XML 13 R2.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v2.4.0.8
Dreyfus Tax Sensitive Total Return Bond Fund
FUND SUMMARY
Investment Objective
The fund seeks high after-tax 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.  You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in certain funds in the Dreyfus Family of Funds.  More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the Shareholder Guide section beginning on page 18 of this prospectus and in the How to Buy Shares section and the Additional Information About How to Buy Shares section beginning on page II-1 and page III-1, respectively, of the fund's Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees Dreyfus Tax Sensitive Total Return Bond Fund
Class A
Class C
Class I
Class Y
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) 4.50% none none none
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of lower of purchase or sale price) none [1] 1.00% none none
[1] Class A shares bought without an initial sales charge as part of an investment of $1 million or more may be charged a deferred sales charge of 1.00% if redeemed within one year.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses Dreyfus Tax Sensitive Total Return Bond Fund
Class A
Class C
Class I
Class Y
Management fees 0.40% 0.40% 0.40% 0.40%
Distribution (12b-1) fees none 0.75% none none
Other expenses (including shareholder services fees) 0.49% 0.50% 0.21% 0.18%
Total annual fund operating expenses 0.89% 1.65% 0.61% 0.58%
Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement [1] (0.19%) (0.20%) (0.16%) (0.13%)
Total annual fund operating expenses (after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement) 0.70% 1.45% 0.45% 0.45%
[1] The fund's investment adviser, The Dreyfus Corporation, has contractually agreed, until February 1, 2016, to waive receipt of its fees and/or assume the direct expenses of the fund so that the expenses of none of the classes (excluding Rule 12b-1 fees, shareholder services fees, taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, commitment fees on borrowings and extraordinary expenses) exceed .45%. On or after February 1, 2016, The Dreyfus Corporation may terminate this expense limitation at any time.
Example
The 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 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods.  The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund's operating expenses remain the same.  The one-year example and the first year of the three-, five- and ten-years examples are based on net operating expenses, which reflect the expense limitation by The Dreyfus Corporation.  Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example Dreyfus Tax Sensitive Total Return Bond Fund (USD $)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class A
537 721 921 1,497
Class C
248 501 878 1,938
Class I
46 179 324 747
Class Y
46 173 311 713
You would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your shares:
Expense Example No Redemption Dreyfus Tax Sensitive Total Return Bond Fund (USD $)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class A
537 721 921 1,497
Class C
148 501 878 1,938
Class I
46 179 324 747
Class Y
46 173 311 713
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 may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account.  These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the fund's performance.  During the most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 35.03% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategy
To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in bonds (or other instruments with similar economic characteristics).  The fund normally invests at least 65% of its net assets in municipal bonds that provide income exempt from federal personal income tax.  The fund may invest up to 35% of its net assets in taxable bonds and may invest, without limitation, in municipal bonds, the income from which is subject to the federal alternative minimum tax.  The fund invests principally in the following:

 
municipal bonds;

 
bonds issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities;

 
corporate bonds;

 
mortgage-related securities;

 
asset-backed securities;

 
floating rate loans (limited to up to 20% of the fund's net assets) and other floating rate securities; and

 
bonds of foreign governments and companies (limited to up to 15% of the fund's assets, including emerging market bonds).

The fund also may invest in money market instruments and other short-term debt instruments.

The fund invests principally in bonds rated investment grade (i.e., Baa/BBB or higher) at the time of purchase or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality by the fund's subadviser.  The fund is permitted to invest up to 25% of its assets, in the aggregate, in fixed-income securities rated below investment grade ("high yield" or "junk" bonds) or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality by the fund's subadviser, with up to 15% of the fund's assets in such securities that are taxable and up to 10% of its assets in such securities that are tax exempt.

The fund's portfolio managers seek relative value opportunities within the municipal bond market and to selectively invest in taxable securities that may offer the potential to enhance after-tax total return and/or reduce volatility.  In selecting securities, the portfolio managers use a combination of fundamental credit analysis and macro-economic and quantitative inputs.  The portfolio managers focus on identifying undervalued sectors and securities and select municipal bonds by (i) using fundamental credit analysis to estimate the relative value and attractiveness of various sectors and securities and to exploit pricing inefficiencies in the municipal bond market, and (ii) investing in various sectors based on apparent relative values.

The fund generally maintains an effective portfolio duration of seven years or less.  The fund does not have any restrictions on its average effective portfolio maturity or on the maturity or duration of the individual bonds the fund may purchase.  Duration is an estimate of the sensitivity of the price (the value of the principal) of a fixed-income security to a change in interest rates.
Principal Risks
An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit.  It is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency.  It is not a complete investment program.  The fund's share price fluctuates, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money.

 
Fixed-income market risk.  The market value of a fixed-income security may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally.  The fixed-income securities market can be susceptible to increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity.  Liquidity can decline unpredictably in response to overall economic conditions or credit tightening.  Increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity may be caused by a rise in interest rates (or the expectation of a rise in interest rates), which are at or near historic lows in the United States and in other countries.  An unexpected increase in fund redemption requests, including requests from shareholders who may own a significant percentage of the fund's shares, which may be triggered by market turmoil or an increase in interest rates, could cause the fund to sell its holdings at a loss or at undesirable prices and adversely affect the fund's share price and increase the fund's liquidity risk, fund expenses and/or taxable distributions.

 
Credit risk.  Failure of an issuer to make timely interest or principal payments, or a decline or perception of a decline in the credit quality of a bond, can cause the bond's price to fall, potentially lowering the fund's share price.  The lower a bond's credit rating, the greater the chance – in the rating agency's opinion – that the bond issuer will default or fail to meet its payment obligations.  High yield ("junk") bonds involve greater credit risk, including the risk of default, than investment grade bonds, and are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments.  The prices of high yield bonds can fall dramatically in response to bad news about the issuer or its industry, or the economy in general.  Bonds rated investment grade when purchased by the fund may subsequently be downgraded.

 
Municipal securities risk. The amount of public information available about municipal securities is generally less than that for corporate equities or bonds.  Special factors, such as legislative changes, and state and local economic and business developments, may adversely affect the yield and/or value of the fund's investments in municipal securities. Other factors include the general conditions of the municipal securities market, the size of the particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issue.  The municipal securities market can be susceptible to increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity.  Liquidity can decline unpredictably in response to overall economic conditions or credit tightening.  Increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity may be caused by a rise in interest rates (or the expectation of a rise in interest rates), which are at or near historic lows in the United States.  An unexpected increase in fund redemption requests, including requests from shareholders who may own a significant percentage of the fund's shares, which may be triggered by market turmoil or an increase in interest rates, could cause the fund to sell its holdings at a loss or at undesirable prices and adversely affect the fund's share price and increase the fund's liquidity risk and fund expenses.  Changes in economic, business or political conditions relating to a particular municipal project, municipality, or state, territory or possession of the United States in which the fund invests may have an impact on the fund's share price.

 
Interest rate risk.  Prices of bonds and other fixed-income securities tend to move inversely with changes in interest rates.  Typically, a rise in rates will adversely affect fixed-income securities and, accordingly, will cause the value of the fund's investments in these securities to decline.  During periods of very low interest rates, which occur from time to time due to market forces or actions of governments and/or their central banks, including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in the U.S., the fund may be subject to a greater risk of principal decline from rising interest rates.  When interest rates fall, the values of already-issued fixed-income securities generally rise.  However, when interest rates fall, the fund's investments in new securities may be at lower yields and may reduce the fund's income.  The magnitude of these fluctuations in the market price of fixed-income securities is generally greater for securities with longer effective maturities and durations because such instruments do not mature, reset interest rates or become callable for longer periods of time.  The change in the value of a fixed-income security or portfolio can be approximated by multiplying its duration by a change in interest rates.  For example, the market price of a fixed-income security with a duration of three years would be expected to decline 3% if interest rates rose 1%.  Conversely, the market price of the same security would be expected to increase 3% if interest rates fell 1%.  Risks associated with rising interest rates are heightened given that interest rates in the United States and other countries are at or near historic lows.  Unlike investment grade bonds, however, the prices of high yield bonds may fluctuate unpredictably and not necessarily inversely with changes in interest rates.  Interest rate changes may have different effects on the values of mortgage-related securities because of prepayment and extension risks.  In addition, the rates on floating rate instruments adjust periodically with changes in market interest rates.  Although these instruments are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than fixed-rate instruments, the value of floating rate loans and other floating rate securities may decline if their interest rates do not rise as quickly, or as much, as general interest rates.

 
Call risk.  Some bonds give the issuer the option to call, or redeem, the bonds before their maturity date.  If an issuer "calls" its bond during a time of declining interest rates, the fund might have to reinvest the proceeds in an investment offering a lower yield, and therefore might not benefit from any increase in value as a result of declining interest rates.  During periods of market illiquidity or rising interest rates, prices of "callable" issues are subject to increased price fluctuation.

 
Mortgage-related securities risk.  Mortgage-related securities are complex derivative instruments, subject to credit, prepayment and extension risk, and may be more volatile, less liquid, and more difficult to price accurately, than more traditional fixed-income securities.  The fund is subject to the credit risk associated with these securities, including the market's perception of the creditworthiness of the issuing federal agency, as well as the credit quality of the underlying assets.  Although certain mortgage-related securities are guaranteed as to the timely payment of interest and principal by a third party (such as a U.S. government agency or instrumentality with respect to government-related mortgage-backed securities) the market prices for such securities are not guaranteed and will fluctuate.  Declining interest rates may result in the prepayment of higher yielding underlying mortgages and the reinvestment of proceeds at lower interest rates can reduce the fund's potential price gain in response to falling interest rates, reduce the fund's yield or cause the fund's share price to fall (prepayment risk).  Rising interest rates may result in a drop in prepayments of the underlying mortgages, which would increase the fund's sensitivity to rising interest rates and its potential for price declines (extension risk).

 
Asset-backed securities risk.  General downturns in the economy could cause the value of asset-backed securities to fall.  In addition, asset-backed securities present certain risks that are not presented by mortgage-backed securities.  Primarily, these securities may provide the fund with a less effective security interest in the related collateral than do mortgage-backed securities.  Therefore, there is the possibility that recoveries on the underlying collateral may not, in some cases, be available to support payments on these securities.

 
Government securities risk.  Not all obligations of the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury.  Some obligations are backed only by the credit of the issuing agency or instrumentality, and in some cases there may be some risk of default by the issuer.  Any security guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities, or a security backed by the U.S. Treasury or the full faith and credit of the United States, is guaranteed or backed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity, but the market values for such securities are not guaranteed and will fluctuate.  In addition, such guarantees do not extend to shares of the fund itself.  Because many types of U.S. government securities trade actively outside the United States, their prices may rise and fall as changes in global economic conditions affect the demand for these securities.

 
Foreign investment risk.  To the extent the fund invests in foreign securities, the fund's performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting investments in foreign issuers.  Special risks associated with investments in foreign issuers include exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, political and economic instability and differing auditing and legal standards.  Investments denominated in foreign currencies are subject to the risk that such currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the value of these investments held by the fund.

 
Value investing risk.  Value investing involves the risk that investments may never reach their value, either because the market fails to recognize their intrinsic worth or the expected value was misgauged.  These investments also may decline in price even though in theory they are already undervalued.

 
Liquidity risk.  When there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities, it can become more difficult to sell the securities in a timely manner at or near their perceived value.  In such a market, the value of such securities and the fund's share price may fall dramatically, even during periods of declining interest rates.  Investments that are illiquid or that trade in lower volumes may be more difficult to value.  The market for below investment grade securities may be less liquid and therefore these securities may be harder to value or sell at an acceptable price, especially during times of market volatility or decline.  Investments in foreign securities, particularly those of issuers located in emerging markets, tend to have greater exposure to liquidity risk than domestic securities.  No active trading market may exist for some of the floating rate loans in which the fund invests and certain loans may be subject to restrictions on resale.  Because some floating rate loans that the fund invests in may have a more limited secondary market, liquidity risk is more pronounced for the fund than for mutual funds that invest primarily in other types of fixed-income instruments or equity securities.

 
Floating rate loan risk.  Unlike publicly traded common stocks which trade on national exchanges, there is no central place or exchange for loans to trade.  The lack of an active trading market for certain floating rate loans may impair the ability of the fund to realize full value in the event of the need to sell a floating rate loan and may make it difficult to value such loans.  There may be less readily available, reliable information about certain floating rate loans than is the case for many other types of securities, and the fund's portfolio managers may be required to rely primarily on their own evaluation of a borrower's credit quality rather than on any available independent sources.  The value of collateral, if any, securing a floating rate loan can decline, and may be insufficient to meet the issuer's obligations in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal or may be difficult to readily liquidate.  The floating rate loans in which the fund invests typically will be below investment grade quality and, like other below investment grade securities, are inherently speculative.  As a result, the risks associated with such floating rate loans are similar to the risks of below investment grade securities, although senior loans are typically senior and secured in contrast to other below investment grade securities, which are often subordinated and unsecured.

 
Issuer risk.  A security's market value may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's products or services, or factors that affect the issuer's industry, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.

 
Non-diversification risk.  The fund is non-diversified, which means that the fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers.  Therefore, the fund's performance may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a diversified fund.
Performance
The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund.  The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the fund's Class I shares from year to year.  The table compares the average annual total returns of the fund's shares to those of a broad measure of market performance.  The fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future.  The fund changed its investment strategy on February 21, 2014.  Prior to that date, the fund invested in investment grade municipal bonds that provide income exempt from federal personal income tax.  Different investment strategies may lead to different performance results.  The fund's performance for periods prior to February 21, 2014 reflects the investment strategy in effect prior to that date.  Sales charges, if any, are not reflected in the bar chart, and if those charges were included, returns would have been less than those shown.  More recent performance information may be available at www.dreyfus.com.
Year-by-Year Total Returns as of 12/31 each year (%) Class I
Bar Chart
Best Quarter:
Q3, 2009
6.08%
Worst Quarter:
Q4, 2010
-2.55%
Average Annual Total Returns (as of 12/31/13)
After-tax performance is shown only for Class I shares.  After-tax performance of the fund's other share classes will vary.  After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.  Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

For the fund's Class A and C shares, periods prior to the inception date reflect the performance of the fund's Class I shares adjusted to reflect any applicable sales charges. Such performance figures have not been adjusted to reflect applicable class fees and expenses; if such fees and expenses had been reflected, the performance shown for Class A and C shares for such periods would have been lower.
Average Annual Returns Dreyfus Tax Sensitive Total Return Bond Fund
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years
Average Annual Returns, Inception Date
Class I
(0.56%) 5.03% 3.70% Nov. 02, 1992
Class A
(5.26%) 3.74% 3.06% Mar. 31, 2009
Class C
(2.48%) 3.96% 3.17% Mar. 31, 2009
Class Y
(0.53%) 5.04% 3.70% Jul. 01, 2013
After Taxes on Distributions Class I
(0.56%) 4.96% 3.66%  
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares Class I
0.72% 4.75% 3.63%  
Barclays Capital 3-, 5-, 7-, 10-Year Municipal Bond® Index reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes
(0.25%) 4.51% 4.00%