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TRANSAMERICA MFS INTERNATIONAL EQUITY

Summary Prospectus

March 1, 2010, revised as of April 30, 2010

Class

CLASS I2

 

 

 

 

& Ticker

Not Applicable

 

 

 

 

This summary prospectus is designed to provide shareholders with key fund information in a clear and concise format. Before you invest, you may want to review the fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the fund and its risks. You can find the fund’s prospectus and other information about the fund, including the fund’s statement of additional information and most recent reports to shareholders, online at http://www.transamericafunds.com/prospectus. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 866-414-6349 or by sending an e-mail request to orders@mysummaryprospectus.com, or from your financial professional. The fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, dated March 1, 2010, as supplemented from time to time, and the independent registered public accounting firm’s report and financial statements in the fund’s annual report to shareholders, dated October 31, 2009, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus.

Investment Objective: Seeks capital growth.

Fees and Expenses: This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund. There are no sales charges (load) or other transaction fees.

 

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

 

 

Management fees

0.91%

Distribution and service (12b-1) fees

None

Other expenses

0.18%

Total annual fund operating expenses

1.09%

 

Example: This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

Share Class

1 year

3 years

5 years

10 years

I2

$111

$347

$601

$1,329

 

Portfolio Turnover: The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the fund performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the portfolio turnover rate was 24% of the average value of the fund's portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies: The fund's sub-adviser, MFS® Investment Management (“MFS”), invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the fund's net assets in common stocks and related equity securities, such as preferred stock, convertible securities and depositary receipts of issuers economically tied to a number of countries throughout the world, including emerging markets countries. The fund normally invests primarily in equity securities of foreign companies, including emerging market equity securities. MFS may invest a relatively large percentage of the fund's assets in securities of issuers in a single country, a small number of countries, or a particular geographic region. In selecting investments for the portfolio, MFS is not constrained to any particular investment style. MFS may invest the fund's assets in the stocks of companies it believes to have above average earnings growth potential (growth companies), in the stocks of companies it believes are undervalued (value companies), or in a combination of growth and value companies. MFS may invest the fund's assets in companies of any size. MFS may use derivatives for any investment purpose. MFS uses a “bottom-up” approach to buying and selling investments for the fund. A "bottom-up" approach is looking at individual companies against the context of broader market factors. Investments are selected primarily based on fundamental analysis of issuers. Quantitative models that systematically evaluate issuers may also be considered. MFS may engage in active and frequent trading in pursuing the fund's principal investment strategies.

 

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The fund may invest in cash, cash equivalent securities or short-term debt securities, repurchase agreements and money market instruments. Under adverse or unstable market, economic or political conditions, the fund may take temporary defensive positions in cash and short-term debt securities without limit.

Principal Risks: The value of your investment in the fund, as well as the amount of return you receive on your investment, may fluctuate significantly from day to day and over time. You may lose part or all of your investment in the fund or your investment may not perform as well as other similar investments. The following is a summary of certain risks (in alphabetical order) of investing in the fund. You may lose money if you invest in this fund.

Active Trading – Certain funds are actively managed and, under appropriate circumstances, may purchase and sell securities without regard to the length of time held. A high portfolio turnover rate may have a negative impact on performance by increasing transaction costs and may generate greater tax liabilities for shareholders holding shares in taxable accounts.

Convertible Securities – The market value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality. The fund could lose money if the issuer of a convertible security is unable to meet its financial obligations or goes bankrupt.

Currency – When the fund invests in securities denominated in foreign currencies, the fund may incur currency conversion costs and may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in the rates of exchange between those currencies and the U.S. dollar. Currency exchange rates can be volatile and are affected by, among other factors, the general economics of a country, the actions of the U.S. and foreign governments or control banks, the imposition of currency controls, and speculation.

 

Cash Management and Defensive Investing – Money market instruments or short-term debt securities held by the fund for cash management or defensive investing purposes can fluctuate in value. Like other fixed income securities, they are subject to risk, including market, interest rate and credit risk. If the fund holds cash uninvested, the fund will not earn income on the cash and the fund's yield will go down. If a significant amount of the fund's assets are used for cash management or defensive investing purposes, it will be more difficult for the fund to achieve its objective.

 

Derivatives – Using derivatives can increase fund losses and reduce opportunities for gains when market prices, interest rates or the derivative instruments themselves behave in a way not anticipated by the fund. Using derivatives also can have a leveraging effect and increase fund volatility. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value, and the counterparty may default on its obligations to the fund. The fund's investments in derivative instruments may involve a small investment relative to the amount of investment exposure assumed and may result in losses exceeding the amounts invested in those instruments.

Emerging Markets – Investing in the securities of issuers located in or principally doing business in emerging markets are subject to foreign securities risks. These risks are greater for investments in emerging markets.

Foreign Securities – Foreign securities are subject to a number of additional risks, including nationalization or expropriation of assets, imposition of currency controls or restrictions, confiscatory taxation, political or financial instability and other adverse economic or political developments. Lack of information and less market regulation also may affect the value of these securities.

Geographic – To the extent the fund invests a significant portion of its assets in issuers located in a single country, a small number of countries, or a particular geographic region, the fund will be more susceptible to negative events affecting those countries or that region, and could be more volatile than a more geographically diverse fund. Geographic risk is especially high in emerging markets.

Growth Stocks – Returns on growth stocks may not move in tandem with returns on other categories of stocks or the market as a whole. Growth stocks may be particularly susceptible to rapid price swings or to adverse developments. Growth stocks as a group may be out of favor and underperform the overall equity market for a long period of time, for example, while the market favors “value” stocks.

Increase in Expenses – Your actual costs of investing in the fund may be higher than the expenses shown in “Annual Fund Operating Expenses” for a variety of reasons. For example, expense ratios may be higher than those shown if average net assets decrease. Net assets are more likely to decrease and fund expense ratios are more likely to increase when markets are volatile.

Leveraging – The value of your investment may be more volatile if the fund borrows or uses derivatives that have a leveraging effect on the fund. Other risks also will be compounded. This is because leverage generally magnifies the effect

 

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of a change in the value of an asset and creates a risk of loss of value on a larger pool of assets than the fund would otherwise have had. The fund also may have to sell assets at inopportune times to satisfy its obligations.

Liquidity – Some securities held by the fund may be difficult to sell, or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Illiquid securities may also be difficult to value. If the fund is forced to sell an illiquid asset to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, the fund may be forced to sell at a loss.

Market – The market prices of the fund's securities may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions, such as real or perceived adverse economic or political conditions, inflation, changes in interest rates or currency rates, lack of liquidity in the markets or adverse investor sentiment. Market prices of securities also may go down due to events or conditions that affect particular sectors or issuers. When market prices fall, the value of your investment will go down. The recent financial crisis has caused a significant decline in the value and liquidity of many securities. In response to the financial crisis, the federal government has taken various steps to stimulate the economy, and the expiration or termination of these stimulus measures may negatively affect the value and liquidity of certain securities. The fund may experience a substantial or complete loss on any individual security.

 

Portfolio Selection – The sub-adviser’s judgment about a particular security or issuer, or about the economy or a particular sector, region or market segment, or about an investment strategy, may prove to be incorrect.

 

Preferred Stock – Preferred stock’s right to dividends and liquidation proceeds is junior to the rights of a company’s debt securities. The value of preferred stock may be subject to factors that affect fixed income and equity securities, including changes in interest rates and in a company’s creditworthiness. Shareholders of preferred stock may suffer a loss of value if dividends are not paid and have limited voting rights.

Small- or Medium-Sized Companies – Small- or medium-sized companies may be more at risk than larger companies because, among other things, they may have limited product lines, operating history, market or financial resources, or because they may depend on a limited management group.

 

Stocks – Stocks may be volatile – their prices may go up and down dramatically over the shorter term. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual companies, industries, the securities market as a whole or the over-all economy.

 

Value Investing – The prices of securities the sub-adviser believes are undervalued may not appreciate as anticipated or may go down. Value stocks as a group may be out of favor and underperform the overall equity market for a long period of time, for example, while the market favors “growth” stocks.

Performance: The bar chart and the table below provide some indication of the risk of investing in the fund by showing you how the fund’s performance has varied from year to year, and how the fund’s Class I2 average annual total returns for different periods compare to the returns of a broad measure of market performance. The table shows average annual total returns for Class I2 shares of the fund. As with all mutual funds, past performance (before and after taxes) is not a prediction of future results. Updated performance information is available on our website at www.transamericafunds.com or by calling 1-888-233-4339.

 

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Annual Total Returns (calendar years ended December 31)


 

Class I2 Shares

Quarter Ended

Return

Best Quarter:

09/30/2009

21.17%

Worst Quarter:

03/31/2009

-13.16%

 

Average Annual Total Returns (periods ended December 31, 2009)1

 

1 Year

10 Years or Inception2

Return before taxes

32.33%

-8.22%

Return after taxes on distributions3

31.01%

-8.80%

Return after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares3

21.10%

-7.27%

Morgan Stanley Capital International-Europe, Australasia, Far East Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

32.46%

-13.79%

 

1

Actual returns may depend on the investor’s individual tax situation. After-tax returns may not be relevant if the investment is made through a tax-exempt or tax-deferred account, such as a 401(k) plan.

   

2

Class I2 commenced operations on June 10, 2008.

   

3

The after-tax returns are calculated using the historic highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.

 

 

Management:

 

Investment Adviser:

Sub-Adviser:

 

Transamerica Asset Management, Inc.

MFS® Investment Management

 

 

Portfolio Managers:

Daniel Ling, Portfolio Manager since 2009

Marcus L. Smith, Portfolio Manager since 2006

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: Class I2 shares of the fund are currently primarily offered for investment in certain funds of funds (also referred to as “strategic asset allocation funds”). Class I2 shares of the fund are also made available to other investors, including institutional investors such as foreign insurers, domestic insurance companies and their separate accounts, and unaffiliated funds, high net worth individuals, and eligible retirement plans whose recordkeepers or financial service firm intermediaries have entered into agreements with Transamerica Funds or its agents. Investors who received Class I2 shares in connection with the reorganization of a Transamerica Premier Fund into a Transamerica Fund may continue to invest in Class I2 shares of that Transamerica Fund, but may not open new accounts. You buy and redeem shares at the fund’s next-determined net asset value (NAV) after receipt of your request in good order.

Tax Information: Fund distributions may be taxable as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is in an IRA, 401(k) or other tax-advantaged investment plan.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or insurance company), the fund and/or its affiliates may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

 

 

MSPAI20510MFSIE

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