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ING International Small Cap Fund

ING International Small Cap Fund

(formerly, ING International SmallCap Multi-Manager Fund)

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund seeks maximum long-term capital appreciation.

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND

These tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in ING Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the discussion in the Sales Charges section of the Prospectus (page 112) or the Statement of Additional Information (page 211).
Shareholder Fees
Fees paid directly from your investment
Shareholder Fees ING International Small Cap Fund
Maximum sales charge (load) as a % of offering price
Maximum deferred sales charge as a % of purchase or sales price, whichever is less
Class A
5.75% none [1]
Class B
none 5.00%
Class C
none 1.00%
Class I
none none
Class O
none none
Class W
none none
[1] A contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% is assessed on certain redemptions of Class A shares made within 18 months after purchase where no initial sales charge was paid at the time of purchase as part of an investment of $1 million or more.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
Expenses you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment
Annual Fund OperatIng Expenses ING International Small Cap Fund
Class A
Class B
Class C
Class I
Class O
Class W
Management Fees 1.00% 1.00% 1.00% 1.00% 1.00% 1.00%
Distribution and/or Shareholder Services (12b-1) Fees 0.35% 1.00% 1.00% none 0.25% none
Administrative Services Fees 0.10% 0.10% 0.10% 0.10% 0.10% 0.10%
Other Expenses 0.27% 0.27% 0.27% 0.17% 0.27% 0.27%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.72% 2.37% 2.37% 1.27% 1.62% 1.37%
Waivers and Reimbursements [1] (0.02%) (0.02%) (0.02%) (0.02%) (0.02%) (0.02%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses after Waivers and Reimbursements 1.70% 2.35% 2.35% 1.25% 1.60% 1.35%
[1] The adviser is contractually obligated to limit expenses to 1.95%, 2.60%, 2.60%, 1.40%, 1.85%, and 1.60% for Class A, Class B, Class C, Class I, Class O, and Class W shares, respectively, through March 1, 2013. The obligation will automatically renew for one-year terms unless it is terminated by the Fund or the adviser upon written notice within 90 days of the end of the current term or upon termination of the advisory agreement and is subject to possible recoupment by the adviser within three years. In addition, the adviser is contractually obligated to further limit expenses to 1.80%, 2.45%, 2.45%, 1.25%, 1.70%, and 1.45% for Class A, Class B, Class C, Class I, Class O, and Class W shares, respectively, through March 1, 2013. There is no guarantee that this obligation will continue after March 1, 2013, and the obligation will only continue if the adviser elects to renew it. Any fees waived pursuant to this obligation shall not be eligible for recoupment. These obligations do not extend to interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, extraordinary expenses, and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses. In addition, the adviser is contractually obligated to waive a portion of the management fee through March 1, 2013. Based upon net assets as of October 31, 2011, the management fee waiver for the Fund would be (0.02)%. There is no guarantee that the management fee waiver will continue after March 1, 2013. The management fee waiver will continue only if the adviser elects to renew it.

Expense Examples $

The Examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Examples assume that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated. The Examples show costs if you sold (redeemed) your shares at the end of the period or continued to hold them. The Examples also assume that your investment had a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example ING International Small Cap Fund (USD $)
1 Yr
3 Yrs
5 Yrs
10 Yrs
Class A
738 1,084 1,453 2,487
Class B
738 1,038 1,464 2,543
Class C
338 738 1,264 2,705
Class I
127 401 695 1,532
Class O
163 509 879 1,920
Class W
137 432 748 1,645
Expense Example, No Redemption ING International Small Cap Fund (USD $)
1 Yr
3 Yrs
5 Yrs
10 Yrs
Class A
738 1,084 1,453 2,487
Class B
238 738 1,264 2,543
Class C
238 738 1,264 2,705
Class I
127 401 695 1,532
Class O
163 509 879 1,920
Class W
137 432 748 1,645
The Examples reflect applicable expense limitation agreements and/or waivers in effect, if any, for the one-year period and the first year of the three-, five-, and ten-year periods.
Portfolio Turnover % of average value of portfolio

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 transactions costs and may mean higher taxes if you are investing in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Expense Examples, affect the Fund’s performance.

During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 37% of the average value of its portfolio.

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in securities of small market capitalization companies. The Fund will provide shareholders with at least 60 days’ prior notice of any change in this investment policy. The Fund considers small-capitalization companies to be those that have a market capitalization, at the time of purchase, of up to $5 billion. At least 65% of the Fund’s assets will normally be invested in companies located outside the United States, including companies located in countries with emerging securities markets. The Fund may invest up to 35% of its assets in U.S. issuers. The Fund may hold both growth and value stocks and at times may favor one over the other based on available opportunities.

The Fund invests primarily in common stocks or securities convertible into common stocks of international issuers, but may invest from time to time in such instruments as forward currency contracts, futures contracts, rights, and depositary receipts. The Fund may invest in forward currency contracts or futures contracts to hedge currency and for implementation of a currency model within the portfolio. The Fund may invest in futures contracts to allow market exposure in a cost efficient way, maintain exposure to an asset class in the case of large cash flows, and to have access to a particular market in which the Fund wishes to invest.

The Fund may invest in other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules, regulations, and exemptive orders thereunder (“1940 Act”).

Acadian Asset Management LLC (“Acadian”) and Schroder Investment Management North America Inc. (“Schroders”) (each a “Sub-Adviser” and collectively “Sub-Advisers”) provide the day-to-day management of the Fund. The Sub-Advisers act independently of each other and use their own methodology for selecting investments. ING Investments, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser, will determine the amount of Fund assets allocated to Acadian and Schroders.

Each Sub-Adviser may sell securities for a variety of reasons, such as to secure gains, limit losses, or redeploy assets into opportunities believed to be more promising, among others.

The Fund may lend portfolio securities on a short-term or long-term basis, up to 30% of its assets.

Acadian Asset Management LLC

Acadian employs a quantitative investment process which is driven by proprietary valuation models that combine a bottom-up view of the attractiveness of individual securities within each market with a top-down view of the attractiveness of each region/industry group, thereby capturing value-added at both the stock and the region/industry levels.

Schroder Investment Management North America Inc.

Schroders employs a fundamental investment approach that considers macroeconomic factors while focusing primarily on company specific factors. The company specific factors include the company’s potential for long-term growth, financial condition, quality of management, and sensitivity to cyclical factors, as well as the relative value of the company’s securities compared with those of other companies and the market as a whole. In selecting investments for the Fund, Schroders considers, among other things, whether a company is likely to have above-average earnings growth, whether its securities are attractively valued, and whether the company has any proprietary advantages. Schroders generally sells a security when its market price approaches its estimate of fair value or when it identifies a more attractive investment candidate.

PRINCIPAL RISKS

You could lose money on an investment in the Fund. Any of the following risks, among others, could affect Fund performance or cause the Fund to lose money or to underperform market averages of other funds.

Company The price of a given company’s stock could decline or underperform for many reasons including, among others, poor management, financial problems, or business challenges. If a company declares bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, its stock could become worthless.

Convertible Securities Convertible securities are securities that are convertible into or exercisable for common stocks at a stated price or rate. Convertible securities are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate and credit risk. In addition, because convertible securities react to changes in the value of the stocks into which they convert, they are subject to market risk.

Currency To the extent that the Fund invests directly in foreign currencies or in securities denominated in, or that trade in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, it is subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged.

Derivative Instruments Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks, including the risk of changes in the market price of the underlying securities, credit risk with respect to the counterparty, risk of loss due to changes in interest rates and liquidity risk. The use of certain derivatives may also have a leveraging effect which may increase the volatility of the Fund and reduce its returns.

Foreign Investments/Developing and Emerging Markets Investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, and nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, foreign currency fluctuations, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign investment risks typically are greater in developing and emerging markets than in developed markets.

Investment Model The manager’s proprietary model may not adequately allow for existing or unforeseen market factors or the interplay between such factors.

Liquidity If a security is illiquid, the Fund might be unable to sell the security at a time when the Fund’s manager might wish to sell, and the security could have the effect of decreasing the overall level of the Fund’s liquidity. Further, the lack of an established secondary market may make it more difficult to value illiquid securities, which could vary from the amount the Fund could realize upon disposition. The Fund may make investments that become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perception. The Fund could lose money if it cannot sell a security at the time and price that would be most beneficial to the Fund.

Market Stock prices may be volatile and are affected by the real or perceived impacts of such factors as economic conditions and political events. The stock market tends to be cyclical, with periods when stock prices generally rise and periods when stock prices generally decline. Any given stock market segment may remain out of favor with investors for a short or long period of time, and stocks as an asset class may underperform bonds or other asset classes during some periods. From time to time, the stock market may not favor the growth- or value-oriented securities in which the Fund invests. Rather, the market could favor securities to which the Fund is not exposed or may not favor equities at all.

Other Investment Companies The main risk of investing in other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, is the risk that the value of the securities underlying an investment company might decrease. Because the Fund may invest in other investment companies, you will pay a proportionate share of the expenses of that other investment company (including management fees, administration fees, and custodial fees) in addition to the expenses of the Fund.

Small-Capitalization Company Investments in small-capitalization companies may involve greater risk than is customarily associated with larger, more established companies due to the greater business risks of small size, limited markets and financial resources, narrow product lines and the frequent lack of depth of management. The securities of smaller companies are often traded over-the-counter and may not be traded in volume typical on a national securities exchange.

Securities Lending Securities lending involves two primary risks: “investment risk” and “borrower default risk.” Investment risk is the risk that the Fund will lose money from the investment of the cash collateral received from the borrower. Borrower default risk is the risk that the Fund will lose money due to the failure of a borrower to return a borrowed security in a timely manner.

An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency.

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

The following information is intended to help you understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The following bar chart shows the changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year, and the table compares the Fund’s performance to the performance of a broad-based securities market index/indices for the same period. The Fund’s performance information reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the period presented. Absent such fee waivers/expense limitations, if any, performance would have been lower. The bar chart shows the performance of the Fund’s Class A shares. Sales charges are not reflected in the bar chart. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. However, the table includes all applicable fees and sales charges. Other class shares’ performance would be higher or lower than Class A shares’ performance because of the higher or lower expenses paid by Class A shares. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is no guarantee of future results. For the most recent performance figures, go to www.INGFunds.com/literature or call 1-800-992-0180.
Calendar Year Total Returns Class A
(as of December 31 of each year)
Bar Chart
Best quarter: 2nd 2009, 34.59% and Worst quarter: 3rd 2008, (28.34)%
Average Annual Total Returns%
(for the periods ended December 31, 2011)
Average Annual Total Returns ING International Small Cap Fund
1 Yr
5 Yrs
10 Yrs
Since Inception
Inception Date
Class A before taxes
(22.39%) (5.68%) 5.57%    Aug. 31, 1994
Class A After tax on distributions
(22.45%) (6.35%) 5.19%     
Class A After tax on distributions with sale
(14.15%) (4.82%) 4.92%     
Class A S&P Developed Ex-U.S. SmallCap Index
[1] (14.49%) (3.21%) 9.43%     
Class A S&P EPAC SmallCap Index
[1] (14.38%) (3.91%) 9.01%     
Class B before taxes
(22.27%) (5.53%) 5.49%    May 31, 1995
Class B S&P Developed Ex-U.S. SmallCap Index
[1] (14.49%) (3.21%) 9.43%     
Class B S&P EPAC SmallCap Index
[1] (14.38%) (3.91%) 9.01%     
Class C before taxes
(19.00%) (5.18%) 5.49%    Aug. 31, 1994
Class C S&P Developed Ex-U.S. SmallCap Index
[1] (14.49%) (3.21%) 9.43%     
Class C S&P EPAC SmallCap Index
[1] (14.38%) (3.91%) 9.01%     
Class I before taxes
(17.32%) (4.11%)    0.59% Dec. 21, 2005
Class I S&P Developed Ex-U.S. SmallCap Index
[1] (14.49%) (3.21%)    1.60% [2]  
Class I S&P EPAC SmallCap Index
[1] (14.38%) (3.91%)    1.10% [2]  
Class O before taxes
(17.58%)       (8.18%) Jun. 04, 2008
Class O S&P Developed Ex-U.S. SmallCap Index
[1] (14.49%)       (5.68%) [2]  
Class O S&P EPAC SmallCap Index
[1] (14.38%)       (6.34%) [2]  
Class W before taxes
(17.38%)       (5.05%) Feb. 12, 2008
Class W S&P Developed Ex-U.S. SmallCap Index
[1] (14.49%)       (3.24%) [2]  
Class W S&P EPAC SmallCap Index
[1] (14.38%)       (3.83%) [2]  
[1] The index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes.
[2] Reflects index performance since the date closest to the Class' inception for which data is available.
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the after-tax returns may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only. After-tax returns for other classes will vary.