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(Columbia Marsico Global Fund - Z) | (Columbia Marsico Global Fund)

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees (Columbia Marsico Global Fund)
Class Z Shares
(Columbia Marsico Global Fund - Z)
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases, as a % of offering price   
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) imposed on redemptions, as a % of the lower of the original purchase price or net asset value   

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (Columbia Marsico Global Fund)
Class Z Shares
(Columbia Marsico Global Fund - Z)
Management fees [1] 1.02%
Distribution and/or service (Rule 12b-1) fees none
Other expenses 2.27%
Total annual Fund operating expenses 3.29%
Fee waivers and/or reimbursements [2] (1.98%)
Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waivers and/or reimbursements 1.31%
[1] Management fees have been restated to reflect contractual changes to the investment advisory and/or administrative fee rates.
[2] Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC (the Investment Manager) and certain of its affiliates have contractually agreed to waive fees and/or to reimburse expenses (excluding certain fees and expenses, such as transaction costs and certain other investment related expenses, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, and extraordinary expenses) until June 30, 2013, unless sooner terminated at the sole discretion of the Fund's Board of Trustees. Under this agreement, the Fund's net operating expenses, subject to applicable exclusions, will not exceed the annual rate of 1.31% for Class Z.

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,

  • 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.

Since the waivers and/or reimbursements shown in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses table above expire on June 30, 2013, they are only reflected in the 1 year example and the first year of the 3, 5 and 10 year examples.

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

Expense Example (Columbia Marsico Global Fund) (USD $)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class Z Shares (Columbia Marsico Global Fund - Z)
133 827 1,545 3,450

Remember this is an example only. Your actual costs may be higher or lower.

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 112% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest significantly (generally, at least 40% of its net assets) in the securities of companies organized or located outside the United States or doing business outside the United States (unless market conditions are not deemed favorable by Marsico Capital Management, LLC, in which case the Fund generally will invest at least 30% of net assets in such foreign securities). The Fund normally invests in common stocks and may invest in companies of any size throughout the world that are selected for their long-term growth potential. The Fund normally invests in companies from at least three different countries, including the United States, and may invest in companies operating in or economically tied to emerging market countries.

The Fund may invest without limit in foreign securities. These securities may be publicly traded in the United States or in foreign markets or both, and may be bought and sold in a foreign currency that the Fund may or may not also hold. Marsico generally selects foreign securities on a security-by-security basis based primarily on considerations such as growth potential rather than geographic location or other considerations.

Primarily for hedging purposes, the Fund may invest in derivatives, including futures (including futures on securities indices and foreign currencies), forward contracts on foreign currencies, options (including options on securities and securities indices) and other derivative instruments.

The core investments of the Fund generally may include established companies and securities that are expected to offer long-term growth potential. However, the Fund's portfolio also may include securities of less mature companies, securities with more aggressive growth characteristics, and securities of companies undergoing significant developments, such as the introduction of a new product line, the appointment of a new management team, or an acquisition.

Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC, the Fund's investment adviser (the Investment Manager), has engaged an investment subadviser - Marsico Capital Management, LLC (Marsico) - which manages the Fund on a day-to-day basis, although the Investment Manager retains general investment management responsibility for the management of the Fund. In selecting investments for the Fund, Marsico uses an approach that combines "top-down" macro-economic analysis with "bottom-up" stock selection.

As part of its "top-down" investment approach, Marsico generally considers certain macro-economic factors to formulate the backdrop for security selection. These factors may include, without limitation, interest rates, currency movements, inflation, monetary policy, fiscal policy, demographics, the regulatory environment, and the global competitive landscape. Marsico may also examine other factors that may include, without limitation, the most attractive global investment opportunities, industry consolidation, and the sustainability of financial trends. As a result of this "top-down" analysis, Marsico seeks to identify sectors, industries and companies that may benefit from the overall trends Marsico has observed.

Marsico then looks for individual companies or securities that are expected to offer earnings growth potential that may not be recognized by the market at large. In determining whether a particular company or security may be a suitable investment, Marsico may focus on any of a number of different attributes that may include, without limitation, the company's specific market expertise or dominance; its franchise durability and pricing power; solid fundamentals (e.g., a strong balance sheet, improving returns on equity, the ability to generate free cash flow, apparent use of conservative accounting standards and transparent financial disclosure); strong and ethical management; commitment to shareholder interests; reasonable valuations in the context of projected growth rates; current income and other indications that a company or security may be an attractive investment prospect. This process is called "bottom-up" stock selection.

As part of this fundamental, "bottom-up" research, Marsico may visit a company's management and conduct other research to gain thorough knowledge of the company. Marsico also may prepare detailed earnings and cash flow models of companies. These models may assist Marsico in projecting potential earnings growth, current income and other important company financial characteristics under different scenarios. Each model is typically customized to follow a particular company and is generally intended to replicate and describe a company's past, present and potential future performance. The models may include quantitative information and detailed narratives that reflect updated interpretations of corporate data and company and industry developments.

Marsico may reduce or sell the Fund's investments in portfolio securities if, in the opinion of Marsico, a security's fundamentals change substantially, its price appreciation leads to overvaluation in relation to Marsico's estimates of future earnings and cash flow growth, the company appears unlikely to realize its growth potential, more attractive investment opportunities appear elsewhere or for other reasons.

In managing the Fund's assets, Marsico seeks to remain mindful of the tax consequences that investment decisions may have on shareholders. However, if Marsico determines, for example, that a portfolio security should be sold, the holding will be sold notwithstanding any possible tax consequences.

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.

Principal Risks

  • Investment Strategy Risk – The Fund's manager uses the principal investment strategies and other investment strategies to seek to achieve the Fund's investment objective. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Investment decisions may not produce the expected returns, 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 fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, or fail to rise. 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, or fail to increase in value. 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.

  • Growth Securities Risk – Because growth securities typically trade at a higher multiple of earnings than other types of securities, the market values of growth securities may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the market values 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.

  • Foreign Securities Risk – Foreign securities 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 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 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.

  • Emerging Market Securities Risk Securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries, like those in Russia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America or Africa, 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.

  • 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 Standard & Poor's (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 or other asset. 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 holding shares in a taxable account. Other risks arise from the Fund's potential inability to terminate or to 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 to 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. U.S. federal legislation has recently been enacted that provides for new clearing, margin, reporting and registration requirements for participants in the derivatives market. While the ultimate impact is not yet clear, these changes could restrict and/or impose significant costs or other burdens upon the Fund's participation in derivatives transactions. For more information on the risks of derivative investments and strategies, see the Statement of Additional Information.

  • 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 U.S. federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Fund's after-tax returns. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Fund's returns.

  • Geographic Concentration Risk – Because the Fund may, in certain circumstances, concentrate its investments in Europe, the Fund may be particularly susceptible to economic, political, regulatory or other events or conditions affecting issuers and countries in Europe. Currency devaluations could occur in countries that have not yet experienced currency devaluation to date, or could continue to occur in countries that have already experienced such devaluations. As a result, the Fund may be more volatile than a more geographically diversified fund. If securities of issuers in Europe fall out of favor, it may cause the Fund to underperform other funds that do not concentrate in this region of the world.

  • Smaller Company Securities Risk – Securities of small- or mid-capitalization companies (smaller companies) 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 large-capitalization companies (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.

  • Currency Risk – Securities denominated in non-U.S. dollar 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.

  • Sector Risk – At times, the Fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in securities of companies conducting business in a broadly related group of industries within an economic sector. Companies in the same economic sector may be similarly affected by economic or market events, making the Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that economic sector than funds that invest more broadly.

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 and after taxes) is no guarantee of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information can be obtained by calling toll-free 800.345.6611 or visiting www.columbiamanagement.com.

The bar chart shows how the Fund's Class Z share performance has varied for each full calendar year shown.

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

[1]
Bar Chart

Best and Worst Quarterly Returns During this Period

Best:    2nd quarter 2009:    20.84%

Worst:   3rd quarter 2011:   -20.47%

Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2011

The table compares the Fund's returns for each period with those of the MSCI All Country World Index (ACWI) (Net), a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure equity market performance in the global developed and emerging markets.

Average Annual Total Returns (Columbia Marsico Global Fund) (Columbia Marsico Global Fund - Z)
Inception Date
1 Year
Life of Fund
Class Z Shares
Apr. 30, 2008 (12.11%) (3.29%)
Class Z Shares returns after taxes on distributions
Apr. 30, 2008 (12.27%) (3.39%)
Class Z Shares returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares
Apr. 30, 2008 (7.62%) (2.76%)
MSCI ACWI (Net) (reflects reinvested dividends net of withholding taxes but reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or other taxes)
Apr. 30, 2008 (7.35%) (4.39%)

The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the highest historical individual U.S. 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 individual retirement accounts (IRAs).

Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares are higher than before-tax returns for certain periods shown because they reflect the tax benefit of capital losses realized on the redemption of Fund shares.

[1] Year-to-date return as of March 31, 2012: 21.93%