As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 15, 2013
Registration No. 2-57165
811-02675
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
| THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 | x | |||||
| Pre-Effective Amendment No. | ¨ | |||||
| Post-Effective Amendment No. 49 | x |
and
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
| THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 | x | |||||
| Amendment No. 41 | x | |||||
| (Check appropriate box or boxes) |
PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT INCOME FUND
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
One Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02109
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code
(617) 292-1000
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box)
| ¨ | immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) |
| x | on January 30, 2013 pursuant to paragraph (b) |
| ¨ | 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) |
| ¨ | on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) |
| ¨ | 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (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. |
ROBERT T. BURNS, Vice President
PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT INCOME FUND
One Post Office Square
Boston, Massachusetts 02109
(Name and address of agent for service)
Copy to:
JOHN W. GERSTMAYR, Esquire
ROPES & GRAY LLP
Prudential Tower
800 Boylston Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02199-3600
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant 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 Amendment to its 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 15th day of February, 2013.
| Putnam Tax Exempt Income Fund | ||
| By: /s/ Jonathan S. Horwitz, Executive Vice President, | ||
| Principal Executive Officer and Compliance Liaison | ||
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Amendment to the Registration Statement of Putnam Tax Exempt Income Fund has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:
| Signature | Title | |
| Jameson A. Baxter* | Chair, Board of Trustees | |
| Robert L. Reynolds* | President and Trustee | |
| Jonathan S. Horwitz* | Executive Vice President, Principal Executive Officer and Compliance Liaison | |
| Steven D. Krichmar* | Vice President and Principal Financial Officer | |
| Janet C. Smith* | Vice President, Principal Accounting Officer and Assistant Treasurer | |
| Liaquat Ahamed* | Trustee | |
| Ravi Akhoury* | Trustee | |
| Barbara M. Baumann* | Trustee | |
| Charles B. Curtis* | Trustee | |
| Robert J. Darretta* | Trustee | |
| Katinka Domotorffy* | Trustee | |
| John A. Hill* | Trustee | |
| Paul L. Joskow* | Trustee | |
| Elizabeth T. Kennan* | Trustee | |
| Kenneth R. Leibler* | Trustee | |
| Robert E. Patterson* | Trustee | |
| George Putnam, III* | Trustee | |
| W. Thomas Stephens* | Trustee | |
| By: /s/ Jonathan S. Horwitz, as Attorney-in-Fact February 15, 2013 | ||
| * Signed pursuant to power of attorney filed in Post-Effective Amendment No. 48 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on January 25, 2013. | ||
| Label | Element | Value | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk/Return: | rr_RiskReturnAbstract | ||||||||||
| Registrant Name | dei_EntityRegistrantName | PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT INCOME FUND | |||||||||
| Prospectus Date | rr_ProspectusDate | Jan. 30, 2013 | |||||||||
|
PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT INCOME FUND
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| Risk/Return: | rr_RiskReturnAbstract | ||||||||||
| Risk/Return [Heading] | rr_RiskReturnHeading | Fund summary | |||||||||
| Objective [Heading] | rr_ObjectiveHeading | Goal | |||||||||
| Objective, Primary [Text Block] | rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock | Putnam Tax Exempt Income Fund seeks as high a level of current income exempt from federal income tax as we believe to be consistent with preservation of capital. | |||||||||
| Expense [Heading] | rr_ExpenseHeading | Fees and expenses | |||||||||
| Expense Narrative [Text Block] | rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock | The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in class A shares or $50,000 in class M shares of Putnam funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial advisor and in How do I buy fund shares? beginning on page 13 of the fund’s prospectus and in How to buy shares beginning on page II-1 of the fund’s statement of additional information (SAI). | |||||||||
| Shareholder Fees Caption [Text] | rr_ShareholderFeesCaption | Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment) | |||||||||
| Operating Expenses Caption [Text] | rr_OperatingExpensesCaption | Annual fund operating expenses (expenses you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
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| Portfolio Turnover [Heading] | rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading | Portfolio turnover | |||||||||
| Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] | rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock | The fund pays transaction-related costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when the fund’s shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or the above example, affect fund performance. The fund’s turnover rate in the most recent fiscal year was 14%. | |||||||||
| Portfolio Turnover, Rate | rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate | 14.00% | |||||||||
| Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text] | rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts | 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 class A shares or $50,000 in class M shares of Putnam funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial advisor and in How do I buy fund shares? beginning on page 13 of the fund’s prospectus and in How to buy shares beginning on page II-1 of the fund’s statement of additional information (SAI). | |||||||||
| Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] | rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount | 50,000 | |||||||||
| Expense Example [Heading] | rr_ExpenseExampleHeading | Example | |||||||||
| Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] | rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock | The following hypothetical example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then, except as indicated, redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. It assumes a 5% return on your investment each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Your actual costs may be higher or lower. | |||||||||
| Strategy [Heading] | rr_StrategyHeading | Investments | |||||||||
| Strategy Narrative [Text Block] | rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock | We invest mainly in bonds that pay interest that is exempt from federal income tax (but that may be subject to federal alternative minimum tax (AMT)), are investment-grade in quality, and have intermediate- to long-term maturities (three years or longer). We may consider, among other factors, credit, interest rate and prepayment risks, as well as general market conditions, when deciding whether to buy or sell investments. | |||||||||
| Risk [Heading] | rr_RiskHeading | Risks | |||||||||
| Risk Narrative [Text Block] | rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock | It is important to understand that you can lose money by investing in the fund. The prices of bonds in the fund’s portfolio may fall or fail to rise over extended periods of time for a variety of reasons, including both general financial market conditions and factors related to a specific issuer. The risks associated with bond investments include interest rate risk, which means the prices of the fund’s investments are likely to fall if interest rates rise. Bond investments also are subject to credit risk, which is the risk that the issuers of the fund’s investments may default on payment of interest or principal. Since the fund invests in tax-exempt bonds, which, to be treated as tax-exempt under the Internal Revenue Code, may be issued only by limited types of issuers for limited types of projects, the fund’s investments may be focused in certain market segments. Consequently, the fund may be more vulnerable to fluctuations in the values of the securities it holds than a fund that invests more broadly. Interest rate risk is generally greater for longer-term bonds, and credit risk is generally greater for below-investment-grade bonds. Interest the fund receives might be taxable. The fund may not achieve its goal, and it is not intended to be a complete investment program. An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. |
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| Risk Lose Money [Text] | rr_RiskLoseMoney | It is important to understand that you can lose money by investing in the fund. | |||||||||
| Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] | rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution | An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. | |||||||||
| Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] | rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading | Performance | |||||||||
| Performance Narrative [Text Block] | rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock | The performance information below gives some indication of the risks associated with an investment in the fund by showing the fund’s performance year to year and over time. The bar chart does not reflect the impact of sales charges. If it did, performance would be lower. Please remember that past performance is not necessarily an indication of future results. Monthly performance figures for the fund are available at putnam.com. | |||||||||
| Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] | rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns | The performance information below gives some indication of the risks associated with an investment in the fund by showing the fund’s performance year to year and over time. | |||||||||
| Performance Availability Website Address [Text] | rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress | putnam.com | |||||||||
| Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] | rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture | Please remember that past performance is not necessarily an indication of future results. | |||||||||
| Bar Chart [Heading] | rr_BarChartHeading | Annual total returns for class A shares before sales charges | |||||||||
| Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text] | rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads | The bar chart does not reflect the impact of sales charges. If it did, performance would be lower. | |||||||||
| Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] | rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock |
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| Highest Quarterly Return, Label | rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel | Best calendar quarter | |||||||||
| Highest Quarterly Return, Date | rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate | Sep. 30, 2009 | |||||||||
| Highest Quarterly Return | rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn | 9.43% | |||||||||
| Lowest Quarterly Return, Label | rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel | Worst calendar quarter | |||||||||
| Lowest Quarterly Return, Date | rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate | Dec. 31, 2008 | |||||||||
| Lowest Quarterly Return | rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn | (4.81%) | |||||||||
| Performance Table Heading | rr_PerformanceTableHeading | Average annual total returns after sales charges (for periods ending 12/31/12) |
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| Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate | rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate | After-tax returns reflect the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect state and local taxes. | |||||||||
| Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred | rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred | Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. | |||||||||
| Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] | rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown | After-tax returns are shown for class A shares only and will vary for other classes. | |||||||||
| Performance Table Narrative | rr_PerformanceTableNarrativeTextBlock | After-tax returns reflect the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are shown for class A shares only and will vary for other classes. These after-tax returns do not apply if you hold your fund shares through a 401(k) plan, an IRA, or another tax-advantaged arrangement. Class B share performance does not reflect conversion to class A shares. |
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PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT INCOME FUND | Class A
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| Risk/Return: | rr_RiskReturnAbstract | ||||||||||
| Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) | rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice | 4.00% | |||||||||
| Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower) | rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther | 1.00% | [1] | ||||||||
| Management fees | rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets | 0.45% | |||||||||
| Distribution and service (12b-1) fees | rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets | 0.22% | [2] | ||||||||
| Other expenses | rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets | 0.08% | |||||||||
| Total annual fund operating expenses | rr_ExpensesOverAssets | 0.75% | |||||||||
| 1 year | rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 | 474 | |||||||||
| 3 years | rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 | 630 | |||||||||
| 5 years | rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 | 800 | |||||||||
| 10 years | rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 | 1,293 | |||||||||
| 2003 | rr_AnnualReturn2003 | 5.48% | |||||||||
| 2004 | rr_AnnualReturn2004 | 4.76% | |||||||||
| 2005 | rr_AnnualReturn2005 | 3.32% | |||||||||
| 2006 | rr_AnnualReturn2006 | 4.20% | |||||||||
| 2007 | rr_AnnualReturn2007 | 2.40% | |||||||||
| 2008 | rr_AnnualReturn2008 | (9.51%) | |||||||||
| 2009 | rr_AnnualReturn2009 | 17.94% | |||||||||
| 2010 | rr_AnnualReturn2010 | 2.48% | |||||||||
| 2011 | rr_AnnualReturn2011 | 10.77% | |||||||||
| 2012 | rr_AnnualReturn2012 | 8.79% | |||||||||
| 1 year | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 | 4.47% | |||||||||
| 5 years | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 | 4.82% | |||||||||
| 10 years | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 | 4.43% | |||||||||
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PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT INCOME FUND | Class B
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| Risk/Return: | rr_RiskReturnAbstract | ||||||||||
| Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) | rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice | none | |||||||||
| Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower) | rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther | 5.00% | [3] | ||||||||
| Management fees | rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets | 0.45% | |||||||||
| Distribution and service (12b-1) fees | rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets | 0.85% | |||||||||
| Other expenses | rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets | 0.08% | |||||||||
| Total annual fund operating expenses | rr_ExpensesOverAssets | 1.38% | |||||||||
| 1 year | rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 | 640 | |||||||||
| 3 years | rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 | 737 | |||||||||
| 5 years | rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 | 955 | |||||||||
| 10 years | rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 | 1,485 | |||||||||
| 1 year | rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 | 140 | |||||||||
| 3 years | rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 | 437 | |||||||||
| 5 years | rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 | 755 | |||||||||
| 10 years | rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 | 1,485 | |||||||||
| 1 year | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 | 3.11% | |||||||||
| 5 years | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 | 4.70% | |||||||||
| 10 years | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 | 4.20% | |||||||||
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PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT INCOME FUND | Class C
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| Risk/Return: | rr_RiskReturnAbstract | ||||||||||
| Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) | rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice | none | |||||||||
| Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower) | rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther | 1.00% | [4] | ||||||||
| Management fees | rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets | 0.45% | |||||||||
| Distribution and service (12b-1) fees | rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets | 1.00% | |||||||||
| Other expenses | rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets | 0.08% | |||||||||
| Total annual fund operating expenses | rr_ExpensesOverAssets | 1.53% | |||||||||
| 1 year | rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 | 256 | |||||||||
| 3 years | rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 | 483 | |||||||||
| 5 years | rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 | 834 | |||||||||
| 10 years | rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 | 1,824 | |||||||||
| 1 year | rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 | 156 | |||||||||
| 3 years | rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 | 483 | |||||||||
| 5 years | rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 | 834 | |||||||||
| 10 years | rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 | 1,824 | |||||||||
| 1 year | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 | 7.06% | |||||||||
| 5 years | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 | 4.86% | |||||||||
| 10 years | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 | 4.02% | |||||||||
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PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT INCOME FUND | Class M
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| Risk/Return: | rr_RiskReturnAbstract | ||||||||||
| Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) | rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice | 3.25% | |||||||||
| Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower) | rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther | none | |||||||||
| Management fees | rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets | 0.45% | |||||||||
| Distribution and service (12b-1) fees | rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets | 0.50% | |||||||||
| Other expenses | rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets | 0.08% | |||||||||
| Total annual fund operating expenses | rr_ExpensesOverAssets | 1.03% | |||||||||
| 1 year | rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 | 427 | |||||||||
| 3 years | rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 | 642 | |||||||||
| 5 years | rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 | 875 | |||||||||
| 10 years | rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 | 1,543 | |||||||||
| 1 year | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 | 5.10% | |||||||||
| 5 years | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 | 4.68% | |||||||||
| 10 years | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 | 4.20% | |||||||||
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PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT INCOME FUND | Class Y
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| Risk/Return: | rr_RiskReturnAbstract | ||||||||||
| Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) | rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice | none | |||||||||
| Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower) | rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther | none | |||||||||
| Management fees | rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets | 0.45% | |||||||||
| Distribution and service (12b-1) fees | rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets | ||||||||||
| Other expenses | rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets | 0.08% | |||||||||
| Total annual fund operating expenses | rr_ExpensesOverAssets | 0.53% | |||||||||
| 1 year | rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 | 54 | |||||||||
| 3 years | rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 | 170 | |||||||||
| 5 years | rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 | 296 | |||||||||
| 10 years | rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 | 665 | |||||||||
| 1 year | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 | 9.15% | |||||||||
| 5 years | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 | 5.96% | |||||||||
| 10 years | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 | 4.99% | |||||||||
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PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT INCOME FUND | after taxes on distributions | Class A
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| Risk/Return: | rr_RiskReturnAbstract | ||||||||||
| 1 year | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 | 4.47% | |||||||||
| 5 years | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 | 4.82% | |||||||||
| 10 years | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 | 4.42% | |||||||||
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PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT INCOME FUND | after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares | Class A
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| Risk/Return: | rr_RiskReturnAbstract | ||||||||||
| 1 year | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 | 4.30% | |||||||||
| 5 years | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 | 4.74% | |||||||||
| 10 years | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 | 4.40% | |||||||||
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PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT INCOME FUND | Barclays Municipal Bond Index (no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
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| Risk/Return: | rr_RiskReturnAbstract | ||||||||||
| 1 year | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 | 6.78% | |||||||||
| 5 years | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 | 5.91% | |||||||||
| 10 years | rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 | 5.10% | |||||||||
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