Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing the Funds portfolio in various asset classes, such as equities, fixed income, and real estate, as described below. The Fund may seek to gain exposure to such asset classes both by investing in securities or other financial instruments from such asset classes or by investing in mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that provide exposure to such asset classes.
The Fund may invest in equity securities and fixed income instruments without limit. Equity securities include common stock, preferred stock, securities convertible into common stock, rights and warrants, securities or other instruments whose price is linked to the value of common stocks, and units of real estate investment trusts (REITs) and master limited partnerships (MLPs). The Fund may invest in equity securities of both U.S. and foreign companies, which can be denominated in U.S. dollars or foreign currencies, including equity securities of emerging market issuers. The Fund may invest in equity
securities of companies of any market capitalization.
Fixed income securities include corporate bonds, debentures and notes, Treasury bills and debt securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. or foreign governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, obligations of international or supranational entities, municipal securities (including, but not limited to, Build America Bonds), mortgage-backed securities, collateralized mortgage obligations, asset-backed securities, senior loans, term deposits and zero coupon obligations. The Fund may invest without limit in fixed income instruments that are, at the time of investment, rated below investment grade (lower than BBB- by Standard
& Poors Ratings Services (S&P) or Fitch Ratings Inc. (Fitch), or lower than Baa3 by Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys)), or their unrated equivalents (commonly referred to as junk bonds or high yield securities). The Funds investments in junk bonds may include distressed securities. The Fund may invest in fixed income instruments denominated in U.S. dollars or foreign currencies, and may invest in fixed income instruments of emerging market issuers. These investments may include fixed income securities of foreign issuers that are issued in the U.S. and are denominated in U.S. dollars (yankee bonds). The Fund may invest in securities without regard to their maturity and there are no limits regarding average maturity of the Funds portfolio.
The Fund may use derivatives, such as options, futures, forward and swap contracts, to:
|
|
gain exposure to securities without actually investing in them directly (including when owning the derivative investment is more efficient or less costly than owning the security itself);
|
|
|
provide downside risk protection for one or more securities to which the Fund has exposure.
|
The Fund may invest in repurchase agreements and other money market securities, which may be used to serve as collateral for the Funds derivatives investments and/or earn income for the Fund.
The Fund seeks to achieve total return that exceeds the rate of return of the 1-month Treasury bill by 300 basis points (or 3%) on an annualized basis over a 5 year period regardless of market conditions. TDAM USA Inc., the Funds investment manager (the Investment Manager or TDAM), will generally make investment decisions for the Fund with a focus on achieving the Funds target return while managing downside risk. The Investment Manager will allocate the Funds assets across the various asset classes based on its assessment of the risk associated with the asset class, the investment
opportunity presented by each asset class, as well as its assessment of prevailing market conditions with the asset classes in the U.S. and around the world.
The Fund seeks to earn its target return over a 5 year period, which is a full market cycle, because investment returns tend to fluctuate over shorter time periods as market conditions vary. The Fund expects to produce less volatile returns over time than has been historically associated with equity markets. However, given the Funds strategy, the Fund may not always perform in line with the general securities markets over shorter periods of time. Volatility refers to the tendency of investments and markets to fluctuate in price over time.
In selecting portfolio investments, the Investment Manager considers the macro-economic environment and estimates the potential annual return and correlations of various asset classes. The Investment Manager will attempt to construct the Funds portfolio using a combination of asset classes that, in the Investment Managers view, have the greatest chance of achieving the targeted return while managing overall portfolio risk. The Investment Manager may adjust the
Funds portfolio to take advantage of valuation anomalies and changes to the macro-economic environment. The Investment Manager will sell an investment when it believes that:
|
|
the risk of a security or asset class outweighs the potential return;
|
|
|
the valuation of a security or asset class exceeds expectations; or
|
|
|
capital preservation is at risk due to macro-economic conditions.
|
Principal Risks
As with any mutual fund, you could lose money on your investment in the Fund, or the Fund could underperform other investments. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of any bank and is not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
An investment in the Fund may be subject to the following principal risks:
Stock Market Risk
The market value of the Funds investments will fluctuate as the stock markets fluctuate. Stock prices may decline in response to adverse economic, industry, political or regulatory developments.
Equity Securities Risk
The values of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred stocks, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally.
Small and Medium Capitalization Companies Risk
The smaller and medium capitalization companies in which the Fund invests may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies. In particular, small and medium capitalization companies may have limited product lines, markets and financial resources and may depend upon a relatively small management group. Therefore, small and medium capitalization stocks may be more volatile than those of larger companies.
Bond Market Risk
The bond markets as a whole could go up or down (sometimes dramatically). This volatility could affect the value of the investments in the Funds portfolio exposed to bonds or other fixed income securities. In an economic downturn, the ability of issuers of corporate fixed income securities and other securities to service their obligations could be materially and adversely affected.
Credit Risk
Fixed income securities, such as bonds, and derivatives involving a counterparty, are subject to credit risk. This is the risk that the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security or the counterparty to a derivatives contract will be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations. The degree of credit risk depends on the issuers, guarantors or counterpartys financial condition and on the terms of the fixed income or derivative instrument. Changes in an issuers or guarantors credit rating
or the markets perception of an issuers or guarantors creditworthiness also may affect the value of fixed income securities.
High Yield Securities Risk
Fixed income securities rated below investment grade and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly referred to as junk bonds or high yield securities) are regarded as being predominantly speculative as to the issuers ability to make payments of principal and interest. Investments in such securities involves substantial risk. Issuers of high yield securities may be highly leveraged and may not have available to them more traditional methods of financing. Therefore, the risks associated with acquiring the securities of such issuers generally
are greater than is the case with investment grade securities. The value of high yield securities tends to be very volatile due to such factors as specific corporate developments, interest rate sensitivity, less secondary market activity, and negative perceptions of high yield securities and the junk bond markets generally, particularly in times of market stress.
Distressed Securities Risk
Distressed securities are speculative and involve substantial risks in addition to the risks of investing in junk bonds. The Fund will generally not receive interest payments on distressed securities and may incur costs to protect its investments. In addition, distressed securities involve the substantial risk that principal will not be repaid.
Interest Rate Risk
Interest rate risk is the risk that the Funds fixed income securities will decline in value because of increases in market interest rates. Prices of fixed income securities generally decrease when interest rates rise and increase when interest rates decline.
Liquidity Risk
This is the risk that certain securities that the Fund holds may be difficult or impossible to sell at a particular time or at an acceptable price.
Senior Loans Risk
Senior loans are subject to the risk that a court could subordinate a senior loan, which typically holds the most senior position in the issuers capital structure, to presently existing or future indebtedness or take other action detrimental to the holders of senior loans. Senior loans are also subject to heightened prepayment risk, as they usually have mandatory and optional prepayment provisions. Senior loans are subject to the risk that the value of the collateral, if any, securing a loan may decline, be insufficient to meet the obligations of the borrower, or be
difficult to liquidate. There may not be an active trading market for certain senior loans and the liquidity of some actively traded loans may be impaired due to adverse market conditions.
See
Liquidity Risk. In addition, because the senior loans in which the Fund invests are typically rated below investment grade, the risks associated with senior loans are similar to the risks of below investment grade securities.
See
High Yield Securities Risk.
Prepayment Risk
Prepayment risk is the risk that the ability of an issuer of a debt security to repay principal prior to a securitys maturity can cause greater price volatility if interest rates change. When interest rates fall, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more quickly than originally anticipated, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in lower yielding securities.
Foreign Securities Risk
Investments in foreign securities involve special risks, including the possibility of substantial volatility, limited liquidity and significant changes in value due to, among other things, exchange rate fluctuations. Investments in foreign securities involve country risk, which is the risk that the economy of a country (or region) will be damaged by political instability, financial problems or natural disasters.
Foreign Currency Risk
Foreign currency risk is the risk that changes in foreign currency exchange rates may negatively affect the value of the Funds investments denominated in foreign currencies or reduce the returns of the Fund.
Emerging Markets Risk
While investments in foreign securities entail significant risks in addition to those customarily associated with investing in U.S. securities, these risks are heightened with respect to investments in emerging market countries, where there is an even greater amount of economic, political and social instability.
Geographic Focus Risk
To the extent the Fund invests a substantial amount of its assets in issuers located in a single country or region, developments in these economies will generally have a greater effect on the Fund than they would on a more geographically diversified fund, which may result in greater losses and volatility.
Convertible Securities Risk
The market value of a convertible security performs like that of a regular debt security, that is, if market interest rates rise, the value of a convertible security usually falls. In addition, convertible securities are subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest or dividends when due, and their market value may change based on changes in the issuers credit rating or the markets perception of the issuers creditworthiness. Since it derives a portion of its value form the common stock into which it may be converted, a
convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock.
Preferred Stock Risk
Preferred stock represents an equity interest in a company that generally entitles the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other stocks such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Preferred stock is subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities and is sensitive to changes in the issuers creditworthiness and to changes in interest rates, and may decline in value if interest rates rise.
Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk
The value of the Funds mortgage-backed securities can fall if the owners of the underlying mortgages pay off their mortgages sooner than expected, which could happen when interest rates fall, or later than expected, which could happen when interest rates rise. If the underlying mortgages are paid off sooner than expected, the Fund may have to reinvest this money in mortgage-backed or other securities that have lower yields.
See also
Credit Risk.
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations Risk
There are risks associated with collateralized mortgage obligations that relate to the risks of the underlying mortgage pass-through securities (i.e., an increase or decrease in prepayment rates, resulting from a decrease or increase in mortgage interest rates, will affect the yield, average life, and price of collateralized mortgage obligations).
Asset-Backed Securities Risk
Payment of interest and repayment of principal may be impacted by the cash flows generated by the assets backing asset-backed securities. The value of the Funds asset-backed securities may also be affected by changes in interest rates, the availability of information concerning the interests in and structure of the pools of purchase contracts, financing leases or sales agreements that are represented by these securities, the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the pool, the originator of the loans or receivables, or the entities that provide any
supporting letters of credit, surety bonds, or other credit enhancements.
Municipal Securities Risk
Municipal securities can be significantly affected by unfavorable economic, legislative or political developments and adverse changes in the financial conditions of issuers. Liquidity in the municipal securities market can be reduced unpredictably in response to overall economic conditions or credit tightening.
Zero Coupon Bonds Risk
Zero coupon bonds are sold at a discount from face value and do not make periodic interest payments. At maturity, zero coupon bonds can be redeemed for their face value. Because zero coupon bonds do not pay interest, the value of zero coupon bonds may be more volatile than other fixed income securities and may also be subject to greater interest rate risk and credit risk than other fixed income instruments.
REIT Risk
Investments in REITs involve risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, including decline in property values, extended vacancies, changes in regional and national economic conditions, increases in property taxes and changes in interest rates. An individual REITs performance depends on the types and locations of the rental properties it owns and on how well it manages those properties. Additionally, REITs are dependent upon management skills, may not be diversified, may experience substantial cost in the event of borrower or lessee defaults and are subject to heavy cash
flow dependency. A REIT could possibly fail to qualify for tax free pass-through of income under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or could fail to maintain its exemption from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The failure of a company to qualify as a REIT under federal tax law may have adverse consequence.
Yankee Bonds Risk
Investments in yankee bonds involve similar risks as investments in the debt obligations of U.S. issuers.
See
Credit Risk, Market Risk, and Liquidity Risk. Principal and interest on these bonds are payable in U.S. dollars, so there is no direct foreign currency risk for U.S. holders. However, indirect foreign currency risk and other foreign risk factors may apply to the foreign issuers of these bonds, and may therefore affect the market value of these bonds. Foreign risk factors that may apply to yankee bonds include the possibility of:
adverse political and economic developments; foreign withholding taxes; expropriation or nationalization of the operations of foreign issuers; and different or less robust government regulation of foreign financial markets and institutions.
MLP Risk
The interests or units of an MLP are listed and traded on securities exchanges or in the over-the-counter market and their value fluctuates predominantly based on prevailing market conditions and the success of the MLP. MLPs carry many of the risks inherent in investing in a partnership. Unit holders of an MLP may not be afforded corporate protections to the same extent as shareholders of a corporation. In addition, unlike owners of common stock of a corporation, holders of common units of an MLP may have more limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the
MLP and have no ability to elect directors annually. In the event of liquidation, common units have preference over subordinated units, but not over debt or preferred units, to the remaining assets of the MLP.
MLP Tax Risk
Due to their federal income tax treatment as partnerships, MLPs typically do not pay income taxes, but MLP unit holders are generally subject to tax on their share of the MLPs income and gains. A change in current tax law or in the industry in which an MLP operates could result in the MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes and being required to pay U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income. The classification of an MLP in which the Fund holds units as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes would have the effect of reducing the amount of
cash available for distribution by the MLP and any such distributions to the Fund would generally be taxed as dividend income, which would materially reduce the Funds cash flow from such MLP unit investment.
Energy Related Risk
Although the Fund may generally invest in MLPs operating in any sector of the economy, a substantial portion of the MLPs in which the Fund invests will be engaged in businesses in the energy sector and energy-related industries (Energy MLPs). The performance of the Funds investments in Energy MLPs largely depends on the overall condition of the energy sector and is susceptible to economic, political and regulatory risks or other occurrences affecting the energy sector. For example, an Energy MLP may be adversely affected by foreign
government, federal or state regulations on energy production, distribution and sale. Stock prices of Energy MLPs are also affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for energy products in general.
ETF Risk
An investment in an ETF generally presents the same primary risks as an investment in a conventional fund (i.e., one that is not exchange-traded) that has the same investment objectives, strategies and policies. In addition, an ETF may fail to accurately track the market segment or index that underlies its investment objective. The price of an ETF can fluctuate, and the Fund could lose money investing in an ETF.
Derivatives Risk
Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. The Fund typically uses derivatives as a substitute for taking a position in the underlying asset and/or as part of a strategy designed to reduce exposure to other risks, such as interest rate or currency risk. The Funds use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of
risks described elsewhere in this prospectus, such as interest rate risk, market risk and credit risk. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Fund will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial. The following is a list of certain derivatives in which the Fund intends to invest and the principal risks associated with each of them:
Futures
The risks associated with the Funds use of futures contracts include the risk that: (i) changes in the price of a futures contract may not always track the changes in market value of the underlying asset; (ii) trading restrictions or limitations may be imposed by an exchange, and government regulations may restrict trading in futures contracts; and (iii) if the Fund has insufficient cash to meet margin requirements, the Fund may need to sell other investments, including at disadvantageous times.
Options
An investment in options may be subject to greater fluctuation than an investment in the underlying instruments themselves. A fund that purchases options is subject to the risk of a complete loss of premiums. The use of options for risk management or hedging purposes may not be successful, resulting in losses to the Fund. In addition, the cost of hedging may reduce the Funds returns.
Forwards
Forwards are not exchange-traded and therefore no clearinghouse or exchange stands ready to meet the obligations of the contracts. Thus, the Fund faces the risk that its counterparties may not perform their obligations. Forward contracts are not regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the CFTC) and therefore, the Fund will not receive any benefit of CFTC regulation when trading forwards.
Swaps
Swap agreements involve the risk that the party with whom the Fund has entered into the swap will default on its obligation to pay the Fund and the risk that the Fund will not be able to meet its obligations to pay the other party to the agreement.
Repurchase Agreements Risk
Repurchase agreements could involve certain risks in the event of default or insolvency of the seller, including losses and possible delays or restrictions upon the Funds ability to dispose of the underlying securities. The Fund will be exposed to the credit of the counterparties to repurchase agreements and their ability to satisfy the terms of the agreements, which exposes the Fund to the risk that the counterparties may default on their obligations to perform under the agreements. If the counterparty to a repurchase agreement fails to repurchase the underlying
securities and the value of the underlying securities decreases, the Fund could experience a loss.
Strategy Risk
If the Investment Managers strategies do not work as intended, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not presented as the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. For updated performance information, please call
(800) 669-3900
or visit
www.tdamusa.com
.
Investment Manager
TDAM USA Inc. is the Funds investment manager.
Portfolio Managers
The name, title, and length of service of the persons who are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund appears in the table below.
|
|
|
|
|
Portfolio Manager
|
|
Title
|
|
Length of Service with the Fund
|
Anish Chopra, CA, CFA
|
|
Portfolio Manager, TDAM
|
|
Since inception
|
Jonathan Shui, CFA
|
|
Portfolio Manager, TDAM
|
|
Since inception
|
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may purchase or sell (redeem) all or part of your shares of the Fund on any day that the Fund is open for business (normally any day when the New York Stock Exchange is open). Fund shares cannot be purchased by Federal Reserve wire on Federal Reserve holidays on which wire transfers are restricted. You may sell shares by phone or by mail.
Balance Minimums.
Shareholders wishing to purchase shares directly from the Fund must meet one of the following initial purchase and minimum account balance requirements:
|
(1)
|
A combined initial purchase and minimum account balance requirement of (a) $1,000,000 per household (by address) in the case of Institutional Class shares, or (b) $100,000 per household (by address) in the case of Advisor Class shares, in each case, across the same class of shares of the TDAM Core Bond Fund, the TDAM High Yield Bond Fund, the TDAM U.S. Equity Income Fund, the TDAM U.S. Large Cap Core Equity Fund, the TDAM Global Equity Income Fund, the TDAM Global Low Volatility Equity Fund, the TDAM Global All Cap Fund, the TDAM U.S. Small-Mid Cap Equity Fund, and the TDAM Short-Term Bond Fund.
|
|
(2)
|
A combined initial purchase and minimum account balance requirement of $10,000,000 per household (by address) across the following funds in the TD Asset Management USA Funds Inc. fund complex: the TDAM Core Bond Fund, the TDAM High Yield Bond Fund, the TDAM U.S. Equity Income Fund, the TDAM U.S. Large Cap Core Equity Fund, the TDAM Global Equity Income Fund, the TDAM Global Low Volatility Equity Fund, the TDAM Global All Cap Fund, the TDAM U.S. Small-Mid Cap Equity Fund, the TDAM Short-Term Bond Fund, the TDAM Institutional Money Market Fund, the TDAM Institutional Municipal Money Market Fund, the TDAM Institutional U.S. Government Fund, and the TDAM Institutional Treasury Obligations Money Market Fund.
|
The initial purchase and minimum account balance requirement may be less if you purchase and hold shares through a financial intermediary.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that generally will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are a tax-exempt investor or are investing through a retirement plan.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other Financial Intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the Financial Intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other Financial Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your Financial Intermediarys website for more information.