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FILE NO. 333-19181
RULE 497(c)
STEIN ROE INSTITUTIONAL CLIENT HIGH YIELD FUND
Institutional Client High Yield Fund seeks total return by
investing for a high level of current income and capital growth.
Institutional Client High Yield Fund seeks to achieve its
objective by investing all of its net investable assets in SR&F
High Yield Portfolio, a portfolio of SR&F Base Trust that has the
same investment objective and substantially the same investment
policies as Institutional Client High Yield Fund. High Yield
Portfolio invests primarily in high-yield, high-risk medium- and
lower-quality debt securities. LOWER-QUALITY SECURITIES, COMMONLY
KNOWN AS "JUNK BONDS," ARE SUBJECT TO A GREATER RISK WITH REGARD
TO PAYMENT OF INTEREST AND RETURN OF PRINCIPAL THAN HIGHER-RATED
BONDS. INVESTORS SHOULD CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE RISKS ASSOCIATED
WITH JUNK BONDS BEFORE INVESTING. (SEE INVESTMENT POLICIES, RISKS
AND INVESTMENT CONSIDERATIONS, SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING
MASTER FUND/FEEDER FUND STRUCTURE, AND APPENDIX.)
Institutional Client High Yield Fund is a "no-load" fund. There
are no sales or redemption charges, and the Fund has no 12b-1
plan. Institutional Client High Yield Fund is a series of the
Stein Roe Trust and High Yield Portfolio is a series of SR&F Base
Trust. Each Trust is a diversified open-end management investment
company.
Shares of Institutional Client High Yield Fund are intended
primarily for investors who are (or through purchase of Fund
shares become) clients of the Institutional Asset Management
Division of Stein Roe & Farnham Incorporated.
This prospectus contains information you should know before
investing in Institutional Client High Yield Fund. Please read it
carefully and retain it for future reference.
A Statement of Additional Information dated February 14, 1997,
containing more detailed information, has been filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission and (together with any
supplements thereto) is incorporated herein by reference. The
Statement of Additional Information may be obtained without charge
by writing to Stein Roe Funds, Suite 3200, One South Wacker Drive,
Chicago, Illinois 60606, or by calling 800-322-1130.
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES
COMMISSION, NOR HAS THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY
STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY
OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A
CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
The date of this prospectus is February 14, 1997.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Summary...................................2
Fee Table ................................3
The Fund..................................4
Investment Policies.......................5
Portfolio Investments and Strategies......7
Investment Restrictions .................11
Risks and Investment Considerations .....12
How to Purchase Shares...................13
How to Redeem Shares ....................13
Net Asset Value .........................13
Distributions and Income Taxes...........14
Investment Return........................15
Management ..............................16
Organization and Description of Shares...17
Special Considerations Regarding the
Master Fund/Feeder Fund Structure......18
For More Information ....................20
Appendix.................................21
SUMMARY
Stein Roe Institutional Client High Yield Fund ("Institutional
Client High Yield Fund") is a series of Stein Roe Trust, an open-
end diversified management investment company organized as a
Massachusetts business trust. Institutional Client High Yield
Fund offers investors the advantage of a "no-load" fund, with
Stein Roe & Farnham Incorporated and its affiliates providing
customized services as investment adviser, administrator, transfer
agent, and distributor. (See The Fund and Organization and
Description of Shares.) This prospectus is not a solicitation in
any jurisdiction in which shares of Institutional Client High
Yield Fund are not qualified for sale.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES. Institutional Client High
Yield Fund invests all of its net investable assets in SR&F High
Yield Portfolio ("High Yield Portfolio"). High Yield Portfolio
invests in a diversified portfolio of securities in accordance
with the identical investment objective and substantially the same
investment policies as those of Institutional Client High Yield
Fund. High Yield Portfolio seeks total return by investing for a
high level of current income and capital growth. High Yield
Portfolio invests primarily in high-yield, high-risk medium- and
lower-quality debt securities. Medium-quality debt securities,
although considered investment grade, may have some speculative
characteristics. Lower-quality debt securities are obligations of
issuers that are considered predominantly speculative with respect
to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal
according to the terms of the obligation and, therefore, carry
greater investment risk, including the possibility of issuer
default and bankruptcy, and are commonly referred to as "junk
bonds."
For a more detailed discussion of the investment objectives and
policies, please see Investment Policies and Portfolio Investments
and Strategies. There is, of course, no assurance that
Institutional Client High Yield Fund and High Yield Portfolio will
achieve their common investment objective.
INVESTMENT RISKS. The risks inherent in Institutional Client High
Yield Fund depend primarily upon the term and quality of the
obligations in the investment portfolio of High Yield Portfolio,
as well as on market conditions. Interest rate fluctuations will
affect the Fund's net asset value and, therefore, the total return
from an investment in Institutional Client High Yield Fund.
Interest rate fluctuations will affect income on variable rate
securities and on securities purchased as other portfolio
securities mature. Since yields on debt securities available for
purchase vary over time, no specific yield on shares of
Institutional Client High Yield Fund can be assured.
Institutional Client High Yield Fund is designed for investors who
can accept the heightened level of risk and principal fluctuation
inherent in a portfolio that invests at least 65% of its assets in
medium- and lower-quality debt securities. High Yield Portfolio
may invest in foreign securities, which may entail a greater
degree of risk than investing in securities of domestic issuers.
Please see Investment Restrictions and Risks and Investment
Considerations for further information.
PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS. For information on purchasing (buying)
and redeeming (selling) shares, see How to Purchase Shares and How
to Redeem Shares.
DISTRIBUTIONS. Dividends are declared each business day and are
paid monthly. Dividends will be reinvested in additional shares
of Institutional Client High Yield Fund unless you elect to have
distributions paid in cash. (See Distributions and Income Taxes.)
MANAGEMENT AND FEES. Stein Roe & Farnham Incorporated (the
"Adviser") is investment adviser to High Yield Portfolio. In
addition, it provides administrative services to Institutional
Client High Yield Fund and High Yield Portfolio. For a
description of the Adviser and its fees, see Management.
FEE TABLE
SHAREHOLDER TRANSACTION EXPENSES
Sales Load Imposed on Purchases......................None
Sales Load Imposed on Reinvested Dividend............None
Deferred Sales Load..................................None
Redemption Fees......................................None
Exchange Fees........................................None
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (after fee
waiver; as a percentage of average net assets)
Management and Administrative Fees (after fee
waiver)...........................................0.50%
12b-1 Fees...........................................None
Other Expenses.(after fee waiver)....................0.00%
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Total Fund Operating Expenses (after fee waiver)....0.50%
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EXAMPLE.
You would pay the following expenses on a $1,000 investment
assuming (1) 5% annual return; and (2) redemption at the end of
each time period:
1 year 3 years
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$5 $16
The purpose of the Fee Table is to assist you in understanding the
various costs and expenses that you will bear directly or
indirectly as an investor in Institutional Client High Yield Fund.
Because Institutional Client High Yield Fund has no operating
history, the information in the table is based upon an estimate of
expenses, assuming net assets of $50 million. The figures assume
that the percentage amounts listed under Annual Fund Operating
Expenses remain the same during each of the periods and that all
income dividends and capital gain distributions are reinvested in
additional Fund shares.
From time to time, the Adviser may voluntarily waive a portion of
its fees payable by Institutional Client High Yield Fund and the
Fund's pro rata share of the fees and expenses payable by High
Yield Portfolio. The Adviser has agreed to voluntarily waive such
fees to the extent the ordinary operating expenses of
Institutional Client High Yield Fund exceed 0.50% of its annual
average net assets. This commitment will be reviewed by the
Adviser on January 31, 2000, at which time the commitment could be
continued or terminated. In addition, the commitment is subject
to earlier review and possible termination by the Adviser on 30
days' notice to the Fund. Absent such expense undertaking, the
estimated Management and Administrative Fees, Other Expenses and
Total Fund Operating Expenses would be 0.65%, 0.35% and 1.00%,
respectively. Any such fee waiver will lower Institutional Client
High Yield Fund's overall expense ratio and increase its overall
return to investors. (Also see Management--Fees and Expenses.)
Institutional Client High Yield Fund pays the Adviser an
administrative fee based on its average daily net assets and High
Yield Portfolio pays the Adviser a management fee based on its
average daily net assets. The Fee Table summarizes the expenses
of both Institutional Client High Yield Fund and High Yield
Portfolio. Fees and expenses are described under Management.
Institutional Client High Yield Fund bears its proportionate share
of Portfolio expenses. The Trustees of Stein Roe Trust have
considered whether the annual operating expenses of Institutional
Client High Yield Fund, including its proportionate share of the
expenses of High Yield Portfolio, would be more or less than if
Institutional Client High Yield Fund invested directly in the
securities held by High Yield Portfolio, and concluded that
Institutional Client High Yield Fund's expenses would not be
materially greater in such case.
The figures in the Example are not necessarily indicative of past
or future expenses, and actual expenses may be greater or less
than those shown. Although information such as that shown in the
Example and Fee Table is useful in reviewing Institutional Client
High Yield Fund's expenses and in providing a basis for comparison
with other mutual funds, it should not be used for comparison with
other investments using different assumptions or time periods.
THE FUND
STEIN ROE INSTITUTIONAL CLIENT HIGH YIELD FUND ("Institutional
Client High Yield Fund") is a no-load, diversified "mutual fund."
Institutional Client High Yield Fund does not impose commissions
or charges when shares are purchased or redeemed. Institutional
Client High Yield Fund is a series of Stein Roe Trust, an open-end
management investment company, which is authorized to issue shares
of beneficial interest in separate series.
Stein Roe & Farnham Incorporated (the "Adviser") provides
portfolio management services to High Yield Portfolio and
administrative services to Institutional Client High Yield Fund
and High Yield Portfolio.
Rather than invest in securities directly, Institutional Client
High Yield Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by using
the "master fund/feeder fund" structure. Under that structure,
Institutional Client High Yield Fund and other investment
companies with the same investment objective invest their assets
in another investment company having the same investment objective
and substantially the same investment policies as Institutional
Client High Yield Fund. The purpose of such an arrangement is to
achieve greater operational efficiencies and reduce costs.
Institutional Client High Yield Fund invests all of its net
investable assets in SR&F High Yield Portfolio ("High Yield
Portfolio"), which is a series of SR&F Base Trust ("Base Trust").
(See Special Considerations Regarding Master Fund/Feeder Fund
Structure.)
INVESTMENT POLICIES
Institutional Client High Yield Fund and High Yield Portfolio each
seek total return by investing for a high level of current income
and capital growth. Further information on portfolio investments
and strategies may be found under Portfolio Investments and
Strategies in this prospectus and in the Statement of Additional
Information. Institutional Client High Yield Fund seeks to
achieve its objective by investing all of its assets in High Yield
Portfolio. The investment policies of High Yield Portfolio are
substantially identical to those of Institutional Client High
Yield Fund.
High Yield Portfolio invests principally in high-yield, high-risk
medium- and lower-quality debt securities. The medium- and lower-
quality debt securities in which High Yield Portfolio will invest
normally offer a current yield or yield to maturity that is
significantly higher than the yield from securities rated in the
three highest categories assigned by rating services such as
Standard & Poor's Corporation ("S&P") and by Moody's Investors
Service, Inc. ("Moody's").
Under normal circumstances, at least 65% of High Yield Portfolio's
assets will be invested in high-yield, high-risk medium- and
lower-quality debt securities rated lower than Baa by Moody's or
lower than BBB by S&P, or equivalent ratings as determined by
other rating agencies, or unrated securities that the Adviser
determines to be of comparable quality. Medium-quality debt
securities, although considered investment grade, have some
speculative characteristics. Lower-quality debt securities are
obligations of issuers that are considered predominantly
speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest
and repay principal according to the terms of the obligation and,
therefore, carry greater investment risk, including the
possibility of issuer default and bankruptcy, and are commonly
referred to as "junk bonds." Some issuers of debt securities
choose not to have their securities rated by a rating service, and
High Yield Portfolio may invest in unrated securities that the
Adviser has researched thoroughly and believes are suitable for
investment. High Yield Portfolio may invest in debt obligations
that are in default, but such obligations are not expected to
exceed 10% of High Yield Portfolio's assets.
High Yield Portfolio may invest up to 35% of its total assets in
other securities including, but not limited to, pay-in-kind bonds,
securities issued in private placements, bank loans, zero coupon
bonds, foreign securities, convertible securities, futures, and
options. High Yield Portfolio may also invest in higher-quality
debt securities. Under normal market conditions, however, High
Yield Portfolio is unlikely to emphasize higher-quality debt
securities since generally they offer lower yields than medium-
and lower-quality debt securities with similar maturities. High
Yield Portfolio may also invest in common stocks and securities
that are convertible into common stocks, such as warrants.
Investment in medium- or lower-quality debt securities involves
greater investment risk, including the possibility of issuer
default or bankruptcy. High Yield Portfolio seeks to reduce
investment risk through diversification, credit analysis, and
evaluation of developments in both the economy and financial
markets.
An economic downturn could severely disrupt the high-yield market
and adversely affect the value of outstanding bonds and the
ability of the issuers to repay principal and interest. In
addition, lower-quality bonds are less sensitive to interest rate
changes than higher-quality instruments (see Risks and Investment
Considerations) and generally are more sensitive to adverse
economic changes or individual corporate developments. During a
period of adverse economic changes, including a period of rising
interest rates, issuers of such bonds may experience difficulty in
servicing their principal and interest payment obligations.
Achievement of the investment objective will be more dependent on
the Adviser's credit analysis than would be the case if High Yield
Portfolio were investing in higher-quality debt securities. Since
the ratings of rating services (which evaluate the safety of
principal and interest payments, not market risks) are used only
as preliminary indicators of investment quality, the Adviser
employs its own credit research and analysis, from which it has
developed a proprietary credit rating system based upon
comparative credit analyses of issuers within the same industry.
These analyses may take into consideration such quantitative
factors as an issuer's present and potential liquidity,
profitability, internal capability to generate funds, debt/equity
ratio and debt servicing capabilities, and such qualitative
factors as an assessment of management, industry characteristics,
accounting methodology, and foreign business exposure.
Lower-quality debt securities are obligations of issuers that are
considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's
capacity to pay interest and repay principal according to the
terms of the obligation and, therefore, carry greater investment
risk, including the possibility of issuer default and bankruptcy,
and are commonly referred to as "junk bonds." The lowest rating
assigned by Moody's is for bonds that can be regarded as having
extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment
standing.
Medium- and lower-quality debt securities tend to be less
marketable than higher-quality debt securities because the market
for them is less broad. The market for unrated debt securities is
even narrower. During periods of thin trading in these markets,
the spread between bid and asked prices is likely to increase
significantly, and High Yield Portfolio may have greater
difficulty selling its portfolio securities. (See Net Asset
Value.) The market value of these securities and their liquidity
may be affected by adverse publicity and investor perceptions.
PORTFOLIO INVESTMENTS AND STRATEGIES
FOREIGN SECURITIES. High Yield Portfolio may invest in foreign
securities, but will not invest in a foreign security if, as a
result of such investment, more than 25% of its total assets would
be invested in foreign securities. For purposes of this
restriction, foreign debt securities do not include securities
represented by American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), foreign debt
securities denominated in U.S. dollars, or securities guaranteed
by a U.S. person such as a corporation domiciled in the United
States that is a parent or affiliate of the issuer of the
securities being guaranteed. High Yield Portfolio may invest in
sponsored or unsponsored ADRs. In addition to, or in lieu of,
such direct investment, High Yield Portfolio may construct a
synthetic foreign position by (a) purchasing a debt instrument
denominated in one currency, generally U.S. dollars; and (b)
concurrently entering into a forward contract to deliver a
corresponding amount of that currency in exchange for a different
currency on a future date and at a specified rate of exchange.
Because of the availability of a variety of highly liquid U.S.
dollar debt instruments, a synthetic foreign position utilizing
such U.S. dollar instruments may offer greater liquidity than
direct investment in foreign currency debt instruments. In
connection with the purchase of foreign securities, High Yield
Portfolio may contract to purchase an amount of foreign currency
sufficient to pay the purchase price of the securities at the
settlement date. (See Risks and Investment Considerations.)
DERIVATIVES. Consistent with its objective, High Yield Portfolio
may invest in a broad array of financial instruments and
securities, including conventional exchange-traded and non-
exchange traded options, futures contracts, futures options,
securities collateralized by underlying pools of mortgages or
other receivables, and other instruments, the value of which is
"derived" from the performance of an underlying asset or a
"benchmark" such as a security index, an interest rate, or a
currency ("Derivatives"). High Yield Portfolio does not expect to
invest more than 5% of its net assets in any type of Derivative
except: options, futures contracts, and futures options.
Derivatives are most often used to manage investment risk or to
create an investment position indirectly because they are more
efficient or less costly than direct investment. They also may be
used in an effort to enhance portfolio returns.
The successful use of Derivatives depends on the Adviser's ability
to correctly predict changes in the levels and directions of
movements in security prices, interest rates and other market
factors affecting the Derivative itself or the value of the
underlying asset or benchmark. In addition, correlations in the
performance of an underlying asset to a Derivative may not be well
established. Finally, privately negotiated and over-the-counter
Derivatives may not be as well regulated and may be less
marketable than exchange-traded Derivatives. For additional
information on Derivatives, please refer to the Statement of
Additional Information.
MORTGAGE AND OTHER ASSET-BACKED DEBT SECURITIES. High Yield
Portfolio may invest in securities secured by mortgages or other
assets such as automobile or home improvement loans and credit
card receivables. These instruments may be issued or guaranteed
by the U.S. Government or by its agencies or instrumentalities or
by private entities such as commercial, mortgage and investment
banks and financial companies or financial subsidiaries of
industrial companies.
Securities issued by GNMA represent an interest in a pool of
mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration or the
Farmers Home Administration, or guaranteed by the Veterans
Administration. Securities issued by FNMA and FHLMC, U.S.
Government-sponsored corporations, also represent an interest in a
pool of mortgages.
The timely payment of principal and interest on GNMA securities is
guaranteed by GNMA and backed by the full faith and credit of the
U.S. Treasury. FNMA guarantees full and timely payment of
interest and principal on FNMA securities. FHLMC guarantees
timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal on
FHLMC securities. FNMA and FHLMC securities are not backed by the
full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury.
Mortgage-backed debt securities, such as those issued by GNMA,
FNMA, and FHLMC, are of the "modified pass-through type," which
means the interest and principal payments on mortgages in the pool
are "passed through" to investors. During periods of declining
interest rates, there is increased likelihood that mortgages will
be prepaid, with a resulting loss of the full-term benefit of any
premium paid by High Yield Portfolio on purchase of such
securities; in addition, the proceeds of prepayment would likely
be invested at lower interest rates.
Mortgage-backed securities provide either a pro rata interest in
underlying mortgages or an interest in collateralized mortgage
obligations ("CMOs"), which represent a right to interest and/or
principal payments from an underlying mortgage pool. CMOs are not
guaranteed by either the U.S. Government or by its agencies or
instrumentalities and are usually issued in multiple classes, each
of which has different payment rights, pre-payment risks, and
yield characteristics. Mortgage-backed securities involve the
risk of pre-payment of the underlying mortgages at a faster or
slower rate than the established schedule. Pre-payments generally
increase with falling interest rates and decrease with rising
rates, but they also are influenced by economic, social, and
market factors. If mortgages are pre-paid during periods of
declining interest rates, there would be a resulting loss of the
full-term benefit of any premium paid by High Yield Portfolio on
purchase of the CMO, and the proceeds of pre-payment would likely
be invested at lower interest rates. High Yield Portfolio tends
to invest in CMOs of classes known as planned amortization classes
("PACs") which have pre-payment protection features tending to
make them less susceptible to price volatility.
Non-mortgage asset-backed securities usually have less pre-payment
risk than mortgage-backed securities, but have the risk that the
collateral will not be available to support payments on the
underlying loans which finance payments on the securities
themselves. Therefore, greater emphasis is placed on the credit
quality of the security issuer and the guarantor, if any.
Asset-backed securities tend to experience greater price
volatility than straight debt securities.
FLOATING RATE INSTRUMENTS. High Yield Portfolio may also invest
in floating rate instruments which provide for periodic
adjustments in coupon interest rates that are automatically reset
based on changes in amount and direction of specified market
interest rates. In addition, the adjusted duration of some of
these instruments may be materially shorter than their stated
maturities. To the extent such instruments are subject to
lifetime or periodic interest rate caps or floors, such
instruments may experience greater price volatility than debt
instruments without such features. Adjusted duration is an
inverse relationship between market price and interest rates and
refers to the approximate percentage change in price for a 100
basis point change in yield. For example, if interest rates
decrease by 100 basis points, a market price of a security with an
adjusted duration of 2 would increase by approximately 2%. High
Yield Portfolio does not intend to invest more than 5% of its net
assets in floating rate instruments.
FUTURES AND OPTIONS. High Yield Portfolio may purchase and write
both call options and put options on securities, indexes and
foreign currencies, and enter into interest rate, index and
foreign currency futures contracts. High Yield Portfolio may also
write options on such futures contracts and purchase other types
of forward or investment contracts linked to individual
securities, indexes or other benchmarks, consistent with its
investment objective, in order to provide additional revenue, or
to hedge against changes in security prices, interest rates, or
currency fluctuations. High Yield Portfolio may write a call or
put option only if the option is covered. As the writer of a
covered call option, High Yield Portfolio foregoes, during the
option's life, the opportunity to profit from increases in market
value of the security covering the call option above the sum of
the premium and the exercise price of the call. There can be no
assurance that a liquid market will exist when High Yield
Portfolio seeks to close out a position. Because of low margin
deposits required, the use of futures contracts involves a high
degree of leverage, and may result in losses in excess of the
amount of the margin deposit.
LENDING OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES. Subject to certain restrictions,
High Yield Portfolio may lend portfolio securities to broker-
dealers and banks. Any such loan must be continuously secured by
collateral in cash or cash equivalents maintained on a current
basis in an amount at least equal to the market value of the
securities loaned by High Yield Portfolio. High Yield Portfolio
would continue to receive the equivalent of the interest or
dividends paid by the issuer on the securities loaned, and would
also receive an additional return that may be in the form of a
fixed fee or a percentage of the collateral. High Yield Portfolio
would have the right to call the loan and obtain the securities
loaned at any time on notice of not more than five business days.
In the event of bankruptcy or other default of the borrower, High
Yield Portfolio could experience both delays in liquidating the
loan collateral or recovering the loaned securities and losses
including (a) possible decline in the value of the collateral or
in the value of the securities loaned during the period while the
Portfolio seeks to enforce its rights thereto; (b) possible
subnormal levels of income and lack of access to income during
this period; and (c) expenses of enforcing its rights.
WHEN-ISSUED AND DELAYED-DELIVERY SECURITIES; STANDBY COMMITMENTS.
High Yield Portfolio's assets may include securities purchased on
a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis. Although the payment and
interest terms of these securities are established at the time the
purchaser enters into the commitment, the securities may be
delivered and paid for a month or more after the date of purchase,
when their value may have changed. High Yield Portfolio makes
such commitments only with the intention of actually acquiring the
securities, but may sell the securities before settlement date if
the Adviser deems it advisable for investment reasons. Securities
purchased in this manner involve a risk of loss if the value of
the security purchased declines before the settlement date.
When-issued or delayed-delivery securities may sometimes be
purchased on a "dollar roll" basis, meaning that High Yield
Portfolio will sell securities with a commitment to purchase
similar, but not identical, securities at a future date.
Generally, the securities are repurchased at a price lower than
the sales price. Dollar roll transactions involve the risk of
restrictions on the Portfolio's ability to repurchase the security
if the counterparty becomes insolvent; an adverse change in the
price of the security during the period of the roll or that the
value of the security repurchased will be less than the security
sold; and transaction costs exceeding the return earned by High
Yield Portfolio on the sales proceeds of the dollar roll.
High Yield Portfolio may also invest in securities purchased on a
standby commitment basis, which is a delayed-delivery agreement in
which High Yield Portfolio binds itself to accept delivery of a
security at the option of the other party to the agreement.
PIK AND ZERO COUPON BONDS. High Yield Portfolio may invest up to
20% of its total assets in zero coupon bonds and bonds the
interest on which is payable in kind ("PIK bonds"). A zero coupon
bond is a bond that does not pay interest for its entire life. A
PIK bond pays interest in the form of additional securities. The
market prices of both zero coupon and PIK bonds are affected to a
greater extent by changes in prevailing levels of interest rates
and thereby tend to be more volatile in price than securities that
pay interest periodically and in cash. In addition, because High
Yield Portfolio accrues income with respect to these securities
prior to the receipt of such interest in cash, it may have to
dispose of portfolio securities under disadvantageous
circumstances in order to obtain cash needed to pay income
dividends in amounts necessary to avoid unfavorable tax
consequences.
SHORT SALES AGAINST THE BOX. The Fund may sell short securities
it owns or has the right to acquire without further consideration,
a technique called selling short "against the box." Short sales
against the box may protect the Fund against the risk of losses in
the value of its portfolio securities because any unrealized
losses with respect to such securities should be wholly or partly
offset by a corresponding gain in the short position. However,
any potential gains in such securities should be wholly or
partially offset by a corresponding loss in the short position.
Short sales against the box may be used to lock in a profit on a
security when, for tax reasons or otherwise, the Adviser does not
want to sell the security. For a more complete explanation,
please refer to the Statement of Additional Information.
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER. In attempting to attain its objective, High
Yield Portfolio may sell portfolio securities without regard to
the period of time they have been held. Further, the Adviser may
purchase and sell securities for the investment portfolio with a
view to maximizing current return, even if portfolio changes would
cause the realization of capital gains. Although the average
stated maturity of High Yield Portfolio will be from five to ten
years, the Adviser may adjust the average effective maturity of
High Yield Portfolio's portfolio from time to time, depending on
its assessment of the relative yields available on securities of
different maturities and its expectations of future changes in
interest rates. As a result, the turnover rate of High Yield
Portfolio may vary from year to year. The turnover rate for High
Yield Portfolio may exceed 100%, but is not expected to exceed
200% under normal market conditions. A high rate of portfolio
turnover may result in increased transaction expenses and the
realization of capital gains (which may be taxable) or losses.
(See Distributions and Income Taxes.)
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
Neither Institutional Client High Yield Fund nor High Yield
Portfolio may invest in a security if, as a result of such
investment: (1) with respect to 75% of its assets, more than 5% of
its total assets would be invested in the securities of any one
issuer, except for U.S. Government Securities or repurchase
agreements /1/ for such securities; or (2) 25% or more of its
total assets would be invested in the securities of a group of
issuers in the same industry, except that this restriction does
not apply to U.S. Government Securities. Notwithstanding these
limitations, Institutional Client High Yield Fund, but not High
Yield Portfolio, may invest all of its assets in another
registered investment company having the same investment objective
and substantially similar investment policies as the Fund.
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/1/ A repurchase agreement involves a sale of securities to High
Yield Portfolio with the concurrent agreement of the seller (bank
or securities dealer) to repurchase the securities at the same
price plus an amount equal to an agreed-upon interest rate within
a specified time. In the event of a bankruptcy or other default
of a seller of a repurchase agreement, the Portfolio could
experience both delays in liquidating the underlying securities
and losses. The Portfolio may not invest more than 10% of its net
assets in repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days
and other illiquid securities.
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Neither Institutional Client High Yield Fund nor High Yield
Portfolio may make loans except that it may (1) purchase money
market instruments and enter into repurchase agreements; (2)
acquire publicly-distributed or privately-placed debt securities;
(3) lend its portfolio securities under certain conditions; and
(4) participate in an interfund lending program with other Stein
Roe Funds and Portfolios. Neither may borrow money, except for
non-leveraging, temporary, or emergency purposes or in connection
with participation in the interfund lending program. Neither the
aggregate borrowings (including reverse repurchase agreements) nor
the aggregate loans at any one time may exceed 33 1/3% of the
value of total assets. Additional securities may not be purchased
when borrowings, less proceeds receivable from sales of portfolio
securities, exceed 5% of total assets.
The policies set forth in the first two paragraphs under
Investment Restrictions (but not the footnote) are fundamental
policies of Institutional Client High Yield Fund and High Yield
Portfolio./2/ The Statement of Additional Information contains
all of the investment restrictions.
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/2/ A fundamental policy may be changed only with the approval of
a "majority of the outstanding voting securities" as defined in
the Investment Company Act.
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RISKS AND INVESTMENT CONSIDERATIONS
The risks inherent in Institutional Client High Yield Fund depend
primarily upon the term and quality of the obligations in High
Yield Portfolio's investment portfolio, as well as on market
conditions. Although High Yield Portfolio seeks to reduce risk by
investing in a diversified portfolio, this does not eliminate all
risk. Institutional Client High Yield Fund is designed for
investors who can accept the heightened level of risk and
principal fluctuation which might result from a portfolio that
invests at least 65% of its assets in medium- and lower-quality
debt securities.
The market value of securities in the investment portfolio tends
to vary inversely with the level of interest rates. As a result,
interest rate fluctuations may affect net asset value. (Because
yields on debt securities available for purchase by High Yield
Portfolio vary over time, no specific yield on shares of
Institutional Client High Yield Fund can be assured.) In
addition, if the bonds in the investment portfolio contain call,
prepayment or redemption provisions, during a period of declining
interest rates, these securities are likely to be redeemed, and
High Yield Portfolio may have to replace the security with a lower
yielding security, resulting in a decreased return for investors.
Investments in foreign securities, including ADRs, represent both
risks and opportunities not typically associated with investments
in domestic issuers. Risks of foreign investing include currency
risk, less complete financial information on issuers, different
accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, different
settlement practices, less market liquidity, more market
volatility, less well-developed and regulated markets, and greater
political instability. In addition, various restrictions by
foreign governments on investments by non-residents may apply,
including imposition of exchange controls and withholding taxes on
dividends, and seizure or nationalization of investments owned by
non-residents. Foreign investments also tend to involve higher
transaction and custody costs.
High Yield Portfolio may enter into foreign currency forward
contracts and use options and futures contracts, as described
elsewhere in this prospectus, to limit or reduce foreign currency
risk.
There can be no assurance that Institutional Client High Yield
Fund or High Yield Portfolio will achieve its objective, nor can
High Yield Portfolio assure that payments of interest and
principal on portfolio securities will be made when due. If,
after purchase by High Yield Portfolio, the rating of a portfolio
security is lost or reduced, High Yield Portfolio would not be
required to sell the security, but the Adviser would consider such
a change in deciding whether High Yield Portfolio should retain
the security in its investment portfolio.
The investment objective of Institutional Client High Yield Fund
and High Yield Portfolio is not fundamental and may be changed by
the respective Board of Trustees without a vote of shareholders.
HOW TO PURCHASE SHARES
Shares of Institutional Client High Yield Fund are intended
primarily for investors who are (or through purchase of Fund
shares become) clients of Stein Roe's Institutional Asset
Management Division. Shares may also be available to other
investors if, in the judgment of the Adviser, the sale of shares
to such investors would not adversely affect the Fund or its
shareholders. The initial purchase minimum is $1,000,000 and the
minimum subsequent investment is $100,000. For more information
on how to purchase Fund shares, please call Stein Roe Retirement
Services at 800-322-1130. Stein Roe Trust reserves the right to
waive or lower its investment minimums for any reason.
CONDITIONS OF PURCHASE. Each purchase order for Institutional
Client High Yield Fund must be accepted by an authorized officer
of Stein Roe Trust or its authorized agent and is not binding
until accepted and entered on the books of Institutional Client
High Yield Fund. Once your purchase order has been accepted, you
may not cancel or revoke it; you may, however, redeem the shares.
Stein Roe Trust reserves the right not to accept any purchase
order that it determines not to be in the best interests of Stein
Roe Trust or of Institutional Client High Yield Fund's
shareholders.
PURCHASE PRICE AND EFFECTIVE DATE. Each purchase of Institutional
Client High Yield Fund's shares is made at its net asset value
(see Net Asset Value) next determined after receipt of an order in
good form, including receipt of payment by Institutional Client
High Yield Fund.
HOW TO REDEEM SHARES
Shares of Institutional Client High Yield Fund may be redeemed any
day the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") is open at the net asset
value next calculated after a redemption order is received and
accepted by Stein Roe Trust.
Redemption instructions may not be cancelled or revoked once they
have been received and accepted by Stein Roe Trust. Stein Roe
Trust cannot accept a redemption request that specifies a
particular date or price for redemption or any special conditions.
Because the redemption price you receive depends upon
Institutional Client High Yield Fund's net asset value per share
at the time of redemption, it may be more or less than the price
you originally paid for the shares and may result in a realized
capital gain or loss. Stein Roe Trust will generally mail payment
for shares redeemed within seven days after proper instructions
are received.
Stein Roe Trust reserves the right to redeem shares in any account
and send the proceeds to the owner if the shares in the account do
not have a value of at least $1,000,000. A shareholder would be
notified that his account is below the minimum and would be
allowed 30 days to increase the account before the redemption is
processed.
NET ASSET VALUE
The purchase and redemption price of Institutional Client High
Yield Fund's shares is its net asset value per share.
Institutional Client High Yield Fund determines the net asset
value of its shares as of the close of trading on the NYSE
(currently 3:00 p.m., central time) by dividing the difference
between the values of its assets and liabilities by the number of
shares outstanding. High Yield Portfolio allocates net asset
value, income, and expenses to Institutional Client High Yield
Fund and any other of its feeder funds in proportion to their
respective interests in High Yield Portfolio.
Net asset value will not be determined on days when the NYSE is
closed unless, in the judgment of the Board of Trustees, the net
asset value of Institutional Client High Yield Fund should be
determined on any such day, in which case the determination will
be made at 3:00 p.m., central time.
Securities for which market quotations are readily available at
the time of valuation are valued on that basis. Long-term
straight-debt securities for which market quotations are not
readily available are valued at a fair value based on valuations
provided by pricing services approved by the Board, which may
employ electronic data processing techniques, including a matrix
system, to determine valuations. Short-term debt securities with
remaining maturities of 60 days or less are valued at their
amortized cost, which does not take into account unrealized gains
or losses. The Board believes that the amortized cost represents
a fair value for such securities. Short-term debt securities with
remaining maturities of more than 60 days for which market
quotations are not readily available are valued by use of a matrix
prepared by the Adviser based on quotations for comparable
securities. Other assets and securities held by High Yield
Portfolio for which these valuation methods do not produce a fair
value are valued by a method that the Board believes will
determine a fair value.
DISTRIBUTIONS AND INCOME TAXES
DISTRIBUTIONS. Income dividends are declared each business day,
paid monthly, and confirmed at least quarterly. Institutional
Client High Yield Fund intends to distribute by the end of each
calendar year at least 98% of any net capital gains realized from
the sale of securities during the twelve-month period ended
October 31 in that year. Institutional Client High Yield Fund
intends to distribute any undistributed net investment income and
net realized capital gains in the following year.
All income dividends and capital gain distributions will be
reinvested in additional shares unless you elect to have
distributions paid in cash. Reinvestment normally occurs on the
payable date. Stein Roe Trust reserves the right to reinvest the
proceeds and future distributions in additional shares of
Institutional Client High Yield Fund if checks mailed to you for
distributions are returned as undeliverable or are not presented
for payment within six months.
INCOME TAXES. Your distributions will be taxable to you, under
income tax law, whether received in cash or reinvested in
additional shares. For federal income tax purposes, any
distribution that is paid in January but was declared in the prior
calendar year is deemed paid in the prior calendar year.
You will be subject to federal income tax at ordinary rates on
income dividends and distributions of net short-term capital gain.
Distributions of net long-term capital gain will be taxable to you
as long-term capital gain regardless of the length of time you
have held your shares.
You will be advised annually as to the source of distributions.
If you are not subject to tax on your income, you will not be
required to pay tax on these amounts.
If you realize a loss on the sale or exchange of Fund shares held
for six months or less, your short-term loss is recharacterized as
long-term to the extent of any long-term capital gain
distributions you have received with respect to those shares.
For federal income tax purposes, Institutional Client High Yield
Fund is treated as a separate taxable entity distinct from any
other series of the Stein Roe Trust. High Yield Portfolio intends
to qualify for the special tax treatment afforded regulated
investment companies under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue
Code, so that it will be relieved of federal income tax on that
part of its net investment income and net capital gain that is
distributed to shareholders.
This section is not intended to be a full discussion of income tax
laws and their effect on shareholders. You may wish to consult
your own tax advisor.
INVESTMENT RETURN
The total return from an investment in Institutional Client High
Yield Fund is measured by the distributions received (assuming
reinvestment) plus or minus the change in the net asset value per
share for a given period. A total return percentage may be
calculated by dividing the value of a share at the end of the
period (including reinvestment of distributions) by the value of
the share at the beginning of the period and subtracting one. For
a given period, an average annual total return may be calculated
by finding the average annual compounded rate that would equate a
hypothetical $1,000 investment to the ending redeemable value.
The yield of Institutional Client High Yield Fund is calculated by
dividing its net investment income per share (a hypothetical
figure as defined in the SEC rules) during a 30-day period by the
net asset value per share on the last day of the period. The
yield formula provides for semiannual compounding, which assumes
that net investment income is earned and reinvested at a constant
rate and annualized at the end of a six-month period.
Comparison of Institutional Client High Yield Fund's yield or
total return with those of alternative investments should consider
differences between Institutional Client High Yield Fund and the
alternative investments, the periods and methods used in
calculation of the return being compared, and the impact of taxes
on alternative investments. Yield figures are not based on actual
dividends paid. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of
future results. To obtain current yield or total return
information, you may call 800-322-1130.
MANAGEMENT
TRUSTEES AND INVESTMENT ADVISER. The Board of Trustees of the
Stein Roe Trust has overall management responsibility for Stein
Roe Trust and Institutional Client High Yield Fund; the Board of
Base Trust has overall management responsibility for High Yield
Portfolio. See Management in the Statement of Additional
Information for the names of and other information about the
trustees and officers. Since Stein Roe Trust and Base Trust have
the same trustees, the trustees have adopted conflict of interest
procedures to monitor and address potential conflicts between the
interests of Institutional Client High Yield Fund and High Yield
Portfolio.
The Adviser, Stein Roe & Farnham Incorporated, One South Wacker
Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, is responsible for managing the
investment portfolio of High Yield Portfolio and the business
affairs of Institutional Client High Yield Fund, High Yield
Portfolio, Stein Roe Trust, and Base Trust, subject to the
direction of the respective Board. The Adviser is registered as
an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
The Adviser was organized in 1986 to succeed to the business of
Stein Roe & Farnham, a partnership that had advised and managed
mutual funds since 1949. The Adviser is a wholly owned subsidiary
of Liberty Financial Companies, Inc. ("Liberty Financial"), which
in turn is a majority owned indirect subsidiary of Liberty Mutual
Insurance Company.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS. Ann H. Benjamin has been portfolio manager of
High Yield Portfolio since its inception in 1996. She is a senior
vice president of the Adviser and has been associated with the
Adviser since 1989. She has also been portfolio manager of Stein
Roe Income Fund since 1990. Ms. Benjamin has 12 years' experience
in the analysis and investment of medium- and lower-quality debt
securities. She received her B.B.A. from Chatham College in 1980
and her M.A. from Carnegie Mellon University in 1985. Ms.
Benjamin managed $344 million in mutual fund net assets for the
Adviser as of December 31, 1996, serves as High-Yield Credit
Research Manager for the Adviser, and is a member of the Adviser's
Fixed Income Credit Review Committee.
Stephen F. Lockman has been associate portfolio manager of High
Yield Portfolio since its inception in 1996. Mr. Lockman is a
senior vice president of the Adviser and has been employed by the
Adviser since January 1994. A chartered financial analyst, Mr.
Lockman received a B.S. degree from the University of Illinois in
1983 and an M.B.A. from DePaul University in 1986.
FEES AND EXPENSES. The Adviser is entitled to receive a monthly
administrative fee from Institutional Client High Yield Fund,
computed and accrued daily, at an annual rate of .150% of the
first $500 million of average net assets and .125% thereafter; and
a monthly management fee from High Yield Portfolio, computed and
accrued daily, at an annual rate of .500% of the first $500
million of average net assets and .475% thereafter. However, as
noted above under Fee Table, the Adviser may voluntarily waive a
portion of its fees.
The Adviser provides office space and executive and other
personnel to Stein Roe Trust and Base Trust and bears any sales or
promotional expenses. All expenses of Institutional Client High
Yield Fund (other than those paid by the Adviser), including, but
not limited to, printing and postage charges, securities
registration fees, custodian and transfer agency fees, legal and
auditing fees, compensation of trustees not affiliated with the
Adviser and expenses incidental to its organization, are paid out
of the assets of Institutional Client High Yield Fund.
Under a separate agreement with each Trust, the Adviser provides
certain accounting and bookkeeping services to Institutional
Client High Yield Fund and High Yield Portfolio including
computation of net asset value and calculation of net income and
capital gains and losses on disposition of assets.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS. The Adviser places the orders for the
purchase and sale of portfolio securities and options and futures
contracts. In doing so, the Adviser seeks to obtain the best
combination of price and execution, which involves a number of
judgmental factors.
TRANSFER AGENT. SteinRoe Services Inc. ("SSI"), One South Wacker
Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, a wholly owned subsidiary of
Liberty Financial, is the agent of Stein Roe Trust for the
transfer of shares, disbursement of dividends, and maintenance of
shareholder accounting records.
DISTRIBUTOR. The shares of Institutional Client High Yield Fund
are offered for sale through Liberty Securities Corporation
("Distributor") without any sales commissions or charges to
Institutional Client High Yield Fund or to its shareholders. The
Distributor is a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Liberty
Financial. The business address of the Distributor is 600
Atlantic Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02210; however, all Fund
correspondence (including purchase and redemption orders) should
be mailed to SteinRoe Services Inc. at P.O. Box 8900, Boston,
Massachusetts 02205. All distribution and promotional expenses
are paid by the Adviser, including payments to the Distributor for
sales of Fund shares.
CUSTODIAN. State Street Bank and Trust Company (the "Bank"), 225
Franklin Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02101, is the custodian for
Institutional Client High Yield Fund. Foreign securities are
maintained in the custody of foreign banks and trust companies
that are members of the Bank's Global Custody Network or foreign
depositories used by such members. (See Custodian in the
Statement of Additional Information.)
ORGANIZATION AND DESCRIPTION OF SHARES
Stein Roe Trust is a Massachusetts business trust organized under
an Agreement and Declaration of Trust ("Declaration of Trust")
dated July 31, 1996, which provides that each shareholder shall be
deemed to have agreed to be bound by the terms thereof. The
Declaration of Trust may be amended by a vote of either Stein Roe
Trust's shareholders or its trustees. Stein Roe Trust may issue
an unlimited number of shares, in one or more series as the Board
may authorize. Currently, Institutional Client High Yield Fund is
the only series authorized and outstanding.
Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of a Massachusetts business
trust such as Stein Roe Trust could, in some circumstances, be
held personally liable for unsatisfied obligations of Stein Roe
Trust. The Declaration of Trust provides that persons extending
credit to, contracting with, or having any claim against, Stein
Roe Trust or any particular series shall look only to the assets
of Stein Roe Trust or of the respective series for payment under
such credit, contract or claim, and that the shareholders,
trustees and officers of Stein Roe Trust shall have no personal
liability therefor. The Declaration of Trust requires that notice
of such disclaimer of liability be given in each contract,
instrument or undertaking executed or made on behalf of Stein Roe
Trust. The Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification of
any shareholder against any loss and expense arising from personal
liability solely by reason of being or having been a shareholder.
Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on
account of shareholder liability is believed to be remote, because
it would be limited to circumstances in which the disclaimer was
inoperative and Stein Roe Trust was unable to meet its
obligations.
The risk of a particular series incurring financial loss on
account of unsatisfied liability of another series of Stein Roe
Trust is also believed to be remote, because it would be limited
to claims to which the disclaimer did not apply and to
circumstances in which the other Fund was unable to meet its
obligations.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE
MASTER FUND/FEEDER FUND STRUCTURE
Institutional Client High Yield Fund, an open-end management
investment company, seeks to achieve its objective by investing
all of its assets in shares of another mutual fund having an
investment objective identical to that of Institutional Client
High Yield Fund. The initial shareholder of Institutional Client
High Yield Fund approved this policy of permitting Institutional
Client High Yield Fund to act as a feeder fund by investing in
High Yield Portfolio. Please refer to the Investment Policies,
Portfolio Investments and Strategies, and Investment Restrictions
for a description of the investment objectives, policies, and
restrictions of Institutional Client High Yield Fund and High
Yield Portfolio. The management and expenses of both
Institutional Client High Yield Fund and High Yield Portfolio are
described under Fee Table and Management. Institutional Client
High Yield Fund bears its proportionate share of Portfolio
expenses.
The Adviser has provided investment management services in
connection with other mutual funds employing the master
fund/feeder fund structure since 1991.
SR&F High Yield Portfolio is a separate series of SR&F Base Trust
("Base Trust"), a Massachusetts common law trust organized under
an Agreement and Declaration of Trust ("Declaration of Trust")
dated August 23, 1993. The Declaration of Trust of Base Trust
provides that Institutional Client High Yield Fund and other
investors in High Yield Portfolio will each be liable for all
obligations of High Yield Portfolio that are not satisfied by High
Yield Portfolio. However, the risk of Institutional Client High
Yield Fund incurring financial loss on account of such liability
is limited to circumstances in which both inadequate insurance
existed and High Yield Portfolio itself were unable to meet its
obligations. Accordingly, the Trustees of Stein Roe Trust believe
that neither Institutional Client High Yield Fund nor its
shareholders will be adversely affected by reason of Institutional
Client High Yield Fund's investing in High Yield Portfolio.
The Declaration of Trust of Base Trust provides that High Yield
Portfolio will terminate 120 days after the withdrawal of
Institutional Client High Yield Fund or any other investor in High
Yield Portfolio, unless the remaining investors vote to agree to
continue the business of High Yield Portfolio. The Trustees of
Stein Roe Trust may vote Institutional Client High Yield Fund's
interests in High Yield Portfolio for such continuation without
approval of Institutional Client High Yield Fund's shareholders.
The common investment objective of Institutional Client High Yield
Fund and High Yield Portfolio is non-fundamental and may be
changed without shareholder approval, subject, however, to at
least 30 days' advance written notice to Institutional Client High
Yield Fund's shareholders.
The fundamental policies of Institutional Client High Yield Fund
and the corresponding fundamental policies of the Portfolio can be
changed only with shareholder approval.
If Institutional Client High Yield Fund, as a Portfolio investor,
is requested to vote on a proposed change in fundamental policy of
High Yield Portfolio or any other matter pertaining to High Yield
Portfolio (other than continuation of the business of High Yield
Portfolio after withdrawal of another investor), Institutional
Client High Yield Fund will solicit proxies from its shareholders
and vote its interest in High Yield Portfolio for and against such
matters proportionately to the instructions to vote for and
against such matters received from Fund shareholders.
Institutional Client High Yield Fund will vote shares for which it
receives no voting instructions in the same proportion as the
shares for which it receives voting instructions. If there are
other investors in High Yield Portfolio, there can be no assurance
that any matter receiving a majority of votes cast by Fund
shareholders will receive a majority of votes cast by all High
Yield Portfolio investors. If other investors hold a majority
interest in High Yield Portfolio, they could have voting control
over High Yield Portfolio.
In the event that High Yield Portfolio's fundamental policies were
changed so as to be inconsistent with those of Institutional
Client High Yield Fund, the Board of Trustees of Stein Roe Trust
would consider what action might be taken, including changes to
Institutional Client High Yield Fund's fundamental policies,
withdrawal of Institutional Client High Yield Fund's assets from
High Yield Portfolio and investment of such assets in another
pooled investment entity, or the retention of another investment
adviser. Any of these actions would require the approval of
Institutional Client High Yield Fund's shareholders.
Institutional Client High Yield Fund's inability to find a
substitute master fund or comparable investment management could
have a significant impact upon its shareholders' investments. Any
withdrawal of Institutional Client High Yield Fund's assets could
result in a distribution in kind of portfolio securities (as
opposed to a cash distribution) to Institutional Client High Yield
Fund. Should such a distribution occur, Institutional Client High
Yield Fund would incur brokerage fees or other transaction costs
in converting such securities to cash. In addition, a
distribution in kind could result in a less diversified portfolio
of investments for Institutional Client High Yield Fund and could
affect the liquidity of Institutional Client High Yield Fund.
Each investor in High Yield Portfolio, including Institutional
Client High Yield Fund, may add to or reduce its investment in
High Yield Portfolio on each day the NYSE is open for business.
The investor's percentage of the aggregate interests in High Yield
Portfolio will be computed as the percentage equal to the fraction
(i) the numerator of which is the beginning of the day value of
such investor's investment in High Yield Portfolio on such day
plus or minus, as the case may be, the amount of any additions to
or withdrawals from the investor's investment in High Yield
Portfolio effected on such day; and (ii) the denominator of which
is the aggregate beginning of the day net asset value of High
Yield Portfolio on such day plus or minus, as the case may be, the
amount of the net additions to or withdrawals from the aggregate
investments in High Yield Portfolio by all investors in High Yield
Portfolio. The percentage so determined will then be applied to
determine the value of the investor's interest in High Yield
Portfolio as of the close of business.
Base Trust may permit other investment companies and/or other
institutional investors to invest in High Yield Portfolio, but
members of the general public may not invest directly in High
Yield Portfolio. Other investors in High Yield Portfolio are not
required to sell their shares at the same public offering price as
Institutional Client High Yield Fund, could incur different
administrative fees and expenses than Institutional Client High
Yield Fund, and their shares might be sold with a sales
commission. Therefore, Fund shareholders might have different
investment returns than shareholders in another investment company
that invests exclusively in High Yield Portfolio. Investment by
such other investors in High Yield Portfolio would provide funds
for the purchase of additional portfolio securities and would tend
to reduce the Portfolio's operating expenses as a percentage of
its net assets. Conversely, large-scale redemptions by any such
other investors in High Yield Portfolio could result in untimely
liquidations of High Yield Portfolio's security holdings, loss of
investment flexibility, and increases in the operating expenses of
High Yield Portfolio as a percentage of its net assets. As a
result, High Yield Portfolio's security holdings may become less
diverse, resulting in increased risk.
Currently two other investment companies invest in High Yield
Portfolio: Stein Roe High Yield Fund, a series of Stein Roe
Income Trust; and Stein Roe Institutional High Yield Fund, a
series of Stein Roe Institutional Trust. Information regarding
any investment company that may invest in High Yield Portfolio in
the future may be obtained by writing to SR&F Base Trust, Suite
3200, One South Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606 or by
calling 800-338-2550. The Adviser may provide administrative or
other services to one or more of such investors.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact Stein Roe Retirement Services at 800-322-1130 for more
information about this Fund.
APPENDIX--RATINGS
RATINGS IN GENERAL
A rating of a rating service represents the service's opinion as
to the credit quality of the security being rated. However, the
ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality or
guarantees as to the creditworthiness of an issuer. Consequently,
the Adviser believes that the quality of debt securities in which
High Yield Portfolio invests should be continuously reviewed and
that individual analysts give different weightings to the various
factors involved in credit analysis. A rating is not a
recommendation to purchase, sell or hold a security because it
does not take into account market value or suitability for a
particular investor. When a security has received a rating from
more than one service, each rating should be evaluated
independently. Ratings are based on current information furnished
by the issuer or obtained by the rating services from other
sources that they consider reliable. Ratings may be changed,
suspended or withdrawn as a result of changes in or unavailability
of such information, or for other reasons.
The following is a description of the characteristics of ratings
used by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") and Standard &
Poor's Corporation ("S&P").
CORPORATE BOND RATINGS
RATINGS BY MOODY'S
Aaa. Bonds rated Aaa are judged to be the best quality. They
carry the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally
referred to as "gilt edge." Interest payments are protected by a
large or an exceptionally stable margin and principal is secure.
Although the various protective elements are likely to change,
such changes as can be visualized are more unlikely to impair the
fundamentally strong position of such bonds.
Aa. Bonds rated Aa are judged to be of high quality by all
standards. Together with the Aaa group they comprise what are
generally known as high grade bonds. They are rated lower than
the best bonds because margins of protection may not be as large
as in Aaa bonds or fluctuation of protective elements may be of
greater amplitude or there may be other elements present which
make the long-term risks appear somewhat larger than in Aaa bonds.
A. Bonds rated A possess many favorable investment attributes and
are to be considered as upper medium grade obligations. Factors
giving security to principal and interest are considered adequate,
but elements may be present which suggest a susceptibility to
impairment sometime in the future.
Baa. Bonds rated Baa are considered as medium grade obligations;
i.e., they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured.
Interest payments and principal security appear adequate for the
present but certain protective elements may be lacking or may be
characteristically unreliable over any great length of time. Such
bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in fact have
speculative characteristics as well.
Ba. Bonds which are rated Ba are judged to have speculative
elements; their future cannot be considered as well assured.
Often the protection of interest and principal payments may be
very moderate and thereby not well safeguarded during both good
and bad times over the future. Uncertainty of position
characterizes bonds in this class.
B. Bonds which are rated B generally lack characteristics of the
desirable investment. Assurance of interest and principal
payments or of maintenance of other terms of the contract over any
long period of time may be small.
Caa. Bonds which are rated Caa are of poor standing. Such issues
may be in default or there may be present elements of danger with
respect to principal or interest.
Ca. Bonds which are rated Ca represent obligations which are
speculative in a high degree. Such issues are often in default or
have other marked shortcomings.
C. Bonds which are rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds
and issues so rated can be regarded as having extremely poor
prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing.
NOTE: Moody's applies numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 in each
generic rating classification from Aa through B in its corporate
bond rating system. The modifier 1 indicates that the security
ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the
modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3
indicates that the issue ranks in the lower end of its generic
rating category.
RATINGS BY S&P
AAA. Debt rated AAA has the highest rating. Capacity to pay
interest and repay principal is extremely strong.
AA. Debt rated AA has a very strong capacity to pay interest and
repay principal and differs from the highest rated issues only in
small degree.
A. Debt rated A has a strong capacity to pay interest and repay
principal although it is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse
effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than
debt in higher rated categories.
BBB. Debt rated BBB is regarded as having an adequate capacity to
pay interest and repay principal. Whereas it normally exhibits
adequate protection parameters, adverse economic conditions or
changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened
capacity to pay interest and repay principal for debt in this
category than for debt in higher rated categories.
BB, B, CCC, CC, and C. Debt rated BB, B, CCC, CC, or C is
regarded, on balance, as predominantly speculative with respect to
capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with
the terms of the obligation. BB indicates the lowest degree of
speculation and C the highest degree of speculation. While such
debt will likely have some quality and protective characteristics,
these are outweighed by large uncertainties or major risk
exposures to adverse conditions.
C1. This rating is reserved for income bonds on which no interest
is being paid.
D. Debt rated D is in default, and payment of interest and/or
repayment of principal is in arrears. The D rating is also used
upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition if debt service payments
are jeopardized.
NOTES: The ratings from AA to CCC may be modified by the addition
of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within
the major rating categories. Foreign debt is rated on the same
basis as domestic debt measuring the creditworthiness of the
issuer; ratings of foreign debt do not take into account currency
exchange and related uncertainties.
The "r" is attached to highlight derivative, hybrid, and certain
other obligations that S&P believes may experience high volatility
or high variability in expected returns due to non-credit risks.
Examples of such obligations are: securities whose principal or
interest return is indexed to equities, commodities, or
currencies; certain swaps and options; and interest only and
principal only mortgage securities. The absence of an "r" symbol
should not be taken as an indication that an obligation will
exhibit no volatility or variability in total return.
COMMERCIAL PAPER RATINGS
RATINGS BY MOODY'S
Moody's employs the following three designations, all judged to be
investment grade, to indicate the relative repayment capacity of
rated issuers:
Prime-1 Highest Quality
Prime-2 Higher Quality
Prime-3 High Quality
If an issuer represents to Moody's that its commercial paper
obligations are supported by the credit of another entity or
entities, Moody's, in assigning ratings to such issuers, evaluates
the financial strength of the indicated affiliated corporations,
commercial banks, insurance companies, foreign governments or
other entities, but only as one factor in the total rating
assessment.
RATINGS BY S&P
A brief description of the applicable rating symbols and their
meaning follows:
A. Issues assigned this highest rating are regarded as having the
greatest capacity for timely payment. Issues in this category are
further refined with the designations 1, 2, and 3 to indicate the
relative degree of safety.
A-1. This designation indicates that the degree of safety
regarding timely payment is very strong. Those issues determined
to possess overwhelming safety characteristics will be denoted
with a plus (+) sign designation.
______________________
<PAGE>
Statement of Additional Information Dated February 14, 1997
STEIN ROE TRUST
Stein Roe Institutional Client High Yield Fund
Suite 3200, One South Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606
This Statement of Additional Information is not a prospectus
but provides additional information that should be read in
conjunction with the Prospectus dated February 14, 1997 and any
supplements thereto. The Prospectus may be obtained at no charge
by telephoning Stein Roe Retirement Services at 800-322-1130.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
General Information and History..........................2
Investment Policies......................................3
Portfolio Investments and Strategies.....................5
Investment Restrictions.................................21
Additional Investment Considerations....................23
Purchases and Redemptions...............................24
Management..............................................25
Principal Shareholders..................................29
Investment Advisory Services............................29
Distributor.............................................30
Transfer Agent..........................................31
Custodian...............................................31
Independent Auditors....................................32
Portfolio Transactions..................................32
Additional Income Tax Considerations....................33
Investment Performance..................................34
Balance Sheet...........................................39
<PAGE>
GENERAL INFORMATION AND HISTORY
Stein Roe Institutional Client High Yield Fund
("Institutional Client High Yield Fund") is a series of the Stein
Roe Trust. Institutional Client High Yield Fund invests all of
its net investable assets in shares of SR&F High Yield Portfolio
("High Yield Portfolio"), which is a series of shares of SR&F Base
Trust ("Base Trust").
Currently Institutional Client High Yield Fund is the only
series of Stein Roe Trust authorized and outstanding. Each share
of a series, without par value, is entitled to participate pro
rata in any dividends and other distributions declared by the
Board on shares of that series, and all shares of a series have
equal rights in the event of liquidation of that series. Each
whole share (or fractional share) outstanding on the record date
established in accordance with the By-Laws shall be entitled to a
number of votes on any matter on which it is entitled to vote
equal to the net asset value of the share (or fractional share) in
United States dollars determined at the close of business on the
record date (for example, a share having a net asset value of
$10.50 would be entitled to 10.5 votes). As a business trust,
Stein Roe Trust is not required to hold annual shareholder
meetings. However, special meetings may be called for purposes
such as electing or removing trustees, changing fundamental
policies, or approving an investment advisory contract. If
requested to do so by the holders of at least 10% of Roe Trust's
outstanding shares, Stein Roe Trust will call a special meeting
for the purpose of voting upon the question of removal of a
trustee or trustees and will assist in the communications with
other shareholders as required by Section 16(c) of the Investment
Company Act of 1940. All shares of Stein Roe Trust are voted
together in the election of trustees. On any other matter
submitted to a vote of shareholders, shares are voted by
individual series and not in the aggregate, except that shares are
voted in the aggregate when required by the Investment Company Act
of 1940 or other applicable law. When the Board of Trustees
determines that the matter affects only the interests of one or
more series, shareholders of the unaffected series are not
entitled to vote on such matters.
Stein Roe & Farnham Incorporated (the "Adviser") provides
administrative and accounting and recordkeeping services to
Institutional Client High Yield Fund and High Yield Portfolio and
provides investment advisory services to High Yield Portfolio.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING MASTER FUND/FEEDER FUND STRUCTURE
Rather than invest in securities directly, Institutional
Client High Yield Fund seeks to achieve its objective by pooling
its assets with assets of other investment companies and/or
institutional investors for investment in another mutual fund
having the same investment objective and substantially the same
investment policies and restrictions. The purpose of such an
arrangement is to achieve greater operational efficiencies and
reduce costs. For more information, please refer to the
Prospectus under the caption Special Considerations Regarding the
Master Fund/Feeder Fund Structure.
INVESTMENT POLICIES
The following information supplements the discussion of the
investment objective and policies of Institutional Client High
Yield Fund and High Yield Portfolio described in the Prospectus.
In pursuing its objective, High Yield Portfolio will invest as
described below and may employ the investment techniques described
in the Prospectus and in this Statement of Additional Information
under Portfolio Investments and Strategies. The investment
objective is a non-fundamental policy and may be changed by the
Board of Trustees without the approval of a "majority of the
outstanding voting securities" /1/ of Institutional Client High
Yield Fund or High Yield Portfolio.
- -------------
/1/ A "majority of the outstanding voting securities" means the
approval of the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the shares at a
meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares
are present or represented by proxy or (ii) more than 50% of the
outstanding shares.
- -------------
Institutional Client High Yield Fund seeks to achieve its
objective by investing all of its assets in High Yield Portfolio.
The investment policies of Institutional Client High Yield Fund
and High Yield Portfolio are substantially identical. High Yield
Portfolio seeks total return by investing for a high level of
current income and capital growth.
High Yield Portfolio invests principally in high-yield, high-
risk medium- and lower-quality debt securities. The medium- and
lower-quality debt securities in which High Yield Portfolio will
invest normally offer a current yield or yield to maturity that is
significantly higher than the yield from securities rated in the
three highest categories assigned by rating services such as
Standard & Poor's Corporation ("S&P") and by Moody's Investors
Service, Inc. ("Moody's").
Under normal circumstances, at least 65% of High Yield
Portfolio's assets will be invested in high-yield, high-risk
medium- and lower-quality debt securities rated lower than Baa by
Moody's or lower than BBB by S&P, or equivalent ratings as
determined by other rating agencies, or unrated securities that
the Adviser determines to be of comparable quality. Medium-
quality debt securities, although considered investment grade,
have some speculative characteristics. Lower-quality debt
securities are obligations of issuers that are considered
predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to
pay interest and repay principal according to the terms of the
obligation and, therefore, carry greater investment risk,
including the possibility of issuer default and bankruptcy, and
are commonly referred to as "junk bonds." Some issuers of debt
securities choose not to have their securities rated by a rating
service, and High Yield Portfolio may invest in unrated securities
that the Adviser has researched thoroughly and believes are
suitable for investment. High Yield Portfolio may invest in debt
obligations that are in default, but such obligations are not
expected to exceed 10% of High Yield Portfolio's assets.
High Yield Portfolio may invest up to 35% of its total assets
in other securities including, but not limited to, pay-in-kind
bonds, securities issued in private placements, bank loans, zero
coupon bonds, foreign securities, convertible securities, futures,
and options. High Yield Portfolio may also invest in higher-
quality debt securities. Under normal market conditions, however,
High Yield Portfolio is unlikely to emphasize higher-quality debt
securities since generally they offer lower yields than medium-
and lower-quality debt securities with similar maturities. High
Yield Portfolio may also invest in common stocks and securities
that are convertible into common stocks, such as warrants.
Investment in medium- or lower-quality debt securities
involves greater investment risk, including the possibility of
issuer default or bankruptcy. High Yield Portfolio seeks to
reduce investment risk through diversification, credit analysis,
and evaluation of developments in both the economy and financial
markets.
An economic downturn could severely disrupt the high-yield
market and adversely affect the value of outstanding bonds and the
ability of the issuers to repay principal and interest. In
addition, lower-quality bonds are less sensitive to interest rate
changes than higher-quality instruments (see Risks and Investment
Considerations) and generally are more sensitive to adverse
economic changes or individual corporate developments. During a
period of adverse economic changes, including a period of rising
interest rates, issuers of such bonds may experience difficulty in
servicing their principal and interest payment obligations.
Achievement of the investment objective will be more dependent on
the Adviser's credit analysis than would be the case if High Yield
Portfolio were investing in higher-quality debt securities. Since
the ratings of rating services (which evaluate the safety of
principal and interest payments, not market risks) are used only
as preliminary indicators of investment quality, the Adviser
employs its own credit research and analysis, from which it has
developed a proprietary credit rating system based upon
comparative credit analyses of issuers within the same industry.
These analyses may take into consideration such quantitative
factors as an issuer's present and potential liquidity,
profitability, internal capability to generate funds, debt/equity
ratio and debt servicing capabilities, and such qualitative
factors as an assessment of management, industry characteristics,
accounting methodology, and foreign business exposure.
Lower-quality debt securities are obligations of issuers that
are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the
issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal according to
the terms of the obligation and, therefore, carry greater
investment risk, including the possibility of issuer default and
bankruptcy, and are commonly referred to as "junk bonds." The
lowest rating assigned by Moody's is for bonds that can be
regarded as having extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any
real investment standing.
Medium- and lower-quality debt securities tend to be less
marketable than higher-quality debt securities because the market
for them is less broad. The market for unrated debt securities is
even narrower. During periods of thin trading in these markets,
the spread between bid and asked prices is likely to increase
significantly, and High Yield Portfolio may have greater
difficulty selling its portfolio securities. The market value of
these securities and their liquidity may be affected by adverse
publicity and investor perceptions.
PORTFOLIO INVESTMENTS AND STRATEGIES
DERIVATIVES
Consistent with its objective, High Yield Portfolio may
invest in a broad array of financial instruments and securities,
including conventional exchange-traded and non-exchange traded
options, futures contracts, futures options, securities
collateralized by underlying pools of mortgages or other
receivables, and other instruments the value of which is "derived"
from the performance of an underlying asset or a "benchmark" such
as a security index, an interest rate, or a currency
("Derivatives").
Derivatives are most often used to manage investment risk or
to create an investment position indirectly because it is more
efficient or less costly than direct investment that cannot be
readily established directly due to portfolio size, cash
availability, or other factors. They also may be used in an
effort to enhance portfolio returns.
The successful use of Derivatives depends on the Adviser's
ability to correctly predict changes in the levels and directions
of movements in security prices, interest rates and other market
factors affecting the Derivative itself or the value of the
underlying asset or benchmark. In addition, correlations in the
performance of an underlying asset to a Derivative may not be well
established. Finally, privately negotiated and over-the-counter
Derivatives may not be as well regulated and may be less
marketable than exchange-traded Derivatives.
High Yield Portfolio does not intend to invest more than 5%
of its assets in any type of Derivative except for options,
futures contracts, and futures options.
MORTGAGE AND OTHER ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES
High Yield Portfolio may invest in securities secured by
mortgages or other assets such as automobile or home improvement
loans and credit card receivables. These instruments may be
issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or by its agencies or
instrumentalities or by private entities such as commercial,
mortgage and investment banks and financial companies or financial
subsidiaries of industrial companies.
Mortgage-backed securities provide either a pro rata interest
in underlying mortgages or an interest in collateralized mortgage
obligations ("CMOs") which represent a right to interest and/or
principal payments from an underlying mortgage pool. CMOs are not
guaranteed by either the U.S. Government or by its agencies or
instrumentalities, and are usually issued in multiple classes each
of which has different payment rights, pre-payment risks and yield
characteristics. Mortgage-backed securities involve the risk of
pre-payment on the underlying mortgages at a faster or slower rate
than the established schedule. Pre-payments generally increase
with falling interest rates and decrease with rising rates but
they also are influenced by economic, social and market factors.
If mortgages are pre-paid during periods of declining interest
rates, there would be a resulting loss of the full-term benefit of
any premium paid by High Yield Portfolio on purchase of the CMO,
and the proceeds of pre-payment would likely be invested at lower
interest rates. High Yield Portfolio intends to invest in CMOs of
classes known as planned amortization classes ("PACs") which have
pre-payment protection features tending to make them less
susceptible to price volatility.
Non-mortgage asset-backed securities usually have less pre-
payment risk than mortgage-backed securities, but have the risk
that the collateral will not be available to support payments on
the underlying loans which finance payments on the securities
themselves. Therefore, greater emphasis is placed on the credit
quality of the security issuer and the guarantor, if any.
FLOATING RATE INSTRUMENTS
High Yield Portfolio may also invest in floating rate
instruments which provide for periodic adjustments in coupon
interest rates that are automatically reset based on changes in
amount and direction of specified market interest rates. In
addition, the adjusted duration of some of these instruments may
be materially shorter than their stated maturities. To the extent
such instruments are subject to lifetime or periodic interest rate
caps or floors, such instruments may experience greater price
volatility than debt instruments without such features. Adjusted
duration is an inverse relationship between market price and
interest rates and refers to the approximate percentage change in
price for a 100 basis point change in yield. For example, if
interest rates decrease by 100 basis points, a market price of a
security with an adjusted duration of 2 would increase by
approximately 2%. High Yield Portfolio does not intend to invest
more than 5% of its net assets in floating rate instruments.
LENDING OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES
Subject to restriction (7) under Investment Restrictions,
High Yield Portfolio may lend its portfolio securities to broker-
dealers and banks. Any such loan must be continuously secured by
collateral in cash or cash equivalents maintained on a current
basis in an amount at least equal to the market value of the
securities loaned by High Yield Portfolio. High Yield Portfolio
would continue to receive the equivalent of the interest or
dividends paid by the issuer on the securities loaned, and would
also receive an additional return that may be in the form of a
fixed fee or a percentage of the collateral. High Yield Portfolio
would have the right to call the loan and obtain the securities
loaned at any time on notice of not more than five business days.
In the event of bankruptcy or other default of the borrower, High
Yield Portfolio could experience both delays in liquidating the
loan collateral or recovering the loaned securities and losses
including (a) possible decline in the value of the collateral or
in the value of the securities loaned during the period while High
Yield Portfolio seeks to enforce its rights thereto, (b) possible
subnormal levels of income and lack of access to income during
this period, and (c) expenses of enforcing its rights.
WHEN-ISSUED AND DELAYED-DELIVERY SECURITIES; REVERSE REPURCHASE
AGREEMENTS; STANDBY COMMITMENTS
High Yield Portfolio may purchase instruments on a when-
issued or delayed-delivery basis. Although payment terms are
established at the time High Yield Portfolio enters into the
commitment, the instruments may be delivered and paid for some
time after the date of purchase, when their value may have changed
and the yields available in the market may be greater. High Yield
Portfolio will make such commitments only with the intention of
actually acquiring the instruments, but may sell them before
settlement date if it is deemed advisable for investment reasons.
Securities purchased in this manner involve risk of loss if the
value of the security purchased declines before settlement date.
High Yield Portfolio may purchase securities on a when-issued
or delayed-delivery basis, as described in the Prospectus. High
Yield Portfolio makes such commitments only with the intention of
actually acquiring the securities, but may sell the securities
before settlement date if the Adviser deems it advisable for
investment reasons. Securities purchased on a when-issued or
delayed-delivery basis are sometimes done on a "dollar roll"
basis. Dollar roll transactions consist of the sale by High Yield
Portfolio of securities with a commitment to purchase similar but
not identical securities, generally at a lower price at a future
date. A dollar roll may be renewed after cash settlement and
initially may involve only a firm commitment agreement by High
Yield Portfolio to buy a security. A dollar roll transaction
involves the following risks: if the broker-dealer to whom High
Yield Portfolio sells the security becomes insolvent, High Yield
Portfolio's right to purchase or repurchase the security may be
restricted; the value of the security may change adversely over
the term of the dollar roll; the security which High Yield
Portfolio is required to repurchase may be worth less than a
security which High Yield Portfolio originally held; and the
return earned by High Yield Portfolio with the proceeds of a
dollar roll may not exceed transaction costs.
High Yield Portfolio may enter into reverse repurchase
agreements with banks and securities dealers. A reverse
repurchase agreement is a repurchase agreement in which High Yield
Portfolio is the seller of, rather than the investor in,
securities and agrees to repurchase them at an agreed-upon time
and price. Use of a reverse repurchase agreement may be
preferable to a regular sale and later repurchase of securities
because it avoids certain market risks and transaction costs.
At the time High Yield Portfolio enters into a binding
obligation to purchase securities on a when-issued basis or enters
into a reverse repurchase agreement, liquid assets (cash, U.S.
Government or other "high grade" debt obligations) of High Yield
Portfolio having a value at least as great as the purchase price
of the securities to be purchased will be segregated on the books
of High Yield Portfolio and held by the custodian throughout the
period of the obligation. The use of these investment strategies,
as well as borrowing under a line of credit as described below,
may increase net asset value fluctuation.
Standby commitment agreements create an additional risk for
High Yield Portfolio because the other party to the standby
agreement generally will not be obligated to deliver the security,
but High Yield Portfolio will be obligated to accept it if
delivered. Depending on market conditions, High Yield Portfolio
may receive a commitment fee for assuming this obligation. If
prevailing market interest rates increase during the period
between the date of the agreement and the settlement date, the
other party can be expected to deliver the security and, in
effect, pass any decline in value to High Yield Portfolio. If the
value of the security increases after the agreement is made,
however, the other party is unlikely to deliver the security. In
other words, a decrease in the value of the securities to be
purchased under the terms of a standby commitment agreement will
likely result in the delivery of the security, and, therefore,
such decrease will be reflected in High Yield Portfolio's net
asset value. However, any increase in the value of the securities
to be purchased will likely result in the non-delivery of the
security and, therefore, such increase will not affect the net
asset value unless and until High Yield Portfolio actually obtains
the security.
SHORT SALES AGAINST THE BOX
High Yield Portfolio may sell securities short against the
box; that is, enter into short sales of securities that it
currently owns or has the right to acquire through the conversion
or exchange of other securities that it owns at no additional
cost. High Yield Portfolio may make short sales of securities
only if at all times when a short position is open High Yield
Portfolio owns at least an equal amount of such securities or
securities convertible into or exchangeable for securities of the
same issue as, and equal in amount to, the securities sold short,
at no additional cost.
In a short sale against the box, High Yield Portfolio does
not deliver from its portfolio the securities sold. Instead,
High Yield Portfolio borrows the securities sold short from a
broker-dealer through which the short sale is executed, and the
broker-dealer delivers such securities, on behalf of High Yield
Portfolio, to the purchaser of such securities. High Yield
Portfolio is required to pay to the broker-dealer the amount of
any dividends paid on shares sold short. Finally, to secure its
obligation to deliver to such broker-dealer the securities sold
short, High Yield Portfolio must deposit and continuously maintain
in a separate account with High Yield Portfolio's custodian an
equivalent amount of the securities sold short or securities
convertible into or exchangeable for such securities at no
additional cost. High Yield Portfolio is said to have a short
position in the securities sold until it delivers to the broker-
dealer the securities sold. High Yield Portfolio may close out a
short position by purchasing on the open market and delivering to
the broker-dealer an equal amount of the securities sold short,
rather than by delivering portfolio securities.
Short sales may protect High Yield Portfolio against the risk
of losses in the value of its portfolio securities because any
unrealized losses with respect to such portfolio securities should
be wholly or partially offset by a corresponding gain in the short
position. However, any potential gains in such portfolio
securities should be wholly or partially offset by a corresponding
loss in the short position. The extent to which such gains or
losses are offset will depend upon the amount of securities sold
short relative to the amount High Yield Portfolio owns, either
directly or indirectly, and, in the case where High Yield
Portfolio owns convertible securities, changes in the conversion
premium.
Short sale transactions involve certain risks. If the price
of the security sold short increases between the time of the short
sale and the time High Yield Portfolio replaces the borrowed
security, High Yield Portfolio will incur a loss and if the price
declines during this period, High Yield Portfolio will realize a
short-term capital gain. Any realized short-term capital gain
will be decreased, and any incurred loss increased, by the amount
of transaction costs and any premium, dividend or interest which
High Yield Portfolio may have to pay in connection with such short
sale. Certain provisions of the Internal Revenue Code may limit
the degree to which High Yield Portfolio is able to enter into
short sales. There is no limitation on the amount of High Yield
Portfolio's assets that, in the aggregate, may be deposited as
collateral for the obligation to replace securities borrowed to
effect short sales and allocated to segregated accounts in
connection with short sales. High Yield Portfolio currently
expects that no more than 5% of its total assets would be involved
in short sales against the box.
LINE OF CREDIT
Subject to restriction (8) under Investment Restrictions,
High Yield Portfolio may establish and maintain a line of credit
with a major bank in order to permit borrowing on a temporary
basis to meet share redemption requests in circumstances in which
temporary borrowing may be preferable to liquidation of portfolio
securities.
INTERFUND BORROWING AND LENDING PROGRAM
Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the Securities and
Exchange Commission, Institutional Client High Yield Fund has
received permission to lend money to, and borrow money from, other
mutual funds advised by the Adviser. Institutional Client High
Yield Fund will borrow through the program when borrowing is
necessary and appropriate and the costs are equal to or lower than
the costs of bank loans.
PIK AND ZERO COUPON BONDS
High Yield Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its assets in
zero coupon bonds and bonds the interest on which is payable in
kind ("PIK bonds"). A zero coupon bond is a bond that does not
pay interest for its entire life. A PIK bond pays interest in the
form of additional securities. The market prices of both zero
coupon and PIK bonds are affected to a greater extent by changes
in prevailing levels of interest rates and thereby tend to be more
volatile in price than securities that pay interest periodically
and in cash. In addition, because High Yield Portfolio accrues
income with respect to these securities prior to the receipt of
such interest in cash, it may have to dispose of portfolio
securities under disadvantageous circumstances in order to obtain
cash needed to pay income dividends in amounts necessary to avoid
unfavorable tax consequences.
RATED SECURITIES
For a description of the ratings applied by rating services
to debt securities, please refer to the Appendix. The rated debt
securities described under Investment Policies above for High
Yield Portfolio include securities given a rating conditionally by
Moody's or provisionally by S&P. If the rating of a security held
by High Yield Portfolio is withdrawn or reduced, High Yield
Portfolio is not required to sell the security, but the Adviser
will consider such fact in determining whether High Yield
Portfolio should continue to hold the security. To the extent
that the ratings accorded by Moody's or S&P for debt securities
may change as a result of changes in such organizations, or
changes in their rating systems, High Yield Portfolio will attempt
to use comparable ratings as standards for its investments in debt
securities in accordance with its investment policies.
FOREIGN SECURITIES
High Yield Portfolio may invest up to 25% of total assets
(taken at market value at the time of investment) in securities of
foreign issuers that are not publicly traded in the United States
("foreign securities"). For purposes of these limits, foreign
securities do not include securities represented by American
Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), securities denominated in U.S.
dollars, or securities guaranteed by U.S. persons. Investment in
foreign securities may involve a greater degree of risk (including
risks relating to exchange fluctuations, tax provisions, or
expropriation of assets) than does investment in securities of
domestic issuers.
High Yield Portfolio may invest in both "sponsored" and
"unsponsored" ADRs. In a sponsored ADR, the issuer typically pays
some or all of the expenses of the depositary and agrees to
provide its regular shareholder communications to ADR holders. An
unsponsored ADR is created independently of the issuer of the
underlying security. The ADR holders generally pay the expenses
of the depositary and do not have an undertaking from the issuer
of the underlying security to furnish shareholder communications.
High Yield Portfolio does not expects to invest as much as 5% of
its total assets in unsponsored ADRs.
With respect to portfolio securities that are issued by
foreign issuers or denominated in foreign currencies, High Yield
Portfolio's investment performance is affected by the strength or
weakness of the U.S. dollar against these currencies. For
example, if the dollar falls in value relative to the Japanese
yen, the dollar value of a yen-denominated stock held in the
investment portfolio will rise even though the price of the stock
remains unchanged. Conversely, if the dollar rises in value
relative to the yen, the dollar value of the yen-denominated stock
will fall. (See discussion of transaction hedging and portfolio
hedging under Currency Exchange Transactions.)
Investors should understand and consider carefully the risks
involved in foreign investing. Investing in foreign securities,
positions in which are generally denominated in foreign
currencies, and utilization of forward foreign currency exchange
contracts involve certain considerations comprising both risks and
opportunities not typically associated with investing in U.S.
securities. These considerations include: fluctuations in
exchange rates of foreign currencies; possible imposition of
exchange control regulation or currency restrictions that would
prevent cash from being brought back to the United States; less
public information with respect to issuers of securities; less
governmental supervision of stock exchanges, securities brokers,
and issuers of securities; lack of uniform accounting, auditing,
and financial reporting standards; lack of uniform settlement
periods and trading practices; less liquidity and frequently
greater price volatility in foreign markets than in the United
States; possible imposition of foreign taxes; possible investment
in securities of companies in developing as well as developed
countries; and sometimes less advantageous legal, operational, and
financial protections applicable to foreign sub-custodial
arrangements.
Although High Yield Portfolio will try to invest in companies
and governments of countries having stable political environments,
there is the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory
taxation, seizure or nationalization of foreign bank deposits or
other assets, establishment of exchange controls, the adoption of
foreign government restrictions, or other adverse political,
social or diplomatic developments that could affect investment in
these nations.
Currency Exchange Transactions. Currency exchange
transactions may be conducted either on a spot (i.e., cash) basis
at the spot rate for purchasing or selling currency prevailing in
the foreign exchange market or through forward currency exchange
contracts ("forward contracts"). Forward contracts are
contractual agreements to purchase or sell a specified currency at
a specified future date (or within a specified time period) and
price set at the time of the contract. Forward contracts are
usually entered into with banks and broker-dealers, are not
exchange traded, and are usually for less than one year, but may
be renewed.
High Yield Portfolio's foreign currency exchange transactions
are limited to transaction and portfolio hedging involving either
specific transactions or portfolio positions, except to the extent
described below under Synthetic Foreign Positions. Transaction
hedging is the purchase or sale of forward contracts with respect
to specific receivables or payables of High Yield Portfolio
arising in connection with the purchase and sale of its portfolio
securities. Portfolio hedging is the use of forward contracts
with respect to portfolio security positions denominated or quoted
in a particular foreign currency. Portfolio hedging allows High
Yield Portfolio to limit or reduce its exposure in a foreign
currency by entering into a forward contract to sell such foreign
currency (or another foreign currency that acts as a proxy for
that currency) at a future date for a price payable in U.S.
dollars so that the value of the foreign-denominated portfolio
securities can be approximately matched by a foreign-denominated
liability. High Yield Portfolio may not engage in portfolio
hedging with respect to the currency of a particular country to an
extent greater than the aggregate market value (at the time of
making such sale) of the securities held in its portfolio
denominated or quoted in that particular currency, except that
High Yield Portfolio may hedge all or part of its foreign currency
exposure through the use of a basket of currencies or a proxy
currency where such currencies or currency act as an effective
proxy for other currencies. In such a case, High Yield Portfolio
may enter into a forward contract where the amount of the foreign
currency to be sold exceeds the value of the securities
denominated in such currency. The use of this basket hedging
technique may be more efficient and economical than entering into
separate forward contracts for each currency held in High Yield
Portfolio. High Yield Portfolio may not engage in "speculative"
currency exchange transactions.
At the maturity of a forward contract to deliver a particular
currency, High Yield Portfolio may either sell the portfolio
security related to such contract and make delivery of the
currency, or it may retain the security and either acquire the
currency on the spot market or terminate its contractual
obligation to deliver the currency by purchasing an offsetting
contract with the same currency trader obligating it to purchase
on the same maturity date the same amount of the currency.
It is impossible to forecast with absolute precision the
market value of portfolio securities at the expiration of a
forward contract. Accordingly, it may be necessary for High Yield
Portfolio to purchase additional currency on the spot market (and
bear the expense of such purchase) if the market value of the
security is less than the amount of currency High Yield Portfolio
is obligated to deliver and if a decision is made to sell the
security and make delivery of the currency. Conversely, it may be
necessary to sell on the spot market some of the currency received
upon the sale of the portfolio security if its market value
exceeds the amount of currency High Yield Portfolio is obligated
to deliver.
If High Yield Portfolio retains the portfolio security and
engages in an offsetting transaction, High Yield Portfolio will
incur a gain or a loss to the extent that there has been movement
in forward contract prices. If High Yield Portfolio engages in an
offsetting transaction, it may subsequently enter into a new
forward contract to sell the currency. Should forward prices
decline during the period between High Yield Portfolio's entering
into a forward contract for the sale of a currency and the date it
enters into an offsetting contract for the purchase of the
currency, High Yield Portfolio will realize a gain to the extent
the price of the currency it has agreed to sell exceeds the price
of the currency it has agreed to purchase. Should forward prices
increase, High Yield Portfolio will suffer a loss to the extent
the price of the currency it has agreed to purchase exceeds the
price of the currency it has agreed to sell. A default on the
contract would deprive High Yield Portfolio of unrealized profits
or force High Yield Portfolio to cover its commitments for
purchase or sale of currency, if any, at the current market price.
Hedging against a decline in the value of a currency does not
eliminate fluctuations in the prices of portfolio securities or
prevent losses if the prices of such securities decline. Such
transactions also preclude the opportunity for gain if the value
of the hedged currency should rise. Moreover, it may not be
possible for High Yield Portfolio to hedge against a devaluation
that is so generally anticipated that High Yield Portfolio is not
able to contract to sell the currency at a price above the
devaluation level it anticipates. The cost to High Yield
Portfolio of engaging in currency exchange transactions varies
with such factors as the currency involved, the length of the
contract period, and prevailing market conditions. Since currency
exchange transactions are usually conducted on a principal basis,
no fees or commissions are involved.
Synthetic Foreign Positions. High Yield Portfolio may invest
in debt instruments denominated in foreign currencies. In
addition to, or in lieu of, such direct investment, High Yield
Portfolio may construct a synthetic foreign position by (a)
purchasing a debt instrument denominated in one currency,
generally U.S. dollars, and (b) concurrently entering into a
forward contract to deliver a corresponding amount of that
currency in exchange for a different currency on a future date and
at a specified rate of exchange. Because of the availability of a
variety of highly liquid U.S. dollar debt instruments, a synthetic
foreign position utilizing such U.S. dollar instruments may offer
greater liquidity than direct investment in foreign currency debt
instruments. The results of a direct investment in a foreign
currency and a concurrent construction of a synthetic position in
such foreign currency, in terms of both income yield and gain or
loss from changes in currency exchange rates, in general should be
similar, but would not be identical because the components of the
alternative investments would not be identical.
High Yield Portfolio may also construct a synthetic foreign
position by entering into a swap arrangement. A swap is a
contractual agreement between two parties to exchange cash flows--
at the time of the swap agreement and again at maturity, and, with
some swaps, at various intervals through the period of the
agreement. The use of swaps to construct a synthetic foreign
position would generally entail the swap of interest rates and
currencies. A currency swap is a contractual arrangement between
two parties to exchange principal amounts in different currencies
at a predetermined foreign exchange rate. An interest rate swap
is a contractual agreement between two parties to exchange
interest payments on identical principal amounts. An interest
rate swap may be between a floating and a fixed rate instrument, a
domestic and a foreign instrument, or any other type of cash flow
exchange. A currency swap generally has the same risk
characteristics as a forward currency contract, and all types of
swaps have counter-party risk. Depending on the facts and
circumstances, swaps may be considered illiquid. Illiquid
securities usually have greater investment risk and are subject to
greater price volatility. The net amount of the excess, if any,
of High Yield Portfolio's obligations over which it is entitled to
receive with respect to an interest rate or currency swap will be
accrued daily and liquid assets (cash, U.S. Government securities,
or other "high grade" debt obligations) of High Yield Portfolio
having a value at least equal to such accrued excess will be
segregated on the books of High Yield Portfolio and held by the
Custodian for the duration of the swap.
High Yield Portfolio may also construct a synthetic foreign
position by purchasing an instrument whose return is tied to the
return of the desired foreign position. An investment in these
"principal exchange rate linked securities" (often called PERLS)
can produce a similar return to a direct investment in a foreign
security.
RULE 144A SECURITIES
High Yield Portfolio may purchase securities that have been
privately placed but that are eligible for purchase and sale under
Rule 144A under the 1933 Act. That Rule permits certain qualified
institutional buyers, such as High Yield Portfolio, to trade in
privately placed securities that have not been registered for sale
under the 1933 Act. The Adviser, under the supervision of the
Board of Trustees, will consider whether securities purchased
under Rule 144A are illiquid and thus subject to High Yield
Portfolio's restriction of investing no more than 10% of its net
assets in illiquid securities. A determination of whether a Rule
144A security is liquid or not is a question of fact. In making
this determination, the Adviser will consider the trading markets
for the specific security, taking into account the unregistered
nature of a Rule 144A security. In addition, the Adviser could
consider the (1) frequency of trades and quotes, (2) number of
dealers and potential purchasers, (3) dealer undertakings to make
a market, and (4) nature of the security and of marketplace trades
(e.g., the time needed to dispose of the security, the method of
soliciting offers, and the mechanics of transfer). The liquidity
of Rule 144A securities would be monitored and, if as a result of
changed conditions, it is determined that a Rule 144A security is
no longer liquid, High Yield Portfolio's holdings of illiquid
securities would be reviewed to determine what, if any, steps are
required to assure that High Yield Portfolio does not invest more
than 10% of its assets in illiquid securities. Investing in Rule
144A securities could have the effect of increasing the amount of
High Yield Portfolio's assets invested in illiquid securities if
qualified institutional buyers are unwilling to purchase such
securities. High Yield Portfolio does not expect to invest as
much as 5% of its total assets in Rule 144A securities that have
not been deemed to be liquid by the Adviser.
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The turnover rate for High Yield Portfolio in the future may
vary greatly from year to year, and when portfolio changes are
deemed appropriate due to market or other conditions, such
turnover rate may be greater than might otherwise be anticipated.
A high rate of portfolio turnover may result in increased
transaction expenses and the realization of capital gains or
losses. Distributions of any net realized gains are subject to
federal income tax. (See Risks and Investment Considerations and
Distributions and Income Taxes in the Prospectus, and Additional
Income Tax Considerations in this Statement of Additional
Information.)
OPTIONS ON SECURITIES AND INDEXES
High Yield Portfolio may purchase and may sell both put
options and call options on debt or other securities or indexes in
standardized contracts traded on national securities exchanges,
boards of trade, or similar entities, or quoted on Nasdaq, and
agreements, sometimes called cash puts, that may accompany the
purchase of a new issue of bonds from a dealer.
An option on a security (or index) is a contract that gives
the purchaser (holder) of the option, in return for a premium, the
right to buy from (call) or sell to (put) the seller (writer) of
the option the security underlying the option (or the cash value
of the index) at a specified exercise price at any time during the
term of the option. The writer of an option on an individual
security has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver
the underlying security upon payment of the exercise price or to
pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security.
Upon exercise, the writer of an option on an index is obligated to
pay the difference between the cash value of the index and the
exercise price multiplied by the specified multiplier for the
index option. (An index is designed to reflect specified facets
of a particular financial or securities market, a specific group
of financial instruments or securities, or certain economic
indicators.)
High Yield Portfolio will write call options and put options
only if they are "covered." In the case of a call option on a
security, the option is "covered" if High Yield Portfolio owns the
security underlying the call or has an absolute and immediate
right to acquire that security without additional cash
consideration (or, if additional cash consideration is required,
cash or cash equivalents in such amount are held in a segregated
account by its custodian) upon conversion or exchange of other
securities held in its portfolio.
If an option written by High Yield Portfolio expires, High
Yield Portfolio realizes a capital gain equal to the premium
received at the time the option was written. If an option
purchased by High Yield Portfolio expires, High Yield Portfolio
realizes a capital loss equal to the premium paid.
Prior to the earlier of exercise or expiration, an option may
be closed out by an offsetting purchase or sale of an option of
the same series (type, exchange, underlying security or index,
exercise price, and expiration). There can be no assurance,
however, that a closing purchase or sale transaction can be
effected when High Yield Portfolio desires.
High Yield Portfolio will realize a capital gain from a
closing purchase transaction if the cost of the closing option is
less than the premium received from writing the option, or, if it
is more, High Yield Portfolio will realize a capital loss. If the
premium received from a closing sale transaction is more than the
premium paid to purchase the option, High Yield Portfolio will
realize a capital gain or, if it is less, High Yield Portfolio
will realize a capital loss. The principal factors affecting the
market value of a put or a call option include supply and demand,
interest rates, the current market price of the underlying
security or index in relation to the exercise price of the option,
the volatility of the underlying security or index, and the time
remaining until the expiration date.
A put or call option purchased by High Yield Portfolio is an
asset of High Yield Portfolio, valued initially at the premium
paid for the option. The premium received for an option written
by High Yield Portfolio is recorded as a deferred credit. The
value of an option purchased or written is marked-to-market daily
and is valued at the closing price on the exchange on which it is
traded or, if not traded on an exchange or no closing price is
available, at the mean between the last bid and asked prices.
Risks Associated with Options on Securities and Indexes.
There are several risks associated with transactions in options on
securities and on indexes. For example, there are significant
differences between the securities markets and options markets
that could result in an imperfect correlation between these
markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its
objectives. A decision as to whether, when and how to use options
involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-
conceived transaction may be unsuccessful to some degree because
of market behavior or unexpected events.
There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist
when High Yield Portfolio seeks to close out an option position.
If High Yield Portfolio were unable to close out an option that it
had purchased on a security, it would have to exercise the option
in order to realize any profit or the option would expire and
become worthless. If High Yield Portfolio were unable to close
out a covered call option that it had written on a security, it
would not be able to sell the underlying security until the option
expired. As the writer of a covered call option, High Yield
Portfolio foregoes, during the option's life, the opportunity to
profit from increases in the market value of the security covering
the call option above the sum of the premium and the exercise
price of the call.
If trading were suspended in an option purchased by High
Yield Portfolio, High Yield Portfolio would not be able to close
out the option. If restrictions on exercise were imposed, High
Yield Portfolio might be unable to exercise an option it has
purchased.
FUTURES CONTRACTS AND OPTIONS ON FUTURES CONTRACTS
High Yield Portfolio may use interest rate futures contracts
and index futures contracts. An interest rate or index futures
contract provides for the future sale by one party and purchase by
another party of a specified quantity of a financial instrument or
the cash value of an index /2/ at a specified price and time. A
public market exists in futures contracts covering a number of
indexes as well as the following financial instruments: U.S.
Treasury bonds; U.S. Treasury notes; GNMA Certificates; three-
month U.S. Treasury bills; 90-day commercial paper; bank
certificates of deposit; Eurodollar certificates of deposit; and
foreign currencies. It is expected that other futures contracts
will be developed and traded.
- -----------
/2/ A futures contract on an index is an agreement pursuant to
which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount of
cash equal to the difference between the value of the index at the
close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at
which the index contract was originally written. Although the
value of a securities index is a function of the value of certain
specified securities, no physical delivery of those securities is
made.
- ----------
High Yield Portfolio may purchase and write call and put
futures options. Futures options possess many of the same
characteristics as options on securities and indexes (discussed
above). A futures option gives the holder the right, in return
for the premium paid, to assume a long position (call) or short
position (put) in a futures contract at a specified exercise price
at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of a
call option, the holder acquires a long position in the futures
contract and the writer is assigned the opposite short position.
In the case of a put option, the opposite is true. High Yield
Portfolio might, for example, use futures contracts to hedge
against or gain exposure to fluctuations in the general level of
security prices, anticipated changes in interest rates or currency
fluctuations that might adversely affect either the value of High
Yield Portfolio's securities or the price of the securities that
High Yield Portfolio intends to purchase. Although other
techniques could be used to reduce High Yield Portfolio's exposure
to security price, interest rate and currency fluctuations, High
Yield Portfolio may be able to achieve its exposure more
effectively and perhaps at a lower cost by using futures contracts
and futures options.
High Yield Portfolio will only enter into futures contracts
and futures options that are standardized and traded on an
exchange, board of trade, or similar entity, or quoted on an
automated quotation system.
The success of any futures transaction depends on the Adviser
correctly predicting changes in the level and direction of
security prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other
factors. Should those predictions be incorrect, High Yield
Portfolio's return might have been better had the transaction not
been attempted; however, in the absence of the ability to use
futures contracts, the Adviser might have taken portfolio actions
in anticipation of the same market movements with similar
investment results but, presumably, at greater transaction costs.
When a purchase or sale of a futures contract is made by High
Yield Portfolio, High Yield Portfolio is required to deposit with
its custodian (or broker, if legally permitted) a specified amount
of cash or U.S. Government securities or other securities
acceptable to the broker ("initial margin"). The margin required
for a futures contract is set by the exchange on which the
contract is traded and may be modified during the term of the
contract. The initial margin is in the nature of a performance
bond or good faith deposit on the futures contract that is
returned to High Yield Portfolio upon termination of the contract,
assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. High
Yield Portfolio expects to earn interest income on its initial
margin deposits. A futures contract held by High Yield Portfolio
is valued daily at the official settlement price of the exchange
on which it is traded. Each day High Yield Portfolio pays or
receives cash, called "variation margin," equal to the daily
change in value of the futures contract. This process is known as
"marking-to-market." Variation margin paid or received by High
Yield Portfolio does not represent a borrowing or loan by High
Yield Portfolio but is instead settlement between High Yield
Portfolio and the broker of the amount one would owe the other if
the futures contract had expired at the close of the previous
trading day. In computing daily net asset value, High Yield
Portfolio will mark-to-market its open futures positions.
High Yield Portfolio is also required to deposit and maintain
margin with respect to put and call options on futures contracts
written by it. Such margin deposits will vary depending on the
nature of the underlying futures contract (and the related initial
margin requirements), the current market value of the option, and
other futures positions held by High Yield Portfolio.
Although some futures contracts call for making or taking
delivery of the underlying securities, usually these obligations
are closed out prior to delivery by offsetting purchases or sales
of matching futures contracts (same exchange, underlying security
or index, and delivery month). If an offsetting purchase price is
less than the original sale price, High Yield Portfolio realizes a
capital gain, or if it is more, High Yield Portfolio realizes a
capital loss. Conversely, if an offsetting sale price is more
than the original purchase price, High Yield Portfolio realizes a
capital gain, or if it is less, High Yield Portfolio realizes a
capital loss. The transaction costs must also be included in
these calculations.
RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH FUTURES
There are several risks associated with the use of futures
contracts and futures options as hedging techniques. A purchase
or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of
the amount invested in the futures contract. In trying to
increase or reduce market exposure, there can be no guarantee that
there will be a correlation between price movements in the futures
contract and in the portfolio exposure sought. In addition, there
are significant differences between the securities and futures
markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between the
markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its
objectives. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends on
circumstances such as: variations in speculative market demand for
futures, futures options and debt securities, including technical
influences in futures trading and futures options and differences
between the financial instruments and the instruments underlying
the standard contracts available for trading in such respects as
interest rate levels, maturities, and creditworthiness of issuers.
A decision as to whether, when and how to hedge involves the
exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived
transaction may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market
behavior or unexpected interest rate trends.
Futures exchanges may limit the amount of fluctuation
permitted in certain futures contract prices during a single
trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that
the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from
the previous day's settlement price at the end of the current
trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a
futures contract subject to the limit, no more trades may be made
on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs
only price movements during a particular trading day and therefore
does not limit potential losses because the limit may work to
prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. For example,
futures prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for
several consecutive trading days with little or no trading,
thereby preventing prompt liquidation of positions and subjecting
some holders of futures contracts to substantial losses.
There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist at
a time when High Yield Portfolio seeks to close out a futures or a
futures option position. High Yield Portfolio would be exposed to
possible loss on the position during the interval of inability to
close and would continue to be required to meet margin
requirements until the position is closed. In addition, many of
the contracts discussed above are relatively new instruments
without a significant trading history. As a result, there can be
no assurance that an active secondary market will develop or
continue to exist.
LIMITATIONS ON OPTIONS AND FUTURES
If other options, futures contracts, or futures options of
types other than those described herein are traded in the future,
High Yield Portfolio may also use those investment vehicles,
provided the Board of Trustees determines that their use is
consistent with High Yield Portfolio's investment objective.
High Yield Portfolio will not enter into a futures contract
or purchase an option thereon if, immediately thereafter, the
initial margin deposits for futures contracts held by High Yield
Portfolio plus premiums paid by it for open futures option
positions, less the amount by which any such positions are "in-
the-money," /3/ would exceed 5% of High Yield Portfolio's total
assets.
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/3/ A call option is "in-the-money" if the value of the futures
contract that is the subject of the option exceeds the exercise
price. A put option is "in-the-money" if the exercise price
exceeds the value of the futures contract that is the subject of
the option.
- -----------
When purchasing a futures contract or writing a put on a
futures contract, High Yield Portfolio must maintain with its
custodian (or broker, if legally permitted) cash or cash
equivalents (including any margin) equal to the market value of
such contract. When writing a call option on a futures contract,
High Yield Portfolio similarly will maintain with its custodian
cash or cash equivalents (including any margin) equal to the
amount by which such option is in-the-money until the option
expires or is closed out by High Yield Portfolio.
High Yield Portfolio may not maintain open short positions in
futures contracts, call options written on futures contracts or
call options written on indexes if, in the aggregate, the market
value of all such open positions exceeds the current value of the
securities in its portfolio, plus or minus unrealized gains and
losses on the open positions, adjusted for the historical relative
volatility of the relationship between the portfolio and the
positions. For this purpose, to the extent High Yield Portfolio
has written call options on specific securities in its portfolio,
the value of those securities will be deducted from the current
market value of the securities portfolio.
In order to comply with Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Regulation 4.5 and thereby avoid being deemed a "commodity pool
operator," High Yield Portfolio will use commodity futures or
commodity options contracts solely for bona fide hedging purposes
within the meaning and intent of Regulation 1.3(z), or, with
respect to positions in commodity futures and commodity options
contracts that do not come within the meaning and intent of
1.3(z), the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to
establish such positions will not exceed 5% of the fair market
value of the assets of High Yield Portfolio, after taking into
account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such
contracts it has entered into [in the case of an option that is
in-the-money at the time of purchase, the in-the-money amount (as
defined in Section 190.01(x) of the Commission Regulations) may be
excluded in computing such 5%].
TAXATION OF OPTIONS AND FUTURES
If High Yield Portfolio exercises a call or put option that
it holds, the premium paid for the option is added to the cost
basis of the security purchased (call) or deducted from the
proceeds of the security sold (put). For cash settlement options
and futures options exercised by High Yield Portfolio, the
difference between the cash received at exercise and the premium
paid is a capital gain or loss.
If a call or put option written by High Yield Portfolio is
exercised, the premium is included in the proceeds of the sale of
the underlying security (call) or reduces the cost basis of the
security purchased (put). For cash settlement options and futures
options written by High Yield Portfolio, the difference between
the cash paid at exercise and the premium received is a capital
gain or loss.
Entry into a closing purchase transaction will result in
capital gain or loss. If an option written by High Yield
Portfolio was in-the-money at the time it was written and the
security covering the option was held for more than the long-term
holding period prior to the writing of the option, any loss
realized as a result of a closing purchase transaction will be
long-term. The holding period of the securities covering an in-
the-money option will not include the period of time the option is
outstanding.
A futures contract held until delivery results in capital
gain or loss equal to the difference between the price at which
the futures contract was entered into and the settlement price on
the earlier of delivery notice date or expiration date. If High
Yield Portfolio delivers securities under a futures contract, High
Yield Portfolio also realizes a capital gain or loss on those
securities.
For federal income tax purposes, High Yield Portfolio
generally is required to recognize as income for each taxable year
its net unrealized gains and losses as of the end of the year on
options, futures and futures options positions ("year-end mark-to-
market"). Generally, any gain or loss recognized with respect to
such positions (either by year-end mark-to-market or by actual
closing of the positions) is considered to be 60% long-term and
40% short-term, without regard to the holding periods of the
contracts. However, in the case of positions classified as part
of a "mixed straddle," the recognition of losses on certain
positions (including options, futures and futures options
positions, the related securities and certain successor positions
thereto) may be deferred to a later taxable year. Sale of futures
contracts or writing of call options (or futures call options) or
buying put options (or futures put options) that are intended to
hedge against a change in the value of securities held by High
Yield Portfolio: (1) will affect the holding period of the hedged
securities; and (2) may cause unrealized gain or loss on such
securities to be recognized upon entry into the hedge.
In order for High Yield Portfolio to continue to qualify for
federal income tax treatment as a regulated investment company, at
least 90% of its gross income for a taxable year must be derived
from qualifying income; i.e., dividends, interest, income derived
from loans of securities, and gains from the sale of securities or
foreign currencies or other income (including but not limited to
gains from options, futures, and forward contracts). In addition,
gains realized on the sale or other disposition of securities held
for less than three months must be limited to less than 30% of
High Yield Portfolio's annual gross income. Any net gain realized
from futures (or futures options) contracts will be considered
gain from the sale of securities and therefore be qualifying
income for purposes of the 90% requirement. In order to avoid
realizing excessive gains on securities held less than three
months, High Yield Portfolio may be required to defer the closing
out of certain positions beyond the time when it would otherwise
be advantageous to do so.
Institutional Client High Yield Fund distributes to
shareholders annually any net capital gains that have been
recognized for federal income tax purposes (including year-end
mark-to-market gains) on options and futures transactions. Such
distributions are combined with distributions of capital gains
realized on the other investments and shareholders are advised of
the nature of the payments.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
Institutional Client High Yield Fund and High Yield Portfolio
operate under the following investment restrictions.
Institutional Client High Yield Fund and High Yield Portfolio may
not:
(1) invest in a security if, as a result of such investment,
more than 25% of its total assets (taken at market value at the
time of such investment) would be invested in the securities of
issuers in any particular industry, except that this restriction
does not apply to U.S. Government Securities, and [Institutional
Client High Yield Fund only] except that all or substantially all
of the assets of the Fund may be invested in another registered
investment company having the same investment objective and
substantially similar investment policies as the Fund;
(2) invest in a security if, with respect to 75% of its
assets, as a result of such investment, more than 5% of its total
assets (taken at market value at the time of such investment)
would be invested in the securities of any one issuer, except that
this restriction does not apply to U.S. Government Securities or
repurchase agreements for such securities and [Institutional
Client High Yield Fund only] except that all or substantially all
of the assets of the Fund may be invested in another registered
investment company having the same investment objective and
substantially similar investment policies as the Fund;
(3) invest in a security if, as a result of such investment,
it would hold more than 10% (taken at the time of such investment)
of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer,
[Institutional Client High Yield Fund only] except that all or
substantially all of the assets of the Fund may be invested in
another registered investment company having the same investment
objective and substantially similar investment policies as the
Fund;
(4) purchase or sell real estate (although it may purchase
securities secured by real estate or interests therein, or
securities issued by companies which invest in real estate, or
interests therein);
(5) purchase or sell commodities or commodities contracts or
oil, gas or mineral programs, except that it may enter into (i)
futures and options on futures and (ii) forward contracts;
(6) purchase securities on margin, except for use of short-
term credit necessary for clearance of purchases and sales of
portfolio securities, but it may make margin deposits in
connection with transactions in options, futures, and options on
futures;
(7) make loans, although it may (a) lend portfolio
securities and participate in an interfund lending program with
other Stein Roe Funds and Portfolios provided that no such loan
may be made if, as a result, the aggregate of such loans would
exceed 33 1/3% of the value of its total assets (taken at market
value at the time of such loans); (b) purchase money market
instruments and enter into repurchase agreements; and (c) acquire
publicly-distributed or privately-placed debt securities;
(8) borrow except that it may (a) borrow for non-leveraging,
temporary or emergency purposes, (b) engage in reverse repurchase
agreements and make other borrowings, provided that the
combination of (a) and (b) shall not exceed 33 1/3% of the value
of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) less
liabilities (other than borrowings) or such other percentage
permitted by law, and (c) enter into futures and options
transactions; it may borrow from banks, other Stein Roe Funds and
Portfolios, and other persons to the extent permitted by
applicable law;
(9) act as an underwriter of securities, except insofar as
it may be deemed to be an "underwriter" for purposes of the
Securities Act of 1933 on disposition of securities acquired
subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale,
[Institutional Client High Yield Fund only] except that all or
substantially all of the assets of the Fund may be invested in
another registered investment company having the same investment
objective and substantially similar investment policies as the
Fund; or
(10) issue any senior security except to the extent
permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
The above restrictions are fundamental policies and may not
be changed without the approval of a "majority of the outstanding
voting securities" of the Fund or High Yield Portfolio, as
previously defined herein. The policy on the scope of
transactions involving lending of portfolio securities to broker-
dealers and banks (as set forth herein under Portfolio Investments
and Strategies) is also a fundamental policy.
Institutional Client High Yield Fund and High Yield Portfolio
are also subject to the following restrictions and policies that
may be changed by the Board of Trustees. None of the following
restrictions shall prevent it from investing all or substantially
all of its assets in another investment company having the same
investment objective and substantially similar investment policies
as the Fund. Unless otherwise indicated, Institutional Client
High Yield Fund and High Yield Portfolio may not:
(A) invest for the purpose of exercising control or
management;
(B) purchase more than 3% of the stock of another investment
company or purchase stock of other investment companies equal to
more than 5% of its total assets (valued at time of purchase) in
the case of any one other investment company and 10% of such
assets (valued at time of purchase) in the case of all other
investment companies in the aggregate; any such purchases are to
be made in the open market where no profit to a sponsor or dealer
results from the purchase, other than the customary broker's
commission, except for securities acquired as part of a merger,
consolidation or acquisition of assets; /4/
- ---------------
/4/ Stein Roe Funds have been informed that the staff of the
Securities and Exchange Commission takes the position that the
issuers of certain CMOs and certain other collateralized assets
are investment companies and that subsidiaries of foreign banks
may be investment companies for purposes of Section 12(d)(1) of
the Investment Company Act of 1940, which limits the ability of
one investment company to invest in another investment company.
Accordingly, High Yield Portfolio intends to operate within the
applicable limitations under Section 12(d)(1)(A) of that Act.
- ---------------
(C) purchase portfolio securities from, or sell portfolio
securities to, any of the officers and directors or trustees of
the Trust or of its investment adviser;
(D) purchase shares of other open-end investment companies,
except in connection with a merger, consolidation, acquisition, or
reorganization;
(E) invest more than 5% of its net assets (valued at time of
investment) in warrants, nor more than 2% of its net assets in
warrants which are not listed on the New York or American Stock
Exchange;
(F) purchase a put or call option if the aggregate premiums
paid for all put and call options exceed 20% of its net assets
(less the amount by which any such positions are in-the-money),
excluding put and call options purchased as closing transactions;
(G) write an option on a security unless the option is
issued by the Options Clearing Corporation, an exchange, or
similar entity;
(H) buy or sell an option on a security, a futures
contract, or an option on a futures contract unless the option,
the futures contract, or the option on the futures contract is
offered through the facilities of a national securities
association or listed on a national exchange or similar entity;
(I) invest in limited partnerships in real estate unless
they are readily marketable;
(J) sell securities short unless (i) it owns or has the
right to obtain securities equivalent in kind and amount to those
sold short at no added cost or (ii) the securities sold are "when
issued" or "when distributed" securities which it expects to
receive in a recapitalization, reorganization, or other exchange
for securities it contemporaneously owns or has the right to
obtain and provided that transactions in options, futures, and
options on futures are not treated as short sales;
(K) invest more than 15% of its total assets (taken at
market value at the time of a particular investment) in restricted
securities, other than securities eligible for resale pursuant to
Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933;
(L) invest more than 10% of its net assets (taken at market
value at the time of a particular investment) in illiquid
securities /5/, including repurchase agreements maturing in more
than seven days.
- ------------------
/5/ In the judgment of the Adviser, Private Placement Notes,
which are issued pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of
1933, generally are readily marketable even though they are
subject to certain legal restrictions on resale. As such, they
are not treated as being subject to the limitation on illiquid
securities.
- -----------------
ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT CONSIDERATIONS
The Adviser seeks to provide superior long-term investment
results through a disciplined, research-intensive approach to
investment selection and prudent risk management. In working to
build wealth for generations, it has been guided by three primary
objectives which it believes are the foundation of a successful
investment program. These objectives are preservation of capital,
limited volatility through managed risk, and consistent above-
average returns, as appropriate for the particular client or
managed account.
Because every investor's needs are different, Stein Roe
mutual funds are designed to accommodate different investment
objectives, risk tolerance levels, and time horizons. In
selecting a mutual fund, investors should ask the following
questions:
What are my investment goals?
It is important to a choose a fund that has investment objectives
compatible with your investment goals.
What is my investment time frame?
If you have a short investment time frame (e.g., less than three
years), a mutual fund that seeks to provide a stable share price,
such as a money market fund, or one that seeks capital
preservation as one of its objectives may be appropriate. If you
have a longer investment time frame, you may seek to maximize your
investment returns by investing in a mutual fund that offers
greater yield or appreciation potential in exchange for greater
investment risk.
What is my tolerance for risk?
All investments, including those in mutual funds, have risks which
will vary depending on investment objective and security type.
However, mutual funds seek to reduce risk through professional
investment management and portfolio diversification.
In general, equity mutual funds emphasize long-term capital
appreciation and tend to have more volatile net asset values than
bond or money market mutual funds. Although there is no guarantee
that they will be able to maintain a stable net asset value of
$1.00 per share, money market funds emphasize safety of principal
and liquidity, but tend to offer lower income potential than bond
funds. Bond funds tend to offer higher income potential than
money market funds but tend to have greater risk of principal and
yield volatility.
In addition, the Adviser believes that investment in a high
yield fund provides an opportunity to diversify an investment
portfolio because the economic factors that affect the performance
of high-yield, high-risk debt securities differ from those that
affect the performance of high-quality debt securities or equity
securities.
PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS
Purchases and redemptions are discussed in the Prospectus
under the headings How to Purchase Shares, How to Redeem Shares,
and Net Asset Value, and that information is incorporated herein
by reference.
Institutional Client High Yield Fund's net asset value is
determined on days on which the New York Stock Exchange (the
"NYSE") is open for trading. The NYSE is regularly closed on
Saturdays and Sundays and on New Year's Day, the third Monday in
February, Good Friday, the last Monday in May, Independence Day,
Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. If one of these holidays
falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the NYSE will be closed on the
preceding Friday or the following Monday, respectively. Net asset
value will not be determined on days when the NYSE is closed
unless, in the judgment of the Board of Trustees, net asset value
of Institutional Client High Yield Fund should be determined on
any such day, in which case the determination will be made at 3:00
p.m., central time.
Stein Roe Trust reserves the right to suspend or postpone
redemptions of shares of its series during any period when: (a)
trading on the NYSE is restricted, as determined by the Securities
and Exchange Commission, or the NYSE is closed for other than
customary weekend and holiday closings; (b) the Securities and
Exchange Commission has by order permitted such suspension; or (c)
an emergency, as determined by the Securities and Exchange
Commission, exists, making disposal of portfolio securities or
valuation of net assets of a series not reasonably practicable.
Stein Roe Trust intends to pay all redemptions in cash and is
obligated to redeem shares of its series solely in cash up to the
lesser of $250,000 or one percent of the net assets of
Institutional Client High Yield Fund during any 90-day period for
any one shareholder. However, redemptions in excess of such limit
may be paid wholly or partly by a distribution in kind of
securities. If redemptions were made in kind, the redeeming
shareholders might incur transaction costs in selling the
securities received in the redemptions.
Due to the relatively high cost of maintaining smaller
accounts, Stein Roe Trust reserves the right to redeem shares in
any account for their then-current value (which will be promptly
paid to the investor) if at any time the shares in the account do
not have a value of at least $1,000,000. An investor will be
notified that the value of his account is less than the minimum
and allowed at least 30 days to bring the value of the account up
to at least $1,000,000 before the redemption is processed. The
Agreement and Declaration of Trust also authorizes Stein Roe Trust
to redeem shares under certain other circumstances as may be
specified by the Board of Trustees.
MANAGEMENT
The following table sets forth certain information with
respect to trustees and officers of Stein Roe Trust:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
POSITION(S) HELD WITH PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S)
NAME AGE INSTITUTIONAL TRUST DURING PAST FIVE YEARS
<C> <S> <S> <S>
Gary A. Anetsberger 41 Senior Vice-President Chief Financial Officer of the
(4) Mutual Funds division of Stein
Roe & Farnham Incorporated
(the "Adviser"); senior vice
president of the Adviser since
April, 1996; vice president
of the Adviser prior thereto
Timothy K. Armour 48 President; Trustee President of the Mutual Funds
(1)(2)(4) division of the Adviser and
director of the Adviser since
June, 1992; senior vice president
and director of marketing of
Citibank Illinois prior thereto
Jilaine Hummel Bauer 41 Executive Vice-President; General counsel and secretary of
(4) Secretary the Adviser since November 1995;
senior vice president of the
Adviser since April, 1992; vice
president of the Adviser prior
thereto
Ann H. Benjamin 38 Vice-President Senior vice president of the
Adviser since July, 1994; vice
president of the Adviser from
January, 1992 to July, 1994;
associate of the Adviser prior
thereto
Kenneth L. Block 76 Trustee Chairman Emeritus of A. T. Kearney,
(3)(4) Inc. (international management
consultants)
William W. Boyd 70 Trustee Chairman and director of Sterling
(3)(4) Plumbing Group, Inc. (manufacturer
of plumbing products) since 1992;
chairman, president, and chief
executive officer of Sterling
Plumbing Group, Inc. prior thereto
Thomas W. Butch 39 Executive Vice-President Senior vice president of the
Adviser since September, 1994;
first vice president, corporate
communications, of Mellon Bank
Corporation prior thereto
Lindsay Cook(1)(4) 44 Trustee Senior vice president of Liberty
Financial Companies, Inc. (the
indirect parent of the Adviser)
Philip J. Crosley 50 Vice-President Senior Vice President of the
Adviser since February, 1996;
Vice President, Institutional
Sales-Advisor Sales, Invesco
Funds Group prior thereto
Douglas A. Hacker 41 Trustee Senior vice president and chief
(3)(4) financial officer, United
Airlines, since July, 1994;
senior vice president - Finance,
United Airlines, February, 1993
to July, 1994; vice president,
American Airlines prior thereto
Janet Langford Kelly 39 Trustee Senior vice president, secretary
(3)(4) and general counsel, Sara Lee
Corporation (branded, packaged,
consumer-products manufacturer),
since 1995; partner, Sidley &
Austin (law firm), 1991 through 1994
Michael T. Kennedy 34 Vice-President Senior vice president of the
Adviser since October, 1994;
vice president of the Adviser
from January, 1992 to October,
1994; associate of the Adviser
prior thereto
Lynn C. Maddox 55 Vice-President Senior vice president of the Adviser
Anne E. Marcel 38 Vice-President Vice president of the Adviser
since April, 1996; manager,
Mutual Fund Sales & Services
of the Adviser since October,
1994; supervisor of the Counselor
Department of the Adviser from
October, 1992 to October, 1994;
vice president of Selected
Financial Services prior thereto
Francis W. Morley 76 Trustee Chairman of Employer Plan
(2)(3)(4) Administrators and Consultants
Co. (designer, administrator,
and communicator of employee
benefit plans)
Jane M. Naeseth 46 Vice-President Senior vice president of the
Adviser since January, 1991; vice
president of the Adviser prior thereto
Charles R. Nelson 54 Trustee Van Voorhis Professor of Political
(3) (4) Economy of the University of Washington
Nicolette D. Parrish 47 Vice-President; Senior compliance administrator and
(4) Assistant Secretary assistant secretary of the Adviser
since November 1995; senior legal
assistant for the Adviser prior thereto
Cynthia A. Prah (4) 34 Vice-President Manager of Shareholder
Transaction Processing for
the Adviser
Sharon R. Robertson 35 Controller Accounting manager for the Adviser's
(4) Mutual Funds division
Janet B. Rysz (4) 41 Assistant Secretary Senior compliance administrator
and assistant secretary of the
Adviser
Thomas P. Sorbo 35 Vice-President Senior vice president of the
Adviser since January, 1994;
vice president of the Adviser
from September, 1992 to December,
1993; associate of Travelers
Insurance Company prior thereto
Thomas C. Theobald 59 Trustee Managing director, William Blair
(3) (4) Capital Partners (private equity
fund) since 1994; chief executive
officer and chairman of the Board
of Directors of Continental Bank
Corporation prior thereto
Heidi J. Walter (4) 29 Vice-President Legal counsel for the Adviser
since March, 1995; associate with
Beeler Schad & Diamond, P,C.
prior thereto
Stacy H. Winick (4) 32 Vice-President Senior legal counsel for the Adviser since October,
1996; associate of Bell, Boyd & Lloyd (law firm), June,
1993 to September, 1996; associate of Debevoise &
Plimpton prior thereto
Hans P. Ziegler (4) 56 Executive Vice-President Chief executive officer of the
Adviser since May, 1994;
president of the Investment
Counsel division of the Adviser
from July, 1993 to June, 1994;
president and chief executive
officer, Pitcairn Financial
Management Group prior thereto
Margaret O. Zwick 30 Treasurer Compliance manager for the Adviser's
(4) Mutual Funds division since
August 1995; compliance
accountant, January 1995 to
July 1995; section manager,
January 1994 to January 1995;
supervisor prior thereto
</TABLE>
______________________
(1) Trustee who is an "interested person" of Stein Roe Trust and
of the Adviser, as defined in the Investment Company Act of
1940.
(2) Member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees,
which is authorized to exercise all powers of the Board with
certain statutory exceptions.
(3) Member of the Audit Committee of the Board, which makes
recommendations to the Board regarding the selection of
auditors and confers with the auditors regarding the scope and
results of the audit.
(4) This person holds the corresponding officer or trustee
position with the Base Trust.
Certain of the trustees and officers of Stein Roe Trust and
of Base Trust are trustees or officers of other investment
companies managed by the Adviser. Mr. Armour, Ms. Bauer, Mr.
Cook, and Ms. Walter are also vice presidents of Institutional
Client High Yield Fund's distributor, Liberty Securities
Corporation. The address of Mr. Block is 11 Woodley Road,
Winnetka, Illinois 60093; that of Mr. Boyd is 2900 Golf Road,
Rolling Meadows, Illinois 60008; that of Mr. Cook is 600 Atlantic
Avenue, Boston, MA 02210; that of Mr. Hacker is P.O. Box 66100,
Chicago, IL 60666; that of Ms. Kelly is Three First National
Plaza, Chicago, Illinois 60602; that of Mr. Morley is 20 North
Wacker Drive, Suite 2275, Chicago, Illinois 60606; that of Mr.
Nelson is Department of Economics, University of Washington,
Seattle, Washington 98195; that of Mr. Theobald is Suite 3300, 222
West Adams Street, Chicago, IL 60606; and that of the officers is
One South Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.
Officers and trustees affiliated with the Adviser serve
without any compensation from Stein Roe Trust. In compensation
for their services to Stein Roe Trust, trustees who are not
"interested persons" of Stein Roe Trust or the Adviser are paid an
annual retainer of $8,000 (divided equally among the series of
Stein Roe Trust) plus an attendance fee from each series for each
meeting of the Board or standing committee thereof attended at
which business for the series is conducted. The attendance fees
(other than for a Nominating Committee meeting) are based on each
series' net assets as of the preceding December 31. For a series
with net assets of less than $50 million, the fee is $50 per
meeting; with $51 to $250 million, the fee is $200 per meeting;
with $251 million to $500 million, $350; with $501 million to $750
million, $500; with $751 million to $1 billion, $650; and with
over $1 billion in net assets, $800. For Institutional Client
High Yield Fund and any other series of Stein Roe Trust
participating in the master fund/feeder fund structure, the
trustees' attendance fee is paid solely by the master portfolio.
Each non-interested trustee also receives $500 from Stein Roe
Trust for attending each meeting of the Nominating Committee.
Stein Roe Trust has no retirement or pension plan. The following
table sets forth compensation paid to the trustees by the Stein
Roe Fund complex:
Estimated Compensation Total Compensation from
from Institutional Trust the Stein Roe Fund
for Fiscal Year Ending Complex for the year
Name of Trustee June 30, 1997* ended June 30, 1996**
- --------------- ------------------------ -----------------------
Timothy K. Armour -0- -0-
Lindsay Cook -0- -0-
Douglas A. Hacker -0- -0-
Janet Langford Kelly $4,000 -0-
Thomas C. Theobald 4,000 -0-
Kenneth L. Block 4,000 $82,417
William W. Boyd 4,000 86,317
Francis W. Morley 4,000 82,017
Charles R. Nelson 4,000 86,317
Gordon R. Worley -0- 82,817
_______________
* Assuming less than $50 million in net assets and no
nominating committee meeting held during the period.
** During this period, the Stein Roe Fund Complex consisted
of six series of Stein Roe Income Trust, four series of
Stein Roe Municipal Trust, eight series of Stein Roe
Investment Trust, and one series of Base Trust. Messrs.
Hacker and Theobald were elected trustees of those Trusts
on June 18, 1996, and, therefore, did not receive any
compensation for the year ended June 30, 1996. Mr. Worley
retired as a trustee on December 31, 1996; and Ms. Kelly
became a trustee on January 1, 1997.
PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS
As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information,
Institutional Client High Yield Fund had only one shareholder,
Stein Roe & Farnham Incorporated, which held 10,000 shares.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES
Stein Roe & Farnham Incorporated provides administrative
services to Institutional Client High Yield Fund and High Yield
Portfolio and portfolio management services to High Yield
Portfolio. The Adviser is a wholly owned subsidiary of SteinRoe
Services Inc. ("SSI"), Institutional Client High Yield Funds'
transfer agent, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty
Financial Companies, Inc. ("Liberty Financial"), which is a
majority owned subsidiary of LFC Holdings, Inc., which is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Liberty Mutual Equity Corporation, which is a
wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Company is a mutual insurance company,
principally in the property/casualty insurance field, organized
under the laws of Massachusetts in 1912.
The directors of the Adviser are Kenneth R. Leibler, Harold
W. Cogger, C. Allen Merritt, Jr., Timothy K. Armour, and Hans P.
Ziegler. Mr. Leibler is President and Chief Executive Officer of
Liberty Financial; Mr. Cogger is Executive Vice President of
Liberty Financial; Mr. Merritt is Senior Vice President and
Treasurer of Liberty Financial; Mr. Armour is President of the
Adviser's Mutual Funds division; and Mr. Ziegler is Chief
Executive Officer of the Adviser. The business address of Messrs.
Leibler, Cogger, and Merritt is Federal Reserve Plaza, Boston,
Massachusetts 02210; and that of Messrs. Armour, and Ziegler is
One South Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.
The Adviser and its predecessor have been providing
investment advisory services since 1932. The Adviser acts as
investment adviser to wealthy individuals, trustees, pension and
profit sharing plans, charitable organizations, and other
institutional investors. As of December 31, 1996, the Adviser
managed over $26.7 billion in assets: over $8 billion in equities
and over $18.7 billion in fixed income securities (including $1.6
billion in municipal securities). The $26.7 billion in managed
assets included over $7.5 billion held by open-end mutual funds
managed by the Adviser (approximately 16% of the mutual fund
assets were held by clients of the Adviser). These mutual funds
were owned by over 227,000 shareholders. The $7.5 billion in
mutual fund assets included over $743 million in over 47,000 IRA
accounts. In managing those assets, the Adviser utilizes a
proprietary computer-based information system that maintains and
regularly updates information for approximately 6,500 companies.
The Adviser also monitors over 1,400 issues via a proprietary
credit analysis system. At December 31, 1996, the Adviser
employed 19 research analysts and 55 account managers. The
average investment-related experience of these individuals was 22
years.
Please refer to the description of the Adviser, the
management and administrative agreements, fees, expense
limitations, and transfer agency services under Management and Fee
Table in the Prospectus, which is incorporated herein by
reference.
The Adviser provides office space and executive and other
personnel to Institutional Client High Yield Fund and bears any
sales or promotional expenses. Institutional Client High Yield
Fund pays all expenses other than those paid by the Adviser,
including but not limited to printing and postage charges and
securities registration and custodian fees and expenses incidental
to its organization.
Institutional Client High Yield Fund's administrative
agreement provides that the Adviser shall reimburse the Fund to
the extent that its total annual expenses (including fees paid to
the Adviser, but excluding taxes, interest, brokers' commissions
and other normal charges incident to the purchase and sale of
portfolio securities, and expenses of litigation to the extent
permitted under applicable state law) exceed the applicable limits
prescribed by any state in which shares of Institutional Client
High Yield Fund are being offered for sale to the public; however,
such reimbursement for any fiscal year will not exceed the amount
of the fees paid by Institutional Client High Yield Fund under
that agreement for such year. In addition, in the interest of
further limiting Institutional Client High Yield Fund's expenses,
the Adviser may voluntarily waive its management fee and/or absorb
certain its expenses, as described in the Prospectus under Fee
Table. Any such reimbursements will enhance the yield of the
Fund.
High Yield Portfolio's management agreement provides that
neither the Adviser nor any of its directors, officers,
stockholders (or partners of stockholders), agents, or employees
shall have any liability to Base Trust or any shareholder of High
Yield Portfolio for any error of judgment, mistake of law or any
loss arising out of any investment, or for any other act or
omission in the performance by the Adviser of its duties under the
agreement, except for liability resulting from willful
misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the Adviser's part
in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by the
Adviser of the Adviser's obligations and duties under that
agreement.
Any expenses that are attributable solely to the
organization, operation, or business of Institutional Client High
Yield Fund shall be paid solely out of that Fund's assets. Any
expenses incurred by Stein Roe Trust that are not solely
attributable to a particular Fund are apportioned in such manner
as the Adviser determines is fair and appropriate, unless
otherwise specified by the Board of Trustees.
DISTRIBUTOR
Shares of Institutional Client High Yield Fund are
distributed by Liberty Securities Corporation ("LSC"), under a
Distribution Agreement as described under Management in the
Prospectus, which is incorporated herein by reference. The
Distribution Agreement continues in effect from year to year,
provided such continuance is approved annually (i) by a majority
of the trustees or by a majority of the outstanding voting
securities of Stein Roe Trust, and (ii) by a majority of the
trustees who are not parties to the Agreement or interested
persons of any such party. Stein Roe Trust has agreed to pay all
expenses in connection with registration of its shares with the
Securities and Exchange Commission and auditing and filing fees in
connection with registration of its shares under the various state
blue sky laws and assumes the cost of preparation of prospectuses
and other expenses.
As agent, LSC offers shares of Institutional Client High
Yield Fund to investors in states where the shares are qualified
for sale, at net asset value, without sales commissions or other
sales load to the investor. No sales commission or "12b-1"
payment is paid by Institutional Client High Yield Fund. LSC
offers Institutional Client High Yield Fund's shares only on a
best-efforts basis.
TRANSFER AGENT
SSI performs certain transfer agency services for Stein Roe
Trust, as described under Management in the Prospectus. For
performing these services, SSI receives from Institutional Client
High Yield Fund a fee based on an annual rate of [.05] of 1% of
average daily net assets of Institutional Client High Yield Fund.
The Board of Trustees believes the charges by SSI are comparable
to those of other companies performing similar services. (See
Investment Advisory Services.)
CUSTODIAN
State Street Bank and Trust Company (the "Bank"), 225
Franklin Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02101, is the custodian for
Stein Roe Trust and Base Trust. It is responsible for holding all
securities and cash, receiving and paying for securities
purchased, delivering against payment securities sold, receiving
and collecting income from investments, making all payments
covering expenses, and performing other administrative duties, all
as directed by authorized persons. The custodian does not
exercise any supervisory function in such matters as purchase and
sale of portfolio securities, payment of dividends, or payment of
expenses.
Portfolio securities purchased in the U.S. are maintained in
the custody of the Bank or of other domestic banks or
depositories. Portfolio securities purchased outside of the U.S.
are maintained in the custody of foreign banks and trust companies
that are members of the Bank's Global Custody Network, and foreign
depositories ("foreign sub-custodians"). Each of the domestic and
foreign custodial institutions holding portfolio securities has
been approved by the Board of Trustees in accordance with
regulations under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Each Board of Trustees reviews, at least annually, whether it
is in the best interest of Institutional Client High Yield Fund,
High Yield Portfolio, and their shareholders to maintain assets in
each custodial institution. However, with respect to foreign sub-
custodians, there can be no assurance that it, and the value of
its shares, will not be adversely affected by acts of foreign
governments, financial or operational difficulties of the foreign
sub-custodians, difficulties and costs of obtaining jurisdiction
over, or enforcing judgments against, the foreign sub-custodians,
or application of foreign law to the foreign sub-custodial
arrangements. Accordingly, an investor should recognize that the
non-investment risks involved in holding assets abroad are greater
than those associated with investing in the United States.
Institutional Client High Yield Fund and High Yield Portfolio
may invest in obligations of the custodian and may purchase or
sell securities from or to the custodian.
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
The independent auditors for Stein Roe Trust and High Yield
Portfolio are Ernst & Young LLP, 233 South Wacker Drive, Chicago,
Illinois 60606. The independent auditors audit and report on the
annual financial statements, review certain regulatory reports and
the federal income tax returns, and perform other professional
accounting, auditing, tax and advisory services when engaged to do
so by the applicable Trust.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS
The Adviser places the orders for the purchase and sale of
portfolio securities and options and futures contracts for High
Yield Portfolio. Purchases and sales of portfolio securities are
ordinarily transacted with the issuer or with a primary market
maker acting as principal or agent for the securities on a net
basis, with no brokerage commission being paid by High Yield
Portfolio. Transactions placed through dealers reflect the spread
between the bid and asked prices. Occasionally, High Yield
Portfolio may make purchases of underwritten issues at prices that
include underwriting discounts or selling concessions.
The Adviser's overriding objective in effecting portfolio
transactions is to seek to obtain the best combination of price
and execution. The best net price, giving effect to transaction
charges, if any, and other costs, normally is an important factor
in this decision, but a number of other judgmental factors may
also enter into the decision. These include: the Adviser's
knowledge of current transaction costs; the nature of the security
being traded; the size of the transaction; the desired timing of
the trade; the activity existing and expected in the market for
the particular security; confidentiality; the execution, clearance
and settlement capabilities of the broker or dealer selected and
others that are considered; the Adviser's knowledge of the
financial stability of the broker or dealer selected and such
other brokers or dealers; and the Adviser's knowledge of actual or
apparent operational problems of any broker or dealer.
Recognizing the value of these factors, High Yield Portfolio may
incur a transaction charge in excess of that which another broker
or dealer may have charged for effecting the same transaction.
Evaluations of the reasonableness of the costs of portfolio
transactions, based on the foregoing factors, are made on an
ongoing basis by the Adviser's staff and reports are made annually
to the Board of Trustees.
With respect to issues of securities involving brokerage
commissions, when more than one broker or dealer is believed to be
capable of providing the best combination of price and execution
with respect to a particular portfolio transaction for High Yield
Portfolio, the Adviser often selects a broker or dealer that has
furnished it with research products or services such as research
reports, subscriptions to financial publications and research
compilations, compilations of securities prices, earnings,
dividends and similar data, and computer databases, quotation
equipment and services, research-oriented computer software and
services, and services of economic and other consultants.
Selection of brokers or dealers is not made pursuant to an
agreement or understanding with any of the brokers or dealers;
however, the Adviser uses an internal allocation procedure to
identify those brokers or dealers who provide it with research
products or services and the amount of research products or
services they provide, and endeavors to direct sufficient
commissions generated by its clients' accounts in the aggregate,
including High Yield Portfolio, to such brokers or dealers to
ensure the continued receipt of research products or services the
Adviser feels are useful. In certain instances, the Adviser
receives from brokers and dealers products or services which are
used both as investment research and for administrative,
marketing, or other non-research purposes. In such instances, the
Adviser makes a good faith effort to determine the relative
proportions of such products or services which may be considered
as investment research. The portion of the costs of such products
or services attributable to research usage may be defrayed by the
Adviser (without prior agreement or understanding, as noted above)
through brokerage commissions generated by transactions of clients
(including High Yield Portfolio), while the portion of the costs
attributable to non-research usage of such products or services is
paid by the Adviser in cash. No person acting on behalf of High
Yield Portfolio is authorized, in recognition of the value of
research products or services, to pay a price in excess of that
which another broker or dealer might have charged for effecting
the same transaction. The Adviser may also receive research in
connection with selling concessions and designations in fixed
price offerings in which High Yield Portfolio participates.
Research products or services furnished by brokers and dealers
through whom transactions are effected may be used in servicing
any or all of the clients of the Adviser and not all such research
products or services are used in connection with the management of
High Yield Portfolio.
The Board has reviewed the legal developments pertaining to
and the practicability of attempting to recapture underwriting
discounts or selling concessions when portfolio securities are
purchased in underwritten offerings. The Board has been advised
by counsel that recapture by a mutual fund currently is not
permitted under the Rules of Fair Practice of the National
Association of Securities Dealers ("NASD").
ADDITIONAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
Institutional Client High Yield Fund and High Yield Portfolio
intend to comply with the special provisions of the Internal
Revenue Code that relieve it of federal income tax to the extent
of its net investment income and capital gains currently
distributed to shareholders.
Because capital gain distributions reduce net asset value, if
a shareholder purchases shares shortly before a record date, he
will, in effect, receive a return of a portion of his investment
in such distribution. The distribution would nonetheless be
taxable to him, even if the net asset value of shares were reduced
below his cost. However, for federal income tax purposes the
shareholder's original cost would continue as his tax basis.
Institutional Client High Yield Fund expects that none of its
dividends will qualify for the deduction for dividends received by
corporate shareholders.
INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE
Institutional Client High Yield Fund may quote yield figures
from time to time. "Yield" is computed by dividing the net
investment income per share earned during a 30-day period (using
the average number of shares entitled to receive dividends) by the
net asset value per share on the last day of the period. The
Yield formula provides for semiannual compounding which assumes
that net investment income is earned and reinvested at a constant
rate and annualized at the end of a six-month period. For a given
period, an "Average Annual Total Return" may be computed by
finding the average annual compounded rate that would equate a
hypothetical initial amount invested of $1,000 to the ending
redeemable value.
6
The Yield formula is as follows: YIELD = 2[((a-b/cd) +1) -1].
Where: a = dividends and interest earned during the period
. (For this purpose, the Fund will recalculate the
yield to maturity based on market value of each
portfolio security on each business day on which
net asset value is calculated.)
b = expenses accrued for the period (net of
reimbursements).
c = the average daily number of shares outstanding
during the period that were entitled to receive
dividends.
d = the ending net asset value of Institutional Client
High Yield Fund for the period.
_____________________
Institutional Client High Yield Fund may quote total return
figures from time to time. A "Total Return" on a per share basis
is the amount of dividends received per share plus or minus the
change in the net asset value per share for a period. A "Total
Return Percentage" may be calculated by dividing the value of a
share at the end of a period (including reinvestment of
distributions) by the value of the share at the beginning of the
period and subtracting one.
n
Average Annual Total Return is computed as follows: ERV = P(1+T)
Where: P = a hypothetical initial payment of $1,000
T = average annual total return
n = number of years
ERV = ending redeemable value of a hypothetical $1,000
payment made at the beginning of the period at the
end of the period (or fractional portion thereof).
Investment performance figures assume reinvestment of all
dividends and distributions and do not take into account any
federal, state, or local income taxes which shareholders must pay
on a current basis. They are not necessarily indicative of future
results. The performance of Institutional Client High Yield Fund
is a result of conditions in the securities markets, portfolio
management, and operating expenses. Although investment
performance information is useful in reviewing Institutional
Client High Yield Fund's performance and in providing some basis
for comparison with other investment alternatives, it should not
be used for comparison with other investments using different
reinvestment assumptions or time periods.
In advertising and sales literature, Institutional Client
High Yield Fund may compare its yield and performance with that of
other mutual funds, indexes or averages of other mutual funds,
indexes of related financial assets or data, and other competing
investment and deposit products available from or through other
financial institutions. The composition of these indexes or
averages differs from that of Institutional Client High Yield.
Comparison of Institutional Client High Yield Fund to an
alternative investment should be made with consideration of
differences in features and expected performance.
All of the indexes and averages noted below will be obtained
from the indicated sources or reporting services, which Stein Roe
Trust believes to be generally accurate. Institutional Client
High Yield Fund may also note its mention in newspapers,
magazines, or other media from time to time. However, Stein Roe
Trust assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of such data.
Newspapers and magazines that might mention Institutional Client
High Yield Fund include, but are not limited to, the following:
Architectural Digest
Arizona Republic
Atlanta Constitution
Associated Press
Barron's
Bloomberg
Boston Herald
Business Week
Chicago Tribune
Chicago Sun-Times
Cleveland Plain Dealer
CNBC
CNN
Crain's Chicago Business
Consumer Reports
Consumer Digest
Dow Jones Newswire
Fee Advisor
Financial Planning
Financial World
Forbes
Fortune
Fund Action
Fund Decoder
Gourmet
Individual Investor
Investment Adviser
Investment Dealers' Digest
Investor's Business Daily
Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine
Knight-Ridder
Lipper Analytical Services
Los Angeles Times
Louis Rukeyser's Wall Street
Money
Morningstar
Mutual Fund Market News
Mutual Fund News Service
Mutual Funds Magazine
Newsweek
The New York Times
No-Load Fund Investor
Pension World
Pensions and Investment
Personal Investor
Physicians Financial News
Jane Bryant Quinn (syndicated column)
The San Francisco Chronicle
Securities Industry Daily
Smart Money
Smithsonian
Strategic Insight
Time
Travel & Leisure
USA Today
U.S. News & World Report
Value Line
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post
Working Women
Worth
Your Money
Institutional Client High Yield Fund may compare its
performance to the Consumer Price Index (All Urban), a widely-
recognized measure of inflation.
The performance of Institutional Client High Yield Fund may
be compared to the following as indicated below:
CS First Boston High Yield Index
ICD High Yield Index
Lehman High Yield Bond Index
Lehman High Yield Corporate Bond Index
Merrill Lynch High-Yield Master Index
Morningstar Corporate Bond (General) Average
Salomon Brothers Extended High Yield Market Index
Salomon Brothers High Yield Market Index
The Lipper and Morningstar averages are unweighted averages
of total return performance of mutual funds as classified,
calculated, and published by these independent services that
monitor the performance of mutual funds. Institutional Client
High Yield Fund may also use comparative performance as computed
in a ranking by these services or category averages and rankings
provided by another independent service. Should these services
reclassify Institutional Client High Yield Fund to a different
category or develop (and place it into) a new category, it may
compare its performance or rank against other funds in the newly-
assigned category (or the average of such category) as published
by the service.
In advertising and sales literature, Institutional Client
High Yield Fund may also cite its rating, recognition, or other
mention by Morningstar or any other entity. Morningstar's rating
system is based on risk-adjusted total return performance and is
expressed in a star-rating format. The risk-adjusted number is
computed by subtracting a fund's risk score (which is a function
of its monthly returns less the 3-month T-bill return) from its
load-adjusted total return score. This numerical score is then
translated into rating categories, with the top 10% labeled five
star, the next 22.5% labeled four star, the next 35% labeled three
star, the next 22.5% labeled two star, and the bottom 10% one
star. A high rating reflects either above-average returns or
below-average risk, or both.
Of course, past performance is not indicative of future
results.
____________________
To illustrate the historical returns on various types of
financial assets, Institutional Client High Yield Fund may use
historical data provided by Ibbotson Associates, Inc.
("Ibbotson"), a Chicago-based investment firm. Ibbotson
constructs (or obtains) very long-term (since 1926) total return
data (including, for example, total return indexes, total return
percentages, average annual total returns and standard deviations
of such returns) for the following asset types:
Common stocks
Small company stocks
Long-term corporate bonds
Long-term government bonds
Intermediate-term government bonds
U.S. Treasury bills
Consumer Price Index
____________________
Institutional Client High Yield Fund may also use
hypothetical returns to be used as an example in a mix of asset
allocation strategies. One such example is reflected in the chart
below, which shows the effect of tax deferral on a hypothetical
investment. This chart assumes that an investor invested $2,000 a
year on January 1, for any specified period, in both a Tax-
Deferred Investment and a Taxable Investment, that both
investments earn either 6%, 8% or 10% compounded annually, and
that the investor withdrew the entire amount at the end of the
period. (A tax rate of 39.6% is applied annually to the Taxable
Investment and on the withdrawal of earnings on the Tax-Deferred
Investment.)
TAX-DEFERRED INVESTMENT VS. TAXABLE INVESTMENT
INTEREST RATE 6% 8% 10% 6% 8% 10%
Compounding
Years Tax-Deferred Investment Taxable Investment
30 $124,992 $171,554 $242,340 $109,197 $135,346 $168,852
25 90,053 115,177 150,484 82,067 97,780 117,014
20 62,943 75,543 91,947 59,362 68,109 78,351
15 41,684 47,304 54,099 40,358 44,675 49,514
10 24,797 26,820 29,098 24,453 26,165 28,006
5 11,178 11,613 12,072 11,141 11,546 11,965
1 2,072 2,096 2,121 2,072 2,096 2,121
Average Life Calculations. From time to time, Institutional
Client High Yield Fund may quote an average life figure for its
portfolio. Average life is the weighted average period over which
the Adviser expects the principal to be paid, and differs from
stated maturity in that it estimates the effect of expected
principal prepayments and call provisions. With respect to GNMA
securities and other mortgage-backed securities, average life is
likely to be substantially less than the stated maturity of the
mortgages in the underlying pools. With respect to obligations
with call provisions, average life is typically the next call date
on which the obligation reasonably may be expected to be called.
Securities without prepayment or call provisions generally have an
average life equal to their stated maturity.
Dollar Cost Averaging. Dollar cost averaging is an
investment strategy that requires investing a fixed amount of
money in Fund shares at set intervals. This allows you to
purchase more shares when prices are low and fewer shares when
prices are high. Over time, this tends to lower your average cost
per share.
Like any investment strategy, dollar cost averaging can't
guarantee a profit or protect against losses in a steadily
declining market. Dollar cost averaging involves uninterrupted
investing regardless of share price and therefore may not be
appropriate for every investor.
BALANCE SHEET
Stein Roe Institutional Client High Yield Fund
Statement of Net Assets
February 6, 1997
Assets:
Cash $100,000
Unamortized organization costs 45,000
--------
Total Assets 145,000
========
Liabilities:
Payable to the Adviser for
organization costs incurred 45,000
Capital
Paid in Capital (net assets) 100,000
--------
Total Liabilities and Capital $145,000
========
Shares Outstanding (Unlimited number
authorized) 10,000
========
Net Asset Value (Capital) Per Share $ 10.00
========
NOTES TO STATEMENT OF NET ASSETS
Note 1. Organization:
Stein Roe Institutional Client High Yield Fund (the "Fund")
is a separate series of the Stein Roe Trust (the
"Trust"), an open-end diversified management investment
company organized as a Massachusetts business trust. The
Fund will invest all of its net investable assets in SR&F
High Yield Portfolio (the "Portfolio"), a separate series of
the SR&F Base Trust. The Fund is inactive except for matters
relating to its organization and registration as an open-end
investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940,
and the sale of 10,000 shares of the Fund for $100,000 to
Stein Roe & Farnham Incorporated (the "Adviser"), an indirect
wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Financial Companies, Inc.
Organization costs will be amortized on a straight-line basis
against income over various periods of up to sixty months
from the commencement of public offering by the Fund,
depending on the nature of the individual costs.
Note 2. Transactions with Affiliates:
The Adviser receives a management fee from the Portfolio
computed and accrued daily, at an annual rate of 0.500% of
the first $500 million of daily net assets and 0.475%
thereafter. The Adviser will also receive an administrative
fee from the Fund, computed and accrued daily, at an annual
rate of 0.150% of the first $500 million of daily net assets
and 0.125% thereafter.
<PAGE>
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
The Board of Trustees
Stein Roe Trust
We have audited the accompanying statement of net assets of Stein
Roe Institutional High Yield Fund, a series of Stein Roe Trust, as
of February 6, 1997. This statement of net assets is the
responsibility of the Fund's management. Our responsibility is
to express an opinion on this statement of net assets based on
our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with generally accepted
auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and
perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether
the statement of net assets is free of material misstatement.
An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence
supporting the amounts and disclosures in the statement of
net assets. An audit also includes assessing the accounting
principles used and significant estimates made by management,
as well as evaluating the overall statement of net assets
presentation. We believe that our audit of the statement
of net assets provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the statement of net assets referred to
above presents fairly, in all material respects, the financial
position of Stein Roe Institutional Client High Yield Fund at
February 6, 1997, in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles.
ERNST & YOUNG LLP
Chicago, Illinois
February 7, 1997
