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Class T Prospectus | First Eagle Global Income Builder Fund
First Eagle Global Income Builder Fund
Investment Objective

First Eagle Global Income Builder Fund (“Global Income Builder Fund”) seeks current income generation and long-term growth of capital.

Fees and Expenses of the Global Income Builder Fund

The following information describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Global Income Builder Fund.


You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you invest at least $250,000 in the Global Income Builder Fund. Information about these discounts is available from your financial professional and in the How to Purchase Shares and Public Offering Price of Class T Shares sections on pages 68 and 73, respectively, and in the appendix to this Prospectus titled Intermediary-Specific Front-End Sales Load and Waiver Terms.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees
Class T Prospectus
First Eagle Global Income Builder Fund
Class T
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) on Purchases (as a percentage of public offering price) 2.50%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lesser of your purchase or redemption price) none
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
Class T Prospectus
First Eagle Global Income Builder Fund
Class T
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25%
Other Expenses 0.19% [1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (%) 1.19%
[1] "Other Expenses" shown generally reflect actual expenses for the Fund for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2017 as adjusted for estimates in the case of newly organized share classes.
Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Global Income Builder Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. This hypothetical example assumes you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then either redeem or do not redeem all shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes the average annual return is 5% and operating expenses remain the same. Please keep in mind your actual costs may be higher or lower.

Sold
Expense Example
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class T Prospectus | First Eagle Global Income Builder Fund | Class T | USD ($) 368 618 888 1,657
Held
Expense Example No Redemption
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class T Prospectus | First Eagle Global Income Builder Fund | Class T | USD ($) 368 618 888 1,657
Portfolio Turnover Rate

There are transaction costs due to the bid/ask spread in the case of bonds or commissions in the case of stocks. The Global Income Builder Fund pays transaction costs when the Fund 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 Fund’s most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 23.18% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

To achieve its objective of current income generation and long-term growth of capital, the Global Income Builder Fund will normally invest primarily in common stocks of U.S. and foreign companies that offer attractive dividend yields and a range of fixed income instruments, including high-yield, below investment grade instruments (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”), investment grade instruments and sovereign debt, from markets in the United States and multiple countries around the world.


Investment decisions for the Global Income Builder Fund are made without regard to the capitalization (size) of the companies in which it invests. The Fund may invest in any size company, including large, medium and smaller companies. Under normal circumstances, the Fund anticipates it will allocate a substantial amount of its assets to income-producing securities. That generally means that approximately 80% or more of the Fund’s net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) will be allocated to such investments, which may include dividend paying equities, both high-yield (below investment grade) and investment grade debt, sovereign bonds, and various short-term debt instruments. The Fund may invest in securities with any maturity or investment rating, as well as unrated securities. The Fund may also invest (typically for hedging purposes) in derivative instruments such as options, futures contracts and options on futures contracts, credit default swaps, and swaps and options on indices.


Additionally, under normal circumstances, the Fund anticipates it will allocate a substantial amount of its assets to foreign investments. That generally means that approximately 40% or more of the Fund’s net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) will be allocated to foreign investments (unless market conditions are not deemed favorable by the Fund, in which case the Fund expects to invest at least 30% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in foreign investments). For purposes of these 80%, 40% and 30% of assets allocations, the Fund “counts” relevant derivative positions on investments, and in doing so, values each position at the price at which it is held on the Fund’s books (generally market price).


The investment philosophy and strategy of the Global Income Builder Fund can be broadly characterized as a “value” approach, as it seeks a “margin of safety” in each investment purchase with the goal being to avoid permanent impairment of capital (as opposed to temporary losses in share value relating to shifting investor sentiment or other normal share price volatility). With respect to equity investments in particular, a discount to “intrinsic value” is sought even for what appear to be the best of businesses, with a deeper discount demanded for companies that we view as under business model, balance sheet, management or other stresses. “Intrinsic value” is based on our judgment of what a prudent and rational business buyer would pay in cash for all of the company in normal markets. Investments in debt instruments are made after careful scrutiny of the underlying creditworthiness of the issuer, taking into account such factors as cash flow generation, liquidation value and structural protections. The Global Income Builder Fund seeks to own debt instruments that offer an attractive “margin of safety” on principal repayment relative to the total expected return of the security.

Principal Investment Risks

As with any mutual fund investment, you may lose money by investing in the Global Income Builder Fund. The likelihood of loss may be greater if you invest for a shorter period of time. An investment in the Fund is not intended to be a complete investment program.


Principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value and total return, are:


 

 

Market Risk — The value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings may fluctuate in response to events specific to the companies or markets in which the Fund invests, as well as economic, political, or social events in the United States or abroad.

 

 

Foreign Investment Risk — The Fund will invest in foreign investments. Foreign investments can be susceptible to less politically, economically and socially stable environments, foreign currency and exchange rate changes, and adverse changes to government regulations.

 

 

Credit and Interest Rate Risk — The value of the Fund’s portfolio may fluctuate in response to the risk that the issuer of a bond or other instrument will not be able to make payments of interest and principal when due. In addition, fluctuations in interest rates can affect the value of debt instruments held by the Fund. An increase in interest rates tends to reduce the market value of debt instruments, while a decline in interest rates tends to increase their values. Longer-duration instruments tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than those with shorter durations.

 

 

Prepayment Risk — Certain instruments, especially mortgage-backed securities, for example, are susceptible to the risk of prepayment by borrowers. During a period of declining interest rates, homeowners may refinance their high-rate mortgages and prepay the principal. Cash from these prepayments flows through to prepay the mortgage-backed securities, necessitating reinvestment in other assets, which may lower returns. Asset-backed securities, which are subject to risks similar to those of mortgage-backed securities, are also structured like mortgage-backed securities, but instead of mortgage loans or interests in mortgage loans, the underlying assets may include such items as motor vehicle installment sales or installment loan contracts, leases of various types of real and personal property and receivables from credit card agreements. The market for mortgage-backed and asset-backed instruments may be volatile and limited, which may make them difficult to buy or sell.

 

 

Changes in Debt Ratings Risk — If a rating agency gives a debt instrument a lower rating, the value of the instrument may decline because investors may demand a higher rate of return.

 

 

Convertible Security Risk — Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality. Convertible securities may gain or lose value due to changes in the issuer’s operating results, financial condition and credit rating and changes in interest rates and other general economic, industry and market conditions.

 

 

High Yield Risk — The Fund intends to invest in high yield instruments (commonly known as “junk bonds”) which may be subject to greater levels of interest rate, credit (including issuer default) and liquidity risk than investment grade instruments and may experience extreme price fluctuations. The securities of such companies may be considered speculative and the ability of such companies to pay their debts on schedule may be uncertain.

 

 

Gold Risk — The Fund may invest in both physical gold and the securities of companies in the gold mining sector. Prices of gold-related issues are susceptible to changes in U.S. and foreign regulatory policies, taxes, currencies, mining laws, inflation, and various other market conditions.

 

 

Derivatives Risk — Futures contracts or other “derivatives,” including hedging strategies, present risks related to their significant price volatility and risk of default by the counterparty to the contract. To date, derivatives have been used mainly under a hedging program that seeks to reduce the impact of foreign exchange rate changes on the Fund’s value. The Fund may at times also purchase derivatives linked to relevant market indices as either a hedge or for investment purposes.

 

 

Currency Risk — Currency risk is the risk that foreign currencies will decline in value relative to that of the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund’s non-U.S. currencies or securities that trade in and receive revenue in non-U.S. currencies.

 

 

Small and Medium-Size Company Risk — The Fund may invest in small and medium-size companies, the securities of which can be more volatile in price than those of larger companies. Positions in smaller companies, especially when the Fund is a large holder of a small company’s securities, also may be more difficult or expensive to trade.

 

 

Bank Loan Risk — The Fund may invest in bank loans. These investments potentially expose the Fund to the credit risk of the underlying borrower, and in certain cases, of the financial institution. The Fund’s ability to receive payments in connection with the loan depends primarily on the financial condition of the borrower. The market for bank loans may be illiquid and the Fund may have difficulty selling them, especially in the case of leveraged loans, which can be difficult to value. In addition, bank loans often have contractual restrictions on resale, which can delay the sale and adversely impact the sale price. At times, the Fund may decline to receive non-public information relating to loans, which could disadvantage the Fund relative to other investors.


 

 

Real Estate Industry Risk — The Fund may invest in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), which are subject to risks affecting the real estate industry generally (including market conditions, competition, property obsolescence, changes in interest rates and casualty to real estate), as well as risks specifically affecting REITs (the quality and skill of REIT management and the internal expenses of the REIT).


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


For more information on the risks of investing in the Global Income Builder Fund, please see the More Information about the Funds’ Investments section.

Investment Results

The following information provides an indication of the risks of investing in the Global Income Builder Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year, and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the periods shown compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. As with all mutual funds, past performance is not an indication of future performance (before or after taxes).


After-tax returns are calculated using the highest individual federal income tax rate for each year, and do not reflect the effect of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your individual tax situation. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors in tax-deferred accounts, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.


Updated performance information is available at www.feim.com/individual-investors/fund/global-income-builder-fund or by calling 800.334.2143.


The following bar chart assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions and does not reflect any sales charges. If sales charges were included, the returns would be lower.

Calendar Year Total Returns Class A
Bar Chart

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Quarter*

 

 

 

Worst Quarter*

Third Quarter 2013

 

5.09%

 

 

 

Third Quarter 2015

 

-6.08%

 

 

 

 

 


 

*

 

For the period presented in the bar chart above.

Average Annual Total Returns as of December 31, 2017

The bar chart above and table below disclose returns only for Class A shares (which are not offered by this prospectus).


While no information is shown for the Class T shares (because they have no or less than a full year’s performance as of December 31, 2017), annual returns for Class T shares would have been substantially similar to those shown here. Class T shares are invested in the same portfolio of securities and the annual returns would differ only to the extent that Class T shares do not have the same expenses.

Average Annual Returns - Class T Prospectus - First Eagle Global Income Builder Fund
1 Year
5 Years
Since Inception
Inception Date
Class A 7.31% 5.50% 6.01% May 01, 2012
After Taxes on Distributions | Class A 6.35% 4.30% 4.85%  
After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares | Class A 4.34% 3.84% 4.28%  
60% MSCI World Index/40% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index 14.52% 7.86% 7.69% May 01, 2012
MSCI World Index 22.40% 11.64% 11.07% May 01, 2012
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index 3.54% 2.10% 2.36% May 01, 2012