<PAGE>
MFS INTERMEDIATE INVESTMENT GRADE BOND FUND AND MFS RESEARCH BOND FUND
Supplement to the January 1, 1999 Prospectus and
Statement of Additional Information
The following information should be read in conjunction with the Fund's
Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information ("SAI"), dated January 1,
1999, and contains a description of Class I shares.
Class I shares are available for purchase only by certain investors as
described under the caption "Eligible Purchasers" below.
EXPENSE SUMMARY
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
INVESTMENT RESEARCH
GRADE BOND BOND
FUND FUND
---------- --------
<S> <C> <C>
Annual Operating Expenses of the Funds (as a percentage of average net assets):
Management Fees (after fee reduction)(1)............................................... 0.00% 0.00%
Rule 12b-1 Fees........................................................................ None None
Other Expenses (after fee reduction)(2) (3)............................................ 1.00% 1.10%
---- -----
Total Operating Expenses (after fee reduction)(4)...................................... 1.00% 1.10%
</TABLE>
.........
(1) The Adviser will, during the Funds' current fiscal year, waive its right to
receive management fees from each Fund. Absent this waiver, "Management
Fees" would be as follows:
INVESTMENT GRADE BOND FUND RESEARCH BOND FUND
-------------------------- ------------------
0.50% 0.60%
(2) Each Fund has an expense offset arrangement which reduces the Fund's
custodian fee based upon the amount of cash maintained by the Fund with its
custodian and dividend disbursing agent, and may enter into other such
arrangements and directed brokerage arrangements (which would also have the
effect of reducing the Fund's expenses). Any such fee reductions are not
reflected under "Other Expenses."
(3) The Adviser has agreed to bear the expenses of the Investment Grade Bond
Fund and the Research Bond Fund, subject to reimbursement by each Fund,
such that "Other Expenses" do not exceed 1.00% and 1.10% per annum,
respectively, of each such Fund's average daily net assets during the
current fiscal year. Otherwise, "Other Expenses" would be 1.68 and 1.72%,
respectively for each class of shares of each Fund. See "Information
Concerning Share of the Fund - Expenses" in the Prospectus.
(4) Absent any fee waivers and expense reductions, "Total Operating Expenses"
for each Fund would be as follows:
INVESTMENT GRADE BOND FUND RESEARCH BOND FUND
-------------------------- ------------------
2.18% 2.32%
EXAMPLE OF EXPENSES
An investor would pay the following dollar amounts of expenses on a $1,000
investment in Class I shares of the Fund, assuming (a) a 5% annual return and
(b) redemption at the end of each of the time periods indicated:
PERIOD INVESTMENT GRADE BOND FUND RESEARCH BOND FUND
------ -------------------------- ------------------
1 year........ $10 $11
3 years....... 32 35
The purpose of the expense table above is to assist investors in
understanding the various costs and expenses that a shareholder of a Fund will
bear directly or indirectly. A more complete description of each Fund's
management fee is set forth under the caption "Management of the Fund" in the
Prospectus.
THE "EXAMPLE" SET FORTH ABOVE SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A REPRESENTATION OF PAST
OR FUTURE EXPENSES OF A FUND; ACTUAL EXPENSES MAY BE GREATER OR LESS THAN THOSE
SHOWN.
ELIGIBLE PURCHASERS
Class I shares are available for purchase only by the following purchasers
("Eligible Purchasers"):
(i) certain retirement plans established for the benefit of employees of
Massachusetts Financial Services Company ("MFS"), each Fund's investment
adviser, and employees of MFS' affiliates; and
(ii) any fund distributed by MFS Fund Distributors, Inc. ("MFD"), the Fund's
distributor, if the fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by
investing primarily in shares of the Fund and other funds distributed by
MFD.
In no event will the Fund, MFS, MFD or any of their affiliates pay any sales
commissions or compensation to any third party in connection with the sale of
Class I shares; the payment of any such sales commission or compensation would,
under each Fund's policies, disqualify the purchaser as an eligible investor of
Class I shares.
SHARE CLASSES OFFERED BY THE FUND
While each Fund has four classes of shares (Class A, Class B, Class C and
Class I shares), Class A and Class I shares are the only classes presently
available for sale. Class I shares are available for purchase only by Eligible
Purchasers, as defined above, and are described in this Supplement. Class A
shares, Class B shares and Class C shares are described in the Fund's
Prospectus. Class A shares are available for purchase by employees of MFS and
its affiliates and certain of their family members who are residents of The
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and members of the governing boards of the
various funds sponsored by MFS.
Class A shares are offered at net asset value plus an initial sales charge
up to a maximum of 4.75% of the offering price (or a contingent deferred sales
charge (a "CDSC") upon redemption of 1.00% during the first year in the case of
purchases of $1 million or more and certain purchases by retirement plans), and
are subject to an annual distribution fee and service fee up to a maximum of
0.35% per annum. Class B shares are offered at net asset value without an
initial sales charge but are subject to a CDSC upon redemption (declining from
4.00% during the first year to 0% after six years) and an annual distribution
fee and service fee up to a maximum of 1.00% per annum; Class B shares convert
to Class A shares approximately eight years after purchase. Class C shares are
offered at net asset value without an initial sales charge but are subject to a
CDSC upon redemption of 1.00% during the first year and an annual distribution
fee and service fee up to a maximum of 1.00% per annum. Class I shares are
offered at net asset value without an initial sales charge or CDSC and are not
subject to a distribution or service fee. Class C and Class I shares do not
convert to any other class of shares of the Funds.
OTHER INFORMATION
Eligible Purchasers may purchase Class I shares only directly through MFD.
Eligible Purchasers may exchange Class I shares of a Fund for Class I shares of
any other MFS Fund available for purchase by such Eligible Purchasers at their
net asset value (if available for sale), and may exchange Class I shares of a
Fund for shares of the MFS Money Market Fund (if available for sale), and may
redeem Class I shares of a Fund at net asset value. Distributions paid by a Fund
with respect to Class I shares generally will be greater than those paid with
respect to Class A shares, Class B shares and Class C shares because expenses
attributable to Class A shares, Class B shares and Class C shares generally will
be higher.
THE DATE OF THIS SUPPLEMENT IS JANUARY 1, 1999.
<PAGE>
[LOGO] M F S(R)
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
We invented the mutual fund(R)
PROSPECTUS
JANUARY 1, 1999
MFS INTERMEDIATE INVESTMENT GRADE BOND FUND
MFS RESEARCH BOND FUND
Class A Shares of Beneficial Interest
Class B Shares of Beneficial Interest
Class C Shares of Beneficial Interest
(Members of the MFS Family of Funds(R))
Each a Series of MFS Series Trust IX
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MFS INTERMEDIATE INVESTMENT GRADE BOND FUND (THE "INVESTMENT GRADE BOND FUND")
- -- The primary investment objective of the Investment Grade Bond Fund is to
provide as high a level of current income that the investment adviser believes
is consistent with prudent investment risk. The Fund's secondary objective is
to protect shareholder's capital.
MFS RESEARCH BOND FUND (THE "RESEARCH BOND FUND") -- The investment objective
of the Research Bond Fund is total return (high current income and long term
growth of capital). The Fund invests, under normal market conditions, at least
65% of its total assets in fixed income securities.
Each Fund's investment adviser and distributor are Massachusetts Financial
Services Company ("MFS" or the "Adviser") and MFS Fund Distributors, Inc.
("MFD"), respectively, both of which are located at 500 Boylston Street,
Boston, Massachusetts 02116.
INVESTMENT PRODUCTS ARE NOT INSURED BY THE FDIC OR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENT
AGENCY, AND ARE NOT DEPOSITS OR OTHER OBLIGATIONS OF, OR GUARANTEED BY, ANY
FINANCIAL INSTITUTION. SHARES OF MUTUAL FUNDS ARE SUBJECT TO INVESTMENT RISK,
INCLUDING POSSIBLE LOSS OF THE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT INVESTED, AND WILL FLUCTUATE
IN VALUE. YOU MAY RECEIVE MORE OR LESS THAN YOU PAID WHEN YOU REDEEM YOUR
SHARES.
WHILE THREE CLASSES OF SHARES OF EACH FUND ARE DESCRIBED IN THIS PROSPECTUS,
THE FUNDS DO NOT CURRENTLY OFFER CLASS B AND CLASS C SHARES. CLASS A SHARES
ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT NET ASSET VALUE ONLY BY EMPLOYEES OF MFS AND ITS
AFFILIATES AND CERTAIN OF THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS WHO ARE RESIDENTS OF THE
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, AND MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BOARDS OF THE
VARIOUS FUNDS SPONSORED BY MFS.
This Prospectus sets forth concisely the information concerning each Fund and
MFS Series Trust IX ("the Trust") that a prospective investor ought to know
before investing. The Trust on behalf of each Fund has filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") a Statement of Additional
Information, dated January 1, 1999, as amended or supplemented from time to
time (the "SAI"), which contains more detailed information about the Trust and
each Fund and is incorporated into this Prospectus by reference. See page 27
for a further description of the information set forth in the SAI. A copy of
the SAI may be obtained without charge by contacting the Shareholder Servicing
Agent (see back cover for address and phone number). The SEC maintains an
Internet World Wide Web site at http://www.sec.gov that contains the SAI,
materials that are incorporated by reference into this Prospectus and the SAI,
and other information regarding the Funds.
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OF DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR HAS THE SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSIOM PASSED UPON THE
ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A
CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
INVESTORS SHOULD READ THIS PROSPECTUS AND RETAIN IT FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.
<PAGE>
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
1. Expense Summary ..................................................... 3
2. The Funds ........................................................... 4
3. Investment Objectives and Policies .................................. 5
Investment Grade Bond Fund ...................................... 5
Research Bond Fund .............................................. 6
4. Certain Securities and Investment Techniques ........................ 6
5. Additional Risk Factors ............................................. 12
6. Management of the Funds ............................................. 14
7. Year 2000 Issues .................................................... 15
8. Information Concerning Shares of the Funds .......................... 15
Purchases ....................................................... 15
Exchanges ....................................................... 19
Redemptions and Repurchases ..................................... 20
Distribution Plan ............................................... 22
Distributions ................................................... 23
Tax Status ...................................................... 23
Net Asset Value ................................................. 24
Description of Shares, Voting Rights and Liabilities ............ 24
Performance Information ......................................... 25
Expenses ........................................................ 25
Provision of Annual and Semiannual Reports ...................... 25
9. Shareholder Services ................................................ 25
Appendix A -- Waivers of Sales Charges .............................. A-1
Appendix B -- Description of Bond Ratings ........................... B-1
<PAGE>
1. EXPENSE SUMMARY
CLASS A CLASS B CLASS C
------- ------- -------
SHAREHOLDER TRANSACTION EXPENSES:
Maximum Initial Sales Charge Imposed on
Purchases of each Fund's Shares (as
a percentage of offering price) ........ 4.75% 0.00% 0.00%
Maximum Contingent Deferred Sales
Charge (as a percentage of original
purchase price or redemption proceeds,
as applicable) ......................... See below(1) 4.00% 1.00%
ANNUAL OPERATING EXPENSES (AS A PERCENTAGE OF AVERAGE NET ASSETS):
CLASS A SHARES
INVESTMENT GRADE RESEARCH
BOND FUND BOND FUND
Management Fees (after fee reduction)(2) ......... 0.00% 0.00%
Rule 12b-1 Fees (after fee reduction)(3) ......... 0.00% 0.00%
Other Expenses (after fee reduction)(5)(6) ....... 1.00% 1.10%
----- -----
Total Operating Expenses (after fee reduction)(7) 1.00% 1.10%
- ----------
CLASS B SHARES
INVESTMENT GRADE RESEARCH
BOND FUND BOND FUND
Management Fees (after fee reduction)(2) ......... 0.00% 0.00%
Rule 12b-1 Fees(4) ............................... 1.00% 1.00%
Other Expenses (after fee reduction)(5)(6) ....... 1.00% 1.10%
----- -----
Total Operating Expenses (after fee reduction)(7) 2.00% 2.10%
- ----------
CLASS C SHARES
INVESTMENT GRADE RESEARCH
BOND FUND BOND FUND
Management Fees (after fee reduction)(2) ......... 0.00% 0.00%
Rule 12b-1 Fees(4) ............................... 1.00% 1.00%
Other Expenses (after fee reduction)(5)(6) ....... 1.00% 1.10%
----- -----
Total Operating Expenses (after fee reduction)(7) 2.00% 2.10%
- ----------
(1) Purchases of $1 million or more and certain purchases by retirement plans
are not subject to an initial sales charge; however, a contingent deferred
sales charge ("CDSC") of 1% will be imposed on such purchases in the event
of certain redemption transactions within 12 months following such
purchases. See "Information Concerning Shares of the Funds -- Purchases"
below.
(2) The Adviser will, during the Funds' current fiscal year, waive its right
to receive management fees from each Fund. Absent this waiver, "Management
Fees" would be as follows:
INVESTMENT GRADE RESEARCH
BOND FUND BOND FUND
0.50% 0.60%
(3) Each Fund has adopted a distribution plan for its shares in accordance
with Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the
"1940 Act") (the "Distribution Plan"), which provides that it will pay
distribution/service fees aggregating up to (but not necessarily all of)
0.35% per annum of the average daily net assets attributable to Class A
shares. Class A distribution and service fees under the Distribution Plan
are currently being waived on a voluntary basis and, while they may be
imposed at the discretion of MFD at any time, MFD currently intends to
waive these fees during the Funds' current fiscal year. Distribution
expenses paid under the Plan, together with the initial sales charge, may
cause long-term shareholders to pay more than the maximum sales charge
that would have been permissible if imposed entirely as an initial sales
charge. See "Information Concerning Shares of the Funds--Distribution
Plan" below.
(4) Each Fund's Distribution Plan provides that it will pay distribution/
service fees aggregating up to (but not necessarily all of) 1.00% per
annum of the average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares and
Class C shares, respectively. Distribution expenses paid under the
Distribution Plan with respect to Class B or Class C shares, together with
any CDSC payable upon redemption of Class B and Class C shares, may cause
long-term shareholders to pay more than the maximum sales charge that
would have been permissible if imposed entirely as an initial sales
charge. See "Information Concerning Shares of the Funds -- Distribution
Plan" below.
(5) The Adviser has agreed to bear the expenses of the Investment Grade Bond
Fund and the Research Bond Fund, subject to reimbursement by each Fund,
such that "Other Expenses" do not exceed 1.00% and 1.10% per annum,
respectively, of each Fund's average daily net assets during its current
fiscal year. See "Information Concerning Shares of the Funds -- Expenses"
below. Otherwise, "Other Expenses" would be 1.68% and 1.72%, respectively
for each class of shares of the Investment Grade Bond Fund and the
Research Bond Fund. "Other Expenses" for the Fund are based on estimates
for the Fund's current fiscal year.
(6) Each Fund has an expense offset arrangement which reduces the Fund's
custodian fee based upon the amount of cash maintained by the Fund with
its custodian and dividend disbursing agent, and may enter into other such
arrangements and directed brokerage arrangements (which would also have
the effect of reducing the Fund's expenses). Any such fee reductions are
not reflected under "Other Expenses."
(7) Absent any fee waivers and expense reductions, "Total Operating Expenses,"
expressed as a percentage of average daily net assets, would be as
follows:
NVESTMENT GRADE RESEARCH
BOND FUND BOND FUND
Class A ...................................... 2.53% 2.67%
Class B ...................................... 3.18% 3.32%
Class C ...................................... 3.18% 3.32%
EXAMPLE OF EXPENSES
----------------
An investor would pay the following dollar amounts of expenses on a $1,000
investment in each Fund, assuming (a) 5% annual return and, unless otherwise
noted, (b) redemption at the end of each of the time periods indicated:
CLASS A SHARES
INVESTMENT GRADE RESEARCH
BOND FUND BOND FUND
1 year ....................................... $57 $58
3 years ...................................... $78 $81
CLASS B SHARES
(ASSUMES REDEMPTION)
INVESTMENT GRADE RESEARCH
BOND FUND BOND FUND
1 year ....................................... $60 $61
3 years ...................................... $93 $96
CLASS B SHARES
(ASSUMES NO REDEMPTION)
INVESTMENT GRADE RESEARCH
BOND FUND BOND FUND
1 year ....................................... $20 $21
3 years ...................................... $63 $66
CLASS C SHARES
(ASSUMES REDEMPTION)
INVESTMENT GRADE RESEARCH
BOND FUND BOND FUND
1 year ....................................... $30 $31
3 years ...................................... $63 $66
CLASS C SHARES
(ASSUMES NO REDEMPTION)
INVESTMENT GRADE RESEARCH
BOND FUND BOND FUND
1 year ....................................... $20 $21
3 years ...................................... $63 $66
The purpose of the expense table above is to assist investors in understanding
the various costs and expenses that a shareholder of a Fund will bear directly
or indirectly. More complete descriptions of the following Fund expenses are
set forth in the following sections: (i) varying sales charges on share
purchases -- "Purchases"; (ii) varying CDSCs -- "Purchases"; (iii) management
fees -- "Investment Adviser"; and (iv) Rule 12b-1 (i.e., distribution plan)
fees -- "Distribution Plan."
THE "EXAMPLE" SET FORTH ABOVE SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A REPRESENTATION OF
PAST OR FUTURE EXPENSES OF THE FUND; ACTUAL EXPENSES MAY BE GREATER OR LESS
THAN THOSE SHOWN.
2. THE FUNDS
Each Fund is a non-diversified series of the Trust, an open-end, management
investment company which was organized as a trust under the laws of The
Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1985. The Trust presently consists of five
series, each of which represents a portfolio with separate investment
policies. Shares of each Fund are continuously sold to the public and each
Fund uses the proceeds to buy securities for its portfolio. While each Fund
has three classes of shares designed for sale generally to the public, Class A
shares are the only class presently available for sale. Class A shares are
offered at net asset value plus an initial sales charge up to a maximum of
4.75% of the offering price (or a CDSC upon redemption of 1.00% during the
first year in the case of purchases of $1 million or more and certain
purchases by retirement plans) and are subject to an annual distribution and
service fee up to a maximum of 0.35% per annum. Class B shares are offered at
net asset value without an initial sales charge but subject to a CDSC upon
redemption (declining from 4.00% during the first year to 0% after six years)
and an annual distribution fee and service fee up to a maximum of 1.00% per
annum. Class B shares will convert to Class A shares approximately eight years
after purchase. Class C shares are offered at net asset value without an
initial sales charge but are subject to a CDSC of 1.00% upon redemption during
the first year and an annual distribution fee and service fee up to a maximum
of 1.00% per annum. Class C shares do not convert to any other class of shares
of a Fund. In addition, each Fund offers an additional class of shares, Class
I shares, exclusively to certain institutional investors. Class I shares are
made available by means of a separate Prospectus Supplement provided to
institutional investors eligible to purchase Class I shares and are offered at
net asset value without an initial sales charge or CDSC upon redemption and
without an annual distribution and service fee.
The Trust's Board of Trustees provides broad supervision over the affairs of
the Funds. MFS is each Fund's investment adviser and is responsible for the
management of each Fund's assets and the officers of the Trust are responsible
for each Fund's operations. The Adviser manages the portfolio from day to day
in accordance with each Fund's investment objectives and policies. A majority
of the Trustees are not affiliated with the Adviser. The selection of
investments and the way they are managed depend on the conditions and trends
in the economy and the financial marketplaces. The Trust also offers to buy
back (redeem) shares of each Fund from shareholders at any time at net asset
value, less any applicable CDSC.
3. INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES
Each Fund has an investment objective which it pursues through separate
investment policies, as described below. The investment objective and policies
of each Fund, unless otherwise specifically stated, may be changed by the
Trustees of the Trust without a vote of the shareholders. A change in a Fund's
objective may result in the Fund having an investment objective different from
the objective which shareholders considered appropriate at the time of
investment in the Fund. Any investment involves risk and there can be no
assurance that the investment objective of any Fund will be achieved.
INVESTMENT GRADE BOND FUND - The Investment Grade Bond Fund's primary
investment objective is to provide as high a level of current income that the
investment adviser believes is consistent with prudent investment risk. The
Investment Grade Bond Fund's secondary objective is to protect shareholder's
capital.
The Fund invests, under normal market conditions, at least 65% of its total
assets in the following securities:
1. Fixed income securities (including corporate asset backed securities and
mortgage pass-through securities discussed below) which have a rating
within the four highest grades as determined by Standard & Poor's Rating
Services ("S&P") or by Fitch IBCA ("Fitch"), Duff & Phelps Credit Rating
Co. ("Duff & Phelps") (AAA, AA, A or BBB) Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
("Moody's) (Aaa, Aa, A or BAA) and comparable unrated securities; for a
description of these rating categories, see Appendix B to this
Prospectus;
2. Fixed income securities issued or guaranteed by the United States
("U.S.") Government or its agencies, authorities or instrumentalities
("U.S. Government Securities");
3. Commercial paper, repurchase agreements and cash or cash equivalents
(such as certificates of deposit and bankers" acceptances).
The Fund will only invest in securities rated within the four highest grades,
as determined by S&P, Fitch, Duff & Phelps or Moody's, and comparable unrated
securities. In addition, the dollar weighted average quality of the Fund will
be within the three highest grades, as determined by S&P, Fitch, Duff & Phelps
or Moody's (or the Adviser in the case of unrated securities).
Under normal market conditions, substantially all the securities in the Fund's
portfolio will have remaining maturities of ten years or less or estimated
remaining average lives of 10 years or less. In the case of mortgage-backed
and corporate asset-backed securities as well as collateralized mortgage
obligations, the average life is likely to be substantially shorter than
stated final maturity as a result of unscheduled principal prepayments. The
Adviser estimates that the average dollar-weighted maturity of the Fund will
be 5 to 7 years. The adviser believes that this strategy will enable the Fund
to preserve capital while seeking high current income.
For purposes of the foregoing investment policy, securities having a certain
maturity will be deemed to include securities with an equivalent "duration" of
such securities. "Duration" is a commonly used measure of the longevity of a
debt instrument that takes into account the full stream of payments received
on the instrument, including both interest and principal payments, based on
their present values. A debt instrument's duration is derived by discounting
principal and interest payments to their present value using the instrument's
current yield to maturity and taking the dollar-weighted average time until
those payments will be received. Contractual rights to dispose of a security
will be considered in calculating duration because such rights limit the
period during which the Trust bears a market risk with respect to the
security.
The Fund may engage in certain investment techniques as described below under
the caption "Certain Securities and Investment Techniques" and in the SAI.
The Fund's investments are subject to certain risks, as described in the
sections entitled "Investment Objective and Policies" and "Certain Securities
and Investment Techniques" of this Prospectus and in the SAI and as described
below under the caption "Additional Risk Factors."
RESEARCH BOND FUND - The Fund's investment objective is total return (high
current income and long-term growth of capital).
The Fund invests, under normal market conditions, at least 65% of its total
assets in fixed income securities. The portfolio securities of the Fund are
selected by a committee of fixed income research analysts, each of which is
assigned to follow a distinct sector of the fixed income securities markets.
The committee includes investment analysts employed not only by the Adviser,
but also by MFS International (UK) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the
Adviser. The Fund's assets are allocated among sectors by the analysts acting
together as a group. Individual analysts are then responsible for selecting
what they view as the securities best suited to meet the Fund's investment
objective with their assigned sector.
The sectors of the fixed income securities markets in which the Fund may
invest include:
(1). U.S. Investment Grade Corporate Fixed Income Securities - fixed income
securities of U.S. issuers (including securities issued or guaranteed
by the U.S. government or its agencies, authorities or
instrumentalities, short-term instruments and municipal obligations)
rated BBB or better by S&P, Fitch, Duff & Phelps, or Baa or better by
Moody's or comparable unrated securities;
(2). U.S. High Yield Fixed Income Securities - high yield fixed income
securities of U.S. issuers, including municipal obligations rated BB or
below by S&P, Fitch, Duff & Phelps, or Ba or below by Moody's or
comparable unrated securities (commonly known as "junk bonds");
(3). Foreign Fixed Income Securities - fixed income securities of foreign
issuers, including securities of issuers in emerging markets and
securities in any of the rating categories (and comparable unrated
securities);
(4). Corporate Asset-Backed Securities - fixed income securities secured by
specific holding of the issuing corporation, such as equipment or real
estate;
(5). Mortgage-Backed Securities - fixed income securities, including
collateralized mortgage obligations, backed by a pool of mortgage
loans.
The Adviser will allocate the assets of the Fund among some or all of the
various sectors described above where the opportunities for total return are
expected to be the most attractive, based on the qualitative and fundamental
analysis of the research analysts.
The Fund may engage in certain investment techniques as described below under
the caption "Certain Securities and Investment Techniques" and in the SAI. The
Fund's investments are subject to certain risks, as described in the above-
referenced sections of this Prospectus and in the SAI and as described below
under the caption "Additional Risk Factors."
4. CERTAIN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENT TECHNIQUES
The securities and investment techniques described below are applicable to
both Funds or one Fund, as specified, and may be described more fully in the
SAI. See "Investment Objectives, Policies and Restrictions" in the SAI.
FIXED INCOME SECURITIES: Fixed income securities in which each Fund may
invest include bonds, debentures, mortgage securities, notes, bills,
commercial paper, U.S. Government Securities and certificates of deposit, as
well as debt obligations which may have a call on common stock by means of a
conversion privilege or attached warrants.
U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES: The U.S. Government Securities in which each Fund
may invest include (i) U.S. Treasury obligations, all of which are backed by
the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government and (ii) U.S. Government
Securities, some of which are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S.
Treasury, e.g., direct pass-through certificates of the Government National
Mortgage Association ("GNMA"); some of which are backed only by the credit of
the issuer itself, e.g., obligations of the Student Loan Marketing
Association; and some of which are supported by the discretionary authority of
the U.S. Government to purchase the agency's obligations, e.g., obligations of
the Federal National Mortgage Association ("FNMA").
U.S. Government Securities also include interests in trusts or other entities
representing interests in obligations that are issued or guaranteed by the
U.S. Government, its agencies, authorities or instrumentalities.
INVESTMENTS FOR TEMPORARY DEFENSIVE PURPOSES: During periods of adverse market
conditions when the Adviser believes that investing for temporary defensive
purposes is appropriate, or in order to meet anticipated redemption requests,
a large portion or all of the assets of a Fund may be invested in cash
(including foreign currency) or cash equivalents, including, but not limited
to, obligations of banks (including certificates of deposit, bankers'
acceptances, time deposits and repurchase agreements), commercial paper,
short-term notes, U.S. Government Securities and related repurchase
agreements.
CORPORATE ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES: Each Fund may invest in corporate asset-
backed securities. These securities, issued by trusts and special purpose
corporations, are backed by a pool of assets, such as credit card and
automobile loan receivables, representing the obligations of a number of
different parties.
Corporate asset-backed securities present certain risks. For instance, in the
case of credit card receivables, these securities may not have the benefit of
any security interest in the related collateral. Credit card receivables are
generally unsecured and the debtors are entitled to the protection of a number
of state and federal consumer credit laws, many of which give such debtors the
right to set off certain amounts owed on the credit cards, thereby reducing
the balance due. Most issuers of automobile receivables permit the servicers
to retain possession of the underlying obligations. If the servicer were to
sell these obligations to another party, there is a risk that the purchaser
would acquire an interest superior to that of the holders of the related
automobile receivables. In addition, because of the large number of vehicles
involved in a typical issuance and technical requirements under state laws,
the trustee for the holders of the automobile receivables may not have a
proper security interest in all of the obligations backing such receivables.
Therefore, there is the possibility that recoveries on repossessed collateral
may not, in some cases, be available to support payments on these securities.
The underlying assets (e.g., loans) are also subject to prepayments which
shorten the securities weighted average life and may lower their return.
Corporate asset-backed securities are often backed by a pool of assets
representing the obligations of a number of different parties. To lessen the
effect of failures by obligors on underlying assets to make payments, the
securities may contain elements of credit support which fall into two
categories: (i) liquidity protection; and (ii) protection against losses
resulting from ultimate default by an obligor on the underlying assets.
Liquidity protection refers to the provision of advances, generally by the
entity administering the pool of assets, to ensure that the receipt of
payments on the underlying pool occurs in a timely fashion. Protection against
losses resulting from ultimate default ensures payment through insurance
policies or letters of credit obtained by the issuer or sponsor from third
parties. The Funds will not pay any additional or separate fees for credit
support. The degree of credit support provided for each issue is generally
based on historical information respecting the level of credit risk associated
with the underlying assets. Delinquency or loss in excess of that anticipated
or failure of the credit support could adversely affect the return on an
investment in such a security.
MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH SECURITIES: Each Fund may invest in mortgage pass-
through securities. Mortgage pass-through securities are securities
representing interests in "pools" of mortgage loans. Monthly payments of
interest and principal by the individual borrowers on mortgages are passed
through to the holders of the securities (net of fees paid to the issuer or
guarantor of the securities) as the mortgages in the underlying mortgage pools
are paid off. The average lives of mortgage pass-throughs are variable when
issued because their average lives depend on prepayment rates. The average
life of these securities is likely to be substantially shorter than their
stated final maturity as a result of unscheduled principal prepayment.
Prepayments on underlying mortgages result in a loss of anticipated interest,
and all or part of a premium if any has been paid, and the actual yield (or
total return) to the Fund may be different than the quoted yield on the
securities. Mortgage prepayments generally increase with falling interest
rates and decrease with rising interest rates. Like other fixed income
securities, when interest rates rise the value of a mortgage pass-through
security generally will decline; however, when interest rates are declining,
the value of mortgage pass-through securities with prepayment features may not
increase as much as that of other fixed-income securities.
Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage pass-through securities
(but not the market value of the securities themselves) may be guaranteed by
the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (in the case of securities
guaranteed by GNMA); or guaranteed by agencies or instrumentalities of the
U.S. Government (such as the FNMA or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage
Corporation ("FHLMC"), which are supported only by the discretionary authority
of the U.S. Government to purchase the agency's obligations). Mortgage pass-
through securities may also be issued by non-governmental issuers (such as
commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance
companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers). Some of these
mortgage pass-through securities may be supported by various forms of
insurance or guarantees.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS: Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements in order
to earn income on available cash or as a temporary defensive measure. Under a
repurchase agreement, the Fund acquires securities subject to the seller's
agreement to repurchase at a specified time and price. If the seller becomes
subject to a proceeding under the bankruptcy laws or its assets are otherwise
subject to a stay order, the Fund's right to liquidate the securities may be
restricted (during which time the value of the securities could decline). As
discussed in the SAI, each Fund has adopted certain procedures intended to
minimize the risk associated with repurchase agreements.
LENDING OF SECURITIES: Each Fund may seek to increase its income by lending
portfolio securities. Such loans will usually be made to member firms (and
subsidiaries thereof) of the New York Stock Exchange (the "Exchange") and to
member banks of the Federal Reserve System, and would be required to be
secured continuously by collateral in cash, U.S. Government securities or an
irrevocable letter of credit maintained on a current basis at an amount at
least equal to the market value of the securities loaned. A Fund will continue
to collect the equivalent of interest on the securities loaned and will also
receive either interest (through investment of cash collateral) or a fee (if
the collateral is U.S. government securities or an irrevocable letter of
credit). As with other extensions of credit there are risks of delay in
recovery or even loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the
securities fail financially. However, the loans would be made only to entities
deemed by the Adviser to be of good standing, and when, in the judgment of the
Adviser, the consideration which can be earned currently from securities loans
of this type justifies the attendant risk.
FOREIGN SECURITIES: Each Fund may invest in dollar-denominated foreign debt
securities and the Research Bond Fund may invest in both dollar and non-dollar
denominated foreign debt securities. Consistent with its investment objective
and policies described above, the Research Bond Fund may invest up to 100% of
its assets in non-dollar denominated foreign debt securities. Investing in
securities of foreign issuers generally involves risks not ordinarily
associated with investing in securities of domestic issuers. These risks
include changes in governmental administration or economic or monetary policy
(in the U.S. or abroad) or circumstances in dealings between nations. Special
considerations may also include more limited information about foreign issuers
and different accounting standards. Foreign securities markets may also be
less subject to government supervision than in the U.S. Investments in foreign
countries could be affected by other factors including expropriation,
confiscatory taxation and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual
obligations. See "Additional Risk Factors -- Foreign Securities" below.
EMERGING MARKET SECURITIES: Consistent with its objectives and policies, the
Investment Grade Bond Fund may invest in dollar-denominated securities and the
Research Bond Fund may invest in both dollar and non-dollar-denominated
securities of issuers whose principal activities are located in emerging
market countries. Emerging market securities purchased by the Investment Grade
Bond Fund will be rated within the four highest grades, as determined by S&P,
Fitch, Duff & Phelps or Moody's, and comparable unrated securities. Emerging
market countries include any country determined by the Adviser to have an
emerging market economy, taking into account a number of factors, including
whether the country has a low- to middle-income economy according to the
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the country's foreign
currency debt rating, its political and economic stability and the development
of its financial and capital markets. The Adviser determines whether an
issuer's principal activities are located in an emerging market country by
considering such factors as its country of organization, the principal trading
market for its securities and the source of its revenues and location of its
assets. The issuer's principal activities generally are deemed to be located
in a particular country if: (a) the security is issued or guaranteed by the
government of that country or any of its agencies, authorities or
instrumentalities; (b) the issuer is organized under the laws of, and
maintains a principal office in, that country; (c) the issuer has its
principal securities trading market in that country; (d) the issuer derives
50% or more of its total revenues from goods sold or services performed in
that country; or (e) the issuer has 50% or more of its assets in that country.
BRADY BONDS: Each Fund may invest in Brady Bonds, which are securities created
through the exchange of existing commercial bank loans to public and private
entities in certain emerging markets for new bonds in connection with debt
restructurings under a debt restructuring plan introduced by former U.S.
Secretary of the Treasury, Nicholas F. Brady (the "Brady Plan"). Brady Plan
debt restructurings have been implemented to date in Argentina, Brazil,
Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Jordan, Mexico,
Morocco, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Uruguay and
Venezuela. Brady Bonds have been issued only recently, and for that reason do
not have a long payment history. Brady Bonds may be collateralized or
uncollateralized, are issued in various currencies (but primarily the U.S.
dollar) and are actively traded in over-the-counter secondary markets. U.S.
dollar-denominated, collateralized Brady Bonds, which may be fixed rate bonds
or floating-rate bonds, are generally collateralized in full as to principal
by U.S. Treasury zero coupon bonds having the same maturity as the bonds.
Brady Bonds are often viewed as having three or four valuation components: the
collateralized repayment of principal at final maturity; the collateralized
interest payments; the uncollateralized interest payments; and any
uncollateralized repayment of principal at maturity (these uncollateralized
amounts constituting the "residual risk"). In light of the residual risk of
Brady Bonds and the history of defaults of countries issuing Brady Bonds with
respect to commercial bank loans by public and private entities, investments
in Brady Bonds may be viewed as speculative.
ZERO COUPON BONDS, DEFERRED INTEREST BONDS AND PIK BONDS: Fixed income
securities in which each Fund may invest also include zero coupon bonds,
deferred interest bonds and bonds in which the interest is payable in kind
("PIK bonds"). Zero coupon bonds and deferred interest bonds are debt
obligations which are issued or purchased at a significant discount from face
value. The discount approximates the total amount of interest the bonds will
accrue and compound over the period until maturity or the first interest
payment date, at a rate of interest reflecting the market rate of the security
at the time of issuance. While zero coupon bonds do not require the periodic
payment of interest, PIK bonds are debt obligations which provide that the
issuer thereof may, at its option, pay interest on such bonds in cash or in
the form of additional debt obligations. Such investments benefit the issuer
by mitigating its need for cash to meet debt service, but also require a
higher rate of return to attract investors who are willing to defer receipt of
such cash. Such investments may experience greater volatility in market value
due to changes in interest rates and other factors than debt obligations which
make regular payments of interest. Each Fund will accrue income on such
investments for tax and accounting purposes, as required, which is
distributable to shareholders and which, because no cash is received at the
time of accrual, may require the liquidation of other portfolio securities
under disadvantageous circumstances to satisfy that Fund's distribution
obligations.
MORTGAGE "DOLLAR ROLL" TRANSACTIONS: Each Fund may enter into mortgage "dollar
roll" transactions with selected banks and broker-dealers pursuant to which
the Fund sells mortgage-backed securities for delivery in the future
(generally within 30 days) and simultaneously contracts to repurchase
substantially similar (same type, coupon and maturity) securities on a
specified future date. Each Fund will only enter into covered rolls. A
"covered roll" is a specific type of dollar roll for which there is an
offsetting cash position or a cash equivalent security position which matures
on or before the forward settlement date of the dollar roll transaction.
COLLATERALIZED MORTGAGE OBLIGATIONS AND MULTICLASS PASS-THROUGH SECURITIES:
Each Fund may invest a portion of its assets in collateralized mortgage
obligations or "CMOs", which are debt obligations collateralized by mortgage
loans or mortgage pass-through securities. Typically, CMOs are collateralized
by certificates issued by GNMA, FNMA or FHLMC, but also may be collateralized
by whole loans or private mortgage pass-through securities (such collateral
collectively referred to as "Mortgage Assets"). Each Fund may also invest a
portion of its assets in multiclass pass-through securities which are
interests in a trust composed of Mortgage Assets. CMOs (which include
multiclass pass-through securities) may be issued by agencies or
instrumentalities of the U.S. Government or by private originators of, or
investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations,
mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose
subsidiaries of the foregoing. Payments of principal of and interest on the
Mortgage Assets, and any reinvestment income thereon, provide the funds to pay
debt service on the CMOs or make scheduled distributions on the multiclass
pass-through securities. In a CMO, a series of bonds or certificates are
usually issued in multiple classes with different maturities. Each class of
CMOs, often referred to as a "tranche", is issued at a specific fixed or
floating coupon rate and has a stated maturity or final distribution date.
Principal prepayments on the Mortgage Assets may cause the CMOs to be retired
substantially earlier than their stated maturities or final distribution
dates, resulting in a loss of all or part of the premium if any has been paid.
Certain classes of CMOs have priority over others with respect to the receipt
of prepayments on the mortgages. Therefore, depending on the type of CMOs in
which the Fund invests, the investment may be subject to a greater or lesser
risk of prepayment than other types of mortgage-related securities.
Each Fund may also invest in parallel pay CMOs and Planned Amortization Class
CMOs ("PAC Bonds"). Parallel pay CMOs are structured to provide payments of
principal on each payment date to more than one class. PAC Bonds generally
require payments of a specified amount of principal on each payment date. PAC
Bonds are always parallel pay CMOs with the required principal payment on such
securities having the highest priority after interest has been paid to all
classes.
"WHEN-ISSUED" SECURITIES: Each Fund may purchase securities on a "when-issued"
or on a "forward delivery" basis, which means that the securities will be
delivered to the Fund at a future date usually beyond customary settlement
time. The commitment to purchase a security for which payment will be made on
a future date may be deemed a separate security. In general, a Fund does not
pay for such securities until received, and does not start earning interest on
the securities until the contractual settlement date. While awaiting delivery
of securities purchased on such bases, a Fund will segregate liquid assets
sufficient to cover its commitments.
INDEXED SECURITIES: Each Fund may invest in indexed securities whose value is
linked to foreign currencies, interest rates, commodities, indices or other
financial indicators. Most indexed securities are short to intermediate term
fixed-income securities whose values at maturity (i.e., principal value) or
interest rates rise or fall according to changes in the value of one or more
specified underlying instruments. Indexed securities may be positively or
negatively indexed (i.e., their principal value or interest rates may increase
or decrease if the underlying instrument appreciates), and may have return
characteristics similar to direct investments in the underlying instrument or
to one or more options on the underlying instrument. Indexed securities may be
more volatile than the underlying instrument itself and could involve the loss
of all or a portion of the principal amount of or interest on the investment.
FUTURES CONTRACTS AND OPTIONS ON FUTURES CONTRACTS: Each Fund may purchase and
sell futures contracts on fixed income securities or indices of such
securities, including municipal bond indices and any other indices of fixed
income securities which may become available for trading ("Futures
Contracts"). Each Fund may also purchase and write options on such Futures
Contracts ("Options on Futures Contracts"). These instruments will be used to
hedge against anticipated future changes in interest rates which otherwise
might either adversely affect the value of the Fund's portfolio securities or
adversely affect the prices of securities which the Fund intends to purchase
at a later date. Such transactions may also be used for non-hedging purposes
to the extent permitted by applicable law. Should interest rates move in an
unexpected manner, a Fund may not achieve the anticipated benefits of the
hedging transactions and may realize a loss.
Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts that are entered into by a
Fund may be traded on U.S. and foreign exchanges.
Although each Fund will enter into certain transactions in Futures Contracts,
for hedging purposes, such transactions nevertheless involve risks. For
example, a lack of correlation between the instrument underlying a Futures
Contract and the assets being hedged, or unexpected adverse price movements,
could render a Fund's hedging strategy unsuccessful and could result in
losses. The SAI contains a further description of Futures Contracts including
a discussion of the risks related to transactions therein. Transactions
entered into for non-hedging purposes involve greater risks and could result
in losses which are not offset by gains on other portfolio assets.
OPTIONS ON SECURITIES: Each Fund may write (sell) covered put and call options
and purchase put and call options on securities. Each Fund will write options
on securities for the purpose of increasing its return and/or to protect the
value of its portfolio. In particular, where a Fund writes an option that
expires unexercised or is closed out by the Fund at a profit, it will retain
the premium paid for the option which will increase its gross income and will
offset in part the reduced value of the portfolio security underlying the
option, or the increased cost of portfolio securities to be acquired. However,
the writing of options constitutes only a partial hedge, up to the amount of
the premium less any transaction costs. In contrast, if the price of the
underlying security moves adversely to a Fund's position, the option may be
exercised and the Fund will be required to purchase or sell the underlying
security at a disadvantageous price, which may only be partially offset by the
amount of the premium. Each Fund may also write combinations of put and call
options on the same security, known as "straddles." Such transactions can
generate additional premium income but also present increased risk.
By writing a call option on a security, a Fund limits its opportunity to
profit from any increase in the market value of the underlying security, since
the holder will usually exercise the call option when the market value of the
underlying security exceeds the exercise price of the call. However, the Fund
retains the risk of depreciation in value of securities on which it has
written call options.
Each Fund may also purchase put or call options in anticipation of market
fluctuations which may adversely affect the value of its portfolio or the
prices of securities that a Fund wants to purchase at a later date. In the
event that the expected market fluctuations occur, a Fund may be able to
offset the resulting adverse effect on its portfolio, in whole or in part,
through the options purchased. The premium paid for a put or call option plus
any transaction costs will reduce the benefit, if any, realized by a Fund upon
exercise or liquidation of the option, and, unless the price of the underlying
security changes sufficiently, the option may expire without value to the
Fund.
In certain instances, a Fund may enter into options on Treasury securities
that are "reset" options or "adjustable strike" options. These options provide
for periodic adjustment of the strike price and may also provide for the
periodic adjustment of the premium during the term of the option.
RESTRICTED SECURITIES: Each Fund may purchase securities that are not
registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("1933 Act")
("restricted securities"), including those that can be offered and sold to
"qualified institutional buyers" under Rule 144A under the 1933 Act ("Rule
144A securities") and commercial paper issued under Section 4(2) of the 1933
Act ("4(2) paper"). A determination is made, based upon a continuing review of
the trading markets for the 144A security or 4(2) paper, whether such security
is liquid and thus not subject to each Fund's limitation on investing not more
than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. The Board of Trustees has
adopted guidelines and delegated to MFS the daily function of determining and
monitoring the liquidity of Rule 144A securities and 4(2) paper. The Board,
however, retains oversight of the liquidity determinations, focusing on
factors such as valuation, liquidity and availability of information.
Investing in Rule 144A securities could have the effect of decreasing the
level of liquidity in a Fund to the extent that qualified institutional buyers
become for a time uninterested in purchasing Rule 144A securities held in the
Fund's portfolio. Subject to each Fund's 15% limitation on investments in
illiquid investments, a Fund may also invest in restricted securities that may
not be sold under Rule 144A, which presents certain risks. As a result, a Fund
might not be able to sell these securities when the Adviser wishes to do so,
or might have to sell them at less than fair value. In addition, market
quotations are less readily available. Therefore, judgment may at times play a
greater role in valuing these securities than in the case of unrestricted
securities.
SWAPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS: As one way of managing its exposure to
different types of investments, each Fund may enter into interest rate swaps,
currency swaps and other types of available swap agreements, including swaps
on securities commodities and indices and related types of derivatives such as
caps, collars and floors. Swaps involve the exchange by the Fund with another
party of cash payments based upon different interest rate indices, currencies,
and other prices or rates, such as the value of mortgage prepayment rates. For
example, in the typical interest rate swap, the Fund might exchange a sequence
of cash payments based on a floating rate index for cash payments based on a
fixed rate. Payments made by both parties to a swap transaction are based on a
notional principal amount determined by the parties and the payment
obligations of the parties are typically settled on the payment dates.
Each Fund may also purchase and sell caps, floors and collars and options on
swaps, or "swaptions". In a typical cap or floor agreement, one party agrees
to make payments only under specified circumstances, usually in return for
payment of a fee by the counterparty. For example, the purchase of an interest
rate cap entices the buyer, to the extent that a specified index exceeds a
predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a
contractually-based principal amount from the counterparty selling such
interest rate cap. The sale of an interest rate floor obligates the seller to
make payments to the extent that a specified interest rate falls below an
agreed-upon level. A collar arrangement combines elements of buying a cap and
selling a floor. A swaption is an option to enter into a swap agreement. Like
other types of options, the buyer of a swaption pays a non-refundable premium
for the option and obtains the right, but not the obligation, to enter into
the underlying swap on the agreed-upon terms.
Swap agreements could be used to shift a Fund's investment exposure from one
type of investment to another. For example, if a Fund agreed to exchange
payments in dollars for payments in foreign currency, in each case based on a
fixed rate, the swap agreement would tend to decrease the Fund's exposure to
U.S. interest rates and increase its exposure to foreign currency and interest
rates. Caps and floors have an effect similar to buying or writing options.
Depending on how they are used, swap agreements may increase or decrease the
overall volatility of the Fund's investments and its share price and yield.
MUNICIPAL OBLIGATIONS: The Research Bond Fund may invest in municipal
obligations issued by or on behalf of states, territories and possessions of
the United States and the District of Columbia and their political
subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities when the Adviser determines that
they offer the highest income available. Such municipal obligations may be
rated Ba or below by Moody's or BB or below by S&P, Fitch or Duff & Phelps (or
may be comparable unrated securities). For the risk considerations involved,
see "Additional Risk Factors -- Lower Rated Fixed Income Securities" below.
LOANS AND OTHER DIRECT INDEBTEDNESS: The Research Bond Fund may invest a
portion of its assets in loans and other direct indebtedness. By purchasing a
loan the Fund acquires some or all of the interest of a bank or other lending
institution in a loan to a corporate borrower. Many such loans are secured,
and most impose restrictive covenants which must be met by the borrower. These
loans are made generally to finance internal growth, mergers, acquisitions,
stock repurchases, leveraged buy-outs and other corporate activities. Such
loans may be in default at the time of purchase. The Research Bond Fund may
also purchase trade or other claims against companies which generally
represent money owed by the company to a supplier of goods and services. These
claims may also be purchased at a time when the company is in default. Certain
of the loan participations acquired by the Fund may involve revolving credit
facilities or other standby financing commitments which obligate the Fund to
pay additional cash on a certain date or on demand.
The highly leveraged nature of many such loans may make such loans especially
vulnerable to adverse changes in economic or market conditions. Loan
participations and other direct investments may not be in the form of
securities or may be subject to restrictions on transfer, and only limited
opportunities may exist to resell such instruments. As a result, the Fund may
be unable to sell such investments at an opportune time or may have to resell
them at less than fair market value.
FORWARD CONTRACTS: The Research Bond Fund may enter into forward foreign
currency exchange contracts for the purchase or sale of a fixed quantity of a
foreign currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract
("Forward Contracts"). The Fund may enter into Forward Contracts for hedging
purposes and for non-hedging purposes to increase the Fund's current income.
By entering into transactions in Forward Contracts for hedging purposes, the
Fund may be required to forego the benefits of advantageous changes in
exchange rates and, in the case of Forward Contracts entered into for non-
hedging purposes, the Fund may sustain losses which will reduce its gross
income. Such transactions, therefore, could be considered speculative. Forward
Contracts are traded over-the-counter and not on organized commodities or
securities exchanges. As a result, Forward Contracts operate in a manner
distinct from exchange-traded instruments, and their use involves certain
risks beyond those associated with transactions in Futures Contracts or
options traded on exchanges. The Fund may choose to, or be required to,
receive delivery of the foreign currencies underlying Forward Contracts it has
entered into. Under certain circumstances, such as where the Adviser believes
that the applicable exchange rate is unfavorable at the time the currencies
are received or the Adviser anticipates, for any other reason, that the
exchange rate will improve, the Fund may hold such currencies for an
indefinite period of time. The Research Bond Fund may also enter into a
Forward Contract on one currency to hedge against risk of loss arising from
fluctuations in the value of a second currency (referred to as a "cross
hedge") if, in the judgment of the Adviser, a reasonable degree of correlation
can be expected between movements in the values of the two currencies. The
Fund has established procedures, which require use of segregated assets or
"cover" in connection with the purchase and sale of such contracts.
OPTIONS ON FOREIGN CURRENCIES: The Research Bond Fund may also purchase and
write options on foreign currencies ("Options on Foreign Currencies") for the
purpose of protecting against declines in the dollar value of portfolio
securities and against increases in the dollar cost of securities to be
acquired. As in the case of other types of options, however, the writing of an
Option on Foreign Currency will constitute only a partial hedge, up to the
amount of the premium received, and the Fund may be required to purchase or
sell foreign currencies at disadvantageous exchange rates, thereby incurring
losses. The purchase of an Option on Foreign Currency may constitute an
effective hedge against fluctuations in exchange rates although, in the event
of rate movements adverse to the Fund's position, it may forfeit the entire
amount of the premium paid for the option plus related transaction costs. The
Fund may also choose, or be required to receive delivery of the foreign
currencies underlying Options on Foreign Currencies into which it has entered.
Under certain circumstances, such as where the Adviser believes that the
applicable exchange rate is unfavorable at the time the currencies are
received or the Adviser anticipates, for any other reason, that the exchange
rate will improve, the Fund may hold such currencies for an indefinite period
of time.
Swap agreements are sophisticated hedging instruments that typically involve a
small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of risk assumed, or no
investment of cash. As a result, swaps can be highly volatile and may have a
considerable impact on the Fund's performance. Swap agreements are subject to
risk related to the counterparty's ability to perform, and may decline in
value if the counterparty's creditworthiness deteriorates. The Research Bond
Fund may also suffer losses if it is unable to terminate outstanding swap
agreements or reduce its exposure through offsetting transactions. Swaps,
caps, floors and collars are highly specialized activities which involve
certain risks as described in the SAI.
REVERSE REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS: The Research Bond Fund may enter into reverse
repurchase agreements. In a reverse repurchase agreement, the Fund will sell
securities and receive cash proceeds, subject to its agreement to repurchase
the securities at a later date for a fixed price reflecting a market rate of
interest. There is a risk that the counterparty to a reverse repurchase
agreement will be unable or unwilling to complete the transaction as
scheduled, which may result in losses to the Fund. The Fund will invest the
proceeds received under a reverse repurchase agreement in accordance with its
investment objective and policies. The Fund will segregate liquid assets,
marked to market daily, in an amount at least equal to the Fund's obligations
under the agreement, which is generally satisfied by the Fund providing the
counterparty with collateral in the form of the securities subject to the
repurchase agreement. See "Additional Risk Factors--Borrowings" below.
STRIPPED MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES: The Research Bond Fund may invest a
portion of its assets in stripped mortgage-backed securities ("SMBS"), which
are derivative multiclass mortgage securities usually structured with two
classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal
distributions from an underlying pool of mortgage assets.
INVERSE FLOATING RATE OBLIGATIONS: The Research Bond Fund may invest in so
called "inverse floating rate obligations" or "residual interest bonds" or
other obligations or certificates relating thereto structured to have similar
features. In creating such an obligation, a municipality issues a certain
amount of debt and pays a fixed interest rate. Half of the debt is issued as
variable rate short term obligations, the interest rate of which is reset at
short intervals, typically 35 days. The other half of the debt is issued as
inverse floating rate obligations, the interest rate of which is calculated
based on the difference between a multiple of (approximately two times) the
interest paid by the issuer and the interest paid on the short-term
obligation. Under usual circumstances, the holder of the inverse floating rate
obligation can generally purchase an equal principal amount of the short term
obligation and link the two obligations in order to create long-term fixed
rate bonds. Because the interest rate on the inverse floating rate obligation
is determined by subtracting the short-term rate from a fixed amount, the
interest rate will decrease as the short-term rate increases and will increase
as the short-term rate decreases. The magnitude of increases and decreases in
the market value of inverse floating rate obligations may be approximately
twice as large as the comparable change in the market value of an equal
principal amount of long-term bonds which bear interest at the rate paid by
the issuer and have similar credit quality, redemption and maturity
provisions.
5. ADDITIONAL RISK FACTORS
The following discussion of additional risk factors supplements the risk
factors described above. Additional information concerning risk factors can be
found under the caption "Investment Objectives, Policies and Restrictions" in
the SAI.
NON-DIVERSIFICATION: Each Fund is "non-diversified," as that term is defined
in the 1940 Act, but intends to qualify as a "regulated investment company"
for federal income tax purposes. This means, in general, that although more
than 5% of a Fund's total assets may be invested in the securities of one
issuer (including a foreign government), at the close of each quarter of its
taxable year, the aggregate amount of such holdings may not exceed 50% of the
value of its total assets, and no more than 25% of the value of its total
assets may be invested in the securities of a single issuer. To the extent
that a non-diversified Fund at times may hold the securities of a smaller
number of issuers than if it were "diversified" (as defined in the 1940 Act),
the Fund will at such times be subject to greater risk with respect to its
portfolio securities than a fund that invests in a broader range of
securities, because changes in the financial condition or market assessment of
a single issuer may cause greater fluctuations in the Fund's total return and
the net asset value of its shares.
FIXED INCOME SECURITIES: The net asset value of the shares of an open-end
investment company, such as each Fund, which invests primarily in fixed income
securities, changes with the general level of interest rates. When interest
rates decline, the market value of the portfolio can be expected to rise.
Conversely, when interest rates rise, the market value of the portfolio can be
expected to decline.
FIXED INCOME SECURITIES RATED BBB/Baa: Each Fund may invest in fixed income
securities rated Baa by Moody's or BBB by S&P or Fitch and comparable unrated
securities. These securities, while normally exhibiting adequate protection
parameters, have speculative characteristics and changes in economic
conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened
capacity to make principal and interest payments than in the case of higher
grade fixed income securities.
LOWER-RATED FIXED INCOME SECURITIES: The Research Bond Fund may invest up to
100% of its total assets in securities rated Ba or lower by Moody's or BB or
lower by S&P, Fitch or Duff & Phelps and comparable unrated securities
(commonly known as "junk bonds"). These securities are considered speculative
and, while generally providing greater income than investments in higher rated
securities, will involve greater risk of principal and income (including the
possibility of default or bankruptcy of the issuers of such securities) and
may involve greater volatility of price (especially during periods of economic
uncertainty or change) than securities in the higher rating categories.
However, since yields vary over time, no specific level of income can ever be
assured. These lower rated high yielding fixed income securities generally
tend to reflect economic changes and short-term corporate and industry
developments to a greater extent than higher rated securities which react
primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates (although
these lower rated fixed income securities are also affected by changes in
interest rates, the market's perception of their credit quality, and the
outlook for economic growth). In the past, economic downturns or an increase
in interest rates have, under certain circumstances, caused a higher incidence
of default by the issuers of these securities and may do so in the future,
especially in the case of highly leveraged issuers. During certain periods,
the higher yields on the Fund's lower rated high yielding fixed income
securities are paid primarily because of the increased risk of loss of
principal and income, arising from such factors as the heightened possibility
of default or bankruptcy of the issuers of such securities. Due to the fixed
income payments of these securities, the Fund may continue to earn the same
level of interest income while its net asset value declines due to portfolio
losses, which could result in an increase in the Fund's yield despite the
actual loss of principal. The market for these lower rated fixed income
securities may be less liquid than the market for investment grade fixed
income securities, and judgment may at times play a greater role in valuing
these securities than in the case of investment grade fixed income securities.
Changes in the value of securities subsequent to their acquisition will not
affect cash income or yield to maturity to the Fund but will be reflected in
the net asset value of shares of the Fund.
FOREIGN SECURITIES: Transactions involving foreign debt securities or foreign
currencies, and transactions entered into in foreign countries, involve
considerations and risks not typically associated with investing in U.S.
markets. These include changes in currency rates, exchange control
regulations, governmental administration or economic or monetary policy (in
the U.S. or abroad) or circumstances in dealings between nations. Costs may be
incurred in connection with conversions between various currencies. Special
considerations may also include more limited information about foreign
issuers, higher brokerage costs, different or less stringent accounting
standards and thinner trading markets. Foreign securities markets may also be
less liquid, more volatile and less subject to governmental supervision than
in the United States. Investments in foreign countries could be affected by
other factors including expropriation, confiscatory taxation and potential
difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations and could be subject to
extended settlement periods.
EMERGING MARKET SECURITIES: The risks of investing in foreign securities may
be intensified in the case of investments in emerging markets. Securities of
many issuers in emerging markets may be less liquid and more volatile than
securities of comparable domestic issuers. Emerging markets also have
different clearance and settlement procedures, and in certain markets there
have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume
of securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such transactions.
Delays in settlement could result in temporary periods when a portion of the
assets of a Fund is uninvested and no return is earned thereon. The inability
of a Fund to make intended security purchases due to settlement problems could
cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities. Inability to
dispose of portfolio securities due to settlement problems could result in
losses to a Fund due to subsequent declines in value of the portfolio
security, a decrease in the level of liquidity in the Fund's portfolio, or, if
a Fund has entered into a contract to sell the security, in possible liability
to the purchaser. Certain markets may require payment for securities before
delivery and in such markets, the Fund bears the risk that the securities will
not be delivered and that the Fund's payments will not be returned. Securities
prices in emerging markets can be significantly more volatile than in the more
developed nations of the world, reflecting the greater uncertainties of
investing in less established markets and economies. In particular, countries
with emerging markets may have relatively unstable governments, present the
risk of nationalization of businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership, or
prohibitions of repatriation of assets, and may have less protection of
property rights than more developed countries. The economies of countries with
emerging markets may be predominantly based on only a few industries, may be
highly vulnerable to changes in local or global trade conditions, and may
suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates. Local
securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to
respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt
liquidation of substantial holdings difficult or impossible at times.
Securities of issuers located in countries with emerging markets may have
limited marketability and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price
movements.
Certain emerging markets may require governmental approval for the
repatriation of investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of
securities by foreign investors. In addition, if a deterioration occurs in an
emerging market's balance of payments or for other reasons, a country could
impose temporary restrictions on foreign capital remittances. A Fund could be
adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required
governmental approval for repatriation of capital, as well as by the
application to a Fund of any restrictions on investments.
Investment in certain foreign emerging market debt obligations may be
restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions or controls
may at times preclude investment in certain foreign emerging market debt
obligations and increase the expenses of a Fund.
BORROWINGS: To the extent portfolio securities are purchased by a Fund with
proceeds from reverse repurchase agreements (in the case of the Research Fund)
or the lending of portfolio securities, the net asset value of the Fund's
shares generally will increase or decrease at a greater rate than would
otherwise be the case. Any investment income or gains earned from the
portfolio securities purchased with these proceeds which is in excess of the
expanses associated therewith can be expected to cause the value of a Fund's
shares and distributions on the Fund's shares to rise more quickly than would
otherwise be the case. Conversely, if the investment income or gains earned
from the portfolio securities purchased with proceeds from these forms of
borrowing fail to cover the expenses associated therewith, the value of a
Fund's shares is likely to decrease more quickly than otherwise would be the
case and distributions thereon will be reduced or eliminated. Hence, borrowing
(leverage) is speculative and increases the risk of owning or investing in the
shares of a Fund. Borrowings also increase each Fund's expenses because of
interest and similar payments and administrative expenses associated with the
borrowing of money. Unless the appreciation and income on assets purchased
with proceeds from borrowings exceed the costs associated with the borrowings,
the use of leverage by a Fund would diminish the investment performance of the
Fund compared with what it would have been without leverage.
PORTFOLIO TRADING: Each Fund intends to engage in portfolio trading rather
than holding portfolio securities to maturity. In trading portfolio
securities, a Fund seeks to take advantage of market developments, yield
disparities and variations in the creditworthiness of issuers. Because the
Investment Grade Bond Fund and the Research Bond Fund are expected to have a
portfolio turnover rate not to exceed 250% and 150% respectively during their
current fiscal years, transaction costs incurred by each Fund and the realized
capital gains and losses of each Fund may be greater than that of a fund with
a lesser portfolio turnover rate.
The primary consideration in placing portfolio security transactions with
broker-dealers is to obtain, and maintain the availability of, execution at
the most favorable prices. Consistent with the foregoing primary
consideration, the Conduct Rules of the National Association of Securities
Dealers, Inc. (the "NASD") and such other policies as the Trustees may
determine, the Adviser may consider sales of shares of each Fund and of the
other investment company clients of MFD, as a factor in the selection of
broker-dealers to execute a Fund's portfolio transactions. From time to time,
the Adviser may direct certain portfolio transactions to broker-dealer firms
which, in turn, have agreed to pay a portion of each Fund's operating expenses
(e.g., fees charged by the custodian of a Fund's assets).
--------------------
The SAI includes a discussion of other investment policies and a listing of
specific investment restrictions which govern each Fund's investment policies.
The specific investment restrictions listed in the SAI may be changed without
shareholder approval unless otherwise indicated. (See "Investment
Restrictions" in the SAI). Except with respect to each Fund's policy on
borrowing and investing in illiquid securities, a Fund's limitations, policies
and rating restrictions are adhered to at the time of purchase or utilization
of assets; a subsequent change in circumstances will not be considered to
result in a violation of policy.
6. MANAGEMENT OF THE FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISER: MFS manages each Fund pursuant to an Investment Advisory
Agreement, dated December 31, 1998 (the "Advisory Agreements"). Under the
Advisory Agreements, the Adviser provides each Fund with overall investment
advisory services. Subject to such policies as the Trustees may determine, the
Adviser makes investment decisions for each Fund. For its services and
facilities, the Adviser is entitled to receive a management fee, computed and
paid monthly, in an amount listed below per annum of the average daily net
assets of such Fund:
INVESTMENT GRADE BOND FUND RESEARCH BOND FUND
0.50% 0.60%
The identity and background of the portfolio manager(s) for each Fund is set
forth below. Each portfolio manager has acted in that capacity since the
commencement of investment operations of each Fund.
FUND PORTFOLIO MANAGER(s)
- ---- --------------------
Investment Grade Bond Fund Michael E. Gray, an Investment Officer of the
Adviser, has been employed as an investment
professional of the Adviser since 1996. From
1994 to 1996, he was employed as a securities
analyst by Conseco Capital Management. Prior to
1994, he was a Vice President and Treasurer of
Salem Cooperative Bank. Mr. Gray is a Chartered
Financial Analyst.
Research Bond Fund Joan S. Batchelder, a Senior Vice President and
Director of Fixed Income Research of the
Adviser, has been employed as a portfolio
manager by the Adviser since 1978. Ms.
Batchelder oversees a committee of various fixed
income research analysts employed by the
Adviser.
MFS also serves as investment adviser to each of the other funds in the MFS
Family of Funds (the "MFS Funds") and to MFS Municipal Income Trust, MFS
Multimarket Income Trust, MFS Government Markets Income Trust, MFS
Intermediate Income Trust, MFS Charter Income Trust, MFS Special Value Trust,
MFS Institutional Trust, MFS Variable Insurance Trust, MFS/Sun Life Series
Trust, and seven variable accounts, each of which is a registered investment
company established by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (U.S.), a
subsidiary of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada ("Sun Life"), in connection
with the sale of various fixed/variable annuity contracts. MFS and its wholly
owned subsidiary, MFS Institutional Advisors, Inc. provide investment advice
to substantial private clients.
MFS is America's oldest mutual fund organization. MFS and its predecessor
organizations have a history of money management dating from 1924 and the
founding of the first mutual fund in the United States, Massachusetts
Investors Trust. Net assets under the management of the MFS organization were
approximately $92.8 billion on behalf of approximately 3.6 million accounts as
of November 30, 1998. As of such date, the MFS organization managed
approximately $60.7 billion of assets invested in equity securities and
approximately $20.0 billion of assets invested in fixed income securities.
Approximately $4.9 billion of the assets managed by MFS are invested in
securities of foreign issuers and non-U.S. dollar denominated securities of
U.S. issuers. MFS is a subsidiary of Sun Life of Canada (U.S.) Financial
Service Holdings, Inc., which in turn is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary
of Sun Life. The Directors of MFS are John W. Ballen, Thomas J. Cashman,
Joseph Dello Russo, John D. McNeil, Kevin R. Parke, Arnold D. Scott, William
W. Scott, Jr., Jeffrey L. Shames and Donald A. Stewart. Mr. Shames is the
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MFS, Mr. Ballen is the President and
the Chief Investment Officer of MFS, Mr. Cashman is an Executive Vice
President of MFS, Mr. Dello Russo is the Chief Financial Officer and an
Executive Vice President of MFS, Mr. Parke is the Chief Equity Officer,
Director of Equity Research and an Executive Vice President of MFS, Mr. Arnold
Scott is the Secretary and a Senior Executive Vice President of MFS and Mr.
William Scott is the President of MFS Fund Distributors Inc., the distributor
of the MFS Funds. Messrs. McNeil and Stewart are the Chairman and the
President, respectively, of Sun Life. Sun Life, a mutual life insurance
company, is one of the largest international life insurance companies and has
been operating in the United States since 1895, establishing a headquarters
office here in 1973. The executive officers of MFS report directly to the
Chairman of Sun Life.
Mr. Shames, the Chairman of MFS, is a Trustee of the Trust. W. Thomas London,
Stephen E. Cavan, James R. Bordewick, Jr., Geoffrey L. Kurinsky, James O.
Yost, Ellen Moynihan and Mark E Bradley, all of whom are officers of MFS, are
officers of the Trust.
In certain instances there may be securities which are suitable for a Fund's
portfolio as well as for portfolios of other clients of MFS. Some simultaneous
transactions are inevitable when several clients receive investment advice
from MFS, particularly when the same security is suitable for more than one
client. While in some cases this arrangement could have a detrimental effect
on the price or availability of the security as far as each Fund is concerned,
in other cases, however, it may produce increased investment opportunities for
a Fund.
ADMINISTRATOR: MFS provides each Fund with certain financial, legal,
compliance, shareholder communications and other administrative services
pursuant to a Master Administrative Services Agreement dated March 1, 1997, as
amended. Under this Agreement, each Fund pays MFS an administrative fee up to
0.015% per annum of the Fund's average daily net assets. This fee reimburses
MFS for a portion of the costs it incurs to provide such services.
DISTRIBUTOR: MFD, a wholly owned subsidiary of MFS, is the distributor of
shares of each Fund and also serves as distributor for each of the other MFS
Funds.
SHAREHOLDER SERVICING AGENT: MFS Service Center, Inc. (the "Shareholder
Servicing Agent"), a wholly owned subsidiary of MFS, performs transfer agency,
certain dividend disbursing agency and other services for the Fund.
7. YEAR 2000 ISSUES
Funds could be adversely affected if the computer systems used by MFS, a
Fund's other service providers or the companies in which a Fund invests do not
properly process date-related information from and after January 1, 2000 (the
"Year 2000 Issue"). MFS recognizes the importance of the Year 2000 Issue and,
to address Year 2000 compliance, created a Year 2000 Program Management Office
in 1996, which is separately funded, has a specialized staff and reports
directly to MFS senior management. The Office, with the help of external
consultants, is responsible for ascertaining that all internal systems, data
feeds and third party applications are Year 2000 compliant. While MFS is
confident that all MFS systems will be Year 2000 compliant before the turn of
the century, there are significant systems interdependencies in the domestic
and foreign markets for securities, the business environments in which
companies held by the Funds operate and in MFS' own business environment. MFS
has been actively working with each Fund's other service providers to identify
and respond to potential problems in an effort to ensure Year 2000 compliance
or develop contingency plans. Year 2000 compliance is also one of the factors
considered by MFS in its ongoing assessment of companies in which a Fund
invests. There can be no assurance, however, that these steps will be
sufficient to avoid any adverse impact on the Funds.
8. INFORMATION CONCERNING SHARES OF THE FUNDS
PURCHASES
Class A, B and C shares of each Fund may be purchased at the public offering
price through any dealer. Class A shares are the only class presently
available for sale. The dealer will process the purchase request. As used in
the Prospectus and any appendices thereto, the term "dealer" includes any
broker, dealer, bank (including bank trust departments), registered investment
adviser, financial planner and any other financial institutions having a
selling agreement or other similar agreement with MFD. Dealers may also charge
their customers fees relating to investments in the Funds.
This prospectus offers Class A, B and C shares to the general public which
bear sales charges and distribution fees in different forms and amounts, as
described below:
CLASS A SHARES: Class A shares are generally offered at net asset value plus
an initial sales charge, but in certain cases are offered at net asset value
without an initial sales charge but subject to a CDSC.
PURCHASES SUBJECT TO INITIAL SALES CHARGE. Class A shares are offered at
net asset value plus an initial sales charge as follows:
SALES CHARGE* AS
PERCENTAGE OF:
-------------------------- ALLOWANCE
OFFERING NET AMOUNT AS A PERCENTAGE
AMOUNT OF PURCHASE PRICE INVESTED OF OFFERING PRICE
Less Than $100,000 ................ 4.75% 4.99% 4.00%
$100,000 but less than $250,000 ... 4.00 4.17 3.20
$250,000 but less than $500,000 ... 2.95 3.04 2.25
$500,000 but less than $1,000,000 . 2.20 2.25 1.70
$1,000,000 or more ................ None** None** See Below**
- ------------
* Because of rounding in the calculation of offering price, actual sales
charges may be more or less than those calculated using the percentages
above.
** A CDSC will apply to such purchases, as discussed below.
MFD allows discounts to dealers (which are alike for all dealers) from the
applicable public offering price, as shown in the above table. In the case of
the maximum sales charge, the dealer retains 4% and MFD retains approximately
3/4 of 1% of the public offering price. The sales charge may vary depending on
the number of shares of each Fund as well as certain other MFS Funds owned or
being purchased, the existence of an agreement to purchase additional shares
during a 13-month period (or 36-month period for purchases of $1 million or
more) or other special purchase programs. A description of the Right of
Accumulation, Letter of Intent and Group Purchase privileges by which the
sales charge may be reduced is set forth in the SAI.
PURCHASES SUBJECT TO A CDSC (but not an initial sales charge). In the
following five circumstances, Class A shares are offered at net asset value
without an initial sales charge, but subject to a CDSC equal to 1% of the
lesser of the value of the shares redeemed (exclusive of reinvested dividend
and capital gain distributions) or the total cost of such shares, in the event
of a share redemption within 12 months following the purchase:
(i) on investments of $1 million or more in Class A shares;
(ii) on investments in Class A shares by certain retirement plans subject
to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended
("ERISA"), if, prior to July 1, 1996 (a) the Plan had established an
account with the Shareholder Servicing Agent and (b) the sponsoring
organization had demonstrated to the satisfaction of MFD that either
(i) the employer had at least 25 employees or (ii) the aggregate
purchases by the retirement plan of Class A shares of Funds in the
MFS Funds would be in an aggregate amount of at least $250,000
within a reasonable period of time, as determined by MFD in its sole
discretion;
(iii) on investments in Class A shares by certain retirement plans subject
to ERISA, if: (a) the retirement plan and/or sponsoring organization
subscribes to the MFS FUNDamental 401(k) Program or any similar
recordkeeping system made available by the Shareholder Servicing
Agent (the "MFS Participant Recordkeeping System"); (b) the plan
establishes an account with the Shareholder Servicing Agent on or
after July 1, 1996; (c) the aggregate purchases by the retirement
plan of Class A shares of the MFS Funds will be in an aggregate
amount of at least $500,000 within a reasonable period of time, as
determined by MFD in its sole discretion; and (d) the plan has not
redeemed its Class B shares in the MFS Funds in order to purchase
Class A shares under this category;
(iv) on investments in Class A shares by certain retirement plans subject
to ERISA, if: (a) the plan establishes an account with the
Shareholder Servicing Agent on or after July 1, 1996 and (b) the plan
has, at the time of purchase, a market value of $500,000 or more
invested in shares of any class or classes of the MFS Funds. THE
RETIREMENT PLAN WILL QUALIFY UNDER THIS CATEGORY ONLY IF THE PLAN OR
ITS SPONSORING ORGANIZATION INFORMS THE SHAREHOLDER SERVICING AGENT
PRIOR TO THE PURCHASE THAT THE PLAN HAS A MARKET VALUE OF $500,000 OR
MORE INVESTED IN SHARES OF ANY CLASS OR CLASSES OF THE MFS FUNDS. THE
SHAREHOLDER SERVICING AGENT HAS NO OBLIGATION INDEPENDENTLY TO
DETERMINE WHETHER SUCH A PLAN QUALIFIES UNDER THIS CATEGORY; AND
(v) on investments in Class A shares by certain retirement plans subject
to ERISA if: (a) the plan establishes an account with the Shareholder
Servicing Agent on or after July 1, 1997; (b) such plan's records are
maintained on a pooled basis by the Shareholder Servicing Agent; and
(c) the sponsoring organization demonstrates to the satisfaction of
MFD that, at the time of purchase, the employer has at least 200
eligible employees and the plan has aggregate assets of at least
$2,000,000.
In the case of all such purchases, MFD will pay commissions to dealers on new
investments in Class A shares made through such dealers as follows:
COMMISSION PAID BY MFD TO DEALERS CUMULATIVE PURCHASE AMOUNT
--------------------------------- --------------------------
1.00% On the first $2,000,000, plus
0.80% Over $2,000,000 to $3,000,000, plus
0.50% Over $3,000,000 to $50,000,000, plus
0.25% Over $50,000,000
For purposes of determining the level of commissions to be paid to dealers
with respect to a shareholder's new investment in Class A shares, purchases
for each shareholder account (and certain other accounts for which the
shareholder is a record or beneficial holder) will be aggregated over a 12-
month period (commencing from the date of the first such purchases).
See "Redemptions and Repurchases -- Contingent Deferred Sales Charge" in the
Prospectus for further discussion of the CDSC.
WAIVERS OF INITIAL SALES CHARGE AND CDSC. In certain circumstances, the
initial sales charge imposed upon purchases of Class A shares and the CDSC
imposed upon redemptions of Class A shares is waived. These circumstances are
described in Appendix A to this Prospectus. In addition to these
circumstances, the CDSC imposed upon the redemption of Class A shares is
waived with respect to shares held by certain retirement plans qualified under
Section 401(a) or 403(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
"Code"), and subject to ERISA, where:
(i) the retirement plan and/or sponsoring organization does not subscribe
to the MFS Participant Recordkeeping System; and
(ii) the retirement plan and/or sponsoring organization demonstrates to
the satisfaction of, and certifies to the Shareholder Servicing Agent
that the retirement plan has, at the time of certification or will
have pursuant to a purchase order placed with the certification, a
market value of $500,000 or more invested in shares of any class or
classes of the MFS Funds and aggregate assets of at least $10
million;
provided, however, that the CDSC will not be waived (i.e., it will be imposed)
(a) with respect to plans which establish an account with the Shareholder
Servicing Agent on or after November 1, 1997, in the event that the Plan makes
a complete redemption of all of its shares in the MFS Funds, or (b) with
respect to plans which established an account with the Shareholder Servicing
Agent prior to November 1, 1997, in the event that there is a change in law or
regulations which results in a material adverse change to the tax advantaged
nature of the plan, or in the event that the plan and/or sponsoring
organization: (i) becomes insolvent or bankrupt; (ii) is terminated under
ERISA or is liquidated or dissolved; or (iii) is acquired by, merged into, or
consolidated with, any other entity.
CLASS B SHARES: Class B shares are offered at net asset value without an
initial sales charge but subject to a CDSC upon redemption as follows:
CONTINGENT
YEAR OF REDEMPTION DEFERRED SALES
AFTER PURCHASE CHARGE
First ............................................................ 4%
Second ........................................................... 4%
Third ............................................................ 3%
Fourth ........................................................... 3%
Fifth ............................................................ 2%
Sixth ............................................................ 1%
Seventh and following ............................................ 0%
The CDSC imposed is assessed against the lesser of the value of the shares
redeemed (exclusive of reinvested dividends and capital gain distributions) or
the total cost of such shares. No CDSC is assessed against shares acquired
through the automatic reinvestment of dividends or capital gain distributions.
See "Redemptions and Repurchases -- Contingent Deferred Sales Charge" for
further discussion of the CDSC.
Except as described below, MFD will pay commissions to dealers of 3.75% of the
purchase price of Class B shares purchased through dealers. MFD will also
advance to dealers the first year service fee payable under the Distribution
Plan (see "Distribution Plan" below) at a rate equal to 0.25% of the purchase
price of such shares. Therefore, the total amount paid to a dealer upon the
sale of Class B shares is 4% of the purchase price of the shares (commission
rate of 3.75% plus a service fee equal to 0.25% of the purchase price).
Class B shares purchased by a retirement plan whose sponsoring organization
subscribes to the MFS Participant Recordkeeping System and which has
established its account with the Shareholder Servicing Agent between July 1,
1996 and December 31, 1998, will be subject to the CDSC described above, only
under limited circumstances, as explained below under "Waivers of CDSC." With
respect to such purchases, MFD pays an amount to dealers equal to 3.00% of the
amount purchased through such dealers (rather than the 4.00% payment described
above), which is comprised of a commission of 2.75% plus the advancement of
the first year service fee equal to 0.25% of the purchase price payable under
the Distribution Plan.
For Purchases of Class B shares by a retirement plan whose sponsoring
organization subscribes to the MFS Recordkeeper Plus product and which
establishes its account with MFSC on or after January 1, 1999 (provided that
the plan establishment paperwork is received by MFSC in good order on or after
November 15, 1998), MFD pays no up front commissions to dealers, but instead
pays an amount to dealers equal to 1% per annum of the average daily net
assets of the Fund attributable to plan assets, payable at the rate of 0.25%
at the end of each calendar quarter, in arrears. This commission structure is
not available with respect to a plan with a pre-existing account(s) with any
MFS Fund which seeks to switch to the MFS Recordkeeper Plus product.
Certain such retirement plans are eligible to purchase Class A shares of a
Fund at net asset value without an initial sales charge but subject to a 1%
CDSC if the plan has, at the time of purchase, a market value of $500,000 or
more invested in shares of any class or classes of the MFS Funds. IN THIS
EVENT, THE PLAN OR ITS SPONSORING ORGANIZATION SHOULD INFORM THE SHAREHOLDER
SERVICING AGENT THAT THE PLAN IS ELIGIBLE TO PURCHASE CLASS A SHARES UNDER
THIS CATEGORY; THE SHAREHOLDER SERVICING AGENT HAS NO OBLIGATION INDEPENDENTLY
TO DETERMINE WHETHER SUCH A PLAN QUALIFIES UNDER THIS CATEGORY FOR THE
PURCHASE OF CLASS A SHARES.
WAIVERS OF CDSC. In certain circumstances, the CDSC imposed upon
redemption of Class B shares is waived. These circumstances are described in
Appendix A to this Prospectus. In addition to these circumstances, the CDSC
imposed upon the redemption of Class B shares is waived with respect to shares
held by a retirement plan whose sponsoring organization subscribes to the MFS
Participant Recordkeeping System and which established an account with the
Shareholder Servicing Agent between July 1, 1996 and December 31, 1998;
provided, however, that the CDSC will not be waived (i.e., it will be imposed)
in the event that there is a change in law or regulations which results in a
material adverse change to the tax advantaged nature of the plan, or in the
event that the plan and/or sponsoring organization: (i) becomes insolvent or
bankrupt; (ii) is terminated under ERISA or is liquidated or dissolved; or
(iii) is acquired by, merged into, or consolidated with, any other entity.
In addition to these circumstances, the CDSC imposed upon the redemption of
Class B shares is waived with respect to shares held by a retirement plan
whose sponsoring organization subscribes to the MFS Recordkeeper Plus product
and which establishes its account with MFSC on or after January 1, 1999
(provided that the plan establishment paperwork is received by MFSC in good
order on or after November 15, 1998). A plan with a pre-existing account(s)
with any MFS Fund which switches to the MFS Recordkeeper Plus product will not
become eligible for this waiver category.
CONVERSION OF CLASS B SHARES. Class B shares of each Fund that remain
outstanding for approximately eight years will convert to Class A shares of
the same Fund. Shares purchased through the reinvestment of distributions paid
in respect of Class B shares will be treated as Class B shares for purposes of
the payment of the distribution and service fees under the Distribution Plan.
See "Information Concerning Shares of the Funds -- Distribution Plan" below.
However, for purposes of conversion to Class A shares, all shares in a
shareholder's account that were purchased through the reinvestment of
dividends and distributions paid in respect of Class B shares (and which have
not converted to Class A shares as provided in the following sentence) will be
held in a separate sub-account. Each time any Class B shares in the
shareholder's account (other than those in the sub-account) convert to Class A
shares, a portion of the Class B shares then in the sub-account will also
convert to Class A shares. The portion will be determined by the ratio that
the shareholder's Class B shares not acquired through reinvestment of
dividends and distributions that are converting to Class A shares bear to the
shareholder's total Class B shares not acquired through reinvestment. The
conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares is subject to the continuing
availability of a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service or an opinion of
counsel that such conversion will not constitute a taxable event for federal
tax purposes. There can be no assurance that such ruling or opinion will be
available, and the conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares will not
occur if such ruling or opinion is not available. In such event, Class B
shares would continue to be subject to higher expenses than Class A shares for
an indefinite period.
CLASS C SHARES: Class C shares are offered at net asset value without an
initial sales charge but are subject to a CDSC upon redemption of 1.00% during
the first year. Class C shares do not convert to any other class of shares.
The maximum investment in Class C shares that may be made is up to $1,000,000
per transaction.
The CDSC imposed is assessed against the lesser of the value of the shares
redeemed (exclusive of reinvested dividend and capital gain distributions) or
the total cost of such shares. No CDSC is assessed against shares acquired
through the automatic reinvestment of dividend or capital gain distributions.
See "Redemptions and Repurchases -- Contingent Deferred Sales Charge" below
for further discussion of the CDSC.
MFD will pay dealers 1.00% of the purchase price of Class C shares purchased
through dealers and, as compensation therefor, MFD will retain the 1.00% per
annum distribution and service fee paid under the Distribution Plan to MFD for
the first year after purchase (see "Distribution Plan" below).
Class C shares are not currently available for purchase by any retirement plan
qualified under Sections 401(a) or 403(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended (the "Code") if the retirement plan and/or the sponsoring
organization subscribe to the MFS FUNDamental 401(k) Plan or another similar
recordkeeping program made available by the Shareholder Servicing Agent.
WAIVER OF CDSC. In certain circumstances, the CDSC imposed upon redemption
of Class C shares is waived. These circumstances are described in Appendix A
to this Prospectus.
GENERAL: The following information applies to purchases of all classes of
each Fund's shares.
MINIMUM INVESTMENT. Except as described below, the minimum initial
investment is $1,000 per account and the minimum additional investment is $50
per account. Accounts being established for monthly automatic investments and
under payroll savings programs and tax-deferred retirement programs (other
than IRAs) involving the submission of investments by means of group remittal
statements are subject to a $50 minimum on initial and additional investments
per account. The minimum initial investment for IRAs is $250 per account and
the minimum additional investment is $50 per account. Accounts being
established for participation in the Automatic Exchange Plan are subject to a
$50 minimum on initial and additional investments per account. There are also
other limited exceptions to these minimums for certain tax-deferred retirement
programs. Any minimums may be changed at any time at the discretion of MFD.
Each Fund reserves the right to cease offering its shares at any time.
SUBSEQUENT INVESTMENT BY TELEPHONE. Each shareholder may purchase
additional shares of any MFS Fund by telephoning the Shareholder Servicing
Agent toll-free at (800) 225-2606. The minimum purchase amount is $50 and the
maximum purchase amount is $100,000. Shareholders wishing to avail themselves
of this telephone purchase privilege must so elect on their Account
Application and designate thereon a bank and account number from which
purchases will be made. If a telephone purchase request is received by the
Shareholder Servicing Agent on any business day prior to the close of regular
trading on the Exchange (generally, 4:00 p.m., Eastern time), the purchase
will occur at the closing net asset value of the shares purchased on that day.
The Shareholder Servicing Agent may be liable for any losses resulting from
unauthorized telephone transactions if it does not follow reasonable
procedures designed to verify the identity of the caller. The Shareholder
Servicing Agent will request personal or other information from the caller,
and will normally also record calls. Shareholders should verify the accuracy
of confirmation statements immediately after their receipt.
RIGHT TO REJECT PURCHASE AND EXCHANGE ORDERS/MARKET TIMING. Purchases and
exchanges should be made for investment purposes only. Each of the Funds and
MFD reserve the right to reject or restrict any specific purchase or exchange
request. Because an exchange request involves both a request to redeem shares
of one fund and to purchase shares of another fund, each Fund considers the
underlying redemption request conditioned upon the acceptance of the
underlying purchase request. Therefore, in the event that a Fund or MFD
rejects an exchange request, neither the redemption nor the purchase side of
the exchange will be processed.
The MFS Family of Funds is not designed for professional market timing
organizations or other entities using programmed or frequent exchanges. The
MFS Family of Funds defines a "market timer" as an individual or organization
acting on behalf of one or more individuals, if (i) the individual or
organization makes six or more exchange requests among the MFS Family of Funds
or three or more exchange requests out of any of the MFS high yield bond funds
or MFS municipal bond funds per calendar year and (ii) any one of such
exchange requests represents shares equal in value to $1 million or more.
Accounts under common ownership or control, including accounts administered by
market timers, will be aggregated for purposes of this definition.
As noted above, each of the Funds and MFD reserve the right to reject or
restrict any specific purchase and exchange request and, in addition, may
impose specific limitations with respect to market timers, including (i)
delaying for up to seven days the purchase side of an exchange request by
market timers, (ii) rejecting or otherwise restricting purchase or exchange
requests by market timers; and (iii) permitting exchanges by market timers
only into certain MFS Funds.
DEALER CONCESSIONS. Dealers may receive different compensation with
respect to sales of Class A, Class B and Class C shares. In addition, from
time to time, MFD may pay dealers 100% of the applicable sales charge on sales
of Class A shares of certain specified MFS Funds sold by such dealer during a
specified sales period. In addition, MFD or its affiliates may, from time to
time, pay dealers an additional commission equal to 0.50% of the net asset
value of all of the Class B and/or Class C shares of certain specified MFS
Funds sold by such dealer during a specified sales period. In addition, from
time to time, MFD, at its expense, may provide additional commissions,
compensation or promotional incentives ("concessions") to dealers which sell
or arrange for the sale of shares of the Funds. Such concessions provided by
MFD may include financial assistance to dealers in connection with preapproved
conferences or seminars, sales or training programs for invited registered
representatives and other employees, payment for travel expenses, including
lodging, incurred by registered representatives and other employees for such
seminars or training programs, seminars for the public, advertising and sales
campaigns regarding one or more MFS Funds, and/or other dealer-sponsored
events. From time to time, MFD may make expense reimbursements for special
training of a dealer's registered representatives and other employees in group
meetings or to help pay the expenses of sales contests. Other concessions may
be offered to the extent not prohibited by state laws or any self-regulatory
agency, such as the NASD.
SPECIAL INVESTMENT PROGRAMS. For shareholders who elect to participate in
certain investment programs (e.g., the Automatic Investment Plan) or other
shareholder services, MFD or its affiliates may either (i) give a gift of
nominal value, such as a hand-held calculator, or (ii) make a nominal
charitable contribution on their behalf.
RESTRICTIONS ON ACTIVITIES OF NATIONAL BANKS. The Glass-Steagall Act
prohibits national banks from engaging in the business of underwriting,
selling or distributing securities. Although the scope of the prohibition has
not been clearly defined, MFD believes that such Act should not preclude banks
from entering into agency agreements with MFD. If, however, a bank were
prohibited from so acting, the Trustees would consider what actions, if any,
would be necessary to continue to provide efficient and effective shareholder
services in respect of shareholders who invested in a Fund through a national
bank. It is not expected that shareholders would suffer any adverse financial
consequence as a result of these occurrences. In addition, state securities
laws on this issue may differ from the interpretation of federal law expressed
herein and banks and financial institutions may be required to register as
broker-dealers pursuant to state law.
--------------------
EXCHANGES
Subject to the requirements set forth below, some or all of the shares in an
account with a Fund for which payment has been received by the Fund (i.e., an
established account) may be exchanged for shares of the same class of any of
the other MFS Funds in the MFS Family of Funds (the "MFS Funds") at net asset
value (if available for sale). Shares of one class may not be exchanged for
shares of any other class. Shares may be exchanged through a dealer or by
contacting the Shareholder Servicing Agent directly.
EXCHANGES AMONG MFS FUNDS (EXCLUDING MFS MONEY MARKET FUNDS): No initial
sales charges or CDSC will be imposed in connection with an exchange from
shares of an MFS Fund to shares of any other MFS Fund, except with respect to
exchanges from an MFS money market fund to another MFS Fund which is not an
MFS money market fund (discussed below). With respect to an exchange involving
shares subject to a CDSC, the CDSC will be unaffected by the exchange and the
holding period for purposes of calculating the CDSC will carry over to the
acquired shares.
EXCHANGES FROM AN MFS MONEY MARKET FUND: Special rules apply with respect
to the imposition of an initial sales charge or a CDSC for exchanges from an
MFS money market fund to another MFS Fund which is not an MFS money market
fund. These rules are described under the caption "Exchanges" in the
Prospectuses of those MFS money market funds.
EXCHANGES INVOLVING THE MFS FIXED FUND: Class A shares of any MFS Fund
held by certain qualified retirement plans may be exchanged for units of
participation of the MFS Fixed Fund (a bank collective investment fund) (the
"Units"), and Units may be exchanged for Class A shares of any MFS Fund. With
respect to exchanges between Class A shares subject to a CDSC and Units, the
CDSC will carry over to the acquired shares or Units and will be deducted from
the redemption proceeds when such shares or Units are subsequently redeemed,
assuming the CDSC is then payable (the period during which the Class A shares
and the Units were held will be aggregated for purposes of calculating the
applicable CDSC). In the event that a shareholder initially purchases Units
and then exchanges into Class A shares subject to an initial sales charge of
an MFS Fund, the initial sales charge shall be due upon such exchange, but
will not be imposed with respect to any subsequent exchanges between such
Class A shares and Units with respect to shares on which the initial sales
charge has already been paid. In the event that a shareholder initially
purchases Units and then exchanges into Class A shares subject to a CDSC of an
MFS Fund, the CDSC period will commence upon such exchange, and the
applicability of the CDSC with respect to subsequent exchanges shall be
governed by the rules set forth in this paragraph above.
GENERAL: A shareholder should read the prospectus of the other MFS Fund
into which an exchange is made and consider the differences in objectives,
policies and restrictions before making any exchange. Exchanges will be made
only after instructions in writing or by telephone (an "Exchange Request") are
received for an established account by the Shareholder Servicing Agent in
proper form (i.e., if in writing -- signed by the record owner(s) exactly as
the shares are registered; if by telephone -- proper account identification is
given by the dealer or shareholder of record) and each exchange must involve
either shares having an aggregate value of at least $1,000 ($50 in the case of
retirement plan participants whose sponsoring organizations subscribe to the
MFS FUNDamental 401(k) Plan or another similar 401(k) recordkeeping system
made available by the Shareholder Servicing Agent) or all the shares in the
account. If an Exchange Request is received by the Shareholder Servicing Agent
on any business day prior to the close of regular trading on the New York
Stock Exchange (generally, 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) (the "Exchange"), the
exchange will occur on that day if all the requirements set forth above have
been complied with at that time and subject to a Fund's right to reject
purchase orders. No more than five exchanges may be made in any one Exchange
Request by telephone. Additional information concerning this exchange
privilege and prospectuses for any of the other MFS Funds may be obtained from
dealers or the Shareholder Servicing Agent. For federal and (generally) state
income tax purposes, an exchange is treated as a sale of the shares exchanged
and, therefore, an exchange could result in a gain or loss to the shareholder
making the exchange. Exchanges by telephone are automatically available to
most non-retirement plan accounts and certain retirement plan accounts. For
further information regarding exchanges by telephone, see "Redemptions by
Telephone." The exchange privilege (or any aspect of it) may be changed or
discontinued and is subject to certain limitations, including certain
restrictions on purchases by market timers.
REDEMPTIONS AND REPURCHASES
A shareholder may withdraw all or any portion of the value of his account on
any date on which a Fund is open for business by redeeming shares at their net
asset value (a redemption) or by selling such shares to a Fund through a
dealer (a repurchase). Certain redemptions and repurchases are, however,
subject to a CDSC. See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charge" below. Because the
net asset value of shares of the account fluctuates, redemptions or
repurchases, which are taxable transactions, are likely to result in gains or
losses to the shareholder. When a shareholder withdraws an amount from his
account, the shareholder is deemed to have tendered for redemption a
sufficient number of full and fractional shares in his account to cover the
amount withdrawn. The proceeds of a redemption or repurchase will normally be
available within seven days, except for shares purchased or received in
exchange for shares purchased by check (including certified checks or
cashier's checks). Payment of redemption proceeds may be delayed for up to 15
days from the purchase date in an effort to assure that such check has
cleared. See "Tax Status" below.
REDEMPTION BY MAIL: Each shareholder may redeem all or any portion of the
shares in his account by mailing or delivering to the Shareholder Servicing
Agent (see back cover for address) a stock power with a written request for
redemption or letter of instruction, together with his share certificates (if
any were issued), all in "good order" for transfer. "Good order" generally
means that the stock power, written request for redemption, letter of
instruction or certificate must be endorsed by the record owner(s) exactly as
the shares are registered and the signature(s) must be guaranteed in the
manner set forth below under the caption "Signature Guarantee." In addition,
in some cases "good order" will require the furnishing of additional
documents. The Shareholder Servicing Agent may make certain de minimis
exceptions to the above requirements for redemption. Within seven days after
receipt of a redemption request in "good order" by the Shareholder Servicing
Agent, each Fund will make payment in cash of the net asset value of the
shares next determined after such redemption request was received, reduced by
the amount of any applicable CDSC described above and the amount of any income
tax required to be withheld, except during any period in which the right of
redemption is suspended or date of payment is postponed because the Exchange
is closed or trading on such Exchange is restricted or to the extent otherwise
permitted by the 1940 Act if an emergency exists.
REDEMPTION BY TELEPHONE: Each shareholder may redeem an amount from his
account by telephoning the Shareholder Servicing Agent toll-free at (800)
225-2606. Shareholders wishing to avail themselves of this telephone
redemption privilege must so elect on their Account Application, designate
thereon a bank and account number to receive the proceeds of such redemption,
and sign the Account Application Form with the signature(s) guaranteed in the
manner set forth below under the caption "Signature Guarantee." The proceeds
of such a redemption, reduced by the amount of any applicable CDSC and the
amount of any income tax required to be withheld, are mailed by check to the
designated account, without charge if the redemption proceeds do not exceed
$1,000 and are wired in federal funds to the designated account if the
redemption proceeds exceed $1,000. If a telephone redemption request is
received by the Shareholder Servicing Agent by the close of regular trading on
the Exchange on any business day, shares will be redeemed at the closing net
asset value of the relevant Fund on that day. Subject to the conditions
described in this section, proceeds of a redemption are normally mailed or
wired on the next business day following the date of receipt of the order for
redemption. The Shareholder Servicing Agent will not be responsible for any
losses resulting from unauthorized telephone transactions if it follows
reasonable procedures designed to verify the identity of the caller. The
Shareholder Servicing Agent will request personal or other information from
the caller, and will normally also record calls. Shareholders should verify
the accuracy of confirmation statements immediately after their receipt.
REPURCHASE THROUGH A DEALER: If a shareholder desires to sell his shares
through his dealer (a repurchase), the shareholder can place a repurchase
order with his dealer, who may charge the shareholder a fee. IF THE DEALER
RECEIVES THE SHAREHOLDER'S ORDER PRIOR TO THE CLOSE OF REGULAR TRADING ON THE
EXCHANGE AND COMMUNICATES IT TO MFD BEFORE THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS ON THE SAME
DAY, THE SHAREHOLDER WILL RECEIVE THE NET ASSET VALUE CALCULATED ON THAT DAY,
REDUCED BY THE AMOUNT OF ANY APPLICABLE CDSC AND THE AMOUNT OF ANY INCOME TAX
REQUIRED TO BE WITHHELD.
REDEMPTION BY CHECK: Only Class A and Class C shares may be redeemed by
check. A shareholder owning Class A or Class C shares of a Fund may elect to
have a special account with State Street Bank and Trust Company (the "Bank")
for the purpose of redeeming Class A or Class C shares from his or her account
by check. The Bank will provide each Class A or Class C shareholder, upon
request, with forms of checks drawn on the Bank. Only shareholders having
accounts in which no share certificates have been issued will be permitted to
redeem shares by check. Checks may be made payable in any amount not less than
$500. Shareholders wishing to avail themselves of this redemption by check
privilege should so request on their Account Application, must execute
signature cards (for additional information, see the Account Application) with
signature guaranteed in the manner set forth under the caption "Signature
Guarantee" below, and must return any Class A or Class C share certificates
issued to them. Additional documentation will be required from corporations,
partnerships, fiduciaries or other such institutional investors. All checks
must be signed by the shareholder(s) of record exactly as the account is
registered before the Bank will honor them. The shareholders of joint accounts
may authorize each shareholder to redeem by check. The check may not draw on
monthly dividends which have been declared but not distributed. SHAREHOLDERS
WHO PURCHASE CLASS A AND CLASS C SHARES BY CHECK (INCLUDING CERTIFIED CHECKS
OR CASHIER'S CHECKS) MAY WRITE CHECKS AGAINST THOSE SHARES ONLY AFTER THEY
HAVE BEEN ON THE FUND'S BOOKS FOR 15 DAYS. WHEN SUCH A CHECK IS PRESENTED TO
THE BANK FOR PAYMENT, A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF FULL AND FRACTIONAL SHARES WILL
BE REDEEMED TO COVER THE AMOUNT OF THE CHECK, ANY APPLICABLE CDSC AND THE
AMOUNT OF ANY INCOME TAX REQUIRED TO BE WITHHELD. IF THE AMOUNT OF THE CHECK,
PLUS ANY APPLICABLE CDSC AND THE AMOUNT OF ANY INCOME TAX REQUIRED TO BE
WITHHELD IS GREATER THAN THE VALUE OF CLASS A OR CLASS C SHARES HELD IN THE
SHAREHOLDER'S ACCOUNT, THE CHECK WILL BE RETURNED UNPAID, AND THE SHAREHOLDER
MAY BE SUBJECT TO EXTRA CHARGES. TO AVOID DISHONOR OF CHECKS DUE TO
FLUCTUATIONS IN ACCOUNT VALUE, SHAREHOLDERS ARE ADVISED AGAINST REDEEMING ALL
OR MOST OF THEIR ACCOUNT BY CHECK. CHECKS SHOULD NOT BE USED TO CLOSE A FUND
ACCOUNT BECAUSE WHEN THE CHECK IS WRITTEN, THE SHAREHOLDER WILL NOT KNOW THE
EXACT TOTAL VALUE OF THE ACCOUNT ON THE DAY THE CHECK CLEARS. There is
presently no charge to the shareholder for the maintenance of this special
account or for the clearance of any checks, but each of the Funds and the Bank
reserve the right to impose such charges or to modify or terminate the
redemption by check privilege at any time.
CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGE: Investments in Class A, Class B or
Class C shares ("Direct Purchases") will be subject to a CDSC for a period of
(i) with respect to Class A and Class C shares, 12 months (however, the CDSC
on Class A shares is only imposed with respect to purchases of $1 million or
more of Class A shares or purchases by certain retirement plans of Class A
shares) or (ii) with respect to Class B shares, six years. Purchases of Class
A shares made during a calendar month, regardless of when during the month the
investment occurred, will age one month on the last day of the month and each
subsequent month. Class C shares and Class B shares purchased on or after
January 1, 1993 will be aggregated on a calendar month basis -- all
transactions made during a calendar month, regardless of when during the month
they have occurred, will age one year at the close of business on the last day
of such month in the following calendar year and each subsequent year. For
Class B shares of the Fund purchased prior to January 1, 1993, transactions
will be aggregated on a calendar year basis -- all transactions made during a
calendar year, regardless of when during the year they have occurred, will age
one year at the close of business on December 31 of that year and each
subsequent year.
At the time of a redemption, the amount by which the value of a shareholder's
account for a particular class of shares represented by Direct Purchases
exceeds the sum of the six calendar year aggregations (12 months in the case
of purchases of Class C shares and of purchases of $1 million or more of Class
A shares or purchases by certain retirement plans of Class A shares) of Direct
Purchases may be redeemed without charge ("Free Amount"). Moreover, no CDSC is
ever assessed on additional shares acquired through the automatic reinvestment
of dividends or capital gain distributions ("Reinvested Shares"). Therefore,
at the time of redemption of a particular class, (i) any Free Amount is not
subject to the CDSC and (ii) the amount of the redemption equal to the then-
current value of Reinvested Shares is not subject to the CDSC, but (iii) any
amount of the redemption in excess of the aggregate of the then-current value
of Reinvested Shares and the Free Amount is subject to a CDSC. The CDSC will
first be applied against the amount of Direct Purchases which will result in
any such charge being imposed at the lowest possible rate. The CDSC to be
imposed upon redemptions of shares will be calculated as set forth in
"Purchases" above.
The applicability of a CDSC will be unaffected by exchanges or transfers of
registration, except as described in Appendix A hereto.
GENERAL: The following information applies to redemptions and repurchases
of all classes of each Fund's shares.
SIGNATURE GUARANTEE. In order to protect shareholders against fraud, each
Fund requires, in certain instances as indicated above, that the shareholder's
signature be guaranteed. In these cases the shareholder's signature must be
guaranteed by an eligible bank, broker, dealer, credit union, national
securities exchange, registered securities association, clearing agency or
savings association. Signature guarantees shall be accepted in accordance with
policies established by the Shareholder Servicing Agent.
REINSTATEMENT PRIVILEGE. Shareholders of each Fund who have redeemed
their shares have a one-time right to reinvest the redemption proceeds in the
same class of shares of any of the MFS Funds (if shares of such Fund are
available for sale) at net asset value (with a credit for any CDSC paid)
within 90 days of the redemption pursuant to the Reinstatement Privilege. If
the shares credited for any CDSC paid are then redeemed within six years of
the initial purchase in the case of Class B shares or within 12 months of the
initial purchase for Class C shares and certain Class A share purchases, a
CDSC will be imposed upon redemption. Such purchases under the Reinstatement
Privilege are subject to all limitations in the SAI regarding this privilege.
IN-KIND DISTRIBUTIONS. The Trust agrees to redeem shares of each Fund
solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the net asset value of
the Fund during any 90-day period for any one shareholder. Each Fund has
reserved the right to pay other redemptions, either totally or partially, by a
distribution in-kind of securities (instead of cash) from that Fund's
portfolio. The securities distributed in such a distribution would be valued
at the same amount as that assigned to them in calculating the net asset value
for the shares being sold. If a shareholder received a distribution in-kind,
the shareholder could incur brokerage or transaction charges when converting
the securities to cash.
INVOLUNTARY REDEMPTIONS/SMALL ACCOUNTS. Due to the relatively high cost of
maintaining small accounts, each Fund reserves the right to redeem shares in
any account for their then-current value if at any time the total investment
in such account drops below $500 because of redemptions or exchanges, except
in the case of accounts being established for monthly automatic investments
and certain payroll savings programs, Automatic Exchange Plan accounts and
tax-deferred retirement plans, for which there is a lower minimum investment
requirement. See "Purchases -- General -- Minimum Investment." Shareholders
will be notified that the value of their account is less than the minimum
investment requirement and allowed 60 days to make an additional investment
before the redemption is processed.
DISTRIBUTION PLAN
The Trustees have adopted a Distribution Plan for Class A, Class B and Class C
shares pursuant to Section 12(b) of the 1940 Act and Rule 12b-1 thereunder
(the "Distribution Plan"), after having concluded that there is a reasonable
likelihood that the Distribution Plan would benefit each Fund and its
shareholders.
In certain circumstances, the fees described below may not be imposed or are
being waived. These circumstances, if any, are described below under the
heading "Current Level of Distribution and Service Fees."
FEATURES COMMON TO EACH CLASS OF SHARES: There are certain features of the
Distribution Plan that are common to each class of shares as described below.
SERVICE FEES. The Distribution Plan provides that a Fund may pay MFD a
service fee of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets attributable to the
class of shares to which the Distribution Plan relates (i.e., Class A, Class B
or Class C shares, as appropriate) (the "Designated Class") annually in order
that MFD may pay expenses on behalf of the Fund relating to the servicing of
shares of the Designated Class. The service fee is used by MFD to compensate
dealers which enter into a sales agreement with MFD in consideration for all
personal services and/or account maintenance services rendered by the dealer
with respect to shares of the Designated Class owned by investors for whom
such dealer is the dealer or holder of record. MFD may from time to time
reduce the amount of the service fees paid for shares sold prior to a certain
date. Service fees may be reduced for a dealer that is the holder or dealer of
record for an investor who owns shares of a Fund having an aggregate net asset
value at or above a certain dollar level. Dealers may from time to time be
required to meet certain criteria in order to receive service fees. MFD or its
affiliates are entitled to retain all service fees payable under the
Distribution Plan for which there is no dealer of record or for which
qualification standards have not been met as partial consideration for
personal services and/or account maintenance services performed by MFD or its
affiliates to shareholder accounts.
DISTRIBUTION FEES. The Distribution Plan provides that a Fund may pay MFD
a distribution fee based on the average daily net assets attributable to the
Designated Class as partial consideration for distribution services performed
and expenses incurred in the performance of MFD's obligations under its
distribution agreement with the Fund. See "Management of the Funds --
Distributor" in the SAI. The amount of the distribution fee paid by each Fund
with respect to each class differs under the Distribution Plan, as does the
use by MFD of such distribution fees. Such amounts and uses are described
below in the discussion of the provisions of the Distribution Plan relating
to each class of shares.
OTHER COMMON FEATURES. Fees payable under the Distribution Plan are
charged to, and therefore reduce, income allocated to shares of the Designated
Class. The provisions of the Distribution Plan relating to operating policies
as well as initial approval, renewal, amendment and termination are
substantially identical as they relate to each class of shares covered by the
Distribution Plan.
FEATURES UNIQUE TO EACH CLASS OF SHARES: There are certain features of the
Distribution Plan that are unique to each class of shares, as described below.
CLASS A SHARES. Class A shares are generally offered pursuant to an
initial sales charge, a substantial portion of which is paid to or retained by
the dealer making the sale (the remainder of which is paid to MFD). See
"Purchases -- Class A Shares" above. In addition to the initial sales charge,
the dealer also generally receives the ongoing 0.25% per annum service fee, as
discussed above.
The distribution fee paid to MFD under the Distribution Plan is equal, on an
annual basis, to 0.10% of a Fund's average daily net assets attributable to
Class A shares. As noted above, MFD may use the distribution fee to cover
distribution-related expenses incurred by it under its distribution agreement
with a Fund, including commissions to dealers and payments to wholesalers
employed by MFD (e.g., MFD pays commissions to dealers with respect to
purchases of $1 million or more and purchases by certain retirement plans of
Class A shares which are sold at net asset value but which are subject to a 1%
CDSC for one year after purchase). See "Purchases -- Class A Shares" above. In
addition, to the extent that the aggregate service and distribution fees paid
under the Distribution Plan do not exceed 0.35% per annum of the average daily
net assets of a Fund attributable to Class A shares, a Fund is permitted to
pay such distribution-related expenses or other distribution-related expenses.
CLASS B SHARES. Class B shares are offered at net asset value without an
initial sales charge but subject to a CDSC. See "Purchases -- Class B Shares"
above. MFD will advance to dealers the first year service fee described above
at a rate equal to 0.25% of the purchase price of such shares and, as
compensation therefore, MFD may retain the service fee paid by a Fund with
respect to such shares for the first year after purchase. Dealers will become
eligible to receive the ongoing 0.25% per annum service fee with respect to
such shares commencing in the thirteenth month following purchase.
Under the Distribution Plan, a Fund pays MFD a distribution fee equal, on an
annual basis, to 0.75% of the Fund's average daily net assets attributable to
Class B shares. As noted above, this distribution fee may be used by MFD to
cover its distribution-related expenses under its distribution agreement with
the Fund (including the 3.75% commission it pays to dealers upon purchase of
Class B shares, as described under "Purchases -- Class B Shares" above).
CLASS C SHARES. Class C shares are offered at net asset value without an
initial sales charge but subject to a CDSC. See "Purchases -- Class C Shares"
above. MFD will pay a commission to dealers of 1.00% of the purchase price of
Class C shares purchased through dealers at the time of purchase. In
compensation for this 1.00% commission paid by MFD to dealers, MFD will retain
the 1.00% per annum Class C distribution and service fees paid by a Fund with
respect to such shares for the first year after purchase, and dealers will
become eligible to receive from MFD the ongoing 1.00% per annum distribution
and service fees paid by the Fund to MFD with respect to such shares
commencing in the thirteenth month following purchase.
This ongoing 1.00% fee is comprised of the 0.25% per annum service fee paid to
MFD under the Distribution Plan (which MFD in turn pays to dealers), as
discussed above, and a distribution fee paid to MFD (which MFD also in turn
pays to dealers) under the Distribution Plan equal, on an annual basis, to
0.75% of the Fund's average daily net assets attributable to Class C shares.
CURRENT LEVEL OF DISTRIBUTION AND SERVICE FEES: Each Fund's Class A, Class
B and Class C distribution and service fees for its current fiscal year are
0.00%, 1.00% and 1.00% per annum, respectively. Distribution and service fees
for Class A shares under the Distribution Plan are currently being waived on a
voluntary basis and may be imposed at the discretion of MFD.
DISTRIBUTIONS
Each Fund intends to declare dividends daily and pay to its shareholders
substantially all of its net investment income as dividends on a monthly
basis. Each Fund may make one or more distributions during the calendar year
to its shareholders from any long-term capital gains and also may make one or
more distributions during the calendar year to its shareholders from short-
term capital gains. Shareholders may elect to receive dividends and capital
gain distributions in either cash or additional shares of the same class with
respect to which the distribution is made. See "Tax Status" and "Shareholder
Services -- Distribution Options" below. Distributions paid by a Fund with
respect to Class A shares will generally be greater than those paid with
respect to Class B and Class C shares because expenses attributable to Class B
and Class C shares will generally be higher.
TAX STATUS
Each Fund is treated as an entity separate from the other series of the Trust
for federal income tax purposes. In order to minimize the taxes each Fund
would otherwise be required to pay, each Fund intends to qualify each year as
a "regulated investment company" under Subchapter M of the Code. Because each
Fund intends to distribute all of its net investment income and net realized
capital gains to its shareholders in accordance with the timing requirements
imposed by the Code, it is not expected that the Funds will be required to pay
entity level federal income or excise taxes, although a Fund's foreign-source
income may be subject to foreign withholding taxes.
Shareholders of a Fund normally will have to pay federal income taxes, and any
state or local taxes, on the dividends and capital gain distributions they
receive from the Fund, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional
shares. Each Fund expects that none of its distributions will be eligible for
the dividends-received deduction for corporations. Shareholders may not have
to pay state or local taxes on dividends derived from interest on U.S.
Government obligations. Investors should consult with their tax advisers in
this regard.
Shortly after the end of each calendar year, each shareholder will be sent a
statement setting forth the federal income tax status of all dividends and
distributions for that year, including the portion taxable as ordinary income,
the portion, taxable as long-term capital gain (as well as the rate category
or categories under which such gain is taxable), the portion, if any,
representing a return of capital (which is generally free of current taxes but
which results in a basis reduction), the portion representing interest on U.S.
Government obligations, and the amount, if any, of federal income tax
withheld.
Fund distributions of net capital gains or net short-term capital gains will
reduce a Fund's net asset value per share. Shareholders who buy shares shortly
before a Fund makes such a distribution may thus pay the full price for the
shares and then effectively receive a portion of the purchase price back as a
taxable distribution.
Each Fund intends to withhold U.S. federal income tax at the rate of 30% (or
any lower rate permitted under an applicable treaty) on taxable dividends and
other payments that are subject to such withholding and that are made to
persons who are neither citizens nor residents of the U.S. Each Fund is also
required in certain circumstances to apply backup withholding at the rate of
31% on taxable dividends and redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder
(including a shareholder who is neither a citizen nor a resident of the U.S.)
who does not furnish to the Fund certain information and certifications or who
is otherwise subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding will not,
however, be applied to payments that have been subject to 30% withholding.
Prospective investors should read the Funds" Account Application for
additional information regarding backup withholding of federal income tax and
should consult their own tax advisers as to the tax consequences to them of an
investment in a Fund.
NET ASSET VALUE
The net asset value per share of each class of each Fund is determined each
day during which the Exchange is open for trading. This determination is made
once during each such day as of the close of regular trading on the Exchange
by deducting the amount of the liabilities attributable to the class from the
value of each Fund's assets attributable to the class and dividing the
difference by the number of shares of the class outstanding. Assets in a
Fund's portfolio are valued on the basis of their market or other fair value,
as described in the SAI. The net asset value per share of each class of shares
is effective for orders received in "good order" by the dealer prior to its
calculation and received by MFD prior to the close of that business day. The
Fund has authorized one or more dealers to receive purchase and redemption
orders on behalf of the Fund. Such dealers are authorized to designate other
intermediaries to receive purchase and redemption orders on behalf of the
Fund. The Fund will be deemed to have received a purchase or redemption order
when an authorized dealer or, if applicable, a dealer's authorized designee,
receives the order. Customer orders will be priced at the net asset value of
the Fund next computed after such orders are received by an authorized dealer
or the dealer's authorized designee.
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES, VOTING RIGHTS AND LIABILITIES
Each Fund has three classes of shares which it offers to the general public,
entitled Class A, Class B and Class C Shares of Beneficial Interest (without
par value). Each Fund also has a class of shares which it offers exclusively
to certain institutional investors, entitled Class I shares. As of the date of
this Prospectus, the Trust has five series of shares. The Trust has reserved
the right to create and issue additional classes and series of shares, in
which case each class of shares of a series would participate equally in the
earnings, dividends and assets attributable to that class of shares of that
particular series. Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each share held
and shares of each series would be entitled to vote separately to approve
investment advisory agreements or changes in investment restrictions, but
shares of all series vote together in the election of Trustees and selection
of accountants. Additionally, each class of shares of a series will vote
separately on any material increases in the fees under the Distribution Plan
or on any other matter that affects solely that class of shares, but will
otherwise vote together with all other classes of shares of the series on all
other matters. The Trust does not intend to hold annual shareholder meetings.
The Declaration of Trust provides that a Trustee may be removed from office in
certain instances (see "Description of Shares, Voting Rights and Liabilities"
in the SAI).
Each share of a class of each Fund represents an equal proportionate interest
in that Fund with each other class share, subject to the liabilities of the
particular class. Shares have no pre-emptive or conversion rights (except as
set forth above in "Purchases -- Conversion of Class B Shares"). Shares are
fully paid and non-assessable. Should a Fund be liquidated, shareholders of
each class are entitled to share pro rata in the net assets attributable to
that class available for distribution to shareholders. Shares will remain on
deposit with the Shareholder Servicing Agent and certificates will not be
issued except in connection with pledges and assignments and in certain other
limited circumstances.
The Trust is an entity of the type commonly known as a "Massachusetts business
trust." Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of such a trust may, under
certain circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for its
obligations. However, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on
account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which both
inadequate insurance (e.g., fidelity bonding and errors and omissions
insurance) existed and the Trust itself was unable to meet its obligations.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
From time to time, each Fund will provide yield, current distribution rate and
total rate of return quotations for each class of shares and may also quote
fund rankings in the relevant fund category from various sources, such as the
Lipper Analytical Securities Corporation and Wiesenberger Investment Companies
Service. Yield quotations are based on the annualized net investment income
per share allocated to each class of a Fund over a 30-day period stated as a
percent of the maximum public offering price on the last day of that period.
Yield calculations for Class B and Class C shares assume no CDSC is paid. The
current distribution rate for each class is generally based upon the total
amount of dividends per share paid by a Fund to shareholders of that class
during the past 12 months and is computed by dividing the amount of such
dividends by the maximum public offering price of that class at the end of
such period. Current distribution rate calculations for Class B and Class C
shares assume no CDSC is paid. The current distribution rate differs from the
yield calculation because it may include distributions to shareholders from
sources other than dividends and interest, such as premium income from option
writing, short-term capital gains, and return of invested capital, and is
calculated over a different period of time. Total rate of return quotations
will reflect the average annual percentage change over stated periods in the
value of an investment in each class of shares of a Fund made at the maximum
public offering price of shares of that class with all distributions
reinvested and which will give effect to the imposition of any applicable CDSC
assessed upon redemptions of a Fund's Class B and Class C shares. Such total
rate of return quotations may be accompanied by quotations which do not
reflect the reduction in value of the initial investment due to the sales
charge or the deduction of a CDSC, and which will thus be higher.
All performance quotations are based on historical performance and are not
intended to indicate future performance. Yield reflects only net portfolio
income as of a stated period of time and current distribution rate reflects
only the rate of distributions paid by a Fund over a stated period of time,
while total rate of return reflects all components of investment return over a
stated period of time. A Fund's quotations may from time to time be used in
advertisements, shareholder reports or other communications to shareholders.
For a discussion of the manner in which a Fund will calculate its yield,
current distribution rate and total rate of return, see the SAI. In addition
to information provided in shareholder reports, each Fund may, in its
discretion from time to time, make a list of all or a portion of its holdings
available to investors upon request.
EXPENSES
Subject to termination or revision at the sole discretion of MFS, MFS has
agreed to bear the expenses of the Investment Grade Bond Fund and the Research
Bond Fund such that each Fund's "Other Expenses" which are defined to include
all Fund expenses (after taking into effect any compensating balance and
offset arrangements) except for management fees, Rule 12b-1 fees, taxes,
extraordinary expenses, brokerage and transaction costs and class specific
expenses, do not exceed 1.00% and 1.10% per annum respectively, of its average
daily net assets (the "Maximum Percentage"). The payments made by MFS on
behalf of each Fund under this arrangement are subject to reimbursement by the
Fund to MFS, which will be accomplished by the payment of an expense
reimbursement fee by the Fund to MFS computed and paid monthly at a percentage
of its average daily net assets for its then current fiscal year, with a
limitation that immediately after such payment, the Fund's "Other Expenses"
will not exceed the Maximum Percentage. The obligation of MFS to bear each
Fund's other expenses pursuant to this arrangement and each Fund's obligation
to pay the reimbursement fees to MFS terminates on the earlier of the date on
which the amount of such reimbursement payments by a Fund equal the prior
payment of such reimbursable arrangements or April 30, 2001.
PROVISION OF ANNUAL AND SEMIANNUAL REPORTS
To avoid sending duplicate copies of materials to households, only one copy of
each Fund annual and semiannual report may be mailed to shareholders having
the same residential address on the Fund's records. However, any shareholder
may call the Shareholder Servicing Agent at 1-800-225-2606 to request that
copies of such reports be sent personally to that shareholder.
9. SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
Shareholders with questions concerning the shareholder services described
below or concerning other aspects of each Fund, should contact the Shareholder
Servicing Agent (see back cover for address and phone number).
ACCOUNT AND CONFIRMATION STATEMENTS: Each shareholder will receive
confirmation statements showing the transaction activity in his account.
Cancelled checks, if any, will be sent to shareholders monthly. At the end of
each calendar year, each shareholder will receive income tax information
regarding reportable dividends and capital gain distributions for that year
(see "Tax Status").
DISTRIBUTION OPTIONS: The following options are available to all accounts
(except Systematic Withdrawal Plan accounts), and may be changed as often as
desired by notifying the Shareholder Servicing Agent:
o Dividends and capital gain distributions reinvested in additional shares.
This option will be assigned if no other option is specified.
o Dividends in cash; capital gain distributions reinvested in additional
shares.
o Dividends and capital gain distributions in cash.
Reinvestments (net of any tax withholding) will be made in additional full and
fractional shares of the same class of shares at the net asset value in effect
at the close of business on the last business day of the month. Dividends and
capital gain distributions in amounts less than $10 will automatically be
reinvested in additional shares of a Fund. If a shareholder has elected to
receive dividends and/or capital gain distributions in cash and the postal or
other delivery service is unable to deliver checks to the shareholder's
address of record, or the shareholder does not respond to mailings from the
Shareholder Servicing Agent with regard to uncashed distribution checks, such
shareholder's distribution option will automatically be converted to having
all dividends and other distributions reinvested in additional shares. Any
request to change a distribution option must be received by the Shareholder
Servicing Agent a reasonable time prior to the next business day of the month
for a dividend or distribution in order to be effective for that dividend or
distribution. No interest will accrue on amounts represented by uncashed
distribution or redemption checks.
INVESTMENT AND WITHDRAWAL PROGRAMS: For the convenience of shareholders, each
Fund makes available the following programs designed to enable shareholders to
add to their investment in an account with the Fund or withdraw from it with a
minimum of paper work. The programs involve no extra charge to shareholders
(other than a sales charge in the case of certain Class A share purchases) and
may be changed or discontinued at any time by a shareholder or a Fund.
LETTER OF INTENT: If a shareholder (other than a group purchaser as
described in the SAI) anticipates purchasing $100,000 or more of Class A
shares of a Fund alone or in combination with shares of any class of other MFS
Funds or MFS Fixed Fund (a bank collective investment fund) within a 13-month
period (or 36-month period for purchases of $1 million or more), the
shareholder may obtain such shares at the same reduced sales charge as though
the total quantity were invested in one lump sum, subject to escrow agreements
and the appointment of an attorney for redemptions from the escrow amount if
the intended purchases are not completed, by completing the Letter of Intent
section of the Account Application.
RIGHT OF ACCUMULATION: A shareholder qualifies for cumulative quantity
discounts on the purchase of Class A shares when his new investment, together
with the current offering price value of all holdings of Class A, B and C
shares of that shareholder in the MFS Funds or MFS Fixed Fund (a bank
collective Fund) reaches a discount level.
DISTRIBUTION INVESTMENT PROGRAM: Shares of a particular class of a Fund
may be sold at net asset value (and without any applicable CDSC) through the
automatic reinvestment of dividend and capital gain distributions from the
same class of any other MFS Fund. Furthermore, distributions made by a Fund
may be automatically invested at net asset value (and without any applicable
CDSC) in shares of the same class of another MFS Fund, if shares of such Fund
are available for sale.
SYSTEMATIC WITHDRAWAL PLAN: A shareholder may direct the Shareholder
Servicing Agent to send him (or anyone he designates) regular periodic
payments based upon the value of his account. Each payment under a Systematic
Withdrawal Plan (a "SWP") must be at least $100, except in certain limited
circumstances. The aggregate withdrawals of Class B and Class C shares in any
year pursuant to a SWP will not be subject to a CDSC and are generally limited
to 10% of the value of the account at the time of the establishment of the
SWP. The CDSC will not be waived in the case of SWP redemptions of Class A
shares which are subject to a CDSC.
DOLLAR COST AVERAGING PROGRAMS
AUTOMATIC INVESTMENT PLAN: Cash investments of $50 or more may be made
through a shareholder's checking account on any day of the month. If the
Shareholder does not specify a date, the investment will automatically occur
on the first business day of the month. Required forms are available from the
Shareholder Servicing Agent or investment dealers.
AUTOMATIC EXCHANGE PLAN: Shareholders having account balances of at least
$5,000 in any MFS Fund may exchange their shares for the same class of shares
of other MFS Funds (and, in the case of Class C shares, for shares of MFS
Money Market Fund) under the Automatic Exchange Plan. The Automatic Exchange
Plan provides for automatic monthly or quarterly exchanges of funds from the
shareholder's account in an MFS Fund for investment in the same class of
shares of other MFS Funds selected by the shareholder if such fund is
available for sale. Under the Automatic Exchange Plan, exchanges of at least
$50 each may be made to up to six different funds. A shareholder should
consider the objectives and policies of a fund and review its prospectus
before electing to exchange money into such fund through the Automatic
Exchange Plan. No transaction fee is imposed in connection with exchange
transactions under the Automatic Exchange Plan. However, exchanges of shares
of MFS Money Market Fund, MFS Government Money Market Fund or Class A shares
of MFS Cash Reserve Fund will be subject to any applicable sales charge. For
federal and (generally) state income tax purposes, an exchange is treated as a
sale of shares exchanged and, therefore, could result in a capital gain or
loss to the shareholder making the exchange. See the SAI for further
information concerning the Automatic Exchange Plan. Investors should consult
their tax advisers for information regarding the potential capital gain and
loss consequences of transactions under the Automatic Exchange Plan.
Because a dollar cost averaging program involves periodic purchases of shares
regardless of fluctuating share offering prices, a shareholder should consider
his financial ability to continue his purchases through periods of low price
levels. Maintaining a dollar cost averaging program concurrently with a
withdrawal program could be disadvantageous because of the sales charges
included in share purchases in the case of Class A shares and because of the
assessment of the CDSC for certain share redemptions in the case of Class A
Shares.
TAX-DEFERRED RETIREMENT PLANS: Except as noted under "Purchases -- Class C
Shares" shares of each Fund may be purchased by all types of tax-deferred
retirement plans, including IRAs, SEP-IRA plans, 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans,
and other corporate pension and profit-sharing plans. Investors should consult
with their tax adviser before establishing any of these tax-deferred
retirement plans.
------------------------
The Funds" SAI, dated January 1, 1999, as amended or supplemented from time to
time, contains more detailed information about each Fund, including, but not
limited to, information related to (i) each Fund's investment objective,
policies and restrictions, (ii) the Trustees, officers and investment adviser,
(iii) portfolio transactions and brokerage commissions, (iv) the method used
to calculate performance quotations, (v) the Distribution Plan and (vi)
various services and privileges offered by each Fund for the benefit of its
shareholders, including additional information with respect to the exchange
privilege.
<PAGE>
APPENDIX A
WAIVERS OF SALES CHARGES
This Appendix sets forth the various circumstances in which all applicable
sales charges are waived (Section I), the initial sales charge and the
contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") for Class A shares are waived
(Section II), and the CDSC for Class B and Class C shares is waived (Section
III). Some of the following information will not apply to certain Funds in the
MFS Family of Funds, depending on which classes of shares are offered by such
fund. As used in this Appendix, the term "dealer" includes any broker, dealer,
bank (including bank trust departments), registered investment adviser,
financial planner and any other financial institutions having a selling
agreement with MFS Fund Distributors, Inc., ("MFD").
I. WAIVERS OF ALL APPLICABLE SALES CHARGES
In the following circumstances, the initial sales charge imposed on
purchases of Class A shares and the CDSC imposed on certain redemptions of
Class A shares and on redemptions of Class B and Class C shares, as
applicable, are waived:
1. DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT
o Shares acquired through dividend or capital gain reinvestment; and
o Shares acquired by automatic reinvestment of distributions of dividends
and capital gains of any MFS Fund in the MFS Family of Funds ("MFS
Funds") pursuant to the Distribution Investment Program.
2. CERTAIN ACQUISITIONS/LIQUIDATIONS
o Shares acquired on account of the acquisition or liquidation of assets of
other investment companies or personal holding companies.
3. AFFILIATES OF AN MFS FUND/CERTAIN DEALERS. SHARES ACQUIRED BY:
o Officers, eligible directors, employees (including retired employees) and
agents of Massachusetts Financial Services Company ("MFS"), Sun Life
Assurance Company of America ("Sun Life") or any of their subsidiary
companies;
o Trustees and retired trustees of any investment company for which MFD
serves as distributor;
o Employees, directors, partners, officers and trustees of any sub-adviser
to any MFS Fund;
o Employees or registered representatives of dealers;
o Certain family members of any such individual and their spouses
identified above and certain trusts, pension, profit- sharing or other
retirement plans for the sole benefit of such persons, provided the
shares are not resold except to the MFS Fund which issued the shares; and
o Institutional Clients of MFS or MFS Institutional Advisors, Inc.
("MFSI").
4. INVOLUNTARY REDEMPTIONS (CDSC WAIVER ONLY)
o Shares redeemed at an MFS Fund's direction due to the small size of a
shareholder's account. See "Redemptions and Repurchases -- General --
Involuntary Redemptions/ Small Accounts" in the Prospectus.
5. RETIREMENT PLANS (CDSC WAIVER ONLY). Shares redeemed on account of
distributions made under the following circumstances:
INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS ("IRA'S")
o Death or disability of the IRA owner.
SECTION 401(a) PLANS ("401(a) PLANS") AND SECTION 403(b) EMPLOYER SPONSORED
PLANS ("ESP PLANS")
o Death, disability or retirement of 401(a) or ESP Plan participant;
o Loan from 401(a) or ESP Plan (repayment of loans, however, will
constitute new sales for purposes of assessing sales charges);
o Financial hardship (as defined in Treasury Regulation Section
1.401(k)-1(d)(2), as amended from time to time);
o Termination of employment of 401(a) or ESP Plan participant (excluding,
however, a partial or other termination of the Plan);
o Tax-free return of excess 401(a) or ESP Plan contributions;
o To the extent that redemption proceeds are used to pay expenses (or
certain participant expenses) of the 401(a) or ESP Plan (e.g.,
participant account fees), provided that the Plan sponsor subscribes to
the MFS FUNDamental 401(k) Plan or another similar recordkeeping system
made available by the Shareholder Servicing Agent; and
o Distributions from a 401(a) or ESP Plan that has invested its assets in
one or more of the MFS Funds for more than 10 years from the later to
occur of: (i) January 1, 1993 or (ii) the date such 401(a) or ESP Plan
first invests its assets in one or more of the MFS Funds. The sales
charges will be waived in the case of a redemption of all of the 401(a)
or ESP Plan's shares in all MFS Funds (i.e., all the assets of the 401(a)
or ESP Plan invested in the MFS Funds are withdrawn), unless immediately
prior to the redemption, the aggregate amount invested by the 401(a) or
ESP Plan in shares of the MFS Funds (excluding the reinvestment of
distributions) during the prior four years equals 50% or more of the
total value of the 401(a) or ESP Plan's assets in the MFS Funds, in which
case the sales charges will not be waived.
o Shares purchased by certain retirement plans or trust accounts if: (i)
the plan is currently a party to a retirement plan recordkeeping or
administrative services agreement with MFD or one of its affiliates and
(ii) the shares purchased or redeemed represent transfers from or
transfers to plan investments other than the MFS Funds of which
retirement plan recordkeeping services are provided under the terms of
such agreement.
SECTION 403(b) SALARY REDUCTION ONLY PLANS ("SRO PLANS")
o Death or disability of SRO Plan participant.
6. CERTAIN TRANSFERS OF REGISTRATION (CDSC WAIVER ONLY). Shares
transferred:
o To an IRA rollover account from an existing IRA account where any sales
charges with respect to the shares being reregistered would have been
waived had they been redeemed; and
o From a single account maintained for a 401(a) Plan to multiple accounts
maintained by the Shareholder Servicing Agent on behalf of individual
participants of such Plan, provided that the Plan sponsor subscribes to
the MFS FUNDamental 401(k) Plan or another similar recordkeeping system
made available by the Shareholder Servicing Agent.
7. LOAN REPAYMENTS
o Shares acquired pursuant to repayments by retirement plan participants of
loans from 401(a) or ESP Plans with respect to which such Plan or its
sponsoring organization subscribes to the MFS FUNDamental 401(k) Program
or the MFS Recordkeeper Plus Program (but not the MFS Recordkeeper
Program).
II. WAIVERS OF CLASS A SALES CHARGES
In addition to the waivers set forth in Section I above, in the following
circumstances the initial sales charge imposed on purchases of Class A
shares and the CDSC imposed on certain redemptions of Class A shares are
waived:
1. WRAP ACCOUNT AND FUND "SUPERMARKET" INVESTMENTS
o Shares acquired by investments through certain dealers (including
registered investment advisers and financial planners) which have
established certain operational arrangements with MFD which include a
requirement that such shares be sold for the sole benefit of clients
participating in a "wrap" account, mutual fund "supermarket" account or a
similar program under which such clients pay a fee to such dealer.
2. INVESTMENT BY INSURANCE COMPANY SEPARATE ACCOUNTS
o Shares acquired by insurance company separate accounts.
3. RETIREMENT PLANS
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES ARRANGEMENTS
o Shares acquired by retirement plans or trust accounts whose third party
administrators or dealers have entered into an administrative services
agreement with MFD or one of its affiliates to perform certain
administrative services, subject to certain operational and minimum size
requirements specified from time to time by MFD or one or more of its
affiliates.
REINVESTMENT OF DISTRIBUTIONS FROM QUALIFIED RETIREMENT PLANS
o Shares acquired through the automatic reinvestment in Class A shares of
Class A or Class B distributions which constitute required withdrawals
from qualified retirement plans.
SHARES REDEEMED ON ACCOUNT OF DISTRIBUTIONS MADE UNDER THE FOLLOWING
CIRCUMSTANCES:
IRA'S
o Distributions made on or after the IRA owner has attained the age of 59
1/2 years old; and
o Tax-free returns of excess IRA contributions.
401(a) PLANS
o Distributions made on or after the 401(a) Plan participant has attained
the age of 59 1/2 years old; and
o Certain involuntary redemptions and redemptions in connection with
certain automatic withdrawals from a 401(a) Plan.
ESP PLANS AND SRO PLANS
o Distributions made on or after the ESP or SRO Plan participant has
attained the age of 59 1/2 years old.
4. PURCHASES OF AT LEAST $5 MILLION (CDSC WAIVER ONLY)
o Shares acquired of Eligible Funds (as defined below) if the shareholder's
investment equals or exceeds $5 million in one or more Eligible Funds
(the "Initial Purchase") (this waiver applies to the shares acquired from
the Initial Purchase and all shares of Eligible Funds subsequently
acquired by the shareholder); provided that the dealer through which the
Initial Purchase is made enters into an agreement with MFD to accept
delayed payment of commissions with respect to the Initial Purchase and
all subsequent investments by the shareholder in the Eligible Funds
subject to such requirements as may be established from time to time by
MFD (for a schedule of the amount of commissions paid by MFD to the
dealer on such investments, see "Purchases -- Class A Shares -- Purchases
Subject to a CDSC" in the Prospectus). The Eligible Funds are all funds
included in the MFS Family of Funds, except for Massachusetts Investors
Trust, Massachusetts Investors Growth Stock Fund, MFS Municipal Bond
Fund, MFS Municipal Limited Maturity Fund, MFS Money Market Fund, MFS
Government Money Market Fund and MFS Cash Reserve Fund.
5. BANK TRUST DEPARTMENTS AND LAW FIRMS
o Shares acquired by certain bank trust departments or law firms acting as
trustee or manager for trust accounts which have entered into an
administrative services agreement with MFD and are acquiring such shares
for the benefits of their trust account clients.
6. INVESTMENT OF PROCEEDS FROM CERTAIN REDEMPTIONS OF CLASS I SHARES
o The initial sales charge imposed on purchases of Class A shares, and the
contingent deferred sales charge imposed on certain redemptions of Class
A shares, are waived with respect to Class A shares acquired of any of
the MFS Funds through the immediate reinvestment of the proceeds of a
redemption of Class I shares of any of the MFS Funds.
III. WAIVERS OF CLASS B AND CLASS C SALES CHARGES
In addition to the waivers set forth in Section I above, in the following
circumstances the CDSC imposed on redemptions of Class B and Class C
shares is waived:
1. SYSTEMATIC WITHDRAWAL PLAN
o Systematic Withdrawal Plan redemptions with respect to up to 10% per year
(or 15% per year, in the case of accounts registered as IRAs where the
redemption is made pursuant to Section 72(t) of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, as amended) of the account value at the time of establishment.
2. DEATH OF OWNER
o Shares redeemed on account of the death of the account owner if the
shares are held solely in the deceased individual's name or in a living
trust for the benefit of the deceased individual.
3. DISABILITY OF OWNER
o Shares redeemed on account of the disability of the account owner if
shares are held either solely or jointly in the disabled individual's
name or in a living trust for the benefit of the disabled individual (in
which case a disability certification form is required to be submitted to
the Shareholder Servicing Agent).
4. RETIREMENT PLANS. Shares redeemed on account of distributions made under
the following circumstances:
IRA'S, 401(a) PLANS, AND 403(b) PLANS ESP PLANS AND SRO PLANS
o Distributions made on or after the IRA owner or the 401(a), ESP or SRO
Plan participant, as applicable, has attained the age of 70 1/2 years
old, but only with respect to the minimum distribution under applicable
Internal Revenue Code ("Code") rules.
SALARY REDUCTION SIMPLIFIED EMPLOYEE PENSION PLANS ("SAR-SEP PLANS")
o Distributions made on or after the SAR-SEP Plan participant has attained
the age of 70 1/2 years old, but only with respect to the minimum
distribution under applicable Code rules;
o Death or disability of a SAR-SEP Plan participant
<PAGE>
APPENDIX B
DESCRIPTION OF BOND RATINGS
The ratings of Moody's, S&P, Fitch and Duff & Phelps represent their opinions
as to the quality of various debt instruments. It should be emphasized,
however, that ratings are not absolute standards of quality. Consequently,
debt instruments with the same maturity, coupon and rating may have different
yields while debt instruments of the same maturity and coupon with different
ratings may have the same yield.
MOODY'S
Aaa: Bonds which are rated Aaa are judged to be of the best quality. They
carry the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as
"gilt edged." Interest payments are protected by a large or by an
exceptionally stable margin and principal is secure. While the various
protective elements are likely to change, such changes as can be visualized
are most unlikely to impair the fundamentally strong position of such issues.
Aa: Bonds which are 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 securities 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
securities.
A: Bonds which are 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 which are 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 other 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.
ABSENCE OF RATING: Where no rating has been assigned or where a rating has
been suspended or withdrawn, it may be for reasons unrelated to the quality of
the issue.
Should no rating be assigned, the reason may be one of the following:
1. An application for rating was not received or accepted.
2. The issue or issuer belongs to a group of securities or companies that
are not rated as a matter of policy.
3. There is a lack of essential data pertaining to the issue or issuer.
4. The issue was privately placed, in which case the rating is not
published in Moody's publications.
Suspension or withdrawal may occur if new and material circumstances arise,
the effects of which preclude satisfactory analysis; if there is no longer
available reasonable up-to-date data to permit a judgment to be formed; if a
bond is called for redemption; or for other reasons.
STANDARD & POOR'S RATING SERVICES
AAA: An obligation rated AAA has the highest rating assigned by Standard &
Poor's. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the
obligation is EXTREMELY STRONG.
AA: An obligation rated AA differs from the highest rated obligations only in
small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the
obligation is VERY STRONG.
A: An obligation rated A is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects
of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher
rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial
commitment on the obligation is still STRONG.
BBB: An obligation rated BBB exhibits ADEQUATE protection parameters. However,
adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead
to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the
obligation.
Obligations rated BB, B, CCC, CC, and C are regarded as having significant
speculative characteristics. BB indicates the least degree of speculation and
C the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and
protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or
major exposures to adverse conditions.
BB: An obligation rated BB is LESS VULNERABLE to nonpayment than other
speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure
to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the
obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the
obligation.
B: An obligation rated B is MORE VULNERABLE to nonpayment than obligations
rated BB, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial
commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic
conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet
its financial commitment on the obligation.
CCC: An obligation rated CCC is CURRENTLY VULNERABLE to nonpayment, and is
dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the
obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of
adverse business, financial, or economic conditions the obligor is not likely
to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CC: An obligation rated CC is CURRENTLY HIGHLY VULNERABLE to nonpayment.
C: The C rating may be used to cover a situation where a bankruptcy petition
has been filed or similar action has been taken, but payments on this
obligation are being continued.
D: An obligation rated D is in payment default. The D rating category is used
when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the
applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor's believes
that such payments will be made during such grace period. The D rating also
will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a
similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.
PLUS (+) OR MINUS (-) 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.
R: This symbol is attached to the ratings of instruments with significant
noncredit risks. It highlights risks to principal or volatility of expected
returns which are not addressed in the credit rating. Examples include:
obligations linked or indexed to equities, currencies, or commodities;
obligations exposed to severe prepayment risk -- such as interest-only or
principal-only mortgage securities; and obligations with unusually risky
interest terms, such as inverse floaters.
FITCH IBCA
AAA: Highest credit quality. AAA ratings denote the lowest expectation of
credit risk. They are assigned only in case of exceptionally strong capacity
for timely payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely
to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.
AA: Very high credit quality. AA ratings denote a very low expectation of
credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for timely payment of
financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to
foreseeable events.
A: High credit quality. A ratings denote a low expectation of credit risk. The
capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is considered strong.
This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to changes in
circumstances or in economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.
BBB: Good credit quality. BBB ratings indicate that there is currently a low
expectation of credit risk. The capacity for timely payment of financial
commitments is considered adequate, but adverse changes in circumstances and
in economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity. This is the
lowest investment-grade category.
Speculative Grade
BB: Speculative. BB ratings indicate that there is a possibility of credit
risk developing, particularly as the result of adverse economic change over
time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow
financial commitments to be met. Securities rated in this category are not
investment grade.
B: Highly speculative. B ratings indicate that significant credit risk is
present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are
currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is contingent
upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.
CCC, CC, C: High default risk. Default is a real possibility, Capacity for
meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon sustained, favorable
business or economic developments. A CC rating indicates that default of some
kind appears probable. C ratings signal imminent default.
DDD, DD, D: Default. Securities are not meeting current obligations and are
extremely speculative. DDD designates the highest potential for recovery of
amounts outstanding on any securities involved. For U.S. corporates, for
example, DD indicates expected recovery of 50% -- 90% of such outstandings,
and D the lowest recovery potential, i.e. below 50%.
DUFF & PHELPS CREDIT RATING CO.
AAA: Highest credit quality. The risk factors are negligible, being only
slightly more than for risk-free U.S. Treasury debt.
AA+, AA, AA-: High credit quality. Protection factors are strong. Risk is
modest but may vary slightly from time to time because of economic conditions.
A+, A, A-: Protection factors are average but adequate. However, risk factors
are more variable and greater in periods of economic stress.
BBB+, BBB, BBB-: Below-average protection factors but still considered
sufficient for prudent investment. Considerable variability in risk during
economic cycles.
BB+, BB, BB-: Below investment grade but deemed likely to meet obligations
when due. Present or prospective financial protection factors fluctuate
according to industry conditions or company fortunes. Overall quality may move
up or down frequently within this category.
B+, B, B-: Below investment grade and possessing risk that obligations will
not be met when due. Financial protection factors will fluctuate widely
according to economic cycles, industry conditions and/or company fortunes.
Potential exists for frequent changes in the rating within this category or
into a higher or lower rating grade.
CCC: Well below investment-grade securities. Considerable uncertainty exists
as to timely payment of principal, interest or preferred dividends. Protection
factors are narrow and risk can be substantial with unfavorable economic/
industry conditions, and/or with unfavorable company developments.
DD: Defaulted debt obligations. Issuer failed to meet scheduled principal and/
or interest payments.
DP: Preferred stock with dividend arrearages.
DUFF & PHELPS SHORT-TERM RATINGS
D-1+: Highest certainty of timely payment. Short-term liquidity, including
internal operation factors and/or access to alternative sources of funds, is
outstanding and safety is just below risk-free U.S. Treasury short-term
obligations.
D-1: Very high certainty of timely payment. Liquidity factors are excellent
and supported by good fundamental protection factors. Risk factors are minor.
D-1-: High certainty of timely payment. Liquidity factors are strong and
supported by good fundamental protection factors. Risk factors are very small.
D-2: Good certainty of timely payment. Liquidity factors and company
fundamentals are sound. Although ongoing funding needs may enlarge total
financing requirements, access to capital markets is good. Risk factors are
small.
D-3: Satisfactory liquidity and other protection factors qualify issues as to
investment grade. Risk factors are larger and subject to more variation.
Nevertheless, timely payment is expected.
D-4: Speculative investment characteristics. Liquidity is not sufficient to
insure against disruption in debt service. Operating factors and market access
may be subject to a high degree of variation.
D-5: Issuer failed to meet scheduled principal and/or interest payments.
<PAGE>
INVESTMENT ADVISER
Massachusetts Financial
Services Company
500 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 954-5000
DISTRIBUTOR
MFS Fund Distributors, Inc.
500 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 954-5000
CUSTODIAN
State Street Bank and Trust Company
225 Franklin Street
Boston, MA 02110
DIVIDEND DISBURSING AGENT
State Street Bank and Trust Company
225 Franklin Street
Boston, MA 02110
SHAREHOLDER SERVICING AGENT
MFS Service Center, Inc.
500 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
Toll-free: (800) 225-2606
MAILING ADDRESS:
P.O. Box 2281
Boston, MA 02107-9906
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
Deloitte & Touche LLP
125 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02110
[LOGO] M F S(R)
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
We invented the mutual fund(R)
MFS INTERMEDIATE INVESTMENT GRADE BOND FUND
MFS RESEARCH BOND FUND
INC-IBF/RBF-1 1/99/3M
<PAGE>
[LOGO] M F S(R)
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
MFS INTERMEDIATE INVESTMENT
GRADE BOND FUND
STATEMENT OF
MFS RESEARCH BOND FUND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
(Members of the MFS Family of Funds(R)) January 1, 1999
Each a Series of MFS Series Trust IX
500 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116
(617) 954-5000
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Page
1. Definitions ..................................................... 2
2. Investment Objectives, Policies and Restrictions ................ 2
3. Additional Risk Factors ......................................... 9
4. Management of the Funds ......................................... 12
Trustees ...................................................... 12
Officers ...................................................... 12
Trustee Compensation Table .................................... 13
Investment Adviser ............................................ 13
Administrator ................................................. 14
Custodian ..................................................... 14
Shareholder Servicing Agent ................................... 14
Distributor ................................................... 14
5. Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage Commissions ................ 15
6. Shareholder Services ............................................ 15
Investment and Withdrawal Programs ............................ 15
Exchange Privilege ............................................ 17
Tax-Deferred Retirement Plans ................................. 18
7. Tax Status ...................................................... 18
8. Determination of Net Asset Value and Performance ................ 19
9. Distribution Plan ............................................... 21
10. Description of Shares, Voting Rights and Liabilities ............ 22
11. Independent Auditors and Financial Statements ................... 22
This Statement of Additional Information, as amended or supplemented from time
to time (the "SAI"), sets forth information which may be of interest to
investors but which is not necessarily included in the Funds' Prospectus,
dated January 1, 1999. This SAI should be read in conjunction with the
Prospectus, a copy of which may be obtained without charge by contacting the
Shareholder Servicing Agent (see last page for address and phone number).
THIS SAI IS NOT A PROSPECTUS AND IS AUTHORIZED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO PROSPECTIVE
INVESTORS ONLY IF PRECEDED OR ACCOMPANIED BY A CURRENT PROSPECTUS.
<PAGE>
1. DEFINITIONS
"Trust" -- MFS Series Trust IX, a
Massachusetts business trust. The
Trust was known as MFS Fixed Income
Trust prior to January 18, 1995,
and as Massachusetts Financial Bond
Fund prior to January 7, 1992.
"Investment Grade Bond Fund" -- MFS Intermediate Investment Grade
Bond Fund, a non-diversified series
of the Trust.
"Research Bond Fund" -- MFS Research Bond Fund, a non-
diversified series of the Trust.
"MFS" or the "Adviser" -- Massachusetts Financial Services
Company, a Delaware corporation.
"MFD" -- MFS Fund Distributors, Inc., a
Delaware corporation.
"Prospectus" -- The Prospectus of the Funds, dated
January 1, 1999, as amended or
supplemented from time to time.
2. INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, POLICIES AND RESTRICTIONS
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES. The investment objective and policies of
each Fund are described in the Prospectus and below. The following discussion
of each Fund's investment techniques and restrictions supplements, and should
be read in conjunction with, the information set forth in the "Investment
Objectives and Policies," "Certain Securities and Investment Techniques" and
"Additional Risk Factors" sections of the Prospectus.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS: As described in the Prospectus, each Fund may enter
into repurchase agreements with sellers who are member firms (or a subsidiary
thereof) of the New York Stock Exchange (the "Exchange") or members of the
Federal Reserve System, recognized primary U.S. Government securities dealers
or institutions which the Adviser has determined to be of comparable
creditworthiness. The securities that a Fund purchases and holds through its
agent are securities that are issued or guaranteed as to principal and
interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies, authorities or
instrumentalities ("Government Securities"), the values of which are equal to
or greater than the repurchase price agreed to be paid by the seller. The
repurchase price may be higher than the purchase price, the difference being
income to the Fund, or the purchase and repurchase prices may be the same,
with interest at a standard rate due to the Fund together with the repurchase
price on repurchase. In either case, the income to the Fund is unrelated to
the interest rate on the Government securities.
The repurchase agreement provides that in the event the seller fails to pay
the amount agreed upon on the agreed upon delivery date or upon demand, as the
case may be, the Fund will have the right to liquidate the securities. If at
the time the Fund is contractually entitled to exercise its right to liquidate
the securities, the seller is subject to a proceeding under the bankruptcy
laws or its assets are otherwise subject to a stay order, the Fund's exercise
of its right to liquidate the securities may be delayed and result in certain
losses and costs to the Fund. Each Fund has adopted and follows procedures
which are intended to minimize the risks of repurchase agreements. For
example, each Fund only enters into repurchase agreements after the Adviser
has determined that the seller is creditworthy, and the Adviser monitors that
seller's creditworthiness on an ongoing basis. Moreover, under such
agreements, the value of the securities (which are marked to market every
business day) is required to be greater than the repurchase price, and each
Fund has the right to make margin calls at any time if the value of the
securities falls below the agreed upon collateral.
MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH SECURITIES. Each Fund may invest in mortgage pass-
through securities as described in the Prospectus. Interests in pools of
mortgage-related securities differ from other forms of debt securities, which
normally provide for periodic payment of interest in fixed amounts with
principal payments at maturity or specified call dates. Instead, these
securities provide a monthly payment which consists of both interest and
principal payments. In effect, these payments are a "pass-through" of the
monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on their mortgage loans, net
of any fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of such securities. Additional
payments are caused by prepayments of principal resulting from the sale,
refinancing or foreclosure of the underlying property, net of fees or costs
which may be incurred. Some mortgage pass-through securities (such as
securities issued by the Government National Mortgage Association ("GNMA"))
are described as "modified pass-through." These securities entitle the holder
to receive all interest and principal payments owed on the mortgages in the
mortgage pool, net of certain fees, at the scheduled payment dates regardless
of whether the mortgagor actually makes the payment.
The principal governmental guarantor of mortgage pass-through securities is the
GNMA. GNMA is a wholly owned U.S. Government corporation within the Department
of Housing and Urban Development. GNMA is authorized to guarantee, with the full
faith and credit of the U.S. Government, the timely payment of principal and
interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA (such as savings
and loan institutions, commercial banks and mortgage bankers) and backed by
pools of FHA-insured or VA-guaranteed mortgages. These guarantees, however, do
not apply to the market value or yield of mortgage pass-though securities. GNMA
securities are often purchased at a premium over the maturity value of the
underlying mortgages. This premium is not guaranteed and will be lost if
prepayment occurs.
Government-related guarantors (i.e., those whose guarantees are not backed by
the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government) include the Federal National
Mortgage Association ("FNMA") and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation
("FHLMC"). FNMA is a government-sponsored corporation owned entirely by
private stockholders. It is subject to general regulation by the Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development. FNMA purchases conventional residential
mortgages (i.e., mortgages not insured or guaranteed by any governmental
agency) from a list of approved seller/servicers which include state and
federally-chartered savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks,
commercial banks, credit unions and mortgage bankers. Pass-through securities
issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment by FNMA of principal and
interest.
FHLMC was created by Congress in 1970 as a corporate instrumentality of the
U.S. Government for the purpose of increasing the availability of mortgage
credit for residential housing. FHLMC issues Participation Certificates
("PCs") which represent interests in conventional mortgages (i.e., not
federally insured or guaranteed) from FHLMC's national portfolio. FHLMC
guarantees timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal
regardless of the status of the underlying mortgage loans.
Commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance
companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers also create
pass-through pools of mortgage loans. Such issuers may also be the originators
and/or servicers of the underlying mortgage-related securities. Pools created
by such non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest
than government and government-related pools because there are no direct or
indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in the former pools.
However, timely payment of interest and principal of mortgage loans in these
pools may be supported by various forms of insurance or guarantees, including
individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance and letters of credit. The
insurance and guarantees are issued by governmental entities, private insurers
and the mortgage poolers. There can be no assurance that the private insurers
or guarantors can meet their obligations under the insurance policies or
guarantee arrangements. Each Fund may also buy mortgage-related securities
without insurance or guarantees.
COLLATERALIZED MORTGAGE OBLIGATIONS AND MULTICLASS PASS-THROUGH SECURITIES: As
described in the Prospectus, each Fund may invest a portion of its assets in
collateralized mortgage obligations or "CMOs", which are debt obligations
collateralized by mortgage loans or mortgage pass-through securities (such
collateral referred to collectively as "Mortgage Assets"). Unless the context
indicates otherwise, all references herein to CMOs include multiclass pass-
through securities.
Interest is paid or accrues on all classes of the CMOs on a monthly, quarterly
or semiannual basis. The principal of and interest on the Mortgage Assets may
be allocated among the several classes of a series of a CMO in innumerable
ways. In a common structure, payments of principal, including any principal
prepayments, on the Mortgage Assets are applied to the classes of the series
of a CMO in the order of their respective stated maturities or final
distribution dates, so that no payment of principal will be made on any class
of CMOs until all other classes having an earlier stated maturity or final
distribution date have been paid in full.
Each Fund may also invest in parallel pay CMOs and Planned Amortization Class
CMOs ("PAC Bonds"). Parallel pay CMOs are structured to provide payments of
principal on each payment date to more than one class. These simultaneous
payments are taken into account in calculating the stated maturity date or
final distribution date of each class, which, as with other CMO structures,
must be retired by its stated maturity date or final distribution date but may
be retired earlier.
FOREIGN SECURITIES: Each Fund may invest in dollar-denominated and the
Research Bond Fund may invest in dollar and non dollar-denominated foreign
securities. As discussed in the Prospectus, investing in foreign securities
generally represents a greater degree of risk than investing in domestic
securities due to possible exchange rate fluctuations, less publicly available
information, more volatile markets, less securities regulation, less favorable
tax provisions, war or expropriation. As a result of its investments in
foreign securities, a Fund may receive interest or dividend payments, or the
proceeds of the sale or redemption of such securities, in the foreign
currencies in which such securities are denominated. Under certain
circumstances, such as where the Adviser believes that the applicable exchange
rate is unfavorable at the time the currencies are received or the Adviser
anticipates, for any other reason, that the exchange rate will improve, a Fund
may hold such currencies for an indefinite period of time. While the holding
of currencies will permit the Fund to take advantage of favorable movements in
the applicable exchange rate, such strategy also exposes the Fund to risk of
loss if exchange rates move in a direction adverse to the Fund's position.
Such losses could reduce any profits or increase any losses sustained by the
Fund from the sale or redemption of securities and could reduce the dollar
value of interest or dividend payments received.
MORTGAGE "DOLLAR ROLL" TRANSACTIONS: As described in the Prospectus, each Fund
may enter into mortgage "dollar roll" transactions pursuant to which it sells
mortgage-backed securities for delivery in the future and simultaneously
contracts to repurchase substantially similar securities on a specified future
date. Each Fund records these transactions as sale and purchase transactions,
rather than as borrowing transactions. During the roll period, a Fund foregoes
principal and interest paid on the mortgage-backed securities. Each Fund is
compensated for the lost interest by the difference between the current sales
price and the lower price for the future purchase (often referred to as the
"drop") as well as by the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the initial
sale. Each Fund may also be compensated by receipt of a commitment fee.
LENDING OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES: Each Fund may seek to increase its income by
lending portfolio securities. Such loans will usually be made only to member
firms of the New York Stock Exchange (the "Exchange") (and subsidiaries
thereof) and member banks of the Federal Reserve System, and would be required
to be secured continuously by collateral in cash, an irrevocable letter of
credit or U.S. Treasury securities maintained on a current basis at an amount
at least equal to the market value of the securities loaned. A Fund would have
the right to call a loan and obtain the securities loaned at any time on
customary industry settlement notice (which will not usually exceed five
business days). For the duration of a loan, the Fund would continue to receive
the equivalent of the interest or dividends paid by the issuer on the
securities loaned. A Fund would also receive a fee from the borrower, or
compensation from the investment of the collateral, less a fee paid to the
borrower, if the collateral is in the form of cash. A Fund would not, however,
have the right to vote any securities having voting rights during the
existence of the loan, but the Fund would call the loan in anticipation of an
important vote to be taken among holders of the securities or of the giving or
withholding of their consent on a material matter affecting the investment. As
with other extensions of credit there are risks of delay in recovery or even
loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail
financially. However, the loans would be made only to firms deemed by the
Adviser to be of good standing, and when, in the judgment of the Adviser, the
consideration which can be earned currently from securities loans of this type
justifies the attendant risk. If the Adviser determines to make securities
loans, it is intended that the value of the securities loaned, as represented
by the collateral received by a Fund in connection with such loans, would not
exceed 50% of the value of a Fund's net assets.
"WHEN-ISSUED" SECURITIES: As described in the Prospectus, each Fund may
purchase debt securities on a "when-issued" or on a "forward delivery" basis.
When a Fund commits to purchase these securities on such basis, it will set up
procedures consistent with the General Statement of Policy of the Securities
and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") concerning such purchases. Since that
policy currently recommends that an amount of a Fund's assets equal to the
amount of the purchase be held aside or segregated to be used to pay for the
commitment, each Fund will always have liquid assets sufficient to cover any
commitments or to limit any potential risk. Although each Fund does not intend
to make such purchases for speculative purposes and intends to adhere to the
provisions of the SEC policy, purchases of securities on such bases may
involve more risk than other types of purchases. For example, a Fund may have
to sell assets which have been set aside in order to meet redemptions. Also,
if a Fund determines it is necessary to sell the "when-issued" or "forward
delivery" securities before delivery, the Fund may incur a loss because of
market fluctuations since the time the commitment to purchase such securities
was made.
INDEXED SECURITIES: Each Fund may purchase securities whose prices are indexed
to the prices of other securities, securities indices, currencies, precious
metals or other commodities, or other financial indicators. Indexed securities
typically, but not always, are debt securities or deposits whose value at
maturity (i.e., principal value) or coupon rate is determined by reference to
a specific instrument or statistic. Currency-indexed securities typically are
short-term to intermediate-term debt securities whose maturity values or
interest rates are determined by reference to the values of one or more
specified foreign currencies, and may offer higher yields than U.S. dollar-
denominated securities of equivalent issuers. Currency-indexed securities may
be positively or negatively indexed; that is, their maturity value may
increase when the specified currency value increases, resulting in a security
that performs similarly to a foreign-denominated instrument, or their maturity
value may decline when foreign currencies increase, resulting in a security
whose price characteristics are similar to a put on the underlying currency.
Currency-indexed securities may also have prices that depend on the values of
a number of different foreign currencies relative to each other.
The performance of indexed securities depends to a great extent on the
performance of the security, currency, or other instrument to which they are
indexed, and may also be influenced by interest rate changes in the U.S. and
abroad. At the same time, indexed securities are subject to the credit risks
associated with the issuer of the security, and their values may decline
substantially if the issuer's creditworthiness deteriorates. Recent issuers of
indexed securities have included banks, corporations, and certain U.S.
government agencies.
The policies described above and the policies with respect to Futures
Contracts, Options on Futures Contracts, portfolio trading and the lending of
portfolio securities described below are not fundamental and may be changed
without shareholder approval, as may be a Fund's investment objectives.
OPTIONS ON SECURITIES: Each Fund may write (sell) covered put and call
options, and purchase put and call options, on securities. Call and put
options written by a Fund may be covered in the manner set forth below.
A call option written by a Fund is "covered" if the Fund owns the security
underlying the call or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that
security without additional cash consideration (or for additional cash
consideration segregated by the Fund) upon conversion or exchange of other
securities held in its portfolio. A call option is also covered if a Fund
holds a call on the same security and in the same principal amount as the call
written where the exercise price of the call held (a) is equal to or less than
the exercise price of the call written or (b) is greater than the exercise
price of the call written if liquid assets representing the difference are
segregated by the Fund. A put option written by a Fund is "covered" if the
Fund segregates liquid assets with a value equal to the exercise price, or
else holds a put on the same security and in the same principal amount as the
put written where the exercise price of the put held is equal to or greater
than the exercise price of the put written or where the exercise price of the
put held is less than the exercise price of the put written if the difference
is segregated by the Fund in liquid assets. Put and call options written by a
Fund may also be covered in such other manner as may be in accordance with the
requirements of the exchange on which, or the counterparty with which, the
option is traded, and applicable laws and regulations. If the writer's
obligation is not so covered, it is subject to the risk of the full change in
value of the underlying security from the time the option is written until
exercise.
Effecting a closing transaction in the case of a written call option will
permit a Fund to write another call option on the underlying security with
either a different exercise price or expiration date or both, or in the case
of a written put option will permit the Fund to write another put option to
the extent that the exercise price thereof is secured by deposited liquid
assets. Such transactions permit a Fund to generate additional premium income,
which will partially offset declines in the value of portfolio securities or
increases in the cost of securities to be acquired. Also, effecting a closing
transaction will permit the cash or proceeds from the concurrent sale of any
securities subject to the option to be used for other investments of a Fund,
provided that another option on such security is not written. If a Fund
desires to sell a particular security from its portfolio on which it has
written a call option, it will effect a closing transaction in connection with
the option prior to or concurrent with the sale of the security.
A Fund will realize a profit from a closing transaction if the premium paid in
connection with the closing of an option written by the Fund is less than the
premium received from writing the option, or if the premium received in
connection with the closing of an option purchased by a Fund is more than the
premium paid for the original purchase. Conversely, a Fund will suffer a loss
if the premium paid or received in connection with a closing transaction is
more or less, respectively, than the premium received or paid in establishing
the option position. Because increases in the market price of a call option
will generally reflect increases in the market price of the underlying
security, any loss resulting from the repurchase of a call option previously
written by a Fund is likely to be offset in whole or in part by appreciation
of the underlying security owned by the Fund.
Each Fund may write options in connection with buy-and-write transactions;
that is, a Fund may purchase a security and then write a call option against
that security. The exercise price of the call option the Fund determines to
write will depend upon the expected price movement of the underlying security.
The exercise price of a call option may be below ("in-the-money"). equal to
("at-the-money") or above ("out-of-the-money") the current value of the
underlying security at the time the option is written. Buy-and-write
transactions using in-the-money call options may be used when it is expected
that the price of the underlying security will decline moderately during the
option period. Buy-and-write transactions using out-of-the-money call options
may be used when it is expected that the premiums received from writing the
call option plus the appreciation in the market price of the underlying
security up to the exercise price will be greater than the appreciation in the
price of the underlying security alone. If the call options are exercised in
such transactions, a Fund's maximum gain will be the premium received by it
for writing the option, adjusted upwards or downwards by the difference
between the Fund's purchase price of the security and the exercise price, less
related transaction costs. If the options are not exercised and the price of
the underlying security declines, the amount of such decline will be offset in
part, or entirely, by the premium received.
The writing of covered put options is similar in terms of risk/return
characteristics to buy-and-write transactions. If the market price of the
underlying security rises or otherwise is above the exercise price, the put
option will expire worthless and a Fund's gain will be limited to the premium
received, less related transaction costs. If the market price of the
underlying security declines or otherwise is below the exercise price, a Fund
may elect to close the position or retain the option until it is exercised, at
which time the Fund will be required to take delivery of the security at the
exercise price; a Fund's return will be the premium received from the put
option minus the amount by which the market price of the security is below the
exercise price, which could result in a loss. Out-of-the-money, at-the-money
and in-the-money put options may be used by a Fund in the same market
environments that call options are used in equivalent buy-and-write
transactions.
Each Fund may also write combinations of put and call options on the same
security, known as "straddles," with the same exercise price and expiration
date. By writing a straddle, a Fund undertakes a simultaneous obligation to
sell and purchase the same security in the event that one of the options is
exercised. If the price of the security subsequently rises sufficiently above
the exercise price to cover the amount of the premium and transaction costs,
the call will likely be exercised and the Fund will be required to sell the
underlying security at a below market price. This loss may be offset, however,
in whole or part, by the premiums received on the writing of the two options.
Conversely, if the price of the security declines by a sufficient amount, the
put will likely be exercised. The writing of straddles will likely be
effective, therefore, only where the price of the security remains stable and
neither the call nor the put is exercised. In those instances where one of the
options is exercised, the loss on the purchase or sale of the underlying
security may exceed the amount of the premiums received.
By writing a call option, a Fund limits its opportunity to profit from any
increase in the market value of the underlying security above the exercise
price of the option. By writing a put option, a Fund assumes the risk that it
may be required to purchase the underlying security for an exercise price
above its then-current market value, resulting in a capital loss unless the
security subsequently appreciates in value. The writing of options on
securities will not be undertaken by a Fund solely for hedging purposes, and
could involve certain risks which are not present in the case of hedging
transactions. Moreover, even where options are written for hedging purposes,
such transactions constitute only a partial hedge against declines in the
value of portfolio securities or against increases in the value of securities
to be acquired, up to the amount of the premium.
Each Fund may also purchase options for hedging purposes or to increase its
return. Put options may be purchased to hedge against a decline in the value
of portfolio securities. If such decline occurs, the put options will permit a
Fund to sell the securities at the exercise price, or to close out the options
at a profit. By using put options in this way, a Fund will reduce any profit
it might otherwise have realized in the underlying security by the amount of
the premium paid for the put option and by transaction costs.
Each Fund may also purchase call options to hedge against an increase in the
price of securities that the Fund anticipates purchasing in the future. If
such increase occurs, the call option will permit the Fund to purchase the
securities at the exercise price, or to close out the options at a profit. The
premium paid for the call option plus any transaction costs will reduce the
benefit, if any, realized by a Fund upon exercise of the option, and, unless
the price of the underlying security rises sufficiently, the option may expire
worthless to the Fund.
RESET OPTIONS: In certain instances, each Fund may enter into options on U.S.
Treasury securities which provide for periodic adjustment of the strike price
and may also provide for the periodic adjustment of the premium during the
term of each such option. Like other types of options, these transactions,
which may be referred to as "reset" options or "adjustable strike" options
grant the purchaser the right to purchase (in the case of a call) or sell (in
the case of a put), a specified type of U.S. Treasury security at any time up
to a stated expiration date (or, in certain instances, on such date). In
contrast to other types of options, however, the price at which the underlying
security may be purchased or sold under a "reset" option is determined at
various intervals during the term of the option, and such price fluctuates
from interval to interval based on changes in the market value of the
underlying security. As a result, the strike price of a "reset" option, at the
time of exercise, may be less advantageous than if the strike price had been
fixed at the initiation of the option. In addition, the premium paid for the
purchase of the option may be determined at the termination, rather than the
initiation, of the option. If the premium is paid at termination, the Fund
assumes the risk that (i) the premium may be less than the premium which would
otherwise have been received at the initiation of the option because of such
factors as the volatility in yield of the underlying Treasury security over
the term of the option and adjustments made to the strike price of the option,
and (ii) the option purchaser may default on its obligation to pay the premium
at the termination of the option.
OPTIONS: The staff of the SEC has taken the position that purchased over-the-
counter options and assets used to cover written over-the-counter options are
illiquid and, therefore, together with other illiquid securities, cannot
exceed a certain percentage of a Fund's assets (the "SEC illiquidity
ceiling"). Although the Adviser disagrees with this position, the Adviser
intends to limit each Fund's writing of over-the-counter options in accordance
with the following procedure. Except as provided below, each Fund intends to
write over-the-counter options only with primary U.S. Government securities
dealers recognized by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Also, the
contracts which the Fund has in place with such primary dealers will provide
that a Fund has the absolute right to repurchase an option it writes at any
time at a price which represents the fair market value, as determined in good
faith through negotiation between the parties, but which in no event will
exceed a price determined pursuant to a formula in the contract. Although the
specific formula may vary between contracts with different primary dealers,
the formula will generally be based on a multiple of the premium received by a
Fund for writing the option, plus the amount, if any, of the option's
intrinsic value (ie., the amount that the option is in-the-money). The formula
may also include a factor to account for the difference between the price of
the security and the strike price of the option if the option is written out-
of-the-money. Each Fund will treat all or a part of the formula price as
illiquid for purposes of the SEC illiquidity ceiling. Each Fund may also write
over-the-counter options with non-primary dealers, including foreign dealers,
and will treat the assets used to cover these options as illiquid for purposes
of such SEC illiquidity ceiling.
FUTURES CONTRACTS: Each Fund may enter into contracts for hedging purposes for
the future delivery of domestic or foreign fixed income securities or
contracts based on other financial indices including any index of domestic or
foreign fixed income securities, as such contracts become available for
trading ("Futures Contracts"). Such transactions may also be used for non-
hedging purposes, to the extent permitted by applicable law. A "sale" of a
Futures Contract means a contractual obligation to deliver the securities
called for by the contract at a specified price in a fixed delivery month or,
in the case of a Futures Contract, on an index of securities, to make or
receive a cash settlement. A "purchase" of a Futures Contract means a
contractual obligation to acquire the securities called for by the contract at
a specified price in a fixed delivery month or, in the case of a Futures
Contract on an index of securities, to make or receive a cash settlement. U.S.
Futures Contracts have been designed by exchanges which have been designated
as "contract markets" by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the
"CFTC"), and must be executed through a futures commission merchant, or
brokerage firm, which is a member of the relevant contract market. Existing
contract markets include the Chicago Board of Trade and the International
Monetary Market of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Futures Contracts are
traded on these markets, and, through their clearing corporations, the
exchanges guarantee performance of the contracts as between the clearing
members of the exchange. Futures Contracts purchased or sold by each Fund are
also traded on foreign exchanges which are not regulated by the CFTC.
At the same time a Futures Contract is purchased or sold, a Fund must allocate
cash or securities as a deposit payment ("initial deposit"). The initial
deposit varies but may be as low as 5% or less of the value of the contract.
Daily thereafter, the Futures Contract is valued and the payment of "variation
margin" may be required since each day the Fund would provide or receive cash
that reflects any decline or increase in the contract's value.
At the time of delivery of securities pursuant to a Futures Contract based on
fixed income securities, adjustments are made to recognize differences in
value arising from the delivery of securities with a different interest rate
from that specified in the contract. In some (but not many) cases, securities
called for by a Futures Contract may not have been issued when the contract
was written.
A Futures Contract based on an index of securities, such as a municipal bond
index Futures Contract, provides for a cash payment, equal to the amount, if
any, by which the value of the index at maturity is above or below the value
of the index at the time the contract was entered into, times a fixed index
"multiplier". The index underlying such a Futures Contract is generally a
broad based index of securities designed to reflect movements in the relevant
market as a whole. The index assigns weighted values to the securities
included in the index, and its composition is changed periodically.
Although Futures Contracts call for the actual delivery or acquisition of
securities or, in the case of Futures Contracts based on an index, the making
or acceptance of a cash settlement at a specified future time, the contractual
obligation is usually fulfilled before such date by buying or selling, as the
case may be, on a commodities exchange, an identical Futures Contract calling
for settlement in the same month, subject to the availability of a liquid
secondary market. Each Fund incurs brokerage fees when it purchases and sells
Futures Contracts.
The purpose of the acquisition or sale of a Futures Contract, in the case of a
portfolio such as that of each Fund, which holds or intends to acquire fixed
income securities, is to attempt to protect the Fund from fluctuations in
interest rates without actually buying or selling fixed income securities. For
example, if a Fund owns bonds, and interest rates were expected to increase,
the Fund might enter into Futures Contracts for the sale of debt securities.
Such a sale would have much the same effect as selling an equivalent value of
the long-term bonds owned by the Fund. If interest rates did increase, the
value of the debt securities in the portfolio would decline, but the value of
the Futures Contracts would increase at approximately the same rate, thereby
keeping the net asset value of the Fund from declining as much as it otherwise
would have. A Fund could accomplish similar results by selling bonds with long
maturities and investing in bonds with short maturities when interest rates
are expected to increase. However, since the futures market is more liquid
than the cash market, the use of Futures Contracts as an investment technique
allows each Fund to maintain a hedging position without having to sell its
portfolio securities.
Similarly, when it is expected that interest rates may decline, Futures
Contracts may be purchased to attempt to hedge against anticipated purchases
of bonds at higher prices. Since the fluctuations in the value of Futures
Contracts should be similar to that of bonds, a Fund could take advantage of
the anticipated rise in the value of bonds without actually buying them until
the market had stabilized. At that time, the Futures Contracts could be
liquidated and the Fund could then buy long-term bonds on the cash market. To
the extent a Fund enters into Futures Contracts for this purpose, the assets
in the segregated asset account maintained to cover the Fund's obligations
with respect to such Futures Contracts will consist of liquid assets from its
portfolio in an amount equal to the difference between the fluctuating market
value of such Futures Contracts and the aggregate value of the initial and
variation margin payments made by the Fund with respect to such Futures
Contracts.
The ordinary spreads between prices in the cash and futures markets, due to
differences in the nature of those markets, are subject to distortions. First,
all participants in the futures market are subject to initial deposit and
variation margin requirements. Rather than meeting additional variation margin
requirements, investors may close out Futures Contracts through offsetting
transactions which could distort the normal relationship between the cash and
futures markets. Second, the liquidity of the futures market depends on
participants entering into offsetting transactions rather than making or
taking delivery. To the extent participants decide to make or take delivery,
liquidity in the futures market could be reduced, thus producing distortion.
Third, from the point of view of speculators, the margin deposit requirements
in the futures market are less onerous than margin requirements in the
securities market. Therefore, increased participation by speculators in the
futures market may cause temporary price distortions. Due to the possibility
of distortion, a correct forecast of general interest rate trends by the
Adviser may still not result in a successful transaction.
OPTIONS ON FUTURES CONTRACTS: Each Fund intends to purchase and write options
on Futures Contracts ("Options on Futures Contracts") for hedging purposes and
for non-hedging purposes, to the extent permitted by applicable law. An Option
on a Futures Contract provides the holder with the right to enter into a
"long" position in the underlying Futures Contract (in the case of a call
option) or a "short" position in the underlying Futures Contract, in the case
of a put option, at a fixed exercise price up to a stated expiration date or
(in the case of certain options) on such date. Such Options on Futures
Contracts will be traded on U.S. contract markets regulated by the CFTC as
well as on foreign exchanges. Depending on the pricing of the option compared
to either the price of the Futures Contract upon which it is based or the
price of the underlying debt securities, it may or may not be less risky than
ownership of the Futures Contract or underlying debt securities. As with the
purchase of Futures Contracts, when a Fund is not fully invested it may
purchase a call Option on a Futures Contract to hedge against a market advance
due to declining interest rates.
The writing of a call Option on a Futures Contract constitutes a partial hedge
against declining prices of the securities which are deliverable upon exercise
of the Futures Contract. If the futures price at expiration of the option is
below the exercise price, a Fund will retain the full amount of the option
premium which provides a partial hedge against any decline that may have
occurred in the Fund's portfolio holdings. The writing of a put Option on a
Futures Contract constitutes a partial hedge against increasing prices of the
securities which are deliverable upon exercise of the Futures Contract. If the
futures price at expiration of the option is higher than the exercise price, a
Fund will retain the full amount of the option premium, less related
transaction costs, which provides a partial hedge against any increase in the
price of securities which the Fund intends to purchase. If a put or call
option a Fund has written is exercised, the Fund will incur a loss which will
be reduced by the amount of the premium it receives, less related transaction
costs. Depending on the degree of correlation between changes in the value of
its portfolio securities and changes in the value of its futures positions, a
Fund's losses from existing Options on Futures Contracts may to some extent be
reduced or increased by changes in the value of portfolio securities. The
writer of an Option on a Futures Contract is subject to the requirement of
initial and variation margin payments. Each Fund will cover the writing of
call Options on Futures Contracts through purchases of the underlying Futures
Contract or through ownership of the security, or securities included in the
index, underlying the Futures Contract. Each Fund may also cover the writing
of call Options on Futures Contracts through the purchase of such Options,
provided that the exercise price of the call purchased (a) is equal to or less
than the exercise price of the call written; or (b) is greater than the
exercise price of the call written if liquid assets representing the
difference are segregated by the Fund. Each Fund may cover the writing of put
Options on Futures Contracts through sales of the underlying Futures Contract
or through segregation of liquid assets in an amount equal to the value of the
security or index underlying the Futures Contract. Each Fund may also cover
the writing of put Options on Futures Contracts through the purchase of such
Options, provided that the exercise price of the put purchased is equal to or
greater than the exercise price of the put written, or is less than the
exercise price of the put written if liquid assets representing the difference
are segregated by the Fund. In addition, each Fund may cover put and call
Options on Futures Contracts in accordance with the requirements of the
exchange on which the option is traded and applicable laws and regulations.
Each Fund may also purchase straddles on Options on Futures Contracts in order
to protect against risk of loss arising as a result of anticipated changes in
volatility in the interest rate or fixed income markets. Under such
circumstances, if the anticipated changes in volatility in the market do not
occur, a Fund could be required to forfeit one or both of the premiums paid
for the Options.
The purchase of a put Option on a Futures Contract is similar in some respects
to the purchase of protective put options on portfolio securities. Each Fund
will purchase a put Option on a Futures Contract to hedge the Fund's portfolio
against the risk of rising interest rates.
Each Fund's ability to engage in futures strategies will also depend on the
availability of liquid markets in such instruments. The liquidity of a
secondary market in a Futures Contract or option thereon may be adversely
affected by "daily price fluctuation limits," established by exchanges, which
limit the amount of fluctuation in the price of a contract during a single
trading day and prohibit trading beyond such limit. In addition, the exchanges
on which futures are traded may impose limitations governing the maximum
number of positions on the same side of the market and involving the same
underlying instrument which may be held by a single investor, whether acting
alone or in concert with others (regardless of whether such contracts are held
on the same or different exchanges or held or written in one or more accounts
or through one or more brokers).
In addition, Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts may be traded
on foreign exchanges. Such transactions are subject to the risk of
governmental actions affecting trading in or the prices of foreign currencies
or securities. The value of such positions also could be adversely affected by
(i) other complex foreign, political and economic factors, (ii) lesser
availability than in the U.S. of data on which to make trading decisions,
(iii) delays in the Fund's ability to act upon economic events occuring in
foreign markets during non-business hours in the U.S., (iv) the imposition of
different exercise and settlement terms and procedures and margin requirements
than in the United States, and (v) lesser trading volume.
POLICIES ON THE USE OF OPTIONS AND FUTURES: In order to assure that each Fund
will not be deemed to be a "commodity pool" for purposes of the Commodity
Exchange Act, regulations of the CFTC require that a Fund enter into
transactions in Futures Contracts, Options on Futures Contracts and Options on
Foreign Currencies traded on a CFTC-regulated exchange only (i) for bona fide
hedging purposes (as defined in CFTC regulations), or (ii) for non-bona fide
hedging purposes, provided that the aggregate initial margin and premiums
required to establish such non-bona fide hedging positions does not exceed 5%
of the liquidation value of the Fund's assets, after taking into account
unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such contracts the Fund has
entered into, and excluding, in computing such 5%, the in-the-money amount
with respect to an option that is in-the-money at the time of purchase.
FORWARD CONTRACTS: The Research Bond Fund may enter into contracts for the
purchase or sale of a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the
time the contract is entered into (a "Forward Contract"), for hedging purposes
as well as for non-hedging purposes. The Research Bond Fund may also enter
into Forward Contracts for "cross-hedging" purposes as noted in the
Prospectus. The Fund will enter into Forward Contracts for the purpose of
protecting its current or intended investments from fluctuations in currency
exchange rates.
A Forward Contract to sell a currency may be entered into where the Fund seeks
to protect against an anticipated increase in the exchange rate for a specific
currency which could reduce the dollar value of portfolio securities
denominated in such currency. Conversely, the Fund may enter into a Forward
Contract to purchase a given currency to protect against a projected increase
in the dollar value of securities denominated in such currency which the Fund
intends to acquire.
If a hedging transaction in Forward Contracts is successful the decline in the
value of portfolio securities or the increase in the cost of securities to be
acquired may be offset, at least in part, by profits on the Forward Contract.
Nevertheless, by entering into such Forward Contracts, the Fund may be
required to forego all or a portion of the benefits which otherwise could have
been obtained from favorable movements in exchange rates. The Fund does not
presently intend to hold Forward Contracts entered into until the value date,
at which time it would be required to deliver or accept delivery of the
underlying currency, but will seek in most instances to close out positions in
such Contracts by entering into offsetting transactions, which will serve to
fix the Fund's profit or loss based upon the value of the Contracts at the
time the offsetting transaction is executed.
The Fund has established procedures which require the use of segregated assets
or "cover" in connection with the purchase and sale of such Contracts. In
those instances in which the Fund satisfies this requirement through
segregation of assets, it will maintain, in a segregated account, liquid
assets which will be marked to market on a daily basis, in an amount equal to
the value of its commitments under Forward Contracts.
OPTIONS ON FOREIGN CURRENCIES: The Research Bond Fund may purchase and write
options on foreign currencies for hedging purposes in a manner similar to that
in which futures contracts on foreign currencies, or Forward Contracts, will
be utilized. For example, a decline in the dollar value of a foreign currency
in which portfolio securities are denominated will reduce the dollar value of
such securities, even if their value in the foreign currency remains constant.
In order to protect against such diminutions in the value of portfolio
securities, the Fund may purchase put options on the foreign currency. If the
value of the currency does decline, the Fund will have the right to sell such
currency for a fixed amount in dollars and will thereby offset, in whole in
part, the adverse effect on its portfolio which otherwise would have resulted.
Conversely, where a rise in the dollar value of a currency in which securities
to be acquired are denominated is projected, thereby increasing the cost of
such securities, the Fund may purchase call options thereon. The purchase of
such options could offset, at least partially, the effects of the adverse
movements in exchange rates. As in the case of other types of options,
however, the benefit to the Fund deriving from purchases of foreign currency
options will be reduced by the amount of the premium and related transaction
costs. In addition, where currency exchange rates do not move in the direction
or to the extent anticipated, the Fund could sustain losses on transactions in
foreign currency options which would require it to forego a portion or all of
the benefits of advantageous changes in such rates. The Fund may write options
on foreign currencies for the same types of hedging purposes. For example,
where the Fund anticipates a decline in the dollar value of foreign-
denominated securities due to adverse fluctuations in exchange rates it could,
instead of purchasing a put option, write a call option on the relevant
currency. If the expected decline occurs, the option will most likely not be
exercised, and the diminution in value of portfolio securities will be offset
by the amount of the premium received less related transaction costs. As in
the case of other types of options, therefore, the writing of Options on
Foreign Currencies will constitute only a partial hedge.
Similarly, instead of purchasing a call option to hedge against an anticipated
increase in the dollar cost of securities to be acquired, the Fund could write
a put option on the relevant currency which, if rates move in the manner
projected, will expire unexercised and allow the Fund to hedge such increased
cost up to the amount of the premium. Foreign currency options written by the
Fund will generally be covered in a manner similar to the covering of other
types of options. As in the case of other types of options, however, the
writing of a foreign currency option will constitute only a partial hedge up
to the amount of the premium, and only if rates move in the expected
direction. If this does not occur, the option may be exercised and the Fund
would be required to purchase or sell the underlying currency at a loss which
may not be offset by the amount of the premium. Through the writing of options
on foreign currencies, the Fund also may be required to forego all or a
portion of the benefits which might otherwise have been obtained from
favorable movements in exchange rates.
STRIPPED MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES: The Research Bond Fund may invest a
portion of its assets in stripped mortgage-backed securities ("SMBS") which
are derivative multiclass mortgage securities issued by agencies of or
instrumentalities of the U.S. Government, or by private originators of, or
investors in mortgage loans, including savings and loan institutions, mortgage
banks, commercial banks and investment banks.
SMBS are usually structured with two classes that receive different
proportions of the interest and principal distributions from a pool of
mortgage assets. A common type of SMBS will have one class receiving some of
the interest and most of the principal from the Mortgage Assets, while the
other class will receive most of the interest and the remainder of the
principal. In the most extreme case, one class will receive all of the
interest (the interest-only or "10" class) while the other class will receive
all of the principal (the principal-only or "PO" class). The yield to maturity
on an IO is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments, including
prepayments on the related underlying Mortgage Assets, and a rapid rate of
principal payments may have a material adverse effect on such security's yield
to maturity. If the underlying Mortgage Assets experience greater than
anticipated prepayments of principal, the Fund may fail to fully recoup its
initial investment in these securities. The market value of the class
consisting primarily or entirely of principal payments generally is unusually
volatile in response to changes in interst rates. Because SMBS were only
recently introduced, established trading markets for these securities have not
yet developed, although the securities are traded among institutional
investors and investment banking firms.
SWAPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS: The Research Bond Fund may enter into interest
rate swaps, currency swaps and other types of available swap agreements, such
as caps, collars and floors and options on swaps, or "swaptions".
Swap agreements may be individually negotiated and structured to include
exposure to a variety of different types of investments or market factors.
Depending on their structure, swap agreements may increase or decrease the
Fund's exposure to long or short-term interest rates (in the U.S. or abroad),
foreign currency values, mortgage securities, corporate borrowing rates, or
other factors such as securities prices or inflation rates. Swap agreements
can take many different forms and are known by a variety of names. The Fund is
not limited to any particular form or variety of swap agreement if the Adviser
determines it is consistent with the Fund's investment objective and policies.
The Fund will maintain cash or appropriate liquid assets to cover its current
obligations under swap transactions. If the Fund enters into a swap agreement
on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund
receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two
payments), the Fund will maintain cash or liquid assets with a daily value at
least equal to the excess, if any, of the Fund's accrued obligations under the
swap agreement over the accrued amount the Fund is entitled to receive under
the agreement. If a Fund enters into a swap agreement on other than a net
basis, it will maintain cash or liquid assets with a value equal to the full
amount of the Fund's accrued obligations under the agreement.
The most significant factor in the performance of swaps, caps, floors and
collars is the change in the specific interest rate, currency or other factor
that determines the amount of payments to be made under the arrangement. If
the Adviser is incorrect in its forecasts of such factors, the investment
performance of the Fund would be less than what it would have been if these
investment techniques had not been used. If a swap agreement calls for
payments by the Fund, the Fund must be prepared to make such payments when
due. In addition, if the counterparty's creditworthiness declined, the value
of the swap agreement would be likely to decline potentially resulting in
losses.
If the counterparty defaults, the Fund's risk of loss consists of the net
amount of payments that the Fund is contractually entitled to receive. The
Fund anticipates that it will be able to eliminate or reduce its exposure
under these arrangements by assignment or other disposition or by entering
into an offsetting agreement with the same or another counterparty.
3. ADDITIONAL RISK FACTORS:
OPTIONS, FUTURES AND FORWARD TRANSACTIONS
RISK OF IMPERFECT CORRELATION OF HEDGING INSTRUMENTS WITH A FUND'S PORTFOLIO.
A Fund's ability effectively to hedge all or a portion of its portfolio
through transactions in options, Futures Contracts, Options on Futures
Contracts, Forward Contracts and options on foreign currencies depends on the
degree to which price movements in the underlying index or instrument
correlate with price movements in the relevant portion of the Fund's
portfolio. In the case of futures and options based on an index, the portfolio
will not duplicate the components of the index, and in the case of futures and
options on fixed income securities, the portfolio securities which are being
hedged may not be the same type of obligation underlying such contract. The
use of Forward Contracts for "cross hedging" purposes may involve greater
correlation risks. As a result, the correlation probably will not be exact.
Consequently, each Fund bears the risk that the price of the portfolio
securities being hedged will not move in the same amount or direction as the
underlying index or obligation.
For example, if a Fund purchases a put option on an index and the index
decreases less than the value of the hedged securities, the Fund would
experience a loss which is not completely offset by the put option. It is also
possible that there may be a negative correlation between the index or
obligation underlying an option or Futures Contract in which the Fund has a
position and the portfolio securities the Fund is attempting to hedge, which
could result in a loss on both the portfolio and the hedging instrument. In
addition, the Research Bond Fund may enter into transactions in Forward
Contracts or options on foreign currencies in order to hedge against exposure
arising from the currencies underlying such instruments. In such instances,
the Fund will be subject to the additional risk of imperfect correlation
between changes in the value of the currencies underlying such forwards or
options and changes in the value of the currencies being hedged. It should be
noted that stock index futures contracts or options based upon a narrower
index of securities, such as those of a particular industry group, may present
greater risk than options or futures based on a broad market index. This is
due to the fact that a narrower index is more susceptible to rapid and extreme
fluctuations as a result of changes in the value of a small number of
securities. Nevertheless, where a Fund enters into transactions in options, or
futures on narrowly-based indices for hedging purposes, movements in the value
of the index should, if the hedge is successful, correlate closely with the
portion of the Fund's portfolio or the intended acquisitions being hedged.
The trading of Futures Contracts, options and Forward Contracts for hedging
purposes entails the additional risk of imperfect correlation between
movements in the futures or option price and the price of the underlying index
or obligation. The anticipated spread between the prices may be distorted due
to the differences in the nature of the markets such as differences in margin
requirements, the liquidity of such markets and the participation of
speculators in the options, futures and forward markets. In this regard,
trading by speculators in options, futures and Forward Contracts has in the
past occasionally resulted in market distortions, which may be difficult or
impossible to predict, particularly near the expiration of such contracts.
The trading of Options on Futures Contracts also entails the risk that changes
in the value of the underlying Futures Contracts will not be fully reflected
in the value of the option. The risk of imperfect correlation, however,
generally tends to diminish as the maturity date of the Futures Contract or
expiration date of the option approaches.
Further, with respect to options on securities, options on stock indices,
options on currencies and Options on Futures Contracts, a Fund is subject to
the risk of market movements between the time that the option is exercised and
the time of performance thereunder. This could increase the extent of any loss
suffered by a Fund in connection with such transactions.
In writing a covered call option on a security, index or futures contract, a
Fund also incurs the risk that changes in the value of the instruments used to
cover the position will not correlate closely with changes in the value of the
option or underlying index or instrument. For example, where a Fund covers a
call option written on a stock index through segregation of securities, such
securities may not match the composition of the index, and the Fund may not be
fully covered. As a result, the Fund could be subject to risk of loss in the
event of adverse market movements.
The writing of options on securities, options on stock indices or Options on
Futures Contracts constitutes only a partial hedge against fluctuations in the
value of a Fund's portfolio. When a Fund writes an option, it will receive
premium income in return for the holder's purchase of the right to acquire or
dispose of the underlying obligation. In the event that the price of such
obligation does not rise sufficiently above the exercise price of the option,
in the case of a call, or fall below the exercise price, in the case of a put,
the option will not be exercised and the Fund will retain the amount of the
premium, less related transaction costs, which will constitute a partial hedge
against any decline that may have occurred in the Fund's portfolio holdings or
any increase in the cost of the instruments to be acquired.
Where the price of the underlying obligation moves sufficiently in favor of
the holder to warrant exercise of the option, however, and the option is
exercised, a Fund will incur a loss which may only be partially offset by the
amount of the premium it received.
Moreover, by writing an option, a Fund may be required to forego the benefits
which might otherwise have been obtained from an increase in the value of
portfolio securities or other assets or a decline in the value of securities
or assets to be acquired. In the event of the occurrence of any of the
foregoing adverse market events, a Fund's overall return may be lower than if
it had not engaged in the hedging transactions.
The Funds may enter transactions in options (except for Options on Foreign
Currencies), Futures Contracts, Options on Futures Contracts and Forward
Contracts (except the Research Bond Fund may not enter into Forward
Contracts,) for non-hedging purposes as well as hedging purposes. Non-hedging
transactions in such investments involve greater risks and may result in
losses which may not be offset by increases in the value of portfolio
securities or declines in the cost of securities to be acquired. The Funds
will only write covered options, such that cash or securities necessary to
satisfy an option exercise will be segregated at all times, unless the option
is covered in such other manner as may be in accordance with the rules of the
exchange on which the option is traded and applicable laws and regulations.
Nevertheless, the method of covering an option employed by a Fund may not
fully protect it against risk of loss and, in any event, the Fund could suffer
losses on the option position which might not be offset by corresponding
portfolio gains. Entering into transactions in Futures Contracts, Options on
Futures Contracts and Forward Contracts for other than hedging purposes could
expose a Fund to significant risk of loss if foreign currency exchange rates
do not move in the direction or to the extent anticipated.
With respect to the writing of straddles on securities, a Fund incurs the risk
that the price of the underlying security will not remain stable, that one of
the options written will be exercised and that the resulting loss will not be
offset by the amount of the premiums received. Such transactions, therefore,
create an opportunity for increased return by providing a Fund with two
simultaneous premiums on the same security, but involve additional risk, since
the Fund may have an option exercised against it regardless of whether the
price of the security increases or decreases.
RISK OF A POTENTIAL LACK OF A LIQUID SECONDARY MARKET. Prior to exercise or
expiration, a futures or option position can only be terminated by entering
into a closing purchase or sale transaction. This requires a secondary market
for such instruments on the exchange on which the initial transaction was
entered into. While the Funds will enter into options or futures positions
only if there appears to be a liquid secondary market therefor, there can be
no assurance that such a market will exist for any particular contracts at any
specific time. In that event, it may not be possible to close out a position
held by a Fund, and the Fund could be required to purchase or sell the
instrument underlying an option, make or receive a cash settlement or meet
ongoing variation margin requirements. Under such circumstances, if the Fund
has insufficient cash available to meet margin requirements, it will be
necessary to liquidate portfolio securities or other assets at a time when it
is disadvantageous to do so. The inability to close out options and futures
positions, therefore, could have an adverse impact on the Fund's ability
effectively to hedge its portfolio, and could result in trading losses.
The liquidity of a secondary market in a Futures Contract or option thereon
may be adversely affected by "daily price fluctuation limits," established by
exchanges, which limit the amount of fluctuation in the price of a contract
during a single trading day. Once the daily limit has been reached in the
contract, no trades may be entered into at a price beyond the limit, thus
preventing the liquidation of open futures or option positions and requiring
traders to make additional margin deposits. Prices have in the past moved to
the daily limit on a number of consecutive trading days.
The trading of Futures Contracts and options is also subject to the risk of
trading halts, suspensions, exchange or clearinghouse equipment failures,
government intervention, insolvency of a brokerage firm or clearinghouse or
other disruptions of normal trading activity, which could at times make it
difficult or impossible to liquidate existing positions or to recover excess
variation margin payments.
MARGIN. Because of low initial margin deposits made upon the opening of a
futures or forward position and the writing of an option, such transactions
involve substantial leverage. As a result, relatively small movements in the
price of the contract can result in substantial unrealized gains or losses.
Where a Fund enters into such transactions for hedging purposes, any losses
incurred in connection therewith should, if the hedging strategy is
successful, be offset, in whole or in part, by increases in the value of
securities or other assets held by the Fund or decreases in the prices of
securities or other assets the Fund intends to acquire. Where a Fund enters
into such transactions for other than hedging purposes, the margin
requirements associated with such transactions could expose the Fund to
greater risk.
TRADING AND POSITION LIMITS. The exchange on which futures and options are
traded may impose limitations governing the maximum number of positions on the
same side of the market and involving the same underlying instrument which may
be held by a single investor, whether acting alone or in concert with others
(regardless of whether such contracts are held on the same or different
exchanges or held or written in one or more accounts or through one or more
brokers). Further, the CFTC and the various contract markets have established
limits referred to as "speculative position limits" on the maximum net long or
net short position which any person may hold or control in a particular
futures or option contract. An exchange may order the liquidation of positions
found to be in violation of these limits and it may impose other sanctions or
restrictions. The Adviser does not believe that these trading and position
limits will have any adverse impact on the strategies for hedging the
portfolios of the Fund.
RISKS OF OPTIONS ON FUTURES CONTRACTS. The amount of risk a Fund assumes when
it purchases an Option on a Futures Contract is the premium paid for the
option, plus related transaction costs. In order to profit from an option
purchased, however, it may be necessary to exercise the option and to
liquidate the underlying Futures Contract, subject to the risks of the
availability of a liquid offset market described herein. The writer of an
Option on a Futures Contract is subject to the risks of commodity futures
trading, including the requirement of initial and variation margin payments,
as well as the additional risk that movements in the price of the option may
not correlate with movements in the price of the underlying security, index,
currency or Futures Contract.
RISKS OF TRANSACTIONS RELATED TO FOREIGN CURRENCIES AND TRANSACTIONS NOT
CONDUCTED ON U.S. EXCHANGES. Transactions in Forward Contracts on foreign
currencies by the Research Bond Fund, as well as futures and options on
foreign currencies and transactions executed on foreign exchanges, are subject
to all of the correlation, liquidity and other risks outlined above. In
addition, however, such transactions are subject to the risk of governmental
actions affecting trading in or the prices of currencies underlying such
contracts, which could restrict or eliminate trading and could have a
substantial adverse effect on the value of positions held by a Fund. Further,
the value of such positions could be adversely affected by a number of other
complex political and economic factors applicable to the countries issuing the
underlying currencies.
Further, unlike trading in most other types of instruments, there is no
systematic reporting of last sale information with respect to the foreign
currencies underlying contracts thereon. As a result, the available
information on which trading systems will be based may not be as complete as
the comparable data on which a Fund makes investment and trading decisions in
connection with other transactions. Moreover, because the foreign currency
market is a global, 24-hour market, events could occur in that market which
will not be reflected in the forward, futures or options market until the
following day, thereby making it more difficult for the Fund to respond to
such events in a timely manner.
Settlements of exercises of over-the-counter Forward Contracts or foreign
currency options generally must occur within the country issuing the
underlying currency, which in turn requires traders to accept or make delivery
of such currencies in conformity with any U.S. or foreign restrictions and
regulations regarding the maintenance of foreign banking relationships, fees,
taxes or other charges.
Unlike transactions entered into by a Fund in Futures Contracts and exchange-
traded options, options on foreign currencies, Forward Contracts and over-the-
counter options on securities are not traded on contract markets regulated by
the CFTC or (with the exception of certain foreign currency options) the SEC.
To the contrary, such instruments are traded through financial institutions
acting as market-makers, although foreign currency options are also traded on
certain national securities exchanges, such as the Philadelphia Stock Exchange
and the Chicago Board Options Exchange, subject to SEC regulation. In an over-
the-counter trading environment, many of the protections afforded to exchange
participants will not be available. For example, there are no daily price
fluctuation limits, and adverse market movements could therefore continue to
an unlimited extent over a period of time. Although the purchaser of an option
cannot lose more than the amount of the premium plus related transaction
costs, this entire amount could be lost. Moreover, the option writer and a
trader of Forward Contracts could lose amounts substantially in excess of
their initial investments, due to the margin and collateral requirements
associated with such positions.
In addition, over-the-counter transactions can only be entered into with a
financial institution willing to take the opposite side, as principal, of a
Fund's position unless the institution acts as broker and is able to find
another counterparty willing to enter into the transaction with the Fund.
Where no such counterparty is available, it will not be possible to enter into
a desired transaction. There also may be no liquid secondary market in the
trading of over-the-counter contracts, and a Fund could be required to retain
options purchased or written, or Forward Contracts entered into, until
exercise, expiration or maturity. This in turn could limit the Fund's ability
to profit from open positions or to reduce losses experienced, and could
result in greater losses.
Further, over-the-counter transactions are not subject to the guarantee of an
exchange clearinghouse, and a Fund will therefore be subject to the risk of
default by, or the bankruptcy of, the financial institution serving as its
counterparty. One or more of such institutions also may decide to discontinue
their role as market-makers in a particular currency or security, thereby
restricting the Fund's ability to enter into desired hedging transactions. A
Fund will enter into an over-the-counter transaction only with parties whose
creditworthiness has been reviewed and found satisfactory by the Adviser.
Options on securities, options on stock indices, Futures Contracts, Options on
Futures Contracts and options on foreign currencies may be traded on exchanges
located in foreign countries. Such transactions may not be conducted in the
same manner as those entered into on U.S. exchanges, and may be subject to
different margin, exercise, settlement or expiration procedures. As a result,
many of the risks of over-the-counter trading may be present in connection
with such transactions.
Options on foreign currencies traded on national securities exchanges are
within the jurisdiction of the SEC, as are other securities traded on such
exchanges. As a result, many of the protections provided to traders on
organized exchanges will be available with respect to such transactions. In
particular, all foreign currency option positions entered into on a national
securities exchange are cleared and guaranteed by the Options Clearing
Corporation (the "OCC"), thereby reducing the risk of counterparty default.
Further, a liquid secondary market in options traded on a national securities
exchange may be more readily available than in the over-the counter market,
potentially permitting a Fund to liquidate open positions at a profit prior to
exercise or expiration, or to limit losses in the event of adverse market
movements.
The purchase and sale of exchange-traded foreign currency options, however, is
subject to the risks of the availability of a liquid secondary market
described above, as well as the risks regarding adverse market movements,
margining of options written, the nature of the foreign currency market,
possible intervention by governmental authorities and the effects of other
political and economic events. In addition, exchange-traded options on foreign
currencies involve certain risks not presented by the over-the-counter market.
For example, exercise and settlement of such options must be made exclusively
through the OCC, which has established banking relationships in applicable
foreign countries for this purpose. As a result, the OCC may, if it determines
that foreign governmental restrictions or taxes would prevent the orderly
settlement of foreign currency option exercises, or would result in undue
burdens on the OCC or its clearing member, impose special procedures on
exercise and settlement, such as technical changes in the mechanics of
delivery of currency, the fixing of dollar settlement prices or prohibitions
on exercise.
PORTFOLIO TRADING: As described in the Prospectus, each Fund intends to engage
in portfolio trading rather than holding portfolio securities to maturity.
Such trading may involve the selling of securities held for a short time,
ranging from several months to less than a day and may be limited by tax
restrictions.
In trading portfolio securities, each Fund may use the following strategies:
(1) shortening the average maturity of its portfolio in anticipation of a
rise in interest rates so as to minimize depreciation of principal;
(2) lengthening the average maturity of its portfolio in anticipation of a
decline in interest rates so as to maximize appreciation of principal;
(3) changing the average coupon of its portfolio when yield disparities
reflect a change in investment value among securities trading at differing
levels of premiums or discounts;
(4) selling one type of debt security (e.g., industrial bonds) and buying
another (e.g., utility bonds) when disparities arise in the relative values
of each; and
(5) changing from one debt security to an essentially similar debt
security when their respective yields are distorted due to market factors.
These strategies may result in minor temporary increases or decreases in a
Fund's current income available for distribution to its shareholders, and in
its holding debt securities which sell at moderate to substantial premiums or
discounts from face value. If a Fund's expectations of changes in interest
rates or a Fund's evaluation of the normal yield relationship between two
securities proves to be incorrect, the Fund's income, net asset value and
potential capital gain may be reduced or its potential capital loss may be
increased.
Except for Investment Restriction (1) below and each Fund's non-fundamental
restriction regarding investing in illiquid securities, each Fund's
limitations, policies and rating restrictions are adhered to at the time of
purchase or utilization of assets; a subsequent change in circumstances will
not be considered to result in a violation of policy.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS. Each Fund has adopted the following restrictions
which cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of
the Fund's shares (which, as used in this SAI, means the lesser of (i) more
than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Trust or a series or class, as
applicable, or (ii) 67% or more of the outstanding shares of the Trust or a
series or class, as applicable, present at a meeting if the holders of more
than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Trust or a series or class, as
applicable, are represented in person or by proxy).
Neither Fund may:
(1) borrow amounts from banks in excess of 33 1/3% of its total assets
including amounts borrowed.
(2) underwrite securities issued by other persons except insofar as a Fund
may technically be deemed an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933 in
selling a portfolio security;
(3) issue any senior securities except as permitted by the 1940 Act; for
purposes of this restriction, collateral arrangements with respect to any
type of option (including Options on Futures Contracts, Options, Options on
Indices and Options on Foreign Currencies), short sale, Forward Contracts,
Futures Contracts, any other type of futures contract, and collateral
arrangements with respect to initial and variation margin, are not deemed to
be the issuance of a senior security;
(4) make loans to other persons; for these purposes, the purchase of
short-term commercial paper, the purchase of a portion or all of an issue of
debt securities, the lending of portfolio securities, or the investment of a
Fund's assets in repurchase agreements, shall not be considered the making
of a loan;
(5) purchase or sell real estate (including limited partnership interests
but excluding securities secured by real estate or interests therein and
securities of companies, such as real estate investment trusts, which deal
in real estate or interests therein), interests in oil, gas or mineral
leases, commodities or commodity contracts (excluding Options, Options on
Futures Contracts, Options on Stock Indices, Options on Foreign Currency and
any other type of option, Futures Contracts, any other type of futures
contract, and Forward Contracts) in the ordinary course of its business.
Each Fund reserves the freedom of action to hold and to sell real estate,
mineral leases, commodities or commodity contracts (including Options,
Options on Futures Contracts, Options on Stock Indices, Options on Foreign
Currency and any other type of option, Futures Contracts, any other type of
futures contract, and Forward Contracts) acquired as a result of the
ownership of securities; or
(6) purchase any securities of an issuer of a particular industry, if as a
result, 25% or more of its total assets would be invested in securities of
issuers whose principal business activities are in the same industry (except
obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies and
instrumentalities and repurchase agreements collateralized by such
obligations).
IN ADDITION, EACH FUND HAS THE FOLLOWING NONFUNDAMENTAL POLICIES WHICH MAY BE
CHANGED WITHOUT SHAREHOLDER APPROVAL:
Neither Fund will:
(1) invest in illiquid investments, including securities subject to legal
or contractual restrictions on resale or for which there is no readily
available market (e.g., trading in the security is suspended, or, in the
case of unlisted securities, where no market exists), if more than 15% of a
Fund's net assets (taken at market value) would be invested in such
securities. Repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days will be
deemed to be illiquid for purposes of a Fund's limitation on investment in
illiquid securities. Securities that are not registered under the 1933 Act
and sold in reliance on Rule 144A thereunder and commercial paper issued
pursuant to section 4(2) of the 1933 Act, which are determined to be liquid
by the Trust's Board of Trustees (or its delegate), will not be subject to
this 15% limitation; or
(2) invest for the purpose of exercising control or management;
(3) pledge, mortgage or hypothecate in excess of 33 1/3% of its total
assets; for purposes of this restriction, collateral arrangements with
respect to any type of option (including Options on Futures Contracts,
Options, Options on Indices and Options on Foreign Currencies), any short
sale, any type of futures contract (including Futures Contracts), Forward
Contracts and payments of initial and variation margin in connection
therewith, are not considered a pledge of assets.
4. MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
The Trust's Board of Trustees provides broad supervision over the affairs of
each Fund. The Adviser is responsible for the investment management of each
Fund's assets and the officers of the Trust are responsible for its
operations. The Trustees and officers of the Trust are listed below, together
with their principal occupations during the past five years. (Their titles may
have varied during that period.)
TRUSTEES
RICHARD B. BAILEY* (born 9/14/26)
Private Investor; Massachusetts Financial Services Company, former Chairman
(prior to September 30, 1991); Cambridge Bancorp, Director; Cambridge Trust
Company, Director
PETER G. HARWOOD (born 4/3/26)
Private Investor
Address: 211 Lindsay Pond Road, Concord, Massachusetts
J. ATWOOD IVES (born 5/1/36)
Eastern Enterprises (diversified services company), Chairman, Trustee and
Chief Executive Officer
Address: 9 Riverside Road, Weston, Massachusetts
LAWRENCE T. PERERA (born 6/23/35)
Hemenway & Barnes (attorneys), Partner
Address: 60 State Street, Boston, Massachusetts
WILLIAM J. POORVU (born 4/10/35)
Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration, Adjunct
Professor; CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (a real estate investment
trust), Director; The Baupost Fund (a registered investment company), Vice
Chairman (since November 1993), Chairman and Trustee (prior to November
1993)
Address: Harvard Business School, Soldiers Field Road, Cambridge,
Massachusetts
CHARLES W. SCHMIDT (born 3/18/28)
Private Investor; International Technology Corporation, Director; Mohawk Paper
Company, Director
Address: 30 Colpitts Road, Weston, Massachusetts
ARNOLD D. SCOTT* (born 12/16/42)
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Senior Executive Vice President,
Secretary and Director
JEFFREY L. SHAMES* (born 6/2/55)
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
ELAINE R. SMITH (born 4/25/46)
Independent Consultant
Address: Weston, Massachusetts
DAVID B. STONE (born 9/2/27)
North American Management Corp. (investment adviser), Chairman and Director;
Eastern Enterprises, Trustee
Address: 10 Post Office Square, Suite 300, Boston, Massachusetts
OFFICERS
W. THOMAS LONDON,* Treasurer (born 3/1/44)
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Senior Vice President
JAMES O. YOST,* Assistant Treasurer (born 6/12/60)
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Vice President
ELLEN MOYNIHAN*, Assistant Treasurer (born 11/13/57)
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Vice President (since September
1996); Deloitte & Touche LLP, Senior Manager (until September 1996).
MARK E. BRADLEY*, Assistant Treasurer (born 11/23/59)
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Vice President (since March 1997);
Putnam Investments, Vice President (from September 1994 until March 1997);
Ernst & Young, Senior Tax Manager (until September 1994).
STEPHEN E. CAVAN,* Secretary and Clerk (born 11/6/53)
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Senior Vice President, General
Counsel and Assistant Secretary
JAMES R. BORDEWICK, JR.,* Assistant Secretary (born 3/6/59)
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Senior Vice President and Associate
General Counsel
GEOFFREY L. KURINSKY,* Vice President (born 7/7/53)
Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Senior Vice President
- ----------
* "Interested persons" (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Adviser, whose
address is 500 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts.
Each Trustee and officer holds comparable positions with certain affiliates of
MFS or with certain other funds of which MFS or a subsidiary is the investment
adviser or distributor. Messrs. Shames and Scott, Directors of MFD, and Mr.
Cavan, the Secretary of MFD, hold similar positions with certain other MFS
affiliates. Mr. Bailey is a Director of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada
(U.S.), a subsidiary of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada ("Sun Life").
While each Fund pays the compensation of the non-interested Trustees and Mr.
Bailey, the Trustees are currently waiving their rights to receive such fees.
Each Fund has adopted a retirement plan for non-interested Trustees and Mr.
Bailey. Under this plan, a Trustee will retire upon reaching age 73 and if the
Trustee has completed at least five years of service, he would be entitled to
annual payments during his lifetime of up to 50% of such Trustee's average
annual compensation (based on the three years prior to his retirement)
depending on his length of service. A Trustee may also retire prior to age 73
and receive reduced payments if he has completed at least five years of
service. Under the plan, a Trustee (or his beneficiaries) will also receive
benefits for a period of time in the event the Trustee is disabled or dies.
These benefits will also be based on the Trustee's average annual compensation
and length of service. There is no retirement plan provided by the Trust for
Messrs. Scott and Shames. Each Fund will accrue its allocable share of
compensation expenses each year to cover current year's service and amortize
past service cost.
Set forth below is certain information concerning the cash compensation paid
to the Trustees and benefits accrued, and estimated benefits payable, under
the retirement plan.
TRUSTEE COMPENSATION TABLE
TOTAL TRUSTEES
FEES FROM
FUND AND
TRUSTEES FEE FUND
TRUSTEE FROM FUND(1) COMPLEX(2)
- ------------------------------------------- ------------- ------------------
Richard B. Bailey ......................... $ $283,647
Peter G. Harwood .......................... 121,105
J. Atwood Ives ............................ 108,720
Lawrence T. Perera ........................ 127,055
William Poorvu ............................ 121,105
Charles W. Schmidt ........................ 121,105
Arnold D. Scott ........................... --0--
Jeffrey L. Shames ......................... --0--
Elaine R. Smith ........................... 132,035
David B. Stone ............................ 127,055
(1) Estimated for fiscal year ended April 30, 1999. The Trustees are currently
waiving their right to receive fees from the Funds.
(2) For calendar year 1997. All Trustees receiving compensation served as
Trustees of 27 funds within the MFS Fund complex (having aggregate net
assets at December 31, 1997, of approximately $28.9 billion) except Mr.
Bailey, who served as Trustee of 69 funds within the MFS Fund complex
(having aggregate net assets at December 31, 1997, of approximately $47.8
billion).
The Declaration of Trust provides that the Trust will indemnify its Trustees
and officers against liabilities and expenses incurred in connection with
litigation in which they may be involved because of their offices with the
Trust, unless, as to liabilities to the Trust or its shareholders, it is
finally adjudicated that they engaged in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross
negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in their offices, or
with respect to any matter unless it is adjudicated that they did not act in
good faith in the reasonable belief that their actions were in the best
interest of the Trust. In the case of settlement, such indemnification will
not be provided unless it has been determined pursuant to the Declaration of
Trust, that such officers or Trustees have not engaged in willful misfeasance,
bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of their duties.
INVESTMENT ADVISER
MFS and its predecessor organizations have a history of money management
dating from 1924. MFS is a subsidiary of Sun Life of Canada (U.S.) Financial
Services Holdings, Inc., which in turn is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary
of Sun Life.
The Adviser manages the assets of each Fund pursuant to an Investment Advisory
Agreement, dated December 31, 1998 (the "Advisory Agreements"). Under the
Advisory Agreements, the Adviser provides each Fund with overall investment
advisory services. Subject to such policies as the Trustees may determine, the
Adviser makes investment decisions for each Fund. For its services and
facilities, the Adviser receives a management fee, computed and paid monthly,
as disclosed in the Prospectus under the heading "Management of the Funds."
The Adviser is currently waiving its right to receive its management fee from
each Fund. The Adviser pays the compensation of the Trust's officers and of
any Trustee who is an officer of the Adviser.
Each Fund pays all of its Fund's expenses (other than those assumed by the
Adviser or MFD) including but not limited to: advisory and administrative
services; governmental fees; interest charges; taxes; membership dues in the
Investment Company Institute allocable to that Fund; fees and expenses of
independent auditors, of legal counsel, and of any transfer agent, registrar
or dividend disbursing agent of that Fund; expenses of repurchasing and
redeeming shares; expenses of preparing, printing and mailing share
certificates, periodic reports, notices and proxy statements to shareholders
and to governmental officers and commissions; brokerage and other expenses
connected with the execution, recording and settlement of portfolio security
transactions; insurance premiums; fees and expenses of State Street Bank and
Trust Company, each Fund's Custodian for all services to that Fund, including
safekeeping of funds and securities and maintaining required books and
accounts; expenses of calculating the net asset value of shares of that Fund;
and expenses of shareholder meetings. Expenses relating to the issuance,
registration and qualification of shares of each Fund and the preparation,
printing and mailing of prospectuses are borne by that Fund except that the
Fund's Distribution Agreement with MFD requires MFD to pay for prospectuses
that are to be used for sales purposes. Expenses of the Trust which are not
attributable to a specific series are allocated among the series in a manner
believed by management of the Trust to be fair and equitable. MFS has agreed
to pay certain foregoing expenses of each Fund (except for the fees paid under
the Advisory Agreement and the Distribution Plan) subject to reimbursement by
the Funds as described in the Prospectus.
Each Advisory Agreement will remain in effect until December , 2000, and
will continue in effect thereafter only if such continuance is specifically
approved at least annually by the Board of Trustees or by vote of a majority
of the applicable Fund's shares (as defined in "Investment Restrictions") and,
in either case, by a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the
Advisory Agreement or interested persons of any such party. An Advisory
Agreement terminates automatically if it is assigned and may be terminated
without penalty by vote of a majority of the applicable Fund's shares (as
defined in "Investment Restrictions") or by either party on not more than 60
days' nor less than 30 days' written notice. The Advisory Agreements provide
that if MFS ceases to serve as the Adviser to a Fund, a Fund will change its
name so as to delete the initials "MFS." The Advisory Agreements further
provide that MFS may render services to others. The Advisory Agreements also
provide that neither the Adviser nor its personnel shall be liable for any
error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss arising out of any
investment or for any act or omission in the execution and management of a
Fund, except for willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the
performance of its or their duties or by reason of reckless disregard of its
or their obligations and duties under the Advisory Agreements.
ADMINISTRATOR
MFS provides each Fund with certain financial, legal, compliance, shareholder
communications and other administrative services pursuant to a Master
Administrative Services Agreement dated March 1, 1997, as amended. Under this
Agreement, each Fund pays MFS an administrative fee up to 0.015% per annum of
that Fund's average daily net assets. This fee reimburses MFS for a portion of
the costs it incurs to provide such services.
CUSTODIAN
State Street Bank and Trust Company (the "Custodian") is the custodian of the
Trust's assets. The Custodian's responsibilities include safekeeping and
controlling each Fund's cash and securities, handling the receipt and delivery
of securities, determining income and collecting interest and dividends on
each Fund's investments, maintaining books of original entry for portfolio and
fund accounting and other required books and accounts, and calculating the
daily net asset value of each class of shares of each Fund. The Custodian does
not determine the investment policies of the Fund or decide which securities
the Fund will buy or sell. Each Fund may, however, invest in securities of the
Custodian and may deal with the Custodian as principal in securities
transactions.
SHAREHOLDER SERVICING AGENT
MFS Service Center, Inc. (the "Shareholder Servicing Agent"), a wholly owned
subsidiary of MFS, is each Fund's shareholder servicing agent, pursuant to a
Shareholder Servicing Agreement, dated December 2, 1985, as amended (the
"Agency Agreement"). The Shareholder Servicing Agent's responsibilities under
the Agency Agreement include administering and performing transfer agent
functions and keeping records in connection with the issuance, transfer and
redemption of each class of shares of each Fund. For these services, the
Shareholder Servicing Agent will receive a fee calculated as a percentage of
the average daily net assets of each Fund at an effective annual rate of
0.1125%. In addition, the Shareholder Servicing Agent will be reimbursed by
each Fund for certain expenses incurred by the Shareholder Servicing Agent on
behalf of that Fund. The Custodian has contracted with the Shareholder
Servicing Agent to perform certain dividend disbursing agent functions for
each Fund.
DISTRIBUTOR
MFD, a wholly owned subsidiary of MFS, serves as distributor for the
continuous offering of shares of the Funds pursuant to a distribution
agreement, dated as of January 1, 1995 (the "Distribution Agreement").
CLASS A SHARES: MFD acts as agent in selling Class A Shares of each Fund to
dealers. The public offering price of the Class A shares of each Fund is
their net asset value next computed after the sale plus a sales charge which
varies based upon the quantity purchased. The public offering price of a Class
A share of each Fund is calculated by dividing the net asset value of a Class
A share by the difference (expressed as a decimal) between 100% and the sales
charge percentage of offering price applicable to the purchase (see
"Purchases" in the Prospectus). The sales charge scale set forth in the
Prospectus applies to purchases of Class A shares of each Fund alone or in
combination with shares of all classes of certain other funds in the MFS
Family of Funds (the "MFS Funds") and other funds (as noted under Right of
Accumulation) by any person, including members of a family unit (e.g.,
husband, wife and minor children) and bona fide trustees for the benefit of
such persons, and also applies to purchases made under the Right of
Accumulation or a Letter of Intent (see "Investment and Withdrawal Programs"
below.) A group might qualify to obtain quantity sales charge discounts (see
"Investment and Withdrawal Programs" below.)
Class A shares of each Fund may be sold at their net asset value to certain
persons and in certain transactions as described in the Prospectus. Such sales
are made without a sales charge to promote good will with employees and others
with whom MFS, MFD and/or the Fund have business relationships, and because
the sales effort, if any, involved in making such sales is negligible.
MFD allows discounts to dealers (which are alike for all dealers) from the
applicable public offering price of Class A shares. Dealer allowances
expressed as a percentage of offering price for all offering prices are set
forth in the Prospectus (see "Purchases" in the Prospectus). The difference
between the total amount invested and the sum of (a) the net proceeds to a
Fund and (b) the dealer commission is the commission paid to the distributor.
Because of rounding in the computation of offering price, the portion of the
sales charge paid to the distributor may vary and the total sales charge may
be more or less than the sales charge calculated using the sales charge
expressed as a percentage of offering price or as a percentage of the net
amount invested as listed in the Prospectus. In the case of the maximum sales
charge, the dealer retains 4% and MFD retains approximately 3/4 of 1% of the
public offering price. In addition, MFD pays a commission to dealers who
initiate and are responsible for purchases of $1 million or more as described
in the Prospectus.
CLASS B, CLASS C AND CLASS I SHARES: MFD acts as agent in selling Class B,
Class C and Class I shares of each Fund. The public offering price of Class B,
Class C and Class I shares is their net asset value next computed after the
sale (see "Purchases" in the Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement pursuant
to which Class I shares are offered).
GENERAL: Neither MFD nor dealers are permitted to delay placing orders to
benefit themselves by a price change. On occasion, MFD may obtain brokers
loans from various banks, including the custodian banks for the MFS Funds, to
facilitate the settlement of sales of shares of each Fund to dealers. MFD may
benefit from its temporary holding of funds paid to it by investment dealers
for the purchase of Fund shares.
The Distribution Agreement will remain in effect until August 1, 1999, and
will continue in effect thereafter only if such continuance is specifically
approved at least annually by the Board of Trustees or by vote of a majority
of the Trust's shares (as defined in "Investment Restrictions") and, in either
case, by a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to such Distribution
Agreement or interested persons of any such party. The Distribution Agreement
terminates automatically if it is assigned and may be terminated without
penalty by either party on not more than 60 days' nor less than 30 days'
notice.
5. PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE COMMISSIONS
Specific decisions to purchase or sell securities for each Fund are made by a
portfolio manager who is an employee of the Adviser and who is appointed and
supervised by its senior officers. Changes in each Fund's investments are
reviewed by its Board of Trustees. Each Fund's portfolio manager may serve
other clients of the Adviser or any subsidiary of the Adviser in a similar
capacity.
The primary consideration in placing portfolio security transactions is
execution at the most favorable prices. The Adviser has complete freedom as to
the markets in and the broker-dealers through which it seeks this result. Debt
securities are traded principally in the over-the-counter market on a net
basis through dealers acting for their own account and not as brokers. The
cost of securities purchased from underwriters includes an underwriter's
commission or concession, and the prices at which securities are purchased and
sold from and to dealers include a dealer's mark-up or mark-down. The Adviser
normally seeks to deal directly with the primary market-makers unless, in its
opinion, better prices are available elsewhere. Securities firms or futures
commission merchants may receive brokerage commissions on transactions
involving Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. Subject to the
requirement of seeking execution at the best available price, securities may,
as authorized by the Advisory Agreement, be bought from or sold to dealers who
have furnished statistical, research and other information or services to the
Adviser. At present no recapture arrangements are in effect.
Consistent with the foregoing primary consideration, the Conduct Rules of of
the NASD and such other policies as the Trustees may determine, the Adviser
may consider sales of shares of a Fund and of the other investment company
clients of MFD as a factor in the selection of broker-dealers to execute the
Fund's portfolio transactions.
In certain instances there may be securities which are suitable for a Fund's
portfolio as well as for that of one or more of the other clients of the
Adviser or any subsidiary of the Adviser. Investment decisions for a Fund and
for such other clients are made with a view to achieving their respective
investment objectives. It may develop that a particular security is bought or
sold for only one client even though it might be held by, or bought or sold
for, other clients. Likewise, a particular security may be bought for one or
more clients when one or more other clients are selling that same security.
Some simultaneous transactions are inevitable when several clients receive
investment advice from the same investment adviser, particularly when the same
security is suitable for the investment objectives of more than one client.
When two or more clients are simultaneously engaged in the purchase or sale of
the same security, the securities are allocated among clients in a manner
believed by the Adviser to be equitable to each. It is recognized that in some
cases this system could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of
the security as far as each Fund is concerned. In other cases, however, each
Fund believes that the Fund's ability to participate in volume transactions
will produce better executions for the Fund.
6. SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
INVESTMENT AND WITHDRAWAL PROGRAMS -- Each Fund makes available the following
programs designed to enable shareholders to add to their investment or
withdraw from it with a minimum of paper work. These are described below and,
in certain cases, in the Prospectus. The programs involve no extra charge to
shareholders (other than a sales charge in the case of certain Class A share
purchases) and may be changed or discontinued at any time by a shareholder or
each Fund.
LETTER OF INTENT: If a shareholder (other than a group purchaser described
below) anticipates purchasing $100,000 or more of Class A shares of a Fund
alone or in combination with shares of any class of MFS Funds or MFS Fixed
Fund (a bank collective investment fund) within a 13-month period (or 36-month
period, in the case of purchases of $1 million or more), the shareholder may
obtain Class A shares of a Fund at the same reduced sales charge as though the
total quantity were invested in one lump sum by completing the Letter of
Intent section of the Account Application or filing a separate Letter of
Intent application (available from the Shareholder Servicing Agent) within 90
days of the commencement of purchases. Subject to acceptance by MFD and the
conditions mentioned below, each purchase will be made at a public offering
price applicable to a single transaction of the dollar amount specified in the
Letter of Intent application. The shareholder or his dealer must inform MFD
that the Letter of Intent is in effect each time shares are purchased. The
shareholder makes no commitment to purchase additional shares, but if his
purchases within 13 months (or 36 months in the case of purchases of $1
million or more) plus the value of shares credited toward completion of the
Letter of Intent do not total the sum specified, he will pay the increased
amount of the sales charge as described below. Instructions for issuance of
shares in the name of a person other than the person signing the Letter of
Intent application must be accompanied by a written statement from the dealer
stating that the shares were paid for by the person signing such Letter.
Neither income dividends nor capital gain distributions taken in additional
shares will apply toward the completion of the Letter of Intent. Dividends and
distributions of other MFS Funds automatically reinvested in shares of a Fund
pursuant to the Distribution Investment Program will also not apply toward
completion of the Letter of Intent.
Out of the shareholder's initial purchase (or subsequent purchases if
necessary), 5% of the dollar amount specified in the Letter of Intent
application shall be held in escrow by the Shareholder Servicing Agent in the
form of shares registered in the shareholder's name. All income dividends and
capital gain distributions on escrowed shares will be paid to the shareholder
or to his order. When the minimum investment so specified is completed (either
prior to or by the end of the 13-month period or 36-month period, as
applicable), the shareholder will be notified and the escrowed shares will be
released.
If the intended investment is not completed the Shareholder Servicing Agent
will redeem an appropriate number of the escrowed shares in order to realize
such difference. Shares remaining after any such redemption will be released
by the Shareholder Servicing Agent. By completing and signing the Account
Application or separate Letter of Intent application, the shareholder
irrevocably appoints the Shareholder Servicing Agent his attorney to surrender
for redemption any or all escrowed shares with full power of substitution in
the premises.
RIGHT OF ACCUMULATION: A shareholder qualifies for cumulative quantity
discounts on the purchase of Class A shares when that shareholder's new
investment, together with the current offering price value of all holdings of
Class A, B and C shares of that shareholder in the MFS Funds or MFS Fixed Fund
reaches a discount level. See "Purchases" in the Prospectus for the sales
charges on quantity purchases. For example, if a shareholder owns shares with
a current offering price value of $75,000 and purchases an additional $25,000
of Class A shares of a Fund, the sales charge for the $25,000 purchase would
be at the rate of 4% (the rate applicable to single transactions of $100,000).
A shareholder must provide the Shareholder Servicing Agent (or his investment
dealer must provide MFD) with information to verify that the quantity sales
charge discount is applicable at the time the investment is made.
SUBSEQUENT INVESTMENT BY TELEPHONE: Each shareholder may purchase additional
shares of any MFS Fund by telephoning the Shareholder Servicing Agent toll-
free at (800) 225-2606. The minimum purchase amount is $50 and the maximum
purchase amount is $100,000. Shareholders wishing to avail themselves of this
telephone purchase privilege must so elect on their Account Application and
designate thereon a bank and account number from which purchases will be made.
If a telephone purchase request is received by the Shareholder Servicing Agent
on any business day prior to the close of regular trading on the Exchange
(generally, 4:00 p.m., Eastern time), the purchase will occur at the closing
net asset value of the shares purchased on that day. The Shareholder Servicing
Agent may be liable for any losses resulting from unauthorized telephone
transactions if it does not follow reasonable procedures designed to verify
the identity of the caller. The Shareholder Servicing Agent will request
personal or other information from the caller, and will normally also record
calls. Shareholders should verify the accuracy of confirmation statements
immediately after their receipt.
DISTRIBUTION INVESTMENT PROGRAM: Distributions of dividends and capital
gains made by a Fund with respect to a particular class of shares may be
automatically invested in shares of the same class of one of the other MFS
Funds, if shares of such fund are available for sale. Such investments will be
subject to additional purchase minimums. Distributions will be invested at
net asset value (exclusive of any sales charge) and not subject to any
contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC"). Distributions will be invested at
the close of business on the payable date for the distribution. A shareholder
considering the Distribution Investment Program should obtain and read the
prospectus of the other fund and consider the differences in objectives and
policies before making any investment.
SYSTEMATIC WITHDRAWAL PLAN: A shareholder may direct the Shareholder
Servicing Agent to send him (or anyone he designates) regular periodic
payments based upon the value of his account. Such payments under a Systematic
Withdrawal Plan ("SWP") must be at least $100, except in certain limited
circumstances. The aggregate withdrawals of Class B shares and Class C shares
in any year pursuant to a SWP generally are limited to 10% of the value of the
account at the time of the establishment of the SWP. SWP payments are drawn
from the proceeds of share redemptions (which would be a return of principal
and, if reflecting a gain, would be taxable). Redemptions of Class B and Class
C shares will be made in the following order: (i) any "Free Amount"; (ii) to
the extent necessary, any "Reinvested Shares"; (iii) to the extent necessary,
the earliest "Direct Purchase" subject to the lowest CDSC (as such terms are
defined in "Contingent Deferred Sales Charge" in the Prospectus). The CDSC
will be waived in the case of redemptions of Class B and Class C shares
pursuant to a SWP but will not be waived in the case of SWP redemptions of
Class A shares. To the extent that redemptions for such periodic withdrawals
exceed dividend income reinvested in the account, such redemptions will reduce
and may eventually exhaust the number of shares in the shareholder's account.
All dividend and capital gain distributions for an account with a SWP will be
reinvested in additional full and fractional shares of a Fund at the net asset
value in effect at the close of business on the record date for such
distributions. To initiate this service, shares having an aggregate value of
at least $5,000 either must be held on deposit by, or certificates for such
shares must be deposited with, the Shareholder Servicing Agent. With respect
to Class A shares, maintaining a withdrawal plan concurrently with an
investment program would be disadvantageous because of the sales charges
included in share purchases and the imposition of a CDSC on certain
redemptions. The shareholder may deposit into the account additional shares of
a Fund, change the payee or change the amount of each payment. The Shareholder
Servicing Agent may charge the account for services rendered and expenses
incurred beyond those normally assumed by a Fund with respect to the
liquidation of shares. No charge is currently assessed against the account,
but one could be instituted by the Shareholder Servicing Agent on 60 days'
notice in writing to the shareholder in the event that a Fund ceases to assume
the cost of these services. Each Fund may terminate any SWP for an account if
the value of the account falls below $5,000 as a result of share redemptions
(other than as a result of a SWP) or an exchange of shares of a Fund for
shares of another MFS Fund. Any SWP may be terminated at any time by either
the shareholder or the Fund.
INVEST BY MAIL: Additional investments of $50 or more may be made at any
time by mailing a check payable to a Fund directly to the Shareholder
Servicing Agent. The shareholder's account number and the name of his
investment dealer must be included with each investment.
GROUP PURCHASES: A bona fide group and all its members may be treated as a
single purchaser and, under the Right of Accumulation (but not a Letter of
Intent), obtain quantity sales charge discounts on the purchase of Class A
shares if the group: (1) gives its endorsement or authorization to the
investment program so it may be used by the investment dealer to facilitate
solicitation of the membership, thus effecting economies of sales effort; (2)
has been in existence for at least six months and has a legitimate purpose
other than to purchase mutual fund shares at a discount; (3) is not a group of
individuals whose sole organizational nexus is as credit cardholders of a
company, policyholders of an insurance company, customers of a bank or broker-
dealer, clients of an investment adviser or other similar group; and (4)
agrees to provide certification of membership of those members investing money
in the MFS Funds upon the request of MFD.
AUTOMATIC EXCHANGE PLAN: Shareholders having account balances of at least
$5,000 in any MFS Fund may exchange their shares for the same class of shares
of other MFS Funds under the Automatic Exchange Plan, a dollar cost averaging
program (if available for sale). The Automatic Exchange Plan provides for
automatic exchanges of funds from the shareholder's account in an MFS Fund for
investment in the same class of shares of other MFS Funds selected by the
shareholder. Under the Automatic Exchange Plan, exchanges of at least $50 each
may be made to up to six different funds effective on the seventh day of each
month or of every third month, depending whether monthly or quarterly
exchanges are elected by the shareholder. If the seventh day of the month is
not a business day, the transaction will be processed on the next business
day. Generally, the initial exchange will occur after receipt and processing
by the Shareholder Servicing Agent of an application in good order. Exchanges
will continue to be made from a shareholder's account in any MFS Fund, as long
as the balance of the account is sufficient to complete the exchanges.
Additional payments made to a shareholder's account will extend the period
that exchanges will continue to be made under the Automatic Exchange Plan.
However, if additional payments are added to an account subject to the
Automatic Exchange Plan shortly before an exchange is scheduled, such funds
may not be available for exchanges until the following month; therefore, care
should be used to avoid inadvertently terminating the Automatic Exchange Plan
through exhaustion of the account balance.
No transaction fee for exchanges will be charged in connection with the
Automatic Exchange Plan. However, exchanges of shares of MFS Money Market
Fund, MFS Government Money Market Fund and Class A shares of MFS Cash Reserve
Fund will be subject to any applicable sales charge. Changes in amounts to be
exchanged to each fund, the funds to which exchanges are to be made and the
timing of exchanges (monthly or quarterly), or termination of a shareholder's
participation in the Automatic Exchange Plan will be made after instructions
in writing or by telephone (an "Exchange Change Request") are received by the
Shareholder Servicing Agent in proper form (i.e., if in writing --signed by
the record owner(s) exactly as shares of the Fund are registered; if by
telephone -- proper account identification is given by the dealer or
shareholder of record). Each Transfer Change Request (other than termination
of participation in the program) must involve at least $50. Generally, if an
Exchange Change Request is received by telephone or in writing before the
close of business on the last business day of a month, the Exchange Change
Request will be effective for the following month's exchange.
A shareholder's right to make additional investments in any of the MFS Funds,
to make exhanges of shares from one MFS Fund to another and to withdraw from
an MFS Fund, as well as a shareholder's other rights and privileges are not
affected by a shareholder's participation in the Automatic Exchange Plan.
The Automatic Exchange Plan is part of the Exchange Privilege. For additional
information regarding the Automatic Exchange Plan, including the treatment of
any CDSC, see "Exchange Privilege" below.
REINSTATEMENT PRIVILEGE: Shareholders of each Fund and shareholders of the
other MFS Funds (except shares of MFS Money Market Fund, MFS Government Money
Market Fund and holders of Class A shares of MFS Cash Reserve Fund in the case
where such shares are acquired through direct purchase or reinvested
dividends) who have redeemed their shares have a one-time right to reinvest
the redemption proceeds in the same class of shares of any of the MFS Funds
(if shares of the fund are available for sale) at net asset value (without a
sales charge) and, if applicable, with credit for any CDSC paid. In the case
of proceeds invested in shares of MFS Money Market Fund, MFS Government Money
Market Fund and Class A shares of MFS Cash Reserve Fund the shareholder has
the right to exchange the acquired shares for shares of another MFS Fund at
net asset value pursuant to the exchange privilege described below. Such a
reinvestment must be made within 90 days of the redemption and is limited to
the amount of the redemption proceeds. If the shares credited for any CDSC
paid are then redeemed within six years of the initial purchase in the case of
Class B shares or within 12 months of the initial purchase of Class C shares
and certain Class A shares, such CDSC will be imposed upon redemption.
Although redemptions and repurchases of shares are taxable events, a
reinvestment within a certain period of time in the same fund may be
considered a "wash sale" and may result in the inability to recognize
currently all or a portion of any loss realized on the original redemption for
federal income tax purposes. Please see your tax adviser for further
information.
EXCHANGE PRIVILEGE -- Subject to the requirements set forth below, some or all
of the shares in an account for which payment has been received by a Fund
(i.e., an established account) may be exchanged for shares of the same class
of any of the other MFS Funds (if available for sale and if purchaser is
eligible to purchase the class of shares) at net asset value. Exchanges will
be made only after instructions in writing or by telephone (an "Exchange
Request") are received for an established account by the Shareholder Servicing
Agent.
Each Exchange Request must be in proper form (i.e., in writing -- signed by
the record owner(s) exactly as the shares are registered; if by telephone --
proper account identification is given by the dealer or shareholder of
record), and each exchange must involve either shares having an aggregate
value of at least $1,000 (except that the minimum is $50 for accounts of
retirement plan participants whose sponsoring organizations subscribe to the
MFS FUNDamental 401(k) Plan or another similar 401(k) recordkeeping system
made available by the Shareholder Servicing Agent) or all the shares in the
account. Each exchange involves the redemption of shares of the Fund to be
exchanged and the purchase at net asset value (i.e., without a sales charge)
of shares of the same class of the other MFS Fund. Any gain or loss on the
redemption of the shares exchanged is reportable on the shareholder's federal
income tax return, unless both the shares received and the shares surrendered
in the exchange are held in a tax-deferred retirement plan or other tax-exempt
account. No more than five exchanges may be made in any one Exchange Request
by telephone. If an Exchange Request is received by the Shareholder Servicing
Agent prior to the close of regular trading on the Exchange, the exchange
usually will occur on that day if all the requirements set forth above have
been complied with at that time. However, payment of the redemption proceeds
by a Fund, and thus the purchase of shares of the other MFS Fund, may be
delayed for up to seven days if the Fund determines that such a delay would be
in the best interest of all its shareholders. Investment dealers which have
satisfied criteria established by MFD may also communicate a shareholder's
Exchange Request to the Shareholder Servicing Agent by facsimile subject to
the requirements set forth above.
No CDSC is imposed on exchanges among the MFS Funds, although liability for
the CDSC is carried forward to the exchanged shares. For purposes of
calculating the CDSC upon redemption of shares acquired in an exchange, the
purchase of shares acquired in one or more exchanges is deemed to have
occurred at the time of the original purchase of the exchanged shares. Any
gain or loss on the redemption of the shares exchanged is reportable in the
shareholders federal income tax return, unless such shares were held in a tax-
deferred retirement plan.
Additional information with respect to any of the MFS Funds, including a copy
of its current prospectus, may be obtained from investment dealers or the
Shareholder Servicing Agent. A shareholder considering an exchange should
obtain and read the prospectus of the other MFS Fund and consider the
differences in objectives and policies before making any exchange.
Shareholders of the other MFS Funds (except holders of shares of MFS Money
Market Fund, MFS Government Money Market Fund and Class A shares of Cash
Reserve Fund acquired through direct purchase and dividends reinvested prior
to June 1, 1992) have the right to exchange their shares for shares of each
Fund, subject to the conditions, if any, set forth in their respective
prospectuses. In addition, unitholders of the MFS Fixed Fund have the right to
except their units (exchange units acquired through direct purchases) for
shares of each Fund, subject to the conditions, if any, imposed upon such
unitholders by the MFS Fixed Fund.
Any state income tax advantages for investment in each state-specific series
of MFS Municipal Series Trust may only benefit residents of such states.
Investors should consult with their own tax advisors to be sure that this is
an appropriate investment, based on their residency and each state's income
tax laws.
The exchange privilege (or any aspect of it) may be changed or discontinued
and is subject to certain limitations (see "Purchases" in the Prospectus).
TAX-DEFERRED RETIREMENT PLANS -- Except as noted below, shares of each Fund
may be purchased by all types of tax-deferred retirement plans. MFD makes
available through investment dealers, plans and/or custody agreements, the
following:
Traditional Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) (for individuals who
desire to make limited contributions to a tax-deferred retirement program
and, if eligible, to receive a federal income tax deduction for amounts
contributed);
Roth Individual Retirement Accounts (Roth IRAs) (for individuals who desire
to make limited contributions to a tax-favored retirement program);
Simplified Employee Pension (SEP-IRA) Plans;
Retirement Plans Qualified under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, as amended (the "Code");
403(b) Plans (deferred compensation arrangements for employees of public
school systems and certain non-profit organizations); and
Certain other qualified pension and profit-sharing plans.
The plan documents provided by MFD designate a trustee or custodian (unless
another trustee or custodian is designated by the individual or group
establishing the plan) and contain specific information about the plans. Each
plan provides that dividends and distributions will be reinvested
automatically. For further details with respect to any plan, including fees
charged by the trustee, custodian or MFD, tax consequences and redemption
information, see the specific documents for that plan. Plan documents and
forms other than those provided by MFD may be used to establish any of the
plans described above. Third party administrative services, available for some
corporate plans, may limit or delay the processing of transactions.
Investors should consult with their tax advisers before establishing any of
the tax-deferred retirement plans described above.
Class C shares are not currently available for purchase by any retirement plan
qualified under Internal Revenue Code section 401(a) or 403(b) if the
retirement plan and/or the sponsoring organization subscribe to the MFS
FUNDamental 401(k) Plan or another similar 401(a) or 403(b) recordkeeping
program made available by the Shareholder Servicing Agent.
7. TAX STATUS
Each Fund has elected to be treated and intends to qualify each year as a
"regulated investment company" under Subchapter M of the Code by meeting all
applicable requirements of Subchapter M, including requirements as to the
nature of the Fund's gross income, the amount of Fund distributions, and the
composition of the Fund's portfolio assets. Because each Fund intends to
distribute all of its net investment income and net realized capital gains to
its shareholders in accordance with the timing requirements imposed by the
Code, it is not expected that the Funds will be required to pay any federal
income or excise taxes, although a Fund's foreign-source income may be subject
to foreign withholding taxes. If a Fund should fail to qualify as a "regulated
investment company" in any year, the Fund would incur a regular corporate
federal income tax upon its taxable income and Fund distributions would
generally be taxable as ordinary dividend income to the shareholders.
Shareholders of each Fund normally will have to pay federal income taxes, and
any state or local taxes, on the dividends and capital gain distributions they
receive from a Fund. Dividends from ordinary income and any distributions from
net short-term capital gains are taxable to each Fund's shareholders as
ordinary income for federal income tax purposes, whether the distributions are
paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares. Because the Funds expect to
earn primarily interest income, it is expected that no Fund dividends will
qualify for the dividends received deduction for corporations. Distributions
of net capital gains (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gains over net
short-term capital losses), whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional
shares, are taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains for federal
income tax purposes without regard to the length of time shareholders have
held their shares. Any Fund dividend that is declared in October, November, or
December of any calendar year, that is payable to shareholders of record in
such a month, and that is paid the following January will be treated as if
received by the shareholders on December 31 of the year in which the dividend
is declared. Each Fund will notify shareholders regarding the federal tax
status of its distributions after the end of each calendar year.
Any Fund distribution of net capital gains or net short-term capital gains
will have the effect of reducing the per share net asset value of shares in
the Fund by the amount of the distribution. Shareholders purchasing shares
shortly before the record date of any such distribution may thus pay the full
price for the shares and then effectively receive a portion of the purchase
price back as a taxable distribution.
In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares of
a Fund by a shareholder that holds such shares as a capital asset will be
treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for
more than twelve months and otherwise as a short-term capital gain or loss.
However, any loss realized upon a disposition of shares in a Fund held for six
months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of
any distributions of net capital gain made with respect to those shares. Any
loss realized upon a disposition of shares may also be disallowed under rules
relating to wash sales. Gain may be increased (or loss reduced) upon a
redemption of Class A shares of a Fund within 90 days after their purchase
followed by any purchase (including purchases by exchange or by reinvestment)
without payment of an additional sales charge of Class A shares of the Fund or
of another MFS Fund (or any other shares of an MFS Fund generally sold subject
to a sales charge).
Each Fund's current dividend and accounting policies will affect the amount,
timing and character of distributions to shareholders, and may, under certain
circumstances, make an economic return of capital taxable to the shareholders.
Any investment by a Fund in zero coupon bonds, deferred interest bonds, PIK
bonds and certain securities purchased at a market discount will cause the
Fund to recognize income prior to the receipt of cash payments with respect to
those securities. In order to distribute this income and avoid a tax on the
Fund, a Fund may be required to liquidate portfolio securities that it might
otherwise have continued to hold, potentially resulting in additional taxable
gain or loss to the Fund.
An investment by a Fund in residual interests of a CMO that has elected to be
treated as a real estate mortgage investment conduit, or "REMIC," can create
complex tax problems, especially if the Fund has state or local governments or
other tax-exempt organizations as shareholders.
Each Fund's transactions in options, Futures Contracts, Forward Contracts and
Swaps and related transactions will be subject to special tax rules that may
affect the amount, timing and character of Fund income and distributions to
shareholders. For example, certain positions held by a Fund on the last
business day of each taxable year will be marked to market (i.e., treated as
if closed out) on that day, and any gain or loss associated with the positions
will be treated as 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss.
Certain positions held by a Fund that substantially diminish its risk of loss
with respect to other positions in its portfolio may constitute "straddles",
and may be subject to special tax rules that would cause deferral of Fund
losses, adjustments in the holding periods of Fund securities, and conversion
of short-term into long-term capital losses. Certain tax elections exist for
straddles that may alter the effects of these rules. Each Fund will limit its
activities in options, and Futures Contracts, Forward Contracts and swaps and
related transactions to the extent necessary to meet the requirements, of
Subchapter M of the, Code.
Special tax considerations apply with respect to foreign investments of each
Fund. Foreign exchange gains and losses realized by a Fund will generally be
treated as ordinary income and losses.
Investment income received by a Fund from foreign securities may be subject to
foreign income taxes withheld at the source; neither Fund expects to be able
to pass through to shareholders foreign tax credits with respect to such
foreign taxes. The United States has entered into tax treaties with many
foreign countries that may entitle a Fund to a reduced rate of tax or an
exemption from tax on such income; each Fund intends to qualify for treaty
reduced rates where available. It is not possible, however, to determine the
effective rate of foreign tax in advance since the amount of each Fund's
assets to be invested within various countries is not known.
Dividends and certain other payments to persons who are not citizens or
residents of the U.S. or U.S. entities ("Non-U.S. Persons") are generally
subject to U.S. tax withholding at a rate of 30%. Each Fund intends to
withhold U.S. federal income tax at the rate of 30% (or any lower rate
permitted under an applicable treaty) on taxable dividends and other payments
to Non-U.S. Persons that are subject to such withholding. Any amounts
overwithheld may be recovered by such persons by filing a claim for refund
with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service within the time period appropriate to
such claims. Distributions received from the Funds by Non-U.S. Persons may
also be subject to tax under the laws of their own jurisdictions. Each Fund is
also required in certain circumstances to apply backup withholding at the rate
of 31% on taxable dividends and redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder
(including a Non-U.S. Person) who does not furnish to the Fund certain
information and certifications or who is otherwise subject to backup
withholding. Backup withholding will not, however, be applied to payments that
have been subject to 30% withholding.
As long as they qualify as regulated investment companies under the Code, the
Funds will not be required to pay Massachusetts income or excise taxes.
Distributions of a Fund that are derived from interest on obligations of the
U.S. Government and certain of its agencies and instrumentalities (but
generally not from capital gains realized upon the disposition of such
obligations) may be exempt from state and local taxes. Each Fund intends to
advise shareholders of the extent, if any, to which its distributions consist
of such interest. Residents of certain states may be subject to an intangible
tax or a personal property tax on all or a portion of the value of their
shares. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding the
possible exclusion of a portion of their dividends for state and local income
tax purposes as well as regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a
Fund.
8. DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE AND PERFORMANCE
NET ASSET VALUE -- The net asset value per share of each class of a Fund is
determined each day during which the Exchange is open for trading. (As of the
date of this SAI, the Exchange is open for trading every weekday except for
the following holidays or the days on which they are observed: New Year's Day,
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day,
Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.) This
determination is made once during each such day as of the close of regular
trading on such Exchange by deducting the amount of the liabilities
attributable to the class from the value of the assets attributable to the
class and dividing the difference by the number of shares of that class
outstanding. If acquired, preferred stocks, common stocks and warrants will be
valued at the last sale price on an exchange on which they are primarily
traded or at the last quoted bid price for unlisted securities. Debt
securities (other than short-term obligations) in a Fund's portfolio are
valued on the basis of valuations furnished by pricing services which utilize
both dealer-supplied valuations and electronic data processing techniques
which take into account factors such as institutional-size trading in similar
groups of securities, yield, quality, coupon rate, maturity, type of issue,
trading characteristics and other market data, without exclusive reliance upon
quoted prices or exchange or over-the-counter prices, because such valuations
are believed to reflect more accurately the fair value of such securities. Use
of the pricing service has been approved by the Board of Trustees. Short-term
obligations with a remaining maturity in excess of 60 days will be valued
based upon dealer supplied valuations. Other short-term obligations are valued
at amortized cost, which constitutes fair value as determined by the Board of
Trustees. Positions in listed options, Futures Contracts and Options on
Futures Contracts will normally be valued at the settlement price on the
exchange on which they are primarily traded. Portfolio securities for which
there are no such quotations or valuations are valued at fair value as
determined in good faith by or at the direction of the Board of Trustees.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
TOTAL RATE OF RETURN: Each Fund will calculate its total rate of return for
each class of shares for certain periods by determining the average annual
compounded rates of return over those periods that would cause an investment
of $1,000 (made with all distributions reinvested and reflecting the CDSC or
the maximum public offering price), to reach the value of that investment at
the end of the periods. Each Fund may also calculate (i) a total return, which
is not reduced by the CDSC (4% maximum for Class B shares and 1% maximum for
Class C shares) and therefore may result in a higher rate of return, (ii) a
total rate of return assuming an initial account value of $1,000, which will
result in a higher rate of return since the value of the initial account will
not be reduced by the current maximum sales charge (currently 2.50%) and/or
(iii) total rates of return which represent aggregate performance over a
period or year-by-year performance and which may or may not reflect the effect
of the maximum or other sales charge or CDSC.
As discussed in the Prospectus, the sales charges, expenses and expense
ratios, and therefore the performance, of each Fund's classes of shares
differ. In calculating total rate of return for a newer class of shares in
accordance with certain formulas required by the SEC, the performance will be
adjusted to take into account the fact that the newer class is subject to a
different sales charge than the oldest class (e.g., if the newer class is
Class A shares, the total rate of return quoted will reflect the deduction of
the initial sales charge applicable to Class A shares; if the newer class is
Class B shares, the total rate of return quoted will reflect the deduction of
the CDSC applicable to Class B shares). However, the performance will not be
adjusted to take into account the fact that the newer class of shares bears
different class specific expenses than the oldest shares (e.g., Rule 12b-1
fees). Therefore, the total rate of return quoted for a newer class of shares
will differ from the return that would be quoted had the newer class of shares
been outstanding for the entire period over which the calculation is based
(i.e., the total rate of return quoted for the newer class will be higher than
the return that would have been quoted had the newer class of shares been
outstanding for the entire period over which the calculation is based if the
class specific expenses for the newer class are higher than the class specific
expenses of the oldest class, and the total rate of return quoted for the
newer class will be lower than the return that would be quoted had the newer
class of shares been outstanding for this entire period if the class specific
expenses for the newer class are lower than the class specific expenses of the
oldest class).
YIELD: Any yield quotation for a class of shares of a Fund is based on the
annualized net investment income per share of that class over a 30-day period.
The yield for a class is calculated by dividing the net investment income per
share of that class earned during the period by the maximum offering price per
share on the last day of that period. The resulting figure is then annualized.
Net investment income per share of a class is determined by dividing (i) the
dividends and interest earned by that class during the period, minus accrued
expenses for the period by (ii) the average number of shares of that class
entitled to receive dividends during the period multiplied by the maximum
offering price per share on the last day of the period. Each Fund's yield
calculations for Class A shares assume a maximum sales charge of 4.75%. The
yield calculation for Class B and Class C shares assumes no CDSC is paid.
CURRENT DISTRIBUTION RATE: Yield, which is calculated according to a formula
prescribed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, is not indicative of the
amounts which were or will be paid to the Fund's shareholders. Amounts paid or
expected to be paid to shareholders of each class are reflected in the quoted
"current distribution rate" for that class. The current distribution rate for
a class is computed by (i) annualizing the distributions (excluding short-term
capital gains) of the class for a stated period; (ii) adding any short-term
capital gains paid within the immediately preceding twelve-month period; and
(iii) dividing the result by the maximum offering price or net asset value per
share on the last day of the period, dividing the total amount of dividends
per share paid by the Fund to shareholders of that class during the past
twelve months by the maximum public offering price of that class at the end of
such period. The current distribution rate differs from the yield computation
because it may include distributions to shareholders from sources other than
dividends and interest, such as premium income from option writing, short-term
capital gains and return of invested capital, and may be calculated over a
different period of time. Each Fund's current distribution rate calculation
for Class A shares assumes a maximum sales charge of 4.75%. Each Fund's
current distribution rate calculation for Class B and Class C shares assumes
no CDSC is paid.
From time to time each Fund may, as appropriate, quote Fund rankings or
reprint all or a portion of evaluations of fund performance and operations
appearing in various independent publications, including, but not limited to,
the following: Money, Fortune, U.S. News and World Report, Kiplinger's
Personal Finance, The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, Investors Business Daily,
Newsweek, Financial World, Financial Planning, Investment Advisor, USA Today,
Pensions and Investments, SmartMoney, Forbes, Global Finance, Registered
Representative, Institutional Investor, the Investment Company Institute,
Johnson's Charts, Morningstar, Lipper Analytical Securities Corporation, Inc.,
CDA Wiesenberger, Shearson Lehman and Salomon Bros. Indices, Ibbotson,
Business Week, Lowry Associates, Media General, Investment Company Data, The
New York Times, Your Money, Strangers Investment Advisor, Financial Planning
on Wall Street, Standard and Poor's, Individual Investor, The 100 Best Mutual
Funds You Can Buy, by Gordon K. Williamson, Consumer Price Index, and Sanford
C. Bernstein & Co. Fund performance may also be compared to the performance of
other mutual funds tracked by financial or business publications or
periodicals. Each Fund may also quote evaluations mentioned in independent
radio or television broadcasts and may use charts and graphs to illustrate the
past performance of various indices such as those mentioned above and
illustrations using hypothetical rates of return to illustrate the effects of
compounding and tax-deferral. Each Fund may advertise examples of the effects
of periodic investment plans, including the principle of dollar cost
averaging. In such a program, an investor invests a fixed dollar amount in a
fund at periodic intervals, thereby purchasing fewer shares when prices are
high and more shares when prices are low. While such a strategy does not
assure a profit or guard against a loss in a declining market, the investor's
average cost per share can be lower than if fixed numbers of shares are
purchased at the same intervals.
From time to time, each Fund may discuss or quote its current portfolio
manager as well as other investment personnel, including such persons' views
on: the economy; securities markets; portfolio securities and their issuers;
investment philosophies, strategies, techniques and criteria used in the
selection of securities to be purchased or sold for the Fund; the Fund's
portfolio holdings; the investment research and analysis process; the
formulation and evaluation of investment recommendations; and the assessment
and evaluation of credit, interest rate, market and economic risks and similar
or related matters.
From time to time each Fund may also discuss or quote the views of its
distributor, its investment adviser and other financial planning, legal, tax,
accounting, insurance, estate planning and other professionals, or from
surveys, regarding individual and family financial planning. Such views may
include information regarding: retirement planning; tax management strategies;
estate planning; general investment techniques (e.g., asset allocation and
disciplined saving and investing); business succession; ideas and information
provided through the MFS Heritage Planningsm program, an inter-generational
financial planning assistance program; issues with respect to insurance (e.g.,
disability and life insurance and Medicare supplemental insurance); issues
regarding financial and health care management for elderly family members; and
other similar or related matters.
MFS FIRSTS: MFS has a long history of innovations.
-- 1924 -- Massachusetts Investors Trust is established
as the first open-end mutual fund in America.
-- 1924 -- Massachusetts Investors Trust is the first
mutual fund to make full public disclosure of its
operations in shareholder reports.
-- 1932 -- One of the first internal research departments
is established to provide in-house analytical
capability for an investment management firm.
-- 1933 -- Massachusetts Investors Trust is the first
mutual fund to register under the Securities Act of
1933 ("Truth in Securities Act" or "Full Disclosure
Act").
-- 1936 -- Massachusetts Investors Trust is the first
mutual fund to allow shareholders to take capital gain
distributions either in additional shares or cash.
-- 1976 -- MFS(R) Municipal Bond Fund is among the first
municipal bond funds established.
-- 1979 -- Spectrum becomes the first combination fixed/
variable annuity with no initial sales charge.
-- 1981 -- MFS(R) Global Governments Fund is established
as America's first globally diversified fixed-income
mutual fund.
-- 1984 -- MFS(R) Municipal High Income Fund is the first
open-end mutual fund to seek high tax-free income from
lower-rated municipal securities.
-- 1986 -- MFS(R) Managed Sectors Fund becomes the first
mutual fund to target and shift investments among
industry sectors for shareholders.
-- 1986 -- MFS(R) Municipal Income Trust is the first
closed-end, high-yield municipal bond fund traded on
the New York Stock Exchange.
-- 1987 -- MFS(R) Multimarket Income Trust is the first
closed-end, multimarket high income fund listed on the
New York Stock Exchange.
-- 1989 -- MFS(R) Regatta becomes America's first non-
qualified market-value-adjusted fixed/variable annuity.
-- 1990 -- MFS(R) Global Total Return Fund is the first
global balanced fund.
-- 1993 -- MFS(R) Global Growth Fund is the first global
emerging markets fund to offer the expertise of two
sub-advisers.
-- 1993 -- MFS becomes money manager of MFS(R) Union
Standard(R) Equity Fund, the first fund to invest in
companies deemed to be union-friendly by an Advisory
Board of senior labor officials, senior managers of
companies with significant labor contracts, academics
and other national labor leaders or experts.
9. DISTRIBUTION PLAN
The Trustees have adopted a Distribution Plan for Class A, Class B and Class C
shares (the "Distribution Plan") pursuant to Section 12(b) of the 1940 Act and
Rule 12b-1 thereunder (the "Rule") after having concluded that there is a
reasonable likelihood that the Distribution Plan would benefit each Fund and
each respective class of shareholders. The provisions of the Distribution Plan
are severable with respect to each class of shares offered by each Fund. The
Distribution Plan is designed to promote sales, thereby increasing the net
assets of each Fund. Such an increase may reduce the expense ratio to the
extent each Fund's fixed costs are spread over a larger net asset base. Also,
an increase in net assets may lessen the adverse effects that could result
were each Fund required to liquidate portfolio securities to meet redemptions.
There is, however, no assurance that the net assets of each Fund will increase
or that the other benefits referred to above will be realized.
The Distribution Plan is described in the Prospectus under the caption
"Distribution Plan," which is incorporated herein by reference. The following
information supplements this Prospectus discussion.
SERVICE FEES:
With respect to Class A shares, no service fees will be paid: (i) to any
dealer who is the holder or dealer of record for investors who own Class A
shares having an aggregate net asset value less than $750,000, or such other
amount as may be determined from time to time by MFD (MFD, however, may waive
this minimum amount requirement from time to time); or (ii) to any insurance
company which has entered into an agreement with a Fund and MFD that permits
such insurance company to purchase Class A shares from the Fund at their net
asset value in connection with annuity agreements issued in connection with
the insurance company's separate accounts. Dealers may from time to time be
required to meet certain other criteria in order to receive service fees.
With respect to Class B shares, except in the case of the first year service
fee, no service fees will be paid to any securities dealer who is the holder
or dealer of record for investors who own Class B shares having an aggregate
net asset value of less than $750,000 or such other amount as may be
determined by MFD from time to time. MFD, however, may waive this minimum
amount requirement from time to time. Dealers may from time to time be
required to meet certain other criteria in order to receive service fees.
MFD or its affiliates shall be entitled to receive any service fee payable
under the Distribution Plan for which there is no dealer of record or for
which qualification standards have not been met as partial consideration for
personal services and/or account maintenance services performed by MFD or its
affiliates for shareholder accounts.
DISTRIBUTION FEES:
The purpose of distribution payments to MFD under the Distribution Plan is to
compensate MFD for its distribution services to each Fund. MFD pays
commissions to dealers as well as expenses of printing prospectuses and
reports used for sales purposes, expenses with respect to the preparation and
printing of sales literature and other distribution related expenses,
including, without limitation, the cost necessary to provide distribution-
related services, or personnel, travel, office expenses and equipment.
GENERAL: The Distribution Plan will remain in effect until August 1, 1999, and
will continue in effect thereafter only if such continuance is specifically
approved at least annually by vote of both the Trustees and a majority of the
Trustees who are not "interested persons" or financially interested parties to
such Plan ("Distribution Plan Qualified Trustees"). The Distribution Plan also
requires that a Fund and MFD each shall provide to the Trustees, and the
Trustees shall review, at least quarterly, a written report of the amounts
expended (and purposes therefor) under such Plan. The Distribution Plan may be
terminated at any time by vote of a majority of the Distribution Plan
Qualified Trustees or by vote of the holders of a majority of the respective
class of a Fund's shares (as defined in "Investment Restrictions"). All
agreements relating to the Distribution Plan entered into between a Fund or
MFD and other organizations must be approved by the Board of Trustees,
including a majority of the Distribution Plan Qualified Trustees. Agreements
under the Distribution Plan must be in writing, will be terminated
automatically if assigned, and may be terminated at any time without payment
of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the Distribution Plan Qualified
Trustees or by vote of the holders of a majority of the respective class of
the Fund's shares. The Distribution Plan may not be amended to increase
materially the amount of permitted distribution expenses without the approval
of a majority of the respective class of the Fund's shares (as defined in
"Investment Restrictions") or may not be materially amended in any case
without a vote of the Trustees and a majority of the Distribution Plan
Qualified Trustees. The selection and nomination of Distribution Plan
Qualified Trustees shall be committed to the discretion of the non-interested
Trustees then in office. No Trustee who is not an "interested person" has any
financial interest in the Distribution Plan or in any related agreement.
10. DESCRIPTION OF SHARES, VOTING RIGHTS AND LIABILITIES
The Trust's Declaration of Trust permits the Trustees to issue an unlimited
number of full and fractional Shares of Beneficial Interest (without par
value) of one or more separate series and to divide or combine the shares into
a greater or lesser number of shares without thereby changing the
proportionate beneficial interests in that series. The Trustees have currently
authorized shares of five series. The Declaration of Trust further authorizes
the Trustees to classify or reclassify the shares of each Fund into one or
more classes. Pursuant thereto, the Trustees have authorized four classes of
shares of each Fund. Each share of a class of a Fund represents an equal
proportionate interest in the assets of the Fund allocable to that class. Upon
liquidation of a Fund, the shareholders of each class of the Fund are entitled
to share pro rata in the net assets of the Fund allocable to such class
available for distribution to shareholders. The Trust reserves the right to
create and issue additional series or classes of shares, in which case the
shares of each class would participate equally in the earnings, dividends and
assets allocable to that class of the particular series.
Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each share held and may vote in the
election of Trustees and on other matters submitted to meetings of
shareholders. Although Trustees are not elected annually by the shareholders,
shareholders have under certain circumstances the right to remove one or more
Trustees in accordance with the provisions of Section 16(c) of the 1940 Act.
No material amendment may be made to the Declaration of Trust without the
affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the Trust's shares. Shares
have no pre-emptive or conversion rights (except as described in "Purchases --
Conversion of Class B Shares" in the Prospectus). Shares are fully paid and
non-assessable. The Trust may enter into a merger or consolidation, or sell
all or substantially all of its assets (or all or substantially all of the
assets belonging to any series of the Trust), if approved by the vote of the
holders of two-thirds of the Trust's outstanding shares voting as a single
class, or of the affected series of the Trust, as the case may be, except that
if the Trustees of the Trust recommend such merger, consolidation or sale, the
approval by vote of the holders of a majority of the Trust's or the affected
series' outstanding shares (as defined in "Investment Restrictions") will be
sufficient. The Trust or any series of the Trust may also be terminated (i)
upon liquidation and distribution of its assets, if approved by the vote of
the holders of two-thirds of its outstanding shares, or (ii) by the Trustees
by written notice to the shareholders of the Trust or the affected series. If
not so terminated, the Trust will continue indefinitely.
The Trust is an entity of the type commonly known as a "Massachusetts business
trust". Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of such a trust may, under
certain circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for its
obligations. However, the Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer
of shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Trust and provides for
indemnification and reimbursement of expenses out of the Trust property for
any shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust. The
Declaration of Trust also provides that it shall maintain appropriate
insurance (for example, fidelity bonding and errors and omissions insurance)
for the protection of the Trust, its shareholders, Trustees, officers,
employees and agents covering possible tort and other liabilities. Thus, the
risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder
liability is limited to circumstances in which both inadequate insurance
existed and the Trust itself was unable to meet its obligations.
The Declaration of Trust further provides that obligations of the Trust are
not binding upon the Trustees individually but only upon the property of the
Trust and that the Trustees will not be liable for any action or failure to
act, but nothing in the Declaration of Trust protects a Trustee against any
liability to which he would otherwise be subject by reason of willful
misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties
involved in the conduct of his office.
11. INDEPENDENT AUDITORS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Deloitte & Touche LLP are each Fund's independent auditors providing audit
services, tax preparation, and assistance and consultation with respect to the
preparation of filings with the SEC.
<PAGE>
INVESTMENT ADVISER
Massachusetts Financial Services Company
500 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
(617) 954-5000
DISTRIBUTOR
MFS Fund Distributors, Inc.
500 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
(617) 954-5000
CUSTODIAN
State Street Bank and Trust Company
225 Franklin Street, Boston, MA 02110
DIVIDEND DISBURSING AGENT
State Street Bank and Trust Company
225 Franklin Street, Boston, MA 02110
SHAREHOLDER SERVICING AGENT
MFS Service Center, Inc.
500 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
Toll free: (800) 225-2606
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 2281, Boston, MA 02107-9906
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
Deloitte & Touche LLP
125 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02110
MFS INTERMEDIATE INVESTMENT GRADE BOND FUND
MFS RESEARCH BOND FUND
500 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
[LOGO] M F S(R)
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
We invented the mutual fund(R)
INC-IBF/RBF-13 1/99/1M
