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Jan. 31, 2021
GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST | Guggenheim Alpha Opportunity Fund
Guggenheim Alpha Opportunity Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Guggenheim Alpha Opportunity Fund (the "Fund") seeks long-term growth of capital.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the Family of Funds, as defined on page 154 of the Fund’s prospectus. This amount may vary depending on the Guggenheim Fund in which you invest. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the “Sales Charges-Class A Shares” section on page 104 of the Fund’s prospectus and the “How to Purchase Shares” section on page 98 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information. Different intermediaries and financial professionals may impose different sales charges or offer different sales charge waivers or discounts. These variations are described in Appendix A to the Fund’s prospectus (Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts).
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class AClass CInstitutional ClassClass P
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)4.75%NoneNoneNone
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)
None*
1.00%**
NoneNone
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees0.90%0.90%0.90%0.90%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees0.25%1.00%None0.25%
Other Expenses0.58%0.82%0.46%0.52%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses1.73%2.72%1.36%1.67%
Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)1
-0.04%-0.21%0.00%-0.03%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)1.69%2.51%1.36%1.64%
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although the actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Class AClass CInstitutionalClass P
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year
$639$354$254$138$167
3 Years
$990$824$824$431$524
5 Years
$1,365$1,421$1,421$745$905
10 Years
$2,416$3,036$3,036$1,635$1,974
Class AClass CInstitutionalClass P
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year
$639$354$254$138$167
3 Years
$990$824$824$431$524
5 Years
$1,365$1,421$1,421$745$905
10 Years
$2,416$3,036$3,036$1,635$1,974
The above Example reflects applicable contractual fee waiver/expense reimbursement arrangements for the current duration of the arrangements only.
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 209% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund pursues its objective by investing, under normal market conditions, in long and short positions of domestic equity and equity-related securities (including swaps and other derivative investments giving long or short exposure to domestic equity securities).
The Investment Manager uses a proprietary evaluation process to generate an expected return for individual stocks that considers market risk factors generally and risks specific to the companies in which the Fund invests. Market risk factors include, among other factors, company size, enterprise value, and sector. The Investment Manager seeks to construct portfolios of equity-related investments that maintain long positions in instruments that provide exposure to risk factors that the Investment Manager considers to be undervalued by the equity markets and sells short instruments that provide exposure to risk factors that the Investment Manager considers to be overvalued by the equity markets. The process uses fundamentally-based, forward-looking forecasts of equity cash flows to generate return expectations for individual stocks. Then, the expected returns for the universe of stocks is further evaluated using quantitative techniques to estimate the market’s implied valuation of broad market risk factors as well as the company-specific risks. Finally, a portfolio is constructed within guidelines that buys long the stocks (or derivatives that give exposure to stocks) that give the portfolio both the broad risk characteristics and company-specific risks that are perceived to be undervalued and sells short stocks (or derivatives that give exposure to stocks) for which those characteristics are perceived to be overpriced. These guidelines contain risk controls that seek to: limit industry and sector concentration; promote portfolio issuer diversification; and avoid making portfolio investments contrary to the Investment Manager’s macroeconomic views. “Alpha” in the Fund’s name refers to the potential for the Fund’s portfolio to achieve returns that are favorable relative to the amount of risk taken. Of course, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objective of long-term growth of capital, and an investment in the Fund involves significant risk.
The Fund will ordinarily hold simultaneous long and short positions in equity securities or securities markets that provide exposure up to a level equal to 150% of the Fund’s net assets for both the long and short positions. That level of exposure is obtained through derivatives, including swap agreements (which include, but are not limited to, total return swap agreements). The Investment Manager intends to maintain a low overall net exposure (the difference between the notional value of long positions and the notional value of short positions) for the portfolio, typically varying between 50% net long and 30% net short to seek to maintain low correlation to traditional equity markets, lower than market volatility and seek to provide consistent absolute return. The overall net exposure will change as market opportunities change, and may, based on the Investment Manager’s view of current market conditions, be outside this range.
The Fund may invest in domestic equity securities, including small-, mid-, and large-capitalization securities. The Fund also may invest in derivative instruments, including swaps on selected baskets of equity securities, to enable the Fund to pursue its investment objective without investing directly in the securities of companies to which the Fund is seeking exposure. The Fund may also invest in derivatives, such as options and futures contracts, to hedge or gain leveraged exposure to a particular sector, industry, market risk factor, or company and/or to obtain or replicate market exposure depending on market conditions. The Fund will often invest in instruments traded in the over the-counter (“OTC”) market, which generally provides for less transparency than exchange-traded instruments. The Fund also may enter into long positions or short sales of broad-based stock indices for hedging purposes in an effort to reduce the Fund’s risk or volatility through, among other instruments, exchange-traded
funds ("ETFs") and closed-end funds. The use of derivatives may create a leveraging effect on the Fund which, under current regulatory requirements, will force the Fund to take offsetting positions or earmark or segregate assets to be used as collateral. The Fund actively trades its investments, which can result in significant fluctuations in the Fund's portfolio turnover rate.
While the Fund anticipates investing in these securities and instruments to seek to achieve its investment objective, the extent of the Fund’s investment in these securities and instruments may vary from day-to-day depending on a number of different factors, including price, availability, and general market conditions. On a day-to-day basis, the Fund may hold U.S. government securities, short-term, high quality (rated AA or higher) fixed-income instruments, money market instruments, overnight and fixed-term repurchase agreements, cash and other cash equivalents with maturities of one year or less to collateralize its derivative positions. The Fund also may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that are deemed to present acceptable credit risks.
Under adverse or unstable market conditions or abnormal circumstances, the Fund could invest some or all of its assets in cash, derivatives, fixed-income instruments, government bonds, money market instruments, repurchase agreements or securities of other investment companies. The Fund may be unable to pursue or achieve its investment objective during that time and temporary investments could reduce the benefit from any upswing in the market.
PRINCIPAL RISKS
The value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate and is subject to investment risks, which means investors could lose money. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any governmental agency. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below.
Counterparty Credit Risk—The Fund makes investments in financial instruments and OTC-traded derivatives involving counterparties to gain exposure to a particular group of securities, index, asset class or other reference asset without actually purchasing those securities or investments, to hedge a position, or for other investment purposes. Through these investments and related arrangements (e.g., prime brokerage or securities lending arrangements or derivatives transactions), the Fund is exposed to credit risks that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments or otherwise to meet its contractual obligations. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on (or otherwise becomes unable or unwilling to perform) its payment or other obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount that it is entitled to receive or may experience delays in recovering the collateral or other assets held by, or on behalf of, the counterparty. If this occurs, the value of your shares in the Fund will decrease.
Credit Risk—The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income or other debt instrument or a counterparty to a derivatives transaction or other transaction is unable or unwilling, or perceived to be unable or unwilling, to pay interest or repay principal on time, defaults or otherwise fails to meet its obligations. Actual or perceived changes in economic, social, public health, financial or political conditions in general or that affect a particular type of instrument, issuer, guarantor or counterparty can reduce the ability of the party to meet its obligations, which can affect the credit quality, liquidity and/or value of an instrument. The value of an instrument also may decline for reasons that relate directly to the issuer, guarantor or counterparty, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for goods and services. The issuer, guarantor or counterparty could also suffer a rapid decline in credit rating, which would adversely affect the volatility of the value and liquidity of the instrument. Credit ratings may not be an accurate assessment of liquidity or credit risk.
Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other investments, including risks relating to leverage, imperfect correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, high price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty credit, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. Their use is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund’s use of derivatives to obtain short exposure may result in greater volatility of the Fund's net asset value ("NAV") per share. If the Investment Manager is incorrect about its expectations of market conditions, the use of derivatives could also result in a loss, which in some cases may be unlimited. In addition, the Fund’s use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments. Some of the derivatives in which the Fund invests may be traded (and privately negotiated) in the OTC market. OTC derivatives are subject to heightened counterparty credit, liquidity and valuation risks. Certain risks also are specific to the derivatives in which the Fund invests.
Futures Contracts Risk—Futures contracts are exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. Risks of futures contracts may be caused by an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the instruments and the price of the underlying assets. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction because of an illiquid market. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Investment Manager, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund’s NAV. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Options Risk—Options and options on futures contracts give the holder of the option the right, but not the obligation, to buy (or to sell) a position in a security or in a contract to the writer of the option, at a certain price. Options are subject to correlation risk because there may be an imperfect correlation between the options and the markets for underlying instruments that could cause a given transaction to fail to achieve its objectives. The successful use of options depends on the Investment Manager’s ability to predict correctly future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the markets for options and the underlying instruments. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Investment Manager, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Options are also particularly subject to leverage risk and can be subject to liquidity risk.
Swap Agreements Risk—Swap agreements are contracts among the Fund and a counterparty to exchange the return of the pre-determined underlying investment (such as the rate of return of the underlying index). Swap agreements may be negotiated bilaterally and traded OTC between two parties or, for certain standardized swaps, must be exchange-traded through a futures commission merchant and/or cleared through a clearinghouse that serves as a central counterparty. Risks associated with the use of swap agreements are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions, due in part to the fact they could be considered illiquid and many swaps trade on the OTC market. Swaps are particularly subject to counterparty credit, correlation, valuation, liquidity and leveraging risks. While exchange trading and central clearing are intended to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity, they do not make swap transactions risk-free. Additionally, applicable regulators have adopted rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on OTC swaps, which may result in the Fund and its counterparties posting higher margin amounts for OTC swaps, which could increase the cost of swap transactions to the Fund and impose added operational complexity.
Equity Securities Risk—Equity securities include common stocks and other equity and equity-related securities (and securities convertible into stocks). The prices of equity securities generally fluctuate in value more than fixed-income investments, may rise or fall rapidly or unpredictably and may reflect real or perceived changes in the issuing company’s financial condition and changes in the overall market or economy. A decline in the value of equity securities held by the Fund will adversely affect the value of your investment in the Fund. Common stocks generally represent the riskiest investment in a company and dividend payments (if declared) to preferred stockholders generally rank junior to payments due to a company’s debtholders. The Fund may lose a substantial part, or even all, of its investment in a company’s stock.
Interest Rate Risk—Fixed-income and other debt instruments are subject to the possibility that interest rates could change. Changes in interest rates may adversely affect the Fund’s investments in these instruments, such as the value or liquidity of, and income generated by, the investments. Interest rates may change as a result of a variety of factors, and the change may be sudden and significant, with unpredictable impacts on the financial markets and the Fund’s investments. Fixed-income and other debt instruments with longer durations are more sensitive to changes in interest rates and, thus, subject to more volatility than similar instruments with shorter durations. Generally, when interest rates increase, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments decline and when interest rates decrease, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments rise. During periods of rising interest rates, because changes in interest rates on adjustable rate securities may lag behind changes in market rates, the value of such securities may decline until their interest rates reset to market rates. During periods of declining interest rates, because the interest rates on adjustable rate securities generally reset downward, their market value is unlikely to rise to the same extent as the value of comparable fixed rate securities. During periods when interest rates are low or negative, the Fund’s yield and performance may be adversely affected. The risks associated with rising interest rates are heightened given the current low interest rate environment.
Investments by Investing Funds and Other Large Shareholders—The Fund is subject to the risk that a large investor, including certain other investment companies, purchases or redeems a large percentage of Fund shares at any time. As a result, the Fund's performance or liquidity may be adversely affected as the Fund tends to hold a
large proportion of its assets in cash and may have to sell investments at disadvantageous times or prices to meet large redemption requests.
Investment in Investment Vehicles Risk—Investing in other investment vehicles, including ETFs, closed-end funds and other mutual funds, subjects the Fund to those risks affecting the investment vehicle, including the possibility that the value of the underlying securities held by the investment vehicle could decrease or the portfolio becomes illiquid. Moreover, the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying vehicles’ expenses, which will reduce the Fund’s performance. In addition, investments in an ETF are subject to, among other risks, the risk that the ETF's shares may trade at a discount or premium relative to the net asset value of the shares and the listing exchange may halt trading of the ETF's shares.
Large-Capitalization Securities Risk—The Fund is subject to the risk that large-capitalization securities may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. Larger, more established companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges such as changes in technology and may not be able to attain the high growth rate of smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion.
Leverage Risk—The Fund’s use of leverage, through borrowings or instruments such as derivatives and reverse repurchase agreements, may cause the Fund to be more volatile and riskier than if it had not been leveraged.
Liquidity and Valuation Risk—It may be difficult for the Fund to purchase and sell particular investments within a reasonable time at a fair price, or the price at which it has been valued by the Investment Manager for purposes of the Fund’s net asset value, causing the Fund to be less liquid and unable to realize what the Investment Manager believes should be the price of the investment. Valuation of portfolio investments may be difficult, such as during periods of market turmoil or reduced liquidity, and for investments that may, for example, trade infrequently or irregularly. In these and other circumstances, an investment may be valued using fair value methodologies, which are inherently subjective, reflect good faith judgments based on available information and may not accurately estimate the price at which the Fund could sell the investment at that time. These risks are heightened for fixed-income and other debt instruments because of the current low interest rate environment.
Management Risk—The Fund is actively managed, which means that investment decisions are made based on investment views. There is no guarantee that the investment views will produce the desired results or expected returns, causing the Fund to fail to meet its investment objective or underperform its benchmark index or funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. Furthermore, active and frequent trading that can accompany active management, also called “high turnover,” may have a negative impact on performance. Active and frequent trading may result in higher brokerage costs or mark-up charges, which are ultimately passed on to shareholders of the Fund. Active and frequent trading may also result in adverse tax consequences.
Market Risk—The value of, or income generated by, the investments held by the Fund may fluctuate rapidly and unpredictably and the Fund may incur losses as a result of factors affecting individual companies or issuers or particular industries. In addition, developments related to economic, political, social, public health, market or other conditions may cause volatility in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or debt markets, which could adversely impact the Fund and its investments. Under such conditions, the Fund may experience significant redemption activity by shareholders and could be forced to sell portfolio securities or other assets at unfavorable prices in an effort to generate sufficient cash to pay redeeming shareholders. The Fund's investments may perform poorly or underperform the general securities markets or other types of securities. Governmental authorities and regulators have enacted and continue to enact significant fiscal and monetary policy changes designed to support financial markets, which present heightened risks to markets and Fund investments and are resulting in low interest rates and in some cases, negative yields, and such risks could be even further heightened if these actions are discontinued, disrupted, reversed or are ineffective in achieving their desired outcomes. It is unknown how long current circumstances will persist, whether they will reoccur in the future and whether efforts to support the economy and financial markets will be successful.
Mid-Capitalization Securities Risk—The Fund is subject to the risk that mid-capitalization securities may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. Securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more speculative, volatile and less liquid than securities of large companies. Mid-capitalization companies tend to have inexperienced management as well as limited product and market diversification and financial resources, and may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than large capitalization companies.
Quantitative Investing Risk—There is no guarantee that a quantitative model or algorithm used by the Investment Manager, and the investments selected based on the model or algorithm, will produce the desired results. The Fund may be adversely affected by imperfections, errors or limitations in the construction and implementation of
the model or algorithm and the Investment Manager’s ability to properly analyze or timely adjust the metrics or update the data underlying the model or features of the algorithm. Other quantitative methods and techniques used by the Investment Manager, and the investments selected based on these methods and techniques, are also subject to these types of risks.
Regulatory and Legal Risk—U.S. and non-U.S. governmental agencies and other regulators regularly implement additional regulations and legislators pass new laws that affect the investments held by the Fund, the strategies used by the Fund or the level of regulation or taxation applying to the Fund (such as regulations related to investments in derivatives and other transactions). These regulations and laws impact the investment strategies, performance, costs and operations of the Fund or taxation of shareholders.
Repurchase Agreements and Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk—In the event of the insolvency of the counterparty to a repurchase agreement or reverse repurchase agreement, recovery of the repurchase price owed to the Fund or, in the case of a reverse repurchase agreement, the securities or other assets sold by the Fund, may be delayed. Because reverse repurchase agreements may be considered to be the practical equivalent of borrowing funds, they constitute a form of leverage. If the Fund reinvests the proceeds of a reverse repurchase agreement at a rate lower than the cost of the agreement, entering into the agreement will lower the Fund’s yield.
Short Sale and Short Exposure Risk—Short selling a security involves selling a borrowed security with the expectation that the value of that security will decline, so that the security may be purchased at a lower price when returning the borrowed security. A short exposure through a derivative exposes the Fund to counterparty credit and leverage risks. The risk for loss on a short sale or other short exposure, which, in some cases, may be theoretically unlimited, is greater than a direct investment in the security itself because the price of the borrowed security may rise, thereby increasing the price at which the security must be purchased. Government actions also may affect the Fund’s ability to engage in short selling.
Small-Capitalization Securities Risk—The Fund is subject to the risk that small-capitalization securities may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. Securities of small-capitalization companies may be more speculative, volatile and less liquid than securities of larger companies. Small-capitalization companies tend to have inexperienced management as well as limited product and market diversification and financial resources, and may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than mid- or large-capitalization companies.
U.S. Government Securities Risk—U.S. government securities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. U.S. government securities are subject to the risks associated with fixed-income and debt securities, particularly interest rate risk and credit risk.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the Fund’s Class A share calendar year performance from year to year and average annual returns for the one, five and ten year or since inception periods (if shorter), as applicable, for the Fund’s Class A, Class C, Institutional Class, and Class P shares compared to those of a broad measure of market performance. The information also shows how the Fund’s performance compares with the returns of a Morningstar category average consistent with the Fund’s investment strategy. This category average, the Morningstar Long/Short Equity Category Average, is the average return of funds Morningstar places in the long/short category based on their portfolio statistics and compositions over the past three years. Long-short portfolios generally hold sizeable stakes in both long and short positions in equities, exchange traded funds, and related derivatives. At least 75% of the assets of funds in this category are comprised of equity securities or derivatives. As with all mutual funds, past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or by calling 800.820.0888.
The bar chart does not reflect the impact of the sales charge applicable to Class A shares which, if reflected, would lower the returns shown.
Important Note: Effective January 28, 2015, significant changes to the Fund’s principal investment strategies and portfolio managers were made. In connection with these changes, the Fund also added a second benchmark, the Morningstar Long/Short Equity Category Average. Please note that the Fund’s performance track record prior to January 28, 2015 related only to the Fund’s former investments, which were materially different from those currently pursued by the Fund, and is not indicative of the Fund’s future performance.
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Highest Quarter Return
Q4 2011 17.82%
  
Lowest Quarter Return
Q3 2011 -19.84%
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (for the periods ended December 31, 2020)
After-tax returns shown in the table are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of any state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. 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 (“IRAs”). After-tax returns are shown for Class A only. After-tax returns for Class C, Institutional Class, and Class P will vary. The returns shown below reflect applicable sales charges, if any.
Inception1 Year5 Years10 Years or Since Inception
Class A7/7/2003
Return Before Taxes
-4.57%0.08%4.96%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
-5.03%-0.71%4.55%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-2.70%-0.22%3.80%
Class C—Before Taxes
7/7/2003-1.63%0.27%4.77%
Institutional Class—Before Taxes
11/7/20080.44%1.51%6.01%
Class P—Before Taxes
5/1/20150.19%1.12%0.13%
Index
ICE BofAML 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
0.67%1.20%0.64%
Morningstar Long/Short Equity Category Average (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
3.62%3.57%3.97%
GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST | Guggenheim Large Cap Value Fund
Guggenheim Large Cap Value Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Guggenheim Large Cap Value Fund (the “Fund”) seeks long-term growth of capital.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the Family of Funds, as defined on page 154 of the Fund’s prospectus. This amount may vary depending on the Guggenheim Fund in which you invest. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the “Sales Charges-Class A Shares” section on page 104 of the Fund’s prospectus and the “How to Purchase Shares” section on page 98 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information. Different intermediaries and financial professionals may impose different sales charges or offer different sales charge waivers or discounts.  These variations are described in Appendix A to the Fund’s prospectus (Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts).
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class AClass CInstitutional ClassClass P
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)4.75%NoneNoneNone
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)
None*
1.00%**
NoneNone
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees0.65%0.65%0.65%0.65%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees0.25%1.00%None0.25%
Other Expenses0.56%0.78%0.70%0.82%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses1.46%2.43%1.35%1.72%
Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)1
-0.31%-0.53%-0.45%-0.57%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)1.15%1.90%0.90%1.15%
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although the actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Class AClass CInstitutionalClass P
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year$587$293$193$92$117
3 Years$886$707$707$383$486
5 Years$1,207$1,248$1,248$696$880
10 Years$2,113$2,726$2,726$1,585$1,983
Class AClass CInstitutionalClass P
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year$587$293$193$92$117
3 Years$886$707$707$383$486
5 Years$1,207$1,248$1,248$696$880
10 Years$2,113$2,726$2,726$1,585$1,983
The above Example reflects applicable contractual fee waiver/expense reimbursement arrangements for the current duration of the arrangements only.
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 25% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund pursues its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities, which include common stocks, rights, options, warrants, convertible debt securities of both U.S. and U.S. dollar-denominated foreign issuers, and American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), of companies that, when purchased, have market capitalizations that are usually within the range of companies in the Russell 1000® Value Index. Although a universal definition of large market capitalization companies does not exist, the Fund generally defines large market capitalization companies as those whose market capitalization is similar to the market capitalization of companies in the Russell 1000® Value Index, which is an unmanaged index measuring the performance of the large cap value segment of the U.S. equity universe and which includes companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower expected growth values. As of December 31, 2020, the Russell 1000® Value Index consisted of securities of companies with market capitalizations that ranged from $623.7 million to $1.2 trillion.
In choosing securities, Security Investors, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (the "Investment Manager"), primarily invests in value-oriented companies. Value-oriented companies are companies that appear to be undervalued relative to assets, earnings, growth potential or cash flows. The Investment Manager uses a blend of quantitative and fundamental analysis to identify securities that appear favorably priced and have the potential to appreciate in value. The Investment Manager regularly evaluates the metrics and data underlying the quantitative model and, from time to time, may make adjustments for a variety of reasons, including, without limitation, to account for changing market, financial or economic conditions.
The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in derivatives, including options and futures contracts. These instruments are used to hedge the Fund’s portfolio, to maintain exposure to the equity markets, or to increase returns. The Fund may invest in a variety of investment vehicles, including those that seek to track the composition and performance of a specific index, such as exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other mutual funds. The Fund may use these investments as a way of managing its cash position or to gain exposure to the equity markets or a particular sector of the equity markets. These investments may be more liquid than investing directly in individual issuers.
The Fund typically sells a security when its issuer is no longer considered a value company, shows deteriorating fundamentals or falls short of the Investment Manager’s expectations, among other reasons.
The Fund may invest in a limited number of sectors or industries.
Under adverse or unstable market conditions or abnormal circumstances, the Fund could invest some or all of its assets in cash, derivatives, fixed-income instruments, government bonds, money market instruments, repurchase agreements or securities of other investment companies. The Fund may be unable to pursue or achieve its investment objective during that time and temporary investments could reduce the benefit from any upswing in the market.
PRINCIPAL RISKS
The value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate and is subject to investment risks, which means investors could lose money. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC
or any governmental agency. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below.
Convertible Securities Risk—Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. The total return for a convertible security depends, in part, upon the performance of the underlying security into which it can be converted. The value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality.
Counterparty Credit Risk—The Fund makes investments in financial instruments and over-the-counter ("OTC")-traded derivatives involving counterparties to gain exposure to a particular group of securities, index, asset class or other reference asset without actually purchasing those securities or investments, to hedge a position, or for other investment purposes. Through these investments and related arrangements (e.g., prime brokerage or securities lending arrangements or derivatives transactions), the Fund is exposed to credit risks that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments or otherwise to meet its contractual obligations. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on (or otherwise becomes unable or unwilling to perform) its payment or other obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount that it is entitled to receive or may experience delays in recovering the collateral or other assets held by, or on behalf of, the counterparty. If this occurs, the value of your shares in the Fund will decrease.
Depositary Receipt Risk—The Fund may hold the securities of non-U.S. companies in the form of depositary receipts. The underlying securities of the depositary receipts in the Fund’s portfolio are subject to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that may affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the value of the securities underlying the depositary receipts may change materially when the U.S. markets are not open for trading. Investments in the underlying foreign securities also involve political and economic risks distinct from those associated with investing in the securities of U.S. issuers.
Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other investments, including risks relating to leverage, imperfect correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, high price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty credit, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. Their use is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in leverage, which may cause the Fund to be more volatile and riskier than if it had not been leveraged. If the Investment Manager is incorrect about its expectations of market conditions, the use of derivatives could also result in a loss, which in some cases may be unlimited. In addition, the Fund’s use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments. Some of the derivatives in which the Fund invests may be traded (and privately negotiated) in the OTC market. OTC derivatives are subject to heightened counterparty credit, liquidity and valuation risks.
Equity Securities Risk—Equity securities include common stocks and other equity and equity-related securities (and securities convertible into stocks). The prices of equity securities generally fluctuate in value more than fixed-income investments, may rise or fall rapidly or unpredictably and may reflect real or perceived changes in the issuing company’s financial condition and changes in the overall market or economy. A decline in the value of equity securities held by the Fund will adversely affect the value of your investment in the Fund. Common stocks generally represent the riskiest investment in a company and dividend payments (if declared) to preferred stockholders generally rank junior to payments due to a company’s debtholders. The Fund may lose a substantial part, or even all, of its investment in a company’s stock.
Foreign Securities and Currency Risk—Foreign securities carry unique or additional risks when compared to U.S. securities, including currency fluctuations, adverse political and economic developments, unreliable or untimely information, less liquidity and more volatility, limited legal recourse and higher transactional costs.
Investment in Investment Vehicles Risk—Investing in other investment vehicles, including ETFs, closed-end funds and other mutual funds, subjects the Fund to those risks affecting the investment vehicle, including the possibility that the value of the underlying securities held by the investment vehicle could decrease or the portfolio becomes illiquid. Moreover, the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying vehicles’ expenses, which will reduce the Fund’s performance. In addition, investments in an ETF are subject to, among other risks, the risk that the ETF's shares may trade at a discount or premium relative to the net asset value ("NAV") of the shares and the listing exchange may halt trading of the ETF's shares.
Large-Capitalization Securities Risk—The Fund is subject to the risk that large-capitalization securities may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. Larger, more established companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges such as changes in technology and
may not be able to attain the high growth rate of smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion.
Liquidity and Valuation Risk—It may be difficult for the Fund to purchase and sell particular investments within a reasonable time at a fair price, or the price at which it has been valued by the Investment Manager for purposes of the Fund’s net asset value, causing the Fund to be less liquid and unable to realize what the Investment Manager believes should be the price of the investment. Valuation of portfolio investments may be difficult, such as during periods of market turmoil or reduced liquidity, and for investments that may, for example, trade infrequently or irregularly. In these and other circumstances, an investment may be valued using fair value methodologies, which are inherently subjective, reflect good faith judgments based on available information and may not accurately estimate the price at which the Fund could sell the investment at that time. These risks are heightened for fixed-income and other debt instruments because of the current low interest rate environment.
Management Risk—The Fund is actively managed, which means that investment decisions are made based on investment views. There is no guarantee that the investment views will produce the desired results or expected returns, causing the Fund to fail to meet its investment objective or underperform its benchmark index or funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. Furthermore, active and frequent trading that can accompany active management, also called “high turnover,” may have a negative impact on performance. Active and frequent trading may result in higher brokerage costs or mark-up charges, which are ultimately passed on to shareholders of the Fund. Active and frequent trading may also result in adverse tax consequences.
Market Risk—The value of, or income generated by, the investments held by the Fund may fluctuate rapidly and unpredictably and the Fund may incur losses as a result of factors affecting individual companies or issuers or particular industries. In addition, developments related to economic, political, social, public health, market or other conditions may cause volatility in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or debt markets, which could adversely impact the Fund and its investments. Under such conditions, the Fund may experience significant redemption activity by shareholders and could be forced to sell portfolio securities or other assets at unfavorable prices in an effort to generate sufficient cash to pay redeeming shareholders. The Fund's investments may perform poorly or underperform the general securities markets or other types of securities. Governmental authorities and regulators have enacted and continue to enact significant fiscal and monetary policy changes designed to support financial markets, which present heightened risks to markets and Fund investments and are resulting in low interest rates and in some cases, negative yields, and such risks could be even further heightened if these actions are discontinued, disrupted, reversed or are ineffective in achieving their desired outcomes. It is unknown how long current circumstances will persist, whether they will reoccur in the future and whether efforts to support the economy and financial markets will be successful.
Quantitative Investing Risk—There is no guarantee that a quantitative model or algorithm used by the Investment Manager, and the investments selected based on the model or algorithm, will produce the desired results. The Fund may be adversely affected by imperfections, errors or limitations in the construction and implementation of the model or algorithm and the Investment Manager’s ability to properly analyze or timely adjust the metrics or update the data underlying the model or features of the algorithm. Other quantitative methods and techniques used by the Investment Manager, and the investments selected based on these methods and techniques, are also subject to these types of risks.
Real Estate Investments Risk—The Fund may invest in securities of real estate companies and companies related to the real estate industry, which are subject to the same risks as direct investments in real estate. These risks include, among others: changes in national, state or local real estate conditions; obsolescence of properties; changes in the availability, cost and terms of mortgage funds; changes in the real estate values and interest rates; and the generation of sufficient income. Real estate companies tend to have micro-, small- or mid-capitalization, making their securities more volatile and less liquid than those of companies with larger-capitalizations. Real estate companies may use leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which increases investment risk and the risks normally associated with debt financing and could adversely affect a real estate company’s operations and market value in periods of rising interest rates. These risks are especially applicable in conditions of declining real estate values, such as those experienced during 2007 through 2009.
Regulatory and Legal Risk—U.S. and non-U.S. governmental agencies and other regulators regularly implement additional regulations and legislators pass new laws that affect the investments held by the Fund, the strategies used by the Fund or the level of regulation or taxation applying to the Fund (such as regulations related to investments in derivatives and other transactions). These regulations and laws impact the investment strategies, performance, costs and operations of the Fund or taxation of shareholders.
REIT Risk—In addition to the risks pertaining to real estate investments more generally, real estate investment trusts ("REITs") are subject to additional risks. The value of a REIT can depend on the structure of and cash flow
generated by the REIT. REITs whose investments are concentrated in a limited number or type of properties, investments or narrow geographic area are subject to the risks affecting those properties or areas to a greater extent than a REIT with less concentrated investments. REITs are also subject to certain provisions under federal tax law. In addition, REITs may have expenses, including advisory and administration expenses, and the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying expenses.
Sector Emphasis Risk—If the Fund invests a significant amount of its assets in any one sector, the Fund’s performance will depend to a greater extent on the overall condition of the sector and there is increased risk that the Fund will lose value if conditions adversely affect that sector. The prices of securities of issuers in a particular sector may be more susceptible to fluctuations as a result of changes in economic, public health or business conditions, government regulations, availability of basic resources or supplies, or other events that affect that industry or sector more than securities of issuers in other sectors. To the extent the Fund is heavily invested in a particular sector, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than the value of shares of a mutual fund that invests in a broader range of sectors.
Value Stocks Risk—Value stocks are subject to the risk that the intrinsic value of the stock may never be realized by the market or that the price goes down.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the Fund’s Class A share calendar year performance from year to year and average annual returns for the one, five and ten year or since inception periods (if shorter), as applicable, for the Fund’s Class A, Class C, Institutional Class, and Class P shares compared to those of a broad measure of market performance. As with all mutual funds, past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or by calling 800.820.0888.

The bar chart does not reflect the impact of the sales charge applicable to Class A shares which, if reflected, would lower the returns shown.
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Highest Quarter Return
Q4 2020 18.64%
  
Lowest Quarter Return
Q1 2020 -27.95%
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (for the periods ended December 31, 2020)
After-tax returns shown in the table are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of any state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. 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 (“IRAs”). After-tax returns are shown for Class A only. After-tax returns for Class C, Institutional Class, and Class P will vary. The returns shown below reflect applicable sales charges, if any.
Inception1 Year5 Years10 Years or Since Inception
Class A8/7/1944
Return Before Taxes
-2.30%8.32%8.23%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
-4.33%6.24%6.76%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-0.74%5.99%6.25%
Class C—Before Taxes
1/29/19990.87%8.55%8.05%
Institutional Class—Before Taxes
6/7/20132.83%9.64%8.43%
Class P—Before Taxes
5/1/20152.57%9.37%6.92%
Index
Russell 1000® Value Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
2.80%9.74%10.50%
GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST | Guggenheim Market Neutral Real Estate Fund
Guggenheim Market Neutral Real Estate Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Guggenheim Market Neutral Real Estate Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide capital appreciation, while limiting exposure to general stock market risk.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the Family of Funds, as defined on page 154 of the Fund’s prospectus. This amount may vary depending on the Guggenheim Fund in which you invest. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the “Sales Charges-Class A Shares” section on page 104 of the Fund’s prospectus and the “How to Purchase Shares” section on page 98 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information. Different intermediaries and financial professionals may impose different sales charges or offer different sales charge waivers or discounts.  These variations are described in Appendix A to the Fund’s prospectus (Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts).
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class AClass C
Institutional
Class
Class P
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)4.75%NoneNoneNone
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)
None*
1.00%**
NoneNone
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees1.10%1.10%1.10%1.10%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees0.25%1.00%None0.25%
Other Expenses1.03%1.07%0.75%0.65%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses2.38%3.17%1.85%2.00%
Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)1
-0.73%-0.77%-0.45%-0.35%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)1.65%2.40%1.40%1.65%
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although the actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Class AClass CInstitutionalClass P
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year$635$343$243$143$168
3 Years$1,116$906$906$538$594
5 Years$1,622$1,592$1,592$959$1,045
10 Years$3,009$3,423$3,423$2,132$2,299
Class AClass CInstitutionalClass P
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year$635$343$243$143$168
3 Years$1,116$906$906$538$594
5 Years$1,622$1,592$1,592$959$1,045
10 Years$3,009$3,423$3,423$2,132$2,299
The above Example reflects applicable contractual fee waiver/expense reimbursement arrangements for the current duration of the arrangements only.
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 355% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund will employ a fundamental long-short real estate strategy that seeks to neutralize exposure to general stock market risk and volatility by taking both long and short positions in real estate investments. The Fund’s investment approach seeks to provide positive returns that are neutral with regard to other major asset classes and volatility, but the Fund’s returns may be negative during certain periods.
The Fund pursues its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in: (i) long and short equity securities of issuers primarily engaged in the real estate industry, such as real estate investment trusts (“REITs”); and (ii) equity-like securities, including individual securities, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and derivatives, giving long and short exposure to (i.e., economic characteristics similar to) issuers primarily engaged in the real estate industry.
The Fund will consider an issuer to be primarily engaged in the real estate industry if: (i) at least 50% of its assets, income, sales or profits are committed to, or derived from, the ownership, construction, management, financing, leasing, brokering, or sale of residential, or commercial real estate, or the provision of products and services related to the real estate industry, such as building supply manufacturers, mortgage lenders, or mortgage servicing companies or (ii) a widely recognized industry classification system provider has given the company an industry or sector classification consistent with the real estate industry.
Equity securities in which the Fund may invest include common stocks, REITs and other investment vehicles primarily engaged in the real estate industry, ETFs, and American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"). The Fund may also invest in exchange-traded notes ("ETNs") giving exposure to real estate markets. The Fund may take a long position by buying a security that Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (the "Investment Manager"), believes will appreciate, or it may sell a security short by first borrowing it from a third party with the intention to sell it later at a market price. The Fund will usually obtain exposure to short positions by entering into derivative instruments. Short positions may be used either to hedge long positions or to seek positive returns where the Investment Manager believes the security will depreciate.
The Investment Manager will make investment decisions based primarily on a relative value fundamental framework. These investment decisions will be guided by a top-down approach to allocating the Fund’s assets among geographic regions and property sectors. The Investment Manager will then select individual securities using a bottom-up approach, focused primarily on a relative value-oriented process that reflects the macro-level investment themes and a due diligence process that includes, among other analytical components, an assessment of issuer-specific factors such as management acumen and strategic direction.
The Fund may dynamically adjust its level of long and short exposure to the real estate markets over time based on macroeconomic, industry-specific, and other factors. The Fund pursues a pair-trading strategy commonly referred to as “market neutral” because it is intended to maintain long and short positions that offset one another. As a result, the Fund’s net market exposure will normally approximate zero. The Fund’s long-short strategy is designed to reduce the Fund’s overall exposure to general stock market movements and produce returns that are uncorrelated to other major asset classes. The Fund may reinvest the proceeds of its short sales by taking additional long positions.
To enhance the Fund’s exposure to real estate markets and to seek to increase the Fund’s returns, at the discretion of the Investment Manager, the Fund’s long and short positions in equities may be combined with investments in derivatives. The derivatives in which the Fund invests include, among other derivatives, swap agreements (some of these instruments may be traded in the over-the-counter market). These investments will be used to obtain the Fund's short exposure and may also be used to hedge the Fund’s portfolio, to maintain long exposure to the equity markets, to increase returns, to generate income, or to seek to manage volatility of the portfolio.
The Fund may also invest a substantial portion of its assets, including proceeds of its short sales, in investment companies advised by the Investment Manager, or an affiliate of the Investment Manager, that invest in short-term fixed-income or floating rate securities, such as high yield, high risk debt securities (also known as “junk bonds”), asset-backed securities and commercial paper. Such investments will expose the Fund to the risks of these asset categories, such as credit and interest rate risk.
The Fund will concentrate its investments in the real estate industry (i.e., invest more than 25% of its total assets in securities of issuers considered to be primarily engaged in the real estate industry).
Under adverse or unstable market conditions or abnormal circumstances, the Fund could invest some or all of its assets in cash, derivatives, fixed-income instruments, government bonds, money market instruments, repurchase agreements or securities of other investment companies. The Fund may be unable to pursue or achieve its investment objective during that time and temporary investments could reduce the benefit from any upswing in the market.
PRINCIPAL RISKS
The value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate and is subject to investment risks, which means investors could lose money. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any governmental agency. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below.
Concentration Risk—Real estate companies may lack diversification due to ownership of a limited number of properties and concentration in a particular geographic region or property type. By concentrating in the real estate industry, the Fund is subject to the risks specifically affecting that industry more than a fund that invests across a variety of industries.
Counterparty Credit Risk—The Fund makes investments in financial instruments and over-the-counter ("OTC")-traded derivatives involving counterparties to gain exposure to a particular group of securities, index, asset class or other reference asset without actually purchasing those securities or investments, to hedge a position, or for other investment purposes. Through these investments and related arrangements (e.g., prime brokerage or securities lending arrangements or derivatives transactions), the Fund is exposed to credit risks that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments or otherwise to meet its contractual obligations. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on (or otherwise becomes unable or unwilling to perform) its payment or other obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount that it is entitled to receive or may experience delays in recovering the collateral or other assets held by, or on behalf of, the counterparty. If this occurs, the value of your shares in the Fund will decrease.
Depositary Receipt Risk—The Fund may hold the securities of non-U.S. companies in the form of depositary receipts. The underlying securities of the depositary receipts in the Fund’s portfolio are subject to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that may affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the value of the securities underlying the depositary receipts may change materially when the U.S. markets are not open for trading. Investments in the underlying foreign securities also involve political and economic risks distinct from those associated with investing in the securities of U.S. issuers.
Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other investments, including risks relating to leverage, imperfect correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, high price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty credit, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. Their use is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund’s use of derivatives to obtain short exposure may result in greater volatility of the Fund's net asset value ("NAV") per share. If the Investment Manager is incorrect about its expectations of market conditions, the use of derivatives could also result in a loss, which in some cases may be unlimited. In addition, the Fund’s use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments. Some of the derivatives in which the Fund invests may be traded (and privately negotiated) in the OTC market. OTC derivatives are subject to heightened
counterparty credit, liquidity and valuation risks. Certain risks also are specific to the derivatives in which the Fund invests.
Swap Agreements Risk—Swap agreements are contracts among the Fund and a counterparty to exchange the return of the pre-determined underlying investment (such as the rate of return of the underlying index). Swap agreements may be negotiated bilaterally and traded OTC between two parties or, for certain standardized swaps, must be exchange-traded through a futures commission merchant and/or cleared through a clearinghouse that serves as a central counterparty. Risks associated with the use of swap agreements are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions, due in part to the fact they could be considered illiquid and many swaps trade on the OTC market. Swaps are particularly subject to counterparty credit, correlation, valuation, liquidity and leveraging risks. While exchange trading and central clearing are intended to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity, they do not make swap transactions risk-free. Additionally, applicable regulators have adopted rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on OTC swaps, which may result in the Fund and its counterparties posting higher margin amounts for OTC swaps, which could increase the cost of swap transactions to the Fund and impose added operational complexity.
Equity Securities Risk—Equity securities include common stocks and other equity and equity-related securities (and securities convertible into stocks). The prices of equity securities generally fluctuate in value more than fixed-income investments, may rise or fall rapidly or unpredictably and may reflect real or perceived changes in the issuing company’s financial condition and changes in the overall market or economy. A decline in the value of equity securities held by the Fund will adversely affect the value of your investment in the Fund. Common stocks generally represent the riskiest investment in a company and dividend payments (if declared) to preferred stockholders generally rank junior to payments due to a company’s debtholders. The Fund may lose a substantial part, or even all, of its investment in a company’s stock.
Exchange-Traded Notes Risk—The value of an ETN may be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying investments, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer’s credit rating and economic, legal, political or geographic events that affect the referenced investments. The Fund’s decision to sell its ETN holdings may also be limited by the availability of a secondary market. If the Fund must sell some or all of its ETN holdings and the secondary market is weak, it may have to sell such holdings at a discount. ETNs also are subject to counterparty credit risk (which includes the risk that the issuer may fail).
Investment in Investment Vehicles Risk—Investing in other investment vehicles, including ETFs, closed-end funds and other mutual funds, subjects the Fund to those risks affecting the investment vehicle, including the possibility that the value of the underlying securities held by the investment vehicle could decrease or the portfolio becomes illiquid. Moreover, the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying vehicles’ expenses, which will reduce the Fund's performance. In addition, investments in an ETF are subject to, among other risks, the risk that the ETF's shares may trade at a discount or premium relative to the net asset value of the shares and the listing exchange may halt trading of the ETF's shares.
The Fund’s investments in investment companies advised by the Investment Manager, or an affiliate of the Investment Manager, that invest in short-term fixed-income or floating rate securities expose the Fund to credit and interest rate risk. In addition, these investments expose the Fund to the risks associated with asset-backed securities, collateralized loan and debt obligations, commercial paper and high yield and unrated securities.
Leverage Risk—The Fund’s use of leverage, through borrowings or instruments such as derivatives and reverse repurchase agreements, may cause the Fund to be more volatile and riskier than if it had not been leveraged.
Liquidity and Valuation Risk—It may be difficult for the Fund to purchase and sell particular investments within a reasonable time at a fair price, or the price at which it has been valued by the Investment Manager for purposes of the Fund’s net asset value, causing the Fund to be less liquid and unable to realize what the Investment Manager believes should be the price of the investment. Valuation of portfolio investments may be difficult, such as during periods of market turmoil or reduced liquidity, and for investments that may, for example, trade infrequently or irregularly. In these and other circumstances, an investment may be valued using fair value methodologies, which are inherently subjective, reflect good faith judgments based on available information and may not accurately estimate the price at which the Fund could sell the investment at that time. These risks are heightened for fixed-income and other debt instruments because of the current low interest rate environment.
Management Risk—The Fund is actively managed, which means that investment decisions are made based on investment views. There is no guarantee that the investment views will produce the desired results or expected returns, causing the Fund to fail to meet its investment objective or underperform its benchmark index or funds
with similar investment objectives and strategies. Furthermore, active and frequent trading that can accompany active management, also called “high turnover,” may have a negative impact on performance. Active and frequent trading may result in higher brokerage costs or mark-up charges, which are ultimately passed on to shareholders of the Fund. Active and frequent trading may also result in adverse tax consequences.
There is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to neutralize or limit exposure to general stock market risk. The Fund’s use of short sales in combination with its long positions in an attempt to limit direct market exposure and improve performance may be unsuccessful and may result in greater losses or lower positive returns than if the Fund held only long positions. During times when the overall market is performing strongly, the Fund may underperform the market because the Fund’s short positions may be more likely to lose money than during other market conditions.
Market Risk—The value of, or income generated by, the investments held by the Fund may fluctuate rapidly and unpredictably and the Fund may incur losses as a result of factors affecting individual companies or issuers or particular industries. In addition, developments related to economic, political, social, public health, market or other conditions may cause volatility in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or debt markets, which could adversely impact the Fund and its investments. Under such conditions, the Fund may experience significant redemption activity by shareholders and could be forced to sell portfolio securities or other assets at unfavorable prices in an effort to generate sufficient cash to pay redeeming shareholders. The Fund's investments may perform poorly or underperform the general securities markets or other types of securities. Governmental authorities and regulators have enacted and continue to enact significant fiscal and monetary policy changes designed to support financial markets, which present heightened risks to markets and Fund investments and are resulting in low interest rates and in some cases, negative yields, and such risks could be even further heightened if these actions are discontinued, disrupted, reversed or are ineffective in achieving their desired outcomes. It is unknown how long current circumstances will persist, whether they will reoccur in the future and whether efforts to support the economy and financial markets will be successful.
Real Estate Investments Risk—The Fund may invest in securities of real estate companies and companies related to the real estate industry, which are subject to the same risks as direct investments in real estate. These risks include, among others: changes in national, state or local real estate conditions; obsolescence of properties; changes in the availability, cost and terms of mortgage funds; changes in the real estate values and interest rates; and the generation of sufficient income. Real estate companies tend to have micro-, small- or mid-capitalization, making their securities more volatile and less liquid than those of companies with larger-capitalizations. Real estate companies may use leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which increases investment risk and the risks normally associated with debt financing and could adversely affect a real estate company’s operations and market value in periods of rising interest rates. These risks are especially applicable in conditions of declining real estate values, such as those experienced during 2007 through 2009.
Regulatory and Legal Risk—U.S. and non-U.S. governmental agencies and other regulators regularly implement additional regulations and legislators pass new laws that affect the investments held by the Fund, the strategies used by the Fund or the level of regulation or taxation applying to the Fund (such as regulations related to investments in derivatives and other transactions). These regulations and laws impact the investment strategies, performance, costs and operations of the Fund or taxation of shareholders.
REIT Risk—In addition to the risks pertaining to real estate investments more generally, REITs are subject to additional risks. The value of a REIT can depend on the structure of and cash flow generated by the REIT. REITs whose investments are concentrated in a limited number or type of properties, investments or narrow geographic area are subject to the risks affecting those properties or areas to a greater extent than a REIT with less concentrated investments. REITs are also subject to certain provisions under federal tax law. In addition, REITs may have expenses, including advisory and administration expenses, and the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying expenses.
Short Sale and Short Exposure Risk—Short selling a security involves selling a borrowed security with the expectation that the value of that security will decline, so that the security may be purchased at a lower price when returning the borrowed security. A short exposure through a derivative exposes the Fund to counterparty credit and leverage risks. The risk for loss on a short sale or other short exposure, which, in some cases, may be theoretically unlimited, is greater than a direct investment in the security itself because the price of the borrowed security may rise, thereby increasing the price at which the security must be purchased. Government actions also may affect the Fund’s ability to engage in short selling.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the Fund's Class A share calendar year performance from year to year and average annual returns for the one, five and ten year or since inception periods (if shorter), as applicable, for the Fund’s Class A, Class C, Institutional Class, and Class P shares compared to those of a broad measure of market performance. As with all mutual funds, past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or by calling 800.820.0888.

The bar chart does not reflect the impact of the sales charge applicable to Class A shares which, if reflected, would lower the returns shown.
ck0000088525-20200930_g4.jpg
Highest Quarter Return
Lowest Quarter Return
Q1 202011.63%Q2 2020-4.81 %
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (for the periods ended December 31, 2020)
After-tax returns shown in the table are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of any state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. 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 (“IRAs”). After-tax returns are shown for Class A only. After-tax returns for Class C, Institutional Class, and Class P will vary. The returns shown below reflect applicable sales charges, if any.
Inception1 Year
Since Inception
Class A
2/26/2016
Return Before Taxes1.39%3.15%
Return After Taxes on Distributions1.31%2.52%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares0.83%2.28%
Class C—Before Taxes
2/26/20164.64%3.40%
Institutional Class—Before Taxes
2/26/20166.70%4.41%
Class P—Before Taxes
2/26/20166.40%4.11%
Index
ICE BofAML 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
0.67%1.23%
GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST | Guggenheim Risk Managed Real Estate Fund
Guggenheim Risk Managed Real Estate Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Guggenheim Risk Managed Real Estate Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide total return, comprised of capital appreciation and current income.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the Family of Funds, as defined on page 154 of the Fund’s prospectus. This amount may vary depending on the Guggenheim Fund in which you invest. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the “Sales Charges-Class A Shares” section on page 104 of the Fund’s prospectus and the “How to Purchase Shares” section on page 98 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information. Different intermediaries and financial professionals may impose different sales charges or offer different sales charge waivers or discounts.  These variations are described in Appendix A to the Fund’s prospectus (Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts).
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class AClass C
Institutional
Class
Class P
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)4.75%NoneNoneNone
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)
None*
1.00%**
NoneNone
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees0.75%0.75%0.75%0.75%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees0.25%1.00%None0.25%
Other Expenses0.71%0.79%0.68%0.84%
Short Sales Dividend and Interest Expense0.47 %0.46 %0.46 %0.48 %
Remaining Other Expenses0.24 %0.33 %0.22 %0.36 %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses1.71%2.54%1.43%1.84%
Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)1
-0.01%-0.03%0.00%-0.06%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)1.70%2.51%1.43%1.78%
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although the actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Class AClass CInstitutionalClass P
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year$640$354$254$146$181
3 Years$987$788$788$452$573
5 Years$1,358$1,348$1,348$782$990
10 Years$2,398$2,873$2,873$1,713$2,154
Class AClass CInstitutionalClass P
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year$640$354$254$146$181
3 Years$987$788$788$452$573
5 Years$1,358$1,348$1,348$782$990
10 Years$2,398$2,873$2,873$1,713$2,154
The above Example reflects applicable contractual fee waiver/expense reimbursement arrangements for the current duration of the arrangements only.
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 180% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund pursues its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in: (i) long and short equity securities of issuers primarily engaged in the real estate industry, such as real estate investment trusts (“REITs”); and (ii) equity-like securities, including individual securities, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and derivatives, giving exposure to (i.e., economic characteristics similar to) issuers primarily engaged in the real estate industry. The Fund seeks to manage investment risk by taking both long and short positions in real estate investments by combining a traditional long-only REIT strategy sleeve and a market-neutral long/short strategy sleeve.
The Fund will consider an issuer to be primarily engaged in the real estate industry if: (i) at least 50% of its assets, income, sales or profits are committed to, or derived from, the ownership, construction, management, financing, leasing, brokering, or sale of residential or commercial real estate, or the provision of products and services related to the real estate industry, such as building supply manufacturers, mortgage lenders, or mortgage servicing companies or (ii) a widely recognized industry classification system provider has given the company an industry or sector classification consistent with the real estate industry.
Equity securities in which the Fund may invest include common stocks, REITs and other investment vehicles primarily engaged in the real estate industry, ETFs, exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”) giving exposure to real estate markets, and American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). The Fund may take a long position by buying a security that Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (the "Investment Manager"), believes will appreciate, or it may sell a security short by first borrowing it from a third party with the intention to sell it later at a market price. The Fund may also obtain exposure to long and short positions by entering into swap agreements (including, but not limited to, total return swap agreements). Short positions may be used either to hedge long positions or to seek positive returns where the Investment Manager believes the security will depreciate. The Investment Manager will make investment decisions based primarily on a fundamental relative value framework. These investment decisions will be guided by a top-down approach to allocating the Fund’s assets among geographic regions and property sectors. The Investment Manager will then select individual securities using a bottom-up approach, focused primarily on a relative value-oriented process that reflects the macro-level investment themes and a due diligence process that includes, among other analytical components, an assessment of issuer-specific factors such as management acumen and strategic direction.
The Fund may dynamically adjust its level of long and short exposure to the real estate markets by adjusting allocations monthly between its long-only REIT strategy sleeve and market-neutral long/short strategy sleeve over time based on macroeconomic, industry-specific, and other factors. However, the Investment Manager expects the Fund’s net exposure over time will be long biased. The Fund may reinvest the proceeds of its short sales by taking additional long positions, or it may use leverage to maintain long positions in excess of 100% of net assets.
To enhance the Fund’s exposure to real estate markets and to seek to increase the Fund’s returns, at the discretion of the Investment Manager, the Fund’s long and short positions in equities may be combined with investments in derivatives, which may include, among other derivatives: swap agreements (including, among other types of swaps, total return swaps); options on securities, futures contracts, and stock indices; and stock index futures contracts (some of these instruments may be traded in the over-the-counter market). These investments may be
used to hedge the Fund’s portfolio, to maintain exposure to the equity markets, to increase returns, to generate income, or to seek to manage volatility of the portfolio. The Fund intends to borrow from banks to take larger positions and to seek an enhanced return.
While the Fund will principally invest in securities listed, traded or dealt in the United States, it may also invest without limitation in securities listed, traded or dealt in other countries, including emerging markets countries. Such securities may be denominated in foreign currencies.
The Fund will concentrate its investments in the real estate industry (i.e., invest more than 25% of its total assets in securities of issuers considered to be primarily engaged in the real estate industry).
Under adverse or unstable market conditions or abnormal circumstances, the Fund could invest some or all of its assets in cash, derivatives, fixed-income instruments, government bonds, money market instruments, repurchase agreements or securities of other investment companies. The Fund may be unable to pursue or achieve its investment objective during that time and temporary investments could reduce the benefit from any upswing in the market.
PRINCIPAL RISKS
The value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate and is subject to investment risks, which means investors could lose money. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any governmental agency. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below.
Concentration Risk—Real estate companies may lack diversification due to ownership of a limited number of properties and concentration in a particular geographic region or property type. By concentrating in the real estate industry, the Fund is subject to the risks specifically affecting that industry more than a fund that invests across a variety of industries.
Counterparty Credit Risk—The Fund makes investments in financial instruments and over-the-counter ("OTC")-traded derivatives involving counterparties to gain exposure to a particular group of securities, index, asset class or other reference asset without actually purchasing those securities or investments, to hedge a position, or for other investment purposes. Through these investments and related arrangements (e.g., prime brokerage or securities lending arrangements or derivatives transactions), the Fund is exposed to credit risks that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments or otherwise to meet its contractual obligations. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on (or otherwise becomes unable or unwilling to perform) its payment or other obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount that it is entitled to receive or may experience delays in recovering the collateral or other assets held by, or on behalf of, the counterparty. If this occurs, the value of your shares in the Fund will decrease.
Depositary Receipt Risk—The Fund may hold the securities of non-U.S. companies in the form of depositary receipts. The underlying securities of the depositary receipts in the Fund’s portfolio are subject to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that may affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the value of the securities underlying the depositary receipts may change materially when the U.S. markets are not open for trading. Investments in the underlying foreign securities also involve political and economic risks distinct from those associated with investing in the securities of U.S. issuers.
Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other investments, including risks relating to leverage, imperfect correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, high price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty credit, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. Their use is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund’s use of derivatives to obtain short exposure may result in greater volatility of the Fund's net asset value ("NAV") per share. If the Investment Manager is incorrect about its expectations of market conditions, the use of derivatives could also result in a loss, which in some cases may be unlimited. In addition, the Fund’s use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments. Some of the derivatives in which the Fund invests may be traded (and privately negotiated) in the OTC market. OTC derivatives are subject to heightened counterparty credit, liquidity and valuation risks. Certain risks also are specific to the derivatives in which the Fund invests.
Futures Contracts Risk—Futures contracts are exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. Risks of futures contracts may be caused by an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the instruments
and the price of the underlying assets. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction because of an illiquid market. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Investment Manager, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund’s NAV. Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Options Risk—Options and options on futures contracts give the holder of the option the right, but not the obligation, to buy (or to sell) a position in a security or in a contract to the writer of the option, at a certain price. Options are subject to correlation risk because there may be an imperfect correlation between the options and the markets for underlying instruments that could cause a given transaction to fail to achieve its objectives. The successful use of options depends on the Investment Manager’s ability to predict correctly future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the markets for options and the underlying instruments. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Investment Manager, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Options are also particularly subject to leverage risk and can be subject to liquidity risk.
Swap Agreements Risk—Swap agreements are contracts among the Fund and a counterparty to exchange the return of the pre-determined underlying investment (such as the rate of return of the underlying index). Swap agreements may be negotiated bilaterally and traded OTC between two parties or, for certain standardized swaps, must be exchange-traded through a futures commission merchant and/or cleared through a clearinghouse that serves as a central counterparty. Risks associated with the use of swap agreements are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions, due in part to the fact they could be considered illiquid and many swaps trade on the OTC market. Swaps are particularly subject to counterparty credit, correlation, valuation, liquidity and leveraging risks. While exchange trading and central clearing are intended to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity, they do not make swap transactions risk-free. Additionally, applicable regulators have adopted rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on OTC swaps, which may result in the Fund and its counterparties posting higher margin amounts for OTC swaps, which could increase the cost of swap transactions to the Fund and impose added operational complexity.
Emerging Markets Risk—Investments in or exposure to emerging markets are generally subject to a greater level of those risks associated with investing in or being exposed to developed foreign markets, as emerging markets are considered to be less developed than developing countries. Furthermore, investments in or exposure to emerging markets are generally subject to additional risks, including the risks associated with trading in smaller markets, lower volumes of trading, and being subject to lower levels of government regulation and less extensive and transparent accounting, auditing, recordkeeping, financial reporting and other requirements.
Equity Securities Risk—Equity securities include common stocks and other equity and equity-related securities (and securities convertible into stocks). The prices of equity securities generally fluctuate in value more than fixed-income investments, may rise or fall rapidly or unpredictably and may reflect real or perceived changes in the issuing company’s financial condition and changes in the overall market or economy. A decline in the value of equity securities held by the Fund will adversely affect the value of your investment in the Fund. Common stocks generally represent the riskiest investment in a company and dividend payments (if declared) to preferred stockholders generally rank junior to payments due to a company’s debtholders. The Fund may lose a substantial part, or even all, of its investment in a company’s stock.
Exchange-Traded Notes Risk—The value of an ETN may be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying investments, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer’s credit rating and economic, legal, political or geographic events that affect the referenced investments. The Fund’s decision to sell its ETN holdings may also be limited by the availability of a secondary market. If the Fund must sell some or all of its ETN holdings and the secondary market is weak, it may have to sell such holdings at a discount. ETNs also are subject to counterparty credit risk (which includes the risk that the issuer may fail).
Foreign Securities and Currency Risk—Foreign securities carry unique or additional risks when compared to U.S. securities, including currency fluctuations, adverse political and economic developments, unreliable or untimely information, less liquidity and more volatility, limited legal recourse and higher transactional costs. The Fund may hold the securities of non-U.S. companies in the form of ADRs. The underlying securities of the ADRs in the Fund’s portfolio are subject to risks common to foreign securities as well as fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that may affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the value of the securities underlying the ADRs may change materially when the U.S. markets are not open for trading.
Investment in Investment Vehicles Risk—Investing in other investment vehicles, including ETFs, closed-end funds and other mutual funds, subjects the Fund to those risks affecting the investment vehicle, including the possibility that the value of the underlying securities held by the investment vehicle could decrease or the portfolio becomes illiquid. Moreover, the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying vehicles’ expenses, which will reduce the Fund’s performance. In addition, investments in an ETF are subject to, among other risks, the risk that the ETF's shares may trade at a discount or premium relative to the net asset value of the shares and the listing exchange may halt trading of the ETF's shares.
Leverage Risk—The Fund’s use of leverage, through borrowings or instruments such as derivatives and reverse repurchase agreements, may cause the Fund to be more volatile and riskier than if it had not been leveraged.
Liquidity and Valuation Risk—It may be difficult for the Fund to purchase and sell particular investments within a reasonable time at a fair price, or the price at which it has been valued by the Investment Manager for purposes of the Fund’s net asset value, causing the Fund to be less liquid and unable to realize what the Investment Manager believes should be the price of the investment. Valuation of portfolio investments may be difficult, such as during periods of market turmoil or reduced liquidity, and for investments that may, for example, trade infrequently or irregularly. In these and other circumstances, an investment may be valued using fair value methodologies, which are inherently subjective, reflect good faith judgments based on available information and may not accurately estimate the price at which the Fund could sell the investment at that time. These risks are heightened for fixed-income and other debt instruments because of the current low interest rate environment.
Management Risk—The Fund is actively managed, which means that investment decisions are made based on investment views. There is no guarantee that the investment views will produce the desired results or expected returns, causing the Fund to fail to meet its investment objective or underperform its benchmark index or funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. Furthermore, active and frequent trading that can accompany active management, also called “high turnover,” may have a negative impact on performance. Active and frequent trading may result in higher brokerage costs or mark-up charges, which are ultimately passed on to shareholders of the Fund. Active and frequent trading may also result in adverse tax consequences. In addition, the Fund is subject to the risks associated with the Investment Manager's allocation of assets between or among sleeves, including the timing and amount of such allocations.
Market Risk—The value of, or income generated by, the investments held by the Fund may fluctuate rapidly and unpredictably and the Fund may incur losses as a result of factors affecting individual companies or issuers or particular industries. In addition, developments related to economic, political, social, public health, market or other conditions may cause volatility in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or debt markets, which could adversely impact the Fund and its investments. Under such conditions, the Fund may experience significant redemption activity by shareholders and could be forced to sell portfolio securities or other assets at unfavorable prices in an effort to generate sufficient cash to pay redeeming shareholders. The Fund's investments may perform poorly or underperform the general securities markets or other types of securities. Governmental authorities and regulators have enacted and continue to enact significant fiscal and monetary policy changes designed to support financial markets, which present heightened risks to markets and Fund investments and are resulting in low interest rates and in some cases, negative yields, and such risks could be even further heightened if these actions are discontinued, disrupted, reversed or are ineffective in achieving their desired outcomes. It is unknown how long current circumstances will persist, whether they will reoccur in the future and whether efforts to support the economy and financial markets will be successful.
Real Estate Investments Risk—The Fund may invest in securities of real estate companies and companies related to the real estate industry, which are subject to the same risks as direct investments in real estate. These risks include, among others: changes in national, state or local real estate conditions; obsolescence of properties; changes in the availability, cost and terms of mortgage funds; changes in the real estate values and interest rates; and the generation of sufficient income. Real estate companies tend to have micro-, small- or mid-capitalization, making their securities more volatile and less liquid than those of companies with larger-capitalizations. Real estate companies may use leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which increases investment risk and the risks normally associated with debt financing and could adversely affect a real estate company’s operations and market value in periods of rising interest rates. These risks are especially applicable in conditions of declining real estate values, such as those experienced during 2007 through 2009.
Regulatory and Legal Risk—U.S. and non-U.S. governmental agencies and other regulators regularly implement additional regulations and legislators pass new laws that affect the investments held by the Fund, the strategies used by the Fund or the level of regulation or taxation applying to the Fund (such as regulations related to investments in derivatives and other transactions). These regulations and laws impact the investment strategies, performance, costs and operations of the Fund or taxation of shareholders.
REIT Risk—In addition to the risks pertaining to real estate investments more generally, REITs are subject to additional risks. The value of a REIT can depend on the structure of and cash flow generated by the REIT. REITs whose investments are concentrated in a limited number or type of properties, investments or narrow geographic area are subject to the risks affecting those properties or areas to a greater extent than a REIT with less concentrated investments. REITs are also subject to certain provisions under federal tax law. In addition, REITs may have expenses, including advisory and administration expenses, and the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying expenses.
Short Sale and Short Exposure Risk—Short selling a security involves selling a borrowed security with the expectation that the value of that security will decline, so that the security may be purchased at a lower price when returning the borrowed security. A short exposure through a derivative exposes the Fund to counterparty credit and leverage risks. The risk for loss on a short sale or other short exposure, which, in some cases, may be theoretically unlimited, is greater than a direct investment in the security itself because the price of the borrowed security may rise, thereby increasing the price at which the security must be purchased. Government actions also may affect the Fund’s ability to engage in short selling.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the Fund’s Class A share calendar year performance from year to year and average annual returns for the one, five and ten year or since inception periods (if shorter), as applicable, for the Fund’s Class A, Class C, Institutional Class, and Class P shares compared to those of a broad measure of market performance. As with all mutual funds, past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or by calling 800.820.0888. The bar chart does not reflect the impact of the sales charge applicable to Class A shares which, if reflected, would lower the returns shown.
ck0000088525-20200930_g5.jpg
Highest Quarter Return
Lowest Quarter Return
Q1 2019
14.48%
Q1 2020 -12.89%
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (for the periods ended December 31, 2020)
After-tax returns shown in the table are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of any state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. 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 (“IRAs”). After-tax returns are shown for Class A only. After-tax returns for Class C, Institutional Class, and Class P will vary. The returns shown below reflect applicable sales charges, if any.
Inception1 Year
5 Years
Since Inception
Class A
3/28/2014
Return Before Taxes
-3.41%6.81%8.80%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
-5.89%4.87%6.22%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-1.66%4.55%5.79%
Class C—Before Taxes
3/28/2014-0.38%7.02%8.75%
Institutional Class—Before Taxes
3/28/20141.72%8.16%9.90%
Class P—Before Taxes
5/1/20151.33%7.82%7.24%
Index
FTSE NAREIT Equity REITs Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
-8.00%4.77%6.73%
GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST | Guggenheim Small Cap Value Fund
Guggenheim Small Cap Value Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Guggenheim Small Cap Value Fund (the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the Family of Funds, as defined on page 154 of the Fund’s prospectus. This amount may vary depending on the Guggenheim Fund in which you invest. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the “Sales Charges-Class A Shares” section on page 104 of the Fund’s prospectus and the “How to Purchase Shares” section on page 98 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information. Different intermediaries and financial professionals may impose different sales charges or offer different sales charge waivers or discounts.  These variations are described in Appendix A to the Fund’s prospectus (Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts).
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class AClass CInstitutional ClassClass P
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)4.75%NoneNoneNone
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)
None*
1.00%**
NoneNone
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees0.75%0.75%0.75%0.75%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees0.25%1.00%None0.25%
Other Expenses2.23%2.58%2.11%3.07%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses3.23%4.33%2.86%4.07%
Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)1
-1.93%-2.28%-1.81%-2.77%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)1.30%2.05%1.05%1.30%
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although the actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Class AClass CInstitutionalClass P
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year$601$308$208$107$132
3 Years$1,251$1,106$1,106$714$984
5 Years$1,923$2,015$2,015$1,348$1,852
10 Years$3,712$4,343$4,343$3,055$4,094
Class AClass CInstitutionalClass P
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year$601$308$208$107$132
3 Years$1,251$1,106$1,106$714$984
5 Years$1,923$2,015$2,015$1,348$1,852
10 Years$3,712$4,343$4,343$3,055$4,094
The above Example reflects applicable contractual fee waiver/expense reimbursement arrangements for the current duration of the arrangements only.
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 40% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund pursues its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of equity securities, which include common stocks, rights, options, warrants, convertible debt securities, and American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), that, when purchased, have market capitalizations that are usually within the range of companies in the Russell 2000® Value Index. Although a universal definition of small-capitalization companies does not exist, the Fund generally defines small-capitalization companies as those whose market capitalization is similar to the market capitalization of companies in the Russell 2000® Value Index, which is an unmanaged index measuring the performance of the small cap value segment of the U.S. equity universe and which includes companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values. As of December 31, 2020, the Russell 2000® Value Index consisted of securities of companies with market capitalizations that ranged from $43 million to $13.4 billion.
In choosing securities, Security Investors, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (the "Investment Manager"), primarily invests in value-oriented companies. Value-oriented companies are companies that appear to be undervalued relative to assets, earnings, growth potential or cash flows. The Investment Manager uses a blend of quantitative and fundamental analysis to identify securities that appear favorably priced and have the potential to appreciate in value. The Investment Manager regularly evaluates the metrics and data underlying the quantitative model and, from time to time, may make adjustments for a variety of reasons, including, without limitation, to account for changing market, financial or economic conditions.
The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in derivatives, including options and futures contracts. These instruments are used to hedge the Fund’s portfolio, to maintain exposure to the equity markets or to increase returns.
The Fund may invest in a variety of investment vehicles, including those that seek to track the composition and performance of a specific index, such as exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other mutual funds. The Fund may use these investments as a way of managing its cash position or to gain exposure to the equity markets or a particular sector of the equity markets. These investments may be more liquid than investing directly in individual issuers. Certain investment vehicles’ securities and other securities in which the Fund may invest are restricted securities (consisting of securities originally issued in reliance on Rule 144A and Regulation S securities), which may be illiquid.
The Fund may actively trade its investments without regard to the length of time they have been owned by the Fund, which may result in higher portfolio turnover.
The Fund typically sells a security when its issuer is no longer considered a value company, shows deteriorating fundamentals or falls short of the Investment Manager’s expectations, among other reasons.
The Fund may invest in a limited number of sectors or industries.
Under adverse or unstable market conditions or abnormal circumstances, the Fund could invest some or all of its assets in cash, derivatives, fixed-income instruments, government bonds, money market instruments, repurchase agreements or securities of other investment companies. The Fund may be unable to pursue or achieve its
investment objective during that time and temporary investments could reduce the benefit from any upswing in the market.
PRINCIPAL RISKS
The value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate and is subject to investment risks, which means investors could lose money. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any governmental agency. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below.
Convertible Securities Risk—Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. The total return for a convertible security depends, in part, upon the performance of the underlying security into which it can be converted. The value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality.
Counterparty Credit Risk—The Fund makes investments in financial instruments and over-the-counter ("OTC")-traded derivatives involving counterparties to gain exposure to a particular group of securities, index, asset class or other reference asset without actually purchasing those securities or investments, to hedge a position, or for other investment purposes. Through these investments and related arrangements (e.g., prime brokerage or securities lending arrangements or derivatives transactions), the Fund is exposed to credit risks that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments or otherwise to meet its contractual obligations. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on (or otherwise becomes unable or unwilling to perform) its payment or other obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount that it is entitled to receive or may experience delays in recovering the collateral or other assets held by, or on behalf of, the counterparty. If this occurs, the value of your shares in the Fund will decrease.
Depositary Receipt Risk—The Fund may hold the securities of non-U.S. companies in the form of depositary receipts. The underlying securities of the depositary receipts in the Fund’s portfolio are subject to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that may affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the value of the securities underlying the depositary receipts may change materially when the U.S. markets are not open for trading. Investments in the underlying foreign securities also involve political and economic risks distinct from those associated with investing in the securities of U.S. issuers.
Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other investments, including risks relating to leverage, imperfect correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, high price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty credit, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. Their use is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in leverage, which may cause the Fund to be more volatile and riskier than if it had not been leveraged. If the Investment Manager is incorrect about its expectations of market conditions, the use of derivatives could also result in a loss, which in some cases may be unlimited. In addition, the Fund’s use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments. Some of the derivatives in which the Fund invests may be traded (and privately negotiated) in the OTC market. OTC derivatives are subject to heightened counterparty credit, liquidity and valuation risks.
Equity Securities Risk—Equity securities include common stocks and other equity and equity-related securities (and securities convertible into stocks). The prices of equity securities generally fluctuate in value more than fixed-income investments, may rise or fall rapidly or unpredictably and may reflect real or perceived changes in the issuing company’s financial condition and changes in the overall market or economy. A decline in the value of equity securities held by the Fund will adversely affect the value of your investment in the Fund. Common stocks generally represent the riskiest investment in a company and dividend payments (if declared) to preferred stockholders generally rank junior to payments due to a company’s debtholders. The Fund may lose a substantial part, or even all, of its investment in a company’s stock.
Foreign Securities and Currency Risk—Foreign securities carry unique or additional risks when compared to U.S. securities, including currency fluctuations, adverse political and economic developments, unreliable or untimely information, less liquidity and more volatility, limited legal recourse and higher transactional costs.
Investment in Investment Vehicles Risk—Investing in other investment vehicles, including ETFs, closed-end funds and other mutual funds, subjects the Fund to those risks affecting the investment vehicle, including the possibility that the value of the underlying securities held by the investment vehicle could decrease or the portfolio becomes illiquid. Moreover, the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying vehicles’ expenses, which will reduce the Fund’s performance. In addition, investments in an ETF are subject to, among other risks, the
risk that the ETF's shares may trade at a discount or premium relative to the net asset value ("NAV") of the shares and the listing exchange may halt trading of the ETF's shares.
Liquidity and Valuation Risk—It may be difficult for the Fund to purchase and sell particular investments within a reasonable time at a fair price, or the price at which it has been valued by the Investment Manager for purposes of the Fund’s net asset value, causing the Fund to be less liquid and unable to realize what the Investment Manager believes should be the price of the investment. Valuation of portfolio investments may be difficult, such as during periods of market turmoil or reduced liquidity, and for investments that may, for example, trade infrequently or irregularly. In these and other circumstances, an investment may be valued using fair value methodologies, which are inherently subjective, reflect good faith judgments based on available information and may not accurately estimate the price at which the Fund could sell the investment at that time. These risks are heightened for fixed-income and other debt instruments because of the current low interest rate environment.
Management Risk—The Fund is actively managed, which means that investment decisions are made based on investment views. There is no guarantee that the investment views will produce the desired results or expected returns, causing the Fund to fail to meet its investment objective or underperform its benchmark index or funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. Furthermore, active and frequent trading that can accompany active management, also called “high turnover,” may have a negative impact on performance. Active and frequent trading may result in higher brokerage costs or mark-up charges, which are ultimately passed on to shareholders of the Fund. Active and frequent trading may also result in adverse tax consequences.
Market Risk—The value of, or income generated by, the investments held by the Fund may fluctuate rapidly and unpredictably and the Fund may incur losses as a result of factors affecting individual companies or issuers or particular industries. In addition, developments related to economic, political, social, public health, market or other conditions may cause volatility in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or debt markets, which could adversely impact the Fund and its investments. Under such conditions, the Fund may experience significant redemption activity by shareholders and could be forced to sell portfolio securities or other assets at unfavorable prices in an effort to generate sufficient cash to pay redeeming shareholders. The Fund's investments may perform poorly or underperform the general securities markets or other types of securities. Governmental authorities and regulators have enacted and continue to enact significant fiscal and monetary policy changes designed to support financial markets, which present heightened risks to markets and Fund investments and are resulting in low interest rates and in some cases, negative yields, and such risks could be even further heightened if these actions are discontinued, disrupted, reversed or are ineffective in achieving their desired outcomes. It is unknown how long current circumstances will persist, whether they will reoccur in the future and whether efforts to support the economy and financial markets will be successful.
Quantitative Investing Risk—There is no guarantee that a quantitative model or algorithm used by the Investment Manager, and the investments selected based on the model or algorithm, will produce the desired results. The Fund may be adversely affected by imperfections, errors or limitations in the construction and implementation of the model or algorithm and the Investment Manager’s ability to properly analyze or timely adjust the metrics or update the data underlying the model or features of the algorithm. Other quantitative methods and techniques used by the Investment Manager, and the investments selected based on these methods and techniques, are also subject to these types of risks.
Real Estate Investments Risk—The Fund may invest in securities of real estate companies and companies related to the real estate industry, which are subject to the same risks as direct investments in real estate. These risks include, among others: changes in national, state or local real estate conditions; obsolescence of properties; changes in the availability, cost and terms of mortgage funds; changes in the real estate values and interest rates; and the generation of sufficient income. Real estate companies tend to have micro-, small- or mid-capitalization, making their securities more volatile and less liquid than those of companies with larger-capitalizations. Real estate companies may use leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which increases investment risk and the risks normally associated with debt financing and could adversely affect a real estate company’s operations and market value in periods of rising interest rates. These risks are especially applicable in conditions of declining real estate values, such as those experienced during 2007 through 2009.
Regulatory and Legal Risk—U.S. and non-U.S. governmental agencies and other regulators regularly implement additional regulations and legislators pass new laws that affect the investments held by the Fund, the strategies used by the Fund or the level of regulation or taxation applying to the Fund (such as regulations related to investments in derivatives and other transactions). These regulations and laws impact the investment strategies, performance, costs and operations of the Fund or taxation of shareholders.
REIT Risk—In addition to the risks pertaining to real estate investments more generally, real estate investment trusts ("REITs") are subject to additional risks. The value of a REIT can depend on the structure of and cash flow
generated by the REIT. REITs whose investments are concentrated in a limited number or type of properties, investments or narrow geographic area are subject to the risks affecting those properties or areas to a greater extent than a REIT with less concentrated investments. REITs are also subject to certain provisions under federal tax law. In addition, REITs may have expenses, including advisory and administration expenses, and the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying expenses.
Restricted Securities Risk—Restricted securities generally cannot be sold to the public and may involve a high degree of business, financial and liquidity risk, which may result in substantial losses to the Fund.
Sector Emphasis Risk—If the Fund invests a significant amount of its assets in any one sector, the Fund’s performance will depend to a greater extent on the overall condition of the sector and there is increased risk that the Fund will lose value if conditions adversely affect that sector. The prices of securities of issuers in a particular sector may be more susceptible to fluctuations as a result of changes in economic, public health or business conditions, government regulations, availability of basic resources or supplies, or other events that affect that industry or sector more than securities of issuers in other sectors. To the extent the Fund is heavily invested in a particular sector, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than the value of shares of a mutual fund that invests in a broader range of sectors.
Small-Capitalization Securities Risk—The Fund is subject to the risk that small-capitalization securities may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. Securities of small-capitalization companies may be more speculative, volatile and less liquid than securities of larger companies. Small-capitalization companies tend to have inexperienced management as well as limited product and market diversification and financial resources, and may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than mid- or large-capitalization companies.
Value Stocks Risk—Value stocks are subject to the risk that the intrinsic value of the stock may never be realized by the market or that the price goes down.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the Fund’s Class A share calendar year performance from year to year and average annual returns for the one, five and ten year or since inception periods (if shorter), as applicable, for the Fund’s Class A, Class C, Institutional Class, and Class P shares compared to those of a broad measure of market performance. As with all mutual funds, past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or by calling 800.820.0888.The bar chart does not reflect the impact of the sales charge applicable to Class A shares which, if reflected, would lower the returns shown.
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Highest Quarter Return
Q4 2020 25.80%
  
Lowest Quarter Return
Q1 2020 -33.06%
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (for the periods ended December 31, 2020)
After-tax returns shown in the table are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of any state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. 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 (“IRAs”). After-tax returns are shown for Class A only. After-tax returns for Class C, Institutional Class, and Class P will vary. The returns shown below reflect applicable sales charges, if any.
Inception1 Year5 Years
10 Years or Since
Inception
Class A7/11/2008   
Return Before Taxes-5.34%5.68%6.10%
Return After Taxes on Distributions-5.68%4.17%4.12%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares-3.16%4.02%4.34%
Class C—Before Taxes
7/11/2008-2.36%5.93%5.94%
Institutional Class—Before Taxes
7/11/2008-0.46%6.97%6.99%
Class P—Before Taxes
5/1/2015-0.57%6.73%4.40%
Index   
Russell 2000® Value Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
4.63%9.65%8.66%
GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST | Guggenheim SMid Cap Value Fund
Guggenheim SMid Cap Value Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Guggenheim SMid Cap Value Fund (the “Fund”) seeks long-term growth of capital.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the Family of Funds, as defined on page 154 of the Fund’s prospectus. This amount may vary depending on the Guggenheim Fund in which you invest. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the “Sales Charges-Class A Shares” section on page 104 of the Fund’s prospectus and the “How to Purchase Shares” section on page 98 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information. Different intermediaries and financial professionals may impose different sales charges or offer different sales charge waivers or discounts.  These variations are described in Appendix A to the Fund’s prospectus (Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts).
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class AClass CInstitutional ClassClass P
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)4.75%NoneNoneNone
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)
None*
1.00%**
NoneNone
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees0.75%0.75%0.75%0.75%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees0.25%1.00%None0.25%
Other Expenses0.25%0.39%0.34%0.33%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses1.25%2.14%1.09%1.33%
Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)1
-0.01%-0.09%-0.06%-0.03%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)1.24%2.05%1.03%1.30%
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although the actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Class AClass CInstitutionalClass P
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year$595$308$208$105$132
3 Years$852$661$661$341$418
5 Years$1,128$1,141$1,141$595$726
10 Years$1,914$2,465$2,465$1,323$1,599
Class AClass CInstitutionalClass P
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year$595$308$208$105$132
3 Years$852$661$661$341$418
5 Years$1,128$1,141$1,141$595$726
10 Years$1,914$2,465$2,465$1,323$1,599
The above Example reflects applicable contractual fee waiver/expense reimbursement arrangements for the current duration of the arrangements only.
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 41% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund pursues its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of equity securities, which include common stocks, rights, options, warrants, convertible debt securities, and American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), that, when purchased, have market capitalizations that are usually within the range of companies in the Russell 2500® Value Index. Although a universal definition of small- and mid-capitalization (i.e., SMid-capitalization) companies does not exist, the Fund generally defines SMid-capitalization companies as those whose market capitalization is similar to the market capitalization of companies in the Russell 2500® Value Index, which is an unmanaged index measuring the performance of securities of small-to-mid cap U.S. companies with greater-than-average value orientation. As of December 31, 2020, the Russell 2500® Value Index consisted of securities of companies with market capitalizations that ranged from $43 million to $31.6 billion.
In choosing securities, Security Investors, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (the "Investment Manager"), primarily invests in value-oriented companies. Value-oriented companies are companies that appear to be undervalued relative to assets, earnings, growth potential or cash flows. The Investment Manager uses a blend of quantitative and fundamental analysis to identify securities that appear favorably priced and have the potential to appreciate in value. The Investment Manager regularly evaluates the metrics and data underlying the quantitative model and, from time to time, may make adjustments for a variety of reasons, including, without limitation, to account for changing market, financial or economic conditions.
The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in derivatives, including options and futures contracts. These instruments are used to hedge the Fund’s portfolio, to maintain exposure to the equity markets or to increase returns.
The Fund may invest in a variety of investment vehicles, including those that seek to track the composition and performance of a specific index, such as exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other mutual funds. The Fund may use these investments as a way of managing its cash position or to gain exposure to the equity markets or a particular sector of the equity markets. These investments may be more liquid than investing directly in individual issuers. Certain investment vehicles’ securities and other securities in which the Fund may invest are restricted securities (consisting of securities originally issued in reliance on Rule 144A and Regulation S securities), which may be illiquid.
The Fund typically sells a security when its issuer is no longer considered a value company, shows deteriorating fundamentals or falls short of the Investment Manager’s expectations, among other reasons.
The Fund may invest in a limited number of sectors or industries.
Under adverse or unstable market conditions or abnormal circumstances, the Fund could invest some or all of its assets in cash, derivatives, fixed-income instruments, government bonds, money market instruments, repurchase agreements or securities of other investment companies. The Fund may be unable to pursue or achieve its investment objective during that time and temporary investments could reduce the benefit from any upswing in the market.
PRINCIPAL RISKS
The value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate and is subject to investment risks, which means investors could lose money. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any governmental agency. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below.
Convertible Securities Risk—Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. The total return for a convertible security depends, in part, upon the performance of the underlying security into which it can be converted. The value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality.
Counterparty Credit Risk—The Fund makes investments in financial instruments and over-the-counter ("OTC")-traded derivatives involving counterparties to gain exposure to a particular group of securities, index, asset class or other reference asset without actually purchasing those securities or investments, to hedge a position, or for other investment purposes. Through these investments and related arrangements (e.g., prime brokerage or securities lending arrangements or derivatives transactions), the Fund is exposed to credit risks that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments or otherwise to meet its contractual obligations. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on (or otherwise becomes unable or unwilling to perform) its payment or other obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount that it is entitled to receive or may experience delays in recovering the collateral or other assets held by, or on behalf of, the counterparty. If this occurs, the value of your shares in the Fund will decrease.
Depositary Receipt Risk—The Fund may hold the securities of non-U.S. companies in the form of depositary receipts. The underlying securities of the depositary receipts in the Fund’s portfolio are subject to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that may affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the value of the securities underlying the depositary receipts may change materially when the U.S. markets are not open for trading. Investments in the underlying foreign securities also involve political and economic risks distinct from those associated with investing in the securities of U.S. issuers.
Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other investments, including risks relating to leverage, imperfect correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, high price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty credit, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. Their use is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in leverage, which may cause the Fund to be more volatile and riskier than if it had not been leveraged. If the Investment Manager is incorrect about its expectations of market conditions, the use of derivatives could also result in a loss, which in some cases may be unlimited. In addition, the Fund’s use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments. Some of the derivatives in which the Fund invests may be traded (and privately negotiated) in the OTC market. OTC derivatives are subject to heightened counterparty credit, liquidity and valuation risks.
Equity Securities Risk—Equity securities include common stocks and other equity and equity-related securities (and securities convertible into stocks). The prices of equity securities generally fluctuate in value more than fixed-income investments, may rise or fall rapidly or unpredictably and may reflect real or perceived changes in the issuing company’s financial condition and changes in the overall market or economy. A decline in the value of equity securities held by the Fund will adversely affect the value of your investment in the Fund. Common stocks generally represent the riskiest investment in a company and dividend payments (if declared) to preferred stockholders generally rank junior to payments due to a company’s debtholders. The Fund may lose a substantial part, or even all, of its investment in a company’s stock.
Foreign Securities and Currency Risk—Foreign securities carry unique or additional risks when compared to U.S. securities, including currency fluctuations, adverse political and economic developments, unreliable or untimely information, less liquidity and more volatility, limited legal recourse and higher transactional costs.
Investment in Investment Vehicles Risk—Investing in other investment vehicles, including ETFs, closed-end funds and other mutual funds, subjects the Fund to those risks affecting the investment vehicle, including the possibility that the value of the underlying securities held by the investment vehicle could decrease or the portfolio becomes illiquid. Moreover, the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying vehicles’ expenses, which will reduce the Fund’s performance. In addition, investments in an ETF are subject to, among other risks, the risk that the ETF's shares may trade at a discount or premium relative to the net asset value ("NAV") of the shares and the listing exchange may halt trading of the ETF's shares.
Liquidity and Valuation Risk—It may be difficult for the Fund to purchase and sell particular investments within a reasonable time at a fair price, or the price at which it has been valued by the Investment Manager for purposes of the Fund’s net asset value, causing the Fund to be less liquid and unable to realize what the Investment Manager believes should be the price of the investment. Valuation of portfolio investments may be difficult, such as during periods of market turmoil or reduced liquidity, and for investments that may, for example, trade infrequently or irregularly. In these and other circumstances, an investment may be valued using fair value methodologies, which are inherently subjective, reflect good faith judgments based on available information and may not accurately estimate the price at which the Fund could sell the investment at that time. These risks are heightened for fixed-income and other debt instruments because of the current low interest rate environment.
Management Risk—The Fund is actively managed, which means that investment decisions are made based on investment views. There is no guarantee that the investment views will produce the desired results or expected returns, causing the Fund to fail to meet its investment objective or underperform its benchmark index or funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. Furthermore, active and frequent trading that can accompany active management, also called “high turnover,” may have a negative impact on performance. Active and frequent trading may result in higher brokerage costs or mark-up charges, which are ultimately passed on to shareholders of the Fund. Active and frequent trading may also result in adverse tax consequences.
Market Risk—The value of, or income generated by, the investments held by the Fund may fluctuate rapidly and unpredictably and the Fund may incur losses as a result of factors affecting individual companies or issuers or particular industries. In addition, developments related to economic, political, social, public health, market or other conditions may cause volatility in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or debt markets, which could adversely impact the Fund and its investments. Under such conditions, the Fund may experience significant redemption activity by shareholders and could be forced to sell portfolio securities or other assets at unfavorable prices in an effort to generate sufficient cash to pay redeeming shareholders. The Fund's investments may perform poorly or underperform the general securities markets or other types of securities. Governmental authorities and regulators have enacted and continue to enact significant fiscal and monetary policy changes designed to support financial markets, which present heightened risks to markets and Fund investments and are resulting in low interest rates and in some cases, negative yields, and such risks could be even further heightened if these actions are discontinued, disrupted, reversed or are ineffective in achieving their desired outcomes. It is unknown how long current circumstances will persist, whether they will reoccur in the future and whether efforts to support the economy and financial markets will be successful.
Mid-Capitalization Securities Risk—The Fund is subject to the risk that mid-capitalization securities may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. Securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more speculative, volatile and less liquid than securities of large companies. Mid-capitalization companies tend to have inexperienced management as well as limited product and market diversification and financial resources, and may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than large capitalization companies.
Quantitative Investing Risk—There is no guarantee that a quantitative model or algorithm used by the Investment Manager, and the investments selected based on the model or algorithm, will produce the desired results. The Fund may be adversely affected by imperfections, errors or limitations in the construction and implementation of the model or algorithm and the Investment Manager’s ability to properly analyze or timely adjust the metrics or update the data underlying the model or features of the algorithm. Other quantitative methods and techniques used by the Investment Manager, and the investments selected based on these methods and techniques, are also subject to these types of risks.
Real Estate Investments Risk—The Fund may invest in securities of real estate companies and companies related to the real estate industry, which are subject to the same risks as direct investments in real estate. These risks include, among others: changes in national, state or local real estate conditions; obsolescence of properties; changes in the availability, cost and terms of mortgage funds; changes in the real estate values and interest rates; and the generation of sufficient income. Real estate companies tend to have micro-, small- or mid-capitalization, making their securities more volatile and less liquid than those of companies with larger-capitalizations. Real estate companies may use leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which increases investment risk and the risks normally associated with debt financing and could adversely affect a real estate company’s operations and market value in periods of rising interest rates. These risks are especially applicable in conditions of declining real estate values, such as those experienced during 2007 through 2009.
Regulatory and Legal Risk—U.S. and non-U.S. governmental agencies and other regulators regularly implement additional regulations and legislators pass new laws that affect the investments held by the Fund, the strategies used by the Fund or the level of regulation or taxation applying to the Fund (such as regulations related to
investments in derivatives and other transactions). These regulations and laws impact the investment strategies, performance, costs and operations of the Fund or taxation of shareholders.
REIT Risk—In addition to the risks pertaining to real estate investments more generally, real estate investment trusts ("REITs") are subject to additional risks. The value of a REIT can depend on the structure of and cash flow generated by the REIT. REITs whose investments are concentrated in a limited number or type of properties, investments or narrow geographic area are subject to the risks affecting those properties or areas to a greater extent than a REIT with less concentrated investments. REITs are also subject to certain provisions under federal tax law. In addition, REITs may have expenses, including advisory and administration expenses, and the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying expenses.
Restricted Securities Risk—Restricted securities generally cannot be sold to the public and may involve a high degree of business, financial and liquidity risk, which may result in substantial losses to the Fund.
Sector Emphasis Risk—If the Fund invests a significant amount of its assets in any one sector, the Fund’s performance will depend to a greater extent on the overall condition of the sector and there is increased risk that the Fund will lose value if conditions adversely affect that sector. The prices of securities of issuers in a particular sector may be more susceptible to fluctuations as a result of changes in economic, public health or business conditions, government regulations, availability of basic resources or supplies, or other events that affect that industry or sector more than securities of issuers in other sectors. To the extent the Fund is heavily invested in a particular sector, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than the value of shares of a mutual fund that invests in a broader range of sectors.
Small-Capitalization Securities Risk—The Fund is subject to the risk that small-capitalization securities may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. Securities of small-capitalization companies may be more speculative, volatile and less liquid than securities of larger companies. Small-capitalization companies tend to have inexperienced management as well as limited product and market diversification and financial resources, and may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than mid- or large-capitalization companies.
Value Stocks Risk—Value stocks are subject to the risk that the intrinsic value of the stock may never be realized by the market or that the price goes down.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the Fund’s Class A share calendar year performance from year to year and average annual returns for the one, five and ten year or since inception periods (if shorter), as applicable, for the Fund’s Class A, Class C, Institutional Class and Class P shares compared to those of a broad measure of market performance.
On January 3, 2020, the Guggenheim SMid Cap Value Institutional Fund (formerly, the Guggenheim Mid Cap Value Institutional Fund), which also was an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and pursued the same investment objective and principal investment strategies as the Fund and was managed in the same manner, reorganized with and into Institutional Class shares of the Fund. The Fund has adopted the Guggenheim SMid Cap Value Institutional Fund's performance history with respect to its Institutional Class shares. Accordingly, the performance of the Institutional Class shares of the Fund shown below is the performance of the Guggenheim SMid Cap Value Institutional Fund. The returns shown below for the Guggenheim SMid Cap Value Institutional Fund have not been restated to reflect the fees and expenses applicable to the Institutional Class shares of the Fund and could have been lower had such an adjustment been made.
As with all mutual funds, past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or by calling 800.820.0888. The bar chart does not reflect the impact of the sales charge applicable to Class A shares which, if reflected, would lower the returns shown.
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Highest Quarter Return
Q4 2020 23.94%
  
Lowest Quarter Return
Q1 2020 -31.42%
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (for the periods ended December 31, 2020)
After-tax returns shown in the table are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of any state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. 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 (“IRAs”). After-tax returns are shown for Class A only. After-tax returns for Class C, Institutional Class and Class P will vary. The returns shown below reflect applicable sales charges, if any.
Inception1 Year5 Years10 Years or Since Inception
Class A
5/1/1997
Return Before Taxes
-1.36%9.34%7.53%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
-1.36%7.57%5.59%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-0.81%6.86%5.58%
Class C—Before Taxes
1/29/19991.73%9.53%7.35%
Institutional Class—Before Taxes
7/11/2008
3.81%10.71%8.50%
Class P—Before Taxes
5/1/2015
3.49%10.39%7.50%
Index
Russell 2500® Value Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
4.88%9.43%9.33%
GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST | Guggenheim StylePlus—Large Core Fund
Guggenheim StylePlus—Large Core Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
Guggenheim StylePlus—Large Core Fund (the “Fund”) seeks long-term growth of capital.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the Family of Funds, as defined on page 154 of the Fund’s prospectus. This amount may vary depending on the Guggenheim Fund in which you invest. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the “Sales Charges-Class A Shares” section on page 104 of the Fund’s prospectus and the “How to Purchase Shares” section on page 98 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information. Different intermediaries and financial professionals may impose different sales charges or offer different sales charge waivers or discounts.  These variations are described in Appendix A to the Fund’s prospectus (Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts).
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class AClass CInstitutional ClassClass P
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)4.75%NoneNoneNone
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)
None*
1.00%**
NoneNone
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees0.75%0.75%0.75%0.75%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees0.25%1.00%None0.25%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses0.13%0.13%0.13%0.13%
Other Expenses0.32%0.49%0.33%0.46%
Interest Expenses
0.05 %0.05 %0.05 %0.05 %
Remaining Other Expenses
0.27 %0.44 %0.28 %0.41 %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses1.45%2.37%1.21%1.59%
Fee Waiver1
-0.04%-0.04%-0.04%-0.04%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver1.41%2.33%1.17%1.55%
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although the actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Class AClass CInstitutionalClass P
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year$612$336$236$119$158
3 Years$908$736$736$380$498
5 Years$1,226$1,262$1,262$661$862
10 Years$2,125$2,703$2,703$1,462$1,886
Class AClass CInstitutionalClass P
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year$612$336$236$119$158
3 Years$908$736$736$380$498
5 Years$1,226$1,262$1,262$661$862
10 Years$2,125$2,703$2,703$1,462$1,886
The above Example reflects applicable contractual fee waiver arrangements for the current duration of the arrangements only.
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 69% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund seeks to exceed the total return of the S&P 500® Index (the “Index”). The Fund pursues its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in: (i) equity securities issued by companies that have market capitalizations within the range of companies in the Index; (ii) investment vehicles that provide exposure to companies that have market capitalizations within the range of companies in the Index; and (iii) equity derivatives that, when purchased, provide exposure to (i.e., economic characteristics similar to) equity securities of companies with market capitalizations usually within the range of companies in the Index and equity derivatives based on large-capitalization indices, including large-capitalization growth indices and large-capitalization value indices deemed appropriate by Security Investors, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (the "Investment Manager"). The Fund will usually also invest in fixed-income instruments and cash investments to collateralize derivatives positions and to increase investment return. As of December 31, 2020, the Index consisted of securities of companies with market capitalizations that ranged from $4.2 billion to $2.3 trillion.
Equity securities in which the Fund may invest include common stocks, rights and warrants, and American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). Derivatives in which the Fund may invest include options, futures contracts, swap agreements (including, but not limited to, total return swap agreements), and forward contracts (some of these instruments may be traded in the over-the-counter market). Fixed-income securities and other securities in which the Fund may invest include debt securities selected from a variety of sectors and credit qualities (principally, investment grade), principally, corporate bonds, participations in and assignments of syndicated bank loans, asset-backed securities (including mortgage-backed securities, collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”), collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) and other structured finance investments), U.S. government and agency securities (including those not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government), mezzanine and preferred securities, commercial paper, zero-coupon bonds, non-registered or restricted securities (consisting of securities originally issued in reliance on Rule 144A and Regulation S), step-up securities (such as step-up bonds) and convertible securities that the Investment Manager believes offer attractive yield and/or capital appreciation potential. The Fund may invest in securities listed, traded or dealt in other countries. The Fund may hold securities of any duration or maturity. Fixed-income securities in which the Fund may invest may pay fixed or variable rates of interest. The Fund may invest in a variety of investment vehicles, principally closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other mutual funds.
Allocation decisions within the actively managed equity, passive equity and actively managed fixed-income sleeves are at the discretion of the Investment Manager and are based on the Investment Manager’s judgment of the current investment environment (including market volatility), the attractiveness of each asset category, the correlations among Index components, individual positions or each asset category, and expected returns. In selecting investments for the Fund, the Investment Manager uses quantitative analysis, credit research and due diligence on issuers, regions and sectors to select the Fund’s investments and other proprietary strategies to identify securities and other assets that, in combination, are expected to contribute to exceeding the total return of the Index.
Derivative instruments may be used extensively by the Investment Manager to maintain exposure to the equity and fixed-income markets, to hedge the Fund’s portfolio, or to increase returns. The Investment Manager may
determine to sell a security for several reasons including the following: (1) to meet redemption requests; (2) to close-out or unwind derivatives transactions; (3) to realize gains; or (4) if market conditions change.
The Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in investment companies advised by the Investment Manager, or an affiliate of the Investment Manager, that invest in short-term fixed-income or floating rate securities. These funds are designed primarily to provide an alternative to investing directly and separately in various short-term fixed-income or floating rate securities. The Fund invests in these investment companies for various portfolio management purposes, including for cash management and liquidity management purposes and to seek to obtain exposure with a higher level of return on investments used to collateralize derivatives positions and achieve greater diversification and trading efficiency than would usually be experienced by investing directly and separately in fixed-income or floating rate securities. Investments by the Fund in these investment companies significantly increase the Fund’s exposure to the following asset categories: (i) a broad range of high yield, high risk debt securities rated below the top four long-term rating categories by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (also known as “junk bonds”) or, if unrated, determined by the Investment Manager, to be of comparable quality; (ii) CLOs, other asset-backed securities and similarly structured debt investments; and (iii) other short-term fixed or floating rate debt securities. Such investments expose the Fund to the risks of these asset categories and decreases in the value of these investments may cause the Fund to deviate from its investment objective.
Under adverse or unstable market conditions or abnormal circumstances, the Fund could invest some or all of its assets in cash, derivatives, fixed-income instruments, government bonds, money market instruments, repurchase agreements or securities of other investment companies. The Fund may be unable to pursue or achieve its investment objective during that time and temporary investments could reduce the benefit from any upswing in the market.
PRINCIPAL RISKS
The value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate and is subject to investment risks, which means investors could lose money. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any governmental agency. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below.
Asset-Backed Securities Risk—Investors in asset-backed securities, including residential mortgage-backed securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities and other structured finance investments, generally receive payments that are part interest and part return of principal. These payments may vary based on the rate at which the underlying borrowers pay off their loans. Some asset-backed securities, including mortgage-backed securities, may have structures that make their performance based on changes in interest rates and other factors difficult to predict, causing their prices to be volatile. In particular, during periods of falling interest rates, asset-backed securities are more likely to be called or prepaid, which can result in the Fund having to reinvest proceeds in other investments at a lower interest rate or less advantageous terms, which would adversely affect the Fund. These instruments are particularly subject to interest rate, credit and liquidity and valuation risks.
Collateralized Loan Obligations and Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk—CLOs bear many of the same risks as other forms of asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. As they are backed by pools of loans, CLOs also bear similar risks to investing in loans directly. CLOs issue classes or “tranches” that vary in risk and yield. CLOs may experience substantial losses attributable to loan defaults. Losses caused by defaults on underlying assets are borne first by the holders of subordinate tranches. The Fund’s investment in CLOs may decrease in market value when the CLO experiences loan defaults or credit impairment, the disappearance of a subordinate tranche, or market anticipation of defaults and investor aversion to CLO securities as a class.
CDOs are structured similarly to CLOs and bear the same risks as CLOs including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. CDOs are subject to additional risks because they are backed by pools of assets other than loans including securities (such as other asset-backed securities), synthetic instruments or bonds and may be highly leveraged. Like CLOs, losses incurred by a CDO are borne first by holders of subordinate tranches. Accordingly, the risks of CDOs depend largely on the type of underlying collateral and the tranche of CDOs in which the Fund invests. For example, CDOs that obtain their exposure through synthetic investments entail the risks associated with derivative instruments.
Commercial Paper Risk—The value of the Fund’s investment in commercial paper, which is an unsecured promissory note that generally has a maturity date between one and 270 days and is issued by a U.S. or foreign entity, is susceptible to changes in the issuer’s financial condition or credit quality. Investments in commercial
paper are usually discounted from their value at maturity. Commercial paper can be fixed-rate or variable rate and can be adversely affected by changes in interest rates.
Convertible Securities Risk—Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. The total return for a convertible security depends, in part, upon the performance of the underlying security into which it can be converted. The value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality.
Counterparty Credit Risk—The Fund makes investments in financial instruments and over-the-counter ("OTC")-traded derivatives involving counterparties to gain exposure to a particular group of securities, index, asset class or other reference asset without actually purchasing those securities or investments, to hedge a position, or for other investment purposes. Through these investments and related arrangements (e.g., prime brokerage or securities lending arrangements or derivatives transactions), the Fund is exposed to credit risks that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments or otherwise to meet its contractual obligations. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on (or otherwise becomes unable or unwilling to perform) its payment or other obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount that it is entitled to receive or may experience delays in recovering the collateral or other assets held by, or on behalf of, the counterparty. If this occurs, the value of your shares in the Fund will decrease.
Credit Risk—The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income or other debt instrument or a counterparty to a derivatives transaction or other transaction is unable or unwilling, or perceived to be unable or unwilling, to pay interest or repay principal on time, defaults or otherwise fails to meet its obligations. Actual or perceived changes in economic, social, public health, financial or political conditions in general or that affect a particular type of instrument, issuer, guarantor or counterparty can reduce the ability of the party to meet its obligations, which can affect the credit quality, liquidity and/or value of an instrument. The value of an instrument also may decline for reasons that relate directly to the issuer, guarantor or counterparty, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for goods and services. The issuer, guarantor or counterparty could also suffer a rapid decline in credit rating, which would adversely affect the volatility of the value and liquidity of the instrument. Credit ratings may not be an accurate assessment of liquidity or credit risk.
Depositary Receipt Risk—The Fund may hold the securities of non-U.S. companies in the form of depositary receipts. The underlying securities of the depositary receipts in the Fund’s portfolio are subject to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that may affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the value of the securities underlying the depositary receipts may change materially when the U.S. markets are not open for trading. Investments in the underlying foreign securities also involve political and economic risks distinct from those associated with investing in the securities of U.S. issuers.
Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other investments, including risks relating to leverage, imperfect correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, high price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty credit, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. Their use is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. If the Investment Manager is incorrect about its expectations of market conditions, the use of derivatives could also result in a loss, which in some cases may be unlimited. In addition, the Fund’s use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments. Some of the derivatives in which the Fund invests may be traded (and privately negotiated) in the OTC market. OTC derivatives are subject to heightened counterparty credit, liquidity and valuation risks. Certain risks also are specific to the derivatives in which the Fund invests.
Futures Contracts Risk—Futures contracts are exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. Risks of futures contracts may be caused by an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the instruments and the price of the underlying assets. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction because of an illiquid market. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Investment Manager, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund’s net asset value ("NAV"). Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Options Risk—Options and options on futures contracts give the holder of the option the right, but not the obligation, to buy (or to sell) a position in a security or in a contract to the writer of the option, at a certain price. Options are subject to correlation risk because there may be an imperfect correlation between the options and the markets for underlying instruments that could cause a given transaction to fail to achieve its objectives. The successful use of options depends on the Investment Manager’s ability to predict correctly
future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the markets for options and the underlying instruments. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Investment Manager, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Options are also particularly subject to leverage risk and can be subject to liquidity risk.
Swap Agreements Risk—Swap agreements are contracts among the Fund and a counterparty to exchange the return of the pre-determined underlying investment (such as the rate of return of the underlying index). Swap agreements may be negotiated bilaterally and traded OTC between two parties or, for certain standardized swaps, must be exchange-traded through a futures commission merchant and/or cleared through a clearinghouse that serves as a central counterparty. Risks associated with the use of swap agreements are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions, due in part to the fact they could be considered illiquid and many swaps trade on the OTC market. Swaps are particularly subject to counterparty credit, correlation, valuation, liquidity and leveraging risks. While exchange trading and central clearing are intended to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity, they do not make swap transactions risk-free. Additionally, applicable regulators have adopted rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on OTC swaps, which may result in the Fund and its counterparties posting higher margin amounts for OTC swaps, which could increase the cost of swap transactions to the Fund and impose added operational complexity.
Equity Securities Risk—Equity securities include common stocks and other equity and equity-related securities (and securities convertible into stocks). The prices of equity securities generally fluctuate in value more than fixed-income investments, may rise or fall rapidly or unpredictably and may reflect real or perceived changes in the issuing company’s financial condition and changes in the overall market or economy. A decline in the value of equity securities held by the Fund will adversely affect the value of your investment in the Fund. Common stocks generally represent the riskiest investment in a company and dividend payments (if declared) to preferred stockholders generally rank junior to payments due to a company’s debtholders. The Fund may lose a substantial part, or even all, of its investment in a company’s stock.
Extension Risk—Certain debt instruments, including mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur at a slower rate or later than expected.  In this event, the expected maturity could lengthen and the Fund’s investment may sharply decrease in value and the Fund’s income from the investment may quickly decline.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to extension risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of rising interest rates. In addition, the Fund may be delayed in its ability to reinvest income or proceeds from these instruments in potentially higher yielding investments, which would adversely affect the Fund.
Foreign Securities and Currency Risk—Foreign securities carry unique or additional risks when compared to U.S. securities, including currency fluctuations, adverse political and economic developments, unreliable or untimely information, less liquidity and more volatility, limited legal recourse and higher transactional costs.
Growth Stocks Risk—Growth stocks typically invest a high portion of their earnings back into their business and may lack the dividend yield that could cushion their decline in a market downturn. Growth stocks may be more volatile than other stocks because they are more sensitive to investor perceptions regarding the growth potential of the issuing company.
High Yield and Unrated Securities Risk—High yield, below investment grade and unrated high risk debt securities (which also may be known as “junk bonds”) may present additional risks because these securities may be less liquid, and therefore more difficult to value accurately and sell at an advantageous price or time, and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be subject to greater volatility due to issuer-specific factors, such as operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions. This exposure may be obtained through investments in other investment companies. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund's investments (directly or indirectly) can be comprised of high yield and unrated securities and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks, which may result in losses to the Fund.
Interest Rate Risk—Fixed-income and other debt instruments are subject to the possibility that interest rates could change. Changes in interest rates may adversely affect the Fund’s investments in these instruments, such as the value or liquidity of, and income generated by, the investments. Interest rates may change as a result of a variety of factors, and the change may be sudden and significant, with unpredictable impacts on the financial markets and the Fund’s investments. Fixed-income and other debt instruments with longer durations are more sensitive to changes in interest rates and, thus, subject to more volatility than similar instruments with shorter durations. Generally, when interest rates increase, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments decline and when interest rates decrease, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments rise. During periods of rising
interest rates, because changes in interest rates on adjustable rate securities may lag behind changes in market rates, the value of such securities may decline until their interest rates reset to market rates. During periods of declining interest rates, because the interest rates on adjustable rate securities generally reset downward, their market value is unlikely to rise to the same extent as the value of comparable fixed rate securities. During periods when interest rates are low or negative, the Fund’s yield and performance may be adversely affected. The risks associated with rising interest rates are heightened given the current low interest rate environment.
Investment in Investment Vehicles Risk—Investing in other investment vehicles, including ETFs, closed-end funds, affiliated short-term funds and other mutual funds, subjects the Fund to those risks affecting the investment vehicle, including the possibility that the value of the underlying securities held by the investment vehicle could decrease or the portfolio becomes illiquid. Moreover, the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying vehicles’ expenses, which will reduce the Fund’s performance. In addition, investments in an ETF are subject to, among other risks, the risk that the ETF's shares may trade at a discount or premium relative to the NAV of the shares and the listing exchange may halt trading of the ETF's shares.
Investment in Loans Risk—The Fund may invest in loans directly or indirectly through assignments or participations. Investments in loans, including loan syndicates and other direct lending opportunities, involve special types of risks, including credit risk, interest rate risk, counterparty risk, prepayment risk and extension risk. Loans may offer a fixed or floating interest rate. Loans are often below investment grade and may be unrated. The Fund’s investments in loans can also be difficult to value accurately and may be more susceptible to liquidity risk than fixed-income instruments of similar credit quality and/or maturity. The Fund is also subject to the risk that the value of any collateral for the loan may be insufficient or unavailable to cover the borrower’s obligations should the borrower fail to make payments, become insolvent, or otherwise default. Transactions in loans are often subject to long settlement periods and often require consent from borrowers and/or an agent acting for the lenders, thus potentially limiting the ability of the Fund to invest sale proceeds in other investments and to use proceeds to meet its current redemption obligations. The Fund thus is subject to the risk of selling other investments at disadvantageous times or prices or taking other actions necessary to raise cash to meet its redemption obligations. Participations in loans may subject the Fund to the credit risk of both the borrower and the seller of the participation and may make enforcement of loan covenants, if any, more difficult for the Fund as legal action may have to go through the seller of the participation (or an agent acting on its behalf). Covenants contained in loan documentation are intended to protect lenders and investors by imposing certain restrictions and other limitations on a borrower’s operations or assets and by providing certain information and consent rights to lenders. In addition to operational covenants, loans and other debt obligations often contain financial covenants which require a borrower to satisfy certain financial tests at periodic intervals or to maintain compliance with certain financial metrics. The Fund is exposed to, including through investment in underlying funds, loans and other similar debt obligations that are sometimes referred to as “covenant-lite” loans or obligations, which generally are loans or other similar debt obligations that lack financial maintenance covenants or possess fewer or contingent financial maintenance covenants and other financial protections for lenders and investors. These "covenant-lite" loans or obligations typically are particularly subject to the risks associated with investments in loans as described above.
Large-Capitalization Securities Risk—The Fund is subject to the risk that large-capitalization securities may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. Larger, more established companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges such as changes in technology and may not be able to attain the high growth rate of smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion.
Leverage Risk—The Fund’s use of leverage, through borrowings or instruments such as derivatives and reverse repurchase agreements, may cause the Fund to be more volatile and riskier than if it had not been leveraged.
Liquidity and Valuation Risk—It may be difficult for the Fund to purchase and sell particular investments within a reasonable time at a fair price, or the price at which it has been valued by the Investment Manager for purposes of the Fund’s net asset value, causing the Fund to be less liquid and unable to realize what the Investment Manager believes should be the price of the investment. Valuation of portfolio investments may be difficult, such as during periods of market turmoil or reduced liquidity, and for investments that may, for example, trade infrequently or irregularly. In these and other circumstances, an investment may be valued using fair value methodologies, which are inherently subjective, reflect good faith judgments based on available information and may not accurately estimate the price at which the Fund could sell the investment at that time. These risks are heightened for fixed-income and other debt instruments because of the current low interest rate environment.
Management Risk—The Fund is actively managed, which means that investment decisions are made based on investment views. There is no guarantee that the investment views will produce the desired results or expected returns, causing the Fund to fail to meet its investment objective or underperform its benchmark index or funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. Furthermore, active and frequent trading that can accompany active management, also called “high turnover,” may have a negative impact on performance. Active and frequent trading may result in higher brokerage costs or mark-up charges, which are ultimately passed on to shareholders of the Fund. Active and frequent trading may also result in adverse tax consequences. In addition, the Fund is subject to the risks associated with the Investment Manager's allocation of assets between or among sleeves, including the timing and amount of such allocations.
Market Risk—The value of, or income generated by, the investments held by the Fund may fluctuate rapidly and unpredictably and the Fund may incur losses as a result of factors affecting individual companies or issuers or particular industries. In addition, developments related to economic, political, social, public health, market or other conditions may cause volatility in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or debt markets, which could adversely impact the Fund and its investments. Under such conditions, the Fund may experience significant redemption activity by shareholders and could be forced to sell portfolio securities or other assets at unfavorable prices in an effort to generate sufficient cash to pay redeeming shareholders. The Fund's investments may perform poorly or underperform the general securities markets or other types of securities. Governmental authorities and regulators have enacted and continue to enact significant fiscal and monetary policy changes designed to support financial markets, which present heightened risks to markets and Fund investments and are resulting in low interest rates and in some cases, negative yields, and such risks could be even further heightened if these actions are discontinued, disrupted, reversed or are ineffective in achieving their desired outcomes. It is unknown how long current circumstances will persist, whether they will reoccur in the future and whether efforts to support the economy and financial markets will be successful.
Preferred Securities Risk—A company’s preferred stock generally pays dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred stock will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects.
Prepayment Risk—Certain debt instruments, including loans and mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur more quickly or earlier than expected.  If this occurs, the Fund might be forced to forego future interest income on the principal repaid early and to reinvest income or proceeds at generally lower interest rates, thus reducing the Fund’s yield.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to prepayment risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of declining interest rates.
Regulatory and Legal Risk—U.S. and non-U.S. governmental agencies and other regulators regularly implement additional regulations and legislators pass new laws that affect the investments held by the Fund, the strategies used by the Fund or the level of regulation or taxation applying to the Fund (such as regulations related to investments in derivatives and other transactions). These regulations and laws impact the investment strategies, performance, costs and operations of the Fund or taxation of shareholders.
Restricted Securities Risk—Restricted securities generally cannot be sold to the public and may involve a high degree of business, financial and liquidity risk, which may result in substantial losses to the Fund.
U.S. Government Securities Risk—U.S. government securities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. U.S. government securities are subject to the risks associated with fixed-income and debt securities, particularly interest rate risk and credit risk.
Value Stocks Risk—Value stocks are subject to the risk that the intrinsic value of the stock may never be realized by the market or that the price goes down.
Zero Coupon and Payment-In-Kind Securities Risk—Zero coupon and payment-in-kind securities pay no cash interest income and usually are sold at substantial discounts from their value at maturity. Zero coupon and payment-in-kind securities are subject to greater market value fluctuations from changing interest rates than debt obligations of comparable maturities that make current cash-pay interest payments.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the Fund’s Class A share calendar year performance from year to year and average annual returns for the one, five and ten year or since inception periods (if shorter), as applicable, for the Fund’s Class A, Class C, Institutional Class, and Class P shares compared to those of a broad measure of market performance. As with all mutual funds, past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or by calling 800.820.0888.
Effective April 30, 2013, certain changes were made to the Fund’s principal investment strategies. Performance information prior to that date reflects the Fund’s prior principal investment strategies.
The bar chart does not reflect the impact of the sales charge applicable to Class A shares which, if reflected, would lower the returns shown.
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Highest Quarter Return
Q2 2020 22.58%
  
Lowest Quarter Return
Q1 2020 -21.59%
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (for the periods ended December 31, 2020)
After-tax returns shown in the table are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of any state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. 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 (“IRAs”). After-tax returns are shown for Class A only. After-tax returns for Class C, Institutional Class, and Class P will vary. The returns shown below reflect applicable sales charges, if any.
Inception1 Year5 Years10 Years or Since Inception
Class A9/10/1962
Return Before Taxes
12.09%13.27%11.45%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
9.67%10.28%8.47%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
8.60%9.65%8.15%
Class C—Before Taxes
1/29/199915.61%13.36%11.09%
Institutional Class—Before Taxes
3/1/201217.99%14.70%13.29%
Class P—Before Taxes
5/1/201517.58%14.25%11.94%
Index
S&P 500 Index® (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
18.40%15.22%13.88%
GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST | Guggenheim StylePlus—Mid Growth Fund
Guggenheim StylePlus—Mid Growth Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
Guggenheim StylePlus—Mid Growth Fund (the “Fund”) seeks long-term growth of capital.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the Family of Funds, as defined on page 154 of the Fund’s prospectus. This amount may vary depending on the Guggenheim Fund in which you invest. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the “Sales Charges-Class A Shares” section on page 104 of the Fund’s prospectus and the “How to Purchase Shares” section on page 98 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information. Different intermediaries and financial professionals may impose different sales charges or offer different sales charge waivers or discounts.  These variations are described in Appendix A to the Fund’s prospectus (Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts).
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class AClass CInstitutional ClassClass P
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)4.75%NoneNoneNone
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)
None*
1.00%**
NoneNone
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees0.75%0.75%0.75%0.75%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees0.25%1.00%None0.25%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses0.14%0.14%0.14%0.14%
Other Expenses0.45%0.57%0.51%0.54%
Interest Expenses
0.04 %0.04 %0.04 %0.04 %
Remaining Other Expenses
0.41 %0.53 %0.47 %0.50 %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses1.59%2.46%1.40%1.68%
Fee Waiver1
-0.05%-0.04%-0.04%-0.04%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver1.54%2.42%1.36%1.64%
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although the actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Class AClass CInstitutionalClass P
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year$624$345$245$138$167
3 Years$948$763$763$439$526
5 Years$1,295$1,307$1,307$762$909
10 Years$2,270$2,793$2,793$1,676$1,984
Class AClass CInstitutionalClass P
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year$624$345$245$138$167
3 Years$948$763$763$439$526
5 Years$1,295$1,307$1,307$762$909
10 Years$2,270$2,793$2,793$1,676$1,984
The above Example reflects applicable contractual fee waiver arrangements for the current duration of the arrangements only.
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 82% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund seeks to exceed the total return of the Russell Midcap® Growth Index (the “Index”). The Fund pursues its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in: (i) equity securities issued by companies that have market capitalizations within the range of companies in the Index; (ii) investment vehicles that provide exposure to companies that have market capitalizations within the range of companies in the Index; and (iii) equity derivatives that, when purchased, provide exposure to (i.e., economic characteristics similar to) equity securities of companies with market capitalizations usually within the range of companies in the Index and equity derivatives based on mid-capitalization indices, including mid-capitalization growth indices deemed appropriate by Security Investors, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (the "Investment Manager"). The Fund will usually also invest in fixed-income instruments and cash investments to collateralize derivatives positions and to increase investment return. As of December 31, 2020, the Index consisted of securities of companies with market capitalizations that ranged from $623.7 million to $59.7 billion.
Equity securities in which the Fund may invest include common stocks, rights and warrants, and American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). Derivatives in which the Fund may invest include options, futures contracts, swap agreements (including but not limited to total return swap agreements), and forward contracts (some of these instruments may be traded in the over-the-counter market). Fixed-income securities and other securities in which the Fund may invest include debt securities selected from a variety of sectors and credit qualities (principally, investment grade), principally, corporate bonds, participations in and assignments of syndicated bank loans, asset-backed securities (including mortgage-backed securities, collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”), collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) and other structured finance investments), U.S. government and agency securities (including those not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government), mezzanine and preferred securities, commercial paper, zero-coupon bonds, non-registered or restricted securities (consisting of securities originally issued in reliance on Rule 144A and Regulation S), step-up securities (such as step-up bonds) and convertible securities that the Investment Manager believes offer attractive yield and/or capital appreciation potential. The Fund may invest in securities listed, traded or dealt in other countries. The Fund may hold securities of any duration or maturity. Fixed-income securities in which the Fund may invest may pay fixed or variable rates of interest. The Fund may invest in a variety of investment vehicles, principally closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other mutual funds.
Allocation decisions within the actively managed equity, passive equity and actively managed fixed-income sleeves are at the discretion of the Investment Manager and are based on the Investment Manager’s judgment of the current investment environment (including market volatility), the attractiveness of each asset category, the correlations among Index components, individual positions or each asset category, and expected returns. In selecting investments for the Fund, the Investment Manager uses quantitative analysis, credit research and due diligence on issuers, regions and sectors to select the Fund’s investments and other proprietary strategies to identify securities and other assets that, in combination, are expected to contribute to exceeding the total return of the Index.
Derivative instruments may be used extensively by the Investment Manager to maintain exposure to the equity and fixed-income markets, to hedge the Fund’s portfolio, or to increase returns. The Investment Manager may
determine to sell a security for several reasons including the following: (1) to meet redemption requests; (2) to close-out or unwind derivatives transactions; (3) to realize gains; or (4) if market conditions change.
The Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in investment companies advised by the Investment Manager, or an affiliate of the Investment Manager, that invest in short-term fixed-income or floating rate securities. These funds are designed primarily to provide an alternative to investing directly and separately in various short-term fixed-income or floating rate securities. The Fund invests in these investment companies for various portfolio management purposes, including for cash management and liquidity management purposes and to seek to obtain exposure with a higher level of return on investments used to collateralize derivatives positions and achieve greater diversification and trading efficiency than would usually be experienced by investing directly and separately in fixed-income or floating rate securities. Investments by the Fund in these investment companies significantly increase the Fund’s exposure to the following asset categories: (i) a broad range of high yield, high risk debt securities rated below the top four long-term rating categories by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (also known as “junk bonds”) or, if unrated, determined by the Investment Manager, to be of comparable quality; (ii) CLOs, other asset-backed securities and similarly structured debt investments; and (iii) other short-term fixed or floating rate debt securities. Such investments expose the Fund to the risks of these asset categories and decreases in the value of these investments may cause the Fund to deviate from its investment objective.
Under adverse or unstable market conditions or abnormal circumstances, the Fund could invest some or all of its assets in cash, derivatives, fixed-income instruments, government bonds, money market instruments, repurchase agreements or securities of other investment companies. The Fund may be unable to pursue or achieve its investment objective during that time and temporary investments could reduce the benefit from any upswing in the market.
PRINCIPAL RISKS
The value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate and is subject to investment risks, which means investors could lose money. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any governmental agency. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below.
Asset-Backed Securities Risk—Investors in asset-backed securities, including residential mortgage-backed securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities and other structured finance investments, generally receive payments that are part interest and part return of principal. These payments may vary based on the rate at which the underlying borrowers pay off their loans. Some asset-backed securities, including mortgage-backed securities, may have structures that make their performance based on changes in interest rates and other factors difficult to predict, causing their prices to be volatile. In particular, during periods of falling interest rates, asset-backed securities are more likely to be called or prepaid, which can result in the Fund having to reinvest proceeds in other investments at a lower interest rate or less advantageous terms, which would adversely affect the Fund. These instruments are particularly subject to interest rate, credit and liquidity and valuation risks.
Collateralized Loan Obligations and Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk—CLOs bear many of the same risks as other forms of asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. As they are backed by pools of loans, CLOs also bear similar risks to investing in loans directly. CLOs issue classes or “tranches” that vary in risk and yield. CLOs may experience substantial losses attributable to loan defaults. Losses caused by defaults on underlying assets are borne first by the holders of subordinate tranches. The Fund’s investment in CLOs may decrease in market value when the CLO experiences loan defaults or credit impairment, the disappearance of a subordinate tranche, or market anticipation of defaults and investor aversion to CLO securities as a class.
CDOs are structured similarly to CLOs and bear the same risks as CLOs including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. CDOs are subject to additional risks because they are backed by pools of assets other than loans including securities (such as other asset-backed securities), synthetic instruments or bonds and may be highly leveraged. Like CLOs, losses incurred by a CDO are borne first by holders of subordinate tranches. Accordingly, the risks of CDOs depend largely on the type of underlying collateral and the tranche of CDOs in which the Fund invests. For example, CDOs that obtain their exposure through synthetic investments entail the risks associated with derivative instruments.
Commercial Paper Risk—The value of the Fund’s investment in commercial paper, which is an unsecured promissory note that generally has a maturity date between one and 270 days and is issued by a U.S. or foreign entity, is susceptible to changes in the issuer’s financial condition or credit quality. Investments in commercial
paper are usually discounted from their value at maturity. Commercial paper can be fixed-rate or variable rate and can be adversely affected by changes in interest rates.
Convertible Securities Risk—Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. The total return for a convertible security depends, in part, upon the performance of the underlying security into which it can be converted. The value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality.
Counterparty Credit Risk—The Fund makes investments in financial instruments and over-the-counter ("OTC")-traded derivatives involving counterparties to gain exposure to a particular group of securities, index, asset class or other reference asset without actually purchasing those securities or investments, to hedge a position, or for other investment purposes. Through these investments and related arrangements (e.g., prime brokerage or securities lending arrangements or derivatives transactions), the Fund is exposed to credit risks that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments or otherwise to meet its contractual obligations. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on (or otherwise becomes unable or unwilling to perform) its payment or other obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount that it is entitled to receive or may experience delays in recovering the collateral or other assets held by, or on behalf of, the counterparty. If this occurs, the value of your shares in the Fund will decrease.
Credit Risk—The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income or other debt instrument or a counterparty to a derivatives transaction or other transaction is unable or unwilling, or perceived to be unable or unwilling, to pay interest or repay principal on time, defaults or otherwise fails to meet its obligations. Actual or perceived changes in economic, social, public health, financial or political conditions in general or that affect a particular type of instrument, issuer, guarantor or counterparty can reduce the ability of the party to meet its obligations, which can affect the credit quality, liquidity and/or value of an instrument. The value of an instrument also may decline for reasons that relate directly to the issuer, guarantor or counterparty, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for goods and services. The issuer, guarantor or counterparty could also suffer a rapid decline in credit rating, which would adversely affect the volatility of the value and liquidity of the instrument. Credit ratings may not be an accurate assessment of liquidity or credit risk.
Depositary Receipt Risk—The Fund may hold the securities of non-U.S. companies in the form of depositary receipts. The underlying securities of the depositary receipts in the Fund’s portfolio are subject to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that may affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the value of the securities underlying the depositary receipts may change materially when the U.S. markets are not open for trading. Investments in the underlying foreign securities also involve political and economic risks distinct from those associated with investing in the securities of U.S. issuers.
Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other investments, including risks relating to leverage, imperfect correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, high price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty credit, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. Their use is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. If the Investment Manager is incorrect about its expectations of market conditions, the use of derivatives could also result in a loss, which in some cases may be unlimited. In addition, the Fund’s use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments. Some of the derivatives in which the Fund invests may be traded (and privately negotiated) in the OTC market. OTC derivatives are subject to heightened counterparty credit, liquidity and valuation risks. Certain risks also are specific to the derivatives in which the Fund invests.
Futures Contracts Risk—Futures contracts are exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. Risks of futures contracts may be caused by an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the instruments and the price of the underlying assets. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction because of an illiquid market. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Investment Manager, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund’s net asset value ("NAV"). Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Options Risk—Options and options on futures contracts give the holder of the option the right, but not the obligation, to buy (or to sell) a position in a security or in a contract to the writer of the option, at a certain price. Options are subject to correlation risk because there may be an imperfect correlation between the options and the markets for underlying instruments that could cause a given transaction to fail to achieve its objectives. The successful use of options depends on the Investment Manager’s ability to predict correctly
future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the markets for options and the underlying instruments. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Investment Manager, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Options are also particularly subject to leverage risk and can be subject to liquidity risk.
Swap Agreements Risk—Swap agreements are contracts among the Fund and a counterparty to exchange the return of the pre-determined underlying investment (such as the rate of return of the underlying index). Swap agreements may be negotiated bilaterally and traded OTC between two parties or, for certain standardized swaps, must be exchange-traded through a futures commission merchant and/or cleared through a clearinghouse that serves as a central counterparty. Risks associated with the use of swap agreements are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions, due in part to the fact they could be considered illiquid and many swaps trade on the OTC market. Swaps are particularly subject to counterparty credit, correlation, valuation, liquidity and leveraging risks. While exchange trading and central clearing are intended to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity, they do not make swap transactions risk-free. Additionally, applicable regulators have adopted rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on OTC swaps, which may result in the Fund and its counterparties posting higher margin amounts for OTC swaps, which could increase the cost of swap transactions to the Fund and impose added operational complexity.
Equity Securities Risk—Equity securities include common stocks and other equity and equity-related securities (and securities convertible into stocks). The prices of equity securities generally fluctuate in value more than fixed-income investments, may rise or fall rapidly or unpredictably and may reflect real or perceived changes in the issuing company’s financial condition and changes in the overall market or economy. A decline in the value of equity securities held by the Fund will adversely affect the value of your investment in the Fund. Common stocks generally represent the riskiest investment in a company and dividend payments (if declared) to preferred stockholders generally rank junior to payments due to a company’s debtholders. The Fund may lose a substantial part, or even all, of its investment in a company’s stock.
Extension Risk—Certain debt instruments, including mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur at a slower rate or later than expected.  In this event, the expected maturity could lengthen and the Fund’s investment may sharply decrease in value and the Fund’s income from the investment may quickly decline.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to extension risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of rising interest rates. In addition, the Fund may be delayed in its ability to reinvest income or proceeds from these instruments in potentially higher yielding investments, which would adversely affect the Fund.
Foreign Securities and Currency Risk—Foreign securities carry unique or additional risks when compared to U.S. securities, including currency fluctuations, adverse political and economic developments, unreliable or untimely information, less liquidity and more volatility, limited legal recourse and higher transactional costs.
Growth Stocks Risk—Growth stocks typically invest a high portion of their earnings back into their business and may lack the dividend yield that could cushion their decline in a market downturn. Growth stocks may be more volatile than other stocks because they are more sensitive to investor perceptions regarding the growth potential of the issuing company.
High Yield and Unrated Securities Risk—High yield, below investment grade and unrated high risk debt securities (which also may be known as “junk bonds”) may present additional risks because these securities may be less liquid, and therefore more difficult to value accurately and sell at an advantageous price or time, and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be subject to greater volatility due to issuer-specific factors, such as operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions. This exposure may be obtained through investments in other investment companies. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund's investments (directly or indirectly) can be comprised of high yield and unrated securities and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks, which may result in losses to the Fund.
Interest Rate Risk—Fixed-income and other debt instruments are subject to the possibility that interest rates could change. Changes in interest rates may adversely affect the Fund’s investments in these instruments, such as the value or liquidity of, and income generated by, the investments. Interest rates may change as a result of a variety of factors, and the change may be sudden and significant, with unpredictable impacts on the financial markets and the Fund’s investments. Fixed-income and other debt instruments with longer durations are more sensitive to changes in interest rates and, thus, subject to more volatility than similar instruments with shorter durations. Generally, when interest rates increase, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments decline and when interest rates decrease, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments rise. During periods of rising
interest rates, because changes in interest rates on adjustable rate securities may lag behind changes in market rates, the value of such securities may decline until their interest rates reset to market rates. During periods of declining interest rates, because the interest rates on adjustable rate securities generally reset downward, their market value is unlikely to rise to the same extent as the value of comparable fixed rate securities. During periods when interest rates are low or negative, the Fund’s yield and performance may be adversely affected. The risks associated with rising interest rates are heightened given the current low interest rate environment.
Investment in Investment Vehicles Risk—Investing in other investment vehicles, including ETFs, closed-end funds, affiliated short-term funds and other mutual funds, subjects the Fund to those risks affecting the investment vehicle, including the possibility that the value of the underlying securities held by the investment vehicle could decrease or the portfolio becomes illiquid. Moreover, the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying vehicles’ expenses, which will reduce the Fund’s performance. In addition, investments in an ETF are subject to, among other risks, the risk that the ETF's shares may trade at a discount or premium relative to the NAV of the shares and the listing exchange may halt trading of the ETF's shares.
Investment in Loans Risk—The Fund may invest in loans directly or indirectly through assignments or participations. Investments in loans, including loan syndicates and other direct lending opportunities, involve special types of risks, including credit risk, interest rate risk, counterparty risk, prepayment risk and extension risk. Loans may offer a fixed or floating interest rate. Loans are often below investment grade and may be unrated. The Fund’s investments in loans can also be difficult to value accurately and may be more susceptible to liquidity risk than fixed-income instruments of similar credit quality and/or maturity. The Fund is also subject to the risk that the value of any collateral for the loan may be insufficient or unavailable to cover the borrower’s obligations should the borrower fail to make payments, become insolvent, or otherwise default. Transactions in loans are often subject to long settlement periods and often require consent from borrowers and/or an agent acting for the lenders, thus potentially limiting the ability of the Fund to invest sale proceeds in other investments and to use proceeds to meet its current redemption obligations. The Fund thus is subject to the risk of selling other investments at disadvantageous times or prices or taking other actions necessary to raise cash to meet its redemption obligations. Participations in loans may subject the Fund to the credit risk of both the borrower and the seller of the participation and may make enforcement of loan covenants, if any, more difficult for the Fund as legal action may have to go through the seller of the participation (or an agent acting on its behalf). Covenants contained in loan documentation are intended to protect lenders and investors by imposing certain restrictions and other limitations on a borrower’s operations or assets and by providing certain information and consent rights to lenders. In addition to operational covenants, loans and other debt obligations often contain financial covenants which require a borrower to satisfy certain financial tests at periodic intervals or to maintain compliance with certain financial metrics. The Fund is exposed to, including through investment in underlying funds, loans and other similar debt obligations that are sometimes referred to as “covenant-lite” loans or obligations, which generally are loans or other similar debt obligations that lack financial maintenance covenants or possess fewer or contingent financial maintenance covenants and other financial protections for lenders and investors. These "covenant-lite" loans or obligations typically are particularly subject to the risks associated with investments in loans as described above.
Leverage Risk—The Fund’s use of leverage, through borrowings or instruments such as derivatives and reverse repurchase agreements, may cause the Fund to be more volatile and riskier than if it had not been leveraged.
Liquidity and Valuation Risk—It may be difficult for the Fund to purchase and sell particular investments within a reasonable time at a fair price, or the price at which it has been valued by the Investment Manager for purposes of the Fund’s net asset value, causing the Fund to be less liquid and unable to realize what the Investment Manager believes should be the price of the investment. Valuation of portfolio investments may be difficult, such as during periods of market turmoil or reduced liquidity, and for investments that may, for example, trade infrequently or irregularly. In these and other circumstances, an investment may be valued using fair value methodologies, which are inherently subjective, reflect good faith judgments based on available information and may not accurately estimate the price at which the Fund could sell the investment at that time. These risks are heightened for fixed-income and other debt instruments because of the current low interest rate environment.
Management Risk—The Fund is actively managed, which means that investment decisions are made based on investment views. There is no guarantee that the investment views will produce the desired results or expected returns, causing the Fund to fail to meet its investment objective or underperform its benchmark index or funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. Furthermore, active and frequent trading that can accompany active management, also called “high turnover,” may have a negative impact on performance. Active and frequent trading may result in higher brokerage costs or mark-up charges, which are ultimately passed on to shareholders of the Fund. Active and frequent trading may also result in adverse tax consequences. In addition, the Fund is
subject to the risks associated with the Investment Manager's allocation of assets between or among sleeves, including the timing and amount of such allocations.
Market Risk—The value of, or income generated by, the investments held by the Fund may fluctuate rapidly and unpredictably and the Fund may incur losses as a result of factors affecting individual companies or issuers or particular industries. In addition, developments related to economic, political, social, public health, market or other conditions may cause volatility in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or debt markets, which could adversely impact the Fund and its investments. Under such conditions, the Fund may experience significant redemption activity by shareholders and could be forced to sell portfolio securities or other assets at unfavorable prices in an effort to generate sufficient cash to pay redeeming shareholders. The Fund's investments may perform poorly or underperform the general securities markets or other types of securities. Governmental authorities and regulators have enacted and continue to enact significant fiscal and monetary policy changes designed to support financial markets, which present heightened risks to markets and Fund investments and are resulting in low interest rates and in some cases, negative yields, and such risks could be even further heightened if these actions are discontinued, disrupted, reversed or are ineffective in achieving their desired outcomes. It is unknown how long current circumstances will persist, whether they will reoccur in the future and whether efforts to support the economy and financial markets will be successful.
Mid-Capitalization Securities Risk—The Fund is subject to the risk that mid-capitalization securities may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. Securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more speculative, volatile and less liquid than securities of large companies. Mid-capitalization companies tend to have inexperienced management as well as limited product and market diversification and financial resources, and may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than large capitalization companies.
Preferred Securities Risk—A company’s preferred stock generally pays dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred stock will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects.
Prepayment Risk—Certain debt instruments, including loans and mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur more quickly or earlier than expected.  If this occurs, the Fund might be forced to forego future interest income on the principal repaid early and to reinvest income or proceeds at generally lower interest rates, thus reducing the Fund’s yield.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to prepayment risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of declining interest rates.
Regulatory and Legal Risk—U.S. and non-U.S. governmental agencies and other regulators regularly implement additional regulations and legislators pass new laws that affect the investments held by the Fund, the strategies used by the Fund or the level of regulation or taxation applying to the Fund (such as regulations related to investments in derivatives and other transactions). These regulations and laws impact the investment strategies, performance, costs and operations of the Fund or taxation of shareholders.
Restricted Securities Risk—Restricted securities generally cannot be sold to the public and may involve a high degree of business, financial and liquidity risk, which may result in substantial losses to the Fund.
U.S. Government Securities Risk—U.S. government securities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. U.S. government securities are subject to the risks associated with fixed-income and debt securities, particularly interest rate risk and credit risk.
Zero Coupon and Payment-In-Kind Securities Risk—Zero coupon and payment-in-kind securities pay no cash interest income and usually are sold at substantial discounts from their value at maturity. Zero coupon and payment-in-kind securities are subject to greater market value fluctuations from changing interest rates than debt obligations of comparable maturities that make current cash-pay interest payments.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the Fund’s Class A share calendar year performance from year to year and average annual returns for the one, five and ten year or since inception periods (if shorter), as applicable, for the Fund’s Class A, Class C, Institutional Class, and Class P shares compared to those of a broad measure of market performance. As with all mutual funds, past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or by calling 800.820.0888.
Effective April 30, 2013, certain changes were made to the Fund’s investment objective and principal investment strategies. Performance information prior to that date reflects the Fund’s prior principal investment strategies.
The bar chart does not reflect the impact of the sales charge applicable to Class A shares which, if reflected, would lower the returns shown.
ck0000088525-20200930_g9.jpg
Highest Quarter Return
Q2 2020 31.82%
  
Lowest Quarter Return
Q1 2020 -23.81%
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (for the periods ended December 31, 2020)
After-tax returns shown in the table are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of any state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. 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 (“IRAs”). After-tax returns are shown for Class A only. After-tax returns for Class C, Institutional Class, and Class P will vary. The returns shown below reflect applicable sales charges, if any.
Inception1 Year5 Years10 Years or Since Inception
Class A
9/17/1969
Return Before Taxes
25.41%15.64%12.47%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
21.60%12.68%9.81%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
17.65%11.71%9.22%
Class C—Before Taxes
1/29/199929.48%15.76%12.16%
Institutional Class—Before Taxes
3/1/201231.92%16.95%14.10%
Class P—Before Taxes
5/1/201531.59%16.62%13.20%
Index
Russell Midcap® Growth Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
35.59%18.66%15.04%
GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST | Guggenheim World Equity Income Fund
Guggenheim World Equity Income Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Guggenheim World Equity Income Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide total return, comprised of capital appreciation and income.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the Family of Funds, as defined on page 154 of the Fund’s prospectus. This amount may vary depending on the Guggenheim Fund in which you invest. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the “Sales Charges-Class A Shares” section on page 104 of the Fund’s prospectus and the “How to Purchase Shares” section on page 98 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information. Different intermediaries and financial professionals may impose different sales charges or offer different sales charge waivers or discounts.  These variations are described in Appendix A to the Fund’s prospectus (Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts).
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class AClass CInstitutional ClassClass P
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)4.75%NoneNoneNone
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)
None*
1.00%**
NoneNone
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees0.70%0.70%0.70%0.70%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees0.25%1.00%None0.25%
Other Expenses0.53%0.70%0.80%0.61%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses1.48%2.40%1.50%1.56%
Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)1
-0.26%-0.43%-0.53%-0.34%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)1.22%1.97%0.97%1.22%
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although the actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Class AClass CInstitutionalClass P
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year$593$300$200$99$124
3 Years$896$707$707$422$459
5 Years$1,221$1,242$1,242$768$818
10 Years$2,138$2,704$2,704$1,745$1,828
Class AClass CInstitutionalClass P
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year$593$300$200$99$124
3 Years$896$707$707$422$459
5 Years$1,221$1,242$1,242$768$818
10 Years$2,138$2,704$2,704$1,745$1,828
The above Example reflects applicable contractual fee waiver/expense reimbursement arrangements for the current duration of the arrangements only.
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 192% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities. Generally, the Fund intends to invest in higher dividend-yielding equity securities. The Fund is not limited in the percentage of assets it may invest in securities listed, traded or dealt in any one country, region or geographic area and it may invest in a number of countries throughout the world, including emerging markets.
While the Fund tends to focus its investments in equity securities of large- and mid-capitalization companies, it can also invest in equity securities of companies that represent a broad range of market capitalizations and will not be constrained by capitalization limits. At times, the Fund may thus invest a significant portion of its assets in small- and mid-capitalization companies. The equity securities in which the Fund may invest include, but are not limited to, common stock, preferred stock, American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), American Depositary Shares (“ADS”), convertible securities and warrants and rights. The Fund invests in securities denominated in a wide variety of currencies.
The Fund may invest in a variety of investment vehicles, such as exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other mutual funds to manage its cash position, or to gain exposure to the equity markets or a particular sector of the equity markets. These investments may be more liquid than investing directly in individual issuers.
The Fund may also hold up to 20% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowing for investment purposes) in non-equity securities of foreign or U.S. issuers.
While the Fund generally does not intend to usually hold a significant portion of its assets in derivatives, the Fund may invest in derivatives, consisting of forwards, options, swaps and futures contracts (some of these instruments may be traded in the over-the-counter market) in order to maintain exposure to the securities and currency markets at times when it is unable to purchase the corresponding securities and currencies directly, or it believes that it is more appropriate to use derivatives to obtain the desired exposure to the underlying assets. Further, the Fund may seek to reduce the Fund's foreign currency exposure associated with its foreign investments by engaging in transactions and derivatives designed to hedge against adverse movements in foreign currencies, including forward foreign currency contracts, spot market transactions, currency futures, and options. At times, the Fund may engage in extensive foreign currency hedging transactions.
Security Investors, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (the "Investment Manager"), will actively manage the Fund’s portfolio while utilizing quantitative analysis to forecast risk. The Investment Manager’s goal will be to construct a well diversified portfolio comprised of securities that collectively have the ability to provide dividend yields in excess of the Fund’s benchmark, the MSCI World Index (Net) ("MSCI Index") and typically a lower historic volatility. In selecting investments, the Investment Manager will consider the dividend yield potential of each security, the historic volatility of each security, the correlation between securities, trading liquidity and market capitalization, among other factors or security characteristics. The Investment Manager also may consider transaction costs and overall exposures to countries, sectors and stocks. While the portfolio may be comprised of a large portion of securities that are included within the MSCI Index, a broad-based index that captures large- and mid-cap representations across a large number of developed markets countries globally, the Fund will also invest in securities that are not included in the MSCI Index. The Investment Manager may determine to sell a security for
several reasons including the following: (1) better investment opportunities are available; (2) to meet redemption requests; (3) to close-out or unwind derivatives transactions; (4) to realize gains; or (5) if market conditions change.
The Fund may invest in a limited number of sectors or industries, including the technology, consumer staples and financial sectors.
Under adverse or unstable market conditions or abnormal circumstances, the Fund could invest some or all of its assets in cash, derivatives, fixed-income instruments, government bonds, money market instruments, repurchase agreements or securities of other investment companies. The Fund may be unable to pursue or achieve its investment objective during that time and temporary investments could reduce the benefit from any upswing in the market.
PRINCIPAL RISKS
The value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate and is subject to investment risks, which means investors could lose money. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any governmental agency. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below.
Capitalization Securities Risk—The Fund may have significant exposure to securities in a particular capitalization range, e.g., large-, mid- or small-cap securities. As a result, the Fund may be subject to the risk that the pre-dominate capitalization range may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole.
Convertible Securities Risk—Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. The total return for a convertible security depends, in part, upon the performance of the underlying security into which it can be converted. The value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality.
Counterparty Credit Risk—The Fund makes investments in financial instruments and over-the-counter ("OTC")-traded derivatives involving counterparties to gain exposure to a particular group of securities, index, asset class or other reference asset without actually purchasing those securities or investments, to hedge a position, or for other investment purposes. Through these investments and related arrangements (e.g., prime brokerage or securities lending arrangements or derivatives transactions), the Fund is exposed to credit risks that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments or otherwise to meet its contractual obligations. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on (or otherwise becomes unable or unwilling to perform) its payment or other obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount that it is entitled to receive or may experience delays in recovering the collateral or other assets held by, or on behalf of, the counterparty. If this occurs, the value of your shares in the Fund will decrease.
Credit Risk—The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income or other debt instrument or a counterparty to a derivatives transaction or other transaction is unable or unwilling, or perceived to be unable or unwilling, to pay interest or repay principal on time, defaults or otherwise fails to meet its obligations. Actual or perceived changes in economic, social, public health, financial or political conditions in general or that affect a particular type of instrument, issuer, guarantor or counterparty can reduce the ability of the party to meet its obligations, which can affect the credit quality, liquidity and/or value of an instrument. The value of an instrument also may decline for reasons that relate directly to the issuer, guarantor or counterparty, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for goods and services. The issuer, guarantor or counterparty could also suffer a rapid decline in credit rating, which would adversely affect the volatility of the value and liquidity of the instrument. Credit ratings may not be an accurate assessment of liquidity or credit risk.
Currency Risk—Indirect and direct exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. Dollar, which would cause a decline in the U.S. value of the holdings of the Fund. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political, economic and tax developments in the U.S. or abroad. The Fund's foreign currency hedging transactions and techniques may not be effective and, in certain cases, may adversely affect the Fund. In addition, the Fund’s ability to engage in these transactions and techniques may be limited under certain circumstances.
Depositary Receipt Risk—The Fund may hold the securities of non-U.S. companies in the form of depositary receipts. The underlying securities of the depositary receipts in the Fund’s portfolio are subject to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that may affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the value of the securities underlying the depositary receipts may change materially when the U.S. markets are not open for
trading. Investments in the underlying foreign securities also involve political and economic risks distinct from those associated with investing in the securities of U.S. issuers.
Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other investments, including risks relating to leverage, imperfect correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, high price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty credit, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. Their use is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in leverage, which may cause the Fund to be more volatile and riskier than if it had not been leveraged. If the Investment Manager is incorrect about its expectations of market conditions, the use of derivatives could also result in a loss, which in some cases may be unlimited. In addition, the Fund’s use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments. Some of the derivatives in which the Fund invests may be traded (and privately negotiated) in the OTC market. OTC derivatives are subject to heightened counterparty credit, liquidity and valuation risks.
Dividend-Paying Stock Risk—As a category, dividend-paying stocks may underperform non-dividend paying stocks (and the stock market as a whole) over any period of time. In addition, issuers of dividend-paying stocks may have discretion to defer or stop paying dividends for a stated period of time. If the dividend-paying stocks held by the Fund reduce or stop paying dividends, the Fund’s ability to generate income may be adversely affected.
Emerging Markets Risk—Investments in or exposure to emerging markets are generally subject to a greater level of those risks associated with investing in or being exposed to developed foreign markets, as emerging markets are considered to be less developed than developing countries. Furthermore, investments in or exposure to emerging markets are generally subject to additional risks, including the risks associated with trading in smaller markets, lower volumes of trading, and being subject to lower levels of government regulation and less extensive and transparent accounting, auditing, recordkeeping, financial reporting and other requirements.
Equity Securities Risk—Equity securities include common stocks and other equity and equity-related securities (and securities convertible into stocks). The prices of equity securities generally fluctuate in value more than fixed-income investments, may rise or fall rapidly or unpredictably and may reflect real or perceived changes in the issuing company’s financial condition and changes in the overall market or economy. A decline in the value of equity securities held by the Fund will adversely affect the value of your investment in the Fund. Common stocks generally represent the riskiest investment in a company and dividend payments (if declared) to preferred stockholders generally rank junior to payments due to a company’s debtholders. The Fund may lose a substantial part, or even all, of its investment in a company’s stock.
Foreign Securities and Currency Risk—Foreign securities carry unique or additional risks when compared to U.S. securities, including currency fluctuations, adverse political and economic developments, unreliable or untimely information, less liquidity and more volatility, limited legal recourse and higher transactional costs.
Geographic Focus RiskAsia. Because the Fund may focus its investments in Asia, the Fund’s performance may be particularly susceptible to adverse social, political and economic conditions or events within Asia. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be more volatile than the performance of a more geographically diversified fund.
Geographic Focus RiskEurope. Because the Fund may focus its investments in Europe, the Fund’s performance may be particularly susceptible to adverse social, political and economic conditions or events within Europe. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be more volatile than the performance of a more geographically diversified fund.
Interest Rate Risk—Fixed-income and other debt instruments are subject to the possibility that interest rates could change. Changes in interest rates may adversely affect the Fund’s investments in these instruments, such as the value or liquidity of, and income generated by, the investments. Interest rates may change as a result of a variety of factors, and the change may be sudden and significant, with unpredictable impacts on the financial markets and the Fund’s investments. Fixed-income and other debt instruments with longer durations are more sensitive to changes in interest rates and, thus, subject to more volatility than similar instruments with shorter durations. Generally, when interest rates increase, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments decline and when interest rates decrease, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments rise. During periods of rising interest rates, because changes in interest rates on adjustable rate securities may lag behind changes in market rates, the value of such securities may decline until their interest rates reset to market rates. During periods of declining interest rates, because the interest rates on adjustable rate securities generally reset downward, their market value is unlikely to rise to the same extent as the value of comparable fixed rate securities. During periods
when interest rates are low or negative, the Fund’s yield and performance may be adversely affected. The risks associated with rising interest rates are heightened given the current low interest rate environment.
Investment in Investment Vehicles Risk—Investing in other investment vehicles, including ETFs, closed-end funds and other mutual funds, subjects the Fund to those risks affecting the investment vehicle, including the possibility that the value of the underlying securities held by the investment vehicle could decrease or the portfolio becomes illiquid. Moreover, the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying vehicles’ expenses, which will reduce the Fund’s performance. In addition, investments in an ETF are subject to, among other risks, the risk that the ETF's shares may trade at a discount or premium relative to the net asset value ("NAV") of the shares and the listing exchange may halt trading of the ETF's shares.
Liquidity and Valuation Risk—It may be difficult for the Fund to purchase and sell particular investments within a reasonable time at a fair price, or the price at which it has been valued by the Investment Manager for purposes of the Fund’s net asset value, causing the Fund to be less liquid and unable to realize what the Investment Manager believes should be the price of the investment. Valuation of portfolio investments may be difficult, such as during periods of market turmoil or reduced liquidity, and for investments that may, for example, trade infrequently or irregularly. In these and other circumstances, an investment may be valued using fair value methodologies, which are inherently subjective, reflect good faith judgments based on available information and may not accurately estimate the price at which the Fund could sell the investment at that time. These risks are heightened for fixed-income and other debt instruments because of the current low interest rate environment.
Management Risk—The Fund is actively managed, which means that investment decisions are made based on investment views. There is no guarantee that the investment views will produce the desired results or expected returns, causing the Fund to fail to meet its investment objective or underperform its benchmark index or funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. Furthermore, active and frequent trading that can accompany active management, also called “high turnover,” may have a negative impact on performance. Active and frequent trading may result in higher brokerage costs or mark-up charges, which are ultimately passed on to shareholders of the Fund. Active and frequent trading may also result in adverse tax consequences.
Market Risk—The value of, or income generated by, the investments held by the Fund may fluctuate rapidly and unpredictably and the Fund may incur losses as a result of factors affecting individual companies or issuers or particular industries. In addition, developments related to economic, political, social, public health, market or other conditions may cause volatility in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or debt markets, which could adversely impact the Fund and its investments. Under such conditions, the Fund may experience significant redemption activity by shareholders and could be forced to sell portfolio securities or other assets at unfavorable prices in an effort to generate sufficient cash to pay redeeming shareholders. The Fund's investments may perform poorly or underperform the general securities markets or other types of securities. Governmental authorities and regulators have enacted and continue to enact significant fiscal and monetary policy changes designed to support financial markets, which present heightened risks to markets and Fund investments and are resulting in low interest rates and in some cases, negative yields, and such risks could be even further heightened if these actions are discontinued, disrupted, reversed or are ineffective in achieving their desired outcomes. It is unknown how long current circumstances will persist, whether they will reoccur in the future and whether efforts to support the economy and financial markets will be successful.
Preferred Securities Risk—A company’s preferred stock generally pays dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred stock will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects.
Regulatory and Legal Risk—U.S. and non-U.S. governmental agencies and other regulators regularly implement additional regulations and legislators pass new laws that affect the investments held by the Fund, the strategies used by the Fund or the level of regulation or taxation applying to the Fund (such as regulations related to investments in derivatives and other transactions). These regulations and laws impact the investment strategies, performance, costs and operations of the Fund or taxation of shareholders.
Sector Emphasis Risk—If the Fund invests a significant amount of its assets in any one sector, the Fund’s performance will depend to a greater extent on the overall condition of the sector and there is increased risk that the Fund will lose value if conditions adversely affect that sector. The prices of securities of issuers in a particular sector may be more susceptible to fluctuations as a result of changes in economic, public health or business conditions, government regulations, availability of basic resources or supplies, or other events that affect that industry or sector more than securities of issuers in other sectors. To the extent the Fund is heavily invested in a particular sector, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than the value of shares of a mutual fund that invests in a broader range of sectors.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the Fund’s Class A share calendar year performance from year to year and average annual returns for the one, five and ten year or since inception periods (if shorter), as applicable, for the Fund’s Class A, Class C, Institutional Class, and Class P shares compared to those of a broad measure of market performance. As with all mutual funds, past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or by calling 800.820.0888.
Effective August 15, 2013, certain changes were made to the Fund’s investment objective, principal investment strategies and portfolio management team. Performance prior to that date, as well as prior to April 29, 2011, was achieved when the Fund had a different investment objective and used different strategies.
The bar chart does not reflect the impact of the sales charge applicable to Class A shares which, if reflected, would lower the returns shown.
ck0000088525-20200930_g10.jpg
Highest Quarter Return
Q2 2020 16.67%
  
Lowest Quarter Return
Q1 2020 -23.39%
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (for the periods ended December 31, 2020)
After-tax returns shown in the table are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of any state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. 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 (“IRAs”). After-tax returns are shown for Class A only. After-tax returns for Class C, Institutional Class, and Class P will vary. The returns shown below reflect applicable sales charges, if any.
Inception1 Year5 Years10 Years or Since Inception
Class A10/1/1993
Return Before Taxes
1.12%7.06%5.29%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
0.35%6.02%4.40%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
0.62%5.02%3.75%
Class C—Before Taxes
1/29/19994.34%7.28%5.12%
Institutional Class—Before Taxes
5/2/20116.45%8.40%5.64%
Class P—Before Taxes
5/1/20156.15%8.24%6.42%
Index


MSCI World Index (Net) (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes, except foreign withholding taxes)1
15.90%12.19%9.87%