497K 1 c62879_497k.htm

 

TRANSAMERICA GOLDMAN SACHS COMMODITY STRATEGY 

Summary Prospectus
September 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 September 30, 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 long-term total return.

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)a

 

 

Management fees

0.61%

Distribution and service (12b-1) fees

None

Other expenses

0.09%

Acquired fund fees and expenses (fees and expenses of underlying funds) b

0.15%

Total annual fund operating expenses

0.85%

Expense reductionb, c

0.15%

Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reduction

0.70%


 

 

a

Annual fund operating expenses have been restated to reflect expenses for the current fiscal year.

 

 

b

Acquired fund fees and expenses reflect the expenses (including the management fee) borne by the fund as the sole shareholder of the Subsidiary (as defined below). The Subsidiary has entered into a separate contract with the fund’s investment adviser, Transamerica Asset Management, Inc. (“TAM”), for the management of the Subsidiary portfolio pursuant to which the Subsidiary pays TAM a fee that is the same, as a percentage of net assets, as the management fee of the fund. TAM has agreed to waive a portion of the fund’s management fee in an amount equal to the management fee paid to TAM by the Subsidiary. This management fee waiver, which is reflected in the “Expense reduction” line, may not be discontinued by TAM as long as its contract with the Subsidiary is in place.

 

 

c

Contractual arrangements have been made with TAM through September 30, 2011, to waive fees and/or reimburse fund expenses to the extent that the fund’s total operating expenses exceed 1.00%, excluding extraordinary expenses. TAM is entitled to reimbursement by the fund of fees waived or expenses reduced during any of the previous 36 months if on any day the estimated annualized fund operating expenses are less than the cap, excluding extraordinary expenses. The expense cap may be terminated by the fund’s Board of Trustees at any time.

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:

 

 

 

 

1 year

3 years

5 years

10 years

$72

$224

$390

$871

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 5% of the average value of the fund’s portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies: The fund seeks to maintain substantial economic exposure to the performance of the commodities markets. Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (“GSAM”), the fund’s sub-adviser, invests the fund’s assets in a portfolio of commodity index-linked securities (including leveraged and unleveraged structured notes), other commodity-linked securities and derivative instruments and in other fixed-income and debt instruments. The fund may also gain exposure

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to the commodities markets by investing up to 25% of its total assets in a wholly-owned subsidiary of the fund organized as a company under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Subsidiary”).

The Subsidiary has the same investment objective as the fund and is advised by Transamerica Asset Management, Inc. and sub-advised by GSAM. The Subsidiary, unlike the fund, may invest without limitation in commodities, commodity index-linked securities (including leveraged and unleveraged structured notes) and other commodity-linked securities and derivative instruments, such as swaps and futures that provide exposure to the performance of the commodities markets. The Subsidiary may also invest in other instruments, including fixed income instruments, either as investments or to serve as margin or collateral for its derivative positions. The Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and is not subject to the investor protections of the 1940 Act.

Commodity Investments. The fund may invest in commodity-linked notes, and other commodity-linked derivative instruments, that pay a return linked to the performance of a commodities index, or to a basket of futures contracts issued on all of the commodities in an index. Commodity-linked notes are derivative debt instruments with principal payments generally linked to the value of commodities, commodity futures contracts, or the performance of commodity indices and interest and coupon payments pegged to a market-based interest rate, such as LIBOR or a bank’s prime rate. In some cases, the return will be based on some multiple of the performance of the index, and this embedded leverage will magnify the positive and negative return the fund earns from these notes as compared to the index. The principal and/or interest payments of commodity-linked derivatives are tied to the value of a real asset or commodity index. Structured notes may be structured by the issuer and the purchaser of the note. The value of these notes will rise or fall in response to changes in the value of the underlying commodity or related index or investment. These notes expose the fund economically to movements in commodity prices.

It is expected that certain of the fund’s investments will produce leveraged exposure to the commodities markets.

The fund intends to gain exposure to commodities markets primarily by investing in securities and instruments whose returns are linked to commodities markets and commodities-related indices, including the Dow Jones - UBS Commodity Index (the “Index”). In pursuing its objective, the fund attempts to provide exposure to the returns of real assets that trade in the commodities markets without direct investment in physical commodities. Real assets include oil, gas, industrial and precious metals, livestock, and agricultural or meat products, or other items that have tangible properties. Commodity-linked investments may be more volatile and less liquid than the underlying commodities and their value may be affected by the performance of commodities as well as weather, tax, regulatory or political developments, overall market movements and other factors affecting the value of particular industries or commodities, such as disease, embargoes, acts of war or terrorism.

The fund will not invest 25% or more of its total assets in instruments issued by companies in any one industry. The fund’s portfolio will reflect greater than 25% exposure to the group of industries represented in the Index, however. If, in the future, industries are added to or removed from representation in the Index, the group of industries in which the fund’s exposure is concentrated will likewise change.

In pursuing its investment objective, the fund uses the Index as its performance benchmark and will attempt to produce returns that correspond to the performance of the Index, but the fund will not attempt to replicate the Index. The fund may, therefore, invest in securities or other instruments that are not included in the Index.

The fund, directly and/or through the Subsidiary, may gain commodities exposure through the use of swaps and other derivative instruments. The use of swaps is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques, risk analyses and tax planning different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions.

Fixed Income Investments. The fund invests in investment grade fixed income securities, and may invest up to 10% of its assets in non-investment grade fixed income securities. The fund may invest in corporate securities, U.S. Government securities, mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities, and municipal securities. The average duration will vary.

Other. The fund may invest up to 35% of its net assets in foreign securities.

The fund may invest its assets in cash, cash equivalent securities or short-term debt securities, repurchase agreements and money market securities. 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.

The fund is non-diversified.

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.

 

 

Absence of Regulation – The fund engages in over-the-counter (“OTC”) transactions. In general, there is less governmental regulation and supervision of transactions in the OTC markets than of transactions entered into on organized exchanges.

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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.

 

 

Commodities – The fund’s investment exposure to the commodities markets may subject the fund to greater volatility than investments in more traditional securities, such as stocks and bonds. The performance of commodity-linked derivative instruments may depend on the performance of the overall commodities markets and on other factors that affect the value of commodities, including weather, disease, and political, tax, and other regulatory developments. Commodity-linked investments may be leveraged. For example, a three-times leveraged note will change by a magnitude of three for every percentage change (positive or negative) in the value of the underlying index. Commodity-linked investments may be hybrid instruments that can have substantial risk of loss with respect to both principal and interest. Commodity-linked investments may be more volatile and less liquid than the underlying commodity, instruments, or measures, are subject to the credit risks associated with the issuer, and their values may decline substantially if the issuer’s creditworthiness deteriorates. As a result, returns of commodity-linked investments may deviate significantly from the return of the underlying commodity, instruments, or measures. The commodity-linked investments in which the fund invests may be issued by companies in the financial services sector, and events affecting the financial services sector may cause the fund’s share value to fluctuate.

 

 

Counterparty – The fund will be subject to the credit risk (that is, where changes in an issuer’s financial strength or the credit rating of a financial instrument it issues may affect an instrument’s value) with respect to the amount it expects to receive from counterparties to derivatives and repurchase agreements entered into by the fund or held by special purpose or structured vehicles. If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties, the value of your investment in the fund may decline.

 

 

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

 

 

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.

 

 

High-Yield Debt Securities – High-yield debt securities, or junk bonds, are securities that are rated below “investment grade” (that is, securities rated below Baa/BBB) or, if unrated, are considered by the sub-adviser to be of equivalent quality. Changes in interest rates, the market’s perception of the issuers and the creditworthiness of the issuers may significantly affect the value of these bonds. Junk bonds have a higher risk of default, tend to be less liquid and may be more difficult to value.

 

 

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.

 

 

Industry Concentration – The fund concentrates its investments in specific industry sectors that have historically experienced substantial price volatility. This concentration subjects the fund to greater risk of loss as a result of adverse economic, business or other developments than if its investments were diversified across different industry sectors.

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Interest Rate – The interest rates on short-term obligations held in the fund will vary, rising or falling with short-term interest rates generally. The fund’s yield will tend to lag behind general changes in interest rates. The ability of the fund’s yield to reflect current market rates will depend on how quickly the obligations in its portfolio mature and how much money is available for investment at current market rates.

 

 

Leveraging – When a fund engages in transactions that have a leveraging effect on it, the value of the fund will be more volatile and all other risks will tend to be compounded. This is because leverage generally magnifies the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of a fund’s underlying assets or creates investment risk with respect to a larger pool of assets than a fund would otherwise have. A fund may take on leveraging risk by, among other things, engaging in derivative, when-issued, delayed-delivery, forward commitment or forward roll transactions or reverse repurchase agreements. Engaging in such transactions may cause a fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or meet segregation requirements.

 

 

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.

 

 

Mortgage-Related Securities – Mortgage-related securities represent a participation interest in a pool of mortgage loans originated by governmental or private lenders such as banks. These securities are subject to special risks, including interest rate risk, credit risk, prepayment or call risk and extension risk. Certain mortgage-backed securities may be more volatile and less liquid than other traditional types of debt securities. Mortgage-related securities may have exposure to subprime mortgages, which are mortgages to borrowers with lower credit ratings that pose a higher risk of default. In response to the recent financial crisis, the Federal Reserve has attempted to keep mortgage rates low by buying mortgage-backed assets. When this support ends, the prices of mortgage-backed securities may fall.

 

 

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

 

 

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.

 

 

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

 

 

Sector – Sector risk is the risk that the fund concentration in the securities of companies in a specific market sector or industry will cause the fund to be more exposed to the price movements of companies in and developments affecting that sector or industry than a more broadly diversified fund. Because the fund invests primarily in one sector, there is the risk that the fund will perform poorly during a downturn in that sector.

 

 

Structured Instruments – A fund may invest in various types of structured instruments, including securities that have demand, tender or put features, or interest rate rest features. Structured instruments may take the form of participation interests or receipts in underlying securities or other assets, and in some cases are backed by a financial institution serving as a liquidity provider. Some of these instruments may have an interest rate swap feature which substitutes a floating or variable interest rate for the fixed interest rate on an underlying security, and some may be asset-backed or mortgage-backed securities. Structured instruments are a type of derivative instrument and the payment and credit qualities of these instruments derive from the assets embedded in the structure from which they are issued.

 

 

Subsidiary – By investing in the Subsidiary, the fund will be indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary’s investments. The derivatives and other investments that will be held by the Subsidiary are generally similar to those that are permitted to be held by the fund and will be subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held

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directly by the fund. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Subsidiary will be achieved. The Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act, and, unless otherwise noted in this prospectus, is not subject to the investor protections of the Investment Company Act. The fund relies on a private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) with respect to the investment in the Subsidiary. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in this prospectus and the SAI and could adversely affect the fund.

 

 

Tax – The fund may seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in commodity-linked notes and through investments in the Subsidiary. The tax treatment of commodity-linked notes, other commodity-linked derivatives and the fund’s investments in the Subsidiary may be adversely affected by future legislation, Treasury Regulations and/or guidance issued by the IRS that could, among other things, affect the character, timing and/or amount of the fund’s taxable income or gains and of distributions made by the fund.

 

 

U.S. Government Agency Obligations – Government agency obligations have different levels of credit support and, therefore, different degrees of credit risk. Securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. government that are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States generally present a lesser degree of credit risk than securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. government that are supported only by the issuer’s right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury and securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. government that are supported only by the credit of the issuing agencies.

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.

Annual Total Returns (calendar years ended December 31)

(BAR CHART)

2010 Total Return as of June 30: -11.81%

 

 

 

 

Quarter Ended

Return

Best Quarter:

06/30/2009

22.13%

Worst Quarter:

12/31/2008

-34.42%

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 Year

10 Years or
Inception
2

Return before taxes

 

51.01

%

3.01

%

Return after taxes on distributions3

 

50.90

%

2.79

%

Return after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares3

 

33.30

%

2.47

%

Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index (Total Return) (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

 

1.37

%

-6.08

%

Morgan Stanley Capital International Natural Resources Index4 (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

 

36.18

%

1.77

%


 

 

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 January 3, 2007.

 

 

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.

 

 

4

This index served as the benchmark for the fund prior to September 30, 2010, at which time it was replaced with the Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index (Total Return). This benchmark index change was made to more accurately reflect the principal strategies following the changes to the fund described in the Note below.

Note: Prior to September 30, 2010, the fund was named Transamerica BlackRock Natural Resources, and had a different sub-adviser, a different investment objective and used different investment strategies. The performance set forth prior to that date is attributable to the previous sub-adviser.

Management:

 

 

Investment Adviser:

Sub-Adviser:

 

 

Transamerica Asset Management, Inc.

Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P.

 

 

 

Portfolio Managers:

 

 

 

Stephen Lucas, Portfolio Manager since 2010

 

 

 

Michael Johnson, Portfolio Manager since 2010

 

 

 

John Calvaruso, Portfolio Manager since 2010

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, 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.

 

 

 

          MSPAI20810GSCS

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