497 1 d497.htm LEGG MASON PARTNERS INVESTMENT SERIES Legg Mason Partners Investment Series

Filed under 497(c)
File Nos. 33-11716 and 811-5018

PROSPECTUS

February 28, 2007

The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined whether this prospectus is accurate or complete. Any statement to the contrary is a crime.

LOGO

Legg Mason Partners

Dividend Strategy Fund

Class A, B, C, I and 1 Shares

 

 

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED Ÿ NO BANK GUARANTEE Ÿ MAY LOSE VALUE

 


Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund

Contents

 

Investments, risks and performance

  2

More on the fund’s investments

  8

Management

  10

Choosing a class of shares to buy

  13

Comparing the fund’s classes

  15

Sales charges

  16

More about contingent deferred sales charges

  21

Retirement and institutional investors

  22

Buying shares

  24

Exchanging shares

  25

Redeeming shares

  27

Other things to know about transactions

  29

Dividends, distributions and taxes

  32

Share price

  34

Financial highlights

  36

 

Prior to April 7, 2006, the fund was known as Smith Barney Dividend Strategy Fund.


 

Investments, risks and performance

Investment objective

The fund seeks capital appreciation, principally through investments in dividend-paying stocks.

Principal investment strategies

Key investments

Under normal market conditions, at least 80% of the fund’s assets will be invested in dividend-paying stocks.

The fund may, under normal circumstances, invest up to 20% of its assets in other types of equity securities, such as preferred stocks, warrants and securities convertible into common stocks, and in other securities of issuers. The fund may also make investments in companies that are not expected to pay dividends. The fund may invest up to 25% of its assets in foreign securities directly or in the form of depositary receipts representing an interest in those securities.

Selection process

The portfolio managers’ investment strategy consists of individual company selection. The portfolio managers typically look for investments among equity securities of small to large cap issuers, consisting primarily of dividend-paying, mid cap and large cap companies that are dominant in their industries. The fund may also invest in companies with prospects for sustained earnings growth and/or a cyclical earnings record.

In selecting individual companies for investment, the portfolio managers look for the following:

n  

Current yield or potential for dividend growth

n  

Strong or rapidly improving balance sheets

n  

Recognized industry leadership

n  

Effective management teams that exhibit a desire to earn consistent returns for shareholders

The portfolio managers may also consider the following characteristics:

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Consistency and growth of dividends

n  

Past growth records

n  

Future earnings prospects

n  

Technological innovation

n  

General market and economic factors

Generally, companies in the fund’s portfolio fall into one or more of the following categories:

Undervalued companies: companies with assets or earning power that are either unrecognized or undervalued. The portfolio managers generally look for low market valuations, as measured by the portfolio managers’ valuation models. The portfolio managers also look for companies that are expected to have positive changes in earnings prospects because of factors such as:

n  

New, improved or unique products and services

n  

New or rapidly expanding markets for a company’s products

n  

New management

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Changes in the economic, financial, regulatory or political environment particularly affecting a company

 

2         Legg Mason Partners Funds


 

n  

Effective research, product development and marketing

n  

A business strategy not yet recognized by the marketplace

Growth at a reasonable price: companies with superior demonstrated and expected growth characteristics whose stocks are available at a reasonable price. Typically, there is strong recurring demand for these companies’ products.

Principal risks of investing in the fund

Investors could lose money on their investment in the fund, or the fund may not perform as well as other investments, if:

n  

Stock prices decline generally, or stocks perform poorly relative to other types of investments

n  

Companies in which the fund invests, or dividend-paying stocks in general, fall out of favor with investors

n  

The portfolio manager’s judgment about the attractiveness, value or potential appreciation of particular investments proves to be incorrect

n  

Portfolio companies do not meet earnings expectations or other events depress the value of those companies’ stocks

The fund may engage in active and frequent trading, resulting in high portfolio turnover. This may lead to the realization and distribution to shareholders of higher capital gains, increasing their tax liability. Frequent trading also increases transaction costs, which could detract from the fund’s performance.

The fund’s investments in securities of foreign issuers involve greater risk than investments in securities of U.S. issuers. Many foreign countries in which the fund invests have markets that are less liquid and more volatile than markets in the U.S. In some foreign countries, less information is available about foreign issuers and markets because of less rigorous accounting and regulatory standards than in the U.S. Currency fluctuations could erase investment gains or add to investment losses. In addition, there is a possibility of governmental controls on currency exchanges or governmental intervention in currency markets. Controls or intervention could limit or prevent the fund from realizing value in U.S. dollars from its investment in foreign securities. The risks of investing in foreign securities are greater for securities of emerging market issuers because political or economic instability, lack of market liquidity, and negative government actions like currency controls or seizure of private businesses or property are more likely.

Who may want to invest

The fund may be an appropriate investment if you:

n  

Are seeking to participate in the long term growth potential of the stock market while obtaining some current income and

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Are willing to accept the risks of investing in common stocks

Performance information

The following shows summary performance information for the fund in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides an indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and by showing how the fund’s average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index. The bar chart and the information below show performance of the

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         3


 

fund’s Class 1 shares, but do not reflect the impact of sales charges (loads). If they did, the returns would be lower than those shown. Unlike the bar chart, the performance for Class 1, A, B, C and I* shares in the Average Annual Total Returns table reflects the impact of the maximum sales charge (load) applicable to the respective classes and, where indicated, the performance for Class 1 shares reflects the impact of taxes paid on distributions and the redemption of shares at the end of the period. Effective as of November 1, 2004, the fund adopted its current investment policy of normally investing at least 80% of its assets in dividend-paying stocks. The fund’s previous policy was normally to invest at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of U.S. large cap issuers and related investments. The performance information and financial highlights included in this prospectus for periods prior to November 1, 2004 reflect the fund’s previous investment policy. The fund’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future.

 

*   As of November 20, 2006, Class Y shares were renamed Class I shares.

Total Returns for Class 1 Shares

LOGO

Highest and Lowest Quarter Returns (for periods shown in the bar chart)

Highest: 23.52% in 4th quarter 1998; Lowest: (16.72)% in 3rd quarter 2002.

 

4         Legg Mason Partners Funds


 

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended December 31, 2006)

 

      1 Year      5 Years      10 Years      Since
Inception(7)
     Inception
Date
 

Class 1

              
   
Return before taxes    8.05 %    0.36 %    5.70 %         04/14/87  
   
Return after taxes on distributions(1)    6.45 %    (0.27 )%    4.40 %         04/14/87  
   
Return after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares(1)    5.70 %    0.04 %    4.47 %         04/14/87  
   

Class A

              
   
Return before taxes(2)    10.80 %    0.34 %    5.49 %         08/18/96  
   

Class B

              
   
Return before taxes    11.74 %    0.54 %    5.30 %         08/18/96  
   

Class C

              
   
Return before taxes(3)    16.18 %    1.29 %    n/a      (3.47 )%    09/19/00  
   

Class I(4)

              
   
Return before taxes    n/a      n/a      n/a      n/a         (4)
   
S&P 500 Index(5)    15.78 %    6.18 %    8.42 %    n/a         (6)
   

 

(1)

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical 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, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are shown for Class 1 shares only. After-tax returns for other share classes will vary.

 

(2)

 

On November 20, 2006, the maximum initial sales charge on Class A shares was increased for sales made on or after that date. The average annual returns for Class A shares in the table have been calculated as if the increased maximum initial sales charge had been in effect for the entire period.

 

(3)

 

Effective as of April 29, 2004, Class L shares were renamed Class C shares. On February 2, 2004, the initial sales charge of 1.00% on Class C shares was eliminated for sales made on or after that date. The average annual returns for Class C shares in the table have been calculated as if the sales charge had been eliminated during the entire period.

 

(4)

 

As of November 20, 2006, Class Y shares were renamed Class I shares. No Class I shares were outstanding for the calendar year ended December 31, 2006.

 

(5)

 

The S&P 500 Index is a market-value weighted index comprised of 500 widely held common stocks. It is not possible to invest directly in the index. An index does not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes.

 

(6)

 

The total return of the S&P 500 Index since the inception of the Class C shares is 1.23%.

 

(7)

 

Information is provided only for classes with less than 10 years performance history.

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         5


 

Fee table

This table sets forth the fees and expenses you may pay if you invest in fund shares.

 

Shareholder Fees

 

(paid directly from your investment)   Class A     Class B     Class C     Class I(1)   Class 1  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a % of offering price)   5.75 %   None     None     None   8.50 %
   
Maximum contingent deferred sales charge (load) (as a % of the lower of net asset value at purchase or redemption)   None (2)   5.00 %   1.00 %   None   None  
   

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

 

(paid by the fund as a % of net assets)   Class A     Class B     Class C     Class I(1)     Class 1  
Management fee(3)   0.61 %   0.61 %   0.61 %   0.61 %   0.61 %
   
Distribution and service (12b-1) fees   0.25 %   1.00 %   1.00 %   None     None  
   
Other expenses(4)   0.56 %   0.61 %   0.11 %   0.11 %   0.26 %
   
Total annual fund operating expenses*   1.42 %   2.22 %   1.72 %   0.72 %   0.87 %
   

*   Because of voluntary waivers and/or reimbursements, actual total operating expenses are expected to be:

  1.25 %   2.00 %   n/a     n/a     n/a  

 

     These voluntary fee waivers and reimbursements do not cover brokerage, taxes and extraordinary expenses and may be reduced or terminated at any time.

 

(1)

 

As of November 20, 2006, Class Y shares were renamed Class I shares.

 

(2)

 

You may buy Class A shares in amounts of $1,000,000 or more at net asset value (without an initial sales charge) but if you redeem those shares within 12 months of their purchase, you will pay a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00%.

 

(3)

 

The fund has a management fee schedule that reduces the management fee rate as assets increase as follows: 0.65% on assets of up to $1 billion, 0.60% on assets between $1 billion and $2 billion, 0.55% on assets between $2 billion and $3 billion, 0.50% on assets between $3 billion and $4 billion, and 0.45% on assets in excess of $4 billion.

 

(4)

 

The amounts set forth in “Other Expenses” for Class A, B, C and 1 shares have been revised to reflect the estimated effect of new transfer agency and custody contracts which became effective January 1, 2006. For Class I shares, “Other expenses” have been estimated because no Class I shares were outstanding during the fund’s last fiscal year.

 

6         Legg Mason Partners Funds


 

Example

This example helps you compare the costs of investing in the fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. Your actual costs may be higher or lower. The example assumes:

n  

You invest $10,000 in the fund for the period shown

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Your investment has a 5% return each year — the assumption of a 5% return is required by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for purposes of this example and is not a prediction of the fund’s future performance

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You reinvest all distributions and dividends without a sales charge

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The fund’s operating expenses (before fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, if any) remain the same

 

Number of Years You Own Your Shares

 

     1 year   3 years   5 years   10 years  

Class A (with or without redemption)

  $ 711   $ 998   $ 1,306   $ 2,178  
   

Class B (redemption at end of period)

  $ 725   $ 994   $ 1,289   $ 2,211 (1)
   

Class B (no redemption)

  $ 225   $ 694   $ 1,189   $ 2,211 (1)
   

Class C (redemption at end of period)

  $ 275   $ 542   $ 934   $ 2,030  
   

Class C (no redemption)

  $ 175   $ 542   $ 934   $ 2,030  
   

Class I(2) (with or without redemption)

  $ 74   $ 231   $ 401   $ 895  
   

Class 1 (with or without redemption)

  $ 931   $ 1,104   $ 1,292   $ 1,832  
   

 

(1)

 

Assumes conversion to Class A shares approximately eight years after purchase.

 

(2)

 

As of November 20, 2006, Class Y shares were renamed Class I shares.

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         7


 

More on the fund’s investments

The fund’s investment objective and principal investment strategies are described under the section entitled “Investments, risks and performance” above. This section provides further information about the investment strategies that may be used by the fund.

The fund’s investment objective may be changed without shareholder approval.

Equity securities

Equity securities include exchange traded and over-the-counter common and preferred stocks, debt securities convertible into equity securities, baskets of equity securities such as exchange traded funds, and warrants and rights relating to equity securities. Equity securities may also include investments in real estate investment trusts (REITs), which are pooled investment vehicles that invest in real estate or real estate loans or interests.

Derivatives and hedging techniques

The fund may, but need not, use derivative contracts, such as futures and options on securities, securities indices or currencies; options on these futures; forward currency contracts; and interest rate or currency swaps for any of the following purposes:

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To hedge against the economic impact of adverse changes in the market value of its securities, because of changes in stock market prices, currency exchange rates or interest rates

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As a substitute for buying or selling securities

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As a cash flow management technique

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To enhance return

A derivative contract will obligate or entitle the fund to deliver or receive an asset or cash payment based on the change in value of one or more securities, currencies or indices. Even a small investment in derivative contracts can have a big impact on the fund’s stock market, currency and interest rate exposure. Therefore, using derivatives can disproportionately increase losses and reduce opportunities for gains when stock prices, currency rates or interest rates are changing. The fund may not fully benefit from or may lose money on derivatives if changes in their value do not correspond accurately or as anticipated to changes in the value of the fund’s holdings.

The other parties to certain derivative contracts present the same types of credit risk as issuers of fixed income securities. Derivatives can also make the fund less liquid and harder to value, especially in declining markets.

Short sales

The fund may engage in short sales. Losses from short sales may be unlimited.

Portfolio turnover

The fund may engage in active and frequent trading to achieve its principal investment strategies. This may lead to the realization and distribution to shareholders of higher capital gains, which would increase their tax liability. Frequent trading also increases transaction costs, which could detract from the fund’s performance. The “Financial highlights” section of this prospectus shows the fund’s historical portfolio turnover rate.

 

8         Legg Mason Partners Funds


 

Defensive investing

The fund may depart from its principal investment strategies in response to adverse market, economic or political conditions by taking temporary defensive positions in any type of money market instruments and short-term debt securities or cash without regard to any percentage limitations. If the fund takes a temporary defensive position, it may be unable to achieve its investment objective.

Portfolio holdings

The fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the fund’s portfolio securities are described in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).

Special restrictions

The fund will not purchase any securities issued by a company primarily engaged in the manufacture of alcohol or tobacco.

Except for this special restriction, the fund’s goals and strategies may be changed without shareholder approval. However, as further described in “Management – Other Information,” the fund’s board and shareholders have approved revised fundamental investment policies that, among other things, will revise this special restriction as a nonfundamental investment restriction that may be changed by the Company’s Board of Trustees at any time. These new investment policies are expected to be effectuated during the first half of 2007.

The fund may also use other strategies and invest in other securities that are described, along with their risks, in the SAI. However, the fund might not use all of the strategies and techniques or invest in all of the types of securities described in this prospectus or in the SAI. Also note that there are many other factors, which are not described here, that could adversely affect your investment and that could prevent the fund from achieving its investment objective.

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         9


 

Management

Manager and subadviser

Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC (“LMPFA” or the “manager”) is the fund’s investment manager. LMPFA, with offices at 399 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10022, is a recently organized investment adviser that has been formed to serve as the investment manager of the fund and other Legg Mason-sponsored funds. LMPFA provides administrative and certain oversight services to the fund. ClearBridge Advisors, LLC (“ClearBridge” or the “subadviser”) provides the day-to-day portfolio management of the fund, except for the management of cash and short-term instruments, which is performed by LMPFA.

ClearBridge has offices at 399 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10022 and is a recently-organized investment adviser that has been formed to succeed to the equity securities portfolio management business of Citigroup Asset Management (“CAM”), which was acquired by Legg Mason, Inc. (“Legg Mason”) in December 2005. As of December 31, 2006 ClearBridge’s total assets under management were approximately $116 billion.

LMPFA and ClearBridge are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Legg Mason. Legg Mason, whose principal executive offices are at 100 Light Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, is a global asset management company. As of December 31, 2006, Legg Mason’s asset management operation had aggregate assets under management of approximately $945 billion.

Prior to August 1, 2006, Smith Barney Fund Management LLC (“SBFM”) was the fund’s investment manager. SBFM is also a wholly-owned subsidiary of Legg Mason.

Portfolio Managers

Since November 1, 2004, Scott Glasser and Peter Hable have been responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund’s portfolio. Mr. Glasser and Mr. Hable have been investment officers of ClearBridge and managing directors of ClearBridge for the past five years. Mr. Glasser is co-director of research for ClearBridge.

The SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers and the portfolio managers’ ownership of securities of the fund.

Management fee

For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2006, the fund paid a management fee of 0.53% of the fund’s average daily net assets. For the period from November 1, 2005 through July 31, 2006, the fund paid SBFM a management fee equal to 0.52% of the fund’s average daily net assets. For the period from August 1, 2006 through October 31, 2006, the fund paid LMPFA a management fee equal to 0.56% of the fund’s average daily net assets.

Effective December 1, 2005, the manager receives fees for its services at the following rates based on assets under management: 0.65% on assets up to $1 billion, 0.60% on assets between $1 billion and $2 billion, 0.55% on assets between $2 billion and $3 billion, 0.50% on assets between $3 billion and $4 billion, and 0.45% on assets over $4 billion.

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the fund’s management agreement and subadvisory agreement is available in the fund’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2006.

 

10         Legg Mason Partners Funds


 

Other Information

The Fund’s Board and (where required) shareholders have approved a number of initiatives designed to streamline and restructure the fund complex. These initiatives include the election of a new Board, the grouping of the fund for organizational and governance purposes with other funds in the fund complex that are predominantly equity-type funds, and the adoption of a single form of organization as a Maryland business trust, with all funds operating under uniform charter documents. Fund shareholders have also approved investment matters, including standardized fundamental investment policies and the ability of the fund to change its investment objective without shareholder approval. These matters generally are expected to be effectuated during the first half of 2007.

Distribution plan

Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC (“LMIS”), a wholly-owned broker-dealer subsidiary of Legg Mason, Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (“CGMI”) and PFS Investments Inc. (“PFS”) serve as the fund’s distributors.

The fund has adopted a shareholder services and distribution plan for each of its Class A, B and C shares. Under the plan, the fund pays distribution and/or service fees. The plan provides for payments, based on annualized percentages of average daily net assets, of up to 0.25% for Class A shares and up to 1.00% for Class B and Class C shares. These fees are an ongoing expense and, over time, will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than other types of sales charges.

In addition, the distributors may make payments for distribution and/or shareholder servicing activities out of their past profits and other available sources. A distributor may also make payments to dealers for marketing, promotional or related expenses. The amount of these payments is determined by the distributor and may be substantial. The manager or an affiliate may make similar payments under similar arrangements.

The payments described in the paragraph above are often referred to as “revenue sharing payments.” The recipients of such payments may include the fund’s distributors, affiliates of the manager, broker-dealers, financial institutions and other financial intermediaries through which investors may purchase shares of the fund. In some circumstances, such payments may create an incentive for an intermediary or its employees or associated persons to recommend or sell shares of the fund to you. Please contact your financial intermediary for details about revenue sharing payments it may receive.

Recent developments

On May 31, 2005, the SEC issued an order in connection with the settlement of an administrative proceeding against SBFM, the then-investment adviser or manager to certain of the funds, and CGMI, relating to the appointment of an affiliated transfer agent for the Smith Barney family of mutual funds (the “Affected Funds”).

The SEC order found that SBFM and CGMI willfully violated Section 206(1) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder (the “Advisers Act”). Specifically, the order found that SBFM and CGMI knowingly or recklessly failed to disclose to the boards of the Affected Funds in 1999 when proposing a new transfer agent arrangement with an affiliated transfer agent that: First Data Investors Services Group (“First Data”), the Affected Funds’ then-existing transfer agent, had offered to

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         11


continue as transfer agent and do the same work for substantially less money than before; and that CAM, the Citigroup business unit that, at the time, included the Affected Funds’ investment manager and other investment advisory companies, had entered into a side letter with First Data under which CAM agreed to recommend the appointment of First Data as sub-transfer agent to the affiliated transfer agent in exchange, among other things, for a guarantee by First Data of specified amounts of asset management and investment banking fees to CAM and CGMI. The order also finds that SBFM and CGMI willfully violated Section 206(2) of the Advisers Act by virtue of the omissions discussed above and other misrepresentations and omissions in the materials provided to the Affected Funds’ boards, including the failure to make clear that the affiliated transfer agent would earn a high profit for performing limited functions while First Data continued to perform almost all of the transfer agent functions, and the suggestion that the proposed arrangement was in the Affected Funds’ best interests and that no viable alternatives existed.

SBFM and CGMI do not admit or deny any wrongdoing or liability. The settlement does not establish wrongdoing or liability for purposes of any other proceeding. The SEC censured SBFM and CGMI and ordered them to cease and desist from violations of Sections 206(1) and 206(2) of the Advisers Act. The order required Citigroup to pay $208.1 million, including $109 million in disgorgement of profits, $19.1 million in interest, and a civil money penalty of $80 million. Approximately $24.4 million has already been paid to the Affected Funds, primarily through fee waivers. The remaining $183.7 million, including the penalty, has been paid to the U.S. Treasury and will be distributed pursuant to a plan submitted for the approval of the SEC. At this time, there is no certainty as to how the above-described proceeds of the settlement will be distributed, to whom such distributions will be made, the methodology by which such distributions will be allocated, and when such distributions will be made. The order also required that transfer agency fees received from the Affected Funds since December 1, 2004, less certain expenses, be placed in escrow and provided that a portion of such fees might be subsequently distributed in accordance with the terms of the order. On April 3, 2006, an aggregate amount of approximately $9 million held in escrow was distributed to the Affected Funds.

The order required SBFM to recommend a new transfer agent contract to the Affected Funds’ boards within 180 days of the entry of the order; if a Citigroup affiliate submitted a proposal to serve as transfer agent or sub-transfer agent, SBFM and CGMI would have been required, at their expense, to engage an independent monitor to oversee a competitive bidding process. On November 21, 2005, and within the specified timeframe, the Affected Funds’ Boards selected a new transfer agent for the Affected Funds. No Citigroup affiliate submitted a proposal to serve as transfer agent. Under the order, SBFM also must comply with an amended version of a vendor policy that Citigroup instituted in August 2004.

Although there can be no assurance, the manager does not believe that this matter will have a material adverse effect on the Affected Funds.

On December 1, 2005, Citigroup completed the sale of substantially all of its global asset management business, including SBFM, to Legg Mason.

 

12         Legg Mason Partners Funds


 

Choosing a class of shares to buy

Individual investors can generally choose among three classes of shares: Classes A, B and C shares. Individual investors that held Class I (formerly Class Y) shares prior to November 20, 2006, may continue to invest in Class I shares. In addition, existing Class 1 shareholders can buy additional Class 1 shares. Institutional and retirement plan investors and clients of financial intermediaries should refer to “Retirement and institutional investors” below for a description of the classes available to them.

Each class has different sales charges and expenses, allowing you to choose the class that best meets your needs. When choosing which class of shares to buy, you should consider:

n  

How much you plan to invest

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How long you expect to own the shares

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The expenses paid by each class detailed in the Fee table and Example at the front of this Prospectus

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Whether you qualify for any reduction or waiver of sales charges

If you are choosing between Class A and Class B shares, it will in almost all cases be the more economical choice for you to purchase Class A shares if you plan to purchase shares in an amount of $100,000 or more (whether in a single purchase or through aggregation of eligible holdings). This is because of the reduced sales charge available on larger investments of Class A shares and the lower ongoing expenses of Class A shares compared to Class B shares.

If you intend to invest for only a few years, the effect of Class B contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions made within five years of purchase, as well as the effect of higher expenses of that class, might make an investment in Class C more appropriate. There is no initial sales charge on Class C shares, and the contingent deferred sales charge does not apply to shares redeemed one year or more after purchase.

However, if you plan to invest a large amount and your investment horizon is five years or more, Class C shares might not be as advantageous as Class A shares. The annual distribution and service fees on Class C shares may cost you more over the longer term than the front-end sales charge you would have paid for larger purchases of Class A shares.

You may buy shares from:

n  

Certain broker/dealers, financial intermediaries, financial institutions, a distributor’s financial advisors or registered representatives that have entered into an agreement to sell fund shares (each called a “Service Agent”)

n  

The fund, but only if you are investing through certain qualified plans or Service Agents

Different types of shareholder services may be available to you under arrangements offered by different Service Agents. In addition, these services may vary depending on the share class in which you choose to invest. In making your decision regarding which share class to buy, please keep in mind that your Service Agent may receive different compensation depending on the share class in which you invest. Investors should consult with their Service Agent about comparative pricing of shareholder services available to them under each available share class, the compensation that will be received by their Service Agent in connection with each available share class, and other factors that may be relevant to the investor’s choice of share class in which to invest.

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         13


 

Not all classes of shares are available through all Service Agents. You should contact your Service Agent for further information.

Investment minimums

Minimum initial and additional investment amounts vary depending on the class of shares you buy and the nature of your investment account.

 

    Investment Minimum
Initial/Additional Investment(1)(2)
     Class A   Class B   Class C   Class I
(formerly
Class Y)

General

  $ 500/$50   $ 500/$50   $ 500/$50   n/a
 

IRAs and Uniform Gifts or Transfers to
Minor Accounts

  $ 250/$50   $ 250/$50   $ 250/$50   n/a
 

SIMPLE IRAs

    $1 /$1     $1/$1     $1/$1   n/a
 

Systematic Investment Plans

    $25/$25     $25/$25     $25/$25   n/a
 

Clients of Eligible Financial Intermediaries

    $1/$1     n/a     n/a   None/
None
 

Retirement Plans with omnibus accounts
held on the books of the fund

   
 
None/
None
    n/a    
 
None/
None
  None/
None
 

Other Retirement Plans

    $50/$50     $50/$50     $50/$50   n/a
 

Institutional Investors

  $ 500/$50   $ 500/$50   $ 500/$50   $1 million/
None
 

 

(1)

 

Please refer to the section entitled “Retirement and institutional investors” for additional information regarding the investment minimum and eligibility requirements for Retirement Plans, Institutional Investors and Clients of Eligible Financial Intermediaries.

(2)

 

Class 1 shares may be purchased only if you already own Class 1 shares.

More information about the fund’s classes of shares is available through the Legg Mason Partners Funds’ website. You’ll find detailed information about sales charges and ways you can qualify for reduced or waived sales charges, including:

n  

The front-end sales charges that apply to the purchase of Class A shares

n  

The contingent deferred sales charges that apply to the redemption of Class B and Class C shares, and certain Class A shares (redeemed within one year)

n  

Who qualifies for lower sales charges on Class A shares

n  

Who qualifies for a sales load waiver

To access the website, go to http://www.leggmason.com/InvestorServices and click on the name of the fund.

 

14         Legg Mason Partners Funds


 

Comparing the fund’s classes

The following table compares key features of the fund’s classes. You should review the Fee table and Example at the front of this prospectus carefully before choosing your share class. Your Service Agent can help you decide which class meets your goals. Your Service Agent may receive different compensation depending upon which class you choose.

 

     Class A   Class B   Class C   Class I
(formerly Y)
  Class 1
Key features  

n  Initial sales charge

n  You may qualify for reduction or waiver of initial sales charge

n  Generally lower annual expenses than Class B and Class C

 

n  No initial sales charge

n  Contingent deferred sales charge declines over time

n  Converts to Class A after approximately 8 years

n  Generally higher annual expenses than Class A

 

n  No initial sales charge

n  Contingent deferred sales charge for only 1 year

n  Does not convert to Class A

n  Generally higher annual expenses than Class A

 

n  No initial or contingent deferred sales charge

n  Only offered to institutional and other eligible investors

n  Generally lower expenses than the other classes

 

n  Only available to eligible Class 1 shareholders

n  You may qualify for reduction or waiver of initial sales charge

n  Generally higher initial sales charge

n  Generally lower annual expenses than Class A, B and C

Initial sales

charge

 

Up to 5.75%; reduced or waived for large purchases and certain investors. No charge for purchases of $1 million or more

 

None

 

None

 

None

 

Up to 8.50%; reduced for large purchases

Contingent

deferred

sales

charge

 

1.00% on purchases of $1,000,000 or more if you redeem within 1 year of purchase; waived for certain investors

 

Up to 5.00% charged when you redeem shares. This charge is reduced over time and there is no contingent deferred sales charge after 5 years; waived for certain investors

 

1.00% if you redeem within 1 year of purchase; waived for certain investors

 

None

 

None

Annual

distribution

and/or service

fees

 

0.25% of average daily net assets

 

1.00% of average daily net assets

 

1.00% of average daily net assets

 

None

 

None

Exchange

Privilege(1)

 

Class A shares of most Legg Mason Partners Funds

 

Class B shares of most Legg Mason Partners Funds

 

Class C shares of most Legg Mason Partners Funds

 

Class I shares of most Legg Mason Partners Funds

 

Class 1 shares of Legg Mason Partners Funds that offer Class 1 shares and Class A shares of certain other Legg Mason Partners Funds

 

(1)

 

Ask your Service Agent about the Legg Mason Partners Funds available for exchange.

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         15


 

Sales charges

Class A shares

You buy Class A shares at the offering price, which is the net asset value plus a sales charge. You pay a lower rate as the size of your investment increases to certain levels called breakpoints. You do not pay a sales charge on the fund’s distributions or dividends you reinvest in additional Class A shares.

The table below shows the rate of sales charge you pay, depending on the amount you purchase, for purchases made on or after November 20, 2006. The table below also shows the amount of broker-dealer compensation that will be paid out of the sales charge. For Class A shares sold by LMIS, LMIS will receive the sales charge imposed on purchases of Class A shares (or any contingent deferred sales charge paid on redemptions) and will retain the full amount of such sales charge. For Class A shares sold by CGMI, CGMI will receive the sales charge imposed on purchases of Class A shares and will retain an amount equal to the broker-dealer commission paid out of the sales charge. LMIS will receive any portion not retained by CGMI. For Class A shares sold by PFS, PFS will receive the sales charge imposed on purchases of Class A shares (or any contingent deferred sales charge paid on redemptions) and will retain the full amount of such sales charge. Service Agents (including CGMI and PFS) will also receive a service fee payable on Class A shares at an annual rate of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets represented by the Class A shares serviced by them.

 

Amount of purchase   Sales Charge
as a % of
offering price
  Sales Charge
as a % of
net amount
invested
  Broker/Dealer
Commission
as a % of
offering price

Less than $25,000

  5.75   6.10   5.00
 

$25,000 but less than $50,000

  5.00   5.26   4.25
 

$50,000 but less than $100,000

  4.50   4.71   3.75
 

$100,000 but less than $250,000

  3.50   3.63   2.75
 

$250,000 but less than $500,000

  2.50   2.56   2.00
 

$500,000 but less than $750,000

  2.00   2.04   1.60
 

$750,000 but less than $1,000,000

  1.50   1.52   1.20
 

$1,000,000 or more(1)

  -0-   -0-   up to 1.00
 

 

(1)

 

A distributor may pay a commission of up to 1.00% to a Service Agent for purchase amounts of $1 million or more. In such cases, starting in the thirteenth month after purchase, the Service Agent will also receive an annual distribution/service fee of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets represented by the Class A shares held by its clients. Prior to the thirteenth month, the distributor will retain this fee. Where the Service Agent does not receive the payment of this commission, the Service Agent will instead receive the annual distribution/service fee starting immediately after purchase. Please contact your Service Agent for more information.

Investments of $1,000,000 or more

You do not pay an initial sales charge when you buy $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares. However, if you redeem these Class A shares within one year of purchase, you will pay a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00%.

 

16         Legg Mason Partners Funds


 

Qualifying for a reduced Class A sales charge

There are several ways you can combine multiple purchases of Class A shares of Legg Mason Partners Funds to take advantage of the breakpoints in the sales charge schedule. In order to take advantage of reductions in sales charges that may be available to you when you purchase fund shares, you must inform your Service Agent or Legg Mason Partners Shareholder Services if you are eligible for a letter of intent or a right of accumulation and if you own shares of other Legg Mason Partners Funds that are eligible to be aggregated with your purchases. Certain records, such as account statements, may be necessary in order to verify your eligibility for reduced sales charges.

n  

Accumulation Privilege – allows you to combine the current value of Class A shares of the fund with other shares of Legg Mason Partners Funds that are owned by:

  ¨  

you; or

  ¨  

your spouse and children under the age of 21;

with the dollar amount of your next purchase of Class A shares for purposes of calculating the initial sales charge.

Shares of certain money market funds advised by the manager or its affiliates (other than money market fund shares acquired by exchange from other Legg Mason Partners Funds offered with a sales charge), Legg Mason Partners S&P 500 Index Fund and Class O shares of Legg Mason Partners Equity Fund, Inc. may not be combined.

If you hold shares of Legg Mason Partners Funds in accounts at two or more Service Agents, please contact your Service Agents to determine which shares may be combined.

Certain trustees and fiduciaries may be entitled to combine accounts in determining their sales charge.

n  

Letter of Intent – allows you to purchase Class A shares of Legg Mason Partners Funds over a 13-month period and pay the same sales charge on Class A shares, if any, as if all shares had been purchased at once. At the time you enter into the letter of intent, you select your asset goal amount. Generally, purchases of Legg Mason Partners Fund shares that are purchased during the 13-month period by

  ¨  

you; or

  ¨  

your spouse and children under the age of 21

are eligible for inclusion under the letter, based on the public offering price at the time of the purchase, and any capital appreciation on those shares. Purchases made 90 days prior to the 13-month period are also eligible to be treated as purchases made under the letter. In addition, you can include towards your asset goal amount the current value of any eligible purchases that were made prior to the date of entering into the letter of intent and are still held.

If you hold shares of Legg Mason Partners Funds in accounts at two or more Service Agents, please contact your Service Agents to determine which shares may be credited towards your letter of intent asset goal.

Shares of certain money market funds advised by the manager or its affiliates (other than money market fund shares acquired by exchange from other Legg Mason Partners Funds offered with a sales charge), Legg Mason Partners S&P 500 Index Fund and Class O shares of Legg Mason Partners Equity Fund, Inc. may not be credited toward your letter of intent asset goal.

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         17


 

If you do not meet your asset goal amount, shares in the amount of any sales charges due, based on the amount of your actual purchases, will be redeemed from your account.

Waivers for certain Class A investors

Class A initial sales charges are waived for certain types of investors, including:

n  

Employees of Service Agents having dealer, service or other selling agreements with the fund’s distributors

n  

Investors who redeemed Class A shares of a Legg Mason Partners Fund in the past 60 days, if the investor’s Service Agent is notified

n  

Directors and officers of any Legg Mason-sponsored fund

n  

Employees of Legg Mason and its subsidiaries

n  

Investors investing through certain retirement plans

If you qualify for a waiver of the Class A initial sales charge, you must notify your Service Agent or Legg Mason Partners Shareholder Services at the time of purchase and provide sufficient information at the time of purchase to permit verification that the purchase qualifies for the initial sales charge waiver.

If you want to learn about additional waivers of Class A initial sales charges, contact your Service Agent, consult the SAI or access at the Legg Mason Partners Funds’ website, http://www.leggmason.com/InvestorServices, and click on the name of the fund.

Class B shares

You buy Class B shares at net asset value without paying an initial sales charge. However, if you redeem your Class B shares within five years of your purchase payment, you will pay a contingent deferred sales charge. The contingent deferred sales charge decreases as the number of years since your purchase payment increases.

 

Year after purchase   1st     2nd     3rd     4th     5th     6th through 8th  

Contingent deferred sales charge

  5 %   4 %   3 %   2 %   1 %   0 %
   

LMIS will pay Service Agents other than PFS, including CGMI, selling Class B shares a commission of up to 4.00% of the purchase price of the Class B shares they sell, and LMIS will retain the contingent deferred sales charges. For Class B shares sold by PFS, PFS will pay a commission of up to 4.00% of the purchase price of the Class B shares sold by its Service Agents and will retain the contingent deferred sales charges paid upon certain redemptions. Service Agents also receive an annual distribution/service fee of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets represented by the Class B shares serviced by them.

 

18         Legg Mason Partners Funds


 

Class B conversion

After approximately 8 years, Class B shares automatically convert into Class A shares. This helps you because Class A shares have lower annual expenses. Your Class B shares will convert to Class A shares as follows:

 

Shares issued:

At initial purchase

  

Shares issued:

On reinvestment of
dividends and
distributions

  

Shares issued:

Upon exchange from
another Legg Mason
Partners Fund

Approximately 8 years after the date of purchase payment    In same proportion as the number of Class B shares converting is to total Class B shares you own (excluding shares issued as dividends)    On the date the shares originally acquired would have converted into Class A shares
 

Class C shares

You buy Class C shares at net asset value without paying an initial sales charge. However, if you redeem your Class C shares within one year of purchase, you will pay a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00%.

LMIS will generally pay Service Agents selling Class C shares a commission of up to 1.00% of the purchase price of the Class C shares they sell and LMIS will retain the contingent deferred sales charges and an annual distribution/service fee of up to 1.00% of the average daily net assets represented by the Class C shares serviced by these Service Agents until the thirteenth month after purchase. Starting in the thirteenth month after purchase, these Service Agents will receive an annual distribution/service fee of up to 1.00% of the average daily net assets represented by the Class C shares serviced by them.

Class I shares (formerly Class Y shares)

Class I shares are purchased at net asset value with no initial sales charge and no contingent deferred sales charge when redeemed.

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         19


 

Class 1 shares

Class 1 shares are offered to eligible Class 1 shareholders at the offering price, which is the net asset value plus a sales charge. You pay a lower rate as the size of your investment increases to certain levels called breakpoints. You do not pay a sales charge on the fund’s distributions or dividends you reinvest in additional Class 1 shares.

The table below shows the rate of sales charge you pay, depending on the amount you purchase and the amount of broker/dealer compensation that is paid out of the sales charge. This compensation includes commissions received by Service Agents that sell shares of the fund.

 

Amount of purchase   Sales Charge
as a % of
offering price (%)
  Sales Charge as
a % of net
amount invested (%)
  Broker/Dealer
Commission
as a % of
offering price (%)

Less than $10,000

  8.50   9.29   7.00
 

$10,000 but less than $25,000

  7.75   8.40   6.25
 

$25,000 but less than $50,000

  6.00   6.38   5.00
 

$50,000 but less than $100,000

  4.50   4.71   3.75
 

$100,000 but less than $250,000

  3.50   3.63   3.00
 

$250,000 but less than $400,000

  2.50   2.56   2.00
 

$400,000 but less than $600,000

  2.00   2.04   1.60
 

$600,000 but less than $5,000,000

  1.00   1.01   0.75
 

$5,000,000 or more

  0.25   0.25   0.20
 

 

20         Legg Mason Partners Funds


 

More about contingent deferred sales charges

The contingent deferred sales charge is based on the net asset value at the time of purchase or redemption, whichever is less, and therefore you do not pay a sales charge on amounts representing appreciation or depreciation.

In addition, you do not pay a contingent deferred sales charge:

n  

When you exchange shares for shares of another Legg Mason Partners fund

n  

On shares representing reinvested distributions and dividends

n  

On shares no longer subject to the contingent deferred sales charge

Each time you place a request to redeem shares, the fund will first redeem any shares in your account that are not subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and then the shares in your account that have been held the longest.

If you redeemed shares of a Legg Mason Partners Fund and paid a contingent deferred sales charge, you may, under certain circumstances, reinvest all or part of the redemption proceeds within 60 days and receive pro rata credit for any contingent deferred sales charge imposed on the prior redemption. Please contact your Service Agent for additional information.

The fund’s distributors receive contingent deferred sales charges as partial compensation for their expenses in selling shares, including the payment of compensation to your Service Agent.

Contingent deferred sales charge waivers

The contingent deferred sales charge for each share Class will generally be waived:

n  

On payments made through certain systematic withdrawal plans

n  

On certain distributions from a retirement plan

n  

For retirement plans with omnibus accounts held on the books of the fund

n  

For involuntary redemptions of small account balances

n  

For 12 months following the death or disability of a shareholder

If you want to learn more about additional waivers of contingent deferred sales charges, contact your Service Agent, consult the SAI or look at the Legg Mason Partners Funds’ website, http://www.leggmason.com/InvestorServices, and click on the name of the fund.

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         21


 

Retirement and institutional investors

Eligible investors

Retirement Plans

Retirement Plans with omnibus accounts held on the books of the fund can generally choose among three classes of shares: Class C, Class A and Class I (formerly Class Y) shares.

“Retirement Plans” include 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit-sharing plans, non-qualified deferred compensation plans and other similar employer-sponsored retirement plans. Retirement Plans do not include individual retirement vehicles, such as traditional and Roth individual retirement accounts, Coverdell education savings accounts, individual 403(b)(7) custodial accounts, Keogh plans, SEPs, SARSEPs, SIMPLE IRAs, or Section 529 savings accounts. Although Retirement Plans with omnibus accounts held on the books of the fund are not subject to minimum initial investment requirements for any of these share classes, certain investment minimums may be imposed by a financial intermediary.

Other Retirement Plan investors (including, for example, employer-sponsored plans investing through brokerage accounts), can generally choose among three classes of shares: Class A, Class B and Class C. Individual retirement vehicles, such as IRAs, may also choose among these share classes. These types of investors are treated like individual investors for purposes of determining sales charges and any applicable sales charge reductions or waivers.

Clients of Eligible Financial Intermediaries

Clients of Eligible Financial Intermediaries may generally choose among two classes of shares: Class A and Class I. “Clients of Eligible Financial Intermediaries” are investors who invest in the fund through financial intermediaries that offer their clients fund shares through investment programs as authorized by LMIS. Such investment programs may include fee-based advisory or brokerage account programs, and college savings vehicles such as Section 529 plans. The financial intermediary may impose separate investment minimums.

Institutional Investors

Institutional Investors may invest in Class I shares if they meet the $1,000,000 minimum initial investment requirement. Institutional Investors may also invest in Class A, B and C shares, which have different investment minimums and fees and expenses. “Institutional Investors” generally include corporations, banks, insurance companies, foundations, retirement plans and other similar entities with direct relationships to the fund.

Class C — Retirement Plans

For purchases made on or after November 20, 2006, Retirement Plans with omnibus accounts held on the books of the fund may buy Class C shares without paying a contingent deferred sales charge. As of November 20, 2006, LMIS no longer pays Service Agents selling Class C shares to retirement plans with omnibus accounts held on the books of a fund a commission on the purchase price of Class C shares sold by them. Instead, immediately after purchase, LMIS will pay these Service Agents an annual distribution/

 

22         Legg Mason Partners Funds


 

service fee of up to 1.00% of the average daily net assets represented by the Class C shares serviced by them.

Class I shares

As of November 20, 2006, Class Y shares were renamed Class I shares and are offered only to Institutional Investors who meet the $1,000,000 minimum initial investment requirement, Clients of Eligible Financial Intermediaries, and other investors as authorized by LMIS. However, investors that held Class Y shares prior to that date will be permitted to make additional investments in Class I shares.

Class A — Retirement Plans

Retirement Plans with omnibus accounts held on the books of the fund may purchase Class A shares through programs sponsored by financial intermediaries. Under these programs, the initial sales charge and contingent deferred sales charge for Class A shares is waived where:

n  

Such Retirement Plan’s record keeper offers only load-waived shares,

n  

Fund shares are held on the books of the fund through an omnibus account, and

n  

The Retirement Plan has more than 100 participants, or has total assets exceeding $1 million.

As of November 20, 2006, LMIS no longer pays Service Agents selling Class A shares to Retirement Plans with a direct omnibus relationship with a fund a commission on the purchase price of Class A shares sold by them. However, for certain Retirement Plans that are permitted to purchase shares at net asset value on or after this date, LMIS may continue to pay Service Agents commissions of up to 1.00% of the purchase price of the additional Class A shares that are purchased with regular ongoing plan contributions. Please contact your Service Agent for more information.

Other considerations

Plan sponsors, plan fiduciaries and other financial intermediaries may choose to impose qualification requirements for plans that differ from the fund’s share class eligibility standards. In certain cases this could result in the selection of a share class with higher service and -distribution related fees than otherwise would have been charged. The fund is not responsible for, and has no control over, the decision of any plan sponsor, plan fiduciary or financial intermediary to impose such differing requirements. Please consult with your plan sponsor, plan fiduciary or financial intermediary for more information about available share classes.

With respect to Class A and Class C shares, the fund may pay a fee for recordkeeping services performed for the share class.

Not all share classes may be made available by your Service Agent; please contact your Service Agent for additional details.

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         23


 

Buying shares

 

Through a Service Agent   

You should contact your Service Agent to open a brokerage account and make arrangements to buy shares. You must provide the following information, for your order to be processed:

n Class of shares being bought

n Dollar amount or number of shares being bought

n Account number (if existing account)

Your Service Agent may charge an annual account maintenance fee.

 
Through the fund   

Financial intermediary accounts, retirement plan accounts and certain other investors who are clients of certain Service Agents are eligible to buy shares directly from the fund.

n Clients of a PFS Registered Representative should write to the fund at the following address:

Legg Mason Partners Funds

c/o PFPC, Inc.

P.O. Box 9662

Providence, Rhode Island 02940-9662

n All other investors should write to the fund at the following address:

Legg Mason Partners Funds

c/o PFPC, Inc.

P.O. Box 9699

Providence, Rhode Island 02940-9699

n Enclose a check to pay for the shares. For initial purchases, complete and send an account application available upon request from Legg Mason Partners Shareholder Services at the number below

n Specify the name of the fund, the share class you wish to purchase and account number (if existing account)

n For more information, please call Legg Mason Partners Shareholder Services at 800-451-2010 (or for clients of a PFS Registered Representative, call Primerica Shareholders Services at 800-544-5445)

 
Through a systematic investment plan   

You may authorize your Service Agent or transfer agent to transfer funds automatically from (i) a regular bank account, (ii) cash held in a brokerage account with a Service Agent or (iii) certain money market funds, in order to buy shares on a regular basis.

n Amounts transferred should be at least $25

n Amounts may be transferred monthly, every alternate month, quarterly, semi-annually or annually

n If you do not have sufficient funds in your account on a transfer date, your Service Agent or Legg Mason Partners Shareholder Services may charge you a fee

 

For more information, contact your Service Agent or Legg Mason Partners Shareholder Services or consult the SAI.

 

24         Legg Mason Partners Funds


 

Exchanging shares

 

Legg Mason Partners offers a distinctive family of mutual funds tailored to help meet the varying needs of both large and small investors.   

You should contact your Service Agent to exchange into other Legg Mason Partners Funds. Be sure to read the prospectus of the Legg Mason Partners Fund into which you are exchanging. An exchange is a taxable transaction, unless you are investing through a tax-qualified savings plan or account.

n If you bought shares through a Service Agent, you may exchange shares only for shares of the same class of certain other Legg Mason Partners Funds made available for exchange by your Service Agent. However, if you are a Class 1 shareholder, you may exchange Class 1 shares for Class A shares of other Legg Mason Partners Funds that do not offer Class 1 shares and that are made available for exchange through your Service Agent. Not all Legg Mason Partners Funds made available for exchange by your Service Agent may offer all classes. Please contact your Service Agent for more information about the funds and classes that are available for exchange

n If you bought shares directly from the fund, you may exchange shares only for shares of the same class of another Legg Mason Partners Fund other than shares of Legg Mason Partners S&P 500 Index Fund. However, if you are a Class 1 shareholder, you may exchange Class 1 shares for Class A shares of other Legg Mason Partners Funds that do not offer Class 1 shares. Not all Legg Mason Partners Funds offer all classes

n Not all Legg Mason Partners Funds may be offered in your state of residence. Contact your Service Agent or transfer agent for further information

n Exchanges of Class A, B, C and 1 shares are subject to minimum investment requirements (except for systematic investment plan exchanges), and all shares are subject to the other requirements of the fund into which exchanges are made

n If you hold share certificates, the transfer agent must receive the certificates endorsed for transfer or with signed stock powers before the exchange is effective

n The fund may suspend or terminate your exchange privilege if you engage in an excessive pattern of exchanges

 
Sales charges   

In most instances your shares will not be subject to an initial sales charge or a contingent deferred sales charge at the time of the exchange.

Your contingent deferred sales charge (if any) will continue to be measured from the date of your original purchase of shares subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and you will be subject to the contingent deferred sales charge of the fund that you originally purchased.

 

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         25


 

By telephone   

If you do not have a brokerage account with a Service Agent, you may be eligible to exchange shares through the fund. You must complete an authorization form to authorize telephone transfers. If eligible, you may make telephone exchanges on any day the New York Stock Exchange Inc. (“NYSE”) is open. For clients of a PFS Registered Representative, call Primerica Shareholder Services at 800-544-5445 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. (Eastern time). All other shareholders should call Legg Mason Partners Shareholder Services at 800-451-2010 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time). Exchanges are priced at the net asset value next determined.

You can make telephone exchanges only between accounts that have identical registrations.

 
By mail    If you do not have a brokerage account, contact your Service Agent or write to the fund at the address on the following page.
 
Through a systematic
exchange plan
  

You may be permitted to schedule exchanges of shares of any class of the fund for shares of the same class of other Legg Mason Partners Funds.

n Exchanges may be made, monthly, every alternate month, quarterly, semi-annually or annually

n A predetermined dollar amount of at least $25 per exchange
is required

 

For more information, please contact your Service Agent or Legg Mason Partners Shareholder Services.

 

26         Legg Mason Partners Funds


 

Redeeming shares

Generally   

Contact your Service Agent to redeem shares of the fund.

If you hold share certificates, the transfer agent must receive the certificates endorsed for transfer or with signed stock powers with a signature guarantee before you may redeem.

If the shares are held by a fiduciary or corporation, other documents may be required.

Redemptions are priced at net asset value next determined after receipt of your request in good order.

Your redemption proceeds will normally be sent within three business days after your request is received in good order, but in any event within 7 days. Your redemption proceeds may be delayed for up to 10 days if your purchase was made by check.

If you have a brokerage account with a Service Agent, your redemption proceeds will be sent to your Service Agent. In other cases, unless you direct otherwise, your redemption proceeds will be paid by check mailed to your address of record.

 
By mail   

For accounts held directly at the fund, send written requests to the fund at the applicable address:

For clients of a PFS Registered Representative, send your request to:

Primerica Shareholder Services

c/o PFPC Inc.

P.O. Box 9662

Providence, Rhode Island 02940-9662

For all other investors, send your request to:

Legg Mason Partners Funds

c/o PFPC, Inc.

P.O. Box 9699

Providence, Rhode Island 02940-9699

Your written request must provide the following:

n The fund name, the class of shares to be redeemed, and your account number

n The dollar amount or number of shares to be redeemed

n Signatures of each owner exactly as the account is registered

n Signature guarantees, as applicable

 

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         27


 

By telephone   

If you do not have a brokerage account with a Service Agent, you may be eligible to redeem shares (except those held in certain retirement plans) in amounts up to $50,000 per day through the fund. You must complete an authorization form to authorize telephone redemptions. If eligible, you may request redemptions by telephone on any day the NYSE is open. For clients of a PFS Registered Representative, call Primerica Shareholder Services at 800-544-5445 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. (Eastern time). All other shareholders should call Legg Mason Partners Shareholder Services at 800-451-2010 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time).

Your redemption proceeds can be sent by check to your address of record or by wire or electronic transfer (ACH) to a bank account designated on your authorization form. You must submit a new authorization form to change the bank account designated to receive wire or electronic transfers and you may be asked to provide certain other documents. The transfer agent may charge a fee on a wire or an electronic transfer (ACH).

 
Automatic cash withdrawal plans   

You can arrange for the automatic redemption of a portion of your shares monthly, every alternate month, quarterly, semi-annually or annually. To qualify you must own shares of the fund with a value of at least $10,000 ($5,000 for retirement plan accounts) and each automatic redemption must be at least $50. If your shares are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge, the sales charge will be waived if your automatic redemptions are equal to or less than 2% per month of your account balance on the date the withdrawals commence, up to a maximum of 12% in any one year.

The following conditions apply:

n Your shares must not be represented by certificates

n All dividends and distributions must be reinvested

 

For more information, please contact your Service Agent or consult the SAI.

 

28         Legg Mason Partners Funds


Other things to know about transactions

When you buy, exchange or redeem shares, your request must be in good order. This means you have provided the following information, without which your request may not be processed:

n  

Name of the fund

n  

Your account number

n  

Class of shares being bought, and if you own more than one class, the class of shares being exchanged or redeemed

n  

Dollar amount or number of shares being bought, exchanged or redeemed

n  

Signature of each owner exactly as the account is registered

The fund’s transfer agent or Legg Mason Partners Shareholder Services will employ reasonable procedures to confirm that any telephone exchange or redemption request is genuine, which may include recording calls, asking the caller to provide certain personal identification information, sending you a written confirmation or requiring other confirmation procedures from time to time. If these procedures are followed, neither the fund nor its agent will bear any liability for such transactions.

Signature guarantees

To be in good order, your redemption request must include a signature guarantee if you:

n  

Are redeeming over $50,000

n  

Are sending signed share certificates or stock powers to the transfer agent

n  

Instruct the transfer agent to mail the check to an address different from the one on your account registration

n  

Changed your account registration or your address within 30 days

n  

Want the check paid to someone other than the account owner(s)

n  

Are transferring the redemption proceeds to an account with a different registration

You can obtain a signature guarantee from most banks, dealers, brokers, credit unions and federal savings and loan institutions, but not from a notary public.

The fund has the right to:

n  

Suspend the offering of shares

n  

Waive or change minimum and additional investment amounts

n  

Reject any purchase or exchange order

n  

Change, revoke or suspend the exchange privilege

n  

Suspend telephone transactions

n  

Suspend or postpone redemptions of shares on any day when trading on the NYSE is restricted, or as otherwise permitted by the SEC

n  

Pay redemption proceeds by giving you securities. You may pay transaction costs to dispose of the securities

Small account balances/Mandatory redemptions

If at any time the aggregate net asset value of the fund shares in your account is less than $500 for any reason (including solely due to declines in net asset value and/or failure to invest at least $500 within a reasonable period), the fund reserves the right to ask you to bring your account up to the applicable minimum investment amount as determined by

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         29


 

your Service Agent. In such case you shall be notified in writing and will have 60 days to make an additional investment to bring your account value up to the required level. If you choose not to do so within this 60-day period, the fund may close your account and send you the redemption proceeds. In the event your account is closed due to a failure to increase your balance to the minimum required amount, you will not be eligible to have your account subsequently reinstated without imposition of any sales charges that may apply to your new purchase. The fund may, with prior notice, change the minimum size of accounts subject to mandatory redemption, which may vary by class, or implement fees for small accounts.

Subject to applicable law, the fund may, with prior notice, adopt other policies from time to time requiring mandatory redemption of shares in certain circumstances.

For more information, please contact your Service Agent or Legg Mason Partners Shareholder Services or consult the SAI.

Frequent purchases and redemptions of fund shares

Frequent purchases and redemptions of fund shares may interfere with the efficient management of the fund’s portfolio by its portfolio managers, increase portfolio transaction costs, and have a negative effect on the fund’s long-term shareholders. For example, in order to handle large flows of cash into and out of the fund, the portfolio managers may need to allocate more assets to cash or other short-term investments or sell securities, rather than maintaining full investment in securities selected to achieve the fund’s investment objective. Frequent trading may cause the fund to sell securities at less favorable prices. Transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions and market spreads, can detract from the fund’s performance. In addition, the return received by long-term shareholders may be reduced when trades by other shareholders are made in an effort to take advantage of certain pricing discrepancies, when, for example, it is believed that the fund’s share price, which is determined at the close of the NYSE on each trading day, does not accurately reflect the value of the fund’s portfolio securities. Funds investing in foreign securities have been particularly susceptible to this form of arbitrage, but other funds could also be affected.

Because of the potential harm to the fund and its long-term shareholders, the Board of the fund has approved policies and procedures that are intended to discourage and prevent excessive trading and market timing abuses through the use of various surveillance techniques. Under these policies and procedures, the fund may limit additional exchanges or purchases of fund shares by shareholders who are believed by the manager to be engaged in these abusive trading activities. The intent of the policies and procedures is not to inhibit legitimate strategies, such as asset allocation, dollar cost averaging, or similar activities that may nonetheless result in frequent trading of fund shares. For this reason, the Board has not adopted any specific restrictions on purchases and sales of fund shares, but the fund reserves the right to reject any exchange or purchase of fund shares with or without prior notice to the account holder. In cases where surveillance of a particular account establishes what the manager believes to be obvious market timing, the manager will seek to block future purchases and exchanges of fund shares by that account. Where surveillance of a particular account indicates activity that the manager believes could be either abusive or for legitimate purposes, the fund may permit the account holder to justify the activity.

 

30         Legg Mason Partners Funds


 

The policies apply to any account, whether an individual account or accounts with financial intermediaries such as investment advisers, broker/dealers or retirement plan administrators, commonly called omnibus accounts, where the intermediary holds fund shares for a number of its customers in one account. The fund’s ability to monitor trading in omnibus accounts may, however, be severely limited due to the lack of access to an individual investor’s trading activity when orders are placed through these types of accounts. There may also be operational and technological limitations on the ability of the fund’s service providers to identify or terminate frequent trading activity within the various types of omnibus accounts.

The fund’s policies also require personnel such as portfolio managers and investment staff to report any abnormal or otherwise suspicious investment activity, and prohibit short-term trades by such personnel for their own account in mutual funds managed by the manager and its affiliates, other than money market funds. Additionally, the fund has adopted policies and procedures to prevent the selective release of information about the fund’s portfolio holdings, as such information may be used for market-timing and similar abusive practices.

The fund’s policies provide for ongoing assessment of the effectiveness of current policies and surveillance tools, and the Board reserves the right to modify these or adopt additional policies and restrictions in the future. Shareholders should be aware, however, that any surveillance techniques currently employed by the fund or other techniques that may be adopted in the future may not be effective, particularly where the trading takes place through certain types of omnibus accounts. As noted above, if the fund is unable to detect and deter trading abuses, the fund’s performance, and its long-term shareholders, may be harmed. In addition, because the fund has not adopted any specific limitations or restrictions on the trading of fund shares, shareholders may be harmed by the extra costs and portfolio management inefficiencies that result from frequent trading of fund shares, even when the trading is not for abusive purposes. Furthermore, the fund may not apply its policies consistently or uniformly, resulting in the risk that some shareholders may be able to engage in frequent trading while others will bear the costs and effects of that trading. The fund will provide advance notice to shareholders and prospective investors of any specific restrictions on the trading of fund shares that the Board may adopt in the future.

Share certificates

Share certificates for the fund will no longer be issued. If you currently hold share certificates of the fund, such certificates will continue to be honored. If you would like to return your share certificates to the fund and hold your shares in uncertificated form, please contact your Service Agent or Legg Mason Partners Shareholder Services.

Record ownership

If you hold shares through a Service Agent, your Service Agent may establish and maintain your account and be the shareholder of record. In the event that the fund holds a shareholder meeting, your Service Agent, as record holder, will vote your shares in accordance with your instructions. If you do not give your Service Agent voting instructions, your Service Agent may nonetheless, under certain circumstances, be entitled to vote your shares.

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         31


 

Dividends, distributions and taxes

Dividends and distributions

The fund generally pays dividends, if any, on a quarterly basis and makes capital gain distributions, if any, once a year, typically in December. The fund may pay additional distributions and dividends at other times if necessary for the fund to avoid a federal tax. Capital gain distributions and dividends are reinvested in additional fund shares of the same class you hold. You do not pay a sales charge on reinvested distributions or dividends. Alternatively, you can instruct your Service Agent or Legg Mason Partners Shareholder Services to have your distributions and/or dividends paid in cash. You can change your choice at any time to be effective as of the next distribution or dividend.

Taxes

The following discussion is very general. Because each shareholder’s circumstances are different and special tax rules may apply, you should consult your tax adviser about your investment in the fund.

In general, you will have to pay federal income taxes, as well as any state and local taxes, when you redeem shares, exchange shares or receive dividends or distributions (whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares). Any tax liability that you owe as a result of any of these taxable events is your responsibility. The federal income tax treatment of redemptions, exchanges and distributions is summarized in the following table:

 

Transaction    Federal tax status
Redemption or exchange of shares    Usually capital gain or loss; long-term only if shares owned more than one year
 
Distributions of net capital gain (excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss)    Long-term capital gain
 
Distributions of qualified dividend income    Qualified dividend income
 
Other ordinary dividends (including distributions of net short-term capital gain)    Ordinary income
 

Distributions of net capital gain are taxable to you as long-term capital gain regardless of how long you have owned your shares. Distributions of qualified dividend income received by a non-corporate shareholder, if any, may qualify for a reduced tax rate, provided that the shareholder satisfies certain holding period requirements. Qualified dividend income generally is income derived from dividends from a U.S. corporation (other than income derived from certain dividends received from REITs); dividends from certain foreign corporations may also qualify. You may want to avoid buying shares when the fund is about to declare a capital gain distribution or a dividend because it will be taxable to you even though it may effectively be a return of a portion of your investment.

After the end of each year, your Service Agent or the fund will provide you with information about the distributions and dividends you received and any redemptions of

 

32         Legg Mason Partners Funds


 

shares during the previous year. If you are neither a citizen nor resident of the United States, the fund will withhold federal income tax at the rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be determined in accordance with any applicable treaty) on ordinary dividends and other payments that are subject to such withholding. If you do not provide the fund with your correct taxpayer identification number and any required certifications, you will be subject to back-up withholding at the rate of 28% on your distributions, dividends, and redemption proceeds. Back-up withholding will not, however, be applied to payments that have been subject to the 30% withholding tax on shareholders who are neither citizens nor residents of the United States.

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         33


 

Share price

You may buy, exchange or redeem shares at their net asset value next determined after receipt of your request in good order, plus any applicable sales charge. For each class of shares, net asset value per share is the value of its assets minus its liabilities divided by the number of shares outstanding. Net asset value is calculated separately for each class of shares. The fund calculates its net asset value every day the NYSE is open. This calculation is done when regular trading closes on the NYSE (normally 4:00 pm, Eastern time). The NYSE is closed on certain holidays listed in the SAI.

The fund may invest in securities that are listed on foreign exchanges that trade on weekends and other days when the fund does not price its shares. Therefore, the value of the fund’s shares may change on days when you will not be able to purchase or redeem the fund’s shares.

The Board has approved procedures to be used to value the fund’s securities for the purposes of determining the fund’s net asset value. The valuation of the securities of the fund is determined in good faith by or under the direction of the Board. The Board has delegated certain valuation functions for the fund to the manager.

The fund generally values its securities based on market prices determined at the close of regular trading on the NYSE. The fund’s currency valuations, if any, are done as of when the London Stock Exchange closes, which is usually at 12 noon Eastern time, as the manager believes that these valuations typically reflect the largest trading volume in the foreign currency markets. A material change in the value of currency during the period between the close of the London Stock Exchange and the calculation of the fund’s net asset value on the same date is considered a significant event, as described below, in response to which the fund may use fair valuation procedures to value the affected investments. For equity securities that are traded on an exchange, the market price is usually the closing sale or official closing price on that exchange. In the case of securities not traded on an exchange, or if such closing prices are not otherwise available, the market price is typically determined by independent third party pricing vendors approved by the fund’s Board using a variety of pricing techniques and methodologies. The market price for debt obligations is generally the price supplied by an independent third party pricing service approved by the fund’s board, which may use a matrix, formula or other objective method that takes into consideration market indices, yield curves and other specific adjustments. Short-term debt obligations that will mature in 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, unless it is determined that using this method would not reflect an investment’s fair value. If vendors are unable to supply a price, or if the price supplied is deemed by the manager to be unreliable, the market price may be determined using quotations received from one or more brokers/dealers that make a market in the security. When such prices or quotations are not available, or when the manager believes that they are unreliable, the manager may price securities using fair value procedures approved by the Board. Because the fund invests in securities of issuers located in emerging markets—some of which may be thinly traded, for which market quotations may not be readily available or may be unreliable—the fund may use fair valuation procedures more frequently than funds that invest primarily in securities that are more liquid, such as securities of large capitalization domestic issuers. The fund may also use fair value procedures if the manager determines that a significant event

 

34         Legg Mason Partners Funds


 

has occurred between the time at which a market price is determined and the time at which the fund’s net asset value is calculated. In particular, the value of foreign securities may be materially affected by events occurring after the close of the market on which they are valued, but before the fund prices its shares. The fund uses a fair value model developed by an independent third party pricing service to price foreign equity securities on days when there is a certain percentage change in the value of a domestic equity security index, as such percentage may be determined by the manager from time to time.

Valuing securities at fair value involves greater reliance on judgment than valuation of securities based on readily available market quotations. A fund that uses fair value to price securities may value those securities higher or lower than another fund using market quotations or its own fair value methodologies to price the same securities. There can be no assurance that the fund could obtain the fair value assigned to a security if it were to sell the security at approximately the time at which the fund determines its net asset value.

In order to buy, redeem or exchange shares at that day’s price, you must place your order with your Service Agent or Legg Mason Partners Shareholder Services before the NYSE closes. If the NYSE closes early, you must place your order prior to the actual closing time.

It is the responsibility of the Service Agents to transmit all orders to buy, exchange or redeem shares to the transfer agent on a timely basis.

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         35


 

Financial highlights

The financial highlights tables are intended to help you understand the performance of each class for the past five years. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share. Total return represents the rate that a shareholder would have earned (or lost) on a fund share assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. The information in the following tables has been derived from the fund’s financial statements, which have been audited by KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the fund’s financial statements, is included in the annual report (available upon request). Effective as of November 20, 2006, Class Y shares of the fund were renamed Class I shares. No information is presented for Class I shares because no Class I shares were outstanding on October 31, 2006.

 

For a Class 1 share outstanding throughout each year ended October 31:  
Class 1 Shares(1)   2006     2005     2004     2003     2002  

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year

  $16.90     $16.89     $16.36     $14.10     $17.55  
   

Income (Loss) From Operations:

         

Net investment income

  0.34     0.34     0.06     0.06     0.05  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

  2.37     0.02     0.50     2.20     (3.39 )
   

Total Income (Loss) From Operations

  2.71     0.36     0.56     2.26     (3.34 )
   

Less Distributions From:

         

Net investment income

  (0.35 )   (0.35 )   (0.03 )       (0.09 )

Net realized gains

  (0.84 )               (0.01 )

Return of capital

                  (0.01 )
   

Total Distributions

  (1.19 )   (0.35 )   (0.03 )       (0.11 )
   

Net Asset Value, End of Year

  $18.42     $16.90     $16.89     $16.36     $14.10  
   

Total Return(2)

  16.92 %   2.12 %   3.41 %   16.03 %   (19.20 )%
   

Net Assets, End of Year (millions)

  $2,032     $2,036     $2,288     $2,435     $2,303  
   

Ratios to Average Net Assets:

         

Gross expenses

  0.88 %   0.94 %   0.90 %   1.00 %   0.90 %

Net expenses

  0.85 (3)   0.94     0.90 (3)   1.00     0.90  

Net investment income

  2.00     1.99     0.36     0.39     0.31  
   

Portfolio Turnover Rate

  21 %   135 %   35 %   69 %   38 %
   

 

(1)

 

Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares method.

 

(2)

 

Performance figures may reflect fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. In the absence of fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, the total return would be lower.

 

(3)

 

Reflects fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements.

 

36         Legg Mason Partners Funds


 

For a Class A share outstanding throughout each year ended October 31:  
Class A Shares(1)   2006     2005     2004     2003     2002  

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year

  $16.52     $16.47     $16.03     $13.93     $17.41  
   

Income (Loss) From Operations:

         

Net investment income (loss)

  0.27     0.28     (0.05 )   (0.06 )   (0.10 )

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

  2.32     0.02     0.49     2.16     (3.37 )
   

Total Income (Loss) From Operations

  2.59     0.30     0.44     2.10     (3.47 )
   

Less Distributions From:

         

Net investment income

  (0.30 )   (0.25 )            

Net realized gains

  (0.84 )               (0.01 )
   

Total Distributions

  (1.14 )   (0.25 )           (0.01 )
   

Net Asset Value, End of Year

  $17.97     $16.52     $16.47     $16.03     $13.93  
   

Total Return(2)

  16.50 %   1.82 %   2.74 %   15.08 %   (19.94 )%
   

Net Assets, End of Year (millions)

  $395     $378     $404     $414     $352  
   

Ratios to Average Net Assets:

         

Gross expenses

  1.43 %   1.59 %   1.59 %   1.80 %   1.80 %

Net expenses

  1.24 (3)(4)   1.25 (3)(4)   1.58 (4)   1.80     1.80  

Net investment income (loss)

  1.62     1.67     (0.33 )   (0.42 )   (0.59 )
   

Portfolio Turnover Rate

  21 %   135 %   35 %   69 %   38 %
   

 

(1)

 

Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares method.

 

(2)

 

Performance figures may reflect fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. In the absence of fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, the total return would be lower.

 

(3)

 

As a result of a voluntary expense limitation, the ratio of expenses to average net assets other than interest, brokerage, taxes and extraordinary expenses of Class A shares will not exceed 1.25%.

 

(4)

 

Reflects fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements.

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         37


 

For a Class B share outstanding throughout each year ended October 31:  
Class B Shares(1)   2006     2005     2004     2003     2002  

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year

  $15.62     $15.55     $15.26     $13.38     $16.86  
   

Income (Loss) From Operations:

         

Net investment income (loss)

  0.14     0.15     (0.18 )   (0.18 )   (0.22 )

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

  2.18     0.02     0.47     2.06     (3.25 )
   

Total Income (Loss) From Operations

  2.32     0.17     0.29     1.88     (3.47 )
   

Less Distributions From:

         

Net investment income

  (0.18 )   (0.10 )            

Net realized gains

  (0.84 )               (0.01 )
   

Total Distributions

  (1.02 )   (0.10 )           (0.01 )
   

Net Asset Value, End of Year

  $16.92     $15.62     $15.55     $15.26     $13.38  
   

Total Return(2)

  15.61 %   1.09 %   1.90 %   14.05 %   (20.59 )%
   

Net Assets, End of Year (millions)

  $250     $264     $292     $305     $290  
   

Ratios to Average Net Assets:

         

Gross expenses

  2.23 %   2.38 %   2.42 %   2.66 %   2.59 %

Net expenses

  1.96 (3)(4)   2.00 (3)(4)   2.42 (4)   2.66     2.59  

Net investment income (loss)

  0.90     0.93     (1.16 )   (1.27 )   (1.39 )
   

Portfolio Turnover Rate

  21 %   135 %   35 %   69 %   38 %
   

 

(1)

 

Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares method.

 

(2)

 

Performance figures may reflect fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. In the absence of fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, the total return would be lower.

 

(3)

 

As a result of a voluntary expense limitation, the ratio of expenses to average net assets, other than interest, brokerage, taxes and extraordinary expenses of Class B shares will not exceed 2.00%.

 

(4)

 

Reflects fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements.

 

38         Legg Mason Partners Funds


For a Class C share outstanding throughout each year ended October 31:  
Class C Shares(1)(2)   2006     2005     2004     2003     2002  

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year

  $16.48     $16.39     $15.98     $13.87     $17.36  
   

Income (Loss) From Operations:

         

Net investment income (loss)

  0.20     0.18     (0.08 )   (0.04 )   (0.13 )

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

  2.30     0.04     0.49     2.15     (3.35 )
   

Total Income (Loss) From Operations

  2.50     0.22     0.41     2.11     (3.48 )
   

Less Distributions From:

         

Net investment income

  (0.19 )   (0.13 )            

Net realized gains

  (0.84 )               (0.01 )
   

Total Distributions

  (1.03 )   (0.13 )           (0.01 )
   

Net Asset Value, End of Year

  $17.95     $16.48     $16.39     $15.98     $13.87  
   

Total Return(3)

  15.94 %   1.32 %   2.57 %   15.21 %   (20.05 )%
   

Net Assets, End of Year (millions)

  $11     $12     $5     $6     $5  
   

Ratios to Average Net Assets:

         

Gross expenses

  1.73 %   1.75 %   1.77 %   1.67 %   2.00 %

Net expenses

  1.69 (3)(4)   1.75     1.77 (4)   1.67     2.00  

Net investment income (loss)

  1.18     1.05     (0.51 )   (0.29 )   (0.80 )
   

Portfolio Turnover Rate

  21 %   135 %   35 %   69 %   38 %
   

 

(1)

 

Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares method.

 

(2)

 

On April 29, 2004, Class L shares were renamed as Class C shares.

 

(3)

 

Performance figures may reflect fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. In the absence of fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, the total return would be lower.

 

(4)

 

Reflects fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements.

 

Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund         39


 

 

(Investment Company Act

file no. 811-05018)

FD 03062 02/07

LOGO

Legg Mason Partners

Dividend Strategy Fund

You may look at the fund’s website at www.leggmason.com/InvestorServices for a free copy of a Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) or an Annual or Semi-Annual Report, or to request other information.

Shareholder reports Additional information about the fund’s investments is available in the fund’s Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders. In the fund’s Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the fund’s performance.

The fund sends only one report to a household if more than one account has the same last name and same address. Contact your Service Agent or the transfer agent if you do not want this policy to apply to you.

Statement of additional information The statement of additional information provides more detailed information about the fund and is incorporated by reference into (is legally a part of) this Prospectus.

You can make inquiries about the fund or obtain shareholder reports (without charge) by contacting your Service Agent, by calling Legg Mason Partners Shareholder Services at 800-451-2010 (or for clients of a PFS Registered Representative, call Primerica Shareholder Services at 800-544-5445), or by writing to the fund at Legg Mason Partners 125 Broad Street, New York, New York 10004.

Information about the fund (including the SAI) can be reviewed and copied at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “Commission”) Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. In addition, information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the Commission at 1-202-551-8090. Reports and other information about the fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the Commission’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of this information may be obtained for a duplicating fee by electronic request at the following E-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the Commission’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102.

If someone makes a statement about the fund that is not in this Prospectus, you should not rely upon that information. Neither the fund nor the distributors are offering to sell shares of the fund to any person to whom the fund may not lawfully sell its shares.


Filed pursuant to Rule 497(c)

File Nos. 33-11716

811-05018

February 28, 2007

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

LEGG MASON PARTNERS INVESTMENT SERIES

125 Broad Street

New York, New York 10004

800 451-2010

This Statement of Additional Information expands upon and supplements the information contained in the current Prospectus of Legg Mason Partners Investment Series (the “Company”), for Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund (“Dividend Strategy Fund”), dated February 28, 2007, as supplemented from time to time, and should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Prospectus. This Statement of Additional Information, although not in itself a prospectus, is incorporated by reference in its entirety into the Prospectus of each fund offered by the Company (the “Funds”). Additional information about the Funds’ investments is available in the Funds’ annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. These reports contain financial statements that are incorporated herein by reference. The Company issues a Prospectus for each of the Funds. The Company’s Prospectuses and reports may be obtained by contacting a broker-dealer, financial intermediary or financial institution that has entered into an agreement with a Fund’s distributor or a distributor’s financial consultants (each, a “service agent”), by calling the applicable Fund at 1-800-451-2010, or by writing to the applicable Fund at 125 Broad Street, New York, New York 10004. Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC (“LMIS”), a wholly-owned broker-dealer subsidiary of Legg Mason, Inc. (“Legg Mason”), Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (“CGMI”) and PFS Investments Inc. (“PFS”) serve as the Funds’ distributors.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Management of the Company

   2

Investment Objectives, Management Policies and Associated Risks

   15

Additional Risk Factors

   31

Investment Restrictions

   36

Brokerage

   40

Portfolio Turnover

   42

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

   42

Portfolio Managers

   45

Distributors

   48

Distribution Plan

   49

Determination of Net Asset Value

   51

Additional Information on the Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares and Shareholder Programs

   51

Distributions and Federal Taxes

   60

Other Information

   63

Financial Statements

   72

Appendix A — Ratings of Bonds, Notes and Commercial Paper

   A-1

Appendix B — Proxy Voting Guidelines & Procedures Summary — ClearBridge Advisors

   B-1

This Statement of Additional Information is NOT a prospectus and is authorized for distribution to prospective investors only if preceded or accompanied by an effective Prospectus.

 

1


MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY

Trustees and Officers

The business and affairs of the Funds are managed by the Board of Trustees of the Company (the “Board”). The Board elects officers who are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Funds and who execute policies authorized by the Board.

The current Trustees, including the independent trustees of the Funds who are not “interested persons” of the Funds (the “Independent Trustees”), as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”) and executive officers of the Funds, their birth years, their principal occupations during at least the past five years (their titles may have varied during that period), the number of investment companies associated with Legg Mason the Trustees oversee, and other board memberships they hold are set forth below.

The address of each Trustee is c/o R. Jay Gerken, 399 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10022. The Funds have called a meeting of their shareholders to consider several proposals, including the election of a new Board. Each Trustee and officer holds office until that individual resigns, retires or is otherwise removed.

Name and Year of Birth

  

Position(s)
with Fund

  

Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

  

Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen
by Trustee

  

Other Board
Memberships Held
by Trustee During
Past Five Years

Interested Trustee*:

              

R. Jay Gerken

Born 1951

   President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer    Since 2002    Managing Director, Legg Mason & Co., LLC (“Legg Mason & Co.”); Chairman of the Board, Trustee, or Director of 162 funds associated with Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC (“LMPFA”) and its affiliates; President, LMPFA (since 2006); Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. or its affiliates; formerly, Chairman, Smith Barney Fund Management LLC (“SBFM”) and Citi Fund Management, Inc. (“CFM”) (2002 to 2005); formerly, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Travelers Investment Advisers Inc. (2002 to 2005); Portfolio Manager of Smith Barney Allocation Series Inc. (1996 to 2001).    162   

None

 

2


Name and Year of Birth

  

Position(s)
with Fund

  

Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

  

Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen
by Trustee

  

Other Board
Memberships Held
by Trustee During
Past Five Years

Independent Trustees:

              

Elliott J. Berv

Born 1943

   Trustee    Since 2001    President and Chief Executive Officer, Catalyst (consulting) (since 1984); Chief Executive Officer, Rocket City Enterprises (media) (2000 to 2005); Chief Executive Officer, Landmark City (real estate development) (2001 to 2004); Executive Vice President, DigiGym Systems (personal fitness systems) (2001 to 2004); Chief Executive Officer, Motocity USA (Motorsport Racing) (2004 to 2005).    42    Board Member, American Identity Corp. (doing business as Morpheus Technologies) (biometric information management) (since 2001); Director, Lapoint Industries (industrial filter company) (since 2002); Director, Alzheimer’s Association (New England Chapter) (since 1998)

A. Benton Cocanougher

Born 1938

   Trustee    Since 1991    Dean Emeritus and Professor, Texas A&M University (since 2001); formerly, Interim Chancellor, Texas A&M University System (2003 to 2004); formerly, Special Adviser to the President, Texas A&M University (2002 to 2003); formerly, Dean and Professor of Marketing, College and Graduate School of Business, Texas A&M University (1987 to 2001).    42    None

 

3


Name and Year of Birth

  

Position(s)
with Fund

  

Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

  

Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen
by Trustee

  

Other Board
Memberships Held
by Trustee During
Past Five Years

Mark T. Finn

Born 1943

   Trustee    Since 2001    Adjunct Professor, College of William & Mary (since 2002); Principal/Member, Balvan Partners (investment management) (since 2002); Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Owner, Vantage Consulting Group, Inc. (investment management) (since 1988); formerly, Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, Lindner Asset Management Company (mutual fund company) (1999 to 2001); formerly, General Partner and Shareholder, Greenwich Ventures LLC (investment partnership) (1996 to 2001).    42    None

Stephen Randolph Gross

Born 1947

   Trustee    Since 1986    Chairman, HLB Gross Collins, P.C. (accounting and consulting firm) (since 1979); Treasurer, Coventry Limited, Inc. (Senior Living Facilities) (since 1985); formerly, Managing Director, Fountainhead Ventures, L.L.C. (technology accelerator) (1998 to 2003); formerly, Treasurer, Hank Aaron Enterprises (fast food franchise) (1985 to 2001); formerly, Partner, Capital Investment Advisory Partners (leverage buyout consulting) (2000 to 2002); formerly, Secretary, Carint N.A. (manufacturing) (1998 to 2002)    42    Director, Andersen Calhoun (assisted living) (since 1987); formerly, Director, United Telesis, Inc. (telecommunications) (1997 to 2002); formerly, Director, ebank Financial Services, Inc. (1997 to 2004).

 

4


Name and Year of Birth

  

Position(s)
with Fund

  

Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

  

Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen
by Trustee

  

Other Board
Memberships Held
by Trustee During
Past Five Years

Diana R. Harrington

Born 1940

   Trustee    Since 2001    Professor, Babson College (since 1992).   

42

   None

Susan B. Kerley

Born 1951

   Trustee    Since 2001    Investment Consulting Partner, Strategic Management Advisers, LLC (investment consulting) (since 1990)    42    Chairman and Independent Board Member of Eclipse Fund, Inc. and Eclipse Funds (which trade as Mainstay Funds) (currently supervises 16 investment companies in the Fund complex) (since 1991).

Alan G. Merten

Born 1941

   Trustee    Since 1990    President, George Mason University (since 1996).    42    Trustee, First Potomac Realty Trust (since 2005); Director, Xybernaut Corporation (information technology) (2004 to 2006); Director, Digital Net Holdings, Inc. (2003 to 2004); Director, Comshare, Inc. (information technology) (1985 to 2003); Director, BTG, Inc. (information systems) (1997 to 2001).

R. Richardson Pettit

Born 1942

   Trustee    Since 1990   

Formerly, Duncan Professor of

Finance, University of Houston (1977 to 2006)

  

42

   None

* Mr. Gerken and each officer of the Funds is an “interested person,” as defined in the 1940 Act, because of their position with the manager and/or certain of its affiliates.

 

5


Name and Year of Birth

  

Position(s)
with Fund

  

Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

Additional Officers*:

        

Ted P. Becker

399 Park Avenue

Born 1951

   Chief Compliance Officer    Since 2006    Director of Global Compliance at Legg Mason, Inc. (2006 to present); Managing Director of Compliance at Legg Mason & Co., LLC (“Legg Mason & Co.”) (2005 to present); Chief Compliance Officer with certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. (since 2006); Chief Compliance Officer of Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC (“LMPFA”) and certain affiliates; Managing Director of Compliance at Citigroup Asset Management (“CAM,” a group of affiliated investment advisers, which included Smith Barney Fund Management (“SBFM”), Smith Barney Asset Management and Citi Fund Management (“CFM”) and other affiliated investment advisory entities) (2002 to 2005). Prior to 2002, Managing Director-Internal Audit & Risk Review at Citigroup Inc.

John Chiota

300 First Stamford

Place

5th Floor

Stamford, CT 06902

Born 1968

   Chief Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer    Since 2006    Vice President of Legg Mason & Co. (since 2005); Vice President of CAM (since 2004); Chief Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. (since 2006). Prior to August 2004, Chief Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer of TD Waterhouse.

Robert I. Frenkel

300 First Stamford

Place

Stamford, CT 06902

Born 1954

   Secretary and Chief Legal Officer    Since 2003    Managing Director and General Counsel of Global Mutual Funds for Legg Mason & Co. (since 2005); Managing Director and General Counsel of Global Mutual Funds for CAM (since 2000); Secretary and Chief Legal Officer of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. (since 2003). Previously, Secretary of CFM (2001 to 2004).

Thomas C. Mandia

300 First Stamford

Place

Stamford, CT 06902

Born 1962

   Assistant Secretary    Since 2000    Managing Director and Deputy General Counsel of Legg Mason & Co. (since 2005); Managing Director and Deputy General Counsel for CAM (since 1992); Assistant Secretary of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co.

Brian M. Angerame

125 Broad Street

New York, NY 10004

Born 1972

   Vice President and Investment Officer    Since 2005    Portfolio Manager and Director of ClearBridge. Previously, Mr. Angerame was Portfolio Manager of CAM.

Guy Bennett

125 Broad Street

New York, NY 10004

Born 1958

  

Vice President and Investment

Officer

   Since 2006    Portfolio Manager of Batterymarch (since 2001).

Derek J. Deutsch

125 Broad Street

New York, NY 10004

Born 1969

  

Vice President

and Investment

Officer

   Since 2005    Portfolio Manager and Vice President of ClearBridge. Previously, Mr. Deutsch was Portfolio Manager (since 2005) and an Analyst of CAM.

 

6


Name and Year of Birth

  

Position(s)
with Fund

  

Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

Christopher W. Floyd,

CFA

125 Broad Street

New York, NY 10004

Born 1970

   Vice President and Investment Officer    Since 2006    Portfolio Manager (since 2003) and previously, Quantitative Analyst (2000 to 2003) of Batterymarch.

Scott Glasser

125 Broad Street

New York, NY 10004

Born 1966

  

Vice President

and Investment

Officer

   Since 1996    Portfolio Manager, Managing Director and Co-Director of Research of ClearBridge. Previously, Mr. Glasser was Portfolio Manager of CAM.

Frances M. Guggino

125 Broad Street

New York, NY 10004

Born 1957

  

Chief Financial Officer and

Treasurer

   Since 2002    Director of Legg Mason & Co. or its predecessors; Treasurer and/or Controller of certain funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. or its predecessors.

Peter J. Hable

125 Broad Street

New York, NY 10004

Born 1958

   Vice President and Investment Officer    Since 1990    Portfolio Manager and Managing Director of ClearBridge; President of Davis Skaggs. Previously, Mr. Hable was Portfolio Manager of CAM.

Michael Kagan

125 Broad Street

New York, NY 10004

Born 1960

   Vice President and Investment Officer    Since 2000    Portfolio Manager, Managing Director and Co-Director of Research of ClearBridge. Previously, Mr. Kagan was Portfolio Manager of CAM.

Charles F. Lovejoy,

CFA

125 Broad Street

New York, NY 10004

Born 1954

   Vice President and Investment Officer    Since 2006    Portfolio Manager of Batterymarch (since 1992).

John Vietz, CFA

125 Broad Street

New York, NY 10004

Born 1971

   Vice President and Investment Officer    Since 2006    Portfolio Manager of Batterymarch (since 2005). Previously, Mr. Vietz was Equity Research Analyst at Manning & Napier and Barra Rogers Casey.

Timothy Woods,

CFA

125 Broad Street

New York, NY 10004

Born 1960

   Vice President and Investment Officer    Since 2001    Portfolio Manager and Managing Director of ClearBridge. Previously, Mr. Woods was Portfolio Manager of CAM.

* Mr. Gerken and each officer of the Fund is an “interested person”, as defined in the 1940 Act, because of their position with the manager and/or certain of its affiliates.

The business and affairs of the Fund are managed by or under the direction of the Board.

The Board has a standing Audit Committee comprising all Trustees who are not “interested persons,” within the meaning of the 1940 Act, of the Fund and who are “independent,” as defined in the New York Stock Exchange listing standards. The primary purposes of the Board’s Audit Committee are to assist the Board in fulfilling its responsibility for oversight of the integrity of the accounting, auditing and financial reporting practices of the Fund, the qualifications and independence of the Fund’s independent registered public

 

7


accounting firm, and the Fund’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The Audit Committee reviews the scope of the Fund’s audit, accounting and financial reporting policies and practices and internal controls. The Audit Committee approves, and recommends to the Independent Trustees for their ratification, the selection, appointment, retention or termination of the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firms. The Audit Committee also approves all audit and permissible non-audit services provided by the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firms to their manager or adviser and any affiliated service providers if the engagement relates directly to the Fund’s operations and financial reporting of the Fund. During the most recent fiscal year, the Audit Committee met four times.

The Board has a standing Governance Committee comprised of all of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund within the meaning of the 1940 Act. The Governance Committee is responsible for, among other things, recommending candidates to fill vacancies on the Board. The Governance Committee met              times during the most recent fiscal year. The Governance Committee may consider nominees recommended by a shareholder. Shareholders who wish to recommend a nominee should send recommendations to the Company’s Secretary that include all information relating to such person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for the election of Board Members. A recommendation must be accompanied by a written consent of the individual to stand for election if nominated by the Board and to serve if elected by the shareholders.

The Governance Committee also identifies potential nominees through its network of contacts and may also engage, if it deems appropriate, a professional search firm. The Governance Committee meets to discuss and consider such candidates’ qualifications and then chooses a candidate by majority vote. The Governance Committee does not have specific, minimum qualifications for nominees, and has not established specific qualities or skills that it regards as necessary for one or more of the Board Members to possess (other than any qualities or skills that may be required by applicable law, regulation or listing standard). However, in evaluating a person as a potential nominee to serve as a Board Member, the Governance Committee may consider the following factors, among any others it may deem relevant:

 

   

whether or not the person is an “interested person,” as defined in the 1940 Act, and whether the person is otherwise qualified under applicable laws and regulations to serve as a Board Member;

 

   

whether or not the person has any relationships that might impair his or her independence, such as any business, financial or family relationships with Fund management, the investment adviser, service providers or their affiliates;

 

   

whether or not the person serves on boards of, or is otherwise affiliated with, competing financial service organizations or their related mutual fund complexes;

 

   

whether or not the person is willing to serve, and willing and able to commit the time necessary for the performance of the duties of a Board Member;

 

   

the contribution which the person can make to the Board (or, if the person has previously served as a Board Member, the contribution which the person made to the Board during his or her previous term of service), with consideration being given to the person’s business and professional experience, education and such other factors as the Governance Committee may consider relevant;

 

   

the character and integrity of the person; and

 

   

whether or not the selection and nomination of the person would be consistent with the requirements of the retirement policies of the Company, as applicable.

The Board also has a standing Performance and Review Committee, which is comprised of all Board Members who are not “interested persons” within the meaning of the 1940 Act. The Performance and Review Committee is responsible for, among other things, reviewing performance and benchmarks and overseeing the implementation and renewal of the Fund’s management contract, distribution plan and distribution agreement. The Performance and Review Committee met four times during the most recent fiscal year.

 

8


The Board also has a Pricing Committee composed of the Chairman of the Board and one Independent Trustee which is charged with determining the fair value prices for securities when required. The Pricing Committee met four times during the most recent fiscal year.

The following table shows the amount of equity securities owned by the Trustees in the Fund and in other investment companies in the fund complex supervised by the Trustees as of December 31, 2006:

 

      Dollar Range of Equity Securities    Aggregate Dollar
Range of Equity
Securities in All
Investment Companies
in the Fund Complex
Overseen by the
Trustee

Name of Trustee

   Dividend Strategy Fund   

Interested Trustee

     

R. Jay Gerken

   $0    Over $100,000

Independent Trustees

     

Elliott J. Berv

   $0    $0

A. Benton Cocanougher

   $1 – $10,000    $10,001 – $50,000

Mark T. Finn

   $0    $10,001 – $50,000

Stephen Randolph Gross

   $0    $0

Diana R. Harrington

   $0    $10,001 – $50,000

Susan B. Kerley

   $0    $1 – $10,000

Alan G. Merten

   $1 – $10,000    $1 – $10,000

R. Richardson Pettit

   $0    $1,001 – $50,000

As of December 31, 2006, none of the Independent Trustees or their immediate family members owned beneficially or of record any securities of the manager, subadviser or distributors of the Fund, or in a person (other than a registered investment company) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with the manager, subadviser or distributors of the Fund.

Information regarding compensation paid to the Trustees as of the fiscal year ended October 31, 2006 is set forth below. The members of each Board who are not “interested persons,” as defined in the 1940 Act, receive a fee for each meeting of a Fund’s Board of Trustees and committee meetings attended and are reimbursed for all out-of-pocket expenses relating to attendance at such meetings. Mr. Gerken, an “interested person,” as defined in the 1940 Act, does not receive compensation from the funds but may be reimbursed for all out-of-pocket expenses relating to attendance at such meetings.

Each fund overseen by this Board pays a pro rata share of Trustee fees based upon asset size. The Fund currently pays each of the Trustees who is not a director, officer or employee of the manager or any of its affiliates its pro rata share of: an annual fee of $48,000 plus $12,000 for each regularly scheduled Board of Trustees meeting attended, $6,000 for each special telephonic Board meeting attended, and $500 for each ad-hoc telephonic meeting in which that Trustee participates. The lead Independent Trustee will receive an additional $10,000 per year and the Chairs of the Audit Committee and Performance and Review Committee will each receive an additional $7,500 per year. The Fund will reimburse Trustees for travel and out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with Board meetings. For the year ended December 31, 2006, the Trustees were reimbursed $63,493 for out-of-pocket expenses.

 

9


For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2006, the Trustees were paid the compensation listed below for service as a Trustee of the Fund and as trustee or director of other funds in the Legg Mason Partners fund complex.

Trustees Compensation Table

Trustee

  

Aggregate
Compensation

from
Dividend
Strategy

Fund(1)

   Pension or
Retirement
Benefits
Paid as Part
of Fund
Expenses(1)
   Total
Compensation
from Funds and
Fund Complex
Paid to Trustees(1)
   

Number of Funds

in Fund Complex

Served by Trustee(1)

Interested Trustee

          

R. Jay Gerken(2) 

   $ 0    None    $ 0     166

Independent Trustees

          

Elliott J. Berv

   $  4,123    None      154,500   (3)   37

Donald M. Carlton*

     4,455    None      164,500   (3)   37

A. Benton Cocanougher

     4,490    None      161,000   (3)   37

Mark T. Finn

     4,553    None      179,375   (3)   37

Stephen Randolph Gross

     5,072    None      191,000   (3)   37

Diana R. Harrington

     4,320    None      159,625   (3)   37

Susan B. Kerley

     4,456    None      173,000   (3)   37

Alan G. Merten

     4,124    None      148,500   (3)   37

R. Richardson Pettit

     4,124    None      154,500   (3)   37

(1)

Information is for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2006.

(2)

Mr. Gerken is not compensated for his service as Trustee because of his affiliation with the manager.

(3)

In addition to the amounts set forth above, Mr. Gross received $12,000 during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2006, for services as Trustees in attending additional meetings related to the consideration of new service provider arrangements. These amounts were borne by the manager and/or its affiliates and not by the Fund.

* Mr. Carlton retired from the Board as of December 31, 2006.

On June 19, 2006, the Board voted to establish a mandatory retirement age of 75 for current Trustees and 72 for other Trustees and to allow the Trustees to elect to retire as of the date on which Trustees elected in accordance with the October 9, 2006 Joint Proxy Statement accept their elections and commence service as Board Members (the “Effective Date”).

On July 10, 2006, the Board voted to amend its two retirement plans – a retirement plan applicable to all funds covered by the Board (the “General Retirement Plan”) and a retirement plan adopted by the Board of the Company relating to Messrs. Donald M. Carlton, A. Benton Cocanougher, Stephen Randolph Gross, Alan G. Merten and R. Richardson Pettit (the “Legg Mason Partners Investment Series Retirement Plan”). The amendments provide for the payment of certain benefits (in lieu of any other retirement payments under the plans) to Trustees who have not elected to retire as of the Effective Date. The benefits are as follows: Mr. Elliott J. Berv: $307,130; Mr. Cocanougher: $503,114; Mr. Mark T. Finn: $306,079; Mr. Gross: $318,788; Ms. Diana R. Harrington: $348,670; Ms. Susan B. Kerley: $217,984; Mr. Merten: $405,257; Mr. Pettit: $424,976. Each fund overseen by the Board will pay a pro rata share (based upon asset size) of such benefits. Legg Mason or its affiliates will reimburse each such fund in an amount equal to 50% of such benefits paid by it. In the event that a remaining Trustee dies prior to the Effective Date, the Trustee’s beneficiary will be entitled to the retirement benefits that would have been payable to a retired Trustee under the applicable plan prior to the amendments rather than the benefit amount set forth above.

 

10


Under the amended retirement plans, former Trustees that had retired prior to the date of the amendment and Trustees who are electing to retire as of the Effective Date are entitled to the retirement benefits that would have been payable under the applicable plan prior to the amendments.

During the most recent fiscal year, retired Trustees received the following retirement benefits under the General Retirement Plan: Messrs. Riley C. Gilley and E. Kirby Warren each received an aggregate of $70,000; Mr. William S. Woods received an aggregate of $17,250.

Mr. Carlton has elected to retire as of December 31, 2006. In connection therewith, under the Legg Mason Partners Investment Series Retirement Plan, Mr. Carlton is entitled to receive an aggregate retirement benefit of $517,678 (calculated on a net present value basis). Each fund of the Company (including the Funds) will pay a pro rata share (based upon asset size) of such aggregate retirement benefit. Legg Mason or its affiliates will reimburse each such fund an amount equal to 50% of the retirement benefits paid by the fund to Mr. Carlton.

As of February 12, 2007, all Trustees and officers as a group owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.

Officers receive no compensation from the Fund although they may be reimbursed for reasonable travel expenses for attending meetings of the Board of Trustees.

The Declaration of Trust of the Company provides that the Company will indemnify its Trustees and officers against liabilities and expenses incurred in connection with litigation in which they may be involved because of their offices with the Company, unless, as to liability to the Company, or its investors, it is finally adjudicated that they engaged in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in their offices, or unless with respect to any other matter it is finally adjudicated that they did not act in good faith in the reasonable belief that their actions were in the best interest of the Company. In the case of settlement, such indemnification will not be provided unless it has been determined by a court or other body approving the settlement or other disposition or a reasonable determination, based upon a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry) that such officers or trustees have not engaged in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of their duties. Rights to indemnification or insurance cannot be limited retroactively.

The Declaration of Trust of the Trust further provides that (i) the appointment, designation or identification of a Trustee as a member or chairperson of a committee of the Trustees, an expert on any topic or in any area (including an audit committee financial expert), or the lead Independent Trustee, or any other special appointment, designation or identification of a Trustee, shall not impose on that individual any duty, obligation or liability that is greater than the duties, obligations and liability imposed on that person as a Trustee in the absence of the appointment, designation or identification (except with respect to duties expressly imposed pursuant to the by-laws of the Trust, a committee charter or a Trust policy statement), (ii) no Trustee who has special skills or expertise, or is appointed, designated or identified shall be held to a higher standard of care by virtue thereof and (iii) no appointment, designation or identification of a Trustee shall affect in any way that Trustee’s rights to indemnification.

 

11


As of February 12, 2007, to the knowledge of the Fund, the following shareholders or “groups” (as such term is defined in Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) owned beneficially or of record 5% or more of the shares of the share class indicated:

 

Fund

   Class    Percent   

Name

  

Address

Dividend Strategy Fund

   A    96.5%    PFPC Brokerage Services   

Main Office

FBO Primerica Financial Services

760 Moore Road

King Of Prussia, PA 19406

   B    92.6%    PFPC Brokerage Services   

Main Office

FBO Primerica Financial Services

760 Moore Road

King Of Prussia, PA 19406

Investment Manager

LMPFA serves as investment manager to the Fund pursuant to an investment management agreement (the “Management Agreement”) with an initial term ending November 30, 2007. LMPFA, with offices at 399 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10022, is a recently-organized investment adviser that has been formed to serve as the investment manager of the Fund and other Legg Mason-sponsored funds. LMPFA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Legg Mason. Legg Mason, whose principal executive offices are at 100 Light Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, is a global asset management company. As of September 30, 2006, Legg Mason’s asset management operation had aggregate assets under management of approximately $891 billion. LMPFA provides administrative and certain oversight services to the Fund and manages the cash and short-term investments of the Funds.

Under the Management Agreement, subject to the supervision and direction of the Fund’s Board, the manager is delegated the responsibility of managing the Fund’s portfolios in accordance with the Fund’s stated investment objectives and policies, making investment decisions for the Fund and placing orders to purchase and sell securities. The manager also performs administrative and management services necessary for the operation of the Funds, such as (i) supervising the overall administration of the Fund, including negotiation of contracts and fees with and the monitoring of performance and billings of the Fund’s transfer agent, shareholder servicing agents, custodian and other independent contractors or agents; (ii) providing certain compliance, fund accounting, regulatory reporting, and tax reporting services; (iii) preparing or participating in the preparation of Board materials, registration statements, proxy statements and reports and other communications to shareholders; (iv) maintaining the Fund’s existence, and (v) maintaining the registration and qualification of the Fund’s shares under federal and state laws.

The Management Agreements will continue in effect from year to year provided such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (a) by the Fund’s Board or by a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act), and (b) in either event, by a majority of the Independent Trustees with such Independent Trustees casting votes in person at a meeting called for such purpose.

The Management Agreement provide that the manager may render services to others. The Management Agreement is terminable without penalty on not more than 60 days’ nor less than 30 days’ written notice by the Fund when authorized either by a vote of holders of shares representing a majority of the voting power of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act) or by a vote of a majority of the Fund’s Trustees, or by the manager on not less than 90 days’ written notice, and will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment. The Management Agreement provides that neither the manager nor its personnel shall be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss arising out of any investment or for any act or omission in the execution of security transactions for the Fund, except for willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence or reckless disregard of its or their obligations and duties.

 

12


For its services provided under the Management Agreement, the manager is entitled to receive fees, which are computed daily and paid monthly, at the following annual rates of the Fund’s average daily net assets on an annualized basis for the Fund’s then-current fiscal year: 0.65% up to $1 billion; 0.60% on the next $1 billion; 0.55% on the next $1 billion; 0.50% on the next $1 billion; and 0.45% on net assets thereafter. The manager may reimburse the Fund for, or waive, all or any portion of its management fees.

Prior to July 31, 2006, Smith Barney Fund Management LLC (“SBFM”) served as the Fund’s manager under the same fee schedules as described above.

For the fiscal years ended October 31, 2004, 2005 and 2006 the Fund incurred management fees as follows:

 

Fund

   2004(1)    2005(2)    2006(3)

Dividend Strategy Fund

   $ 18,717,855    $ 17,449,076    $ 16,079,042

(1)

The manager waived a portion of the management fee and reimbursed certain expenses in the amount of $24,868 to the Dividend Strategy Fund. After waivers and reimbursements, management fees were $18,692,987 for the Dividend Strategy Fund.

(2)

The manager reimbursed certain expenses in the amount of $2,446,545 to the Dividend Strategy Fund. After reimbursements, management fees were $15,002,531 for the Dividend Strategy Fund.

(3)

The manager reimbursed certain expenses in the amount of and $1,987,526 to the Dividend Strategy Fund. After reimbursements, management fees were $14,091,516 for the Dividend Strategy Fund.

Subadvisers

ClearBridge Advisors, LLC (“ClearBridge”) serves as the subadviser to the Fund pursuant to a sub-advisory agreement between the manager and ClearBridge that was approved by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, on June 29, 2006. ClearBridge is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Legg Mason.

Under the sub-advisory agreement, subject to the supervision and direction of the Board and the manager, the subadviser will manage the Fund’s portfolio (or allocated portion thereof) in accordance with the Fund’s stated investment objective(s) and policies, assist in supervising all aspects of the Fund’s operations, make investment decisions for the Fund, place orders to purchase and sell securities, and employ professional portfolio managers and securities analysts who provide research services to the Fund.

The sub-advisory agreement has an initial term ending on November 30, 2007 and will continue in effect from year to year thereafter provided such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (a) by the Board or by a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act), and (b) in either event, by a majority of the Independent Trustees with such Independent Trustees casting votes in person at a meeting called for such purpose. The Board or a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act) may terminate its sub-advisory agreement without penalty, in each case on not more than 60 days’ nor less than 30 days’ written notice to the subadviser. The subadviser may terminate the sub-advisory agreement on 90 days’ written notice to the Fund and the manager. The manager and the sub-advisory agreement upon their mutual written consent. The sub-advisory agreement will terminate automatically in the event of assignment by the subadviser and shall not be assignable by the manager without the consent of the subadviser.

As compensation for sub-advisory services for the Dividend Strategy Fund, the manager will pay ClearBridge a fee equal to 70% of the management fee paid to LMPFA, net of expense waivers and reimbursements. For the period from August 1, 2006 through October 31, 2006, the manager paid the subadviser subadvisory fees of $2,836,239.13.

 

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Expenses

In addition to amounts payable under the Management Agreement and the 12b-1 Plans (as discussed below), is responsible for its own expenses, including, among other things, interest; taxes; governmental fees; voluntary assessments and other expenses incurred in connection with membership in investment company organizations; organization costs of the Fund; the cost (including brokerage commissions, transaction fees or charges, if any) in connection with the purchase or sale of the Fund’s securities and other investments and any losses in connection therewith; fees and expenses of custodians, transfer agents, registrars, independent pricing vendors or other agents; legal expenses; loan commitment fees; expenses relating to share certificates; expenses relating to the issuing and redemption or repurchase of the Fund’s shares and servicing shareholder accounts; expenses of registering and qualifying the Fund’s shares for sale under applicable federal and state law; expenses of preparing, setting in print, printing and distributing prospectuses and statements of additional information and any supplements thereto, reports, proxy statements, notices and dividends to the Fund’s shareholders; costs of stationery; website costs; costs of meetings of the Board or any committee thereof, meetings of shareholders and other meetings of the Fund; Board fees; audit fees; travel expenses of officers, members of the Board and employees of the Fund, if any; and the Fund’s pro rata portion of premiums on any fidelity bond and other insurance covering the Fund and its officers, Board members and employees; litigation expenses and any nonrecurring or extraordinary expenses as may arise, including, without limitation, those relating to actions, suits or proceedings to which the Fund is a party and the legal obligation which the Fund may have to indemnify the Fund’s Board members and officers with respect thereto.

Management may agree to waive fees and/or reimburse operating expenses for one or more classes of shares, either through contractual or voluntary arrangements. Any such waivers and/or reimbursements are described in the Fund’s Prospectus. The contractual and voluntary fee waivers and/or reimbursements do not cover extraordinary expenses, such as (a) any expenses or charges related to litigation, derivative actions, demand related to litigation, regulatory or other government investigations and proceedings, “for cause” regulatory inspections and indemnification or advancement of related expenses or costs, to the extent any such expenses are considered extraordinary expenses for the purposes of fee disclosure in Form N-1A as the same may be amended from time to time; (b) transaction costs (such as brokerage commissions and dealer and underwriter spreads) and taxes; and (c) other extraordinary expenses as determined for the purposes of fee disclosure in Form N-1A, as the same may be amended from time to time. Without limiting the foregoing, extraordinary expenses are generally those that are unusual or expected to recur only infrequently, and may include such expenses, by way of illustration, as (i) expenses of the reorganization, restructuring, redomiciling or merger of a Fund or class or the acquisition of all or substantially all of the assets of another fund or class; (ii) expenses of holding, and soliciting proxies for, a meeting of shareholders of the fund or class (except to the extent relating to routine items such as the election of board members or the approval of the independent registered public accounting firm); and (iii) expenses of converting to a new custodian, transfer agent or other service provider, in each case to the extent any such expenses are considered extraordinary expenses for the purposes of fee disclosure in Form N-1A as the same may be amended from time to time.

Code of Ethics

Pursuant to Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act, the Fund, the manager, the subadviser and the distributors have adopted codes of ethics that permit their respective personnel to invest in securities for their own accounts, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund. All personnel must place the interests of clients first and avoid activities, interests and relationships that might interfere with the duty to make decisions in the best interests of the clients. All personal securities transactions by employees must adhere to the requirements of the codes and must be conducted in such a manner as to avoid any actual or potential conflict of interest, the appearance of such a conflict, or the abuse of an employee’s position of trust and responsibility.

Copies of the codes of ethics of the Fund, the manager, the subadviser and the distributors are on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

 

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Proxy Voting Guidelines & Procedures

Although individual Trustees may not agree with particular policies or votes by the manager or subadviser, the Board has delegated proxy voting discretion to the manager and/or the subadviser, believing that the manager and/or the subadviser should be responsible for voting because it is a matter relating to the investment decision making process.

LMPFA delegates the responsibility for voting proxies for the Fund, as applicable, to the subadviser through its contracts with the subadviser. The subadviser will use its own proxy voting policies and procedures to vote proxies. Accordingly, LMPFA does not expect to have proxy-voting responsibility for the Fund. Should LMPFA become responsible for voting proxies for any reason, such as the inability of the subadviser to provide investment advisory services, LMPFA shall utilize the proxy voting guidelines established by the most recent subadviser to vote proxies until a new subadviser is retained. In the case of a material conflict between the interests of LMPFA (or its affiliates if such conflict is known to persons responsible for voting at LMPFA) and the Fund, the Board of Directors of LMPFA shall consider how to address the conflict and/or how to vote the proxies. LMPFA shall maintain records of all proxy votes in accordance with applicable securities laws and regulations, to the extent that LMPFA votes proxies. LMPFA shall be responsible for gathering relevant documents and records related to proxy voting from the subadviser and providing them to the Fund as required for the Fund to comply with applicable rules under the 1940 Act.

Each subadviser's Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures govern in determining how proxies relating to the Fund’s portfolio securities are voted, a summary of which is attached as Appendix B to this SAI. Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies (if any) relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available without charge (1) by calling 1-888-425-6432, (2) on the Fund’s website at http://www.leggmason.com/InvestorServices and (3) on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, MANAGEMENT POLICIES AND ASSOCIATED RISKS

The Prospectuses discuss the investment objectives of the Fund and the policies they employ to achieve such objectives. This section contains a discussion of the Fund’s investment objectives, investment policies and certain of the risks associated with these practices, and supplements the description of the Fund’s investments and risks contained in the Prospectus. The selection of investments and the utilization of investment techniques depends on, among other things, the subadviser’s investment strategies for the Fund, conditions and trends in the economy and financial markets and investments being available on terms that, in the subadviser’s opinion, make economic sense. The Fund may engage in these and any other practices not prohibited by its investment restrictions. Investment objectives and management policies may be changed by the Trustees without shareholder approval. For further information regarding the risks associated with these practices, see “Additional Risk Factors” below.

Dividend Strategy Fund seeks capital appreciation, principally through investments in dividend-paying stocks.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal market conditions, at least 80% of Dividend Strategy Fund’s assets will be invested in dividend-paying stocks. Dividend Strategy Fund may, under normal circumstances, invest up to 20% of its assets in other types of equity securities, such as preferred stocks, warrants and securities convertible into common stocks, and in other securities of issuers. Dividend Strategy Fund may also make investments in companies that are not expected to pay dividends. The Fund may also invest in securities of foreign issuers.

Additional Information

The Fund’s principal investment strategies are described above. The following provides additional information about these principal strategies and describes other investment strategies that may be used by the fund.

 

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The Fund is permitted to seek its investment objective by investing all or a portion of its assets in one or more investment companies to the extent not prohibited by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder, and exemptive orders granted under the Act.

Dividend Strategy Fund

The Dividend Strategy Fund seeks capital appreciation, principally through investments in dividend-paying stocks. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective primarily through investments in common stocks and other equity securities. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in dividend-paying stocks. Although this policy relating to dividend-paying stocks may be changed without shareholder approval, the Fund will provide its shareholders with at least 60 days prior notice of any change in this policy. The Fund may also invest in securities of foreign issuers.

The Dividend Strategy Fund also may hold a portion of its assets in high grade short-term debt securities and high grade corporate or government bonds in order to provide liquidity. The amount of assets the Fund may hold for liquidity purposes is based on market conditions and the need to meet redemption requests. A description of the ratings of commercial paper and bonds is contained in the Appendix A. Short term investments may include repurchase agreements with banks or broker-dealers. The Fund may engage in portfolio management strategies and techniques involving options, futures contracts and options on futures.

Certain policies of the Dividend Strategy Fund, such as purchasing and selling options on stocks, purchasing options on stock indices and purchasing stock futures or stock index futures contracts and options thereon involve inherently greater investment risk and could result in more volatile price fluctuations.

Equity Securities

Common Stocks. Common stocks are shares of a corporation or other entity that entitle the holder to a pro rata share of the profits of the corporation, if any, without preference over any other shareholder or class of shareholders, including holders of the entity’s preferred stock and other senior equity. Common stock usually carries with it the right to vote and frequently an exclusive right to do so.

Common stocks do not represent an obligation of the issuer. The issuance of debt securities or preferred stock by an issuer will create prior claims which could adversely affect the rights of holders of common stock with respect to the assets of the issuer upon liquidation or bankruptcy.

Preferred Stocks. The Fund may invest in preferred stocks. Preferred stocks, like common stocks, represent an equity ownership in an issuer, but generally have a priority claim over common stocks, but not over debt, with respect to dividend payments and upon the liquidation or bankruptcy of the issuer. Therefore, preferred stock is subject to the credit risk of the issuer, but because of its subordinate position to debt obligations of the issuer, the deterioration of the credit of an issuer is likely to cause greater decreases in the value of preferred stock than in more senior debt obligations. The market value of preferred stocks with no conversion rights and fixed dividend rates, like fixed income securities, tends to move inversely with interest rates, with the price determined by the dividend rate. However, because most preferred stocks do not have a fixed maturity date (although they may have call features giving the issuer the right to call the securities under certain circumstances or redemption features giving the holder the right to cause the issuer to repurchase the securities under certain circumstances), these securities generally will fluctuate more in value when interest rates change than, for example, debt issued by the same issuer. Some preferred stocks may pay dividends at an adjustable rate, based on an auction, an index or other formula. In the absence of credit deterioration, adjustable rate preferred stocks tend to have less price volatility than fixed rate preferred stocks.

Unlike common stocks, preferred stocks do not typically have voting rights. Some preferred stocks have convertible features. See “Convertible Securities” below.

Convertible Securities. Convertible debt securities and preferred stock entitle the holder to acquire the issuer’s common stock by exchange or purchase for a predetermined rate. Convertible securities are subject both

 

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to the credit and interest rate risks associated with fixed income securities and to the stock market risk associated with equity securities. Convertible securities rank senior to common stocks in a corporation’s capital structure. They are consequently of higher quality and entail less risk than the corporation’s common stock, although the extent to which such risk is reduced depends in large measure upon the degree to which the convertible security sells above its value as a fixed income security. In general, the market value of a convertible security is the greater of its investment value as a fixed income security or its conversion value (the value of the underlying common stock if the security is converted). The Fund may purchase convertible securities rated Ba or lower by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or BB or lower by Standard & Poor’s, a division of McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“S&P”) and may also purchase non-rated securities considered by the subadviser to be of comparable quality. Although the Fund selects these securities primarily on the basis of their equity characteristics, investors should be aware that debt securities rated in these categories are considered high risk securities; the rating agencies consider them speculative, and payment of interest and principal is not considered well assured. To the extent that such convertible securities are acquired by the Fund, there is a greater risk as to the timely payment of the principal of, and timely payment of interest or dividends on, such securities than in the case of higher rated convertible securities.

Warrants. Warrants acquired by the Fund entitle it to buy common stock from the issuer at a specified price and time. Warrants are subject to the same market risks as stocks, but may be more volatile in price. Because investing in warrants can provide a greater potential for profit or loss than an equivalent investment in the underlying security, warrants involve leverage and are considered speculative investments. At the time of issuance of a warrant, the cost is generally substantially less than the cost of the underlying security itself, and therefore, the investor is able to gain exposure to the underlying security with a relatively low capital investment. Price movements in the underlying security are generally magnified in the price movements of the warrant, although changes in the market value of the warrant may not necessarily correlate to the prices of the underlying security. The Fund’s investment in warrants will not entitle it to receive dividends or exercise voting rights and will become worthless if the warrants cannot be profitably exercised before the expiration dates.

REITs. Real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) are pooled investment vehicles that invest in real estate or real estate loans or interests. The Fund’s investments in REITs are subject to the risks associated with particular properties and with the real estate market in general, including the risks of a general downturn in real estate values. REITs are dependent upon management skills, are not diversified, and are subject to risks of project financing, default by borrowers, self-liquidation, and the possibility of failing to qualify for the exemption from taxation on distributed amounts under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). Like mutual funds, REITs have expenses, including advisory and administration fees paid by REIT shareholders, and, as a result, an investor is subject to a duplicate level of fees if a Fund invests in REITs.

Fixed Income Securities

Corporate Debt Obligations. Corporate debt obligations are subject to the risk of an issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligations and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as market interest rates, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. Zero coupon securities are securities sold at a discount to par value and on which interest payments are not made during the life of the security. Because zero coupon securities do not pay current interest in cash, these securities are subject to greater credit risk and greater fluctuation in value in response to changes in market interest rates than debt obligations that pay interest currently.

U.S. Government Securities. The U.S. Government securities in which the Fund may invest include bills, certificates of indebtedness, and notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury or by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government. Some U.S. Government securities, such as U.S. Treasury bills and bonds, are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury; others are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; others are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase the agency’s obligations; still others are supported only by the credit of the instrumentality.

 

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Short-Term Investments. In certain circumstances the Fund may invest without limitation in all types of short-term money market instruments, including U.S. Government securities; certificates of deposit, time deposits and bankers’ acceptances issued by domestic banks (including their branches located outside the United States and subsidiaries located in Canada), domestic branches of foreign banks, savings and loan associations and similar institutions; high grade commercial paper; and repurchase agreements. To the extent the Fund is investing in short-term investments as a temporary defensive posture, the Fund’s investment objective may not be achieved.

Commercial Paper. Commercial paper consists of short-term (usually 1 to 270 days) unsecured promissory notes issued by corporations in order to finance their current operations. A variable amount master demand note (which is a type of commercial paper) represents a direct borrowing arrangement involving periodically fluctuating rates of interest under a letter agreement between a commercial paper issuer and an institutional lender, such the Fund, pursuant to which the lender may determine to invest varying amounts. Transfer of such notes is usually restricted by the issuer, and there is no secondary trading market for such notes. The Fund therefore may only invest in a master demand note to the extent that the investment would not violate the Fund’s limits on restricted and illiquid securities.

Commercial Bank Obligations. The Fund may invest in bank obligations, i.e., certificates of deposit, time deposits (including Eurodollar time deposits) and bankers’ acceptances and other short-term debt obligations issued by domestic banks, foreign subsidiaries or foreign branches of domestic banks, domestic savings and loan associations and other banking institutions. A bankers’ acceptance is a bill of exchange or time draft drawn on and accepted by a commercial bank. It is used by corporations to finance the shipment and storage of goods and to furnish dollar exchange. Maturities are generally six months or less. A certificate of deposit is a negotiable interest-bearing instrument with a specific maturity. Certificates of deposit are issued by banks and savings and loan institutions in exchange for the deposit of funds and normally can be traded in the secondary market prior to maturity. A time deposit is a non-negotiable receipt issued by a bank in exchange for the deposit of funds. Like a certificate of deposit, it earns a specified rate of interest over a definite period of time; however, it cannot be traded in the secondary market. Time deposits with a withdrawal penalty are considered to be illiquid securities.

The Dividend Strategy Fund may invest in bank obligations issued by foreign banks. As with investment in foreign securities in general, investments in the obligations of foreign branches of U.S. banks and of foreign banks may subject the Dividend Strategy Fund to investment risks that are different in some respects from those of investments in obligations of domestic issuers.

Derivative Contracts

Writing Covered Call and Put Options. The Fund may write (sell) covered call and put options for hedging and non-hedging purposes. Covered call options will generally be written on securities and currencies which, in the opinion of the subadviser, are not expected to make any major price moves in the near future but which, over the long term, are deemed to be attractive investments for the Funds.

A call option written by the Fund is “covered” if the Fund owns the security underlying the call or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that security without additional cash consideration (or for additional cash consideration held in a segregated account) upon conversion or exchange of other securities held in its portfolio. A call option is also covered if the Fund holds a call on the same security and in the same principal amount as the call written where the exercise price of the call held (a) is equal to or less than the exercise price of the call written or (b) is greater than the exercise price of the call written if the difference is maintained by the Fund in cash or liquid securities in a segregated account. A put option written by the Fund is “covered” if the Fund maintains cash or liquid securities with a value equal to the exercise price in a segregated account, or else holds a put on the same security and in the same principal amount as the put written where the exercise price of the put held is equal to or greater than the exercise price of the put written or where the exercise price of the put held is less than the exercise price of the put written if the difference is maintained by the Fund in cash or liquid securities in a segregated account. Put and call options written by the Fund may also be covered in such other

 

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manner as may be in accordance with the requirements of the exchange on which, or the counterparty with which, the option is traded, and applicable laws and regulations. Even if the Fund’s obligation is covered, it is subject to the risk of the full change in value of the underlying security from the time the option is written until exercise. Covering an option does not protect the Fund from risk of loss.

Portfolio securities or currencies on which call options may be written will be purchased solely on the basis of investment considerations consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. When the Fund writes a call option, the Fund, in return for a fee, or “premium”, agrees to sell a security or currency at the exercise price, if the holder exercises the right to purchase prior to the expiration date of the call option. If the Fund holds the security or currency in question, the Fund gives up some or all of the opportunity to profit from the increase in the market price of the security or currency during the life of the option. The Fund retains the risk of loss should the price of the security or currency decline. If the option expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a gain equal to the premium, which may be offset by a decline in price of the underlying security or currency. If the option is exercised, the Fund realizes a gain or loss equal to the difference between the Fund’s cost for the underlying security or currency and the proceeds of sale (exercise price minus commissions) plus the amount of the premium.

The Fund may terminate a call option it has written before it expires by entering into a closing purchase transaction. The Fund may enter into closing purchase transactions in order to free itself to sell the underlying security or currency or to write another call on the security or currency, realize a profit on a previously written call option, or protect a security or currency from being called in an unexpected market rise. Any profits from closing a purchase transaction may be offset by a decline in the value of the underlying security or currency. Conversely, because increases in the market price of a call option will generally reflect increases in the market price of the underlying security or currency, if the Fund holds the underlying security or currency any loss resulting from a closing purchase transaction is likely to be offset in whole or in part by unrealized appreciation of the underlying security or currency. If the Fund does not hold the underlying security or currency, the Fund’s loss could be unlimited.

Portfolio securities or currencies on which put options may be written will be purchased solely on the basis of investment considerations consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The Fund may write put options in an attempt to enhance its current return. Such option transactions may also be used as a limited form of hedging against an increase in the price of securities or currency that a Fund plans to purchase. A put option written by the Fund gives the holder the right to sell, and, in return for a premium, obligates the Fund to buy, a security or currency at the exercise price at any time before the expiration date.

In addition to the receipt of premiums and the potential gains from terminating such options in closing purchase transactions, the Fund may also receive a return on the cash and debt securities maintained to cover the exercise price of the option. By writing a put option, the Fund assumes the risk that it may be required to purchase the underlying security or currency for an exercise price higher than its then current market value, resulting in a loss to the Fund, unless the security or currency later appreciates in value. The Fund may terminate a put option it has written before it expires by a closing purchase transaction. Any loss from this transaction may be partially or entirely offset by the premium received on the terminated option.

Each of the United States exchanges has established limitations governing the maximum number of call or put options on the same underlying security (whether or not covered) that may be written by a single investor, whether acting alone or in concert with others, regardless of whether such options are written on one or more accounts or through one or more brokers. An exchange may order the liquidation of positions found to be in violation of those limits, and it may impose other sanctions or restrictions. These position limits may restrict the number of options the Fund may be able to write.

Transaction costs relating to options activity are normally higher than those applicable to purchases and sales of portfolio securities.

 

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The exercise price of the options may be below, equal to or above the current market values of the underlying securities or currencies at the time the options are written. From time to time, the Fund may purchase an underlying security or currency for delivery in accordance with the exercise of an option, rather than delivering such security or currency from its portfolio. In such cases, additional costs will be incurred. The Fund will realize a profit or loss from a closing purchase transaction if the cost of the transaction is less or more, respectively, than the premium received from the writing of the option. Because increases in the market price of a call option will generally reflect increases in the market price of the underlying security or currency, any loss resulting from the repurchase of a call option is likely to be offset in whole or in part by appreciation of the underlying security or currency owned by the Fund.

The use of options by the Fund may involve leveraging. Leveraging adds increased risks to the Fund, because the Fund’s losses may be out of proportion to the amount invested in the instrument — a relatively small investment may lead to much greater losses.

Purchasing Put Options. The Fund may purchase put options. As the holder of a put option, the Fund has the right to sell the underlying security or currency at the exercise price at any time during the option period. The Fund may enter into closing sale transactions with respect to such options, exercise them or permit them to expire.

The Fund may purchase a put option on an underlying security or currency (a “protective put”) owned by the Fund as a hedging technique in order to protect against an anticipated decline in the value of the security or currency. Such hedge protection is provided only during the life of the put option when the Fund, as the holder of the put option, is able to sell the underlying security or currency at the put exercise price regardless of any decline in the underlying security’s market price or currency’s exchange value. For example, a put option may be purchased in order to protect unrealized appreciation of a security or currency when the subadviser deems it desirable to continue to hold the security or currency because of tax considerations. The premium paid for the put option and any transaction costs may reduce any capital gain or, in the case of currency, ordinary income otherwise available for distribution when the security or currency is eventually sold.

The Fund may also purchase put options at a time when the Fund does not own the underlying security or currency. By purchasing put options on a security or currency it does not own, the Fund seeks to benefit from a decline in the market price of the underlying security or currency. If the put option is not sold when it has remaining value, and if the market price of the underlying security or currency remains equal to or greater than the exercise price during the life of the put option, the Fund will lose its entire investment in the put option. In order for the purchase of a put option to be profitable, the market price of the underlying security or currency must decline sufficiently below the exercise price to cover the premium and transaction costs, unless the put option is sold in a closing sale transaction.

The premium paid by the Fund when purchasing a put option will be recorded as an asset in the Fund’s statement of assets and liabilities. This asset will be adjusted daily to the option’s current market value, as calculated by the Fund. The asset will be extinguished upon expiration of the option or the delivery of the underlying security or currency upon the exercise of the option. The asset with respect to a listed option will also be extinguished upon the writing of an identical option in a closing transaction.

Purchasing Call Options. The Fund may purchase call options. As the holder of a call option, the Fund has the right to purchase the underlying security or currency at the exercise price at any time during the option period. The Fund may enter into a closing sale transaction with respect to such options, exercise them or permit them to expire. Call options may be purchased by the Fund for the purpose of acquiring the underlying security or currency for its portfolio. Utilized in this fashion, the purchase of call options enables the Fund to acquire the security or currency at the exercise price of the call option plus the premium paid. At times the net cost of acquiring the security or currency in this manner may be less than the cost of acquiring the security or currency directly. This technique may also be useful to the Fund in purchasing a large block of securities that would be more difficult to acquire by direct market purchases. So long as it holds such a call option rather than the

 

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underlying security or currency itself, the Fund is partially protected from any unexpected decline in the market price of the underlying security or currency and in such event could allow the call option to expire, incurring a loss only to the extent of the premium paid for the option.

The Fund may also purchase call options on underlying securities or currencies it owns in order to protect unrealized gains on call options previously written by it. A call option would be purchased for this purpose where tax considerations make it inadvisable to realize such gains through a closing purchase transaction.

Options on Stock Indices. Options on stock indices are similar to options on stock, but the delivery requirements are different. Instead of giving the right to take or make delivery of stock at a specified price, an option on a stock index gives the holder the right to receive an amount of cash upon exercise of the option. Receipt of this cash amount will depend upon the closing level of the stock index upon which the option is based being greater than (in the case of a call) or less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option. The amount of cash received will be the difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the option, multiplied by a specified dollar multiple. The writer of the option is obligated, in return for the premium received, to make delivery of this amount. Some stock index options are based on a broad market index such as the Standard & Poor’s 500 or the New York Stock Exchange Composite Index, or a narrower index such as the Standard & Poor’s 100. Indices are also based on an industry or market segment such as the AMEX Oil and Gas Index or the Computer and Business Equipment Index. Options are currently traded on The Chicago Board Options Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange and other exchanges. Gain or loss to a Fund on transactions in stock index options will depend on price movements in the stock market generally (or in a particular industry or segment of the market) rather than price movements of individual securities. As with stock options, the Fund may offset its position in stock index options prior to expiration by entering into a closing transaction on an Exchange, or it may let the option expire unexercised.

Futures Contracts. The Fund may enter into interest rate or currency Futures Contracts (“Futures” or “Futures Contracts”) as a hedge against changes in prevailing levels of interest rates or currency exchange rates in order to establish more definitely the effective return on securities or currencies held or committed to be acquired by the Fund. The Fund’s hedging may include holding Futures as an offset against anticipated changes in interest or currency exchange rates. The Fund may also enter into Futures Contracts based on financial indices including any index of U.S. Government securities, foreign government securities, equity securities or corporate debt securities.

A Futures Contract provides for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific financial instrument or currency for a specified price at a designated date, time and place. The purchaser of a Futures Contract on an index agrees to take or make delivery of an amount of cash equal to the difference between a specified dollar multiple of the value of the index on the expiration date of the contract (“current contract value”) and the price at which the contract was originally struck. No physical delivery of the debt securities underlying the index is made. Brokerage fees are incurred when a Futures Contract is bought or sold, and margin deposits must be maintained at all times that the Futures Contract is outstanding.

Although techniques other than sales and purchases of Futures Contracts could be used to reduce the Fund’s exposure to interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations or other market factors, the Fund may be able to hedge its exposure more effectively and at a lower cost through using Futures Contracts.

Although Futures Contracts typically require future delivery of and payment for financial instruments or currencies, Futures Contracts are usually closed out before the delivery date. Closing out an open Futures Contract sale or purchase is effected by entering into an offsetting Futures Contract purchase or sale, respectively, for the same aggregate amount of the identical financial instrument or currency and the same delivery date. If the offsetting purchase price is less than the original sale price, the Fund realizes a gain; if it is more, the Fund realizes a loss. Conversely, if the offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, the Fund realizes a gain; if it is less, the Fund realizes a loss. The transaction costs must also be included in these calculations. There can be no assurance, however, that the Fund will be able to enter into an offsetting transaction

 

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with respect to a particular Futures Contract at a particular time. If the Fund is not able to enter into an offsetting transaction, the Fund will continue to be required to maintain the margin deposits of the underlying financial instrument or currency on the relevant delivery date. The Fund intend to enter into Futures transactions only on exchanges or boards of trade where there appears to be a liquid secondary market. However, there can be no assurance that such a market will exist for a particular contract at a particular time.

As an example of an offsetting transaction, the contractual obligations arising from the sale of one Futures Contract of September Treasury Bills on an exchange may be fulfilled at any time before delivery under the Futures Contract is required (i.e., on a specific date in September, the “delivery month”) by the purchase of another Futures Contract of September Treasury Bills on the same exchange. In such instance the difference between the price at which the Futures Contract was sold and the price paid for the offsetting purchase, after allowance for transaction costs, represents the profit or loss to the Fund.

Persons who trade in Futures Contracts may be broadly classified as “hedgers” and “speculators.” Hedgers, whose business activity involves investment or other commitment in securities or other obligations, use the Futures markets to offset unfavorable changes in value that may occur because of fluctuations in the value of the securities and obligations held or committed to be acquired by them or fluctuations in the value of the currency in which the securities or obligations are denominated. Debtors and other obligors may also hedge the interest cost of their obligations. The speculator, like the hedger, generally expects neither to deliver nor to receive the financial instrument underlying the Futures Contract, but, unlike the hedger, hopes to profit from fluctuations in prevailing interest rates, currency exchange rates, financial indices or other instruments.

“Margin” with respect to Futures Contracts is the amount of funds that must be deposited by a Fund with a broker in order to initiate Futures trading and to maintain the Fund’s open positions in Futures Contracts. A margin deposit made when the Futures Contract is entered into (“initial margin”) is intended to assure the Fund’s performance of the Futures Contract. The margin required for a particular Futures Contract is set by the exchange on which the Futures Contract is traded, and may be significantly modified from time to time by the exchange during the term of the Futures Contract. Futures Contracts are customarily purchased and sold on margins which may be 5% or less of the value of the Futures Contract being traded.

If the price of an open Futures Contract changes (by increase in the case of a sale or by decrease in the case of a purchase) so that the loss on the Futures Contract reaches a point at which the margin on deposit does not satisfy margin requirements, the broker will require an increase in the margin deposit (“variation margin”). If, however, the value of a position increases because of favorable price changes in the Futures Contract so that the margin deposit exceeds the required margin, it is anticipated that the broker will pay the excess to the Fund. In computing daily net asset values, the Fund will mark to market the current value of its open Futures Contracts. Each Fund expects to earn interest income on its margin deposits.

Single Stock Futures. Recent legislation permits the trading on U.S. exchanges of standardized futures contracts on individual equity securities, such as common stocks, exchange traded funds and American Depository Receipts, as well as narrow-based securities indices, generally called security futures contracts or “SFCs”. As with other futures contracts, a SFC involves an agreement to purchase or sell in the future a specific quantity of shares of a security or the component securities of the index. The initial margin requirements (typically 20 percent) are generally higher than with other futures contracts. Trading SFCs involves many of the same risks as trading other futures contracts, including the risks involved with leverage, and loses are potentially unlimited. Under certain market conditions, for example if trading is halted due to unusual trading activity in either the SFC or the underlying security due to recent news events involving the issuer of the security, it may be difficult or impossible for a Fund to liquidate its position or manage risk by entering into an offsetting position. In addition, the prices of SFCs may not correlate as anticipated with the prices of the underlying security. And unlike options on securities in which a Fund may invest, where the Fund has the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a security prior to the expiration date, if the Fund has a position in a SFC, the Fund has both the right and the obligation to buy or sell the security at a future date, or otherwise offset its position.

 

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Options on Futures Contracts. Options on Futures Contracts are similar to options on securities or currencies except that options on Futures Contracts give the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in a Futures Contract (a long position if the option is a call and a short position if the option is a put), rather than to purchase or sell the Futures Contract, at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of the option, the delivery of the Futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the accumulated balance in the writer’s Futures margin account which represents the amount by which the market price of the Futures Contract, at exercise, exceeds (in the case of a call) or is less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option on the Futures Contract. If an option is exercised on the last trading day prior to the expiration date of the option, the settlement will be made entirely in cash equal to the difference between the exercise price of the option and the closing level of the securities or currencies upon which the Futures Contracts are based on the expiration date. Purchasers of options who fail to exercise their options prior to the exercise date suffer a loss of the premium paid.

As an alternative to purchasing call and put options on Futures, the Fund may purchase call and put options on the underlying securities or currencies themselves (see “Purchasing Put Options” and “Purchasing Call Options” above). Such options would be used in a manner identical to the use of options on Futures Contracts.

To reduce or eliminate the leverage then employed by the Fund or to reduce or eliminate the hedge position then held by the Fund, the Fund may seek to close out an option position by selling an option covering the same securities or currency and having the same exercise price and expiration date. The ability to establish and close out positions on options on Futures Contracts is subject to the existence of a liquid market. It is not certain that this market will exist at any specific time.

The Fund is not regulated as “commodity pools” for purposes of the Commodity Exchange Act, regulations and related positions of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”).

New options and Futures Contracts, such as single stock futures and narrow-based security indices futures, and various combinations thereof continue to be developed and the Fund may invest in any such options and contracts as may be developed to the extent consistent with its investment objectives and regulatory requirements applicable to investment companies.

Foreign Currency Exchange Transactions. Because the Fund may buy and sell securities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, and receive interest, dividends and sale proceeds in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, the Fund may, but is not obligated to, enter into currency exchange transactions to convert U.S. currency to foreign currency and foreign currency to U.S. currency, as well as convert foreign currency to other foreign currencies. The Fund either enters into these transactions on a spot (i.e., cash) basis at the spot rate prevailing in the foreign currency exchange market, or uses forward contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies. The Fund also may, but is not obligated to, enter into foreign currency hedging transactions in an attempt to protect the value of the assets of the Fund as measured in U.S. dollars from unfavorable changes in currency exchange rates and control regulations. (Although the Fund’s assets are valued daily in terms of U.S. dollars, the Company does not intend to convert the Fund’s holdings of other currencies into U.S. dollars on a daily basis.) The Fund does not currently intend to speculate in currency exchange rates or forward contracts.

The Fund may convert currency on a spot basis from time to time, and investors should be aware of the costs of currency conversion. Although currency exchange dealers do not charge a fee for conversion, they do realize a profit based on the difference (the “spread”) between the prices at which they are buying and selling various currencies. Thus, a dealer may offer to sell a currency at one rate, while offering a lesser rate of exchange should the Fund desire to resell that currency to the dealer.

A forward contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract, agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts are traded in the interbank market conducted directly between currency traders

 

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(usually large commercial banks) and their customers. Because these contracts are traded in the interbank market and not on organized commodities or securities exchanges, these contracts operate in a manner distinct from exchange-traded instruments, and their use involves certain risks. A forward contract generally has no deposit requirement, and no fees or commissions are charged at any stage for trades.

When the Fund enters into a contract for the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a non-U.S. currency, it may desire to “lock in” the U.S. dollar price of the security. By entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale, for a fixed amount of U. S. dollars, of the amount of non-U.S. currency involved in the underlying security transaction, the Fund may be able to protect against a possible loss resulting from an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the non-U.S. currency during the period between the date the security is purchased or sold and the date on which payment is made or received.

When the Fund’s subadviser believes that the currency of a particular country may suffer a substantial decline against the U.S. dollar, the Fund may enter into a forward contract to sell, for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars, the amount of non-U.S. currency approximating the value of some or all of the Fund’s securities denominated in such non- U.S. currency. The projection of a short-term hedging strategy is highly uncertain. Under normal circumstances, consideration of the prospect for currency parities will be incorporated in the investment decisions made with regard to overall diversification strategies. However, the Fund believes that it is important to have the flexibility to enter into such forward contracts when it determines that its best interests will be served.

The Fund generally would not enter into a forward contract with a term greater than one year. At the maturity of a forward contract, the Fund will either sell the security and make delivery of the non-U.S. currency, or retain the security and terminate its contractual obligation to deliver the non-U.S. currency by purchasing an “offsetting” contract with the same currency trader obligating it to purchase, on the same maturity date, the same amount of the non-U.S. currency. If the Fund retains the security and engages in an offsetting transaction, the Fund will incur a gain or a loss (as described below) to the extent that there has been movement in forward contract prices. If the Fund engages in an offsetting transaction, it may subsequently enter into a new forward contract to sell the non-U.S. currency. Should forward prices decline during the period between the date the Fund enters into a forward contract for the sale of the non-U.S. currency and the date it enters into an offsetting contract for the purchase of such currency, the Fund will realize a gain to the extent the selling price of the currency exceeds the purchase price of the currency. Should forward prices increase, the Fund will suffer a loss to the extent that the purchase price of the currency exceeds the selling price of the currency.

It is impossible to forecast with precision the market value of Fund securities at the expiration of the contract. Accordingly, it may be necessary for the Fund to purchase additional non-U.S. currency on the spot market if the market value of the security is less than the amount of non-U.S. currency the Fund is obligated to deliver and if a decision is made to sell the security and make delivery of such currency. Conversely, it may be necessary to sell on the spot market some of the non-U.S. currency received upon the sale of the security if its market value exceeds the amount of such currency the Fund is obligated to deliver.

The Fund has established procedures consistent with policies of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) concerning forward contracts. Those policies currently require that an amount of the Fund’s assets equal to the amount of the purchase be held aside or segregated to be used to pay for the commitment or that the Fund otherwise covers its position in accordance with applicable regulations and policies.

The Fund may also purchase put options on a non-U.S. currency in order to protect against currency rate fluctuations. If the Fund purchases a put option on a non-U.S. currency and the value of the non-U.S. currency declines, the Fund will have the right to sell the non-U.S. currency for a fixed amount in U.S. dollars and will thereby offset, in whole or in part, the adverse effect on the Fund which otherwise would have resulted. Conversely, where a rise in the U.S. dollar value of another currency is projected, and where the Fund anticipates investing in securities traded in such currency, the Fund may purchase call options on the non-U.S. currency.

 

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The purchase of such options could offset, at least partially, the effects of adverse movements in exchange rates. However, the benefit to the Fund from purchases of foreign currency options will be reduced by the amount of the premium and related transaction costs. In addition, where currency exchange rates do not move in the direction or to the extent anticipated, the Fund could sustain losses on transactions in foreign currency options which would require it to forego a portion or all of the benefits of advantageous changes in such rates.

The Fund may write options on non-U.S. currencies for hedging purposes or otherwise to achieve its investment objective. For example, where the Fund anticipates a decline in the value of the U.S. dollar value of a foreign security due to adverse fluctuations in exchange rates it could, instead of purchasing a put option, write a call option on the relevant currency. If the expected decline occurs, the option will most likely not be exercised, and the diminution in value of the security held by the Fund may be offset by the amount of the premium received.

Similarly, instead of purchasing a call option to hedge against an anticipated increase in the cost of a foreign security to be acquired because of an increase in the U.S. dollar value of the currency in which the underlying security is primarily traded, the Fund could write a put option on the relevant currency which, if rates move in the manner projected, will expire unexercised and allow the Fund to hedge such increased cost up to the amount of the premium.

The writing of put or call options on non-U.S. currencies by the Fund will constitute only a partial hedge up to the amount of the premium, and only if rates move in the expected direction. If this does not occur, the option may be exercised and the Fund would be required to purchase or sell the underlying currency at a loss which may not be offset by the amount of the premium. Through the writing of options on currencies, the Fund also may be required to forego all or a portion of the benefits which might otherwise have been obtained from favorable movements in exchange rates.

Put and call options on non-U.S. currencies written by the Fund will be covered by segregation of cash and liquid securities in an amount sufficient to discharge the Fund’s obligations with respect to the option, by acquisition of the non-U.S. currency or of a right to acquire such currency (in the case of a call option) or the acquisition of a right to dispose of the currency (in the case of a put option), or in such other manner as may be in accordance with the requirements of any exchange on which, or the counterparty with which, the option is traded and applicable laws and regulations.

Investing in depositary receipts presents many of the same risks regarding currency exchange rates as investing directly in securities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Because the securities underlying these receipts are traded primarily in non-U.S. currencies, changes in currency exchange rates will affect the value of these receipts. For example, a decline in the U.S. dollar value of another currency in which securities are primarily traded will reduce the U.S. dollar value of such securities, even if their value in the other non-U.S. currency remains constant, and thus will reduce the value of the receipts covering such securities. The Fund may employ any of the above described foreign currency hedging techniques to protect the value of its assets invested in depositary receipts.

Of course, the Fund is not required to enter into the transactions described above and does not do so unless deemed appropriate by the Fund’s subadviser. It should be realized that under certain circumstances, hedging arrangements to protect the value of the Fund’s securities against a decline in currency values may not be available to the Fund on terms that make economic sense (they may be too costly). It should also be realized that these methods of protecting the value of the Fund’s securities against a decline in the value of a currency do not eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of the securities. Additionally, although such contracts, if correctly used, may minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency, they do not eliminate the risk of loss and also tend to limit any potential gain which might result should the value of such currency increase.

Use of Segregated and Other Special Accounts. Use of many hedging and other strategic transactions including currency and market index transactions by the Fund will require, among other things, that the Fund segregate cash, liquid securities or other assets with its custodian, or a designated sub-custodian, to the extent the

 

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Fund’s obligations are not otherwise “covered” through ownership of the underlying security, financial instrument or currency. In general, either the full amount of any obligation by the Fund to pay or deliver securities or assets must be covered at all times by the securities, instruments or currency required to be delivered, or, subject to any regulatory restrictions, appropriate securities as required by the 1940 Act at least equal to the current amount of the obligation must be segregated with the custodian or sub-custodian. The segregated assets cannot be sold or transferred unless equivalent assets are substituted in their place or it is no longer necessary to segregate them. A call option on securities written by the Fund, for example, will require the Fund to hold the securities subject to the call (or securities convertible into the needed securities without additional consideration) or to segregate liquid securities sufficient to purchase and deliver the securities if the call is exercised. A call option written by the Fund on an index will require the Fund to own portfolio securities that correlate with the index or to segregate liquid securities equal to the excess of the index value over the exercise price on a current basis. A put option on securities written by the Fund will require the Fund to segregate liquid securities equal to the exercise price. Except when the Fund enters into a forward contract in connection with the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency or for other non-speculative purposes, which requires no segregation, a currency contract that obligates the Fund to buy or sell a foreign currency will generally require the Fund to hold an amount of that currency or liquid securities denominated in that currency equal to the Fund’s obligations or to segregate liquid securities equal to the amount of the Fund’s obligations.

OTC options entered into by the Fund, including those on securities, currency, financial instruments or indices, and Option Clearing Corporation (“OCC”)-issued and exchange-listed index options will generally provide for cash settlement, although the Fund may not be required to do so. As a result, when the Fund sells these instruments it will segregate an amount of assets equal to its obligations under the options. OCC-issued and exchange-listed options sold by the Fund other than those described above generally settle with physical delivery, and the Fund will segregate an amount of assets equal to the full value of the option. OTC options settling with physical delivery or with an election of either physical delivery or cash settlement will be treated the same as other options settling with physical delivery. If the Fund enters into OTC options transactions, it will be subject to counterparty risk.

In the case of a Futures Contract or an option on a Futures Contract, the Fund must deposit initial margin and, in some instances, daily variation margin, typically with third parties such as a clearing organization, in addition to segregating assets with its custodian sufficient to meet its obligations to purchase or provide securities or currencies, or to pay the amount owed at the expiration of an index-based Futures Contract. These assets may consist of cash, cash equivalents, liquid securities or other acceptable assets. The Fund will accrue the net amount of the excess, if any, of its obligations relating to swaps over its entitlements with respect to each swap on a daily basis and will segregate with its custodian, or designated sub-custodian, an amount of cash or liquid securities having an aggregate value equal to at least the accrued excess. Caps, floors and collars require segregation of assets with a value equal to such Fund’s net obligation, if any.

Hedging and other strategic transactions may be covered by means other than those described above when consistent with applicable regulatory policies. The Fund may also enter into offsetting transactions so that its combined position, coupled with any segregated assets, equals its net outstanding obligation in related options and hedging and other strategic transactions. The Fund could purchase a put option, for example, if the strike price of that option is the same or higher than the strike price of a put option sold by the Fund. Moreover, instead of segregating assets if it holds a Futures Contract or forward contract, the Fund could purchase a put option on the same Futures Contract or forward contract with a strike price as high or higher than the price of the contract held. Other hedging and other strategic transactions may also be offset in combinations. If the offsetting transaction terminates at the time of or after the primary transaction, no segregation is required, but if it terminates prior to that time, assets equal to any remaining obligation would need to be segregated.

Other Practices

Securities of Foreign Issuers. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its assets in securities of foreign issuers. Investments in securities of foreign entities and securities denominated in foreign currencies involve risks not

 

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typically involved in domestic investment, including fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, future foreign political and economic developments, and the possible imposition of exchange controls or other foreign or United States governmental laws or restrictions applicable to such investments. Since the Fund may invest in securities denominated or quoted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, changes in foreign currency exchange rates may affect the value of investments in the portfolio and the accrued income and unrealized appreciation or depreciation of investments. Changes in foreign currency rates relative to the U.S. dollar will affect the U.S. dollar value of the Fund’s assets denominated in that currency and the Fund’s yield on such assets.

The Fund may also purchase foreign securities in the form of American Depository Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depository Receipts (“EDRs”) and Global Depository Receipts (“GDRs”) or other securities representing underlying shares of foreign companies. Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are designed for use in U.S. securities markets and EDRs and GDRs, in bearer form, are designed for use in European and global securities markets. ADRs are receipts typically issued by a U.S. bank or trust company evidencing ownership of the underlying securities. EDRs and GDRs are European and global receipts, respectively, evidencing a similar arrangement.

ADRs, EDRs and GDRs are issued through “sponsored” or “unsponsored” arrangements. In a sponsored arrangement, the foreign issuer assumes the obligation to pay some or all of the depository’s transaction fees, whereas under an unsponsored arrangement, the foreign issuer assumes no obligation and the depository’s transaction fees are paid by the holders. In addition, less information is available in the United States about an unsponsored depository receipt than about a sponsored depository receipt, and the financial information about a company may not be as reliable for an unsponsored depository receipt as it is for a sponsored depository receipt. The Fund may invest in depository receipts through both sponsored and unsponsored arrangements.

With respect to certain foreign countries, there is the possibility of expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, political or social instability or diplomatic developments which could affect investment in those countries. There may be less publicly available information about a foreign security than about a United States security, and foreign entities may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those of United States entities. In addition, certain foreign investments made by a Fund may be subject to foreign withholding taxes, which would reduce the Fund’s total return on such investments and the amounts available for distributions by the Fund to its shareholders. Foreign financial markets, while growing in volume, have, for the most part, substantially less volume than United States markets, and securities of many foreign companies are less liquid and their prices more volatile than securities of comparable domestic companies.

The foreign markets also have different clearance and settlement procedures, and in certain markets there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions making it difficult to conduct such transactions. Delays in settlement could result in temporary periods when assets of the Fund are not invested and no return is earned thereon. The inability of the Fund to make intended security purchases due to settlement problems could cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities. Inability to dispose of portfolio securities due to settlement problems could result either in losses to the Fund due to subsequent declines in value of the portfolio security or, if the Fund has entered into a contract to sell the security, could result in possible liability to the purchaser. Costs associated with transactions in foreign securities, including custodial costs and foreign brokerage commissions, are generally higher than with transactions in United States securities. In addition, the Fund will incur expenses in connection with conversions between various currencies. There is generally less government supervision and regulation of exchanges, financial institutions and issuers in foreign countries than there are in the United States. These risks may be intensified in the case of investments in developing or emerging markets. In many developing markets, there is less government supervision and regulation of business and industry practices, stock exchanges, brokers and listed companies than in the United States. The foreign securities markets of many of the countries in which the Fund may invest may also be smaller, less liquid, and subject to greater price volatility than those in the United States. Finally, in the event of a default on any such foreign debt obligations, it may be more difficult for the Fund to obtain or to enforce a judgment against the issuers of such securities.

 

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A developing country generally is considered to be a country that is in the initial stages of its industrialization cycle. Investing in the equity and fixed-income markets of developing countries involves exposure to economic structures that are generally less diverse and mature, and to political systems that can be expected to have less stability, than those of developed countries. Historical experience indicates that the markets of developing countries have been more volatile than the markets of the more mature economies of developed countries; however, such markets often have provided higher rates of return to investors. For more information regarding the risks of investing in securities of emerging markets, see “Additional Risk Factors — Securities of Developing/Emerging Markets Countries” below.

Investment Company Securities. Subject to applicable statutory and regulatory limitations, the fund may invest in shares of other investment companies, including shares of other mutual funds, closed-end funds, and unregistered investment companies. Investments in other investment companies are subject to the risk of the securities in which those investment companies invest. In addition, to the extent the fund invests in securities of other investment companies, fund shareholders would indirectly pay a portion of the operating costs of such companies in addition to the expenses of the fund’s own operation. These costs include management, brokerage, shareholder servicing and other operational expenses.

The fund may invest in shares of mutual funds or unit investment trusts that are traded on a stock exchange, called exchange-traded funds or ETFs. Typically an ETF seeks to track the performance of an index, such as the S&P 500, the NASDAQ 100, the Lehman Treasury Bond Index, or more narrow sector or foreign indices, by holding in its portfolio either the same securities that comprise the index, or a representative sample of the index. Investing in an ETF will give the fund exposure to the securities comprising the index on which the ETF is based.

Unlike shares of typical mutual funds or unit investment trusts, shares of ETFs are designed to be traded throughout a trading day, bought and sold based on market values and not at net asset value. For this reason, shares could trade at either a premium or discount to net asset value. However, the portfolios held by index-based ETFs are publicly disclosed on each trading day, and an approximation of actual net asset value is disseminated throughout the trading day. Because of this transparency, the trading prices of index based ETFs tend to closely track the actual net asset value of the underlying portfolios and the fund will generally gain or lose value depending on the performance of the index. However, gains or losses on the fund’s investment in ETFs will ultimately depend on the purchase and sale price of the ETF. In the future, as new products become available, the fund may invest in ETFs that are actively managed. Actively managed ETFs will likely not have the transparency of index-based ETFs, and therefore, may be more likely to trade at a discount or premium to actual net asset values.

The fund may invest in closed-end investment companies which hold securities of U. S. and/or non-U.S. issuers. Because shares of closed-end funds trade on an exchange, investments in closed-end investment funds may entail the additional risk that the market value of such investments may be substantially less than their net asset value.

Illiquid and Restricted Securities. The Fund may invest up to 15% of the value of its assets in illiquid or restricted securities. As used herein, restricted securities are those that have been sold in the United States without registration under the Securities Act of 1933 and are thus subject to restrictions on resale. Excluded from this limitation, however, are any restricted securities which are eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933 and which have been determined to be liquid by the Trustees or by the subadviser pursuant to board-approved guidelines. The determination of liquidity is based on the volume of reported trading in the institutional secondary market for each security. This investment practice could have the effect of increasing the level of illiquidity in the Fund to the extent qualified institutional buyers become for a time uninterested in purchasing these restricted securities. This could result in the Fund’s inability to realize a favorable price upon disposition of restricted securities, and in some cases might make disposition of such securities at the time desired by the Fund impossible. Since market quotations are not readily available for restricted securities, such securities will be valued by a method that the Trustees believe accurately reflects fair value.

 

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Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with broker-dealers or banks. A repurchase agreement is a short-term investment in which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires ownership of a debt security and the seller agrees to repurchase the obligation at a future time and set price, usually not more than seven days from the date of purchase, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period. Repurchase agreements are collateralized by the underlying debt securities and may be considered to be loans under the 1940 Act. The Fund will make payment for such securities only upon physical delivery or evidence of book entry transfer to the account of the Fund’s custodian, subcustodian or other bank acting as agent. The seller under a repurchase agreement is required to maintain the value of the underlying securities marked to market daily at not less than the repurchase price. The underlying securities (normally securities of the U.S. Government, or its agencies and instrumentalities) may have maturity dates exceeding one year. The Fund does not bear the risk of a decline in value of the underlying security unless the seller defaults under its repurchase obligation. In the event of a bankruptcy or other default of a seller of a repurchase agreement, the Fund could experience both delays in liquidating the underlying securities and loss including: (a) possible decline in the value of the underlying security during the period while the Fund seeks to enforce its rights thereto, (b) possible lack of access to income on the underlying security during this period, and (c) expenses of enforcing its rights.

For the purpose of investing in repurchase agreements, the manager may aggregate the cash that certain funds advised or subadvised by the manager or its affiliates would otherwise invest separately into a joint account. The cash in the joint account is then invested in repurchase agreements and the funds that contributed to the joint account share pro rata in the net revenue generated. The manager believes that the joint account produces efficiencies and economies of scale that may contribute to reduced transaction costs, higher returns, higher quality investments and greater diversity of investments for the Fund than would be available to the Fund investing separately. The manner in which the joint account is managed is subject to conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order authorizing this practice, which conditions are designed to ensure the fair administration of the joint account and to protect the amounts in that account.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements with broker/dealers and other financial institutions. Such agreements involve the sale of portfolio securities by the Fund with an agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment and are considered to be borrowings by the Fund and are subject to the borrowing limitations set forth under “Investment Restrictions.” Since the proceeds of reverse repurchase agreements are invested, this would introduce the speculative factor known as “leverage.” The Fund may have an opportunity to earn a greater rate of interest on the cash derived from the transaction than the interest cost of obtaining that cash. Opportunities to realize earnings from the use of the proceeds equal to or greater than the interest required to be paid may not always be available, and the Fund intends to use the reverse repurchase technique only when the manager believes it will be advantageous to the Fund. The use of reverse repurchase agreements involve leverage and may exaggerate any interim increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s assets. The Fund’s custodian bank will maintain a separate account for the Fund with securities having a value equal to or greater than such commitments. The Fund’s liquidity and ability to manage its assets may be adversely affected when it sets aside cash or securities to cover such commitments. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities sold by the Fund may decline below the repurchase price of those securities, that the assets purchased with the proceeds of the agreement decline in value, or that the buyer under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent.

Short Sales. The Fund may from time to time make short sales of securities. Short sales are transactions in which the Fund sells a security it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of that security. To complete such a transaction, the Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund then is obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing it at the market price at or prior to the time of replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund. Until the security is replaced, the Fund is required to repay the lender any dividends or interest paid during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, the Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. A portion of the net proceeds of the short sale may be retained by the broker (or by the Fund’s custodian in a special custody account), to the extent necessary to meet margin

 

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requirements, until the short position is closed out. The Fund will also incur transaction costs in effecting short sales. The Fund may also enter into short sales “against the box”. A short sale is “against the box” to the extent that the Fund contemporaneously owns or has the right to obtain at no added cost securities identical to those sold short. There are certain transaction costs associated with short sales against the box, but the Fund endeavors to offset these costs with the income from the investment of the cash proceeds of short sales. The Fund does not intend to make short sales or maintain a short position if to do so would cause more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets, taken at market value, to be held as collateral for such sales.

The Fund will incur a loss as a result of the short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the borrowed security. The Fund will realize a gain if the security declines in price between those dates. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premiums, dividends, interest or expenses the Fund may be required to pay in connection with a short sale. An increase in the value of a security sold short by the Fund over the price at which it was sold short will result in a loss to the Fund, and there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to close out the position at any particular time or at an acceptable price. Where short sales are not against the box, losses may be unlimited.

Leverage. The Fund may borrow from banks, on a secured or unsecured basis and use the proceeds to make additional investments. This speculative factor is known as “leverage.” Leverage creates an opportunity for increased returns to shareholders of the Fund but, at the same time, creates special risk considerations. For example, leverage may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of the Fund’s shares and in the Fund’s yield. Although the principal or stated value of such borrowings will be fixed, the Fund’s assets may change in value during the time the borrowing is outstanding. Leverage will create interest expenses for the Fund which can exceed the income from the assets retained. To the extent the income or other gain derived from securities purchased with borrowed funds exceed the interest the Fund will have to pay in respect thereof, the Fund’s net income or other gain will be greater than if leverage had not been used. Conversely, if the income or other gain from the incremental assets is not sufficient to cover the cost of leverage, the net income or other gain of the Fund will be less than if leverage had not been used. If the amount of income or appreciation from the incremental securities is insufficient to cover the cost of borrowing, securities might have to be liquidated to obtain required funds. If the securities purchased with borrowed funds lose value, the net loss of the Fund will be greater than if leverage had not been used. Depending on market or other conditions, such liquidations could be disadvantageous to the Fund. The Fund is required to maintain continuous asset coverage of 300% with respect to such borrowings, and to sell (within three days) sufficient portfolio holdings to restore such coverage, if it should decline to less than 300% due to market fluctuations or otherwise, even if disadvantageous from an investment standpoint.

Lending Portfolio Securities. Consistent with applicable regulatory requirements and in order to generate income, the Fund may lend its securities to broker-dealers and other institutional borrowers. Such loans will usually be made only to member banks of the U.S. Federal Reserve System and to member firms of the NYSE. Loans of securities would be secured continuously by collateral in cash, cash equivalents, or U.S. Treasury obligations maintained on a current basis at an amount at least equal to the market value of the securities loaned. The cash collateral would be invested in high quality short-term instruments. Either party has the right to terminate a loan at any time on customary industry settlement notice (which will not usually exceed three business days). During the existence of a loan, the Fund would continue to receive the equivalent of the interest or dividends paid by the issuer on the securities loaned and with respect to cash collateral would also receive compensation based on investment of cash collateral (subject to a rebate payable to the borrower and the lending agent). Where the borrower provides the Fund with collateral consisting of U.S. Treasury obligations, the borrower is also obligated to pay the Fund a fee for use of the borrowed securities. The Fund would not, however, have the right to vote any securities having voting rights during the existence of the loan, but would call the loan in anticipation of an important vote to be taken among holders of the securities or of the giving or withholding of their consent on a material matter affecting the investment. As with other extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in recovery or even loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

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However, the loans would be made only to entities deemed by the subadviser to be of good standing, and when, in the judgment of the subadviser, the consideration which can be earned currently from loans of this type justifies the attendant risk. In addition, the Fund could suffer loss if the borrower terminates the loan and the Fund is forced to liquidate investments in order to return the cash collateral to the buyer.

When-Issued Securities. The Fund may purchase securities on a “when-issued” or on a “forward delivery” basis, meaning that delivery of the securities occurs beyond customary settlement times. In general, the Fund does not pay for the securities until received and does not start earning interest until the contractual settlement date. It is expected that, under normal circumstances, the Fund would take delivery of such securities, but the Fund may sell them before the settlement date. When the Fund commits to purchase a security on a “when- issued” or on a “forward delivery” basis, it sets up procedures consistent with SEC policies. Since those policies currently require that an amount of the Fund’s assets equal to the amount of the purchase be held aside or segregated to be used to pay for the commitment, the Fund expects always to have cash or liquid securities sufficient to cover any commitments or to limit any potential risk. However, even though the Fund do not intend to make such purchases for speculative purposes and intend to adhere to the provisions of SEC policies, purchases of securities on such bases may involve more risk than other types of purchases. The when-issued securities are subject to market fluctuation, and no interest accrues on the security to the purchaser during this period. The payment obligation and the interest rate that will be received on the securities are each fixed at the time the purchaser enters into the commitment. Purchasing obligations on a when-issued basis is a form of leveraging and can involve a risk that the yields available in the market when the delivery takes place may actually be higher than those obtained in the transactions themselves. In that case, there could be an unrealized loss at the time of delivery. An increase in the percentage of the Fund’s assets committed to the purchase of securities on a “when-issued” basis may increase the volatility of its net asset value.

ADDITIONAL RISK FACTORS

The Prospectus and the “INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, MANAGEMENT POLICIES AND ASSOCIATED RISKS” section of this Statement of Additional Information discuss certain of the risk factors associated with the investment policies and strategies employed by the Fund. The following discussion supplements these descriptions of risk factors.

General. Investors should realize that risk of loss is inherent in the ownership of any securities and that the Fund’s net asset value will fluctuate, reflecting fluctuations in the market value of its portfolio positions.

Equity Securities. Equity securities have historically been more volatile than most debt securities in response to market risk. Market risk is the risk that the prices of securities will rise or fall due to changing economic, political or market conditions. The value of some securities held by the Fund may be quite volatile.

Fixed Income Securities. Investments in fixed income securities may subject the Fund to risks, including the following:

Interest Rate Risk. When interest rates decline, the market value of fixed income securities tends to increase. Conversely, when interest rates increase, the market value of fixed income securities tends to decline. The volatility of a security’s market value will differ depending upon the security’s duration, the issuer and the type of instrument.

Income Risk. When interest rates decline, the Fund’s income may decline.

Default Risk/Credit Risk. Investments in fixed income securities are subject to the risk that the issuer of the security could default on its obligations, causing the Fund to sustain losses on such investments. A default could impact both interest and principal payments.

 

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Call Risk and Extension Risk. Fixed income securities may be subject to both call risk and extension risk. Call risk exists when the issuer may exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation earlier than scheduled, which would cause cash flows to be returned earlier than expected. This typically results when interest rates have declined and the Fund will suffer from having to reinvest in lower yielding securities. Extension risk exists when the issuer may exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation later than anticipated, which would cause cash flows to be returned later than expected. This typically results when interest rates have increased, and the Fund will suffer from the inability to invest in higher yield securities.

Lower Rated and Below Investment Grade Fixed Income Securities. Securities rated in the fourth highest ratings category by a nationally recognized statistical ratings organization (an “NRSRO”), such as those rated BBB by S&P or Baa by Moody’s are generally regarded as having adequate capacity to pay interest and repay principal, but may have some speculative characteristics. Securities rated below the fourth highest ratings category by an NRSRO, including those rated below Baa by Moody’s or BBB by S&P, are not “investment grade,” and may have speculative characteristics, including a greater possibility of default or bankruptcy of the issuers of such securities, market price volatility based upon interest rate sensitivity, questionable creditworthiness and relative liquidity of the secondary trading market. Because these high yield bonds, commonly referred to as “junk bonds”, have been found to be more sensitive to adverse economic changes or individual corporate developments and less sensitive to interest rate changes than higher-rated investments, an economic downturn could disrupt the market for high yield bonds and adversely affect the value of outstanding bonds and the ability of issuers to repay principal and interest. In addition, in a declining interest rate market, issuers of high yield bonds may exercise redemption or call provisions, which may force the Fund, to the extent it owns such securities, to replace those securities with lower yielding securities. This could result in a decreased return.

Subsequent to its purchase by the Fund, an issue of securities may cease to be rated or its rating may be reduced below the minimum required for purchase by the Fund. In addition, it is possible that Moody’s, S&P and other rating agencies might not timely change their ratings of a particular issue to reflect subsequent events.

Smaller Market Capitalization Companies. Investments in companies with smaller market capitalizations, including companies generally considered to be small cap issuers and medium sized companies, may involve greater risks and volatility than investments in larger companies. Companies with smaller market capitalizations may be at an earlier stage of development, may be subject to greater business risks, may have limited product lines, limited financial resources and less depth in management than more established companies. In addition, these companies may have difficulty withstanding competition from larger more established companies in their industries. The securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations may be thinly traded (and therefore have to be sold at a discount from current market prices or sold in small lots over an extended period of time), may be followed by fewer investment research analysts and may be subject to wider price swings and thus may create a greater chance of loss than investing in securities of larger capitalization companies. In addition, transaction costs in smaller capitalization stocks may be higher than those of larger capitalization companies.

Foreign Securities. Investments in securities of foreign issuers involve certain risks not ordinarily associated with investments in securities of domestic issuers. Such risks include fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, future political and economic developments, and the possible imposition of exchange controls or other foreign governmental laws or restrictions. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates will, to the extent a Fund does not adequately hedge against such fluctuations, affect the value of securities in its portfolio and the unrealized appreciation or depreciation of investments so far as U.S. investors are concerned. In addition, with respect to certain countries, there is the possibility of expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, political or social instability or diplomatic developments which could adversely affect investments in those countries.

There may be less publicly available information about a foreign company than about a U.S. company, and foreign companies may not be subject to accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to or as uniform as those of U.S. companies. Foreign securities markets, while growing in volume,

 

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have, for the most part, substantially less volume than U.S. markets, and securities of many foreign companies are less liquid and their price more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. companies. Transaction costs on foreign securities markets are generally higher than in the U.S. There is generally less government supervision and regulation of exchanges, brokers and issuers than there is in the U.S. The Fund might have greater difficulty taking appropriate legal action in foreign courts. Dividend and interest income from foreign securities will generally be subject to withholding taxes by the country in which the issuer is located and may not be recoverable by the Fund or the investors. Capital gains are also subject to taxation in some foreign countries.

Currency Risks. The U.S. dollar value of securities denominated in a foreign currency will vary with changes in currency exchange rates, which can be volatile. Accordingly, changes in the value of the currency in which the Fund’s investments are denominated relative to the U.S. dollar will affect the Fund’s net asset value. Exchange rates are generally affected by the forces of supply and demand in the international currency markets, the relative merits of investing in different countries and the intervention or failure to intervene of U.S. or foreign governments and central banks. However, currency exchange rates may fluctuate based on factors intrinsic to a country’s economy. Some emerging market countries also may have managed currencies, which are not free floating against the U.S. dollar. In addition, emerging markets are subject to the risk of restrictions upon the free conversion of their currencies into other currencies. Any devaluations relative to the U.S. dollar in the currencies in which a Fund’s securities are quoted would reduce the Fund’s net asset value per share.

Special Risks of Countries in the Asia Pacific Region. Certain of the risks associated with international investments are heightened for investments in these countries. For example, some of the currencies of these countries have experienced devaluations relative to the U.S. dollar, and adjustments have been made periodically in certain of such currencies. Certain countries, such as Indonesia, face serious exchange constraints. Jurisdictional disputes also exist, for example, between South Korea and North Korea. In addition, Hong Kong reverted to Chinese administration on July 1, 1997. The long-term effects of this reversion are not known at this time.

Securities of Developing/Emerging Markets Countries. A developing or emerging markets country generally is considered to be a country that is in the initial stages of its industrialization cycle. Investing in the equity markets of developing countries involves exposure to economic structures that are generally less diverse and mature, and to political systems that can be expected to have less stability, than those of developed countries. Historical experience indicates that the markets of developing countries have been more volatile than the markets of the more mature economies of developed countries; however, such markets often have provided higher rates of return to investors.

One or more of the risks discussed above could affect adversely the economy of a developing market or the Fund’s investments in such a market. In Eastern Europe, for example, upon the accession to power of Communist regimes in the past, the governments of a number of Eastern European countries expropriated a large amount of property. The claims of many property owners against those of governments may remain unsettled. In Latin America, countries have faced currency devaluation and defaults on public debt creating national economic crises. There can be no assurance that any investments that the Fund might make in such emerging markets would not be expropriated, nationalized or otherwise confiscated at some time in the future. In such an event, the Fund could lose its entire investment in the market involved. Moreover, changes in the leadership or policies of such markets could halt the expansion or reverse the liberalization of foreign investment policies now occurring in certain of these markets and adversely affect existing investment opportunities.

Many of the Fund’s investments in the bonds of issuers in emerging markets may be unrated or rated below investment grade. Securities rated below investment grade (and comparable unrated securities) are the equivalent of high yield, high risk bonds, commonly known as “junk bonds.” Such securities are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligations and involve major risk exposure to adverse business, financial, economic, or political conditions.

Derivative Instruments. In accordance with its investment policies, the Fund may invest in certain derivative instruments which are securities or contracts that provide for payments based on or “derived” from the

 

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performance of an underlying asset, index or other economic benchmark. Essentially, a derivative instrument is a financial arrangement or a contract between two parties. Derivative contracts include options, Futures Contracts, forward contracts, forward commitment and when-issued securities transactions, forward foreign currency exchange contracts and interest rate, mortgage and currency swaps. Transactions in derivative instruments can be, but are not necessarily, riskier than investments in conventional stocks, bonds and money market instruments.

The following are the principal risks associated with derivative instruments. Please also see the description in the “INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, MANAGEMENT POLICIES AND ASSOCIATED RISKS” section of this Statement of Additional Information of certain derivative instruments in which the Fund might invest for more information about those instruments and the risks on investing in them.

Leverage and associated price volatility: The use of certain derivatives may involve leverage for the Fund because they create an obligation, or indebtedness, to someone other than the Fund’s investors and enable the Fund to participate in gains and losses on an amount that exceeds its initial investment. Derivatives may magnify the Fund’s gain or loss from an investment in much the same way that incurring indebtedness does.

Credit risk: Certain types of derivatives are subject to the risk that the counterparty may fail to honor contract terms.

Liquidity and valuation risk: Many derivative instruments are traded in institutional markets rather than on an exchange. Certain derivative instruments are not readily marketable and are subject to the Fund’s restrictions on illiquid investments. As a result, these instruments may be more difficult to value.

Correlation risk: There may be imperfect correlation between the price of the derivative and the underlying asset. For example, there may be price disparities between the trading markets for the derivative contract and the underlying asset.

Each derivative instrument purchased for the Fund’s portfolio is reviewed and analyzed by the Fund’s portfolio manager to assess the risk and reward of such instrument in relation to the Fund’s portfolio investment strategy. The decision to invest in derivative instruments or conventional securities is made by measuring the respective instrument’s ability to provide value to the Fund and its shareholders.

Special Risks of Using Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. The prices of Futures Contracts are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in interest rates, which in turn are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and national and international political and economic events.

At best, the correlation between changes in prices of Futures Contracts and of the securities or currencies being hedged can be only approximate. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends upon circumstances such as: variations in speculative market demand for Futures and for debt securities or currencies, including technical influences in Futures trading; and differences between the financial instruments being hedged and the instruments underlying the standard Futures Contracts available for trading, with respect to interest rate levels, maturities, and creditworthiness of issuers. A decision of whether, when, and how to hedge involves skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived hedge may be unsuccessful to some degree because of unexpected market behavior or interest rate trends.

Because of the low margin deposits required, Futures trading involves an extremely high degree of leverage. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a Futures Contract may result in immediate and substantial loss or gain, to the investor. For example, if at the time of purchase, 10% of the value of the Futures Contract is deposited as margin, a subsequent 10% decrease in the value of the Futures Contract would result in a total loss of the margin deposit, before any deduction for the transaction costs, if the account were then closed out. A 15% decrease would result in a loss equal to 150% of the original margin deposit, if the Futures Contract were closed out. Thus, a purchase or sale of a Futures Contract may result in losses in excess of the amount invested in the Futures Contract. The Fund, however, would presumably have sustained comparable losses if, instead of the Futures Contract, it had invested in the underlying financial instrument and sold it after the decline. Where the

 

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Fund enters into Futures transactions for non-hedging purposes, it will be subject to greater risks and could sustain losses which are not offset by gains on other Fund assets.

In order to be certain that the Fund has sufficient assets to satisfy its obligations under a Futures Contract, the Fund segregates and commits to back the Futures Contract an amount of cash and liquid securities equal in value to the current value of the underlying instrument less the margin deposit.

Most U.S. Futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in Futures Contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a Futures Contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of Futures Contract, no trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movement during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses, because the limit may prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. Futures Contract prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of Futures positions and subjecting some Futures traders to substantial losses.

As with options on debt securities, the holder of an option may terminate the position by selling an option of the same series. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can be effected. The Fund will be required to deposit initial margin and maintenance margin with respect to put and call options on Futures Contracts described above, and, in addition, net option premiums received will be included as initial margin deposits.

In addition to the risks which apply to all option transactions, there are several special risks relating to options on Futures Contracts. The ability to establish and close out positions on such options will be subject to the development and maintenance of a liquid secondary market. It is not certain that this market will develop. The Fund will not purchase options on Futures Contracts on any exchange unless and until, in the manager’s opinion, the market for such options had developed sufficiently. Compared to the use of Futures Contracts, the purchase of options on Futures Contracts involves less potential risk to the Fund because the maximum amount of risk is the premium paid for the options (plus transaction costs). Writing an option on a Futures Contract involves risks similar to those arising in the sale of Futures Contracts, as described above.

Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Twenty-five European countries participate in the European and Monetary Union (EMU) and twelve of those countries have adopted the Euro as their sole currency. EMU may create new economic opportunities for investors, such as lower interest rates, easier cross-border mergers, acquisitions and similar restructurings, more efficient distribution and product packaging and greater competition. Budgetary decisions remain in the hands of each participating country, but are subject to each country’s commitment to avoid “excessive deficits” and other more specific budgetary criteria. A European Central Bank is responsible for setting the official interest rate within the Euro zone. EMU and the introduction of the Euro, however, present unique risks and uncertainties for investors in EMU-participating countries, including: (i) monetary and economic union on this scale has never before been attempted; (ii) there is uncertainty whether participating countries will remain committed to EMU in the face of changing economic conditions; (iii) instability within EMU may increase the volatility of European markets and may adversely affect the prices of securities of European issuers in the Fund’s portfolio; (iv) there is uncertainty concerning the fluctuation of the Euro relative to non-Euro currencies; and (v) there is no assurance that interest rate, tax and labor regimes of EMU-participating countries will converge over time. These and other factors may cause market disruption and could adversely affect European securities and currencies held by the Fund.

Special Risks of Options. In the event of a shortage of the underlying securities deliverable on exercise of an option, the Options Clearing Corporation has the authority to permit other, generally comparable securities to be delivered in fulfillment of option exercise obligations. If the Options Clearing Corporation exercises its discretionary authority to allow such other securities to be delivered it may also adjust the exercise prices of the affected options by setting different prices at which otherwise ineligible securities may be delivered. As an alternative to permitting such substitute deliveries, the Options Clearing Corporation may impose special exercise settlement procedures.

 

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The hours of trading for options on U.S. government securities may not conform to the hours during which the underlying securities are traded. To the extent that the options markets close before the markets for the underlying securities, significant price and rate movements can take place in the underlying markets that cannot be reflected in the options markets.

Options are traded on exchanges on only a limited number of U.S. government securities, and exchange regulations limit the maximum number of options which may be written or purchased by a single investor or a group of investors acting in concert. The Company and other clients advised by affiliates of LMPFA may be deemed to constitute a group for these purposes. In light of these limits, the Board of Trustees may determine at any time to restrict or terminate the public offering of the Fund’s shares (including through exchanges from other funds).

Exchange markets in options on U.S. government securities are a relatively new and untested concept. It is impossible to predict the amount of trading interest that may exist in such options, and there can be no assurance that viable exchange markets will develop or continue.

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

The Fund has adopted the following policies which may not be changed with respect to the Fund without approval by holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, which as used in this Statement of Additional Information means the vote of the lesser of (i) voting securities representing 67% or more of the voting power of the Fund present at a meeting at which the holders of voting securities representing more than 50% of the voting power of the Fund are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) voting securities representing more than 50% of the voting power of the Fund. The term “voting securities” as used in this paragraph has the same meaning as in the 1940 Act. As discussed under “Proposed Investment Restrictions” below, the Fund is proposing to change their investment restrictions.

Current Investment Restrictions

Under the investment restrictions adopted by the Fund, it may not:

(1) borrow money except to the extent such borrowing is not prohibited by the 1940 Act and exemptive orders granted under such Act.

(2) underwrite securities issued by other persons, except that all or any portion of the assets of the Fund may be invested in one or more investment companies, to the extent not prohibited by the 1940 Act and exemptive orders granted under such Act, and except insofar as the Fund may technically be deemed an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in selling a portfolio security.

(3) purchase or sell real estate (excluding securities secured by real estate or interests therein and securities of companies, such as real estate investment trusts, which deal in real estate or interests therein), interests in oil, gas or mineral leases, commodities or commodity contracts (excluding currencies and any type of option, futures contract and forward contract) in the ordinary course of its business. The Fund reserves the freedom of action to hold and to sell real estate, mineral leases, commodities or commodity contracts (including currencies and any type of option, futures contract and forward contract) acquired as a result of the ownership of securities.

(4) issue any senior securities except to the extent not prohibited by the 1940 Act and exemptive orders granted under such Act. For purposes of this restriction, collateral arrangements with respect to any type of swap, option, forward contract and futures contract and collateral arrangements with respect to initial and variation margin are not deemed to be the issuance of a senior security.

(5) make loans except to the extent not prohibited by the 1940 Act and exemptive orders granted under such Act.

 

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(6) purchase any securities of an issuer in a particular industry if as a result 25% or more of its total assets (taken at market value at the time of purchase) would be invested in securities of issuers whose principal business activities are in the same industry.

(7) purchase any security issued by any company deriving more than 25% of its gross revenues from the manufacture of alcohol or tobacco.

The Fund has also adopted the following nonfundamental investment restriction that may be changed by the Company’s Board of Trustees at any time. Accordingly, the Fund may not:

invest more than 15% of its net assets (taken at market value at the time of purchase ) in illiquid or restricted securities (meaning securities which cannot be sold within seven days at the value carried on the Fund’s books).

If a percentage restriction or a rating restriction (other than a restriction as to borrowing) on investment or utilization of assets set forth above or referred to in the Prospectus is adhered to at the time an investment is made or assets are so utilized, a later change in circumstance is not considered a violation of policy.

Proposed Investment Restrictions

The Fund has called a meeting of its shareholders to consider several proposals, including the adoption of revised fundamental investment policies or restrictions. If approved by the Fund’s shareholders, the Fund’s revised fundamental policies will be as follows:

(1) The Fund may not borrow money except as permitted by (i) the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or interpretations or modifications by the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, or (ii) exemptive or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.

(2) The Fund may not engage in the business of underwriting the securities of other issuers except as permitted by (i) the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or interpretations or modifications by the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, or (ii) exemptive or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.

(3) The Fund may lend money or other assets to the extent permitted by (i) the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or interpretations or modifications by the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, or (ii) exemptive or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.

(4) The Fund may not issue senior securities except as permitted by (i) the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or interpretations or modifications by the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, or (ii) exemptive or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.

(5) The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate except as permitted by (i) the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or interpretations or modifications by the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, or (ii) exemptive or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.

(6) The Fund may purchase or sell commodities or contracts related to commodities to the extent permitted by (i) the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or interpretations or modifications by the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, or (ii) exemptive or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.

(7) Except as permitted by exemptive or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, the Fund may not make any investment if, as a result, the Fund’s investments will be concentrated in any one industry.

If the shareholder proposals are approved by the Fund’s shareholders, its revised policies will set forth the following as a nonfundamental investment restriction that may be changed by the Company’s Board of Trustees at any time: the Fund may not purchase securities of any company deriving more than 25% of its gross revenues from the manufacture of alcohol or tobacco.

 

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With respect to the fundamental policy relating to borrowing money set forth in (1) above, the 1940 Act permits a fund to borrow money in amounts of up to one-third of the fund’s total assets from banks for any purpose, and to borrow up to 5% of the fund’s total assets from banks or other lenders for temporary purposes. To limit the risks attendant to borrowing, the 1940 Act requires the fund to maintain at all times an “asset coverage” of at least 300% of the amount of its borrowings. Asset coverage means the ratio that the value of the fund’s total assets, minus liabilities other than borrowings, bears to the aggregate amount of all borrowings. Certain trading practices and investments, such as reverse repurchase agreements, may be considered to be borrowings and thus subject to the 1940 Act restrictions. Borrowing money to increase portfolio holdings is known as “leveraging.” Borrowing, especially when used for leverage, may cause the value of a fund’s shares to be more volatile than if the fund did not borrow. This is because borrowing tends to magnify the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the fund’s portfolio holdings. Borrowed money thus creates an opportunity for greater gains, but also greater losses. To repay borrowings, the fund may have to sell securities at a time and at a price that is unfavorable to the fund. There also are costs associated with borrowing money, and these costs would offset and could eliminate a fund’s net investment income in any given period. Currently the fund does not contemplate borrowing money for leverage, but if the fund does so, it will not likely do so to a substantial degree. The policy in (1) above will be interpreted to permit a fund to engage in trading practices and investments that may be considered to be borrowing to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. Short-term credits necessary for the settlement of securities transactions and arrangements with respect to securities lending will not be considered to be borrowings under the policy. Practices and investments that may involve leverage but are not considered to be borrowings are not subject to the policy.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to underwriting set forth in (2) above, the 1940 Act does not prohibit a fund from engaging in the underwriting business or from underwriting the securities of other issuers; in fact, the 1940 Act permits a fund to have underwriting commitments of up to 25% of its assets under certain circumstances. Those circumstances currently are that the amount of the fund’s underwriting commitments, when added to the value of the fund’s investments in issuers where the fund owns more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of those issuers, cannot exceed the 25% cap. A fund engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio securities may be considered to be an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Under the 1933 Act, an underwriter may be liable for material omissions or misstatements in an issuer’s registration statement or prospectus. Securities purchased from an issuer and not registered for sale under the 1933 Act are considered restricted securities. There may be a limited market for these securities. If these securities are registered under the 1933 Act, they may then be eligible for sale but participating in the sale may subject the seller to underwriter liability. These risks could apply to a fund investing in restricted securities. Although it is not believed that the application of the 1933 Act provisions described above would cause a fund to be engaged in the business of underwriting, the policy in (2) above will be interpreted not to prevent the fund from engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio securities, regardless of whether the fund may be considered to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to lending set forth in (3) above, the 1940 Act does not prohibit a fund from making loans; however, SEC staff interpretations currently prohibit funds from lending more than one-third of their total assets, except through the purchase of debt obligations or the use of repurchase agreements. (A repurchase agreement is an agreement to purchase a security, coupled with an agreement to sell that security back to the original seller on an agreed-upon date at a price that reflects current interest rates. The SEC frequently treats repurchase agreements as loans.) While lending securities may be a source of income to a fund, as with other extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in recovery or even loss of rights in the underlying securities should the borrower fail financially. However, loans would be made only when the fund’s manager or a subadviser believes the income justifies the attendant risks. The fund also will be permitted by this policy to make loans of money, including to other funds. A fund would have to obtain exemptive relief from the SEC to make loans to other funds. The policy in (3) above will be interpreted not to prevent a fund from purchasing or investing in debt obligations and loans. In addition, collateral arrangements with respect to options, forward currency and futures transactions and other derivative instruments, as well as delays in the settlement of securities transactions, will not be considered loans.

 

38


With respect to the fundamental policy relating to issuing senior securities set forth in (4) above, “senior securities” are defined as fund obligations that have a priority over the fund’s shares with respect to the payment of dividends or the distribution of fund assets. The 1940 Act prohibits a fund from issuing senior securities except that the fund may borrow money in amounts of up to one-third of the fund’s total assets from banks for any purpose. A fund also may borrow up to 5% of the fund’s total assets from banks or other lenders for temporary purposes, and these borrowings are not considered senior securities. The issuance of senior securities by a fund can increase the speculative character of the fund’s outstanding shares through leveraging. Leveraging of a fund’s portfolio through the issuance of senior securities magnifies the potential for gain or loss on monies, because even though the fund’s net assets remain the same, the total risk to investors is increased to the extent of the fund’s gross assets. The policy in (4) above will be interpreted not to prevent collateral arrangements with respect to swaps, options, forward or futures contracts or other derivatives, or the posting of initial or variation margin.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to real estate set forth in (5) above, the 1940 Act does not prohibit a fund from owning real estate; however, a fund is limited in the amount of illiquid assets it may purchase. Investing in real estate may involve risks, including that real estate is generally considered illiquid and may be difficult to value and sell. Owners of real estate may be subject to various liabilities, including environmental liabilities. To the extent that investments in real estate are considered illiquid, the current SEC staff position generally limits a fund’s purchases of illiquid securities to 15% of net assets. The policy in (5) above will be interpreted not to prevent a fund from investing in real estate-related companies, companies whose businesses consist in whole or in part of investing in real estate, instruments (like mortgages) that are secured by real estate or interests therein, or real estate investment trust securities.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to commodities set forth in (6) above, the 1940 Act does not prohibit a fund from owning commodities, whether physical commodities and contracts related to physical commodities (such as oil or grains and related futures contracts), or financial commodities and contracts related to financial commodities (such as currencies and, possibly, currency futures). However, a fund is limited in the amount of illiquid assets it may purchase. To the extent that investments in commodities are considered illiquid, the current SEC staff position generally limits a fund’s purchases of illiquid securities to 15% of net assets. If a fund were to invest in a physical commodity or a physical commodity-related instrument, the fund would be subject to the additional risks of the particular physical commodity and its related market. The value of commodities and commodity-related instruments may be extremely volatile and may be affected either directly or indirectly by a variety of factors. There also may be storage charges and risks of loss associated with physical commodities. The policy in (6) above will be interpreted to permit investments in exchange traded funds that invest in physical and/or financial commodities.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to concentration set forth in (7) above, the 1940 Act does not define what constitutes “concentration” in an industry. The SEC staff has taken the position that investment of 25% or more of a fund’s total assets in one or more issuers conducting their principal activities in the same industry or group of industries constitutes concentration. It is possible that interpretations of concentration could change in the future. A fund that invests a significant percentage of its total assets in a single industry may be particularly susceptible to adverse events affecting that industry and may be more risky than a fund that does not concentrate in an industry. The policy in (7) above will be interpreted to refer to concentration as that term may be interpreted from time to time. The policy also will be interpreted to permit investment without limit in the following: securities of the U.S. government and its agencies or instrumentalities; securities of state, territory, possession or municipal governments and their authorities, agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions; securities of foreign governments; and repurchase agreements collateralized by any such obligations. Accordingly, issuers of the foregoing securities will not be considered to be members of any industry. There also will be no limit on investment in issuers domiciled in a single jurisdiction or country. The policy also will be interpreted to give broad authority to a fund as to how to classify issuers within or among industries.

The fund’s proposed fundamental policies are written and will be interpreted broadly. For example, the policies will be interpreted to refer to the 1940 Act and the related rules as they are in effect from time to time, and to interpretations and modifications of or relating to the 1940 Act by the SEC and others as they are given

 

39


from time to time. When a policy provides that an investment practice may be conducted as permitted by the 1940 Act, the policy will be interpreted to mean either that the 1940 Act expressly permits the practice or that the 1940 Act does not prohibit the practice.

The Fund is currently classified as a diversified fund under the 1940 Act. This means that the Fund may not purchase securities of an issuer (other than obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities) if, with respect to 75% of its total assets, (a) more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in securities of that issuer, or (b) the Fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer. With respect to the remaining 25% of its total assets, the Fund can invest more than 5% of its assets in one issuer. Under the 1940 Act, the Fund cannot change its classification from diversified to non-diversified without shareholder approval.

BROKERAGE

Subject to policies as may be established by the Fund’s Board from time to time, the subadviser is primarily responsible for the Fund’s portfolio decisions and the placing of the Fund’s portfolio transactions, except that the manager manages the cash and short-term investments of the Fund. Transactions on stock exchanges involve the payment of negotiated brokerage commissions. There is generally no stated commission in the case of securities traded in the over-the-counter market, but the price of those securities includes an undisclosed commission or mark-up. Over-the-counter purchases and sales are transacted directly with principal market makers except where it is believed that better prices and executions may be obtained elsewhere. The cost of securities purchased from underwriters includes an underwriting commission or concession, and the prices at which securities are purchased from and sold to dealers include a dealer’s mark-up or mark-down. The aggregate brokerage commissions paid by the Fund for the three most recent fiscal years is set forth below under “Aggregate Brokerage Commissions Paid.”

Pursuant to the Management Agreement and sub-advisory agreements, each of the manager and the subadviser is authorized to place orders pursuant to its investment determinations for the Fund either directly with the issuer or with any broker or dealer, foreign currency dealer, futures commission merchant or others selected by it. The general policy of the manager and subadviser in selecting brokers and dealers is to obtain the best results achievable in the context of a number of factors which are considered both in relation to individual trades and broader trading patterns, including the reliability of the broker/dealer, the competitiveness of the price and the commission, the research services received and whether the broker/dealer commits its own capital. In connection with the manager’s or subadviser’s monitoring of its portfolio transactions for compliance with its policies, the manager and subadviser each utilize both an internal committee and a third party service provider.

In connection with the selection of such brokers or dealers and the placing of such orders, subject to applicable law, brokers or dealers may be selected who also provide brokerage and research services (as those terms are defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) to the Fund and/or the other accounts over which the manager, the subadviser or their affiliates exercise investment discretion. The manager and subadviser are authorized to pay a broker or dealer who provides such brokerage and research services a commission for executing a portfolio transaction for the Fund which is in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction if the manager or subadviser determines in good faith that such amount of commission is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such broker or dealer. This determination may be viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or the overall responsibilities that the manager, the subadviser and their affiliates have with respect to accounts over which they exercise investment discretion. The manager and/or subadviser may also have arrangements with brokers pursuant to which such brokers provide research services to the manager or subadviser, as applicable, in exchange for a certain volume of brokerage transactions to be executed by such brokers. While the payment of higher commissions increases the Fund’s costs, neither the manager nor the subadviser believes that the receipt of such brokerage and research services significantly reduces its expenses as manager or subadviser. Arrangements for the receipt of research services from brokers may create conflicts of interest.

 

40


Research services furnished to the manager or the subadviser by brokers who effect securities transactions for the Fund may be used by the manager or subadviser in servicing other investment companies and accounts which it manages. Similarly, research services furnished to the manager or subadviser by brokers who effect securities transactions for other investment companies and accounts which the manager or subadviser manages may be used by the manager or subadviser, as applicable, in servicing the Fund. Not all of these research services are used by the manager or subadviser in managing any particular account, including the Fund. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2006, the Fund paid commissions to brokers that provided research services as follows:

 

Fund

   Total Dollar Amount Of
Brokerage Transactions
Related To Research Services
   Total Dollar Amount of
Brokerage Commissions
Paid on Transactions
Related To Research Services

Dividend Strategy Fund

   $ 240,906    $ 207,328,666

The Fund contemplates that, consistent with the policy of obtaining the best net results, brokerage transactions may be conducted through “affiliated broker/dealers”, as defined in the 1940 Act. The Fund’s Board of Trustees has adopted procedures in accordance with Rule 17e-1 promulgated under the 1940 Act to ensure that all brokerage commissions paid to such affiliates are reasonable and fair in the context of the market in which such affiliates operate. Effective December 1, 2005 CGMI is no longer an affiliated person of the Fund under the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund will be permitted to execute portfolio transactions with CGMI or an affiliate of CGMI as agent (but not as principal) without being subject to the restrictions applicable to transactions with affiliated persons.

Aggregate Brokerage Commissions Paid

For the fiscal years ended October 31, 2004, 2005 and 2006, the Fund paid aggregate brokerage commissions and brokerage commissions to CGMI and its affiliates as set out below:

 

Aggregate Brokerage Commissions Paid

(Fiscal Year Ended October 31)

   Dividend
Strategy

2006

   $ 1,624,492

2005

   $ 2,131,552

2004

   $ 3,532,132

 

Fiscal Year 2006 Commissions

   CGMI and Affiliates

Dividend Strategy

   $ 24,817

Fiscal Year 2005 Commissions

   CGMI and Affiliates

Dividend Strategy

   $  44,707

Fiscal Year 2004 Commissions

   CGMI and Affiliates

Dividend Strategy

   $ 62,480

For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2006, the percentage of the Fund’s aggregate brokerage commissions paid to CGMI and its affiliates and the percentage of the Fund’s aggregate dollar amount of transactions involving the payment of commissions effected through CGMI and its affiliates were as follows:

 

Percentage of

Aggregate Brokerage

Commissions Paid

   CGMI
and
Affiliates
 

Dividend Strategy

   1.53 %

 

Percentage of

Aggregate Dollar Amount of

Transactions Involving

Payment of Commissions

   CGMI
and
Affiliates
 

Dividend Strategy

   2.58 %

 

41


As of December 1, 2005, LMIS became an underwriter of the Fund under the 1940 Act. For the period December 1, 2005 through October 31, 2006, the Fund did not pay any brokerage commissions to LMIS or its affiliates.

During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2006, the Fund purchased securities issued by the following regular broker/dealers of the Fund, which had the following values as of October 31, 2006:

 

Broker-Dealer

  

Value of

Securities

as of

October 31, 2006

Bank of America Corp.

   $71,098,757

Merrill Lynch, Pirce, Fenner & Smith, Inc

   $37,153,500

In certain instances there may be securities that are suitable as an investment for the Fund as well as for one or more of the manager’s or subadviser’s other clients. Investment decisions for the Fund and for the manager’s or subadviser’s other clients are made with a view to achieving their respective investment objectives. It may develop that a particular security is bought or sold for only one client even though it might be held by, or bought or sold for, other clients. Likewise, a particular security may be bought for one or more clients when one or more clients are selling the same security. Some simultaneous transactions are inevitable when several clients receive investment advice from the same investment adviser, particularly when the same security is suitable for the investment objectives of more than one client. When two or more clients are simultaneously engaged in the purchase or sale of the same security, the securities are allocated among clients in a manner believed to be equitable to each. It is recognized that in some cases this system could adversely affect the price of or the size of the position obtainable in a security for the Fund. When purchases or sales of the same security for the Fund and for other funds managed by the adviser occur contemporaneously, the purchase or sale orders may be aggregated in order to obtain any price advantages available to large volume purchases or sales.

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

For reporting purposes, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated by dividing the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the fiscal year by the monthly average of the value of the portfolio securities owned by the Fund during the fiscal year. In determining such portfolio turnover, all securities whose maturities at the time of acquisition were one year or less are excluded. A 100% portfolio turnover rate would occur, for example, if all of the securities in a Fund’s investment portfolio (other than short- term money market securities) were replaced once during the fiscal year. Portfolio turnover will not be a limiting factor should the manager or subadviser deem it advisable to purchase or sell securities.

For the Dividend Strategy Fund, for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2005 and 2006, the portfolio turnover rates were 135% and 21%, respectively.

In the event that portfolio turnover increases, this increase necessarily results in correspondingly greater transaction costs which must be paid by the Fund. To the extent portfolio trading results in realization of net short-term capital gains, shareholders will be taxed on such gains at ordinary tax rates (except shareholders who invest through IRAs and other retirement plans which are not taxed currently on accumulations in their accounts).

DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

The Fund’s Board of Trustees has adopted policies and procedures developed by LMPFA with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities and any ongoing arrangements to make available information about a

 

42


Fund’s portfolio securities. The policy requires that consideration always be given as to whether disclosure of information about a Fund’s portfolio holdings is in the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders, and that any conflicts of interest between the interests of such Fund’s shareholders and those of LMPFA, the Fund’s Distributors or their affiliates, be addressed in a manner that places the interests of the Fund’s shareholders first. The policy provides that information regarding a Fund’s portfolio holdings may not be shared with non-Legg Mason employees, with investors or potential investors (whether individual or institutional), or with third parties unless it is done for legitimate Fund business purposes and in accordance with the policy.

LMPFA’s policy generally provides for the release of details of securities positions once they are considered “stale.” Data is considered stale 25 calendar days following quarter-end for funds other than money market funds, and 25 calendar days following month-end with respect to money market funds. LMPFA believes that this passage of time prevents a third party from benefiting from an investment decision made by a fund that has not been fully reflected by the market.

Under the policy, the Fund’s complete list of holdings (including the size of each position) may be made available to investors, potential investors, third parties and non-Legg Mason employees with simultaneous public disclosure at least 25 days after calendar quarter end, except in the case of a money market fund’s holdings, which may be released with simultaneous public disclosure at least 25 days after month end. Typically, simultaneous public disclosure is achieved by the filing of Form N-Q or Form N-CSR in accordance with SEC rules, provided that such filings may not be made until 25 days following quarter-end, and/or posting the information to a Legg Mason or the Fund’s Internet site that is accessible by the public, or through public release by a third party vendor.

The policy permits the release of limited portfolio holdings information that is not yet considered stale in a number of situations, including:

 

  1. The Fund’s top ten securities, current as of month-end, and the individual size of each such security position may be released at any time following month-end with simultaneous public disclosure.

 

  2. The Fund’s top ten securities positions (including the aggregate but not individual size of such positions) may be released at any time with simultaneous public disclosure.

 

  3. A list of securities (that may include Fund holdings together with other securities) followed by a portfolio manager (without position sizes or identification of particular funds) may be disclosed to sell-side brokers at any time for the purpose of obtaining research and/or market information from such brokers.

 

  4. A trade in process may be discussed only with counterparties, potential counterparties and others involved in the transaction (i.e., brokers and custodians).

 

  5. The Fund’s sector weightings, yield and duration (for fixed income and money market funds), performance attribution (e.g., analysis of the Fund’s out-performance or underperformance of its benchmark based on its portfolio holdings) and other summary and statistical information that does not include identification of specific portfolio holdings may be released, even if non-public, if such release is otherwise in accordance with the policy’s general principles.

 

  6. The Fund’s portfolio holdings may be released on an as-needed basis to its legal counsel, counsel to its Independent Trustees, and its independent public accounting firm, in required regulatory filings or otherwise to governmental agencies and authorities.

Under the policy, if information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings is released pursuant to an ongoing arrangement with any party, the Fund must have a legitimate business purpose for the release of the information, and either the party receiving the information must be under a duty of confidentiality, or the release of non-public information must be subject to trading restrictions and confidential treatment to prohibit the entity from sharing with an unauthorized source or trading upon any non-public information provided. Neither the Fund, nor Legg Mason, nor any other affiliated party may receive compensation or any other consideration in connection with such arrangements. Ongoing arrangements to make available information about the Fund’s portfolio securities will be reviewed at least annually by the Fund’s Board.

 

43


The approval of the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer, or designee, must be obtained before such Fund enters into any new ongoing arrangement or alters any existing ongoing arrangement to make available portfolio holdings information, or with respect to any exceptions to the policy. Any exceptions to the policy must be consistent with the purposes of the policy. Exceptions are considered on a case-by-case basis and are granted only after a thorough examination and consultation with LMPFA’s legal department, as necessary. Exceptions to the policies are reported to the Fund’s Board at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

Currently, the Fund discloses its complete portfolio holdings approximately 25 days after calendar quarter end on its website http://www.leggmason.com/InvestorServices.

Set forth below is a list, as of February 23, 2007, of those parties with whom LMPFA, on behalf of the Fund, has authorized ongoing arrangements that include the release of portfolio holdings information in accordance with the policy, as well as the frequency of the release under such arrangements, and the length of the lag, if any, between the date of the information and the date on which the information is disclosed. The parties identified below as recipients are service providers, fund rating agencies, consultants and analysts.

 

Recipient

  

Frequency

  

Delay before dissemination

State Street Bank & Trust Co.
(Fund Custodian and Accounting Agent)

   Daily    None

Institutional Shareholders Services
(Proxy Voting Services)

   As necessary    None

Bloomberg

   Quarterly    25 Days after Quarter End

Lipper

   Quarterly    25 Days after Quarter End

S&P

   Quarterly    25 Days after Quarter End

Morningstar

   Quarterly    25 Days after Quarter End

Vestek

   Daily    None

Factset

   Daily    None

The Bank of New York

   Daily    None

Portfolio holdings information for each Fund may also be released from time to time pursuant to ongoing arrangements with the following parties:

 

Recipient

  

Frequency

  

Delay before dissemination

Baseline

   Daily    None

Frank Russell

   Monthly    1 Day

Callan

   Quarterly    25 Days after Quarter End

Mercer

   Quarterly    25 Days after Quarter End

eVestment Alliance

   Quarterly    25 Days after Quarter End

CRA RogersCasey

   Quarterly    25 Days after Quarter End

Cambridge Associates

   Quarterly    25 Days after Quarter End

Marco Consulting

   Quarterly    25 Days after Quarter End

Wilshire

   Quarterly    25 Days after Quarter End

Informa Investment Services (Efron)

   Quarterly    25 Days after Quarter End

CheckFree (Mobius)

   Quarterly    25 Days after Quarter End

Nelsons Information

   Quarterly    25 Days after Quarter End

Investor Tools

   Daily    None

Advent

   Daily    None

BARRA

   Daily    None

 

44


Recipient

  

Frequency

  

Delay before dissemination

Plexus

   Quarterly (Calendar)    Sent 1-3 business days following the end of a Quarter

Elkins/McSherry

   Quarterly (Calendar)    Sent 1-3 business days following the end of a Quarter

Quantitative Services Group

   Daily    None

AMBAC

   Daily    None

Deutsche Bank

   Monthly    6-8 Business Days

Fitch

   Monthly    6-8 Business Days

Liberty Hampshire

   Weekly and Month End    None

Sun Trust

   Weekly and Month End    None

New England Pension Consultants

   Quarterly    25 Days after Quarter End

Evaluation Associates

   Quarterly    25 Days after Quarter End

Watson Wyatt

   Quarterly    25 Days after Quarter End

S&P (Rating Agency)

   Weekly Tuesday Night    1 business day

Moody’s (Rating Agency)

   Weekly Tuesday Night    1 business day

PORTFOLIO MANAGERS

The following tables set forth certain additional information with respect to the portfolio managers for the Fund. Unless noted otherwise, all information in this section with respect to the Fund is provided as of October 31, 2006.

Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Manager

The table below identifies, for each portfolio manager, the number of accounts (other than the Fund with respect to which information is provided) for which he or she has day-to-day management responsibilities and the total assets in such accounts, within each of the following categories: registered investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles, and other accounts.

 

Portfolio Manager

  

Registered

Investment Companies

  

Other Pooled

Investment Vehicles

   Other Accounts    Accounts with Fees
based on
performance

Scott Glasser

   29,569 registered investment companies with $4 billion in total assets under management    1 other pooled
investment
vehicle with
$0.04 billion in
total assets under
management
   6 other accounts
with $7.53
billion in total
assets under
management
   None

Peter Hable

   80,836 registered investment companies with $12.18 billion in total assets under management    2 other pooled
investment
vehicles with
$0.40 billion in
total assets under
management
   20 other accounts
with $21.29
billion in total
assets under
management
   1 account with
fees based on
performance with
$0.01 million in
total assets under
management

 

45


Portfolio Manager Compensation

Investment professionals of the manager and Clearbridge (collectively, “CAM”) receive base salary and other employee benefits and are eligible to receive incentive compensation. Base salary is fixed and typically determined based on market factors and the skill and experience of individual investment personnel.

CAM has implemented an investment management incentive and deferred compensation plan (the “Compensation Plan”) for its investment professionals, including the Fund’s portfolio manager(s). Each investment professional works as a part of an investment team. The Compensation Plan is designed to align the objectives of CAM investment professionals with those of Fund shareholders and other CAM clients. Under the Compensation Plan a “base incentive pool” is established for each team each year as a percentage of CAM’s revenue attributable to the team (largely management and related fees generated by funds and other accounts). A team’s revenues are typically expected to increase or decrease depending in part on the effect that the team’s investment performance as well as inflows and outflows has on the level of assets in the investment products managed by the team. The “base incentive pool” of a team is reduced by base salaries paid to members of the team and employee benefits expenses attributable to the team.

The investment team’s incentive pool is then adjusted to reflect its ranking among a “peer group” of non-CAM investment managers and the team’s pre-tax investment performance against the applicable product benchmark (e.g., a securities index and, with respect to a fund, the benchmark set forth in the fund’s prospectus to which the fund’s average annual total returns are compared) or, if none, the benchmark set forth in the fund’s annual report). The peer group of non-CAM investment managers is defined by product style/type, vehicle type and geography and selected by independent vendors that track and provide (for a fee paid by CAM) relevant peer group performance and ranking data. Longer-term (5- year) performance will be more heavily weighted than shorter-term (1- year) performance in the calculation of the performance adjustment factor. The incentive pool for a team may also be adjusted to reflect other factors (e.g., severance pay to departing members of the team, and discretionary allocations by the applicable CAM chief investment officer from one investment team to another). The incentive pool will be allocated by the applicable CAM chief investment officer to the team leader and, based on the recommendations of the team leader, to the other members of the team.

Up to 20% of an investment professional’s annual incentive compensation is subject to deferral. Of that principal deferred award amount, 50% will accrue a return based on the hypothetical returns of the investment fund or product that is the primary focus of the investment professional’s business activities with the Firm, and 50% may be received in the form of Legg Mason restricted stock shares.

Potential Conflicts of Interest

Potential conflicts of interest may arise when the Fund’s portfolio manager also has day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to one or more other funds or other accounts, as is the case for the portfolio managers listed in the table above.

The manager, subadviser and the Fund have adopted compliance polices and procedures that are designed to address various conflicts of interest that may arise for the investment adviser and the individuals that it employs. For example, the manager and the subadviser each seek to minimize the effects of competing interests for the time and attention of portfolio managers by assigning portfolio managers to manage funds and accounts that share a similar investment style. The manager and the subadviser have also adopted trade allocation procedures that are designed to facilitate the fair allocation of limited investment opportunities among multiple funds and accounts. There is no guarantee, however, that the policies and procedures adopted by the manager, subadviser and the fund(s) will be able to detect and/or prevent every situation in which an actual or potential conflict may appear.

These potential conflicts include:

Allocation of Limited Time and Attention. A portfolio manager who is responsible for managing multiple funds and/or accounts may devote unequal time and attention to the management of those funds and/or accounts.

 

46


As a result, the portfolio manager may not be able to formulate as complete a strategy or identify equally attractive investment opportunities for each of those accounts as might be the case if he or she were to devote substantially more attention to the management of a single fund. The effects of this potential conflict may be more pronounced where funds and/or accounts overseen by a particular portfolio manager have different investment strategies.

Allocation of Limited Investment Opportunities. If a portfolio manager identifies a limited investment opportunity that may be suitable for multiple funds and/or accounts, the opportunity may be allocated among these several funds or accounts, which may limit a fund’s ability to take full advantage of the investment opportunity.

Pursuit of Differing Strategies. At times, a portfolio manager may determine that an investment opportunity may be appropriate for only some of the funds and/or accounts for which he or she exercises investment responsibility, or may decide that certain of the funds and/or accounts should take differing positions with respect to a particular security. In these cases, the portfolio manager may place separate transactions for one or more funds or accounts which may affect the market price of the security or the execution of the transaction, or both, to the detriment or benefit of one or more other funds and/or accounts.

Selection of Brokers/Dealers. Portfolio managers may be able to select or influence the selection of the brokers and dealers that are used to execute securities transactions for the funds and/or account that they supervise. In addition to executing trades, some brokers and dealers provide portfolio managers with brokerage and research services (as those terms are defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934), which may result in the payment of higher brokerage fees than might have otherwise been available. These services may be more beneficial to certain funds or accounts than to others. Although the payment of brokerage commissions is subject to the requirement that the portfolio manager determine in good faith that the commissions are reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided to the fund, a portfolio manager’s decision as to the selection of brokers and dealers could yield disproportionate costs and benefits among the funds and/or accounts that he or she manages.

Variation in Compensation. A conflict of interest may arise where the financial or other benefits available to the portfolio manager differ among the funds and/or accounts that he or she manages. If the structure of the investment manager’s management fee and/or the portfolio manager’s compensation differs among funds and/or accounts (such as where certain funds or accounts pay higher management fees or performance-based management fees), the portfolio manager might be motivated to help certain funds and/or accounts over others. The portfolio manager might be motivated to favor funds and/or accounts in which he or she has an interest or in which the investment manager and/or its affiliates have interests. Similarly, the desire to maintain or raise assets under management or to enhance the portfolio manager’s performance record or to derive other rewards, financial or otherwise, could influence the portfolio manager in affording preferential treatment to those funds and/or accounts that could most significantly benefit the portfolio manager.

Related Business Opportunities. The investment manager or its affiliates may provide more services (such as distribution or recordkeeping) for some types of funds or accounts than for others. In such cases, a portfolio manager may benefit, either directly or indirectly, by devoting disproportionate attention to the management of fund and/or accounts that provide greater overall returns to the investment manager and its affiliates.

Portfolio Manager Securities Ownership

The table below identifies ownership of the Dividend Strategy Fund securities by each Portfolio Manager.

 

Portfolio Manager

   Dollar Range of
Ownership of
Securities in
the Dividend Strategy Fund

Scott Glasser

   None

Peter Hable

   None

 

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DISTRIBUTORS

Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC (“LMIS”), a wholly-owned broker-dealer subsidiary of Legg Mason, located at 100 Light Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202; Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (“CGMI”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Citigroup, located at 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10013 and PFS Investments Inc. (“PFS”), located at 3120 Breckinridge Boulevard, Duluth, Georgia 30099-0001 serve as the Funds’ distributors pursuant to separate written agreements or amendments to written agreements, in each case dated December 1, 2005 (the “Distribution Agreements”). Prior to December 1, 2005, CGMI and PFS Distributors, Inc., the predecessor in interest to PFS, served as the Fund’s distributors.

A distributor’s obligation is an agency or “best efforts” arrangement under which the distributor is required to take and pay only for such shares of the Fund as may be sold to the public. A distributor is not obligated to sell any stated number of shares. Each Distribution Agreement is renewable from year to year if approved (a) by the Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the Company’s outstanding voting securities, and (b) by the affirmative vote of a majority of Trustees who are not parties to the Agreement or interested persons of any party by votes cast in person at a meeting called for such purpose. Each Distribution Agreement provides that it will terminate if assigned, and that it may be terminated without penalty by either party on 60 days’ written notice, provided that each of the CGMI and PFS distribution agreements may be terminated upon 90 days’ written notice by the distributor.

In addition, the distributors may make payments for distribution and/or shareholder servicing activities out of their past profits and other available sources. The distributors may also make payments to dealers for marketing, promotional or related expenses. The amount of these payments is determined by the distributors and may be substantial. The manager or an affiliate may make similar payments under similar arrangements.

A distributor is entitled to receive the proceeds of the initial sales charge, if any, paid upon the purchase of Class A shares, and all or a portion of said amount is paid to service agents. PFS Investments, Inc. and CGMI are entitled to receive the contingent deferred sales charge paid upon certain redemptions of Class B and C shares directly from the Fund, for PFS accounts and Smith Barney accounts, respectively, for any of the distribution and service expenses described above.

A distributor may be deemed to be an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act of 1933. From time to time, service agents or their affiliates may also pay for certain non-cash sales incentives provided to financial professionals. Such incentives do not have any effect on the net amount invested. In addition to the reallowances from the applicable public offering price described above, service agents may, from time to time, pay or allow additional reallowances or promotional incentives, in the form of cash or other compensation to financial professionals that sell shares of the Company.

Initial Sales Charges — Class 1, Class A, Class C and Class O

The following table shows commissions paid as initial sales charges on Class 1, Class A, Class C and Class O shares and amounts retained by LMIS, CGMI and PFS, during the fiscal years ended October 31, 2006, 2005, and 2004.

 

October 31, 2006

   Dividend Strategy

Total Underwriting Commissions*

   $ 390,772

Amounts retained by LMIS

   $ 0

Amounts retained by CGMI

   $ 0

Amounts retained by PFS

   $ 390,772

* Effective April 29, 2004, Class L shares were renamed Class C shares. On February 2, 2004, the initial sales charge of 1.00% on Class C shares was eliminated for purchases made after that date.

 

48


October 31, 2005

   Dividend Strategy

Total Underwriting Commissions

   $ 5,865,000

Amounts retained by CGMI

   $ 5,865,000

Amounts retained by PFS

   $ 0

October 31, 2004

   Dividend Strategy

Total Underwriting Commissions*

   $ 6,571,000

Amounts retained by CGMI

   $ 70,380

Amounts retained by PFS

   $ 6,500,620

* Effective April 29, 2004, Class L shares were renamed Class C shares. On February 2, 2004, the initial sales charge of 1.00% on Class C shares was eliminated for purchases made after that date.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charges — Class A, Class B, Class C, Class O and Class P

The following table shows the contingent deferred sales charges paid on Class A, Class B, Class C, Class O and Class P shares and amounts retained by LMIS, CGMI and PFS, during the fiscal years ended October 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004.

 

October 31, 2006

   Dividend Strategy

Total Underwriting Commissions

   $ 57,102

Amounts retained by LMIS

   $ 0

Amounts retained by CGMI

   $ 18,271

Amounts retained by PFS

   $ 38,831

October 31, 2005

   Dividend Strategy

Total Underwriting Commissions

   $ 26,000

Amounts retained by CGMI

   $ 26,000

Amounts retained by PFS

   $ 0

October 31, 2004

   Dividend Strategy

Total Underwriting Commissions*

   $ 662,000

Amounts retained by CGMI

   $ 630,379

Amounts retained by PFS

   $ 31,621

* Effective as of April 29, 2004, Class L shares were renamed Class C shares.

DISTRIBUTION PLAN

Class A, Class B, and Class C shares of the Fund have a shareholder services and distribution plan (the “12b-1 Plan”) adopted in accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Under the 12b-1 Plan, the Fund may pay monthly fees at an annual rate not to exceed 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund attributable to that class in the case of the 12b-1 Plan relating to Class A shares, and not to exceed 1.00% of the average daily net assets of the Fund attributable to that class in the case of the 12b-1 Plan relating to Class B shares and Class C shares.

Such fees may be used to make payments to a distributor for distribution services, to service agents in respect of the sale of shares of the Fund, and to other parties in respect of the sale of shares of the Fund, and to make payments for advertising, marketing or other promotional activity, and payments for preparation, printing, and distribution of prospectuses, statements of additional information and reports for recipients other than regulators and existing shareholders. The Fund also may make payments to a distributor, service agents and others for providing personal service or the maintenance of shareholder accounts. The amounts paid to each recipient may vary based upon certain factors, including, among other things, the levels of sales of Fund shares and/or shareholder services

 

49


provided, provided, however, that the fees paid to a recipient with respect to a particular Class that may be used to cover expenses primarily intended to result in the sale of shares of that Class, or that may be used to cover expenses primarily intended for personal service and/or maintenance of shareholder accounts, may not exceed the maximum amounts, if any, as may from time to time be permitted for such services under NASD Conduct Rule 2830 or any successor rule, in each case as amended or interpreted by the NASD. Recipients may receive different compensation for sales of different classes of shares.

The 12b-1 Plan also provides that a distributor and service agents may receive any front-end sales charge as total or partial compensation for their services in connection with the sale of shares and all or a portion of any contingent deferred sales charges paid by investors.

The 12b-1 Plan permits the Fund to pay fees to a distributor, service agents and others as compensation for their services, not as reimbursement for specific expenses incurred. Thus, even if their expenses exceed the fees provided for by the 12b-1 Plan, the Fund will not be obligated to pay more than those fees and, if their expenses are less than the fees paid to them, they will realize a profit. The Fund may pay the fees to a distributor and others until the 12b-1 Plan or Distribution Agreement is terminated or not renewed. In that event, a distributor’s or other recipient’s expenses in excess of fees received or accrued through the termination date will be the distributor’s or other recipient’s sole responsibility and not obligations of the Fund. In their annual consideration of the continuation of the 12b-1 Plan for the Fund, the Trustees will review the 12b-1 Plan and the expenses for each class within the Fund separately.

The 12b-1 Plan also recognizes that various service providers to the Fund, such as the manager, may make payments for distribution related expenses out of their own resources, including past profits, or payments received from the Fund for other purposes, such as management fees, and that the Fund’s distributors or service agents may from time to time use their own resources for distribution related services, in addition to the fees paid under the 12b-1 Plan. The 12b-1 Plan specifically provides that, to the extent that such payments might be deemed to be indirect financing of any activity primarily intended to result in the sale of shares of the Fund within the context of Rule 12b-1, then the payments are deemed to be authorized by the 12b-1 Plan.

The 12b-1 Plan continues in effect if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by a vote of both a majority of the Company’s Trustees and a majority of the Company’s Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Company and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the 12b-1 Plan or in any agreement related to the 12b-1 Plan (for purposes of this paragraph, “qualified Trustees”). The Trustees, in the exercise of their business judgment made in the best interests of the shareholders of the Fund and each class, have approved the continuation of the 12b-1 Plan. The 12b-1 Plan requires that the Company and the distributor provide to the Board of Trustees and the Board of Trustees review, at least quarterly, a written report of the amounts expended (and the purposes therefor) under the 12b-1 Plan. The 12b-1 Plan further provides that the selection and nomination of the qualified trustees is committed to the discretion of such qualified trustees then in office who are not interested Trustees of the Company. The 12b-1 Plan may be terminated with respect to any class of the Fund at any time by a vote of a majority of the Company’s qualified Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of that class. The 12b-1 Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount of a class’s permitted expenses thereunder without the approval of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of that class and may not be materially amended in any case without a vote of a majority of both the Trustees and qualified Trustees. The Company will preserve copies of any plan, agreement or report made pursuant to the 12b-1 Plan for a period of not less than six years, and for the first two years the Company will preserve such copies in an easily accessible place.

As contemplated by the 12b-1 Plan, each distributor acts as an agent of the Company in connection with the offering of shares of the Fund pursuant to the respective Distribution Agreements.

For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2006, the fees paid by the Dividend Strategy Fund under the 12b-1 Plan relating to Class A were $944,634 or 0.25% of the Class A shares’ average net assets; under the 12b-1 Plan

 

50


relating to Class B were $2,557,277 or 1.00% of the Class B shares’ average net assets; and under the 12b-1 Plan relating to Class C were $110,050 or 1.00% of the Class C shares’ average net assets.

For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2006, distribution expenses incurred by LMIS, CGMI and/or PFS for advertising, printing and mailing prospectuses, support services and overhead expenses, payments to their financial advisers or registered representative and for accruals for interest on expenses incurred in the distribution of the Fund’s shares are set forth in the following table:

Fund Name

   Financial Consultant
Compensation
   Branch Operations    Marketing
& Advertising
Expenses
   Printing
Expenses
   Total Expenses

Dividend Strategy

              

A

   0    14,499    0    0    14,499

B

   117,522    11,196    132,060    650    261,428

C

   14,236    672    8,395    98    23,401
                        

Total

   131,758    26,267    140,455    748    299,328
                        

Dealer reallowances are described in the Fund prospectus.

DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

The net asset value per share of the Fund’s Classes is calculated on each day, Monday through Friday, except days on which the NYSE is closed. The NYSE currently is scheduled to be closed on New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and on the preceding Friday or subsequent Monday when one of these holidays falls on a Saturday or Sunday, respectively. Because of the differences in distribution fees and Class-specific expenses, the per share net asset value of each Class will differ. Please see the prospectuses for descriptions of the procedures used by the Fund in valuing its assets.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES AND SHAREHOLDER PROGRAMS

General

Investors may purchase shares from a Service Agent. In addition, certain investors, including retirement plans purchasing through certain Service Agents, may purchase shares directly from the Fund. When purchasing shares of the Fund, investors must specify whether the purchase is for Class A, B, C, 1 or I shares. (As of November 20, 2006, Class Y shares were renamed Class I shares.) Service Agents may charge their customers an annual account maintenance fee in connection with a brokerage account through which an investor purchases or holds shares. Accounts held directly with the transfer agent are not subject to a maintenance fee.

For additional information regarding applicable investment minimums and eligibility requirements, please see the Fund’s prospectus.

There are no minimum investment requirements for purchases of Class A shares by: (i) current and retired board members of Legg Mason, (ii) current and retired board members of any fund advised by LMPFA (such board members, together with board members of Legg Mason, are referred to herein as “Board Members”), (iii) current employees of Legg Mason and its subsidiaries, (iv) the ”immediate families” of such persons (“immediate families” are such person’s spouse, including the surviving spouse of a deceased Board Member, and children under the age of 21) and (v) a pension, profit-sharing or other benefit plan for the benefit of such persons. The Fund reserves the right to waive or change minimums, to decline any order to purchase its shares and to suspend the offering of shares from time to time.

 

51


Purchase orders received by a Fund or a Service Agent prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE on any day the Fund calculates its net asset value are priced according to the net asset value determined on that day (the “trade date”). Orders received by a Service Agent prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE on any day the Fund calculates its net asset value are priced according to the net asset value determined on that day, provided the order is received by the Fund’s agent prior to its close of business. For shares purchased through CGMI or a Service Agent purchasing through CGMI, payment for shares of the Fund is normally due on the third business day after the trade date. In all other cases, payment must be made with the purchase order.

Systematic Investment Plan.

Shareholders may make additions to their accounts at any time by purchasing shares through a service known as the Systematic Investment Plan. Under the Systematic Investment Plan, a distributor, the transfer agent, or, with respect to a PFS account, Primerica Shareholder Services is authorized through preauthorized transfers of at least $25 on a monthly, quarterly, every alternate month, semi-annual or annual basis to charge the shareholder’s account held with a bank or other financial institution as indicated by the shareholder, to provide for systematic additions to the shareholder’s Fund account. A shareholder who has insufficient funds to complete the transfer will be charged a fee of up to $25 by a distributor, the transfer agent or Primerica Shareholder Services (such fee may be up to $30 for a PFS account). The Systematic Investment Plan also authorizes a distributor to apply cash held in the shareholder’s brokerage account or redeem the shareholder’s shares of certain money market funds managed by the manager or its affiliates to make additions to the account. Additional information is available from the Fund or a Service Agent.

Sales Charge Alternatives

The following Classes of shares are available for purchase. See the prospectuses for a discussion of who is eligible to purchase certain Classes and of factors to consider in selecting which Class of shares to purchase.

Class A Shares. Class A shares are sold to investors at the public offering price, which is the net asset value plus an initial sales charge, as described in the Fund’s prospectus.

Members of the selling group may receive a portion of the sales charge as described in the Fund’s prospectus and may be deemed to be underwriters of a Fund as defined in the 1933 Act. Sales charges are calculated based on the aggregate of purchases of Class A shares of a Fund made at one time by any “person,” which includes an individual and his or her spouse and children under the age of 21, or a trustee or other fiduciary of a single trust estate or single fiduciary account. For additional information regarding sales charge reductions, see “Sales Charge Waivers and Reductions” below.

Purchases of Class A shares of $1,000,000 or more will be made at net asset value without any initial sales charge, but will be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% on redemptions made within 12 months of purchase. The contingent deferred sales charge is waived in the same circumstances in which the contingent deferred sales charge applicable to Class B and C shares is waived. See “Contingent Deferred Sales Charge Provisions” and “Waivers of Contingent Deferred Sales Charge” below.

Class B and C Shares. Class B and C shares are sold without an initial sales charge but are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge payable upon certain redemptions. See “Contingent Deferred Sales Charge Provisions.”

Class 1 Shares. Class 1 shares are sold to eligible Class 1 shareholders at the next determined net asset value plus a sales charge. Investors do not pay a sales charge on a Fund’s distributions or dividends that they reinvest in additional Class 1 shares. Investors pay a lower sales charge as the size of their investment increases to certain levels called breakpoints as described in the Fund’s prospectus.

Class I Shares. Class I shares are sold at net asset value with no initial sales charge and no contingent deferred sales charge upon redemption.

 

52


PFS Accounts

The Fund offers three Classes of shares to investors purchasing through PFS: Class A , B and 1 shares.

Initial purchases of shares of the Fund must be made through a PFS Registered Representative by completing the appropriate application. The completed application should be forwarded to Primerica Shareholder Services c/o PFPC, Inc., P.O. Box 9662, Providence, RI 02940-9662. Checks drawn on foreign banks must be payable in U.S. dollars and have the routing number of the U.S. bank encoded on the check. Additional investments may be sent directly to PFPC. In processing applications and investments, PFPC acts as agent for the investor and for the distributor, in accordance with the terms of the prospectuses. If the transfer agent ceases to act as such, a successor company named by the Fund will act in the same capacity so long as the account remains open. Shares purchased will be held in the shareholder’s account by PFPC.

Purchase orders received by the transfer agent or Primerica Shareholder Services prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE, on any day the Fund calculates its net asset value, are priced according to the net asset value determined on that day.

Initial purchases of Fund shares may be made by wire. Before sending the wire, the PFS Registered Representative must contact Primerica Shareholder Services at (800) 665-8677 to obtain proper wire instructions. Once an account is open, a shareholder may make additional investments by wire. The shareholder should contact Primerica Shareholder Services at (800) 544-5445 to obtain proper wire instructions.

Shareholders who establish telephone transaction authority on their account and supply bank account information may make additions to their accounts at any time. Shareholders should contact Primerica Shareholder Services at (800) 544-5445 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Eastern time any day that the NYSE is open. If a shareholder does not wish to allow subsequent investments by telephone by any person in his or her account, the shareholder should decline the telephone transaction option on the account application. The minimum subsequent investment by telephone is $25 and can be up to a maximum of $50,000. By requesting a subsequent purchase by telephone, you authorize Primerica Shareholder Services to transfer funds from the bank account provided for the amount of the purchase. Subsequent investments by telephone may not be available if the shareholder cannot reach Primerica Shareholder Services whether because all telephone lines are busy or for any other reason; in such case, a shareholder would have to use a Fund’s regular subsequent investment procedure described above.

An account transcript is available at a shareholder’s request, which identifies every financial transaction in an account since it has opened. Additional copies of tax forms are available at the shareholder’s request.

Additional information regarding Primerica Shareholder Services may be obtained by contacting the Customer Services Department at (800) 544-5445.

Sales Charge Waivers and Reductions.

Initial Sales Charge Waivers. Purchases of Class A shares may be made at NAV without an initial sales charge in the following circumstances:

(a) sales to (i) current and retired board members of Legg Mason, (ii) current and retired Board Members, (iii) current employees of Legg Mason, Inc. and its subsidiaries, as well as (iv) by the “immediate families” of such persons (“immediate families” are such person’s spouse, including the surviving spouse of a deceased Board Member, and children under the age of 21) and (v) by a pension, profit-sharing or other benefit plan for the benefit of such persons;

(b) sales to any employees of Service Agents having dealer, service or other selling agreements with the Funds’ distributors or otherwise having an arrangement with any such Service Agent with respect to

 

53


sales of Fund shares, and by the immediate families of such persons or by a pension, profit-sharing or other benefit plan for the benefit of such persons (providing the purchase is made for investment purposes and such securities will not be resold except through redemption or repurchase);

(c) offers of Class A shares to any other investment company to effect the combination of such company with a Fund by merger, acquisition of assets or otherwise;

(d) purchases by shareholders who have redeemed Class A shares in a Fund (or Class A shares of another Legg Mason Partners fund that is offered with a sales charge) and who wish to reinvest their redemption proceeds in such Fund, provided the reinvestment is made within 60 calendar days of the redemption;

(e) purchases by accounts managed by registered investment advisory subsidiaries of Citigroup;

(f) purchases by certain separate accounts used to fund unregistered variable annuity contracts; and

(g) purchases by investors participating in “wrap fee” or asset allocation programs or other fee-based arrangements sponsored by (affiliated and non-affiliated) broker-dealers and other financial institutions that have entered into agreements with CGMI or LMIS.

In order to obtain such discounts, the purchaser must provide sufficient information at the time of purchase to permit verification that the purchase qualifies for the elimination of the sales charge.

Accumulation Privilege — Please see the Fund’s prospectus for information regarding accumulation privileges.

Letter of Intent — helps you take advantage of breakpoints in Class A sales charges. You may purchase Class A shares of Legg Mason Partners Funds over a 13-month period and pay the same sales charge, if any, as if all shares had been purchased at once. You have a choice of seven Asset Level Goal amounts, as follows:

 

(1) $25,000

   (5) $500,000

(2) $50,000

   (6) $750,000

(3) $100,000

   (7) $1,000,000

(4) $250,000

  

Each time you make a Class A purchase under a Letter of Intent, you will be entitled to the sales charge that is applicable to the amount of your Asset Level Goal. For example, if your Asset Level Goal is $100,000, any Class A investments you make under a Letter of Intent would be subject to the sales charge of the specific fund you are investing in for purchases of $100,000. Sales charges and breakpoints vary among the Legg Mason Partners Funds.

When you enter into a Letter of Intent, you agree to purchase in Eligible Accounts over a thirteen (13) month period Eligible Fund Purchases in an amount equal to the Asset Level Goal you have selected, less any Eligible Prior Purchases. For this purpose, shares are valued at the public offering price (including any sales charge paid) calculated as of the date of purchase, plus any appreciation in the value of the shares as of the date of calculation, except for Eligible Prior Purchases, which are valued at current value as of the date of calculation. Your commitment will be met if at any time during the 13-month period the value, as so determined, of eligible holdings is at least equal to your Asset Level Goal. All reinvested dividends and distributions on shares acquired under the Letter will be credited towards your Asset Level Goal. You may include any Eligible Fund Purchases towards the Letter, including shares of classes other than Class A shares. However, a Letter of Intent will not entitle you to a reduction in the sales charge payable on any shares other than Class A shares, and if the shares are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge, you will still be subject to that contingent deferred sales charge with respect to those shares. You must make reference to the Letter of Intent each time you make a purchase under the Letter.

 

54


Eligible Fund Purchases. Generally, any shares of a Legg Mason Partners Fund may be credited towards your Asset Level Goal. Shares of certain money market funds advised by the manager or its affiliates (except for money market fund shares acquired by exchange from other Legg Mason Partners Funds), Legg Mason Partners S&P 500 Index Fund and Class O shares of Legg Mason Partners Equity Fund, Inc. are not eligible. This list may change from time to time. Investors should check with their Service Agent to see which funds may be eligible.

Eligible Accounts. Purchases may be made through any account in your name, or in the name of your spouse or your children under the age of 21. You may need to provide certain records, such as account statements, in order to verify your eligibility for reduced sales charges. Contact your Service Agent to see which accounts may be credited toward your Asset Level Goal.

Eligible Prior Purchases. You may also credit towards your Asset Level Goal any Eligible Fund Purchases made in Eligible Accounts at any time prior to entering into the Letter of Intent that have not been sold or redeemed, based on the current price of those shares as of the date of calculation.

Purchases made 90 days prior to the 13-month period are also eligible to be treated as purchases made under the Letter of Intent. Any Eligible Fund Purchases in Eligible Accounts made during that period will count towards your Goal and will also be eligible for the lower sales charge applicable to your Asset Level Goal. You will be credited by way of additional shares at the current offering price for the difference between (a) the aggregate sales charges actually paid for those eligible shares and (b) the aggregate applicable sales charges for your Asset Level Goal.

Increasing the Amount of the Letter. You may at any time increase your Asset Level Goal. You must, however, contact your Service Agent, or if you purchase your shares directly through PFPC, contact PFPC, prior to making any purchases in an amount in excess of your current Asset Level Goal. Upon such an increase, you will be credited by way of additional shares at the then current offering price for the difference between: (a) the aggregate sales charges actually paid for shares already purchased under the Letter and (b) the aggregate applicable sales charges for the increased Asset Level Goal. The 13-month period during which the Asset Level Goal must be achieved will remain unchanged.

Sales and Exchanges. Shares acquired pursuant to a Letter of Intent, other than Escrowed Shares as defined below, may be redeemed or exchanged at any time, although any shares that are redeemed prior to meeting your Asset Level Goal will no longer count towards meeting your Goal. However, complete liquidation of purchases made under a Letter of Intent prior to meeting the Asset Level Goal will result in the cancellation of the Letter. See “Failure to Meet Asset Level Goal” below. Exchanges in accordance with the Funds’ prospectuses are permitted, and shares so exchanged will continue to count towards your Asset Level Goal, as long as the exchange results in an Eligible Fund Purchase.

Cancellation of Letter. You may cancel a Letter of Intent by notifying your Service Agent in writing, or if you purchase your shares directly through PFPC, by notifying PFPC in writing. The Letter will be automatically cancelled if all shares are sold or redeemed as set forth above. See “Failure to Meet Asset Level Goal” below.

Escrowed Shares. Shares equal in value to five percent (5%) of your Asset Level Goal as of the date your Letter (or the date of any increase in the amount of the Letter) is accepted, will be held in escrow during the term of your Letter. The Escrowed Shares will be included in the total shares owned as reflected in your account statement and any dividends and capital gains distributions applicable to the Escrowed Shares will be credited to your account and counted towards your Asset Level Goal or paid in cash upon request. The Escrowed Shares will be released from escrow if all the terms of your Letter are met.

Failure to Meet Asset Level Goal. If the total assets under your Letter of Intent within its 13-month term are less than your Asset Level Goal or you elect to liquidate all of your holdings or cancel the Letter before reaching your Asset Level Goal, you will be liable for the difference between: (a) the sales charge actually paid and (b) the

 

55


sales charge that would have applied if you had not entered into the Letter. You may, however, be entitled to any breakpoints that would have been available to you under the accumulation privilege. An appropriate number of shares in your account will be redeemed to realize the amount due. For these purposes, by entering into a Letter of Intent, you irrevocably appoint your Service Agent, or if you purchase your shares directly through PFPC, PFPC, as your attorney-in-fact for the purposes of holding the Escrowed Shares and surrendering shares in your account for redemption. If there are insufficient assets in your account, you will be liable for the difference. Any Escrowed Shares remaining after such redemption will be released to your account.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge Provisions.

“Contingent deferred sales charge shares” are: (a) Class B shares; (b) Class C shares; and (c) Class A shares that were purchased without an initial sales charge but are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge. A contingent deferred sales charge may be imposed on certain redemptions of these shares.

Any applicable contingent deferred sales charge will be assessed on the net asset value at the time of purchase or redemption, whichever is less.

Class C shares and Class A shares that are contingent deferred sales charge shares are subject to a 1.00% contingent deferred sales charge if redeemed within 12 months of purchase. In circumstances in which the contingent deferred sales charge is imposed on Class B shares, the amount of the charge will depend on the number of years since the shareholder made the purchase payment from which the amount is being redeemed, as further described in the prospectus. Solely for purposes of determining the number of years since a purchase payment, all purchase payments made during a month will be aggregated and deemed to have been made on the last day of the preceding statement month.

Class B shares will convert automatically to Class A shares approximately eight years after the date on which they were purchased and thereafter will no longer be subject to any distribution fees. There will also be converted at that time such proportion of Class B dividend shares (Class B shares that were acquired through the reinvestment of dividends and distributions) owned by the shareholders as the total number of his or her Class B shares converting at the time bears to the total number of outstanding Class B shares (other than Class B dividend shares) owned by the shareholder.

In determining the applicability of any contingent deferred sales charge, it will be assumed that a redemption is made first of shares representing capital appreciation, next of shares representing the reinvestment of dividends and capital gain distributions, next of shares that are not subject to the contingent deferred sales charge and finally of other shares held by the shareholder for the longest period of time. The length of time that contingent deferred sales charge shares acquired through an exchange have been held will be calculated from the date the shares exchanged were initially acquired in one of the other Legg Mason Partners mutual funds. For federal income tax purposes, the amount of the contingent deferred sales charge will reduce the gain or increase the loss, as the case may be, on the amount realized on redemption. LMIS receives contingent deferred sales charges in partial consideration for their expenses in selling shares.

Waivers of Contingent Deferred Sales Charge.

The contingent deferred sales charge will be waived on: (a) exchanges (see “Exchange Privilege”); (b) automatic cash withdrawals in amounts equal to or less than 2.00% of the shareholder’s account balance at the time the withdrawals commence per month, up to a maximum of 12% in one year (see “Automatic Cash Withdrawal Plan”); (c) redemptions of shares within 12 months following the death or disability (as defined in the Code) of the shareholder; (d) mandatory post-retirement distributions from retirement plans or IRAs commencing on or after attainment of age 70 1/2 (except that shareholders who purchased shares subject to a contingent deferred sales charge prior to May 23, 2005, will be “grandfathered” and will be eligible to obtain the waiver at age 59 1/2 by demonstrating such eligibility at the time of redemption); (e) involuntary redemptions;

 

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(f) redemptions of shares to effect a combination of a Fund with any investment company by merger, acquisition of assets or otherwise; (g) tax-free returns of an excess contribution to any retirement plan; and (h) certain redemptions of shares of a Fund in connection with lump-sum or other distributions made by eligible retirement plans or redemption of shares by participants in certain “wrap fee” or asset allocation programs sponsored by broker/dealers and other financial institutions that have entered into agreements with a distributor or the manager.

As of November 20, 2006, the contingent deferred sales charge will be waived on new Class C shares purchased by retirement plan omnibus accounts held on the books of a fund.

A shareholder who has redeemed shares from other Legg Mason Partners Funds may, under certain circumstances, reinvest all or part of the redemption proceeds within 60 days and receive pro rata credit for any contingent deferred sales charge imposed on the prior redemption.

Contingent deferred sales charge waivers will be granted subject to confirmation by a distributor or the transfer agent of the shareholder’s status or holdings, as the case may be.

REDEMPTION OF SHARES

The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed (a) for any period during which the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is closed (other than for customary weekend and holiday closings), (b) when trading in the markets the Fund normally utilizes is restricted, or an emergency exists, as determined by the SEC, so that disposal of the Fund’s investments or determination of net asset value is not reasonably practicable or (c) for such other periods as the SEC by order may permit for protection of the Fund’s shareholders.

If the shares to be redeemed were issued in certificate form, the certificates must be endorsed for transfer (or be accompanied by an endorsed stock power) and must be submitted to PFPC together with the redemption request. Any signature appearing on a share certificate, stock power or written redemption request in excess of $50,000 must be guaranteed by an eligible guarantor institution such as a domestic bank, savings and loan institution, domestic credit union, member bank of the Federal Reserve System or member firm of a national securities exchange. Written redemption requests of $50,000 or less do not require a signature guarantee unless more than one such redemption request is made in any 10-day period. Redemption proceeds will be mailed to an investor’s address of record. The transfer agent may require additional supporting documents for redemptions made by corporations, executors, administrators, trustees or guardians. A redemption request will not be deemed properly received until the transfer agent receives all required documents in proper form.

If a shareholder holds shares of more than one Class, any request for redemption must specify the Class being redeemed. In the event of a failure to specify which Class, or if the investor owns fewer shares of the Class than specified, the redemption request will be delayed until the transfer agent receives further instructions. The redemption proceeds will be remitted on or before the seventh business day following receipt of proper tender, except on any days on which the NYSE is closed or as permitted under the 1940 Act, in extraordinary circumstances. Redemption proceeds for shares purchased by check, other than a certified or official bank check, will be remitted upon clearance of the check, which may take up to ten days. Each Service Agent is responsible for transmitting promptly orders for its customers.

The Service Agent may charge you a fee for executing your order. The amount and applicability of such a fee is determined and disclosed to its customers by each Service Agent.

The Fund no longer issues share certificates. Outstanding share certificates will continue to be honored. If you hold share certificates, it will take longer to exchange or redeem shares.

Additional Information Regarding Telephone Redemption and Exchange Program. Neither the Fund nor the agents will be liable for following instructions communicated by telephone that are reasonably believed to be

 

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genuine. The Fund and its agents will employ procedures designed to verify the identity of the caller and legitimacy of instructions (for example, a shareholder’s name and account number will be required and phone calls may be recorded). The Fund reserves the right to suspend, modify or discontinue the telephone redemption and exchange program or to impose a charge for this service at any time following at least seven (7) days’ prior notice to shareholders.

PFS Accounts

Shareholders may redeem for cash some or all of their shares of the Fund at any time by sending a written request in proper form directly to the Primerica Shareholder Services c/o PFPC at P.O. Box 9662, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-9662. If you should have any questions concerning how to redeem your account after reviewing the information below, please contact Primerica Shareholder Services at (800) 544-5445, Spanish speaking representatives at (800) 544-7278 or TDD Line for the Hearing Impaired at (800) 824-1721.

All persons in whose names the shares are registered must sign the request for redemption. Signatures must conform exactly to the account registration. If the proceeds of the redemption exceed $50,000, if the proceeds are not paid to the record owner(s) at the record address, if the shareholder(s) has had an address change within 30 days or less of the shareholder’s redemption request, or if the shareholder(s) is a corporation, sole proprietor, partnership, trust or fiduciary, signature(s) must be guaranteed by one of the following: a bank or trust company; a broker/dealer; a credit union; a national securities exchange, registered securities association or clearing agency; a savings and loan association; or a federal savings bank.

Generally, a properly completed redemption form with any required signature guarantee is all that is required for a redemption. In some cases, however, other documents may be necessary. For example, in the case of shareholders holding certificates, the certificates for shares being redeemed must accompany the redemption request. Additional documentary evidence of authority is also required by PFPC in the event redemption is requested by a corporation, partnership, trust, fiduciary, executor or administrator. Additionally, if a shareholder requests a redemption from a retirement plan account (IRA or SEP), such request must state whether or not federal income tax is to be withheld from the proceeds of the redemption check. Redemption from a 403(b)(7) account requires completion of a special form. Please call Primerica Shareholder Services at (800) 544-5445 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time to obtain the proper forms.

Shareholders may utilize Primerica Shareholder Services Telephone Redemption service to redeem shares in their account as long as they have authorized the telephone redemption option. If a shareholder does not wish to allow telephone redemptions by any person in his or her account, he or she should decline the telephone transaction option on the account application. The telephone redemption option can be used only if: (a) the redemption proceeds are to be mailed to the address of record and there has been no change of address of record within the preceding 30 days; (b) the shares to be redeemed are not in certificate form; (c) the person requesting the redemption can provide proper identification information; and (d) the proceeds of the redemption do not exceed $50,000. 403(b)(7) accounts and accounts not registered in the name of an individual(s) are not eligible for the telephone redemption option. Telephone redemption requests can be made by contacting Primerica Shareholder Services at (800) 544-5445 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Eastern time any day that the NYSE is open.

Telephone redemption may not be available if the shareholder cannot reach Primerica Shareholder Services because all telephone lines are busy or for any other reason; in such case, a shareholder should use the Funds’ regular redemption procedure described above.

Redemption proceeds can be sent by check to the address of record, by wire transfer to a bank account designated on the application or to a bank account designated on the application via the Automated Clearinghouse (ACH). PFPC will process and mail a shareholder’s redemption check usually within two to three business days after receiving the redemption request in good order.

 

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Automatic Cash Withdrawal Plan

An automatic cash withdrawal plan (the “Withdrawal Plan”) is available to shareholders as described in the prospectuses. To the extent withdrawals under the Withdrawal Plan exceed dividends, distributions and appreciation of a shareholder’s investment in the Fund, there will be a reduction in the value of the shareholder’s investment, and continued withdrawal payments may reduce the shareholder’s investment and ultimately exhaust it. Withdrawal payments should not be considered as income from investment in the Fund. Furthermore, as it generally would not be advantageous to a shareholder to make additional investments in the Fund at the same time he or she is participating in the Withdrawal Plan, purchases by such shareholder in amounts of less than $5,000 ordinarily will not be permitted. The Withdrawal Plan will be carried over on exchanges between funds or classes of the Fund. All dividends and distributions on shares in the Withdrawal Plan are reinvested automatically at net asset value in additional shares of the Fund.

Shareholders who wish to participate in the Withdrawal Plan and who hold their shares in certificate form must deposit their share certificates with the transfer agent as agent for Withdrawal Plan members. For additional information shareholders should contact their Service Agent. A shareholder who purchases shares directly through the transfer agent may continue to do so and applications for participation in the Withdrawal Plan must be received by the transfer agent no later than the eighth day of the month to be eligible for participation beginning with that month’s withdrawal.

Distributions in Kind

If the Board determines that it would be detrimental to the best interests of the remaining shareholders to make a redemption payment wholly in cash, the Fund may pay, in accordance with SEC rules, any portion of a redemption in excess of the lesser of $250,000 or 1.00% of the Fund’s net assets by a distribution in kind of the Fund’s securities in lieu of cash. If a redemption is paid in portfolio securities, such securities will be valued in accordance with the procedures described under “Share Price” in the Fund’s prospectus. Securities issued as a distribution in kind may incur brokerage commissions when shareholders subsequently sell those securities.

Exchange Privilege.

The exchange privilege enables shareholders to acquire shares of the same Class in another Legg Mason Partners Fund with different investment objectives when they believe that a shift between funds is an appropriate investment decision. This privilege is available to shareholders residing in any state in which the fund shares being acquired may legally be sold. Prior to any exchange, the shareholder should obtain and review a copy of the current prospectus of each fund into which an exchange is being considered. Prospectuses may be obtained from a Service Agent.

Upon receipt of proper instructions and all necessary supporting documents, shares submitted for exchange are redeemed at the then-current net asset value, and the proceeds are immediately invested in shares of the fund being acquired at that fund’s then current net asset value. The distributors reserve the right to reject any exchange request. The exchange privilege may be modified or terminated at any time after written notice to shareholders.

Class A, 1 and I Exchanges. Class A, 1 and I shareholders of the Fund who wish to exchange all or a portion of their shares for shares of the respective class in another fund may do so without imposition of any charge.

Class B Exchanges. Class B shares of the Fund may be exchanged for other Class B shares without a contingent deferred sales charge. Upon an exchange, the new Class B shares will be deemed to have been purchased on the same date as the Class B shares of the Fund that have been exchanged.

Class C Exchanges. Class C shares of the Fund may be exchanged for other Class C shares without a contingent deferred sales charge. Upon an exchange, the new Class C shares will be deemed to have been purchased on the same date as the Class C shares of the Fund that have been exchanged.

 

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Additional Information Regarding the Exchange Privilege

The Fund is not designed to provide investors with a means of speculation on short-term market movements. A pattern of frequent exchanges by investors can be disruptive to efficient portfolio management and, consequently, can be detrimental to the Fund and its shareholders. See “Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares” in the prospectuses.

During times of drastic economic or market conditions, the Fund may suspend the exchange privilege temporarily without notice and treat exchange requests based on their separate components — redemption orders with a simultaneous request to purchase the other fund’s shares. In such a case, the redemption request would be processed at the Fund’s next determined net asset value but the purchase order would be effective only at the net asset value next determined after the fund being purchased formally accepts the order, which may result in the purchase being delayed.

Certain shareholders may be able to exchange shares by telephone. See the Fund’s prospectus for additional information. Exchanges will be processed at the net asset value next determined. Redemption procedures discussed above are also applicable for exchanging shares, and exchanges will be made upon receipt of all supporting documents in proper form. If the account registration of the shares of the fund being acquired is identical to the registration of the shares of the fund exchanged, no signature guarantee is required.

This exchange privilege may be modified or terminated at any time, and is available only in those jurisdictions where such exchanges legally may be made. Before making any exchange, shareholders should contact the transfer agent or, if they hold Fund shares through a Service Agent, their Service Agent to obtain more information and prospectuses of the funds to be acquired through the exchange. An exchange is treated as a sale of the shares exchanged and could result in taxable gain or loss to the shareholder making the exchange.

Determination of Public Offering Price.

The Fund offers its shares on a continuous basis. The public offering price for each class of shares of the Fund is equal to the net asset value per share of such class at the time of purchase, plus for Class A and 1 shares an initial sales charge based on the aggregate amount of the investment. A contingent deferred sales charge, however, is imposed on certain redemptions of Class A, B and C shares.

Set forth below is an example of the method of computing the offering price of the Class A and 1 shares of the Fund based on the net asset value of a share of the Fund as of October 31, 2006.

 

Class A (based on a net asset value of $17.97 and a

maximum initial sales charge of 5.75%)*

   $ 19.07

Class 1 (based on a net asset value of $18.42 and a

maximum initial sales charge of 8.50%)

   $ 20.13

Involuntary Redemption of Shares. Subject to applicable law, the Trustees may cause a shareholder’s shares to be redeemed under certain circumstances, including in order to eliminate small accounts for administrative efficiencies and cost savings, to protect the tax status of a Fund if necessary and to eliminate ownership of shares by a particular shareholder when the Trustees determine, pursuant to adopted policies, that the particular shareholder’s ownership is not in the best interests of the other shareholders of the Fund (for example, in the case of a market timer).

 

* Effective November 20, 2006 the maximum initial sales charge increased from 5.00% to 5.75%.

 

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DISTRIBUTIONS AND FEDERAL TAXES

The following discussion is a brief summary of some of the important federal (and, where noted, state) income tax consequences affecting the Fund and its shareholders. The discussion is very general, and therefore prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisers about the impact an investment in a Fund may have on their own tax situations.

The Fund declares and pays dividends quarterly and makes capital gain distributions annually. The per share dividends on each class will differ depending on the differences in distribution and service fees, if any, applicable to the classes. All income dividends and capital gains distributions are reinvested in shares of the Fund at net asset value without a sales charge on the record date, except that any shareholder may otherwise instruct the shareholder service agent in writing and receive cash. Shareholders are informed as to the sources of distributions at the time of payment.

Taxation of the Funds

Federal Taxes. The Fund has elected to be treated, and intends to qualify each year, as a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), by meeting all applicable requirements of Subchapter M, including requirements as to the nature of the Fund’s gross income, the amount of Fund distributions, and the composition of the Fund’s portfolio assets. Provided all such requirements are met, no U.S. federal income or excise taxes generally will be required to be paid by a Fund. If a Fund should fail to qualify as a “regulated investment company” for any year, the Fund would incur a regular corporate federal income tax upon its taxable income and Fund distributions would generally be taxable as ordinary income to shareholders.

Foreign Taxes. Investment income and gains received by the Fund from non-U.S. securities may be subject to non-U.S. taxes. The U.S. has entered into tax treaties with a number of other countries that may entitle a Fund to a reduced rate of tax or an exemption from tax on such income. The Fund intends to qualify for treaty reduced rates where applicable. It is not possible, however, to determine a Fund’s effective rate of non-U.S. tax in advance since the amount of the Fund’s assets to be invested within various countries is not known.

The Dividend Strategy Fund does not expect to be eligible to pass through foreign income taxes to its shareholders.

Taxation of Shareholders

Taxation of Distributions. Shareholders of the Fund will generally have to pay federal income taxes and any state or local taxes on the dividends and capital gain distributions they receive from the Fund. Dividends from ordinary income, and any distributions from net short term capital gain are taxable to shareholders as ordinary income for federal income tax purposes, whether the distributions are made in cash or additional shares. To the extent that ordinary dividends are derived from qualified dividend income of the distributing Fund eligible for reduced tax rates for non-corporate shareholders, such dividends will be treated as qualified dividend income provided that they are so designated by that Fund and that the recipient shareholder satisfies certain holding period requirements. If more than 95% of a Fund’s gross income, calculated without taking into account long-term capital gains, consists of qualified dividend income, that Fund may designate all distributions of such income as qualified dividend income. Qualified dividend income generally is income derived from dividends from U.S. corporations or from corporations that are either incorporated in a U.S. possession or eligible for benefits under qualifying U.S. tax treaties. Distributions from a foreign corporation that is not a “qualified foreign corporation” may nevertheless be treated as “qualified dividend income” if the applicable stock is readily tradable on an established U.S. securities market. “Passive foreign investment companies” (“PFICs”) will not be treated as “qualified foreign corporations” for these purposes. Distributions of net capital gains (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses), whether made in cash or in additional shares, are

 

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taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains without regard to the length of time the shareholders have held their shares. Any Fund dividend that is declared in October, November, or December of any calendar year, that is payable to shareholders of record in such a month, and that is paid the following January, will be treated as if received by the shareholders on December 31 of the year in which the dividend is declared.

Any Fund distribution will have the effect of reducing the per share net asset value of shares in the Fund by the amount of the distribution. Shareholders purchasing shares shortly before the record date of any distribution may thus pay the full price for the shares and then effectively receive a portion of the purchase price back as a taxable distribution.

Dividends-Received Deduction. The portion of the Fund’s ordinary income dividends attributable to dividends received in respect to equity securities of U.S. issuers is normally eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporations subject to U.S. federal income taxes. Availability of the deduction for particular shareholders is subject to certain limitations, and deducted amounts may be subject to the alternative minimum tax and result in certain basis adjustments.

Withholding Tax Payments for Non-U.S. Persons. The Fund will withhold tax payments at the rate of 30% (or any lower rate permitted under an applicable treaty) on taxable dividends, redemption proceeds and certain other payments that are made to persons who are neither citizens nor residents of the U.S. Distributions received from a Fund by non-U.S. persons also may be subject to tax under the laws of their own jurisdictions.

For taxable years of the Fund beginning during 2007, this 30% withholding tax will not apply to dividends that a Fund designates as (a) interest-related dividends, to the extent such dividends are derived from the Fund’s “qualified net interest income,” or (b) short-term capital gain dividends, to the extent such dividends are derived from the Fund’s “qualified short-term gain.” “Qualified net interest income” generally is interest on bank deposits, interest or original issue discount on an obligation in registered form, or original issue discount on certain short-term obligations whether or not in registered form. The term does not include interest that is disqualified as “contingent interest” under the portfolio interest rules. “Qualified short-term gain” generally means the excess of the net short-term capital gain of the Fund for the taxable year over its net long-term capital loss.

Backup Withholding. The account application asks each new shareholder to certify that the shareholder’s Social Security or taxpayer identification number is correct and that the shareholder is not subject to backup withholding for failing to report income to the IRS. The Fund may be required to withhold (and pay over to the IRS for the shareholder’s credit) a percentage (currently 28%) of certain distributions and redemption proceeds paid to shareholders who fail to provide this information or who are otherwise subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding will not, however, be applied to payments that have been subject to the 30% withholding tax on shareholders who are neither citizens nor residents of the U.S.

Disposition of Shares. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares of a Fund by a shareholder that holds such shares as a capital asset will be treated as a long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than twelve months and otherwise as a short-term capital gain or loss. However, any loss realized upon a disposition of shares in a Fund held for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions or deemed distributions of net capital gain made with respect to those shares. Any loss realized upon a disposition of shares may also be disallowed under rules relating to wash sales. Gain may be increased (or loss reduced) upon a redemption of Class A Fund shares held for 90 days or fewer followed by any purchase of shares of a Fund or another of the Smith Barney mutual Funds, including purchases by exchange or by reinvestment, without payment of a sales charge that would otherwise apply because of any sales charge paid on the original purchase of the Class A Fund shares.

 

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Effects of Certain Investments and Transactions

Options, etc. The Fund’s transactions in options, futures contracts and forward contracts will be subject to special tax rules that may affect the amount, timing and character of Fund income and distributions to shareholders. For example, certain positions held by the Fund on the last business day of each taxable year will be marked to market (i.e., treated as if closed out) on that day, and any gain or loss associated with the positions will be treated as 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Certain positions held by a Fund that substantially diminish its risk of loss with respect to other positions in its portfolio may constitute “straddles,” and may be subject to special tax rules that would cause deferral of Fund losses, adjustments in the holding periods of Fund securities, and conversion of short-term into long-term capital losses. Certain tax elections exist for straddles that may alter the effects of these rules. The Fund will limit its activities in options, futures contracts and forward contracts to the extent necessary to meet the requirements of Subchapter M of the Code.

Foreign Investments. The Fund may make non-U.S. investments. Special tax considerations apply with respect to such investments. Foreign exchange gains and losses realized by the Fund will generally be treated as ordinary income and loss. Use of non-U.S. currencies for non-hedging purposes and investment by the Fund in certain PFICs may have to be limited in order to avoid a tax on the Fund. The Fund may elect to mark to market any investments in PFICs on the last day of each taxable year. This election may cause the Fund to recognize ordinary income prior to the receipt of cash payments with respect to those investments; in order to distribute this income and avoid a tax on the Fund, the Fund may be required to liquidate portfolio securities that it might otherwise have continued to hold potentially resulting in additional taxable gain or loss to the Fund.

Capital Loss Carryforwards

Dividend Strategy Fund — On October 31, 2006, the Dividend Strategy Fund did not have, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, capital loss carryforwards.

OTHER INFORMATION

Proposed Changes

The Fund’s Board has approved a number of initiatives designed to streamline and restructure the fund complex and the Fund is seeking shareholder approval for those initiatives where shareholder approval is required. If certain of these matters are approved by the shareholders entitled to vote on the matters, the Fund will become a series of a Maryland business trust.

A Maryland business trust is an unincorporated business association that is established under, and governed by, Maryland law. Maryland law provides a statutory framework for the powers, duties, rights and obligations of the trustees and shareholders of the business trust, while the more specific powers, duties, rights and obligations of the trustees and the shareholders are determined by the trustees as set forth in the trust’s declaration of trust. Some of the more significant provisions of the trust’s declaration are described below.

Shareholder Voting.

The declaration provides for shareholder voting as required by the 1940 Act or other applicable laws but otherwise permits, consistent with Maryland law, actions by the trustees without seeking the consent of shareholders. The trustees may, without shareholder approval, amend the declaration or authorize the merger or consolidation of the trust into another trust or entity, reorganize the trust, or any series or class into another trust or entity or a series or class of another entity, sell all or substantially all of the assets of the trust or any series or class to another entity, or a series or class of another entity, or terminate the trust or any series or class.

The Fund is not required to hold an annual meeting of shareholders, but the Fund will call special meetings of shareholders whenever required by the 1940 Act or by the terms of the declaration. The declaration provides

 

63


for “dollar-weighted voting” which means that a shareholder’s voting power is determined, not by the number of shares he or she owns, but by the dollar value of those shares determined on the record date. All shareholders of all series and classes of the trust vote together, except where required by the 1940 Act to vote separately by series or by class, or when the trustees have determined that a matter affects only the interests of one or more series or classes of shares.

Election and Removal of Trustees.

The declaration provides that the trustees may establish the number of trustees and that vacancies on the board may be filled by the remaining trustees, except when election of trustees by the shareholders is required under the 1940 Act. Trustees are then elected by a plurality of votes cast by shareholders at a meeting at which a quorum is present. The declaration also provides that a mandatory retirement age may be set by action of two-thirds of the trustees and that trustees may be removed, with or without cause, by a vote of shareholders holding two-thirds of the voting power of the trust, or by a vote of two-thirds of the remaining trustees. The provisions of the declaration relating to the election and removal of trustees may not be amended without the approval of two-thirds of the trustees.

Amendments to the Declaration.

The trustees are authorized to amend the declaration without the vote of shareholders, but no amendment may be made that impairs the exemption from personal liability granted in the declaration to persons who are or have been shareholders, trustees, officers or, employees of the trust or that limit the rights to indemnification or insurance provided in the declaration with respect to actions or omissions of persons entitled to indemnification under the declaration prior to the amendment.

Issuance and Redemption of Shares.

The Fund may issue an unlimited number of shares for such consideration and on such terms as the trustees may determine. Shareholders are not entitled to any appraisal, preemptive, conversion, exchange or similar rights, except as the trustees may determine. A Fund may involuntarily redeem a shareholder’s shares upon certain conditions as may be determined by the trustees, including, for example, if the shareholder fails to provide the Fund with identification required by law, or if the Fund is unable to verify the information received from the shareholder. Additionally, as discussed below, shares may be redeemed in connection with the closing of small accounts.

Disclosure of Shareholder Holdings.

The declaration specifically requires shareholders, upon demand, to disclose to the Fund information with respect to the direct and indirect ownership of shares in order to comply with various laws or regulations, and the Fund may disclose such ownership if required by law or regulation.

Small Accounts.

The declaration provides that the Fund may close out a shareholder’s account by redeeming all of the shares in the account if the account falls below a minimum account size (which may vary by class) that may be set by the trustees from time to time. Alternately, the declaration permits the Fund to assess a fee for small accounts (which may vary by class) and redeem shares in the account to cover such fees, or convert the shares into another share class that is geared to smaller accounts.

Series and Classes.

The declaration provides that the trustees may establish series and classes in addition to those currently established and to determine the rights and preferences, limitations and restrictions, including qualifications for

 

64


ownership, conversion and exchange features, minimum purchase and account size, expenses and charges, and other features of the series and classes. The trustees may change any of those features, terminate any series or class, combine series with other series in the trust, combine one or more classes of a series with another class in that series or convert the shares of one class into another class.

Each share of the Fund, as series of the trust, represents an interest in the Fund only and not in the assets of any other series of the trust.

Shareholder, Trustee and Officer Liability.

The declaration provides that shareholders are not personally liable for the obligations of the Fund and requires the Fund to indemnify a shareholder against any loss or expense arising from any such liability. In addition, the Fund will assume the defense of any claim against a shareholder for personal liability at the request of the shareholder. The declaration further provides that a trustee acting in his or her capacity of trustee is not personally liable to any person other than the trust or its shareholders, for any act, omission, or obligation of the trust. Further, a trustee is held to the same standard of conduct as a director of a Maryland corporation. This requires that a trustee perform his or her duties in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the trust or a series thereof, and with the care that an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances. The declaration also permits the limitation of a trustee’s liability to the full extent provided under Maryland law. Under current Maryland law, a trustee is liable to the trust or its shareholders for monetary damages only (a) to the extent that it is proved that he or she actually received an improper benefit or profit in money, property, or services or (b) to the extent that a judgment or other final adjudication adverse to the trustee is entered in a proceeding based on a finding in the proceeding that the trustee’s action, or failure to act, was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty and was material to the cause of action adjudicated in the proceeding. The declaration requires the trust to indemnify any persons who are or who have been trustees, officers or employees of the trust for any liability for actions or failure to act except to the extent prohibited by applicable federal law. In making any determination as to whether any person is entitled to the advancement of expenses in connection with a claim for which indemnification is sought, such person is entitled to a rebuttable presumption that he or she did not engage in conduct for which indemnification is not available.

The declaration provides that any trustee who serves as chair of the board or of a committee of the board, lead independent trustee, or audit committee financial expert, or in any other similar capacity will not be subject to any greater standard of care or liability because of such position.

Derivative Actions.

The declaration provides a detailed process for the bringing of derivative actions by shareholders in order to permit legitimate inquiries and claims while avoiding the time, expense, distraction, and other harm that can be caused to the Funds or their shareholders as a result of spurious shareholder demands and derivative actions. Prior to bringing a derivative action, a demand by three unrelated shareholders must first be made on a Fund’s trustees. The declaration details various information, certifications, undertakings and acknowledgements that must be included in the demand. Following receipt of the demand, the trustees have a period of 90 days, which may be extended by an additional 60 days, to consider the demand. If a majority of the trustees who are considered independent for the purposes of considering the demand determine that maintaining the suit would not be in the best interests of the Fund, the trustees are required to reject the demand and the complaining shareholders may not proceed with the derivative action unless the shareholders are able to sustain the burden of proof to a court that the decision of the trustees not to pursue the requested action was not a good faith exercise of their business judgment on behalf of the Fund. The declaration further provides that shareholders owning shares representing at least 5% of the voting power of the affected Fund must join in bringing the derivative action. If a demand is rejected, the complaining shareholders will be responsible for the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Fund in connection with the consideration of the demand, if in the judgment of the Independent Trustees, the demand was made without reasonable cause or for an improper

 

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purpose. If a derivative action is brought in violation of the declaration, the shareholders bringing the action may be responsible for the Fund’s costs, including attorneys’ fees.

The declaration further provides that the Fund shall be responsible for payment of attorneys’ fees and legal expenses incurred by a complaining shareholder only if required by law, and any attorneys’ fees that the Fund is obligated to pay shall be calculated using reasonable hourly rates. The declaration also requires that actions by shareholders against the Fund be brought only in federal court in Baltimore, Maryland, or if not permitted to be brought in federal court, then in state court in Baltimore, Maryland, and that the right to jury trial be waived to the full extent permitted by law.

Legal Matters

Beginning in June 2004, class action lawsuits alleging violations of the federal securities laws were filed against Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (“CGMI”) and a number of its then affiliates, including Smith Barney Fund Management LLC (“SBFM”), which were then investment adviser or manager to certain of the Funds (the “Managers”), substantially all of the mutual funds then managed by the Managers (the “Defendant Funds”), and Board Members of the Defendant Funds (collectively, the “Defendants”). The complaints alleged, among other things, that CGMI created various undisclosed incentives for its brokers to sell Smith Barney and Salomon Brothers funds. In addition, according to the complaints, the Managers caused the Defendant Funds to pay excessive brokerage commissions to CGMI for steering clients towards proprietary funds. The complaints also alleged that the defendants breached their fiduciary duty to the Defendant Funds by improperly charging Rule 12b-1 fees and by drawing on fund assets to make undisclosed payments of soft dollars and excessive brokerage commissions. The complaints also alleged that the Defendant Funds failed to adequately disclose certain of the allegedly wrongful conduct. The complaints sought injunctive relief and compensatory and punitive damages, rescission of the Defendant Funds’ contracts with the Managers, recovery of all fees paid to the Managers pursuant to such contracts and an award of attorneys’ fees and litigation expenses.

On December 15, 2004, a consolidated amended complaint (the “Complaint”) was filed alleging substantially similar causes of action. On May 27, 2005, all of the Defendants filed motions to dismiss the Complaint. On July 26, 2006, the court issued a decision and order (1) finding that plaintiffs lacked standing to sue on behalf of the shareholders of the Defendant Funds in which none of the plaintiffs had invested, and dismissing those Defendant Fund from the case (although stating that they could be brought back into the case if standing as to them could be established), and (2) other than one stayed claim, dismissing all of the causes of action against the remaining Defendants, with prejudice, except for the cause of action under Section 36(b) of the 1940 Act, which the court granted plaintiffs leave to replead as a derivative claim.

On October 16, 2006, plaintiffs filed their Second Consolidated Amended Complaint (“Second Amended Complaint”) which alleges derivative claims on behalf of nine funds identified in the Second Amended Complaint, under Section 36(b) of the 1940 Act, against Citigroup Asset Management, Salomon Brothers Asset Management Inc, SBFM and CGMI as investment advisers to the identified funds, as well as CGMI as a distributor for the identified funds (collectively, the “Second Amended Complaint Defendants”). Neither the Growth and Income Fund nor the Dividend Strategy Fund was identified in the Second Amended Complaint. The Second Amended Complaint alleges no claims against any of the Funds or any of their Board Members. Under Section 36(b), the Second Amended Complaint alleges similar facts and seeks similar relief against the Second Amended Complaint Defendants as the Complaint.

Additional lawsuits arising out of these circumstances and presenting similar allegations and requests for relief may be filed in the future.

***

On May 31, 2005, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) issued an order in connection with the settlement of an administrative proceeding against SBFM, the then-investment adviser or manager to the

 

66


Funds and CGMI, relating to the appointment of an affiliated transfer agent for the Smith Barney family of mutual funds, including the Fund (the “Affected Funds”).

The SEC order finds that SBFM and CGMI willfully violated Section 206(1) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder (the “Advisers Act”). Specifically, the order found that SBFM and CGMI knowingly or recklessly failed to disclose to the boards of the Affected Funds in 1999 when proposing a new transfer agent arrangement with an affiliated transfer agent that: First Data Investors Services Group (“First Data”), the Affected Funds’ then-existing transfer agent, had offered to continue as transfer agent and do the same work for substantially less money than before; and that Citigroup Asset Management (“CAM”), the Citigroup business unit that, at the time, included the Affected Funds’ investment manager and other investment advisory companies, had entered into a side letter with First Data under which CAM agreed to recommend the appointment of First Data as sub-transfer agent to the affiliated transfer agent in exchange for, among other things, a guarantee by First Data of specified amounts of asset management and investment banking fees to CAM and CGMI. The order also found that SBFM and CGMI willfully violated Section 206(2) of the Advisers Act by virtue of the omissions discussed above and other misrepresentations and omissions in the materials provided to the Affected Funds’ boards, including the failure to make clear that the affiliated transfer agent would earn a high profit for performing limited functions while First Data continued to perform almost all of the transfer agent functions, and the suggestion that the proposed arrangement was in the Affected Funds’ best interests and that no viable alternatives existed. SBFM and CGMI do not admit or deny any wrongdoing or liability. The settlement does not establish wrongdoing or liability for purposes of any other proceeding.

The SEC censured SBFM and CGMI and ordered them to cease and desist from violations of Sections 206(1) and 206(2) of the Advisers Act. The order required Citigroup to pay $208.1 million, including $109 million in disgorgement of profits, $19.1 million in interest, and a civil money penalty of $80 million. Approximately $24.4 million has already been paid to the Affected Funds, primarily through fee waivers. The remaining $183.7 million, including the penalty, has been paid to the U.S. Treasury and will be distributed pursuant to a plan submitted for the approval of the SEC. At this time, there is no certainty as to how the above-described proceeds of the settlement will be distributed, to whom such distributions will be made, the methodology by which such distributions will be allocated, and when such distributions will be made. The order also required that transfer agency fees received from the Affected Funds since December 1, 2004, less certain expenses, be placed in escrow and provided that a portion of such fees might be subsequently distributed in accordance with the terms of the order. On April 3, 2006, an aggregate amount of approximately $9 million held in escrow was distributed to the Affected Funds.

The order required SBFM to recommend a new transfer agent contract to the Fund boards within 180 days of the entry of the order; if a Citigroup affiliate submitted a proposal to serve as transfer agent or sub-transfer agent, SBFM and CGMI would have been required, at their expense, to engage an independent monitor to oversee a competitive bidding process. On November 21, 2005, and within the specified timeframe, the Affected Funds’ Boards selected a new transfer agent for the Affected Fund. No Citigroup affiliate submitted a proposal to serve as transfer agent. Under the order, SBFM also must comply with an amended version of a vendor policy that Citigroup instituted in August 2004.

Although there can be no assurance, the manager does not believe that this matter will have a material adverse effect on the Affected Funds.

On December 1, 2005, Citigroup completed the sale of substantially all of its global asset management business, including SBFM, to Legg Mason.

***

Beginning in August 2005, five class action lawsuits alleging violations of federal securities laws and state law were filed against CGMI and SBFM (collectively, the “Defendants”) based on the May 31, 2005 settlement

 

67


order issued against the Defendants by the SEC as described in above. The complaints seek injunctive relief and compensatory and punitive damages, removal of SBFM as the investment manager for the Smith Barney family of funds, rescission of the Funds’ management and other contracts with SBFM, recovery of all fees paid to SBFM pursuant to such contracts, and an award of attorneys’ fees and litigation expenses.

On October 5, 2005, a motion to consolidate the five actions and any subsequently filed, related action was filed. That motion contemplates that a consolidated amended complaint alleging substantially similar causes of action will be filed in the future.

As of the date of this report, the Fund’s investment manager believes that resolution of the pending lawsuit will not have a material effect on the financial position or results of operations of the Fund or the ability of the Fund’s investment manager and its affiliates to continue to render services to the Funds under their respective contracts.

***

On September 16, 2005, the staff of the SEC informed SBFM and ClearBridge Asset Management Inc (formerly Salomon Brothers Asset Management Inc) at the staff is considering recommending that the SEC institute administrative proceedings against SBFM and ClearBridge Asset Management Inc for alleged violations of Section 19(a) and 34(b) of the Investment Company Act (and related Rule 19a-1). The notification is a result of an industry wide inspection by the SEC and is based upon alleged deficiencies in disclosures regarding dividends and distributions paid to shareholders of certain funds. Section 19(a) and related Rule 19a-1 of the Investment Company Act generally require funds that are making dividend and distribution payments to provide shareholders with a written statement disclosing the source of the dividends and distributions, and, in particular, the portion of the payments made from each of net investment income, undistributed net profits and/or paid-in capital. In connection with the contemplated proceedings, the staff may seek a cease and desist order and/or monetary damages from SBFM or ClearBridge Asset Management Inc.

Although there can be no assurance, the fund’s manager believes that this matter is not likely to have a material adverse effect on the fund.

***

On or about May 30, 2006, John Halebian, a purported shareholder of Citi New York Tax Free Reserves, a series of CitiFunds Trust III (the “Subject Trust”), filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against the independent trustees of the Subject Trust (Elliott J. Berv, Donald M. Carlton, A. Benton Cocanougher, Mark T. Finn, Stephen Randolph Gross, Diana R. Harrington, Susan B. Kerley, Alan G. Merten and R. Richardson Pettit).

The Subject Trust is also named in the complaint as a nominal defendant.

The complaint alleges both derivative claims on behalf of the Subject Trust and class claims on behalf of a putative class of shareholders of the Subject Trust in connection with the 2005 sale of Citigroup’s asset management business to Legg Mason and the related approval of new investment advisory agreements by the trustees and shareholders. In the derivative claim, the plaintiff alleges, among other things, that the independent trustees breached their fiduciary duty to the Subject Trust and its shareholders by failing to negotiate lower fees or seek competing bids from other qualified investment advisers in connection with Citigroup’s sale to Legg Mason. In the claims brought on behalf of the putative class of shareholders, the plaintiff alleges that the independent trustees violated the proxy solicitation requirements of the 1940 Act, and breached their fiduciary duty to shareholders, by virtue of the voting procedures, including “echo voting,” used to obtain approval of the new investment advisory agreements and statements made in a proxy statement regarding those voting procedures. The plaintiff alleges that the proxy statement was misleading because it failed to disclose that the

 

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voting procedures violated the 1940 Act. The relief sought includes an award of damages, rescission of the advisory agreement, and an award of costs and attorney fees.

In advance of filing the complaint, Mr. Halebian’s lawyers made written demand for relief on the Board of the Subject Trust, and the Board’s independent trustees formed a demand review committee to investigate the matters raised in the demand, and subsequently in the complaint, and recommend a course of action to the Board. The committee, after a thorough review, has determined that the independent trustees did not breach their fiduciary duties as alleged by Mr. Halebian, and that the action demanded by Mr. Halebian would not be in the best interests of the Subject Trust. The Board of the Subject Trust (the trustee who is an “interested person” of the Subject Trust, within the meaning of the 1940 Act, having recused himself from the matter), after receiving and considering the committee’s report and based upon the findings of the committee, subsequently also has so determined and, adopting the recommendation of the committee, has directed counsel to move to dismiss Mr. Halebian’s complaint. A motion to dismiss was filed on October 23, 2006. Opposition papers were filed on or about December 7, 2006. It is uncertain when the court will decide the motion. No assurance can be given as to the outcome of this matter.

***

The foregoing speaks only as of the date of this SAI. Additional lawsuits presenting allegations and requests for relief arising out of or in connection with any of the foregoing matters may be filed against these and related parties in the future.

Transfer Agent

PFPC Inc. (“PFPC” or “transfer agent”), located at P.O. Box 9699, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-9699, serves as the Fund’s transfer agent. Under the transfer agency agreement, the transfer agent maintains the shareholder account records for the Fund, handles certain communications between shareholders and the Fund and distributes dividends and distributions payable by the Fund. For these services, the transfer agent receives a monthly fee computed on the basis of the number of shareholder accounts it maintains for the Fund during the month, and is reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses. Prior to January 1, 2006, Citicorp Trust Bank, fsb (“CTB”) served as the Fund’s transfer agent and PFPC served as the Fund’s sub-transfer agent.

Custodian

State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”), One Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, serves as the custodian of the Fund. State Street, among other things, maintains a custody account or accounts in the name of the Fund; receives and delivers all assets for the Fund upon purchase and upon sale or maturity; collects and receives all income and other payments and distributions on account of the assets of the Fund; and makes disbursements on behalf of the Fund. State Street neither determines the Fund’s investment policies, nor decides which securities the Fund will buy or sell. For its services, State Street receives a monthly fee based upon the daily average market value of securities held in custody and also receives securities transaction charges, including out-of-pocket expenses. The Fund may also periodically enter into arrangements with other qualified custodians with respect to certain types of securities or other transactions such as repurchase agreements or derivatives transactions. State Street may also act as the Fund’s securities lending agent and in that case receive a share of the income generated by such activities.

Independent Registered Accounting Firm

KPMG LLP, located at 345 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10154, has been selected as the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm to audit and report on the Trust’s financial statements and financial highlights of the Trust for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2007.

 

69


Legal Counsel

Bingham McCutchen LLP, 150 Federal Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, is legal counsel to the Fund.

Shareholder and Trustee Responsibility

The Company is an entity of the type commonly known as a “Massachusetts business trust.” Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of such a business trust may, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for its obligations and liabilities. However, the Declaration of Trust of the Company contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Company and provides for indemnification and reimbursement of expenses out of Company property for any shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Company. The Declaration of Trust of the Company also provides that the Company may maintain insurance (e.g., fidelity bonding and errors and omissions insurance) for the protection of the Company, its shareholders, Trustees, Trustees Emeritus, officers, employees and agents covering possible tort and other liabilities. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which both inadequate insurance existed and the Company itself was unable to meet its obligations.

The Company’s Declaration of Trust further provides that obligations of the Company are not binding upon the Trustees individually but only upon the property of the Company and that the Trustees will not be liable for any action or failure to act, but nothing in the Declaration of Trust of the Company protects a Trustee against any liability to which he or she would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.

About the Company

The Company was organized on January 29, 1987 under the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As of December 31, 1997, the name of the Company was changed from the Common Sense Funds Trust to Concert Investment Series®, then to Smith Barney Investment Series on September 11, 2000, and then to Legg Mason Partners Investment Series on April 7, 2006. The Company is a diversified, open-end management investment company. The Fund is a series of the Company. Prior to April 7, 2006, the Legg Mason Partners Dividend Strategy Fund was known as the Smith Barney Dividend Strategy Fund, prior to February 28, 2006, as the Smith Barney Large Cap Core Fund and, prior to September 11, 2000, as the Growth Fund.

The Company’s Declaration of Trust permits the Company’s Board of Trustees to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares of beneficial interest (par value $0.00001 per share) of each series, to divide or combine the shares of any series into a greater or lesser number of shares of that series without thereby changing the proportionate beneficial interests in that series and to divide such shares into classes. The Company has reserved the right to create and issue additional series and classes of shares or to classify or reclassify outstanding shares. The Company also reserves the right, subject to the 1940 Act, to modify the preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges of shares of each class without shareholder approval. Shares of each series of the Company participate equally in the earnings, dividends and distribution of net assets of the particular series upon liquidation or dissolution (except for any differences among classes of shares of a series). Shareholders of all series of the Company generally will vote together on all matters except when the Trustees determine that only shareholders of particular series or classes are affected by a particular matter or when applicable law requires shareholders to vote separately by series or class.

Subject to applicable law, the Company may involuntarily redeem shareholders’ shares at any time for any reason the Trustees of the Company deem appropriate, including for the following reasons: (i) in order to eliminate small accounts for administrative efficiencies and cost savings, (ii) the failure of a shareholder to supply certain information such as a tax identification number if required to do so, or to provide data sufficient to verify such information (iii) to protect the tax status of the Fund if necessary, (iv) failure of a shareholder to meet

 

70


or maintain the qualifications for ownership of a particular class of shares, (v) the failure of a shareholder to pay when due for the purchase of shares and (vi) to eliminate ownership of shares by a particular shareholder when the Fund determines pursuant to adopted procedures that the particular shareholder’s ownership is not in the best interests of the other shareholders of the Fund.

The holders of shares are required to disclose information on direct or indirect ownership of Fund shares as may be required to comply with various laws applicable to the Fund, and ownership of Fund shares may be disclosed by the Fund if so required by law or regulation.

Each shareholder of the Fund is entitled to one vote for each dollar of net asset value (number of shares of the Fund owned times net asset value per share) of the Fund, on each matter on which the shareholder is entitled to vote. Each fractional dollar amount is entitled to a proportionate fractional vote. Except when a larger vote is required by applicable law, a majority of the voting power of the shares voted in person or by proxy on a matter will decide that matter and a plurality of the voting power of the shares voted in person or by proxy will elect a Trustee. Shareholders in the Company do not have cumulative voting rights. The Company is not required to hold and has no present intention of holding annual meetings of shareholders, but the Company will hold special meetings of a Fund’s shareholders when in the judgment of the Trustees it is necessary or desirable to submit matters for a shareholder vote. Shareholders have, under certain circumstances (e.g., upon the application and submission of certain specified documents to the Trustees by a specified number of shareholders), the right to communicate with other shareholders in connection with requesting a meeting of shareholders for the purpose of removing one or more Trustees. Except in limited circumstances, the Trustees may, without any shareholder vote, amend or otherwise supplement the Company’s Declaration of Trust.

The Company’s Declaration of Trust provides that, at any meeting of shareholders of the Company or of any series of the Company, a shareholder servicing agent may vote any shares of which it is the holder of record and for which it does not receive voting instructions proportionately in accordance with the votes cast by holders of all shares otherwise represented at the meeting in person or by proxy as to which such shareholder servicing agent is the agent at record. Shares have no preference, pre-emptive, conversion or similar rights except as the Trustees may otherwise determine. Shares, when issued, are fully paid and non-assessable, except as set forth below.

The Company, or any series or class of the Company, may merge or consolidate or may sell, lease or exchange all or substantially all of its assets if authorized at any meeting of shareholders representing a majority of the voting power of the Company (or of the affected series or class) voting as a single class, or by written consent, without a meeting, of the holders of shares representing a majority of the voting power of the outstanding shares of the Company (or of the affected series or class) voting as a single class. The Company or any series or class may reincorporate or reorganize (but not with another operating entity) without any shareholder vote. The Company may be terminated at any time by a vote of a majority of the voting power of the Company or by the Trustees by written notice to the shareholders. Any series of the Company, or any class of any series, may be terminated at any time by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting power of that series or class, or by the Trustees by written notice to the shareholders of that series or class. If not so terminated, the Company will continue indefinitely.

The Company’s Declaration of Trust provides that shareholders may not bring suit on behalf of the Fund without first requesting that the Trustees bring such suit. Trustees are not considered to have a personal financial interest by virtue of being compensated for their services as Trustees or as trustees of funds with the same or an affiliated investment adviser or distributor.

The Company’s Declaration of Trust provides that by becoming a shareholder of the Fund, each shareholder shall be expressly held to have assented to and agreed to be bound by the provisions of the Declaration.

 

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The audited financial statements of the Fund (Statement of Assets and Liabilities as of October 31, 2006, Statement of Operations for the year ended October 31, 2006, Statements of Changes in Net Assets for each of the years in the two-year period ended October 31, 2006, Financial Highlights for each of the years in the five-year period ended October 31, 2006, and Notes to Financial Statements along with the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, each of which is included in the Annual Report to Shareholders of the Funds), are incorporated by reference into this Statement of Additional Information (Filed on January 8, 2007; Accession Number 0001193125-07-002681 for Dividend Strategy Fund).

 

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APPENDIX A

RATINGS OF BONDS, NOTES AND COMMERCIAL PAPER

Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.

Aaa — Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the best quality with minimal credit risk.

Aa — Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

A — Obligations rated A are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

Baa — Obligations rated Baa are subject to moderate credit risk. They are considered medium-grade and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

Ba — Obligations rated Ba are judged to have speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.

B — Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

Caa — Obligations rated Caa are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

Ca — Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

C — Obligations rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

Note: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classifications Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.

Standard & Poor’s

AAA — An obligation rated AAA has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

AA — An obligation rated AA differs from the highest-rated obligations only in small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment is very strong.

A — An obligation rated A is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

BBB — An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

BB, B, CCC, CC, and C — Obligations rated “BB”, “B”, “CCC”, “CC”, and “C” are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and ‘C’ the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

 

A-1


Plus (+) or Minus (-) — The ratings from “AA” to “CCC” may be modified by the addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

N.R. — An issuer designated “N.R.” is not rated.

Fitch Ratings

AAA — Highest credit quality. “AAA” ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in case of exceptionally strong capacity for timely payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

AA — Very high credit quality. “AA” ratings denote a very low expectation of credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for timely payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

A — High credit quality. “A” ratings denote a low expectation of credit risk. The capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to changes in circumstances or in economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

BBB — Good credit quality. “BBB” ratings indicate that there is currently a low expectation of credit risk. The capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse changes in circumstances and in economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity. This is the lowest investment-grade category.

BB — Speculative. “BB” ratings indicate that there is a possibility of credit risk developing, particularly as the result of adverse economic change over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met. Securities rated in this category are not investment grade.

B — Highly speculative. “B” ratings indicate that significant credit risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is contingent upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.

CCC, CC, C — High default risk. Default is a real possibility. Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon sustained, favorable business or economic developments. A “CC” rating indicates that default of some kind appears probable. “C” ratings signal imminent default.

COMMERCIAL PAPER RATINGS

Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.

P-1 Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-2 Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

Standard & Poor’s

A-1 — A short-term obligation rated A-1 is rated in the highest category by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

 

A-2


A-2 — A short-term obligation rated A-2 is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

A-3 — A short-term obligation rated “A-3” exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B — A short-term obligation rated “B” is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

C — A short-term obligation rated “C” is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

N.R. — An issuer designated “N.R.” is not rated.

Fitch Ratings

Fitch’s short-term ratings has a time horizon of less than 12 months for most obligations, or up to three years, for U.S. public finance securities, and thus places greater emphasis on the liquidity necessary to meet financial commitments in a timely manner.

Fitch’s short-term ratings are as follows:

F1 — Highest credit quality. Indicates the strongest capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

F2 — Good credit quality. A satisfactory capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, but the margin of safety is not as great as in the case of the higher ratings.

F3 — Fair credit quality. The capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate; however, near-term adverse changes could result in a reduction to non-investment grade.

 

A-3


APPENDIX B

PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES & PROCEDURES SUMMARY

Concerning ClearBridge Advisors1 (Clearbridge)

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

The following is a brief overview of the Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (the “Policies”) that ClearBridge has adopted to seek to ensure that ClearBridge votes proxies relating to equity securities in the best interest of clients.

ClearBridge votes proxies for each client account with respect to which it has been authorized to vote proxies. In voting proxies, ClearBridge is guided by general fiduciary principles and seeks to act prudently and solely in the best interest of clients. ClearBridge attempts to consider all factors that could affect the value of the investment and will vote proxies in the manner that it believes will be consistent with efforts to maximize shareholder values. ClearBridge may utilize an external service provider to provide it with information and/or a recommendation with regard to proxy votes. However, the ClearBridge adviser (business unit) continues to retain responsibility for the proxy vote.

In the case of a proxy issue for which there is a stated position in the Policies, ClearBridge generally votes in accordance with such stated position. In the case of a proxy issue for which there is a list of factors set forth in the Policies that ClearBridge considers in voting on such issue, ClearBridge votes on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the general principles set forth above and considering such enumerated factors. In the case of a proxy issue for which there is no stated position or list of factors that ClearBridge considers in voting on such issue, ClearBridge votes on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the general principles set forth above. Issues for which there is a stated position set forth in the Policies or for which there is a list of factors set forth in the Policies that ClearBridge considers in voting on such issues fall into a variety of categories, including election of directors, ratification of auditors, proxy and tender offer defenses, capital structure issues, executive and director compensation, mergers and corporate restructurings, and social and environmental issues. The stated position on an issue set forth in the Policies can always be superseded, subject to the duty to act solely in the best interest of the beneficial owners of accounts, by the investment management professionals responsible for the account whose shares are being voted. Issues applicable to a particular industry may cause ClearBridge to abandon a policy that would have otherwise applied to issuers generally. As a result of the independent investment advisory services provided by distinct ClearBridge business units, there may be occasions when different business units or different portfolio managers within the same business unit vote differently on the same issue. A ClearBridge business unit or investment team (e.g. ClearBridge’s Social Awareness Investment team) may adopt proxy voting policies that supplement these policies and procedures. In addition, in the case of Taft-Hartley clients, ClearBridge will comply with a client direction to vote proxies in accordance with Institutional Shareholder Services’ (ISS) PVS Voting Guidelines, which ISS represents to be fully consistent with AFL-CIO guidelines.

 

1

ClearBridge Advisors comprises CAM North America, LLC, Salomon Brothers Asset Management Inc, Smith Barney Fund Management LLC, and other affiliated investment advisory firms. On December 1, 2005, Citigroup Inc. (“Citigroup”) sold substantially all of its worldwide asset management business, Citigroup Asset Management, to Legg Mason, Inc. (“Legg Mason”). As part of this transaction, CAM North America, LLC, Salomon Brothers Asset Management Inc and Smith Barney Fund Management LLC became wholly-owned subsidiaries of Legg Mason. Legg Mason and its subsidiaries, including CAM North America, LLC, Salomon Brothers Asset Management Inc, and Smith Barney Fund Management LLC are not affiliated with Citigroup.

 

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In furtherance of ClearBridge ’s goal to vote proxies in the best interest of clients, ClearBridge follows procedures designed to identify and address material conflicts that may arise between ClearBridge ’s interests and those of its clients before voting proxies on behalf of such clients. To seek to identify conflicts of interest, ClearBridge periodically notifies ClearBridge employees in writing that they are under an obligation (i) to be aware of the potential for conflicts of interest on the part of ClearBridge with respect to voting proxies on behalf of client accounts both as a result of their personal relationships and due to special circumstances that may arise during the conduct of ClearBridge ’s business, and (ii) to bring conflicts of interest of which they become aware to the attention of ClearBridge ’s compliance personnel. ClearBridge also maintains and considers a list of significant ClearBridge relationships that could present a conflict of interest for ClearBridge in voting proxies. ClearBridge is also sensitive to the fact that a significant, publicized relationship between an issuer and a non- ClearBridge Legg Mason affiliate might appear to the public to influence the manner in which ClearBridge decides to vote a proxy with respect to such issuer. Absent special circumstances or a significant, publicized non- ClearBridge Legg Mason affiliate relationship that ClearBridge for prudential reasons treats as a potential conflict of interest because such relationship might appear to the public to influence the manner in which ClearBridge decides to vote a proxy, ClearBridge generally takes the position that relationships between a non- ClearBridge Legg Mason affiliate and an issuer (e.g. investment management relationship between an issuer and a non- ClearBridge Legg Mason affiliate) do not present a conflict of interest for ClearBridge in voting proxies with respect to such issuer. Such position is based on the fact that ClearBridge is operated as an independent business unit from other Legg Mason business units as well as on the existence of information barriers between ClearBridge and certain other Legg Mason business units.

ClearBridge maintains a Proxy Voting Committee to review and address conflicts of interest brought to its attention by ClearBridge compliance personnel. A proxy issue that will be voted in accordance with a stated ClearBridge position on such issue or in accordance with the recommendation of an independent third party is not brought to the attention of the Proxy Voting Committee for a conflict of interest review because ClearBridge ’s position is that to the extent a conflict of interest issue exists, it is resolved by voting in accordance with a pre-determined policy or in accordance with the recommendation of an independent third party. With respect to a conflict of interest brought to its attention, the Proxy Voting Committee first determines whether such conflict of interest is material. A conflict of interest is considered material to the extent that it is determined that such conflict is likely to influence, or appear to influence, ClearBridge ’s decision-making in voting proxies. If it is determined by the Proxy Voting Committee that a conflict of interest is not material, ClearBridge may vote proxies notwithstanding the existence of the conflict.

If it is determined by the Proxy Voting Committee that a conflict of interest is material, the Proxy Voting Committee is responsible for determining an appropriate method to resolve such conflict of interest before the proxy affected by the conflict of interest is voted. Such determination is based on the particular facts and circumstances, including the importance of the proxy issue and the nature of the conflict of interest.

 

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