As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
April 26, 1996
Registration No. 33-37527
811-6203
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
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FORM N-1A
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REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 / X /
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Pre-Effective Amendment No. / /
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Post-Effective Amendment No. 4 / X /
and ----
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REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY / X /
ACT OF 1940 ----
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Amendment No. 6 / X /
(Check appropriate box or boxes) ----
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PUTNAM VOYAGER FUND II
(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)
One Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02109
(Address of principal executive offices)
Registrant's Telephone Number, including Area Code
(617) 292-1000
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It is proposed that this filing will become effective
(check appropriate box)
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/ / immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
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/ X / on May 1, 1996 pursuant to paragraph (b)
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/ / 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph
(a) (1)
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<PAGE>
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/ / on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a) (1)
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/ / 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
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/ / on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule
485 .
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If appropriate, check the following box:
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/ / this post-effective amendment designates a new
- ---- effective date for a previously filed post-effective
amendment.
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JOHN R. VERANI, Vice President
Putnam Voyager Fund II
One Post Office Square
Boston, Massachusetts 02109
(Name and address of agent for service)
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Copy to:
JOHN W. GERSTMAYR, Esquire
ROPES & GRAY
One International Place
Boston, Massachusetts 02110
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The Registrant has registered an indefinite number or amount
of securities under the Securities Act of 1933 pursuant to Rule
24f-2. A Rule 24f-2 notice for the fiscal year ended December
31, 1995 was filed on February 27, 1996 .
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<PAGE>
PUTNAM VOYAGER FUND II
CROSS REFERENCE SHEET
(as required by Rule 481(a))
Part A
N-1A Item No. Location
1. Cover Page . . . . . . . . . . . Cover page
2. Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . Expenses summary
3. Condensed Financial Information Financial
highlights;
How performance
is shown
4. General Description of Registrant Objective;
How
the fund pursues
its objective
; Organization
and history
5. Management of the Fund . . . . . Expenses summary;
How the
fund is
managed; About Putnam
Investments, Inc.
5A. Management's Discussion of
Fund (Contained in the
Performance annual report of
the Registrant)
6. Capital Stock and Other Securities Cover
page ;
Organization and
history; How the
fund makes
distributions to
shareholders ; tax
information
7. Purchase of Securities Being Offered How to
buy shares;
Distribution pl
ans ;How to sell
shares; How to
exchange shares; How
the fund
values its shares
8. Redemption or Repurchase . . . . How to buy shares;
How to sell
shares; How to
exchange shares;
Organization and
history
9. Pending Legal Proceedings . . . Not applicable
Part B
N-1A Item No. Location
10. Cover Page . . . . . . . . . . . Cover page
11. Table of Contents . . . . . . . Cover page
12. General Information and History Organization and
history (Part A)
13. Investment Objectives and Policies How
the fund
pursues its
objective
(Part A);
Investment
restrictions;
Miscellaneous
investment
practices
14. Management of the Registrant . . Management
(Trustees; Officers);
Additional
officers
15. Control Persons and Principal. . . . . Management
Holders of Securities (Trustees; Officers);
Charges and
expenses (Share
ownership)
16. Investment Advisory and Other. . . . . Management
Services (Trustees; Officers;
The management
contract;
Principal
underwriter;
Investor servicing
agent and
custodian);
Charges and
expenses ;
Distribution
plan;
Independent
accountants and
financial
statements
17. Brokerage Allocation . . . . . . Management
(Portfolio
transactions);
Charges and
expenses<PAGE>
18. Capital Stock and Other Securities
Organization and
history (Part A);
How the fund
makes
distributions to
shareholders ; tax
information (Part A);
Suspension of
redemptions
19. Purchase, Redemption , and Pricing How to buy
shares
of Securities Being Offered (Part A); How to sell
shares (Part A); How
to exchange shares
(Part A); How to
buy shares;
Determination of
net asset
value; Suspension
of redemptions
20. Tax Status . . . . . . . . . . . How the fund
makes
distributions to
shareholders ; tax
information (Part A);
Taxes
21. Underwriters . . . . . . . . . .
Management (Principal
underwriter);
Charges and
expenses
22. Calculation of Performance Data How performance is
shown (Part A);
Investment
performance;
Standard
performance
measures
23. Financial Statements . . . . . . Independent
accountants and
financial
statements
Part C
Information required to be included in Part C is set forth
under the appropriate Item, so numbered, in Part C of the
Registration Statement.
<PAGE>
PROSPECTUS
May 1,
1996
Putnam Voyager Fund II
Class A, B and M shares
INVESTMENT STRATEGY: GROWTH
This prospectus explains concisely what you should
know before investing in Putnam Voyager Fund
II (the "fund") . Please read it carefully
and keep it for future reference. You can find more
detailed information in the May 1, 1996
statement of additional information (the "SAI") , as
amended from time to time. For a free copy of the SAI
or other information, call Putnam Investor Services at 1-
800-225-1581. The SAI has been filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission and is incorporated
into this prospectus by reference.
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY
THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE
SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR HAS THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON
THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY
REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
SHARES OF THE FUND ARE NOT DEPOSITS OR OBLIGATIONS OF, OR
GUARANTEED OR ENDORSED BY, ANY FINANCIAL INSTITUTION, ARE
NOT INSURED BY THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION,
THE FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD OR ANY OTHER AGENCY, AND INVOLVE
RISK, INCLUDING THE POSSIBLE LOSS OF PRINCIPAL AMOUNT
INVESTED .
BOSTON * LONDON * TOKYO
<PAGE>
ABOUT THE FUND
Expenses summary
This section describes the sales charges, management
fees, and annual operating expenses that apply to the
fund's various classes of shares. Use it to help you
estimate the impact of transaction costs on your investment
over time.
Financial highlights
Study this table to see, among other things, how the fund
performed each year for the past 10 years or since it began
investment operations if it has been in operation for less
than 10 years.
Objective
Read this section to make sure the fund's objective
is consistent with your own.
How the fund pursues its objective
This section explains in detail how the fund seeks its
investment objective .
How performance is shown
This section describes and defines the measures used to
assess the fund's performance. All data are based on the
fund's past investment results and do not predict future
performance.
How the fund is managed
Consult this section for information about the fund's
management, allocation of the fund's expenses, and how
purchases and sales of securities are made for the
fund .
Organization and history
In this section, you will learn when the fund was
introduced, how it is organized, how it may offer shares,
and who its Trustees are.
ABOUT YOUR INVESTMENT
Alternative sales arrangements
Read this section for descriptions of the classes of shares
this prospectus offers and for points you should consider
when making your choice.
<PAGE>
How to buy shares
This section describes the ways you may purchase shares
and tells you the minimum amounts required to open various
types of accounts. It explains how sales charges are
determined and how you may become eligible for reduced
sales charges on each class of shares.
Distribution plans
This section tells you what distribution fees are
charged against each class of shares.
How to sell shares
In this section you can learn how to sell shares of the
fund, either directly to the fund or through an investment
dealer .
How to exchange shares
Find out in this section how you may exchange shares of
the fund for shares of other Putnam funds. The section also
explains how exchanges can be made without sales charges
and the conditions under which sales charges may be
required.
How the fund values its shares
This section explains how the fund determines the value
of its shares.
How the fund makes distributions to
shareholders; tax information
This section describes the various options you have in
choosing how to receive dividends from the fund. It also
discusses the federal tax status of the payments and
counsels shareholders to seek specific advice about their
own situation.
ABOUT PUTNAM INVESTMENTS, INC.
Read this section to learn more about the companies that
provide the marketing, investment management, and
shareholder account services to Putnam funds and their
shareholders.
<PAGE>
About the fund
EXPENSES SUMMARY
Expenses are one of several factors to consider when
investing . The following table summarizes your
maximum transaction costs from investing in the
fund and expenses based on the most
recent fiscal year. The examples show the
cumulative expenses attributable to a hypothetical $1,000
investment over specified periods.
Class A Class B Class M
shares shares
shares
Shareholder transaction
expenses
Maximum sales charge
imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of
offering price) 5.75% NONE*
3.50%*
Deferred sales charge 5.0% in the first
(as a percentage year, declining
of the lower of to 1.0% in the
original purchase sixth year, and
price or redemption eliminated
proceeds) NONE* * thereafter NONE
Annual fund operating expenses
(as a percentage of average net assets)
Total
fund
Management 12b-1
Other operating
fees fees expenses expenses
--------- ----- -------- ---------
Class A 0.70% 0.25% 0.45% 1.40%
Class B 0.70% 1.00% 0.45% 2.15%
Class M 0.70% 0.75% 0.45% 1.90%
The table is provided to help you understand the expenses of
investing in the fund and your share of the
operating expenses that the fund incurs. The
expenses shown in the table do not
reflect the application of credits related to
expense offset arrangements that reduce certain fund
expenses. Class A management fees and 12b-1 fees reflect
current contractual rates, which are 0.04% and 0.05% higher
than actual respective amounts for the fund's last fiscal
year prior to application of an expense limit in
effect last year that has since expired. Putnam
Investment Management, Inc. does not believe that the
expiration of the expense limitation will otherwise cause
total fund operating expenses incurred by the fund in the
current fiscal year to increase above last year's expenses,
after giving effect to the current contractual management
fee and 12b-1 fee rates. After application of the
expense limitation, actual class A management fees,
"Other expenses" and total fund operating expenses for the
fund's last fiscal year were 0.00%, 1.11% and 1.31%,
respectively. In the absence of the expense limitation and
giving effect to the current contractual management fee and
12b-1 fee rates, management fees, 12b-1 fees,
"Other expenses" and total fund operating expenses
for the fund's last fiscal year, would have been
0.70%, 0.25%, 1.69% and 2.64% ,
respectively. For class B and class M shares,
management fees and "Other expenses" are based on the
corresponding expenses for class A shares and 12b-1 fees
reflect amounts currently payable under each distribution
plan.
Examples
Your investment of $1,000 would incur the following
expenses, assuming 5% annual return and , except as
indicated, redemption at the end of each period:
1 3 5 10
year years years years
Class A $71 $99 $130 $216
Class B $72 $97 $135 $229***
Class B (no redemption) $22 $67 $115 $229***
Class M $54 $93 $134 $250
The examples do not represent past or future expense
levels. Actual expenses may be greater or less than those
shown. Federal regulations require the examples to
assume a 5% annual return, but actual annual return
varies.
* The higher 12b-1 fees borne by class B and class M
shares may cause long-term shareholders to pay
more than the economic equivalent of the maximum
permitted front-end sales charge on class A
shares.
* * A deferred sales charge of up to 1.00% is
assessed on certain redemptions of class
A shares that were purchased without an
initial sales charge . See "How to
buy shares -- Class A shares."
*** Reflects conversion of class B shares to class A
shares (which pay lower ongoing expenses)
approximately eight years after purchase. See
"Alternative sales arrangements."
<PAGE>
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The following table presents per share
financial information for class A, class B and class M
shares . This information has been audited and reported
on by the fund's independent accountants. The
" Report of independent accountants" and
financial statements included in the fund's annual
report to shareholders for the 1995 fiscal year
are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. The
fund's annual report , which contains additional
unaudited performance information, is available without
charge upon request.
<TABLE><CAPTION>
Financial highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout the period)
October 2, 1995
(commencement of
Year ended operations) to Year ended
December 31 December 31 December 31
1996 1995 1996
Class M Class B
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Net asset value, beginning of period $14.39 $13.08 $14.37
Investment operations
Net investment income (loss) (d) (.19) --(b) (.22)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments 1.22 1.38 1.21
Total from investment activities 1.03 1.38 .99
Distributions to shareholders
From net investment income -- --
In excess of net investment income -- (.03)
From net realized gain on investments -- (.04)
Total distributions -- (.07)
Net asset value, end of period $15.42 $14.39 $15.36
Total investment return at net asset value (%)(a) 7.16 10.57* 6.89
Net assets, end of period (in thousands) $37,325 $6,115 $328,268
Ratio of expenses to average net assets (%)(e) 1.94 .47* 2.19
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets (%) (1.20) (.21)* (1.45)
Portfolio turnover (%) 68.95 49.81 68.95
Average commission rate paid (c) $0.0487 $0.0487
Financial highlights (continued)
(For a share outstanding throughout the period)
October 2, 1995
(commencement of
operations) to
December 31 Year ended December 31
1995 1996 1995
Class B Class A
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Net asset value, beginning of period $13.08 $14.40 $9.75
Investment operations
Net investment income (loss) (d) (.04)(b) (.11) (.01)(b)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments 1.40 1.22 4.88
Total from investment activities 1.36 1.11 4.87
Distributions to shareholders
From net investment income -- --
In excess of net investment income (.03) -- (.10)
From net realized gain on investments (.04) -- (.12)
Total distributions (.07) -- (.22)
Net asset value, end of period $14.37 $15.51 $14.40
Total investment return at net asset value (%) (a) 10.41* 7.71 50.14
Net assets, end of period (in thousands) $66,978 $348,261 $83,526
Ratio of expenses to average net assets (%) (e) .54* 1.44 1.31
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets (%) (.29)* (.69) (.28)
Portfolio turnover (%) 49.81 68.95 49.81
Average commission rate paid (c) $0.0487
Financial highlights (continued)
(For a share outstanding throughout the period)
April 14, 1993
(commencement of
operations) to
December 31
1994 1993
Class A
<S> <C> <C>
Net asset value, beginning of period $10.29 $8.50
Investment operations
Net investment income (loss) (d) (.02)(b) --(b)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments .05 1.95
Total from investment activities .03 1.95
Distributions to shareholders
From net investment income (.01) --
In excess of net investment income -- --
From net realized gain on investments (.56) (.16)
Total distributions (.57) (.16)
Net asset value, end of period $9.75 $10.29
Total investment return at net asset value (%) (a) 0.34 22.98*
Net assets, end of period (in thousands) $3,190 $2,895
Ratio of expenses to average net assets (%) (e) .92 .72*
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets (%) (.18) (.04)*
Portfolio turnover (%) 101.94 76.02
Average commission rate paid (c)
* Not annualized.
(a) Total investment return assumes dividend reinvestment and does not reflect the effect of sales charges.
(b) Reflects an expense limitation which expired on December 31, 1995. As a result of such limitation, expenses
of the
fund for the period ended December 31, 1993 and the year ended December 31, 1994, reflect a per share
reduction
of approximately $0.11 and $0.16, respectively. Expenses for the period ended December 31, 1995
for class A, B and M shares reflect a per share reduction of $0.04, $0.04 and $0.03, respectively.
(c) Average commission rate paid on security trades is required for fiscal periods beginning on or after
September 1, 1995.
(d) Per share net investment income (loss) has been determined on the basis of the weighted average number of
shares outstanding during the period.
(e) The ratio of expenses to average net assets for the year ended December 31, 1995 and thereafter, include
amounts paid through brokerage service and expense offset arrangements. Prior period ratios exclude these
amounts. (Note 2)
</TABLE>
<PAGE>
OBJECTIVE
Putnam Voyager Fund II seeks long-term growth
of capital. The fund is designed for investors willing to
assume above-average risk in return for above-average
capital growth potential. The fund is not intended to be
a complete investment program, and there is no assurance it
will achieve its objective.
HOW THE FUND PURSUES ITS OBJECTIVE
Basic investment strategy
The fund invests primarily in common stocks of
companies that Putnam Investment Management, Inc.,
the fund's investment manager ("Putnam Management"),
believes have potential for
capital appreciation which is significantly greater than
that of the market averages. The fund may also purchase
convertible bonds, convertible preferred stocks, preferred
stocks and debt securities if Putnam Management believes
they would help achieve the fund's objective. The
fund may also hold a portion of its assets in cash or
money market instruments.
The fund generally invests a substantial portion of its
assets in the securities of smaller issuers. Small to
medium-sized companies, generally defined as companies with
equity market capitalizations of less than $3 billion, may
present greater opportunities for capital appreciation
because of high potential earnings growth, but may also
involve greater risk. They may have limited product lines,
markets or financial resources, or may depend on a limited
management group. Their securities may trade less
frequently and in limited volume, and only in the over-the-
counter market or on a regional securities exchange. As a
result, the prices of these securities may fluctuate more
than prices of securities of larger, more established
companies.
The fund may also invest a portion of its assets in larger
companies where opportunities for above-average capital
appreciation appear favorable. These companies may include
issuers undergoing fundamental changes that could improve
their earnings potential, such as a corporate
restructuring, the introduction of new products or the
penetration of new markets. Since there can be no assurances
that the expected benefits of these changes will be
realized, investments in the securities of these companies
entail greater risks than investments in the securities of
other large capitalization companies.
At times Putnam Management may judge that conditions in the
securities markets make pursuing the fund's basic
investment strategy inconsistent with the best interests of
its shareholders. At such times , Putnam Management
may temporarily use alternative strategies primarily
designed to reduce fluctuations in the value of the
fund's assets.
In implementing these defensive strategies, the
fund may invest primarily in debt securities,
preferred stocks, U.S. government and agency obligations,
cash or money market instruments, or other securities Putnam
Management considers consistent with such defensive
strategies.
It is impossible to predict when, or for how long, the
fund will use these alternative strategies.
Foreign investments
The fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in
securities principally traded in foreign markets. The
fund may also purchase Eurodollar certificates of
deposit without regard to the 20% limit. Since foreign
securities are normally denominated and traded in foreign
currencies, the values of fund assets may be affected
favorably or unfavorably by currency exchange rates and
exchange control regulations. There may be less information
publicly available about a foreign company than about a U.S.
company, and foreign companies are not generally subject to
accounting, auditing , and financial reporting
standards and practices comparable with those in the
United States.
The securities of some foreign companies are less liquid
and at times more volatile than securities of comparable
U.S. companies. Foreign brokerage commissions and other
fees are also generally higher than those in the
United States. Foreign settlement procedures and trade
regulations may involve certain risks (such as delay in
payment or delivery of securities or in the recovery of
fund assets held abroad) and expenses not present in
the settlement of domestic investments.
In addition, there may be a possibility of nationalization
or expropriation of assets, imposition of currency exchange
controls, confiscatory taxation, political or financial
instability and diplomatic developments that could
affect the value of investments in certain foreign
countries.
Legal remedies available to investors in certain foreign
countries may be more limited than those available with
respect to investments in the United States or in other
foreign countries. The laws of some foreign countries may
limit investments in securities of certain issuers
located in those foreign countries. Special tax
considerations apply to foreign securities.
The risks described above are typically increased for
investments in securities principally traded in
, or issued by issuers located in, underdeveloped and
developing nations, which are sometimes referred to as
"emerging markets."
The fund may buy or sell foreign currencies,
foreign currency futures contracts and related
options, foreign currency forward contracts and call
options on foreign currencies for hedging purposes in
connection with its foreign investments.
A more detailed explanation of foreign investments, and the
risks and special tax considerations associated with them,
is included in the SAI .
Portfolio turnover
The length of time the fund has held a particular
security is not generally a consideration in investment
decisions. A change in the securities held by the
fund is known as "portfolio turnover." As a result of
the fund's investment policies, under certain market
conditions the fund's portfolio turnover rate may be
higher than that of other mutual funds.
Portfolio turnover generally involves some expense to
the fund , including brokerage commissions or dealer
mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of
securities and reinvestment in other securities.
These transactions may result in realization of
taxable capital gains. Portfolio turnover rates for the
life of the fund are shown in the section "Financial
highlights. "
Stock index futures and options
The fund may buy and sell stock index futures
contracts . An "index future" is a contract to buy or
sell units of a particular stock index at an agreed price on a
specified future date. Depending on the change in value of
the index between the time the fund enters
into and terminates an index future transaction, the
fund realizes a gain or loss. In addition to or as
an alternative to purchasing or selling index futures, the
fund may buy and sell call and put options on index
futures or stock indexes. The fund may engage in
index futures and options transactions for hedging
purposes and for nonhedging purposes, such as to earn
additional income.
The use of index futures and related options involves
certain special risks. Futures and options transactions
involve costs and may result in losses.
Certain risks arise because of the possibility of
imperfect correlations between movements in the prices of
index futures and options and movements in the prices of the
underlying stock index or of the portfolio
securities that are the subject of a hedge. The
successful use of the strategies described above further
depends on Putnam Management's ability to forecast market
movements correctly.
Other risks arise from the potential inability
to close out index futures or options positions .
There can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market
will exist for any index future or option at any particular
time. The use of futures and options transactions for
purposes other than hedging entails greater risks.
Certain provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and certain
regulatory requirements may limit the use of index
futures and options transactions.
A more detailed explanation of index futures and options
transactions, including the risks associated with them, is
included in the SAI .
Other investment practices
The fund may also engage in the following
investment practices, each of which involves certain
special risks. The SAI contains more detailed
information about these practices, including limitations
designed to reduce these risks.
Options. The fund may seek to increase its current
return by writing covered call and put options on securities
it owns or in which it may invest. The fund receives a
premium from writing a call or put option, which increases
the return if the option expires unexercised or is
closed out at a net profit.
When the fund writes a call option, it gives up
the opportunity to profit from any increase in the price of a
security above the exercise price of the option; when it
writes a put option, the fund takes the risk that it
will be required to purchase a security from the option
holder at a price above the current market price of the
security. The fund may terminate an option that it
has written prior to its expiration by entering into a
closing purchase transaction in which it purchases an option
having the same terms as the option written.
The fund may also buy and sell put and call
options for hedging purposes. From time to time ,
the fund may also buy and sell combinations of put and
call options on the same underlying security to earn
additional income. The aggregate value of the securities
underlying the options may not exceed 25% of
fund assets. The use of these strategies may
be limited by applicable law.
Securities loans, repurchase agreements and forward
commitments. The fund may lend portfolio securities
amounting to not more than 25% of its assets to broker-
dealers and may enter into repurchase agreements on up to 25%
of its assets. These transactions must be fully
collateralized at all times. The fund may also
purchase securities for future delivery, which may increase
its overall investment exposure and involves a risk of loss
if the value of the securities declines prior to the
settlement date. These transactions involve some risk to
the fund if the other party should default on its
obligation and the fund is delayed or prevented from
recovering the collateral or completing the transaction.
Diversification
The fund is a "diversified" investment company under the
Investment Company Act of 1940. This means that with respect
to 75% of its total assets the fund may not invest more than
5% of its total assets in the securities of any one issuer
(except U.S. government securities). The remaining 25% of
the fund's total assets is not subject to this restriction.
To the extent the fund invests a significant portion of its
assets in the securities of a particular issuer, the fund
will be subject to an increased risk of loss if the market
value of such issuer's securities declines.
Derivatives
Certain of the instruments in which the fund will invest,
such as futures contracts, options and forward contracts,
are considered to be "derivatives." Derivatives are
financial instruments whose value depends upon, or is
derived from, the value of an underlying asset, such as a
security or an index. Further information about these
instruments and the risks involved in their use is included
elsewhere in this prospectus and in the SAI.
<PAGE>
Limiting investment risk
Specific investment restrictions help the fund limit
investment risks for its shareholders. These restrictions
prohibit the fund from acquiring more than
10% of the voting securities of any one issuer .* They
also prohibit the fund from investing more than:
(a) 25% of its total assets in any one industry
(other than U.S. government securities);*
(b) 5% of its net assets in warrants or more than 2% of
its net assets in warrants not listed on the New York or
American Stock Exchanges; or
(c) 15% of its net assets in any combination of
securities that are not readily marketable, in securities
restricted as to resale (excluding securities determined by
the Trustees (or the person designated by the
Trustees to make such determinations) to be readily
marketable), and in repurchase agreements maturing in more
than seven days.
Restrictions marked with an asterisk (*) above are summaries
of fundamental investment policies. See the SAI for
the full text of these policies and the fund's other
fundamental investment policies. Except for investment
policies designated as fundamental in this
prospectus or the SAI , the investment
policies described in this prospectus and in the
SAI are not fundamental policies. The Trustees may
change any non-fundamental investment policies without
shareholder approval. As a matter of policy, the Trustees
would not materially change the fund's investment
objective without shareholder approval.
HOW PERFORMANCE IS SHOWN
The fund's investment performance may from time to
time be included in advertisements about the
fund .
"Total return" for the one-, five- and ten-year periods
(or for the life of a class , if shorter) through the
most recent calendar quarter represents the average annual
compounded rate of return on an investment of $1,000 in the
fund invested at the maximum public offering price
(in the case of class A and class M shares) or reflecting
the deduction of any applicable contingent deferred sales
charge (in the case of class B shares) . Total return may
also be presented for other periods or based on investment at
reduced sales charge levels. Any quotation of investment
performance not reflecting the maximum initial sales charge
or contingent deferred sales charge would be reduced
if the sales charge were used.
All data are based on past investment results
and do not predict future performance.
Investment performance, which will vary, is based on
many factors, including market conditions, the composition
of the fund's portfolio , the fund's
operating expenses and which class of shares the investor
purchases . Investment performance also often reflects
the risks associated with the fund's investment
objective and policies. These factors should be considered
when comparing the fund's investment results
with those of other mutual funds and other investment
vehicles.
Quotations of investment performance for any period
when an expense limitation was in effect will be greater than
if the limitation had not been in effect. The fund's
performance may be compared to that of various
indexes. See the SAI .
HOW THE FUND IS MANAGED
The Trustees of the fund are responsible for generally
overseeing the conduct of the fund's business.
Subject to such policies as the Trustees may determine, Putnam
Management furnishes a continuing investment program for the
fund and makes investment decisions on its behalf.
Subject to the control of the Trustees, Putnam Management also
manages the fund's other affairs and business.
The fund pays Putnam Management a quarterly fee for
these services based on the fund's average net assets. See
"Expenses summary" and the SAI.
The following officers of Putnam Management
have had primary responsibility for the day-to-day
management of the fund's portfolio since the
year stated below:
Business experience
Year (at least 5 years)
---- -----------------
Charles H. Swanberg
1993Employed as an investment Senior Vice
President professional by
Putnam
Management since
1984.
Robert R. Beck 1995 Employed as an investment
Senior Vice President professional by Putnam
Management since 1989.
Roland W. Gillis 1995 Employed as an investment
Senior Vice President professional by Putnam
Management since 1995;
prior to 1995, mr Gillis
served as Vice President
of Keystone Custodian
Funds, Inc.
The fund pays all expenses not assumed by Putnam
Management, including Trustees' fees, auditing, legal,
custodial, investor servicing and shareholder reporting
expenses, and payments under its distribution plans
(which are in turn allocated to the relevant class of
shares). The fund also reimburses Putnam Management
for the compensation and related expenses of certain
officers of the fund and their staff who provide
administrative services to the fund . The total
reimbursement is determined annually by the Trustees.
Putnam Management places all orders for purchases and sales
of the fund's securities. In selecting broker-
dealers, Putnam Management may consider research and
brokerage services furnished to it and its affiliates.
Subject to seeking the most favorable price and execution
available, Putnam Management may consider sales of shares
of the fund (and, if permitted by law, of the other
Putnam funds) as a factor in the selection of broker-
dealers.
ORGANIZATION AND HISTORY
Putnam Voyager Fund II is a Massachusetts
business trust organized on October 18, 1990. A copy of the
Agreement and Declaration of Trust, which is governed by
Massachusetts law, is on file with the Secretary of State of
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Prior to July 26,
1995, the fund was known as Putnam Growth Fund.
The fund is an open-end, diversified management
investment company with an unlimited number of authorized
shares of beneficial interest. Shares of the fund
may be divided without shareholder approval
into two or more series of shares representing separate
investment portfolios.
Any such series of shares may be divided without
shareholder approval into two or more classes of shares
having such preferences and special or relative rights and
privileges as the Trustees determine. The fund's
shares are not currently divided into series . The
fund's shares are currently divided into three
classes. Only the fund's class A, B and M shares are
offered by this prospectus. The fund may also offer other
classes of shares with different sales charges and
expenses. Because of these different sales charges and
expenses, the investment performance of the classes will
vary. For more information, including your eligibility to
purchase any other class of shares, contact your investment
dealer or Putnam Mutual Funds (at 1-800-225-1581).
<PAGE>
Each share has one vote, with fractional shares voting
proportionally. Shares of each class will vote together
as a single class except when otherwise required by law or
as determined by the Trustees. Shares are freely
transferable, are entitled to dividends as declared by the
Trustees, and, if the fund were liquidated, would
receive the net assets of the fund. The fund
may suspend the sale of shares at any time and may refuse any
order to purchase shares. Although the fund is not
required to hold annual meetings of its shareholders,
shareholders holding at least 10% of the outstanding shares
entitled to vote have the right to call a meeting to elect or
remove Trustees, or to take other actions as provided in the
Agreement and Declaration of Trust.
If you own fewer shares than a minimum amount set by the
Trustees (presently 20 shares), the fund may choose
to redeem your shares . You will receive at least 30
days' written notice before the fund redeems your
shares, and you may purchase additional shares at any time
to avoid a redemption. The fund may also redeem
shares if you own shares above a maximum amount set by the
Trustees. There is presently no maximum, but the Trustees
may establish one at any time, which could apply to both
present and future shareholders.
The fund's Trustees: George Putnam,* Chairman.
President of the Putnam funds. Chairman and Director of
Putnam Management and Putnam Mutual Funds Corp. ("Putnam
Mutual Funds"). Director, Marsh & McLennan Companies,
Inc.; William F. Pounds, Vice Chairman. Professor of
Management, Alfred P. Sloan School of Management,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology ; Jameson
Adkins Baxter, President, Baxter Associates, Inc.; Hans H.
Estin, Vice Chairman, North American Management Corp.;
John A. Hill, Chairman and Managing Director, First
Reserve Corporation; Elizabeth T. Kennan, President
Emeritus and Professor , Mount Holyoke College;
Lawrence J. Lasser,* Vice President of the Putnam funds.
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Putnam
Investments, Inc. and Putnam Management. Director, Marsh &
McLennan Companies, Inc.; Robert E. Patterson, Executive
Vice President and Director of Acquisitions , Cabot
Partners Limited Partnership; Donald S. Perkins,*
Director of various corporations, including Cummins
Engine Company, Inc., Lucent Technologies, Inc., Spring
Industries, Inc. and Time Warner Inc.; George Putnam,
III,* President, New Generation Research, Inc.; Eli
Shapiro, Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Management,
Emeritus, Alfred P. Sloan School of Management,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology ; A.J.C.
Smith,* Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.; and W. Nicholas
Thorndike, Director of various corporations and charitable
organizations, including Data General Corporation,
Bradley Real Estate, Inc. and Providence Journal Co. Also,
Trustee of Massachusetts General Hospital and Eastern
Utilities Associates. The fund's Trustees are also
Trustees of the other Putnam funds. Those marked with an
asterisk (*) are or may be deemed to be "interested persons"
of the fund , Putnam Management or Putnam Mutual
Funds.
About Your Investment
ALTERNATIVE SALES ARRANGEMENTS
This prospectus offers investors three classes of shares
that bear sales charges in different forms and amounts and
that bear different levels of expenses:
Class A shares. An investor who purchases class A shares
pays a sales charge at the time of purchase. As a result,
class A shares are not subject to any charges when they are
redeemed, except for certain sales at net asset value that
are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC").
Certain purchases of class A shares qualify for reduced
sales charges. Class A shares bear a lower 12b-1 fee than
class B and class M shares. See "How to buy shares -- Class
A shares" and "Distribution plans."
Class B shares. Class B shares are sold without an initial
sales charge, but are subject to a CDSC if redeemed within a
specified period after purchase. Class B shares also bear a
higher 12b-1 fee than class A and class M shares. Class B
shares automatically convert into class A shares, based on
relative net asset value, approximately eight years after
purchase. For more information about the conversion of
class B shares, see the SAI. This discussion will include
information about how shares acquired through reinvestment
of distributions are treated for conversion purposes. The
discussion will also note certain circumstances under
which a conversion may not occur. Class B shares provide an
investor the benefit of putting all of the investor's
dollars to work from the time the investment is made. Until
conversion, class B shares will have a higher expense ratio
and pay lower dividends than class A and class M shares
because of the higher 12b-1 fee. See "How to buy shares --
Class B shares" and "Distribution plans."
Class M shares. An investor who purchases class M shares
pays a sales charge at the time of purchase that is lower
than the sales charge applicable to class A shares. Certain
purchases of class M shares qualify for reduced sales
charges. Class M shares bear a 12b-1 fee that is lower than
class B shares but higher than class A shares. Class M
shares are not subject to any CDSC and do not convert into
any other class of shares. See "How to buy shares -- Class M
shares" and "Distribution plans."
<PAGE>
Which arrangement is best for you? The decision as to which
class of shares provides a more suitable investment for an
investor depends on a number of factors, including the
amount and intended length of the investment. Investors
making investments that qualify for reduced sales charges
might consider class A or class M shares. Investors who
prefer not to pay an initial sales charge might consider
class B shares. Orders for class B shares for $250,000 or
more will be treated as orders for class A shares or
declined. For more information about these sales
arrangements, consult your investment dealer or Putnam
Investor Services. Sales personnel may receive different
compensation depending on which class of shares they sell.
Shares may only be exchanged for shares of the same class of
another Putnam fund. See "How to exchange shares."
HOW TO BUY SHARES
You can open a fund account with as little as $500
and make additional investments at any time with as little
as $50. You can buy fund shares three ways - through
most investment dealers, through Putnam Mutual Funds (at 1-
800-225-1581), or through a systematic investment plan. If
you do not have a dealer, Putnam Mutual Funds can refer you
to one.
Buying shares through Putnam Mutual Funds. Complete an
order form and write a check for the amount you
wish to invest, payable to the fund. Return the
completed form and check to Putnam Mutual Funds, which
will act as your agent in purchasing shares through your
designated investment dealer.
Buying shares through systematic investing. You can make
regular investments of $25 or more per month through
automatic deductions from your bank checking or
savings account. Application forms are available from
your investment dealer or through Putnam Investor
Services.
Shares are sold at the public offering price based on the
net asset value next determined after Putnam Investor
Services receives your order. In most cases, in order to
receive that day's public offering price, Putnam Investor
Services must receive your order before the close of
regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange. If you buy
shares through your investment dealer, the dealer must
receive your order before the close of regular trading on
the New York Stock Exchange to receive that day's public
offering price.
<PAGE>
Class A shares
The public offering price of class A shares is the
net asset value plus a sales charge that varies
depending on the size of your purchase . The fund
receives the net asset value. The sales charge is
allocated between your investment dealer and Putnam Mutual
Funds as shown in the following table, except when Putnam
Mutual Funds, in its discretion, allocates the entire
amount to your investment dealer.
Sales charge Amount of
as a percentage of: sales charge
------------------- reallowed
to
Net dealers
as a
Amount of transaction amount Offering percentage
of
at offering price ($) invested
price offering price
- -------------------------------------------------------
- ----------
Under 50,000 6.10% 5.75% 5.00%
50,000 but under 100,000
4.71 4.50 3.75
100,000 but under 250,000 3.63
3.50 2.75
250,000 but under 500,000 2.56
2.50 2.00
500,000 but under 1,000,000 2.04
2.00 1.75
There is no initial sales charge on purchases of
class A shares of $1 million or more. However, a
CDSC of 1.00% or 0.50%, respectively, will
be imposed if you redeem these shares within the
first or second year after purchase, based on the lower of
the shares' cost and current net asset value. Any shares
acquired by reinvestment of distributions will be redeemed
without a CDSC.
In addition, there are no sales charges on
shares purchased by participant-directed employee
benefit plans with at least 200 eligible employees.
Shares purchased by certain investors investing $1
million or more who have made arrangements with
Putnam Mutual Funds and whose dealer of record waived the
commission as described below are not subject to the
CDSC. In determining whether a CDSC is payable, the
fund will first redeem shares not subject to any
charge. Putnam Mutual Funds receives the entire amount of
any CDSC you pay. See the SAI for more information
about the CDSC.
Except as stated below, Putnam Mutual Funds pays investment
dealers of record commissions on sales of class A
shares of $1 million or more based on an investor's
cumulative purchases during the one-year period beginning
with the date of the initial purchase at net asset value.
Each subsequent one-year measuring period for these
purposes will begin with the first net asset value purchase
following the end of the prior period. Such commissions are
paid at the rate of 1.00% of the amount under $3 million,
0.50% of the next $47 million and 0.25% thereafter.
On sales at net asset value to a participant-directed
qualified retirement plan initially investing less than
$20 million in Putnam funds and other investments managed
by Putnam Management or its affiliates (including a plan
with at least 200 eligible employees), Putnam
Mutual Funds pays commissions during each one-year
measuring period, determined as described above, at
the rate of 1.00% of the first $2 million, 0.80%
of the next $1 million and 0.50% thereafter. On sales
at net asset value to all other participant-directed
qualified retirement plans, Putnam Mutual Funds pays
commissions on the initial investment and on subsequent net
quarterly sales at the rate of 0.15%
Class B shares
Class B shares are sold without an initial
sales charge , although a CDSC will be imposed if you
redeem shares within a specified period after purchase, as
shown in the table below. The following types of shares may
be redeemed without charge at any time: (i) shares acquired
by reinvestment of distributions and (ii) shares otherwise
exempt from the CDSC, as described in "How to buy shares --
General" below. For other shares, the amount of the charge
is determined as a percentage of the lesser of the current
market value or the cost of the shares being redeemed.
Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7+
- -------------------------------------------------------
- ----
Charge 5% 4% 3% 3% 2% 1% 0%
In determining whether a CDSC is payable on any redemption,
the fund will first redeem shares not subject to any charge,
and then shares held longest during the CDSC period. For
this purpose, the amount of any increase in a share's value
above its initial purchase price is not regarded as a share
exempt from the CDSC. Thus, when a share that has
appreciated in value is redeemed during the CDSC period, a
CDSC is assessed only on its initial purchase price. For
information on how sales charges are calculated if you
exchange your shares, see "How to exchange shares." Putnam
Mutual Funds receives the entire amount of any CDSC you pay.
Class M shares
The public offering price of class M shares is the net asset
value plus a sales charge that varies depending on the size
of your purchase. The fund receives the net asset value.
The sales charge is allocated between your investment
dealer and Putnam Mutual Funds as shown in the following
table, except when Putnam Mutual Funds, at its discretion,
allocates the entire amount to your investment dealer.
Sales charge Amount of
as a percentage of: sales charge
------------------- reallowed to
Net dealers as a
Amount of transaction amount Offering percentage of
at offering price ($) invested price offering
price
- -------------------------------------------------------
- ----------
Under 50,000 3.63% 3.50% 3.00%
50,000 but under 100,000 2.56 2.50 2.00
100,000 but under 250,000 1.52 1.50 1.00
250,000 but under 500,000 1.01 1.00 1.00
500,000 and above NONE NONE NONE
General
You may be eligible to buy class A shares and class M shares
at reduced sales charges.
Consult your investment dealer or Putnam Mutual Funds for
details about Putnam's combined purchase privilege,
cumulative quantity discount, statement of intention,
group sales plan, employee benefit plans, and other plans.
Descriptions are also included in the order form and in the
SAI.
A participant-directed employee benefit plan
participating in a "multi-fund" program approved by Putnam
Mutual Funds may include amounts invested in the other
mutual funds participating in such program for purposes of
determining whether the plan may purchase class A shares at
net asset value. These investments will also be included
for purposes of the discount privileges and programs
described above.
Sales charges will not apply to class M shares purchased
with redemption proceeds received within the prior 90 days
from non-Putnam mutual funds on which the investor paid a
front-end or contingent deferred sales charge and to class
M shares purchased by participant-directed qualified
retirement plans with at least 50 eligible employees. The
fund may also sell class M shares at net asset value to
members of qualified groups.
The fund may sell class A, class B and class M shares at net
asset value without an initial sales charge or a CDSC to
the fund's current and retired Trustees (and their
families), current and retired employees (and their
families) of Putnam Management and affiliates, registered
representatives and other employees (and their families)
of broker-dealers having sales agreements with Putnam
Mutual Funds, employees (and their families) of financial
institutions having sales agreements with Putnam Mutual
Funds (or otherwise having an arrangement with a broker-
dealer or financial institution with respect to sales of
fund shares), financial institution trust
departments investing an aggregate of $1 million or more in
Putnam funds, clients of certain administrators of tax-
qualified plans, tax-qualified plans when proceeds
from repayments of loans to participants are invested (or
reinvested) in Putnam funds, "wrap accounts" for the
benefit of clients of broker-dealers, financial
institutions or financial planners adhering to certain
standards established by Putnam Mutual Funds, and
investors meeting certain requirements who sold shares of
certain Putnam closed-end funds pursuant to a tender offer
by the closed-end fund.
In addition, the fund may sell shares at net
asset value without an initial sales charge or a CDSC in
connection with the acquisition by the fund of
assets of an investment company or personal holding
company . The CDSC will be waived on redemptions of
shares arising out of the death or post-
purchase disability of a shareholder or
settlor of a living trust account, and on
redemptions in connection with certain withdrawals
from IRA or other retirement plans. Up to 12% of the
value of shares subject to a systematic withdrawal plan may
also be redeemed each year without a CDSC. The SAI contains
additional information about purchasing the fund's shares
at reduced sales charges.
Shareholders of other Putnam funds may be entitled to
exchange their shares for, or reinvest distributions from
their funds in, shares of the fund at net asset
value.
If you are considering redeeming or exchanging shares or
transferring shares to another person shortly after
purchase, you should pay for those shares with a certified
check to avoid any delay in redemption, exchange or
transfer. Otherwise the fund may delay payment
until the purchase price of those shares has been collected
or, if you redeem by telephone, until 15 calendar days after
the purchase date. To eliminate the need for
safekeeping, the fund will not issue certificates for your
shares unless you request them.
Putnam Mutual Funds will from time to time ,
at its expense , provide additional promotional
incentives or payments to dealers that sell shares of the
Putnam funds. These incentives or payments may
include payments for travel expenses, including lodging,
incurred in connection with trips taken by invited
registered representatives and their guests to locations
within and outside the United States for meetings or
seminars of a business nature. In some instances, these
incentives or payments may be offered only to certain
dealers who have sold or may sell significant amounts of
shares. Certain dealers may not sell all classes of
shares.
DISTRIBUTION PLANS
Class A distribution plan. The class A plan
provides for payments by the fund to Putnam Mutual
Funds at the annual rate of up to 0.35% of average
net assets attributable to class A shares. The
Trustees currently limit payments under the
class A plan to the annual rate of 0.25% of such assets.
Putnam Mutual Funds makes quarterly payments to qualifying
dealers (including for this purpose, certain financial
institutions) to compensate them for services provided in
connection with sales of class A shares and the maintenance
of shareholders accounts. The payments are based on the
average net asset value of class A shares attributable to
shareholders for whom the dealers are designated as the
dealer of record.
This calculation excludes until one year after purchase
shares purchased at net asset value, known as "NAV shares,"
by shareholders investing $1 million or more. Also
excluded until one year after purchase are NAV shares
purchased by participant-directed qualified retirement
plans with at least 200 eligible employees. NAV shares are
not subject to the one-year exclusion provision in cases
where certain shareholders who invested $1 million or more
have made arrangements with Putnam Mutual Funds and the
dealer of record waived the sales commission.
Except as stated below, Putnam Mutual Funds makes the
quarterly payments at the annual rate of 0.25% of such
average net asset value for class A shares.
For participant-directed qualified retirement plans
initially investing less than $20 million in Putnam funds
and other investments managed by Putnam Management or its
affiliates, Putnam Mutual Funds' payments to qualifying
dealers on NAV shares are 100% of the rate stated above if
average plan assets in Putnam funds (excluding money market
funds) during the quarter are less than $20 million, 60% of
the stated rate if average plan assets are at least $20
million but under $30 million, and 40% of the stated rate if
average plan assets are $30 million or more.
For all other participant-directed qualified retirement
plans purchasing NAV shares, Putnam Mutual Funds makes
quarterly payments to qualifying dealers at the annual rate
of 0.10% of the average net asset value of such shares.
Class B and class M distribution plans. The class B and
class M plans provide for payments by the fund to Putnam
Mutual Funds at the annual rate of up to 1.00% of average net
assets attributable to class B shares and class M shares, as
the case may be. The Trustees currently limit payments
under the class M plan to the annual rate of 0.75% of such
assets.
Although class B shares are sold without an initial sales
charge, Putnam Mutual Funds pays a sales commission equal
to 4.00% of the amount invested to dealers who sell class B
shares. These commissions are not paid on exchanges from
other Putnam funds or on sales to investors exempt from the
CDSC.
The amount paid to dealers at the time of the sale of class M
shares is set forth above under "How to buy shares -- class M
shares." In addition, to further compensate dealers
(including qualifying financial institutions) for
services provided in connection with sales of class B
shares and class M shares and the maintenance of
shareholder accounts, Putnam Mutual Funds makes quarterly
payments to qualifying dealers.
The payments are based on the average net asset value of
class B shares and class M shares attributable to
shareholders for whom the dealers are designated as the
dealer of record. Putnam Mutual Funds makes the payments at
an annual rate of 0.25% of such average net asset value of
class B shares and class M shares, as the case may be.
Putnam Mutual Funds also pays to dealers, as additional
compensation with respect to the sale of class M shares,
0.40% of such average net asset value of class M shares. For
class M shares, the total annual payment to dealers equals
0.65% of such average net asset value.
General. Payments under the plans are intended to
compensate Putnam Mutual Funds for services provided and
expenses incurred by it as principal underwriter of fund
shares, including the payments to dealers mentioned above.
Putnam Mutual Funds may suspend or modify such payments to
dealers.
The payments are also subject to the continuation of the
relevant distribution plan, the terms of service
agreements between dealers and Putnam Mutual Funds, and any
applicable limits imposed by the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc .
HOW TO SELL SHARES
You can sell your shares to the fund any day the New
York Stock Exchange is open, either directly to the
fund or through your investment dealer. The
fund will only redeem shares for which it has
received payment.
Selling shares directly to the fund . Send a signed
letter of instruction or stock power form to Putnam
Investor Services , along with any certificates that
represent shares you want to sell . The price you will
receive is the next net asset value calculated after the
fund receives your request in proper form less any
applicable CDSC. In order to receive that day's net asset
value, Putnam Investor Services must receive your request
before the close of regular trading on the New York Stock
Exchange.
If you sell shares having a net asset value of $100,000
or more, the signatures of registered owners or their legal
representatives must be guaranteed by a bank, broker-
dealer or certain other financial institutions. See the
SAI for more information about where to obtain a
signature guarantee. Stock power forms are available from
your investment dealer, Putnam Investor Services and many
commercial banks.
If you want your redemption proceeds sent to an address
other than your address as it appears on Putnam's records, a
signature guarantee is required. Putnam Investor Services
usually requires additional documentation for the sale of
shares by a corporation, partnership, agent or fiduciary,
or a surviving joint owner. Contact Putnam Investor
Services for details.
The fund generally sends you payment for your shares
the business day after your request is received. Under
unusual circumstances, the fund may suspend
redemptions, or postpone payment for more than seven days,
as permitted by federal securities law.
You may use Putnam's Telephone Redemption Privilege to
redeem shares valued up to $100,000 from your account
unless you have notified Putnam Investor Services of an
address change within the preceding 15 days. Unless an
investor indicates otherwise on the account
application , Putnam Investor Services will be
authorized to act upon redemption and transfer
instructions received by telephone from a shareholder, or
any person claiming to act as his or her representative, who
can provide Putnam Investor Services with his or her
account registration and address as it appears on Putnam
Investor Services' records.
Putnam Investor Services will employ these and other
reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions
communicated by telephone are genuine; if it fails to
employ reasonable procedures, Putnam Investor Services may
be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent
instructions. For information, consult Putnam Investor
Services.
During periods of unusual market changes and
shareholder activity, you may experience delays in
contacting Putnam Investor Services by telephone . In
this event, you may wish to submit a written redemption
request, as described above, or contact your investment
dealer, as described below. The Telephone Redemption
Privilege is not available if you were issued certificates
for your shares that remain outstanding. The Telephone
Redemption Privilege may be modified or terminated without
notice.
Selling shares through your investment dealer. Your dealer
must receive your request before the close of regular
trading on the New York Stock Exchange to receive that day's
net asset value. Your dealer will be responsible for
furnishing all necessary documentation to Putnam Investor
Services, and may charge you for its services.
HOW TO EXCHANGE SHARES
You can exchange your shares for shares of the same class
of certain other Putnam funds at net asset value beginning
15 days after purchase. Not all Putnam funds offer all
classes of shares. If you exchange shares subject to a
CDSC, the transaction will not be subject to the CDSC.
However, when you redeem the shares acquired through the
exchange, the redemption may be subject to the CDSC,
depending upon when you originally purchased the shares.
The CDSC will be computed using the schedule of any fund
into or from which you have exchanged your shares that would
result in your paying the highest CDSC applicable to your
class of shares. For purposes of computing the CDSC, the
length of time you have owned your shares will be measured
from the date of original purchase and will not be affected
by any exchange.
To exchange your shares, simply complete an
Exchange Authorization Form and send it to Putnam Investor
Services. The form is available from Putnam
Investor Services. For federal income tax purposes, an
exchange is treated as a sale of shares and generally
results in a capital gain or loss. A Telephone Exchange
Privilege is currently available for amounts up to
$500,000. Putnam Investor Services' procedures for
telephonic transactions are described above under "How to
sell shares." The Telephone Exchange Privilege is not
available if you were issued certificates for shares that
remain outstanding. Ask your investment dealer or
Putnam Investor Services for prospectuses of other Putnam
funds. Shares of certain Putnam funds are not available to
residents of all states.
The exchange privilege is not intended as a vehicle for
short-term trading. Excessive exchange activity may
interfere with portfolio management and have an adverse
effect on all shareholders. In order to limit excessive
exchange activity and in other circumstances where Putnam
Management or the Trustees believe doing so would be in the
best interests of the fund, the fund
reserves the right to revise or terminate the exchange
privilege, limit the amount or number of exchanges or
reject any exchange. Shareholders would be notified of any
such action to the extent required by law. Consult Putnam
Investor Services before requesting an exchange. See the
SAI to find out more about the exchange privilege.
HOW THE FUND VALUES ITS SHARES
The fund calculates the net asset value of a share
of each class by dividing the total value of its
assets, less liabilities, by the number of its shares
outstanding. Shares are valued as of the close of regular
trading on the New York Stock Exchange each day the Exchange
is open.
Portfolio securities for which market quotations are
readily available are valued at market value.
Short-term investments that will mature in 60 days or less
are stated at amortized cost, which approximates market
value. All other securities and assets are valued at their
fair value following procedures approved by the Trustees.
HOW THE FUND MAKES DISTRIBUTIONS TO
SHAREHOLDERS ; TAX INFORMATION
The fund distributes any net investment income and
any net realized capital gains at least annually.
Distributions from net investment income, if any, are
expected to be small. Distributions from capital gains are
made after applying any available capital loss
carryovers. Distributions paid on class A shares will
generally be greater than those paid on class B and class M
shares because expenses attributable to class B and class M
shares will generally be higher.
You can choose from three distribution options:
-
Reinvest all distributions in additional
shares without a sales charge;
-
Receive distributions from net investment income
in cash while reinvesting capital gains distributions
in additional shares without a sales charge; or
-
Receive all distributions in cash.
You can change your distribution option by notifying
Putnam Investor Services in writing. If you do not select
an option when you open your account, all distributions
will be reinvested. All distributions not paid in cash
will be reinvested in shares of the class on which the
distributions are paid. You will receive a statement
confirming reinvestment of distributions in additional
shares (or in shares of other Putnam funds for
Dividend Plus accounts) promptly following the
quarter in which reinvestment occurs.
If a check representing a fund distribution is not
cashed within a specified period, Putnam Investor Services
will notify you that you have the option of requesting
another check or reinvesting the distribution in the
fund or in another Putnam fund. If Putnam Investor
Services does not receive your election, the distribution
will be reinvested in the fund . Similarly, if
correspondence sent by the fund or Putnam Investor
Services is returned as "undeliverable," fund
distributions will automatically be reinvested in the
fund or in another Putnam fund.
The fund intends to qualify as a "regulated
investment company" for federal income tax purposes and to
meet all other requirements necessary for it to be
relieved of federal taxes on income and gains it
distributes to shareholders. The fund will
distribute substantially all of its ordinary income and
capital gain net income on a current basis.
All fund distributions will be taxable to you as
ordinary income, except that any distributions of net long-
term capital gains will be taxable as such, regardless of
how long you have held the shares. Distributions will be
taxable as described above whether received in cash or in
shares through the reinvestment of distributions.
Early in each year Putnam Investor Services will
notify you of the amount and tax status of distributions
paid to you for the preceding year.
The foregoing is a summary of certain federal income tax
consequences of investing in the fund . You should
consult your tax adviser to determine the precise effect of
an investment in the fund on your particular tax
situation (including possible liability for state and
local taxes).
About Putnam Investments, Inc.
Putnam Management has been managing mutual funds since
1937. Putnam Mutual Funds is the principal underwriter of
the fund and of other Putnam funds. Putnam
Fiduciary Trust Company is the fund's custodian.
Putnam Investor Services, a division of Putnam Fiduciary
Trust Company, is the fund's investor servicing and
transfer agent.
Putnam Management, Putnam Mutual Funds and Putnam
Fiduciary Trust Company are subsidiaries of Putnam
Investments, Inc., which is wholly owned by Marsh &
McLennan Companies, Inc., a publicly-owned holding company
whose principal businesses are international insurance and
reinsurance brokerage, employee benefit consulting and
investment management.
<PAGE>
Make the most of your Putnam privileges
As a Putnam mutual fund shareholder, you have access to a
number of services that can help you build a more effective
and flexible financial program. Here are some of the ways
you can use these privileges to make the most of your Putnam
mutual fund investment.
SYSTEMATIC INVESTMENT PLAN
Invest as much as you wish ($25 or more) on any business day
of the month except for the 29th, 30th, or 31st. The amount
will be automatically transferred from your checking or
savings account.
SYSTEMATIC WITHDRAWAL
Make regular withdrawals of $50 or more monthly, quarterly,
or semiannually from an account valued at $10,000 or more.
Your automatic withdrawal may be made on any business day of
the month except for the 29th, 30th, or 31st.
SYSTEMATIC EXCHANGE
Transfer assets automatically from one Putnam account to
another on a regular, prearranged basis. There is no
additional charge for this service.
FREE EXCHANGE PRIVILEGE
Exchange money between Putnam funds in the same class of
shares without charge. The exchange privilege allows you to
adjust your investments as your objectives change. A
signature guarantee is required for exchanges of more than
$500,000 and shares of all Putnam funds may not be available
to all investors.
DIVIDENDS PLUS
Diversify your portfolio by investing dividends and other
distributions from one Putnam fund automatically into
another at net asset value.
STATEMENT OF INTENTION
To reduce a front-end sales charge, you may agree to invest
a minimum dollar amount over 13 months. Depending on your
fund, the minimum is $25,000, $50,000, or $100,000.
Whenever you make an investment under this arrangement, you
or your investment advisor should notify Putnam that a
Statement of Intention is in effect.
Investors may not maintain, within the same fund,
simultaneous plans for systematic investment or exchange
and systematic withdrawal or exchange. These privileges
are subject to change or termination.
For more information about any of these services and
privileges, call your investment advisor or a Putnam
customer service representative toll-free at 1-800-225-
1581.
<PAGE>
Putnam Family of Funds
PUTNAM GROWTH FUNDS
Putnam Asia Pacific Growth Fund
Putnam Capital Appreciation Fund
Putnam Diversified Equity Trust
Putnam Europe Growth Fund
Putnam Global Growth Fund
Putnam Health Sciences Trust
Putnam International New Opportunities Fund
Putnam Investors Fund
Putnam Natural Resources Fund
Putnam New Opportunities Fund
Putnam OTC Emerging Growth Fund
Putnam Overseas Growth Fund
Putnam Vista Fund
Putnam Voyager Fund
Putnam Voyager Fund II
PUTNAM GROWTH AND INCOME FUNDS
Putnam Balanced Retirement Fund
Putnam Convertible Income-Growth Trust
Putnam Equity Income Fund
The George Putnam Fund of Boston
The Putnam Fund for Growth and Income
Putnam Growth and Income Fund II
Putnam New Value Fund
Putnam Utilities Growth and Income Fund
PUTNAM INCOME FUNDS
Putnam Adjustable Rate U.S. Government Fund
Putnam American Government Income Fund
Putnam Diversified Income Trust
Putnam Diversified Income Trust II
Putnam Federal Income Trust
Putnam Global Governmental Income Trust
Putnam High Yield Advantage Fund
Putnam High Yield Trust
Putnam Income Fund
Putnam Intermediate U.S. Government Income Fund
Putnam Preferred Income Fund
Putnam U.S. Government Income Trust
<PAGE>
PUTNAM TAX-FREE INCOME FUNDS
Putnam Municipal Income Fund
Putnam Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam Tax-Free High Yield Fund
Putnam Tax-Free Insured Fund
Putnam State tax-free income funds+
Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania
LIFESTAGE(SM) FUNDS
Putnam Asset Allocation Funds -- three investment
portfolios that spread your money across a variety of
stocks, bonds, and money market investments seeking to help
maximize your return and reduce your risk.
The three portfolios:
Balanced Portfolio
Conservative Portfolio
Growth Portfolio
PUTNAM MONEY MARKET FUNDS
Putnam Money Market Fund
Putnam California Tax Exempt Money Market Fund
Putnam New York Tax Exempt Money Market Fund
Putnam Tax Exempt Money Market Fund
+Not available in all states.
Please call your financial advisor or Putnam to obtain a
prospectus for any Putnam fund. It contains more complete
information, including charges and expenses. Read it
carefully before you invest or send money.
<PAGE>
PUTNAM VOYAGER FUND II
One Post Office Square
Boston, MA 02109
FUND INFORMATION:
INVESTMENT MANAGER
Putnam Investment Management, Inc.
One Post Office Square
Boston, MA 02109
MARKETING SERVICES
Putnam Mutual Funds Corp.
One Post Office Square
Boston, MA 02109
INVESTOR SERVICING AGENT
Putnam Investor Services
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 41203
Providence, RI 02940-1203
CUSTODIAN
Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company
One Post Office Square
Boston, MA 02109
LEGAL COUNSEL
Ropes & Gray
One International Place
Boston, MA 02110
INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P.
One Post Office Square
Boston, MA 02109
PUTNAMINVESTMENTS
One Post Office Square
Boston, Massachusetts 02109
Toll-free 1-800-225-1581<PAGE>
PUTNAM VOYAGER FUND II
One Post Office Square, Boston, MA 02109
Class A shares
INVESTMENT STRATEGY: GROWTH
PROSPECTUS-APRIL 30, 1997
This prospectus explains concisely what you should know before
investing in class A shares of Putnam Voyager Fund II (the
"fund") which are offered without a sales charge through
eligible employer-sponsored retirement plans . Please read it
carefully and keep it for future reference. You can find more
detailed information about the fund in the April 30
,1997 statement of additional information (the "SAI"), as
amended from time to time. For a free copy of the SAI or
for other information, including a prospectus regarding
class A shares for other investors, call Putnam Investor
Services at 1-800- 752-9894 . The SAI has been filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission")
and is incorporated into this prospectus by reference. The
Commission maintains a Web site (http://www.sec. gov) that
contains the SAI, material incorporated by reference into this
prospectus and the SAI, and other information regarding
registrants that file electronically with the Commission.
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.
PUTNAMINVESTMENTS
Putnam Defined
Contribution Plans
<PAGE>
ABOUT THE FUND
Expenses summary ..........................................
Financial highlights ......................................
Objective .................................................
How the fund pursues its
objective ........................
How performance is
shown ..................................
How the fund is
managed ...................................
Organization and
history ..................................
ABOUT YOUR INVESTMENT
How to buy
shares .........................................
Distribution plan.........................................
How to sell
shares ........................................
How to exchange
shares ....................................
How the fund values its
shares ............................
How the fund makes distributions to shareholders;
tax
information ......................................
ABOUT PUTNAM INVESTMENTS, INC. ............................
<PAGE>
About the fund
EXPENSES SUMMARY
Expenses are one of several factors to consider when investing.
The following table summarizes expenses attributable
to class A shares based on the fund's most recent
fiscal year. The example shows the cumulative expenses
attributable to a hypothetical $1,000 investment in class A
shares over specified periods.
Annual fund operating expenses
(as a percentage of average net assets)
Management fees 0.69%
12b-1 fees 0.25%
Other expenses 0.50%
Total fund operating expenses 1.44%
The table is provided to help you understand the expenses of
investing in the fund and your share of the operating expenses
that the fund incurs. The expenses shown in the table do not
reflect the application of credits that reduce
fund expenses.
Example
Your investment of $1,000 would incur the following expenses,
assuming 5% annual return and redemption at the end of
each period:
1 3 5 10
year years years years
$15 $46 $79 $172
The example does not represent past or future expense
levels , and actual expenses may be greater or less than
those shown. Federal regulations require the example to
assume a 5% annual return, but actual annual return varies.
The example does not reflect any charges or expenses related
to your employer's plan.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The following table presents per share financial information for
class A shares. This information has been derived from
the fund's financial statements, which have been audited and
reported on by the independent accountants. The "Report
of independent accountants" and financial statements included in
the fund's annual report to shareholders for the 1996
fiscal year are incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
The fund's annual report, which contains additional unaudited
performance information, is available without charge upon request.
<PAGE>
Financial highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout the period)
<TABLE><CAPTION>
April 14, 1993
(commencement of
operations) to
Year ended December 31 December 31
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
1996 1995 1994 1993
Class A
Net asset value,
beginning of period $14.40 $9.75 $10.29 $8.50
Investment operations
Net investment income (loss)(d) (.11) (.01)(b) (.02)(b) --
Net realized and unrealized gain
(loss) on investments 1.22 4.88 .05 1.95
Total from investment activities 1.11 4.87 .03 1.95
Distributions to shareholders:
From net investment income -- -- (.01) --
In excess of net investment income -- (.10) -- --
From net realized gain
on investments -- (.12) (.56) (.16)
Total distributions -- (.22) (.57) (.16)
Net asset value, end of period $15.51 $14.40 $9.75 $10.29
Total investment return at
net asset value(%)(a) 7.71 50.14 .34 22.98*
Net assets, end of period
(in thousands) $348,261 $83,526 $3,190 $2,895
Ratio of expenses to average
net assets(%)(e) 1.44 1.31 .92 .72*
Ratio of net investment loss to
average net assets(%) (.69) (.28) (.18) (.04)*
Portfolio turnover(%) 68.95 49.81 101.94 76.02
Average commission rate paid(c) $0.0487
* Not annualized
(a) Total investment return assumes dividend reinvestment and does not reflect the effect
of sales charges.
(b) Reflects an expense limitation which expired on December 31, 1995. As a result of such
limitation, expenses of the fund for the period ended December 31, 1993 and the year ended
December 31, 1994, reflect a per share reduction of approximately $0.11 and $0.16,
respectively. Expenses for the period ended December 31, 1995 for class A, B and M shares
reflect a per share reductions of $0.04, $0.04 and $0.03, respectively.
(c) Average commission rate paid on security trades is required for fiscal periods
beginning on or after September 1, 1995.
(d) Per share net investment income (loss) has been determined on the basis of the
weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period.
(e) The ratio of expenses to average net assets for the periods ended December 31, 1995
and thereafter, include amounts paid through brokerage service and expense offset
arrangements. Prior period ratios exclude these amounts.
</TABLE>
<PAGE>
OBJECTIVE
Putnam Voyager Fund II seeks long-term growth of capital. The
fund is designed for investors willing to assume above-average
risk in return for above-average capital growth potential. The
fund is not intended to be a complete investment program, and
there is no assurance it will achieve its objective.
HOW THE FUND PURSUES ITS OBJECTIVE
Basic investment strategy
The fund invests primarily in common stocks of companies that
Putnam Investment Management, Inc., the fund's investment manager
("Putnam Management"), believes have potential for capital
appreciation which is significantly greater than that of the
market averages. The fund may also purchase convertible bonds,
convertible preferred stocks, preferred stocks and debt
securities if Putnam Management believes they would help achieve
the fund's objective. The fund may also hold a portion of its
assets in cash or money market instruments.
The fund generally invests a substantial portion of its assets in
the securities of smaller issuers. Small to medium-sized
companies, generally defined as companies with equity market
capitalizations of less than $3 billion, may present greater
opportunities for capital appreciation because of high potential
earnings growth, but may also involve greater risk. They may
have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or
may depend on a limited management group. Their securities may
trade less frequently and in limited volume, and only in the
over-the-counter market or on a regional securities exchange. As
a result, the prices of these securities may fluctuate more than
prices of securities of larger, more established companies.
The fund may also invest a portion of its assets in larger
companies where opportunities for above-average capital
appreciation appear favorable. These companies may include
issuers undergoing fundamental changes that could improve their
earnings potential, such as a corporate restructuring, the
introduction of new products or the penetration of new markets.
Since there can be no assurances that the expected benefits of
these changes will be realized, investments in the securities of
these companies entail greater risks than investments in the
securities of other large capitalization companies.
<PAGE>
Defensive strategies
At times Putnam Management may judge that conditions in the
securities markets make pursuing the fund's basic investment
strategy inconsistent with the best interests of its
shareholders. At such times, Putnam Management may temporarily
use alternative strategies , primarily designed to reduce
fluctuations in the value of fund assets.
In implementing these defensive strategies, the fund may invest
primarily in debt securities, preferred stocks, U.S. government
and agency obligations, cash or money market instruments, or
in any other securities Putnam Management considers
consistent with such defensive strategies.
It is impossible to predict when, or for how long, these
alternative strategies would be used .
Foreign investments
The fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers
that are not actively traded in U.S. markets.
These foreign investments involve certain special risks
described below.
Foreign securities are normally denominated and traded in
foreign currencies . As a result, the value of the fund's
foreign investments and the value of its shares may be
affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency
exchange rates relative to the U.S. dollar. The fund may
engage in a variety of foreign currency exchange
transactions in connection with its foreign investments,
including transactions involving futures contracts, forward
contracts and options.
Investments in foreign securities may subject the fund to other
risks as well. For example, there may be less information
publicly available about a foreign issuer than about a
U.S. issuer, and foreign issuers are not generally
subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting
standards and practices comparable to those in the United
States. The securities of some foreign issuers
are less liquid and at times more volatile than securities of
comparable U.S. issuers . Foreign brokerage commissions
and other fees are also generally higher than in the
United States. Foreign settlement procedures and trade
regulations may involve certain risks (such as delay in payment
or delivery of securities or in the recovery of the fund's
assets held abroad) and expenses not present in the settlement of
investments in U.S. markets .
In addition, the fund's investments in foreign securities may
be subject to the risk of nationalization or expropriation of
assets, imposition of currency exchange controls or
restrictions on the repatriation of foreign currency ,
confiscatory taxation, political or financial instability and
diplomatic developments which could affect the value of
the fund's investments in certain foreign countries.
Dividends or interest on, or proceeds from the sale of,
foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes,
and special U.S. tax considerations may apply.
Legal remedies available to investors in certain foreign
countries may be more limited than those available with respect
to investments in the United States or in other foreign
countries. The laws of some foreign countries may limit the
fund's ability to invest in securities of certain issuers
organized under the laws of those foreign countries.
The risks described above are typically increased in
connection with investments in less developed and
developing nations, which are sometimes referred to as "emerging
markets." For example, political and economic structures in
these countries may be in their infancy and developing rapidly,
causing instability. High rates of inflation or currency
devaluations may adversely affect the economies and securities
markets of such countries. Investments in emerging markets may
be considered speculative.
The fund expects that its investments in foreign securities
generally will not exceed 20% of its total assets, although the
fund's investments in foreign securities may exceed this amount
from time to time. Certain of the foregoing risks may also apply
to some extent to securities of U.S. issuers that are denominated
in foreign currencies or that are traded in foreign markets, or
securities of U.S. issuers having significant foreign operations.
For more information about foreign securities and the risks
associated with investment in such securities, see
the SAI.
Portfolio turnover
The length of time the fund has held a particular security is not
generally a consideration in investment decisions. A change in
the securities held by the fund is known as "portfolio turnover."
As a result of the fund's investment policies, under certain
market conditions its portfolio turnover rate may be
higher than that of other mutual funds.
Portfolio turnover generally involves some expense ,
including brokerage commissions or dealer markups and
other transaction costs on the sale of securities and
reinvestment in other securities. These transactions may result
in realization of taxable capital gains. Portfolio turnover
rates are shown in the section "Financial highlights."
Futures and options
The fund may buy and sell stock index futures contracts. An
"index future" is a contract to buy or sell units of a particular
stock index at an agreed price on a specified future date.
Depending on the change in value of the index between the time
the fund enters into and terminates an index future transaction,
the fund realizes a gain or loss. In addition to or as an
alternative to purchasing or selling index futures, the fund may
buy and sell call and put options on index futures or stock
indexes. The fund may engage in index futures and options
transactions for hedging purposes and for non-hedging
purposes, such as to adjust its exposure to relevant markets
or as a substitute for direct investment.
The use of index futures and related options involves certain
special risks. Futures and options transactions involve costs
and may result in losses.
Certain risks arise from the possibility of imperfect
correlations among movements in the prices of
financial futures and options purchased or sold by the
fund, of the underlying stock index and, in the case of
hedging transactions, of the securities that are the subject
of the hedge. The successful use of the strategies
described above further depends on Putnam Management's ability to
forecast market movements correctly.
Other risks arise from the potential inability to close out index
futures or options positions. There can be no assurance that a
liquid secondary market will exist for any index future or option
at any particular time. The fund's ability to terminate
option positions established in the over-the-counter market may
be more limited than for exchange-traded options and may
also involve the risk that securities dealers participating in
such transactions would fail to meet their obligations to
the fund . Certain provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and
certain regulatory requirements may limit the use of index
futures and options transactions.
A more detailed explanation of index futures and options
transactions, including the risks associated with them, is
included in the SAI.
Other investment practices
The fund may also engage in the following investment practices,
each of which involves certain special risks. The SAI contains
more detailed information about these practices, including
limitations designed to reduce these risks.
Options. The fund may seek to increase its current return by
writing covered call and put options on securities it owns or in
which it may invest. The fund receives a premium from writing a
call or put option, which increases the return if the option
expires unexercised or is closed out at a net profit.
When the fund writes a call option, it gives up the opportunity
to profit from any increase in the price of a security above the
exercise price of the option; when it writes a put option,
it takes the risk that it will be required to purchase a
security from the option holder at a price above the current
market price of the security. The fund may terminate an option
that it has written prior to its expiration by entering into a
closing purchase transaction in which it purchases an option
having the same terms as the option written.
The fund may also buy and sell put and call options ,
including combinations of put and call options on the same
underlying security to earn additional income. The aggregate
value of the securities underlying the options may not exceed 25%
of fund assets. The use of these strategies may be limited by
applicable law.
Securities loans, repurchase agreements and forward commitments.
The fund may lend portfolio securities amounting to not more than
25% of its assets to broker-dealers and may enter into repurchase
agreements on up to 25% of its assets. These transactions must
be fully collateralized at all times. The fund may also purchase
securities for future delivery, which may increase its overall
investment exposure and involves a risk of loss if the value of
the securities declines prior to the settlement date. These
transactions involve some risk if the other party should
default on its obligation and the fund is delayed or prevented
from recovering the collateral or completing the transaction.
Diversification
The fund is a "diversified" investment company under the
Investment Company Act of 1940. This means that with respect to
75% of its total assets the fund may not invest more than 5% of
its total assets in the securities of any one issuer (except U.S.
government securities). The remaining 25% of the fund's total
assets is not subject to this restriction. To the extent the
fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the
securities of a particular issuer, it will be subject to
an increased risk of loss if the market value of such issuer's
securities declines.
Derivatives
Certain of the instruments in which the fund may invest,
such as futures contracts, options and forward contracts, are
considered to be "derivatives." Derivatives are financial
instruments whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the
value of an underlying asset, such as a security or an index.
Further information about these instruments and the risks
involved in their use is included elsewhere in this prospectus
and in the SAI.
Limiting investment risk
Specific investment restrictions help to limit investment
risks for the fund's shareholders. These restrictions
prohibit the fund , with respect to 75% of its total
assets, from acquiring more than 10% of the voting securities
of any one issuer.* They also prohibit the fund from investing
more than:
<PAGE>
(a) (with respect to 75% of its assets) 5% of its total assets
(taken at current value) in securities of any one issuer (except
U.S. government securities);*
(b) 25% of its total assets in any one industry (other than
U.S. government securities);* or
(c) 15% of its net assets in any combination of securities that
are not readily marketable, in securities restricted as to resale
(excluding securities determined by the Trustees (or the person
designated by the Trustees to make such determinations) to be
readily marketable), and in repurchase agreements maturing in
more than seven days.
Restrictions marked with an asterisk (*) above are summaries of
fundamental investment policies. See the SAI for the full text
of these policies and other fundamental investment
policies. Except for investment policies designated as
fundamental in this prospectus or the SAI, the investment
policies described in this prospectus and in the SAI are not
fundamental policies. The Trustees may change any non-
fundamental investment policy without shareholder
approval. As a matter of policy, the Trustees would not
materially change the fund's investment objective without
shareholder approval.
HOW PERFORMANCE IS SHOWN
Fund advertisements may, from time to time , include
performance information . "Total return" for the one-,
five- and ten-year periods (or for the life of the class
A shares , if shorter) through the most recent calendar
quarter represents the average annual compounded rate of return
on an investment of $1,000 in the fund invested at the maximum
public offering price . Total return may also be presented
for other periods or based on investment at reduced sales charge
levels. Any quotation of investment performance not reflecting
the maximum initial sales charge would be reduced if the
sales charge were used.
All data are based on past investment results and do not predict
future performance.
Investment performance, which will vary, is based on many
factors, including market conditions, portfolio
composition , fund operating expenses and which class of
shares the investor purchases. Investment performance also often
reflects the risks associated with the fund's investment
objective and policies. These factors should be considered when
comparing the fund's investment results with those of other
mutual funds and other investment vehicles.
Quotations of investment performance for any period when an
expense limitation was in effect will be greater than if the
limitation had not been in effect. The fund's performance may be
compared to that of various indexes. See the SAI. Because
shares sold through eligible employer-sponsored retirement plans
are sold without a sales charge, quotations of investment
performance reflecting the deduction of a sales charge will be
lower than the actual investment performance of shares purchased
through such plans.
HOW THE FUND IS MANAGED
The Trustees are responsible for generally overseeing the
conduct of fund business. Subject to such policies as the
Trustees may determine, Putnam Management furnishes a continuing
investment program for the fund and makes investment decisions on
its behalf. Subject to the control of the Trustees, Putnam
Management also manages the fund's other affairs and business.
The fund pays Putnam Management a quarterly fee for these
services based on average net assets. See "Expenses
summary" and the SAI.
The following officers of Putnam Management have had primary
responsibility for the day-to-day management of the fund's
portfolio since the years stated below:
Business experience
Year (at least 5 years)
---- -----------------
Charles H. Swanberg 1993 Employed as an investment
Senior Vice President professional by Putnam
Management since 1984.
Robert R. Beck 1995 Employed as an investment
Senior Vice President professional by Putnam
Management since 1989.
Roland W. Gillis 1995 Employed as an investment
Senior Vice President professional by Putnam
Management since 1995; prior
to 1995, Mr. Gillis
served as Vice President of
Keystone Custodian Funds,
Inc.
The fund pays all expenses not assumed by Putnam Management,
including Trustees' fees, auditing, legal, custodial, investor
servicing and shareholder reporting expenses, and payments under
its distribution plans (which are in turn allocated to the
relevant class of shares). The fund also reimburses Putnam
Management for the compensation and related expenses of certain
fund officers and their staff who provide
administrative services . The total reimbursement is
determined annually by the Trustees.
<PAGE>
Putnam Management places all orders for purchases and sales of
fund securities. In selecting broker-dealers, Putnam
Management may consider research and brokerage services furnished
to it and its affiliates. Subject to seeking the most favorable
price and execution available, Putnam Management may consider
sales of fund shares (and, if permitted by law,
shares of the other Putnam funds) as a factor in the
selection of broker-dealers.
ORGANIZATION AND HISTORY
Putnam Voyager Fund II is a Massachusetts business trust
organized on October 18, 1990. A copy of the Agreement and
Declaration of Trust, which is governed by Massachusetts law, is
on file with the Secretary of State of The Commonwealth of
Massachusetts. Prior to July 26, 1995, the fund was known as
Putnam Growth Fund.
The fund is an open-end, diversified management investment
company with an unlimited number of authorized shares of
beneficial interest. The Trustees may, without
shareholder approval , create two or more series of shares
representing separate investment portfolios. Any such
series of shares may be divided without shareholder approval into
two or more classes of shares having such preferences and special
or relative rights and privileges as the Trustees determine. The
fund's shares are not currently divided into series.
Only the fund's class A shares are offered by this
prospectus. The fund also offers other classes of
shares with different sales charges and expenses. Because of
these different sales charges and expenses, the investment
performance of the classes will vary. For more information,
including your eligibility to purchase any other class of shares,
contact your investment dealer or Putnam Mutual Funds (at 1-800-
225-1581).
Each share has one vote, with fractional shares voting
proportionally. Shares of all classes will vote together
as a single class except when otherwise required by law or as
determined by the Trustees. Shares are freely transferable, are
entitled to dividends as declared by the Trustees, and, if the
fund were liquidated, would receive the net assets of the fund.
The fund may suspend the sale of shares at any time and may
refuse any order to purchase shares. Although the fund is not
required to hold annual meetings of its shareholders,
shareholders holding at least 10% of the outstanding shares
entitled to vote have the right to call a meeting to elect or
remove Trustees, or to take other actions as provided in the
Agreement and Declaration of Trust.
If you own fewer shares than the minimum set by the
Trustees (presently 20 shares), the fund may choose to redeem your
shares. You will receive at least 30 days' written notice before
the fund redeems your shares, and you may purchase additional
shares at any time to avoid a redemption. The fund may also
redeem shares if you own shares above a maximum amount set by the
Trustees. There is presently no maximum, but the Trustees may
establish one at any time, which could apply to both present and
future shareholders.
The fund's Trustees: George Putnam,* Chairman. President of the
Putnam funds. Chairman and Director of Putnam Management and
Putnam Mutual Funds Corp. ("Putnam Mutual Funds"). Director,
Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.; William F. Pounds, Vice
Chairman. Professor of Management, Alfred P. Sloan School of
Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Jameson Adkins
Baxter, President, Baxter Associates, Inc.; Hans H. Estin, Vice
Chairman, North American Management Corp.; John A. Hill, Chairman
and Managing Director, First Reserve Corporation; Ronald J.
Jackson, Former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
of Fisher-Price, Inc., Director of Safety 1st, Inc., Trustee of
Salem Hospital and the Peabody Essex Museum; Elizabeth T.
Kennan, President Emeritus and Professor, Mount Holyoke College;
Lawrence J. Lasser,* Vice President of the Putnam funds.
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Putnam
Investments, Inc. and Putnam Management. Director, Marsh &
McLennan Companies, Inc.; Robert E. Patterson, Executive Vice
President and Director of Acquisitions, Cabot Partners Limited
Partnership; Donald S. Perkins,* Director of various
corporations, including Cummins Engine Company, Lucent
Technologies, Inc., Springs Industries, Inc. and Time
Warner Inc.; George Putnam, III,* President, New Generation
Research, Inc.; Eli Shapiro, Alfred P. Sloan Professor of
Management, Emeritus, Alfred P. Sloan School of Management,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology; A.J.C. Smith,* Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.;
and W. Nicholas Thorndike, Director of various corporations and
charitable organizations, including Data General Corporation,
Bradley Real Estate, Inc. and Providence Journal Co. Also,
Trustee of Massachusetts General Hospital and Eastern Utilities
Associates. The Trustees are also Trustees of the other
Putnam funds. Those marked with an asterisk (*) are or may be
deemed to be "interested persons" of the fund, Putnam Management
or Putnam Mutual Funds.
About Your Investment
HOW TO BUY SHARES
All orders to purchase shares must be made through your
employer's retirement plan. For more information about how to
purchase shares of the fund through your employer's plan or
limitations on the amount that may be purchased, please consult
your employer. Shares are sold to eligible employer-sponsored
retirement plans at net asset value per share next determined
after receipt of an order by Putnam Mutual Funds. Orders must be
received by Putnam Mutual Funds before the close of regular
trading on the New York Stock Exchange in order to receive that
day's net asset value. A class A qualified benefit plan that
initially invested at least $20 million in Putnam funds and other
investments managed by Putnam Management or its affiliates and
that received a proposal from Putnam Mutual Funds on or before
April 15, 1997 may purchase shares at net asset value without
regard to this two-year period. An employer sponsored retirement
plan, other than a class A qualified benefit plan, is eligible to
purchase fund shares at net asset value if its investment in
class A shares is at least $1 million, or it has at least 200
eligible employees, and the dealer of record waives its
commission with the consent of Putnam Mutual Funds. Employer-
sponsored retirement plans participating in a "multi-fund"
program approved by Putnam Mutual Funds may include amounts
invested in other mutual funds participating in such program for
purposes of determining whether the plan may purchase class A
shares at net asset value. Employer-sponsored plans may make
additional investments of any amount at any time. To
eliminate the need for safekeeping, the fund will not issue
certificates for your shares .
On sales at net asset value to a class A qualified retirement
plan, Putnam Mutual Funds pays commissions to the dealer of
record on net monthly purchases at rates of up to 1.00%. See the
SAI for information about the rates at which these sales
commissions are paid. Putnam Mutual Funds will from time to
time, at its expense, provide additional promotional incentives
or payments to dealers that sell shares of the Putnam funds.
These incentives or payments may include payments for travel
expenses, including lodging, incurred in connection with trips
taken by invited registered representatives and their
quests to locations within and outside the United States
for meetings or seminars of a business nature. In some
instances, these incentives or payments may be offered only to
certain dealers who sold or may sell significant amounts
of shares. Certain dealers may not sell all classes of shares.
DISTRIBUTION PLAN
The fund has adopted a distribution plan to compensate
Putnam Mutual Funds for services provided and expenses incurred
by it as principal underwriter of fund shares, including the
payments to dealers mentioned below. The plan provides for
payment by the fund to Putnam Mutual Funds at the annual
rate (expressed as a percentage of average net assets )
of up to 0.35% on class A shares. The Trustees currently
limit payments under the plan to the annual rate of 0.25%
Putnam Mutual Funds compensates qualifying dealers
(including , for this purpose, certain financial
institutions) for sales of shares and the
maintenance of shareholder accounts at the annual rate
of up to 0.25% of the average net asset value of class A
shares . The payments to dealers for shares
held by class A qualified benefit plans are made at reduced
rates, as described in the SAI .
Putnam Mutual Funds may suspend or modify its payments
to dealers. The payments are also subject to the
continuation of the relevant distribution plan, the terms of
service agreements between dealers and Putnam Mutual Funds, and
any applicable limits imposed by the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc.
HOW TO SELL SHARES
Subject to any restrictions imposed by your employer's plan,
you can sell your shares through the plan to the fund
any day the New York Stock Exchange is open . For more
information about how to sell shares of the fund
through your employer's plan, including any charges that may
be imposed by the plan, please consult with your employer.
Your plan administrator must send a signed letter of
instruction to Putnam Investor Services . The
price you will receive is the next net asset value calculated
after the fund receives the request in proper form .
All requests must be received by the fund prior to the close of
regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange in order to
receive that day's net asset value . If your plan
sells shares having a net asset value of $100,000 or
more, the signatures of registered owners or their legal
representatives must be guaranteed by a bank, broker-dealer or
certain other financial institutions. See the SAI for more
information about where to obtain a signature guarantee.
The fund generally provides payment for redeemed
shares the business day after the request is received.
Under unusual circumstances, the fund may suspend redemptions, or
postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by
federal securities law. The fund will only redeem shares for
which it has received payment.
HOW TO EXCHANGE SHARES
Subject to any restrictions contained in your plan, you
can exchange your shares for shares of other Putnam funds
available through your plan at net asset value .
Contact your plan administrator or Putnam Investor
Services for more information on how to exchange your shares
or how to obtain prospectuses of other Putnam funds in
which you may invest.
The exchange privilege is not intended as a vehicle for short-
term trading. Excessive exchange activity may interfere with
portfolio management and have an adverse effect on all
shareholders. In order to limit excessive exchange activity and
in other circumstances where Putnam Management or the Trustees
believe doing so would be in the best interests of your
fund, the fund reserves the right to revise or terminate the
exchange privilege, limit the amount or number of exchanges or
reject any exchange. Consult Putnam Investor Services
before requesting an exchange. See the SAI to find out more
about the exchange privilege.
HOW THE FUND VALUES ITS SHARES
The fund calculates the net asset value of a share of each class
by dividing the total value of its assets, less liabilities, by
the number of its shares outstanding. Shares are valued as of
the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange each
day the Exchange is open.
Portfolio securities for which market quotations are readily
available are valued at market value. Short-term investments
that will mature in 60 days or less are stated at amortized cost,
which approximates market value. All other securities and assets
are valued at their fair value following procedures approved by
the Trustees.
HOW THE FUND MAKES DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS; TAX INFORMATION
The fund distributes any net investment income and any net
realized capital gains at least annually. Distributions from net
investment income, if any, are expected to be small.
Distributions from capital gains are made after applying any
available capital loss carryovers.
The terms of your plan will govern how your plan may receive
distributions from the fund. Generally, periodic distributions
from the fund to your plan are reinvested in additional
fund shares, although your plan may permit you to receive
fund distributions from net investment income in cash
while reinvesting capital gains distributions in additional
shares or to receive all fund distributions in
cash. If another option is not selected , all
distributions will be reinvested in additional fund shares.
The fund intends to qualify as a "regulated investment company"
for federal income tax purposes and to meet all other
requirements necessary for it to be relieved of federal taxes on
income and gains it distributes to shareholders. The fund will
distribute substantially all of its ordinary income and capital
gain net income on a current basis. Generally,
fund distributions are taxable as ordinary income,
except that any distributions of net long-term capital gains will
be taxed as such regardless of how long you have
held your shares. However, distributions by the
fund to employer-sponsored retirement plans that qualify for tax-
exempt treatment under federal income tax laws will not be
taxable. Special tax rules apply to investments through such
plans. You should consult your tax adviser to determine the
suitability of the fund as an investment through such a plan and
the tax treatment of distributions (including distributions of
amounts attributable to an investment in the fund) from such a
plan.
The foregoing is a summary of certain federal income tax
consequences of investing in the fund. You should consult your
tax adviser to determine the precise effect of an investment in
the fund on your particular tax situation (including possible
liability for state and local taxes).
ABOUT PUTNAM INVESTMENTS, INC .
Putnam Management has been managing mutual funds since 1937.
Putnam Mutual Funds is the principal underwriter of the fund and
of other Putnam funds. Putnam Defined Contribution Plans is a
division of Putnam Mutual Funds. Putnam Fiduciary Trust
Company is the fund's custodian. Putnam Investor Services, a
division of Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company, is the fund's
investor servicing and transfer agent.
Putnam Management, Putnam Mutual Funds and Putnam Fiduciary Trust
Company are located at One Post Office Square, Boston,
Massachusetts 02109 and are subsidiaries of Putnam
Investments, Inc., which is wholly owned by Marsh & McLennan
Companies, Inc., a publicly-owned holding company whose principal
businesses are international insurance and reinsurance brokerage,
employee benefit consulting and investment management.
<PAGE>
PUTNAM VOYAGER FUND II
FORM N-1A
PART B
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ("SAI")
May 1, 1996
as revised November 18, 1996
This SAI is not a prospectus and is only authorized for
distribution when accompanied or preceded by the
prospectus of the fund dated May 1, 1996, as revised
from time to time. This SAI contains information which
may be useful to investors but which is not included in
the prospectus. If the fund has more than one form of
current prospectus, each reference to the prospectus in
this SAI shall include all of the fund's prospectuses,
unless otherwise noted. The SAI should be read
together with the applicable prospectus. Investors may
obtain a free copy of the applicable prospectus from
Putnam Investor Services, Mailing address: P.O. Box
41203, Providence, RI 02940-1203.
Part I of this SAI contains specific information about
the fund. Part II includes information about the fund
and the other Putnam funds.
<PAGE>
Table of Contents
Part I
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I-3
PROPOSED INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I-6
CHARGES AND EXPENSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I-7
INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I-12
ADDITIONAL OFFICERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I-13
INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . I-13
Part II
MISCELLANEOUS INVESTMENT PRACTICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II-1
TAXES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 29
MANAGEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 35
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 44
HOW TO BUY SHARES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 46
DISTRIBUTION PLANS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 59
INVESTOR SERVICES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 60
SIGNATURE GUARANTEES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 66
SUSPENSION OF REDEMPTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 66
SHAREHOLDER LIABILITY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 66
STANDARD PERFORMANCE MEASURES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 67
COMPARISON OF PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 68
DEFINITIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II- 73
<PAGE>
SAI
PAR T I
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
As fundamental investment restrictions, which may not be
changed without a vote of a majority of the outstanding
voting securities, the fund may not and will not:
(1) Borrow money in excess of 10% of the value (taken at the
lower of cost or current value) of its total assets (not
including the amount borrowed) at the time the borrowing is
made, and then only from banks as a temporary measure to
facilitate the meeting of redemption requests (not for
leverage) which might otherwise require the untimely
disposition of portfolio investments or for extraordinary
or emergency purposes. Such borrowings will be repaid
before any additional investments are purchased.
(2) Pledge, hypothecate, mortgage or otherwise encumber
its assets in excess of 15% of its total assets (taken at
current value) and then only to secure borrowings permitted
by restriction 1 above. (The deposit of underlying
securities and other assets in escrow and collateral
arrangements with respect to margin for futures contracts
and options is not deemed to be a pledge or other
encumbrance.)
(3) Purchase securities on margin, except such short-term
credits as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases
and sales of securities, and except that it may make margin
payments in connection with futures contracts and options.
(4) Make short sales of securities or maintain a short sale
position for the account of the fund unless at all times
when a short position is open it owns an equal amount of such
securities or owns securities which, without payment of any
further consideration, are convertible into or
exchangeable for securities of the same issue as, and equal
in amount to, the securities sold short.
(5) Underwrite securities issued by other persons except
to the extent that, in connection with the disposition of
its portfolio investments, it may be deemed to be an
underwriter under certain federal securities laws.
(6) Purchase or sell real estate, although it may purchase
securities of issuers which deal in real estate, securities
which are secured by interests in real estate, and
securities which represent interests in real estate, and it
may acquire and dispose of real estate or interests in real
estate acquired through the exercise of its rights as a
holder of debt obligations secured by real estate or
interests therein.
(7) Purchase or sell commodities or commodity contracts,
except that the fund may purchase and sell financial
futures contracts and options.
(8) Make loans, except by purchase of debt obligations in
which the fund may invest consistent with its investment
policies, or by entering into repurchase agreements with
respect to not more than 25% of its total assets (taken at
current value) or through the lending of its portfolio
securities with respect to not more than 25% of its assets.
(9) Invest in securities of any issuer if, to the knowledge
of the fund, officers and Trustees of the fund and officers
and directors of Putnam Management who beneficially own
more than 0.5% of the shares or securities of that issuer
together own more than 5%.
(10) With respect to 75% of its total assets, invest in
securities of any issuer if, immediately after such
investment, more than 5% of the total assets of the fund
(taken at current value) would be invested in the
securities of such issuer; provided that this limitation
does not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed as to
interest or principal by the U.S. government or its
agencies or instrumentalities.
(11) Acquire more than 10% of the voting securities of
any issuer.
(12) Purchase securities (other than securities of the
U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities) if, as
a result of such purchase, more than 25% of the fund's total
assets would be invested in any one industry.
(13) Buy or sell oil, gas or other mineral leases,
rights or royalty contracts, although it may purchase
securities of issuers which deal in, represent interests
in, or are secured by interests in such leases, rights, or
contracts, and it may acquire or dispose of such leases,
rights, or contracts acquired through the exercise of its
rights as a holder of debt obligations secured thereby.
(14) Purchase securities restricted as to resale, if,
as a result, such investments would exceed 15% of the value
of the fund's net assets, excluding restricted securities
that have been determined by the Trustees of the fund (or
the person designated by them to make such determinations)
to be readily marketable.
(15) Make investments for the purpose of gaining
control of a company's management.
(16) Issue any class of securities which is senior to
the fund's shares of beneficial interest.
Although certain of the fund's fundamental investment
restrictions permit it to borrow money to a limited extent,
the fund does not currently intend to do so and did not do so
last year.
The Investment Company Act of 1940 provides that a "vote of
a majority of the outstanding voting securities" of the
fund means the affirmative vote of the lesser of (1) more
than 50% of the outstanding shares of the fund, or (2) 67% or
more of the shares present at a meeting if more than 50% of
the outstanding shares of the fund are represented at the
meeting in person or by proxy.
It is contrary to the fund's present policy, which may be
changed without shareholder approval, to:
(1) Invest in (a) securities which at the time of such
investment are not readily marketable, (b) securities
restricted as to resale (excluding securities determined by
the Trustees of the fund (or the person designated by the
Trustees of the fund to make such determinations) to be
readily marketable), and (c) repurchase agreements maturing
in more than seven days, if, as a result, more than 15% of the
fund's net assets (taken at current value) would be invested
in securities described in (a), (b) and (c) above.
(2) Invest in warrants (other than warrants acquired by
the fund as a part of a unit or attached to securities at the
time of purchase) if, as a result, such investments (valued
at the lower of cost or market) would exceed 5% of the value
of the fund's net assets; provided that not more than 2% of
the fund's net assets may be invested in warrants not listed
on the New York or American Stock Exchanges.
(3) Invest in securities of any issuer if the party
responsible for payment, together with any predecessors,
has been in operation for less than three consecutive years
and, as a result of the investment, the aggregate of such
investments would exceed 5% of the value of the fund's net
assets; provided, however, that this restriction shall not
apply to any obligation of the United States or its agencies
or instrumentalities.
(4) Invest in the securities of other open-end registered
investment companies, except by purchase in the open market
including only customary brokers' commissions, and except
as they may be acquired as part of a merger or consolidation
or acquisition of assets.
<PAGE>
PROPOSED RESTRICTIONS
At a meeting to be held on December 5, 1996, shareholders of
the fund are being asked to approve a number of changes to
the fund's fundamental investment restrictions, including
the elimination of certain of these restrictions. If these
proposals are approved at that meeting, the fund's
fundamental and non-fundamental investment
restrictions will be as follows after that date:
Fundamental restrictions
(1) Borrow money in excess of 10% of the value (taken at the
lower of cost or current value) of the fund's total assets
(not including the amount borrowed) at the time the
borrowing is made, and then only from banks as a temporary
measure to facilitate the meeting of redemption requests
(not for leverage) which might otherwise require the
untimely disposition of portfolio investments or for
extraordinary or emergency purposes. Such borrowings will
be repaid before any additional investments are purchased.
(2) Underwrite securities issued by other persons
except to the extent that , in connection with the
disposition of its portfolio investments, it may be
deemed to be an underwriter under certain federal
securities laws.
(3) Purchase or sell real estate, although it may
purchase securities of issuers which deal in real
estate, securities which are secured by interests
in real estate, and securities which represent interests in
real estate, and it may acquire and dispose of real estate
or interests in real estate acquired through the exercise
of its rights as a holder of debt obligations secured by
real estate or interests therein.
(4) Purchase or sell commodities or commodity
contracts, except that the fund may purchase and
sell financial futures contracts and
options and may enter into foreign exchange contracts
and other financial transactions not involving physical
commodities.
(5) Make loans, except by purchase of debt
obligations in which the fund may invest
consistent with its investment policies, by entering into
repurchase agreements, or by lending its portfolio
securities.
(6) With respect to 75% of its total assets, invest in
securities of any issuer if, immediately after such
investment, more than 5% of the total assets of the fund
(taken at current value) would be invested in the
securities of such issuer; provided that this limitation
does not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed as to
interest and principal by the U.S. government or its
agencies or instrumentalities.
(7) With respect to 75% of its total assets, acquire more
than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any
issuer.
(8) Purchase securities (other than securities of the U.S.
government, its agencies or instrumentalities if, as a
result of such purchase, more than 25% of the fund's total
assets would be invested in any one industry.
(9) Issue any class of securities which is senior to the
fund's shares of beneficial interest, except for permitted
borrowings.
Non-fundamental restrictions
The fund may not and will not:
(1) Invest in (a) securities which at the time of such
investment are not readily marketable, (b) securities
restricted as to resale (excluding securities determined
by the Trustees of the fund (or the person designated by the
Trustees of the fund to make such determinations) to be
readily marketable), and (c) repurchase agreements
maturing in more than seven days, if, as a result, more than
15% of the fund's net assets (taken at current
value) would be invested in securities described in (a),
(b) and (c) above.
If shareholders do not ultimately approve some or all of
the proposed changes, this SAI will be revised
accordingly.
--- ---------------------
All percentage limitations on investments (other than
pursuant to non-fundamental restriction (1)) will
apply at the time of the making of an investment and shall
not be considered violated unless an excess or deficiency
occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of such
investment.
-------------------------
CHARGES AND EXPENSES
Management fees
Under a Management Contract dated September 29, 1995,
the fund pays a quarterly fee to Putnam Management
based on the average net assets of the fund, as
determined at the close of each business day during the
quarter, at the annual rate of 0.70% of the first $500
million of average net assets, 0.60% of the next $500
million, 0.55% of the next $500 million, 0.50% of the
next $5 billion, 0.475% of the next 5 billion, 0.455%
of the next $5 billion, 0.44% of the next 5 billion,
and 0.43% thereafter. For the past three fiscal years
since the fund commenced operations on April 14, 1993,
pursuant to the Management Contract (and a
management contract in effect prior to September 29, 1995,
under which the management fee payable to Putnam
Management was paid at the rate of 0.65% of the
first $500 million of average net assets, 0.55% of the
next $500 million, 0.50% of the next $500 million, and
0.45% of any amount over $1.5 billion), the fund
incurred the following fees:
Reflecting a
reduction in
the
following
amounts pursuant to an
Fiscal Management expense
year fee paid limitation
- ------ ---------- -----------------
1995 $0 $135,259
1994 $0 $ 50,297
1993 $0 $ 30,806
Brokerage commissions
The following table shows brokerage commissions paid
during the fiscal periods indicated.
Fiscal Brokerage
year commissions
------ -----------
1995 $89,213
1994 $ 6,856
1993 $ 7,888
The following table shows transactions placed with
brokers and dealers during the most recent fiscal year
to recognize research, statistical and quotation
services Putnam Management considered to be
particularly useful to it and its affiliates.
Dollar
value Percent of
of these total Amount of
transactions transactions commissions
------------ ------------ -----------
$20,538,966 24.43% $36,501
<PAGE>
Administrative expense reimbursement
The fund reimbursed Putnam Management in the following
amount for administrative services during fiscal 1995,
including the following amount for compensation of
certain officers of the fund and contributions to the
Putnam Investments, Inc. Profit Sharing Retirement Plan
for their benefit:
Portion of total
reimbursement for
compensation
Total and
reimbursement contributions
------------- ---------------
$2,071 $2,704
Trustee fees
Each Trustee receives a fee for his or her services.
Each Trustee also receives fees for serving as Trustee
of other Putnam funds. The Trustees periodically review
their fees to assure that such fees continue to be
appropriate in light of their responsibilities as well
as in relation to fees paid to trustees of other mutual
fund complexes. The Trustees meet monthly over a two-
day period, except in August. The Compensation
Committee, which consists solely of Trustees not
affiliated with Putnam Management and is responsible for
recommending Trustee compensation, estimates that
Committee and Trustee meeting time together with the
appropriate preparation requires the equivalent of at
least three business days per Trustee meeting. The
following table shows the year each Trustee was first
elected a Trustee of the Putnam funds, the fees paid to
each Trustee by the fund for fiscal 1995 and the fees
paid to each Trustee by all of the Putnam funds during
calendar year 1995:
COMPENSATION TABLE
Total
Aggregate compensation
compensation from all
Trustees from the fund* Putnam funds**
- -------------------------------------------------------
- -------
Jameson A. Baxter/1994 $152 $150,854
Hans H. Estin/1972 149 150,854
John A. Hill/1985*** 152 149,854
Elizabeth T. Kennan/1992 149 148,854
Lawrence J. Lasser/1992 143 150,854
Robert E. Patterson/1984 154 152,854
Donald S. Perkins/1982 143 150,854
William F. Pounds/1971 152 149,854
George Putnam/1957 149 150,854
George Putnam, III/1984 149 150,854
Eli Shapiro/1995**** 108 95,372
A.J.C. Smith/1986 142 149,854
W. Nicholas Thorndike/1992 154 152,854
* Reflects amounts paid for fiscal year 1995. Includes
an annual retainer and an attendance fee for each
meeting attended.
** Reflects total payments received from all Putnam
funds in the most recent calendar year. As of
December 31, 1995, there were 99 funds in the
Putnam family.
*** Includes compensation deferred pursuant to a
Trustee Compensation Deferral Plan. The total
amount of deferred compensation payable to Mr. Hill
by all Putnam funds as of December 31, 1995 was
$51,141, including income earned on such amounts.
***
* Elected as a Trustee in April 1995.
The Trustees have approved Retirement Guidelines for
Trustees of the Putnam funds. These Guidelines provide
generally that a Trustee who retires after reaching age
72 and who has at least 10 years of continuous service
will be eligible to receive a retirement benefit from
each Putnam fund for which he or she served as a
Trustee. The amount and form of such benefit is
subject to determination annually by the Trustees and,
unless otherwise determined by the Trustees, will be an
annual cash benefit payable for life equal to one-half
of the Trustee retainer fees paid by each fund at the
time of retirement. Several retired Trustees are
currently receiving benefits pursuant to the Guidelines
and it is anticipated that the current Trustees will
receive similar benefits upon their retirement. A
Trustee who retired in calendar 1995 and was eligible
to receive benefits under these Guidelines would have
received an annual benefit of $66,749, based upon the
aggregate retainer fees paid by the Putnam funds for
such year. The Trustees reserve the right to amend or
terminate such Guidelines and the related payments at
any time, and may modify or waive the foregoing
eligibility requirements when deemed appropriate.
For additional information concerning the Trustees, see
"Management" in Part II of this SAI.
<PAGE>
Share ownership
At March 31, 1996, the officers and Trustees of the fund as a
group owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of each
class, and, except as noted below, to the knowledge of the
fund no person owned of record or beneficially 5% or more of
the shares of any class of the fund.
Shareholder name Percentage
Class and address owned
----- -------------------- --------
MInterstate/Johnson Lane 5.20%
Interstate Tower
P.O. Box 1012
Charlotte, NC 28201-1012
Distribution fees
During fiscal 1995, the fund paid the following 12b-1 fees
to Putnam Mutual Funds:
Class A Class B Class M
------- ------- -------
$25,022 $72,419 $5,528
Class A sales charges and contingent deferred sales charges
Putnam Mutual Funds received sales charges with respect to
class A shares in the following amounts during the periods
indicated:
Sales charges
retained by Putnam Contingent
Total Mutual Funds deferred
front-end after sales
Fiscal year sales charges dealer concessions charges
- ----------- ------------- ------------------ --------
1995 $2,658,470 $47,759 $0
1994 $0 $0 $0
1993 $0 $0 $0
Class B contingent deferred sales charges
Putnam Mutual Funds received contingent deferred sales
charges upon redemptions of class B shares in the following
amount during the period indicated:
Contingent deferred
Fiscal year sales charges
- ----------- -------------------
1995 $26,343
Class M sales charges
Putnam Mutual Funds received sales charges with respect to
class M shares in the following amount during the 1995
fiscal year:
Sales charges
retained by Putnam
Mutual Funds
Total after
sales charges dealer concessions
------------- ------------------
$119,690 $2,604
Investor servicing and custody fees and expenses
During the 1995 fiscal year, the fund incurred $213,736
in fees and out-of-pocket expenses for investor
servicing and custody services provided by Putnam
Fiduciary Trust Company.
INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE
Standard performance measures
(for periods ended December 31, 1995)
Class A Class B*** Class M***
Inception date: 4/14/93 10/2/95 10/2/95
Annualized
Total
return NAV* POP** NAV CDSC NAV POP
- -------------------------------------------------------
- --------- -
1 year 50.14% 41.57% -- --
-- --
Life of class 25.45 22.74 10.41% 5.41%
10.57% 6.73%
*net asset value
**public offering price
***Represents cumulative, rather than average annual,
total return
Data represent past performance and are not indicative
of future results. Total return at POP for class A and
class M shares reflects the deduction of the maximum sales
charge of 5.75% and 3.50%, respectively. Total return at
CDSC for class B shares reflects the deduction of the
applicable contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC"). The
maximum class B CDSC is 5.00%. See "Standard performance
measures" in Part II of this SAI for information on how
performance is calculated. Past performance is no
guarantee of future results.
ADDITIONAL OFFICERS
In addition to the persons listed as officers of the fund in
Part II of this SAI, each of the following persons is also a
Vice President of the fund and Vice President of certain of
the Putnam funds. Officers of Putnam Management hold the
same offices in Putnam Management's parent company, Putnam
Investments, Inc.
Peter Carman, Senior Managing Director of Putnam
Management. Prior to August, 1993, Mr. Carman was
Chief Investment Officer, Chairman of the U.S. Equity
Investment Policy Committee and a Director of Sanford
C. Bernstein & Company, Inc.
John J. Morgan, Jr., Managing Director of Putnam
Management.
Daniel L. Miller, Managing Director of Putnam
Management.
Charles H. Swanberg, Senior Vice President of Putnam
Management.
Robert R. Beck, Senior Vice President of Putnam Management.
Roland W. Gillis, Senior Vice President of Putnam
Management. Prior to March, 1995, Mr. Gillis was Vice
President of Keystone Custodian Funds, Inc.
Brett Browchuk, Managing Director of Putnam Management.
Prior to April, 1994, Mr. Browchuk was Managing
Director at Fidelity Investments.
INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P., One Post Office Square,
Boston, Massachusetts 02109, are the fund's independent
accountants, providing audit services, tax return
review and other tax consulting services and assistance
and consultation in connection with the review of
various Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
The Report of Independent Accountants, financial
highlights and financial statements included in the
fund's Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December
31, 1995, filed electronically on February 28, 1996
(File No. 811-6203), are incorporated by reference into
this SAI. The financial highlights included in the
prospectus and incorporated by reference into this SAI
and the financial statements incorporated by reference
into the prospectus and this SAI have been so included
and incorporated in reliance upon the report of the
independent accountants, given on their authority as
experts in auditing and accounting.
<PAGE>
<PAGE>
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MISCELLANEOUS INVESTMENT PRACTICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II-1
TAXES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-29
MANAGEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-34
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-44
HOW TO BUY SHARES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-45
DISTRIBUTION PLANS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-57
INVESTOR SERVICES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-58
SIGNATURE GUARANTEES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-64
SUSPENSION OF REDEMPTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-64
SHAREHOLDER LIABILITY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-64
STANDARD PERFORMANCE MEASURES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-65
COMPARISON OF PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-66
DEFINITIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .II-71
<PAGE>
THE PUTNAM FUNDS
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ("SAI")
PART II
The following information applies generally to your fund and to
the other Putnam funds. In certain cases the discussion applies
to some but not all of the funds or their shareholders, and you
should refer to your prospectus to determine whether the matter
is applicable to you or your fund. You will also be referred to
Part I for certain information applicable to your particular
fund. Shareholders who purchase shares at net asset value
through employer-sponsored defined contribution plans should also
consult their employer for information about the extent to which
the matters described below apply to them.
MISCELLANEOUS INVESTMENT PRACTICES
Your fund's prospectus states which of the following investment
practices are available to your fund. The fact that your fund is
authorized to engage in a particular practice does not
necessarily mean that it will actually do so. You should
disregard any practice described below which is not mentioned in
the prospectus.
Short-term Trading
In seeking the fund's objectives(s), Putnam Management will buy
or sell portfolio securities whenever Putnam Management believes
it appropriate to do so. In deciding whether to sell a portfolio
security, Putnam Management does not consider how long the fund
has owned the security. From time to time the fund will buy
securities intending to seek short-term trading profits. A
change in the securities held by the fund is known as "portfolio
turnover" and generally involves some expense to the fund. This
expense may include brokerage commissions or dealer markups and
other transaction costs on both the sale of securities and the
reinvestment of the proceeds in other securities. If sales of
portfolio securities cause the fund to realize net short-term
capital gains, such gains will be taxable as ordinary income. As
a result of the fund's investment policies, under certain market
conditions the fund's portfolio turnover rate may be higher than
that of other mutual funds. Portfolio turnover rate for a fiscal
year is the ratio of the lesser of purchases or sales of
portfolio securities to the monthly average of the value of
portfolio securities -- excluding securities whose maturities at
acquisition were one year or less. The fund's portfolio turnover
rate is not a limiting factor when Putnam Management considers a
change in the fund's portfolio.
<PAGE>
Lower-rated Securities
The fund may invest in lower-rated fixed-income securities
(commonly known as "junk bonds"), to the extent described in the
prospectus. The lower ratings of certain securities held by the
fund reflect a greater possibility that adverse changes in the
financial condition of the issuer or in general economic
conditions, or both, or an unanticipated rise in interest rates,
may impair the ability of the issuer to make payments of interest
and principal. The inability (or perceived inability) of issuers
to make timely payment of interest and principal would likely
make the values of securities held by the fund more volatile and
could limit the fund's ability to sell its securities at prices
approximating the values the fund had placed on such securities.
In the absence of a liquid trading market for securities held by
it, the fund at times may be unable to establish the fair value
of such securities.
Securities ratings are based largely on the issuer's historical
financial condition and the rating agencies' analysis at the time
of rating. Consequently, the rating assigned to any particular
security is not necessarily a reflection of the issuer's current
financial condition, which may be better or worse than the rating
would indicate. In addition, the rating assigned to a security
by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or Standard & Poor's (or by
any other nationally recognized securities rating organization)
does not reflect an assessment of the volatility of the
security's market value or the liquidity of an investment in the
security. See the prospectus or Part I of this SAI for a
description of security ratings.
Like those of other fixed-income securities, the values of
lower-rated securities fluctuate in response to changes in
interest rates. A decrease in interest rates will generally
result in an increase in the value of the fund's assets.
Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the value of
the fund's assets will generally decline. The values of lower-
rated securities may often be affected to a greater extent by
changes in general economic conditions and business conditions
affecting the issuers of such securities and their industries.
Negative publicity or investor perceptions may also adversely
affect the values of lower-rated securities. Changes by
recognized rating services in their ratings of any fixed-income
security and changes in the ability of an issuer to make payments
of interest and principal may also affect the value of these
investments. Changes in the value of portfolio securities
generally will not affect income derived from these securities,
but will affect the fund's net asset value. The fund will not
necessarily dispose of a security when its rating is reduced
below its rating at the time of purchase. However, Putnam
Management will monitor the investment to determine whether its
retention will assist in meeting the fund's investment
objective(s).
Issuers of lower-rated securities are often highly leveraged, so
that their ability to service their debt obligations during an
economic downturn or during sustained periods of rising interest
rates may be impaired. Such issuers may not have more
traditional methods of financing available to them and may be
unable to repay outstanding obligations at maturity by
refinancing. The risk of loss due to default in payment of
interest or repayment of principal by such issuers is
significantly greater because such securities frequently are
unsecured and subordinated to the prior payment of senior
indebtedness.
At times, a substantial portion of the fund's assets may be
invested in securities as to which the fund, by itself or
together with other funds and accounts managed by Putnam
Management and its affiliates, holds all or a major portion.
Although Putnam Management generally considers such securities to
be liquid because of the availability of an institutional market
for such securities, it is possible that, under adverse market or
economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the
financial condition of the issuer, the fund could find it more
difficult to sell these securities when Putnam Management
believes it advisable to do so or may be able to sell the
securities only at prices lower than if they were more widely
held. Under these circumstances, it may also be more difficult
to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of
computing the fund's net asset value. In order to enforce its
rights in the event of a default under such securities, the fund
may be required to participate in various legal proceedings or
take possession of and manage assets securing the issuer's
obligations on such securities. This could increase the fund's
operating expenses and adversely affect the fund's net asset
value. In the case of tax-exempt funds, any income derived from
the fund's ownership or operation of such assets would not be
tax-exempt. The ability of a holder of a tax-exempt security to
enforce the terms of that security in a bankruptcy proceeding may
be more limited than would be the case with respect to securities
of private issuers. In addition, the fund's intention to qualify
as a "regulated investment company" under the Internal Revenue
Code may limit the extent to which the fund may exercise its
rights by taking possession of such assets.
Certain securities held by the fund may permit the issuer at its
option to "call," or redeem, its securities. If an issuer were
to redeem securities held by the fund during a time of declining
interest rates, the fund may not be able to reinvest the proceeds
in securities providing the same investment return as the
securities redeemed.
If the fund's prospectus describes so-called "zero-coupon" bonds
and "payment-in-kind" bonds as possible investments, the fund may
invest without limit in such bonds unless otherwise specified in
the prospectus. Zero-coupon bonds are issued at a significant
discount from their principal amount in lieu of paying interest
periodically. Payment-in-kind bonds allow the issuer, at its
option, to make current interest payments on the bonds either in
cash or in additional bonds. Because zero-coupon and payment-in-
kind bonds do not pay current interest in cash, their value is
subject to greater fluctuation in response to changes in market
interest rates than bonds that pay interest currently. Both
zero-coupon and payment-in-kind bonds allow an issuer to avoid
the need to generate cash to meet current interest payments.
Accordingly, such bonds may involve greater credit risks than
bonds paying interest currently in cash. The fund is required to
accrue interest income on such investments and to distribute such
amounts at least annually to shareholders even though such bonds
do not pay current interest in cash. Thus, it may be necessary
at times for the fund to liquidate investments in order to
satisfy its dividend requirements.
To the extent the fund invests in securities in the lower rating
categories, the achievement of the fund's goals is more dependent
on Putnam Management's investment analysis than would be the case
if the fund were investing in securities in the higher rating
categories. This may be particularly true with respect to tax-
exempt securities, as the amount of information about the
financial condition of an issuer of tax-exempt securities may not
be as extensive as that which is made available by corporations
whose securities are publicly traded.
Investments in Miscellaneous Fixed-Income Securities
Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus or elsewhere in this
SAI, if the fund may invest in inverse floating obligations,
premium securities, or interest-only or principal-only classes of
mortgage-backed securities (IOs and POs), it may do so without
limit. The fund, however, currently does not intend to invest
more than 15% of its assets in inverse floating obligations or
more than 35% of its assets in IOs and POs under normal market
conditions.
Private Placements
The fund may invest in securities that are purchased in private
placements and, accordingly, are subject to restrictions on
resale as a matter of contract or under federal securities laws.
Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for such
investments, especially under adverse market or economic
conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial
condition of the issuer, the fund could find it more difficult to
sell such securities when Putnam Management believes it advisable
to do so or may be able to sell such securities only at prices
lower than if such securities were more widely held. At times,
it may also be more difficult to determine the fair value of such
securities for purposes of computing the fund's net asset value.
Loan Participations
The fund may invest in "loan participations." By purchasing a
loan participation, the fund acquires some or all of the interest
of a bank or other lending institution in a loan to a particular
borrower. Many such loans are secured, and most impose
restrictive covenants which must be met by the borrower.
The loans in which the fund may invest are typically made by a
syndicate of banks, represented by an agent bank which has
negotiated and structured the loan and which is responsible
generally for collecting interest, principal, and other amounts
from the borrower on its own behalf and on behalf of the other
lending institutions in the syndicate and for enforcing its and
their other rights against the borrower. Each of the lending
institutions, including the agent bank, lends to the borrower a
portion of the total amount of the loan, and retains the
corresponding interest in the loan.
The fund's ability to receive payments of principal and interest
and other amounts in connection with loan participations held by
it will depend primarily on the financial condition of the
borrower. The failure by the fund to receive scheduled interest
of principal payments on a loan participation would adversely
affect the income of the fund and would likely reduce the value
of its assets, which would be reflected in a reduction in the
fund's net asset value. Banks and other lending institutions
generally perform a credit analysis of the borrower before
originating a loan or participating in a lending syndicate. In
selecting the loan participations in which the fund will invest,
however, Putnam Management will not rely solely on that credit
analysis, but will perform its own investment analysis of the
borrowers. Putnam Management's analysis may include
consideration of the borrower's financial strength and
experience, and managerial experience, debt coverage, additional
borrowing requirements or debt maturity schedules, changing
financial conditions, and responsiveness to changes in business
conditions and interest rates. Because loan participations in
which the fund may invest are not generally rated by independent
credit rating agencies, a decision by the fund to invest in a
particular loan participation will depend almost exclusively on
Putnam Management's credit analysis, and that of the original
lending institutions, of the borrower.
<PAGE>
Loan participations may be structured in different forms,
including novations, assignments, and participating interests.
In a novation, the fund assumes all of the rights of a lending
institution in a loan, including the right to receive payments of
principal and interest and other amounts directly from the
borrower and to enforce its rights as a lender directly against
the borrower. The fund assumes the position of a co-lender with
other syndicate members. As an alternative, the fund may
purchase an assignment of a portion of a lender's interest in a
loan. In this case, the fund may be required generally to rely
upon the assigning bank to demand payment and enforce its rights
against the borrower, but would otherwise be entitled to all of
such bank's rights in the loan. The fund may also purchase a
participating interest in a portion of the rights of a lending
institution in a loan. In such case, it will be entitled to
receive payments of principal, interest, and premium, if any, but
will not generally be entitled to enforce its rights directly
against the agent bank or the borrower, but must rely for that
purpose on the lending institution. The fund may also acquire a
loan participation directly by acting as a member of the original
lending syndicate.
The fund will in many cases be required to rely upon the lending
institution from which it purchases the loan participation to
collect and pass on to the fund such payments and to enforce the
fund's rights under the loan. As a result, an insolvency,
bankruptcy, or reorganization of the lending institution may
delay or prevent the fund from receiving principal, interest, and
other amounts with respect to the underlying loan. When the fund
is required to rely upon a lending institution to pay to the fund
principal, interest, and other amounts received by it, Putnam
Management will also evaluate the creditworthiness of the lending
institution.
The borrower of a loan in which the fund holds a participation
interest may, either at its own election or pursuant to terms of
the loan documentation, prepay amounts of the loan from time to
time. There is no assurance that the fund will be able to
reinvest the proceeds of any loan prepayment at the same interest
rate or on the same terms as those of the original loan
participation.
Corporate loans in which the fund may purchase a loan
participation are made generally to finance internal growth,
mergers, acquisitions, stock repurchases, leveraged buy-outs, and
other corporate activities. Under current market conditions,
most of the corporate loan participations purchased by the fund
will represent interests in loans made to finance highly
leveraged corporate acquisitions, known as "leveraged buy-out"
transactions. The highly leveraged capital structure of the
borrowers in such transactions may make such loans especially
vulnerable to adverse changes in economic or market conditions.
In addition, loan participations generally are subject to
restrictions on transfer, and only limited opportunities may
exist to sell such participations in secondary markets. As a
result, the fund may be unable to sell loan participations at a
time when it may otherwise be desirable to do so or may be able
to sell them only at a price that is less than their fair market
value.
Certain of the loan participations acquired by the fund may
involve revolving credit facilities under which a borrower may
from time to time borrow and repay amounts up to the maximum
amount of the facility. In such cases, the fund would have an
obligation to advance its portion of such additional borrowings
upon the terms specified in the loan participation. To the
extent that the fund is committed to make additional loans under
such a participation, it will at all times hold and maintain in a
segregated account liquid assets in an amount sufficient to meet
such commitments. Certain of the loan participations acquired by
the fund may also involve loans made in foreign currencies. The
fund's investment in such participations would involve the risks
of currency fluctuations described above with respect to
investments in the foreign securities.
Mortgage Related Securities
The fund may invest in mortgage-backed securities, including
collateralized mortgage obligations ("CMOs") and certain stripped
mortgage-backed securities. CMOs and other mortgage-backed
securities represent a participation in, or are secured by,
mortgage loans.
Mortgage-backed securities have yield and maturity
characteristics corresponding to the underlying assets. Unlike
traditional debt securities, which may pay a fixed rate of
interest until maturity, when the entire principal amount comes
due, payments on certain mortgage-backed securities include both
interest and a partial repayment of principal. Besides the
scheduled repayment of principal, repayments of principal may
result from the voluntary prepayment, refinancing, or foreclosure
of the underlying mortgage loans. If property owners make
unscheduled prepayments of their mortgage loans, these
prepayments will result in early payment of the applicable
mortgage-related securities. In that event the fund may be
unable to invest the proceeds from the early payment of the
mortgage-related securities in an investment that provides as
high a yield as the mortgage-related securities. Consequently,
early payment associated with mortgage-related securities may
cause these securities to experience significantly greater price
and yield volatility than that experienced by traditional fixed-
income securities. The occurrence of mortgage prepayments is
affected by factors including the level of interest rates,
general economic conditions, the location and age of the mortgage
and other social and demographic conditions. During periods of
falling interest rates, the rate of mortgage prepayments tends to
increase, thereby tending to decrease the life of mortgage-
related securities. During periods of rising interest rates, the
rate of mortgage prepayments usually decreases, thereby tending
to increase the life of mortgage-related securities. If the life
of a mortgage-related security is inaccurately predicted, the
fund may not be able to realize the rate of return it expected.
Mortgage-backed securities are less effective than other types of
securities as a means of "locking in" attractive long-term
interest rates. One reason is the need to reinvest prepayments
of principal; another is the possibility of significant
unscheduled prepayments resulting from declines in interest
rates. These prepayments would have to be reinvested at lower
rates. As a result, these securities may have less potential for
capital appreciation during periods of declining interest rates
than other securities of comparable maturities, although they may
have a similar risk of decline in market value during periods of
rising interest rates. Prepayments may also significantly shorten
the effective maturities of these securities, especially during
periods of declining interest rates. Conversely, during periods
of rising interest rates, a reduction in prepayments may increase
the effective maturities of these securities, subjecting them to
a greater risk of decline in market value in response to rising
interest rates than traditional debt securities, and, therefore,
potentially increasing the volatility of the fund.
Prepayments may cause losses on securities purchased at a
premium. At times, some of the mortgage-backed securities in
which the fund may invest will have higher than market interest
rates and therefore will be purchased at a premium above their
par value. Unscheduled prepayments, which are made at par, will
cause the fund to experience a loss equal to any unamortized
premium.
CMOs may be issued by a U.S. government agency or instrumentality
or by a private issuer. Although payment of the principal of,
and interest on, the underlying collateral securing privately
issued CMOs may be guaranteed by the U.S. government or its
agencies or instrumentalities, these CMOs represent obligations
solely of the private issuer and are not insured or guaranteed by
the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities or any
other person or entity.
Prepayments could cause early retirement of CMOs. CMOs are
designed to reduce the risk of prepayment for investors by
issuing multiple classes of securities, each having different
maturities, interest rates and payment schedules, and with the
principal and interest on the underlying mortgages allocated
among the several classes in various ways. Payment of interest
or principal on some classes or series of CMOs may be subject to
contingencies or some classes or series may bear some or all of
the risk of default on the underlying mortgages. CMOS of
different classes or series are generally retired in sequence as
the underlying mortgage loans in the mortgage pool are repaid.
If enough mortgages are repaid ahead of schedule, the classes or
series of a CMO with the earliest maturities generally will be
retired prior to their maturities. Thus, the early retirement of
particular classes or series of a CMO held by the fund would have
the same effect as the prepayment of mortgages underlying other
mortgage-backed securities. Conversely, slower than anticipated
prepayments can extend the effective maturities of CMOs,
subjecting them to a greater risk of decline in market value in
response to rising interest rates than traditional debt
securities, and, therefore, potentially increasing the volatility
of the fund.
Prepayments could result in losses on stripped mortgage-backed
securities. Stripped mortgage-backed securities are usually
structured with two classes that receive different portions of
the interest and principal distributions on a pool of mortgage
loans. The fund may invest in both the interest-only or "IO"
class and the principal-only or "PO" class. The yield to
maturity on an IO class of stripped mortgage-backed securities is
extremely sensitive not only to changes in prevailing interest
rates but also to the rate of principal payments (including
prepayments) on the underlying assets. A rapid rate of principal
prepayments may have a measurable adverse effect on the fund's
yield to maturity to the extent it invests in IOs. If the assets
underlying the IO experience greater than anticipated prepayments
of principal, the fund may fail to recoup fully its initial
investment in these securities. Conversely, POs tend to increase
in value if prepayments are greater than anticipated and decline
if prepayments are slower than anticipated.
The secondary market for stripped mortgage-backed securities may
be more volatile and less liquid than that for other mortgage-
backed securities, potentially limiting the fund's ability to buy
or sell those securities at any particular time.
Securities Loans
The fund may make secured loans of its portfolio securities, on
either a short-term or long-term basis, amounting to not more
than 25% of its total assets, thereby realizing additional
income. The risks in lending portfolio securities, as with other
extensions of credit, consist of possible delay in recovery of
the securities or possible loss of rights in the collateral
should the borrower fail financially. As a matter of policy,
securities loans are made to broker-dealers pursuant to
agreements requiring that the loans be continuously secured by
collateral consisting of cash or short-term debt obligations at
least equal at all times to the value of the securities on loan,
"marked-to-market" daily. The borrower pays to the fund an
amount equal to any dividends or interest received on securities
lent. The fund retains all or a portion of the interest received
on investment of the cash collateral or receives a fee from the
borrower. Although voting rights, or rights to consent, with
respect to the loaned securities may pass to the borrower, the
fund retains the right to call the loans at any time on
reasonable notice, and it will do so to enable the fund to
exercise voting rights on any matters materially affecting the
investment. The fund may also call such loans in order to sell
the securities.
Forward Commitments
The fund may enter into contracts to purchase securities for a
fixed price at a future date beyond customary settlement time
("forward commitments") if the fund sets aside, on the books and
records of its custodian, liquid assets in an amount sufficient
to meet the purchase price, or if the fund enters into offsetting
contracts for the forward sale of other securities it owns. In
the case of to-be-announced ("TBA") purchase commitments, the
unit price and the estimated principal amount are established
when the fund enters into a contract, with the actual principal
amount being within a specified range of the estimate. Forward
commitments may be considered securities in themselves, and
involve a risk of loss if the value of the security to be
purchased declines prior to the settlement date, which risk is in
addition to the risk of decline in the value of the fund's other
assets. Where such purchases are made through dealers, the fund
relies on the dealer to consummate the sale. The dealer's
failure to do so may result in the loss to the fund of an
advantageous yield or price. Although the fund will generally
enter into forward commitments with the intention of acquiring
securities for its portfolio or for delivery pursuant to options
contracts it has entered into, the fund may dispose of a
commitment prior to settlement if Putnam Management deems it
appropriate to do so. The fund may realize short-term profits or
losses upon the sale of forward commitments.
The fund may enter into TBA sale commitments to hedge its
portfolio positions or to sell securities it owns under delayed
delivery arrangements. Proceeds of TBA sale commitments are not
received until the contractual settlement date. During the time
a TBA sale commitment is outstanding, equivalent deliverable
securities, or an offsetting TBA purchase commitment deliverable
on or before the sale commitment date, are held as "cover" for
the transaction. Unsettled TBA sale commitments are valued at
current market value of the underlying securities. If the TBA
sale commitment is closed through the acquisition of an
offsetting purchase commitment, the fund realizes a gain or loss
on the commitment without regard to any unrealized gain or loss
on the underlying security. If the fund delivers securities
under the commitment, the fund realizes a gain or loss from the
sale of the securities based upon the unit price established at
the date the commitment was entered into.
Repurchase Agreements
The fund may enter into repurchase agreements up to the limit
specified in the prospectus. A repurchase agreement is a
contract under which the fund acquires a security for a
relatively short period (usually not more than one week) subject
to the obligation of the seller to repurchase and the fund to
resell such security at a fixed time and price (representing the
fund's cost plus interest). It is the fund's present intention
to enter into repurchase agreements only with commercial banks
and registered broker-dealers and only with respect to
obligations of the U.S. government or its agencies or
instrumentalities. Repurchase agreements may also be viewed as
loans made by the fund which are collateralized by the securities
subject to repurchase. Putnam Management will monitor such
transactions to ensure that the value of the underlying
securities will be at least equal at all times to the total
amount of the repurchase obligation, including the interest
factor. If the seller defaults, the fund could realize a loss on
the sale of the underlying security to the extent that the
proceeds of sale including accrued interest are less than the
resale price provided in the agreement including interest. In
addition, if the seller should be involved in bankruptcy or
insolvency proceedings, the fund may incur delay and costs in
selling the underlying security or may suffer a loss of principal
and interest if the fund is treated as an unsecured creditor and
required to return the underlying collateral to the seller's
estate.
Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the Securities and
Exchange Commission, the fund may transfer uninvested cash
balances into a joint account, along with cash of other Putnam
funds and certain other accounts. These balances may be invested
in one or more repurchase agreements and/or short-term money
market instruments.
Options on Securities
Writing covered options. The fund may write covered call options
and covered put options on optionable securities held in its
portfolio, when in the opinion of Putnam Management such
transactions are consistent with the fund's investment
objective(s) and policies. Call options written by the fund give
the purchaser the right to buy the underlying securities from the
fund at a stated exercise price; put options give the purchaser
the right to sell the underlying securities to the fund at a
stated price.
The fund may write only covered options, which means that, so
long as the fund is obligated as the writer of a call option, it
will own the underlying securities subject to the option (or
comparable securities satisfying the cover requirements of
securities exchanges). In the case of put options, the fund will
hold cash and/or high-grade short-term debt obligations equal to
the price to be paid if the option is exercised. In addition,
the fund will be considered to have covered a put or call option
if and to the extent that it holds an option that offsets some or
all of the risk of the option it has written. The fund may write
combinations of covered puts and calls on the same underlying
security.
The fund will receive a premium from writing a put or call
option, which increases the fund's return on the underlying
security in the event the option expires unexercised or is closed
out at a profit. The amount of the premium reflects, among other
things, the relationship between the exercise price and the
current market value of the underlying security, the volatility
of the underlying security, the amount of time remaining until
expiration, current interest rates, and the effect of supply and
demand in the options market and in the market for the underlying
security. By writing a call option, the fund limits its
opportunity to profit from any increase in the market value of
the underlying security above the exercise price of the option
but continues to bear the risk of a decline in the value of the
underlying security. By writing a put option, the fund assumes
the risk that it may be required to purchase the underlying
security for an exercise price higher than its then-current
market value, resulting in a potential capital loss unless the
security subsequently appreciates in value.
The fund may terminate an option that it has written prior to its
expiration by entering into a closing purchase transaction, in
which it purchases an offsetting option. The fund realizes a
profit or loss from a closing transaction if the cost of the
transaction (option premium plus transaction costs) is less or
more than the premium received from writing the option. If the
fund writes a call option but does not own the underlying
security, and when it writes a put option, the fund may be
required to deposit cash or securities with its broker as
"margin," or collateral, for its obligation to buy or sell the
underlying security. As the value of the underlying security
varies, the fund may have to deposit additional margin with the
broker. Margin requirements are complex and are fixed by
individual brokers, subject to minimum requirements currently
imposed by the Federal Reserve Board and by stock exchanges and
other self-regulatory organizations.
<PAGE>
Purchasing put options. The fund may purchase put options to
protect its portfolio holdings in an underlying security against
a decline in market value. Such protection is provided during
the life of the put option since the fund, as holder of the
option, is able to sell the underlying security at the put
exercise price regardless of any decline in the underlying
security's market price. In order for a put option to be
profitable, the market price of the underlying security must
decline sufficiently below the exercise price to cover the
premium and transaction costs. By using put options in this
manner, the fund will reduce any profit it might otherwise have
realized from appreciation of the underlying security by the
premium paid for the put option and by transaction costs.
Purchasing call options. The fund may purchase call options to
hedge against an increase in the price of securities that the
fund wants ultimately to buy. Such hedge protection is provided
during the life of the call option since the fund, as holder of
the call option, is able to buy the underlying security at the
exercise price regardless of any increase in the underlying
security's market price. In order for a call option to be
profitable, the market price of the underlying security must rise
sufficiently above the exercise price to cover the premium and
transaction costs.
Risk Factors in Options Transactions
The successful use of the fund's options strategies depends on
the ability of Putnam Management to forecast correctly interest
rate and market movements. For example, if the fund were to
write a call option based on Putnam Management's expectation that
the price of the underlying security would fall, but the price
were to rise instead, the fund could be required to sell the
security upon exercise at a price below the current market price.
Similarly, if the fund were to write a put option based on Putnam
Management's expectation that the price of the underlying
security would rise, but the price were to fall instead, the fund
could be required to purchase the security upon exercise at a
price higher than the current market price.
When the fund purchases an option, it runs the risk that it will
lose its entire investment in the option in a relatively short
period of time, unless the fund exercises the option or enters
into a closing sale transaction before the option's expiration.
If the price of the underlying security does not rise (in the
case of a call) or fall (in the case of a put) to an extent
sufficient to cover the option premium and transaction costs, the
fund will lose part or all of its investment in the option. This
contrasts with an investment by the fund in the underlying
security, since the fund will not realize a loss if the
security's price does not change.
The effective use of options also depends on the fund's ability
to terminate option positions at times when Putnam Management
deems it desirable to do so. There is no assurance that the fund
will be able to effect closing transactions at any particular
time or at an acceptable price.
If a secondary market in options were to become unavailable, the
fund could no longer engage in closing transactions. Lack of
investor interest might adversely affect the liquidity of the
market for particular options or series of options. A market may
discontinue trading of a particular option or options generally.
In addition, a market could become temporarily unavailable if
unusual events -- such as volume in excess of trading or clearing
capability -- were to interrupt its normal operations.
A market may at times find it necessary to impose restrictions on
particular types of options transactions, such as opening
transactions. For example, if an underlying security ceases to
meet qualifications imposed by the market or the Options Clearing
Corporation, new series of options on that security will no
longer be opened to replace expiring series, and opening
transactions in existing series may be prohibited. If an options
market were to become unavailable, the fund as a holder of an
option would be able to realize profits or limit losses only by
exercising the option, and the fund, as option writer, would
remain obligated under the option until expiration or exercise.
Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying options
purchased or sold by the fund could result in losses on the
options. If trading is interrupted in an underlying security,
the trading of options on that security is normally halted as
well. As a result, the fund as purchaser or writer of an option
will be unable to close out its positions until options trading
resumes, and it may be faced with considerable losses if trading
in the security reopens at a substantially different price. In
addition, the Options Clearing Corporation or other options
markets may impose exercise restrictions. If a prohibition on
exercise is imposed at the time when trading in the option has
also been halted, the fund as purchaser or writer of an option
will be locked into its position until one of the two
restrictions has been lifted. If the Options Clearing
Corporation were to determine that the available supply of an
underlying security appears insufficient to permit delivery by
the writers of all outstanding calls in the event of exercise, it
may prohibit indefinitely the exercise of put options. The fund,
as holder of such a put option, could lose its entire investment
if the prohibition remained in effect until the put option's
expiration.
Foreign-traded options are subject to many of the same risks
presented by internationally-traded securities. In addition,
because of time differences between the United States and various
foreign countries, and because different holidays are observed in
different countries, foreign options markets may be open for
trading during hours or on days when U.S. markets are closed. As
a result, option premiums may not reflect the current prices of
the underlying interest in the United States.
Over-the-counter ("OTC") options purchased by the fund and assets
held to cover OTC options written by the fund may, under certain
circumstances, be considered illiquid securities for purposes of
any limitation on the fund's ability to invest in illiquid
securities.
Futures Contracts and Related Options
Subject to applicable law, and unless otherwise specified in the
prospectus, the fund may invest without limit in the types of
futures contracts and related options identified in the
prospectus for hedging and non-hedging purposes, such as to
manage the effective duration of the fund's portfolio or as a
substitute for direct investment. A financial futures contract
sale creates an obligation by the seller to deliver the type of
financial instrument called for in the contract in a specified
delivery month for a stated price. A financial futures contract
purchase creates an obligation by the purchaser to take delivery
of the type of financial instrument called for in the contract in
a specified delivery month at a stated price. The specific
instruments delivered or taken, respectively, at settlement date
are not determined until on or near that date. The determination
is made in accordance with the rules of the exchange on which the
futures contract sale or purchase was made. Futures contracts
are traded in the United States only on commodity exchanges or
boards of trade -- known as "contract markets" -- approved for
such trading by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the
"CFTC"), and must be executed through a futures commission
merchant or brokerage firm which is a member of the relevant
contract market.
Although futures contracts (other than index futures) by their
terms call for actual delivery or acceptance of commodities or
securities, in most cases the contracts are closed out before the
settlement date without the making or taking of delivery.
Closing out a futures contract sale is effected by purchasing a
futures contract for the same aggregate amount of the specific
type of financial instrument or commodity with the same delivery
date. If the price of the initial sale of the futures contract
exceeds the price of the offsetting purchase, the seller is paid
the difference and realizes a gain. Conversely, if the price of
the offsetting purchase exceeds the price of the initial sale,
the seller realizes a loss. If the fund is unable to enter into
a closing transaction, the amount of the fund's potential loss is
unlimited. The closing out of a futures contract purchase is
effected by the purchaser's entering into a futures contract
sale. If the offsetting sale price exceeds the purchase price,
the purchaser realizes a gain, and if the purchase price exceeds
the offsetting sale price, he realizes a loss. In general, 40%
of the gain or loss arising from the closing out of a futures
contract traded on an exchange approved by the CFTC is treated as
short-term gain or loss, and 60% is treated as long-term gain or
loss.
Unlike when the fund purchases or sells a security, no price is
paid or received by the fund upon the purchase or sale of a
futures contract. Upon entering into a contract, the fund is
required to deposit with its custodian in a segregated account in
the name of the futures broker an amount of liquid assets. This
amount is known as "initial margin." The nature of initial
margin in futures transactions is different from that of margin
in security transactions in that futures contract margin does not
involve the borrowing of funds to finance the transactions.
Rather, initial margin is similar to a performance bond or good
faith deposit which is returned to the fund upon termination of
the futures contract, assuming all contractual obligations have
been satisfied. Futures contracts also involve brokerage costs.
Subsequent payments, called "variation margin" or "maintenance
margin," to and from the broker (or the custodian) are made on a
daily basis as the price of the underlying security or commodity
fluctuates, making the long and short positions in the futures
contract more or less valuable, a process known as "marking to
the market." For example, when the fund has purchased a futures
contract on a security and the price of the underlying security
has risen, that position will have increased in value and the
fund will receive from the broker a variation margin payment
based on that increase in value. Conversely, when the fund has
purchased a security futures contract and the price of the
underlying security has declined, the position would be less
valuable and the fund would be required to make a variation
margin payment to the broker.
The fund may elect to close some or all of its futures positions
at any time prior to their expiration in order to reduce or
eliminate a hedge position then currently held by the fund. The
fund may close its positions by taking opposite positions which
will operate to terminate the fund's position in the futures
contracts. Final determinations of variation margin are then
made, additional cash is required to be paid by or released to
the fund, and the fund realizes a loss or a gain. Such closing
transactions involve additional commission costs.
The fund does not intend to purchase or sell futures or related
options for other than hedging purposes, if, as a result, the sum
of the initial margin deposits on the fund's existing futures and
related options positions and premiums paid for outstanding
options on futures contracts would exceed 5% of the fund's net
assets.
Options on futures contracts. The fund may purchase and write
call and put options on futures contracts it may buy or sell and
enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to
terminate existing positions. Options on future contracts give
the purchaser the right in return for the premium paid to assume
a position in a futures contract at the specified option exercise
price at any time during the period of the option. The fund may
use options on futures contracts in lieu of writing or buying
options directly on the underlying securities or purchasing and
selling the underlying futures contracts. For example, to hedge
against a possible decrease in the value of its portfolio
securities, the fund may purchase put options or write call
options on futures contracts rather than selling futures
contracts. Similarly, the fund may purchase call options or
write put options on futures contracts as a substitute for the
purchase of futures contracts to hedge against a possible
increase in the price of securities which the fund expects to
purchase. Such options generally operate in the same manner as
options purchased or written directly on the underlying
investments.
As with options on securities, the holder or writer of an option
may terminate his position by selling or purchasing an offsetting
option. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can
be effected.
The fund will be required to deposit initial margin and
maintenance margin with respect to put and call options on
futures contracts written by it pursuant to brokers' requirements
similar to those described above in connection with the
discussion of futures contracts.
Risks of transactions in futures contracts and related options.
Successful use of futures contracts by the fund is subject to
Putnam Management's ability to predict movements in various
factors affecting securities markets, including interest rates.
Compared to the purchase or sale of futures contracts, the
purchase of call or put options on futures contracts involves
less potential risk to the fund because the maximum amount at
risk is the premium paid for the options (plus transaction
costs). However, there may be circumstances when the purchase of
a call or put option on a futures contract would result in a loss
to the fund when the purchase or sale of a futures contract would
not, such as when there is no movement in the prices of the
hedged investments. The writing of an option on a futures
contract involves risks similar to those risks relating to the
sale of futures contracts.
The use of options and futures strategies also involves the risk
of imperfect correlation among movements in the prices of the
securities underlying the futures and options purchased and sold
by the fund, of the options and futures contracts themselves,
and, in the case of hedging transactions, of the securities which
are the subject of a hedge. The successful use of these
strategies further depends on the ability of Putnam Management to
forecast interest rates and market movements correctly.
There is no assurance that higher than anticipated trading
activity or other unforeseen events might not, at times, render
certain market clearing facilities inadequate, and thereby result
in the institution by exchanges of special procedures which may
interfere with the timely execution of customer orders.
To reduce or eliminate a position held by the fund, the fund may
seek to close out such position. The ability to establish and
close out positions will be subject to the development and
maintenance of a liquid secondary market. It is not certain that
this market will develop or continue to exist for a particular
futures contract or option. Reasons for the absence of a liquid
secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there
may be insufficient trading interest in certain contracts or
options; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on
opening transactions or closing transactions or both; (iii)
trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed
with respect to particular classes or series of contracts or
options, or underlying securities; (iv) unusual or unforeseen
circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v)
the facilities of an exchange or a clearing corporation may not
at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or
(vi) one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons,
decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the
trading of contracts or options (or a particular class or series
of contracts or options), in which event the secondary market on
that exchange for such contracts or options (or in the class or
series of contracts or options) would cease to exist, although
outstanding contracts or options on the exchange that had been
issued by a clearing corporation as a result of trades on that
exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with
their terms.
U.S. Treasury security futures contracts and options. U.S.
Treasury security futures contracts require the seller to
deliver, or the purchaser to take delivery of, the type of U.S.
Treasury security called for in the contract at a specified date
and price. Options on U.S. Treasury security futures contracts
give the purchaser the right in return for the premium paid to
assume a position in a U.S. Treasury security futures contract at
the specified option exercise price at any time during the period
of the option.
Successful use of U.S. Treasury security futures contracts by the
fund is subject to Putnam Management's ability to predict
movements in the direction of interest rates and other factors
affecting markets for debt securities. For example, if the fund
has sold U.S. Treasury security futures contracts in order to
hedge against the possibility of an increase in interest rates
which would adversely affect securities held in its portfolio,
and the prices of the fund's securities increase instead as a
result of a decline in interest rates, the fund will lose part or
all of the benefit of the increased value of its securities which
it has hedged because it will have offsetting losses in its
futures positions. In addition, in such situations, if the fund
has insufficient cash, it may have to sell securities to meet
daily maintenance margin requirements at a time when it may be
disadvantageous to do so.
There is also a risk that price movements in U.S. Treasury
security futures contracts and related options will not correlate
closely with price movements in markets for particular
securities. For example, if the fund has hedged against a
decline in the values of tax-exempt securities held by it by
selling Treasury security futures and the values of Treasury
securities subsequently increase while the values of its
tax-exempt securities decrease, the fund would incur losses on
both the Treasury security futures contracts written by it and
the tax-exempt securities held in its portfolio.
Index futures contracts. An index futures contract is a contract
to buy or sell units of an index at a specified future date at a
price agreed upon when the contract is made. Entering into a
contract to buy units of an index is commonly referred to as
buying or purchasing a contract or holding a long position in
the index. Entering into a contract to sell units of an index is
commonly referred to as selling a contract or holding a short
position. A unit is the current value of the index. The fund
may enter into stock index futures contracts, debt index futures
contracts, or other index futures contracts appropriate to its
objective(s). The fund may also purchase and sell options on
index futures contracts.
For example, the Standard & Poor's 500 Composite Stock Price
Index ("S&P 500") is composed of 500 selected common stocks, most
of which are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The S&P 500
assigns relative weightings to the common stocks included in the
Index, and the value fluctuates with changes in the market values
of those common stocks. In the case of the S&P 500, contracts
are to buy or sell 500 units. Thus, if the value of the S&P 500
were $150, one contract would be worth $75,000 (500 units x
$150). The stock index futures contract specifies that no
delivery of the actual stocks making up the index will take
place. Instead, settlement in cash must occur upon the
termination of the contract, with the settlement being the
difference between the contract price and the actual level of the
stock index at the expiration of the contract. For example, if
the fund enters into a futures contract to buy 500 units of the
S&P 500 at a specified future date at a contract price of $150
and the S&P 500 is at $154 on that future date, the fund will
gain $2,000 (500 units x gain of $4). If the fund enters into a
futures contract to sell 500 units of the stock index at a
specified future date at a contract price of $150 and the S&P 500
is at $152 on that future date, the fund will lose $1,000 (500
units x loss of $2).
There are several risks in connection with the use by the fund of
index futures. One risk arises because of the imperfect
correlation between movements in the prices of the index futures
and movements in the prices of securities which are the subject
of the hedge. Putnam Management will, however, attempt to reduce
this risk by buying or selling, to the extent possible, futures
on indices the movements of which will, in its judgment, have a
significant correlation with movements in the prices of the
securities sought to be hedged.
Successful use of index futures by the fund is also subject to
Putnam Management's ability to predict movements in the direction
of the market. For example, it is possible that, where the fund
has sold futures to hedge its portfolio against a decline in the
market, the index on which the futures are written may advance
and the value of securities held in the fund's portfolio may
decline. If this occurred, the fund would lose money on the
futures and also experience a decline in value in its portfolio
securities. It is also possible that, if the fund has hedged
against the possibility of a decline in the market adversely
affecting securities held in its portfolio and securities prices
increase instead, the fund will lose part or all of the benefit
of the increased value of those securities it has hedged because
it will have offsetting losses in its futures positions. In
addition, in such situations, if the fund has insufficient cash,
it may have to sell securities to meet daily variation margin
requirements at a time when it is disadvantageous to do so.
In addition to the possibility that there may be an imperfect
correlation, or no correlation at all, between movements in the
index futures and the portion of the portfolio being hedged, the
prices of index futures may not correlate perfectly with
movements in the underlying index due to certain market
distortions. First, all participants in the futures market are
subject to margin deposit and maintenance requirements. Rather
than meeting additional margin deposit requirements, investors
may close futures contracts through offsetting transactions which
could distort the normal relationship between the index and
futures markets. Second, margin requirements in the futures
market are less onerous than margin requirements in the
securities market, and as a result the futures market may attract
more speculators than the securities market does. Increased
participation by speculators in the futures market may also cause
temporary price distortions. Due to the possibility of price
distortions in the futures market and also because of the
imperfect correlation between movements in the index and
movements in the prices of index futures, even a correct forecast
of general market trends by Putnam Management may still not
result in a profitable position over a short time period.
Options on stock index futures. Options on index futures are
similar to options on securities except that options on index
futures give the purchaser the right, in return for the premium
paid, to assume a position in an index futures contract (a long
position if the option is a call and a short position if the
option is a put) at a specified exercise price at any time during
the period of the option. Upon exercise of the option, the
delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to
the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the
accumulated balance in the writer's futures margin account which
represents the amount by which the market price of the index
futures contract, at exercise, exceeds (in the case of a call) or
is less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the
option on the index future. If an option is exercised on the
last trading day prior to its expiration date, the settlement
will be made entirely in cash equal to the difference between the
exercise price of the option and the closing level of the index
on which the future is based on the expiration date. Purchasers
of options who fail to exercise their options prior to the
exercise date suffer a loss of the premium paid.
Options on Indices
As an alternative to purchasing call and put options on index
futures, the fund may purchase and sell call and put options on
the underlying indices themselves. Such options would be used in
a manner identical to the use of options on index futures.
Index Warrants
The fund may purchase put warrants and call warrants whose values
vary depending on the change in the value of one or more
specified securities indices ("index warrants"). Index warrants
are generally issued by banks or other financial institutions and
give the holder the right, at any time during the term of the
warrant, to receive upon exercise of the warrant a cash payment
from the issuer based on the value of the underlying index at the
time of exercise. In general, if the value of the underlying
index rises above the exercise price of the index warrant, the
holder of a call warrant will be entitled to receive a cash
payment from the issuer upon exercise based on the difference
between the value of the index and the exercise price of the
warrant; if the value of the underlying index falls, the holder
of a put warrant will be entitled to receive a cash payment from
the issuer upon exercise based on the difference between the
exercise price of the warrant and the value of the index. The
holder of a warrant would not be entitled to any payments from
the issuer at any time when, in the case of a call warrant, the
exercise price is greater than the value of the underlying index,
or, in the case of a put warrant, the exercise price is less than
the value of the underlying index. If the fund were not to
exercise an index warrant prior to its expiration, then the fund
would lose the amount of the purchase price paid by it for the
warrant.
The fund will normally use index warrants in a manner similar to
its use of options on securities indices. The risks of the
fund's use of index warrants are generally similar to those
relating to its use of index options. Unlike most index options,
however, index warrants are issued in limited amounts and are not
obligations of a regulated clearing agency, but are backed only
by the credit of the bank or other institution which issues the
warrant. Also, index warrants generally have longer terms than
index options. Although the fund will normally invest only in
exchange-listed warrants, index warrants are not likely to be as
liquid as certain index options backed by a recognized clearing
agency. In addition, the terms of index warrants may limit the
fund's ability to exercise the warrants at such time, or in such
quantities, as the fund would otherwise wish to do.
Foreign Investments
The fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers that are not
actively traded in U.S. markets. These foreign investments
involve certain special risks described below.
Foreign securities are normally denominated and traded in foreign
currencies. As a result, the value of the fund's foreign
investments and the value of its shares may be affected favorably
or unfavorably by changes in currency exchange rates relative to
the U.S. dollar. There may be less information publicly
available about a foreign issuer than about a U.S. issuer, and
foreign issuers are not generally subject to accounting, auditing
and financial reporting standards and practices comparable to
those in the United States. The securities of some foreign
issuers are less liquid and at times more volatile than
securities of comparable U.S. issuers. Foreign brokerage
commissions and other fees are also generally higher than in the
United States. Foreign settlement procedures and trade
regulations may involve certain risks (such as delay in payment
or delivery of securities or in the recovery of the fund's assets
held abroad) and expenses not present in the settlement of
investments in U.S. markets.
In addition, the fund's investments in foreign securities may be
subject to the risk of nationalization or expropriation of
assets, imposition of currency exchange controls or restrictions
on the repatriation of foreign currency, confiscatory taxation,
political or financial instability and diplomatic developments
which could affect the value of the fund's investments in certain
foreign countries. Dividends or interest on, or proceeds from
the sale of, foreign securities may be subject to foreign
withholding taxes, and special U.S. tax considerations may apply.
Legal remedies available to investors in certain foreign
countries may be more limited than those available with respect
to investments in the United States or in other foreign
countries. The laws of some foreign countries may limit the
fund's ability to invest in securities of certain issuers
organized under the laws of those foreign countries.
The risks described above, including the risks of nationalization
or expropriation of assets, are typically increased in connection
with investments in "emerging markets." For example, political
and economic structures in these countries may be in their
infancy and developing rapidly, and such countries may be in
their infancy and developing rapidly, and such countries may lack
the social, political and economic stability characteristic of
more developed countries. Certain of these countries have in the
past failed to recognize private property rights and have at
times nationalized and expropriated the assets of private
companies. High rates of inflation or currency devaluations may
adversely affect the economies and securities markets of such
countries. Investments in emerging markets may be considered
speculative.
In addition, unanticipated political or social developments may
affect the value of the fund's investments in emerging markets
and the availability to the fund of additional investments in
these markets. The small size, limited trading volume and
relative inexperience of the securities markets in these
countries may make the fund's investments in securities traded in
emerging markets illiquid and more volatile than investments in
securities traded in more developed countries, and the fund may
be required to establish special custodial or other arrangements
before making investments in securities traded in emerging
markets. There may be little financial or accounting information
available with respect to issuers of emerging market securities,
and it may be difficult as a result to assess the value of
prospects of an investment in such securities.
Certain of the foregoing risks may also apply to some extent to
securities of U.S. issuers that are denominated in foreign
currencies or that are traded in foreign markets, or securities
of U.S. issuers having significant foreign operations.
Foreign Currency Transactions
Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus or Part I of this
SAI, the fund may engage without limit in currency exchange
transactions, including purchasing and selling foreign currency,
foreign currency options, foreign currency forward contracts and
foreign currency futures contracts and related options, to
protect against uncertainty in the level of future currency
exchange rates. In addition, the fund may write covered call and
put options on foreign currencies for the purpose of increasing
its current return.
Generally, the fund may engage in both "transaction hedging" and
"position hedging." When it engages in transaction hedging, the
fund enters into foreign currency transactions with respect to
specific receivables or payables, generally arising in connection
with the purchase or sale of portfolio securities. The fund will
engage in transaction hedging when it desires to "lock in" the
U.S. dollar price of a security it has agreed to purchase or
sell, or the U.S. dollar equivalent of a dividend or interest
payment in a foreign currency. By transaction hedging the fund
will attempt to protect itself against a possible loss resulting
from an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S.
dollar and the applicable foreign currency during the period
between the date on which the security is purchased or sold, or
on which the dividend or interest payment is earned, and the date
on which such payments are made or received.
The fund may purchase or sell a foreign currency on a spot (or
cash) basis at the prevailing spot rate in connection with the
settlement of transactions in portfolio securities denominated in
that foreign currency. If conditions warrant, for transaction
hedging purposes the fund may also enter into contracts to
purchase or sell foreign currencies at a future date ("forward
contracts") and purchase and sell foreign currency futures
contracts. A foreign currency forward contract is a negotiated
agreement to exchange currency at a future time at a rate or
rates that may be higher or lower than the spot rate. Foreign
currency futures contracts are standardized exchange-traded
contracts and have margin requirements. In addition, for
transaction hedging purposes the fund may also purchase or sell
exchange-listed and over-the-counter call and put options on
foreign currency futures contracts and on foreign currencies.
The fund may also enter into contracts to purchase or sell
foreign currencies at a future date ("forward contracts") and
purchase and sell foreign currency futures contracts.
For transaction hedging purposes the fund may also purchase
exchange-listed and over-the-counter call and put options on
foreign currency futures contracts and on foreign currencies. A
put option on a futures contract gives the fund the right to
assume a short position in the futures contract until the
expiration of the option. A put option on a currency gives the
fund the right to sell the currency at an exercise price until
the expiration of the option. A call option on a futures
contract gives the fund the right to assume a long position in
the futures contract until the expiration of the option. A call
option on a currency gives the fund the right to purchase the
currency at the exercise price until the expiration of the
option.
The fund may engage in position hedging to protect against a
decline in the value relative to the U.S. dollar of the
currencies in which its portfolio securities are denominated or
quoted (or an increase in the value of the currency in which the
securities the fund intends to buy are denominated, when the fund
holds cash or short-term investments). For position hedging
purposes, the fund may purchase or sell foreign currency futures
contracts, foreign currency forward contracts and options on
foreign currency futures contracts and on foreign currencies on
exchanges or in over-the-counter markets. In connection with
position hedging, the fund may also purchase or sell foreign
currency on a spot basis.
It is impossible to forecast with precision the market value of
portfolio securities at the expiration or maturity of a forward
or futures contract. Accordingly, it may be necessary for the
fund to purchase additional foreign currency on the spot market
(and bear the expense of such purchase) if the market value of
the security or securities being hedged is less than the amount
of foreign currency the fund is obligated to deliver and a
decision is made to sell the security or securities and make
delivery of the foreign currency. Conversely, it may be
necessary to sell on the spot market some of the foreign currency
received upon the sale of the portfolio security or securities if
the market value of such security or securities exceeds the
amount of foreign currency the fund is obligated to deliver.
Transaction and position hedging do not eliminate fluctuations in
the underlying prices of the securities which the fund owns or
intends to purchase or sell. They simply establish a rate of
exchange which one can achieve at some future point in time.
Additionally, although these techniques tend to minimize the risk
of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency,
they tend to limit any potential gain which might result from the
increase in value of such currency. See "Risk factors in options
transactions" above.
The fund may seek to increase its current return or to offset
some of the costs of hedging against fluctuations in current
exchange rates by writing covered call options and covered put
options on foreign currencies. The fund receives a premium from
writing a call or put option, which increases the fund's current
return if the option expires unexercised or is closed out at a
net profit. The fund may terminate an option that it has written
prior to its expiration by entering into a closing purchase
transaction in which it purchases an option having the same terms
as the option written.
The fund's currency hedging transactions may call for the
delivery of one foreign currency in exchange for another foreign
currency and may at times not involve currencies in which its
portfolio securities are then denominated. Putnam Management
will engage in such "cross hedging" activities when it believes
that such transactions provide significant hedging opportunities
for the fund. Cross hedging transactions by the fund involve the
risk of imperfect correlation between changes in the values of
the currencies to which such transactions relate and changes in
the value of the currency or other asset or liability which is
the subject of the hedge.
The value of any currency, including U.S. dollars and foreign
currencies, may be affected by complex political and economic
factors applicable to the issuing country. In addition, the
exchange rates of foreign currencies (and therefore the values of
foreign currency options, forward contracts and futures
contracts) may be affected significantly, fixed, or supported
directly or indirectly by U.S. and foreign government actions.
Government intervention may increase risks involved in purchasing
or selling foreign currency options, forward contracts and
futures contracts, since exchange rates may not be free to
fluctuate in response to other market forces.
The value of a foreign currency option, forward contract or
futures contract reflects the value of an exchange rate, which in
turn reflects relative values of two currencies, the U.S. dollar
and the foreign currency in question. Because foreign currency
transactions occurring in the interbank market involve
substantially larger amounts than those that may be involved in
the exercise of foreign currency options, forward contracts and
futures contracts, investors may be disadvantaged by having to
deal in an odd-lot market for the underlying foreign currencies
in connection with options at prices that are less favorable than
for round lots. Foreign governmental restrictions or taxes could
result in adverse changes in the cost of acquiring or disposing
of foreign currencies.
There is no systematic reporting of last sale information for
foreign currencies and there is no regulatory requirement that
quotations available through dealers or other market sources be
firm or revised on a timely basis. Available quotation
information is generally representative of very large round-lot
transactions in the interbank market and thus may not reflect
exchange rates for smaller odd-lot transactions (less than $1
million) where rates may be less favorable. The interbank market
in foreign currencies is a global, around-the-clock market. To
the extent that options markets are closed while the markets for
the underlying currencies remain open, significant price and rate
movements may take place in the underlying markets that cannot be
reflected in the options markets.
The decision as to whether and to what extent the fund will
engage in foreign currency exchange transactions will depend on a
number of factors, including prevailing market conditions, the
composition of the fund's portfolio and the availability of
suitable transactions. Accordingly, there can be no assurance
that the fund will engage in foreign currency exchange
transactions at any given time or from time to time.
Currency forward and futures contracts. A forward foreign
currency contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a
specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number
of days from the date of the contract as agreed by the parties,
at a price set at the time of the contract. In the case of a
cancelable forward contract, the holder has the unilateral right
to cancel the contract at maturity by paying a specified fee.
The contracts are traded in the interbank market conducted
directly between currency traders (usually large commercial
banks) and their customers. A forward contract generally has no
deposit requirement, and no commissions are charged at any stage
for trades. A foreign currency futures contract is a
standardized contract for the future delivery of a specified
amount of a foreign currency at a price set at the time of the
contract. Foreign currency futures contracts traded in the
United States are designed by and traded on exchanges regulated
by the CFTC, such as the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Forward foreign currency exchange contracts differ from foreign
currency futures contracts in certain respects. For example, the
maturity date of a forward contract may be any fixed number of
days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties,
rather than a predetermined date in a given month. Forward
contracts may be in any amounts agreed upon by the parties rather
than predetermined amounts. Also, forward foreign exchange
contracts are traded directly between currency traders so that no
intermediary is required. A forward contract generally requires
no margin or other deposit.
At the maturity of a forward or futures contract, the fund either
may accept or make delivery of the currency specified in the
contract, or at or prior to maturity enter into a closing
transaction involving the purchase or sale of an offsetting
contract. Closing transactions with respect to forward contracts
are usually effected with the currency trader who is a party to
the original forward contract. Closing transactions with respect
to futures contracts are effected on a commodities exchange; a
clearing corporation associated with the exchange assumes
responsibility for closing out such contracts.
Positions in the foreign currency futures contracts may be closed
out only on an exchange or board of trade which provides a
secondary market in such contracts. Although the fund intends to
purchase or sell foreign currency futures contracts only on
exchanges or boards of trade where there appears to be an active
secondary market, there is no assurance that a secondary market
on an exchange or board of trade will exist for any particular
contract or at any particular time. In such event, it may not be
possible to close a futures position and, in the event of adverse
price movements, the fund would continue to be required to make
daily cash payments of variation margin.
Foreign currency options. In general, options on foreign
currencies operate similarly to options on securities and are
subject to many of the risks described above. Foreign currency
options are traded primarily in the over-the-counter market,
although options on foreign currencies are also listed on several
exchanges. Options are traded not only on the currencies of
individual nations, but also on the European Currency Unit
("ECU"). The ECU is composed of amounts of a number of
currencies, and is the official medium of exchange of the
European Community's European Monetary System.
The fund will only purchase or write foreign currency options
when Putnam Management believes that a liquid secondary market
exists for such options. There can be no assurance that a liquid
secondary market will exist for a particular option at any
specific time. Options on foreign currencies are affected by all
of those factors which influence foreign exchange rates and
investments generally.
Settlement procedures. Settlement procedures relating to the
fund's investments in foreign securities and to the fund's
foreign currency exchange transactions may be more complex than
settlements with respect to investments in debt or equity
securities of U.S. issuers, and may involve certain risks not
present in the fund's domestic investments. For example,
settlement of transactions involving foreign securities or
foreign currencies may occur within a foreign country, and the
fund may be required to accept or make delivery of the underlying
securities or currency in conformity with any applicable U.S. or
foreign restrictions or regulations, and may be required to pay
any fees, taxes or charges associated with such delivery. Such
investments may also involve the risk that an entity involved in
the settlement may not meet its obligations.
Foreign currency conversion. Although foreign exchange dealers
do not charge a fee for currency conversion, they do realize a
profit based on the difference (the "spread") between prices at
which they are buying and selling various currencies. Thus, a
dealer may offer to sell a foreign currency to the fund at one
rate, while offering a lesser rate of exchange should the fund
desire to resell that currency to the dealer.
Restricted Securities
The SEC Staff currently takes the view that any delegation by the
Trustees of the authority to determine that a restricted security
is readily marketable (as described in the investment
restrictions of the funds) must be pursuant to written procedures
established by the Trustees. It is the present intention of the
funds' Trustees that, if the Trustees decide to delegate such
determinations to Putnam Management or another person, they would
do so pursuant to written procedures, consistent with the Staff's
position. Should the Staff modify its position in the future,
the Trustees would consider what action would be appropriate in
light of the Staff's position at that time.
TAXES
Taxation of the fund. The fund intends to qualify each year as a
regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). In order so to
qualify and to qualify for the special tax treatment accorded
regulated investment companies and their shareholders, the fund
must, among other things:
(a) Derive at least 90% of its gross income from dividends,
interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, and
gains from the sale of stock, securities and foreign currencies,
or other income (including but not limited to gains from options,
futures, or forward contracts) derived with respect to its
business of investing in such stock, securities, or currencies;
(b) derive less than 30% of its gross income from the sale or
other disposition of certain assets (including stock or
securities and certain options, futures contracts, forward
contracts and foreign currencies) held for less than three
months;
(c) distribute with respect to each taxable year at least 90% of
the sum of its taxable net investment income, its net tax-exempt
income, and the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gains
over net long-term capital losses for such year; and
(d) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each fiscal
quarter, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the fund's
assets is represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government
securities, securities of other regulated investment companies,
and other securities limited in respect of any one issuer to a
value not greater than 5% of the value of the fund's total assets
and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of
such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of its
assets is invested in the securities (other than those of the
U.S. Government or other regulated investment companies) of any
one issuer or of two or more issuers which the fund controls and
which are engaged in the same, similar, or related trades or
businesses.
If the fund qualifies as a regulated investment company that is
accorded special tax treatment, the fund will not be subject to
federal income tax on income paid to its shareholders in the form
of dividends (including capital gain dividends).
If the fund failed to qualify as a regulated investment company
accorded special tax treatment in any taxable year, the fund
would be subject to tax on its taxable income at corporate rates,
and all distributions from earnings and profits, including any
distributions of net tax-exempt income and net long-term capital
gains, would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. In
addition, the fund could be required to recognize unrealized
gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial
distributions before requalifying as a regulated investment
company that is accorded special tax treatment.
If the fund fails to distribute in a calendar year substantially
all of its ordinary income for such year and substantially all of
its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending
October 31 (or later if the fund is permitted so to elect and so
elects), plus any retained amount from the prior year, the fund
will be subject to a 4% excise tax on the undistributed amounts.
A dividend paid to shareholders by the fund in January of a year
generally is deemed to have been paid by the fund on December 31
of the preceding year, if the dividend was declared and payable
to shareholders of record on a date in October, November or
December of that preceding year. The fund intends generally to
make distributions sufficient to avoid imposition of the 4%
excise tax.
Exempt-interest dividends. The fund will be qualified to pay
exempt-interest dividends to its shareholders only if, at the
close of each quarter of the fund's taxable year, at least 50% of
the total value of the fund's assets consists of obligations the
interest on which is exempt from federal income tax.
Distributions that the fund properly designates as exempt-
interest dividends are treated as interest excludable from
shareholders' gross income for federal income tax purposes but
may be taxable for federal alternative minimum tax purposes and
for state and local purposes. If the fund intends to be
qualified to pay exempt-interest dividends, the fund may be
limited in its ability to enter into taxable transactions
involving forward commitments, repurchase agreements, financial
futures and options contracts on financial futures, tax-exempt
bond indices and other assets.
Part or all of the interest on indebtedness, if any, incurred or
continued by a shareholder to purchase or carry shares of a fund
paying exempt-interest dividends is not deductible. The portion
of interest that is not deductible is equal to the total interest
paid or accrued on the indebtedness, multiplied by the percentage
of the fund's total distributions (not including distributions
from net long-term capital gains) paid to the shareholder that
are exempt-interest dividends. Under rules used by the Internal
Revenue Service for determining when borrowed funds are
considered used for the purpose of purchasing or carrying
particular assets, the purchase of shares may be considered to
have been made with borrowed funds even though such funds are not
directly traceable to the purchase of shares.
In general, exempt-interest dividends, if any, attributable to
interest received on certain private activity obligations and
certain industrial development bonds will not be tax-exempt to
any shareholders who are "substantial users" of the facilities
financed by such obligations or bonds or who are "related
persons" of such substantial users.
A fund which is qualified to pay exempt-interest dividends will
inform investors within 60 days of the fund's fiscal year-end of
the percentage of its income distributions designated as
tax-exempt. The percentage is applied uniformly to all
distributions made during the year. The percentage of income
designated as tax-exempt for any particular distribution may be
substantially different from the percentage of the fund's income
that was tax-exempt during the period covered by the
distribution.
Hedging transactions. If the fund engages in hedging
transactions, including hedging transactions in options, futures
contracts, and straddles, or other similar transactions, it will
be subject to special tax rules (including mark-to-market,
straddle, wash sale, and short sale rules), the effect of which
may be to accelerate income to the fund, defer losses to the
fund, cause adjustments in the holding periods of the fund's
securities, or convert short-term capital losses into long-term
capital losses. These rules could therefore affect the amount,
timing and character of distributions to shareholders. The fund
will endeavor to make any available elections pertaining to such
transactions in a manner believed to be in the best interests of
the fund.
Under the 30% of gross income test described above (see "Taxation
of the fund"), the fund will be restricted in selling assets held
or considered under Code rules to have been held for less than
three months, and in engaging in certain hedging transactions
(including hedging transactions in options and futures) that in
some circumstances could cause certain fund assets to be treated
as held for less than three months.
Certain of the fund's hedging activities (including its
transactions, if any, in foreign currencies or foreign
currency-denominated instruments) are likely to produce a
difference between its book income and its taxable income. If
the fund's book income exceeds its taxable income, the
distribution (if any) of such excess will be treated as (i) a
dividend to the extent of the fund's remaining earnings and
profits (including earnings and profits arising from tax-exempt
income), (ii) thereafter as a return of capital to the extent of
the recipient's basis in the shares, and (iii) thereafter as gain
from the sale or exchange of a capital asset. If the fund's book
income is less than its taxable income, the fund could be
required to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify
as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax
treatment.
Return of capital distributions. If the fund makes a
distribution to you in excess of its current and accumulated
"earnings and profits" in any taxable year, the excess
distribution will be treated as a return of capital to the extent
of your tax basis in your shares, and thereafter as capital gain.
A return of capital is not taxable, but it reduces your tax basis
in your shares, thus reducing any loss or increasing any gain on
a subsequent taxable disposition by you of your shares.
Securities issued or purchased at a discount. The fund's
investment in securities issued at a discount and certain other
obligations will (and investments in securities purchased at a
discount may) require the fund to accrue and distribute income
not yet received. In order to generate sufficient cash to make
the requisite distributions, the fund may be required to sell
securities in its portfolio that it otherwise would have
continued to hold.
Capital loss carryover. Distributions from capital gains are
made after applying any available capital loss carryovers. The
amounts and expiration dates of any capital loss carryovers
available to the fund are shown in Note 1 (Federal income taxes)
to the financial statements included in Part I of this SAI or
incorporated by reference into this SAI.
Foreign currency-denominated securities and related hedging
transactions. The fund's transactions in foreign currencies,
foreign currency-denominated debt securities and certain foreign
currency options, futures contracts and forward contracts (and
similar instruments) may give rise to ordinary income or loss to
the extent such income or loss results from fluctuations in the
value of the foreign currency concerned.
If more than 50% of the fund's assets at year end consists of the
debt and equity securities of foreign corporations, the fund may
elect to permit shareholders to claim a credit or deduction on
their income tax returns for their pro rata portion of qualified
taxes paid by the fund to foreign countries. In such a case,
shareholders will include in gross income from foreign sources
their pro rata shares of such taxes. A shareholder's ability to
claim a foreign tax credit or deduction in respect of foreign
taxes paid by the fund may be subject to certain limitations
imposed by the Code, as a result of which a shareholder may not
get a full credit or deduction for the amount of such taxes.
Shareholders who do not itemize on their federal income tax
returns may claim a credit (but no deduction) for such foreign
taxes.
Investment by the fund in "passive foreign investment companies"
could subject the fund to a U.S. federal income tax or other
charge on the proceeds from the sale of its investment in such a
company; however, this tax can be avoided by making an election
to mark such investments to market annually or to treat the
passive foreign investment company as a "qualified electing
fund."
A "passive foreign investment company" is any foreign
corporation: (i) 75 percent of more of the income of which for
the taxable year is passive income, or (ii) the average
percentage of the assets of which (generally by value, but by
adjusted tax basis in certain cases) that produce or are held for
the production of passive income is at least 50 percent.
Generally, passive income for this purpose means dividends,
interest (including income equivalent to interest), royalties,
rents, annuities, the excess of gains over losses from certain
property transactions and commodities transactions, and foreign
currency gains. Passive income for this purpose does not include
rents and royalties received by the foreign corporation from
active business and certain income received from related persons.
Sale or redemption of shares. The sale, exchange or redemption
of fund shares may give rise to a gain or loss. In general, any
gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares will
be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have
been held for more than 12 months, and otherwise as short-term
capital gain or loss. However, if a shareholder sells shares at
a loss within six months of purchase, any loss will be disallowed
for Federal income tax purposes to the extent of any exempt-
interest dividends received on such shares. In addition, any
loss (not already disallowed as provided in the preceding
sentence) realized upon a taxable disposition of shares held for
six months or less will be treated as long-term, rather than
short-term, to the extent of any long-term capital gain
distributions received by the shareholder with respect to the
shares. All or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable
disposition of fund shares will be disallowed if other shares of
the same fund are purchased within 30 days before or after the
disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly purchased
shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.
Shares purchased through tax-qualified plans. Special tax rules
apply to investments though defined contribution plans and other
tax-qualified plans. Shareholders should consult their tax
adviser to determine the suitability of shares of a fund as an
investment through such plans and the precise effect of an
investment on their particular tax situation.
Backup withholding. The fund generally is required to withhold
and remit to the U.S. Treasury 31% of the taxable dividends and
other distributions paid to any individual shareholder who fails
to furnish the fund with a correct taxpayer identification number
(TIN), who has under-reported dividends or interest income, or
who fails to certify to the fund that he or she is not subject to
such withholding. Shareholders who fail to furnish their correct
TIN are subject to a penalty of $50 for each such failure unless
the failure is due to reasonable cause and not wilful neglect.
An individual's taxpayer identification number is his or her
social security number.
MANAGEMENT
Trustees Name (Age)
*+George Putnam (70), Chairman and President. Chairman and
Director of Putnam Management and Putnam Mutual Funds. Director,
The Boston Company, Inc., Boston Safe Deposit and Trust Company,
Freeport-McMoRan, Inc., Freeport Copper and Gold, Inc., McMoRan
Oil and Gas, Inc., General Mills, Inc., Houghton Mifflin Company,
Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. and Rockefeller Group, Inc.
+William F. Pounds (68), Vice Chairman. Professor of Management,
Alfred P. Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. Director of EG&G, Inc., IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.,
Perseptive Biosystems, Inc., Management Sciences for Health,
Inc., and Sun Company, Inc.
Jameson A. Baxter (53), Trustee. President, Baxter Associates,
Inc. (a management and financial consultant). Director of
Avondale Federal Savings Bank, ASHTA Chemicals, Inc. and Banta
Corporation. Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees, Mount
Holyoke College.
+Hans H. Estin (68), Trustee. Vice Chairman, North American
Management Corp. (a registered investment adviser). Director of
The Boston Company, Inc. and Boston Safe Deposit and Trust
Company.
John A. Hill (54), Trustee. Chairman and Managing Director,
First Reserve Corporation (a registered investment adviser).
Director, Maverick Tube Corporation, PetroCorp Incorporated,
Snyder Oil Corporation, Weatherford Enterra, Inc. (an oil field
service company) and various First Reserve Funds.
Ronald J. Jackson (52), Trustee. Former Chairman, President and
Chief Executive Officer of Fisher-Price, Inc., Director of Safety
1st, Inc., Trustee of Salem Hospital and the Peabody Essex
Museum.
Elizabeth T. Kennan (58), Trustee. President Emeritus and
Professor, Mount Holyoke College. Director, the Kentucky Home
Life Insurance Companies, NYNEX Corporation, Northeast Utilities
and Talbots. Trustee of the University of Notre Dame.
*Lawrence J. Lasser (53), Trustee and Vice President. President,
Chief Executive Officer and Director of Putnam Investments, Inc.
and Putnam Investment Management, Inc. Director of Marsh &
McLennan Companies, Inc.
+Robert E. Patterson (51), Trustee. Executive Vice President and
Director of Acquisitions, Cabot Partners Limited Partnership (a
registered investment adviser).
*Donald S. Perkins (69), Trustee. Director of various
corporations, including AON Corp., Cummins Engine Company, Inc.,
Current Assets L.L.C., Illinova and Illinois Power Company,
Inland Steel Industries, Inc., LaSalle Street Fund, Inc., Lucent
Technologies Inc., Springs Industries, Inc. (a textile
manufacturer), and Time Warner Inc.
*#George Putnam III (45), Trustee. President, New Generation
Research, Inc. (publisher of bankruptcy information) and New
Generation Advisers, Inc. (a registered investment adviser).
*A.J.C. Smith (62), Trustee. Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. Director, Trident
Corp.
W. Nicholas Thorndike (63), Trustee. Director of various
corporations and charitable organizations, including Courier
Corporation, Data General Corporation, Bradley Real Estate, Inc.,
and Providence Journal Co.
<PAGE>
Officers Name (Age)
Charles E. Porter (58), Executive Vice President. Managing
Director of Putnam Investments, Inc. and Putnam Management.
Patricia C. Flaherty (49), Senior Vice President. Senior Vice
President of Putnam Investments, Inc. and Putnam Management.
William N. Shiebler (54), Vice President. Director and Senior
Managing Director of Putnam Investments, Inc. President and
Director of Putnam Mutual Funds.
Gordon H. Silver (49), Vice President. Director and Senior
Managing Director of Putnam Investments, Inc. and Putnam
Management.
John R. Verani (57), Vice President. Senior Vice President of
Putnam Investments, Inc. and Putnam Management.
Paul M. O'Neil (43), Vice President. Vice President of Putnam
Investments, Inc. and Putnam Management.
John D. Hughes (61), Senior Vice President and Treasurer.
Beverly Marcus (52), Clerk and Assistant Treasurer.
*Trustees who are or may be deemed to be "interested persons" (as
defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940) of the fund,
Putnam Management or Putnam Mutual Funds.
+Members of the Executive Committee of the Trustees. The
Executive Committee meets between regular meetings of the
Trustees as may be required to review investment matters and
other affairs of the fund and may exercise all of the powers of
the Trustees.
#George Putnam, III is the son of George Putnam.
-----------------
Certain other officers of Putnam Management are officers of the
fund. See "Additional officers" in Part I of this SAI. The
mailing address of each of the officers and Trustees is One Post
Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02109.
Except as stated below, the principal occupations of the officers
and Trustees for the last five years have been with the employers
as shown above, although in some cases they have held different
positions with such employers. Prior to 1993, Mr. Jackson was
Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of
Fisher-Price, Inc. Prior to January, 1992, Ms. Baxter was Vice
President and Principal, Regency Group, Inc. and Consultant, The
First Boston Corporation. Prior to May, 1991, Dr. Pounds was
Senior Advisor to the Rockefeller Family and Associates, Chairman
of Rockefeller Trust Company and Director of Rockefeller Group,
Inc.
Each Trustee of the fund receives an annual fee and an additional
fee for each Trustees' meeting attended. Trustees who are not
interested persons of Putnam Management and who serve on
committees of the Trustees receive additional fees for attendance
at certain committee meetings and for special services rendered
in that connection. All of the Trustees are Trustees of all the
Putnam funds and each receives fees for his or her services. For
details of Trustees' fees paid by the fund and information
concerning retirement guidelines for the Trustees, see "Charges
and expenses" in Part I of this SAI.
The Agreement and Declaration of Trust of the fund provides that
the fund will indemnify its Trustees and officers against
liabilities and expenses incurred in connection with litigation
in which they may be involved because of their offices with the
fund, except if it is determined in the manner specified in the
Agreement and Declaration of Trust that they have not acted in
good faith in the reasonable belief that their actions were in
the best interests of the fund or that such indemnification would
relieve any officer or Trustee of any liability to the fund or
its shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith,
gross negligence or reckless disregard of his or her duties. The
fund, at its expense, provides liability insurance for the
benefit of its Trustees and officers.
Putnam Management and its affiliates
Putnam Management is one of America's oldest and largest money
management firms. Putnam Management's staff of experienced
portfolio managers and research analysts selects securities and
constantly supervises the fund's portfolio. By pooling an
investor's money with that of other investors, a greater variety
of securities can be purchased than would be the case
individually; the resulting diversification helps reduce
investment risk. Putnam Management has been managing mutual funds
since 1937. Today, the firm serves as the investment manager for
the funds in the Putnam Family, with over $141 billion in assets
in over 7 million shareholder accounts at December 31, 1996. An
affiliate, The Putnam Advisory Company, Inc., manages domestic
and foreign institutional accounts and mutual funds, including
the accounts of many Fortune 500 companies. Another affiliate,
Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company, provides investment advice to
institutional clients under its banking and fiduciary powers. At
December 31, 1996, Putnam Management and its affiliates managed
nearly $181 billion in assets, including over $5 billion in tax-
exempt securities and over $42 billion in retirement plan assets.
Putnam Management, Putnam Mutual Funds and Putnam Fiduciary Trust
Company are subsidiaries of Putnam Investments, Inc., a holding
company which is in turn wholly owned by Marsh & McLennan
Companies, Inc., a publicly-owned holding company whose principal
operating subsidiaries are international insurance and
reinsurance brokers, investment managers and management
consultants.
Trustees and officers of the fund who are also officers of Putnam
Management or its affiliates or who are stockholders of Marsh &
McLennan Companies, Inc. will benefit from the advisory fees,
sales commissions, distribution fees, custodian fees and transfer
agency fees paid or allowed by the fund.
The Management Contract
Under a Management Contract between the fund and Putnam
Management, subject to such policies as the Trustees may
determine, Putnam Management, at its expense, furnishes
continuously an investment program for the fund and makes
investment decisions on behalf of the fund. Subject to the
control of the Trustees, Putnam Management also manages,
supervises and conducts the other affairs and business of the
fund, furnishes office space and equipment, provides bookkeeping
and clerical services (including determination of the fund's net
asset value, but excluding shareholder accounting services) and
places all orders for the purchase and sale of the fund's
portfolio securities. Putnam Management may place fund portfolio
transactions with broker-dealers which furnish Putnam Management,
without cost to it, certain research, statistical and quotation
services of value to Putnam Management and its affiliates in
advising the fund and other clients. In so doing, Putnam
Management may cause the fund to pay greater brokerage
commissions than it might otherwise pay.
For details of Putnam Management's compensation under the
Management Contract, see "Charges and expenses" in Part I of this
SAI. Putnam Management's compensation under the Management
Contract may be reduced in any year if the fund's expenses exceed
the limits on investment company expenses imposed by any statute
or regulatory authority of any jurisdiction in which shares of
the fund are qualified for offer or sale. The term "expenses" is
defined in the statutes or regulations of such jurisdictions, and
generally excludes brokerage commissions, taxes, interest,
extraordinary expenses and, if the fund has a distribution plan,
payments made under such plan.
Under the Management Contract, Putnam Management may reduce its
compensation to the extent that the fund's expenses exceed such
lower expense limitation as Putnam Management may, by notice to
the fund, declare to be effective. The expenses subject to this
limitation are exclusive of brokerage commissions, interest,
taxes, deferred organizational and extraordinary expenses and, if
the fund has a distribution plan, payments required under such
plan. For the purpose of determining any such limitation on
Putnam Management's compensation, expenses of the fund shall not
reflect the application of commissions or cash management credits
that may reduce designated fund expenses. The terms of any
expense limitation from time to time in effect are described in
either the prospectus or Part I of this SAI.
In addition to the fee paid to Putnam Management, the fund
reimburses Putnam Management for the compensation and related
expenses of certain officers of the fund and their assistants who
provide certain administrative services for the fund and the
other Putnam funds, each of which bears an allocated share of the
foregoing costs. The aggregate amount of all such payments and
reimbursements is determined annually by the Trustees.
The amount of this reimbursement for the fund's most recent
fiscal year is included in "Charges and Expenses" in Part I of
this SAI. Putnam Management pays all other salaries of officers
of the fund. The fund pays all expenses not assumed by Putnam
Management including, without limitation, auditing, legal,
custodial, investor servicing and shareholder reporting expenses.
The fund pays the cost of typesetting for its prospectuses and
the cost of printing and mailing any prospectuses sent to its
shareholders. Putnam Mutual Funds pays the cost of printing and
distributing all other prospectuses.
The Management Contract provides that Putnam Management shall not
be subject to any liability to the fund or to any shareholder of
the fund for any act or omission in the course of or connected
with rendering services to the fund in the absence of willful
misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of
its duties on the part of Putnam Management.
The Management Contract may be terminated without penalty by vote
of the Trustees or the shareholders of the fund, or by Putnam
Management, on 30 days' written notice. It may be amended only
by a vote of the shareholders of the fund. The Management
Contract also terminates without payment of any penalty in the
event of its assignment. The Management Contract provides that
it will continue in effect only so long as such continuance is
approved at least annually by vote of either the Trustees or the
shareholders, and, in either case, by a majority of the Trustees
who are not "interested persons" of Putnam Management or the
fund. In each of the foregoing cases, the vote of the
shareholders is the affirmative vote of a "majority of the
outstanding voting securities" as defined in the Investment
Company Act of 1940.
<PAGE>
Personal Investments by Employees of Putnam Management
Employees of Putnam Management are permitted to engage in
personal securities transactions, subject to requirements and
restrictions set forth in Putnam Management's Code of Ethics.
The Code of Ethics contains provisions and requirements designed
to identify and address certain conflicts of interest between
personal investment activities and the interests of investment
advisory clients such as the funds. Among other things, the Code
of Ethics, consistent with standards recommended by the
Investment Company Institute's Advisory Group on Personal
Investing, prohibits certain types of transactions absent prior
approval, imposes time periods during which personal transactions
may not be made in certain securities, and requires the
submission of duplicate broker confirmations and quarterly
reporting of securities transactions. Additional restrictions
apply to portfolio managers, traders, research analysts and
others involved in the investment advisory process. Exceptions
to these and other provisions of the Code of Ethics may be
granted in particular circumstances after review by appropriate
personnel.
Portfolio Transactions
Investment decisions. Investment decisions for the fund and for
the other investment advisory clients of Putnam Management and
its affiliates are made with a view to achieving their respective
investment objectives. Investment decisions are the product of
many factors in addition to basic suitability for the particular
client involved. Thus, a particular security may be bought or
sold for certain clients even though it could have been bought or
sold for other clients at the same time. Likewise, a particular
security may be bought for one or more clients when one or more
other clients are selling the security. In some instances, one
client may sell a particular security to another client. It also
sometimes happens that two or more clients simultaneously
purchase or sell the same security, in which event each day's
transactions in such security are, insofar as possible, averaged
as to price and allocated between such clients in a manner which
in Putnam Management's opinion is equitable to each and in
accordance with the amount being purchased or sold by each.
There may be circumstances when purchases or sales of portfolio
securities for one or more clients will have an adverse effect on
other clients.
Brokerage and research services. Transactions on U.S. stock
exchanges, commodities markets and futures markets and other
agency transactions involve the payment by the fund of negotiated
brokerage commissions. Such commissions vary among different
brokers. A particular broker may charge different commissions
according to such factors as the difficulty and size of the
transaction. Transactions in foreign investments often involve
the payment of fixed brokerage commissions, which may be higher
than those in the United States. There is generally no stated
commission in the case of securities traded in the
over-the-counter markets, but the price paid by the fund usually
includes an undisclosed dealer commission or mark-up. In
underwritten offerings, the price paid by the fund includes a
disclosed, fixed commission or discount retained by the
underwriter or dealer. It is anticipated that most purchases and
sales of securities by funds investing primarily in tax-exempt
securities and certain other fixed-income securities will be with
the issuer or with underwriters of or dealers in those
securities, acting as principal. Accordingly, those funds would
not ordinarily pay significant brokerage commissions with respect
to securities transactions. See "Charges and expenses" in Part I
of this SAI for information concerning commissions paid by the
fund.
It has for many years been a common practice in the investment
advisory business for advisers of investment companies and other
institutional investors to receive brokerage and research
services (as defined in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the "1934 Act")) from broker-dealers that execute
portfolio transactions for the clients of such advisers and from
third parties with which such broker-dealers have arrangements.
Consistent with this practice, Putnam Management receives
brokerage and research services and other similar services from
many broker-dealers with which Putnam Management places the
fund's portfolio transactions and from third parties with which
these broker-dealers have arrangements. These services include
such matters as general economic and market reviews, industry and
company reviews, evaluations of investments, recommendations as
to the purchase and sale of investments, newspapers, magazines,
pricing services, quotation services, news services and personal
computers utilized by Putnam Management's managers and analysts.
Where the services referred to above are not used exclusively by
Putnam Management for research purposes, Putnam Management, based
upon its own allocations of expected use, bears that portion of
the cost of these services which directly relates to their
non-research use. Some of these services are of value to Putnam
Management and its affiliates in advising various of their
clients (including the fund), although not all of these services
are necessarily useful and of value in managing the fund. The
management fee paid by the fund is not reduced because Putnam
Management and its affiliates receive these services even though
Putnam Management might otherwise be required to purchase some of
these services for cash.
Putnam Management places all orders for the purchase and sale of
portfolio investments for the fund and buys and sells investments
for the fund through a substantial number of brokers and dealers.
In so doing, Putnam Management uses its best efforts to obtain
for the fund the most favorable price and execution available,
except to the extent it may be permitted to pay higher brokerage
commissions as described below. In seeking the most favorable
price and execution, Putnam Management, having in mind the fund's
best interests, considers all factors it deems relevant,
including, by way of illustration, price, the size of the
transaction, the nature of the market for the security or other
investment, the amount of the commission, the timing of the
transaction taking into account market prices and trends, the
reputation, experience and financial stability of the
broker-dealer involved and the quality of service rendered by the
broker-dealer in other transactions.
As permitted by Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act, and by the
Management Contract, Putnam Management may cause the fund to pay
a broker-dealer which provides "brokerage and research services"
(as defined in the 1934 Act) to Putnam Management an amount of
disclosed commission for effecting securities transactions on
stock exchanges and other transactions for the fund on an agency
basis in excess of the commission which another broker-dealer
would have charged for effecting that transaction. Putnam
Management's authority to cause the fund to pay any such greater
commissions is also subject to such policies as the Trustees may
adopt from time to time. Putnam Management does not currently
intend to cause the fund to make such payments. It is the
position of the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission
that Section 28(e) does not apply to the payment of such greater
commissions in "principal" transactions. Accordingly Putnam
Management will use its best effort to obtain the most favorable
price and execution available with respect to such transactions,
as described above.
The Management Contract provides that commissions, fees,
brokerage or similar payments received by Putnam Management or an
affiliate in connection with the purchase and sale of portfolio
investments of the fund, less any direct expenses approved by the
Trustees, shall be recaptured by the fund through a reduction of
the fee payable by the fund under the Management Contract.
Putnam Management seeks to recapture for the fund soliciting
dealer fees on the tender of the fund's portfolio securities in
tender or exchange offers. Any such fees which may be recaptured
are likely to be minor in amount.
Consistent with the Rules of Fair Practice of the National
Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. and subject to seeking
the most favorable price and execution available and such other
policies as the Trustees may determine, Putnam Management may
consider sales of shares of the fund (and, if permitted by law,
of the other Putnam funds) as a factor in the selection of
broker-dealers to execute portfolio transactions for the fund.
<PAGE>
Principal Underwriter
Putnam Mutual Funds is the principal underwriter of shares of the
fund and the other continuously offered Putnam funds. Putnam
Mutual Funds is not obligated to sell any specific amount of
shares of the fund and will purchase shares for resale only
against orders for shares. See "Charges and expenses" in Part I
of this SAI for information on sales charges and other payments
received by Putnam Mutual Funds.
Investor Servicing Agent and Custodian
Putnam Investor Services, a division of Putnam Fiduciary Trust
Company ("PFTC"), is the fund's investor servicing agent
(transfer, plan and dividend disbursing agent), for which it
receives fees which are paid monthly by the fund as an expense of
all its shareholders. The fee paid to Putnam Investor Services
is determined on the basis of the number of shareholder accounts,
the number of transactions and the assets of the fund. Putnam
Investor Services won the DALBAR Quality Tested Service Seal in
1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995. Over 10,000 tests of 38
separate shareholder service components demonstrated that Putnam
Investor Services tied for highest scores, with two other mutual
fund companies, in all categories.
PFTC is the custodian of the fund's assets. In carrying out its
duties under its custodian contract, PFTC may employ one or more
subcustodians whose responsibilities include safeguarding and
controlling the fund's cash and securities, handling the receipt
and delivery of securities and collecting interest and dividends
on the fund's investments. PFTC and any subcustodians employed
by it have a lien on the securities of the fund (to the extent
permitted by the fund's investment restrictions) to secure
charges and any advances made by such subcustodians at the end of
any day for the purpose of paying for securities purchased by the
fund. The fund expects that such advances will exist only in
unusual circumstances. Neither PFTC nor any subcustodian
determines the investment policies of the fund or decides which
securities the fund will buy or sell. PFTC pays the fees and
other charges of any subcustodians employed by it. The fund may
from time to time pay custodial expenses in full or in part
through the placement by Putnam Management of the fund's
portfolio transactions with the subcustodians or with a third-
party broker having an agreement with the subcustodians. The
fund pays PFTC an annual fee based on the fund's assets,
securities transactions and securities holdings and reimburses
PFTC for certain out-of-pocket expenses incurred by it or any
subcustodian employed by it in performing custodial services.
<PAGE>
See "Charges and expenses" in Part I of this SAI for information
on fees and reimbursements for investor servicing and custody
received by PFTC. The fees may be reduced by credits allowed by
PFTC.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
The fund determines the net asset value per share of each class
of shares once each day the New York Stock Exchange (the
"Exchange") is open. Currently, the Exchange is closed
Saturdays, Sundays and the following holidays: New Year's Day,
Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July,
Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The fund determines net
asset value as of the close of regular trading on the Exchange,
currently 4:00 p.m. However, equity options held by the fund are
priced as of the close of trading at 4:10 p.m., and futures
contracts on U.S. government and other fixed-income securities
and index options held by the fund are priced as of their close
of trading at 4:15 p.m.
Securities for which market quotations are readily available are
valued at prices which, in the opinion of Putnam Management, most
nearly represent the market values of such securities.
Currently, such prices are determined using the last reported
sale price or, if no sales are reported (as in the case of some
securities traded over-the-counter), the last reported bid price,
except that certain securities are valued at the mean between the
last reported bid and asked prices. Short-term investments
having remaining maturities of 60 days or less are valued at
amortized cost, which approximates market value. All other
securities and assets are valued at their fair value following
procedures approved by the Trustees. Liabilities are deducted
from the total, and the resulting amount is divided by the number
of shares of the class outstanding.
Reliable market quotations are not considered to be readily
available for long-term corporate bonds and notes, certain
preferred stocks, tax-exempt securities, and certain foreign
securities. These investments are valued at fair value on the
basis of valuations furnished by pricing services, which
determine valuations for normal, institutional-size trading units
of such securities using methods based on market transactions for
comparable securities and various relationships between
securities which are generally recognized by institutional
traders.
If any securities held by the fund are restricted as to resale,
Putnam Management determines their fair value following
procedures approved by the Trustees. The fair value of such
securities is generally determined as the amount which the fund
could reasonably expect to realize from an orderly disposition of
such securities over a reasonable period of time. The valuation
procedures applied in any specific instance are likely to vary
from case to case. However, consideration is generally given to
the financial position of the issuer and other fundamental
analytical data relating to the investment and to the nature of
the restrictions on disposition of the securities (including any
registration expenses that might be borne by the fund in
connection with such disposition). In addition, specific factors
are also generally considered, such as the cost of the
investment, the market value of any unrestricted securities of
the same class, the size of the holding, the prices of any recent
transactions or offers with respect to such securities and any
available analysts' reports regarding the issuer.
Generally, trading in certain securities (such as foreign
securities) is substantially completed each day at various times
prior to the close of the Exchange. The values of these
securities used in determining the net asset value of the fund's
shares are computed as of such times. Also, because of the
amount of time required to collect and process trading
information as to large numbers of securities issues, the values
of certain securities (such as convertible bonds, U.S. government
securities, and tax-exempt securities) are determined based on
market quotations collected earlier in the day at the latest
practicable time prior to the close of the Exchange.
Occasionally, events affecting the value of such securities may
occur between such times and the close of the Exchange which will
not be reflected in the computation of the fund's net asset
value. If events materially affecting the value of such
securities occur during such period, then these securities will
be valued at their fair value following procedures approved by
the Trustees.
Money market funds generally value their portfolio securities at
amortized cost according to Rule 2a-7 under the Investment
Company Act of 1940.
HOW TO BUY SHARES
General
The prospectus contains a general description of how investors
may buy shares of the fund and states whether the fund offers
more than one class of shares. This SAI contains additional
information which may be of interest to investors.
Class A shares and class M shares are generally sold with a sales
charge payable at the time of purchase (except for class A shares
and class M shares of money market funds). As used in this SAI
and unless the context requires otherwise, the term "class A
shares" includes shares of funds that offer only one class of
shares. The prospectus contains a table of applicable sales
charges. For information about how to purchase class A or class
M shares of a Putnam fund at net asset value through an
employer's defined contribution plan, please consult your
employer. Certain purchases of class A shares and class M shares
may be exempt from a sales charge or, in the case of class A
shares, may be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge
("CDSC"). See "General--Sales without sales charges or
contingent deferred sales charges," "Additional Information About
Class A and Class M shares," and "Contingent Deferred Sales
Charges--Class A shares."
Class B shares and class C shares are sold subject to a CDSC
payable upon redemption within a specified period after purchase.
The prospectus contains a table of applicable CDSCs.
Class B shares will automatically convert into class A shares at
the end of the month eight years after the purchase date. Class
B shares acquired by exchanging class B shares of another Putnam
fund will convert into class A shares based on the time of the
initial purchase. Class B shares acquired through reinvestment
of distributions will convert into Class A shares based on the
date of the initial purchase to which such shares relate. For
this purpose, class B shares acquired through reinvestment of
distributions will be attributed to particular purchases of class
B shares in accordance with such procedures as the Trustees may
determine from time to time. The conversion of class B shares to
class A shares is subject to the condition that such conversions
will not constitute taxable events for Federal tax purposes.
Class Y shares, which are not subject to sales charges or a CDSC,
are available only to certain defined contribution plans. See
the prospectus that offers class Y shares for more information.
Certain purchase programs described below are not available to
defined contribution plans. Consult your employer for
information on how to purchase shares through your plan.
The fund is currently making a continuous offering of its shares.
The fund receives the entire net asset value of shares sold. The
fund will accept unconditional orders for shares to be executed
at the public offering price based on the net asset value per
share next determined after the order is placed. In the case of
class A shares and class M shares, the public offering price is
the net asset value plus the applicable sales charge, if any. No
sales charge is included in the public offering price of other
classes of shares. In the case of orders for purchase of shares
placed through dealers, the public offering price will be based
on the net asset value determined on the day the order is placed,
but only if the dealer receives the order before the close of
regular trading on the Exchange. If the dealer receives the
order after the close of the Exchange, the price will be based on
the net asset value next determined. If funds for the purchase
of shares are sent directly to Putnam Investor Services, they
will be invested at the public offering price based on the net
asset value next determined after receipt. Payment for shares of
the fund must be in U.S. dollars; if made by check, the check
must be drawn on a U.S. bank.
Initial and subsequent purchases must satisfy the minimums stated
in the prospectus, except that (i) individual investments under
certain employee benefit plans or Tax Qualified Retirement Plans
may be lower, (ii) persons who are already shareholders may make
additional purchases of $50 or more by sending funds directly to
Putnam Investor Services (see "Your investing account" below),
and (iii) for investors participating in systematic investment
plans and military allotment plans, the initial and subsequent
purchases must be $25 or more. Information about these plans is
available from investment dealers or from Putnam Mutual Funds.
As a convenience to investors, shares may be purchased through a
systematic investment plan. Pre-authorized monthly bank drafts
for a fixed amount (at least $25) are used to purchase fund
shares at the applicable public offering price next determined
after Putnam Mutual Funds receives the proceeds from the draft
(normally the 20th of each month, or the next business day
thereafter). Further information and application forms are
available from investment dealers or from Putnam Mutual Funds.
Except for funds that declare a distribution daily, distributions
to be reinvested are reinvested without a sales charge in shares
of the same class as of the ex-dividend date using the net asset
value determined on that date, and are credited to a
shareholder's account on the payment date. Dividends for Putnam
money market funds are credited to a shareholder's account on the
payment date. Distributions for all other funds that declare a
distribution daily are reinvested without a sales charge as of
the last day of the period for which distributions are paid using
the net asset value determined on that date, and are credited to
a shareholder's account on the payment date.
Payment in securities. In addition to cash, the fund may accept
securities as payment for fund shares at the applicable net asset
value. Generally, the fund will only consider accepting
securities to increase its holdings in a portfolio security, or
if Putnam Management determines that the offered securities are a
suitable investment for the fund and in a sufficient amount for
efficient management.
While no minimum has been established, it is expected that the
fund would not accept securities with a value of less than
$100,000 per issue as payment for shares. The fund may reject in
whole or in part any or all offers to pay for purchases of fund
shares with securities, may require partial payment in cash for
such purchases to provide funds for applicable sales charges, and
may discontinue accepting securities as payment for fund shares
at any time without notice. The fund will value accepted
securities in the manner described in the section "Determination
of Net Asset Value" for valuing shares of the fund. The fund
will only accept securities which are delivered in proper form.
The fund will not accept options or restricted securities as
payment for shares. The acceptance of securities by certain
funds in exchange for fund shares is subject to additional
requirements. For federal income tax purposes, a purchase of
fund shares with securities will be treated as a sale or exchange
of such securities on which the investor will realize a taxable
gain or loss. The processing of a purchase of fund shares with
securities involves certain delays while the fund considers the
suitability of such securities and while other requirements are
satisfied. For information regarding procedures for payment in
securities, contact Putnam Mutual Funds. Investors should not
send securities to the fund except when authorized to do so and
in accordance with specific instructions received from Putnam
Mutual Funds.
Sales without sales charges or contingent deferred sales charges.
The fund may sell shares without a sales charge or CDSC to:
(i) current and retired Trustees of the fund; officers of
the fund; directors and current and retired U.S. full-time
employees of Putnam Management, Putnam Mutual Funds, their
parent corporations and certain corporate affiliates;
family members of and employee benefit plans for the
foregoing; and partnerships, trusts or other entities in
which any of the foregoing has a substantial interest;
(ii) employee benefit plans, for the repurchase of shares
in connection with repayment of plan loans made to plan
participants (if the sum loaned was obtained by redeeming
shares of a Putnam fund sold with a sales charge) (not
offered by tax-exempt funds);
(iii) clients of administrators of tax-qualified employee
benefit plans which have entered into agreements with
Putnam Mutual Funds (not offered by tax-exempt funds);
(iv) registered representatives and other employees of
broker-dealers having sales agreements with Putnam Mutual
Funds; employees of financial institutions having sales
agreements with Putnam Mutual Funds or otherwise having an
arrangement with any such broker-dealer or financial
institution with respect to sales of fund shares; and
their spouses and children under age 21 (Putnam Mutual
Funds is regarded as the dealer of record for all such
accounts);
(v) investors meeting certain requirements who sold shares
of certain Putnam closed-end funds pursuant to a tender
offer by such closed-end fund;
(vi) a trust department of any financial institution
purchasing shares of the fund in its capacity as trustee
of any trust, if the value of the shares of the fund and
other Putnam funds purchased or held by all such trusts
exceeds $1 million in the aggregate; and
(vii) "wrap accounts" maintained for clients of broker-
dealers, financial institutions or financial planners who
have entered into agreements with Putnam Mutual Funds with
respect to such accounts.
In addition, the fund may issue its shares at net asset value
without an initial sales charge or a CDSC in connection with the
acquisition of substantially all of the securities owned by other
investment companies or personal holding companies, and the CDSC
will be waived on redemptions of shares arising out of death or
post-purchase disability or in connection with certain
withdrawals from IRA or other retirement plans. Up to 12% of the
value of shares subject to a systematic withdrawal plan may also
be redeemed each year without a CDSC. The fund may sell class M
shares at net asset value to members of qualified groups. See
"Group purchases of class A and class M shares" below.
Payments to dealers. Putnam Mutual Funds may, at its expense,
pay concessions in addition to the payments disclosed in the
prospectus to dealers which satisfy certain criteria established
from time to time by Putnam Mutual Funds relating to increasing
net sales of shares of the Putnam funds over prior periods, and
certain other factors.
Additional Information About Class A and Class M Shares
The underwriter's commission is the sales charge shown in the
prospectus less any applicable dealer discount. Putnam Mutual
Funds will give dealers ten days' notice of any changes in the
dealer discount. Putnam Mutual Funds retains the entire sales
charge on any retail sales made by it.
Putnam Mutual Funds offers several plans by which an investor may
obtain reduced sales charges on purchases of class A shares and
class M shares. The variations in sales charges reflect the
varying efforts required to sell shares to separate categories of
purchasers. These plans may be altered or discontinued at any
time.
Combined purchase privilege. The following persons may qualify
for the sales charge reductions or eliminations shown in the
prospectus by combining into a single transaction the purchase of
class A shares or class M shares with other purchases of any
class of shares:
(i) an individual, or a "company" as defined in Section
2(a)(8) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (which
includes corporations which are corporate affiliates of
each other);
(ii) an individual, his or her spouse and their children
under twenty-one, purchasing for his, her or their own
account;
(iii) a trustee or other fiduciary purchasing for a single
trust estate or single fiduciary account (including a
pension, profit-sharing, or other employee benefit trust
created pursuant to a plan qualified under Section 401 of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
"Code"));
(iv) tax-exempt organizations qualifying under Section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (not including tax-
exempt organizations qualifying under Section 403(b)(7) (a
"403(b) plan") of the Code; and
(v) employee benefit plans of a single employer or of
affiliated employers, other than 403(b) plans.
A combined purchase currently may also include shares of any
class of other continuously offered Putnam funds (other than
money market funds) purchased at the same time through a single
investment dealer, if the dealer places the order for such shares
directly with Putnam Mutual Funds.
Cumulative quantity discount (right of accumulation). A
purchaser of class A shares or class M shares may qualify for a
cumulative quantity discount by combining a current purchase (or
combined purchases as described above) with certain other shares
of any class of Putnam funds already owned. The applicable sales
charge is based on the total of:
(i) the investor's current purchase; and
(ii) the maximum public offering price (at the close of
business on the previous day) of:
(a) all shares held by the investor in all of the
Putnam funds (except money market funds); and
(b) any shares of money market funds acquired by
exchange from other Putnam funds; and
(iii) the maximum public offering price of all shares
described in paragraph (ii) owned by another shareholder
eligible to participate with the investor in a "combined
purchase" (see above).
To qualify for the combined purchase privilege or to obtain the
cumulative quantity discount on a purchase through an investment
dealer, when each purchase is made the investor or dealer must
provide Putnam Mutual Funds with sufficient information to verify
that the purchase qualifies for the privilege or discount. The
shareholder must furnish this information to Putnam Investor
Services when making direct cash investments.
Statement of Intention. Investors may also obtain the reduced
sales charges for class A shares or class M shares shown in the
prospectus for investments of a particular amount by means of a
written Statement of Intention, which expresses the investor's
intention to invest that amount (including certain "credits," as
described below) within a period of 13 months in shares of any
class of the fund or any other continuously offered Putnam fund
(excluding money market funds). Each purchase of class A shares
or class M shares under a Statement of Intention will be made at
the public offering price applicable at the time of such purchase
to a single transaction of the total dollar amount indicated in
the Statement of Intention. A Statement of Intention may include
purchases of shares made not more than 90 days prior to the date
that an investor signs a Statement; however, the 13-month period
during which the Statement of Intention is in effect will begin
on the date of the earliest purchase to be included.
An investor may receive a credit toward the amount indicated in
the Statement of Intention equal to the maximum public offering
price as of the close of business on the previous day of all
shares he or she owns on the date of the Statement of Intention
which are eligible for purchase under a Statement of Intention
(plus any shares of money market funds acquired by exchange of
such eligible shares). Investors do not receive credit for
shares purchased by the reinvestment of distributions. Investors
qualifying for the "combined purchase privilege" (see above) may
purchase shares under a single Statement of Intention.
The Statement of Intention is not a binding obligation upon the
investor to purchase the full amount indicated. The minimum
initial investment under a Statement of Intention is 5% of such
amount, and must be invested immediately. Class A shares or
class M shares purchased with the first 5% of such amount will be
held in escrow to secure payment of the higher sales charge
applicable to the shares actually purchased if the full amount
indicated is not purchased. When the full amount indicated has
been purchased, the escrow will be released. If an investor
desires to redeem escrowed shares before the full amount has been
purchased, the shares will be released from escrow only if the
investor pays the sales charge that, without regard to the
Statement of Intention, would apply to the total investment made
to date.
To the extent that an investor purchases more than the dollar
amount indicated on the Statement of Intention and qualifies for
a further reduced sales charge, the sales charge will be adjusted
for the entire amount purchased at the end of the 13-month
period, upon recovery from the investor's dealer of its portion
of the sales charge adjustment. Once received from the dealer,
which may take a period of time or may never occur, the sales
charge adjustment will be used to purchase additional shares at
the then current offering price applicable to the actual amount
of the aggregate purchases. These additional shares will not be
considered as part of the total investment for the purpose of
determining the applicable sales charge pursuant to the Statement
of Intention. No sales charge adjustment will be made unless and
until the investor's dealer returns any excess commissions
previously received.
To the extent that an investor purchases less than the dollar
amount indicated on the Statement of Intention within the 13-
month period, the sales charge will be adjusted upward for the
entire amount purchased at the end of the 13-month period. This
adjustment will be made by redeeming shares from the account to
cover the additional sales charge, the proceeds of which will be
paid to the investor's dealer and Putnam Mutual Funds in
accordance with the prospectus. If the account exceeds an amount
that would otherwise qualify for a reduced sales charge, that
reduced sales charge will be applied.
Statements of Intention are not available for certain employee
benefit plans.
Statement of Intention forms may be obtained from Putnam Mutual
Funds or from investment dealers. Interested investors should
read the Statement of Intention carefully.
Group purchases of class A and class M shares. Members of
qualified groups may purchase class A shares of the fund at a
group sales charge rate of 4.50% of the public offering price
(4.71% of the net amount invested). The dealer discount on such
sales is 3.75% of the offering price. Members of qualified
groups may also purchase class M shares at net asset value.
To receive the class A or class M group rate, group members must
purchase shares through a single investment dealer designated by
the group. The designated dealer must transmit each member's
initial purchase to Putnam Mutual Funds, together with payment
and completed application forms. After the initial purchase, a
member may send funds for the purchase of shares directly to
Putnam Investor Services. Purchases of shares are made at the
public offering price based on the net asset value next
determined after Putnam Mutual Funds or Putnam Investor Services
receives payment for the shares. The minimum investment
requirements described above apply to purchases by any group
member. Only shares purchased under the class A group discount
are included in calculating the purchased amount for the purposes
of these requirements.
Qualified groups include the employees of a corporation or a sole
proprietorship, members and employees of a partnership or
association, or other organized groups of persons (the members of
which may include other qualified groups) provided that: (i) the
group has at least 25 members of which, with respect to the class
A discount only, at least 10 members participate in the initial
purchase; (ii) the group has been in existence for at least six
months; (iii) the group has some purpose in addition to the
purchase of investment company shares at a reduced sales charge;
(iv) the group's sole organizational nexus or connection is not
that the members are credit card holders of a company, policy
holders of an insurance company, customers of a bank or
broker-dealer, clients of an investment adviser or security
holders of a company; (v) with respect to the class A discount
only, the group agrees to provide its designated investment
dealer access to the group's membership by means of written
communication or direct presentation to the membership at a
meeting on not less frequently than an annual basis; (vi) the
group or its investment dealer will provide annual certification
in form satisfactory to Putnam Investor Services that the group
then has at least 25 members and, with respect to the class A
discount only, that at least ten members participated in group
purchases during the immediately preceding 12 calendar months;
and (vii) the group or its investment dealer will provide
periodic certification in form satisfactory to Putnam Investor
Services as to the eligibility of the purchasing members of the
group.
Members of a qualified group include: (i) any group which meets
the requirements stated above and which is a constituent member
of a qualified group; (ii) any individual purchasing for his or
her own account who is carried on the records of the group or on
the records of any constituent member of the group as being a
good standing employee, partner, member or person of like status
of the group or constituent member; or (iii) any fiduciary
purchasing shares for the account of a member of a qualified
group or a member's beneficiary. For example, a qualified group
could consist of a trade association which would have as its
members individuals, sole proprietors, partnerships and
corporations. The members of the group would then consist of the
individuals, the sole proprietors and their employees, the
members of the partnerships and their employees, and the
corporations and their employees, as well as the trustees of
employee benefit trusts acquiring class A shares for the benefit
of any of the foregoing.
<PAGE>
A member of a qualified group may, depending upon the value of
class A shares of the fund owned or proposed to be purchased by
the member, be entitled to purchase class A shares of the fund at
non-group sales charge rates shown in the prospectus which may be
lower than the group sales charge rate, if the member qualifies
as a person entitled to reduced non-group sales charges. Such a
group member will be entitled to purchase at the lower rate if,
at the time of purchase, the member or his or her investment
dealer furnishes sufficient information for Putnam Mutual Funds
or Putnam Investor Services to verify that the purchase qualifies
for the lower rate.
Interested groups should contact their investment dealer or
Putnam Mutual Funds. The fund reserves the right to revise the
terms of or to suspend or discontinue group sales at any time.
Employee benefit plans; Individual account plans. The term
"employee benefit plan" means any plan or arrangement, whether or
not tax-qualified, which provides for the purchase of class A
shares. The term "affiliated employer" means employers who are
affiliated with each other within the meaning of Section
2(a)(3)(C) of the Investment Company Act of 1940. The term
"individual account plan" means any employee benefit plan whereby
(i) class A shares are purchased through payroll deductions or
otherwise by a fiduciary or other person for the account of
participants who are employees (or their spouses) of an employer,
or of affiliated employers, and (ii) a separate investing account
is maintained in the name of such fiduciary or other person for
the account of each participant in the plan.
The table of sales charges in the prospectus applies to sales to
employee benefit plans, except that the fund may sell class A
shares at net asset value to employee benefit plans, including
individual account plans, of employers or of affiliated employers
which have at least 750 employees to whom such plan is made
available, in connection with a payroll deduction system of plan
funding (or other system acceptable to Putnam Investor Services)
by which contributions or account information for plan
participation are transmitted to Putnam Investor Services by
methods acceptable to Putnam Investor Services. The fund may
also sell class A shares at net asset value to participant-
directed qualified retirement plans with at least 200 eligible
employees, or prior to December 1, 1995, a plan sponsored by an
employer or by affiliated employers which have at least 750
employees and the fund may sell class M shares at net asset value
to participant-directed qualified retirement plans with at least
50 eligible employees.
A participant-directed qualified retirement plan participating in
a "multi-fund" program approved by Putnam Mutual Funds may
include amounts invested in the other mutual funds participating
in such program for purposes of determining whether the plan may
purchase class A shares at net asset value based on the size of
the purchase as described in the prospectus. These investments
will also be included for purposes of the discount privileges and
programs described above.
Additional information about participant-directed qualified
retirement plans and individual account plans is available from
investment dealers or from Putnam Mutual Funds.
Contingent Deferred Sales Charges
Class A shares. Class A shares purchased at net asset value
after July 31, 1996 by a participant-directed qualified
retirement plan (including a plan with at least 200 eligible
employees) that initially invested less than $20 million in
Putnam funds and other investments managed By Putnam Management
or its affiliates and that redeems 90% of more of the amount
initially within two years after its initial purchase are subject
to a CDSC of 1.00%. Similarly, class A shares purchased at net
asset value by any investor other than a participant-directed
qualified retirement plan investing $1 million or more, including
purchases pursuant to any Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of
Accumulation or Statement of Intention, are subject to a CDSC of
1.00% or 0.50%, respectively, if redeemed within the first or
second year after purchase. The class A CDSC is imposed on the
lower of the cost and the current net asset value of the shares
redeemed. The CDSC does not apply to shares purchased by certain
investors (including participant-directed qualified retirement
plans with more than 200 eligible employees) investing $1 million
or more that have made arrangements with Putnam Mutual Funds and
whose dealer of record waived the commission described in the
next paragraph.
Except as stated below, Putnam Mutual Funds pays investment
dealers of record commissions on sales of class A shares of $1
million or more based on an investor's cumulative purchases of
such shares, including purchases pursuant to any Combined
Purchase Privilege, Right of Accumulation or Statement of
Intention, during the one-year period beginning with the date of
the initial purchase at net asset value. Each subsequent one-year
measuring period for these purposes will begin with the first net
asset value purchase following the end of the prior period. Such
commissions are paid at the rate of 1.00% of the amount under $3
million, 0.50% of the next $47 million and 0.25% thereafter. On
sales at net asset value to a participant-directed qualified
retirement plan initially investing less than $20 million in
Putnam funds and other investments managed by Putnam Management
or its affiliates (including a plan with at least 200 eligible
employees, or, prior to December 1, 1995, a plan sponsored by an
employer with more than 750 employees), Putnam Mutual Funds pays
commissions during each one-year measuring period, determined as
described above, at the rate of 1.00% of the first $2 million,
0.80% of the next $1 million and 0.50% thereafter, except that
commissions on sales prior to December 1, 1995 are based on
cumulative purchases during the life of the account and are paid
at the rate of 1.00% of the amount under $3 million and 0.50%
thereafter. On sales at net asset value to all other
participant-directed qualified retirement plans, Putnam Mutual
Funds pays commissions on the initial investment and on
subsequent net quarterly sales (gross sales minus gross
redemptions during the quarter) at the rate of 0.15%. Money
market fund shares are excluded from all commission calculations,
except for determining the amount initially invested by a
participant-directed qualified retirement plan. Commissions on
sales at net asset value to such plans are subject to Putnam
Mutual Funds' right to reclaim such commissions if the shares are
redeemed within two years.
Different CDSC and commission rates may apply to shares purchased
before April 1, 1994.
All shares. Investors who set up an Automatic Cash Withdrawal
Plan ("ACWP") for a share account (see "Plans available to
shareholders -- Automatic Cash Withdrawal Plan") may withdraw
through the ACWP up to 12% of the net asset value of the account
(calculated as set forth below) each year without incurring any
CDSC. Shares not subject to a CDSC (such as shares representing
reinvestment of distributions) will be redeemed first and will
count toward the 12% limitation. If there are insufficient
shares not subject to a CDSC, shares subject to the lowest CDSC
liability will be redeemed next until the 12% limit is reached.
The 12% figure is calculated on a pro rata basis at the time of
the first payment made pursuant to an ACWP and recalculated
thereafter on a pro rata basis at the time of each ACWP payment.
Therefore, shareholders who have chosen an ACWP based on a
percentage of the net asset value of their account of up to 12%
will be able to receive ACWP payments without incurring a CDSC.
However, shareholders who have chosen a specific dollar amount
(for example, $100 per month from a fund that pays income
distributions monthly) for their periodic ACWP payment should be
aware that the amount of that payment not subject to a CDSC may
vary over time depending on the net asset value of their account.
For example, if the net asset value of the account is $10,000 at
the time of payment, the shareholder will receive $100 free of
the CDSC (12% of $10,000 divided by 12 monthly payments).
However, if at the time of the next payment the net asset value
of the account has fallen to $9,400, the shareholder will receive
$94 free of any CDSC (12% of $9,400 divided by 12 monthly
payments) and $6 subject to the lowest applicable CDSC. This
ACWP privilege may be revised or terminated at any time.
<PAGE>
No CDSC is imposed on shares of any class subject to a CDSC
("CDSC Shares") to the extent that the CDSC Shares redeemed (i)
are no longer subject to the holding period therefor, (ii)
resulted from reinvestment of distributions on CDSC Shares, or
(iii) were exchanged for shares of another Putnam fund, provided
that the shares acquired in such exchange or subsequent exchanges
(including shares of a Putnam money market fund) will continue to
remain subject to the CDSC, if applicable, until the applicable
holding period expires. In determining whether the CDSC applies
to each redemption of CDSC Shares, CDSC Shares not subject to a
CDSC are redeemed first.
The fund will waive any CDSC on redemptions, in the case of
individual, joint or Uniform Transfers to Minors Act accounts, in
the event of death or post-purchase disability of a shareholder,
for the purpose of paying benefits pursuant to tax-qualified
retirement plans ("Benefit Payments"), or, in the case of living
trust accounts, in the event of the death or post-purchase
disability of the settlor of the trust). Benefit payments
currently include, without limitation, (1) distributions from an
IRA due to death or disability, (2) a return of excess
contributions to an IRA or 401(k) plan, and (3) distributions
from retirement plans qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code
or from a 403(b) plan due to death, disability, retirement or
separation from service. These waivers may be changed at any
time. Additional waivers may apply to IRA accounts opened prior
to February 1, 1994.
DISTRIBUTION PLANS
If the fund or a class of shares of the fund has adopted a
distribution plan, the prospectus describes the principal
features of the plan. This SAI contains additional information
which may be of interest to investors.
Continuance of a plan is subject to annual approval by a vote of
the Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not
interested persons of the fund and who have no direct or indirect
interest in the plan or related arrangements (the "Qualified
Trustees"), cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose.
All material amendments to a plan must be likewise approved by
the Trustees and the Qualified Trustees. No plan may be amended
in order to increase materially the costs which the fund may bear
for distribution pursuant to such plan without also being
approved by a majority of the outstanding voting securities of
the fund or the relevant class of the fund, as the case may be.
A plan terminates automatically in the event of its assignment
and may be terminated without penalty, at any time, by a vote of
a majority of the Qualified Trustees or by a vote of a majority
of the outstanding voting securities of the fund or the relevant
class of the fund, as the case may be.
If plan payments are made to reimburse Putnam Mutual Funds for
payments to dealers based on the average net asset value of fund
shares attributable to shareholders for whom the dealers are
designated as the dealer of record, "average net asset value"
attributable to a shareholder account means the product of (i)
the fund's average daily share balance of the account and (ii)
the fund's average daily net asset value per share (or the
average daily net asset value per share of the class, if
applicable). For administrative reasons, Putnam Mutual Funds may
enter into agreements with certain dealers providing for the
calculation of "average net asset value" on the basis of assets
of the accounts of the dealer's customers on an established day
in each quarter.
Financial institutions receiving payments from Putnam Mutual
Funds as described above may be required to comply with various
state and federal regulatory requirements, including among others
those regulating the activities of securities brokers or dealers.
INVESTOR SERVICES
Shareholder Information
Each time shareholders buy or sell shares, they will receive a
statement confirming the transaction and listing their current
share balance. (Under certain investment plans, a statement may
only be sent quarterly.) Shareholders will receive a statement
confirming reinvestment of distributions in additional fund
shares (or in shares of other Putnam funds for Dividends Plus
accounts) promptly following the quarter in which the
reinvestment occurs. To help shareholders take full advantage of
their Putnam investment, they will receive a Welcome Kit and a
periodic publication covering many topics of interest to
investors. The fund also sends annual and semiannual reports
that keep shareholders informed about its portfolio and
performance, and year-end tax information to simplify their
recordkeeping. Easy-to-read, free booklets on special subjects
such as the Exchange Privilege and IRAs are available from Putnam
Investor Services. Shareholders may call Putnam Investor
Services toll-free weekdays at 1-800-225-1581 between 8:30 a.m.
and 7:00 p.m. Boston time for more information, including account
balances.
Your Investing Account
The following information provides more detail concerning the
operation of a Putnam Investing Account. For further information
or assistance, investors should consult Putnam Investor Services.
Shareholders who purchase shares through a defined contribution
plan should note that not all of the services or features
described below may be available to them, and they should contact
their employer for details.
A shareholder may reinvest a cash distribution without a
front-end sales charge or without the reinvested shares being
subject to a CDSC, as the case may be, by delivering to Putnam
Investor Services the uncashed distribution check, endorsed to
the order of the fund. Putnam Investor Services must receive the
properly endorsed check within 1 year after the date of the
check.
The Investing Account also provides a way to accumulate shares of
the fund. In most cases, after an initial investment of $500, a
shareholder may send checks to Putnam Investor Services for $50
or more, made payable to the fund, to purchase additional shares
at the applicable public offering price next determined after
Putnam Investor Services receives the check. Checks must be
drawn on a U.S. bank and must be payable in U.S. dollars.
Putnam Investor Services acts as the shareholder's agent whenever
it receives instructions to carry out a transaction on the
shareholder's account. Upon receipt of instructions that shares
are to be purchased for a shareholder's account, shares will be
purchased through the investment dealer designated by the
shareholder. Shareholders may change investment dealers at any
time by written notice to Putnam Investor Services, provided the
new dealer has a sales agreement with Putnam Mutual Funds.
Shares credited to an account are transferable upon written
instructions in good order to Putnam Investor Services and may be
sold to the fund as described under "How to sell shares" in the
prospectus. Money market funds and certain other funds will not
issue share certificates. A shareholder may send to Putnam
Investor Services any certificates which have been previously
issued for safekeeping at no charge to the shareholder.
Putnam Mutual Funds, at its expense, may provide certain
additional reports and administrative material to qualifying
institutional investors with fiduciary responsibilities to assist
these investors in discharging their responsibilities.
Institutions seeking further information about this service
should contact Putnam Mutual Funds, which may modify or terminate
this service at any time.
Putnam Investor Services may make special services available to
shareholders with investments exceeding $1,000,000. Contact
Putnam Investor Services for details.
The fund pays Putnam Investor Services' fees for maintaining
Investing Accounts.
<PAGE>
Reinstatement Privilege
An investor who has redeemed shares of the fund may reinvest
(within 1 year) the proceeds of such sale in shares of the same
class of the fund, or may be able to reinvest (within 1 year) the
proceeds in shares of the same class of one of the other
continuously offered Putnam funds (through the Exchange Privilege
described in the prospectus), including, in the case of shares
subject to a CDSC, the amount of CDSC charged on the redemption.
Any such reinvestment would be at the net asset value of the
shares of the fund(s) the investor selects, next determined after
Putnam Mutual Funds receives a Reinstatement Authorization. The
time that the previous investment was held will be included in
determining any applicable CDSC due upon redemptions and, in the
case of class B shares, the eight-year period for conversion to
class A shares. Shareholders will receive from Putnam Mutual
Funds the amount of any CDSC paid at the time of redemption as
part of the reinstated investment, which may be treated as
capital gains to the shareholder for tax purposes. Exercise of
the Reinstatement Privilege does not alter the federal income tax
treatment of any capital gains realized on a sale of fund shares,
but to the extent that any shares are sold at a loss and the
proceeds are reinvested in shares of the fund, some or all of the
loss may be disallowed as a deduction. Consult your tax adviser.
Investors who desire to exercise the Reinstatement Privilege
should contact their investment dealer or Putnam Investor
Services.
Exchange Privilege
Except as otherwise set forth in this section, by calling Putnam
Investor Services, investors may exchange shares valued up to
$500,000 between accounts with identical registrations, provided
that no certificates are outstanding for such shares and no
address change has been made within the preceding 15 days.
During periods of unusual market changes and shareholder
activity, shareholders may experience delays in contacting Putnam
Investor Services by telephone to exercise the Telephone Exchange
Privilege.
Putnam Investor Services also makes exchanges promptly after
receiving a properly completed Exchange Authorization Form and,
if issued, share certificates. If the shareholder is a
corporation, partnership, agent, or surviving joint owner, Putnam
Investor Services will require additional documentation of a
customary nature. Because an exchange of shares involves the
redemption of fund shares and reinvestment of the proceeds in
shares of another Putnam fund, completion of an exchange may be
delayed under unusual circumstances if the fund were to suspend
redemptions or postpone payment for the fund shares being
exchanged, in accordance with federal securities laws. Exchange
Authorization Forms and prospectuses of the other Putnam funds
are available from Putnam Mutual Funds or investment dealers
having sales contracts with Putnam Mutual Funds. The prospectus
of each fund describes its investment objective(s) and policies,
and shareholders should obtain a prospectus and consider these
objectives and policies carefully before requesting an exchange.
Shares of certain Putnam funds are not available to residents of
all states. The fund reserves the right to change or suspend the
Exchange Privilege at any time. Shareholders would be notified
of any change or suspension. Additional information is available
from Putnam Investor Services.
Shareholders of other Putnam funds may also exchange their shares
at net asset value for shares of the fund, as set forth in the
current prospectus of each fund.
For federal income tax purposes, an exchange is a sale on which
the investor generally will realize a capital gain or loss
depending on whether the net asset value at the time of the
exchange is more or less than the investor's basis. The Exchange
Privilege may be revised or terminated at any time. Shareholders
would be notified of any such change or suspension.
Dividends PLUS
Shareholders may invest the fund's distributions of net
investment income or distributions combining net investment
income and short-term capital gains in shares of the same class
of another continuously offered Putnam fund (the "receiving
fund") using the net asset value per share of the receiving fund
determined on the date the fund's distribution is payable. No
sales charge or CDSC will apply to the purchased shares unless
the fund paying the distribution is a money market fund. The
prospectus of each fund describes its investment objective(s) and
policies, and shareholders should obtain a prospectus and
consider these objective(s) and policies carefully before
investing their distributions in the receiving fund. Shares of
certain Putnam funds are not available to residents of all
states.
The minimum account size requirement for the receiving fund will
not apply if the current value of your account in the fund paying
the distribution is more than $5,000.
Shareholders of other Putnam funds (except for money market
funds, whose shareholders must pay a sales charge or become
subject to a CDSC) may also use their distributions to purchase
shares of the fund at net asset value.
For federal tax purposes, distributions from the fund which are
reinvested in another fund are treated as paid by the fund to the
shareholder and invested by the shareholder in the receiving fund
and thus, to the extent comprised of taxable income and deemed
paid to a taxable shareholder, are taxable.
The Dividends PLUS program may be revised or terminated at any
time.
Plans Available To Shareholders
The plans described below are fully voluntary and may be
terminated at any time without the imposition by the fund or
Putnam Investor Services of any penalty. All plans provide for
automatic reinvestment of all distributions in additional shares
of the fund at net asset value. The fund, Putnam Mutual Funds or
Putnam Investor Services may modify or cease offering these plans
at any time.
Automatic cash withdrawal plan ("ACWP"). An investor who owns or
buys shares of the fund valued at $10,000 or more at the current
public offering price may open an ACWP plan and have a designated
sum of money ($50 or more) paid monthly, quarterly, semi-annually
or annually to the investor or another person. (Payments from
the fund can be combined with payments from other Putnam funds
into a single check through a designated payment plan.) Shares
are deposited in a plan account, and all distributions are
reinvested in additional shares of the fund at net asset value
(except where the plan is utilized in connection with a
charitable remainder trust). Shares in a plan account are then
redeemed at net asset value to make each withdrawal payment.
Payment will be made to any person the investor designates;
however, if shares are registered in the name of a trustee or
other fiduciary, payment will be made only to the fiduciary,
except in the case of a profit-sharing or pension plan where
payment will be made to a designee. As withdrawal payments may
include a return of principal, they cannot be considered a
guaranteed annuity or actual yield of income to the investor.
The redemption of shares in connection with a plan generally will
result in a gain or loss for tax purposes. Some or all of the
losses realized upon redemption may be disallowed pursuant to the
so-called wash sale rules if shares of the same fund from which
shares were redeemed are purchased (including through the
reinvestment of fund distributions) within a period beginning 30
days before, and ending 30 days after, such redemption. In such
a case, the basis of the replacement shares will be increased to
reflect the disallowed loss. Continued withdrawals in excess of
income will reduce and possibly exhaust invested principal,
especially in the event of a market decline. The maintenance of
a plan concurrently with purchases of additional shares of the
fund would be disadvantageous to the investor because of the
sales charge payable on such purchases. For this reason, the
minimum investment accepted while a plan is in effect is $1,000,
and an investor may not maintain a plan for the accumulation of
shares of the fund (other than through reinvestment of
distributions) and a plan at the same time. The cost of
administering these plans for the benefit of those shareholders
participating in them is borne by the fund as an expense of all
shareholders. The fund, Putnam Mutual Funds or Putnam Investor
Services may terminate or change the terms of the plan at any
time. A plan will be terminated if communications mailed to the
shareholder are returned as undeliverable.
Investors should consider carefully with their own financial
advisers whether the plan and the specified amounts to be
withdrawn are appropriate in their circumstances. The fund and
Putnam Investor Services make no recommendations or
representations in this regard.
Tax Qualified Retirement Plans; 403(b) and SEP Plans. (Not
offered by funds investing primarily in tax-exempt securities.)
Investors may purchase shares of the fund through the following
Tax Qualified Retirement Plans, available to qualified
individuals or organizations:
Standard and variable profit-sharing (including 401(k))
and money purchase pension plans; and
Individual Retirement Account Plans (IRAs).
Each of these Plans has been qualified as a prototype plan by the
Internal Revenue Service. Putnam Investor Services will furnish
services under each plan at a specified annual cost. Putnam
Fiduciary Trust Company serves as trustee under each of these
Plans.
Forms and further information on these Plans are available from
investment dealers or from Putnam Mutual Funds. In addition,
specialized professional plan administration services are
available on an optional basis; contact Putnam Defined
Contribution Plan Services at 1-800-225-2465, extension 8600.
A 403(b) Retirement Plan is available for employees of public
school systems and organizations which meet the requirements of
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Forms and
further information on the 403(b) Plan are also available from
investment dealers or from Putnam Mutual Funds. Shares of the
fund may also be used in simplified employee pension (SEP) plans.
For further information on the Putnam prototype SEP plan, contact
an investment dealer or Putnam Mutual Funds.
Consultation with a competent financial and tax adviser regarding
these Plans and consideration of the suitability of fund shares
as an investment under the Employee Retirement Income Security
Act of 1974, or otherwise, is recommended.
<PAGE>
SIGNATURE GUARANTEES
Redemption requests for shares having a net asset value of
$100,000 or more must be signed by the registered owners or their
legal representatives and must be guaranteed by a bank,
broker/dealer, municipal securities dealer or broker, government
securities dealer or broker, credit union, national securities
exchange, registered securities association, clearing agency,
savings association or trust company, provided such institution
is acceptable under and conforms with Putnam Fiduciary Trust
Company's signature guarantee procedures. A copy of such
procedures is available upon request. If you want your
redemption proceeds sent to an address other than your address as
it appears on Putnam's records, you must provide a signature
guarantee. Putnam Investor Services usually requires additional
documentation for the sale of shares by a corporation,
partnership, agent or fiduciary, or a surviving joint owner.
Contact Putnam Investor Services for details.
SUSPENSION OF REDEMPTIONS
The fund may not suspend shareholders' right of redemption, or
postpone payment for more than seven days, unless the New York
Stock Exchange is closed for other than customary weekends or
holidays, or if permitted by the rules of the Securities and
Exchange Commission during periods when trading on the Exchange
is restricted or during any emergency which makes it
impracticable for the fund to dispose of its securities or to
determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other
period permitted by order of the Commission for protection of
investors.
SHAREHOLDER LIABILITY
Under Massachusetts law, shareholders could, under certain
circumstances, be held personally liable for the obligations of
the fund. However, the Agreement and Declaration of Trust
disclaims shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the
fund and requires that notice of such disclaimer be given in each
agreement, obligation, or instrument entered into or executed by
the fund or the Trustees. The Agreement and Declaration of Trust
provides for indemnification out of fund property for all loss
and expense of any shareholder held personally liable for the
obligations of the fund. Thus, the risk of a shareholder
incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is
limited to circumstances in which the fund would be unable to
meet its obligations. The likelihood of such circumstances is
remote.
<PAGE>
STANDARD PERFORMANCE MEASURES
Yield and total return data for the fund may from time to time be
presented in Part I of this SAI and in advertisements. In the
case of funds with more than one class of shares, all performance
information is calculated separately for each class. The data is
calculated as follows.
Total return for one-, five- and ten-year periods (or for such
shorter periods as the fund has been in operation or shares of
the relevant class have been outstanding) is determined by
calculating the actual dollar amount of investment return on a
$1,000 investment in the fund made at the beginning of the
period, at the maximum public offering price for class A shares
and class M shares and net asset value for other classes of
shares, and then calculating the annual compounded rate of return
which would produce that amount. Total return for a period of
one year is equal to the actual return of the fund during that
period. Total return calculations assume deduction of the fund's
maximum sales charge or CDSC, if applicable, and reinvestment of
all fund distributions at net asset value on their respective
reinvestment dates.
The fund's yield is presented for a specified thirty-day period
(the "base period"). Yield is based on the amount determined by
(i) calculating the aggregate amount of dividends and interest
earned by the fund during the base period less expenses for that
period, and (ii) dividing that amount by the product of (A) the
average daily number of shares of the fund outstanding during the
base period and entitled to receive dividends and (B) the per
share maximum public offering price for class A shares or class M
shares, as appropriate, and net asset value for other classes of
shares on the last day of the base period. The result is
annualized on a compounding basis to determine the yield. For
this calculation, interest earned on debt obligations held by the
fund is generally calculated using the yield to maturity (or
first expected call date) of such obligations based on their
market values (or, in the case of receivables-backed securities
such as the Government National Mortgage Association ("GNMAs"),
based on cost). Dividends on equity securities are accrued daily
at their stated dividend rates. The amount of expenses used in
determining the fund's yield includes, in addition to expenses
actually accrued by the fund, an estimate of the amount of
expenses that the fund would have incurred if brokerage
commissions had not been used to reduce such expenses.
If the fund is a money market fund, yield is computed by
determining the percentage net change, excluding capital changes,
in the value of an investment in one share over the seven-day
period for which yield is presented (the "base period"), and
multiplying the net change by 365/7 (or approximately 52 weeks).
Effective yield represents a compounding of the yield by adding 1
to the number representing the percentage change in value of the
investment during the base period, raising that sum to a power
equal to 365/7, and subtracting 1 from the result.
If the fund is a tax-exempt fund, the tax-equivalent yield during
the base period may be presented for shareholders in one or more
stated tax brackets. Tax-equivalent yield is calculated by
adjusting the tax-exempt yield by a factor designed to show the
approximate yield that a taxable investment would have to earn to
produce an after-tax yield equal, for that shareholder, to the
tax-exempt yield. The tax-equivalent yield will differ for
shareholders in other tax brackets.
At times, Putnam Management may reduce its compensation or assume
expenses of the fund in order to reduce the fund's expenses. The
per share amount of any such fee reduction or assumption of
expenses during the fund's past ten fiscal years (or for the life
of the fund, if shorter) is reflected in the table in the section
entitled "Financial highlights" in the prospectus. Any such fee
reduction or assumption of expenses would increase the fund's
yield and total return during the period of the fee reduction or
assumption of expenses.
All data are based on past performance and do not predict future
results.
COMPARISON OF PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE
Independent statistical agencies measure the fund's investment
performance and publish comparative information showing how the
fund, and other investment companies, performed in specified time
periods. Three agencies whose reports are commonly used for such
comparisons are set forth below. From time to time, the fund may
distribute these comparisons to its shareholders or to potential
investors. The agencies listed below measure performance based
on their own criteria rather than on the standardized performance
measures described in the preceding section.
Lipper Analytical Services, Inc. distributes mutual fund
rankings monthly. The rankings are based on total return
performance calculated by Lipper, generally reflecting
changes in net asset value adjusted for reinvestment of
capital gains and income dividends. They do not reflect
deduction of any sales charges. Lipper rankings cover a
variety of performance periods, including year-to-date,
1-year, 5-year, and 10-year performance. Lipper
classifies mutual funds by investment objective and asset
category.
<PAGE>
Morningstar, Inc. distributes mutual fund ratings twice a
month. The ratings are divided into five groups:
highest, above average, neutral, below average and lowest.
They represent a fund's historical risk/reward ratio
relative to other funds in its broad investment class as
determined by Morningstar, Inc. Morningstar ratings cover
a variety of performance periods, including 1-year, 3-
year, 5-year, 10-year and overall performance. The
performance factor for the overall rating is a
weighted-average assessment of the fund's 1-year, 3-year,
5-year, and 10-year total return performance (if
available) reflecting deduction of expenses and sales
charges. Performance is adjusted using quantitative
techniques to reflect the risk profile of the fund. The
ratings are derived from a purely quantitative system that
does not utilize the subjective criteria customarily
employed by rating agencies such as Standard & Poor's and
Moody's Investor Service, Inc.
CDA/Wiesenberger's Management Results publishes mutual
fund rankings and is distributed monthly. The rankings
are based entirely on total return calculated by
Weisenberger for periods such as year-to-date, 1-year,
3-year, 5-year and 10-year. Mutual funds are ranked in
general categories (e.g., international bond,
international equity, municipal bond, and maximum capital
gain). Weisenberger rankings do not reflect deduction of
sales charges or fees.
Independent publications may also evaluate the fund's
performance. The fund may from time to time refer to results
published in various periodicals, including Barrons, Financial
World, Forbes, Fortune, Investor's Business Daily, Kiplinger's
Personal Finance Magazine, Money, U.S. News and World Report and
The Wall Street Journal.
Independent, unmanaged indexes, such as those listed below, may
be used to present a comparative benchmark of fund performance.
The performance figures of an index reflect changes in market
prices, reinvestment of all dividend and interest payments and,
where applicable, deduction of foreign withholding taxes, and do
not take into account brokerage commissions or other costs.
Because the fund is a managed portfolio, the securities it owns
will not match those in an index. Securities in an index may
change from time to time.
The Consumer Price Index, prepared by the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, is a commonly used measure of the rate
of inflation. The index shows the average change in the
cost of selected consumer goods and services and does not
represent a return on an investment vehicle.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is an index of 30 common
stocks frequently used as a general measure of stock
market performance.
The Dow Jones Utilities Average is an index of 15 utility
stocks frequently used as a general measure of stock
market performance.
CS First Boston High Yield Index is a market-weighted
index including publicly traded bonds having a rating
below BBB by Standard & Poor's and Baa by Moody's.
The Lehman Brothers Aggregate Bond Index is an index
composed of securities from The Lehman Brothers
Government/Corporate Bond Index, The Lehman Brothers
Mortgage-Backed Securities Index and The Lehman Brothers
Asset-Backed Securities Index and is frequently used as a
broad market measure for fixed-income securities.
The Lehman Brothers Asset-Backed Securities Index is an
index composed of credit card, auto, and home equity
loans. Included in the index are pass-through, bullet
(noncallable), and controlled amortization structured debt
securities; no subordinated debt is included. All
securities have an average life of at least one year.
The Lehman Brothers Corporate Bond Index is an index of
publicly issued, fixed-rate, non-convertible
investment-grade domestic corporate debt securities
frequently used as a general measure of the performance of
fixed-income securities.
The Lehman Brothers Government/Corporate Bond Index is an
index of publicly issued U.S. Treasury obligations, debt
obligations of U.S. government agencies (excluding
mortgage-backed securities), fixed-rate, non-convertible,
investment-grade corporate debt securities and U.S.
dollar-denominated, SEC-registered non-convertible debt
issued by foreign governmental entities or international
agencies used as a general measure of the performance of
fixed-income securities.
The Lehman Brothers Intermediate Treasury Bond Index is an
index of publicly issued U.S. Treasury obligations with
maturities of up to ten years and is used as a general
gauge of the market for intermediate-term fixed-income
securities.
The Lehman Brothers Long-Term Treasury Bond Index is an
index of publicly issued U.S. Treasury obligations
(excluding flower bonds and foreign-targeted issues) that
are U.S. dollar-denominated and have maturities of 10
years or greater.
The Lehman Brothers Mortgage-Backed Securities Index
includes 15- and 30-year fixed rate securities backed by
mortgage pools of the Government National Mortgage
Association, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, and
Federal National Mortgage Association.
The Lehman Brothers Municipal Bond Index is an index of
approximately 20,000 investment-grade, fixed-rate
tax-exempt bonds.
The Lehman Brothers Treasury Bond Index is an index of
publicly issued U.S. Treasury obligations (excluding
flower bonds and foreign-targeted issues) that are U.S.
dollar denominated, have a minimum of one year to
maturity, and are issued in amounts over $100 million.
The Morgan Stanley Capital International World Index is an
index of approximately 1,482 equity securities listed on
the stock exchanges of the United States, Europe, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand and the Far East, with all values
expressed in U.S. dollars.
The Morgan Stanley Capital International EAFE Index is an
index of approximately 1,045 equity securities issued by
companies located in 18 countries and listed on the stock
exchanges of Europe, Australia, and the Far East. All
values are expressed in U.S. dollars.
The Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe Index is
an index of approximately 627 equity securities issued by
companies located in one of 13 European countries, with
all values expressed in U.S. dollars.
The Morgan Stanley Capital International Pacific Index is
an index of approximately 418 equity securities issued by
companies located in 5 countries and listed on the
exchanges of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong,
Singapore/Malaysia. All values are expressed in U.S.
dollars.
The NASDAQ Industrial Average is an index of stocks traded
in The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. National Market System.
The Russell 2000 Index is composed of the 2,000 smallest
securities in the Russell 3000 Index, representing
approximately 7% of the Russell 3000 total market
capitalization. The Russell 3000 Index is composed of
3,000 large U.S. companies ranked by market
capitalization, representing approximately 98% of the U.S.
equity market.
The Salomon Brothers Long-Term High-Grade Corporate Bond
Index is an index of publicly traded corporate bonds
having a rating of at least AA by Standard & Poor's or Aa
by Moody's and is frequently used as a general measure of
the performance of fixed-income securities.
The Salomon Brothers Long-Term Treasury Index is an index
of U.S. government securities with maturities greater than
10 years.
The Salomon Brothers World Government Bond Index is an
index that tracks the performance of the 14 government
bond markets of Australia, Austria, Belgium Canada,
Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands,
Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States.
Country eligibility is determined by market capitalization
and investability criteria.
The Salomon Brothers World Government Bond Index (non
$U.S.) is an index of foreign government bonds calculated
to provide a measure of performance in the government bond
markets outside of the United States.
Standard & Poor's 500 Composite Stock Price Index is an
index of common stocks frequently used as a general
measure of stock market performance.
Standard & Poor's 40 Utilities Index is an index of 40
utility stocks.
Standard & Poor's/Barra Value Index is an index
constructed by ranking the securities in the Standard &
Poor's 500 Composite Stock Price Index by price-to-book
ratio and including the securities with the lowest price-
to-book ratios that represent approximately half of the
market capitalization of the Standard & Poor's 500
Composite Stock Price Index.
In addition, Putnam Mutual Funds may distribute to shareholders
or prospective investors illustrations of the benefits of
reinvesting tax-exempt or tax-deferred distributions over
specified time periods, which may include comparisons to fully
taxable distributions. These illustrations use hypothetical
rates of tax-advantaged and taxable returns and are not intended
to indicate the past or future performance of any fund.
<PAGE>
DEFINITIONS
"Putnam Management" -- Putnam Investment Management,
Inc., the fund's investment
manager.
"Putnam Mutual Funds" -- Putnam Mutual Funds Corp., the
fund's principal underwriter.
"Putnam Fiduciary Trust -- Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company,
Company" the fund's custodian.
"Putnam Investor Services" -- Putnam Investor Services, a
division of Putnam Fiduciary
Trust Company, the fund's
investor servicing agent.
<PAGE>
PUTNAM
VOYAGER FUND II
FORM N-1A
PART C
OTHER INFORMATION
Item 24. Financial Statements and Exhibits
(a) Index to Financial Statements and
Supporting Schedules:
(1) Financial Statements:
Statement of assets and liabilities --
December 31, 1995 (a).
Statement of operations -- year ended
December 31, 1995 (a).
Statement of changes in net assets --
years ended December 31, 1995
and December 31, 1994 (a).
Financial highlights (a) (b).
Notes to financial statement (a).
(2) Supporting Schedules:
Schedules I -- Portfolio of
investments owned -- December 31,
1995 (a)
Schedules II through IX omitted
because the required matter is not
present.
(a) Incorporated by reference into
Parts A and B.
(b) Included in Part A.
- --------------------------
(b) Exhibits:
1. Amended and Restated Agreement and
Declaration of Trust dated July 26,
1995 --Exhibit 1.
2. By-Laws -- Incorporated by
reference to Post -Effective
Amendment No. 3 to the
Registrant's Registration Statement.
3. Not applicable.
4a. Not applicable
4b . Portions of Agreement and
Declaration of Trust Relating
to Shareholders' Rights --
Incorporated by reference to
Post-Effective Amendment No. 1
to the Registrant's
Registration Statement.
4c . Portions of By-Laws Relating
to Shareholders' Rights --
Incorporated by
reference to Post -
Effective Amendment No.
3 to the Registrant's
Registration Statement.
5. Management Contract dated
September 29, 1995 -- Exhibit
2.
6a. Distributor's Contract dated
May 6, 1994 -- Incorporated by
reference to Post-Effective Amendment
No. 3 to the Registrant's Registration
Statement.
6b. Form of Specimen Dealer Sales
Contract --Incorporated by reference
to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to
the Registrant's Registration
Statement.
6c. Form of Specimen Financial
Institution Sales Contract --
Incorporated by reference to Post-
Effective Amendment No. 2 to the
Registrant's Registration Statement.
7. Not applicable.
8. Custodian Agreement with
Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company dated
May 3, 1991, as amended July 13, 1992
-- Incorporated by reference to Post-
Effective Amendment No. 2 to the
Registrant's Registration Statement.
9. Investor Servicing Agreement
dated June 3, 1991 with Putnam
Fiduciary Trust Company --Incorporated
by reference to Pre-Effective
Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's
Registration Statement.
10. Opinion of Ropes & Gray, including
consent --Incorporated by reference to
Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the
Registrant's Registration Statement.
11. Not applicable.
12. Not applicable.
13. Investment Letter from Putnam
Investments, Inc. to the Registrant --
Incorporated by reference to Pre-
Effective Amendment No. 2 to the
Registrant's Registration Statement.
14a. Form of Prototype
Individual Retirement Account Plan
-- Incorporated by reference to
Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 to
the Registrant's Registration
Statement..
14b. Form of Prototype Basic
Plan Document and related Plan
Agreements -- Exhibit 3 .
15a. Class A Distribution Plan
and Agreement dated March 5, 1993
-- Incorporated by reference to
Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to
the Registrant's Registration
Statement.
15b. Class B Distribution Plan and
Agreement dated September 29,
1995 -- Exhibit 4.
15c. Class M Distribution Plan and
Agreement dated September 29,
1995 -- Exhibit 5.
15d. Form of Specimen Dealer
Service Agreement --Incorporated
by reference to Pre-Effective
Amendment No. 2 to the
Registrant's Registration
Statement.
15e. Form of Specimen Financial
Institution Service Agreement --
Incorporated by reference to Pre-
Effective Amendment No. 2 to the
Registrant's Registration
Statement.
16. Schedules for computation of
performance quotations -- Exhibit 6.
17. Financial Data Schedule for Class A
shares --Exhibit 7.
17. Financial Data Schedule for Class
B shares --Exhibit 8.
17. Financial Data Schedule for Class M
shares --Exhibit 9.
18. Rule 18f-3 Plan -- Exhibit 10.
Item 25. Persons Controlled by or under Common
Control with Registrant
None
Item 26. Number of Holders of Securities
As of March 31, 1996 the number of record
holders of each class of securities of the
Registrant is as follows:
Number of record holders
Class A Class B Class M
------- ------- -------
19,643 17,306 1,570
Item 27. Indemnification
The information required by this item is
incorporated herein by reference to the
Registrant's Initial Registration Statement on Form N-
1A under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (File No.
811-6203).<PAGE>
<PAGE>
<PAGE>
Item 30. Location of Accounts and Records
Persons maintaining physical possession of
accounts, books and other documents required to be
maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company
Act of 1940 and the Rules promulgated thereunder are
Registrant's Clerk, Beverly Marcus; Registrant's
investment adviser, Putnam Investment Management, Inc.;
Registrant's principal underwriter, Putnam Mutual Funds
Corp.; Registrant's custodian, Putnam Fiduciary Trust
Company ("PFTC"); and Registrant's transfer and
dividend disbursing agent, Putnam Investor Services, a
division of PFTC. The address of the Clerk, investment
adviser, principal underwriter, custodian and transfer
and dividend disbursing agent is One Post Office
Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02109.
Item 31. Management Services
None.
Item 32. Undertakings
The Registrant undertakes to furnish to each person
to whom a prospectus of the Registrant is delivered a
copy of the Registrant's latest annual report to
shareholders, upon request and without charge.
----------------------------
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
We consent to the incorporation by reference in
the Prospectus and Statement of Additional
Information constituting parts of Post-Effective
Amendment No. 4 to the Registration Statement of
Putnam Voyager Fund II on Form N-1A (File
No. 33-37527) of our report dated February 14,
1996, on our audit of the financial
statements and financial highlights of
the Fund, which report is included in the Annual Report
for Putnam Voyager Fund II for the
period ended December 31, 1995 , which is
incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement.
We also consent to the references to our
firm under the caption "Independent Accountants and
Financial Statements" in the Statement of Additional
Information and under the heading "Financial
Highlights" in such Prospectus .
Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P.
Boston, Massachusetts
April 26, 1996<PAGE>
--------------------------
NOTICE
A copy of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust of
Putnam Voyager Fund II is on file with
the Secretary of State of The Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this
instrument is executed on behalf of the Registrant by
an officer of the Registrant as an officer and not
individually and the obligations of or arising out of
this instrument are not binding upon any of the
Trustees, officers or shareholders individually but are
binding only upon the assets and property of the
Registrant.
<PAGE>
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act
of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the
Registrant certifies that it meets all of the
requirements for effectiveness of this Registration
Statement pursuant to Rule 485(b) under the Securities
Act of 1933 and has duly caused this Amendment to its
Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by
the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City
of Boston, and The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on
the 26th day of April, 1996 .
Putnam Voyager Fund
II
By: Gordon H. Silver, Vice
President
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act
of 1933, this Amendment to the Registration Statement
of Putnam Voyager Fund II has been signed
below by the following persons in the capacities and on
the dates indicated:
Signature Title
George Putnam President and Chairman of
the Board; Principal
Executive Officer;
Trustee
William F. Pounds Vice Chairman; Trustee
John D. Hughes Senior Vice
President; Treasurer and
Principal Financial
Officer
Paul G. Bucuvalas Assistant Treasurer and
Principal Accounting
Officer
Jameson A. Baxter Trustee
Hans H. Estin Trustee
John A. Hill Trustee
Elizabeth T. Kennan Trustee
Lawrence J. Lasser Trustee
Robert E. Patterson Trustee
<PAGE>
Donald S. Perkins Trustee
George Putnam, III Trustee
Eli Shapiro Trustee
A.J.C. Smith Trustee
W. Nicholas Thorndike Trustee
By: Gordon H. Silver, as
Attorney-in-Fact
April 26, 1996
RETIREMENT PLAN
FOR THE
TRUSTEES OF THE PUTNAM FUNDS
1. General; effective date. This Retirement Plan For The
Trustees Of The Putnam Funds is intended to provide, on the terms
and conditions specified below, cash retirement benefits to
certain individuals who have served as trustees ("Trustees") of
the Funds. Except as provided at Section 12 below, the Plan is
effective with respect to retirements occurring on or after
January 1, 1996.
2. Statement of Purpose. The purpose of this Plan is to
assist the Funds in attracting and retaining highly qualified
individuals to serve as Trustees of the Putnam Funds by providing
a form of deferred compensation which is competitive with
compensation practices of other major investment company
complexes as well as those of major business corporations and
which recognizes the benefits to the Funds and of having Trustees
with many years of experience with the affairs of the Funds.
3. Defined terms. When used in the Plan, the following
terms shall have the meanings set forth in this Section:
- "Administrator": such committee, consisting solely of
Trustees who are not "interested persons" of the Funds
within the meaning of Section 2(a)(19) of the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as may be designated
from time to time by the Trustees to administer the
Plan.
- "Service": active service as a Trustee for one or more
of the Funds, including service prior to the Effective
Date. For purposes of this definition, service for an
entity that was a Fund at the time of such service
shall not be disregarded merely because the entity
later ceases to be a Fund. A Participant who dies
prior to retirement or who retires by reason of total
and permanent disability (as determined by the
Administrator) shall be deemed to have served at least
one hundred twenty (120) months of Service regardless
of his or her actual period of service.
- "Effective Date": the date specified in the second
sentence of Section 1.
- "Final Average Remuneration": the quotient obtained by
dividing (i) a Participant's total retainer and meeting
fees paid to the individual by the Funds for the last
thirty-six (36) months of the individual's service as a
Trustee, by (ii) three.
<PAGE>
- "Fund": any of the Putnam Funds, other than any such
Fund that has either (i) elected by vote of a majority
of its Trustees who are not "interested persons" of the
Fund (as defined above) not to participate in the Plan,
or (ii) terminated its participation in the Plan in
accordance with Section 14(c).
- "Participant": a Trustee with at least sixty (60)
months of Service.
- "Plan": the Retirement Plan For The Trustees Of The
Putnam Funds set forth herein, as the same may from
time to time be amended and in effect.
- "Retirement": ceasing to be an active Trustee
(regardless of whether service to one or more Funds
continues in a capacity other than as a Trustee) for
any reason other than (i) termination for cause as
determined by the Administrator, or (ii) death. The
terms "retire," "retires" and "retired" shall be
similarly construed.
- "Trustee": a trustee of any of the Funds.
4. Eligibility for retirement benefit. Each Participant
shall receive the normal retirement benefit specified in Section
5 below commencing in the calendar year next following the date
of retirement.
5. Form and amount of retirement benefit. The retirement
benefit payable to a Participant shall be an annual cash payment
equal to fifty percent (50%) of the Participant's Final Average
Remuneration. Such retirement benefit shall be paid on January
15 of each calendar year commencing with the year specified in
Section 4 above and continuing for the lesser of (i) a number of
years equal to the Participant's years of Service (rounded to the
nearest whole year) or (ii) the lifetime of the Participant.
6. Death benefit. The only death benefits payable under
the Plan shall be those described in this Section:
(a) If a Participant dies after retirement but before
ten (10) annual retirement benefit payments have been made,
the Participant's designated beneficiary shall be entitled
to receive an annual death benefit, in the same amount,
payable on January 15 of each year for the lesser of (i) the
remainder, if any, of the period specified in clause (i) of
Section 5 above or (ii) the remainder of such 10-year
period.
<PAGE>
(b) If a Participant dies before retirement, there
shall be paid to his or her designated beneficiary an annual
death benefit equal in amount to the annual retirement
benefit specified in Section 5 above. The death benefit
described in this paragraph (b) shall be paid on January 15
of each year commencing in the calendar year next following
the Participant's death for a number of years equal to the
lesser of (i) the period specified in clause (i) of Section
5 above or (ii) ten (10) years.
(c) The Administrator in its discretion may commute any
death benefit under this Section to an immediate lump sum
payment or may otherwise accelerate such payments, in each
case applying such reasonable discount rates as it deems
appropriate.
7. Designation of beneficiary. For purposes of Section 6
above, a Participant's designated beneficiary shall be such
person or persons, including a trust, as the Participant shall
have designated in writing on a form acceptable to and delivered
to the Administrator. In the absence of an effective beneficiary
designation governing the payment of any portion of the death
benefit described in Section 6 above, payment of such portion
shall be made to the Participant's estate, which shall be deemed
to be the Participant's designated beneficiary for all purposes
hereunder. If the person designated as the beneficiary to
receive any portion of the death benefit should die prior to
completion of payments to such beneficiary without the
Participant having made effective provision (by a designation
delivered to the Administrator as hereinabove prescribed) for a
successor or contingent beneficiary, payment of such portion or
the remainder thereof shall be made to the decedent beneficiary's
estate.
8. Agreement not to compete, etc. Eligibility for and
payment of benefits under the Plan is conditioned on agreement by
the Participant (i) to refrain from engaging in any business
activity in competition with the Funds, and (ii) not to disclose
any proprietary or otherwise confidential information pertaining
to the Funds. Any breach by an active or retired Trustee of the
agreement or conditions specified in the preceding sentence shall
be grounds for termination or reduction by the Administrator of
benefits under the Plan.
9. Nature of rights. Nothing in the Plan shall be
construed as requiring the Funds, or any of them, to set aside or
to segregate any assets of any kind to meet any of its
obligations hereunder or otherwise to fund the Plan. The rights
of persons claiming benefits under the Plan shall be no greater
than those of general unsecured creditors of a Fund, and no such
person shall have any right in or to any specific assets of any
Fund. All rights to benefits under the Plan shall be construed
and interpreted consistent with the continued qualification of
each Fund as a registered investment company under the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended.
10. Rights non-assignable. No Participant, beneficiary or
other person shall have any right to assign, pledge, encumber, or
otherwise alienate or transfer any right to receive benefits or
payments hereunder or any other interest under the Plan, in whole
or in part, and any attempt by any such person to effectuate such
an assignment, pledge, encumbrance, or other alienation or
transfer shall be null and void.
11. No rights to continuation of status. Nothing in the
Plan shall be construed as giving any individual a right to
continue to serve as a Trustee of the Funds, or any of them, or
to receive any particular level of remuneration for any such
service.
12. Application of Plan to certain persons. This Plan
supersedes in its entirety the voluntary retirement program
heretofore maintained by the Funds and any benefits previously
authorized under such program but not yet paid for periods
commencing on or after January 1, 1996. Reference is made to
those former Trustees listed on Schedule A hereto who retired
prior to the effective date of this Plan and who are currently
receiving benefits under such voluntary retirement program. In
addition, reference is made to a current Trustee listed on
Schedule B hereto who previously received certain retirement
benefits under such voluntary retirement program following such
Trustee's initial retirement from the Funds. Each person listed
on Schedules A or B shall be entitled to a retirement benefit in
the amount and payable in accordance with the terms of the Plan
except that, to the extent inconsistent with the generally
applicable provisions of the Plan, the specific provisions of
Schedule A and B shall control.
13. Payment of benefits. Benefits shall be paid by the
Funds, in cash, upon direction by the Administrator. The
Administrator shall allocate the obligation to make payments with
respect to a Trustee under the Plan for any calendar year among
the Funds in proportion to their respective cumulative
liabilities accrued with respect to such Trustee's participation
in the Plan for financial reporting purposes or on such other
reasonable basis as the Administrator may determine.
14. Amendment and termination.
(a) AMENDMENT. The Plan may be amended at any time by the
Administrator. No amendment shall reduce the benefits or future
benefits of any Trustee who has retired, and in the case of a
participant who is still an active Trustee no amendment shall
reduce the amount such Trustee would have been entitled to
receive if he or she had ceased to serve as a Trustee immediately
prior to such amendment.
(b) TERMINATION OF THE PLAN AS A WHOLE. The Plan as a
whole may be terminated by the Administrator. Upon termination
of the plan as a whole, benefits in pay status shall continue to
be paid. Any Participant not yet in pay status shall continue to
be entitled to a benefit equal to the benefit to which he or she
would have been entitled had retirement as a Trustee occurred
immediately prior to such Plan termination. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, in its discretion the Administrator may commute and
pay as a single lump sum payment any benefits remaining payable
upon termination of the Plan as a whole, and in determining such
lump sum amounts the Administrator may apply such reasonable
discount factors and mortality assumptions as it determines in
its discretion.
(c) TERMINATION BY INDIVIDUAL FUND. A Fund may terminate
its participation in the Plan at any time by vote of a majority
of its Trustees who are not "interested persons" of the Fund (as
defined under "Administrator" in Section 3 above), provided that
upon any such termination such Fund shall remain liable for its
allocable share of the benefits to which Participants would have
been entitled is the Plan as a whole had been terminated as of
the date of such individual termination, as determined by the
Administrator in its sole discretion.
As Adopted October 4, 1996
DEALER SERVICE AGREEMENT
Between: and
PUTNAM MUTUAL FUNDS CORP.
General Distributor of
The Putnam Family of Mutual Funds
One Post Office Square
Boston, MA 02109
We are pleased to inform you that, pursuant to the terms of this
Dealer Service Agreement, we are authorized to pay you service
fees in connection with the accounts of your customers that hold
shares of certain Putnam Funds listed in SCHEDULE 1 that have
adopted distribution plans pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (the "12b-1
Funds"). Payment of the service fees is subject to your initial
and continuing satisfaction of the following terms and conditions
which may be revised by us from time to time:
1. QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
(a) You have entered into a Sales Contract with us with respect
to the Putnam Family of Mutual Funds (the "Putnam Funds").
(b) You are the dealer of record for accounts in Putnam Funds
having an aggregate average net asset value of at least the
minimum amount set forth in SCHEDULE 2 (DEALER FIRM REQUIREMENTS)
during the period for which a service fee is to be paid. Putnam
Fund accounts are accounts in any open-end Putnam Fund, but
excluding any accounts for your firm's own retirement plans.
(c) One or more of your current employees must be the designated
registered representative(s) on accounts in Putnam Funds having
an aggregate average net asset value of at least the minimum
amount set forth in SCHEDULE 2 (REGISTERED REPRESENTATIVE
REQUIREMENTS) during the period for which a service fee is to be
paid.
(d) You will provide the following information and agree that we
will be entitled to rely on the accuracy of such information in
updating our records for determining the levels of service fees
payable to you under the terms of this Agreement. You understand
that such payments will be based solely on Putnam's records.
For each Putnam Fund account registered in the name of
one of your customers, you will advise us, preferably
by electronic means, before the end of the second month
in each calendar quarter, of the registered
representative's name, identification number, branch
number, and telephone number.<PAGE>
2. SERVICE FEES
(a) If you meet the qualification requirements set forth above
in Paragraph 1, you will be paid a service fee on assets in the
12b-1 Funds for which you are the dealer of record and which are
serviced by a registered representative of your firm meeting the
Registered Representative Requirements, if any, at the annual
rates specified (excluding any accounts for your firm's own
retirement plans).
(b) You understand and agree that:
(i) all service fee payments are subject to the
limitations contained in each 12b-1 Fund's Distribution
Plan, which may be varied or discontinued at any time;
(ii) you shall waive the right to receive service fee
payments to the extent any 12b-1 Fund fails to make
payments to us under its distribution plan with us;
(iii) your failure to provide the services described in
Paragraph 4 below as may be amended by us from time to
time, or otherwise comply with the terms of this
Agreement, will render you ineligible to receive
service fees; and
(iv) failure of an assigned registered representative
to provide services required by this Agreement will
render that representative's accounts ineligible as
accounts on which service fees are paid.
3. PAYMENTS AND COMMUNICATIONS TO REGISTERED REPRESENTATIVES
(a) You will pass through to your registered representatives a
significant share of the service fees paid to you pursuant to
this Agreement.
(b) You will assist us in distributing to your registered
representatives periodic statements which we will have prepared
showing the aggregate average net asset value of shares in Putnam
Funds with which they are credited on our records.
4. REQUIRED SERVICES
(a) You will assign one of your registered representatives to
each Putnam Fund account on your records and reassign the Putnam
Fund account should that representative leave your firm.
(b) You and your registered representatives will assist us and
our affiliates in providing the following services to
shareholders of the Putnam Funds:
(i) Maintain regular contact with shareholders in
assigned accounts and assist in answering inquiries
concerning the Putnam Funds.
(ii) Assist in distributing sales and service
literature provided by us, particularly to the
beneficial owners of accounts registered in your name
(nominee name accounts).
(iii) Assist us and our affiliates in the establishment
and maintenance of shareholder accounts and records.
(iv) Assist shareholders in effecting administrative
changes, such as changing dividend options, account
designations, address, automatic investment programs or
systematic investment plans.
(v) Assist in processing purchase and redemption
transactions.
(vi) Provide any other information or services as the
customer or we may reasonably request.
(c) You will support our marketing efforts by granting
reasonable requests for visits to your offices by our wholesalers
and by including all Putnam Funds on your "approved" list.
(d) Your compliance with the service requirements set forth in
this Agreement will be evaluated by us from time to time by
surveying shareholder satisfaction with service, by monitoring
redemption levels of shareholder accounts assigned to you and by
such other methods as we deem appropriate.
(e) The provisions of this Paragraph 4 may be amended by us from
time to time upon notice to you.
5. AMENDMENT
This Agreement, including any Schedule hereto, shall be deemed
amended as provided in any written notice delivered by us to you.
6. EFFECTIVE PERIOD AND TERMINATION
The provisions of this Agreement shall remain in effect for not
more than one year from the date of its execution or adoption and
thereafter for successive annual periods only so long as such
continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the
Trustees of each of the 12b-1 Funds in conformity with Rule 12b-1
under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act"). This
Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its
assignment (as defined by the 1940 Act). In addition, this
Agreement may be terminated at any time, without the payment of
any penalty, by either party upon written notice delivered or
mailed by registered mail, postage prepaid, to the other party,
or, as provided in Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, by the Trustees
of any 12b-1 Fund or by the vote of the holders of the
outstanding voting securities of any 12b-1 Fund.
7. WRITTEN REPORTS
Putnam Mutual Funds Corp. shall provide the Trustees of each of
the 12b-1 Funds, and such Trustees shall review at least
quarterly, a written report of the amounts paid to you under this
Agreement and the purposes for which such expenditures were made.
8. MISCELLANEOUS
(a) All communications mailed to us should be sent to the
address listed below. Any notice to you shall be duly given if
mailed or delivered to you at the address specified by you below.
(b) The provisions of this Agreement shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of The Commonwealth of
Massachusetts.
Very truly yours,
PUTNAM MUTUAL FUNDS CORP.
By: ------------------------------
William N. Shiebler, President
and Chief Executive Officer
We accept and agree to the foregoing Agreement as of the date set
forth below.
Dealer: -------------------------
By: ----------------------------
Authorized Signature, Title
------------------------------
------------------------------
Address
Dated: -------------------------
Please return the signed Putnam copy of this Agreement to Putnam
Mutual Funds Corp., P.O. Box 41203, Providence, RI 02940-1203.
<PAGE>
SCHEDULE 1: THE 12B-1 FUNDS
Service fees will be paid on the following Putnam Funds at the
rates set forth in the Prospectus of that Fund:
Putnam Adjustable Rate U.S. Government Fund
Putnam American Government Income Fund
Putnam Arizona Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam Asia Pacific Growth Fund
Putnam Asset Allocation Funds
-Putnam Asset Allocation: Growth Portfolio
-Putnam Asset Allocation: Balanced Portfolio
-Putnam Asset Allocation: Conservative Portfolio
Putnam Balanced Retirement Fund
Putnam California Tax Exempt Income Trust
-Putnam California Intermediate Tax Exempt Fund
-Putnam California Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam Capital Appreciation Fund
Putnam Convertible Income-Growth Trust
Putnam Diversified Equity Trust
Putnam Diversified Income Trust
Putnam Equity Income Fund
Putnam Europe Growth Fund
Putnam Federal Income Trust
Putnam Florida Tax Exempt Income Fund
The George Putnam Fund of Boston
Putnam Global Governmental Income Trust
Putnam Global Growth Fund
The Putnam Fund for Growth and Income
Putnam Growth and Income Fund II
Putnam Health Sciences Trust
Putnam High Yield Advantage Fund
Putnam High Yield Trust
Putnam Income Fund
Putnam Intermediate Tax Exempt Fund
Putnam Intermediate U.S. Government Fund
Putnam Investment Funds
-Putnam International New Opportunities Fund
Putnam Investors Fund
Putnam Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam Michigan Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam Minnesota Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam Money Market Fund
Putnam Municipal Income Fund
Putnam Natural Resources Fund
Putnam New Jersey Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam New Opportunities Fund
Putnam New York Tax Exempt Income Trust
-Putnam New York Intermediate Tax Exempt Fund
-Putnam New York Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam New York Tax Exempt Opportunities Fund
Putnam Ohio Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam OTC Emerging Growth Fund
Putnam Overseas Growth Fund
Putnam Pennsylvania Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam Preferred Income Trust
Putnam Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam Tax-Free Income Trust
-Putnam Tax-Free High Yield Fund
-Putnam Tax-Free Insured Fund
Putnam U.S. Government Income Trust
Putnam Utilities Growth and Income Fund
Putnam Vista Fund
Putnam Voyager Fund
Putnam Voyager Fund II
SCHEDULE 2: MINIMUM ASSETS
DEALER FIRM REQUIREMENTS. The minimum aggregate average net
asset value of all accounts in Putnam Funds specified by
Paragraph 1(b) is $250,000. We will review this requirement
prior to the start of each year and inform you of any changes.
REGISTERED REPRESENTATIVE REQUIREMENTS. With respect to
Paragraph 1(c), there is no minimum asset qualification
requirement in the Putnam Funds applicable to each of your
representatives. We will review this requirement prior to the
start of each year and inform you of any changes.
NF-57
2/7/97
FINANCIAL INSTITUTION
SERVICE AGREEMENT
Between: and
PUTNAM MUTUAL FUNDS CORP.
General Distributor of
The Putnam Family of Mutual Funds
One Post Office Square
Boston, MA 02109
We are pleased to inform you that, pursuant to the terms of this
FINANCIAL INSTITUTION SERVICE AGREEMENT, we are authorized to pay
you service fees in connection with the accounts of your
customers that hold shares of certain Putnam funds listed in
SCHEDULE 1 that have adopted distribution plans pursuant to Rule
12b-1 (the "12b-1 Funds"). Payment of the service fees is
subject to your initial and continuing satisfaction of the
following terms and conditions which may be revised by us from
time to time:
1. QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
(a) You have entered into a Financial Institution Sales Contract
with us with respect to the Putnam Family of Mutual Funds (the
"Putnam Funds"), whose shares you have agreed to make available
to your customers on an agency basis.
(b) You are the financial institution of record for accounts in
Putnam Funds having an aggregate average net asset value of at
least the minimum amount set forth in SCHEDULE 2 (FINANCIAL
INSTITUTION REQUIREMENTS) during the period for which a service
fee is to be paid. Putnam Fund accounts are accounts in any
open-end Putnam Fund but excluding any accounts for your
organization's own retirement plans.
(c) One or more of your current employees must be the designated
registered representative(s) in the case of a bank affiliated
dealer, or agent representative(s) in the case of a bank (both
referred to as "representatives"), on accounts in Putnam Funds
having an aggregate average net asset value of at least the
minimum amount set forth in SCHEDULE 2 (REPRESENTATIVE
REQUIREMENTS) during the period for which a service fee is to be
paid.
(d) You will provide the following information and agree that we
will be entitled to rely on the accuracy of such information in
updating our records for determining the levels of service fees
payable to you under the terms of this Agreement. You understand
that such payments will be based solely on Putnam's records:<PAGE>
For each Putnam Fund account registered in the name of one
of your customers, you will advise us, preferably by
electronic means, before the end of the second month in each
calendar quarter, of the representative's name,
identification number, branch number, and telephone number.
2. SERVICE FEES
(a) If you meet the qualification requirements set forth above in
Paragraph 1, you will be paid, at the end of each calendar
quarter, a service fee on assets of your customers in the 12b-1
Funds for which you are the financial institution of record and
which are serviced by a representative of your organization
meeting the Representative Requirements, if any at the annual
rates specified (excluding any accounts for your organization's
own retirement plans), provided that you have evaluated such
service fees and have concluded that it is consistent with
applicable laws, rules, regulations and regulatory
interpretations for you to receive such service fees.
(b) You understand and agree that:
(i) all service fee payments are subject to the limitations
contained in each 12b-1 Fund's Distribution Plan, which may
be varied or discontinued at any time;
(ii) you shall waive the right to receive service fee
payments to the extent any 12b-1 Fund fails to make payments
to us under its distribution plan with us;
(iii) your failure to provide the services described in
Paragraph 4 below as may be amended by us from time to time,
or otherwise comply with the terms of this Agreement, will
render you ineligible to receive service fees; and
(iv) failure of an assigned representative to provide
services required by this Agreement will render that
representative's accounts ineligible as accounts on which
service fees are paid.
3. PAYMENTS AND COMMUNICATIONS TO REPRESENTATIVES
(a) Where consistent with applicable laws, rules, regulations and
regulatory interpretations, you will pass through to your
representatives a significant share of the service fees paid to
you pursuant to this Agreement, or you will otherwise use the
payments of service fees to advance the objective of providing
and improving service to shareholders of the Putnam Funds in a
manner specifically approved by Putnam Mutual Funds (for example,
via training courses for representatives or shareholder
seminars).
(b) You will assist us in distributing to your representatives
periodic statements which we will have prepared showing the
aggregate average net asset value of shares in Putnam Funds with
which they are credited on our records.
4. REQUIRED SERVICES
(a) You will assign one of your representatives to each Putnam
Fund account on your records and reassign the Putnam Fund account
should that representative leave your organization.
(b) You and your representatives will assist us and our
affiliates in providing the following services to shareholders of
the Putnam Funds:
(i) Maintain regular contact with shareholders in assigned
accounts and assist in answering inquiries concerning the
Putnam Funds.
(ii) Assist in distributing sales and service literature
provided by us, particularly to the beneficial owners of
accounts registered in your name (nominee name accounts).
(iii) Assist us and our affiliates in the establishment and
maintenance of shareholder accounts and records.
(iv) Assist shareholders in effecting administrative
changes, such as changing dividend options, account
designations, address, automatic investment programs or
systematic investment plans.
(v) Assist in processing purchase and redemption
transactions.
(vi) Provide any other information or services as the
customer or we may reasonably request.
(c) You will grant reasonable requests for visits to your offices
by our wholesalers and include all Putnam Funds on your menu or
list of investments made available by you to your customers.
(d) Your compliance with the service requirements set forth in
this Agreement will be evaluated by us from time to time by
surveying shareholder satisfaction with service, by monitoring
redemption levels of shareholder accounts assigned to you and by
such other methods as we deem appropriate.
(e) The provisions of this Paragraph 4 may be amended by us from
time to time upon notice to you.
5. AMENDMENT
This Agreement, including any Schedule hereto, shall be deemed
amended as provided in any written notice delivered by us to you.<PAGE>
6. EFFECTIVE PERIOD AND TERMINATION
The provisions of this Agreement shall remain in effect for one
year from the date of its execution or adoption and thereafter
for successive annual periods only so long as such continuance is
specifically approved at least annually by the Trustees of each
of the 12b-1 Funds in conformity with Rule 12b-1 under the
Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act"). This Agreement
shall automatically terminate in the event of its assignment (as
defined by the 1940 Act). In addition, this Agreement may be
terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by
either party upon written notice to the other party, or, as
provided in Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, by the Trustees of any
12b-1 Fund or by the vote of the holders of the outstanding
voting securities of any 12b-1 Fund.
7. WRITTEN REPORTS
Putnam Mutual Funds Corp. shall provide the Trustees of each of
the 12b-1 Funds, and such Trustees shall review at least
quarterly, a written report of the amounts paid to you under this
Agreement and the purposes for which such expenditures were made.
8. COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS
With respect to the receipt of service fees under the terms of
this Agreement, you will comply with all applicable federal and
state laws and rules, and all applicable regulations and
interpretations of regulatory agencies or authorities, which may
affect your business practices, including any requirement of
written authorization or consent by your customers to your
receipt of service fees, and any requirement to provide
disclosure to your customers of such service fees.
9. MISCELLANEOUS
(a) All communications mailed to us should be sent to the address
listed below. Any notice to you shall be duly given if mailed or
delivered to you at the address specified by you below.
(b) The provisions of this Agreement shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of The Commonwealth of
Massachusetts.
Very truly yours,
PUTNAM MUTUAL FUNDS CORP.
By: --------------------------
William N. Shiebler,
President and
Chief Executive Officer
We accept and agree to the foregoing Agreement as of the date set
forth below.
Financial Institution: --------------------------
By: --------------------------
Authorized Signature, Title
--------------------------
--------------------------
Address
Dated: --------------------------
Please return the signed Putnam copy of this Agreement to Putnam
Mutual Funds Corp., P.O. Box 41203, Providence, RI 02940-1203.
<PAGE>
SCHEDULE 1: THE 12B-1 FUNDS
Service fees will be paid on the following Putnam Funds at the
rates set forth in the Prospectus of that Fund:
Putnam Adjustable Rate U.S. Government Fund
Putnam American Government Income Fund
Putnam Arizona Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam Asia Pacific Growth Fund
Putnam Asset Allocation Funds
-Putnam Asset Allocation: Growth Portfolio
-Putnam Asset Allocation: Balanced Portfolio
-Putnam Asset Allocation: Conservative Portfolio
Putnam Balanced Retirement Fund
Putnam California Tax Exempt Income Trust
-Putnam California Intermediate Tax Exempt Fund
-Putnam California Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam Capital Appreciation Fund
Putnam Convertible Income-Growth Trust
Putnam Diversified Equity Trust
Putnam Diversified Income Trust
Putnam Equity Income Fund
Putnam Europe Growth Fund
Putnam Federal Income Trust
Putnam Florida Tax Exempt Income Fund
The George Putnam Fund of Boston
Putnam Global Governmental Income Trust
Putnam Global Growth Fund
The Putnam Fund for Growth and Income
Putnam Growth and Income Fund II
Putnam Health Sciences Trust
Putnam High Yield Advantage Fund
Putnam High Yield Trust
Putnam Income Fund
Putnam Intermediate Tax Exempt Fund
Putnam Intermediate U.S. Government Fund
Putnam Investment Funds
-Putnam International New Opportunities Fund
Putnam Investors Fund
Putnam Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam Michigan Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam Minnesota Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam Money Market Fund
Putnam Municipal Income Fund
Putnam Natural Resources Fund
Putnam New Jersey Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam New Opportunities Fund
Putnam New York Tax Exempt Income Trust
-Putnam New York Intermediate Tax Exempt Fund
-Putnam New York Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam New York Tax Exempt Opportunities Fund
Putnam Ohio Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam OTC Emerging Growth Fund
Putnam Overseas Growth Fund
Putnam Pennsylvania Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam Preferred Income Trust
Putnam Tax Exempt Income Fund
Putnam Tax-Free Income Trust
-Putnam Tax-Free High Yield Fund
-Putnam Tax-Free Insured Fund
Putnam U.S. Government Income Trust
Putnam Utilities Growth and Income Fund
Putnam Vista Fund
Putnam Voyager Fund
Putnam Voyager Fund II
SCHEDULE 2: MINIMUM ASSETS
FINANCIAL INSTITUTION REQUIREMENTS. The minimum aggregate
average net asset value of all accounts in Putnam Funds specified
by Paragraph 1(b) is $250,000. We will review this requirement
prior to the start of each year and inform you of any changes.
REPRESENTATIVE REQUIREMENTS. With respect to Paragraph
1(c), there is no minimum asset qualification requirement in the
Putnam Funds applicable to each of your representatives. We will
review this requirement prior to the start of each year and
inform you of any changes. We reserve the right to set a minimum
at any time.
SCHEDULES FOR COMPUTATION OF PERFORMANCE QUOTATIONS
Fund name: Putnam Voyager Fund II -- Class A Shares
Fiscal period ending: 12/31/96
Inception date (if less than 10 years of performance): 4/13/93
TOTAL RETURN
Formula -- Average Annual Total Return: ERV = P(1+T)^n
n = Number of Time Periods 1 Year 5 Years 10 Years*
P = Initial Investment $1,000 N/A $1,000
ERV = Ending Redeemable Value $1,015 N/A $1,880
T = Average Annual
Total Return 1.50% N/A 18.50%*
*Life of fund, if less than 10 years
<PAGE>
SCHEDULES FOR COMPUTATION OF PERFORMANCE QUOTATIONS
Fund name: Putnam Voyager Fund II -- Class B Shares
Fiscal period ending: 12/31/96
Inception date (if less than 10 years of performance): 10/1/95
TOTAL RETURN
Formula -- Average Annual Total Return: ERV = P(1+T)^n
n = Number of Time Periods 1 Year 5 Years 10 Years*
P = Initial Investment $1,000 N/A $1,000
ERV = Ending Redeemable Value $1,019 N/A $1,140
T = Average Annual
Total Return 1.89% N/A 11.07%*
*Life of fund, if less than 10 years
<PAGE>
SCHEDULES FOR COMPUTATION OF PERFORMANCE QUOTATIONS
Fund name: Putnam Voyager Fund II -- Class M Shares
Fiscal period ending: 12/31/96
Inception date (if less than 10 years of performance): 10/1/95
TOTAL RETURN
Formula -- Average Annual Total Return: ERV = P(1+T)^n
n = Number of Time Periods 1 Year 5 Years 10 Years*
P = Initial Investment $1,000 N/A $1,000
ERV = Ending Redeemable Value $1,034 N/A $1,144
T = Average Annual
Total Return 3.42% N/A 11.34%*
*Life of fund, if less than 10 years
WARNING: THE EDGAR SYSTEM ENCOUNTERED ERROR(S) WHILE PROCESSING THIS SCHEDULE.
<TABLE> <S> <C>
<ARTICLE> 6
<LEGEND>
Financial Data Schedule for Putnam Voyager Fund II
</LEGEND>
<SERIES>
<NUMBER> 3
<NAME> CLASS A
<S> <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE> YEAR
<FISCAL-YEAR-END> DEC-31-1996
<PERIOD-END> DEC-31-1996
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST> 675,628,800
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 732,180,544
<RECEIVABLES> 7,403,897
<ASSETS-OTHER> 604,927
<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS> 0
<TOTAL-ASSETS> 740,189,368
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES> 20,711,686
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT> 0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES> 5,622,794
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES> 26,334,480
<SENIOR-EQUITY> 0
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON> 683,844,515
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK> 22,455,190
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR> 5,799,915
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT> 0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII> (26,542,746)
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS> 0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> 0
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC> 56,553,119
<NET-ASSETS> 713,854,888
<DIVIDEND-INCOME> 2,059,202
<INTEREST-INCOME> 1,116,283
<OTHER-INCOME> 0
<EXPENSES-NET> 8,060,818
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME> (4,885,333)
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT> (26,250,110)
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT> 45,938,456
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS> 14,803,013
<EQUALIZATION> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER> 0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD> 27,332,602
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED> (10,677,327)
<SHARES-REINVESTED> 0
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS> 557,236,426
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR> 0
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR> 0
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> (14)
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR> (293,117)
<GROSS-ADVISORY-FEES> 3,170,929
<INTEREST-EXPENSE> 0
<GROSS-EXPENSE> 8,331,183
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS> 227,640,988
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN> 14.40
<PER-SHARE-NII> (.11)
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC> 1.22
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND> 0
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS> 0
<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL> 0
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END> 15.51
<EXPENSE-RATIO> 1.44
<AVG-DEBT-OUTSTANDING> 0
<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE> 0
</TABLE>
WARNING: THE EDGAR SYSTEM ENCOUNTERED ERROR(S) WHILE PROCESSING THIS SCHEDULE.
<TABLE> <S> <C>
<ARTICLE> 6
<LEGEND>
Financial Data Schedule for Putnam Voyager II Fund
</LEGEND>
<SERIES>
<NUMBER> 3
<NAME> CLASS B
<S> <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE> YEAR
<FISCAL-YEAR-END> DEC-31-1996
<PERIOD-END> DEC-31-1996
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST> 675,628,800
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 732,180,544
<RECEIVABLES> 7,403,897
<ASSETS-OTHER> 604,927
<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS> 0
<TOTAL-ASSETS> 740,189,368
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES> 20,711,686
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT> 0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES> 5,622,794
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES> 26,334,480
<SENIOR-EQUITY> 0
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON> 683,844,515
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK> 21,373,441
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR> 4,660,472
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT> 0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII> (26,542,746)
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS> 0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> 0
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC> 56,553,119
<NET-ASSETS> 713,854,888
<DIVIDEND-INCOME> 2,059,202
<INTEREST-INCOME> 1,116,283
<OTHER-INCOME> 0
<EXPENSES-NET> 8,060,818
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME> (4,885,333)
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT> (26,250,110)
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT> 45,938,456
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS> 14,803,013
<EQUALIZATION> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER> 0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD> 18,258,918
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED> (1,545,949)
<SHARES-REINVESTED> 0
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS> 557,236,426
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR> 0
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR> 0
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> (14)
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR> (293,117)
<GROSS-ADVISORY-FEES> 3,170,929
<INTEREST-EXPENSE> 0
<GROSS-EXPENSE> 8,331,183
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS> 210,840,421
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN> 14.37
<PER-SHARE-NII> (.22)
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC> 1.21
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND> 0
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS> 0
<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL> 0
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END> 15.36
<EXPENSE-RATIO> 2.19
<AVG-DEBT-OUTSTANDING> 0
<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE> 0
</TABLE>
<TABLE> <S> <C>
<ARTICLE> 6
<LEGEND>
Financial Data Schedule for Putnam Voyager II Fund
</LEGEND>
<SERIES>
<NUMBER> 3
<NAME> CLASS M
<S> <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE> YEAR
<FISCAL-YEAR-END> DEC-31-1996
<PERIOD-END> DEC-31-1996
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST> 675,628,800
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 732,180,544
<RECEIVABLES> 7,403,897
<ASSETS-OTHER> 604,927
<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS> 0
<TOTAL-ASSETS> 740,189,368
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES> 20,711,686
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT> 0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES> 5,622,794
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES> 26,334,480
<SENIOR-EQUITY> 0
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON> 683,844,515
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK> 2,420,369
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR> 425,000
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT> 0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII> (26,542,746)
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS> 0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> 0
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC> 56,553,119
<NET-ASSETS> 713,854,888
<DIVIDEND-INCOME> 2,059,202
<INTEREST-INCOME> 1,116,283
<OTHER-INCOME> 0
<EXPENSES-NET> 8,060,818
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME> (4,885,333)
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT> (26,250,110)
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT> 45,938,456
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS> 14,803,013
<EQUALIZATION> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER> 0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD> 2,357,042
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED> (361,673)
<SHARES-REINVESTED> 0
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS> 557,236,426
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR> 0
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR> 0
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> (14)
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR> (293,117)
<GROSS-ADVISORY-FEES> 3,170,929
<INTEREST-EXPENSE> 0
<GROSS-EXPENSE> 811,183
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS> 22,170,083
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN> 14.39
<PER-SHARE-NII> (.19)
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC> 1.22
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND> 0
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS> 0
<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL> 0
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END> 15.42
<EXPENSE-RATIO> 1.94
<AVG-DEBT-OUTSTANDING> 0
<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE> 0
</TABLE>
