity-based plans, if the proposed number of shares authorized for option programs (excluding authorized shares for expired options) exceeds an average of 5% of the currently outstanding shares over the previous three years or an average of 3% over the previous three years for directors only, the proposal should be referred to the Proxy Committee. The Committee will then consider the circumstances surrounding the issue and vote in the best interest of CMA’s clients. CMA requires that management provide substantial justification for the repricing of options.

 

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CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Proposals requiring that executive severance arrangements be submitted for shareholder ratification.

 

   

Proposals asking a company to expense stock options.

 

   

Proposals to put option repricings to a shareholder vote.

 

   

Employee stock purchase plans that have the following features: (i) the shares purchased under the plan are acquired for no less than 85% of their market value, (ii) the offering period under the plan is 27 months or less, and (iii) dilution is 10% or less.

 

   

Proposals for the remuneration of auditors if no more than 25% of the compensation costs comes from non audit activity.

CMA generally will vote AGAINST:

 

   

Stock option plans that permit issuance of options with an exercise price below the stock’s current market price, or that permit replacing or repricing of out-of-the money options.

 

   

Proposals to authorize the replacement or repricing of out-of-the money options.

 

   

Proposals requesting that plan administrators have advance authority to amend the terms of a plan without detailed disclosure of the specific amendments. When sufficient details are provided on the amendments permitted by the advance authority, CMA will recommend on such proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals regarding approval of specific executive severance arrangements.

3. Capitalization

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Proposals to increase the authorized shares for stock dividends, stock splits (and reverse stock splits) or general issuance, unless proposed as an anti-takeover measure or a general issuance proposal increases the authorization by more than 30% without a clear need presented by the company. Proposals for reverse stock splits should include an overall reduction in authorization.

For companies recognizing preemptive rights for existing shareholders, CMA generally will vote FOR general issuance proposals that increase the authorized shares by more than 30%. CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis all such proposals by companies that do not recognize preemptive rights for existing shareholders.

 

   

Proposals for the elimination of authorized but unissued shares or retirement of those shares purchased for sinking fund or treasury stock.

 

   

Proposals to institute/renew open market share repurchase plans in which all shareholders may participate on equal terms.

 

   

Proposals to reduce or change the par value of common stock, provided the number of shares is also changed in order to keep the capital unchanged.

CMA will evaluate on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals regarding:

 

   

Management proposals that allow listed companies to de-list and terminate the registration of their common stock. CMA will determine whether the transaction enhances shareholder value by giving consideration to:

 

   

Whether the company has attained benefits from being publicly traded.

 

   

Cash-out value

 

   

Balanced interests of continuing vs. cashed-out shareholders

 

   

Market reaction to public announcement of transaction

4. Mergers, Restructurings and Other Transactions

CMA will review, on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, business transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, liquidations, spinoffs, buyouts and sale of all or substantially all of a company’s assets.

 

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5. Anti-Takeover Measures

CMA generally will vote AGAINST proposals intended largely to avoid acquisition prior to the occurrence of an actual event or to discourage acquisition by creating a cost constraint. With respect to the following measures, CMA generally will vote as follows:

Poison Pills

 

   

CMA votes FOR shareholder proposals that ask a company to submit its poison pill for shareholder ratification.

 

   

CMA generally votes FOR shareholder proposals to eliminate a poison pill.

 

   

CMA generally votes AGAINST management proposals to ratify a poison pill.

Greenmail

 

   

CMA will vote FOR proposals to adopt anti-greenmail charter or bylaw amendments or to otherwise restrict a company’s ability to make greenmail payments.

Supermajority vote

 

   

CMA will vote AGAINST board-approved proposals to adopt anti-takeover measures such as supermajority voting provisions, issuance of blank check preferred stock, the creation of a separate class of stock with disparate voting rights and charter amendments adopting control share acquisition provisions.

Control Share Acquisition Provisions

 

   

CMA will vote FOR proposals to opt out of control share acquisition statutes.

6. Other Business Matters

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Bylaw amendments giving holders of at least 25% of outstanding common stock the ability to call a special meeting of stockholders.

 

   

Board governance document amendments or other proposals which give the lead independent director the authority to call special meetings of the independent directors at any time.

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Proposals to approve routine business matters such as changing the company’s name and procedural matters relating to the shareholder meeting such as approving the minutes of a prior meeting.

 

   

Proposals to ratify the appointment of auditors, unless any of the following apply in which case CMA will generally vote AGAINST the proposal:

 

   

Credible reason exists to question:

 

   

The auditor’s independence, as determined by applicable regulatory requirements.

 

   

The accuracy or reliability of the auditor’s opinion as to the company’s financial position.

 

   

Fees paid to the auditor or its affiliates for “non-audit” services were excessive, i.e., in excess of the total fees paid for “audit,” “audit-related” and “tax compliance” and/or “tax return preparation” services, as disclosed in the company’s proxy materials.

 

   

Bylaw or charter changes that are of a housekeeping nature (e.g., updates or corrections).

 

   

Proposals to approve the annual reports and accounts provided the certifications required by the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 have been provided.

CMA generally will vote AGAINST:

 

   

Proposals to eliminate the right of shareholders to act by written consent or call special meetings.

 

   

Proposals providing management with authority to adjourn an annual or special shareholder meeting absent compelling reasons, or to adopt, amend or repeal bylaws without shareholder approval, or to vote unmarked proxies in favor of management.

 

   

Shareholder proposals to change the date, time or location of the company’s annual meeting of shareholders.

 

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CMA will vote AGAINST:

 

   

Authorization to transact other unidentified substantive (as opposed to procedural) business at a meeting.

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis:

 

   

Proposals to change the location of the company’s state of incorporation. CMA considers whether financial benefits (e.g., reduced fees or taxes) likely to accrue to the company as a result of a reincorporation or other change of domicile outweigh any accompanying material diminution of shareholder rights.

 

   

Proposals on whether and how to vote on “bundled” or otherwise conditioned proposals, depending on the overall economic effects upon shareholders.

CMA generally will ABSTAIN from voting on shareholder proposals predominantly involving social, socio-economic, environmental, political or other similar matters on the basis that their impact on share value can rarely be anticipated with any high degree of confidence. CMA may, on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, vote:

 

   

FOR proposals seeking inquiry and reporting with respect to, rather than cessation or affirmative implementation of, specific policies where the pertinent issue warrants separate communication to shareholders; and

 

   

FOR or AGAINST the latter sort of proposal in light of the relative benefits and detriments (e.g. distraction, costs, other burdens) to share value which may be expected to flow from passage of the proposal.

7. Other Matters Relating to Foreign Issues

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Most stock (scrip) dividend proposals. CMA votes AGAINST proposals that do not allow for a cash option unless management demonstrates that the cash option is harmful to shareholder value.

 

   

Proposals to capitalize the company’s reserves for bonus issues of shares or to increase the par value of shares.

 

   

Proposals to approve control and profit transfer agreements between a parent and its subsidiaries.

 

   

Management proposals seeking the discharge of management and supervisory board members, unless there is concern about the past actions of the company’s auditors/directors and/or legal action is being taken against the board by other shareholders.

 

   

Management proposals concerning allocation of income and the distribution of dividends, unless the proxy vendor would vote against such proposal in accordance with its guidelines, in which case CMA will evaluate the proposal on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

 

   

Proposals for the adoption of financing plans if they are in the best economic interests of shareholders.

CMA will generally vote FOR proposals to approve Directors’ Fees, unless the proxy vendor would vote against such proposal in accordance with its guidelines, in which case CMA will evaluate the proposal on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

CMA will evaluate management proposals to approve protective preference shares for Netherlands located company-friendly foundations proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis and will only support resolutions if:

 

   

The supervisory board needs to approve an issuance of shares while the supervisory board is independent within the meaning of CMA’s categorization rules and the Dutch Corporate Governance Code.

 

   

No call/put option agreement exists between the company and the foundation.

 

   

There is a qualifying offer clause or there are annual management and supervisory board elections.

 

   

The issuance authority is for a maximum of 18 months.

 

   

The board of the company-friendly foundation is independent.

 

   

The company has disclosed under what circumstances it expects to make use of the possibility to issue preference shares.

 

   

There are no priority shares or other egregious protective or entrenchment tools.

 

   

The company releases its proxy circular, with details of the poison pill proposal, at least three weeks prior to the meeting.

 

   

Art 2:359c Civil Code of the legislative proposal has been implemented.

 

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8. Investment Company Matters

Election of Directors:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals for the election of directors, considering the following factors:

 

   

Board structure

 

   

Attendance at board and committee meetings.

CMA will WITHHOLD votes from directors who:

 

   

Attend less than 75 percent of the board and committee meetings without a valid excuse for the absences. Valid reasons include illness or absence due to company business. Participation via telephone is acceptable. In addition, if the director missed only one meeting or one day’s meetings, votes should not be withheld even if such absence dropped the director’s attendance below 75 percent.

 

   

Ignore a shareholder proposal that is approved by a majority of shares outstanding;

 

   

Ignore a shareholder proposal this is approved by a majority of the votes cast for two consecutive years;

 

   

Are interested directors and sit on the audit or nominating committee; or

 

   

Are interested directors and the full board serves as the audit or nominating committee or the company does not have one of these committees.

Proxy Contests:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals for proxy contests, considering the following factors:

 

   

Past performance relative to its peers

 

   

Market in which fund invests

 

   

Measures taken by the board to address the pertinent issues (e.g., closed-end fund share market value discount to NAV)

 

   

Past shareholder activism, board activity and votes on related proposals

 

   

Strategy of the incumbents versus the dissidents

 

   

Independence of incumbent directors; director nominees

 

   

Experience and skills of director nominees

 

   

Governance profile of the company

 

   

Evidence of management entrenchment

Converting Closed-end Fund to Open-end Fund:

CMA will vote conversion proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering the following factors:

 

   

Past performance as a closed-end fund

 

   

Market in which the fund invests

 

   

Measures taken by the board to address the discount

 

   

Past shareholder activism, board activity, and votes on related proposals.

Investment Advisory Agreements:

CMA will vote investment advisory agreements on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering the following factors:

 

   

Proposed and current fee schedules

 

   

Fund category/investment objective

 

   

Performance benchmarks

 

   

Share price performance as compared with peers

 

   

Resulting fees relative to peers

 

   

Assignments (where the adviser undergoes a change of control)

 

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Approving New Classes or Series of Shares:

CMA will vote FOR the establishment of new classes or series of shares.

Preferred Stock Proposals:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals for the authorization for or increase in the preferred shares, considering the following factors:

 

   

Stated specific financing purpose

 

   

Possible dilution for common shares

 

   

Whether the shares can be used for antitakeover purposes

Policies Addressed by the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”):

CMA will vote proposals regarding adoption or changes of policies addressed by the 1940 Act on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering the following factors:

 

   

Potential competitiveness

 

   

Regulatory developments

 

   

Current and potential returns

 

   

Current and potential risk

CMA generally will vote FOR these amendments as long as the proposed changes do not fundamentally alter the investment focus of the fund and do comply with current SEC interpretations.

Changing a Fundamental Restriction to a Non-fundamental Restriction:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to change a fundamental restriction to a non-fundamental restriction, considering the following factors:

 

   

Fund’s target investments

 

   

Reasons given by the fund for the change

 

   

Projected impact of the change on the portfolio

Change Fundamental Investment Objective to Non-fundamental:

CMA will vote AGAINST proposals to change a fund’s investment objective from fundamental to non-fundamental unless management acknowledges meaningful limitations upon its future requested ability to change the objective

Name Change Proposals:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to change a fund’s name, considering the following factors:

 

   

Political/economic changes in the target market

 

   

Consolidation in the target market

 

   

Current asset composition

Change in Fund’s Subclassification:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to change a fund’s subclassification, considering the following factors:

 

   

Potential competitiveness

 

   

Current and potential returns

 

   

Risk of concentration

 

   

Consolidation in target industry

Disposition of Assets/Termination/Liquidation:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis these proposals, considering the following factors:

 

   

Strategies employed to salvage the company

 

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Past performance of the fund

 

   

Terms of the liquidation

Changes to the Charter Document:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to change the charter document, considering the following factors:

 

   

The degree of change implied by the proposal

 

   

The efficiencies that could result

 

   

The state of incorporation; net effect on shareholder rights

 

   

Regulatory standards and implications

CMA will vote FOR:

 

   

Proposals allowing the Board to impose, without shareholder approval, fees payable upon redemption of fund shares, provided imposition of such fees is likely to benefit long-term fund investors (e.g., by deterring market timing activity by other fund investors)

 

   

Proposals enabling the Board to amend, without shareholder approval, the fund’s management agreement(s) with its investment adviser(s) or sub-advisers, provided the amendment is not required by applicable law (including the Investment Company Act of 1940) or interpretations thereunder to require such approval

CMA will vote AGAINST:

 

   

Proposals enabling the Board to:

 

   

Change, without shareholder approval the domicile of the fund

 

   

Adopt, without shareholder approval, material amendments of the fund’s declaration of trust or other organizational document

Changing the Domicile of a Fund:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to reincorporate, considering the following factors:

 

   

Regulations of both states

 

   

Required fundamental policies of both states

 

   

The increased flexibility available

Authorizing the Board to Hire and Terminate Subadvisors Without Shareholder Approval:

CMA will vote FOR proposals to enable the Board or Investment Adviser to hire and terminate sub-advisers, without shareholder approval, in accordance with applicable rules or exemptive orders under the Investment Company Act of 1940

Distribution Agreements:

CMA will vote these proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering the following factors:

 

   

Fees charged to comparably sized funds with similar objectives

 

   

The proposed distributor’s reputation and past performance

 

   

The competitiveness of the fund in the industry

 

   

Terms of the agreement

Master-Feeder Structure:

CMA will vote FOR the establishment of a master-feeder structure.

 

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Mergers:

CMA will vote merger proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering the following factors:

 

   

Resulting fee structure

 

   

Performance of both funds

 

   

Continuity of management personnel

 

   

Changes in corporate governance and their impact on shareholder rights

Shareholder Proposals to Establish Director Ownership Requirement:

CMA will generally vote AGAINST shareholder proposals that mandate a specific minimum amount of stock that directors must own in order to qualify as a director or to remain on the board. While CMA favors stockownership on the part of directors, the company should determine the appropriate ownership requirement.

Shareholder Proposals to Reimburse Shareholder for Expenses Incurred:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to reimburse proxy solicitation expenses.

Shareholder Proposals to Terminate the Investment Adviser:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to terminate the investment adviser, considering the following factors:

 

   

Performance of the fund’s NAV

 

   

The fund’s history of shareholder relations

 

   

The performance of other funds under the adviser’s management

 

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APPENDIX B

Conflicts of Interest Disclosure and Certification Form

Conflict Review Questionnaire for Proxy Voting Working Group Members and Other Individuals

Participating in the Proxy Voting Decision-Making Process.

Instructions: Please complete each of the questions. Please provide an explanation for any affirmative responses. Return the completed questionnaire to Columbia Management Conflicts of Interest Officer.

 

 

Issuer and Proxy Matter:   

 

 

 

1.    Do you or any member of your immediate family have an existing (or potential) business, financial, personal or other relationship with any management personnel of the issuer1?
  

 

  

 

2.    Do you or any member of your immediate family have an existing (or potential) business, financial, personal or other relationship with any person participating, supporting, opposing or otherwise connected with the particular proxy proposal (e.g., principals of the issuer; director nominees of issuer company; shareholder activists)?
  

 

  

 

3.    Have you discussed this particular proxy proposal with anyone outside of Columbia Management’s investment group2?
  

 

  

 

4.    Are you aware of any other potential personal conflicts of interest not described above? Please detail below.
  

 

  

 

 

Name:   

 

Signed:   

 

Date:   

 

 

1

Personal investing in the issuer by you or a member of your immediate family does not require an affirmative response to this item.

2

Communications with issuer or solicitors in the regular course of business would not have to be disclosed on this form.

 

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APPENDIX C

CMA Proxy Vote Recommendation/Proxy Committee Request Form

 

Name of Investment Associate:   

 

 

Company Name:   

 

 

Overview of Proxy Vote and Meeting Date:   

 

 

Proxy Agenda Item(s)

 

Description of Item:   

 

 

(The above information will be pre-populated by the Proxy Department.)

 

Recommendation (FOR, AGAINST, ABSTAIN) including brief rationale:   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please attach any supporting information other than analysis or reports provided by the Proxy Department.

 

 

Signed

By signing, I am certifying that I either have no conflicts of interest-related information to report or have sent a completed “Conflicts of Interest Disclosure and Certification Form” to Compliance Risk Management (Conflicts Officer).

 

 

Send Completed Forms to:

GWIM Investment Operations – Proxy Department

or

In the case of Proxy Votes to be referred to the Proxy Committee, submit this form and materials to the Chair of the Proxy Committee

 

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Columbia Management®

 

  COLUMBIA FUNDS SERIES TRUST
  Class A, Class B, Class C, Class R and Class Z Shares
  STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
              August 1, 2009
              Columbia Masters Portfolios
              Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio
              Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio
              Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a prospectus, is not a substitute for reading any prospectus and is intended to be read in conjunction with the Portfolios’ prospectuses dated August 1, 2009. The most recent annual report for the Portfolios, which include the Portfolios’ audited financial statements dated March 31, 2009, are incorporated by reference into this SAI.

Copies of any Portfolio’s current prospectuses and annual and semi-annual reports may be obtained without charge by writing Columbia Management Services, Inc., P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081, by calling Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 or by visiting the Columbia Funds’ website at www.columbiafunds.com.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

SAI PRIMER

   3

ABOUT THE TRUST

   5

ABOUT THE PORTFOLIOS’ INVESTMENTS

   6
 

Certain Investment Activity Limits

   6
 

Fundamental and Non-Fundamental Investment Policies

   6
 

Exemptive Orders

   7
 

Permissible Investments and Related Risks

   7
 

Borrowings

   34
 

Short Sales

   35
 

Disclosure of Portfolio Information

   36
 

The Advisor and Investment Advisory Services

   42
 

The Administrator

   46
 

Pricing and Bookkeeping Services

   47
 

The Principal Underwriter/Distributor

   49
 

LOGO

 

Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its
Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest

   50
 

Other Services Provided

   53
 

Distribution and Servicing Plans

   54
 

Expense Limitations

   55
 

Codes of Ethics

   56
 

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

   56
 

Expenses Paid by Third Parties

   57

FUND GOVERNANCE

   58
 

The Board

   58
 

The Officers

   63

BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES

   66
 

General Brokerage Policy, Brokerage Transactions and Broker Selection

   66
 

Brokerage Commissions

   68
 

Directed Brokerage

   68
 

Securities of Regular Broker/Dealers

   68
 

Additional Shareholder Servicing Payments

   68
 

Additional Financial Intermediary Payments

   70

CAPITAL STOCK AND OTHER SECURITIES

   73
 

Description of the Trust’s Shares

   73

PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND PRICING OF SHARES

   75
 

Purchase and Redemption

   75
 

Offering Price

   78

TAXATION

   80

CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

   92

APPENDIX A — DESCRIPTIONS OF SECURITIES RATINGS

   A-1

APPENDIX B — PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

   B-1

 

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SAI PRIMER

The SAI is a part of the Portfolios’ registration statement that is filed with the SEC. The registration statement includes the Portfolios’ prospectuses, the SAI and certain exhibits. The SAI, and any supplements to it, can be found online at www.columbiafunds.com, or by accessing the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

The SAI generally provides additional information about the Portfolios that is not required to be in the Portfolios’ prospectuses. The SAI expands discussions of certain matters described in the Portfolios’ prospectuses and provides certain additional information about the Portfolios that may be of interest to some investors. Among other things, the SAI provides information about:

 

   

the organization of the Trust;

 

   

the Portfolios’ investments;

 

   

the Portfolios’ investment advisor, investment sub-advisor(s) (if any) and other service providers, including roles and relationships of Bank of America and its affiliates, and conflicts of interest;

 

   

the governance of the Portfolios;

 

   

the Portfolios’ brokerage practices;

 

   

the share classes offered by the Portfolios;

 

   

the purchase, redemption and pricing of Portfolio shares; and

 

   

the application of U.S. federal income tax laws.

Investors may find this information important and helpful. If you have any questions about the Portfolios, please call Columbia Funds at 800.345.6611 or contact your financial advisor.

Before reading the SAI, you should consult the Glossary below, which defines certain of the terms used in the SAI.

 

Glossary   
1933 Act    Securities Act of 1933, as amended
1934 Act    Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
1940 Act    Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
Administration Agreement    The administration agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Portfolios, and the Administrator
Administrator    Columbia Management Advisors, LLC
Advisor    Columbia Management Advisors, LLC
AMEX    American Stock Exchange
BAI    Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.
BANA    Bank of America, National Association
BAS    Banc of America Securities LLC
Bank of America    Bank of America Corporation
BFDS/DST    Boston Financial Data Services, Inc./DST Systems, Inc.
Board    The Trust’s Board of Trustees
CMOs    Collateralized mortgage obligations
Code    Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
Codes of Ethics    The codes of ethics adopted by the Board pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act
Columbia Funds Complex    The mutual fund complex that is comprised of the open-end investment management companies advised by the Advisor or its affiliates and principally underwritten by Columbia Management Distributors, Inc., as that term is defined under Item 17 of Form N-1A
Columbia Funds or Columbia Funds Family    The fund complex that is comprised of the open-end investment management companies advised by the Advisor or its affiliates and principally underwritten by Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.
Custodian or State Street    State Street Bank and Trust Company
Distributor    Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.
Distribution Agreement    The distribution agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Portfolios, and the Distributor
Distribution Plan(s)    One or more of the plans adopted by the Board pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act for the

 

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   distribution of the Portfolios’ shares
FHLMC    Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation
Fitch    Fitch Investors Service, Inc.
FNMA    Federal National Mortgage Association
Fund(s) of Funds    One or more of the “funds of funds” in the Columbia Funds Family, including the Portfolios, that invests its assets in a mix of Underlying Funds
GNMA    Government National Mortgage Association
Independent Trustees    The Trustees of the Board who are not “interested persons” of the Portfolios as defined in the 1940 Act
Interested Trustee    The Trustee of the Board who is an “interested person” of the Portfolios as defined in the 1940 Act
Investment Advisory Agreement    The investment advisory agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Portfolios, and the Advisor
IRS    United States Internal Revenue Service
LIBOR    London Interbank Offered Rate
Masters Heritage Portfolio    Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio
Masters Global Equity Portfolio    Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio
Masters International Equity Portfolio    Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio
Merrill Lynch    Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.
MLPF&S    Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated
Money Market Fund(s)    One or more of the money market funds in the Columbia Funds Family
Moody’s    Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
NASDAQ    National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations system
NRSRO    Nationally recognized statistical ratings organization (such as Moody’s, Fitch or S&P)
NSCC    National Securities Clearing Corporation
NYSE    New York Stock Exchange
The Portfolio(s) or a Portfolio    One or more of the open-end management investment companies listed on the front cover of this SAI that are series of the Trust
Principal Underwriter    Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.
REMIC    Real estate mortgage investment conduit
REIT    Real estate investment trust
RIC    A “regulated investment company,” as such term is used in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
S&P    Standard & Poor’s Corporation (“Standard & Poor’s” and “S&P” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by the Advisor. The Columbia Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor’s and Standard & Poor’s makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Columbia Funds).
SAI    This Statement of Additional Information
SEC    United States Securities and Exchange Commission
Selling Agent(s)    One or more of the banks, broker/dealers or other financial institutions that have entered into a sales support agreement with the Distributor
Servicing Agent(s)    One or more of the banks, broker/dealers or other financial institutions that have entered into a shareholder servicing agreement with the Distributor
Transfer Agency Agreement    The transfer agency agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Portfolios, and Columbia Management Services, Inc.
Transfer Agent    Columbia Management Services, Inc.
The Trust or CFST    Columbia Funds Series Trust, the registered investment company in the Columbia Funds Family to which this SAI relates
Trustee(s)    One or more of the Board’s Trustees
Underlying Fund(s)    One or more of the underlying mutual funds in which a “funds of funds” in the Columbia Funds Family, including a Portfolio that is the subject of this SAI, invests all or a portion of its assets

 

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ABOUT THE TRUST

The Trust is a registered investment company under the 1940 Act within the Columbia Funds Family. Columbia Funds offers over 100 mutual funds in major asset classes, and the Advisor had approximate assets under management of $310.5 billion as of June 30, 2009.

The Trust was organized as a Delaware business trust, a form of entity now known as a statutory trust, on October 22, 1999. On September 26, 2005, the Trust changed its name from Nations Funds Trust to Columbia Funds Series Trust.

Each Portfolio was first offered as a series of the Trust on February 15, 2006. Each of the Portfolios represents a separate series of the Trust and is an open-end diversified management investment company. Each of the Portfolios has a fiscal year end of March 31st.

Each of the Portfolios is a “fund of funds” that invests its assets in a mix of Underlying Funds using an asset allocation approach.

 

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ABOUT THE PORTFOLIOS’ INVESTMENTS

The investment objective, principal investment strategies (i.e., as used in this SAI and the corresponding prospectuses, a strategy which generally involves the ability to invest 10% or more of a Portfolio’s total assets) and related principal investment risks for each Portfolio are discussed in each Portfolio’s prospectuses.

Certain Investment Activity Limits

The overall investment and other activities of the Advisor and its affiliates may limit the investment opportunities for each Portfolio in certain markets where limitations are imposed by regulators upon the amount of investment by affiliated investors, in the aggregate or in individual issuers. From time to time, each Portfolio’s activities also may be restricted because of regulatory restrictions applicable to the Advisor and its affiliates and/or because of their internal policies. See Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest.

Fundamental and Non-Fundamental Investment Policies

The following discussion of “fundamental” and “non-fundamental” investment policies and limitations for each Portfolio supplements the discussion of investment policies in the Portfolios’ prospectuses. A fundamental policy may be changed only with Board and shareholder approval. A non-fundamental policy may be changed by the Board and does not require shareholder approval, but may require notice to shareholders in certain instances.

Unless otherwise noted, whenever an investment policy or limitation states a maximum percentage of a Portfolio’s assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding an investment standard, compliance with such percentage limitation or standard will be determined solely at the time of the Portfolio’s acquisition of such security or asset. Borrowings and other instruments that may give rise to leverage and the restriction on investing in illiquid securities are monitored on an ongoing basis.

Fundamental Investment Policies

The 1940 Act provides that a “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” of a Portfolio means the affirmative vote of the lesser of (1) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of a Portfolio, or (2) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting if more than 50% of the outstanding shares are represented at the meeting in person or by proxy. The following fundamental investment policies cannot be changed without such a vote.

Each Portfolio may not, as a matter of fundamental policy:

 

1. Underwrite any issue of securities within the meaning of the 1933 Act except when it might technically be deemed to be an underwriter either: (i) in connection with the disposition of a portfolio security; or (ii) in connection with the purchase of securities directly from the issuer thereof in accordance with its investment objective. This restriction shall not limit the Portfolio’s ability to invest in securities issued by other registered management investment companies;

 

2. Purchase or sell real estate, except each Portfolio may purchase securities of issuers which deal or invest in real estate and may purchase securities which are secured by real estate or interests in real estate;

 

3. Purchase or sell commodities, except that each Portfolio may, to the extent consistent with its investment objective, invest in securities of companies that purchase or sell commodities or which invest in such programs, and purchase and sell options, forward contracts, futures contracts, and options on futures contracts. This limitation does not apply to foreign currency transactions, including, without limitation, forward currency contracts;

 

4. Purchase any securities which would cause 25% or more of the value of its total assets at the time of purchase to be invested in the securities of one or more issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry, provided that: (i) there is no limitation with respect to obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, any state or territory of the United States, or any of their agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions; and (ii) notwithstanding this limitation or any other fundamental investment limitation, assets may be invested in the securities of one or more management investment companies to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief obtained by the Portfolios;

 

5. Make loans, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief obtained by the Portfolios;

 

6. Borrow money or issue senior securities except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief obtained by the Portfolios; and

 

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7. Purchase securities (except securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities) of any one issuer if, as a result, more than 5% of its total assets will be invested in the securities of such issuer or it would own more than 10% of the voting securities of such issuer, except that: (i) up to 25% of its total assets may be invested without regard to these limitations; and (ii) a Portfolio’s assets may be invested in the securities of one or more management investment companies to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief obtained by the Portfolios.

Non-Fundamental Investment Policies

 

1. The Portfolios may not purchase securities of other investment companies except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief. If shares of a Portfolio are purchased by another fund in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act, for so long as shares of the Portfolio are held by such fund, the Portfolio will not purchase securities of a registered open-end investment company or registered unit investment trust in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act.

 

2. Each Portfolio may not invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities.

 

3. The Portfolios may not sell securities short, except as permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.

 

4. To the extent a Portfolio is subject to Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act (the Names Rule), and does not otherwise have a fundamental investment policy in place to comply with the Names Rule, it has adopted the following non-fundamental policy: Shareholders will receive at least 60 days’ notice of any change to a Portfolio’s investment objective or principal investment strategies made in order to comply with the Names Rule. The notice will be provided in plain English in a separate written document, and will contain the following prominent statement or similar statement in bold-face type: “Important Notice Regarding Change in Investment Policy.” This statement will appear on both the notice and the envelope in which it is delivered, unless it is delivered separately from other communications to investors, in which case the statement will appear either on the notice or the envelope in which the notice is delivered.

Exemptive Orders

In addition to the policies outlined above, the Columbia Funds Family has received the following exemptive orders from the SEC which enable the Funds to participate in certain transactions beyond the investment limitations described above or described in otherwise applicable restrictions:

 

1. Pursuant to an exemptive order dated October 5, 1993, all current and future Funds advised by the Advisor may, subject to certain conditions, pool their uninvested cash balances in one or more joint accounts and use the daily balance of such accounts to enter into repurchase agreements, including the condition that such agreements have a maturity of not more than seven days.

 

2. Pursuant to an exemptive order dated September 5, 2003, each Portfolio may, subject to certain conditions, borrow money from other Funds in the Columbia Funds Family for temporary emergency purposes in order to facilitate redemption requests, or for other purposes consistent with Portfolio investment policies and restrictions. All loans are set at an interest rate between the rates charged on overnight repurchase agreements, and short-term bank loans.

Permissible Investments and Related Risks

Each Portfolio’s prospectuses identify and summarize the individual types of securities in which the Portfolio invests as part of its principal investment strategies and the principal risks associated with such investments. In this section, the term “Portfolio” refers to a Portfolio or an Underlying Fund except where otherwise indicated.

The 1940 Act normally prohibits mutual funds from investing in other mutual funds beyond certain limits. Because each Portfolio is a Fund of Funds, it takes advantage of a rule under the 1940 Act that allows it to exceed those limits subject to certain conditions. Accordingly, each Portfolio may: (i) own more than 3% of the total outstanding stock of an Underlying Fund; (ii) invest more than 5% of its total assets in any one such Underlying Fund; and (iii) invest more than 10% of its total assets, collectively, in Underlying Fund shares. See About the Portfolios’ Investments – Permissible Portfolio Investments – Investment in Other Investment Companies for more information.

The table below identifies for each Portfolio, or each Underlying Fund, certain types of securities in which it is permitted to invest, including certain types of securities that are described in each Portfolio’s prospectuses. A Portfolio generally has the ability to invest 10% or more of its total assets in each type of security described in its prospectuses (and in each sub-category of such security type described in this SAI). To the extent that a type of security identified below for a Portfolio is not described in a Portfolio’s prospectuses (or as a sub-category of such security type in this SAI), the Portfolio generally invests less than 10% of the Portfolio’s total assets in such security type.

 

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Information about individual types of securities (including certain of their associated risks) in which some or all of the Portfolios or Underlying Funds may invest is set forth below. Each Portfolio’s investment in these types of securities is subject to its investment objective and fundamental and non-fundamental investment policies.

Temporary Defensive Positions. A Portfolio may temporarily invest in money market instruments or hold cash. It may do so without limit, when the Advisor or a Portfolio’s sub-advisor, if applicable: (i) believes that the market conditions are not favorable for profitable investing; (ii) is unable to locate favorable investment opportunities; or (iii) determines that a temporary defensive position is advisable or necessary in order to meet anticipated redemption requests, or for other reasons. While a Portfolio engages in such strategies, it may not achieve its investment objective.

See also About the Portfolios’ Investments – Permissible Investments and Related Risks – Money Market Instruments.

Permissible Portfolio Investments

 

Investment Type

   Masters Global
Equity Portfolio
   Masters Heritage
Portfolio
   Masters International
Equity Portfolio

Asset-Backed Securities

   ü    ü    ü

Bank Obligations (Domestic and Foreign)

   ü    ü    ü

Common Stock

   ü    ü    ü

Convertible Securities

   ü    ü    ü

Corporate Debt Securities

   ü    ü    ü

Custody Receipts and Trust Certificates

   ü    ü    ü

Derivatives

   ü    ü    ü

Index or Linked Securities (Structured Products)

   ü    ü    ü

Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts

   ü    ü    ü

Stock Options and Stock Index Options

   ü    ü    ü

Swap Agreements

   ü    ü    ü

Dollar Rolls

   ü    ü    ü

Foreign Currency Transactions

   ü    ü    ü

Foreign Securities

   ü    ü    ü

Guaranteed Investment Contracts (Funding Agreements)

   ü    ü    ü

Illiquid Securities

   ü    ü    ü

Initial Public Offerings

   ü    ü    ü

Investments in Other Investment Companies

   ü    ü    ü

Low and Below Investment Grade Securities

   ü    ü    ü

Money Market Instruments

   ü    ü    ü

Mortgage-Backed Securities

   ü    ü    ü

Municipal Securities

   ü    ü    ü

Participation Interests

   ü    ü    ü

Preferred Stock

   ü    ü    ü

Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities

   ü    ü    ü

Real Estate Investment Trusts and Master Limited Partnerships

   ü    ü    ü

Repurchase Agreements

   ü    ü    ü

Reverse Repurchase Agreements

   ü    ü    ü

Standby Commitments

   ü    ü    ü

Stripped Securities

   ü    ü    ü

U.S. Government and Related Obligations

   ü    ü    ü

Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations

   ü    ü    ü

Warrants and Rights

   ü    ü    ü

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

   ü    ü    ü

Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities

   ü    ü    ü

 

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Asset-Backed Securities

Asset-backed securities represent interests in, or debt instruments that are backed by, pools of various types of assets that generate cash payments generally over fixed periods of time. Such securities entitle the security holders to receive distributions that are tied to the payments made on the underlying assets (less fees paid to the originator, servicer, or other parties, and fees paid for credit enhancement), so that the payments made on the underlying assets effectively pass through to such security holders. Asset-backed securities typically are created by an originator of loans or owner of accounts receivable that sells such underlying assets to a special purpose entity in a process called a securitization. The special purpose entity issues securities that are backed by the payments on the underlying assets, and have a minimum denomination and specific term. Asset-backed securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Portfolio Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Investing in asset-backed securities is subject to certain risks. For example, the value of asset-backed securities may be affected by, among other factors, changes in: interest rates, the market’s assessment of the quality of underlying assets, the creditworthiness of the servicer for the underlying assets, information concerning the originator of the underlying assets, or the creditworthiness or rating of the entities that provide any supporting letters of credit, surety bonds, derivative instruments, or other credit enhancement. The value of asset-backed securities also will be affected by the exhaustion, termination or expiration of any credit enhancement.

Declining or low interest rates may lead to a more rapid rate of repayment on the underlying assets, resulting in accelerated payments on asset-backed securities that then would be reinvested at a lesser rate of interest. Rising or high interest rates tend to lead to a slower rate of repayment on the underlying assets, resulting in slower than expected payments on asset-backed securities that can, in turn, lead to a decline in value. The impact of changing interest rates on the value of asset-backed securities may be difficult to predict and result in greater volatility. Holders of asset-backed securities generally have no recourse against the originator of the underlying assets in the event of a default on the underlying assets. Credit risk reflects the risk that a holder of asset-backed securities, backed by pools of receivables such as mortgage loans, may not receive all or part of its principal because the issuer, any credit enhancer and/or an underlying obligor has defaulted on its obligations. Credit risk is increased for asset-backed securities that are subordinated to another security (i.e., if the holder of an asset-backed security is entitled to receive payments only after payment obligations to holders of the other security are satisfied). The more deeply subordinated the security, the greater the credit risk associated with the security will be.

Bank Obligations (Domestic and Foreign)

Bank obligations include certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, time deposits and promissory notes that earn a specified rate of return and may be issued by (i) a domestic branch of a domestic bank, (ii) a foreign branch of a domestic bank, (iii) a domestic branch of a foreign bank or (iv) a foreign branch of a foreign bank. Bank obligations may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations for more information.

Certificates of deposit, or so-called CDs, typically are interest-bearing debt instruments issued by banks and have maturities ranging from a few weeks to several years. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on and accepted by banks, are a customary means of effecting payment for merchandise sold in import-export transactions and are a general source of financing. Yankee dollar certificates of deposit are negotiable CDs issued in the United States by branches and agencies of foreign banks. Eurodollar certificates of deposit are CDs issued by foreign (mainly European) banks with interest and principal paid in U.S. dollars. Such CDs typically have maturities of less than two years and have interest rates that typically are pegged to the London Interbank Offered Rate or LIBOR. A time deposit can be either a savings account or CD that is an obligation of a financial institution for a fixed term. Typically, there are penalties for early withdrawals of time deposits. Promissory notes are written commitments of the maker to pay the payee a specified sum of money either on demand or at a fixed or determinable future date, with or without interest.

Bank investment contracts are issued by banks. Pursuant to such contracts, a Portfolio may make cash contributions to a deposit fund of a bank. The bank then credits to the Portfolio payments at floating or fixed interest rates. A Portfolio also may hold funds on deposit with its custodian for temporary purposes.

Investing in bank obligations is subject to certain risks. Certain bank obligations, such as some CDs, are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) up to certain specified limits. Many other bank obligations, however, are neither guaranteed nor insured by the FDIC or the U.S. Government. These bank obligations are “backed” only by the

 

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creditworthiness of the issuing bank or parent financial institution. Domestic and foreign banks are subject to different governmental regulation. Accordingly, certain obligations of foreign banks, including Eurodollar and Yankee dollar obligations, involve different investment risks than those affecting obligations of domestic banks, including, among others, the possibilities that: (i) their liquidity could be impaired because of political or economic developments; (ii) the obligations may be less marketable than comparable obligations of domestic banks; (iii) a foreign jurisdiction might impose withholding and other taxes at high levels on interest income; (iv) foreign deposits may be seized or nationalized; (v) foreign governmental restrictions such as exchange controls may be imposed, which could adversely affect the payment of principal or interest on those obligations; (vi) there may be less publicly available information concerning foreign banks issuing the obligations; and (vii) the reserve requirements and accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements applicable to foreign banks may differ from those applicable to domestic banks. Foreign banks generally are not subject to examination by any U.S. Government agency or instrumentality.

Common Stock

Common stock represents a unit of equity ownership of a corporation. Owners typically are entitled to vote on the selection of directors and other important corporate governance matters, and to receive dividend payments, if any, on their holdings. However, ownership of common stock does not entitle owners to participate in the day-to-day operations of the corporation. Common stocks of domestic and foreign public corporations can be listed and traded on domestic stock exchanges, such as the NYSE, AMEX or the NASDAQ Stock Market. Domestic and foreign corporations also may have their shares traded on foreign exchanges, such as the London Stock Exchange or Tokyo Stock Exchange. Common stock may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Investing in common stocks is subject to certain risks. Stock market risk, for example, is the risk that the value of such stocks, like the broader stock markets, may decline over short or even extended periods of time, perhaps substantially or unexpectedly. Domestic and foreign stock markets tend to be cyclical, with periods when stock prices generally rise and periods when stock prices generally decline. The value of individual stocks will rise and fall based on factors specific to each company, such as changes in earnings or management, as well as general economic and market factors.

If a corporation is liquidated, the claims of secured and unsecured creditors and owners of debt securities and “preferred” stock take priority over the claims of those who own common stock.

Investing in common stocks also poses risks applicable to the particular type of company issuing the common stock. For example, stocks of smaller companies tend to have greater price swings than stocks of larger companies because, among other things, they trade less frequently and in lower volumes, are more susceptible to changes in economic conditions, may be more reliant on singular products or services and are more vulnerable to larger competitors. Common stocks of these types of companies may have a higher potential for gains, but also may be subject to greater risk of loss.

Investing in common stocks also poses risks applicable to a particular industry, such as technology, financial services, consumer goods or natural resources (e.g., oil and gas). To some extent, the prices of common stocks tend to move by industry sector. When market conditions favorably affect, or are expected to favorably affect, an industry, the share prices of the common stocks of companies in that industry tend to rise. Conversely, negative news or a poor outlook for a particular industry can cause the share prices of the common stocks of companies in that industry to decline quickly.

Convertible Securities

Convertible securities include bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stocks or other securities that may be converted or exchanged (by the holder or by the issuer) into shares of the underlying common stock (or cash or securities of equivalent value) at a stated exchange ratio or predetermined price (the conversion price). As such, convertible securities combine the investment characteristics of debt securities and equity securities. A holder of convertible securities is entitled to receive the income of a bond, debenture or note or the dividend of a preferred stock until the conversion privilege is exercised. The market value of convertible securities generally is a function of, among other factors, interest rates, the rates of return of similar nonconvertible securities and the financial strength of the issuer. The market value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates rise and, conversely, to rise as interest rates decline. However, a convertible security’s market value tends to reflect the market price of the common stock of the issuing company when that stock price approaches or is greater than its conversion price. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the price of the convertible security tends to be influenced more by the rate of return of the convertible security. Because both interest rate and market movements can influence their value, convertible securities generally are not as sensitive to changes in interest rates as similar debt securities nor generally are they as sensitive to changes in share price as their underlying common stock. Convertible securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Fund Investments – Variable- and Floating-

 

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Rate Obligations, Permissible Fund Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Fund Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Investing in convertible securities is subject to certain risks. Certain convertible securities, particularly securities that are convertible into securities of an issuer other than the issuer of the convertible security, may be illiquid and, therefore, may be more difficult to resell in a timely fashion or for a fair price, which could result in investment losses. Certain convertible securities may have a mandatory conversion feature, pursuant to which the securities convert automatically into common stock or other equity securities (of the same or a different issuer) at a specified date and a specified exchange ratio. Certain convertible securities may be convertible at the option of the issuer, which may require a holder to convert the security into the underlying common stock, even at times when the value of the underlying common stock or other equity security has declined substantially.

In addition, some convertible securities may be rated below investment grade or may not be rated and, therefore, may be considered speculative investments. Companies that issue convertible securities frequently are small- and mid-capitalization companies and, accordingly, carry the risks associated with such companies. In addition, the credit rating of a company’s convertible securities generally is lower than that of its conventional debt securities. Convertible securities are senior to equity securities and have a claim to the assets of an issuer prior to the holders of the issuer’s common stock in the event of liquidation but generally are subordinate to similar non-convertible debt securities of the same issuer. Some convertible securities are particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates when their predetermined conversion price is much higher than the price for the issuing company’s common stock.

Corporate Debt Securities

Corporate debt securities include fixed income securities issued by businesses to finance their operations. Notes, bonds, debentures and commercial paper are the most common types of corporate debt securities, with the primary difference being their interest rates, maturity dates and secured or unsecured status. Commercial paper has the shortest term and usually is unsecured. The broad category of corporate debt securities includes debt issued by domestic or foreign companies of all kinds, including those with small-, mid- and large-capitalizations. Corporate debt securities may be rated investment grade or below investment grade and may be structured as fixed-, variable—or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Portfolio Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Extendible commercial notes (ECNs) are very similar to commercial paper except that with ECNs, the issuer has the option to extend the notes’ maturity. ECNs are issued at a discount rate, with an initial redemption of not more than 90 days from the date of issue. If ECNs are not redeemed by the issuer on the initial redemption date, the issuer will pay a premium (step-up) rate based on the ECN’s credit rating at the time.

Because of the wide range of types and maturities of corporate debt securities, as well as the range of creditworthiness of issuers, corporate debt securities can have widely varying risk/return profiles. For example, commercial paper issued by a large established domestic corporation that is rated by an NRSRO as investment grade may have a relatively modest return on principal but present relatively limited risk. On the other hand, a long-term corporate note issued, for example, by a small foreign corporation from an emerging market country that has not been rated by an NRSRO may have the potential for relatively large returns on principal but carries a relatively high degree of risk.

Investing in corporate debt securities is subject to certain risks including, among others, credit and interest rate risk. Credit risk is the risk that a Portfolio could lose money if the issuer of a corporate debt security is unable to pay interest or repay principal when it becomes due. Some corporate debt securities that are rated below investment grade by an NRSRO generally are considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality debt securities. The credit risk of a particular issuer’s debt security may vary based on its priority for repayment. For example, higher ranking (senior) debt securities have a higher priority than and, therefore, may be paid in full before, lower ranking (subordinated) securities. In addition, in the event of bankruptcy, holders of higher-ranking senior securities may receive amounts otherwise payable to the holders of more junior securities. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of certain corporate debt securities will tend to fall when interest rates rise. In general, corporate debt securities with longer terms tend to fall more in value when interest rates rise than do corporate debt securities with shorter terms.

Custody Receipts and Trust Certificates

Custody receipts and trust certificates are derivative products that evidence direct ownership in a pool of securities. Typically, a sponsor will deposit a pool of securities with a custodian in exchange for custody receipts evidencing interests in

 

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those securities. The sponsor generally then will sell the custody receipts or trust certificates in negotiated transactions at varying prices. Each custody receipt or trust certificate evidences the individual securities in the pool and the holder of a custody receipt or trust certificate generally will have all the rights and privileges of owners of those securities.

Investing in custody receipts and trust certificates is subject to certain risks. Custody receipts and trust certificates generally are subject to the same risks as the securities evidenced by the receipts or certificates. Custody receipts and trust certificates also may be less liquid than the underlying securities.

Derivatives

General

Derivatives are financial instruments whose values are based on (or “derived” from) traditional securities (such as a stock or a bond), assets (such as a commodity, like gold), reference rates (such as LIBOR) or market indices (such as the S&P 500® Index). Some forms of derivatives, such as exchange-traded futures and options on securities, commodities, or indices, are traded on regulated exchanges. These types of derivatives are standardized contracts that can easily be bought and sold, and whose market values are determined and published daily. Non-standardized derivatives, on the other hand, tend to be more specialized or complex, and may be harder to value. Derivatives afford leverage and, when used properly, can enhance returns and be useful in hedging portfolios. Some common types of derivatives include futures; options; options on futures; forward foreign currency exchange contracts; forward contracts on securities and securities indices; linked securities and structured products; CMOs; stripped securities; warrants; swap agreements and swaptions.

A Portfolio may use derivatives for a variety of reasons, including, for example: (i) to enhance its return; (ii) to attempt to protect against possible changes in the market value of securities held in or to be purchased for its portfolio resulting from securities markets or currency exchange rate fluctuations (i.e., to hedge); (iii) to protect its unrealized gains reflected in the value of its portfolios securities; (iv) to facilitate the sale of such securities for investment purposes; (v) to reduce transaction costs; and/or (vi) to manage the effective maturity or duration of its portfolio.

A Portfolio’s use of derivatives presents risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in traditional securities. The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the underlying security, asset, index or reference rate, which may be magnified by certain features of the derivatives. These risks are heightened when a Portfolio uses derivatives to enhance its return or as a substitute for a position or security, rather than solely to hedge or offset the risk of a position or security held by a Portfolio. There is also a risk that the derivative will not correlate well with the security for which it is substituting. A Portfolio’s use of derivatives to leverage risk also may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing a Portfolio to lose more money than if it had invested in the underlying security, or limit a potential gain. The success of management’s derivative strategies will depend on its ability to assess and predict the impact of market or economic developments on the underlying security, asset, index or reference rate and the derivative itself, without necessarily the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions. Other risks arise from a Portfolio’s potential inability to terminate or sell its derivative positions as a liquid secondary market for such positions may not exist at times when a Portfolio may wish to terminate or sell them. Over-the-counter instruments (investments not traded on an exchange) may be illiquid. Derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations. Also, with some derivative strategies there is the risk that a Portfolio may not be able to find a suitable derivative transaction counterparty, and thus may be unable to invest in derivatives altogether. The use of derivatives may also increase the amount and accelerate the timing of taxes payable by shareholders.

A Portfolio may use any or all of the above investment techniques and may purchase different types of derivative instruments at any time and in any combination. There is no particular strategy that dictates the use of one technique over another, as the use of derivatives is a function of numerous variables, including market conditions.

Index or Linked Securities (Structured Products)

General. Indexed or linked securities, also often referred to as “structured products,” are instruments that may have varying combinations of equity and debt characteristics. These instruments are structured to recast the investment characteristics of the underlying security or reference asset. If the issuer is a unit investment trust or other special purpose vehicle, the structuring will typically involve the deposit with or purchase by such issuer of specified instruments (such as commercial bank loans or securities) and/or the execution of various derivative transactions, and the issuance by that entity of one or more classes of securities (structured securities) backed by, or representing interests in, the underlying instruments. The cash flow on the underlying instruments may be apportioned among the newly issued structured securities to create securities with different investment characteristics, such as varying maturities, payment priorities and interest rate provisions, and the extent of such payments made with respect to structured securities is dependent on the extent of the cash flow on the underlying instruments.

 

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Indexed and Inverse Floating Rate Securities. A Portfolio may invest in securities that provide a potential return based on a particular index of value or interest rates. For example, a Portfolio may invest in securities that pay interest based on an index of interest rates. The principal amount payable upon maturity of certain securities also may be based on the value of the index. To the extent a Portfolio invests in these types of securities, a Portfolio’s return on such securities will rise and fall with the value of the particular index: that is, if the value of the index falls, the value of the indexed securities owned by a Portfolio will fall. Interest and principal payable on certain securities may also be based on relative changes among particular indices.

A Portfolio may also invest in so-called “inverse floaters” or “residual interest bonds” on which the interest rates vary inversely with a floating rate (which may be reset periodically by a dutch auction, a remarketing agent, or by reference to a short-term tax-exempt interest rate index). A Portfolio may purchase synthetically-created inverse floating rate bonds evidenced by custodial or trust receipts. Generally, income on inverse floating rate bonds will decrease when interest rates increase, and will increase when interest rates decrease. Such securities have the effect of providing a degree of investment leverage, since they may increase or decrease in value in response to changes, as an illustration, in market interest rates at a rate that is a multiple of the rate at which fixed-rate securities increase or decrease in response to such changes. As a result, the market values of such securities will generally be more volatile than the market values of fixed-rate securities. To seek to limit the volatility of these securities, a Portfolio may purchase inverse floating obligations that have shorter-term maturities or that contain limitations on the extent to which the interest rate may vary. Certain investments in such obligations may be illiquid. A Portfolio may invest in indexed and inverse securities for hedging purposes or to seek to increase returns. When used for hedging purposes, indexed and inverse securities involve correlation risk. Furthermore, where such a security includes a contingent liability, in the event of an adverse movement in the underlying index or interest rate, a Portfolio may be required to pay substantial additional margin to maintain the position.

Credit Linked Securities. Among the income producing securities in which a Portfolio may invest are credit linked securities. The issuers of these securities frequently are limited purpose trusts or other special purpose vehicles that, in turn, invest in a derivative instrument or basket of derivative instruments, such as credit default swaps, interest rate swaps and other securities, in order to provide exposure to certain fixed income markets. For instance, a Portfolio may invest in credit linked securities as a cash management tool in order to gain exposure to a certain market and/or to remain fully invested when more traditional income producing securities are not available.

Like an investment in a bond, investments in these credit linked securities represent the right to receive periodic income payments (in the form of distributions) and payment of principal at the end of the term of the security. However, these payments are conditioned on or linked to the issuer’s receipt of payments from, and the issuer’s potential obligations to, the counterparties to the derivative instruments and other securities in which the issuer invests. For instance, the issuer may sell one or more credit default swaps, under which the issuer would receive a stream of payments over the term of the swap agreements provided that no event of default has occurred with respect to the referenced debt obligation upon which the swap is based. If a default occurs, the stream of payments may stop and the issuer would be obligated to pay the counterparty the par (or other agreed upon value) of the referenced debt obligation. This, in turn, would reduce the amount of income and/or principal that a Portfolio would receive. A Portfolio’s investments in these instruments are indirectly subject to the risks associated with derivative instruments, including, among others, credit risk, default or similar event risk, counterparty risk, interest rate risk, leverage risk and management risk. These securities generally are exempt from registration under the 1933 Act . Accordingly, there may be no established trading market for the securities and they may constitute illiquid investments.

Index-, Commodity-, Currency- and Equity-Linked Securities. “Index-linked” or “commodity-linked” notes are debt securities of companies that call for interest payments and/or payment at maturity in different terms than the typical note where the borrower agrees to make fixed interest payments and to pay a fixed sum at maturity. Principal and/or interest payments on an index-linked or commodity-linked note depend on the performance of one or more market indices, such as the S&P 500® Index, a weighted index of commodity futures such as crude oil, gasoline and natural gas or the market prices of a particular commodity or basket of commodities. Equity-linked securities are short-term or intermediate term instruments having a value at maturity and /or interest rate determined by reference to the market prices of one or more equity securities. At maturity, the principal amount of an equity-linked debt security is often exchanged for common stock of the issuer or is payable in an amount based on the issuer’s common stock price at the time of maturity. Currency-linked debt securities are short-term or intermediate-term instruments having a value at maturity, and/or an interest rate, determined by reference to one or more foreign currencies. Payment of principal or periodic interest may be calculated as a multiple of the movement of one currency against another currency, or against an index.

Index, commodity, currency and equity-linked securities may entail substantial risks. Such instruments may be subject to significant price volatility. The company issuing the instrument may fail to pay the amount due on maturity. The underlying investment or security may not perform as expected by the Advisor. Markets, underlying securities and indexes may move in a direction that was not anticipated by the Advisor. Performance of the derivatives may be influenced by interest rate and other market changes in the United States and abroad, and certain derivative instruments may be illiquid.

 

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Linked securities are often issued by unit investment trusts. Examples of this include such index-linked securities as S&P Depositary Receipts (SPDRs), which is an interest in a unit investment trust holding a portfolio of securities linked to the S&P 500®Index, and a type of exchange-traded fund (ETF). Because a unit investment trust is an investment company under the 1940 Act, a Portfolio’s investments in SPDRs are subject to the limitations set forth in Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act. SPDRs closely track the underlying portfolio of securities, trade like a share of common stock and pay periodic dividends proportionate to those paid by the portfolio of stocks that comprise the S&P 500® Index. As a holder of interests in a unit investment trust, a Portfolio would indirectly bear its ratable share of that unit investment trust’s expenses. At the same time, a Portfolio would continue to pay its own management and advisory fees and other expenses, as a result of which a Portfolio and its shareholders in effect would be absorbing levels of fees with respect to investments in such unit investment trusts.

Equity-linked securities include issues such as Structured Yield Product Exchangeable for Stock (STRYPES), Trust Automatic Common Exchange Securities (TRACES), Trust Issued Mandatory Exchange Securities (TIMES), and Trust Enhanced Dividend Securities (TRENDS). The issuers of these equity-linked securities generally purchase and hold a portfolio of stripped U.S. Treasury securities maturing on a quarterly basis through the conversion date, and a forward purchase contract with an existing shareholder of the company relating to the common stock. Quarterly distributions on such equity-linked securities generally consist of the cash received from the U.S. Treasury securities and such equity-linked securities generally are not entitled to any dividends that may be declared on the common stock.

Investing in structured products and linked securities is subject to certain risks. Because structured products typically involve no credit enhancement, their credit risk generally will be equivalent to that of the underlying instruments. Investments in structured products may be structured as a class that is either subordinated or unsubordinated to the right of payment of another class. Subordinated structured products typically have higher rates of return and present greater risks than unsubordinated structured products. Structured products sometimes are sold in private placement transactions and often have a limited trading market.

Investments in “linked” securities have the potential to lead to significant losses because of unexpected movements in the underlying financial asset, index, currency or other investment. The ability of a Portfolio to utilize linked-securities successfully will depend on its ability correctly to predict pertinent market movements, which cannot be assured. Because currency-linked securities usually relate to foreign currencies, some of which may be currency from emerging market countries, there are certain additional risks associated with such investments.

SPDRs are subject to the risks of an investment in a broadly based portfolio of common stocks, including the risk that the general level of stock prices may decline, thereby adversely affecting the value of such investment. In addition, because individual investments in SPDRs are not redeemable, except upon termination of the unit investment trust, the liquidity of small holdings of SPDRs will depend upon the existence of a secondary market. Large holdings of SPDRs are called “creation unit size” and are redeemable in-kind only and are not redeemable for cash from the unit investment trust. The price of a SPDR is derived from and based upon the securities held by the unit investment trust. Accordingly, the level of risk involved in the purchase or sale of a SPDR is similar to the risk involved in the purchase or sale of traditional common stock, with the exception that the pricing mechanism for SPDRs is based on a basket of stocks. Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying SPDRs purchased or sold by a Portfolio could result in losses on SPDRs.

Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts

Futures Contracts. A futures contract sale creates an obligation by the seller to deliver the type of security or other asset called for in the contract at a specified delivery time for a stated price. A futures contract purchase creates an obligation by the purchaser to take delivery of the type of security or other asset called for in the contract at a specified delivery time for a stated price. The specific security or other asset delivered or taken at the settlement date are not determined until on or near that date. The determination is made in accordance with the rules of the exchange on which the futures contract was made. A Portfolio may enter into futures contracts which are traded on national or foreign futures exchanges and are standardized as to maturity date and underlying security or other asset. Futures exchanges and trading in the United States are regulated under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a U.S. Government agency.

Traders in futures contracts may be broadly classified as either “hedgers” or “speculators.” Hedgers use the futures markets primarily to offset unfavorable changes (anticipated or potential) in the value of securities or other assets currently owned or expected to be acquired by them. Speculators less often own the securities or other assets underlying the futures contracts which they trade, and generally use futures contracts with the expectation of realizing profits from fluctuations in the value of the underlying securities or other assets. Pursuant to a notice of eligibility claiming exclusion from the definition of commodity pool operator filed with the CFTC and the National Futures Association on behalf of the Portfolios, neither the

 

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Trust nor any of the individual Portfolios is deemed to be a “commodity pool operator” under the CEA, and, accordingly, they are not subject to registration or regulation as such under the CEA.

Upon entering into futures contracts, in compliance with the SEC’s requirements, cash or liquid securities, equal in value to the amount of a Portfolio’s obligation under the contract (less any applicable margin deposits and any assets that constitute “cover” for such obligation), will be segregated with a Portfolio’s custodian.

Unlike when a Portfolio purchases or sells a security, no price is paid or received by a Portfolio upon the purchase or sale of a futures contract, although a Portfolio is required to deposit with its custodian in a segregated account in the name of the futures broker an amount of cash and/or U.S. Government securities in order to initiate and maintain open positions in futures contracts. This amount is known as “initial margin.” The nature of initial margin in futures transactions is different from that of margin in security transactions, in that futures contract margin does not involve the borrowing of funds by a Portfolio to finance the transactions. Rather, initial margin is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit intended to assure completion of the contract (delivery or acceptance of the underlying security or other asset) that is returned to a Portfolio upon termination of the futures contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Minimum initial margin requirements are established by the relevant futures exchange and may be changed. Brokers may establish deposit requirements which are higher than the exchange minimums. Futures contracts are customarily purchased and sold on margin which may range upward from less than 5% of the value of the contract being traded. Subsequent payments, called “variation margin,” to and from the broker (or the custodian) are made on a daily basis as the price of the underlying security or other asset fluctuates, a process known as “marking to market.” If the futures contract price changes to the extent that the margin on deposit does not satisfy margin requirements, payment of additional variation margin will be required. Conversely, a change in the contract value may reduce the required margin, resulting in a repayment of excess margin to the contract holder. Variation margin payments are made for as long as the contract remains open. A Portfolio expects to earn interest income on its margin deposits.

Although futures contracts by their terms call for actual delivery or acceptance of securities or other assets (stock index futures contracts or futures contracts that reference other intangible assets do not permit delivery of the referenced assets), the contracts usually are closed out before the settlement date without the making or taking of delivery. A Portfolio may elect to close some or all of its futures positions at any time prior to their expiration. The purpose of taking such action would be to reduce or eliminate the hedge position then currently held by a Portfolio. Closing out an open futures position is done by taking an opposite position (“buying” a contract which has previously been “sold,” “selling” a contract previously “purchased”) in an identical contract (i.e., the same aggregate amount of the specific type of security or other asset with the same delivery date) to terminate the position. Final determinations are made as to whether the price of the initial sale of the futures contract exceeds or is below the price of the offsetting purchase, or whether the purchase price exceeds or is below the offsetting sale price. Final determinations of variation margin are then made, additional cash is required to be paid by or released to a Portfolio, and a Portfolio realizes a loss or a gain. Brokerage commissions are incurred when a futures contract is bought or sold.

Successful use of futures contracts by a Portfolio is subject to the Advisor’s ability to predict correctly movements in the direction of interest rates and other factors affecting securities and commodities markets. This requires different skills and techniques than those required to predict changes in the prices of individual securities. A Portfolio, therefore, bears the risk that future market trends will be incorrectly predicted.

The risk of loss in trading futures contracts in some strategies can be substantial, due both to the relatively low margin deposits required and the potential for an extremely high degree of leverage involved in futures contracts. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in an immediate and substantial loss to the investor. For example, if at the time of purchase, 10% of the value of the futures contract is deposited as margin, a subsequent 10% decrease in the value of the futures contract would result in a total loss of the margin deposit, before any deduction for the transaction costs, if the account were then closed out. A 15% decrease would result in a loss equal to 150% of the original margin deposit if the contract were closed out. Thus, a purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount posted as initial margin for the contract.

In the event of adverse price movements, a Portfolio would continue to be required to make daily cash payments in order to maintain its required margin. In such a situation, if a Portfolio has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities in order to meet daily margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. The inability to close the futures position also could have an adverse impact on the ability to hedge effectively.

To reduce or eliminate a hedge position held by a Portfolio, a Portfolio may seek to close out a position. The ability to establish and close out positions will be subject to the development and maintenance of a liquid secondary market. It is not certain that this market will develop or continue to exist for a particular futures contract, which may limit a Portfolio’s ability

 

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to realize its profits or limit its losses. Reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there may be insufficient trading interest in certain contracts; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions, closing transactions or both; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of contracts, or underlying securities; (iv) unusual or unforeseen circumstances, such as volume in excess of trading or clearing capability, may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v) the facilities of an exchange or a clearing corporation may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or (vi) one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of contracts (or a particular class or series of contracts), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in the class or series of contracts) would cease to exist, although outstanding contracts on the exchange that had been issued by a clearing corporation as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.

Interest Rate Futures Contracts. Bond prices are established in both the cash market and the futures market. In the cash market, bonds are purchased and sold with payment for the full purchase price of the bond being made in cash, generally within five business days after the trade. In the futures market, a contract is made to purchase or sell a bond in the future for a set price on a certain date. Historically, the prices for bonds established in the futures markets have tended to move generally in the aggregate in concert with the cash market prices and have maintained fairly predictable relationships. Accordingly, a Portfolio may use interest rate futures contracts as a defense, or hedge, against anticipated interest rate changes. A Portfolio presently could accomplish a similar result to that which it hopes to achieve through the use of interest rate futures contracts by selling bonds with long maturities and investing in bonds with short maturities when interest rates are expected to increase, or conversely, selling bonds with short maturities and investing in bonds with long maturities when interest rates are expected to decline. However, because of the liquidity that is often available in the futures market, the protection is more likely to be achieved, perhaps at a lower cost and without changing the rate of interest being earned by a Portfolio, through using futures contracts.

Interest rate futures contracts are traded in an auction environment on the floors of several exchanges – principally, the Chicago Board of Trade, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the New York Futures Exchange. Each exchange guarantees performance under contract provisions through a clearing corporation, a nonprofit organization managed by the exchange membership. A public market exists in futures contracts covering various financial instruments including long-term U.S. Treasury Bonds and Notes; GNMA modified pass-through mortgage backed securities; three-month U.S. Treasury Bills; and ninety-day commercial paper. A Portfolio may also invest in exchange-traded Eurodollar contracts, which are interest rate futures on the forward level of LIBOR. These contracts are generally considered liquid securities and trade on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Such Eurodollar contracts are generally used to “lock-in” or hedge the future level of short-term rates. A Portfolio may trade in any interest rate futures contracts for which there exists a public market, including, without limitation, the foregoing instruments.

Index Futures Contracts. An index futures contract is a contract to buy or sell units of an index at a specified future date at a price agreed upon when the contract is made. Entering into a contract to buy units of an index is commonly referred to as buying or purchasing a contract or holding a long position in the index. Entering into a contract to sell units of an index is commonly referred to as selling a contract or holding a short position in the index. A unit is the current value of the index. A Portfolio may enter into stock index futures contracts, debt index futures contracts, or other index futures contracts appropriate to its objective(s).

There are several risks in connection with the use by a Portfolio of index futures as a hedging device. One risk arises because of the imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of the index futures and movements in the prices of securities which are the subject of the hedges. The Advisor will attempt to reduce this risk by selling, to the extent possible, futures on indices the movements of which will, in its judgment, have a significant correlation with movements in the prices of a Portfolio’s portfolio securities sought to be hedged.

Municipal Bond Index Futures Contracts. Municipal bond index futures contracts may act as a hedge against changes in market conditions. A municipal bond index assigns values daily to the municipal bonds included in the index based on the independent assessment of dealer-to-dealer municipal bond brokers. A municipal bond index futures contract represents a firm commitment by which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount equal to a specified dollar amount multiplied by the difference between the municipal bond index value on the last trading date of the contract and the price at which the futures contract is originally struck. No physical delivery of the underlying securities in the index is made.

Options on Futures Contracts. A Portfolio may purchase and write call and put options on those futures contracts that it is permitted to buy or sell. A Portfolio may use such options on futures contracts in lieu of writing options directly on the underlying securities or other assets or purchasing and selling the underlying futures contracts. Such options generally operate in the same manner as options purchased or written directly on the underlying investments. A futures option gives the holder, in return for the premium paid, the right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the writer of the option a futures contract at

 

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a specified price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise, the writer of the option is obligated to pay the difference between the cash value of the futures contract and the exercise price. Like the buyer or seller of a futures contract, the holder or writer of an option has the right to terminate its position prior to the scheduled expiration of the option by selling or purchasing an option of the same series, at which time the person entering into the closing purchase transaction will realize a gain or loss. There is no guarantee that such closing purchase transactions can be effected.

A Portfolio will enter into written options on futures contracts only when, in compliance with the SEC’s requirements, cash or liquid securities equal in value to the underlying security’s or other asset’s value (less any applicable margin deposits) have been deposited in a segregated account. A Portfolio will be required to deposit initial margin and maintenance margin with respect to put and call options on futures contracts written by it pursuant to brokers’ requirements similar to those described above.

Investments in futures options involve some of the same risks that are involved in connection with investments in futures contracts (for example, the existence of a liquid secondary market). In addition, the purchase of an option also entails the risk that changes in the value of the underlying futures contract will not be fully reflected in the value of the option purchased. There may be circumstances when the purchase of a call or put option on a futures contract would result in a loss to a Portfolio when the purchase or sale of a futures contract would not, such as when there is no movement in the prices of the hedged investments. In general, the market prices of options can be expected to be more volatile than the market prices on the underlying futures contracts. Compared to the purchase or sale of futures contracts, however, the purchase of call or put options on futures contracts may frequently involve less potential risk to a Portfolio because the maximum amount at risk is the premium paid for the options (plus transaction costs).

Successful use of index futures by a Portfolio is also subject to the Advisor’s ability to predict correctly movements in the direction of the market. It is possible that, for example, where a Portfolio has sold futures to hedge its portfolio against a decline in the market, the index on which the futures are written may advance and the value of securities held in a Portfolio’s portfolio may decline. If this occurred, a Portfolio would lose money on the futures and also experience a decline in the value of its portfolio securities, as a Portfolio’s ability to effectively hedge all or a portion of the securities in its portfolio, in anticipation of or during a market decline, through transactions in futures or put options on stock indices, depends on the degree to which price movements in the underlying index correlate with the price movements of the securities held by a Portfolio. Inasmuch as a Portfolio’s securities will not duplicate the components of an index, the correlation will not be perfect. Consequently, a Portfolio bears the risk that the prices of its securities being hedged will not move to the same extent as do the prices of its put options on the stock indices. It is also possible that, if a Portfolio has hedged against the possibility of a decline in the market adversely affecting securities held in its portfolio and securities prices increase instead, a Portfolio will lose part or all of the benefit of the increased values of those securities that it has hedged, because it will have offsetting losses in its futures positions. In addition, in such situations, if a Portfolio has insufficient cash, it may have to sell securities to meet daily variation margin requirements.

In addition to the possibility that there may be an imperfect correlation, or no correlation at all, between movements in the index futures and the securities of the portfolio being hedged, the prices of index futures may not correlate perfectly with movements in the underlying index due to certain market distortions. First, all participants in the futures markets are subject to margin deposit and maintenance requirements. Rather than meeting additional margin deposit requirements, investors may close futures contracts through offsetting transactions, which would distort the normal relationship between the index and futures markets. Second, margin requirements in the futures market are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities market, and as a result, the futures market may attract more speculators than the securities market. Increased participation by speculators in the futures market may also cause temporary price distortions. Due to the possibility of price distortions in the futures market, and also because of the imperfect correlation between movements in an index and movements in the prices of index futures, even a correct forecast of general market trends by the Advisor may still not result in a successful hedging transaction.

There is also the risk of loss by a Portfolio of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom a Portfolio has an open position in a futures contract or related option. Most futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in some contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of contract, no trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movement during a particular trading day and, therefore, does not limit potential losses, because the limit may prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. Futures contract prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and subjecting some futures traders to substantial losses.

 

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Options on Index Futures Contracts. A Portfolio may also purchase and sell options on index futures contracts. Options on index futures give the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in an index futures contract (a long position if the option is a call and a short position if the option is a put), at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of the option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the accumulated balance in the writer’s futures margin account, which represents the amount by which the market price of the index futures contract, at exercise, exceeds (in the case of a call) or is less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option on the index future. If an option is exercised on the last trading day prior to the expiration date of the option, the settlement will be made entirely in cash equal to the difference between the exercise price of the option and the closing level of the index on which the future is based on the expiration date. Purchasers of options who fail to exercise their options prior to the exercise date suffer a loss of the premium paid.

There are various risks in connection with the use by a Portfolio of index futures as a hedging device. For example, a risk arises because of the imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of the index futures and movements in the prices of securities which are the subject of the hedges. The Advisor will attempt to reduce this risk by selling, to the extent possible, futures on indices the movements of which will, in its judgment, have a significant correlation with movements in the prices of a Portfolio’s portfolio securities sought to be hedged; there can be no assurance that the Advisor will be successful in doing so.

Use by Tax-Exempt Funds of Interest Rate and U.S. Treasury Security Futures Contracts and Options. A Portfolio investing in tax-exempt securities may purchase and sell futures contracts and related options on interest rate and U.S. Treasury securities when, in the opinion of the Advisor, price movements in these security futures and related options will correlate closely with price movements in the tax-exempt securities which are the subject of the hedge. Interest rate and U.S. Treasury securities futures contracts require the seller to deliver, or the purchaser to take delivery of, the type of security called for in the contract at a specified date and price. Options on interest rate and U.S. Treasury security futures contracts give the purchaser the right in return for the premium paid to assume a position in a futures contract at the specified option exercise price at any time during the period of the option.

In addition to the risks generally involved in using futures contracts, there is also a risk that price movements in interest rate and U.S. Treasury security futures contracts and related options will not correlate closely with price movements in markets for tax-exempt securities.

Stock Options and Stock Index Options

A Portfolio may purchase and write (i.e., sell) put and call options. Such options may relate to particular stocks or stock indices, and may or may not be listed on a domestic or foreign securities exchange and may or may not be issued by the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC). Stock index options are put options and call options on various stock indices. In most respects, they are identical to listed options on common stocks.

There is a key difference between stock options and stock index options in connection with their exercise. In the case of stock options, the underlying security, common stock, is delivered. However, upon the exercise of an index option, settlement does not occur by delivery of the securities comprising the index. The option holder who exercises the index option receives an amount of cash if the closing level of the stock index upon which the option is based is greater than (in the case of a call) or less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option. This amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the stock index and the exercise price of the option expressed in dollars times a specified multiple. A stock index fluctuates with changes in the market value of the securities included in the index. For example, some stock index options are based on a broad market index, such as the S&P 500® Index or a narrower market index, such as the S&P 100® Index. Indices may also be based on an industry or market segment, such as the AMEX Oil and Gas Index or the Computer and Business Equipment Index.

The successful use of a Portfolio’s options strategies depends on the ability of the Advisor to forecast interest rate and market movements correctly. When it purchases an option, a Portfolio runs the risk that it will lose its entire investment in the option in a relatively short period of time, unless a Portfolio exercises the option or enters into a closing sale transaction for such option during the life of the option. If the price of the underlying security does not rise (in the case of a call) or fall (in the case of a put) to an extent sufficient to cover the option premium and transaction costs, a Portfolio will lose part or all of its investment in the option. This contrasts with an investment by a Portfolio in the underlying securities, since a Portfolio may continue to hold its investment in those securities notwithstanding the lack of a change in price of those securities.

The effective use of options also depends on a Portfolio’s ability to terminate option positions at times when the Advisor deems it desirable to do so. Although a Portfolio will take an option position only if the Advisor believes there is a liquid secondary market for the option, there is no assurance that a Portfolio will be able to effect closing transactions at any particular time or at an acceptable price.

 

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If a secondary trading market in options were to become unavailable, a Portfolio could no longer engage in closing transactions. The writer in such circumstances would be subject to the risk of market decline or appreciation in the instrument during such period. If an option purchased by a Portfolio expires unexercised, a Portfolio will realize a loss equal to the premium paid. Reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options, or underlying securities; (iv) unusual or unforeseen circumstances, such as volume in excess of trading or clearing capability, may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v) the facilities of an exchange or a clearing corporation may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or (vi) one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in the class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options on the exchange that had been issued by a clearing corporation as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.

Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying options purchased or sold by a Portfolio could result in losses on the options. If trading is interrupted in an underlying security, the trading of options on that security is normally halted as well. As a result, a Portfolio as purchaser or writer of an option will be unable to close out its positions until options trading resumes, and it may be faced with losses if trading in the security reopens at a substantially different price. In addition, the OCC or other options markets may impose exercise restrictions. If a prohibition on exercise is imposed at a time when trading in the option has also been halted, a Portfolio as purchaser or writer of an option will be locked into its position until one of the two restrictions has been lifted. If a prohibition on exercise remains in effect until an option owned by a Portfolio has expired, a Portfolio could lose the entire value of its option.

Special risks are presented by internationally traded options. Because of time differences between the United States and various foreign countries, and because different holidays are observed in different countries, foreign options markets may be open for trading during hours or on days when U.S. markets are closed. As a result, option premiums may not reflect the current prices of the underlying interest in the United States.

Dealer (Over-the-Counter) Options. Dealer options are options negotiated individually through dealers rather than traded on an exchange. Certain risks are specific to dealer options. While a Portfolio might look to a clearing corporation to exercise exchange-traded options, if a Portfolio purchases a dealer option it must rely on the selling dealer to perform if a Portfolio exercises the option. Failure by the dealer to do so would result in the loss of the premium paid by a Portfolio as well as loss of the expected benefit of the transaction. Exchange-traded options generally have a continuous liquid market while dealer options more often may not. Consequently, a Portfolio can realize the value of a dealer option it has purchased only by exercising or reselling the option to the issuing dealer. Similarly, when a Portfolio writes a dealer option, a Portfolio can close out the option prior to its expiration only by entering into a closing purchase transaction with the dealer. While each Portfolio seeks to enter into dealer options only with dealers who will agree to and can enter into closing transactions with a Portfolio, no assurance exists that a Portfolio will at any time be able to liquidate a dealer option at a favorable price at any time prior to expiration. Unless a Portfolio, as a covered dealer call option writer, can effect a closing purchase transaction, it will not be able to liquidate securities (or other assets) used as cover until the option expires or is exercised. In the event of insolvency of the other party, a Portfolio may be unable to liquidate a dealer option. With respect to options written by a Portfolio, the inability to enter into a closing transaction may result in material losses to a Portfolio. For example, because a Portfolio must maintain a secured position with respect to any call option on a security it writes, a Portfolio may not sell the assets, which it has segregated to secure the position while it is obligated under the option. This requirement may impair a Portfolio’s ability to sell portfolio securities at a time when such sale might be advantageous.

A Portfolio generally will treat purchased dealer options as illiquid securities. A Portfolio may treat the cover used for written dealer options as liquid if the dealer agrees that a Portfolio may repurchase the dealer option it has written for a maximum price to be calculated by a predetermined formula. In such cases, the dealer option would be considered illiquid only to the extent the maximum purchase price under the formula exceeds the intrinsic value of the option.

Writing Covered Options. A Portfolio may write covered call options and covered put options on securities held in its portfolio when, in the opinion of the Advisor, such transactions are consistent with a Portfolio’s investment goal and policies. Call options written by a Portfolio give the purchaser the right to buy the underlying securities from a Portfolio at the stated exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option, regardless of the security’s market price; put options give the purchaser the right to sell the underlying securities to a Portfolio at the stated exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option, regardless of the security’s market price.

A Portfolio may write only covered options, which means that, so long as a Portfolio is obligated as the writer of a call option, it will own the underlying securities subject to the option (or comparable securities satisfying the cover requirements

 

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of securities exchanges). In the case of put options, a Portfolio will hold cash and/or high-grade short-term debt obligations equal to the price to be paid if the option is exercised. In addition, a Portfolio will be considered to have covered a put or call option if and to the extent that it holds an option that offsets some or all of the risk of the option it has written. A Portfolio may write combinations of covered puts and calls (straddles) on the same underlying security.

A Portfolio will receive a premium from writing a put or call option, which increases a Portfolio’s return on the underlying security if the option expires unexercised or is closed out at a profit. The amount of the premium reflects, among other things, the relationship between the exercise price and the current market value of the underlying security, the volatility of the underlying security, the amount of time remaining until expiration, current interest rates, and the effect of supply and demand in the options market and in the market for the underlying security. By writing a call option, a Portfolio limits its opportunity to profit from any increase in the market value of the underlying security above the exercise price of the option but continues to bear the risk of a decline in the value of the underlying security. By writing a put option, a Portfolio assumes the risk that it may be required to purchase the underlying security for an exercise price higher than the security’s then-current market value, resulting in a potential capital loss unless the security subsequently appreciates in value.

A Portfolio’s obligation to sell an instrument subject to a call option written by it, or to purchase an instrument subject to a put option written by it, may be terminated prior to the expiration date of the option by a Portfolio’s execution of a closing purchase transaction, which is effected by purchasing on an exchange an offsetting option of the same series (i.e., same underlying instrument, exercise price and expiration date) as the option previously written. A closing purchase transaction will ordinarily be effected in order to realize a profit on an outstanding option, to prevent an underlying instrument from being called, to permit the sale of the underlying instrument or to permit the writing of a new option containing different terms on such underlying instrument. A Portfolio realizes a profit or loss from a closing purchase transaction if the cost of the transaction (option premium plus transaction costs) is less or more than the premium received from writing the option. Because increases in the market price of a call option generally reflect increases in the market price of the security underlying the option, any loss resulting from a closing purchase transaction may be offset in whole or in part by unrealized appreciation of the underlying security.

If a Portfolio writes a call option but does not own the underlying security, and when it writes a put option, a Portfolio may be required to deposit cash or securities with its broker as “margin” or collateral for its obligation to buy or sell the underlying security. As the value of the underlying security varies, a Portfolio may also have to deposit additional margin with the broker. Margin requirements are complex and are fixed by individual brokers, subject to minimum requirements currently imposed by the Federal Reserve Board and by stock exchanges and other self-regulatory organizations.

Purchasing Put Options. A Portfolio may purchase put options to protect its portfolio holdings in an underlying security against a decline in market value. Such hedge protection is provided during the life of the put option since a Portfolio, as holder of the put option, is able to sell the underlying security at the put exercise price regardless of any decline in the underlying security’s market price. For a put option to be profitable, the market price of the underlying security must decline sufficiently below the exercise price to cover the premium and transaction costs. By using put options in this manner, a Portfolio will reduce any profit it might otherwise have realized from appreciation of the underlying security by the premium paid for the put option and by transaction costs.

Purchasing Call Options. A Portfolio may purchase call options to hedge against an increase in the price of securities that a Portfolio wants ultimately to buy. Such hedge protection is provided during the life of the call option since a Portfolio, as holder of the call option, is able to buy the underlying security at the exercise price regardless of any increase in the underlying security’s market price. In order for a call option to be profitable, the market price of the underlying security must rise sufficiently above the exercise price to cover the premium and transaction costs. These costs will reduce any profit a Portfolio might have realized had it bought the underlying security at the time it purchased the call option.

Over-the-Counter (OTC) Options. A Portfolio will enter into OTC options transactions only with primary dealers in U.S. Government securities and, in the case of OTC options written by a Portfolio, only pursuant to agreements that will assure that a Portfolio will at all times have the right to repurchase the option written by it from the dealer at a specified formula price. A Portfolio will treat the amount by which such formula price exceeds the amount, if any, by which the option may be “in-the-money” as an illiquid investment. It is the present policy of a Portfolio not to enter into any OTC option transaction if, as a result, more than 15% (10% in some cases, refer to your Fund’s prospectuses) of a Portfolio’s net assets would be invested in (i) illiquid investments (determined under the foregoing formula) relating to OTC options written by a Portfolio, (ii) OTC options purchased by a Portfolio, (iii) securities which are not readily marketable, and (iv) repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days.

 

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Index Options. As an alternative to purchasing call and put options on index futures, a Portfolio may purchase call and put options on the underlying indices themselves. Such options could be used in a manner identical to the use of options on index futures. Options involving securities indices provide the holder with the right to make or receive a cash settlement upon exercise of the option based on movements in the relevant index. Such options must be listed on a national securities exchange and issued by the OCC. Such options may relate to particular securities or to various stock indices, except that a Portfolio may not write covered options on an index.

Foreign Stock Index Options. A Portfolio may, for the purpose of hedging its portfolio, subject to applicable securities regulations, purchase and write put and call options on foreign stock indices listed on foreign and domestic stock exchanges.

Swap Agreements

Swap agreements are derivative instruments that can be individually negotiated and structured to include exposure to a variety of different types of investments or market factors. Depending on their structure, swap agreements may increase or decrease a Portfolio’s exposure to long- or short-term interest rates, foreign currency values, mortgage securities, corporate borrowing rates, or other factors such as security prices or inflation rates. A Portfolio may enter into a variety of swap agreements, including interest rate, index, commodity, equity, credit default and currency exchange rate swap agreements, and other types of swap agreements such as caps, collars and floors. A Portfolio also may enter into swaptions, which are options to enter into a swap agreement.

In a typical interest rate swap, one party agrees to make regular payments equal to a floating interest rate times a “notional principal amount,” in return for payments equal to a fixed rate times the same amount, for a specified period of time. If a swap agreement provides for payments in different currencies, the parties might agree to exchange notional principal amount as well. In a total return swap agreement, the non-floating rate side of the swap is based on the total return of an individual security, a basket of securities, an index or another reference asset. Swaps may also depend on other prices or rates, such as the value of an index or mortgage prepayment rates.

In a typical cap or floor agreement, one party agrees to make payments only under specified circumstances, usually in return for payment of a fee by the other party. For example, the buyer of an interest rate cap obtains the right to receive payments to the extent that a specified interest rate exceeds an agreed-upon level, while the seller of an interest rate floor is obligated to make payments to the extent that a specified interest rate falls below an agreed-upon level. Caps and floors have an effect similar to buying or writing options. A collar combines elements of buying a cap and selling a floor.

Swap agreements will tend to shift a Portfolio’s investment exposure from one type of investment to another. For example, if a Portfolio agreed to pay fixed rates in exchange for floating rates while holding fixed-rate bonds, the swap would tend to decrease a Portfolio’s exposure to long-term interest rates. Another example is if a Portfolio agreed to exchange payments in dollars for payments in foreign currency, the swap agreement would tend to decrease a Portfolio’s exposure to U.S. interest rates and increase its exposure to foreign currency and interest rates.

Swap agreements are sophisticated hedging instruments that typically involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of risks assumed. As a result, swaps can be highly volatile and may have a considerable impact on a Portfolio’s performance. Depending on how they are used, swap agreements may increase or decrease the overall volatility of a Portfolio’s investments and its share price and yield. Additionally, whether a Portfolio’s use of swap agreements will be successful in furthering its investment objective will depend on the Advisor’s ability correctly to predict whether certain types of investments likely are to produce greater returns than other investments. Because they are two party contracts and because they may have terms of greater than seven days, swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid. Moreover, a Portfolio bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. The most significant factor in the performance of swap agreements is the change in the specific interest rate, currency, or other factor that determines the amounts of payments due to and from a Portfolio. If a swap agreement calls for payments by a Portfolio, a Portfolio must be prepared to make such payments when due. In addition, if the counterparty’s creditworthiness declines, the value of a swap agreement likely would decline, potentially resulting in losses for a Portfolio. A Portfolio will closely monitor the credit of a swap agreement counterparty in order to attempt to minimize this risk. A Portfolio may also suffer losses if it is unable to terminate outstanding swap agreements (either by assignment or other disposition) or reduce its exposure through offsetting transactions (i.e., by entering into an offsetting swap agreement with the same party or a similarly creditworthy party).

Credit Default Swap Agreements. A Portfolio may enter into credit default swap agreements, which may have as reference obligations one or more securities or a basket of securities that are or are not currently held by a Portfolio. The protection “buyer” in a credit default contract is generally obligated to pay the protection “seller” an upfront or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract provided that no credit event, such as a default, on a reference obligation has occurred. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the “par value” (full notional value) of the swap in

 

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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. A Portfolio may be either the buyer or seller in the transaction. If a Portfolio is a buyer and no credit event occurs, a Portfolio may recover nothing if the swap is held through its termination date. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer generally may elect to receive the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity whose value may have significantly decreased. As a seller, a Portfolio generally receives an upfront payment or a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the swap provided that there is no credit event. As the seller, a Portfolio would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, a Portfolio would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap.

Credit default swap agreements may involve greater risks than if a Portfolio had invested in the reference obligation directly since, in addition to risks relating to the reference obligation, credit default swaps are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk and credit risk. A Portfolio will enter into credit default swap agreements generally with counterparties that meet certain standards of creditworthiness. A buyer generally will lose its investment and recover nothing if no credit event occurs and the swap is held to its termination date. If a credit event were to occur, the value of any deliverable obligation received by the seller, coupled with the upfront or periodic payments previously received, may be less than the full notional value it pays to the buyer, resulting in a loss of value to the seller.

Equity Swaps. A Portfolio may engage in equity swaps. Equity swaps allow the parties to the swap agreement to exchange components of return on one equity investment (e.g., a basket of equity securities or an index) for a component of return on another non-equity or equity investment, including an exchange of differential rates of return. Equity swaps may be used to invest in a market without owning or taking physical custody of securities in circumstances where direct investment may be restricted for legal reasons or is otherwise impractical. Equity swaps also may be used for other purposes, such as hedging or seeking to increase total return.

The values of equity swaps can be very volatile. To the extent that the Advisor does not accurately analyze and predict the potential relative fluctuation on the components swapped with the other party, a Portfolio may suffer a loss. The value of some components of an equity swap (such as the dividend on a common stock) may also be sensitive to changes in interest rates. Furthermore, during the period a swap is outstanding, a Portfolio may suffer a loss if the counterparty defaults.

Total Return Swap Agreements. Total return swap agreements are contracts in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the change in market value of the assets underlying the contract, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or securities indices during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from other underlying assets. Total return swap agreements may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Total return swap agreements may effectively add leverage to a Portfolio’s portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, a Portfolio would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap.

Total return swap agreements are subject to the risk that a counterparty will default on its payment obligations to a Portfolio thereunder, and conversely, that a Portfolio will not be able to meet its obligation to the counterparty. Generally, a Portfolio will enter into total return swaps on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted against one another with a Portfolio receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments). The net amount of the excess, if any, of a Portfolio’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each total return swap will be accrued on a daily basis, and an amount of liquid assets having an aggregate net asset value at least equal to the accrued excess will be segregated by a Portfolio. If the total return swap transaction is entered into on other than a net basis, the full amount of a Portfolio’s obligations will be accrued on a daily basis, and the full amount of a Portfolio’s obligations will be segregated by a Portfolio in an amount equal to or greater than the market value of the liabilities under the total return swap agreement or the amount it would have cost a Portfolio initially to make an equivalent direct investment, plus or minus any amount a Portfolio is obligated to pay or is to receive under the total return swap agreement.

Variance, Volatility and Correlation Swap Agreements. Variance and volatility swaps are contracts that provide exposure to increases or decreases in the volatility of certain referenced assets. Correlation swaps are contracts that provide exposure to increases or decreases in the correlation between the prices of different assets or different market rates.

Dollar Rolls

Dollar rolls involve selling securities (e.g., mortgage-backed securities or U.S. Treasury securities) and simultaneously entering into a commitment to purchase those or similar (same collateral type, coupon and maturity) securities on a specified future date and price. Mortgage dollar rolls and U.S. Treasury rolls are types of dollar rolls. A Portfolio foregoes principal and interest paid on the securities during the “roll” period. A Portfolio is compensated by the difference between the current

 

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sales price and the lower forward price for the future purchase of the securities as well as the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the initial sale.

Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities a Portfolio is obligated to repurchase may decline below the repurchase price or that the transaction costs may exceed the return earned by a Portfolio from the transaction. Dollar rolls also involve risk to a Portfolio if the other party should default on its obligation and a Portfolio is delayed or prevented from completing the transaction. In the event that the buyer of securities under a dollar roll files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, a Portfolio’s use of proceeds of the dollar roll may be restricted pending a determination by the other party, or its trustee or receiver, whether to enforce a Portfolio’s obligation to repurchase the securities. In addition, the security to be delivered in the future may turn out to be inferior to the security sold upon entering into the transaction.

Foreign Currency Transactions

Foreign currency transactions may be used to protect, to some extent, against uncertainty in the level of future currency exchange rates by establishing a fixed exchange rate. Foreign currency transactions may involve the purchase or sale of foreign currencies on a “spot” (cash) basis at the prevailing exchange rate or may involve “forward contracts” that allow a Portfolio to purchase or sell foreign currencies at a future date. Forward contracts may be used for “transaction hedging,” “position hedging” and “cross-hedging.” A Portfolio may use forward sale contracts to sell an amount of a foreign currency approximating the value of a Portfolio’s securities denominated in the foreign security when that foreign currency suffers a substantial decline against the U.S. dollar. A Portfolio may use forward purchase contracts to purchase a foreign currency when it is believed that the U.S. dollar may suffer a substantial decline against the foreign currency. Although these transactions tend to minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency, they also tend to limit any potential gain that might be realized if the value of the hedged currency increases.

Transaction hedging may allow a Portfolio to “lock in” the U.S. dollar price of a security it has agreed to purchase or sell, or the U.S. dollar equivalent of a dividend or interest rate payment in a foreign currency. A Portfolio may use transaction hedging to protect itself against a possible loss resulting from an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the applicable foreign currency during the period between the date on which the security is purchased or sold, or on which the dividend or interest payment is declared, and the date on which such payments are made or received.

Position hedging may allow a Portfolio to protect against an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the applicable foreign currencies in which its portfolio securities are denominated. A Portfolio may use position hedging when it is believed that the U.S. dollar may suffer a decline against the foreign currency by entering into a forward purchase contract to purchase that foreign currency for a fixed dollar amount.

Cross-hedging may allow a Portfolio to enter into a forward contract to sell a different foreign currency for a fixed U.S. dollar amount when it is believed that the U.S. dollar value of the currency to be sold pursuant to the forward contract will fall if there is a decline in the U.S. dollar value of the currency in which a Portfolio’s securities are denominated.

A Portfolio also may purchase exchange-listed and over-the-counter call and put options on foreign currencies and foreign currency contracts. Options on foreign currencies and foreign currency contracts give the holder a right to buy or sell the underlying foreign currencies or foreign currency contracts for a specified period of time and for a specified amount. The value of an option on foreign currencies or foreign currency contracts reflects the value of an exchange rate, which depends on the relative values of the U.S. dollar and the relevant foreign currency.

Engaging in foreign currency transactions is subject to certain risks. For example, if the value of a foreign currency were to decline against the U.S. dollar, such decline would reduce the dollar value of any securities held by a Portfolio denominated in that currency. It is impossible to forecast with precision the market value of portfolio securities at the expiration or maturity of a forward or futures contract, which may make it necessary for a Portfolio to purchase additional foreign currency on the spot market if the market value of the security being hedged is less than the amount of foreign currency a Portfolio is obligated to deliver at the time a Portfolio sells the security being hedged. The value of any currency, including the U.S. dollar, may be affected by political and economic factors applicable to the issuer’s country. The exchange rates of currencies also may be affected adversely by governmental actions. Transaction, position and cross-hedging do not eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of securities that a Portfolio owns or intends to purchase or sell and may limit the amount of potential gain that might result from the increase in value of the currency being hedged. Settlement procedures relating to a Portfolio’s foreign currency transactions may be more complex than those relating to investments in securities of U.S. issuers.

Foreign Securities

Foreign securities include debt, equity and derivative securities that the Advisor determines are “foreign” based on the consideration of an issuer’s domicile, its principal place of business, its primary stock exchange listing, the source of its

 

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revenue or other factors. Foreign securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Portfolio Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Foreign securities may include depositary receipts, such as American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), European Depositary Receipts (EDRs) and Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs). ADRs are U.S. dollar-denominated receipts issued in registered form by a domestic bank or trust company that evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign issuer. EDRs are foreign currency-denominated receipts issued in Europe, typically by foreign banks or trust companies and foreign branches of domestic banks, that evidence ownership of foreign or domestic securities. GDRs are receipts structured similarly to ADRs and EDRs and are marketed globally. Depositary receipts will not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities. In general, ADRs, in registered form, are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, and EDRs, in bearer form, are designed for use in European securities markets. GDRs are tradable both in the United States and in Europe and are designed for use throughout the world. A Portfolio may invest in depositary receipts through “sponsored” or “unsponsored” facilities. A sponsored facility is established jointly by the issuer of the underlying security and a depositary, whereas a depositary may establish an unsponsored facility without participation by the issuer of the deposited security. Holders of unsponsored depositary receipts generally bear all the costs of such facilities and the depositary of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute interestholder communications received from the issuer of the deposited security or to pass through voting rights to the holders of such receipts in respect of the deposited securities. The issuers of unsponsored depositary receipts are not obligated to disclose material information in the United States, and, therefore, there may be limited information available regarding such issuers and/or limited correlation between available information and the market value of the depositary receipts.

Investing in foreign securities is subject to certain risks. For example, foreign markets can be extremely volatile. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates also may impact the value of foreign securities denominated in foreign currencies or U.S. dollars, without a change in the intrinsic value of those securities. Additionally, the U.S. dollar value of a foreign security tends to decrease when the value of the U.S. dollar rises against the foreign currency in which the security is denominated and tends to increase when the value of the U.S. dollar falls against such currency. A Portfolio may attempt to minimize the risk from adverse changes in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies by purchasing and selling forward foreign currency exchange contracts and foreign currency futures contracts and related options. Foreign securities may be less liquid than domestic securities so that a Portfolio may, at times, be unable to sell foreign securities at desirable prices. Brokerage commissions, custodial fees and other fees also are generally higher for foreign securities. A Portfolio may have limited legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain debt securities issued by foreign governments. In addition, foreign governments may impose potentially confiscatory withholding or other taxes, which would reduce a Portfolio’s return on these securities. Other risks include: possible delays in the settlement of transactions or in the notification of income; generally less publicly available information about companies; adverse impact of political, social or diplomatic events; possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of a company or its assets; possible imposition of currency exchange controls; and that foreign companies generally are not subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards comparable to those mandated for domestic companies.

Risks associated with investments in foreign securities are increased with respect to investments in emerging market countries. Political and economic structures in many emerging market countries, especially those in Eastern Europe, the Pacific Basin and the Far East, are undergoing significant evolutionary changes and rapid development, and may lack the social, political and economic stability of more developed countries. Investing in emerging market securities also involves risks beyond the risks applicable to foreign investments. For example, some emerging market countries may have fixed or managed currencies that are not free-floating against the U.S. dollar. Further, certain currencies may not be traded internationally, and some countries with emerging securities markets have sustained long periods of very high inflation or rapid fluctuation in inflation rates which can have negative effects on a country’s economy and securities markets.

Guaranteed Investment Contracts (Funding Agreements)

Guaranteed investment contracts, or funding agreements, are debt instruments issued by insurance companies. Pursuant to such contracts, a Portfolio may make cash contributions to a deposit fund of the insurance company’s general account. The insurance company then credits to a Portfolio payments at negotiated, floating or fixed interest rates. A Portfolio will purchase guaranteed investment contracts only from issuers that, at the time of purchase, meet certain credit and quality standards.

Investing in guaranteed investment contracts is subject to certain risks. In general, guaranteed investment contracts are not assignable or transferable without the permission of the issuing insurance companies, and an active secondary market

 

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does not exist for these investments. In addition, the issuer may not be able to pay the principal amount to a Portfolio on seven days notice or less, at which time the investment may be considered illiquid under applicable SEC regulatory guidance and subject to certain restrictions.

Illiquid Securities

Illiquid securities are defined by a Portfolio consistent with SEC staff’s current guidance and interpretations which provide that an illiquid security is an asset which may not be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the value at which a Portfolio has valued the investment on its books. Some securities, such as those not registered under U.S. securities laws, cannot be sold in public transactions. Subject to its investment policies, a Portfolio may invest in illiquid investments and may invest in certain restricted securities that are deemed to be illiquid securities.

Initial Public Offerings

A Portfolio may invest in initial public offerings (IPOs) of common stock or other primary or secondary syndicated offerings of equity or debt securities issued by a corporate issuer. A purchase of IPO securities often involves higher transaction costs than those associated with the purchase of securities already traded on exchanges or markets. IPO securities are subject to market risk and liquidity risk. The market value of recently issued IPO securities may fluctuate considerably due to factors such as the absence of a prior public market, unseasoned trading and speculation, a potentially small number of securities available for trading, limited information about the issuer, and other factors. A Portfolio may hold IPO securities for a period of time, or may sell them soon after the purchase. Investments in IPOs could have a magnified impact – either positive or negative – on a Portfolio’s performance while the Portfolio’s assets are relatively small. The impact of an IPO on a Portfolio’s performance may tend to diminish as the Portfolio’s assets grow. In circumstances when investments in IPOs make a significant contribution to a Portfolio’s performance, there can be no assurance that similar contributions from IPOs will continue in the future.

Investments in Other Investment Companies

Investing in other investment companies may be a means by which a Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective. A Portfolio may invest in securities issued by other investment companies within the limits prescribed by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive orders currently or in the future obtained by a Portfolio from the SEC.

Except with respect to funds structured as funds-of-funds or so-called master/feeder funds, the 1940 Act generally requires that a fund limit its investments in another investment company or series thereof so that, as determined at the time a securities purchase is made: (i) no more than 5% of the value of its total assets will be invested in the securities of any one investment company; (ii) no more than 10% of the value of its total assets will be invested in the aggregate in securities of other investment companies; and (iii) no more than 3% of the outstanding voting stock of any one investment company or series thereof will be owned by a fund or by companies controlled by the fund. Such other investment companies may include ETFs which are shares of publicly traded unit investment trusts, open-end funds or depositary receipts that seek to track the performance of specific indexes or companies in related industries.

Investing in other investment companies is subject to certain risks. Although a fund may derive certain advantages from being able to invest in shares of other investment companies, such as to be fully invested, there may be potential disadvantages. Investing in other investment companies may result in higher fees and expenses for a fund and its shareholders. A shareholder may be charged fees not only on fund shares held directly but also on the investment company shares that a fund purchases.

In addition, investing in ETFs is subject to certain other risks. ETFs generally are subject to the same risks as the underlying securities the ETFs are designed to track as well as to the risks of the specific sector or industry on which the ETF relates. ETFs also are subject to the risk that their prices may not totally correlate to the prices of the underlying securities the ETFs are designed to track and the risk of possible trading halts due to market conditions or for other reasons.

Under the 1940 Act and rules and regulations thereunder, a Portfolio may purchase shares of other affiliated Columbia Funds, including the Money Market Funds, subject to certain conditions. Investing in affiliated funds may present certain actual or potential conflicts of interest. For more information about such actual and potential conflicts of interest, see Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest.

 

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Low and Below Investment Grade Securities

Low and below investment grade securities (below investment grade securities are also known as “junk bonds”) are debt securities with the lowest investment grade rating (e.g., BBB by S&P and Fitch or Baa by Moody’s), that are below investment grade (e.g., lower than BBB by S&P and Fitch or Baa by Moody’s) or that are unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. These types of securities may be issued to fund corporate transactions or restructurings, such as leveraged buyouts, mergers, acquisitions, debt reclassifications or similar events, are more speculative in nature than securities with higher ratings and tend to be more sensitive to credit risk, particularly during a downturn in the economy. These types of securities generally are issued by unseasoned companies without long track records of sales and earnings, or by companies or municipalities that have questionable credit strength. Low and below investment grade securities and comparable unrated securities: (i) likely will have some quality and protective characteristics that, in the judgment of one or more NRSROs, are outweighed by large uncertainties or major risk exposures to adverse conditions; (ii) are speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation; and (iii) may have a less liquid secondary market, potentially making it difficult to value or sell such securities. Low and below investment grade securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Portfolio Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Investing in low and below investment grade securities and comparable unrated securities is subject to certain risks. The rates of return on these types of securities generally are higher than the rates of return available on more highly rated securities, but generally involve greater volatility of price and risk of loss of principal and income, including the possibility of default by or insolvency of the issuers of such securities. Accordingly, a Portfolio may be more dependent on the Advisor’s credit analysis with respect to these types of securities than is the case for more highly rated securities.

The market values of certain low and below investment grade securities and comparable unrated securities tend to be more sensitive to individual corporate developments and changes in economic conditions than are the market value of more highly rated securities. In addition, issuers of low and below investment grade and comparable unrated securities often are highly leveraged and may not have more traditional methods of financing available to them, so that their ability to service their debt obligations during an economic downturn or during sustained periods of rising interest rates may be impaired.

The risk of loss due to default is greater for low and below investment grade and comparable unrated securities than it is for higher rated securities because low and below investment grade securities and comparable unrated securities generally are unsecured and frequently are subordinated to more senior indebtedness. A Portfolio may incur additional expenses to the extent that it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of principal or interest on its holdings of such securities. The existence of limited markets for lower-rated debt securities may diminish a Portfolio’s ability to: (i) obtain accurate market quotations for purposes of valuing such securities and calculating portfolio net asset value; and (ii) sell the securities at fair market value either to meet redemption requests or to respond to changes in the economy or in financial markets.

Many lower-rated securities are not registered for offer and sale to the public under the 1933 Act. Investments in these restricted securities may be determined to be liquid (able to be sold within seven days at approximately the price at which they are valued by a Portfolio) pursuant to policies approved by the Portfolio’s Trustees. Investments in illiquid securities, including restricted securities that have not been determined to be liquid, may not exceed 15% of a Portfolio’s net assets. A Portfolio is not otherwise subject to any limitation on its ability to invest in restricted securities. Restricted securities may be less liquid than other lower-rated securities, potentially making it difficult to value or sell such securities.

Money Market Instruments

Money market instruments are high-quality, short-term debt obligations, which include: (i) bank obligations, including certificates of deposit, time deposits and bankers’ acceptances; (ii) funding agreements; (iii) repurchase agreements; (iv) obligations of the United States, foreign countries and supranational entities, and each of their subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities; (v) certain corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper, short-term corporate obligations and extendible commercial notes; (vi) participation interests; and (vii) municipal securities. Money market instruments may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations and Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Investing in money market instruments is subject to certain risks. Money market instruments (other than certain U.S. Government obligations) are not backed or insured by the U.S. Government, its agencies or its instrumentalities. Accordingly, only the creditworthiness of an issuer, or guarantees of that issuer, supports such instruments.

 

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Mortgage-Backed Securities

Mortgage-backed securities are a type of asset-backed security and represent interests in, or debt instruments backed by, pools of underlying mortgages. In some cases, these underlying mortgages may be insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies. Mortgage-backed securities entitle the security holders to receive distributions that are tied to the payments made on the underlying mortgage collateral (less fees paid to the originator, servicer, or other parties, and fees paid for credit enhancement), so that the payments made on the underlying mortgage collateral effectively pass through to such security holders. Mortgage-backed securities are created when mortgage originators (or mortgage loan sellers who have purchased mortgage loans from mortgage loan originators) sell the underlying mortgages to a special purpose entity in a process called a securitization. The special purpose entity issues securities that are backed by the payments on the underlying mortgage loans, and have a minimum denomination and specific term. Mortgage-backed securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Portfolio Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Mortgage-backed securities may be issued or guaranteed by GNMA (also known as Ginnie Mae), FNMA (also known as Fannie Mae), or FHLMC (also known as Freddie Mac), but also may be issued or guaranteed by other issuers, including private companies. GNMA is a government-owned corporation that is an agency of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It guarantees, with the full faith and credit of the United States, full and timely payment of all monthly principal and interest on its mortgage-backed securities. Until recently, FNMA and FHLMC were government-sponsored corporations owned entirely by private stockholders. Both issue mortgage-related securities that contain guarantees as to timely payment of interest and principal but that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. The value of the companies’ securities fell sharply in 2008 due to concerns that the firms did not have sufficient capital to offset losses. In mid-2008, the U.S. Treasury was authorized to increase the size of home loans that FNMA and FHLMC could purchase in certain residential areas and, until 2009, to lend FNMA and FHLMC emergency funds and to purchase the companies’ stock. More recently, in September 2008, the U.S. Treasury announced that FNMA and FHLMC had been placed in conservatorship by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), a newly created independent regulator. In addition to placing the companies in conservatorship, the U.S. Treasury announced three additional steps that it intended to take with respect to FNMA and FHLMC. First, the U.S. Treasury has entered into “Preferred Stock Purchase Agreements” (PSPAs) under which, if the FHFA determines that FNMA’s or FHLMC’s liabilities have exceeded its assets under generally accepted accounting principles, the U.S. Treasury will contribute cash capital to the company in an amount equal to the difference between liabilities and assets. The PSPAs are designed to provide protection to the senior and subordinated debt and the mortgage-backed securities issued by FNMA and FHLMC. Second, the U.S. Treasury established a new secured lending credit facility that is available to FNMA and FHLMC until December 2009. Third, the U.S. Treasury initiated a temporary program to purchase FNMA and FHLMC mortgage-backed securities, which is expected to continue until December 2009. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Treasury initiatives discussed above with respect to the debt and mortgage-backed securities issued by FNMA and FHLMC will be successful.

CMOs are debt obligations issued by special-purpose trusts, collateralized by underlying mortgage assets. Principal prepayments on underlying mortgage assets may cause the CMOs to be retired substantially earlier than their stated maturities or final distribution dates, resulting in a loss of all or part of the premium if any has been paid. Interest is paid or accrues on all classes of the CMOs on a periodic basis. The principal and interest payments on the underlying mortgage assets may be allocated among the various classes of CMOs in several ways. Typically, payments of principal, including any prepayments, on the underlying mortgage assets are applied to the classes in the order of their respective stated maturities or final distribution dates, so that no payment of principal is made on CMOs of a class until all CMOs of other classes having earlier stated maturities or final distribution dates have been paid in full.

REMICs are entities that own mortgages and elect REMIC status under the Code and, like CMOs, issue debt obligations collateralized by underlying mortgage assets that have characteristics similar to those issued by CMOs.

Investing in mortgage-backed securities is subject to certain risks, including, among others, prepayment, market and credit risks. Prepayment risk reflects the risk that borrowers may prepay their mortgages more quickly than expected, which may affect the security’s average maturity and rate of return. Whether or not a mortgage loan is prepaid is almost entirely controlled by the borrower. Borrowers are most likely to exercise prepayment options at the time when it is least advantageous to investors, generally prepaying mortgages as interest rates fall, and slowing payments as interest rates rise. Besides the effect of prevailing interest rates, the rate of prepayment and refinancing of mortgages also may be affected by home value appreciation, ease of the refinancing process and local economic conditions, among other factors. Market risk reflects the risk that the price of a security may fluctuate over time. The price of mortgage-backed securities can be

 

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particularly sensitive to prevailing interest rates, the length of time the security is expected to be outstanding and the liquidity of the issue. In a period of unstable interest rates, there may be decreased demand for certain types of mortgage-backed securities, which in turn may decrease their value. Credit risk reflects the risk that a holder of mortgage-backed securities may not receive all or part of its principal because the issuer, any credit enhancer and/or the underlying mortgage borrower has defaulted on its obligations. Credit risk is increased for mortgage-backed securities that are backed by mortgages to so-called subprime borrowers (who may pose a greater risk of defaulting on their loans) or that are subordinated to another security (i.e., if the holder of a mortgage-backed security is entitled to receive payments only after payment obligations to holders of the other security are satisfied). The more deeply subordinated the security, the greater the credit risk associated with the security will be. Mortgage-backed securities issued by private issuers, whether or not such obligations are subject to guarantees by the private issuer, may entail greater risk than mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by the U.S. Government. The performance of mortgage-backed securities issued by private issuers generally depends on the financial health of those institutions.

Municipal Securities

Municipal securities include debt obligations issued by governmental entities to obtain funds for various public purposes, including the construction of a wide range of public facilities, the refunding of outstanding obligations, the payment of general operating expenses, and the extension of loans to public institutions and facilities. Municipal securities can be classified into two principal categories, including “general obligation” bonds and other securities and “revenue” bonds and other securities. General obligation bonds are secured by the issuer’s full faith, credit and taxing power for the payment of principal and interest. Revenue securities are payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise tax or other specific revenue source, such as the user of the facility being financed. Municipal securities also may include “moral obligation” securities, which normally are issued by special purpose public authorities. If the issuer of moral obligation securities is unable to meet its debt service obligations from current revenues, it may draw on a reserve fund, the restoration of which is a moral commitment but not a legal obligation of the governmental entity that created the special purpose public authority. Municipal securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Portfolio Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Municipal securities may include municipal bonds, municipal notes and municipal leases. Municipal bonds are debt obligations of a governmental entity that obligate the municipality to pay the holder a specified sum of money at specified intervals and to repay the principal amount of the loan at maturity.

Municipal notes may be issued by governmental entities and other tax-exempt issuers in order to finance short-term cash needs or, occasionally, to finance construction. Most municipal notes are general obligations of the issuing entity payable from taxes or designated revenues expected to be received within the relevant fiscal period. Municipal notes generally have maturities of one year or less. Municipal notes can be subdivided into two sub-categories: (i) municipal commercial paper and (ii) municipal demand obligations.

Municipal commercial paper typically consists of very short-term unsecured negotiable promissory notes that are sold, for example, to meet seasonal working capital or interim construction financing needs of a governmental entity or agency. While these obligations are intended to be paid from general revenues or refinanced with long-term debt, they frequently are backed by letters of credit, lending agreements, note repurchase agreements or other credit facility agreements offered by banks or institutions.

Municipal demand obligations can be subdivided into two general types: variable rate demand notes and master demand obligations. Variable rate demand notes are tax-exempt municipal obligations or participation interests that provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the notes. They permit the holder to demand payment of the notes, or to demand purchase of the notes at a purchase price equal to the unpaid principal balance, plus accrued interest either directly by the issuer or by drawing on a bank letter of credit or guaranty issued with respect to such note. The issuer of the municipal obligation may have a corresponding right to prepay at its discretion the outstanding principal of the note plus accrued interest upon notice comparable to that required for the holder to demand payment. The variable rate demand notes in which a Portfolio may invest are payable, or are subject to purchase, on demand usually on notice of seven calendar days or less. The terms of the notes generally provide that interest rates are adjustable at intervals ranging from daily to six months.

Master demand obligations are tax-exempt municipal obligations that provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid and permit daily changes in the amount borrowed. The interest on such obligations is, in the opinion of counsel for the borrower, excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes (but not necessarily for alternative minimum tax

 

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purposes). Although there is no secondary market for master demand obligations, such obligations are considered by a Portfolio to be liquid because they are payable upon demand.

Municipal lease obligations are participations in privately arranged loans to state or local government borrowers. In general, such loans are unrated, in which case they will be determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality at the time of purchase to rated instruments that may be acquired by a Portfolio. Frequently, privately arranged loans have variable interest rates and may be backed by a bank letter of credit. In other cases, they may be unsecured or may be secured by assets not easily liquidated. Moreover, such loans in most cases are not backed by the taxing authority of the issuers and may have limited marketability or may be marketable only by virtue of a provision requiring repayment following demand by the lender.

Although lease obligations do not constitute general obligations of the municipal issuer to which the government’s taxing power is pledged, a lease obligation ordinarily is backed by the government’s covenant to budget for, appropriate, and make the payments due under the lease obligation. However, certain lease obligations contain “non-appropriation” clauses that provide that the government has no obligation to make lease or installment purchase payments in future years unless money is appropriated for such purpose on a periodic basis. In the case of a “non-appropriation” lease, a Portfolio’s ability to recover under the lease in the event of non-appropriation or default likely will be limited to the repossession of the leased property in the event that foreclosure proves difficult.

Tender option bonds are municipal securities having relatively long maturities and bearing interest at a fixed interest rate substantially higher than prevailing short-term tax-exempt rates that is coupled with the agreement of a third party, such as a bank, broker/dealer or other financial institution, to grant the security holders the option, at periodic intervals, to tender their securities to the institution and receive the face value thereof. The financial institution receives periodic fees equal to the difference between the municipal security’s coupon rate and the rate that would cause the security to trade at face value on the date of determination.

Investing in municipal securities is subject to certain risks. There are variations in the quality of municipal securities, both within a particular classification and between classifications, and the rates of return on municipal securities can depend on a variety of factors, including general money market conditions, the financial condition of the issuer, general conditions of the municipal bond market, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation, and the rating of the issue. The ratings of NRSROs represent their opinions as to the quality of municipal securities. It should be emphasized, however, that these ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality, and municipal securities with the same maturity, interest rate, and rating may have different rates of return while municipal securities of the same maturity and interest rate with different ratings may have the same rate of return.

The payment of principal and interest on most municipal securities purchased by a Portfolio will depend upon the ability of the issuers to meet their obligations. An issuer’s obligations under its municipal securities are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency, and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the United States Bankruptcy Code. The power or ability of an issuer to meet its obligations for the payment of interest on and principal of its municipal securities may be materially adversely affected by litigation or other conditions.

There are particular considerations and risks relevant to investing in a portfolio of a single state’s municipal securities, such as the greater risk of the concentration of portfolio holdings.

The Portfolio ordinarily purchases municipal securities whose interest, in the opinion of bond counsel, is excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes. The opinion of bond counsel may assert that such interest is not an item of tax preference for the purposes of the alternative minimum tax or is exempt from certain state or local taxes. There is no assurance that the applicable taxing authorities will agree with this opinion. In the event, for example, that the IRS determines that an issuer does not comply with the relevant tax requirements, interest payments from a security could become federally taxable, possibly retroactively to the date the security was issued. As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you may be required to file an amended tax return as a result, reporting such income as taxable.

Participation Interests

Participation interests (also called pass-through certificates or securities) represent an interest in a pool of debt obligations, such as municipal bonds or notes, that have been “packaged” by an intermediary, such as a bank or broker/dealer. Participation interests typically are issued by partnerships or trusts through which a Portfolio receives principal and interest payments that are passed through to the holder of the participation interest from the payments made on the underlying debt obligations. The purchaser of a participation interest receives an undivided interest in the underlying debt obligations. The issuers of the underlying debt obligations make interest and principal payments to the intermediary, as an initial purchaser, which are passed through to purchasers in the secondary market, such as a Portfolio. Mortgage-backed securities are a

 

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common type of participation interest. Participation interests may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations or as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities and may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations, Permissible Portfolio Investments – Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities and Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Loan participations also are a type of participation interest. Loan participations are interests in loans that are administered by a lending bank or agent for a syndicate of lending banks and sold by the bank or syndicate members.

Investing in participation interests is subject to certain risks. Participation interests generally are subject to the credit risk associated with the underlying borrowers. If the underlying borrower defaults, a Portfolio may be subject to delays, expenses and risks that are greater than those that would have been involved if a Portfolio had purchased a direct obligation of the borrower. A Portfolio also may be deemed a creditor of the lending bank or syndicate members and be subject to the risk that the lending bank or syndicate members may become insolvent.

Preferred Stock

Preferred stock represents units of ownership of a corporation that frequently have dividends that are set at a specified rate. Preferred stock has preference over common stock in the payment of dividends and the liquidation of assets. Preferred stock shares some of the characteristics of both debt and equity. Preferred stock ordinarily does not carry voting rights. Most preferred stock is cumulative; if dividends are passed (i.e., not paid for any reason), they accumulate and must be paid before common stock dividends. Participating preferred stock entitles its holders to share in profits above and beyond the declared dividend, along with common shareholders, as distinguished from nonparticipating preferred stock, which is limited to the stipulated dividend. Convertible preferred stock is exchangeable for a given number of shares of common stock and thus tends to be more volatile than nonconvertible preferred stock, which generally behaves more like a fixed income bond. Preferred stock may be privately placed or publicly offered. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities for more information.

Auction preferred stock (APS) is a type of adjustable-rate preferred stock with a dividend determined periodically in a Dutch auction process by corporate bidders. Shares typically are bought and sold at face values generally ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 per share.

In addition to reinvestment risk if interest rates fall, some specific risks with regard to APS include:

 

   

Failed auction: A breakdown in the auction process can occur; in the event that the process fails, the rate is reset at the maximum applicable rate, which is usually described in the prospectuses and typically is influenced by the issuer’s credit rating. In a failed auction, current shareholders generally are unable to sell some, or all, of the shares when the auction is completed. Typically, the liquidity for APS that have experienced a failed auction becomes very limited. If a failed auction were to occur, the shareholder generally would hold his or her shares until the next auction. Should there not be subsequent auctions that “cure” the failed process, the shareholder may: (1) hold the APS in anticipation of a refinancing by the issuer that would cause the APS to be called, or (2) hold securities either indefinitely or in anticipation of the development of a secondary market.

 

   

Early call risk: APS generally is redeemable at any time, usually upon notice, at the issuer’s option, at par plus accrued dividends.

Investing in preferred stock is subject to certain risks. For example, stock market risk is the risk that the value of such stocks, like the broader stock markets, may decline over short or even extended periods. Domestic and foreign stock markets tend to be cyclical, with periods when prices generally rise and periods when prices generally decline. The value of individual stocks will rise and decline based on factors specific to each corporation, such as changes in earnings or management.

Investing in preferred stock also may involve the risks applicable to investing in a particular company. For example, stocks of smaller companies tend to have greater price fluctuations than stocks of larger companies because, among other things, they trade less frequently and in lower volumes, are more susceptible to changes in economic conditions, are more reliant on singular products or services and are more vulnerable to larger competitors. Stocks of these companies may have a higher potential for gains but also are subject to greater risk of loss.

Investing in preferred stock also may involve the risks applicable to investing in a particular industry, such as technology, financial services, consumer goods or natural resources (e.g., oil and gas). To some extent, the prices of stocks tend to move by industry sector. When market conditions favorably affect, or are expected to favorably affect, an industry, the prices of the stocks of companies in that industry tend to rise. Conversely, negative news or a poor outlook for a particular industry can cause the value of those companies’ stock to decline.

 

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Private Placement and Other Restricted Securities

Private placement securities are securities that have been privately placed and are not registered under the 1933 Act. They are eligible for sale only to certain eligible investors. Private placements often may offer attractive opportunities for investment not otherwise available on the open market. Private placement and other “restricted” securities often cannot be sold to the public without registration under the 1933 Act or the availability of an exemption from registration (such as Rules 144 or 144A), or they are “not readily marketable” because they are subject to other legal or contractual delays in or restrictions on resale. Asset-backed securities, common stock, convertible securities, corporate debt securities, foreign securities, low and below investment grade securities, mortgage-backed securities, municipal securities, participation interests, preferred stock and other types of equity and debt instruments may be privately placed or restricted securities.

Private placements typically may be sold only to qualified institutional buyers (or, in the case of the initial sale of certain securities, such as those issued in collateralized debt obligations or collateralized loan obligations, to accredited investors (as defined in Rule 501(a) under the 1933 Act), or in a privately negotiated transaction or to a limited number of purchasers, or in limited quantities after they have been held for a specified period of time and other conditions are met pursuant to an exemption from registration.

Investing in private placement and other restricted securities is subject to certain risks. Private placements may be considered illiquid securities. Private placements typically are subject to restrictions on resale as a matter of contract or under federal securities laws. Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for such securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, a Portfolio could find it more difficult to sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so or it may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were more widely held. At times, it also may be more difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing a Portfolio’s net asset value due to the absence of a trading market.

Real Estate Investment Trusts and Master Limited Partnerships

REITs are entities that either own properties or make construction or mortgage loans and also may include operating or finance companies. An equity REIT generally holds equity positions in real estate and seeks to provide its shareholders with income from the leasing of its properties and with capital gains from any sales of properties. A mortgage REIT generally specializes in lending money to owners of properties and passes through any interest income it may earn to its shareholders.

Partnership units of real estate and other types of companies sometimes are organized as master limited partnerships in which ownership interests are publicly traded. Master limited partnerships often own several properties or businesses (or directly own interests) that are related to real estate development and the oil and gas industries, but they also may finance motion pictures, research and development and other projects.

REITs are subject to certain risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, including, for example, declines in the value of real estate, risks related to general and local economic conditions, overbuilding and increased competition, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, and variations in rental income. REITs also may be subject to interest rate risk. In general, increases in interest rates will decrease the value of high-yield securities and increase the costs of obtaining financing, which could decrease the value of a REIT’s investments. In addition, equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the REITs, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of credit extended. Both equity and mortgage REITs are dependent upon management skills. REITs also may be subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers, and the possibility of failing to qualify for preferential tax treatment under the Code, which could adversely affect dividend payments. REITs also may not be diversified.

Investing in master limited partnerships generally is subject to the risks applicable to investing in a partnership as opposed to a corporation, which may include fewer protections afforded to investors. Additional risks include those associated with the specific industries in which a master limited partnership invests, such as the risks associated with investing in the real estate or oil and gas industries.

Repurchase Agreements

Repurchase agreements are agreements under which a Portfolio acquires a security for a relatively short period of time subject to the obligation of a seller to repurchase and a Portfolio to resell such security at a fixed time and price (representing a Portfolio’s cost plus interest). Repurchase agreements also may be viewed as loans made by a Portfolio that are collateralized by the securities subject to repurchase. A Portfolio typically will enter into repurchase agreements only with commercial banks, registered broker/dealers and the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation. Such transactions are monitored to ensure that the value of the underlying securities will be at least equal at all times to the total amount of the repurchase obligation, including any accrued interest. Repurchase agreements generally are subject to counterparty risk.

 

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If a counterparty defaults, a Portfolio could realize a loss on the sale of the underlying security to the extent that the proceeds of the sale are less than the resale price provided in the repurchase agreement including interest. In the event that a counterparty fails to perform because it is insolvent or otherwise subject to insolvency proceedings against it, a Portfolio’s right to take possession of the underlying securities would be subject to applicable insolvency law and procedure, including an automatic stay (which would preclude immediate enforcement of the Fund’s rights) and exemptions thereto (which would permit the Fund to take possession of the underlying securities or to void a repurchase agreement altogether). Since it is possible that an exemption from the automatic stay would not be available, a Portfolio might be prevented from immediately enforcing its rights against the counterparty. Accordingly, if a counterparty becomes insolvent or otherwise subject to insolvency proceedings against it, a Portfolio may incur delays in or be prevented from liquidating the underlying securities and could experience losses, including the possible decline in value of the underlying securities during the period in which the Fund seeks to enforce its rights thereto, possible subnormal levels of income or lack of access to income during such time, as well as the costs incurred in enforcing the Fund’s rights. For example, if a Portfolio enters into a repurchase agreement with a broker that becomes insolvent, it is possible for the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) to institute a liquidation proceeding in federal court against the broker counterparty which could lead to a foreclosure by SIPC of the underlying securities or SIPC may stay, or preclude, the Fund’s ability under contract to terminate the repurchase agreement.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements

Reverse repurchase agreements are agreements under which a Portfolio sells a security subject to the obligation of a buyer to resell and a Portfolio to repurchase such security at a fixed time and price. Reverse repurchase agreements also may be viewed as borrowings made by a Portfolio.

Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities a Portfolio is obligated to repurchase under the agreement may decline below the repurchase price. In the event the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, a Portfolio’s use of proceeds of the agreement may be restricted pending a determination by the other party, or its trustee or receiver, whether to enforce a Portfolio’s obligation to repurchase the securities. In addition, reverse repurchase agreements are techniques involving leverage, and are subject to asset coverage requirements. Under the requirements of the 1940 Act, a Portfolio is required to maintain an asset coverage (including the proceeds of the borrowings) of at least 300% of all borrowings.

Standby Commitments

Standby commitments are securities under which a purchaser, usually a bank or broker/dealer, agrees to purchase, for a fee, an amount of a Portfolio’s municipal obligations. The amount payable by a bank or broker/dealer to purchase securities subject to a standby commitment typically will be substantially the same as the value of the underlying municipal securities. A Portfolio may pay for standby commitments either separately in cash or by paying a higher price for portfolio securities that are acquired subject to such a commitment.

Using standby commitments is subject to certain risks. Standby commitments are subject to the risk that a counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to purchase securities subject to a standby commitment.

Stripped Securities

Stripped securities are securities that evidence ownership in either the future interest or principal payments on an instrument. There are many different types and variations of stripped securities. For example, Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal Securities (STRIPS) can be component parts of a U.S. Treasury security where the principal and interest components are traded independently through DTC, a clearing agency registered pursuant to Section 17A of the 1934 Act and created to hold securities for its participants, and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions between participants through electronic computerized book-entries, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates. Treasury Investor Growth Receipts (TIGERS) are U.S. Treasury securities stripped by brokers. Stripped mortgage-backed securities, or SMBS, also can be issued by the U.S. Government or its agencies. Stripped securities may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations for more information.

SMBS usually are structured with two or more classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions from a pool of mortgage-backed assets. Common types of SMBS will be structured so that one class receives some of the interest and most of the principal from the mortgage-backed assets, while another class receives most of the interest and the remainder of the principal.

Investing in stripped securities is subject to certain risks. If the underlying obligations experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, a Portfolio may fail fully to recoup its initial investment in such securities. The market

 

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value of the class consisting primarily or entirely of principal payments can be especially volatile in response to changes in interest rates. The rates of return on a class of SMBS that receives all or most of the interest are generally higher than prevailing market rates of return on other mortgage-backed obligations because their cash flow patterns also are volatile and there is a greater risk that the initial investment will not be recouped fully.

U.S. Government and Related Obligations

U.S. Government obligations include U.S. Treasury obligations and securities issued or guaranteed by various agencies of the U.S. Government or by various instrumentalities which have been established or sponsored by the U.S. Government. U.S. Treasury obligations and securities issued or guaranteed by various agencies of the U.S. Government differ in their interest rates, maturities and time of issuance, as well as with respect to whether they are guaranteed by the U.S. Government. U.S. Government and related obligations may be structured as fixed-, variable- or floating-rate obligations. See Permissible Portfolio Investments – Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations for more information.

Investing in U.S. Government and related obligations is subject to certain risks. While U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government, securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. These securities may be supported by the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or only by the credit of the issuing agency or instrumentality and, as a result, may be subject to greater credit risk than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury. Obligations of U.S. Government agencies, authorities, instrumentalities and sponsored enterprises historically have involved limited risk of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, no assurance can be given that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to any of these entities if it is not obligated to do so by law.

Variable- and Floating-Rate Obligations

Variable- and floating-rate obligations provide for periodic adjustments in the interest rate and, under certain circumstances, varying principal amounts. Unlike a fixed interest rate, a variable, or floating, rate is one that rises and declines based on the movement of an underlying index of interest rates and may pay interest at rates that are adjusted periodically according to a specified formula. Asset-backed securities, bank obligations, convertible securities, corporate debt securities, foreign securities, low and below investment grade securities, money market instruments, mortgage-backed securities, municipal securities, participation interests, stripped securities, U.S. Government and related obligations and other types of debt instruments may be structured as variable- and floating-rate obligations.

Investing in variable- and floating-rate obligations is subject to certain risks. Variable- and floating-rate obligations may involve direct lending arrangements between the purchaser and the issuer and there may be no active secondary market, making it difficult to resell such obligations to a third party. Variable- and floating-rate obligations also may be subject to interest rate and credit risks. Changes in interest rates can affect the rate of return on such obligations. If an issuer of a variable- or floating -rate obligation defaults, a Portfolio could sustain a loss to the extent of such default.

Warrants and Rights

Warrants and rights are types of securities that give a holder a right to purchase shares of common stock. Warrants usually are issued together with a bond or preferred stock and entitle a holder to purchase a specified amount of common stock at a specified price typically for a period of years. Rights usually have a specified purchase price that is lower than the current market price and entitle a holder to purchase a specified amount of common stock typically for a period of only weeks. Warrants may be used to enhance the marketability of a bond or preferred stock.

Warrants and rights may be subject to the risk that the securities could lose value. There also is the risk that the potential exercise price may exceed the market price of the warrants or rights, such as when there is no movement in the market price or the market price of such securities declines.

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

When-issued, delayed delivery and forward commitment transactions involve the purchase or sale of securities by a Portfolio, with payment and delivery taking place in the future. When engaging in when-issued, delayed delivery and forward commitment transactions, a Portfolio typically will hold cash or liquid securities in a segregated account in an amount equal to or greater than the purchase price. The payment obligation and, if applicable, the interest rate that will be received on the securities, are fixed at the time that a Portfolio agrees to purchase the securities. A Portfolio generally will enter into when-issued, delayed delivery and forward commitment transactions only with the intention of completing such transactions. However, the Advisor may determine not to complete a transaction if it deems it appropriate. In such cases, a Portfolio may realize short-term gains or losses.

 

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When-issued, delayed delivery and forward commitment transactions involve the risks that the securities purchased may fall in value by the time they actually are issued or that the other party may fail to honor the contract terms. A Portfolio that invests in delayed delivery securities may rely on a third party to complete the transaction. Failure by a third party to deliver a security purchased on a delayed delivery basis may result in a financial loss to a Portfolio or the loss of an opportunity to make an alternative investment.

Zero-Coupon, Pay-in-Kind and Step-Coupon Securities

Zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities are types of debt instruments that do not necessarily make payments of interest in fixed amounts or at fixed intervals. Asset-backed securities, convertible securities, corporate debt securities, foreign securities, low and below investment grade securities, mortgage-backed securities, municipal securities, participation interests, stripped securities, U.S. Government and related obligations and other types of debt instruments may be structured as zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities.

Zero-coupon securities do not pay interest on a current basis but instead accrue interest over the life of the security. These securities include, among others, zero-coupon bonds, which either may be issued at a discount by a corporation or government entity or may be created by a brokerage firm when it strips the coupons from a bond or note and then sells the bond or note and the coupon separately. This technique is used frequently with U.S. Treasury bonds, and zero-coupon securities are marketed under such names as CATS (Certificate of Accrual on Treasury Securities), TIGERs (Treasury Investor Growth Receipts) or STRIPS (Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities). Zero-coupon bonds also are issued by municipalities. Buying a municipal zero-coupon bond frees its purchaser of the obligation to pay regular federal income tax on imputed interest, since the interest is exempt for regular federal income tax purposes. Zero-coupon certificates of deposit and zero-coupon mortgages are generally structured in the same fashion as zero-coupon bonds; the certificate of deposit holder or mortgage holder receives face value at maturity and no payments until then.

Pay-in-kind securities normally give the issuer an option to pay cash at a coupon payment date or to give the holder of the security a similar security with the same coupon rate and a face value equal to the amount of the coupon payment that would have been made.

Step-coupon securities trade at a discount from their face value and pay coupon interest. The coupon rate is paid according to a schedule for a series of periods, typically lower for an initial period and then increasing to a higher coupon rate thereafter. The discount from the face amount or par value depends on the time remaining until cash payments begin, prevailing interest rates, liquidity of the security and the perceived credit quality of the issue.

Zero-coupon, step-coupon and pay-in-kind securities holders generally have substantially all the rights and privileges of holders of the underlying coupon obligations or principal obligations. Holders of these securities have the right upon default on the underlying coupon obligations or principal obligations to proceed directly and individually against the issuer and are not required to act in concert with other holders of such securities.

Investing in zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities is subject to certain risks, including that market prices of zero-coupon, pay-in-kind and step-coupon securities generally are more volatile than the prices of securities that pay interest periodically and in cash, and are likely to respond to changes in interest rates to a greater degree than other types of debt securities.

Because zero-coupon securities bear no interest, they are volatile. Since zero-coupon bondholders do not receive interest payments, zero-coupon securities fall more dramatically than bonds paying interest on a current basis when interest rates rise. However, when interest rates fall, zero-coupon securities rise more rapidly in value than interest paying bonds.

Borrowings

Each Portfolio has a fundamental policy with respect to borrowing that can be found under the heading About the Portfolios’ Investments – Fundamental and Non-Fundamental Investment Policies. Specifically, each Portfolio may not borrow money or issue senior securities except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief obtained by the Portfolios. In general, pursuant to the 1940 Act, a Portfolio may borrow money only from banks in an amount not exceeding 33 1/3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) less liabilities (other than borrowings). Any borrowings that come to exceed this amount must be reduced within three days (not including Sundays and holidays) to the extent necessary to comply with the 33 1/3% limitation.

The Portfolios participate in a committed line of credit (Line of Credit). Any advance under the Line of Credit is contemplated primarily for temporary or emergency purposes, including the meeting of redemption requests that otherwise might require the untimely sale of portfolio securities.

 

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Pursuant to an exemptive order from the SEC, a Portfolio may, subject to certain conditions, borrow money from other funds in the Columbia Funds Family for temporary emergency purposes in order to facilitate redemption requests, or for other purposes consistent with Portfolio investment policies and restrictions. All loans are set at an interest rate between the rates charged on overnight repurchase agreements and short-term bank loans.

Short Sales

A Portfolio will sometimes sell securities short when it owns an equal amount of such securities as those securities sold short. This is a technique known as selling short “against the box.” If a Portfolio makes a short sale “against the box,” it would not immediately deliver the securities sold and would not receive the proceeds from the sale. The seller is said to have a short position in the securities sold until it delivers the securities sold, at which time it receives the proceeds of the sale. To secure its obligation to deliver securities sold short, a Portfolio will deposit in escrow in a separate account with the custodian an equal amount of the securities sold short or securities convertible into or exchangeable for such securities. A Portfolio can close out its short position by purchasing and delivering an equal amount of the securities sold short, rather than by delivering securities already held by a Portfolio, because a Portfolio might want to continue to receive interest and dividend payments on securities in its portfolio that are convertible into the securities sold short.

Short sales “against the box” entail many of the same risks and considerations described above regarding short sales not “against the box.” However, when a Portfolio sells short “against the box” it typically limits the amount of securities that it has leveraged. A Portfolio’s decision to make a short sale “against the box” may be a technique to hedge against market risks when the Advisor believes that the price of a security may decline, causing a decline in the value of a security owned by a Portfolio or a security convertible into or exchangeable for such security. In such case, any future losses in a Portfolio’s long position would be reduced by a gain in the short position. The extent to which such gains or losses in the long position are reduced will depend upon the amount of securities sold short relative to the amount of the securities a Portfolio owns, either directly or indirectly, and, in the case where a Portfolio owns convertible securities, changes in the investment values or conversion premiums of such securities. Short sales may have adverse tax consequences to a Portfolio and its shareholders.

Subject to its fundamental and non-fundamental investment policies, a Portfolio may engage in short sales that are not “against the box,” which are sales by a Portfolio of securities or commodity futures contracts that it does not own in hopes of purchasing the same security at a later date at a lower price. The technique is also used to protect a profit in a long-term position in a security or commodity futures contract. To make delivery to the buyer, a Portfolio must borrow or purchase the security. If borrowed, a Portfolio is then obligated to replace the security borrowed from the third party, so a Portfolio must purchase the security at the market price at a later time. If the price of the security has increased during this time, then a Portfolio will incur a loss equal to the increase in price of the security from the time of the short sale plus any premiums and interest paid to the third party. (Until the security is replaced, a Portfolio is required to pay to the lender amounts equal to any dividends or interest which accrue during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, a Portfolio also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. The proceeds of the short sale will be retained by the broker, to the extent necessary to meet the margin requirements, until the short position is closed out.)

Short sales by a Portfolio that are not made “against the box” create opportunities to increase a Portfolio’s return but, at the same time, involve specific risk considerations and may be considered a speculative technique. Because a Portfolio in effect profits from a decline in the price of the securities sold short without the need to invest the full purchase price of the securities on the date of the short sale, a Portfolio’s NAV per share tends to increase more when the securities it has sold short decrease in value, and to decrease more when the securities it has sold short increase in value, than if it had not engaged in such short sales. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of any premium, dividends or interest a Portfolio may be required to pay in connection with the short sale. Short sales could potentially involve unlimited loss, as the market price of securities sold short may continually increase, although a Portfolio can mitigate any such losses by replacing the securities sold short. Under adverse market conditions, a Portfolio might have difficulty purchasing securities to meet its short sale delivery obligations, and might have to sell portfolio securities to raise the capital necessary to meet its short sale obligations at a time when fundamental investment considerations would not favor such sales. There is also the risk that the third party to the short sale may fail to honor its contract terms, causing a loss to a Portfolio.

A Portfolio’s successful use of short sales also will be subject to the ability of the Advisor to predict movements in the directions of the relevant market. A Portfolio therefore bears the risk that the Advisor will incorrectly predict future price directions. In addition, if a Portfolio sells a security short, and that security’s price goes up, a Portfolio will have to make up the margin on its open position (i.e., purchase more securities on the market to cover the position). It may be unable to do so and thus its position may not be closed out. There can be no assurance that a Portfolio will not incur significant losses in such a case.

 

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In the view of the SEC, a short sale involves the creation of a “senior security” as such term is defined in the 1940 Act, unless the sale is “against the box” and the securities sold short are placed in a segregated account (not with the broker), or unless a Portfolio’s obligation to deliver the securities sold short is “covered” by placing in a segregated account (not with the broker) cash, U.S. Government securities or other liquid debt or equity securities in an amount equal to the difference between the market value of the securities sold short at the time of the short sale and any such collateral required to be deposited with a broker in connection with the sale (not including the proceeds from the short sale), which difference is adjusted daily for changes in the value of the securities sold short. The total value of the cash, U.S. Government securities or other liquid debt or equity securities deposited with the broker and otherwise segregated may not at any time be less than the market value of the securities sold short at the time of the short sale.

Lending Securities

Securities lending refers to the lending of a Portfolio’s portfolio securities. Subject to its investment policies described above and in the prospectuses, a Portfolio may make secured loans of its portfolio securities to broker/dealers and other institutional investors. Securities loans by a Portfolio are made pursuant to agreements that require that loans be secured continuously by collateral in cash. A Portfolio retains all or a portion of the income received on investment of cash collateral. A borrower will pay to a Portfolio an amount equal to any dividends or interest received on securities loaned, but the borrower typically will receive a portion of the income earned on investments of cash collateral. Although voting rights, or rights to consent, with respect to loaned securities pass to a borrower, a Portfolio retains the right to call the loans at any time on reasonable notice, and may do so in order to vote upon matters affecting, or to sell, the loaned securities.

A Portfolio typically invests the cash collateral it receives in connection with its securities lending program directly or indirectly in high quality, short-term investments. A Portfolio may invest some or all of such cash collateral in one or more pooled investment vehicles, including, among other vehicles, money market funds managed by a Portfolio’s securities lending agent or its affiliates. The securities lending agent shares in any income resulting from the investment of such cash collateral, and an affiliate of the securities lending agent receives asset-based fees for the management of such pooled investment vehicles, which may create a conflict of interest between the securities lending agent (or its affiliate) and a Portfolio with respect to the management of such cash collateral.

Engaging in securities lending is subject to certain risks, including counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty to a transaction could default. There also is a risk of possible delay in the recovery of loaned securities or possible loss of rights in the collateral if a borrower fails financially.

Portfolio Turnover

A change in the securities held by a Portfolio is known as “portfolio turnover.” High portfolio turnover (e.g., over 100%) involves correspondingly greater expenses to the Portfolio, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Such sales may also result in adverse tax consequences to a Portfolio’s shareholders. The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance.

For each Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate, see the Financial Highlights section in the prospectuses for that Portfolio.

Disclosure of Portfolio Information

The Board has adopted policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Columbia Funds’ portfolio holdings. These policies and procedures are designed to ensure that disclosure of information regarding the Columbia Funds’ portfolio securities is in the best interests of Columbia Fund shareholders and to address conflicts between the interests of Columbia Fund shareholders, on the one hand, and those of the Advisor, the Distributor or any affiliated person of a Columbia Fund, on the other. These policies and procedures provide that Columbia Funds portfolio holdings information generally may not be disclosed to any party prior to the earlier of: (i) the business day next following the posting of such information on the Columbia Funds’ website, if applicable, or (ii) the time a Columbia Fund discloses the information in a publicly available SEC filing required to include such information. Certain limited exceptions that have been approved consistent with the policies and procedures are described below. The Board is updated as needed regarding compliance with these policies and procedures. The policies and procedures prohibit the Advisor and the Columbia Funds’ other service providers from entering into any agreement to disclose Columbia Fund portfolio holdings information in exchange for any form of consideration. These policies and procedures apply to all categories of Columbia Funds and include some variations tailored to the different categories of Columbia Funds. Accordingly, some of the provisions described below do not apply to the Columbia Fund(s) covered by this SAI. The Advisor also has adopted policies and procedures to monitor for compliance with these portfolio holdings disclosure policies and procedures.

 

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Public Disclosures

The Columbia Funds’ portfolio holdings are currently disclosed to the public through required filings with the SEC and on the Columbia Funds’ website. This information is available on the Columbia Funds’ website as described below.

 

   

For equity, convertible, balanced and asset allocation Columbia Funds, other than small cap and specialty Columbia Funds, a complete list of portfolio holdings as of a month-end is posted approximately 15 calendar days after such month-end.

 

   

For small cap and specialty Columbia Funds and those Columbia Funds that are sub-advised by Marsico Capital Management, LLC, a sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds, a complete list of portfolio holdings as of a month-end is posted approximately 30 calendar days after such month-end.

 

   

For fixed income Columbia Funds, a complete list of portfolio holdings as of a fiscal quarter-end is posted approximately 60 calendar days after such quarter-end.

 

   

For Columbia Money Market Funds, a complete list of portfolio holdings as of a month-end is posted approximately 5 business days after such month-end.

Certain Columbia Funds also disclose their largest holdings, as a percent of the market values of the Columbia Funds’ portfolios, as of a month-end on their website, generally within 15 calendar days after such month-end. In general, the equity Columbia Funds post their largest 10-15 holdings, the balanced Columbia Funds post their largest 5 equity holdings, and certain fixed income Columbia Funds post their largest 5-15 holdings (by security or issuer).

The Columbia Funds may also disclose more current portfolio holdings information as of specified dates on the Columbia Funds’ website.

The scope of the information that is made available on the Columbia Funds’ website pursuant to the Columbia Funds’ policies relating to a Columbia Fund’s portfolio may change from time to time without prior notice.

The Columbia Funds file their portfolio holdings with the SEC for each fiscal quarter on Form N-CSR (with respect to each annual period and semi-annual period) and Form N-Q (with respect to the first and third quarters of each Columbia Fund’s fiscal year). Shareholders may obtain each Columbia Fund’s Form N-CSR and N-Q filings on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, a link to which is provided on the Columbia Funds’ website. In addition, each Columbia Fund’s Form N-CSR and N-Q filings may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s public reference room in Washington, D.C. You may call the SEC at 800.SEC.0330 for information about the SEC’s website or the operation of the public reference room.

With respect to variable insurance trusts in the Columbia Funds Family, holdings information is disclosed no earlier than the time such information is filed in a publicly available SEC filing required to include such information.

The Columbia Funds, the Advisor and their affiliates may include portfolio holdings information that already has been made public through a website posting or SEC filing in marketing literature and other communications to shareholders, advisors or other parties, provided that the information is disclosed no earlier than the business day after the date the information is disclosed publicly on the Columbia Funds’ website or no earlier than the time a Columbia Fund files such information in a publicly available SEC filing required to include such information.

Other Disclosures

The Columbia Funds’ policies and procedures provide that no disclosures of the Columbia Funds’ portfolio holdings may be made prior to the portfolio holdings information being made public unless (i) the Columbia Funds have a legitimate business purpose for making such disclosure, (ii) the Columbia Funds’ President authorizes such non-public disclosure of information, and (iii) the party receiving the non-public information enters into an appropriate confidentiality agreement or is otherwise subject to a confidentiality obligation.

In determining the existence of a legitimate business purpose for making portfolio disclosures, the following factors, among others, are considered: (i) any prior disclosure must be consistent with the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws and the fiduciary duties of the Advisor; (ii) any conflicts of interest between the interests of Columbia Fund shareholders, on the one hand, and those of the Advisor, the Distributor or any affiliated person of a Columbia Fund, on the other; and (iii) any prior disclosure to a third party, although subject to a confidentiality agreement, would not make conduct lawful that otherwise is unlawful.

In addition, the Columbia Funds periodically disclose their portfolio information on a confidential basis to various service providers that require such information to assist the Columbia Funds with their day-to-day business affairs. In addition to the Advisor and its affiliates, these service providers include each Columbia Fund’s sub-advisor(s) (if any), the

 

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Columbia Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm, legal counsel, financial printers, proxy solicitor and proxy voting service provider, as well as ratings agencies that maintain ratings on certain Columbia Funds. These service providers are required to keep such information confidential, and are prohibited from trading based on the information or otherwise using the information except as necessary in providing services to the Columbia Funds. The Columbia Funds also may disclose portfolio holdings information to broker/dealers and certain other entities in connection with potential transactions and management of the Columbia Funds, provided that reasonable precautions, including limitations on the scope of the portfolio holdings information disclosed, are taken to avoid any potential misuse of the disclosed information.

The Columbia Funds currently have ongoing arrangements with certain approved recipients with respect to the disclosure of portfolio holdings information prior to such information being made public. Portfolio holdings information disclosed to such recipients is current as of the time of its disclosure, is disclosed to each recipient solely for purposes consistent with the services described below and has been authorized by the Columbia Funds’ President. These special arrangements are described in the table below.

Ongoing Portfolio Holdings Disclosure Arrangements

 

IDENTITY OF RECIPIENT

  

COMPENSATION/
CONSIDERATION

RECEIVED

  

CONDITIONS/RESTRICTIONS

ON USE OF INFORMATION

  

FREQUENCY

OF

DISCLOSURE

Standard & Poor’s    None    Use to maintain ratings for certain Money Market Funds.    Weekly
InvestorTools, Inc.    None    Access granted solely for the purpose of testing back office conversion of trading systems.    Real time
ING Insurance Company    None    Access granted for specific Columbia Funds for ING’s creation of client/shareholder materials. ING may not distribute materials until the holdings information is made public.    Quarterly
Glass-Lewis & Co.    None    Access in connection with testing the firm’s proxy services.    Daily
CMS Bondedge    None    Access when assisting in resolving technical difficulties with application used by the Advisor’s Fixed Income Portfolio Management team as an analytical and trading tool.    Ad hoc
Linedata Services, Inc.    None    Access when assisting in resolving technical difficulties with the software for the LongView Trade Order Management System.    Ad hoc
JP Morgan    None    Access to provide the Advisor’s High Yield portfolio management team with peer group analysis reports for purposes of analyzing the portfolio.    Monthly
Malaspina Communications    None    Use to facilitate writing, publishing and mailing Columbia Fund    Quarterly

 

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IDENTITY OF RECIPIENT

  

COMPENSATION/
CONSIDERATION

RECEIVED

  

CONDITIONS/RESTRICTIONS

ON USE OF INFORMATION

  

FREQUENCY

OF

DISCLOSURE

      shareholder reports and communications including shareholder letter and management’s discussion of Columbia Fund performance.   
Evare LLP    None    Use for standardizing and reformatting data according to the Advisor’s specifications for use in the reconciliation process.    Daily
FactSet Research Systems, Inc.    None    Use for provision of quantitative analytics, charting and fundamental data to the Advisor, and Marsico Capital Management, LLC, sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds.    Daily
RR Donnelley/WE Andrews    None    Access as printers for the Columbia Funds’ prospectuses, supplements, SAIs, fact sheets and brochures.    Monthly
Merrill Corporation    None    Use to provide fulfillment of the Columbia Funds’ prospectuses, supplements, SAIs and sales materials.    Monthly
Citigroup    None    Access when assisting in resolving technical difficulties with Yield Book, an analytic software program that the Advisor uses to perform ongoing risk analysis and management of certain fixed income Columbia Funds and fixed income separately managed accounts.    Daily
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS)    None    Proxy voting administration and research on proxy matters utilized by MacKay Shields LLC, sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds.    Daily
Cogent Consulting LLC    None    Utilized by Marsico Capital Management, LLC, sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds, to facilitate the evaluation of commission rates and to provide flexible commission reporting.    Daily

 

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IDENTITY OF RECIPIENT

  

COMPENSATION/
CONSIDERATION

RECEIVED

  

CONDITIONS/RESTRICTIONS

ON USE OF INFORMATION

  

FREQUENCY

OF

DISCLOSURE

Moody’s    None    Ongoing portfolio surveillance for ratings they maintain on the Money Market Funds.    Monthly
Kynex    None    Use to provide portfolio attribution reports.    Daily
Bowne & Co.    None    Use for printing of the following materials: prospectuses, supplements and SAIs.    Monthly/quarterly
Bloomberg    None    Use for portfolio analytics.    Daily
Barclays Point    None    Use for analytics including risk and attribution assessment.    Daily
ADP    None    Proxy voting and research utilized by Marsico Capital Management, LLC, sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds.    Daily
Investment Technology Group, Inc. (ITG, formerly known as Macgregor)    None    Order management system utilized by Marsico Capital Management, LLC, sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds that stores trading data and is used for trading and compliance purposes.    Ad hoc
Advent/AXP    None    Portfolio accounting system utilized by Marsico Capital Management, LLC, sub-advisor to certain Columbia Funds, for both portfolio accounting and internal recordkeeping purposes.    Ad hoc
Investment Technology Group, Inc. (ITG, formerly known as Plexus Group)    None    Evaluation and assessment of trading activity, execution and practices by the Advisor.    Five days after quarter-end
Checkfree    None    To facilitate the investment management of bank client accounts.    Daily
BANA and State Street    None    Credit analysis performed by lenders.    Ad hoc
State Street    None    Use to provide custodian services.    Real time
Lipper    None    Use to create metrics for board and executive management reporting, product and marketing analysis, and fund performance.    Daily

 

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IDENTITY OF RECIPIENT

  

COMPENSATION/
CONSIDERATION

RECEIVED

  

CONDITIONS/RESTRICTIONS

ON USE OF INFORMATION

  

FREQUENCY

OF

DISCLOSURE

Morningstar, Inc.    None    Use for independent research and ranking of Columbia Funds.    Daily

 

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INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND OTHER SERVICES

The Advisor and Investment Advisory Services

The Advisor (which is also the Administrator) has been a registered investment advisor since 1995. The Advisor is a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbia Management Group, LLC, which is the primary investment division of Bank of America. The Advisor and Columbia Management Group, LLC are located at 100 Federal Street, Boston MA 02110.

Services Provided

Pursuant to the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Advisor is responsible for the overall management and supervision of the investment management of each Portfolio. The Advisor performs its duties subject at all times to the control of the Board and in conformity with the stated policies of each Portfolio. In rendering investment advisory services, the Advisor may use the portfolio management and research resources of Columbia Management Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of the Advisor. Columbia Management Pte. Ltd. is not registered with the SEC as an investment advisor under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Columbia Management Pte. Ltd. has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Advisor pursuant to which Columbia Management Pte. Ltd. is considered a “participating affiliate” of the Advisor as that term is used in relief granted by the staff of the SEC allowing U.S. registered investment advisors to use portfolio management or research resources of advisory affiliates subject to the supervision of a registered investment advisor. Investment professionals from Columbia Management Pte. Ltd. may render portfolio management or research services to clients of the Advisor, including the Portfolios, under the MOU, and are subject to supervision by the Advisor.

The Investment Advisory Agreement generally provides that in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence or reckless disregard of the Advisor’s obligations or duties thereunder, the Advisor shall not be subject to liability to the Trust or to a Portfolio for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services thereunder.

The Investment Advisory Agreement became effective with respect to each Portfolio after approval by the Board, and after an initial two year period, continues from year to year, provided that such continuation of the Investment Advisory Agreement is specifically approved at least annually by the Board, including its Independent Trustees. The Investment Advisory Agreement terminates automatically in the event of its assignment, and is terminable with respect to a Portfolio at any time without penalty by the Trust (by vote of the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio) on at least 60 days notice or by the Advisor on at least 60 days’ written notice.

The Advisor pays all salaries of officers of the Trust, except for the Chief Compliance Officer, a portion of whose salary is paid by the Columbia Funds. The Trust pays all expenses not assumed by the Advisor including, but not limited to, auditing, legal, custodial, shareholder servicing and shareholder reporting expenses. The Trust pays the cost of printing and mailing Portfolio prospectuses to shareholders. The Distributor pays the cost of printing and distributing all other prospectuses.

Advisory Fee Rates and Fees Paid

The Portfolios pay the Advisor an annual fee for its investment advisory services, as set forth in the Investment Advisory Agreement, and as shown in the section entitled Fees and Expenses – Annual Fund Operating Expenses in each Portfolio’s prospectuses. The fee is calculated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of each Portfolio and is paid monthly. The Advisor also may pay amounts from its own assets to the Distributor and/or to selling and/or servicing agents for services they provide.

The Advisor received fees from the Portfolios for its services as reflected in the following chart, which shows the advisory fees paid to the Advisor and the advisory fees waived/reimbursed by the Advisor, where applicable, for the three most recently completed fiscal periods.

 

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Advisory Fees Paid by the Portfolios

 

Portfolio

   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2009
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2008
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2007

Masters Heritage Portfolio

        

Advisory Fee Paid

     —        —        —  

Amount Waived by the Advisor

     —        —        —  

Amount Reimbursed by the Advisor

   $ 330,397    $ 371,205    $ 322,708

Masters Global Equity Portfolio

        

Advisory Fee Paid

     —        —        —  

Amount Waived by the Advisor

     —        —        —  

Amount Reimbursed by the Advisor

   $ 259,594    $ 296,170    $ 282,688

Masters International Equity Portfolio

        

Advisory Fee Paid

     —        —        —  

Amount Waived by the Advisor

     —        —        —  

Amount Reimbursed by the Advisor

   $ 483,770    $ 454,382    $ 338,386

 

Portfolio Manager(s)

The following provides additional information about the portfolio manager(s) of the Advisor who are responsible for making the day-to-day investment decisions for the Portfolios. As described in the Management of the Portfolio – Primary Service Providers section of each Portfolio’s prospectuses, the portfolio manager(s) of the Advisor who are responsible for the Portfolios are:

Portfolio Manager(s) of the Advisor

 

Portfolio Manager

  

Portfolio

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD   

Masters Heritage Portfolio

Masters Global Equity Portfolio

Masters International Equity Portfolio

Colin Moore   

Masters Heritage Portfolio

Masters Global Equity Portfolio

Masters International Equity Portfolio

Kent M. Peterson, PhD   

Masters Heritage Portfolio

Masters Global Equity Portfolio

Masters International Equity Portfolio

Marie M. Schofield   

Masters Heritage Portfolio

Masters Global Equity Portfolio

Masters International Equity Portfolio

Compensation

As of the Portfolios’ most recent fiscal year end, the Advisor’s portfolio managers received all of their compensation from the Advisor and its parent company, Columbia Management Group, LLC, in the form of salary, bonus, stock options, restricted stock, and notional investments through an incentive plan, the value of which is measured by reference to the performance of the Columbia Funds in which the account is invested. A portfolio manager’s bonus is variable and generally is based on (1) an evaluation of the portfolio manager’s investment performance and (2) the results of a peer and/or management review of the portfolio manager, which takes into account skills and attributes such as team participation, investment process, communication and professionalism. In evaluating investment performance, the Advisor generally considers the one, three and five year performance of mutual funds and other accounts managed by the portfolio manager

 

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relative to the benchmarks and peer groups noted below, emphasizing the portfolio manager’s three and five year performance. The Advisor also may consider a portfolio manager’s performance in managing client assets in sectors and industries assigned to the portfolio manager as part of his/her investment team responsibilities, where applicable. For portfolio managers who also have group management responsibilities, another factor in their evaluation is an assessment of the group’s overall investment performance.

Performance Benchmarks

 

Portfolio Manager

  

Primary Benchmark(s)

  

Secondary Benchmark

  

Peer Group(s)

(Lipper Classification)

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD

Colin Moore

Kent M. Peterson, PhD

Marie M. Schofield

  

MSCI World Index

(Masters Global Equity

Portfolio)

   N/A   

Lipper Global Multi-Cap Core Funds Classification

(Masters Global Equity Portfolio)

  

S&P 500® Index

(Masters Heritage Portfolio)

  

Barclays Capital U.S. Intermediate Government/Credit Bond Index

(Masters Heritage Portfolio)

  

Lipper Global Flexible Portfolio Funds Classification

(Masters Heritage Portfolio)

  

MSCI EAFE Index

(Masters International Equity Portfolio)

   N/A   

Lipper International Multi-Cap Core Funds Classification

(Masters International Equity Portfolio)

The size of the overall bonus pool each year is determined by Columbia Management Group, LLC and depends on, among other factors, the levels of compensation generally in the investment management industry (based on market compensation data) and the Advisor’s profitability for the year, which is largely determined by assets under management.

Other Accounts

The following table shows the number and assets of other investment accounts (or portions of investment accounts) that the portfolio manager(s) of the Advisor managed, as of March 31, 2009.

Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Manager(s)

 

Portfolio Manager

   Other SEC-registered
open-end and closed-end funds
   Other pooled investment
vehicles
   Other accounts
   Number of
accounts
   Assets    Number of
accounts
   Assets    Number of
accounts
   Assets

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD(a)

   10    $ 550.3 million    26    $ 1.562 billion    22    $ 235.2 million

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD(b)

   10    $ 598.1 million    26    $ 1.562 billion    22    $ 235.2 million

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD(c)

   10    $ 497.9 million    26    $ 1.562 billion    22    $ 235.2 million

Colin Moore (a)

   19    $ 1.734 billion    26    $ 1.6 billion    17    $ 23.5 million

Colin Moore (b)

   19    $ 1.782 billion    26    $ 1.6 billion    17    $ 23.5 million

Colin Moore (c)

   19    $ 1.682 billion    26    $ 1.6 billion    17    $ 23.5 million

Kent M. Peterson, PhD (a)

   10    $ 550.3 million    26    $ 1.562 billion    22    $ 235.2 million

Kent M. Peterson, PhD(b)

   10    $ 598.1 million    26    $ 1.562 billion    22    $ 235.2 million

 

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Kent M. Peterson, PhD(c)

   10    $ 497.9 million    26    $ 1.562 billion    22    $ 235.2 million

Marie M. Schofield(a)

   10    $ 550.3 million    26    $ 1.562 billion    29    $ 1.702 billion

Marie M. Schofield(b)

   10    $ 598.1 million    26    $ 1.562 billion    29    $ 1.702 billion

Marie M. Schofield(c)

   10    $ 497.9 million    26    $ 1.562 billion    29    $ 1.702 billion

 

(a)

“Other SEC-registered open-end and closed-end funds” represents funds other than Masters Heritage Portfolio.

(b)

“Other SEC-registered open-end and closed-end funds” represents funds other than Masters Global Equity Portfolio.

(c)

“Other SEC-registered open-end and closed-end funds” represents funds other than Masters International Equity Portfolio.

The following table shows the number and assets of the above accounts (or portions of such accounts) for which the advisory fee is based on performance, as of March 31, 2009.

Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Manager(s) for which the Advisory Fee is Based on Performance

 

Portfolio Manager

   Other SEC-registered
open-end and closed-end funds
   Other pooled
investment vehicles
   Other accounts
   Number of
accounts
   Assets    Number of
accounts
   Assets    Number of
accounts
   Assets

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD

   —      —      —      —      —      —  

Colin Moore

   —      —      —      —      —      —  

Kent M. Peterson, PhD

   —      —      —      —      —      —  

Marie M. Schofield

   —      —      —      —      —      —  

Ownership of Securities

The table below shows the dollar ranges of shares of each Portfolio beneficially owned (as determined pursuant to Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the 1934 Act ) by the Advisor’s portfolio manager(s), as of March 31, 2009.

Portfolio Manager Ownership of the Portfolio as of March 31, 2009

 

Portfolio Manager

  

Portfolio

  

Dollar Range of Equity Securities

in the Portfolio Beneficially Owned

Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD    Masters Heritage Portfolio    None
Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD    Masters Global Equity Portfolio    None
Anwiti Bahuguna, PhD    Masters International Equity Portfolio    None
Colin Moore    Masters Heritage Portfolio    None
Colin Moore    Masters Global Equity Portfolio    None
Colin Moore    Masters International Equity Portfolio    None
Kent M. Peterson, PhD    Masters Heritage Portfolio    None
Kent M. Peterson, PhD    Masters Global Equity Portfolio    None
Kent M. Peterson, PhD    Masters International Equity Portfolio    None
Marie M. Schofield    Masters Heritage Portfolio    None
Marie M. Schofield    Masters Global Equity Portfolio    None
Marie M. Schofield    Masters International Equity Portfolio    None

 

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The Advisor’s Portfolio Managers and Potential Conflicts of Interest

Like other investment professionals with multiple clients, a Portfolio’s portfolio manager(s) may face certain potential conflicts of interest in connection with managing both the Portfolio and other accounts at the same time. The Advisor and the Portfolios have adopted compliance policies and procedures that attempt to address certain of the potential conflicts that portfolio managers face in this regard. Certain of these conflicts of interest are summarized below.

The management of accounts with different advisory fee rates and/or fee structures, including accounts that pay advisory fees based on account performance (performance fee accounts), may raise potential conflicts of interest for a portfolio manager by creating an incentive to favor higher fee accounts.

Potential conflicts of interest also may arise when a portfolio manager has personal investments in other accounts that may create an incentive to favor those accounts. As a general matter and subject to the Advisor’s Code of Ethics and certain limited exceptions, the Advisor’s investment professionals do not have the opportunity to invest in client accounts, other than the Portfolios.

A portfolio manager who is responsible for managing multiple funds and/or accounts may devote unequal time and attention to the management of those funds and/or accounts. The effects of this potential conflict may be more pronounced where funds and/or accounts managed by a particular portfolio manager have different investment strategies.

A portfolio manager may be able to select or influence the selection of the broker/dealers that are used to execute securities transactions for the Portfolios. A portfolio manager’s decision as to the selection of broker/dealers could produce disproportionate costs and benefits among the Portfolios and the other accounts the portfolio manager manages.

A potential conflict of interest may arise when a portfolio manager buys or sells the same securities for a Portfolio and other accounts. On occasions when a portfolio manager considers the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interests of a Portfolio as well as other accounts, the Advisor’s trading desk may, to the extent consistent with applicable laws and regulations, aggregate the securities to be sold or bought in order to obtain the best execution and lower brokerage commissions, if any. Aggregation of trades may create the potential for unfairness to a Portfolio or another account if a portfolio manager favors one account over another in allocating the securities bought or sold.

“Cross trades,” in which a portfolio manager sells a particular security held by a Portfolio to another account (potentially saving transaction costs for both accounts), could involve a potential conflict of interest if, for example, a portfolio manager is permitted to sell a security from one account to another account at a higher price than an independent third party would pay. The Advisor and the Portfolios have adopted compliance procedures that provide that any transactions between a Portfolio and another account managed by the Advisor are to be made at a current market price, consistent with applicable laws and regulations.

Another potential conflict of interest may arise based on the different investment objectives and strategies of a Portfolio and other accounts managed by its portfolio manager(s). Depending on another account’s objectives and other factors, a portfolio manager may give advice to and make decisions for a Portfolio that may differ from advice given, or the timing or nature of decisions made, with respect to another account. A portfolio manager’s investment decisions are the product of many factors in addition to basic suitability for the particular account involved. Thus, a portfolio manager may buy or sell a particular security for certain accounts, and not for a Portfolio, even though it could have been bought or sold for the Portfolio at the same time. A portfolio manager also may buy a particular security for one or more accounts when one or more other accounts are selling the security (including short sales). There may be circumstances when a portfolio manager’s purchases or sales of portfolio securities for one or more accounts may have an adverse effect on other accounts, including the Portfolios.

A Portfolio’s portfolio manager(s) also may have other potential conflicts of interest in managing the Portfolio, and the description above is not a complete description of every conflict that could exist in managing the Portfolio and other accounts. Many of the potential conflicts of interest to which the Advisor’s portfolio managers are subject are essentially the same or similar to the potential conflicts of interest related to the investment management activities of the Advisor and its affiliates. See Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information about conflicts of interest, including those that relate to the Advisor and its affiliates.

The Administrator

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (which is also the Advisor) serves as Administrator of the Portfolios.

 

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Services Provided

Pursuant to the terms of the Administration Agreement, the Administrator has agreed to, among other things, (i) provide office space, equipment and clerical personnel; (ii) arrange, if desired by the Trust, for its directors, officers and employees to serve as Trustees, officers or agents of each Portfolio; (iii) prepare and, if applicable, file all documents required for compliance by each Portfolio with applicable laws and regulations; (iv) prepare agendas and supporting documents for and minutes of meetings of Trustees, committees of Trustees and shareholders; (v) coordinate and oversee the activities of each Portfolio’s other third party service providers; and (vi) maintain certain books and records of each Portfolio.

Administration Fee Rates and Fees Paid

The Administrator receives fees as compensation for its services, which are computed daily and paid monthly, as set forth in the Administration Agreement, and as shown in the section entitled Fees and Expenses – Annual Fund Operating Expenses in each Portfolio’s prospectuses.

The following chart shows the administration fees paid to the Administrator for the three most recently completed fiscal years.

Administration Fees Paid by the Portfolios

 

Portfolio

   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2009
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2008
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2007

Masters Heritage Portfolio

        

Administration Fee Paid

   —      —      —  

Amount Waived/Reimbursed by the Administrator

   —      —      —  

Masters Global Equity Portfolio

        

Administration Fee Paid

   —      —      —  

Amount Waived/Reimbursed by the Administrator

   —      —      —  

Masters International Equity Portfolio

        

Administration Fee Paid

   —      —      —  

Amount Waived/Reimbursed by the Administrator

   —      —      —  

Pricing and Bookkeeping Services

State Street Bank and Trust Company is responsible for providing certain pricing and bookkeeping services to the Portfolios. Columbia Management Advisors, LLC is responsible for overseeing the performance of these services and for certain other services.

Services Provided

Effective December 15, 2006, the Trust entered into a Financial Reporting Services Agreement with State Street Bank and Trust Company and Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (the Financial Reporting Services Agreement) pursuant to which State Street Bank and Trust Company provides financial reporting services to the Portfolios. Also effective December 15, 2006, the Trust entered into an Accounting Services Agreement with State Street Bank and Trust Company and Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (collectively with the Financial Reporting Services Agreement, the State Street Agreements) pursuant to which State Street Bank and Trust Company provides accounting services to the Portfolios. Under the State Street Agreements, each Portfolio pays State Street Bank and Trust Company an annual fee of $26,000 paid monthly. The Portfolios also reimburse State Street Bank and Trust Company for certain out-of-pocket expenses and charges.

Effective December 15, 2006, the Trust entered into a Pricing and Bookkeeping Oversight and Services Agreement (the Services Agreement) with Columbia Management Advisors, LLC. Under the Services Agreement, Columbia Management Advisors, LLC provides services related to Portfolio expenses and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act

 

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of 2002, and provides oversight of the accounting and financial reporting services provided by State Street Bank and Trust Company. Under the Services Agreement, each Portfolio reimburses Columbia Management Advisors, LLC for out-of-pocket expenses and charges, including fees payable to third parties, such as for pricing the Portfolio’s portfolio securities, incurred by Columbia Management Advisors, LLC in the performance of services under the Services Agreement. Prior to January 1, 2008, the Portfolios also reimbursed Columbia Management Advisors, LLC for accounting oversight services, services related to Portfolio expenses and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Prior to December 15, 2006, Columbia Management Advisors, LLC was responsible for providing pricing and bookkeeping services to the Portfolios under a pricing and bookkeeping agreement and was entitled to receive an annual fee at the same rate described above under the State Street Agreements. Under separate agreements between Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and State Street Bank and Trust Company, Columbia Management Advisors, LLC delegated certain functions to State Street Bank and Trust Company. As a result of the delegation, the total fees payable under the pricing and bookkeeping agreement (other than certain reimbursements paid to Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and discussed below) were paid to State Street Bank and Trust Company. Each Portfolio also reimbursed Columbia Management Advisors, LLC for out-of-pocket expenses and charges, including fees payable to third parties for pricing the Portfolios’ portfolio securities and direct internal costs incurred by Columbia Management Advisors, LLC in connection with providing fund accounting oversight and monitoring and certain other services.

Pricing and Bookkeeping Fees Paid

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC and State Street Bank and Trust Company received fees from the Portfolios for their services as reflected in the following chart, which shows the net pricing and bookkeeping fees paid to State Street Bank and Trust Company and to Columbia Management Advisors, LLC for the three most recently completed fiscal years.

Pricing and Bookkeeping Fees Paid by the Portfolios

 

Portfolio

   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2009
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2008
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2007

Masters Heritage Portfolio

   $ 26,163    $ 31,068    $ 47,567

Amount Paid to Columbia Management Advisors, LLC

     —      $ 8,032      —  

Amount Paid to State Street Bank and Trust Company

   $ 26,163    $ 23,036      —  

Masters Global Equity Portfolio

   $ 26,152    $ 31,073    $ 47,590

Amount Paid to Columbia Management Advisors, LLC

     —      $ 8,032      —  

Amount Paid to State Street Bank and Trust Company

   $ 26,152    $ 23,041      —  

Masters International Equity Portfolio

   $ 26,151    $ 31,059    $ 47,550

Amount Paid to Columbia Management Advisors, LLC

     —      $ 8,032      —  

Amount Paid to State Street Bank and Trust Company

   $ 26,151    $ 23,027      —  
 

 

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The Principal Underwriter/Distributor

Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. (the Distributor) serves as the principal underwriter and distributor for the continuous offering of shares of the Portfolios pursuant to a Distribution Agreement. The Distribution Agreement obligates the Distributor to use appropriate efforts to find purchasers for the shares of the Portfolios. The Distributor’s address is: One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111.

Distribution Obligations

Pursuant to a Distribution Agreement, the Distributor, as agent, sells shares of the Portfolios on a continuous basis and transmits purchase and redemption orders that it receives to the Trust or the Transfer Agent, or their designated agents. Additionally, the Distributor has agreed to use appropriate efforts to solicit orders for the sale of shares and to undertake advertising and promotion as it believes appropriate in connection with such solicitation. Pursuant to the Distribution Agreement, the Distributor, at its own expense, finances those activities which are primarily intended to result in the sale of shares of the Portfolios, including, but not limited to, advertising, compensation of underwriters, dealers and sales personnel, the printing and mailing of prospectuses to other than existing shareholders, and the printing and mailing of sales literature. The Distributor, however, may be compensated or reimbursed for all or a portion of such expenses to the extent permitted by a Distribution Plan adopted by the Trust pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

The Distribution Agreement became effective with respect to a Portfolio after approval by its Board, and after an initial two-year period, continues from year to year, provided that such continuation of the Distribution Agreement is specifically approved at least annually by the Board, including its Independent Trustees. The Distribution Agreement terminates automatically in the event of its assignment, and is terminable with respect to a Portfolio at any time without penalty by the Trust (by vote of the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio) or by the Distributor on 60 days’ written notice.

Underwriting Commissions

The following table shows all commissions and other compensation received by the Distributor, as well as amounts the Distributor retained, for the three most recently completed fiscal years.

Underwriting Commissions Paid by the Portfolios and Retained by the Distributor

 

Portfolio

   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2009
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2008
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2007

Masters Heritage Portfolio

        

Amount Paid

        

Class A shares

   $ 279,384    $ 559,401    $ 1,353,416

Amount Retained

        

Class A shares

   $ 45,971    $ 95,584    $ 242,184

Class B shares

   $ 76,659    $ 46,305    $ 25,306

Class C shares

   $ 2,583    $ 10,195    $ 5,711

Masters Global Equity Portfolio

        

Amount Paid

        

Class A shares

   $ 51,536    $ 201,241    $ 360,440

Amount Retained

        

Class A shares

   $ 8,819    $ 30,334    $ 62,102

Class B shares

   $ 18,719    $ 17,490    $ 11,217

Class C shares

   $ 1,367    $ 2,393    $ 2,688

Masters International Equity Portfolio

        

Amount Paid

        

Class A shares

   $ 125,854    $ 385,492    $ 684,425

Amount Retained

        

Class A shares

   $ 21,250    $ 66,088    $ 111,574

Class B shares

   $ 19,308    $ 17,122    $ 6,642

 

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Portfolio

   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2009
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2008
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2007

Class C shares

   $ 6,443    $ 7,687    $ 3,319

LOGO  Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest

As described above in the Investment Advisory and Other Services section of this SAI, and in the Management of the Portfolio – Primary Service Providers section of each Portfolio’s prospectuses, the Advisor, Administrator, Distributor and Transfer Agent, all affiliates of Bank of America, receive compensation from the Portfolios for the various services they provide to the Portfolios. Additional information as to the specific terms regarding such compensation is set forth in these affiliated service providers’ contracts with the Portfolios, each of which typically is included as an exhibit to Part C of the Portfolios’ registration statement.

In many instances, the compensation paid to the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates for the services they provide to the Portfolios is based, in some manner, on the size of the Portfolios’ assets under management. As the size of the Portfolios’ assets under management grows, so does the amount of compensation paid to the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates for providing services to the Portfolios. This relationship between Portfolio assets and affiliated service provider compensation may create economic and other conflicts of interests of which Portfolio investors should be aware. These potential conflicts of interest, as well as additional ones, are discussed in detail below and also are addressed in other disclosure materials, including the Portfolios’ prospectuses. These conflicts of interest also are highlighted in account documentation and other disclosure materials of Bank of America affiliates that make available or offer the Columbia Funds as investments in connection with their respective products and services. In addition, Part 1A of the Advisor’s Form ADV, which it must file with the SEC as an investment advisor registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, provides information about the Advisor’s business, assets under management, affiliates and potential conflicts of interest. Part 1A of the Advisor’s Form ADV is available online through the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

Additional actual or potential conflicts of interest and certain investment activity limitations that could affect the Portfolios may arise from the financial services activities of Bank of America and its affiliates, including, for example, the investment advisory/management services it provides for clients and customers other than the Portfolios. In this regard, Bank of America is a major financial services company. Bank of America and its affiliates, including, for example, BANA (including its U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management division), BAS, BAI, Merrill Lynch, MLPF&S and the First Republic division of Merrill Lynch Bank & Trust Co., are engaged in a wide range of financial activities beyond the mutual fund-related activities of the Advisor, including, among others, commercial banking, investment banking, broker/dealer (sales and trading), asset management, insurance and other financial activities. The broad range of financial services activities of Bank of America and its affiliates may involve multiple advisory, transactional, lending, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments, and in companies, that may be bought, sold or held by the Portfolios. The following describes certain actual and potential conflicts of interest that may be presented.

Actual and Potential Conflicts of Interest Related to the Investment Advisory/Management Activities of Bank of America and its Affiliates in Connection With Other Advised/Managed Funds and Accounts

The Advisor and other affiliates of Bank of America may advise or manage funds and accounts other than the Portfolios. In this regard, Bank of America and its affiliates may provide investment advisory/management and other services to other advised/managed funds and accounts that are similar to those provided to the Portfolios. The Advisor and Bank of America’s other investment advisor affiliates (including Columbia Wanger Asset Management, L.P.) will give advice to and make decisions for all advised/managed funds and accounts, including the Portfolios, as they believe to be in that fund’s and/or account’s best interests, consistent with their fiduciary duties. The Portfolios and the other advised/managed funds and accounts of Bank of America and its affiliates are separately and potentially divergently managed, and there is no assurance that any investment advice Bank of America and its affiliates give to other advised/managed funds and accounts will also be given simultaneously or otherwise to the Portfolios.

A variety of other actual and potential conflicts of interest may arise from the advisory relationships of the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates with other clients and customers. Advice given to a Portfolio and/or investment decisions made for a Portfolio by the Advisor or other Bank of America affiliates may differ from, or may conflict with, advice given to and/or investment decisions made for other advised/managed funds and accounts. As a result, the performance of a Portfolio may differ from the performance of other funds or accounts advised/managed by the Advisor or other Bank of

 

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America affiliates. Similarly, a position taken by Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, on behalf of other funds or accounts may be contrary to a position taken on behalf of a Portfolio. Moreover, Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, may take a position on behalf of other advised/managed funds and accounts, or for their own proprietary accounts, that is adverse to companies or other issuers in which a Portfolio is invested. For example, a Portfolio may hold equity securities of a company while another advised/managed fund or account may hold debt securities of the same company. If the portfolio company were to experience financial difficulties, it might be in the best interest of the Portfolio for the company to reorganize while the interests of the other advised/managed fund or account might be better served by the liquidation of the company. This type of conflict of interest could arise as the result of circumstances that cannot be generally foreseen within the broad range of investment advisory/management activities in which Bank of America and its affiliates engage.

Investment transactions made on behalf of other funds or accounts advised/managed by the Advisor or other Bank of America affiliates also may have a negative effect on the value, price or investment strategies of a Portfolio. For example, this could occur if another advised/managed fund or account implements an investment decision ahead of, or at the same time as, a Portfolio and causes the Portfolio to experience less favorable trading results than it otherwise would have experienced based on market liquidity factors. In addition, the other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates, including the other Columbia Funds, may have the same or very similar investment objective and strategies as a Portfolio. In this situation, the allocation of, and competition for, investment opportunities among a Portfolio and other funds and/or accounts advised/managed by the Advisor or other Bank of America affiliates may create conflicts of interest especially where, for example, limited investment availability is involved. The Advisor has adopted policies and procedures addressing the allocation of investment opportunities among the Portfolios and other funds and accounts advised by the Advisor and other affiliates of Bank of America. For more information, see Investment Advisory and Other Services – The Advisor and Investment Advisory Services – Portfolio Manager(s) – The Advisor’s Portfolio Managers and Potential Conflicts of Interest.

Sharing of Information among Advised/Managed Accounts

Bank of America and its affiliates also may possess information that could be material to the management of a Portfolio and may not be able to, or may determine not to, share that information with the Portfolio, even though the information might be beneficial to the Portfolio. This information may include actual knowledge regarding the particular investments and transactions of other advised/managed funds and accounts, as well as proprietary investment, trading and other market research, analytical and technical models, and new investment techniques, strategies and opportunities. Depending on the context, Bank of America and its affiliates generally will have no obligation to share any such information with the Portfolios. In general, employees of Bank of America and its affiliates, including the portfolio managers of the Advisor, will make investment decisions without regard to information otherwise known by other employees of Bank of America and its affiliates, and generally will have no obligation to access any such information and may, in some instances, not be able to access such information because of legal and regulatory constraints or the internal policies and procedures of Bank of America and its affiliates. For example, if the Advisor or another Bank of America affiliate, or their respective employees, come into possession of non-public information regarding another advised/managed fund or account, they may be prohibited by legal and regulatory constraints, or internal policies and procedures, from using that information in connection with transactions made on behalf of the Portfolios. For more information, see Investment Advisory and Other Services – The Advisor and Investment Advisory Services – Portfolio Manager(s) – The Advisor’s Portfolio Managers and Potential Conflicts of Interest.

Soft Dollar Benefits

Certain products and services, commonly referred to as “soft dollar services” (including, to the extent permitted by law, research reports, economic and financial data, financial publications, proxy analysis, computer databases and other research-oriented materials), that the Advisor may receive in connection with brokerage services provided to a Portfolio may have the inadvertent effect of disproportionately benefiting other advised/managed funds or accounts. This could happen because of the relative amount of brokerage services provided to a Portfolio as compared to other advised/managed funds or accounts, as well as the relative compensation paid by a Portfolio.

Services Provided to Other Advised/Managed Accounts

Bank of America and its affiliates also may act as an investment advisor, investment manager, administrator, transfer agent, custodian, trustee, broker/dealer, agent, or in another capacity, for advised/managed funds and accounts other than the

 

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Portfolios, and may receive compensation for acting in such capacity. This compensation that the Advisor, Distributor and Transfer Agent and other Bank of America affiliates receive could be greater than the compensation Bank of America and its affiliates receive for acting in the same or similar capacity for the Portfolios. In addition, the Advisor, Distributor and Transfer Agent and other Bank of America affiliates may receive other benefits, including enhancement of new or existing business relationships. This compensation and/or the benefits that Bank of America and its affiliates may receive from other advised/managed funds and accounts and other relationships could potentially create incentives to favor other advised/managed funds and accounts over the Portfolios. Trades made by Bank of America and its affiliates for the Portfolios may be, but are not required to be, aggregated with trades made for other funds and accounts advised/managed by the Advisor and other Bank of America affiliates. If trades are aggregated among the Portfolios and those other funds and accounts, the various prices of the securities being traded may be averaged, which could have the potential effect of disadvantaging the Portfolios as compared to the other funds and accounts with which trades were aggregated.

Proxy Voting

Although the Advisor endeavors to make all proxy voting decisions with respect to the interests of the Portfolios for which it is responsible in accordance with its proxy voting policies and procedures, the Advisor’s proxy voting decisions with respect to a Portfolio’s portfolio securities may nonetheless benefit other advised/managed funds and accounts, and/or clients, of Bank of America and its affiliates. The Advisor has adopted proxy voting policies and procedures that are designed to provide that all proxy voting is done in the best interests of its clients, including the Portfolios, without any resulting benefit or detriment to the Advisor and/or its affiliates, including Bank of America and its affiliates. For more information about the Advisor’s proxy voting policies and procedures, see Investment Advisory and Other Services – Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures.

Certain Trading Activities

The directors/trustees, officers and employees of Bank of America and its affiliates may buy and sell securities or other investments for their own accounts, and in doing so may take a position that is adverse to a Portfolio. In order to reduce the possibility that such personal investment activities of the directors/trustees, officers and employees of Bank of America and its affiliates will materially adversely affect the Portfolios, Bank of America and its affiliates have adopted policies and procedures, and the Portfolios, the Board, the Advisor and the Distributor have each adopted a Code of Ethics that addresses such personal investment activities. For more information, see Investment Advisory and Other Services – Codes of Ethics.

Affiliate Transactions

Subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements, the Portfolios may enter into transactions in which Bank of America and/or its affiliates may have an interest that potentially conflicts with the interests of the Portfolios. For example, BAS or MLPF&S may sell securities to a Portfolio from an offering in which it is an underwriter or from securities that it owns as a dealer, subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Investment Limitations Arising from Bank of America Activities

Regulatory restrictions applicable to Bank of America and its affiliates may limit the Portfolios’ investment activities in various ways. For example, regulations regarding certain industries and markets, such as those in emerging or international markets, and certain transactions, such as those involving certain futures and derivatives, may impose a cap on the aggregate amount of investments that may be made by affiliated investors, including accounts managed by the same affiliated manager, in the aggregate or in individual issuers. At certain times, Bank of America and its affiliates also may be restricted in the securities that can be bought or sold for the Portfolios and other advised/managed funds and accounts because of the investment banking, lending or other relationships Bank of America and its affiliates have with the issuers of securities. This could happen, for example, if the Portfolios and/or other advised/managed funds and accounts desired to buy a security issued by a company for which Bank of America or its affiliates served as underwriter. The internal policies and procedures of Bank of America and its affiliates covering these types of regulatory restrictions and addressing similar issues also may at times restrict the Portfolios’ investment activities. A client not advised by Bank of America and its affiliates would not be subject to many of these restrictions. See also About the Portfolios’ Investments – Certain Investment Activity Limits.

Actual and Potential Conflicts of Interest Related to Bank of America and its Affiliates’ Non-Advisory Relationships with Clients and Customers other than the Portfolios

 

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The lending, investment banking and other relationships that Bank of America and its affiliates may have with companies and other entities in which a Portfolio may invest can give rise to actual and potential conflicts of interest. Subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements, a Portfolio may invest (a) in the securities of Bank of America and/or its affiliates and/or in companies in which Bank of America and its affiliates have a lending, investment banking, equity, debt or other interest, and/or (b) in the securities of companies held by other Columbia Funds. The purchase, holding and sale of such securities by a Portfolio may enhance the profitability and the business interests of Bank of America and/or its affiliates and/or other Columbia Funds. There also may be limitations as to the sharing with the Advisor of information derived from the non-investment advisory/management activities of Bank of America and its affiliates because of legal and regulatory constraints and internal policies and procedures (such as information barriers and ethical walls). Because of these limitations, Bank of America and its affiliates generally will not share information derived from its non-investment advisory/management activities with the Advisor.

Actual and Potential Conflicts of Interest Related to Bank of America Affiliates’ Marketing and Use of the Columbia Funds as Investment Options

Bank of America and its affiliates also provide a variety of products and services that, in some manner, may utilize the Columbia Funds as investment options. For example, the Columbia Funds may be offered as investments in connection with brokerage and other securities products offered by BAI or MLPF&S, and may be utilized as investments in connection with fiduciary, investment management and other accounts offered by U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management or the First Republic division of Merrill Lynch Bank & Trust Co., as well as for other Columbia Funds structured as “funds of funds.” In addition, the Columbia Money Market Funds are offered as an investment option for a variety of cash management and “sweep” account programs offered by Bank of America and its affiliates. The Columbia Funds also may use the Columbia Money Market Funds for cash investment purposes. The use of the Columbia Funds in connection with other products and services offered by Bank of America and its affiliates may introduce economic and other conflicts of interest. These conflicts of interest are highlighted in account documentation and other disclosure materials for the other products and services offered by Bank of America and its affiliates.

Bank of America and its affiliates, including the Advisor, may make payments to their affiliates in connection with the promotion and sale of the Portfolios’ shares, in addition to the sales-related and other compensation that these parties may receive from the Portfolios. As a general matter, personnel of Bank of America and its affiliates, including BAI, do not receive compensation in connection with their sales or use of the Portfolios that is greater than that paid in connection with their sales of other comparable products and services. Nonetheless, because the compensation that the Advisor and other affiliates of Bank of America may receive for providing services to the Portfolios is generally based on the Portfolios’ assets under management and those assets will grow as shares of the Portfolios are sold, potential conflicts of interest may exist. See Brokerage Allocation and Other Practices – Additional Financial Intermediary Payments for more information.

Other Services Provided

The Transfer Agent

Columbia Management Services, Inc. acts as Transfer Agent for each Portfolio’s shares and can be contacted at P.O. Box 8081, Boston, MA 02266-8081. Under the Transfer Agency Agreement, the Transfer Agent provides transfer agency, dividend disbursing agency and shareholder servicing agency services to the Portfolios. Effective January 1, 2008, the Portfolios pay the Transfer Agent an annual transfer agency fee of $17.34 per account, payable monthly. In addition, the Portfolios may pay the Transfer Agent for the fees and expenses the Transfer Agent pays to third party dealer firms that maintain omnibus accounts with the Portfolios, subject to a cap equal to 0.15% of a Portfolio’s net assets represented by the account. The Portfolios also pay certain reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses to the Transfer Agent. The Transfer Agent also may retain as additional compensation for its services revenues for fees for wire, telephone and redemption orders, IRA trustee agent fees and account transcripts due the Transfer Agent from Portfolio shareholders and credits (net of bank charges) earned with respect to balances in accounts the Transfer Agent maintains in connection with its services to the Portfolios. For the period April 1, 2006 through December 31, 2007, the Portfolios paid the Transfer Agent an annual fee of $17.00 per account, payable monthly. For the period November 1, 2005 through March 31, 2006, the Portfolios paid the Transfer Agent an annual fee of $15.23 per account, payable monthly. For the period September 1, 2005 through December 31, 2007, the Transfer Agent was entitled to reimbursement by the Portfolios for the fees and expenses that the Transfer Agent pays to dealer firms or transfer agents that maintain omnibus accounts with the Portfolios, subject to a cap equal to 0.11% of a Portfolio’s net assets represented by the account.

The Transfer Agent retains BFDS/DST, 2 Heritage Drive, North Quincy, MA 02171 as the Portfolios’ sub-transfer agent. BFDS/DST assists the Transfer Agent in carrying out its duties.

 

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The Custodian

State Street, which is located at State Street Financial Center, One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111, is the Portfolios’ Custodian. State Street is responsible for safeguarding the Portfolios’ cash and securities, receiving and delivering securities and collecting the Portfolios’ interest and dividends.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, which is located at 125 High Street, Boston, MA 02110, is the Portfolios’ independent registered public accounting firm. The Portfolios issue unaudited financial statements semi-annually and audited financial statements annually. The annual financial statements for the Portfolios’ fiscal year ended March 31, 2009 have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. The Board has selected PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm to audit the Portfolios’ books and review their tax returns for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010.

The Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm and the audited financial statements included in the Annual Reports to Shareholders of the Portfolios dated March 31, 2009 are incorporated herein by reference. No other parts of the annual reports or semi-annual reports to shareholders are incorporated by reference herein. The financial statements incorporated by reference into the Portfolios’ prospectuses and this SAI have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of the independent registered public accounting firm, given on its authority as an expert in auditing and accounting.

Counsel

Goodwin Procter LLP serves as legal counsel to the Trust. Its address is 901 New York Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001.

Distribution and Servicing Plans

The Trust has adopted a Rule 12b-1, or distribution plan, for Class A shares, Class B shares, Class C shares and Class R shares of the Portfolios that offer those classes. See Capital Stock and Other Securities for information about which Portfolios offer which classes of shares. The Portfolios no longer accept investments from new or existing investors in Class B shares, except for certain limited transactions from existing investors in Class B shares. See the prospectuses for Class B shares of the Portfolios for details.

The Trust has adopted shareholder servicing plans (Servicing Plans) and Distribution Plans for the Class B and Class C shares and a combined distribution and shareholder servicing plan for Class A shares. The Trust has also adopted a Distribution Plan for Class R shares. The Servicing Plans permit the Portfolios to compensate or reimburse servicing agents for the shareholder services they have provided. The Distribution Plans, adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, permit the Portfolios to compensate or reimburse the Distributor and/or selling agents for activities or expenses primarily intended to result in the sale of the classes’ shares. Payments are made at an annual rate and paid monthly, as a percentage of average daily net assets, set from time to time by the Board, and are charged as expenses of each Portfolio directly to the applicable share class. A substantial portion of the expenses incurred pursuant to these plans is paid to affiliates of BOA and the Distributor.

The annual rates in effect and plan limits, as a percentage of average daily net assets are as follows:

 

     Current Rate     Plan Limit  

Class A Combined Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Plan

   0.25   0.25

Class B and Class C Shareholder Servicing Plans

   0.25   0.25

Class B and Class C Distribution Plans

   0.75   0.75

Class R Distribution Plan

   0.50   0.50

Payments under the Class A Distribution and Servicing Plan, the Class B Distribution Plan, the Class C Distribution Plan and the Class R Distribution Plan generally may be made with respect to the following: (i) preparation, printing and

 

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distribution of prospectuses, sales literature and advertising materials; (ii) commissions, incentive compensation or other compensation to, and expenses of, account executives or other employees of the Distributor or Selling Agents, attributable to distribution or sales support activities, respectively; (iii) overhead and other office expenses of the Distributor or Selling Agents, attributable to distribution or sales support activities, respectively; (iv) opportunity costs relating to the foregoing (which may be calculated as a carrying charge on the Distributor’s or Selling Agents’ unreimbursed expenses incurred in connection with distribution or sales support activities, respectively); and (v) any other costs and expenses relating to distribution or sales support activities.

All of the Distribution Plans may be terminated with respect to their respective shares by vote of a majority of the Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Board Members, or by vote of a majority of the holders of the outstanding voting securities of the appropriate share class. Any change in a Rule 12b-1 Plan that would increase materially the distribution expenses paid by the appropriate share class requires shareholder approval.

Expenses incurred by the Distributor pursuant to a Distribution Plan in any given year may exceed the sum of the fees received under the Distribution Plan. Any such excess may be recovered by the Distributor in future years so long as the Distribution Plan is in effect. If the Distribution Plan were terminated or not continued, a Portfolio would not be contractually obligated to pay the Distributor for any expenses not previously reimbursed by the Portfolio. There were no unreimbursed expenses incurred under any of the Distribution Plans in the previous fiscal year to be carried over to the current fiscal year.

The Portfolios participate in joint distribution activities with other Funds in the Columbia Funds Family. The fees paid under each Distribution Plan adopted by a Portfolio may be used to finance the distribution of the shares of other Funds in the Columbia Funds Family. Such distribution costs are allocated based on the relative net asset size of the respective Funds.

During the most recently completed fiscal year, the Distributor received distribution and service fees from the Portfolios for its services as reflected in the following chart. The Trust is not aware as to what amount, if any, of the Rule 12b-1 fees paid to the Distributor were, on a Fund-by-Fund basis, used for advertising, printing and mailing of prospectuses to other than current shareholders, compensation to broker-dealers, compensation to sales personnel or interest, carrying or other financing charges.

Distribution and Service Fees Paid by the Portfolios for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2009

 

Portfolio

   Class A Shares    Class B Shares    Class C Shares    Class R Shares

Masters Heritage Portfolio

           

Combined Shareholder Servicing and Distribution Fee

   $ 136,180      —        —        —  

Distribution Fee

     —      $ 144,500    $ 131,489      —  

Service Fee

     —      $ 48,167    $ 43,830      —  

Masters Global Equity Portfolio

           

Combined Shareholder Servicing and Distribution Fee

   $ 44,387      —        —        —  

Distribution Fee

     —      $ 47,064    $ 38,968      —  

Service Fee

     —      $ 15,688    $ 12,989      —  

Masters International Equity Portfolio

           

Combined Shareholder Servicing and Distribution Fee

   $ 217,115      —        —        —  

Distribution Fee

     —      $ 41,003    $ 143,378    $ 151

Service Fee

     —      $ 13,668    $ 47,815      —  

Expense Limitations

The Advisor (or its predecessor) and/or the Distributor has committed to: (i) waive investment advisory fees and/or administration fees payable to it; and (ii) limit certain Portfolio level expenses to the extent necessary to maintain the expense ratios (through fee waivers or expense reimbursements) reflected in the table below.

Portfolio Level Expense Commitment *—Period ending July 31, 2010

 

Portfolio

   Ratio  

Masters Heritage Portfolio

   0.00

Masters Global Equity Portfolio

   0.00

 

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Masters International Equity Portfolio

   0.00

 

* Waivers of investment advisory and/or administration fees and/or other expense reimbursements will result in the listed fund level expense commitments (excluding any management fees, distribution and service fees, interest, fees on borrowing, extraordinary expenses and expenses associated with the Portfolios’ investments in other investment companies).

Codes of Ethics

The Portfolios, the Advisor and the Distributor have adopted Codes of Ethics pursuant to the requirements of the 1940 Act, including Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. These Codes of Ethics permit personnel subject to the Codes of Ethics to invest in securities, including securities that may be bought or held by the Portfolios. These Codes of Ethics are included as exhibits to Part C of the Portfolios’ registration statement. These Codes of Ethics can be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room and may be obtained by calling the SEC at 202.551.8090; they also are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, and may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request to publicinfo@sec.gov or by writing to the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102.

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

The Portfolios have delegated to the Advisor or, as applicable, a sub-advisor, the responsibility to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Portfolios. In deciding to delegate this responsibility to the Advisor, the Board reviewed and approved the policies and procedures adopted by the Advisor and, as applicable, a sub-advisor. These included the procedures that the Advisor follows when a vote presents a conflict between the interests of the Portfolios and their shareholders and the Advisor (or sub-advisor), its affiliates, its other clients or other persons.

The Advisor’s policy is to vote proxies for Portfolio securities in a manner considered by the Advisor to be in the best interest of the Portfolios and their shareholders without regard to any benefit to the Advisor, its affiliates, its other clients or other persons. The Advisor examines each proposal and votes against the proposal, if, in its judgment, approval or adoption of the proposal would be expected to have an adverse impact on the current or potential market value of the issuer’s securities. The Advisor also examines each proposal and votes the proxies against the proposal, if, in its judgment, the proposal would be expected to affect adversely the best interest of the Portfolios. The Advisor determines the best interest of a Portfolio in light of the potential economic return on the Portfolio’s investment.

The Advisor seeks to address potential material conflicts of interest by having predetermined voting guidelines. For those proposals that require special consideration or in instances where special circumstances may require varying from the predetermined guideline, the Advisor’s Proxy Voting Committee determines the vote in the best interest of the Portfolios, without consideration of any benefit to the Advisor, its affiliates, its other clients or other persons. The Advisor’s Proxy Voting Committee is composed of representatives of the Advisor’s equity investments, equity research, compliance, legal and operations functions. In addition to the responsibilities described above, the Proxy Voting Committee has the responsibility to review, at least annually, the Advisor’s proxy voting policies to ensure consistency with internal policies and regulatory requirements and to develop additional predetermined voting guidelines to assist in the review of proxy proposals.

The Proxy Voting Committee may vary from a predetermined guideline if it determines that voting on the proposal according to the predetermined guideline would be expected to have an adverse impact on the current or potential market value of the issuer’s securities or to affect adversely the best interest of the Portfolios. References to the best interests of the Portfolios refer to the interest of the Portfolios in terms of the potential economic return on the client’s investment. In determining the vote on any proposal, the Proxy Voting Committee does not consider any benefit other than benefits to the Portfolios. A member of the Proxy Voting Committee is prohibited from voting on any proposal for which he or she has a conflict of interest by reason of a direct relationship with the issuer or other party affected by a given proposal. Persons making recommendations to the Proxy Voting Committee or its members are required to disclose to the Committee any relationship with a party making a proposal or other matter known to the person that would create a potential conflict of interest.

The Advisor has retained Glass-Lewis & Co., a third-party vendor, to implement its proxy voting process. Glass-Lewis & Co. provides proxy analysis, record keeping services and vote disclosure services.

Information regarding how the Columbia Funds (except certain Columbia Funds that do not invest in voting securities) voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent twelve month period ended June 30 will be available by August 31 of this year free of charge: (i) through the Columbia Funds’ website at www.columbiafunds.com and (ii) on the

 

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SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. For a copy of the Advisor’s policies and procedures that are used to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Columbia Funds, see Appendix B to this SAI.

Expenses Paid by Third Parties

The Distributor and the Administrator furnish, without additional cost to the Portfolios, the services of certain officers of the Portfolios and such other personnel (other than the personnel of the Advisor or the investment sub-advisor(s), if applicable) as are required for the proper conduct of the Portfolios’ affairs. The Distributor bears the incremental expenses of printing and distributing prospectuses used by the Distributor or furnished by the Distributor to investors in connection with the public offering of the Portfolios’ shares and the costs of any other promotional or sales literature, except that to the extent permitted under the Distribution Plans of each Portfolio, sales-related expenses incurred by the Distributor may be reimbursed by the Portfolios.

The Portfolios pay or cause to be paid all other expenses of the Portfolios, including, without limitation: the fees of the Advisor, the Distributor and the Administrator; the charges and expenses of any registrar, any custodian or depository appointed by the Portfolios for the safekeeping of their cash, Portfolio securities and other property, and any stock transfer, dividend or accounting agent or agents appointed by the Portfolios; brokerage commissions chargeable to the Portfolios in connection with Portfolio securities transactions to which the Portfolios are a party; all taxes, including securities issuance and transfer taxes; corporate fees payable by the Portfolios to federal, state or other governmental agencies; all costs and expenses in connection with the registration and maintenance of registration of the Portfolios’ shares with the SEC and various states and other jurisdictions (including filing fees, legal fees and disbursements of counsel); the costs and expenses of preparing and typesetting prospectuses and statements of additional information of the Portfolios (including supplements thereto) and periodic reports and of printing and distributing such prospectuses and statements of additional information (including supplements thereto) to the Portfolios’ shareholders; all expenses of shareholders’ and Trustee meetings and of preparing, printing and mailing proxy statements and reports to shareholders; fees and travel expenses of directors or director members of any advisory board or committee; all expenses incident to the payment of any distribution, whether in shares or cash; charges and expenses of any outside service used for pricing of the Portfolios’ shares; fees and expenses of legal counsel and of independent auditors in connection with any matter relating to the Portfolios; membership dues of industry associations; interest payable on Portfolio borrowings; postage and long-distance telephone charges; insurance premiums on property or personnel (including officers and directors) of the Portfolios which inure to their benefit; extraordinary expenses (including, but not limited to, legal claims and liabilities and litigation costs and any indemnification related thereto); and all other charges and costs of the Portfolios’ operation unless otherwise explicitly assumed by the Advisor or the Administrator.

Expenses of the Portfolios which are not attributable to the operations of any class of shares or Portfolio are pro-rated among all classes of shares or certain Columbia Funds, including the Portfolios, based upon the relative net assets of each class or Portfolio. Expenses which are not directly attributable to a specific class of shares but are attributable to a specific Portfolio are prorated among all the classes of shares of such Portfolio based upon the relative net assets of each such class of shares. Expenses which are directly attributable to a class of shares are charged against the income available for distribution as dividends to such class of shares.

 

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FUND GOVERNANCE

The Board

Responsibilities

The Board oversees the Trust and the Portfolios. The Trustees have a fiduciary duty to protect shareholders’ interests when supervising and overseeing the management and operations of the Trust and have the responsibility to assure that the Portfolios are managed in the best interests of shareholders. The following table provides basic information about the Trustees as of the date of this SAI, including their principal occupations during the past five years, although their specific titles may have varied over the period. The mailing address of each Trustee is: c/o Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, One Financial Center, Mail Stop MA5-515-11-05, Boston, MA 02111.

Independent Trustee Biographical Information

 

Name, Year of Birth and
Position Held with the Trust

  

Year First Appointed or

Elected to a Board in the

Columbia Funds Complex

  

Principal

Occupation(s) During

the Past Five Years

   Number of Funds
in the
Columbia Funds
Complex Overseen
  

Other Directorships

Held by Trustee

Edward J. Boudreau, Jr.

(Born 1944)

Trustee

   Indefinite term; Trustee since January 2005    Managing Director – E.J. Boudreau & Associates (consulting), from 2000 through current    66    None

William P. Carmichael

(Born 1943)

Trustee and Chairman of the Board

   Indefinite term; Trustee since 1999    Retired    66    Director – Cobra Electronics Corporation (electronic equipment manufacturer); Spectrum Brands, Inc. (consumer products); Simmons Company (bedding); and The Finish Line (sportswear)

William A. Hawkins

(Born 1942)

Trustee

   Indefinite term; Trustee since January 2005    President and Chief Executive Officer – California Bank, N.A., from January 2008 through current    66    None

R. Glenn Hilliard

(Born 1943)

Trustee

   Indefinite term; Trustee since January 2005    Chairman and Chief Executive Officer – Hilliard Group LLC (investing and consulting), from April 2003 through current; Non-Executive Director & Chairman – Conseco, Inc. (insurance), September 2003 through current; Executive Chairman – Conseco, Inc. (insurance), August 2004 through September 2005    66    Director – Conseco, Inc. (insurance)

 

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Name, Year of Birth and
Position Held with the Trust

  

Year First Appointed or

Elected to a Board in the

Columbia Funds Complex

  

Principal

Occupation(s) During

the Past Five Years

   Number of Funds
in the
Columbia Funds
Complex Overseen
  

Other Directorships

Held by Trustee

John J. Nagorniak

(Born 1944)

Trustee

   Indefinite term; Trustee since January 2008   

Retired; President and Director – Foxstone Financial, Inc. (consulting), 2000 through December 2007; Director – Mellon Financial Corporation affiliates (investing), 2000 through 2007; Chairman – Franklin Portfolio Associates (investing – Mellon affiliate) 1982 through 2007

   66    Trustee and Chairman – Research Foundation of CFA Institute; Director – MIT Investment Company; Trustee – MIT 401k Plan

Minor M. Shaw

(Born 1947)

Trustee

   Indefinite term; Trustee since 2003    President – Micco Corporation and Mickel Investment Group    66    Board Member – Piedmont Natural Gas

 

Interested Trustee Biographical Information

 

Anthony M. Santomero*

(Born 1946) Trustee

   Indefinite term; Trustee since January 2008    Richard K. Mellon Professor Emeritus of Finance, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, from 1972 through current; Senior Advisor – McKinsey & Company (consulting), July 2006 through December 2007; President and Chief Executive Officer – Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, 2000 through April 2006    66    Director – Renaissance Reinsurance Ltd.; Director – Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company; Director – Citigroup

 

* Mr. Santomero is currently deemed by the Columbia Funds to be an “interested person” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Funds because he serves as a Director of Citigroup, Inc. and Citibank, N.A. Citigroup, Inc., through its subsidiaries and affiliates, including Citibank, N.A., may engage from time-to-time in brokerage execution, principal transactions and/or lending relationships with the Columbia Funds or other funds or accounts advised/managed by the Advisor.

 

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Standing Committees

The Trust has four standing committees, including the Audit Committee, the Contracts Review Committee, the Governance Committee and the Investment Committee.

The function of the Audit Committee is oversight. Management (which generally means the appropriate officers of a Company, and a Portfolio’s investment advisor(s), administrator(s) and other key service providers (other than the independent registered public accounting firm)) is primarily responsible for the preparation of the financial statements of each Portfolio, and the independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing those financial statements. Management also is responsible for maintaining appropriate systems for accounting and “internal controls over financial reporting” (as such term is defined in Rule 30a-3 under the 1940 Act), and the independent registered public accounting firm is primarily responsible for considering such internal controls over financial reporting in connection with its financial statement audits. While the Audit Committee has the duties and powers set forth in the Audit Committee charter, the Audit Committee is not responsible for planning or conducting any Portfolio audit or for determining whether a Portfolio’s financial statements are complete and accurate and are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

The Audit Committee has, among other things, specific power and responsibility to: (i) oversee its Portfolios’ accounting and financial reporting processes and practices, its internal controls over financial reporting and, as appropriate, the internal controls over financial reporting of the Portfolios maintained by key service providers; (ii) approve, and recommend to the full Board for its approval in accordance with applicable law, the selection and appointment of an independent auditor for each Portfolio prior to the engagement of such independent auditor; (iii) pre-approve all audit and non-audit services provided to each Portfolio by its independent auditor, directly or by establishing pre-approval policies and procedures pursuant to which such services may be rendered, provided however, that the policies and procedures are detailed as to the particular service and the Audit Committee is informed of each service, and such policies do not include the delegation to management of the Audit Committee’s responsibilities under the 1934 Act or applicable rules or listing requirements; and (iv) pre-approve all non-audit services provided by a Portfolio’s independent auditor to the Portfolio’s investment advisor and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment advisor that provides ongoing services to the Portfolio, if the engagement relates directly to the operations and financial reporting of the Portfolio. The members of the Audit Committee are William A. Hawkins, Edward J. Boudreau, Jr. and William P. Carmichael. The Audit Committee members are all not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Audit Committee met on six occasions during the last fiscal year.

The primary responsibilities of the Contracts Review Committee, as set forth in its charter, include reviewing and making recommendations to the Board as to: (i) contractual arrangements; (ii) the factors considered in approving advisory and sub-advisory contracts; and (iii) service provider oversight and performance. Among other responsibilities, the Contracts Review Committee also oversees and coordinates activities of consultants and legal or financial experts that may be engaged under certain circumstances. The members of the Contracts Review Committee are R. Glenn Hilliard, William P. Carmichael, John J. Nagorniak and Anthony M. Santomero. With the exception of the Interested Trustee, the Contracts Review Committee members are all not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Contracts Review Committee met on five occasions during the last fiscal year.

The primary responsibilities of the Governance Committee include, as set forth in its charter: (i) nominating Independent Trustees; (ii) addressing matters relating to compensation of Trustees who are not current directors, officers or employees of a Portfolio’s investment advisor or sub-advisor or any control affiliate thereof, including deferred compensation and retirement policies; and (iii) evaluating each Board and its committee structure as often as it deems necessary or desirable to determine whether each is functioning effectively. The Governance Committee shall determine the nature of the evaluation and its role therein in its sole discretion. The members of the Governance Committee are Minor M. Shaw, William A. Hawkins, R. Glenn Hilliard and William P. Carmichael. The Governance Committee members are all not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Governance Committee met on four occasions during the last fiscal year.

The primary responsibilities of the Investment Committee are, as set forth in its charter, to assist the Board in carrying out its oversight responsibilities in specific areas of investment management, both by acting as liaison between the full Board and the Advisor on investment matters, and by acting on behalf of the Board, on an interim basis, on investment issues in non-recurring or extraordinary circumstances when it is impractical to convene a meeting of the full Board. In carrying out these general responsibilities, the Investment Committee assists the Board in connection with issues relating to: the investment policies and procedures adopted for the Portfolios; appropriate performance benchmarks and other comparative issues; portfolio management staffing and other personnel issues of the Advisor; investment related compliance issues;

 

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possible exemptive applications or other relief necessary or appropriate with respect to investment matters; and other investment related matters referred from time to time to the Committee by the full Board. The Committee reports its activities to the full Board on a regular basis and is responsible for making such recommendations with respect to the matters described above and other matters as the Committee may deem necessary or appropriate. Each Trustee is a member of the Investment Committee. With the exception of the Interested Trustee, the Investment Committee members are all not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Investment Committee met on five occasions during the last fiscal year.

Compensation

Trustees are compensated for their services to the Columbia Funds Family on a complex-wide basis, as shown in the table below.

Independent Trustee Compensation for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2009 and the Calendar Year Ended December 31, 2008

 

Name of Trustee

   Aggregate
Compensation
from Masters

Heritage
Portfolio for the
Fiscal Year ended
March 31, 2009(a)
   Aggregate
Compensation
from Masters
Global Equity
Portfolio for the

Fiscal Year ended
March 31, 2009(a)
   Aggregate
Compensation
from Masters

International Equity
Portfolio for the
Fiscal Year ended
March 31, 2009(a)
   Aggregate
Compensation

from the
Columbia Funds
Complex For the
Calendar Year Ended

December 31, 2008(a)

Edward J. Boudreau, Jr.(b)

   $ 3,696    $ 3,696    $ 3,696    $ 245,000

William P. Carmichael(c)

   $ 4,591    $ 4,591    $ 4,591    $ 302,500

Minor M. Shaw(d)

   $ 3,540    $ 3,540    $ 3,540    $ 227,500

R. Glenn Hilliard(e)

   $ 3,540    $ 3,540    $ 3,540    $ 231,250

William A. Hawkins(f)

   $ 3,655    $ 3,655    $ 3,655    $ 240,000

John J. Nagorniak(g)

   $ 3,151    $ 3,151    $ 3,151    $ 185,000

Interested Trustee Compensation for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2009 and the Calendar Year Ended December 31, 2008

 

Anthony M. Santomero(h)

   $ 3,074    $ 3,074    $ 3,074    $ 180,000

 

(a)

All Trustees receive reimbursements for reasonable expenses related to their attendance at meetings of the Board or standing committees, which are not included in the amounts shown.

(b)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Mr. Boudreau deferred $1,121 of his compensation from each Fund. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Boudreau deferred $66,069 of his total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

(c)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Mr. Carmichael deferred $0 of his compensation from each Fund. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Carmichael deferred $46,032 of his total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

(d)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Ms. Shaw deferred $1,790 of her compensation from each Fund. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Ms. Shaw deferred $104,833 of her total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

(e)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Mr. Hilliard deferred $3,271 of his compensation from each Fund. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Hilliard deferred $213,121 of his total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

(f)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Mr. Hawkins deferred $0 of his compensation from each Fund. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Hawkins deferred $0 of his total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

(g)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Mr. Nagorniak deferred $969 of his compensation from each Fund. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Nagorniak deferred $51,156 of his total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

(h)

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, Mr. Santomero deferred $1,577 of his compensation from each Fund. During the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Santomero deferred $82,952 of his total compensation from the Columbia Funds Complex pursuant to the deferred compensation plan.

Columbia Funds Deferred Compensation Plan

Under the terms of the Deferred Fee Agreement (the Deferred Compensation Plan), each eligible Trustee may elect, on an annual basis, to defer receipt of all or a portion of compensation payable to him or her for service as Trustee for that calendar year (expressly, a Trustee may elect to defer his/her annual retainer, his/her attendance fees, or both components, which together comprise total compensation for service). Fees deferred by a Trustee are credited to a book reserve account (the Deferral Account) established by the Columbia Funds, the value of which is derived from the rate of return of one or more Columbia Funds selected by the Trustee (with accruals to the Deferral Account beginning at such time as a Trustee’s

 

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fund elections having been established, and fees for service having been paid into such account, and terminating at such time as when proceeds become payable to such Trustee under the Deferred Compensation Plan). Trustees may change their fund elections only in accordance with the provisions of the Deferred Compensation Plan.

Distributions from a Trustee’s Deferral Account will be paid by check, either in a lump sum or in annual installments. Payments made in annual installments are disbursed over a period of up to ten years, following such time as a Trustee may qualify to receive such payments. If a deferring Trustee dies prior to or after the commencement of the disbursement of amounts accrued in his/her Deferral Account, the balance of the account will be distributed to his/her designated beneficiary either in lump sum or in annual payments as established by such Trustee himself/herself, his/her beneficiary or his/her estate. Amounts payable under the Deferred Compensation Plan are not funded or secured in any way, and each deferring Trustee has the status of an unsecured creditor of the Columbia Fund(s) selected by such Trustee.

Beneficial Equity Ownership

As of the date of this SAI, the Trustees and Officers of the Trust, as a group, beneficially owned less than 1% of each class of shares of each Portfolio. The table below shows, for each Trustee, the amount of Portfolio equity securities beneficially owned by the Trustee and the aggregate value of all investments in equity securities of the Columbia Funds Family, including notional amounts through the Deferred Compensation Plan, stated as one of the following ranges: A = $0; B = $1-$10,000; C = $10,001-$50,000; D = $50,001-$100,000; and E = over $100,000.

 

Independent Trustee Ownership for the Calendar Year Ended December 31, 2008

Trustee

 

Dollar Range of Equity

Securities in the Portfolios

 

Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities

in all Funds in the Columbia Funds Family

Edward J. Boudreau, Jr.  

Masters Heritage Portfolio - A

Masters Global Equity Portfolio - A

Masters International Equity Portfolio - A

  E
William P. Carmichael  

Masters Heritage Portfolio - A

Masters Global Equity Portfolio - A

Masters International Equity Portfolio - A

  E
Minor M. Shaw  

Masters Heritage Portfolio - A

Masters Global Equity Portfolio - A

Masters International Equity Portfolio - A

  E
R. Glenn Hilliard  

Masters Heritage Portfolio - A

Masters Global Equity Portfolio - A

Masters International Equity Portfolio - A

  E
William A. Hawkins  

Masters Heritage Portfolio - A

Masters Global Equity Portfolio - A

Masters International Equity Portfolio - A

  E
John J. Nagorniak  

Masters Heritage Portfolio - A

Masters Global Equity Portfolio - A

Masters International Equity Portfolio - A

  E

Interested Trustee Ownership for the Calendar Year Ended December 31, 2008

 

Anthony M. Santomero  

Masters Heritage Portfolio - A

Masters Global Equity Portfolio - A

Masters International Equity Portfolio - A

  D

 

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The Officers

The following table provides basic information about the Officers of the Trust as of the date of this SAI, including their principal occupations during the past five years, although their specific titles may have varied over the period. The mailing address of each Officer is: c/o Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, One Financial Center, Mail Stop MA5-515-11-05, Boston, MA 02110.

 

Name, Year of

Birth and Address

  

Position

with

the Trust

  

Year First

Elected or

Appointed

to Office

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During the Past Five Years

J. Kevin Connaughton

(Born 1964)

   President    2009    Managing Director of Columbia Management Advisors, LLC since December 2004; Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer – Columbia Funds, from June 2008 to January 2009; Treasurer – Columbia Funds, October 2003 – May 2008; Treasurer – the Liberty Funds, Stein Roe Funds and Liberty All-Star Funds, December 2000 – December 2006; Senior Vice President – Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, April 2003 – December 2004; President – Columbia Funds, Liberty Funds and Stein Roe Funds, February 2004 to October 2004; Treasurer – Galaxy Funds, September 2002 to December 2005; Treasurer, December 2002 to December 2004, and President, February 2004 to December 2004 – Columbia Management Multi-Strategy Hedge Fund, LLC; and a senior officer or director of various other Bank of America -affiliated entities, including other registered and unregistered funds.

James R. Bordewick, Jr.

(Born 1959)

  

Senior Vice

President,

Secretary and

Chief Legal

Officer

   2006    Associate General Counsel, Bank of America since April 2005; Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel, MFS Investment Management (investment management) prior to April 2005.

Linda J. Wondrack

(Born 1964)

  

Senior Vice

President and

Chief

Compliance

Officer

   2007    Director (Columbia Management Group, LLC and Investment Product Group Compliance), Bank of America since June 2005; Director of Corporate Compliance and Conflicts Officer, MFS Investment Management (investment management), August 2004 to May 2005; Managing Director, Deutsche Asset Management (investment management) prior to August 2004.

Michael G. Clarke

(Born 1969)

   Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer    2008    Director of Fund Administration of the Advisor since January 2006; Managing Director of the Advisor, September 2004 to December 2005; Vice President Fund Administration, June 2002 to September 2004.

Jeffrey R. Coleman

(Born 1969)

   Treasurer    2008    Director of Fund Administration of the Advisor since January 2006; Fund Controller from October 2004 to January 2006; Vice President of CDC IXIS Asset

 

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Name, Year of

Birth and Address

  

Position

with

the Trust

  

Year First

Elected or

Appointed

to Office

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During the Past Five Years

         Management Services, Inc. (investment management) from August 2000 to September 2004.

Julian Quero

(Born 1967)

  

Deputy

Treasurer

   2003    Senior Tax Manager of the Advisor since August 2006; Senior Compliance Manager of the Advisor from April 2002 to August 2006.

Timothy P. Kane

(Born 1974)

  

Assistant

Treasurer

   2008    Head of Valuation of the Advisor since July 2007; Manager, Accounting Oversight Department of the Advisor since September 2004; Internal Auditor, State Street Corporation (financial services) from June 2004 to September 2004; Senior Auditor, Deloitte (public accounting firm) prior to June 2004.

Kenneth E. O’Connor

(Born 1970)

  

Assistant

Treasurer

   2008    Head of Mutual Fund Performance of the Advisor since September 2006; Senior Manager, Mutual Fund Performance of the Advisor from 2003 to September 2006.

Joseph F. DiMaria

(Born 1968)

  

Chief

Accounting

Officer

   2008    Director of Fund Administration of the Advisor since January 2006; Head of Tax/Compliance and Assistant Treasurer from November 2004 to December 2005; Director of Trustee Administration (Sarbanes-Oxley) from May 2003 to October 2004.

Stephen T. Welsh

(Born 1957)

  

Vice

President

   1996    President and Director, Columbia Management Services, Inc. since July 2004; Managing Director, Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. since August 2007; Senior Vice President and Controller, Columbia Management Services, Inc. prior to July 2004.

Kathryn Thompson

(Born 1967)

  

Assistant

Treasurer

   2006    Vice President, Mutual Fund Accounting Oversight of the Advisor since December 2004; Vice President, State Street Corporation (financial services) prior to December 2004.

Philip N. Prefontaine

(Born 1948)

  

Assistant

Treasurer

   2006    Vice President, Mutual Fund Reporting of the Advisor since November 2004; Assistant Vice President of CDC IXIS Asset Management Services, Inc. (investment management) prior to November 2004.

Keith E. Stone

(Born 1974)

  

Assistant

Treasurer

   2006    Vice President, Trustee Reporting of the Advisor since September 2003.

Barry S. Vallan

(Born 1969)

   Controller    2006    Vice President-Fund Treasury of the Advisor since October 2004; Vice President-Trustee Reporting from April 2002 to October 2004.

Peter T. Fariel

(Born 1957)

  

Assistant

Secretary

   2006    Associate General Counsel, Bank of America since April 2005; Partner, Goodwin Procter LLP (law firm) prior to April 2005.

 

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Name, Year of

Birth and Address

  

Position

with

the Trust

  

Year First

Elected or

Appointed

to Office

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During the Past Five Years

Julie B. Lyman

(Born 1970)

  

Assistant

Secretary

   2007    Managing Director of the Advisor since May 2009; Assistant General Counsel, Bank of America from October 2006 through May 2009; Associate, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham LLP (law firm) from April 2004 through October 2006.

Ryan C. Larrenaga

(Born 1970)

  

Assistant

Secretary

   2005    Assistant General Counsel, Bank of America since March 2005; Associate, Ropes & Gray LLP (law firm) from 1998 to February 2005.

Laura E. Flores

(Born 1976)

  

Assistant

Secretary

   2008    Assistant General Counsel, Bank of America since September 2008; Associate, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP (law firm) from September 2004 to September 2008.

 

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BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES

General Brokerage Policy, Brokerage Transactions and Broker Selection

Subject to policies established by the Board, the Advisor (or the investment sub-advisor(s) who make(s) the day-to-day investment decisions for a Portfolio, as applicable) is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for each Portfolio, for the selection of broker/dealers, for the execution of a Portfolio’s securities transactions and for the allocation of brokerage commissions in connection with such transactions. The Advisor’s primary consideration in effecting a security transaction is to obtain the best net price and the most favorable execution of the order. Purchases and sales of securities on a securities exchange are effected through brokers who charge negotiated commissions for their services. Orders may be directed to any broker to the extent and in the manner permitted by applicable law.

In the over-the-counter market, securities generally are traded on a “net” basis with dealers acting as principals for their own accounts without stated commissions, although the price of a security usually includes a profit to the dealer. In underwritten offerings, securities are bought at a fixed price that includes an amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter’s “concession” or “discount.” On occasion, certain money market instruments may be bought directly from an issuer, in which case no commissions or discounts are paid.

The Portfolios are affiliated with the NYSE specialist firm Banc of America Specialist, Inc. In order to ensure that markets are fair, orderly and competitive, NYSE specialist firms are responsible for maintaining a liquid and continuous two-sided auction market by acting as both an agent and a principal. Specialists are entrusted to hold the interests of customer orders above the specialist’s own interests, and will buy and sell securities as principal when such transactions are necessary to minimize imbalances between supply and demand. Banc of America Specialist, Inc. may make a market in certain securities held by the Portfolios.

In placing orders for portfolio securities of a Portfolio, the Advisor gives primary consideration to obtaining the best net prices and most favorable execution. This means that the Advisor will seek to execute each transaction at a price and commission, if any, which provides the most favorable total cost or proceeds reasonably attainable in the circumstances. In seeking such execution, the Advisor will use its best judgment in evaluating the terms of a transaction, and will give consideration to various relevant factors, including, without limitation, the size and type of the transaction, the nature and character of the market for the security, the confidentiality, speed and certainty of effective execution required for the transaction, the general execution and operational capabilities of the broker/dealer, the reputation, reliability, experience and financial condition of the broker/dealer, the value and quality of the services rendered by the broker/dealer in this instance and other transactions and the reasonableness of the spread or commission, if any. Research services received from broker/dealers supplement the Advisor’s own research and may include the following types of information: statistical and background information on industry groups and individual companies; forecasts and interpretations with respect to U.S. and foreign economies, securities, markets, specific industry groups and individual companies; information on political developments; Portfolio management strategies; performance information on securities and information concerning prices of securities; and information supplied by specialized services to the Advisor and to the Board with respect to the performance, investment activities and fees and expenses of other mutual funds. Such information may be communicated electronically, orally or in written form. Research services also may include the arranging of meetings with management of companies and the provision of access to consultants who supply research information.

The outside research is useful to the Advisor since, in certain instances, the broker/dealers utilized by the Advisor may follow a different universe of securities issuers and other matters than those that the Advisor’s staff can follow. In addition, this research provides the Advisor with a different perspective on financial markets, even if the securities research obtained relates to issues followed by the Advisor. Research services that are provided to the Advisor by broker/dealers are available for the benefit of all accounts managed or advised by the Advisor. In some cases, the research services are available only from the broker/dealer providing such services. In other cases, the research services may be obtainable from alternative sources. The Advisor is of the opinion that because the broker/dealer research supplements rather than replaces the Advisor’s own research, the receipt of such research does not tend to decrease the Advisor’s expenses, but tends to improve the quality of its investment advice. However, to the extent that the Advisor would have bought any such research services had such services not been provided by broker/dealers, the expenses of such services to the Advisor could be considered to have been reduced accordingly. Certain research services furnished by broker/dealers may be useful to the clients of the Advisor other than the Portfolios. Conversely, any research services received by the Advisor through the placement of transactions of other clients may be of value to the Advisor in fulfilling its obligations to the Portfolios. The Advisor is of the opinion that this material is beneficial in supplementing its research and analysis; and, therefore, it may benefit the Trust by improving the

 

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quality of the Advisor’s investment advice. The advisory fees paid by the Trust are not reduced because the Advisor receives such services.

Under Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act, the Advisor shall not be “deemed to have acted unlawfully or to have breached its fiduciary duty” solely because under certain circumstances it has caused the account to pay a higher commission than the lowest available. To obtain the benefit of Section 28(e), the Advisor must make a good faith determination that the commissions paid are “reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such member, broker, or dealer, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or his overall responsibilities with respect to the accounts as to which he exercises investment discretion.” Accordingly, the price to a Portfolio in any transaction may be less favorable than that available from another broker/dealer if the difference is reasonably justified by other aspects of the portfolio execution services offered. Some broker/dealers may indicate that the provision of research services is dependent upon the generation of certain specified levels of commissions and underwriting concessions by the Advisor’s clients, including the Portfolios.

Commission rates are established pursuant to negotiations with broker/dealers based on the quality and quantity of execution services provided by broker/dealers in light of generally prevailing rates. On exchanges on which commissions are negotiated, the cost of transactions may vary among different broker/dealers. Transactions on foreign stock exchanges involve payment of brokerage commissions that generally are fixed. Transactions in both foreign and domestic over-the-counter markets generally are principal transactions with dealers, and the costs of such transactions involve dealer spreads rather than brokerage commissions. With respect to over-the-counter transactions, the Advisor, where possible, will deal directly with dealers who make a market in the securities involved, except in those circumstances in which better prices and execution are available elsewhere.

In certain instances there may be securities that are suitable for more than one Portfolio as well as for one or more of the other clients of the Advisor. Investment decisions for each Portfolio and for the Advisor’s other clients are made with the goal of achieving their respective investment objectives. A particular security may be bought or sold for only one client even though it may be held by, or bought or sold for, other clients. Likewise, a particular security may be bought for one or more clients when one or more other clients are selling that same security. Some simultaneous transactions are inevitable when a number of accounts receive investment advice from the same investment advisor, particularly when the same security is suitable for the investment objectives of more than one client. When two or more clients are engaged simultaneously in the purchase or sale of the same security, the securities are allocated among clients in a manner believed to be equitable to each. In some cases, this policy could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security in a particular transaction that may affect a Portfolio.

The Portfolios may participate, if and when practicable, in bidding for the purchase of portfolio securities directly from an issuer in order to take advantage of the lower purchase price available to members of a bidding group. A Portfolio will engage in this practice, however, only when the Advisor, in its sole discretion, believes such practice to be otherwise in the Portfolios’ interests.

The Trust will not execute portfolio transactions through, or buy or sell portfolio securities from or to, the Distributor, the Advisor, the Administrator or their affiliates acting as principal (including repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements), except to the extent permitted by applicable law, regulation or order. However, the Advisor is authorized to allocate buy and sell orders for portfolio securities to certain broker/dealers and financial institutions, including, in the case of agency transactions, broker/dealers and financial institutions that are affiliated with Bank of America. To the extent that a Portfolio executes any securities trades with an affiliate of Bank of America, the Portfolio does so in conformity with Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act and the procedures that the Portfolio has adopted pursuant to the rule. In this regard, for each transaction, the Board will determine that: (i) the transaction resulted in prices for and execution of securities transactions at least as favorable to the particular Portfolio as those likely to be derived from a non-affiliated qualified broker/dealer; (ii) the affiliated broker/dealer charged the Portfolio commission rates consistent with those charged by the affiliated broker/dealer in similar transactions to clients comparable to the Portfolio and that are not affiliated with the broker/dealer in question; and (iii) the fees, commissions or other remuneration paid by the Portfolio did not exceed 2% of the sales price of the securities if the sale was effected in connection with a secondary distribution, or 1% of the purchase or sale price of such securities if effected in other than a secondary distribution.

Certain affiliates of Bank of America, such as its subsidiary banks, may have deposit, loan or commercial banking relationships with the corporate users of facilities financed by industrial development revenue bonds or private activity bonds bought by certain of the Columbia Funds. Bank of America or certain of its affiliates may serve as trustee, custodian, tender agent, guarantor, placement agent, underwriter, or in some other capacity, with respect to certain issues of securities. Under

 

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certain circumstances, the Portfolios may buy securities from a member of an underwriting syndicate in which an affiliate of Bank of America is a member. The Trust has adopted procedures pursuant to Rule 10f-3 under the 1940 Act, and intends to comply with the requirements of Rule 10f-3, in connection with any purchases of municipal securities that may be subject to Rule 10f-3.

Given the breadth of the Advisor’s investment management activities, investment decisions for each Portfolio are not always made independently from those for other funds, or other investment companies and accounts advised or managed by the Advisor. When a purchase or sale of the same security is made at substantially the same time on behalf of one or more of the Columbia Funds and another investment portfolio, investment company or account, the transaction will be averaged as to price and available investments allocated as to amount in a manner which the Advisor believes to be equitable to each Portfolio and such other funds, investment portfolio, investment company or account. In some instances, this investment procedure may adversely affect the price paid or received by a Portfolio or the size of the position obtained or sold by the Portfolio. To the extent permitted by law, the Advisor may aggregate the securities to be sold or bought for the Portfolios with those to be sold or bought for other funds, investment portfolios, investment companies, or accounts in executing transactions.

See Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information about these and other conflicts of interest.

Brokerage Commissions

The following tables describe the amounts of brokerage commissions paid by the Portfolios during their three most recently completed fiscal years. In certain instances the Portfolios may pay brokerage commissions to broker/dealers that are affiliates of Bank of America. As indicated above, all such transactions involving the payment of brokerage commissions to affiliates are done in compliance with Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act.

Aggregate Brokerage Commissions Paid by the Portfolios

 

Portfolio

   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2008
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2007
   Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2006

Masters Heritage Portfolio

   —      —      —  

Masters Global Equity Portfolio

   —      —      —  

Masters International Equity Portfolio

   —      —      —  

The Portfolios paid no brokerage commissions to affiliated broker/dealers for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2007, March 31, 2008 and March 31, 2009.

Directed Brokerage

The Portfolios or the Advisor, through an agreement or understanding with a broker/dealer, or otherwise through an internal allocation procedure, may direct, subject to applicable legal requirements, the Portfolios’ brokerage transactions to a broker/dealer because of the research services it provides the Portfolios or the Advisor.

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, no Portfolio directed brokerage transactions.

Securities of Regular Broker/Dealers

In certain cases, the Portfolios, as part of their principal investment strategies, or otherwise as a permissible investment, will invest in the common stock or debt obligations of the regular broker/dealers that the Advisor uses to transact brokerage for the Columbia Funds Family.

As of March 31, 2009, no Portfolio owned securities of its “regular brokers or dealers” or their parents, as defined in Rule 10b-1 under the 1940 Act.

Additional Shareholder Servicing Payments

The Portfolios, along with the Transfer Agent and/or the Distributor and the Advisor may pay significant amounts to financial intermediaries (as defined below), including other Bank of America affiliates, for providing the types of services that would typically be provided directly by a mutual fund’s transfer agent. The level of payments made to financial

 

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intermediaries may vary. A number of factors may be considered in determining payments to a financial intermediary, including, without limitation, the nature of the services provided to shareholders or retirement plan participants that invest in the Portfolio through retirement plans. These services may include sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency or similar recordkeeping services, shareholder or participant reporting, shareholder or participant transaction processing, and/or the provision of call center support (additional shareholder services). These payments for shareholder servicing support vary by financial intermediary but generally are not expected, with certain limited exceptions, to exceed 0.40% of the average aggregate value of each Portfolio’s shares in the program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that pay a service fee pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 Plan, and 0.45% of the average aggregate value of each Portfolio’s shares in the program on an annual basis for those classes of shares that do not pay a service fee pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 Plan. The Board has authorized the Portfolios to pay up to 0.15% of the average aggregate value of each Portfolio’s shares. Such payments will be made by a Portfolio to the Transfer Agent who will in turn make payments to the financial intermediary for the provision of such additional shareholder services. The Portfolio’s Transfer Agent, Distributor or their affiliates will pay, from its or their own resources, amounts in excess of the amount paid by the Portfolio to financial intermediaries in connection with the provision of these additional shareholder services and other services.

For purposes of this section the term “financial intermediary” includes any broker/dealer, bank, bank trust department, registered investment advisor, financial planner, retirement plan or other third party administrator and any other institution having a selling, services or any similar agreement with the Distributor and/or other Bank of America affiliates.

The Portfolios also may make additional payments to financial intermediaries that charge networking fees for certain services provided in connection with the maintenance of shareholder accounts through the NSCC.

In addition, the Distributor and other Bank of America affiliates may make lump sum payments to selected financial intermediaries receiving shareholder servicing payments in reimbursement of printing costs for literature for participants, account maintenance fees or fees for establishment of the Portfolios on the financial intermediary’s system or other similar services.

As of the date of this SAI, the Distributor and/or other Bank of America affiliates had agreed to make shareholder servicing payments to the financial intermediaries or their affiliates shown below.

Recipients of Shareholder Servicing Payments from the Distributor and/or other Bank of America Affiliates

 

•   Acclaim Benefits, Inc.

  

•   Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company

•   A.G. Edwards

  

•   Matrix Settlement & Clearance Services

•   Alerus Retirement Solutions

  

•   Mercer HR Services, LLC

•   Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

  

•   Merrill Lynch Life Insurance Company

•   Bank of America, N.A.*

  

•   Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated*

•   Benefit Plan Administrators

  

•   Mid Atlantic Capital Corporation

•   Bisys Retirement Services

  

•   Morgan Keegan & Co., Inc.

•   Charles Schwab & Co.

  

•   Morgan Stanley & Co., Incorporated

•   Charles Schwab Trust Co.

  

•   MSCS Financial Services, LLC

•   Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

  

•   National Investor Services Corp.

•   CitiStreet LLC

  

•   Newport Retirement Services, Inc.

•   City National Bank

  

•   New York State Deferred Compensation Plan

•   Compensation & Capital Administrative Services, Inc.

  

•   NYLife Distributors LLC

•   CPI Qualified Plan Consultants

  

•   PNC Advisors

•   Daily Access Concepts, Inc.

  

•   Princeton Retirement Group

•   Digital Retirement Solutions

  

•   Principal Life Insurance Company

•   Dreyfus

  

•   Prudential Insurance Company of America

•   Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P.

  

•   Prudential Retirement Insurance & Annuity Co.

•   E*Trade Group, Inc.

  

•   Reliance Trust Company

•   ExpertPlan

  

•   Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc.

•   Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Co.

  

•   Royal Alliance Associates, Inc.

•   First Clearing LLC

  

•   Standard Retirement Services, Inc.

 

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•   Genworth Financial

  

•   TD Ameritrade Clearing Inc.

•   GPC Securities, Inc.*

  

•   TD Ameritrade Trust Company

•   Guardian Life Insurance Company

  

•   Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America

•   GWFS Equities, Inc.

  

•   The 401k Company

•   Hartford Life Insurance Company

  

•   T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.

•   Hewitt Associates LLC

  

•   The Vanguard Group, Inc.

•   ICMA Retirement Corporation

  

•   Unified Trust Company, N.A.

•   ING Life Insurance and Annuity Company

  

•   UPromise Investments, Inc.

•   ING Institutional Plan Services, LLP

  

•   VALIC Retirement Services

•   John Hancock Life Insurance Company (USA)

  

•   Wachovia Bank, N.A.

•   John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York

  

•   Wachovia Securities, LLC

•   JP Morgan Retirement Plan Services LLC

  

•   Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

•   Lincoln Financial Group

  

•   Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC

•   LPL Financial Corporation

  

•   Wilmington Trust Corporation

•   Marshall & Illsley Trust Company

  

•   Wilmington Trust Retirement & Institutional Services Company

 

* Bank of America affiliate

The Distributor and/or other Bank of America affiliates may enter into similar arrangements with other financial intermediaries from time to time. Therefore, the preceding list is subject to change at any time without notice.

Additional Financial Intermediary Payments

Financial intermediaries may receive different commissions, sales charge reallowances and other payments with respect to sales of different classes of shares of the Portfolios. These other payments may include servicing payments to retirement plan administrators and other institutions at rates up to those described above under Brokerage Allocation and Other Practices – Additional Shareholder Servicing Payments. For purposes of this section the term “financial intermediary” includes any broker/dealer, bank, bank trust department, registered investment advisor, financial planner, retirement plan or other third party administrator and any other institution having a selling, services or any similar agreement with the Distributor and other Bank of America affiliates.

The Distributor and other Bank of America affiliates may pay additional compensation to selected financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, under the categories described below. These categories are not mutually exclusive, and a single financial intermediary may receive payments under all categories. A financial intermediary also may receive payments described above in Brokerage Allocation and Other Practices – Additional Shareholder Servicing Payments. These payments may create an incentive for a financial intermediary or its representatives to recommend or offer shares of a Portfolio to its customers. The amount of payments made to financial intermediaries may vary. In determining the amount of payments to be made, the Distributor and other Bank of America affiliates may consider a number of factors, including, without limitation, asset mix and length or relationship with the financial intermediary, the size of the customer/shareholder base of the financial intermediary, the manner in which customers of the financial intermediary make investments in the Portfolios, the nature and scope of marketing support or services provided by the financial intermediary (as described more fully below) and the costs incurred by the financial intermediary in connection with maintaining the infrastructure necessary or desirable to support investments in the Portfolios.

These additional payments by the Distributor and other Bank of America affiliates are made pursuant to agreements between the Distributor and other Bank of America affiliates and financial intermediaries, and do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of a share, the amount a Portfolio will receive as proceeds from such sales or the distribution fees and expenses paid by the Portfolio as shown under the heading Fees and Expenses in the Portfolio’s prospectuses.

Marketing Support Payments

The Distributor and the Advisor may make payments, from their own resources, to certain financial intermediaries, including other Bank of America affiliates, for marketing support services relating to the Columbia Funds, including, but not

 

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limited to, business planning assistance, educating financial intermediary personnel about the Portfolios and shareholder financial planning needs, placement on the financial intermediary’s preferred or recommended fund list or otherwise identifying the Portfolios as being part of a complex to be accorded a higher degree of marketing support than complexes not making such payments, access to sales meetings, sales representatives and management representatives of the financial intermediary, client servicing and systems infrastructure support. These payments are generally based upon one or more of the following factors: average net assets of the Columbia Funds distributed by the Distributor attributable to that financial intermediary, gross sales of the Columbia Funds distributed by the Distributor attributable to that financial intermediary, reimbursement of ticket charges (fees that a financial intermediary firm charges its representatives for effecting transactions in fund shares) or a negotiated lump sum payment.

While the financial arrangements may vary for each financial intermediary, the marketing support payments to each financial intermediary generally are expected to be between 0.05% and 0.50% (between 0.03% and 0.12% in the case of the Money Market Funds) on an annual basis for payments based on average net assets of the Columbia Funds attributable to the financial intermediary. The Distributor and the Advisor may make payments in materially larger amounts or on a basis materially different from those described above when dealing with other affiliates of Bank of America. Such increased payments to the other Bank of America affiliate may enable the other Bank of America affiliate to offset credits that it may provide to its customers in order to avoid having such customers pay fees to multiple Bank of America entities in connection with the customer’s investment in a Columbia Fund.

As of the date of this SAI, the Distributor and/or the Advisor had agreed to make marketing support payments to the financial intermediaries or their affiliates shown below.

Recipients of Marketing Support Payments from the Distributor and/or other Bank of America Affiliates

 

•   AIG Advisor Group

  

•   Linsco/Private Ledger Corp.

•   Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

  

•   Mellon Financial Markets, LLC

•   AXA Advisors, LLC

  

•   Merrill Lynch Life Insurance Company

•   Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.*

  

•   Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated*

•   Banc of America Securities LLC*

  

•   Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated

•   Bank of America, N.A.*

  

•   MSCS Financial Services, LLC

•   Bank of New York

  

•   National Financial Services LLC

•   Citibank, N.A.

  

•   Pershing LLC

•   Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

  

•   Prudential Investment Management Services, LLC

•   Commonwealth Financial Network

  

•   Raymond James & Associates, Inc.

•   Custodial Trust Company

  

•   Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.

•   Fidelity Brokerage Services, Inc.

  

•   SEI Investments Inc.

•   Genworth Financial, Inc.

  

•   State Street Global Markets, LLC

•   Goldman, Sachs & Co.

  

•   Transamerica Corporation

•   GunAllen Financial, Inc.

  

•   UBS Financial Services Inc.

•   Harris Corporation

  

•   US Bank National Association

•   ING Life Insurance and Annuity Co.

  

•   Wachovia Securities LLC

•   J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons, Inc.

  

•   Webster Investment Services, Inc.

•   J.P. Morgan Clearing Corp.

  

•   Wells Fargo Corporate Trust Services

•   Liberty Life Insurance Co.

  

•   Wells Fargo Funds Management LLC

•   Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp.

  

•   Wells Fargo Investments, LLC

 

* Bank of America affiliate

The Distributor and/or the Advisor may enter into similar arrangements with other financial intermediaries from time to time. Therefore, the preceding list is subject to change at any time without notice.

Other Payments

From time to time, the Distributor, from its own resources, may provide additional compensation to certain financial intermediaries that sell or arrange for the sale of shares of the Portfolios to the extent not prohibited by laws or the rules of any self-regulatory agency, such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Such compensation provided by the Distributor may include financial assistance to financial intermediaries that enable the Distributor to participate in and/or

 

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present at financial intermediary-sponsored conferences or seminars, sales or training programs for invited registered representatives and other financial intermediary employees, financial intermediary entertainment and other financial intermediary-sponsored events, and travel expenses, including lodging incurred by registered representatives and other employees in connection with prospecting, retention and due diligence trips. The Distributor makes payments for entertainment events it deems appropriate, subject to the Distributor’s internal guidelines and applicable law. These payments may vary depending upon the nature of the event.

Your financial intermediary may charge you fees or commissions in addition to those disclosed in this SAI. You should consult with your financial intermediary and review carefully any disclosure your financial intermediary provides regarding its services and compensation. Depending on the financial arrangement in place at any particular time, a financial intermediary and its financial consultants may have a financial incentive for recommending a particular Portfolio or a particular share class over other funds or share classes. See Investment Advisory and Other Services – Other Roles and Relationships of Bank of America and its Affiliates – Certain Conflicts of Interest for more information.

 

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CAPITAL STOCK AND OTHER SECURITIES

Description of the Trust’s Shares

The Portfolios offer shares in the classes shown in the table below. Subject to certain limited exceptions discussed in each Portfolio’s prospectuses, a Portfolio may no longer be accepting new investments from current shareholders or prospective investors. Class B shares of the Portfolios are closed to new investments, except for certain limited transactions from existing investors in Class B shares. Additional Class B shares of the Portfolios will be issued only in connection with (i) reinvestment of dividends and/or capital gain distributions in Class B shares of each Portfolio by the Portfolio’s existing Class B shareholders and (ii) exchanges by shareholders invested in Class B shares of a Columbia Fund may exchange those shares for Class B shares of a Portfolio. The Portfolios, however, may at any time and without notice, offer any of these classes to the general public for investment.

The Trust’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (Declaration of Trust) permits it to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares of beneficial interest of each Portfolio, without par value, and to divide or combine the shares of any series into a greater or lesser number of shares of that Portfolio without thereby changing the proportionate beneficial interests in that Portfolio and to divide such shares into classes. Each share of a class of a Portfolio represents an equal proportional interest in that Portfolio with each other share in the same class and is entitled to such distributions out of the income earned on the assets belonging to that Portfolio as are declared in the discretion of the Board. However, different share classes of a Portfolio pay different distribution amounts because each share class has different expenses. Each time a distribution is made, the net asset value per share of the share class is reduced by the amount of the distribution.

Share Classes Offered by the Portfolios

 

Portfolio

   Class A
Shares
   Class B
Shares*
   Class C
Shares
   Class R
Shares
   Class Z
Shares

Masters Heritage Portfolio

   ü    ü    ü       ü

Masters Global Equity Portfolio

   ü    ü    ü       ü

Masters International Equity Portfolio

   ü    ü    ü    ü    ü

 

* Class B shares of the Portfolios are closed to new investments, except for certain limited transactions from existing investors in Class B shares. Additional Class B shares of the Portfolios will be issued only in connection with (i) reinvestment of dividends and/or capital gain distributions in Class B shares of each Portfolio by the Portfolio’s existing Class B shareholders and (ii) exchanges by shareholders invested in Class B shares of a Columbia Fund may exchange those shares for Class B shares of a Portfolio. See the prospectuses for Class B shares of the Portfolios for details.

Restrictions on Holding or Disposing of Shares

There are no restrictions on the right of shareholders to retain or dispose of the Portfolios’ shares, other than the possible future termination of the Portfolios. The Portfolios may be terminated by reorganization into another mutual fund or by liquidation and distribution of their assets. Unless terminated by reorganization or liquidation, the Portfolios will continue indefinitely.

Shareholder Liability

The Trust is organized under Delaware law, which provides that shareholders of a statutory trust are entitled to the same limitations of personal liability as shareholders of a corporation organized under Delaware law. Effectively, this means that a shareholder of the Portfolios will not be personally liable for payment of the Portfolios’ debts except by reason of his or her own conduct or acts. In addition, a shareholder could incur a financial loss on account of the Portfolios’ obligation only if the Portfolios had no remaining assets with which to meet such obligation. We believe that the possibility of such a situation arising is extremely remote.

Dividend Rights

The shareholders of a Portfolio are entitled to receive any dividends or other distributions declared for the Portfolio. No shares have priority or preference over any other shares of the Portfolios with respect to distributions. Distributions will be made from the assets of the Portfolios, and will be paid pro rata to all shareholders of each Portfolio (or class) according to the number of shares of each Portfolio (or class) held by shareholders on the record date. The amount of income dividends

 

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per share may vary between separate share classes of the Portfolios based upon differences in the way that expenses are allocated between share classes pursuant to a multiple class plan.

Voting Rights and Shareholder Meetings

Shareholders have the power to vote only as expressly granted under the 1940 Act or under Delaware statutory trust law. Shareholders have no independent right to vote on any matter, including the creation, operation, dissolution or termination of the Trust. Shareholders have the right to vote on other matters only as the Board authorizes. Currently, the 1940 Act requires that shareholders have the right to vote, under certain circumstances, to: (i) elect Trustees; (ii) approve investment advisory agreements and principal underwriting agreements; (iii) approve a change in subclassification of a Portfolio; (iv) approve any change in fundamental investment policies; (v) approve a distribution plan under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act; and (vi) to terminate the independent accountant.

With respect to matters that affect one class but not another, shareholders vote as a class; for example, the approval of a distribution plan applicable to that class. Subject to the foregoing, all shares of the Trust have equal voting rights and will be voted in the aggregate, and not by Portfolio, except where voting by Portfolio is required by law or where the matter involved only affects one Portfolio. For example, a change in a Portfolio’s fundamental investment policy affects only one Portfolio and would be voted upon only by shareholders of the Portfolio involved. Additionally, approval of an Investment Advisory Agreement or investment sub-advisory agreement, since it only affects one Portfolio, is a matter to be determined separately by each Portfolio. Approval by the shareholders of one Portfolio is effective as to that Portfolio whether or not sufficient votes are received from the shareholders of the other series to approve the proposal as to those Portfolios. Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each whole share held and a proportional fractional vote for each fractional vote held, on matters on which they are entitled to vote. Portfolio shareholders do not have cumulative voting rights. The Trust is not required to hold, and has no present intention of holding, annual meetings of shareholders.

Liquidation Rights

In the event of the liquidation or dissolution of the Trust or the Portfolios, shareholders of the Portfolios are entitled to receive the assets attributable to the relevant class of shares of the Portfolios that are available for distribution and to distribution of any general assets not attributable to a particular investment portfolio that are available for distribution in such manner and on such basis as the Board may determine.

Preemptive Rights

There are no preemptive rights associated with Portfolio shares.

Conversion Rights

With the exception of Class B shares, which no longer accept investments from new or existing investors in Class B shares, except for certain limited transactions from existing investors in Class B shares as described in the prospectuses for Class B shares of the Portfolios, shareholders have the right, which is subject to change by the Board, to convert or “exchange” shares of one class for another. Such right is outlined and subject to certain conditions set forth in each Portfolio’s prospectuses.

Redemptions

Each Portfolio’s dividend, distribution and redemption policies can be found in its prospectuses under the headings Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares and Distributions and Taxes. However, the Board may suspend the right of shareholders to sell shares when permitted or required to do so by law or compel sales of shares in certain cases.

Sinking Fund Provisions

The Trust has no sinking fund provisions.

Calls or Assessment

All Portfolio shares are issued in uncertificated form only and when issued will be fully paid and non-assessable by the Trust.

 

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PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND PRICING OF SHARES

Purchase and Redemption

An investor may buy, sell and exchange shares in the Portfolios utilizing the methods, and subject to the restrictions, described in the Portfolios’ prospectuses. The following information supplements information in the Portfolios’ prospectuses.

The Portfolios have authorized one or more broker/dealers to accept buy and sell orders on the Portfolios’ behalf. These broker/dealers are authorized to designate other intermediaries to accept buy and sell orders on the Portfolios’ behalf. The Portfolios will be deemed to have received a buy or sell order when an authorized broker/dealer, or, if applicable, a broker/dealer’s authorized designee, accepts the order. Customer orders will be priced at each Portfolio’s net asset value next computed after they are accepted by an authorized broker/dealer or the broker’s authorized designee.

The Trust also may make payment for sales in readily marketable securities or other property if it is appropriate to do so in light of the Trust’s responsibilities under the 1940 Act.

Under the 1940 Act, the Portfolios may suspend the right of redemption or postpone the date of payment for shares during any period when (i) trading on the NYSE is restricted by applicable rules and regulations of the SEC; (ii) the NYSE is closed for other than customary weekend and holiday closings; (iii) the SEC has by order permitted such suspension; (iv) an emergency exists as determined by the SEC. (The Portfolios may also suspend or postpone the recordation of the transfer of their shares upon the occurrence of any of the foregoing conditions).

The Trust has elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act, as a result of which each Portfolio is obligated to redeem shares, subject to the exceptions listed above, with respect to any one shareholder during any 90-day period, solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the net asset value of each Portfolio at the beginning of the period.

Tax-Advantaged Retirement Plans (Retirement Plans). The Transfer Agent maintains prototype tax-qualified plans, including Pension and Profit-Sharing Plans, for individuals, corporations, employees and the self-employed. The minimum initial Retirement Plan investment is $1,000, applied at the plan level. BANA is the custodian/trustee and plan sponsor of the Columbia Management prototype plans offered through the Distributor. In general a $20 annual fee is charged.

Participants in Retirement Plans not sponsored by BANA, not including IRAs, may be subject to an annual fee of $20 unless the Retirement Plan maintains an omnibus account with the Transfer Agent. Participants in BANA sponsored prototype plans (other than IRAs) who liquidate the total value of their account may also be charged a $20 close-out processing fee payable to the Transfer Agent. The close-out fee applies to plans opened after September 1, 1996. The fee is in addition to any applicable CDSC. The fee will not apply if the participant uses the proceeds to open a Columbia Management IRA Rollover account in any fund distributed by the Distributor, or if the Retirement Plan maintains an omnibus account.

Consultation with a competent financial advisor regarding these Retirement Plans and consideration of the suitability of fund shares as an investment under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or otherwise is recommended.

Front-End Sales Charge Waivers

The investors listed below can buy Class A shares or Class T shares without paying a front-end sales charge.

 

   

Employees of Bank of America (and its predecessors), its affiliates and subsidiaries.

 

   

Trustees of funds advised or administered by the Advisor.

 

   

Directors, officers and employees of the Advisor, the Distributor, and their respective successors, any investment sub-advisor and companies affiliated with the Advisor.

 

   

Insurance company separate accounts for the benefit of group retirement plans.

 

   

Registered representatives and employees of selling and servicing agents (including their affiliates) that are parties to dealer agreements or other sales arrangements with the Distributor.

 

   

Broker/dealers if purchases are in accordance with the internal policies and procedures of the employing broker/dealer and made for their own investment purposes.

 

   

Employees or partners of any service provider to the Columbia Funds.

 

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Families of the parties listed above and their beneficial accounts. Family members include: spouses, parents, stepparents, legal guardians, children, stepchildren, father-in-laws and mother-in-laws.

 

   

Individuals receiving a distribution from a Bank of America trust, fiduciary, custodial or other similar account may use the proceeds of that distribution to buy Class A shares without paying a front-end sales charge, as long as the proceeds are invested in the funds within 90 days of the date of distribution.

 

   

Registered broker/dealer firms that have entered into a dealer agreement with the Distributor may buy Class A shares without paying a front-end sales charge for their investment account only.

 

   

Banks, trust companies and thrift institutions, acting as fiduciaries.

 

   

Any shareholder who owned shares of any fund of Columbia Acorn Trust (formerly named Liberty Acorn Trust) on September 29, 2000 (when all of the then outstanding shares of Columbia Acorn Trust were re-designated Class Z shares) and who since that time has remained a shareholder of any Portfolio, may buy Class A shares of any Portfolio without paying a front-end sales charge in those cases where a Columbia Fund Class Z share is not available.

 

   

Galaxy Fund shareholders prior to December 1, 1995; and shareholders who (i) bought Galaxy Fund Prime A shares without paying a front-end sales charge and received Class A shares in exchange for those shares during the Galaxy/Liberty Fund reorganization; and (ii) continue to maintain the account in which the Prime A shares were originally bought.

 

   

(For Class T shares only) Shareholders who (i) bought Galaxy Fund Retail A shares at net asset value and received Class T shares in exchange for those shares during the Galaxy/Liberty Fund reorganization; and (ii) continue to maintain the account in which the Retail A shares were originally bought; and Boston 1784 Fund shareholders on the date that those funds were reorganized into Galaxy Funds.

 

   

Class A, Class E and Class T shares (Class E shares and Class T shares are not currently open to new investors) of certain funds may also be bought at reduced or no sales charge by clients of dealers, brokers or registered investment advisors that have entered into arrangements with the Distributor pursuant to which the funds are included as investments options in wrap fee accounts, other managed agency/asset allocation accounts or programs involving fee-based compensation arrangements, and by participants in certain retirement plans.

 

   

Certain pension, profit-sharing or other employee benefit plans offered to non-U.S. investors.

 

   

At the Portfolio’s discretion, front-end sales charges may be waived for shares issued in plans of reorganization, such as mergers, asset acquisitions and exchange offers, to which the Columbia Funds are a party.

Investors can also buy Class A shares without paying a sales charge if the purchase is made from the proceeds of a sale from any Columbia Fund Class A, B, C or T shares within 365 days, up to the amount of the sales proceeds. The purchase must be made into an account for the same owner but does not need to be into the same Columbia Fund from which the shares were sold. The reinstatement privilege does not apply to any shares bought through a previous reinstatement. The Transfer Agent, Distributor or their agents must receive a written reinstatement request within 365 days after the shares are sold and purchases of Class A shares through this reinstatement privilege will be made at the NAV of such shares next calculated after the request is received in good order.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge Waivers (Class A, Class B and Class C Shares)

Shareholders won’t pay a CDSC in the following circumstances:

Death: CDSCs may be waived on sales following the death of: (i) the sole shareholder on an individual account; (ii) a joint tenant on an account; or (iii) the beneficiary of a Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA), Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) or other custodial account. If the account is transferred to an account registered in the name of the deceased’s estate, the CDSC will be waived on any sale from the estate account. If the account is transferred to a new registration and then a sale is requested, the applicable CDSC will be charged.

Disability: CDSCs may be waived on sales after the sole shareholder on an individual account or a joint tenant on a joint tenant account becomes disabled (as defined by Section 72(m)(7) of the Code). To be eligible for such a waiver: (i) the disability must arise after the account is opened and (ii) a letter from a physician must be signed under penalty of perjury

 

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stating the nature of the disability. If the account is transferred to a new registration and then shares are sold, the applicable CDSC will be charged.

Death of a trustee: CDSCs may be waived on sales occurring upon dissolution of a revocable living or grantor trust following the death of the sole trustee where: (i) the grantor of the trust is the sole trustee and the sole life beneficiary, (ii) death occurs following the purchase, and (iii) the trust document provides for the dissolution of the trust upon the trustee’s death. If the account is transferred to a new registration (including that of a successor trustee), the applicable CDSC will be charged upon any subsequent sale.

Health savings accounts: CDSCs may be waived on shares sold by health savings accounts sponsored by third party platforms, including those sponsored by Bank of America affiliates.

Medical payments: Upon request by a shareholder, CDSCs may be waived on (i) shares sold for medical payments that exceed 7.5% of income and (ii) distributions made to pay for insurance by an individual who has separated from employment and who has received unemployment compensation under a federal or state program for at least twelve weeks.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP): CDSCs may be waived on sales occurring pursuant to a SWP established with the Transfer Agent, to the extent that the sales do not exceed, on an annual basis, 12% of the account’s value as long as distributions are reinvested. Otherwise, a CDSC will be charged on SWP sales until this requirement is met.

Qualified retirement plans: CDSCs may be waived on shares (except for Class B shares) sold by certain group retirement plans held in omnibus accounts.

Redemptions under certain retirement plans and accounts: CDSCs may be waived on shares sold in connection with distributions from qualified retirement plans, government (Section 457) plans, individual retirement accounts or custodial accounts under Section 403(b)(7) of the Code following normal retirement or the attainment of age 59  1/2.

Loans from qualified retirement plans: CDSCs may be waived on shares sold in connection with loans from qualified retirement plans to shareholders.

Accounts liquidated by Distributor: CDSCs may be waived for shares sold under the Distributor’s right to liquidate a shareholder’s account, including but not limited to, instances where the aggregate net asset value of Class A, Class B or Class C shares held in the account is less than the minimum account size.

Returns of excess contributions: CDSCs may be waived on sales required to return excess contributions made to retirement plans or individual retirement accounts, so long as the financial intermediary returns the applicable portion of any commission paid by the Distributor.

Return of commission: CDSCs may be waived on shares sold by intermediaries that are part of the Columbia Funds selling group where the intermediary has entered into an agreement with Columbia Funds not to receive (or to return if received) all or any applicable portion of an upfront commission.

Plans of reorganization: At a Portfolio’s discretion, CDSCs may be waived for shares issued in connection with plans of reorganization, such as mergers, asset acquisitions and exchange offers, to which the Fund is a party.

Anti-Money Laundering Compliance

The Portfolios are required to comply with various anti-money laundering laws and regulations. Consequently, the Portfolios may request additional required information from you to verify your identity. Your application will be rejected if it does not contain your name, social security number, date of birth and permanent street address. If at any time the Portfolios believe a shareholder may be involved in suspicious activity or if certain account information matches information on government lists of suspicious persons, the Portfolios may choose not to establish a new account or may be required to “freeze” a shareholder’s account. The Portfolios also may be required to provide a governmental agency with information about transactions that have occurred in a shareholder’s account or to transfer monies received to establish a new account, transfer an existing account or transfer the proceeds of an existing account to a governmental agency. In some circumstances, the law may not permit the Portfolios to inform the shareholder that it has taken the actions described above.

 

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Offering Price

The share price of each Portfolio is based on each Portfolio’s net asset value per share, which is calculated separately for each class of shares as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE (which is usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern time unless the NYSE closes earlier) on each day the Portfolios are open for business, unless the Board determines otherwise.

The value of each Portfolio’s portfolio securities for which a market quotation is available is determined in accordance with the Trust’s valuation procedures. In general terms, the valuation procedures provide that domestic exchange traded securities (other than NASDAQ listed equity securities) generally will be valued at their last traded sale prices as reported on the principal exchange where those securities are traded. If no sales of those securities are reported on a particular day on the principal exchange, the securities generally will be valued at the mean between the latest bid and asked prices as reported on the principal exchange where those securities are traded. Securities traded on a foreign securities exchange will generally be valued at their last sale prices on the exchange where the securities are primarily traded, or in the absence of a reported sale on a particular day, at their bid prices (in the case of securities held long) or ask prices (in the case of securities held short) as reported by that exchange. Securities traded primarily on NASDAQ will generally be valued at the NASDAQ Official Closing Price (NOCP) (which is the last trade price at or before 4:00:02 p.m. (Eastern Time) adjusted up to NASDAQ’s best bid price if the last trade price is below such bid price or adjusted down to NASDAQ’s best ask price if the last trade price is above such ask price). If no NOCP is available, the security will generally be valued at the last sale price shown on NASDAQ prior to the calculation of the NAV of the Portfolio. If no sale price is shown on NASDAQ, the latest bid price will be used. If no sale price is shown and no latest bid price is available, the price will be deemed “stale” and the value will be determined in accordance with the Portfolios’ fair valuation procedures.

Securities not traded upon any exchange will generally be valued at the mean between the latest bid and asked prices based upon quotes furnished by the appropriate market makers. If quoted prices are unavailable or are believed to be inaccurate, market values will generally be determined based on quotes obtained from one or more broker(s) or dealer(s) or based on a price obtained from a reputable independent pricing service.

Financial futures will generally be valued at the latest reported sales price. Forward foreign currency contracts will generally be valued using market quotations from a widely used quotation system that reflects the current cost of covering or off-setting the contract. Exchange traded options will generally be valued at the latest reported sales price on their exchange. If there is no reported sale on the valuation date, the options will generally be valued at the mean between the latest bid and asked prices.

Over-the-counter derivatives will generally be valued at fair value in accordance with the Portfolios’ fair valuation procedures.

Repurchase agreements will generally be valued at a price equal to the amount of the cash invested in the repurchase agreement at the time of valuation. The market value of the securities underlying a repurchase agreement will be determined in accordance with the procedures above, as appropriate, for the purpose of determining the adequacy of collateral.

Shares of open-end investment companies held in each Portfolio’s portfolio will generally be valued at the latest net asset value reported by the investment company.

Debt securities will generally be valued by a pricing service which may employ a matrix or other indications of value, including but not limited to broker quotes, to determine valuations for normal institutional size trading units. The matrix can take into account various factors including, without limitation, bids, yield spreads, and/or other market data and specific security characteristics (e.g., credit quality, maturity and coupon rate). Debt securities for which a pricing service does not furnish valuations and for which market quotations are readily available will generally be valued based on the mean of the latest bid prices obtained from one or more dealers. Debt securities with remaining maturities of 60 days or less will, absent unusual circumstances, be valued at amortized cost.

Securities for which market quotations are not readily available for any reason, including that the latest quotation is deemed unreliable or unreasonable, securities and other assets and liabilities are valued at “fair value” as determined in good faith by the Advisor’s valuation committee. In general, any one or more of the following factors may be taken into account in determining fair value: the fundamental analytical data relating to the security; the value of other financial instruments, including derivative securities, traded on other markets or among dealers; trading volumes on markets, exchanges, or among dealers; values of baskets of securities traded on other markets; changes in interest rates; observations from financial

 

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institutions; government (domestic or foreign) actions or pronouncements; other news events; information as to any transactions or offers with respect to the security; price and extent of public trading in similar securities of the issuer or comparable companies; nature and expected duration of the event, if any, giving rise to the valuation issue; pricing history of the security; the relative size of the position in the portfolio; and other relevant information.

With respect to securities traded on foreign markets, the following factors also may be relevant: the value of foreign securities traded on other foreign markets; ADR trading; closed-end fund trading; foreign currency exchange activity; and the trading of financial products that are tied to baskets of foreign securities, such as World Equity Benchmark Shares™.

The Board has determined, and the valuation procedures provide, that in certain circumstances it may be necessary to use an alternative valuation method, such as in-kind redemptions with affiliated benefit plans where the Department of Labor requires that valuation to be done in accordance with Rule 17a-7 of the 1940 Act.

 

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TAXATION

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Portfolios’ prospectuses entitled Distributions and Taxes. The prospectuses generally describe the U.S. federal income tax treatment of distributions by the Portfolios. This section of the SAI provides additional information concerning U.S. federal income taxes. It is based on the Code, applicable Treasury Regulations, judicial authority, and administrative rulings and practice, all as in effect as of the date of this SAI and all of which are subject to change, including changes with retroactive effect. Except as specifically set forth below, the following discussion does not address any state, local or foreign tax matters.

A shareholder’s tax treatment may vary depending upon his or her particular situation. This discussion applies only to shareholders holding Portfolio shares as capital assets within the meaning of the Code. Except as otherwise noted, it may not apply to certain types of shareholders who may be subject to special rules, such as insurance companies, tax-exempt organizations, shareholders holding Portfolio shares through tax-advantaged accounts (such as 401(k) Plan Accounts or Individual Retirement Accounts), financial institutions, broker-dealers, entities that are not organized under the laws of the United States or a political subdivision thereof, persons who are neither citizens nor residents of the United States, shareholders holding Portfolio shares as part of a hedge, straddle, or conversion transaction, and shareholders who are subject to the U.S. federal alternative minimum tax.

The Trust has not requested and will not request an advance ruling from the IRS as to the U.S. federal income tax matters described below. The IRS could adopt positions contrary to those discussed below and such positions could be sustained. In addition, the following discussion and the discussions in the prospectuses applicable to each shareholder address only some of the U.S. federal income tax considerations generally affecting investments in the Portfolios. Prospective shareholders are urged to consult with their own tax advisors and financial planners regarding the U.S. federal tax consequences of an investment in a Portfolio, the application of state, local, or foreign laws, and the effect of any possible changes in applicable tax laws on their investment in the Portfolios.

Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company

It is intended that each Portfolio qualify as a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of Subtitle A, Chapter 1 of the Code. Each Portfolio will be treated as a separate entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Thus, the provisions of the Code applicable to regulated investment companies generally will apply separately to each Portfolio, even though each Portfolio is a series of the Trust. Furthermore, each Portfolio will separately determine its income, gains, losses, and expenses for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

In order to qualify for the special tax treatment accorded regulated investment companies and their shareholders, each Portfolio must, among other things, derive at least 90% of its gross income each taxable year generally from (i) dividends, interest, certain payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, and other income attributable to its business of investing in such stock, securities or foreign currencies (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) and (ii) net income derived from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership, as defined below. In general, for purposes of this 90% gross income requirement, income derived from a partnership will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership which would be qualifying income if realized directly by the regulated investment company. However, 100% of the net income derived from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership (defined as a partnership (x) the interests in which are traded on an established securities market or readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof, (y) that derives at least 90% of its income from the passive income sources defined in Code Section 7704(d), and (z) that derives less than 90% of its income from the qualifying income described in clause (i) above) will be treated as qualifying income. Certain of a Portfolio’s investments in master limited partnerships (MLPs) may qualify as interests in qualified publicly traded partnerships. In addition, although in general the passive loss rules do not apply to a regulated investment company, such rules do apply to a regulated investment company with respect to items attributable to an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership.

Each Portfolio must also diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the Portfolio’s taxable year: (i) at least 50% of the fair market value of its total assets consists of (A) cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. government securities and securities of other regulated investment companies, and (B) securities of any one issuer (other than those described in clause (A)) to the extent such securities do not exceed 5% of the value of the Portfolio’s total assets and are not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of the

 

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Portfolio’s total assets consists of the securities of any one issuer (other than those described in clause (i)(A)), the securities of two or more issuers the Portfolio controls and which are engaged in the same, similar, or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships. In addition, for purposes of meeting this diversification requirement, the term “outstanding voting securities of such issuer” includes the equity securities of a qualified publicly traded partnership and in the case of a Portfolio’s investments in loan participations, the Portfolio shall treat both the financial intermediary and the issuer of the underlying loan as an issuer. The qualifying income and diversification requirements described above may limit the extent to which a Portfolio can engage in certain derivative transactions, as well as the extent to which it can invest in MLPs.

In addition, each Portfolio generally must distribute to its shareholders at least 90% of its investment company taxable income for the taxable year, which generally includes its ordinary income and the excess of any net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss, and at least 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income (if any) for the taxable year.

If a Portfolio qualifies as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment, it generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any of the investment company taxable income and net capital gain (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) it distributes to its shareholders (including Capital Gain Dividends, as defined below). Each Portfolio generally intends to distribute at least annually substantially all of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction) and substantially all of its net capital gain. However, no assurance can be given that a Portfolio will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation. Any investment company taxable income retained by the Portfolio will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates.

In addition, although each Portfolio generally intends to distribute all of its net capital gain, a Portfolio may determine to retain for investment all or a portion of its net capital gain. If a Portfolio retains any net capital gain, it will be subject to a tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained, but may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders, who (i) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their shares of such undistributed amount, and (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Portfolio on such undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of a Portfolio will be increased by an amount equal under current law to the difference between the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s gross income under clause (i) of the preceding sentence and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder under clause (ii) of the preceding sentence.

In determining its net capital gain for Capital Gain Dividend purposes, a regulated investment company generally must treat any net capital loss or any net long-term capital loss incurred after October 31 as if it had been incurred in the succeeding year. Treasury Regulations permit a regulated investment company, in determining its taxable income, to elect to treat all or part of any net capital loss, any net long-term capital loss or any foreign currency loss incurred after October 31 as if it had been incurred in the succeeding year.

In order to comply with the distribution requirements described above applicable to regulated investment companies, a Portfolio generally must make the distributions in the same taxable year that it realizes the income and gain, although in certain circumstances, a Portfolio may make the distributions in the following taxable year in respect of income and gains from the prior taxable year. Shareholders generally are taxed on any distributions from a Portfolio in the year they are actually distributed. If a Portfolio declares a distribution to shareholders of record in October, November or December of one calendar year and pays the distribution by January 31 of the following calendar year, however, the Portfolio and its shareholders will be treated as if the Portfolio paid the distribution by December 31 of the earlier year.

If, for any taxable year, a Portfolio fails to qualify as a regulated investment company accorded special tax treatment under the Code, it will be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation without any deduction for its distributions to shareholders, and all distributions from the Portfolio’s current and accumulated earnings and profits (including any distributions of its net tax-exempt income and net long-term capital gains) to its shareholders will be taxable to shareholders as dividend income. In addition, the Portfolio could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial distributions before requalifying as a regulated investment company.

 

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Excise Tax

If a Portfolio fails to distribute by December 31 of each calendar year at least the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for that year (excluding capital gains and losses) and 98% of its capital gain net income (adjusted for net ordinary losses) for the 1-year period ending on October 31 of that year, and any of its ordinary income and capital gain net income from previous years that were not distributed during such years, the Portfolio will be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax on the undistributed amounts. For these purposes, a Portfolio will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it has been subject to corporate income tax in the taxable year ending within the calendar year. Each Portfolio generally intends to actually distribute or be deemed to have distributed substantially all of its ordinary income and capital gain net income, if any, by the end of each calendar year and, thus, expects not to be subject to the excise tax. However, no assurance can be given that a Portfolio will not be subject to the excise tax. Moreover, each Portfolio reserves the right to pay an excise tax rather than make an additional distribution when circumstances warrant (for example, if the amount of excise tax to be paid is deemed de minimis by a Portfolio).

Capital Loss Carryforwards

Subject to certain limitations, a Portfolio is permitted to carry forward a net capital loss from any year to offset its capital gains, if any, realized during the eight years following the year of the loss. A Portfolio’s capital loss carryforward is treated as a short-term capital loss in the year to which it is carried. If future capital gains are offset by carried forward capital losses, such future capital gains are not subject to portfolio-level U.S. federal income taxation, regardless of whether they are distributed to shareholders. Accordingly, the Portfolios do not expect to distribute any such offsetting capital gains. The Portfolios cannot carry back or carry forward any net operating losses.

Equalization Accounting

Each Portfolio may use the so-called “equalization method” of accounting to allocate a portion of its “accumulated earnings and profits,” which generally equals a Portfolio’s undistributed net investment income and realized capital gains, with certain adjustments, to redemption proceeds. This method permits a Portfolio to achieve more balanced distributions for both continuing and redeeming shareholders. Although using this method generally will not affect a Portfolio’s total returns, it may reduce the amount of income and gains that the Portfolio would otherwise distribute to continuing shareholders by reducing the effect of redemptions of Portfolio shares on Portfolio distributions to shareholders. The IRS has not sanctioned the particular equalization method used by the Portfolios, and thus a Portfolio’s use of this method may be subject to IRS scrutiny.

Taxation of Investments

In general, realized gains or losses on the sale of securities held by an Underlying Fund will be treated as capital gains or losses, and long-term capital gains or losses if the Underlying Fund has held or is deemed to have held the securities for more than one year at the time of disposition.

If an Underlying Fund purchases a debt obligation with original issue discount (OID) (generally a debt obligation with an issue price less than its stated principal amount, such as a zero-coupon bond), the Underlying Fund may be required to annually include in its income a portion of the OID as ordinary income, even though the Underlying Fund will not receive cash payments for such discount until maturity or disposition of the obligation. Inflation-protected bonds generally can be expected to produce OID income as their principal amounts are adjusted upward for inflation. In general, gains recognized on the disposition of (or the receipt of any partial payment of principal on) a debt obligation (including a municipal obligation) purchased by an Underlying Fund at a market discount, generally at a price less than its principal amount, will be treated as ordinary income to the extent of the portion of market discount which accrued, but was not previously recognized pursuant to an available election, during the term that the Underlying Fund held the debt obligation. An Underlying Fund generally will be required to make distributions to shareholders representing the OID or market discount (if an election is made by the Underlying Fund to accrue market discount over the holding period of the applicable debt obligation) on debt securities that is currently includible in income, even though the cash representing such income may not have been received by the Underlying Fund. Cash to pay such distributions may be obtained from borrowing or from sales proceeds of securities held by an Underlying Fund which the Underlying Fund otherwise might have continued to hold; obtaining such cash might be disadvantageous for the Underlying Fund.

 

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In addition, payment-in-kind securities similarly will give rise to income which is required to be distributed and is taxable even though an Underlying Fund receives no cash interest payment on the security during the year. A portion of the interest paid or accrued on certain high-yield discount obligations (such as high-yield corporate debt securities) may not (and interest paid on debt obligations owned by an Underlying Fund that are considered for tax purposes to be payable in the equity of the issuer or a related party will not) be deductible to the issuer, possibly affecting the cash flow of the issuer.

If an Underlying Fund invests in debt obligations that are in the lowest rating categories or are unrated, including debt obligations of issuers not currently paying interest or who are in default, special tax issues may exist for the Underlying Fund. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as whether an Underlying Fund should recognize market discount on a debt obligation and, if so, the amount of market discount the Underlying Fund should recognize, when an Underlying Fund may cease to accrue interest, OID or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless securities and how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income. These and other related issues will be addressed by an Underlying Fund when, as and if it invests in such securities, in order to seek to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to preserve its status as a regulated investment company and does not become subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax.

If an option granted by an Underlying Fund is sold, lapses or is otherwise terminated through a closing transaction, such as a repurchase by the Underlying Fund of the option from its holder, the Underlying Fund generally will realize a short-term capital gain or loss, depending on whether the premium income is greater or less than the amount paid by the Underlying Fund in the closing transaction. Some capital losses realized by an Underlying Fund in the sale, exchange, exercise or other disposition of an option may be deferred if they result from a position that is part of a “straddle,” discussed below. If securities are sold by an Underlying Fund pursuant to the exercise of a covered call option granted by it, the Underlying Fund generally will add the premium received to the sale price of the securities delivered in determining the amount of gain or loss on the sale. If securities are purchased by an Underlying Fund pursuant to the exercise of a put option written by it, the Underlying Fund generally will subtract the premium received from its cost basis in the securities purchased.

Some regulated futures contracts, foreign currency contracts, and non-equity, listed options that may be used by an Underlying Fund will be deemed “Section 1256 contracts.” An Underlying Fund will be required to “mark to market” any such contracts held at the end of the taxable year by treating them as if they had been sold on the last day of that year at market value. Sixty percent of any net gain or loss realized on all dispositions of Section 1256 contracts, including deemed dispositions under the “mark-to-market” rule, generally will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and the remaining 40% will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss, although certain foreign currency gains and losses from such contracts may be treated as ordinary income or loss as described below. These provisions may require an Underlying Fund to recognize income or gains without a concurrent receipt of cash. Transactions that qualify as designated hedges are exempt from the mark-to-market rule and the “60%/40%” rule and may require the Underlying Fund to defer the recognition of losses on certain futures contracts, foreign currency contracts, and non-equity options.

Foreign exchange gains and losses realized by an Underlying Fund in connection with certain transactions involving foreign currency-denominated debt securities, certain options, futures contracts, forward contracts and similar instruments relating to foreign currency, foreign currencies, or payables or receivables denominated in a foreign currency are subject to Section 988 of the Code, which generally causes such gains and losses to be treated as ordinary income or loss and may affect the amount and timing of recognition of the Underlying Fund’s income. Under future Treasury Regulations, any such transactions that are not directly related to an Underlying Fund’s investments in stock or securities (or its options contracts or futures contracts with respect to stock or securities) may have to be limited in order to enable the Underlying Fund to satisfy the 90% qualifying income test described above. If the net foreign exchange loss exceeds an Underlying Fund’s net investment company taxable income (computed without regard to such loss) for a taxable year, the resulting ordinary loss for such year will not be available as a carryforward and thus cannot be deducted by the Underlying Fund or its shareholders in future years.

Offsetting positions held by an Underlying Fund involving certain derivative instruments, such as forwards, futures and options contracts, may be considered, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, to constitute “straddles.” “Straddles” are defined to include “offsetting positions” in actively traded personal property. The tax treatment of “straddles” is governed by Section 1092 of the Code which, in certain circumstances, overrides or modifies the provisions of Section 1256. If an Underlying Fund is treated as entering into a “straddle” and at least one (but not all) of the Underlying Fund’s positions in derivative contracts comprising a part of such straddle is governed by Section 1256 of the Code, described above, then such straddle

 

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could be characterized as a “mixed straddle.” An Underlying Fund may make one or more elections with respect to “mixed straddles.” Depending upon which election is made, if any, the results with respect to an Underlying Fund may differ. Generally, to the extent the straddle rules apply to positions established by an Underlying Fund, losses realized by the Underlying Fund may be deferred to the extent of unrealized gain in any offsetting positions. Moreover, as a result of the straddle rules, short-term capital loss on straddle positions may be recharacterized as long-term capital loss, and long-term capital gain may be characterized as short-term capital gain. In addition, the existence of a straddle may affect the holding period of the offsetting positions. As a result, the straddle rules could cause distributions that would otherwise constitute “qualified dividend income” or qualify for the dividends-received deduction to fail to satisfy the applicable holding period requirements (as described below). Furthermore, the Underlying Fund may be required to capitalize, rather than deduct currently, any interest expense and carrying charges applicable to a position that is part of a straddle, including any interest on indebtedness incurred or continued to purchase or carry any positions that are part of a straddle. The application of the straddle rules to certain offsetting Underlying Fund positions can therefore affect the amount, timing, and character of distributions to shareholders, and may result in significant differences from the amount, timing and character of distributions that would have been made by the Underlying Fund if it had not entered into offsetting positions in respect of certain of its portfolio securities.

If an Underlying Fund enters into a “constructive sale” of any appreciated financial position in stock, a partnership interest, or certain debt instruments, the Underlying Fund will be treated as if it had sold and immediately repurchased the property and must recognize gain (but not loss) with respect to that position. A constructive sale of an appreciated financial position occurs when an Underlying Fund enters into certain offsetting transactions with respect to the same or substantially identical property, including, but not limited to: (i) a short sale; (ii) an offsetting notional principal contract; (iii) a futures or forward contract; or (iv) other transactions identified in future Treasury Regulations. The character of the gain from constructive sales will depend upon an Underlying Fund’s holding period in the appreciated financial position. Losses realized from a sale of a position that was previously the subject of a constructive sale will be recognized when the position is subsequently disposed of. The character of such losses will depend upon an Underlying Fund’s holding period in the position beginning with the date the constructive sale was deemed to have occurred and the application of various loss deferral provisions in the Code. Constructive sale treatment does not apply to certain closed transactions, including if such a transaction is closed on or before the 30th day after the close of the Underlying Fund’s taxable year and the Underlying Fund holds the appreciated financial position unhedged throughout the 60-day period beginning with the day such transaction was closed.

The amount of long-term capital gain an Underlying Fund may recognize from certain derivative transactions with respect to interests in certain pass-through entities is limited under the Code’s constructive ownership rules. The amount of long-term capital gain is limited to the amount of such gain the Underlying Fund would have had if the Underlying Fund directly invested in the pass-through entity during the term of the derivative contract. Any gain in excess of this amount is treated as ordinary income. An interest charge is imposed on the amount of gain that is treated as ordinary income.

If the Underlying Fund makes a distribution of income received by the Underlying Fund in lieu of dividends (a “substitute payment”) with respect to securities on loan pursuant to a securities lending transaction, such income will not constitute qualified dividend income to individual shareholders and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders. Similar consequences may apply to repurchase and other derivative transactions.

In addition, an Underlying Fund’s transactions in securities and certain types of derivatives (e.g., options, futures contracts, forward contracts and swap agreements) may be subject to other special tax rules, such as the wash-sale rules or the short-sale rules, the effect of which may be to accelerate income to the Underlying Fund, defer losses to the Underlying Fund, cause adjustments in the holding periods of the Underlying Fund’s securities, convert long-term capital gains into short-term capital gains, and/or convert short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses. These rules could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders.

Certain of an Underlying Fund’s investments in derivative instruments and foreign currency-denominated instruments, as well as any of its foreign currency transactions and hedging activities, are likely to produce a difference between its book income and its taxable income. If an Underlying Fund’s book income exceeds the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any), the distribution (if any) of such excess generally will be treated as (i) a dividend to the extent of the Underlying Fund’s remaining earnings and profits (including earnings and profits arising from tax-exempt income), (ii) thereafter, as a return of capital to the extent of the Portfolio’s basis in its Underlying Fund shares, and (iii) thereafter, as gain from the sale or exchange of a capital asset. If an Underlying Fund’s book income is less than the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any), the Underlying Fund could be required to make distributions exceeding book income to

 

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qualify as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment.

Rules governing the U.S. federal income tax aspects of derivatives, including swap agreements, are in a developing stage and are not entirely clear in certain respects. Accordingly, an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to these rules (which determination or guidance could be retroactive) may affect whether an Underlying Fund (as well as a Portfolio investing in such Underlying Fund) has made sufficient distributions, and otherwise satisfied the relevant requirements to maintain its qualification as a regulated investment company and avoid entity-level tax. Certain requirements that must be met under the Code in order for an Underlying Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company may limit the extent to which an Underlying Fund will be able to engage in certain derivatives transactions.

An Underlying Fund’s investments in REIT equity securities may result in the Underlying Fund’s receipt of cash in excess of the REIT’s earnings; if the Underlying Fund distributes these amounts, these distributions could constitute a return of capital to Underlying Fund shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Investments in REIT equity securities also may require an Underlying Fund to accrue and distribute income not yet received. To generate sufficient cash to make the requisite distributions, the Underlying Fund may be required to sell securities in its portfolio (including when it is not advantageous to do so) that it otherwise would have continued to hold. Dividends received by the Underlying Fund from a REIT generally will not constitute qualified dividend income and will not qualify for the dividends-received deduction.

An Underlying Fund may invest directly or indirectly in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in taxable mortgage pools (TMPs). Under an IRS notice, and Treasury Regulations that have yet to be issued but may apply retroactively, a portion of an Underlying Fund’s income (including income allocated to the Underlying Fund from a REIT or other pass-through entity) that is attributable to a residual interest in a REMIC or an equity interest in a TMP (referred to in the Code as an “excess inclusion”) will be subject to U.S. federal income tax in all events. This notice also provides, and the regulations are expected to provide, that excess inclusion income of a regulated investment company, such as an Underlying Fund, will be allocated to shareholders of the regulated investment company in proportion to the dividends received by such shareholders, with the same consequences as if the shareholders held the related interest directly.

In general, excess inclusion income allocated to shareholders (i) cannot be offset by net operating losses (subject to a limited exception for certain thrift institutions), (ii) will constitute unrelated business taxable income (UBTI) to entities (including a qualified pension plan, an individual retirement account, a 401(k) plan, a Keogh plan or certain other tax-exempt entities) subject to tax on UBTI, thereby potentially requiring such an entity that is allocated excess inclusion income, and otherwise might not be required to file a tax return, to file a tax return and pay tax on such income, and (iii) in the case of a foreign shareholder, will not qualify for any reduction in U.S. federal withholding tax.

Some amounts received by an Underlying Fund from its investments in MLPs will likely be treated as returns of capital because of accelerated deductions available with respect to the activities of MLPs. On the disposition of an investment in such an MLP, the Underlying Fund will likely realize taxable income in excess of economic gain from that asset (or if an Underlying Fund does not dispose of the MLP, the Underlying Fund will likely realize taxable income in excess of cash flow received by the Underlying Fund from the MLP in a later period), and the Underlying Fund must take such income into account in determining whether the Underlying Fund has satisfied its regulated investment company distribution requirements. The Underlying Fund may have to borrow or liquidate securities to satisfy its distribution requirements and meet its redemption requests, even though investment considerations might otherwise make it undesirable for the Underlying Fund to borrow money or sell securities at the time. In addition, distributions attributable to gain from the sale of MLPs that are characterized as ordinary income under the Code’s recapture provisions will be taxable to Underlying Fund shareholders as ordinary income.

“Passive foreign investment companies” (PFICs) are generally defined as foreign corporations where at least 75% of their gross income for their taxable year is income from passive sources (such as interest, dividends, certain rents and royalties, or capital gains) or at least 50% of their assets on average produce such passive income. If an Underlying Fund acquires any equity interest in a PFIC, the Underlying Fund could be subject to U.S. federal income tax and interest charges on “excess distributions” received from the PFIC or on gain from the sale of such equity interest in the PFIC, even if all income or gain actually received by the Underlying Fund is timely distributed to its shareholders. Excess distributions and gain from the sale of interests in PFICs may be characterized as ordinary income even though, absent the application of PFIC rules, these amounts may otherwise have been classified as capital gain.

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taxes and interest charges incurred with respect to a PFIC. Elections may be available that would ameliorate these adverse tax consequences, but such elections would require an Underlying Fund to include its share of the PFIC’s income and net capital gains annually, regardless of whether it receives any distribution from the PFIC (in the case of a “QEF election”), or to mark the gains (and to a limited extent losses) in its interests in the PFIC “to the market” as though the Underlying Fund had sold and repurchased such interests on the last day of the Underlying Fund’s taxable year, treating such gains and losses as ordinary income and loss (in the case of a “mark-to-market election”). The QEF and mark-to-market elections may require an Underlying Fund to recognize taxable income or gain without the concurrent receipt of cash and increase the amount required to be distributed by the Underlying Fund to avoid taxation . Making either of these elections therefore may require an Underlying Fund to liquidate other investments prematurely to meet the minimum distribution requirements described above, which also may accelerate the recognition of gain and adversely affect the Underlying Fund’s total return. Each Underlying Fund may attempt to limit and/or manage its holdings in PFICs to minimize tax liability and/or maximize returns from these investments but there can be no assurance that it will be able to do so. Moreover, because it is not always possible to identify a foreign corporation as a PFIC in advance of acquiring shares in the corporation, an Underlying Fund may incur the tax and interest charges described above in some instances. Dividends paid by PFICs will not be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income, as defined below.

In addition to the investments described above, prospective shareholders should be aware that other investments made by an Underlying Fund may involve complex tax rules that may result in income or gain recognition by the Underlying Fund without corresponding current cash receipts. If an Underlying Fund recognizes any noncash income, the Underlying Fund may distribute cash derived from other sources in order to meet the minimum distribution requirements described above. In this regard, an Underlying Fund could be required at times to liquidate investments prematurely in order to satisfy its minimum distribution requirements, which may accelerate the recognition of gain and adversely affect the Underlying Fund’s total return.

Considerations similar to those set forth above would apply to any investments made directly by a Portfolio. In addition, a Portfolio may receive taxable income or gain upon the receipt of distributions from an Underlying Fund or upon a sale, exchange or redemption of shares in an Underlying Fund. A redemption of shares in an Underlying Fund may be characterized as a dividend (taxable as ordinary income rather than capital gain) to the extent provided in the Code and Treasury Regulations.

Taxation of Distributions

Distributions paid out of a Portfolio’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, whether paid in cash or reinvested in the Portfolio, generally are deemed to be taxable distributions and must be reported by each shareholder who is required to file a U.S. federal income tax return. Dividends and distributions on a Portfolio’s shares are generally subject to U.S. federal income tax as described herein to the extent they do not exceed the Portfolio’s realized income and gains, even though such dividends and distributions may economically represent a return of a particular shareholder’s investment. Such distributions are likely to occur in respect of shares purchased at a time when the Portfolio’s net asset value reflects either unrealized gains, or realized but undistributed income or gains. Such realized income and gains may be required to be distributed even when the Portfolio’s net asset value also reflects unrealized losses. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, a Portfolio’s earnings and profits, described above, are determined at the end of the Portfolio’s taxable year and are allocated pro rata to distributions paid over the entire year. Distributions in excess of a Portfolio’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will first be treated as a return of capital up to the amount of a shareholder’s tax basis in his or her Portfolio shares and then as capital gain. A return of capital is not taxable, but it reduces a shareholder’s tax basis in his or her Portfolio shares, thus reducing any loss or increasing any gain on a subsequent taxable disposition by the shareholder of his or her shares. A Portfolio may make distributions in excess of its earnings and profits to a limited extent, from time to time.

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, distributions of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income, and distributions of gains from the sale of investments that a Portfolio owned (or is deemed to have owned) for one year or less will be taxable as ordinary income. Distributions properly designated by a Portfolio as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gain (to the extent such distributions do not exceed the Portfolio’s actual net long-term capital gain for the taxable year), regardless of how long a shareholder has held Portfolio shares, and do not qualify as dividends for purposes of the dividends-received deduction or as qualified dividend income (defined below). Each Portfolio will designate Capital Gain Dividends, if any, in a written notice mailed by the Portfolio to its shareholders not later than 60 days after the close of the Portfolio’s taxable year.

 

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Income and capital gain received by a Portfolio from an Underlying Fund generally will be distributed by the Portfolio (after deductions for the Portfolio’s allowable losses and expenses) and generally will be taxable to shareholders as described above. However, special rules may apply to Portfolio distributions attributable to Underlying Fund distributions and the extent to which such Portfolio distributions may result in qualified dividend income, the dividends-received deduction, and other tax consequences discussed herein. Accordingly, the tax consequences of an investment in a Portfolio may differ from, and may be less favorable than, the tax consequences of a direct investment in an Underlying Fund.

Some states will not tax distributions made to individual shareholders that are attributable to interest a Portfolio earns on direct obligations of the U.S. government if the Portfolio meets the state’s minimum investment or reporting requirements, if any. Investments in GNMA or FNMA securities, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper, and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities generally do not qualify for tax-free treatment. This exemption may not apply to corporate shareholders.

Sales and Exchanges of Portfolio Shares

If a shareholder sells or exchanges his or her Portfolio shares, he or she generally will realize a taxable capital gain or loss on the difference between the amount received for the shares (or deemed received in the case of an exchange) and his or her tax basis in the shares. This gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if he or she has held (or is deemed to have held) such Portfolio shares for more than one year at the time of the sale or exchange, and short-term capital gain or loss otherwise.

If a shareholder sells or exchanges Portfolio shares within 90 days of having acquired such shares and if, as a result of having initially acquired those shares, he or she subsequently pays a reduced sales charge on a new purchase of shares of the Portfolio or a different regulated investment company, the sales charge previously incurred in acquiring the Portfolio’s shares generally shall not be taken into account (to the extent the previous sales charges do not exceed the reduction in sales charges on the new purchase) for the purpose of determining the amount of gain or loss on the disposition, but generally will be treated as having been incurred in the new purchase. Also, if a shareholder realizes a loss on a disposition of Portfolio shares, the loss will be disallowed under “wash sale” rules to the extent that he or she purchases substantially identical shares within the 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition. Any disallowed loss generally will be reflected in an adjustment to the tax basis of the purchased shares.

If a shareholder receives a Capital Gain Dividend or is deemed to receive a distribution of long-term capital gain with respect to any Portfolio share and such Portfolio share is held or treated as held for six months or less, then (unless otherwise disallowed) any loss on the sale or exchange of that Portfolio share will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of the Capital Gain Dividend or deemed long-term capital gain distribution.

Foreign Taxes

The Portfolio will not be permitted to claim a credit or deduction for foreign taxes paid in that year, nor will the Portfolio shareholders be permitted to include their proportionate share of the foreign taxes paid by the Portfolio in their gross income by treating that amount as paid by them for the purpose of the foreign tax credit or deduction.

U.S. Federal Income Tax Rates

As of the date of this SAI, the maximum stated U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to individuals generally is 35% for ordinary income and 15% for net long-term capital gain. Long-term capital gain rates applicable to individuals have been temporarily reduced—in general, to 15% with lower rates applying to taxpayers in the 10% and 15% rate brackets—for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2011. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this provision for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2011.

For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2011, U.S. federal income tax law also provides for a maximum individual U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to “qualified dividend income” equal to the highest net long-term capital gain rate, which, as described above, generally is 15%. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this provision for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2011. In general, “qualified dividend income” is income attributable to dividends received by a Portfolio from certain domestic and foreign corporations, as long as certain holding period and other

 

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requirements are met by the Portfolio with respect to the dividend-paying corporation’s stock and by the shareholders with respect to the Portfolio’s shares. If 95% or more of a Portfolio’s gross income (excluding net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) constitutes qualified dividend income, all of its distributions (other than Capital Gain Dividends) will be generally treated as qualified dividend income in the hands of individual shareholders, as long as they have owned their Portfolio shares for at least 61 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the Portfolio’s ex-dividend date (or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date) and meet certain other requirements specified in the Code. In general, if less than 95% of a Portfolio’s income is attributable to qualified dividend income, then only the portion of the Portfolio’s distributions that is attributable to qualified dividend income and designated as such in a timely manner will be so treated in the hands of individual shareholders who meet the aforementioned holding period requirements. The rules regarding the qualification of Portfolio distributions as qualified dividend income are complex, including the holding period requirements. Individual Portfolio shareholders therefore are urged to consult their own tax advisors and financial planners.

The maximum stated corporate U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to ordinary income and net capital gain is 35%. Actual marginal tax rates may be higher for some shareholders, for example, through reductions in deductions. Naturally, the amount of tax payable by any taxpayer will be affected by a combination of tax laws covering, for example, deductions, credits, deferrals, exemptions, sources of income and other matters. U.S. federal income tax rates are set to increase in future years under various “sunset” provisions of U.S. federal income tax laws.

Backup Withholding

Each Portfolio generally is required to withhold, and remit to the U.S. Treasury, subject to certain exemptions, an amount equal to 28% of all distributions and redemption proceeds (including proceeds from exchanges and redemptions in-kind) paid or credited to a Portfolio shareholder if (1) the shareholder fails to furnish the Portfolio with a correct “taxpayer identification number” (TIN) or has not certified to the Portfolio that withholding does not apply or (2) the IRS notifies the Portfolio that the shareholder’s TIN is incorrect or the shareholder is otherwise subject to backup withholding. This backup withholding is not an additional tax imposed on the shareholder. The shareholder may apply amounts required to be withheld as a credit against his or her future U.S. federal income tax liability, provided that the required information is furnished to the IRS. If a shareholder fails to furnish a valid TIN upon request, the shareholder can also be subject to IRS penalties. The rate of backup withholding is set to increase for amounts distributed or paid after December 31, 2010.

Tax-Deferred Plans

The shares of a Portfolio may be available for a variety of tax-deferred retirement and other tax-advantaged plans and accounts. Prospective investors should contact their tax advisors and financial planners regarding the tax consequences to them of holding Portfolio shares through such plans and/or accounts.

Corporate Shareholders

Subject to limitations and other rules, a corporate shareholder of a Portfolio may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction on Portfolio distributions attributable to dividends received by the Portfolio from domestic corporations, which, if received directly by the corporate shareholder, would qualify for such a deduction. For eligible corporate shareholders, the dividends-received deduction may be subject to certain reductions, and a distribution by a Portfolio attributable to dividends of a domestic corporation will be eligible for the deduction only if certain holding period and other requirements are met. These requirements are complex; therefore, corporate shareholders of the Portfolios are urged to consult their own tax advisors and financial planners.

As discussed above, a portion of the interest paid or accrued on certain high-yield discount obligations that a Portfolio may own may not be deductible to the issuer. If a portion of the interest paid or accrued on these obligations is not deductible, that portion will be treated as a dividend. In such cases, if the issuer of the obligation is a domestic corporation, dividend payments by a Portfolio may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction to the extent of the dividend portion of such interest.

Foreign Shareholders

 

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For purposes of this discussion, “foreign shareholders” generally include: (i) nonresident alien individuals, (ii) foreign trusts (i.e., a trust other than a trust with respect to which a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over administration of that trust and one or more U.S. persons have authority to control substantial decisions of that trust), (iii) foreign estates (i.e., the income of which is not subject to U.S. tax regardless of source), and (iv) foreign corporations.

Generally, unless an exception applies, dividend distributions made to foreign shareholders other than Capital Gain Dividends will be subject to non-refundable U.S. federal income tax withholding at a 30% rate (or such lower rate as may be provided under an applicable income tax treaty) even if they are funded by income or gains (such as portfolio interest, short-term capital gains, or foreign-source dividend and interest income) that, if paid to a foreign person directly, would not be subject to withholding. However, generally, for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2010, distributions made to foreign shareholders and properly designated by a Portfolio as “interest-related dividends” are exempt from U.S. federal income tax withholding. The exemption for interest-related dividends does not apply to any distribution to a foreign shareholder (i) to the extent that the dividend is attributable to certain interest on an obligation if the foreign shareholder is the issuer or is a 10% shareholder of the issuer; (ii) that is within certain foreign countries that have inadequate information exchange with the United States, or (iii) to the extent the dividend is attributable to interest paid by a person that is a related person of the foreign shareholder and the foreign shareholder is a controlled foreign corporation. Interest-related dividends are generally attributable to the Portfolio’s net U.S.-source interest income of types similar to those not subject to U.S. federal income tax if earned directly by an individual foreign shareholder. In order to qualify as an interest-related dividend, the Portfolio must designate a distribution as such in a written notice mailed to its shareholders not later than 60 days after the close of the Portfolio’s taxable year. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a distribution described above is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business (or, if an income tax treaty applies, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment) of the recipient foreign shareholder, neither U.S. federal income tax withholding nor the exemption for interest-related dividends will apply. Instead, the distribution will be subject to the tax, reporting and withholding requirements generally applicable to U.S. persons, and an additional branch profits tax may apply if the recipient foreign shareholder is a foreign corporation.

In general, a foreign shareholder’s capital gains realized on the disposition of Portfolio shares, distributions properly designated as Capital Gain Dividends and, with respect to taxable years of a Portfolio beginning before January 1, 2010, “short-term capital gain dividends” (defined below) are not subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax, unless: (i) such gains or distributions are effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business (or, if an income tax treaty applies, are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment) of the foreign shareholder; (ii) in the case of an individual foreign shareholder, the shareholder is present in the U.S. for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the disposition of Portfolio shares or the receipt of Capital Gain Dividends or short-term capital gain dividends and certain other conditions are met; or (iii) the Portfolio shares on which the foreign shareholder realized gain constitute U.S. real property interests (USRPIs, defined below) or, in certain cases, the distributions are attributable to gain from the sale or exchange of a USRPI, as discussed below. If the requirements of clause (i) are met, the tax, reporting and withholding requirements applicable to U.S. persons generally will apply to the foreign shareholder and an additional branch profits tax may apply if the foreign shareholder is a foreign corporation. If the requirements of clause (i) are not met, but the requirements of clause (ii) are met, such gains and distributions will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a 30% rate (or such lower rate as may be provided under an applicable income tax treaty). Please see below for a discussion of the tax implications to foreign shareholders in the event that clause (iii) applies. “Short-term capital gain dividends” are distributions attributable to a Portfolio’s net short-term capital gain in excess of its net long-term capital loss and designated as such by the Portfolio in a written notice mailed by the Portfolio to its shareholders not later than 60 days after the close of the Portfolio’s taxable year.

It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend the exemptions from withholding for interest-related dividends and short-term capital gain dividends for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2010.

In the case of shares held through an intermediary, even if a Portfolio makes a designation with respect to a payment, no assurance can be made that the intermediary will respect such a designation, and an intermediary may withhold even if a Portfolio makes a designation with respect to a payment. Foreign shareholders should contact their intermediaries regarding the application of these rules to their accounts.

Even if permitted to do so, each Portfolio provides no assurance that it will designate any distributions as interest-related dividends or short-term capital gain dividends.

Special rules apply to distributions to foreign shareholders from a Portfolio if it is either a “U.S. real property holding corporation” (USRPHC) or would be a USRPHC but for the operation of certain exceptions described below. Additionally,

 

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special rules apply to the sale of shares in a Portfolio if it is a USRPHC. Generally, a USRPHC is a domestic corporation that holds USRPIs – defined generally as any interest in U.S. real property or any equity interest in a USRPHC – the fair market value of which equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market values of the corporation’s USRPIs, interests in real property located outside the United States and other assets. If a Portfolio holds (directly or indirectly) significant interests in REITs, it may be a USRPHC. The special rules discussed in the next paragraph will also apply to distributions from a Portfolio if it would be a USRPHC absent exclusions from USRPI treatment for interests in domestically controlled REITs or regulated investment companies and not-greater-than-5% interests in publicly traded classes of stock in REITs or regulated investment companies.

If a Portfolio is a USRPHC or would be a USRPHC but for the above-mentioned exceptions, amounts the Portfolio receives from REITs derived from gains realized from USRPIs generally will retain their character as such in the hands of the Portfolio’s foreign shareholders. In the hands of a foreign shareholder that holds (or has held in the prior 12 months) more than a 5% interest in any class of the Portfolio, such amounts generally will be treated as gains “effectively connected“ with the conduct of a “U.S. trade or business,” and subject to tax at graduated rates. Moreover, such shareholder generally will be required to file a U.S. income tax return for the year recognized, and the Portfolio must withhold 35% of the amount of such distribution. Otherwise, in the case of all other foreign shareholders (i.e., those whose interest in any class of the Portfolio did not exceed 5% at any time during the prior 12 months), such amounts generally will be treated as ordinary income (regardless of any designation by the Portfolio that such distribution is a short-term capital gain dividend or Capital Gain Dividend), and the Portfolio must withhold 30% (or a lower applicable treaty rate) of the amount of the distribution paid to such shareholders. If a Portfolio is subject to the rules of this paragraph, its foreign shareholders may also be subject to “wash sale” rules to prevent the avoidance of the foregoing tax-filing and payment obligations through the sale and repurchase of Portfolio shares. Prior to January 1, 2010, if a Portfolio is a USRPHC or would be a USRPHC but for the above-mentioned exceptions, similar rules generally also apply to any non-REIT USRPI gains recognized by the Portfolio directly or indirectly through certain lower-tier regulated investment companies. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this treatment to January 1, 2010 and beyond.

In addition, if a Portfolio is a USRPHC, it generally must withhold 10% of the amount realized in redemption by a greater-than-5% foreign shareholder, and that shareholder must file a U.S. income tax return for the year of the disposition of the USRPI and pay any additional tax due on the gain. Prior to January 1, 2010, no such withholding is generally required with respect to amounts paid in redemption of shares of a Portfolio if the Portfolio is a domestically controlled USRPHC or, in certain limited cases, if the Portfolio (whether or not domestically controlled) holds substantial investments in regulated investment companies that are domestically controlled USRPHCs. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this exemption from withholding to January 1, 2010 and beyond.

In order to qualify for any exemptions from withholding described above or for lower withholding tax rates under income tax treaties, or to establish an exemption from backup withholding, a foreign shareholder must comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its foreign status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN or substitute form). Foreign shareholders should consult their tax advisers in this regard.

Special rules (including withholding and reporting requirements) apply to foreign partnerships and those holding Portfolio shares through foreign partnerships. In addition, additional considerations may apply to foreign trusts and foreign estates. Investors holding Portfolio shares through foreign entities should consult their tax advisors about their particular situation.

A beneficial holder of shares who is a foreign person may be subject to state and local tax and to the U.S. federal estate tax in addition to the U.S. federal income tax referred to above.

Tax-Exempt Shareholders

Under current law, a Portfolio serves to “block” (that is, prevent the attribution to shareholders of) UBTI from being realized by tax-exempt shareholders. Notwithstanding this “blocking” effect, a tax-exempt shareholder could realize UBTI by virtue of its investment in a Portfolio if shares in the Portfolio constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Code Section 514(b).

It is possible that a tax-exempt shareholder will also recognize UBTI if a Portfolio recognizes excess inclusion income (as described above) derived from direct or indirect investments in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in TMPs.

 

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Furthermore, any investment in residual interests of a CMO that has elected to be treated as a REMIC can create complex tax consequences, especially if the Portfolio has state or local governments or other tax-exempt organizations as shareholders.

In addition, special tax consequences apply to charitable remainder trusts (CRTs) that invest in regulated investment companies that invest directly or indirectly in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in TMPs. Under legislation enacted in December 2006, a CRT, as defined in Section 664 of the Code, that realizes UBTI for a taxable year must pay an excise tax annually of an amount equal to such UBTI. Under IRS guidance issued in October 2006, a CRT will not recognize UBTI solely as a result of investing in a Portfolio to the extent that it recognizes excess inclusion income. Rather, if at any time during any taxable year a CRT (or one of certain other tax-exempt shareholders, such as the United States, a state or political subdivision, or an agency or instrumentality thereof, and certain energy cooperatives) is a record holder of a share in a Portfolio and the Portfolio recognizes excess inclusion income, then the Portfolio will be subject to a tax on that portion of its excess inclusion income for the taxable year that is allocable to such shareholders at the highest U.S. federal corporate income tax rate. The extent to which the IRS guidance remains applicable in light of the December 2006 legislation is unclear. To the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, each Portfolio may elect to specially allocate any such tax to the applicable CRT, or other shareholder, and thus reduce such shareholder’s distributions for the year by the amount of the tax that relates to such shareholder’s interest in the Portfolio. Each Portfolio has not yet determined whether such an election will be made. CRTs are urged to consult their tax advisors concerning the consequences of investing in a Portfolio.

Tax Shelter Reporting Regulations

Under Treasury Regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a regulated investment company are not excepted. Future guidance may extend the current exception from this reporting requirement to shareholders of most or all regulated investment companies. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

 

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CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

As of June 30, 2009, the name, address and percentage of ownership of each person who may be deemed to be a “principal holder “(i.e., owns of record or is known by the Trust to own beneficially 5% or more of any class of a Portfolio’s outstanding shares) is listed below.

Principal Holder Ownership of the Portfolios

 

Portfolio / Share Class

  

Shareholder Account Registration

   Share Balance    Percentage
of Class
 

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio

Class A

  

CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC

SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCOUNT FOR THE

EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS

ATTN: MUTUAL FUNDS

101 MONTGOMERY STREET

SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104-4151

   605,312.4630    11.26

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio

Class C

  

MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INC FOR THE SOLE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS

ATTN: SERVICE TEAM

4800 DEER LAKE DR E FL 3

JACKSONVILLE, FL 32246-6484

   99,166.3200    5.95

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio

Class Z

  

LPL FINANCIAL

FBO CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS

ATTN MUTUAL FUND OPERATIONS

PO BOX 509046

SAN DIEGO, CA 92150-9046

   28,986.2140    18.62

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio

Class Z

  

MARSHALL & ILSLEY TRUST CO NA

FBO CHAPMAN & CUTLER-M STARR

11270 W PARK PL STE 400

MILWAUKEE, WI 53224-3638

   11,010.9530    7.07

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio

Class Z

  

NFS LLC FEBO

NFS/FMTC R/O IRA

FBO SAUL A JULIAO

609 GRANNY WHITE PIKE

BRENTWOOD, TN 37027-5732

   10,111.4740    6.49

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio

Class Z

  

FIRST CLEARING, LLC

JEFFREY J ANDERSON BENE IRA

JOHN G ANDERSON DECD

1300 TULANE RD

WILMINGTON, DE 19803-5140

   9,676.0470    6.21

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio

Class Z

  

FIRST CLEARING, LLC

GREGORY J ANDERSON BENE IRA

2811 DEVON LN NE

ROCHESTER, MN 55906-8386

   9,676.0470    6.21

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio

Class A

  

CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC

SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCOUNT FOR THE

EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS

ATTN: MUTUAL FUNDS

101 MONTGOMERY STREET

SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104-4151

   359,258.8400    20.49

 

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Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio

Class Z

  

LPL FINANCIAL

FBO CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS

ATTN MUTUAL FUND OPERATIONS

PO BOX 509046

SAN DIEGO, CA 92150-9046

   17,491.3680    24.30

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio

Class Z

  

BANK OF AMERICA NA, TRUSTEE

PAUL T GIOVANNIELLO

1505 PLEASANT HARBOUR WAY

TAMPA, FL 33602-5966

   8,617.2830    11.97

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio

Class Z

  

BANK OF AMERICA NA IRA

JANICE L LEWIS

4305 DEL WEBB AVENUE

CARY, NC 27519

   4,372.3440    6.07

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

Class A

  

CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC

SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCOUNT FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS

ATTN: MUTUAL FUNDS

101 MONTGOMERY STREET

SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104-4151

   4,720,071.7160    61.14

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

Class B

  

MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INC FOR THE SOLE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS

ATTN: SERVICE TEAM

4800 DEER LAKE DR E FL 3

JACKSONVILLE, FL 32246-6484

   33,572.3000    6.18

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

Class C

  

MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INC FOR THE SOLE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS

ATTN: SERVICE TEAM

4800 DEER LAKE DR E FL 3

JACKSONVILLE, FL 32246-6484

   317,114.4030    20.68

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

Class C

  

MORGAN STANLEY & CO

HARBORSIDE FINANCIAL CENTER

PLAZA II, 3RD FL

JERSEY CITY, NJ 07311

   112,633.0760    7.34

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

Class R

  

FIM FUNDING C/O COLUMBIA MANAGEMENT GROUP

MA 5-100-11-05

100 FEDERAL ST

BOSOTN, MA 02110-1802

   1,166.5610    36.56

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

Class R

  

CHAD BULLEIGH FBO

BULLEIGH ORTHODONTICS PA 401K PSP & TRUST

22048 W 66TH ST

SHAWNEE, KS 66226-3500

   1,128.5360    35.37

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

Class R

  

COUNSEL TRUST DBA MID ATLANTIC TRUST CO FBO

SAL OPPENHEIM JR & CIE 401K PSP & TRUST

   463,4640    14.53

 

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336 4TH AVE

PITTSBURGH, PA 15222-2011

     

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

Class R

 

BRETT PEAKS FBO

LENOX VILLAGE DENTISTRY 401K PSP & TRUST

6905 LENOX VILLAGE DR

NASHVILLE, TN 37211-7172

   372.5670    11.68

As of June 30, 2009, the name, address and percentage of ownership of each person who may be deemed to be a “control person” (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act) of the Portfolios because it owns greater than 25% of the outstanding shares, either beneficially or by virtue of its fiduciary or trust roles or otherwise, is shown below. A controlling person’s vote could have a more significant effect on matters presented to shareholders for approval than the vote of other Portfolio shareholders.

Control Person Ownership of the Portfolios

 

Portfolio

  

Shareholder Account Registration

   Share
Balance
   Percentage of
Portfolio
Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio   

BANK OF AMERICA NA, TRUSTEE

ATTN BETTY BARLEY/FUNDS ACCOUNTING

1201 MAIN STREET 10TH FLOOR

DALLAS, TX 75202-3908

   9,487,682.5390    47.72%

 

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APPENDIX A — DESCRIPTIONS OF SECURITIES RATINGS

This Appendix summarizes the various descriptions of securities ratings applicable to securities purchased by the Columbia Funds Family. Please refer to a Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information to determine whether that Fund may invest in securities that have ratings described in this Appendix.

STANDARD & POOR’S (S&P)

Bonds

The following summarizes the ratings used by S&P for bonds. The ratings AAA, AA, A and BBB denote investment grade securities.

AAA bonds have the highest rating assigned by S&P and are considered to have an extremely strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal.

AA bonds are considered to have a very strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal, and they differ from AAA only in small degree.

A bonds are considered to have a strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal, although they are somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than debt in higher rated categories.

BBB bonds are considered to have an adequate capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Whereas they normally exhibit adequate protection parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay interest and repay principal than for bonds in the A category.

BB, B, CCC, CC and C bonds are considered to have predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation. BB indicates the lowest degree of speculation and C the highest degree. While such debt will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these are outweighed by large uncertainties or large exposures to adverse conditions.

BB bonds are considered to have less near-term vulnerability to default than other speculative issues. However, they face major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to inadequate capacity to meet timely interest and principal payments. The BB rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied BBB - rating.

B bonds are considered to have a greater vulnerability to default but currently have the capacity to meet interest payments and principal repayments. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair capacity or willingness to pay interest and repay principal. The B rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied BB or BB - rating.

CCC bonds are considered to have a currently identifiable vulnerability to default, and are dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions to meet timely payment of interest and repayment of principal. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the bonds are not likely to have the capacity to pay interest and repay principal. The CCC rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied B or B - rating.

CC rating typically is applied to debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied CCC rating.

C rating typically is applied to debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied CCC - debt rating. The C rating may be used to cover a situation, for example, where a bankruptcy petition has been filed, but debt service payments are continued.

CI rating is reserved for income bonds on which no interest is being paid.

D bonds are in payment default. The D rating category is used when interest payments or principal payments are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition if debt service payments are jeopardized.

 

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Plus (+) or minus (-): The ratings from AA to CCC may be modified by the addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

Municipal Notes

SP-1. Notes rated SP-1 are considered to have very strong or strong capacity to pay principal and interest. Those issues determined to possess overwhelming safety characteristics are designated as SP-1+.

SP-2. Notes rated SP-2 are considered to have satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest.

Notes due in three years or less normally receive a note rating. Notes maturing beyond three years normally receive a bond rating, although the following criteria are used in making that assessment:

Amortization schedule (the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely the issue will be rated as a note).

Source of payment (the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be rated as a note).

Commercial Paper

A. Issues assigned this highest rating are regarded as having the greatest capacity for timely payment. Issues in this category are further refined with the designations 1, 2, and 3 to indicate the relative degree of safety.

A-1. Issues assigned to this rating are considered to have overwhelming or very strong capacity for timely payment. Those issues determined to possess overwhelming safety characteristics are designed A-1+.

MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC. (MOODY’S)

Municipal Bonds

Aaa bonds are considered to be of the best quality. They are considered to have the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as “gilt edge”. Interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally stable margin and principal is secure. While various protective elements are likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair a fundamentally strong position of such issues.

Aa bonds are considered to be of high quality by all standards. Together with Aaa bonds they comprise what are generally known as high-grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of protection may not be as large in Aaa securities or fluctuation of protective elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be other elements present which make the long-term risks appear somewhat larger than in Aaa securities.

Those bonds in the Aa through B groups that Moody’s believes possess the strongest investment attributes are designated by the symbols Aa1, A1 or Baa1.

A bonds are considered to possess many favorable investment attributes and are to be considered to be upper-medium-grade obligations. Factors giving security to principal and interest are considered adequate, but elements may be present that suggest a susceptibility to impairment at some time in the future.

Baa bonds are considered to be medium grade obligations: they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Interest payments and principal security appear adequate for the present but certain protective elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great period of time. Such bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and, in fact, have speculative characteristics as well.

Ba bonds are considered to have speculative elements: their future cannot be considered as well secured. Often, the protection of interest and principal payments may be very moderate and thereby not well safeguarded during both good and bad times in the future. Uncertainty of position characterizes bonds in this grade.

B bonds are considered generally to lack characteristics of a desirable investment. Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance of other terms of the contract over any long period of time may be small.

 

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Caa bonds are considered to be of poor standing. Such issues may be in default or there may be present elements of danger with respect to principal or interest.

Ca bonds are considered to represent obligations that are speculative in a high degree. Such issues are often in default or have other marked shortcomings.

C bonds are the lowest rated class of bonds and issues so rated are considered to have extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing.

Conditional Ratings. Bonds for which the security depends upon the completion of some act or the fulfillment of some condition are rated conditionally. These are bonds secured by (a) earnings of projects under construction, (b) earnings of projects unseasoned in operating experience, (c) rentals which begin when facilities are completed, or (d) payments to which some other limiting conditions attach. Parenthetical rating denotes probable credit stature upon completion of construction or elimination of basis of condition.

Corporate Bonds

The description of the applicable rating symbols (Aaa, Aa, A, Baa, etc.) and their meanings is identical to that of the Municipal Bond ratings as set forth above, except for the numerical modifiers. Moody’s applies numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 in the Aa and A classifications of its corporate bond rating system. The modifier 1 indicates that the security ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a midrange ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates that the issuer ranks in the lower end of its generic rating category.

Municipal Notes

MIG 1. This designation denotes best quality. There is present strong protection by established cash flows, superior liquidity support or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

MIG 2. This designation denotes high quality. Margins of protection are ample although not so large as in the preceding group.

MIG 3. This designation denotes favorable quality. All security elements are accounted for, but there is lacking the undeniable strength of the preceding grades. Liquidity and cash flow protection may be narrow and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well established.

Commercial Paper

Moody’s employs the following three designations, all judged to be investment grade, to indicate the relative repayment capacity of rated issuers:

Prime-1 Highest Quality

Prime-2 Higher Quality

Prime-3 High Quality

If an issuer represents to Moody’s that its commercial paper obligations are supported by the credit of another entity or entities, Moody’s, in assigning ratings to such issuers, evaluates the financial strength of the indicated affiliated corporations, commercial banks, insurance companies, foreign governments, or other entities, but only as one factor in the total rating assessment.

FITCH, INC. (FITCH)

Long-Term Debt

Investment Grade Bond Ratings

AAA bonds are considered to be investment grade and of the highest credit quality. The obligor has an exceptionally strong ability to pay interest and/or dividends and repay principal, which is unlikely to be affected by reasonably foreseeable events.

 

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AA bonds are considered to be investment grade and of very high credit quality. The obligor’s ability to pay interest and repay principal is very strong, although not quite as strong as bonds rated AAA. Because bonds rated in the AAA and AA categories are not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable future developments, short-term debt of these issuers is generally rated F-1+.

A bonds are considered to be investment grade and of high credit quality. The obligor’s ability to pay interest and repay principal is considered to be strong, but may be more vulnerable to adverse changes in economic conditions and circumstances than debt securities with higher ratings.

BBB bonds are considered to be investment grade and of satisfactory credit quality. The obligor’s ability to pay interest or dividends and repay principal is considered to be adequate. Adverse changes in economic conditions and circumstances, however, are more likely to have adverse impact on these securities and, therefore, impair timely payment. The likelihood that the ratings of these bonds will fall below investment grade is higher than for securities with higher ratings.

Speculative Grade Bond Ratings

BB bonds are considered speculative. The obligor’s ability to pay interest and repay principal may be affected over time by adverse economic changes. However, business and financial alternatives can be identified, which could assist the obligor in satisfying its debt service requirements.

B bonds are considered highly speculative. While securities in this class are currently meeting debt service requirements, the probability of continued timely payment of principal and interest reflects the obligor’s limited margin of safety and the need for reasonable business and economic activity throughout the life of the issue.

CCC bonds are considered to have certain identifiable characteristics that, if not remedied, may lead to default. The ability to meet obligations requires an advantageous business and economic environment.

CC bonds are considered to be minimally protected. Default in payment of interest and/or principal seems probable over time.

C bonds are in imminent default in payment of interest or principal.

DDD, DD, and D bonds are in default on interest and/or principal payments. Such securities are extremely speculative and should be valued on the basis of their ultimate recovery value in liquidation or reorganization of the obligor. DDD represents the highest potential for recovery on these securities and D represents the lowest potential for recovery.

Plus (+) or minus (-): Plus or minus signs are used to show relative standing within the major rating categories. Plus and minus signs, however, are not used in the DDD, DD, or D categories.

Short-Term Debt

Fitch’s short-term ratings apply to debt obligations that are payable on demand or have original maturities of up to three years, including commercial paper, certificates of deposit, medium-term notes, and investment notes.

F-1+ obligations have exceptionally strong credit quality and are considered to have the strongest degree of assurance for timely payment.

F-1 obligations are considered to reflect an assurance of timely payment only slightly less in degree than issues rated F-1+.

F-2 obligations are considered to have good credit quality. Securities in this class have a satisfactory degree of assurance for timely payment, but the margin of safety is not as great as for issues assigned F-1+ and F-1 ratings.

F-3 obligations are considered to have characteristics suggesting that the degree of assurance for timely payment is adequate; however, near-term adverse changes could cause these securities to be rated below investment grade.

 

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F-S rating is assigned to obligations that are considered to have a minimal degree of assurance for timely payment and to be vulnerable to near-term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

B obligations are considered to have a minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments and a susceptibility to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions.

C rating is assigned to obligations that are considered to have a high default risk and whose capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.

D obligations are in actual or imminent payment default.

 

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APPENDIX B—PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (“CMA”) - Proxy Voting Policy

 

Last Review Date:

   March 2009
Applicable Regulatory Authority:   

Rule 206(4)-6 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940

Form N-PX

ERISA Department of Labor Bulletin 08-2

Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (SEC No Action Letter dated September 15, 2004)

Explanation/Summary of Regulatory Requirements

An investment adviser that exercises voting authority over clients’ proxies must adopt written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that those proxies are voted in the best economic interests of clients. An adviser’s policies and procedures must address how the adviser resolves material conflicts of interest between its interests and those of its clients. An investment adviser must comply with certain record keeping and disclosure requirements with respect to its proxy voting responsibilities. In addition, an investment adviser to Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) accounts has an affirmative obligation to vote proxies for an ERISA account, unless the client expressly retains proxy voting authority.

Policy Summary

Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (“CMA”) has adopted and implemented the following policy, which it believes is reasonably designed to: (1) ensure that proxies are voted in the best economic interest of clients; and (2) address material conflicts of interest that may arise. This policy applies primarily to the Global Wealth and Investment Management (“GWIM”) Investment Operations Group, the Investment groups (particularly, Equity and Chief Investment Officer’s Office), as well as to Compliance Risk Management (“CRM”) and Legal. CRM and Business groups to which this policy directly applies must adopt written procedures to implement this Policy.

Policy

All proxies regarding client securities for which CMA has authority to vote will, unless CMA determines in accordance with policies stated below to refrain from voting, be voted in a manner considered by CMA to be in the best interest of CMA’s clients without regard to any resulting benefit or detriment to CMA, its associates, or its affiliates. The best interest of clients is defined for this purpose as the interest of enhancing or protecting the economic value of client accounts, considered as a group rather than individually, as CMA determines in its sole and absolute discretion. In the event a client believes that its other interests require a different vote, CMA will vote as the client clearly instructs, provided CMA receives such instructions in time to act accordingly. Information regarding CMA’s proxy voting decisions is confidential. Therefore, the information may be shared on a need to know basis only, including within CMA and with CMA affiliates. Advisory clients, including mutual funds’ and other funds’ boards, may obtain information on how their proxies were voted by CMA. However, CMA will not selectively disclose its investment company clients’ proxy voting records to third parties. Rather, the investment company clients’ proxy records will be disclosed to shareholders by publicly-available annual filings for 12-month periods ending each year on June 30th on Form N-PX.

CMA endeavors to vote, in accordance with this Policy, all proxies of which it becomes aware prior to the vote deadline date, subject to certain general exceptions described below.

CMA seeks to avoid the occurrence of actual or apparent material conflicts of interest in the proxy voting process by voting in accordance with predetermined voting guidelines and observing other procedures that are intended to prevent where practicable and manage conflicts of interest (refer to Conflicts of Interest section below). CMA’s

 

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proxy voting policy and practices are summarized in its Form ADV. Additionally, CMA will provide clients with a copy of its policies, as they may be updated from time to time, upon request.

Means of Achieving Compliance

The Proxy Group within GWIM Investment Operations is primarily responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the proxy voting process. The Proxy Group’s monitoring will take into account the following elements: (1) periodic review of the proxy vendor’s votes to ensure that the proxy vendor is accurately voting consistent with CMA’s Voting Guidelines; and (2) review of the Columbia Funds’ fund website to ensure that annual proxy voting reports are posted in a timely and accurate manner. CMA has established a Proxy Committee which is responsible for overseeing the proxy voting process.

The specific responsibilities of the Proxy Committee and scope of its oversight are described in the Proxy Committee’s charter.

CMA’S INVESTMENT ASSOCIATES’ RESPONSIBILITIES

Under CMA’s Voting Guidelines, certain matters must be determined on a case-by-case basis. In general, the Proxy Group within GWIM Investment Operations will refer these matters first to the relevant CMA research analyst after first confirming that the proxy matter does not present a potential conflict to CMA. If there is not a research analyst assigned to the particular security, the matter will be referred to the appropriate portfolio manager.

In considering a particular proxy matter, the research analyst or portfolio manager must vote in the clients’ best interest as defined above. Information regarding CMA’s proxy voting decisions is confidential information. Therefore, research analysts and portfolio managers generally must not discuss proxy votes with any person outside of CMA and within CMA except on a need to know basis only.

Research analysts and portfolio managers must discharge their responsibilities consistent with the obligations set forth below (refer to Management of Conflicts of Interest – Additional Procedures). A research analyst or portfolio manager must disclose in writing any inappropriate attempt to influence their recommendation or any other personal interest that they have with the issuer (see Appendix B—Conflicts of Interest Disclosure and Certification Form). For each Proxy Referral (defined below), the research analyst or portfolio manager is responsible for memorializing their recommendation on the Proxy Voting Recommendation Form (see Appendix C) and communicating their recommendation to the Proxy Group.

Research analysts and portfolio managers should seek advice from CRM or Legal with respect to any questions that they have regarding personal conflicts of interests, communications regarding proxies, or other related matters.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

For purposes of this policy, a material conflict of interest is a relationship or activity engaged in by CMA, a CMA affiliate1, or a CMA associate that creates an incentive (or appearance thereof) to favor the interests of CMA, the affiliate, or associate, rather than the clients’ interests. However, a material conflict of interest is not automatically created when there is a relationship or activity engaged in by a CMA affiliate, but there is a possibility that a CMA affiliate could cause a conflict. CMA may have a conflict of interest if either CMA has a significant business relationship with a company that is soliciting a proxy, or if a CMA associate involved in the proxy voting decision-making process has a significant personal or family relationship with the particular company. A conflict of interest is considered to be “material” to the extent that a reasonable person could expect the conflict to influence CMA’s

 

1

Bank of America Corporation (“BAC”), the ultimate corporate parent of CMA, Bank of America, N.A. and all of their numerous affiliates owns, operates and has interests in many lines of business that may create or give rise to the appearance of a conflict of interest between BAC or its affiliates and those of CMA-advised clients. For example, the commercial and investment banking business lines may have interests with respect to issuers of voting securities that could appear to or even actually conflict with CMA’s duty, in the proxy voting process, to act in the best economic interest of its clients.

 

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decision on the particular vote at issue. In all cases where there is deemed to be a material conflict of interest, CMA will seek to resolve said conflict in the clients’ best interests.

For those proxy proposals that: (1) are not addressed by CMA’s proxy voting guidelines; (2) the guidelines specify the issue must be evaluated and determined on a case-by-case basis; or (3) a CMA investment associate believes that an exception to the guidelines may be in the best economic interest of CMA’s clients (collectively, “Proxy Referrals”), CMA may vote the proxy, subject to the conflicts of interest procedures set forth below.

In the case of Proxy Referrals, CRM identifies companies with which CMA has a significant business relationships and Proxy Referrals of such companies will be voted consistent with CMA’s conflicts management procedures described below. For Proxy Referrals that do not involve companies with which CMA has a significant business relationship the relevant CMA investment personnel (i.e. research analyst, portfolio manager, members of Proxy Committee) involved in the particular Proxy Referral must report any personal conflict of interest circumstances (e.g., relationships with nominees for directorship, members of an issuer’s or dissident’s management or otherwise, unusual communications with parties outside the investment organization concerning a proxy matter) to Columbia Management’s Conflicts of Interest Officer in writing (see Appendix B). In the event any member of the Proxy Committee has a conflict of interest regarding a given matter, he or she will abstain from participating in the Committee’s determination of whether and/or how to vote in the matter.

If the Proxy Committee, the Chairperson of the Proxy Committee, or the Conflicts Officer determines that a proxy matter presents a material conflict of interest, CMA will invoke one or more of the following conflict management procedures:

 

   

Causing the proxies to be voted in accordance with the recommendations of an independent third party (which generally will be CMA’s proxy voting agent);

 

   

Causing the proxies to be delegated to a qualified, independent third party, which may include CMA’s proxy voting agent; or

 

   

In unusual cases, with the Client’s consent and upon ample notice, forwarding the proxies to CMA’s clients so that they may vote the proxies directly.

Affiliate Investment Companies and Public Companies

CMA considers (1) proxies solicited by open-end and closed-end investment companies for which CMA or an affiliate serves as an investment adviser or principal underwriter; and (2) proxies solicited by Bank of America Corporation (“BAC”) or other public companies within the BAC organization to present a material conflict of interest for CMA. Consequently, the proxies of such affiliates will be voted following one of the conflict management practices discussed above.

Management of Conflicts of Interest – Additional Procedures

In certain circumstances, CMA follows the proxy guidelines and uses other research services provided by the proxy vendor or another independent third party. CMA reviews its proxy vendor’s conflicts of interest procedures as part of its oversight of the proxy vendor’s services.

CMA and other BAC affiliates have adopted various other policies and procedures that help reinforce this Policy. Please see any associated documents.

Ownership Limits – Delegation of Proxy Voting to an Independent Third Party

From time to time, CMA may face regulatory or compliance limits on the types or amounts of voting securities that it may purchase or hold for client accounts. Among other limits, federal, state, foreign regulatory restrictions, or company-specific ownership limits may restrict the total percentage of an issuer’s voting securities that CMA can hold for clients (collectively, “Ownership Limits”).

 

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The regulations or company-specific documents governing a number of these Ownership Limits often focus upon holdings in voting securities. As a result, in limited circumstances in order to comply with such Ownership Limits and/or internal policies designed to comply with such limits, CMA may delegate proxy voting in certain issuers to a qualified, independent third party, who may be CMA’s proxy voting agent.

PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES

A. CMA’s Proxy Voting Guidelines – General Practices.

The Proxy Committee has adopted the guidelines for voting proxies specified in Appendix A of this policy. CMA uses an independent, third-party proxy vendor to implement its proxy voting process as CMA’s proxy voting agent. In general, whenever a vote is solicited, the proxy vendor will execute the vote according to CMA’s Voting Guidelines.

B. Ability to Vote Proxies Other than as Provided by Voting Guidelines.

A Portfolio Manager or other party involved with a client’s account may conclude that the best interest of the firm’s client, as defined above, requires that a proxy be voted in a manner that differs from the predetermined proxy Voting Guidelines. In this situation, he or she will request in writing that the Proxy Committee consider voting the proxy other than according to such Guidelines and provide information as the Proxy Committee may request. The Proxy Committee may consider the matter, subject to the conflicts of interest procedures discussed above.

C. Other Proxy Matters

For the following categories, proxies will be voted as stated below:

1. New Proposals. For certain new proposals that are expected to be proposed to shareholders of multiple companies, the Proxy Committee may develop a Voting Guideline which will be incorporated into this Policy.

2. Accounts Adhering to Taft Hartley Principles. All proposals for accounts adhering to Taft Hartley principles will be voted according to the Taft Hartley Guidelines developed by the proxy vendor.

3. Accounts Adhering to Socially Responsible Principles. All proposals for accounts adhering to socially responsible principles will be voted according to the Socially Responsible Guidelines developed by the proxy vendor or as specified by the client.

4. Proxies of International Issuers. In general, CMA will refrain from voting securities in cases where international issuers impose share blocking restrictions. However, in the exceptional circumstances that CMA determines that it would be appropriate to vote such securities, all proposals for these securities will be voted only on the specific instruction of the Proxy Committee and to the extent practicable in accordance with the Voting Guidelines set forth in this Policy. Additionally, proxies will typically not be voted in markets where powers of attorney are required to be executed in order to vote shares.

5. Proxies of Investment Company Shares. Proposals on issues other than affiliated investment companies (previously described) will be voted on the specific instruction of the Proxy Committee.

6. Proxy Referrals for Passive Index Accounts. Proxy Referrals for a security that is held only within a passive index account managed by CMA’s Quantitative Strategies Group and not in any other account within CMA, shall be voted according to the guidelines developed by the proxy vendor or as specified by the client. However, if a security is held within a passive index account managed by CMA’s Quantitative Strategies Group and within another CMA-managed account (including without limitation an account actively managed by CMA’s Quantitative Strategies Group), all proposals, including Proxy Referrals, will be voted in accordance with the Voting Guidelines, subject to the other provisions of this Policy.

7. Proxy Voting for Securities on Loan. CMA generally votes in cases where shares have been loaned from actively managed Columbia Funds as long as the shares have been recalled in a timely manner. However, CMA generally does not vote shares that have been loaned from passively managed Columbia

 

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Index Funds. Other CMA clients may have their own stock loan programs and may or may not recall their shares for proxy voting.

Supervision

Managers and supervisory personnel are responsible for ensuring that their associates understand and follow this policy and any applicable procedures adopted by the business group to implement the policy. The Proxy Committee has ultimate responsibility for the implementation of this Policy.

Escalation

With the exception of conflicts of interest-related matters, issues arising under this policy should be escalated to the Proxy Committee. Issues involving potential or actual conflicts of interest should be promptly communicated to the Columbia Management Conflicts Officer.

Monitoring/Oversight

CRM and/or Corporate Internal Audit Group perform periodic reviews and assessments of various lines of businesses, including a review of Columbia Management’s compliance with the Proxy Voting Policy.

Recordkeeping

CMA will create and maintain records of each investment company’s proxy record for 12-month periods ended June 30th. CMA will compile the following information for each matter relating to a portfolio security considered at any shareholder meeting during the period covered by the annual report and for which CMA was entitled to vote:

 

   

The name of the issuer of the security;

 

   

The exchange ticker symbol of the portfolio security (if symbol is available through reasonably practicable means);

 

   

The Council on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures number for the portfolio security (if number is available through reasonably practicable means);

 

   

The shareholder meeting date;

 

   

A brief identification of the matter voted on;

 

   

Whether the matter was proposed by the issuer or by a security holder;

 

   

Whether the company cast its vote on the matter;

 

   

How the company cast its vote (e.g., for or against proposal, or abstain; for or withhold regarding the election of directors); and

 

   

Whether the company cast its vote for or against management.

Business groups and support partners are responsible for maintaining all records necessary to evidence compliance with this policy. The records must be properly maintained and readily accessible in order to evidence compliance with this policy.

These records include:

 

Document

  

Responsible Party

Proxy Committee Meeting Minutes and Related Materials    Proxy Group in GWIM Investment Operations
Proxy Vote Recommendation Form and Supporting Materials of Investment Management Personnel Concerning Proxy Decisions and Recommendations (or any other document created by CMA that was material to making a voting decision or that memorializes the basis for the voting decision)    Proxy Group in GWIM Investment Operations

 

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Conflicts of Interest Review Documentation, including Conflicts of Interest Forms    Compliance Risk Management
Client Communications Regarding Proxy Matters    Client Service Group
Copy of Each Applicable Proxy Statement Unless it has been Filed with the SEC and may be Obtained from the SEC’s EDGAR System    Proxy Group in GWIM Investment Operations

Records should be retained for a period of not less than six years plus the current year. Records must be retained in an appropriate office of CM for the first three years.

 

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APPENDIX A – CMA’s Proxy Voting Policy

CMA’S VOTING GUIDELINES

A. The Proxy Committee has adopted the following guidelines for voting proxies:

1. Matters Relating to the Board of Directors/Corporate Governance

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Proposals for the election of directors or for an increase or decrease in the number of directors, provided that no more than one-third of the Board of Directors would, presently or at any time during the previous three-year period, be from management.

However, CMA generally will WITHHOLD votes from pertinent director nominees if:

 

  (i) the board as proposed to be constituted would have more than one-third of its members from management;

 

  (ii) the board does not have audit, nominating, and compensation committees composed solely of directors who qualify as being regarded as “independent,” i.e., having no material relationship, directly or indirectly, with the Company, as CMA’s proxy voting agent may determine (subject to the Proxy Committee’s contrary determination of independence or non-independence);

 

  (iii) the nominee, as a member of the audit committee, permitted the company to incur excessive non-audit fees (as defined below regarding other business matters — ratification of the appointment of auditors);

 

  (iv) a director serves on more than six public company boards;

 

  (v) the CEO serves on more than two public company boards other than the company’s board.

On a CASE-BY-CASE basis, CMA may WITHHOLD votes for a director nominee who has failed to observe good corporate governance practices or, through specific corporate action or inaction (e.g., failing to implement policies for which a majority of shareholders has previously cast votes in favor), has demonstrated a disregard for the interests of shareholders.

 

   

Proposals requesting that the board audit, compensation and/or nominating committee be composed solely of independent directors. The Audit Committee must satisfy the independence and experience requirements established by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the New York Stock Exchange, or appropriate local requirements for foreign securities. At least one member of the Audit Committee must qualify as a “financial expert” in accordance with SEC rules.

 

   

Proposals to declassify a board, absent special circumstances that would indicate that shareholder interests are better served by a classified board structure.

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Proposals to create or eliminate positions or titles for senior management. CMA generally prefers that the role of Chairman of the Board and CEO be held by different persons unless there are compelling reasons to vote AGAINST a proposal to separate these positions, such as the existence of a counter-balancing governance structure that includes at least the following elements in addition to applicable listing standards:

 

   

Established governance standards and guidelines.

 

   

Full board composed of not less than two-thirds “independent” directors, as defined by applicable regulatory and listing standards.

 

   

Compensation, as well as audit and nominating (or corporate governance) committees composed entirely of independent directors.

 

   

A designated or rotating presiding independent director appointed by and from the independent directors with the authority and responsibility to call and preside at regularly and, as necessary, specially scheduled meetings of the independent directors to be conducted, unless the participating independent directors otherwise wish, in executive session with no members of management present.

 

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Disclosed processes for communicating with any individual director, the presiding independent director (or, alternatively, all of the independent directors, as a group) and the entire board of directors, as a group.

 

   

The pertinent class of the Company’s voting securities has out-performed, on a three-year basis, both an appropriate peer group and benchmark index, as indicated in the performance summary table of the Company’s proxy materials. This requirement shall not apply if there has been a change in the Chairman/CEO position within the three-year period.

 

   

Proposals that grant or restore shareholder ability to remove directors with or without cause.

 

   

Proposals to permit shareholders to elect directors to fill board vacancies.

 

   

Proposals that encourage directors to own a minimum amount of company stock.

 

   

Proposals to provide or to restore shareholder appraisal rights.

 

   

Proposals to adopt cumulative voting.

 

   

Proposals for the company to adopt confidential voting.

CMA will generally vote FOR shareholder proposals calling for majority voting thresholds for director elections unless the company has adopted formal corporate governance principles that present a meaningful alternative to the majority voting standard and/or provides an adequate response to both new nominees as well as incumbent nominees who fail to receive a majority of votes cast.

CMA generally will vote AGAINST:

 

   

Proposals to classify boards, absent special circumstances indicating that shareholder interests would be better served by a classified board structure.

 

   

Proposals that give management the ability to alter the size of the board without shareholder approval.

 

   

Proposals that provide directors may be removed only by supermajority vote.

 

   

Proposals to eliminate cumulative voting.

 

   

Proposals which allow more than one vote per share in the election of directors.

 

   

Proposals that provide that only continuing directors may elect replacements to fill board vacancies.

 

   

Proposals that mandate a minimum amount of company stock that directors must own.

 

   

Proposals to limit the tenure of non-management directors.

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis in contested elections of directors.

CMA generally will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis on board approved proposals relating to corporate governance. Such proposals include, but are not limited to:

 

   

Reimbursement of proxy solicitation expenses taking into consideration whether or not CMA was in favor of the dissidents.

 

   

Proxy contest advance notice. CMA generally will vote FOR proposals that allow shareholders to submit proposals as close to the meeting date as possible while allowing for sufficient time for Company response, SEC review, and analysis by other shareholders.

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis to indemnify directors and officers, and AGAINST proposals to indemnify external auditors.

CMA will vote FOR the indemnification of internal auditors, unless the costs associated with the approval are not disclosed.

2. Compensation

CMA generally will vote FOR management sponsored compensation plans (such as bonus plans, incentive plans, stock option plans, pension and retirement benefits, stock purchase plans or thrift plans) if they are consistent with industry and country standards. However, CMA generally is opposed to compensation plans that substantially dilute ownership interest in a company, provide participants with excessive awards, or have objectionable structural features. Specifically, for equity-based plans, if the proposed number of shares authorized for option programs (excluding authorized shares for expired options) exceeds an average of 5% of the currently outstanding shares over the previous three years or an average of 3% over the previous three years for directors only, the proposal should be referred to the Proxy Committee. The Committee will then consider the circumstances surrounding the issue and

 

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vote in the best interest of CMA’s clients. CMA requires that management provide substantial justification for the repricing of options.

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Proposals requiring that executive severance arrangements be submitted for shareholder ratification.

 

   

Proposals asking a company to expense stock options.

 

   

Proposals to put option repricings to a shareholder vote.

 

   

Employee stock purchase plans that have the following features: (i) the shares purchased under the plan are acquired for no less than 85% of their market value, (ii) the offering period under the plan is 27 months or less, and (iii) dilution is 10% or less.

 

   

Proposals for the remuneration of auditors if no more than 25% of the compensation costs comes from non audit activity.

CMA generally will vote AGAINST:

 

   

Stock option plans that permit issuance of options with an exercise price below the stock’s current market price, or that permit replacing or repricing of out-of-the money options.

 

   

Proposals to authorize the replacement or repricing of out-of-the money options.

 

   

Proposals requesting that plan administrators have advance authority to amend the terms of a plan without detailed disclosure of the specific amendments. When sufficient details are provided on the amendments permitted by the advance authority, CMA will recommend on such proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals regarding approval of specific executive severance arrangements.

3. Capitalization

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Proposals to increase the authorized shares for stock dividends, stock splits (and reverse stock splits) or general issuance, unless proposed as an anti-takeover measure or a general issuance proposal increases the authorization by more than 30% without a clear need presented by the company. Proposals for reverse stock splits should include an overall reduction in authorization.

For companies recognizing preemptive rights for existing shareholders, CMA generally will vote FOR general issuance proposals that increase the authorized shares by more than 30%. CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis all such proposals by companies that do not recognize preemptive rights for existing shareholders.

 

   

Proposals for the elimination of authorized but unissued shares or retirement of those shares purchased for sinking fund or treasury stock.

 

   

Proposals to institute/renew open market share repurchase plans in which all shareholders may participate on equal terms.

 

   

Proposals to reduce or change the par value of common stock, provided the number of shares is also changed in order to keep the capital unchanged.

CMA will evaluate on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals regarding:

 

   

Management proposals that allow listed companies to de-list and terminate the registration of their common stock. CMA will determine whether the transaction enhances shareholder value by giving consideration to:

 

   

Whether the company has attained benefits from being publicly traded.

 

   

Cash-out value

 

   

Balanced interests of continuing vs. cashed-out shareholders

 

   

Market reaction to public announcement of transaction

4. Mergers, Restructurings and Other Transactions

CMA will review, on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, business transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, liquidations, spinoffs, buyouts and sale of all or substantially all of a company’s assets.

 

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5. Anti-Takeover Measures

CMA generally will vote AGAINST proposals intended largely to avoid acquisition prior to the occurrence of an actual event or to discourage acquisition by creating a cost constraint. With respect to the following measures, CMA generally will vote as follows:

Poison Pills

 

   

CMA votes FOR shareholder proposals that ask a company to submit its poison pill for shareholder ratification.

 

   

CMA generally votes FOR shareholder proposals to eliminate a poison pill.

 

   

CMA generally votes AGAINST management proposals to ratify a poison pill.

Greenmail

 

   

CMA will vote FOR proposals to adopt anti-greenmail charter or bylaw amendments or to otherwise restrict a company’s ability to make greenmail payments.

Supermajority vote

 

   

CMA will vote AGAINST board-approved proposals to adopt anti-takeover measures such as supermajority voting provisions, issuance of blank check preferred stock, the creation of a separate class of stock with disparate voting rights and charter amendments adopting control share acquisition provisions.

Control Share Acquisition Provisions

 

   

CMA will vote FOR proposals to opt out of control share acquisition statutes.

6. Other Business Matters

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Bylaw amendments giving holders of at least 25% of outstanding common stock the ability to call a special meeting of stockholders.

 

   

Board governance document amendments or other proposals which give the lead independent director the authority to call special meetings of the independent directors at any time.

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Proposals to approve routine business matters such as changing the company’s name and procedural matters relating to the shareholder meeting such as approving the minutes of a prior meeting.

 

   

Proposals to ratify the appointment of auditors, unless any of the following apply in which case CMA will generally vote AGAINST the proposal:

 

   

Credible reason exists to question:

 

   

The auditor’s independence, as determined by applicable regulatory requirements.

 

   

The accuracy or reliability of the auditor’s opinion as to the company’s financial position.

 

   

Fees paid to the auditor or its affiliates for “non-audit” services were excessive, i.e., in excess of the total fees paid for “audit,” “audit-related” and “tax compliance” and/or “tax return preparation” services, as disclosed in the company’s proxy materials.

 

   

Bylaw or charter changes that are of a housekeeping nature (e.g., updates or corrections).

 

   

Proposals to approve the annual reports and accounts provided the certifications required by the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 have been provided.

CMA generally will vote AGAINST:

 

   

Proposals to eliminate the right of shareholders to act by written consent or call special meetings.

 

   

Proposals providing management with authority to adjourn an annual or special shareholder meeting absent compelling reasons, or to adopt, amend or repeal bylaws without shareholder approval, or to vote unmarked proxies in favor of management.

 

   

Shareholder proposals to change the date, time or location of the company’s annual meeting of shareholders.

 

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CMA will vote AGAINST:

 

   

Authorization to transact other unidentified substantive (as opposed to procedural) business at a meeting.

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis:

 

   

Proposals to change the location of the company’s state of incorporation. CMA considers whether financial benefits (e.g., reduced fees or taxes) likely to accrue to the company as a result of a reincorporation or other change of domicile outweigh any accompanying material diminution of shareholder rights.

 

   

Proposals on whether and how to vote on “bundled” or otherwise conditioned proposals, depending on the overall economic effects upon shareholders.

CMA generally will ABSTAIN from voting on shareholder proposals predominantly involving social, socio-economic, environmental, political or other similar matters on the basis that their impact on share value can rarely be anticipated with any high degree of confidence. CMA may, on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, vote:

 

   

FOR proposals seeking inquiry and reporting with respect to, rather than cessation or affirmative implementation of, specific policies where the pertinent issue warrants separate communication to shareholders; and

 

   

FOR or AGAINST the latter sort of proposal in light of the relative benefits and detriments (e.g., distraction, costs, other burdens) to share value which may be expected to flow from passage of the proposal.

7. Other Matters Relating to Foreign Issues

CMA generally will vote FOR:

 

   

Most stock (scrip) dividend proposals. CMA votes AGAINST proposals that do not allow for a cash option unless management demonstrates that the cash option is harmful to shareholder value.

 

   

Proposals to capitalize the company’s reserves for bonus issues of shares or to increase the par value of shares.

 

   

Proposals to approve control and profit transfer agreements between a parent and its subsidiaries.

 

   

Management proposals seeking the discharge of management and supervisory board members, unless there is concern about the past actions of the company’s auditors/directors and/or legal action is being taken against the board by other shareholders.

 

   

Management proposals concerning allocation of income and the distribution of dividends, unless the proxy vendor would vote against such proposal in accordance with its guidelines, in which case CMA will evaluate the proposal on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

 

   

Proposals for the adoption of financing plans if they are in the best economic interests of shareholders.

CMA will generally vote FOR proposals to approve Directors’ Fees, unless the proxy vendor would vote against such proposal in accordance with its guidelines, in which case CMA will evaluate the proposal on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

CMA will evaluate management proposals to approve protective preference shares for Netherlands located company-friendly foundations proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis and will only support resolutions if:

 

   

The supervisory board needs to approve an issuance of shares while the supervisory board is independent within the meaning of CMA’s categorization rules and the Dutch Corporate Governance Code.

 

   

No call/put option agreement exists between the company and the foundation.

 

   

There is a qualifying offer clause or there are annual management and supervisory board elections.

 

   

The issuance authority is for a maximum of 18 months.

 

   

The board of the company-friendly foundation is independent.

 

   

The company has disclosed under what circumstances it expects to make use of the possibility to issue preference shares.

 

   

There are no priority shares or other egregious protective or entrenchment tools.

 

   

The company releases its proxy circular, with details of the poison pill proposal, at least three weeks prior to the meeting.

 

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Art 2:359c Civil Code of the legislative proposal has been implemented.

8. Investment Company Matters

Election of Directors:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals for the election of directors, considering the following factors:

 

   

Board structure

 

   

Attendance at board and committee meetings.

CMA will WITHHOLD votes from directors who:

 

   

Attend less than 75 percent of the board and committee meetings without a valid excuse for the absences. Valid reasons include illness or absence due to company business. Participation via telephone is acceptable. In addition, if the director missed only one meeting or one day’s meetings, votes should not be withheld even if such absence dropped the director’s attendance below 75 percent.

 

   

Ignore a shareholder proposal that is approved by a majority of shares outstanding;

 

   

Ignore a shareholder proposal this is approved by a majority of the votes cast for two consecutive years;

 

   

Are interested directors and sit on the audit or nominating committee; or

 

   

Are interested directors and the full board serves as the audit or nominating committee or the company does not have one of these committees.

Proxy Contests:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals for proxy contests, considering the following factors:

 

   

Past performance relative to its peers

 

   

Market in which fund invests

 

   

Measures taken by the board to address the pertinent issues (e.g., closed-end fund share market value discount to NAV)

 

   

Past shareholder activism, board activity and votes on related proposals

 

   

Strategy of the incumbents versus the dissidents

 

   

Independence of incumbent directors; director nominees

 

   

Experience and skills of director nominees

 

   

Governance profile of the company

 

   

Evidence of management entrenchment

Converting Closed-end Fund to Open-end Fund:

CMA will vote conversion proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering the following factors:

 

   

Past performance as a closed-end fund

 

   

Market in which the fund invests

 

   

Measures taken by the board to address the discount

 

   

Past shareholder activism, board activity, and votes on related proposals.

Investment Advisory Agreements:

CMA will vote investment advisory agreements on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering the following factors:

 

   

Proposed and current fee schedules

 

   

Fund category/investment objective

 

   

Performance benchmarks

 

   

Share price performance as compared with peers

 

   

Resulting fees relative to peers

 

   

Assignments (where the adviser undergoes a change of control)

 

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Approving New Classes or Series of Shares:

CMA will vote FOR the establishment of new classes or series of shares.

Preferred Stock Proposals:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals for the authorization for or increase in the preferred shares, considering the following factors:

 

   

Stated specific financing purpose

 

   

Possible dilution for common shares

 

   

Whether the shares can be used for antitakeover purposes

Policies Addressed by the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”):

CMA will vote proposals regarding adoption or changes of policies addressed by the 1940 Act on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering the following factors:

 

   

Potential competitiveness

 

   

Regulatory developments

 

   

Current and potential returns

 

   

Current and potential risk

CMA generally will vote FOR these amendments as long as the proposed changes do not fundamentally alter the investment focus of the fund and do comply with current SEC interpretations.

Changing a Fundamental Restriction to a Non-fundamental Restriction:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to change a fundamental restriction to a non-fundamental restriction, considering the following factors:

 

   

Fund’s target investments

 

   

Reasons given by the fund for the change

 

   

Projected impact of the change on the portfolio

Change Fundamental Investment Objective to Non-fundamental:

CMA will vote AGAINST proposals to change a fund’s investment objective from fundamental to non-fundamental unless management acknowledges meaningful limitations upon its future requested ability to change the objective

Name Change Proposals:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to change a fund’s name, considering the following factors:

 

   

Political/economic changes in the target market

 

   

Consolidation in the target market

 

   

Current asset composition

Change in Fund’s Subclassification:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to change a fund’s subclassification, considering the following factors:

 

   

Potential competitiveness

 

   

Current and potential returns

 

   

Risk of concentration

 

   

Consolidation in target industry

 

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Disposition of Assets/Termination/Liquidation:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis these proposals, considering the following factors:

 

   

Strategies employed to salvage the company

 

   

Past performance of the fund

 

   

Terms of the liquidation

Changes to the Charter Document:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to change the charter document, considering the following factors:

 

   

The degree of change implied by the proposal

 

   

The efficiencies that could result

 

   

The state of incorporation; net effect on shareholder rights

 

   

Regulatory standards and implications

CMA will vote FOR:

 

   

Proposals allowing the Board to impose, without shareholder approval, fees payable upon redemption of fund shares, provided imposition of such fees is likely to benefit long-term fund investors (e.g., by deterring market timing activity by other fund investors)

 

   

Proposals enabling the Board to amend, without shareholder approval, the fund’s management agreement(s) with its investment adviser(s) or sub-advisers, provided the amendment is not required by applicable law (including the Investment Company Act of 1940) or interpretations thereunder to require such approval

CMA will vote AGAINST:

 

   

Proposals enabling the Board to:

 

   

Change, without shareholder approval the domicile of the fund

 

   

Adopt, without shareholder approval, material amendments of the fund’s declaration of trust or other organizational document

Changing the Domicile of a Fund:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to reincorporate, considering the following factors:

 

   

Regulations of both states

 

   

Required fundamental policies of both states

 

   

The increased flexibility available

Authorizing the Board to Hire and Terminate Subadvisors Without Shareholder Approval:

CMA will vote FOR proposals to enable the Board or Investment Adviser to hire and terminate sub-advisers, without shareholder approval, in accordance with applicable rules or exemptive orders under the Investment Company Act of 1940

Distribution Agreements:

CMA will vote these proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering the following factors:

 

   

Fees charged to comparably sized funds with similar objectives

 

   

The proposed distributor’s reputation and past performance

 

   

The competitiveness of the fund in the industry

 

   

Terms of the agreement

 

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Master-Feeder Structure:

CMA will vote FOR the establishment of a master-feeder structure.

Mergers:

CMA will vote merger proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering the following factors:

 

   

Resulting fee structure

 

   

Performance of both funds

 

   

Continuity of management personnel

 

   

Changes in corporate governance and their impact on shareholder rights

Shareholder Proposals to Establish Director Ownership Requirement:

CMA will generally vote AGAINST shareholder proposals that mandate a specific minimum amount of stock that directors must own in order to qualify as a director or to remain on the board. While CMA favors stockownership on the part of directors, the company should determine the appropriate ownership requirement.

Shareholder Proposals to Reimburse Shareholder for Expenses Incurred:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to reimburse proxy solicitation expenses.

Shareholder Proposals to Terminate the Investment Adviser:

CMA will vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis proposals to terminate the investment adviser, considering the following factors:

 

   

Performance of the fund’s NAV

 

   

The fund’s history of shareholder relations

 

   

The performance of other funds under the adviser’s management

 

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APPENDIX B

Conflicts of Interest Disclosure and Certification Form

Conflict Review Questionnaire for Proxy Voting Working Group Members and Other Individuals Participating in the Proxy Voting Decision-Making Process.

Instructions: Please complete each of the questions. Please provide an explanation for any affirmative responses. Return the completed questionnaire to Columbia Management Conflicts of Interest Officer.

Issuer and Proxy Matter:

 

 

 

1.    Do you or any member of your immediate family have an existing (or potential) business, financial, personal or other relationship with any management personnel of the issuer1?
  

 

  

 

2.    Do you or any member of your immediate family have an existing (or potential) business, financial, personal or other relationship with any person participating, supporting, opposing or otherwise connected with the particular proxy proposal (e.g., principals of the issuer; director nominees of issuer company; shareholder activists)?
  

 

  

 

3.    Have you discussed this particular proxy proposal with anyone outside of Columbia Management’s investment group2?
  

 

  

 

4.    Are you aware of any other potential personal conflicts of interest not described above? Please detail below.
  

 

  

 

 

Name:  

 

Signed:  

 

Date:  

 

 

1

Personal investing in the issuer by you or a member of your immediate family does not require an affirmative response to this item.

2

Communications with issuer or solicitors in the regular course of business would not have to be disclosed on this form.

 

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APPENDIX C

CMA Proxy Vote Recommendation/Proxy Committee Request Form

 

Name of Investment Associate:   

 

Company Name:   

 

Overview of Proxy Vote and Meeting Date:   

 

 

Proxy Agenda Item(s)   
Description of Item:   

 

 

(The above information will be pre-populated by the Proxy Department.)
Recommendation (FOR , AGAINST, ABSTAIN) including brief rationale:                                         

 

 

 

 

 

Please attach any supporting information other than analysis or reports provided by the Proxy Department.

 

 

Signed

By signing, I am certifying that I either have no conflicts of interest-related information to report or have sent a completed “Conflicts of Interest Disclosure and Certification Form” to Compliance Risk Management (Conflicts Officer).

Send Completed Forms to:

GWIM Investment Operations – Proxy Department

                or

In the case of Proxy Votes to be referred to the Proxy Committee, submit this form and materials to the Chair of the Proxy Committee

 

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COLUMBIA FUNDS SERIES TRUST

PART C

OTHER INFORMATION

 

ITEM 28. Exhibits

All references to the “Registration Statement” in the following list of Exhibits refer to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 333-89661; 811-09645)

 

(a)(1)   Certificate of Trust dated October 22, 1999 is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment (“PEA”) No. 1 to the Registration Statement filed on February 10, 2000.
(a)(2)   Certificate of Amendment of Certificate of Trust dated September 21, 2005 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 41 to the Registration Statement filed on November 21, 2005.
(a)(3)   Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust dated September 26, 2005 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 41 to the Registration Statement filed on November 21, 2005.
(b)       Not Applicable.
(c)       Articles III and VII of Registrant’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust dated September 26, 2005 define the rights of holders of securities being registered.
(d)(1)   Investment Advisory Agreement between Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (“CMA”) and the Registrant dated September 30, 2005 with Schedule I dated May 5, 2008 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 67 to the Registration Statement filed on June 27, 2008.
(d)(2)   Assumption Agreement by CMA for CFST on behalf of Columbia LifeGoal Growth Portfolio, Columbia LifeGoal Balanced Growth Portfolio and Columbia LifeGoal Income and Growth Portfolio dated September 30, 2005 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 67 to the Registration Statement filed on June 27, 2008.
(d)(3)   Investment Advisory Agreement between CMA and the Registrant on behalf of Corporate Bond Portfolio and Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Portfolio dated September 30, 2005 with Schedule I dated October 1, 2006 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 48 to the Registration Statement filed on February 28, 2007.
(d)(4)   Assumption Agreement by CMA for CFST on behalf of Corporate Bond Portfolio and Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Portfolio dated September 30, 2005 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 67 to the Registration Statement filed on June 27, 2008.
(d)(5)   Investment Advisory Agreement between CMA and the Registrant on behalf of Columbia Multi-Advisor International Equity Fund, Columbia Marsico Focused Equities Fund and Columbia Marsico Growth Fund dated September 30, 2006 with Schedule I dated November 10, 2008 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 70 to the Registration Statement filed on December 23, 2008.


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(d)(6)       Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement among CMA, Brandes Investment Partners, L.P. (“Brandes”) and the Registrant on behalf of Columbia Global Value Fund dated September 30, 2005 with Schedule I dated September 30, 2006 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 48 to the Registration Statement filed on February 28, 2007.
(d)(7)       Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement among CMA, Marsico Capital Management, LLC (“Marsico”) and the Registrant dated December 14, 2007 with Schedule I dated November 10, 2008 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 70 to the Registration Statement filed on December 23, 2008.
(d)(8)       Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement among CMA, Causeway Capital Management LLC (“Causeway”) and the Registrant on behalf of Columbia Multi-Advisory International Equity Fund dated September 30, 2006 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 48 to the Registration Statement filed on February 28, 2007.
(d)(9)       Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement among CMA, MacKay Shields LLC (“MacKay Shields”) and the Registrant on behalf of Columbia High Income Fund dated February 28, 2008 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 63 to the Registration Statement filed on March 28, 2008.
(e)(1)       Distribution Agreement with Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. (“CMD”) dated September 26, 2005 with Schedule I dated May 5, 2008 and Schedule II dated April 30, 2008 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 67 to the Registration Statement filed on June 27, 2008.
(f)           Deferred Compensation Plan adopted December 9, 1999, last amended November 19, 2003 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 35 to the Registration Statement filed on July 30, 2004.
(g)(1)       Master Custodian Agreement between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) dated June 13, 2005 with Appendix A dated May 5, 2008 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 67 to the Registration Statement filed on June 27, 2008.
(g)(2)       Amendment No. 1 to the Master Custodian Agreement between the Registrant and State Street dated June 1, 2006 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 45 to the Registration Statement filed on June 14, 2006.
(h)(1)       Administration Agreement between the Registrant and CMA dated December 1, 2005 with Schedule A dated May 5, 2008 and Schedule B dated November 10, 2008 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 70 to the Registration Statement filed on December 23, 2008.
(h)(2)   Amended and Restated Pricing and Bookkeeping Oversight and Services Agreement among the Registrant, the other parties listed on Schedule A and CMA dated January 1, 2008 with Schedule A dated December 1, 2008 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 70 to the Registration Statement filed on December 23, 2008.
(h)(3)       Shareholder Administration Plan relating to Registrant’s Class A Shares is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 68 to the Registration Statement filed on July 29, 2008.


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(h)(4)   Shareholder Administration Plan relating to Registrant’s Class B and Class C Shares is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 68 to the Registration Statement filed on July 29, 2008.
(h)(5)   Shareholder Administration Plan relating to Registrant’s Institutional Class Shares is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 68 to the Registration Statement filed on July 29, 2008.
(h)(6)   Shareholder Administration Plan relating to Registrant’s Marsico Shares with Exhibit I dated September 30, 2006 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 48 to the Registration Statement filed on February 28, 2007.
(h)(7)   Shareholder Administration Plan relating to Registrant’s Trust Class Shares is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 68 to the Registration Statement filed on July 29, 2008.
(h)(8)   Amended and Restated Transfer, Dividend Disbursing and Shareholders’ Servicing Agent Agreement among Columbia Management Services, Inc. (“CMS”), CMA and the Registrant dated October 17, 2007 with Appendix I dated May 5, 2008 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 70 to the Registration Statement filed on December 23, 2008.
(h)(9)   Form of Transfer, Dividend Disbursing and Shareholders’ Servicing Agent Agreement among CMS, CMA and Registrant on behalf of Class Y shares is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 71 to the Registration Statement of the Registrant on Form N-1A, filed with the Commission on or about May 29, 2009.
(h)(10)   Cross Indemnification Agreement between Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust LLC (the “Master Trust”) and the Registrant dated September 26, 2005 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 45 to the Registration Statement filed on June 14, 2006.
(h)(11)   Mutual Fund Fee and Expense Agreement among the Registrant, the Master Trust, Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I, Banc of America Funds Trust, CMA and CMD dated January 1, 2008 with Schedule A dated May 15, 2009, is filed herewith.
(h)(12)   Financial Reporting Services Agreement among the Registrant, the other parties listed on Schedule A, CMA and State Street dated December 15, 2006 with Schedule A dated May 5, 2008 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 67 to the Registration Statement filed on June 27, 2008.
(h)(12)(i)   Amendment to the Financial Reporting Services Agreement among the Registrant, the other parties listed on Schedule A, CMA and State Street, dated June 29, 2007 with Schedule A dated June 29, 2007, is filed herewith.
(h)(13)   Accounting Services Agreement among the Registrant, the other parties listed on Schedule A, CMA and State Street dated December 15, 2006 with Schedule A dated May 5, 2008 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 67 to the Registration Statement filed on June 27, 2008.
(h)(13)(i)   Amendment to the Accounting Services Agreement among the Registrant, the other parties listed on Schedule A, CMA and State Street, dated June 29, 2007 with Schedule A dated June 29, 2007, is filed herewith.
(h)(14)   Uncommitted Line of Credit among the Registrant, the other parties listed on Appendix I and State Street, dated December 27, 2007, incorporated by reference to PEA No. 64 to the Registration Statement filed on April 28, 2008.
(h)(14)(i)   Amendment Agreement No. 1, dated May 5, 2008, to be filed by amendment.
(h)(14)(ii)   Amendment Agreement No. 2, dated November 5 2008, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 70 to the Registration Statement filed on December 23, 2008.
(h)(14)(iii)   Amendment Agreement No. 3, dated December 18, 2008, to be filed by amendment.
(h)(15)(i)   Committed Line of Credit Agreement among the Registrant, the other parties listed on Schedule 2, the lending institutions listed on the signature pages and State Street Bank and Trust Company, dated October 19, 2006, incorporated by reference to PEA No. 55 to the Registration Statement filed on December 14, 2007.
(h)(15)(ii)   Notice and Acknowledgement to Committed Line of Credit Agreement regarding conversion of Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust LLC (formerly, Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust) to a Delaware limited liability company, dated March 30, 2007, to be filed by amendment.
(h)(15)(iii)   Amendment Agreement No. 1 and Instrument of Adherence, dated October 18, 2007, incorporated by reference to PEA No. 55 to the Registration Statement filed on December 14, 2007.
(h)(15)(iv)   Amendment Agreement No. 2, dated as of February 28, 2008, incorporated by reference to PEA No. 63 filed on March 28, 2008.
(h)(15)(v)   Amendment Agreement No. 3, dated as of March 31, 2008, incorporated by reference to PEA No. 64 to the Registration Statement filed on April 28, 2008.
(h)(15)(vi)   Amendment Agreement No. 4, dated October 16, 2008, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 70 to the Registration Statement of the Registrant on Form N-1A, filed with the Commission on or about December 23, 2008.
(h)(16)(i)   Uncommitted Line of Credit Agreement among the Registrant, the other parties listed on Appendix 1 and State Street Bank and Trust Company, dated September 19, 2005, incorporated by reference to PEA No. 55 to the Registration Statement filed on December 14, 2007.
(h)(16)(ii)   Amendment No. 1 to the Uncommitted Line of Credit Agreement, dated February 15, 2006, incorporated by reference to PEA No. 55 to the Registration Statement filed on December 14, 2007.


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(h)(16)(iii)   Amendment No. 2 to the Uncommitted Line of Credit Agreement, dated June 7, 2006, incorporated by reference to PEA No. 55 to the Registration Statement filed on December 14, 2007.
(h)(16)(iv)   Amendment No. 3 to the Uncommitted Line of Credit Agreement, dated September 15, 2006, incorporated by reference to PEA No. 55 to the Registration Statement filed on December 14, 2007.
(h)(16)(v)   Amendment No. 4 to the Uncommitted Line of Credit Agreement, dated October 19, 2006, incorporated by reference to PEA No. 55 to the Registration Statement filed on December 14, 2007.
(h)(16)(vi)   Amendment No. 5 to the Uncommitted Line of Credit Agreement, September 17, 2007, incorporated by reference to PEA No. 55 to the Registration Statement filed on December 14, 2007.
(h)(16)(vii)   Amendment No. 6 to the Uncommitted Line of Credit Agreement, dated October 18, 2007, incorporated by reference to PEA No. 55 to the Registration Statement filed on December 14, 2007.
(h)(16)(viii)   Notice and Acknowledgement to Uncommitted Line of Credit Agreement regarding conversion of Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust LLC to a Delaware limited liability company dated March 30, 2007, to be filed by amendment.
(h)(16)(ix)   Amendment No. 7 to the Uncommitted Line of Credit Agreement, dated as of February 28, 2008, incorporated by reference to PEA No. 63 to the Registration Statement filed on March 28, 2008.
(h)(16)(x)   Amendment No. 8 to the Uncommitted Line of Credit Agreement, dated as of March 31, 2008, incorporated by reference to PEA No. 64 to the Registration Statement filed on April 28, 2008.
(h)(17)   Securities Lending Authorization Agreement is to be filed by amendment.
(h)(18)   Form of Indemnification Agreement by and between each member of the Board of Trustees and the Registrant, is filed herewith.
(i)   Opinion of Goodwin Procter LLP is filed herewith.
(j)(i)   Consent of PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP re: specified annual reports dated March 31, 2009 is filed herewith.
(j)(ii)   Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP re: Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II annual report dated March 31, 2009 is filed herewith.
(k)   Not Applicable.
(l)   Not Applicable.
(m)(1)   Shareholder Servicing and Distribution Plan for Registrant’s Class A Shares with Exhibit I dated April 30, 2008, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 68 to the Registration Statement filed on July 29, 2008.
(m)(2)   Distribution Plan for certain Fund share classes of the Registrant with Exhibits I and II, dated April 30, 2008 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 68 to the Registration Statement filed on July 29, 2008.
(m)(3)   Shareholder Servicing Plan for certain Fund share classes of Registrant with Exhibit I dated April 30, 2008, is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 68 to the Registration Statement filed on July 29, 2008.
(m)(4)   Shareholder Servicing Plan Implementation Agreement between Registrant and CMD is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 68 to the Registration Statement filed on July 29, 2008.
(n)   Rule 18f-3 Multi-Class Plan is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 71 to the Registration Statement of the Registrant on Form N-1A, filed with the Commission on or about May 29, 2009.
(p)(1)   Columbia Funds Family Code of Ethics, effective January 3, 2006 is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 56 to the Registration Statement filed on December 31, 2007.
(p)(2)   Bank of America Asset Management Code of Ethics, effective January 1, 2009, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 73 to the Registration Statement of the Registrant on Form N-1A, filed with the Commission on or about June 26, 2009.
(p)(3)   Brandes Investment Partners L.P. Code of Ethics is incorporated by reference to PEA No. 67 to the Registration Statement filed on June 27, 2008.
(p)(4)   Marsico Capital Management LLC Code of Ethics is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 73 to the Registration Statement of the Registrant on Form N-1A, filed with the Commission on or about June 26, 2009.
(p)(5)   Causeway Capital Management LLC Code of Ethics is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 73 to the Registration Statement of the Registrant on Form N-1A, filed with the Commission on or about June 26, 2009.
(p)(6)   MacKay Shields LLC Code of Ethics is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 73 to the Registration Statement of the Registrant on Form N-1A, filed with the Commission on or about June 26, 2009.
(q)(1)   Powers of Attorney for Edward J. Boudreau, Jr., William P. Carmichael, William A. Hawkins, R. Glenn Hilliard, John J. Nagorniak, Anthony M. Santomero and Minor M. Shaw dated February 25, 2009 is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 71 to the Registration Statement of the Registrant on Form N-1A, filed with the Commission on or about May 29, 2009.
(q)(2)   Power of Attorney for J. Kevin Connaughton is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 72 to the Registration Statement of the Registrant on Form N-1A, filed with the Commission on or about June 2, 2009.
(q)(3)   Power of Attorney for Michael G. Clarke is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 75 to the Registration Statement of the Registrant on Form N-1A, filed with the Commission on or about July 10, 2009.

 

ITEM 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Registrant

No person is controlled by or under common control with the Registrant.


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ITEM 30. Indemnification

DECLARATION OF TRUST

Article VII of the Registrant’s Declaration of Trust provides for the indemnification of the Registrant’s trustees, officers, employees and other agents. Indemnification of the Registrant’s administrators, distributor, custodian and transfer agents is provided for, respectively, in the Registrant’s:

 

  1. Administration Agreement with CMA;

 

  2. Distribution Agreement with CMD;

 

  3. Custody Agreement with State Street; and

 

  4. Transfer Agency and Services Agreement with CMS and CMA.

TRUSTEE INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

THE REGISTRANT HAS ENTERED INTO AN INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT WITH EACH TRUSTEE PURSUANT TO WHICH THE REGISTRANT SHALL HOLD HARMLESS AND INDEMNIFY OUT OF ITS ASSETS, AND ADVANCE EXPENSES (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ALL JUDGMENTS, PENALTIES, FINES, AMOUNTS PAID OR TO BE PAID IN SETTLEMENT, ERISA EXCISE TAXES, LIABILITIES, LOSSES, INTEREST, EXPENSES OF INVESTIGATION, ATTORNEYS’ FEES, RETAINERS, COURT COSTS, TRANSCRIPT COSTS, FEES OF EXPERTS, WITNESS FEES, EXPENSES OF PREPARING FOR AND ATTENDING DEPOSITIONS AND OTHER PROCEEDINGS, TRAVEL EXPENSES, DUPLICATING COSTS, PRINTING AND BINDING COSTS, COMPUTERIZED LEGAL RESEARCH COSTS, TELEPHONE CHARGES, POSTAGE, DELIVERY SERVICE FEES, AND ALL OTHER COSTS, DISBURSEMENTS OR EXPENSES OF THE TYPES CUSTOMARILY INCURRED IN CONNECTION WITH PROSECUTING, DEFENDING, PREPARING TO PROSECUTE OR DEFEND, INVESTIGATING, OR ACTING OR PREPARING TO ACT AS A WITNESS IN A PROCEEDING) TO, EACH TRUSTEE (A) AS SPECIFICALLY PROVIDED IN THE AGREEMENT AND (B) OTHERWISE TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW IN EFFECT ON THE DATE OF THE AGREEMENT AND AS SUCH LAW MAY BE AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, NO CHANGE IN APPLICABLE LAW SHALL HAVE THE EFFECT OF REDUCING THE BENEFITS AVAILABLE TO EACH TRUSTEE UNDER THE AGREEMENT BASED ON APPLICABLE LAW AS IN EFFECT ON THE DATE OF THE AGREEMENT. IN RECOGNITION THAT EACH TRUSTEE SERVES OR SERVED AS A TRUSTEE OF THE REGISTRANT AND ACTS OR ACTED FOR THE REGISTRANT AND NOT A SINGLE PART OR SERIES THEREOF, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY THE REGISTRANT’S DECLARATION OF TRUST AS IN EFFECT ON THE DATE OF THE AGREEMENT, THE FOLLOWING EXPENSES PAYABLE BY THE REGISTRANT PURSUANT TO THE AGREEMENT SHALL BE TREATED AS GENERAL EXPENSES OF THE REGISTRANT AND ALLOCATED AND CHARGED BETWEEN AND AMONG ANY ONE OR MORE OF THE SERIES OF THE REGISTRANT IN THE MANNER CONTEMPLATED BY THE DECLARATION OF TRUST AS IN EFFECT ON THE DATE OF THE AGREEMENT: (I) ANY EXPENSES WHICH ARE NOT READILY IDENTIFIABLE AS BELONGING TO ANY PARTICULAR SERIES OF THE REGISTRANT, AND (II) ANY EXPENSES THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE APPORTIONED TO ANY SERIES OF THE REGISTRANT (WHETHER SUCH SERIES EXISTS AT OR PRIOR OR SUBSEQUENT TO THE DATE OF THE AGREEMENT) THAT HAS BEEN, OR AFTER THE DATE OF THE AGREEMENT IS, LIQUIDATED, BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT RESERVES, INSURANCE OR OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDS FOR THE PAYMENT OF ANY SUCH EXPENSES ARE UNAVAILABLE. FOR PURPOSES OF THE AGREEMENT, ANY EXPENSES WHICH DO NOT BELONG EXCLUSIVELY TO A PARTICULAR SERIES OF THE REGISTRANT SHALL BE DEEMED NOT TO BE READILY IDENTIFIABLE AS BELONGING TO ANY PARTICULAR SERIES OF THE REGISTRANT. THE RIGHT OF A TRUSTEE TO INDEMNIFICATION AND ADVANCEMENT OF EXPENSES UNDER THE AGREEMENT SHALL NOT BE DEEMED TO LIMIT, SUPERSEDE OR OTHERWISE AFFECT ANY OTHER SIMILAR RIGHT UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, THE DECLARATION OF TRUST, ANY OTHER AGREEMENT, ANY POLICY OF INSURANCE, OR A VOTE OF SHAREHOLDERS OR RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, AND EACH TRUSTEE MAY, AT HIS OR HER SOLE OPTION, SEEK AND OBTAIN INDEMNIFICATION AND/OR ADVANCEMENT OF EXPENSES BY EXERCISING RIGHTS PURSUANT TO ANY OF THE FOREGOING OR OTHERWISE AND IN ANY ORDER OF PRIORITY.

EACH TRUSTEE SHALL BE HELD HARMLESS AND INDEMNIFIED BY THE REGISTRANT AGAINST ALL EXPENSES ACTUALLY AND REASONABLY INCURRED BY THE TRUSTEE OR ON THE TRUSTEE’S BEHALF IN CONNECTION WITH ANY PROCEEDING IN WHICH THE TRUSTEE IS, OR IS THREATENED TO BE, INVOLVED AS A PARTY OR OTHERWISE BY VIRTUE OF HIS OR HER STATUS, WHETHER OR NOT SUCH PROCEEDING IS BROUGHT BY OR IN THE RIGHT OF THE REGISTRANT AND IRRESPECTIVE OF WHEN THE CONDUCT THAT IS THE SUBJECT OF THE PROCEEDING OCCURRED, PROVIDED THAT NO INDEMNIFICATION OF EXPENSES SHALL BE PROVIDED UNDER THE AGREEMENT TO THE EXTENT THAT SUCH EXPENSES ARISE FROM CONDUCT OF THE TRUSTEE FOR WHICH INDEMNIFICATION MAY NOT LAWFULLY BE PROVIDED TO THE TRUSTEE.

WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OTHER RIGHTS OF A TRUSTEE UNDER THE AGREEMENT, IF THE TRUSTEE IS, PURSUANT TO THE TERMS OF THE AGREEMENT, ENTITLED TO INDEMNIFICATION AS TO ONE OR MORE BUT LESS THAN ALL CLAIMS, MATTERS OR ISSUES IN A PROCEEDING, THE REGISTRANT SHALL INDEMNIFY THE TRUSTEE AGAINST ALL EXPENSES INCURRED BY THE TRUSTEE OR ON THE TRUSTEE’S BEHALF IN CONNECTION WITH EACH CLAIM, MATTER OR ISSUE FOR WHICH THE TRUSTEE IS ENTITLED TO INDEMNIFICATION UNDER THE AGREEMENT.

CROSS INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT WITH MASTER TRUST

THE REGISTRANT HAS ENTERED INTO A CROSS INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT WITH THE MASTER TRUST DATED SEPTEMBER 26, 2005. THE MASTER TRUST WILL INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS THE TRUST AGAINST ANY LOSSES, CLAIMS, DAMAGES OR LIABILITIES TO WHICH THE TRUST MAY BECOME SUBJECT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 (THE 1933 ACT), THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 (THE 1940 ACT), OR OTHERWISE, INSOFAR AS SUCH LOSSES, CLAIMS, DAMAGES OR LIABILITIES (OR ACTIONS IN RESPECT THEREOF) ARISE OUT OF OR ARE BASED UPON AN UNTRUE STATEMENT OR ALLEGED UNTRUE STATEMENT OF A MATERIAL FACT CONTAINED IN ANY PROSPECTUSES, ANY PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUSES, THE REGISTRATION STATEMENTS, ANY OTHER PROSPECTUSES RELATING TO THE SECURITIES, OR ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THE FOREGOING (HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO COLLECTIVELY AS THE “OFFERING DOCUMENTS”), OR ARISE OUT OF OR ARE BASED UPON THE OMISSION OR ALLEGED OMISSION TO STATE THEREIN A MATERIAL FACT REQUIRED TO BE STATED OR NECESSARY TO MAKE THE STATEMENTS THEREIN NOT MISLEADING, IN EACH CASE TO THE EXTENT, BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT, THAT SUCH UNTRUE STATEMENT OR ALLEGED UNTRUE STATEMENT OR OMISSION OR ALLEGED OMISSION WAS MADE IN THE OFFERING DOCUMENTS IN RELIANCE UPON AND IN CONFORMITY WITH WRITTEN INFORMATION FURNISHED TO THE TRUST BY THE MASTER TRUST EXPRESSLY FOR USE THEREIN; AND WILL REIMBURSE THE TRUST FOR ANY LEGAL OR OTHER EXPENSES REASONABLY INCURRED BY THE TRUST IN CONNECTION WITH INVESTIGATING OR DEFENDING ANY SUCH ACTION OR CLAIM; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT THE MASTER TRUST SHALL NOT BE LIABLE IN ANY SUCH CASE TO THE EXTENT THAT ANY SUCH LOSS, CLAIM, DAMAGE, OR LIABILITY ARISES OUT OF OR IS BASED UPON AN UNTRUE STATEMENT OR ALLEGED UNTRUE STATEMENT OR OMISSION OR ALLEGED OMISSION MADE IN THE OFFERING DOCUMENTS IN RELIANCE UPON AND IN CONFORMITY WITH WRITTEN INFORMATION FURNISHED TO THE MASTER TRUST BY THE TRUST FOR USE IN THE OFFERING DOCUMENTS.

THE TRUST WILL INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS THE MASTER TRUST AGAINST ANY LOSSES, CLAIMS, DAMAGES OR LIABILITIES TO WHICH THE MASTER TRUST MAY BECOME SUBJECT UNDER THE 1933 ACT, THE 1940 ACT, OR OTHERWISE, INSOFAR AS SUCH LOSSES, CLAIMS, DAMAGES OR LIABILITIES (OR ACTIONS IN RESPECT THEREOF) ARISE OUT OF OR ARE BASED UPON AN UNTRUE STATEMENT OR ALLEGED UNTRUE STATEMENT OF A MATERIAL FACT CONTAINED IN THE OFFERING DOCUMENTS OR ARISE OUT OF OR ARE BASED UPON THE OMISSION OR ALLEGED OMISSION TO STATE THEREIN A MATERIAL FACT REQUIRED TO BE STATED OR NECESSARY TO MAKE THE STATEMENTS THEREIN NOT MISLEADING, IN EACH CASE TO THE EXTENT, BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT, THAT SUCH UNTRUE STATEMENT OR ALLEGED UNTRUE STATEMENT OR OMISSION OR ALLEGED OMISSION WAS MADE IN THE OFFERING DOCUMENTS IN RELIANCE UPON AND IN CONFORMITY WITH WRITTEN INFORMATION FURNISHED TO THE MASTER TRUST BY THE TRUST EXPRESSLY FOR USE THEREIN; AND WILL REIMBURSE THE MASTER TRUST FOR ANY LEGAL OR OTHER EXPENSES REASONABLY INCURRED BY THE MASTER TRUST IN CONNECTION WITH INVESTIGATING OR DEFENDING ANY SUCH ACTION OR CLAIM; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT THE TRUST SHALL NOT BE LIABLE IN ANY SUCH CASE TO THE EXTENT THAT ANY SUCH LOSS, CLAIM, DAMAGE, OR LIABILITY ARISES OUT OF OR IS BASED UPON AN UNTRUE STATEMENT OR ALLEGED UNTRUE STATEMENT OR OMISSION OR ALLEGED OMISSION MADE IN THE OFFERING DOCUMENTS IN RELIANCE UPON AND IN CONFORMITY WITH WRITTEN INFORMATION FURNISHED TO THE TRUST BY THE MASTER TRUST FOR USE IN THE OFFERING DOCUMENTS.


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PROMPTLY AFTER RECEIPT BY AN INDEMNIFIED PARTY UNDER SUBSECTION (A) OR (B) ABOVE OF NOTICE OF THE COMMENCEMENT OF ANY ACTION, SUCH INDEMNIFIED PARTY SHALL, IF A CLAIM IN RESPECT THEREOF IS TO BE MADE AGAINST AN INDEMNIFYING PARTY OR PARTIES UNDER SUCH SUBSECTION, NOTIFY THE INDEMNIFYING PARTY OR PARTIES IN WRITING OF THE COMMENCEMENT THEREOF; BUT THE OMISSION TO SO NOTIFY THE INDEMNIFYING PARTY OR PARTIES SHALL NOT RELIEVE IT OR THEM FROM ANY LIABILITY WHICH IT OR THEY MAY HAVE TO ANY INDEMNIFIED PARTY OTHERWISE THAN UNDER SUCH SUBSECTION. IN CASE ANY SUCH ACTION SHALL BE BROUGHT AGAINST ANY INDEMNIFIED PARTY AND IT SHALL NOTIFY THE INDEMNIFYING PARTY OR PARTIES OF THE COMMENCEMENT THEREOF, THE INDEMNIFYING PARTY OR PARTIES SHALL BE ENTITLED TO PARTICIPATE THEREIN AND, TO THE EXTENT THAT EITHER INDEMNIFYING PARTY OR BOTH SHALL WISH, TO ASSUME THE DEFENSE THEREOF, WITH COUNSEL SATISFACTORY TO SUCH INDEMNIFIED PARTY, AND, AFTER NOTICE FROM THE INDEMNIFYING PARTY OR PARTIES TO SUCH INDEMNIFIED PART OF ITS OR THEIR ELECTION SO TO ASSUME THE DEFENSE THEREOF, THE INDEMNIFYING PARTY OR PARTIES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO SUCH INDEMNIFIED PARTY UNDER SUCH SUBSECTION FOR ANY LEGAL EXPENSES OF OTHER COUNSEL OR ANY OTHER EXPENSES, IN EACH CASE SUBSEQUENTLY INCURRED BY SUCH INDEMNIFIED PARTY, IN CONNECTION WITH THE DEFENSE THEREOF OTHER THAN REASONABLE COSTS OF INVESTIGATION.

TRUSTEES’ AND OFFICERS’ LIABILITY POLICY

THE REGISTRANT HAS OBTAINED FROM A MAJOR INSURANCE CARRIER A TRUSTEES’ AND OFFICERS’ LIABILITY POLICY COVERING CERTAIN TYPES OF ERRORS AND OMISSIONS. IN NO EVENT WILL THE REGISTRANT INDEMNIFY ANY OF ITS TRUSTEES, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS AGAINST ANY LIABILITY TO WHICH SUCH PERSON WOULD OTHERWISE BE SUBJECT BY REASON OF HIS/HER WILLFUL MISFEASANCE, BAD FAITH, GROSS NEGLIGENCE IN THE PERFORMANCE OF HIS/HER DUTIES, OR BY REASON OF HIS/HER RECKLESS DISREGARD OF THE DUTIES INVOLVED IN THE CONDUCT OF HIS/HER OFFICE OR ARISING UNDER HIS AGREEMENT WITH THE REGISTRANT. THE REGISTRANT WILL COMPLY WITH RULE 484 UNDER THE 1933 ACT AND RELEASE NO. 11330 UNDER THE 1940 ACT, IN CONNECTION WITH ANY INDEMNIFICATION.

*         *         *

INSOFAR AS INDEMNIFICATION FOR LIABILITY ARISING UNDER THE 1933 ACT MAY BE PERMITTED TO TRUSTEES, OFFICERS, AND CONTROLLING PERSONS OF THE REGISTRANT PURSUANT TO THE FOREGOING PROVISIONS, OR OTHERWISE, THE REGISTRANT HAS BEEN ADVISED THAT IN THE OPINION OF THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (SEC) SUCH INDEMNIFICATION IS AGAINST PUBLIC POLICY AS EXPRESSED IN THE 1933 ACT AND IS, THEREFORE, UNENFORCEABLE. IN THE EVENT THAT A CLAIM FOR INDEMNIFICATION AGAINST SUCH LIABILITIES (OTHER THAN THE PAYMENT BY THE REGISTRANT OF EXPENSES INCURRED OR PAID BY A TRUSTEE, OFFICER, OR CONTROLLING PERSON OF THE REGISTRANT IN THE SUCCESSFUL DEFENSE OF ANY ACTION, SUIT, OR PROCEEDING) IS ASSERTED BY SUCH TRUSTEE, OFFICER OR CONTROLLING PERSON IN CONNECTION WITH THE SECURITIES BEING REGISTERED, THE REGISTRANT WILL, UNLESS IN THE OPINION OF ITS COUNSEL THE MATTER HAS BEEN SETTLED BY CONTROLLING PRECEDENT, SUBMIT TO A COURT OF APPROPRIATE JURISDICTION THE QUESTION WHETHER SUCH INDEMNIFICATION BY IT IS AGAINST PUBLIC POLICY AS EXPRESSED IN THE 1933 ACT AND WILL BE GOVERNED BY THE FINAL ADJUDICATION OF SUCH ISSUE.

 

ITEM 31. Business and Other Connections of the Investment Advisor

To the knowledge of the Registrant, none of the directors or officers of CMA, the investment advisor to the Registrant’s portfolios, or Brandes, Marsico, MacKay Shields or Causeway, the investment sub-advisors to certain portfolios, except those set forth below, are or have been, at any time during the past two calendar years, engaged in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature, except that certain directors and officers also hold various positions with, and engage in business for, the company that owns all the outstanding stock (other than directors’ qualifying shares) of CMA or Marsico, or other subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation.


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(a) CMA performs investment advisory services for the Registrant and certain other customers. CMA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation. Information with respect to each director and officer of the investment sub-advisor is incorporated by reference to Form ADV filed by CMA (formerly, Banc of America Capital Management, LLC (BACAP)) with the SEC pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the Advisers Act) (File No. 801-50372).

(b) Brandes performs investment sub-advisory services for the Registrant and certain other customers. Information with respect to each director and officer of the investment sub-advisor is incorporated by reference to Form ADV filed by Brandes with the SEC pursuant to the Advisers Act (File No. 801-24986).

(c) Marsico performs investment sub-advisory services for the Registrant and certain other customers. Information with respect to each director and officer of the investment sub-advisor is incorporated by reference to Form ADV filed by Marsico with the SEC pursuant to the Advisers Act (File No. 801-54914).

(d) Causeway performs investment sub-advisory services for the Registrant and certain other customers. Information with respect to each director and officer of the investment sub-advisor is incorporated by reference to Form ADV filed by Causeway with the SEC pursuant to the Advisers Act (File No. 801-60343).

(e) MacKay Shields performs investment sub-advisory services for the Registrant and certain other customers. Information with respect to each director and officer of the investment sub-advisor is incorporated by reference to Form ADV filed by Causeway with the SEC pursuant to the Advisers Act (File No. 801-5594).

 

ITEM 32. Principal Underwriters

(a) Columbia Management Distributors, Inc. (“CMD”), a subsidiary of Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, is the Registrant’s principal underwriter. In addition to Registrant, CMD acts in such capacity for each series of Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust, Columbia Funds Series Trust I, Columbia Funds Series Trust II, Columbia Funds Institutional Trust, Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I, Columbia Acorn Trust and Wanger Advisors Trust. CMD acts as placement agent for the Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust, LLC.

(b) The table below lists each director or officer of the principal underwriter named in the answer to Item 20.

 

Name and Principal Business Address*

  

Position and Offices with Principal
Underwriter

  

Positions and Offices with Registrant

Bednarz, Allen F.    Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer    None
Jones, Michael A    Chief Executive Officer, Director, President    None
Ahmed, Yaqub    Managing Director    None
Brown, Beth Ann    Managing Director    None
Grant, Amanda H.    Managing Director    None
Kimball, Frank S.    Managing Director    None
Martin, Glen P.    Managing Director    None
Peters, Jeffrey F.    Managing Director    None
Sellers, Gregory S.    Managing Director    None
Sideropoulos, Lou    Managing Director    None
Walsh, Brian    Managing Director    None
Welsh, Stephen T    Managing Director    Vice President
Brantley, Thomas M.    Sr. V.P.-Tax    None
Davis, Walter Keith    Sr. V.P.-Tax    None
Avery, Scott    Sr. V.P.    None
Ballou, Richard J.    Sr. V.P.    None
Connaughty, Mary    Sr. V.P.    None
Desilets, Marian    Sr. V.P.    None
Feloney, Joseph    Sr. V.P.    None
Ferullo, Jeanne    Sr. V.P.    None
Gubala, Jeffrey    Sr. V.P.    None
Miller, Anthony    Sr. V.P.    None
Moberly, Ann R    Sr. V.P.    None
Najarian, Mark A.    Sr. V.P.    None
Wheeler, Eben    Sr. V.P.    None
Yates, Susan    Sr. V.P.    None
Aldi, Andrew    V.P.    None
Apigian, David C.    V.P.    None
Bartlett, Russell M.    V.P.    None
Beaulieu, Isaiah    V.P.    None
Begos, Michael V.    V.P.    None
Bettano, Anthony L.    V.P.    None
Boudreau, Jill M.    V.P.    None
Braz, Daniel J.    V.P.    None
Brown, Jason M.    V.P.    None
Buckley, Stephen A.    V.P.    None
Christos, Andrew    V.P.    None
Cislo, John A.    V.P.    None
Conley, Brook    V.P.    None
Davis, Kenneth J.    V.P.    None
Dence, Mark    V.P.    None

 


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Diedrich, Kurt    V.P.    None
Dills, Jason D.    V.P.    None
Doyle, Matthew    V.P.    None
Dutcher, Scott M.    V.P.    None
Edelman, Alexander    V.P.    None
Falaguerra, Robert    V.P.    None
Ferguson, Sarah    V.P.    None
Fernandes, Steve S.    V.P.    None
Fertig, Peter H.    V.P.    None
Fisher, James F.    V.P.    None
Flick, William J.    V.P.    None
Ford, David C.    V.P.    None
Fradenburg, Jayson A.    V.P.    None
Gannon, Timothy K.    V.P.    None
Gentile, Russell    V.P.    None
Giovanniello, Paul    V.P.    None
Goldberg, Matthew    V.P.    None
Gowe, Christopher N.    V.P.    None
Greeley, Kristin J.    V.P.    None
Gross, Travis    V.P.    None
Guenard, Brian    V.P.    None
Guenard, Mark C.    V.P.    None
Hall, Jennifer A.    V.P.    None
Hall, Andrew (Drew) R.    V.P.    None
Harvey, Michael R.    V.P.    None
Hindia, Ami R.    V.P.    None
Hintlian, Douglas E.    V.P.    None
James, Laura    V.P.    None
Jung, Stuart    V.P.    None
Kamin, Eric    V.P.    None
Karnolt, Stephen M.    V.P.    None
Kerans, Sean C.S.    V.P.    None
Kirkman, Eric    V.P.    None
Kissane, James J.    V.P.    None
Lee, Stephen    V.P.    None
Lewis, Douglas P.    V.P.    None
Lewis, Amanda    V.P.    None
Magnusson, Peter K.    V.P.    None
Marcelonis, Sheila    V.P.    None
Martin, Brian    V.P.    None
McTernan, Sean    V.P.    None
Miller, Gregory M.    V.P.    None
Murphy, Kevin M.    V.P.    None
Nelson, Bryan E.    V.P.    None
Newberry, Kirtis    V.P.    None
Newman, Robert S.    V.P.    None
Newnham, Jason S.    V.P.    None
Nigrosh, Diane J.    V.P.    None
Owen, Stephanie    V.P.    None
Palmer, Darren    V.P.    None
Perosio, Charles P.    V.P.    None
Perry, John C.    V.P.    None
Reed, Christopher B.    V.P.    None
Robinson, Matthew M.    V.P.    None
Rogers, Pierre J.    V.P.    None
Ryan, III, Daniel James    V.P.    None
Schortmann, Matthew    V.P.    None
Scott, Garland M.    V.P.    None
Scully-Power, Adam    V.P.    None
Seymour, Harry J.    V.P.    None
Shopp, Reagan    V.P.    None
Stanton, Scott M.    V.P.    None
Stark, Robert J.    V.P.    None
Swartwood, Alexander    V.P.    None
Tagliaferri, John    V.P.    None
Tiernan, Ryan    V.P.    None
Tobin, Richard S.    V.P.    None
Tucker, Floyd A.    V.P.    None
Turner, Jeffrey B.    V.P.    None
Vogt, Molly    V.P.    None
Ward, Scott W.    V.P.    None


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Wess, Valerie    V.P.    None
White, Lynn    V.P.    None
Wilhelm, Donald C.    V.P.    None
Woodford, Paul    V.P.    None
Wyatt, Bradley M.    V.P.    None
Zundl, Derek A.    V.P.    None
DeFao, Michael    Chief Legal Officer    None
Donovan, M. Patrick    Chief Compliance Officer    None
Pryor, Elizabeth A    Secretary    None
Johnston, Scott A.    Operational Risk Officer    None
Wasp, Kevin    Corporate Ombudsman    None
Chase, John    Director    None
Claude Abram    Director    None
Dukatz, Gerald E.    Director    None
Holt, Caroline    Director    None
Kane, Joanne    Director    None
Moon, Leslie    Director    None
Rawdon, Gary    Director    None
Sanderson, Patricia    Director    None
Studer, Eric    Director    None
Wright, Andrew M.    Director    None

 

 

* The address for each individual is One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111.

(c) Not applicable.

 

ITEM 33. Location of Accounts and Records

 

   

Persons maintaining physical possession of accounts, books and other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Rules promulgated thereunder include Registrant’s Secretary; Registrant’s investment advisor, Columbia Management Advisors, LLC; Registrant’s administrator, Columbia Management Advisors, LLC; Registrant’s transfer and dividend disbursing agent, Columbia Management Services, Inc.; Registrant’s principal underwriter, Columbia Management Distributors, Inc.; Registrant’s investment sub-advisors, Brandes, Causeway, Marsico and MacKay Shields; and the Registrant’s custodian, State Street Bank and Trust Company. The address for each person except the Registrant’s advisor, administrator, sub-advisors and custodian is One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111.

 

   

The Registrant’s investment advisor’s and administrator’s address is 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110. The Registrant’s custodian’s address is State Street Financial Center, One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111. The Registrant’s investment sub-advisor Brandes’ address is 11988 El Camino Real, San Diego, CA 92130. The Registrant’s investment sub-advisor Causeway’s address is Causeway, 1111 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 1150, Los Angeles, CA 90025. The Registrant’s investment sub-advisor Marsico’s address is 1200 17th Street, Suite 1600, Denver, CO 80202. The Registrant’s investment sub-advisor MacKay Shields’ address is 9 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019.


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ITEM 34. Management Services

Not Applicable.

 

ITEM 35. Undertakings

Not Applicable.


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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant, Columbia Funds Series Trust, certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this Registration Statement under Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Boston, and The Commonwealth of Massachusetts on the 29th day of July, 2009.

 

COLUMBIA FUNDS SERIES TRUST
By:   /s/ J. Kevin Connaughton

Name:

Title:

 

J. Kevin Connaughton

President

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated:

 

SIGNATURES

  

TITLE

 

DATE

/s/ J. Kevin Connaughton

J. Kevin Connaughton

  

President

(Principal Executive Officer)

  July 29, 2009

/s/ Michael G. Clarke

Michael G. Clarke

  

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial Officer)

  July 29, 2009

/s/ Joseph F. DiMaria

Joseph F. DiMaria

  

Chief Accounting Officer

(Principal Accounting Officer)

  July 29, 2009

/s/ Edward J. Boudreau, Jr.*

Edward J. Boudreau, Jr.

   Trustee   July 29, 2009

/s/ William P. Carmichael*

William P. Carmichael

   Trustee   July 29, 2009

/s/ William A. Hawkins*

William A. Hawkins

   Trustee   July 29, 2009

 


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/s/ R. Glenn Hilliard*

R. Glenn Hilliard

   Trustee   July 29, 2009

/s/ Minor M. Shaw*

Minor M. Shaw

   Trustee   July 29, 2009

/s/ John J. Nagorniak*

John J. Nagorniak

   Trustee   July 29, 2009

/s/ Anthony M. Santomero*

Anthony M. Santomero

   Trustee   July 29, 2009

 

*By:   /s/ Peter T. Fariel
 

Peter T. Fariel

Attorney-in-Fact**

July 29, 2009

 

** Executed by Peter T. Fariel on behalf of each of the Trustees pursuant to a Power of Attorney dated February 25, 2009 that is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 71 to the Registration Statement of the Registrant on Form N-1A, filed with the Commission on May 29, 2009.


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EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit No.

 

Description

(h)(11)

  Mutual Fund Fee and Expense Agreement among the Registrant, the Master Trust, Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I, Banc of America Funds Trust, CMA, and CMD dated January 1, 2008 with Schedule A dated May 15, 2009.

(h)(12)(i)

  Amendment to the Accounting Services Agreement among the Registrant, the other parties listed on Schedule A, CMA and State Street, dated June 29, 2007 with Schedule A dated June 29, 2007.

(h)(13)(i)

  Amendment to the Financial Reporting Services Agreement among the Registrant, the other parties listed on Schedule A, CMA and State Street, dated June 29, 2007 with Schedule A dated June 29, 2007.

(h)(18)

  Form of Indemnification Agreement by and between each member of the Board of Trustees and the Registrant.

(i)

  Opinion of Goodwin Procter LLP.

(j)(i)

  Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP re: specified annual reports dated March 31, 2009.

(j)(ii)

  Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP re: Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II annual report dated March 31, 2009.
EX-99.(H)(11) 2 dex99h11.htm MUTUAL FUND FEE AND EXPENSE AGREEMENT Mutual Fund Fee and Expense Agreement

Exhibit (h)(11)

MUTUAL FUND FEE AND EXPENSE AGREEMENT

THIS AGREEMENT is made as of this 1st day of January, 2008 by and among Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, for itself and on behalf of its series listed on Schedule A attached hereto, Columbia Funds Series Trust, a Delaware statutory trust, for itself and on behalf of its series listed on Schedule A attached hereto, Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I, a Delaware Statutory Trust, for itself and on behalf of its series listed on Schedule A attached hereto, Banc of America Funds Trust, a Delaware statutory trust, for itself and on behalf of its series listed on Schedule A attached hereto, Columbia Management Advisors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“CMA”) and Columbia Management Distributors, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation (“CMD”).

WHEREAS, Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust, LLC, Columbia Funds Series Trust, Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I and Banc of America Funds Trust (each a “Company” and together, the “Companies”) are each open-end investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940;

WHEREAS, CMA, an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, serves as investment adviser to each of the Companies pursuant to separate investment advisory agreements (the “Investment Advisory Agreements”);

WHEREAS, CMA serves as administrator to each of the Companies pursuant to separate administration agreements (the “Administration Agreements”);

WHEREAS, CMD serves as distributor to Columbia Funds Series Trust, Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I and Banc of America Funds Trust pursuant to a distribution agreement (the “Distribution Agreement”); and

WHERERAS, the parties hereto have agreed to consolidate multiple pre-existing Mutual Fund Fee and Expense Agreements into a single Mutual Fund Fee and Expense Agreement;

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants herein contained and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:

1. Investment Advisory Fee Waivers. The parties hereby agree that CMA shall waive any investment advisory fees payable to it under the Investment Advisory Agreements to the extent reflected for each series set forth in Schedule A attached hereto.

2. Administration Fee Waivers. The parties hereby agree that CMA shall waive any administration fees payable to it under the Administration Agreements to the extent reflected for each series set forth in Schedule A attached hereto.

3. 12b-1 Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Fee Waivers. The parties hereby agree that CMD shall waive any 12b-1 distribution and/or shareholder servicing fees payable to it under the Distribution Agreement to the extent reflected for each series set forth in Schedule A attached hereto.

 

1


4. Limitation of Total Operating Expense Ratios—Investment Advisory, Administration Fee Ratios and Other Expenses. The parties hereby agree that CMA as appropriate shall waive any advisory fees payable to it under the Investment Advisory Agreements, waive any administration fees payable to it under the Administration Agreements, or reimburse other expenses of the series to the extent necessary to ensure that covered expenses (as defined below) do not exceed the total operating expense ratio for each series set forth in Schedule A attached hereto, absent a determination by the Companies’ Boards of Trustees that extraordinary circumstances or a material reduction in portfolio assets has occurred that has made it appropriate to permit an increase in total operating expense ratios. “Covered expenses” include all expenses incurred directly by a series that are required to be included as an expense in a series’ Form N-1A Fee Table and accordingly exclude acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions and other transaction charges and interest on borrowed money and also exclude rule 12b-1 distribution and/or shareholder servicing fees and expenses that are deemed extraordinary by Columbia Funds Series Trust’s Board of Trustees. “Covered expenses” shall reflect the application of balance credits made available by the Companies’ custodian and custodial charges relating to overdrafts.

5. Automatic Renewal. This Agreement shall renew automatically, with respect to each series set forth in Schedule A, on the same terms, for a period of one year from the expiration of the waiver and/or expense commitment applicable to such series as set forth in Schedule A, unless prior to such an expiration, CMA and/or CMD provide notice to the appropriate Board of Trustees of a Company of any proposals to increase, decrease or eliminate the series’ fee waivers and/or expense commitment, or to change the time period covered or any other terms thereof, for a subsequent period. Any renewal of this Agreement with respect to a series does not preclude CMA or CMD from requesting that a Company’s Board of Trustees approve changes to the fee waivers and/or expense commitment, or to the time period covered or any other terms thereof, prior to a subsequent renewal.

6. Entire Agreement; Modification; Amendment. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties with respect to its subject matter. Each provision herein shall be treated as separate and independent from any other provision or agreement herein and shall be enforceable notwithstanding the enforceability of any such other provision or agreement. In addition, each provision herein shall be treated as separate and independent with respect to each Company and shall be treated as separate and independent from such provision or agreement with respect to each of the other Companies. No modification or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless in writing and executed by the parties affected thereby.

 

2


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have duly executed this Agreement as of the date above first written.

 

COLUMBIA FUNDS MASTER

INVESTMENT TRUST, LLC, for itself and

on behalf of its series listed on Schedule A

attached hereto

 

By: /s/ J. KEVIN CONNAUGHTON

Name: J. Kevin Connaughton

Title: Senior Vice President, Chief Financial
        Officer and Treasurer

  

COLUMBIA FUNDS SERIES TRUST, for

itself and on behalf of its series listed on

Schedule A attached hereto

 

By: /s/ J. KEVIN CONNAUGHTON

Name: J. Kevin Connaughton

Title: Senior Vice President, Chief Financial
        Officer and Treasurer

COLUMBIA FUNDS VARIABLE

INSURANCE TRUST I, for itself and on

behalf of its series listed on Schedule A

attached hereto

 

By: /s/ J. KEVIN CONNAUGHTON

Name: J. Kevin Connaughton

Title: Senior Vice President, Chief Financial
        Officer and Treasurer

  

BANC OF AMERICA FUNDS TRUST, for

itself and on behalf of its series listed on

Schedule A attached hereto

 

By: /s/ J. KEVIN CONNAUGHTON

Name: J. Kevin Connaughton

Title: Senior Vice President, Chief Financial
        Officer and Treasurer

COLUMBIA MANAGEMENT ADVISORS,

LLC

 

By: /s/ CHRISTOPHER L. WILSON

Name: Christopher L. Wilson

Title: Managing Director

  

COLUMBIA MANAGEMENT

DISTRIBUTORS, INC.

 

By: /s/ CHRISTOPHER L. WILSON

Name: Christopher L. Wilson

Title: Senior Vice President

 

3


Schedule A

Columbia Funds Series Trust

Contractual Advisory/Administration Fee Waivers

Period from August 1, 2008 to July 31, 2009

 

Equity Fund

 

Advisory Fee Waiver

 

Administration Fee Waiver

Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio   0.10%(1)   0.10%(2)

 

(1) CMA shall waive advisory fees payable to it under the Investment Advisory Agreement on assets invested in individual securities and CMA-advised Fixed Income Sector Portfolios.

 

(2) CMA shall waive administration fees payable to it under the Administration Agreement on assets invested in other Columbia Funds (Fixed Income Sector Portfolios are not considered Columbia Funds).

Period from August 1, 2009 to July 31, 2010(3)

 

Equity Fund

 

Advisory Fee Waiver

 

Administration Fee Waiver

Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio   0.10%(1)   0.10%(2)

 

(1) CMA shall waive advisory fees payable to it under the Investment Advisory Agreement on assets invested in individual securities and CMA-advised Fixed Income Sector Portfolios.

 

(2) CMA shall waive administration fees payable to it under the Administration Agreement on assets invested in other Columbia Funds (Fixed Income Sector Portfolios are not considered Columbia Funds).

 

(3) At its May 14-15, 2009 meeting, the Board approved the proposal by CMA that the above waiver be extended for the period August 1, 2009 through July 31, 2010 effective upon the expiration of the then current period.

Period from August 1, 2007 to July 31, 2009

 

Fixed Income Fund

 

Advisory Fee Waiver

 

Administration Fee Waiver

Columbia Short-Term Bond Fund   n/a   0.02%

 

4


Columbia Funds Series Trust

Contractual Administration Fee Waiver

Period from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009

 

Equity Fund

 

Administration Fee Waiver

Columbia Large Cap Value Fund   (1)

 

(1) CMA shall waive a specified portion (0.04% of net assets) of the administration fees payable to it under the Administration Agreement on assets up to $500 million. Fees will not be waived on assets in excess of $500 million.

 

5


Columbia Funds Series Trust

Expense Commitments Established at Overall Fund Level

Period from August 1, 2008 to July 31, 2009

 

     Fund Level Expense Commitment*  

Tax-Exempt Funds

  

Columbia Georgia Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund**

   0.50

Columbia Maryland Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund**

   0.50

Columbia North Carolina Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund**

   0.50

Columbia South Carolina Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund**

   0.50

Columbia Virginia Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund**

   0.50

Fixed Income Funds

  

Columbia High Income Fund

   0.93

Columbia Total Return Bond Fund**

   0.60

Fund-of Fund

  

Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio

   0.42

Period from August 1, 2009 to July 31, 2010

 

     Fund Level Expense Commitment*  

Fund-of Fund

  

Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio***

   0.42

Period from August 1, 2007 to July 31, 2009

 

     Fund Level Expense Commitment*  

Tax-Exempt Funds

  

Columbia Short-Term Municipal Bond Fund**

   0.40

Columbia California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund**

   0.50

Period from January 1, 2008 to July 31, 2009

 

     Fund Level Expense Commitment*  

Fixed Income Funds

  

Columbia Short-Term Bond Fund

   0.48

 

* Waivers of CMA advisory and/or administration fees and/or other expense reimbursements will result in the listed fund level expense commitments (excluding (i) those explicitly excluded from the definition of “Covered Expenses” in Section 4 of this Agreement; (ii) taxes; and (iii) the Board-approved class specific account expense relating to R Shares).

 

** CMA is entitled to recover from the Fund any fees waived and/or expenses reimbursed for a three year period following the date of such fee waiver and/or reimbursement if such recovery does not cause the Fund’s total operating expenses to exceed the expense commitment then in effect.

 

*** At its May 14-15, 2009 meeting, the Board approved the proposal by CMA that the above cap be extended for the period August 1, 2009 through July 31, 2010 effective upon the expiration of the then current period.

 

6


Columbia Funds Series Trust

Expense Commitments Established at Overall Fund Level

Period from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009

 

     Fund Level Expense Commitment*  

Equity Index Funds

  

Columbia Large Cap Index Fund**

   0.14

Columbia Large Cap Enhanced Core Fund**

   0.50

Columbia Mid Cap Index Fund

   0.14

Columbia Small Cap Index Fund**

   0.21

Equity Funds

  

Columbia Small Cap Value Fund II**

   1.30

Columbia Small Cap Growth Fund II**

   1.15

International Funds

  

Columbia Global Value Fund**

   1.40

Columbia Marsico International Opportunities Fund

   1.50

Period from April 30, 2008 to June 30, 2010

 

     Fund Level Expense Commitment*  

International Fund

  

Columbia Marsico Global Fund**

   1.35

 

* Waivers of CMA advisory and/or administration fees and/or other expense reimbursements will result in the listed fund level expense commitments (excluding (i) those explicitly excluded from the definition of “Covered Expenses” in Section 4 of this Agreement; (ii) taxes; and (iii) the Board-approved class specific account expense relating to R Shares).

 

** CMA is entitled to recover from the Fund any fees waived and/or expenses reimbursed for a three year period following the date of such fee waiver and/or reimbursement if such recovery does not cause the Fund’s total operating expenses to exceed the expense commitment then in effect.

 

7


Columbia Funds Series Trust

Expense Commitments Established at Overall Fund Level

Period from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2009

 

     Fund Level Expense Cap*  

Money Market Funds

  

Columbia Government Reserves**

   0.20

Columbia New York Tax-Exempt Reserves**

   0.20

Columbia Tax-Exempt Reserves**

   0.20

Columbia Government Plus Reserves

   0.20

Period from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009***

 

     Fund Level Expense Cap*  

Money Market Funds

  

Columbia California Tax-Exempt Reserves**

   0.20

Columbia Cash Reserves**

   0.20

Columbia Money Market Reserves**

   0.20

Columbia Municipal Reserves**

   0.20

Columbia Treasury Reserves**

   0.20

Columbia Massachusetts Municipal Reserves

   0.20

Columbia Connecticut Municipal Reserves

   0.20

 

* Waivers of CMA advisory and/or administration fees and/or other expense reimbursements will result in the listed Fund level expense commitments (excluding (i) those explicitly excluded from the definition of “Covered Expenses” in Section 4 of this Agreement; and (ii) taxes).

 

** CMA is entitled to recover from the Fund any fees waived and/or expenses reimbursed for a three year period following the date of such fee waiver and/or reimbursement if such recovery does not cause the Fund’s total operating expenses to exceed the expense commitment then in effect.

 

*** At its August 8, 2008 meeting, the Board approved the proposal by CMA that the above caps be extended for the period January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009 effective upon the expiration of the then current period.

 

8


Columbia Funds Series Trust

Management Fee Cap*

Period from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009**

 

     Management Fee Cap  

Money Market Funds

  

Columbia California Tax-Exempt Reserves

   0.19

Columbia Cash Reserves

   0.19

Columbia Money Market Reserves

   0.19

Columbia Municipal Reserves

   0.19

Columbia Treasury Reserves

   0.19

Columbia Massachusetts Municipal Reserves

   0.19

Columbia Connecticut Municipal Reserves

   0.19

Period from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2009

 

     Management Fee Cap  

Money Market Funds

  

Columbia Government Reserves

   0.19

Columbia New York Tax-Exempt Reserves

   0.19

Columbia Tax-Exempt Reserves

   0.19

Columbia Government Plus Reserves

   0.16

 

* “Management Fees” are the fees payable under the investment advisory and administration agreements between Columbia Funds Series Trust, on behalf of the respective Funds and CMA.

 

** At its August 8, 2008 meeting, the Board approved the proposal by CMA that the above caps be extended for the period January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009 effective upon the expiration of the then current period.

 

9


Columbia Funds Series Trust

Contractual 12b-1 Distribution Fee Waivers

Period from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009

 

     12b-1 Distribution Fee
Waivers*
    Shareholder Servicing
Fee Waivers*
 

Money Market Funds

(Liquidity Class Shares)

    

Columbia California Tax-Exempt Reserves

   0.10   0.10

Columbia Cash Reserves

   0.10   0.10

Columbia Money Market Reserves

   0.10   0.10

Columbia Municipal Reserves

   0.10   0.10

Columbia Treasury Reserves

   0.10   0.10

Period from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2009

 

     12b-1 Distribution Fee
Waivers*
    Shareholder Servicing
Fee Waivers*
 

Money Market Funds

(Liquidity Class Shares)

    

Columbia Government Reserves

   0.10   0.10

Columbia Tax-Exempt Reserves

   0.10   0.10

Columbia Government Plus Reserves

   0.10   0.10

 

* CMD waives its 12b-1 distribution fees and/or shareholder servicing fees to the extent necessary to achieve an aggregate waiver of 0.10%, therefore, to the extent that CMD waives 12b-1 distribution fees and/or waives shareholder servicing fees, the total of such 12b-1 distribution and/or shareholder servicing fees will not exceed 0.15%.

 

** At its August 8, 2008 meeting, the Board approved the proposal by CMA that the above caps be extended for the period January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009 effective upon the expiration of the then current period.

 

10


Columbia Funds Series Trust

Expense Commitments Established at Overall Fund Level

Period from August 1, 2008 to July 31, 2009

 

Masters Portfolios    Other Operating Expenses Cap*  

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio

   0.00

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio

   0.00

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

   0.00

Period from August 1, 2009 to July 31, 2010**

 

Masters Portfolios    Other Operating Expenses Cap*  

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio

   0.00

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio

   0.00

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

   0.00

 

* Waivers of CMA advisory and/or administration fees and/or other expense reimbursements will result in the listed fund level expense commitments (excluding (i) those explicitly excluded from the definition of “Covered Expenses” in Section 4 of this Agreement; (ii) taxes; and (iii) any management fees).

 

** At its May 14-15, 2009 meeting, the Board approved the proposal by CMA that the above caps be extended for the period August 1, 2009 through July 31, 2010 effective upon the expiration of the then current period.

 

11


Columbia Funds Series Trust II**

Expense Commitments Established at Fund Level

From March 7, 2008 Through February 28, 2019

 

Columbia Funds Series Trust II**    Other Operating Expenses Cap*  

Columbia Retirement 2005 Portfolio***

   0

Columbia Retirement 2010 Portfolio***

   0

Columbia Retirement 2015 Portfolio***

   0

Columbia Retirement 2020 Portfolio***

   0

Columbia Retirement 2025 Portfolio***

   0

Columbia Retirement 2030 Portfolio***

   0

Columbia Retirement 2035 Portfolio***

   0

Columbia Retirement 2045 Portfolio***

   0

 

* Waivers of CMA advisory and/or administration fees and/or other expense reimbursements will result in the listed fund level expense commitments (excluding (i) those explicitly excluded from the definition of “Covered Expenses” in Section 4 of this Agreement; (ii) taxes; and (iii) advisory fees).

 

** Formerly, Banc of America Funds Trust.

 

*** Banc of America Retirement 2005 Portfolio, Banc of America Retirement 2010 Portfolio, Banc of America Retirement 2015 Portfolio, Banc of America Retirement 2020 Portfolio, Banc of America Retirement 2025 Portfolio, Banc of America Retirement 2030 Portfolio, Banc of America Retirement 2035 Portfolio, and Banc of America Retirement 2040 Portfolio.

 

12


Advisory Fee Waiver for Columbia Funds

Sub-Advised by Marsico Capital Management, LLC (“Marsico”)

Effective January 1, 2008 through

the Respective Expiration Dates listed below1

The dollar amount of the waiver of advisory fees equals the dollar amount calculated on a monthly basis based on an annualized fee rate of 0.45% of the applicable Fund’s assets minus the dollar amount calculated on a monthly basis based on the applicable annualized fee rate according to the below chart. To the extent that a Fund is benefitting from a separate expense limitation for a Fund sub-advised by Marsico, CMA is not required to waive this portion of the advisory fee for that Fund.

 

Company/Fund

   Fee Rate(%)     Expiration Date

Columbia Funds Series Trust

    

Columbia Marsico 21st Century Fund

     June 30, 2010

Columbia Marsico Focused Equities Fund

     June 30, 2010

Columbia Marsico Growth Fund

     June 30, 2010

Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I

    

Columbia Marsico 21st Century Fund, Variable Series2

     April 30, 2010

Columbia Marsico Focused Equities Fund, Variable Series

     April 30, 2010

Columbia Marsico Growth Fund, Variable Series

     April 30, 2010

Assets up to $18 billion

   0.45  

Assets in excess of $18 billion and up to $21 billion

   0.40  

Assets in excess of $21 billion

   0.35  

Columbia Funds Series Trust

    

Columbia Multi-Advisor International Equity Fund

     June 30, 2010

Columbia Marsico International Opportunities Fund2

     June 30, 2010

Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I

    

Columbia Marsico International Opportunities Fund, Variable Series2

     April 30, 2010

Assets up to $6 billion

   .45 **   

Assets in excess of $6 billion and up to $10 billion

   .40 **   

Assets in excess of $10 billion

   .35 **   
*

For purposes of the calculation, the assets sub-advised by Marsico in the following Columbia Funds will be aggregated: (i) Columbia Marsico Growth Fund, Variable Series; (ii) Columbia Marsico Focused Equities Fund, Variable Series; (iii) Columbia Marsico 21st Century Fund, Variable Series; (iv) Columbia Marsico Growth Fund; (v) Columbia Marsico Focused Equities Fund; (vi) Columbia Marsico 21st Century Fund; and (vii) any future Columbia U.S. equity fund sub-advised by Marsico which CMA and Marsico mutually agree in writing.

 

** For purposes of the calculation, the assets sub-advised by Marsico in the following Columbia Funds will be aggregated: (i) Columbia Marsico International Opportunities Fund, Variable Series; (ii) Columbia Marsico International Opportunities Fund; (iii) Columbia Multi-Advisor International Equity Fund; and (iv) any future Columbia international equity fund sub-advised by Marsico which CMA and Marsico mutually agree in writing.

 

1

At its October 2007 meeting relating to the advisory contract renewal, the Board approved new sub-advisory fee rates and breakpoints for Columbia Funds sub-advised by Marsico, effective January 1, 2008. In this connection, CMA agreed to waive its advisory fee to the extent necessary to allow for the impact of the new sub-advisory fee rates and breakpoints payable by a Fund to Marsico to be passed through to a Fund’s shareholders, except to the extent that a Fund is already benefiting from a fee waiver or expense cap provided by CMA.

 

2

Currently, these funds have a separate contractual expense limitation.

 

13


Effective as of the 15th day of May, 2009.

 

COLUMBIA FUNDS SERIES TRUST

COLUMBIA FUNDS MASTER INVESTMENT TRUST, LLC

COLUMBIA FUNDS VARIABLE INSURANCE TRUST I

COLUMBIA FUNDS SERIES TRUST II

Each for itself and on behalf of its respective series listed on this Schedule A

 

By: /s/ MICHAEL G. CLARKE

Name: Michael G. Clarke

Title: Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

COLUMBIA MANAGEMENT ADVISORS, LLC

 

By: /s/ J. KEVIN CONNAUGHTON

Name: J. Kevin Connaughton

Title: Managing Director

COLUMBIA MANAGEMENT DISTRIBUTORS, INC.

 

By: /s/ J. KEVIN CONNAUGHTON

Name: J. Kevin Connaughton

Title: Managing Director

 

14

EX-99.(H)(12)(I) 3 dex99h12i.htm AMENDMENT TO ACCOUNTING SERVICES AGREEMENT Amendment to Accounting Services Agreement

Exhibit (h)(12)(i)

AMENDMENT TO FINANCIAL REPORTING SERVICES AGREEMENT

THIS AMENDMENT TO FINANCIAL REPORTING SERVICES AGREEMENT, dated June 29, 2007 (this “Amendment”), amends the Financial Reporting Services Agreement, dated December 15, 2006, (the “Agreement”), by and between among each of the registered investment companies, or series thereof, listed on Schedule A thereto, including the Massachusetts business trusts listed on Exhibit A hereto (each a “Colonial Fund” and, together, the “Colonial Funds”), Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (“CMA”), and State Street Bank and Trust Company (the “Supplier”). Capitalized terms used herein but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Agreement.

WHEREAS, each Colonial Fund has entered into the Agreement, which retains Supplier to provide certain financial reporting services to the Colonial Funds;

WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees of Colonial Insured Municipal Fund (“CIMF”) has taken action to effect the liquidation, dissolution and winding up of the affairs of CIMF, a Fund listed on Exhibit A hereto, on May 25, 2007 (the “Liquidation”);

WHEREAS, CMA, the investment adviser to the remaining Funds has entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Inc. (“MFS”) pursuant to which CMA will sell its business of managing the Colonial Funds (other than CIMF) to MFS (the “Transaction”);

WHEREAS, upon consummation of the Transaction, the Colonial Funds’ investment advisory agreements with CMA will terminate, and the Colonial Funds will enter into new investment advisory agreements with MFS pursuant to which MFS will serve as the Colonial Funds’ investment adviser; and

WHEREAS, the parties hereto desire to amend certain provisions of the Agreement as set forth below.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and for other good and valuable consideration (the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged), the parties hereto agree as follows:

SECTION 1. AMENDMENT. The Agreement shall be amended as follows:

1.1. Amended Schedule A (CIMF) and Effectiveness. Effective on the Liquidation, Schedule A to the Agreement is hereby amended by deleting CIMF therefrom.

1.2. Amended Schedule A (Colonial Funds) and Effectiveness. Schedule A to the Agreement is hereby amended by deleting therefrom the Colonial Funds listed on Exhibit A hereto. The amendment to the Agreement set forth in this Section 1.2 shall become effective when each of the following two conditions has been satisfied: (i) this Amendment has been duly executed by the parties hereto and (ii) the Transaction has been consummated pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement.


1.3. Continuing Effectiveness. The amendments to the Agreement set forth in this Section 1 shall be deemed to be amendments to the Agreement, and the Agreement, as amended hereby, shall remain in full force and effect and is hereby ratified, approved and confirmed in each and every respect.

1.4. Waiver of Any Notice Requirement. The parties hereby waive any notice that they may have been entitled to under the Agreement due to the amendments described in this Amendment.

SECTION 2. MISCELLANEOUS.

2.1. Execution in Counterparts. This Amendment may be executed by the parties hereto in multiple counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement.

2.2. Governing Law. This Amendment shall be governed by the internal laws, and not by the laws regarding conflicts of laws, of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Each party hereby submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of such state, and waives any objection to venue with respect to actions brought in such courts.

2.3. Successors and Assigns. This Amendment shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns.

2.4. Notice. A copy of each Colonial Fund’s agreement and declaration of trust is on file with the Secretary of State of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and this Amendment is executed by an officer of each Colonial Fund, as an officer and not individually, and the obligations of this Amendment with respect to the Colonial Funds shall be binding upon the assets and properties of the Colonial Funds only and shall not be binding upon any of the trustees, officers, employees, agents or shareholders of the Colonial Funds individually.

 

(Signature Page Follows)

 

2


Exhibit (h)(12)(i)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Amendment to be executed by their duly authorized officers as of the day and year first above written.

 

Colonial High Income Municipal Trust

Colonial Municipal Income Trust

Colonial Investment Grade Municipal Trust

Colonial InterMarket Income Trust I

Colonial Intermediate High Income Fund

Colonial Insured Municipal Fund

Colonial California Insured Municipal Fund

 

 

By: /s/ Marybeth Pilat                                                    

Name: Marybeth Pilat

Title: Deputy Treasurer, Duly Authorized

 

STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY

 

By: /s/ Joseph L. Hooley                                                 

Name: Joseph L. Hooley

Title: Executive Vice President, Duly Authorized

 

COLUMBIA MANAGEMENT ADVISORS, LLC

 

By: /s/ Marybeth Pilat                                                       

Name: Marybeth Pilat

Title: Director, Duly Authorized


Exhibit (h)(12)(i)

SCHEDULE A

TRUST AND FUND LISTING

As of: June 29, 2007

 

Fund Name

  

Trust Name

Schedule A1 (Fund pays expenses)

Banc of America Retirement 2005 Portfolio

   Banc of America Funds Trust

Banc of America Retirement 2010 Portfolio

   Banc of America Funds Trust

Banc of America Retirement 2015 Portfolio

   Banc of America Funds Trust

Banc of America Retirement 2020 Portfolio

   Banc of America Funds Trust

Banc of America Retirement 2025 Portfolio

   Banc of America Funds Trust

Banc of America Retirement 2030 Portfolio

   Banc of America Funds Trust

Banc of America Retirement 2035 Portfolio

   Banc of America Funds Trust

Banc of America Retirement 2040 Portfolio

   Banc of America Funds Trust

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia Balanced Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia California Tax-Exempt Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia California Tax-Exempt Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Cash Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Common Stock Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Connecticut Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Connecticut Municipal Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Connecticut Tax-Exempt Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Conservative High Yield Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Convertible Securities Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Core Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Disciplined Value Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Dividend Income Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Federal Securities Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Federal Securities Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia Georgia Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Global Value Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Government Plus Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust


Columbia Government Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Greater China Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia High Income Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia High Income Master Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust, LLC

Columbia High Yield Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I

Columbia High Yield Municipal Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia High Yield Opportunity Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Income Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Intermediate Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia International Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia International Stock Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia International Value Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia International Value Master Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust, LLC

Columbia Large Cap Core Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Large Cap Core Master Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust, LLC

Columbia Large Cap Enhanced Core Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Large Cap Growth Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Large Cap Growth Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia Large Cap Value Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Large Cap Value Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia Liberty Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Marsico 21st Century Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Marsico 21st Century Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I

Columbia Marsico Focused Equities Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Marsico Focused Equities Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I

Columbia Marsico Focused Equities Master Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust, LLC

Columbia Marsico Growth Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Marsico Growth Master Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust, LLC

Columbia Marsico Growth Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I

 

5


Columbia Marsico International Opportunities Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Marsico International Opportunities Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I

Columbia Mid Cap Growth Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I

Columbia Maryland Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Massachusetts Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Massachusetts Municipal Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Massachusetts Tax-Exempt Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Mid Cap Growth Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Mid Cap Index Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Mid Cap Value Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Mid Cap Value Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia Money Market Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia Money Market Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Multi-Advisor International Equity Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Municipal Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia New Jersey Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia New York Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia New York Tax-Exempt Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia New York Tax-Exempt Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia North Carolina Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Oregon Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Prime Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Real Estate Equity Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Rhode Island Intermediate Municipal Bond

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

 

6


Columbia S&P 500 Index Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia Short-Term Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Short-Term Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Small Cap Core Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Small Cap Growth Fund I

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Small Cap Growth Fund II

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Small Cap Growth Master Portfolio II

   Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust. LLC

Columbia Small Cap Value Fund I

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Small Cap Value Fund II

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Small Cap Value Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia Small Company Growth Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia South Carolina Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Strategic Income Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Strategic Income Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia Strategic Investor Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Tax-Exempt Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Tax-Exempt Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Technology Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Total Return Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Treasury Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Virginia Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia World Equity Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

CMG Strategic Equity Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Schedule A2 – Unified Fee Funds (CMA pays Fund expenses.)

Corporate Bond Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

 

7


Mortgage and Asset Backed Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

CMG Core Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Enhanced S&P 500 Index Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG High Yield Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG International Stock Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Large Cap Growth Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Large Cap Value Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Mid Cap Growth Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Mid Cap Value Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Short Term Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Small Cap Value Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Small/Mid Cap Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Small Cap Growth Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Ultra Short Term Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

Columbia Large Cap Index Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia LifeGoal Balanced Growth Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia LifeGoal Growth Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia LifeGoal Income and Growth Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Small Cap Index Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia U.S. Treasury Index Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

 

8


EXHIBIT A

Colonial Funds

Colonial High Income Municipal Trust

Colonial Municipal Income Trust

Colonial Investment Grade Municipal Trust

Colonial Intermarket Income Trust I

Colonial Intermediate High Income Fund

Colonial Insured Municipal Fund

Colonial California Insured Municipal Fund

 

9

EX-99.(H)(13)(I) 4 dex99h13i.htm AMENDMENT TO THE FINANCIAL REPORTING SERVICES AGREEMENT Amendment to the Financial Reporting Services Agreement

Exhibit (h)(13)(i)

AMENDMENT TO ACCOUNTING SERVICES AGREEMENT

THIS AMENDMENT TO ACCOUNTING SERVICES AGREEMENT, dated June 29, 2007 (this “Amendment”), amends the Accounting Services Agreement, dated December 15, 2006, (the “Agreement”), by and among each of the registered investment companies, or series thereof, listed on Schedule A thereto, including the Massachusetts business trusts listed on Exhibit A hereto (each a “Colonial Fund” and, together, the “Colonial Funds”), Columbia Management Advisors, LLC (“CMA”), and State Street Bank and Trust Company (the “Supplier”). Capitalized terms used herein but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Agreement.

WHEREAS, each Colonial Fund has entered into the Agreement, which retains Supplier to provide certain accounting services to the Colonial Funds;

WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees of Colonial Insured Municipal Fund (“CIMF”) has taken action to effect the liquidation, dissolution and winding up of the affairs of CIMF, a Fund listed on Exhibit A hereto, on May 25, 2007 (the “Liquidation”);

WHEREAS, CMA, the investment adviser to the remaining Funds has entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Inc. (“MFS”) pursuant to which CMA will sell its business of managing the Colonial Funds (other than CIMF) to MFS (the “Transaction”);

WHEREAS, upon consummation of the Transaction, the Colonial Funds’ investment advisory agreements with CMA will terminate, and the Colonial Funds will enter into new investment advisory agreements with MFS pursuant to which MFS will serve as the Colonial Funds’ investment adviser; and

WHEREAS, the parties hereto desire to amend certain provisions of the Agreement as set forth below.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and for other good and valuable consideration (the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged), the parties hereto agree as follows:

SECTION 1. AMENDMENT. The Agreement shall be amended as follows:

1.1. Amended Schedule A (CIMF) and Effectiveness. Effective on the Liquidation, Schedule A to the Agreement is hereby amended by deleting CIMF therefrom.

1.2. Amended Schedule A (Colonial Funds) and Effectiveness. Schedule A to the Agreement is hereby amended by deleting therefrom the Colonial Funds (other than CIMF) listed on Exhibit A hereto. The amendment to the Agreement set forth in this Section 1.2 shall become effective when each of the following two conditions has been satisfied: (i) this Amendment has been duly executed by the parties hereto and (ii) the Transaction has been consummated.


1.3. Continuing Effectiveness. The amendments to the Agreement set forth in this Section 1 shall be deemed to be amendments to the Agreement, and the Agreement, as amended hereby, shall remain in full force and effect and is hereby ratified, approved and confirmed in each and every respect.

1.4. Waiver of Any Notice Requirement. The parties hereby waive any notice that they may have been entitled to under the Agreement due to the amendments described in this Amendment.

SECTION 2. MISCELLANEOUS.

2.1. Execution in Counterparts. This Amendment may be executed by the parties hereto in multiple counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement.

2.2. Governing Law. This Amendment shall be governed by the internal laws, and not by the laws regarding conflicts of laws, of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Each party hereby submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of such state, and waives any objection to venue with respect to actions brought in such courts.

2.3. Successors and Assigns. This Amendment shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns.

2.4. Notice. A copy of each Colonial Fund’s agreement and declaration of trust is on file with the Secretary of State of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and this Amendment is executed by an officer of each Colonial Fund, as an officer and not individually, and the obligations of this Amendment with respect to the Colonial Funds shall be binding upon the assets and properties of the Colonial Funds only and shall not be binding upon any of the trustees, officers, employees, agents or shareholders of the Colonial Funds individually.

 

(Signature Page Follows)

 

2


Exhibit (h)(13)(i)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Amendment to be executed by their duly authorized officers as of the day and year first above written.

 

COLONIAL HIGH INCOME MUNICIPAL TRUST

COLONIAL MUNICIPAL INCOME TRUST

COLONIAL INVESTMENT GRADE MUNICIPAL TRUST

COLONIAL INTERMARKET INCOME TRUST I

COLONIAL INTERMEDIATE HIGH INCOME FUND

COLONIAL INSURED MUNICIPAL FUND

COLONIAL CALIFORNIA INSURED MUNICIPAL FUND

 

By: /s/ Marybeth Pilat                                                   

Name: Marybeth Pilat

Title: Deputy Treasurer, Duly Authorized

 

STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY

 

By: /s/ Joseph L. Hooley                                                 

Name: Joseph L. Hooley

Title: Executive Vice President, Duly Authorized

 

COLUMBIA MANAGEMENT ADVISORS, LLC

 

By: /s/ Marybeth Pilat                                                       

Name: Marybeth Pilat

Title: Director, Duly Authorized


Exhibit (h)(13)(i)

SCHEDULE A

TRUST AND FUND LISTING

As of: June 29, 2007

 

Fund Name

  

Trust Name

Schedule A1 (Fund pays expenses)

Banc of America Retirement 2005 Portfolio

   Banc of America Funds Trust

Banc of America Retirement 2010 Portfolio

   Banc of America Funds Trust

Banc of America Retirement 2015 Portfolio

   Banc of America Funds Trust

Banc of America Retirement 2020 Portfolio

   Banc of America Funds Trust

Banc of America Retirement 2025 Portfolio

   Banc of America Funds Trust

Banc of America Retirement 2030 Portfolio

   Banc of America Funds Trust

Banc of America Retirement 2035 Portfolio

   Banc of America Funds Trust

Banc of America Retirement 2040 Portfolio

   Banc of America Funds Trust

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Asset Allocation Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia Balanced Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia California Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia California Tax-Exempt Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia California Tax-Exempt Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Cash Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Common Stock Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Connecticut Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Connecticut Municipal Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Connecticut Tax-Exempt Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Conservative High Yield Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Convertible Securities Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Core Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Disciplined Value Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Dividend Income Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Federal Securities Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Federal Securities Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia Georgia Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Global Value Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Government Plus Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust


Columbia Government Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Greater China Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia High Income Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia High Income Master Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust, LLC

Columbia High Yield Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I

Columbia High Yield Municipal Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia High Yield Opportunity Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Income Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Intermediate Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia International Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia International Stock Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia International Value Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia International Value Master Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust, LLC

Columbia Large Cap Core Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Large Cap Core Master Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust, LLC

Columbia Large Cap Enhanced Core Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Large Cap Growth Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Large Cap Growth Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia Large Cap Value Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Large Cap Value Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia Liberty Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Marsico 21st Century Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Marsico 21st Century Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I

Columbia Marsico Focused Equities Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Marsico Focused Equities Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I

Columbia Marsico Focused Equities Master Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust, LLC

Columbia Marsico Growth Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Marsico Growth Master Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust, LLC

Columbia Marsico Growth Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I

Columbia Marsico International Opportunities Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Marsico International Opportunities Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I

Columbia Mid Cap Growth Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust I

Columbia Maryland Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Massachusetts Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Massachusetts Municipal Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

 

5


Columbia Massachusetts Tax-Exempt Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Mid Cap Growth Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Mid Cap Index Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Mid Cap Value Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Mid Cap Value Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia Money Market Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia Money Market Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Multi-Advisor International Equity Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Municipal Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia New Jersey Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia New York Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia New York Tax-Exempt Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia New York Tax-Exempt Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia North Carolina Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Oregon Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Prime Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Real Estate Equity Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Rhode Island Intermediate Municipal Bond

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia S&P 500 Index Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia Short-Term Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Short-Term Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Small Cap Core Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Small Cap Growth Fund I

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Small Cap Growth Fund II

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Small Cap Growth Master Portfolio II

   Columbia Funds Master Investment Trust. LLC

Columbia Small Cap Value Fund I

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Small Cap Value Fund II

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Small Cap Value Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia Small Company Growth Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia South Carolina Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Strategic Income Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Strategic Income Fund, VS

   Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust

Columbia Strategic Investor Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

 

6


Columbia Tax-Exempt Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Tax-Exempt Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Technology Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

Columbia Total Return Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Treasury Reserves

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Virginia Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia World Equity Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

CMG Strategic Equity Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Schedule A2 – Unified Fee Funds (CMA pays Fund expenses.)

Corporate Bond Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Mortgage and Asset Backed Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

CMG Core Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Enhanced S&P 500 Index Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG High Yield Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG International Stock Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Large Cap Growth Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Large Cap Value Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Mid Cap Growth Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Mid Cap Value Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Short Term Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Small Cap Value Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Small/Mid Cap Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Small Cap Growth Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

CMG Ultra Short Term Bond Fund

   Columbia Funds Institutional Trust

Columbia Large Cap Index Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia LifeGoal Balanced Growth Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia LifeGoal Growth Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia LifeGoal Income and Growth Portfolio

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia Small Cap Index Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust

Columbia U.S. Treasury Index Fund

   Columbia Funds Series Trust I

 

7


EXHIBIT A

Colonial Funds

Colonial High Income Municipal Trust

Colonial Municipal Income Trust

Colonial Investment Grade Municipal Trust

Colonial Intermarket Income Trust I

Colonial Intermediate High Income Fund

Colonial Insured Municipal Fund

Colonial California Insured Municipal Fund

 

8

EX-99.(H)(18) 5 dex99h18.htm FORM OF INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT Form of Indemnification Agreement

FORM OF INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

This INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT is made this [            ] day of [            ], 2009 (“Agreement”) by and between Columbia Funds Series Trust (formerly known as Nations Funds Trust), a statutory trust created pursuant to the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, 12 Del. C. Section 3801 et seq., as amended from time to time (the “Trust”), and [            ] (“Indemnitee”).

WHEREAS, at the request of the Trust, Indemnitee currently serves as a trustee of the Trust and may, therefore, be subjected to claims, suits or proceedings arising as a result of Indemnitee’s service; and

WHEREAS, as an inducement to Indemnitee to continue to serve as a trustee of the Trust, the Trust has agreed to hold harmless and indemnify Indemnitee against judgments, expenses and costs incurred by Indemnitee in connection with any such claims, suits or proceedings, to the fullest extent that is lawful; and

WHEREAS, the parties by this Agreement desire to set forth their agreement regarding indemnification;

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual agreements contained in this Agreement, the Trust and Indemnitee do hereby covenant and agree as follows:

Section 1. Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement:

(a) “1940 Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

(b) “Agreement” has the meaning set out in the preamble.

(c) “Board of Trustees” means the Board of Trustees of the Trust.

(d) “Declaration of Trust” means the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust for the Trust dated as of September 26, 2005, as the same may be amended, restated, supplemented and in effect from time to time.

(e) “Disinterested Trustee” means a trustee of the Trust who is not and was not a party to the Proceeding in respect of which indemnification or advance of Expenses is sought by Indemnitee and who is not an “affiliated person” (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940) of the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Trust or any series thereof.

(f) “Expenses” shall include, without limitation, all judgments, penalties, fines, amounts paid or to be paid in settlement, ERISA excise taxes, liabilities, losses, interest, expenses of investigation, attorneys’ fees, retainers, court costs, transcript costs, fees of experts, witness fees, expenses of preparing for and attending depositions and other proceedings, travel expenses, duplicating costs, printing and binding costs, computerized legal research costs, telephone charges, postage, delivery service fees, and all other costs, disbursements or expenses of the types customarily incurred in connection with prosecuting, defending, preparing to prosecute or defend, investigating, or acting or preparing to act as a witness in a Proceeding.


(g) “Indemnitee” has the meaning set out in the preamble.

(h) “Independent Counsel” means a law firm, or a member of a law firm, that meets all of the following criteria: the law firm or the member of the law firm (i) is an “independent legal counsel” within the meaning of Rule 0-1(a)(6) under the 1940 Act; (ii) is experienced in matters of corporation or investment company law; (iii) is not currently representing, nor in the past two years has been retained to represent, (A) the Trust or Indemnitee in any matter material to either such party, or (B) any other party in the Proceeding giving rise to a claim for indemnification under this Agreement, except that the law firm or the member of the law firm may represent another non-interested trustee of the Trust in the Proceeding; and (iv) is not a person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a material conflict of interest in representing either the Trust or Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement. Independent Counsel shall be selected by Indemnitee and approved by a majority of the members of the Board of Trustees (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed). In the event that the Board of Trustees does not approve Indemnitee’s selection within 14 days of written notice from Indemnitee of Indemnitee’s selection, Indemnitee may petition a court of competent jurisdiction in Delaware for the appointment as Independent Counsel of a person selected by the court or by such other person as the court shall designate, and the person with respect to whom an objection is favorably resolved or the person so appointed shall act as Independent Counsel, provided that such other law firm or member of a law firm is an “independent legal counsel” within the meaning of Rule 0-1(a)(6) under the 1940 Act and is not currently representing, nor in the past two years has been retained to represent, the Trust or Indemnitee in any matter material to either such party, except that the law firm or the member of the law firm may represent another non-interested Trustee of the Trust in the Proceeding. The Trust shall pay all Expenses charged or incurred by Independent Counsel in connection with his or her determinations pursuant to this Agreement, and shall pay all reasonable fees and Expenses incident to the procedures described in this paragraph, regardless of the manner in which such Independent Counsel was selected or appointed.

(i) “Proceeding” includes, without limitation, any threatened, pending or completed claim, action, suit, regulatory inquiry, demand, threat, discovery request, request for testimony or information, arbitration, alternative dispute resolution mechanism, investigation, administrative hearing or any other proceeding or occurrence of a similar nature (including appeals), whether civil, criminal, administrative, investigative or other, whether formally or informally initiated.

(j) “Status” means the status of a person as an “agent” as defined in Article VII of the Declaration of Trust.

(k) “Trust” has the meaning set out in the preamble.

Section 2. Services by Indemnitee. Indemnitee agrees to continue to serve in his or her Status and may at any time and for any reason resign from such Status (subject to any other contractual obligation or any obligation imposed by operation of law). The Trust shall have no obligation under this Agreement to continue Indemnitee in such Status, but Indemnitee shall nevertheless retain all rights provided under this Agreement.

 

2


Section 3. Indemnification – General. The Trust shall hold harmless and indemnify out of its assets, and advance Expenses to, Indemnitee (a) as specifically provided in this Agreement and (b) otherwise to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law in effect on the date of this Agreement and as such law may be amended from time to time; provided, however, that, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, no change in applicable law shall have the effect of reducing the benefits available to Indemnitee under this Agreement based on applicable law as in effect on the date of this Agreement. The rights of Indemnitee provided in this Section 3 shall include, but shall not be limited to, all rights set forth in the other sections of this Agreement. In recognition that the Indemnitee hereunder serves or served as a Trustee of the Trust and acts or acted for the Trust and not a single part or series thereof, to the fullest extent permitted by the Declaration of Trust as in effect on the date hereof, the following Expenses payable by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be treated as general expenses of the Trust and allocated and charged between and among any one or more of the series of the Trust in the manner contemplated by the Declaration of Trust as in effect on the date hereof: (i) any Expenses which are not readily identifiable as belonging to any particular series of the Trust, and (ii) any Expenses that would otherwise be apportioned to any series of the Trust (whether such series exists at or prior or subsequent to the date of this Agreement) that has been, or after the date of this Agreement is, liquidated, but only to the extent reserves, insurance or other sources of funds for the payment of any such Expenses are unavailable. For purposes of this Agreement, any Expenses which do not belong exclusively to a particular series of the Trust shall be deemed not to be readily identifiable as belonging to any particular series of the Trust. The right of the Indemnitee to indemnification and advancement of Expenses under this Agreement shall not be deemed to limit, supersede or otherwise affect any other similar right under applicable law, the Declaration of Trust, any other agreement, any policy of insurance, or a vote of shareholders or resolution of the Board of Trustees, and the Indemnitee may, at his or her sole option, seek and obtain indemnification and/or advancement of Expenses by exercising rights pursuant to any of the foregoing or otherwise and in any order of priority.

Section 4. Rights of Indemnification. (a) Indemnitee shall be held harmless and indemnified by the Trust against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf in connection with any Proceeding in which Indemnitee is, or is threatened to be, involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his or her Status, whether or not such Proceeding is brought by or in the right of the Trust and irrespective of when the conduct that is the subject of the Proceeding occurred, provided that no indemnification of Expenses shall be provided under this Agreement to the extent that such Expenses arise from conduct of the Indemnitee for which indemnification may not lawfully be provided to Indemnitee.

(b) Without limiting any other rights of Indemnitee under this Agreement, if Indemnitee is, pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, entitled to indemnification as to one or more but less than all claims, matters or issues in a Proceeding, the Trust shall indemnify Indemnitee against all Expenses incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf in connection with each claim, matter or issue for which Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification under this Agreement.

Section 5. Advancement of Expenses. The Trust, to the fullest extent permitted by the Declaration of Trust and applicable law, shall advance all Expenses incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with any Proceeding in which Indemnitee is, or is threatened to be,

 

3


involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his or her Status, within 10 business days after the receipt by the Trust of a statement or statements from Indemnitee requesting such advance or advances from time to time. Such statement or statements shall reasonably evidence the Expenses incurred by Indemnitee and shall include or be preceded or accompanied by a written undertaking by or on behalf of Indemnitee to repay any Expenses advanced if it shall be ultimately determined that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under this Agreement as to such Expenses.

Section 6. Procedure for Determination of Entitlement to Indemnification.

(a) To obtain indemnification under Section 3, 4, or 5 of this Agreement, Indemnitee shall submit to the Trust a written request. The Secretary of the Trust shall, promptly upon receipt of such a request for indemnification, advise the Board of Trustees in writing that Indemnitee has requested indemnification.

(b) Upon written request by Indemnitee for indemnification pursuant to the first sentence of Section 6(a) of this Agreement, a determination with respect to Indemnitee’s entitlement to such indemnification shall be promptly made, if such determination has not already been made, by either (i) the vote of a majority of the Disinterested Trustees of the Trust or (ii) Independent Counsel in a written opinion. In making such determination, the Disinterested Trustees or Independent Counsel making the determination shall afford Indemnitee a rebuttable presumption that Indemnitee has not engaged in conduct for which indemnification may not lawfully be provided. If it is determined that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, payment to Indemnitee shall be made within 10 business days after such determination. Indemnitee shall cooperate with the person(s) making such determination with respect to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification, including providing to such person(s) upon reasonable advance request any documentation or information which is not privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure and which is reasonably available to Indemnitee and reasonably necessary to such determination. Any costs or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and disbursements) incurred by Indemnitee in so cooperating with the person(s) making such determination, in response to a request by such person(s), shall be borne by the Trust (irrespective of the determination as to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification).

Section 7. Remedies of Indemnitee.

(a) In the event that (i) a determination is made pursuant to Section 6 of this Agreement that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification, (ii) advancement of Expenses is not timely made pursuant to Section 5, (iii) no determination of entitlement to indemnification shall have been made pursuant to Section 6(b) within 30 days after receipt by the Trust of the request for indemnification, or (iv) payment of indemnification is not made within 10 business days after a determination has been made that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification pursuant to Section 6 of this Agreement, Indemnitee shall be entitled to an adjudication in an appropriate court of the State of Delaware, or at Indemnitee’s discretion in any other court of competent jurisdiction, of Indemnitee’s entitlement to such indemnification or advancement of Expenses. Alternatively, Indemnitee, at Indemnitee’s option, may seek an award in arbitration to be conducted by a single arbitrator pursuant to the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association. Indemnitee shall commence such proceeding seeking adjudication or an

 

4


award in arbitration within one year following the date on which Indemnitee first has the right to commence such proceeding pursuant to this Section 7. In any such proceeding, the Indemnitee and the Trust shall be bound by the determination of the arbitrator, subject to rights of appeal to a court of competent jurisdiction to review such an arbitration award and to vacate such an award. The Trust shall advance the costs of such an arbitration to the American Arbitration Association. The arbitrator shall be instructed to identify the prevailing party in the arbitration and, if the Indemnitee identifies the Trust as the prevailing party, the Indemnitee shall repay one-half of any costs so advanced.

(b) In the event that Indemnitee, pursuant to Section 7(a), seeks a judicial adjudication of or an award in arbitration to enforce Indemnitee’s rights under, or to recover damages for breach of this Agreement, Indemnitee shall be entitled to recover from the Trust, and shall be indemnified by the Trust against, any and all expenses (of the types described in the definition of Expenses in Section 1) actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in such judicial adjudication or arbitration, but only if Indemnitee prevails in such judicial adjudication or arbitration. If it shall be determined in said judicial adjudication or arbitration that Indemnitee is entitled to receive part but not all of the indemnification or advancement of expenses sought, the expenses incurred by Indemnitee in connection with such judicial adjudication or arbitration shall be appropriately prorated in the same proportion as the amount of the indemnification or advancement of expenses awarded in the judicial adjudication or arbitration.

Section 8. Non-Exclusivity; Insurance; Subrogation; Exclusions.

(a) The rights of indemnification and advancement of Expenses as provided by this Agreement shall be several and shall not be deemed exclusive of or affect any other rights to which Indemnitee may at any time be entitled under applicable law, the Declaration of Trust, any agreement, a vote of shareholders or a resolution of the Board of Trustees, or otherwise. No amendment, alteration or repeal of this Agreement or of any provision of this Agreement shall limit or restrict any right of Indemnitee under this Agreement in respect of any action taken or omitted by such Indemnitee in Indemnitee’s Status prior to such amendment, alteration or repeal.

(b) For a period of six years after the Indemnitee has ceased to serve in a Status, the Trust shall purchase and maintain in effect one or more policies of insurance on behalf of the Indemnitee which collectively provide limits of coverage for claims made against the Indemnitee in the event of the insolvency of the Trust, or any series of the Trust, or other event, not otherwise provided for in Section 3 of this Agreement, which causes the Trust or any series of the Trust to be unable to pay Expenses as contemplated by this Agreement, having scope of coverage that is generally consistent with the scope of coverage available for that Indemnitee in such circumstances when he or she ended service in a Status and with coverage limits of not less than $10,000,000, unless such insurance is not reasonably available.

(c) In the event of any payment under this Agreement, when Indemnitee has been fully and indefeasibly indemnified (under this Agreement and/or otherwise) in respect of all Expenses incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf in connection with a Proceeding by reason of Indemnitee’s Status, the Trust shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee, who shall, upon reasonable written request by the Trust and at the Trust’s expense, execute all papers required and take all reasonable actions as are

 

5


necessary to enable the Trust to bring suit to enforce such rights. Nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to diminish or otherwise restrict the right of the Trust or the Indemnitee to proceed or collect against any insurers and to give such insurers any rights against the Trust under or with respect to this Agreement, including without limitation any right to be subrogated to the Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement, unless otherwise expressly agreed to by the Trust in writing, and the obligation of such insurers to the Trust and the Indemnitee shall not be deemed to be reduced or impaired in any respect by virtue of the provisions of this Agreement.

(d) The Trust shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment of amounts otherwise indemnifiable under this Agreement to the extent Indemnitee has otherwise actually received such payment under any insurance policy, contract, agreement or otherwise.

Section 9. Limitation of Liability. The parties to this Agreement agree that the obligations of the Trust under this Agreement shall not be binding upon any of the Trustees, shareholders, nominees, officers, employees or agents, whether past, present or future, of the Trust, individually, but are binding only upon the assets and property of the Trust, as provided in the Declaration of Trust. The execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Trust have been authorized by the Board of Trustees and signed by an authorized officer of the Trust, acting as such, and neither such authorization by such Trustees nor such execution and delivery by such officer shall be deemed to have been made by any of them individually or to impose any liability on any of them personally, but shall bind only the trust property of the Trust as provided in the Declaration of Trust.

Furthermore, each Indemnitee acknowledges and agrees that (i) the assets and liabilities of each series of the Trust are separate and distinct and that all liabilities and expenses, including payment obligations arising out of this Agreement, with respect to a particular series of the Trust are enforceable against the assets of such series only and not against the assets of the Trust generally or any other series of the Trust, and (ii) except as provided in Section 3 hereof, any Expenses payable by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement which are not readily identifiable as belonging to any particular series of the Trust will be allocated and charged between and among any one or more of the series of the Trust in the manner contemplated by the Declaration of Trust. For purposes of this Agreement, any Expenses which do not belong exclusively to a particular series of the Trust shall be deemed not to be readily identifiable as belonging to any particular series of the Trust.

Section 10. Duration of Agreement; Assignment. This Agreement shall be effective against the Trust as of the date of this Agreement. This Agreement shall continue as to Indemnitee if Indemnitee is no longer serving in a Status with respect to any Proceeding in respect of which Indemnitee is granted rights to indemnification or advancement of expenses under this Agreement. The Indemnitee, in his or her sole discretion, may assign his or her rights to receive indemnification payments (but not any rights to assert a claim for indemnification based on the assignee’s own conduct) under this Agreement to any other person, upon written notice to the Trust in accordance with the Form of Notice of Assignment provided in Exhibit A to this Agreement. This Agreement shall be binding upon the Trust and its successors and assigns and shall inure to the benefit of Indemnitee and Indemnitee’s spouse, heirs, assigns, devisees, executors, administrators, and legal representatives. The Trust agrees that it shall not sell, assign or otherwise transfer all or substantially all of its assets, or merge or reorganize with

 

6


any other entity or series of any other entity, unless the entity or series to which such sale, assignment or transfer is being made, or that is the survivor of any such merger or reorganization, agrees to assume all of the obligations (whether contingent or otherwise) of the Trust under this Agreement. No amendment of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust or action by the Board of Trustees shall limit or eliminate the right of the Indemnitee to indemnification and advancement of expenses set forth in this Agreement.

Section 11. Severability. If any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, in whole or in part, for any reason whatsoever: (a) the validity, legality and enforceability or the remaining provisions of this Agreement (including, without limitation, each portion of any section of this Agreement containing any provision that is not itself invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall not in any way be affected or impaired by such holding; and (b) to the fullest extent possible, the provisions of this Agreement (including, without limitation, each portion of any section of this Agreement containing any provision that is not itself invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to give effect to the intent manifested by such provision.

Section 12. Identical Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same Agreement. Only one such counterpart signed by the party against whom enforceability is sought needs to be produced to evidence the existence of this Agreement.

Section 13. Headings. The headings of the sections of this Agreement are for convenience only and shall not be deemed to constitute part of this Agreement or to affect the meaning or construction of this Agreement or any provision of this Agreement.

Section 14. Modification and Waiver. No supplement, modification or amendment of or to this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by both of the parties to this Agreement or their respective successors, assigns, or legal representatives. Any waiver by either party of any breach by such other party of any provision contained in this Agreement to be performed by the other party must be in writing and signed by the waiving party or such party’s successor, assign, or legal representative. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provisions of this Agreement (whether or not similar) at the same or any prior or subsequent time, nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver.

Section 15. Interpretation of Agreement. It is understood that the parties to this Agreement intend this Agreement to be interpreted and enforced so as to provide indemnification and advancement of Expenses to the Indemnitee to the fullest extent now or hereafter permitted by law.

Section 16. Notice by Indemnitee. Indemnitee shall use his or her best efforts to promptly notify the Trust in writing upon being served with any summons, citation, subpoena, complaint, indictment, information or other document commencing any Proceeding or matter which may be subject to indemnification or advancement of Expenses under this Agreement, but

 

7


no delay in providing such notice shall in any way limit or affect the Indemnitee’s rights or the Trust’s obligations under this Agreement.

Section 17. Notices. All notices, requests, demands and other communications to a party under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given (i) if delivered by hand and receipted for by the party to whom said notice or other communication shall have been directed, or (ii) if mailed by certified or registered mail with postage prepaid or by nationally recognized overnight courier service, on the second business day after the date on which it is mailed.

 

  (1) If to Indemnitee, to:

____________________

____________________

with copies to

Burton M. Leibert, Esq.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

787 Seventh Avenue

New York, NY 10019-6099

 

  (2) If to the Trust, to:

James R. Bordewick, Jr.

Bank of America Corporation, Global Wealth and Investment Management

One Financial Center

MA5-515-11-05

Boston, MA 02111

with copies to:

Robert M. Kurucza

Goodwin Procter LLP

901 New York Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20001

or to such other address as may have been furnished to Indemnitee by the Trust or to the Trust by Indemnitee, as the case may be.

Section 18. Governing Law. The parties agree that this Agreement shall be governed by, and construed and enforced in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without reference to principles of conflict of laws of the State of Delaware.

 

8


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties to this Agreement have executed this Agreement on the day and year first above written.

 

COLUMBIA FUNDS SERIES TRUST

 

By: J. Kevin Connaughton

Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

 

AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED BY:
  

Name:

Title: Indemnitee

 

9

EX-99.(I) 6 dex99i.htm OPINION OF GOODWIN PROCTOR Opinion of Goodwin Proctor

LOGO

July 29, 2009

Columbia Funds Series Trust

One Financial Center

Boston, MA 02111

 

Re: Columbia Funds Series Trust
     Post-Effective Amendment No. 77 to Registration Statement on Form N-1A,
     File Nos. 333-89661; 811-09645 (the “Registration Statement”)

Ladies and Gentlemen:

As counsel to Columbia Funds Series Trust (the “Trust”), an unincorporated association under Chapter 38 of Title 12 of the Delaware Code (the “Delaware Statutory Trust Law”), commonly referred to as a “Delaware statutory trust,” we have been asked to render our opinion with respect to the issuance of an indefinite number of Class A, Class B, Class C, Class R and Class Z shares of stock of the Trust (the “Shares”), representing, as applicable, interests in Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II, Columbia LifeGoal Growth Portfolio, Columbia LifeGoal Balanced Growth Portfolio, Columbia LifeGoal Income and Growth Portfolio, Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio, Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio, Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio and Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio (each, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”), each a series of the Trust, as more fully described in the prospectuses and statements of additional information contained in Post-Effective Amendment No. 77 to the Registration Statement.

We have reviewed such documents and made such examination of law as we have deemed appropriate to give the opinion expressed below. We have relied, without independent verification, on a certificate of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware. We also have assumed that: (i) the Shares of each Fund will be issued and sold at a price per share of not less than the net asset value thereof and that such issuance or sale will be made substantially in conformity with and subject to all of the provisions, terms and conditions set forth in the Trust’s current prospectuses and statements of additional information included in the Registration Statement, as amended or supplemented from time to time, and (ii) ownership of all Shares will be duly recorded in the books of the Trust or its transfer or similar agent. The opinion expressed below is limited to the Delaware Statutory Trust Law.


Based upon the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares, when issued and sold, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable by the Trust.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the references to our firm as legal counsel for the Trust in the Registration Statement. This consent shall not constitute an acknowledgment that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required by Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.

Very truly yours,

/s/ GOODWIN PROCTER LLP

GOODWIN PROCTER LLP

 

cc: Peter T. Fariel, Esq.

 

2

EX-99.(J)(I) 7 dex99ji.htm CONSENT OF PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP RE:SPECIFIED ANNUAL REPORTS DTD 3/31/2009 Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP re:specified annual reports dtd 3/31/2009

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form N-1A of our report dated May 27, 2009, relating to the financial statements and financial highlights which appears in the March 31, 2009 Annual Report to Shareholders of Columbia LifeGoal Growth Portfolio, Columbia LifeGoal Balanced Growth Portfolio, Columbia LifeGoal Income Portfolio, Columbia LifeGoal Income and Growth Portfolio, Columbia Masters Global Equity Portfolio, Columbia Masters Heritage Portfolio, and Columbia Masters International Equity Portfolio, which are also incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement. We also consent to the references to us under the headings “Financial Highlights” and “Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” in such Registration Statement.

/s/PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

July 29, 2009

EX-99.(J)(II) 8 dex99jii.htm CONSENT OF PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP RE:COLUMBIA ASSET ALLOCATION FUND II Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP re:Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form N-1A of our report dated May 22, 2009, relating to the financial statements and financial highlights which appears in the March 31, 2009 Annual Report to Shareholders of Columbia Asset Allocation Fund II, which are also incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement. We also consent to the references to us under the headings “Financial Highlights” and “Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” in such Registration Statement.

/s/PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

July 29, 2009

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-----END PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE-----