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Before you invest, you may want to review the Portfolio’s Prospectus, which contains more information about the Portfolio and its risks. The Portfolio’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”), both dated April 30, 2010, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus. You can find the Portfolio’s Prospectus, SAI and other information about the Portfolio online at www.LazardNet.com/lam/us/lazardfunds.shtml. You can also get this information at no cost by calling (800) 823-6300 or by sending an e-mail request to ContactUs@LazardNet.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Institutional
Shares

 

Open
Shares

Lazard Capital Allocator Opportunistic Strategies Portfolio

 

 

 

LCAIX

   

 

 

LCAOX

 

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio, a series of The Lazard Funds, Inc. (the “Fund”).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Institutional
Shares

 

Open
Shares

 

Shareholder Transaction Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Redemption Fee (as a % of amount redeemed, on shares owned for 30 days or less)

 

1.00%

 

1.00%

 

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage
of the value of your investment)

 

 

 

 

 

Management Fees

 

1.00%

 

1.00%

 

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

 

None

 

.25%

 

Other Expenses

 

.16%

 

.19%

 

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (Underlying Funds)

 

.47%

 

.47%

 

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

 

1.63%

 

1.91%

 

Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement*

 

.14%

 

.12%

 

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement*

 

1.49%

 

1.79%

 

 

*

 

 

 

Reflects a contractual agreement by Lazard Asset Management LLC (the “Investment Manager”) to waive its fee and, if necessary, reimburse the Portfolio through April 30, 2011, to the extent Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses exceed 1.02% and 1.32% of the average daily net assets of the Portfolio’s Institutional Shares and Open Shares, respectively, exclusive of taxes, brokerage, interest on borrowings, fees and expenses of “Acquired Funds” and extraordinary expenses, and excluding shareholder redemption fees or other transaction fees. This agreement can only be amended by agreement of the Fund and the Investment Manager to lower the net amount shown and will terminate automatically in the event of termination of the Investment Management Agreement between the Investment Manager and the Fund, on behalf of the Portfolio.

Example

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same, giving effect to the fee waiver in year one only. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 Year

 

3 Years

 

5 Years

 

10 Years

 

Institutional Shares

 

$152

 

$501

 

$   874

 

$1,923

 

Open Shares

 

$182

 

$589

 

$1,021

 

$2,225

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio 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 Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 113% of the average value of its portfolio.


Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio utilizes an asset allocation strategy to invest in a global portfolio of uncorrelated assets that can include exposure, through underlying vehicles, to stocks, bonds, commodities and other investments.

The Portfolio invests primarily in common stock of exchange-traded open-end management investment companies and similar products, which generally pursue a passive index-based strategy (commonly known as exchange-traded funds or “ETFs”), as well as actively managed closed-end management investment companies (“closed-end funds”) (collectively, “Underlying Funds”). ETFs in which the Portfolio may invest include both ETFs designed to correlate directly with an index and ETFs designed to correlate inversely with an index. The Portfolio, through Underlying Funds in which it invests, may invest in non-U.S. companies (including those in emerging markets), and the Portfolio also may invest directly in equity and debt securities in addition to its investments in Underlying Funds. The Portfolio’s investment portfolio is concentrated in a relatively small number of holdings (generally 10 to 30). Investors can invest directly in Underlying Funds and do not need to invest in Underlying Funds through mutual funds or separately managed accounts.

The Portfolio may engage in derivatives transactions, including certain foreign currency transactions (which may include forward currency contracts, swap agreements and options), entering into equity and total return swap agreements and writing put and covered call options on securities (including ETFs), indexes and currencies, for hedging purposes or to seek to increase returns.

Principal Investment Risks

While stocks (including those in which the Underlying Funds invest) have historically been a leading choice of long-term investors, they do fluctuate in price, often based on factors unrelated to the issuer’s value. The value of your investment in the Portfolio will fluctuate, which means you could lose money.

Shares of Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests may trade at prices that vary from their net asset value (“NAV”), sometimes significantly. The shares of Underlying Funds may trade at prices at, below or above their most recent NAV. Shares of closed-end funds, in particular, frequently trade at persistent discounts to their NAV. In addition, the performance of an ETF pursuing a passive index-based strategy may diverge from the performance of the index. The Portfolio’s investments in Underlying Funds are subject to the risks of Underlying Funds’ investments, as well as to the general risks of investing in Underlying Funds. Portfolio shares will bear not only the Portfolio’s management fees and operating expenses, but also their proportional share of the management fees and operating expenses of Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests.

The Portfolio may be limited by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended in the amount of its assets that may be invested in Underlying Funds unless an Underlying Fund has received an exemptive order from the Securities and Exchange Commission on which the Portfolio may rely or an exemption is available.

Non-domestic securities carry special risks, such as exposure to currency fluctuations, less developed or less efficient trading markets, political instability, a lack of company information, differing auditing and legal standards, and, potentially, less liquidity.

The securities markets of emerging market countries can be extremely volatile. The Portfolio’s performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting companies in emerging market countries. Emerging market countries can generally have economic structures that are less diverse and mature, and political systems that are less stable, than those of developed countries.

The market value of debt securities is affected by changes in prevailing interest rates and the perceived credit quality of the issuer. When prevailing interest rates fall or perceived credit quality improves, the market value of the affected debt securities generally rises. Conversely, when interest rates rise or perceived credit quality weakens, the market value of the affected debt securities generally declines.

Because the Portfolio will invest in a smaller number of issuers than other, more diversified, investment portfolios, the Portfolio’s NAV may be relatively more susceptible to adverse effects from any single economic or market occurrence than if the Portfolio’s investments consisted of a larger number of securities.

Derivatives transactions, including those entered into for hedging purposes, may reduce returns or increase volatility. Many derivatives, such as those used in forward currency contracts, swap agreements and certain options, are subject to the risk of default by the counterparty, in addition to risks of changes in the value of the related currency, security, securities or index. These derivatives also can be illiquid and highly sensitive to changes in the related currency, security, securities or index. As such, a small investment in certain derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the Portfolio’s performance.

Performance Bar Chart and Table
Total Returns for Institutional Shares

As of 12/31

The accompanying bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in Lazard Capital Allocator Opportunistic Strategies Portfolio by showing the Portfolio’s performance for the first complete calendar year of operation. The bar chart shows the performance of the Portfolio’s Institutional Shares. Performance information is available at www.LazardNet.com or by calling (800) 823-6300. The Portfolio’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

2Summary Prospectus


 

 

 

 

Best Quarter:
6/30/09  14.66%
 
Worst Quarter:

3/31/09  -5.43%

Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2009)

After-tax returns for the Open Shares vary from those of Institutional Shares. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. The Global Market Exposure Index shown in the table is an unmanaged, blended index constructed by the Investment Manager, which is comprised of 36% Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond® Index, 19.5% S&P 500® Index, 15% Morgan Stanley Capital International (“MSCI®”) Europe® Index, 9% MSCI Pacific® Index, 6% MSCI Emerging Markets® Index, 6% S&P MidCap 400® Index, 4.5% S&P SmallCap 600® Index and 4% Three Month London Interbank Offered Rate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inception Date

 

1 Year

 

Life of Portfolio

 

Institutional Shares

 

3/26/08

 

 

 

 

 

Returns Before Taxes

 

 

 

21.21%

 

-4.28%

 

Returns After Taxes on Distributions

 

 

 

20.78%

 

-5.10%

 

Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Portfolio Shares

 

 

 

13.93%

 

-4.08%

 

Open Shares

 

3/31/08

 

20.71%

 

-4.40%

 

MSCI World Index

 

 

 

29.99%

 

-9.16% (Institutional)
-9.03%
(Open)

 

Global Market Exposure Index

 

 

 

22.92%

 

-1.21% (Institutional)
-1.21%
(Open)

 

Management

Investment Manager

Lazard Asset Management LLC

Portfolio Manager/Analysts

David R. Cleary, portfolio manager/analyst on the Investment Manager’s Capital Allocator Series team, has been with the Portfolio since inception.

Christopher Komosa, portfolio manager/analyst on the Investment Manager’s Capital Allocator Series team, has been with the Portfolio since inception.

Purchase and Sale of Portfolio Shares

The initial investment minimums are:

 

 

 

Institutional Shares

 

 

$

 

100,000

 

 

Open Shares

 

 

$

 

2,500

 

 

IRA Rollover/Transfer (Open Shares only)

 

 

$

 

2,500

 

 

The subsequent investment minimum is $50.

Portfolio shares are redeemable through the Fund’s transfer agent, Boston Financial Data Services, Inc., on any business day by telephone, mail or overnight delivery. Clients of financial intermediaries may be subject to the intermediaries’ procedures.

Tax Information

All dividends and short-term capital gains distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, and long-term capital gains are generally taxable as such, whether you receive the distribution in cash or reinvest it in additional shares.

Financial Intermediary Compensation

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the Portfolio through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Portfolio and the Investment Manager and its affiliates may pay the intermediary for the sale of Portfolio 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 Portfolio over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

Summary Prospectus3


Wherever there’s opportunity, there’s Lazard.SM

 

 

 

 

 

Lazard Asset Management LLC
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112-6300
800-823-6300

www.LazardNet.com

© 2010 The Lazard Funds, Inc. and Lazard Asset Management Securities LLC

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