XML 37 R25.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v2.4.1.9
Thornburg Strategic Municipal Income Fund
FUND SUMMARY

Strategic Municipal Income Fund
Investment Goal
The Fund seeks a high level of current income exempt from federal individual income tax.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for discounts from the sales charges applicable to Class A shares if you or other qualifying account holders invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Thornburg Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in “Opening Your Account – Buying Fund Shares” on page 82 of this Prospectus.
Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees Thornburg Strategic Municipal Income Fund
Class A
Class C
Class I
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) 2.00%rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of redemption proceeds or original purchase price, whichever is lower) none [1] 0.60%rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther [2] none
[1] A 0.50% contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) is imposed on redemptions of any part or all of a purchase of $1 million or more within 12 months of purchase.
[2] Imposed only on redemptions of Class C shares within 12 months of purchase.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses Thornburg Strategic Municipal Income Fund
Class A
Class C
Class I
Management Fees 0.75%rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.75%rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.75%rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25%rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.60%rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses [1] 0.31%rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.37%rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.18%rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.31%rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.72%rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.93%rr_ExpensesOverAssets
Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement (0.06%)rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets [2] (0.17%)rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets [2]   
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement 1.25%rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.55%rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.93%rr_NetExpensesOverAssets
[1] Other expenses include "Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses," which are fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund through the Fund's investment in other investment companies. Those expenses were less than 0.01% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2014.
[2] Thornburg Investment Management, Inc. ("Thornburg") and/or Thornburg Securities Corporation ("TSC") have contractually agreed to waive fees and reimburse expenses incurred by the Fund so that actual Class A and Class C expenses do not exceed 1.25% and 1.55%, respectively, not including the effects of Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses. The agreement to waive fees and reimburse expenses may be terminated by the Fund at any time, but may not be terminated by Thornburg or TSC before February 1, 2016, unless Thornburg or TSC ceases to be the investment advisor or distributor of the Fund prior to that date. Thornburg and TSC retain the ability to be repaid by the Fund for fee waivers and expense reimbursements during a fiscal year if Fund expenses fall below the relevant percentage threshold before the end of that fiscal year.
Example.
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, dividends and distributions are reinvested, and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions (and giving effect to fee waivers and expense reimbursements in the first year), your costs would be:
Expense Example Thornburg Strategic Municipal Income Fund (USD $)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class A Shares
325 601 898 1,742
Class C Shares
218 525 917 2,016
Class I Shares
95 296 515 1,143
You would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your Class C shares:
Expense Example, No Redemption (USD $)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Thornburg Strategic Municipal Income Fund Class C Shares
158 525 917 2,016
Portfolio Turnover.
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over”) its portfolio. A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 21.89% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
Thornburg Investment Management, Inc. (“Thornburg”) actively manages the Fund’s investments in pursuing the Fund’s investment goal. The Fund invests principally in a portfolio of municipal obligations issued by states and state agencies, local governments and their agencies, and by certain United States territories and possessions. Investment decisions are based upon outlooks for interest rates and securities markets, the supply of municipal debt obligations, the difference in yields between higher and lower-rated obligations, and analysis of specific obligations. The Fund invests in obligations and participations in obligations of any credit quality. The Fund may invest up to 50 percent of its portfolio in lower-quality debt obligations rated at the time of purchase as below investment grade (sometimes called “junk” bonds or “high yield” bonds) or, if unrated, issued by obligors with comparable below investment grade obligations outstanding or deemed by Thornburg to be comparable to obligors with outstanding below investment grade obligations. The Fund may also invest in obligations that are in default at the time of purchase. “Participations” are undivided interests in pools of securities where the underlying credit support passes through to the participants.

The Fund may invest in municipal obligations of any maturity, but seeks to maintain a portfolio of investments having a dollar-weighted average effective duration of normally one to ten years. Duration is a measure of estimated sensitivity to interest rate changes. A portfolio with a longer average effective duration will typically be more sensitive to interest rate changes than a portfolio with a shorter average effective duration. During temporary periods the Fund’s average effective duration and average portfolio maturity may be reduced for defensive purposes. There is no limitation on the duration or maturity of any specific security the Fund may purchase. The Fund may dispose of any security before it matures. The Fund attempts to reduce changes in its share value through credit analysis, selection and diversification.

The Fund normally invests 100% of its assets in municipal obligations, the income from which is exempt from the regular federal income tax. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in taxable securities which would produce income not exempt from federal income tax because of market conditions, pending investment of idle funds or to afford liquidity. The Fund’s temporary taxable investments may exceed 20% of its assets when made for defensive purposes during periods of abnormal market conditions. If the Fund found it necessary to own taxable investments, some of its income would be subject to federal income tax. Gains realized on investments held by the Fund and not offset by realized losses will be subject to federal income tax.

The Fund also may invest in derivative instruments such as options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and swap agreements (including, but not limited to, credit default swap agreements), to the extent Thornburg believes such investments may assist the Fund in pursuing its investment goal.
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in any bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Accordingly, the loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. The value of the Fund’s shares and its dividends may fluctuate from day to day and over time, and when you sell your shares they may be worth less than what you paid for them. The following is a summary of the principal risks of investing in the Fund. Please note that because the Fund’s objective is to provide high current income, the Fund invests with an emphasis on income, rather than stability of net asset value.

Management Risk – The Fund is an actively managed portfolio, and the value of the Fund may be reduced if Thornburg pursues unsuccessful investments or fails to correctly identify risks affecting the broad economy or specific issuers in which the Fund invests.

Interest Rate Risk – When interest rates increase, the value of the Fund’s investments may decline and the Fund’s share value may be reduced. This effect is typically more pronounced for intermediate and longer-term obligations. When interest rates decrease, the Fund’s dividends may decline. Decreases in market interest rates may also result in prepayments of obligations the Fund acquires, requiring the Fund to reinvest at lower interest rates.

Credit Risk – If obligations held by the Fund are downgraded by ratings agencies or go into default, or if legislation or other government action reduces the ability of issuers to pay principal and interest when due, the value of those obligations may decline and the Fund’s share value and the dividends paid by the Fund may be reduced. Because the ability of an issuer of a lower-rated or unrated obligation to pay principal and interest when due is typically less certain than for an issuer of a higher-rated obligation, lower-rated and unrated obligations are generally more vulnerable than higher-rated obligations to default, to ratings downgrades, and to liquidity risk. Municipal leases held by the Fund may be subject to non-appropriation provisions which permit governmental issuers to discontinue payments to the Fund under the leases.

High Yield Risk – Debt obligations that are rated below investment grade and unrated obligations of similar credit quality (commonly referred to as “junk” or “high yield” bonds) may have a substantial risk of loss. These obligations are generally considered to be speculative with respect to the issuer’s ability to pay interest and principal when due. These obligations may be subject to greater price volatility than investment grade obligations, and their prices may decline significantly in periods of general economic difficulty or in response to adverse publicity, changes in investor perceptions or other factors. These obligations may also be subject to greater liquidity risk.

Market and Economic Risk – The value of the Fund’s investments may decline and its share value may be reduced due to changes in general economic and market conditions. This effect is typically more pronounced for the Fund’s investments in lower-rated and unrated municipal obligations (including particularly “junk” or “high yield” bonds), the value of which may fluctuate more significantly in response to poor economic growth or other changes in market conditions, political, economic and legal developments, and developments affecting specific issuers.

Liquidity Risk – Due to a lack of demand in the marketplace or other factors, the Fund may not be able to sell some or all of the obligations promptly, or may only be able to sell obligations at less than desired prices. The market for lower-rated and unrated obligations (including particularly “junk” or “high yield” bonds) may be less liquid than the market for other obligations, making it difficult for the Fund to value its investment in a lower-rated or unrated obligation or to sell the investment in a timely manner or at an acceptable price.

Derivatives Risk – The Fund’s investments in derivatives involve the risks associated with the securities or other assets underlying the derivatives, and also may involve risks different or greater than the risks affecting the underlying assets, including the inability or unwillingness of the other party to a derivative to perform its obligations to the Fund, the Fund’s inability or delays in selling or closing positions in derivatives, and difficulties in valuing derivatives.

Additional information about Fund investments, investment strategies and risks of investing in the Fund appears below beginning on page 74.
Past Performance of the Fund
The following information provides some indication of the risks of investing in Strategic Municipal Income Fund by showing how the Fund’s investment results vary from year to year. The bar chart shows how the annual total returns for Class A shares have been different in each full year shown. The average annual total return figures compare Class A, Class C and Class I share performance to the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Municipal Master Index, a broad measure of market performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. The performance information shown below is as of the calendar year ended December 31, 2014. Updated performance information may be obtained on the Thornburg website at www.thornburg.com or by calling 1-800-847-0200.
Annual Total Returns – Class A Shares
Bar Chart
Highest quarterly results for time period shown: 11.53%
(quarter ended 9-30-09).

Lowest quarterly results for time period shown: -5.38%
(quarter ended 12-31-10).

The sales charge for Class A shares is not reflected in the returns shown in the bar chart above, and the returns would be less if the charge was taken into account.
Average Annual Total Returns (periods ended 12-31-14)
Average Annual Total Returns Thornburg Strategic Municipal Income Fund
1 Year
5 Years
Since Inception
Inception Date
Class A Shares
7.67% 5.87% 8.14% Apr. 01, 2009
Class A Shares Return After Taxes on Distributions
7.64% 5.82% 8.04% Apr. 01, 2009
Class A Shares Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
5.53% 5.35% 7.23% Apr. 01, 2009
Class A Shares BofA Merrill Lynch Master Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
9.78% 5.39% 6.32% Apr. 01, 2009
Class C Shares
9.00% 6.00% 8.22% Apr. 01, 2009
Class C Shares BofA Merrill Lynch Master Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
9.78% 5.39% 6.32% Apr. 01, 2009
Class I Shares
10.21% 6.61% 8.84% Apr. 01, 2009
Class I Shares BofA Merrill Lynch Master Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
9.78% 5.39% 6.32% Apr. 01, 2009
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect state or local income taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s own tax situation and may differ from the returns shown, and 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. The after-tax returns shown relate only to Class A shares, and after-tax returns will vary for Class C and Class I shares because the returns of the classes are different.