497K 1 d497k.htm RS INVESTMENT TRUST - STRATEGIC INCOME FUND Y RS Investment Trust - Strategic Income Fund Y

SUMMARY PROSPECTUS – MAY 1, 2011

RS Strategic Income Fund

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Share Class (Ticker):

 

Class Y (RSRYX)

    Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s prospectus and other information about the Fund, including the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (SAI) and most recent reports to shareholders, online at www.RSinvestments.com/Communications/ProspectusesandAnnualReports.htm. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800-766-3863 or by sending an e-mail request to prospectus@rsinvestments.com. You can also get this information from your financial intermediary. This Summary Prospectus incorporates by reference the Fund’s Prospectus and SAI, each dated May 1, 2011, and the financial statements included in the Fund’s annual report to shareholders, dated December 31, 2010.

Investment Objectives

To seek high current income with a secondary objective of capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. No sales loads are imposed on Class Y shares.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses are deducted from Fund assets as a percentage of average daily net assets)  
Share Class      Class Y  
Management Fees        0.60%   
Distribution (12b-1) Fees        N/A   
Other Expenses1        0.27%   
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses2        0.87%   
Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement2        -0.55%   
Net Expenses2        0.32%   
1   “Other Expenses” exclude non-recurring offering costs that were fully amortized in the prior fiscal year.
2   RS Investments has contractually agreed through April 30, 2012, to reduce its management fees paid by Class Y shares so that Class Y shares bear the same level of management fees as Class A shares of the Fund (which are offered through a separate prospectus) during the period. The amount of the management fee waiver for Class Y shares shown in the table is based on the amount of the management fee waiver for Class A shares set forth in the fee table for Class A shares. The management fee waiver for Class Y shares may be greater or less than the amount shown in the table based on the actual expenses incurred by Class A shares during the period. This management fee waiver will continue through April 30, 2012, and cannot be terminated by RS Investments prior to that date.

Example

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, whether or not you redeem at the end of such periods. This Example also assumes that your investment earns a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same as shown above. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

        Class Y  
1 Year      $ 33   
3 Years      $ 222   
5 Years      $ 428   
10 Years      $ 1,022   

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes for you if your Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate (not annualized) was 51% of the average value of its portfolio.

Investments, Risks, and Performance

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund may invest in fixed-income obligations of any kind, including, by way of example, U.S. and foreign corporate investment-grade securities; U.S. government securities and securities of foreign governments and supranational entities; U.S. and foreign below investment-grade bonds; and cash instruments. The Fund’s investment team allocates the Fund’s investments among these (and other) types of obligations based on its detailed analysis of market, economic, political, and other factors, and of the potential for the various obligations to provide high current income and/or capital appreciation.

 

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RS STRATEGIC INCOME FUND

 

 

The Fund’s investment team selects specific investments for the Fund by considering a wide variety of factors, including yield, potential for appreciation in value, the credit quality of the issuer or collateral, maturity; and the degree of risk associated with a specific investment relative to the potential for favorable investment returns and to other investments.

The Fund’s investment team may sell investments when it believes that they no longer offer attractive potential future returns compared to other investment opportunities or that they present undesirable risks, or in an attempt to limit losses on investments that have declined in value.

The Fund may invest in investments of any maturity. The Fund may invest in securities of any quality, and may invest without limit in below investment grade securities or unrated securities considered by the Fund’s investment team to be of comparable quality, sometimes referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds. An investment will be considered to be below investment grade if it is rated Ba1 by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and BB+ by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group, or lower or, if unrated, is considered by the Fund’s investment team to be of comparable quality. A below investment grade rating reflects a greater possibility that the issuer of an investment may be unable to make timely payments of interest and principal and thus default. If this happens, or is perceived as likely to happen, the value of that investment will usually be more volatile and is likely to fall. A default or expected default would likely also make it difficult for the Fund to sell an investment at a price approximating the value the Fund has previously placed on it.

The Fund may invest in emerging markets debt. There is no limit on the amount of the Fund’s assets that may be invested in obligations of issuers in any country or group of countries.

The Fund may invest in any type of debt instrument, including, for example, domestic or foreign corporate debt securities, securities issued or guaranteed by sovereign governments, their agencies, or instrumentalities, and mortgage-backed securities. The Fund may invest in “tax credit bonds” (including Build America Bonds, clean renewable energy bonds and qualified tax credit bonds) and tax-exempt bonds. The Fund may invest in convertible securities and warrants. The Fund may invest a substantial portion of its assets in mortgage-backed securities, including collateralized mortgage obligations, and other asset-backed securities. The Fund may invest in loans or other investments that have economic characteristics similar to loans of any maturity and credit quality. If the Fund invests in loans, the Fund’s investment team may seek to avoid the receipt of material non-public information about the issuers of the loans being considered for purchase by the Fund, which may affect its ability to assess the loans as compared to investors that do receive such information.

The Fund also may enter into exchange-traded or over-the-counter derivatives transactions of any kind, such as index futures contracts, treasury futures contracts, Eurodollar futures contracts, interest rate swaps, credit default swaps, loan credit default swaps, currency options and forwards, currency futures, currency swaps, and forward transactions for purposes such as, but not limited to, hedging various risks such as credit risk, interest rate risk, and liquidity risk; for taking a net short position in certain investments or markets; for providing liquidity in the Fund; for equitizing cash; for minimizing transaction costs; for replicating certain investments; and for asset and sector allocation. Although many of these instruments may exhibit characteristics of leveraged transactions, the Fund will not enter into derivatives transactions for the purpose of leveraging the Fund’s investment portfolio.

Principal Risks

You may lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund may not achieve its investment objectives. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value and total return, are as follows.

Debt Securities Risk

The value of a debt security or other income-producing security changes in response to changes in interest rates and depends on the issuer’s credit quality.

High-yield/Junk Bond Risk

Lower-quality debt securities can involve a substantially greater risk of default than higher quality debt securities, and their values can decline significantly over short periods of time. Lower-quality debt securities tend to be more sensitive to adverse news about the issuer, or the market or economy in general.

Liquidity Risk

Lack of a ready market or restrictions on resale may limit the ability of the Fund to sell a security at an advantageous time or price. In addition, the Fund, by itself or together with other accounts managed by Guardian Investor Services LLC, may hold a position in a security that is large relative to the typical trading volume for that security, which can make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of the position at an advantageous time or price.

Derivatives Risk

Derivative transactions can create investment leverage and may be highly volatile. It is possible that a derivative transaction will result in a loss greater than the principal amount invested, and the Fund may not be able to close out a derivative transaction at a favorable time or price.

Mortgage- and Asset-backed Securities Risk

During periods of falling interest rates, mortgage- and asset-backed securities may be called or prepaid, which may result in the Fund having to reinvest proceeds in other investments at a lower interest rate. During periods of rising interest rates, the average life of mortgage- and asset-backed securities may extend, which may lock in a below-market interest rate, increase the security’s duration, and reduce the value of the security. Enforcing rights against the underlying assets or collateral may be difficult, or the underlying assets or collateral may be insufficient if the issuer defaults.

 

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RS STRATEGIC INCOME FUND

 

 

Foreign Securities Risk

Foreign securities are subject to political, regulatory, and economic risks not present in domestic investments. In addition, when the Fund buys securities denominated in a foreign currency, there are special risks such as changes in currency exchange rates and the risk that a foreign government could regulate foreign exchange transactions. In addition, to the extent that investments are made in a limited number of countries, events in those countries will have a more significant impact on the Fund.

Emerging Market Risk

Risks of investing in emerging markets include greater political and economic instability, greater volatility in currency exchange rates, less developed securities markets, possible trade barriers, currency transfer restrictions, a more limited number of potential buyers, an emerging market country’s dependence on revenue from particular commodities or international aid, less governmental supervision and regulation, unavailability of currency hedging techniques, differences in auditing and financial reporting standards, and less developed legal systems.

Municipal Obligations Risk

The values of municipal obligations that depend on a specific revenue source to fund their payment obligations may fluctuate as a result of changes in the cash flows generated by the revenue source or changes in the priority of the municipal obligation to receive the cash flows generated by the revenue source.

Currency Risk

Investments in foreign securities are often denominated and traded in foreign currencies. The value of the Fund’s assets may be affected favorably or unfavorably by currency exchange rates, currency exchange control regulations, and restrictions or prohibitions on the repatriation of foreign currencies. To attempt to protect against changes in currency exchange rates, the Fund may, but will not necessarily, engage in forward foreign-currency exchange transactions. The use of foreign exchange transactions to reduce foreign-currency exposure can eliminate some or all of the benefit of an increase in the value of a foreign currency versus the U.S. dollar.

Loan Risk

Investments in loans are generally subject to the same risks as investments in other types of debt securities, including, in many cases, investments in high-yield/junk bonds. They may be difficult to value and may be illiquid. If the Fund holds a loan through another financial institution, or relies on a financial institution to administer the loan, its receipt of principal and interest on the loan may be subject to the credit risk of that financial institution. It is possible that any collateral securing a loan may be insufficient or unavailable to the Fund, and that the Fund’s rights to collateral may be limited by bankruptcy or insolvency laws. There may be limited public information available regarding the loan.

Fund Performance

The bar chart and the table below show the Fund’s performance and provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by comparing the Fund’s returns with those of a broad measure of market performance. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance. Updated performance information for the Fund is available at www.rsinvestments.com or by calling 800-766-3863.

 

    
 
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Best Quarter  Third Quarter 2010  4.12%

Worst Quarter  Fourth Quarter 2010  0.22%

 

Average Annual Total Returns (periods ended 12/31/10)  
    

1

Year

    Since
Inception
(12/31/09)
 
Class Y Shares                
Return Before Taxes     8.95%        8.95%   
Return After Taxes on Distributions     6.99%        6.99%   
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares     5.78%        5.78%   
Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)     6.54%        6.54%   
 

 

Management of the Fund

Investment Adviser

RS Investment Management Co. LLC

Investment Sub-Adviser

Guardian Investor Services LLC

 

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RS STRATEGIC INCOME FUND

 

 

Investment Team

Leslie Barbi, Kevin Booth, CFA, Howard W. Chin, Robert J. Crimmins Jr., Marc Gross, and Jonathan C. Jankus, CFA, have each been a co-portfolio manager, and have managed the Fund since its inception.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

Shares of the Fund are only available to investors that meet certain eligibility requirements. There is no minimum initial investment in the Fund. The minimum on subsequent investments is $100.

You may redeem your shares on any business day when the New York Stock Exchange is open by mail (Boston Financial Data Services, RS Strategic Income Fund, P.O. Box 219717, Kansas City, MO 64121-9717), by telephone (800-766-3863), or online (www.RSinvestments.com).

Tax Information

The Fund normally distributes its net investment income and net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders. These distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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