497K 1 d380400d497k.htm LEGG MASON BW GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES BOND FUND Legg Mason BW Global Opportunities Bond Fund

August 1, 2012

 

LOGO

 

Summary Prospectus

Legg Mason

BW

Global Opportunities

Bond

Fund

Class : Ticker Symbol

 

A : GOBAX
C : LGOCX
C1 : GOBCX
FI : GOBFX
R : LBORX
I : GOBIX
IS : GOBSX

Before you invest, you may want to review the fund’s Prospectus, which contains more information about the fund and its risks. You can find the fund’s Prospectus and other information about the fund, including the fund’s statement of additional information and shareholder reports, online at http://www.leggmason.com/individualinvestors/prospectuses (click on the name of the fund). You can also get this information at no cost by calling the fund at 1-877-721-1926 or by sending an e-mail request to prospectus@leggmason.com, or from your financial intermediary. The fund’s Prospectus, dated August 1, 2012, as may be amended or supplemented, the fund’s statement of additional information, dated August 1, 2012, as may be amended or supplemented, and the independent registered public accounting firm’s report and financial statements in the fund’s annual report to shareholders, dated December 31, 2011, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED • NO BANK GUARANTEE • MAY LOSE VALUE


Investment objective

Maximize total return consisting of income and capital appreciation.

Fees and expenses of the fund

The accompanying table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund.

You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in funds sold by Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC (“LMIS”), the fund’s distributor. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial intermediary, in the fund’s Prospectus on page 22 under the heading “Sales charges” and in the fund’s statement of additional information (“SAI”) on page 38 under the heading “Sales Charge Waivers and Reductions.”

Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
     Class A   Class C   Class C1
(Class C
prior to
August 1, 2012)
  Class FI   Class R   Class I   Class IS
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a % of offering price) (%)   4.25   None   None   None   None   None   None
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a % of the lower of net asset value at purchase or redemption) (may be reduced over time) (%)   Generally,

none

  1.00   1.00   None   None   None   None
Annual fund operating expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value
of your investment)
(%)
     Class A   Class C   Class C1
(Class C
prior to
August 1, 2012)
  Class FI   Class R   Class I   Class IS
Management fees   0.50   0.50   0.50   0.50   0.50   0.50   0.50
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees   0.25   1.00   0.70   0.251   0.50   None   None
Other expenses   0.19   0.232   0.23   0.37   0.41   0.14   0.14
Total annual fund operating expenses   0.94   1.73   1.43   1.12   1.41   0.64   0.64
Fees waived and/or expenses reimbursed3         (0.12)   (0.16)    
Total annual fund operating expenses after waiving fees and/or reimbursing expenses   0.94   1.73%   1.43   1.00   1.25   0.64   0.64

 

1 

The 12b-1 fee shown in the table reflects the amount at which the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) has currently limited payments under the fund’s Class FI Distribution Plan. Pursuant to the Distribution Plan, the Board may authorize payments of up to 0.40% of the fund’s Class FI shares’ average net assets without shareholder approval.

2 

“Other expenses” for Class C shares are estimated for the current fiscal year. Actual expenses may differ from estimates.

3 

The manager has agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse operating expenses (other than interest, brokerage commissions, dividend expense on short sales, taxes, extraordinary expenses and acquired fund fees and expenses) so that total annual operating expenses are not expected to exceed 1.00%, 1.75%,1.45%, 1.00%, 1.25%, 0.75% and 0.65% for Class A, C, C1 (formerly Class C), FI, R, I and IS shares, respectively, subject to recapture as described below. In addition, total annual fund operating expenses for Class IS shares will not exceed total annual fund operating expenses for Class I shares, subject to recapture as described below. These arrangements cannot be terminated prior to December 31, 2013 without the Board’s consent. The manager is permitted to recapture amounts waived or reimbursed to a class within three years after the year in which the manager earned the fee or incurred the expense if the class’ total annual operating expenses have fallen to a level below the limits described above.

Example

This 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 assumes:

Ÿ  

You invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated

Ÿ  

Your investment has a 5% return each year and the fund’s operating expenses remain the same

Ÿ  

You reinvest all distributions and dividends without a sales charge

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

Number of years you own your shares ($)    1 year    3 years    5 years    10 years
Class A (with or without redemption at end of period)    517    712    923    1,530
Class C (with redemption at end of period)    276    546    N/A    N/A
Class C (without redemption at end of period)    176    546    N/A    N/A
Class C1 (Class C prior to August 1, 2012)
(with redemption at end of period)
   246    453    782    1,714
Class C1 (Class C prior to August 1, 2012)
(without redemption at end of period)
   146    453    782    1,714
Class FI (with or without redemption at end of period)    102    344    605    1,352
Class R (with or without redemption at end of period)    127    430    756    1,677
Class I (with or without redemption at end of period)    65    204    356    797
Class IS (with or without redemption at end of period)    65    204    356    797

 

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 indicates higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when 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 63% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

The fund will normally invest its assets primarily in debt and fixed income securities of domestic and foreign issuers located in developed countries. The fund will invest in both investment grade and below investment grade securities (commonly known as “junk bonds”), and intends to invest less than 35% of its total assets in below investment grade securities. Investment grade securities are securities rated at the time of purchase by a nationally recognized statistical ratings organization (“NRSRO”) within one of the top four categories, or, if unrated, judged by the adviser to be of comparable credit quality. Fixed income securities in which the fund may invest include debt securities issued or guaranteed by national governments, their agencies or instrumentalities and political


sub-divisions (including inflation index linked securities); debt securities of supra-national organizations such as bonds and debentures and freely transferable promissory notes; corporate debt securities, including, debentures, bonds (including zero coupon bonds), convertible and non-convertible notes, commercial paper, certificates of deposits, freely transferable promissory notes and bankers acceptances issued by industrial, utility, finance, commercial banking or bank holding company organizations; mortgage-backed securities (including collateralized debt obligations), asset-backed securities; emerging markets debt; and high yield debt (often called “junk bonds”). The fund will normally invest a minimum of 80% of its total assets in debt securities of issuers located in developed market countries. In addition, under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets in debt securities. The fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in convertible debt securities.

The fund invests in currency forwards in order to hedge its currency exposure in bond positions or to gain currency exposure. These investments may be significant at times. Although the portfolio managers have the flexibility to make use of currency forwards they may choose not to for a variety of reasons, even under very volatile market conditions.

The fund will normally hold a portfolio of debt securities of issuers located in a minimum of six countries. The portfolio managers intend to maintain an average weighted portfolio quality of A- or better, whether composed of rated securities or unrated securities deemed by the portfolio managers to be of comparable quality.

The weighted average effective duration of the fund’s portfolio is expected to range from 1 to 10 years but for individual markets may be greater or lesser depending on the portfolio managers’ view of the prospects for lower interest rates and the potential for capital gains.

The fund may take temporary defensive and cash management positions; in such a case, the fund will not be pursuing its principal investment strategies and may not achieve its investment objective.

Certain risks

Risk is inherent in all investing. There is no assurance that the fund will meet its investment objective. The value of your investment in the fund, as well as the amount of return you receive on your investment, may fluctuate significantly. You may lose part or all of your investment in the fund or your investment may not perform as well as other similar investments. The following is a summary description of certain risks of investing in the fund.

Market and interest rate risk. The market prices of the fund’s securities may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions, such as real or perceived adverse economic or political conditions, inflation, changes in interest rates, lack of liquidity in the bond markets or adverse investor sentiment. When market prices fall, the value of your investment will go down. The value of your investment may also go down when interest rates rise. A rise in rates tends to have a greater impact on the prices of longer term or duration securities. The financial crisis that began in 2008 has caused a significant decline in the value and liquidity of many securities of issuers worldwide. Some governmental and non-governmental issuers (notably in Europe) have defaulted on, or been forced to restructure, their debts, and many other issuers have faced difficulties obtaining credit. These market conditions may continue, worsen or spread, including in the U.S., Europe and beyond. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and others of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In response to the crisis, the U.S. and other governments and the Federal Reserve and certain foreign central banks have taken steps to support financial markets. The withdrawal of this support, failure of efforts in response to the crisis, or investor perception that these efforts are not succeeding could negatively affect financial markets generally as well as the value and liquidity of certain securities. Whether or not the fund invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to countries experiencing economic and financial difficulties, the value and liquidity of the fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the countries experiencing the difficulties. In addition, legislation recently enacted in the U.S. is changing many aspects of financial regulation. The impact of the legislation on the markets, and the practical implications for market participants, may not be fully known for some time.

Issuer risk. The value of a security can go up or down more than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole, often due to disappointing earnings reports by the issuer, unsuccessful products or services, loss of major customers, major litigation against the issuer or changes in government regulations affecting the issuer or the competitive environment. The fund may experience a substantial or complete loss on an individual security.

Non-diversification risk. The fund is classified as “non-diversified,” which means it may invest a larger percentage of its assets in a small number of issuers than a diversified fund. To the extent the fund invests its assets in fewer issuers, the fund will be more susceptible to negative events affecting those issuers than a diversified fund.

Portfolio selection risk. The value of your investment may decrease if the portfolio managers’ judgment about the quality, relative yield, value or market trends affecting a particular security, industry, sector, or region, or about interest rates is incorrect . In addition, the investment models used by the portfolio managers to evaluate securities or securities markets are based on certain assumptions concerning the interplay of market factors and do not assure successful investment. The interplay of these factors may change from their historical patterns due to the financial crisis that began in 2008. Although the portfolio managers may attempt to hedge or protect against fund losses, there is no assurance that their judgment about whether and when to do so will be correct, or that hedges will succeed. Hedging strategies may not always work as intended, and in specific cases the fund may be worse off than if it had not used such strategies.

Liquidity risk. Some securities held by the fund may be difficult to sell, or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Illiquid securities may also be difficult to value. If the fund is forced to sell an illiquid asset to meet


redemption requests or other cash needs, the fund may be forced to sell at a price lower than the portfolio managers believe is appropriate. If the fund is unable to sell a deteriorating security because the market is illiquid, losses may be magnified.

Credit risk. If an issuer or guarantor of a security held by the fund or a counterparty to a financial contract with the fund defaults or is downgraded, or is perceived to be less creditworthy, or if the value of the assets underlying a security declines, the value of your investment will typically decline. Junk bonds have a higher risk of default and are considered speculative.

High yield or “junk” bond risk. Debt securities that are below investment grade, often called “junk bonds,” are speculative, have a higher risk of default or may be in default, tend to be less liquid and are more difficult to value than higher grade securities. Junk bonds tend to be volatile and more susceptible to the effects of adverse events and negative sentiments.

Prepayment or call risk. Many issuers have a right to prepay their securities. If interest rates fall, an issuer may exercise this right. If this happens, the fund will be forced to reinvest prepayment proceeds at a time when yields on securities available in the market are lower than the yield on the prepaid security. The fund may also lose any premium it paid on the security.

Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. The value of mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities may be affected by changes in credit quality or value of the mortgage loans or other assets that support the securities. The rate of mortgage prepayments may lengthen the effective maturity of these securities at a time when their value has declined or shorten the effective maturity of these securities at a time their value has increased. In addition, for mortgage-backed securities, when market conditions result in an increase in the default rates on the underlying mortgages and the foreclosure values of the underlying real estate are below the outstanding amount of the underlying mortgages, collection of the full amount of accrued interest and principal on these investments may be doubtful.

Extension risk. When interest rates rise, repayments of fixed income securities, particularly asset- and mortgage-backed securities, may occur more slowly than anticipated , extending the effective duration of these fixed income securities at below market interest rates. This may cause the fund’s share price to be more volatile.

Foreign investments risk. The fund’s investments in securities of foreign issuers involve greater risk than investments in securities of U.S. issuers. Foreign countries in which the fund may invest may have markets that are less liquid, less regulated and more volatile than U.S. markets, may suffer from political or economic instability and may experience negative government actions, such as currency controls or seizures of private businesses or property. In some foreign countries, less information is available about issuers and markets because of less rigorous accounting and regulatory standards than in the United States. Sovereign government and supranational debt involve many of the risks of foreign and emerging markets investments as well as the risk of debt moratorium, repudiation or renegotiation and the fund may be unable to enforce its rights against the issuers. Some securities issued by foreign governments or their subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the foreign government and some foreign governments have defaulted on principal and interest payments.

Emerging markets risk. The risks are greater for investments in emerging market countries. Emerging market countries tend to have economic, political systems, and legal systems that are less fully developed and are less stable than those of more advanced countries. Lower trading volumes may result in a lack of liquidity and increased price volatility. An investment in any fund that invests in emerging market securities should be considered speculative.

Currency risk. The value of investments in securities denominated in foreign currencies increases or decreases as the rates of exchange between those currencies and the U.S. dollar change. Currency exchange rates can be volatile, and are affected by factors such as general economic conditions, the actions of the U.S. and foreign governments or central banks, the imposition of currency controls and speculation. The fund will also incur currency conversion costs.

Derivatives risk. Using derivatives, especially for non-hedging purposes, can increase fund losses and can reduce opportunities for gains when market prices, interest rates, currency rates or the derivative instruments themselves behave in a way not anticipated by the fund. Using derivatives also can have a leveraging effect and increase fund volatility. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value, and the counterparty may default on its obligations to the fund. Using derivatives may also have adverse tax consequences for the fund’s shareholders. Recent legislation calls for new regulation of the derivatives markets. The extent and impact of the regulation are not yet fully known and may not be known for some time. New regulation of derivatives may make them more costly, may limit their availability, or may otherwise adversely affect their value or performance. Swap agreements, a type of derivative instrument, will tend to shift the fund’s investment exposure from one type of investment to another.

Currency derivatives risk. Currency futures, forwards or options may not always work as intended, and in specific cases the fund may be worse off than if it had not used such instrument(s). There may not always be suitable hedging instruments available. Even where suitable hedging instruments are available, the portfolio managers may determine not to hedge its currency risks.

Hedging risk. There can be no assurance that the fund will engage in hedging transactions at any given time, even under volatile market conditions, or that any hedging transactions the fund engages in will be successful. Hedging transactions involve costs and may reduce gains or result in losses.

Cash management and defensive investing risk. The value of the investments held by the fund for cash management or defensive investing purposes can fluctuate in value. Like other fixed income securities, they are subject to risk, including market, interest rate, and credit risk. If the fund holds cash uninvested it will be subject to the credit risk


of the depository institution holding the cash. In that case the fund would not earn income on the cash and the fund’s yield would go down. If a significant amount of the fund’s assets are used for cash management or defensive investing purposes, it will not be pursuing its principal investment strategies and may not achieve its investment objective.

Valuation risk. The sales price the fund could receive for any particular portfolio investment may differ from the fund’s valuation of the investment, particularly for securities that trade in thin or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. Investors who purchase or redeem fund shares on days when the fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares or lower or higher redemption proceeds than they would have received if the fund had not fair-valued the security or had used a different valuation methodology.

Risk of increase in expenses. Your actual costs of investing in the fund may be higher than the expenses shown in “Annual fund operating expenses” for a variety of reasons. For example, expense ratios may be higher than those shown if a fee limitation is changed or terminated or if average net assets decrease. Net assets are more likely to decrease and fund expense ratios are more likely to increase when markets are volatile.

*  *  *

These risks are discussed in more detail in the fund’s Prospectus or in the SAI.

Performance

The accompanying bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows changes in the fund’s performance from year to year for Class IS shares. The table shows the average annual total returns of each class of the fund that has been in operation for at least one full calendar year and also compares the fund’s performance with the average annual total returns of an index or other benchmark. No performance information is presented for Class C because there were no Class C shares outstanding as of December 31, 2011. Performance of Class R shares is not shown because this share class commenced operations on September 30, 2011. The returns for Class C and Class R shares would differ from those of other classes’ shares to the extent those classes bear different expenses. The fund makes updated performance information available at the fund’s website, http://www.leggmason.com/individualinvestors/products/mutual-funds/annualized_performance (select share class), or by calling the fund at 1-877-721-1926.

The fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future.

Sales charges are not reflected in the accompanying bar chart, and if those charges were included, returns would be less than those shown.

 

Total returns (before taxes) (%)     
LOGO   

Best quarter

(6/30/09): 13.11

 

Worst quarter

(12/31/08): (5.44)

 

Average annual total returns (for periods ended December 31, 2011) (%)
      1 year    5 years    Since
inception
   Inception
date
Class IS                    
Return before taxes    7.79    8.11    7.88    11/1/2006
Return after taxes on distributions    6.03    5.92    5.72     
Return after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares    5.22    5.67    5.49     
Other Classes (Return before taxes only)                    
Class A1    2.89    N/A    8.00    3/10/2010
Class C1 (Class C prior to August 1, 2012)    5.92    N/A    9.71    3/11/2010
Class FI1    7.00    N/A    16.37    2/26/2009
Class I1    7.79    N/A    15.93    3/19/2009
Citigroup World Government Bond Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
   6.35    7.13    7.02   

 

1 

For the period March 10, 2010 (commencement of operations of Class A) to December 31, 2011, the period March 11, 2010 (commencement of operations of Class C1) to December 31, 2011, the period February 26, 2009 (commencement of operations of Class FI) to December 31, 2011 and the period March 19, 2009 (commencement of operations of Class I) to December 31, 2011, the average annual total return of the Citigroup World Government Bond Index was 6.52%, 6.54%, 7.71% and 5.81%, respectively.

The after-tax returns are shown only for Class IS shares, are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns for classes other than Class IS will vary from returns shown for Class IS.


Management

Manager: Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC

Adviser: Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC

Portfolio managers: Stephen S. Smith and David F. Hoffman, CFA, have been the fund’s Portfolio Managers since 2006. John P. McIntyre, CFA was the fund’s Associate Portfolio Manager/Senior Research Analyst since 2006 and, effective February 2012, is the fund’s Portfolio Manager/Senior Research Analyst. Brian R. Hess has been the fund’s Associate Portfolio Manager/Senior Research Analyst since February 2012.

Purchase and sale of fund shares

You may purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the fund each day the New York Stock Exchange is open, at the fund’s net asset value determined after receipt of your request in good order, subject to any applicable sales charge.

As of August 1, 2012, Class C1 shares will not be available for purchase by new or existing investors (except for certain retirement plans). Class C1 shares will continue to be available for dividend reinvestment and incoming exchanges.

The fund’s initial and subsequent investment minimums generally are as follows:

 

Investment minimum initial/additional investment ($)
     Class A   Class C1   Class C12
(Class C
prior to
August 1, 2012)
  Class FI   Class R   Class I   Class IS
General   1,000/50   1,000/50   1,000/50   N/A   N/A   1 million/None*   N/A
Uniform Gifts or Transfers to Minor Accounts   1,000/50   1,000/50   1,000/50   N/A   N/A   1 million/None*   N/A
IRAs   250/50   250/50   250/50   N/A   N/A   1 million/None*   N/A
SIMPLE IRAs   None/None   None/None   None/None   N/A   N/A   1 million/None*   N/A
Systematic Investment Plans   50/50   50/50   50/50   N/A   N/A   1 million/None*   N/A
Eligible Investment Programs   None/None   N/A   N/A   None/None   None/None   None/None   N/A
Clients of Eligible Financial Intermediaries   None/None   N/A   N/A   None/None   None/None   None/None   N/A
Retirement Plans with omnibus accounts held on the books of the fund and certain rollover IRAs   None/None   None/None   N/A(+)   None/None   None/None   None/None   None/None
Other Retirement Plans   None/None   None/None   N/A   N/A   N/A   1 million/None*   N/A
Institutional Investors   1,000/50   1,000/50   1,000/50   N/A   N/A   1 million/None   1 million/None

 

1 

Initial investments in Class C shares may be combined with existing investment amounts in Class C1 (formerly Class C) shares for the purposes of satisfying the initial investment minimums of Class C shares.

2 

Class C1 (formerly Class C) shares are not available for purchase by new or existing investors (except for certain retirement plan programs authorized by LMIS prior to August 1, 2012). Class C1 (formerly Class C) shares will continue to be available for dividend reinvestment and incoming exchanges.

* Available to investors investing directly with the fund.

Your financial intermediary may impose different investment minimums.

For more information about how to purchase, redeem or exchange shares, and to learn which classes of shares are available to you, you should contact your financial intermediary, or, if you hold your shares or plan to purchase shares through the fund, you should contact the fund by phone at 1-877-721-1926 or by mail at Legg Mason Funds, P.O. Box 55214, Boston, MA 02205-8504.

Tax information

The fund’s distributions are taxable as ordinary income or capital gain, except when your investment is through an IRA, 401(k) or other tax-advantaged account.

Payments to broker/dealers and other financial intermediaries

The fund’s related companies may pay broker/dealers or other financial intermediaries (such as a bank) for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments create a conflict of interest by influencing your broker/dealer or other intermediary or its employees or associated persons to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your financial adviser or salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s or salesperson’s website for more information.


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