PROSPECTUS
DATED MARCH 1,
1994 , IN THE CASE
OF PUTNAM
MONEY MARKET
FUND AND
FEBRUARY 1, 1994 IN THE
CASE OF PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT
MONEY MARKET FUND, EACH
AS REVISED SEPTEMBER 1,
1994
PUTNAM MONEY MARKET FUND
INVESTMENT STRATEGY: INCOME
PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT MONEY MARKET FUND
INVESTMENT STRATEGY: TAX-ADVANTAGED
This Prospectus explains concisely what you should know before
investing in the Funds . Please read it carefully and keep
it for future reference. You can find more detailed information
about a Fund in its Statement of Additional
Information, dated March 1, 1994 in the case of Putnam Money
Market Fund and dated February 1, 1994 in the case of Putnam Tax
Exempt Money Market Fund, each as amended from time to time.
For a free copy of a Statement, call Putnam Investor
Services at 1-800-225-1581. The Statements have been filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are
incorporated into this Prospectus by reference.
AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUNDS IS NEITHER INSURED NOR
GUARANTEED BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. THERE CAN BE NO ASSURANCE
THAT EITHER FUND WILL BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN A STABLE NET
ASSET VALUE OF $1.00 PER SHARE.
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES
COMMISSION NOR HAS THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY
STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY
OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A
CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
SHARES OF THE FUNDS ARE NOT DEPOSITS OR OBLIGATIONS OF, OR
GUARANTEED OR ENDORSED BY, ANY FINANCIAL INSTITUTION, ARE NOT
INSURED BY THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION, THE FEDERAL
RESERVE BOARD OR ANY OTHER AGENCY, AND INVOLVE RISK, INCLUDING
THE POSSIBLE LOSS OF PRINCIPAL.
BOSTON * LONDON * TOKYO
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PUTNAM MONEY MARKET FUND
(THE "MONEY MARKET FUND")
seeks as high a rate of current income as Putnam Investment
Management, Inc., the Fund's investment manager ("Putnam
Management"), believes is consistent with preservation of capital
and maintenance of liquidity. The Money Market Fund
offers two classes of shares: Class A and Class B. Each class is
sold pursuant to different sales arrangements and bears different
expenses. For information about various expenses borne by each
class, see "Expenses summary."
PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT MONEY MARKET FUND
(THE "TAX EXEMPT MONEY MARKET FUND")
seeks as high a level of current income exempt from federal
income tax as Putnam Management, the Fund's investment manager,
believes is consistent with preservation of capital, maintenance
of liquidity and stability of principal.
The Funds are separate, open-end, diversified management
investment companies. Each is described in this Prospectus in
order to help investors understand the similarities and
differences between the Funds and determine which Fund--or
combination of Funds--best meets their investment objectives.
See "Organization and history."
ABOUT THE FUNDS
Expenses summary 4
.........................................................
Financial highlights 6
.........................................................
Objectives 9
.........................................................
How objectives are pursued 9
.........................................................
How performance is shown 18
.........................................................
How the Funds are managed 18
.........................................................
Organization and history 19
ABOUT YOUR INVESTMENT
How to buy shares 21
.........................................................
Distribution Plans 23
.........................................................
How to sell shares 24
.........................................................
How to exchange shares 26
.........................................................
Determination of net income; tax information 28
ABOUT PUTNAM INVESTMENTS, INC. 30
ABOUT THE FUNDS
EXPENSES SUMMARY
Expenses are one of several factors to consider when investing in
a Fund. The following table summarizes your maximum
transaction costs from investing in each Fund and expenses
incurred by each Fund based on its most recent fiscal
year. The Examples show the cumulative expenses attributable to
a hypothetical $1,000 investment in each Fund over
specified periods.
PUTNAM MONEY MARKET FUND
CLASS A CLASS B
SHARES SHARES
SHAREHOLDER TRANSACTION EXPENSES
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed
on Purchases(as a percentage
of offering price) NONE NONE
5.0% in the first
Deferred Sales Charge (as a year, declining
percentage of the lower of to 1.0% in the
original purchase price or sixth year, and
redemption proceeds) NONE eliminated
thereafter*
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(as a percentage of average
net assets)
Management Fees 0.38% 0.38%
12b-1 Fees NONE 0.75%
Other Expenses 0.32% 0.32%
Total Fund Operating Expenses 0.70% 1.45%
EXAMPLES
Your investment of $1,000 would incur the following expenses,
assuming 5% annual return and redemption at the end of each
period:
1 3 5 10
year years years years
CLASS A $7 $22 $39 $87
CLASS B $65 $76 $99 $153**
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Your investment of $1,000 would incur the following expenses,
assuming 5% annual return but no redemption:
1 3 5 10
year years years years
CLASS A $7 $22 $39 $87
CLASS B $15 $46 $79 $153**
PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT MONEY MARKET FUND
SHAREHOLDER TRANSACTION EXPENSES
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) NONE
Deferred Sales Charge
(as a percentage of the lower of original
purchase price or redemption proceeds) NONE
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(as a percentage of average net assets)
Management Fees 0.45%
12b-1 Fees NONE
Other Expenses 0.44%
Total Fund Operating Expenses 0.89%
EXAMPLE
Your investment of $1,000 would incur the following expenses,
assuming (1) 5% annual return and (2) redemption at the end of
each period:
1 3 5 10
year years years years
$9 $28 $49
$110
The tables are provided to help you understand the
expenses of investing in each Fund and your share of the
operating expenses which that Fund incurs. The
12b-1 fees shown in the table for Class B shares of the Money
Market Fund reflect the maximum amount permitted under the
Fund's Class B Distribution Plan. Actual 12b-1
fees and total operating expenses for the Money Market
Fund's Class B shares for the last fiscal year were 0.50% and
1.20%, respectively. The absence of 12b-1 fees shown in the
table for the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund reflects the
termination of payments under the Fund's Distribution Plan
effective January 1, 1994. See "Distribution Plans." Actual
12b-1 fees and total operating expenses for the Tax Exempt Money
Market Fund's last fiscal year were 0.10% and 0.99%,
respectively. The Examples do not represent past or future
expense levels. Actual expenses may be greater or less than
those shown. Federal regulations require the Examples to assume
a 5% annual return, but actual annual return has varied.
* Class B shares of the Money Market Fund are available
only by exchange of Class B shares of other Putnam funds.
The applicable contingent deferred sales charge for Class B
shares will depend upon the fund or funds from which you
exchanged. See "How to buy shares."
** Reflects conversion of the Money Market Fund's Class
B shares to Class A shares (which pay lower ongoing expenses)
approximately eight years after purchase. See "How to buy
shares - Class B shares - Conversion of Class B shares."
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The tables on the following pages present per share
financial information for the Money Market Fund's
(formerly Putnam Daily Dividend Trust) ten most recent
fiscal years and for the life of the Tax Exempt Money Market
Fund . This information has been audited and reported on by
the Funds' independent accountants. The Report of
Independent Accountants and financial statements included in
each Fund's Annual Report to shareholders for its
1993 fiscal year is incorporated by reference into this
Prospectus. The Funds' Annual Reports, which
contain additional unaudited performance information, will
be made available without charge upon request.
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<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
PUTNAM MONEY MARKET FUND+
FINANCIAL
HIGHLIGHTS*
(FOR A SHARE
OUTSTANDING
THROUGHOUT
THE PERIOD)
APRIL 27,
1992
(COMMENC- TEN
YEAR MENT OF MONTHS YEAR
ENDED OPERATIONS) ENDED ENDED
OCTOBER TO OCTOBER OCTOBER DECEMBER
31 31 YEAR ENDED OCTOBER 31 31 31
1993 1992 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983
CLASS B CLASS A
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
INVESTMENT
OPERATIONS:
NET INVESTMENT
INCOME $.0195 $.0151 $.0246 $.0353 $.0598$.0764 $.0853 $.0655 $.0568 $.0642 $.0633 $.0983 $.0837
NET REALIZED
AND UNREALIZED
GAIN ON
INVESTMENTS -- -- -- -- .0001 -- -- -- -- -- .0001 .0003 --
TOTAL FROM
INVESTMENT
OPERATIONS .0195 .0151 .0246 .0353 .0599 .0764 .0853 .0655 .0568 .0642 .0634 .0986 .0837
TOTAL
DISTRIBUTIONS
($) (.0195) (.0151) (.0246) (.0353) (.0599) (.0764) (.0853) (.0655) (.0568) (.0642) (.0634) (.0986) (.0837)
<PAGE>
TOTAL INVESTMENT
RETURN AT
NET ASSET
VALUE (%) (A) 1.98 2.98(B) 2.49 3.58 6.16 7.92 8.87 6.75 5.83 6.61 7.86(B) 10.32 8.70
NET ASSETS,
END OF PERIOD
(IN THOUSANDS)22,777 2,864 586,920 839,185 684,987 904,186 797,395 659,590 775,954 320,874 275,901 260,186 282,335
RATIO OF EXPENSES
TO AVERAGE NET
ASSETS (%) 1.20 1.37(B) .70 .86 .77 .74 .85 .91 1.01 .89 .85(B) .85 .85
RATIO OF NET
INVESTMENT
INCOME TO
AVERAGE NET
ASSETS (%) 1.98 2.93(B) 2.48 3.56 6.04 7.63 8.51 6.67 5.65 6.32 7.56(B) 9.79 8.29
+FORMERLY PUTNAM DAILY DIVIDEND TRUST.
*FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS FOR PERIODS ENDED THROUGH OCTOBER 31, 1992 HAVE BEEN RESTATED TO CONFORM WITH REQUIREMENTS ISSUED
BY THE SEC IN APRIL 1993.
(A) TOTAL INVESTMENT RETURN ASSUMES DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT AND DOES NOT REFLECT THE EFFECT OF SALES CHARGES.
(B) ANNUALIZED.
</TABLE>
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<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT MONEY MARKET FUND
FINANCIAL
HIGHLIGHTS*
FOR A SHARE OUTSTANDING THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD)
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
FOR THE PERIOD
OCTOBER 26, 1987
(COMMENCEMENT
OF OPERATIONS) TO
YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30 SEPTEMBER 30
1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988
INVESTMENT OPERATIONS
NET INVESTMENT INCOME .0184 .0297(A) .0462(A) .0548(A) .0578(A) .0424(A)
NET REALIZED GAIN (LOSS) ON INVESTMENTS -- -- (.0001) -- -- .0002
TOTAL FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS .0184 .0297 .0461 .0548 .0578 .0426
TOTAL DISTRIBUTIONS (.0184) (.0297) (.0461) (.0548) (.0578) (.0426)
TOTAL INVESTMENT RETURN AT NET ASSET VALUE (%) (B) 1.85 3.02 4.74 5.61 5.92 4.68(C)
NET ASSETS, END OF PERIOD (IN THOUSANDS) $81,076 $81,820 $100,077 $111,705 $98,867 $83,336
RATIO OF EXPENSES TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS (%) .99 .87(A) .79(A) .68(A) .69(A) .62(A)(C)
RATIO OF NET INVESTMENT INCOME TO AVERAGE
NET ASSETS (%) 1.85 2.99(A) 4.62(A) 5.45(A) 5.79(A) 4.62(A)(C)
*FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS FOR PERIODS ENDED THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 1992 HAVE BEEN RESTATED TO CONFORM WITH REQUIREMENTS
ISSUED BY THE SEC IN APRIL 1993.
(A) REFLECTS AN EXPENSE LIMITATION AND, DURING THE PERIOD ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 1988, A WAIVER OF A PORTION OF
DISTRIBUTION FEES IN EFFECT DURING THE PERIOD. AS A RESULT OF SUCH LIMITATION AND WAIVER, EXPENSES OF THE FUND FOR THE
YEARS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 1992, 1991, 1990, 1989 AND THE PERIOD ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 1988 REFLECT PER SHARE REDUCTIONS OF
APPROXIMATELY $0.0029, $0.0030, $0.0034, $0.0035 AND $0.0047, RESPECTIVELY.
(B) TOTAL INVESTMENT RETURN ASSUMES DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT AND DOES NOT REFLECT THE EFFECT OF SALES CHARGES.
(C) ANNUALIZED.
</TABLE>
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OBJECTIVES
PUTNAM MONEY MARKET FUND SEEKS AS HIGH A RATE OF CURRENT
INCOME AS PUTNAM MANAGEMENT BELIEVES IS CONSISTENT WITH
PRESERVATION OF CAPITAL AND MAINTENANCE OF LIQUIDITY. It is
designed for investors seeking current income with stability of
principal. The Fund is not intended to be a complete investment
program, and there is no assurance it will achieve its objective.
PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT MONEY MARKET FUND SEEKS AS HIGH A LEVEL OF
CURRENT INCOME EXEMPT FROM FEDERAL INCOME TAX AS PUTNAM
MANAGEMENT BELIEVES IS CONSISTENT WITH PRESERVATION OF CAPITAL,
MAINTENANCE OF LIQUIDITY AND STABILITY OF PRINCIPAL. The Fund is
not intended to be a complete investment program, and there is no
assurance it will achieve its objective.
HOW OBJECTIVES ARE PURSUED
PUTNAM MONEY MARKET FUND
BASIC INVESTMENT STRATEGY
THE MONEY MARKET FUND INVESTS IN A PORTFOLIO OF HIGH-
QUALITY MONEY MARKET INSTRUMENTS. EXAMPLES OF THESE INSTRUMENTS
INCLUDE:
<PAGE>
o BANK CERTIFICATES OF DEPOSIT (CD'S): negotiable
certificates issued against funds deposited in a
commercial bank for a definite period of time and
earning a specified return.
o BANKERS' ACCEPTANCES: negotiable drafts or bills of
exchange, which have been "accepted" by a bank,
meaning, in effect, that the bank has unconditionally
agreed to pay the face value of the instrument on
maturity.
o PRIME COMMERCIAL PAPER: high-grade, short-term
obligations issued by banks, corporations and other
issuers.
o CORPORATE OBLIGATIONS: high-grade, short-term corporate
obligations other than prime commercial paper.
o MUNICIPAL OBLIGATIONS: high-grade, short - term
municipal obligations.
o U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES: marketable securities
issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by
the U.S. government or by its agencies or
instrumentalities.
o REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS: with respect to U.S. Treasury or
U.S. Government agency obligations.
The Money Market Fund will invest only in high-quality
securities that Putnam Management believes present minimal credit
risk. High-quality securities are securities rated at the time
of acquisition in one of the two highest categories by at least
two nationally recognized rating services (or, if only one rating
service has rated the security, by that service) or , if
the security is unrated, judged to be of equivalent quality by
Putnam Management. The Money Market Fund will maintain a
dollar-weighted average maturity of 90 days or less and will not
invest in securities with remaining maturities of more than 397
days. The Money Market Fund follows investment and
valuation policies designed to maintain a stable net asset value
of $1.00 per share. There is no assurance that the Money
Market Fund will be able to maintain a stable net asset value
of $1.00 per share.
SELECTION OF INVESTMENTS
The Money Market Fund may invest in bank certificates of
deposit and bankers' acceptances issued by banks having deposits
in excess of $2 billion (or the foreign currency equivalent) at
the close of the last calendar year. Should the Trustees decide
to reduce this minimum deposit requirement, shareholders would be
notified and this Prospectus supplemented.
Securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by
the U.S. government include a variety of Treasury securities,
which differ in their interest rates, maturities and dates of
issue. Securities issued or guaranteed by agencies or
instrumentalities of the U.S. government may or may
not be supported by the full faith and credit of the United
States or by the right of the issuer to borrow from the Treasury.
Considerations of liquidity and preservation of capital mean that
the Money Market Fund may not necessarily invest in money
market instruments paying the highest available yield at a
particular time. Consistent with its investment objective, the
Money Market Fund will attempt to maximize yields by
portfolio trading and by buying and selling portfolio investments
in anticipation of or in response to changing economic and money
market conditions and trends. The Money Market Fund will
also invest to take advantage of what Putnam Management believes
to be temporary disparities in yields of different segments of
the high-grade money market or among particular instruments
within the same segment of the market. These policies, as well
as the relatively short maturity of obligations purchased by the
Money Market Fund, may result in frequent changes in the
Money Market Fund's portfolio. The Money Market
Fund does not usually pay brokerage commissions in connection
with the purchase or sale of portfolio securities. See
"Management of the Fund--Portfolio Transactions--Brokerage
and research services" in the Statement of Additional Information
for a discussion of underwriters' commissions and dealers'
spreads involved in the purchase and sale of portfolio
securities.
FOREIGN INVESTMENTS. The Money Market Fund may invest
without limit in commercial paper of foreign issuers and in bank
certificates of deposit and bankers' acceptances payable in U.S.
dollars and issued by foreign banks (including U.S. branches of
foreign banks) or by foreign branches of U.S. banks. These
investments subject the Money Market Fund to investment
risks different from those associated with domestic investments.
Such risks include adverse political and economic developments in
such countries, the imposition of withholding taxes on interest
income, seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits or the
adoption of other governmental restrictions which might adversely
affect the payment of principal and interest on such obligations.
Legal remedies available to investors in certain foreign
countries may be more limited than those available with respect
to investments in the United States or in other foreign
countries. Foreign settlement procedures and trade regulations
may involve certain risks (such as delay in payment or delivery
of securities or in the recovery of the Money Market
Fund's assets held abroad) and expenses not present in the
settlement of domestic investments. In addition, foreign
securities may be less liquid than U.S. securities, and foreign
accounting and disclosure standards may differ from United States
standards. Special tax considerations apply to foreign
securities.
A MORE DETAILED EXPLANATION OF FOREIGN INVESTMENTS, AND THE RISKS
AND SPECIAL TAX CONSIDERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM, IS
INCLUDED IN THE STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
INTEREST RATES. The portfolio of the Money Market Fund
will be affected by general changes in interest rates resulting
in increases or decreases in the value of the obligations held by
the Money Market Fund. The value of the securities in the
Money Market Fund's portfolio can be expected to vary
inversely with changes in prevailing interest rates.
Withdrawals by shareholders could require the sale of portfolio
investments at a time when such a sale might not otherwise be
desirable.
CONCENTRATION. The Money Market Fund may invest without
limit in the banking industry and in commercial paper and short-
term corporate obligations of issuers in the personal credit
institution and business credit institution industries when, in
the opinion of Putnam Management, the yield, marketability and
availability of investments meeting the Money Market
Fund's quality standards in those industries justify any
additional risks associated with the concentration of the
Money Market Fund's assets in those industries. The
Money Market Fund, however, will invest more than 25% of
its assets in the personal credit institution or business credit
institution industries only when, to Putnam Management's
knowledge, the yields then available on securities issued by
companies in such industries and otherwise suitable for
investment by the Money Market Fund exceed the yields then
available on securities issued by companies in the banking
industry and otherwise suitable for investment by the Money
Market Fund.
SECURITIES LENDING. The Money Market Fund may lend
portfolio securities amounting to not more than 25% of its assets
to broker-dealers. These transactions must be fully
collateralized at all times with cash and short-term debt
obligations. These transactions involve some risk to the
Money Market Fund if the other party should default on its
obligation and the Money Market Fund is delayed or
prevented from recovering the collateral .
PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT MONEY MARKET FUND
THE TAX EXEMPT MONEY MARKET FUND FOLLOWS THE FUNDAMENTAL POLICY
THAT AT LEAST 80% OF ITS NET ASSETS NORMALLY WILL BE INVESTED IN
SHORT-TERM TAX EXEMPT SECURITIES (AS DEFINED BELOW). Subject to
this limitation, the Fund may also invest in high quality taxable
money market instruments of the type described under "Alternative
investment strategies" below.
The Tax Exempt Money Market Fund will invest in only the
following Tax Exempt Securities: (i) municipal notes; (ii)
municipal bonds; (iii) municipal securities backed by the U.S.
government; (iv) short-term discount notes (tax-exempt commercial
paper); (v) participation interests in any of the foregoing; and
(vi) unrated securities or new types of tax-exempt instruments
which become available in the future if Putnam Management
determines they meet the quality standards discussed below. In
connection with the purchase of Tax Exempt Securities, the Tax
Exempt Money Market Fund may acquire stand-by commitments, which
give the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund the right to resell the
security to the dealer at a specified price. Stand-by
commitments may provide additional liquidity for the Tax Exempt
Money Market Fund but are subject to the risk that the dealer may
fail to meet its obligations. The Tax Exempt Money Market Fund
does not generally expect to pay additional consideration for
stand-by commitments nor to assign any value to them.
The Tax Exempt Money Market Fund will invest only in high-quality
Tax Exempt Securities and other money market instruments that
Putnam Management believes present minimal credit risk. High-
quality securities are securities rated in one of the two highest
categories by at least two nationally recognized rating services
(or, if only one rating service has rated the security, by that
service) or, if the security is unrated, judged to be of
equivalent quality by Putnam Management. The Tax Exempt Money
Market Fund will maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity of
90 days or less and will not invest in securities with remaining
maturities of more than 397 days. The Tax Exempt Money Market
Fund may invest in variable or floating-rate Tax Exempt
Securities which bear interest at rates subject to periodic
adjustment or which provide for periodic recovery of principal on
demand. Under certain conditions, these securities may be deemed
to have remaining maturities equal to the time remaining until
the next interest adjustment date or the date on which principal
can be recovered on demand. The Tax Exempt Money Market Fund
follows investment and valuation policies designed to maintain a
stable net asset value of $1.00 per share, although there is no
assurance that these policies will be successful.
Considerations of liquidity and preservation of capital mean that
the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund may not necessarily invest in
Tax Exempt Securities paying the highest available yield at a
particular time. Consistent with its investment objective, the
Tax Exempt Money Market Fund will attempt to maximize yields by
portfolio trading and by buying and selling portfolio investments
in anticipation of or in response to changing economic and money
market conditions and trends. The Tax Exempt Money Market Fund
will also invest to take advantage of what Putnam Management
believes to be temporary disparities in yields of different
segments of the market for Tax Exempt Securities or among
particular instruments within the same segment of the market.
These policies, as well as the relatively short maturity of
obligations purchased by the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund, may
result in frequent changes in the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund's
portfolio. Portfolio turnover may give rise to taxable gains.
The Tax Exempt Money Market Fund does not usually pay brokerage
commissions in connection with the purchase of portfolio
securities. See "Management of the Fund - Portfolio transactions
- - Brokerage and research services" in the Statement of Additional
Information for a discussion of underwriters' commissions and
dealers' spreads involved in the purchase and sale of portfolio
securities.
ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENT STRATEGIES. At times Putnam Management
may judge that conditions in the markets for Tax Exempt
Securities make pursuing the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund's basic
investment strategy inconsistent with the best interests of
shareholders. At such times Putnam Management may temporarily
use alternative strategies. In implementing these "defensive"
strategies, the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund may invest in high
quality money market instruments, including bank certificates of
deposit, bankers' acceptances, prime commercial paper, high-
grade, short-term corporate obligations, short-term U.S.
government securities or repurchase agreements, or other
securities Putnam Management considers consistent with such
defensive strategies. The interest income from these instruments
would be subject to federal income tax. It is impossible to
predict when, or for how long, the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund
may use these alternative strategies.
DIVERSIFICATION. Although the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund is a
"diversified" investment company under the Investment Company Act
of 1940, which means that with respect to 75% of its total assets
the Fund may not invest more than 5% of its total assets in the
securities of any one issuer (except U.S. government
obligations), up to 25% of the Fund's total assets may be
invested in the securities of any one issuer of Tax Exempt
Securities. Because of the relatively small number of issuers of
Tax Exempt Securities, the Fund is more likely to invest a higher
percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer
than an investment company which invests in a broad range of Tax
Exempt Securities. This practice involves an increased risk of
loss to the Fund if the issuer is unable to make interest or
principal payments or if the market value of such securities
declines. For diversification purposes, Tax Exempt Securities
backed only by the assets and revenues of nongovernmental users
may be deemed to be issued by the nongovernmental users.
TAX EXEMPT SECURITIES
TAX EXEMPT SECURITIES ARE DEBT OBLIGATIONS ISSUED BY A STATE
(INCLUDING THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA), A TERRITORY OR A UNITED
STATES POSSESSION, OR ANY OF THEIR POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS,
AGENCIES, INSTRUMENTALITIES OR OTHER GOVERNMENTAL UNITS, THE
INTEREST FROM WHICH IS, IN THE OPINION OF BOND COUNSEL, EXEMPT
FROM FEDERAL INCOME TAX. These securities are issued to obtain
funds for various public purposes, such as the construction of
public facilities, the payment of general operating expenses or
the refunding of outstanding debts. They may also be issued to
finance various private activities, including the lending of
funds to public or private institutions for the construction of
housing, educational or medical facilities and may also include
certain types of private activity and industrial development
bonds issued by public authorities to finance privately owned or
operated facilities or to fund short-term cash requirements.
Short-term Tax Exempt Securities are generally issued as interim
financing in anticipation of tax collections, revenue receipts or
bond sales to finance various public purposes.
THE TWO PRINCIPAL CLASSIFICATIONS OF TAX EXEMPT SECURITIES ARE
GENERAL OBLIGATION AND SPECIAL OBLIGATION (OR SPECIAL REVENUE
OBLIGATION) SECURITIES. GENERAL OBLIGATION securities involve a
pledge of the credit of an issuer possessing taxing power and are
payable from the issuer's general unrestricted revenues. Their
payment may depend on an appropriation by the issuer's
legislative body. The characteristics and methods of enforcement
of general obligation securities vary according to the law
applicable to the particular issuer. SPECIAL OBLIGATION (OR
SPECIAL REVENUE OBLIGATION) securities are payable only from the
revenues derived from a particular facility or class of
facilities, or a specific revenue source, and generally are not
payable from the unrestricted revenues of the issuer. Industrial
development and private activity bonds are in most cases special
obligation securities, the credit quality of which is directly
related to the private user of the facilities.
INTEREST RATES. The portfolio of the Tax Exempt Money Market
Fund will be affected by general changes in interest rates
resulting in increases or decreases in the value of the
obligations held by the Fund. Although the Tax Exempt Money
Market Fund's investment policies are designed to minimize these
changes and to maintain a net asset value of $1.00 per share,
there is no assurance that these policies will be successful.
Withdrawals by shareholders could require the sale of portfolio
investments at a time when such a sale might not otherwise be
desirable.
CONCENTRATION. The Tax Exempt Money Market Fund will not invest
more than 25% of its total assets in any one industry.
Governmental issuers of Tax Exempt Securities are not considered
part of any "industry." However, Tax Exempt Securities backed
only by the assets and revenues of nongovernmental users may for
this purpose be deemed to be issued by such nongovernmental
users, and the 25% limitation would apply to such obligations.
It is nonetheless possible that the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund
may invest more than 25% of its assets in a broader segment of
the Tax Exempt Securities market, such as revenue obligations of
hospitals and other health care facilities, housing agency
revenue obligations, or airport revenue obligations. This would
be the case only if Putnam Management determined that the yields
available from obligations in a particular segment of the market
justified the additional risks associated with such
concentration. Although such obligations could be supported by
the credit of governmental users or by the credit of
nongovernmental users engaged in a number of industries,
economic, business, political and other developments generally
affecting the revenues of such users (for example, proposed
legislation or pending court decisions affecting the financing of
such projects and market factors affecting the demand for their
services or products) may have a general adverse effect on all
Tax Exempt Securities in such a market segment.
The Tax Exempt Money Market Fund reserves the right to invest
more than 25% of its assets in industrial development securities
and private activity bonds. The Tax Exempt Money Market Fund
also reserves the right to invest more than 25% of its assets in
securities relating to one or more states (including the District
of Columbia), territories, or United States possessions, or any
of their political subdivisions. As a result of such an
investment, the performance of the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund
may be especially affected by factors pertaining to the economy
of the relevant state and other factors specifically affecting
the ability of issuers of such securities to meet their
obligations. The ability of governmental issuers to meet their
obligations will depend primarily on the availability of tax and
other revenues to those governments and on their fiscal
conditions generally. The amounts of tax and other revenues
available to governmental issuers may be affected from time to
time by economic, political, and demographic conditions within
the particular state. In addition, constitutional or statutory
restrictions may limit a government's power to raise revenues or
increase taxes. The availability of federal, state, and local
aid to issuers of such securities may also affect their ability
to meet their obligations. Payments of principal and interest on
special obligation securities will depend on the economic
condition of the facility or specific revenue source from whose
revenues the payments will be made, which in turn could be
affected by economic, political, and demographic conditions in
the particular state. Any reduction in the actual or perceived
ability of an issuer of Tax Exempt Securities in a particular
state to meet its obligations (including a reduction in the
rating of its outstanding securities) would likely affect
adversely the market value and marketability of its obligations
and could affect adversely the values of Tax Exempt Securities
issued by others in that state as well.
ALTERNATIVE MINIMUM TAX. As part of the Tax Exempt Money Market
Fund's fundamental 80% tax-exempt policy described above, the
Fund will not treat obligations as "Tax Exempt Securities" for
purposes of measuring compliance with such policy if they would
give rise to interest income subject to federal alternative
minimum tax for individuals. To the extent that the Fund invests
in these securities, individual as well as corporate shareholders
of the Fund, depending on their own tax status, may be subject to
federal alternative minimum tax on the part of the Tax Exempt
Money Market Fund's distributions derived from these securities.
More generally, an investment in the Fund may cause corporate
shareholders to be subject to (or result in an increased
liability under) the alternative minimum tax because a portion of
tax-exempt income is generally included in alternative minimum
taxable income of corporations.
THE FUNDS' OTHER INVESTMENT PRACTICES
TO THE EXTENT DESCRIBED BELOW, THE FUNDS MAY ALSO ENGAGE IN THE
FOLLOWING INVESTMENT PRACTICES, EACH OF WHICH MAY RESULT IN
TAXABLE INCOME OR CAPITAL GAINS AND INVOLVES CERTAIN SPECIAL
RISKS. EACH FUND'S STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTAINS
MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THESE PRACTICES, INCLUDING
LIMITATIONS DESIGNED TO REDUCE THESE RISKS.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. Each Fund may engage in repurchase
agreements, although the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund may only
enter into repurchase agreements on up to 25% of its assets.
Under a repurchase agreement, a Fund purchases a debt instrument
for a relatively short period (usually not more than one week),
which the seller agrees to repurchase at a fixed time and price,
representing the Fund's cost plus interest. Although Putnam
Management will monitor repurchase agreement transactions to
ensure that they will be fully collateralized at all times, a
Fund bears a risk of loss if the other party defaults on its
obligation and the Fund is delayed or prevented from exercising
its rights to dispose of the collateral. If the other party
should become involved in bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings,
it is possible that a Fund may be treated as an unsecured
creditor and required to return the underlying collateral to the
other party's estate.
FORWARD COMMITMENTS. The Tax Exempt Money Market Fund may
purchase securities for future delivery, which may increase its
overall investment exposure and involves a risk of loss if the
value of the securities declines prior to the settlement date.
LIMITING INVESTMENT RISK
SPECIFIC INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS HELP THE FUNDS LIMIT
INVESTMENT RISKS FOR THEIR SHAREHOLDERS. THESE
RESTRICTIONS PROHIBIT EACH FUND FROM INVESTING MORE THAN:
(a) (for both Funds) 5% of its total assets in the
securities of any one issuer (other than obligations issued or
guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or
instrumentalities , and, for the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund
only, Tax Exempt Securities);* (b) (for the Money Market Fund
only) 5% of its total assets in companies that, together with
any predecessors, have been in operation less than three years;*
(c) (for the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund only) 5% of its
net assets in securities of any issuer if the party
responsible for payment, together with any predecessor, has been
in operation for less than three years (except U.S. government
and agency obligations and obligations backed by the faith,
credit and taxing power of any person authorized to issue Tax
Exempt Securities); (d) (for the Money Market Fund only) 5% of
its net assets in securities restricted as to resale;* (e)
(for the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund only) 15% of its net assets
in securities restricted as to resale, excluding restricted
securities that have been determined by the Fund's Trustees (or
the person designated by them to make such determinations) to be
readily marketable;* or (f)(for both Funds) 15% of its net
assets in any combination of securities that are not readily
marketable, in securities restricted as to resale (excluding
securities determined by the Fund's Trustees (or the person
designated by the Fund's Trustees to make such determinations) to
be readily marketable), and in repurchase agreements maturing in
more than seven days. The Funds have not invested more
than 10% of their net assets in the types of securities
listed in item (f) and have no current intention of
doing so.
Restrictions marked with an asterisk (*) above are summaries of
fundamental policies. See each Fund's Statement of
Additional Information for the full text of each Fund's
policies and each Fund's other fundamental policies.
Except for investment policies designated as fundamental in this
Prospectus or the Statements , the investment policies
described in this Prospectus and in the Statements are not
fundamental policies. The Trustees may change any non-
fundamental investment policies without shareholder approval. As
a matter of policy, the Trustees would not materially change
a Fund's investment objective without shareholder
approval.
HOW PERFORMANCE IS SHOWN
YIELD , EFFECTIVE YIELD AND TAX-EQUIVALENT YIELD
DATA MAY FROM TIME TO TIME BE INCLUDED IN ADVERTISEMENTS ABOUT
THE FUNDS. "Yield" represents an annualization of
the change in value of a shareholder account (excluding
any capital changes) for a specific seven-day period. "Effective
yield" compounds each Fund's yield for a year and is, for
that reason, greater than the Fund's yield. Yield and
effective yield are computed separately for each class of shares
of the Money Market Fund . The yield and effective yield
calculations for the Money Market Fund's Class B shares do
not reflect deduction of any contingent deferred sales charge.
"Tax-equivalent" yield for the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund
shows the effect on performance of the tax-exempt status of
distributions received from the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund. It
reflects the approximate yield that a taxable investment must
earn for shareholders at stated income levels to produce an
after-tax yield equivalent to the Tax Exempt Money Market
Fund's yield or effective yield. Quotations of yield,
effective yield or tax-equivalent yield for any period when
an expense limitation was in effect will be greater than if the
limitation had not been in effect. The Funds' performance
may be compared to various indices. See each Fund's
Statement of Additional Information.
GENERAL
ALL DATA IS BASED ON EACH FUND'S PAST INVESTMENT RESULTS
AND DOES NOT PREDICT FUTURE PERFORMANCE. Investment performance,
which will vary, is based on many factors, including market
conditions, the composition of each Fund's portfolio,
each Fund's operating expenses , and which class of
shares you purchase . Investment performance also often
reflects the risks associated with each Fund's investment
objective and policies. These factors should be considered when
comparing each Fund's investment results to those of other
mutual funds and other investment vehicles.
HOW THE FUNDS ARE MANAGED
THE TRUSTEES OF EACH FUND ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR GENERALLY
OVERSEEING THE CONDUCT OF THAT FUND'S BUSINESS. Subject
to such policies as the Trustees may determine, Putnam Management
furnishes a continuing investment program for each Fund
and makes investment decisions on each Fund's behalf.
Subject to the control of the Trustees, Putnam Management also
manages the Funds' other affairs and business. Lindsey M.
Callen, Vice President of Putnam Management and Vice President of
the Funds , has had primary responsibility for the day-to-
day management of the Money Market Fund's portfolio since
February, 1992 and the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund's
portfolio since March, 1992. Ms. Callen has been employed by
Putnam Management for the past five years.
The Funds pay all expenses not assumed by Putnam
Management, including Trustees' fees, auditing, legal, custodial,
investor servicing and shareholder reporting expenses and
payments under the Money Market Fund's Distribution Plan
(which are in turn allocated to the relevant class of
shares in the case of the Money Market Fund). Each Fund also
reimburses Putnam Management for the compensation and related
expenses of certain officers of the Fund and their staff who
provide administrative services to the Funds . The total
reimbursement is determined annually by the Trustees of each
Fund .
Putnam Management places all orders for purchases and sales of
the Funds' securities. In selecting broker-dealers,
Putnam Management may consider research and brokerage services
furnished to it and its affiliates. Subject to seeking the most
favorable price and execution available, Putnam Management may
consider sales of shares of a Fund (and, if permitted by
law, of the other Putnam funds) as a factor in the selection of
broker-dealers.
ORGANIZATION AND HISTORY
Putnam Money Market Fund and Putnam Tax Exempt Money Market
Fund are organized as Massachusetts business trusts by
Agreements and Declarations of Trust dated November 25, 1975
and December 3, 1986, respectively . A copy of each
Agreement and Declaration of Trust, which is governed by
Massachusetts law, is on file with the Secretary of State of The
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Prior to September 1, 1994,
Putnam Money Market Fund was known as Putnam Daily Dividend
Trust.
Each Fund is an open-end, diversified management
investment company with an unlimited number of authorized shares
of beneficial interest. Although shares of the Tax
Exempt Money Market Fund may, without shareholder approval,
be divided into two or more series of such shares (each of
which would constitute a separate fund), the Tax Exempt Money
Market Fund's shares are not presently divided into series.
Shares of the Funds may be divided, without shareholder approval,
into two or more classes of shares having such preferences
and special or relative rights and privileges as the Trustees may
determine. The Money Market Fund's shares are currently
divided into three classes, two of which -- Class A and Class
B -- are currently being offered , while the Tax Exempt
Money Market Fund's shares are not currently divided into
classes . Each share has one vote, with fractional shares
voting proportionally. Shares of each class of the Money
Market Fund will vote together as a single class except when
required by law or as determined by the Trustees. Shares
are freely transferable, are entitled to dividends as declared by
the Trustees, and, if a Fund were liquidated, would
receive the net assets of that Fund. Either Fund
may suspend the sale of shares at any time and may refuse any
order to purchase shares. Although neither Fund is
required to hold annual meetings of its shareholders,
shareholders of a Fund holding at least 10% of the
outstanding shares of such Fund entitled to vote have the
right to call a meeting to elect or remove Trustees, or to take
other actions as provided in its Declaration of Trust.
Although each Fund is offering only its own shares in this
Prospectus, it is possible that a Fund might become liable for
any misstatement in the Prospectus about the other Fund. The
Trustees of each Fund have considered this factor in approving
the use of a single prospectus.
If you own fewer shares than a minimum amount set by the Trustees
(presently 500), a Fund may choose to redeem your shares
and pay you for them. You will receive at least 30 days' written
notice before a Fund redeems your shares, and you may
purchase additional shares at any time to avoid a redemption.
A Fund may also redeem shares if you own shares above a
maximum amount set by the Trustees. There is presently no
maximum for either Fund , but a Fund's Trustees may
establish one at any time, which could apply to both present and
future shareholders.
THE FUNDS' TRUSTEES: GEORGE PUTNAM,* CHAIRMAN. President
of the Putnam funds. Chairman and Director of Putnam Management
and Putnam Mutual Funds Corp. ("Putnam Mutual Funds"). Director,
Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.; WILLIAM F. POUNDS, VICE
CHAIRMAN. Professor of Management, Alfred P. Sloan School of
Management, M.I.T.; JAMESON ADKINS BAXTER, President, Baxter
Associates, Inc.; HANS H. ESTIN, Vice Chairman, North American
Management; JOHN A. HILL, Principal and Managing Director, First
Reserve Corporation; ELIZABETH T. KENNAN, President, Mount
Holyoke College; LAWRENCE J. LASSER,* Vice President of the
Putnam funds. President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of
Putnam Investments, Inc. and Putnam Management. Director, Marsh
& McLennan Companies, Inc.; ROBERT E. PATTERSON, Executive Vice
President, Cabot Partners Limited Partnership; DONALD S. PERKINS,
Director of various corporations, including AT&T, K mart
Corporation and Time Warner Inc.; GEORGE PUTNAM, III,* President,
New Generation Research, Inc.; A.J.C. SMITH,* Chairman, Chief
Executive Officer and Director, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.;
and W. NICHOLAS THORNDIKE, Director of various corporations and
charitable organizations, including Providence Journal Co. Also,
Trustee and President, Massachusetts General Hospital and Trustee
of Eastern Utilities Associates. The Funds' Trustees are
also Trustees of other Putnam funds. Those marked with an
asterisk (*) are "interested persons" of a Fund, Putnam
Management or Putnam Mutual Funds.
ABOUT YOUR INVESTMENT
HOW TO BUY SHARES
The Tax Exempt Money Market Fund continuously offers its
shares, and the Money Market Fund continuously offers its
Class A shares , at a price of $1.00 per share , without
a sales charge . You can open an account for $1,000 or
more and make additional investments at any time for as
little as $100. You can buy the Tax Exempt Money Market
Fund's shares and the Money Market Fund's Class A shares
three ways - by mail, by wire, or through most investment
dealers.
Because the Funds seek to be fully invested at all times,
investments must be in Same Day Funds to be accepted. Same Day
Funds are funds credited to the account of the relevant
Fund's designated bank by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
When payment in Same Day Funds is available to a Fund
prior to the close of regular trading on the New York Stock
Exchange, that Fund will accept the order to purchase
shares that day.
If you are considering redeeming shares, exchanging shares or
transferring shares to another person shortly after purchase, you
should pay for those shares with wired Same Day Funds or a
certified check to avoid any delay in redemption, exchange or
transfer. Otherwise, a Fund may delay the payment or the
transaction until the purchase price of those shares has been
collected or, if you exchange your shares or redeem them by
check, telephone or Telex, until 15 calendar days after the
purchase date.
After you make your initial investment in a Fund, Putnam
Investor Services will establish an Investing Account for you on
that Fund's records. This account is a complete record of
all transactions between you and the Fund, which at all times
shows the balance of shares you own. The Funds will not
issue share certificates.
BUYING SHARES BY MAIL. Complete the order form and send it to
Putnam Investor Services with your check, Federal Reserve Draft
or other negotiable bank draft drawn on a U.S. bank and payable
in U.S. dollars to the order of the Fund in which you are
investing . If you pay by check or draft, the Fund's
designated bank will make Same Day Funds available to the Fund,
and the Fund will accept the order, on the first business day
after receipt of your check or draft. If you pay by Federal
Reserve Draft, the Funds will accept the order the day it
is received provided it is received before the close of regular
trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
BUYING SHARES BY WIRE. You may invest in a Fund by bank
wire transfer of Same Day Funds to that Fund's designated
bank. For wiring instructions, see the order form. Investments
in Tax Qualified Retirement Plans cannot be made by wire.
Any commercial bank can transfer Same Day Funds by wire. Wired
funds received by a Fund's designated bank by 3:00 p.m.
Boston time are normally accepted for investment on the day
received. To be sure that a bank wire order is accepted on the
same day it is sent, your bank should wire funds as early in the
day as possible. Your bank may charge for sending Same Day Funds
on your behalf. The Funds' designated bank presently does
not charge you for receipt of wired Same Day Funds, but reserves
the right to charge for this service.
BUYING SHARES THROUGH INVESTMENT DEALERS. You may, if you wish,
purchase shares through investment dealers, which may
charge a fee for their services. Most investment dealers have a
sales agreement with Putnam Mutual Funds and will be glad to
accept your order. If you do not have a dealer, Putnam Mutual
Funds can refer you to one. Investment dealers must follow the
instructions in the order form.
CLASS B SHARES (THE MONEY MARKET FUND)
Class B shares of the Money Market Fund may only be
purchased by exchange of Class B shares of another Putnam fund.
Unlike Class A shares of the Money Market Fund , Class B
shares are subject to an ongoing distribution fee and may be
subject to a sales charge upon redemption as described below.
The distribution fee paid by Class B shares of the Money
Market Fund will cause such shares to have a higher expense
ratio and to pay lower dividends than Class A shares.
CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGE ON CLASS B SHARES. A contingent
deferred sales charge ("CDSC") may be imposed upon redemption of
Class B shares of the Money Market Fund purchased through
an exchange from another Putnam fund. Upon redemption, the
applicable CDSC will be calculated as if no exchange had taken
place and you were redeeming shares of that fund. The following
types of shares may be redeemed without charge at any
time : (i) shares acquired by reinvestment of distributions,
(ii) shares that were not subject to the CDSC at the time they
were originally purchased, and (iii) shares redeemed because of
death or disability or in connection with certain withdrawals
from IRA or other retirement plans . See the
Statement of Additional Information. For other shares ,
the amount of the charge is determined as a percentage of the
lesser of the current market value or the cost of the shares
being redeemed. The amount of the CDSC will depend on the number
of years since you invested and the dollar amount being redeemed.
When determining the amount of the CDSC, the Money Market
Fund will use the CDSC schedule of any fund from which you have
exchanged your shares that would result in your paying the
highest CDSC.
In determining whether a CDSC is payable on any redemption, the
Money Market Fund will first redeem shares not subject to
any charge, and then shares held longest during the six-year
period. The charge will not be applied to dollar amounts
representing an increase in the net asset value since the time of
purchase.
CONVERSION OF CLASS B SHARES. Class B shares of the Money
Market Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares
of the Fund at the end of the month eight years after the
purchase date, except as noted below. Class B shares of the
Fund acquired by exchange from Class B shares of another
Putnam fund will convert into Class A shares of the Fund
based on the time of the initial purchase. Class B shares of
the Fund acquired through reinvestment of distributions will
convert into Class A shares of the Fund based on the date
of the initial purchase to which such shares relate. For this
purpose, Class B shares acquired through reinvestment of
distributions will be attributed to particular purchases of Class
B shares in accordance with such procedures as the Trustees may
determine from time to time. The conversion of Class B shares
of the Fund 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 conversions will not constitute
taxable events for Federal tax purposes. There can be no
assurance that such ruling or opinion will be available, and the
conversion of Class B shares of the Fund 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.
DISTRIBUTION PLANS
PUTNAM MONEY MARKET FUND
The Money Market Fund's Class B Distribution Plan
provides for payments by the Fund to Putnam Mutual Funds at the
annual rate of up to 0.75% of the Fund's average net assets
attributable to Class B shares, subject to the authority of the
Trustees to reduce the amount of payments or to suspend the Class
B Distribution Plan for such periods as they may
determine. The Trustees currently limit payments under the
Money Market Fund's Class B Distribution Plan to an annual
rate of 0.50% of such assets. Should the Trustees decide in the
future to approve payments in excess of this amount, shareholders
will be notified and this Prospectus will be revised. Putnam
Mutual Funds also receives the proceeds of any contingent
deferred sales charge imposed on redemptions of Class B shares.
PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT MONEY MARKET FUND
The Tax Exempt Money Market Fund's Distribution Plan provides for
payments by the Fund to Putnam Mutual Funds at the annual rate of
up to 0.35% of the Fund's average net assets. At present, no
payments are being made under the Plan. Should the Tax Exempt
Money Market Fund's Trustees decide in the future to approve
payments, shareholders will be notified and this Prospectus will
be revised.
GENERAL
The purpose of each Fund's Distribution Plan is to permit the
Fund to compensate Putnam Mutual Funds for services provided and
expenses incurred by it in promoting the sale of shares of the
Fund, reducing redemptions, or maintaining or improving services
provided to shareholders by Putnam Mutual Funds or dealers.
Putnam Mutual Funds may suspend or modify the payments made to
dealers described above, and such payments are subject to the
continuation of the relevant Distribution Plan described above,
the terms of Service Agreements between dealers and Putnam Mutual
Funds, and any applicable limits imposed by the National
Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
HOW TO SELL SHARES
You can sell your shares to your Fund any day the New York
Stock Exchange is open, by check, by telephone or Telex, by mail
or through your investment dealer. Your Fund must receive
your properly completed application before you may sell shares;
certain methods require additional documentation (see below). To
enable shareholders to earn daily dividends as long as possible,
the Funds have arranged the following methods of selling
shares:
SELLING SHARES BY CHECK. If you would like to use
a Fund's CheckWriting Service, please mark the proper box
on the order form and complete the signature card and, if
applicable, the resolution. When Putnam Investor Services
receives your properly completed order form, card and resolution,
your Fund will provide you with checks drawn on
that Fund's designated bank. These checks may be made
payable to the order of any person in the amount of $500 or more.
You will continue to earn dividends until the check clears. When
a check is presented to your Fund's designated bank for
payment, a sufficient number of full and fractional shares in
your account will be redeemed to cover the amount of the check,
as well as an additional amount of shares to cover any applicable
CDSC.
Shareholders using a Fund's checks are subject to
that Fund's designated bank's rules governing checking
accounts. There is currently no charge to the shareholder for
the use of checks. You should make sure that there are
sufficient shares in your account to cover the amount of the
check drawn plus any applicable CDSC. If there is an
insufficient number of shares in the account, the check will be
returned marked "insufficient funds" and no shares will be
redeemed. Because dividends declared on shares held in your
account, the imposition of any applicable CDSC , or prior
withdrawals may cause the value of your account to change, it is
impossible to determine in advance your account's total value.
Accordingly, you should not write a check for the entire value of
your account or close your account by writing a check.
(CheckWriting is not available for Tax Qualified Retirement
Plans.) Redemptions by check will be confirmed at least
monthly.
SELLING SHARES BY TELEPHONE OR TELEX. If you would like
to sell shares by telephone or Telex with proceeds directed to
your bank account, please mark the proper box on the order form.
You may sell shares by calling toll-free 1-800-225-1581 or by
Telex 94-0153. On the following business day, the amounts
withdrawn from your account will either be mailed by check or
wired in Same Day Funds to the bank account designated on your
application. (To wire proceeds, the amount must be $1,000 or
more and your designated bank must be a commercial bank within
the United States.) You may change your designated bank account
by sending a written request to Putnam Investor Services with
your signature guaranteed by a bank, broker-dealer or certain
other financial institutions. See the Statement of Additional
Information for more information about how to obtain a signature
guarantee.
If you would like to redeem your shares by telephone and have
the proceeds sent to your address as it appears on the records of
Putnam Investor Services, you may use Putnam's Telephone
Redemption Privilege to redeem shares valued up to $100,000 from
your account unless you have notified Putnam Investor Services of
an address change within the preceding 15 days. Unless an
investor indicates otherwise on the Account Application, Putnam
Investor Services will be authorized to act upon redemption and
transfer instructions received by telephone from a shareholder,
or any person claiming to act as his or her representative, who
can provide Putnam Investor Services with his or her account
registration and address as it appears on Putnam Investor
Services' records. Putnam Investor Services will employ these
and other reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions
communicated by telephone are genuine; if it fails to employ
reasonable procedures, Putnam Investor Services may be liable for
any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent instructions. For
information, consult Putnam Investor Services. During periods of
unusual market changes and shareholder activity, you may
experience delays in contacting Putnam Investor Services by
telephone, in which case you may wish to submit a written
redemption request, as described below, or contact your
investment dealer. The Telephone Redemption Privilege may be
modified or terminated without notice.
SELLING SHARES BY MAIL. You may also sell shares of
a Fund by sending a written withdrawal request to: Putnam
Investor Services, P.O. Box 41203, Providence, RI 02940-1203. If
you sell shares having a net asset value of $100,000 or more, the
signatures of registered owners or their legal representatives
must be guaranteed by a bank, broker-dealer or certain other
financial institutions. See each Fund's Statement of
Additional Information for more information about how to obtain a
signature guarantee.
Putnam Investor Services may require additional documentation
from shareholders which are corporations, partnerships, agents,
fiduciaries or surviving joint owners. Corporations,
partnerships, agents, trusts and fiduciary accounts must submit a
completed resolution in proper form before selling shares by
telephone or check. Resolution forms are available from Putnam
Investor Services. If you are currently a shareholder and did
not request the CheckWriting Service or telephone/Telex
redemption privilege on your initial order form, you must first
complete and return an authorization form, available from Putnam
Investor Services. A shareholder may revoke authorization for
CheckWriting Service or telephone/Telex redemption by written
notice at any time, effective when Putnam Investor Services
receives such notice.
The Funds reserve the right to terminate or modify the
terms of the CheckWriting Service or telephone/Telex redemption
privilege, or to charge shareholders for the use of these
services at any time.
THE FUNDS GENERALLY SEND YOU PAYMENT FOR YOUR
SHARES THE BUSINESS DAY AFTER YOUR REQUEST IS RECEIVED. Under
unusual circumstances, a Fund may suspend redemptions, or
postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by
federal securities law. If, however, your request is made by
telephone or Telex and the shares being sold were paid for by an
uncertified check, your Fund will pay for the shares on
the 15th calendar day after the purchase of the shares. Putnam
Investor Services will first redeem shares of your Fund
purchased by direct cash investment.
HOW TO EXCHANGE SHARES
Shareholders of the Funds who received their shares in
exchange for shares of another Putnam fund with a
sales charge can exchange their shares for shares of other
Putnam funds at net asset value beginning 15 days after
purchase. Other shareholders of the Funds may need
to pay a sales charge which varies depending on the fund to which
they exchange and the amount exchanged. Shareholders of the
Money Market Fund may exchange their shares only for
shares of the same class of another Fund . If the other
Putnam fund offers only one class of shares, only Class A shares
may be exchanged for such class. Shareholders of the Tax
Exempt Money Market Fund exchanging into funds with more than one
class of shares may exchange their shares only for
Class A shares . If you exchange shares subject to
a CDSC, the transaction will not be subject to the CDSC.
However, when you redeem the shares acquired through the
exchange, the redemption may be subject to the CDSC, depending
on when you originally purchased the shares and using the
schedule of any fund into or from which you have exchanged your
shares that would result in your paying the highest CDSC
applicable to your class of shares. For purposes of computing
the CDSC, the length of time you have owned your shares will be
measured from the date of original purchase and will not be
affected by the exchange .
To exchange your shares, simply complete an Exchange
Authorization Form and send it to Putnam Investor Services.
Exchange Authorization Forms are available by calling or writing
Putnam Investor Services. A Telephone Exchange Privilege
is currently available for amounts up to $500,000. Putnam
Investor Services' procedures for telephonic transactions are
described above under "How to sell shares." For
federal income tax purposes, an exchange is treated as a sale of
shares. Since the net income of a Fund is declared as a dividend
each time it is determined, the net asset value per share of a
Fund remains at $1.00 immediately after each determination and
dividend declaration, therefore an exchange generally will not
give rise to gain or loss. Ask your investment dealer or Putnam
Investor Services for prospectuses of other Putnam funds.
Shares of certain Putnam funds are not available to residents of
all states.
The exchange privilege is not intended as a vehicle for short-
term trading. Excessive exchange activity may interfere with
portfolio management and have an adverse effect on all
shareholders. In order to limit excessive exchange activity and
in other circumstances where the Trustees or Putnam Management
believes doing so would be in the best interests of a
Fund, each Fund reserves the right to revise or terminate
the exchange privilege, limit the amount or number of exchanges
or reject any exchange. Shareholders would be notified of any
such action to the extent required by law. Consult Putnam
Investor Services before requesting an exchange. See each
Fund's Statement of Additional Information to find out more
about the exchange privilege.
HOW EACH FUND VALUES ITS SHARES
THE TAX EXEMPT MONEY MARKET FUND CALCULATES THE NET ASSET
VALUE OF A SHARE, AND THE MONEY MARKET FUND CALCULATES THE NET
ASSET VALUE OF A SHARE OF EACH CLASS, BY DIVIDING THE TOTAL VALUE
OF ITS ASSETS, LESS LIABILITIES, BY THE NUMBER OF ITS SHARES
OUTSTANDING. SHARES ARE VALUED AS OF THE CLOSE OF REGULAR
TRADING ON THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE EACH DAY THE EXCHANGE IS
OPEN.
The Funds value their portfolio investments at amortized cost
according to Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 2a-7.
The amortized cost of an instrument is determined by valuing
it at cost originally and thereafter amortizing any discount or
premium from its face value at a constant rate until maturity.
DETERMINATION OF NET INCOME; TAX INFORMATION
THE FUNDS DETERMINE THEIR NET INCOME ONCE EACH DAY THE NEW
YORK STOCK EXCHANGE IS OPEN, AS OF THE CLOSE OF REGULAR TRADING
ON THE EXCHANGE. Each determination of a Fund's net
income includes (i) all accrued investment income on
portfolio investments of the Fund, (ii) plus or minus all
realized and unrealized gains and losses on the Fund's portfolio
investments, (iii) less all accrued expenses of the Fund. (The
Funds will not have unrealized gains or losses so long as
they value their investments by the amortized cost
method.)
All of the net income of the Funds is declared each day
that the Funds are open for business as a dividend to
shareholders of record at the time of each declaration.
Shareholders begin earning dividends on the day after a
Fund accepts their order. Each month's dividends will be
paid on the last business day of each month. A shareholder who
withdraws the entire balance of an account at any time during the
month will be paid all dividends declared through the date of the
withdrawal.
Distributions paid by the Money Market Fund with respect
to Class A shares will generally be greater than those paid with
respect to Class B shares because expenses attributable to Class
B shares will generally be higher.
YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM TWO DISTRIBUTION OPTIONS: (1) automatically
reinvest all distributions in additional Fund shares; or (2)
receive all distributions in cash. You can change your
distribution option by notifying Putnam Investor Services in
writing. If you do not select an option when you open your
account, all distributions will be reinvested. All distributions
reinvested in additional Fund shares will be invested in shares
of the class on which the distribution is paid. You will receive
a statement confirming reinvestment of distributions in
additional Fund shares (or in shares of other Putnam funds for
Dividends Plus accounts) promptly following the quarter in which
the reinvestment occurs.
If a check representing a Fund distribution is not cashed within
a specified period, Putnam Investor Services will notify you that
you have the option of requesting another check or reinvesting
the distribution in that Fund or in another Putnam fund.
If Putnam Investor Services does not receive your election, the
distribution will be reinvested in your Fund. Similarly,
if correspondence sent by a Fund or Putnam Investor
Services is returned as "undeliverable," Fund distributions will
automatically be reinvested in that Fund or in another
Putnam fund.
With Putnam Dividends PLUS, you can invest distributions from net
investment income in shares of the same class of another Putnam
fund. A sales charge will apply (unless the shares were acquired
by exchange from a Putnam fund that assessed a sales charge or
the dividends are invested in another Putnam money market fund).
Contact Putnam Investor Services for details.
Each Fund intends to qualify as a "regulated investment
company" for federal income tax purposes and to meet all other
requirements that are necessary for it to be relieved of federal
taxes on income and gains it distributes to shareholders.
Each Fund will distribute substantially all of its
ordinary income and capital gain net income , if any, on a
current basis.
Distributions designated by the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund
as "exempt-interest dividends" are not generally subject to
federal income tax. However, if you receive Social Security or
railroad retirement benefits, you should consult your tax adviser
to determine what effect, if any, an investment in the Tax Exempt
Money Market Fund may have on the taxation of your benefits. In
addition, an investment in the Tax Exempt Money Market Fund may
result in liability for federal alternative minimum tax and for
state and local taxes, both for individual and corporate
shareholders.
All Money Market Fund distributions and all Tax
Exempt Money Market Fund distributions other than exempt-interest
dividends will be taxable to you as ordinary income, except
that any distributions of net long-term capital gains will be
taxed as such, regardless of how long you have held the shares.
Distributions will be taxable as described above whether received
in cash or in shares through the reinvestment of distributions.
Early in each year each Fund will notify you of the amount
and tax status of distributions paid to you by that Fund
for the preceding year.
The foregoing is a summary of certain federal income tax
consequences of investing in each Fund. You should
consult your tax adviser to determine the precise effect of an
investment in the Funds on your particular tax situation
(including possible liability for alternative minimum tax
and for state and local taxes).
ABOUT PUTNAM INVESTMENTS, INC.
PUTNAM MANAGEMENT HAS BEEN MANAGING MUTUAL FUNDS SINCE 1937.
Putnam Mutual Funds is the principal underwriter of the
Funds and of other Putnam funds. Putnam Fiduciary Trust
Company is the Funds' custodian. Putnam Investor
Services, a division of Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company, is the
Funds' investor servicing and transfer agent.
Putnam Management, Putnam Mutual Funds, and Putnam Fiduciary
Trust Company are subsidiaries of Putnam Investments, Inc., which
is wholly-owned by Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., a publicly
owned holding company whose principal businesses are
international insurance and reinsurance brokerage, employee
benefit consulting and investment management.
<PAGE>
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
<PAGE>
PUTNAM MONEY MARKET FUND
PUTNAM TAX EXEMPT MONEY MARKET FUND
One Post Office Square
Boston, MA 02109
FUND INFORMATION:
INVESTMENT MANAGER
Putnam Investment Management, Inc.
One Post Office Square
Boston, MA 02109
MARKETING SERVICES
Putnam Mutual Funds Corp.
One Post Office Square
Boston, MA 02109
INVESTOR SERVICING AGENT
Putnam Investor Services
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 41203
Providence, RI 02940-1203
CUSTODIAN
Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company
One Post Office Square
Boston, MA 02109
LEGAL COUNSEL
Ropes & Gray
One International Place
Boston, MA 02110
INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P. (Putnam Tax Exempt Money Market Fund)
One Post Office Square
Boston, MA 02109
Price Waterhouse LLP (Putnam Money Market Fund)
160 Federal Street
Boston, MA 02110
PUTNAMINVESTMENTS
One Post Office Square
Boston, Massachusetts 02109
Toll-free 1-800-225-1581
<PAGE>
PUTNAM
MONEY MARKET FUND
FORM N-1A
PART B
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
MARCH 1, 1994 , AS REVISED SEPTEMBER 1, 1994
This Statement of Additional Information is not a Prospectus
and is only authorized for distribution when accompanied or
preceded by the Prospectus of the Fund dated March 1, 1994, as
revised from time to time. This Statement contains information
which may be useful to investors but which is not included in the
Prospectus. If the Fund has more than one form of current
Prospectus, each reference to the Prospectus in this Statement
shall include all the Fund's Prospectuses, unless otherwise
noted. The Statement should be read together with the applicable
Prospectus. Investors may obtain a free copy of the applicable
Prospectus from Putnam Investor Services, Mailing address: P.O.
Box 41203, Providence, RI 02940-1203.
Part I of this Statement contains specific information about
the Fund. Part II includes information about the Fund and the
other Putnam funds.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I PAGE
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS OF THE FUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I-3
FUND CHARGES AND EXPENSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I-5
AMORTIZED COST VALUATION AND DAILY DIVIDENDS. . . . . . . . . .I-7
INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE OF THE FUND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I-8
ADDITIONAL OFFICERS OF THE FUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I-12
INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. . . . . . . I-13
RATINGS OF COMMERCIAL PAPER AND CORPORATE OBLIGATIONS . . . . I-14
<PAGE>
PART II
MISCELLANEOUS INVESTMENT PRACTICES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . II-1
TAXES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II- 22
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 27
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE. . . . . . . . . . . II- 36
HOW TO BUY SHARES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 38
DISTRIBUTION PLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 49
INVESTOR SERVICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 50
SIGNATURE GUARANTEES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 56
SUSPENSION OF REDEMPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 56
SHAREHOLDER LIABILITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-57
STANDARD PERFORMANCE MEASURES . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 57
COMPARISON OF PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE . . . . . . . . . II- 58
DEFINITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 63
<PAGE>
PUTNAM MONEY MARKET FUND
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
PART I
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS OF THE FUND
AS FUNDAMENTAL INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS, WHICH MAY NOT BE CHANGED
WITHOUT A VOTE OF A MAJORITY OF THE OUTSTANDING VOTING
SECURITIES, THE FUND MAY NOT AND WILL NOT:
(1) Borrow money in excess of one-third of the value (taken
at the lower of cost or current value) of its total assets (not
including the amount borrowed) at the time the borrowing is made,
and then only as a temporary measure to facilitate the meeting of
redemption requests (not for leverage) which might otherwise
require the untimely disposition of portfolio investments or for
extraordinary or emergency purposes. Such borrowings will be
repaid before any additional investments are made. Interest paid
on such borrowings would reduce the yield on the Fund's
investments.
(2) Pledge, hypothecate, mortgage or otherwise encumber its
assets in excess of 10% of its total assets (taken at the lower
of cost or current value) and then only to secure borrowings
permitted by restriction 1 above.
(3) Purchase securities on margin (except such short-term
credits as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases and
sales of securities).
(4) Make short sales of securities or maintain a short
position for the account of the Fund unless at all times when a
short position is open it either owns an equal amount of such
securities or owns securities convertible into or exchangeable
for securities of the same issue as, and equal in amount to, the
securities sold short.
(5) Underwrite securities issued by other persons except to
the extent that, in connection with the disposition of its
portfolio investments, it may be deemed to be an underwriter
under federal securities laws.
(6) Concentrate more than 25% of its assets in any one
industry, except that the Fund may invest up to 100% of its
assets (i) in the banking industry, (ii) in the personal credit
institution or business credit institution industries when in the
opinion of management yield differentials make such investments
desirable, or (iii) in any combination of these.
(7) Purchase or sell real estate, although it may purchase
securities of issuers which deal in real estate and may purchase
securities which are secured by interests in real estate.
(8) Purchase or sell commodities or commodity contracts.
<PAGE>
(9) Make loans, except by purchase of debt obligations and
through repurchase agreements, provided, however, that repurchase
agreements maturing in more than seven days will not exceed 10%
of the Fund's total assets (taken at current value), or through
the lending of its portfolio securities with respect to not more
than 25% of its total assets.
(10) Invest in securities of any issuer if, to the knowledge
of the Fund, officers and Trustees of the Fund or officers and
directors of Putnam Management who beneficially own more than
0.5% of the shares or securities of that issuer together own more
than 5%.
(11) Invest in securities of any issuer if, immediately
after such investment, more than 5% of the total assets of the
Fund taken at current value would be invested in securities of
such issuer, provided that this limitation does not apply to
obligations issued or guaranteed as to interest and principal by
the U.S. government or its agencies.
(12) Acquire more than 10% of the voting securities of any
issuer or more than 10% of any class of securities of any issuer.
(For these purposes all preferred stocks of an issuer are
regarded as a single class, and all debt securities of an issuer
are regarded as a single class.)
(13) Purchase securities restricted as to resale if, as a
result, such investments would exceed 5% of the value of the
Fund's net assets.
(14) Invest in securities of businesses less than three
years old (including predecessors), if, as a result, more than 5%
of the Fund's total assets (taken at current value) would then be
invested in such securities.
IT IS CONTRARY TO THE FUND'S PRESENT POLICY, WHICH MAY BE CHANGED
WITHOUT SHAREHOLDER APPROVAL, TO:
(1) Make investments for the purpose of gaining control of
a company's management.
(2) Invest in securities of other investment companies,
except as they may be acquired as part of a merger, consolidation
or acquisition of assets.
(3) Purchase options or puts, calls, straddles, spreads or
any combination thereof in connection with the purchase of fixed-
income securities; however, the Fund may acquire warrants or
other rights to subscribe for securities of companies issuing
such fixed-income securities or securities of parents or
subsidiaries of such companies.
(4) Buy or sell oil, gas, or other mineral leases, rights
or royalty contracts.
<PAGE>
(5) Invest in (a) securities which at the time of such
investment are not readily marketable, (b) securities restricted
as to resale (excluding securities determined by the Fund's
Trustees (or the person designated by the Fund's Trustees to make
such determinations) to be readily marketable), and (c)
repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days, if, as a
result, more than 15% of the Fund's net assets (taken at current
value) would then be invested in the aggregate in securities
described in (a), (b) and (c) above.
(6) Purchase or sell real property (including limited
partnership interests), except that the Fund may (a) purchase or
sell readily marketable interests in real estate investment
trusts or readily marketable securities of companies which invest
in real estate (b) purchase or sell securities that are secured
by interests in real estate or interests therein, or (c) acquire
real estate through exercise of its rights as a holder of
obligations secured by real estate or interests therein or sell
real estate so acquired.
---------------
All percentage limitations on investments will apply at the
time of the making of an investment and shall not be considered
violated unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists
immediately after and as a result of such investment. Although
non-fundamental investment policy (3) above generally permits the
Fund to acquire warrants or other rights to subscribe for
securities, the Fund does not presently intend to acquire rights
or warrants to subscribe for securities of companies issuing
fixed-income securities other than such warrants or other rights
which are attached to such fixed-income securities. (The Fund
did not engage in the practices permitted by fundamental
investment restriction (1) and policy (3) above last year.)
The Investment Company Act of 1940 provides that a "vote of
a majority of the outstanding voting securities" of the Fund
means the affirmative vote of the lesser of (1) more than 50% of
the outstanding shares of the Fund, or (2) 67% or more of the
shares present at a meeting if more than 50% of the outstanding
shares are represented at the meeting in person or by proxy.
FUND CHARGES AND EXPENSES
MANAGEMENT FEES
Under a Management Contract dated December 21, 1988, the
Fund pays a quarterly fee to Putnam Management based on the
average net assets of the Fund, as determined at the close of
each business day during the quarter, at an annual rate of 0.5%
of the first $100 million of average net assets, 0.4% of the next
$100 million, 0.35% of the next $300 million, 0.325% of the next
$500 million and 0.3% of any amount over $1 billion. For its
1991, 1992 and 1993 fiscal years, pursuant to the Management
Contract, the Fund incurred fees of $2,973,932, $2,520,020 and
$2,363,285, respectively.
<PAGE>
BROKERAGE COMMISSIONS
It is anticipated that most purchases and sales of portfolio
investments will be with the issuer or with major dealers in
money market instruments acting as principal. Accordingly, it is
not anticipated that the Fund will pay significant brokerage
commissions. The Fund incurred no brokerage commissions in
fiscal 1991, 1992 or 1993. In underwritten offerings, the price
paid by the Fund includes a disclosed, fixed commission or
discount retained by the underwriter. There is generally no
stated commission in the case of securities purchased from or
sold to dealers, but the prices of such securities usually
include an undisclosed dealer's mark-up or mark-down. The Fund
incurred no underwriting commissions in fiscal 1991, 1992 or
1993.
ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT
The Fund reimbursed Putnam Management $20,098 for
administrative services in fiscal 1993, including $17,950 for the
compensation of certain officers of the Fund and their staff and
contributions to the Putnam Investments, Inc. Profit Sharing
Retirement Plan for their benefit.
QUALIFICATION AND REGISTRATION FEES
The Fund pays all fees for its qualification or registration
as an issuer or broker-dealer or for registration of its shares
in states in which the Fund sells its shares, as well as out-of-
pocket expenses incurred in connection with such qualifications
or registrations.
TRUSTEE FEES
Each Trustee of the Fund receives an annual fee of $1,340
and an additional fee for each Trustees' meeting attended.
Trustees who are not interested persons of Putnam Management and
who serve on committees of the Trustees receive additional fees
for attendance at certain committee meetings. The Fund incurred
Trustees' fees aggregating $21,083 in fiscal 1993.
OWNERSHIP OF FUND SHARES
At January 31, 1994, the officers and Trustees of the Fund
as a group owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of either
class of the Fund, and to the knowledge of the Fund no person
owned of record or beneficially 5% of more of the shares of
either class of the Fund.
<PAGE>
CLASS A SALES CHARGES AND CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGES
Class A Shares are distributed directly by the Fund through
Putnam Mutual Funds, which acts as principal underwriter for the
Fund. Putnam Mutual Funds does not receive any fee for its
services.
During fiscal 1993, Putnam Mutual Funds received $83,377 in
contingent deferred sales charges upon redemptions of Class A
shares of the Fund.
CLASS B CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGES AND 12B-1 FEES
During fiscal 1992 and 1993, Putnam Mutual Funds received
$3,360 and $86,763, respectively, in contingent deferred sales
charges upon redemptions of Class B shares of the Fund. During
fiscal 1993, the Fund incurred $43,307 in 12b-1 fees to Putnam
Mutual Funds pursuant to the Fund's Class B Distribution Plan.
INVESTOR SERVICING AND CUSTODY FEES AND EXPENSES
During the 1993 fiscal year, the Fund incurred $1,677,616 in
fees and out-of-pocket expenses for investor servicing and
custody services provided by Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company.
The fee paid to Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company is subject to
adjustment if the average number of shareholder accounts
maintained during the year varies by more than a fixed percentage
of the number of accounts maintained at the beginning of the
year.
AMORTIZED COST VALUATION AND DAILY DIVIDENDS
The valuation of the Fund's portfolio instruments at
amortized cost is permitted in accordance with Securities and
Exchange Commission Rule 2a-7 and certain procedures adopted by
the Trustees. The amortized cost of an instrument is determined
by valuing it at cost originally and thereafter amortizing any
discount or premium from its face value at a constant rate until
maturity, regardless of the effect of fluctuating interest rates
on the market value of the instrument. Although the amortized
cost method provides certainty in valuation, it may result at
times in determinations of value that are higher or lower than
the price the Fund would receive if the instruments were sold.
Consequently, changes in the market value of portfolio
instruments during periods of rising or falling interest rates
will not normally be reflected either in the computation of net
asset value of the Fund's portfolio or in the daily computation
of net income. Under the procedures adopted by the Trustees, the
Fund must maintain a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity
of 90 days or less, purchase only instruments having remaining
maturities of 397 days or less and invest in securities
determined by the Trustees to be of high quality with minimal
credit risks. The Trustees have also established procedures
designed to stabilize, to the extent reasonably possible, the
Fund's price per share as computed for the purpose of
distribution, redemption and repurchase at $1.00. These
procedures include review of the Fund's portfolio holdings by the
Trustees, at such intervals as they may deem appropriate, to
determine whether the Fund's net asset value calculated by using
readily available market quotations deviates from $1.00 per
share, and, if so, whether such deviation may result in material
dilution or is otherwise unfair to existing shareholders. In the
event the Trustees determine that such a deviation exists, they
will take such corrective action as they regard as necessary and
appropriate, including the sale of portfolio instruments prior to
maturity to realize capital gains or losses or to shorten the
average portfolio maturity; withholding dividends; redemption of
shares in kind; or establishing a net asset value per share by
using readily available market quotations.
Since the net income of the Fund is declared as a dividend
each time it is determined, the net asset value per share of the
Fund remains at $1.00 per share immediately after such
determination and dividend declaration. Any increase in the
value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund representing the
reinvestment of dividend income is reflected by an increase in
the number of shares of the Fund in the shareholder's account on
the last business day of each month. It is expected that the
Fund's net income will be positive each time it is determined.
However, if because of realized losses on sales of portfolio
investments, a sudden rise in interest rates, or for any other
reason the net income of the Fund determined at any time is a
negative amount, the Fund will offset such amount allocable to
each then shareholder's account from dividends accrued during the
month with respect to such account. If at the time of payment of
a dividend (either at the regular monthly dividend payment date,
or, in the case of a shareholder who is withdrawing all or
substantially all of the shares in an account, at the time of
withdrawal), such negative amount exceeds a shareholder's accrued
dividends, the Fund will reduce the number of outstanding shares
by treating the shareholder as having contributed to the capital
of the Fund that number of full and fractional shares which
represent the amount of the excess. Each shareholder is deemed
to have agreed to such contribution in these circumstances by his
or her investment in the Fund.
INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE OF THE FUND
STANDARD PERFORMANCE MEASURES
Based on the seven-day period ended October 31, 1993, the
Fund's yield of its Class A shares was 2.60%, and the Fund's
effective yield of its Class A shares was 2.65%. Based on the
seven-day period ended October 31, 1993, the Fund's yield of its
Class B shares was 2.09%, and the Fund's effective yield of its
Class B shares was 2.13%. See "Standard Performance Measures" in
Part II of this Statement for information on how the Fund's yield
and effective yield are calculated.
<PAGE>
PERFORMANCE RATINGS
For the 1993 fiscal year, the Class A shares of the Fund
were ranked 172 of 235 money market instruments funds by Lipper
Analytical Services, Inc. No rankings are currently available
for Class B shares. See "Comparison of Portfolio Performance" in
Part II of this Statement for information about how these
rankings are determined. Past performance is no guarantee of
future results.
OTHER PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The table below shows total return (capital changes plus
reinvestment of all distributions) on a hypothetical investment
in one share of the Fund during the life of the Fund. This was a
period of fluctuating interest rates. The table does not project
the future performance of the Fund.<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
CLASS A SHARES
CUMULATIVE
NET ASSET VALUE
DISTRIBUTIONS AT YEAR-END CONSUMER
FISCAL FROM NET WITH ALL PRICE INDEX
YEAR CUMULA- INVESTMENT DISTRIBUTIONS CUMULA-
ENDED ANNUAL TIVE INCOME REINVESTED ANNUAL TIVE
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
12/31/76(1) -- +1.1% $0.01114 $1.01 -- +1.0%
12/31/77 +4.3% +5.5 0.04220 1.05 +6.7% +7.8
12/31/78 +6.8 +12.6 0.06574 1.13 +9.0 +17.5
12/31/79 +10.7 +24.6 0.10186 1.25 +13.3 +33.2
12/31/80 +13.2 +41.1 0.12448 1.41 +12.5 +49.8
12/31/81 +17.1 +65.2 0.15912 1.65 +8.9 +63.2
12/31/82 +13.0 +86.6 0.12244 1.87 +3.8 +69.4
12/31/83 +8.7 +102.9 0.08375 2.03 +3.8 +75.9
12/31/84 +10.3 +123.8 0.09859 2.24 +4.0 +82.8
10/31/85(2) +6.5 +138.4 0.06338 2.38 +3.2 +88.7
10/31/86 +6.6 +154.1 0.06420 2.54 +1.5 +91.5
10/31/87 +5.8 +169.0 0.05681 2.69 +4.5 +100.2
10/31/88 +6.8 +187.1 0.06549 2.87 +4.3 +108.7
10/31/89 +8.9 +212.6 0.08526 3.13 +4.5 +118.1
10/31/90 +7.9 +237.3 0.07644 3.37 +6.3 +131.8
10/31/91 +6.2 +258.1 0.05994 3.58 +2.9 +138.5
10/31/92 +3.6 +270.9 0.03527 3.71 +3.2 +146.2
10/31/93 +2.5 +280.2 0.02466 3.80 +2.8 +153.0
------- ----
Total distributions $1.34077
(1) Investment operations began October 1, 1976.
(2) January 1, 1985 - October 31, 1985.
/TABLE
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
CLASS B SHARES
CUMULATIVE
NET ASSET VALUE
DISTRIBUTIONS AT YEAR-END CONSUMER
FISCAL FROM NET WITH ALL PRICE INDEX
YEAR CUMULA- INVESTMENT DISTRIBUTIONS CUMULA-
ENDED ANNUAL TIVE INCOME REINVESTED ANNUAL TIVE
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
10/31/92 (1) __ +1.5% $0.01510 $1.02 -- +1.6%
10/31/93 +2.0% +3.5 0.01959 1.04 +2.8 +4.4
-------- ---
Total distributions $0.03469
(1) Class B shares were offered beginning April 27, 1992.
/TABLE
<PAGE>
The tables are not adjusted for any taxes payable on
reinvested distributions. The total values for the Fund as of
the end of each period reflect reinvestment of all distributions
and all changes in net asset value.
The Consumer Price Index, prepared by the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, is a commonly used measure of the rate of
inflation. The index shows the average change in the cost of
selected consumer goods and services and does not represent a
return on an investment vehicle.
From time to time the Fund may compare its performance to
Bank Passbook Savings Accounts, Bank Money Market Accounts or
Certificates of Deposit. Unlike an investment in the Fund, these
investments may be federally insured and thus there is less risk
of loss of principal. Also unlike the Fund, these investments
may pay a guaranteed yield for a given period of time, provided
that the investor does not withdraw funds before maturity. The
yield of the Fund is not fixed and will fluctuate over time.
Consequently, no yield quotation should be considered as
representative of what the yield of the Fund may be for any
specified period in the future. In addition, the maturity of
these investments may differ from the average maturity of the
Fund's portfolio, which will in turn affect the yield.
ADDITIONAL OFFICERS OF THE FUND
In addition to the persons listed as officers of the Fund in
Part II of this Statement, the following persons are also
officers of the Fund. Officers of Putnam Management hold the
same offices in Putnam Management's parent company, Putnam
Investments, Inc.
GARY N. COBURN, Vice President. Senior Managing Director of
Putnam Management. Director, Putnam Investments, Inc. Vice
President of certain of the Putnam funds.
JAMES E. ERICKSON, Vice President. Managing Director of
Putnam Management. Vice President of certain of the Putnam
funds.
LINDSEY M. CALLEN, Vice President. Vice President of Putnam
Management. Vice President of certain of the Putnam funds.
<PAGE>
INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Price Waterhouse LLP , 160 Federal Street, Boston, MA
02110, are the Fund's independent accountants, providing audit
services, tax return review and other tax consulting services and
assistance and consultation in connection with the review of
various Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The Report
of Independent Accountants and financial statements included in
the Fund's Annual Report for the fiscal year ended October 31,
1993, filed electronically on January 6, 1994 (811-2608), are
incorporated by reference into this Statement of Additional
Information. The financial highlights in the Prospectus and the
financial statements incorporated by reference into the
Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information have been
so included and incorporated in reliance upon the report of the
independent accountants, given on their authority as experts in
auditing and accounting.
<PAGE>
RATINGS OF COMMERCIAL PAPER AND CORPORATE OBLIGATIONS
COMMERCIAL PAPER
MOODY'S. Issuers rated PRIME-1 (or related supporting
institutions) have a superior capacity for repayment of short-
term promissory obligations. Prime-1 repayment capacity will
normally be evidenced by the following characteristics:
-- Leading market positions in well established
industries.
-- High rates of return on funds employed.
-- Conservative capitalization structures with
moderate reliance on debt and ample asset
protection.
-- Broad margins in earnings coverage of fixed
financial charges and high internal cash
generation.
-- Well established access to a range of financial
markets and assured sources of alternate liquidity.
Issuers rated PRIME-2 (or related supporting institutions) have a
strong capacity for repayment of short-term promissory
obligations. This will normally be evidenced by many of the
characteristics cited above to a lesser degree. Earnings trends
and coverage ratios, while sound, will be more subject to
variation. Capitalization characteristics, while still
appropriate, may be more affected by external conditions. Ample
alternate liquidity is maintained.
STANDARD & POOR'S. Standard & Poor's Corporation describes
its highest ("A") rating for commercial paper as follows, with
the number 1, 2, and 3 being used to denote relative strength
within the "A" classification: Liquidity ratios are adequate to
meet cash requirements. Long-term senior debt rating should be
"A" or better; in some instances "BBB" credits may be allowed if
other factors outweigh the "BBB". The issuer should have access
to at least two additional channels of borrowing. Basic earnings
and cash flow should have an upward trend, with allowances made
for unusual circumstances. Typically, the issuer's industry
should be well-established and the issuer should have a strong
position within its industry. The reliability and quality of
management should be unquestioned.
<PAGE>
CORPORATE OBLIGATIONS
MOODY'S. Moody's describes its three highest ratings for
corporate bonds as follows: 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 edge."
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. Bonds which are rated Aa are judged to
be of high quality by all standards. Together with the Aaa group
they compromise 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 risk
appear somewhat larger than in Aaa securities. 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 some time in the future.
STANDARD & POOR'S. Standard & Poor's describes its three
highest ratings for corporate bonds as follows: Ratings of AAA
are the highest assigned by Standard & Poor's to debt obligations
and indicate an extremely strong capacity to pay principal and
interest. Bonds rated AA also qualify as high quality
obligations. Capacity to pay principal and interest is very
strong, and in the majority of instances they differ from AAA
issues only in small degree. Bonds rated A have a strong
capacity to pay principal and interest, although they are
somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in
circumstances and economic conditions.
<PAGE>
<PAGE>
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MISCELLANEOUS INVESTMENT PRACTICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II-1
TAXES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-22
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-27
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-36
HOW TO BUY SHARES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-38
DISTRIBUTION PLAN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-49
INVESTOR SERVICES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-50
SIGNATURE GUARANTEES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-56
SUSPENSION OF REDEMPTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-56
SHAREHOLDER LIABILITY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-57
STANDARD PERFORMANCE MEASURES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-57
COMPARISON OF PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-58
DEFINITIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-63
<PAGE>
THE PUTNAM FUNDS
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
PART II
The following information applies generally to your Fund and to
the other Putnam funds. In certain cases the discussion applies
to some but not all of the funds or their shareholders, and you
should refer to your Prospectus to determine whether the matter
is applicable to you or your Fund. You will also be referred to
Part I for certain information applicable to your particular
Fund. Shareholders who purchase shares at net asset value
through employer-sponsored defined contribution plans should also
consult their employer for information about the extent to which
the matters described below apply to them.
MISCELLANEOUS INVESTMENT PRACTICES
YOUR FUND'S PROSPECTUS STATES WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING INVESTMENT
PRACTICES ARE AVAILABLE TO YOUR FUND. THE FACT THAT YOUR FUND IS
AUTHORIZED TO ENGAGE IN A PARTICULAR PRACTICE DOES NOT
NECESSARILY MEAN THAT IT WILL ACTUALLY DO SO. YOU SHOULD
DISREGARD ANY PRACTICE DESCRIBED BELOW WHICH IS NOT MENTIONED IN
THE PROSPECTUS.
SHORT-TERM TRADING
In seeking the Fund's objective, Putnam Management will buy or
sell portfolio securities whenever Putnam Management believes it
appropriate to do so. In deciding whether to sell a portfolio
security, Putnam Management does not consider how long the Fund
has owned the security. From time to time the Fund will buy
securities intending to seek short-term trading profits. A
change in the securities held by the Fund is known as "portfolio
turnover" and generally involves some expense to the Fund. These
expenses may include brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and
other transaction costs on both the sale of securities and the
reinvestment of the proceeds in other securities. If sales of
portfolio securities cause the Fund to realize net short-term
capital gains, such gains will be taxable as ordinary income. As
a result of the Fund's investment policies, under certain market
conditions the Fund's portfolio turnover rate may be higher than
that of other mutual funds. Portfolio turnover rate for a fiscal
year is the ratio of the lesser of purchases or sales of
portfolio securities to the monthly average of the value of
portfolio securities -- excluding securities whose maturities at
acquisition were one year or less. The Fund's portfolio turnover
rate is not a limiting factor when Putnam Management considers a
change in the Fund's portfolio.
<PAGE>
LOWER-RATED SECURITIES
The Fund may invest in lower-rated fixed-income securities
(commonly known as "junk bonds"), to the extent described in the
Prospectus. The lower ratings of certain securities held by the
Fund reflect a greater possibility that adverse changes in the
financial condition of the issuer or in general economic
conditions, or both, or an unanticipated rise in interest rates,
may impair the ability of the issuer to make payments of interest
and principal. The inability (or perceived inability) of issuers
to make timely payment of interest and principal would likely
make the values of securities held by the Fund more volatile and
could limit the Fund's ability to sell its securities at prices
approximating the values the Fund had placed on such securities.
In the absence of a liquid trading market for securities held by
it, the Fund may be unable at times to establish the fair value
of such securities. The rating assigned to a security by Moody's
Investors Service, Inc. or Standard & Poor's Corporation (or by
any other nationally recognized securities rating organization)
does not reflect an assessment of the volatility of the
security's market value or the liquidity of an investment in the
security. See the Prospectus or Part I of this Statement for a
description of security ratings.
Like those of other fixed-income securities, the values of
lower-rated securities fluctuate in response to changes in
interest rates. Thus, a decrease in interest rates will
generally result in an increase in the value of the Fund's
assets. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the
value of the Fund's assets will generally decline. In addition,
the values of such securities are also affected by changes in
general economic conditions and business conditions affecting the
specific industries of their issuers. Changes by recognized
rating services in their ratings of any fixed-income security and
in the ability of an issuer to make payments of interest and
principal may also affect the value of these investments.
Changes in the value of portfolio securities generally will not
affect cash income derived from such securities, but will affect
the Fund's net asset value. The Fund will not necessarily
dispose of a security when its rating is reduced below its rating
at the time of purchase, although Putnam Management will monitor
the investment to determine whether its retention will assist in
meeting the Fund's investment objective.
At times, a substantial portion of the Fund's assets may be
invested in securities as to which the Fund, by itself or
together with other funds and accounts managed by Putnam
Management and its affiliates, holds a major portion or all of
such securities. Although Putnam Management generally considers
such securities to be liquid because of the availability of an
institutional market for such securities, it is possible that,
under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of
adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the
Fund could find it more difficult to sell such securities when
Putnam Management believes it advisable to do so or may be able
to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such
securities were more widely held. Under such circumstances, it
may also be more difficult to determine the fair value of such
securities for purposes of computing the Fund's net asset value.
In order to enforce its rights in the event of a default under
such securities, the Fund may be required to take possession of
and manage assets securing the issuer's obligations on such
securities, which may increase the Fund's operating expenses and
adversely affect the Fund's net asset value. In the case of
tax-exempt funds, any income derived from the Fund's ownership or
operation of such assets would not be tax-exempt. In addition,
the Fund's intention to qualify as a "regulated investment
company" under the Internal Revenue Code may limit the extent to
which the Fund may exercise its rights by taking possession of
such assets.
Certain securities held by the Fund may permit the issuer at its
option to "call", or redeem, its securities. If an issuer were
to redeem securities held by the Fund during a time of declining
interest rates, the Fund may not be able to reinvest the proceeds
in securities providing the same investment return as the
securities redeemed.
If the Fund's Prospectus describes so-called "zero-coupon" bonds
and "payment-in-kind" bonds as possible investments, the Fund may
invest without limit in such bonds unless otherwise specified in
the Prospectus. Zero-coupon bonds are issued at a significant
discount from their principal amount in lieu of paying interest
periodically. Payment-in-kind bonds allow the issuer, at its
option, to make current interest payments on the bonds either in
cash or in additional bonds. Because zero-coupon bonds do not
pay current interest, their value is subject to greater
fluctuation in response to changes in market interest rates than
bonds which pay interest currently. Both zero-coupon and
payment-in-kind bonds allow an issuer to avoid the need to
generate cash to meet current interest payments. Accordingly,
such bonds may involve greater credit risks than bonds paying
interest currently. Even though such bonds do not pay current
interest in cash, the Fund is nonetheless required to accrue
interest income on such investments and to distribute such
amounts at least annually to shareholders. Thus, the Fund could
be required at times to liquidate investments in order to satisfy
its dividend requirements.
The amount of information about the financial condition of an
issuer of tax exempt securities may not be as extensive as that
which is made available by corporations whose securities are
publicly traded. Therefore, to the extent the Fund invests in
tax exempt securities in the lower rating categories, the
achievement of the Fund's goals is more dependent on Putnam
Management's investment analysis than would be the case if the
Fund were investing in securities in the higher rating
categories.
INVESTMENTS IN MISCELLANEOUS FIXED INCOME SECURITIES
Unless otherwise specified in the Prospectus or elsewhere in this
Statement of Additional Information, if the Fund may invest in
inverse floating obligations and premium securities, it may do so
without limit. The Fund, however, currently does not intend to
invest more than 15% of its assets in inverse floating
obligations under normal market conditions.
SECURITIES LOANS
The Fund may make secured loans of its portfolio securities, on
either a short-term or long-term basis, amounting to not more
than 25% of its total assets, thereby realizing additional
income. The risks in lending portfolio securities, as with other
extensions of credit, consist of possible delay in recovery of
the securities or possible loss of rights in the collateral
should the borrower fail financially. As a matter of policy,
securities loans are made to broker-dealers pursuant to
agreements requiring that loans be continuously secured by
collateral consisting of cash or short-term debt obligations at
least equal at all times to the value of the securities on loan,
"marked-to-market" daily. The borrower pays to the Fund an
amount equal to any dividends or interest received on securities
lent. The Fund retains all or a portion of the interest received
on investment of the cash collateral or receives a fee from the
borrower. Although voting rights, or rights to consent, with
respect to the loaned securities pass to the borrower, the Fund
retains the right to call the loans at any time on reasonable
notice, and it will do so to enable the Fund to exercise voting
rights on any matters materially affecting the investment. The
Fund may also call such loans in order to sell the securities.
FORWARD COMMITMENTS
The Fund may enter into contracts to purchase securities for a
fixed price at a future date beyond customary settlement time
("forward commitments") if the Fund holds, and maintains until
the settlement date in a segregated account, cash or high-grade
debt obligations in an amount sufficient to meet the purchase
price, or if the Fund enters into offsetting contracts for the
forward sale of other securities it owns. In the case of to-be-
announced ("TBA") purchase commitments, the unit price and the
estimated principal amount are established when the Fund enters
into a contract, with the actual principal amount being within a
specified range of the estimate. Forward commitments may be
considered securities in themselves, and involve a risk of loss
if the value of the security to be purchased declines prior to
the settlement date, which risk is in addition to the risk of
decline in the value of the Fund's other assets. Where such
purchases are made through dealers, the Fund relies on the dealer
to consummate the sale. The dealer's failure to do so may result
in the loss to the Fund of an advantageous yield or price.
Although the Fund will generally enter into forward commitments
with the intention of acquiring securities for its portfolio or
for delivery pursuant to options contracts it has entered into,
the Fund may dispose of a commitment prior to settlement if
Putnam Management deems it appropriate to do so. The Fund may
realize short-term profits or losses upon the sale of forward
commitments.
The Fund may enter into TBA sale commitments to hedge its
portfolio positions or to sell mortgage-backed securities it owns
under delayed delivery arrangements. Proceeds of TBA sale
commitments are not received until the contractual settlement
date. During the time a TBA sale commitment is outstanding,
equivalent deliverable securities, or an offsetting TBA purchase
commitment deliverable on or before the sale commitment date, are
held as "cover" for the transaction. Unsettled TBA sale
commitments are valued at current market value of the underlying
securities. If the TBA sale commitment is closed through the
acquisition of an offsetting purchase commitment, the Fund
realizes a gain or loss on the commitment without regard to any
unrealized gain or loss on the underlying security. If the Fund
delivers securities under the commitment, the Fund realizes a
gain or loss from the sale of the securities based upon the unit
price established at the date the commitment was entered into.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements up to the limit
specified in the Prospectus. A repurchase agreement is a
contract under which the Fund acquires a security for a
relatively short period (usually not more than one week) subject
to the obligation of the seller to repurchase and the Fund to
resell such security at a fixed time and price (representing the
Fund's cost plus interest). It is the Fund's present intention
to enter into repurchase agreements only with commercial banks
and registered broker-dealers and only with respect to
obligations of the U.S. government or its agencies or
instrumentalities. Repurchase agreements may also be viewed as
loans made by the Fund which are collateralized by the securities
subject to repurchase. Putnam Management will monitor such
transactions to ensure that the value of the underlying
securities will be at least equal at all times to the total
amount of the repurchase obligation, including the interest
factor. If the seller defaults, the Fund could realize a loss on
the sale of the underlying security to the extent that the
proceeds of sale including accrued interest are less than the
resale price provided in the agreement including interest. In
addition, if the seller should be involved in bankruptcy or
insolvency proceedings, the Fund may incur delay and costs in
selling the underlying security or may suffer a loss of principal
and interest if the Fund is treated as an unsecured creditor and
required to return the underlying collateral to the seller's
estate.
Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the Securities and
Exchange Commission, the Fund may transfer uninvested cash
balances into a joint account, along with cash of other Putnam
funds and certain other accounts. These balances may be invested
in one or more repurchase agreements and/or short-term money
market instruments.
OPTIONS ON SECURITIES
WRITING COVERED OPTIONS. The Fund may write covered call options
and covered put options on optionable securities held in its
portfolio, when in the opinion of Putnam Management such
transactions are consistent with the Fund's investment objectives
and policies. Call options written by the Fund give the
purchaser the right to buy the underlying securities from the
Fund at a stated exercise price; put options give the purchaser
the right to sell the underlying securities to the Fund at a
stated price.
The Fund may write only covered options, which means that, so
long as the Fund is obligated as the writer of a call option, it
will own the underlying securities subject to the option (or
comparable securities satisfying the cover requirements of
securities exchanges). In the case of put options, the Fund will
hold cash and/or high-grade short-term debt obligations equal to
the price to be paid if the option is exercised. In addition,
the Fund will be considered to have covered a put or call option
if and to the extent that it holds an option that offsets some or
all of the risk of the option it has written. The Fund may write
combinations of covered puts and calls on the same underlying
security.
The Fund will receive a premium from writing a put or call
option, which increases the Fund's return on the underlying
security in the event the option expires unexercised or is closed
out at a profit. The amount of the premium reflects, among other
things, the relationship between the exercise price and the
current market value of the underlying security, the volatility
of the underlying security, the amount of time remaining until
expiration, current interest rates, and the effect of supply and
demand in the options market and in the market for the underlying
security. By writing a call option, the Fund limits its
opportunity to profit from any increase in the market value of
the underlying security above the exercise price of the option
but continues to bear the risk of a decline in the value of the
underlying security. By writing a put option, the Fund assumes
the risk that it may be required to purchase the underlying
security for an exercise price higher than its then-current
market value, resulting in a potential capital loss unless the
security subsequently appreciates in value.
The Fund may terminate an option that it has written prior to its
expiration by entering into a closing purchase transaction, in
which it purchases an offsetting option. The Fund realizes a
profit or loss from a closing transaction if the cost of the
transaction (option premium plus transaction costs) is less or
more than the premium received from writing the option. Because
increases in the market price of a call option generally reflect
increases in the market price of the security underlying the
option, any loss resulting from a closing purchase transaction
may be offset in whole or in part by unrealized appreciation of
the underlying security owned by the Fund.
If the Fund writes a call option but does not own the underlying
security, and when it writes a put option, the Fund may be
required to deposit cash or securities with its broker as
"margin", or collateral, for its obligation to buy or sell the
underlying security. As the value of the underlying security
varies, the Fund may have to deposit additional margin with the
broker. Margin requirements are complex and are fixed by
individual brokers, subject to minimum requirements currently
imposed by the Federal Reserve Board and by stock exchanges and
other self-regulatory organizations.
PURCHASING PUT OPTIONS. The Fund may purchase put options to
protect its portfolio holdings in an underlying security against
a decline in market value. Such protection is provided during
the life of the put option since the Fund, as holder of the
option, is able to sell the underlying security at the put
exercise price regardless of any decline in the underlying
security's market price. In order for a put option to be
profitable, the market price of the underlying security must
decline sufficiently below the exercise price to cover the
premium and transaction costs. By using put options in this
manner, the Fund will reduce any profit it might otherwise have
realized from appreciation of the underlying security by the
premium paid for the put option and by transaction costs.
PURCHASING CALL OPTIONS. The Fund may purchase call options to
hedge against an increase in the price of securities that the
Fund wants ultimately to buy. Such hedge protection is provided
during the life of the call option since the Fund, as holder of
the call option, is able to buy the underlying security at the
exercise price regardless of any increase in the underlying
security's market price. In order for a call option to be
profitable, the market price of the underlying security must rise
sufficiently above the exercise price to cover the premium and
transaction costs.
RISK FACTORS IN OPTIONS TRANSACTIONS
The successful use of the Fund's options strategies depends on
the ability of Putnam Management to forecast correctly interest
rate and market movements. For example, if the Fund were to
write a call option based on Putnam Management's expectation that
the price of the underlying security would fall, but the price
were to rise instead, the Fund could be required to sell the
security upon exercise at a price below the current market price.
Similarly, if the Fund were to write a put option based on Putnam
Management's expectation that the price of the underlying
security would rise, but the price were to fall instead, the Fund
could be required to purchase the security upon exercise at a
price higher than the current market price.
When the Fund purchases an option, it runs the risk that it will
lose its entire investment in the option in a relatively short
period of time, unless the Fund exercises the option or enters
into a closing sale transaction before the option's expiration.
If the price of the underlying security does not rise (in the
case of a call) or fall (in the case of a put) to an extent
sufficient to cover the option premium and transaction costs, the
Fund will lose part or all of its investment in the option. This
contrasts with an investment by the Fund in the underlying
security, since the Fund will not realize a loss if the
security's price does not change.
The effective use of options also depends on the Fund's ability
to terminate option positions at times when Putnam Management
deems it desirable to do so. There is no assurance that the Fund
will be able to effect closing transactions at any particular
time or at an acceptable price.
If a secondary market in options were to become unavailable, the
Fund could no longer engage in closing transactions. Lack of
investor interest might adversely affect the liquidity of the
market for particular options or series of options. A market may
discontinue trading of a particular option or options generally.
In addition, a market could become temporarily unavailable if
unusual events -- such as volume in excess of trading or clearing
capability -- were to interrupt its normal operations.
A market may at times find it necessary to impose restrictions on
particular types of options transactions, such as opening
transactions. For example, if an underlying security ceases to
meet qualifications imposed by the market or the Options Clearing
Corporation, new series of options on that security will no
longer be opened to replace expiring series, and opening
transactions in existing series may be prohibited. If an options
market were to become unavailable, the Fund as a holder of an
option would be able to realize profits or limit losses only by
exercising the option, and the Fund, as option writer, would
remain obligated under the option until expiration or exercise.
Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying options
purchased or sold by the Fund could result in losses on the
options. If trading is interrupted in an underlying security,
the trading of options on that security is normally halted as
well. As a result, the Fund as purchaser or writer of an option
will be unable to close out its positions until options trading
resumes, and it may be faced with considerable losses if trading
in the security reopens at a substantially different price. In
addition, the Options Clearing Corporation or other options
markets may impose exercise restrictions. If a prohibition on
exercise is imposed at the time when trading in the option has
also been halted, the Fund as purchaser or writer of an option
will be locked into its position until one of the two
restrictions has been lifted. If the Options Clearing
Corporation were to determine that the available supply of an
underlying security appears insufficient to permit delivery by
the writers of all outstanding calls in the event of exercise, it
may prohibit indefinitely the exercise of put options. The Fund,
as holder of such a put option, could lose its entire investment
if the prohibition remained in effect until the put option's
expiration.
Special risks are presented by internationally-traded options.
Because of time differences between the United States and various
foreign countries, and because different holidays are observed in
different countries, foreign options markets may be open for
trading during hours or on days when U.S. markets are closed. As
a result, option premiums may not reflect the current prices of
the underlying interest in the United States.
Over-the-counter ("OTC") options purchased by the Fund and assets
held to cover OTC options written by the Fund may, under certain
circumstances, be considered illiquid securities for purposes of
any limitation on the Fund's ability to invest in illiquid
securities.
FUTURES CONTRACTS AND RELATED OPTIONS
Subject to applicable law, and unless otherwise specified in the
Prospectus, the Fund may invest without limit in the types of
futures contracts and related options identified in the
Prospectus. A financial futures contract sale creates an
obligation by the seller to deliver the type of financial
instrument called for in the contract in a specified delivery
month for a stated price. A financial futures contract purchase
creates an obligation by the purchaser to take delivery of the
type of financial instrument called for in the contract in a
specified delivery month at a stated price. The specific
instruments delivered or taken, respectively, at settlement date
are not determined until on or near that date. The determination
is made in accordance with the rules of the exchange on which the
futures contract sale or purchase was made. Futures contracts
are traded in the United States only on commodity exchanges or
boards of trade -- known as "contract markets" -- approved for
such trading 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.
Although futures contracts (other than index futures) by their
terms call for actual delivery or acceptance of commodities or
securities, in most cases the contracts are closed out before the
settlement date without the making or taking of delivery.
Closing out a futures contract sale is effected by purchasing a
futures contract for the same aggregate amount of the specific
type of financial instrument or commodity with the same delivery
date. If the price of the initial sale of the futures contract
exceeds the price of the offsetting purchase, the seller is paid
the difference and realizes a gain. Conversely, if the price of
the offsetting purchase exceeds the price of the initial sale,
the seller realizes a loss. Similarly, the closing out of a
futures contract purchase is effected by the purchaser's entering
into a futures contract sale. If the offsetting sale price
exceeds the purchase price, the purchaser realizes a gain, and if
the purchase price exceeds the offsetting sale price, he realizes
a loss. In general 40% of the gain or loss arising from the
closing out of a futures contract traded on an exchange approved
by the CFTC is treated as short-term gain or loss, and 60% is
treated as long-term gain or loss.
Unlike when the Fund purchases or sells a security, no price is
paid or received by the Fund upon the purchase or sale of a
futures contract. Upon entering into a contract, the Fund is
required to deposit with its custodian in a segregated account in
the name of the futures broker an amount of cash and/or U.S.
Government Securities. This amount is known as "initial margin."
The nature of initial margin in futures transactions is different
from that of margin in security transactions in that futures
contract margin does not involve the borrowing of funds to
finance the transactions. Rather, initial margin is similar to a
performance bond or good faith deposit which is returned to the
Fund upon termination of the futures contract, assuming all
contractual obligations have been satisfied. Futures contracts
also involve brokerage costs.
Subsequent payments, called "variation margin" or "maintenance
margin", to and from the broker (or the custodian) are made on a
daily basis as the price of the underlying security or commodity
fluctuates, making the long and short positions in the futures
contract more or less valuable, a process known as "marking to
the market." For example, when the Fund has purchased a futures
contract on a security and the price of the underlying security
has risen, that position will have increased in value and the
Fund will receive from the broker a variation margin payment
based on that increase in value. Conversely, when the Fund has
purchased a security futures contract and the price of the
underlying security has declined, the position would be less
valuable and the Fund would be required to make a variation
margin payment to the broker.
The Fund may elect to close some or all of its futures positions
at any time prior to their expiration in order to reduce or
eliminate a hedge position then currently held by the Fund. The
Fund may close its positions by taking opposite positions which
will operate to terminate the Fund's position in the futures
contracts. Final determinations of variation margin are then
made, additional cash is required to be paid by or released to
the Fund, and the Fund realizes a loss or a gain. Such closing
transactions involve additional commission costs.
OPTIONS ON FUTURES CONTRACTS. The Fund may purchase and write
call and put options on futures contracts it may buy or sell and
enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to
terminate existing positions. Options on future contracts give
the purchaser the right in return for the premium paid to assume
a position in a futures contract at the specified option exercise
price at any time during the period of the option. The Fund may
use options on futures contracts in lieu of writing or buying
options directly on the underlying securities or purchasing and
selling the underlying futures contracts. For example, to hedge
against a possible decrease in the value of its portfolio
securities, the Fund may purchase put options or write call
options on futures contracts rather than selling futures
contracts. Similarly, the Fund may purchase call options or
write put options on futures contracts as a substitute for the
purchase of futures contracts to hedge against a possible
increase in the price of securities which the Fund expects to
purchase. Such options generally operate in the same manner as
options purchased or written directly on the underlying
investments.
As with options on securities, the holder or writer of an option
may terminate his position by selling or purchasing an offsetting
option. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can
be effected.
The Fund will be required to deposit initial margin and
maintenance margin with respect to put and call options on
futures contracts written by it pursuant to brokers' requirements
similar to those described above in connection with the
discussion of futures contracts.
RISKS OF TRANSACTIONS IN FUTURES CONTRACTS AND RELATED OPTIONS.
Successful use of futures contracts by the Fund is subject to
Putnam Management's ability to predict movements in the direction
of interest rates and other factors affecting securities markets.
For example, if the Fund has hedged against the possibility of
decline in the values of its investments and the values of its
investments increase instead, the Fund will lose part or all of
the benefit of the increase through payments of daily maintenance
margin. The Fund may have to sell investments at a time when it
may be disadvantageous to do so in order to meet margin
requirements.
Compared to the purchase or sale of futures contracts, the
purchase of call or put options on futures contracts involves
less potential risk to the Fund because the maximum amount at
risk is the premium paid for the options (plus transaction
costs). However, there may be circumstances when the purchase of
a call or put option on a futures contract would result in a loss
to the Fund when the purchase or sale of a futures contract would
not, such as when there is no movement in the prices of the
hedged investments. The writing of an option on a futures
contract involves risks similar to those risks relating to the
sale of futures contracts.
There is no assurance that higher than anticipated trading
activity or other unforeseen events might not, at times, render
certain market clearing facilities inadequate, and thereby result
in the institution by exchanges of special procedures which may
interfere with the timely execution of customer orders.
To reduce or eliminate a hedge position held by the Fund, the
Fund may seek to close out a position. The ability to establish
and close out positions will be subject to the development and
maintenance of a liquid secondary market. It is not certain that
this market will develop or continue to exist for a particular
futures contract or option. Reasons for the absence of a liquid
secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there
may be insufficient trading interest in certain contracts or
options; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on
opening transactions or closing transactions or both; (iii)
trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed
with respect to particular classes or series of contracts or
options, or underlying securities; (iv) unusual or unforeseen
circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v)
the facilities of an exchange or a clearing corporation may not
at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or
(vi) one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons,
decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the
trading of contracts or options (or a particular class or series
of contracts or options), in which event the secondary market on
that exchange for such contracts or options (or in the class or
series of contracts or options) would cease to exist, although
outstanding contracts or options on the exchange that had been
issued by a clearing corporation as a result of trades on that
exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with
their terms.
U.S. TREASURY SECURITY FUTURES CONTRACTS AND OPTIONS. If the
Fund invests in tax-exempt securities issued by a governmental
entity, the Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts and
related options on U.S. Treasury securities when, in the opinion
of Putnam Management, price movements in Treasury security
futures and related options will correlate closely with price
movements in the tax-exempt securities which are the subject of
the hedge. U.S. Treasury security futures contracts require the
seller to deliver, or the purchaser to take delivery of, the type
of U.S. Treasury security called for in the contract at a
specified date and price. Options on U.S. Treasury security
futures contracts give the purchaser the right in return for the
premium paid to assume a position in a U.S. Treasury security
futures contract at the specified option exercise price at any
time during the period of the option.
Successful use of U.S. Treasury security futures contracts by the
Fund is subject to Putnam Management's ability to predict
movements in the direction of interest rates and other factors
affecting markets for debt securities. For example, if the Fund
has sold U.S. Treasury security futures contracts in order to
hedge against the possibility of an increase in interest rates
which would adversely affect tax-exempt securities held in its
portfolio, and the prices of the Fund's tax-exempt securities
increase instead as a result of a decline in interest rates, the
Fund will lose part or all of the benefit of the increased value
of its securities which it has hedged because it will have
offsetting losses in its futures positions. In addition, in such
situations, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to
sell securities to meet daily maintenance margin requirements at
a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.
There is also a risk that price movements in U.S. Treasury
security futures contracts and related options will not correlate
closely with price movements in markets for tax-exempt
securities. For example, if the Fund has hedged against a
decline in the values of tax-exempt securities held by it by
selling Treasury security futures and the values of Treasury
securities subsequently increase while the values of its
tax-exempt securities decrease, the Fund would incur losses on
both the Treasury security futures contracts written by it and
the tax-exempt securities held in its portfolio. Putnam
Management will seek to reduce this risk by monitoring movements
in markets for U.S. Treasury security futures and options and for
tax-exempt securities closely. The Fund will only purchase or
sell Treasury security futures or related options when, in the
opinion of Putnam Management, price movements in Treasury
security futures and related options will correlate closely with
price movements in tax-exempt securities in which the Fund
invests.
INDEX FUTURES CONTRACTS. An index futures contract is a contract
to buy or sell units of an index at a specified future date at a
price agreed upon when the contract is made. Entering into a
contract to buy units of an index is commonly referred to as
buying or purchasing a contract or holding a long position in
the index. Entering into a contract to sell units of an index is
commonly referred to as selling a contract or holding a short
position. A unit is the current value of the index. The Fund
may enter into stock index futures contracts, debt index futures
contracts, or other index futures contracts appropriate to its
objective. The Fund may also purchase and sell options on index
futures contracts.
For example, the Standard & Poor's Composite 500 Stock Price
Index ("S&P 500") is composed of 500 selected common stocks, most
of which are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The S&P 500
assigns relative weightings to the common stocks included in the
Index, and the value fluctuates with changes in the market values
of those common stocks. In the case of the S&P 500, contracts
are to buy or sell 500 units. Thus, if the value of the S&P 500
were $150, one contract would be worth $75,000 (500 units x
$150). The stock index futures contract specifies that no
delivery of the actual stocks making up the index will take
place. Instead, settlement in cash must occur upon the
termination of the contract, with the settlement being the
difference between the contract price and the actual level of the
stock index at the expiration of the contract. For example, if
the Fund enters into a futures contract to buy 500 units of the
S&P 500 at a specified future date at a contract price of $150
and the S&P 500 is at $154 on that future date, the Fund will
gain $2,000 (500 units x gain of $4). If the Fund enters into a
futures contract to sell 500 units of the stock index at a
specified future date at a contract price of $150 and the S&P 500
is at $152 on that future date, the Fund will lose $1,000 (500
units x loss of $2).
There are several risks in connection with the use by the Fund of
index futures as a hedging device. One risk arises because of
the imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of the
index futures and movements in the prices of securities which are
the subject of the hedge. Putnam Management will, however,
attempt to reduce this risk by buying or selling, to the extent
possible, futures on indices the movements of which will, in its
judgment, have a significant correlation with movements in the
prices of the securities sought to be hedged.
Successful use of index futures by the Fund for hedging purposes
is also subject to Putnam Management's ability to predict
movements in the direction of the market. It is possible that,
where the Fund has sold futures to hedge its portfolio against a
decline in the market, the index on which the futures are written
may advance and the value of securities held in the Fund's
portfolio may decline. If this occurred, the Fund would lose
money on the futures and also experience a decline in value in
its portfolio securities. It is also possible that, if the Fund
has hedged against the possibility of a decline in the market
adversely affecting securities held in its portfolio and
securities prices increase instead, the Fund will lose part or
all of the benefit of the increased value of those securities it
has hedged because it will have offsetting losses in its futures
positions. In addition, in such situations, if the Fund has
insufficient cash, it may have to sell securities to meet daily
variation margin requirements at a time when it is
disadvantageous to do so.
In addition to the possibility that there may be an imperfect
correlation, or no correlation at all, between movements in the
index futures and the portion of the portfolio being hedged, the
prices of index futures may not correlate perfectly with
movements in the underlying index due to certain market
distortions. First, all participants in the futures market are
subject to margin deposit and maintenance requirements. Rather
than meeting additional margin deposit requirements, investors
may close futures contracts through offsetting transactions which
could distort the normal relationship between the index and
futures markets. Second, margin requirements in the futures
market are less onerous than margin requirements in the
securities market, and as a result the futures market may attract
more speculators than the securities market does. Increased
participation by speculators in the futures market may also cause
temporary price distortions. Due to the possibility of price
distortions in the futures market and also because of the
imperfect correlation between movements in the index and
movements in the prices of index futures, even a correct forecast
of general market trends by Putnam Management may still not
result in a successful hedging transaction over a short time
period.
OPTIONS ON STOCK INDEX FUTURES. Options on index futures are
similar to options on securities except that options on index
futures give the purchaser the right, in return for the premium
paid, to assume a position in an index futures contract (a long
position if the option is a call and a short position if the
option is a put) at a specified exercise price at any time during
the period of the option. Upon exercise of the option, the
delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to
the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the
accumulated balance in the writer's futures margin account which
represents the amount by which the market price of the index
futures contract, at exercise, exceeds (in the case of a call) or
is less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the
option on the index future. If an option is exercised on the
last trading day prior to its expiration date, the settlement
will be made entirely in cash equal to the difference between the
exercise price of the option and the closing level of the index
on which the future is based on the expiration date. Purchasers
of options who fail to exercise their options prior to the
exercise date suffer a loss of the premium paid.
OPTIONS ON INDICES
As an alternative to purchasing call and put options on index
futures, the Fund may purchase and sell call and put options on
the underlying indices themselves. Such options would be used in
a manner identical to the use of options on index futures.
INDEX WARRANTS
The Fund may purchase put warrants and call warrants whose values
vary depending on the change in the value of one or more
specified securities indices ("index warrants"). Index warrants
are generally issued by banks or other financial institutions and
give the holder the right, at any time during the term of the
warrant, to receive upon exercise of the warrant a cash payment
from the issuer based on the value of the underlying index at the
time of exercise. In general, if the value of the underlying
index rises above the exercise price of the index warrant, the
holder of a call warrant will be entitled to receive a cash
payment from the issuer upon exercise based on the difference
between the value of the index and the exercise price of the
warrant; if the value of the underlying index falls, the holder
of a put warrant will be entitled to receive a cash payment from
the issuer upon exercise based on the difference between the
exercise price of the warrant and the value of the index. The
holder of a warrant would not be entitled to any payments from
the issuer at any time when, in the case of a call warrant, the
exercise price is greater than the value of the underlying index,
or, in the case of a put warrant, the exercise price is less than
the value of the underlying index. If the Fund were not to
exercise an index warrant prior to its expiration, then the Fund
would lose the amount of the purchase price paid by it for the
warrant.
The Fund will normally use index warrants in a manner similar to
its use of options on securities indices. The risks of the
Fund's use of index warrants are generally similar to those
relating to its use of index options. Unlike most index options,
however, index warrants are issued in limited amounts and are not
obligations of a regulated clearing agency, but are backed only
by the credit of the bank or other institution which issues the
warrant. Also, index warrants generally have longer terms than
index options. Although the Fund will normally invest only in
exchange-listed warrants, index warrants are not likely to be as
liquid as certain index options backed by a recognized clearing
agency. In addition, the terms of index warrants may limit the
Fund's ability to exercise the warrants at such time, or in such
quantities, as the Fund would otherwise wish to do.
FOREIGN SECURITIES
Under its current policy, which may be changed without
shareholder approval, the Fund may invest up to the limit of its
total assets specified in its Prospectus in securities
principally traded in markets outside the United States.
Eurodollar certificates of deposit are excluded for purposes of
this limitation. Foreign investments can be affected favorably
or unfavorably by changes in currency exchange rates and in
exchange control regulations. There may be less publicly
available information about a foreign company than about a U.S.
company, and foreign companies may not be subject to accounting,
auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements
comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies. Securities of
some foreign companies are less liquid or more volatile than
securities of U.S. companies, and foreign brokerage commissions
and custodian fees are generally higher than in the United
States. Investments in foreign securities can involve other
risks different from those affecting U.S. investments, including
local political or economic developments, expropriation or
nationalization of assets and imposition of withholding taxes on
dividend or interest payments. To hedge against possible
variations in foreign exchange rates, the Fund may purchase and
sell forward foreign currency contracts. These represent
agreements to purchase or sell specified currencies at specified
dates and prices. The Fund will only purchase and sell forward
foreign currency contracts in amounts Putnam Management deems
appropriate to hedge existing or anticipated portfolio positions
and will not use such forward contracts for speculative purposes.
Foreign securities, like other assets of the Fund, will be held
by the Fund's custodian or by a subcustodian.
FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS
Unless otherwise specified in the Prospectus, the Fund may engage
without limit in currency exchange transactions, as well as
foreign currency forward and futures contracts, to protect
against uncertainty in the level of future currency exchange
rates. In addition, the Fund may write covered call and put
options on foreign currencies for the purpose of increasing its
current return.
Generally, the Fund may engage in both "transaction hedging" and
"position hedging". When it engages in transaction hedging, the
Fund enters into foreign currency transactions with respect to
specific receivables or payables, generally arising in connection
with the purchase or sale of portfolio securities. The Fund will
engage in transaction hedging when it desires to "lock in" the
U.S. dollar price of a security it has agreed to purchase or
sell, or the U.S. dollar equivalent of a dividend or interest
payment in a foreign currency. By transaction hedging the Fund
will attempt to protect itself against a possible loss resulting
from an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S.
dollar and the applicable foreign currency during the period
between the date on which the security is purchased or sold, or
on which the dividend or interest payment is earned, and the date
on which such payments are made or received.
The Fund may purchase or sell a foreign currency on a spot (or
cash) basis at the prevailing spot rate in connection with the
settlement of transactions in portfolio securities denominated in
that foreign currency. The Fund may also enter into contracts to
purchase or sell foreign currencies at a future date ("forward
contracts") and purchase and sell foreign currency futures
contracts.
For transaction hedging purposes the Fund may also purchase
exchange-listed and over-the-counter call and put options on
foreign currency futures contracts and on foreign currencies. A
put option on a futures contract gives the Fund the right to
assume a short position in the futures contract until the
expiration of the option. A put option on a currency gives the
Fund the right to sell the currency at an exercise price until
the expiration of the option. A call option on a futures
contract gives the Fund the right to assume a long position in
the futures contract until the expiration of the option. A call
option on a currency gives the Fund the right to purchase the
currency at the exercise price until the expiration of the
option.
When it engages in position hedging, the Fund enters into foreign
currency exchange transactions to protect against a decline in
the values of the foreign currencies in which its portfolio
securities are denominated (or an increase in the value of
currency for securities which the Fund expects to purchase, when
the Fund holds cash or short-term investments). In connection
with position hedging, the Fund may purchase put or call options
on foreign currency and on foreign currency futures contracts and
buy or sell forward contracts and foreign currency futures
contracts. The Fund may also purchase or sell foreign currency
on a spot basis.
The precise matching of the amounts of foreign currency exchange
transactions and the value of the portfolio securities involved
will not generally be possible since the future value of such
securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of
market movements in the value of those securities between the
dates the currency exchange transactions are entered into and the
dates they mature.
It is impossible to forecast with precision the market value of
portfolio securities at the expiration or maturity of a forward
or futures contract. Accordingly, it may be necessary for the
Fund to purchase additional foreign currency on the spot market
(and bear the expense of such purchase) if the market value of
the security or securities being hedged is less than the amount
of foreign currency the Fund is obligated to deliver and a
decision is made to sell the security or securities and make
delivery of the foreign currency. Conversely, it may be
necessary to sell on the spot market some of the foreign currency
received upon the sale of the portfolio security or securities if
the market value of such security or securities exceeds the
amount of foreign currency the Fund is obligated to deliver.
Transaction and position hedging do not eliminate fluctuations in
the underlying prices of the securities which the Fund owns or
intends to purchase or sell. They simply establish a rate of
exchange which one can achieve at some future point in time.
Additionally, although these techniques tend to minimize the risk
of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency,
they tend to limit any potential gain which might result from the
increase in value of such currency.
The Fund may seek to increase its current return or to offset
some of the costs of hedging against fluctuations in current
exchange rates by writing covered call options and covered put
options on foreign currencies. The Fund receives a premium from
writing a call or put option, which increases the Fund's current
return if the option expires unexercised or is closed out at a
net profit. The Fund may terminate an option that it has written
prior to its expiration by entering into a closing purchase
transaction in which it purchases an option having the same terms
as the option written.
The Fund's currency hedging transactions may call for the
delivery of one foreign currency in exchange for another foreign
currency and may at times not involve currencies in which its
portfolio securities are then denominated. Putnam Management
will engage in such "cross hedging" activities when it believes
that such transactions provide significant hedging opportunities
for the Fund. Cross hedging transactions by the Fund involve the
risk of imperfect correlation between changes in the values of
the currencies to which such transactions relate and changes in
the value of the currency or other asset or liability which is
the subject of the hedge.
CURRENCY FORWARD AND FUTURES CONTRACTS. A forward foreign
currency contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a
specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number
of days from the date of the contract as agreed by the parties,
at a price set at the time of the contract. In the case of a
cancelable forward contract, the holder has the unilateral right
to cancel the contract at maturity by paying a specified fee.
The contracts are traded in the interbank market conducted
directly between currency traders (usually large commercial
banks) and their customers. A forward contract generally has no
deposit requirement, and no commissions are charged at any stage
for trades. A foreign currency futures contract is a
standardized contract for the future delivery of a specified
amount of a foreign currency at a future date at a price set at
the time of the contract. Foreign currency futures contracts
traded in the United States are designed by and traded on
exchanges regulated by the CFTC, such as the New York Mercantile
Exchange.
Forward foreign currency exchange contracts differ from foreign
currency futures contracts in certain respects. For example, the
maturity date of a forward contract may be any fixed number of
days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties,
rather than a predetermined date in a given month. Forward
contracts may be in any amounts agreed upon by the parties rather
than predetermined amounts. Also, forward foreign exchange
contracts are traded directly between currency traders so that no
intermediary is required. A forward contract generally requires
no margin or other deposit.
At the maturity of a forward or futures contract, the Fund either
may accept or make delivery of the currency specified in the
contract, or at or prior to maturity enter into a closing
transaction involving the purchase or sale of an offsetting
contract. Closing transactions with respect to forward contracts
are usually effected with the currency trader who is a party to
the original forward contract. Closing transactions with respect
to futures contracts are effected on a commodities exchange; a
clearing corporation associated with the exchange assumes
responsibility for closing out such contracts.
Positions in the foreign currency futures contracts may be closed
out only on an exchange or board of trade which provides a
secondary market in such contracts. Although the Fund intends to
purchase or sell foreign currency futures contracts only on
exchanges or boards of trade where there appears to be an active
secondary market, there is no assurance that a secondary market
on an exchange or board of trade will exist for any particular
contract or at any particular time. In such event, it may not be
possible to close a futures position and, in the event of adverse
price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make
daily cash payments of variation margin.
FOREIGN CURRENCY OPTIONS. In general, options on foreign
currencies operate similarly to options on securities and are
subject to many similar risks. Foreign currency options are
traded primarily in the over-the-counter market, although options
on foreign currencies have recently been listed on several
exchanges. Options are traded not only on the currencies of
individual nations, but also on the European Currency Unit
("ECU"). The ECU is composed of amounts of a number of
currencies, and is the official medium of exchange of the
European Community's European Monetary System.
The Fund will only purchase or write foreign currency options
when Putnam Management believes that a liquid secondary market
exists for such options. There can be no assurance that a liquid
secondary market will exist for a particular option at any
specific time. Options on foreign currencies are affected by all
of those factors which influence foreign exchange rates and
investments generally.
The value of any currency, including U.S. dollars and foreign
currencies, may be affected by complex political and economic
factors applicable to the issuing country. In addition, the
exchange rates of foreign currencies (and therefore the values
of foreign currency options) may be affected significantly,
fixed, or supported directly or indirectly by U.S. and foreign
government actions. Government intervention may increase risks
involved in purchasing or selling foreign currency options, since
exchange rates may not be free to fluctuate in response to other
market forces.
The value of a foreign currency option reflects the value of an
exchange rate, which in turn reflects relative values of two
currencies, the U.S. dollar and the foreign currency in question.
Because foreign currency transactions occurring in the interbank
market involve substantially larger amounts than those that may
be involved in the exercise of foreign currency options,
investors may be disadvantaged by having to deal in an odd lot
market for the underlying foreign currencies in connection with
options at prices that are less favorable than for round lots.
Foreign governmental restrictions or taxes could result in
adverse changes in the cost of acquiring or disposing of foreign
currencies.
There is no systematic reporting of last sale information for
foreign currencies and there is no regulatory requirement that
quotations available through dealers or other market sources be
firm or revised on a timely basis. Available quotation
information is generally representative of very large round-lot
transactions in the interbank market and thus may not reflect
exchange rates for smaller odd-lot transactions (less than $1
million) where rates may be less favorable. The interbank market
in foreign currencies is a global, around-the-clock market. To
the extent that options markets are closed while the markets for
the underlying currencies remain open, significant price and rate
movements may take place in the underlying markets that cannot be
reflected in the options markets.
SETTLEMENT PROCEDURES. Settlement procedures relating to the
Fund's investments in foreign securities and to the Fund's
foreign currency exchange transactions may be more complex than
settlements with respect to investments in debt or equity
securities of U.S. issuers, and may involve certain risks not
present in the Fund's domestic investments. For example,
settlement of transactions involving foreign securities or
foreign currency may occur within a foreign country, and the Fund
may be required to accept or make delivery of the underlying
securities or currency in conformity with any applicable U.S. or
foreign restrictions or regulations, and may be required to pay
any fees, taxes or charges associated with such delivery. Such
investments may also involve the risk that an entity involved in
the settlement may not meet its obligations.
FOREIGN CURRENCY CONVERSION. Although foreign exchange dealers
do not charge a fee for currency conversion, they do realize a
profit based on the difference (the "spread") between prices at
which they are buying and selling various currencies. Thus, a
dealer may offer to sell a foreign currency to the Fund at one
rate, while offering a lesser rate of exchange should the Fund
desire to resell that currency to the dealer.
RESTRICTED SECURITIES
The SEC Staff currently takes the view that any designation by
the Trustees of the authority to determine that a restricted
security is readily marketable (as described in the investment
restrictions of the Funds) must be pursuant to written procedures
established by the Trustees. It is the present intention of the
Funds' Trustees that, if the Trustees decide to delegate such
determinations to Putnam Management or another person, they would
do so pursuant to written procedures, consistent with the Staff's
position. Should the Staff modify its position in the future,
the Trustees would consider what action would be appropriate in
light of the Staff's position at that time.
TAXES
TAXATION OF THE FUND. The Fund intends to qualify each year as a
regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). In order so to
qualify and to qualify for the special tax treatment accorded
regulated investment companies and their shareholders, the Fund
must, among other things:
(a) Derive at least 90% of its gross income from dividends,
interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, and
gains from the sale of stock, securities and foreign currencies,
or other income (including but not limited to gains from options,
futures, or forward contracts) derived with respect to its
business of investing in such stock, securities, or currencies;
(b) derive less than 30% of its gross income from the sale or
other disposition of certain assets (including stock or
securities and certain options, futures contracts, forward
contracts and foreign currencies) held for less than three
months;
(c) distribute with respect to each taxable year at least 90% of
the sum of its taxable net investment income, its net tax-exempt
income, and the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gains
over net long-term capital losses for such year; and
(d) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each fiscal
quarter, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund's
assets is represented by cash and cash items, U.S. Government
securities, securities of other regulated investment companies,
and other securities limited in respect of any one issuer to a
value not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets
and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of
such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of its
assets is invested in the securities (other than those of the
U.S. Government or other regulated investment companies) of any
one issuer or of two or more issuers which the Fund controls and
which are engaged in the same, similar, or related trades or
businesses.
If the Fund qualifies as a regulated investment company that is
accorded special tax treatment, the Fund will not be subject to
federal income tax on income paid to its shareholders in the form
of dividends (including capital gain dividends).
If the Fund failed to qualify as a regulated investment company
accorded special tax treatment in any taxable year, the Fund
would be subject to tax on its taxable income at corporate rates,
and all distributions from earnings and profits, including any
distributions of net tax-exempt income and net long-term capital
gains, would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. In
addition, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized
gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial
distributions before requalifying as a regulated investment
company that is accorded special tax treatment.
If the Fund fails to distribute in a calendar year substantially
all of its ordinary income for such year and substantially all of
its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending
October 31 (or later if the Fund is permitted so to elect and so
elects), plus any retained amount from the prior year, the Fund
will be subject to a 4% excise tax on the undistributed amounts.
A dividend paid to shareholders by the Fund in January of a year
generally is deemed to have been paid by the Fund on December 31
of the preceding year, if the dividend was declared and payable
to shareholders of record on a date in October, November or
December of that preceding year. The Fund intends generally to
make distributions sufficient to avoid imposition of the 4%
excise tax.
EXEMPT-INTEREST DIVIDENDS. The Fund will be qualified to pay
exempt-interest dividends to its shareholders only if, at the
close of each quarter of the Fund's taxable year, at least 50% of
the total value of the Fund's assets consists of obligations the
interest on which is exempt from federal income tax.
Distributions that the Fund properly designates as exempt-
interest dividends are treated by shareholders as interest
excludable from their gross income for federal income tax
purposes but may be taxable for federal alternative minimum tax
purposes and for state and local purposes. If the Fund intends
to be qualified to pay exempt-interest dividends, the Fund may be
limited in its ability to enter into taxable transactions
involving forward commitments, repurchase agreements, financial
futures, and options contracts on financial futures, tax-exempt
bond indices, and other assets.
Part or all of the interest on indebtedness, if any, incurred or
continued by a shareholder to purchase or carry shares of a Fund
paying exempt-interest dividends is not deductible. The portion
of interest that is not deductible is equal to the total interest
paid or accrued on the indebtedness, multiplied by the percentage
of the Fund's total distributions (not including distributions
from net long-term capital gains) paid to the shareholder that
are exempt-interest dividends. Under rules used by the Internal
Revenue Service for determining when borrowed funds are
considered used for the purpose of purchasing or carrying
particular assets, the purchase of shares may be considered to
have been made with borrowed funds even though such funds are not
directly traceable to the purchase of shares.
In general, exempt-interest dividends, if any, attributable to
interest received on certain private activity obligations and
certain industrial development bonds will not be tax-exempt to
any shareholders who are "substantial users" of the facilities
financed by such obligations or bonds or who are "related
persons" of such substantial users.
A Fund which is qualified to pay exempt-interest dividends will
inform investors within 60 days of the Fund's fiscal year-end of
the percentage of its income distributions designated as
tax-exempt. The percentage is applied uniformly to all
distributions made during the year. The percentage of income
designated as tax-exempt for any particular distribution may be
substantially different from the percentage of the Fund's income
that was tax-exempt during the period covered by the
distribution.
HEDGING TRANSACTIONS. If the Fund engages in transactions,
including hedging transactions in options, futures contracts, and
straddles, or other similar transactions, it will be subject to
special tax rules (including mark-to-market, straddle, wash sale,
and short sale rules), the effect of which may be to accelerate
income to the Fund, defer losses to the Fund, cause adjustments
in the holding periods of the Fund's securities, or convert
short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses. These
rules could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of
distributions to shareholders. The Fund will endeavor to make
any available elections pertaining to such transactions in a
manner believed to be in the best interests of the Fund.
Under the 30% of gross income test described above (see "Taxation
of the Fund"), the Fund will be restricted in selling assets held
or considered under Code rules to have been held for less than
three months, and in engaging in certain hedging transactions
(including hedging transactions in options and futures) that in
some circumstances could cause certain Fund assets to be treated
as held for less than three months.
Certain of the Fund's hedging activities (including its
transactions, if any, in foreign currencies or foreign
currency-denominated instruments) are likely to produce a
difference between its book income and its taxable income. If
the Fund's book income exceeds its taxable income, the
distribution (if any) of such excess will be treated as a
dividend to the extent of the Fund's remaining earnings and
profits (including earnings and profits arising from tax-exempt
income), and thereafter as a return of capital or as gain from
the sale or exchange of a capital asset, as the case may be. If
the Fund's book income is less than its taxable income, the Fund
could be required to make distributions exceeding book income to
qualify as a regulated investment company that is accorded
special tax treatment.
RETURN OF CAPITAL DISTRIBUTIONS. If the Fund makes a
distribution to you in excess of its current and accumulated
"earnings and profits" in any taxable year, the excess
distribution will be treated as a return of capital to the extent
of your tax basis in your shares, and thereafter as capital gain.
A return of capital is not taxable, but it reduces your tax basis
in your shares, thus reducing any loss or increasing any gain on
a subsequent taxable disposition by you of your shares.
SECURITIES ISSUED OR PURCHASED AT A DISCOUNT. The Fund's
investment in securities issued at a discount and certain other
obligations will (and investments in securities purchased at a
discount may) require the Fund to accrue and distribute income
not yet received. In order to generate sufficient cash to make
the requisite distributions, the Fund may be required to sell
securities in its portfolio that it otherwise would have
continued to hold.
CAPITAL LOSS CARRYOVER. The amounts and expiration dates of any
capital loss carryovers available to the Fund are shown in Note 1
(Federal income taxes) to the financial statements included in
Part I of this Statement or incorporated by reference into this
Statement.
FOREIGN CURRENCY-DENOMINATED SECURITIES AND RELATED HEDGING
TRANSACTIONS. The Fund's transactions in foreign currencies,
foreign currency-denominated debt securities and certain foreign
currency options, futures contracts, and forward contracts (and
similar instruments) may give rise to ordinary income or loss to
the extent such income or loss results from fluctuations in the
value of the foreign currency concerned.
If more than 50% of the Fund's assets at year end consists of the
debt and equity securities of foreign corporations, the Fund may
elect to permit shareholders to claim a credit or deduction on
their income tax returns for their pro rata portion of qualified
taxes paid by the Fund to foreign countries. In such a case,
shareholders will include in gross income from foreign sources
their pro rata shares of such taxes. A shareholder's ability to
claim a foreign tax credit or deduction in respect of foreign
taxes paid by the Fund may be subject to certain limitations
imposed by the Code, as a result of which a shareholder may not
get a full credit or deduction for the amount of such taxes.
Shareholders who do not itemize on their federal income tax
returns may claim a credit (but no deduction) for such foreign
taxes.
Investment by the Fund in certain "passive foreign investment
companies" could subject the Fund to a U.S. federal income tax or
other charge on the proceeds from the sale of its investment in
such a company; however, this tax can be avoided by making an
election to mark such investments to market annually or to treat
the passive foreign investment company as a "qualified electing
fund."
SALE OR REDEMPTION OF SHARES. The sale, exchange or redemption
of Fund shares may give rise to a gain or loss. In general, any
gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares will
be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have
been held for more than 12 months, and otherwise as short-term
capital gain or loss. However, if a shareholder sells shares at
a loss within six months of purchase, any loss will be disallowed
for Federal income tax purposes to the extent of any exempt-
interest dividends received on such shares. In addition, any
loss (not already disallowed as provided in the preceding
sentence) realized upon a taxable disposition of shares held for
six months or less will be treated as long-term, rather than
short-term, to the extent of any long-term capital gain
distributions received by the shareholder with respect to the
shares. All or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable
disposition of Fund shares will be disallowed if other Fund
shares are purchased within 30 days before or after the
disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly purchased
shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.
SHARES PURCHASED THROUGH TAX-QUALIFIED PLANS. Special tax rules
apply to investments though defined contribution plans and other
tax-qualified plans. Shareholders should consult their tax
adviser to determine the suitability of shares of a fund as an
investment through such plans and the precise effect of an
investment on their particular tax situation.
BACKUP WITHHOLDING. The Fund generally is required to withhold
and remit to the U.S. Treasury 31% of the taxable dividends and
other distributions paid to any individual shareholder who fails
to furnish the Fund with a correct taxpayer identification number
(TIN), who has underreported dividends or interest income, or who
fails to certify to the Fund that he or she is not subject to
such withholding. Shareholders who fail to furnish their currect
TIN are subject to a penalty of $50 for each such failure unless
the failure is due to reasonable cause and not wilful neglect.
An individual's taxpayer identification number is his or her
social security number.
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
TRUSTEES
*+GEORGE PUTNAM, Chairman and President. Chairman and Director
of Putnam Management and Putnam Mutual Funds. Director, The
Boston Company, Inc., Boston Safe Deposit and Trust Company,
Freeport-McMoRan, Inc., General Mills, Inc., Houghton Mifflin
Company, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. and Rockefeller Group,
Inc.
+WILLIAM F. POUNDS, Vice Chairman. Professor of Management,
Alfred P. Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. Director of EG&G, Inc., Fisher Price, Inc., IDEXX,
M/A-COM, Inc., and Sun Company, Inc.
JAMESON A. BAXTER, Trustee. President, Baxter Associates, Inc.
(consultants to management). Director of Avondale Federal Savings
Bank, ASHTA Chemicals, Inc. and Banta Corporation. Chairman of
the Board of Trustees, Mount Holyoke College.
+HANS H. ESTIN, Trustee. Vice Chairman, North American
Management Corp. (a registered investment adviser). Director of
The Boston Company, Inc. and Boston Safe Deposit and Trust
Company.
ELIZABETH T. KENNAN, Trustee. President of Mount Holyoke
College. Director, the Kentucky Home Life Insurance Companies,
NYNEX Corporation, Northeast Utilities and Talbots and Trustee of
the University of Notre Dame.
*LAWRENCE J. LASSER, Trustee and Vice President. President,
Chief Executive Officer and Director of Putnam Investments, Inc.
and Putnam Investment Management, Inc. Director of Marsh &
McLennan Companies, Inc. Vice President of the Putnam funds.
JOHN A. HILL, Trustee. Chairman and Managing Director, First
Reserve Corporation (a registered investment adviser). Director,
Lantana Corporation, Maverick Tube Corporation, Snyder Oil
Corporation and various First Reserve Funds.
+ROBERT E. PATTERSON, Trustee. Executive Vice President, Cabot
Partners Limited Partnership (a registered investment adviser).
DONALD S. PERKINS, Trustee. Director of various corporations,
including American Telephone & Telegraph Company, AON Corp.,
Cummins Engine Company, Inc., Illinois Power Company, Inland
Steel Industries, Inc., K mart Corporation, LaSalle Street Fund,
Inc., Springs Industries, Inc., TBG, Inc. and Time Warner Inc.
*#GEORGE PUTNAM, III, Trustee. President, New Generation
Research, Inc. (publisher of bankruptcy information). Director,
World Environment Center.
*A.J.C. SMITH, Trustee. Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and
Director, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.
W. NICHOLAS THORNDIKE, Trustee. Director of various corporations
and charitable organizations, including Courier Corporation and
Providence Journal Co. Also, Trustee and President of
Massachusetts General Hospital and Trustee of Bradley Real Estate
Trust and Eastern Utilities Associates.
OFFICERS
CHARLES E. PORTER, Executive Vice President. Managing Director
of Putnam Investments, Inc. and Putnam Investment Management,
Inc. Executive Vice President of the Putnam funds.
PATRICIA C. FLAHERTY, Senior Vice President. Senior Vice
President of Putnam Investments, Inc. and Putnam Investment
Management, Inc.
WILLIAM N. SHIEBLER, Vice President. Director and Senior
Managing Director of Putnam Investments, Inc. President, Chief
Operating Officer and Director of Putnam Mutual Funds. Vice
President of the Putnam funds.
GORDON H. SILVER, Vice President. Senior Managing Director of
Putnam Investments, Inc. and Putnam Investment Management, Inc.
Director, Putnam Investments, Inc. and Putnam Investment
Management, Inc. Vice President of the Putnam funds.
JOHN R. VERANI, Vice President. Senior Vice President of Putnam
Investments, Inc. and Putnam Investment Management, Inc. Vice
President of the Putnam funds.
PAUL M. O'NEIL, Vice President. Vice President of Putnam
Investments, Inc. and Putnam Investment Management, Inc. Vice
President of the Putnam funds.
JOHN D. HUGHES, Vice President and Treasurer. Vice President and
Treasurer of the Putnam funds.
KATHERINE HOWARD, Assistant Vice President. Assistant Vice
President of the Putnam funds.
BEVERLY MARCUS, Clerk and Assistant Treasurer. Clerk and
Assistant Treasurer of the Putnam funds.
*Trustees who are "interested persons" (as defined in the
Investment Company Act of 1940) of the Fund, Putnam Management or
Putnam Mutual Funds.
+Members of the Executive Committee of the Trustees. The
Executive Committee meets between regular meetings of the
Trustees as may be required to review investment matters and
other affairs of the Fund and may exercise all of the powers of
the Trustees.
#George Putnam, III is the son of George Putnam.
-----------------
Certain other officers of Putnam Management are officers of your
Fund. SEE "ADDITIONAL OFFICERS OF THE FUND" IN PART I OF THIS
STATEMENT. The mailing address of each of the officers and
Trustees is One Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02109.
Except as stated below, the principal occupations of the officers
and Trustees for the last five years have been with the employers
as shown above, although in some cases they have held different
positions with such employers. Also, prior to January, 1992, Ms.
Baxter was Vice President and Principal, Regency Group, Inc. and
Consultant, The First Boston Corporation. Prior to May, 1991,
Mr. Pounds was Senior Advisor to the Rockefeller Family and
Associates, Chairman of Rockefeller Trust Company and Director of
Rockefeller Group, Inc. Prior to November, 1990, Mr. Shiebler
was President and Chief Operating Officer of the Intercapital
Division of Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc., Vice President of the
Dean Witter Funds and Director of Dean Witter Trust Company.
Each Trustee of the Fund receives an annual fee and an additional
fee for each Trustees' meeting attended. Trustees who are not
interested persons of Putnam Management and who serve on
committees of the Trustees receive additional fees for attendance
at certain committee meetings and for special services rendered
in that connection. All of the Trustees are Trustees of all the
Putnam funds and each receives fees for his or her services. FOR
DETAILS OF TRUSTEES' FEES PAID BY THE FUND, SEE "FUND CHARGES AND
EXPENSES" IN PART I OF THIS STATEMENT.
The Agreement and Declaration of Trust of the Fund provides that
the Fund 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
Fund, except if it is determined in the manner specified in the
Agreement and Declaration of Trust that they have not acted in
good faith in the reasonable belief that their actions were in
the best interests of the Fund or that such indemnification would
relieve any officer or Trustee of any liability to the Fund or
its shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith,
gross negligence or reckless disregard of his or her duties. The
Fund, at its expense, provides liability insurance for the
benefit of its Trustees and officers.
Putnam Management, Putnam Mutual Funds and Putnam Fiduciary Trust
Company are subsidiaries of Putnam Investments, Inc., a holding
company which is in turn wholly owned by Marsh & McLennan
Companies, Inc., a publicly owned holding company whose principal
operating subsidiaries are international insurance and
reinsurance brokers, investment managers and management
consultants.
Trustees and officers of the Fund who are also officers of Putnam
Management or its affiliates or who are stockholders of Marsh &
McLennan Companies, Inc. will benefit from the advisory fees,
sales commissions, distribution fees (if any), custodian fees and
transfer agency fees paid or allowed by the Fund.
PUTNAM MANAGEMENT
Putnam Management is one of America's oldest and largest money
management firms. Putnam Management's staff of experienced
portfolio managers and research analysts selects securities and
constantly supervises the Fund's portfolio. By pooling an
investor's money with that of other investors, a greater variety
of securities can be purchased than would be the case
individually; the resulting diversification helps reduce
investment risk. Putnam Management has been managing mutual funds
since 1937. Today, the firm serves as the investment manager for
the funds in the Putnam Family, with over $65 billion in assets
in over 4.0 million shareholder accounts at June 30, 1994. An
affiliate, The Putnam Advisory Company, Inc., manages domestic
and foreign institutional accounts and mutual funds, including
the accounts of many Fortune 500 companies. Another affiliate,
Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company, provides investment advice to
institutional clients under its banking and fiduciary powers. At
June 30, 1994, Putnam Management and its affiliates managed over
$92 billion in assets, including nearly $52 billion in tax exempt
securities and over $32 billion in retirement plan assets.
THE MANAGEMENT CONTRACT
Under a Management Contract between the Fund and Putnam
Management, subject to such policies as the Trustees may
determine, Putnam Management, at its expense, furnishes
continuously an investment program for the Fund and makes
investment decisions on behalf of the Fund. Subject to the
control of the Trustees, Putnam Management also manages,
supervises and conducts the other affairs and business of the
Fund, furnishes office space and equipment, provides bookkeeping
and clerical services (including determination of the Fund's net
asset value, but excluding shareholder accounting services) and
places all orders for the purchase and sale of the Fund's
portfolio securities. Putnam Management may place Fund portfolio
transactions with broker-dealers which furnish Putnam Management,
without cost to it, certain research, statistical and quotation
services of value to Putnam Management and its affiliates in
advising the Fund and other clients. In so doing, Putnam
Management may cause the Fund to pay greater brokerage
commissions than it might otherwise pay.
FOR DETAILS OF PUTNAM MANAGEMENT'S COMPENSATION UNDER THE
MANAGEMENT CONTRACT, SEE "FUND CHARGES AND EXPENSES" IN PART I OF
THIS STATEMENT. Putnam Management's compensation under the
Management Contract may be reduced in any year if the Fund's
expenses exceed the limits on investment company expenses imposed
by any statute or regulatory authority of any jurisdiction in
which shares of the Fund are qualified for offer or sale. The
term "expenses" is defined in the statutes or regulations of such
jurisdictions, and generally, excludes brokerage commissions,
taxes, interest, extraordinary expenses and, if the Fund has a
Distribution Plan, payments made under such Plan. The only such
limitation as of the date of this Statement (applicable to any
Fund registered for sale in California) was 2.5% of the first $30
million of average net assets, 2% of the next $70 million and
1.5% of any excess over $100 million.
Under the Management Contract, Putnam Management may reduce its
compensation to the extent that the Fund's expenses exceed such
lower expense limitation as Putnam Management may, by notice to
the Fund, declare to be effective. The expenses subject to this
limitation are exclusive of brokerage commissions, interest,
taxes, deferred organizational and extraordinary expenses and,
if the Fund has a Distribution Plan, payments required under such
Plan. THE TERMS OF ANY EXPENSE LIMITATION FROM TIME TO TIME IN
EFFECT ARE DESCRIBED IN EITHER THE PROSPECTUS OR PART I OF THIS
STATEMENT.
In addition to the fee paid to Putnam Management, the Fund
reimburses Putnam Management for the compensation and related
expenses of certain officers of the Fund and their assistants who
provide certain administrative services for the Fund and the
other funds in the Putnam Family, each of which bears an
allocated share of the foregoing costs. The aggregate amount of
all such payments and reimbursements is determined annually by
the Trustees. THE AMOUNT OF THIS REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE FUND'S
MOST RECENT FISCAL YEAR IS INCLUDED IN "FUND CHARGES AND
EXPENSES" IN PART I OF THIS STATEMENT. Putnam Management pays
all other salaries of officers of the Fund. The Fund pays all
expenses not assumed by Putnam Management including, without
limitation, auditing, legal, custodial, investor servicing and
shareholder reporting expenses. The Fund pays the cost of
typesetting for its Prospectuses and the cost of printing and
mailing any Prospectuses sent to its shareholders. Putnam Mutual
Funds pays the cost of printing and distributing all other
Prospectuses.
The Management Contract provides that Putnam Management shall not
be subject to any liability to the Fund or to any shareholder of
the Fund for any act or omission in the course of or connected
with rendering services to the Fund in the absence of willful
misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of
its duties on the part of Putnam Management.
The Management Contract may be terminated without penalty by vote
of the Trustees or the shareholders of the Fund, or by Putnam
Management, on 30 days' written notice. It may be amended only
by a vote of the shareholders of the Fund. The Management
Contract also terminates without payment of any penalty in the
event of its assignment. The Management Contract provides that
it will continue in effect only so long as such continuance is
approved at least annually by vote of either the Trustees or the
shareholders, and, in either case, by a majority of the Trustees
who are not "interested persons" of Putnam Management or the
Fund. In each of the foregoing cases, the vote of the
shareholders is the affirmative vote of a "majority of the
outstanding voting securities" as defined in the Investment
Company Act of 1940.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS
INVESTMENT DECISIONS. Investment decisions for the Fund and for
the other investment advisory clients of Putnam Management and
its affiliates are made with a view to achieving their respective
investment objectives. Investment decisions are the product of
many factors in addition to basic suitability for the particular
client involved. Thus, a particular security may be bought or
sold for certain clients even though it could have been bought or
sold for other clients at the same time. Likewise, a particular
security may be bought for one or more clients when one or more
other clients are selling the security. In some instances, one
client may sell a particular security to another client. It also
sometimes happens that two or more clients simultaneously
purchase or sell the same security, in which event each day's
transactions in such security are, insofar as possible, averaged
as to price and allocated between such clients in a manner which
in Putnam Management's opinion is equitable to each and in
accordance with the amount being purchased or sold by each.
There may be circumstances when purchases or sales of portfolio
securities for one or more clients will have an adverse effect on
other clients.
BROKERAGE AND RESEARCH SERVICES. Transactions on U.S. stock
exchanges, commodities markets and futures markets and other
agency transactions involve the payment by the Fund of negotiated
brokerage commissions. Such commissions vary among different
brokers. A particular broker may charge different commissions
according to such factors as the difficulty and size of the
transaction. Transactions in foreign investments often involve
the payment of fixed brokerage commissions, which may be higher
than those in the United States. There is generally no stated
commission in the case of securities traded in the
over-the-counter markets, but the price paid by the Fund usually
includes an undisclosed dealer commission or mark-up. In
underwritten offerings, the price paid by the Fund includes a
disclosed, fixed commission or discount retained by the
underwriter or dealer. It is anticipated that most purchases and
sales of securities by funds investing primarily in tax-exempt
securities and certain other fixed-income securities will be with
the issuer or with underwriters of or dealers in those
securities, acting as principal. Accordingly, those funds would
not ordinarily pay significant brokerage commissions with respect
to securities transactions. SEE "FUND CHARGES AND EXPENSES" IN
PART I OF THIS STATEMENT FOR INFORMATION CONCERNING COMMISSIONS
PAID BY THE FUND.
It has for many years been a common practice in the investment
advisory business for advisers of investment companies and other
institutional investors to receive brokerage and research
services (as defined in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the "1934 Act")) from broker-dealers that execute
portfolio transactions for the clients of such advisers and from
third parties with which such broker-dealers have arrangements.
Consistent with this practice, Putnam Management receives
brokerage and research services and other similar services from
many broker-dealers with which Putnam Management places the
Fund's portfolio transactions and from third parties with which
these broker-dealers have arrangements. These services include
such matters as general economic and market reviews, industry and
company reviews, evaluations of investments, recommendations as
to the purchase and sale of investments, newspapers, magazines,
pricing services, quotation services, news services and personal
computers utilized by Putnam Management's managers and analysts.
Where the services referred to above are not used exclusively by
Putnam Management for research purposes, Putnam Management, based
upon its own allocations of expected use, bears that portion of
the cost of these services which directly relates to their
non-research use. Some of these services are of value to Putnam
Management and its affiliates in advising various of their
clients (including the Fund), although not all of these services
are necessarily useful and of value in managing the Fund. The
management fee paid by the Fund is not reduced because Putnam
Management and its affiliates receive these services even though
Putnam Management might otherwise be required to purchase some of
these services for cash.
Putnam Management places all orders for the purchase and sale of
portfolio investments for the Fund and buys and sells investments
for the Fund through a substantial number of brokers and dealers.
In so doing, Putnam Management uses its best efforts to obtain
for the Fund the most favorable price and execution available,
except to the extent it may be permitted to pay higher brokerage
commissions as described below. In seeking the most favorable
price and execution, Putnam Management, having in mind the Fund's
best interests, considers all factors it deems relevant,
including, by way of illustration, price, the size of the
transaction, the nature of the market for the security or other
investment, the amount of the commission, the timing of the
transaction taking into account market prices and trends, the
reputation, experience and financial stability of the
broker-dealer involved and the quality of service rendered by the
broker-dealer in other transactions.
As permitted by Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act, and by the
Management Contract, Putnam Management may cause the Fund to pay
a broker-dealer which provides "brokerage and research services"
(as defined in the 1934 Act) to Putnam Management an amount of
disclosed commission for effecting securities transactions on
stock exchanges and other transactions for the Fund on an agency
basis in excess of the commission which another broker-dealer
would have charged for effecting that transaction. Putnam
Management's authority to cause the Fund to pay any such greater
commissions is also subject to such policies as the Trustees may
adopt from time to time. Putnam Management does not currently
intend to cause the Fund to make such payments. It is the
position of the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission
that Section 28(e) does not apply to the payment of such greater
commissions in "principal" transactions. Accordingly Putnam
Management will use its best effort to obtain the most favorable
price and execution available with respect to such transactions,
as described above.
The Management Contract provides that commissions, fees,
brokerage or similar payments received by Putnam Management or an
affiliate in connection with the purchase and sale of portfolio
investments of the Fund, less any direct expenses approved by the
Trustees, shall be recaptured by the Fund through a reduction of
the fee payable by the Fund under the Management Contract.
Putnam Management seeks to recapture for the Fund soliciting
dealer fees on the tender of the Fund's portfolio securities in
tender or exchange offers. Any such fees which may be recaptured
are likely to be minor in amount.
Consistent with the Rules of Fair Practice of the National
Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. and subject to seeking
the most favorable price and execution available and such other
policies as the Trustees may determine, Putnam Management may
consider sales of shares of the Fund (and, if permitted by law,
of the other Putnam funds) as a factor in the selection of
broker-dealers to execute portfolio transactions for the Fund.
PRINCIPAL UNDERWRITER
Putnam Mutual Funds is the principal underwriter of shares of the
Fund and the other continuously offered Putnam funds. Putnam
Mutual Funds is not obligated to sell any specific amount of
shares of the Fund and will purchase shares for resale only
against orders for shares. SEE "FUND CHARGES AND EXPENSES" IN
PART I OF THIS STATEMENT FOR INFORMATION ON SALES CHARGES AND
OTHER PAYMENTS RECEIVED BY PUTNAM MUTUAL FUNDS.
INVESTOR SERVICING AGENT AND CUSTODIAN
Putnam Investor Services, a division of Putnam Fiduciary Trust
Company ("PFTC"), is the Fund's investor servicing agent
(transfer, plan and dividend disbursing agent), for which it
receives fees which are paid monthly by the Fund as an expense of
all its shareholders. The fee paid to Putnam Investor Services
is determined by the Trustees taking into account the number of
shareholder accounts and transactions. Putnam Investor Services
has won the DALBAR Quality Tested Service Seal every year since
the award's 1990 inception. Over 10,000 tests of 38 separate
shareholders service components demonstrated that Putnam Investor
Services exceeded the industry standard in all categories.
PFTC is the custodian of the Fund's assets. In carrying out its
duties under its custodian contract, PFTC may employ one or more
subcustodians whose responsibilities will include safeguarding
and controlling the Fund's cash and securities, handling the
receipt and delivery of securities and collecting interest and
dividends on the Fund's investments. PFTC and any subcustodians
employed by it have a lien on the securities of the Fund (to the
extent permitted by the Fund's investment restrictions) to secure
charges and any advances made by such subcustodians at the end of
any day for the purpose of paying for securities purchased by the
Fund. The Fund expects that such advances will exist only in
unusual circumstances. Neither PFTC nor any subcustodian
determines the investment policies of the Fund or decides which
securities the Fund will buy or sell. PFTC pays the fees and
other charges of any subcustodians employed by it. The Fund may
from time to time pay custodial expenses in full or in part
through the placement by Putnam Management of the Fund's
portfolio transactions with the subcustodians or with a third-
party broker having an agreement with the subcustodians. The
Fund pays PFTC an annual fee based on the Fund's assets,
securities transactions and securities holdings and reimburses
PFTC for certain out-of-pocket expenses incurred by it or any
subcustodian employed by it in performing custodial services.
SEE "FUND CHARGES AND EXPENSES" IN PART I OF THIS STATEMENT FOR
INFORMATION ON FEES AND REIMBURSEMENTS FOR INVESTOR SERVICING AND
CUSTODY RECEIVED BY PFTC. THE FEES MAY BE REDUCED BY CREDITS
ALLOWED BY PFTC.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
The Fund determines the net asset value per share of each class
of shares once each day the New York Stock Exchange (the
"Exchange") is open. Currently, the Exchange is closed
Saturdays, Sundays and the following holidays: New Year's Day,
Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July,
Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Fund determines net
asset value as of the close of regular trading on the Exchange,
currently 4:00 p.m. However, equity options held by the Fund are
priced as of the close of trading at 4:10 p.m., and futures
contracts on U.S. Government securities and index options held by
the Fund are priced as of their close of trading at 4:15 p.m.
Securities for which market quotations are readily available are
valued at prices which, in the opinion of the Trustees or Putnam
Management, most nearly represent the market values of such
securities. Currently, such prices are determined using the last
reported sale price or, if no sales are reported (as in the case
of some securities traded over-the-counter), the last reported
bid price, except that certain U.S. Government securities are
stated at the mean between the last reported bid and asked
prices. Short-term investments having remaining maturities of 60
days or less are stated at amortized cost, which approximates
market value. All other securities and assets are valued at
their fair value following procedures approved by the Trustees.
Liabilities are deducted from the total, and the resulting amount
is divided by the number of shares of the class outstanding.
Reliable market quotations are not considered to be readily
available for long-term corporate bonds and notes, certain
preferred stocks, tax-exempt securities, and certain foreign
securities. These investments are stated at fair value on the
basis of valuations furnished by pricing services approved by the
Trustees, which determine valuations for normal,
institutional-size trading units of such securities using methods
based on market transactions for comparable securities and
various relationships between securities which are generally
recognized by institutional traders.
If any securities held by the Fund are restricted as to resale,
Putnam Management determines their fair value following
procedures approved by the Trustees. The fair value of such
securities is generally determined as the amount which the Fund
could reasonably expect to realize from an orderly disposition of
such securities over a reasonable period of time. The valuation
procedures applied in any specific instance are likely to vary
from case to case. However, consideration is generally given to
the financial position of the issuer and other fundamental
analytical data relating to the investment and to the nature of
the restrictions on disposition of the securities (including any
registration expenses that might be borne by the Fund in
connection with such disposition). In addition, specific factors
are also generally considered, such as the cost of the
investment, the market value of any unrestricted securities of
the same class, the size of the holding, the prices
of any recent transactions or offers with respect to such
securities and any available analysts' reports regarding the
issuer.
Generally, trading in certain securities (such as foreign
securities) is substantially completed each day at various times
prior to the close of the Exchange. The values of these
securities used in determining the net asset value of the Fund's
shares are computed as of such times. Also, because of the
amount of time required to collect and process trading
information as to large numbers of securities issues, the values
of certain securities (such as convertible bonds, U.S. Government
securities, and tax-exempt securities) are determined based on
market quotations collected earlier in the day at the latest
practicable time prior to the close of the Exchange.
Occasionally, events affecting the value of such securities may
occur between such times and the close of the Exchange which will
not be reflected in the computation of the Fund's net asset
value. If events materially affecting the value of such
securities occur during such period, then these securities will
be valued at their fair value following procedures approved by
the Trustees.
Money market funds generally value their portfolio securities at
amortized cost according to Rule 2a-7 under the Investment
Company Act of 1940.
HOW TO BUY SHARES
General
The Prospectus contains a general description of how investors
may buy shares of the Fund and states whether the Fund offers
more than one class of shares. This Statement contains
additional information which may be of interest to investors.
Class A shares and Class M shares are sold with a sales charge
payable at the time of purchase (except for Class A shares and
Class M shares of money market funds). As used in this Statement
and unless the context requires otherwise, the term "Class A
shares" includes shares of Funds that offer only one class of
shares. The Prospectus contains a table of applicable sales
charges. For information about how to purchase Class A shares of
a Putnam fund at net asset value through an employer's defined
contribution plan, please consult your employer. Certain
purchases of Class A shares and Class M shares may be exempt from
a sales charge or, in the case of Class A shares, may be subject
to a contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC"). See "General--
Sales without sales charges or contingent deferred sales
charges", "Additional Information About Class A and Class M
Shares", and "Contingent Deferred Sales Charges--Class A shares".
Class B shares and Class C shares are sold subject to a CDSC
payable upon redemption within a specified period after purchase.
The Prospectus contains a table of applicable CDSCs.
Class Y shares, which are available only to employer-sponsored
defined contribution plans initially investing at least $250
million in a combination of Putnam funds and other investments
managed by Putnam Management or its affiliates, are not subject
to sales charges or a CDSC.
Certain purchase programs described below are not available to
defined contribution plans. Consult your employer for
information on how to purchase shares through your plan.
The Fund is currently making a continuous offering of its shares.
The Fund receives the entire net asset value of shares sold. The
Fund will accept unconditional orders for shares to be executed
at the public offering price based on the net asset value per
share next determined after the order is placed. In the case of
Class A shares and Class M shares, the public offering price is
the net asset value plus the applicable sales charge, if any. No
sales charge is included in the public offering price of other
classes of shares. In the case of orders for purchase of shares
placed through dealers, the public offering price will be based
on the net asset value determined on the day the order is placed,
but only if the dealer receives the order before the close of
regular trading on the Exchange. If the dealer receives the
order after the close of the Exchange, the price will be based on
the net asset value next determined. If funds for the purchase
of shares are sent directly to Putnam Investor Services, they
will be invested at the public offering price based on the net
asset value next determined after receipt. Payment for shares of
the Fund must be in U.S. dollars; if made by check, the check
must be drawn on a U.S. bank.
Initial and subsequent purchases must satisfy the minimums stated
in the Prospectus, except that (i) individual investments under
certain employee benefit plans or Tax Qualified Retirement Plans
may be lower, (ii) persons who are already shareholders may make
additional purchases of $50 or more by sending funds directly to
Putnam Investor Services (see "Your Investing Account" below),
and (iii) for investors participating in systematic investment
plans and military allotment plans, the initial and subsequent
purchases must be $25 or more. Information about these plans is
available from investment dealers or from Putnam Mutual Funds.
As a convenience to investors, shares may be purchased through a
systematic investment plan. Preauthorized monthly bank drafts
for a fixed amount (at least $25) are used to purchase Fund
shares at the applicable public offering price next determined
after Putnam Mutual Funds receives the proceeds from the draft
(normally the 20th of each month, or the next business day
thereafter). Further information and application forms are
available from investment dealers or from Putnam Mutual Funds.
Except for Putnam funds that declare a distribution daily,
distributions to be reinvested are reinvested without a sales
charge in shares of the same class as of the ex-dividend date
using the net asset value determined on that date, and are
credited to a shareholder's account on the payment date.
Dividends for Putnam money market funds are credited to a
shareholder's account on the payment date. Distributions for
Putnam Tax-Free Income Trust and Putnam Corporate Asset Trust are
reinvested without a sales charge as of the last day of the
period for which distributions are paid using the net asset value
determined on that date, and are credited to a shareholder's
account on the payment date. Distributions for all other Putnam
funds that declare a distribution daily are reinvested without a
sales charge as of the next day following the period for which
distributions are paid using the net asset value determined on
that date, and are credited to a shareholder's account on the
payment date.
PAYMENT IN SECURITIES. In addition to cash, the Fund may accept
securities as payment for Fund shares at the applicable net asset
value. Generally, the Fund will only consider accepting
securities to increase its holdings in a portfolio security, or
if Putnam Management determines that the offered securities are a
suitable investment for the Fund and in a sufficient amount for
efficient management.
While no minimum has been established, it is expected that the
Fund would not accept securities with a value of less than
$100,000 per issue as payment for shares. The Fund may reject in
whole or in part any or all offers to pay for purchases of Fund
shares with securities, may require partial payment in cash for
such purchases to provide funds for applicable sales charges, and
may discontinue accepting securities as payment for Fund shares
at any time without notice. The Fund will value accepted
securities in the manner described in the section "Determination
of Net Asset Value" for valuing shares of the Fund. The Fund
will only accept securities which are delivered in proper form.
The Fund will not accept options or restricted securities as
payment for shares. The acceptance of securities by certain
Funds in exchange for Fund shares are subject to additional
requirements. In the case of Putnam Europe Growth Fund, Putnam
Overseas Growth Fund, Putnam Intermediate Tax Exempt Fund and
Putnam Diversified Equity Trust, transactions involving the
issuance of Fund shares for securities or assets other than cash
will be limited to a bona-fide re-organization or statutory
merger and to other acquisitions of portfolio securities that
meet all the following conditions: (a) such securities meet the
investment objectives and policies of the Fund; (b) such
securities are acquired for investment and not for resale; (c)
such securities are liquid securities which are not restricted as
to transfer either by law or liquidity of market; and (d) such
securities have a value which is readily ascertainable, as
evidenced by a listing on the American Stock Exchange, the New
York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ. In addition, Putnam Global
Governmental Income Trust may accept only investment grade bonds
with prices regularly stated in publications generally accepted
by investors, such as the London Financial Times and the
Association of International Bond Dealers manual, or securities
listed on the New York or American Stock Exchanges or with
NASDAQ, and Putnam Diversified Income Trust may accept only bonds
with prices regularly stated in publications generally accepted
by investors. For federal income tax purposes, a purchase of
Fund shares with securities will be treated as a sale or exchange
of such securities on which the investor will realize a taxable
gain or loss. The processing of a purchase of Fund shares with
securities involves certain delays while the Fund considers the
suitability of such securities and while other requirements are
satisfied. For information regarding procedures for payment in
securities, contact Putnam Mutual Funds. Investors should not
send securities to the Fund except when authorized to do so and
in accordance with specific instructions received from Putnam
Mutual Funds.
SALES WITHOUT SALES CHARGES OR CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGES.
The Fund may sell shares without a sales charge or CDSC to:
(i) current and retired Trustees of the Fund; officers of
the Fund; directors and current and retired U.S. full-time
employees of Putnam Management, Putnam Mutual Funds, their
parent corporations and certain corporate affiliates;
family members of and employee benefit plans for the
foregoing; and partnerships, trusts or other entities in
which any of the foregoing has a substantial interest;
(ii) employee benefit plans, for the repurchase of shares
in connection with repayment of plan loans made to plan
participants (if the sum loaned was obtained by redeeming
shares of a Putnam fund sold with a sales charge) (not
offered by tax-exempt funds);
(iii) clients of administrators of tax-qualified employee
benefit plans which have entered into agreements with
Putnam Mutual Funds (not offered by tax-exempt funds);
(iv) registered representatives and other employees of
broker-dealers having sales agreements with Putnam Mutual
Funds; employees of financial institutions having sales
agreements with Putnam Mutual Funds or otherwise having an
arrangement with any such broker-dealer or financial
institution with respect to sales of Fund shares; and
their spouses and children under age 21 (Putnam Mutual
Funds is regarded as the dealer of record for all such
accounts);
(v) investors meeting certain requirements who sold shares
of certain Putnam closed-end funds pursuant to a tender
offer by such closed-end fund;
(vi) a trust department of any financial institution
purchasing shares of the Fund in its capacity as trustee
of any trust, if the value of the shares of the Fund and
other Putnam funds purchased or held by all such trusts
exceeds $1 million in the aggregate; and
(vii) "wrap accounts" maintained for clients of broker-
dealers, financial institutions or financial planners who
have entered into agreements with Putnam Mutual Funds with
respect to such accounts.
In addition, the Fund may issue its shares at net asset value in
connection with the acquisition of substantially all of the
securities owned by other investment companies or personal
holding companies.
PAYMENTS TO DEALERS. Putnam Mutual Funds may, at its expense,
pay concessions in addition to the payments disclosed in the
Prospectus to dealers which satisfy certain criteria established
from time to time by Putnam Mutual Funds relating to increasing
net sales of shares of the Putnam funds over prior periods, and
certain other factors.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT CLASS A AND CLASS M SHARES
The underwriter's commission is the sales charge shown in the
Prospectus less any applicable dealer discount. Putnam Mutual
Funds will give dealers ten days' notice of any changes in the
dealer discount. Putnam Mutual Funds retains the entire sales
charge on any retail sales made by it.
Putnam Mutual Funds offers several plans by which an investor may
obtain reduced sales charges on purchases of Class A shares and
Class M shares. The variations in sales charges reflect the
varying efforts required to sell shares to separate categories of
purchasers. These plans may be altered or discontinued at any
time.
COMBINED PURCHASE PRIVILEGE. The following persons may qualify
for the sales charge reductions or eliminations shown in the
Prospectus by combining into a single transaction the purchase of
Class A shares or Class M shares with other purchases of any
class of shares:
(i) an individual, or a "company" as defined in Section
2(a)(8) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (which
includes corporations which are corporate affiliates of
each other);
(ii) an individual, his or her spouse and their children
under twenty-one, purchasing for his, her or their own
account;
(iii) a trustee or other fiduciary purchasing for a single
trust estate or single fiduciary account (including a
pension, profit-sharing, or other employee benefit trust
created pursuant to a plan qualified under Section 401 of
the Internal Revenue Code);
(iv) tax-exempt organizations qualifying under Section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (not including
403(b) plans); and
(v) employee benefit plans of a single employer or of
affiliated employers, other than 403(b) plans.
A combined purchase currently may also include shares of any
class of other continuously offered Putnam funds (other than
money market funds) purchased at the same time through a single
investment dealer, if the dealer places the order for such shares
directly with Putnam Mutual Funds.
CUMULATIVE QUANTITY DISCOUNT (RIGHT OF ACCUMULATION). A
purchaser of Class A shares or Class M shares may qualify for a
cumulative quantity discount by combining a current purchase (or
combined purchases as described above) with certain other shares
of any class of Putnam funds already owned. The applicable sales
charge is based on the total of:
(i) the investor's current purchase; and
(ii) the maximum public offering price (at the close of
business on the previous day) of:
(a) all shares held by the investor in all of the
Putnam funds (except money market funds); and
(b) any shares of money market funds acquired by
exchange from other Putnam funds; and
(iii) the maximum public offering price of all shares
described in paragraph (ii) owned by another shareholder
eligible to participate with the investor in a "combined
purchase" (see above).
To qualify for the combined purchase privilege or to obtain the
cumulative quantity discount on a purchase through an investment
dealer, when each purchase is made the investor or dealer must
provide Putnam Mutual Funds with sufficient information to verify
that the purchase qualifies for the privilege or discount. The
shareholder must furnish this information to Putnam Investor
Services when making direct cash investments.
STATEMENT OF INTENTION. Investors may also obtain the reduced
sales charges for Class A shares or Class M shares shown in the
Prospectus for investments of a particular amount by means of a
written Statement of Intention, which expresses the investor's
intention to invest that amount (including certain "credits," as
described below) within a period of 13 months in shares of any
class of the Fund or any other continuously offered Putnam fund
(excluding money market funds). Each purchase of Class A shares
or Class M shares under a Statement of Intention will be made at
the public offering price applicable at the time of such purchase
to a single transaction of the total dollar amount indicated in
the Statement. A Statement of Intention may include purchases of
shares made not more than 90 days prior to the date that an
investor signs a Statement; however, the 13-month period during
which the Statement is in effect will begin on the date of the
earliest purchase to be included.
An investor may receive a credit toward the amount indicated in
the Statement equal to the maximum public offering price as of
the close of business on the previous day of all shares he or she
owns on the date of the Statement which are eligible for purchase
under a Statement (plus any shares of money market funds acquired
by exchange of such eligible shares). Investors do not receive
credit for shares purchased by the reinvestment of distributions.
Investors qualifying for the "combined purchase privilege" (see
above) may purchase shares under a single Statement of Intention.
The Statement of Intention is not a binding obligation upon the
investor to purchase the full amount indicated. The minimum
initial investment under a Statement of Intention is 5% of such
amount, and must be invested immediately. Class A shares or
Class M shares purchased with the first 5% of such amount will be
held in escrow to secure payment of the higher sales charge
applicable to the shares actually purchased if the full amount
indicated is not purchased. When the full amount indicated has
been purchased, the escrow will be released. If an investor
desires to redeem escrowed shares before the full amount has been
purchased, the shares will be released from escrow only if the
investor pays the sales charge that, without regard to the
Statement of Intention, would apply to the total investment made
to date.
To the extent that an investor purchases more than the dollar
amount indicated on the Statement of Intention and qualifies for
a further reduced sales charge, the sales charge will be adjusted
for the entire amount purchased at the end of the 13-month
period, upon recovery from the investor's dealer of its portion
of the sales charge adjustment. Once received from the dealer,
which may take a period of time or may never occur, the sales
charge adjustment will be used to purchase additional shares at
the then current offering price applicable to the actual amount
of the aggregate purchases. These additional shares will not be
considered as part of the total investment for the purpose of
determining the applicable sales charge pursuant to the Statement
of Intention. No sales charge adjustment will be made unless and
until the investor's dealer returns any excess commissions
previously received.
To the extent that an investor purchases less than the dollar
amount indicated on the Statement of Intention within the 13-
month period, the sales charge will be adjusted upward for the
entire amount purchased at the end of the 13-month period. This
adjustment will be made by redeeming shares from the account to
cover the additional sales charge, the proceeds of which will be
paid to the investor's dealer and Putnam Mutual Funds in
accordance with the Prospectus. If the account exceeds an amount
that would otherwise qualify for a reduced sales charge, that
reduced sales charge will be applied.
Statements of Intention are not available for certain employee
benefit plans.
Statement of Intention forms may be obtained from Putnam Mutual
Funds or from investment dealers. Interested investors should
read the Statement of Intention carefully.
REDUCED SALES CHARGE FOR GROUP PURCHASES OF CLASS A SHARES.
Members of qualified groups may purchase Class A shares of the
Fund at a group sales charge rate of 4.5% of the public offering
price (4.71% of the net amount invested). The dealer discount on
such sales is 3.75% of the offering price.
To receive the group rate, group members must purchase Class A
shares through a single investment dealer designated by the
group. The designated dealer must transmit each member's initial
purchase to Putnam Mutual Funds, together with payment and
completed application forms. After the initial purchase, a
member may send funds for the purchase of Class A shares directly
to Putnam Investor Services. Purchases of Class A shares are
made at the public offering price based on the net asset value
next determined after Putnam Mutual Funds or Putnam Investor
Services receives payment for the shares. The minimum investment
requirements described above apply to purchases by any group
member. Only Class A shares are included in calculating the
purchased amount.
Qualified groups include the employees of a corporation or a sole
proprietorship, members and employees of a partnership or
association, or other organized groups of persons (the members of
which may include other qualified groups) provided that: (i) the
group has at least 25 members of which at least 10 members
participate in the initial purchase; (ii) the group has been in
existence for at least six months; (iii) the group has some
purpose in addition to the purchase of investment company shares
at a reduced sales charge; (iv) the group's sole organizational
nexus or connection is not that the members are credit card
holders of a company, policy holders of an insurance company,
customers of a bank or broker-dealer, clients of an investment
adviser or security holders of a company; (v) the group agrees to
provide its designated investment dealer access to the group's
membership by means of written communication or direct
presentation to the membership at a meeting on not less
frequently than an annual basis; (vi) the group or its investment
dealer will provide annual certification in form satisfactory to
Putnam Investor Services that the group then has at least 25
members and that at least ten members participated in group
purchases during the immediately preceding 12 calendar months;
and (vii) the group or its investment dealer will provide
periodic certification in form satisfactory to Putnam Investor
Services as to the eligibility of the purchasing members of the
group.
Members of a qualified group include: (i) any group which meets
the requirements stated above and which is a constituent member
of a qualified group; (ii) any individual purchasing for his or
her own account who is carried on the records of the group or on
the records of any constituent member of the group as being a
good standing employee, partner, member or person of like status
of the group or constituent member; or (iii) any fiduciary
purchasing shares for the account of a member of a qualified
group or a member's beneficiary. For example, a qualified group
could consist of a trade association which would have as its
members individuals, sole proprietors, partnerships and
corporations. The members of the group would then consist of the
individuals, the sole proprietors and their employees, the
members of the partnerships and their employees, and the
corporations and their employees, as well as the trustees of
employee benefit trusts acquiring Class A shares for the benefit
of any of the foregoing.
A member of a qualified group may, depending upon the value of
Class A shares of the Fund owned or proposed to be purchased by
the member, be entitled to purchase Class A shares of the Fund at
non-group sales charge rates shown in the Prospectus which may be
lower than the group sales charge rate, if the member qualifies
as a person entitled to reduced non-group sales charges. Such a
group member will be entitled to purchase at the lower rate if,
at the time of purchase, the member or his or her investment
dealer furnishes sufficient information for Putnam Mutual Funds
or Putnam Investor Services to verify that the purchase qualifies
for the lower rate.
Interested groups should contact their investment dealer or
Putnam Mutual Funds. The Fund reserves the right to revise the
terms of or to suspend or discontinue group sales at any time.
EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS; INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNT PLANS. The term
"employee benefit plan" means any plan or arrangement, whether or
not tax-qualified, which provides for the purchase of Class A
shares. The term "affiliated employer" means employers who are
affiliated with each other within the meaning of Section
2(a)(3)(C) of the Investment Company Act of 1940. The term
"individual account plan" means any employee benefit plan whereby
(i) Class A shares are purchased through payroll deductions or
otherwise by a fiduciary or other person for the account of
participants who are employees (or their spouses) of an employer,
or of affiliated employers, and (ii) a separate Investing Account
is maintained in the name of such fiduciary or other person for
the account of each participant in the plan.
The table of sales charges in the Prospectus applies to sales to
employee benefit plans, except that the Fund may sell Class A
shares at net asset value to employee benefit plans, including
individual account plans, of employers or of affiliated employers
which have at least 750 employees to whom such plan is made
available, in connection with a payroll deduction system of plan
funding (or other system acceptable to Putnam Investor Services)
by which contributions or account information for plan
participation are transmitted to Putnam Investor Services by
methods acceptable to Putnam Investor Services. The Fund may
also sell Class A shares at net asset value to employee benefit
plans of employers or of affiliated employers which have at least
750 employees, if such plans are qualified under Section 401 of
the Internal Revenue Code.
Additional information about employee benefit plans and
individual account plans is available from investment dealers or
from Putnam Mutual Funds.
CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGES
CLASS A SHARES. Class A shares purchased at net asset value by
shareholders investing $1 million or more, including purchases
pursuant to any Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of
Accumulation or Statement of Intention, are subject to a CDSC of
1.00% or 0.50%, respectively, if redeemed within the first or
second year after purchase. The Class A CDSC is imposed on the
lower of the cost and the current net asset value of the shares
redeemed. The CDSC does not apply to shares sold without a sales
charge through participant-directed qualified retirement plans
and shares purchased by certain investors investing $1 million or
more that have made arrangements with Putnam Mutual Funds and
whose dealer of record waived the commission described in the
next paragraph.
Except as stated below, Putnam Mutual Funds pays investment
dealers of record commissions on sales of Class A shares of $1
million or more based on an investor's cumulative purchases of
such shares, including purchases pursuant to any Combined
Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation or Statement of
Intention, during the one-year period beginning with the date of
the initial purchase at net asset value and each subsequent one-
year period beginning with the first net asset value purchase
following the end of the prior period. Such commissions are paid
at the rate of 1.00% of the amount under $3 million, 0.50% of the
next $47 million and 0.25% thereafter. On sales at net asset
value to a participant-directed qualified retirement plan
initially investing less than $20 million in Putnam funds and
other investments managed by Putnam Management or its affiliates
(including a plan sponsored by an employer with more than 750
employees), Putnam Mutual Funds pays commissions on cumulative
purchases during the life of the account at the rate of 1.00% of
the amount under $3 million and 0.50% thereafter. On sales at
net asset value to all other participant-directed qualified
retirement plans, Putnam Mutual Funds pays commissions on the
initial investment and on subsequent net quarterly sales (gross
sales minus gross redemptions during the quarter) at the rate of
0.15%. Money market fund shares are excluded from all commission
calculations, except for determining the amount initially
invested by a participant-directed qualified retirement plan.
Commissions on sales at net asset value to such plans are subject
to Putnam Mutual Funds' right to reclaim such commissions if the
shares are redeemed within two years.
Different CDSC and commission rates may apply to shares purchased
before April 1, 1994.
CLASS B AND CLASS C SHARES. Investors who set up an Automatic
Cash Withdrawal Plan (ACWP) for a Class B and Class C share
account (see "Plans Available To Shareholders -- Automatic Cash
Withdrawal Plan") may withdraw through the ACWP up to 12% of the
net asset value of the account (calculated as set forth below)
each year without incurring any CDSC. Shares not subject to a
CDSC (such as shares representing reinvestment of distributions)
will be redeemed first and will count toward the 12% limitation.
If there are insufficient shares not subject to a CDSC, shares
subject to the lowest CDSC liability will be redeemed next until
the 12% limit is reached. The 12% figure is calculated on a pro
rata basis at the time of the first payment made pursuant to a
ACWP and recalculated thereafter on a pro rata basis at the time
of each ACWP payment. Therefore, shareholders who have chosen a
ACWP based on a percentage of the net asset value of their
account of up to 12% will be able to receive ACWP payments
without incurring a CDSC. However, shareholders who have chosen
a specific dollar amount (for example, $100 per month from a fund
that pays income distributions monthly) for their periodic ACWP
payment should be aware that the amount of that payment not
subject to a CDSC may vary over time depending on the net asset
value of their account. For example, if the net asset value of
the account is $10,000 at the time of payment, the shareholder
will receive $100 free of the CDSC (12% of $10,000 divided by 12
monthly payments). However, if at the time of the next payment
the net asset value of the account has fallen to $9,400, the
shareholder will receive $94 free of any CDSC (12% of $9,400
divided by 12 monthly payments) and $6 subject to the lowest
applicable CDSC. This ACWP privilege may be revised or
terminated at any time.
ALL SHARES. No CDSC is imposed on shares of any class subject to
a CDSC ("CDSC Shares") to the extent that the CDSC Shares
redeemed (i) are no longer subject to the holding period
therefor, (ii) resulted from reinvestment of distributions on
CDSC Shares, or (iii) were exchanged for shares of another Putnam
fund, provided that the shares acquired in such exchange or
subsequent exchanges (including shares of a Putnam money market
fund) will continue to remain subject to the CDSC, if applicable,
until the applicable holding period expires. In determining
whether the CDSC applies to each redemption of CDSC Shares, CDSC
Shares not subject to a CDSC are redeemed first.
The Fund will waive any CDSC on redemptions, in the case of
individual or Uniform Transfers to Minors Act accounts, in case
of death or disability or for the purpose of paying benefits
pursuant to tax-qualified retirement plans. Such payments
currently include, without limitation, (1) distributions from an
IRA due to death or disability, (2) a return of excess
contributions to an IRA or 401(k) plan, and (3) distributions
from retirement plans qualified under section 401(a) or section
403(b)(7) (a "403(b) plan") of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986,
as amended (the "Code"), due to death, disability, retirement or
separation from service. The Fund will also waive any CDSC in
the case of the death of one joint tenant. These waivers may be
changed at any time. Additional waivers may apply to IRA
accounts opened prior to February 1, 1994.
DISTRIBUTION PLAN
If the Fund or a class of shares of the Fund has adopted a
Distribution Plan, the Prospectus describes the principal
features of the Plan. This Statement contains additional
information which may be of interest to investors.
Continuance of a Plan is subject to annual approval by a vote of
the Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not
interested persons of the Fund and who have no direct or indirect
interest in the Plan or related arrangements (the "Qualified
Trustees"), cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose.
All material amendments to a Plan must be likewise approved by
the Trustees and the Qualified Trustees. No Plan may be amended
in order to increase materially the costs which the Fund may bear
for distribution pursuant to such Plan without also being
approved by a majority of the outstanding voting securities of
the Fund or the relevant class of the Fund, as the case may be.
A Plan terminates automatically in the event of its assignment
and may be terminated without penalty, at any time, by a vote of
a majority of the Qualified Trustees or by a vote of a majority
of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund or the relevant
class of the Fund, as the case may be.
If Plan payments are made to reimburse Putnam Mutual Funds for
payments to dealers based on the average net asset value of Fund
shares attributable to shareholders for whom the dealers are
designated as the dealer of record, "average net asset value"
attributable to a shareholder account means the product of (i)
the Fund's average daily share balance of the account and (ii)
the Fund's average daily net asset value per share (or the
average daily net asset value per share of the class, if
applicable). For administrative reasons, Putnam Mutual Funds may
enter into agreements with certain dealers providing for the
calculation of "average net asset value" on the basis of assets
of the accounts of the dealer's customers on an established day
in each quarter.
Financial institutions receiving payments from Putnam Mutual
Funds as described above may be required to comply with various
state and federal regulatory requirements, including among others
those regulating the activities of securities brokers or dealers.
INVESTOR SERVICES
SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION
Each time shareholders buy or sell shares, they will receive a
statement confirming the transaction and listing their current
share balance. (Under certain investment plans, a statement may
only be sent quarterly.) Shareholders will receive a statement
confirming reinvestment of distributions in additional Fund
shares (or in shares of other Putnam funds for Dividends Plus
accounts) promptly following the quarter in which the
reinvestment occurs. To help shareholders take full advantage of
their Putnam investment, they will receive a Welcome Kit and a
periodic publication covering many topics of interest to
investors. The Fund also sends annual and semiannual reports
that keep shareholders informed about its portfolio and
performance, and year-end tax information to simplify their
recordkeeping. Easy-to-read, free booklets on special subjects
such as the Exchange Privilege and IRAs are available from Putnam
Investor Services. Shareholders may call Putnam Investor
Services toll-free weekdays at 1-800-225-1581 between 8:30 a.m.
and 7:00 p.m. Boston time for more information, including account
balances.
YOUR INVESTING ACCOUNT
The following information provides more detail concerning the
operation of a Putnam Investing Account. For further information
or assistance, investors should consult Putnam Investor Services.
Shareholders who purchase shares through a defined contribution
plan should note that not all of the services or features
described below may be available to them, and they should contact
their employer for details.
A shareholder may reinvest a recent cash distribution without a
front-end sales charge or without the reinvested shares being
subject to a CDSC, as the case may be, by delivering to Putnam
Investor Services the uncashed distribution check, endorsed to
the order of the Fund. Putnam Investor Services must receive the
properly endorsed check within 30 days after the date of the
check. Upon written notice to shareholders, the Fund may permit
shareholders who receive cash distributions to reinvest amounts
representing returns of capital without a sales charge or without
being subject to the CDSC.
The Investing Account also provides a way to accumulate shares of
the Fund. In most cases, after an initial investment of $500, a
shareholder may send checks to Putnam Investor Services for $50
or more, made payable to the Fund, to purchase additional shares
at the applicable public offering price next determined after
Putnam Investor Services receives the check. For Putnam
Corporate Asset Trust, the minimum initial investment is $25,000
and the minimum subsequent investment is $5,000. Checks must be
drawn on a U.S. bank and must be payable in U.S. dollars.
Putnam Investor Services acts as the shareholder's agent whenever
it receives instructions to carry out a transaction on the
shareholder's account. Upon receipt of instructions that shares
are to be purchased for a shareholder's account, shares will be
purchased through the investment dealer designated by the
shareholder. Shareholders may change investment dealers at any
time by written notice to Putnam Investor Services, provided the
new dealer has a sales agreement with Putnam Mutual Funds.
Shares credited to an account are transferable upon written
instructions in good order to Putnam Investor Services and may be
sold to the Fund as described under "How to buy shares, sell
shares and exchange shares" in the Prospectus. Money market
funds and certain other funds will not issue share certificates.
A shareholder may send any certificates which have been
previously issued to Putnam Investor Services for safekeeping at
no charge to the shareholder.
Putnam Mutual Funds, at its expense, may provide certain
additional reports and administrative material to qualifying
institutional investors with fiduciary responsibilities to assist
these investors in discharging their responsibilities.
Institutions seeking further information about this service
should contact Putnam Mutual Funds, which may modify or terminate
this service at any time.
Putnam Investor Services may make special services available to
shareholders with investments exceeding $1,000,000. Contact
Putnam Investor Services for details.
The Fund pays Putnam Investor Services' fees for maintaining
Investing Accounts.
<PAGE>
REINSTATEMENT PRIVILEGE
CLASS A SHARES AND CLASS M SHARES
An investor who has sold shares to the Fund may reinvest (within
90 days) the proceeds of such sale in shares of the Fund, or may
be able to reinvest (within 90 days) the proceeds in shares of
the other continuously offered Putnam funds (through the Exchange
Privilege described in the Prospectus and below). Any such
reinvestment would be at the net asset value of the shares of the
fund(s) the investor selects, next determined after Putnam Mutual
Funds receives a Reinstatement Authorization and will not be
subject to any sales charge, including a CDSC.
CLASS B SHARES AND CLASS C SHARES
An investor who has sold Class B and Class C shares to the Fund
may reinvest (within 90 days) the proceeds of such sale in Class
B and Class C shares of the Fund, or may be able to reinvest
(within 90 days) the proceeds in Class B and Class C shares of
other Putnam funds (through the Exchange Privilege described in
the Prospectus and below). Upon such reinvestment, the investor
would receive Class B and Class C shares at the net asset value
next determined after Putnam Mutual Funds receives a
Reinstatement Authorization subject to the applicable CDSC
calculated for this purpose using the date of the original
purchase.
ALL SHARES
Exercise of the Reinstatement Privilege does not alter the
federal income tax treatment of any capital gains realized on a
sale of Fund shares, but to the extent that any shares are sold
at a loss and the proceeds are reinvested in shares of the Fund,
some or all of the loss may be disallowed as a deduction.
Consult your tax adviser.
Investors who desire to exercise this Privilege should contact
their investment dealer or Putnam Investor Services.
EXCHANGE PRIVILEGE
Except as otherwise set forth in this section, by calling Putnam
Investor Services, investors may exchange shares valued up to
$500,000 between accounts with identical registrations, provided
that no certificates are outstanding for such shares and no
address change has been made within the preceding 15 days.
During periods of unusual market changes and shareholder
activity, shareholders may experience delays in contacting Putnam
Investor Services by telephone to exercise the Telephone Exchange
Privilege.
Putnam Investor Services also makes exchanges promptly after
receiving a properly completed Exchange Authorization Form and,
if issued, share certificates. If the shareholder is a
corporation, partnership, agent, or surviving joint owner, Putnam
Investor Services will require additional documentation of a
customary nature. Because an exchange of shares involves the
redemption of Fund shares and reinvestment of the proceeds in
shares of another Putnam fund, completion of an exchange may be
delayed under unusual circumstances if the Fund were to suspend
redemptions or postpone payment for the Fund shares being
exchanged, in accordance with federal securities laws. Exchange
Authorization Forms and prospectuses of the other Putnam funds
are available from Putnam Mutual Funds or investment dealers
having sales contracts with Putnam Mutual Funds. The prospectus
of each fund describes its investment objective(s) and policies,
and shareholders should obtain a prospectus and consider these
objectives and policies carefully before requesting an exchange.
Shares of certain Putnam funds are not available to residents of
all states. The Fund reserves the right to change or suspend the
Exchange Privilege at any time. Shareholders would be notified
of any change or suspension. Additional information is available
from Putnam Investor Services.
Shares of the Fund must be held at least 15 days by the
shareholder requesting an exchange. There is no holding period
if the shareholder acquired the shares to be exchanged through
reinvestment of distributions, transfer from another shareholder,
prior exchange or certain employer-sponsored defined contribution
plans. In all cases, the shares to be exchanged must be
registered on the records of the Fund in the name of the
shareholder requesting the exchange.
Shareholders of other Putnam funds may also exchange their shares
at net asset value for shares of the Fund, as set forth in the
current prospectus of each fund.
For federal income tax purposes, an exchange is a sale on which
the investor generally will realize a capital gain or loss
depending on whether the net asset value at the time of the
exchange is more or less than the investor's basis. The Exchange
Privilege may be revised or terminated at any time. Shareholders
would be notified of any such change or suspension.
DIVIDENDS PLUS
Shareholders may invest the Fund's distributions of net
investment income or distributions combining net investment
income and short-term capital gains in shares of the same class
of another continuously offered Putnam fund (the "receiving
fund") using the net asset value per share of the receiving fund
determined on the date the Fund's distribution is payable. No
sales charge or CDSC will apply to the purchased shares unless
the Fund is a money market fund. The prospectus of each fund
describes its investment objective(s) and policies, and
shareholders should obtain a prospectus and consider these
objective(s) and policies carefully before investing their
distributions in the receiving fund. Shares of certain Putnam
funds are not available to residents of all states.
The minimum account size requirement for the receiving fund will
not apply if the current value of your account in this Fund is
more than $5,000.
Shareholders of other Putnam funds (except for money market
funds, whose shareholders must pay a sales charge or become
subject to a CDSC) may also use their distributions to purchase
shares of the Fund at net asset value.
For federal tax purposes, distributions from the Fund which are
reinvested in another fund are treated as paid by the Fund to the
shareholder and invested by the shareholder in the receiving fund
and thus, to the extent comprised of taxable income and deemed
paid to a taxable shareholder, are taxable.
The Dividends PLUS program may be revised or terminated at any
time.
PLANS AVAILABLE TO SHAREHOLDERS
The Plans described below are fully voluntary and may be
terminated at any time without the imposition by the Fund or
Putnam Investor Services of any penalty. All Plans provide for
automatic reinvestment of all distributions in additional shares
of the Fund at net asset value. The Fund, Putnam Mutual Funds or
Putnam Investor Services may modify or cease offering these Plans
at any time.
AUTOMATIC CASH WITHDRAWAL PLAN. An investor who owns or buys
shares of the Fund valued at $10,000 or more at the current
public offering price may open a Withdrawal Plan and have a
designated sum of money ($50 or more) paid monthly, quarterly,
semi-annually or annually to the investor or another person.
(Payments from the Fund can be combined with payments from other
Putnam funds into a single check through a Designated Payment
Plan.) Shares are deposited in a Plan account, and all
distributions are reinvested in additional shares of the Fund at
net asset value (except where the Plan is utilized in connection
with a charitable remainder trust). Shares in a Plan account are
then redeemed at net asset value to make each withdrawal payment.
Payment will be made to any person the investor designates;
however, if shares are registered in the name of a trustee or
other fiduciary, payment will be made only to the fiduciary,
except in the case of a profit-sharing or pension plan where
payment will be made to a designee. As withdrawal payments may
include a return of principal, they cannot be considered a
guaranteed annuity or actual yield of income to the investor.
The redemption of shares in connection with a Withdrawal Plan
generally will result in a gain or loss for tax purposes. Some
or all of the losses realized upon redemption may be disallowed
pursuant to the so-called wash sale rules if shares of the same
fund from which shares were redeemed are purchased (including
through the reinvestment of fund distributions) within a period
beginning 30 days before, and ending 30 days after, such
redemption. In such a case, the basis of the replacement shares
will be increased to reflect the disallowed loss. Continued
withdrawals in excess of income will reduce and possibly exhaust
invested principal, especially in the event of a market decline.
The maintenance of a Withdrawal Plan concurrently with purchases
of additional shares of the Fund would be disadvantageous to the
investor because of the sales charge payable on such purchases.
For this reason, the minimum investment accepted while a
Withdrawal Plan is in effect is $1,000, and an investor may not
maintain a Plan for the accumulation of shares of the Fund (other
than through reinvestment of distributions) and a Withdrawal Plan
at the same time. The cost of administering these Plans for the
benefit of those shareholders participating in them is borne by
the Fund as an expense of all shareholders. The Fund, Putnam
Mutual Funds or Putnam Investor Services may terminate or change
the terms of the Withdrawal Plan at any time. A Withdrawal Plan
will be terminated if communications mailed to the shareholder
are returned as undeliverable.
Investors should consider carefully with their own financial
advisers whether the Plan and the specified amounts to be
withdrawn are appropriate in their circumstances. The Fund and
Putnam Investor Services make no recommendations or
representations in this regard.
TAX QUALIFIED RETIREMENT PLANS; 403(B) AND SEP PLANS. (NOT
OFFERED BY FUNDS INVESTING PRIMARILY IN TAX-EXEMPT SECURITIES.)
Investors may purchase shares of the Fund through the following
Tax Qualified Retirement Plans, available to qualified
individuals or organizations:
Standard and variable profit-sharing (including 401(k))
and money purchase pension plans; and
Individual Retirement Account Plans (IRAs).
Each of these Plans has been qualified as a prototype plan by the
Internal Revenue Service. Putnam Investor Services will furnish
services under each plan at a specified annual cost. Putnam
Fiduciary Trust Company serves as trustee under each of these
Plans.
Forms and further information on these Plans are available from
investment dealers or from Putnam Mutual Funds. In addition,
specialized professional plan administration services are
available on an optional basis; contact Putnam Defined
Contribution Plan Services at 1-800-225-2465, extension 8600.
A 403(b) Retirement Plan is available for employees of public
school systems and organizations which meet the requirements of
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Forms and
further information on the 403(b) Plan are also available from
investment dealers or from Putnam Mutual Funds. Shares of the
Fund may also be used in simplified employee pension (SEP) plans.
For further information on the Putnam prototype SEP plan, contact
an investment dealer or Putnam Mutual Funds.
Consultation with a competent financial and tax adviser regarding
these Plans and consideration of the suitability of Fund shares
as an investment under the Employee Retirement Income Security
Act of 1974, or otherwise, is recommended.
SIGNATURE GUARANTEES
Redemption requests for shares having a net asset value of
$100,000 or more must be signed by the registered owners or their
legal representatives and must be guaranteed by a bank,
broker/dealer, municipal securities dealer or broker, government
securities dealer or broker, credit union, national securities
exchange, registered securities association, clearing agency,
savings association or trust company, provided such institution
is acceptable under and conforms with Putnam Fiduciary Trust
Company's signature guarantee procedures. A copy of such
procedures is available upon request. If you want your
redemption proceeds sent to an address other than your address as
it appears on Putnam's records, you must provide a signature
guarantee. Putnam Investor Services usually requires additional
documentation for the sale of shares by a corporation,
partnership, agent or fiduciary, or a surviving joint owner.
Contact Putnam Investor Services for details.
SUSPENSION OF REDEMPTIONS
The Fund may not suspend shareholders' right of redemption, or
postpone payment for more than seven days, unless the New York
Stock Exchange is closed for other than customary weekends or
holidays, or if permitted by the rules of the Securities and
Exchange Commission during periods when trading on the Exchange
is restricted or during any emergency which makes it
impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to
determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other
period permitted by order of the Commission for protection of
investors.
SHAREHOLDER LIABILITY
Under Massachusetts law, shareholders could, under certain
circumstances, be held personally liable for the obligations of
the Fund. However, the Agreement and Declaration of Trust
disclaims shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the
Fund and requires that notice of such disclaimer be given in each
agreement, obligation, or instrument entered into or executed by
the Fund or the Trustees. The Agreement and Declaration of Trust
provides for indemnification out of Fund property for all loss
and expense of any shareholder held personally liable for the
obligations of the Fund. Thus, the risk of a shareholder
incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is
limited to circumstances in which the Fund would be unable to
meet its obligations. The likelihood of such circumstances is
remote.
STANDARD PERFORMANCE MEASURES
Yield and total return data for the Fund may from time to time be
presented in Part I of this Statement and in advertisements. In
the case of funds with more than one class of shares, all
performance information is calculated separately for each class.
The data is calculated as follows.
Total return for one-, five- and ten-year periods (or for such
shorter periods as the Fund has been in operation or shares of
the relevant class have been outstanding) is determined by
calculating the actual dollar amount of investment return on a
$1,000 investment in the Fund made at the beginning of the
period, at the maximum public offering price for Class A shares
and Class M shares and net asset value for other classes of
shares, and then calculating the annual compounded rate of return
which would produce that amount. Total return for a period of
one year is equal to the actual return of the Fund during that
period. Total return calculations assume deduction of the Fund's
maximum sales charge or CDSC, if applicable, and reinvestment of
all Fund distributions at net asset value on their respective
reinvestment dates.
The Fund's yield is presented for a specified thirty-day period
(the "base period"). Yield is based on the amount determined by
(i) calculating the aggregate amount of dividends and interest
earned by the Fund during the base period less expenses accrued
for that period, and (ii) dividing that amount by the product of
(A) the average daily number of shares of the Fund outstanding
during the base period and entitled to receive dividends and (B)
the per share maximum public offering price for Class A shares or
Class M shares, as appropriate and net asset value for other
classes of shares on the last day of the base period. The result
is annualized on a compounding basis to determine the yield. For
this calculation, interest earned on debt obligations held by the
Fund is generally calculated using the yield to maturity (or
first expected call date) of such obligations based on their
market values (or, in the case of receivables-backed securities
such as GNMA's, based on cost). Dividends on equity securities
are accrued daily at their stated dividend rates.
If the Fund is a money market fund, yield is computed by
determining the percentage net change, excluding capital changes,
in the value of an investment in one share over the seven-day
period for which yield is presented (the "base period"), and
multiplying the net change by 365/7 (or approximately 52 weeks).
Effective yield represents a compounding of the yield by adding 1
to the number representing the percentage change in value of the
investment during the base period, raising that sum to a power
equal to 365/7, and subtracting 1 from the result.
If the Fund is a tax-exempt fund, the tax-equivalent yield during
the base period may be presented for shareholders in one or more
stated tax brackets. Tax-equivalent yield is calculated by
adjusting the tax-exempt yield by a factor designed to show the
approximate yield that a taxable investment would have to earn to
produce an after-tax yield equal, for that shareholder, to the
tax-exempt yield. The tax-equivalent yield will differ for
shareholders in other tax brackets.
At times, Putnam Management may reduce its compensation or assume
expenses of the Fund in order to reduce the Fund's expenses. The
per share amount of any such fee reduction or assumption of
expenses during the Fund's past ten fiscal years (or for the life
of the Fund, if shorter) is reflected in the table in the section
entitled "Financial history" in the Prospectus. Any such fee
reduction or assumption of expenses would increase the Fund's
yield and total return during the period of the fee reduction or
assumption of expenses.
All data are based on past performance and do not predict future
results.
COMPARISON OF PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE
Independent statistical agencies measure the Fund's investment
performance and publish comparative information showing how the
Fund, and other investment companies, performed in specified time
periods. Three agencies whose reports are commonly used for such
comparisons are set forth below. From time to time, the Fund may
distribute these comparisons to its shareholders or to potential
investors. THE AGENCIES LISTED BELOW MEASURE PERFORMANCE BASED
ON THEIR OWN CRITERIA RATHER THAN ON THE STANDARDIZED
PERFORMANCE MEASURES DESCRIBED IN THE PRECEDING SECTION.
LIPPER ANALYTICAL SERVICES, INC. distributes mutual fund
rankings monthly. The rankings are based on total return
performance calculated by Lipper, reflecting generally
changes in net asset value adjusted for reinvestment of
capital gains and income dividends. They do not reflect
deduction of any sales charges. Lipper rankings cover a
variety of performance periods, for example year-to-date,
1-year, 5-year, and 10-year performance. Lipper
classifies mutual funds by investment objective and asset
category.
MORNINGSTAR, INC. distributes mutual fund ratings twice a
month. The ratings are divided into five groups:
highest, above average, neutral, below average and lowest.
They represent a fund's historical risk/reward ratio
relative to other funds with similar objectives. The
performance factor is a weighted-average assessment of the
Fund's 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year total return
performance (if available) reflecting deduction of
expenses and sales charges. Performance is adjusted using
quantitative techniques to reflect the risk profile of the
fund. The ratings are derived from a purely quantitative
system that does not utilize the subjective criteria
customarily employed by rating agencies such as Standard &
Poor's Corporation and Moody's Investor Service, Inc.
CDA/WIESENBERGER'S MANAGEMENT RESULTS publishes mutual
fund rankings and is distributed monthly. The rankings
are based entirely on total return calculated by
Weisenberger for periods such as year-to-date, 1-year,
3-year, 5-year and 10-year. Mutual funds are ranked in
general categories (e.g., international bond,
international equity, municipal bond, and maximum capital
gain). Weisenberger rankings do not reflect deduction of
sales charges or fees.
Independent publications may also evaluate the Fund's
performance. Certain of those publications are listed below, at
the request of Putnam Mutual Funds, which bears full
responsibility for their use and the descriptions appearing
below. From time to time the Fund may distribute evaluations by
or excerpts from these publications to its shareholders or to
potential investors. The following illustrates the types of
information provided by these publications.
BUSINESS WEEK publishes mutual fund rankings in its
Investment Figures of the Week column. The rankings are
based on 4-week and 52-week total return reflecting
changes in net asset value and the reinvestment of all
distributions. They do not reflect deduction of any sales
charges. Funds are not categorized; they compete in a
large universe of over 2000 funds. The source for
rankings is data generated by Morningstar, Inc.
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY publishes mutual fund rankings
on a daily basis. The rankings are depicted as the top 25
funds in a given category. The categories are based
loosely on the type of fund, e.g., growth funds, balanced
funds, U.S. government funds, GNMA funds, growth and
income funds, corporate bond funds, etc. Performance
periods for sector equity funds can vary from 4 weeks to
39 weeks; performance periods for other fund groups vary
from 1 year to 3 years. Total return performance reflects
changes in net asset value and reinvestment of dividends
and capital gains. The rankings are based strictly on
total return. They do not reflect deduction of any sales
charges. Performance grades are conferred from A+ to E.
An A+ rating means that the fund has performed within the
top 5% of a general universe of over 2000 funds; an A
rating denotes the top 10%; an A- is given to the top 15%,
etc.
BARRON'S periodically publishes mutual fund rankings. The
rankings are based on total return performance provided by
Lipper Analytical Services. The Lipper total return data
reflects changes in net asset value and reinvestment of
distributions, but does not reflect deduction of any sales
charges. The performance periods vary from short-term
intervals (current quarter or year-to-date, for example)
to long-term periods (five-year or ten-year performance,
for example). Barron's classifies the funds using the
Lipper mutual fund categories, such as Capital
Appreciation Funds, Growth Funds, U.S. Government Funds,
Equity Income Funds, Global Funds, etc. Occasionally,
Barron's modifies the Lipper information by ranking the
funds in asset classes. "Large funds" may be those with
assets in excess of $25 million; "small funds" may be
those with less than $25 million in assets.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL publishes its Mutual Fund
Scorecard on a daily basis. Each Scorecard is a ranking
of the top-15 funds in a given Lipper Analytical Services
category. Lipper provides the rankings based on its total
return data reflecting changes in net asset value and
reinvestment of distributions and not reflecting any sales
charges. The Scorecard portrays 4-week, year-to-date,
one-year and 5-year performance; however, the ranking is
based on the one-year results. The rankings for any given
category appear approximately once per month.
FORTUNE magazine periodically publishes mutual fund
rankings that have been compiled for the magazine by
Morningstar, Inc. Funds are placed in stock or bond fund
categories (for example, aggressive growth stock funds,
growth stock funds, small company stock funds, junk bond
funds, Treasury bond funds, etc.), with the top-10 stock
funds and the top-5 bond funds appearing in the rankings.
The rankings are based on 3-year annualized total return
reflecting changes in net asset value and reinvestment of
distributions and not reflecting sales charges.
Performance is adjusted using quantitative techniques to
reflect the risk profile of the fund.
MONEY magazine periodically publishes mutual fund rankings
on a database of funds tracked for performance by Lipper
Analytical Services. The funds are placed in 23 stock or
bond fund categories and analyzed for five-year risk
adjusted return. Total return reflects changes in net
asset value and reinvestment of all dividends and capital
gains distributions and does not reflect deduction of any
sales charges. Grades are conferred (from A to E): the
top 20% in each category receive an A, the next 20% a B,
etc. To be ranked, a fund must be at least one year old,
accept a minimum investment of $25,000 or less and have
had assets of at least $25 million as of a given date.
FINANCIAL WORLD publishes its monthly Independent
Appraisals of Mutual Funds, a survey of approximately 1000
mutual funds. Funds are categorized as to type, e.g.,
balanced funds, corporate bond funds, global bond funds,
growth and income funds, U.S. government bond funds, etc.
To compete, funds must be over one year old, have over $1
million in assets, require a maximum of $10,000 initial
investment, and should be available in at least 10 states
in the United States. The funds receive a composite past
performance rating, which weighs the intermediate- and
long-term past performance of each fund versus its
category, as well as taking into account its risk, reward
to risk, and fees. An A+ rated fund is one of the best,
while a D-rated fund is one of the worst. The source for
Financial World rating is Schabacker investment management
in Rockville, MD.
FORBES magazine periodically publishes mutual fund ratings
based on performance over at least two bull and bear
market cycles. The funds are categorized by type,
including stock and balanced funds, taxable bond funds,
municipal bond funds, etc. Data sources include Lipper
Analytical Services and CDA Investment Technologies. The
ratings are based strictly on performance at net asset
value over the given cycles. Funds performing in the top
5% receive an A+ rating; the top 15% receive an A rating;
and so on until the bottom 5% receive an F rating. Each
fund exhibits two ratings, one for performance in "up"
markets and another for performance in "down" markets.
KIPLINGER'S PERSONAL FINANCE MAGAZINE (formerly Changing
Times), periodically publishes rankings of mutual funds
based on one-, three- and five-year total return
performance reflecting changes in net asset value and
reinvestment of dividends and capital gains and not
reflecting deduction of any sales charges. Funds are
ranked by tenths: a rank of 1 means that a fund was among
the highest 10% in total return for the period; a rank of
10 denotes the bottom 10%. Funds compete in categories of
similar funds--aggressive growth funds, growth and income
funds, sector funds, corporate bond funds, global
governmental bond funds, mortgage-backed securities funds,
etc. Kiplinger's also provides a risk-adjusted grade in
both rising and falling markets. Funds are graded against
others with the same objective. The average weekly total
return over two years is calculated. Performance is
adjusted using quantitative techniques to reflect the risk
profile of the fund.
U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT periodically publishes mutual
fund rankings based on an overall performance index (OPI)
devised by Kanon Bloch Carre & Co., a Boston research
firm. Over 2000 funds are tracked and divided into 10
equity, taxable bond and tax-free bond categories. Funds
compete within the 10 groups and three broad categories.
The OPI is a number from 0-100 that measures the relative
performance of funds at least three years old over the
last 1, 3, 5 and 10 years and the last six bear markets.
Total return reflects changes in net asset value and the
reinvestment of any dividends and capital gains
distributions and does not reflect deduction of any sales
charges. Results for the longer periods receive the most
weight.
THE 100 BEST MUTUAL FUNDS YOU CAN BUY (1992), authored by
Gordon K. Williamson. The author's list of funds is
divided into 12 equity and bond fund categories, and the
100 funds are determined by applying four criteria.
First, equity funds whose current management teams have
been in place for less than five years are eliminated.
(The standard for bond funds is three years.) Second, the
author excludes any fund that ranks in the bottom 20
percent of its category's risk level. Risk is determined
by analyzing how many months over the past three years the
fund has underperformed a bank CD or a U.S. Treasury bill.
Third, a fund must have demonstrated strong results for
current three-year and five-year performance. Fourth, the
fund must either possess, in Mr. Williamson's judgment,
"excellent" risk-adjusted return or "superior" return with
low levels of risk. Each of the 100 funds is ranked in
five categories: total return, risk/volatility,
management, current income and expenses. The rankings
follow a five-point system: zero designates "poor"; one
point means "fair"; two points denote "good"; three points
qualify as a "very good"; four points rank as "superior";
and five points mean "excellent."
In addition, Putnam Mutual Funds may distribute to shareholders
or prospective investors illustrations of the benefits of
reinvesting tax-exempt or tax-deferred distributions over
specified time periods, which may include comparisons to fully
taxable distributions. These illustrations use hypothetical
rates of tax-advantaged and taxable returns and are not intended
to indicate the past or future performance of any fund.
DEFINITIONS
"Putnam Management" -- Putnam Investment Management,
Inc., the Fund's investment
manager.
"Putnam Mutual Funds" -- Putnam Mutual Funds Corp., the
Fund's principal underwriter.
"Putnam Fiduciary Trust -- Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company,
Company" the Fund's custodian.
"Putnam Investor Services" -- Putnam Investor Services, a
division of Putnam Fiduciary
Trust Company, the Fund's
investor servicing agent.
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Differences between the typeset (printed) prospectus and the
EDGAR filing version.
1. Each interior page of the prospectus includes the word
"prospectus" at the bottom of the page.
2. Pagination is different in printed prospectus.
3. Section headings and subheadings in the printed prospectus
are printed in boldface type with colored ink.
4. The first page of the printed prospectus contains an
illustration of balanced scales, Putnam's logo.
5. The last page of the printed prospectus contains a graphic
recyclable logo.
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