497K 1 tcfhighyieldi.htm THE CALVERT FUND - HIGH YIELD - CLASS I SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

Calvert Income Funds

Calvert Investments

January 31, 2010

 

A UNIFI Company

CALVERT HIGH YIELD BOND FUND

Class (Ticker):

I (CYBIX)

 

Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund's Prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. The Fund's Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information (the "SAI"), both dated January 31, 2010, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus. You can find the Fund's Prospectus, the SAI, and other information about the Fund online at www.calvert.com/prospectus. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-800-327-2109 or by sending an e-mail request to Prospectusrequest@calvert.com, or by asking a financial professional who offers shares of the Fund.

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund seeks high current income and capital appreciation, secondarily.

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)

Class I

Redemption fee (as a % of amount redeemed or exchanged within 7 days of purchase)

2.00% 

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)1

Class I

Management fees

0.75%

Distribution and service (12b-1) fees

None

Other expenses

0.47%

Total annual fund operating expenses

1.22%

1 Calvert has agreed to contractually limit direct net annual fund operating expenses through January 31, 2011. Direct net operating expenses will not exceed 1.40% for Class I. The Board of Trustees of the Fund may terminate the Fund's expense cap only for the contractual period after December 12, 2010.

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 that:

  • you invest $1,000,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated;
  • your investment has a 5% return each year;
  • the Fund's operating expenses remain the same; and
  • any Calvert expense limitation is in effect for year one.

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

Number of Years
Investment is Held

Class I

1

$12,431

3

$38,719

5

$67,033

10

$147,729

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities ("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 156% of its portfolio's average value.

INVESTMENTS, RISKS AND PERFORMANCE

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund invests primarily in high yield, high risk ("junk") bonds, with intermediate maturities. For its investments, the Fund seeks to identify high yield bonds of companies that have the ability to make timely payments of principal and interest. Using fundamental credit analysis of companies, the Fund seeks to invest in companies whose financial condition gives them greater value relative to other companies in the high yield market, providing the further potential for capital appreciation. Consequently, capital appreciation is a secondary objective of the Fund. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in high yield, high risk bonds, also known as "junk" bonds. The Fund will provide shareholders with at least 60 days' notice before changing this 80% policy.

The Fund is non-diversified.

The Advisor will actively manage the Fund to take advantage of relative values of various sectors of the high yield market in order to seek high current income and secondarily, capital appreciation. The Fund will buy and sell securities based on its overall objective of achieving the highest possible total return.

The Fund may also use a hedging technique that includes the purchase and sale of U.S. Treasury securities and related futures contracts for the purpose of managing the duration of the Fund.

When a corporation issues a bond, it generally submits the security to one or more rating organizations, such as Moody's or Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (Standard & Poor's). These services evaluate the creditworthiness of the issuer and assign a rating, based on their evaluation of the issuer's ability to repay the bond. Bonds with ratings below Baa (Moody's) or BBB (Standard & Poor's) are considered below investment grade and are commonly referred to as junk bonds. Some bonds are not rated at all. The Advisor determines the comparable rating quality of bonds that are not rated.

Principal Risks

You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, or the Fund could underperform, because of the risks described below. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Non-Diversification Risk. Compared to other funds, the Fund may invest more of its assets in a smaller number of companies than a diversified fund. Gains or losses on a single bond may have greater impact on the Fund.

Bond Market Risk. The market prices of bonds held by the Fund
may fall.

Credit Risk. The credit quality of fixed-income securities may deteriorate, which could lead to default or bankruptcy of the issuer where the issuer becomes unable to pay its obligations when due.

Junk Bond Risk. Investments in junk bonds can involve a substantial risk of loss. Junk bonds are considered to be speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to pay interest and principal. These securities, which are rated below investment grade, have a higher risk of issuer default, are subject to greater price volatility and may be illiquid.

Mortgage-Backed Security Risk. Debt and mortgage-backed securities issued by government-sponsored enterprises ("GSEs") such as FNMA and FHLMC are neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. Such securities are only supported by the credit of the GSE. The U.S. government recently provided financial support to FNMA and FHLMC, but there can be no assurance that it will support these or other GSEs in the future. Mortgage-backed securities also involve prepayment risk and extension risk.

Management Risk. The individual bonds in the Fund may not perform as well as expected, due to credit, political or other risks and/or the Fund's portfolio management practices may not work to achieve their desired result.

Interest Rate Risk. A change in interest rates may adversely affect the value of fixed-income securities. When interest rates rise, the value of fixed-income securities will generally fall.

Defaulted Bonds Risk. For bonds in default (rated "D" by Standard & Poor's or the equivalent by an NRSRO), there is a significant risk of not achieving full recovery.

Unrated security risk. Unrated securities may be less liquid than rated securities determined to be of comparable quality.  When the Fund purchases unrated securities, it will depend on the Advisor's analysis of credit risk without the assessment of an NRSRO.

Corporate and Taxable Municipal Bond Risk. For corporate and taxable municipal bonds, there is credit risk in addition to the interest rate risk that affects all fixed-income securities.

Collateralized Mortgage Obligation ("CMO") Risk. There are risks associated with CMOs that relate to the risks of the underlying mortgage pass-through securities (i.e., an increase or decrease in prepayment rates, resulting from a decrease or increase in mortgage interest rates, will affect the yield, average life, and price of CMOs).

Foreign Securities Risk. Investing in foreign securities involves additional risks relating to political, social, and economic developments abroad. Other risks result from the differences between the regulations to which U.S. and foreign issuers and markets are subject, and more volatile than U.S. markets.

Foreign Currency Risk. Securities that trade or are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar may be adversely affected by fluctuations in currency exchange rates. When the U.S. dollar strengthens relative to a foreign currency, the U.S. dollar value of an investment denominated in that currency will typically fall.

American Depositary Receipt Risk. The risks of ADRs include many risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities such as individual country risk and liquidity risk. Unsponsored ARDs involve additional risks because U.S. reporting requirements do not apply and the issuing bank will recover shareholder distribution costs from movement of share prices and payment of dividends.

Repurchase Agreement Risk. A repurchase agreement exposes the Fund to the risk that the party that sells the security may default on its obligation to repurchase it. The Fund may lose money because it cannot sell the security at the agreed-upon time and price or the security loses value before it can be sold.

Active Trading Strategy Risk. The Fund employs an active style that seeks to position the Fund with securities that offer the greatest price appreciation while minimizing risk. This style can result in higher turnover (exceeding 100%), may translate to higher transaction costs and may increase your tax liability.

Futures Contracts Risk. The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of the underlying instrument. The price of futures can be highly volatile; using them could lower total return, and the potential loss from futures can exceed the Fund's initial investment in such contracts.

Leverage Risk. If leverage were employed, borrowing would magnify the potential for gain or loss on the Fund's portfolio securities and would increase the possibility of fluctuation in the Fund's net asset value. Interest costs might not be recovered by appreciation of the securities purchased.

Performance

The following bar chart and table show the Fund's annual returns and its long-term performance, which give some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Class I shares has varied from year to year. The table compares the Fund's performance over time with that of an index and an average.

The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. For updated performance information, visit www.calvert.com.

Pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, Class I shares of Calvert High Yield Bond Fund, a series of Summit Mutual Funds, Inc. ("SMF Calvert High Yield Bond Fund"), were reorganized into the Class I shares of an identical and newly created series of The Calvert Fund, Calvert High Yield Bond Fund, which commenced operations on September 18, 2009. The performance results prior to September 18, 2009, for Class I shares reflect the performance of SMF Calvert High Yield Bond Fund.

Year-by-Year Total Return (Class I)

 

 

Best Quarter (of periods shown)

Q2 '09

11.06%

Worst Quarter (of periods shown)

Q4 '08

-14.15%

After-tax returns 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 your tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown are not relevant to you if you hold your Fund shares through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account. The return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares may be higher than the return before taxes because the calculation assumes that shareholders receive a tax benefit for capital losses incurred on the sale of their shares.

Average Annual Total Returns (as of 12-31-09)

1 year

5 years

Since Inception (7/9/01)

Class I:

    Return before taxes

37.58%

5.27%

5.63%

    Return after taxes on distributions

34.20%

2.74%

2.85%

    Return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares

24.35%

3.00%

3.10%

BofA Merrill Lynch High Yield Master II Index

57.51%

6.35%

7.91%

Lipper High Current Yields Funds Average

46.41%

4.36%

*

(Index reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes. Lipper Average reflects no deduction for taxes.)

* For comparison purposes to Lipper, performance for the Fund as of 7/31/01 is: Return before taxes 5.67%; Return after taxes on distributions 2.87%; Return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares 3.12%; and the performance for the Lipper High Current Yield Funds Average is 6.30%.

PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

Investment Advisor. Calvert Asset Management Company, Inc.

Portfolio
Manager Name

Title

Length of Time Managing Fund

Gregory Habeeb

Senior Vice President,
Portfolio Manager

Since December 2008

Kevin Aug, CFA

Assistant Portfolio Manager

Since March 2008

Samuel Cooper, CFA

Assistant Portfolio Manager

Since March 2008

 

BUYING AND SELLING SHARES

You can buy, sell (redeem) or exchange shares of the Fund, either through a financial professional or directly from the Fund, on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. The share price is based on the Fund's net asset value determined after receipt of your request in good order. To purchase shares directly from the Fund, open an account by completing and signing an application (available at www.calvert.com or by calling 800-368-2748).

All initial purchases must be made by bankwire or ACH funds transfer in U.S. dollars.

Minimum to Open Fund Account

$1,000,000

 

The Fund may waive the initial investment minimum for certain institutional accounts where it is believed to be in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders.

To Buy Shares

New Accounts (include application)
and Subsequent Investments:

For wire instructions, call
800-327-2109

To Sell Shares

By Telephone

Call 800-368-2745

 

TAX INFORMATION

Unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, any dividends and distributions made by a Fund are taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains and may also be subject to state and local taxes.

PAYMENTS TO BROKER/DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

If you purchase shares of a Fund through a broker/dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker/dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's Web site for more information.

Investment Company Act file: No. 811-3416 The Calvert Fund