Filed Pursuant to Rule 497(c)
Registration File No. 33-17865
PROSPECTUS
MAY 30, 1995
Dean Witter Managed Assets Trust (the "Fund") is an open-end, nondiversified
management investment company, whose investment objective is a high level of
total return on its investments. The Fund seeks to achieve its objective
through a fully managed investment policy utilizing equity securities,
fixed-income securities rated Baa or higher by Moody's Investors Service,
Inc. ("Moody's") or BBB or higher by Standard & Poor's Corporation ("S&P") or
unrated securitiesof comparable quality and money market instruments. See
"Investment Objective and Policies."
Shares of the Fund are continuously offered at net asset value without
the imposition of a sales charge. However, redemptions and/or repurchases are
subject in most cases to a contingent deferred sales charge, scaled down from
5% to 1% of the amount redeemed, if made within six years of purchase, which
charge will be paid to the Distributor. See "Redemptions and
Repurchases--Contingent Deferred Sales Charge." In addition, the Fund pays
the Distributor a distribution fee pursuant to a Plan of Distribution at the
annual rate of 1% of the lesser of the (i) average daily aggregate net sales
or (ii) average daily net assets of the fund. See "Purchase of Fund
Shares--Plan of Distribution."
This Prospectus sets forth
concisely the information you should know
before investing in the Fund. It should be read
and retained for future reference. Additional information about the Fund is
contained in the Statement of Additional Information, dated
May 30, 1995, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, and which is available at no charge upon request of the Fund at
the address or telephone numbers listed on this page. The Statement of
Additional Information is incorporated herein by reference.
Dean Witter
Managed Assets Trust
Two World Trade Center
New York, New York 10048
(212) 392-2550 or
(800) 526-3143
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prospectus Summary/ 2
Summary of Fund Expenses/ 3
Financial Highlights/ 4
The Fund and its Management/ 5
Investment Objective and Policies/ 5
Risk Considerations/ 8
Investment Restrictions/ 11
Purchase of Fund Shares/11
Shareholder Services/14
Redemptions and Repurchases/16
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes/18
Performance Information/19
Additional Information/19
Shares of the Fund are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed or
endorsed by, any bank, and the shares are not federally insured by the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, or any
other agency.
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.
Dean Witter Distributors Inc.
Distributor
<PAGE>
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
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<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C>
The Fund The Fund is organized as a Trust, commonly known as a Massachusetts business trust, and is an
open-end nondiversified management investment company. The Fund invests in a managed portfolio of
fixed-income securities, including money market instruments, and equity securities. The purchase and
sale of options on debt and equity securities and stock index options and the purchase and sale of
stock index and interest rate futures and options thereon will be utilized primarily to hedge
against price changes in the portfolio securities held by the Fund and to facilitate the
implementation of asset allocation.
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Shares Offered Shares of beneficial interest with $0.01 par value (see page 19).
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Offering Price At net asset value without sales charge (see page 10). Shares redeemed within six years of purchase
are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge under most circumstances (see page 16).
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Minimum Minimum initial investment, $1,000; minimum subsequent investment, $100 (see page 11).
Purchase
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Investment The investment objective of the Fund is a high level of total return on its investments.
Objective
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Investment Dean Witter InterCapital Inc. ("InterCapital"), the Investment Manager of the Fund, and its
Manager wholly-owned subsidiary, Dean Witter Services Company Inc., serve in various investment management,
advisory, management and administrative capacities to ninety-three investment companies and other
portfolios with assets of approximately $70.3 billion at April 30, 1995 (see page 5).
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Management Fee The Investment Manager receives a monthly fee at the annual rate of 0.60% of daily net assets up to
$500 million and 0.55% of daily net assets over $500 million (see page 5).
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Dividends Dividends from net investment income are declared and are paid quarterly. Distributions from net
short-term and long-term capital gains are paid at least annually. Dividends and capital gains
distributions are automatically reinvested in additional shares at net asset value unless the
shareholder elects to receive cash.
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Distributor Dean Witter Distributors Inc. (the "Distributor"). The Distributor receives from the Fund a
and distribution fee, accrued daily and payable monthly, at the rate of 1% per annum of the lesser of:
Distribution (i) the Fund's average daily aggregate net sales or (ii) the Fund's average daily net assets. This
Fee fee compensates the Distributor for the services provided in distributing shares of the Fund and for
its sales related expenses. The Distributor also receives the proceeds of any contingent deferred
sales charges (see pages 11 and 16).
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Redemption-- At net asset value; redeemable involuntarily if the total value of the account is less than $100.
Contingent Although no commission or sales load is imposed upon the purchase of shares, a contingent deferred
Deferred sales charge (scaled down from 5% to 1%) is imposed on any redemption of shares if after such
Sales redemption the aggregate current value of an account with the Fund falls below the aggregate amount
Charge of the investor's purchase payments made during the six years preceding the redemption. However,
there is no charge imposed on redemption of shares purchased through reinvestment of dividends or
distributions (see page 16).
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Special The net asset value of the Fund's shares will fluctuate with changes in the market value of its
Risk portfolio securities. The level of income payable to the investor will vary depending upon the
Considerations market allocation determined by the Fund's Investment Manager and with various market determinants
such as interest rates. The Fund may engage in various investments and investment strategems
including options and futures transactions (pages 8-10). The Fund is a nondiversified investment
company and, as such, is not subject to the diversification requirements of the Investment Company
Act of 1940. However, the Fund has qualified as a regulated investment company under the federal
income tax laws and, as such, is subject to the diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue
Code.
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</TABLE>
The above is qualified in its entirety by the detailed information appearing
elsewhere in this Prospectus and in the Statement of Additional Information.
2
<PAGE>
SUMMARY OF FUND EXPENSES
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The following table illustrates all expenses and fees that a shareholder
of the Fund will incur. Except as otherwise indicated, the expenses and fees
set forth in the table are for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1995.
<TABLE>
<S> <C>
Shareholder Transaction Expenses
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases ............................................ None
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Reinvested Dividends ................................. None
Deferred Sales Charge
(as a percentage of the lesser of original purchase price or redemption proceeds) .. 5.0%
</TABLE>
A contingent deferred sales charge is imposed at the following declining
rates:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
PERCENTAGE OF
YEAR SINCE PURCHASE PAYMENT MADE AMOUNT REDEEMED
- ----------------------------------- -------------------
<S> <C>
First .............................. 5.0%
Second ............................. 4.0%
Third .............................. 3.0%
Fourth ............................. 2.0%
Fifth .............................. 2.0%
Sixth .............................. 1.0%
Seventh and thereafter ............. None
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<S> <C>
Redemption Fees ...................................................................... None
Exchange Fee ......................................................................... None
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<S> <C>
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (as a Percentage of Average Net Assets)
Management Fees ...................................................................... 0.60%
12b-1 Fees *: ........................................................................ 1.00%
Other Expenses ....................................................................... 0.17%
Total Fund Operating Expenses ........................................................ 1.77%
- ---------------
* A portion of the 12b-1 fee equal to 0.25% of the Fund's average daily
net assets is characterized as a service fee within the meaning of
National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. ("NASD") guidelines.
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
EXAMPLE 1 YEAR 3 YEARS 5 YEARS 10 YEARS
- ----------------------------------------------------------- -------- --------- --------- ----------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
You would pay the following expenses on a $1,000
investment, assuming (1) 5% annual return and (2)
redemption at the end of each time period: ................ $68 $86 $116 $209
You would pay the following expenses on the same
investment, assuming no redemption ........................ $18 $56 $ 96 $209
</TABLE>
THE ABOVE EXAMPLE SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A REPRESENTATION OF PAST OR
FUTURE EXPENSES OR PERFORMANCE. ACTUAL EXPENSES OF THE FUND MAY BE GREATER OR
LESS THAN THOSE SHOWN.
The purpose of this table is to assist the investor in understanding the
various costs and expenses that an investor in the Fund will bear directly or
indirectly. For a more complete description of these costs and expenses, see
"The Fund and its Management" and "Plan of Distribution" and "Redemptions and
Repurchases."
Long-term shareholders of the Fund may pay more in sales charges and
distribution fees than the economic equivalent of the maximum front-end sales
charges permitted by the NASD.
3
<PAGE>
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
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The following ratios and per share data for a share of beneficial interest
outstanding throughout each period have been audited by Price Waterhouse LLP,
independent accountants. The financial highlights should be read in
conjunction with the financial statements, and notes thereto, and the
unqualified report of independent accountants which are contained in the
Statement of Additional Information. Further information about the
performance of the Fund is contained in the Fund's Annual Report to
Shareholders, which may be obtained without charge upon request from the
Fund.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FOR THE YEAR ENDED MARCH 31,
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR THE PERIOD
JUNE 30, 1988*
THROUGH
1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 MARCH 31, 1989
- ---------------------------------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- --------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
PER SHARE OPERATING PERFORMANCE: .
Net asset value, beginning of
period ........................... $10.73 $11.06 $11.36 $10.50 $ 9.99 $10.03 $10.00
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- --------------
Net investment income ............. 0.32 0.20 0.28 0.33 0.44 0.69 0.43
Net realized and unrealized gain . 0.18 0.31 0.84 0.90 0.52 0.10 --
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- --------------
Total from investment operations . 0.50 0.51 1.12 1.23 0.96 0.79 0.43
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- --------------
Less dividends and distributions
from:
Net investment income ............ (0.33) (0.21) (0.28) (0.34) (0.44) (0.71) (0.40)
Net realized gain ................ (0.51) (0.63) (1.14) (0.03) (0.01) (0.12) --
Paid-in-capital .................. (0.03) -- -- -- -- -- --
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- --------------
Total dividends and distributions (0.87) (0.84) (1.42) (0.37) (0.45) (0.83) (0.40)
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- --------------
Net asset value, end of period ... $10.36 $10.73 $11.06 $11.36 $10.50 $ 9.99 $10.03
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==============
TOTAL INVESTMENT RETURN + ......... 4.83% 4.64% 10.52% 11.85% 10.07% 8.01% 4.40%(1)
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:
Expenses .......................... 1.77% 1.79% 1.80% 1.70% 1.78% 1.77% 1.77%(2)
Net investment income ............. 3.34% 1.86% 2.48% 2.97% 4.34% 6.76% 6.73%(2)
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
Net assets, end of period, in
thousands ........................ $421,984 $264,816 $236,990 $219,744 $215,408 $279,494 $262,570
Portfolio turnover rate ........... 264% 54% 68% 75% 125% 320% 178%(1)
</TABLE>
* Commencement of operations.
+ Does not reflect the deduction of sales charge.
(1) Not annualized.
(2) Annualized.
See Notes to Financial Statements
4
<PAGE>
THE FUND AND ITS MANAGEMENT
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Dean Witter Managed Assets Trust (the "Fund") is an open-end,
nondiversified management investment company. The Fund is a trust of the type
commonly known as a "Massachusetts business trust" and was organized under
the laws of Massachusetts on October 8, 1987.
Dean Witter InterCapital Inc. ("InterCapital" or the "Investment
Manager"), whose address is Two World Trade Center, New York, New York 10048,
is the Fund's Investment Manager. The Investment Manager, which was
incorporated in July, 1992, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dean Witter,
Discover & Co. ("DWDC"), a balanced financial services organization providing
a broad range of nationally marketed credit and investment products.
InterCapital and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Dean Witter Services Company
Inc., serve in various investment management, advisory, management and
administrative capacities to a total of ninety-three investment companies,
thirty of which are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, with combined
total assets including this Fund of approximately $68.1 billion as of April
30, 1995. The Investment Manager also manages portfolios of pension plans,
other institutions and individuals which aggregated approximately $2.2
billion at such date.
The Fund has retained the Investment Manager to provide administrative
services, manage its business affairs and manage the investment of the Fund's
assets, including the placing of orders for the purchase and sale of
portfolio securities. InterCapital has retained Dean Witter Services Company
Inc. to perform the aforementioned administrative services for the Fund. The
Fund's Trustees review the various services provided by or under the
direction of the Investment Manager to ensure that the Fund's general
investment policies and programs are being properly carried out and that
administrative services are being provided to the Fund in a satisfactory
manner.
As full compensation for the services and facilities furnished to the Fund
and for expenses of the Fund assumed by the Investment Manager, the Fund pays
the Investment Manager monthly compensation calculated daily by applying the
following annual rates to the net assets of the Fund determined as of the
close of each business day: 0.60% of the portion of the daily net assets not
exceeding $500 million and 0.55% of the portion of daily net assets exceeding
$500 million. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 1995, the Fund accrued
total compensation to the Investment Manager amounting to 0.60% of the Fund's
average daily net assets and the Fund's total expenses amounted to 1.77% of
the Fund's average daily net assets.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND POLICIES
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The investment objective of the Fund is a high level of total return on
its investments. The Fund seeks to achieve its objective through a managed
investment policy utilizing equity, fixed-income and money market securities.
This is a fundamental policy and cannot be changed without the approval of
the Fund's shareholders. Total investment return consists of current income
(including dividends, interest, premiums and, in the case of discounted
instruments, discount accretions) and capital appreciation (including
realized and unrealized gains and losses). There can be no assurance that the
investment objective of the Fund will be achieved.
From time to time, the Investment Manager will vary the composition of the
Fund's assets based upon an evaluation of economic and market trends and the
anticipated relative total return available from a particular type of
security. Therefore, at any given time, the Fund's assets may be primarily
invested in either equity, fixed-income or money market securities or in any
combination thereof, including an equally weighted portfolio.
5
<PAGE>
The achievement of the Fund's investment objective depends upon the
ability of the Investment Manager to correctly assess the effects of economic
and market trends on different sectors of the market. The Investment Manager
will employ an asset allocation model to assist it in making its allocation
determinations. For example, it is anticipated that, generally: (1) the
equity allocation of the Fund's assets will rise as prevailing interest rates
decline, the rate of inflation declines, the total investment return of
equities rises and the total investment return of fixed-income and money
market securities declines; (2) the fixed-income allocation of the Fund's
assets will rise as prevailing interest rates decline, the rate of inflation
declines, the total investment return of equities declines and the total
investment return of fixed-income securities rises; and (3) the money market
allocation of the Fund's assets will rise as prevailing interest rates rise,
the rate of inflation rises, the total investment return of equities and
fixed-income securities falls and the total investment return of money market
instruments rises.
To facilitate reallocation of the Fund's assets in accordance with the
Investment Manager's views as to shifts in the marketplace, the Investment
Manager may employ transactions in futures contracts and options thereon. For
example, if the Investment Manager believes that a ten percent increase in
that portion of the Fund's assets invested in fixed- income securities and a
concomitant decrease in that portion of the Fund's assets invested in equity
securities is timely, the Fund might purchase interest rate futures, such as
Treasury bond futures, and sell stock index futures, such as S&P 500 Stock
Index futures, in equivalent amounts. The utilization of futures
transactions, rather than the purchase and sale of equity and fixed-income
securities, increases the speed and efficacy of the Fund's asset
reallocations.
The Fund may purchase equity securities (including convertible debt
obligations and convertible preferred stock) sold on the New York, American
and other stock exchanges and in the over-the- counter market. In addition,
the Fund may purchase and sell warrants and purchase and write listed and
over-the-counter options on individual stocks and stock indexes to hedge
against adverse price movements in its equity portfolio and to increase its
total return through the receipt of premium income. The Fund invests
primarily in equity securities issued by companies with a record of paying
dividends and the potential of increasing such dividends. The Fund may also
purchase and sell stock index futures and options thereon to hedge against
adverse price movements in its equity portfolio and to facilitate asset
reallocations into and out of the equity area.
Fixed-income securities in which the Fund may invest are short-term to
intermediate (one to five year maturities) and intermediate to long-term
(greater than five year maturities) debt securities and preferred stocks,
including U.S. Government securities (securities issued or guaranteed as to
principal and interest by the United States or its agencies and
instrumentalities) and corporate securities which are rated at the time of
purchase Baa or better by Moody's or BBB or better by S&P, or which, if
unrated, are deemed to be of comparable quality by the Fund's Trustees (a
description of corporate bond ratings is contained in the Appendix to the
Statement of Additional Information). U.S. Government securities which may be
purchased include zero coupon securities. In addition, the Fund may purchase
and write listed and over-the-counter options on fixed-income securities to
hedge against adverse price movements in its fixed-income portfolio and to
increase its total return through the receipt of premium income. The Fund may
also purchase and sell interest rate futures and options thereon to hedge
against adverse price movements in its fixed-income portfolio and to
facilitate asset reallocations into and out of the fixed-income area.
The money market portion of the Fund's portfolio will contain short-term
(maturities of up to one year) fixed-income securities, issued by private and
governmental institutions. Such securities may include: U.S. Government
securities; bank obligations; Eurodollar certificates of deposit issued by
foreign branches of domestic banks; obligations of savings institutions;
fully insured certificates of deposit; and commercial paper rated within the
two
6
<PAGE>
highest grades by S&P or the highest grade by Moody's or, if not rated,
issued by a company having an outstanding debt issue rated at least AA by S&P
or Aa by Moody's.
Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements,
which may be viewed as a type of secured lending by the Fund, and which
typically involve the acquisition by the Fund of debt securities from a
selling financial institution such as a bank, savings and loan association or
broker-dealer. The agreement provides that the Fund will sell back to the
institution, and that the institution will repurchase the underlying security
at a specified price and at a fixed time in the future, usually not more than
seven days from the date of purchase. While repurchase agreements involve
certain risks not associated with direct investments in debt securities, the
Fund follows procedures designed to minimize those risks.
When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments. From
time to time, in the ordinary course of business, the Fund may purchase
securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis or may purchase or sell
securities on a forward commitment basis. When such transactions are
negotiated, the price is fixed at the time of the commitment, but delivery
and payment can take place a month or more after the date of the commitment.
The securities so purchased are subject to market fluctuation and no interest
accrues to the purchaser during this period. An increase in the percentage of
the Fund's assets committed to the purchase of securities on a when-issued or
delayed delivery basis may increase the volatility of the Fund's net asset
value.
When, As and If Issued Securities. The Fund may purchase securities on a
"when, as and if issued" basis under which the issuance of the security
depends upon the occurrence of a subsequent event, such as approval of a
merger, corporate reorganization, leveraged buyout or debt restructuring. If
the anticipated event does not occur and the securities are not issued, the
Fund will have lost an investment opportunity. An increase in the percentage
of the Fund's assets committed to the purchase of securities on a "when, as
and if issued" basis may increase the volatility of its net asset value.
Private Placements. The Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in
securities which are subject to restrictions on resale because they have not
been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or which are
otherwise not readily marketable. (Securities eligible for resale pursuant to
Rule 144A of the Securities Act, and determined to be liquid pursuant to the
procedures discussed in the following paragraph, are not subject to the
foregoing restriction.) These securities are generally referred to as private
placements or restricted securities. Limitations on the resale of such
securities may have an adverse effect on their marketability, and may prevent
the Fund from disposing of them promptly at reasonable prices. The Fund may
have to bear the expense of registering such securities for resale and the
risk of substantial delays in effecting such registration.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted Rule 144A under the
Securities Act of 1933, which permits the Fund to sell restricted securities
to qualified institutional buyers without limitation. The Investment Manager,
pursuant to procedures adopted by the Trustees of the Fund will make a
determination as to the liquidity of each restricted security purchased by
the Fund. If a restricted security is determined to be "liquid," such
security will not be included within the category "illiquid securities",
which is limited by the Fund's investment restrictions to 10% of the Fund's
total assets.
Options and Futures Transactions. The Fund is permitted to enter into call
and put options on U.S. Treasury notes, bonds and bills and equity securities
listed on Exchanges and written in over-the- counter transactions ("OTC
options"). Listed options are issued by the Options Clearing Corporation. OTC
options are purchased from or sold (written) to dealers or financial
institutions which have entered into direct agreements with the Fund. The
Fund is permitted to write covered call options on portfolio securities,
without limit, in order to aid it in achieving its investment objective.
7
<PAGE>
The Fund may purchase listed and OTC call and put options in amounts
equalling up to 5% of its total assets. The Fund may purchase call options
only in order to close out a covered call position. The Fund may purchase put
options on securities which it holds (or has the right to acquire) in its
portfolio only to protect itself against a decline in the value of the
security. The Fund may also purchase put options to close out written put
positions. There are no other limits on the Fund's ability to purchase call
and put options. The Fund also may purchase and write options on stock
indexes. See "Risks of Options on Indexes," in the Statement of Additional
Information.
The Fund may also purchase and sell interest rate and stock index futures
contracts ("futures contracts") that are traded on U.S. commodity exchanges
on such underlying securities as U.S. Treasury bonds, notes, and bills and
GNMA Certificates ("interest rate" futures) and such indexes as the S&P 500
Index and the New York Stock Exchange Composite Index ("stock index" futures)
and the Moody's Investment-Grade Corporation Bond Index ("bond index"
futures). The Fund will purchase or sell interest rate futures contracts and
bond index futures contracts for the purpose of hedging its fixed-income
portfolio (or anticipated portfolio) against changes in prevailing interest
rates and to alter the Fund's asset allocation in fixed- income securities.
The Fund will purchase or sell stock index futures contracts for the purpose
of hedging its equity portfolio (or anticipated portfolio) against changes in
their prices.
The Fund also may purchase and write call and put options on futures
contracts which are traded on an Exchange and enter into closing transactions
with respect to such options to terminate an existing position.
RISK CONSIDERATIONS
The net asset value of the Fund's shares will fluctuate with the changes
in the market value of its portfolio securities.
Asset Allocation. The achievement of the Fund's investment objective, as
noted above, depends upon the Investment Manager correctly assessing the
effects of economic and market trends on the equity, fixed-income and money
market sectors of the market. There can, of course, be no assurance that the
premises on which the Investment Manager's investment strategy is based, or
the asset allocation model used, will prove to be correct or that the Fund
will in fact achieve its objective.
Investments in Fixed-Income Securities. The Fund may invest a portion of
its assets in fixed- income securities. All fixed-income securities are
subject to two types of risks: the credit risk and the interest rate risk.
The credit risk relates to the ability of the issuer to meet interest or
principal payments or both as they come due. Generally, higher yielding
fixed-income securities are subject to a credit risk to a greater extent than
lower yielding fixed-income securities. The interest rate risk refers to the
fluctuations in the net asset value of any portfolio of fixed-income
securities resulting from the inverse relationship between price and yield of
fixed-income securities; that is, when the general level of interest rate
rises, the prices of outstanding fixed-income securities generally decline,
and when interest rates fall, prices generally rise.
Investments in Securities Rated Baa by Moody's or BBB by S&P. The Fund may
invest a portion of its assets in fixed-income securities rated at the time
of purchase Baa or better by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") or
BBB or better by Standard & Poor's Corporation ("S&P"). Investments in
fixed-income securities rated either Baa by Moody's or BBB by S&P (the lowest
credit ratings designated "investment grade") may have speculative
characteristics and, therefore, changes in economic conditions or other
circumstances are more likely to weaken their capacity to make principal and
interest payments than would be the case with investments in securities with
higher credit ratings. If a bond held by the Fund is downgraded by a rating
agency to a rating below Baa or BBB, the Fund will retain such security in
its portfolio until the Investment Manager determines that it is practicable
to sell the security without undue market or tax consequences to the
8
<PAGE>
Fund. In the event that such downgraded securities constitute 5% or more of
the Fund's assets, the Investment Manager will seek to sell immediately
sufficient securities to reduce the total to below 5%.
Convertible Securities. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in
convertible securities. A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note,
preferred stock or other security that may be converted into or exchanged for
a prescribed amount of common stock of the same or a different issuer within
a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. Convertible
securities rank senior to common stocks in a corporation's capital structure
and, therefore, entail less risk than the corporation's common stock. The
value of a convertible security is a function of its "investment value" (its
value as if it did not have a conversion privilege), and its "conversion
value" (the security's worth if it were to be exchanged for the underlying
security, at market value, pursuant to its conversion privilege).
To the extent that a convertible security's investment value is greater
than its conversion value, its price will be primarily a reflection of such
investment value and its price will be likely to increase when interest rates
fall and decrease when interest rates rise, as with a fixed-income security
(the credit standing of the issuer and other factors may also have an effect
on the convertible security's value). If the conversion value exceeds the
investment value, the price of the convertible security will rise above its
investment value and, in addition, will sell at some premium over its
conversion value. (This premium represents the price investors are willing to
pay for the privilege of purchasing a fixed-income security with a
possibility of capital appreciation due to the conversion privilege.) At such
times the price of the convertible security will tend to fluctuate directly
with the price of the underlying equity security.
American Depository Receipts. The Fund may invest in ADRs. These
securities may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the
securities into which they may be converted. ADRs are receipts typically
issued by a United States bank or trust company evidencing ownership of the
underlying securities.
Eurodollar Certificate of Deposit. To the extent the Fund purchases
Eurodollar certificates of deposit issued by foreign branches of domestic
banks, consideration will be given to their domestic marketability, the lower
reserve requirements normally mandated for overseas banking operations, the
possible impact of interruptions in the flow of international currency
transactions, and future international political and economic developments
which might adversely affect the payment of principal or interest.
Repurchase Agreements. While repurchase agreements involve certain risks
not associated with direct investments in debt securities, the Fund follows
procedures designed to minimize such risks. These procedures include
effecting repurchase transactions only with large, well-capitalized and
well-established financial institutions whose financial condition will be
continually monitored by the Investment Manager. In addition, the value of
the collateral underlying the repurchase agreement will be at least equal to
the repurchase price, including any accrued interest earned on the repurchase
agreement. In the event of a default or bankruptcy by a selling financial
institution, the Fund will seek to liquidate such collateral. However, the
exercising of the Fund's right to liquidate such collateral could involve
certain costs or delays and, to the extent that proceeds from any sale upon a
default of the obligation to repurchase were less than the repurchase price,
the Fund could suffer a loss. It is the current policy of the Fund not to
invest in repurchase agreements that do not mature within seven days if any
such investment, together with any other illiquid assets held by the Fund,
amounts to more than 15% of its net assets.
Options and Futures. The Fund may close out its position as writer of an
option, or as a buyer or seller of a futures contract only if a liquid
secondary market exists for options or futures contracts of that series.
There is no assurance that such a market will exist, particularly in the case
of OTC options, as such options will generally only be closed out by entering
into a closing purchase transaction with the purchasing dealer. Also, ex-
9
<PAGE>
changes may limit the amount by which the price of many futures contracts may
move on any day. If the price moves equal the daily limit on successive days,
then it may prove impossible to liquidate a futures position until the daily
limit moves have ceased. The extent to which the Fund may enter into
transactions involving options and futures contracts may be limited by the
Internal Revenue Code's requirements for qualification as a regulated
investment company and the Fund's intention to qualify as such. See
"Dividends, Distributions and Taxes."
While the futures contracts and options transactions to be engaged in by
the Fund for the purpose of hedging the Fund's portfolio securities are not
speculative in nature, there are risks inherent in the use of such
instruments. One such risk is that the Investment Manager could be incorrect
in its expectations as to the direction or extent of various interest rate or
price movements or the time span within which the movements take place. For
example, if the Fund sold futures contracts for the sale of securities in
anticipation of an increase in interest rates, and then interest rates went
down instead, causing bond prices to rise, the Fund would lose money on the
sale. Another risk which may arise in employing futures contracts to protect
against the price volatility of portfolio securities is that the prices of
securities and indexes subject to futures contracts (and thereby the futures
contract prices) may correlate imperfectly with the behavior of the cash
prices of the Fund's portfolio securities. See the Statement of Additional
Information for further discussion of such risks.
Investment in Real Estate Investment Trusts. The Fund may invest in real
estate investment trusts, which pool investors' funds for investments
primarily in commercial real estate properties. Investment in real estate
investment trusts may be the most practical available means for the Fund to
invest in the real estate industry (the Fund is prohibited from investing in
real estate directly). As a shareholder in a real estate investment trust,
the Fund would bear its ratable share of the real estate investment trust's
expenses, including its advisory and administration fees. At the same time
the Fund would continue to pay its own investment management fees and other
expenses, as a result of which the Fund and its shareholders in effect will
be absorbing duplicate levels of fees with respect to investments in real
estate investment trusts.
FOR ADDITIONAL RISK DISCLOSURE, PLEASE REFER TO THE "INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
AND POLICIES" SECTION OF THE PROSPECTUS AND TO THE "INVESTMENT PRACTICES AND
POLICIES" SECTION OF THE STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
The Fund's portfolio is actively managed by its Investment Manager with a
view to achieving the Fund's investment objective. In determining which
securities to purchase for the Fund or hold in the Fund's portfolio, the
Investment Manager relies on information from various sources, including
research, analysis and appraisals of brokers and dealers, including Dean
Witter Reynolds Inc. ("DWR"); the views of the Trustees of the Fund and
others regarding economic developments and interest rate trends; and the
Investment Manager's own analysis of factors it deems relevant. The Fund's
portfolio is managed within InterCapital's large Capitalization Equities
Group, which manages 35 equity funds and fund portfolios with approximately
$18.7 billion in assets as of March 31, 1995. Kenton Hinchliffe, Senior Vice
President of InterCapital and a member of InterCapital's Large Capitalization
Equity Group, has been the primary portfolio manager of the Fund and has been
a portfolio manager at InterCapital for over six years.
Orders for transactions in other portfolio securities and commodities are
placed for the Fund with a number of brokers and dealers, including DWR.
Pursuant to an order of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Fund may
effect principal transactions in certain money market instruments with DWR.
In addition, the Fund may incur brokerage commissions on transactions
conducted through DWR.
The portfolio trading engaged in by the Fund may result in its portfolio
turnover rate exceeding
10
<PAGE>
300%, although it is not anticipated that this rate will exceed 400%. The
Fund will incur brokerage costs commensurate with its portfolio turnover
rate, and thus a higher level (over 100%) of portfolio transactions will
increase the Fund's overall brokerage expenses. For the fiscal year ended
March 31, 1995, the portfolio turnover rate was 264.42%. See "Dividends,
Distributions and Taxes" for a discussion of the tax implications of the
Fund's trading policy. A more extensive discussion of the Fund's portfolio
brokerage policies is set forth in the Statement of Additional Information.
Except as specifically noted, the investment objective, policies and
practices discussed above are not fundamental policies of the Fund and, as
such, may be changed without shareholder approval.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The investment restrictions listed below are among the restrictions which
have been adopted by the Fund as fundamental policies. Under the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Act"), a fundamental policy may not be
changed without the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities
of the Fund, as defined in the Act. For purposes of the following
limitations: (i) all percentage limitations apply immediately after a
purchase or initial investment, and (ii) any subsequent change in any
applicable percentage resulting from market fluctuations or other changes in
total or net assets does not require elimination of any security from the
portfolio.
The Fund may not:
1. Invest 25% or more of the value of its total assets in the securities
of issuers in any one industry. This restriction does not apply to
obligations issued or guaranteed by the United States Government or its
agencies or instrumentalities.
2. Invest more than 5% of the value of its total assets in securities of
issuers having a record, together with predecessors, of less than three years
of continuous operation. This restriction shall not apply to any obligation
issued or guaranteed by the United States Government, its agencies or
instrumentalities.
3. Purchase or sell commodities or commodities contracts except that the
Fund may purchase or write interest rate and stock and bond index futures
contracts and related options thereon.
4. Pledge its assets or assign or otherwise encumber them except to secure
permitted borrowings. (For the purpose of this restriction, collateral
arrangements with respect to the writing of options and collateral
arrangements with respect to initial or variation margin for futures are not
deemed to be pledges of assets.)
5. Purchase securities on margin (but the Fund may obtain short-term loans
as are necessary for the clearance of transactions). The deposit or payment
by the Fund of initial or variation margin in connection with futures
contracts or related options thereon is not considered the purchase of a
security on margin.
PURCHASE OF FUND SHARES
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fund offers its shares for sale to the public on a continuous basis.
Pursuant to a Distribution Agreement between the Fund and Dean Witter
Distributors Inc. ("the Distributor"), an affiliate of the Investment
Manager, shares of the Fund are distributed by the Distributor and offered by
DWR and other dealers which have entered into selected dealer agreements with
the Distributor ("Selected Broker-Dealers"). The principal executive office
of the Distributor is located at Two World Trade Center, New York, New York
10048.
The minimum initial purchase is $1,000. Minimum subsequent purchases of
$100 or more may be made by sending a check, payable to Dean
11
<PAGE>
Witter Managed Assets Trust, directly to Dean Witter Trust Company (the
"Transfer Agent") at P.O. Box 1040, Jersey City, NJ 07303 or by contacting an
account executive of DWR or other Selected Broker- Dealer. In the case of
investments pursuant to Systematic Payroll Deduction Plans (including
Individual Retirement Plans), the Fund, in its discretion, may accept
investments without regard to any minimum amounts which would otherwise be
required if the Fund has reason to believe that additional investments will
increase the investment in all accounts under such Plans to at least $1,000.
Certificates for shares purchased will not be issued unless a request is made
by the shareholder in writing to the Transfer Agent. The offering price will
be the net asset value per share next determined following receipt of an
order (see "Determination of Net Asset Value" below).
Shares of the Fund are sold through the Distributor on a normal five
business day settlement basis; that is, payment is due on the fifth business
day (settlement date) after the order is placed with the Distributor. Since
DWR or other Selected Broker- Dealers forward investors' funds on settlement
date, they will benefit from the temporary use of the funds if payment is
made prior thereto. As noted above, orders placed directly with the Transfer
Agent must be accompanied by payment. Investors will be entitled to receive
dividends and capital gains distributions if their order is received by the
close of business on the day prior to the record date for such distributions.
While no sales charge is imposed at the time shares are purchased, a
contingent deferred sales charge may be imposed at the time of redemption
(see "Redemptions and Repurchases"). Sales personnel of a Selected
Broker-Dealer are compensated for selling shares of Fund at the time of their
sale by the Distributor or any of its affiliates and/or by the Selected
Broker-Dealer. In addition, some sales personnel of the Selected Broker-
Dealer will receive non-cash compensation in the form of trips to educational
seminars and merchandise as special sales incentives. The Fund and the
Distributor reserve the right to reject any purchase orders.
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
The Fund has adopted a Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under
the Act (the "Plan"), under which the Fund pays the Distributor a fee, which
is accrued daily and payable monthly, at an annual rate of 1% of the lesser
of: (a) the average daily aggregate gross sales of the Fund's shares since
the inception of the Fund (not including reinvestments of dividends or
capital gains distributions), less the average daily aggregate net asset
value of the Fund's shares redeemed since the Fund's inception upon which a
contingent deferred sales charge has been imposed or waived; or (b) the
Fund's average daily net assets. This fee is treated by the Fund as an
expense in the year it is accrued. A portion of the fee payable pursuant to
the Plan, equal to 0.25% of the Fund's average daily net assets, is
characterized as a service fee within the meaning of NASD guidelines. The
service is a payment made for personal service and/or the maintenance of
shareholder accounts.
Amounts paid under the Plan are paid to the Distributor to compensate it
for the services provided and the expenses borne by the Distributor and
others in the distribution of the Fund's shares, including the payment of
commissions for sales of the Fund's shares and incentive compensation to and
expenses of DWR's account executives and others who engage in or support
distribution of shares or who service shareholder accounts, including
overhead and telephone expenses; printing and distribution of prospectuses
and reports used in connection with the offering of the Fund's shares to
other than current shareholders; and preparation, printing and distribution
of sales literature and advertising materials. In addition, the Distributor
may utilize fees paid pursuant to the Plan to compensate DWR and other
Selected Broker-Dealers for their opportunity costs in advancing such
amounts, which compensation would be in the form of a carrying charge on any
unreimbursed expenses incurred.
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 1995, the Fund accrued payments under
the Plan amounting to $3,477,931, which amount is equal to 1.00% of
12
<PAGE>
the Fund's average daily net sales for the fiscal year. The payments accrued
under the Plan were calculated pursuant to clause (b) of the compensation
formula under the Plan.
At any given time, the expenses in distributing shares of the Fund may be
in excess of the total of (i) the payments made by the Fund pursuant to the
Plan, and (ii) the proceeds of contingent deferred sales charges paid by
investors upon the redemption of shares (see "Redemptions and Repur-
chases--Contingent Deferred Sales Charge"). For example, if $1 million in
expenses in distributing shares of the Fund had been incurred and $750,000
had been received as described in (i) and (ii) above, the excess expense
would amount to $250,000. The Distributor has advised the Fund that such
excess amounts, including the carrying charge described above, totalled
$13,140,719 at March 31, 1995, which equalled 3.11% of the Fund's net assets
at such date.
Because there is no requirement under the Plan that the Distributor be
reimbursed for all expenses or any requirement that the Plan be continued
from year to year, such excess amount does not constitute a liability of the
Fund. Although there is no legal obligation for the Fund to pay expenses
incurred in excess of payments made to the Distributor under the Plan and the
proceeds of contingent deferred sales charges paid by investors upon
redemption of shares, if for any reason the Plan is terminated, the Trustees
will consider at that time the manner in which to treat such expenses. Any
cumulative expenses incurred, but not yet recovered through distribution fees
or contingent deferred sales charges, may or may not be recovered through
future distribution fees or contingent deferred sales charges.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
The net asset value per share of the Fund is determined once daily at 4:00
p.m., New York time, on each day that the New York Stock Exchange is open by
taking the value of all assets of the Fund, subtracting all its liabilities,
dividing by the number of shares outstanding and adjusting to the nearest
cent. The net asset value per share will not be determined on Good Friday and
on such other federal and non-federal holidays as are observed by the New
York Stock Exchange.
In the calculation of the Fund's net asset value: (1) an equity portfolio
security listed or traded on the New York or American Stock Exchange or
quoted by NASDAQ is valued at its last sale price on that exchange or
quotation service; if there were no sales that day, the security is valued at
the closing bid price (in cases where a security is traded on more than one
exchange, the security is valued on the exchange designated as the primary
market by the Trustees); and (2) all other portfolio securities for which
over-the-counter market quotations are readily available are valued at the
latest bid price. When market quotations are not readily available, including
circumstances under which it is determined by the Investment Manager that
sale and bid prices are not reflective of a security's market value,
portfolio securities are valued at their fair value as determined in good
faith under procedures established by and under the general supervision of
the Board of Trustees.
Certain of the Fund's portfolio securities may be valued by an outside
pricing service approved by the Fund's Trustees. The pricing service utilizes
a matrix system incorporating security, quality, maturity and coupon as the
evaluation model parameters, and/or research evaluations by its staff,
including review of broker-dealer market price quotations, in determining
what it believes is the fair valuation of the portfolio securities valued by
such pricing service.
Short-term debt securities with remaining maturities of 60 days or less at
the time of purchase are valued at amortized cost, unless the Trustees
determine such does not reflect the securities' fair value, in which case
these securities will be valued at their fair value as determined by the
Trustees. A more detailed discussion of valuation procedures is in the Fund's
Statement of Additional Information.
13
<PAGE>
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Automatic Investment of Dividends and Distributions. All income dividends
and capital gains distributions are automatically paid in full and fractional
shares of the Fund (or, if specified by the shareholder, any other open-end
investment company for which InterCapital serves as investment manager
[collectively, with the Fund, the "Dean Witter Funds"]), unless the
shareholder requests that they be paid in cash. Shares so acquired are not
subject to the imposition of a contingent deferred sales charge upon their
redemption (see "Redemptions and Repurchases").
EasyInvest(Service Mark). Shareholders may subscribe to EasyInvest, an
automatic purchase plan which provides for any amount from $100 to $5,000 to
be transferred automatically from a checking or savings account, on a
semi-monthly, monthly or quarterly basis, to the Fund's Transfer Agent for
investment in shares of the Fund.
Systematic Withdrawal Plan. A systematic withdrawal plan (the "Withdrawal
Plan") is available for shareholders who own or purchase shares of the Fund
having a minimum value of $10,000 based upon the then current net asset
value. The Withdrawal Plan provides for monthly or quarterly (March, June,
September and December) checks in any amount, not less than $25, or in any
whole percentage of the account balance, on an annualized basis. Any
applicable contingent deferred sales charge will be imposed on shares
redeemed under the Withdrawal Plan (See "Redemptions and Repurchases--
Contingent Deferred Sales Charge"). Therefore, any shareholder participating
in the Withdrawal Plan will have sufficient shares redeemed from his or her
account so that the proceeds (net of any applicable contingent deferred sales
charge) to the shareholder will be the designated monthly or quarterly
amount.
Shareholders should contact their DWR or other Selected Broker-Dealer
account executive or the Transfer Agent for further information about any of
the above services.
Tax Sheltered Retirement Plans. Retirement plans are available for use by
corporations, the self- employed, Individual Retirement Accounts and
Custodial Accounts under Section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Adoption of such plans should be on advice of legal counsel or tax adviser.
For further information regarding plan administration, custodial fees and
other details, investors should contact their DWR or other Selected Broker-
Dealer account executive or the Transfer Agent.
EXCHANGE PRIVILEGE
The Fund makes available to its shareholders an "Exchange Privilege"
allowing the exchange of shares of the Fund for shares of other Dean Witter
Funds sold with a contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC funds"), and for
shares of Dean Witter Short-Term U.S. Treasury Trust, Dean Witter Limited
Term Municipal Trust Dean Witter Short-Term Bond Fund, Dean Witter Balanced
Income Fund, Dean Witter Balanced Growth Fund and five Dean Witter Funds
which are money market funds (the foregoing ten non-CDSC funds are
hereinafter referred to as the "Exchange Funds"). Exchanges may be made after
the shares of the fund acquired by purchase (not by exchange or dividend
reinvestment) have been held for thirty days. There is no waiting period for
exchanges of shares acquired by exchange or dividend reinvestment.
An exchange to another CDSC fund or any Exchange Fund that is not a money
market fund is on the basis of the next calculated net asset value per share
of each fund after the exchange order is received. When exchanging into a
money market fund from the Fund, shares of the Fund are redeemed out of the
Fund at their next calculated net asset value and the proceeds of the
redemption are used to purchase shares of the money market fund at their net
asset value determined the following business day. Subsequent exchanges
between any of the money market funds and any of the CDSC funds can be
effected on the same basis. No
14
<PAGE>
contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") is imposed at the time of any
exchange, although any applicable CDSC will be imposed upon ultimate
redemption. Shares of the Fund acquired in exchange for shares of another
CDSC fund having a different CDSC schedule than that of this Fund will be
subject to the CDSC schedule of this Fund, even if such shares are
subsequently reexchanged for shares of the CDSC fund originally purchased.
During the period of time the shareholder remains in the Exchange Fund
(calculated from the last day of the month in which the Exchange Fund shares
were acquired), the holding period (for the purpose of determining the rate
of the CDSC) is frozen. If those shares are subsequently reexchanged for
shares of a CDSC fund, the holding period previously frozen when the first
exchange was made resumes on the last day of the month in which shares of a
CDSC fund are reacquired. Thus, the CDSC is based upon the time (calculated
as described above) the shareholder was invested in a CDSC fund (see
"Redemptions and Repurchases--Contingent Deferred Sales Charge"). However, in
the case of shares exchanged into an Exchange Fund on or after April 23,
1990, upon a redemption of shares which results in a CDSC being imposed, a
credit (not to exceed the amount of the CDSC) will be given in an amount
equal the Exchange Fund 12b-1 distribution fees, if any, incurred on or after
that date which are attributable to those shares. (Exchange Fund 12b-1
distribution fees, if any, are described in the prospectuses for those
funds.)
In addition, shares of the Fund may be acquired in exchange for shares of
Dean Witter Funds sold with a front-end sales charge ("front-end sales charge
funds"), but shares of the Fund, however acquired, may not be exchanged for
shares of front-end sales charge funds. Shares of a CDSC fund acquired in
exchange for shares of a front-end sales charge fund (or in exchange for
shares of other Dean Witter Funds for which shares of a front-end sales
charge fund have been exchanged) are not subject to any CDSC upon their
redemption.
Purchases and exchanges should be made for investment purposes only. A
pattern of frequent exchanges may be deemed by the Investment Manager to be
abusive and contrary to the best interests of the Fund's other shareholders
and, at the Investment Manager's discretion, may be limited by the Fund's
refusal to accept additional purchases and/or exchanges from the investor.
Although the Fund does not have any specific definition of what constitutes a
pattern of frequent exchanges, and will consider all relevant factors in
determining whether a particular situation is abusive and contrary to the
best interests of the Fund and its other shareholders, investors should be
aware that the Fund and each of the other Dean Witter Funds may in their
discretion limit or otherwise restrict the number of times this Exchange
Privilege may be exercised by any investor. Any such restriction will be made
by the Fund on a prospective basis only, upon notice to the shareholder not
later than ten days following such shareholder's most recent exchange. Also,
the Exchange Privilege may be terminated or revised at any time by the Fund
and/or any of such Dean Witter Funds for which shares of the Fund have been
exchanged, upon such notice as may be required by applicable regulatory
agencies. Shareholders maintaining margin accounts with DWR or another
Selected Broker-Dealer are referred to their account executive regarding
restrictions on exchange of shares of the Fund pledged in the margin account.
The current prospectus for each fund describes its investment objective(s)
and policies, and shareholders should obtain one and read it carefully before
investing. Exchanges are subject to the minimum investment requirement and
any other conditions imposed by each fund. An exchange will be treated for
federal income tax purposes the same as a repurchase or redemption of shares
on which the shareholder has realized a capital gain or loss. However, the
ability to deduct capital losses on an exchange of shares within ninety days
after the shares are purchased. The Exchange Privilege is only available in
states where an exchange may legally be made.
If DWR or another Selected Broker-Dealer is the current dealer of record
and its account numbers
15
<PAGE>
are part of the account information, shareholders may initiate an exchange of
shares of the Fund for shares of any of the Dean Witter Funds (for which the
Exchange Privilege is available) pursuant to this Exchange Privilege by
contacting their account executive (no Exchange Privilege Authorization Form
is required). Other shareholders (and those shareholders who are clients of
DWR or other Selected Broker-Dealers but who wish to make exchanges directly
by writing or telephoning the Transfer Agent) must complete and forward to
the Transfer Agent an Exchange Privilege Authorization Form, copies of which
may be obtained from the Transfer Agent, to initiate an exchange. If the
Authorization Form is used, exchanges may be made in writing or by contacting
the Transfer Agent at (800) 526-3143 (toll free). The Fund will employ
reasonable procedures to confirm that exchange instructions communicated over
the telephone are genuine. Such procedures may include requiring various
forms of personal identification such as name, mailing address, social
security or other tax identification number and DWR or other Selected
Broker-Dealer account number (if any). Telephone instructions may also be
recorded. If such procedures are not employed, the Fund may be liable for any
losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent instructions.
Telephone exchange instructions will be accepted if received by the
Transfer Agent between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. New York time, on any day the
New York Stock Exchange is open. Any shareholder wishing to make an exchange
who has previously filed an Exchange Privilege Authorization Form and who is
unable to reach the Fund by telephone should contact his or her DWR or other
Selected Broker-Dealer account executive, if appropriate, or make a written
exchange request. Shareholders are advised that during periods of drastic
economic or market changes, it is possible that the telephone exchange
procedures may be difficult to implement, although this has not been the
experience of this Fund and the other Dean Witter Funds in the past.
Shareholders should contact their DWR or other Selected Broker-Dealer
account executive or the Transfer Agent for further information about the
Exchange Privilege.
REDEMPTIONS AND REPURCHASES
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Redemption. Shares of the Fund can be redeemed for cash at any time at the
net asset value per share next determined; however, such redemption proceeds
may be reduced by the amount of any applicable contingent deferred sales
charges (see below). If shares are held in a Shareholder Investment Account
without a share certificate, a written request for redemption to the Fund's
Transfer Agent at P.O. Box 983, Jersey City, NJ 07303 is required. If
certificates are held by the shareholder, the shares may be redeemed by
surrendering the certificates with a written request for redemption along
with any additional documentation required by the Transfer Agent.
Contingent Deferred Sales Charge. Shares of the Fund which are held for
six years or more after purchase (calculated from the last day of the month
in which the shares were purchased) will not be subject to any charge upon
redemption. Shares redeemed sooner than six years after purchase may,
however, be subject to a charge upon redemption. This charge is called a
"contingent deferred sales charge" ("CDSC"), and it will be a percentage of
the dollar amount of shares redeemed and will be assessed on an amount equal
to the lesser of the current market value or the cost of the shares being
redeemed. The size of this percentage will depend upon how long the shares
have been held, as set forth in the table below:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
CONTINGENT DEFERRED
SALES CHARGE AS A
YEAR SINCE PURCHASE PERCENTAGE OF AMOUNT
PAYMENT MADE REDEEMED
- -------------------------- -----------------------
<S> <C>
First ..................... 5.0%
Second .................... 4.0%
Third ..................... 3.0%
Fourth .................... 2.0%
Fifth ..................... 2.0%
Sixth ..................... 1.0%
Seventh and thereafter ... None
</TABLE>
16
<PAGE>
A CDSC will not be imposed on: (i) any amount which represents an increase
in value of shares purchased within the six years preceding the redemption;
(ii) the current net asset value of shares purchased more than six years
prior to the redemption; and (iii) the current net asset value of shares
purchased through reinvestment of dividends or distributions and/or shares
acquired in exchange for shares of Dean Witter Funds sold with a front-end
sales charge or of other Dean Witter Funds acquired in exchange for such
shares. Moreover, in determining whether a CDSC is applicable it will be
assumed that amounts described in (i), (ii) and (iii) above (in that order)
are redeemed first.
In addition, the CDSC, if otherwise applicable, will be waived in the case
of: (i) redemptions of shares held at the time a shareholder dies or becomes
disabled, only if the shares are (a) registered either in the name of an
individual shareholder (not a trust), or in the names of such shareholder and
his or her spouse as joint tenants with right of survivorship, or (b) held in
a qualified corporate or self-employed retirement plan, Individual Retirement
Account or Custodial Account under Section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue
Code, provided in either case that the redemption is requested within one
year of the death or initial determination of disability, and (ii)
redemptions in connection with the following retirement plan distributions:
(a) lump-sum or other distributions from a qualified corporate or
self-employed retirement plan following retirement (or in the case of a "key
employee" of a "top heavy" plan, following attainment of age 59 1/2 ); (b)
distributions from an Individual Retirement Account or Custodial Account
under Section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code following attainment of
age 59 1/2 ; and (c) a tax-free return of an excess contribution to an IRA.
For the purpose of determining disability, the Distributor utilizes the
definition of disability contained in Section 72(m)(7) of the Internal
Revenue Code, which relates to the inability to engage in gainful employment.
All waivers will be granted only following receipt by the Distributor of
confirmation of the shareholder's entitlement.
Repurchase. DWR and other Selected Broker- Dealers are authorized to
repurchase shares represented by a share certificate which is delivered to
any of their offices. Shares held in a shareholder's account without a share
certificate may also be repurchased by DWR and other Selected Broker- Dealers
upon the telephonic request of the shareholder. The repurchase price is the
net asset value next computed (see "Purchase of Fund Shares") after such
repurchase order is received by DWR or other Selected Broker-Dealer, reduced
by any applicable CDSC.
The CDSC, if any, will be the only fee imposed by the Fund, the
Distributor, DWR or other Selected Broker-Dealers. The offer by DWR and other
Selected Broker-Dealers to repurchase shares may be suspended without notice
by them at any time. In that event, shareholders may redeem their shares
through the Fund's Transfer Agent as set forth above under "Redemption."
Payment for Shares Redeemed or Repurchased. Payment for shares presented
for repurchase or redemption will be made by check within seven days after
receipt by the Transfer Agent of the certificate and/or written request in
good order. Such payment may be postponed or the right of redemption
suspended under unusual circumstances. If the shares to be redeemed have
recently been purchased by check, payment of the redemption proceeds may be
delayed for the minimum time needed to verify that the check used for
investment has been honored (not more than fifteen days from the time of
receipt of the check by the Transfer Agent). Shareholders maintaining margin
accounts with DWR or another Selected Broker-Dealer are referred to their
account executive regarding restrictions on redemption of shares of the Fund
pledged in the margin account.
Reinstatement Privilege. A shareholder who has had his or her shares
redeemed or repurchased
17
<PAGE>
and has not previously exercised this reinstatement privilege may, within 30
days after the date of the redemption or repurchase, reinstate any portion or
all of the proceeds of such redemption or repurchase in shares of the Fund at
net asset value next determined after a reinstatement request, together with
the proceeds, is received by the Transfer Agent and receive a pro-rata credit
for any CDSC paid in connection with such redemption or repurchase.
Involuntary Redemption. The Fund reserves the right, on 60 days notice, to
redeem, at their net asset value, the shares of any shareholder (other than
shares held in an Individual Retirement Account or custodial account under
Section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code) whose shares due to
redemptions by the shareholder have a value of less than $100 or such lesser
amount as may be fixed by the Trustees. However, before the Fund redeems such
shares and sends the proceeds to the shareholder, it will notify the
shareholder that the value of the shares is less than $100 and allow the
shareholder to make an additional investment in an amount which will increase
the value of the account to $100 or more before the redemption is processed.
No CDSC will be imposed on any involuntary redemption.
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dividends and Distributions. The Fund intends to pay quarterly income
dividends and to distribute net short-term and net long-term capital gains,
if any, at least once each year. The Fund also intends to distribute net
long-term capital gains, if any, at least once each year. The Fund may,
however, determine either to distribute or to retain all or part of any
long-term capital gains in any year for reinvestment.
All dividends and any capital gains distributions will be paid in
additional Fund shares and automatically credited to the shareholder's
account without issuance of a share certificate unless the shareholder
requests in writing that all dividends and/or distributions be paid in cash.
(See "Shareholder Services--Automatic Investment of Dividends and
Distributions.")
Taxes. Because the Fund intends to distribute all of its net investment
income and net capital gains to shareholders and otherwise continue to
qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal
Revenue Code, it is not expected that the Fund will be required to pay any
federal income tax. Shareholders who are required to pay taxes on their
income will normally have to pay federal income taxes, and any state income
taxes, on the dividends and distributions they receive from the Fund. Such
dividends and distributions, to the extent that they are derived from net
investment income or net short-term capital gains, are taxable to the
shareholder as ordinary income regardless of whether the shareholder receives
such payments in additional shares or in cash.
Gains or losses on the Fund's transactions in listed non-equity options,
futures and options on futures generally are treated as 60% long-term and 40%
short-term. When the Fund engages in options and futures transactions,
various tax regulations applicable to the Fund may have the effect of causing
the Fund to recognize a gain or loss for tax purposes before that gain or
loss is realized, or to defer recognition of a realized loss for tax
purposes. Recognition, for tax purposes, of an unrealized loss may result in
a lesser amount of the Fund's realized gains being available for
distribution.
Distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to
shareholders as long-term capital gains regardless of how long a shareholder
has held the Fund's shares and regardless of whether the distribution is
received in additional shares or in cash. Capital gains distributions are not
eligible for the corporate dividends received deduction.
At the end of the year, shareholders will be sent full information on
their dividends and capital gains distributions for tax purposes including
information as to the portion taxable as capital gains, and the
18
<PAGE>
amount of dividends eligible for the Federal dividends received deduction
available to corporations. To avoid being subject to a 31% federal backup
withholding tax on taxable dividends, capital gains distributions and the
proceeds of redemptions and repurchases, shareholders' taxpayer
identification numbers must be furnished and certified as to their accuracy.
Shareholders should consult their tax advisers as to the applicability of
the foregoing to their current situation.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From time to time the Fund may quote its "total return" in advertisements
and sales literature. The total return of the Fund is based on historical
earnings and is not intended to indicate future performance. The "average
annual total return" of the Fund refers to a figure reflecting the average
annualized percentage increase (or decrease) in the value of an initial
investment in the Fund of $1,000 over a period of one and five years as well
as over the life of the Fund. Average annual total return reflects all income
earned by the Fund, any appreciation or depreciation of the Fund's assets,
all expenses incurred by the Fund and all sales charges which would be
incurred by redeeming shareholders, for the stated periods. It also assumes
reinvestment of all dividends and distributions paid by the Fund.
In addition to the foregoing, the Fund may advertise its total return over
different periods of time by means of aggregate, average, and year-by- year
or other types of total return figures. Such calculations may or may not
reflect the deduction of the contingent deferred sales charge which, if
reflected, would reduce the performance quoted. The Fund may also advertise
the growth of hypothetical investments of $10,000, $50,000 and $100,000 in
shares of the Fund. The Fund from time to time may also advertise its
performance relative to certain performance rankings and indexes compiled by
independent organizations (such as mutual fund performance rankings of Lipper
Analytical Services, Inc. and the S&P 500 Stock Index).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Voting Rights. All shares of beneficial interest of the Fund are of $0.01
par value and are equal as to earnings, assets and voting privileges.
The Fund is not required to hold Annual Meetings of Shareholders and in
ordinary circumstances the Fund does not intend to hold such meetings. The
Trustees may call special meetings of shareholders for action by shareholder
vote as may be required by the Act or the Declaration of Trust. Under certain
circumstances the Trustees may be removed by action of the Trustees.
Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of a business trust may, under
certain circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for obligations
of the Fund. However, the Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer
of shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Fund, requires that
Fund documents include such disclaimer and provides for indemnification and
reimbursement of expenses out of the Fund's property for 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 itself would be unable to meet its
obligations. Given the above limitations on shareholder personal liability
and the nature of the Fund's assets and operations, the possibility of the
Fund being unable to meet its obligations is remote and in the opinion of
Massachusetts counsel to the Fund, the risk to Fund shareholders of personal
liability is remote.
19
<PAGE>
Code of Ethics. Directors, officers and employees of InterCapital, Dean
Witter Services Company Inc. and the Distributor are subject to a strict Code
of Ethics adopted by those companies. The Code of Ethics is intended to
ensure that the interests of shareholders and other clients are placed ahead
of any personal interest, that no undue personal benefit is obtained from a
person's employment activities and that actual and potential conflicts of
interest are avoided. To achieve these goals and comply with regulatory
requirements, the Code of Ethics requires, among other things, that personal
securities transactions by employees of the companies be subject to an
advance clearance process to monitor that no Dean Witter Fund is engaged at
the same time in a purchase or sale of the same security. The Code of Ethics
bans the purchase of securities in an initial public offering and prohibits
engaging in futures and option transactions and profiting on short- term
trading (that is, a purchase within sixty days of a sale or a sale within
sixty days of a purchase) of a security. In addition, investment personnel
may not purchase or sell a security for their personal account within thirty
days before or after any transaction in any Dean Witter Fund managed by them.
Any violations of the Code of Ethics are subject to sanctions, including
reprimand, demotion or suspension or termination of employment. The Code of
Ethics comports with regulatory requirements and the recommendations in the
recent report by the Investment Company Institute Advisory Group on Personal
Investing.
Shareholder Inquiries. All inquiries regarding the Fund should be directed
to the Fund at the telephone number or address set forth on the front cover
of this Prospectus.
20
<PAGE>
THE DEAN WITTER FAMILY OF FUNDS
MONEY MARKET FUNDS
Dean Witter Liquid Asset Fund Inc.
Dean Witter U.S. Government Money
Market Trust
Dean Witter Tax-Free Daily Income Trust
Dean Witter California Tax-Free Daily
Income Trust
Dean Witter New York Municipal Money
Market Trust
EQUITY FUNDS
Dean Witter American Value Fund
Dean Witter Natural Resource Development
Securities Inc.
Dean Witter Dividend Growth Securities Inc.
Dean Witter Developing Growth Securities Trust
Dean Witter World Wide Investment Trust
Dean Witter Value-Added Market Series
Dean Witter Utilities Fund
Dean Witter Capital Growth Securities
Dean Witter European Growth Fund Inc.
Dean Witter Precious Metals and Minerals Trust
Dean Witter Pacific Growth Fund Inc.
Dean Witter Health Sciences Trust
Dean Witter Global Dividend Growth Securities
Dean Witter Global Utilities Fund
Dean Witter International Small Cap Fund
Dean Witter Balanced Growth Fund
Dean Witter Mid-Cap Growth Fund
FIXED-INCOME FUNDS
Dean Witter High Yield Securities Inc.
Dean Witter Tax-Exempt Securities Trust
Dean Witter U.S. Government Securities Trust
Dean Witter Federal Securities Trust
Dean Witter Convertible Securities Trust
Dean Witter California Tax-Free Income Fund
Dean Witter New York Tax-Free Income Fund
Dean Witter World Wide Income Trust
Dean Witter Intermediate Income Securities
Dean Witter Global Short-Term Income Fund Inc.
Dean Witter Multi-State Municipal Series Trust
Dean Witter Premier Income Trust
Dean Witter Short-Term U.S. Treasury Trust
Dean Witter Diversified Income Trust
Dean Witter Limited Term Municipal Trust
Dean Witter Short-Term Bond Fund
Dean Witter High Income Securities
Dean Witter National Municipal Trust
Dean Witter Balanced Income Fund
Dean Witter Hawaii Municipal Trust
ASSET ALLOCATION FUNDS
Dean Witter Managed Assets Trust
Dean Witter Strategist Fund
ACTIVE ASSETS ACCOUNT PROGRAM
Active Assets Money Trust
Active Assets Tax-Free Trust
Active Assets California Tax-Free Trust
Active Assets Government Securities Trust
DEAN WITTER RETIREMENT SERIES
Liquid Asset Series
U.S. Government Money Market Series
U.S. Government Securities Series
Intermediate Income Securities Series
American Value Series
Capital Growth Series
Dividend Growth Series
Stategist Series
Utilities Series
Value-Added Market Series
Global Equity Series
<PAGE>
Dean Witter
Managed Assets Trust
Two World Trade Center
New York, New York 10048
TRUSTEES
Jack F. Bennett
Michael Bozic
Charles A. Fiumefreddo
Edwin J. Garn
John R. Haire
Dr. Manuel H. Johnson
Paul Kolton
Michael E. Nugent
Philip J. Purcell
John L. Schroeder
OFFICERS
Charles A. Fiumefreddo
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Sheldon Curtis
Vice President, Secretary and
General Counsel
Kenton J. Hinchliffe
Vice President
Thomas F. Caloia
Treasurer
CUSTODIAN
The Bank of New York
90 Washington Street
New York, New York 10286
TRANSFER AGENT AND
DIVIDEND DISBURSING AGENT
Dean Witter Trust Company
Harborside Financial Center
Plaza Two
Jersey City, New Jersey 07311
INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
Price Waterhouse LLP
1177 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10036
INVESTMENT MANAGER
Dean Witter InterCapital Inc.
DEAN WITTER
MANAGED ASSETS
TRUST
PROSPECTUS--MAY 30, 1995
<PAGE>
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
MAY 30, 1995
DEAN WITTER
MANAGED
ASSETS
TRUST
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dean Witter Managed Assets Trust (the "Fund") is an open-end,
nondiversified management investment company, whose investment objective is a
high level of total return on its investments. The Fund seeks to achieve its
objective through a fully managed investment policy utilizing equity
securities, fixed-income securities rated Baa or higher by Moody's Investors
Service, Inc. ("Moody's") or BBB or higher by Standard and Poor's Corporation
("S&P") or unrated securities of comparable quality and money market
instruments. See "Investment Objective and Policies."
A Prospectus for the Fund dated May 30, 1995, which provides the basic
information you should know before investing in the Fund, may be obtained
without charge from the Fund at the address or telephone number listed below
or from the Fund's Distributor, Dean Witter Distributors Inc., or from Dean
Witter Reynolds Inc. at any of its branch offices. This Statement of
Additional Information is not a Prospectus. It contains information in
addition to and more detailed than that set forth in the Prospectus. It is
intended to provide additional information regarding the activities and
operations of the Fund, and should be read in conjunction with the
Prospectus.
Dean Witter
Managed Assets Trust
Two World Trade Center
New York, New York 10048
(212) 392-2550
<PAGE>
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C>
The Fund and its Management ......... 3
Trustees and Officers ............... 6
Investment Practices and Policies .. 12
Investment Restrictions ............. 25
Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage 26
The Distributor ..................... 28
Shareholder Services ................ 32
Redemptions and Repurchases ......... 36
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes . 39
Performance Information ............. 41
Description of Shares ............... 41
Custodian and Transfer Agent ....... 42
Independent Accountants ............. 43
Reports to Shareholders ............. 43
Legal Counsel ....................... 43
Experts ............................. 43
Registration Statement .............. 43
Financial Statements--March 31, 1995 44
Report of Independent Accountants .. 54
Appendix ............................ 55
</TABLE>
2
<PAGE>
THE FUND AND ITS MANAGEMENT
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE FUND
The Fund is a trust of the type commonly known as a "Massachusetts
business trust" and was organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts on October 8, 1987.
THE INVESTMENT MANAGER
Dean Witter InterCapital Inc. (the "Investment Manager" or
"InterCapital"), a Delaware corporation, whose address is Two World Trade
Center, New York, New York 10048, is the Fund's Investment Manager.
InterCapital is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dean Witter, Discover & Co.
("DWDC"), a Delaware corporation. In an internal reorganization which took
place in January, 1993, InterCapital assumed the investment advisory,
administrative and management activities previously performed by the
InterCapital Division of Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. ("DWR"), a broker-dealer
affiliate of InterCapital. (As hereinafter used in this Statement of
Additional Information, the terms "InterCapital" and "Investment Manager"
refer to DWR's InterCapital Division prior to the internal reorganization and
to Dean Witter InterCapital Inc. thereafter). The daily management of the
Fund and research relating to the Fund's portfolio are conducted by or under
the direction of officers of the Fund and of the Investment Manager, subject
to review of investments by the Fund's Board of Trustees. In addition,
Trustees of the Fund provide guidance on economic factors and interest rate
trends. Information as to these Trustees and officers is contained under the
caption "Trustees and Officers".
InterCapital is also the investment manager of the following investment
companies: Dean Witter Liquid Asset Fund Inc., InterCapital Income Securities
Inc., InterCapital Insured Municipal Bond Trust, Dean Witter High Yield
Securities Inc., Dean Witter Tax-Free Daily Income Trust, Dean Witter
Developing Growth Securities Trust, Dean Witter Tax-Exempt Securities Trust,
Dean Witter Natural Resource Development Securities Inc., Dean Witter
Dividend Growth Securities Inc., Dean Witter American Value Fund, Dean Witter
U.S. Government Money Market Trust, Dean Witter Variable Investment Series,
Dean Witter World Wide Investment Trust, Dean Witter Select Municipal
Reinvestment Fund, Dean Witter U.S. Government Securities Trust, Dean Witter
California Tax-Free Income Fund, Dean Witter New York Tax-Free Income Fund,
Dean Witter Convertible Securities Trust, Dean Witter Federal Securities
Trust, Dean Witter Value-Added Market Series, High Income Advantage Trust,
High Income Advantage Trust II, High Income Advantage Trust III, Dean Witter
Government Income Trust, Dean Witter Utilities Fund, Dean Witter California
Tax-Free Daily Income Trust, Dean Witter Strategist Fund, Dean Witter World
Wide Income Trust, Dean Witter Intermediate Income Securities, Dean Witter
New York Municipal Money Market Trust, Dean Witter Capital Growth Securities,
Dean Witter European Growth Fund Inc., Dean Witter Precious Metals and
Minerals Trust, Dean Witter Global Short-Term Income Fund Inc., Dean Witter
Pacific Growth Fund Inc., Dean Witter Multi-State Municipal Series Trust,
Dean Witter Short-Term U.S. Treasury Trust, Dean Witter Premier Income Trust,
InterCapital Quality Municipal Investment Trust, InterCapital Quality
Municipal Income Trust, InterCapital Insured Municipal Trust, InterCapital
Insured Municipal Income Trust, InterCapital California Insured Municipal
Income Trust, Dean Witter Diversified Income Trust, Dean Witter Health
Sciences Trust, Dean Witter Retirement Series, Dean Witter Global Dividend
Growth Securities, Dean Witter Limited Term Municipal Trust, Dean Witter
Short-Term Bond Fund, Dean Witter Global Utilities Fund, Dean Witter National
Municipal Trust, Dean Witter High Income Securities, Dean Witter Balanced
Income Fund, Dean Witter Balanced Growth Fund, Dean Witter Global Asset
Allocation Fund, Dean Witter International SmallCap Fund, Dean Witter Mid-Cap
Growth Fund, Dean Witter Hawaii Municipal Trust, InterCapital Insured
Municipal Securities, InterCapital Insured California Municipal Securities,
Active Assets Money Trust, Active Assets Tax-Free Trust, Active Assets
California Tax-Free Trust, Active Assets Government Securities Trust,
Municipal Income Trust, Municipal Income Trust II, Municipal Income Trust
III, Municipal Income Opportunities Trust, Municipal Income Opportunities
Trust II, Municipal Income Opportunities Trust III, Prime Income Trust and
Municipal Premium Income Trust. The foregoing investment companies, together
with the Fund, are collectively referred to as the Dean Witter Funds. In
addition, Dean Witter Services Company Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of
InterCapital, serves as manager for the following investment companies for
which TCW Funds Management, Inc. is the investment adviser: TCW/DW Core
Equity Trust, TCW/DW North American Government Income Trust, TCW/DW Latin
American Growth Fund, TCW/DW Income and Growth Fund, TCW/DW Small Cap Growth
Fund, TCW/DW Balanced Fund, TCW/DW Emerging
3
<PAGE>
Markets Opportunities Trust, TCW/DW North American Intermediate Income Trust,
TCW/DW Total Return Trust, TCW/DW Global Convertible Trust, TCW/DW Term Trust
2000, TCW/DW Term Trust 2002 and TCW/DW Term Trust 2003 (the "TCW/DW Funds").
InterCapital also serves as: (i) sub-adviser to Templeton Global
Opportunities Trust, an open-end investment company; (ii) administrator of
The BlackRock Strategic Term Trust Inc., a closed-end investment company; and
(iii) sub-administrator of MassMutual Participation Investors and Templeton
Global Governments Income Trust, closed-end investment companies.
The Investment Manager also serves as an investment adviser for Dean
Witter World Wide Investment Fund, an investment company organized under the
laws of Luxembourg, shares of which are not available for purchase in the
United States or by American citizens outside the United States.
Pursuant to an Investment Management Agreement (the "Agreement") with the
Investment Manager, the Fund has retained the Investment Manager to manage
the investment of the Fund's assets, including the placing of orders for the
purchase and sale of portfolio securities. The Investment Manager obtains and
evaluates such information and advice relating to the economy, securities
markets and specific securities as it considers necessary or useful to
continuously manage the assets of the Fund in a manner consistent with its
investment objective.
Under the terms of the Agreement, in addition to managing the Fund's
investments, the Investment Manager maintains certain of the Fund's books and
records and furnishes, at its own expense, such office space, facilities,
equipment, clerical help and bookkeeping and legal services as the Fund may
reasonably require in the conduct of its business, including the preparation
of prospectuses, statements of additional information, proxy statements and
reports required to be filed with federal and state securities commissions
(except insofar as the participation or assistance of independent accountants
and attorneys is, in the opinion of the Investment Manager, necessary or
desirable). In addition, the Investment Manager pays the salaries of all
personnel, including officers of the Fund, who are employees of the
Investment Manager. The Investment Manager also bears the cost of telephone
service, heat, light, power and other utilities provided to the Fund.
Effective December 31, 1993, pursuant to a Services Agreement between
InterCapital and DWSC, DWSC began to provide the administrative services to
the Fund which were previously performed directly by InterCapital. On April
17, 1995, DWSC was reorganized in the State of Delaware, necessitating the
entry into a new Services Agreement by InterCapital and DWSC on such date.
The foregoing internal reorganizations did not result in any change in the
nature or scope of the administrative services being provided to the Fund or
any of the fees being paid by the Fund for the overall services being
performed under the terms of the existing Management Agreement.
Expenses not expressly assumed by the Investment Manager under the
Agreement or by Dean Witter Distributors Inc., the Distributor of the Fund's
shares ("Distributors" or "the Distributor"), will be paid by the Fund. The
expenses borne by the Fund include, but are not limited to: expenses of the
Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (see "The Distributor"); charges
and expenses of any registrar; custodian, stock transfer and dividend
disbursing agent; brokerage commissions; taxes; engraving and printing of
share certificates; registration costs of the Fund and its shares under
federal and state securities laws; the cost and expense of printing,
including typesetting, and distributing Prospectuses and Statements of
Additional Information of the Fund and supplements thereto to the Fund's
shareholders; all expenses of shareholders' and Trustees' meetings and of
preparing, printing and mailing of proxy statements and reports to
shareholders; fees and travel expenses of Trustees or members of any advisory
board or committee who are not employees of the Investment Manager or any
corporate affiliate of the Investment Manager; all expenses incident to any
dividend, withdrawal or redemption options; charges and expenses of any
outside service used for pricing of the Fund's shares; fees and expenses of
legal counsel, including counsel to the Trustees who are not interested
persons of the Fund or of the Investment Manager (not including compensation
or expenses of attorneys who are employees of the Investment Manager) and
independent accountants; membership dues of industry associations; interest
on Fund borrowings; postage; insurance premiums on property or personnel
(including officers and Trustees) of the Fund which inure to its benefit;
extraordinary expenses (including, but not limited to, legal claims and
liabilities and litigation costs and any indemnification relating thereto);
and all other costs of the Fund's operation.
4
<PAGE>
As full compensation for the services and facilities furnished to the Fund
and expenses of the Fund assumed by the Investment Manager, the Fund pays the
Investment Manager monthly compensation calculated daily by applying the
annual rate of 0.60% to the Fund's daily net assets not exceeding $500
million and 0.55% to the Fund's daily net assets exceeding $500 million.
Total compensation accrued to the Investment Manager for the fiscal years
ended March 31, 1993, 1994 and 1995 amounted to $1,366,776, $1,490,674 and
$2,086,759, respectively.
Pursuant to the Agreement, total operating expenses of the Fund are
subject to applicable limitations under rules and regulations of states where
the Fund is authorized to sell its shares. Therefore, operating expenses are
effectively subject to the most restrictive of such limitations as the same
may be amended from time to time. Presently, the most restrictive limitation
is as follows. If, in any fiscal year, the Fund's total operating expenses,
exclusive of taxes, interest, brokerage fees, distribution fees and
extraordinary expenses (to the extent permitted by applicable state
securities laws and regulations), exceed 2 1/2 % of the first $30,000,000 of
average daily net assets, 2% of the next $70,000,000 and 1 1/2 % of any
excess over $100,000,000, the Investment Manager will reimburse the Fund for
the amount of such excess. Such amount, if any, will be calculated daily and
credited on a monthly basis. The Fund did not exceed such limitation during
the fiscal years ended March 31, 1993, 1994 and 1995.
The Agreement provides that in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad
faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations thereunder,
the Investment Manager is not liable to the Fund or any of its investors for
any act or omission by the Investment Manager or for any losses sustained by
the Fund or its investors. The Agreement in no way restricts the Investment
Manager from acting as investment manager or adviser to others.
The Agreement was initially approved by the Board of Trustees on October
30, 1992, and by the shareholders of the Fund at a Special Meeting of
Shareholders held on January 12, 1993. The Agreement is substantially
identical to a prior investment management agreement which was initially
approved by the Trustees on January 14, 1988, by DWR as the then sole
shareholder on March 23, 1988, and by the Fund's shareholders at a Special
Meeting of Shareholders held on July 19, 1989. The Agreement took effect on
June 30, 1993 upon the spin-off by Sears, Roebuck and Co. of its remaining
shares of DWDC. The Agreement may be terminated at any time, without penalty,
on thirty days' notice by the Trustees of the Fund, by the holders of a
majority, as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the
"Act"), of the outstanding shares of the Fund, or by the Investment Manager.
The Agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment (as
defined in the Act).
Under its terms, the Agreement had an initial term ended April 30, 1994,
and provides that it will continue from year to year thereafter, provided
continuance of the Agreement is approved at least annually by the vote of the
holders of a majority, as defined in the Act, of the outstanding shares of
the Fund, or by the Trustees of the Fund; provided that in either event such
continuance is approved annually by the vote of a majority of the Trustees of
the Fund who are not parties to the Agreement or "interested persons" (as
defined in the Act) of any such party (the "Independent Trustees"), which
vote must be cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on
such approval. At their meeting held on April 20, 1995, the Fund's Board of
Trustees, including all of the Independent Trustees, approved the
continuation of the Agreement until April 30, 1996.
The Fund has acknowledged that the name "Dean Witter" is a property right
of DWR. The Fund has agreed that DWR or its parent company may use, or at any
time permit others to use, the name "Dean Witter". The Fund has also agreed
that in the event the Investment Management Agreement between InterCapital
and the Fund is terminated, or if the affiliation between InterCapital and
its parent company is terminated, the Fund will eliminate the name "Dean
Witter" from its name if DWR or its parent company shall so request.
5
<PAGE>
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS
The Trustees and Executive Officers of the Fund, their principal business
occupations during the last five years and their affiliations, if any, with
InterCapital and with the 76 Dean Witter Funds and the 13 TCW/DW Funds are
shown below.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
NAME, AGE, POSITION WITH FUND AND ADDRESS PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION DURING LAST FIVE YEARS
- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C>
Jack F. Bennett (71) Retired; Director or Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds;
Trustee formerly Senior Vice President and Director of Exxon
c/o Gordon Altman Butowsky Weitzen Shalov & Wein Corporation (1975-January, 1989) and Under Secretary
Counsel to the Independent Trustees 114 West 47th of the U.S. Treasury for Monetary Affairs (1974-1975);
Street New York, New York director of Philips Electronics, N.V., Tandem
Computers Inc. and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance
Co.; director or trustee of various not-for-profit and
business organizations.
Michael Bozic (54) President and Chief Executive Officer of Hills
Trustee Department Stores (since May, 1991); formerly Chairman
c/o Hills Stores Inc. and Chief Executive Officer (January, 1987-August,
15 Dan Road 1990) and President and Chief Operating Officer
Canton, Massachusetts (August, 1990-February, 1991) of the Sears Merchandise
Group of Sears, Roebuck and Co.; Director or Trustee
of the Dean Witter Funds; Director of Eaglemark
Financial Services, Inc., the United Negro College
Fund and Domain Inc. (home decor retailer).
Charles A. Fiumefreddo* (62) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Director of
Chairman of the Board InterCapital and Dean Witter Distributors Inc. and
President and Chief Executive Officer DWSC; Executive Vice President and Director of DWR;
and Trustee Chairman, Director or Trustee, President and Chief
Two World Trade Center Executive Officer of the Dean Witter Funds; Chairman,
New York, New York Chief Executive Officer and Trustee of the TCW/DW
Funds; Chairman and Director of Dean Witter Trust
Company ("DWTC"); Director and/or officer of various
DWDC subsidiaries and affiliates; formerly Executive
Vice President and Director of DWDC (until February,
1993).
Edwin J. Garn (62) Director or Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds; formerly
Trustee United States Senator (R-Utah) (1974-1992) and
c/o Huntsman Chemical Corporation 2000 Eagle Gate Chairman, Senate Banking Committee (1980-1986);
Tower formerly Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah (1971-1974);
Salt Lake City, Utah formerly Astronaut, Space Shuttle Discovery (April
12-19, 1985); Vice Chairman, Huntsman Chemical
Corporation (since January, 1993); Member of the board
of various civic and charitable organizations.
6
<PAGE>
NAME, AGE, POSITION WITH FUND AND ADDRESS PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION DURING LAST FIVE YEARS
- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------
John R. Haire (70) Chairman of the Audit Committee and Chairman of the
Trustee Committee of the Independent Directors or Trustees and
Two World Trade Center Director or Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds; Trustee
New York, New York of the TCW/DW Funds; formerly President, Council for
Aid to Education (1978-October, 1989) and Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer of Anchor Corporation, an
Investment Adviser (1964-1978); Director of Washington
National Corporation (insurance).
Dr. Manuel H. Johnson (46) Senior Partner, Johnson Smick International, Inc., a
Trustee consulting firm (since June, 1985); Koch Professor of
c/o Johnson Smick International, Inc. 1133 International Economics and Director of the Center for
Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. Global Market Studies at George Mason University
(since September, 1990); Co-Chairman and a founder of
the Group of Seven Council (G7C), an international
economic commission (since September, 1990); Director
or Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds; Trustee of the
TCW/DW Funds; Director of Greenwich Capital Markets
Inc. (broker-dealer); formerly Vice Chairman of the
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
(February, 1986-August, 1990) and Assistant Secretary
of the U.S. Treasury (1982-1986).
Paul Kolton (71) Director or Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds; Chairman
Trustee of the Audit Committee and Chairman of the Committee
c/o Gordon Altman Butowsky Weitzen Shalov & Wein of the Independent Trustees of the TCW/DW Funds and
Counsel to the Independent Trustees 114 West 47th Trustee of the TCW/DW Funds; formerly Chairman of the
Street New York, New York Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council and
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the American
Stock Exchange; Director of UCC Investors Holding Inc.
(Uniroyal Chemical Company Inc.); director or trustee
of various not-for-profit organizations.
Michael E. Nugent (59) General Partner, Triumph Capital, LP., a private
Trustee investment partnership; Director or Trustee of the
c/o Triumph Capital, L.P. 237 Park Avenue Dean Witter Funds; Trustee of the TCW/DW Funds;
New York, New York formerly Vice President, Bankers Trust Company and BT
Capital Corporation (September, 1984-March, 1988);
director of various business organizations.
Philip J. Purcell* (51) Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive
Trustee Officer of DWDC, DWR and Novus Credit Services Inc.;
Two World Trade Center Director of InterCapital, DWSC and Distributors;
New York, New York Director or Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds; Director
and/or officer of various DWDC Subsidiaries.
7
<PAGE>
NAME, AGE, POSITION WITH FUND AND ADDRESS PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION DURING LAST FIVE YEARS
- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------
John L. Schroeder (64) Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer
Trustee of the Home Insurance Company (since August, 1991);
c/o The Home Insurance Company 59 Maiden Lane New Director or Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds; Director
York, New York of Citizens Utilities Company; formerly Chairman and
Chief Investment Officer of Axe-Houghton Management
and the Axe-Houghton Funds (April, 1993-June, 1991)
and President of USF&G Financial Services, Inc. (June
1990-June, 1991).
Sheldon Curtis (63) Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel
Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel of InterCapital and DWSC; Senior Vice President,
Two World Trade Center Assistant Secretary and Assistant General Counsel of
New York, New York Dean Witter Distributors Inc., Senior Vice President
and Secretary of DWTC; Assistant Secretary of DWR and
Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel of the
Dean Witter Funds and the TCW/DW Funds.
Kenton J. Hinchliffe (50) Senior Vice President of InterCapital; Vice President
Vice President of various Dean Witter Funds.
Two World Trade Center
New York, New York
Thomas F. Caloia (49) First Vice President (since May, 1991) and Assistant
Treasurer Treasurer (since January, 1993) of InterCapital; First
Two World Trade Center Vice President and Assistant Treasurer of DWSC;
New York, New York Treasurer of the Dean Witter Funds and the TCW/DW
Funds; previously Vice President of InterCapital.
</TABLE>
- ---------------
* Denotes Trustees who are "interested persons" of the Fund, as defined in the
Act.
In addition, Robert M. Scanlan, President and Chief Operating Officer of
InterCapital and DWSC, Executive Vice President of Distributors and DWTC and
Director of DWTC, David A. Hughey, Executive Vice President and Chief
Administrative Officer of InterCapital, DWSC, Distributors and DWTC and
Director of DWTC, Edmund C. Puckhaber, Executive Vice President of
InterCapital and Director of DWTC, and Thomas H. Connelly, Jonathan R. Page,
Ira N. Ross, Paul D. Vance and Rochelle G. Siegel, Senior Vice Presidents of
InterCapital, are Vice Presidents of the Fund, and Marilyn K. Cranney and
Barry Fink, First Vice Presidents and Assistant General Counsels of
InterCapital and DWSC, and Lawrence S. Lafer, Lou Anne D. McInnis and Ruth
Rossi, Vice Presidents and Assistant General Counsels of InterCapital and
DWSC, are Assistant Secretaries of the Fund.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES; RESPONSIBILITIES AND COMPENSATION OF INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES
As mentioned above under the caption "The Fund and its Management," the
Fund is one of the Dean Witter Funds, a group of investment companies managed
by InterCapital. As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information,
there are a total of 76 Dean Witter Funds, comprised of 116 portfolios. As of
April 30, 1995, the Dean Witter Funds had total net assets of approximately
$62.9 billion and more than five million shareholders.
The Board of Directors or Trustees, consisting of ten (10) directors or
trustees, is the same for each of the Dean Witter Funds. Some of the Funds
are organized as business trusts, others as corporations, but the functions
and duties of directors and trustees are the same. Accordingly, directors and
trustees of the Dean Witter Funds are referred to in this section as
Trustees.
8
<PAGE>
Eight Trustees, that is, 80% of the total number, have no affiliation or
business connection with InterCapital or any of its affiliated persons and do
not own any stock or other securities issued by InterCapital's parent
company, DWDC. These are the "disinterested" or "independent" Trustees. Five
of the eight Independent Trustees are also Independent Trustees of the TCW/DW
Funds. As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, there are
a total of 13 TCW/DW Funds. Two of the Funds' Trustees, that is, the
management Trustees, are affiliated with InterCapital.
As noted in a federal court ruling, "[T]he independent directors . . . are
expected to look after the interests of shareholders by 'furnishing an
independent check upon management,' especially with respect to fees paid to
the investment company's sponsor." In addition to their general "watchdog"
duties, the Independent Trustees are charged with a wide variety of
responsibilities under the Act. In order to perform their duties effectively,
the Independent Trustees are required to review and understand large amounts
of material, often of a highly technical and legal nature.
The Dean Witter Funds seek as Independent Trustees individuals of
distinction and experience in business and finance, government service or
academia; that is, people whose advice and counsel are valuable and in demand
by others and for whom there is often competition. To accept a position on
the Funds' Boards, such individuals may reject other attractive assignments
because of the demands made on their time by the Funds. Indeed, to serve on
the Funds' Boards, certain Trustees who would be qualified and in demand to
serve on bank boards would be prohibited by law from serving at the same time
as a director of a national bank and as a Trustee of a Fund.
The Independent Trustees are required to select and nominate individuals
to fill any Independent Trustee vacancy on the Board of any Fund that has a
Rule 12b-1 plan of distribution. Since most of the Dean Witter Funds have
such a plan, and since all of the Funds' Boards have the same members, the
Independent Trustees effectively control the selection of other Independent
Trustees of all the Dean Witter Funds.
GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE OF THE DEAN WITTER FUNDS
While the regulatory system establishes both general guidelines and
specific duties for the Independent Trustees, the governance arrangements
from one investment company group to another vary significantly. In some
groups the Independent Trustees perform their role by attendance at periodic
meetings of the board of directors with study of materials furnished to them
between meetings. At the other extreme, an investment company complex may
employ a full-time staff to assist the Independent Trustees in the
performance of their duties.
The governance structure of the Dean Witter Funds lies between these two
extremes. The Independent Trustees and the Funds' Investment Manager alike
believe that these arrangements are effective and serve the interests of the
Funds' shareholders. All of the Independent Trustees serve as members of the
Audit Committee and the Committee of the Independent Trustees. Three of them
also serve as members of the Derivatives Committee.
The Committee of the Independent Trustees is charged with recommending to
the full Board approval of management, advisory and administration contracts,
Rule 12b-1 plans and distribution and underwriting agreements, continually
reviewing Fund performance, checking on the pricing of portfolio securities,
brokerage commissions, transfer agent costs and performance, and trading
among Funds in the same complex, and approving fidelity bond and related
insurance coverage and allocations, as well as other matters that arise from
time to time.
The Audit Committee is charged with recommending to the full Board the
engagement or discharge of the Fund's independent accountants; directing
investigations into matters within the scope of the independent accountants'
duties, including the power to retain outside specialists; reviewing with the
independent accountants the audit plan and results of the auditing
engagement; approving professional services provided by the independent
accountants and other accounting firms prior to the performance of such
services; reviewing the independence of the independent accountants;
considering the range of
9
<PAGE>
audit and non-audit fees; reviewing the adequacy of the Fund's system of
internal controls; advising the independent accountants and management
personnel that they have direct access to the Committee at all times; and
preparing and submitting Committee meeting minutes to the full Board.
Finally, the Board of each Fund has established a Derivatives Committee to
establish parameters for and oversee the activities of the Fund with respect
to derivative investments, if any, made by the Fund.
During the calendar year ended December 31, 1994, the three Committees
held a combined total of eleven meetings. The Committee meetings are
sometimes held away from the offices of InterCapital and sometimes in the
Board room of InterCapital. These meetings are held without management
directors or officers being present, unless and until they may be invited to
the meeting for purposes of furnishing information or making a report. These
separate meetings provide the Independent Trustees an opportunity to explore
in depth with their own independent legal counsel, independent auditors and
other independent consultants, as needed, the issues they believe should be
addressed and resolved in the interests of the Funds' shareholders.
DUTIES OF CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES
The Chairman of the Committees maintains an office at the Funds'
headquarters in New York. He is responsible for keeping abreast of regulatory
and industry developments and the Funds' operations and management. He
screens and/or prepares written materials and identifies critical issues for
the Independent Trustees to consider, develops agendas for Committee
meetings, determines the type and amount of information that the Committees
will need to form a judgment on the issues, and arranges to have the
information furnished. He also arranges for the services of independent
experts to be provided to the Committees and consults with them in advance of
meetings to help refine reports and to focus on critical issues. Members of
the Committees believe that the person who serves as Chairman of all three
Committees and guides their efforts is pivotal to the effective functioning
of the Committees.
The Chairman of the Committees also maintains continuous contact with the
Funds' management, with independent counsel to the Independent Trustees and
with the Funds' independent auditors. He arranges for a series of special
meetings involving the annual review of investment management and other
operating contracts of the Funds and, on behalf of the Committees, conducts
negotiations with the Investment Manager and other service providers. In
effect, the Chairman of the Committees serves as a combination of chief
executive and support staff of the Independent Trustees.
The Chairman of the Committees is not employed by any other organization
and devotes his time primarily to the services he performs as Committee
Chairman and Independent Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds and as an
Independent Trustee of the TCW/DW Funds. The current Committee Chairman has
had more than 35 years experience as a senior executive in the investment
company industry.
VALUE OF HAVING SAME INDIVIDUALS AS INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES FOR ALL DEAN WITTER
FUNDS
The Independent Trustees and the Funds' management believe that having the
same Independent Trustees for each of the Dean Witter Funds is in the best
interests of all the Funds' shareholders. This arrangement avoids the
duplication of effort that would arise from having different groups of
individuals serving as Independent Trustees for each of the Funds or even of
sub-groups of Funds. It is believed that having the same individuals serve as
Independent Trustees of all the Funds tends to increase their knowledge and
expertise regarding matters which affect the Fund complex generally and
enhances their ability to negotiate on behalf of each Fund with the Fund's
service providers. This arrangement also precludes the likelihood of separate
groups of Independent Trustees arriving at conflicting decisions regarding
operations and management of the Funds and avoids the cost and confusion that
would likely ensue. Finally, it is believed that having the same Independent
Trustees serve on all Fund Boards enhances the ability of each Fund to
obtain, at modest cost to each separate Fund, the services of Independent
Trustees, and a Chairman of their Committees, of the caliber, experience and
business acumen of the individuals who serve as Independent Trustees of the
Dean Witter Funds.
10
<PAGE>
COMPENSATION OF INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES
The Fund pays each Independent Trustee an annual fee of $1,200 plus a per
meeting fee of $50 for meetings of the Board of Trustees or committees of the
Board of Trustees attended by the Trustee (the Fund pays the Chairman of the
Audit Committee an annual fee of $1,000 and pays the Chairman of the
Committee of the Independent Trustees an additional annual fee of $2,400, in
each case inclusive of the Committee meeting fees). The Fund also reimburses
such Trustees for travel and other out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in
connection with attending such meetings. Trustees and officers of the Fund
who are or have been employed by the Investment Manager or an affiliated
company receive no compensation or expense reimbursement from the Fund.
The Fund has adopted a retirement program under which an Independent
Trustee who retires after serving for at least five years (or such lesser
period as may be determined by the Board) as an Independent Director or
Trustee of any Dean Witter Fund that has adopted the retirement program (each
such Fund referred to as an "Adopting Fund" and each such Trustee referred to
as an "Eligible Trustee") is entitled to retirement payments upon reaching
the eligible retirement age (normally, after attaining age 72). Annual
payments are based upon length of service. Currently, upon retirement, each
Eligible Trustee is entitled to receive from the Fund, commencing as of his
or her retirement date and continuing for the remainder of his or her life,
an annual retirement benefit (the "Regular Benefit") equal to 28.75% of his
or her Eligible Compensation plus 0.4791666% of such Eligible Compensation
for each full month of service as an Independent Director or Trustee of any
Adopting Fund in excess of five years up to a maximum of 57.50% after ten
years of service. The foregoing percentages may be changed by the Board.(1)
"Eligible Compensation" is one-fifth of the total compensation earned by such
Eligible Trustee for service to the Fund in the five year period prior to the
date of the Eligible Trustee's retirement. Benefits under the retirement
program are not secured or funded by the Fund. As of the date of this
Statement of Additional Information, 58 Dean Witter Funds have adopted the
retirement program.
(1) An Eligible Trustee may elect alternate payments of his or her
retirement benefits based upon the combined life expectancy of such
Eligible Trustee and his or her spouse on the date of such Eligible
Trustee's retirement. The amount estimated to be payable under this
method, through the remainder of the later of the lives of such
Eligible Trustee and spouse, will be the actuarial equivalent of the
Regular Benefit. In addition, the Eligible Trustee may elect that the
surviving spouse's periodic payment of benefits will be equal to either
50% or 100% of the previous periodic amount, an election that,
respectively, increases or decreases the previous periodic amount so
that the resulting payments will be the actuarial equivalent of the
Regular Benefit.
The following table illustrates the compensation paid and the retirement
benefits accrued to the Fund's Independent Trustees by the Fund for the
fiscal year ended March 31, 1995 and the estimated retirement benefits for
the Fund's Independent Trustees as of March 31, 1995.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FUND COMPENSATION ESTIMATED RETIREMENT BENEFITS
-------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------
ESTIMATED
RETIREMENT CREDITED YEARS ESTIMATED ESTIMATED
AGGREGATE BENEFITS OF SERVICE AT PERCENTAGE OF ESTIMATED ANNUAL
NAME OF INDEPENDENT COMPENSATION ACCRUED AS FUND RETIREMENT ELIGIBLE ELIGIBLE BENEFITS UPON
TRUSTEE FROM THE FUND EXPENSES (MAXIMUM 10) COMPENSATION COMPENSATION(2) RETIREMENT(3)
- -------------------------- --------------- --------------- -------------- --------------- --------------- -------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Jack F. Bennett ........... $2,000 $ 876 8 46.0% $2,229 $1,025
Michael Bozic ............. 1,850 114 10 57.5 1,950 1,121
Edwin J. Garn ............. 1,950 513 10 57.5 1,950 1,121
John R. Haire ............. 4,950(4) 2,101 10 57.5 5,162 2,968
Dr. Manuel H. Johnson .... 1,950 213 10 57.5 1,950 1,121
Paul Kolton ............... 2,000 942 10 57.0 2,435 1,388
Michael E. Nugent ......... 1,800 364 10 57.5 1,950 1,121
John L. Schroeder ......... 1,900 223 8 47.9 1,950 934
- ---------------
(2) Based on current levels of compensation.
(3) Based on current levels of compensation. Amount of annual benefits
also varies depending on the Trustee's elections described in Footnote
(1) above.
(4) Of Mr. Haire's compensation from the Fund, $3,400 is paid to him as
Chairman of the Committee of the Independent Trustees ($2,400) and as
Chairman of the Audit Committee ($1,000).
</TABLE>
11
<PAGE>
The following table illustrates the compensation paid to the Fund's
Independent Trustees for the calendar year ended December 31, 1994 for
services to the 73 Dean Witter Funds and, in the case of Messrs. Haire,
Johnson, Kolton and Nugent, the 13 TCW/DW Funds that were in operation at
December 31, 1994. With respect to Messrs. Haire, Johnson, Kolton and Nugent,
the TCW/DW Funds are included solely because of a limited exchange privilege
between those Funds and five Dean Witter Money Market Funds. Mr. Schroeder
was elected as a Trustee of the TCW/DW Funds on April 20, 1995.
CASH COMPENSATION FROM DEAN WITTER FUNDS AND TCW/DW FUNDS
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FOR SERVICE AS
FOR SERVICE AS CHAIRMAN OF TOTAL CASH
DIRECTOR OR FOR SERVICE AS COMMITTEES OF COMPENSATION
TRUSTEE AND TRUSTEE AND INDEPENDENT FOR SERVICES TO
COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMITTEE MEMBER DIRECTORS/ 73 DEAN WITTER
NAME OF INDEPENDENT OF 73 DEAN WITTER OF 13 TCW/DW TRUSTEES AND FUNDS AND 13
TRUSTEE FUNDS FUNDS AUDIT COMMITTEES TCW/DW FUNDS
- -------------------------- ----------------- ---------------- ---------------- ---------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Jack F. Bennett ........... $125,761 -- -- $125,761
Michael Bozic ............. 82,637 -- -- 82,637
Edwin J. Garn ............. 125,711 -- -- 125,711
John R. Haire ............. 101,061 $66,950 $225,563(5) 393,574
Dr. Manuel H. Johnson .... 122,461 60,750 -- 183,211
Paul Kolton ............... 128,961 51,850 34,200(6) 215,011
Michael E. Nugent ......... 115,761 52,650 -- 168,411
John L. Schroeder ......... 85,938 -- -- 85,938
- ---------------
(5) For the 73 Dean Witter Funds.
(6) For the 13 TCW/DW Funds.
</TABLE>
As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, the aggregate
number of shares of beneficial interest of the Fund owned by the Fund's
officers and Trustees as a group was less than 1 percent of the Fund's shares
of beneficial interest outstanding.
INVESTMENT PRACTICES AND POLICIES
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As stated in the Prospectus, the Fund may invest in short-term to
intermediate (one to five year maturities) and intermediate to long term
(greater than five year maturities) fixed-income securities which are issued
or guaranteed, as to principal and interest, by the United States government
or its agencies and instrumentalities.
Such U.S. Government securities include:
(1) U.S. Treasury bills (maturities of one year or less), U.S.
Treasury notes (maturities of one to ten years) and U.S. Treasury bonds
(generally maturities of greater than ten years), all of which are direct
obligations of the U.S. Government and, as such, are backed by the "full
faith and credit" of the United States.
(2) Securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S.
Government which are backed by the full faith and credit of the United
States. Among the agencies and instrumentalities issuing such obligations
are the Federal Housing Administration, the Government National Mortgage
Association ("GNMA"), the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the
Export- Import Bank, the Farmers Home Administration, the General Services
Administration, the Maritime Administration and the Small Business
Administration. The maturities of such obligations range from three months
to thirty years.
(3) Securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities which are not
backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, but whose
issuing agency or instrumentality has the right to borrow, to meet its
obligations, from an existing line of credit with the U.S. Treasury. Among
the agencies and instrumentalities issuing such obligations are the
Tennessee Valley Authority, the Federal National Mortgage Association
("FNMA"), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("FHLMC") and the
U.S. Postal Service.
12
<PAGE>
(4) Securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities which are not
backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, but which are
backed by the credit of the issuing agency or instrumentality. Among the
agencies and instrumentalities issuing such obligations are the Federal
Farm Credit System and the Federal Home Loan Banks.
Zero Coupon Securities. A portion of U.S. Government securities purchased
by the Fund may be zero coupon securities. Such securities are purchased at a
discount from their face amount, giving the purchaser the right to receive
their full value at maturity. The interest earned on such securities is,
implicitly, automatically compounded and paid out at maturity. While such
compounding at a constant rate eliminates the risk of receiving lower yields
upon reinvestment of interest if prevailing interest rates decline, the owner
of a zero coupon security will be unable to participate in higher yields upon
reinvestment of interest received if prevailing interest rates rise. For this
reason, zero coupon securities are subject to substantially greater price
fluctuations during periods of changing prevailing interest rates than are
comparable securities which pay interest currently.
As stated in the Prospectus, the money market instruments which the Fund
may purchase include U.S. Government securities, bank obligations, Eurodollar
certificates of deposit, obligations of savings institutions, fully insured
certificates of deposit and commercial paper. Such securities are limited to:
U.S. Government Securities. Obligations issued or guaranteed as to
principal and interest by the United States or its agencies (such as the
Export-Import Bank of the United States, Federal Housing Administration and
Government National Mortgage Association) or its instrumentalities (such as
the Federal Home Loan Bank), including Treasury bills, notes and bonds;
Bank Obligations. Obligations (including certificates of deposit and
bankers' acceptances) of banks subject to regulation by the U.S. Government
and having total assets of $1 billion or more, and instruments secured by
such obligations, not including obligations of foreign branches of domestic
banks except to the extent below;
Eurodollar Certificates of Deposit. Eurodollar certificates of deposit
issued by foreign branches of domestic banks having total assets of $1
billion or more;
Obligations of Savings Institutions. Certificates of deposit of banks and
savings institutions, having total assets of $1 billion, or more;
Fully Insured Certificates of Deposit. Certificates of deposit of banks
and savings institutions, having total assets of less than $1 billion, if the
principal amount of the obligation is insured by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation, limited to $100,000 principal amount per certificate
and to 10% or less of the Fund's total assets in all such obligations and in
all illiquid assets, in the aggregate;
Commercial Paper. Commercial paper rated within the two highest grades by
S&P or the highest grade by Moody's or, if not rated, issued by a company
having an outstanding debt issue rated at least AA by S&P or Aa by Moody's.
LENDING OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES
Consistent with applicable regulatory requirements, the Fund may lend its
portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions,
provided that such loans are callable at any time by the Fund (subject to
notice provisions described below), and are at all times secured by cash or
cash equivalents, which are maintained in a segregated account pursuant to
applicable regulations and that are equal to at least the market value,
determined daily, of the loaned securities. The advantage of such loans is
that the Fund continues to receive the income on the loaned securities while
at the same time earning interest on the cash amounts deposited as
collateral, which will be invested in short-term obligations. The Fund will
not lend its portfolio securities if such loans are not permitted by the laws
or regulations of any state in which its shares are qualified for sale and
will not lend more than 25% of the value of its total assets. A loan may be
terminated by the borrower on one business day's notice, or by the Fund on
two business days' notice. If the borrower fails to deliver the loaned
securities within two days after receipt of notice, the Fund could use the
collateral to replace the securities while holding the borrower liable for
any excess of replacement cost over collateral. As with any extensions of
credit, there
13
<PAGE>
are risks of delay in recovery and in some cases even loss of rights in the
collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially. However,
these loans of portfolio securities will only be made to firms deemed by the
Fund's management to be creditworthy and when the income which can be earned
from such loans justifies the attendant risks. Upon termination of the loan,
the borrower is required to return the securities to the Fund. Any gain or
loss in the market price during the loan period would inure to the Fund. The
creditworthiness of firms to which the Fund lends its portfolio securities
will be monitored on an ongoing basis by the Investment Manager pursuant to
procedures adopted and reviewed, on an ongoing basis, by the Trustees of the
Fund.
When voting or consent rights which accompany loaned securities pass to
the borrower, the Fund will follow the policy of calling the loaned
securities, to be delivered within one day after notice, to permit the
exercise of such rights if the matters involved would have a material effect
on the Fund's investment in such loaned securities. The Fund will pay
reasonable finder's, administrative and custodial fees in connection with a
loan of its securities. The Fund did not lend any of its portfolio securities
during the fiscal year ended March 31, 1995.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS
When cash may be available for only a few days, it may be invested by the
Fund in repurchase agreements until such time as it may otherwise be invested
or used for payments of obligations of the Fund. These agreements, which may
be viewed as a type of secured lending by the Fund, typically involve the
acquisition by the Fund of debt securities from a selling financial
institution such as a bank, savings and loan association or broker-dealer.
The agreement provides that the Fund will sell back to the institution, and
that the institution will repurchase, the underlying security ("collateral")
at a specified price and at a fixed time in the future, usually not more than
seven days from the date of purchase. The collateral will be maintained in a
segregated account and will be marked to market daily to determine that the
value of the collateral, as specified in the agreement, does not decrease
below the purchase price plus accrued interest. If such decrease occurs,
additional collateral will be requested and, when received, added to the
account to maintain full collateralization. The Fund will accrue interest
from the institution until the time when the repurchase is to occur. Although
such date is deemed by the Fund to be the maturity date of a repurchase
agreement, the maturities of securities subject to repurchase agreements are
not subject to any limits.
While repurchase agreements involve certain risks not associated with
direct investments in debt securities, the Fund follows procedures designed
to minimize such risks. These procedures include effecting repurchase
transactions only with large, well-capitalized and well-established financial
institutions whose financial condition will be continually monitored by the
Investment Manager subject to procedures established by the Board of Trustees
of the Fund. In addition, as described above, the value of the collateral
underlying the repurchase agreement will be at least equal to the repurchase
price, including any accrued interest earned on the repurchase agreement. In
the event of a default or bankruptcy by a selling financial institution, the
Fund will seek to liquidate such collateral. However, the exercising of the
Fund's right to liquidate such collateral could involve certain costs or
delays and, to the extent that proceeds from any sale upon a default of the
obligation to repurchase were less than the repurchase price, the Fund could
suffer a loss. It is the current policy of the Fund not to invest in
repurchase agreements that do not mature within seven days if any such
investment, together with any other illiquid assets held by the Fund, amounts
to more than 10% of its total assets. During the fiscal year ended March 31,
1995, the Fund's investments in repurchase agreements did not exceed 5% of
its total assets.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may also use reverse repurchase
agreements as part of its investment strategy. Reverse repurchase agreements
involve sales by the Fund of portfolio assets concurrently with an agreement
by the Fund to repurchase the same assets at a later date at a fixed price.
Generally, the effect of such a transaction is that the Fund can recover all
or most of the cash invested in the portfolio securities involved during the
term of the reverse repurchase agreement, while it will be able to keep the
interest income associated with those portfolio securities. Such transactions
are only advantageous if the interest cost to the Fund of the reverse
repurchase transaction is less than the cost of obtaining the cash otherwise.
Opportunities to achieve this advantage may not always be
14
<PAGE>
available, and the Fund intends to use the reverse repurchase technique only
when it will be to its advantage to do so. The Fund will establish a
segregated account with its custodian bank in which it will maintain cash,
U.S. Government securities or other high grade debt securities equal in value
to its obligations in respect of reverse repurchase agreements. Reverse
repurchase agreements are considered borrowings by the Fund and for purposes
other than meeting redemptions may not exceed 5% of the Fund's total assets.
The Fund has no present intention of entering into any reverse repurchase
agreements during the upcoming year.
Warrants. The Fund may acquire warrants attached to other securities and,
in addition, may invest up to 5% of the value of its total assets in
warrants, including up to 2% of such assets in warrants not listed on either
the New York or American Stock Exchange. Warrants are, in effect, an option
to purchase equity securities at a specific price, generally valid for a
specific period of time, and have no voting rights, pay no dividends and have
no rights with respect to the corporations issuing them.
When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities. As discussed in the
Prospectus, from time to time, in the ordinary course of business, the Fund
may purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis-i.e.,
delivery and payment can take place a month or more after the date of the
transaction although the price is fixed at the time of the commitment. The
securities so purchased are subject to market fluctuation and no interest
accrues to the purchaser during this period. While the Fund will only
purchase securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery of forward commitment
basis with the intention of acquiring the securities, the Fund may sell the
securities before the settlement date, if it is deemed advisable. At the time
the Fund makes the commitment to purchase securities on a when-issued or
delayed delivery basis, the Fund will record the transaction and thereafter
reflect the value, each day, of such security in determining the net asset
value of the Fund. At the time of delivery of the securities, the value may
be more or less than the purchase price. The Fund will also establish a
segregated account with the Fund's custodian bank in which it will
continuously maintain cash or U.S. Government Securities or other high grade
debt portfolio securities equal in value to commitments for such when-issued
or delayed delivery securities; subject to this requirement, the Fund may
purchase securities on such basis without limit. An increase in the
percentage of the Fund's assets committed to the purchase of securities on a
when-issued or delayed delivery basis may increase the volatility of the
Fund's net asset value. The Investment Manager and the Board of Trustees do
not believe that the Fund's net asset value or income will be adversely
affected by its purchase of securities on such basis.
When, As and If Issued Securities. As discussed in the Prospectus, the
Fund may purchase securities on a "when, as and if issued" basis under which
the issuance of the security depends upon the occurrence of a subsequent
event, such as approval of a merger, corporate reorganization, leveraged
buyout or debt restructuring. The commitment for the purchase of any such
security will not be recognized in the portfolio of the Fund until the
Investment Manager determines that issuance of the security is probable. At
such time, the Fund will record the transaction and, in determining its net
asset value, will reflect the value of the security daily. At such time, the
Fund will also establish a segregated account with its custodian bank in
which it will continuously maintain cash or U.S. Government securities or
other high grade debt portfolio securities equal in value to recognized
commitments for such securities. Settlement of the trade will occur within
five business days of the occurrence of the subsequent event. The value of
the Fund's commitments to purchase the securities of any one issuer, together
with the value of all securities of such issuer owned by the Fund, may not
exceed 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets at the time the initial
commitment to purchase such securities is made (see "Investment
Restrictions"). Subject to the foregoing restrictions, the Fund may purchase
securities on such basis without limit. An increase in the percentage of the
Funds's assets committed to the purchase of securities on a "when, as and if
issued" basis may increase the volatility of its net asset value. The
Investment Manager and the Trustees do not believe that the net asset value
of the Fund will be adversely affected by its purchase of securities on such
basis. The Fund may also sell securities on a "when, as and if issued" basis
provided that the issuance of the securities will result automatically from
the exchange or conversion of securities owned by the Fund at the time of the
sale.
Securities of Foreign Issuers. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total
assets in securities issued by foreign governments and other foreign issuers
and in foreign currency issues of domestic issuers but
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not more than 10% of its total assets in such securities, whether issued by a
foreign or domestic issuer, which are denominated in foreign currency. With
regard to foreign fixed-income securities, the Fund believes that in many
instances securities may provide higher yields than similar securities of
domestic issuers. Many of these investments currently have increased
liquidity, although such securities are generally less liquid than the
securities of United States corporations, and are certainly less liquid than
securities issued by the United States Government or its agencies.
Foreign investments involve certain risks, including the political or
economic instability of the issuer or of the country of issue, the difficulty
of predicting international trade patterns and the possibility of imposition
of exchange controls. Such securities may also be subject to greater
fluctuations in price than securities of United States corporations or of the
United States Government. In addition, there may be less publicly available
information about a foreign company than about a domestic company. Foreign
companies generally are not subject to uniform accounting, auditing and
financial reporting standards comparable to those applicable to domestic
companies. There is generally less government regulation of stock exchanges,
brokers and listed companies abroad than in the United States, and with
respect to certain foreign countries, there is a possibility of expropriation
or confiscatory taxation, or diplomatic developments which could affect
investment in those countries. Finally, in the event of a default of any such
foreign debt obligations, it may be more difficult for the Fund to obtain or
to enforce a judgment against the issuers of such securities. In addition to
the above-mentioned risks, securities denominated in foreign currency,
whether issued by a foreign or a domestic issuer, may be affected favorably
or unfavorably by changes in currency rates and in exchange control
regulations, and costs may be incurred in connection with conversions between
various currencies. It may not be possible to hedge against the risks of
currency fluctuation. The securities of foreign issuers held by the Fund did
not exceed 5% of the Fund's net assets at any time during the fiscal year
ended March 31, 1995.
OPTIONS AND FUTURES TRANSACTIONS
The Fund may write covered call options against securities held in its
portfolio and covered put options on eligible portfolio securities and stock
indexes and purchase options of the same series to effect closing
transactions, and may hedge against potential changes in the market value of
investments (or anticipated investments) and facilitate the reallocation of
the Fund's assets into and out of equities and fixed-income securities by
purchasing put and call options on portfolio (or eligible portfolio)
securities and engaging in transactions involving futures contracts and
options on such contracts.
Call and put options on U.S. Treasury notes, bonds and bills and equity
securities are listed on Exchanges and are written in over-the-counter
transactions ("OTC options"). Listed options are issued by the Options
Clearing Corporation ("OCC"). Ownership of a listed call option gives the
Fund the right to buy from the OCC the underlying security covered by the
option at the stated exercise price (the price per unit of the underlying
security) by filing an exercise notice prior to the expiration date of the
option. The writer (seller) of the option would then have the obligation to
sell to the OCC the underlying security at that exercise price prior to the
expiration date of the option, regardless of its then current market price.
Ownership of a listed put option would give the Fund the right to sell the
underlying security to the OCC at the stated exercise price. Upon notice of
exercise of the put option, the writer of the put would have the obligation
to purchase the underlying security from the OCC at the exercise price. The
Fund did not enter into any options or futures transactions during the fiscal
year ended March 31, 1995.
Options on Treasury Bonds and Notes. Because trading interest in options
written on Treasury bonds and notes tends to center on the most recently
auctioned issues, the exchanges on which such securities trade will not
continue indefinitely to introduce options with new expirations to replace
expiring options on particular issues. Instead, the expirations introduced at
the commencement of options trading on a particular issue will be allowed to
run their course, with the possible addition of a limited number of new
expirations as the original ones expire. Options trading on each issue of
bonds or notes will thus be phased out as new options are listed on more
recent issues, and options representing a full range of expirations will not
ordinarily be available for every issue on which options are traded.
Options on Treasury Bills. Because a deliverable Treasury bill changes
from week to week, writers of Treasury bill calls cannot provide in advance
for their potential exercise settlement obligations by
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acquiring and holding the underlying security. However, if the Fund holds a
long position in Treasury bills with a principal amount of the securities
deliverable upon exercise of the option, the position may be hedged from a
risk standpoint by the writing of a call option. For so long as the call
option is outstanding, the Fund will hold the Treasury bills in a segregated
account with its Custodian, so that they will be treated as being covered.
Options on GNMA Certificates. Currently, options on GNMA Certificates are
only traded over-the- counter. Since the remaining principal balance of GNMA
Certificates declines each month as a result of mortgage payments, the Fund,
as a writer of a GNMA call holding GNMA Certificates as "cover" to satisfy
its delivery obligation in the event of exercise, may find that the GNMA
Certificates it holds no longer have a sufficient remaining principal balance
for this purpose. Should this occur, the Fund will purchase additional GNMA
Certificates from the same pool (if obtainable) or replacement GNMA
Certificates in the cash market in order to maintain its cover. A GNMA
Certificate held by the Fund to cover an option position in any but the
nearest expiration month may cease to represent cover for the option in the
event of a decline in the GNMA coupon rate at which new pools are originated
under the FHA/VA loan ceiling in effect at any given time, as such decline
may increase the prepayments made on other mortgage pools. If this should
occur, the Fund will no longer be covered, and the Fund will either enter
into a closing purchase transaction or replace such Certificate with a
Certificate which represents cover. When the Fund closes out its position or
replaces such Certificate, it may realize an unanticipated loss and incur
transaction costs.
OTC Options. Exchange-listed options are issued by the OCC which assures
that all transactions in such options are properly executed. OTC options are
purchased from or sold (written) to dealers or financial institutions which
have entered into direct agreements with the Fund. With OTC options, such
variables as expiration date, exercise price and premium will be agreed upon
between the Fund and the transacting dealer, without the intermediation of a
third party such as the OCC. If the transacting dealer fails to make or take
delivery of the securities underlying an option it has written, in accordance
with the terms of that option, the Fund would lose the premium paid for the
option as well as any anticipated benefit of the transaction. The Fund will
engage in OTC option transactions only with primary U.S. Government
securities dealers recognized by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Covered Call Writing. The Fund is permitted to write covered call options
on portfolio securities, without limit, in order to aid in achieving its
investment objective. Generally, a call option is "covered" if the Fund owns,
or has the right to acquire, without additional cash consideration (or for
additional cash consideration held for the Fund by its Custodian in a
segregated account) the underlying security subject to the option except that
in the case of call options on U.S. Treasury Bills, the Fund might own U.S.
Treasury Bills of a different series from those underlying the call option,
but with a principal amount and value corresponding to the exercise price and
a maturity date no later than that of the securities deliverable under the
call option. A call option is also covered if the Fund holds a call on the
same security as the underlying security of the written option, where the
exercise price of the call used for coverage is equal to or less than the
exercise price of the call written or greater than the exercise price of the
call written if the mark to market difference is maintained by the Fund in
cash, U.S. Government securities or other high grade debt obligations which
the Fund holds in a segregated account maintained with its Custodian.
The Fund will receive from the purchaser, in return for a call it has
written, a "premium"; i.e., the price of the option. Receipt of these
premiums may better enable the Fund to achieve a greater total return than
would be realized from holding the underlying securities alone. Moreover, the
premium received will offset a portion of the potential loss incurred by the
Fund if the securities underlying the option are ultimately sold by the Fund
at a loss. The premium received will fluctuate with varying economic market
conditions. If the market value of the portfolio securities upon which call
options have been written increases, the Fund may receive less total return
from the portion of its portfolio upon which calls have been written than it
would have had such calls not been written.
As regards listed options and certain OTC options, during the option
period, the Fund may be required, at any time, to deliver the underlying
security against payment of the exercise price on any calls
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it has written (exercise of certain listed and OTC options may be limited to
specific expiration dates). This obligation is terminated upon the expiration
of the option period or at such earlier time when the writer effects a
closing purchase transaction. A closing purchase transaction is accomplished
by purchasing an option of the same series as the option previously written.
However, once the Fund has been assigned an exercise notice, the Fund will be
unable to effect a closing purchase transaction.
Closing purchase transactions are ordinarily effected to realize a profit
on an outstanding call option to prevent an underlying security from being
called, to permit the sale of an underlying security or to enable the Fund to
write another call option on the underlying security with either a different
exercise price or expiration date or both. Also, effecting a closing purchase
transaction will permit the cash or proceeds from the concurrent sale of any
securities subject to the option to be used for other investments by the
Fund. The Fund may realize a net gain or loss from a closing purchase
transaction depending upon whether the amount of the premium received on the
call option is more or less than the cost of effecting the closing purchase
transaction. Any loss incurred in a closing purchase transaction may be
wholly or partially offset by unrealized appreciation in the market value of
the underlying security. Conversely, a gain resulting from a closing purchase
transaction could be offset in whole or in part or exeeded by, a decline in
the market value of the underlying security.
If a call option expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a gain in the
amount of the premium on the option less the commission paid. Such a gain,
however, may be offset by depreciation in the market value of the underlying
security during the option period. If a call option is exercised, the Fund
realizes a gain or loss from the sale of the underlying security equal to the
difference between the purchase price of the underlying security and the
proceeds of the sale of the security plus the premium received for on the
option less the commission paid.
Options written by a Fund normally have expiration dates of from up to
nine months (equity securities) to eighteen months (fixed-income securities)
from the date written. The exercise price of a call option may be below,
equal to or above the current market value of the underlying security at the
time the option is written. See "Risks of Options and Futures Transactions,"
below.
Covered Put Writing. As a writer of a covered put option, the Fund incurs
an obligation to buy the security underlying the option from the purchaser of
the put, at the option's exercise price at any time during the option period,
at the purchaser's election (certain listed and OTC put options written by
the Fund will be exercisable by the purchaser only on a specific date). A put
is "covered" if, at all times, the Fund maintains, in a segregated account
maintained on its behalf at the Fund's Custodian, cash, U.S. Government
securities or other high grade obligations in an amount equal to at least the
exercise price of the option, at all times during the option period.
Similarly, a short put position could be covered by the Fund by its purchase
of a put option on the same security as the underlying security of the
written option, where the exercise price of the purchased option is equal to
or more than the exercise price of the put written or less than the exercise
price of the put written if the mark to market difference is maintained by
the Fund in cash, U.S. Government securities or other high grade debt
obligations which the Fund holds in a segregated account maintained at its
Custodian. In writing puts, the Fund assumes the risk of loss should the
market value of the underlying security decline below the exercise price of
the option (any loss being decreased by the receipt of the premium on the
option written). In the case of listed options, during the option period, the
Fund may be required, at any time, to make payment of the exercise price
against delivery of the underlying security. The operation of and limitations
on covered put options in other respects are substantially identical to those
of call options.
The Fund will write put options for two purposes: (1) to receive the
income derived from the premiums paid by purchasers; and (2) when the
Investment Manager wishes to purchase the security underlying the option at a
price lower than its current market price, in which case it will write the
covered put at an exercise price reflecting the lower purchase price sought.
The potential gain on a covered put option is limited to the premium received
on the option (less the commissions paid on the transaction) while the
potential loss equals the differences between the exercise price of the
option and the current market price of the underlying securities when the put
is exercised, offset by the premium received (less the commissions paid on
the transaction).
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Purchasing Call and Put Options. The Fund may purchase listed and OTC call
and put options in amounts equalling up to 10% of its total assets. The Fund
may purchase call options only in order to close out a covered call position
(see "Covered Call Writing" above). The purchase of the call option to effect
a closing transaction on a call written over-the-counter may be a listed or
an OTC option. In either case, the call purchased is likely to be on the same
securities and have the same terms as the written option. If purchased
over-the-counter, the option would generally be acquired from the dealer or
financial institution which purchased the call written by the Fund.
The Fund may purchase put options on securities which it holds (or has the
right to acquire) in its portfolio only to protect itself against a decline
in the value of the security. If the value of the underlying security were to
fall below the exercise price of the put purchased in an amount greater than
the premium paid for the option, the Fund would incur no additional loss. The
Fund may also purchase put options to close out written put positions in a
manner similar to call options closing purchase transactions. In addition,
the Fund may sell a put option which it has previously purchased prior to the
sale of the securities underlying such option. Such a sale would result in a
net gain or loss depending on whether the amount received on the sale is more
or less than the premium and other transaction costs paid on the put option
which is sold. And such gain or loss could be offset in whole or in part by a
change in the market value of the underlying security. If a put option
purchased by the Fund expired without being sold or exercised, the premium
would be lost.
Risks of Options Transactions. During the option period, the covered call
writer has, in return for the premium on the option, given up the opportunity
for capital appreciation above the exercise price should the market price of
the underlying security increase, but has retained the risk of loss should
the price of the underlying security decline. The secured put writer also
retains the risk of loss should the market value of the underlying security
decline below the exercise price of the option less the premium received on
the sale of the option. In both cases, the writer has no control over the
time when it may be required to fulfill its obligation as a writer of the
option. Once an option writer has received an exercise notice, it cannot
effect a closing purchase transaction in order to terminate its obligation
under the option and must deliver or receive the underlying securities at the
exercise price.
Prior to exercise or expiration, an option position can only be terminated
by entering into a closing purchase or sale transaction. If a covered call
option writer is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction or to
purchase an offsetting over-the-counter option, it cannot sell the underlying
security until the option expires or the option is exercised. Accordingly, a
covered call option writer may not be able to sell an underlying security at
a time when it might otherwise be advantageous to do so. A secured put option
writer who is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction or to purchase
an offsetting over-the-counter option would continue to bear the risk of
decline in the market price of the underlying security until the option
expires or is exercised. In addition, a secured put writer would be unable to
utilize the amount held in cash or U.S. Government or other high grade
short-term obligations securities as security for the put option for other
investment purposes until the exercise or expiration of the option.
The Fund's ability to close out its position as a writer of an option is
dependent upon the existence of a liquid secondary market on Option
Exchanges. There is no assurance that such a market will exist, particularly
in the case of OTC options, as such options will generally only be closed out
by entering into a closing purchase transaction with the purchasing dealer.
However, the Fund may be able to purchase an offsetting option which does not
close out its position as a writer but constitutes an asset of equal value to
the obligation under the option written. If the Fund is not able to either
enter into a closing purchase transaction or purchase an offsetting position,
it will be required to maintain the securities subject to the call, or the
collateral underlying the put, even though it might not be advantageous to do
so, until a closing transaction can be entered into (or the option is
exercised or expires).
Among the possible reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on
an Exchange are: (i) insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii)
restrictions on transactions imposing by an Exchange; (iii) trading halts,
suspensions or other restrictions imposed with respect to particular classes
or series of options or underlying securities; (iv) interruption of the
normal operations on an Exchange; (v) inadequacy of the facilities of an
Exchange or the Options Clearing Corporation ("OCC") to handle
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current trading volume; or (vi) a decision by one or more Exchanges to
discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of
options), in which event the secondary market on that Exchange (or in that
class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding
options on that Exchange that had been issued by the OCC as a result of
trades on that Exchange would generally continue to be exercisable in
accordance with their terms.
In the event of the bankruptcy of a broker through which the Fund engages
in transactions in options, the Fund could experience delays and/or losses in
liquidating open positions purchased or sold through the broker and/or incur
a loss of all or part of its margin deposits with the broker. Similarly, in
the event of the bankruptcy of the writer of an OTC option purchased by the
Fund, the Fund could experience a loss of all or part of the value of the
option. Transactions are entered into by the Fund only with brokers or
financial institutions deemed creditworthy by the Investment Manager.
Each of the Exchanges has established limitations governing the maximum
number of call or put options on the same underlying security or futures
contract (whether or not covered) which may be written by a single investor,
whether acting alone or in concert with others (regardless of whether such
options are written on the same or different Exchanges or are held or written
on one or more accounts or through one or more brokers). An Exchange may
order the liquidation of positions found to be in violation of these limits
and it may impose other sanctions or restrictions. These position limits may
restrict the number of listed options which the Fund may write.
The hours of trading for options may not conform to the hours during which
the underlying securities are traded. To the extent that the option markets
close before the markets for the underlying securities, significant price and
rate movements can take place in the underlying markets that cannot be
reflected in the option markets.
Stock Index Options. Options on stock indexes are similar to options on
stock except that, rather than the right to take or make delivery of stock at
a specified price, an option on a stock index gives the holder the right to
receive, upon exercise of the option, an amount of cash if the closing level
of the stock index upon which the option is based is greater than, in the
case of a call, or less than, in the case of a put, the exercise price of the
option. This amount of cash is equal to such difference between the closing
price of the index and the exercise price of the option expressed in dollars
times a specified multiple (the "multiplier"). The multiplier for an index
option performs a function similar to the unit of trading for a stock option.
It determines the total dollar value per contract of each point in the
difference between the exercise price of an option and the current level of
the underlying index. A multiplier of 100 means that a one-point difference
will yield $100. Options on different indexes may have different multipliers.
The writer of the option is obligated, in return for the premium received, to
make delivery of this amount. Unlike stock options, all settlements are in
cash and a gain or loss depends on price movements in the stock market
generally (or in a particular segment of the market) rather than the price
movements in individual stocks. Currently, options are traded on the S&P 100
Index and the S&P 500 Index on the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the Major
Market Index and the Computer Technology Index, Oil Index and Institutional
Index on the American Stock Exchange and the NYSE Index and NYSE Beta Index
on the New York Stock Exchange, The Financial News Composite Index on the
Pacific Stock Exchange and the Value Line Index, National O-T-C Index and
Utilities Index on the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, each of which and any
similar index on which options are traded in the future which include stocks
that are not limited to any particular industry or segment of the market is
referred to as a "broadly based stock market index." The Fund will invest
only in broadly based indexes. Options on broad-based stock indexes provide
the Fund with a means of protecting the Fund against the risk of market wide
price movements. If the Investment Manager anticipates a market decline, the
Fund could purchase a stock index put option. If the expected market decline
materialized, the resulting decrease in the value of the Fund's portfolio
would be offset to the extent of the increase in the value of the put option.
If the Investment Manager anticipates a market rise, the Fund may purchase a
stock index call option to enable the Fund to participate in such rise until
completion of anticipated common stock purchases by the Fund. Purchases and
sales of stock index options also enable the Investment Manager to more
speedily achieve changes in the Fund's equity positions.
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The Fund will write put options on stock indexes only if such positions
are covered by cash, U.S. Government securities or other high grade debt
obligations equal to the aggregate exercise price of the puts, or by a put
option on the same stock index with a strike price no lower than the strike
price of the put option sold by the Fund, which cover is held for the Fund in
a segregated account maintained for it by the Fund's Custodian. All call
options on stock indexes written by the Fund will be covered either by a
portfolio of stocks substantially replicating the movement of the index
underlying the call option or by holding a separate call option on the same
stock index with a strike price no higher than the strike price of the call
option sold by the Fund.
Risks of Options on Indexes. Because exercises of stock index options are
settled in cash, call writers such as the Fund cannot provide in advance for
their potential settlement obligations by acquiring and holding the
underlying securities. A call writer can offset some of the risk of its
writing position by holding a diversified portfolio of stocks similar to
those on which the underlying index is based. However, most investors cannot,
as a practical matter, acquire and hold a portfolio containing exactly the
same stocks as the underlying index, and, as a result, bear a risk that the
value of the securities held will vary from the value of the index. Even if
an index call writer could assemble a stock portfolio that exactly reproduced
the composition of the underlying index, the writer still would not be fully
covered from a risk standpoint because of the "timing risk" inherent in
writing index options. When an index option is exercised, the amount of cash
that the holder is entitled to receive is determined by the difference
between the exercise price and the closing index level on the date when the
option is exercised. As with other kinds of options, the writer will not
learn that it has been assigned until the next business day, at the earliest.
The time lag between exercise and notice of assignment poses no risk for the
writer of a covered call on a specific underlying security, such as a common
stock, because there the writer's obligation is to deliver the underlying
security, not to pay its value as of a fixed time in the past. So long as the
writer already owns the underlying security, it can satisfy its settlement
obligations by simply delivering it, and the risk that its value may have
declined since the exercise date is borne by the exercising holder. In
contrast, even if the writer of an index call holds stocks that exactly match
the composition of the underlying index, it will not be able to satisfy its
assignment obligations by delivering those stocks against payment of the
exercise price. Instead, it will be required to pay cash in an amount based
on the closing index value on the exercise date; and by the time it learns
that it has been assigned, the index may have declined, with a corresponding
decrease in the value of its stock portfolio. This "timing risk" is an
inherent limitation on the ability of index call writers to cover their risk
exposure by holding stock positions.
A holder of an index option who exercises it before the closing index
value for that day is available runs the risk that the level of the
underlying index may subsequently change. If such a change causes the
exercised option to fall out-of-the-money, the exercising holder will be
required to pay the difference between the closing index value and the
exercise price of the option (times the applicable multiplier) to the
assigned writer.
If dissemination of the current level of an underlying index is
interrupted, or if trading is interrupted in stocks accounting for a
substantial portion of the value of an index, the trading of options on that
index will ordinarily be halted. If the trading of options on an underlying
index is halted, an exchange may impose restrictions prohibiting the exercise
of such options.
Futures Contracts. The Fund may purchase and sell interest rate and stock
index futures contracts ("futures contracts") that are traded on U.S.
commodity exchanges on such underlying securities as U.S. Treasury bonds,
notes, bills and GNMA Certificates ("interest rate" futures) and such indexes
as the S&P 500 Index, the Moody's Investment-Grade Corporate Bond Index and
the New York Stock Exchange Composite Index ("index" futures).
As a futures contract purchaser, the Fund incurs an obligation to take
delivery of a specified amount of the obligation underlying the contract at a
specified time in the future for a specified price. As a seller of a futures
contract, the Fund incurs an obligation to deliver the specified amount of
the underlying obligation at a specified time in return for an agreed upon
price.
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The Fund will purchase or sell interest rate futures contracts and bonds
index futures contracts for the purpose of hedging its fixed-income portfolio
(or anticipated portfolio) securities against changes in prevailing interest
rates. If the Investment Manager anticipates that interest rates may rise
and, concomitantly, the price of fixed-income securities fall, the Fund may
sell an interest rate futures contract or a bond index futures contract. If
declining interest rates are anticipated, the Fund may purchase an interest
rate futures contract to protect against a potential increase in the price of
U.S. Government securities the Fund intends to purchase. Subsequently,
appropriate fixed-income securities may be purchased by the Fund in an
orderly fashion; as securities are purchased, corresponding futures positions
would be terminated by offsetting sales of contracts.
The Fund will purchase or sell stock index futures contracts for the
purpose of hedging its equity portfolio (or anticipated portfolio) securities
against changes in their prices. If the Investment Manager anticipates that
the prices of stock held by the Fund may fall, the Fund may sell a stock
index futures contract. Conversely, if the Investment Manager wishes to hedge
against anticipated price rises in those stocks which the Fund intends to
purchase, the Fund may purchase stock index futures contracts. In addition,
interest rate and stock index futures contracts will be bought or sold in
order to close out a short or long position in a corresponding futures
contract.
Athough most interest rate futures contracts call for actual delivery or
acceptance of securities, the contracts usually are closed out before the
settlement date without the making or taking of delivery. Stock index futures
contracts provide for the delivery of an amount of cash equal to a specified
dollar amount times the difference between the stock index value at the open
or close of the last trading day of the contract and the futures contract
price. A futures contract sale is closed out by effecting a futures contract
purchase for the same aggregate amount of the specific type of equity
security and the same delivery date. If the sale price exceeds the offsetting
purchase price, the seller would be paid the difference and would realize a
gain. If the offsetting purchase price exceeds the sale price, the seller
would pay the difference and would realize a loss. Similarly, a futures
contract purchase is closed out by effecting a futures contract sale for the
same aggregate amount of the specific type of equity security and the same
delivery date. If the offsetting sale price exceeds the purchase price, the
purchaser would realize a gain, whereas if the purchase price exceeds the
offsetting sale price, the purchaser would realize a loss. There is no
assurance that the Fund will be able to enter into a closing transaction.
Interest Rate Futures Contracts. When the Fund enters into an interest
rate futures contract, it is initially required to deposit with the Fund's
Custodian, in a segregated account in the name of the broker performing the
transaction, an "initial margin" of cash or U.S. Government securities or
other high grade short-term debt obligations. Initial margin requirements are
established by the Exchanges on which futures contracts trade and may, from
time to time, change. In addition, brokers may establish margin deposit
requirements in excess of those required by the Exchanges.
Initial margin in futures transactions is different from margin in
securities transactions in that initial margin does not involve the borrowing
of funds by a broker's client but is, rather, a good faith deposit on the
futures contract which will be returned to the Fund upon the proper
termination of the futures contract. The margin deposits made are marked to
market daily and the Fund may be required to make subsequent deposits of cash
or U.S. Government securities called "variation margin", with the Fund's
futures contract clearing broker, which are reflective of price fluctuations
in the futures contract. Currently, interest rates futures contracts can be
purchased on debt securities such as U.S. Treasury Bills and Bonds, U.S.
Treasury Notes with Maturities between 6 1/2 and 10 years, GNMA Certificates
and Bank Certificates of Deposit.
Index Futures Contracts. The Fund may invest in index futures contracts.
An index futures contract sale creates an obligation by the Fund, as seller,
to deliver cash at a specified future time. An index futures contract
purchase would create an obligation by the Fund, as purchaser, to take
delivery of cash at a specified future time. Futures contracts on indexes do
not require the physical delivery of securities, but provide for a final cash
settlement on the expiration date which reflects accumulated profits and
losses credited or debited to each party's account.
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<PAGE>
The Fund is required to maintain margin deposits with brokerage firms
through which it effects index futures contracts in a manner similar to that
described above for interest rate futures contracts. Currently, the initial
margin requirements range from 3% to 10% of the contract amount for index
futures. In addition, due to current industry practice, daily variations in
gains and losses on open contracts are required to be reflected in cash in
the form of variation margin payments. The Fund may be required to make
additional margin payments during the term of the contract.
At any time prior to expiration of the futures contract, the Fund may
elect to close the position by taking an opposite position which will operate
to terminate the Fund's position in the futures contract. A final
determination of variation margin is then made, additional cash is required
to be paid by or released to the Fund and the Fund realizes a loss or a gain.
Currently, index futures contracts can be purchased or sold with respect
to, among others, the Standard & Poor's 500 Stock Price Index and the
Standard & Poor's 100 Stock Price Index on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange,
the New York Stock Exchange Composite Index on the New York Futures Exchange,
the Major Market Index on the American Stock Exchange, the Value Line Stock
Index on the Kansas City Board of Trade and the Moody's Investment-Grade
Corporate Bond Index on the Chicago Board of Trade.
Options on Futures Contracts. The Fund may purchase and write call and put
options on futures contracts and enter into closing transactions with respect
to such options to terminate an existing position. An option on a futures
contract gives the purchaser the right (in return for the premium paid), and
the writer the obligation, to assume a position in a 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 term 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 is 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 futures contract at the time of
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 futures contract.
The Fund will purchase and write options on futures contracts for
identical purposes to those set forth above for the purchase of a futures
contract (purchase of a call option or sale of a put option) and the sale of
a futures contract (purchase of a put option or sale of a call option), or to
close out a long or short position in futures contracts. If, for example, the
Investment Manager wished to protect against an increase in interest rates
and the resulting negative impact on the value of a portion of its
fixed-income portfolio, it might write a call option on an interest rate
futures contract, the underlying security of which correlates with the
portion of the portfolio the Investment Manager seeks to hedge. Any premiums
received in the writing of options on futures contracts may, of course,
augment the total return of the Fund and thereby provide a further hedge
against losses resulting from price declines in portions of the Fund's
portfolio.
The writer of an option on a futures contract is required to deposit
initial and variation margin pursuant to requirements similar to those
applicable to futures contracts. Premiums received from the writing of an
option on a futures contract are included in initial margin deposits.
Limitations on Futures Contracts and Options on Futures. The Fund may not
enter into futures contracts or purchase related options thereon if,
immediately thereafter, the amount committed to margin plus the amount paid
for premiums for unexpired options on futures contracts exceeds 5% of the
value of the Fund's total assets, after taking into account unrealized gains
and unrealized losses on such contracts it has entered into, provided,
however, that in the case of an option that is in-the-money (the exercise
price of the call (put) option is less (more) than the market price of the
underlying security) at the time of purchase, the in-the-money amount may be
excluded in calculating the 5%. However, there is no overall limitation on
the percentage of the Fund's assets which may be subject to a hedge position.
In addition, in accordance with the regulations of the Commodity Futures
Trading Commission ("CFTC") under which the Fund is exempted from
registration as a commodity pool operator, the Fund may only enter into
futures contracts and options on futures contracts transactions for purposes
of hedging a part or all of its portfolio. If the CFTC changes its
regulations so that the Fund would be permitted to write
23
<PAGE>
options on futures contracts for purposes other than hedging the Fund's
investments without CFTC registration the Fund may engage in such
transactions for those purposes. Except as described above, there are no
other limitations on the use of futures and options thereon by the Fund.
Risks of Transactions in Futures Contracts and Related Options. The Fund
may sell a futures contract to protect against the decline in the value of
securities held by the Fund. However, it is possible that the futures market
may advance and the value of securities held in the portfolio of the Fund may
decline. If this occurred, the Fund would lose money on the futures contract
and also experience a decline in value of its portfolio securities. However,
while this could occur for a very brief period or to a very small degree,
over time the value of a diversified portfolio will tend to move in the same
direction as the futures contracts.
If the Fund purchases a futures contract to hedge against the increase in
value of securities it intends to buy, and the value of such securities
decreases, then the Fund may determine not to invest in the securities as
planned and will realize a loss on the futures contract that is not offset by
a reduction in the price of the securities.
If the Fund maintains a short position in a futures contract or has sold a
call option in a futures contract, it will cover this position by holding, in
a segregated account maintained at its Custodian, cash, U.S. Government
securities or other high grade debt obligations equal in value (when added to
any initial or variation margin on deposit) to the market value of the
securities underlying the futures contract or the exercise price of the
option. Such a position may also be covered by owning the securities
underlying the futures contract (in the case of a stock index futures
contract a portfolio of securities substantially replicating the relevant
index), or by holding a call option permitting the Fund to purchase the same
contract at a price no higher than the price at which the short position was
established.
In addition, if the Fund holds a long position in a futures contract or
has sold a put option on a futures contract, it will hold cash, U.S.
Government securities or other high grade debt obligations equal to the
purchase price of the contract or the exercise price of the put option (less
the amount of initial or variation margin on deposit) in a segregated account
maintained for the Fund by its Custodian. Alternatively, the Fund could cover
its long position by purchasing a put option on the same futures contract
with an exercise price as high or higher than the price of the contract held
by the Fund.
Exchanges limit the amount by which the price of a futures contract may
move on any day. If the price moves equal the daily limit on successive days,
then it may prove impossible to liquidate a futures position until the daily
limit moves have ceased. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund
would continue to be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin
on open futures positions. In such situations, if the Fund has insufficient
cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily variation margin
requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. In addition,
the Fund may be required to take or make delivery of the instruments
underlying interest rate futures contracts it holds at a time when it is
disadvantageous to do so. The inability to close out options and futures
positions could also have an adverse impact on the Fund's ability to
effectively hedge its portfolio.
In the event of the bankruptcy of a broker through which the Fund engages
in transactions in futures or options thereon, the Fund could experience
delays and/or losses in liquidating open positions purchased or sold through
the broker and/or incur a loss of all or part of its margin deposits with the
broker. Similarly, in the event of the bankruptcy of the writer of an OTC
option purchased by the Fund, the Fund could experience a loss of all or part
of the value of the option. Transactions are entered into by the Fund only
with brokers or financial institutions deemed creditworthy by the Investment
Manager.
While the futures contracts and options transactions to be engaged in by
the Fund for the purpose of hedging the Fund's portfolio securities are not
speculative in nature, there are risks inherent in the use of such
instruments. One such risk which may arise in employing futures contracts to
protect against the price volatility of portfolio securities is that the
prices of securities and indexes subject to futures contracts (and thereby
the futures contract prices) may correlate imperfectly with the behavior of
the cash prices of the Fund's portfolio securities. Another such risk is that
prices of interest rate futures contracts may not move in tandem with the
changes in prevailing interest rates against which the Fund seeks a hedge.
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<PAGE>
A correlation may also be distorted by the fact that the futures market is
dominated by short-term traders seeking to profit from the difference between
a contract or security price objective and their cost of borrowed funds. Such
distortions are generally minor and would diminish as the contract approached
maturity.
There may exist an imperfect correlation between the price movements of
futures contracts purchased by the Fund and the movements in the prices of
the securities which are the subject of the hedge. If participants in the
futures market elect to close out their contracts through offsetting
transactions rather than meet margin deposit requirements, distortions in the
normal relationship between the debt securities and futures markets could
result. Price distortions could also result if investors in futures contracts
opt to make or take delivery of underlying securities rather than engage in
closing transactions due to the resultant reduction in the liquidity of the
futures market. In addition, due to the fact that, from the point of view of
speculators, the deposit requirements in the futures markets are less onerous
than margin requirements in the cash market, increased participation by
speculators in the futures market could cause temporary price distortions.
Due to the possibility of price distortions in the futures market and because
of the imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of securities
and movements in the prices of futures contracts, a correct forecast of
interest rate trends by the Investment Manager may still not result in a
successful hedging transaction.
There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for
futures contracts and related options in which the Fund may invest. In the
event a liquid market does not exist, it may not be possible to close out 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. In
addition, limitations imposed by an exchange or board of trade on which
futures contracts are traded may compel or prevent the Fund from closing out
a contract which may result in reduced gain or increased loss to the Fund.
The absence of a liquid market in futures contracts might cause the Fund to
make or take delivery of the underlying securities at a time when it may be
disadvantageous to do so.
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 notwithstanding that the purchase or sale of a futures contract
would not result in a loss, as in the instance where there is no movement in
the prices of the futures contract or underlying securities.
The Investment Manager has substantial experience in the use of the
investment techniques described above under the heading "Options and Futures
Transactions," which techniques require skills different from those needed to
select the portfolio securities underlying various options and futures
contracts.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
In addition to the investment restrictions enumerated in the Prospectus,
the investment restrictions listed below have been adopted by the Fund as
fundamental policies, except as otherwise indicated. Under the Act, a
fundamental policy may not be changed without the vote of a majority of the
outstanding voting securities of the Fund, as defined in the Act. Such a
majority is defined as the lesser of (a) 67% or more of the shares present at
a meeting of shareholders, if the holders of 50% of the outstanding shares of
the Fund are present or represented by proxy or (b) more than 50% of the
outstanding shares of the Fund.
The Fund may not:
1. Invest in securities of any issuer if, to the knowledge of the
Fund, any officer or trustee/director of the Fund or of the Investment
Manager owns more than 1/2 of 1% of the outstanding securities of such
issuer, and such officers and trustees/directors who own more than 1/2 of
1% own in the aggregate more than 5% of the outstanding securities of such
issuers.
25
<PAGE>
2. Purchase or sell real estate or interests therein, although the
Fund may purchase securities of issuers which engage in real estate
operations and securities secured by real estate or interests therein.
3. Invest more than 10% of its total assets in "illiquid securities"
(securities for which market quotations are not readily available) and
repurchase agreements which have a maturity of longer than seven days. The
staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission has taken the position
that purchased OTC options and the assets used as "cover" for written OTC
options are illiquid securities and the Fund will treat these assets as
such.
4. Purchase oil, gas or other mineral leases, rights or royalty
contracts or exploration or development programs, except that the Fund may
invest in the securities of companies which operate, invest in, or sponsor
such programs.
5. Purchase securities of other investment companies, except in
connection with a merger, consolidation, reorganization or acquisition of
assets.
6. Borrow money (except insofar as to the Fund may be deemed to have
borrowed by entrance into a reverse repurchase agreement), except that the
Fund may borrow from a bank for temporary or emergency purposes in amounts
not exceeding 5% (taken at the lower of cost or current value) of its
total assets (not including the amount borrowed).
7. Pledge its assets or assign or otherwise encumber them except to
secure borrowings effected within the limitations set forth in restriction
(6). For the purpose of this restriction, collateral arrangements with
respect to the writing of options and collateral arrangements with respect
to initial or variation margin for futures are not deemed to be pledges of
assets.
8. Issue senior securities as defined in the Act except insofar as the
Fund may be deemed to have issued a senior security by reason of borrowing
money in accordance with restrictions described above.
9. Make loans of money or securities, except: (a) by the purchase of
publicly distributed debt obligations in which the Fund may invest
consistent with its investment objective and policies; (b) by investment
in repurchase agreements; or (c) by lending its portfolio securities.
10. Make short sales of securities.
11. Purchase securities on margin, except for such short-term loans as
are necessary for the clearance of portfolio securities. The deposit or
payment by the Fund of initial or variation margin in connection with
futures contracts or related options thereon is not considered the
purchase of a security on margin.
12. Engage in the underwriting of securities, except insofar as the
Fund may be deemed an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933 in
disposing of a portfolio security.
13. Invest for the purpose of exercising control or management of any
other issuer.
If a percentage restriction is adhered to at the time of investment, a
later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from a change in values of
portfolio securities or amount of total or net assets will not be considered
a violation of any of the foregoing restrictions.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject to the general supervision of the Board of Trustees, the
Investment Manager is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities
for the Fund, the selection of brokers and dealers to effect the
transactions, and the negotiation of brokerage commissions, if any. Purchases
and sales of securities on a stock exchange are effected through brokers who
charge a commission for their services. In the over-the-counter market,
securities are generally traded on a "net" basis with dealers acting as
principal for their own accounts without a stated commission, although the
price of the security usually includes a profit to the dealer. The Fund
expects that securities will be purchased at times in underwritten offerings
where the price includes a fixed amount of compensation, generally referred
to as the underwriter's
26
<PAGE>
concession or discount. Options and futures transactions will usually be
effected through a broker and a commission will be charged. On occasion, the
Fund may also purchase certain money market instruments directly from an
issuer, in which case no commissions or discounts are paid. The aggregate
amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Fund during the fiscal years
ended March 31, 1993, 1994 and 1995 were $433,347, $195,987 and $162,473,
respectively.
The Investment Manager currently serves as investment manager to a number
of clients, including other investment companies, and may in the future act
as investment manager or adviser to others. It is the practice of the
Investment Manager to cause purchase and sale transactions to be allocated
among the Fund and others whose assets it manages in such manner as it deems
equitable. In making such allocations among the Fund and other client
accounts, the main factors considered are the respective investment
objectives, the relative size of portfolio holdings of the same or comparable
securities, the availability of cash for investment, the size of investment
commitments generally held and the opinions of the persons responsible for
managing the portfolios of the Fund and other client accounts.
The policy of the Fund regarding purchases and sales of securities for its
portfolio is that primary consideration will be given to obtaining the most
favorable prices and efficient executions of transactions. Consistent with
this policy, when securities transactions are effected on a stock exchange,
the Fund's policy is to pay commissions which are considered fair and
reasonable without necessarily determining that the lowest possible
commissions are paid in all circumstances. The Fund believes that a
requirement always to seek the lowest possible commission cost could impede
effective portfolio management and preclude the Fund and the Investment
Manager from obtaining a high quality of brokerage and research services. In
seeking to determine the reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid in any
transaction, the Investment Manager relies upon its experience and knowledge
regarding commissions generally charged by various brokers and on its
judgment in evaluating the brokerage and research services received from the
broker effecting the transaction. Such determinations are necessarily
subjective and imprecise, as in most cases an exact dollar value for those
services is not ascertainable.
In seeking to implement the Fund's policies, the Investment Manager
effects transactions with those brokers and dealers who the Investment
Manager believes provide the most favorable prices and are capable of
providing efficient executions. If the Investment Manager believes such
prices and executions are obtainable from more than one broker or dealer, it
may give consideration to placing portfolio transactions with those brokers
and dealers who also furnish research and other services to the Fund or the
Investment Manager. Such services may include, but are not limited to, any
one or more of the following: information as to the availability of
securities for purchase or sale; statistical or factual information or
opinions pertaining to investment; wire services; and appraisals or
evaluations of portfolio securities. During the fiscal year ended March 31,
1995, the Fund directed the payment of $108,237 in brokerage commissions in
connection with transactions in the aggregate amount of $72,105,005 to
brokers because of research services provided.
The information and services received by the Investment Manager from
brokers and dealers may be of benefit to the Investment Manager in the
management of accounts of some if its other clients and may not in all cases
benefit the Fund directly. While the receipt of such information and services
is useful in varying degrees and would generally reduce the amount of
research or services otherwise performed by the Investment Manager and
thereby reduce its expenses, it is of indeterminable value and the management
fee paid to the Investment Manager is not reduced by any amount that may be
attributable to the value of such services.
Pursuant to an order of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Fund
may effect principal transactions in certain money market instruments with
DWR. The Fund will limit its transactions with DWR to U.S. Government and
Government Agency Securities, Bank Money instruments (i.e., Certificates of
Deposit and Bankers' Acceptances) and Commercial Paper. Such transactions
will be effected with DWR only when the price available from DWR is better
than that available from other dealers.
Consistent with the policy described above, brokerage transactions in
securities listed on exchanges or admitted to unlisted trading privileges may
be effected through DWR. In order for DWR to effect any
27
<PAGE>
portfolio transactions for the Fund, the commissions, fees or other
remuneration received by DWR must be reasonable and fair compared to the
commissions, fees or other remuneration paid to other brokers in connection
with comparable transactions involving similar securities being purchased or
sold on an exchange during a comparable period of time. This standard would
allow DWR to receive no more than the remuneration which would be expected to
be received by an unaffiliated broker in a commensurate arm's-length
transaction. Furthermore, the Board of Trustees of the Fund, including a
majority of the Trustees who are not "interested" persons of the Fund, as
defined in the Act, have adopted procedures which are reasonably designed to
provide that any commissions, fees or other remuneration paid to DWR are
consistent with the foregoing standard. During the fiscal years ended March
31,1993, 1994 and 1995, the Fund paid a total of $109,700, $33,360 and
$21,223, respectively, in brokerage commissions to DWR. The brokerage
commissions paid to DWR represented approximately 13.06% of the total
brokerage commissions paid by the Fund for the fiscal year ended March 31,
1995 and were paid on account of transactions having an aggregate dollar
value equal to approximately 16.63% of the aggregate dollar value of all
portfolio transactions of the Fund during the period for which commissions
were paid.
THE DISTRIBUTOR
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As discussed in the Prospectus, shares of the Fund are distributed by Dean
Witter Distributors Inc. (the "Distributor"). The Distributor has entered
into a selected dealer agreement with DWR, which through its own sales
organization sells shares of the Fund. In addition, the Distributor may enter
into selected dealer agreements with other selected broker-dealers. The
Distributor, a Delaware corporation, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DWDC.
The Trustees of the Fund, including a majority of the Trustees who are not,
and were not at the time they voted, interested persons of the Fund, as
defined in the Act (the "Independent Trustees"), approved, at their meeting
held on October 30, 1992, the current Distribution Agreement appointing the
Distributor exclusive distributor of the Fund's shares and providing for the
Distributor to bear distribution expenses not borne by the Fund. The present
Distribution Agreement is substantively identical to a prior distribution
agreement which was initially approved by the Trustees on January 14, 1988.
The Distribution Agreement took effect on June 30, 1993 upon the spin-off by
Sears, Roebuck and Co. of its remaining shares of DWDC. By its terms, the
Distribution Agreement had an initial term ended April 30, 1994, and provides
that it will continue from year to year thereafter if approved by the Board.
At their meeting held on April 20, 1995, the Trustees, including all of the
Independent Trustees, approved the continuation of the Agreement until April
30, 1996.
The Distributor bears all expenses it may incur in providing services
under the Distribution Agreement. Such expenses include the payment of
commissions for sales of the Fund's shares and incentive compensation to
account executives. The Distributor pays certain expenses in connection with
the distribution of the Fund's shares, including the costs of preparing,
printing and distributing advertising or promotional materials, and the costs
of printing and distributing prospectuses and supplements thereto used in
connection with the offering and sale of the Fund's shares. The Fund bears
the costs of initial typesetting, printing and distribution of prospectuses
and supplements thereto to shareholders. The Fund bears the costs of
registering the Fund and its shares under federal and state securities laws.
The Fund and the Distributor have agreed to indemnify each other against
certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended. Under the Distribution Agreeement, the Distributor uses its best
efforts in rendering services to the Fund, but in the absence of willful
misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its
obligations, the Distributor is not liable to the Fund or any of its
shareholders for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any act or
omission or for any losses sustained by the Fund or its shareholders.
Shares of the Fund are sold through the Distributor on a normal five
business day settlement basis; that is, payment is due on the fifth business
day (settlement date) after the order is placed with the Distributor. Since
the Distributor forwards investors' funds on settlement date, it will benefit
from the temporary use of the funds if payment is made prior thereto. As
noted above, orders placed directly with the Transfer Agent must be
accompanied by payment. Investors will be entitled to receive dividends and
capital gains distributions if their order is received by the close of
business on the day prior to the record
28
<PAGE>
date for such distributions. While no sales charge is imposed at the time
shares are purchased, a contingent deferred sales charge may be imposed at
the time of redemption (see "Redemptions and Repurchases"). The Fund and the
Distributor reserve the right to reject any purchase orders.
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
To compensate the Distributor for the services it provides and for the
expenses it bears under the Distribution Agreement, the Fund has adopted a
Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act (the "Plan")
pursuant to which the Fund pays the Distributor compensation accrued daily
and payable monthly at the annual rate of 1.0% of the lesser of: (a) the
average daily aggregate gross sales of the Fund's shares since the inception
of the Fund (not including reinvestments of dividends or capital gains
distributions), less the average daily aggregate net asset value of the
Fund's shares redeemed since the Fund's inception upon which a contingent
deferred sales charge has been imposed or upon which such charge has been
waived; or (b) the Fund's average daily net assets. The Distributor also
receives the proceeds of contingent deferred sales charges imposed on certain
redemptions of shares, which are separate and apart from payments made
pursuant to the Plan (see "Redemptions and Repurchases -- Contingent Deferred
Sales Charge" in the Prospectus). The Distributor has informed the Fund that
it and/or DWR received approximately $383,000, $338,000 and $670,462 in
contingent deferred sales charges for the fiscal years ended March 31, 1993,
1994 and 1995, respectively, none of which was retained by the Distributor.
The Distributor has informed the Fund that a portion of the fees payable
by the Fund each year pursuant to the Plan equal to 0.25% of the Fund's
average daily net assets is characterized as a "service fee" under the Rules
of Fair Practice of the National Association of Securities Dealers (of which
the Distributor is a member). Such portion of the fee is a payment made for
personal service and/or the maintenance of shareholder accounts. The
remaining portion of the Plan fees payable by the Fund is characterized as an
"asset-based sales charge" as such is defined by the aforementioned Rules of
Fair Practice.
The Plan was adopted by a vote of the Trustees of the Fund on January 14,
1988, at a Meeting of the Trustees called for the purpose of voting on such
Plan. The vote included the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Fund
who are not "interested persons" of the Fund (as defined in the Act) and who
have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan
(the "Independent 12b-1 Trustees"). In making their decision to adopt the
Plan, the Trustees requested from DWR and received such information as they
deemed necessary to make an informed determination as to whether or not
adoption of the Plan was in the best interests of the shareholders of the
Fund. After due consideration of the information received, the Trustees,
including the Independent 12b-1 Trustees, determined that adoption of the
Plan would benefit the shareholders of the Fund. DWR, as the then sole
shareholder of the Fund, approved the Plan on March 23, 1988, whereupon the
Plan went into effect. Under its terms, the Plan continued until April 30,
1988 and will remain in effect from year to year thereafter, provided such
continuance is approved annually by a vote of the Trustees in the manner
described above. At their meeting held on July 19, 1989, the shareholders of
the Fund ratified the Trustees' approval of the Plan.
At their meeting held on October 30, 1992, the Trustees of the Fund,
including all of the Independent 12b-1 Trustees, approved certain amendments
to the Plan which took effect in January, 1993 and were designed to reflect
the fact that upon the reorganization described above the share distribution
activities theretofore performed for the Fund by DWR were assumed by the
Distributor and DWR's sales activities are now being performed pursuant to
the terms of a selected dealer agreement between the Distributor and DWR. The
amendments provide that payments under the Plan will be made to the
Distributor rather than to DWR as before the amendment, and that the
Distributor in turn is authorized to make payments to DWR, its affiliates or
other selected broker-dealers (or direct that the Fund pay such entities
directly). The Distributor is also authorized to retain part of such fee as
compensation for its own distribution- related expenses. At their meeting
held on April 28, 1993, the Trustees of the Fund, including all of the
Independent 12b-1 Trustees, approved certain technical amendments to the Plan
in connection with amendments adopted by the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc. to its Rules of Fair Practice. Continuation of the
Plan was most recently approved by the Trustees at their meeting held on
April 20,
29
<PAGE>
1995. At that meeting, the Trustees, including all of the Independent 12b-1
Trustees, after evaluating all the information they deemed necessary to make
an informed determination of whether the Plan should be continued, approved
the continuation of the Plan until April 30, 1996.
Under the Plan and as required by Rule 12b-1, the Trustees will receive
and review promptly after the end of each fiscal quarter a written report
provided by the Distributor of the amounts expended by the Distributor under
the Plan and the purpose for which such expenditures were made. The Fund
accrued amounts payable to the Distributor under the Plan, during the fiscal
year ended March 31, 1995 of $3,477,931. This amount is equal to payments
required to be paid monthly by the Fund which were computed at the annual
rate of 0.98% of the average daily net assets of the Fund for the fiscal year
and reflects an adjustment necessitated by an underaccrual. This amount is
treated by the Fund as an expense in the year it is accrued.
The Plan was adopted in order to permit the implementation of the Fund's
method of distribution. Under this distribution method shares of the Fund are
sold without a sales load being deducted at the time of purchase, so that the
full amount of an investor's purchase payment will be invested in shares
without any deduction for sales charges. Shares of the Fund may be subject to
a contingent deferred sales charge, payable to the Distributor, if redeemed
during the six years after their purchase. DWR compensates its account
executives by paying them, from its own funds, commissions for the sale of
the Fund's shares, currently a gross sales credit of up to 5% of the amount
sold and an annual residual commission of up to 0.25 of 1% of the current
value (not including reinvested dividends or distributions) of the amount
sold. The gross sales credit is a charge which reflects commissions paid by
DWR to its account executives and DWR's Fund associated distribution-related
expenses, including sales compensation, overhead and other branch office
distribution-related expenses including: (a) the expenses of operating DWR's
branch offices in connection with the sale of Fund shares, including lease
costs, the salaries and employee benefits of operations and sales support
personnel, utility costs, communications costs and the costs of stationery
and supplies; (b) the costs of client sales seminars; (c) travel expenses of
mutual fund sales coordinators to promote the sale of Fund shares; and (d)
other expenses relating to branch promotion of Fund shares sales. The
distribution fee that the Distributor receives from the Fund under the Plan,
in effect, offsets distribution expenses incurred on behalf of the Fund and
opportunity costs, such as the gross sales credit and an assumed interest
charge thereon ("carrying charge"). In the Distributor's reporting of the
distribution expenses to the Fund, such assumed interest (computed at the
"broker's call rate") has been calculated on the gross sales credit as it is
reduced by amounts received by the Distributor under the Plan and any
contingent deferred sales charges received by the Distributor upon redemption
of shares of the Fund. No other interest charge is included as a distribution
expense in the Distributor's calculation of its distribution costs for this
purpose. The broker's call rate is the interest rate charged to securities
brokers on loans secured by exchange-listed securities.
The Fund paid 100% of the $3,477,931 accrued under the Plan for the fiscal
year ended March 31, 1995 to the Distributor. The Distributor and DWR
estimate that they have spent, pursuant to the Plan, $34,771,375 on behalf of
the Fund since the inception of the Fund. It is estimated that this amount
was spent in approximately the following ways: (i) 5.70% ($1,983,271) --
advertising and promotional expenses; (ii) 0.72% ($250,927) -- printing of
prospectuses for distribution to other than current shareholders; and (iii)
93.58% ($32,537,177) -- other expenses, including the gross sales credit and
the carrying charge, of which 9.94% ($3,235,545) represents carrying charges,
35.72% ($11,621,027) represents commission credits to DWR branch offices for
payments of commissions to account executives and 54.34% ($17,680,605)
represents overhead and other branch office distribution-related expenses.
At any given time, the expenses in distributing shares of the Fund may be
more or less than the total of (i) the payments made by the Fund pursuant to
the Plan and (ii) the proceeds of contingent deferred sales charges paid by
investors upon redemption of shares. The Distributor has advised the Fund
that such excess amount, including the carrying charge designed to
approximate the opportunity costs incurred by DWR which arise from it having
advanced monies without having received the amount of any sales charges
imposed at the time of sale of the Fund's shares, totalled $13,140,719 as of
March 31, 1995. Because there is no requirement under the Plan that the
Distributor be reimbursed for all
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distribution expenses or any requirement that the Plan be continued from year
to year, this excess amount does not constitute a liability of the Fund.
Although there is no legal obligation for the Fund to pay distribution
expenses incurred in excess of payments made to the Distributor under the
Plan and the proceeds of contingent deferred sales charges paid by investors
upon redemption of shares, if for any reason the Plan is terminated, the
Trustees will consider at that time the manner in which to treat such
expenses. Any cumulative expenses incurred, but not yet recovered through
distribution fees or contingent deferred sale charges, may or may not be
recovered through future distribution fees or contingent deferred sales
charges.
No interested person of the Fund, nor any trustee of the Fund who is not
an interested person of the Fund, as defined in the Act, had any direct or
indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan except to the extent
that the Distributor, InterCapital, DWR or certain of their employees may be
deemed to have such an interest as a result of benefits derived from the
successful operation of the Plan or as a result of receiving a portion of the
amounts expended thereunder by the Fund.
Under its terms, the Plan remained in effect until April 30, 1988 and will
continue from year to year thereafter, provided such continuance is approved
annually by a vote of the Trustees in the manner described above. Most recent
continuance of the Plan for one year, until April 30, 1996, was approved by
the Board of Trustees of the Fund, including a majority of the Independent
12b-1 Trustees, at a Board meeting held on April 20, 1995. At that meeting,
the Trustees, including a majority of the Independent 12b-1 Trustees, also
approved certain technical amendments to the Plan in connection with recent
amendments adopted by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. to
its Rules of Fair Practice. Prior to approving the continuation of the Plan,
the Board requested and received from the Distributor and reviewed all the
information which it deemed necessary to arrive at an informed determination.
In making their determination to continue the Plan, the Trustees considered:
(1) the Fund's experience under the Plan and whether such experience
indicates that the Plan is operating as anticipated; (2) the benefits the
Fund had obtained, was obtaining and would be likely to obtain under the
Plan; and (3) what services had been provided and were continuing to be
provided under the Plan to the Fund and its shareholders. Based upon their
review, the Trustees of the Fund, including each of the Independent 12b-1
Trustees, determined that continuation of the Plan would be in the best
interest of the Fund and would have a reasonable likelihood of continuing to
benefit the Fund and its shareholders. In the Trustees' quarterly review of
the Plan, they will consider its continued appropriateness and the level of
compensation provided therein.
The Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount to be spent
for the services described therein without approval of the shareholders of
the Fund, and all material amendments of the Plan must also be approved by
the Trustees in the manner described above. The Plan may be terminated at any
time, without payment of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the
Independent 12b-1 Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding
voting securities of the Fund (as defined in the Act) on not more than thirty
days' written notice to any other party to the Plan. So long as the Plan is
in effect, the election and nomination of Independent Trustees shall be
committed to the discretion of the Independent Trustees.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
As stated in the Prospectus, short-term securities with remaining
maturities of 60 days or less at the time of purchase are valued at amortized
cost, unless the Trustees determine such does not reflect the securities'
market value, in which case these securities will be valued at their fair
value as determined by the Trustees. Other short-term debt securities will be
valued on a mark-to-market basis until such time as they reach a remaining
maturity of 60 days, whereupon they will be valued at amortized cost using
their value on the 61st day unless the Trustees determine such does not
reflect the securities' market value, in which case these securities will be
valued at their fair value as determined by the Trustees. Listed options on
debt securities are valued at the latest sale price on the exchange on which
they are listed unless no sales of such options have taken place that day, in
which case they will be valued at the mean between their latest bid and asked
prices. Unlisted options on debt securities and all options on equity
securities are valued at the mean between their latest bid and asked prices.
Futures are valued at the latest sale price on the commodities exchange on
which they trade unless the Trustees determine
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that such price does not reflect their market value, in which case they will
be valued at their fair value as determined by the Trustees. All other
securities and other assets are valued at their fair value as determined in
good faith under procedures established by and under the supervision of the
Trustees.
The net asset value per share of the Fund is determined once daily at 4:00
p.m., New York time, on each day that the New York Stock Exchange is open by
taking the value of all assets of the Fund, subtracting its liabilities,
dividing by the number of shares outstanding and adjusting to the nearest
cent. The New York Stock Exchange currently observes the following holidays:
New Year's Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day,
Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
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Upon the purchase of shares of the Fund, a Shareholder Investment Account
is opended for the investor on the books of the Fund and maintained by Dean
Witter Trust Company, the Fund's Transfer Agent (the "Transfer Agent"). This
is an open account in which shares owned by the investor are cred- ited by
the Transfer Agent in lieu of issuance of a share certificate. If a share
certificate is desired, it must be requested in writing for each transaction.
Certificates are issued only for full shares and may be redeposited in the
account at any time. There is no charge to the investor for issuance of a
certificate. Whenever a shareholder-instituted transaction takes place in the
Shareholder Investment Account, the shareholder will be mailed a confirmation
of the transaction from the Fund or from DWR or other selected broker-dealer.
Automatic Investment of Dividends and Distributions. As stated in the
Prospectus, all income dividends and capital gains distributions are
automatically paid in full and fractional shares of the Fund, unless the
shareholder requests that they be paid in cash. Each purchase of shares of
the Fund is made upon the condition that the Transfer Agent is thereby
automatically appointed as agent of the investor to receive all dividends and
capital gains distributions on shares owned by the investor. Such dividends
and distributions will be paid, at the net asset value per share, in shares
of the Fund (or in cash if the shareholder so requests) as of the close of
business on the record date. At any time an investor may request the Transfer
Agent, in writing, to have subsequent dividends and/or capital gains
distributions paid to him or her in cash rather than shares. To assure
sufficient time to process the charge, such request should be received by the
Transfer Agent at least five business days prior to the record date of the
dividend or distribution. In the case of recently purchased shares for which
registration instructions have not been received on the record date, cash
payments will be made to the Distributor, which will be forwarded to the
shareholder, upon the receipt of proper instructions.
Targeted Dividends.sm In states where it is legally permissible,
shareholders may also have all income dividends and capital gains
distributions automatically invested in shares of a Dean Witter Fund other
than Dean Witter Managed Assets Trust. Such investment will be made as
described above for automatic investment in shares of the Fund, at the net
asset value per share of the selected Dean Witter Fund as of the close of
business on the payment date of the dividend or distribution. Shareholders of
Dean Witter Managed Assets Trust must be shareholders of the Dean Witter Fund
targeted to receive investments from dividends at the time they enter the
Targeted Dividends program. Investors should review the prospectus of the
targeted Dean Witter Fund before entering the program.
Easyinvest.sm Shareholders may subscribe to EasyInvest, an automatic
purchase plan which provides for any amount from $100 to $5,000 to be
transferred automatically from a checking or savings account, on a
semi-monthly, monthly or quarterly basis, to the Transfer Agent for
investment in shares of the Fund. Shares purchased through EasyInvest will be
added to the shareholder's existing account at the net asset value calculated
the same business day the transfer of funds is effected. For further
information or to subscribe to EasyInvest, shareholders should contact their
DWR or other selected broker-dealer account executive or the Transfer Agent.
Investment of Dividends or Distributions Received in Cash. Any
shareholder who receives a cash payment representing a dividend or
distribution may invest such dividend or distribution at the net asset value
per share, without the imposition of a contingent deferred sales charge upon
redemption, by returning the check or the proceeds to the Transfer Agent
within 30 days after the payment date. If the
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shareholder returns the proceeds of a dividend or distribution, such funds
must be accompanied by a signed statement indicating that the proceeds
constitute a dividend or distribution to be invested. Such investment will be
made at the net asset value per share next determined after receipt of the
check or proceeds by the Transfer Agent.
Systematic Withdrawal Plan. As discussed in the Prospectus, a systematic
withdrawal plan (the "Withdrawal Plan") is available for shareholders who own
or purchase shares of the Fund having a minimum value of $10,000 based upon
the then current net asset value. The Withdrawal Plan provides for monthly or
quarterly (March, June, September and December) checks in any dollar amount,
not less than $25, or in any whole percentage of the account balance, on an
annualized basis. Any applicable contingent deferred sales charge will be
imposed on shares redeemed under the Withdrawal Plan (see "Redemptions and
Repurchases -- Contingent Deferred Sales Charge" in the Prospectus).
Therefore, any shareholder participating in the Withdrawal Plan will have
sufficient shares redeemed from his or her account so that the proceeds (net
of any applicable contingent deferred sales charge) to the shareholder will
be the designated monthly or quarterly amount.
The Transfer Agent acts as agent for the shareholder in tendering to the
Fund for redemption sufficient full and fractional shares to provide the
amount of the periodic withdrawal payment designated in the application. The
shares will be redeemed at their net asset value determined, at the
shareholder's option, on the tenth or twenty-fifth day (or next following
business day) of the relevant month or quarter and normally a check for the
proceeds will be mailed by the Transfer Agent, or amounts credited to a
shareholder's DWR or other selected broker-dealer brokerage account, within
five business days after the date of redemption. The Withdrawal Plan may be
terminated at any time by the Fund.
Withdrawal Plan payments should not be considered as dividends, yields or
income. If periodic withdrawal plan payments continuously exceed net
investment income and net capital gains, the shareholder's original
investment will be correspondingly reduced and ultimately exhausted.
Each withdrawal constitutes a redemption of shares and any gain or loss
realized must be recognized for Federal income tax purposes. Although the
shareholder may make additional investments of $2,500 or more under the
Withdrawal Plan, withdrawals made concurrently with purchases of additional
shares may be inadvisable because of the contingent deferred sales charge
applicable to the redemption of shares purchased during the preceding six
years (see "Redemptions and Repurchases -- Contingent Deferred Sales
Charge").
Any shareholder who wishes to have payments under the Withdrawal Plan made
to a third party or sent to an address other than the one listed on the
account must send complete written instructions to the Transfer Agent to
enroll in the Withdrawal Plan. The shareholder's signature on such
instructions must be guaranteed by an eligible guarantor acceptable to the
Transfer Agent (shareholders should contact the Transfer Agent for a
determination as to whether a particular institution is such an eligible
guarantor). A shareholder may, at any time, change the amount and interval of
withdrawal payments through his or her Account Executive or by written
notification to the Transfer Agent. In addition, the party and/or the address
to which checks are mailed may be changed by written notification to the
Transfer Agent, with signature guarantees required in the manner described
above. The shareholder may also terminate the Withdrawal Plan at any time by
written notice to the Transfer Agent. In the event of such termination, the
account will be continued as a regular shareholder investment account. The
shareholder may also redeem all or part of the shares held in the Withdrawal
Plan account (see "Redemptions and Repurchases" in the Prospectus) at any
time. Shareholders wishing to enroll in the Withdrawal Plan should contact
their Account Executive or the Transfer Agent.
Direct Investments through Transfer Agent. As discussed in the Prospectus,
a shareholder may make additional investments in Fund shares at any time by
sending a check in any amount, not less than $100, payable to Dean Witter
Managed Assets Trust, directly to the Fund's Transfer Agent. Such amounts
will be applied to the purchase of Fund shares at the net asset value per
share next computed after receipt of the check or purchase payment by the
Transfer Agent. The shares so purchased will be credited to the investor's
account.
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Tax-Sheltered Retirement Plans. Retirement plans are available for use by
corporations, the self-employed, Individual Retirement Accounts and Custodial
Accounts under Section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code. Adoption of
such plans should be on advice of legal counsel or tax adviser.
For further information regarding plan administration, custodial fees and
other details, investors should contact their DWR or other selected
broker-dealer account executive or the Transfer Agent.
EXCHANGE PRIVILEGE
As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund makes available to its
shareholders an Exchange Privilege whereby shareholders of the Fund may
exchange their shares for shares of other Dean Witter Funds sold with a
contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC funds"), and for shares of Dean
Witter Short-Term U.S. Treasury Trust, Dean Witter Short-Term Bond Fund, Dean
Witter Limited Term Municipal Trust, Dean Witter Balanced Income Fund, Dean
Witter Balanced Growth Fund, and five Dean Witter Funds which are money
market funds (the foregoing ten non-CDSC funds are hereinafter referred to as
the "Exchange Funds"). Exchanges may be made after the shares of the fund
acquired by purchase (not by exchange or dividend reinvestment) have been
held for thirty days. There is no waiting period for exchanges of shares
acquired by exchange or dividend reinvestment. An exchange will be treated
for federal income tax purposes the same as a repurchase or redemption of
shares, on which the shareholder may realize a capital gain or loss.
Any new account established through the Exchange Privilege will have the
same registration and cash dividend or dividend reinvestment plan as the
present account, unless the Transfer Agent receives written notification to
the contrary. For telephone exchanges, the exact registration of the existing
account and the account number must be provided.
Any shares held in certificate form cannot be exchanged but must be
forwarded to the Transfer Agent and deposited into the shareholder's account
before being eligible for exchange. (Certificates mailed in for deposit
should not be endorsed.)
As described below, and in the Prospectus under the captions "Exchange
Privilege" and "Contingent Deferred Sales Charge", a contingent deferred
sales charge ("CDSC") may be imposed upon a redemption, depending on a number
of factors, including the number of years from the time of purchase until the
time of redemption or exchange ("holding period"). When shares of the Fund or
any other CDSC fund are exchanged for shares of an Exchange Fund, the
exchange is executed at no charge to the shareholder, without the imposition
of the CDSC at the time of the exchange. During the period of time the
shareholder remains in the Exchange Fund (calculated from the last day of the
month in which the Exchange Fund shares were acquired), the holding period or
"year since purchase payment made" is frozen. When shares are redeemed out of
the Exchange Fund, they will be subject to a CDSC which would be based upon
the period of time the shareholder held shares in a CDSC fund. However, in
the case of shares exchanged into an Exchange Fund on or after April 23,
1990, upon a redemption of shares which results in a CDSC being imposed, a
credit (not to exceed the amount of the CDSC) will be given in an amount
equal to the Exchange Fund 12b-1 distribution fees, if any, incurred on or
after that date which are attributable to those shares. Shareholders
acquiring shares of an Exchange Fund pursuant to this exchange privilege may
exchange those shares back into a CDSC fund from the Exchange Fund, with no
charge being imposed on such exchange. The holding period previously frozen
when shares were first exchanged for shares of the Exchange Fund resumes on
the last day of the month in which shares of a CDSC fund are reacquired. A
CDSC is imposed only upon an ultimate redemption, based upon the time
(calculated as described above) the shareholder was invested in a CDSC fund.
In addition, shares of the Fund may be acquired in exchange for shares of
Dean Witter Funds sold with a front-end sales charge ("front-end sales charge
funds"), but shares of the Fund, however acquired, may not be exchanged for
shares of front-end sales charge funds. Shares of a CDSC fund acquired in
exchange for shares of a front-end sales charge fund (or in exchange for
shares of other Dean Witter Funds for which shares of a front-end sales
charge fund have been exchanged) are not subject to any CDSC upon their
redemption.
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When shares initially purchased in a CDSC fund are exchanged for shares of
another CDSC fund, or for shares of an Exchange Fund, the date of purchase of
the shares of the fund exchanged into, for purposes of the CDSC upon
redemption, will be the last day of the month in which the shares being
exchanged were originally purchased. In allocating the purchase payments
between funds for purposes of the CDSC, the amount which represents the
current net asset value of shares at the time of the exchange which were (i)
purchased more than three or six years (depending on the CDSC schedule
applicable to the shares) prior to the exchange, (ii) originally acquired
through reinvestment of dividends or distributions and (iii) acquired in
exchange for shares of front-end sales charge funds, or for shares of other
Dean Witter Funds for which shares of front-end sales charge funds have been
exchanged (all such shares called "Free Shares"), will be exchanged first.
Shares of Dean Witter American Value Fund acquired prior to April 30, 1984,
shares of Dean Witter Dividend Growth Securities Inc. and Dean Witter Natural
Resource Development Securities Inc. acquired prior to July 2, 1984, and
shares of Dean Witter Strategist Fund acquired prior to November 8, 1989, are
also considered Free Shares and will be the first Free Shares to be
exchanged. After an exchange, all dividends earned on shares in an Exchange
Fund will be considered Free Shares. If the exchanged amount exceeds the
value of such Free Shares, an exchange is made, on a block-by-block basis, of
non-Free Shares held for the longest period of time (except that if shares
held for identical periods of time but subject to different CDSC schedules
are held in the same Exchange Privilege account, the shares of that block
that are subject to a lower CDSC rate will be exchanged prior to the shares
of that block that are subject to a higher CDSC rate). Shares equal to any
appreciation in the value of non-Free Shares exchanged will be treated as
Free Shares, and the amount of the purchase payments for the non-Free Shares
of the fund exchanged into will be equal to the lesser of (a) the purchase
payments for, or (b) the current net asset value of, the exchanged non-Free
Shares. If an exchange between funds would result in exchange of only part of
a particular block of non-Free Shares, then shares equal to any appreciation
in the value of the block (up to the amount of the exchange) will be treated
as Free Shares and exchanged first, and the purchase payment for that block
will be allocated on a pro rata basis between the non-Free Shares of that
block to be retained and the non-Free Shares to be exchanged. The prorated
amount of such purchase payment attributable to the retained non-Free Shares
will remain as the purchase payment for such shares, and the amount of
purchase payment for the exchanged non-Free Shares will be equal to the
lesser of (a) the prorated amount of the purchase payment for, or (b) the
current net asset value of, those exchanged non-Free Shares. Based upon the
procedures described in the Prospectus under the caption "Contingent Deferred
Sales Charge", any applicable CDSC will be imposed upon the ultimate
redemption of shares of any fund, regardless of the number of exchanges since
those shares were originally purchased.
The Transfer Agent acts as agent for shareholders of the Fund in effecting
redemptions of Fund shares and in applying the proceeds to the purchase of
other fund shares. In the absence of negligence on its part, neither the
Transfer Agent nor the Fund shall be liable for any redemption of Fund shares
caused by unauthorized telephone or telegraph instructions. Accordingly, in
such an event the investor shall bear the risk of loss. The staff of the
Securities and Exchange Commission is currently considering the propriety of
such a policy.
With respect to the redemption or repurchase of shares of the Fund, the
application of proceeds to the purchase of new shares in the Fund or any
other of the funds and the general administration of the Exchange Privilege,
the Transfer Agent acts as agent for the Distributor and for the
shareholder's selected broker-dealer, if any, in the performance of such
functions. With respect to exchanges, redemptions or repurchases, the
Transfer Agent shall be liable for its own negligence and not for the default
or negligence of its correspondents or for losses in transit. The Fund shall
not be liable for any default or negligence of the Transfer Agent, the
Distributor or any selected broker-dealer.
The Distributor and any selected broker-dealer have authorized and
appointed the Transfer Agent to act as their agent in connection with the
application of proceeds of any redemption of Fund shares to the purchase of
shares of any other fund and the general administration of the Exchange
Privilege. No commission or discounts will be paid to the Distributor or any
selected broker-dealer for any transactions pursuant to this Exchange
Privilege.
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<PAGE>
Exchanges are subject to the minimum investment requirement and any other
conditions imposed by each fund. (The minimum initial investment is $5,000
for Dean Witter Liquid Asset Fund Inc., Dean Witter Tax-Free Daily Income
Trust, Dean Witter New York Municipal Money Market Trust and Dean Witter
California Tax-Free Daily Income Trust, although those funds may, at their
discretion, accept initial investments of as low as $1,000. The minimum
initial investment is $10,000 for Dean Witter Short-Term U.S. Treasury Trust,
although that fund may, in its discretion, accept initial purchases of as low
as $5,000. The minimum initial investment for all other Dean Witter Funds for
which the Exchange Privilege is available is $1,000.) Upon exchange into an
Exchange Fund, the shares of that fund will be held in a special Exchange
Privilege Account separately from accounts of those shareholders who have
acquired their shares directly from that fund. As a result, certain services
normally available to shareholders of those funds, including the check
writing feature, will not be available for funds held in that account.
The Fund and each of the other Dean Witter Funds may limit the number of
times this Exchange Privilege may be exercised by any investor within a
specified period of time. Also, the Exchange Privilege may be terminated or
revised at any time by the Fund and/or any of the Dean Witter Funds for which
shares of the Fund have been exchanged, upon such notice as may be required
by applicable regulatory agencies (presently sixty days' prior written notice
for termination or material revision), provided that six months" prior
written notice of termination will be given to the shareholders who hold
shares of Exchange Funds pursuant to this Exchange Privilege, and provided
further that the Exchange Privilege may be terminated or materially revised
without notice at times (a) when the New York Stock Exchange is closed for
other than customary weekends and holidays, (b) when trading on that Exchange
is restricted, (c) when an emergency exists as a result of which disposal by
the Fund of securities owned by it is not reasonably practicable or it is not
reasonably practicable for the Fund fairly to determine the value of its net
assets, (d) during any other period when the Securities and Exchange
Commission by order so permits (provided that applicable rules and
regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission shall govern as to
whether the conditions prescribed in (b) or (c) exist) or (e) if the Fund
would be unable to invest amounts effectively in accordance with its
investment objective, policies and restrictions.
The current prospectus for each fund describes its investment objective(s)
and policies, and shareholders should obtain a copy and examine it carefully
before investing. Exchanges are subject to the minimum investment requirement
and any other conditions imposed by each fund. An exchange will be treated
for federal income tax purposes the same as a repurchase or redemption of
shares, on which the shareholder may realize a capital gain or loss. However,
the ability to deduct capital losses on an exchange may be limited in
situations where there is an exchange of shares within ninety days after the
shares are purchased. The Exchange Privilege is only available in states
where an exchange may legally be made.
For further information regarding the Exchange Privilege, shareholders
should contact their DWR or other selected broker-dealer account executive or
the Transfer Agent.
REDEMPTIONS AND REPURCHASES
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Redemption. As stated in the Prospectus, shares of the Fund can be
redeemed for cash at any time at the net asset value per share next
determined; however, such redemption proceeds may be reduced by the amount of
any applicable contingent deferred sales charges (see below). If shares are
held in a shareholder's account without a share certificate, a written
request for redemption to the Fund's Transfer Agent at P.O. Box 983, Jersey
City, NJ 07303 is required. If certificates are held by the shareholder, the
shares may be redeemed by surrendering the certificates with a written
request for redemption. The share certificate, or an accompanying stock
power, and the request for redemption, must be signed by the shareholder or
shareholders exactly as the shares are registered. Each request for
redemption, whether or not accompanied by a share certificate, must be sent
to the Fund's Transfer Agent, which will redeem the shares at their net asset
value next computed (see "Purchase of Fund Shares") after it receives the
request, and certificate, if any, in good order. Any redemption request
received after such computation will be redeemed at the next determined net
asset value. The term "good order" means that the share certificate, if any,
and request for redemption are properly signed, accompanied by any
documentation required by the Transfer Agent, and bear signature guarantees
36
<PAGE>
when required by the Fund or the Transfer Agent. If redemption is requested
by a corporation, partnership, trust or fiduciary, the Transfer Agent may
require that written evidence of authority acceptable to the Transfer Agent
be submitted before such request is accepted.
Whether certificates are held by the shareholder or shares are held in a
shareholder's account, if the proceeds are to be paid to any person other
than the record owner, or if the proceeds are to be paid to a corporation
(other than the Distributor or a selected broker-dealer for the account of
the shareholder), partnership, trust or fiduciary, or sent to the shareholder
at an address other than the registered address, signatures must be
guaranteed by an eligible guarantor. A stock power may be obtained from any
dealer or commercial bank. The Fund may change the signature guarantee
requirements from time to time upon notice to shareholders, which may be a
means of a new prospectus.
Contingent Deferred Sales Charge. As stated in the Prospectus, a
contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") will be imposed on any redemption
by an investor if after such redemption the current value of the investor's
shares of the Fund is less than the dollar amount of all payments by the
shareholder for the purchase of Fund shares during the preceding six years.
However, no CDSC will be imposed to the extent that the net asset value of
the shares redeemed does not exceed: (a) the current net asset value of
shares purchased more than six years prior to the redemption, plus (b) the
current net asset value of shares purchased through reinvestment of dividends
or distributions of the Fund or another Dean Witter Fund (see "Shareholder
Services -- Targeted Dividends"), plus (c) the current net asset value of
shares acquired in exchange for (i) shares of Dean Witter front-end sales
charge funds, or (ii) shares of other Dean Witter Funds for which shares of
front-end sales charge funds have been exchanged (see "Shareholder
Services--Exchange Privilege"), plus (d) increases in the net asset value of
the investor's shares above the total amount of payments for the purchase of
Fund shares made during the preceding six years. The CDSC will be paid to the
Distributor.
In determining the applicability of a CDSC to each redemption, the amount
which represents an increase in the net asset value of the investor's shares
above the amount of the total payments for the purchase of shares within the
last six years will be redeemed first. In the event the redemption amount
exceeds such increase in value, the next portion of the amount redeemed will
be the amount which represents the net asset value of the investor's shares
purchased more than six years prior to the redemption and/or shares purchased
through reinvestment of dividends or distributions and/or shares acquired in
exchange for shares of Dean Witter front-end sales charge funds, or for
shares of other Dean Witter Funds for which shares of front-end sales charge
funds have been exchanged. Any portion of the amount redeemed which exceeds
an amount which represents both such increase in value and the value of
shares purchased more than six years prior to the redemption and/or shares
purchased through reinvestment of dividends or distributions and/or shares
acquired in the above-described exchanges will be subject to a CDSC.
In addition, the CDSC, if otherwise applicable, will be waived in the case
of: (i) redemptions of shares held at the time a shareholder dies or becomes
disabled, only if the shares are (a) registered either in the name of an
individual shareholder (not a trust), or in the names of such shareholder and
his or her spouse as joint tenants with right of survivorship, or (b) held in
a qualified corporate or self-employed retirement plan, Individual Retirement
Account or Custodial Account under Section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue
Code, provided in either case that the redemption is requested within one
year of the death or initial determination of disability, and (ii)
redemptions in connection with the following retirement plan distributions:
(a) lump-sum or other distributions from a qualified corporate or
self-employed retirement plan following retirement (or in the case of a "key
employee" of a "top heavy" plan, following attainment of age 59 1/2 ); (b)
distributions from an Individual Retirement Account or Custodial Account
under Section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code following attainment of
age 59 1/2 ; and (c) a tax-free return of an excess contribution to an IRA.
For the purpose of determining disability, the Distributor utilizes the
definition of disability contained in Section 72(m)(7) of the Code, which
relates to the inability to engage in gainful employment. All waivers will be
granted only following receipt by the Distributor of confirmation of the
investor's entitlement.
The amount of the CDSC, if any, will vary depending on the number of years
from the time of payment for the purchase of Fund shares until the time of
redemption of such shares. For purposes of
37
<PAGE>
determining the number of years from the time of any payment for the purchase
of shares, all payments made during a month will be aggregated and deemed to
have been made on the last day of the month. The following table sets forth
the rates of the CDSC:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
CONTINGENT DEFERRED
SALES CHARGE AS A
YEAR SINCE PURCHASE PERCENTAGE OF AMOUNT
PAYMENT MADE REDEEMED
- -------------------------- -----------------------
<S> <C>
First ..................... 5.0%
Second .................... 4.0%
Third ..................... 3.0%
Fourth .................... 2.0%
Fifth ..................... 2.0%
Sixth ..................... 1.0%
Seventh and thereafter ... None
</TABLE>
In determining the rate of the CDSC, it will be assumed that a redemption
is made of shares held by the investor for the longest period of time within
the applicable six-year period. This will result in any such CDSC being
imposed at the lowest possible rate. Accordingly, shareholders may redeem,
without incurring any CDSC, amounts equal to any net increase in the value of
their shares above the amount of their purchase payments made within the past
six years and amounts equal to the current value of shares purchased more
than six years prior to the redemption and shares purchased through
reinvestment of dividends or distributions or acquired in exchange for shares
of Dean Witter front-end sales charge funds, or for shares of other Dean
Witter Funds for which shares of front-end sales charge funds have been
exchanged. The CDSC will be imposed, in accordance with the table shown
above, on any redemptions within six years of purchase which are in excess of
these amounts and which redemptions are not (a) requested within one year of
death or initial determination of disability of a shareholder, or (b) made
pursuant to certain taxable distributions from retirement plans or retirement
accounts, as described above.
Payment for Shares Redeemed or Repurchased. As stated in the Prospectus,
payment for shares presented for repurchase or redemption will be made by
check within seven days after receipt by the Transfer Agent of the
certificate and/or written request in good order. The term good order means
that the share certificate, if any, and request for redemption are properly
signed, accompanied by any documentation required by the Transfer Agent, and
bear signature guarantees when required by the Fund or the Transfer Agent.
Such payment may be postponed or the right of redemption suspended at times
(a) when the New York Stock Exchange is closed for other than customary
weekends and holidays, (b) when trading on that Exchange is restricted, (c)
when an emergency exists as a result of which disposal by the Fund of
securities owned by it is not reasonably practicable or it is not reasonably
practicable for the Fund fairly to determine the value of its net assets, or
(d) during any other period when the Securities and Exchange Commission by
order so permits; provided that applicable rules and regulations of the
Securities and Exchange Commission shall govern as to whether the conditions
prescribed in (b) or (c) exist. If the shares to be redeemed have recently
been purchased by check, payment of the redemption proceeds may be delayed
for the minimum time needed to verify that the check used for investment has
been honored (not more than fifteen days from the time of receipt of the
check by the Transfer Agent). Shareholders maintaining margin accounts with
DWR or another selected broker-dealer are referred to their account executive
regarding restrictions on redemption of shares of the Fund pledged in the
margin account.
Transfers of Shares. In the event a shareholder requests a transfer of any
shares to a new registration, such shares will be transferred without sales
charge at the time of transfer. With regard to the status of shares which are
either subject to the contingent deferred sales charge or free of such charge
(and with regard to the length of time shares subject to the charge have been
held), any transfer involving less than all of the shares in an account will
be made on a pro-rata basis (that is, by transferring shares in the same
proportion that the transferred shares bear to the total shares in the
account immediately prior to the transfer). The transferred shares will
continue to be subject to any applicable contingent deferred sales charge as
if they had not been so transferred.
38
<PAGE>
Reinstatement Privilege. As discussed in the Prospectus, a shareholder who
has had his or her shares redeemed or repurchased and has not previously
exercised this reinstatement privilege may within 30 days after the date of
redemption or repurchase reinstate any portion of all of the proceeds of such
redemption or repurchase in shares of the Fund at the net asset value next
determined after a reinstatement request, together with such proceeds, is
received by the Transfer Agent.
Exercise of the reinstatement privilege will not affect the federal income
tax treatment of any gain or loss realized upon the redemption or repurchase,
except that if the redemption or repurchase, resulted in a loss and
reinstatement is made in shares of the Fund, some or all of the loss,
depending on the amount reinstated, will not be allowed as a deduction for
federal income tax purposes, but will be applied to adjust the cost basis of
the shares acquired upon reinstatement.
Involuntary Redemption. As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund reserves
the right, on 60 days' notice, to redeem, at their net asset value, the
shares of any shareholder whose shares due to redemptions by the shareholder
have a value of less than $100 or such lesser amount as may be fixed by the
Trustees. However, before the Fund redeems such shares and sends the proceeds
to the shareholder, it will notify the shareholder that the value of the
shares is less than $100 and allow him or her 60 days to make an additional
investment in an amount which will increase the value of his or her account
to $100 or more before the redemption is processed. No CDSC will be imposed
on any involuntary redemption.
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fund will determine either to distribute or to retain all or part of
any net long-term capital gains in any year for reinvestment. If any such
gains are retained, the Fund will pay federal income tax thereon, and
shareholders will be able to claim their share of the tax paid by the Fund as
a credit against their individual federal income tax.
Because the Fund intends to distribute all of its net investment income
and capital gains to shareholders and otherwise continue to qualify as a
regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code,
it is not expected that the Fund will be required to pay any federal income
tax. Shareholders will normally have to pay federal income taxes, and any
state income taxes, on the dividends and distributions they receive from the
Fund. Such dividends and distributions, to the extent that they are derived
from the net investment income or short-term capital gains, are taxable to
the shareholder as ordinary income regardless of whether the shareholder
receives such payments in additional shares or in cash. Any dividends
declared in the last quarter of any year which are paid in the following year
prior to February 1 will be deemed received by the shareholder in the prior
year. Dividend payments will be eligible for the federal dividends received
deduction available to the Fund's corporate shareholders only to the extent
the aggregate dividends received by the Fund would be eligible for the
deduction if the Fund were the shareholder claiming the dividends received
deduction. In this regard, a 46-day holding period generally must be met.
Gains or losses on the Fund's transactions, if any, in listed options on
non-equity securities, futures and options on futures generally are treated
as 60% long-term and 40% short-term. When the Fund engages in options and
futures transactions, various tax regulations applicable to the Fund may have
the effect of causing the Fund to recognize a gain or loss for tax purposes
before that gain or loss is realized, or to defer recognition of a realized
loss for tax purposes. Recognition, for tax purposes, of an unrealized loss
may result in a lesser amount of the Fund's realized net short-term gains
being available for distribution.
Gains or losses on sales of securities by the Fund will be long-term
capital gains or losses if the securities have been held by the Fund for more
than twelve months. Gains or losses on the sale of securities held for twelve
months or less will be short-term gains or losses.
The Fund has qualified and intends to remain qualified as a regulated
investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. If so
qualified, the Fund will not be subject to federal income tax on its net
investment income and net short-term capital gains, if any, realized during
any fiscal year to the extent that it distributes such income and capital
gains to its shareholders.
39
<PAGE>
One of the requirements for the Fund to remain qualified as a regulated
investment company is that less than 30% of its gross income be derived from
gains from the sale or other disposition of securities held for less than
three months. Accordingly, the Fund may be restricted in the writing of
options on securities held for less than three months, in the writing of
options which expire in less than three months, and in effecting closing
transactions with respect to call or put options which have been written or
purchased less than three months prior to such transactions. The Fund may
also be restricted in its ability to engage in transactions involving futures
contracts.
Distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to
shareholders as long-term capital gains regardless of how long a shareholder
has held the Fund's shares and regardless of whether the distribution is
received in additional shares or in cash. Capital gains distributions are not
eligible for the dividends received deduction.
Under current federal tax law, the Fund will receive net investment income
in the form of interest by virtue of holding Treasury bills, notes and bonds,
and will recognize income attributable to it from holding zero coupon
Treasury securities. Current federal tax law requires that a holder (such as
the Fund) of a zero coupon security accrue a portion of the discount at which
the security was purchased as income each year even though the Fund receives
no interest payment in cash on the security during the year. As an investment
company, the Fund must pay out substantially all of its net investment income
each year. Accordingly, the Fund, to the extent it invests in zero coupon
Treasury securities, may be required to pay out as an income distribution
each year an amount which is greater than the total amount of cash receipts
of interest the Fund actually received. Such distributions will be made from
the available cash of the Fund or by liquidation of portfolio securities if
necessary. If a distribution or cash necessitates the liquidation of
portfolio securities, the Investment Manager will select which securities to
sell. The Fund may realize a gain or loss from such sales. In the event the
Fund realizes net capital gains from such transactions, its shareholders may
receive a larger capital gain distribution, if any, than they would in the
absence of such transactions.
In computing net investment income, the Fund will not amortize premiums or
accrue discounts on fixed-income securities in the portfolio, except those
original issue discounts for which amortization is required for federal
income tax purposes. Additionally, with respect to market discounts on bonds
issued after July 18, 1984, and all bonds purchased after April 30, 1993, a
portion of any capital gain realized upon disposition may be characterized as
taxable ordinary income in accordance with the provisions of the Tax Reform
Act of 1984. Realized gains and losses on security transactions are
determined on the identified cost method.
Any dividend or capital gains distribution received by a shareholder from
any investment company will have the effect of reducing the net asset value
of the shareholder's stock in that company by the exact amount of the
dividend or capital gains distribution. Furthermore, capital gains
distributions and dividends are subject to federal income taxes. If the net
asset value of the shares should be reduced below a shareholder's cost as a
result of the payment of dividends or the distribution or realized net
long-term capital gains, such payment or distribution would be in part a
return of the shareholder's investment to the extent of such reduction below
the shareholder's cost, but nonetheless would be fully taxable. Therefore, an
investor should consider the tax implications of purchasing Fund shares
immediately prior to a distribution record date.
The amount of dividends paid by the Fund which may qualify for the
dividends received deduction is limited to the aggregate amount of qualifying
dividends which the Fund derives from its portfolio investments which the
Fund has held for a minimum period, usually 46 days. Any distributions made
by the Fund will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction with
respect to shares which are held by the shareholder for 45 days or less. Any
long-term capital gain distributions will also not be eligible for the
dividends received deduction. The ability to take the dividends received
deduction will also be limited in the case of a Fund shareholder which incurs
or continues indebtedness which is directly attributable to its investment in
the Fund.
At the end of the year, shareholders will be sent full information on
their dividends and capital gains distributions for tax purposes, including
information as to the portion taxable as ordinary income, the
40
<PAGE>
portion taxable as long-term capital gains and the portion eligible for the
dividends received deduction. To avoid being subject to a 31% federal backup
withholding tax on taxable dividends, capital gains distributions and the
proceeds of redemptions and repurchases, shareholders' taxpayer
identification numbers must be furnished and certified as to their accuracy.
Shareholders are urged to consult their attorneys or tax advisers
regarding specific questions as to federal, state or local taxes.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As discussed in the Prospectus, from time to time the Fund may quote its
"total return" in advertisements and sales literature. The Fund's "average
annual total return" represents an annualization of the Fund's total return
over a particular period and is computed by finding the annual percentage
rate which will result in the ending redeemable value of a hypothetical
$1,000 investment made at the beginning of a one, five or ten year period, or
for the period from the date of commencement of the Fund's operations, if
shorter than any of the foregoing. The ending redeemable value is reduced by
any contingent deferred sales charge at the end of the one, five or ten year
or other period. For the purpose of this calculation, it is assumed that all
dividends and distributions are reinvested. The formula for computing the
average annual total return involves a percentage obtained by dividing the
ending redeemable value by the amount of the intitial investment, taking a
root of the quotient (where the root is equivalent to the number of years in
the period) and subtracting 1 from the result. The average annual return of
the Fund for the year ended March 31, 1995, for the five years ended March
31, 1995, and for the period June 30, 1988 (commencement of operations)
through March 31, 1995 were -0.00%, 8.04% and 8.02%, respectively.
In addition to the foregoing, the Fund may advertise its total return over
different periods of time by means of aggregate, average, year-by-year or
other types of total return figures. Such calculations may or may not reflect
the deduction of the contingent deferred sales charge which, if reflected,
would reduce the performance quoted. For example, the average annual total
return of the Fund may be calculated in the manner described above, but
without deduction for any applicable contingent deferred sales charge. Based
on this calculation, the average annual total return of the Fund for the year
ended March 31, 1995, for the five years ended March 31, 1995, and for the
period from June 30, 1988 through March 31, 1995 were 4.83%, 8.34% and 8.02%,
respectively.
In addition, the Fund may compute its aggregate total return for specified
periods by determining the aggregate percentage rate which will result in the
ending value of a hypothetical $1,000 investment made at the beginning of the
period. For the purpose of this calculation, it is assumed that all dividends
and distributions are reinvested. The formula for computing aggregate total
return involves a percentage obtained by dividing the ending value (without
the reduction for any contingent deferred sales charge) by the initial $1,000
investment and subtracting 1 from the result. Based on the foregoing
calculation, the Fund's total return for the year ended March 31, 1995, for
the five years ended March 31, 1995, and for the period from June 30, 1988
through March 31, 1995 were 4.83%, 49.23% and 68.27%, respectively.
The Fund may also advertise the growth of hypothetical investments of
$10,000, $50,000 and $100,000 in shares of the Fund by adding 1 to the Fund's
aggregate total return and multiplying by $10,000, $50,000 or $100,000, as
the case may be. Investments of $10,000, $50,000 and $100,000 in the Fund at
inception would have grown to $16,827, $84,135 and $168,270, respectively, at
March 31, 1995.
The Fund from time to time may also advertise its performance relative to
certain performance rankings and indexes compiled by independent
organizations.
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As discussed in the Prospectus, the shareholders of the Fund are entitled
to a full vote for each full share held. All of the Trustees except for
Messrs. Bozic, Purcell and Schroeder, were elected by the shareholders of the
Fund at Special Meetings of Shareholders held on July 19, 1989 and January
12,
41
<PAGE>
1993. Messrs. Bozic, Purcell and Schroeder were elected by the other Trustees
of the Fund on April 8, 1994. The Trustees themselves have the power to alter
the number and the terms of office of the Trustees, and they may at any time
lengthen their own terms or make their terms of unlimited duration and
appoint their own successors, provided that always at least a majority of the
Trustees has been elected by the shareholders of the Fund. Under certain
circumstances the Trustees may be removed by action of the Trustees. The
shareholders also have the right under certain circumstances to remove the
Trustees. The voting rights of shareholders are not cumulative, so that
holders of more than 50 percent of the shares voting can, if they choose,
elect all Trustees being selected, while the holders of the remaining shares
would be unable to elect any Trustees.
The Fund is not required to hold Annual Meetings of Shareholders and in
ordinary circumstances the Fund does not intend to hold such meetings. The
Trustees may call Special Meetings of Shareholders for action by shareholder
vote as may be required by the Act or the Declaration of Trust.
The Declaration of Trust permits the Trustees to authorize the creation of
additional series of shares (the proceeds of which would be invested in
separate, independently managed portfolios) and additional classes of shares
within any series (which would be used to distinguish among the rights of
different categories of shareholders, as might be required by future
regulations or other unforeseen circumstances). However, the Trustees have
not authorized any such additional series or classes of shares.
Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of a business trust may, under
certain circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for obligations
of the Fund. The Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of
shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Fund and requires that
notice of such disclaimer be given in each instrument entered into or
executed by the Fund. The Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification
out of the Fund's property for 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 itself would be unable to meet its obligations. Given the nature of
the Fund's assets and operations, the possibility of the Fund being unable to
meet its obligations is remote and thus, in the opinion of Massachusetts
counsel to the Fund, the risk to Fund shareholders is remote.
The Declaration of Trust further provides that no Trustee, officer,
employee or agent of the Fund is liable to the Fund or to a shareholder, nor
is any Trustee, officer, employee or agent liable to any third persons in
connection with the affairs of the Fund, except as such liability may arise
from his/her or its own bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence, or
reckless disregard of his/her or its duties. It also provides that all third
persons shall look solely to the Fund property for satisfaction of claims
arising in connection with the affairs of the Fund. With the exceptions
stated, the Declaration of Trust provides that a Trustee, officer, employee
or agent is entitled to be indemnified against all liability in connection
with the affairs of the Fund.
The Fund is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares of
beneficial interest. The Fund shall be of unlimited duration subject to the
provisions in the Declaration of Trust concerning termination by action of
the shareholders.
CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Bank of New York, 90 Washington Street, New York, New York 10286 is
the Custodian of the Fund's assets. Any of the Fund's cash balances with the
Custodian in excess of $100,000 are unprotected by federal deposit insurance.
Such balances may, at times, be substantial.
Dean Witter Trust Company, Harborside Financial Center, Plaza Two, Jersey
City, New Jersey 07311 is the Transfer Agent of the Fund's shares and
Dividend Disbursing Agent for payment of dividends and distributions on Fund
shares and Agent for shareholders under various investment plans described
herein. Dean Witter Trust Company is an affiliate of Dean Witter InterCapital
Inc., the Fund's Investment Manager, and of Dean Witter Distributors Inc.,
the Fund's Distributor. As Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent, Dean
Witter Trust Company's responsibilities include maintaining shareholder
accounts; disbursing cash dividends and reinvesting dividends; processing
account registration changes; handling purchase and redemption transactions;
mailing prospectuses and reports; mailing
42
<PAGE>
and tabulating proxies; processing share certificate transactions; and
maintaining records and lists. For these services Dean Witter Trust Company
receives a per shareholder account fee from the Fund.
INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Price Waterhouse LLP serves as the independent accountants of the Fund.
The independent accountants are responsible for auditing the annual financial
statements of the Fund.
REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fund will send to shareholders, at least semi-annually, reports
showing the Fund's portfolio and other information. An annual report
containing financial statements audited by independent accountants will be
sent to shareholders each year.
The Fund's fiscal year ends on March 31. The financial statements of the
Fund must be audited at least once a year by independent accountants whose
selection is made annually by the Fund's Board of Trustees.
LEGAL COUNSEL
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sheldon Curtis, Esq., who is an officer and the General Counsel of the
Investment Manager, is an officer and the General Counsel of the Fund.
EXPERTS
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The financial statements of the Fund included in the Statement of
Additional Information and incorporated by reference in the Prospectus have
been so included and incorporated in reliance on the report of Price
Waterhouse LLP, independent accountants, given on the authority of said firm
as experts in auditing and accounting.
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Statement of Additional Information and the Prospectus do not contain
all of the information set forth in the Registration Statement the Fund has
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The complete Registration
Statement may be obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission upon
payment of the fee prescribed by the rules and regulations of the Commission.
43
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER MANAGED ASSETS TRUST
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS March 31, 1995
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
ANNUALIZED
PRINCIPAL YIELD
AMOUNT IN ON DATE OF
THOUSANDS DESCRIPTION AND MATURITY DATE PURCHASE VALUE
- ----------- ----------------------------- --------------- --------------
<S> <C> <C> <C>
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS (a) (102.1%)
COMMERCIAL PAPER (46.9%)
Bank Holding Companies (7.6%)
$20,000 BankAmerica Corp. 04/19/95 ............. 5.99% $ 19,940,400
12,000 Northern Trust Corp. 04/28/95 .......... 6.01 11,946,270
--------------
31,886,670
--------------
Brokerage (2.8%)
12,000 Morgan Stanley Group, Inc. 05/11/95 ... 6.04 11,920,000
--------------
Finance - Automobiles (3.3%)
14,000 Ford Motor Credit Co. 05/05/95 ......... 6.10 13,920,138
--------------
Finance - Corporate (4.7%)
20,000 Ciesco, L.P. 05/05/95 .................. 6.01 19,887,233
--------------
Finance - Diversified (16.8%)
11,000 American Express Credit Corp. 04/03/95 6.08 10,996,321
10,000 Commercial Credit Co. 04/13/95 ......... 5.99 9,980,133
10,200 General Electric Capital Corp. 04/24/95 6.00 10,161,161
20,000 Heller Financial, Inc. 05/19/95 ....... 6.08 19,839,467
20,000 Norwest Financial, Inc. 04/05/95 ...... 6.07 19,986,622
--------------
70,963,704
--------------
Finance - Equipment (4.7%)
20,000 Deere (John) Capital Corp. 05/01/95 ... 6.05 19,900,000
--------------
Finance - Office Equipment (7.0%)
20,500 IBM Credit Corp. 04/11/95 .............. 6.08 20,465,719
9,000 Xerox Credit Corp. 04/26/95 ............ 6.01 8,962,688
--------------
29,428,407
--------------
TOTAL COMMERCIAL PAPER
(Amortized Cost $197,906,152) ........................... 197,906,152
--------------
U.S. GOVERNMENT & AGENCIES
OBLIGATIONS (55.2%)
Federal Home Loan Banks 04/03/95 to
55,400 04/24/95 ............................... 5.94 to 6.25 55,316,939
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.
19,900 04/17/95 ............................... 5.95 19,847,641
Federal National Mortgage Association
7,000 04/21/95 ............................... 5.96 6,977,056
</TABLE>
See Notes to Financial Statements
44
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
ANNUALIZED
PRINCIPAL YIELD
AMOUNT IN ON DATE OF
THOUSANDS DESCRIPTION AND MATURITY DATE PURCHASE VALUE
- ----------- ----------------------------- --------------- --------------
<S> <C> <C> <C>
$155,000 U.S. Treasury Bill 06/29/95 to 12/14/95 5.40 to 6.79% $150,829,460
--------------
TOTAL U.S. GOVERNMENT & AGENCIES
OBLIGATIONS (Amortized Cost $232,978,199) ............... 232,971,096
--------------
TOTAL INVESTMENTS (Amortized Cost
$430,884,351) (b) ...................... 102.1% 430,877,248
LIABILITIES IN EXCESS OF OTHER ASSETS . (2.1) (8,893,556)
--------------- --------------
NET ASSETS ............................. 100.0% $421,983,692
=============== ==============
- -------------
(a) Securities were purchased on a discount basis. The interest rates
shown have been adjusted to reflect a money market equivalent yield.
(b) Cost is the same for federal income tax purposes.
</TABLE>
See Notes to Financial Statements
45
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER MANAGED ASSETS TRUST
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C>
ASSETS:
Investments in securities, at value (amortized cost $430,884,351) ... $430,877,248
Receivable for shares of beneficial interest sold .................... 1,524,793
Prepaid expenses and other assets .................................... 37,975
--------------
TOTAL ASSETS ....................................................... 432,440,016
--------------
LIABILITIES:
Payable for:
Shares of beneficial interest repurchased .......................... 6,092,841
Plan of distribution fee ........................................... 361,277
Investment management fee .......................................... 216,770
Dividends to shareholders .......................................... 112,018
Payable to bank ...................................................... 3,481,210
Accrued expenses and other payables .................................. 192,208
--------------
TOTAL LIABILITIES .................................................. 10,456,324
--------------
NET ASSETS:
Paid-in-capital ...................................................... 422,393,625
Net unrealized depreciation .......................................... (7,103)
Distribution in excess of net investment income ...................... (163,887)
Accumulated net realized loss ........................................ (238,943)
--------------
NET ASSETS ......................................................... $421,983,692
==============
NET ASSET VALUE PER SHARE, 40,738,444 shares outstanding (unlimited
shares authorized of $.01 par value) ................................ $10.36
==============
</TABLE>
See Notes to Financial Statements
46
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER MANAGED ASSETS TRUST
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, continued
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED MARCH 31, 1995
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C>
NET INVESTMENT INCOME:
INCOME
Interest .......................................... $16,864,614
Dividends (net of $10,090 foreign withholding tax) 907,801
-------------
TOTAL INCOME .................................... 17,772,415
-------------
EXPENSES
Plan of distribution fee .......................... 3,477,931
Investment management fee ......................... 2,086,759
Transfer agent fees and expenses .................. 296,873
Registration fees ................................. 102,486
Custodian fees .................................... 62,382
Professional fees ................................. 49,122
Shareholder reports and notices ................... 49,094
Trustees' fees and expenses ....................... 33,035
Other ............................................. 11,602
-------------
TOTAL EXPENSES .................................. 6,169,284
-------------
NET INVESTMENT INCOME ........................... 11,603,131
-------------
NET REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS):
Net realized gain ................................. 10,416,911
Net change in unrealized depreciation ............. (6,113,384)
-------------
NET GAIN ........................................ 4,303,527
-------------
NET INCREASE ...................................... $15,906,658
=============
</TABLE>
See Notes to Financial Statements
47
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER MANAGED ASSETS TRUST
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, continued
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FOR THE YEAR FOR THE YEAR
ENDED MARCH ENDED MARCH
31, 1995 31, 1994
- ------------------------------------------------------ -------------- --------------
<S> <C> <C>
INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS:
OPERATIONS:
Net investment income ................................. $ 11,603,131 $ 4,618,486
Net realized gain ..................................... 10,416,911 13,924,046
Net change in unrealized appreciation ................. (6,113,384) (7,776,179)
-------------- --------------
NET INCREASE ........................................ 15,906,658 10,766,353
-------------- --------------
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS FROM:
Net investment income ................................. (11,871,096) (4,624,567)
Net realized gain ..................................... (16,248,194) (13,835,091)
Paid-in-capital ....................................... (1,017,267) -0-
-------------- --------------
TOTAL ............................................... (29,136,557) (18,459,658)
-------------- --------------
Net increase from transactions in shares of beneficial
interest ............................................. 170,397,392 35,519,696
-------------- --------------
TOTAL INCREASE ...................................... 157,167,493 27,826,391
NET ASSETS:
Beginning of period ................................... 264,816,199 236,989,808
-------------- --------------
END OF PERIOD
(Including distribution in excess of and
undistributed net investment income of $163,887 and
$104,078, respectively) ............................. $421,983,692 $264,816,199
============== ==============
</TABLE>
See Notes to Financial Statements
48
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER MANAGED ASSETS TRUST
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS March 31, 1995
1. ORGANIZATION AND ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Dean Witter Managed Assets Trust (the "Fund") is registered under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Act"), as a non-diversified,
open-end management investment company. The Fund was organized as a
Massachusetts business trust on October 8, 1987 and commenced operations on
June 30, 1988.
The following is a summary of significant accounting policies:
A. VALUATION OF INVESTMENTS--(1) an equity security listed or traded on the
New York or American Stock Exchange is valued at its latest sale price on
that exchange prior to the time when assets are valued; if there were no
sales that day, the security is valued at the latest bid price (in cases
where securities are traded on more than one exchange, the securities are
valued on the exchange designated as the primary market by the Trustees); (2)
all other portfolio securities for which over-the-counter market quotations
are readily available are valued at the latest available bid price prior to
the time of valuation; (3) when market quotations are not readily available,
including circumstances under which it is determined by the Investment
Manager that sale and bid prices are not reflective of a security's market
value, portfolio securities are valued at their fair value as determined in
good faith under procedures established by and under the general supervision
of the Trustees (valuation of debt securities for which market quotations are
not readily available may be based upon current market prices of securities
which are comparable in coupon, rating and maturity or an appropriate matrix
utilizing similar factors); (4) certain of the Fund's portfolio securities
may be valued by an outside pricing service approved by the Trustees. The
pricing service utilizes a matrix system incorporating security quality,
maturity and coupon as the evaluation model parameters, and/or research and
evaluations by its staff, including review of broker-dealer market price
quotations, if available, in determining what it believes is the fair
valuation of the securities valued by such pricing service; and (5)
short-term debt securities having a maturity date of more than sixty days at
time of purchase are valued on a mark-to-market basis until sixty days prior
to maturity and thereafter at amortized cost based on their value on the 61st
day. Short-term debt securities having a maturity date of sixty days or less
at the time of purchase are valued at amortized cost.
B. ACCOUNTING FOR INVESTMENTS--Security transactions are accounted for on the
trade date (date the order to buy or sell is executed). Realized gains and
losses on security transactions are determined by the identified cost method.
Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Interest income is
accrued daily and includes the amortization of certain short-term securities.
49
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER MANAGED ASSETS TRUST
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS March 31, 1995, continued
C. FEDERAL INCOME TAX STATUS--It is the Fund's policy to comply with the
requirements of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment
companies and to distribute all of its taxable income to its shareholders.
Accordingly, no federal income tax provision is required.
D. DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS--The Fund records dividends and
distributions to its shareholders on the record date. The amount of dividends
and distributions from net investment income and net realized capital gains
are determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations which may
differ from generally accepted accounting principles. These "book/tax"
differences are either considered temporary or permanent in nature. To the
extent these differences are permanent in nature, such amounts are
reclassified within the capital accounts based on their federal tax-basis
treatment; temporary differences do not require reclassification. Dividends
and distributions which exceed net investment income and net realized capital
gains for financial reporting purposes but not for tax purposes are reported
as dividends in excess of net investment income or distributions in excess of
net realized capital gains. To the extent they exceed net investment income
and net realized capital gains for tax purposes, they are reported as
distributions of paid-in-capital.
2. INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT
Pursuant to an Investment Management Agreement with Dean Witter InterCapital
Inc. (the "Investment Manager"), the Fund pays its Investment Manager a
management fee, accrued daily and payable monthly, by applying the annual
rate of 0.60% to the daily net assets of the Fund not exceeding $500 million
and 0.55% to the daily net assets of the Fund exceeding $500 million.
Under the terms of the Agreement, in addition to managing the Fund's
investments, the Investment Manager maintains certain of the Fund's books and
records and furnishes, at its own expense, office space, facilities,
equipment, clerical, bookkeeping and certain legal services and pays the
salaries of all personnel, including officers of the Fund who are employees
of the Investment Manager. The Investment Manager also bears the cost of
telephone services, heat, light, power and other utilities provided to the
Fund.
3. PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
Shares of the Fund are distributed by Dean Witter Distributors Inc. (the
"Distributor"), an affiliate of the Investment Manager. The Fund has adopted
a Plan of Distribution (the "Plan") pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act
pursuant to which the Fund pays the Distributor compensation, accrued daily
and payable monthly, at an annual rate of 1.0% of the lesser of: (a) the
average daily aggregate gross sales of the
50
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER MANAGED ASSETS TRUST
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS March 31, 1995, continued
Fund's shares since the Fund's inception (not including reinvestment of
dividend or capital gain distributions) less the average daily aggregate net
asset value of the Fund's shares redeemed since the Fund's inception upon
which a contingent deferred sales charge has been imposed or upon which such
charge has been waived; or (b) the Fund's average daily net assets. Amounts
paid under the Plan are paid to the Distributor to compensate it for the
services provided and the expenses borne by it and others in the distribution
of the Fund's shares, including the payment of commissions for sales of the
Fund's shares and incentive compensation to, and expenses of, the account
executives of Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. ("DWR"), an affiliate of the
Investment Manager and Distributor, and other employees or selected dealers
who engage in or support distribution of the Fund's shares or who service
shareholder accounts, including overhead and telephone expenses, printing and
distribution of prospectuses and reports used in connection with the offering
of the Fund's shares to other than current shareholders and preparation,
printing and distribution of sales literature and advertising materials. In
addition, the Distributor may be compensated under the Plan for its
opportunity costs in advancing such amounts, which compensation would be in
the form of a carrying charge on any unreimbursed expenses incurred by the
Distributor.
Provided that the Plan continues in effect, any cumulative expenses incurred
but not yet recovered, may be recovered through future distribution fees from
the Fund and contingent deferred sales charges from the Fund's shareholders.
The Distributor has informed the Fund that for the year ended March 31, 1995,
it received approximately $670,000 in contingent deferred sales charges from
certain redemptions of the Fund's shares. The Fund's shareholders pay such
charges which are not an expense of the Fund.
4. SECURITY TRANSACTIONS AND TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES
The cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of portfolio securities,
excluding short-term investments, for the year ended March 31, 1995
aggregated $115,997,616 and $252,763,992, respectively. Included in
the aforementioned are purchases and sales of U.S. Government securities of
$86,914,199 and
$102,341,032, respectively.
For the year ended March 31, 1995, the Fund incurred brokerage commissions of
$21,223 with DWR for portfolio transactions executed on behalf of the Fund.
Dean Witter Trust Company, an affiliate of the Investment Manager and
Distributor, is the Fund's transfer agent. At March 31, 1995, the Fund had
transfer agent fees and expenses payable of approximately $31,000.
51
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER MANAGED ASSETS TRUST
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS March 31, 1995, continued
The Fund established an unfunded noncontributory defined benefit pension plan
covering all independent Trustees of the Fund who will have served as
independent Trustees for at least five years at the time of retirement.
Benefits under this plan are based on years of service and compensation
during the last five years of service. Aggregate pension costs for the year
ended March 31, 1995 included in Trustees' fees and expenses in the Statement
of Operations amounted to $11,360. At March 31, 1995, the Fund had an accrued
pension liability of $51,726 which is included in accrued expenses in the
Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
5. SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST
Transactions in shares of beneficial interest were as follows:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FOR THE YEAR ENDED FOR THE YEAR ENDED
MARCH 31, 1995 MARCH 31, 1994
------------------------------- -----------------------------
SHARES AMOUNT SHARES AMOUNT
-------------- --------------- ------------- --------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Sold ........................................ 41,069,474 $ 433,827,320 8,078,807 $ 89,201,126
Reinvestment of dividends and distributions 2,433,359 25,358,358 1,504,075 16,299,642
-------------- --------------- ------------- --------------
43,502,833 459,185,678 9,582,882 105,500,768
Repurchased ................................. (27,440,804) (288,788,286) (6,337,340) (69,981,072)
-------------- --------------- ------------- --------------
Net increase ................................ 16,062,029 $ 170,397,392 3,245,542 $ 35,519,696
============== =============== ============= ==============
</TABLE>
6. FEDERAL INCOME TAX STATUS
Capital losses incurred after October 31 ("post-October losses") within the
taxable year are deemed to arise on the first business day of the Fund's next
taxable year. The Fund incurred and will elect to defer net capital losses of
approximately $239,000 during fiscal 1995. As of March 31, 1995, the Fund had
temporary book/tax differences primarily attributable to post-October losses.
52
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER MANAGED ASSETS TRUST
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Selected ratios and per share data for a share of beneficial interest
outstanding throughout each period:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FOR THE YEAR ENDED MARCH 31
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR THE PERIOD
JUNE 30, 1988*
THROUGH
1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 MARCH 31, 1989
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- --------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
PER SHARE OPERATING PERFORMANCE:
Net asset value, beginning of period ... $10.73 $ 11.06 $ 11.36 $ 10.50 $ 9.99 $ 10.03 $10.00
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- --------------
Net investment income ................... 0.32 0.20 0.28 0.33 0.44 0.69 0.43
Net realized and unrealized gain ....... 0.18 0.31 0.84 0.90 0.52 0.10 --
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- --------------
Total from investment operations ....... 0.50 0.51 1.12 1.23 0.96 0.79 0.43
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- --------------
Less dividends and distributions from:
Net investment income .................. (0.33) (0.21) (0.28) (0.34) (0.44) (0.71) (0.40)
Net realized gain ...................... (0.51) (0.63) (1.14) (0.03) (0.01) (0.12) --
Paid-in-capital ........................ (0.03) -- -- -- -- -- --
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- --------------
Total dividends and distributions ...... (0.87) (0.84) (1.42) (0.37) (0.45) (0.83) (0.40)
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- --------------
Net asset value, end of period .......... $10.36 $ 10.73 $ 11.06 $ 11.36 $ 10.50 $ 9.99 $10.03
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==============
TOTAL INVESTMENT RETURN ................. 4.83% 4.64% 10.52% 11.85% 10.07% 8.01% 4.40%(1)
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:
Expenses ................................ 1.77% 1.79% 1.80% 1.70% 1.78% 1.77% 1.77%(2)
Net investment income ................... 3.34% 1.86% 2.48% 2.97% 4.34% 6.76% 6.73%(2)
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
Net assets, end of period, in thousands $421,984 $264,816 $236,990 $219,744 $215,408 $279,494 $262,570
Portfolio turnover rate ................. 264% 54% 68% 75% 125% 320% 178%(1)
</TABLE>
[FN]
- -------------
* Commencement of operations.
+ Does not reflect the deduction of sales charge.
(1) Not annualized.
(2) Annualized.
See Notes to Financial Statements
53
<PAGE>
DEAN WITTER MANAGED ASSETS TRUST
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
TO THE SHAREHOLDERS AND TRUSTEES
OF DEAN WITTER MANAGED ASSETS TRUST
In our opinion, the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities,
including the portfolio of investments, and the related statements of
operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present
fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Dean Witter
Managed Assets Trust (the "Fund") at March 31, 1995, the results of its
operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of
the two years in the period then ended and the financial highlights for each
of the six years in the period then ended and for the period June 30, 1988
(commencement of operations) through March 31, 1989, in conformity with
generally accepted accounting principles. These financial statements and
financial highlights (hereafter referred to as "financial statements") are
the responsibility of the Fund's management; our responsibility is to express
an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted
our audits of these financial statements in accordance with generally
accepted auditing standards which require that we plan and perform the audit
to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are
free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis,
evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements,
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We
believe that our audits, which included confirmation of securities at March
31, 1995 by correspondence with the custodian, provide a reasonable basis for
the opinion expressed above.
PRICE WATERHOUSE LLP
1177 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10036
May 10, 1995
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1995 FEDERAL TAX NOTICE (unaudited)
During the year ended March 31, 1995, the Fund paid to shareholders $0.392
per share from long-term capital gains. For such period, 10.3% of the
ordinary dividend qualified for the dividends received deduction available to
corporations.
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
54
<PAGE>
APPENDIX
- --------
RATINGS
- -------
MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE INC. ("MOODY'S")
BOND RATINGS
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C>
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
Aaa 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 comprise what are generally known as high grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best
bonds because margins of protection may not be as large as in Aaa securities or fluctuation of
protective elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be other elements present which make the
Aa long-term risks 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 sometime in the
A future.
Bonds which are rated Baa are considered as medium grade obligations; i.e., they are neither highly
protected nor poorly secured. Interest payments and principal security appear adequate for the
present but certain protective elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over
any great length of time. Such bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in fact have
Baa speculative characteristics as well.
Bonds rated Aaa, Aa, A and Baa are considered investment grade bonds.
</TABLE>
Rating Refinements: Moody's may apply numerical modifiers, 1, 2, and 3 in
each generic rating classification from Aa through B in its corporate and
municipal bond rating system. The modifier 1 indicates that the security
ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2
indicates a mid-range ranking; and a modifier 3 indicates that the issue
ranks in the lower end of its generic rating category.
COMMERCIAL PAPER RATINGS
Moody's Commercial Paper ratings are opinions of the ability to repay
punctually promissory obligations not having an original maturity in excess
of nine months. Moody's imploys the following three designations, all judged
to be investment grade, to indicate the relative repayment capacity of rated
issuers: Prime-1, Prime-2, Prime-3.
Issuers rated Prime-1 have a superior capacity for repayment of short-term
promissory obligations. Issuers rated Prime-2 have a strong capacity for
repayment of short-term promissory obligations; and Issuers rated Prime-3
have an acceptable capacity for repayment of short-term promissory
obligations. Issuers rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime
rating categories.
STANDARD & POOR'S CORPORATION ("STANDARD & POOR'S")
BOND RATINGS
A Standard & Poor's bond rating is a current assessment of the
creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific obligation. This
assessment may take into consideration obligors such as guarantors, insurers,
or lessees.
55
<PAGE>
The ratings are based on current information furnished by the issuer or
obtained by Standard & Poor's from other sources it considers reliable. The
ratings are based, in varying degrees, on the following considerations: (1)
likelihood of default-capacity and willingness of the obligor as to the
timely payment of interest and repayment of principal in accordance with the
terms of the obligation; (2) nature of and provisions of the obligation; and
(3) protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the
event of bankruptcy, reorganization or other arrangement under the laws of
bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.
Standard & Poor's does not perform an audit in connection with any rating
and may, on occasion, rely on unaudited financial information. The ratings
may be changed, suspended or withdrawn as a result of changes in, or
unavailability of, such information, or for other reasons.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C>
Debt rated AAA has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor's. Capacity to pay interest and
AAA repay principal is extremely strong.
Debt rated AA has a very strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal and differs from the
AA highest-rated issues only in small degree.
Debt rated A has a strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal although they are somewhat
more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than
A debt in higher-rated categories.
Debt rated BBB is regarded as having an adequate capacity to pay interest and repay principal.
Whereas it normally exhibits adequate protection parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing
circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay interest and repay principal for
BBB debt in this category than for debt in higher-rated categories.
Bonds rated AAA, AA, A and BBB are considered investment grade bonds.
Indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base
a rating or that Standard & Poor's does not rate a particular type of obligation as a matter of
policy.
NR
</TABLE>
COMMERCIAL PAPER RATINGS
Standard and Poor's commercial paper rating is a current assessment of the
likelihood of timely payment of debt having an original maturity of no more
than 365 days. The commercial paper rating is not a recommendation to
purchase or sell a security. The ratings are based upon current information
furnished by the issuer or obtained by S&P from other sources it considers
reliable. The ratings may be changed, suspended, or withdrawn as a result of
changes in or unavailability of such information. Ratings are graded into
group categories, ranging from "A" for the highest quality obligations to "D"
for the lowest. The categories are as follows:
Issues assigned A ratings are regarded as having the greatest capacity for
timely payment. Issues in this category are further refined with the
designation 1, 2 and 3 to indicate the relative degree of safety.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C>
A-1 indicates that the degree of safety regarding timely payment is very strong.
indicates capacity for timely payment on issues with this designation is strong. However, the relative
A-2 degree of safety is not as overwhelming as for issues designated "A-1".
indicates a satisfactory capacity for timely payment. Obligations carrying this designation are, however,
somewhat more vulnerable to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances than obligations carrying
A-3 the higher designations.
</TABLE>
56
