N-CSR 1 a_incomencsr.htm FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS a_incomencsr.htm
UNITED STATES 
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 
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FORM N-CSR 
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CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT 
INVESTMENT COMPANIES 
 
INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT FILE NUMBER 811-3967 
 
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS 
(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter) 
 
40 Wall Street 
New York, NY 10005 
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code) 
 
Joseph I. Benedek 
First Investors Management Company, Inc. 
Raritan Plaza I 
Edison, NJ 08837-3620 
(Name and address of agent for service) 
 
REGISTRANT'S TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE: 
1-212-858-8000 
 
DATE OF FISCAL YEAR END: SEPTEMBER 30 
 
DATE OF REPORTING PERIOD: SEPTEMBER 30, 2013 

 



Item 1.  Reports to Stockholders 
 
  The annual report to stockholders follows 

 





FOREWORD

 

This report is for the information of the shareholders of the Funds. It is the policy of each Fund described in this report to mail only one copy of a Fund’s prospectus, annual report, semi-annual report and proxy statements to all shareholders who share the same mailing address and share the same last name and have invested in a Fund covered by the same document. You are deemed to consent to this policy unless you specifically revoke this policy and request that separate copies of such documents be mailed to you. In such case, you will begin to receive your own copies within 30 days after our receipt of the revocation. You may request that separate copies of these disclosure documents be mailed to you by writing to us at: Administrative Data Management Corp., Raritan Plaza I, Edison, NJ 08837-3620 or calling us at 1-800-423-4026.

You may obtain a free prospectus for any of the Funds by contacting your representative, calling 1-800-423-4026, writing to us at the following address: First Investors Corporation, 40 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005, or by visiting our website at www.firstinvestors.com. You should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of a Fund carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information about the Fund, and should be read carefully before investing.

An investment in a Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. Although the Cash Management Fund seeks to preserve a net asset value at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in it, just as it is possible to lose money by investing in any of the other Funds. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

A Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) for any of the Funds may also be obtained, without charge, upon request by calling 1-800-423-4026, writing to us at our address or by visiting our website listed above. The SAI contains more detailed information about the Funds, including information about its Trustees.



Portfolio Manager’s Letter
CASH MANAGEMENT FUND

Dear Investor:

I’m pleased to send you the First Investors Cash Management Fund annual report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2013. During the period, the Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was 0.0% for Class A shares, Class B shares and Institutional Class shares. The Fund maintained a $1.00 net asset value per share for each class of shares throughout the year. The Institutional Class shares commenced operations on April 1, 2013.

Yields on money market funds and the instruments that they invest in have remained at record lows — essentially where they have been for the last few years. The Federal Reserve has had an extremely accommodative interest rate policy since late 2008 and has indicated a willingness to maintain extraordinarily low short-term interest rates until certain economic conditions improve. Market expectations have varied on when this may occur, but it appears that the current policy will remain basically intact through 2014.

Furthermore, the money-market industry has been reviewing proposed changes to the federal regulations governing money market funds that the Securities and Exchange Commission is considering implementing. At this time, it is not known what form the final version of these regulations will take. It is expected that there will be a transition period of some time before any changes are put in place.

First Investors Management Company, Inc. (“FIMCO”), the Fund’s investment advisor, continued to absorb expenses of the Fund and waived management fees in an effort to avoid a negative yield to its shareholders. FIMCO expects this situation to continue and consequently, the yield to shareholders should be at or near zero for the foreseeable future.

Although money-market funds in general are relatively conservative vehicles, there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to maintain a stable net-asset value of $1.00 per share. Money-market mutual funds are neither insured nor guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency.

Thank you for placing your trust in First Investors. As always, we appreciate the opportunity to serve your investment needs.


1

 



Understanding Your Fund’s Expenses (unaudited)
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS

As a mutual fund shareholder, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including a sales charge (load) on purchase payments (on Class A shares only) and a contingent deferred sales charge on redemptions (on Class B shares only); and (2) ongoing costs, including advisory fees; distribution and service fees (12b-1); and other expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Funds and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 in each Fund at the beginning of the period, April 1, 2013, and held for the entire six-month period ended September 30, 2013. The calculations assume that no shares were bought or sold during the period. Your actual costs may have been higher or lower, depending on the amount of your investment and the timing of any purchases or redemptions.

Actual Expenses Example:

These amounts help you to estimate the actual expenses that you paid over the period. The “Ending Account Value” shown is derived from the Fund’s actual return, and the “Expenses Paid During Period” shows the dollar amount that would have been paid by an investor who started with $1,000 in the Fund. You may use the information here, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period.

To estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period, simply divide your ending account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.60), then multiply the result by the number given for your Fund under the heading “Expenses Paid During Period”.

Hypothetical Expenses Example:

These amounts provide information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio for each class of shares of a Fund, and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight and help you compare your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transaction costs, such as front-end or contingent deferred sales charges (loads or account fees that are charged to certain types of accounts, such as an annual custodial fee of $15 for certain IRA accounts and certain other retirement accounts or an annual custodial fee of $30 for 403(b) custodial accounts (subject to exceptions and certain waivers as described in the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information)). Therefore, the hypothetical expenses example is useful in comparing ongoing costs only and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

2

 



Fund Expenses (unaudited)
CASH MANAGEMENT FUND

The examples below show the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and will help you in comparing these costs with costs of other mutual funds. Please refer to page 2 for a detailed explanation of the information presented in these examples.

  Annualized Beginning Ending Expenses Paid
  Expense Account Value Account Value During Period
Expense Example Ratio (4/1/13) (9/30/13) (4/1/13–9/30/13)*
Class A Shares 0.10%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,000.00 $0.50
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,024.57 $0.51
Class B Shares 0.10%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,000.00 $0.50
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,024.57 $0.51
Institutional Class Shares 0.15%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,000.00 $0.75
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,024.32 $0.76

 

Expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over
the period, multiplied by 183/365 (to reflect the one-half year period). Expenses paid during the
period are net of expenses waived and/or assumed.
 
**  Assumed rate of return of 5% before expenses.

 

Portfolio Composition
BY SECTOR

 


Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. Percentages are as of September 30, 2013, and are based on the total market value of investments.

3

 



Portfolio of Investments
CASH MANAGEMENT FUND
September 30, 2013

               
 
 
Principal   Interest  
Amount   Security     Rate * Value
 
  U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCY    
  OBLIGATIONS—46.2%    
  Fannie Mae:    
$ 1,800M 10/1/13 0.12 % $    1,800,000
7,777M 10/2/13 0.08 7,776,984
2,500M 11/1/13 0.11 2,499,763
1,000M 12/18/13 0.09 1,001,413
4,650M 3/19/14 0.06 4,648,712
  Federal Home Loan Bank:    
1,300M 10/16/13 0.10 1,299,946
3,000M 10/16/13 0.11 2,999,869
2,000M 10/23/13 0.10 1,999,878
2,208M 11/20/13 0.08 2,207,755
2,700M 11/22/13 0.08 2,699,688
700M 12/18/13 0.10 699,848
3,000M 12/27/13 0.04 2,999,710
  Freddie Mac:    
10,700M 10/22/13 0.09 10,699,438
5,700M 10/22/13 0.10 5,699,667
4,000M 10/28/13 0.05 3,999,865
5,820M 1/14/14 0.07 5,818,812
1,648M   3/3/14     0.07   1,647,510
 
Total Value of U.S. Government Agency Obligations (cost $60,498,858)   60,498,858
 
  CORPORATE NOTES—23.3%    
3,000M Abbott Laboratories, 10/28/2013 (a) 0.10 2,999,775
6,000M Coca-Cola Co., 2/27/2014 (a) 0.19 5,995,281
5,000M Honeywell International, Inc., 1/30/2014 (a) 0.12 4,997,983
5,000M Philip Morris International, Inc., 2/13/2014 (a) 0.09 4,998,312
5,500M Proctor & Gamble Co., 12/12/2013 (a) 0.06 5,499,340
6,000M   Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 10/30/2013 (a)     0.08   5,999,613
 
Total Value of Corporate Notes (cost $30,490,304)         30,490,304
 
  VARIABLE AND FLOATING RATE NOTES—22.1%  
5,000M BP Capital Markets, PLC, 12/6/2013 0.88 5,006,267
  Federal Farm Credit Bank:    
1,000M 10/15/13 0.22 1,000,035
4,500M   3/18/14     0.08   4,499,793

 

4

 



               
 
 
Principal     Interest  
Amount   Security     Rate * Value
 
VARIABLE AND FLOATING RATE NOTES (continued)           
  Federal Home Loan Bank:      
$ 1,850M 11/8/13   0.14 $    1,850,039
5,000M 12/20/13   0.15 5,000,444
5,700M Mississippi Business Finance Corp.      
  (Chevron USA, Inc.) 12/1/2030   0.06 5,700,000
5,835M Valdez, Alaska Marine Terminal Rev.      
    (Exxon Pipeline Co., Project B), 12/1/2033   0.06   5,835,000
 
Total Value of Variable and Floating Rate Notes (cost $28,891,578)        28,891,578
 
  SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT      
  OBLIGATIONS—7.3%      
  U.S. Treasury Bills:      
4,500M 10/3/13   0.08 4,499,980
5,000M   1/9/14     0.06   4,999,236
 
Total Value of Short-Term U.S. Government Obligations (cost $9,499,216)   9,499,216
 
Total Value of Investments (cost $129,379,956)** 98.9 %   129,379,956
Other Assets, Less Liabilities 1.1       1,464,263
 
Net Assets     100.0 %     $130,844,219

 

The interest rates shown are the effective rates at the time of purchase by the Fund. The interest
rates shown on floating rate notes are adjusted periodically; the rates shown are the rates in effect
at September 30, 2013.
 
**  Aggregate cost for federal income tax purposes is the same.
 
(a)  Security exempt from registration under Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 (see Note 4).

 

5

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
CASH MANAGEMENT FUND
September 30, 2013

Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820 established a three-tier hierarchy of inputs to establish a classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three broad Levels listed below:

Level 1 Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical securities that the Fund has
the ability to access.
 
Level 2 Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable
for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These inputs may include quoted
prices for the identical instrument on an inactive market, prices for similar instru-
ments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates and
similar data.
 
Level 3 Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, to the extent relevant observable inputs
are not available, representing the Fund’s own assumption about the assumptions a
market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and would be based on
the best information available.

 

The inputs methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. For example, amortized cost approximates the current fair value of a security, but since the value is not obtained from a quoted price in an active market, such securities are reflected as Level 2.

The following is a summary, by category of Level, of inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of September 30, 2013:

    Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total
U.S. Government Agency            
Obligations $ $ 60,498,858 $ $  60,498,858
Corporate Notes   30,490,304   30,490,304
Variable and Floating Rate Notes:            
Municipal Bonds   11,535,000   11,535,000
U.S. Government Agency            
Obligations   12,350,311   12,350,311
Corporate Notes   5,006,267   5,006,267
Short-Term U.S. Government            
Obligations     9,499,216     9,499,216
Total Investments in Securities $ $ 129,379,956 $ $ 129,379,956

 

There were no transfers into or from Level 1 or Level 2 by the Fund for the year ended September 30, 2013. Transfers, if any, between Levels are recognized at the end of the reporting period.

 

6 See notes to financial statements

 



Portfolio Managers’ Letter
GOVERNMENT FUND

Dear Investor:

We are pleased to send you the First Investors Government Fund annual report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2013. During the period, the Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was –2.3% for Class A shares and –3.1% for Class B shares, including dividends of 31.9 cents per share on Class A shares and 24.1 cents per share on Class B shares. The Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was –1.8% for Advisor Class shares and –1.5% for Institutional Class shares, including dividends of 15.2 cents per share on Advisor Class shares and 15.7 cents per share on Institutional Class shares. The Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares commenced operations on April 1, 2013, but Advisor Class shares were not available to the public until October 1, 2013.

The Fund changed its benchmark from the Bank of America Merrill Lynch GNMA Index to the Citigroup U.S. Government/Mortgage Index midway through the period under review. This change was instituted to give investors broader exposure to the U.S. government fixed-income sector.

During the review period, long-term interest rates began climbing upwards from historically low levels due to market concerns that the Federal Reserve (“the Fed”) would taper — or decrease — its stimulus program.

Key economic indicators, including stronger housing and jobs-related data, further convinced the market that the Fed’s monetary policy would become less accommodative. Treasury yields rose to their highest level in two years and fixed-income sectors came under pressure due to a potential “great rotation” into equities.

Towards the end of the review period, the Fed provided some relief to the market as it announced that its stimulus tapering plans were on hold. Reviewing benchmark U.S. Treasury yields, the two-year U.S. Treasury note yield — which is anchored by the Fed’s very accommodative monetary policy — rose 8 basis points (0.08%), ending the period at 0.32%. In contrast, the 10-year U.S. Treasury note yield rose sharply from 1.63% to 2.61%.

The broad U.S. bond market returned –1.77%, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch; the Treasury market returned –2.54%, with 10 year and longer Treasury securities returning –10.32%, due to rising long-term interest rates; and the broad mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) market returned –1.20%.

Within the MBS market, 30-year Ginnie Mae (“GNMA”) mortgages returned –1.96% and 30-year Fannie Mae mortgages returned –1.12% as GNMA performance was negatively affected by the lack of foreign-investor demand. Lower coupon mortgages returned –3.53% as investors shunned these bonds due to their interest rate sensitivity. Lastly, U.S. agency securities returned –1.38%.

7

 



Portfolio Managers’ Letter (continued)
GOVERNMENT FUND

The Fund outperformed its benchmark, the Citigroup U.S. Government/Mortgage Index, during the period under review. The Fund’s performance was mainly driven by an underweight in Treasury securities and no exposure to maturities 10 years and longer. An overweight in higher coupon agency MBS over lower coupon agency MBS and selective reduction of the Fund’s GNMA exposure also enhanced performance.

Thank you for placing your trust in First Investors. As always, we appreciate the opportunity to serve your investment needs.


* Effective December 3, 2012, Rodwell Chadehumbe became Co-Portfolio Manager of the Government Fund.

8

 



Fund Expenses (unaudited)
GOVERNMENT FUND

The examples below show the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and will help you in comparing these costs with costs of other mutual funds. Please refer to page 2 for a detailed explanation of the information presented in these examples.

  Annualized Beginning Ending Expenses Paid
  Expense Account Value Account Value During Period
Expense Example Ratio (4/1/13) (9/30/13) (4/1/13–9/30/13)*
Class A Shares 1.08%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $ 983.13 $5.37
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,019.66 $5.47
Class B Shares 1.87%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $ 979.64 $9.28
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,015.69 $9.45
Advisor Class Shares 0.95%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $ 982.87 $4.72
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,020.31 $4.81
Institutional Class Shares 0.68%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $ 984.64 $3.38
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,021.66 $3.45

 

*   Expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over
the period, multiplied by 183/365 (to reflect the one-half year period). Expenses paid during the
period are net of expenses waived.
 
**  Assumed rate of return of 5% before expenses.

 

Portfolio Composition
BY SECTOR

 


Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. Percentages are as of September 30, 2013, and are based on the total value of investments.

9

 



Cumulative Performance Information (unaudited)
GOVERNMENT FUND

Comparison of change in value of $10,000 investment in the First Investors Government Fund (Class A shares), the Citigroup U.S. Government/Mortgage Index and the Bank of America (“BofA”) Merrill Lynch GNMA Master Index†.


    Average Annual Total Returns*  
      Advisor Institutional
N.A.V. Only Class A Class B Class Class
One Year (2.29%) (3.06%) N/A N/A
Five Years 3.96% 3.22% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 3.78% 3.17% (1.75%) (1.54%)
      Advisor Institutional
S.E.C. Standardized Class A Class B Class Class
One Year (7.89%) (6.86%) N/A N/A
Five Years 2.73% 2.87% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 3.17% 3.19% (1.75%) (1.54%)
S.E.C. 30-Day Yield*** 1.55% .89% 1.80% 2.06%

 

The graph compares a $10,000 investment in the First Investors Government Fund (Class A shares) beginning 9/30/03 with theoretical investments in the Citigroup U.S. Government/Mortgage Index/the BofA Merrill Lynch GNMA Master Index (the “Indices”). The Citigroup U.S. Government/Mortgage Index is an unmanaged index that is a combination of the Citigroup U.S. Government Index and the Citigroup Mortgage Index. The Citigroup U.S. Government Index tracks the performance of the U.S. Treasury and U.S. Government-sponsored indices within the Citigroup U.S. Broad Investment Grade Bond Index. The Citigroup Mortgage Index tracks the performance of the mortgage component of the Citigroup U.S. Broad Investment Grade Bond Index, which is comprised of 30- and 15-year GNMA, FNMA and FHLMC pass-throughs and FNMA and FHLMC balloon mortgages. The BofA

 

10

 



Merrill Lynch GNMA Master Index is a market capitalization-weighted index of securities backed by mortgage pools of the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA). It is not possible to invest directly in these Indices. In addition, the Indices do not reflect fees and expenses associated with the active management of a mutual fund portfolio. For purposes of the graph and the accompanying table, unless otherwise indicated, it has been assumed that the maximum sales charge was deducted from the initial $10,000 investment in the Fund and all dividends and distributions were reinvested. Class B shares, Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares performance may be greater than or less than that shown in the line graph above for Class A shares based on differences in sales loads and fees paid by shareholders investing in the different classes.

* Average Annual Total Return figures (for the periods ended 9/30/13) include the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. “N.A.V. Only” returns are calculated without sales charges. The Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are based on the maximum sales charge of 5.75%. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” returns are adjusted for the applicable deferred sales charge (maximum of 4% in the first year). The Advisor Class and Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are the same as the N.A.V. Only returns since these classes are sold without sales charges. During the periods shown, some of the expenses of the Fund were waived or assumed. If such expenses had been paid by the Fund, the Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return for One Year, Five Years and Ten Years would have been (7.99%), 2.61% and 2.99%, respectively, and the S.E.C. 30-Day Yield for September 2013 would have been 1.43%. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return for One Year, Five Years and Ten Years would have been (7.00%), 2.72% and 2.97%, respectively, and the S.E.C. 30-Day Yield for September 2013 would have been 0.76%. The Advisor Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been (5.94%) and the S.E.C. 30-Day Yield for September 2013 would have been 0%. The Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been (1.67%) and the S.E.C. 30-Day Yield for September 2013 would have been 1.92%. Results represent past performance and do not indicate future results. The graph and the returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on distributions or the redemption of fund shares. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Index figures are from Citigroup, Bank of America Merrill Lynch & Co. and all other figures are from First Investors Management Company, Inc.

** The returns for Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares are for the periods beginning 4/1/13 (commencement of operations).

We have added a comparison to the Citigroup Government/Mortgage Index this fiscal year since it more closely reflects the performance of the securities in which the Fund invests. After this fiscal year we will not show a comparison to the BofA Merrill Lynch GNMA Master Index.

*** The S.E.C. 30-Day Yield shown is for September 2013.

11

 



Portfolio of Investments
GOVERNMENT FUND
September 30, 2013

               
 
 
Principal    
Amount   Security         Value
 
  RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE-BACKED  
  SECURITIES—75.5%  
  Fannie Mae—29.8%  
$14,266M 2.5%, 11/1/2027 – 9/1/2028 (a) $  14,388,641
22,855M 3%, 8/1/2022 – 10/16/2028 (a) 23,802,505
21,967M 3.5%, 10/1/2025 – 8/1/2042 (a) 22,914,787
23,745M 4%, 8/1/2026 – 10/1/2041 25,054,567
12,189M 4.5%, 11/1/2040 – 8/1/2041 13,150,352
4,453M 5%, 8/1/2039 – 11/1/2039 4,836,464
4,219M   5.5%, 7/1/2033 – 10/1/2039         4,622,098
 
              108,769,414
 
  Freddie Mac—3.8%  
4,604M 2.5%, 1/1/2028 4,647,380
2,277M 3.5%, 9/1/2032 2,409,936
6,344M   4%, 11/1/2040         6,730,174
 
              13,787,490
 
  Government National Mortgage Association I  
  Program—41.9%  
11,600M 4%, 7/15/2040 – 6/15/2042 12,483,634
27,142M 4.5%, 9/15/2033 – 9/15/2040 29,479,821
47,084M 5%, 6/15/2033 – 6/15/2040 52,012,684
25,155M 5.5%, 3/15/2033 – 10/15/2039 28,117,825
22,964M 6%, 3/15/2031 – 5/15/2040 25,638,255
1,883M 6.5%, 6/15/2034 – 3/15/2038 2,122,421
2,607M   7%, 6/15/2023 – 4/15/2034         2,923,784
 
              152,778,424
 
Total Value of Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities (cost $268,935,562)         275,335,328
 
  U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCY  
  OBLIGATIONS—11.8%  
  Fannie Mae:  
7,000M 0.875%, 10/26/2017 6,906,585
21,000M 1.875%, 9/18/2018 21,252,105
5,000M 1.625%, 11/27/2018 4,985,260
4,400M Federal Home Loan Bank, 1%, 2/15/2028 (b) 4,205,291
5,000M   Freddie Mac, 3.75%, 3/27/2019         5,508,980
 
Total Value of U.S. Government Agency Obligations (cost $42,887,156)         42,858,221

 

12

 



               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  U.S. GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS—5.8%  
  U.S. Treasury Notes:    
$ 4,000M 1%, 5/31/2018   $    3,949,220
12,000M 1.375%, 6/30/2018   12,032,340
5,000M   1.5%, 8/31/2018         5,033,790
Total Value of U.S. Government Obligations (cost $20,971,153)       21,015,350
 
  COLLATERALIZED MORTGAGE    
  OBLIGATIONS—3.6%    
  Fannie Mae—2.3%    
8,041M   3%, 2/25/2024         8,240,744
 
  Freddie Mac—1.3%    
4,722M   3%, 8/15/2039         5,004,820
Total Value of Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (cost $13,506,521)       13,245,564
 
  COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE-BACKED  
  SECURITIES—3.3%    
  Fannie Mae—2.0%    
2,965M 2.27%, 1/1/2023   2,783,718
4,370M   2.96%, 11/1/2018 – 5/1/2022         4,419,411
              7,203,129
 
  Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.—1.3%  
5,000M   Multi Family Structured Pass Through, 2.13%, 1/25/2019       5,008,245
Total Value of Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (cost $12,779,915)       12,211,374
 
  CORPORATE BONDS—1.1%    
  Financials      
4,311M   Excalibur One 77B, LLC, 1.491%, 1/1/2025 (cost $4,288,874)       4,106,785
 
Total Value of Investments (cost $363,369,181) 101.1 % 368,772,622
Excess of Liabilities Over Other Assets (1.1 )     (4,134,867)
 
Net Assets     100.0 %     $364,637,755

 

(a)  A portion or all of the security purchased on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis
(see Note 1G).
 
(b)  Denotes a step bond (a bond that steps up to incremental interest rates at designated dates).

 

13

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
GOVERNMENT FUND
September 30, 2013

Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820 established a three-tier hierarchy of inputs to establish a classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three broad Levels listed below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical securities that the Fund has
the ability to access.
 
Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable
for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These inputs may include quoted
prices for the identical instrument on an inactive market, prices for similar instru-
ments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates and
similar data.
 
Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, to the extent relevant observable inputs
are not available, representing the Fund’s own assumption about the assumptions a
market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and would be based on
the best information available.

 

The inputs methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. For example, amortized cost approximates the current fair value of a security, but since the value is not obtained from a quoted price in an active market, such securities are reflected as Level 2.

The following is a summary, by category of Level, of inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of September 30, 2013:

    Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total
Residential Mortgage-Backed            
Securities $ $ 275,335,328 $ $ 275,335,328
U.S. Government Agency            
Obligations   42,858,221   42,858,221
U.S. Government Obligations   21,015,350   21,015,350
Collateralized Mortgage            
Obligations   13,245,564   13,245,564
Commercial Mortgage-Backed            
Securities   12,211,374   12,211,374
Corporate Bonds     4,106,785     4,106,785
Total Investments in Securities* $ $ 368,772,622 $ $ 368,772,622

 

The Portfolio of Investments provides information on the industry classification for the portfolio.

 

There were no transfers into or from Level 1 or Level 2 by the Fund for the year ended September 30, 2013. Transfers, if any, between Levels are recognized at the end of the reporting period.

 

14 See notes to financial statements

 



Portfolio Managers’ Letter
INVESTMENT GRADE FUND

Dear Investor:

We are pleased to send you the First Investors Investment Grade Fund annual report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2013. During the period, the Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was –1.1% for Class A shares and –1.8% for Class B shares, including dividends of 38.3 cents per share on Class A shares and 31.9 cents on Class B shares. The Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was –2.5% for Advisor Class shares and –2.4% for Institutional Class shares, including dividends of 19.2 cents per share on Advisor Class shares and 19.8 cents per share on Institutional Class shares. The Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares commenced operations on April 1, 2013, but Advisor Class shares were not available to the public until October 1, 2013.

The Fund invests in investment grade fixed income securities. The majority of the Fund’s assets were invested in investment grade corporate bonds. The Fund also had as much as 3% of its assets invested in high yield securities.

During the review period, long-term interest rates began climbing upwards from historically low levels due to market concerns that the Federal Reserve (“the Fed”) would taper — or decrease — its stimulus program.

Key economic indicators, including stronger housing and jobs related data, provided further conviction to the market that the Fed’s monetary policy would become less accommodative. Treasury yields rose to their highest level in two years and fixed-income sectors came under pressure due to a potential “great rotation” into equities.

Towards the end of the review period, the Fed provided some relief to the market as it announced that its stimulus tapering plans were on hold. Reviewing benchmark U.S. Treasury yields, the two-year U.S. Treasury note yield — which is anchored by the Fed’s very accommodative monetary policy — rose 8 basis points (0.08%), ending the period at 0.32%. In contrast, the 10-year U.S. Treasury note yield rose sharply from 1.63% to 2.61%.

The broad U.S. bond market returned –1.77%, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Riskier fixed-income sectors had very strong performance, predominantly those that provide less interest-rate sensitivity. Consequently, high-yield — or “junk” bonds — returned 7.09%, while investment-grade corporate bonds returned –1.27%. Higher-quality sectors had negative returns. The broad mortgage-backed securities market returned –1.20%. The Treasury market returned –2.54%, with the 10 year and longer Treasury securities returning –10.32%, due to rising long-term interest rates.

The negative return of the corporate bond market during the review period was predominantly the result of rising interest rates. Modestly tighter bond spreads offset some of the interest rate-related losses. The review period began with continued confidence

15

 



Portfolio Managers’ Letter (continued)
INVESTMENT GRADE FUND

in the financial strength of corporate issuers. Deleveraging of corporate balance sheets, credit availability and accommodative monetary policy supported a favorable outlook for corporate credit. However, the positive tone was offset by fears of the Fed tapering its stimulus program and increased shareholder-friendly activity by issuers, including share repurchases, dividend increases and mergers and acquisitions. In the last month of the review period, the Fed’s decision not to taper its stimulus program caused a rally in the bond market and increased demand for corporate credit, which tightened spreads.

The Fund outperformed the Bank of America Merrill Lynch U.S. Corporate Master Index during the review period. It also benefited from an overweight in BBB-rated corporate bonds, which had the highest returns during the review period. The Fund’s underweight in corporate bonds with maturities greater than 10 years — which were negatively impacted by rising long-term Treasury yields — further benefited performance during the review period. This was partially offset by the Fund’s underweight in corporate bonds with maturities ranging from 1–3 years, which were less sensitive to interest-rate risk.

Thank you for placing your trust in First Investors. As always, we appreciate the opportunity to serve your investment needs.


16

 



Fund Expenses (unaudited)
INVESTMENT GRADE FUND

The examples below show the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and will help you in comparing these costs with costs of other mutual funds. Please refer to page 2 for a detailed explanation of the information presented in these examples.

  Annualized Beginning Ending Expenses Paid
  Expense Account Value Account Value During Period
Expense Example Ratio (4/1/13) (9/30/13) (4/1/13–9/30/13)*
Class A Shares 1.05%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $ 975.47 $5.20
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,019.81 $5.32
Class B Shares 1.90%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $ 971.35 $9.39
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,015.54 $9.60
Advisor Class Shares 0.95%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $ 975.33 $4.70
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,020.31 $4.81
Institutional Class Shares 0.66%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $ 976.32 $3.27
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,021.76 $3.35

 

*   Expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over
the period, multiplied by 183/365 (to reflect the one-half year period). Expenses paid during the
period are net of expenses waived.
 
**  Assumed rate of return of 5% before expenses.

 

Portfolio Composition
BY SECTOR

 


Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. Percentages are as of September 30, 2013, and are based on the total value of investments.

17

 



Cumulative Performance Information (unaudited)
INVESTMENT GRADE FUND

Comparison of change in value of $10,000 investment in the First Investors Investment Grade Fund (Class A shares) and the Bank of America (“BofA”) Merrill Lynch U.S. Corporate Master Index.


    Average Annual Total Returns*  
      Advisor Institutional
N.A.V. Only Class A Class B Class Class
One Year (1.10%) (1.82%) N/A N/A
Five Years 8.34% 7.58% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 4.42% 3.78% (2.53%) (2.37%)
      Advisor Institutional
S.E.C. Standardized Class A Class B Class Class
One Year (6.81%) (5.62%) N/A N/A
Five Years 7.07% 7.28% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 3.80% 3.78% (2.53%) (2.37%)
S.E.C. 30-Day Yield*** 2.31% 1.67% 2.55% 2.84%

 

The graph compares a $10,000 investment in the First Investors Investment Grade Fund (Class A shares) beginning 9/30/03 with a theoretical investment in the BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. Corporate Master Index (the “Index”). The Index includes publicly-issued, fixed-rate, non-convertible investment grade dollar-denominated, S.E.C.-registered corporate debt having at least one year to maturity and an outstanding par value of at least $250 million. It is not possible to invest directly in this Index. In addition, the Index does not reflect fees and expenses associated with the active management of a mutual fund portfolio. For purposes of the graph and the accompanying table, unless otherwise indicated, it has been assumed that the maximum sales charge was deducted from the initial $10,000 investment in the Fund and all dividends and distributions were reinvested. Class B shares, Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares performance may be greater than or less than that

 

18

 



shown in the line graph above for Class A shares based on differences in sales loads and fees paid by shareholders investing in the different classes.

* Average Annual Total Return figures (for the periods ended 9/30/13) include the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. “N.A.V. Only” returns are calculated without sales charges. The Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are based on the maximum sales charge of 5.75%. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” returns are adjusted for the applicable deferred sales charge (maximum of 4% in the first year). The Advisor Class and Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are the same as the N.A.V. Only returns since these classes are sold without sales charges. During the periods shown, some of the expenses of the Fund were waived or assumed. If such expenses had been paid by the Fund, the Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return for One Year, Five Years and Ten Years would have been (6.91%), 6.95% and 3.68%, respectively, and the S.E.C. 30-Day Yield for September 2013 would have been 2.21%. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return for One Year, Five Years and Ten Years would have been (5.72%), 7.13% and 3.66%, respectively, and the S.E.C. 30-Day Yield for September 2013 would have been 1.56%. The Advisor Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been (6.70%) and the S.E.C. 30-Day Yield for September 2013 would have been 0.19%. The Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been (2.48%) and the S.E.C. 30-Day Yield for September 2013 would have been 2.73%. Results represent past performance and do not indicate future results. The graph and the returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on distributions or the redemption of fund shares. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Index figures are from Bank of America Merrill Lynch & Co. and all other figures are from First Investors Management Company, Inc.

** The returns for Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares are for the periods beginning 4/1/13 (commencement of operations).

*** The S.E.C. 30-Day Yield shown is for September 2013.

19

 



Portfolio of Investments
INVESTMENT GRADE FUND
September 30, 2013

               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  CORPORATE BONDS—98.1%    
  Aerospace/Defense—.3%    
$1,800M   BAE Systems Holdings, Inc., 4.95%, 6/1/2014 (a)         $    1,846,107
 
  Agriculture—.6%    
2,725M   Cargill, Inc., 6%, 11/27/2017 (a)         3,143,456
 
  Automotive—1.9%    
2,000M Daimler Finance NA, LLC, 2.95%, 1/11/2017 (a)   2,073,086
4,000M General Motors Co., 3.5%, 10/2/2018 (a)   4,010,000
4,100M   Johnson Controls, Inc., 5%, 3/30/2020         4,501,218
 
              10,584,304
 
  Chemicals—2.8%    
5,000M CF Industries, Inc., 7.125%, 5/1/2020   5,869,685
4,000M Dow Chemical Co., 4.25%, 11/15/2020   4,190,696
5,000M   LyondellBasell Industries NV, 6%, 11/15/2021         5,715,975
 
              15,776,356
 
  Consumer Durables—.4%    
2,300M   Newell Rubbermaid, Inc., 4.7%, 8/15/2020         2,453,737
 
  Energy—10.4%    
5,000M Canadian Oil Sands, Ltd., 7.75%, 5/15/2019 (a)   6,076,295
4,800M DCP Midstream, LLC, 9.75%, 3/15/2019 (a)   6,121,910
5,000M Enbridge Energy Partners, LP, 4.2%, 9/15/2021   5,076,895
5,000M Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, LP, 3.45%, 2/15/2023   4,685,190
1,681M Maritime & Northeast Pipeline, LLC, 7.5%, 5/31/2014 (a)   1,739,272
5,000M Nabors Industries, Inc., 6.15%, 2/15/2018   5,627,990
4,000M ONEOK Partners, LP, 3.375%, 10/1/2022   3,691,896
5,000M Petrobras International Finance Co., 5.375%, 1/27/2021   5,047,925
4,100M Reliance Holdings USA, Inc., 4.5%, 10/19/2020 (a)   4,053,096
5,800M Spectra Energy Capital, LLC, 6.2%, 4/15/2018   6,662,089
4,000M Valero Energy Corp., 9.375%, 3/15/2019   5,187,932
4,000M   Weatherford International, Inc., 6.35%, 6/15/2017         4,491,916
 
              58,462,406
 
  Financial Services—16.2%    
2,250M Aflac, Inc., 8.5%, 5/15/2019   2,911,536
6,000M   American Express Co., 7%, 3/19/2018         7,235,862

 

20

 



               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Financial Services (continued)    
  American International Group, Inc.:    
$3,100M 4.875%, 9/15/2016 $    3,398,071
3,200M 8.25%, 8/15/2018   3,998,128
4,000M Ameriprise Financial, Inc., 5.3%, 3/15/2020   4,552,852
3,800M Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., 3.4%, 1/31/2022   3,821,219
4,000M BlackRock, Inc., 5%, 12/10/2019   4,544,028
4,000M CoBank, ACB, 7.875%, 4/16/2018 (a)   4,884,900
1,800M Compass Bank, 6.4%, 10/1/2017   1,934,824
5,750M ERAC USA Finance Co., 4.5%, 8/16/2021 (a)   6,008,503
6,200M Ford Motor Credit Co., LLC, 8.125%, 1/15/2020   7,733,657
  General Electric Capital Corp.:    
2,000M 5.625%, 9/15/2017   2,280,994
4,700M 5.3%, 2/11/2021   5,119,451
7,000M 6.75%, 3/15/2032   8,373,022
4,000M Glencore Funding, LLC, 6%, 4/15/2014 (a)   4,096,992
3,800M Harley-Davidson Funding Corp., 5.75%, 12/15/2014 (a)   4,007,670
4,000M Liberty Mutual Group, Inc., 4.95%, 5/1/2022 (a)   4,143,424
5,400M Protective Life Corp., 7.375%, 10/15/2019   6,537,429
4,000M   Prudential Financial, Inc., 7.375%, 6/15/2019         4,958,984
 
              90,541,546
 
  Financials—20.0%    
  Bank of America Corp.:    
2,900M 5.65%, 5/1/2018   3,276,060
4,300M 5%, 5/13/2021   4,625,673
8,000M Barclays Bank, PLC, 5.125%, 1/8/2020   8,943,400
3,168M Bear Stearns Cos., Inc., 7.25%, 2/1/2018   3,798,084
  Citigroup, Inc.:    
3,400M 4.45%, 1/10/2017   3,684,230
6,800M 6.125%, 11/21/2017   7,827,106
2,000M 4.5%, 1/14/2022   2,099,688
2,000M Fifth Third Bancorp, 3.5%, 3/15/2022   1,979,440
  Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.:    
6,000M 6.15%, 4/1/2018   6,869,328
1,900M 5.75%, 1/24/2022   2,109,940
3,000M 3.625%, 1/22/2023   2,874,360
1,600M 6.125%, 2/15/2033   1,750,946
3,650M 6.75%, 10/1/2037   3,820,780
  JPMorgan Chase & Co.:    
6,000M 6%, 1/15/2018   6,896,526
4,000M   4.5%, 1/24/2022         4,179,636

 

21

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
INVESTMENT GRADE FUND
September 30, 2013

               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Financials (continued)    
  Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.:    
$2,000M 5%, 1/15/2015 $    2,100,420
4,600M 6.4%, 8/28/2017   5,294,365
  Morgan Stanley:    
5,800M 5.95%, 12/28/2017   6,568,210
5,500M 6.625%, 4/1/2018   6,391,572
4,250M 5.5%, 7/28/2021   4,655,595
6,000M SunTrust Banks, Inc., 6%, 9/11/2017   6,876,510
4,000M UBS AG, 4.875%, 8/4/2020   4,478,068
  Wells Fargo & Co.:    
5,800M 4.6%, 4/1/2021   6,308,161
1,800M 3.5%, 3/8/2022   1,804,901
3,000M   3.45%, 2/13/2023         2,813,412
 
              112,026,411
 
  Food/Beverage/Tobacco—8.2%    
4,000M Altria Group, Inc., 9.7%, 11/10/2018   5,293,692
4,000M Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide, Inc., 5.375%, 1/15/2020   4,603,868
3,000M Bottling Group, LLC, 5.125%, 1/15/2019   3,416,916
5,225M Bunge Ltd. Finance Corp., 8.5%, 6/15/2019   6,513,569
4,000M Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc., 6.82%, 5/1/2018   4,797,672
4,165M Ingredion, Inc., 4.625%, 11/1/2020   4,418,249
4,000M Lorillard Tobacco Co., 6.875%, 5/1/2020   4,606,212
3,000M Mead Johnson Nutrition Co., 4.9%, 11/1/2019   3,324,204
4,000M Philip Morris International, Inc., 5.65%, 5/16/2018   4,634,432
4,000M   SABMiller Holdings, Inc., 3.75%, 1/15/2022 (a)         4,038,984
 
              45,647,798
 
  Food/Drug—.7%    
4,000M   Safeway, Inc., 4.75%, 12/1/2021         4,023,368
 
  Forest Products/Container—.5%    
2,200M   International Paper Co., 9.375%, 5/15/2019         2,904,539
 
  Gaming/Leisure—.7%    
4,000M   Marriott International, Inc., 3.25%, 9/15/2022         3,792,824

 

22

 



               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Health Care—3.7%    
$4,000M Biogen IDEC, Inc., 6.875%, 3/1/2018 $    4,753,256
4,050M Express Scripts Holding Co., 4.75%, 11/15/2021   4,342,066
4,000M Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings, 3.75%, 8/23/2022   3,904,548
4,000M Mylan, Inc., 3.125%, 1/15/2023 (a)   3,645,432
2,400M Novartis Securities Investments, Ltd., 5.125%, 2/10/2019   2,751,986
916M   Roche Holdings, Inc., 6%, 3/1/2019 (a)         1,089,824
 
              20,487,112
 
  Information Technology—3.3%    
4,000M Harris Corp., 4.4%, 12/15/2020   4,151,728
5,000M Motorola Solutions, Inc., 6%, 11/15/2017   5,708,875
4,000M Pitney Bowes, Inc., 5.75%, 9/15/2017   4,412,352
4,000M   Symantec Corp., 3.95%, 6/15/2022         3,944,116
 
               18,217,071
 
  Manufacturing—3.0%    
3,000M CRH America, Inc., 8.125%, 7/15/2018   3,655,533
2,700M General Electric Co., 5.25%, 12/6/2017   3,075,926
4,000M Ingersoll-Rand Global Holdings Co., Ltd., 6.875%, 8/15/2018   4,745,688
2,500M Pentair Finance SA, 3.15%, 9/15/2022   2,312,483
2,725M   Tyco Electronics Group SA, 6.55%, 10/1/2017          3,144,909
 
               16,934,539
 
  Media-Broadcasting—3.1%    
3,950M British Sky Broadcasting Group, PLC, 9.5%, 11/15/2018 (a)   5,177,952
2,000M CBS Corp., 8.875%, 5/15/2019   2,559,630
3,250M Comcast Corp., 4.25%, 1/15/2033   3,074,783
3,000M DirecTV Holdings, LLC, 3.8%, 3/15/2022   2,805,012
3,000M   Time Warner Entertainment Co., LP, 8.375%, 3/15/2023         3,505,224
 
              17,122,601
 
  Media-Diversified—1.6%    
  McGraw-Hill Cos., Inc.:    
1,800M 5.9%, 11/15/2017   1,948,916
2,300M 6.55%, 11/15/2037   2,246,196
4,000M   Vivendi SA, 6.625%, 4/4/2018 (a)         4,528,208
 
              8,723,320

 

23

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
INVESTMENT GRADE FUND
September 30, 2013

               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Metals/Mining—4.9%    
$5,000M Alcoa, Inc., 6.15%, 8/15/2020 $    5,223,395
4,000M ArcelorMittal, 6.125%, 6/1/2018   4,255,000
4,200M Newmont Mining Corp., 5.125%, 10/1/2019   4,423,406
5,000M Rio Tinto Finance USA, Ltd., 3.75%, 9/20/2021   4,938,155
4,000M Vale Overseas, Ltd., 5.625%, 9/15/2019   4,363,348
4,000M   Xstrata Canada Financial Corp., 4.95%, 11/15/2021 (a)          4,007,144
 
              27,210,448
 
  Real Estate Investment Trusts—5.3%    
5,000M Boston Properties, LP, 5.875%, 10/15/2019   5,765,645
5,000M Digital Realty Trust, LP, 5.25%, 3/15/2021   5,263,390
5,000M HCP, Inc., 5.375%, 2/1/2021   5,448,330
4,000M ProLogis, LP, 6.625%, 5/15/2018   4,681,852
4,000M Simon Property Group, LP, 5.75%, 12/1/2015   4,378,572
4,000M   Ventas Realty, LP, 4.75%, 6/1/2021         4,219,032
 
              29,756,821
 
  Retail-General Merchandise—1.6%    
6,000M GAP, Inc., 5.95%, 4/12/2021   6,658,218
2,000M   Home Depot, Inc., 5.875%, 12/16/2036         2,290,504
 
              8,948,722
 
  Telecommunications—1.4%    
1,200M BellSouth Telecommunications, 6.375%, 6/1/2028   1,311,959
3,300M GTE Corp., 6.84%, 4/15/2018   3,853,964
3,000M   Rogers Communications, Inc., 3%, 3/15/2023         2,774,256
 
              7,940,179
 
  Transportation—2.2%    
3,000M Burlington North Santa Fe, LLC, 3%, 3/15/2023   2,828,673
3,000M Con-way, Inc., 7.25%, 1/15/2018   3,403,485
4,000M GATX Corp., 4.75%, 6/15/2022   4,087,788
2,000M   Penske Truck Leasing Co., LP, 4.875%, 7/11/2022 (a)         2,040,322
 
              12,360,268

 

24

 



               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Utilities—5.3%    
$3,000M E.ON International Finance BV, 5.8%, 4/30/2018 (a) $    3,486,330
1,900M Electricite de France SA, 6.5%, 1/26/2019 (a) 2,281,624
3,240M Entergy Arkansas, Inc., 3.75%, 2/15/2021   3,351,245
4,000M Exelon Generation Co., LLC, 5.2%, 10/1/2019 4,386,440
  Great River Energy Co.:    
393M 5.829%, 7/1/2017 (a)   420,544
3,538M 4.478%, 7/1/2030 (a)   3,618,419
4,000M National Fuel Gas Co., 8.75%, 5/1/2019   5,033,680
3,000M Ohio Power Co., 5.375%, 10/1/2021   3,382,119
2,881M   Sempra Energy, 9.8%, 2/15/2019         3,859,719
 
              29,820,120
 
Total Value of Corporate Bonds (cost $523,601,510) 98.1 % 548,724,053
Other Assets, Less Liabilities 1.9       10,718,735
 
Net Assets     100.0 %     $559,442,788

 

(a)  Security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933 (see Note 4).

 

25

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
INVESTMENT GRADE FUND
September 30, 2013

Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820 established a three-tier hierarchy of inputs to establish a classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three broad Levels listed below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical securities that the Fund has
the ability to access.
 
Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable
for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These inputs may include quoted
prices for the identical instrument on an inactive market, prices for similar instru-
ments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates and
similar data.
 
Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, to the extent relevant observable inputs
are not available, representing the Fund’s own assumption about the assumptions a
market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and would be based on
the best information available.

 

The inputs methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. For example, amortized cost approximates the current fair value of a security, but since the value is not obtained from a quoted price in an active market, such securities are reflected as Level 2.

The following is a summary, by category of Level, of inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of September 30, 2013:

    Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total
Corporate Bonds* $ $ 548,724,053 $ $ 548,724,053

 

The Portfolio of Investments provides information on the industry categorization for corporate bonds.

 

There were no transfers into or from Level 1 or Level 2 by the Fund for the year ended September 30, 2013. Transfers, if any, between Levels are recognized at the end of the reporting period.

 

26 See notes to financial statements

 



Portfolio Manager’s Letter
STRATEGIC INCOME FUND

Dear Investor:

I’m pleased to send you the First Investors Strategic Income Fund annual report for the period from April 3, 2013, the Fund’s inception date, to September 30, 2013. During the period, the Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was –0.9% for Class A shares, including dividends of 13.3 cents per share. The Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was –0.8% for Advisor shares, including dividends of 15.0 cents per share. The Advisor Class shares commenced operations on April 1, 2013, but were not available to the public until October 1, 2013.

During the review period, long-term interest rates moved sharply higher from historically low levels due to market concerns that the Federal Reserve (“the Fed”) would taper — or decrease — its stimulus program.

Key economic indicators — including stronger housing and jobs-related data — further convinced the market that the Fed’s monetary policy would become less accommodative. Treasury yields rose to their highest level in two years and fixed-income sectors came under pressure due to a potential “great rotation” into equities. Towards the end of the review period, the Fed provided some relief to the market as it announced that its stimulus tapering plans was on hold.

The Fund can invest through institutional class shares in a number of First Investors Funds (Underlying Funds). The average allocations to Underlying Funds as a percentage of the Fund’s net assets and, the total returns for the review period and the allocations as a percentage of net assets as of the end of the period were:

  Average Allocations   Allocations
  Review Period Total Return 9/30/13
Equity Income Fund 8.1% 8.59% 10.1%
Fund For Income 38.6% 0.63% 40.0%
Government Fund 7.3% –1.64% 10.0%
International Opportunities      
Bond Fund 18.5% –2.27% 15.1%
Investment Grade Fund 22.7% –2.58% 20.1%
Cash 4.8% 0.00% 4.7%

 

For the review period, the Fund returned –0.87% compared to –2.16% for its benchmark, the Bank of America Merrill Lynch U.S. Broad Market Index. The Fund benefited from its emphasis on credit risk, expressed through its Equity Income and Fund For Income allocations. In particular, the Fund For Income, a high-yield bond fund, provided better returns than the more interest-rate-sensitive Government and

 

27

 



Portfolio Manager’s Letter (continued)
STRATEGIC INCOME FUND

Investment Grade funds. Lastly, the Fund’s cash allocation, although returning 0%, substantially outperformed the benchmark.

Thank you for placing your trust in First Investors. As always, we appreciate the opportunity to serve your investment needs.


28

 



Fund Expenses (unaudited)
STRATEGIC INCOME FUND

The examples below show the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and will help you in comparing these costs with costs of other mutual funds. Please refer to page 2 for a detailed explanation of the information presented in these examples.

  Annualized Beginning Ending Expenses Paid
  Expense Account Value Account Value During Period
Expense Example Ratio (4/3/13) (9/30/13) (4/3/13–9/30/13)*
Class A Shares 1.30%      
Actual*   $1,000.00 $ 934.26 $6.23
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,018.55 $6.58
Advisor Class Shares 1.00%      
Actual*   $1,000.00 $ 992.06 $4.94
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,020.06 $5.06

 

Actual expenses reflect only from the commencement of operations to the end of the period cov-
ered (April 3, 2013 through September 30, 2013). Therefore expenses shown are lower than would
be expected for a six-month period. Actual expenses for the six-month period will be reflected in
future reports. Expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio multipied by the average account
value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the inception period). Expenses paid during
the period are net of expenses waived and/or assumed.
 
**  Assumed rate of return of 5% before expenses.

 

Portfolio Composition
BY SECTOR

 


Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. Percentages are as of September 30, 2013, and are based on the total value of investments.

29

 



Portfolio of Investments
STRATEGIC INCOME FUND
September 30, 2013

               
 
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  MUTUAL FUNDS—93.5%    
  Fixed Income Funds—83.5%    
7,144,602 First Investors Fund For Income – Institutional Shares $18,575,964
424,622 First Investors Government Fund – Institutional Shares 4,653,852
710,236 First Investors International Opportunities Bond Fund –  
  Institutional Shares   6,995,824
952,122   First Investors Investment Grade Fund – Institutional Shares       9,321,277
 
              39,546,917
 
  Equity Funds—10.0%    
523,018   First Investors Equity Income Fund – Institutional Shares       4,717,622
 
Total Value of Mutual Funds (cost $44,864,608) 93.5 % 44,264,539
Other Assets, Less Liabilities 6.5       3,080,921
 
Net Assets     100.0 %     $47,345,460

 

30

 



Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820 established a three-tier hierarchy of inputs to establish a classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three broad Levels listed below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical securities that the Fund has
the ability to access.
 
Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable
for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These inputs may include quoted
prices for the identical instrument on an inactive market, prices for similar instru-
ments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates and
similar data.
 
Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, to the extent relevant observable inputs
are not available, representing the Fund’s own assumption about the assumptions a
market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and would be based on
the best information available.

 

The inputs methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. For example, amortized cost approximates the current fair value of a security, but since the value is not obtained from a quoted price in an active market, such securities are reflected as Level 2.

The following is a summary, by category of Level, of inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of September 30, 2013:

    Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total
Mutual Funds            
Fixed Income Funds $  39,546,917 $ $ $  39,546,917
Equity Funds   4,717,622       4,717,622
Total Investments in Securities $  44,264,539 $ $ $  44,264,539

 

There were no transfers into or from Level 1 or Level 2 by the Fund for the year ended September 30, 2013. Transfers, if any, between Levels are recognized at the end of the reporting period.

See notes to financial statements 31

 



Portfolio Managers’ Letter
INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES BOND FUND

Dear Investor:

This is the annual report for the First Investors International Opportunities Bond Fund for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2013. During the period, the Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was –0.7% for Class A shares, including capital gain distributions of 1.3 cents per share and dividends of 29.8 cents per share. The Fund’s return on a net asset value basis for Advisor Class shares was –2.3% and –2.3% for Institutional Class shares, including dividends of 15.0 cents per share on Advisor Class shares and 14.9 cents per share on Institutional Class shares. The Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares commenced operations on April 1, 2013, but Advisor Class shares were not available to the public until October 1, 2013.

The strategy invests in sovereign bonds and currencies of countries in the Citigroup World Government Bond ex-U.S. Index as well as some non-index countries, including those of emerging markets. Corporate bonds of countries in the Index may be purchased opportunistically as well. The main driver of outperformance relative to the Index during the 12-month period involved avoiding the Japanese yen. The yen began falling in November 2012 as markets foresaw a sweeping victory from Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party in elections to occur in December. Abe pledged at the time that, if elected, he and his party would influence monetary and fiscal policy to reflate the Japanese economy. He installed a central bank chief at the head of the Bank of Japan in the spring of 2013 who promised to raise inflation expectations by pursuing quantitative easing measures and purchasing financial assets. The yen fell dramatically as a consequence against nearly every major world currency, so avoiding the yen in full helped the strategy outperform the Index, which holds a more than 40% exposure to the yen through Japanese government bonds exposures.

Although the yen positioning dominated relative performance, the strategy’s higher yield profile also generated a substantial benefit to relative performance. Longer maturity exposures in Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Hungary, South Africa, and the United Kingdom each contributed significantly to the strategy’s higher yield profile. Derivatives transactions produced a negligible impact on performance during the period. Unrealized and realized gains from derivatives, when aggregated, produced less than 10 basis points of negative impact.

Market Commentary and Outlook

It has been five years since the Great Financial Crisis of 2008. Yet, any discussion of the investment outlook invariably starts with reference to this historic event as if it happened yesterday. It is hard not to. The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers coincided with a nearly $8 trillion collapse in U.S. household real estate values and ended a multi-decade debt super cycle. Perhaps even more destructively, the crisis demolished confidence and trust in the system, the outlook, policymakers, and in politicians. Confidence is the foundation of our financial system and it will take many years to recover.

32

 



Yet here we are five years later with house prices globally climbing once more and U.S. household net worth at new highs. Private sector U.S. GDP is expanding at a more than 3% annual rate. Europe seems to be emerging from recession with the monetary union intact and with competitiveness in most of the peripheral economies substantially improved. Instead of a credit bust, 7% looks like the floor on Chinese economic growth with the government acutely aware of the debt overhang and looking to reform.

Last year we coined the term “Risk of Success.” Our analysis of the economic outlook concluded that the longer unorthodox stimulus was sustained, the more likely the risks were in the direction of what could go right, rather than what could go wrong. The risk in success was that interest rate conditions would normalize if economic conditions improved enough and that this would coincide with a realignment of asset prices. The first stage of this normalization process has been underway for well over a year. Nominal safe-haven bond yields have been rising and yield curves steepening since July 2012, real yields have been moving up since December, gold has been weak, and equity risk premiums have been tumbling. These valuation movements are all market expressions of optimism in the outlook for non-inflationary economic growth!

Looking out over the next couple of quarters, we think stage one of renormalization is over but we expect continued improvement in growth and confidence will be an incremental process. Therefore, we believe the abrupt rise in U.S. real yields during the second quarter created an oversold condition in U.S. Treasuries. The sell-off across emerging debt markets was even more violent and indiscriminate, creating significant opportunities in markets with attractive debt dynamics and in many emerging markets fundamentals continue to improve on the back of structural reform. Therefore, we expect any bond panics like the one this summer will create opportunities for global bond investors.

Thank you for placing your trust in First Investors. As always, we appreciate the opportunity to serve your investment needs.


33

 



Fund Expenses (unaudited)
INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES BOND FUND

The examples below show the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and will help you in comparing these costs with costs of other mutual funds. Please refer to page 2 for a detailed explanation of the information presented in these examples.

  Annualized Beginning Ending Expenses Paid
  Expense Account Value Account Value During Period
Expense Example Ratio (4/1/13) (9/30/13) (4/1/13–9/30/13)*
Class A Shares 1.30%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $ 977.47 $6.44
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,018.55 $6.58
Advisor Class Shares 1.07%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $ 977.43 $5.30
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,019.71 $5.42
Institutional Class Shares 0.96%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $ 977.43 $4.76
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,020.26 $4.86

 

Expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over
the period, multiplied by 183/365 (to reflect the one-half year period). Expenses paid during the
period are net of expenses waived.
 
**  Assumed rate of return of 5% before expenses.


Portfolio Composition

BY SECTOR

 


Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. Percentages are as of September 30, 2013, and are based on the total value of investments.

34

 



Cumulative Performance Information (unaudited)
INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES BOND FUND

Comparison of change in value of $10,000 investment in the First Investors International Opportunities Bond Fund (Class A shares) and the Citigroup World Government Bond ex-U.S. Index (Unhedged).


    Average Annual Total Returns*  
    Advisor Institutional
N.A.V. Only Class A Class Class
One Year (.72%) N/A N/A
Since Inception** 1.44% (2.26%) (2.26%)
    Advisor Institutional
S.E.C. Standardized Class A Class Class
One Year (6.39%) N/A N/A
Since Inception** (3.78%) (2.26%) (2.26%)
S.E.C. 30-Day Yield*** 2.05% 2.58% 2.72%

 

The graph compares a $10,000 investment in the First Investors International Opportunities Bond Fund (Class A shares) beginning 8/20/12 (commencement of operations) with a theoretical investment in the Citigroup World Government Bond ex-U.S. Index (Unhedged) (the “Index”). The Index encompasses an all-inclusive universe of institutionally traded bonds, including all fixed-rate bonds with remaining maturities of one year or longer with amounts outstanding of at least the equivalent of $25 million. It is not possible to invest directly in this Index. In addition, the Index does not reflect fees and expenses associated with the active management of a mutual fund portfolio. For purposes of the graph and the accompanying table it is assumed that all dividends and distributions were reinvested. Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares performance may be greater than or less than that shown in the line graph above for Class A shares based on differences in sales loads and fees paid by shareholders investing in the different classes.

 

35

 



Cumulative Performance Information (unaudited) (continued)
INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES BOND FUND

* Average Annual Total Return figures (for the periods ended 9/30/13) include the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. “N.A.V. Only” returns are calculated without sales charges. The Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are based on the maximum sales charge of 5.75%. The Advisor Class and Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are the same as the N.A.V. Only returns since these classes are sold without sales charges. During the periods shown, some of the expenses of the Fund were waived or assumed. If such expenses had been paid by the Fund, the Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return for One Year and Since Inception would have been (6.70%) and (11.44%), respectively, and the S.E.C. 30-Day Yield for September 2013 would have been 2.05%. The Advisor Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been (6.42%) and the S.E.C. 30-Day Yield for September 2013 would have been 0.23%. Results represent past performance and do not indicate future results. The graph and the returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on distributions or the redemption of fund shares. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Index figures are from Citigroup and all other figures are from First Investors Management Company, Inc.

**The returns for Class A shares are for the period beginning 8/17/12 (commencement of operations). The returns for Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares are for the periods beginning 4/1/13 (commencement of operations).

*** The S.E.C. 30-Day Yield shown is for September 2013.

36

 



Portfolio of Investments
INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES BOND FUND
September 30, 2013

               
 
 
Principal    
Amount   Security         Value
 
  SOVEREIGN BONDS—60.0%  
  United Kingdom—16.1%  
  United Kingdom Gilt:  
$         8,350M GBP 2.25%, 3/7/2014 $    13,634,362
1,900M GBP 4.25%, 3/7/2036         3,495,257
 
              17,129,619
 
  Mexico—13.1%  
  United Mexican States:  
584M MXN 8.5%, 5/31/2029 5,190,143
420M MXN 8.5%, 11/18/2038 3,700,587
613M MXN 7.75%, 11/13/2042         4,960,589
 
              13,851,319
 
  Italy—7.2%  
5,660M EUR Italy Buoni Poliennali Del Tesoro, 5%, 8/1/2039         7,648,669
 
  South Korea—4.5%  
  Republic of Korea:  
556,000M KRW 3%, 12/10/2013 517,812
4,108,000M KRW 5.75%, 9/10/2018         4,285,863
 
              4,803,675
 
  Poland—4.3%  
  Republic of Poland:  
10,085M PLN 5%, 10/24/2013 3,235,574
3,790M PLN 5.25%, 10/25/2020         1,287,925
 
              4,523,499
 
  South Africa—3.9%  
  Republic of South Africa:  
12,855M ZAR 6.75%, 3/31/2021 1,231,666
38,815M ZAR 6.5%, 2/28/2041         2,908,690
 
              4,140,356
 
  New Zealand—3.8%  
  New Zealand Government Bonds:  
2,390M NZD 5%, 3/15/2019 2,073,469
2,230M NZD 5.5%, 4/15/2023         1,991,192
 
              4,064,661

 

37

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES BOND FUND
September 30, 2013

                
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Hungary—2.7%    
  Hungary Government Bond:    
$   535,000M HUF 5.5%, 2/12/2016 $    2,503,355
69,000M HUF 7.5%, 11/12/2020         352,344
 
              2,855,699
 
  Ireland—2.0%    
  Republic of Ireland:    
885M EUR 4.5%, 4/18/2020   1,263,954
575M EUR 5%, 10/18/2020         843,988
 
              2,107,942
 
  Turkey—1.3%    
2,795M TRY Republic of Turkey, 9%, 3/5/2014         1,392,768
 
  Brazil—1.1%    
  Nota Do Tesouro Nacional:    
1M BRL 9.76%, 1/1/2021   214,019
2M BRL 9.76%, 1/1/2023         932,387
 
              1,146,406
 
Total Value of Sovereign Bonds (cost $64,398,884)         63,664,613
 
GOVERNMENT REGIONAL AGENCY—10.0%
  Australia—9.6%    
3,950M AUD New South Wales Treasury Corp., 6%, 4/1/2016   3,962,373
  Queensland Treasury Corp.:    
3,260M AUD 6.25%, 2/21/2020   3,404,427
735M AUD 6%, 7/21/2022   756,667
2,045M AUD Treasury Corp. of Victoria, 5.75%, 11/15/2016         2,058,961
 
              10,182,428
 
  Netherlands—.4%    
466M USD Bank Nederlanse Gemeenten, 1%, 11/17/2014 (b)         469,147
 
Total Value of Government Regional Agency (cost $11,520,103)         10,651,575
 
GOVERNMENT SOVEREIGN AGENCY—5.8%
  Sweden—3.0%    
3,200M USD Swedish Export Credit, 0.625%, 9/4/2015         3,210,714

 

38

 



               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
  Norway—1.2%    
$         1,250M USD Kommunalbanken AS, 0.33185%, 3/18/2016 (a)(b)         $    1,249,930
 
  Denmark—.9%    
940M USD KommuneKredit, 0.3141%, 11/20/2014 (a)         940,653
 
  Canada—.7%    
1,677M BRL Export Development Canada, 5.125%, 7/31/2014         733,388
Total Value of Government Sovereign Agency (cost $6,239,231)         6,134,685
 
  U.S. GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS—5.7%    
  United States    
6,010M USD U.S. Treasury Note, 0.25%, 6/30/2014 (cost $6,013,738)         6,017,278
 
  GOVERNMENT GUARANTEED PROGRAM—5.5%    
  Germany—3.5%    
1,000M USD Erste Abwicklungsanstalt, 0.4581%, 6/7/2016 (a)   999,709
  Kreditanstalt fuer Wiederaufbau:    
905M USD 0.375%, 5/15/2015 (c)   905,143
1,735M AUD 6.25%, 12/4/2019 (c)         1,799,090
              3,703,942
 
  Netherlands—1.3%    
1,350M USD Neder Waterschapsbank, 0.3138%, 10/27/2014 (a)(b)         1,350,609
 
  New Zealand—.7%    
720M USD Wespac Securities New Zealand, Ltd., 3.45%, 7/28/2014 (b)         738,729
Total Value of Government Guaranteed Program (cost $6,016,912)         5,793,280
 
  SUPRANATIONAL—2.0%    
  United States—1.1%    
2,800M BRL Inter-American Development Bank, 5.25%, 7/19/2016         1,140,478
 
  Phillipines—.5%    
1,272M BRL Asian Development Bank, 5.25%, 9/25/2015         532,051
 
  Luxembourg—.4%    
1,150M BRL European Investment Bank, 6%, 1/25/2016 (b)         485,820
Total Value of Supranational (cost $2,610,983)         2,158,349

 

39

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES BOND FUND
September 30, 2013

               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS—6.4%
  United States    
  U.S. Treasury Bills:    
$         4,870M USD 0.0585%, 11/14/2013   $  4,869,652
1,365M USD 0.105%, 11/14/2013   1,364,825
610M USD 0.13%, 11/14/2013         609,900
 
Total Value of Short-Term U.S. Government Obligations (cost $6,844,377)       6,844,377
 
Total Value of Investments (cost $103,644,228) 95.4 % 101,264,157
Other Assets, Less Liabilities 4.6       4,896,305
 
Net Assets     100.0 %     $106,160,462

 

(a)  Interest rates are determined and reset periodically. The interest rates above are the rates in effect
at September 30, 2013.
 
(b)  Security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933 (see Note 4).
 
(c)  The Federal Republic of Germany guarantees all existing and future obligations of Kreditanstalt
fuer Wiederaufbau (“KFW”) in respect of money borrowed, bonds issued, and derivative
transactions entered into by KFW, as well as third party obligations that are expressly
guaranteed by KFW.

 

Summary of Abbreviations:
AUD Australian Dollar
BRL Brazillian Real
EUR Euro
GBP British Pound
HUF Hungarian Forint
KRW South Korean Won
MXN Mexican Peso
NZD New Zealand Dollar
PLN Polish Zloty
TRY Turkish Lira
USD United States Dollar
ZAR South African Rand

 

40

 



Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820 established a three-tier hierarchy of inputs to establish a classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three broad Levels listed below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical securities that the Fund has
the ability to access.
 
Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observ-
able for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These inputs may include
quoted prices for the identical instrument on an inactive market, prices for similar
instruments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates
and similar data.
 
Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, to the extent relevant observable inputs
are not available, representing the Fund’s own assumption about the assumptions a
market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and would be based on
the best information available.

 

The inputs methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. For example, amortized cost approximates the current fair value of a security, but since the value is not obtained from a quoted price in an active market, such securities are reflected as Level 2.

The following is a summary, by category of Level, of inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of September 30, 2013:

    Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total
Sovereign Bonds            
United Kingdom $ $  17,129,619 $ $  17,129,619
Mexico   13,851,319   13,851,319
Italy   7,648,669   7,648,669
South Korea   4,803,675   4,803,675
Poland   4,523,499   4,523,499
South Africa   4,140,356   4,140,356
New Zealand   4,064,661   4,064,661
Hungary   2,855,699   2,855,699
Ireland   2,107,942   2,107,942
Turkey   1,392,768   1,392,768
Brazil   1,146,406   1,146,406
Government Regional Agency            
Australia   10,182,428   10,182,428
Netherlands   469,147   469,147
Government Sovereign Agency            
Sweden   3,210,714   3,210,714
Norway   1,249,930   1,249,930
Denmark   940,653   940,653
Canada         733,388         733,388

 

41

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES BOND FUND
September 30, 2013

    Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total
U.S. Government Obligations            
United States $ $  6,017,278 $ $  6,017,278
Government Guaranteed Program            
Germany   3,703,942   3,703,942
Netherlands   1,350,609   1,350,609
New Zealand   738,729   738,729
Supranational            
United States   1,140,478   1,140,478
Phillipines   532,051   532,051
Luxembourg   485,820   485,820
Short-Term U.S. Government            
Obligations            
United States     6,844,377     6,844,377
Total Investments in Securities $ $ 101,264,157 $ $ 101,264,157
Other Financial Instruments* $ $  (739,042) $ $  (739,042)

 

Other financial instruments are foreign exchange contracts and are considered derivative instruments,
which are valued at the net unrealized depreciation on the instrument.

 

There were no transfers into or from Level 1 or Level 2 by the Fund for the year ended September 30, 2013. Transfers, if any, between Levels are recognized at the end of the reporting period.

 

42 See notes to financial statements

 



Portfolio Manager’s Letter
FUND FOR INCOME

Dear Investor:

I’m pleased to send you the First Investors Fund For Income annual report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2013. During the period, the Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was 5.6% for Class A shares and 4.8% for Class B shares, including dividends of 15.2 cents per share on Class A shares and 13.4 cents on Class B shares. The Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was 0.2% for Advisor Class shares and 0.7% for Institutional Class shares, including dividends of 7.6 cents per share on Advisor Class shares and 7.8 cents per share on Institutional Class shares. The Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares commenced operations on April 1, 2013, but Advisor Class shares were not available to the public until October 1, 2013.

Coming off of a very strong 2012, high-yield markets generated attractive, but below-coupon, performance for fiscal year 2013. From a fundamental perspective, many high-yield companies continued to benefit from contained costs, steady cash balances, and the aggressive refinancing of debt at today’s low rates.

As a result, in general markets trended positively during the year, but suffered interruptions throughout the summer on the back of changing investor sentiments about the likely fate of Treasury rate increases. Fixed-income markets reacted strongly to Federal Reserve (“the Fed”) comments at the end of May regarding the potential reduction or elimination of the Fed’s bond-buying program, dubbed Quantitative Easing (“QE”), resulting in the first of three down months for the period.

In May, strong U.S. consumer confidence and robust U.S. housing price improvements signaled improving economic conditions — increasing the market’s expectation that quantitative easing would be withdrawn sooner rather than later. Both equities and fixed-income declined through June on the news.

In July, investor risk appetite resurfaced to capture higher yields even as Ben Bernanke’s comments that quantitative easing was “by no means on a preset course” and “would be dependent on economic conditions” failed to stem a rise in Treasury rates. The cycle largely repeated in August and September as stronger-than-anticipated economic data convinced investors that the Fed may begin to taper QE, ahead of the Fed’s September assurances that they would not yet do so.

In this environment, the Fund provided competitive returns slightly trailing the benchmark after fees. The Fund delivered solid credit selection and outperformed the index across a wide variety of industries, earning its biggest contributions relative to the market from investments in cable, energy, chemicals and steel.

The Fund did not share in the benchmark’s gains from investments in banks and insurance companies. As in past years, we believe that banks and insurers tend to feature opaque credit risks and we therefore remain underinvested in these sectors.

43

 



Portfolio Manager’s Letter (continued)
FUND FOR INCOME

The Fund benefited versus the benchmark from its concentration in lower-duration or less interest-rate sensitive holdings, a trend that could be accentuated should interest rates appear poised to increase.

We believe that fiscal year 2014 for the Fund starts very much where 2013 left off. Largely in the absence of credit concerns, we believe that high-yield markets are not likely to be impacted by credit defaults — which are poised to remain historically low — but instead by factors other than corporate fundamentals. Specifically, moves in the prices and yields of Treasuries, as well as political wrangling about the economy in Washington, could create price movement in the high yield market as investors change their views with regard to larger economic issues. Thus, short bouts of Treasury volatility could result in small episodes of high yield price volatility, even when nothing has fundamentally changed in the outlook for most high yield companies.

Investors already appear satisfied by late October’s Congressional budget and debt-ceiling actions, but both issues will continue to make headlines in 2014. Interestingly, the Fed’s Ben Bernanke cited political uncertainty around the U.S. debt-ceiling debate as a risk to the U.S. economic outlook and one of the reasons why the Fed chose not to begin its tapering activity in September.

We anticipate increased volatility around Treasuries in the short-term based on any apparent episodes of government impasse. If the budget and debt-ceiling issues are resolved, then we could see Treasury rates move higher as flight-to-quality fears subside.

Corporate-credit fundamentals remain strong, but investors do not like gridlock and the political posturing coming out of Washington. History has demonstrated that such uncertainty can impact the price of high-yield bonds as well as other risk assets. As market participants gain clarity on the timing of Fed tapering and become more confident in economic conditions, the high yield market could benefit.

Thank you for placing your trust in First Investors. As always, we appreciate the opportunity to serve your investment needs.


44

 



Fund Expenses (unaudited)
FUND FOR INCOME

The examples below show the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and will help you in comparing these costs with costs of other mutual funds. Please refer to page 2 for a detailed explanation of the information presented in these examples.

  Annualized Beginning Ending Expenses Paid
  Expense Account Value Account Value During Period
Expense Example Ratio (4/1/13) (9/30/13) (4/1/13–9/30/13)*
Class A Shares 1.21%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,002.37 $ 6.07
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,019.00 $ 6.12
Class B Shares 2.03%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $ 998.95 $10.17
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,014.89 $10.25
Advisor Class Shares 1.03%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,002.79 $ 5.17
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,019.91 $ 5.22
Institutional Class Shares 0.81%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,006.61 $ 4.07
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,021.01 $ 4.10

 

Expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over
the period, multiplied by 183/365 (to reflect the one-half year period). Expenses paid during the
period are net of expenses waived.
 
**  Assumed rate of return of 5% before expenses.

 

Portfolio Composition
BY SECTOR

 


Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. Percentages are as of September 30, 2013, and are based on the total value of investments.

45

 



Cumulative Performance Information (unaudited)
FUND FOR INCOME

Comparison of change in value of $10,000 investment in the First Investors Fund For Income (Class A shares), the Bank of America (“BofA”) Merrill Lynch BB-B U.S. Cash Pay High Yield Constrained Index.


    Average Annual Total Returns*  
      Advisor Institutional
N.A.V. Only Class A Class B Class Class
One Year 5.55% 4.84% N/A N/A
Five Years 8.66% 7.89% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 5.73% 5.25% .23% .66%
      Advisor Institutional
S.E.C. Standardized Class A Class B Class Class
One Year (.57%) .85% N/A N/A
Five Years 7.37% 7.59% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 5.10% 5.25% .23% .66%
S.E.C. 30-Day Yield*** 4.05% 3.52% 4.48% 4.71%

 

The graph compares a $10,000 investment in the First Investors Fund For Income (Class A shares) beginning 9/30/03 with a theoretical investment in the BofA Merrill Lynch BB-B U.S. Cash Pay High Yield Constrained Index (the “Index”). The Index contains all securities in the BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. Cash Pay High Yield Index rated BB1 through B3, based on an average of Moody’s, S&P and Fitch, but caps issuer exposure at 2%. It is not possible to invest directly in this Index. In addition, the Index does not reflect fees and expenses associated with the active management of a mutual fund portfolio. For purposes of the graph and the accompanying table it is assumed that all dividends and distributions were reinvested. Class B shares, Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares performance may be greater than or less than that shown in the line graph above for Class A shares based on differences in sales loads and fees paid by shareholders investing in the different classes.

 

46

 



* Average Annual Total Return figures (for the periods ended 9/30/13) include the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. “N.A.V. Only” returns are calculated without sales charges. The Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are based on the maximum sales charge of 5.75%. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” returns are adjusted for the applicable deferred sales charge (maximum of 4% in the first year). The Advisor Class and Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are the same as the N.A.V. Only returns since these classes are sold without sales charges. During the periods shown, some of the expenses of the Fund were waived or assumed. If such expenses had been paid by the Fund, the Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return for One Year, Five Years and Ten Years would have been (.58%), 7.35% and 5.08%, respectively, and the S.E.C. 30-Day Yield for September 2013 would have been 4.02%. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return for One Year, Five Years and Ten Years would have been .83%, 7.49% and 5.17%, respectively, and the S.E.C. 30-Day Yield for September 2013 would have been 3.50%. The Advisor Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been (3.87%) and the S.E.C. 30-Day Yield for September 2013 would have been 2.22%. The Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been 0.64% and the S.E.C. 30-Day Yield for September 2013 would have been 4.68%. Results represent past performance and do not indicate future results. The graph and the returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on distributions or the redemption of fund shares. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. The issuers of high yield bonds, in which the Fund primarily invests, pay higher interest rates because they have a greater likelihood of financial difficulty, which could result in their inability to repay the bonds fully when due. Prices of high yield bonds are also subject to greater fluctuations. Index figures are from Bank of America Merrill Lynch and all other figures are from First Investors Management Company, Inc.

**The returns for Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares are for the periods beginning 4/1/13 (commencement of operations).

*** The S.E.C. 30-Day Yield shown is for September 2013.

47

 



Portfolio of Investments
FUND FOR INCOME
September 30, 2013

               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  CORPORATE BONDS—89.3%    
  Aerospace/Defense—.6%    
$  3,725M   Meccanica Holdings USA, Inc., 6.25%, 7/15/2019 (a)             3,841,380
 
  Automotive—3.5%    
  American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc.:    
2,350M 6.25%, 3/15/2021   2,432,250
1,950M 6.625%, 10/15/2022   2,008,500
2,375M Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., 8%, 12/15/2019   2,437,344
2,825M Cooper-Standard Automotive, Inc., 8.5%, 5/1/2018   3,022,750
  General Motors Financial Co., Inc.:    
575M 3.25%, 5/15/2018 (a)   560,625
175M 4.25%, 5/15/2023 (a)   160,344
2,650M Gestamp Funding Luxembourg SA, 5.625%, 5/31/2020 (a)   2,650,000
900M Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 8.25%, 8/15/2020   1,010,250
2,100M Oshkosh Corp., 8.5%, 3/1/2020   2,325,750
  Schaeffler Finance BV:    
1,300M 6.875%, 8/15/2018 (a)   1,368,250
1,900M 8.5%, 2/15/2019 (a)   2,128,000
3,250M   4.75%, 5/15/2021 (a)         3,168,750
 
              23,272,813
 
  Building Materials—1.9%    
425M Allegion US Holding Co., 5.75%, 10/1/2021 (a)(b)   428,187
  Building Materials Corp.:    
3,625M 6.875%, 8/15/2018 (a)   3,892,344
1,700M 7.5%, 3/15/2020 (a)   1,840,250
1,325M Cemex Finance, LLC, 9.375%, 10/12/2022 (a)   1,457,500
  Cemex SAB de CV:    
1,350M 9.5%, 6/15/2018 (a)   1,501,875
525M 5.875%, 3/25/2019 (a)   505,312
400M 6.5%, 12/10/2019 (a)   395,000
2,150M   Texas Industries, Inc., 9.25%, 8/15/2020         2,375,750
 
              12,396,218
 
  Chemicals—2.2%    
2,950M Ferro Corp., 7.875%, 8/15/2018   3,112,250
1,625M Huntsman International, LLC, 8.625%, 3/15/2020   1,795,625
1,125M LSB Industries, Inc., 7.75%, 8/1/2019 (a)   1,172,813
675M NOVA Chemicals Corp., 5.25%, 8/1/2023 (a)   678,797
2,575M Orion Engineered Carbon Bondco GmbH, 9.625%,    
    6/15/2018 (a)         2,858,250

 

48

 



               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Chemicals (continued)    
$    525M SPCM SA, 6%, 1/15/2022 (a)(b) $       530,250
4,175M   TPC Group, Inc., 8.75%, 12/15/2020 (a)         4,289,813
 
              14,437,798
 
  Consumer Non-Durables—2.5%    
2,200M Hanesbrands, Inc., 6.375%, 12/15/2020   2,381,500
  Levi Strauss & Co.:    
925M 7.625%, 5/15/2020   1,001,313
2,625M 6.875%, 5/1/2022   2,795,625
1,017M Libbey Glass, Inc., 6.875%, 5/15/2020   1,088,190
3,025M Phillips Van-Heusen Corp., 7.375%, 5/15/2020   3,312,375
  Reynolds Group Issuer, Inc.:    
650M 7.125%, 4/15/2019   693,875
3,600M 5.75%, 10/15/2020   3,631,500
  Spectrum Brands Escrow Corp.:    
825M 6.375%, 11/15/2020 (a)   862,125
1,075M   6.625%, 11/15/2022 (a)         1,118,000
 
              16,884,503
 
  Energy—15.2%    
  AmeriGas Finance, LLC:    
500M 6.75%, 5/20/2020   533,750
1,250M 7%, 5/20/2022   1,306,250
1,300M Antero Resources Finance Corp., 6%, 12/1/2020   1,319,500
  Atlas Pipeline Partners, LP:    
1,550M 4.75%, 11/15/2021 (a)   1,408,562
4,000M 5.875%, 8/1/2023 (a)   3,780,000
  Basic Energy Services, Inc.:    
1,025M 7.75%, 2/15/2019   1,040,375
2,100M 7.75%, 10/15/2022   2,042,250
  Berry Petroleum Co.:    
675M 6.75%, 11/1/2020   690,187
2,275M 6.375%, 9/15/2022   2,297,750
2,650M Calumet Specialty Products Partners, LP, 9.625%, 8/1/2020   2,941,500
  Chesapeake Energy Corp.:    
2,025M 7.25%, 12/15/2018   2,303,437
800M 6.625%, 8/15/2020   864,000
800M 6.875%, 11/15/2020   868,000
1,675M 5.75%, 3/15/2023   1,687,562
875M   Concho Resources, Inc., 5.5%, 4/1/2023         868,437

 

49

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
FUND FOR INCOME
September 30, 2013

               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Energy (continued)    
  Consol Energy, Inc.:    
$  1,225M 8%, 4/1/2017 $    1,307,687
4,250M 8.25%, 4/1/2020   4,579,375
200M Continental Resources, Inc., 4.5%, 4/15/2023   197,250
3,675M Eagle Rock Energy Partners, LP, 8.375%, 6/1/2019   3,693,375
2,750M El Paso Corp., 6.5%, 9/15/2020   2,893,698
1,475M Energy XXI Gulf Coast, Inc., 7.5%, 12/15/2021 (a)   1,460,250
3,126M Expro Finance Luxembourg SCA, 8.5%, 12/15/2016 (a)   3,294,022
3,450M Ferrellgas Partners, LP, 9.125%, 10/1/2017   3,635,437
1,175M Forum Energy Technologies, Inc., 6.25%, 10/1/2021 (a)   1,185,281
3,375M Genesis Energy, LP, 7.875%, 12/15/2018   3,619,687
1,050M Gibson Energy, Inc., 6.75%, 7/15/2021 (a)   1,089,375
1,700M Inergy Midstream, LP, 6%, 12/15/2020 (a)   1,695,750
  Legacy Reserves, LP:    
3,175M 8%, 12/1/2020 (a)   3,222,625
1,500M 6.625%, 12/1/2021 (a)   1,410,000
  Linn Energy, LLC:    
625M 6.5%, 5/15/2019   603,125
1,850M 6.25%, 11/1/2019 (a)   1,752,875
1,225M 8.625%, 4/15/2020   1,272,469
1,975M 7.75%, 2/1/2021   1,994,750
  Newfield Exploration Co.:    
450M 7.125%, 5/15/2018   469,125
1,100M 5.75%, 1/30/2022   1,102,750
1,350M NuStar Logistics, LP, 6.75%, 2/1/2021   1,380,375
  Oasis Petroleum, Inc.:    
925M 6.5%, 11/1/2021   980,500
350M 6.875%, 3/15/2022 (a)   370,125
  Offshore Group Investment, Ltd.:    
1,875M 7.5%, 11/1/2019   1,982,813
1,075M 7.125%, 4/1/2023   1,053,500
1,675M Pacific Drilling SA, 5.375%, 6/1/2020 (a)   1,637,313
  Penn Virginia Resource Partners, LP:    
2,200M 8.25%, 4/15/2018   2,293,500
925M 8.375%, 6/1/2020   966,625
300M 6.5%, 5/15/2021 (a)   284,625
1,550M PetroLogistics, LP, 6.25%, 4/1/2020 (a)   1,526,750
700M Plains Exploration & Production Co., 6.125%, 6/15/2019   750,906
4,000M Rain CII Carbon, LLC, 8.25%, 1/15/2021 (a)   4,040,000
1,600M Range Resources Corp., 5%, 3/15/2023   1,544,000
1,565M   RKI Exploration & Production, LLC, 8.5%, 8/1/2021 (a)         1,578,694

 

50

 



               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Energy (continued)    
$  1,575M Samson Investment Co., 10.25%, 2/15/2020 (a) $    1,677,375
4,850M SandRidge Energy, Inc., 7.5%, 2/15/2023   4,825,750
1,125M SESI, LLC, 6.375%, 5/1/2019   1,195,313
  SM Energy Co.:    
600M 6.625%, 2/15/2019   627,000
1,175M 6.5%, 11/15/2021   1,227,875
1,150M 6.5%, 1/1/2023   1,178,750
  Suburban Propane Partners, LP:    
2,089M 7.5%, 10/1/2018   2,245,675
433M 7.375%, 8/1/2021   465,475
600M Tesoro Logistics, LP, 5.875%, 10/1/2020   601,500
2,875M   Unit Corp., 6.625%, 5/15/2021         2,961,250
 
              101,826,155
 
  Financials—4.5%    
  Algeco Scotsman Global Finance, PLC:    
1,650M 8.5%, 10/15/2018 (a)   1,753,125
800M 10.75%, 10/15/2019 (a)   808,000
  Ally Financial, Inc.:    
4,300M 6.25%, 12/1/2017   4,614,321
1,350M 4.75%, 9/10/2018   1,345,428
5,025M 8%, 3/15/2020   5,803,875
675M CNH Capital, LLC, 6.25%, 11/1/2016   745,875
1,075M Hockey Merger Sub 2, Inc., 7.875%, 10/1/2021 (a)(b)   1,081,719
  International Lease Finance Corp.:    
4,775M 8.75%, 3/15/2017   5,503,188
825M 6.25%, 5/15/2019   870,375
4,450M 8.25%, 12/15/2020   5,084,125
1,725M Midcontinent Communications & Finance Corp., 6.25%,    
  8/1/2021 (a)   1,742,250
900M   Nielsen Co., (Luxembourg) Sarl, 5.5%, 10/1/2021 (a)         903,375
 
              30,255,656
 
  Food/Beverage/Tobacco—1.0%    
1,650M B&G Foods, Inc., 4.625%, 6/1/2021   1,579,875
875M Barry Callebaut Services SA, 5.5%, 6/15/2023 (a)   885,378
1,650M Chiquita Brands International, Inc., 7.875%, 2/1/2021 (a)   1,757,250
1,700M JBS USA, LLC, 7.25%, 6/1/2021 (a)   1,691,500
725M   Sun Merger Sub, Inc., 5.25%, 8/1/2018 (a)         744,938
 
              6,658,941

 

51

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
FUND FOR INCOME
September 30, 2013

               
  
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Food/Drug—1.4%    
$  2,900M BI-LO, LLC, 8.625%, 9/15/2018 (a) $    2,958,000
3,600M NBTY, Inc., 9%, 10/1/2018   3,969,000
2,450M   Tops Holding Corp., 8.875%, 12/15/2017 (a)         2,695,000
 
              9,622,000
 
  Forest Products/Containers—3.3%    
  Ardagh Packaging Finance, PLC:    
2,050M 7.375%, 10/15/2017 (a)   2,202,844
3,500M 7%, 11/15/2020 (a)   3,377,500
  Ball Corp.:    
2,450M 7.375%, 9/1/2019   2,664,375
1,050M 4%, 11/15/2023   947,625
3,525M Clearwater Paper Corp., 7.125%, 11/1/2018   3,807,000
1,925M CROWN Americas, LLC, 4.5%, 1/15/2023 (a)   1,771,000
2,200M Greif, Inc., 7.75%, 8/1/2019   2,497,000
  Sealed Air Corp.:    
1,500M 8.125%, 9/15/2019 (a)   1,680,000
1,250M 8.375%, 9/15/2021 (a)   1,421,875
1,582M   Tekni-Plex, Inc., 9.75%, 6/1/2019 (a)         1,787,660
 
              22,156,879
 
  Gaming/Leisure—1.0%    
1,350M Hilton Worldwide Finance, LLC, 5.625%, 10/15/2021 (a)(b)   1,355,906
700M Nai Entertainment Holdings, LLC, 5%, 8/1/2018 (a)   717,500
2,950M National CineMedia, LLC, 7.875%, 7/15/2021   3,230,250
1,350M   Six Flags Entertainment Corp., 5.25%, 1/15/2021 (a)         1,289,250
 
              6,592,906
 
  Health Care—5.9%    
850M Aviv Healthcare Properties, LP, 7.75%, 2/15/2019   915,875
3,249M Biomet, Inc., 6.5%, 8/1/2020   3,370,838
  Community Health Systems, Inc.:    
3,350M 8%, 11/15/2019   3,530,062
2,425M 7.125%, 7/15/2020   2,452,281
1,425M DaVita, Inc., 6.375%, 11/1/2018   1,499,812
1,150M Fresenius Medical Care US Finance II, Inc., 5.625%,    
  7/31/2019 (a)   1,204,625
4,400M   Genesis Health Ventures, Inc., 9.75%, 6/15/2005 (c)(d)        

 

52

 



                
  
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Health Care (continued)    
  HCA, Inc.:    
$  2,075M 8%, 10/1/2018 $    2,391,438
675M 8.5%, 4/15/2019   727,312
2,000M 6.5%, 2/15/2020   2,172,500
475M 7.25%, 9/15/2020   517,750
1,225M 6.25%, 2/15/2021   1,247,969
1,950M 7.75%, 5/15/2021   2,079,187
1,525M 7.5%, 2/15/2022   1,677,500
  HealthSouth Corp.:    
850M 8.125%, 2/15/2020   929,688
945M 7.75%, 9/15/2022   1,018,238
4,050M Tenet Healthcare Corp., 8.125%, 4/1/2022 (a)   4,237,313
2,500M Universal Hospital Services, Inc., 7.625%, 8/15/2020   2,593,750
4,125M Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc., 6.375%,    
  10/15/2020 (a)   4,310,625
2,250M   Vanguard Health Holding Co. II, LLC, 8%, 2/1/2018         2,385,000
 
              39,261,763
 
  Information Technology—2.6%    
  Activision Blizzard, Inc.:    
1,075M 5.625%, 9/15/2021 (a)   1,079,031
500M 6.125%, 9/15/2023 (a)   503,750
1,750M Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., 7.5%, 8/15/2022   1,684,375
  Audatex North America, Inc.:    
2,000M 6.75%, 6/15/2018   2,130,000
1,200M 6%, 6/15/2021 (a)   1,230,000
1,475M CyrusOne, LP, 6.375%, 11/15/2022   1,471,312
1,250M Equinix, Inc., 7%, 7/15/2021   1,335,937
3,175M Healthcare Technology Intermediate, Inc., 7.375%, 9/1/2018 (a)   3,258,344
1,825M Lender Processing Services, Inc., 5.75%, 4/15/2023   1,882,031
2,100M MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc., 7.75%, 4/1/2019   2,184,000
675M   Verisign, Inc., 4.625%, 5/1/2023 (a)         637,875
 
              17,396,655
 
  Manufacturing—3.9%    
1,550M Amsted Industries, 8.125%, 3/15/2018 (a)   1,650,750
  Bombardier, Inc.:    
2,425M 7.5%, 3/15/2018 (a)   2,734,187
2,575M 7.75%, 3/15/2020 (a)   2,922,625
1,500M   6.125%, 1/15/2023 (a)         1,507,500

 

53

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
FUND FOR INCOME
September 30, 2013

                
  
  
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Manufacturing (continued)    
$  3,850M Case New Holland, Inc., 7.875%, 12/1/2017 $    4,494,875
2,450M Dematic SA, 7.75%, 12/15/2020 (a)   2,560,250
3,350M Edgen Murray Corp., 8.75%, 11/1/2020 (a)   3,417,000
1,550M EDP Finance BV, 6%, 2/2/2018 (a)   1,608,125
  Rexel SA:    
4,500M 6.125%, 12/15/2019 (a)   4,623,750
975M   5.25%, 6/15/2020 (a)         955,500
 
              26,474,562
 
  Media-Broadcasting—3.1%    
2,450M Allbritton Communication Co., 8%, 5/15/2018   2,649,062
  Belo Corp.:    
725M 7.75%, 6/1/2027   772,125
150M 7.25%, 9/15/2027   152,250
2,825M Block Communications, Inc., 7.25%, 2/1/2020 (a)   2,980,375
1,600M LIN Television Corp., 8.375%, 4/15/2018   1,712,000
  Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.:    
2,475M 8.875%, 4/15/2017   2,698,988
3,175M 6.875%, 11/15/2020 (a)   3,246,438
  Sinclair Television Group, Inc.:    
2,000M 9.25%, 11/1/2017 (a)   2,109,200
2,300M 5.375%, 4/1/2021   2,196,500
925M 6.375%, 11/1/2021 (a)(b)   934,250
  Sirius XM Radio, Inc.:    
850M 5.75%, 8/1/2021 (a)   850,000
800M   4.625%, 5/15/2023 (a)         732,000
 
              21,033,188
 
  Media-Cable TV—6.5%    
  Cablevision Systems Corp.:    
2,750M 8.625%, 9/15/2017   3,169,375
1,525M 7.75%, 4/15/2018   1,715,625
  CCO Holdings, LLC:    
1,150M 7%, 1/15/2019   1,220,437
850M 8.125%, 4/30/2020   928,625
1,175M 7.375%, 6/1/2020   1,274,875
650M 5.25%, 3/15/2021 (a)   627,250
550M 6.5%, 4/30/2021   561,000
875M 5.125%, 2/15/2023   807,187
3,350M   Cequel Communications Holdings I, LLC, 6.375%, 9/15/2020 (a)         3,433,750

 

54

 



                
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Media-Cable TV (continued)    
  Clear Channel Worldwide Holdings, Inc.:    
$    200M 7.625%, 3/15/2020 Series “A” $      206,000
2,200M 7.625%, 3/15/2020 Series “B”   2,282,500
1,025M 6.5%, 11/15/2022 Series “A”   1,045,500
2,375M 6.5%, 11/15/2022 Series “B”   2,434,375
1,050M Cogeco Cable, Inc., 4.875%, 5/1/2020 (a)   1,006,687
  DISH DBS Corp.:    
5,075M 7.875%, 9/1/2019   5,810,875
950M 5%, 3/15/2023   885,875
1,175M Echostar DBS Corp., 7.125%, 2/1/2016   1,293,969
3,025M Gray Television, Inc., 7.5%, 10/1/2020   3,161,125
3,275M Harron Communications, LP, 9.125%, 4/1/2020 (a)   3,618,875
1,200M Lynx II Corp., 6.375%, 4/15/2023 (a)   1,200,000
2,375M Nara Cable Funding, Ltd., 8.875%, 12/1/2018 (a)   2,517,500
450M Quebecor Media, Inc., 5.75%, 1/15/2023   426,375
3,850M   UPC Holding BV, 9.875%, 4/15/2018 (a)         4,196,500
 
              43,824,280
 
  Media-Diversified—1.0%    
  Gannett Co., Inc.:    
1,425M 5.125%, 7/15/2020 (a)   1,403,625
1,600M 6.375%, 10/15/2023 (a)(b)   1,592,000
3,625M   Lamar Media Corp., 7.875%, 4/15/2018         3,887,813
 
              6,883,438
 
  Metals/Mining—8.0%    
4,200M Alcoa, Inc., 6.15%, 8/15/2020   4,387,652
1,625M Aleris International, Inc., 7.875%, 11/1/2020   1,685,937
  ArcelorMittal:    
1,925M 6.125%, 6/1/2018   2,047,719
5,206M 10.35%, 6/1/2019   6,429,410
1,450M 6.75%, 2/25/2022   1,533,375
  Arch Coal, Inc.:    
325M 7%, 6/15/2019   255,125
2,475M 7.25%, 10/1/2020   1,887,187
2,400M 7.25%, 6/15/2021   1,830,000
450M   Coeur d’Alene Mines Corp., 7.875%, 2/1/2021 (a)         456,750

 

55

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
FUND FOR INCOME
September 30, 2013

               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Metals/Mining (continued)    
  FMG Resources (August 2006) Property, Ltd.:    
$  1,250M 6.375%, 2/1/2016 (a) $    1,281,250
975M 6%, 4/1/2017 (a)   1,004,250
3,675M 6.875%, 2/1/2018 (a)   3,854,156
1,525M 8.25%, 11/1/2019 (a)   1,650,812
450M 6.875%, 4/1/2022 (a)   452,250
3,725M JMC Steel Group, 8.25%, 3/15/2018 (a)   3,659,813
1,000M Kaiser Aluminum Corp., 8.25%, 6/1/2020   1,122,500
2,100M Molycorp, Inc., 10%, 6/1/2020   2,105,250
  Novelis, Inc.:    
4,925M 8.375%, 12/15/2017   5,300,531
1,850M 8.75%, 12/15/2020   2,039,625
  Peabody Energy Corp.:    
2,050M 6%, 11/15/2018   2,055,125
1,700M 6.5%, 9/15/2020   1,683,000
2,525M 6.25%, 11/15/2021   2,461,875
  Steel Dynamics, Inc.:    
1,200M 6.125%, 8/15/2019   1,257,000
675M 6.375%, 8/15/2022   702,000
  United States Steel Corp.:    
550M 7%, 2/1/2018   585,750
1,275M 7.375%, 4/1/2020   1,316,438
900M   7.5%, 3/15/2022         927,000
 
              53,971,780
 
  Real Estate Investment Trusts—.6%    
1,800M Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc., 6.75%, 10/15/2022   1,944,000
2,162M   Taylor Morrison Communities, Inc., 7.75%, 4/15/2020 (a)         2,372,795
 
              4,316,795
 
  Retail-General Merchandise—2.9%    
2,975M Landry’s, Inc., 9.375%, 5/1/2020 (a)   3,153,500
2,850M Limited Brands, Inc., 8.5%, 6/15/2019   3,412,875
2,025M Michaels Stores, Inc., 7.75%, 11/1/2018   2,187,000
1,975M Monitronics International, Inc., 9.125%, 4/1/2020   2,078,688
4,485M Needle Merger Sub Corp., 8.125%, 3/15/2019 (a)   4,597,125
2,250M Party City Holdings, Inc., 8.875%, 8/1/2020 (a)   2,430,000
1,525M   Sally Holdings, LLC, 6.875%, 11/15/2019         1,677,500
 
              19,536,688

 

56

 



               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Services—4.1%    
  ADT Corp.:    
$  1,075M 6.25%, 10/15/2021 (a) $    1,092,469
1,750M 3.5%, 7/15/2022   1,482,159
1,300M APX Group, Inc., 6.375%, 12/1/2019 (a)   1,235,000
2,050M CoreLogic, Inc., 7.25%, 6/1/2021   2,193,500
  Covanta Holding Corp.:    
900M 7.25%, 12/1/2020   969,570
2,225M 6.375%, 10/1/2022   2,290,379
825M Geo Group, Inc., 5.875%, 1/15/2022 (a)(b)   817,781
2,150M H&E Equipment Services, Inc., 7%, 9/1/2022   2,300,500
  Iron Mountain, Inc.:    
1,525M 7.75%, 10/1/2019   1,683,219
3,250M 5.75%, 8/15/2024   2,941,250
2,450M Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., 7%, 9/1/2020 (a)   2,569,438
  PHH Corp.:    
1,350M 7.375%, 9/1/2019   1,424,250
1,500M 6.375%, 8/15/2021   1,458,750
2,925M Reliance Intermediate Holdings, LP, 9.5%, 12/15/2019 (a)   3,210,188
525M Rent-A-Center, Inc., 4.75%, 5/1/2021 (a)   490,875
1,625M   Safway Group Holding, LLC, 7%, 5/15/2018 (a)         1,657,500
 
              27,816,828
 
  Telecommunications—6.1%    
  CenturyLink, Inc.:    
400M 5.625%, 4/1/2020   392,500
1,500M 5.8%, 3/15/2022   1,421,250
  Citizens Communications Co.:    
5,200M 7.125%, 3/15/2019   5,544,500
2,175M 9%, 8/15/2031   2,142,375
325M Frontier Communications Corp., 8.5%, 4/15/2020   360,750
2,525M GCI, Inc., 8.625%, 11/15/2019   2,657,562
5,850M Inmarsat Finance, PLC, 7.375%, 12/1/2017 (a)   6,157,125
  Intelsat Jackson Holdings SA:    
2,050M 7.25%, 4/1/2019   2,203,750
1,200M 8.5%, 11/1/2019   1,311,000
2,075M 7.25%, 10/15/2020   2,225,438
800M PAETEC Holding Corp., 9.875%, 12/1/2018   894,000
1,125M Qwest Communications International, Inc., 7.125%, 4/1/2018   1,168,594
  Sprint Capital Corp.:    
2,000M 6.9%, 5/1/2019   2,065,000
3,125M   6.875%, 11/15/2028         2,804,688

 

57

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
FUND FOR INCOME
September 30, 2013

               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Telecommunications (continued)    
$  1,700M Telesat Canada, 6%, 5/15/2017 (a) $    1,774,375
  Wind Acquisition Finance SA:    
750M 11.75%, 7/15/2017 (a)   797,813
2,175M 7.25%, 2/15/2018 (a)   2,262,000
  Windstream Corp.:    
1,725M 7.875%, 11/1/2017   1,932,000
2,050M 7.75%, 10/15/2020   2,126,875
600M   6.375%, 8/1/2023         552,000
 
              40,793,595
 
  Transportation—1.0%    
3,625M Aircastle, Ltd., 6.25%, 12/1/2019   3,851,562
  Navios Maritime Holdings:    
1,575M 8.875%, 11/1/2017   1,653,750
1,200M   8.125%, 2/15/2019         1,197,000
 
              6,702,312
 
  Utilities—3.1%    
  AES Corp.:    
875M 9.75%, 4/15/2016   1,025,937
800M 8%, 10/15/2017   924,000
1,275M 7.375%, 7/1/2021   1,408,875
3,025M Atlantic Power Corp., 9%, 11/15/2018   3,055,250
  Calpine Corp.:    
331M 7.875%, 7/31/2020 (a)   358,307
2,625M 7.5%, 2/15/2021 (a)   2,802,187
2,100M Dynegy, Inc., 5.875%, 6/1/2023 (a)   1,921,500
1,138M Indiantown Cogeneration Utilities, LP, 9.77%, 12/15/2020   1,253,434
2,575M InterGen NV, 7%, 6/30/2023 (a)   2,587,875
2,350M NRG Energy, Inc., 7.625%, 5/15/2019   2,491,000
3,010M   NSG Holdings, LLC, 7.75%, 12/15/2025 (a)         3,175,550
 
              21,003,915
 
  Waste Management—.3%    
2,050M   ADS Waste Holdings, Inc., 8.25%, 10/1/2020 (a)         2,173,000

 

58

 



               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Wireless Communications—3.1%    
$  2,800M Intelsat Luxembourg SA, 8.125%, 6/1/2023 (a) $    2,964,500
  MetroPCS Wireless, Inc.:    
1,200M 6.625%, 11/15/2020   1,248,000
4,100M 6.25%, 4/1/2021 (a)   4,135,875
2,275M 6.625%, 4/1/2023 (a)   2,289,219
3,175M SoftBank Corp., 4.5%, 4/15/2020 (a)   3,051,969
1,200M Sprint Corp., 7.875%, 9/15/2023 (a)   1,227,000
  Sprint Nextel Corp.:    
925M 9.125%, 3/1/2017   1,068,375
1,250M 8.375%, 8/15/2017   1,418,750
1,425M 7%, 8/15/2020   1,457,063
1,750M   6%, 11/15/2022         1,618,750
 
              20,479,501
 
Total Value of Corporate Bonds (cost $590,803,980)         599,613,549
 
  LOAN PARTICIPATIONS—8.3%    
  Automotive—.3%    
2,263M   Chrysler Group, LLC, 4.25%, 5/24/2017 (e)         2,287,938
 
  Chemicals—.4%    
2,811M   Dupont Performance Coatings, Inc., 4.75%, 2/1/2020 (e)         2,834,886
 
  Consumer Non-Durables—.3%    
1,841M   Sun Products Corp., 5.5%, 3/15/2020 (e)         1,806,236
 
  Energy—1.0%    
1,000M Fieldwood Energy, LLC, 8.375%, 9/30/2020 (b)(e)   1,002,500
  Ocean Rig Drillships Financing Holding, Inc.:    
1,800M 6%, 2/2/2021 (e)   1,818,000
2,125M 6%, 3/31/2021 (e)   2,146,250
1,925M   Samson Investment Co., 6%, 9/25/2018 (e)         1,935,828
 
              6,902,578
 
  Financial—.5%    
2,970M   Ocwen Financial Corp., 5%, 1/31/2018 (e)         3,009,675

 

59

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
FUND FOR INCOME
September 30, 2013

               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Food/Drug—1.5%    
$  3,905M Albertson’s, LLC, 4.75%, 2/20/2016 (e) $    3,907,816
  Rite Aid Corp.:    
1,315M 4.875%, 6/7/2021 (e)   1,320,918
1,900M 4.875%, 6/21/2021 (e)   1,908,550
  Supervalu, Inc.:    
2,685M 5%, 3/21/2019 (e)   2,688,298
186M   5%, 3/31/2019 (e)         186,051
 
              10,011,633
 
  Forest Products/Containers—.3%    
1,990M   Sealed Air Corp., 4%, 10/31/2019 (e)         2,006,971
 
  Gaming/Leisure—.2%    
1,566M   Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, Inc., 3.5%, 4/28/2020 (e)         1,564,117
 
  Health Care—.5%    
3,126M   Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc., 4.5%, 6/26/2020 (e)         3,150,995
 
  Information Technology—1.0%    
2,174M ARRIS Group, Inc., 3.5%, 2/7/2020 (e)   2,162,298
4,800M   BMC Software Finance, Inc., 5%, 8/9/2020 (e)         4,806,748
 
              6,969,046
 
  Manufacturing—.9%    
2,224M Apex Tool Group, LLC, 4.5%, 1/8/2020 (e)   2,232,563
3,685M   Gardner Denver, Inc., 4.25%, 7/30/2020 (e)         3,661,968
 
              5,894,531
 
  Media-Diversified—.2%    
1,150M   Kasima, LLC, 3.25%, 5/14/2021 (e)         1,146,886
 
  Metals/Mining—.6%    
2,839M Arch Coal, Inc., 5.75%, 5/16/2018 (e)   2,775,194
1,280M   Oxbow Carbon & Minerals, LLC, 8%, 1/18/2020 (e)         1,299,200
 
               4,074,394
 
  Retail-General Merchandise—.6%    
1,238M Burger King Corp., 3.75%, 9/27/2019 (e)   1,243,043
2,694M   General Nutrition Centers, Inc., 3.75%, 3/2/2018 (e)         2,714,911
 
              3,957,954
 
Total Value of Loan Participations (cost $55,290,532)         55,617,840

 

60

 



                
   
   
Shares   Security         Value
 
  COMMON STOCKS—.0%      
  Automotive—.0%      
2,523 * Safelite Realty Corporation (c)         $      3,785
 
  Telecommunications—.0%      
18,224 * World Access, Inc. (c)        
 
Total Value of Common Stocks (cost $385,770)         3,785
 
Total Value of Investments (cost $646,480,282) 97.6 %   655,235,174
Other Assets, Less Liabilities 2.4       15,944,882
 
Net Assets     100.0 %   $671,180,056

 

Non-income producing
 
(a)  Security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933 (see Note 4).
 
(b)  A portion or all of the security purchased on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis
(see Note 1G).
 
(c)  Securities valued at fair value (see Note 1A)
 
(d)  In default as to principal and/or interest payment
 
(e)  Interest rates are determined and reset periodically. The interest rates above are the rates in effect
at September 30, 2013.

 

61

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
FUND FOR INCOME
September 30, 2013

Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820 established a three-tier hierarchy of inputs to establish a classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three broad Levels listed below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical securities that the Fund has
the ability to access.
 
Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observ-
able for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These inputs may include
quoted prices for the identical instrument on an inactive market, prices for similar
instruments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates
and similar data.
 
Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, to the extent relevant observable inputs
are not available, representing the Fund’s own assumption about the assumptions a
market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and would be based on
the best information available.

 

The inputs methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. For example, amortized cost approximates the current fair value of a security, but since the value is not obtained from a quoted price in an active market, such securities are reflected as Level 2

The following is a summary, by category of Level, of inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of September 30, 2013:

    Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total
Corporate Bonds $ $ 599,613,549 $ $ 599,613,549
Loan Participations   55,617,840   55,617,840
Common Stocks       3,785   3,785
Total Investments in Securities* $ $ 655,231,389 $ 3,785 $ 655,235,174

 

The Portfolio of Investments provides information on the industry categorization of corporate bonds,
loan participations and common stocks.

 

There were no transfers into or from Level 1 or Level 2 by the Fund for the year ended September 30, 2013. Transfers, if any, between Levels are recognized at the end of the reporting period.

 

62

 



The following is a reconciliation of Fund investments valued using Level 3 inputs for the period:

    Investments   Investments    
      in   in    
      Corporate   Common    
      Bonds   Stocks   Total
Balance, September 30, 2012   $ 2,750 $ 25 $ 2,775
Purchases        
Sales       (8)   (8)
Change in unrealized              
appreciation (depreciation)     (2,750)   3,760   1,010
Realized gain       8   8
Transfer into Level 3        
Transfer out of Level 3        
Balance, September 30, 2013   $ $ 3,785 $ 3,785
 
The following is a summary of Level 3 inputs by industry:    
Health Care $          
Automotive     3,785        
Telecommunications            
  $   3,785        

 

The following table presents additional information about valuation methodologies and inputs used for investments that are measured at fair value and categorized within Level 3 as of September 30, 2013.

 

            Impact to
            Valuation
  Fair Value       from and
  September 30, Valuation Unobservable   Increase in
  2013 Methodologies Input(s)(1) Range Input(2)
Corporate Bonds $ Market Market 100% Increase
      Comparables Comparables/    
        Bankruptcy    
 
Common Stocks $ 3,785 Market Market 100% Increase
      Comparables Comparables/    
        Bankruptcy    

 

(1)  In determining certain of these inputs, Management evaluates a variety of factors including
economic conditions, industry and market developments, market valuations of comparable
companies and company specific developments including exit strategies and realization oppor-
tunities. Management has determined that market participants would take these inputs into
account when valuing the investments.
 
(2)  This column represents the directional change in the fair value of the Level 3 investments
that would result from an increase to the corresponding unobservable input. A decrease to the
unobservable input would have the opposite effect.

 

63

 



Portfolio Composition (unaudited)
FUND FOR INCOME
September 30, 2013

The dollar weighted average of credit ratings of all bonds held by the Fund during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2013, computed on a monthly basis, are set forth below. This information reflects the average composition of the Fund’s assets during the 2013 fiscal year and is not necessarily representative of the Fund as of the end of its 2013 fiscal year, the current fiscal year or at any other time in the future.

 
    Comparable Quality of
  Rated by Unrated Securities to
  Moody’s Bonds Rated by Moody’s
 
A1 0.00% 0.00
A2 0.11 0.00
Baa1 0.20 0.00
Baa2 0.44 0.00
Baa3 2.73 0.00
Ba1 4.89 0.00
Ba2 11.60 0.00
Ba3 12.99 0.00
BB+ 0.00 0.28
BB 0.00 0.53
BB- 0.00 0.24
B+ 0.00 0.17
B 0.00 2.13
B- 0.00 0.48
B1 25.34 0.00
B2 17.22 0.00
B3 17.09 0.00
Caa1 5.47 0.00
Caa2 0.39 0.00
Caa3 0.29 0.00
Caa 1.07 0.00
 

 

64 See notes to financial statements

 



Portfolio Managers’ Letter
TOTAL RETURN FUND

Dear Investor:

We are pleased to send you the First Investors Total Return Fund annual report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2013. During the period, the Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was 13.8% for Class A shares and 13.0% for Class B shares, including capital gain distributions of 24.5 cents per share for both Class A and Class B shares and including dividends of 33.6 cents per share on Class A shares and 21.6 cents per share on Class B shares. The Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was 5.9% for Advisor Class shares and 6.0% for Institutional Class shares, including dividends of 16.5 cents per share on Advisor Class shares and 17.0 cents per share on Institutional Class shares. The Fund’s performance this year was driven in substantial part by its policy of allocating its assets among equities, fixed income investments and cash. On average during the year, the Fund maintained allocations of 60% in equities, 36% in fixed income and 4% in cash. The Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares commenced operations on April 1, 2013, but Advisor Class shares were not available to the public until October 1, 2013.

During the review period, long-term interest rates began climbing upwards from historically low levels due to market concerns that the Federal Reserve (“the Fed”) would taper — or decrease — its stimulus program.

Key economic indicators, including stronger housing and jobs-related data, further convinced the market that the Fed’s monetary policy would become less accommodative. Treasury yields rose to their highest level in two years and fixed-income sectors came under pressure due to a potential “great rotation” into equities.

Towards the end of the review period, the Fed provided some relief to the market when it announced that its stimulus tapering plans were on hold. Reviewing benchmark U.S. Treasury yields, the two-year U.S. Treasury note yield — which is anchored by the Fed’s very accommodative monetary policy — rose 8 basis points (0.08%), ending the period at 0.32%. In contrast, the 10-year U.S. Treasury note yield rose sharply from 1.63% to 2.61%.

Fixed Income

The broad U.S. bond market returned –1.77%, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Riskier fixed-income sectors had very strong performance, predominantly from those that provide less interest-rate sensitivity. Consequently, high yield — or “junk” bonds — returned 7.09%, while investment-grade corporate bonds returned –1.27%.

Higher quality sectors had negative returns. The broad mortgage-backed securities market returned –1.20%; the Treasury market returned –2.54%; while the 10 year and longer Treasury securities returned –10.32%, due to rising long-term interest rates.

During the review period, the Fund had average bond and cash allocations of 36.6% and 3.7%, respectively. As a percentage of the Fund’s total assets, corporate bonds were the largest bond allocation at 25.9%, followed by mortgage-backed securities at 5.9%, U.S. government securities at 3.6%, and municipal bonds at 1.2%. Corporate bond security

65

 



Portfolio Managers’ Letter (continued)
TOTAL RETURN FUND

selection was a positive contributor to Fund performance as was the Fund’s overweight in corporate bonds and underweight in U.S. government securities.

Equities

During the period under review, strong equity performance and market rally were driven by a combination of slow but gradually improving economic conditions, accommodative monetary policy from the Fed, low volatility and improving corporate fundamentals.

Investor sentiment also improved, with stocks benefiting from a positive re-rating of market-valuation metrics toward more normalized historical levels, which erased the bearish views toward stocks that prevailed after the 2008–2009 market correction.

Despite numerous challenges throughout the year — including worries over whether or not the Fed would “taper” its bond buying stimulus of the economy; disagreements between President Obama and the U.S. Congress on government budget and spending matters; and geopolitical conflicts around the globe — equity markets remained resilient and investors’ restored confidence barely wavered.

This year’s market results were broadly positive overall, with all market sectors, styles and sizes participating. Companies with strong profitability, earnings growth, solid balance sheets and strong, free cash-flows led results. Small and mid-cap stocks flourished, as investors felt comfortable adding more risk to their portfolios. Companies with the ability to pay and raise dividends and execute share repurchases of their own stocks were also rewarded. Mergers and acquisitions also continued to drive strong performance.

These conditions produced a solid year for the Fund, which continued to invest across all market capitalization segments, allocating 68% of equity holdings to large cap, 17% to mid-cap and 15% to small-cap stocks as of September 30, 2013. (Ranges defined by Lipper).

All segments produced positive returns, with large cap slightly exceeding the benchmark and small and mid-cap outperforming strongly. Results were also buoyed by the Fund’s selection of consumer discretionary, industrials, healthcare and consumer stocks — all sectors in which the Fund was overweighted relative to the benchmark.

The Fund’s top consumer discretionary performers all generated strong earnings: CBS Corporation — up 53% — enjoyed strong broadcast ratings that produced higher earnings. CBS opened new revenue streams by reselling its programming to internet services and leveraging its content via increased syndication and international distribution deals.

Auto-components supplier Delphi Automotive was up 90%, thanks to higher global automotive sales and an ever-expanding supply of digital content delivered through the center console.

Best Buy Co. — the leading consumer electronics retailer — also stood out, gaining 125% due to improved sales practices, a more competitive stance toward internet retailers, and cuts in unnecessary costs, among other changes.

66

 



Within industrials, several investments benefited the Fund’s performance. Longtime holdings TAL International and Textainer Group Holdings — both of which lease freight containers — benefited from increased global trade, solid utilization, and a continued tight global supply of shipping containers. The stocks returned 45% and 30%, respectively.

In the home and industrials sector, standby generator maker Generac Holdings soared 108%, thanks to an improved housing market and market share gains.

Longtime holdings of industrial-conglomerates Honeywell, United Technologies, 3M, ITT and Pentair also contributed strongly to the Fund’s results.

In healthcare, three names stood out: Shares of Gilead Sciences were up 90%, with strong performance by its HIV-drug portfolio and blockbuster potential exhibited by its new hepatitis drug. Shares of Thermo Fisher — a leading maker of diagnostic life sciences products — rallied 58% on its successful merger with competitor Life Technologies. And global generic and branded pharmaceutical maker Actavis, rose 69% on its takeover of fund-holding Warner Chilcott (up 73%), with synergies and cost savings foretelling significantly enhanced future earnings.

Occupying the Fund’s top spot for performance was its long-term holding in the consumer direct seller, Nu Skin Enterprises, which was up 149% for the period. Nu Skin was the Fund’s most significant contributor to Fund returns. Global sales of its Age-Loc skincare products continued to soar and the rollout of a new weight management product was enthusiastically received, propelling the firm to record profits.

On a relative basis, the Fund’s equities performed well, beating its benchmark. It did underperform the S&P 500 Index within the financials sector, where the Fund remains underweight. With seemingly no end to quantitative easing and increased costs from greater regulation now looking permanent, financial-sector profits and growth prospects remain anemic, impacting the ability of these companies to raise dividends and repurchase stock.

Thank you for placing your trust in First Investors. As always, we appreciate the opportunity to serve your investment needs.


67

 



Fund Expenses (unaudited)
TOTAL RETURN FUND

The examples below show the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and will help you in comparing these costs with costs of other mutual funds. Please refer to page 2 for a detailed explanation of the information presented in these examples.

  Annualized Beginning Ending Expenses Paid
  Expense Account Value Account Value During Period
Expense Example Ratio (4/1/13) (9/30/13) (4/1/13–9/30/13)*
Class A Shares 1.22%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,053.01 $ 6.28
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,018.95 $ 6.17
Class B Shares 2.01%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,049.24 $10.33
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,014.99 $10.15
Advisor Class Shares 1.01%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,058.94 $ 5.21
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,020.01 $ 5.11
Institutional Class Shares 0.82%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,059.81 $ 4.23
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,020.96 $ 4.15

 

Expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over
the period, multiplied by 183/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).
 
**  Assumed rate of return of 5% before expenses.

 

Portfolio Composition
TOP TEN SECTORS

 


Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. Percentages are as of September 30, 2013, and are based on the total market value of investments.

68

 



Cumulative Performance Information (unaudited)
TOTAL RETURN FUND

Comparison of change in value of $10,000 investment in the First Investors Total Return Fund (Class A shares), the Bank of America (“BofA”) Merrill Lynch U.S. Corporate, Government & Mortgage Index and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.


    Average Annual Total Returns*  
      Advisor Institutional
N.A.V. Only Class A Class B Class Class
One Year 13.77% 12.98% N/A N/A
Five Years 9.56% 8.81% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 6.96% 6.56% 5.89% 5.98%
      Advisor Institutional
S.E.C. Standardized Class A Class B Class Class
One Year 7.20% 8.98% N/A N/A
Five Years 8.27% 8.52% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 6.33% 6.56% 5.89% 5.98%

 

The graph compares a $10,000 investment in the First Investors Total Return Fund (Class A shares) beginning 9/30/03 with theoretical investments in the BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. Corporate, Government & Mortgage Index and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (the “Indices”). The BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. Corporate, Government & Mortgage Index tracks the performance of U.S. dollar denominated investment grade debt publicly issued in the U.S. domestic market, including U.S. Treasuries, quasi-government, corporate and residential mortgage pass-through securities. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index is an unmanaged capitalization-weighted index of 500 stocks designed to measure performance of the broad domestic economy through changes in the aggregate market value of such stocks, which represent all major industries. It is not possible to invest directly in these Indices. In addition, the Indices do not reflect fees and expenses associated with the active management of a mutual fund portfolio. For purposes of the graph and the accompanying table, unless otherwise indicated, it has been assumed that the

 

69

 



Cumulative Performance Information (unaudited) (continued)
TOTAL RETURN FUND

maximum sales charge was deducted from the initial $10,000 investment in the Fund and all dividends and distributions were reinvested. Class B shares, Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares performance may be greater than or less than that shown in the line graph above for Class A shares based on differences in sales loads and fees paid by shareholders investing in the different classes.

* Average Annual Total Return figures (for the periods ended 9/30/13) include the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. “N.A.V. Only” returns are calculated without sales charges. The Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are based on the maximum sales charge of 5.75%. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” returns are adjusted for the applicable deferred sales charge (maximum of 4% in the first year). The Advisor Class and Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are the same as the N.A.V. Only returns since these classes are sold without sales charges. During the periods shown, some of the expenses of the Fund were waived or assumed. If such expenses had been paid by the Fund, the Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return for Ten Years would have been 6.30%. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Ten Years would have been 6.54%. The Advisor Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been 2.14%. The Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been 2.45%. Results represent past performance and do not indicate future results. The graph and the returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on distributions or the redemption of fund shares. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. Corporate, Government & Mortgage Master Index figures are from Bank of America Merrill Lynch & Co. and Standard & Poor’s 500 Index figures are from Standard & Poor’s and all other figures are from First Investors Management Company, Inc.

**The returns for Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares are for the periods beginning 4/1/13 (commencement of operations).

70

 



Portfolio of Investments
TOTAL RETURN FUND
September 30, 2013

               
 
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  COMMON STOCKS—59.8%    
  Consumer Discretionary—9.7%    
112,900 Best Buy Company, Inc. $    4,233,750
34,000 BorgWarner, Inc.   3,447,260
112,000 CBS Corporation – Class “B”   6,177,920
211,800 Dana Holding Corporation   4,837,512
81,600 Delphi Automotive, PLC   4,767,072
104,100 GNC Holdings, Inc. – Class “A”   5,686,983
39,100 Harman International Industries, Inc.   2,589,593
42,300 Home Depot, Inc.   3,208,455
67,000 * Jarden Corporation   3,242,800
85,900 L Brands, Inc.   5,248,490
27,800 Lear Corporation   1,989,646
27,300 McDonald’s Corporation   2,626,533
89,400 Newell Rubbermaid, Inc.   2,458,500
80,200 * Orient-Express Hotels, Ltd. – Class “A”   1,040,996
115,700 Pier 1 Imports, Inc.   2,258,464
79,900 * Select Comfort Corporation   1,945,565
39,900 * Steiner Leisure, Ltd.   2,331,357
31,600 * TRW Automotive Holdings Corporation   2,253,396
22,300 Tupperware Brands Corporation   1,926,051
49,060   Wyndham Worldwide Corporation         2,991,188
 
              65,261,531
 
  Consumer Staples—5.7%    
109,800 Altria Group, Inc.   3,771,630
87,300 * Amira Nature Foods, Ltd.   1,129,662
117,300 Avon Products, Inc.   2,416,380
114,300 Coca-Cola Company   4,329,684
72,700 CVS Caremark Corporation   4,125,725
32,400 Herbalife, Ltd.   2,260,548
72,600 Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. – Class “A”   6,950,724
29,100 PepsiCo, Inc.   2,313,450
72,100 Philip Morris International, Inc.   6,243,139
26,700 Procter & Gamble Company   2,018,253
38,600   Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.         2,854,856
 
              38,414,051

 

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Portfolio of Investments (continued)
TOTAL RETURN FUND
September 30, 2013

               
 
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  Energy—5.9%    
36,900 Anadarko Petroleum Corporation $    3,431,331
20,200 Chevron Corporation   2,454,300
61,500 ConocoPhillips   4,274,865
26,000 Devon Energy Corporation   1,501,760
56,300 Ensco, PLC – Class “A”   3,026,125
62,927 ExxonMobil Corporation   5,414,239
8,200 Hess Corporation   634,188
1,897 Hugoton Royalty Trust   14,171
94,886 Marathon Oil Corporation   3,309,624
38,843 Marathon Petroleum Corporation   2,498,382
37,300 National Oilwell Varco, Inc.   2,913,503
116,700 Noble Corporation   4,407,759
31,400 Phillips 66   1,815,548
13,100 Schlumberger, Ltd.   1,157,516
79,400   Suncor Energy, Inc.         2,840,932
 
              39,694,243
 
  Financials—5.9%    
60,100 American Express Company   4,538,752
37,400 Ameriprise Financial, Inc.   3,406,392
32,500 Armada Hoffler Properties, Inc. (REIT)   322,075
76,850 Discover Financial Services   3,883,999
27,300 Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (ETF)   543,816
59,000 FirstMerit Corporation   1,280,890
50,600 * Health Insurance Innovations, Inc. – Class “A”   604,670
22,100 Invesco, Ltd.   704,990
104,500 JPMorgan Chase & Company   5,401,605
34,000 M&T Bank Corporation   3,805,280
26,000 MetLife, Inc.   1,220,700
23,700 Morgan Stanley   638,715
43,600 PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.   3,158,820
27,300 SPDR S&P Regional Banking (ETF)   973,245
97,672 Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. (REIT)   1,244,341
93,300 U.S. Bancorp   3,412,914
100,500 Urstadt Biddle Properties, Inc. – Class “A” (REIT)   1,997,940
62,600   Wells Fargo & Company         2,586,632
 
              39,725,776

 

72

 



               
 
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  Health Care—7.7%    
92,200 Abbott Laboratories $    3,060,118
63,000 AbbVie, Inc.   2,817,990
28,600 * Actavis, Inc.   4,118,400
26,200 Baxter International, Inc.   1,721,078
20,800 Covidien, PLC   1,267,552
54,617 * Express Scripts Holding Company   3,374,238
102,300 * Gilead Sciences, Inc.   6,428,532
71,700 Johnson & Johnson   6,215,673
2,600 * Mallinckrodt, PLC   114,634
15,900 McKesson Corporation   2,039,970
79,800 Merck & Company, Inc.   3,799,278
36,400 Omnicare, Inc.   2,020,200
219,434 Pfizer, Inc.   6,299,950
68,200 Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.   6,284,630
69,400 Warner Chilcott, PLC – Class “A”   1,585,790
27,972   Zoetis, Inc.         870,489
 
              52,018,522
 
  Industrials—8.5%    
48,600 3M Company   5,803,326
20,900 * ADT Corporation   849,794
65,500 Altra Holdings, Inc.   1,762,605
33,800 * Armstrong World Industries, Inc.   1,857,648
29,100 Caterpillar, Inc.   2,426,067
40,900 Chicago Bridge & Iron Company NV – NY Shares   2,771,793
39,100 Dover Corporation   3,512,353
14,500 * Esterline Technologies Corporation   1,158,405
100,200 Generac Holdings, Inc.   4,272,528
101,000 General Electric Company   2,412,890
56,800 Honeywell International, Inc.   4,716,672
31,100 ITT Corporation   1,118,045
7,200 Lockheed Martin Corporation   918,360
59,900 Pentair, Ltd.   3,889,906
5,600 Raytheon Company   431,592
37,800 Ryder System, Inc.   2,256,660
27,300 Snap-on, Inc.   2,716,350
77,300 * TAL International Group, Inc.   3,612,229
35,800 Textainer Group Holdings, Ltd.   1,355,746
24,950   Triumph Group, Inc.         1,751,989

 

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Portfolio of Investments (continued)
TOTAL RETURN FUND
September 30, 2013

                
 
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  Industrials (continued)    
98,075 Tyco International, Ltd. $    3,430,663
42,200   United Technologies Corporation         4,550,004
 
              57,575,625
 
  Information Technology—10.8%    
13,000 Apple, Inc.   6,197,750
92,500 * ARRIS Group, Inc.   1,578,050
47,400 Avago Technologies, Ltd.   2,043,888
41,400 * Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc.   994,842
48,700 * CDW Corporation   1,111,821
230,700 Cisco Systems, Inc.   5,402,994
25,600 * eBay, Inc.   1,428,224
192,100 EMC Corporation   4,910,076
108,700 Hewlett-Packard Company   2,280,526
154,200 Intel Corporation   3,534,264
40,900 International Business Machines Corporation   7,573,862
110,800 Intersil Corporation – Class “A”   1,244,284
153,600 Mentor Graphics Corporation   3,589,632
229,000 Microsoft Corporation   7,627,990
75,600 * NeuStar, Inc. – Class “A”   3,740,688
94,700 Oracle Corporation   3,141,199
39,400 * PTC, Inc.   1,120,142
81,300 QUALCOMM, Inc.   5,476,368
119,900 Symantec Corporation   2,967,525
97,700 * Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.   1,774,232
59,300 TE Connectivity, Ltd.   3,070,554
67,300 * Yahoo!, Inc.         2,231,668
 
              73,040,579
 
  Materials—4.2%    
42,800 Celanese Corporation – Series “A”   2,259,412
42,400 Cytec Industries, Inc.   3,449,664
41,600 Eastman Chemical Company   3,240,640
101,000 Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc.   3,341,080
97,000 International Paper Company   4,345,600
60,300 LyondellBasell Industries NV – Class “A”   4,415,769
11,100 Praxair, Inc.   1,334,331
45,900 Rock-Tenn Company – Class “A”     4,648,293
35,500   RPM International, Inc.         1,285,100
 
              28,319,889

 

74

 



               
 
 
Shares or      
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Telecommunication Services—1.3%    
114,500 AT&T, Inc. $    3,872,390
103,500   Verizon Communications, Inc.         4,829,310
 
              8,701,700
 
  Utilities—.1%    
13,000   Atmos Energy Corporation         553,670
 
Total Value of Common Stocks (cost $254,977,069)         403,305,586
 
  CORPORATE BONDS—24.6%    
  Aerospace/Defense—.3%    
$   1,000M BAE Systems Holdings, Inc., 4.95%, 6/1/2014 (a)   1,025,615
1,000M   United Technologies Corp., 6.125%, 2/1/2019         1,194,349
 
              2,219,964
 
  Agriculture—.2%    
1,000M   Cargill, Inc., 6%, 11/27/2017 (a)         1,153,562
 
  Automotive—.3%    
1,000M Daimler Finance NA, LLC, 2.95%, 1/11/2017 (a)   1,036,543
1,000M   Johnson Controls, Inc., 5%, 3/30/2020         1,097,858
 
              2,134,401
 
  Chemicals—.7%    
1,500M CF Industries, Inc., 7.125%, 5/1/2020   1,760,905
1,500M Dow Chemical Co., 4.25%, 11/15/2020   1,571,511
1,000M   LyondellBasell Industries NV, 6%, 11/15/2021         1,143,195
 
              4,475,611
 
  Consumer Durables—.3%    
1,000M Black & Decker Corp., 5.75%, 11/15/2016   1,135,839
1,000M   Newell Rubbermaid, Inc., 4.7%, 8/15/2020         1,066,842
 
              2,202,681
 
  Energy—2.2%    
1,500M Canadian Oil Sands, Ltd., 7.75%, 5/15/2019 (a)   1,822,888
1,000M DCP Midstream, LLC, 9.75%, 3/15/2019 (a)   1,275,398
1,500M Enbridge Energy Partners, LP, 4.2%, 9/15/2021   1,523,068
1,000M Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, LP, 3.45%, 2/15/2023   937,038
1,000M Nabors Industries, Inc., 6.15%, 2/15/2018   1,125,598
1,000M   ONEOK Partners, LP, 3.375%, 10/1/2022         922,974

 

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Portfolio of Investments (continued)
TOTAL RETURN FUND
September 30, 2013

                
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Energy (continued)    
$   1,000M Petrobras International Finance Co., 5.375%, 1/27/2021 $    1,009,585
1,000M Reliance Holdings USA, Inc., 4.5%, 10/19/2020 (a)   988,560
500M Spectra Energy Capital, LLC, 6.2%, 4/15/2018   574,318
1,000M Suncor Energy, Inc., 6.1%, 6/1/2018   1,172,586
1,500M Valero Energy Corp., 9.375%, 3/15/2019   1,945,475
1,500M   Weatherford International, Inc., 6.35%, 6/15/2017         1,684,469
 
              14,981,957
 
  Financial Services—3.4%    
1,500M Aflac, Inc., 8.5%, 5/15/2019   1,941,024
  American Express Co.:    
500M 6.15%, 8/28/2017   583,458
1,000M 7%, 3/19/2018   1,205,977
  American International Group, Inc.:    
750M 4.875%, 9/15/2016   822,114
750M 8.25%, 8/15/2018   937,061
1,500M Ameriprise Financial, Inc., 5.3%, 3/15/2020   1,707,319
1,000M Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., 3.4%, 1/31/2022   1,005,584
1,500M BlackRock, Inc., 5%, 12/10/2019   1,704,010
1,000M Caterpillar Financial Services Corp., 5.85%, 9/1/2017   1,154,542
1,000M CoBank, ACB, 7.875%, 4/16/2018 (a)   1,221,225
1,000M ERAC USA Finance Co., 4.5%, 8/16/2021 (a)   1,044,957
1,500M Ford Motor Credit Co., LLC, 8.125%, 1/15/2020   1,871,046
  General Electric Capital Corp.:    
1,000M 5.625%, 9/15/2017   1,140,497
2,000M 5.3%, 2/11/2021   2,178,490
1,000M Harley-Davidson Funding Corp., 5.75%, 12/15/2014 (a)   1,054,650
1,000M Liberty Mutual Group, Inc., 4.95%, 5/1/2022 (a)   1,035,856
1,000M Protective Life Corp., 7.375%, 10/15/2019   1,210,635
1,000M   Prudential Financial, Inc., 7.375%, 6/15/2019         1,239,746
 
              23,058,191
 
  Financials—3.9%    
  Bank of America Corp.:    
2,000M 5.65%, 5/1/2018   2,259,352
500M 5%, 5/13/2021   537,869
  Barclays Bank, PLC:    
1,500M 6.75%, 5/22/2019   1,794,373
1,000M   5.125%, 1/8/2020         1,117,925

 

76

 



               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Financials (continued)    
  Citigroup, Inc.:    
$   1,000M 4.45%, 1/10/2017 $    1,083,597
1,500M 6.125%, 11/21/2017   1,726,567
1,500M Fifth Third Bancorp, 3.5%, 3/15/2022   1,484,580
  Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.:    
2,100M 6.15%, 4/1/2018   2,404,265
1,000M 3.625%, 1/22/2023   958,120
  JPMorgan Chase & Co.:    
2,500M 6%, 1/15/2018   2,873,553
1,000M 4.5%, 1/24/2022   1,044,909
  Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.:    
500M 5%, 1/15/2015   525,105
1,000M 6.4%, 8/28/2017   1,150,949
1,800M Morgan Stanley, 6.625%, 4/1/2018   2,091,787
1,000M Siemens Financieringsmaatschappij NV, 5.75%, 10/17/2016 (a)   1,137,545
1,000M SunTrust Banks, Inc., 6%, 9/11/2017   1,146,085
1,000M UBS AG, 4.875%, 8/4/2020   1,119,517
1,500M   Wells Fargo & Co., 4.6%, 4/1/2021         1,631,421
 
              26,087,519
 
  Food/Beverage/Tobacco—2.4%    
1,500M Altria Group, Inc., 9.7%, 11/10/2018   1,985,134
1,000M Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide, Inc., 6.875%, 11/15/2019   1,242,540
1,000M Bottling Group, LLC, 5.125%, 1/15/2019   1,138,972
1,500M Bunge Ltd. Finance Corp., 8.5%, 6/15/2019   1,869,924
1,000M ConAgra Foods, Inc., 5.875%, 4/15/2014   1,027,773
1,000M Diageo Capital, PLC, 5.75%, 10/23/2017   1,150,651
1,000M Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc., 6.82%, 5/1/2018   1,199,418
1,000M Ingredion, Inc., 4.625%, 11/1/2020   1,060,804
1,500M Lorillard Tobacco Co., 6.875%, 5/1/2020   1,727,330
1,000M Mead Johnson Nutrition Co., 4.9%, 11/1/2019   1,108,068
1,000M Philip Morris International, Inc., 5.65%, 5/16/2018   1,158,608
1,500M   SABMiller Holdings, Inc., 3.75%, 1/15/2022 (a)         1,514,619
 
              16,183,841
 
  Food/Drug—.2%    
1,500M   Safeway, Inc., 4.75%, 12/1/2021         1,508,763
 
  Forest Products/Containers—.2%    
1,000M   International Paper Co., 9.375%, 5/15/2019         1,320,245

 

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Portfolio of Investments (continued)
TOTAL RETURN FUND
September 30, 2013

                
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Gaming/Leisure—.1%      
$   1,000M   Marriott International, Inc., 3.25%, 9/15/2022         $      948,206
 
  Health Care—1.3%    
1,500M Biogen IDEC, Inc., 6.875%, 3/1/2018   1,782,471
1,500M Express Scripts Holding Co., 4.75%, 11/15/2021   1,608,173
1,000M Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings, 3.75%, 8/23/2022   976,137
1,000M Mylan, Inc., 3.125%, 1/15/2023 (a)   911,358
1,000M Novartis Securities Investments, Ltd., 5.125%, 2/10/2019   1,146,661
1,000M Quest Diagnostics, Inc., 6.4%, 7/1/2017   1,141,819
911M   Roche Holdings, Inc., 6%, 3/1/2019 (a)         1,083,875
 
              8,650,494
 
  Household Products—.1%    
1,000M   Clorox Co., 3.05%, 9/15/2022         955,100
 
  Information Technology—.8%    
1,000M Harris Corp., 4.4%, 12/15/2020   1,037,932
1,500M Motorola Solutions, Inc., 6%, 11/15/2017   1,712,663
1,000M Pitney Bowes, Inc., 5.75%, 9/15/2017   1,103,088
1,500M   Symantec Corp., 3.95%, 6/15/2022         1,479,044
 
              5,332,727
 
  Manufacturing—.9%    
1,500M CRH America, Inc., 8.125%, 7/15/2018   1,827,766
1,000M Ingersoll-Rand Global Holdings Co., Ltd., 6.875%, 8/15/2018   1,186,422
1,000M John Deere Capital Corp., 5.35%, 4/3/2018   1,145,122
1,000M Pentair Finance SA, 3.15%, 9/15/2022   924,993
1,000M   Tyco Electronics Group SA, 6.55%, 10/1/2017          1,154,095
 
              6,238,398
 
  Media-Broadcasting—1.0%    
1,000M British Sky Broadcasting Group, PLC, 9.5%, 11/15/2018 (a)   1,310,874
1,500M CBS Corp., 8.875%, 5/15/2019   1,919,722
1,500M Comcast Corp., 5.15%, 3/1/2020   1,700,602
1,000M DirecTV Holdings, LLC, 3.8%, 3/15/2022   935,004
500M   Time Warner Entertainment Co., LP, 8.375%, 3/15/2023          584,204
 
              6,450,406

 

78

 



                
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Media-Diversified—.3%    
$   1,000M McGraw-Hill Cos., Inc., 5.9%, 11/15/2017 $    1,082,731
1,000M   Vivendi SA, 6.625%, 4/4/2018 (a)         1,132,052
 
              2,214,783
 
  Metals/Mining—1.3%    
1,500M Alcoa, Inc., 6.15%, 8/15/2020   1,567,018
1,500M ArcelorMittal, 6.125%, 6/1/2018   1,595,625
1,500M Newmont Mining Corp., 5.125%, 10/1/2019   1,579,788
1,500M Rio Tinto Finance USA, Ltd., 3.75%, 9/20/2021   1,481,447
1,500M Vale Overseas, Ltd., 5.625%, 9/15/2019   1,636,256
1,000M   Xstrata Canada Financial Corp., 4.95%, 11/15/2021 (a)         1,001,786
 
              8,861,920
 
  Real Estate Investment Trusts—1.3%    
1,500M Boston Properties, LP, 5.875%, 10/15/2019   1,729,694
1,500M Digital Realty Trust, LP, 5.25%, 3/15/2021   1,579,017
  HCP, Inc.:    
500M 6.7%, 1/30/2018   582,776
1,000M 5.375%, 2/1/2021   1,089,666
1,000M ProLogis, LP, 6.625%, 5/15/2018   1,170,463
1,000M Simon Property Group, LP, 5.75%, 12/1/2015   1,094,643
1,500M   Ventas Realty, LP, 4.75%, 6/1/2021         1,582,137
 
              8,828,396
 
  Retail-General Merchandise—.4%    
1,500M GAP, Inc., 5.95%, 4/12/2021   1,664,555
1,000M   Home Depot, Inc., 5.875%, 12/16/2036         1,145,252
 
              2,809,807
 
  Telecommunications—.5%    
500M BellSouth Telecommunications, 6.375%, 6/1/2028   546,649
1,000M GTE Corp., 6.84%, 4/15/2018   1,167,868
1,000M Rogers Communications, Inc., 3%, 3/15/2023   924,752
649M   Verizon Communications, Inc., 8.75%, 11/1/2018         834,672
 
              3,473,941

 

79

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
TOTAL RETURN FUND
September 30, 2013

                
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Transportation—.5%    
$   1,000M Burlington North Santa Fe, LLC, 3%, 3/15/2023 $      942,891
1,000M Con-way, Inc., 7.25%, 1/15/2018   1,134,495
1,000M   Penske Truck Leasing Co., LP, 4.875%, 7/11/2022 (a)         1,020,161
 
              3,097,547
 
  Utilities—1.8%    
925M Arizona Public Service Co., 8.75%, 3/1/2019   1,197,129
1,000M Atmos Energy Corp., 8.5%, 3/15/2019   1,288,887
1,000M Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, 7.125%, 12/1/2018   1,244,830
1,000M E.ON International Finance BV, 5.8%, 4/30/2018 (a)   1,162,110
1,000M Electricite de France SA, 6.5%, 1/26/2019 (a)   1,200,855
1,500M Exelon Generation Co., LLC, 5.2%, 10/1/2019   1,644,915
357M Great River Energy Co., 5.829%, 7/1/2017 (a)   382,313
1,000M National Fuel Gas Co., 8.75%, 5/1/2019   1,258,420
1,000M Ohio Power Co., 5.375%, 10/1/2021   1,127,373
1,000M   Sempra Energy, 9.8%, 2/15/2019         1,339,715
 
               11,846,547
 
  Waste Management—.2%    
1,000M   Republic Services, Inc., 3.8%, 5/15/2018         1,066,021
 
Total Value of Corporate Bonds (cost $159,965,342)         166,101,028
 
  RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE-BACKED    
  SECURITIES—5.2%    
  Fannie Mae—3.8%    
9,244M 3%, 3/1/2027 -10/16/2028 (b)   9,575,911
2,610M 3.5%, 10/1/2025-8/1/2042 (b)   2,755,232
3,195M 4%, 12/1/2040 – 10/1/2041   3,357,048
1,809M 5%, 4/1/2040   1,986,029
4,195M 5.5%, 5/1/2033 – 10/1/2039   4,588,076
1,736M 6%, 5/1/2036 – 8/1/2037   1,900,243
644M 6.5%, 11/1/2033 – 6/1/2036   715,675
683M   7%, 3/1/2032 – 8/1/2032          761,967
 
              25,640,181

 

80

 



               
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Freddie Mac—.9%    
$     955M 3.5%, 9/1/2032 $    1,011,401
1,015M 4%, 11/1/2040   1,076,828
1,360M 4.5%, 10/1/2040   1,459,841
2,247M 5.5%, 5/1/2038 – 10/1/2039   2,455,008
273M   6%, 9/1/2032 – 6/1/2035         297,252
 
              6,300,330
 
  Government National Mortgage Association II    
  Program—.5%    
2,904M   4.5%, 7/20/2041         3,134,803
 
Total Value of Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities (cost $34,121,899)         35,075,314
 
  U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCY    
  OBLIGATIONS—1.9%    
  Fannie Mae:    
3,000M 0.875%, 10/26/2017   2,959,965
2,000M 1.875%, 9/18/2018   2,024,010
2,000M 1.625%, 11/27/2018   1,994,104
1,000M Federal Farm Credit Bank, 3%, 7/2/2020   1,000,241
  Freddie Mac:    
1,000M 5.125%, 10/18/2016   1,131,232
1,000M 1.25%, 5/12/2017   1,007,711
1,500M 5.125%, 11/17/2017   1,733,132
1,000M   Tennessee Valley Authority, 4.5%, 4/1/2018         1,127,846
 
Total Value of U.S. Government Agency Obligations (cost $12,771,479)         12,978,241
 
  MUNICIPAL BONDS—1.9%    
1,000M Connecticut State GO, 5%, 6/1/2022   1,186,690
  Dallas-Fort Worth TX Int’l Arpt. Rev.:    
1,000M 5%, 11/1/2038   963,960
2,500M 5%, 11/1/2042   2,378,625
2,680M Judson TX Independent School Dist., 5%, 2/1/2028   2,960,194
1,000M Katy TX Independent School Dist., 5%, 2/15/2028   1,130,920
1,000M Minnesota State General Fund Rev., 5%, 3/1/2025   1,141,050
1,500M Puerto Rico Electric Power Auth. Rev., 6.75%, 7/1/2036   1,236,090
1,500M   Tyler TX Independent School Dist., 5%, 2/15/2028         1,696,380
 
Total Value of Municipal Bonds (cost $13,133,695)         12,693,909
 
  U.S. GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS—1.8%    
12,000M   U.S. Treasury Note, 1.375%, 12/31/2018 (cost $12,005,391)         11,943,744

 

81

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
TOTAL RETURN FUND
September 30, 2013

                
 
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCY  
  OBLIGATIONS—3.9%    
  Federal Home Loan Bank:    
$14,000M 0.02%, 10/2/2013   $  13,999,992
12,000M   0.02%, 10/11/2013         11,999,933
 
Total Value of Short-Term U.S. Government Agency Obligations (cost $25,999,925) 25,999,925
 
  SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT    
  OBLIGATIONS—1.8%    
  U.S. Treasury Bills:    
10,000M 0.016%, 10/17/2013   9,999,929
2,000M   0.01%, 11/7/2013         1,999,980
 
Total Value of Short-Term U.S. Government Obligations (cost $11,999,909)       11,999,909
 
Total Value of Investments (cost $524,974,709) 100.9 % 680,097,656
Excess of Liabilities Over Other Assets (.9 )     (5,834,404)
 
Net Assets     100.0 %     $674,263,252

 

Non-income producing
 
(a)  Security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933 (see Note 4).
 
(b)  A portion or all of the security purchased on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis
(see Note 1G).

 

Summary of Abbreviations:
ETF Exchange Traded Fund
GO General Obligation
REIT Real Estate Investment Trust

 

82

 



Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820 established a three-tier hierarchy of inputs to establish a classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three broad Levels listed below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical securities that the Fund has
the ability to access.
 
Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable
for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These inputs may include quoted
prices for the identical instrument on an inactive market, prices for similar instru-
ments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates and
similar data.
 
Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, to the extent relevant observable inputs
are not available, representing the Fund’s own assumption about the assumptions a
market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and would be based on
the best information available.

 

The inputs methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. For example, amortized cost approximates the current fair value of a security, but since the value is not obtained from a quoted price in an active market, such securities are reflected as Level 2.

The following is a summary, by category of Level, of inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of September 30, 2013:

    Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total
Common Stocks $ 403,305,586 $ $ $ 403,305,586
Corporate Bonds 166,101,028   166,101,028
Residential Mortgage-Backed            
Securities   35,075,314   35,075,314
U.S. Government Agency            
Obligations   12,978,241   12,978,241
Municipal Bonds   12,693,909   12,693,909
U.S. Government Obligations   11,943,744   11,943,744
Short-Term U.S. Government            
Agency Obligations   25,999,925   25,999,925
Short-Term U.S. Government            
Obligations     11,999,909     11,999,909
Total Investments in Securities* $ 403,305,586 $ 276,792,070 $ $ 680,097,656

 

* The Portfolio of Investments provides information on the industry categorization for common stocks
and corporate bonds.

 

There were no transfers into or from Level 1 or Level 2 by the Fund for the year ended September 30, 2013. Transfers, if any, between Levels are recognized at the end of the reporting period.

 

See notes to financial statements 83

 



Portfolio Manager’s Letter
EQUITY INCOME FUND

Dear Investor:

I’m pleased to send you the First Investors Equity Income Fund annual report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2013. During the period, the Fund’s return on a net-asset value basis was 19.1% for Class A shares and 18.2% for Class B shares, including dividends of 13.6 cents per share on Class A shares and 7.7 cents per share on Class B shares. The Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was 7.9% for Advisor Class shares and 8.0% for Institutional Class shares, including dividends of 7.0 cents per share on Advisor Class shares and 4.7 cents per share on Institutional Class shares. The Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares commenced operations on April 1, 2013, but Advisor Class shares were not available to the public until October 1, 2013.

The Fund’s absolute performance was attributable to positive stock selection in the industrial, consumer discretionary and financials sectors.

In industrials, recent mega storms increased the need for reliable back-up power for both residential and commercial customers. This benefited companies like Generac, the leader in standby generators, which got a boost after Hurricane Sandy as more than a billion searches were logged online by people looking to protect themselves from future power outages. In the past year, the company’s sales grew almost 50%, with earnings growth even higher.

Not only has Generac’s stock appreciated over 110% in the past year, but as shareholders we have received more than $11 per share in special dividends in the last eighteen months. With standby generators becoming a necessity for homeowners, Generac’s outlook remains positive.

Honeywell is one of the fund’s largest positions in industrials and it gives the Fund a way to participate in worldwide growth in emerging markets at a reasonable valuation. Their aerospace segment is seeing renewed growth with increased plane orders coming from emerging market countries. In automotive, governments are setting higher mandates for fuel efficiency and Honeywell’s turbo chargers are helping car manufacturers meet these goals.

In the consumer discretionary sector, the Fund’s position in Delphi Automotive was up over 90%, as the rebound in North American autos coupled with the tremendous growth in cars on the road in China fueled strong revenue and earnings growth. The Fund purchased Delphi shortly after its IPO, and has been rewarded with price appreciation and dividend growth—both key measures that the Fund seeks in an investment.

Newell Rubbermaid has been experiencing a renaissance as CEO Michael Polk turns around core operations at the company. Innovative household product lines such as Sharpie, Graco and Calphalon continue to enjoy strong shelf space and consumer acceptance. With increased sales and margins turning into healthy cash flows, Newell has been able to raise its dividend and steadily increase its share buyback.

GNC Holdings has been riding a consumer wave of healthy living with its vitamin and supplement business, which continues to grow at a double-digit pace. Given its present level of product innovation and overseas growth, GNC should continue to outperform its peers.

In financials, JPMorgan Chase, one of the Fund’s top positions, was up over 30%, handily beating the markets despite recent negative headlines. The banking giant’s global reach and dominant market position have given it the resources to produce strong earnings in a variety of markets.

84

 



On a relative basis the Fund outperformed the benchmark in the technology, industrials, consumer discretionary and materials sectors. In industrials and consumer discretionary, the outperformance can be attributed to the stocks already mentioned above. In technology, the Fund’s investment in TE Connectivity, part of the old Tyco conglomerate, helped to drive relative fund performance. TE Connectivity’s auto business has benefited from the explosive growth of cars in China. Their aerospace segment is seeing more of their products getting incorporated into the new plane models.

In technology, the Fund also benefited from not owning Apple. The stock was down over 26% and made up more than 3% of the S&P 500 Index. The Fund recently purchased Apple as it found a valuation level that we found attractive. The company also raised its dividend and the cash flow they produce should lead to bigger share buybacks in the future. New products have driven sales higher and growth in China should lead to continued strength in earnings.

In materials, the Fund benefited from the strong performance of Rock-Tenn and International Paper, both big players in corrugated packaging. The industry has been consolidating over the past few years, and pricing has become better as inventory management has improved industrywide. Earnings and cash flow have improved significantly for both companies and shareholders have been rewarded with bigger dividends and share buybacks.

The Fund performed in line with its benchmark this year as dividend-paying stocks were more in favor. In the early part of 2013, the yield on the 10-year Treasury reached record lows and investors began to embrace stocks that paid higher dividends and offered more bond-like characteristics, such as stability with yield.

Performance also benefited from the Fund’s ability to leverage its multi-cap mandate. The great thing about dividend-paying stocks is that any size company can pay a dividend. The Fund’s small-cap stocks helped to drive performance this year with our small-cap picks up over 34% compared to the S&P 500 Index’s small-caps that were up over 25%. The Funds mid-cap stocks were up over 32% compared to the S&P 500 Index’s mid-caps at 21%.

As we look forward, dividend-paying stocks should be a focus for any investor. Dividend-paying stocks tend to outperform non-dividend-paying stocks when interest rates are either rising or falling. If we look at stock returns since the 1970’s, dividend-paying stocks have outperformed the S&P 500 Index. The Fund is focused on finding those stocks that not only provide yield and stability but provide dividend growth and appreciation.

Thank you for placing your trust in First Investors. As always, we appreciate the opportunity to serve your investment needs.


85

 



Fund Expenses (unaudited)
EQUITY INCOME FUND

The examples below show the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and will help you in comparing these costs with costs of other mutual funds. Please refer to page 2 for a detailed explanation of the information presented in these examples.

  Annualized Beginning Ending Expenses Paid
  Expense Account Value Account Value During Period
Expense Example Ratio (4/1/13) (9/30/13) (4/1/13–9/30/13)*
Class A Shares 1.25%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,072.40 $ 6.49
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,018.80 $ 6.33
Class B Shares 2.09%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,068.66 $10.84
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,014.59 $10.56
Advisor Class Shares 1.01%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,078.73 $ 5.26
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,020.01 $ 5.11
Institutional Class Shares 0.86%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,079.46 $ 4.48
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,020.76 $ 4.36

 

Expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over
the period, multiplied by 183/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).
**  Assumed rate of return of 5% before expenses.

 

Portfolio Composition
TOP TEN SECTORS

 


Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. Percentages are as of September 30, 2013, and are based on the total market value of investments.

86

 



Cumulative Performance Information (unaudited)
EQUITY INCOME FUND

Comparison of change in value of $10,000 investment in the First Investors Equity Income Fund (Class A shares) and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.


    Average Annual Total Returns*  
      Advisor Institutional
N.A.V. Only Class A Class B Class Class
One Year 19.14% 18.21% N/A N/A
Five Years 7.92% 7.15% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 7.58% 7.30% 7.87% 7.95%
      Advisor Institutional
S.E.C. Standardized Class A Class B Class Class
One Year 12.26% 14.21% N/A N/A
Five Years 6.64% 6.84% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 6.96% 7.30% 7.87% 7.95%

 

The graph compares a $10,000 investment in the First Investors Equity Income Fund (Class A shares) beginning 9/30/03 with a theoretical investment in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (the “Index”). The Index is an unmanaged capitalization-weighted index of 500 stocks designed to measure performance of the broad domestic economy through changes in the aggregate market value of such stocks, which represent all major industries. It is not possible to invest directly in this Index. In addition, the Index does not reflect fees and expenses associated with the active management of a mutual fund portfolio. For purposes of the graph and the accompanying table, unless otherwise indicated, it has been assumed that the maximum sales charge was deducted from the initial $10,000 investment in the Fund and all dividends and distributions were reinvested. Class B shares, Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares performance may be greater than or less than that shown in the line graph above for Class A shares based on differences in sales loads and fees paid by shareholders investing in the different classes.

 

87

 



Cumulative Performance Information (unaudited) (continued)
EQUITY INCOME FUND

* Average Annual Total Return figures (for the periods ended 9/30/13) include the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. “N.A.V. Only” returns are calculated without sales charges. The Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are based on the maximum sales charge of 5.75%. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” returns are adjusted for the applicable deferred sales charge (maximum of 4% in the first year). The Advisor Class and Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are the same as the N.A.V. Only returns since these classes are sold without sales charges. During the periods shown, some of the expenses of the Advisor Class were waived or assumed. If such expenses had been paid by the Advisor Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been 4.20%. Results represent past performance and do not indicate future results. The graph and the returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on distributions or the redemption of fund shares. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Index figures are from Standard & Poor’s and all other figures are from First Investors Management Company, Inc.

**The returns for Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares are for the periods beginning 4/1/13 (commencement of operations).

88

 



Portfolio of Investments
EQUITY INCOME FUND
September 30, 2013

                 
  
  
Shares   Security         Value
 
  COMMON STOCKS—92.6%    
  Consumer Discretionary—12.5%    
15,000 BorgWarner, Inc. $    1,520,850
30,000 CBS Corporation – Class “B”   1,654,800
153,000 Comcast Corporation – Special Shares “A”   6,635,610
175,300 Dana Holding Corporation   4,003,852
112,500 Delphi Automotive, PLC   6,572,250
14,400 Genuine Parts Company   1,164,816
90,000 GNC Holdings, Inc. – Class “A”   4,916,700
60,000 Hanesbrands, Inc.   3,738,600
50,000 Harman International Industries, Inc.   3,311,500
42,200 Home Depot, Inc.   3,200,870
49,500 Lowe’s Companies, Inc.   2,356,695
23,600 McDonald’s Corporation   2,270,556
112,400 Newell Rubbermaid, Inc.   3,091,000
124,500 * Orient-Express Hotels, Ltd. – Class “A”   1,616,010
156,900 Regal Entertainment Group – Class “A”   2,977,962
70,000 Staples, Inc.   1,025,500
79,633 Time Warner, Inc.   5,240,648
15,000 Tupperware Brands Corporation   1,295,550
61,900   Walt Disney Company         3,991,931
 
              60,585,700
 
  Consumer Staples—10.1%    
230,000 Altria Group, Inc.   7,900,500
104,300 Avon Products, Inc.   2,148,580
38,800 Beam, Inc.   2,508,420
64,200 Coca-Cola Company   2,431,896
57,500 ConAgra Foods, Inc.   1,744,550
91,700 CVS Caremark Corporation   5,203,975
25,000 Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.   1,120,500
12,300 Herbalife, Ltd.   858,171
28,300 Kimberly-Clark Corporation   2,666,426
68,066 Kraft Foods Group, Inc.   3,569,381
21,300 Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. – Class “A”   2,039,262
38,500 PepsiCo, Inc.   3,060,750
54,800 Philip Morris International, Inc.   4,745,132
89,700 * Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc.   2,701,764
55,400 Procter & Gamble Company   4,187,686
29,400   Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.         2,174,424
 
              49,061,417

 

89

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
EQUITY INCOME FUND
September 30, 2013

                
 
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  Energy—9.9%    
25,500 Alerian MLP (ETF) $        448,545
74,400 Chevron Corporation   9,039,600
66,500 ConocoPhillips   4,622,415
59,600 Devon Energy Corporation   3,442,496
55,000 Ensco, PLC – Class “A”   2,956,250
57,400 ExxonMobil Corporation   4,938,696
99,600 Marathon Oil Corporation   3,474,048
28,000 Marathon Petroleum Corporation   1,800,960
30,000 National Oilwell Varco, Inc.   2,343,300
75,000 Noble Corporation   2,832,750
64,500 Occidental Petroleum Corporation   6,033,330
40,500 Royal Dutch Shell, PLC – Class “A” (ADR)   2,660,040
76,000   Seadrill, Ltd.          3,426,080
 
              48,018,510
 
  Financials—15.8%    
52,600 ACE, Ltd.   4,921,256
25,000 American Express Company   1,888,000
21,300 Ameriprise Financial, Inc.   1,940,004
122,200 Armada Hoffler Properties, Inc. (REIT)   1,211,002
123,000 Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc.   3,088,530
23,556 Chubb Corporation   2,102,608
85,000 Discover Financial Services   4,295,900
175,000 Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (ETF)   3,486,000
135,600 FirstMerit Corporation   2,943,876
39,600 Invesco, Ltd.   1,263,240
30,000 iShares S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index Fund (ETF)   1,140,000
167,800 JPMorgan Chase & Company   8,673,582
33,900 M&T Bank Corporation   3,794,088
50,000 MetLife, Inc.   2,347,500
93,700 Oritani Financial Corporation   1,542,302
62,900 PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.   4,557,105
71,500 Protective Life Corporation   3,042,325
215,600 Provident New York Bancorp   2,347,884
7,000 * Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc. (REIT)   94,570
139,300 Select Income REIT (REIT)   3,593,940
42,800 Travelers Companies, Inc.   3,628,156
83,300 U.S. Bancorp   3,047,114
98,500   Urstadt Biddle Properties, Inc.- Class “A” (REIT)         1,958,180

 

90

 



                
  
  
Shares   Security         Value
 
  Financials (continued)    
213,500 Wells Fargo & Company $      8,821,820
130,500   Westfield Financial, Inc.         921,330
 
              76,650,312
 
  Health Care—12.3%    
43,600 Abbott Laboratories   1,447,084
86,100 AbbVie, Inc.   3,851,253
34,600 Baxter International, Inc.   2,272,874
55,000 Covidien, PLC   3,351,700
67,400 GlaxoSmithKline, PLC (ADR)   3,381,458
123,900 Johnson & Johnson   10,740,891
190,211 Merck & Company, Inc.   9,055,946
41,500 Novartis AG (ADR)   3,183,465
45,000 Omnicare, Inc.   2,497,500
359,224 Pfizer, Inc.   10,313,321
40,500 Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.   3,732,075
201,500 Warner Chilcott, PLC – Class “A”   4,604,275
41,952   Zoetis, Inc.         1,305,546
 
              59,737,388
 
  Industrials—11.5%    
38,600 3M Company   4,609,226
34,537 * ADT Corporation   1,404,274
48,000 Altra Holdings, Inc.   1,291,680
30,000 Chicago Bridge & Iron Company NV – NY Shares   2,033,100
29,600 Dover Corporation   2,658,968
30,000 Eaton Corporation, PLC   2,065,200
12,300 * Esterline Technologies Corporation   982,647
52,000 G&K Services, Inc. – Class “A”   3,140,280
95,000 Generac Holdings, Inc.   4,050,800
17,800 General Dynamics Corporation   1,557,856
371,800 General Electric Company   8,882,302
71,900 Honeywell International, Inc.   5,970,576
51,450 ITT Corporation   1,849,627
31,372 Pentair, Ltd.   2,037,298
20,000 Snap-on, Inc.   1,990,000
23,800 * TAL International Group, Inc.   1,112,174
89,075   Tyco International, Ltd.         3,115,844

 

91

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
EQUITY INCOME FUND
September 30, 2013

                
 
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  Industrials (continued)    
24,200 United Parcel Service, Inc. – Class “B” $      2,211,154
47,500   United Technologies Corporation         5,121,450
 
              56,084,456
 
  Information Technology—9.3%    
7,000 Apple, Inc.   3,337,250
21,600 Automatic Data Processing, Inc.   1,563,408
307,000 Cisco Systems, Inc.   7,189,940
309,700 Intel Corporation   7,098,324
81,700 Intersil Corporation – Class “A”   917,491
28,700 Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.   855,260
134,100 Mentor Graphics Corporation   3,133,917
100,000 Microchip Technology, Inc.   4,029,000
250,000 Microsoft Corporation   8,327,500
39,800 Molex, Inc.   1,533,096
50,000 Oracle Corporation   1,658,500
55,300 QUALCOMM, Inc.   3,725,008
39,200   TE Connectivity, Ltd.         2,029,776
 
              45,398,470
 
  Materials—4.3%    
18,300 Cytec Industries, Inc.   1,488,888
66,900 Dow Chemical Company   2,568,960
50,100 DuPont (E.I.) de Nemours & Company   2,933,856
56,200 Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc.   1,859,096
75,400 International Paper Company   3,377,920
51,700 LyondellBasell Industries NV – Class “A”   3,785,991
38,000 Rock-Tenn Company – Class “A”   3,848,260
29,100   Sonoco Products Company         1,133,154
 
              20,996,125
 
  Telecommunication Services—3.2%    
203,230 AT&T, Inc.   6,873,239
111,500 NTELOS Holdings Corporation   2,096,200
145,500   Verizon Communications, Inc.         6,789,030
 
              15,758,469

 

92

 



                
 
 
Shares or      
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Utilities—3.7%    
89,500 American Electric Power Company, Inc.   $      3,879,825
35,100 NextEra Energy, Inc.   2,813,616
90,900 NiSource, Inc.   2,807,901
59,000 Portland General Electric Company   1,665,570
110,000 PPL Corporation   3,341,800
106,400   Vectren Corporation         3,548,440
 
              18,057,152
 
Total Value of Common Stocks (cost $333,993,951)         450,347,999
 
  PREFERRED STOCKS—.4%    
  Financials    
50,500 Digital Realty Trust, Inc., Series G, 5.875%, 2049 997,375
46,000   Urstadt Biddle Properties, Inc., Series F, 7.125%, 2049       1,101,240
 
Total Value of Preferred Stocks (cost $2,403,576)         2,098,615
 
  SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCY  
  OBLIGATIONS—5.1%    
  Federal Home Loan Bank:    
$23,000M 0.02%, 10/2/2013   22,999,987
2,000M   0.02%, 10/11/2013         1,999,989
 
Total Value of Short-Term U.S. Government Agency Obligations (cost $24,999,976)       24,999,976
 
  SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT    
  OBLIGATIONS—1.9%    
  U.S. Treasury Bills:    
8,000M 0.016%, 10/17/2013   7,999,943
1,000M   0.01%, 11/7/2013         999,990
 
Total Value of Short-Term U.S. Government Obligations (cost $8,999,933)       8,999,933
 
Total Value of Investments (cost $370,397,436) 100.0 % 486,446,523
Other Assets, Less Liabilities       30,199
 
Net Assets     100.0 %     $486,476,722

 

* Non-income producing

 

Summary of Abbreviations:
ADR American Depositary Receipts
ETF Exchange Traded Fund
REIT Real Estate Investment Trust

 

93

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
EQUITY INCOME FUND
September 30, 2013

Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820 established a three-tier hierarchy of inputs to establish a classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three broad Levels listed below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical securities that the Fund has
the ability to access.
   
Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable
for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These inputs may include quoted
prices for the identical instrument on an inactive market, prices for similar instru-
ments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates and
similar data.
 
Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, to the extent relevant observable inputs
are not available, representing the Fund’s own assumption about the assumptions a
market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and would be based on
the best information available.

 

The inputs methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. For example, amortized cost approximates the current fair value of a security, but since the value is not obtained from a quoted price in an active market, such securities are reflected as Level 2.

The following is a summary, by category of Level, of inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of September 30, 2013:

    Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total
Common Stocks $ 450,347,999 $ $ $ 450,347,999
Preferred Stocks 2,098,615     2,098,615
Short-Term U.S. Government            
Agency Obligations   24,999,976     24,999,976
Short-Term U.S. Government            
Obligations     8,999,933     8,999,933
Total Investments in Securities* $ 452,446,614 $ 33,999,909 $ $ 486,446,523

 

* The Portfolio of Investments provides information on the industry categorization for common stocks
and preferred stocks.

 

There were no transfers into or from Level 1 or Level 2 by the Fund for the year ended September 30, 2013. Transfers, if any, between Levels are recognized at the end of the reporting period.

 

94 See notes to financial statements

 



Portfolio Manager’s Letter
GROWTH & INCOME FUND

Dear Investor:

I’m pleased to send you the First Investors Growth & Income Fund annual report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2013. During the period, the Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was 24.9% for Class A shares and 24.0% for Class B shares, including dividends of 22.4 cents per share on Class A shares and 11.1 cents per share on Class B shares. The Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was 11.5% for Advisor Class shares and 11.6% for Institutional Class shares, including dividends of 8.0 cents per share on Advisor Class shares and 9.0 cents per share on Institutional Class shares. The Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares commenced operations on April 1, 2013, but Advisor Class shares were not available to the public until October 1, 2013.

During the period under review, strong equity performance and a market rally were driven by a combination of slow but gradually improving economic conditions, accommodative monetary policy from the Federal Reserve (“the Fed”), low volatility and improving corporate fundamentals.

Investor sentiment also improved, with stocks benefitting from a positive re-rating of market-valuation metrics toward more normalized historical levels, which erased the bearish views toward stocks that prevailed after the 2008–2009 market correction.

Despite numerous challenges throughout the year—including worries over whether or not the Fed would “taper” its bond buying stimulus of the economy; disagreements between President Obama and the U.S. Congress on government budget and spending matters; and geopolitical conflicts around the globe—equity markets remained resilient and investors’ restored confidence barely wavered.

This year’s market results were broadly positive overall, with all market sectors, styles and sizes participating. Companies with strong profitability, earnings growth, solid balance sheets and strong, free cash-flows led results. Small and mid-cap stocks flourished, as investors felt comfortable adding more risk to their portfolios. Companies with the ability to pay and raise dividends and execute share repurchases of their own stocks were also rewarded. Mergers and acquisitions also continued to drive strong performance.

These conditions produced a solid year for the Fund, which continue d to invest across all market capitalization segments, allocating 68% of its holdings to large-cap, 17% to mid-cap and 15% to small-cap stocks (ranges defined by Lipper) as of September 30, 2013.

All segments produced positive returns, with the large-cap segment slightly exceeding the benchmark and small- and mid-cap segments outperforming strongly. Results were also buoyed by the Fund’s stock selection within consumer discretionary, industrials, healthcare and consumer staples stocks—all sectors in which the Fund was overweighted relative to the benchmark.

The Fund’s top consumer discretionary performers all generated strong earnings: CBS Corporation — up 53% — enjoyed strong broadcast ratings that produced higher earnings. CBS opened new revenue streams by reselling its programming to internet services and leveraging its content via increased syndication and international distribution deals.

Auto-components supplier Delphi Automotive was up 90%, thanks to higher global automotive sales and an ever-expanding supply of digital content delivered through the center console.

95

 



Portfolio Manager’s Letter (continued)
GROWTH & INCOME FUND

Best Buy Co.—the leading consumer electronics retailer—also stood out, gaining 125% due to improved sales practices, a more competitive stance toward internet retailers, and cuts in unnecessary costs, among other changes.

Within industrials, several investments benefited the Fund’s performance. Longtime holdings TAL International and Textainer Group Holdings—both of which lease freight containers—benefited from increased global trade, solid utilization, and a continued tight global supply of shipping containers. The stocks returned 45% and 30%, respectively.

In the home and industrials sector, standby generator maker Generac Holdings soared 108%, thanks to an improved housing market and market share gains which helped grow earnings to record levels. Generac also paid out a $5 per share special dividend during the year.

Longtime holdings of industrial-conglomerates Honeywell, United Technologies, 3M Co., ITT Corp and Pentair also contributed strongly to the Fund’s results.

In healthcare, three names stood out: Shares of Gilead Sciences were up 90%, with strong performance by its HIV-drug portfolio and blockbuster potential exhibited by its new hepatitis drug. Shares of Thermo Fisher—a leading maker of diagnostic life sciences products—rallied 58% on its pending merger with competitor Life Technologies. Global generic and branded pharmaceutical maker Activis rose 69% on its takeover of Warner Chilcott (up 73%), which is also held within the fund with synergies and cost savings foretelling significantly enhanced future earnings.

Occupying the Fund’s top spot for performance was its long-term holding in the consumer staples sector. Direct seller Nu Skin Enterprises was up 149% for the period. Nu Skin was the Fund’s most significant contributor to Fund returns. Global sales of its Age-Loc skincare products continued to soar and the roll-out of a new weight management product was received with great anticipation, propelling the firm to record sales and profits.

On a relative basis, the Fund performed well, outperforming its benchmark. It did underperform the S&P 500 Index within the financials sector, where the Fund remains underweight. With seemingly no end to quantitative easing and increased costs from greater regulation now looking permanent, financial-sector profits and growth prospects remain anemic, impacting the ability of these companies to raise dividends and repurchase stock.

Thank you for placing your trust in First Investors. As always, we appreciate the opportunity to serve your investment needs.


96

 



Fund Expenses (unaudited)
GROWTH & INCOME FUND

The examples below show the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and will help you in comparing these costs with costs of other mutual funds. Please refer to page 2 for a detailed explanation of the information presented in these examples.

  Annualized Beginning Ending Expenses Paid
  Expense Account Value Account Value During Period
Expense Example Ratio (4/1/13) (9/30/13) (4/1/13–9/30/13)*
Class A Shares 1.17%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,106.45 $ 6.18
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,019.20 $ 5.92
Class B Shares 1.95%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,102.46 $10.28
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,015.29 $ 9.85
Advisor Class Shares 0.97%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,115.34 $ 5.14
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,020.21 $ 4.91
Institutional Class Shares 0.78%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,116.44 $ 4.14
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,021.16 $ 3.95

 

Expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over
the period, multiplied by 183/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).
 
**  Assumed rate of return of 5% before expenses.

 

Portfolio Composition
TOP TEN SECTORS

 


Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. Percentages are as of September 30, 2013, and are based on the total market value of investments.

97

 



Cumulative Performance Information (unaudited)
GROWTH & INCOME FUND

Comparison of change in value of $10,000 investment in the First Investors Growth & Income Fund (Class A shares) and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.


    Average Annual Total Returns*  
      Advisor Institutional
N.A.V. Only Class A Class B Class Class
One Year 24.86% 24.02% N/A N/A
Five Years 10.82% 10.05% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 7.94% 7.69% 11.53% 11.64%
      Advisor Institutional
S.E.C. Standardized Class A Class B Class Class
One Year 17.66% 20.02% N/A N/A
Five Years 9.52% 9.78% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 7.30% 7.69% 11.53% 11.64%

 

The graph compares a $10,000 investment in the First Investors Growth & Income Fund (Class A shares) beginning 9/30/03 with a theoretical investment in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (the “Index”). The Index is an unmanaged capitalization-weighted index of 500 stocks designed to measure performance of the broad domestic economy through changes in the aggregate market value of such stocks, which represent all major industries. It is not possible to invest directly in this Index. In addition, the Index does not reflect fees and expenses associated with the active management of a mutual fund portfolio. For purposes of the graph and the accompanying table, unless otherwise indicated, it has been assumed that the maximum sales charge was deducted from the initial $10,000 investment in the Fund and all dividends and distributions were reinvested. Class B shares, Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares performance may be greater than or less than that shown in the line graph above for Class A shares based on differences in sales loads and fees paid by shareholders investing in the different classes.

 

98

 



* Average Annual Total Return figures (for the periods ended 9/30/13) include the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. “N.A.V. Only” returns are calculated without sales charges. The Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are based on the maximum sales charge of 5.75%. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” returns are adjusted for the applicable deferred sales charge (maximum of 4% in the first year). The Advisor Class and Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are the same as the N.A.V. Only returns since these classes are sold without sales charges. During the periods shown, some of the expenses of the Advisor Class and Institutional Class were waived or assumed. If such expenses had been paid by the Advisor Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been 7.90%. The Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been 8.23%. Results represent past performance and do not indicate future results. The graph and the returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on distributions or the redemption of fund shares. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Index figures are from Standard & Poor’s and all other figures are from First Investors Management Company, Inc.

** The returns for Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares are for the periods beginning 4/1/13 (commencement of operations).

99

 



Portfolio of Investments
GROWTH & INCOME FUND
September 30, 2013

                
 
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  COMMON STOCKS—98.7%    
  Consumer Discretionary—16.5%    
410,000 Best Buy Company, Inc. $     15,375,000
125,000 BorgWarner, Inc.   12,673,750
430,000 CBS Corporation – Class “B”   23,718,800
820,000 Dana Holding Corporation   18,728,800
305,000 Delphi Automotive, PLC   17,818,100
380,000 GNC Holdings, Inc. – Class “A”   20,759,400
150,000 Harman International Industries, Inc.   9,934,500
180,000 Home Depot, Inc.   13,653,000
250,000 * Jarden Corporation   12,100,000
315,000 L Brands, Inc.   19,246,500
106,900 Lear Corporation   7,650,833
114,100 McDonald’s Corporation   10,977,561
325,000 Newell Rubbermaid, Inc.   8,937,500
307,900 * Orient-Express Hotels, Ltd. – Class “A”   3,996,542
439,700 Pier 1 Imports, Inc.   8,582,944
307,100 * Select Comfort Corporation   7,477,885
125,000 * Steiner Leisure, Ltd.   7,303,750
125,000 * TRW Automotive Holdings Corporation   8,913,750
85,000 Tupperware Brands Corporation   7,341,450
160,000 Walt Disney Company   10,318,400
210,000   Wyndham Worldwide Corporation         12,803,700
 
              258,312,165
 
  Consumer Staples—9.7%    
420,000 Altria Group, Inc.   14,427,000
335,500 * Amira Nature Foods, Ltd.   4,341,370
450,000 Avon Products, Inc.   9,270,000
432,600 Coca-Cola Company   16,386,888
285,000 CVS Caremark Corporation   16,173,750
125,000 Herbalife, Ltd.   8,721,250
275,000 Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. – Class “A”   26,328,500
126,000 PepsiCo, Inc.   10,017,000
275,000 Philip Morris International, Inc.   23,812,250
135,562 Procter & Gamble Company   10,247,131
160,000   Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.         11,833,600
 
              151,558,739

 

100

 



                
 
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  Energy—10.0%    
138,000 Anadarko Petroleum Corporation $     12,832,620
144,800 Chevron Corporation   17,593,200
230,000 ConocoPhillips   15,987,300
100,000 Devon Energy Corporation   5,776,000
215,000 Ensco, PLC – Class “A”   11,556,250
240,490 ExxonMobil Corporation   20,691,760
31,700 Hess Corporation   2,451,678
6,920 Hugoton Royalty Trust   51,692
348,019 Marathon Oil Corporation   12,138,903
142,509 Marathon Petroleum Corporation   9,166,179
142,500 National Oilwell Varco, Inc.   11,130,675
425,000 Noble Corporation   16,052,250
115,000 Phillips 66   6,649,300
48,300 Schlumberger, Ltd.   4,267,788
302,900   Suncor Energy, Inc.         10,837,762
 
              157,183,357
 
  Financials—9.5%    
230,000 American Express Company   17,369,600
140,000 Ameriprise Financial, Inc.   12,751,200
120,000 Armada Hoffler Properties, Inc. (REIT)   1,189,200
275,000 Discover Financial Services   13,898,500
100,000 Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (ETF)   1,992,000
225,000 FirstMerit Corporation   4,884,750
187,500 * Health Insurance Innovations, Inc. – Class “A”   2,240,625
85,000 Invesco, Ltd.   2,711,500
396,730 JPMorgan Chase & Company   20,506,974
125,000 M&T Bank Corporation   13,990,000
100,000 MetLife, Inc.   4,695,000
100,000 Morgan Stanley   2,695,000
165,000 PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.   11,954,250
100,000 SPDR S&P Regional Banking (ETF)   3,565,000
357,666 Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. (REIT)   4,556,665
355,000 U.S. Bancorp   12,985,900
350,000 Urstadt Biddle Properties, Inc. – Class “A” (REIT)   6,958,000
237,050   Wells Fargo & Company         9,794,906
 
              148,739,070

 

101

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
GROWTH & INCOME FUND
September 30, 2013

                
 
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  Health Care—12.5%    
341,600 Abbott Laboratories $     11,337,704
230,000 AbbVie, Inc.   10,287,900
105,000 * Actavis, Inc.   15,120,000
100,000 Baxter International, Inc.   6,569,000
75,000 Covidien, PLC   4,570,500
200,000 * Express Scripts Holding Company   12,356,000
390,000 * Gilead Sciences, Inc.   24,507,600
270,625 Johnson & Johnson   23,460,481
9,375 * Mallinckrodt, PLC   413,344
60,000 McKesson Corporation   7,698,000
303,300 Merck & Company, Inc.   14,440,113
140,000 Omnicare, Inc.   7,770,000
829,301 Pfizer, Inc.   23,809,232
260,000 Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.   23,959,000
265,900 Warner Chilcott, PLC – Class “A”   6,075,815
103,905   Zoetis, Inc.         3,233,524
 
              195,608,213
 
  Industrials—13.9%    
185,000 3M Company   22,090,850
80,000 * ADT Corporation   3,252,800
250,000 Altra Holdings, Inc.   6,727,500
129,400 * Armstrong World Industries, Inc.   7,111,824
107,000 Caterpillar, Inc.   8,920,590
150,000 Chicago Bridge & Iron Company NV – NY Shares   10,165,500
150,000 Dover Corporation   13,474,500
45,000 * Esterline Technologies Corporation   3,595,050
370,000 Generac Holdings, Inc.   15,776,800
385,000 General Electric Company   9,197,650
209,700 Honeywell International, Inc.   17,413,488
120,000 ITT Corporation   4,314,000
30,000 Lockheed Martin Corporation   3,826,500
227,072 Pentair, Ltd.   14,746,055
35,000 Raytheon Company   2,697,450
145,000 Ryder System, Inc.   8,656,500
100,000 Snap-on, Inc.   9,950,000
294,300 * TAL International Group, Inc.   13,752,639
130,500 Textainer Group Holdings, Ltd.   4,942,035
95,000   Triumph Group, Inc.         6,670,900

 

102

 



                
  
  
Shares   Security         Value
 
  Industrials (continued)    
372,475 Tyco International, Ltd. $     13,029,175
154,700   United Technologies Corporation         16,679,754
 
              216,991,560
 
  Information Technology—17.7%    
50,000 Apple, Inc.   23,837,500
350,000 * ARRIS Group, Inc.   5,971,000
180,000 Avago Technologies, Ltd.   7,761,600
160,000 * Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc.   3,844,800
189,000 * CDW Corporation   4,314,870
875,000 Cisco Systems, Inc.   20,492,500
100,000 * eBay, Inc.   5,579,000
700,000 EMC Corporation   17,892,000
418,500 Hewlett-Packard Company   8,780,130
583,775 Intel Corporation   13,380,123
151,425 International Business Machines Corporation   28,040,881
425,000 Intersil Corporation – Class “A”   4,772,750
590,000 Mentor Graphics Corporation   13,788,300
876,345 Microsoft Corporation   29,191,052
287,400 * NeuStar, Inc. – Class “A”   14,220,552
350,000 Oracle Corporation   11,609,500
150,000 * PTC, Inc.   4,264,500
310,000 QUALCOMM, Inc.   20,881,600
455,200 Symantec Corporation   11,266,200
375,000 * Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.   6,810,000
225,000 TE Connectivity, Ltd.   11,650,500
250,000 * Yahoo!, Inc.         8,290,000
 
              276,639,358
 
  Materials—6.7%    
156,900 Celanese Corporation – Series “A”   8,282,751
160,000 Cytec Industries, Inc.   13,017,600
160,000 Eastman Chemical Company   12,464,000
375,000 Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc.   12,405,000
355,000 International Paper Company   15,904,000
220,000 LyondellBasell Industries NV – Class “A”   16,110,600
40,000 Praxair, Inc.   4,808,400
170,000 Rock-Tenn Company – Class “A”     17,215,900
135,000   RPM International, Inc.         4,887,000
 
              105,095,251

 

103

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
GROWTH & INCOME FUND
September 30, 2013

                
 
 
Shares or      
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Telecommunication Services—2.1%    
435,300 AT&T, Inc.   $     14,721,846
396,400   Verizon Communications, Inc.         18,496,024
 
              33,217,870
 
  Utilities—.1%    
50,000   Atmos Energy Corporation         2,129,500
 
Total Value of Common Stocks (cost $995,808,461)         1,545,475,083
 
  SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCY  
  OBLIGATIONS—.8%    
  Federal Home Loan Bank:    
$    4,000M 0.02%, 10/2/2013   3,999,998
9,500M   0.02%, 10/11/2013         9,499,947
 
Total Value of Short-Term U.S. Government Agency Obligations (cost $13,499,945) 13,499,945
 
  SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT    
  OBLIGATIONS—.7%    
  U.S. Treasury Bills:    
10,000M 0.016%, 10/17/2013   9,999,929
1,000M   0.01%, 11/7/2013         999,990
 
Total Value of Short-Term U.S. Government Obligations (cost $10,999,919)       10,999,919
 
Total Value of Investments (cost $1,020,308,325) 100.2 % 1,569,974,947
Excess of Liabilities Over Other Assets (.2 )     (3,629,205)
 
Net Assets     100.0 %     $1,566,345,742

 

Non-income producing

 

Summary of Abbreviations:
ETF Exchange Traded Fund
REIT Real Estate Investment Trust

 

104

 



Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820 established a three-tier hierarchy of inputs to establish a classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three broad Levels listed below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical securities that the Fund has
the ability to access.
 
Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observ-
able for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These inputs may include
quoted prices for the identical instrument on an inactive market, prices for similar
instruments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates
and similar data.
 
Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, to the extent relevant observable inputs
are not available, representing the Fund’s own assumption about the assumptions a
market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and would be based on
the best information available.

 

The inputs methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. For example, amortized cost approximates the current fair value of a security, but since the value is not obtained from a quoted price in an active market, such securities are reflected as Level 2.

The following is a summary, by category of Level, of inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of September 30, 2013:

    Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total
Common Stocks $ 1,545,475,083 $ $ $ 1,545,475,083
Short-Term U.S. Government          
Agency Obligations 13,499,945   13,499,945
Short-Term U.S. Government          
Obligations     10,999,919     10,999,919
Total Investments in Securities* $ 1,545,475,083 $ 24,499,864 $ $ 1,569,974,947

 

The Portfolio of Investments provides information on the industry categorization for common stocks.

 

There were no transfers into or from Level 1 or Level 2 by the Fund for the year ended September 30, 2013. Transfers, if any, between Levels are recognized at the end of the reporting period.

 

See notes to financial statements 105

 



Portfolio Managers’ Letter
GLOBAL FUND

Dear Investor:

We are pleased to send you the First Investors Global Fund annual report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2013. During the period, the Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was 18.6% for Class A shares and 17.6% for Class B shares, including dividends of 3.5 cents per share on Class A shares and 2.5 cents on Class B shares. The Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was 10.0% for Advisor Class shares and 10.2% for Institutional shares Class and no dividends were declared on the Advisor Class and Institutional Class during the period. The Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares commenced operations on April 1, 2013, but Advisor Class shares were not available to the public until October 1, 2013.

Global equities rose during the period, thanks to stronger liquidity unleashed by aggressive monetary policy from central banks worldwide, which produced renewed enthusiasm for stocks.

The broad-based global rally was aided by encouraging data in China; further evidence of a European economic recovery; and solid corporate earnings. Additionally, a more accommodating stance by the European Central Bank (ECB) and the U.S. Federal Reserve (“the Fed”) increased investors’ risk appetites. In particular, the Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) surprising “no taper” decision helped ease near-term concerns that rapidly rising interest rates would derail the rally.

While geopolitical fears over Syria dissipated somewhat in September, investors quickly shifted their worries to political paralysis in the U.S. Congress. The possibility of an imminent government shutdown and an even more contentious debt ceiling battle in October ended the period on a sour note.

Within the MSCI All Country World Index, all ten sectors posted positive returns. Consumer discretionary (34.5%), industrials (26.7%) and healthcare (26.5%) led the index, while the materials (0.9%), energy (6.4%), and utilities (8.6%) sectors posted more modest gains. On a regional basis, Japan (31.6%) and Europe ex UK (29.3%) outperformed, while Emerging Markets (1.3%) lagged.

The Fund’s relative outperformance was primarily due to strong security selection in the financials, consumer discretionary and consumer staples sectors, which more than offset weaker stock selection in energy, health care and information technology.

Sector allocation — a result of our bottom-up stock selection process — also contributed positively to relative returns, thanks mainly to a below-benchmark allocation in the weaker performing materials and energy sectors.

Top contributors to relative performance included Green Mountain Coffee, a leading provider of single-cup brewers and k-cups for coffee and other beverages; AXA, a

106

 



France-based global insurance and investment management company; and Lowe’s, a home improvement retailer. Roche Holding, a Swiss pharmaceutical and diagnostics firm, was among the top contributors to absolute returns during the period.

The largest detractors to relative performance included Barrick Gold, a Canada-based gold exploration and mining company; SABESP, a water utility firm based in Brazil; and BG Group, a UK-based natural gas-focused oil and gas exploration company. Personal electronics device maker Apple was among the largest detractors from absolute returns.

At the end of the period, the Fund’s largest overweight allocations were to the health care, industrials, and consumer discretionary sectors, while the Fund remained underweight in materials, telecommunication services and energy relative to the benchmark. The Fund did not utilize derivatives during the period.

On a regional basis, relative returns were aided by underweighting in the weaker performing emerging markets and overweighting in Europe ex UK. Security selection within the UK and Japan, as well as a small cash position in an upward trending market, detracted modestly from relative performance during the period.

Further, the portfolio moved to exceed benchmark exposure in Japan, where we believe the three forces of monetary, fiscal and corporate policy all worked together more effectively — and for the first time — companies became more shareholder-friendly.

Thank you for placing your trust in First Investors. As always, we appreciate the opportunity to serve your investment needs.


* Matthew E. Megargel is part of a team of portfolio managers who have managed the U.S.
portion of the Fund since 2000.

 

107

 



Fund Expenses (unaudited)
GLOBAL FUND

The examples below show the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and will help you in comparing these costs with costs of other mutual funds. Please refer to page 2 for a detailed explanation of the information presented in these examples.

  Annualized Beginning Ending Expenses Paid
  Expense Account Value Account Value During Period
Expense Example Ratio (4/1/13) (9/30/13) (4/1/13–9/30/13)*
Class A Shares 1.54%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,094.26 $ 8.08
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,017.35 $ 7.79
Class B Shares 2.36%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,088.89 $12.36
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,013.24 $11.91
Advisor Class Shares 1.27%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,100.28 $ 6.69
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,018.70 $ 6.43
Institutional Class Shares 1.14%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,101.65 $ 6.01
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,019.35 $ 5.77

 

Expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over
the period, multiplied by 183/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).
 
**  Assumed rate of return of 5% before expenses.

 

Portfolio Composition
TOP TEN SECTORS

 


Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. Percentages are as of September 30, 2013, and are based on the total market value of investments.

108

 



Cumulative Performance Information (unaudited)
GLOBAL FUND

Comparison of change in value of $10,000 investment in the First Investors Global Fund (Class A shares) and the Morgan Stanley Capital International (“MSCI”) All Country World Index.


    Average Annual Total Returns*  
      Advisor Institutional
N.A.V. Only Class A Class B Class Class
One Year 18.56% 17.55% N/A N/A
Five Years 7.24% 6.44% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 7.26% 6.97% 10.03% 10.17%
      Advisor Institutional
S.E.C. Standardized Class A Class B Class Class
One Year 11.81% 13.55% N/A N/A
Five Years 5.98% 6.13% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 6.63% 6.97% 10.03% 10.17%

 

The graph compares a $10,000 investment in the First Investors Global Fund (Class A shares) beginning 9/30/03 with a theoretical investment in the MSCI All Country World Index (the “Index”). The Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index designed to measure the equity market performance of developed and emerging market country indices. The Index consists of 45 country indices including 24 developed and 21 emerging market country indices. It is not possible to invest directly in this Index. In addition, the Index does not reflect fees and expenses associated with the active management of a mutual fund portfolio. For purposes of the graph and the accompanying table, unless otherwise indicated, it has been assumed that the maximum sales charge was deducted from the initial $10,000 investment in the Fund and all dividends and distributions were reinvested. Class B shares, Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares performance may be greater than or less than that shown in the line graph above for Class A shares based on differences in sales loads and fees paid by shareholders investing in the different classes.

 

109

 



Cumulative Performance Information (unaudited) (continued)
GLOBAL FUND

* Average Annual Total Return figures (for the periods ended 9/30/13) include the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. “N.A.V. Only” returns are calculated without sales charges. The Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are based on the maximum sales charge of 5.75%. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” returns are adjusted for the applicable deferred sales charge (maximum of 4% in the first year). The Advisor Class and Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are the same as the N.A.V. Only returns since these classes are sold without sales charges. During the periods shown, some of the expenses of the Fund were waived or assumed. If such expenses had been paid by the Fund, the Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return for One Year, Five Years and Ten Years would have been 11.78%, 5.96% and 6.62%, respectively. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return for One Year, Five Years and Ten Years would have been 13.53%, 6.10% and 6.99%, respectively. The Advisor Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been 6.24%. The Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been 6.54%. Results represent past performance and do not indicate future results. The graph and the returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on distributions or the redemption of fund shares. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Index figures are from Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc. and all other figures are from First Investors Management Company, Inc.

** The returns for Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares are for the periods beginning 4/1/13 (commencement of operations).

110

 



Portfolio of Investments
GLOBAL FUND
September 30, 2013

                
 
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  COMMON STOCKS—97.1%    
  United States—48.4%    
6,000 Accenture, PLC – Class “A” $       441,840
13,900 Aetna, Inc.   889,878
36,600 Aflac, Inc.   2,268,834
34,395 AGCO Corporation   2,078,146
89,050 Altria Group, Inc.   3,058,868
24,280 American International Group, Inc.   1,180,736
18,515 Ameriprise Financial, Inc.   1,686,346
41,050 Amgen, Inc.   4,595,137
29,520 Anadarko Petroleum Corporation   2,745,065
8,065 Apple, Inc.   3,844,989
37,000 Assured Guaranty, Ltd.   693,750
44,000 AT&T, Inc.   1,488,080
4,620 * AutoZone, Inc.   1,953,013
11,100 * B/E Aerospace, Inc.   819,402
10,300 * Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc.   796,808
13,100 Belden, Inc.   839,055
3,500 * Biogen IDEC, Inc.   842,660
10,755 BlackRock, Inc.   2,910,518
9,200 * Cameron International Corporation   537,004
34,455 CBS Corporation – Class “B”   1,900,538
21,685 * Check Point Software Technologies, Ltd.   1,226,504
42,195 Chevron Corporation   5,126,692
25,090 Chicago Bridge & Iron Company NV – NY Shares   1,700,349
18,665 Cigna Corporation   1,434,592
139,880 Cisco Systems, Inc.   3,275,990
99,815 Citigroup, Inc.   4,842,026
10,600 * Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation – Class “A”   870,472
44,945 Covidien, PLC   2,738,948
39,745 CVS Caremark Corporation   2,255,529
89,100 D.R. Horton, Inc.   1,731,213
12,000 Deere & Company   976,680
45,695 * Dollar Tree, Inc.   2,611,926
34,690 Eaton Corporation, PLC   2,388,060
47,475 * eBay, Inc.   2,648,630
19,670 Eli Lilly & Company   989,991
131,680 EMC Corporation   3,365,741
58,420 Ensco, PLC – Class “A”   3,140,075
11,400 * Express Scripts Holding Company   704,292
24,400 FedEx Corporation   2,784,284
21,400 Flowserve Corporation   1,335,146
15,600 * Gilead Sciences, Inc.         980,304

 

111

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
GLOBAL FUND
September 30, 2013

                
 
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  United States (continued)    
4,665 * Google, Inc. – Class “A” $      4,086,120
17,940 * Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.   1,351,420
9,200 Harley-Davidson, Inc.   591,008
31,300 * Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.   693,608
32,400 Hewlett-Packard Company   679,752
11,820 Honeywell International, Inc.   981,533
16,200 IAC/InterActiveCorp   885,654
2,400 International Business Machines Corporation   444,432
209,530 Interpublic Group of Companies., Inc.   3,599,725
46,080 * JDS Uniphase Corporation   677,837
21,840 Johnson & Johnson   1,893,310
93,380 JPMorgan Chase & Company   4,826,812
29,100 Las Vegas Sands Corporation   1,932,822
84,250 Lowe’s Companies, Inc.   4,011,143
18,965 Mattel, Inc.   793,875
15,365 McKesson Corporation   1,971,330
64,860 Merck & Company, Inc.   3,087,985
109,315 Microsoft Corporation   3,641,283
18,100 * Monster Beverage Corporation   945,725
17,920 NextEra Energy, Inc.   1,436,467
51,935 Norfolk Southern Corporation   4,017,172
84,900 Oracle Corporation   2,816,133
103,166 Pfizer, Inc.   2,961,896
8,900 Philip Morris International, Inc.   770,651
57,075 PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.   4,135,084
34,760 Procter & Gamble Company   2,627,508
8,510 QUALCOMM, Inc.   573,234
12,300 Ross Stores, Inc.   895,440
1,200 Schlumberger, Ltd.   106,032
32,375 St. Jude Medical, Inc.   1,736,595
19,540 Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.   1,298,433
27,045 UnitedHealth Group, Inc.   1,936,692
17,400 Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. – Class “A”   895,752
46,165 Walgreen Company   2,483,677
12,830 Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.   948,907
7,900 Walt Disney Company   509,471
33,000 Wells Fargo & Company   1,363,560
30,365 * WESCO International, Inc.   2,323,833
28,300 * Whiting Petroleum Corporation   1,693,755
17,624   Zoetis, Inc.         548,459
 
              155,872,236

 

112

 



                
 
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  Japan—10.9%    
93,600 Aeon Company, Ltd. $      1,288,699
12,370 Aeon Mall Company, Ltd.   367,350
47,200 Aisin Seiki Company, Ltd.   2,013,065
89,500 Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd.   2,352,311
121,000 Bank of Yokohama, Ltd.   691,781
10,400 Daito Trust Construction Company, Ltd.   1,039,735
41,000 Daiwa House Industry Company, Ltd.   772,158
42,800 Dentsu, Inc.   1,626,945
35,700 Eisai Company, Ltd.   1,451,648
2,000 FamilyMart Company, Ltd.   86,522
17,260 Honda Motor Company, Ltd.   656,979
90,900 Japan Tobacco, Inc.   3,270,084
170,100 Mitsubishi Electric Corporation   1,785,508
529,990 Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.   3,386,535
36,000 Mitsui Fudosan Company, Ltd.   1,208,866
224,600 Nomura Holdings, Inc.   1,751,022
25,000 Nomura Research Institute, Ltd.   868,790
27,900 * Olympus Corporation   848,160
16,600 Omron Corporation   599,715
19,700 Ono Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd.   1,210,609
58,300 ORIX Corporation   947,653
177,100 Rakuten, Inc.   2,680,189
105,320 T&D Holdings, Inc.   1,303,016
17,400 THK Company, Ltd.   385,504
74,900   Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc.         2,446,415
 
               35,039,259
 
  France—8.9%    
31,353 Accor SA   1,304,642
25,243 Air Liquide SA   3,517,837
2,693 AtoS   210,449
155,046 AXA SA   3,594,178
39,684 BNP Paribas SA   2,685,925
19,468 Bureau Veritas SA   614,024
26,952 Cap Gemini SA   1,604,190
15,567 Essilor International SA   1,675,253
70,659 * Peugeot SA   1,162,123
96,284 Rexel SA   2,450,306
24,781 Safran SA     1,527,470
22,974   Sanofi         2,331,484

 

113

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
GLOBAL FUND
September 30, 2013

                
 
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  France (continued)    
40,686 Schneider Electric SA $      3,442,729
13,340 Technip SA   1,567,234
3,543   Unibail-Rodamco         879,587
 
              28,567,431
 
  United Kingdom—7.8%    
41,629 AstraZeneca, PLC   2,167,707
16,900 AstraZeneca, PLC (ADR)   877,617
273,254 BAE Systems, PLC   2,010,763
216,821 Barclays, PLC   932,227
70,102 BG Group, PLC   1,340,147
300,916 BP, PLC   2,110,520
19,340 BP, PLC (ADR)   812,860
8,188 Derwent London, PLC   314,122
98,945 Diageo, PLC   3,148,563
274,012 Direct Line Insurance Group, PLC   946,047
76,712 Experian, PLC   1,462,163
35,693 Great Portland Estates, PLC   311,550
252,281 Kingfisher, PLC   1,576,577
739,328 * Lloyds Banking Group, PLC   880,953
115,116 National Grid, PLC   1,361,796
180,295 Rexam, PLC   1,406,132
173,542 * Rolls-Royce Holdings, PLC   3,125,111
6,209   Schroders, PLC         259,014
 
              25,043,869
 
  Switzerland—3.7%    
13,224 Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA   1,324,959
75,865 Julius Baer Group, Ltd.   3,540,507
19,399 Roche Holding AG – Genusscheine   5,232,420
92,200 * UBS AG – Registered         1,886,315
 
              11,984,201
 
  Belgium—3.2%    
50,702 Anheuser-Busch InBev NV   5,050,022
40,085 Anheuser-Busch InBev NV (ADR)   3,976,432
25,395   Umicore SA         1,234,446
 
              10,260,900

 

114

 



                  
  
  
Shares   Security          Value
 
  Italy—2.8%    
140,143 Assicurazioni Generali SpA $      2,798,155
32,171 Banca Generali SpA   727,260
668,463 Intesa Sanpaolo   1,379,925
118,618 * Mediaset SpA   481,704
582,412 Snam Rete Gas SpA   2,951,716
83,505   UniCredit SpA         532,631
 
               8,871,391
 
  Canada—1.7%    
37,800 Barrick Gold Corporation   703,836
20,300 Canadian National Railway Company   2,062,191
24,000 Suncor Energy, Inc.   859,928
33,990   Tim Hortons, Inc.         1,975,117
 
              5,601,072
 
  Netherlands—1.1%    
7,485 ASML Holding NV – NY Shares (ADR)   739,219
73,955 * NXP Semiconductors NV         2,751,866
 
              3,491,085
 
  Hong Kong—1.0%    
290,200 AIA Group, Ltd.   1,363,970
63,000 Link REIT (REIT)   309,104
500,530   MGM China Holdings, Ltd.         1,661,947
 
              3,335,021
 
  Germany—1.0%    
5,397 Brenntag AG   898,964
9,409 Continental AG   1,595,890
12,866   Lanxess AG         835,626
 
              3,330,480
 
  China—1.0%    
30,800 China Pacific Insurance Group Company, Ltd.   110,409
178,000 ENN Energy Holdings, Ltd.   989,252
1,768,000 Lenovo Group, Ltd.   1,848,898
20,000 Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Company, Ltd.   34,816
410,000   Skyworth Digital Holdings, Ltd.         195,612
 
              3,178,987

 

115

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
GLOBAL FUND
September 30, 2013

                
 
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  Taiwan—.9%    
180,300   Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. (ADR)         $      3,057,888
 
  Spain—.9%    
236,253 * Banco Popular Espanol SA   1,269,307
97,031 * Telefonica SA         1,511,800
 
              2,781,107
 
  Sweden—.8%    
58,562   Assa Abloy AB – Class “B”         2,689,634
 
  Ireland—.5%    
72,229   CRH, PLC         1,728,789
 
  Austria—.4%    
37,036   Erste Group Bank AG         1,171,130
 
  Portugal—.4%    
70,091   Galp Energia SGPS SA         1,166,539
 
  Finland—.3%    
9,940   Kone Oyj-B          887,380
 
  India—.3%    
108,856 ITC, Ltd.   591,879
6,079   United Spirits, Ltd.         245,976
 
              837,855
 
  Brazil—.2%    
42,874 Cia de Saneamento Basico do Estado de Sao Paulo (ADR)   427,025
26,200   Mills Estruturas e Servicos          358,153
 
              785,178
 
  United Arab Emirates—.2%    
23,100 * Al Noor Hospitals Group, PLC   305,626
84,106   NMC Health, PLC         445,244
 
              750,870
 
  Norway—.2%      
17,534 * Algeta ASA         676,375

 

116

 



                
 
 
Shares or      
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
  Panama—.2%    
4,430   Copa Holdings SA – Class “A”         $        614,308
 
  Mexico—.2%    
197,400   Fibra Uno Administracion SA         544,195
 
  Malaysia—.1%    
375,100   Airasia Berhad         294,602
Total Value of Common Stocks (cost $240,603,412)         312,561,782
 
  PREFERRED STOCKS—1.2%    
  Germany    
36,913 * ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG   1,568,980
9,000   Volkswagen AG         2,122,871
Total Value of Preferred Stocks (cost $3,424,274)         3,691,851
 
  SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCY  
  OBLIGATIONS—.5%    
  United States    
$1,500M   Federal Home Loan Bank, 0.02%, 10/11/2013 (cost $1,499,992)       1,499,992
Total Value of Investments (cost $245,527,678) 98.8 % 317,753,625
Other Assets, Less Liabilities 1.2       3,997,034
 
Net Assets     100.0 %     $321,750,659

 

Non income producing

 

Summary of Abbreviations:
ADR American Depositary Receipts
REIT Real Estate Investment Trust

 

117

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
GLOBAL FUND
September 30, 2013

Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820 established a three-tier hierarchy of inputs to establish a classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three broad Levels listed below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical securities that the Fund has
the ability to access.
 
Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observ-
able for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These inputs may include
quoted prices for the identical instrument on an inactive market, prices for similar
instruments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates
and similar data.
 
Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, to the extent relevant observable inputs
are not available, representing the Fund’s own assumption about the assumptions a
market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and would be based on
the best information available.

 

The inputs methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. For example, amortized cost approximates the current fair value of a security, but since the value is not obtained from a quoted price in an active market, such securities are reflected as Level 2.

The following is a summary, by category of Level, of inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of September 30, 2013:

    Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total
Common Stocks            
United States $ 155,872,236 $ $ $ 155,872,236
Japan 35,039,259     35,039,259
France 28,567,431     28,567,431
United Kingdom 25,043,869     25,043,869
Switzerland 11,984,201     11,984,201
Belgium 10,260,900     10,260,900
Italy 8,871,391     8,871,391
Canada 5,601,072     5,601,072
Netherlands 3,491,085     3,491,085
Hong Kong 3,335,021     3,335,021
Germany 3,330,480     3,330,480
China 3,178,987     3,178,987
Taiwan 3,057,888     3,057,888
Spain 2,781,107     2,781,107
Sweden 2,689,634     2,689,634
Ireland 1,728,789     1,728,789
Austria 1,171,130     1,171,130
Portugal 1,166,539     1,166,539
Finland     887,380              887,380

 

118

 



    Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total
Common Stocks (continued)            
India $  837,855 $ $ $  837,855
Brazil 785,178     785,178
United Arab Emirates 750,870     750,870
Norway 676,375     676,375
Panama 614,308     614,308
Mexico 544,195     544,195
Malaysia 294,602     294,602
Preferred Stocks            
Germany 3,691,851     3,691,851
Short-Term U.S. Government            
Agency Obligations     1,499,992     1,499,992
Total Investments in Securities $ 316,253,633 $ 1,499,992 $ $ 317,753,625

 

During the year ended September 30, 2013, there were no transfers between Level 1 investments and Level 2 investments that had a material impact to the Fund. This does not include transfers between Level 1 investments and Level 2 investments due to the Fund utilizing international fair value pricing during the period. Transfers, if any, between Levels are recognized at the end of the reporting period.

 

See notes to financial statements 119

 



Portfolio Manager’s Letter
SELECT GROWTH FUND

Dear Investor:

I’m pleased to send you the First Investors Select Growth Fund annual report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2013. During the period, the Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was 15.8% for Class A shares and 15.0% for Class B shares. The Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was 9.5% for Advisor Class shares and 9.6% for Institutional Class shares. The Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares commenced operations on April 1, 2013, but Advisor Class shares were not available to the public until October 1, 2013.

The Fund’s relative performance during the fiscal year was impacted by a market dominated by value drivers, whereby stocks with the lowest price-to-earnings and price-to-book value ratios posted the best returns. In this environment, companies exhibiting unexpected good business fundamentals that resulted in positive earnings revisions and surprisingly positive earnings — and on which the Fund focused — underperformed.

Sector-wise, healthcare and consumer staples delivered most of the Fund’s positive performance during the fiscal year — starting with pharmaceutical company Actavis, which posted strong revenue growth and earnings growth and whose stock price got a lift from speculation that the company was an acquisition target. In May, the company announced its intention to merge with Warner-Chilcott. The stock ultimately gained 69% during the year.

Pharmaceutical distributor Omnicare showed stable revenue growth and strong improvement in cost controls to drive profitability, with shares increasing 65% in value over the year. In consumer staples, grocery company Kroger and wholesale retailer Costco delivered outstanding performance, gaining 75% and 31%, respectively.

On the negative side, the information technology and consumer discretionary sectors were challenging for the Fund over the last 12 months. Despite good returns in Alliance Data Systems and NetApp, and reduced exposure to Apple in early November, negative moves in several holdings generated significant underperformance for the Fund — including SolarWinds and VMware, which were down 35% and 23%, respectively.

Despite several years of very strong performance for the Fund by the consumer discretionary sector, some retailers disappointed during the year. Ross Stores and Bed Bath & Beyond were both down 10% for the fiscal year and Abercrombie & Fitch declined 20% as teen shoppers significantly curtailed back-to-school clothing purchases.

While a strong 15.7% absolute return is disappointing relative to benchmark performance, we are encouraged by the strong business fundamentals most of the portfolio holdings are delivering as well as signs that investors are starting to favor these companies with better stock performance.

120

 



We continue to believe our focus on high-quality companies with strong earnings expectations are the key to generating excess return over the long term.

Thank you for placing your trust in First Investors. As always, we appreciate the opportunity to serve your investment needs.


121

 



Fund Expenses (unaudited)
SELECT GROWTH FUND

The examples below show the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and will help you in comparing these costs with costs of other mutual funds. Please refer to page 2 for a detailed explanation of the information presented in these examples.

  Annualized Beginning Ending Expenses Paid
  Expense Account Value Account Value During Period
Expense Example Ratio (4/1/13) (9/30/13) (4/1/13–9/30/13)*
Class A Shares 1.31%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,085.78 $ 6.85
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,018.50 $ 6.63
Class B Shares 2.11%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $ 933.17 $10.23
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,014.49 $10.66
Advisor Class Shares 1.02%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,094.56 $ 5.36
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,019.96 $ 5.17
Institutional Class Shares 0.89%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,095.74 $ 4.68
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,020.61 $ 4.51

 

Expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over
the period, multiplied by 183/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).
 
**  Assumed rate of return of 5% before expenses.

 

Portfolio Composition
BY SECTOR

 


Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. Percentages are as of September 30, 2013, and are based on the total market value of investments.

122

 



Cumulative Performance Information (unaudited)
SELECT GROWTH FUND

Comparison of change in value of $10,000 investment in the First Investors Select Growth Fund (Class A shares) and the Russell 3000 Growth Index.


    Average Annual Total Returns*  
      Advisor Institutional
N.A.V. Only Class A Class B Class Class
One Year 15.79% 15.03% N/A N/A
Five Years 6.67% 5.94% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 5.63% 5.40% 9.46% 9.57%
      Advisor Institutional
S.E.C. Standardized Class A Class B Class Class
One Year 9.09% 11.03% N/A N/A
Five Years 5.41% 5.62% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 5.01% 5.40% 9.46% 9.57%

 

The graph compares a $10,000 investment in the First Investors Select Growth Fund (Class A shares) beginning 9/30/03 with a theoretical investment in the Russell 3000 Growth Index (the “Index”). The Index is an unmanaged index that measures the performance of those Russell 3000 Index companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values (the Russell 3000 Index is an unmanaged index that measures the performance of the 3,000 largest U.S. companies based on total market capitalization). It is not possible to invest directly in this Index. In addition, the Index does not reflect fees and expenses associated with the active management of a mutual fund portfolio. For purposes of the graph and the accompanying table, unless otherwise indicated, it has been assumed that the maximum sales charge was deducted from the initial $10,000 investment in the Fund. Class B shares, Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares performance may be greater than or less than that shown in the line graph above for Class A shares based on differences in sales loads and fees paid by shareholders investing in the different classes.

 

123

 



Cumulative Performance Information (unaudited) (continued)
SELECT GROWTH FUND

* Average Annual Total Return figures (for the periods ended 9/30/13) include the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. “N.A.V. Only” returns are calculated without sales charges. The Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are based on the maximum sales charge of 5.75%. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” returns are adjusted for the applicable deferred sales charge (maximum of 4% in the first year). The Advisor Class and Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are the same as the N.A.V. Only returns since these classes are sold without sales charges. During the periods shown, some of the expenses of the Advisor Class and Institutional Class were waived or assumed. If such expenses had been paid by the Advisor Class the “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been 5.85%. The Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been 6.14%. Results represent past performance and do not indicate future results. The graph and the returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on distributions or the redemption of fund shares. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Index figures are from Frank Russell and Company and all other figures are from First Investors Management Company, Inc.

**The returns for Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares are for the periods beginning 4/1/13 (commencement of operations).

124

 



Portfolio of Investments
SELECT GROWTH FUND
September 30, 2013

                
 
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  COMMON STOCKS—98.9%    
  Consumer Discretionary—20.7%    
76,000 BorgWarner, Inc. $    7,705,640
306,200 Gentex Corporation   7,835,658
137,800 Home Depot, Inc.   10,452,130
11,100 * Priceline.com, Inc.   11,221,545
131,000 Starbucks Corporation   10,083,070
220,800 TJX Companies, Inc.   12,450,912
45,240   Whirlpool Corporation         6,624,946
 
               66,373,901
 
  Consumer Staples—7.8%    
67,000 Costco Wholesale Corporation   7,713,040
71,800 Kimberly-Clark Corporation   6,764,996
260,100   Kroger Company         10,492,434
 
              24,970,470
 
  Energy—6.1%    
44,300 Chevron Corporation   5,382,450
47,700 ExxonMobil Corporation   4,104,108
72,700 Helmerich & Payne, Inc.   5,012,665
151,300   Valero Energy Corporation         5,166,895
 
              19,666,118
 
  Financials—8.6%    
153,000 American Express Company   11,554,560
128,900 Discover Financial Services   6,514,606
55,400 Travelers Companies, Inc.   4,696,258
129,700   U.S. Bancorp         4,744,426
 
              27,509,850
 
  Health Care—16.5%    
81,700 * Actavis, Inc.   11,764,800
84,600 Cooper Companies, Inc.   10,971,774
57,500 Johnson & Johnson   4,984,675
70,600 McKesson Corporation   9,057,980
111,100 Omnicare, Inc.   6,166,050
193,500   ResMed, Inc.         10,220,670
 
              53,165,949

 

125

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
SELECT GROWTH FUND
September 30, 2013

               
 
 
Shares or      
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Industrials—14.7%    
108,000 Alaska Air Group, Inc.   $     6,762,960
202,800 AMETEK, Inc.   9,332,856
90,000 Boeing Company   10,575,000
94,400 Rockwell Automation, Inc.   10,095,136
164,000   Wabtec Corporation         10,310,680
 
              47,076,632
 
  Information Technology—22.3%    
54,700 * Alliance Data Systems Corporation   11,567,409
163,900 * AOL, Inc.   5,667,662
28,100 Apple, Inc.   13,396,675
190,899 * CoreLogic, Inc.   5,163,818
242,100 Hewlett-Packard Company   5,079,258
248,600 NetApp, Inc.   10,595,332
85,600 SanDisk Corporation   5,094,056
112,800 * VMware, Inc. – Class “A”   9,125,520
92,619   Western Digital Corporation         5,872,044
 
              71,561,774
 
  Materials—2.2%    
70,900   Rock-Tenn Company – Class “A”         7,180,043
 
Total Value of Common Stocks (cost $237,861,344)         317,504,737
 
  SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT    
  OBLIGATIONS—.9%    
$3,000M   U.S. Treasury Bill, 0.0005%, 10/10/2013 (cost $3,000,000)       3,000,000
 
Total Value of Investments (cost $240,861,344) 99.8 % 320,504,737
Other Assets, Less Liabilities .2       638,991
 
Net Assets     100.0 %     $321,143,728

 

Non-income producing

 

126

 



Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820 established a three-tier hierarchy of inputs to establish a classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three broad Levels listed below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical securities that the Fund has
the ability to access.
 
Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable
for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These inputs may include quoted
prices for the identical instrument on an inactive market, prices for similar instru-
ments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates and
similar data.
 
Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, to the extent relevant observable inputs
are not available, representing the Fund’s own assumption about the assumptions a
market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and would be based on
the best information available.

 

The inputs methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. For example, amortized cost approximates the current fair value of a security, but since the value is not obtained from a quoted price in an active market, such securities are reflected as Level 2.

The following is a summary, by category of Level, of inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of September 30, 2013:

    Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total
Common Stocks $ 317,504,737 $ $ $ 317,504,737
Short-Term U.S. Government            
Obligations     3,000,000     3,000,000
Total Investments in Securities* $ 317,504,737 $ 3,000,000 $ $ 320,504,737

 

The Portfolio of Investments provides information on the industry categorization for common stocks.

 

There were no transfers into or from Level 1 and Level 2 by the Fund for the year ended September 30, 2013. Transfers, if any, between Levels are recognized at the end of the reporting period.

 

See notes to financial statements 127

 



Portfolio Managers’ Letter
OPPORTUNITY FUND

Dear Investor:

We are pleased to send you the First Investors Opportunity Fund annual report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2013. During the period, the Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was 34.5% for Class A shares and 33.5% for Class B shares, including capital gains distributions of 80.1 cents per share for both A shares and B shares, and dividends of 26.0 cents per share on Class A shares and 21.7 cents per share on Class B shares. The Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was 15.2% for Advisor Class shares and 15.3% for Institutional Class shares. No capital gain distributions and dividends were declared on the Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares. The Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares commenced operations on April 1, 2013, but Advisor Class shares were not available to the public until October 1, 2013.

The Fund performed well, posting strong results while also exceeding its benchmark index by a comfortable margin. The Fund’s absolute performance was mainly attributable to investments in industrials and consumer discretionary stocks. Among our industrial stocks, Triumph Group — a maker of aircraft components and engine accessories — benefited from order increases at Boeing Company and EADS NV (the maker of Airbus), as well as a large contract to build fuselage sections for Embraer SA.

Esterline Technologies — a maker of sensor and interface systems for commercial and military aircraft — benefited from trends that also helped Triumph Group. While the commercial aerospace markets have remained strong, the defense aerospace markets performed better than expected after sequestration went into effect on March 1.

Among the Fund’s consumer discretionary stocks, Delphi Automotive PLC — which makes powertrains and electrical architecture for passenger cars — benefited from global demand for better fuel efficiency and more “infotainment” and connectivity systems. GNC Holdings — a U.S. focused specialty retailer of health and wellness products — continued to benefit from the same strong core demand it experienced last year. This year, GNC Holdings also benefited from its new “Gold Card Member Pricing” program, which brought in new customers who had been seeking coupon and refill-related purchases elsewhere.

On a relative basis, the Fund outperformed the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index primarily due to stock selection in the consumer staples and consumer discretionary sectors. In the consumer staples sector, Nu Skin Enterprises — a direct seller of personal care products and nutritional supplements — reported better-than-expected earnings and strengthened its outlook for both its existing business and a recently launched weight management product line.

128

 



Elsewhere in the consumer staples sector, Prestige Brands Holdings — which sells household cleaners and over-the-counter healthcare products — also consistently beat earnings expectations and generated stronger-than-expected cash flow. Further, OTC products — which it acquired from GlaxoSmithKline in December 2011 — continued to perform well.

In the consumer discretionary sector, Dana Holding Corp. — which makes drive-line products and power technologies for the truck and auto markets — and Delphi Automotive PLC both helped drive outperformance. Dana Holding benefited from a recovering volume in truck production as well as a desire by original equipment manufacturers to focus on fewer large and well-capitalized suppliers.

Among detractors to relative performance, the Fund’s stock selection within the utility sector hurt. While the Fund’s individual stocks did well, electric and natural gas utilities had a very strong year due to the low-interest rate environment and low fuel costs in the first half of the calendar year. The Fund remains underweight in utility stocks, as we believe better earnings growth prospects exist in other sectors. For example, the Fund has been rewarded by our decision to overweight the industrial and consumer discretionary sectors, where we believed the fundamentals indicated stronger core earnings growth.

Thank you for placing your trust in First Investors. As always, we appreciate the opportunity to serve your investment needs.


129

 



Fund Expenses (unaudited)
OPPORTUNITY FUND

The examples below show the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and will help you in comparing these costs with costs of other mutual funds. Please refer to page 2 for a detailed explanation of the information presented in these examples.

  Annualized Beginning Ending Expenses Paid
  Expense Account Value Account Value During Period
Expense Example Ratio (4/1/13) (9/30/13) (4/1/13–9/30/13)*
Class A Shares 1.24%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,139.25 $ 6.65
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,018.85 $ 6.28
Class B Shares 2.01%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,135.06 $10.76
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,014.99 $10.15
Advisor Class Shares 0.98%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,152.43 $ 5.29
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,020.16 $ 4.96
Institutional Class Shares 0.85%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,153.33 $ 4.59
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,020.81 $ 4.31

 

Expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over
the period, multiplied by 183/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).
 
**  Assumed rate of return of 5% before expenses.

 

Portfolio Composition
TOP TEN SECTORS

 


Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. Percentages are as of September 30, 2013, and are based on the total market value of investments.

130

 



Cumulative Performance Information (unaudited)
OPPORTUNITY FUND

Comparison of change in value of $10,000 investment in the First Investors Opportunity Fund (Class A shares) and the Standard & Poor’s MidCap 400 Index.


    Average Annual Total Returns*  
      Advisor Institutional
N.A.V. Only Class A Class B Class Class
One Year 34.47% 33.49% N/A N/A
Five Years 13.21% 12.41% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 10.19% 10.03% 15.24% 15.33%
      Advisor Institutional
S.E.C. Standardized Class A Class B Class Class
One Year 26.75% 29.49% N/A N/A
Five Years 11.88% 12.16% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 9.54% 10.03% 15.24% 15.33%

 

The graph compares a $10,000 investment in the First Investors Opportunity Fund (Class A shares) beginning 9/30/03 with a theoretical investment in the Standard & Poor’s MidCap 400 Index (the “Index”). The Index is an unmanaged capitalization-weighted index of 400 stocks designed to measure performance of the mid-range sector of the U.S. stock market. It is not possible to invest directly in this Index. In addition, the Index does not reflect fees and expenses associated with the active management of a mutual fund portfolio. For purposes of the graph and the accompanying table, unless otherwise indicated, it has been assumed that the maximum sales charge was deducted from the initial $10,000 investment in the Fund and all dividends and distributions were reinvested. Class B shares, Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares performance may be greater than or less than that shown in the line graph above for Class A shares based on differences in sales loads and fees paid by shareholders investing in the different classes.

 

131

 



Cumulative Performance Information (unaudited) (continued)
OPPORTUNITY FUND

* Average Annual Total Return figures (for the periods ended 9/30/13) include the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. “N.A.V. Only” returns are calculated without sales charges. The Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are based on the maximum sales charge of 5.75%. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” returns are adjusted for the applicable deferred sales charge (maximum of 4% in the first year). The Advisor Class and Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are the same as the N.A.V. Only returns since these classes are sold without sales charges. During the periods shown, some of the expenses of the Fund were waived or assumed. If such expenses had been paid by the Fund, the Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return for Ten Years would have been 9.52%. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Ten Years would have been 9.91%. The Advisor Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been 11.74%. The Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been 12.01%. Results represent past performance and do not indicate future results. The graph and the returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on distributions or the redemption of fund shares. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Index figures are from Standard & Poor’s and all other figures are from First Investors Management Company, Inc.

**The returns for Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares are for the periods beginning 4/1/13 (commencement of operations).

132

 



Portfolio of Investments
OPPORTUNITY FUND
September 30, 2013

 
                 
  
  
Shares   Security         Value
 
  COMMON STOCKS—96.5%    
  Consumer Discretionary—18.5%    
75,000 BorgWarner, Inc. $     7,604,250
200,000 CST Brands, Inc.   5,960,000
540,000 Dana Holding Corporation   12,333,600
204,600 * Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group, Inc.   4,126,782
245,000 Delphi Automotive, PLC   14,312,900
210,000 GNC Holdings, Inc. – Class “A”   11,472,300
115,000 Harman International Industries, Inc.   7,616,450
149,500 * Jarden Corporation   7,235,800
165,000 L Brands, Inc.   10,081,500
185,000 Newell Rubbermaid, Inc.   5,087,500
50,000 Nordstrom, Inc.   2,810,000
436,000 * Orient-Express Hotels, Ltd. – Class “A”   5,659,280
6,900 Oxford Industries, Inc.   469,062
329,800 Pier 1 Imports, Inc.   6,437,696
25,000 Ralph Lauren Corporation   4,118,250
205,000 Ruth’s Hospitality Group, Inc.   2,431,300
149,300 * Select Comfort Corporation   3,635,455
175,000 Stewart Enterprises, Inc. – Class “A”   2,299,500
145,000 * TRW Automotive Holdings Corporation   10,339,950
85,000 Tupperware Brands Corporation   7,341,450
90,000   Wyndham Worldwide Corporation         5,487,300
 
              136,860,325
 
  Consumer Staples—7.4%    
175,400 * Amira Nature Foods, Ltd.   2,269,676
240,000 Avon Products, Inc.   4,944,000
10,000 * Fairway Group Holdings Corporation   255,600
70,000 Herbalife, Ltd.   4,883,900
20,000 McCormick & Company, Inc.   1,294,000
200,000 Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. – Class “A”   19,148,000
82,600 Pinnacle Foods, Inc.   2,186,422
538,500 * Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc.   16,219,620
69,407 Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc.   2,139,123
99,700 * WhiteWave Foods Company – Class “A”         1,991,009
 
              55,331,350
 
  Energy—7.3%    
1,000 * Athlon Energy, Inc.   32,700
30,000 * Dril-Quip, Inc.         3,442,500

 

133

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
OPPORTUNITY FUND
September 30, 2013

               
   
 
Shares   Security          Value
 
  Energy (continued)    
170,000 Ensco, PLC – Class “A” $ 9,137,500
40,000 EOG Resources, Inc.   6,771,200
90,000 EQT Corporation   7,984,800
43,000 Hess Corporation   3,325,620
139,700 National Oilwell Varco, Inc.   10,911,967
205,000 Noble Corporation   7,742,850
225,000 Talisman Energy, Inc.   2,587,500
125,000  * Weatherford International, Ltd.         1,916,250
 
              53,852,887
 
  Financials—11.5%    
60,000 Ameriprise Financial, Inc.   5,464,800
200,000 Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc.   5,022,000
105,000 City National Corporation   6,999,300
220,000 Discover Financial Services   11,118,800
150,000 Douglas Emmett, Inc. (REIT)   3,520,500
45,000 Federal Realty Investment Trust (REIT)   4,565,250
90,000 Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (ETF)   1,792,800
175,000 FirstMerit Corporation   3,799,250
171,000 * Health Insurance Innovations, Inc. – Class “A”   2,043,450
15,000 Invesco, Ltd.   478,500
65,000 M&T Bank Corporation   7,274,800
120,000 NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.   3,850,800
100,000 Oritani Financial Corporation   1,646,000
275,000 Protective Life Corporation   11,701,250
325,000 Provident New York Bancorp   3,539,250
22,700 * Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc. (REIT)   306,677
92,000 SPDR S&P Regional Banking (ETF)   3,279,800
175,000   Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. – Class “A”         9,009,000
 
              85,412,227
 
  Health Care—11.0%    
110,000 * Actavis, Inc.   15,840,000
125,000 * Centene Corporation   7,995,000
75,000 DENTSPLY International, Inc.   3,255,750
160,000 * Gilead Sciences, Inc.   10,054,400
87,500 McKesson Corporation   11,226,250
110,700 Omnicare, Inc.   6,143,850
20,000   Perrigo Company         2,467,600

 

134

 



               
 
  
Shares   Security         Value
 
  Health Care (continued)  
125,000 Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. $ 11,518,750
235,000  * Triple-S Management Corporation – Class “B” 4,321,650
375,000   Warner Chilcott, PLC – Class “A”         8,568,750
 
              81,392,000
 
  Industrials—17.1%  
140,000 A.O. Smith Corporation 6,328,000
180,000 Altra Holdings, Inc. 4,843,800
95,000  * Armstrong World Industries, Inc. 5,221,200
100,000  * B/E Aerospace, Inc. 7,382,000
140,000 Chicago Bridge & Iron Company NV – NY Shares 9,487,800
95,000 Dover Corporation 8,533,850
40,000  * Esterline Technologies Corporation 3,195,600
114,100 G&K Services, Inc. – Class “A” 6,890,499
262,500 Generac Holdings, Inc. 11,193,000
60,000 IDEX Corporation 3,915,000
130,000 ITT Corporation 4,673,500
82,500 J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. 6,016,725
131,400 Pentair, Ltd. 8,533,116
40,000 Roper Industries, Inc. 5,314,800
90,000 Ryder System, Inc. 5,373,000
85,500 Snap-on, Inc. 8,507,250
115,000  * TAL International Group, Inc. 5,373,950
65,500 Textainer Group Holdings, Ltd. 2,480,485
80,000 Triumph Group, Inc. 5,617,600
135,000   * United Rentals, Inc.         7,869,150
 
              126,750,325
 
  Information Technology—11.8%  
250,000  * ARRIS Group, Inc. 4,265,000
125,000 Avago Technologies, Ltd. 5,390,000
255,000  * Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc. 6,127,650
149,000  * CDW Corporation 3,401,670
45,000  * Fiserv, Inc. 4,547,250
230,000 Intersil Corporation – Class “A” 2,582,900
360,000 Mentor Graphics Corporation 8,413,200
180,000 Microchip Technology, Inc. 7,252,200
250,500  * NeuStar, Inc. – Class “A” 12,394,740
325,000 Symantec Corporation 8,043,750
420,000   * Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.         7,627,200

 

135

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
OPPORTUNITY FUND
September 30, 2013

               
  
Shares or      
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Information Technology (continued)    
160,000 TE Connectivity, Ltd. $   8,284,800
275,000   Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (ETF)         8,808,250
 
              87,138,610
 
  Materials—8.0%    
100,000 Cytec Industries, Inc.   8,136,000
80,000 Eastman Chemical Company   6,232,000
247,322 Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc.   8,181,412
190,000 International Paper Company   8,512,000
40,000 Praxair, Inc.   4,808,400
149,600 Rock-Tenn Company – Class “A”   15,149,992
55,000 Sigma-Aldrich Corporation   4,691,500
37,500   Westlake Chemical Corporation         3,924,750
 
              59,636,054
 
  Telecommunication Services—.7%    
272,000   NTELOS Holdings Corporation         5,113,600
 
  Utilities—3.2%    
111,000 AGL Resources, Inc.   5,109,330
144,800 Portland General Electric Company   4,087,704
135,000 SCANA Corporation   6,215,400
200,000   Wisconsin Energy Corporation         8,076,000
 
              23,488,434
Total Value of Common Stocks (cost $446,878,657)         714,975,812
 
  SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT    
  OBLIGATIONS—1.9%    
  U.S. Treasury Bills:    
$ 4,000 M 0.0005%, 10/10/2013   4,000,000
10,000 0.016%, 10/17/2013         9,999,929
Total Value of Short-Term U.S. Government Obligations (cost $13,999,929)         13,999,929

 

136

 



               
 
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCY  
  OBLIGATIONS—1.5%    
  Federal Home Loan Bank:    
$ 1,000 M 0.02%, 10/2/2013   $     999,999
10,000 0.02%, 10/11/2013         9,999,944
Total Value of U.S. Government Agency Obligations (cost $10,999,943)     10,999,943
Total Value of Investments (cost $471,878,529) 99.9 % 739,975,684
Other Assets, Less Liabilities   .1     645,175
Net Assets       100.0   $740,620,859

 

* Non-income producing

 

Summary of Abbreviations:
ETF Exchange Traded Fund
REIT Real Estate Investment Trust

 

137

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
OPPORTUNITY FUND
September 30, 2013

Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820 established a three-tier hierarchy of inputs to establish a classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three broad Levels listed below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical securities that the Fund has
  the ability to access.
 
Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observ-
able for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These inputs may include
quoted prices for the identical instrument on an inactive market, prices for similar
  instruments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates
and similar data.
 
Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, to the extent relevant observable inputs
are not available, representing the Fund’s own assumption about the assumptions a
market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and would be based on
the best information available.


The inputs methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. For example, amortized cost approximates the current fair value of a security, but since the value is not obtained from a quoted price in an active market, such securities are reflected as Level 2.

The following is a summary, by category of Level, of inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of September 30, 2013:

    Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total
Common Stocks $ 714,975,812 $ $ $ 714,975,812
Short-Term U.S. Government            
Obligations   13,999,929   13,999,929
Short-Term U.S. Government            
Agency Obligations     10,999,943     10,999,943
Total Investments in Securities*   714,975,812 $ 24,999,872 $ 739,975,684

 

* The Portfolio of Investments provides information on the industry categorization for common stocks.

 

There were no transfers into or from Level 1 or Level 2 by the Fund for the year ended September 30, 2013. Transfers, if any, between Levels are recognized at the end of the reporting period.

138 See notes to financial statements

 



Portfolio Manager’s Letter
SPECIAL SITUATIONS FUND

Dear Investor:

I’m pleased to send you the First Investors Special Situations Fund annual report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2013. First Investors Management Company, Inc. assumed portfolio management responsibilities for the Fund from the previous subadviser effective September 23, 2013. The Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares commenced operations on April 1, 2013, but Advisor Class shares were not available to the public until October 1, 2013.

During the period, the Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was 20.5% for Class A shares and 19.6% for Class B shares, including capital gains distributions of $1.00 per share for both Class A and Class B shares, and dividends of 11.6 cents and 8.2 cents per share on Class A and Class B shares, respectively. The Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was 9.3% for Advisor Class shares and 9.5% for Institutional Class shares. The Fund did not declare any dividends or capital gains on the Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares.

Fund performance for fiscal year 2013 was positive; however, it did not keep up with the broader market, as stocks rallied in anticipation of another round of quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve. The Fund’s underperformance this year was exacerbated by poor stock selection.

The Fund’s absolute performance was mainly attributable to investments in information technology and consumer discretionary stocks. Among information technology stocks held by the fund, TriQuint Semiconductor — which makes components for the consumer smartphone market — benefited from strong demand for its radio frequency component used in 4G LTE networks. Among consumer discretionary stocks, Express Inc. — which retails apparel and accessories for women and men between 20 and 30 years-old — outperformed its competitors despite weak mall traffic. Express delivered good quality fashion that its target customer found appealing.

On a relative basis, the Fund underperformed the Russell 2000 Index primarily due to stock selection in the financials sector and allocation in the industrials. Among financial stocks, Anworth Mortgage Asset Corp (a REIT that invests in mortgage-backed securities) suffered from higher-than-expected mortgage prepayments and lower-than-expected interest rates, which pressured net income. Among industrials stocks, the Fund only held nine positions for most of the year. While they all did well, they simply did not do well enough to keep up with what would turn out to be the best performing sector in the Russell 2000 Index.

139

 



Portfolio Manager’s Letter (continued)
SPECIAL SITUATIONS FUND

The Fund’s top-performing sector on a relative basis for the reporting period was consumer discretionary. Express Inc. — which is discussed above — was the primary driver of outperformance. Deckers Outdoor Corporation — a footwear and accessories maker known for its UGG footwear — launched a series of initiatives to reduce excess inventory and to lower manufacturing costs. Investors rewarded the company’s stock on its improved earnings outlook.

As we move forward with the Fund, we intend to use a “bottom-up” approach to selecting investments that emphasizes fundamental research. We also plan to increase the number of holdings in the Fund to increase diversification. We will continue to invest primarily in common stocks of small-size companies that we believe are undervalued and that generally are experiencing a “special situation.” Developments creating special situations may include mergers, spin-offs, litigation resolution, new products or management changes. As of the end of the review period, portfolio repositioning is underway, and we look forward to updating you on our progress.

Thank you for placing your trust in First Investors. As always, we appreciate the opportunity to serve your investment needs.


* Effective September 23, 2013, Steven S. Hill became Portfolio Manager of the
   Special Situations Fund.

 

140

 



Fund Expenses (unaudited)
SPECIAL SITUATIONS FUND

The examples below show the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and will help you in comparing these costs with costs of other mutual funds. Please refer to page 2 for a detailed explanation of the information presented in these examples.

  Annualized Beginning Ending Expenses Paid
  Expense Account Value Account Value During Period
Expense Example Ratio (4/1/13) (9/30/13) (4/1/13–9/30/13)*
Class A Shares 1.35%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,077.94 $ 7.03
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,018.30 $ 6.83
Class B Shares 2.13%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,073.73 $11.07
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,014.39 $10.76
Advisor Class Shares 1.16%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,092.56 $ 6.09
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,019.25 $ 5.87
Institutional Class Shares 0.84%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $1,094.51 $ 4.41
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,020.86 $ 4.26

 

  * Expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over
the period, multiplied by 183/365 (to reflect the one-half year period). Expenses paid during the
period are net of expenses waived.
 
** Assumed rate of return of 5% before expenses.

 

Portfolio Composition
TOP TEN SECTORS


Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. Percentages are as of September 30, 2013, and are based on the total market value of investments.

141

 



Cumulative Performance Information (unaudited)
SPECIAL SITUATIONS FUND

Comparison of change in value of $10,000 investment in the First Investors Special Situations Fund (Class A shares) and the Russell 2000 Index.

 

 
    Average Annual Total Returns*  
      Advisor Institutional
N.A.V. Only Class A Class B Class Class
One Year 20.47% 19.62% N/A N/A
Five Years 10.30% 9.53% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 9.15% 9.00% 9.26% 9.45%
      Advisor Institutional
S.E.C. Standardized Class A Class B Class Class
One Year 13.54% 15.62% N/A N/A
Five Years 9.00% 9.25% N/A N/A
Ten Years, Since Inception** 8.50% 9.00% 9.26% 9.45%

 

The graph compares a $10,000 investment in the First Investors Special Situations Fund (Class A shares) beginning 9/30/03 with a theoretical investment in the Russell 2000 Index (the “Index”). The Index is an unmanaged Index that measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Index consists of the smallest 2,000 companies in the Russell 3000 Index (which represents approximately 98% of the investable U.S. equity market). It is not possible to invest directly in this Index. In addition, the Index does not reflect fees and expenses associated with the active management of a mutual fund portfolio. For purposes of the graph and the accompanying table, unless otherwise indicated, it has been assumed that the maximum sales charge was deducted from the initial $10,000 investment in the Fund and all dividends and distributions were reinvested. Class B shares, Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares performance may be greater than or less than that shown in the line graph above for Class A shares based on differences in sales loads and fees paid by shareholders investing in the different classes.

142

 



* Average Annual Total Return figures (for the periods ended 9/30/13) include the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. “N.A.V. Only” returns are calculated without sales charges. The Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are based on the maximum sales charge of 5.75%. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” returns are adjusted for the applicable deferred sales charge (maximum of 4% in the first year). The Advisor Class and Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are the same as the N.A.V. Only returns since these classes are sold without sales charges. During the periods shown, some of the expenses of the Fund were waived or assumed. If such expenses had been paid by the Fund, the Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return for One Year, Five Years and Ten Years would have been 13.45%, 8.89% and 8.40%, respectively. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return for One Year, Five Years and Ten Years would have been 15.54%, 9.14% and 8.73%, respectively. The Advisor Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been 5.43%. The Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been 5.69%. Results represent past performance and do not indicate future results. The graph and the returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on distributions or the redemption of fund shares. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Index figures are from Frank Russell and Company and all other figures are from First Investors Management Company, Inc.

**The returns for Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares are for the periods beginning 4/1/13 (commencement of operations)

143

 



Portfolio of Investments
SPECIAL SITUATIONS FUND
September 30, 2013

               
  
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  COMMON STOCKS—94.0%    
  Consumer Discretionary—21.1%    
181,850 Best Buy Company, Inc. $ 6,819,375
175,000 CST Brands, Inc.   5,215,000
300,000 Dana Holding Corporation   6,852,000
30,000 * Deckers Outdoor Corporation   1,977,600
130,000 * Express, Inc.   3,066,700
55,000 Hanesbrands, Inc.   3,427,050
100,000 Harman International Industries, Inc.   6,623,000
60,000 * Jarden Corporation   2,904,000
125,000 * Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.   2,318,750
22,200 Loral Space & Communications, Inc.   1,503,606
253,175 * M/I Homes, Inc.   5,220,469
148,875 * Meritage Homes Corporation   6,394,181
250,000 * Orient-Express Hotels, Ltd. – Class “A”   3,245,000
234,500 Pier 1 Imports, Inc.   4,577,440
36,900 PVH Corporation   4,379,661
200,000 Regal Entertainment Group – Class “A”   3,796,000
48,300 Ruth’s Hospitality Group, Inc.   572,838
175,000 * Select Comfort Corporation   4,261,250
95,000 * Starz-Liberty Capital – Class “A”   2,672,350
65,000 Tupperware Brands Corporation   5,614,050
75,000 * Visteon Corporation   5,673,000
39,916 * WMS Industries, Inc.         1,035,820
 
              88,149,140
 
  Consumer Staples—3.0%    
2,300 * Amira Nature Foods, Ltd.   29,762
35,000 Herbalife, Ltd.   2,441,950
45,000 Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. – Class “A”   4,308,300
100,000 Pinnacle Foods, Inc.   2,647,000
150,000 * WhiteWave Foods Company – Class “A”         2,995,500
 
              12,422,512
 
  Energy—10.1%    
258,275 * Approach Resources, Inc.   6,787,467
65,118 Calumet Specialty Products Partners, LP   1,777,070
40,000 Ensco, PLC – Class “A”   2,150,000
277,291 * Matrix Service Company   5,440,449
290,750 * Midstates Petroleum Company, Inc.   1,491,548
85,000   Noble Corporation         3,210,450

 

144

 



               
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  Energy (continued)    
698,222 * PetroQuest Energy, Inc. $ 2,799,870
207,700 * Stone Energy Corporation   6,735,711
222,775 Western Refining, Inc.   6,692,161
85,200  * Whiting Petroleum Corporation         5,099,220
 
              42,183,946
 
  Financials—13.0%    
135,600 American Financial, Inc.   7,330,536
475,850 Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation (REIT)   2,298,355
14,200 Armada Hoffler Properties, Inc. (REIT)   140,722
100,000 Aspen Insurance Holdings, Ltd.   3,629,000
111,500 Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc.   2,799,765
60,000 City National Corporation   3,999,600
150,000 Douglas Emmett, Inc. (REIT)   3,520,500
50,000 * EZCORP, Inc. – Class “A”   844,000
40,000 Federal Realty Investment Trust (REIT)   4,058,000
125,000 Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (ETF)   2,490,000
175,000 FirstMerit Corporation   3,799,250
168,150 Montpelier Re Holdings, Ltd.   4,380,308
113,600 Oritani Financial Corporation   1,869,856
100,000 Protective Life Corporation   4,255,000
217,900 Provident New York Bancorp   2,372,931
100,000 SPDR S&P Regional Banking (ETF)   3,565,000
55,000   Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. – Class “A”         2,831,400
 
              54,184,223
 
  Health Care—6.5%    
115,000 * Centene Corporation   7,355,400
56,178 * Life Technologies Corporation   4,203,800
267,450 Masimo Corporation   7,124,868
100,000 Omnicare, Inc.   5,550,000
72,875   PerkinElmer, Inc.         2,751,031
 
              26,985,099
 
  Industrials—9.1%    
45,000 Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc.   2,317,500
85,000 G&K Services, Inc. – Class “A”   5,133,150
150,000 Generac Holdings, Inc.   6,396,000
125,000 ITT Corporation   4,493,750
127,600   Kelly Services, Inc. – Class “A”         2,484,372

 

145

 



Portfolio of Investments
SPECIAL SITUATIONS FUND
September 30, 2013

               
  
  
Shares   Security         Value
 
  Industrials (continued)    
170,900 Kforce, Inc. $ 3,023,221
10,000 Precision Castparts Corporation   2,272,400
73,975 Ryder System, Inc.   4,416,308
45,000 Snap-on, Inc.   4,477,500
50,000 * United Rentals, Inc.         2,914,500
 
              37,928,701
 
  Information Technology—21.3%    
175,000 Avnet, Inc.   7,299,250
190,000 * Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc.   4,565,700
200,000 * CDW Corporation   4,566,000
349,300 *  Demand Media, Inc.   2,207,576
126,850 IAC/InterActiveCorp   6,934,889
600,000 Intersil Corporation – Class “A”   6,738,000
238,275 Lender Processing Services, Inc.   7,927,409
210,000 Mentor Graphics Corporation   4,907,700
125,000 Microchip Technology, Inc.   5,036,250
200,000 * Microsemi Corporation   4,850,000
90,000 * NeuStar, Inc. – Class “A”   4,453,200
191,975 * Progress Software Corporation   4,968,313
590,200 * QLogic Corporation   6,456,788
75,000 * Skyworks Solutions, Inc.   1,863,000
275,000 * Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.   4,994,000
750,000 * TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc.   6,097,500
60,000 * Verint Systems, Inc.   2,223,600
225,000  * Vishay Intertechnology, Inc.         2,900,250
 
              88,989,425
 
  Materials—5.1%    
103,000 AptarGroup, Inc.   6,193,390
141,125 * Boise Cascade Company   3,803,319
40,000 Innospec, Inc.   1,866,400
50,000 Sensient Technologies Corporation   2,394,500
68,115   Westlake Chemical Corporation         7,128,916
 
              21,386,525

 

146

 



               
 
 
Shares or      
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
 
  Telecommunication Services—1.4%    
40,000 iShares U.S. Telecommunications (ETF)   $  1,103,200
125,000 NTELOS Holdings Corporation   2,350,000
225,000  * Premiere Global Services, Inc.         2,241,000
 
              5,694,200
 
  Utilities—3.4%    
90,000 AGL Resources, Inc.   4,142,700
90,000 Portland General Electric Company   2,540,700
75,000 SCANA Corporation   3,453,000
100,000   Wisconsin Energy Corporation         4,038,000
 
              14,174,400
 
Total Value of Common Stocks (cost $334,992,726)         392,098,171
  SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT    
  OBLIGATIONS—2.7%    
  U.S. Treasury Bills:    
$10,000 M 0.0005%, 10/10/2013   9,999,999
1,000 0.01%, 11/7/2013         999,990
 
Total Value of Short-Term U.S. Government Obligations (cost $10,999,989) 10,999,989
Total Value of Investments (cost $345,992,715) 96.7 % 403,098,160
Other Assets, Less Liabilities   3.3        13,938,313
Net Assets       100.0 %      $417,036,473

 

* Non-income producing

 

Summary of Abbreviations:
ETF Exchange Traded Fund
REIT Real Estate Investment Trust

 

147

 



Portfolio of Investments
SPECIAL SITUATIONS FUND
September 30, 2013

Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820 established a three-tier hierarchy of inputs to establish a classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three broad Levels listed below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical securities that the Fund has
  the ability to access.
 
Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observ-          
able for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These inputs may include    
  quoted prices for the identical instrument on an inactive market, prices for similar 
instruments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates  
  and similar data.
 
Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, to the extent relevant observable inputs        
are not available, representing the Fund’s own assumption about the assumptions a
market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and would be based on
the best information available.


The inputs methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. For example, amortized cost approximates the current fair value of a security, but since the value is not obtained from a quoted price in an active market, such securities are reflected as Level 2.

The following is a summary, by category of Level, of inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of September 30, 2013:

    Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total
Common Stocks $ 392,098,171 $ $ $ 392,098,171
Short-Term U.S. Government            
Obligations     10,999,989     10,999,989
Total Investments in Securities* 392,098,171 $ 10,999,989 $ $ 403,098,160

 

* The Portfolio of Investments provides information on the industry categorization for the portfolio.

 

There were no transfers into or from Level 1 or Level 2 by the Fund for the year ended September 30, 2013. Transfers, if any, between Levels are recognized at the end of the reporting period.

148 See notes to financial statements

 



Portfolio Manager’s Letter
INTERNATIONAL FUND

Dear Investor:

I’m pleased to send you the First Investors International Fund annual report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2013. During the period, the Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was 7.3% for Class A shares and 6.5% for Class B shares. The Fund’s return on a net asset value basis was –1.9% for Advisor Class shares and –1.8% for Institutional Class shares. The Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares commenced operations on April 1, 2013, but Advisor Class shares were not available to the public until October 1, 2013.

Equity markets were strong across most major economies with cyclical stocks and peripheral European markets performing well, coinciding with low interest rates across southern Europe, stable economic growth in China and other critical market indicators.

The outlook for the U.S. economy began to improve, but then backtracked thanks to a “rate normalization” scare caused by upbeat Federal Reserve (“the Fed”) comments. This scare also tested the structural integrity of a number of developing countries as money that had streamed from the U.S. and Europe to emerging markets since the 2008–2009 crisis quickly reversed course.

By September 30, 2013, most emerging market currencies — with the exception of the Indian rupee and Indonesian rupiah — had regained lost ground, and central banks began reversing some of the sharp short-term rate increases they implemented as emergency measures to encourage investors to remain invested in their countries.

In the second calendar quarter of 2013, after seven quarters of persistent, disappointing economic data, the Eurozone managed its first quarter-on-quarter growth (0.3%), although it continued to decline (–0.5%) versus the same quarter of the previous year.

This positive bump — alongside Angela Merkel’s CDU party winning the German elections — was regarded by the markets as a positive step towards stability.

General comfort was also reflected in the market signals of low interest rates across the European periphery with the Spanish and Italian 10-year sovereign rates both ending the quarter around 4.4%.

However, we are not convinced that sustainable growth is imminent for the Eurozone. While stability appears at hand, growth remains questionable. Serious problems remain in the periphery and exporters such as Germany may be challenged by a strong currency and slowing growth in historically fast growing countries such as China.

In the second calendar quarter of 2013, year-over-year GDP fell in Greece (–4.6%), Spain (–1.6%), Portugal (–2%), and Italy (–2%) — drops that have few quick remedies and would have little fallout if Europe had a transfer-of-wealth mechanism similar to the U.S. — which, unfortunately, it does not.

Countries that run a deficit need to borrow or undergo fiscal consolidation, which weakens growth in the short term. Further, the European banks are shrinking their balance sheets

149

 



Portfolio Manager’s Letter
INTERNATIONAL FUND

(partly because of the need to improve their leverage ratios), creating another headwind to a return to sustained economic growth.

China recorded second calendar quarter 2013 GDP growth of 7.5%, a strong pace in global terms, but slightly slower than achieved in 2012. During the past fiscal year there has been a concerning trend in China; Chinese authorities and the Chinese press have accused multiple foreign consumer and pharmaceutical firms of illegal activity, which poses an ongoing risk for all western multinational corporations with large operations inside China’s borders.

Elsewhere, Mexico has been making progress on the “Pacto por Mexico” program of 95 initiatives. The government announced an increase in its value-added tax to lift its low tax base. It also announced the indirect opening of the oil industry to foreign companies through profit sharing agreements — an important step given that oil income from Pemex accounts for up to 40% of federal government funding currently.

Contributing to relative performance during the fiscal year were the Fund’s underweight exposures to the energy and utilities sectors and its selection of specific energy stocks. On the downside was our selection of financial and materials stocks. An underweighting in financials — a top performer in the benchmark — also hurt results.

The Fund’s stock selection in Hong Kong and Switzerland also contributed to performance for the year, as did our overweight exposure to Switzerland. Our out-of-benchmark holdings in India dragged down relative performance, as did the Fund’s underweight and stock selection in Japan.

On an absolute basis, UBS, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Core Laboratories, Sands China and HSBC Holdings were the top contributors to performance during the fiscal year; Newcrest Mining, Goldcorp, Fresnillo, Housing Development Finance Corp. and HDFC Bank were the bottom contributors.

Relative to the benchmark, UBS, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Sands China, Core Laboratories and Royal Dutch Shell were the top performers during the year; Newcrest Mining, Housing Development Finance Corp., Goldcorp, HDFC Bank and Fresnillo were the bottom performers.

Thank you for placing your trust in First Investors. As always, we appreciate the opportunity to serve your investment needs.


150

 



Fund Expenses (unaudited)
INTERNATIONAL FUND

The examples below show the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and will help you in comparing these costs with costs of other mutual funds. Please refer to page 2 for a detailed explanation of the information presented in these examples.

  Annualized Beginning Ending Expenses Paid
  Expense Account Value Account Value During Period
Expense Example Ratio (4/1/13) (9/30/13) (4/1/13–9/30/13)*
Class A Shares 1.68%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $ 978.14 $ 8.33
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,016.65 $ 8.49
Class B Shares 2.49%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $ 973.99 $12.32
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,012.59 $12.56
Advisor Class Shares 1.45%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $ 981.23 $ 7.20
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,017.80 $ 7.33
Institutional Class Shares 1.19%      
Actual   $1,000.00 $ 982.02 $ 5.91
Hypothetical**   $1,000.00 $1,019.10 $ 6.02

 

* Expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over
   the period, multiplied by 183/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).
 
** Assumed rate of return of 5% before expenses.

 

Portfolio Composition
TOP TEN SECTORS


Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. Percentages are as of September 30, 2013, and are based on the total market value of investments.

151

 



Cumulative Performance Information (unaudited)
INTERNATIONAL FUND

Comparison of change in value of $10,000 investment in the First Investors International Fund (Class A shares), the Morgan Stanley Capital International (“MSCI”) EAFE Index (Gross) and the Morgan Stanley Capital International (“MSCI”) EAFE Index (Net).

 

 
    Average Annual Total Returns*  
      Advisor Institutional
N.A.V. Only Class A Class B Class Class
One Year 7.28% 6.49% N/A N/A
Five Years 6.83% 6.08% N/A N/A
Since Inception** 4.31% 3.59% (1.88%) (1.80%)
      Advisor Institutional
S.E.C. Standardized Class A Class B Class Class
One Year 1.13% 2.49% N/A N/A
Five Years 5.57% 5.76% N/A N/A
Since Inception** 3.47% 3.59% (1.88%) (1.80%)

 

The graph compares a $10,000 investment in the First Investors International Fund (Class A shares) beginning 6/27/06 (commencement of operations) with theoretical investments in the MSCI EAFE Index (Gross) and the MSCI EAFE Index (Net) (the “Indices”). The Indices are free float-adjusted market capitalization indices that measure developed foreign market equity performance, excluding the U.S. and Canada. The Indices consist of 22 developed market country indices. The MSCI EAFE Index (Gross) is calculated on a total-return basis with the maximum possible dividend reinvestment (before taxes). The MSCI EAFE Index (Net) is calculated on a total-return basis with the minimum possible dividend reinvestment (after taxes). The Indices are unmanaged and it is not possible to invest directly in these Indices. In addition, the Indices do not reflect fees and expenses associated with the active management of a mutual fund portfolio. For purposes of the graph and the accompanying table, unless otherwise indicated, it has been assumed that the maximum sales charge was deducted from the

152

 



initial $10,000 investment in the Fund and all dividends and distributions were reinvested. Class B shares, Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares performance may be greater than or less than that shown in the line graph above for Class A shares based on differences in sales loads and fees paid by shareholders investing in the different classes.

* Average Annual Total Return figures (for the periods ended 9/30/13) include the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. “N.A.V. Only” returns are calculated without sales charges. The Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are based on the maximum sales charge of 5.75%. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” returns are adjusted for the applicable deferred sales charge (maximum of 4% in the first year). The Advisor Class and Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” returns shown are the same as the N.A.V. Only returns since these classes are sold without sales charges. During the periods shown, some of the expenses of the Fund were waived or assumed. If such expenses had been paid by the Fund, the Class A “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been 3.11%. The Class B “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been 3.03%. The Advisor Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been (5.73%). The Institutional Class “S.E.C. Standardized” Average Annual Total Return Since Inception would have been (5.45%). Results represent past performance and do not indicate future results. The graph and the returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on distributions or the redemption of fund shares. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Indices figures are from Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc. and all other figures are from First Investors Management Company, Inc.

**The returns for Class A shares and Class B shares are for the periods beginning 6/26/06 (commencement of operations). The returns for Advisor Class shares and Institutional Class shares are for the periods beginning 4/1/13 (commencement of operations).

153

 



Portfolio of Investments
INTERNATIONAL FUND
September 30, 2013

               
  
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  COMMON STOCKS—96.7%    
  United Kingdom—22.5%    
385,195 * Barratt Developments, PLC $ 1,925,008
234,013 British American Tobacco, PLC   12,416,699
193,327 Diageo, PLC   6,151,926
232,737 Domino’s Pizza Group, PLC   2,201,072
234,343 Fresnillo, PLC   3,692,503
451,344 HSBC Holdings, PLC   4,892,709
5,785 Intertek Group, PLC   309,621
152,026 * Persimmon, PLC   2,673,645
214,858 * Rolls-Royce Holdings, PLC   3,869,121
130,106 SABMiller, PLC   6,623,184
187,199   Standard Chartered, PLC         4,489,672
 
              49,245,160
 
  Switzerland—16.5%    
46,579 DKSH Holding, Ltd.   3,976,664
968 Lindt & Spruengli AG   3,972,627
134,289 Nestle SA – Registered   9,393,176
22,364 Novartis AG – Registered   1,718,881
2,036 Roche Holding AG – Genusscheine   549,163
2,775 SGS SA – Registered   6,625,629
479,649  * UBS AG – Registered         9,813,112
 
              36,049,252
 
  India—9.2%    
572,114 HDFC Bank, Ltd.   5,419,570
369 HDFC Bank, Ltd. (ADR)   11,358
143,603 Hindustan Unilever, Ltd.   1,439,241
596,824 Housing Development Finance Corporation, Ltd.   7,285,724
1,087,858   ITC, Ltd.         5,914,973
 
              20,070,866
 
  France—8.7%    
219,976 Bureau Veritas SA   6,938,085
30,780 Essilor International SA   3,312,410
4,850 Hermes International   1,747,008
19,998 L’Oreal SA   3,436,589
28,837   Pernod Ricard SA         3,583,058
 
              19,017,150

 

154

 



               
 
 
Shares   Security         Value
 
  United States—7.7%    
38,636 Accenture, PLC – Class “A” $  2,845,155
54,200 Covidien, PLC   3,302,948
123,445   Philip Morris International, Inc.         10,689,103
 
              16,837,206
 
  Netherlands—7.4%    
39,774 Core Laboratories NV   6,730,159
241,268   Unilever NV – CVA         9,391,208
 
              16,121,367
 
  Canada—6.7%    
29,324 Alimentation Couche-Tard – Class “B”   1,828,364
63,528 Bank of Nova Scotia   3,648,271
91,819 Enbridge, Inc.   3,840,158
183,736 Goldcorp, Inc.   4,788,683
20,684   Silver Wheaton Corporation         513,528
 
              14,619,004
 
  Australia—3.4%    
32,542 CSL, Ltd.   1,947,420
248,962 Newcrest Mining, Ltd.   2,723,669
82,361   Ramsay Health Care, Ltd.         2,788,596
 
              7,459,685
 
  Hong Kong—3.3%    
141,527 Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings, Ltd.   980,906
424,719 Link REIT (REIT)   2,083,849
572,268 L’Occitane International SA   1,494,288
424,691   Sands China, Ltd.         2,625,859
 
              7,184,902
 
  Denmark—3.0%    
38,811   Novo Nordisk A/S – Series “B”         6,593,358
 
  Germany—1.4%    
42,554   SAP AG         3,149,183
 
  Japan—1.2%    
27,000   Daito Trust Construction Company, Ltd.         2,699,312

 

155

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
INTERNATIONAL FUND
September 30, 2013

               
 
 
Shares or      
Principal      
Amount   Security         Value
  Ireland—1.2%    
32,577   Paddy Power, PLC         $  2,612,810
 
  Mexico—1.1%    
947,220   Wal-Mart de Mexico SAB de CV         2,465,237
 
  Brazil—.8%    
68,039   Cielo SA         1,834,200
 
  Spain—.8%    
42,466   Grifols SA         1,744,650
 
  Sweden—.7%    
95,517   Elekta AB – Class “B”         1,537,647
 
  Italy—.6%    
26,615   Luxottica Group SpA         1,416,604
 
  Indonesia—.5%    
5,932,389   PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Persero Tbk         1,075,822
Total Value of Common Stocks (cost $165,977,533)         211,733,415
  SHORT-TERM U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCY  
  OBLIGATIONS—2.7%    
$6,000 M Federal Home Loan Bank, 0.02%, 10/11/2013 (cost $5,999,967) 5,999,967
Total Value of Investments (cost $171,977,500) 99.4 % 217,733,382
Other Assets, Less Liabilities  .6         1,341,649
Net Assets      100.0 %      $219,075,031

 

* Non-income producing

 

Summary of Abbreviations:
ADR American Depositary Receipts
REIT Real Estate Investment Trust

 

156

 



Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820 established a three-tier hierarchy of inputs to establish a classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three broad Levels listed below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical securities that the Fund has
the ability to access.
 
Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable 
for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These inputs may include quoted 
prices for the identical instrument on an inactive market, prices for similar instru-       
ments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates and
similar data.
 
Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, to the extent relevant observable inputs
are not available, representing the Fund’s own assumption about the assumptions a
market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and would be based on
the best information available.


The inputs methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. For example, amortized cost approximates the current fair value of a security, but since the value is not obtained from a quoted price in an active market, such securities are reflected as Level 2.

The following is a summary, by category of Level, of inputs used to value the Fund’s investments as of September 30, 2013:

     Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total
Common Stocks            
United Kingdom $   49,245,160 $ $ $ 49,245,160
Switzerland 36,049,252     36,049,252
India 20,070,866     20,070,866
France 19,017,150     19,017,150
United States 16,837,206     16,837,206
Netherlands 16,121,367     16,121,367
Canada 14,619,004     14,619,004
Australia 7,459,685     7,459,685
Hong Kong 7,184,902     7,184,902
Denmark 6,593,358     6,593,358
Germany 3,149,183     3,149,183
Japan 2,699,312     2,699,312
Ireland 2,612,810     2,612,810
Mexico 2,465,237     2,465,237
Brazil 1,834,200     1,834,200
Spain 1,744,650     1,744,650
Sweden 1,537,647     1,537,647
Italy 1,416,604     1,416,604
Indonesia   1,075,822             1,075,822

 

157

 



Portfolio of Investments (continued)
INTERNATIONAL FUND
September 30, 2013

    Level 1     Level 2     Level 3   Total
Short-Term U.S. Agency            
Government Obligations       5,999,967       5,999,967
Total Investments in Securities            
  $ 211,733,415 $ 5,999,967 $ $ 217,733,382

 

During the year ended September 30, 2013, there were no transfers between Level 1 investments and Level 2 investments that had a material impact to the Fund. This does not include transfers between Level 1 investments and Level 2 investments due to the Fund utilizing international fair value pricing during the period. Transfers, if any, between Levels are recognized at the end of the reporting period.

158 See notes to financial statements

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

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159

 



Statements of Assets and Liabilities
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS
September 30, 2013

                                   
                          INTERNATIONAL        
    CASH         INVESTMENT     STRATEGIC     OPPORTUNITIES     FUND FOR  
    MANAGEMENT   GOVERNMENT     GRADE     INCOME     BOND     INCOME  
Assets                                  
Investments in securities:                                  
Cost – Unaffiliated issuers $ 129,379,956 $ 363,369,181   $ 523,601,510   $   $ 103,644,228   $ 646,480,282  
Cost – Affiliated issuers (Note 2)             44,864,608          
Total cost of investments $ 129,379,956 $ 363,369,181   $ 523,601,510   $ 44,864,608   $ 103,644,228   $ 646,480,282  
 
Value – Unaffiliated issuers (Note 1A) $ 129,379,956 $ 368,772,622   $ 548,724,053   $   $ 101,264,157   $ 655,235,174  
Value – Affiliated issuers (Note 2)             44,264,539          
Total value of investments   129,379,956   368,772,622     548,724,053     44,264,539     101,264,157     655,235,174  
 
Cash   1,722,528   16,112,871     3,697,201     3,032,115     4,918,863     12,236,172  
Receivables:                                  
Investment securities sold     17,178,006     3,902,708             5,484,150  
Dividends and interest   6,978   1,097,343     7,677,452     167,985     1,154,804     12,040,907  
Shares sold     742,573     922,905     513,783     447,460     1,053,126  
Unrealized gain on foreign exchange contracts (Note 7)                 395,570      
Other assets   12,304   30,464     39,575         544     48,149  
Total Assets   131,121,766   403,933,879     564,963,894     47,978,422     108,181,398     686,097,678  
 
Liabilities                                  
Payables:                                  
Investment securities purchased     38,273,529     3,996,944     545,943     625,757     12,716,746  
Shares redeemed   215,934   706,117     1,012,204     6,595     74,540     1,141,883  
Dividends payable     60,660     152,675     4,316     23,882     541,773  
Unrealized loss on foreign exchange contracts (Note 7)                   1,134,612      
Accrued advisory fees     162,724     257,657         70,160     396,076  
Accrued shareholder servicing costs   37,320   50,881     68,621     9,679     25,532     79,646  
Accrued expenses   24,293   42,213     33,005     66,429     66,453     41,498  
 
Total Liabilities   277,547   39,296,124     5,521,106     632,962     2,020,936     14,917,622  
 
Net Assets $ 130,844,219 $ 364,637,755   $ 559,442,788   $ 47,345,460   $ 106,160,462   $ 671,180,056  
 
Net Assets Consist of:                                  
Capital paid in $ 130,844,219 $ 373,209,599   $ 554,324,787   $ 47,901,726   $ 109,724,404   $ 832,225,354  
Undistributed net investment income (deficit)     55,298     (6,419,736 )   23,016     62,663     (2,865,084 )
Accumulated net realized gain (loss) on investments, futures                                  
contracts and foreign currency transactions     (14,030,583 )   (13,584,806 )   20,787     (498,179 )   (166,935,106 )
Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) in value                                  
of investments and foreign currency transactions     5,403,441     25,122,543     (600,069 )   (3,128,426 )   8,754,892  
Total $ 130,844,219 $ 364,637,755   $ 559,442,788   $ 47,345,460   $ 106,160,462   $ 671,180,056  

 

160 See notes to financial statements 161

 



Statements of Assets and Liabilities
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS
September 30, 2013

                         
                      INTERNATIONAL    
    CASH         INVESTMENT   STRATEGIC   OPPORTUNITIES   FUND FOR
    MANAGEMENT     GOVERNMENT   GRADE   INCOME   BOND   INCOME
Net Assets:                          
Class A $ 130,272,155   $ 355,263,948 $ 543,955,034 $ 47,344,468  $ 99,161,179 $ 647,603,043
Class B $ 571,064   $ 4,717,033 $ 6,160,851   N/A   N/A $ 5,000,518
Advisor Class   N/A   $ 983  $ 978 $ 992 $ 977 $ 1,003
Institutional Class $ 1,000   $ 4,655,791 $ 9,325,925   N/A  $ 6,998,306 $ 18,575,492
 
Shares outstanding (Note 8):                          
Class A   130,272,155     32,478,672   55,606,646   4,840,298   10,078,549   249,780,785
Class B   571,064     432,106   631,346   N/A   N/A   1,930,956
Advisor Class   N/A     90   100   102   99   387
Institutional Class   1,000     424,711   952,222   N/A   710,335   7,144,989
 
Net asset value and redemption price                          
per share – Class A $ 1.00 # $ 10.94 $ 9.78 $ 9.78  $ 9.84 $ 2.59
Maximum offering price per share – Class A                          
(Net asset value/.9425)*   N/A   $ 11.61 $ 10.38 $ 10.38  $ 10.44 $ 2.75
 
Net asset value and offering price per share –                          
Class B** $ 1.00   $ 10.92 $ 9.76   N/A   N/A $ 2.59
 
Net asset value, offering price and redemption price                          
per share – Advisor Class   N/A   $ 10.94 $ 9.78 $ 9.77  $ 9.85 $ 2.59
 
Net asset value, offering price and redemption price                          
per share – Institutional Class $ 1.00   $ 10.96 $ 9.79   N/A  $ 9.85 $ 2.60


# Also maximum offering price per share.

* On purchases of $100,000 or more, the sales charge is reduced.
** Redemption price is equal to net asset value less contingent deferred sales charges, if applicable.

 

 

162 See notes to financial statements 163

 



Statements of Assets and Liabilities
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS
September 30, 2013

                 
    TOTAL   EQUITY   GROWTH &      
    RETURN   INCOME   INCOME   GLOBAL  
Assets                  
Investments in securities:                  
At identified cost $ 524,974,709 $ 370,397,436 $ 1,020,308,325 $ 245,527,678  
At value (Note 1A) $ 680,097,656 $ 486,446,523 $ 1,569,974,947 $ 317,753,625  
Cash   245,071   1,628,861   434,014   1,536,271  
Receivables:                  
Investment securities sold   10,345,027   1,567,705   929,484   4,159,751  
Dividends and interest   3,192,377   772,025   1,539,108   608,727  
Shares sold   1,162,348   847,605   2,512,635   427,896  
Other assets   37,241   31,200   94,612   24,350  
Total Assets   695,079,720   491,293,919   1,575,484,800   324,510,620  
 
Liabilities                  
Payables:                  
Investment securities purchased   18,926,828   3,610,956   5,659,815   1,926,351  
Shares redeemed.   1,303,697   747,193   2,242,699   511,413  
Dividends payable   35,494   38,761   18,951    
Accrued advisory fees   403,252   303,914   908,955   198,719  
Accrued shareholder servicing costs   86,239   65,880   214,037   52,555  
Accrued expenses   60,958   50,493   94,601   70,923  
 
Total Liabilities   20,816,468   4,817,197   9,139,058   2,759,961  
 
Net Assets $ 674,263,252 $ 486,476,722 $ 1,566,345,742 $ 321,750,659  
 
Net Assets Consist of:                  
Capital paid in $ 510,515,010 $ 365,083,813 $ 967,544,310 $ 251,911,018  
Undistributed net investment income (deficit)   (2,274,431   2,668,541   5,564,922   1,142,588  
Accumulated net realized gain (loss) on investments                  
and foreign currency transactions   10,899,726   2,675,281   43,569,888   (3,543,274 )
Net unrealized appreciation in value of investments                  
and foreign currency transactions   155,122,947   116,049,087   549,666,622   72,240,327  
Total $ 674,263,252 $ 486,476,722 $ 1,566,345,742 $ 321,750,659  

 

164 See notes to financial statements 165

 



Statements of Assets and Liabilities
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS
September 30, 2013

                       
    TOTAL   EQUITY   GROWTH &    
     RETURN   INCOME   INCOME   GLOBAL
Net Assets:                
Class A $ 664,053,860 $ 475,422,096 $ 1,538,581,779 $ 317,329,135
Class B $ 10,207,273 $ 6,337,043 $ 27,761,730 $ 4,419,322
Advisor Class $ 1,059 $ 1,079 $ 1,116 $ 1,101
Institutional Class $ 1,060 $ 4,716,504 $ 1,117 $ 1,101
 
Shares outstanding (Note 8):                
Class A   35,908,147   52,870,160   74,890,461   39,630,256
Class B   561,812   716,984   1,441,535   643,988
Advisor Class   57   120   54   137
Institutional Class   57   523,138   54   137
 
Net asset value and redemption price per share – Class A $ 18.49 $ 8.99 $ 20.54 $ 8.01
Maximum offering price per share – Class A                
(Net asset value/.9425)* $ 19.62 $ 9.54 $ 21.79 $ 8.50
 
Net asset value and offering price per share – Class B** $ 18.17 $ 8.84 $ 19.26 $ 6.86
 
Net asset value, offering price and redemption price $ 18.49 $ 8.99 $ 20.54 $ 8.01
per share – Advisor Class                
 
Net asset value, offering price and redemption price $ 18.50 $ 9.02 $ 20.55 $ 8.02
per share – Institutional Class                


* On purchases of $100,000 or more, the sales charge is reduced.

** Redemption price is equal to net asset value less contingent deferred sales charges, if applicable.

 

 

166 See notes to financial statements 167

 



Statements of Assets and Liabilities
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS
September 30, 2013

    SELECT         SPECIAL      
    GROWTH     OPPORTUNITY   SITUATIONS   INTERNATIONAL  
Assets                    
Investments in securities:                    
At identified cost $ 240,861,344   $ 471,878,529 $ 345,992,715 $ 171,977,500  
 
At value (Note 1A) $ 320,504,737   $ 739,975,684 $ 403,098,160 $ 217,733,382  
Cash   662,334     1,756,832   6,236,497   1,029,114  
Receivables:                    
Investment securities sold       1,264,005   33,594,854   276,710  
Dividends and interest   163,241     478,843   108,682   703,575  
Shares sold   445,213     1,095,698   584,451   545,035  
Other assets   18,836     39,574   26,210   12,379  
Total Assets   321,794,361     744,610,636   443,648,854   220,300,195  
 
Liabilities                    
Payables:                    
Investment securities purchased       2,475,203   25,358,493   606,497  
Shares redeemed   361,984     918,488   875,945   342,260  
Accrued advisory fees   201,994     449,581   279,182   179,453  
Accrued shareholder servicing costs.   50,540     89,954   59,599   39,417  
Accrued expenses   36,115     56,551   39,162   57,537  
 
Total Liabilities   650,633     3,989,777   26,612,381   1,225,164  
 
Net Assets $ 321,143,728   $ 740,620,859 $ 417,036,473 $ 219,075,031  
 
Net Assets Consist of:                    
Capital paid in $ 272,699,119   $ 423,212,007 $ 292,081,263 $ 200,076,816  
Undistributed net investment income   46,929     3,100,350     318,164  
Accumulated net realized gain (loss) on investments                    
and foreign currency transactions   (31,245,713 )   46,211,347   67,849,765   (27,088,145 )
Net unrealized appreciation in value of investments                    
and foreign currency transactions   79,643,393     268,097,155   57,105,445   45,768,196  
Total $ 321,143,728   $ 740,620,859 $ 417,036,473 $ 219,075,031  

 

168 See notes to financial statements 169

 



Statements of Assets and Liabilities
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS
September 30, 2013

                 
    SELECT       SPECIAL    
    GROWTH   OPPORTUNITY   SITUATIONS   INTERNATIONAL
Net Assets:                
Class A $ 315,833,451 $ 726,941,888 $ 412,102,067 $ 215,873,496
Class B $ 5,308,086 $ 13,676,666 $ 4,932,219 $ 3,199,572
Advisor Class $ 1,095 $ 1,152 $ 1,093 $ 981
Institutional Class $ 1,096 $ 1,153 $ 1,094 $ 982
 
Shares outstanding (Note 8):                
Class A   34,165,039   19,064,792   14,680,724   17,228,809
Class B   636,734   423,826   210,353   267,183
Advisor Class   118   30   39   78
Institutional Class   118   30   39   78
 
Net asset value and redemption price per share – Class A $ 9.24 $ 38.13 $ 28.07 $ 12.53
Maximum offering price per share – Class A                
(Net asset value/.9425)* $ 9.80 $ 40.46 $ 29.78 $ 13.29
 
Net asset value and offering price per share – Class B** $ 8.34 $ 32.27 $ 23.45 $ 11.98
 
Net asset value, offering price and redemption price $ 9.26 $ 38.18 $ 28.09 $ 12.55
per share – Advisor Class                
 
Net asset value, offering price and redemption price                
per share – Institutional Class $ 9.27 $ 38.21 $ 28.14 $ 12.56


* On purchases of $100,000 or more, the sales charge is reduced.

** Redemption price is equal to net asset value less contingent deferred sales charges, if applicable.

 

 

170 See notes to financial statements 171

 



Statements of Operations
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS
Year Ended September 30, 2013

                                   
                            INTERNATIONAL        
    CASH           INVESTMENT     STRATEGIC     OPPORTUNITIES     FUND FOR  
     MANAGEMENT     GOVERNMENT     GRADE     INCOME*     BOND     INCOME  
Investment Income                                    
Interest $ 157,074   $ 10,088,043   $ 23,782,250   $   $ 1,358,362 (a) $ 40,875,185  
Dividends                       2,086  
Dividends from affiliate (Note 2)               496,896          
Total income   157,074     10,088,043     23,782,250     496,896     1,358,362     40,877,271  
Expenses (Notes 1 and 3):                                    
Advisory fees   689,748     2,499,304     3,670,984     5,882     532,699     4,636,021  
Distribution plan expenses – Class A       1,116,547     1,644,704     35,294     207,206     1,888,241  
Distribution plan expenses – Class B   4,528     55,205     70,608     N/A     N/A     52,406  
Shareholder servicing costs – Class A   509,937     642,614     879,897     51,146     229,362     1,068,865  
Shareholder servicing costs – Class B   2,216     11,808     16,120     N/A     N/A     12,051  
Shareholder servicing costs – Advisor Class   N/A     22     22     22     22     22  
Shareholder servicing costs – Institutional Class   10     490     1,335     N/A     979     2,311  
Professional fees.   31,240     51,673     67,054     88,160     180,675     76,583  
Custodian fees   21,112     53,492     38,894     4,684     41,294     38,682  
Registration fees   55,384     74,934     80,437     57,965     64,951     73,946  
Reports to shareholders   12,002     12,830     18,468     1,616     6,620     23,807  
Trustees’ fees   7,717     21,247     30,876     377     3,310     34,965  
Other expenses   18,055     92,061     85,308     2,369     16,469     123,393  
Total expenses   1,351,949     4,632,227     6,604,707     247,515     1,283,587     8,031,293  
Less: Expenses waived and/or assumed   (1,194,223 )   (440,966 )   (603,638 )   (95,449 )   (368,384 )   (161,100 )
Expenses paid indirectly   (652 )   (390 )   (526 )       (11 )   (602 )
Net expenses   157,074     4,190,871     6,000,543     152,066     915,192     7,869,591  
Net investment income       5,897,172     17,781,707     344,830     443,170     33,007,680  
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments,                                    
Futures Contracts and Foreign Currency Transactions                                    
(Note 2):                                    
Net realized gain (loss) on:                                    
Investments       (2,527,635 )   6,707,924     20,787     680,088     17,247,717  
Futures contracts       3,234     (822 )            
Foreign currency transactions                   627,726      
Net realized gain (loss) on investments, futures contracts                                    
and foreign currency transactions       (2,524,401 )   6,707,102     20,787     1,307,814     17,247,717  
Net unrealized loss on:                                    
Investments       (12,376,919 )   (30,887,049 )   (600,069 )   (2,764,829 )   (15,580,379 )
Foreign currency transactions                   (739,042 )    
 
Net unrealized loss on investments and                                    
foreign currency transactions       (12,376,919 )   (30,887,049 )   (600,069 )   (3,503,871 )   (15,580,379 )
 
Net gain (loss) on investments, futures contracts and                                    
foreign currency transactions       (14,901,320 )   (24,179,947 )   (579,282 )   (2,196,057 )   1,667,338  
 
Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting                                    
from Operations $   $ (9,004,148 ) $ (6,398,240 ) $ (234,452 ) $ (1,752,887 ) $ 34,675,018  



* From April 3, 2013 (commencement of operations) to September 30, 2013.

(a) Net of $20,233 foreign taxes withheld

 

 

172 See notes to financial statements 173

 



Statements of Operations
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS
Year Ended September 30, 2013

                       
    TOTAL     EQUITY     GROWTH &        
    RETURN     INCOME     INCOME     GLOBAL  
Investment Income                        
Dividends $ 8,512,277 (a) $ 12,940,753 (b)    $ 32,389,180 (c) $ 6,866,127 (d)
Interest.   7,995,304     14,995     9,141     2,738  
 
Total income   16,507,581     12,955,748     32,398,321     6,868,865  
 
Expenses (Notes 1 and 3):                        
Advisory fees   4,408,735     3,261,377     9,639,968     2,873,051  
Distribution plan expenses – Class A   1,798,059     1,298,612     4,102,696     894,081  
Distribution plan expenses – Class B   103,645     64,802     270,563     43,984  
Shareholder servicing costs – Class A   1,114,063     779,278     2,540,476     710,082  
Shareholder servicing costs – Class B   24,150     16,370     61,220     13,059  
Shareholder servicing costs – Advisor Class   20     21     20     21  
Shareholder servicing costs – Institutional Class   18     559     18     18  
Professional fees   74,942     73,816     153,255     44,588  
Custodian fees   28,951     18,041     43,860     175,180  
Registration fees   83,297     75,944     88,076     69,948  
Reports to shareholders   24,056     18,908     56,060     19,210  
Trustees’ fees   32,957     23,762     75,170     16,583  
Other expenses   82,063     51,184     144,972     90,527  
 
Total expenses   7,774,956     5,682,674     17,176,354     4,950,332  
Less: Expenses waived and/or assumed   (37 )   (19 )   (37 )   (59,027 )
Expenses paid indirectly   (5,163 )   (3,848 )   (11,793 )   (352 )
 
Net expenses   7,769,756     5,678,807     17,164,524     4,890,953  
 
Net investment income   8,737,825     7,276,941     15,233,797     1,977,912  
 
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments                        
and Foreign Currency Transactions (Note 2):                        
Net realized gain (loss) on:                        
Investments   15,481,867     22,666,688     49,811,355     28,942,003  
Foreign currency transactions               (58,033 )
 
Net realized gain on investments and                        
foreign currency transactions   15,481,867     22,666,688     49,811,355     28,883,970  
 
Net unrealized appreciation of investments and                        
foreign currency transactions   54,506,102     46,472,134     245,762,325     20,625,048  
Net gain on investments and foreign currency transactions   69,987,969     69,138,822     295,573,680     49,509,018  
 
Net Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Operations $ 78,725,794   $ 76,415,763   $ 310,807,477   $ 51,486,930  


(a) Net of $36,941 foreign taxes withheld.

(b) Net of $83,710 foreign taxes withheld.
(c) Net of $120,603 foreign taxes withheld.
(d) Net of $391,223 foreign taxes withheld.

 
 
174 See notes to financial statements 175

 



Statements of Operations
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS
Year Ended September 30, 2013

                       
    SELECT           SPECIAL        
    GROWTH     OPPORTUNITY     SITUATIONS       INTERNATIONAL  
Investment Income                        
Dividends $ 4,697,501   $ 11,680,895 (e) $ 6,813,995   $ 4,013,114 (f)
Interest   572     11,293     12,469     3,799  
 
Total income   4,698,073     11,692,188     6,826,464     4,016,913  
 
Expenses (Notes 1 and 3):                        
Advisory fees   2,197,692     4,629,471     3,329,854     1,916,640  
Distribution plan expenses – Class A   863,569     1,868,609     1,117,142     576,626  
Distribution plan expenses – Class B   53,496     132,846     49,320     33,657  
Shareholder servicing costs – Class A   676,558     1,272,341     848,525     508,674  
Shareholder servicing costs – Class B   15,431     32,263     13,506     10,803  
Shareholder servicing costs – Advisor Class   21     20     20     21  
Shareholder servicing costs – Institutional Class   18     18     18     18  
Professional fees   39,720     75,384     46,201     29,703  
Custodian fees   8,241     24,784     18,495     158,567  
Registration fees   71,951     77,945     72,411     71,952  
Reports to shareholders   16,443     29,025     19,474     11,511  
Trustees’ fees   15,971     34,058     20,504     10,562  
Other expenses   33,754     67,337     45,023     42,528  
 
Total expenses   3,992,865     8,244,101     5,580,493     3,371,262  
Less: Expenses waived and/or assumed   (37 )   (37 )   (311,380 )   (37 )
Expenses paid indirectly   (329 )   (5,286 )   (430 )   (200 )
 
Net expenses   3,992,499     8,238,778     5,268,683     3,371,025  
 
Net investment income.   705,574     3,453,410     1,557,781     645,888  
 
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments                        
and Foreign Currency Transactions (Note 2):                        
Net realized gain (loss) on:                        
Investments   37,621,367     49,631,929     78,785,374     6,677,207  
Foreign currency transactions               (135,870 )
 
Net realized gain on investments                        
and foreign currency transactions   37,621,367     49,631,929     78,785,374     6,541,337  
Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments and                        
foreign currency transactions   5,639,836     134,682,038     (9,595,192 )   5,511,859  
 
Net gain on investments and foreign currency transactions   43,261,203     184,313,967     69,190,182     12,053,196  
 
Net Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Operations $ 43,966,777   $ 187,767,377   $ 70,747,963   $ 12,699,084  


(e) Net of $30,862 foreign taxes withheld.

(f) Net of $343,223 foreign taxes withheld.

 

 

176 See notes to financial statements 177

 



Statements of Changes in Net Assets
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS

                                         
                                        STRATEGIC  
    CASH MANAGEMENT     GOVERNMENT     INVESTMENT GRADE     INCOME  
Year Ended September 30   2013     2012      2013     2012      2013      2012      2013 **
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets From Operations                                          
Net investment income $   $   $ 5,897,172   $ 8,431,847   $ 17,781,707   $ 17,238,565   $ 344,830  
Net realized gain (loss) on investments and futures contracts           (2,524,401 )   2,747,134     6,707,102     6,126,339     20,787  
Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments           (12,376,919 )   (1,091,454 )   (30,887,049 )   29,262,123     (600,069 )
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting                                          
from operations           (9,004,148 )   10,087,527     (6,398,240 )   52,627,027     (234,452 )
Dividends to Shareholders                                          
Net investment income – Class A           (10,605,675 )   (11,975,470 )   (20,739,540 )   (19,773,424 )   (321,799 )
Net investment income – Class B           (119,679 )   (180,107 )   (222,878 )   (300,972 )   N/A  
Net investment income – Advisor Class   N/A     N/A     (13 )   N/A     (19 )   N/A     (15 )
Net investment income – Institutional Class       N/A     (29,051 )   N/A     (110,770 )   N/A     N/A  
 
Total dividends           (10,754,418 )   (12,155,577 )   (21,073,207 )   (20,074,396 )   (321,814 )
 
Share Transactions *                                          
Class A:                                          
Proceeds from shares sold   170,296,304     138,654,875     71,815,747     80,703,297     133,038,106     110,514,618     48,792,921  
Reinvestment of dividends           9,909,442     11,116,817     19,197,738     18,092,318     309,020  
Cost of shares redeemed   (175,051,743 )   (151,798,288 )   (89,063,124 )   (54,554,693 )   (113,252,520 )   (65,812,986 )   (1,201,230 )
 
    (4,755,439 )   (13,143,413 )   (7,337,935 )   37,265,421     38,983,324     62,793,950     47,900,711  
Class B:                                          
Proceeds from shares sold   593,663     256,141     451,982     1,106,976     746,634     995,491     N/A  
Reinvestment of dividends           113,260     170,501     213,612     286,900     N/A  
Cost of shares redeemed   (918,318 )   (879,445 )   (1,952,936 )   (2,129,656 )   (2,498,053 )   (3,767,140 )   N/A  
 
    (324,655 )   (623,304 )   (1,387,694 )   (852,179 )   (1,537,807 )   (2,484,749 )   N/A  
 
Advisor Class:                                          
Proceeds from shares sold   N/A     N/A     1,000     N/A     1,000     N/A     1,000  
Reinvestment of dividends   N/A     N/A     14     N/A     19     N/A     15  
Cost of shares redeemed   N/A     N/A         N/A         N/A      
 
    N/A     N/A     1,014     N/A     1,019     N/A     1,015  
 
Institutional Class:                                          
Proceeds from shares sold   1,000     N/A     4,663,814     N/A     11,445,833     N/A     N/A  
Reinvestment of dividends       N/A     20     N/A     20     N/A     N/A  
Cost of shares redeemed       N/A         N/A     (1,909,933 )   N/A     N/A  
 
    1,000     N/A     4,663,834     N/A     9,535,920     N/A     N/A  
 
Net increase (decrease) from share transactions   (5,079,094 )   (13,766,717 )   (4,060,781 )   36,413,242     46,982,456     60,309,201     47,901,726  
 
Net increase (decrease) in net assets   (5,079,094 )   (13,766,717 )   (23,819,347 )   34,345,192     19,511,009     92,861,832     47,345,460  
 
Net Assets                                          
Beginning of year   135,923,313     149,690,030     388,457,102     354,111,910     539,931,779     447,069,947      
 
End of year† $ 130,844,219   $ 135,923,313   $ 364,637,755   $ 388,457,102   $ 559,442,788   $ 539,931,779   $ 47,345,460  
 
†Includes undistributed net investment income (deficit) of $   $   $ 55,298   $ 47,140   $ (6,419,736 ) $ (3,993,608 ) $ 23,016  


** From April 3, 2013 (commencement of operations) to September 30, 2013.

 

 

178 See notes to financial statements 179

 



Statements of Changes in Net Assets
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS

                             
                          STRATEGIC  
  CASH MANAGEMENT   GOVERNMENT   INVESTMENT GRADE   INCOME  
 
Year Ended September 30   2013   2012   2013   2012   2013   2012   2013 **
 
*Shares Issued and Redeemed                            
Class A:                            
Sold 170,296,304   138,654,875   6,400,413   6,982,798   13,140,993   11,192,864   4,931,628  
Issued for dividends reinvested     885,161   961,810   1,903,029   1,825,614   31,663  
Redeemed (175,051,743 ) (151,798,288 ) (7,966,458 ) (4,720,673 ) (11,224,653 ) (6,656,099 ) (122,993 )
 
Net increase (decrease) in Class A shares outstanding (4,755,439 ) (13,143,413 ) (680,884 ) 3,223,935   3,819,369   6,362,379   4,840,298  
 
Class B:                            
Sold 593,663   256,141   40,139   95,856   73,648   100,837   N/A  
Issued for dividends reinvested     10,117   14,766   21,171   29,041   N/A  
Redeemed (918,318 ) (879,445 ) (173,828 ) (184,393 ) (246,564 ) (383,906 ) N/A  
 
Net decrease in Class B shares outstanding (324,655 ) (623,304 ) (123,572 ) (73,771 ) (151,745 ) (254,028 ) N/A  
 
Advisor Class:                            
Sold N/A   N/A   89   N/A   98   N/A   100  
Issued for dividends reinvested N/A   N/A   1   N/A   2   N/A   2  
Redeemed N/A   N/A     N/A     N/A    
 
Net increase in Advisor Class shares outstanding N/A   N/A   90   N/A   100   N/A   102  
 
Institutional Class:                            
Sold 1,000   N/A   424,709   N/A   1,148,312   N/A   N/A  
Issued for dividends reinvested   N/A   2   N/A   2   N/A   N/A  
Redeemed   N/A     N/A   (196,092 ) N/A   N/A  
 
Net increase in Institutional Class shares outstanding 1,000   N/A   424,711   N/A   952,222   N/A   N/A  


**From April 3, 2013 (commencement of operations) to September 30, 2013.

 

 

 

180 See notes to financial statements 181

 



Statements of Changes in Net Assets
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS

           
    INTERNATIONAL     FUND FOR  
    OPPORTUNITIES BOND     INCOME  
Year Ended September 30   2013     2012 **   2013     2012  
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets From Operations                        
Net investment income $ 443,170   $ 19,972   $ 33,007,680   $ 34,058,067  
Net realized gain (loss) on investments and                        
foreign currency transactions   1,307,814     (1,473 )   17,247,717     8,841,108  
Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments and                        
foreign currency transactions   (3,503,871 )   375,445     (15,580,379 )   49,079,702  
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting                        
from operations   (1,752,887 )   393,944     34,675,018     91,978,877  
Distributions to Shareholders                        
Net investment income – Class A   (2,062,847 )   (24,887 )   (36,486,900 )   (35,292,367 )
Net investment income – Class B   N/A     N/A     (268,095 )   (372,652 )
Net investment income – Advisor Class   (15 )   N/A     (29 )   N/A  
Net investment income – Institutional Class   (59,034 )   N/A     (276,219 )   N/A  
Net realized gains – Class A   (64,140 )            
Net realized gains – Class B   N/A     N/A          
Net realized gains – Advisor Class       N/A         N/A  
Net realized gains – Institutional Class       N/A         N/A  
Total distributions   (2,186,036 )   (24,887 )   (37,031,243 )   (35,665,019 )
Share Transactions*                        
Class A:                        
Proceeds from shares sold   88,008,741     23,507,430     109,644,866     75,841,881  
Reinvestment of distributions   2,062,264     23,798     31,001,180     29,568,927  
Cost of shares redeemed   (6,702,089 )   (4,336,791 )   (93,323,531 )   (63,479,906 )
    83,368,916     19,194,437     47,322,515     41,930,902  
Class B:                        
Proceeds from shares sold   N/A     N/A     933,907     607,441  
Reinvestment of dividends   N/A     N/A     214,951     313,420  
Cost of shares redeemed   N/A     N/A     (1,797,374 )   (3,555,468 )
    N/A     N/A     (648,516 )   (2,634,607 )
Advisor Class:                        
Proceeds from shares sold   1,000     N/A     1,000     N/A  
Reinvestment of dividends   15     N/A     29     N/A  
Cost of shares redeemed       N/A         N/A  
    1,015     N/A     1,029     N/A  
Institutional Class:                        
Proceeds from shares sold   9,541,985     N/A     18,832,421     N/A  
Reinvestment of dividends   15     N/A     30     N/A  
Cost of shares redeemed   (2,376,040 )   N/A         N/A  
    7,165,960     N/A     18,832,451     N/A  
Net increase from share transactions   90,535,891     19,194,437     65,507,479     39,296,295  
Net increase in net assets   86,596,968     19,563,494     63,151,254     95,610,153  
Net Assets                        
Beginning of year   19,563,494         608,028,802     512,418,649  
End of year† $ 106,160,462   $ 19,563,494   $ 671,180,056   $ 608,028,802  
 
†Includes undistributed net investment income (deficit) of $ 62,663   $ (4,166 ) $ (2,865,084 ) $ (1,100,372 )

 

** From August 20, 2012 (commencement of operations) to September 30, 2012.

182 See notes to financial statements 183

 



Statements of Changes in Net Assets
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS

          
  INTERNATIONAL   FUND FOR  
  OPPORTUNITIES BOND   INCOME  
 
Year Ended September 30   2013   2012 ** 2013   2012  
 
* Shares Issued and Redeemed                
Class A:                
Sold 8,628,619   2,339,380   41,692,426   30,109,659  
Issued for distributions reinvested 205,187   2,329   11,809,665   11,711,571  
Redeemed (669,057 ) (427,909 ) (35,531,467 ) (25,241,060 )
 
Net increase in Class A shares outstanding 8,164,749   1,913,800   17,970,624   16,580,170  
 
Class B:                
Sold N/A   N/A   354,898   241,388  
Issued for dividends reinvested N/A   N/A   81,867   124,477  
Redeemed N/A   N/A   (683,943 ) (1,418,398 )
 
Net decrease in Class B shares outstanding N/A   N/A   (247,178 ) (1,052,533 )
 
Advisor Class:                
Sold 98   N/A   376   N/A  
Issued for dividends reinvested 1   N/A   11   N/A  
Redeemed   N/A     N/A  
 
Net increase in Advisor Class shares outstanding 99   N/A   387   N/A  
 
Institutional Class:                
Sold 948,832   N/A   7,144,978   N/A  
Issued for dividends reinvested 1   N/A   11   N/A  
Redeemed (238,498 ) N/A     N/A  
 
Net increase in Institutional Class shares outstanding 710,335   N/A   7,144,989   N/A  


**From August 20, 2012 (commencement of operations) to September 30, 2012.

 

 

184 See notes to financial statements 185

 



Statements of Changes in Net Assets
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS

                         
    TOTAL RETURN     EQUITY INCOME     GROWTH & INCOME     GLOBAL  
Year Ended September 30     2013     2012     2013     2012     2013     2012     2013     2012  
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets From Operations                                                
Net investment income $ 8,737,825   $ 8,427,411   $ 7,276,941   $ 6,560,611   $ 15,233,797   $ 14,690,454   $ 1,977,912   $ 1,199,577  
Net realized gain (loss) on investments and                                                
foreign currency transactions   15,481,867     9,889,479     22,666,688     (1,363,199 )   49,811,355     25,391,281     28,883,970     (1,867,392 )
Net unrealized appreciation of investments and                                                
foreign currency transactions   54,506,102 69,162,630 46,472,134 76,643,044 245,762,325   221,517,657   20,625,048   56,227,236  
Net increase in net assets resulting    
from operations   78,725,794     87,479,520     76,415,763     81,840,456     310,807,477     261,599,392     51,486,930     55,559,421  
Distributions to Shareholders                                                
Net investment income – Class A   (11,460,204 )   (8,802,366 )   (7,018,270 )   (4,992,799 )   (16,526,451 )   (9,050,725 )   (1,424,622 )   (682,596 )
Net investment income – Class B   (129,605 )   (137,606 )   (60,686 )   (47,943 )   (183,967 )   (78,713 )   (18,090 )   (6,148 )
Net investment income – Advisor Class   (9 )   N/A     (8 )   N/A     (4 )   N/A         N/A  
Net investment income – Institutional Class   (10 )   N/A     (21,919 )   N/A     (5 )   N/A         N/A  
Net realized gains – Class A   (7,978,527 )                            
Net realized gains – Class B   (154,041 )                            
Net realized gains – Advisor Class       N/A         N/A         N/A         N/A  
Net realized gains – Institutional Class       N/A         N/A         N/A         N/A  
 
Total distributions   (19,722,396 )   (8,939,972 )   (7,100,883 )   (5,040,742 )   (16,710,427 )   (9,129,438 )   (1,442,712 )   (688,744 )
 
Share Transactions *                                                
Class A:                                                
Proceeds from shares sold   151,808,639     120,347,723     80,787,524     49,928,915     225,005,030     132,897,199     26,527,993     27,171,178  
Value of shares issued for acquisition**                       364,273,402          
Reinvestment of distributions.   19,242,664     8,680,216     6,932,698     4,929,086     16,393,701     8,979,608     1,405,678     673,450  
Cost of shares redeemed   (96,571,663 )   (58,568,275 )   (72,530,693 )   (55,551,297 )   (216,966,800 )   (151,874,850 )   (43,281,094 )   (39,969,343 )
 
    74,479,640     70,459,664     15,189,529     (693,296 )   24,431,931     354,275,359     (15,347,423 )   (12,124,715 )
 
Class B:                                                
Proceeds from shares sold   1,802,068     1,403,987     633,835     448,256     2,358,307     2,527,142     326,341     403,551  
Value of shares issued for acquisition**                       9,713,143          
Reinvestment of distributions.   283,547     137,125     60,686     47,905     183,800     78,581     18,090     6,147  
Cost of shares redeemed   (3,729,618 )   (5,798,871 )   (2,314,718 )   (3,159,724 )   (7,717,456 )   (11,271,586 )   (1,008,810 )   (1,449,049 )
 
    (1,644,003 )   (4,257,759 )   (1,620,197 )   (2,663,563 )   (5,175,349 )   1,047,280     (664,379 )   (1,039,351 )
 
Advisor Class:                                                
Proceeds from shares sold   1,000     N/A     1,000     N/A     1,000     N/A     1,000     N/A  
Reinvestment of dividends   9     N/A     8     N/A     4     N/A         N/A  
Cost of shares redeemed       N/A         N/A         N/A         N/A  
 
    1,009     N/A     1,008     N/A     1,004     N/A     1,000     N/A  
 
Institutional Class:                                                
Proceeds from shares sold   1,000     N/A     4,650,735     N/A     1,000     N/A     1,000     N/A  
Reinvestment of dividends   10     N/A     6     N/A     5     N/A         N/A  
Cost of shares redeemed       N/A         N/A         N/A         N/A  
 
    1,010     N/A     4,650,741     N/A     1,005     N/A     1,000     N/A  
 
Net increase (decrease) from share transactions   72,837,656     66,201,905     18,221,081     (3,356,859 )   19,258,591     355,322,639     (16,009,802 )   (13,164,066 )
 
Net increase in net assets   131,841,054     144,741,453     87,535,961     73,442,855     313,355,641     607,792,593     34,034,416     41,706,611  
 
Net Assets                                                
Beginning of year   542,422,198     397,680,745     398,940,761     325,497,906     1,252,990,101     645,197,508     287,716,243     246,009,632  
 
End of year† $ 674,263,252   $ 542,422,198   $ 486,476,722   $ 398,940,761   $ 1,566,345,742   $ 1,252,990,101   $ 321,750,659   $ 287,716,243  
 
†Includes undistributed net investment income (deficit) of $ (2,274,431 ) $ (361,113 ) $ 2,668,541   $ 2,492,483   $ 5,564,922   $ 7,041,552   $ 1,142,588   $ 662,542  


**
See Note 11

 

 

186 See notes to financial statements 187

 



Statements of Changes in Net Assets
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS

               
  TOTAL RETURN   EQUITY INCOME   GROWTH & INCOME   GLOBAL  
Year Ended September 30   2013   2012   2013   2012   2013   2012   2013   2012  
*Shares Issued and Redeemed                                
Class A:                                
Sold 8,646,376   7,481,618   9,628,589   6,889,242   12,146,401   8,594,359   3,616,109   4,270,231  
Issued for acquisition**           25,233,878      
Issued for distributions reinvested 1,125,446   538,948   834,640   665,487   930,022   583,170   202,547   112,055  
Redeemed (5,485,124 ) (3,674,671 ) (8,689,334 ) (7,653,713 ) (11,774,440 ) (9,780,526 ) (5,920,135 ) (6,246,526 )
 
Net increase (decrease) in Class A shares outstanding 4,286,698   4,345,895   1,773,895   (98,984 ) 1,301,983   24,630,881   (2,101,479 ) (1,864,240 )
 
Class B:                                
Sold 104,561   89,506   75,670   63,260   135,778   174,925   51,787   72,915  
Issued for acquisition**           715,868      
Issued for distributions reinvested 17,051   8,728   7,547   6,579   11,774   5,836   3,025   1,180  
Redeemed (217,312 ) (374,806 ) (285,676 ) (452,496 ) (451,729 ) (785,200 ) (159,896 ) (264,395 )
 
Net increase (decrease) in Class B shares outstanding (95,700 ) (276,572 ) (202,459 ) (382,657 ) (304,177 ) 111,429   (105,084 ) (190,300 )
 
Advisor Class:                                
Sold 56   N/A   119   N/A   54   N/A   137   N/A  
Issued for dividends reinvested 1   N/A   1   N/A     N/A     N/A  
Redeemed   N/A     N/A     N/A     N/A  
 
Net increase in Advisor Class shares outstanding 57   N/A   120   N/A   54   N/A   137   N/A  
 
Institutional Class:                                
Sold 56   N/A   523,137   N/A   54   N/A   137   N/A  
Issued for dividends reinvested 1   N/A   1   N/A     N/A     N/A  
Redeemed   N/A     N/A     N/A     N/A  
 
Net increase in Institutional Class shares outstanding 57   N/A   523,138   N/A   54   N/A   137   N/A  


**See Note 11

 

 

188 See notes to financial statements 189

 



Statements of Changes in Net Assets
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS

                         
    SELECT GROWTH     OPPORTUNITY     SPECIAL SITUATIONS     INTERNATIONAL  
Year Ended September 30     2013     2012     2013     2012     2013     2012     2013     2012  
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets From Operations                                                
Net investment income (loss) $ 705,574   $ (944,001 ) $ 3,453,410   $ 4,684,227   $ 1,557,781   $ 59,936   $ 645,888   $ 1,276,176  
Net realized gain on investments and                                                
foreign currency transactions   37,621,367     6,874,740     49,631,929     14,703,906     78,785,374     8,831,864     6,541,337     11,215,665  
Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments                                                
and foreign currency transactions   5,639,836     50,284,387     134,682,038     96,340,656     (9,595,192 )   52,595,947     5,511,859     19,972,563  
Net increase in net assets resulting                                                
from operations   43,966,777     56,215,126     187,767,377     115,728,789     70,747,963     61,487,747     12,699,084     32,464,404  
Distributions to Shareholders                                                
Net investment income – Class A           (4,707,638 )   (2,858,976 )   (1,635,146 )   (387,088 )       (2,142,019 )
Net investment income – Class B           (106,969 )   (81,714 )   (19,139 )           (43,360 )
Net investment income – Advisor Class       N/A         N/A         N/A         N/A  
Net investment income – Institutional Class       N/A         N/A         N/A         N/A  
Net realized gains – Class A           (14,500,437 )   (15,298,237 )   (14,034,907 )   (22,980,160 )        
Net realized gains – Class B           (394,685 )   (575,152 )   (232,335 )   (499,531 )        
Net realized gains – Advisor Class       N/A         N/A         N/A         N/A  
Net realized gains – Institutional Class       N/A         N/A         N/A         N/A  
 
Total distributions           (19,709,729 )   (18,814,079 )   (15,921,527 )   (23,866,779 )       (2,185,379 )
 
Share Transactions *                                                
Class A:                                                
Proceeds from shares sold   49,260,112     45,428,727     109,567,095     71,370,721     55,016,522     43,391,077     65,131,798     27,195,451  
Reinvestment of distributions.           19,127,611     18,082,699     15,590,531     23,250,649         2,131,981  
Cost of shares redeemed   (47,680,903 )   (32,353,171 )   (96,351,212 )   (69,018,854 )   (55,639,919 )   (45,918,661 )   (27,541,316 )   (21,671,006 )
 
    1,579,209     13,075,556     32,343,494     20,434,566     14,967,134     20,723,065     37,590,482     7,656,426  
 
Class B:                                                
Proceeds from shares sold   374,300     466,306     1,226,999     1,148,482     350,983     592,309     262,698     212,184  
Reinvestment of distributions.           500,972     655,289     251,359     499,190         43,332  
Cost of shares redeemed   (1,650,653 )   (2,820,737 )   (4,525,679 )   (6,554,117 )   (1,385,228 )   (2,515,486 )   (604,520 )   (528,475 )
 
    (1,276,353 )   (2,354,431 )   (2,797,708 )   (4,750,346 )   (782,886 )   (1,423,987 )   (341,822 )   (272,959 )
 
Advisor Class:                                                
Proceeds from shares sold   1,000     N/A     1,000     N/A     1,000     N/A     1,000     N/A  
Reinvestment of dividends       N/A         N/A         N/A         N/A  
Cost of shares redeemed       N/A         N/A         N/A         N/A  
 
    1,000     N/A     1,000     N/A     1,000     N/A     1,000     N/A  
 
Institutional Class:                                                
Proceeds from shares sold   1,000     N/A     1,000     N/A     1,000     N/A     1,000     N/A  
Reinvestment of dividends       N/A         N/A         N/A         N/A  
Cost of shares redeemed       N/A         N/A         N/A         N/A  
 
    1,000     N/A     1,000     N/A     1,000     N/A     1,000     N/A  
 
Net increase from share transactions   304,856     10,721,125     29,547,786     15,684,220     14,186,248     19,299,078     37,250,660     7,383,467  
 
Net increase in net assets   44,271,633     66,936,251     197,605,434     112,598,930     69,012,684     56,920,046     49,949,744     37,662,492  
 
Net Assets                                                
Beginning of year   276,872,095     209,935,844     543,015,425     430,416,495     348,023,789     291,103,743     169,125,287     131,462,795  
 
End of year†. $ 321,143,728   $ 276,872,095   $ 740,620,859   $ 543,015,425   $ 417,036,473   $ 348,023,789   $ 219,075,031   $ 169,125,287  
 
†Includes undistributed net investment income (deficit) of $ 46,929   $ (658,645 ) $ 3,100,350   $ 4,684,129   $   $ 59,929   $ 318,164   $ (191,854 )

 

190 See notes to financial statements 191

 



Statements of Changes in Net Assets
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS

                 
  SELECT GROWTH   OPPORTUNITY   SPECIAL SITUATIONS   INTERNATIONAL  
Year Ended September 30   2013   2012   2013   2012   2013   2012   2013   2012  
*Shares Issued and Redeemed                                
Class A:                                
Sold 5,861,743   6,092,740   3,285,077   2,548,556   2,140,339   1,789,639   5,267,583   2,533,422  
Issued for distributions reinvested     645,331   698,983   658,662   1,025,613     211,506  
Redeemed (5,668,289 ) (4,326,019 ) (2,908,153 ) (2,461,213 ) (2,174,522 ) (1,890,583 ) (2,228,081 ) (2,016,988 )
 
Net increase in Class A shares outstanding 193,454   1,766,721   1,022,255   786,326   624,479   924,669   3,039,502   727,940  
 
Class B:                                
Sold 49,006   69,714   43,411   47,887   16,135   28,575   22,103   20,483  
Issued for distributions reinvested     19,864   29,425   12,644   25,851     4,440  
Redeemed (219,786 ) (421,243 ) (161,529 ) (275,737 ) (64,381 ) (122,401 ) (50,706 ) (51,884 )
 
Net decrease in Class B shares outstanding (170,780 ) (351,529 ) (98,254 ) (198,425 ) (35,602 ) (67,975 ) (28,603 ) (26,961 )
 
Advisor Class:                                
Sold 118   N/A   30   N/A   39   N/A   78   N/A  
Issued for dividends reinvested   N/A     N/A     N/A     N/A  
Redeemed   N/A     N/A     N/A     N/A  
 
Net increase in Advisor Class shares outstanding 118   N/A   30   N/A   39   N/A   78   N/A  
 
Institutional Class:                                
Sold 118   N/A   30   N/A   39   N/A   78   N/A  
Issued for dividends reinvested   N/A     N/A     N/A     N/A  
Redeemed   N/A     N/A     N/A     N/A  
 
Net increase in Institutional Class shares outstanding 118   N/A   30   N/A   39   N/A   78   N/A  

 

192 See notes to financial statements 193

 



Notes to Financial Statements
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS
September 30, 2013

1. Significant Accounting Policies—First Investors Income Funds (“Income Funds”) and First Investors Equity Funds (“Equity Funds”), each a Delaware statutory trust (each a “Trust”, collectively, “the Trusts”), are registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”) as open-end management investment companies and operate as series funds. The Income Funds issue shares of beneficial interest in the Cash Management Fund, Government Fund, Investment Grade Fund, Strategic Income Fund, International Opportunities Bond Fund and Fund For Income. The Equity Funds issue shares of beneficial interest in the Total Return Fund, Equity Income Fund (formerly Value Fund), Growth & Income Fund, Global Fund, Select Growth Fund, Opportunity Fund, Special Situations Fund and International Fund (each a “Fund”, collectively, “the Funds”). The Trusts account separately for the assets, liabilities and operations of each Fund. The objective of each Fund as of September 30, 2013, is as follows:

Cash Management Fund seeks to earn a high rate of current income consistent with the preservation of capital and maintenance of liquidity.

Government Fund seeks to achieve a significant level of current income which is consistent with security and liquidity of principal.

Investment Grade Fund seeks to generate a maximum level of income consistent with investment in investment grade debt securities.

Strategic Income Fund seeks a high level of current income.

International Opportunities Bond Fund seeks total return consisting of income and capital appreciation.

Fund For Income seeks high current income.

Total Return Fund seeks high, long-term total investment return consistent with moderate investment risk.

Equity Income Fund seeks total return.

Growth & Income Fund seeks long-term growth of capital and current income.

Global Fund seeks long-term capital growth.

Select Growth Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.

Opportunity Fund seeks long-term capital growth.

Special Situations Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.

International Fund primarily seeks long-term capital growth.

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A. Security Valuation—Except as provided below, a security listed or traded on an exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market is valued at its last sale price on the exchange or market where the security is principally traded, and lacking any sales, the security is valued at the mean between the closing bid and asked prices. Securities traded in the over-the-counter (“OTC”) market (including securities listed on exchanges whose primary market is believed to be OTC) are valued at the mean between the last bid and asked prices based on quotes furnished by a market maker for such securities. Securities may also be priced by pricing services approved by the Trusts’ Board of Trustees (the “Board”). The pricing services consider security type, rating, market condition and yield data as well as market quotations, prices provided by market makers and other available information in determining value. Short-term debt securities that mature in 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost. The net asset value of the Strategic Income Fund is derived from the net asset values of the underlying Funds in which it invests.

The Funds monitor for significant events occurring prior to the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange that could have a material impact on the value of any securities that are held by the Funds. Examples of such events include trading halts, natural disasters, political events and issuer-specific developments. If the Valuation Committee of First Investors Management Company, Inc. (“FIMCO”) decides that such events warrant using fair value estimates, it will take such events into consideration in determining the fair values of such securities. If market quotations or prices are not readily available or determined to be unreliable, the securities will be valued at fair value as determined in good faith pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board. The Funds also use a pricing service to fair value foreign equity securities in the event that fluctuation in U.S. securities markets exceed a predetermined level or if a foreign market is closed. For valuation purposes, where applicable, quotations of foreign securities in foreign currency are translated to U.S. dollar equivalents using the foreign exchange quotation in effect. As of September 30, 2013, Fund For Income held three securities that were fair valued by FIMCO’s Valuation Committee with an aggregate value of $3,785, representing 0% of the Fund’s net assets.

The Cash Management Fund values its portfolio securities in accordance with the amortized cost method of valuation under Rule 2a-7 of the 1940 Act. Amortized cost is an approximation of market value of an instrument, whereby the difference between its acquisition cost and market value at maturity is amortized on a straight-line basis over the remaining life of the instrument. The effect of changes in the market value of a security as a result of fluctuating interest rates is not taken into account and thus the amortized cost method of valuation may result in the value of a security being higher or lower than its actual market value.

195

 



Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS
September 30, 2013

In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820 “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC 820”), investments held by the Funds are carried at “fair value”. As defined by ASC 820, fair value is the price that a fund would receive upon selling an investment in an orderly transaction to an independent buyer in the principal or most advantageous market for the investment under current market conditions. Various inputs are used in determining the value of the fund’s investments.

In addition to defining fair value, ASC 820 established a three-tier hierarchy of inputs to establish a classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three broad Levels listed below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical securities that the Fund has the ability to access.

Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These inputs may include quoted prices for the identical instrument on an inactive market, prices for similar instruments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates and similar data.

Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, to the extent relevant observable inputs are not available, representing the Fund's own assumption about the assumptions a market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and would be based on the best information available.

Equity securities traded on an exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market are categorized in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy to the extent that they are actively traded and valuation adjustments are not applied. The underlying funds in which Strategic Income Fund invests in are also categorized in Level 1. Foreign securities that are fair valued in the event that fluctuations in U.S. securities markets exceed a predetermined level or if a foreign market is closed are categorized in Level 2. Corporate, sovereign and municipal bonds, asset backed, U.S. Government and U.S. Government Agency securities and loan participations are categorized in Level 2 to the extent that the inputs are observable and timely, otherwise they would be categorized as Level 3. Short-term notes that are valued at amortized cost are categorized in Level 2. Foreign exchange contracts that are considered derivative instruments and are valued at the net unrealized appreciation or depreciation on the instruments are categorized in Level 2. Restricted securities and securities that are fair valued by the Valuation Committee may be categorized in either Level 2 or Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy depending on the relative significance of valuation inputs.

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The aggregate value by input level, as of September 30, 2013, for each Fund’s investments is included at the end of each Fund’s portfolio of investments.

B. Federal Income Taxes—No provision has been made for federal income taxes on net income or capital gains since it is the policy of each Fund to continue to comply with the special provisions of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to investment companies, and to make sufficient distributions of income and capital gains (in excess of any available capital loss carryovers) to relieve it from all, or substantially all, such taxes. At September 30, 2013, capital loss carryovers were as follows:

                Capital Loss
              Carryovers Not Subject
    Year Capital Loss Carryovers Expire to Expiration
                Long Short
Fund     Total   2014   2015   2016   2017   2018   2019   Term   Term
Government $ 7,061,305 $ 646,760 $ 1,909,473 $ 1,063,550 $ $ $ 40,595 $ $ 3,400,927
Investment                  
Grade 13,584,806 13,584,806
Fund For                  
Income 166,931,606 2,665,632 24,660,250 5,033,118 23,949,720 110,622,886
Select Growth 31,245,713 31,245,713
International 26,152,463 3,055,947 20,905,274 2,191,242

 

As a result of the passage of the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010 (“the Modernization Act of 2010”), losses incurred in fiscal year 2010 and beyond retain their character as short-term or long-term, have no expiration date and are utilized prior to capital loss carryovers occurring prior to the enactment of the Modernization Act of 2010.

The Funds recognize the tax benefits of uncertain tax positions only where the position is “more likely than not” to be sustained assuming examination by tax authorities. Management has analyzed the Funds’ tax positions and has concluded that no liability for unrecognized tax benefits should be recorded related to uncertain tax positions taken on returns filed for open tax years 2010 – 2012, or expected to be taken in the Funds’ 2013 tax returns. The Funds identify their major tax jurisdictions as U.S. Federal, New York State, New York City and foreign jurisdictions where the Funds make significant investments; however, the Funds are not aware of any tax position for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits will change materially in the next twelve months.

197

 



Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS
September 30, 2013

C. Distributions to Shareholders—Dividends from net investment income of the Government Fund, Investment Grade Fund, Strategic Income Fund, International Opportunities Bond Fund and Fund For Income are generally declared daily and paid monthly. The Cash Management Fund declares distributions, if any, daily and pays distributions monthly. Distributions are declared from the total of net investment income plus or minus all realized short-term gains and losses on investments. Dividends from net investment income, if any, of Total Return Fund, Equity Income Fund and Growth & Income Fund are declared and paid quarterly. Dividends from net investment income, if any, of Global Fund, Select Growth Fund, Opportunity Fund, Special Situations Fund and International Fund are declared and paid annually. Distributions from net realized capital gains, if any, of each of the Funds are normally declared and paid annually. Income dividends and capital gain distributions are determined in accordance with income tax regulations which may differ from accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These differences are primarily due to differing treatments for capital loss carryforwards, deferral of wash sales losses, post-October capital losses, late loss deferrals, net operating losses and foreign currency transactions.

D. Expense Allocation—Expenses directly charged or attributable to a Fund are paid from the assets of that Fund. General expenses of the Trusts are allocated among and charged to the assets of each Fund on a fair and equitable basis, which may be based on the relative assets of each Fund or the nature of the services performed and relative applicability to each Fund.

E. Use of Estimates—The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expense during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

F. Foreign Currency Translations—The accounting records of International Opportunities Bond Fund, Global Fund and International Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. Portfolio securities and other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated to U.S. dollars at the date of valuation. Purchases and sales of investment securities, dividend income and certain expenses are translated to U.S. dollars at the rates of exchange prevailing on the respective dates of such transactions.

198

 



International Opportunities Bond Fund, Global Fund and International Fund do not isolate that portion of gains and losses on investments which is due to changes in foreign exchange rates from that which is due to changes in market prices of the investments. These changes are included with the net realized and unrealized gains and losses from investments.

Net realized and unrealized gains and losses on foreign currency transactions include gains and losses from the sales of foreign currency and gains and losses on accrued foreign dividends and related withholding taxes.

G. Other—Security transactions are generally accounted for on the first business day following the date the securities are purchased or sold, except for financial reporting purposes, which is trade date. Investments in securities issued on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis are generally reflected in the assets of the Funds on the first business day following the date the securities are purchased and the Funds segregate assets for these transactions. Cost of securities is determined and gains and losses are based on the identified cost basis for both financial statement and federal income tax purposes. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date or for certain foreign dividends, as soon as the Fund becomes aware of the dividends. Interest income and estimated expenses are accrued daily. Bond discounts and premiums are accreted or amortized using the interest method. Withholding taxes on foreign dividends have been provided in accordance with the Funds’ understanding of the applicable country’s tax rules and rates. The Bank of New York Mellon, custodian for the Cash Management Fund, Government Fund, Investment Grade Fund and Fund For Income, may provide credits against custodian charges based on uninvested cash balance of the Funds. For the year ended September 30, 2013, the Bank of New York Mellon provided credits in the amount of $14. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. serves as custodian for the Strategic Income Fund, International Opportunities Bond Fund, and each Fund in the Equity Funds. Certain of the Funds reduced expenses through brokerage service arrangements. For the year ended September 30, 2013, expenses were reduced by a total of $2,167 for the Income Funds and by a total of $27,401 for the Equity Funds.

199

 



Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS
September 30, 2013

2. Security Transactions—For the year ended September 30, 2013, purchases and sales of securities and long-term U.S. Government obligations (excluding U.S. Treasury bills, short-term securities and foreign currencies) were as follows:

      Long-Term U.S.
  Securities Government Obligations
  Cost of Proceeds Cost of Proceeds
Fund   Purchases of Sales Purchases of Sales
Government $297,794,213 $363,525,028 $84,201,388 $16,191,998
Investment Grade 223,807,904 177,958,296
Strategic Income 49,129,794 4,285,973
International Opportunities Bond 113,192,367 31,700,819
Fund For Income 440,507,596 371,401,421
Total Return 226,884,214 179,770,324 12,004,422 5,146,030
Equity Income 138,776,582 131,382,023
Growth & Income 277,340,681 275,398,590
Global 271,475,560 285,572,099
Select Growth 205,003,557 205,457,472
Opportunity 243,671,255 247,602,387
Special Situations 395,365,443 394,661,852
International 91,276,371 57,412,343

 

At September 30, 2013, aggregate cost and net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of securities for federal income tax purposes were as follows:

 

      Gross Gross Unrealized
    Aggregate Unrealized Unrealized Appreciation
Fund     Cost   Appreciation   Depreciation   (Depreciation )
Government $ 363,369,181 $ 8,909,111 $ 3,505,670 $ 5,403,441
Investment Grade   530,564,354 25,003,450 6,843,751 18,159,699
Strategic Income   44,866,551 67,887 669,899 (602,012 )
International          
Opportunities Bond   104,199,183 1,609,609 4,544,635 (2,935,026 )
Fund For Income   649,412,817 17,680,843 11,858,486 5,822,357
Total Return   529,227,004 156,045,256 5,174,604 150,870,652
Equity Income   370,610,711 117,925,482 2,089,670 115,835,812
Growth & Income   1,025,658,603 555,027,249 10,710,905 544,316,344
Global   249,753,000 69,949,133 1,948,508 68,000,625
Select Growth   240,861,344 82,678,273 3,034,880 79,643,393
Opportunity   472,147,506 269,370,785 1,542,607 267,828,178
Special Situations   346,661,050 65,296,244 8,859,134 56,437,110
International   172,913,182 51,354,668 6,534,468 44,820,200

 

200

 



The Strategic Income Fund may invest in the Institutional Class of Cash Management Fund, Government Fund, Investment Grade Fund, International Opportunities Bond Fund, Fund For Income and Equity Income Fund. During the year ended September 30, 2013, purchases, sales and dividend income earned by Strategic Income Fund from investments in the Institutional Classes of the Funds were as follows:

  Balance of     Balance of     Realized Gain
  Shares Held Purchases/ Sales/ Shares Held Value Dividend on Security
Fund     9/30/2012   Additions      Reductions   9/30/2013   9/30/2013   Income   Transactions
Government 424,622 424,622 $ 4,653,852 $ 29,024 $
Investment Grade 1,148,214 (196,092 ) 952,122 9,321,277 110,750 3,158
International              
Opportunities Bond 948,734 (238,498 ) 710,236 6,995,824 59,019 17,629
Fund For Income 7,144,602 7,144,602 18,575,964 276,190
Equity Income     523,018     523,018   4,717,622   21,913  
      10,189,190   (434,590 )   9,754,600   $ 44,264,539 $ 496,896 $ 20,787

 

3. Advisory Fee and Other Transactions With Affiliates—Certain officers of the Trusts are officers of the Trusts’ investment adviser, FIMCO, their underwriter, First Investors Corporation (“FIC”) and their transfer agent, Administrative Data Management Corp. (“ADM”). Trustees of the Trusts who are not officers or directors of FIMCO or its affiliates are remunerated by the Funds. For the year ended September 30, 2013, total trustees fees accrued by the Income Funds and Equity Funds amounted to $98,492 and $229,567, respectively.

The Investment Advisory Agreements provide as compensation to FIMCO for each Fund, an annual fee, payable monthly, at the following rates:

Cash Management Fund—.50% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. For the year ended September 30, 2013, FIMCO has voluntarily waived $472,473 in advisory fees to limit the Fund’s overall expense ratio to .60% on Class A shares, 1.35% on Class B shares and .60% on Institutional Class shares. Also, FIMCO has voluntarily waived an additional $217,275 in advisory fees and assumed $457,985 of other Fund expenses to prevent a negative yield on the Fund’s shares.

Government and Investment Grade Funds—.66% on the first $500 million of each Fund’s average daily net assets, declining by .02% on each $500 million thereafter, down to .60% on average daily net assets over $1.5 billion. For the periods October 1, 2012 through May 31, 2013 and June 1, 2013 through September 30, 2013, FIMCO has voluntarily waived $440,946 in advisory fees to limit the advisory fee to .55% and .53%, respectively of Government Fund’s average daily net assets. For the year ended September 30, 2013, FIMCO has voluntarily waived $603,619 in advisory fees on Investment Grade Fund to limit the advisory fee to .55% of its average daily net assets.

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Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS
September 30, 2013

Strategic Income Fund—.05% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. For the year ended September 30, 2013, FIMCO has waived, pursuant to an expense limitation agreement, $5,882 in advisory fees and assumed $89,546 in other expenses to limit the Fund’s overall expense ratio (exclusive of certain expenses) to 1.30% and 1.00% on Class A shares and Advisor Class shares, respectively.

International Opportunities Bond Fund and Fund For Income—.75% on the first $250 million of each Fund’s average daily net assets, .72% on the next $250 million, .69% on the next $250 million, .66% on the next $500 million, declining by .02% on each $500 million thereafter, down to .60% on average daily net assets over $2.25 billion. For the year ended September 30, 2013, FIMCO has waived, pursuant to an expense limitation agreement, $368,364 in advisory fees to limit the International Opportunity Bond Fund’s overall expense ratio to 1.30% (exclusive of certain expenses) on Class A shares. For the year ended September 30, 2013, FIMCO has voluntarily waived $161,079 in advisory fees on Fund For Income to limit the advisory fee to .70% of its average daily net assets.

Total Return Fund—During the period October 1, 2012 through May 16, 2013, the rate was .75% on the first $300 million of the Fund’s average daily net assets, .72% on the next $200 million, .69% on the next $250 million, .66% on the next $500 million, declining by .02% on each $500 million thereafter, down to .60% on average daily net assets over $2.25 billion. Effective May 17, 2013, the rate was changed to .75% on the first $300 million of the Fund’s average daily net assets, .70% on the next $200 million, .65% on the next $500 million, .60% on the next $1 billion, declining by .05% on each $1 billion thereafter, down to .50% on average daily net assets over $3 billion.

Equity Income, Growth & Income, Select Growth, and Opportunity Funds—.75% on the first $300 million of each Fund’s average daily net assets, .72% on the next $200 million, .69% on the next $250 million, .66% on the next $500 million, declining by .02% on each $500 million thereafter, down to .60% on average daily net assets over $2.25 billion.

Global Fund—.95% on the first $600 million, .92% on the next $400 million, .90% on the next $500 million and .88% on average daily net assets over $1.5 billion. During the period May 17, 2013 through September 30, 2013, FIMCO has voluntarily waived $58,990 in advisory fees to limit the advisory fee to .90% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Special Situations Fund—1% on the first $200 million of the Fund’s average daily net assets, .75% on the next $300 million, .72% on the next $250 million, .69% on the next $250 million, .66% on the next $500 million, and .64% on average daily

202

 



net assets over $1.5 billion. For the year ended September 30, 2013, FIMCO has voluntarily waived $311,343 in advisory fees to limit the advisory fee to .80% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

International Fund—.98% on the first $300 million of the Fund’s average daily net assets, .95% on the next $300 million, .92% on the next $400 million, .90% on the next $500 million and .88% on average daily net assets over $1.5 billion.

For the year ended September 30, 2013, total advisory fees accrued to FIMCO by the Income Funds and Equity Funds were $12,034,638 and $32,256,788, respectively, of which $2,269,638 and $370,333, respectively, was voluntarily waived by FIMCO as noted above.

FIMCO has entered into an expense limitation agreement with the Strategic Income Fund (“SIF”) to limit SIF’s total annual fund operating expenses (exclusive of interest expenses, taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividend costs related to short sales, and extraordinary expenses, such as litigation expenses, if any) to 1.30% of the average daily net assets on the Class A shares and 1.00% of the average daily net assets on Advisor Class shares. The agreement expires on April 3, 2014. For the period April 3, 2013 (commencement of operations) to September 30, 2013, FIMCO assumed $95,428 under the terms of the agreement. FIMCO and SIF have agreed that any expenses of SIF assumed by FIMCO pursuant to this agreement be repaid to FIMCO by SIF within three years after the date the fee limitation and/or expense reimbursement has been made by FIMCO, provided that such repayment does not cause the expenses of SIF’s Class A shares and Advisor class shares to exceed the foregoing limits. The expense limitation agreement may be terminated or amended prior to April 3, 2014, with the approval of the Board.

FIMCO has entered into an expense limitation agreement with the International Opportunities Bond Fund (“IOBF”) to limit IOBF’s total annual fund operating expenses (exclusive of interest expenses, taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, dividend costs related to short sales, and extraordinary expenses, such as litigation expenses, if any) to 1.30% of the average daily net assets on the Class A shares. The agreement expires on January 31, 2014. For the year ended September 30, 2013, FIMCO assumed $368,364, including $140,121 of offering expenses amortized in connection with the organization of IOBF under the terms of the agreement. FIMCO and IOBF have agreed that any expenses of IOBF assumed by FIMCO pursuant to this agreement be repaid to FIMCO by IOBF within three years after the date the fee limitation and/or expense reimbursement has been made by FIMCO, provided that such repayment does not cause the expenses of IOBF’s Class A shares to exceed the foregoing limits. The expense limitation agreement may be terminated or amended

203

 



Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS
September 30, 2013

prior to January 31, 2014, with the approval of the Board. For the period August 20, 2012 (commencement of operations) to September 30, 2013, the total organizational expenses and expenses incurred in excess of the above stated limitation was $506,491.

For the year ended September 30, 2013, FIC, as underwriter, received from the Income Funds and Equity Funds $8,456,555 and $19,564,070, respectively, in commissions in connection with the sale of shares of the Funds, after allowing $15,383 and $62,522, respectively, to other dealers. For the year ended September 30, 2013, shareholder servicing costs for the Income Funds and Equity Funds included $2,777,169 (of which $46,480 was voluntarily waived by ADM on the Cash Management Fund) and $6,921,595, respectively, in transfer agent fees accrued to ADM and $228,312 and $1,002,530, respectively, in retirement accounts custodian fees accrued to ADM.

ADM has entered into an agreement with the Funds to limit the transfer agency expenses for Advisor Class and Institutional Class shares to 0.20% and 0.05%, of the Advisor Class and Institutional Class shares average daily net assets, respectively. The agreement expires on May 1, 2014. ADM can be reimbursed by each Class within three years after the date the expense limitation has been made by ADM, provided that such repayment does not cause the transfer agency expenses of Advisor Class and Institutional Class shares to exceed the foregoing limits. The expense limitation may be terminated or amended prior to May 1, 2014, with the approval of the Board. For the year ended September 30, 2013, shareholder servicing costs of $111 and $278 on the Income Funds and Equity Funds, respectively, were waived by ADM on the Advisor Class and Institutional Class shares as noted above.

Pursuant to Distribution Plans adopted under Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act, each Fund, other than the Cash Management Fund, is authorized to pay FIC a fee up to .30% of the average daily net assets of the Class A shares and 1% of the average daily net assets of the Class B shares on an annualized basis each fiscal year, payable monthly. The Cash Management Fund is authorized to pay FIC a fee up to 1% of the average daily net assets of the Class B shares. The fee consists of a distribution fee and a service fee. The service fee is paid for the ongoing servicing of clients who are shareholders of that Fund. For the year ended September 30, 2013, total distribution plan fees accrued to FIC by the Income Funds and Equity Funds amounted to $5,074,739 and $13,271,707, respectively.

Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC, serves as investment subadviser to International Opportunities Bond Fund. Muzinich & Co., Inc., serves as investment subadviser to Fund For Income. Wellington Management Company, LLP serves as

204

 



investment subadviser to Global Fund. Smith Asset Management Group, L.P. serves as investment subadviser to Select Growth Fund. Vontobel Asset Management, Inc. serves as investment subadviser to International Fund. Paradigm Capital Management, Inc. served as investment subadviser to Special Situations Fund for the period October 1, 2012 through September 20, 2013. The subadvisers are paid by FIMCO and not by the Funds.

4. Restricted Securities—Certain restricted securities are exempt from the registration requirements under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933 and may only be sold to qualified institutional investors. Unless otherwise noted, these 144A securities are deemed to be liquid. At September 30, 2013, Investment Grade Fund held twenty-four 144A securities with an aggregate value of $86,539,494 representing 15.5% of the Fund’s net assets, International Opportunities Bond Fund held five 144A securities with an aggregate value of $4,294,235 representing 4.0% of the Fund’s net assets, Fund For Income held one hundred twenty-three 144A securities with an aggregate value of $241,999,504 representing 36.1% of the Fund’s net assets and Total Return Fund held twenty-one 144A securities with an aggregate value of $23,516,802 representing 3.5% of the Fund’s net assets. Certain restricted securities are exempt from the registration requirements under Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 and may only be sold to qualified investors. Unless otherwise noted, these Section 4(2) securities are deemed to be liquid. At September 30, 2013, Cash Management Fund held six Section 4(2) securities with an aggregate value of $30,490,304 representing 23.3% of the Fund’s net assets. These securities are valued as set forth in Note 1A.

5. Derivatives—The Funds (other than the Cash Management and Strategic Income Funds) may invest in derivatives such as futures contracts (“futures contracts”) and options on futures contracts (“options”), to increase income, hedge against changes in interest rates or enhance potential return.

The Funds may enter into interest rate futures contracts on U.S. Treasury obligations and options thereon that are traded on a U.S. exchange. An interest rate futures contract provides for the future sale by one party and the purchase by another party of a specified amount of a particular financial instrument (debt security) at a specified price, date, time and place. Such investments may be used for the purpose of hedging against changes in the value of a Fund’s portfolio securities due to anticipated changes in interest rates and market conditions. A public market exists for interest rate futures contracts covering a number of debt securities, including long-term U.S. Treasury Bonds, 10-year U.S. Treasury Notes and three-month U.S. Treasury Bills. No price is paid upon entering into futures contracts. Instead, upon entering into a futures contract, the Funds are required to deposit with their custodian in a segregated account in the name of the futures broker through which the transaction is effected an amount of cash or U.S. Government

205

 



Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS
September 30, 2013

securities generally equal to 3%-5% or less of the contract value. This amount is known as “initial margin.”

An option on an interest rate futures contract generally gives the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in a futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option. The Funds may purchase put and call options on interest rate futures contracts on U.S. Treasury obligations which are traded on a U.S. exchange as a hedge against changes in interest rates, and may enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to terminate existing positions. There is no guarantee such closing transactions can be effected. When writing a call or put option on a futures contract, margin also must be deposited in accordance with applicable exchange rules. Initial margin on futures contracts is in the nature of a performance bond or good-faith deposit that is returned to a Fund upon termination of the transaction, assuming all obligations have been satisfied. Under certain circumstances, such as periods of high volatility, a Fund may be required by an exchange to increase the level of its initial margin payment. Subsequent payments, called “variation margin,” to and from the broker, are made on a daily basis as the value of the futures position varies, a process known as “marking to market.” Variation margin does not involve borrowing to finance the futures transactions, but rather represents a daily settlement of a Fund’s obligation to or from a clearing organization. A Fund is also obligated to make initial and variation margin payments when it writes options on futures contracts.

To the extent that a Fund participates in the futures or options markets, it will incur investment risks and transaction costs to which it would not be subject absent the use of these strategies. The use of these strategies involves certain special risks, including: (1) dependence on the ability of the Funds’ investment adviser, FIMCO to predict correctly movements in the direction of interest rates and securities prices; (2) imperfect correlation between the price of futures contracts and options thereon and movements in the prices of the securities or currencies being hedged; (3) the fact that skills needed to use these strategies are different from those needed to select portfolio securities; (4) the leverage (if any) that is created by investing in the option or futures contract; and (5) the possible absence of a liquid secondary market for any particular instrument at any time. If FIMCO’s prediction of movements in the direction of the securities and interest rate markets is inaccurate, the adverse consequences to that Fund may leave it in a worse position than if such strategies were not used.

During the year ended September 30, 2013, the Government and Investment Grade Funds participated in interest rate futures contracts. At September 30, 2013, the Funds had no open investments in futures contracts or options.

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For the year ended September 30, 2013, the effect of derivative instruments in the Statements of Operations is as follows:

  Net Realized Gain (Loss )
Fund   on Futures Contracts
Government $3,234
Investment Grade $(822 )

 

6. High Yield Credit Risk—The investments of Fund For Income in high yield securities whether rated or unrated may be considered speculative and subject to greater market fluctuations and risks of loss of income and principal than lower-yielding, higher-rated, fixed-income securities. The risk of loss due to default by the issuer may be significantly greater for holders of high-yielding securities, because such securities are generally unsecured and are often subordinated to other creditors of the issuer.

7. Foreign Exchange Contracts—The International Opportunities Bond Fund may enter into foreign exchange contracts for the purchase or sale of foreign currencies at negotiated rates at future dates. These contracts are considered derivative instruments and are used to decrease exposure to foreign exchange risk associated with foreign currency denominated securities held by the Fund. The Fund could be exposed to risk if counter parties to the contracts are unable to meet the terms of their contracts or if the value of the foreign currency changes unfavorably. Foreign exchange contracts are “marked-to-market” daily at the applicable translation rate and the resulting unrealized gains and losses are reflected in the Fund’s assets.

The International Opportunities Bond Fund had the following foreign exchange contracts open at September 30, 2013:

Contracts to Buy     Unrealized
Foreign Currency     In Exchange for   Settlement Date   Gain
761,000,000 Chilean Peso US $ 1,491,501 10/17/13 US $ 20,445
413,000,000 Chilean Peso 809,054 11/8/13 11,489
126,000,000 Chilean Peso 245,136 11/8/13 5,199
1,205,000,000 Chilean Peso 2,349,386 12/12/13 44,693
321,000,000 Indian Rupee 4,860,476 12/18/13 266,910
276,000,000 Hungarian Forint    1,209,200 12/18/13   46,834
    $ 10,964,753   $ 395,570

 

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Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS
September 30, 2013

Contracts to Sell     Unrealized  
Foreign Currency     In Exchange for   Settlement Date   Loss 
13,890,000 Polish Zloty US $ 4,131,657 10/10/13 US $ (318,127)
2,646,000,000 Korean Won 2,332,179 10/18/13 (129,961)
1,050,000 Euro 1,388,536 11/7/13 (32,803)
12,780,000 Australian Dollar 11,458,636 11/12/13 (491,320)
2,293,000,000 Korean Won 2,044,219 11/15/13 (89,450)
4,900,000 New Zealand Dollar   4,008,273 1/17/14   (72,951)
    $ 25,363,500   $  (1,134,612)
Net Unrealized Loss on Forward Currency Contracts   $  (739,042)

 

Fair Value of Derivative Instruments—The fair value of derivative instruments on the International Opportunities Bond Fund as of September 30, 2013, was as follows:

 

  Assets Derivatives Liability Derivatives
Derivatives not accounted for        
as hedging instruments under Statements of Assets   Statements of Assets  
ASC 815 and Liabilities Location Value and Liabilities Location Value
Foreign exchange contracts: Unrealized appreciation   Unrealized depreciation  
  of foreign exchange   of foreign exchange  
  contracts $395,570 contracts $1,134,612

 

The effect of International Opportunities Bond Fund derivative instruments on the Statement of Operations are as follows:

 

Amount of Realized Gain or Loss Recognized on Derivatives
Derivatives not accounted Net Realized Gain  
for as hedging instruments on Foreign Exchange  
under ASC 815 Transactions  
Foreign exchange transactions $627,726
 
Amount of Change in Unrealized Gain or Loss Recognized on Derivatives
Derivatives not accounted Net Unrealized Depreciation  
for as hedging instruments on Foreign Exchange  
under ASC 815 Transactions  
Foreign exchange transactions $(739,042)

 

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8. Capital—The Trusts are authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest without par value. The Trusts consist of the Funds listed on the cover page, each of which is a separate and distinct series of the Trusts. Each Fund has designated four classes of shares, Class A, Class B, Advisor Class and Institutional Class shares (each, a “Class”) except for Cash Management Fund which has only designated Class A, Class B and Institutional Class shares, Strategic Income Fund which has only designated Class A and Advisor Class shares and International Opportunities Bond Fund which has only designated Class A, Advisor Class and Institutional Class shares. Advisor Class and Institutional Class shares are new classes that have been added to the Trust. Institutional Class and Advisor Class shares were available for sale to the public in May 2013 and October 2013, respectively. Not all classes of share of each Fund may be available in all jurisdictions. Each share of each Class has an equal beneficial interest in the assets, has identical voting, dividend, liquidation and other rights and is subject to the same terms and conditions except that expenses allocated to a Class may be borne solely by that Class as determined by the Trustees and a Class may have exclusive voting rights with respect to matters affecting only that Class. Cash Management Fund’s Class A, Class B and Institutional Class shares are sold without an initial sales charge; however, its Class B shares may only be acquired through an exchange of Class B shares from another First Investors eligible Fund or through the reinvestment of dividends on Class B shares and are generally subject to a contingent deferred sales charge at the rate of 4% in the first year and declining to 0% over a six-year period, which is payable to FIC as underwriter of the Trusts. The shares sold by the other Funds have a public offering price that reflects different sales charges and expense levels. Class A shares are sold with an initial sales charge of up to 5.75% of the amount invested and together with the Class B shares are subject to distribution plan fees as described in Note 3. Class B shares are sold without an initial sales charge, but are generally subject to a contingent deferred sales charge which declines in steps from 4% to 0% over a six-year period. Class B shares automatically convert into Class A shares after eight years. There are no sales charges associated with the purchase of Advisor Class and Institutional Class shares. Realized and unrealized gains or losses, investment income and expenses (other than distribution plan fees) are allocated daily to each class of shares based upon the relative proportion of net assets to each class.

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Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS
September 30, 2013

9. Tax Components of Capital and Distributions to Shareholders—The tax character of distributions declared for the years ended September 30, 2013 and September 30, 2012 were as follows:

  Year Ended September 30, 2013 Year Ended September 30, 2012
  Distributions   Distributions  
  Declared from   Declared from  
    Long-Term     Long-Term  
  Ordinary   Capital   Ordinary Capital  
Fund     Income    Gain   Total   Income   Gain   Total
Government $ 10,754,418 $ $ 10,754,418 $ 12,155,577 $ $ 12,155,577
Investment Grade 21,073,207   21,073,207 20,074,396 20,074,396
Strategic Income 321,814   321,814
International              
Opportunities Bond 2,186,036   2,186,036 24,887 24,887
Fund For Income 37,031,243   37,031,243 35,665,019 35,665,019
Total Return 13,005,892   6,716,504 19,722,396 8,939,972 8,939,972
Equity Income 7,100,883   7,100,883 5,040,742 5,040,742
Growth & Income 16,710,427   16,710,427 9,129,438 9,129,438
Global 1,442,712   1,442,712 688,744 688,744
Opportunity 9,773,265   9,936,464 19,709,729 2,940,690 15,873,389 18,814,079
Special Situations 8,673,458   7,248,069 15,921,527 387,088 23,479,691 23,866,779
International   2,185,379 2,185,379

 

As of September 30, 2013, the components of distributable earnings (deficit) on a tax basis were as follows:

 

          Other   Total
  Undistributed     Undistributed Capital     Accumulated Unrealized Distributable
  Ordinary   Capital Losses Gains Appreciation Earnings
Fund     Income   Gains   Carryover   (Losses )*    (Depreciation )   (Deficit )**
Government $ 55,298 $ $ (7,061,305 ) $ (6,969,278 ) $ 5,403,441 $ (8,571,844 )
Investment Grade 543,108   (13,584,806 ) 18,159,699 5,118,001
Strategic Income 45,746   (602,012 ) (556,266 )
International              
Opportunities Bond 27,194   92,245 (3,683,381 ) (3,563,942 )
Fund For Income 63,951   (166,931,606 ) 5,822,357 (161,045,298 )
Total Return 3,064,627   9,812,963 150,870,652 163,748,242
Equity Income 2,668,541   2,888,556 115,835,812 121,392,909
Growth & Income 16,848,185   37,636,903 544,316,344 598,801,432
Global 1,203,289   682,048 (59,701 ) 68,014,005 69,839,641
Select Growth 137,030   (31,245,713 ) (90,101 ) 79,643,393 48,444,609
Opportunity 10,916,098   38,664,576 267,828,178 317,408,852
Special Situations 7,180,370   61,337,730 56,437,110 124,955,210
International 446,680   (26,152,463 ) (128,516 ) 44,832,514 18,998,215

 

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* Other accumulated losses consist primarily of late loss deferral and post-October loss deferrals.

** Differences between book distributable earnings and tax distributable earnings consist primarily of wash sales and amortization of bond premium and discounts.

For the year ended September 30, 2013, the following reclassifications were made to reflect permanent differences between book and tax reporting which are primarily due to the differences between book and tax treatment of investments in real estate trusts, bond premium amortization, foreign currency transactions, paydowns on securities, tax equalization and redesignation of distributions.

      Undistributed Accumulated
      Ordinary Income Capital Gains
Fund   Capital Paid In   (Deficit )   (Losses )
Government $ $ 4,865,404 $ (4,865,404 )
Investment Grade   865,372 (865,372 )
International Opportunities        
Bond   (1,064 ) 1,745,555 (1,744,491 )
Fund For Income   2,258,851 (2,258,851 )
Total Return   938,685 (938,685 )
Global   38,243 (55,154 ) 16,911
Opportunity   3,436,957 (222,582 ) (3,214,375 )
Special Situations   2,045,454 36,575 (2,082,029 )
International   (135,870 ) 135,870

 

10. New Accounting Pronouncements—In January 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2013-01, Clarifying the Scope of Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities (“ASU No. 2013-01”). This update gives additional clarification to the FASB ASU No. 2011-11 Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities. The amendments in ASU No. 2013-01 require an entity to disclose information about offsetting and related arrangements to enable users of its financial statements to understand the effect of those arrangements on its financial position. ASU No. 2013-01 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual periods. The guidance requires retrospective application for all comparative periods presented. Management is currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2013-01 will have on the financial statement disclosure.

11. Reorganization of Blue Chip Fund into Growth & Income Fund—On December 9, 2011, the Growth & Income Fund acquired all of the net assets of the Blue Chip Fund in connection with a tax-free reorganization that was approved by the Equity Funds’ Board of Trustees. The Growth & Income Fund issued 25,233,878 Class A shares and 715,868 Class B shares to the Blue Chip Fund in connection with

211

 



Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS
September 30, 2013

the reorganization. In return, it received net assets of $373,986,545 from the Blue Chip Fund (which included $31,271,862 of unrealized appreciation and $17,652,665 of accumulated net realized losses). The Growth & Income Fund’s shares were issued at their current net asset values as of the date of the reorganization. The aggregate net assets of the Growth & Income Fund and Blue Chip Fund immediately before the acquisition were $1,106,393,661 consisting of, with respect to Growth & Income Fund, $732,407,116 ($712,314,779 Class A and $20,092,337 Class B) and, with respect to Blue Chip Fund, $373,986,545 ($364,273,402 Class A and $9,713,143 Class B).

12. Litigation—The Blue Chip and Equity Income Funds have been named, and have received notice that they may be putative members of the proposed defendant class of shareholders, in a lawsuit filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware on November 1, 2010, by the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Tribune Company (the “Committee”). The Committee is seeking to recover all payments made to beneficial owners of common stock in connection with a leveraged buyout of the Tribune Company (“LBO”), including payments made in connection with a 2007 tender offer into which the Blue Chip and Equity Income Funds tendered their shares of common stock of the Tribune Company. On December 9, 2011, the Blue Chip Fund was reorganized into the Growth & Income Fund pursuant to a Plan of Reorganization and Termination, whereby all of the assets of the Blue Chip Fund were transferred to the Growth & Income Fund, the Growth & Income Fund assumed all of the liabilities of the Blue Chip Fund, including any contingent liabilities with respect to pending or threatened litigation or actions, and shareholders of Blue Chip Fund became shareholders of Growth & Income Fund. The adversary proceeding brought by the Committee has been transferred to the Southern District of New York and consolidated with other similar suits as discussed below. In addition, on June 2, 2011, the Blue Chip and Equity Income Funds were named as defendants in a lawsuit brought in connection with the Tribune Company's LBO by Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, in its capacity as successor indenture trustee for a certain series of Senior Notes, Law Debenture Trust Company of New York, in its capacity as successor indenture trustee for a certain series of Senior Notes, and Wilmington Trust Company, in its capacity as successor indenture trustee for the PHONES Notes (together, the “Bondholder Plaintiffs”) in the Supreme Court of the State of New York. This suit has been removed to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and consolidated with other substantially similar suits against other former Tribune shareholders. The Bondholder Plaintiffs also seek to recover payments of the proceeds of the LBO. The Blue Chip and Equity Income Funds have also been named in a similar suit filed on behalf of participants in Tribune defined-compensation plans (the “Retiree Plaintiffs”). That suit was also initially filed in the Supreme Court of New York but later removed and consolidated in the Southern District of New York with the other Tribune suits. As

212

 



with the Bondholder Plaintiffs and the Committee, the Retiree Plaintiffs seek to recover payments of the proceeds of the LBO. The extent of the Funds' potential liability in any such actions has not been determined. The Funds have been advised by counsel that the Funds could be held liable to return all or part of the proceeds received in any of these actions, as well as interest and court costs, even though the Funds had no knowledge of, or participation in, any misconduct. The Equity Income Fund received proceeds of $1,526,566 in connection with the LBO, representing 0.31% of its net assets as of September 30, 2013. The Blue Chip Fund received proceeds of $790,772 in connection with the LBO, representing 0.05% of the net assets of Growth & Income Fund as of September 30, 2013. The Equity Income and Growth & Income Funds cannot predict the outcomes of these proceedings, and thus have not accrued any of the amounts sought in the various actions in the accompanying financial statements.

13. New Fund—On December 13, 2012, the Board approved the establishment of a new series of the First Investors Income Funds, First Investors Floating Rate Fund (the “Floating Rate Fund”). The Floating Rate Fund is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as a diversified fund and is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest of Class A, Advisor Class and Institutional Class. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in floating rate loans and/or bonds. The investment objective of the Fund is to seek a high level of current income. The Fund commenced operations on October 21, 2013.

14. Subsequent Events—Subsequent events occurring after September 30, 2013 have been evaluated for potential impact to this report through the date the financial statements were issued. There were no subsequent events to report that would have a material impact on the Funds’ financial statements.

213

 



Financial Highlights
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS

The following table sets forth the per share operating performance data for a share outstanding, total return, ratios to average net assets and other supplemental data for each fiscal year ended September 30, except as otherwise indicated.

 
    P E R  S H A R E  D A T A   R A T I O S / S U P P L E M E N T A L  D A T A  
                    Less Distributions                           Ratio to Average Net    
      Investment Operations   from               Ratio to Average   Assets Before Expenses    
  Net Asset     Net Realized               Net Asset       Net Assets**   Waived or Assumed    
  Value, Net and Unrealized   Total from   Net Net     Value,     Net Assets Net Expenses   Net Expenses   Net       Net   Portfolio  
  Beginning Investment Gain (Loss) on   Investment   Investment Realized Total End of Total   End of Year After Fee   Before Fee   Investment       Investment   Turnover  
    of Period   Income   Investments    Operations    Income   Gain   Distributions   Year   Return * (in thousands ) Credits   Credits (a) Income   Expenses (a) Income (Loss ) Rate  
CASH MANAGEMENT FUND                                            
Class A                                                
2009 $ 1.00 $.005     $.005   $.005 $.005 $ 1.00 0.54 % $172,336 .71 % .71 % .58 % 1.03 % .26 % N/A  
2010   1.00             1.00 0.00   134,103 .30   .30   .00   1.08   (.78 ) N/A  
2011   1.00             1.00 0.00   148,171 .17   .17   .00   1.06   (.89 ) N/A  
2012   1.00             1.00 0.00   135,028 .12   .12   .00   1.02   (.90 ) N/A  
2013   1.00             1.00 0.00   130,272 .11   .11   .00   .97   (.86 ) N/A  
Class B                                            
2009   1.00   .001     .001   .001   .001   1.00 0.14   3,430 1.13   1.13   .16   1.78   (.49 ) N/A  
2010   1.00             1.00 0.00   1,739 .30   .30   .00   1.83   (1.53 ) N/A  
2011   1.00             1.00 0.00   1,519 .17   .17   .00   1.81   (1.64 ) N/A  
2012   1.00             1.00 0.00   896 .12   .12   .00   1.77   (1.65 ) N/A  
2013   1.00             1.00 0.00   571 .12   .12   .00   1.72   (1.60 ) N/A  
Institutional Class                                            
2013▪   1.00               1.00   0.00 1   .15 †† .15 †† .00 †† 2.60 †† (2.45 )†† N/A   
GOVERNMENT FUND                                            
Class A                                                
2009 $10.76 $ .47 $ .44   $ .91   $ .47 $ .47 $11.20 8.59 % $286,844 1.10 % 1.10 % 4.03 % 1.26 % 3.87 % 43 %
2010   11.20   .43   .16   .59   .43   .43   11.36 5.39   325,979 1.13   1.13   3.44   1.24   3.33   42  
2011   11.36   .36   .28   .64   .41   .41   11.59 5.73   346,828 1.12   1.12   3.12   1.23   3.01   35  
2012   11.59   .27   .04   .31   .38   .38   11.52 2.71   382,064 1.10   1.10   2.28   1.21   2.17   36  
2013   11.52   .17   (.43 ) (.26 ) .32   .32   10.94 (2.29 ) 355,264 1.10   1.10   1.57   1.21   1.46   101  
Class B                                                
2009   10.76   .39   .43   .82   .39   .39   11.19 7.75   13,131 1.80   1.80   3.33   1.96   3.17   43  
2010   11.19   .35   .17   .52   .36   .36   11.35 4.70   10,860 1.83   1.83   2.74   1.94   2.63   42  
2011   11.35   .26   .29   .55   .33   .33   11.57 4.94   7,284 1.82   1.82   2.42   1.93   2.31   35  
2012   11.57   .17   .07   .24   .30   .30   11.51 2.11   6,393 1.80   1.80   1.59   1.91   1.47   36  
2013   11.51   .07   (.42 ) (.35 ) .24   .24   10.92 (3.06 ) 4,717 1.84   1.84   .82   1.95   .71   101  
Advisor Class                                                
2013▪   11.29   .10   (.30 ) (.20 ) .15   .15   10.94 (1.75 )† 1 .95 †† .95 †† 1.68 †† 5.17 †† (2.54 )†† 101  
Institutional Class                                                
2013▪   11.29   .14   (.31 ) (.17 ) .16     .16   10.96   (1.54 )† 4,656   .68 †† .68 †† 2.14 †† .81 †† 2.01 †† 101  

 

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Financial Highlights (continued)
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS

 
    P E R  S H A R E  D A T A   R A T I O S / S U P P L E M E N T A L  D A T A  
                                              Ratio to Average Net      
        Less Distributions               Ratio to Average   Assets Before Expenses      
        Investment Operations    from               Net Assets**   Waived or Assumed      
  Net Asset       Net Realized                 Net Asset               Net       Net      
  Value, Net   and Unrealized   Total from   Net Net     Value,     Net Assets Net Expenses   Net Expenses   Investment     Investment   Portfolio  
  Beginning Investment   Gain (Loss) on   Investment   Investment Realized Total End of Total   End of Year After Fee   Before Fee   Income       Income   Turnover  
    of Period   Income   Investments    Operations    Income   Gain   Distributions   Year   Return * (in thousands ) Credits    Credits (a) (Loss ) Expenses (a) (Loss ) Rate   
INVESTMENT GRADE FUND                                                    
Class A                                                      
2009 $ 8.23 $.49   $ .85   $1.34   $.47   $.47 $ 9.10 17.06 % $325,316 1.10 % 1.10 % 5.29 % 1.27 % 5.12 % 79 %
2010   9.10   .44   .72   1.16   .45     .45   9.81 13.09   404,841 1.12   1.12   4.75   1.23   4.64   56  
2011   9.81   .40   (.16 ) .24   .43     .43   9.62 2.48   437,094 1.11   1.11   3.94   1.22   3.83   34  
2012   9.62   .38   .68   1.06   .41     .41   10.27 11.22   531,896 1.08   1.08   3.54   1.19   3.43   40  
2013   10.27   .35   (.46 ) (.11 ) .38     .38   9.78 (1.10 ) 543,955 1.07   1.07   3.20   1.18   3.09   33  
Class B                                                      
2009   8.22   .44   .85   1.29   .40     .40   9.11 16.35   16,370 1.80   1.80   4.59   1.97   4.42   79  
2010   9.11   .39   .70   1.09   .39     .39   9.81 12.20   13,855 1.82   1.82   4.05   1.93   3.94   56  
2011   9.81   .33   (.16 ) .17   .36     .36   9.62 1.81   9,976 1.81   1.81   3.24   1.92   3.13   34  
2012   9.62   .32   .66   .98   .34     .34   10.26 10.41   8,036 1.78   1.78   2.84   1.89   2.74   40  
2013   10.26   .27   (.45 ) (.18 ) .32     .32   9.76 (1.82 ) 6,161 1.84   1.84   2.42   1.94   2.32   33  
Advisor Class                                                  
2013▪   10.23   .08   (.34 ) (.26 ) .19     .19   9.78 (2.53 )† 1 .95 †† .95 †† 2.64 †† 5.17 †† (1.58 )†† 33  
Institutional Class                                                  
2013▪   10.23   .14   (.38 ) (.24 ) .20     .20   9.79   (2.37 )† 9,326   .66 †† .66 †† 3.06 †† .77 †† 2.95 †† 33  
STRATEGIC INCOME FUND                                              
Class A                                                      
2013♦ $10.00 $.14 $(.23 ) $(.09 ) $.13   $.13 $ 9.78 (.87 )%† $ 47,344 1.30 %††  1.30 %†† 2.88 %††  2.10 %††  2.08 %†† 19 %
Advisor Class                                                    
2013♦   10.00   .14 (.22 ) (.08 ) .15     .15   9.77   (.79 )† 1   1.00 †† 1.00 †† 2.89 †† 14.79 †† (10.90 )††  19  
INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES BOND FUND                                            
Class A                                                      
2012▲ $10.00 $.01   $ .23   $ .24   $.02 $ $.02 $10.22 2.35 %† $ 19,563 1.30 %†† 1.30 %†† 1.10 %†† 9.76 %†† (6.12 )%†† 5 %
2013   10.22   .25   (.32 ) (.07 ) .30   .01   .31   9.84 (.72 ) 99,161 1.30   1.30   .68   1.83   .15   53  
Advisor Class                                                  
2013▪   10.23   .08   (.31 ) (.23 ) .15     .15   9.85 (2.26 )† 1 1.07 †† 1.07 †† (1.43 )†† 5.23 †† (5.59 )†† 53  
Institutional Class                                                  
2013▪   10.23   .12   (.35 ) (.23 ) .15     .15   9.85   (2.26 )† 6,998   .96 †† .96 †† (1.31 )†† .96 †† (1.31 )†† 53  

 

216 217

 



Financial Highlights (continued)
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS

 
  P E R  S H A R E  D A T A   R A T I O S / S U P P L E M E N T A L  D A T A  
      Less Distributions                   Ratio to Average Net      
      Investment Operations   from               Ratio to Average   Assets Before Expenses      
  Net Asset     Net Realized               Net Asset       Net Assets**   Waived or Assumed      
  Value, Net and Unrealized   Total from Net Net     Value,     Net Assets Net Expenses   Net Expenses   Net       Net   Portfolio  
  Beginning Investment Gain (Loss) on   Investment Investment Realized Total End of Total   End of Year After Fee   Before Fee   Investment       Investment   Turnover  
    of Period   Income   Investments   Operations   Income   Gain   Distributions   Year   Return * (in thousands ) Credits   Credits (a) Income   Expenses (a) Income   Rate   
FUND FOR INCOME                                                
Class A                                                    
2009 $2.45 $.20 $(.13 ) $.07 $.20 $.20 $2.32 4.28 % $438,248 1.38 % 1.38 % 9.10 % 1.42 % 9.06   73 %
2010 2.32   .17   .18   .35   .18   .18   2.49 15.68   504,507 1.29   1.29   7.32   1.33   7.28   78  
2011 2.49   .17   (.14 ) .03   .17   .17   2.35 1.00   504,839 1.27   1.27   6.43   1.30   6.40   75  
2012 2.35   .16   .25   .41   .16   .16   2.60 17.79   602,370 1.26   1.26   6.01   1.29   5.98   54  
2013 2.60   .15   (.01 ) .14   .15   .15   2.59 5.55   647,603 1.23   1.23   5.17   1.25   5.15   60  
Class B                                                    
2009 2.45   .19   (.13 ) .06   .18   .18   2.33 3.75   11,699 2.08   2.08   8.40   2.12   8.36   73  
2010 2.33   .16   .16   .32   .16   .16   2.49 14.43   10,891 1.99   1.99   6.62   2.03   6.58   78  
2011 2.49   .15   (.13 ) .02   .16   .16   2.35 .38   7,580 1.97   1.97   5.75   2.00   5.72   75  
2012 2.35   .13   .26   .39   .14   .14   2.60 17.01   5,659 1.96   1.96   5.31   1.99   5.28   54  
2013 2.60   .13   (.01 ) .12   .13   .13   2.59 4.84   5,001 1.99   1.99   4.42   2.01   4.40   60  
Advisor Class                                                  
2013▪ 2.66   .06   (.05 ) .01   .08   .08   2.59 .23 1 1.03 †† 1.03 †† 4.59 †† 5.13 †† .49 †† 60  
Institutional Class                                                
2013▪   2.66   .03   (.01 ) .02   .08     .08   2.60   .66 18,575   .81 †† .81 †† 4.93 †† .83 †† 4.91 †† 60  

 

* Calculated without sales charges.
** Net of expenses waived or assumed (Note 3).
For the period April 1, 2013 (commencement of operations) to September 30, 2013.
For the period April 3, 2013 (commencement of operations) to September 30, 2013.
Recognition of net investment income by the Fund is affected by the timing of the declaration of dividends by the underlying investment companies in which the Fund invests. The ratio does not include net investment income of the investment companies in which the Fund invests.
Does not include expenses of the investment companies in which the Fund invests.
For the period August 20, 2012 (commencement of operations) to September 30, 2012.
Not annualized
†† Annualized
(a) The ratios do not include a reduction of expenses from cash balances maintained with the custodian or from brokerage service arrangements (Note 1G).

 

218 See notes to financial statements 219

 



Financial Highlights
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS

The following table sets forth the per share operating performance data for a share outstanding, total return, ratios to average net assets and other supplemental data for each fiscal year ended September 30, except as otherwise indicated.

 
    P E R  S H A R E  D A T A R A T I O S / S U P P L E M E N T A L  D A T A  
                                              Ratio to Average Net      
          Less Distributions               Ratio to Average   Assets Before Expenses      
        Investment Operations   from               Net Assets**   Waived or Assumed      
  Net Asset     Net Realized                 Net Asset                       Net      
  Value, Net and Unrealized   Total from   Net Net     Value,     Net Assets Net Expenses   Net Expenses   Net     Investment   Portfolio  
  Beginning Investment Gain (Loss) on   Investment   Investment Realized Total End of Total   End of Year After Fee   Before Fee   Investment       Income   Turnover  
    of Period   Income   Investments    Operations    Income   Gain   Distributions   Year   Return * (in thousands ) Credits    Credits (a) Income    Expenses (a) (Loss ) Rate   
TOTAL RETURN FUND                                                      
Class A                                                          
2009 $13.24 $.30 $ .03   $ .33   $.32 $ $.32 $13.25 2.77 % $315,612 1.43 % 1.43 % 2.35 % N/A   N/A   53 %
2010   13.25   .28   .95   1.23   .29     .29   14.19 9.38   360,843 1.37   1.37   2.02   N/A   N/A   40  
2011   14.19   .31   (.06 ) .25   .34     .34   14.10 1.65   384,720 1.33   1.33   1.97   N/A   N/A   36  
2012   14.10   .30   2.71   3.01   .30     .30   16.81 21.46   532,551 1.32   1.32   1.79   N/A   N/A   32  
2013   16.81   .27   1.99   2.26   .34   .24   .58   18.49 13.77   664,054 1.26   1.26   1.45   N/A   N/A   32  
Class B                                                          
2009   13.03   .21   .03   .24   .23     .23   13.04 2.10   20,575 2.13   2.13   1.65   N/A   N/A   53  
2010   13.04   .18   .94   1.12   .20     .20   13.96 8.62   16,982 2.07   2.07   1.32   N/A   N/A   40  
2011   13.96   .19   (.04 ) .15   .23     .23   13.88 1.01   12,961 2.03   2.03   1.30   N/A   N/A   36  
2012   13.88   .18   2.65   2.83   .18     .18   16.53 20.49   10,872 2.02   2.02   1.09   N/A   N/A   32  
2013   16.53   .15   1.95   2.10   .22   .24   .46   18.17 12.98   10,207 2.01   2.01   .71   N/A   N/A   32  
Advisor Class                                                  
2013▪   17.62   .09   .95   1.04   .17     .17   18.49 5.89 1 1.01 †† 1.01 †† 1.40 †† 4.76 %†† (2.35 )%†† 32  
Institutional Class                                                  
2013▪   17.62   .10   .95   1.05   .17     .17   18.50   5.98 1   .82 †† .82 †† 1.48 †† 4.35 †† (2.05 )†† 32  
EQUITY INCOME(b)                                                  
Class A                                                      
2009 $ 6.65 $.11 $(.64 ) $(.53 ) $.11   $.11 $ 6.01 (7.81 )% $308,402 1.48 % 1.48 % 2.14 % N/A   N/A   15 %
2010   6.01   .09   .49   .58   .09     .09   6.50 9.76   335,725 1.38   1.38   1.45   N/A   N/A   21  
2011   6.50   .11   (.30 ) (.19 ) .11     .11   6.20 (3.12 ) 317,550 1.35   1.35   1.60   N/A   N/A   29  
2012   6.20   .13   1.44   1.57   .10     .10   7.67 25.36   392,001 1.33   1.33   1.75   N/A   N/A   38  
2013   7.67   .14   1.32   1.46   .14     .14   8.99 19.14   475,422 1.28   1.28   1.66   N/A   N/A   32  
Class B                                                      
2009   6.55   .08   (.64 ) (.56 ) .07     .07   5.92 (8.43 ) 12,419 2.18   2.18   1.44   N/A   N/A   15  
2010   5.92   .05   .48   .53   .05     .05   6.40 8.97   11,133 2.08   2.08   .75   N/A   N/A   21  
2011   6.40   .06   (.30 ) (.24 ) .06     .06   6.10 (3.87 ) 7,947 2.05   2.05   .90   N/A   N/A   29  
2012   6.10   .08   1.42   1.50   .05     .05   7.55 24.56   6,939 2.03   2.03   1.02   N/A   N/A   38  
2013   7.55   .09   1.28   1.37   .08     .08   8.84 18.21   6,337 2.05   2.05   .90   N/A   N/A   32  
Advisor Class                                                  
2013▪   8.40   .08   .58   .66   .07     .07   8.99 7.87 1 1.01 †† 1.01 †† 1.78 †† 4.68 %†† (1.89 )%†† 32  
Institutional Class                                                  
2013▪   8.40   .04   .63   .67   .05     .05   9.02   7.95 4,717   .86 †† .86 †† 1.74 †† .86 †† 1.74 †† 32  

 

220 221

 



Financial Highlights (continued)
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS

 
    P E R  S H A R E  D A T A R A T I O S / S U P P L E M E N T A L  D A T A  
                    Less Distributions                           Ratio to Average Net      
      Investment Operations   from               Ratio to Average   Assets Before Expenses      
  Net Asset Net   Net Realized           Distributions     Net Asset       Net Assets**   Waived or Assumed      
  Value,   Investment   and Unrealized   Total from   Net Net in Excess of     Value,     Net Assets Net Expenses   Net Expenses   Net       Net   Portfolio  
  Beginning Income   Gain (Loss) on   Investment   Investment Realized Net Investment Total End of Total   End of Year After Fee   Before Fee   Investment       Investment   Turnover  
    of Period   (Loss ) Investments   Operations   Income   Gain   Income   Distributions   Year   Return * (in thousands ) Credits   Credits (a) Income (Loss ) Expenses (a) Income (Loss ) Rate  
GROWTH & INCOME FUND                                                      
Class A                                                      
2009 $13.00 $ .09   $(1.02 ) $(.93 ) $.14 $.02   $.16 $11.91 (6.93 )% $577,801 1.51 % 1.51 % .90 % N/A   N/A   26 %
2010   11.91   .09   .98   1.07   .07       .07   12.91 9.01   626,370 1.39   1.39   .68   N/A   N/A   25  
2011   12.91   .19   (.14 ) .05   .18       .18   12.78 .25   625,562 1.34   1.34   1.33   N/A   N/A   24  
2012   12.78   .21   3.81   4.02   .14       .14   16.66 31.60   1,225,684 1.29   1.29   1.35   N/A   N/A   22  
2013   16.66   .20   3.90   4.10   .22       .22   20.54 24.86   1,538,582 1.22   1.22   1.11   N/A   N/A   20  
Class B                                                      
2009   12.30   .01   (.97 ) (.96 ) .10   .02     .12   11.22 (7.59 ) 30,490 2.21   2.21   .20   N/A   N/A   26  
2010   11.22   (.03 ) .95   .92           12.14 8.23   26,160 2.09   2.09   (.02 ) N/A   N/A   25  
2011   12.14   .08   (.12 ) (.04 ) .09       .09   12.01 (.44 ) 19,635 2.04   2.04   .66   N/A   N/A   24  
2012   12.01   .10   3.58   3.68   .05       .05   15.64 30.71   27,306 1.99   1.99   .63   N/A   N/A   22  
2013   15.64   .06   3.67   3.73   .11       .11   19.26 24.02   27,762 1.96   1.96   .37   N/A   N/A   20  
Advisor Class                                                      
2013▪   18.49   .13   2.00   2.13   .08       .08   20.54 11.53 1 .97 †† .97 †† 1.31 †† 4.60 %†† (2.32 )%†† 20  
Institutional Class                                                      
2013▪   18.49   .15   2.00   2.15   .09       .09   20.55   11.64 1   .78 †† .78 †† 1.50 †† 4.19 †† (1.91 )†† 20  
GLOBAL FUND                                                      
Class A                                                          
2009 $ 5.75 $ .02   $  —   $ .02   $.02   $.02 $.04 $ 5.73 .53 % $249,206 1.90 % 1.90 % .38 % 1.93 % .35 % 141 %
2010   5.73     .42   .42   .01       .01   6.14 7.33   269,075 1.72   1.72   .04   1.75   .01   92  
2011   6.14   .01   (.61 ) (.60 )         5.54 (9.77 ) 241,494 1.67   1.67   .18   1.70   .15   103  
2012   5.54   .03   1.24   1.27   .02       .02   6.79 22.88   283,328 1.68   1.69   .44   1.70   .42   94  
2013   6.79   .05   1.20   1.25   .03       .03   8.01 18.56   317,329 1.60   1.61   .66   1.62   .65   92  
Class B                                                          
2009   5.09   (.03 )   (.03 ) .01     .02   .03   5.03 (.37 ) 7,339 2.60   2.60   (.32 ) 2.63   (.35 ) 141  
2010   5.03   (.06 ) .39   .33           5.36 6.56   6,551 2.42   2.42   (.66 ) 2.45   (.69 ) 92  
2011   5.36   (.09 ) (.46 ) (.55 )         4.81 (10.26 ) 4,515 2.37   2.37   (.55 ) 2.40   (.58 ) 103  
2012   4.81   (.09 ) 1.15   1.06   .01       .01   5.86 21.99   4,388 2.38   2.39   (.27 ) 2.40   (.29 ) 94  
2013   5.86   (.07 ) 1.09   1.02   .02       .02   6.86 17.55   4,419 2.36   2.36   (.10 ) 2.38   (.12 ) 92  
Advisor Class                                                      
2013▪   7.28   .06   .67   .73           8.01 10.03 1 1.27 †† 1.27 †† 1.46 †† 4.88 †† (2.15 )†† 92  
Institutional Class                                                      
2013▪   7.28   .06   .68   .74           8.02   10.17 1   1.14 †† 1.14 †† 1.55 †† 4.59 †† (1.90 )†† 92  

 

222 223

 



Financial Highlights (continued)
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS

 
    P E R  S H A R E  D A T A   R A T I O S / S U P P L E M E N T A L  D A T A  
                                              Ratio to Average Net      
        Less Distributions               Ratio to Average   Assets Before Expenses      
        Investment Operations   from               Net Assets**   Waived or Assumed      
  Net Asset Net   Net Realized                 Net Asset               Net              
  Value,  Investment   and Unrealized   Total from   Net Net     Value,     Net Assets Net Expenses   Net Expenses   Investment       Net Portfolio  
  Beginning Income   Gain (Loss) on   Investment   Investment Realized Total   End of Total   End of Year After Fee   Before Fee   Income     Investment Turnover  
    of Period   (Loss ) Investments   Operations   Income   Gain   Distributions   Year   Return * (in thousands ) Credits   Credits (a) (Loss ) Expenses (a) Loss   Rate   
SELECT GROWTH FUND                                                    
Class A                                                      
2009 $ 6.69 $(.02 ) $(1.34 ) $(1.36 )     $ 5.33 (20.33 )% $169,930 1.67 % 1.67 % (.51 )% N/A   N/A   120 %
2010   5.33   (.03 ) .49   .46         5.79 8.63   183,556 1.56   1.56   (.48 ) N/A   N/A   98  
2011   5.79   (.02 ) .54   .52         6.31 8.98   203,243 1.45   1.45   (.28 ) N/A   N/A   62  
2012   6.31   (.03 ) 1.70   1.67         7.98 26.47   271,019 1.42   1.42   (.35 ) N/A   N/A   53  
2013   7.98   .02   1.24   1.26         9.24 15.79   315,833 1.35   1.35   .25   N/A   N/A   71  
Class B                                                      
2009   6.25   (.06 ) (1.25 ) (1.31 )       4.94 (20.96 ) 10,495 2.37   2.37   (1.21 ) N/A   N/A   120  
2010   4.94   (.07 ) .46   .39         5.33 7.90   8,423 2.26   2.26   (1.18 ) N/A   N/A   98  
2011   5.33   (.07 ) .51   .44         5.77 8.26   6,692 2.15   2.15   (.98 ) N/A   N/A   62  
2012   5.77   (.09 ) 1.57   1.48         7.25 25.65   5,853 2.12   2.12   (1.07 ) N/A   N/A   53  
2013   7.25   (.06 ) 1.15   1.09         8.34 15.03   5,308 2.10   2.10   (.48 ) N/A   N/A   71  
Advisor Class                                                  
2013▪   8.46   .01   .79   .80         9.26 9.46 1 1.02 †† 1.02 †† .25 †† 4.63 %†† (3.36 )%†† 71  
Institutional Class                                                  
2013▪   8.46   .02   .79   .81         9.27   9.57 1   .89 †† .89 †† .39 †† 4.32 †† (3.04 )†† 71  
OPPORTUNITY FUND                                                    
Class A                                                  
2009 $22.99 $ .01   $(1.61 ) $(1.60 ) $ $.63 $ .63 $20.76 (6.24 )% $355,324 1.58 % 1.58 % .09 % N/A   N/A   35 %
2010   20.76   .05   2.65   2.70         23.46 13.01   402,117 1.44   1.44   .24   N/A   N/A   40  
2011   23.46   .17   .49   .66   .05     .05   24.07 2.77   415,392 1.36   1.36   .62   N/A   N/A   37  
2012   24.07   .26   6.10   6.36   .17   .89   1.06   29.37 26.99   529,886 1.35   1.35   .94   N/A   N/A   36  
2013   29.37   .18   9.64   9.82   .26   .80   1.06   38.13 34.47   726,942 1.28   1.28   .56   N/A   N/A   40  
Class B                                                  
2009   20.41   (.10 ) (1.47 ) (1.57 )   .63   .63   18.21 (6.90 ) 23,121 2.28   2.28   (.61 ) N/A   N/A   35  
2010   18.21   (.14 ) 2.37   2.23         20.44 12.25   20,130 2.14   2.14   (.52 ) N/A   N/A   40  
2011   20.44   (.10 ) .52   .42   .01     .01   20.85 2.04   15,025 2.06   2.06   (.04 ) N/A   N/A   37  
2012   20.85   .01   5.31   5.32   .13   .89   1.02   25.15 26.12   13,129 2.05   2.05   .15   N/A   N/A   36  
2013   25.15   (.12 ) 8.26   8.14   .22   .80   1.02   32.27 33.49   13,677 2.02   2.02   (.18 ) N/A   N/A   40  
Advisor Class                                                  
2013▪   33.13   .16   4.89   5.05         38.18 15.24 1 .98 †† .98 †† .91 †† 4.48 %†† (2.59 )%†† 40  
Institutional Class                                                  
2013▪   33.13   .19   4.89   5.08         38.21   15.33 1   .85 †† .85 †† 1.06 †† 4.17 †† (2.26 )†† 40  

 

224 225

 



Financial Highlights (continued)
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS

 
    P E R  S H A R E  D A T A R A T I O S / S U P P L E M E N T A L  D A T A  
                                                Ratio to Average Net      
            Less Distributions               Ratio to Average   Assets Before Expenses      
        Investment Operations   from               Net Assets**   Waived or Assumed      
  Net Asset Net   Net Realized                   Net Asset               Net       Net      
  Value, Investment   and Unrealized   Total from   Net Net     Value,     Net Assets Net Expenses   Net Expenses   Investment     Investment   Portfolio  
  Beginning Income   Gain (Loss) on   Investment   Investment Realized Total   End of Total   End of Year After Fee   Before Fee   Income       Income   Turnover  
    of Period   (Loss ) Investments     Operations   Income   Gain   Distributions   Year   Return * (in thousands ) Credits   Credits (a) (Loss ) Expenses (a) (Loss ) Rate   
SPECIAL SITUATIONS FUND                                                      
Class A                                                    
2009 $20.15 $ .03   $(1.23 ) $(1.20 ) $.02 $.53 $.55 $18.40 (5.28 )% $246,063 1.64 % 1.64 % .22 % 1.82 % .04 % 55 %
2010   18.40   (.05 ) 2.31     2.26         20.66 12.28   274,074 1.52   1.52   (.28 ) 1.65   (.41 ) 64  
2011   20.66   .03   1.03     1.06         21.72 5.13   285,220 1.44   1.44   .13   1.54   .03   73  
2012   21.72   .01   4.46     4.47   .03   1.76   1.79   24.40 21.19   342,939 1.43   1.43   .03   1.53   (.07 ) 41  
2013   24.40   .11   4.68     4.79   .12   1.00   1.12   28.07 20.47   412,102 1.39   1.39   .42   1.47   .34   110  
Class B                                                    
2009   17.81   (.10 ) (1.09 )   (1.19 )   .53   .53   16.09 (5.99 ) 8,856 2.34   2.34   (.48 ) 2.52   (.66 ) 55  
2010   16.09   (.25 ) 2.11     1.86         17.95 11.56   7,577 2.22   2.22   (.94 ) 2.35   (1.07 ) 64  
2011   17.95   (.13 ) .92     .79         18.74 4.40   5,884 2.14   2.14   (.55 ) 2.24   (.65 ) 73  
2012   18.74   (.15 ) 3.84     3.69     1.76   1.76   20.67 20.33   5,085 2.13   2.13   (.67 ) 2.23   (.77 ) 41  
2013   20.67   (.10 ) 3.96     3.86   .08   1.00   1.08   23.45 19.62   4,932 2.13   2.13   (.29 ) 2.21   (.37 ) 110  
Advisor Class                                              
2013▪   25.71   .01   2.37     2.38         28.09 9.26 1 1.16 †† 1.16 †† .08 †† 4.82 †† (3.58 )†† 110  
Institutional Class                                              
2013▪   25.71   .06   2.37     2.43         28.14   9.45 1   .84 †† .84 †† .42 †† 4.43 †† (3.17 )†† 110  
INTERNATIONAL FUND                                                      
Class A                                                    
2009 $ 9.48 $ .29   $ (.74 ) $ (.45 ) $.13   $.13 $ 8.90 (4.52 )% $107,645 2.20 % 2.20 % 1.16 % N/A   N/A   60 %
2010   8.90   .15   1.15     1.30   .02     .02   10.18 14.63   129,570 1.97   1.97   1.33   N/A   N/A   32  
2011   10.18   .12   (.59 )   (.47 ) .17     .17   9.54 (4.70 ) 128,479 1.88   1.88   1.20   N/A   N/A   30  
2012   9.54   .10   2.20     2.30   .16     .16   11.68 24.34   165,797 1.82   1.82   .86   N/A   N/A   41  
2013   11.68   .04   .81     .85         12.53 7.28   215,873 1.71   1.71   .34   N/A   N/A   31  
Class B                                                    
2009   9.33   .22   (.72 )   (.50 ) .12     .12   8.71 (5.19 ) 3,401 2.90   2.90   .46   N/A   N/A   60  
2010   8.71   .08   1.12     1.20         9.91 13.78   3,569 2.67   2.67   .59   N/A   N/A   32  
2011   9.91   .01   (.52 )   (.51 ) .16     .16   9.24 (5.30 ) 2,983 2.58   2.58   .30   N/A   N/A   30  
2012   9.24   (.04 ) 2.19     2.15   .14     .14   11.25 23.50   3,328 2.52   2.52   (.02 ) N/A   N/A   41  
2013   11.25   (.11 ) .84     .73         11.98 6.49   3,200 2.46   2.46   (.45 ) N/A   N/A   31  
Advisor Class                                                    
2013▪   12.79   .06   (.30 )   (.24 )       12.55 (1.88 )† 1 1.45 †† 1.45 †† .97 †† 5.30 %†† 2.88 %†† 31  
Institutional Class                                                    
2013▪   12.79   .08   (.31 )   (.23 )       12.56   (1.80 )† 1   1.19 †† 1.19 †† 1.23 †† 4.84 †† (2.42 )†† 31  

 

* Calculated without sales charges. For the period April 1, 2013 (commencement of operations) to September 30, 2013.
** Net of expenses waived or assumed (Note 3). (a) The ratios do not include a reduction of expenses from cash balances maintained with the
Not annualized custodian or from brokerage service arrangements (Note 1G).
†† Annualized (b) Prior to September 4, 2012, known as Value Fund.

 

226 See notes to financial statements 227

 



Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and Board of Trustees of
First Investors Income Funds and First Investors Equity Funds

We have audited the accompanying statements of assets and liabilities, including the portfolios of investments of the Cash Management Fund, Government Fund, Investment Grade Fund, Strategic Income Fund, International Opportunities Bond Fund and Fund For Income (each a series of First Investors Income Funds), and the Total Return Fund, Equity Income Fund, Growth & Income Fund, Global Fund, Select Growth Fund, Opportunity Fund, Special Situations Fund and International Fund (each a series of First Investors Equity Funds), as of September 30, 2013, the related statements of operations, the statements of changes in net assets, and the financial highlights for each of the periods indicated thereon. These financial statements and financial highlights are the responsibility of the Funds’ management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and financial highlights based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements and financial highlights are free of material misstatement. The Funds are not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform an audit of the Funds’ internal control over financial reporting. Our audits included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Funds’ internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of September 30, 2013, by correspondence with the custodian and brokers. Where brokers have not replied to our confirmation requests, we have carried out other appropriate auditing procedures. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

228 

 



In our opinion, the financial statements and financial highlights referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Cash Management Fund, Government Fund, Investment Grade Fund, Strategic Income Fund, International Opportunities Bond Fund, Fund For Income, Total Return Fund, Equity Income Fund, Growth & Income Fund, Global Fund, Select Growth Fund, Opportunity Fund, Special Situations Fund and International Fund, as of September 30, 2013, and the results of their operations, changes in their net assets, and their financial highlights for the periods presented, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Tait, Weller & Baker LLP 

 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
November 26, 2013

 

229 

 



Board Considerations of Advisory Contracts and Fees
(unaudited)
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS

Annual Consideration of the Investment Advisory Agreements and the Sub-Advisory Agreement with Muzinich & Co., Inc.

The First Investors Income Funds’ (the “Trust”) investment advisory agreements with the Trust’s investment adviser and, as applicable, sub-adviser, on behalf of each of the Trust’s funds, can remain in effect after an initial term of no greater than two years only if they are renewed at least annually thereafter (i) by the vote of the Trustees or by a vote of the shareholders of each fund and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the advisory agreement (or sub-advisory agreement, as applicable) or “interested persons” of any party thereto (the “Independent Trustees”), cast in person at a meeting called specifically for the purpose of voting on such approval.

The Board of Trustees (the “Board”) has four regularly scheduled and two informal meetings each year and takes into account throughout the year matters bearing on the approval of the advisory agreement (or sub-advisory agreement, as applicable). The Board and its standing committees also consider at each meeting factors that are relevant to the annual renewal of each fund’s advisory agreement (or sub-advisory agreement, as applicable), including the services and support provided to each fund and its shareholders.

On April 18, 2013 (the “April Meeting”), the Independent Trustees met in person with First Investors Management Company, Inc. (“FIMCO”), the Trust’s investment adviser, Trust counsel, independent legal counsel to the Independent Trustees (“Independent Legal Counsel”) and others to give preliminary consideration to information bearing on the continuation of the advisory agreement (or sub-advisory agreement, as applicable) with respect to each fund. The primary purpose of the April Meeting was to ensure that the Independent Trustees had ample opportunity to consider matters they deemed relevant in considering the continuation of the advisory agreement (or sub-advisory agreement, as applicable), and to request any additional information they considered reasonably necessary to their deliberations. The Independent Trustees also met in executive session with Independent Legal Counsel to consider the continuation of the advisory agreement (or sub-advisory agreement, as applicable) outside the presence of management. As part of the April Meeting, the Independent Trustees asked FIMCO to respond to certain additional questions prior to the contract approval meeting of the Board to be held on May 16, 2013 (the “May Meeting”).

At the May Meeting, the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, approved the renewal of the investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) between FIMCO and each of the following funds (each a “Fund” and collectively the “Funds”): Government Fund, Investment Grade Fund, Fund For Income and Cash

230 

 



Management Fund. In addition, at the May Meeting, the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, approved the renewal of the sub-advisory agreement (the “Sub-Advisory Agreement”) with Muzinich & Co., Inc. (“Muzinich”) with respect to the Fund For Income.

In reaching its decisions to approve the continuation of the Advisory Agreement for each Fund and the Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Fund For Income, the Board considered information furnished and discussed throughout the year at regularly scheduled Board and Committee meetings as well as information provided specifically in relation to the renewal of the Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement for the April Meeting and May Meeting. Information furnished at Board and/or Committee meetings throughout the year included FIMCO’s analysis of each Fund’s investment performance, presentations given by representatives of FIMCO and Muzinich and various reports on compliance and other services provided by FIMCO and its affiliates. In preparation for the April Meeting and/or May Meeting, the Independent Trustees requested and received information compiled by Lipper, Inc. (“Lipper”), an independent provider of investment company data, that included, among other things: (1) the investment performance over various time periods and the fees and expenses of each Fund as compared to a comparable group of funds as determined by Lipper (“Peer Group”); and (2) comparative information on each Fund’s volatility versus total return. Additionally, in response to specific requests from the Independent Trustees in connection with the April Meeting and/or May Meeting, FIMCO furnished, and the Board considered, information concerning various aspects of its operations, including: (1) the nature, extent and quality of services provided by FIMCO and its affiliates to the Funds, including investment advisory and administrative services to the Funds including, as applicable, oversight services with respect to the sub-adviser; (2) the actual management fees paid by each Fund to FIMCO; (3) the costs of providing services to each Fund and the profitability of FIMCO and its affiliate, Administrative Data Management Corp. (“ADM”), the Funds’ affiliated transfer agent, from the relationship with each Fund; and (4) any “fall out” or ancillary benefits accruing to FIMCO or its affiliates as a result of the relationship with each Fund. FIMCO also provided, and the Board considered, an analysis of the overall profitability of the First Investors mutual fund business that included various entities affiliated with FIMCO as well as comparative profitability information based on analysis performed by FIMCO of the financial statements of certain publicly-traded mutual fund asset managers. The Board also considered information provided by FIMCO on management’s initiatives for increasing Fund assets, more aggressively marketing the Funds and taking steps wherever possible to reduce expenses and improve performance of the Funds. In addition to evaluating, among other things,

231 

 



Board Considerations of Advisory Contracts and Fees (continued)
(unaudited)
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS

the written information provided by FIMCO, the Board also evaluated the answers to questions posed by the Board to representatives of FIMCO.

In addition, in response to specific requests from the Independent Trustees in connection with the April Meeting and/or May Meeting, Muzinich furnished, and the Board reviewed, information concerning various aspects of its operations, including: (1) the nature, extent and quality of services provided by Muzinich to the Fund For Income; (2) the sub-advisory fee rates charged by Muzinich and a comparison of those fee rates to the fee rates of Muzinich for providing advisory services to other investment companies or accounts with an investment mandate similar to the Fund For Income; (3) profitability and/or financial information provided by Muzinich; and (4) any “fall out” or ancillary benefits accruing to Muzinich as a result of the relationship with the Fund For Income.

In considering the information and materials described above, the Independent Trustees took into account management style, investment strategies and prevailing market conditions. Moreover, the Independent Trustees received assistance from and met separately with Independent Legal Counsel during both the April Meeting and May Meeting and were provided with a written description of their statutory responsibilities and the legal standards that are applicable to approvals of advisory agreements (and sub-advisory agreements, as applicable). Although the Advisory Agreement for all of the Funds and the Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Fund For Income were considered at the same Board meeting, the Independent Trustees addressed each Fund separately during the April Meeting and May Meeting.

Based on all of the information presented, the Board, including a majority of its Independent Trustees, determined on a Fund-by-Fund basis that the fees charged under the Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement are reasonable in relation to the services that are provided under each Agreement. The Board did not identify any single factor as being of paramount importance in reaching its conclusions and determinations with respect to the continuance of the Advisory Agreement for each Fund and Sub-Advisory Agreement. Although not meant to be all-inclusive, the following describes some of the factors that were considered by the Board in deciding to approve the continuance of the Advisory Agreement for each Fund and the Sub-Advisory Agreement with Muzinich.

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services

In examining the nature, extent and quality of the services provided by FIMCO, the Board recognized that FIMCO is dedicated to providing investment management services exclusively to the Funds and the other funds in the First Investors fund

232 

 



complex and that, unlike many other mutual fund managers, FIMCO is not in the business of providing management services to hedge funds, pension funds or private accounts. As a result, the Board considered that FIMCO’s personnel devote substantially all of their time to serving the funds in the First Investors fund complex. The Board also considered management’s explanation regarding the significant costs involved in providing the level of personal service that the First Investors fund complex seeks to deliver to its shareholders.

The Board noted that FIMCO has undertaken extensive responsibilities as manager of the Funds, including: (1) the provision of investment advice to the Funds; (2) implementing policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance with each Fund’s investment objectives and policies; (3) the review of brokerage arrangements; (4) oversight of general portfolio compliance with applicable laws; (5) the provision of certain administrative services to the Funds, including fund accounting; (6) the implementation of Board directives as they relate to the Funds; and (7) evaluating and monitoring any sub-advisers on an ongoing basis including, but not limited to, monitoring each sub-adviser’s investment performance, evaluating each sub-adviser’s compliance program on an annual basis and monitoring investments for compliance purposes. The Board noted that FIMCO provides not only advisory services but historically has provided certain administrative personnel and services that many other advisers do not provide without imposition of separate fees. The Board also noted the steps that FIMCO has taken to encourage strong performance, including providing significant incentives to portfolio managers and analysts based on Fund performance. In addition, the Board considered information regarding the overall financial strength of FIMCO and its affiliates and the resources and staffing in place with respect to the services provided to the Funds.

The Board also considered the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Funds by FIMCO’s affiliates, including transfer agency and distribution services. The Board took into account the fact that ADM is dedicated to providing transfer agency services exclusively to the Funds and the other funds in the First Investors fund complex. As a result, ADM can tailor its processes and services to satisfy the needs of the Funds’ shareholder base. The Board noted that the Funds’ shares are distributed primarily through First Investors Corporation (“FIC”), which is an affiliate of FIMCO.

Furthermore, the Board considered the nature, extent and quality of the investment management services provided by Muzinich to the Fund For Income. The Board considered Muzinich’s investment management process in managing the Fund For Income and the experience and capability of its personnel responsible for the portfolio

233 

 



Board Considerations of Advisory Contracts and Fees (continued)
(unaudited)
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS

management of the Fund For Income. The Board also considered information regarding the resources and staffing in place with respect to the services provided by Muzinich.

Based on the information considered, the Board concluded that the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to each Fund by FIMCO and the Fund For Income by Muzinich were consistent with the terms of the Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement, as applicable, and supported approval of the Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement.

Investment Performance

The Board placed significant emphasis on the investment performance of each of the Funds. While consideration was given to performance reports and discussions held at prior Board or Committee meetings, as applicable, particular attention was given to the performance information compiled by Lipper. In particular, the Board reviewed the performance of the Funds over the most recent calendar year (“1-year period”) and the annualized performance over the most recent three calendar year period (“3-year period”) and five calendar year period (“5-year period”). In addition, the Board considered the performance information provided by FIMCO for each Fund through April 30, 2013 (the “year-to-date period”). The Board also reviewed the annual yield of each Fund for each of the past five calendar years. With regard to the performance and yield information, the Board considered the performance and yield of each Fund on a percentile and quintile basis as compared to its Peer Group. For purposes of the data provided, the first quintile is defined as 20% of the funds in the applicable Peer Group with the highest performance or yield, as applicable, and the fifth quintile is defined as 20% of the funds in the applicable Peer Group with the lowest performance or yield.

On a Fund-by-Fund basis, the performance reports indicated, and the Board noted, that the Fund For Income and Investment Grade Fund fell within one of the top three quintiles for at least one of the performance periods provided by Lipper. The Board also noted that the yield for the Investment Grade Fund and Government Fund for each of the past five calendar years fell within one of the top three quintiles, the yield for the Fund For Income for three of the past five calendar years fell within one of the top three quintiles and the yield for the Cash Management Fund fell within one of the top three quintiles for one of the past five calendar years. Moreover, the Board considered the volatility versus total return data provided by Lipper as well as FIMCO’s representation that it believes that the Funds use a more conservative investment style than many of their peers. The Trustees also considered that, in the current market and interest-rate environment, comparative information regarding performance and fees of money market funds such as the Cash Management Fund is of relatively limited utility.

234 

 



Based on the information considered, the Board concluded that the investment performance of each Fund was either (a) acceptable or better, or (b) subject to reasonable steps to monitor or address underperformance.

Fund Expenses, Costs of Services, Economies of Scale and Related Benefits

Management Fees and Expenses. The Board also gave substantial consideration to the fees payable under each Fund’s Advisory Agreement as well as under the Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Fund For Income.

The Board reviewed the information compiled by Lipper comparing each Fund’s contractual management fee rate (at common asset levels) and actual management fee rate (which included the effect of any fee waivers) as a percentage of average net assets to other funds in its Peer Group. In this regard, the Board considered the contractual and actual management fees of each Fund on a quintile basis as compared to its Peer Group and noted the relative position of each Fund within the Peer Group. The Board also considered that FIMCO provides not only advisory services but also certain administrative personnel to the Funds under each Fund’s Advisory Agreement and that many other advisers do not provide such administrative personnel under their advisory agreements and that FIMCO also provides certain administrative services without the imposition of a separate fee. The Board considered that FIMCO informed the Board that it intends to: (i) extend, on a voluntary basis, the existing total expense cap limitation for the Cash Management Fund until May 31, 2014; and (ii) extend, on a voluntary basis, the existing management fee caps for the Fund For Income, Government Fund and Investment Grade Fund until May 31, 2014. The Board also considered that FIMCO agreed to an additional waiver of two basis points on the Government Fund until at least December 31, 2013, with such waiver remaining in place until May 31, 2014 if the Fund’s performance is below the median of its Peer Group as of December 31, 2013. The Board also considered that, with respect to the Cash Management Fund, FIMCO was waiving 100% of its management fees and reimbursing a portion of other expenses to avoid a negative return for shareholders due to the extraordinarily low interest rate environment.

In considering the sub-advisory fee rates charged by and costs and profitability of Muzinich with regard to the Fund For Income, the Board noted that FIMCO pays Muzinich a sub-advisory fee from its own advisory fee rather than the Fund paying Muzinich a fee directly. Muzinich provided, and the Board reviewed, information comparing the fees charged by Muzinich for services to the Fund For Income versus the fee rates of Muzinich for providing advisory services to other comparable investment companies or accounts. Based on a review of this information, the Board noted that the fees charged by Muzinich for services to the Fund For Income

235 

 



Board Considerations of Advisory Contracts and Fees (continued)
(unaudited)
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS

appeared competitive to the fees Muzinich charges to its other comparable investment companies or accounts.

The Board also reviewed the information compiled by Lipper comparing each Fund’s Class A share total expense ratio, taking into account FIMCO’s expense waivers (as applicable), and the ratio of the sum of actual management and other non-management fees (i.e., fees other than management, transfer agency and 12b-1/non-12b-1 fees) to other funds in its Peer Group, including on a quintile basis. In considering the level of the total expense ratio and the ratio of the sum of actual management and other non-management fees, the Board took into account management’s explanation that: (i) there are significant costs involved in providing the level of personal service that the First Investors fund complex seeks to deliver to its shareholders; (ii) overall Fund expenses cover certain check-writing and wiring privileges for Cash Management Fund shareholders at no additional cost; (iii) the average account size of many of the First Investors funds is small by comparison to the industry average account size; and (iv) Lipper expense comparisons do not take into account the size of a fund complex, and as a result, in most cases the First Investors funds are compared to funds in complexes that are much larger than First Investors. The Board also considered that the Funds will begin charging retirement custodial fees at the individual shareholder level rather than being paid by the Funds going forward and that this would result in total expenses of each Fund being reduced by several basis points. The Board also noted that Lipper’s customized expense groups tend to be fairly small in number and the funds included in the Peer Group generally change from year to year, thereby introducing an element of randomness that affects comparative results each year. While recognizing the limitations inherent in Lipper’s methodology, the Board believed that the data provided by Lipper was a generally appropriate measure of comparative expenses.

The foregoing comparisons assisted the Trustees by providing them with a basis for evaluating each Fund’s management fee and expense ratio on a relative basis.

Profitability. The Board reviewed the materials it received from FIMCO regarding its revenues and costs in providing investment management and certain administrative services to the Funds. In particular, the Board considered the analysis of FIMCO’s profitability with respect to each Fund, calculated for the year ended December 31, 2012, as well as overall profitability information relating to the past five calendar years. The Board also considered the information provided by FIMCO comparing the profitability of certain publicly-traded mutual fund asset managers as analyzed by FIMCO based on publicly available financial statements. In reviewing the profitability information, the Board also considered the “fall-out” or ancillary benefits that may accrue to FIMCO and its affiliates as a result of their relationship with the

236 

 



Funds, which are discussed below. The Board acknowledged that, as a business matter, FIMCO was entitled to earn reasonable profits for its services to the Funds. Based on the information provided, the Board also noted that FIMCO operates the Cash Management Fund at a loss. The Board also considered the profitability and/or financial information provided by Muzinich.

Economies of Scale. With respect to whether economies of scale are realized by FIMCO as a Fund’s assets increase and the extent to which any economies of scale are reflected in the level of management fee rates charged, the Board considered that the Advisory Agreement fee schedule for each Fund, except the Cash Management Fund, includes breakpoints to account for management economies of scale. With respect to the Cash Management Fund, the Board concluded that the fee structure is appropriate at current asset levels.

“Fall Out” or Ancillary Benefits. The Board considered the “fall-out” or ancillary benefits that may accrue to FIMCO and Muzinich as a result of their relationship with the Funds. The Board considered the profits earned or losses incurred by ADM and the income received by FIC as a result of FIMCO’s management of the First Investors funds. The Board also considered the fact that Muzinich does not engage in any soft dollar arrangements.

* * * 

 

In summary, based on all relevant information and factors, none of which was individually determinative of the outcome, the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, approved the renewal of the Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement with Muzinich.

Consideration of the Investment Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement with Muzinich & Co., Inc. with respect to the First Investors Floating Rate Fund

At the May 16, 2013 meeting (the “May Meeting”) of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of the First Investors Income Funds (the “Trust”), the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, discussed and approved, for the new First Investors Floating Rate Fund (the “New Fund”), the investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) with First Investors Management Company, Inc. (“FIMCO”) and the sub-advisory agreement (the “Sub-Advisory Agreement”) with Muzinich & Co., Inc. (“Muzinich,” and together with FIMCO, the “Advisers”).

237 

 



Board Considerations of Advisory Contracts and Fees (continued)
(unaudited)
FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS

The Trustees were provided with detailed materials relating to the New Fund and Advisers in advance of and at the May Meeting. The material factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the approval of the Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement are discussed below. In addition, the Trustees met in person with FIMCO, Muzinich, Trust counsel, independent legal counsel to the Independent Trustees (“Independent Legal Counsel”) and others to receive information on, and discuss the approval of, the Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement.

In making their determinations, the Trustees took into account management style, investment strategies, investment philosophy and process, Muzinich’s past performance, Muzinich’s personnel that would be serving the New Fund, and prevailing market conditions. In evaluating the Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Trustees also reviewed information provided by the Advisers, including the terms of such Agreements and information regarding fee arrangements, including the structure of the advisory and sub-advisory fees, that FIMCO will pay Muzinich out of FIMCO’s advisory fees, the method of computing fees, and the frequency of payment of fees. The Trustees also reviewed information comparing the New Fund’s advisory fee and total expenses with a peer group of other similar funds. In addition, the Trustees reviewed, among other things, information regarding Muzinich’s compliance program, financial condition, insurance coverage and brokerage practices.

After extensive discussion and consideration among themselves, and with the Advisers, Trust counsel and Independent Legal Counsel, including during an executive session with Independent Legal Counsel held the previous day, the Trustees concluded the following with respect to the New Fund:

• The nature and extent of the investment advisory services to be provided to the Fund by the Advisers were consistent with the terms of the Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement, respectively.

• The prospects for satisfactory investment performance of the New Fund were reasonable;

• Shareholders of the New Fund may benefit from economies of scale in the future as assets grow due to breakpoints included in the fee schedule for the Advisory Agreement;

238 

 



• The cost of services to be provided by the Advisers to the New Fund and the profits to be realized by the Advisers and their affiliates from their relationship with the New Fund would be assessed after a reasonable period of New Fund operations; and

• FIMCO may receive certain “fall out” or ancillary benefits by obtaining research and other services from broker-dealers that execute brokerage transactions for the New Fund.

* * * 

 

Based on all relevant information and factors, none of which was individually determinative of the outcome, the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, concluded that the approval of the Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement was in the best interests of the New Fund and its shareholders and unanimously approved such Agreements.

 

239 

 



Board Considerations of Advisory Contracts and Fees
(unaudited)
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS

Annual Consideration of the Investment Advisory Agreements and the Sub-Advisory Agreements with Wellington Management Company, LLP, Paradigm Capital Management, Inc., Smith Group Asset Management, LP and Vontobel Asset Management, Inc.

The First Investors Equity Funds’ (the “Trust”) investment advisory agreements with the Trust’s investment adviser and, as applicable, sub-advisers, on behalf of each of the Trust’s funds, can remain in effect after an initial term of no greater than two years only if they are renewed at least annually thereafter (i) by the vote of the Trustees or by a vote of the shareholders of each fund and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the advisory agreement (or sub-advisory agreements, as applicable) or “interested persons” of any party thereto (the “Independent Trustees”), cast in person at a meeting called specifically for the purpose of voting on such approval.

The Board of Trustees (the “Board”) has four regularly scheduled and two informal meetings each year and takes into account throughout the year matters bearing on the approval of the advisory agreement (or sub-advisory agreements, as applicable). The Board and its standing committees also consider at each meeting factors that are relevant to the annual renewal of each fund’s advisory agreement (or sub-advisory agreements, as applicable), including the services and support provided to each fund and its shareholders.

On April 18, 2013 (the “April Meeting”), the Independent Trustees met in person with First Investors Management Company, Inc. (“FIMCO”), the Trust’s investment adviser, Trust counsel, independent legal counsel to the Independent Trustees (“Independent Legal Counsel”) and others to give preliminary consideration to information bearing on the continuation of the advisory agreement (or sub-advisory agreements, as applicable) with respect to each fund. The primary purpose of the April Meeting was to ensure that the Independent Trustees had ample opportunity to consider matters they deemed relevant in considering the continuation of the advisory agreement (or sub-advisory agreements, as applicable), and to request any additional information they considered reasonably necessary to their deliberations. The Independent Trustees also met in executive session with Independent Legal Counsel to consider the continuation of the advisory agreement (or sub-advisory agreements, as applicable) outside the presence of management. As part of the April Meeting, the Independent Trustees asked FIMCO to respond to certain additional questions prior to the contract approval meeting of the Board to be held on May 16, 2013 (the “May Meeting”).

At the May Meeting, the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, approved the renewal of the investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) between FIMCO and each of the following funds (each a “Fund” and

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collectively the “Funds”): Growth & Income Fund, Total Return Fund, Equity Income Fund, Opportunity Fund, Special Situations Fund, Select Growth Fund, Global Fund and International Fund. In addition, at the May Meeting, the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, approved the renewal of the sub-advisory agreements (each a “Sub-Advisory Agreement” and collectively the “Sub-Advisory Agreements”) with: (1) Wellington Management Company, LLP (“WMC”) with respect to the Global Fund; (2) Paradigm Capital Management, Inc. (“Paradigm”) with respect to the Special Situations Fund; (3) Smith Group Asset Management, LP (“Smith Group”) with respect to the Select Growth Fund; and (4) Vontobel Asset Management, Inc. (“Vontobel”) with respect to the International Fund. The Global Fund, Special Situations Fund, Select Growth Fund and International Fund are collectively referred to as the “Sub-Advised Funds.”

In reaching its decisions to approve the continuation of the Advisory Agreement for each Fund and the Sub-Advisory Agreements for the Sub-Advised Funds, the Board considered information furnished and discussed throughout the year at regularly scheduled Board and Committee meetings as well as information provided specifically in relation to the renewal of the Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreements for the April Meeting and May Meeting. Information furnished at Board and/or Committee meetings throughout the year included FIMCO’s analysis of each Fund’s investment performance, presentations given by representatives of FIMCO, WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group and Vontobel and various reports on compliance and other services provided by FIMCO and its affiliates. In preparation for the April Meeting and/or May Meeting, the Independent Trustees requested and received information compiled by Lipper, Inc. (“Lipper”), an independent provider of investment company data, that included, among other things: (1) the investment performance over various time periods and the fees and expenses of each Fund as compared to a comparable group of funds as determined by Lipper (“Peer Group”); and (2) comparative information on each Fund’s volatility versus total return. Additionally, in response to specific requests from the Independent Trustees in connection with the April Meeting and/or May Meeting, FIMCO furnished, and the Board considered, information concerning various aspects of its operations, including: (1) the nature, extent and quality of services provided by FIMCO and its affiliates to the Funds, including investment advisory and administrative services to the Funds including, as applicable, oversight services with respect to the sub-advisers; (2) the actual management fees paid by each Fund to FIMCO; (3) the costs of providing services to each Fund and the profitability of FIMCO and its affiliate, Administrative Data Management Corp. (“ADM”), the Funds’ affiliated transfer agent, from the relationship with each Fund; and (4) any “fall out” or ancillary benefits accruing to FIMCO or its affiliates as a result of the relationship with each Fund. FIMCO also provided, and the Board considered, an

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Board Considerations of Advisory Contracts and Fees (continued)
(unaudited)
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS

analysis of the overall profitability of the First Investors mutual fund business that included various entities affiliated with FIMCO as well as comparative profitability information based on analysis performed by FIMCO of the financial statements of certain publicly-traded mutual fund asset managers. The Board also considered information provided by FIMCO on management’s initiatives for increasing Fund assets, more aggressively marketing the Funds and taking steps wherever possible to reduce expenses and improve performance of the Funds. In addition to evaluating, among other things, the written information provided by FIMCO, the Board also evaluated the answers to questions posed by the Board to representatives of FIMCO.

In addition, in response to specific requests from the Independent Trustees in connection with the April Meeting and/or May Meeting, WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group and Vontobel furnished, and the Board reviewed, information concerning various aspects of their respective operations, including: (1) the nature, extent and quality of services provided by WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group and Vontobel to the applicable Sub-Advised Funds; (2) the sub-advisory fee rates charged by WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group and Vontobel and a comparison of those fee rates to the fee rates of WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group and Vontobel for providing advisory services to other investment companies or accounts or compared to their standard fee schedule, as applicable, with an investment mandate similar to the applicable Sub-Advised Funds; (3) profitability and/or financial information provided by WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group and Vontobel; and (4) any “fall out” or ancillary benefits accruing to WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group and Vontobel as a result of the relationship with each applicable Sub-Advised Fund.

In considering the information and materials described above, the Independent Trustees took into account management style, investment strategies and prevailing market conditions. Moreover, the Independent Trustees received assistance from and met separately with Independent Legal Counsel during both the April Meeting and May Meeting and were provided with a written description of their statutory responsibilities and the legal standards that are applicable to approvals of advisory agreements (and sub-advisory agreements, as applicable). Although the Advisory Agreement for all of the Funds and the Sub-Advisory Agreements for the Sub-Advised Funds were considered at the same Board meeting, the Independent Trustees addressed each Fund separately during the April Meeting and May Meeting.

Based on all of the information presented, the Board, including a majority of its Independent Trustees, determined on a Fund-by-Fund basis that the fees charged under the Advisory Agreement and each Sub-Advisory Agreement are reasonable in relation to the services that are provided under each Agreement. The Board did not identify any single factor as being of paramount importance in reaching its conclusions and

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determinations with respect to the continuance of the Advisory Agreement for each Fund and Sub-Advisory Agreements. Although not meant to be all-inclusive, the following describes some of the factors that were considered by the Board in deciding to approve the continuance of the Advisory Agreement for each Fund and Sub-Advisory Agreements with Paradigm, Smith Group, Vontobel and WMC.

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services

In examining the nature, extent and quality of the services provided by FIMCO, the Board recognized that FIMCO is dedicated to providing investment management services exclusively to the Funds and the other funds in the First Investors fund complex and that, unlike many other mutual fund managers, FIMCO is not in the business of providing management services to hedge funds, pension funds or private accounts. As a result, the Board considered that FIMCO’s personnel devote substantially all of their time to serving the funds in the First Investors fund complex. The Board also considered management’s explanation regarding the significant costs involved in providing the level of personal service that the First Investors fund complex seeks to deliver to its shareholders.

The Board noted that FIMCO has undertaken extensive responsibilities as manager of the Funds, including: (1) the provision of investment advice to the Funds; (2) implementing policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance with each Fund’s investment objectives and policies; (3) the review of brokerage arrangements; (4) oversight of general portfolio compliance with applicable laws; (5) the provision of certain administrative services to the Funds, including fund accounting; (6) the implementation of Board directives as they relate to the Funds; and (7) evaluating and monitoring any sub-advisers on an ongoing basis including, but not limited to, monitoring each sub-adviser’s investment performance, evaluating each sub-adviser’s compliance program on an annual basis and monitoring investments for compliance purposes. The Board noted that FIMCO provides not only advisory services but historically has provided certain administrative personnel and services that many other advisers do not provide without imposition of separate fees. The Board also noted the steps that FIMCO has taken to encourage strong performance, including providing significant incentives to portfolio managers and analysts based on Fund performance. In addition, the Board considered information regarding the overall financial strength of FIMCO and its affiliates and the resources and staffing in place with respect to the services provided to the Funds.

The Board also considered the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Funds by FIMCO’s affiliates, including transfer agency and distribution services. The Board took into account the fact that ADM is dedicated to providing transfer

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Board Considerations of Advisory Contracts and Fees (continued)
(unaudited)
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS

agency services exclusively to the Funds and the other funds in the First Investors fund complex. As a result, ADM can tailor its processes and services to satisfy the needs of the Funds’ shareholder base. The Board noted that the Funds’ shares are distributed primarily through First Investors Corporation (“FIC”), which is an affiliate of FIMCO.

Furthermore, the Board considered the nature, extent and quality of the investment management services provided by WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group and Vontobel to the applicable Sub-Advised Funds. The Board considered WMC’s, Paradigm’s, Smith Group’s and Vontobel’s investment management process in managing the applicable Sub-Advised Funds and the experience and capability of their respective personnel responsible for the portfolio management of the applicable Sub-Advised Funds. The Board also considered information regarding the resources and staffing in place with respect to the services provided by each sub-adviser.

Based on the information considered, the Board concluded that the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to each Fund by FIMCO and the applicable Sub-Advised Funds by WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group and Vontobel were appropriate and consistent with the terms of the Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreements, as applicable, and supported approval of the Advisory Agreement and each Sub-Advisory Agreement.

Investment Performance

The Board placed significant emphasis on the investment performance of each of the Funds. While consideration was given to performance reports and discussions held at prior Board or Committee meetings, as applicable, particular attention was given to the performance information compiled by Lipper. In particular, the Board reviewed the performance of the Funds over the most recent calendar year (“1-year period”) and the annualized performance over the most recent three calendar year period (“3-year period”) and five calendar year period (“5-year period”). In addition, the Board considered the performance information provided by FIMCO for each Fund through April 30, 2013 (the “year-to-date period”). With regard to the performance information, the Board considered the performance of each Fund on a percentile and quintile basis as compared to its Peer Group. For purposes of the performance data provided, the first quintile is defined as 20% of the funds in the applicable Peer Group with the highest performance and the fifth quintile is defined as 20% of the funds in the applicable Peer Group with the lowest performance.

On a Fund-by-Fund basis, the performance reports indicated, and the Board noted, that each Fund fell within one of the top three quintiles for at least one of the performance periods provided by Lipper. With regard to the Equity Income Fund, the Board also

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noted that FIMCO changed the portfolio manager for the Fund in November 2011 and changed the Fund’s name from Value Fund to Equity Income Fund in September 2012 and that the changes implemented by the new portfolio manager have led to improved performance over the past seven months. The Board also noted that although the Global Fund’s performance over the 1-year period was in one of the top three quintiles, longer term performance was not. The Board considered FIMCO representations that it was monitoring the Global Fund’s performance and would report back to the Board at its next meeting. The Board also considered the volatility versus total return data provided by Lipper as well as FIMCO’s representation that it believes that the Funds use a more conservative investment style than many of their peers.

Based on the information considered, the Board concluded that the investment performance of each Fund was either (a) acceptable or better, or (b) subject to reasonable steps to monitor or address underperformance.

Fund Expenses, Costs of Services, Economies of Scale and Related Benefits

Management Fees and Expenses. The Board also gave substantial consideration to the fees payable under each Fund’s Advisory Agreement as well as under the Sub-Advisory Agreements for the Sub-Advised Funds.

The Board reviewed the information compiled by Lipper comparing each Fund’s contractual management fee rate (at common asset levels) and actual management fee rate (which included the effect of any fee waivers) as a percentage of average net assets to other funds in its Peer Group. In this regard, the Board considered the contractual and actual management fees of each Fund on a quintile basis as compared to its Peer Group and noted the relative position of each Fund within the Peer Group. The Board also considered that FIMCO provides not only advisory services but also certain administrative personnel to the Funds under each Fund’s Advisory Agreement and that many other advisers do not provide such administrative personnel under their advisory agreements and that FIMCO also provides certain administrative services without the imposition of a separate fee. The Board also considered that FIMCO informed the Board that it intends to extend, on a voluntary basis, the existing management fee cap for the Special Situations Fund until May 31, 2014 and waive management fees in excess of a cap on the Global Fund until May 31, 2014. The Board also noted that FIMCO proposed lowering the contractual management fees for the Total Return Fund to take advantage of wholesale distribution opportunities.

In considering the sub-advisory fee rates charged by and costs and profitability of WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group and Vontobel with regard to the respective Sub-Advised Funds, the Board noted that FIMCO pays WMC, Paradigm, Smith

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Board Considerations of Advisory Contracts and Fees (continued)
(unaudited)
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS

Group or Vontobel, as the case may be, a sub-advisory fee from its own advisory fee rather than each Fund paying WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group or Vontobel a fee directly. WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group and Vontobel provided, and the Board reviewed, information comparing the fees charged by WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group and Vontobel for services to the respective Sub-Advised Funds versus the fee rates of WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group and Vontobel for providing advisory services to other comparable investment companies or accounts or compared to their standard fee schedule, as applicable. Based on a review of this information, the Board noted that the fees charged by WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group and Vontobel, as the case may be, for services to each applicable Sub-Advised Fund appeared competitive to the fees WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group and Vontobel charge to their other comparable investment companies or accounts or compared to their standard fee schedule, as applicable.

The Board also reviewed the information compiled by Lipper comparing each Fund’s Class A share total expense ratio, taking into account FIMCO’s expense waivers (as applicable), and the ratio of the sum of actual management and other non-management fees (i.e., fees other than management, transfer agency and 12b-1/non-12b-1 fees) to other funds in its Peer Group, including on a quintile basis. In considering the level of the total expense ratio and the ratio of the sum of actual management and other non-management fees, the Board took into account management’s explanation that: (i) the Funds have average account sizes that are relatively small compared with the industry average for equity funds; (ii) there are significant costs involved in providing the level of personal service that the First Investors fund complex seeks to deliver to its shareholders; and (iii) Lipper expense comparisons do not take into account the size of a fund complex, and as a result, in certain cases the First Investors funds are compared to funds in complexes that are much larger than First Investors. The Board also considered that the Funds will begin charging retirement custodial fees at the individual shareholder level rather than being paid by the Funds going forward and that this would result in total expenses of each Fund being reduced by several basis points. The Board also noted that Lipper’s customized expense groups tend to be fairly small in number and the funds included in the Peer Group generally change from year to year, thereby introducing an element of randomness that affects comparative results each year. While recognizing the limitations inherent in Lipper’s methodology, the Board believed that the data provided by Lipper was a generally appropriate measure of comparative expenses.

The foregoing comparisons assisted the Trustees by providing them with a basis for evaluating each Fund’s management fee and expense ratio on a relative basis.

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Profitability. The Board reviewed the materials it received from FIMCO regarding its revenues and costs in providing investment management and certain administrative services to the Funds. In particular, the Board considered the analysis of FIMCO’s profitability with respect to each Fund, calculated for the year ended December 31, 2012, as well as overall profitability information relating to the past five calendar years. The Board also considered the information provided by FIMCO comparing the profitability of certain publicly-traded mutual fund asset managers as analyzed by FIMCO based on publicly available financial statements. In reviewing the profitability information, the Board also considered the “fall-out” or ancillary benefits that may accrue to FIMCO and its affiliates as a result of their relationship with the Funds, which are discussed below. The Board acknowledged that, as a business matter, FIMCO was entitled to earn reasonable profits for its services to the Funds. The Board also considered the profitability and/or financial information provided by WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group and Vontobel.

Economies of Scale. With respect to whether economies of scale are realized by FIMCO as a Fund’s assets increase and the extent to which any economies of scale are reflected in the level of management fee rates charged, the Board considered that the Advisory Agreement fee schedule for each Fund includes breakpoints to account for management economies of scale.

“Fall Out” or Ancillary Benefits. The Board considered the “fall-out” or ancillary benefits that may accrue to FIMCO, WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group and Vontobel as a result of their relationship with the Funds. In that regard, the Board considered the fact that FIMCO, WMC, Paradigm, Smith Group and Vontobel receive research from broker-dealers that execute brokerage transactions for the funds in the First Investors fund complex. However, the Board noted that FIMCO and the sub-advisers must select brokers based on each Fund’s requirements for seeking best execution. The Board also considered that Paradigm executes brokerage transactions for the Special Situations Fund through the use of an affiliated broker-dealer and that this also provides a source of fall-out benefits to Paradigm. The Board considered the profits earned or losses incurred by ADM and the income received by FIC as a result of FIMCO’s management of the First Investors funds.

* * * 

 

In summary, based on all relevant information and factors, none of which was individually determinative of the outcome, the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, approved the renewal of the Advisory Agreement and each Sub-Advisory Agreement.

 

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FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS
Trustees and Officers*

    Length of     
    Time Served  Number of  Other 
  Position(s)  (including with  Portfolios in  Trusteeships/ 
Name, Year of Birth  Held with  Predecessor  Fund Complex  Directorships 
and Address  Funds  Funds)  Overseen  Held 
———————  ————  ————  —————  ——— 
 
  DISINTERESTED TRUSTEES   
 
Susan E. Artmann (1954)  Trustee  Since 11/1/12  40  None 
c/o First Investors         
Legal Department         
40 Wall Street         
New York, NY 10005         
 
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:       
None/Retired. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of HSBC Insurance North America 
(2012-September 2013); Executive Vice President and President (2008-2011) and Chief Financial Officer 
(2000-2008) of HSBC Taxpayer Financial Services.       
 
 
Mary J. Barneby (1952)  Trustee  Since 11/1/12  40  None 
c/o First Investors         
Legal Department         
40 Wall Street         
New York, NY 10005         
 
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:       
Chief Executive Officer, Girl Scouts of Connecticut (since October 2012); Executive Director of UBS Financial 
Services, Inc. and Head of Stamford Private Wealth Office (2002-2012).     
 
 
Charles R. Barton, III (1965)  Trustee  Since 1/1/06  40  None 
c/o First Investors         
Legal Department         
40 Wall Street         
New York, NY 10005         
 
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:       
Chief Operating Officer (since 2007), Board Director (since 1989, currently Ex-Officio) and Trustee (since 1994) 
of The Barton Group/Barton Mines Corporation (mining and industrial abrasives distribution); President of Noe 
Pierson Corporation (land holding and management services provider) (since 2004).   

 

248 

 



    Length of     
    Time Served  Number of  Other 
  Position(s)  (including with  Portfolios in  Trusteeships/ 
Name, Year of Birth  Held with  Predecessor  Fund Complex  Directorships 
and Address  Funds  Funds)  Overseen  Held 
———————  ————  ————  —————  ——— 
 
  DISINTERESTED TRUSTEES (continued)   
 
Arthur M. Scutro, Jr. (1941)  Trustee and  Trustee since  40  None 
c/o First Investors  Chairman  1/1/06 and     
Legal Department    Chairman     
40 Wall Street    since 1/1/13     
New York, NY 10005         
 
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:       
None/Retired         
 
 
Mark R. Ward (1952)  Trustee  Since 1/1/10  40  None 
c/o First Investors         
Legal Department         
40 Wall Street         
New York, NY 10005         
 
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:       
Self-employed, consultant (since 2008); Senior Partner, Ernst & Young, LLP, Leader, Mid-Atlantic Asset 
Management Practice (2003-2007).       

 

*Each Trustee serves for an indefinite term with the Funds, until his/her successor is elected.

 

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FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS
Trustees and Officers* (continued)

    Length of     
    Time Served  Number of  Other 
  Position(s)  (including with  Portfolios in  Trusteeships/ 
Name, Year of Birth  Held with  Predecessor  Fund Complex  Directorships 
and Address  Funds  Funds)  Overseen  Held 
———————  ————  ————  —————  ——— 
 
OFFICER(S) WHO ARE NOT TRUSTEES   
 
Derek Burke (1963)  President  Since 2012  N/A  None 
c/o First Investors Management         
Company, Inc.         
Raritan Plaza I         
Edison, NJ 08837         
 
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:       
Director (since 2012) and President (since 2011) of First Investors Management Company, Inc., and Admin- 
istrative Data Management Corp.; Board of Managers and Chief Executive Officer of First Investors Advisory 
Services, LLC (since 2012); Consultant, Burke Consulting (2010-2011); UBS - Managing Director, Co-Head of 
Investment Solutions (2009-2010) and Managing Director, Head of Institutional, Retirement and Fund Services 
(2004-2009).         
 
 
Joseph I. Benedek (1957)  Treasurer  Since 1988  N/A  None 
c/o First Investors Management         
Company, Inc.         
Raritan Plaza I         
Edison, NJ 08837         
 
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:       
Treasurer of First Investors Management Company, Inc.       
 
 
Mary Carty (1950)  Secretary  Since 2010  N/A  None 
c/o First Investors         
Legal Department         
40 Wall Street         
New York, NY 10005         
 
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:       
General Counsel of First Investors Management Company, Inc. and various affiliated companies since December 
2012; Assistant Counsel of First Investors Management Company, Inc., (2010-2012). Special Counsel and 
Associate at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP (1998-2009).     

 

250 

 



    Length of     
    Time Served  Number of  Other 
  Position(s)  (including with  Portfolios in  Trusteeships/ 
Name, Year of Birth  Held with  Predecessor  Fund Complex  Directorships 
and Address  Funds  Funds)  Overseen  Held 
———————  ————  ————  —————  ——— 
 
OFFICER(S) WHO ARE NOT TRUSTEES (continued)   
 
Marc S. Milgram (1957)  Chief  Since 2010  N/A  None 
c/o First Investors  Compliance       
Legal Department  Officer       
40 Wall Street         
New York, NY 10005         
 
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:       
Investment Compliance Manager of First Investors Management Company, Inc., (2009-2010); First Investors 
Federal Savings Bank, President (2000-2011), Treasurer (1987-2011) and Director (2004-2011); First Investors 
Corporation, Vice President (2008-2009); Administrative Data Management Corp., Vice President (2008-2009); 
and First Investors Name Saver, Inc. f/k/a/ School Financial Management Services, Inc., Treasurer (since 1992). 

 

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FIRST INVESTORS INCOME FUNDS
FIRST INVESTORS EQUITY FUNDS

Shareholder Information     
 
Investment Adviser  Underwriter 
First Investors Management  First Investors Corporation 
Company, Inc.  40 Wall Street 
40 Wall Street  New York, NY 10005 
New York, NY 10005   
  Custodian 
Subadviser  (Income Funds except Strategic Income 
(International Opportunities Bond Fund)  Fund and International Opportunities 
Brandywine Global Investment  Bond Fund) 
Management, LLC  The Bank of New York Mellon 
2929 Arch Street  One Wall Street 
Philadelphia, PA 19104  New York, NY 10286 
   
Subadviser  Custodian 
(Fund For Income)  (Strategic Income Fund, International 
Muzinich & Co., Inc.  Opportunities Bond Fund and the 
450 Park Avenue  Equity Funds) 
New York, NY 10022  Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. 
  50 Post Office Square 
Subadviser  Boston, MA 02110 
(Global Fund)   
Wellington Management Company, LLP  Transfer Agent 
280 Congress Street  Administrative Data Management Corp. 
Boston, MA 02210  Raritan Plaza I – 8th Floor 
  Edison, NJ 08837-3620 
Subadviser   
(Select Growth Fund)  Independent Registered Public 
Smith Asset Management Group, L.P.  Accounting Firm 
100 Crescent Court  Tait, Weller & Baker LLP 
Dallas, TX 75201  1818 Market Street — 24th Floor 
  Philadelphia, PA 19103 
Subadviser   
(International Fund)  Legal Counsel 
Vontobel Asset Management, Inc.  K&L Gates LLP 
1540 Broadway, 38th Floor  1601 K Street, N.W. 
New York, NY 10036  Washington, D.C. 20006 

 

252 

 



A description of the policies and procedures that the Funds use to vote proxies relating to a portfolio’s securities is available, without charge, upon request by calling toll free 1-800-423-4026 or can be viewed online or downloaded from the EDGAR database on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) internet website at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, information regarding how the Funds voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, is available, without charge, upon request in writing or by calling 1-800-423-4026 and on the SEC’s internet website at http://www.sec.gov.

The Funds file their complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC on Form N-Q for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year. The Funds’ Form N-Q is available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov; and may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330. The schedule of portfolio holdings is available, without charge, upon request in writing or by calling 1-800-423-4026.

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255 

 



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256 

 



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257 

 





Item 2. Code of Ethics

As of September 30, 2013, the Registrant has adopted a code of ethics that applies to the Registrant's principal executive officer and principal financial officer. On October 30, 2013 revisions were made to the code of ethics to reflect our new 40 Wall Street address on the certification forms.

For the year ended September 30, 2013, there were no waivers granted from a provision of the code of ethics.

A copy of the Registrant's code of ethics is filed under Item 12(a)(1).

Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert

During the reporting period the Registrant's Board determined that it had at least one "audit committee financial expert" serving on its audit committee. Arthur M. Scutro, Jr. and Mark R. Ward were the "audit committee financial experts" during all or part of the period and were considered to be "independent" as defined in Item 3 of Form N-CSR.

Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services

  Fiscal Year Ended 
  September 30, 
  ----------------- 
    2013    2012 
    ----    ---- 
(a) Audit Fees       
First Investors Income Funds  $145,700  $118,750 
 
(b) Audit-Related Fees       
First Investors Income Funds  $            0  $            0 
 
(c) Tax Fees       
First Investors Income Funds  $  26,000  $  20,000 
 
Nature of services: tax returns preparation and tax compliance 
 
(d) All Other Fees       
First Investors Income Funds  $            0  $            0 

 



(e)(1) Audit committee's pre-approval policies

The Charter of the Audit Committee requires the Audit Committee (a) to pre-approve, and to recommend to the full Board, the selection, retention or termination of the independent auditors to provide audit, review or attest services to the First Investors Funds (“Funds”) and, in connection therewith, evaluate the independence of the auditors and to obtain the auditors’ specific representations as to their independence; (b) to pre-approve all non-audit services to be provided to the Funds by the independent auditor; and (c) to pre-approve all non-audit services to be provided by the Funds’ independent auditor to the Funds’ investment adviser or to any entity that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with the Funds’ investment adviser and that provides ongoing services to the Funds, if the engagement relates directly to the operations and financial reporting of the Funds. The Audit Committee has not adopted pre-approval policies or procedures to permit the services in (b) and (c) above to be pre-approved by other means.

(e)(2) None, or 0%, of the services relating to the Audit-Related Fees, Tax Fees and All Other Fees paid by the Registrant and Related Entities disclosed above were approved by the Audit Committee pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X (which permits audit committee approval after the start of the engagement with respect to services other than audit review or attest services, if certain conditions are satisfied).

(f) Not Applicable

(g) Aggregate non-audit fees billed by the Registrant's accountant for services rendered to the Registrant and the Registrant's investment adviser and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the adviser that provides ongoing services to the Registrant for the two fiscal years ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 were $121,200 and $49,500, respectively.

(h) Not Applicable

Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Registrants

Not applicable

Item 6. Schedule of Investments

Schedule is included as part of the report to shareholders filed under Item 1 of this Form.

Item 7. Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies & Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies

Not applicable



Item 8. Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies

Not applicable

Item 9. Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Companies and Affiliated Purchasers

Not applicable

Item 10. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

There were no material changes to the procedure by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the Registrant's Board of Trustees.

Item 11. Controls and Procedures

(a) The Registrant's President and Principal Financial Officer have concluded that the Registrant's disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended) are effective, based on their evaluation of these disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this report.

(b) There were no changes in the Registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the second fiscal quarter of the period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

Item 12. Exhibits

(a)(1) Code of Ethics - Filed herewith

(a)(2) Certifications pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 - Filed herewith

(b) Certifications pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 - Filed herewith



SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

First Investors Income Funds 
 
By  /S/  DEREK BURKE 
  Derek Burke 
  President and Principal Executive Officer 
 
Date:  December 5, 2013 

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

By  /S/  DEREK BURKE 
  Derek Burke 
  President and Principal Executive Officer 
 
By  /S/  JOSEPH I. BENEDEK 
  Joseph I. Benedek 
  Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer 
 
Date:  December 5, 2013