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American Beacon SGA Global Growth Fund

American Beacon SGA Global Growth FundSM

Investment Objective

The Fund's investment objective is long-term capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales discounts if you and your eligible family members invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the A Class shares of the American Beacon Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in “Choosing Your Share Class” on page 14 of the Prospectus and “Additional Purchase and Sale Information for A Class Shares” on page 30 of the statement of additional information.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees American Beacon SGA Global Growth Fund
A Class
C Class
Y Class
Institutional Class
Investor Class
Maximum sales charge imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) 5.75% none none none none
Maximum deferred sales charge (as a percentage of the lower of original offering price or redemption proceeds) 0.50% [1] 1.00% none none none
[1] A contingent deferred sales charge ('CDSC') of 0.50% will be charged on certain purchases of $1,000,000 or more of A Class shares that are redeemed in whole or part within 18 months of purchase.

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses American Beacon SGA Global Growth Fund
A Class
C Class
Y Class
Institutional Class
Investor Class
Management fees 0.50% 0.50% 0.50% 0.50% 0.50%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees 0.25% 1.00% none none none
Other expenses [1] 4.92% 4.92% 4.77% 4.67% 5.05%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses [1] 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% 0.01%
Total annual fund operating expenses 5.68% 6.43% 5.28% 5.18% 5.56%
Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement (4.19%) (4.19%) (4.19%) (4.19%) (4.19%)
Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement [2] 1.49% 2.24% 1.09% 0.99% 1.37%
[1] Other expenses and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are based on estimated expenses for the current fiscal year.
[2] The Manager has contractually agreed to reduce and/or reimburse the A Class, C Class, Y Class, Institutional Class, and Investor Class of the Fund for Other Expenses, as applicable, through May 30, 2015 to the extent that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (reduced by and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses) exceed 1.48% for the A Class, 2.23% for the C Class, 1.08% for the Y Class, 0.98% for the Institutional Class and 1.36% for the Investor Class (excluding taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses and other extraordinary expenses such as litigation). The contractual expense reimbursement can be changed only with the approval of a majority of the Fund's Board of Trustees. The Manager can be reimbursed by the Fund for any contractual fee reductions or expense reimbursements if reimbursement to the Manager (a) occurs within three years after the Manager's own reduction or reimbursement and (b) does not cause the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses of a class to exceed the percentage limit contractually agreed.

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 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. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

Expense Example American Beacon SGA Global Growth Fund (USD $)
1 year
3 years
A Class
 718 1,818
C Class
 327 1,530
Y Class
 111 1,205
Institutional Class
 101 1,176
Investor Class
 139 1,285

Assuming no redemption of shares:
Expense Example, No Redemption (USD $)
1 year
3 years
American Beacon SGA Global Growth Fund C Class
 227 1,530

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's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 39% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund will invest in securities of issuers located throughout the world, including the United States (“U.S.”). Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest primarily in equity securities, with at least 40% of the Fund's net assets in issuers organized, headquartered or doing a substantial amount of business outside the U.S. (or at least 30% if conditions are not deemed favorable by the sub-advisor). The Fund considers an issuer that has at least 50% of its assets or derives at least 50% of its revenue from business outside the U.S. as doing a substantial amount of business outside the U.S. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in the securities of companies located in countries included in the MSCI Emerging Markets and Frontier Markets Indices.

The Fund's equity investments may include common stocks, preferred stocks, securities convertible into or exchangeable for common stocks, and depositary receipts. The Fund may invest in companies of all market capitalizations, but will generally invest in large and medium capitalization companies and convertible securities of any duration. SGA considers large and medium sized companies to be those with market capitalizations above $10 billion and from $2 billion to $10 billion, respectively, at the time of purchase. The Fund will allocate its assets among various regions and countries (but in no less than three non-U.S. countries). The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it is not limited to a percentage of assets that it may invest in any one issuer and may focus its investments in fewer issuers than a Fund with a diversified portfolio. From time to time, the Fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in the securities of companies in only a few countries and one or a few regions.

SGA may trade forward foreign currency contracts, currency futures or currency swaps in an attempt to reduce the Fund's risk exposure to adverse fluctuations in currency exchange rates. The Fund may also invest cash balances in other investment companies, including money market funds, and may purchase and sell futures contracts to gain market exposure on cash balances or reduce market exposure in anticipation of liquidity needs.

The Fund's investment sub-advisor, Sustainable Growth Advisers, LP (“SGA”) uses an investment process to identify companies that it believes have a high degree of predictability, strong profitability and above average earnings and cash flow growth. SGA selects investments for the Fund's portfolio that it believes have superior long-term earnings prospects and attractive valuation. SGA will sell a portfolio holding when it believes the security's fundamentals deteriorate, its valuation is no longer attractive, or a better investment opportunity arises.

The Fund may lend its securities to broker-dealers and other institutions to earn additional income.

Principal Risks

There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective and you could lose part or all of your investment in the Fund. The Fund is designed primarily for investors seeking long-term capital appreciation from a fund that typically invests in U.S. and foreign equity securities. Those investors should be willing to assume the currency, equity, foreign investing, market, and other material risks associated with the Fund's investment strategy. The Fund is not designed for investors who need an assured level of income and is intended to be a long-term investment. The Fund is not a complete investment program and may not be appropriate for all investors. Investors should carefully consider their own investment goals and risk tolerance before investing in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are:

Counterparty Risk

The Fund is subject to the risk that a party or participant to a transaction, such as a broker or swap counterparty, will be unwilling or unable to satisfy its obligation to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments or to otherwise honor its obligations to the Fund. If a counterparty fails to meet its contractual obligations, goes bankrupt, or otherwise experiences a business interruption, the Fund could miss investment opportunities or otherwise hold investments it would prefer to sell, resulting in losses for the Fund.

Credit Risk

The Fund is subject to the risk that the counterparty to a derivatives contract or a loan will fail to make timely payment of interest or principal or otherwise honor its obligations. A decline in the credit rating of an individual security held by the Fund may have an adverse impact on its price. Rating agencies might not always change their credit rating on an issuer or security in a timely manner to reflect events that could affect the issuer's ability to make timely payments on its obligations. Credit risk is typically greater for securities with ratings that are below investment grade.

Currency Risk

The Fund may have exposure to foreign currencies by making direct investments in non-U.S. currencies or in securities denominated in non-U.S. currencies, purchasing or selling forward currency exchange contracts, including non-deliverable forwards (“NDFs”), in non-U.S. currencies, non-U.S. currency futures contracts and non-U.S. currency futures, and swaps for cross-currency investments. Foreign currencies may decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and other currencies and thereby affect the Fund's investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies. Not all forward contracts require a counterparty to post collateral, which may expose the Fund to greater losses in the event of a default by a counterparty.

Derivatives Risk

Derivatives may involve significant risk. The use of derivative instruments may expose the Fund to additional risks that it would not be subject to if they invested directly in the securities underlying those derivatives. Some derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the Fund's initial investment. Derivatives may be illiquid and may be more volatile than other types of investments. The Fund may buy or sell derivatives not traded on an exchange and which may be subject to heightened liquidity and valuation risk. Derivative investments can increase portfolio turnover and transaction costs. Derivatives also are subject to counterparty credit risk. As a result, the Fund may obtain no recovery of its investment or may only obtain a limited recovery, and any recovery may be delayed. Not all derivative transactions require a counterparty to post collateral, which may expose the Fund to greater losses in the event of a default by a counterparty. In addition, the Fund's investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:

•         Futures and Forward Contracts, including NDFs.   Futures and forward contracts, including NDFs, are derivative instruments pursuant to a contract with a counterparty to pay a fixed price for an agreed amount of securities or other underlying assets at an agreed date or to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. Futures contracts may experience potentially dramatic price changes (losses) and imperfect correlations between the price of the contract and the underlying security, index or currency which will increase the volatility of the Fund and may involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed. There can be no assurance that any strategy used will succeed. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts. Forward currency transactions, including NDFs, include the risks associated with fluctuations in currency.

 

•         Hedging.  If the Fund uses a hedging instrument at the wrong time or judges the market conditions incorrectly, or the hedged instrument does not correlate to the risk sought to be hedged, the hedge might be unsuccessful, reduce the Fund's return, or create a loss.

 

•         Swap Agreements, including Currency Swaps.  Swaps may be subject to interest rate risk, market risk, counterparty risk, liquidity risk, credit risk, currency risk, hedging risk, and valuation risk. Swap agreements may involve leverage and may be highly volatile; depending on how they are used, they may have a considerable impact on the Fund's performance. Swaps are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with stocks, bonds, and other traditional investments.

 

Emerging Markets Risk

When investing in emerging markets, the risks of investing in foreign securities discussed below are heightened. Emerging markets have unique risks that are greater than or in addition to investing in developed markets because emerging markets are generally smaller, less developed, less liquid and more volatile than the securities markets of the U.S. and other developed markets. There are also risks of: greater political uncertainties; an economy's dependence on revenues from particular commodities or on international aid or development assistance; currency transfer restrictions; a limited number of potential buyers for such securities; and delays and disruptions in securities settlement procedures. In addition, there may be less information available to make investment decisions and more volatile rates of return.

Equity Investments Risk

Equity securities generally are subject to market risk. The Fund's investments in equity securities may include common stocks, preferred stocks, securities convertible into or exchangeable for common stocks, and depositary receipts. Such investments may expose the Fund to additional risks. Common stock generally is subordinate to preferred stock upon the liquidation or bankruptcy of the issuing company. Preferred stocks and convertible securities are sensitive to movements in interest rates. In addition, convertible securities are subject to the risk that the credit standing of the issuer may have an effect on the convertible securities' investment value. Depositary receipts are subject to certain of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities.

Foreign Investing Risk

Non-U.S. investments carry potential risks not associated with U.S. investments. Such risks include, but are not limited to: (1) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (2) political and financial instability, (3) less liquidity and greater volatility, (4) lack of uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, (5) increased price volatility, (6) less government regulation and supervision of foreign stock exchanges, brokers and listed companies, and (7) delays in transaction settlement in some foreign markets.

Growth Companies Risk

Growth companies are expected to increase their earnings at a certain rate. When these expectations are not met, the prices of these stocks may go down, even if earnings showed an absolute increase. Growth company stocks also typically lack the dividend yield that can cushion stock prices in market downturns. Different investment styles tend to shift in an out favor, depending on market conditions and investor sentiment. The Fund's growth style could cause it to underperform funds that use a value or non-growth approach to investing or have a broader investment style.

Investment Risk

An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your shares of the Fund, they could be worth less than what you paid for them. Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.

Issuer Risk

The value of a security 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 goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets.

Large-Capitalization Companies Risk

The securities of large market capitalization companies may underperform other segments of the market because such companies may be less responsive to competitive challenges and opportunities and may be unable to attain high growth rates during periods of economic expansion.

Liquidity Risk

From time to time, certain investments held by the Fund may have limited marketability or have restrictions on sale, and may be difficult to sell at favorable times or prices. The Fund could lose money if it is unable to dispose of an investment at a time that is most beneficial to the Fund.

Market Events Risk

Turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide which could adversely affect the Fund.

Market Risk

Market risks, including political, regulatory, market and economic developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market, can affect the value of the Fund's shares. The Fund's investments are subject to market risk, which involves the possibility that the value of the Fund's investments in stocks or other investments will decline due to drops in any of the many individual country or global financial markets. From time to time, certain investments held by the Fund may have limited marketability and may be difficult to sell at favorable times or prices. If the Fund is forced to sell such holdings to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, the Fund may have to sell them at a loss.

Market Timing Risk

Because the Fund invests in foreign securities, it is particularly subject to the risk of market timing activities. The Fund generally prices foreign securities using their closing prices from the foreign markets in which they trade, typically prior to the Fund's determination of its net asset value (“NAV”). These prices may be affected by events that occur after the close of a foreign market but before the Fund prices its shares. In such instances, the Fund may fair value foreign securities. However, some investors may engage in frequent short-term trading in the Fund to take advantage of any price differentials that may be reflected in the NAV of the Fund's shares. There is no assurance that fair valuation of securities can reduce or eliminate market timing. While the Manager monitors trading in Fund shares, there is no guarantee that it can detect all market timing activities.

Non-Diversification Risk

The Fund is non-diversified, which means the Fund may focus its investments in the securities of a comparatively small number of issuers. Investment in securities of a limited number of issuers exposes the Fund to greater market risk and potential losses than if assets were diversified among the securities of a greater number of investments. Since the Fund is non-diversified, its NAV and total return may fluctuate more or fall greater in times of weaker markets than a diversified mutual fund.

Other Investment Companies Risk

The Fund may invest in shares of other registered investment companies, including open-end funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), business development companies and money market funds. To the extent that the Fund invests in shares of other registered investment companies, you will indirectly bear fees and expenses charged by the underlying funds in addition to the Fund's direct fees and expenses and will be subject to the risks associated with investments in those funds.

Securities Lending Risk

To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risk. Borrowers of the Fund's securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities. The securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the return collateral payments owed to borrowers. In addition, delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund's ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions.

Securities Selection Risk

Securities selected by the sub-advisor or the Manager for the Fund may not perform to expectations. This could result in the Fund's underperformance compared to other funds with similar investment objectives.

Small and Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk

Investing in the securities of small and mid-capitalization companies involves greater risk and the possibility of greater price volatility than investing in larger capitalization and more established companies, since smaller and medium sized companies may have limited operating history, product lines, and financial resources, the securities of these companies may lack sufficient market liquidity and they can be particularly sensitive to expected changes in interest rates, borrowing costs and earnings.

Valuation Risk

This is the risk that the Fund has valued certain securities at a price different from the price at which they can be sold. This risk may be especially pronounced for investments, such as certain derivatives, which may be illiquid or which may become illiquid.

Fund Performance

The bar chart and table below provide an indication of risk by showing how the Fund's performance has varied from year to year. The table shows how the Fund's performance compares to the MSCI All Country World Index, which is the Fund's benchmark index, the MSCI All Country World Growth Index, which was the benchmark index of the Fund's predecessor, MSCI World Growth Index and MSCI World Index. The Lipper Global Large-Cap Growth Funds Average shows how the Fund's performance compares to a composite of mutual funds with similar investment objectives.

The Institutional Class shares of the Fund have adopted the performance history and financial statements of the shares of the Fund's predecessor. The performance of the Fund's Institutional Class shares shown in the chart and table below represent the returns achieved by the shares of the Fund's predecessor from December 31, 2010 to October 4, 2013, and the performance of the Institutional Class shares from October 4, 2013 through December 31, 2013. The table below also shows the performance of the Fund's A, C, Y and Investor Class shares, which reflects the returns achieved by the shares of the Fund's predecessor from December 31, 2010 through October 4, 2013, and the performance of each of the Fund's respective share classes from October 4, 2013 through December 31, 2013. In each case, the newer share classes would have had similar annual returns to the predecessor fund's shares because the shares of each class represent investments in the same portfolio of securities. However, shares of the predecessor fund had higher expenses than the Fund's A, C, Y, Investor and Institutional Class shares now have. The performance of each share class has been adjusted to reflect applicable sales charges, but not class fees and expenses. You may obtain updated performance information on the Fund's website at www.americanbeaconfunds.com. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

Calendar year total returns for Investor Class Shares Year-By-Year Percentage Returns as of 12/31 of Each Year
Bar Chart

Highest Quarterly Return:                                                                                                                   16.02%

(12/31/10 through 12/31/13)                                                                                                (1st Quarter 2012)

Lowest Quarterly Return:                                                                                                                   -14.13%

(12/31/10 through 12/31/13)                                                                                                (3rd Quarter 2011)

Average Annual Total Returns for periods ended December 31, 2013
Average Annual Returns American Beacon SGA Global Growth Fund
1 Year
Since Inception
Inception Date
Institutional Class
 [1] 19.99% 12.71% Dec. 31, 2010
Institutional Class After Taxes on Distributions
 [1] 19.46% 12.44% Dec. 31, 2010
Institutional Class After Taxes on Distributions and Sales
 [1] 11.74% 9.98% Dec. 31, 2010
A Class
 [1] 19.82% 12.66% Oct. 04, 2013
C Class
 [1] 19.56% 12.58% Oct. 04, 2013
Y Class
 [1] 19.90% 12.68% Oct. 04, 2013
Investor Class
 [1] 19.82% 12.66% Oct. 04, 2013
MSCI® All Country World Index
 [1][2] 22.79% 9.73% Dec. 31, 2010
MSCI® All Country World Growth Index
 [1] 23.16% 10.01% Dec. 31, 2010
MSCI® World Growth Index
 [1] 26.72% 11.62% Dec. 31, 2010
MSCI® World Index
 [1] 26.67% 11.49% Dec. 31, 2010
Lipper Global Large-Cap Growth Funds Average
 [1] 35.41% 15.08% Dec. 31, 2010
[1] After-tax returns are shown only for Institutional Class shares; after-tax returns for 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 an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. If you hold your Fund shares through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k), the after-tax returns do not apply to your situation.
[2] The Fund's primary benchmark is the MSCI All Country World Index. The primary benchmark of the predecessor fund was the MSCI World Growth Index. The Manager and the sub-advisor elected to change to the MSCI All Country World Index because it is more reflective of the Fund's investment strategy.