PROSPECTUS
[american century logo]
American
Century(reg.sm)
APRIL 1, 1997
Revised September 15, 1997
TWENTIETH
CENTURY(reg.tm)
GROUP
International Growth
International Discovery
Emerging Markets
INVESTOR CLASS
AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
FAMILY OF FUNDS
American Century Investments offers you nearly 70 fund choices covering
stocks, bonds, money markets, specialty investments and blended portfolios. To
help you find the funds that may meet your investment needs, American Century
funds have been divided into three groups based on investment style and
objectives. These groups, which appear below, are designed to help simplify your
fund decisions.
AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS--FAMILY OF FUNDS
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Benham American Century Twentieth Century
Group(reg. tm) Group Group
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MONEY MARKET FUNDS ASSET ALLOCATION & GROWTH FUNDS
GOVERNMENT BOND FUNDS BALANCED FUNDS INTERNATIONAL FUNDS
DIVERSIFIED BOND FUNDS CONSERVATIVE EQUITY FUNDS
MUNICIPAL BOND FUNDS SPECIALTY FUNDS
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Growth
International Discovery
Emerging Markets
PROSPECTUS
APRIL 1, 1997
Revised September 15, 1997
International Growth * International
Discovery * Emerging Markets
INVESTOR CLASS
AMERICAN CENTURY WORLD MUTUAL FUNDS, INC.
American Century World Mutual Funds, Inc., is a part of American Century
Investments, a family of funds that includes nearly 70 no-load mutual funds
covering a variety of investment opportunities. Three of the funds from our
Twentieth Century Group of funds are described in this Prospectus. Their
investment objectives are listed on page 2 of this Prospectus. The other funds
are described in separate prospectuses.
The funds described in this Prospectus invest primarily in equity securities
of foreign issuers. Investment in securities of foreign issuers typically
involves a greater degree of risk than investment in domestic securities. Please
read "RISK FACTORS," page 10.
Through its Investor Class of shares, American Century offers investors a
full line of no-load funds, investments that have no sales charges or
commissions.
This Prospectus gives you information about the funds that you should know
before investing. Please read this Prospectus carefully and retain it for future
reference. Additional information is included in the Statement of Additional
Information dated April 1, 1997, and filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. It is incorporated into this Prospectus by reference. To obtain a
copy without charge, call or write:
AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
4500 Main Street * P.O. Box 419200
Kansas City, Missouri 64141-6200 * 1-800-345-2021
International calls: 816-531-5575
Telecommunications Device for the Deaf:
1-800-634-4113 * In Missouri: 816-444-3485
Internet: www.americancentury.com
Additional information, including this Prospectus and the Statement of
Additional Information, may be obtained by accessing the Web site maintained by
the SEC (www.sec.gov).
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.
PROSPECTUS 1
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES OF THE FUNDS
AMERICAN CENTURY -- TWENTIETH CENTURY
INTERNATIONAL GROWTH FUND
The investment objective of International Growth (formerly International
Equity) is capital growth. The fund will seek to achieve its investment
objective by investing primarily in an internationally diversified portfolio of
equity securities that are considered by the investment manager to have
prospects for appreciation. The fund will invest primarily in securities of
issuers in developed markets. This fund has no minimum investment requirements.
However, if the value of the shares held in any one fund account is less than
$2,500 ($1,000 for UGMA/UTMA accounts), you must establish an automatic
investment program of $50 or more per month in each such account. See "AUTOMATIC
INVESTMENT PLAN," page 17 and "REDEMPTION OF SHARES IN LOW-BALANCE ACCOUNTS,"
page 20.
AMERICAN CENTURY -- TWENTIETH CENTURY
INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY FUND
The investment objective of International Discovery (formerly International
Emerging Growth) is capital growth. The fund will seek to achieve its investment
objective by investing primarily in an internationally diversified portfolio of
equity securities of issuers having comparatively smaller market capitalizations
(less than U.S. $1 billion in market capitalization or less than U.S. $500
million in public float). The fund may invest up to 50% of its assets in
securities of issuers in emerging market countries. All such investments will be
considered by the investment manager to have prospects for appreciation. Due to
the risks associated with such investments, an investment in this fund may be
considered speculative. The minimum investment amount for this fund is $10,000.
SHARES OF INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY EXCHANGED OR REDEEMED WITHIN 180 DAYS OF
THEIR PURCHASE ARE SUBJECT TO A REDEMPTION FEE OF 2.0% OF THE VALUE OF THE
SHARES EXCHANGED OR REDEEMED. This redemption fee is retained by the fund and is
intended to discourage shareholders from exchanging or redeeming their shares
shortly after their purchase, as well as minimize the impact such exchanges and
redemptions have on fund performance and, hence, on the other shareholders of
the fund.
AMERICAN CENTURY -- TWENTIETH CENTURY
EMERGING MARKETS FUND
The investment objective of Emerging Markets is capital growth. The fund
will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in an
internationally diversified portfolio of equity securities of issuers in
emerging market countries that are considered by the investment manager to have
prospects for appreciation. Due to the risks associated with such investments,
an investment in this fund may be considered speculative. The minimum investment
amount for this fund is $10,000.
There is no assurance that the funds will achieve their respective
investment objectives.
NO PERSON IS AUTHORIZED BY THE FUNDS TO GIVE ANY INFORMATION OR MAKE ANY
REPRESENTATION OTHER THAN THOSE CONTAINED IN THIS PROSPECTUS OR IN OTHER PRINTED
OR WRITTEN MATERIAL ISSUED BY OR ON BEHALF OF THE FUNDS, AND YOU SHOULD NOT RELY
ON ANY OTHER INFORMATION OR REPRESENTATION.
2 INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Investment Objectives of the Funds .........................................2
Transaction and Operating Expense Table ....................................4
Financial Highlights .......................................................5
INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS
Investment Policies of the Funds ...........................................7
International Growth ....................................................7
International Discovery .................................................7
Emerging Markets ........................................................8
Policies Applicable to All Funds ........................................8
Risk Factors ..............................................................10
Investing in Foreign Securities Generally ..............................10
Investing in Smaller Companies .........................................11
Investing in Emerging Market Countries .................................11
Investing in Lower-Quality Debt Instruments ............................11
Other Investment Practices, Their Characteristics
and Risks .................................................................12
Forward Currency Exchange Contracts ....................................12
Indirect Foreign Investment ............................................13
Sovereign Debt Obligations .............................................13
Portfolio Turnover .....................................................13
Repurchase Agreements ..................................................13
When-Issued Securities .................................................13
Short Sales ............................................................14
Rule 144A Securities ...................................................14
Performance Advertising ...................................................14
HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
American Century Investments ..............................................16
Investing in American Century .............................................16
How to Open an Account ....................................................16
By Mail ........................................................16
By Wire ........................................................16
By Exchange ....................................................17
In Person ......................................................17
Subsequent Investments ..............................................17
By Mail ........................................................17
By Telephone ...................................................17
By Online Access ...............................................17
By Wire ........................................................17
In Person ......................................................17
Automatic Investment Plan ...........................................17
How to Exchange from One Account to Another ..............................18
By Mail ........................................................18
By Telephone ...................................................18
By Online Access ...............................................18
How to Redeem Shares ......................................................18
By Mail ........................................................19
By Telephone ...................................................19
By Check-A-Month ...............................................19
Other Automatic Redemptions ....................................19
Redemption Proceeds .................................................19
By Check .......................................................19
By Wire and ACH ................................................19
Special Requirements for Large Redemptions ..........................19
Redemption of Shares in Low-Balance Accounts ........................20
Signature Guarantee ......................................................20
Special Shareholder Services .............................................20
Automated Information Line .....................................21
Online Account Access ..........................................21
Open Order Service .............................................21
Tax-Qualified Retirement Plans .................................21
Important Policies Regarding Your Investments ............................21
Reports to Shareholders ..................................................22
Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans and
Institutional Accounts .................................................22
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW
Share Price ...............................................................24
When Share Price Is Determined .........................................24
How Share Price Is Determined ..........................................24
Where to Find Information About Share Price ............................25
Distributions .............................................................25
Taxes .....................................................................25
Tax-Deferred Accounts ..................................................25
Taxable Accounts .......................................................26
Management ................................................................27
Investment Management ..................................................27
Code of Ethics .........................................................28
Transfer and Administrative Services ...................................28
Distribution of Fund Shares ...............................................28
Further Information About American Century ................................29
PROSPECTUS TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
TRANSACTION AND OPERATING EXPENSE TABLE
International International Emerging
Growth Discovery Markets
SHAREHOLDER TRANSACTION EXPENSES:
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Maximum Sales Load Imposed on Purchases ........................... none none none
Maximum Sales Load Imposed on Reinvested Dividends ................ none none none
Deferred Sales Load ............................................... none none none
Redemption Fee(1) ................................................. none none(2) none
Exchange Fee ...................................................... none none none
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (as a percentage of net assets):
Management Fees(3) ................................................ 1.42%(4) 1.75%(4) 2.00%(4)
12b-1 Fees ........................................................ none none none
Other Expenses(5) ................................................. 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Total Fund Operating Expenses(3) .................................. 1.42%(4) 1.75%(4) 2.00%(4)
EXAMPLE:
You would pay the following expenses on a 1 year $ 14 $ 18 $ 20
$1,000 investment, assuming a 5% annual return and 3 years 45 55 62
redemption at the end of each time period(3): 5 years 77 94 107
10 years 169 205 231
(1) REDEMPTION PROCEEDS SENT BY WIRE ARE SUBJECT TO A $10 PROCESSING FEE.
(2) SHARES OF INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY EXCHANGED OR REDEEMED WITHIN 180 DAYS OF
THEIR PURCHASE ARE SUBJECT TO A REDEMPTION FEE OF 2.0% OF THE VALUE OF THE
SHARES EXCHANGED OR REDEEMED. THIS REDEMPTION FEE IS RETAINED BY THE FUND.
SEE "HOW TO EXCHANGE FROM ONE ACCOUNT TO ANOTHER," PAGE 18 AND "HOW TO
REDEEM SHARES," PAGE 18.
(3) ASSUMES, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION GUIDELINES,
THAT THE ASSETS OF INTERNATIONAL GROWTH AND INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY REMAIN
CONSTANT AT $1,346,410,495 AND $377,128,391, RESPECTIVELY, THE ASSETS OF
THE FUNDS AS OF NOVEMBER 30, 1996. A PORTION OF THE MANAGEMENT FEE MAY BE
PAID BY THE FUNDS' MANAGER TO UNAFFILIATED THIRD PARTIES WHO PROVIDE
RECORDKEEPING AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE PERFORMED
BY AN AFFILIATE OF THE MANAGER. SEE "MANAGEMENT-TRANSFER AND ADMINISTRATIVE
SERVICES," PAGE 28.
(4) INTERNATIONAL GROWTH PAYS AN ANNUAL MANAGEMENT FEE OF 1.50% OF THE FIRST $1
BILLION OF AVERAGE NET ASSETS, 1.20% OF THE NEXT $1 BILLION OF AVERAGE NET
ASSETS, AND 1.10% OF AVERAGE NET ASSETS OVER $2 BILLION; INTERNATIONAL
DISCOVERY PAYS AN ANNUAL MANAGEMENT FEE OF 1.75% OF THE FIRST $500 MILLION
OF AVERAGE NET ASSETS, 1.40% OF THE NEXT $500 MILLION AVERAGE NET ASSETS,
AND 1.20% OF AVERAGE NET ASSETS OVER $1 BILLION; AND EMERGING MARKETS PAYS
AN ANNUAL MANAGEMENT FEE EQUAL TO 2.00% OF THE FIRST $500 MILLION OF
AVERAGE NET ASSETS, 1.50% OF THE NEXT $500 MILLION OF AVERAGE NET ASSETS,
AND 1.25% OF AVERAGE NEXT ASSETS OVER $1 BILLION.
(5) OTHER EXPENSES, WHICH INCLUDES THE FEES AND EXPENSES (INCLUDING LEGAL
COUNSEL FEES) OF THOSE DIRECTORS WHO ARE NOT "INTERESTED PERSONS" AS
DEFINED IN THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT, WERE LESS THAN 0.01 OF 1% OF AVERAGE
NET ASSETS FOR THE MOST RECENT FISCAL YEAR.
</TABLE>
The purpose of the table is to help you understand the various costs and
expenses that you, as a shareholder, will bear directly or indirectly in
connection with an investment in the class of shares of the funds offered by
this Prospectus. The example set forth above assumes reinvestment of all
dividends and distributions and uses a 5% annual rate of return as required by
Securities and Exchange Commission regulations.
NEITHER THE 5% RATE OF RETURN NOR THE EXPENSES SHOWN ABOVE SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED INDICATIONS OF PAST OR FUTURE RETURNS AND EXPENSES. ACTUAL RETURNS
AND EXPENSES MAY BE GREATER OR LESS THAN THOSE SHOWN.
The shares offered by this Prospectus are Investor Class shares and have no
up-front or deferred sales charges, commissions, or 12b-1 fees. The funds offer
three other classes of shares, primarily to institutional investors, that have
different fee structures than the Investor Class. The difference in the fee
structures among the classes is the result of their separate arrangements for
shareholder and distribution services and not the result of any difference in
amounts charged by the manager for core investment advisory services.
Accordingly, the core investment advisory expenses do not vary by class. A
difference in fees will result in different performance for the other classes.
For additional information about the various classes, see "FURTHER INFORMATION
ABOUT AMERICAN CENTURY," page 29.
4 TRANSACTION AND OPERATING EXPENSE TABLE AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
INTERNATIONAL GROWTH
The Financial Highlights for the fiscal year ended November 30, 1996, have
been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors, whose report thereon
appears in the fund's annual report, which is incorporated by reference into the
Statement of Additional Information. The annual report contains additional
performance information and will be made available upon request and without
charge. The Financial Highlights for the periods ended on or before November 30,
1995, have been audited by Baird, Kurtz & Dobson, independent certified public
accountants. The information presented is for a share outstanding throughout the
years ended November 30, except as noted.
1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991(1)
PER-SHARE DATA
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period ....... $7.51 $7.47 $7.34 $5.79 $5.33 $5.10
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
Income From Investment Operations
Net Investment Income (Loss) ...........(0.01)(2) 0.01 (0.04) (0.04) 0.06 0.01
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain
on Investment Transactions ............. 1.24 0.40 0.57 1.78 0.41 0.22
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
Total From Investment Operations ....... 1.23 0.41 0.53 1.74 0.47 0.23
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
Distributions
From Net Investment Income ............. (0.01) -- -- (0.04) (0.01) --
In Excess of Net Investment Income ..... -- -- -- (0.15) -- --
From Net Realized Gains
on Investment Transactions ............. -- (0.37) (0.40) -- -- --
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
Total Distributions .................... (0.01) (0.37) (0.40) (0.19) (0.01) --
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
Net Asset Value, End of Period ............. $8.73 $7.51 $7.47 $7.34 $5.79 $5.33
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
Total Return(3) ........................ 16.35% 5.93% 7.28% 31.04% 8.77% 4.51%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA
Ratio of Operating Expenses
to Average Net Assets ......................1.65%(4) 1.77% 1.84% 1.90% 1.91% 1.93%(5)
Ratio of Net Investment Income (Loss)
to Average Net Assets ...................... (0.07)% 0.25% (0.53)% (0.34)% 0.95% 0.26%(5)
Portfolio Turnover Rate .................... 158% 169% 242% 255% 180% 84%
Average Commission Paid per
Investment Security Traded ................. $0.0195 $0.0020 --(6) --(6) --(6) --(6)
Net Assets, End of Period (in thousands) ..$1,342,608 $1,210,442 $1,316,642 $759,238 $215,346 $43,076
(1) MAY 9, 1991, (INCEPTION) THROUGH NOVEMBER 30, 1991.
(2) COMPUTED USING AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD.
(3) TOTAL RETURN ASSUMES REINVESTMENT OF DIVIDENDS AND CAPITAL GAINS
DISTRIBUTIONS, IF ANY. TOTAL RETURNS FOR PERIODS LESS THAN ONE YEAR ARE NOT
ANNUALIZED.
(4) THE MANAGER HAD VOLUNTARILY WAIVED A PORTION OF ITS MANAGEMENT FEE FROM
AUGUST 1, 1996, THROUGH NOVEMBER 30, 1996. IN ABSENCE OF THE WAIVER, THE
RATIO OF OPERATING EXPENSES TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS WOULD HAVE BEEN 1.76%.
(5) ANNUALIZED.
(6) DISCLOSURE OF AVERAGE COMMISSION PAID PER INVESTMENT SECURITY TRADED WAS
NOT REQUIRED PRIOR TO THE YEAR ENDED NOVEMBER 30, 1995.
</TABLE>
PROSPECTUS FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 5
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY
The Financial Highlights for the fiscal year ended November 30, 1996, have
been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors, whose report thereon
appears in the fund's annual report, which is incorporated by reference into the
Statement of Additional Information. The annual report contains additional
performance information and will be made available upon request and without
charge. The Financial Highlights for the periods ended on or before November 30,
1995, have been audited by Baird, Kurtz & Dobson, independent certified public
accountants. The information presented is for a share outstanding throughout the
years ended November 30, except as noted.
1996 1995 1994(1)
PER-SHARE DATA
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period ............................. $5.70 $5.39 $5.00
----------- ----------- -----------
Income From Investment Operations
Net Investment Income (Loss) ................................. (0.02)(2) 0.03 (0.02)
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain
on Investment Transactions ................................... 1.95 0.28 0.41
----------- ----------- -----------
Total From Investment Operations ............................. 1.93 0.31 0.39
----------- ----------- -----------
Distributions
From Net Investment Income ................................... (0.01) -- --
In Excess of Net Investment Income ........................... (0.02) -- --
----------- ----------- -----------
Total Distributions .......................................... (0.03) -- --
----------- ----------- -----------
Net Asset Value, End of Period ................................... $7.60 $5.70 $5.39
=========== =========== ===========
Total Return(3) .............................................. 34.06% 5.75% 7.80%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA
Ratio of Operating Expenses to Average Net Assets ................ 1.88%(4) 2.00% 2.00%(5)
Ratio of Net Investment Income (Loss) to Average Net Assets ...... (0.31)% 0.27% (0.48)%(5)
Portfolio Turnover Rate .......................................... 130% 168% 56%
Average Commission Paid per Investment Security Traded ........... $0.0054 $0.0040 --(6)
Net Assets, End of Period (in thousands) ......................... $377,128 $114,579 $111,202
(1) APRIL 1, 1994, (INCEPTION) THROUGH NOVEMBER 30, 1994.
(2) COMPUTED USING AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD.
(3) TOTAL RETURN ASSUMES REINVESTMENT OF DIVIDENDS AND CAPITAL GAINS
DISTRIBUTIONS, IF ANY. TOTAL RETURNS FOR PERIODS LESS THAN ONE YEAR ARE NOT
ANNUALIZED.
(4) THE MANAGER HAD VOLUNTARILY WAIVED A PORTION OF ITS MANAGEMENT FEE FROM
AUGUST 1, 1996, THROUGH NOVEMBER 30, 1996. IN ABSENCE OF THE WAIVER, THE
RATIO OF OPERATING EXPENSES TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS WOULD HAVE BEEN 1.99%.
(5) ANNUALIZED.
(6) DISCLOSURE OF AVERAGE COMMISSION PAID PER INVESTMENT SECURITY TRADED WAS
NOT REQUIRED PRIOR TO THE YEAR ENDED NOVEMBER 30, 1995.
</TABLE>
6 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS
INVESTMENT POLICIES OF THE FUNDS
The funds have adopted certain investment restrictions that are set forth in
the Statement of Additional Information. Those restrictions, as well as the
investment objectives of the funds as listed on page 2 of this Prospectus, and
any other investment policies designated as "fundamental" in this Prospectus or
in the Statement of Additional Information, cannot be changed without
shareholder approval. The funds have implemented additional investment policies
and practices to guide their activities in the pursuit of their respective
investment objectives. These policies and practices, which are described
throughout this Prospectus, are not designated as fundamental policies and may
be changed without shareholder approval.
YOU SHOULD READ AND CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE INFORMATION UNDER "RISK FACTORS,"
PAGE 10, BEFORE MAKING AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUNDS.
INTERNATIONAL GROWTH
The investment objective of the International Growth Fund is capital growth.
The fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in
securities of foreign issuers that meet certain fundamental and technical
standards of selection (relating primarily to acceleration of earnings and
revenues) and have, in the opinion of the investment manager, potential for
appreciation. The fund will invest primarily in issuers in developed markets.
The fund will invest primarily in equity securities (defined to include equity
equivalents) of such issuers and will attempt to stay fully invested in such
securities, regardless of the movement of stock prices generally.
Although the primary investment of the fund will be equity securities, the
fund may also invest in other types of securities consistent with the
accomplishment of the fund's objectives. When the manager believes that the
total return potential of other securities equals or exceeds the potential
return of equity securities, the fund may invest up to 35% in such other
securities.
The other securities the fund may invest in are bonds, notes and debt
securities of companies and obligations of domestic or foreign governments and
their agencies. The fund will limit its purchases of debt securities to
investment-grade obligations. For long-term debt obligations this includes
securities that are rated Baa or better by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or
BBB or better by Standard & Poor's Corporation, or that are not rated but
considered by the manager to be of equivalent quality. According to Moody's,
bonds rated Baa are medium-grade and possess some speculative characteristics. A
BBB rating by S&P indicates S&P's belief that a security exhibits a satisfactory
degree of safety and capacity for repayment, but is more vulnerable to adverse
economic conditions or changing circumstances than is the case with
higher-quality debt securities (see "AN EXPLANATION OF FIXED INCOME SECURITIES
RATINGS" in the Statement of Additional Information).
INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY
The investment objective of the International Discovery Fund is capital
growth. The fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing
primarily in an internationally diversified portfolio of equity securities of
issuers that meet certain fundamental and technical standards of selection
(relating primarily to acceleration of earnings and revenues). The fund will
invest its assets primarily in equity securities of smaller foreign issuers
(those issuers having, at the time of investment, a market capitalization of
less than U.S. $1 billion or a public float of less than U.S. $500 million). The
"public float" of an issuer is defined as the aggregate market value of the
issuer's outstanding securities held by non-affiliates of the issuer. The fund
may invest up to 50% of its assets in securities of issuers in emerging market
countries.
DUE TO THE SIGNIFICANT RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FUND'S INVESTMENT STRATEGY,
AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR ALL INVESTORS. See "RISK
FACTORS," page 10.
The fund may invest in securities of any type of
PROSPECTUS INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS 7
issuer, including closed-end investment companies, governments and governmental
entities, as well as corporations, partnerships and other business
organizations. The manager believes that common stocks and other equity and
equity equivalent securities ordinarily offer the greatest potential for capital
appreciation and will constitute the majority of the fund's investments. The
fund may invest, however, in any security the manager believes has the potential
for capital appreciation. The other securities the fund may invest in include
bonds, notes and debt securities of companies and obligations of domestic or
foreign governments and their agencies. The fund will attempt to stay fully
invested regardless of the movement of stock and bond prices generally.
There are no credit quality or maturity restrictions with regard to the
bonds, corporate debt securities, and government obligations in which the fund
may invest, although less than 35% of the fund's assets will be invested in
below-investment-grade fixed income securities (see "AN EXPLANATION OF FIXED
INCOME SECURITIES RATINGS" in the Statement of Additional Information). Debt
securities, especially those of issuers in emerging market countries, may be of
poor quality and speculative in nature. While these securities will primarily be
chosen for their appreciation potential, the fund may also take the potential
for income into account when selecting investments.
To enhance the fund's liquidity, at least 50% of the fund's assets will be
invested in developed market countries at all times. However, the percentage of
the assets of the fund invested in developed and emerging markets will vary as,
in the opinion of the investment manager, market conditions warrant. No more
than 15% of the fund's assets may be invested in illiquid investments at any
time.
EMERGING MARKETS
The investment objective of the Emerging Markets Fund is capital growth. The
fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in an
internationally diversified portfolio of equity securities that meet certain
fundamental and technical standards of selection (relating primarily to
acceleration of earnings and revenues). The fund will invest its assets
primarily in the securities of issuers in emerging market countries. The
securities in which the fund may invest include not only the securities of
issuers located or principally traded in emerging market countries, but also
include the securities of issuers which derive a significant portion of their
business from emerging market countries. DUE TO THE SIGNIFICANT RISKS ASSOCIATED
WITH INVESTING IN EMERGING MARKETS, AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND MAY NOT BE
APPROPRIATE FOR ALL INVESTORS. See "RISK FACTORS," page 10.
The fund may invest in securities of any type of issuer, including
closed-end investment companies, governments and governmental entities, as well
as corporations, partnerships and other business organizations. The manager
believes that common stocks and other equity and equity equivalent securities
ordinarily offer the greatest potential for capital appreciation and will
constitute the majority of the fund's investments. The fund may invest, however,
in any security the manager believes has the potential for capital appreciation.
The other securities the fund may invest in include bonds, notes and debt
securities of companies and obligations of domestic or foreign governments and
their agencies. The fund will attempt to stay fully invested regardless of the
movement of stock and bond prices generally.
There are no credit quality or maturity restrictions with regard to the
bonds, corporate debt securities, and government obligations in which the fund
may invest, although less than 35% of the fund's assets will be invested in
below investment grade fixed income securities. See "AN EXPLANATION OF FIXED
INCOME SECURITIES RATINGS" in the Statement of Additional Information. Debt
securities, especially those of issuers in emerging market countries, may be of
poor quality and speculative in nature. While these securities will primarily be
chosen for their appreciation potential, the fund may also take the potential
for income into account when selecting investments.
POLICIES APPLICABLE TO ALL FUNDS
Under normal conditions, each fund will invest at least 65% of its assets in
equity and equity equivalent securities of issuers from at least three countries
outside of the United States. While securities of U.S. issuers may be included
in the portfolio from time to time, it is the primary intent of the manager to
diversify investments in a fund across a broad range
8 INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
of foreign issuers. The manager defines "foreign issuer" as an issuer of
securities that is domiciled outside the United States, derives at least 50% of
its total revenue from production or sales outside the United States, or whose
principal trading market is outside the United States.
The funds may make foreign investments either directly in foreign
securities, or indirectly by purchasing depositary receipts or depositary shares
or similar instruments ("DRs") for foreign securities. DRs are securities that
are listed on exchanges or quoted in over-the-counter markets in one country but
represent shares of issuers domiciled in another country. The funds may also
purchase securities of such issuers in foreign markets, either on foreign
securities exchanges or in the over-the-counter markets.
The funds may also invest in other equity securities and equity equivalents.
Other equity securities and equity equivalents include securities that permit
the funds to receive an equity interest in an issuer, the opportunity to acquire
an equity interest in an issuer, or the opportunity to receive a return on its
investment that permits the fund to benefit from the growth over time in the
equity of an issuer. Examples of other equity securities and equity equivalents
are preferred stock, convertible preferred stock and convertible debt
securities. Equity equivalents may also include securities whose value or return
is derived from the value or return of a different security. An example of one
type of derivative security in which the funds might invest is a depositary
receipt.
Notwithstanding the funds' respective investment objectives of capital
growth, under exceptional market or economic conditions, each fund may
temporarily invest all or a substantial portion of its assets in cash or
investment-grade short-term securities (denominated in U.S. dollars or foreign
currencies).
To the extent a fund assumes a defensive position, it will not be pursuing
its investment objective of capital growth.
In addition to other factors that will affect their value, the value of a
fund's investments in fixed income securities will change as prevailing interest
rates change. In general, the prices of such securities vary inversely with
interest rates. As prevailing interest rates fall, the prices of bonds and other
securities that trade on a yield basis rise. When prevailing interest rates
rise, bond prices generally fall. These changes in value may, depending upon the
particular amount and type of fixed income securities holdings of a fund, impact
the net asset value of that fund's shares. See "HOW SHARE PRICE IS DETERMINED,"
page 24.
In order to achieve maximum investment flexibility, the funds have not
established geographic limits on asset distribution, on either a
country-by-country or region-by-region basis. The manager expects to invest both
in issuers in developed markets (such as Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan)
and in issuers in emerging market countries.
The funds consider "emerging market countries" to include all countries that
are generally considered to be developing or emerging countries by the
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (commonly referred to as
the World Bank) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), as well as
countries that are classified by the United Nations as developing. Currently,
the countries not included in this category are the United States, Canada,
Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Ireland, Spain,
Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark,
Australia and New Zealand. In addition, as used in this Prospectus, "securities
of issuers in emerging market countries" means (i) securities of issuers the
principal securities trading market for which is an emerging market country,
(ii) securities, regardless of where traded, of issuers that derive 50% or more
of their total revenue from either goods or services produced in emerging market
countries or sales made in emerging market countries, or (iii) securities of
issuers having their principal place of business or principal office in emerging
market countries.
The principal criteria for inclusion of a security in a fund's portfolio is
its ability to meet the fundamental and technical standards of selection and, in
the opinion of the manager, to achieve better-than-average appreciation. If, in
the opinion of the manager, a particular security satisfies these principal
criteria, the security may be included in the fund's portfolio, regardless of
the location of the issuer or the percentage of the fund's investments in the
issuer's country (subject to the investment policies of the particular fund) or
region.
PROSPECTUS INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS 9
At the same time, however, the manager recognizes that both the selection of
a fund's individual securities and the allocation of the portfolio's assets
across different countries and regions are important factors in managing an
international portfolio. For this reason, the manager will also consider a
number of other factors in making investment selections including: the prospects
for relative economic growth among countries or regions, economic and political
conditions, expected inflation rates, currency exchange fluctuations and tax
considerations.
RISK FACTORS
INVESTING IN FOREIGN SECURITIES GENERALLY
Investing in securities of foreign issuers generally involves greater risks
than investing in the securities of domestic companies. As with any investment
in securities, the value of an investment in the funds can decrease as well as
increase, depending upon a variety of factors which may affect the values and
income generated by the funds' portfolio securities. Potential investors should
carefully consider the following factors:
CURRENCY RISK. The value of the foreign investments held by the funds may be
significantly affected by changes in currency exchange rates. The dollar value
of a foreign security generally decreases when the value of the dollar rises
against the foreign currency in which the security is denominated and tends to
increase when the value of the dollar falls against such currency. In addition,
the value of fund assets may be affected by losses and other expenses incurred
in converting between various currencies in order to purchase and sell foreign
securities and by currency restrictions, exchange control regulation, currency
devaluations and political developments.
POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC RISK. The economies of many of the countries in which
the funds invest are not as developed as the economy of the United States and
may be subject to significantly different forces. Political or social
instability, expropriation, nationalization, or confiscatory taxation, and
limitations on the removal of funds or other assets, could also adversely affect
the value of investments. Further, the funds may encounter difficulties or be
unable to enforce ownership rights, pursue legal remedies or obtain judgments in
foreign courts.
REGULATORY RISK. Foreign companies are generally not subject to the
regulatory controls imposed on U.S. issuers and, in general, there is less
publicly available information about foreign securities than is available about
domestic securities. Many foreign companies are not subject to uniform
accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and
requirements comparable to those applicable to domestic companies. Income from
foreign securities owned by the funds may be reduced by a withholding tax at the
source which would reduce dividend income payable to shareholders. See "TAXES,"
page 25.
MARKET AND TRADING RISK. Brokerage commission rates in foreign countries,
which are generally fixed rather than subject to negotiation as in the U.S., are
likely to be higher. The securities markets in many of the countries in which
the funds invest will have substantially less trading volume than the principal
U.S. markets. As a result, the securities of some companies in these countries
may be less liquid and more volatile than comparable U.S. securities.
Furthermore, one securities broker may represent all or a significant part of
the trading volume in a particular country, resulting in higher trading costs
and decreased liquidity due to a lack of alternative trading partners. There is
generally less government regulation and supervision of foreign stock exchanges,
brokers and issuers which may make it difficult to enforce contractual
obligations.
CLEARANCE AND SETTLEMENT RISK. Foreign securities markets also have
different clearance and settlement procedures, and in certain markets there have
been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of
securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such transactions.
Delays in clearance and settlement could result in temporary periods when assets
of the funds are uninvested and no return is earned thereon. The inability of
the funds to make intended security purchases due to clearance and settlement
problems could cause the funds to miss attractive investment opportunities.
Inability to dispose of portfolio securities due to clearance and settlement
problems could result either in losses to the funds due to subsequent declines
in value of the portfolio security or, if the fund has
10 INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
entered into a contract to sell the security, liability to the purchaser.
As a result, these funds are intended for aggressive investors seeking
significant gains through investments in foreign securities. Those investors
must be willing and able to accept the significantly greater risks associated
with the investment strategy that the funds will pursue. An investment in the
funds should not be considered a complete investment program and is not
appropriate for individuals with limited investment resources or who are unable
to tolerate fluctuations in the value of their investment.
INVESTING IN SMALLER COMPANIES
International Discovery will invest primarily in securities of companies
having, at the time of investment, a market capitalization of less than U.S. $1
billion or a public float of less than U.S. $500 million. These smaller
companies may present greater opportunities for capital appreciation, but may
also involve greater risks than large, mature issuers. Such companies may have
limited product lines, markets or financial resources, and their securities may
trade less frequently and in more limited volume than the securities of larger
companies. In addition, available information regarding these smaller companies
may be less available and, when available, may be incomplete or inaccurate. The
securities of such companies may also be more likely to be delisted from trading
on their primary domestic exchange. As a result, the securities of smaller
companies may experience significantly more price volatility and less liquidity
than securities of larger companies, and this volatility and limited liquidity
may be reflected in the net asset value of the fund.
INVESTING IN EMERGING MARKET COUNTRIES
Each of the funds included in this Prospectus may invest in securities of
issuers in emerging market countries. Investing in emerging market countries
involves exposure to significantly higher risk than investing in countries with
developed markets. Emerging market countries may have economic structures that
are generally less diverse and mature and political systems that can be expected
to be less stable than those of developed countries.
Securities prices in emerging market countries can be significantly more
volatile than in developed countries, reflecting the greater uncertainties of
investing in lesser developed markets and economies. In particular, emerging
market countries may have relatively unstable governments, and may present the
risk of nationalization of businesses, expropriation, confiscatory taxation or,
in certain instances, reversion to closed market, centrally planned economies.
Such countries may also have restrictions on foreign ownership or prohibitions
on the repatriation of assets, and may have less protection of property rights
than developed countries.
The economies of emerging market countries may be predominantly based on
only a few industries or dependent on revenues from particular commodities or on
international aid or development assistance, may be highly vulnerable to changes
in local or global trade conditions, and may suffer from extreme and volatile
debt burdens or inflation rates. In addition, securities markets in emerging
market countries may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to
respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially resulting in a
lack of liquidity and greater volatility in the price of securities traded on
those markets.
The funds may not always purchase securities on the principal market.
Depositary receipts, depositary shares, or other equity equivalents ("DRs") may
be purchased if considered to be more attractive than the underlying securities.
DRs are typically issued by a bank or trust company evidencing ownership of an
underlying foreign security. In emerging markets countries, the funds may invest
in DRs which are structured by a bank or trust company without the sponsorship
of the underlying foreign issuer. In addition to the risks of foreign investment
applicable to the underlying securities, such unsponsored DRs may also be
subject to the risks that the foreign issuer may not be obliged to cooperate
with the bank, may not provide financial or other information to the bank, or
may dispute or refuse to recognize the ownership of the underlying securities
which may result in a loss of the fund's investment.
INVESTING IN LOWER-QUALITY DEBT INSTRUMENTS
There are no credit, maturity or investment amount restrictions on the
bonds, corporate debt
PROSPECTUS INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS 11
securities, and government obligations in which International Discovery and
Emerging Markets may invest. Debt securities, especially those in emerging
market countries, may be of poor quality, unrated and speculative in nature.
Debt securities rated lower than Baa by Moody's or BBB by S&P or their
equivalent, sometimes referred to as junk bonds, are considered by many to be
predominately speculative. See "AN EXPLANATION OF FIXED INCOME SECURITIES
RATINGS" in the Statement of Additional Information. Changes in economic
conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity
to make principal and interest payments on such securities than is the case with
higher-quality debt securities. Regardless of rating levels, all debt securities
considered for purchase by the fund are analyzed by the manager to determine, to
the extent reasonably possible, that the planned investment is sound given the
investment objective of the fund.
OTHER INVESTMENT PRACTICES, THEIR CHARACTERISTICS AND RISKS
For additional information, see "INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS" in the Statement
of Additional Information.
FORWARD CURRENCY EXCHANGE CONTRACTS
Some of the securities held by the funds will be denominated in foreign
currencies. Other securities, such as DRs, may be denominated in U.S. dollars,
but have a value that is dependent upon the performance of a foreign security,
as valued in the currency of its home country. As a result, the value of a fund'
s portfolio may be affected by changes in the exchange rates between foreign
currencies and the U.S. dollar, as well as by changes in the market values of
the securities themselves. The performance of foreign currencies relative to the
U.S. dollar may be an important factor in the overall performance of the funds.
To protect against adverse movements in exchange rates between currencies, a
fund may, for hedging purposes only, enter into forward currency exchange
contracts. A forward currency exchange contract obligates the fund to purchase
or sell a specific currency at a future date at a specific price.
A fund may elect to enter into a forward currency exchange contract with
respect to a specific purchase or sale of a security, or with respect to the
fund's portfolio positions generally.
By entering into a forward currency exchange contract with respect to the
specific purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency, a
fund can "lock in" an exchange rate between the trade and settlement dates for
that purchase or sale. This practice is sometimes referred to as "transaction
hedging." Each fund may enter into transaction hedging contracts with respect to
all or a substantial portion of its trades.
When the manager believes that a particular currency may decline in value
compared to the U.S. dollar, the fund may enter into a forward currency exchange
contract to sell an amount of foreign currency equal to the value of some or all
of the fund's portfolio securities either denominated in, or whose value is tied
to, that currency. This practice is sometimes referred to as "portfolio
hedging." The fund may not enter into a portfolio hedging transaction where the
fund would be obligated to deliver an amount of foreign currency in excess of
the aggregate value of the fund's portfolio securities or other assets
denominated in, or whose value is tied to, that currency.
The fund will make use of portfolio hedging to the extent deemed appropriate
by the manager. However, it is anticipated that a fund will enter into portfolio
hedges much less frequently than transaction hedges.
If the fund enters into a forward currency exchange contract, the fund, when
required, will instruct its custodian bank to segregate cash or liquid
high-grade securities in a separate account in an amount sufficient to cover its
obligation under the contract. Those assets will be valued at market daily, and
if the value of the segregated securities declines, additional cash or
securities will be added so that the value of the account is not less than the
amount of the fund's commitment. At any given time, no more than 10% of a fund's
assets will be committed to a segregated account in connection with portfolio
hedging transactions.
Predicting the relative future values of currencies is very difficult, and
there is no assurance that any attempt to reduce the risk of adverse currency
movements through the use of forward currency exchange contracts will be
successful. In addition, the use of forward currency exchange contracts tends to
limit the potential gains that might result from a positive
12 INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
change in the relationship between the foreign currency and the U.S. dollar.
INDIRECT FOREIGN INVESTMENT
Subject to certain restrictions contained in the Investment Company Act,
each fund may invest up to 10% of its assets in certain foreign countries
indirectly through investment funds and registered investment companies
authorized to invest in those countries. If the funds invest in investment
companies, the funds will bear their proportionate shares of the costs incurred
by such companies, including investment advisory fees, if any.
SOVEREIGN DEBT OBLIGATIONS
The funds may purchase sovereign debt instruments issued or guaranteed by
foreign governments or their agencies, including debt of emerging market
countries. Sovereign debt may be in the form of conventional securities or other
types of debt instruments such as loans or loan participations. Sovereign debt
of emerging market countries may involve a high degree of risk and may present a
risk of default or renegotiation or rescheduling of debt payments.
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The portfolio turnover rates of the funds are shown in the financial
information on pages 5 and 6 of this Prospectus.
Investment decisions to purchase and sell securities are based on the
anticipated contribution of the security in question to a fund's objectives. The
manager believes that the rate of portfolio turnover is irrelevant when it
determines that a change is in order to achieve those objectives and
accordingly, the annual portfolio turnover rate cannot be anticipated.
The portfolio turnover of each fund may be higher than other mutual funds
with similar investment objectives. Higher turnover would generate
correspondingly greater brokerage commissions, which is a cost that the funds
pay directly. It may also affect the character of capital gains, if any,
realized and distributed by a fund since short-term capital gains are taxable as
ordinary income.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS
Each fund may invest in repurchase agreements when such transactions present
an attractive short-term return on cash that is not otherwise committed to the
purchase of securities pursuant to the fund's investment policies.
A repurchase agreement occurs when a fund purchases an interest-bearing
obligation from a bank or broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 and simultaneously agrees to sell it back on a specified date in the
future (usually less than one week later) at a higher price. The repurchase
price reflects an agreed-upon interest rate during the time the fund's money is
invested in the security and is considered by the staff of the SEC to be a loan
by the fund. Since the interest-bearing obligation purchased constitutes
security for the repurchase obligation, a repurchase agreement can be considered
a loan collateralized by the interest-bearing obligation.
A fund's risk in connection with repurchase agreements is the ability of the
seller to pay the repurchase price on the repurchase date. If the seller
defaults, the fund may incur costs, delays or losses.
The funds will enter into repurchase agreements only with those commercial
banks and broker-dealers whose creditworthiness has been reviewed and found
satisfactory by the funds' manager pursuant to criteria adopted by the funds'
Board of Directors.
WHEN-ISSUED SECURITIES
Each fund may purchase new issues of securities on a when-issued basis
without limit when, in the opinion of the investment manager, such purchases
will further the investment objectives of the fund. The price of when-issued
securities is established at the time the commitment to purchase is made. In
developed markets, delivery of and payment for these securities typically occur
15 to 45 days after the commitment to purchase. In emerging markets, delivery
and payment may take significantly longer.
Market rates of interest on debt securities at the time of delivery may be
higher or lower than those contracted for on the when-issued security.
Accordingly, the value of such security may decline prior to delivery, which
could result in a loss to the fund. A separate account for each fund consisting
of cash or high-quality liquid debt securities in an amount at least equal to
the when-issued commitments will be established and maintained with the
PROSPECTUS INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS 13
custodian. No income will accrue to the fund prior to delivery.
SHORT SALES
A fund may engage in short sales if, at the time of the short sale, the fund
owns or has the right to acquire securities equivalent in kind and amount to the
securities being sold short. Such transactions allow the fund to hedge against
price fluctuations by locking in a sale price for securities it does not wish to
sell immediately.
A fund may make a short sale when it wants to sell the security it owns at a
current attractive price, but also wishes to defer recognition of gain or loss
for federal income tax purposes and for purposes of satisfying certain tests
applicable to regulated investment companies under the Internal Revenue Code.
RULE 144A SECURITIES
The funds may, from time to time, purchase Rule 144A securities when they
present attractive investment opportunities that otherwise meet the funds'
criteria for selection. Rule 144A securities are securities that are privately
placed with and traded among qualified institutional investors rather than the
general public. Although Rule 144A securities are considered "restricted
securities," they are not necessarily illiquid.
With respect to securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A, the staff of
the Securities and Exchange Commission has taken the position that the liquidity
of such securities in the portfolio of a fund offering redeemable securities is
a question of fact for the Board of Directors to determine, such determination
to be based upon a consideration of the readily available trading markets and
the review of any contractual restrictions. The staff also acknowledges that,
while the Board retains ultimate responsibility, it may delegate this function
to the manager. Accordingly, the Board has established guidelines and procedures
for determining the liquidity of Rule 144A securities and has delegated the
day-to-day function of determining the liquidity of Rule 144A securities to the
manager. The Board retains the responsibility to monitor the implementation of
the guidelines and procedures it has adopted.
Since the secondary market for such securities is limited to certain
qualified institutional investors, the liquidity of such securities may be
limited accordingly and a fund may, from time to time, hold a Rule 144A security
that is illiquid. In such an event, the funds' manager will consider appropriate
remedies to minimize the effect on such fund's liquidity. No fund may invest
more than 15% of its assets in illiquid securities (securities that may not be
sold within seven days at approximately the price used in determining the net
asset value of fund shares).
PERFORMANCE ADVERTISING
From time to time, the funds may advertise performance data. Fund
performance may be shown by presenting one or more performance measurements,
including cumulative total return or average annual total return. Performance
data may be quoted separately for the Investor Class and for the other classes
offered by the funds.
Cumulative total return data is computed by considering all elements of
return, including reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions,
over a stated period of time. Average annual total return is determined by
computing the annual compound return over a stated period of time that would
have produced the fund's cumulative total return over the same period if the
fund's performance had remained constant throughout.
The funds may also include in advertisements data comparing performance with
the performance of non-related investment media, published editorial comments
and performance rankings compiled by independent organizations (such as Lipper
Analytical Services) and publications that monitor the performance of mutual
funds. Performance information may be quoted numerically or may be presented in
a table, graph or other illustration. In addition, fund performance may be
compared to well-known indices of market performance including the Standard &
Poor's 500 Index, the Dow Jones World Index, the IFC Global Composite Index and
the Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe, Australia, Far East Index (EAFE
Index). Fund performance may also be compared to the rankings prepared by Lipper
Analytical Services, Inc. In addition, fund performance may be compared, on a
relative basis, to other funds in our fund family. This relative comparison,
which may be based upon
14 INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
historical or expected fund performance, volatility or other fund
characteristics, may be presented numerically, graphically or in text. Fund
performance may also be combined or blended with other funds in our fund family,
and that combined or blended performance may be compared to the same indices to
which individual funds may be compared.
All performance information advertised by the funds is historical in nature
and is not intended to represent or guarantee future results. The value of fund
shares when redeemed may be more or less than their original cost.
PROSPECTUS INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS 15
HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
The funds offered by this Prospectus are a part of the American Century
Investments family of mutual funds. Our family provides a full range of
investment opportunities, from the aggressive equity growth funds in our
Twentieth Century Group, to the fixed income funds in our Benham Group, to the
moderate risk and specialty funds in our American Century Group. Please call
1-800-345-2021 for a brochure or prospectuses for the other funds in the
American Century Investments family.
To reduce expenses and demonstrate respect for our environment, we have
initiated a project through which we will eliminate duplicate copies of most
financial reports and prospectuses to most households and deliver account
statements to most households in a single envelope, even if they have more than
one account. If additional copies of financial reports and prospectuses or
separate mailing of account statements is desired, please call us at the
above-referenced telephone number.
INVESTING IN AMERICAN CENTURY
The following section explains how to invest in American Century funds,
including purchases, redemptions, exchanges and special services. You will find
more detail about doing business with us by referring to the Investor Services
Guide that you will receive when you open an account.
If you own or are considering purchasing fund shares through an
employer-sponsored retirement plan or through a bank, broker-dealer or other
financial intermediary, the following sections, as well as the information
contained in our Investor Services Guide, may not apply to you. Please read
"EMPLOYER-SPONSORED RETIREMENT PLANS AND INSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNTS," page 22.
HOW TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT
To open an account, you must complete and sign an application, furnishing
your taxpayer identification number. (You must also certify whether you are
subject to withholding for failing to report income to the IRS.) Investments
received without a certified taxpayer identification number will be returned.
The minimum investment in International Growth is $2,500 [$1,000 for IRA and
Uniform Gifts/Transfers to Minors Acts ("UGMA/UTMA") accounts]. This minimum
will be waived if you establish an automatic investment plan to your account
that is the equivalent of at least $50 per month. See "AUTOMATIC INVESTMENT
PLAN," page 17.
The minimum investment in International Discovery and Emerging Markets is
$10,000. To keep an International Discovery or Emerging Markets account open, a
minimum share value of $10,000 must be maintained. If the share value of your
account falls below $10,000, the shares in your account will be subject to
automatic redemption. See "REDEMPTION OF SHARES IN LOW-BALANCE ACCOUNTS," on
page 20.
The minimum investment requirements may be different for some types of
retirement accounts. Call one of our Investor Services Representatives for
information on our retirement plans, which are available for individual
investors or for those investing through their employers.
PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU REGISTER YOUR ACCOUNT AS BELONGING TO MULTIPLE OWNERS
(E.G., AS JOINT TENANTS), YOU MUST PROVIDE US WITH SPECIFIC AUTHORIZATION ON
YOUR APPLICATION IN ORDER FOR US TO ACCEPT WRITTEN OR TELEPHONE INSTRUCTIONS
FROM A SINGLE OWNER. OTHERWISE, ALL OWNERS WILL HAVE TO AGREE TO ANY
TRANSACTIONS THAT INVOLVE THE ACCOUNT (WHETHER THE TRANSACTION REQUEST IS IN
WRITING OR OVER THE TELEPHONE).
You may invest in the following ways:
BY MAIL
Send a completed application and check or money order payable in U.S.
dollars to American Century Investments.
BY WIRE
You may make your initial investment by wiring funds. To do so, call us or
mail a completed application and provide your bank with the following
information:
16 HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
(*) RECEIVING BANK AND ROUTING NUMBER:
Commerce Bank, N.A. (101000019)
(*) BENEFICIARY (BNF):
American Century Services Corporation
4500 Main St., Kansas City, Missouri 64111
(*) BENEFICIARY ACCOUNT NUMBER (BNF ACCT):
2804918
(*) REFERENCE FOR BENEFICIARY (RFB):
American Century account number into which you are investing. If more than
one, leave blank and see Bank to Bank Information, this page.
(*) ORIGINATOR TO BENEFICIARY (OBI):
Name and address of owner of account into which you are investing.
(*) BANK TO BANK INFORMATION
(BBI OR FREE FORM TEXT):
* Taxpayer identification or Social Security
number.
* If more than one account, account numbers and amount to be invested in
each account.
* Current tax year, previous tax year or rollover designation if an IRA.
Specify whether IRA, SEP-IRA, SARSEP-IRA, SIMPLE Employer or SIMPLE
Employee.
BY EXCHANGE
Call 1-800-345-2021 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time to get information on
opening an account by exchanging from another American Century account. See this
page for more information on exchanges.
IN PERSON
If you prefer to work with a representative in person, please visit one of
our Investor Centers, located at:
4500 Main Street
Kansas City, Missouri 64111
4917 Town Center Drive
Leawood, Kansas 66211
1665 Charleston Road
Mountain View, California 94043
2000 S. Colorado Blvd.
Denver, Colorado 80222
SUBSEQUENT INVESTMENTS
Subsequent investments may be made by an automatic bank, payroll or
government direct deposit (see "AUTOMATIC INVESTMENT PLAN," this page) or by any
of the methods below. The minimum investment requirement for subsequent
investments: $250 for checks submitted without the investment slip portion of a
previous statement or confirmation, $50 for all other types of subsequent
investments.
BY MAIL
When making subsequent investments, enclose your check with the investment
slip portion of a previous statement or confirmation. If the investment slip is
not available, indicate your name, address and account number on your check or a
separate piece of paper. (PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE INVESTMENT MINIMUM FOR
SUBSEQUENT PURCHASES IS HIGHER WITHOUT AN INVESTMENT SLIP.)
BY TELEPHONE
Once your account is open, you may make investments by telephone if you have
authorized us (by choosing "Full Services" on your application) to draw on your
bank account. You may call an Investor Services Representative or use our
Automated Information Line.
BY ONLINE ACCESS
Once your account is open, you may make investments online if you have
authorized us (by choosing "Full Services" on your application) to draw on your
bank account.
BY WIRE
You may make subsequent investments by wire. Follow the wire transfer
instructions on page 16 and indicate your account number.
IN PERSON
You may make subsequent investments in person at one of our Investor
Centers. The locations of our four Investor Centers are listed on this page.
AUTOMATIC INVESTMENT PLAN
You may elect on your application to make investments automatically by
authorizing us to draw on your bank account regularly. Such investments must
PROSPECTUS HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS 17
be at least the equivalent of $50 per month. You also may choose an automatic
payroll or government direct deposit. If you are establishing a new account,
check the appropriate box under "Automatic Investments" on your application to
receive more information. If you would like to add a direct deposit to an
existing account, please call one of our Investor Services Representatives.
HOW TO EXCHANGE FROM ONE ACCOUNT TO ANOTHER
As long as you meet any minimum investment requirements, you may exchange
your fund shares to our other funds up to six times per year per account. An
exchange request will be processed as of the same day it is received, if it is
received before the funds' net asset values are calculated, which is one hour
prior to the close of the New York Stock Exchange for the funds issued by the
American Century Target Maturities Trust, and at the close of the Exchange for
all of our other funds. See "WHEN SHARE PRICE IS DETERMINED," page 24.
For any single exchange, the shares of each fund being acquired must have a
value of at least $100. However, we will allow investors to set up an Automatic
Exchange Plan between any two funds in the amount of at least $50 per month. See
our Investor Services Guide for further information about exchanges.
If, in any 90-day period, the total of your exchanges and your redemptions
from any one account exceeds the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the fund's assets,
further exchanges will be subject to special requirements to comply with our
policy on large redemptions. See "SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR LARGE REDEMPTIONS,"
page 19.
IN ORDER TO DISCOURAGE THE EXCHANGE OF SHARES OF INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY
SHORTLY AFTER THEIR PURCHASE, EXCHANGE OF THOSE SHARES WITHIN 180 DAYS OF THEIR
PURCHASE WILL BE SUBJECT TO A REDEMPTION FEE OF 2.0% OF THE VALUE OF THE SHARES
EXCHANGED. This fee will be retained by the fund to help minimize the impact
such exchanges have on fund performance and, hence, on the other shareholders of
the fund. For the purposes of determining the applicability of this fee, shares
first purchased will be deemed to be the shares first exchanged. The fund
reserves its right to modify its policy regarding this redemption fee or to
waive such policy in whole or in part for certain classes of investors.
BY MAIL
You may direct us in writing to exchange your shares from one American
Century account to another. For additional information, please see our Investor
Services Guide.
BY TELEPHONE
You can make exchanges over the telephone (either with an Investor Services
Representative or using our Automated Information Line -- see page 21) if you
have authorized us to accept telephone instructions. You can authorize this by
selecting "Full Services" on your application or by calling us at 1-800-345-2021
to get the appropriate form.
BY ONLINE ACCESS
You can make exchanges online if you have authorized us to accept
instructions over the Internet. You can authorize this by selecting "Full
Services" on your application or by calling us at 1-800-345-2021 to get the
appropriate form.
HOW TO REDEEM SHARES
We will redeem or "buy back" your shares at any time. Redemptions will be
made at the next net asset value determined after a complete redemption request
is received. For large redemptions, please read "SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR LARGE
REDEMPTIONS," page 19.
Please note that a request to redeem shares in an IRA or 403(b) plan must be
accompanied by an executed IRS Form W4-P and a reason for withdrawal as
specified by the IRS.
IN ORDER TO DISCOURAGE THE REDEMPTION OF SHARES OF INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY
SHORTLY AFTER THEIR PURCHASE, REDEMPTION OF THOSE SHARES WITHIN 180 DAYS OF
THEIR PURCHASE WILL BE SUBJECT TO A REDEMPTION FEE OF 2.0% OF THE VALUE OF THE
SHARES REDEEMED. This fee will be retained by the fund to help minimize the
impact such redemptions have on fund performance and, hence, on the other
shareholders of the fund. For the purposes of determining the applicability of
this fee, shares first purchased will be deemed to be the shares first redeemed.
The fund reserves its right to modify its policy regarding this redemption fee
or to waive such policy in whole or in part for certain classes of investors.
18 HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
BY MAIL
Your written instructions to redeem shares may be made either by a
redemption form, which we will send you upon request, or by a letter to us.
Certain redemptions may require a signature guarantee. See "SIGNATURE
GUARANTEE," page 20.
BY TELEPHONE
If you have authorized us to accept telephone instructions, you may redeem
your shares by calling an Investor Services Representative.
BY CHECK-A-MONTH
If you have at least a $10,000 balance in your account, you may redeem
shares by Check-A-Month. A Check-A-Month plan automatically redeems enough
shares each month to provide you with a check for an amount you choose (minimum
$50). To set up a Check-A-Month plan or to request a brochure, please call an
Investor Services Representative.
OTHER AUTOMATIC REDEMPTIONS
If you have at least a $10,000 balance in your account, you may elect to
make redemptions automatically by authorizing us to send funds directly to you
or your account at a bank or other financial institution. To set up automatic
redemptions, call one of our Investor Services Representatives.
REDEMPTION PROCEEDS
Please note that shortly after a purchase of shares is made by check or
electronic draft (also known as an ACH draft) from your bank, we may wait up to
15 days or longer to send redemption proceeds (to allow your purchase funds to
clear). No interest is paid on the redemption proceeds after the redemption is
processed but before your redemption proceeds are sent.
Redemption proceeds may be sent to you in one of the following ways:
BY CHECK
Ordinarily, all redemption checks will be made payable to the registered
owner of the shares and will be mailed only to the address of record. For more
information, please refer to our Investor Services Guide.
BY WIRE AND ACH
You may authorize us to transmit redemption proceeds by wire or ACH. These
services will be effective 15 days after we receive the authorization.
Your bank will usually receive wired funds within 48 hours of transmission.
Funds transferred by ACH may be received up to seven days after transmission.
Wired funds are subject to a $10 fee to cover bank wire charges, which is
deducted from redemption proceeds. Once the funds are transmitted, the time of
receipt and the funds' availability are not under our control.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR LARGE REDEMPTIONS
We have elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the Investment Company
Act, which obligates each fund to make certain redemptions in cash. This
requirement to pay redemptions in cash applies to situations where one
shareholder redeems, during any 90-day period, up to the lesser of $250,000 or
1% of the assets of the fund. Although redemptions in excess of this limitation
will also normally be paid in cash, we reserve the right under unusual
circumstances to honor these redemptions by making payment in whole or in part
in readily marketable securities (a "redemption-in-kind").
If payment is made in securities, the securities will be selected by the
fund, will be valued in the same manner as they are in computing the fund's net
asset value and will be provided without prior notice.
If your redemption would exceed this limit and you would like to avoid being
paid in securities, please provide us with an unconditional instruction to
redeem at least 15 days prior to the date on which the redemption transaction is
to occur. The instruction must specify the dollar amount or number of shares to
be redeemed and the date of the transaction. This minimizes the effect of the
redemption on the fund and its remaining shareholders.
Despite the funds' right to redeem shares through a redemption-in-kind, we
do not expect to exercise this option unless a fund has an unusually low level
of cash to meet redemptions and/or is experiencing unusually strong demands for
its cash. Such a demand might be caused, for example, by extreme
PROSPECTUS HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS 19
market conditions that result in an abnormally high level of redemption requests
concentrated in a short period of time. Absent these or similar circumstances,
we expect redemptions in excess of $250,000 to be paid in cash in any fund with
assets of more than $50 million if total redemptions from any one account in any
90-day period do not exceed one-half of 1% of the total assets of the fund.
REDEMPTION OF SHARES IN LOW-BALANCE ACCOUNTS
INTERNATIONAL GROWTH. If at any time you have an International Growth
account that falls into either of the following categories:
(i) you invested the required minimum initial investment amount for the
fund, currently $2,500 ($1,000 for UGMA/UTMA accounts), but due to exchanges or
redemptions you have made, the account now has a value of less than the minimum
initial investment amount; or
(ii) you have not invested the minimum initial investment amount, and an
automatic investment program of $50 or more per month does not exist for the
account;
a notification will be sent advising you of the need to either make an
investment to bring the value of the shares held in the account up to $2,500
($1,000) or to establish an Automatic Investment Plan of $50 or more per month.
If the investment is not made or the automatic investment is not established
within 90 days from the date of notification, the shares held in the account
will be redeemed and the proceeds from the redemption will be sent by check to
your address of record.
The automatic redemption of shares of International Growth will not apply to
Individual Retirement Accounts, 403(b) accounts and other types of tax-deferred
retirement plan accounts.
INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY AND EMERGING MARKETS. If at any time you have an
International Discovery or Emerging Markets account that falls into either of
the following categories:
(i) you invested the required minimum initial investment amount of $10,000,
but due to exchanges or redemptions you have made, the account now has a value
of less than $10,000; or
(ii) you have not invested $10,000;
a notification will be sent advising you of the need to make an investment to
bring the value of the shares held in the account up to $10,000. If the
investment is not made within 90 days from the date of notification, the shares
held in the fund account will be redeemed and the proceeds from the redemption
will be sent by check to your address of record.
The funds reserve the right to modify their policies regarding the automatic
redemption of shares, or to waive such policies in whole or in part for certain
classes of investors.
SIGNATURE GUARANTEE
To protect your accounts from fraud, some transactions will require a
signature guarantee. Which transactions will require a signature guarantee will
depend on which service options you elect when you open your account. For
example, if you choose "In Writing Only," a signature guarantee would be
required when:
* redeeming more than $25,000; or
* establishing or increasing a Check-A-Month or automatic transfer on an
existing account.
You can obtain a signature guarantee from a bank or trust company, credit
union, broker-dealer, securities exchange or association, clearing agency or
savings association, as defined by federal law.
For a more in-depth explanation of our signature guarantee policy, or if you
live outside the United States and would like to know how to obtain a signature
guarantee, please consult our Investor Services Guide.
We reserve the right to require a signature guarantee on any transaction, or
to change this policy at any time.
SPECIAL SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
We offer several service options to make your account easier to manage.
These are listed on the account application. Please make note of these options
and elect the ones that are appropriate for you. Be aware that the "Full
Services" option offers you the most flexibility. You will find more information
about each of these service options in our Investor Services Guide.
Our special shareholder services include:
20 HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
AUTOMATED INFORMATION LINE
We offer an Automated Information Line, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
at 1-800-345-8765. By calling the Automated Information Line, you may listen to
fund prices, yields and total return figures. You may also use the Automated
Information Line to make investments into your accounts (if we have your bank
information on file) and obtain your share balance, value and most recent
transactions. If you have authorized us to accept telephone instructions, you
also may exchange shares from one fund to another via the Automated Information
Line. Redemption instructions cannot be given via the Automated Information
Line.
ONLINE ACCOUNT ACCESS
You may contact us 24 hours a day, seven days a week at
www.americancentury.com to access your funds' daily share prices, receive
updates on major market indices and view historical performance of your funds.
If you select "Full Services" on your application, you can use your personal
access code and Social Security number to view your account balances and account
activity, make subsequent investments from your bank account or exchange shares
from one fund to another.
OPEN ORDER SERVICE
Through our open order service, you may designate a price at which to buy
shares of a variable-priced fund by exchange from one of our money market funds,
or a price at which to sell shares of a variable-priced fund by exchange to one
of our money market funds. The designated purchase price must be equal to or
lower, or the designated sale price equal to or higher, than the variable-priced
fund's net asset value at the time the order is placed. If the designated price
is met within 90 calendar days, we will execute your exchange order
automatically at that price (or better). Open orders not executed within 90 days
will be canceled.
If the fund you have selected deducts a distribution from its share price,
your order price will be adjusted accordingly so the distribution does not
inadvertently trigger an open order transaction on your behalf. If you close or
re-register the account from which the shares are to be redeemed, your open
order will be canceled.
Because of their time-sensitive nature, open order transactions are accepted
only by telephone or in person. These transactions are subject to exchange
limitations described in each fund's prospectus, except that orders and
cancellations received before 2 p.m. Central time are effective the same day,
and orders or cancellations received after 2 p.m. Central time are effective the
next business day.
TAX-QUALIFIED RETIREMENT PLANS
Each fund is available for your tax-deferred retirement plan. Call or write
us and request the appropriate forms for:
* Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs);
* 403(b) plans for employees of public school
systems and non-profit organizations; or
* Profit sharing plans and pension plans for
corporations and other employers.
If your IRA and 403(b) accounts do not total $10,000, each account is
subject to an annual $10 fee, up to a total of $30 per year.
You can also transfer your tax-deferred plan to us from another company or
custodian. Call or write us for a Request to Transfer form.
IMPORTANT POLICIES REGARDING YOUR INVESTMENTS
Every account is subject to policies that could affect your investment.
Please refer to the Investor Services Guide for further information about the
policies discussed below, as well as further detail about the services we offer
(1) We reserve the right for any reason to suspend the offering of shares
for a period of time, or to reject any specific purchase order
(including purchases by exchange). Additionally, purchases may be
refused if, in the opinion of the manager, they are of a size that
would disrupt the management of the fund.
(2) We reserve the right to make changes to any stated investment
requirements, including those that relate to purchases, transfers and
redemptions. In addition, we may also alter, add to or terminate any
investor services and privileges. Any changes may affect all
shareholders or only certain series or classes of shareholders.
(3) Shares being acquired must be qualified for sale in your state of
residence.
PROSPECTUS HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS 21
(4) Transactions requesting a specific price and date, other than open
orders, will be refused. Once you have mailed or otherwise transmitted
your transaction instructions to us, they may not be modified or
canceled.
(5) If a transaction request is made by a corporation, partnership, trust,
fiduciary, agent or unincorporated association, we will require
evidence satisfactory to us of the authority of the individual making
the request.
(6) We have established procedures designed to assure the authenticity of
instructions received by telephone. These procedures include requesting
personal identification from callers, recording telephone calls and
providing written confirmations of telephone transactions. These
procedures are designed to protect shareholders from unauthorized or
fraudulent instructions. If we do not employ reasonable procedures to
confirm the genuineness of instructions, then we may be liable for
losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent instructions. The company, its
transfer agent and investment advisor will not be responsible for any
loss due to instructions they reasonably believe are genuine.
(7) All signatures should be exactly as the name appears in the
registration. If the owner's name appears in the registration as Mary
Elizabeth Jones, she should sign that way and not as Mary E. Jones.
(8) Unusual stock market conditions have in the past resulted in an
increase in the number of shareholder telephone calls. If you
experience difficulty in reaching us during such periods, you may send
your transaction instructions by mail, express mail or courier service,
or you may visit one of our Investors Centers. You may also use our
Automated Information Line if you have requested and received an access
code and are not attempting to redeem shares.
(9) If you fail to provide us with the correct certified taxpayer
identification number, we may reduce any redemption proceeds by $50 to
cover the penalty the IRS will impose on us for failure to report your
correct taxpayer identification number on information reports.
(10) We will perform special inquiries on shareholder accounts. A research
fee of $15 per hour may be applied.
REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS
At the end of each calendar quarter, we will send you a consolidated
statement that summarizes all of your American Century holdings, as well as an
individual statement for each fund you own that reflects all year-to-date
activity in your account. You may request a statement of your account activity
at any time.
With the exception of most automatic transactions, each time you invest,
redeem, transfer or exchange shares, we will send you a confirmation of the
transaction. See the Investor Services Guide for more detail.
CAREFULLY REVIEW ALL THE INFORMATION RELATING TO TRANSACTIONS ON YOUR
STATEMENTS AND CONFIRMATIONS TO ENSURE THAT YOUR INSTRUCTIONS WERE ACTED ON
PROPERLY. PLEASE NOTIFY US IMMEDIATELY IN WRITING IF THERE IS AN ERROR. IF YOU
FAIL TO PROVIDE NOTIFICATION OF AN ERROR WITH REASONABLE PROMPTNESS, I.E.,
WITHIN 30 DAYS OF NON-AUTOMATIC TRANSACTIONS OR WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE DATE OF
YOUR CONSOLIDATED QUARTERLY STATEMENT, IN THE CASE OF AUTOMATIC TRANSACTIONS, WE
WILL DEEM YOU TO HAVE RATIFIED THE TRANSACTION.
No later than January 31 of each year, we will send you reports that you may
use in completing your U.S. income tax return. See the Investor Services Guide
for more information.
Each year, we will send you an annual and a semiannual report relating to
your fund, each of which is incorporated herein by reference. The annual report
includes audited financial statements and a list of portfolio securities as of
the fiscal year end. The semiannual report includes unaudited financial
statements for the first six months of the fiscal year, as well as a list of
portfolio securities at the end of the period. You also will receive an updated
Prospectus at least once each year. Please read these materials carefully as
they will help you understand your fund.
EMPLOYER-SPONSORED RETIREMENT PLANS AND INSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNTS
Information contained in our Investor Services Guide pertains to
shareholders who invest directly with American Century rather than through an
22 HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
employer-sponsored retirement plan or through a financial intermediary.
If you own or are considering purchasing fund shares through an
employer-sponsored retirement plan, your ability to purchase shares of the
funds, exchange them for shares of other American Century funds, and redeem them
will depend on the terms of your plan.
If you own or are considering purchasing fund shares through a bank,
broker-dealer, insurance company or other financial intermediary, your ability
to purchase, exchange and redeem shares will depend on your agreement with, and
the policies of, such financial intermediary.
You may reach one of our Institutional Service Representatives by calling
1-800-345-3533 to request information about the funds, to obtain a current
Prospectus or to get answers to any questions about the funds that you are
unable to obtain through your plan administrator or financial intermediary.
PROSPECTUS HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS 23
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW
SHARE PRICE
WHEN SHARE PRICE IS DETERMINED
The price of your shares is also referred to as their net asset value. Net
asset value is determined by calculating the total value of the fund's assets,
deducting total liabilities and dividing the result by the number of shares
outstanding. For all American Century funds, except funds issued by the American
Century Target Maturities Trust, net asset value is determined at the close of
regular trading on each day that the New York Stock Exchange is open, usually 3
p.m. Central time. The net asset values for the Target Maturities funds are
determined one hour prior to the close of the Exchange.
Investments and requests to redeem or exchange shares will receive the share
price next determined after we receive your investment, redemption or exchange
request. For example, investments and requests to redeem or exchange shares
received by us or one of our agents before the time as of which the net asset
value is determined, are effective on, and will receive the price determined,
that day. Investment, redemption and exchange requests received thereafter are
effective on, and receive the price determined on, the next day the Exchange is
open.
Investments are considered received only when payment is received by us.
Wired funds are considered received on the day they are deposited in our bank
account if they are deposited before the time as of which the net asset value of
the fund is determined.
Investments by telephone pursuant to your prior authorization to us to draw
on your bank account are considered received at the time of your telephone call.
Investment and transaction instructions received by us on any business day
by mail prior to the time as of which the net asset value of the fund is
determined, will receive that day's price. Investments and instructions received
after that time will receive the price determined on the next business day.
If you invest in fund shares through an employer-sponsored retirement plan
or other financial intermediary, it is the responsibility of your plan
recordkeeper or financial intermediary to transmit your purchase, exchange and
redemption requests to the funds' transfer agent prior to the applicable cut-off
time for receiving orders and to make payment for any purchase transactions in
accordance with the funds' procedures or any contractual arrangement with the
funds or the funds' distributor in order for you to receive that day's price.
HOW SHARE PRICE IS DETERMINED
The valuation of assets for determining net asset value may be summarized as
follows:
Portfolio securities of each fund, except as otherwise noted, listed or
traded on a domestic securities exchange are valued at the last sale price on
that exchange. Portfolio securities primarily traded on foreign securities
exchanges are generally valued at the preceding closing values of such
securities on the exchange where primarily traded. If no sale is reported, or if
local convention or regulation so provides, the mean of the latest bid and asked
prices is used. Depending on local convention or regulation, securities traded
over-the-counter are priced at the mean of the latest bid and asked prices, or
at the last sale price. When market quotations are not readily available,
securities and other assets are valued at fair value as determined in accordance
with procedures adopted by the Board of Directors.
Debt securities not traded on a principal securities exchange are valued
through valuations obtained from a commercial pricing service or at the most
recent mean of the bid and asked prices provided by investment dealers in
accordance with procedures established by the Board of Directors.
The value of an exchange-traded foreign security is determined in its
national currency as of the close of trading on the foreign exchange on which it
is traded or as of the close of business on the New York Stock Exchange, if that
is earlier. That value is then converted to dollars at the prevailing foreign
exchange rate.
Trading in securities on European and Far Eastern securities exchanges and
over-the-counter markets is normally completed at various times before the close
24 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
of business on each day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. If an event
were to occur after the value of a security was established but before the net
asset value per share was determined which was likely to materially change the
net asset value, then that security would be valued at fair value as determined
in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of Directors.
Trading of these securities in foreign markets may not take place on every
New York Stock Exchange business day. In addition, trading may take place in
various foreign markets on Saturdays or on other days when the New York Stock
Exchange is not open and on which a fund's net asset value is not calculated.
Therefore, such calculation does not take place contemporaneously with the
determination of the prices of many of the portfolio securities used in such
calculation and the value of a fund's portfolio may be significantly affected on
days when shares of the fund may not be purchased or redeemed.
WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION ABOUT SHARE PRICE
The net asset values of the Investor Class of International Growth and
International Discovery are published in leading newspapers daily. The net asset
value of the Investor Class of Emerging Markets will be published in newspapers
when the fund meets the minimum size requirements for listing. The net asset
value of each fund may be obtained by calling us or by accessing our Web site
(www.americancentury.com).
DISTRIBUTIONS
In general, distributions from net investment income and net realized
securities gains, if any, are declared and paid annually, usually in December,
but the funds may make distributions on a more frequent basis to comply with the
distribution requirements of the Internal Revenue Code, in all events in a
manner consistent with the provisions of the Investment Company Act.
THE OBJECTIVE OF EACH FUND IS CAPITAL APPRECIATION AND NOT THE PRODUCTION OF
DISTRIBUTIONS. YOU SHOULD MEASURE THE SUCCESS OF YOUR INVESTMENT BY THE VALUE OF
YOUR INVESTMENT AT ANY GIVEN TIME AND NOT BY THE DISTRIBUTIONS YOU RECEIVE.
Participants in employer-sponsored retirement or savings plans must reinvest
all distributions. For shareholders investing in taxable accounts, distributions
will be reinvested unless you elect to receive them in cash. Distributions of
less than $10 generally will be reinvested. Distributions made shortly after a
purchase made by check or ACH may be held up to 15 days. You may elect to have
distributions on shares of Individual Retirement Accounts and 403(b) plans paid
in cash only if you are at least 591/2 years old or permanently and totally
disabled. Distribution checks normally are mailed within seven days after the
record date. Please consult our Investor Services Guide for further information
regarding your distribution options.
A distribution on shares of a fund does not increase the value of your
shares or your total return. At any given time the value of your shares includes
the undistributed net gains, if any, realized by the fund on the sale of
portfolio securities, and undistributed dividends and interest received, less
fund expenses.
Because such gains and dividends are included in the price of your shares,
when they are distributed the price of your shares is reduced by the amount of
the distribution. If you buy your shares through a taxable account just before
the distribution, you will pay the full price for your shares, and then receive
a portion of the purchase price back as a taxable distribution. See "TAXES,"
this page.
TAXES
Each fund has elected to be taxed under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue
Code, which means that to the extent its income is distributed to shareholders,
it pays no income taxes.
TAX-DEFERRED ACCOUNTS
If fund shares are purchased through tax-deferred accounts, such as a
qualified employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, income and capital
gains distributions paid by the funds will generally not be subject to current
taxation, but will accumulate in your account under the plan on a tax-deferred
basis.
Employer-sponsored retirement and savings plans are governed by complex tax
rules. If you elect to participate in your employer's plan, consult your plan
administrator, your plan's summary plan description, or a professional tax
advisor regarding the tax consequences of participation in the plan,
contributions to, and withdrawals or distributions from the plan.
PROSPECTUS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW 25
TAXABLE ACCOUNTS
If fund shares are purchased through taxable accounts, distributions of net
investment income and net short-term capital gains are taxable to you as
ordinary income. Distributions from net long-term capital gains are taxable as
long-term capital gains regardless of the length of time you have held the
shares on which such distributions are paid. However, you should note that any
loss realized upon the sale or redemption of shares held for six months or less
will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distribution of
long-term capital gain to you with respect to such shares.
Dividends and interest received by a fund on foreign securities, as well as
capital gains realized upon the sale of such securities, may give rise to
withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax conventions
between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such
taxes. The foreign taxes paid by a fund will reduce its dividends.
If more than 50% of the value of a fund's total assets at the close of the
taxable year consist of securities of foreign corporations, the fund may qualify
for and make an election with the Internal Revenue Service with respect to such
fiscal year so that fund shareholders may be able to claim a foreign tax credit
in lieu of a deduction for foreign income taxes paid by the fund. If such an
election is made, the foreign taxes paid by the fund will be treated as income
received by you.
If a fund purchases the securities of certain foreign investment funds or
trusts called passive foreign investment companies, capital gains on the sale of
such holdings will be deemed to be ordinary income regardless of how long the
fund holds its investment. The fund may also be subject to corporate income tax
and an interest charge on certain dividends and capital gains earned from these
investments, regardless of whether such income and gains are distributed to
shareholders. In the alternative, the fund may elect to recognize cumulative
gains on such investments as of the last day of its fiscal year and distribute
it to shareholders.
Distributions are taxable to you regardless of whether they are taken in
cash or reinvested, even if the value of your shares is below your cost. If you
purchase shares shortly before a distribution, you must pay income taxes on the
distribution, even though the value of your investment (plus cash received, if
any) remains the same. In addition, the share price at the time you purchase
shares may include unrealized gains in the securities held in the investment
portfolio of a fund. If these portfolio securities are subsequently sold and the
gains are realized, they will, to the extent not offset by capital losses, be
paid to you as a distribution of capital gains and will be taxable to you as
short-term or long-term capital gains. See "DISTRIBUTIONS," page 25.
In January of the year following the distribution, if you own shares in a
taxable account, you will receive a Form 1099-DIV notifying you of the status of
your distributions for federal income tax purposes.
Distributions may also be subject to state and local taxes, even if all or a
substantial part of such distributions are derived from interest on U.S.
government obligations which, if you received them directly, would be exempt
from state income tax. However, most but not all states allow this tax exemption
to pass through to fund shareholders when a fund pays distributions to its
shareholders. You should consult your tax advisor about the tax status of such
distributions in your own state.
If you have not complied with certain provisions of the Internal Revenue
Code and Regulations, we are required by federal law to withhold and remit to
the IRS 31% of reportable payments (which may include dividends, capital gains
distributions and redemptions). Those regulations require you to certify that
the Social Security number or tax identification number you provide is correct
and that you are not subject to 31% withholding for previous under-reporting to
the IRS. You will be asked to make the appropriate certification on your
application. Payments reported by us that omit your Social Security number or
tax identification number will subject us to a penalty of $50, which will be
charged against your account if you fail to provide the certification by the
time the report is filed. This charge is not refundable.
Redemption of shares of a fund (including redemptions made in an exchange
transaction) will be a taxable transaction for federal income tax purposes and
shareholders will generally recognize gain or loss in an amount equal to the
difference between the basis of the shares and the amount received. Assuming
that shareholders hold such shares as a cap-
26 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
ital asset, the gain or loss will be a capital gain or loss and will generally
be long term if shareholders have held such shares for a period of more than one
year. If a loss is realized on the redemption of fund shares, the reinvestment
in additional fund shares within 30 days before or after the redemption may be
subject to the "wash sale" rules of the Internal Revenue Code, resulting in a
postponement of the recognition of such loss for federal income tax purposes.
MANAGEMENT
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
Under the laws of the State of Maryland, the Board of Directors is
responsible for managing the business and affairs of the funds. Acting pursuant
to an investment management agreement entered into with the funds, American
Century Investment Management, Inc. serves as the investment manager of the
funds. Its principal place of business is American Century Tower, 4500 Main
Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64111. The manager has been providing investment
advisory services to investment companies and institutional clients since it was
founded in 1958.
The manager supervises and manages the investment portfolio of each fund and
directs the purchase and sale of their investment securities. It utilizes a team
of portfolio managers, assistant portfolio managers and analysts acting together
to manage the assets of the funds. The team meets regularly to review portfolio
holdings and to discuss purchase and sale activity. The team adjusts holdings in
the funds' portfolios as they deem appropriate in pursuit of the funds'
investment objectives. Individual portfolio managers may also adjust portfolio
holdings of the funds as necessary between meetings.
The portfolio manager members of the teams managing the funds described in
this Prospectus and their work experience for the past five years are as
follows:
HENRIK STRABO, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, joined American Century
in 1993 as an Investment Analyst of the International Growth and International
Discovery team and has been a Portfolio Manager member of the team since 1994.
Prior to joining American Century, Mr. Strabo was Vice President, International
Equity Sales with Barclays de Zoete Wedd from 1991 to 1993.
MARK S. KOPINSKI, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, rejoined American
Century in April 1997. From June 1995 to March 1997, Mr. Kopinski served as Vice
President and Portfolio Manager for Federated Investors, Inc. Prior to June
1995, Mr. Kopinski was a Vice President and Portfolio Manager for American
Century. He is a member of the teams that manage International Growth,
International Discovery and the Emerging Markets Fund. He was a member of the
International Growth and International Discovery teams at their inception in
1991.
MICHAEL J. DONNELLY, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, joined American
Century in August 1997. From July 1993 to July 1997, Mr. Donnelly served as Vice
President and Portfolio Manager for Federated Investors, Inc. Prior to July
1993, Mr. Donnelly served as Assistant Vice President for Korea First Bank. He
is a member of the team that manages the Emerging Markets Fund.
The activities of the manager are subject only to directions of the funds'
Board of Directors. The manager pays all the expenses of the funds except
brokerage, taxes, interest, fees and expenses of the non-interested person
directors (including counsel fees) and extraordinary expenses.
For the services provided to the Investor Class of the funds, the manager
receives an annual fee calculated as a percentage of the average net assets of
the fund as follows:
Fund Percent of Average Net Assets
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Growth 1.50% of first $1 billion
1.20% of the next $1 billion
1.10% over $2 billion
International Discovery 1.75% of first $500 million
1.40% of the next $500 million
1.20% over $1 billion
Emerging Markets 2.00% of first $500 million
1.50% of the next $500 million
1.25% over $1 billion
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the first business day of each month, each fund pays the management fee
to the manager for the previous month at the rate specified. The fee for the
previous month is calculated by multiplying the applicable fee for such series
by the aggregate average daily closing value of the fund's net assets during the
previous month, and further multiplying that product
PROSPECTUS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW 27
by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days in the previous
month and the denominator of which is 365 (366 in leap years).
The management fees paid by the funds to the manager are higher than the
fees paid by the various other funds in the American Century family of funds
because of the higher costs and additional expenses associated with managing and
operating a fund owning a portfolio consisting primarily of foreign securities.
The fee may also be higher than the fee paid by many other international or
foreign investment companies.
Many other investment companies may refer to or publicize an "investment
management fee" or "management fee" paid by the company to its manager. However,
most such companies also use fund assets to pay for certain expenses of the fund
in addition to the stated management fee. In contrast, the management fee paid
to the manager includes payment for almost all fund expenses, with the
exceptions noted. Therefore, potential investors who attempt to compare the
expenses of these funds to the expenses of other funds should be careful to
compare only the ratio of total expenses to average net assets contained in the
financial information found on pages 5 and 6 of this Prospectus to the same
ratio of the other funds.
The management agreement also provides that the funds' Board of Directors,
upon 60 days' prior written notice to all affected shareholders, may impose a
servicing or administrative fee as a charge against shareholder accounts.
CODE OF ETHICS
The funds and the manager have adopted a Code of Ethics that restricts
personal investing practices by employees of the manager and its affiliates.
Among other provisions, the Code of Ethics requires that employees with access
to information about the purchase or sale of securities in the funds' portfolios
obtain preclearance before executing personal trades. With respect to Portfolio
Managers and other investment personnel, the Code of Ethics prohibits
acquisition of securities in an initial public offering, as well as profits
derived from the purchase and sale of the same security within 60 calendar days.
These provisions are designed to ensure that the interests of fund shareholders
come before the interests of the people who manage those funds.
TRANSFER AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
American Century Services Corporation, 4500 Main Street, Kansas City,
Missouri 64111 acts as transfer agent and dividend-paying agent for the funds.
It provides facilities, equipment and personnel to the funds and is paid for
such services by the manager.
Certain recordkeeping and administrative services that would otherwise be
performed by the transfer agent may be performed by an insurance company or
other entity providing similar services for various retirement plans using
shares of the funds as a funding medium, by broker-dealers and financial
advisors for their customers investing in shares of American Century or by
sponsors of multi mutual fund no- or low-transaction fee programs. The manager
or an affiliate may enter into contracts to pay them for such recordkeeping and
administrative services out of the management fee paid to it by the funds.
Although there is no sales charge levied by the funds, transactions in
shares of the funds may be executed by brokers or investment advisors who charge
a transaction-based fee or other fee for their services. Such charges may vary
among broker- dealers and financial advisors, but in all cases will be retained
by the broker-dealer or financial advisor and not remitted to the funds or the
manager. You should be aware of the fact that these transactions may be made
directly with American Century without incurring such fees.
From time to time, special services may be offered to shareholders who
maintain higher share balances in our family of funds. These services may
include the waiver of minimum investment requirements, expedited confirmation of
shareholder transactions, newsletters and a team of personal representatives.
Any expenses associated with these special services will be paid by the manager.
The manager and the transfer agent are both wholly owned by American Century
Companies, Inc. James E. Stowers, Jr., Chairman of the funds' Board of
Directors, controls American Century Companies by virtue of his ownership of a
majority of its common stock.
DISTRIBUTION OF FUND SHARES
The funds' shares are distributed by American Century Investment Services,
Inc., a registered
28 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
broker-dealer and an affiliate of the manager. The manager pays all expenses for
promoting and distributing the Investor Class of fund shares offered by this
Prospectus. The Investor Class of shares does not pay any commissions or other
fees to the distributor or to any other broker-dealers or financial
intermediaries in connection with the distribution of fund shares.
FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT AMERICAN CENTURY
American Century World Mutual Funds, Inc., the issuer of the funds, was
organized as a Maryland corporation on December 28, 1990.
The corporation is a diversified, open-end management investment company
whose shares were first offered in May 1991. Its business and affairs are
managed by its officers under the direction of its Board of Directors.
The principal office of the funds is 4500 Main Street, P.O. Box 419200,
Kansas City, Missouri 64141-6200. All inquiries may be made by mail to that
address, or by phone to 1-800-345-2021 (international calls: 816-531-5575).
American Century World Mutual Funds, Inc. issues three series of $0.01 par
value shares. Each series is commonly referred to as a fund. The assets
belonging to each series of shares are held separately by the custodian.
American Century offers four classes of each of the funds offered by this
Prospectus: an Investor Class, an Institutional Class, a Service Class, and an
Advisor Class. The shares offered by this Prospectus are Investor Class shares
and have no up-front charges, commissions, or 12b-1 fees.
The other classes of shares are primarily offered to institutional investors
or through institutional distribution channels, such as employer-sponsored
retirement plans or through banks, broker-dealers, insurance companies or other
financial intermediaries. The other classes have different fees, expenses,
and/or minimum investment requirements than the Investor Class. The difference
in the fee structures among the classes is the result of their separate
arrangements for shareholder and distribution services and not the result of any
difference in amounts charged by the manager for core investment advisory
services. Accordingly, the core investment advisory expenses do not vary by
class. Different fees and expenses will affect performance. For additional
information concerning the other classes of shares not offered by this
Prospectus, call us at 1-800-345-3533 or contact a sales representative or
financial intermediary who offers those classes of shares.
Except as described below, all classes of shares of a fund have identical
voting, dividend, liquidation and other rights, preferences, terms and
conditions. The only differences among the various classes are (a) each class
may be subject to different expenses specific to that class, (b) each class has
a different identifying designation or name, (c) each class has exclusive voting
rights with respect to matters solely affecting such class, (d) each class may
have different exchange privileges, and (e) the Institutional Class may provide
for automatic conversion from that class into shares of another class of the
same fund.
Each share, irrespective of series or class, is entitled to one vote for
each dollar of net asset value applicable to such share on all questions, except
for those matters which must be voted on separately by the series or class of
the shares affected. Matters affecting only one series or class are voted upon
only by that series or class.
Shares have non-cumulative voting rights, which means that the holders of
more than 50% of the votes cast in an election of directors can elect all of the
directors if they choose to do so, and in such event the holders of the
remaining votes will not be able to elect any person or persons to the Board of
Directors.
Unless required by the Investment Company Act, it will not be necessary for
the funds to hold annual meetings of shareholders. As a result, shareholders may
not vote each year on the election of directors or the appointment of auditors.
However, pursuant to the funds' bylaws, the holders of shares representing at
least 10% of the votes entitled to be cast may request the funds to hold a
special meeting of shareholders. We will assist in the communication with other
shareholders.
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE ANY OF OUR POLICIES, PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES
DESCRIBED IN THIS PROSPECTUS, INCLUDING THE STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION,
WITHOUT SHAREHOLDER APPROVAL EXCEPT IN THOSE INSTANCES WHERE SHAREHOLDER
APPROVAL IS EXPRESSLY REQUIRED.
PROSPECTUS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW 29
P.O. BOX 419200
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
64141-6200
INVESTOR SERVICES:
1-800-345-2021 OR 816-531-5575
AUTOMATED INFORMATION LINE:
1-800-345-8765
TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICE FOR THE DEAF:
1-800-634-4113 OR 816-444-3485
FAX: 816-340-7962
www.americancentury.com
[american century logo]
American
Century(reg.sm)
9709 [recycled logo]
SH-BKT-9193 Recycled
<PAGE>
PROSPECTUS
[american century logo]
American
Century(reg.sm)
APRIL 1,1997
Revised September 15, 1997
TWENTIETH
CENTURY(reg.tm)
GROUP
International Growth
International Discovery
Emerging Markets
ADVISOR CLASS
AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
FAMILY OF FUNDS
American Century Investments offers you nearly 70 fund choices covering
stocks, bonds, money markets, specialty investments and blended portfolios. To
help you find the funds that may meet your investment needs, American Century
funds have been divided into three groups based on investment style and
objectives. These groups, which appear below, are designed to help simplify your
fund decisions.
AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS--FAMILY OF FUNDS
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Benham American Century Twentieth Century
Group (reg. tm) Group Group
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MONEY MARKET FUNDS ASSET ALLOCATION & GROWTH FUNDS
GOVERNMENT BOND FUNDS BALANCED FUNDS INTERNATIONAL FUNDS
DIVERSIFIED BOND FUNDS CONSERVATIVE EQUITY FUNDS
MUNICIPAL BOND FUNDS SPECIALTY FUNDS
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Growth
International Discovery
Emerging Markets
PROSPECTUS
APRIL 1, 1997
Revised September 15, 1997
International Growth * International
Discovery * Emerging Markets
ADVISOR CLASS
AMERICAN CENTURY WORLD MUTUAL FUNDS, INC.
American Century World Mutual Funds, Inc. is a part of American Century
Investments, a family of funds that includes nearly 70 no-load and low-load
mutual funds covering a variety of investment opportunities. Three of the funds
from our Twentieth Century Group are described in this Prospectus. Their
investment objectives are described on page 2 of this Prospectus. The other
funds are described in separate prospectuses.
The funds described in this Prospectus invest primarily in equity securities
of foreign issuers. Investment in securities of foreign issuers typically
involves a greater degree of risk than investment in domestic securities. Please
read "Risk Factors," page 11.
Each fund's shares offered by this Prospectus (the Advisor Class shares) are
sold at their net asset value with no sales charges or commissions. The Advisor
Class shares are subject to Rule 12b-1 services and distribution fees as
described in this Prospectus.
The Advisor Class shares are intended for purchase by participants in
employer-sponsored retirement or savings plans and for persons purchasing shares
through broker-dealers, banks, insurance companies and other financial
intermediaries that provide various administrative and distribution services.
This Prospectus gives you information about the funds that you should know
before investing. Please read this Prospectus carefully and retain it for future
reference. Additional information is included in the Statement of Additional
Information dated April 1, 1997, and filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. It is incorporated into this Prospectus by reference. To obtain a
copy without charge, call or write:
AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
4500 Main Street * P.O. Box 419385
Kansas City, Missouri 64141-6385 * 1-800-345-3533
International calls: 816-531-5575
Telecommunications Device for the Deaf:
1-800-345-1833 * In Missouri: 816-444-3038
Internet: www.americancentury.com
Additional information, including this Prospectus and the Statement of
Additional Information, may be obtained by accessing the Web site maintained by
the SEC (www.sec.gov).
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.
PROSPECTUS 1
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES OF THE FUNDS
AMERICAN CENTURY -- TWENTIETH CENTURY
INTERNATIONAL GROWTH FUND
The investment objective of International Growth (formerly International
Equity) is capital growth. The fund will seek to achieve its investment
objective by investing primarily in an internationally diversified portfolio of
equity securities that are considered by the manager to have prospects for
appreciation. The fund will invest primarily in securities of issuers in
developed markets.
AMERICAN CENTURY -- TWENTIETH CENTURY
INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY FUND
The investment objective of International Discovery (formerly International
Emerging Growth) is capital growth. The fund will seek to achieve its investment
objective by investing primarily in an internationally diversified portfolio of
equity securities of issuers having comparatively smaller market capitalizations
(less than U.S. $1 billion in market capitalization or less than U.S. $500
million in public float). The fund may invest up to 50% of its assets in
securities of issuers in emerging market countries. All such investments will be
considered by the investment manager to have prospects for appreciation. Due to
the risks associated with such investments, an investment in this fund may be
considered speculative.
SHARES OF INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY EXCHANGED OR REDEEMED WITHIN 180 DAYS OF
THEIR PURCHASE ARE SUBJECT TO A REDEMPTION FEE OF 2.0% OF THE VALUE OF THE
SHARES EXCHANGED OR REDEEMED. This redemption fee is retained by the fund and is
intended to discourage shareholders from exchanging or redeeming their shares
shortly after their purchase, as well as minimize the impact such exchanges and
redemptions have on fund performance and, hence, on the other shareholders of
the fund.
AMERICAN CENTURY -- TWENTIETH CENTURY
EMERGING MARKETS FUND
The investment objective of Emerging Markets is capital growth. The fund
will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in an
internationally diversified portfolio of equity securities of issuers in
emerging market countries that are considered by the investment manager to have
prospects for appreciation. Due to the risks associated with such investments,
an investment in this fund may be considered speculative.
There is no assurance that the funds will achieve their respective investment
objectives.
NO PERSON IS AUTHORIZED BY THE FUNDS TO GIVE ANY INFORMATION OR MAKE ANY
REPRESENTATION OTHER THAN THOSE CONTAINED IN THIS PROSPECTUS OR IN OTHER PRINTED
OR WRITTEN MATERIAL ISSUED BY OR ON BEHALF OF THE FUNDS, AND YOU SHOULD NOT RELY
ON ANY OTHER INFORMATION OR REPRESENTATION.
2 INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Investment Objectives of the Funds .........................................2
Transaction and Operating Expense Table ....................................4
Financial Highlights .......................................................5
Performance Information of Other Class .....................................6
INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS
Investment Policies of the Funds ...........................................8
International Growth ...................................................8
International Discovery ................................................8
Emerging Markets .......................................................9
Policies Applicable to All Funds .......................................9
Risk Factors ..............................................................11
Investing in Foreign Securities Generally .............................11
Investing in Smaller Companies ........................................12
Investing in Emerging Market Countries ................................12
Investing in Lower Quality Debt Instruments ...........................12
Other Investment Practices, Their Characteristics
and Risks ...............................................................13
Forward Currency Exchange Contracts ...................................13
Indirect Foreign Investment ...........................................14
Sovereign Debt Obligations ............................................14
Portfolio Turnover ....................................................14
Repurchase Agreements .................................................14
When-Issued Securities ................................................14
Short Sales ...........................................................15
Rule 144A Securities ..................................................15
Performance Advertising ...................................................15
HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
How to Purchase and Sell American Century Funds ...........................17
How to Exchange from One American Century
Fund to Another .........................................................17
How to Redeem Shares ......................................................17
Special Requirements for Large Redemptions ................................18
Telephone Services ........................................................18
Investors Line ........................................................18
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW
Share Price ...............................................................19
When Share Price Is Determined ........................................19
How Share Price Is Determined .........................................19
Where to Find Information About Share Price ...........................20
Distributions .............................................................20
Taxes .....................................................................20
Tax-Deferred Accounts .................................................20
Taxable Accounts ......................................................20
Management ................................................................22
Investment Management .................................................22
Code of Ethics ........................................................23
Transfer and Administrative Services ..................................23
Distribution of Fund Shares ...............................................23
Services and Distribution Fees ........................................23
Further Information About American Century ................................24
PROSPECTUS TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
TRANSACTION AND OPERATING EXPENSE TABLE
International International Emerging
Growth Discovery Markets
<S> <C> <C> <C>
SHAREHOLDER TRANSACTION EXPENSES:
Maximum Sales Load Imposed on Purchases .............................. none none none
Maximum Sales Load Imposed on Reinvested Dividends ................... none none none
Deferred Sales Load .................................................. none none none
Redemption Fee ....................................................... none none (1) none
Exchange Fee ......................................................... none none none
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (as a percentage of net assets):
Management Fees(2) ................................................... 1.17% (3) 1.50% (3) 1.75% (3)
12b-1 Fees(4) ........................................................ 0.50% 0.50% 0.50%
Other Expenses(5) .................................................... 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Total Fund Operating Expenses(2) ..................................... 1.67% (3) 2.00% (3) 2.25% (3)
EXAMPLE:
You would pay the following expenses on a 1 year $ 17 $ 20 $ 23
$1,000 investment, assuming a 5% annual return and 3 years 52 62 70
redemption at the end of each time period(2): 5 years 90 107 119
10 years 196 231 256
(1) Shares of International Discovery exchanged or redeemed within 180 days of
their purchase are subject to a redemption fee of 2.0% of the value of the
shares exchanged or redeemed. This redemption fee is retained by the fund.
See "How to Exchange from One American Century Fund to Another," page 17 and
"How to Redeem Shares," page 17.
(2) Assumes, in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission guidelines,
that the assets of International Growth and International Discovery remain
constant at $1,346,410,495 and $377,128,391, respectively, the assets of the
funds as of November 30, 1996. A portion of the management fee may be paid
by the funds' manager to unaffiliated third parties who provide
recordkeeping and administrative services that would otherwise be performed
by an affiliate of the manager. See "Management-Transfer and Administrative
Services," page 23.
(3) International Growth pays an annual management fee of 1.25% of the first $1
billion of average net assets, 0.95% of the next $1 billion of average net
assets, and 0.85% of average net assets over $2 billion; International
Discovery pays an annual management fee of 1.50% of the first $500 million
of average net assets, 1.15% of the next $500 million average net assets,
and 0.95% of average net assets over $1 billion; and Emerging Markets pays
an annual management fee of 1.75% of the first $500 million of average net
assets, 1.25% of the next $500 million of average net assets, and 1.00% of
average net assets over $1 billion.
(4) The 12b-1 fee is designed to permit investors to purchase Advisor Class
shares through broker-dealers, banks, insurance companies and other
financial intermediaries. A portion of the fee is used to compensate them
for ongoing recordkeeping and administrative services that would otherwise
be performed by an affiliate of the manager, and a portion is used to
compensate them for distribution and other shareholder services. See
"Service and Distribution Fees," page 23.
(5) Other expenses, which includes the fees and expenses (including legal
counsel fees) of those directors who are not "interested persons" as defined
in the Investment Company Act, were less than 0.01 of 1% of average net
assets for the most recent fiscal year.
</TABLE>
The purpose of the table is to help you understand the various costs and
expenses that you, as a shareholder, will bear directly or indirectly in
connection with an investment in the class of shares of the funds offered by
this Prospectus. The example set forth above assumes reinvestment of all
dividends and distributions and uses a 5% annual rate of return as required by
Securities and Exchange Commission regulations.
NEITHER THE 5% RATE OF RETURN NOR THE EXPENSES SHOWN ABOVE SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED INDICATIONS OF PAST OR FUTURE RETURNS AND EXPENSES. ACTUAL RETURNS
AND EXPENSES MAY BE GREATER OR LESS THAN THOSE SHOWN.
The shares offered by this Prospectus are Advisor Class shares. The funds
offer three other classes of shares, one of which is primarily available to
retail investors and two that are primarily available to institutional
investors. The other classes have different fee structures than the Advisor
Class. The difference in the fee structures among the classes is the result of
their separate arrangements for shareholder and distribution services and not
the result of any difference in amounts charged by the manager for core
investment advisory services. Accordingly, the core investment advisory expenses
do not vary by class. A difference in fees will result in different performance
for those classes. For additional information about the various classes, see "
Further Information About American Century," page 24.
4 TRANSACTION AND OPERATING EXPENSE TABLE AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
INTERNATIONAL GROWTH
The sale of the Advisor Class of the fund commenced on October 2, 1996.
Performance information of the original class of shares, which commenced
operations on May 9, 1991, is presented on page 6.
The Financial Highlights for the period presented have been audited by Ernst &
Young LLP, independent auditors, whose report thereon appears in the fund's
annual report, which is incorporated by reference into the Statement of
Additional Information. The annual report contains additional performance
information and will be made available upon request and without charge. The
information presented is for a share outstanding throughout the period ended
November 30, 1996.
1996(1)
PER-SHARE DATA
<S> <C>
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period ............................ $8.41
---------
Income From Investment Operations
Net Investment (Loss)(2) ...................................... (0.01)
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain
on Investment Transactions .................................... 0.32
---------
Total From Investment Operations .............................. 0.31
---------
Net Asset Value, End of Period .................................. $8.72
=========
Total Return(3) ............................................... 3.69%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA
Ratio of Operating Expenses to Average Net Assets ............. 1.67%(4)
Ratio of Net Investment (Loss) to Average Net Assets .......... (0.76)%(4)
Portfolio Turnover Rate ....................................... 158%
Average Commission Paid per Investment Security Traded ........ $0.0195
Net Assets, End of Period (in thousands) ...................... $3,803
(1) October 2, 1996 (commencement of sale of the Advisor Class) through
November 30, 1996.
(2) Computed using average shares outstanding throughout the period.
(3) Total return assumes reinvestment of dividends and capital gains
distributions, if any. Total returns for periods less than one year are not
annualized.
(4) Annualized.
</TABLE>
PROSPECTUS FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 5
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION OF OTHER CLASS
INTERNATIONAL GROWTH
The original class of shares of International Growth were designated the "
Investor Class" effective September 3, 1996. The financial information in the
following table reflects the performance of the fund's Investor Class of shares.
Investor Class shares have a total expense ratio that is 0.25% lower than the
Advisor Class shares offered by this Prospectus. Had the Advisor Class shares
been in existence for the fund for the time periods presented, the performance
results for that class would be lower as a result of the additional expense.
The performance information for the fiscal year ended November 30, 1996, has
been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors, whose report thereon
appears in the fund's annual report, which is incorporated by reference into the
Statement of Additional Information. The annual report contains additional
performance information and will be made available upon request and without
charge. The Financial Highlights for the periods ended on or before November 30,
1995, have been audited by Baird, Kurtz & Dobson, independent certified public
accountants. The information presented is for an Investor Class share
outstanding throughout the years ended November 30, except as noted.
1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991(1)
PER-SHARE DATA
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period ......... $7.51 $7.47 $7.34 $5.79 $5.33 $5.10
---------- ---------- ---------- --------- --------- ----------
Income From Investment Operations
Net Investment Income (Loss) .............. (0.01)(2) 0.01 (0.04) (0.04) 0.06 0.01
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain
on Investment Transactions ................ 1.24 0.40 0.57 1.78 0.41 0.22
---------- ---------- ---------- --------- --------- ----------
Total From Investment Operations .......... 1.23 0.41 0.53 1.74 0.47 0.23
---------- ---------- ---------- --------- --------- ----------
Distributions
From Net Investment Income ................ (0.01) -- -- (0.04) (0.01) --
In Excess of Net Investment Income ........ -- -- -- (0.15) -- --
From Net Realized Gains
on Investment Transactions ................ -- (0.37) (0.40) -- -- --
---------- ---------- ---------- --------- --------- ----------
Total Distributions ....................... (0.01) (0.37) (0.40) (0.19) (0.01) --
---------- ---------- ---------- --------- --------- ----------
Net Asset Value, End of Period ............... $8.73 $7.51 $7.47 $7.34 $5.79 $5.33
========== ========== ========== ========= ========= ==========
Total Return(3) ........................... 16.35% 5.93% 7.28% 31.04% 8.77% 4.51%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA
Ratio of Operating Expenses
to Average Net Assets ..................... 1.65%(4) 1.77% 1.84% 1.90% 1.91% 1.93%(5)
Ratio of Net Investment Income (Loss)
to Average Net Assets ..................... (0.07)% 0.25% (0.53)% (0.34)% 0.95% 0.26%(5)
Portfolio Turnover Rate ................... 158% 169% 242% 255% 180% 84%
Average Commission Paid per
Investment Security Traded ................ $0.0195 $0.0020 --(6) --(6) --(6) --(6)
Net Assets, End of Period (in thousands) ..$1,342,608 $1,210,442 $1,316,642 $759,238 $215,346 $43,07
(1) May 9, 1991, (inception) through November 30, 1991.
(2) Computed using average shares outstanding throughout the period.
(3) Total return assumes reinvestment of dividends and capital gains
distributions, if any. Total returns for periods less than one year are not
annualized.
(4) The manager had voluntarily waived a portion of its management fee from
August 1, 1996, through November 30, 1996. In absence of the waiver, the
ratio of operating expenses to average net assets would have been 1.76%.
(5) Annualized.
(6) Disclosure of average commission paid per investment security traded was
not required prior to the year ended November 30, 1995.
</TABLE>
6 PERFORMANCE INFORMATION OF OTHER CLASS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION OF OTHER CLASS
INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY
The Advisor Class of the fund was established September 3, 1996, however no
shares had been issued prior to the fund's fiscal year end. The financial
information in this table regarding selected per-share data for the fund
reflects the performance of the fund's original class of shares, which was
redesignated the "Investor Class" of shares, effective September 3, 1996. The
Investor Class shares have a total expense ratio that is 0.25% lower than the
Advisor Class. Had the Advisor Class been in existence for the fund for the time
periods presented, the fund's performance information would be lower as a result
of the additional expense.
The Financial Highlights for the fiscal year ended November 30, 1996, have
been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors, whose report thereon
appears in the fund's annual report, which is incorporated by reference into the
Statement of Additional Information. The annual report contains additional
performance information and will be made available upon request and without
charge. The Financial Highlights for the periods ended on or before November 30,
1995, have been audited by Baird, Kurtz & Dobson, independent certified public
accountants. The information presented is for a share outstanding throughout the
years ended November 30, except as noted.
1996 1995 1994(1)
PER-SHARE DATA
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period .................... $5.70 $5.39 $5.00
---------- ---------- ----------
Income From Investment Operations
Net Investment Income (Loss) .......................... (0.02)(2) 0.03 (0.02)
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain
on Investment Transactions ............................ 1.95 0.28 0.41
---------- ---------- ----------
Total From Investment Operations ...................... 1.93 0.31 0.39
---------- ---------- ----------
Distributions
From Net Investment Income ............................ (0.01) - -
---------- ---------- ----------
In Excess of Net Investment Income .................... (0.02) - -
---------- ---------- ----------
Total Distributions ................................... (0.03) - -
---------- ---------- ----------
Net Asset Value, End of Period .......................... $7.60 $5.70 $5.39
========== ========== ==========
Total Return(3) ......................................... 34.06% 5.75% 7.80%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA
Ratio of Operating Expenses to Average Net Assets ....... 1.88%(4) 2.00% 2.00%(5)
Ratio of Net Investment Income (Loss) to Average
Net Assets ............................................ (0.31)% 0.27% (0.48)%(5)
Portfolio Turnover Rate ................................. 130% 168% 56%
Average Commission Paid per Investment Security Traded .. $0.0054 $0.0040 -(6)
Net Assets, End of Period (in thousands) ................ $377,128 $114,579 $111,202
(1) April 1, 1994, (inception) through November 30, 1994.
(2) Computed using average shares outstanding throughout the period.
(3) Total return assumes reinvestment of dividends and capital gains
distributions, if any. Total returns for periods less than one year are not
annualized.
(4) The manager had voluntarily waived a portion of its management fee from
August 1, 1996, through November 30, 1996. In absence of the waiver, the
ratio of operating expenses to average net assets would have been 1.99%.
(5) Annualized.
(6) Disclosure of average commission paid per investment security traded was not
required prior to the year ended November 30, 1995.
</TABLE>
PROSPECTUS PERFORMANCE INFORMATION OF OTHER CLASS 7
INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS
INVESTMENT POLICIES OF THE FUNDS
The funds have adopted certain investment restrictions that are set forth in
the Statement of Additional Information. Those restrictions, as well as the
investment objectives of the funds as listed on page 2 of this Prospectus, and
any other investment policies designated as "fundamental" in this Prospectus or
in the Statement of Additional Information, cannot be changed without
shareholder approval. The funds have implemented additional investment policies
and practices to guide their activities in the pursuit of their respective
investment objectives. These policies and practices, which are described
throughout this Prospectus, are not designated as fundamental policies and may
be changed without shareholder approval.
YOU SHOULD READ AND CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE INFORMATION UNDER "RISK FACTORS,"
PAGE 11 BEFORE MAKING AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUNDS.
INTERNATIONAL GROWTH
The investment objective of the International Growth Fund is capital growth.
The fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in
securities of foreign issuers that meet certain fundamental and technical
standards of selection (relating primarily to acceleration of earnings and
revenues) and have, in the opinion of the manager, potential for appreciation.
The fund will invest primarily in issuers in developed markets. The fund will
invest primarily in equity securities (defined to include equity equivalents) of
such issuers and will attempt to stay fully invested in such securities,
regardless of the movement of stock prices generally.
Although the primary investment of the fund will be equity securities, the
fund may also invest in other types of securities consistent with the
accomplishment of the fund's objectives. When the manager believes that the
total return potential of other securities equals or exceeds the potential
return of equity securities, the fund may invest up to 35% in such other
securities.
The other securities the fund may invest in are bonds, notes and debt
securities of companies and obligations of domestic or foreign governments and
their agencies. The fund will limit its purchases of debt securities to
investment grade obligations. For long-term debt obligations this includes
securities that are rated Baa or better by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or
BBB or better by Standard & Poor's Corporation, or that are not rated but
considered by the manager to be of equivalent quality. According to Moody's,
bonds rated Baa are medium grade and possess some speculative characteristics. A
BBB rating by S&P indicates S&P's belief that a security exhibits a satisfactory
degree of safety and capacity for repayment, but is more vulnerable to adverse
economic conditions or changing circumstances than is the case with
higher-quality debt securities (see "An Explanation of Fixed Income Securities
Ratings," in the Statement of Additional Information).
INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY
The investment objective of the International Discovery Fund is capital
growth. The fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing
primarily in an internationally diversified portfolio of equity securities of
issuers that meet certain fundamental and technical standards of selection
(relating primarily to acceleration of earnings and revenues). The fund will
invest its assets primarily in equity securities of smaller foreign issuers
(those issuers having, at the time of investment, a market capitalization of
less than U.S. $1 billion or a public float of less than U.S. $500 million). The
"public float" of an issuer is defined as the aggregate market value of the
issuer's outstanding securities held by non-affiliates of the issuer. The fund
may invest up to 50% of its assets in securities of issuers in emerging market
countries.
DUE TO THE SIGNIFICANT RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FUND'S INVESTMENT STRATEGY,
AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR ALL INVESTORS. See "Risk
Factors," page 11.
The fund may invest in securities of any type of issuer, including
closed-end investment companies,
8 INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
governments and governmental entities, as well as corporations, partnerships and
other business organizations. The manager believes that common stocks and other
equity and equity equivalent securities ordinarily offer the greatest potential
for capital appreciation and will constitute the majority of the fund's
investments. The fund may invest, however, in any security the manager believes
has the potential for capital appreciation. The other securities the fund may
invest in include bonds, notes and debt securities of companies and obligations
of domestic or foreign governments and their agencies. The fund will attempt to
stay fully invested regardless of the movement of stock and bond prices
generally.
There are no credit quality or maturity restrictions with regard to the
bonds, corporate debt securities, and government obligations in which the fund
may invest, although less than 35% of the fund's assets will be invested in
below investment grade fixed income securities (see "An Explanation of Fixed
Income Securities Ratings" in the Statement of Additional Information). Debt
securities, especially those of issuers in emerging market countries, may be of
poor quality and speculative in nature. While these securities will primarily be
chosen for their appreciation potential, the fund may also take the potential
for income into account when selecting investments.
To enhance the fund's liquidity, at least 50% of the fund's assets will be
invested in developed market countries at all times. However, the percentage of
the assets of the fund invested in developed and emerging markets will vary as,
in the opinion of the manager, market conditions warrant. No more than 15% of
the fund's assets may be invested in illiquid investments at any time.
EMERGING MARKETS
The investment objective of the Emerging Markets Fund is capital growth. The
fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in an
internationally diversified portfolio of equity securities that meet certain
fundamental and technical standards of selection (relating primarily to
acceleration of earnings and revenues). The fund will invest its assets
primarily in the securities of issuers in emerging market countries. The
securities in which the fund may invest include not only the securities of
issuers located or principally traded in emerging market countries, but also
include the securities of issuers which derive a significant portion of their
business from emerging market countries. DUE TO THE SIGNIFICANT RISKS ASSOCIATED
WITH INVESTING IN EMERGING MARKETS, AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND MAY NOT BE
APPROPRIATE FOR ALL INVESTORS. See "Risk Factors," page 11.
The fund may invest in securities of any type of issuer, including
closed-end investment companies, governments and governmental entities, as well
as corporations, partnerships and other business organizations. The manager
believes that common stocks and other equity and equity equivalent securities
ordinarily offer the greatest potential for capital appreciation and will
constitute the majority of the fund's investments. The fund may invest, however,
in any security the manager believes has the potential for capital appreciation.
The other securities the fund may invest in include bonds, notes and debt
securities of companies and obligations of domestic or foreign governments and
their agencies. The fund will attempt to stay fully invested regardless of the
movement of stock and bond prices generally.
There are no credit quality or maturity restrictions with regard to the
bonds, corporate debt securities, and government obligations in which the fund
may invest, although less than 35% of the fund's assets will be invested in
below investment grade fixed income securities. See "An Explanation of Fixed
Income Securities Ratings" in the Statement of Additional Information. Debt
securities, especially those of issuers in emerging market countries, may be of
poor quality and speculative in nature. While these securities will primarily be
chosen for their appreciation potential, the fund may also take the potential
for income into account when selecting investments.
POLICIES APPLICABLE TO ALL FUNDS
Under normal conditions, each fund will invest at least 65% of its assets in
equity and equity equivalent securities of issuers from at least three countries
outside of the United States. While securities of U.S. issuers may be included
in the portfolio from time to time, it is the primary intent of the manager to
diver-
PROSPECTUS INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS 9
sify investments in a fund across a broad range of foreign issuers. The manager
defines "foreign issuer" as an issuer of securities that is domiciled outside
the United States, derives at least 50% of its total revenue from production or
sales outside the United States, or whose principal trading market is outside
the United States.
The funds may make foreign investments either directly in foreign
securities, or indirectly by purchasing depositary receipts or depositary shares
or similar instruments ("DRs") for foreign securities. DRs are securities that
are listed on exchanges or quoted in over-the-counter markets in one country but
represent shares of issuers domiciled in another country. The funds may also
purchase securities of such issuers in foreign markets, either on foreign
securities exchanges or in the over-the-counter markets.
The funds may also invest in other equity securities and equity equivalents.
Other equity securities and equity equivalents include securities that permit
the funds to receive an equity interest in an issuer, the opportunity to acquire
an equity interest in an issuer, or the opportunity to receive a return on its
investment that permits the fund to benefit from the growth over time in the
equity of an issuer. Examples of other equity securities and equity equivalents
are preferred stock, convertible preferred stock and convertible debt
securities. Equity equivalents may also include securities whose value or return
is derived from the value or return of a different security. An example of one
type of derivative security in which the funds might invest is a depositary
receipt.
Notwithstanding the funds' respective investment objectives of capital
growth, under exceptional market or economic conditions, each fund may
temporarily invest all or a substantial portion of its assets in cash or
investment-grade short-term securities (denominated in U.S. dollars or foreign
currencies).
To the extent a fund assumes a defensive position, it will not be pursuing
its investment objective of capital growth.
In addition to other factors that will affect their value, the value of a
fund's investments in fixed income securities will change as prevailing interest
rates change. In general, the prices of such securities vary inversely with
interest rates. As prevailing interest rates fall, the prices of bonds and other
securities that trade on a yield basis rise. When prevailing interest rates
rise, bond prices generally fall. These changes in value may, depending upon the
particular amount and type of fixed income securities holdings of a fund, impact
the net asset value of that fund's shares. See "How Share Price is Determined,"
page 19.
In order to achieve maximum investment flexibility, the funds have not
established geographic limits on asset distribution, on either a
country-by-country or region-by-region basis. The manager expects to invest both
in issuers in developed markets (such as Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan)
and in issuers in emerging market countries.
The funds consider "emerging market countries" to include all countries that
are generally considered to be developing or emerging countries by the
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (commonly referred to as
the World Bank) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), as well as
countries that are classified by the United Nations as developing. Currently,
the countries not included in this category are the United States, Canada,
Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Ireland, Spain,
Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark,
Australia and New Zealand. In addition, as used in this Prospectus, "securities
of issuers in emerging market countries" means (i) securities of issuers the
principal securities trading market for which is an emerging market country,
(ii) securities, regardless of where traded, of issuers that derive 50% or more
of their total revenue from either goods or services produced in emerging market
countries or sales made in emerging market countries, or (iii) securities of
issuers having their principal place of business or principal office in emerging
market countries.
The principal criteria for inclusion of a security in a fund's portfolio is
its ability to meet the fundamental and technical standards of selection and, in
the opinion of the manager, to achieve better-than-average appreciation. If, in
the opinion of the manager, a particular security satisfies these principal
criteria, the security may be included in the fund's portfolio, regardless of
the location of the issuer or the percentage of the fund's investments in the
issuer's country
10 INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
(subject to the investment policies of the particular fund) or region.
At the same time, however, the manager recognizes that both the selection of
a fund's individual securities and the allocation of the portfolio's assets
across different countries and regions are important factors in managing an
international portfolio. For this reason, the manager will also consider a
number of other factors in making investment selections including: the prospects
for relative economic growth among countries or regions, economic and political
conditions, expected inflation rates, currency exchange fluctuations and tax
considerations.
RISK FACTORS
INVESTING IN FOREIGN SECURITIES GENERALLY
Investing in securities of foreign issuers generally involves greater risks
than investing in the securities of domestic companies. As with any investment
in securities, the value of an investment in the funds can decrease as well as
increase, depending upon a variety of factors which may affect the values and
income generated by the funds' portfolio securities. Potential investors should
carefully consider the following factors:
Currency Risk. The value of the foreign investments held by the funds may be
significantly affected by changes in currency exchange rates. The dollar value
of a foreign security generally decreases when the value of the dollar rises
against the foreign currency in which the security is denominated and tends to
increase when the value of the dollar falls against such currency. In addition,
the value of fund assets may be affected by losses and other expenses incurred
in converting between various currencies in order to purchase and sell foreign
securities and by currency restrictions, exchange control regulation, currency
devaluations and political developments.
Political and Economic Risk. The economies of many of the countries in which
the funds invest are not as developed as the economy of the United States and
may be subject to significantly different forces. Political or social
instability, expropriation, nationalization, or confiscatory taxation, and
limitations on the removal of funds or other assets, could also adversely affect
the value of investments. Further, the funds may encounter difficulties or be
unable to enforce ownership rights, pursue legal remedies or obtain judgments in
foreign courts.
Regulatory Risk. Foreign companies are generally not subject to the
regulatory controls imposed on U.S. issuers and, in general, there is less
publicly available information about foreign securities than is available about
domestic securities. Many foreign companies are not subject to uniform
accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and
requirements comparable to those applicable to domestic companies. Income from
foreign securities owned by the funds may be reduced by a withholding tax at the
source which would reduce dividend income payable to shareholders. See "Taxes,"
page 20.
Market and Trading Risk. Brokerage commission rates in foreign countries,
which are generally fixed rather than subject to negotiation as in the U.S., are
likely to be higher. The securities markets in many of the countries in which
the funds invest will have substantially less trading volume than the principal
U.S. markets. As a result, the securities of some companies in these countries
may be less liquid and more volatile than comparable U.S. securities.
Furthermore, one securities broker may represent all or a significant part of
the trading volume in a particular country, resulting in higher trading costs
and decreased liquidity due to a lack of alternative trading partners. There is
generally less government regulation and supervision of foreign stock exchanges,
brokers and issuers which may make it difficult to enforce contractual
obligations.
Clearance and Settlement Risk. Foreign securities markets also have
different clearance and settlement procedures, and in certain markets there have
been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of
securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such transactions.
Delays in clearance and settlement could result in temporary periods when assets
of the funds are uninvested and no return is earned thereon. The inability of
the funds to make intended security purchases due to clearance and settlement
problems could cause the funds to miss attractive investment opportunities.
Inability to dispose of portfolio securities due to clearance and settlement
problems could result either in losses to the funds due to subsequent declines
in value of the
PROSPECTUS INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS 11
portfolio security or, if the fund has entered into a contract to sell the
security, liability to the purchaser.
As a result, these funds are intended for aggressive investors seeking
significant gains through investments in foreign securities. Those investors
must be willing and able to accept the significantly greater risks associated
with the investment strategy that the funds will pursue. An investment in the
funds should not be considered a complete investment program and is not
appropriate for individuals with limited investment resources or who are unable
to tolerate fluctuations in the value of their investment.
INVESTING IN SMALLER COMPANIES
International Discovery will invest primarily in securities of companies
having, at the time of investment, a market capitalization of less than U.S. $1
billion or a public float of less than U.S. $500 million. These smaller
companies may present greater opportunities for capital appreciation, but may
also involve greater risks than large, mature issuers. Such companies may have
limited product lines, markets or financial resources, and their securities may
trade less frequently and in more limited volume than the securities of larger
companies. In addition, available information regarding these smaller companies
may be less available and, when available, may be incomplete or inaccurate. The
securities of such companies may also be more likely to be delisted from trading
on their primary domestic exchange. As a result, the securities of smaller
companies may experience significantly more price volatility and less liquidity
than securities of larger companies, and this volatility and limited liquidity
may be reflected in the net asset value of the fund.
INVESTING IN EMERGING MARKET COUNTRIES
Each of the funds included in this Prospectus may invest in securities of
issuers in emerging market countries. Investing in emerging market countries
involves exposure to significantly higher risk than investing in countries with
developed markets. Emerging market countries may have economic structures that
are generally less diverse and mature and political systems that can be expected
to be less stable than those of developed countries.
Securities prices in emerging market countries can be significantly more
volatile than in developed countries, reflecting the greater uncertainties of
investing in lesser developed markets and economies. In particular, emerging
market countries may have relatively unstable governments, and may present the
risk of nationalization of businesses, expropriation, confiscatory taxation or,
in certain instances, reversion to closed market, centrally planned economies.
Such countries may also have restrictions on foreign ownership or prohibitions
on the repatriation of assets, and may have less protection of property rights
than developed countries.
The economies of emerging market countries may be predominantly based on
only a few industries or dependent on revenues from particular commodities or on
international aid or development assistance, may be highly vulnerable to changes
in local or global trade conditions, and may suffer from extreme and volatile
debt burdens or inflation rates. In addition, securities markets in emerging
market countries may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to
respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially resulting in a
lack of liquidity and greater volatility in the price of securities traded on
those markets.
The funds may not always purchase securities on the principal market.
Depositary receipts, depositary shares, or other equity equivalents ("DRs") may
be purchased if considered to be more attractive than the underlying securities.
DRs are typically issued by a bank or trust company evidencing ownership of an
underlying foreign security. In emerging markets countries, the funds may invest
in DRs which are structured by a bank or trust company without the sponsorship
of the underlying foreign issuer. In addition to the risks of foreign investment
applicable to the underlying securities, such unsponsored DRs may also be
subject to the risks that the foreign issuer may not be obliged to cooperate
with the bank, may not provide financial or other information to the bank, or
may dispute or refuse to recognize the ownership of the underlying securities
which may result in a loss of the fund's investment.
INVESTING IN LOWER QUALITY DEBT INSTRUMENTS
There are no credit, maturity or investment amount restrictions on the
bonds, corporate debt securities and government obligations in which
International Discovery and Emerging Markets may
12 INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
invest. Debt securities, especially those in emerging market countries, may be
of poor quality, unrated and speculative in nature. Debt securities rated lower
than Baa by Moody's or BBB by S&P or their equivalent, sometimes referred to as
junk bonds, are considered by many to be predominately speculative. See "An
Explanation of Fixed Income Securities Ratings," in the Statement of Additional
Information. Changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more
likely to lead to a weakened capacity to make principal and interest payments on
such securities than is the case with higher quality debt securities. Regardless
of rating levels, all debt securities considered for purchase by the fund are
analyzed by the manager to determine, to the extent reasonably possible, that
the planned investment is sound given the investment objective of the fund.
OTHER INVESTMENT PRACTICES, THEIR CHARACTERISTICS
AND RISKS
For additional information, see "Investment Restrictions," in the Statement
of Additional Information.
FORWARD CURRENCY EXCHANGE CONTRACTS
Some of the securities held by the funds will be denominated in foreign
currencies. Other securities, such as DRs, may be denominated in U.S. dollars,
but have a value that is dependent upon the performance of a foreign security,
as valued in the currency of its home country. As a result, the value of a
fund's portfolio may be affected by changes in the exchange rates between
foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar, as well as by changes in the market
values of the securities themselves. The performance of foreign currencies
relative to the U.S. dollar may be an important factor in the overall
performance of a fund.
To protect against adverse movements in exchange rates between currencies, a
fund may, for hedging purposes only, enter into forward currency exchange
contracts. A forward currency exchange contract obligates a fund to purchase or
sell a specific currency at a future date at a specific price.
A fund may elect to enter into a forward currency exchange contract with
respect to a specific purchase or sale of a security, or with respect to the
fund's portfolio positions generally.
By entering into a forward currency exchange contract with respect to the
specific purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency, a
fund can "lock in" an exchange rate between the trade and settlement dates for
that purchase or sale. This practice is sometimes referred to as "transaction
hedging." Each fund may enter into transaction hedging contracts with respect to
all or a substantial portion of its trades.
When the manager believes that a particular currency may decline in value
compared to the U.S. dollar, the fund may enter into a forward currency exchange
contract to sell an amount of foreign currency equal to the value of some or all
of the fund's portfolio securities either denominated in, or whose value is tied
to, that currency. This practice is sometimes referred to as "portfolio
hedging." The fund may not enter into a portfolio hedging transaction where the
fund would be obligated to deliver an amount of foreign currency in excess of
the aggregate value of the fund's portfolio securities or other assets
denominated in, or whose value is tied to, that currency.
The fund will make use of portfolio hedging to the extent deemed appropriate
by the manager. However, it is anticipated that a fund will enter into portfolio
hedges much less frequently than transaction hedges.
If the fund enters into a forward currency exchange contract, the fund, when
required, will instruct its custodian bank to segregate cash or liquid
high-grade securities in a separate account in an amount sufficient to cover its
obligation under the contract. Those assets will be valued at market daily, and
if the value of the segregated securities declines, additional cash or
securities will be added so that the value of the account is not less than the
amount of the fund's commitment. At any given time, no more than 10% of a fund's
assets will be committed to a segregated account in connection with portfolio
hedging transactions.
Predicting the relative future values of currencies is very difficult, and
there is no assurance that any attempt to reduce the risk of adverse currency
movements through the use of forward currency exchange contracts will be
successful. In addition, the use of forward currency exchange contracts tends to
limit the potential gains that might result from a positive
PROSPECTUS INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS 13
change in the relationship between the foreign currency and the U.S. dollar.
INDIRECT FOREIGN INVESTMENT
Subject to certain restrictions contained in the Investment Company Act,
each fund may invest up to 10% of its assets in certain foreign countries
indirectly through investment funds and registered investment companies
authorized to invest in those countries. If the funds invest in investment
companies, the funds will bear their proportionate shares of the costs incurred
by such companies, including investment advisory fees, if any.
SOVEREIGN DEBT OBLIGATIONS
The funds may purchase sovereign debt instruments issued or guaranteed by
foreign governments or their agencies, including debt of emerging market
countries. Sovereign debt may be in the form of conventional securities or other
types of debt instruments such as loans or loan participations. Sovereign debt
of emerging market countries may involve a high degree of risk and may present a
risk of default or renegotiation or rescheduling of debt payments.
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The portfolio turnover rates of the funds are shown in the financial
information on pages 5-7 of this Prospectus.
Investment decisions to purchase and sell securities are based on the
anticipated contribution of the security in question to a fund's objectives. The
manager believes that the rate of portfolio turnover is irrelevant when it
determines that a change is in order to achieve those objectives and
accordingly, the annual portfolio turnover rate cannot be anticipated.
The portfolio turnover of each fund may be higher than other mutual funds
with similar investment objectives. Higher turnover would generate
correspondingly greater brokerage commissions, which is a cost that the funds
pay directly. It may also affect the character of capital gains, if any,
realized and distributed by a fund since short-term capital gains are taxable as
ordinary income.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS
Each fund may invest in repurchase agreements when such transactions present
an attractive short-term return on cash that is not otherwise committed to the
purchase of securities pursuant to the fund's investment policies.
A repurchase agreement occurs when a fund purchases an interest-bearing
obligation from a bank or broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 and simultaneously agrees to sell it back on a specified date in the
future (usually less than one week later) at a higher price. The repurchase
price reflects an agreed-upon interest rate during the time the fund's money is
invested in the security and is considered by the staff of the SEC to be a loan
by the fund. Since the interest-bearing obligation purchased constitutes
security for the repurchase obligation, a repurchase agreement can be considered
a loan collateralized by the interest-bearing obligation.
A fund's risk in connection with repurchase agreements is the ability of the
seller to pay the repurchase price on the repurchase date. If the seller
defaults, the fund may incur costs, delays or losses.
The funds will enter into repurchase agreements only with those commercial
banks and broker-dealers whose creditworthiness has been reviewed and found
satisfactory by the funds' manager pursuant to criteria adopted by the funds'
Board of Directors.
WHEN-ISSUED SECURITIES
Each fund may purchase new issues of securities on a when-issued basis
without limit when, in the opinion of the investment manager, such purchases
will further the investment objectives of the fund. The price of when-issued
securities is established at the time the commitment to purchase is made. In
developed markets, delivery of and payment for these securities typically occur
15 to 45 days after the commitment to purchase. In emerging markets, delivery
and payment may take significantly longer.
Market rates of interest on debt securities at the time of delivery may be
higher or lower than those contracted for on the when-issued security.
Accordingly, the value of such security may decline prior to delivery, which
could result in a loss to the fund. A separate account for each fund consisting
of cash or high-quality liquid debt securities in an amount at least equal to
the when-issued commitments will be established and maintained with the
custodian. No income will accrue to the fund prior to delivery.
14 INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
SHORT SALES
A fund may engage in short sales if, at the time of the short sale, the fund
owns or has the right to acquire securities equivalent in kind and amount to the
securities being sold short. Such transactions allow the fund to hedge against
price fluctuations by locking in a sale price for securities it does not wish to
sell immediately.
A fund may make a short sale when it wants to sell the security it owns at a
current attractive price, but also wishes to defer recognition of gain or loss
for federal income tax purposes and for purposes of satisfying certain tests
applicable to regulated investment companies under the Internal Revenue Code.
RULE 144A SECURITIES
The funds may, from time to time, purchase Rule 144A securities when they
present attractive investment opportunities that otherwise meet the funds'
criteria for selection. Rule 144A securities are securities that are privately
placed with and traded among qualified institutional investors rather than the
general public. Although Rule 144A securities are considered "restricted
securities," they are not necessarily illiquid.
With respect to securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A, the staff of
the Securities and Exchange Commission has taken the position that the liquidity
of such securities in the portfolio of a fund offering redeemable securities is
a question of fact for the Board of Directors to determine, such determination
to be based upon a consideration of the readily available trading markets and
the review of any contractual restrictions. The staff also acknowledges that,
while the Board retains ultimate responsibility, it may delegate this function
to the manager. Accordingly, the Board has established guidelines and procedures
for determining the liquidity of Rule 144A securities and has delegated the
day-to-day function of determining the liquidity of Rule 144A securities to the
manager. The Board retains the responsibility to monitor the implementation of
the guidelines and procedures it has adopted.
Since the secondary market for such securities is limited to certain
qualified institutional investors, the liquidity of such securities may be
limited accordingly and a fund may, from time to time, hold a Rule 144A security
that is illiquid. In such an event, the funds' manager will consider appropriate
remedies to minimize the effect on such fund's liquidity. No fund may invest
more than 15% of its assets in illiquid securities (securities that may not be
sold within seven days at approximately the price used in determining the net
asset value of fund shares).
PERFORMANCE ADVERTISING
From time to time, the funds may advertise performance data. Fund
performance may be shown by presenting one or more performance measurements,
including cumulative total return or average annual total return. Performance
data may be quoted separately for the Advisor Class and for the other classes
offered by the funds.
Cumulative total return data is computed by considering all elements of
return, including reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions,
over a stated period of time. Average annual total return is determined by
computing the annual compound return over a stated period of time that would
have produced the fund's cumulative total return over the same period if the
fund's performance had remained constant throughout.
The funds may also include in advertisements data comparing performance with
the performance of non-related investment media, published editorial comments
and performance rankings compiled by independent organizations (such as Lipper
Analytical Services) and publications that monitor the performance of mutual
funds. Performance information may be quoted numerically or may be presented in
a table, graph or other illustration. In addition, fund performance may be
compared to well-known indices of market performance including the Standard &
Poor's 500 Index, the Dow Jones World Index, the IFC Global Composite Index and
the Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe, Australia, Far East Index (EAFE
Index). Fund performance may also be compared to the rankings prepared by Lipper
Analytical Services, Inc. In addition, fund performance may be compared, on a
relative basis, to other funds in our fund family. This relative comparison,
which may be based upon historical or expected fund performance, volatility or
other fund characteristics, may be pre-
PROSPECTUS INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS 15
sented numerically, graphically or in text. Fund performance may also be
combined or blended with other funds in our fund family, and that combined or
blended performance may be compared to the same indices to which individual
funds may be compared.
All performance information advertised by the funds is historical in nature
and is not intended to represent or guarantee future results. The value of fund
shares when redeemed may be more or less than their original cost.
16 INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
The following section explains how to purchase, exchange and redeem Advisor
Class shares of the funds offered by this Prospectus.
HOW TO PURCHASE AND SELL AMERICAN
CENTURY FUNDS
One or more of the funds offered by this Prospectus is available as an
investment option under your employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan or
through or in connection with a program, product or service offered by a
financial intermediary, such as a bank, broker-dealer or an insurance company.
Since all records of your share ownership are maintained by your plan sponsor,
plan recordkeeper or other financial intermediary, all orders to purchase,
exchange and redeem shares must be made through your employer or other financial
intermediary, as applicable.
If you are purchasing through a retirement or savings plan, the
administrator of your plan or your employee benefits office can provide you with
information on how to participate in your plan and how to select an American
Century fund as an investment option.
If you are purchasing through a financial intermediary, you should contact
your service representative at the financial intermediary for information about
how to select American Century funds.
If you have questions about a fund, see "Investment Policies of the Funds,"
page 8, or call an Institutional Service Representative at 1-800-345-3533.
Orders to purchase shares are effective on the day we receive payment. See
"When Share Price is Determined," page 19.
We may discontinue offering shares generally in the funds (including any
class of shares of a fund) or in any particular state without notice to
shareholders.
To reduce expenses and demonstrate respect for our environment, we have
initiated a project through which we will eliminate duplicate copies of most
financial reports and prospectuses to most households and deliver account
statements to most households in a single envelope, even if they have more than
one account. If additional copies of financial reports and prospectuses or
separate mailing of account statements is desired, please call us at the
above-referenced telephone number.
HOW TO EXCHANGE FROM ONE AMERICAN CENTURY
FUND TO ANOTHER
Your plan or program may permit you to exchange your investment in the
shares of a fund for shares of another fund. See your plan administrator,
employee benefits office or financial intermediary for details on the rules in
your plan governing exchanges.
Exchanges are made at the respective net asset values, next computed after
receipt of the exchange instruction by us. If in any 90-day period, the total of
the exchanges and redemptions from the account of any one plan participant or
financial intermediary client exceeds the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of a fund's
assets, further exchanges may be subject to special requirements to comply with
our policy on large redemptions. See "Special Requirements for Large
Redemptions," page 18.
IN ORDER TO DISCOURAGE THE EXCHANGE OF SHARES OF INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY
SHORTLY AFTER THEIR PURCHASE, EXCHANGE OF THOSE SHARES WITHIN 180 DAYS OF THEIR
PURCHASE WILL BE SUBJECT TO A REDEMPTION FEE OF 2.0% OF THE VALUE OF THE SHARES
EXCHANGED. This fee will be retained by the fund to help minimize the impact
such exchanges have on fund performance and, hence, on the other shareholders of
the fund. For the purposes of determining the applicability of this fee, shares
first purchased will be deemed to be the shares first exchanged. The fund
reserves its right to modify its policy regarding this redemption fee or to
waive such policy in whole or in part for certain classes of investors.
HOW TO REDEEM SHARES
Subject to any restrictions imposed by your employer's plan or financial
intermediary's program, you can sell ("redeem") your shares through the plan or
financial intermediary at their net asset value. Your
PROSPECTUS HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS 17
plan administrator, trustee, or financial intermediary or other designated
person must provide us with redemption instructions. The shares will be redeemed
at the net asset value next computed after receipt of the instructions in good
order. See "When Share Price Is Determined," page 19. If you have any questions
about how to redeem, contact your plan administrator, employee benefits office,
or service representative at your financial intermediary, as applicable.
IN ORDER TO DISCOURAGE THE REDEMPTION OF SHARES OF INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY
SHORTLY AFTER THEIR PURCHASE, REDEMPTION OF THOSE SHARES WITHIN 180 DAYS OF
THEIR PURCHASE WILL BE SUBJECT TO A REDEMPTION FEE OF 2.0% OF THE VALUE OF THE
SHARES REDEEMED. This fee will be retained by the fund to help minimize the
impact such redemptions have on fund performance and, hence, on the other
shareholders of the fund. For the purposes of determining the applicability of
this fee, shares first purchased will be deemed to be the shares first redeemed.
The fund reserves its right to modify its policy regarding this redemption fee
or to waive such policy in whole or in part for certain classes of investors.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR LARGE REDEMPTIONS
We have elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the Investment Company
Act, which obligates each fund to redeem shares in cash, with respect to any one
participant account during any 90-day period, up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1%
of the assets of the fund. Although redemptions in excess of this limitation
will also normally be paid in cash, the funds reserve the right to honor these
redemptions by making payment in whole or in part in readily marketable
securities (a "redemption-in-kind").
If payment is made in securities, the securities will be selected by the
fund, will be valued in the same manner as they are in computing the fund's net
asset value and will be provided to the redeeming plan participant or financial
intermediary in lieu of cash without prior notice.
If you expect to make a large redemption and would like to avoid any
possibility of being paid in securities, you may do so by providing us with an
unconditional instruction to redeem at least 15 days prior to the date on which
the redemption transaction is to occur. The instruction must specify the dollar
amount or number of shares to be redeemed and the date of the transaction.
Receipt of your instruction 15 days prior to the transaction provides the fund
with sufficient time to raise the cash in an orderly manner to pay the
redemption and thereby minimizes the effect of the redemption on the fund and
its remaining shareholders.
Despite the fund's right to redeem shares through a redemption-in-kind, we
do not expect to exercise this option unless a fund has an unusually low level
of cash to meet redemptions and/or is experiencing unusually strong demands for
its cash. Such a demand might be caused, for example, by extreme market
conditions that result in an abnormally high level of redemption requests
concentrated in a short period of time. Absent these or similar circumstances,
the funds expect redemptions in excess of $250,000 to be paid in cash in any
fund with assets of more than $50 million if total redemptions from any one
account in any 90-day period do not exceed one-half of 1% of the total assets of
the fund.
TELEPHONE SERVICES
INVESTORS LINE
To request information about our funds and a current prospectus, or get
answers to any questions that you may have about the funds and the services we
offer, call one of our Institutional Service Representatives at 1-800-345-3533.
18 HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW
SHARE PRICE
WHEN SHARE PRICE IS DETERMINED
The price of your shares is also referred to as their net asset value. Net
asset value is determined by calculating the total value of the fund's assets,
deducting total liabilities and dividing the result by the number of shares
outstanding. For all American Century funds, except the funds issued by the
American Century Target Maturities Trust, net asset value is determined at the
close of regular trading on each day that the New York Stock Exchange is open,
usually 3 p.m. Central time. The net asset values for the Target Maturities is
determined one hour prior to the close of the Exchange.
Investments and requests to redeem or exchange shares will receive the share
price next determined after we receive your investment, redemption or exchange
request. For example, investments and requests to redeem or exchange shares
received by us or one of our agents before the time as of which the net asset
value is determined, are effective on, and will receive the price determined,
that day. Investment, redemption and exchange requests received thereafter are
effective on, and receive the price determined on, the next day the Exchange is
open.
Investments are considered received only when payment is received by us.
Wired funds are considered received on the day they are deposited in our bank
account if they are deposited before the net asset value is determined.
It is the responsibility of your plan recordkeeper or financial intermediary
to transmit your purchase, exchange and redemption requests to the funds'
transfer agent prior to the applicable cut-off time for receiving orders and to
make payment for any purchase transactions in accordance with the funds'
procedures or any contractual arrangement with the funds or the funds'
distributor in order for you to receive that day's price.
HOW SHARE PRICE IS DETERMINED
The valuation of assets for determining net asset value may be summarized as
follows:
Portfolio securities of each fund, except as otherwise noted, listed or
traded on a domestic securities exchange are valued at the last sale price on
that exchange. Portfolio securities primarily traded on foreign securities
exchanges are generally valued at the preceding closing values of such
securities on the exchange where primarily traded. If no sale is reported, or if
local convention or regulation so provides, the mean of the latest bid and asked
prices is used. Depending on local convention or regulation, securities traded
over-the-counter are priced at the mean of the latest bid and asked prices, or
at the last sale price. When market quotations are not readily available,
securities and other assets are valued at fair value as determined in accordance
with procedures adopted by the Board of Directors.
Debt securities not traded on a principal securities exchange are valued
through valuations obtained from a commercial pricing service or at the most
recent mean of the bid and asked prices provided by investment dealers in
accordance with procedures established by the Board of Directors.
The value of an exchange-traded foreign security is determined in its
national currency as of the close of trading on the foreign exchange on which it
is traded or as of the close of business on the New York Stock Exchange, if that
is earlier. That value is then converted to dollars at the prevailing foreign
exchange rate.
Trading in securities on European and Far Eastern securities exchanges and
over-the-counter markets is normally completed at various times before the close
of business on each day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. If an event
were to occur after the value of a security was established but before the net
asset value per share was determined which was likely to materially change the
net asset value, then that security would be valued at fair value as determined
in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of Directors.
Trading of these securities in foreign markets may not take place on every
New York Stock Exchange business day. In addition, trading may take place in
various foreign markets on Saturdays or on other days
PROSPECTUS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW 19
when the New York Stock Exchange is not open and on which a fund's net asset
value is not calculated. Therefore, such calculation does not take place
contemporaneously with the determination of the prices of many of the portfolio
securities used in such calculation and the value of a fund's portfolio may be
significantly affected on days when shares of the fund may not be purchased or
redeemed.
WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION ABOUT SHARE PRICE
The net asset values of the Investor Class of International Growth and
International Discovery are published in leading newspapers daily. The net asset
value of the Investor Class of Emerging Markets will be published in newspapers
when the fund meets the minimum size requirements for listing. Because the total
expense ratio for the Advisor Class shares is 0.25% higher than the Investor
Class, their net asset values will be lower than the Investor Class. The net
asset value of the Advisor Class of each fund may be obtained by calling us.
DISTRIBUTIONS
In general, distributions from net investment income and net realized
securities gains, if any, are declared and paid annually, usually in December,
but the funds may make distributions on a more frequent basis to comply with the
distribution requirements of the Internal Revenue Code, in all events in a
manner consistent with the provisions of the Investment Company Act.
THE OBJECTIVE OF EACH FUND IS CAPITAL APPRECIATION AND NOT THE PRODUCTION OF
DISTRIBUTIONS. YOU SHOULD MEASURE THE SUCCESS OF YOUR INVESTMENT BY THE VALUE OF
YOUR INVESTMENT AT ANY GIVEN TIME AND NOT BY THE DISTRIBUTIONS YOU RECEIVE.
Participants in employer-sponsored retirement or savings plans must reinvest
all distributions. For shareholders investing in taxable accounts, distributions
will be reinvested unless you elect to receive them in cash. Distributions of
less than $10 generally will be reinvested. Distributions made shortly after a
purchase made by check or ACH may be held up to 15 days. You may elect to have
distributions on shares of Individual Retirement Accounts and 403(b) plans paid
in cash only if you are at least 591/2 years old or permanently and totally
disabled. Distribution checks normally are mailed within seven days after the
record date.
A distribution on shares of a fund does not increase the value of your
shares or your total return. At any given time the value of your shares includes
the undistributed net gains, if any, realized by the fund on the sale of
portfolio securities, and undistributed dividends and interest received, less
fund expenses.
Because such gains and dividends are included in the price of your shares,
when they are distributed the price of your shares is reduced by the amount of
the distribution. If you buy your shares through a taxable account just before
the distribution, you will pay the full price for your shares, and then receive
a portion of the purchase price back as a taxable distribution. See "Taxes,"
this page.
TAXES
Each fund has elected to be taxed under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue
Code, which means that to the extent its income is distributed to shareholders,
it pays no income taxes.
TAX-DEFERRED ACCOUNTS
If fund shares are purchased through tax-deferred accounts, such as a
qualified employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan, income and capital
gains distributions paid by the funds will generally not be subject to current
taxation, but will accumulate in your account under the plan on a tax-deferred
basis.
Employer-sponsored retirement and savings plans are governed by complex tax
rules. If you elect to participate in your employer's plan, consult your plan
administrator, your plan's summary plan description, or a professional tax
advisor regarding the tax consequences of participation in the plan,
contributions to, and withdrawals or distributions from the plan.
TAXABLE ACCOUNTS
If fund shares are purchased through taxable accounts, distributions of net
investment income and net short-term capital gains are taxable to you as
ordinary income. Distributions from net long-term capital gains are taxable as
long-term capital gains regardless of the length of time you have held the
shares on which such distributions are paid. However, you should note that any
loss realized upon the sale or redemption of shares held for six months or less
will
20 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distribution of
long-term capital gain to you with respect to such shares.
Dividends and interest received by a fund on foreign securities, as well as
capital gains realized upon the sale of such securities, may give rise to
withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax conventions
between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such
taxes. The foreign taxes paid by a fund will reduce its dividends.
If more than 50% of the value of a fund's total assets at the close of the
taxable year consist of securities of foreign corporations, the fund may qualify
for and make an election with the Internal Revenue Service with respect to such
fiscal year so that fund shareholders may be able to claim a foreign tax credit
in lieu of a deduction for foreign income taxes paid by the fund. If such an
election is made, the foreign taxes paid by the fund will be treated as income
received by you.
If a fund purchases the securities of certain foreign investment funds or
trusts called passive foreign investment companies, capital gains on the sale of
such holdings will be deemed to be ordinary income regardless of how long the
fund holds its investment. The fund may also be subject to corporate income tax
and an interest charge on certain dividends and capital gains earned from these
investments, regardless of whether such income and gains are distributed to
shareholders. In the alternative, the fund may elect to recognize cumulative
gains on such investments as of the last day of its fiscal year and distribute
it to shareholders.
Distributions are taxable to you regardless of whether they are taken in
cash or reinvested, even if the value of your shares is below your cost. If you
purchase shares shortly before a distribution, you must pay income taxes on the
distribution, even though the value of your investment (plus cash received, if
any) remains the same. In addition, the share price at the time you purchase
shares may include unrealized gains in the securities held in the investment
portfolio of a fund. If these portfolio securities are subsequently sold and the
gains are realized, they will, to the extent not offset by capital losses, be
paid to you as a distribution of capital gains and will be taxable to you as
short-term or long-term capital gains. See "Distributions," page 20.
In January of the year following the distribution, if you own shares in a
taxable account, you will receive a Form 1099-DIV notifying you of the status of
your distributions for federal income tax purposes.
Distributions may also be subject to state and local taxes, even if all or a
substantial part of such distributions are derived from interest on U.S.
government obligations which, if you received them directly, would be exempt
from state income tax. However, most but not all states allow this tax exemption
to pass through to fund shareholders when a fund pays distributions to its
shareholders. You should consult your tax advisor about the tax status of such
distributions in your own state.
If you have not complied with certain provisions of the Internal Revenue
Code and Regulations, we are required by federal law to withhold and remit to
the IRS 31% of reportable payments (which may include dividends, capital gains
distributions and redemptions). Those regulations require you to certify that
the Social Security number or tax identification number you provide is correct
and that you are not subject to 31% withholding for previous under-reporting to
the IRS. You will be asked to make the appropriate certification on your
application. Payments reported by us that omit your Social Security number or
tax identification number will subject us to a penalty of $50, which will be
charged against your account if you fail to provide the certification by the
time the report is filed. This charge is not refundable.
Redemption of shares of a fund (including redemptions made in an exchange
transaction) will be a taxable transaction for federal income tax purposes and
shareholders will generally recognize gain or loss in an amount equal to the
difference between the basis of the shares and the amount received. Assuming
that shareholders hold such shares as a capital asset, the gain or loss will be
a capital gain or loss and will generally be long term if shareholders have held
such shares for a period of more than one year. If a loss is realized on the
redemption of fund shares, the reinvestment in additional fund shares within 30
days before or after the redemption may be subject to the "wash sale" rules of
the Internal Revenue Code, resulting in a postponement of the recognition of
such loss for federal income tax purposes.
PROSPECTUS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW 21
MANAGEMENT
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
Under the laws of the State of Maryland, the Board of Directors is
responsible for managing the business and affairs of the funds. Acting pursuant
to an investment management agreement entered into with the funds, American
Century Investment Management, Inc. serves as the investment manager of the
funds. Its principal place of business is American Century Tower, 4500 Main
Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64111. The manager has been providing investment
advisory services to investment companies and institutional clients since it was
founded in 1958.
The manager supervises and manages the investment portfolio of each fund and
directs the purchase and sale of their investment securities. It utilizes a team
of portfolio managers, assistant portfolio managers and analysts acting together
to manage the assets of the funds. The team meets regularly to review portfolio
holdings and to discuss purchase and sale activity. The team adjusts holdings in
the funds' portfolios as they deem appropriate in pursuit of the funds'
investment objectives. Individual portfolio managers may also adjust portfolio
holdings of the funds as necessary between meetings.
The portfolio manager members of the teams managing the funds described in
this Prospectus and their work experience during the past five years are as
follows:
HENRIK STRABO, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, joined American Century
in 1993 as an Investment Analyst of the International Growth and International
Discovery team and has been a Portfolio Manager member of the team since 1994.
Prior to joining American Century, Mr. Strabo was Vice President, International
Equity Sales with Barclays de Zoete Wedd from 1991 to 1993.
MARK S. KOPINSKI, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, rejoined American
Century in April 1997. From June 1995 to March 1997, Mr. Kopinski served as Vice
President and Portfolio Manager for Federated Investors, Inc. Prior to June
1995, Mr. Kopinski was a Vice President and Portfolio Manager for American
Century. He is a member of the teams that manage International Growth,
International Discovery and the Emerging Markets Fund. He was a member of the
International Growth and International Discovery teams at their inception in
1991.
MICHAEL J. DONNELLY, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, joined American
Century in August 1997. From July 1993 to July 1997, Mr. Donnelly served as Vice
President and Portfolio Manager for Federated Investors, Inc. Prior to July
1993, Mr. Donnelly served as Assistant Vice President for Korea First Bank. He
is a member of the team that manages the Emerging Markets Fund.
The activities of the manager are subject only to directions of the funds'
Board of Directors. The manager pays all the expenses of the funds except
brokerage, taxes, interest, fees and expenses of the non-interested person
directors (including counsel fees) and extraordinary expenses.
For the services provided to the Advisor Class of the funds, the manager
receives an annual fee calculated as a percentage of the average net assets of
the fund as follows:
Fund Percent of Average Net Assets
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
International Growth 1.25% of first $1 billion
0.95% of the next $1 billion
0.85% over $2 billion
International Discovery 1.50% of first $500 million
1.15% of the next $500 million
0.95% over $1 billion
Emerging Markets 1.75% of first $500 million
1.25% of the next $500 million
$1.00% over $1 billion
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
On the first business day of each month, each fund pays the management fee
to the manager for the previous month at the rate specified. The fee for the
previous month is calculated by multiplying the applicable fee for such series
by the aggregate average daily closing value of the fund's net assets during the
previous month, and further multiplying that product by a fraction, the
numerator of which is the number of days in the previous month and the
denominator of which is 365 (366 in leap years).
The management fees paid by the funds to the manager are higher than the
fees paid by the various other funds in the American Century family of funds
because of the higher costs and additional expenses associated with managing and
operating a fund owning a portfolio consisting primarily of foreign securities.
The fee
22 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
may also be higher than the fee paid by many other international or foreign
investment companies.
Many other investment companies may refer to or publicize an "investment
management fee" or "management fee" paid by the company to its manager. However,
most such companies also use fund assets to pay for certain expenses of the fund
in addition to the stated management fee. In contrast, the management fee paid
to the manager includes payment for almost all fund expenses, with the
exceptions noted. Therefore, potential investors who attempt to compare the
expenses of these funds to the expenses of other funds should be careful to
compare only the ratio of total expenses to average net assets contained in the
financial information found on pages 5-7 of this Prospectus to the same ratio of
the other funds.
The management agreement also provides that the funds' Board of Directors,
upon 60 days' prior written notice to all affected shareholders, may impose a
servicing or administrative fee as a charge against shareholder accounts.
CODE OF ETHICS
The funds and the manager have adopted a Code of Ethics that restricts
personal investing practices by employees of the manager and its affiliates.
Among other provisions, the Code of Ethics requires that employees with access
to information about the purchase or sale of securities in the funds' portfolios
obtain preclearance before executing personal trades. With respect to Portfolio
Managers and other investment personnel, the Code of Ethics prohibits
acquisition of securities in an initial public offering, as well as profits
derived from the purchase and sale of the same security within 60 calendar days.
These provisions are designed to ensure that the interests of fund shareholders
come before the interests of the people who manage those funds.
TRANSFER AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
American Century Services Corporation, 4500 Main Street, Kansas City,
Missouri 64111 acts as transfer agent and dividend-paying agent for the funds.
It provides facilities, equipment and personnel to the funds and is paid for
such services by the manager.
From time to time, special services may be offered to shareholders who
maintain higher share balances in our family of funds. These services may
include the waiver of minimum investment requirements, expedited confirmation of
shareholder transactions, newsletters and a team of personal representatives.
Any expenses associated with these special services will be paid by the manager.
The manager and the transfer agent are both wholly owned by American Century
Companies, Inc. James E. Stowers, Jr., Chairman of the funds' Board of
Directors, controls American Century Companies by virtue of his ownership of a
majority of its common stock.
DISTRIBUTION OF FUND SHARES
The funds' shares are distributed by American Century Investment Services,
Inc., a registered broker-dealer and an affiliate of the manager. As agent for
the funds and the manager, the distributor enters into contracts with various
banks, broker-dealers, insurance companies and other financial intermediaries
with respect to the sale of the funds' shares and/or the use of the funds'
shares in various financial services. The manager (or an affiliate) pays all
expenses incurred in promoting sales of, and distributing, the Advisor Class and
in securing such services out of the Rule 12b-1 fees described in the section
that follows.
SERVICE AND DISTRIBUTION FEES
Rule 12b-1 adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the
Investment Company Act permits investment companies that adopt a written plan to
pay certain expenses associated with the distribution of their shares. Pursuant
to that rule, the funds' Board of Directors and the initial shareholder of the
funds' Advisor Class shares have approved and adopted a Master Distribution and
Shareholder Services Plan (the "Plan"). Pursuant to the Plan, each fund pays the
manager a shareholder services fee and a distribution fee, each equal to 0.25%
(for a total of 0.50%) per annum of the average daily net assets of the shares
of the fund's Advisor Class. The shareholder services fee is paid for the
purpose of paying the costs of securing certain shareholder and administrative
services, and the distribution fee is paid for the purpose of paying the costs
of providing various distribution services. All or a portion of such fees are
paid by the manager to the banks, broker-dealers, insurance companies or other
financial intermedi-
PROSPECTUS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW 23
aries through which such shares are made available.
The Plan has been adopted and will be administered in accordance with the
requirements of Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act. For additional
information about the Plan and its terms, see "Master Distribution and
Shareholder Services Plan" in the Statement of Additional Information. Fees paid
pursuant to the Plan may be paid for shareholder services and the maintenance of
accounts and therefore may constitute "service fees" for purposes of applicable
rules of the National Association of Securities Dealers.
FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT AMERICAN CENTURY
American Century World Mutual Funds, Inc., the issuer of the funds, was
organized as a Maryland corporation on December 28, 1990.
The corporation is a diversified, open-end management investment company
whose shares were first offered in May 1991. Its business and affairs are
managed by its officers under the direction of its Board of Directors.
The principal office of the funds is 4500 Main Street, P.O. Box 419385,
Kansas City, Missouri 64141-6385. All inquiries may be made by mail to that
address, or by telephone to 1-800-345-3533 (international calls: 816-531-5575).
American Century World Mutual Funds, Inc. issues three series of $0.01 par
value shares. Each series is commonly referred to as a fund. The assets
belonging to each series of shares are held separately by the custodian.
American Century offers four classes of each of the funds offered by this
Prospectus: an Investor Class, an Institutional Class, a Service Class and an
Advisor Class. The shares offered by this Prospectus are Advisor Class shares.
The Investor Class is primarily made available to retail investors. The
Institutional Class and Service Class are primarily offered to institutional
investors or through institutional distribution channels, such as
employer-sponsored retirement plans or through banks, broker-dealers, insurance
companies or other financial intermediaries. The other classes have different
fees, expenses and/or minimum investment requirements than the Advisor Class.
The difference in the fee structures among the classes is the result of their
separate arrangements for shareholder and distribution services and not the
result of any difference in amounts charged by the manager for core investment
advisory services. Accordingly, the core investment advisory expenses do not
vary by class. Different fees and expenses will affect performance. For
additional information concerning the Investor Class of shares, call an Investor
Services Representative at 1-800-345-2021. For information concerning the
Institutional or Service Classes of shares, call one of our Institutional
Service Representatives at 1-800-345-3533 or contact a sales representative or
financial intermediary who offers those classes of shares.
Except as described below, all classes of shares of a fund have identical
voting, dividend, liquidation and other rights, preferences, terms and
conditions. The only differences among the various classes are (a) each class
may be subject to different expenses specific to that class, (b) each class has
a different identifying designation or name, (c) each class has exclusive voting
rights with respect to matters solely affecting such class, (d) each class may
have different exchange privileges and (e) the Institutional Class may provide
for automatic conversion from that class into shares of another class of the
same fund.
Each share, irrespective of series or class, is entitled to one vote for
each dollar of net asset value applicable to such share on all questions, except
for those matters which must be voted on separately by the series or class of
the shares affected. Matters affecting only one series or class are voted upon
only by that series or class.
Shares have non-cumulative voting rights, which means that the holders of
more than 50% of the votes cast in an election of directors can elect all of the
directors if they choose to do so, and in such event the holders of the
remaining votes will not be able to elect any person or persons to the Board of
Directors.
Unless required by the Investment Company Act, it will not be necessary for
the funds to hold annual meetings of shareholders. As a result, shareholders may
not vote each year on the election of directors or the appointment of auditors.
However, pursuant to the funds' bylaws, the holders of shares representing at
least 10% of the votes entitled to be cast may request the funds to hold a
special meeting of shareholders. We will assist in the communication with other
shareholders.
24 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE ANY OF OUR POLICIES, PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES
DESCRIBED IN THIS PROSPECTUS, INCLUDING THE STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION,
WITHOUT SHAREHOLDER APPROVAL EXCEPT IN THOSE INSTANCES WHERE SHAREHOLDER
APPROVAL IS EXPRESSLY REQUIRED.
PROSPECTUS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW 25
P.O. BOX 419385
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
64141-6385
INVESTOR SERVICES:
1-800-345-3533 OR 816-531-5575
TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICE FOR THE DEAF:
1-800-345-1833 OR 816-444-3038
FAX: 816-340-4655
INTERNET: www.americancentury.com
[american century logo]
AMERICAN
CENTURY(reg.sm)
9709 [recycled logo]
SH-BKT-9195 Recycled
<PAGE>
PROSPECTUS
[american century logo]
American
Century(reg.sm)
APRIL 1, 1997
Revised September 15, 1997
TWENTIETH
CENTURY(reg.tm)
GROUP
International Growth
International Discovery
Emerging Markets
INSTITUTIONAL CLASS
AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
FAMILY OF FUNDS
American Century Investments offers you nearly 70 fund choices covering
stocks, bonds, money markets, specialty investments and blended portfolios. To
help you find the funds that may meet your investment needs, American Century
funds have been divided into three groups based on investment style and
objectives. These groups, which appear below, are designed to help simplify your
fund decisions.
AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS--FAMILY OF FUNDS
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Benham American Century Twentieth Century
Group(reg. tm) Group Group
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MONEY MARKET FUNDS ASSET ALLOCATION & GROWTH FUNDS
GOVERNMENT BOND FUNDS BALANCED FUNDS INTERNATIONAL FUNDS
DIVERSIFIED BOND FUNDS CONSERVATIVE EQUITY FUNDS
MUNICIPAL BOND FUNDS SPECIALTY FUNDS
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Growth
International Discovery
Emerging Markets
PROSPECTUS
APRIL 1, 1997
REVISED SEPTEMBER 15, 1997
International Growth * International
Discovery * Emerging Markets
INSTITUTIONAL CLASS
AMERICAN CENTURY WORLD MUTUAL FUNDS, INC.
American Century World Mutual Funds, Inc., is a part of American Century
Investments, a family of funds that includes nearly 70 no-load mutual funds
covering a variety of investment opportunities. Three of the funds from our
Twentieth Century Group are described in this Prospectus. Their investment
objectives are listed on page 2 of this Prospectus. The other funds are
described in separate prospectuses.
The funds described in this Prospectus invest primarily in equity securities
of foreign issuers. Investment in securities of foreign issuers typically
involves a greater degree of risk than investment in domestic securities. Please
read "Risk Factors," page 10.
Each fund's shares offered by this Prospectus (the Institutional Class
shares) are sold at their net asset value with no sales charges or commissions.
The Institutional Class shares are made available for purchase by large
institutional shareholders, such as bank trust departments, corporations,
endowments, foundations and financial advisors that meet the funds' minimum
investment requirements. Institutional Class shares are not available for
purchase by insurance companies or participant-directed employer-sponsored
retirement plans.
This Prospectus gives you information about the funds that you should know
before investing. Please read this Prospectus carefully and retain it for future
reference. Additional information is included in the Statement of Additional
Information dated April 1, 1997, and filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. It is incorporated into this Prospectus by reference. To obtain a
copy without charge, call or write:
AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
4500 Main Street * P.O. Box 419385
Kansas City, Missouri 64141-6385 * 1-800-345-3533
International calls: 816-531-5575
Telecommunications Device for the Deaf:
1-800-345-1833 * In Missouri: 816-444-3038
Internet: www.americancentury.com
Additional information, including this Prospectus and the Statement of
Additional Information, may be obtained by accessing the Web site maintained by
the SEC (www.sec.gov).
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.
PROSPECTUS 1
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES OF THE FUNDS
AMERICAN CENTURY -- TWENTIETH CENTURY
INTERNATIONAL GROWTH FUND
The investment objective of International Growth (formerly International
Equity) is capital growth. The fund will seek to achieve its investment
objective by investing primarily in an internationally diversified portfolio of
equity securities that are considered by the investment manager to have
prospects for appreciation. The fund will invest primarily in securities of
issuers in developed markets.
AMERICAN CENTURY -- TWENTIETH CENTURY
INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY FUND
The investment objective of International Discovery (formerly International
Emerging Growth) is capital growth. The fund will seek to achieve its investment
objective by investing primarily in an internationally diversified portfolio of
equity securities of issuers having comparatively smaller market capitalizations
(less than U.S. $1 billion in market capitalization or less than U.S. $500
million in public float). The fund may invest up to 50% of its assets in
securities of issuers in emerging market countries. All such investments will be
considered by the investment manager to have prospects for appreciation. Due to
the risks associated with such investments, an investment in this fund may be
considered speculative.
SHARES OF INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY EXCHANGED OR REDEEMED WITHIN 180 DAYS OF
THEIR PURCHASE ARE SUBJECT TO A REDEMPTION FEE OF 2.0% OF THE VALUE OF THE
SHARES EXCHANGED OR REDEEMED. This redemption fee is retained by the fund and is
intended to discourage shareholders from exchanging or redeeming their shares
shortly after their purchase, as well as minimize the impact such exchanges and
redemptions have on fund performance and, hence, on the other shareholders of
the fund.
AMERICAN CENTURY -- TWENTIETH CENTURY
EMERGING MARKETS FUND
The investment objective of Emerging Markets is capital growth. The fund
will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in an
internationally diversified portfolio of equity securities of issuers in
emerging market countries that are considered by the investment manager to have
prospects for appreciation. Due to the risks associated with such investments,
an investment in this fund may be considered speculative.
There is no assurance that the funds will achieve
their respective investment objectives.
NO PERSON IS AUTHORIZED BY THE FUNDS TO GIVE ANY INFORMATION OR MAKE ANY
REPRESENTATION OTHER THAN THOSE CONTAINED IN THIS PROSPECTUS OR IN OTHER PRINTED
OR WRITTEN MATERIAL ISSUED BY OR ON BEHALF OF THE FUNDS, AND YOU SHOULD NOT RELY
ON ANY OTHER INFORMATION OR REPRESENTATION.
2 INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Investment Objectives of the Funds ...................... 2
Transaction and Operating Expense Table ................. 4
Performance Information of Other Class .................. 5
INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS
Investment Policies of the Funds ........................ 7
International Growth ................................. 7
International Discovery .............................. 7
Emerging Markets ..................................... 8
Policies Applicable to All Funds ..................... 8
Risk Factors ............................................10
Investing in Foreign Securities Generally ............10
Investing in Smaller Companies .......................11
Investing in Emerging Market Countries ...............11
Investing in Lower Quality Debt Instruments ..........11
Other Investment Practices, Their Characteristics
and Risks ...............................................12
Forward Currency Exchange Contracts ..................12
Indirect Foreign Investment ..........................13
Sovereign Debt Obligations ...........................13
Portfolio Turnover ...................................13
Repurchase Agreements ................................13
When-Issued Securities ...............................13
Short Sales ..........................................14
Rule 144A Securities .................................14
Performance Advertising .................................14
HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
American Century Investments ............................16
Investing in American Century ...........................16
How to Open an Account ..................................16
By Mail ......................................16
By Wire ......................................16
By Exchange ..................................16
In Person ....................................17
Subsequent Investments ............................17
By Mail ......................................17
By Telephone .................................17
By Wire ......................................17
In Person ....................................17
Automatic Investment Plan .........................17
Minimum Investment .....................................17
How to Exchange from One Account to Another ............17
By Mail ......................................18
By Telephone .................................18
How to Redeem Shares ...................................18
By Mail ......................................18
By Telephone .................................18
By Check-A-Month .............................18
Other Automatic Redemptions ..................18
Redemption Proceeds ...............................19
By Check .....................................19
By Wire and ACH ..............................19
Special Requirements for Large Redemptions ........19
Signature Guarantee ....................................19
Special Shareholder Services ...........................19
Open Order Service ...........................20
Tax-Qualified Retirement Plans ...............20
Important Policies Regarding Your Investments ..........20
Reports to Shareholders ................................21
Customers of Banks, Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries .........................21
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW
Share Price .............................................22
When Share Price Is Determined .......................22
How Share Price Is Determined ........................22
Where to Find Information About Share Price ..........23
Distributions ...........................................23
Taxes ...................................................23
Tax-Deferred Accounts ................................23
Taxable Accounts .....................................23
Management ..............................................25
Investment Management ................................25
Code of Ethics .......................................26
Transfer and Administrative Services .................26
Distribution of Fund Shares .............................26
Further Information About American Century ..............27
PROSPECTUS TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
TRANSACTION AND OPERATING EXPENSE TABLE
International International Emerging
Growth Discovery Markets
SHAREHOLDER TRANSACTION EXPENSES:
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Maximum Sales Load Imposed on Purchases .......................... none none none
Maximum Sales Load Imposed on Reinvested Dividends ............... none none none
Deferred Sales Load .............................................. none none none
Redemption Fee ................................................... none none(1) none
Exchange Fee ..................................................... none none none
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (as a percentage of net assets):
Management Fees(2) ............................................... 1.22%(3) 1.55%(3) 1.80%(3)
12b-1 Fees ....................................................... none none none
Other Expenses(4) ................................................ 0.00 0.00% 0.00%
Total Fund Operating Expenses(2) ................................. 1.22%(3) 1.55%(3) 1.80%(3)
EXAMPLE:
You would pay the following expenses on a 1 year $ 12 $ 16 $ 18
$1,000 investment, assuming a 5% annual return and 3 years 39 49 56
redemption at the end of each time period(2): 5 years 67 84 97
10 years 147 183 210
(1) Shares of International Discovery exchanged or redeemed within 180 days of
their purchase are subject to a redemption fee of 2.0% of the value of the
shares exchanged or redeemed. This redemption fee is retained by the fund.
See "How to Exchange from One Account to Another," page 17 and "How to
Redeem Shares," page 18.
(2) Assumes, in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission guidelines,
that the assets of International Growth and International Discovery remain
constant at $1,346,410,495 and $377,128,391, respectively, the assets of
the funds as of November 30, 1996. A portion of the management fee may be
paid by the funds' manager to unaffiliated third parties who provide
recordkeeping and administrative services that would otherwise be performed
by an affiliate of the manager. See "Management-Transfer and Administrative
Services," page 26.
(3) International Growth pays an annual management fee of 1.30% of the first $1
billion of average net assets, 1.00% of the next $1 billion of average net
assets, and 0.90% of average net assets over $2 billion; International
Discovery pays an annual management fee of 1.55% of the first $500 million
of average net assets, 1.20% of the next $500 million average net assets,
and 1.00% of average net assets over $1 billion; and Emerging Markets pays
an annual management fee of 1.80% of the first $500 million of average net
assets, 1.30% of the next $500 million of average net assets, and 1.05% of
average net assets over $1 billion.
(4) Other expenses, which includes the fees and expenses (including legal
counsel fees) of those directors who are not "interested persons" as
defined in the Investment Company Act, were less than 0.01 of 1% of average
net assets for the most recent fiscal year.
</TABLE>
The purpose of the table is to help you understand the various costs and
expenses that you, as a shareholder, will bear directly or indirectly in
connection with an investment in the class of shares of the funds offered by
this Prospectus. The example set forth above assumes reinvestment of all
dividends and distributions and uses a 5% annual rate of return as required by
Securities and Exchange Commission regulations.
NEITHER THE 5% RATE OF RETURN NOR THE EXPENSES SHOWN ABOVE SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED INDICATIONS OF PAST OR FUTURE RETURNS AND EXPENSES. ACTUAL RETURNS
AND EXPENSES MAY BE GREATER OR LESS THAN THOSE SHOWN.
The shares offered by this Prospectus are Institutional Class shares. The
funds offer three other classes of shares, one of which is primarily made
available to retail investors and two that are primarily made available to
institutional investors. The other classes have different fee structures than
the Institutional Class. The difference in the fee structures among the classes
is the result of their separate arrangements for shareholder and distribution
services and not the result of any difference in amounts charged by the manager
for core investment advisory services. Accordingly, the core investment advisory
expenses do not vary by class. A difference in fees will result in different
performance for those classes. For additional information about the various
classes, see "Further Information About American Century," page 27.
4 TRANSACTION AND OPERATING EXPENSE TABLE AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION OF OTHER CLASS
INTERNATIONAL GROWTH
The Institutional Class of the fund was established September 3, 1996,
however, no shares had been issued prior to the fund's fiscal year end. The
financial information in this table regarding selected per-share data for the
fund reflects the performance of the fund's Investor Class of shares, which has
a total expense ratio that is 0.20% higher than the Institutional Class. Had the
Institutional Class been in existence for the fund for the time periods
presented, the fund's performance information would be higher as a result of the
lower expenses.
The Financial Highlights for the fiscal year ended November 30, 1996, have
been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors, whose report thereon
appears in the fund's annual report, which is incorporated by reference into the
Statement of Additional Information. The annual report contains additional
performance information and will be made available upon request and without
charge. The Financial Highlights for the periods ended on or before November 30,
1995, have been audited by Baird, Kurtz & Dobson, independent certified public
accountants. The information presented is for a share outstanding throughout the
years ended November 30, except as noted.
1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991(1)
PER-SHARE DATA
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period ....... $7.51 $7.47 $7.34 $5.79 $5.33 $5.10
------- -------- ------- ------- -------- --------
Income From Investment Operations
Net Investment Income (Loss) .............(0.01)(2) 0.01 (0.04) (0.04) 0.06 0.01
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain
on Investment Transactions ............ 1.24 0.40 0.57 1.78 0.41 0.22
------- -------- ------- ------- -------- --------
Total From Investment Operations ......... 1.23 0.41 0.53 1.74 0.47 0.23
------- -------- ------- ------- -------- --------
Distributions
From Net Investment Income ............... (0.01) -- -- (0.04) (0.01) --
In Excess of Net Investment Income ....... -- -- -- (0.15) -- --
From Net Realized Gains on
Investment Transactions ............... -- (0.37) (0.40) -- -- --
------- -------- ------- ------- -------- --------
Total Distributions ...................... (0.01) (0.37) (0.40) (0.19) (0.01) --
------- -------- ------- ------- -------- --------
Net Asset Value, End of Period ............. $8.73 $7.51 $7.47 $7.34 $5.79 $5.33
======== ======= ======== ======= ======== ========
Total Return(3) .......................... 16.35% 5.93% 7.28% 31.04% 8.77% 4.51%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA
Ratio of Operating Expenses
to Average Net Assets ....................1.65%(4) 1.77% 1.84% 1.90% 1.91% 1.93%(5)
Ratio of Net Investment Income (Loss)
to Average Net Assets .................... (0.07)% 0.25% (0.53)% (0.34)% 0.95% 0.26%(5)
Portfolio Turnover Rate .................. 158% 169% 242% 255% 180% 84%
Average Commission Paid per
Investment Security Traded ............... $0.0195 $0.0020 --(6) --(6) --(6) --(6)
Net Assets, End of Period
(in thousands) ..........................$1,342,608 $1,210,442 $1,316,642 $759,238 $215,346 $43,076
(1) May 9, 1991, (inception) through November 30, 1991.
(2) Computed using average shares outstanding throughout the period.
(3) Total return assumes reinvestment of dividends and capital gains
distributions, if any. Total returns for periods less than one year are not
annualized.
(4) The manager had voluntarily waived a portion of its management fee from
August 1, 1996, through November 30, 1996. In absence of the waiver, the
ratio of operating expenses to average net assets would have been 1.76%.
(5) Annualized.
(6) Disclosure of average commission paid per investment security traded was
not required prior to the year ended November 30, 1995.
</TABLE>
PROSPECTUS PERFORMANCE INFORMATION OF OTHER CLASS 5
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION OF OTHER CLASS
INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY
The Institutional Class of the fund was established September 3, 1996,
however, no shares had been issued prior to the fund's fiscal year end. The
financial information in this table regarding selected per-share data for the
fund reflects the performance of the fund's Investor Class of shares, which has
a total expense ratio that is 0.20% higher than the Institutional Class. Had the
Institutional Class been in existence for the fund for the time periods
presented, the fund's performance information would be higher as a result of the
lower expenses.
The Financial Highlights for the fiscal year ended November 30, 1996, have
been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors, whose report thereon
appears in the fund's annual report, which is incorporated by reference into the
Statement of Additional Information. The annual report contains additional
performance information and will be made available upon request and without
charge. The Financial Highlights for the periods ended on or before November 30,
1995, have been audited by Baird, Kurtz & Dobson, independent certified public
accountants. The information presented is for a share outstanding throughout the
years ended November 30, except as noted.
1996 1995 1994(1)
PER-SHARE DATA
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period ............................... $5.70 $5.39 $5.00
------- ------ -------
Income From Investment Operations
Net Investment Income (Loss) ..................................... (0.02)(2) 0.03 (0.02)
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain
on Investment Transactions .................................... 1.95 0.28 0.41
------- ------ -------
Total From Investment Operations ................................. 1.93 0.31 0.39
------- ------ -------
Distributions
From Net Investment Income ....................................... (0.01) -- --
In Excess of Net Investment Income ............................... (0.02) -- --
------- ------ -------
Total Distributions .............................................. (0.03) -- --
------- ------ -------
Net Asset Value, End of Period ..................................... $7.60 $5.70 $5.39
======= ======= =======
Total Return(3) .................................................. 34.06% 5.75% 7.80%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA
Ratio of Operating Expenses to Average Net Assets ................ 1.88%(4) 2.00% 2.00%(5)
Ratio of Net Investment Income (Loss) to Average Net Assets ...... (0.31)% 0.27% (0.48)%(5)
Portfolio Turnover Rate .......................................... 130% 168% 56%
Average Commission Paid per Investment Security Traded ........... $0.0054 $0.0040 --(6)
Net Assets, End of Period (in thousands) ......................... $377,128 $114,579 $111,202
(1) April 1, 1994, (inception) through November 30, 1994.
(2) Computed using average shares outstanding throughout the period.
(3) Total return assumes reinvestment of dividends and capital gains
distributions, if any. Total returns for periods less than one year are not
annualized.
(4) The manager had voluntarily waived a portion of its management fee from
August 1, 1996, through November 30, 1996. In absence of the waiver, the
ratio of operating expenses to average net assets would have been 1.99%.
(5) Annualized.
(6) Disclosure of average commission paid per investment security traded was
not required prior to the year ended November 30, 1995.
</TABLE>
6 PERFORMANCE INFORMATION OF OTHER CLASS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS
INVESTMENT POLICIES OF THE FUNDS
The funds have adopted certain investment restrictions that are set forth in
the Statement of Additional Information. Those restrictions, as well as the
investment objectives of the funds as listed on page 2 of this Prospectus, and
any other investment policies designated as "fundamental" in this Prospectus or
in the Statement of Additional Information, cannot be changed without
shareholder approval. The funds have implemented additional investment policies
and practices to guide their activities in the pursuit of their respective
investment objectives. These policies and practices, which are described
throughout this Prospectus, are not designated as fundamental policies and may
be changed without shareholder approval.
YOU SHOULD READ AND CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE INFORMATION UNDER "RISK FACTORS,"
PAGE 10, BEFORE MAKING AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUNDS.
INTERNATIONAL GROWTH
The investment objective of the International Growth Fund is capital growth.
The fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in
securities of foreign issuers that meet certain fundamental and technical
standards of selection (relating primarily to acceleration of earnings and
revenues) and have, in the opinion of the manager, potential for appreciation.
The fund will invest primarily in issuers in developed markets. The fund will
invest primarily in equity securities (defined to include equity equivalents) of
such issuers and will attempt to stay fully invested in such securities,
regardless of the movement of stock prices generally.
Although the primary investment of the fund will be equity securities, the
fund may also invest in other types of securities consistent with the
accomplishment of the fund's objectives. When the manager believes that the
total return potential of other securities equals or exceeds the potential
return of equity securities, the fund may invest up to 35% in such other
securities.
The other securities the fund may invest in are bonds, notes and debt
securities of companies and obligations of domestic or foreign governments and
their agencies. The fund will limit its purchases of debt securities to
investment grade obligations. For long-term debt obligations this includes
securities that are rated Baa or better by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or
BBB or better by Standard & Poor's Corporation, or that are not rated but
considered by the manager to be of equivalent quality. According to Moody's,
bonds rated Baa are medium-grade and possess some speculative characteristics. A
BBB rating by S&P indicates S&P's belief that a security exhibits a satisfactory
degree of safety and capacity for repayment, but is more vulnerable to adverse
economic conditions or changing circumstances than is the case with higher
quality debt securities. See "An Explanation of Fixed Income Securities Ratings"
in the Statement of Additional Information.
INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY
The investment objective of the International Discovery Fund is capital
growth. The fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing
primarily in an internationally diversified portfolio of equity securities of
issuers that meet certain fundamental and technical standards of selection
(relating primarily to acceleration of earnings and revenues). The fund will
invest its assets primarily in equity securities of smaller foreign issuers
(those issuers having, at the time of investment, a market capitalization of
less than U.S. $1 billion or a public float of less than U.S. $500 million). The
"public float" of an issuer is defined as the aggregate market value of the
issuer's outstanding securities held by non-affiliates of the issuer. The fund
may invest up to 50% of its assets in securities of issuers in emerging market
countries.
DUE TO THE SIGNIFICANT RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FUND'S INVESTMENT STRATEGY,
AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR ALL INVESTORS. See "Risk
Factors," page 10.
The fund may invest in securities of any type of issuer, including
closed-end investment companies, governments and governmental entities, as well
as
PROSPECTUS INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS 7
corporations, partnerships and other business organizations. The manager
believes that common stocks and other equity and equity equivalent securities
ordinarily offer the greatest potential for capital appreciation and will
constitute the majority of the fund's investments. The fund may invest, however,
in any security the manager believes has the potential for capital appreciation.
The other securities the fund may invest in include bonds, notes and debt
securities of companies and obligations of domestic or foreign governments and
their agencies. The fund will attempt to stay fully invested regardless of the
movement of stock and bond prices generally.
There are no credit quality or maturity restrictions with regard to the
bonds, corporate debt securities, and government obligations in which the fund
may invest, although less than 35% of the fund's assets will be invested in
below investment grade fixed income securities. See "An Explanation of Fixed
Income Securities Ratings" in the Statement of Additional Information. Debt
securities, especially those of issuers in emerging market countries, may be of
poor quality and speculative in nature. While these securities will primarily be
chosen for their appreciation potential, the fund may also take the potential
for income into account when selecting investments.
To enhance the fund's liquidity, at least 50% of the fund's assets will be
invested in developed market countries at all times. However, the percentage of
the assets of the fund invested in developed and emerging markets will vary as,
in the opinion of the manager, market conditions warrant. No more than 15% of
the fund's assets may be invested in illiquid investments at any time.
EMERGING MARKETS
The investment objective of the Emerging Markets Fund is capital growth. The
fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in an
internationally diversified portfolio of equity securities that meet certain
fundamental and technical standards of selection (relating primarily to
acceleration of earnings and revenues). The fund will invest its assets
primarily in the securities of issuers in emerging market countries. The
securities in which the fund may invest include not only the securities of
issuers located or principally traded in emerging market countries, but also
include the securities of issuers which derive a significant portion of their
business from emerging market countries. DUE TO THE SIGNIFICANT RISKS ASSOCIATED
WITH INVESTING IN EMERGING MARKETS, AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND MAY NOT BE
APPROPRIATE FOR ALL INVESTORS. See "Risk Factors," page 10.
The fund may invest in securities of any type of issuer, including
closed-end investment companies, governments and governmental entities, as well
as corporations, partnerships and other business organizations. The manager
believes that common stocks and other equity and equity equivalent securities
ordinarily offer the greatest potential for capital appreciation and will
constitute the majority of the fund's investments. The fund may invest, however,
in any security the manager believes has the potential for capital appreciation.
The other securities the fund may invest in include bonds, notes and debt
securities of companies and obligations of domestic or foreign governments and
their agencies. The fund will attempt to stay fully invested regardless of the
movement of stock and bond prices generally.
There are no credit quality or maturity restrictions with regard to the
bonds, corporate debt securities, and government obligations in which the fund
may invest, although less than 35% of the fund's assets will be invested in
below investment grade fixed income securities. See "An Explanation of Fixed
Income Securities Ratings" in the Statement of Additional Information. Debt
securities, especially those of issuers in emerging market countries, may be of
poor quality and speculative in nature. While these securities will primarily be
chosen for their appreciation potential, the fund may also take the potential
for income into account when selecting investments.
POLICIES APPLICABLE TO ALL FUNDS
Under normal conditions, each fund will invest at least 65% of its assets in
equity and equity equivalent securities of issuers from at least three countries
outside of the United States. While securities of U.S. issuers may be included
in the portfolio from time to time, it is the primary intent of the manager to
diversify investments in a fund across a broad range of for-
8 INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
eign issuers. The manager defines "foreign issuer" as an issuer of securities
that is domiciled outside the United States, derives at least 50% of its total
revenue from production or sales outside the United States, or whose principal
trading market is outside the United States.
The funds may make foreign investments either directly in foreign
securities, or indirectly by purchasing depositary receipts or depositary shares
or similar instruments ("DRs") for foreign securities. DRs are securities that
are listed on exchanges or quoted in over-the-counter markets in one country but
represent shares of issuers domiciled in another country. The funds may also
purchase securities of such issuers in foreign markets, either on foreign
securities exchanges or in the over-the-counter markets.
The funds may also invest in other equity securities and equity equivalents.
Other equity securities and equity equivalents include securities that permit
the funds to receive an equity interest in an issuer, the opportunity to acquire
an equity interest in an issuer, or the opportunity to receive a return on its
investment that permits the fund to benefit from the growth over time in the
equity of an issuer. Examples of other equity securities and equity equivalents
are preferred stock, convertible preferred stock and convertible debt
securities. Equity equivalents may also include securities whose value or return
is derived from the value or return of a different security. An example of one
type of derivative security in which the funds might invest is a depositary
receipt.
Notwithstanding the funds' respective investment objectives of capital
growth, under exceptional market or economic conditions, each fund may
temporarily invest all or a substantial portion of its assets in cash or
investment-grade short-term securities (denominated in U.S. dollars or foreign
currencies).
To the extent a fund assumes a defensive position, it will not be pursuing
its investment objective of capital growth.
In addition to other factors that will affect their value, the value of a
fund's investments in fixed income securities will change as prevailing interest
rates change. In general, the prices of such securities vary inversely with
interest rates. As prevailing interest rates fall, the prices of bonds and other
securities that trade on a yield basis rise. When prevailing interest rates
rise, bond prices generally fall. These changes in value may, depending upon the
particular amount and type of fixed income securities holdings of a fund, impact
the net asset value of that fund's shares. See "How Share Price is Determined,"
page 22.
In order to achieve maximum investment flexibility, the funds have not
established geographic limits on asset distribution, on either a
country-by-country or region-by-region basis. The investment manager expects to
invest both in issuers in developed markets (such as Germany, the United Kingdom
and Japan) and in issuers in emerging market countries.
The funds consider "emerging market countries" to include all countries that
are generally considered to be developing or emerging countries by the
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (commonly referred to as
the World Bank) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), as well as
countries that are classified by the United Nations as developing. Currently,
the countries not included in this category are the United States, Canada,
Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Ireland, Spain,
Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark,
Australia and New Zealand. In addition, as used in this Prospectus, "securities
of issuers in emerging market countries" means (i) securities of issuers the
principal securities trading market for which is an emerging market country,
(ii) securities, regardless of where traded, of issuers that derive 50% or more
of their total revenue from either goods or services produced in emerging market
countries or sales made in emerging market countries, or (iii) securities of
issuers having their principal place of business or principal office in emerging
market countries.
The principal criteria for inclusion of a security in a fund's portfolio is
its ability to meet the fundamental and technical standards of selection and, in
the opinion of the manager, to achieve better-than-average appreciation. If, in
the opinion of the manager, a particular security satisfies these principal
criteria, the security may be included in the fund's portfolio, regardless of
the location of the issuer or the percentage of the fund's investments in the
issuer's country
PROSPECTUS INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS 9
(subject to the investment policies of the particular fund) or region.
At the same time, however, the manager recognizes that both the selection of
a fund's individual securities and the allocation of the portfolio's assets
across different countries and regions are important factors in managing an
international portfolio. For this reason, the manager will also consider a
number of other factors in making investment selections including: the prospects
for relative economic growth among countries or regions, economic and political
conditions, expected inflation rates, currency exchange fluctuations and tax
considerations.
RISK FACTORS
INVESTING IN FOREIGN SECURITIES GENERALLY
Investing in securities of foreign issuers generally involves greater risks
than investing in the securities of domestic companies. As with any investment
in securities, the value of an investment in the funds can decrease as well as
increase, depending upon a variety of factors which may affect the values and
income generated by the funds' portfolio securities. Potential investors should
carefully consider the following factors:
Currency Risk. The value of the foreign investments held by the funds may be
significantly affected by changes in currency exchange rates. The dollar value
of a foreign security generally decreases when the value of the dollar rises
against the foreign currency in which the security is denominated and tends to
increase when the value of the dollar falls against such currency. In addition,
the value of fund assets may be affected by losses and other expenses incurred
in converting between various currencies in order to purchase and sell foreign
securities and by currency restrictions, exchange control regulation, currency
devaluations and political developments.
Political and Economic Risk. The economies of many of the countries in which
the funds invest are not as developed as the economy of the United States and
may be subject to significantly different forces. Political or social
instability, expropriation, nationalization, or confiscatory taxation, and
limitations on the removal of funds or other assets, could also adversely affect
the value of investments. Further, the funds may encounter difficulties or be
unable to enforce ownership rights, pursue legal remedies or obtain judgments in
foreign courts.
Regulatory Risk. Foreign companies are generally not subject to the
regulatory controls imposed on U.S. issuers and, in general, there is less
publicly available information about foreign securities than is available about
domestic securities. Many foreign companies are not subject to uniform
accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and
requirements comparable to those applicable to domestic companies. Income from
foreign securities owned by the funds may be reduced by a withholding tax at the
source which would reduce dividend income payable to shareholders. See "Taxes,"
page 23.
Market and Trading Risk. Brokerage commission rates in foreign countries,
which are generally fixed rather than subject to negotiation as in the U.S., are
likely to be higher. The securities markets in many of the countries in which
the funds invest will have substantially less trading volume than the principal
U.S. markets. As a result, the securities of some companies in these countries
may be less liquid and more volatile than comparable U.S. securities.
Furthermore, one securities broker may represent all or a significant part of
the trading volume in a particular country, resulting in higher trading costs
and decreased liquidity due to a lack of alternative trading partners. There is
generally less government regulation and supervision of foreign stock exchanges,
brokers and issuers which may make it difficult to enforce contractual
obligations.
Clearance and Settlement Risk. Foreign securities markets also have
different clearance and settlement procedures, and in certain markets there have
been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of
securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such transactions.
Delays in clearance and settlement could result in temporary periods when assets
of the funds are uninvested and no return is earned thereon. The inability of
the funds to make intended security purchases due to clearance and settlement
problems could cause the funds to miss attractive investment opportunities.
Inability to dispose of portfolio securities due to clearance and settlement
problems could result either in losses to the funds due to subsequent declines
in value of the
10 INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
portfolio security or, if the fund has entered into a contract to sell the
security, liability to the purchaser.
As a result, these funds are intended for aggressive investors seeking
significant gains through investments in foreign securities. Those investors
must be willing and able to accept the significantly greater risks associated
with the investment strategy that the funds will pursue. An investment in the
funds should not be considered a complete investment program and is not
appropriate for individuals with limited investment resources or who are unable
to tolerate fluctuations in the value of their investment.
INVESTING IN SMALLER COMPANIES
International Discovery will invest primarily in securities of companies
having, at the time of investment, a market capitalization of less than U.S. $1
billion or a public float of less than U.S. $500 million. These smaller
companies may present greater opportunities for capital appreciation, but may
also involve greater risks than large, mature issuers. Such companies may have
limited product lines, markets or financial resources, and their securities may
trade less frequently and in more limited volume than the securities of larger
companies. In addition, available information regarding these smaller companies
may be less available and, when available, may be incomplete or inaccurate. The
securities of such companies may also be more likely to be delisted from trading
on their primary domestic exchange. As a result, the securities of smaller
companies may experience significantly more price volatility and less liquidity
than securities of larger companies, and this volatility and limited liquidity
may be reflected in the net asset value of the fund.
INVESTING IN EMERGING MARKET COUNTRIES
Each of the funds included in this Prospectus may invest in securities of
issuers in emerging market countries. Investing in emerging market countries
involves exposure to significantly higher risk than investing in countries with
developed markets. Emerging market countries may have economic structures that
are generally less diverse and mature and political systems that can be expected
to be less stable than those of developed countries.
Securities prices in emerging market countries can be significantly more
volatile than in developed countries, reflecting the greater uncertainties of
investing in lesser developed markets and economies. In particular, emerging
market countries may have relatively unstable governments, and may present the
risk of nationalization of businesses, expropriation, confiscatory taxation or,
in certain instances, reversion to closed market, centrally planned economies.
Such countries may also have restrictions on foreign ownership or prohibitions
on the repatriation of assets, and may have less protection of property rights
than developed countries.
The economies of emerging market countries may be predominantly based on
only a few industries or dependent on revenues from particular commodities or on
international aid or development assistance, may be highly vulnerable to changes
in local or global trade conditions, and may suffer from extreme and volatile
debt burdens or inflation rates. In addition, securities markets in emerging
market countries may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to
respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially resulting in a
lack of liquidity and greater volatility in the price of securities traded on
those markets.
The funds may not always purchase securities on the principal market.
Depositary receipts, depositary shares, or other equity equivalents ("DRs") may
be purchased if considered to be more attractive than the underlying securities.
DRs are typically issued by a bank or trust company evidencing ownership of an
underlying foreign security. In emerging markets countries, the funds may invest
in DRs which are structured by a bank or trust company without the sponsorship
of the underlying foreign issuer. In addition to the risks of foreign investment
applicable to the underlying securities, such unsponsored DRs may also be
subject to the risks that the foreign issuer may not be obliged to cooperate
with the bank, may not provide financial or other information to the bank, or
may dispute or refuse to recognize the ownership of the underlying securities
which may result in a loss of the fund's investment.
INVESTING IN LOWER QUALITY DEBT INSTRUMENTS
There are no credit, maturity or investment amount restrictions on the
bonds, corporate debt
PROSPECTUS INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS 11
securities, and government obligations in which International Discovery and
Emerging Markets may invest. Debt securities, especially those in emerging
market countries, may be of poor quality, unrated and speculative in nature.
Debt securities rated lower than Baa by Moody's or BBB by S&P or their
equivalent, sometimes referred to as junk bonds, are considered by many to be
predominately speculative. See "An Explanation of Fixed Income Securities
Ratings" in the Statement of Additional Information. Changes in economic
conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity
to make principal and interest payments on such securities than is the case with
higher quality debt securities. Regardless of rating levels, all debt securities
considered for purchase by the fund are analyzed by the manager to determine, to
the extent reasonably possible, that the planned investment is sound given the
investment objective of the fund.
OTHER INVESTMENT PRACTICES, THEIR CHARACTERISTICS
AND RISKS
For additional information, see "Investment Restrictions" in the Statement
of Additional Information.
FORWARD CURRENCY EXCHANGE CONTRACTS
Some of the securities held by the funds will be denominated in foreign
currencies. Other securities, such as DRs, may be denominated in U.S. dollars,
but have a value that is dependent upon the performance of a foreign security,
as valued in the currency of its home country. As a result, the value of a
fund's portfolio may be affected by changes in the exchange rates between
foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar, as well as by changes in the market
values of the securities themselves. The performance of foreign currencies
relative to the U.S. dollar may be an important factor in the overall
performance of a fund.
To protect against adverse movements in exchange rates between currencies, a
fund may, for hedging purposes only, enter into forward currency exchange
contracts. A forward currency exchange contract obligates the fund to purchase
or sell a specific currency at a future date at a specific price.
A fund may elect to enter into a forward currency exchange contract with
respect to a specific purchase or sale of a security, or with respect to the
fund's portfolio positions generally.
By entering into a forward currency exchange contract with respect to the
specific purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency, a
fund can "lock in" an exchange rate between the trade and settlement dates for
that purchase or sale. This practice is sometimes referred to as "transaction
hedging." Each fund may enter into transaction hedging contracts with respect to
all or a substantial portion of its trades.
When the manager believes that a particular currency may decline in value
compared to the U.S. dollar, the fund may enter into a forward currency exchange
contract to sell an amount of foreign currency equal to the value of some or all
of the fund's portfolio securities either denominated in, or whose value is tied
to, that currency. This practice is sometimes referred to as "portfolio
hedging." The fund may not enter into a portfolio hedging transaction where the
fund would be obligated to deliver an amount of foreign currency in excess of
the aggregate value of the fund's portfolio securities or other asset
denominated in, or whose value is tied to, that currency.
The fund will make use of portfolio hedging to the extent deemed appropriate
by the manager. However, it is anticipated that a fund will enter into portfolio
hedges much less frequently than transaction hedges.
If the fund enters into a forward currency exchange contract, the fund, when
required, will instruct its custodian bank to segregate cash or liquid
high-grade securities in a separate account in an amount sufficient to cover its
obligation under the contract. Those assets will be valued at market daily, and
if the value of the segregated securities declines, additional cash or
securities will be added so that the value of the account is not less than the
amount of the fund's commitment. At any given time, no more than 10% of a fund's
assets will be committed to a segregated account in connection with portfolio
hedging transactions.
Predicting the relative future values of currencies is very difficult, and
there is no assurance that any attempt to reduce the risk of adverse currency
movements through the use of forward currency exchange contracts will be
successful. In addition, the use of forward currency exchange contracts tends to
limit the potential gains that might result from a positive
12 INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
change in the relationship between the foreign currency and the U.S. dollar
INDIRECT FOREIGN INVESTMENT
Subject to certain restrictions contained in the Investment Company Act,
each fund may invest up to 10% of its assets in certain foreign countries
indirectly through investment funds and registered investment companies
authorized to invest in those countries. If the funds invest in investment
companies, the funds will bear their proportionate shares of the costs incurred
by such companies, including investment advisory fees, if any.
SOVEREIGN DEBT OBLIGATIONS
The funds may purchase sovereign debt instruments issued or guaranteed by
foreign governments or their agencies, including debt of emerging market
countries. Sovereign debt may be in the form of conventional securities or other
types of debt instruments such as loans or loan participations. Sovereign debt
of emerging market countries may involve a high degree of risk and may present a
risk of default or renegotiation or rescheduling of debt payments.
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The portfolio turnover rates of the funds are shown in the financial
information on pages 5 and 6 of this Prospectus.
Investment decisions to purchase and sell securities are based on the
anticipated contribution of the security in question to a fund's objectives. The
manager believes that rate of portfolio turnover is irrelevant when it
determines a change is in order to achieve those objectives and, accordingly,
the annual portfolio turnover rate cannot be anticipated.
The portfolio turnover of each fund may be higher than other mutual funds
with similar investment objectives. Higher turnover would generate
correspondingly greater brokerage commissions, which is a cost that the funds
pay directly. Portfolio turnover may also affect the character of capital gains,
if any, realized and distributed by a fund since short-term capital gains are
taxable as ordinary income.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS
Each fund may invest in repurchase agreements when such transactions present
an attractive short-term return on cash that is not otherwise committed to the
purchase of securities pursuant to the fund's investment policies.
A repurchase agreement occurs when a fund purchases an interest-bearing
obligation from a bank or broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 and simultaneously agrees to sell it back on a specified date in the
future (usually less than one week later) at a higher price. The repurchase
price reflects an agreed-upon interest rate during the time the fund's money is
invested in the security and is considered by the staff of the SEC to be a loan
by the fund. Since the interest-bearing obligation purchased constitutes
security for the repurchase obligation, a repurchase agreement can be considered
a loan collateralized by the interest-bearing obligation.
A fund's risk in connection with repurchase agreements is the ability of the
seller to pay the repurchase price on the repurchase date. If the seller
defaults, the fund may incur costs, delays or losses.
The funds will enter into repurchase agreements only with those commercial
banks and broker-dealers whose creditworthiness has been reviewed and found
satisfactory by the funds' manager pursuant to criteria adopted by the funds'
Board of Directors.
WHEN-ISSUED SECURITIES
Each fund may sometimes purchase new issues of securities on a when-issued
basis without limit when, in the opinion of the manager, such purchases will
further the investment objectives of the fund. The price of when-issued
securities is established at the time the commitment to purchase is made. In
developed markets, delivery of and payment for these securities typically occur
15 to 45 days after the commitment to purchase. In emerging markets, delivery
and payment make take significantly longer.
Market rates of interest on debt securities at the time of delivery may be
higher or lower than those contracted for on the when-issued security.
Accordingly, the value of such security may decline prior to delivery, which
could result in a loss to the fund. A separate account for each fund consisting
of cash or high-quality liquid debt securities in an amount at least equal to
the when-issued commitments will be established and maintained with the
PROSPECTUS INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS 13
custodian. No income will accrue to the fund prior to delivery.
SHORT SALES
A fund may engage in short sales if, at the time of the short sale, the fund
owns or has the right to acquire securities equivalent in kind and amount to the
securities being sold short. Such transactions allow the fund to hedge against
price fluctuations by locking in a sale price for securities it does not wish to
sell immediately.
A fund may make a short sale when it wants to sell the security it owns at a
current attractive price, but also wishes to defer recognition of gain or loss
for federal income tax purposes and for purposes of satisfying certain tests
applicable to regulated investment companies under the Internal Revenue Code.
RULE 144A SECURITIES
The funds may, from time to time, purchase Rule 144A securities when they
present attractive investment opportunities that otherwise meet the funds'
criteria for selection. Rule 144A securities are securities that are privately
placed with and traded among qualified institutional investors rather than the
general public. Although Rule 144A securities are considered "restricted
securities," they are not necessarily illiquid.
With respect to securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A, the staff of
the Securities and Exchange Commission has taken the position that the liquidity
of such securities in the portfolio of a fund offering redeemable securities is
a question of fact for the Board of Directors to determine, such determination
to be based upon a consideration of the readily available trading markets and
the review of any contractual restrictions. The staff also acknowledges that,
while the Board retains ultimate responsibility, it may delegate this function
to the manager. Accordingly, the Board has established guidelines and procedures
for determining the liquidity of Rule 144A securities and has delegated the
day-to-day function of determining the liquidity of Rule 144A securities to the
manger. The Board retains the responsibility to monitor the implementation of
the guidelines and procedures it has adopted.
Since the secondary market for such securities is limited to certain
qualified institutional investors, the liquidity of such securities may be
limited accordingly and a fund may, from time to time, hold a Rule 144A security
that is illiquid. In such an event, the funds' manager will consider appropriate
remedies to minimize the effect on such fund's liquidity. No fund may invest
more than 15% of its assets in illiquid securities (securities that may not be
sold within seven days at approximately the price used in determining the net
asset value of fund shares).
PERFORMANCE ADVERTISING
From time to time, the funds may advertise performance data. Fund
performance may be shown by presenting one or more performance measurements,
including cumulative total return or average annual total return. Performance
data may be quoted separately for the Institutional Class and for the other
classes offered by the funds.
Cumulative total return data is computed by considering all elements of
return, including reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions,
over a stated period of time. Average annual total return is determined by
computing the annual compound return over a stated period of time that would
have produced the fund's cumulative total return over the same period if the
fund's performance had remained constant throughout.
The funds may also include in advertisements data comparing performance with
the performance of non-related investment media, published editorial comments
and performance rankings compiled by independent organizations (such as Lipper
Analytical Services) and publications that monitor the performance of mutual
funds. Performance information may be quoted numerically or may be presented in
a table, graph or other illustration. In addition, fund performance may also be
compared to well-known indices of market performance including the Standard &
Poor's 500 Index, the Dow Jones World Index, the IFC Global Composite Index and
the Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe, Australia, Far East Index (EAFE
Index). Fund performance may also be compared to the rankings prepared by Lipper
Analytical Services, Inc. In addition, fund performance may be compared, on a
relative basis, to other funds in our fund family. This relative comparison,
which may be based upon historical or
14 INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
expected fund performance, volatility or other fund characteristics, may be
presented numerically, graphically or in text. Fund performance may also be
combined or blended with other funds in our fund family, and that combined or
blended performance may be compared to the same indices to which individual
funds may be compared.
All performance information advertised by the funds is historical in nature
and is not intended to represent or guarantee future results. The value of fund
shares when redeemed may be more or less than their original cost.
PROSPECTUS INFORMATION REGARDING THE FUNDS 15
HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
The funds offered by this Prospectus are a part of the American Century
Investments family of mutual funds. Our family provides a full range of
investment opportunities, from the aggressive equity growth funds in our
Twentieth Century Group, to the fixed income funds in our Benham Group, to the
moderate risk and specialty funds in our American Century Group. Please call
1-800-345-3533 for a brochure or prospectuses for the other funds in the
American Century Investments family.
To reduce expenses and demonstrate respect for our environment, we have
initiated a project through which we will eliminate duplicate copies of most
financial reports and prospectuses to most households and deliver account
statements to most households in a single envelope, even if they have more than
one account. If additional copies of financial reports and prospectuses or
separate mailing of account statements is desired, please call us at the
above-referenced telephone number.
INVESTING IN AMERICAN CENTURY
The following section explains how to invest with American Century funds,
including purchases, redemptions, exchanges and special services. You will find
more detail about doing business with us by referring to the Investor Services
Guide that you will receive when you open an account.
If you own or are considering purchasing fund shares through a bank,
broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, the following sections as well as
the information contained in our Investor Services Guide, may not apply to you.
Please read "Minimum Investment," page 17 and"Customers of Banks, Broker-Dealers
and Other Financial Intermediaries," page 21.
HOW TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT
To open an account, you must complete and sign an application, furnishing
your taxpayer identification number. (You must also certify whether you are
subject to withholding for failing to report income to the IRS.) Investments
received without a certified taxpayer identification number will be returned.
You may invest in the following ways:
BY MAIL
Send a completed application and check or money order payable in U.S.
dollars to American Century Investments.
BY WIRE
You may make your initial investment by wiring funds. To do so, call us or
mail a completed application and provide your bank with the following
information:
(*) RECEIVING BANK AND ROUTING NUMBER:
Commerce Bank, N.A. (101000019)
(*) BENEFICIARY (BNF):
American Century Services Corporation
4500 Main St., Kansas City, Missouri 64141-6200
(*) BENEFICIARY ACCOUNT NUMBER (BNF ACCT):
2804918
(*) REFERENCE FOR BENEFICIARY (RFB):
American Century account number into which you are investing. If more than
one, leave blank and see Bank to Bank Information below.
(*) ORIGINATOR TO BENEFICIARY (OBI):
Name and address of owner of account into which you are investing.
(*) BANK TO BANK INFORMATION
(BBI OR FREE FORM TEXT):
* Taxpayer identification or Social Security number.
* If more than one account, account numbers and amount to be invested in
each account.
* Current tax year, previous tax year or rollover designation if an IRA.
Specify whether IRA, SEP-IRA, SARSEP-IRA, SIMPLE Employer or SIMPLE
Employee.
BY EXCHANGE
Call 1-800-345-3533 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time to get information on
opening an account by exchanging from another American Century account. See page
17 for more information on exchanges.
16 HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
IN PERSON
If you prefer to work with a representative in person, please visit one of
our Investor Centers, located at:
4500 Main Street
Kansas City, Missouri 64111
4917 Town Center Drive
Leawood, Kansas 66211
1665 Charleston Road
Mountain View, California 94043
2000 S. Colorado Blvd.
Denver, Colorado 80222
SUBSEQUENT INVESTMENTS
Subsequent investments may be made by an automatic bank, payroll or
government direct deposit (see "Automatic Investment Plan," this page) or by any
of the methods below. The minimum investment requirement for subsequent
investments: $250 for checks submitted without the investment slip portion of a
previous statement or confirmation, $50 for all other types of subsequent
investments.
BY MAIL
When making subsequent investments, enclose your check with the investment
slip portion of a previous statement or confirmation. If the investment slip is
not available, indicate your name, address and account number on your check or a
separate piece of paper. (Please be aware that the investment minimum for
subsequent investments is higher without an investment slip.)
BY TELEPHONE
Once your account is open, you may make investments by telephone if you have
authorized us (by choosing "Full Services" on your application) to draw on your
bank account. You may call an Institutional Service Representative or use our
Automated Information Line.
BY WIRE
You may make subsequent investments by wire. Follow the wire transfer
instructions on page 16 and indicate your account number.
IN PERSON
You may make subsequent investments in person at one of our Investor
Centers. The locations of our four Investor Centers are listed on this page.
AUTOMATIC INVESTMENT PLAN
You may elect on your application to make investments automatically by
authorizing us to draw on your bank account regularly. Such investments must be
at least the equivalent of $50 per month. You also may choose an automatic
payroll or government direct deposit. If you are establishing a new account,
check the appropriate box under "Automatic Investments" on your application to
receive more information. If you would like to add a direct deposit to an
existing account, please call one of our Institutional Service Representatives.
MINIMUM INVESTMENT
The minimum investment is $5 million ($3 million for endowments and
foundations). If you invest with us through a bank, broker-dealer or other
financial intermediary, the minimum investment requirement may be met by
aggregating the investments of various clients of your financial intermediary.
The minimum investment requirement may be waived if you or your financial
intermediary, if applicable, has an aggregate investment in our family of funds
of $10 million or more ($5 million for endowments and foundations). If your
balance or the balance of your financial intermediary, if applicable, falls
below the minimum investment requirements due to redemptions or exchanges, we
reserve the right to convert your shares to Investor Class shares of the same
fund. The Investor Class shares have a unified management fee that is 0.20%
higher than the Institutional Class shares.
HOW TO EXCHANGE FROM ONE ACCOUNT TO ANOTHER
As long as you meet any minimum investment requirements, you may exchange
your fund shares to our other funds up to six times per year per account. An
exchange request will be processed as of the same day it is received, if it is
received before the funds' net asset values are calculated, which is one hour
prior to the close of the New York Stock Exchange for the funds issued by the
American Century Target
PROSPECTUS HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS 17
Maturities Trust, and at the close of the Exchange for all of our other funds.
See "When Share Price is Determined," page 22.
For any single exchange, the shares of each fund being acquired must have a
value of at least $100. However, we will allow investors to set up an Automatic
Exchange Plan between any two funds in the amount of at least $50 per month. See
our Investor Services Guide for further information about exchanges.
If, in any 90-day period, the total of your exchanges and your redemptions
from any one account exceeds the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the fund's assets,
further exchanges will be subject to special requirements to comply with our
policy on large redemptions. See "Special Requirements for Large Redemptions,"
page 19.
IN ORDER TO DISCOURAGE THE EXCHANGE OF SHARES OF INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY
SHORTLY AFTER THEIR PURCHASE, EXCHANGE OF THOSE SHARES WITHIN 180 DAYS OF THEIR
PURCHASE WILL BE SUBJECT TO A REDEMPTION FEE OF 2.0% OF THE VALUE OF THE SHARES
EXCHANGED. This fee will be retained by the fund to help minimize the impact
such exchanges have of fund performance and, hence, on the other shareholders of
the fund. For the purposes of determining the applicability of this fee, shares
first purchased will be deemed to be the shares first exchanged. The fund
reserves its right to modify its policy regarding this redemption fee or to
waive such policy in whole or in part for certain classes of investors.
BY MAIL
You may direct us in writing to exchange your shares from one American
Century account to another. For additional information, please see our Investor
Services Guide.
BY TELEPHONE
You can make exchanges over the telephone if you have authorized us to
accept telephone instructions. You can authorize this by selecting "Full
Services" on your application or by calling one of our Institutional Service
Representatives at 1-800-345-3533 to get the appropriate form.
HOW TO REDEEM SHARES
We will redeem or "buy back" your shares at any time. Redemptions will be
made at the next net asset value determined after a complete redemption request
is received. For large redemptions, please read "Special Requirements for Large
Redemptions," page 19.
Please note that a request to redeem shares in an IRA or 403(b) plan must be
accompanied by an executed IRS Form W4-P and a reason for withdrawal as
specified by the IRS.
IN ORDER TO DISCOURAGE THE REDEMPTION OF SHARES OF INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERY
SHORTLY AFTER THEIR PURCHASE, REDEMPTION OF THOSE SHARES WITHIN 180 DAYS OF
THEIR PURCHASE WILL BE SUBJECT TO A REDEMPTION FEE OF 2.0% OF THE VALUE OF THE
SHARES REDEEMED. This fee will be retained by the fund to help minimize the
impact such redemptions have on fund performance and, hence, on the other
shareholders of the fund. For the purposes of determining the applicability of
this fee, shares first purchased will be deemed to be the shares first redeemed.
The fund reserves its right to modify its policy regarding this redemption fee
or to waive such policy in whole or in part for certain classes of investors.
BY MAIL
Your written instructions to redeem shares may be made either by a
redemption form, which we will send you upon request, or by a letter to us.
Certain redemptions may require a signature guarantee. See "Signature
Guarantee," page 19.
BY TELEPHONE
If you have authorized us to accept telephone instructions, you may redeem
your shares by calling an Institutional Service Representative.
BY CHECK-A-MONTH
You may redeem shares by Check-A-Month. A Check-A-Month plan automatically
redeems enough shares each month to provide you with a check in an amount you
choose (minimum $50). To set up a Check-A-Month plan or to request a brochure,
please call an Investor Services Representative.
OTHER AUTOMATIC REDEMPTIONS
You may elect to make redemptions automatically by authorizing us to send
funds to you or your account at a bank or other financial institution. To set up
automatic redemptions, call one of our Institutional Service Representatives.
18 HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
REDEMPTION PROCEEDS
Please note that shortly after a purchase of shares is made by check or
electronic draft (also known as an ACH draft) from your bank, we may wait up to
15 days or longer to send redemption proceeds (to allow your purchase funds to
clear). No interest is paid on the redemption proceeds after the redemption is
processed but before your redemption proceeds are sent.
Redemption proceeds may be sent to you in one of the following ways:
BY CHECK
Ordinarily, all redemption checks will be made payable to the registered
owner of the shares and will be mailed only to the address of record. For more
information, please refer to our Investor Services Guide.
BY WIRE AND ACH
You may authorize us to transmit redemption proceeds by wire or ACH. These
services will be effective 15 days after we receive the authorization.
Your bank will usually receive wired funds within 48 hours of transmission.
Funds transferred by ACH may be received up to seven days after transmission.
Once the funds are transmitted, the time of receipt and the funds' availability
are not under our control.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR LARGE REDEMPTIONS
We have elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the Investment Company
Act, which obligates each fund to make certain redemptions in cash. This
requirement to pay redemptions in cash applies to situations where one
shareholder redeems, during any 90-day period, up to the lesser of $250,000 or
1% of the assets of the fund. Although redemptions in excess of this limitation
will also normally be paid in cash, we reserve the right under unusual
circumstances to honor these redemptions by making payment in whole or in part
in readily marketable securities (a "redemption-in-kind").
If payment is made in securities, the securities will be selected by the
fund, will be valued in the same manner as they are in computing the fund's net
asset value and will be provided without prior notice.
If your redemption would exceed this limit and you would like to avoid being
paid in securities, please provide us with an unconditional instruction to
redeem at least 15 days prior to the date on which the redemption transaction is
to occur. The instruction must specify the dollar amount or number of shares to
be redeemed and the date of the transaction. This minimizes the effect of the
redemption on the fund and its remaining shareholders.
Despite its right to redeem fund shares through a redemption-in-kind, we do
not expect to exercise this option unless a fund has an unusually low level of
cash to meet redemptions and/or is experiencing unusually strong demands for its
cash. Such a demand might be caused, for example, by extreme market conditions
that result in an abnormally high level of redemption requests concentrated in a
short period of time. Absent these or similar circumstances, we expect
redemptions in excess of $250,000 to be paid in cash in any fund with assets of
more than $50 million if total redemptions from any one account in any 90-day
period do not exceed one-half of 1% of the total assets of the fund.
SIGNATURE GUARANTEE
To protect your accounts from fraud, some transactions will require a
signature guarantee. Which transactions will require a signature guarantee will
depend on which service options you elect when you open your account. For
example, if you choose "In Writing Only," a signature guarantee would be
required when:
* redeeming more than $25,000; or
* establishing or increasing a Check-A-Month or automatic transfer on an
existing account.
You can obtain a signature guarantee from a bank or trust company, credit
union, broker-dealer, securities exchange or association, clearing agency or
savings association, as defined by federal law.
For a more in-depth explanation of our signature guarantee policy, or if you
live outside the United States and would like to know how to obtain a signature
guarantee, please consult our Investor Services Guide.
We reserve the right to require a signature guarantee on any transaction, or
to change this policy at any time.
SPECIAL SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
We offer several service options to make your account easier to manage. These
are listed on the
PROSPECTUS HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS 19
account application. Please make note of these options and elect the ones that
are appropriate for you. Be aware that the "Full Services" option offers you the
mostflexibility. You will find more information about each of these service
options in our Investor Services Guide.
Our special shareholder services include:
OPEN ORDER SERVICE
Through our open order service, you may designate a price at which to buy
shares of a variable-priced fund by exchange from one of our money market funds,
or a price at which to sell shares of a variable-priced fund by exchange to one
of our money market funds. The designated purchase price must be equal to or
lower, or the designated sale price equal to or higher, than the variable-priced
fund's net asset value at the time the order is placed. If the designated price
is met within 90 calendar days, we will execute your exchange order
automatically at that price (or better). Open orders not executed within 90 days
will be canceled.
If the fund you have selected deducts a distribution from its share price,
your order price will be adjusted accordingly so the distribution does not
inadvertently trigger an open order transaction on your behalf. If you close or
re-register the account from which the shares are to be redeemed, your open
order will be canceled.
Because of their time-sensitive nature, open order transactions are accepted
only by telephone or in person. These transactions are subject to exchange
limitations described in each fund's Prospectus, except that orders and
cancellations received before 2 p.m. Central time are effective the same day,
and orders or cancellations received after 2 p.m. Central time are effective the
next business day.
TAX-QUALIFIED RETIREMENT PLANS
Each fund is available for your tax-deferred retirement plan. Call or write
us and request the appropriate forms for:
* Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs);
* 403(b) plans for employees of public school systems and nonprofit
organizations; or
* Profit sharing plans and pension plans for corporations and other
employers.
If your IRA and 403(b) accounts do not total $10,000, each account is
subject to an annual $10 fee, up to a total of $30 per year.
You can also transfer your tax-deferred plan to us from another company or
custodian. Call or write us for a Request to Transfer form.
IMPORTANT POLICIES REGARDING YOUR INVESTMENTS
Every account is subject to policies that could affect your investment.
Please refer to the Investor Services Guide for further information about the
policies discussed below, as well as further detail about the services we offer.
(1) We reserve the right for any reason to suspend the offering of shares
for a period of time, or to reject any specific purchase order
(including purchases by exchange). Additionally, purchases may be
refused if, in the opinion of the manager, they are of a size that
would disrupt the management of the fund.
(2) We reserve the right to make changes to any stated investment
requirements, including those that relate to purchases, transfers and
redemptions. In addition, we may also alter, add to or terminate any
investor services and privileges. Any changes may affect all
shareholders or only certain series or classes of shareholders.
(3) Shares being acquired must be qualified for sale in your state of
residence.
(4) Transactions requesting a specific price and date, other than open
orders, will be refused. Once you have mailed or otherwise transmitted
your transaction instructions to us, they may not be modified or
canceled.
(5) If a transaction request is made by a corporation, partnership, trust,
fiduciary, agent or unincorporated association, we will require
evidence satisfactory to us of the authority of the individual making
the request.
(6) We have established procedures designed to assure the authenticity of
instructions received by telephone. These procedures include requesting
personal identification from callers, recording telephone calls, and
providing written confirmations of telephone transactions. These
procedures are designed to protect shareholders
20 HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
from unauthorized or fraudulent instructions. If we do not employ
reasonable procedures to confirm the genuineness of instructions, then
we may be liable for losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent
instructions. The company, its transfer agent and investment advisor
will not be responsible for any loss due to instructions they
reasonably believe are genuine.
(7) All signatures should be exactly as the name appears in the
registration. If the owner's name appears in the registration as Mary
Elizabeth Jones, she should sign that way and not as Mary E. Jones.
(8) Unusual stock market conditions have in the past resulted in an
increase in the number of shareholder telephone calls. If you
experience difficulty in reaching us during such periods, you may send
your transaction instructions by mail, express mail or courier service,
or you may visit one of our Investors Centers. You may also use our
Automated Information Line if you have requested and received an access
code and are not attempting to redeem shares.
(9) If you fail to provide us with the correct certified taxpayer
identification number, we may reduce any redemption proceeds by $50 to
cover the penalty the IRS will impose on us for failure to report your
correct taxpayer identification number on information reports.
(10) We will perform special inquiries on shareholder accounts. A research
fee of $15 per hour may be applied.
REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS
At the end of each calendar quarter, we will send you a consolidated
statement that summarizes all of your American Century holdings, as well as an
individual statement for each fund you own that reflects all year-to-date
activity in your account. You may request a statement of your account activity
at any time.
With the exception of most automatic transactions, each time you invest,
redeem, transfer or exchange shares, we will send you a confirmation of the
transaction. See the Investor Services Guide for more detail.
Carefully review all the information relating to transactions on your
statements and confirmations to ensure that your instructions were acted on
properly. Please notify us immediately in writing if there is an error. If you
fail to provide notification of an error with reasonable promptness, i.e.,
within 30 days of non-automatic transactions or within 30 days of the date of
your consolidated quarterly statement, in the case of automatic transactions, we
will deem you to have ratified the transaction.
No later than January 31 of each year, we will send you reports that you may
use in completing your U.S. income tax return. See the Investor Services Guide
for more information.
Each year, we will send you an annual and a semiannual report relating to
your fund, each of which is incorporated herein by reference. The annual report
includes audited financial statements and a list of portfolio securities as of
the fiscal year end. The semiannual report includes unaudited financial
statements for the first six months of the fiscal year, as well as a list of
portfolio securities at the end of the period. You also will receive an updated
Prospectus at least once each year. Please read these materials carefully as
they will help you understand your fund.
CUSTOMERS OF BANKS, BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER
FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
Information contained in our Investor Services Guide pertains to
shareholders who invest directly with American Century rather than through a
bank, broker-dealer or other financial intermediary.
If you own or are considering purchasing fund shares through a bank,
broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, your ability to purchase,
exchange and redeem shares will depend on your agreement with, and the policies
of, such financial intermediary.
You may reach one of our Institutional Service Representatives by calling
1-800-345-3533 to request information about the funds and services, to obtain a
current Prospectus or to get answers to any questions about the funds that you
are unable to obtain through your plan administrator or financial intermediary.
PROSPECTUS HOW TO INVEST WITH AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS 21
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW
SHARE PRICE
WHEN SHARE PRICE IS DETERMINED
The price of your shares is also referred to as their net asset value. Net
asset value is determined by calculating the total value of the fund's assets,
deducting total liabilities and dividing the result by the number of shares
outstanding. For all American Century funds, except the funds issued by the
American Century Target Maturities Trust, net asset value is determined at the
close of regular trading on each day that the New York Stock Exchange is open,
usually 3 p.m. Central time. The net asset values for the Target Maturities
funds are determined one hour prior to the close of the Exchange.
Investments and requests to redeem or exchange shares will receive the share
price next determined after we receive your investment, redemption or exchange
request. For example, investments and requests to redeem or exchange shares
received by us or one of our agents before the time as of which the net asset
value is determined, are effective on, and will receive the price determined,
that day. Investment, redemption and exchange requests received thereafter are
effective on, and receive the price determined on, the next day the Exchange is
open.
Investments are considered received only when payment is received by us.
Wired funds are considered received on the day they are deposited in our bank
account if they are deposited before the time as of which the net asset value is
determined.
Investments by telephone pursuant to your prior authorization to us to draw
on your bank account are considered received at the time of your telephone call.
Investment and transaction instructions received by us on any business day
by mail prior to the time as of which the net asset value of the fund is
determined, will receive that day's price. Investments and instructions received
after that time will receive the price determined on the next business day.
If you invest in fund shares through an employer-sponsored retirement plan
or other financial intermediary, it is the responsibility of your plan
recordkeeper or financial intermediary to transmit your purchase, exchange and
redemption requests to the funds' transfer agent prior to the applicable cut-off
time for receiving orders and to make payment for any purchase transactions in
accordance with the funds' procedures or any contractual arrangement with the
funds or the funds' distributor in order for you to receive that day's price.
HOW SHARE PRICE IS DETERMINED
The valuation of assets for determining net asset value may be summarized as
follows:
Portfolio securities of each fund, except as otherwise noted, listed or
traded on a domestic securities exchange are valued at the last sale price on
that exchange. Portfolio securities primarily traded on foreign securities
exchanges are generally valued at the preceding closing values of such
securities on the exchange where primarily traded. If no sale is reported, or if
local convention or regulation so provides, the mean of the latest bid and asked
prices is used. Depending on local convention or regulation, securities traded
over-the-counter are priced at the mean of the latest bid and asked prices, or
at the last sale price. When market quotations are not readily available,
securities and other assets are valued at fair value as determined in accordance
with procedures adopted by the Board of Directors.
Debt securities not traded on a principal securities exchange are valued
through valuations obtained from a commercial pricing service or at the most
recent mean of the bid and asked prices provided by investment dealers in
accordance with procedures established by the Board of Directors.
The value of an exchange-traded foreign security is determined in its
national currency as of the close of trading on the foreign exchange on which it
is traded or as of the close of business on the New York Stock Exchange, if that
is earlier. That value is then converted to dollars at the prevailing foreign
exchange rate.
Trading in securities on European and Far Eastern securities exchanges and
over-the-counter markets is normally completed at various times before the close
22 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
of business on each day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. If an event
were to occur after the value of a security was established but before the net
asset value per share was determined which was likely to materially change the
net asset value, then that security would be valued at fair value as determined
in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of Directors.
Trading of these securities in foreign markets may not take place on every
New York Stock Exchange business day. In addition, trading may take place in
various foreign markets on Saturdays or on other days when the New York Stock
Exchange is not open and on which a fund's net asset value is not calculated.
Therefore, such calculation does not take place contemporaneously with the
determination of the prices of many of the portfolio securities used in such
calculation and the value of a fund's portfolio may be significantly affected on
days when shares of the fund may not be purchased or redeemed.
WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION ABOUT SHARE PRICE
The net asset values of the Investor Class of International Growth and
International Discovery are published in leading newspapers daily. The net asset
value of the Investor Class of Emerging Markets will be published in newspapers
when the fund meets the minimum size requirements for listing. The net asset
value of the Institutional Class of each fund may be obtained by calling us.
DISTRIBUTIONS
In general, distributions from net investment income and net realized
securities gains, if any, are declared and paid annually, usually in December,
but the funds may make distributions on a more frequent basis to comply with the
distribution requirements of the Internal Revenue Code, in all events in a
manner consistent with the provisions of the Investment Company Act.
THE OBJECTIVE OF EACH FUND IS CAPITAL APPRECIATION AND NOT THE PRODUCTION OF
DISTRIBUTIONS. YOU SHOULD MEASURE THE SUCCESS OF YOUR INVESTMENT BY THE VALUE OF
YOUR INVESTMENT AT ANY GIVEN TIME AND NOT BY THE DISTRIBUTIONS YOU RECEIVE.
For shareholders investing through taxable accounts, distributions will be
reinvested unless you elect to receive them in cash. Distributions of less than
$10 generally will be reinvested. Distributions made shortly after a purchase by
check or ACH may be held up to 15 days. You may elect to have distributions on
shares held in Individual Retirement Accounts and 403(b) plans paid in cash only
if you are at least 59 1/2 years old or permanently and totally disabled.
Distribution checks normally are mailed within seven days after the record date.
Please consult our Investor Services Guide for further information regarding
your distribution options.
A distribution on shares of a fund does not increase the value of your
shares or your total return. At any given time the value of your shares includes
the undistributed net gains, if any, realized by the fund on the sale of
portfolio securities, and undistributed dividends and interest received, less
fund expenses.
Because such gains and dividends are included in the price of your shares
prior to distribution, when they are distributed the value of your shares is
reduced by the amount of the distribution. If you buy your shares through a
taxable account just before the distribution, you will pay the full price for
your shares, and then receive a portion of the purchase price back as a taxable
distribution. See "Taxes," this page.
TAXES
Each fund has elected to be taxed as a regulated investment company under
Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, which means that to the extent its
income is distributed to shareholders, it pays no income taxes.
TAX-DEFERRED ACCOUNTS
If fund shares are purchased through tax-deferred accounts, such as a
qualified employer-sponsored retirement or savings plan (excluding
participant-directed employer-sponsored retirement plans, which are ineligible
to invest in Institutional Class shares), income and capital gains distributions
paid by the funds will generally not be subject to current taxation, but will
accumulate in your account on a tax-deferred basis.
TAXABLE ACCOUNTS
If fund shares are purchased through taxable accounts, distributions of net
investment income and net short-term capital gains are taxable to you as
ordinary income. Distributions from net long-term
PROSPECTUS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW 23
capital gains are taxable as long-term capital gains regardless of the length of
time you have held the shares on which such distributions are paid. However, you
should note that any loss realized upon the sale or redemption of shares held
for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent
of any distribution of long-term capital gain to you with respect to such
shares.
Dividends and interest received by a fund on foreign securities, as well as
capital gains realized upon the sale of such securities, may give rise to
withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax conventions
between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such
taxes. The foreign taxes paid by a fund will reduce its dividends.
If more than 50% of the value of a fund's total assets at the close of the
taxable year consist of securities of foreign corporations, the fund may qualify
for and make an election with the Internal Revenue Service with respect to such
fiscal year so that fund shareholders may be able to claim a foreign tax credit
in lieu of a deduction for foreign income taxes paid by the fund. If such an
election is made, the foreign taxes paid by the fund will be treated as income
received by you.
If a fund purchases the securities of certain foreign investment funds or
trusts called passive foreign investment companies, capital gains on the sale of
such holdings will be deemed to be ordinary income regardless of how long the
fund holds its investment. The fund may also be subject to corporate income tax
and an interest charge on certain dividends and capital gains earned from these
investments, regardless of whether such income and gains are distributed to
shareholders. In the alternative, the fund may elect to recognize cumulative
gains on such investments as of the last day of its fiscal year and distribute
it to shareholders.
Distributions are taxable to you regardless of whether they are taken in
cash or reinvested, even if the value of your shares is below your cost. If you
purchase shares shortly before a distribution, you must pay income taxes on the
distribution, even though the value of your investment (plus cash received, if
any) remains the same. In addition, the share price at the time you purchase
shares may include unrealized gains in the securities held in the investment
portfolio of a fund. If these portfolio securities are subsequently sold and the
gains are realized, they will, to the extent not offset by capital losses, be
paid to you as a distribution of capital gains and will be taxable to you as
short-term or long-term capital gains. See "Distributions," page 23.
In January of the year following the distribution, if you own shares in a
taxable account, you will receive a Form 1099-DIV notifying you of the status of
your distributions for federal income tax purposes.
Distributions may also be subject to state and local taxes, even if all or a
substantial part of such distributions are derived from interest on U.S.
government obligations which, if you received them directly, would be exempt
from state income tax. However, most but not all states allow this tax exemption
to pass through to fund shareholders when a fund pays distributions to its
shareholders. You should consult your tax advisor about the tax status of such
distributions in your own state.
If you have not complied with certain provisions of the Internal Revenue
Code, we or your financial intermediary is required by federal law to withhold
and remit to the IRS 31% of reportable payments (which may include dividends,
capital gains distributions and redemptions). Those regulations require you to
certify that the Social Security number or tax identification number you provide
is correct and that you are not subject to 31% withholding for previous
under-reporting to the IRS. You will be asked to make the appropriate
certification on your application. Payments reported by us that omit your Social
Security number or tax identification number will subject us to a penalty of
$50, which will be charged against your account if you fail to provide the
certification by the time the report is filed. This charge is not refundable.
Redemption of shares of a fund (including redemptions made in an exchange
transaction) will be a taxable transaction for federal income tax purposes and
shareholders will generally recognize gain or loss in an amount equal to the
difference between the basis of the shares and the amount received. Assuming
that shareholders hold such shares as a capital asset, the gain or loss will be
a capital gain or loss and will generally be long term if shareholders have held
such shares for a period of more than one year. If a loss is realized on the
redemption of fund shares, the reinvestment in additional fund shares
24 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
within 30 days before or after the redemption may be subject to the "wash sale"
rules of the Code, resulting in a postponement of the recognition of such loss
for federal income tax purposes.
MANAGEMENT
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
Under the laws of the State of Maryland, the Board of Directors is
responsible for managing the business and affairs of the funds. Acting pursuant
to an investment management agreement entered into with the funds, American
Century Investment Management, Inc. serves as the investment manager of the
funds. Its principal place of business is American Century Tower, 4500 Main
Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64111. The manager has been providing investment
advisory services to investment companies and institutional clients since it was
founded in 1958.
The manager supervises and manages the investment portfolio of the funds and
directs the purchase and sale of their investment securities. It utilizes a team
of portfolio managers, assistant portfolio managers and analysts acting together
to manage the assets of the funds. The team meets regularly to review portfolio
holdings and to discuss purchase and sale activity. The team adjusts holdings in
the funds' portfolios as they deem appropriate in pursuit of the funds'
investment objectives. Individual portfolio managers may also adjust portfolio
holdings of the funds as necessary between meetings.
The portfolio manager members of the teams managing the funds described in
this Prospectus and their work experience for the past five years are as
follows:
HENRIK STRABO, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, joined American Century
in 1993 as an Investment Analyst on the International Growth and International
Discovery team and has been a Portfolio Manager member of the team since 1994.
Prior to joining American Century, Mr. Strabo was Vice President, International
Equity Sales with Barclays de Zoete Wedd from 1991 to 1993.
MARK S. KOPINSKI, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, rejoined American
Century in April 1997. From June 1995 to March 1997, Mr. Kopinski served as Vice
President and Portfolio Manager for Federated Investors, Inc. Prior to June
1995, Mr. Kopinski was a Vice President and Portfolio Manager for American
Century. He is a member of the teams that manage International Growth,
International Discovery and the Emerging Markets Fund. He was a member of the
International Growth and International Discovery teams at their inception in
1991.
MICHAEL J. DONNELLY, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, joined American
Century in August 1997. From July 1993 to July 1997, Mr. Donnelly served as Vice
President and Portfolio Manager for Federated Investors, Inc. Prior to July
1993, Mr. Donnelly served as Assistant Vice President for Korea First Bank. He
is a member of the team that manages the Emerging Markets Fund.
The activities of the manager are subject only to directions of the funds'
Board of Directors. The manager pays all the expenses of the funds except
brokerage, taxes, interest, fees and expenses of the non-interested person
directors (including counsel fees) and extraordinary expenses.
For the services provided to the Institutional Class of the funds, the
manager receives an annual fee calculated as a percentage of the average net
assets of the fund as follows:
Fund Percent of Average Net Assets
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Growth 1.30% of first $1 billion
1.00% of the next $1 billion
0.90% over $2 billion
International Discovery 1.55% of first $500 million
1.20% of the next $500 million
1.00% over $1 billion
Emerging Markets Fund 1.80% of first $500 million
1.30% of the next $500 million
1.05% over $1 billion
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the first business day of each month, each fund pays the management fee to
the manager for the previous month at the rate specified. The fee for the
previous month is calculated by multiplying the applicable fee for such series
by the aggregate average daily closing value of the fund's net assets during the
previous month, and further multiplying that product by a fraction, the
numerator of which is the number of days in the previous month and the
denominator of which is 365 (366 in leap years).
The management fees paid by the funds to the manager are higher than the
fees paid by the various other funds in the American Century family of funds
PROSPECTUS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW 25
because of the higher costs and additional expenses associated with managing and
operating a fund owning a portfolio consisting primarily of foreign securities.
The fee may also be higher than the fee paid by many other international or
foreign investment companies.
Many other investment companies may refer to or publicize an "investment
management fee" or "management fee" paid by the company to its manager. However,
most such companies also use fund assets to pay for certain expenses of the fund
in addition to the stated management fee. In contrast, the management fee paid
to the manager includes payment for almost all fund expenses, with the
exceptions noted. Therefore, potential investors who attempt to compare the
expenses of these funds to the expenses of other funds should be careful to
compare only the ratio of total expenses to average net assets contained in the
financial information found on pages 5 and 6 of this Prospectus to the same
ratio of the other funds.
The management agreement also provides that the funds' Board of Directors,
upon 60 days' prior written notice to all affected shareholders, may impose a
servicing or administrative fee as a charge against shareholder accounts.
CODE OF ETHICS
The funds and the manager have adopted a Code of Ethics that restricts
personal investing practices by employees of the manager and its affiliates.
Among other provisions, the Code of Ethics requires that employees with access
to information about the purchase or sale of securities in the funds' portfolios
obtain preclearance before executing personal trades. With respect to Portfolio
Managers and other investment personnel, the Code of Ethics prohibits
acquisition of securities in an initial public offering, as well as profits
derived from the purchase and sale of the same security within 60 calendar days.
These provisions are designed to ensure that the interests of fund shareholders
come before the interests of the people who manage those funds.
TRANSFER AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
American Century Services Corporation, 4500 Main Street, Kansas City,
Missouri 64111 acts as transfer agent and dividend-paying agent for the funds.
It provides facilities, equipment and personnel to the funds and is paid for
such services by the manager.
Certain recordkeeping and administrative services that would otherwise be
performed by the transfer agent may be performed by an insurance company or
other entity providing similar services for various retirement plans using
shares of the funds as a funding medium, by broker-dealers and financial
advisors for their customers investing in shares of American Century or by
sponsors of multi mutual fund no- or low-transaction fee programs.
Although there is no sales charge levied by the funds, transactions in
shares of the funds may be executed by brokers or investment advisors who charge
a transaction-based fee or other fee for their services. Such charges may vary
among broker- dealers and financial advisors, but in all cases will be retained
by the broker-dealer or financial advisor and not remitted to the funds or the
investment manager. You should be aware of the fact that these transactions may
be made directly with American Century without incurring such fees.
From time to time, special services may be offered to shareholders who
maintain higher share balances in our family of funds. These services may
include the waiver of minimum investment requirements, expedited confirmation of
shareholder transactions, newsletters and a team of personal representatives.
Any expenses associated with these special services will be paid by the manager
The manager and transfer agent are both wholly owned by American Century
Companies, Inc. James E. Stowers, Chairman of the funds' Board of Directors,
controls American Century Companies by virtue of his ownership of a majority of
its common stock.
DISTRIBUTION OF FUND SHARES
The funds' shares are distributed by American Century Investment Services,
Inc., a registered broker-dealer and an affiliate of the manager. The manager
pays all expenses for promoting sales of, and distributing the Institutional
Class shares offered by this Prospectus. The Institutional Class of shares does
not pay any commissions or other fees to the distributor or to any other
broker-dealers or financial intermediaries in connection with the distribution
of fund shares.
26 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW AMERICAN CENTURY INVESTMENTS
FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT AMERICAN CENTURY
American Century World Mutual Funds, Inc., the issuer of the funds, was
organized as a Maryland corporation on December 28, 1990.
The corporation is a diversified, open-end management investment company
whose shares were first offered in May 1991. Its business and affairs are
managed by its officers under the direction of its Board of Directors.
The principal office of the funds is 4500 Main Street, P.O. Box 419385,
Kansas City, Missouri 64141-6385. All inquiries may be made by mail to that
address, or by telephone to 1-800-345-3533 (international calls: 816-531-5575)
American Century World Mutual Funds issues three series of $.01 par value
shares. Each series is commonly referred to as a fund. The assets belonging to
each series of shares are held separately by the custodian.
American Century offers four classes of each of the funds offered by this
Prospectus: an Investor Class, an Institutional Class, a Service Class, and an
Advisor Class. The shares offered by this Prospectus are Institutional Class
shares and have no up-front charges, commissions, or 12b-1 fees.
The Investor Class is primarily made available to retail investors. The
Service Class and Advisor Class are primarily offered to institutional investors
or through institutional distribution channels, such as employer-sponsored
retirement plans or through banks, broker-dealers, insurance companies or other
financial intermediaries. The other classes have different fees, expenses,
and/or minimum investment requirements than the Institutional Class. The
difference in the fee structures among the classes is the result of their
separate arrangements for shareholder and distribution services and not the
result of any difference in amounts charged by the manager for core investment
advisory services. Accordingly, the core investment advisory expenses do not
vary by class. Different fees and expenses will affect performance. For
additional information concerning the Investor Class of shares, call one of our
Investor Services Representatives at 1-800-345-2021. For additional information
concerning the Service Class and Advisor Classes of shares not offered by this
Prospectus, call one of our Institutional Service Representatives at
1-800-345-3533 or contact a sales representative or financial intermediary who
offers those classes of shares.
Except as described below, all classes of shares of a fund have identical
voting, dividend, liquidation and other rights, preferences, terms and
conditions. The only differences among the various classes are (a) each class
may be subject to different expenses specific to that class, (b) each class has
a different identifying designation or name, (c) each class has exclusive voting
rights with respect to matters solely affecting such class, (d) each class may
have different exchange privileges, and (e) the Institutional Class may provide
for automatic conversion from that class into shares of the Investor Class of
the same fund.
Each share, irrespective of series or class, is entitled to one vote for
each dollar of net asset value applicable to such share on all questions, except
for those matters which must be voted on separately by the series or class of
the shares affected. Matters affecting only one series or class are voted upon
only by that series or class.
Shares have non-cumulative voting rights, which means that the holders of
more than 50% of the votes cast in an election of directors can elect all of the
directors if they choose to do so, and in such event the holders of the
remaining votes will not be able to elect any person or persons to the Board of
Directors.
Unless required by the Investment Company Act, it will not be necessary for
the funds to hold annual meetings of shareholders. As a result, shareholders may
not vote each year on the election of directors or the appointment of auditors.
However, pursuant to the funds' bylaws, the holders of shares representing at
least 10% of the votes entitled to be cast may request the funds to hold a
special meeting of shareholders. We will assist in the communication with other
shareholders.
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE ANY OF OUR POLICIES, PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES
DESCRIBED IN THIS PROSPECTUS, INCLUDING THE STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION,
WITHOUT SHAREHOLDER APPROVAL EXCEPT IN THOSE INSTANCES WHERE SHAREHOLDER
APPROVAL IS EXPRESSLY REQUIRED.
PROSPECTUS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW 27
NOTES
28 NOTES
NOTES
NOTES 29
P.O. BOX 419385
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
64141-6385
INVESTOR SERVICES:
1-800-345-3533 OR 816-531-5575
TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICE FOR THE DEAF:
1-800-345-1833 OR 816-444-3038
FAX: 816-340-4655
INTERNET: www.americancentury.com
[american century logo]
American
Century(reg.sm)
9709 [recycled logo]
SH-BKT-9194 Recycled
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