This prospectus sets forth concisely the information about Scudder Micro Cap
Fund, a series of Scudder Securities Trust, an open-end management investment
company, that a prospective investor should know before investing. Please retain
it for future reference.
If you require more detailed information, a Statement of Additional Information
dated August 12, 1996, as amended from time to time, may be obtained without
charge by writing Scudder Investor Services, Inc., Two International Place,
Boston, MA 02110-4103 or calling 1-800-225-2470. The Statement, which is
incorporated by reference into this prospectus, has been filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR HAS THE SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE
ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A
CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
Contents--see page 3.
Scudder
Micro Cap
Fund
Prospectus
August 12, 1996
A pure no-load(TM) (no sales charges) mutual fund which seeks long-term growth
of capital by investing primarily in a diversified portfolio of U.S. micro-cap
stocks.
Due to investment considerations, it is presently intended that Scudder Micro
Cap Fund will close to new individual investors when it reaches $100 million in
total assets.
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Expense information
How to compare a Scudder pure no-load(TM) fund
This information is designed to help you understand the various costs and
expenses of investing in Scudder Micro Cap Fund (the "Fund"). By reviewing this
table and those in other mutual funds' prospectuses, you can compare the Fund's
fees and expenses with those of other funds. With Scudder's pure no-load(TM)
funds, you pay no commissions to purchase or redeem shares, or to exchange from
one fund to another. As a result, all of your investment goes to work for you.
1) Shareholder transaction expenses: Expenses charged directly to your
individual account in the Fund for various transactions.
Sales commissions to purchase shares (sales load) NONE
Commissions to reinvest dividends NONE
Deferred sales charge NONE
Redemption fees payable to the Fund 1.00% *
Exchange fees payable to the Fund 1.00% *
2) Annual Fund operating expenses: Estimated expenses paid by the Fund
before it distributes its net investment income, expressed as a percentage
of the Fund's average daily net assets for the year.
Investment management fee (after waiver) 0.64% **
12b-1 fees NONE
Other expenses 1.11%
-----
Total Fund operating expenses (after waiver) 1.75% **
=====
Example
Based on the estimated level of total Fund operating expenses listed above, the
total expenses relating to a $1,000 investment, assuming a 5% annual return and
redemption at the end of each period, are listed below. Investors do not pay
these expenses directly; they are paid by the Fund before it distributes its net
investment income to shareholders.
1 Year 3 Years
------ -------
$18 $55
See "Fund organization--Investment adviser" for further information about the
investment management fee. This example assumes reinvestment of all dividends
and distributions and that the percentage amounts listed under "Annual Fund
operating expenses" remain the same each year. This example should not be
considered a representation of past or future expenses or return. Actual Fund
expenses and return vary from year to year and may be higher or lower than those
shown.
* There is a 1% fee retained by the Fund which is imposed only on redemptions
or exchanges of shares held less than one year. You may redeem by writing
or calling the Fund. If you wish to receive your redemption proceeds via
wire, there is a $5 wire service fee. For additional information, please
refer to "Transaction information--Exchanging and redeeming shares."
** Until August 31, 1997, the Adviser and certain of its subsidiaries have
agreed to waive all or portions of their fees payable by the Fund to the
extent necessary so that the total annualized expenses of the Fund do not
exceed 1.75% of average daily net assets. If the Adviser and its
subsidiaries had not agreed to waive all or portions of their fees, it is
estimated that annualized Fund expenses would be: investment management fee
0.75%, other expenses 1.11% and total operating expenses 1.86% for the
initial year of operation. To the extent that expenses fall below the
current expense limitation, the Adviser and its subsidiaries reserve the
right to recoup, during the fiscal year incurred, amounts waived during the
period, but only to the extent that the Fund's expenses do not exceed
1.75%.
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A message from Scudder's chairman
Scudder, Stevens & Clark, Inc., investment adviser to the Scudder Family of
Funds, was founded in 1919. We offered America's first no-load mutual fund in
1928. Today, we manage in excess of $100 billion for many private accounts and
over 50 mutual fund portfolios. We manage the mutual funds in a special program
for the American Association of Retired Persons, as well as the fund options
available through Scudder Horizon Plan, a tax-advantaged variable annuity. We
also advise The Japan Fund and nine closed-end funds that invest in countries
around the world.
The Scudder Family of Funds is designed to make investing easy and less costly.
It includes money market, tax free, income and growth funds as well as IRAs,
401(k)s, Keoghs and other retirement plans.
Services available to all shareholders include toll-free access to the
professional service representatives of Scudder Investor Relations, easy
exchange among funds, shareholder reports, informative newsletters and the
walk-in convenience of Scudder Funds Centers.
All Scudder mutual funds are pure no-load(TM). This means you pay no commissions
to purchase or redeem your shares or to exchange from one fund to another. There
are no "12b-1" fees either, which many other funds now charge to support their
marketing efforts. All of your investment goes to work for you. We look forward
to welcoming you as a shareholder.
/s/Daniel Pierce
Scudder Micro Cap Fund
Investment objective
o long-term growth of capital by investing primarily in a diversified
portfolio of U.S. micro-cap stocks
Investment characteristics
o a diversified, actively managed portfolio of domestic micro-capitalization
stocks
o designed as a long-term investment for above-average growth potential and
enhanced investor portfolio diversification
o a pure no-load(TM) fund with no sales charges, commissions or 12b-1 fees
o a 1% redemption and exchange fee on shares held less than one year,
retained by the Fund for the benefit of remaining shareholders
Contents
Investment objective and policies 4
Why invest in the Fund? 5
U.S. investment experience 6
What are the Fund's special risks? 6
Additional information about policies
and investments 6
Distribution and performance information 9
Fund organization 10
Transaction information 11
Purchases 12
Exchanges and redemptions 13
Shareholder benefits 17
Trustees and Officers 20
Investment products and services 21
How to contact Scudder 22
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Investment objective and policies
Scudder Micro Cap Fund (the "Fund"), a diversified series of Scudder Securities
Trust, seeks long-term growth of capital. The Fund pursues its investment
objective by investing primarily in a diversified portfolio of U.S.
micro-capitalization ("micro-cap") common stocks. These domestic emerging growth
securities provide little or no current income but, in the opinion of the Fund's
investment adviser, Scudder, Stevens & Clark, Inc. (the "Adviser"), offer
substantial long-term appreciation potential as well as the opportunity to
enhance the overall diversification of an investor's portfolio.
Due to the inherent business characteristics and risks of small companies, along
with the relatively limited trading market for micro-cap stocks, the Fund's
share price can experience periods of significant volatility. As a result, the
Fund should be considered a long-term investment and only one part of a
well-diversified personal investment portfolio. To encourage a long-term
investment holding period and to facilitate portfolio management, a 1%
redemption and exchange fee, described in greater detail below, is payable to
the Fund for the benefit of remaining shareholders on shares held less than one
year.
Due to investment considerations, it is presently intended that the Fund will
close to new individual investors when total assets of the Fund reach $100
million. It is anticipated that current individual shareholders of the Fund will
be able to continue to invest in the Fund after it reaches $100 million in total
assets. Further, the Fund will remain open to investment through qualified
retirement plans.
If the Fund closes at $100 million in total assets as currently expected, the
Trustees may determine to reopen the Fund at some point based on market
conditions and other factors.
Except as otherwise indicated, the Fund's investment objective and policies are
not fundamental and may be changed without a vote of shareholders. Shareholders
will receive written notice of any changes in the Fund's investment objective.
If there is a change in investment objective, shareholders should consider
whether the Fund remains an appropriate investment in light of their then
current financial position and needs. There can be no assurance that the Fund's
objective will be met.
Investments
The Fund seeks to provide long-term growth of capital by investing, under normal
market conditions, at least 80% of its assets in common stocks issued by U.S.
micro-cap companies. The Fund will typically invest in companies that, at the
time of purchase, are smaller than the smallest stocks in the Russell 2000 Index
at its annual reconstitution. The median market capitalization (i.e., current
stock price times shares outstanding) of the portfolio is not expected to exceed
$125 million.
While the Fund invests predominantly in common stocks, it can purchase other
types of securities, including preferred stocks, convertible or non-convertible
securities, rights and warrants. Securities may be listed on national exchanges
or traded over-the-counter. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in U.S.
Treasuries, agency and instrumentality obligations, may enter into repurchase
agreements and may engage in strategic transactions to increase stock market
participation, enhance liquidity and manage transaction costs. In addition, for
temporary or emergency purposes, such as providing for redemptions or
distributions, the Fund may borrow from banks and other financial institutions
in an amount not exceeding the value of one-third of the Fund's total assets.
The Fund will not borrow for investment purposes.
For temporary defensive purposes, the Fund may invest without limit in cash and
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cash equivalents when the Adviser deems such a position advisable in light of
economic or market conditions. More information about these investment
techniques is provided under "Additional information about policies and
investments."
Systematic investment approach
The Fund is actively managed using a quantitative, value-oriented investment
approach. The Adviser selects investments from among the more than 4,000
publicly-traded U.S. micro-cap stocks based on a proprietary, quantitative
investment strategy. Using this approach, the Adviser looks for companies
selling at a discount to estimated fair value. Because of their small size, and
less frequent trading activity, the companies represented in the Fund are often
overlooked or not closely followed by investors. Accordingly, their prices can
rise either as a result of improved business fundamentals, particularly when
earnings grow faster than general expectations, or as more investors appreciate
the full extent of a company's underlying business potential. The Fund seeks to
avoid what are judged in the opinion of the Fund's Adviser to be overpriced
companies with high investment risk and deteriorating fundamentals.
Portfolio diversification is an important component of the investment management
process. To help manage the Fund's above-average investment risk and improve
liquidity, the Adviser expects to invest in hundreds of small, publicly-traded
companies, representing a broad cross-section of U.S. industries. The Fund's
systematic, value-oriented approach to investing is designed to mitigate
volatility of the Fund's share price relative to the micro-capitalization sector
of the U.S. stock market. Risk is further managed by employing specialized
portfolio management and trading techniques. Despite these techniques, the
Fund's share price can move up and down significantly, even over short periods
of time.
Why invest in the Fund?
Scudder Micro Cap Fund invests in some of America's smallest, most dynamic
publicly-traded companies. These emerging growth companies are typically in the
early stages of a long-term development cycle. In many cases, these companies
offer unique products, services or technologies and often serve special or
expanding market niches. Despite these benefits, these firms are often
overlooked or under-appreciated, thus in the opinion of the Fund's Adviser, they
offer substantial appreciation potential for meeting retirement and other
long-term goals.
While there are special risks associated with micro-cap investing, an investment
in the Fund can improve the diversification of a personal investment portfolio
already holding other types of securities, including other types of U.S. stocks
or stock mutual funds. Historically, the prices of U.S. micro-cap stocks have
had relatively low correlation with the prices of mid-cap or large-cap stocks.
Thus, Fund shares can add balance to a personal investment portfolio.
The Fund offers professional investment management and recordkeeping
convenience, which may be particularly valuable in the smaller sectors of the
U.S. stock market. Investors interested in buying and selling micro-cap issues
directly may find it a challenge to collect and process data on these companies,
receive up-to-date financial information, and transact in securities at
favorable prices. The Adviser assumes these varied responsibilities on behalf of
shareholders.
5
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Why invest in the Fund? (cont'd)
In addition, the Fund offers all the benefits of the Scudder Family of Funds.
Scudder, Stevens & Clark, Inc. manages a diverse family of pure no-load(TM)
funds and provides a wide range of services to help investors meet their
investment needs. Please refer to "Investment products and services" for
additional information.
U.S. investment experience
The Adviser is one of America's largest independent investment managers and has
been involved in U.S. stock investing since its founding over 75 years ago. As
of June 30, 1996, Scudder managed in excess of $23 billion in U.S. equity
securities, including over $6 billion in domestically-oriented growth mutual
funds. The Adviser manages Scudder Development Fund, one of America's first
small company mutual funds, and Scudder Small Company Value Fund.
What are the Fund's special risks?
While historically micro-cap company stocks have outperformed the stocks of
large companies, the former have customarily involved more investment risk as
well. Micro-cap companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial
resources; may lack management depth or experience; and may be more vulnerable
to adverse general market or economic developments than large companies. Some of
the companies in which the Fund may invest may distribute, sell or produce
products which have recently been brought to market and may be dependent on key
personnel.
The prices of small company securities are often more volatile than prices
associated with large company issues, and can display abrupt or erratic
movements at times, due to limited trading volumes and less publicly available
information.
Also, because micro-cap companies normally have fewer shares outstanding and
these shares trade less frequently than large companies, it may be more
difficult for the Fund to buy and sell significant amounts of such shares
without an unfavorable impact on prevailing market prices.
The securities of small companies are often traded over-the-counter and may not
be traded in the volumes typical on a national securities exchange.
Consequently, in order to sell this type of holding, the Fund may need to
discount the securities from recent prices or dispose of the securities over a
long period of time.
Additional information about policies and investments
Investment restrictions
The Fund has adopted certain fundamental policies which may not be changed
without a vote of shareholders and which are designed to reduce the Fund's
investment risk.
The Fund may not borrow money except as a temporary measure for extraordinary or
emergency purposes and may not make loans except through the lending of
portfolio securities, the purchase of debt securities or through repurchase
agreements.
A complete description of these and other policies and restrictions is contained
under "Investment Restrictions" in the Fund's Statement of Additional
Information.
Common stocks
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in
common stocks issued by U.S. micro-cap companies. Common stock is issued by
companies to raise cash for business purposes and represents a proportionate
interest in the issuing companies. Therefore, the Fund participates in the
success or failure of any company in which it holds stock. The market values of
equity securities can fluctuate significantly, reflecting the business
6
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performance of the issuing company, investor perception and general economic or
financial market movements. Smaller companies are especially sensitive to these
factors and may even become valueless. Despite the risk of price volatility,
however, common stocks also offer the greatest potential for gain on investment,
compared to other classes of financial assets such as bonds or cash equivalents.
Debt securities
Consistent with the Fund's investment objective of long-term capital growth, the
Fund may purchase investment-grade debt securities, which are those rated Aaa,
Aa, A or Baa by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or AAA, AA, A or
BBB by Standard & Poor's ("S&P") or, if unrated, of equivalent quality as
determined by the Adviser. Receipt of income from debt securities is incidental
to the Fund's objective of long-term growth of capital. (See "Risk factors.")
Convertible securities
The convertible securities in which the Fund may invest consist of bonds, notes,
debentures and preferred stocks which may be converted or exchanged at a stated
or determinable exchange ratio into underlying shares of common stock.
Prior to their conversion, convertible securities may have characteristics
similar to nonconvertible securities of the same type.
Repurchase agreements
As a means of earning income for periods as short as overnight, the Fund may
enter into repurchase agreements with selected banks and broker/dealers. Under a
repurchase agreement, the Fund acquires securities, subject to the seller's
agreement to repurchase at a specified time and price.
Strategic Transactions and derivatives
The Fund may, but is not required to, utilize various other investment
strategies as described below to hedge various market risks or to seek gain.
These strategies may be executed through the use of derivative contracts. Such
strategies are generally accepted as a part of modern portfolio management and
are regularly utilized by many mutual funds and other institutional investors.
Techniques and instruments may change over time as new instruments and
strategies are developed or regulatory changes occur.
In the course of pursuing these investment strategies, the Fund may purchase and
sell exchange-listed and over-the-counter put and call options on securities,
equity and other financial instruments, and purchase and sell financial futures
contracts and options thereon (collectively, all the above are called "Strategic
Transactions").
Strategic Transactions may be used without limit to attempt to protect against
possible changes in the market value of securities held in or to be purchased
for the Fund's portfolio resulting from securities market fluctuations, to
protect the Fund's unrealized gains in the value of its portfolio securities, to
facilitate the sale of such securities for investment purposes, or to establish
a position in the derivatives markets as a temporary substitute for purchasing
or selling particular securities. Some Strategic Transactions may also be used
to enhance potential gain although no more than 5% of the Fund's assets will be
committed to Strategic Transactions entered into for non-hedging purposes. Any
or all of these investment techniques may be used at any time and in any
combination, and there is no particular strategy that dictates the use of one
technique rather than another, as use of any Strategic Transaction is a function
of numerous variables including market conditions. The ability of the Fund to
utilize these Strategic Transactions successfully will depend on the Adviser's
ability to predict pertinent market movements, which cannot be assured. The Fund
will comply with applicable regulatory requirements when implementing these
strategies, techniques and instruments. Strategic Transactions involving
financial futures and
7
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Additional information about policies and investments (cont'd)
options thereon will be purchased, sold or entered into only for bona fide
hedging, risk management or portfolio management purposes and not for
speculative purposes. Please refer to "Risk factors--Strategic Transactions and
derivatives" for more information.
Risk factors
The Fund's risks are determined by the nature of the securities held and the
portfolio management strategies used by the Adviser. The following are
descriptions of certain risks related to the investments and techniques that the
Fund may use from time to time.
Repurchase agreements. If the seller under a repurchase agreement becomes
insolvent, the Fund's right to dispose of the securities may be restricted, or
the value of the securities may decline before the Fund is able to dispose of
them. In the event of the commencement of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings
with respect to the seller of the securities before repurchase of the securities
under a repurchase agreement, the Fund may encounter delay and incur costs,
including a decline in the value of the securities, before being able to sell
the securities.
Convertible securities. While convertible securities generally offer lower
yields than nonconvertible debt securities of similar quality, their prices may
reflect changes in the value of the underlying common stock. Convertible
securities entail less credit risk than the issuer's common stock.
Illiquid investments. The absence of a trading market can make it difficult to
ascertain a market value for illiquid investments. Disposing of illiquid
investments may involve time-consuming negotiation and legal expenses, and it
may be difficult or impossible for the Fund to sell them promptly at an
acceptable price.
Strategic Transactions and derivatives. Strategic Transactions, including
derivative contracts, have risks associated with them including possible default
by the other party to the transaction, illiquidity and, to the extent the
Adviser's view as to certain market movements is incorrect, the risk that the
use of such Strategic Transactions could result in losses greater than if they
had not been used. Use of put and call options may result in losses to the Fund,
force the sale or purchase of portfolio securities at inopportune times or for
prices higher than (in the case of put options) or lower than (in the case of
call options) current market values, limit the amount of appreciation the Fund
can realize on its investments or cause the Fund to hold a security it might
otherwise sell. The use of options and futures transactions entails certain
other risks. In particular, the variable degree of correlation between price
movements of futures contracts and price movements in the related portfolio
position of the Fund creates the possibility that losses on the hedging
instrument may be greater than gains in the value of the Fund's position. In
addition, futures and options markets may not be liquid in all circumstances and
certain over-the-counter options may have no markets. As a result, in certain
markets, the Fund might not be able to close out a transaction without incurring
substantial losses, if at all. Although the use of futures contracts and options
transactions for hedging should tend to minimize the risk of loss due to a
decline in the value of the hedged position, at the same time they tend to limit
any potential gain which might result from an increase in value of such
position. Finally, the daily variation margin requirements for futures contracts
would create a greater ongoing potential financial risk than would purchases of
options, where the exposure is limited to the cost of the initial premium.
Losses resulting from the use of Strategic Transactions would reduce net asset
value, and possibly income, and such losses can be greater than if the Strategic
Transactions had not been utilized. The Strategic Transactions that the Fund may
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use and some of their risks are described more fully in the Fund's Statement of
Additional Information.
Distribution and performance information
Dividends and capital gains distributions
The Fund intends to distribute any dividends from its net investment income and
any net realized capital gains after utilization of capital loss carryforwards,
if any, in November or December, although an additional distribution may be made
if necessary. Any dividends or capital gains distributions declared in October,
November or December with a record date in such a month and paid the following
January will be treated by shareholders for federal income tax purposes as if
received on December 31 of the calendar year declared. According to preference,
shareholders may receive distributions in cash or have them reinvested in
additional shares of the Fund. If an investment is in the form of a retirement
plan, all dividends and capital gains distributions must be reinvested into the
shareholder's account. The reinvestment of dividends or capital gains will not
be restricted during periods when the Fund is closed.
Generally, dividends from net investment income are taxable to shareholders as
ordinary income. Long-term capital gains distributions, if any, are taxable as
long-term capital gains regardless of the length of time shareholders have owned
their shares. Short-term capital gains and any other taxable income
distributions are taxable as ordinary income. A portion of such dividends from
net investment income may qualify for the dividends-received deduction for
corporations.
The Fund sends detailed tax information to shareholders about the amount and
type of its distributions by January 31 of the following year.
Under normal investment conditions, it is anticipated that the Fund's portfolio
turnover rate will not exceed 75% for the initial fiscal year. However, economic
and market conditions may necessitate more active trading, resulting in a higher
portfolio turnover rate. A higher rate involves greater brokerage expenses to
the Fund and may result in the realization of net capital gains, which would be
taxable to shareholders when distributed.
Performance information
From time to time, quotations of the Fund's performance may be included in
advertisements, sales literature or shareholder reports. All performance figures
are historical, show the performance of a hypothetical investment and are not
intended to indicate future performance. "Total return" is the change in value
of an investment in the Fund for a specified period. The "average annual total
return" of the Fund is the average annual compound rate of return of an
investment in the Fund assuming the investment has been held for the life of the
Fund as of a stated ending date. "Cumulative total return" represents the
cumulative change in value of an investment in the Fund for various periods. All
types of total return calculations assume that all dividends and capital gains
distributions during the period were reinvested in shares of the Fund. "Capital
change" measures return from capital, including reinvestment of any capital
gains distributions but does not include the reinvestment of dividends.
Performance will vary based upon, among other things, changes in market
conditions and the level of the Fund's expenses.
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Fund organization
Scudder Micro Cap Fund is a diversified series of Scudder Securities Trust (the
"Trust"), formerly known as Scudder Development Fund, an open-end, management
investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the
"1940 Act"). The Trust was organized as a Massachusetts business trust in
October 1985 and on December 31, 1985 assumed the business of its predecessor.
Its predecessor was organized as a Delaware corporation in February 1970.
The Fund's activities are supervised by the Trust's Board of Trustees.
Shareholders have one vote for each share held on matters on which they are
entitled to vote. The Trust is not required to and has no current intention of
holding annual shareholder meetings, although special meetings may be called for
purposes such as electing or removing Trustees, changing fundamental investment
policies or approving an investment management agreement. Shareholders will be
assisted in communicating with other shareholders in connection with removing a
Trustee as if Section 16(c) of the 1940 Act were applicable.
Investment adviser
The Fund retains the investment management firm of Scudder, Stevens & Clark,
Inc., a Delaware corporation, to manage its daily investment and business
affairs subject to the policies established by the Board of Trustees. The
Trustees have overall responsibility for the management of the Fund under
Massachusetts law.
The Fund pays the Adviser an annual fee of 0.75% of the Fund's average daily net
assets. The fee is payable monthly, provided that the Fund will make such
interim payments as may be requested by the Adviser not to exceed 75% of the
amount of the fee then accrued on the books of the Fund and unpaid. The fee is
higher than the average management fee, but not necessarily higher than that
charged by funds with a similar investment objective.
The Adviser has agreed to maintain the annualized expenses of the Fund at no
more than 1.75% of the average daily net assets of the Fund until August 31,
1997.
Under the Investment Management Agreement with the Adviser, the Fund is
responsible for all of its expenses, including fees and expenses incurred in
connection with membership in investment company organizations; fees and
expenses of the Fund's accounting agent; brokers' commissions; legal, auditing
and accounting expenses; taxes and governmental fees; the fees and expenses of
the transfer agent; the expenses of and the fees for registering or qualifying
securities for sale; the fees and expenses of Trustees, officers and employees
of the Trust who are not affiliated with the Adviser; the cost of printing and
distributing reports and notices to shareholders; and the fees and disbursements
of custodians.
All of the Fund's expenses are paid out of gross investment income. Shareholders
pay no direct charges or fees for investment or administrative services.
Scudder, Stevens & Clark, Inc. is located at 345 Park Avenue, New York, New
York.
Transfer agent
Scudder Service Corporation, P.O. Box 2291, Boston, Massachusetts 02107-2291, a
subsidiary of the Adviser, is the transfer, shareholder servicing and
dividend-paying agent for the Fund.
Underwriter
Scudder Investor Services, Inc., a subsidiary of the Adviser, is the Fund's
principal underwriter. Scudder Investor Services, Inc. confirms, as agent, all
purchases of shares of the Fund. Scudder Investor Relations is a telephone
information service provided by Scudder Investor Services, Inc.
Custodian
State Street Bank and Trust Company is the Fund's custodian.
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Fund accounting agent
Scudder Fund Accounting Corporation, a subsidiary of the Adviser, is responsible
for determining the daily net asset value per share and maintaining the general
accounting records of the Fund.
Transaction information
Purchasing shares
Purchases are executed at the next calculated net asset value per share after
the Fund's transfer agent receives the purchase request in good order. Purchases
are made in full and fractional shares. (See "Share price.")
By check. If you purchase shares with a check that does not clear, your purchase
will be canceled and you will be subject to any losses or fees incurred in the
transaction. Checks must be drawn on or payable through a U.S. bank. If you
purchase shares by check and redeem them within seven business days of purchase,
the Fund may hold redemption proceeds until the purchase check has cleared. If
you purchase shares by federal funds wire, you may avoid this delay. Redemption
requests by telephone prior to the expiration of the seven-day period will not
be accepted.
By wire. To open a new account by wire, first call Scudder at 1-800-225-5163 to
obtain an account number. A representative will instruct you to send a
completed, signed application to the transfer agent. Accounts cannot be opened
without a completed, signed application and a Scudder fund account number.
Contact your bank to arrange a wire transfer to:
The Scudder Funds
State Street Bank and Trust Company
Boston, MA 02101
ABA Number 011000028
DDA Account 9903-5552
Your wire instructions must also include:
- -- the name of the fund in which the money is to be invested,
- -- the account number of the fund, and
- -- the name(s) of the account holder(s).
The account will be established once the application and money order are
received in good order.
You may also make additional investments of $100 or more to your existing
account by wire.
By telephone order. Existing shareholders may purchase shares at a certain day's
price by calling 1-800-225-5163 before the close of regular trading on the New
York Stock Exchange (the "Exchange"), normally 4 p.m. eastern time, on that day.
Orders must be for $10,000 or more and cannot be for an amount greater than four
times the value of your account at the time the order is placed. A confirmation
with complete purchase information is sent shortly after your order is received.
You must include with your payment the order number given at the time the order
is placed. If payment by check or wire is not received within three business
days, the order is subject to cancellation and the shareholder will be
responsible for any loss to the Fund resulting from this cancellation. Telephone
orders are not available for shares held in Scudder IRA accounts and most other
Scudder retirement plan accounts.
By "AutoBuy." If you elected "AutoBuy" for your account, you can call toll-free
to purchase shares. The money will be automatically transferred from your
predesignated bank checking account. Your bank must be a member of the Automated
Clearing House for you to use this service. If you did not elect "AutoBuy," call
1-800-225-5163 for more information.
To purchase additional shares, call 1-800-225-5163. Purchases must be for at
least $250 but not more than $250,000. Proceeds in the amount of your purchase
will be transferred from your bank checking account in two or three business
days following your call. For requests received by the close of regular trading
on the
(Continued on page 14)
11
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Purchases
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Opening
an account Minimum initial investment: $2,500; IRAs $1,000
Group retirement plans (401(k), 403(b), etc.) have similar or lower minimums.
See appropriate plan literature.
o By Mail Send your completed and signed application and check
Make checks payable
to "The Scudder
Funds." by regular mail to: or by express, registered,
or certified mail to:
The Scudder Funds Scudder Shareholder
P.O. Box 2291 Service Center
Boston, MA 42 Longwater Drive
02107-2291 Norwell, MA
02061-1612
o By Wire Please see Transaction information--Purchasing shares--
By wire for details, including the ABA wire transfer number.
Then call 1-800-225-5163 for instructions.
o In Person Visit one of our Funds Centers to complete your application with the help
of a Scudder representative. Funds Center locations are listed under
Shareholder benefits.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Purchasing
additional Minimum additional investment: $100; IRAs $50
shares Group retirement plans (401(k), 403(b), etc.) have similar or lower minimums.
See appropriate plan literature.
Make checks o By Mail Send a check with a Scudder investment slip, or
payable with a letter of instruction including your account number and
to "The the complete Fund name, to the appropriate address listed above.
Scudder Funds."
o By Wire Please see Transaction information--Purchasing shares--
By wire for details, including the ABA wire transfer number.
o In Person Visit one of our Funds Centers to make an additional
investment in your Scudder fund account. Funds Center
locations are listed under Shareholder benefits.
o By Telephone Please see Transaction information--Purchasing shares--
By AutoBuy or By telephone order for more details.
o By Automatic You may arrange to make investments on a
Investment Plan regular basis through automatic
($50 minimum) deductions from your bank checking account.
Please call 1-800-225-5163 for more information
and an enrollment form.
</TABLE>
12
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Exchanges and redemptions
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Exchanging Minimum investments: $2,500 to establish a new account;
shares $100 to exchange among existing accounts
o By Telephone To speak with a service representative, call 1-800-225-5163 from
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. eastern time or to access SAIL(TM), Scudder's Automated
Information Line, call 1-800-343-2890 (24 hours a day).
There is a 1% fee o By Mail Print or type your instructions and include:
payable to the or Fax - the name of the Fund and the account number you are exchanging from;
Fund for - your name(s) and address as they appear on your account;
exchanges of - the dollar amount or number of shares you wish to exchange;
shares held less - the name of the Fund you are exchanging into; and
than one year. - your signature(s) as it appears on your account and a daytime telephone
number.
Send your instructions
by regular mail to: or by express, registered, or by fax to:
or certified mail to:
The Scudder Funds Scudder Shareholder 1-800-821-6234
P.O. Box 2291 Service Center
Boston, MA 02107-2291 42 Longwater Drive
Norwell, MA
02061-1612
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Redeeming o By Telephone To speak with a service representative, call 1-800-225-5163 from
shares 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. eastern time or to access SAIL(TM), Scudder's Automated
Information Line, call 1-800-343-2890 (24 hours a day). You may have redemption
proceeds sent to your predesignated bank account, or redemption proceeds of
up to $50,000 sent to your address of record.
There is a 1% o By Mail Send your instructions for redemption to the appropriate address or fax number
fee payable to or Fax above and include:
the Fund for - the name of the Fund and account number you are redeeming from;
redemption of - your name(s) and address as they appear on your account;
shares held less - the dollar amount or number of shares you wish to redeem; and
than one year. - your signature(s) as it appears on your account and a daytime telephone
number.
A signature guarantee is required for redemptions over $50,000. See Transaction
information--Redeeming shares following these tables.
o By Automatic You may arrange to receive automatic cash payments periodically if the value of
Withdrawal Plan your account is $10,000 or more. Call 1-800-225-5163 for more information and an
enrollment form.
</TABLE>
13
<PAGE>
Transaction information (cont'd)
(Continued from page 11)
Exchange, shares will be purchased at the net asset value per share calculated
at the close of trading on the day of your call. "AutoBuy" requests received
after the close of regular trading on the Exchange will begin their processing
and be purchased at the net asset value calculated the following business day.
If you purchase shares by "AutoBuy" and redeem them within seven days of the
purchase, the Fund may hold the redemption proceeds for a period of up to seven
business days. If you purchase shares and there are insufficient funds in your
bank account, the purchase will be canceled and you will be subject to any
losses or fees incurred in the transaction. "AutoBuy" transactions are not
available for Scudder IRA accounts and most other retirement plan accounts.
Exchanging and redeeming shares
Upon the redemption or exchange of shares held less than one year, a fee of 1%
of the current net asset value of the shares will be assessed and retained by
the Fund for the benefit of the remaining shareholders. The fee is waived for
all shares purchased through certain retirement plans, including 401(k) plans,
403(b) plans, 457 plans, Keogh accounts, and Profit Sharing and Money Purchase
Pension Plans. However, if such shares are purchased through a broker, financial
institution or recordkeeper maintaining an omnibus account for the shares, such
waiver may not apply. (Before purchasing shares, please check with your account
representative concerning the availability of the fee waiver.) In addition, this
waiver does not apply to IRA and SEP-IRA accounts. This fee is intended to
encourage long-term investment in the Fund, to avoid transaction and other
expenses caused by early redemptions, and to facilitate portfolio management.
The fee is not a deferred sales charge, is not a commission paid to the Adviser
or its subsidiaries, and does not benefit the Adviser in any way. The Fund
reserves the right to modify the terms of or terminate this fee at any time.
The fee applies to redemptions from the Fund and exchanges to other Scudder
funds, but not to dividend or capital gains distributions which have been
automatically reinvested in the Fund. The fee is applied to the shares being
redeemed or exchanged in the order in which they were purchased. See "Exchanges
and Redemptions" in the Fund's Statement of Additional Information for a more
detailed description of the redemption fee.
Exchanges. Your new account will have the same registration and address as your
existing account.
The exchange requirements for corporations, other organizations, trusts,
fiduciaries, agents, institutional investors and retirement plans may be
different from those for regular accounts.
Please call 1-800-225-5163 for more information, including information about the
transfer of special account features.
You can also make exchanges among your Scudder fund accounts on SAIL, the
Scudder Automated Information Line, by calling 1-800-343-2890.
Redemptions by telephone. This is the quickest and easiest way to sell Fund
shares. If you elected telephone redemption to your bank on your application,
you can call to request that federal funds be sent to your authorized bank
account. If you did not elect telephone redemption to your bank on your
application, call 1-800-225-5163 for more information.
Redemption proceeds will be wired to your bank unless otherwise requested. If
your bank cannot receive federal reserve wires, redemption proceeds will be
mailed to your bank. There will be a $5 charge for all wire redemptions.
You can also make redemptions from your Scudder fund account on SAIL by calling
1-800-343-2890.
14
<PAGE>
If you open an account by wire, you cannot redeem shares by telephone until the
Fund's transfer agent has received your completed and signed application.
Telephone redemption is not available for shares held in Scudder IRA accounts
and most other Scudder retirement plan accounts.
In the event that you are unable to reach the Fund by telephone, you should
write to the Fund; see "How to contact Scudder" for the address.
By "AutoSell." If you elected "AutoSell" for your account, you can call
toll-free to redeem shares. The money will be automatically transferred to your
predesignated bank checking account. Your bank must be a member of the Automated
Clearing House for you to use this service. If you did not elect "AutoSell,"
call 1-800-225-5163 for more information.
To redeem shares, call 1-800-225-5163. Redemptions must be for at least $250.
Proceeds in the amount of your redemption will be transferred to your bank
checking account in two or three business days following your call. For requests
received by the close of regular trading on the Exchange, shares will be
redeemed at the net asset value per share calculated at the close of trading on
the day of your call. "AutoSell" requests received after the close of regular
trading on the Exchange will begin their processing and be redeemed at the net
asset value calculated the following business day.
"AutoSell" transactions are not available for Scudder IRA accounts and most
other retirement plan accounts.
Signature guarantees. For your protection and to prevent fraudulent redemptions,
on written redemption requests in excess of $50,000 we require an original
signature and an original signature guarantee for each person in whose name the
account is registered. (The Fund reserves the right, however, to require a
signature guarantee for all redemptions.) You can obtain a signature guarantee
from most banks, credit unions or savings associations, or from broker/dealers,
municipal securities broker/dealers, government securities broker/dealers,
national securities exchanges, registered securities associations or clearing
agencies deemed eligible by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Signature
guarantees by notaries public are not acceptable. Redemption requirements for
corporations, other organizations, trusts, fiduciaries, agents, institutional
investors and retirement plans may be different from those for regular accounts.
For more information, please call 1-800-225-5163.
Telephone transactions
Shareholders automatically receive the ability to exchange by telephone and the
right to redeem by telephone up to $50,000 to their address of record.
Shareholders also may, by telephone, request that redemption proceeds be sent to
a predesignated bank account. The Fund uses procedures designed to give
reasonable assurance that telephone instructions are genuine, including
recording telephone calls, testing a caller's identity and sending written
confirmation of telephone transactions. If the Fund does not follow such
procedures, it may be liable for losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent
telephone instructions. The Fund will not be liable for acting upon instructions
communicated by telephone that it reasonably believes to be genuine.
Share price
Purchases and redemptions, including exchanges, are made at net asset value.
There is a 1% fee payable to the Fund for exchanges or redemptions of shares
held less than one year. Scudder Fund Accounting Corporation determines net
asset value per share as of the close of regular trading on the Exchange,
normally 4 p.m. eastern time, on each day the Exchange is open for trading. Net
asset value per share is calculated by dividing the value of total Fund assets,
less all liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding.
15
<PAGE>
Transaction information (cont'd)
Processing time
All purchase and redemption requests must be received in good order by the
Fund's transfer agent. Those requests received by the close of regular trading
on the Exchange are executed at the net asset value per share calculated at the
close of regular trading that day.
Purchase and redemption requests received after the close of regular trading on
the Exchange will be executed the following business day.
If you wish to make a purchase of $500,000 or more, you should notify Scudder
Investor Relations by calling 1-800-225-5163.
The Fund will normally send your redemption proceeds within one business day
following the redemption request, but may take up to seven business days (or
longer in the case of shares recently purchased by check).
Short-term trading
Purchases and sales should be made for long-term investment purposes only. The
Fund and Scudder Investor Services, Inc. each reserves the right to restrict
purchases of Fund shares (including exchanges) when a pattern of frequent
purchases and sales made in response to short-term fluctuations in the Fund's
share price appears evident.
Tax information
A redemption of shares, including an exchange into another Scudder fund, is a
sale of shares and may result in a gain or loss for income tax purposes.
Tax identification number
Be sure to complete the Tax Identification Number section of the Fund's
application when you open an account. Federal tax law requires the Fund to
withhold 31% of taxable dividends, capital gains distributions and redemption
and exchange proceeds from accounts (other than those of certain exempt payees)
without a certified Social Security or tax identification number and certain
other certified information or upon notification from the IRS or a broker that
withholding is required. The Fund reserves the right to reject new account
applications without a certified Social Security or tax identification number.
The Fund also reserves the right, following 30 days' notice, to redeem all
shares in accounts without a certified Social Security or tax identification
number. A shareholder may avoid involuntary redemption by providing the Fund
with a tax identification number during the 30-day notice period. Redemptions
for failure to provide a tax identification number are not subject to the 1%
redemption fee.
Minimum balances
Shareholders should maintain a share balance worth at least $2,500, which amount
may be changed by the Board of Trustees. Scudder retirement plans and certain
other accounts have similar or lower minimum balance requirements. A shareholder
may open an account with at least $1,000, if an automatic investment plan (AIP)
of $100/month is established.
Shareholders who maintain a non-fiduciary account balance of less than $2,500 in
the Fund, without establishing an AIP, will be assessed an annual $10.00 per
fund charge with the fee to be paid to the Fund. The $10.00 charge will not
apply to shareholders with a combined household account balance in any of the
Scudder Funds of $25,000 or more. The Fund reserves the right, following 60
days' written notice to shareholders, to redeem all shares in accounts below
$250, including accounts of new investors, where a reduction in value has
occurred due to a redemption or exchange out of the account. The Fund will mail
the proceeds of the redeemed account to the shareholder. Reductions in value
that result solely from market activity will not trigger an involuntary
redemption. Retirement accounts and certain other accounts will not be assessed
the $10.00 charge or be subject to automatic liquidation. Please refer to
16
<PAGE>
"Exchanges and Redemptions--Other information" in the Fund's Statement of
Additional Information for more information.
Third party transactions
If purchases and redemptions of Fund shares are arranged and settlement is made
at an investor's election through a member of the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc., other than Scudder Investor Services, Inc., that
member may, at its discretion, charge a fee for that service.
Redemption-in-kind
The Fund reserves the right, if conditions exist which make cash payments
undesirable, to honor any request for redemption or repurchase order by making
payment in whole or in part in readily marketable securities chosen by the Fund
and valued as they are for purposes of computing the Fund's net asset value (a
redemption-in-kind). If payment is made in securities, a shareholder may incur
transaction expenses in converting these securities to cash. The Trust has
elected, however, to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act, as a result
of which the Fund is obligated to redeem shares, with respect to any one
shareholder during any 90-day period, solely in cash up to the lesser of
$250,000 or 1% of the net asset value of the Fund at the beginning of the
period.
Shareholder benefits
Experienced professional management
Scudder, Stevens & Clark, Inc., one of the nation's most experienced investment
management firms, actively manages your Scudder fund investment. Professional
management is an important advantage for investors who do not have the time or
expertise to invest directly in individual securities.
A team approach to investing
Scudder Micro Cap Fund is managed by a team of Scudder investment professionals,
who each play an important role in the Fund's management process. Team members
work together to develop investment strategies and select securities for the
Fund's portfolio. They are supported by Scudder's large staff of quantitative
analysts, traders and other investment specialists who work in Scudder's offices
across the United States and abroad. Scudder believes its team approach benefits
Fund investors by bringing together many disciplines and leveraging Scudder's
extensive resources.
James M. Eysenbach, Lead Portfolio Manager, joined Scudder in 1991 as a senior
quantitative analyst and is currently director of quantitative research for
Scudder. Mr. Eysenbach has more than nine years investment research and
management experience. Philip S. Fortuna, Portfolio Manager, joined Scudder in
1986 as manager of institutional equity accounts. He became director of
quantitative research in 1987 and served as director of investment operations
from 1993 to 1994.
SAIL(TM)--Scudder Automated Information Line
For personalized account information including fund prices, yields and account
balances, to perform transactions in existing Scudder fund accounts, or to
obtain information on any Scudder fund, shareholders can call Scudder's
Automated Information Line (SAIL) at 1-800-343-2890, 24 hours a day. During
periods of extreme economic or market changes, or other conditions, it may be
difficult for you to effect telephone transactions in your account. In such an
event you should write to the Fund; please see "How to contact Scudder" for the
address.
Investment flexibility
Scudder offers toll-free telephone exchange between funds at current net asset
value. You can move your investments among money market, income, growth,
tax-free and growth and income funds with a simple toll-free call or, if you
prefer, by sending your instructions through the mail or by fax. Telephone and
fax redemptions and exchanges are subject to termination and their
17
<PAGE>
Shareholder benefits (cont'd)
terms are subject to change at any time by the Fund or the transfer agent. In
some cases, the transfer agent or Scudder Investor Services, Inc. may impose
additional conditions on telephone transactions.
Dividend reinvestment plan
You may have dividends and distributions automatically reinvested in additional
Fund shares. Please call 1-800-225-5163 to request this feature.
Shareholder statements
You receive a detailed account statement every time you purchase or redeem
shares. All of your statements should be retained to help you keep track of
account activity and the cost of shares for tax purposes.
Shareholder reports
In addition to account statements, you receive periodic shareholder reports
highlighting relevant information, including investment results and a review of
portfolio changes.
To reduce the volume of mail you receive, only one copy of most Fund reports,
such as the Fund's Annual Report, may be mailed to your household (same surname,
same address). Please call 1-800-225-5163 if you wish to receive additional
shareholder reports.
Newsletters
Four times a year, Scudder sends you Perspectives, an informative newsletter
covering economic and investment developments, service enhancements and other
topics of interest to Scudder fund investors.
Scudder Funds Centers
As a convenience to shareholders who like to conduct business in person, Scudder
Investor Services, Inc. maintains Funds Centers in Boca Raton, Boston, Chicago,
Cincinnati, Los Angeles, New York, Portland (OR), San Diego, San Francisco and
Scottsdale.
T.D.D. service for the hearing impaired
Scudder's full range of investor information and shareholder services is
available to hearing impaired investors through a toll-free T.D.D. (Telephone
Device for the Deaf) service. If you have access to a T.D.D., call
1-800-543-7916 for investment information or specific account questions and
transactions.
18
<PAGE>
Scudder tax-advantaged retirement plans
Scudder offers a variety of tax-advantaged retirement plans for individuals,
businesses and non-profit organizations. These flexible plans are designed for
use with the Scudder Family of Funds (except Scudder tax-free funds, which are
inappropriate for such plans). Scudder Funds offer a broad range of investment
objectives and can be used to seek almost any investment goal. Using Scudder's
retirement plans can help shareholders save on current taxes while building
their retirement savings.
o Scudder No-Fee IRAs. These retirement plans allow a maximum annual
contribution of $2,000 per person for anyone with earned income. Many
people can deduct all or part of their contributions from their taxable
income, and all investment earnings accrue on a tax deferred basis. The
Scudder No-Fee IRA charges no annual custodial fee.
o 401(k) Plans. 401(k) plans allow employers and employees to make
tax-deductible retirement contributions. Scudder offers a full service
program that includes recordkeeping, prototype plan, employee
communications and trustee services, as well as investment options.
o Profit Sharing and Money Purchase Pension Plans. These plans allow
corporations, partnerships and people who are self-employed to make annual,
tax-deductible contributions of up to $30,000 for each person covered by
the plans. Plans may be adopted individually or paired to maximize
contributions. These are sometimes known as Keogh plans.
o 403(b) Plans. Retirement plans for tax-exempt organizations and school
systems to which employers and employees may both contribute.
o SEP-IRAs. Easily administered retirement plans for small businesses and
self-employed individuals. The maximum annual contribution to SEP-IRA
accounts is adjusted each year for inflation.
o Scudder Horizon Plan. A no-load variable annuity that lets you build assets
by deferring taxes on your investment earnings. You can start with $2,500
or more.
Scudder Trust Company (an affiliate of the Adviser) is Trustee or Custodian for
some of these plans and is paid an annual fee for some of the above retirement
plans. For information about establishing a Scudder No-Fee IRA, SEP-IRA, Profit
Sharing Plan, Money Purchase Pension Plan or a Scudder Horizon Plan, please call
1-800-225-2470. For information about 401(k)s or 403(b)s please call
1-800-323-6105. To effect transactions in existing IRA, SEP-IRA, Profit Sharing
or Pension Plan accounts, call 1-800-225-5163.
The variable annuity contract is provided by Charter National Life Insurance
Company (in New York State, Intramerica Life Insurance Company [S 1802]). The
contract is offered by Scudder Insurance Agency, Inc. (in New York State, Nevada
and Montana, Scudder Insurance Agency of New York, Inc.). CNL, Inc. is the
Principal Underwriter. Scudder Horizon Plan is not available in all states.
19
<PAGE>
Trustees and Officers
Daniel Pierce*
President and Trustee
Paul Bancroft III
Trustee; Venture Capitalist and Consultant
Thomas J. Devine
Trustee; Consultant
Keith R. Fox
Trustee; President, Exeter Capital
Management Corporation
Dudley H. Ladd*
Trustee
Dr. Wilson Nolen
Trustee; Consultant
Juris Padegs*
Trustee
Dr. Gordon Shillinglaw
Trustee; Professor Emeritus of Accounting, Columbia University
Graduate School of Business
Robert W. Lear
Honorary Trustee; Executive-in-Residence,
Visiting Professor, Columbia University
Graduate School of Business
Robert G. Stone, Jr.
Honorary Trustee; Chairman of the Board and
Director, Kirby Corporation
Edmund R. Swanberg*
Honorary Trustee
Peter Chin*
Vice President
James M. Eysenbach*
Vice President
Philip S. Fortuna*
Vice President
Jerard K. Hartman*
Vice President
Thomas W. Joseph*
Vice President
David S. Lee*
Vice President
Roy C. McKay*
Vice President
Thomas F. McDonough*
Vice President and Secretary
Pamela A. McGrath*
Vice President and Treasurer
Edward J. O'Connell*
Vice President and Assistant Treasurer
Kathryn L. Quirk*
Vice President and Assistant Secretary
Richard W. Desmond*
Assistant Secretary
Coleen Downs Dinneen*
Assistant Secretary
*Scudder, Stevens & Clark, Inc.
20
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Investment products and services
<S> <C>
The Scudder Family of Funds
Money market Scudder GNMA Fund
Scudder Cash Investment Trust Scudder High Yield Bond Fund
Scudder U.S. Treasury Money Fund Scudder Income Fund
Tax free money market+ Scudder International Bond Fund
Scudder Tax Free Money Fund Scudder Short Term Bond Fund
Scudder California Tax Free Money Fund* Scudder Zero Coupon 2000 Fund
Scudder New York Tax Free Money Fund* Growth
Tax free+ Scudder Capital Growth Fund
Scudder California Tax Free Fund* Scudder Development Fund
Scudder High Yield Tax Free Fund Scudder Emerging Markets Growth Fund
Scudder Limited Term Tax Free Fund Scudder Global Discovery Fund
Scudder Managed Municipal Bonds Scudder Global Fund
Scudder Massachusetts Limited Term Tax Free Fund* Scudder Gold Fund
Scudder Massachusetts Tax Free Fund* Scudder Greater Europe Growth Fund
Scudder Medium Term Tax Free Fund Scudder International Fund
Scudder New York Tax Free Fund* Scudder Latin America Fund
Scudder Ohio Tax Free Fund* Scudder Micro Cap Fund
Scudder Pennsylvania Tax Free Fund* Scudder Pacific Opportunities Fund
Growth and Income Scudder Quality Growth Fund
Scudder Balanced Fund Scudder Small Company Value Fund
Scudder Growth and Income Fund Scudder Value Fund
Income The Japan Fund
Scudder Emerging Markets Income Fund
Scudder Global Bond Fund
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Retirement Plans and Tax-Advantaged Investments
IRAs 403(b) Plans
Keogh Plans SEP-IRAs
Scudder Horizon Plan*+++ (a variable annuity) Profit Sharing and
401(k) Plans Money Purchase Pension Plans
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Closed-end Funds#
The Argentina Fund, Inc. Scudder New Europe Fund, Inc.
The Brazil Fund, Inc. Scudder World Income Opportunities Fund, Inc.
The First Iberian Fund, Inc.
The Korea Fund, Inc. Institutional Cash Management
The Latin America Dollar Income Fund, Inc. Scudder Institutional Fund, Inc.
Montgomery Street Income Securities, Inc. Scudder Fund, Inc.
Scudder New Asia Fund, Inc. Scudder Treasurers Trust(TM)++
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<FN>
For complete information on any of the above Scudder funds, including management fees and expenses, call or write
for a free prospectus. Read it carefully before you invest or send money. +A portion of the income from the tax-free
funds may be subject to federal, state and local taxes. *Not available in all states. +++A no-load variable annuity
contract provided by Charter National Life Insurance Company and its affiliate, offered by Scudder's insurance agencies,
1-800-225-2470. #These funds, advised by Scudder, Stevens & Clark, Inc., are traded on various stock exchanges. ++For
information on Scudder Treasurers Trust(TM), an institutional cash management service that utilizes certain portfolios
of Scudder Fund, Inc. ($100,000 minimum), call: 1-800-541-7703.
</FN>
</TABLE>
21
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
How to contact Scudder
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Account Service and Information: Please address all correspondence to:
For existing account service Scudder Investor Relations The Scudder Funds
and transactions 1-800-225-5163 P.O. Box 2291
Boston, Massachusetts
02107-2291
For personalized information Scudder Automated
about your Scudder accounts; Information Line (SAIL)
exchanges and redemptions; or 1-800-343-2890 Visit the Scudder World Wide Web Site at:
information on any Scudder fund http://funds.scudder.com
Investment Information: Or Stop by a Scudder Funds Center:
To receive information about Scudder Investor Relations Many shareholders enjoy the personal, one-on-one
the Scudder funds, for 1-800-225-2470 service of the Scudder Funds Centers. Check for a
additional applications and Funds Center near you--they can be found in the
prospectuses, or for investment following cities:
questions
For establishing 401(k) and Scudder Defined Boca Raton New York
403(b) plans Contribution Services Boston Portland, OR
1-800-323-6105 Chicago San Diego
Cincinnati San Francisco
Los Angeles Scottsdale
For information on Scudder Treasurers Trust(TM), an For information on Scudder Institutional Funds*, funds
institutional cash management service for designed to meet the broad investment management and
corporations, non-profit organizations and trusts which service needs of banks and other institutions, call:
utilizes certain portfolios of Scudder Fund, Inc.* 1-800-854-8525.
($100,000 minimum), call: 1-800-541-7703.
Scudder Investor Relations and Scudder Funds Centers are services provided through Scudder
Investor Services, Inc., Distributor.
* Contact Scudder Investor Services, Inc., Distributor, to receive a prospectus
with more complete information, including management fees and expenses.
Please read it carefully before you invest or send money.
</TABLE>
22
<PAGE>
SCUDDER MICRO CAP FUND
A Pure No-Load(TM) (No Sales Charges) Mutual Fund Seeking
Long-Term Growth of Capital Through Investment
Primarily in a Diversified Portfolio of U.S. Micro-cap Stocks
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
August 12, 1996
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This combined Statement of Additional Information is not a prospectus
and should be read in conjunction with the prospectus of Scudder Micro Cap Fund
dated August 12, 1996, as amended from time to time, copies of which may be
obtained without charge by writing to Scudder Investor Services, Inc., Two
International Place, Boston, Massachusetts 02110-4103.
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
<S> <C> <C>
THE FUND'S INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES.........................................................................1
General Investment Objective and Policies....................................................................1
Special Considerations.......................................................................................2
Specialized Investment Techniques............................................................................5
Investment Restrictions.....................................................................................12
PURCHASES............................................................................................................15
Additional Information About Opening An Account.............................................................15
Additional Information About Making Subsequent Investments..................................................15
Additional Information About Making Subsequent Investments by AutoBuy.......................................15
Checks......................................................................................................16
Wire Transfer of Federal Funds..............................................................................16
Share Price.................................................................................................16
Share Certificates..........................................................................................16
Other Information...........................................................................................17
EXCHANGES AND REDEMPTIONS............................................................................................17
Exchanges...................................................................................................17
Special Redemption and Exchange Information.................................................................18
Redemption by Telephone.....................................................................................18
Redemption by AutoSell......................................................................................19
Redemption by Mail or Fax...................................................................................19
Redemption-in-Kind..........................................................................................20
Other Information...........................................................................................20
FEATURES AND SERVICES OFFERED BY THE FUND............................................................................21
The Pure No-Load(TM) Concept................................................................................21
Dividend and Capital Gain Distribution Options..............................................................22
Scudder Funds Centers.......................................................................................22
Reports to Shareholders.....................................................................................22
Transaction Summaries.......................................................................................23
THE SCUDDER FAMILY OF FUNDS..........................................................................................23
SPECIAL PLAN ACCOUNTS................................................................................................26
Scudder Retirement Plans: Profit-Sharing and Money Purchase Pension Plans for Corporations and
Self-Employed Individuals..............................................................................26
Scudder 401(k): Cash or Deferred Profit-Sharing Plan for Corporations and Self-Employed Individuals.........27
Scudder IRA: Individual Retirement Account.................................................................27
Scudder 403(b) Plan.........................................................................................28
Automatic Withdrawal Plan...................................................................................28
Group or Salary Deduction Plan..............................................................................28
Automatic Investment Plan...................................................................................29
Uniform Transfers/Gifts to Minors Act.......................................................................29
DIVIDENDS AND CAPITAL GAINS DISTRIBUTIONS............................................................................29
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION..............................................................................................30
Average Annual Total Return.................................................................................30
Cumulative Total Return.....................................................................................30
Total Return................................................................................................30
Capital Change..............................................................................................30
Comparison of Portfolio Performance.........................................................................31
ORGANIZATION OF THE FUND.............................................................................................34
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TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)
Page
INVESTMENT ADVISER...................................................................................................35
Personal Investments by Employees of the Adviser............................................................37
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS................................................................................................38
REMUNERATION.........................................................................................................40
DISTRIBUTOR..........................................................................................................41
TAXES................................................................................................................42
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS...............................................................................................46
Brokerage Commissions.......................................................................................46
Portfolio Turnover..........................................................................................46
NET ASSET VALUE......................................................................................................47
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...............................................................................................48
Experts.....................................................................................................48
Other Information...........................................................................................48
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.................................................................................................48
</TABLE>
ii
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THE FUND'S INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES
(See "Investment objective and policies" in the Fund's prospectus.)
Scudder Micro Cap Fund (the "Fund") is a series of Scudder Securities
Trust (the "Trust"); the Fund is a pure no-load(TM), diversified, open-end
management investment company which continuously offers and redeems shares at
net asset value. Scudder Micro Cap Fund is a company of the type commonly known
as a mutual fund.
General Investment Objective and Policies
The Fund's investment objective is to seek long-term growth of capital
through investment primarily in a diversified portfolio of U.S.
micro-capitalization ("micro-cap") common stocks. These domestic emerging growth
securities provide little or no current income but, in the opinion of the Fund's
investment adviser, Scudder, Stevens & Clark, Inc. (the "Adviser"), offer
substantial long-term appreciation potential as well as the opportunity to
enhance the overall diversification of an investor's portfolio.
Due to the inherent business characteristics and risks of small
companies, along with the relatively limited trading market for micro-cap
stocks, the Fund's share price can experience periods of significant volatility.
As a result, the Fund should be considered a long-term investment and only one
part of a well-diversified personal investment portfolio. To encourage a
long-term investment holding period and to facilitate portfolio management, a 1%
redemption and exchange fee, described in greater detail below, is payable to
the Fund for the benefit of remaining shareholders on shares held less than one
year.
Due to investment considerations, it is presently intended that the
Fund will close to new individual investors when total assets of the Fund reach
$100 million. It is anticipated that current individual shareholders of the Fund
will be able to continue to invest in the Fund after it reaches $100 million in
total assets. Further, the Fund will remain open to investment through qualified
retirement plans.
Qualified retirement plans may choose Scudder Micro Cap Fund as an
option for participants after the Fund has reached $100 million in total assets.
Investors in the Fund through a qualified retirement plan who terminate
participation and/or take a distribution of assets from the plan will be
permitted to transfer those assets to an individual account in Scudder Micro Cap
Fund.
If the Fund closes at $100 million in total assets as currently
expected, the Trustees may determine to reopen the Fund at some point based on
market conditions and other factors.
Except as otherwise indicated, the Fund's investment objective and
policies are not fundamental and may be changed without a vote of shareholders.
Shareholders will receive written notice of any changes in the Fund's investment
objective. If there is a change in investment objective, shareholders should
consider whether the Fund remains an appropriate investment in light of their
then current financial position and needs. There can be no assurance that the
Fund's objective will be met.
The Fund seeks to provide long-term growth of capital by investing,
under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its assets in common stocks
issued by U.S. micro-cap companies. The Fund will typically invest in companies
that, at the time of purchase, are smaller than the smallest stocks in the
Russell 2000R Index at its annual reconstitution. The median market
capitalization (i.e., current stock price times shares outstanding) of the
portfolio is not expected to exceed $125 million.
While the Fund invests predominantly in common stocks, it can purchase
other types of equity securities, including preferred stocks (either convertible
or non-convertible), rights and warrants. Securities may be listed on national
exchanges, or much more commonly, traded over-the-counter. The Fund may invest
up to 20% of its assets in U.S. Treasuries, agency and instrumentality
obligations, may enter into repurchase agreements and may engage in strategic
transactions to increase stock market participation, enhance liquidity and
manage transaction costs. In addition, for temporary or emergency purposes, such
as providing for redemptions or distributions, the Fund may borrow from banks
and other financial institutions in an amount not exceeding the value of
one-third of the Fund's total assets. The Fund will not borrow for investment
purposes.
<PAGE>
For temporary defensive purposes, the Fund may invest without limit in
cash and cash equivalents when the Adviser deems such a position advisable in
light of economic or market conditions. More information about these investment
techniques is provided under "Additional information about policies and
investments" in the Fund's prospectus.
The Fund is actively managed using a quantitative, value-oriented
investment approach. The Adviser selects investments from among the more than
4,000 publicly traded U.S. micro-cap stocks based on a proprietary, quantitative
investment strategy. Using this approach, the Adviser looks for companies
selling at a discount to estimated fair value. Because of their small size, and
less frequent trading activity, the companies represented in the Fund are often
overlooked or not closely followed by investors. Accordingly, their prices can
rise either as a result of improved business fundamentals, particularly when
earnings grow faster than general expectations, or as more investors appreciate
the full extent of a company's underlying business potential. The Fund seeks to
avoid what are judged in the opinion of the Fund's Adviser to be overpriced
companies with high investment risk and deteriorating fundamentals.
Portfolio diversification is an important component of the investment
management process. To help manage the Fund's above-average investment risk and
improve liquidity, the Adviser expects to invest in hundreds of small, publicly
traded companies, representing a broad cross-section of U.S. industries. The
Fund's systematic, value-oriented approach to investing is designed to mitigate
volatility of the Fund's share price relative to the micro-capitalization sector
of the U.S. stock market. Risk is further managed by employing specialized
portfolio management and trading techniques. Despite these techniques, the
Fund's share price can move up and down significantly, even over short periods
of time.
Special Considerations
While, historically, micro-capitalization company stocks have
outperformed the stocks of large companies, the former have customarily involved
more investment risk as well. Micro-capitalization companies may have limited
product lines, markets or financial resources; may lack management depth or
experience; and may be more vulnerable to adverse general market or economic
developments than large companies. The prices of micro-capitalization company
securities are often more volatile than prices associated with large company
issues, and can display abrupt or erratic movements at times, due to limited
trading volumes and less publicly available information.
Also, because micro-capitalization companies normally have fewer shares
outstanding and these shares trade less frequently than large companies, it may
be more difficult for the Fund to buy and sell significant amounts of such
shares without an unfavorable impact on prevailing market prices.
Some of the companies in which the Fund may invest may distribute, sell
or produce products which have recently been brought to market and may be
dependent on key personnel.
The securities of micro-capitalization companies are often traded
over-the-counter and may not be traded in the volumes typical on a national
securities exchange. Consequently, in order to sell this type of holding, the
Fund may need to discount the securities from recent prices or dispose of the
securities over a long period of time.
Large selection universe
Over half of the U.S. companies traded on the three primary U.S.
exchanges (NYSE, AMEX and NASDAQ) are micro-cap companies. Of the more than 7000
securities of U.S. companies traded on these exchanges, the 1000 largest (market
capitalizations greater than $1 billion) are generally considered to be
large-cap stocks. The next 2000 largest (with market caps currently in the range
of $178 to $1 billion) are often referred to as small-cap stocks. This group
roughly corresponds to the Russell 2000 Index, a widely followed index of small
companies. The remaining stocks -- over 4000 securities -- are considered
micro-cap issues (currently below $178 million in market capitalization).
2
<PAGE>
[GRAPHIC OMITTED]
PYRAMID CHART
CHART TITLE:
US Equity Market Size Profile
US Companies on NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX with Prices greater than $1
Large Cap
(1000 Stocks) greater than $1.0 Billion Market Cap
Small Cap
(2000 Stocks) greater than $178.0 Million Market Cap
Micro Cap
(4000+ Stocks)
Source: FactSet Research Systems, Scudder, 6/96.
Because of the small size, limited liquidity and vast numbers of
micro-cap stocks, this segment (shown at the base of the pyramid in the diagram
above) is often overlooked by Wall Street analysts, offering a wide range of
investment opportunities. The Fund's Advisor seeks to exploit these
opportunities using a proprietary quantitative model.
The "micro-cap stock effect"
According to Ibbotson Associates, who has compiled market data back to
1926, the growth of $1 invested in smaller stocks over the period through
December 1995 would have grown to $3,822 compared to $1,114 invested in large
company stocks. Traditionally referred to as "small company stocks," the
Ibbotson index is actually a better representation of what are now called
micro-capitalization issues. With a median market cap of only $56 million, the
stocks in this index are far smaller than the $570 million median market cap of
the typical small company mutual fund [Morningstar Principia 5/31/96]. A
micro-cap stock fund offers investors the opportunity to experience the greater
return potential represented in the study by Ibbotson Associates and others.
3
<PAGE>
[GRAPHIC OMITTED]
LINE CHART
CHART PERIOD: December 1925 - December 1995
CHART DATA:
Ibbotson "Small" S&P 500 T-Bills Inflation
Stocks
Dec-25 1 1 1 1
Dec-26 1.002767 1.116239 1.032665 0.985103
Dec-27 1.224347 1.534701 1.064932 0.96462
Dec-28 1.710344 2.20396 1.102822 0.955309
Dec-29 0.831923 2.018489 1.155184 0.957172
Dec-30 0.514574 1.515946 1.183028 0.899445
Dec-31 0.258553 0.858988 1.195722 0.813782
Dec-32 0.244618 0.788613 1.207221 0.729983
Dec-33 0.594095 1.214386 1.210812 0.733707
Dec-34 0.738003 1.196866 1.212784 0.748606
Dec-35 1.034634 1.767397 1.214829 0.770952
Dec-36 1.705066 2.366921 1.216984 0.780264
Dec-37 0.715996 1.537871 1.220732 0.804473
Dec-38 0.950833 2.016482 1.220534 0.782127
Dec-39 0.954128 2.008198 1.220784 0.778402
Dec-40 0.90494 1.811708 1.220843 0.785852
Dec-41 0.823495 1.601693 1.221572 0.862203
Dec-42 1.190012 1.927482 1.224846 0.942275
Dec-43 2.241665 2.426695 1.229098 0.972069
Dec-44 3.445939 2.906029 1.23316 0.992553
Dec-45 5.982521 3.964873 1.237224 1.0149
Dec-46 5.287035 3.644855 1.241593 1.199256
Dec-47 5.335413 3.852903 1.247843 1.307266
Dec-48 5.222728 4.064857 1.257965 1.342647
Dec-49 6.254129 4.828745 1.271836 1.318438
Dec-50 8.677417 6.360083 1.287042 1.394788
Dec-51 9.354568 7.887547 1.306255 1.476725
Dec-52 9.637729 9.336288 1.327887 1.489761
Dec-53 9.012508 9.243936 1.352104 1.499072
Dec-54 14.47254 14.10843 1.363785 1.491624
Dec-55 17.43084 18.56143 1.385246 1.49721
Dec-56 18.17739 19.77831 1.419312 1.540039
Dec-57 15.52892 17.64572 1.463865 1.586594
Dec-58 25.60512 25.29755 1.48643 1.614528
Dec-59 29.80392 28.3219 1.530309 1.638734
Dec-60 28.82297 28.45491 1.571058 1.662943
Dec-61 38.07163 36.106 1.604466 1.674116
Dec-62 33.5401 32.95448 1.648327 1.694602
Dec-63 41.44395 40.4685 1.699697 1.722536
Dec-64 51.19267 47.13881 1.759794 1.743024
Dec-65 72.56739 53.00808 1.828905 1.776543
Dec-66 67.47913 47.67373 1.915948 1.836132
Dec-67 123.8704 59.10382 1.99661 1.891996
Dec-68 168.4285 65.64154 2.100549 1.981385
Dec-69 126.2332 60.05902 2.238845 2.102428
Dec-70 104.2259 62.46532 2.384929 2.217886
Dec-71 121.4228 71.40581 2.489535 2.292376
Dec-72 126.8069 84.95586 2.585132 2.370591
Dec-73 87.61794 72.50028 2.76429 2.579162
Dec-74 70.14243 53.31099 2.985518 2.893878
Dec-75 107.1887 73.14431 3.158785 3.096859
Dec-76 168.6909 90.58422 3.319331 3.245838
Dec-77 211.4997 84.07665 3.489288 3.465579
Dec-78 261.1199 89.59223 3.739847 3.778429
Dec-79 374.6139 106.1126 4.127902 4.281222
Dec-80 523.9922 140.5137 4.591693 4.811953
Dec-81 596.7169 133.6161 5.267079 5.242126
Dec-82 763.829 162.2226 5.822392 5.445094
Dec-83 1066.828 198.7451 6.334665 5.651801
Dec-84 995.6805 211.1991 6.95859 5.875267
Dec-85 1241.234 279.1166 7.496023 6.096805
Dec-86 1326.275 330.6709 7.95796 6.16569
Dec-87 1202.966 347.9675 8.39291 6.437567
Dec-88 1478.135 406.4583 8.925676 6.722069
Dec-89 1628.59 534.4555 9.672793 7.034463
Dec-90 1277.449 517.499 10.42857 7.464006
Dec-91 1847.629 675.5922 11.01208 7.692725
Dec-92 2279.039 727.4115 11.3982 7.915865
Dec-93 2757.147 800.0785 11.7284 8.133425
Dec-94 2842.773 810.5379 12.18621 8.35099
Dec-95 3822.398 1113.918 12.86808 8.562973
Source: Ibbotson Associates
With the potential for higher returns comes higher risk, as shown in the
chart below:
[GRAPHIC OMITTED]
CHART DATA:
Volatility Annualized Returns
(Standard Deviation) 12/26 - 12/95
T-Bills 3.27 3.72
S&P 500 20.42 10.54
Micro-Cap 34.37 12.51
Source: Ibbotson Associates, Micro-Cap based on Ibbotson Small Co. Portfolio.
Annualized returns for micro-cap stocks (12/26-12/95) are higher --
12.5% versus 10.5% for large-cap -- but this category experienced greater
volatility as measured by standard deviation (34.4% for micro-cap versus 20.4%
for large-cap). This higher volatility suggests the need for a long-term horizon
when investing in micro-capitalization stocks.
Diversification Benefits
In addition to their return potential, smaller capitalization stocks
are often sought out by investors because they do not necessarily move in the
same direction at the same time as larger stocks. Indeed, the correlation
coefficient (one measure of this potential for diversification) between
small-cap and large-cap stock returns is only 0.71. Because of their low
profile, micro-cap stocks have an even lower correlation of 0.54 with large-cap
stock returns.
4
<PAGE>
Correlation of Total Returns
60 Months Ending 12/95
Micro Cap Small Cap
(CRSP 9-10) (S&P)
S&P 500 0.54 0.71
S&P Mid Cap 0.75 0.91
S&P Small Cap 0.89 1.00
[Prudential Securities Benchmark Study VI.V February 1996]
As a result, adding micro-cap stocks to a portfolio of larger stock
funds can provide excellent diversification. Furthermore, investors in the fund
will gain exposure to hundreds of micro-cap stocks, reducing the relatively high
risk associated with individual micro-cap issues.
Specialized Investment Techniques
Debt Securities. When the Adviser believes that it is appropriate to do so in
order to achieve the Fund's objective of long-term capital appreciation, the
Fund may invest in debt securities, including bonds of private issuers.
Portfolio debt investments will be selected on the basis of, among other things,
credit quality, and the fundamental outlooks for currency, economic and interest
rate trends, taking into account the ability to hedge a degree of currency or
local bond price risk. The Fund may purchase "investment-grade" bonds, rated
Aaa, Aa, A or Baa by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") or AAA, AA, A
or BBB by Standard & Poor's ("S&P") or, if unrated, judged to be of equivalent
quality as determined by the Adviser.
Strategic Transactions and Derivatives. The Fund may, but is not required to,
utilize various other investment strategies as described below to hedge various
market risks (such as interest rates, currency exchange rates, and broad or
specific equity or fixed-income market movements), to manage the effective
maturity or duration of the fixed-income securities in the Fund's portfolio, or
to enhance potential gain. These strategies may be executed through the use of
derivative contracts. Such strategies are generally accepted as a part of modern
portfolio management and are regularly utilized by many mutual funds and other
institutional investors. Techniques and instruments may change over time as new
instruments and strategies are developed or regulatory changes occur.
In the course of pursuing these investment strategies, the Fund may
purchase and sell exchange-listed and over-the-counter put and call options on
securities, equity and fixed-income indices and other financial instruments,
purchase and sell financial futures contracts and options thereon, enter into
various interest rate transactions such as swaps, caps, floors or collars, and
enter into various currency transactions such as currency forward contracts,
currency futures contracts, currency swaps or options on currencies or currency
futures (collectively, all the above are called "Strategic Transactions").
Strategic Transactions may be used without limit to attempt to protect against
possible changes in the market value of securities held in or to be purchased
for the Fund's portfolio resulting from securities markets or currency exchange
rate fluctuations, to protect the Fund's unrealized gains in the value of its
portfolio securities, to facilitate the sale of such securities for investment
purposes, to manage the effective maturity or duration of the fixed-income
securities in the Fund's portfolio, or to establish a position in the
derivatives markets as a temporary substitute for purchasing or selling
particular securities. Some Strategic Transactions may also be used to enhance
potential gain although no more than 5% of the Fund's assets will be committed
to Strategic Transactions entered into for non-hedging purposes. Any or all of
these investment techniques may be used at any time and in any combination, and
there is no particular strategy that dictates the use of one technique rather
than another, as use of any Strategic Transaction is a function of numerous
variables including market conditions. The ability of the Fund to utilize these
Strategic Transactions successfully will depend on the Adviser's ability to
predict pertinent market movements, which cannot be assured. The Fund will
comply with applicable regulatory requirements when implementing these
strategies, techniques and instruments. Strategic Transactions involving
financial futures and options thereon will be purchased, sold or entered into
only for bona fide hedging, risk management or portfolio management purposes and
not for speculative purposes.
Strategic Transactions, including derivative contracts, have risks
associated with them including possible default by the other party to the
transaction, illiquidity and, to the extent the Adviser's view as to certain
5
<PAGE>
market movements is incorrect, the risk that the use of such Strategic
Transactions could result in losses greater than if they had not been used. Use
of put and call options may result in losses to the Fund, force the sale or
purchase of portfolio securities at inopportune times or for prices higher than
(in the case of put options) or lower than (in the case of call options) current
market values, limit the amount of appreciation the Fund can realize on its
investments or cause the Fund to hold a security it might otherwise sell. The
use of currency transactions can result in the Fund incurring losses as a result
of a number of factors including the imposition of exchange controls, suspension
of settlements, or the inability to deliver or receive a specified currency. The
use of options and futures transactions entails certain other risks. In
particular, the variable degree of correlation between price movements of
futures contracts and price movements in the related portfolio position of the
Fund creates the possibility that losses on the hedging instrument may be
greater than gains in the value of the Fund's position. In addition, futures and
options markets may not be liquid in all circumstances and certain
over-the-counter options may have no markets. As a result, in certain markets,
the Fund might not be able to close out a transaction without incurring
substantial losses, if at all. Although the use of futures and options
transactions for hedging should tend to minimize the risk of loss due to a
decline in the value of the hedged position, at the same time they tend to limit
any potential gain which might result from an increase in value of such
position. Finally, the daily variation margin requirements for futures contracts
would create a greater ongoing potential financial risk than would purchases of
options, where the exposure is limited to the cost of the initial premium.
Losses resulting from the use of Strategic Transactions would reduce net asset
value, and possibly income, and such losses can be greater than if the Strategic
Transactions had not been utilized.
General Characteristics of Options. Put options and call options typically have
similar structural characteristics and operational mechanics regardless of the
underlying instrument on which they are purchased or sold. Thus, the following
general discussion relates to each of the particular types of options discussed
in greater detail below. In addition, many Strategic Transactions involving
options require segregation of Fund assets in special accounts, as described
below under "Use of Segregated and Other Special Accounts."
A put option gives the purchaser of the option, upon payment of a
premium, the right to sell, and the writer the obligation to buy, the underlying
security, commodity, index, currency or other instrument at the exercise price.
For instance, the Fund's purchase of a put option on a security might be
designed to protect its holdings in the underlying instrument (or, in some
cases, a similar instrument) against a substantial decline in the market value
by giving the Fund the right to sell such instrument at the option exercise
price. A call option, upon payment of a premium, gives the purchaser of the
option the right to buy, and the seller the obligation to sell, the underlying
instrument at the exercise price. The Fund's purchase of a call option on a
security, financial future, index, currency or other instrument might be
intended to protect the Fund against an increase in the price of the underlying
instrument that it intends to purchase in the future by fixing the price at
which it may purchase such instrument. An American style put or call option may
be exercised at any time during the option period while a European style put or
call option may be exercised only upon expiration or during a fixed period prior
thereto. The Fund is authorized to purchase and sell exchange listed options and
over-the-counter options ("OTC options"). Exchange listed options are issued by
a regulated intermediary such as the Options Clearing Corporation ("OCC"), which
guarantees the performance of the obligations of the parties to such options.
The discussion below uses the OCC as an example, but is also applicable to other
financial intermediaries.
With certain exceptions, OCC issued and exchange listed options
generally settle by physical delivery of the underlying security or currency,
although in the future cash settlement may become available. Index options and
Eurodollar instruments are cash settled for the net amount, if any, by which the
option is "in-the-money" (i.e., where the value of the underlying instrument
exceeds, in the case of a call option, or is less than, in the case of a put
option, the exercise price of the option) at the time the option is exercised.
Frequently, rather than taking or making delivery of the underlying instrument
through the process of exercising the option, listed options are closed by
entering into offsetting purchase or sale transactions that do not result in
ownership of the new option.
The Fund's ability to close out its position as a purchaser or seller
of an OCC or exchange listed put or call option is dependent, in part, upon the
liquidity of the option market. Among the possible reasons for the absence of a
liquid option market on an exchange are: (i) insufficient trading interest in
certain options; (ii) restrictions on transactions imposed by an exchange; (iii)
trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions imposed with respect to
particular classes or series of options or underlying securities including
reaching daily price limits; (iv) interruption of the normal operations of the
OCC or an exchange; (v) inadequacy of the facilities of an exchange or OCC to
handle current trading volume; or (vi) a decision by one or more exchanges to
6
<PAGE>
discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options),
in which event the relevant market for that option on that exchange would cease
to exist, although outstanding options on that exchange would generally continue
to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.
The hours of trading for listed options may not coincide with the hours
during which the underlying financial instruments are traded. To the extent that
the option markets close before the markets for the underlying financial
instruments, significant price and rate movements can take place in the
underlying markets that cannot be reflected in the option markets.
OTC options are purchased from or sold to securities dealers, financial
institutions or other parties ("Counterparties") through direct bilateral
agreement with the Counterparty. In contrast to exchange listed options, which
generally have standardized terms and performance mechanics, all the terms of an
OTC option, including such terms as method of settlement, term, exercise price,
premium, guarantees and security, are set by negotiation of the parties. The
Fund will only sell OTC options (other than OTC currency options) that are
subject to a buy-back provision permitting the Fund to require the Counterparty
to sell the option back to the Fund at a formula price within seven days. The
Fund expects generally to enter into OTC options that have cash settlement
provisions, although it is not required to do so.
Unless the parties provide for it, there is no central clearing or
guaranty function in an OTC option. As a result, if the Counterparty fails to
make or take delivery of the security, currency or other instrument underlying
an OTC option it has entered into with the Fund or fails to make a cash
settlement payment due in accordance with the terms of that option, the Fund
will lose any premium it paid for the option as well as any anticipated benefit
of the transaction. Accordingly, the Adviser must assess the creditworthiness of
each such Counterparty or any guarantor or credit enhancement of the
Counterparty's credit to determine the likelihood that the terms of the OTC
option will be satisfied. The Fund will engage in OTC option transactions only
with U.S. government securities dealers recognized by the Federal Reserve Bank
of New York as "primary dealers" or broker/dealers, domestic or foreign banks or
other financial institutions which have received (or the guarantors of the
obligation of which have received) a short-term credit rating of A-1 from S&P or
P-1 from Moody's or an equivalent rating from any nationally recognized
statistical rating organization ("NRSRO") or are determined to be of equivalent
credit quality by the Adviser. The staff of the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "SEC") currently takes the position that OTC options purchased
by the Fund, and portfolio securities "covering" the amount of the Fund's
obligation pursuant to an OTC option sold by it (the cost of the sell-back plus
the in-the-money amount, if any) are illiquid, and are subject to the Fund's
limitation on investing its assets in illiquid securities.
If the Fund sells a call option, the premium that it receives may serve
as a partial hedge, to the extent of the option premium, against a decrease in
the value of the underlying securities or instruments in its portfolio or will
increase the Fund's income. The sale of put options can also provide income.
The Fund may purchase and sell call options on securities including
U.S. Treasury and agency securities, mortgage-backed securities, corporate debt
securities, equity securities (including convertible securities) and Eurodollar
instruments that are traded on U.S. and foreign securities exchanges and in the
over-the-counter markets, and on securities indices, currencies and futures
contracts. All calls sold by the Fund must be "covered" (i.e., the Fund must own
the securities or futures contract subject to the call) or must meet the asset
segregation requirements described below as long as the call is outstanding.
Even though the Fund will receive the option premium to help protect it against
loss, a call sold by the Fund exposes the Fund during the term of the option to
possible loss of opportunity to realize appreciation in the market price of the
underlying security or instrument and may require the Fund to hold a security or
instrument which it might otherwise have sold.
The Fund may purchase and sell put options on securities including U.S.
Treasury and agency securities, mortgage-backed securities, corporate debt
securities, equity securities (including convertible securities), and on
securities indices and futures contracts other than futures on individual
corporate debt and individual equity securities. The Fund will not sell put
options if, as a result, more than 50% of the Fund's assets would be required to
be segregated to cover its potential obligations under such put options other
than those with respect to futures and options thereon. In selling put options,
there is a risk that the Fund may be required to buy the underlying security at
a disadvantageous price above the market price.
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General Characteristics of Futures. The Fund may enter into financial futures
contracts or purchase or sell put and call options on such futures as a hedge
against anticipated interest rate or equity market changes, for duration
management and for risk management purposes. Futures are generally bought and
sold on the commodities exchanges where they are listed with payment of initial
and variation margin as described below. The sale of a futures contract creates
a firm obligation by the Fund, as seller, to deliver to the buyer the specific
type of financial instrument called for in the contract at a specific future
time for a specified price (or, with respect to index futures, the net cash
amount). Options on futures contracts are similar to options on securities
except that an option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right in
return for the premium paid to assume a position in a futures contract and
obligates the seller to deliver such position.
The Fund's use of financial futures and options thereon will in all
cases be consistent with applicable regulatory requirements and in particular
the rules and regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and will
be entered into only for bona fide hedging, risk management (including duration
management) or other portfolio management purposes. Typically, maintaining a
futures contract or selling an option thereon requires the Fund to deposit with
a financial intermediary as security for its obligations an amount of cash or
other specified assets (initial margin) which initially is typically 1% to 10%
of the face amount of the contract (but may be higher in some circumstances).
Additional cash or assets (variation margin) may be required to be deposited
thereafter on a daily basis as the mark to market value of the contract
fluctuates. The purchase of an option on financial futures involves payment of a
premium for the option without any further obligation on the part of the Fund.
If the Fund exercises an option on a futures contract it will be obligated to
post initial margin (and potential subsequent variation margin) for the
resulting futures position just as it would for any position. Futures contracts
and options thereon are generally settled by entering into an offsetting
transaction but there can be no assurance that the position can be offset prior
to settlement at an advantageous price, nor that delivery will occur.
The Fund will not enter into a futures contract or related option
(except for closing transactions) if, immediately thereafter, the sum of the
amount of its initial margin and premiums on open futures contracts and options
thereon would exceed 5% of the Fund's total assets (taken at current value);
however, in the case of an option that is in-the-money at the time of the
purchase, the in-the-money amount may be excluded in calculating the 5%
limitation. The segregation requirements with respect to futures contracts and
options thereon are described below.
Options on Securities Indices and Other Financial Indices. The Fund also may
purchase and sell call and put options on securities indices and other financial
indices and in so doing can achieve many of the same objectives it would achieve
through the sale or purchase of options on individual securities or other
instruments. Options on securities indices and other financial indices are
similar to options on a security or other instrument except that, rather than
settling by physical delivery of the underlying instrument, they settle by cash
settlement, i.e., an option on an index gives the holder the right to receive,
upon exercise of the option, an amount of cash if the closing level of the index
upon which the option is based exceeds, in the case of a call, or is less than,
in the case of a put, the exercise price of the option (except if, in the case
of an OTC option, physical delivery is specified). This amount of cash is equal
to the excess of the closing price of the index over the exercise price of the
option, which also may be multiplied by a formula value. The seller of the
option is obligated, in return for the premium received, to make delivery of
this amount. The gain or loss on an option on an index depends on price
movements in the instruments making up the market, market segment, industry or
other composite on which the underlying index is based, rather than price
movements in individual securities, as is the case with respect to options on
securities.
Combined Transactions. The Fund may enter into multiple transactions, including
multiple options transactions, multiple futures transactions, and multiple
interest rate transactions and any combination of futures, options, and interest
rate transactions ("component" transactions), instead of a single Strategic
Transaction, as part of a single or combined strategy when, in the opinion of
the Adviser, it is in the best interests of the Fund to do so. A combined
transaction will usually contain elements of risk that are present in each of
its component transactions. Although combined transactions are normally entered
into based on the Adviser's judgment that the combined strategies will reduce
risk or otherwise more effectively achieve the desired portfolio management
goal, it is possible that the combination will instead increase such risks or
hinder achievement of the portfolio management objective.
Swaps, Caps, Floors and Collars. Among the Strategic Transactions into which the
Fund may enter are interest rate, and index swaps and the purchase or sale of
related caps, floors and collars. The Fund expects to enter into these
transactions primarily to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment
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or portion of its portfolio as a duration management technique or to protect
against any increase in the price of securities the Fund anticipates purchasing
at a later date. The Fund intends to use these transactions as hedges and not as
speculative investments and will not sell interest rate caps or floors where
they do not own securities or other instruments providing the income stream the
Fund may be obligated to pay. Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by the
Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive
interest, e.g., an exchange of floating rate payments for fixed rate payments
with respect to a notional amount of principal. The purchase of a cap entitles
the purchaser to receive payments on a notional principal amount from the party
selling such cap to the extent that a specified index exceeds a predetermined
interest rate or amount. The purchase of a floor entitles the purchaser to
receive payments on a notional principal amount from the party selling such
floor to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest
rate or amount. A collar is a combination of a cap and a floor that preserves a
certain return within a predetermined range of interest rates or values.
The Fund will usually enter into swaps on a net basis, i.e., the two
payment streams are netted out in a cash settlement on the payment date or dates
specified in the instrument, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may
be, only the net amount of the two payments. Inasmuch as these swaps, caps,
floors and collars are entered into for good faith hedging purposes, the Adviser
and the Fund believes such obligations do not constitute senior securities under
the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act") and, accordingly, will not
treat them as being subject to its borrowing restrictions. The Fund will not
enter into any swap, cap, floor or collar transaction unless, at the time of
entering into such transaction, the unsecured long-term debt of the
Counterparty, combined with any credit enhancements, is rated at least A by S&P
or Moody's or has an equivalent rating from a NRSRO or is determined to be of
equivalent credit quality by the Adviser. If there is a default by the
Counterparty, the Fund may have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements
related to the transaction. The swap market has grown substantially in recent
years with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as
principals and as agents utilizing standardized swap documentation. As a result,
the swap market has become relatively liquid. Caps, floors and collars are more
recent innovations for which standardized documentation has not yet been fully
developed and, accordingly, they are less liquid than swaps.
Use of Segregated and Other Special Accounts. Many Strategic Transactions, in
addition to other requirements, require that the Fund segregate liquid high
grade assets with its custodian, State Street Bank and Trust Company (the
"Custodian") to the extent Fund obligations are not otherwise "covered" through
ownership of the underlying security, financial instrument or currency. In
general, either the full amount of any obligation by the Fund to pay or deliver
securities or assets must be covered at all times by the securities, instruments
or currency required to be delivered, or, subject to any regulatory
restrictions, an amount of cash or liquid high grade securities at least equal
to the current amount of the obligation must be segregated with the custodian.
The segregated assets cannot be sold or transferred unless equivalent assets are
substituted in their place or it is no longer necessary to segregate them. For
example, a call option written by the Fund will require the Fund to hold the
securities subject to the call (or securities convertible into the needed
securities without additional consideration) or to segregate liquid high-grade
securities sufficient to purchase and deliver the securities if the call is
exercised. A call option sold by the Fund on an index will require the Fund to
own portfolio securities which correlate with the index or to segregate liquid
high grade assets equal to the excess of the index value over the exercise price
on a current basis. A put option written by the Fund requires the Fund to
segregate liquid high grade assets equal to the exercise price.
Except when the Fund enters into a forward contract for the purchase or
sale of a security denominated in a particular currency, which requires no
segregation, a currency contract which obligates the Fund to buy or sell
currency will generally require the Fund to hold an amount of that currency or
liquid securities denominated in that currency equal to the Fund's obligations
or to segregate liquid high grade assets equal to the amount of the Fund's
obligation.
OTC options entered into by the Fund, including those on securities,
financial instruments or indices and OCC issued and exchange listed index
options, will generally provide for cash settlement. As a result, when the Fund
sells these instruments it will only segregate an amount of assets equal to its
accrued net obligations, as there is no requirement for payment or delivery of
amounts in excess of the net amount. These amounts will equal 100% of the
exercise price in the case of a non cash-settled put, the same as an OCC
guaranteed listed option sold by the Fund, or the in-the-money amount plus any
sell-back formula amount in the case of a cash-settled put or call. In addition,
when the Fund sells a call option on an index at a time when the in-the-money
amount exceeds the exercise price, the Fund will segregate, until the option
expires or is closed out, cash or cash equivalents equal in value to such
excess. OCC issued and exchange listed options sold by the Fund other than those
above generally settle with physical delivery, and the Fund will segregate an
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amount of assets equal to the full value of the option. OTC options settling
with physical delivery, or with an election of either physical delivery or cash
settlement will be treated the same as other options settling with physical
delivery.
In the case of a futures contract or an option thereon, the Fund must
deposit initial margin and possible daily variation margin in addition to
segregating assets sufficient to meet its obligation to purchase or provide
securities or currencies, or to pay the amount owed at the expiration of an
index-based futures contract. Such assets may consist of cash, cash equivalents,
liquid debt or equity securities or other acceptable assets.
With respect to swaps, the Fund will accrue the net amount of the
excess, if any, of its obligations over its entitlements with respect to each
swap on a daily basis and will segregate an amount of cash or liquid high grade
securities having a value equal to the accrued excess. Caps, floors and collars
require segregation of assets with a value equal to the Fund's net obligation,
if any.
Strategic Transactions may be covered by other means when consistent
with applicable regulatory policies. The Fund may also enter into offsetting
transactions so that its combined position, coupled with any segregated assets,
equals its net outstanding obligation in related options and Strategic
Transactions. For example, the Fund could purchase a put option if the strike
price of that option is the same or higher than the strike price of a put option
sold by the Fund. Moreover, instead of segregating assets if the Fund held a
futures or forward contract, it could purchase a put option on the same futures
or forward contract with a strike price as high or higher than the price of the
contract held. Other Strategic Transactions may also be offset in combinations.
If the offsetting transaction terminates at the time of or after the primary
transaction no segregation is required, but if it terminates prior to such time,
assets equal to any remaining obligation would need to be segregated.
The Fund's activities involving Strategic Transactions may be limited
by the requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended (the "Code"), for qualification as a regulated investment company. (See
"TAXES.")
Convertible Securities. The Fund may invest in convertible securities which are
bonds, notes, debentures, preferred stocks, and other securities which are
convertible into common stocks. Investments in convertible securities can
provide income through interest and dividend payments and/or an opportunity for
capital appreciation by virtue of their conversion or exchange features.
The convertible securities in which the Fund may invest may be
converted or exchanged at a stated or determinable exchange ratio into
underlying shares of common stock. The exchange ratio for any particular
convertible security may be adjusted from time to time due to stock splits,
dividends, spin-offs, other corporate distributions, or scheduled changes in the
exchange ratio. Convertible debt securities and convertible preferred stocks,
until converted, have general characteristics similar to both debt and equity
securities. Although to a lesser extent than with debt securities generally, the
market value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates
increase and, conversely, tends to increase as interest rates decline. In
addition, because of the conversion or exchange feature, the market value of
convertible securities typically changes as the market value of the underlying
common stocks changes, and, therefore, also tends to follow movements in the
general market for equity securities. A unique feature of convertible securities
is that as the market price of the underlying common stock declines, convertible
securities tend to trade increasingly on a yield basis and so may not experience
market value declines to the same extent as the underlying common stock. When
the market price of the underlying common stock increases, the prices of the
convertible securities tend to rise as a reflection of the value of the
underlying common stock, although typically not as much as the underlying common
stock. While no securities investments are without risk, investments in
convertible securities generally entail less risk than investments in common
stock of the same issuer.
As fixed income securities, convertible securities are investments
which provide for a stream of income (or in the case of zero coupon securities,
accretion of income) with generally higher yields than common stocks. Of course,
like all fixed income securities, there can be no assurance of income or
principal payments because the issuers of the convertible securities may default
on their obligations. Convertible securities generally offer lower yields than
non-convertible securities of similar quality because of their conversion or
exchange features.
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Convertible securities generally are subordinated to other similar but
non-convertible securities of the same issuer, although convertible bonds, as
corporate debt obligations, enjoy seniority in right of payment to all equity
securities, and convertible preferred stock is senior to common stock, of the
same issuer. However, because of the subordination feature, convertible bonds
and convertible preferred stock typically have lower ratings than similar
non-convertible securities.
Convertible securities may be issued as fixed income obligations that
pay current income or as zero coupon notes and bonds, including Liquid Yield
Option Notes (LYONs). Zero coupon securities pay no cash income and are sold at
substantial discounts from their value at maturity. When held to maturity, their
entire income, which consists of accretion of discount, comes from the
difference between the purchase price and their value at maturity. Zero coupon
convertible securities offer the opportunity for capital appreciation as
increases (or decreases) in market value of such securities closely follow the
movements in the market value of the underlying common stock. Zero coupon
convertible securities generally are expected to be less volatile than the
underlying common stocks as they usually are issued with shorter maturities (15
years or less) and are issued with options and/or redemption features
exercisable by the holder of the obligation entitling the holder to redeem the
obligation and receive a defined cash payment.
Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with member
banks of the Federal Reserve System, any foreign bank or with any domestic or
foreign broker-dealer which is recognized as a reporting government securities
dealer if the creditworthiness of the bank or broker-dealer has been determined
by the Adviser to be at least as high as that of other obligations the Fund may
purchase.
A repurchase agreement provides a means for the Fund to earn income on
funds for periods as short as overnight. It is an arrangement under which the
purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires a security ("Obligation") and the seller
agrees, at the time of sale, to repurchase the Obligation at a specified time
and price. Securities subject to a repurchase agreement are held in a segregated
account and the value of such securities kept at least equal to the repurchase
price on a daily basis. The repurchase price may be higher than the purchase
price, the difference being income to the Fund, or the purchase and repurchase
prices may be the same, with interest at a stated rate due to the Fund together
with the repurchase price upon repurchase. In either case, the income to the
Fund is unrelated to the interest rate on the Obligation itself. Obligations
will be held by the Custodian or in the Federal Reserve Book Entry system.
For purposes of the 1940 Act a repurchase agreement is deemed to be a
loan from the Fund to the seller of the Obligation subject to the repurchase
agreement and is therefore subject to the Fund's investment restriction
applicable to loans. It is not clear whether a court would consider the
Obligation purchased by the Fund subject to a repurchase agreement as being
owned by the Fund or as being collateral for a loan by the Fund to the seller.
In the event of the commencement of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings with
respect to the seller of the Obligation before repurchase of the Obligation
under a repurchase agreement, the Fund may encounter delay and incur costs
before being able to sell the security. Delays may involve loss of interest or
decline in price of the Obligation. If the court characterizes the transaction
as a loan and the Fund has not perfected a security interest in the Obligation,
the Fund may be required to return the Obligation to the seller's estate and be
treated as an unsecured creditor of the seller. As an unsecured creditor, the
Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and income involved
in the transaction. As with any unsecured debt instrument purchased for the
Fund, the Adviser seeks to minimize the risk of loss through repurchase
agreements by analyzing the creditworthiness of the obligor, in this case the
seller of the Obligation. Apart from the risk of bankruptcy or insolvency
proceedings, there is also the risk that the seller may fail to repurchase the
Obligation, in which case the Fund may incur a loss if the proceeds to the Fund
of the sale to a third party are less than the repurchase price. However, if the
market value of the Obligation subject to the repurchase agreement becomes less
than the repurchase price (including interest), the Fund will direct the seller
of the Obligation to deliver additional securities so that the market value of
all securities subject to the repurchase agreement will equal or exceed the
repurchase price. It is possible that the Fund will be unsuccessful in seeking
to enforce the seller's contractual obligation to deliver additional securities.
A repurchase agreement with foreign banks may be available with respect to
government securities of the particular foreign jurisdiction, and such
repurchase agreements involve risks similar to repurchase agreements with U.S.
entities.
Borrowing. The Fund are each authorized to borrow money from banks and other
financial institutions in an amount equal to up to 33 1/3% of the Fund's net
assets for purposes of liquidity and to provide for redemptions and
distributions. The Fund will borrow only when the Adviser believes that
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borrowing will benefit the Fund after taking into account considerations such as
the costs of the borrowing. The Fund will not borrow for investment purposes, to
increase return or leverage the portfolio. Borrowing by the Fund will involve
special risk considerations. Although the principal of the Fund's borrowings
will be fixed, the Fund's assets may change in value during the time a borrowing
is outstanding, thus increasing exposure to capital risk.
Illiquid Securities. The Fund may occasionally purchase securities other than in
the open market. While such purchases may often offer attractive opportunities
for investment not otherwise available on the open market, the securities so
purchased are often "restricted securities" or "not readily marketable," i.e.,
securities which cannot be sold to the public without registration under the
Securities Act of 1933 or the availability of an exemption from registration
(such as Rules 144 or 144A) or because they are subject to other legal or
contractual delays in or restrictions on resale.
Generally speaking, restricted securities may be sold only to qualified
institutional buyers, or in a privately negotiated transaction to a limited
number of purchasers, or in limited quantities after they have been held for a
specified period of time and other conditions are met pursuant to an exemption
from registration, or in a public offering for which a registration statement is
in effect under the Securities Act of 1933. The Fund may be deemed to be an
"underwriter" for purposes of the Securities Act of 1933 when selling restricted
securities to the public, and in such event the Fund may be liable to purchasers
of such securities if such sale is made in violation of the 1933 Act or if the
registration statement prepared by the issuer, or the prospectus forming a part
of it, is materially inaccurate or misleading.
When-Issued Securities. The Fund may from time to time purchase equity and debt
securities on a "when-issued" or "forward delivery" basis. The price of such
securities, which may be expressed in yield terms, is fixed at the time the
commitment to purchase is made, but delivery and payment for the when-issued or
forward delivery securities takes place at a later date. During the period
between purchase and settlement, no payment is made by the Fund to the issuer
and no interest accrues to the Fund. To the extent that assets of the Fund are
held in cash pending the settlement of a purchase of securities, the Fund would
earn no income; however, it is the Fund's intention to be fully invested to the
extent practicable and subject to the policies stated above. While when-issued
or forward delivery securities may be sold prior to the settlement date, the
Fund intends to purchase such securities with the purpose of actually acquiring
them unless a sale appears desirable for investment reasons. At the time the
Fund makes the commitment to purchase a security on a when-issued or forward
delivery basis, it will record the transaction and reflect the value of the
security in determining its net asset value. The market value of the when-issued
or forward delivery securities may be more or less than the purchase price. The
Fund does not believe that its net asset value or income will be adversely
affected by its purchase of securities on a when-issued or forward delivery
basis.
Lending of Portfolio Securities. The Fund may seek to increase its return by
lending portfolio securities. Under present regulatory policies, including those
of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the SEC, such loans
may be made to member firms of the Exchange, and would be required to be secured
continuously by collateral in cash, U.S. Government securities or other high
grade debt obligations maintained on a current basis at an amount at least equal
to the market value and accrued interest of the securities loaned. The Fund
would have the right to call a loan and obtain the securities loaned on no more
than five days' notice. During the existence of a loan, the Fund would continue
to receive the equivalent of the interest paid by the issuer on the securities
loaned and would also receive compensation based on investment of the
collateral. As with other extensions of credit there are risks of delay in
recovery or even loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the
securities fail financially. However, the loans would be made only to firms
deemed by the Adviser to be of good standing, and when, in the judgment of the
Adviser, the consideration which can be earned currently from securities loans
of this type justifies the attendant risk. If the Fund determines to make
securities loans, the value of the securities loaned will not exceed 30% of the
value of the Fund's total assets at the time any loan is made.
Investment Restrictions
Unless specified to the contrary, the following restrictions may not be
changed without the approval of a majority of the outstanding voting securities
of the Fund involved which, under the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder and as
used in this Statement of Additional Information, means the lesser of (1) 67% or
more of the voting securities present at such meeting, if the holders of more
than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund are present or
represented by proxy, or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities
of the Fund.
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Any investment restrictions herein which involve a maximum percentage
of securities or assets shall not be considered to be violated unless an excess
over the percentage occurs immediately after and is caused by an acquisition or
encumbrance of securities or assets of, or borrowings by, the Fund.
As a matter of fundamental policy, the Fund may not:
(1) with respect to 75% of its total assets, taken at market
value, purchase more than 10% of the outstanding voting
securities of any one issuer or invest more than 5% of the
value of its total assets in the securities of any one issuer,
except obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S.
Government, its agencies or instrumentalities and except
securities of other investment companies;
(2) borrow money except as a temporary measure for extraordinary
or emergency purposes or except in connection with reverse
repurchase agreements, provided that the Fund maintains asset
coverage of 300% for all borrowings;
(3) purchase or sell real estate; (except that the Fund may invest
in (i) securities of companies which deal in real estate or
mortgages, and (ii) securities secured by real estate or
interests therein, and that the Fund reserves freedom of
action to hold and to sell real estate acquired as a result of
the Fund's ownership of securities); or purchase or sell
physical commodities or contracts relating to physical
commodities;
(4) act as an underwriter of securities issued by others, except
to the extent that it may be deemed an underwriter in
connection with the disposition of portfolio securities of
the Fund;
(5) make loans to other persons, except (a) loans of portfolio
securities, and (b) to the extent the entry into repurchase
agreements and the purchase of debt securities in accordance
with its investment objective and investment policies may be
deemed to be loans;
(6) issue senior securities, except as appropriate to evidence
indebtedness which it is permitted to incur and except for
shares of the separate classes or series of the Trust,
provided that collateral arrangements with respect to
currency-related contracts, futures contracts, options or
other permitted investments, including deposits of initial and
variation margin, are not considered to be the issuance of
senior securities for purposes of this restriction; and
(7) purchase any securities which would cause more than 25% of the
market value of its total assets at the time of such purchase
to be invested in the securities of one or more issuers having
their principal business activities in the same industry,
provided that there is no limitation with respect to
investments in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S.
Government, its agencies or instrumentalities (for the
purposes of this restriction, telephone companies are
considered to be in a separate industry from gas and electric
public utilities, and wholly-owned finance companies are
considered to be in the industry of their parents if their
activities are primarily related to financing the activities
of their parents).
As a matter of nonfundamental policy, the Fund may not:
(a) purchase or retain securities of any open-end investment
company, or securities of closed-end investment companies
except by purchase in the open market where no commission or
profit to a sponsor or dealer results from such purchases, or
except when such purchase, though not made in the open market,
is part of a plan of merger, consolidation, reorganization or
acquisition of assets; in any event the Fund may not purchase
more than 3% of the outstanding voting securities of another
investment company, may not invest more than 5% of its total
assets in another investment company, and may not invest more
than 10% of its total assets in other investment companies;
(b) pledge, mortgage or hypothecate its assets in excess, together
with permitted borrowings, of 1/3 of its total assets;
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(c) purchase or retain securities of an issuer any of whose
officers, directors, trustees or security holders is an
officer, director or trustee of the Fund or a member, officer,
director or trustee of the investment adviser of the Fund if
one or more of such individuals owns beneficially more than
one-half of one percent (1/2%) of the outstanding shares or
securities or both (taken at market value) of such issuer and
such individuals owning more than one-half of one percent
(1/2%) of such shares or securities together own beneficially
more than 5% of such shares or securities or both;
(d) purchase securities on margin or make short sales unless, by
virtue of their ownership of other securities, it has the
right to obtain securities equivalent in kind and amount to
the securities sold at no added cost and, if the right is
conditional, the sale is made upon the same conditions, except
in connection with arbitrage transactions, and except that the
Fund may obtain such short-term credits as may be necessary
for the clearance of purchases and sales of securities;
(e) purchase securities of any issuer with a record of less than
three years continuous operations, including predecessors and
equity securities which are not readily marketable if such
purchase would cause the investments of the Fund in all such
issuers to exceed 5% of the total assets of the Fund taken at
market value, except U.S. Government securities or securities
of such issuers which are rated by at least one nationally
recognized statistical rating organization;
(f) buy options on securities or financial instruments unless the
aggregate premiums paid on all such options held by the Fund
at any time do not exceed 20% of the Fund's net assets; or
sell put options on securities if, as a result, the aggregate
value of the obligations underlying such put options would
exceed 50% of the Fund's net assets;
(g) enter into futures contracts or purchase options thereon
unless immediately after the purchase, the value of the
aggregate initial margin with respect to all futures contracts
entered into on behalf of the Fund and the premiums paid for
options on futures contracts does not exceed 5% of the fair
market value of the Fund's total assets; provided, that in the
case of an option that is in-the-money at the time of
purchase, the in-the-money amount may be excluded in computing
the 5% limit;
(h) invest in oil, gas or other mineral leases, or exploration or
development programs (although it may invest in issuers
which own or invest in such interests);
(i) purchase warrants if as a result warrants taken at the lower
of cost or market value would represent more than 5% of the
value of the Fund's total net assets or more than 2% of its
net assets in warrants that are not listed on the New York or
American Stock Exchanges or on an exchange with comparable
listing requirements (for this purpose, warrants attached to
securities will be deemed to have no value);
(j) purchase or sell real estate limited partnership interests; or
(k) make securities loans if the value of such securities loaned
exceeds 30% of the value of the Fund's total assets at the
time any loan is made; all loans of portfolio securities will
be fully collateralized and marked to market daily. The Fund
has no current intention of making loans of portfolio
securities that would amount to greater than 5% of the Fund's
total assets;
(1) invest more than 10% of Fund's total assets in securities
which are not readily marketable, the disposition of which is
restricted under Federal securities laws, or in repurchase
agreements not terminable within 7 days.
Any investment restrictions herein which involve a maximum percentage
of securities or assets shall not be considered to be violated unless an excess
over the percentage occurs immediately after, and is caused by, an acquisition
or encumbrance of securities or assets of, or borrowings by, the Fund.
14
<PAGE>
PURCHASES
(See "Purchases" and "Transaction information" in the
Fund's prospectus.)
Additional Information About Opening An Account
Clients having a regular investment counsel account with the Adviser or
its affiliates and members of their immediate families, officers and employees
of the Adviser or of any affiliated organization and their immediate families,
members of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. ("NASD") and
banks may, if they prefer, subscribe initially for at least $2,500 of Fund
shares through Scudder Investor Services, Inc. by letter, fax, TWX, or
telephone.
Shareholders of other Scudder funds who have submitted an account
application and have certified a Tax Identification Number, clients having a
regular investment counsel account with the Adviser or its affiliates and
members of their immediate families, officers and employees of the Adviser or of
any affiliated organization and their immediate families, members of the NASD,
and banks may open an account by wire. These investors must call 1-800-225-5163
to get an account number. During the call the investor will be asked to indicate
the Fund name, amount to be wired ($2,500 minimum), name of bank or trust
company from which the wire will be sent, the exact registration of the new
account, the tax identification or social security number, address and telephone
number. The investor must then call the bank to arrange a wire transfer to The
Scudder Funds, Boston, MA 02110, ABA Number 011000028, DDA Account Number
9903-5552. The investor must give the Scudder fund name, account name and the
new account number. Finally, the investor must send the completed and signed
application to the Fund promptly.
The minimum initial purchase amount is less than $2,500 under certain
special plan accounts.
Additional Information About Making Subsequent Investments
Subsequent purchase orders for $10,000 or more and for an amount not
greater than four times the value of the shareholder's account may be placed by
telephone, fax, etc. by established shareholders (except by Scudder Individual
Retirement Account (IRA), Scudder pension and profit sharing, Scudder 401(k) and
Scudder 403(b) Plan holders), members of the NASD, and banks. Orders placed in
this manner may be directed to any Scudder Investor Services, Inc. office listed
in the Fund's prospectus. A two-part invoice of the purchase will be mailed out
promptly following receipt of a request to buy. Payment should be attached to a
copy of the invoice for proper identification. Federal regulations require that
payment be received within three business days. If payment is not received
within that time, the shares may be canceled. In the event of such cancellation
or cancellation at the purchaser's request, the purchaser will be responsible
for any loss incurred by the Fund or the principal underwriter by reason of such
cancellation. If the purchaser is a shareholder, the Fund shall have the
authority, as agent of the shareholder, to redeem shares in the account in order
to reimburse the Fund or the principal underwriter for the loss incurred. Net
losses on such transactions which are not recovered from the purchaser will be
absorbed by the principal underwriter. Any net profit on the liquidation of
unpaid shares will accrue to the Fund.
Additional Information About Making Subsequent Investments by AutoBuy
Shareholders, whose predesignated bank account of record is a member of
the Automated Clearing House Network (ACH) and who have elected to participate
in the AutoBuy program, may purchase shares of the Fund by telephone. Through
this service shareholders may purchase up to $250,000 but not less than $250. To
purchase shares by AutoBuy, shareholders should call before 4 p.m. eastern time.
Proceeds in the amount of your purchase will be transferred from your bank
checking account two or three business days following your call. For requests
received by the close of regular trading on the Exchange, shares will be
purchased at the net asset value per share calculated at the close of trading on
the day of your call. AutoBuy requests received after the close of regular
trading on the Exchange will begin their processing and be purchased at the net
asset value calculated the following business day. If you purchase shares by
AutoBuy and redeem them within seven days of the purchase, the Fund may hold the
redemption proceeds for a period of up to seven business days. If you purchase
shares and there are insufficient funds in your bank account the purchase will
be canceled and you will be subject to any losses or fees incurred in the
transaction. AutoBuy transactions are not available for Scudder IRA accounts and
most other retirement plan accounts.
15
<PAGE>
In order to request purchases by AutoBuy, shareholders must have
completed and returned to the Transfer Agent the application, including the
designation of a bank account from which the purchase payment will be debited.
New investors wishing to establish AutoBuy may so indicate on the application.
Existing shareholders who wish to add AutoBuy to their account may do so by
completing an AutoBuy Enrollment Form. After sending in an enrollment form
shareholders should allow for 15 days for this service to be available.
The Fund employs procedures, including recording telephone calls,
testing a caller's identity, and sending written confirmation of telephone
transactions, designed to give reasonable assurance that instructions
communicated by telephone are genuine. and to discourage fraud. To the extent
that the Fund does not follow such procedures, it may be liable for losses due
to unauthorized or fraudulent telephone instructions. The Fund will not be
liable for acting upon instructions communicated by telephone that it reasonably
believes to be genuine.
Checks
A certified check is not necessary, but checks are only accepted
subject to collection at full face value in U.S. funds and must be drawn on, or
payable through, a U.S. bank.
If shares of the Fund are purchased by a check which proves to be
uncollectible, the Fund reserves the right to cancel the purchase immediately
and the purchaser will be responsible for any loss incurred by the Fund or the
principal underwriter by reason of such cancellation. If the purchaser is a
shareholder, the Fund shall have the authority, as agent of the shareholder, to
redeem shares in the account in order to reimburse the Fund or the principal
underwriter for the loss incurred. Investors whose orders have been canceled may
be prohibited from or restricted in placing future orders in any of the Scudder
funds.
Wire Transfer of Federal Funds
To obtain the net asset value determined as of the close of regular
trading on the Exchange, on a selected day, your bank must forward federal funds
by wire transfer and provide the required account information so as to be
available to the Fund prior to the close of regular trading on the Exchange
(normally 4 p.m. eastern time).
The bank sending an investor's federal funds by bank wire may charge
for the service. Presently, the Distributor pays a fee for receipt by the
Custodian of "wired funds," but the right to charge investors for this service
is reserved.
Boston banks are closed on certain local holidays although the Exchange
may be open. These holidays include Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (the 3rd Monday
in January), Columbus Day (the 2nd Monday in October) and Veterans Day (November
11). Investors are not able to purchase shares by wiring federal funds on such
holidays because the Custodian is not open to receive such funds on behalf of
the Fund.
Share Price
Purchases will be filled without sales charge at the net asset value
next computed after receipt of the application in good order. Net asset value
normally will be computed as of the close of regular trading on each day the
Exchange is open for trading. Orders received after the close of regular trading
on the Exchange will be executed at the next business day's net asset value. If
the order has been placed by a member of the NASD, other than the Distributor,
it is the responsibility of that member broker, rather than the Fund, to forward
the purchase order to Scudder Service Corporation (the "Transfer Agent") in
Boston by the close of regular trading on the Exchange.
Share Certificates
Due to the desire of Fund management to afford ease of redemption,
certificates will not be issued to indicate ownership in the Fund.
16
<PAGE>
Other Information
If purchases or redemptions of the Fund's shares are arranged and
settlement is made through a member of the NASD, other than the Distributor,
that member may, at its discretion, charge a fee for that service. The Board of
Directors and the Distributor, the Fund's principal underwriter, each has the
right to limit the amount of purchases and to refuse to sell to any person and
each may suspend or terminate the offering of shares of the Fund at any time.
The Tax Identification Number section of the application must be
completed when opening an account. Applications and purchase orders without a
certified tax identification number and certain other certified information
(e.g., certification of exempt status from exempt investors), will be returned
to the investor.
The Fund may issue shares at net asset value in connection with any
merger or consolidation with, or acquisition of the assets of, any investment
company or personal holding company, subject to the requirements of the 1940
Act.
EXCHANGES AND REDEMPTIONS
(See "Exchanges and redemptions" and "Transaction information" in
the Fund's prospectus.)
Exchanges
Exchanges are comprised of a redemption from one Scudder fund and a
purchase into another Scudder fund. The purchase side of the exchange either may
be an additional investment into an existing account or may involve opening a
new account in the other fund. When an exchange involves a new account, the new
account will be established with the same registration, tax identification
number, address, telephone redemption option, "Scudder Automated Information
Line" (SAIL) transaction authorization and dividend option as the existing
account. Other features will not carry over automatically to the new account.
Exchanges to a new fund account must be for a minimum of $2,500. When an
exchange represents an additional investment into an existing account, the
account receiving the exchange proceeds must have identical registration,
address, and account options/features as the account of origin. Exchanges into
an existing account must be for $100 or more. If the account receiving the
exchange proceeds is to be different in any respect, the exchange request must
be in writing and must contain an original signature guarantee as described
under "Transaction Information--Redeeming shares--Signature guarantees" in the
Fund's prospectus.
Exchange orders received before the close of regular trading on the
Exchange on any business day ordinarily will be executed at the net asset value
determined on that day. Exchange orders received after the close of regular
trading on the Exchange will be executed on the following business day.
Investors may also request, at no extra charge, to have exchanges
automatically executed on a predetermined schedule from one Scudder fund to an
existing account in another Scudder fund at current net asset value through
Scudder's Automatic Exchange Program. Exchanges must be for a minimum of $50.
Shareholders may add this free feature over the phone or in writing. Automatic
exchanges will continue until the shareholder requests by phone or in writing to
have the feature removed, or until the originating account is depleted. The
Trust and the Transfer Agent each reserve the right to suspend or terminate the
privilege of the Automatic Exchange Program at any time.
There is no charge to the shareholder for any exchange described above.
However, shares that are exchanged from the Fund may be subject to the Fund's 1%
redemption fee. (See "Special Redemption and Exchange Information") An exchange
into another Scudder fund is a redemption of shares, and therefore may result in
tax consequences (gain or loss) to the shareholder, and the proceeds of such an
exchange may be subject to backup withholding. (See "TAXES.")
Investors currently receive the exchange privilege, including exchange
by telephone, automatically without having to elect it. The Fund employs
procedures, including recording telephone calls, testing a caller's identity,
and sending written confirmation of telephone transactions, designed to give
reasonable assurance that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine,
and to discourage fraud. To the extent that the Fund does not follow such
procedures, it may be liable for losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent
17
<PAGE>
telephone instructions. The Fund will not be liable for acting upon instructions
communicated by telephone that they reasonably believe to be genuine. The Fund
and the Transfer Agent each reserve the right to suspend or terminate the
privilege of exchanging by telephone or fax at any time.
The Scudder funds into which investors may make an exchange are listed
under "THE SCUDDER FAMILY OF FUNDS" herein. Before making an exchange,
shareholders should obtain from the Distributor a prospectus of the Scudder fund
into which the exchange is being contemplated.
Scudder retirement plans may have different exchange requirements.
Please refer to appropriate plan literature.
Special Redemption and Exchange Information
In general, shares of the Fund may be exchanged or redeemed at net
asset value. However, shares of the Fund held for less than one year are
redeemable at a price equal to 99% of the Fund's then current net asset value
per share. This 1% discount, referred to in the prospectus and this Statement of
Additional Information as a redemption fee, directly affects the amount a
shareholder who is subject to the discount receives upon exchange or redemption.
It is intended to encourage long-term investment in the Fund, to avoid
transaction and other expenses caused by early redemptions and to facilitate
portfolio management. The fee is not a deferred sales charge, is not a
commission paid to the Adviser or its subsidiaries, and does not benefit the
Adviser in any way. The Fund reserves the right to modify the terms of or
terminate this fee at any time.
The redemption fee will not be applied to (a) a redemption of shares
held in certain retirement plans, including 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, 457
plans, Keogh accounts, and profit sharing and money purchase pension plans
(however, this fee waiver does not apply to IRA and SEP-IRA accounts), (b) a
redemption of any shares of the Fund outstanding for one year or more, (c) a
redemption of reinvestment shares (i.e., shares purchased through the
reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions paid by the Fund), or
(d) a redemption of shares by the Fund upon exercise of its right to liquidate
accounts (i) falling below the minimum account size by reason of shareholder
redemptions or (ii) when the shareholder has failed to provide tax
identification information. However, if shares are purchased for a retirement
plan account through a broker, financial institution or recordkeeper maintaining
an omnibus account for the shares, such waiver may not apply. For this purpose
and without regard to the shares actually redeemed, shares will be redeemed as
follows: first, reinvestment shares; second, purchased shares held one year or
more; and third, purchased shares held for less than one year. Finally, if a
shareholder enters into a transaction in Fund shares which, although it may
technically be treated as a redemption and purchase for recordkeeping purposes,
does not involve the termination of economic interest in the Fund, no redemption
fee will apply and applicability of the redemption fee, if any, on any
subsequent redemption or exchange will be determined by reference to the date
the shares were originally purchased, and not the date of the transaction.
Redemption by Telephone
Shareholders currently receive the right, automatically without having
to elect it, to redeem by telephone up to $50,000 and have the proceeds mailed
to their address of record. Shareholders may request to have the proceeds mailed
or wired to their predesignated bank account. In order to request redemptions by
telephone, shareholders must have completed and returned to the Transfer Agent
the application, including the designation of a bank account to which the
redemption proceeds are to be sent.
(a) NEW INVESTORS wishing to establish telephone redemption to a
predesignated bank account must complete the appropriate
section on the application.
(b) EXISTING SHAREHOLDERS (except those who are Scudder IRA, Scudder
Pension and Profit-Sharing, Scudder 401(k) and Scudder 403(b)
Planholders) who wish to establish telephone redemption to a
predesignated bank account or who want to change the bank account
previously designated to receive redemption proceeds should
either return a Telephone Redemption Option Form (available upon
request) or send a letter identifying the account and specifying
the exact information to be changed. The letter must be signed
exactly as the shareholder's name(s) appears on the account. An
18
<PAGE>
original signature and an original signature guarantee are
required for each person in whose name the account is registered.
If a request for redemption to a shareholder's bank account is made by
telephone or fax, payment will be by Federal Reserve bank wire to the bank
account designated on the application, unless a request is made that the
redemption check be mailed to the designated bank account. There will be a $5
charge for all wire redemptions.
Note: Investors designating a savings bank to receive their telephone redemption
proceeds are advised that if the savings bank is not a participant in the
Federal Reserve System, redemption proceeds must be wired through a commercial
bank which is a correspondent of the savings bank. As this may delay receipt by
the shareholder's account, it is suggested that investors wishing to use a
savings bank discuss wire procedures with their bank and submit any special wire
transfer information with the telephone redemption authorization. If appropriate
wire information is not supplied, redemption proceeds will be mailed to the
designated bank.
The Fund employs procedures, including recording telephone calls,
testing a caller's identity, and sending written confirmation of telephone
transactions, designed to give reasonable assurance that instructions
communicated by telephone are genuine, and to discourage fraud. To the extent
that the Fund does not follow such procedures, it may be liable for losses due
to unauthorized or fraudulent telephone instructions. The Fund will not be
liable for acting upon instructions communicated by telephone that it reasonably
believes to be genuine.
Redemption requests by telephone (technically a repurchase by agreement
between the Fund and the shareholder) of shares purchased by check will not be
accepted until the purchase check has cleared which may take up to seven
business days.
Redemption by AutoSell
Shareholders, whose predesignated bank account of record is a member of
the Automated Clearing House Network (ACH) and who have elected to participate
in the AutoSell program may sell shares of the Fund by telephone. To sell shares
by AutoSell, shareholders should call before 4 p.m. eastern time. Redemptions
must be for at least $250. Proceeds in the amount of your redemption will be
transferred to your bank checking account two or three business days following
your call. For requests received by the close of regular trading on the
Exchange, shares will be redeemed at the net asset value per share calculated at
the close of trading on the day of your call. AutoSell requests received after
the close of regular trading on the Exchange will begin their processing and be
redeemed at the net asset value calculated the following business day. AutoSell
transactions are not available for Scudder IRA accounts and most other
retirement plan accounts.
In order to request redemptions by AutoSell, shareholders must have
completed and returned to the Transfer Agent the application, including the
designation of a bank account from which the purchase payment will be debited.
New investors wishing to establish AutoSell may so indicate on the application.
Existing shareholders who wish to add AutoSell to their account may do so by
completing an AutoSell Enrollment Form. After sending in an enrollment form,
shareholders should allow for 15 days for this service to be available.
The Fund employs procedures, including recording telephone calls,
testing a caller's identity, and sending written confirmation of telephone
transactions, designed to give reasonable assurance that instructions
communicated by telephone are genuine, and to discourage fraud. To the extent
that the Fund does not follow such procedures, it may be liable for losses due
to unauthorized or fraudulent telephone instructions. The Fund will not be
liable for acting upon instructions communicated by telephone that it reasonably
believes to be genuine.
Redemption by Mail or Fax
In order to ensure proper authorization before redeeming shares, the
Transfer Agent may request documents such as, but not restricted to, stock
powers, trust instruments, certificates of death, appointments as executor,
certificates of corporate authority and waivers of tax required in some states
when settling estates.
It is suggested that shareholders holding shares registered in other
than individual names contact the Transfer Agent prior to any redemptions to
ensure that all necessary documents accompany the request. When shares are held
in the name of a corporation, trust, fiduciary agent, attorney or partnership,
the Transfer Agent requires, in addition to the stock power, certified evidence
19
<PAGE>
of authority to sign. These procedures are for the protection of shareholders
and should be followed to ensure prompt payment. Redemption requests must not be
conditional as to date or price of the redemption. Proceeds of a redemption will
be sent within seven business days after receipt by the Transfer Agent of a
request for redemption that complies with the above requirements. Delays of more
than seven days of payment for shares tendered for repurchase or redemption may
result, but only until the purchase check has cleared.
The requirements for IRA redemptions are different from those for
regular accounts. For more information call 1-800-225-5163.
Redemption-in-Kind
The Trust reserves the right, if conditions exist which make cash
payments undesirable, to honor any request for redemption or repurchase order by
making payment in whole or in part in readily marketable securities chosen by
the Fund and valued as they are for purposes of computing the Fund's net asset
value (a redemption-in-kind). If payment is made in securities, a shareholder
may incur transaction expenses in converting these securities into cash. The
Trust has elected, however, to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act as a
result of which the Fund is obligated to redeem shares, with respect to any one
shareholder during any 90 day period, solely in cash up to the lesser of
$250,000 or 1% of the net asset value of the Fund at the beginning of the
period.
Other Information
Clients, officers or employees of the Adviser or of an affiliated
organization, and members of such clients', officers' or employees' immediate
families, banks and members of the NASD may direct repurchase requests to the
Fund through Scudder Investor Services, Inc. at Two International Place, Boston,
Massachusetts 02110-4103 by letter, fax, TWX, or telephone. A two-part
confirmation will be mailed out promptly after receipt of the repurchase
request. A written request in good order with a proper original signature
guarantee, as described in the Fund's prospectus under "Transaction
information--Signature guarantees," should be sent with a copy of the invoice to
Scudder Funds, c/o Scudder Confirmed Processing, Two International Place,
Boston, Massachusetts 02110-4103. Failure to deliver shares or required
documents (see above) by the settlement date may result in cancellation of the
trade and the shareholder will be responsible for any loss incurred by the Fund
or the principal underwriter by reason of such cancellation. Net losses on such
transactions which are not recovered from the shareholder will be absorbed by
the principal underwriter. Any net gains so resulting will accrue to the Fund.
For this group, repurchases will be carried out at the net asset value next
computed after such repurchase requests have been received. The arrangements
described in this paragraph for repurchasing shares are discretionary and may be
discontinued at any time.
If a shareholder redeems all shares in the account after the record
date of a dividend, the shareholder receives in addition to the net asset value
thereof, all declared but unpaid dividends thereon. The value of shares redeemed
or repurchased may be more or less than the shareholder's cost depending on the
net asset value at the time of redemption or repurchase. The Fund does not
impose a repurchase charge, although a wire charge may be applicable for
redemption proceeds wired to an investor's bank account. Redemption of shares,
including redemptions undertaken to effect an exchange for shares of another
Scudder fund, may result in tax consequences (gain or loss) to the shareholder
and the proceeds of such redemptions may be subject to backup withholding. (See
"TAXES.")
Shareholders who wish to redeem shares from Special Plan Accounts
should contact the employer, trustee or custodian of the Plan for the
requirements.
The determination of net asset value and a shareholder's right to
redeem shares and to receive payment may be suspended at times (a) during which
the Exchange is closed, other than customary weekend and holiday closings, (b)
during which trading on the Exchange is restricted for any reason, (c) during
which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal by the Fund of
securities owned by it is not reasonably practicable or it is not reasonably
practicable for the Fund fairly to determine the value of its net assets, or (d)
during which the SEC by order permits a suspension of the right of redemption or
a postponement of the date of payment or of redemption; provided that applicable
rules and regulations of the SEC (or any succeeding governmental authority)
shall govern as to whether the conditions prescribed in (b), (c) or (d) exist.
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<PAGE>
Shareholders should maintain a share balance worth at least $2,500
($1,000 for IRAs, Uniform Gift to Minor Act, and Uniform Trust to Minor Act
accounts), which amount may be changed by the Board of Trustees. Scudder
retirement plans have similar or lower minimum balance requirements. A
shareholder may open an account with at least $1,000 ($500 for an IRA), if an
automatic investment plan (AIP) of $100/month ($50/month for an IRA) is
established.
Shareholders who maintain a non-fiduciary account balance of less than
$2,500 in the Fund, without establishing an AIP, will be assessed an annual
$10.00 per fund charge with the fee to be reinvested in the Fund. The $10.00
charge will not apply to shareholders with a combined household account balance
in any of the Scudder Funds of $25,000 or more. The Fund reserves the right,
following 60 days' written notice to shareholders, to redeem all shares in
accounts below $250, including accounts of new investors, where a reduction in
value has occurred due to a redemption or exchange out of the account. The Fund
will mail the proceeds of the redeemed account to the shareholder at the address
of record. Reductions in value that result solely from market activity will not
trigger an involuntary redemption. UGMA, UTMA, IRA and other retirement accounts
will not be assessed the $10.00 charge or be subject to automatic liquidation.
FEATURES AND SERVICES OFFERED BY THE FUND
(See "Shareholder benefits" in the Fund's
prospectus.)
The Pure No-Load(TM) Concept
Investors are encouraged to be aware of the full ramifications of
mutual fund fee structures, and of how Scudder distinguishes its funds from the
vast majority of mutual funds available today. The primary distinction is
between load and no-load funds.
Load funds generally are defined as mutual funds that charge a fee for
the sale and distribution of fund shares. There are three types of loads:
front-end loads, back-end loads, and asset-based Rule 12b-1 fees. 12b-1 fees are
distribution-related fees charged against fund assets and are distinct from
service fees, which are charged for personal services and/or maintenance of
shareholder accounts. Asset-based sales charges and service fees are typically
paid pursuant to distribution plans adopted under 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.
A front-end load is a sales charge, which can be as high as 8.50% of
the amount invested. A back-end load is a contingent deferred sales charge,
which can be as high as 8.50% of either the amount invested or redeemed. The
maximum front-end or back-end load varies, and depends upon whether or not a
fund also charges a 12b-1 fee and/or a service fee or offers investors various
sales-related services such as dividend reinvestment. The maximum charge for a
12b-1 fee is 0.75% of a fund's average annual net assets, and the maximum charge
for a service fee is 0.25% of a fund's average annual net assets.
A no-load fund does not charge a front-end or back-end load, but can
charge a small 12b-1 fee and/or service fee against fund assets. Under the NASD
Rules of Fair Practice, a mutual fund can call itself a "no-load" fund only if
the 12b-1 fee and/or service fee does not exceed 0.25% of a fund's average
annual net assets.
Because Scudder funds do not pay any asset-based sales charges or
service fees, Scudder developed and trademarked the phrase pure no-load(TM) to
distinguish Scudder funds from other no-load mutual funds. Scudder pioneered the
no-load concept when it created the nation's first no-load fund in 1928, and
later developed the nation's first family of no-load mutual funds.
The following chart shows the potential long-term advantage of
investing $10,000 in a Scudder pure no-load fund over investing the same amount
in a load fund that collects an 8.50% front-end load, a load fund that collects
only a 0.75% 12b-1 and/or service fee, and a no-load fund charging only a 0.25%
12b-1 and/or service fee. The hypothetical figures in the chart show the value
of an account assuming a constant 10% rate of return over the time periods
indicated and reinvestment of dividends and distributions.
21
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
======================== ====================== ====================== ====================== ======================
Scudder No-Load Fund with
YEARS Pure No-Load(TM)Fund 8.50% Load Fund Load Fund with 0.75% 0.25% 12b-1 Fee
12b-1 Fee
======================== ====================== ====================== ====================== ======================
10 $25,937 $23,733 $24,222 $25,354
======================== ====================== ====================== ====================== ======================
15 41,772 38,222 37,698 40,371
======================== ====================== ====================== ====================== ======================
20 67,275 61,557 58,672 64,282
======================== ====================== ====================== ====================== ======================
</TABLE>
Investors are encouraged to review the fee tables on page 2 of the
Fund's prospectus for more specific information about the rates at which
management fees and other expenses are assessed.
Dividend and Capital Gain Distribution Options
Investors have freedom to choose whether to receive cash or to reinvest
any dividends from net investment income or distributions from realized capital
gains in additional shares of the Fund. A change of instructions for the method
of payment must be given to the Transfer Agent in writing at least five days
prior to a dividend record date. Shareholders may change their dividend option
by calling 1-800-225-5163 or by sending written instructions to the Transfer
Agent. Please include your account number with your written request. See "How to
Contact Scudder" in the Fund's prospectus for the address.
Reinvestment is usually made at the closing net asset value determined
on the business day following the record date. Investors may leave standing
instructions with the Transfer Agent designating their option for either
reinvestment or cash distribution of any income dividends or capital gains
distributions. If no election is made, dividends and distributions will be
invested in additional shares of the Fund.
Investors may also have dividends and distributions automatically
deposited in their predesignated bank account through Scudder's
DistributionsDirect Program. Shareholders who elect to participate in the
DistributionsDirect Program, and whose predesignated checking account of record
is with a member bank of the Automated Clearing House Network (ACH) can have
income and capital gain distributions automatically deposited to their personal
bank account usually within three business days after the Fund pays its
distribution. A DistributionsDirect request form can be obtained by calling
1-800-225-5163. Confirmation statements will be mailed to shareholders as
notification that distributions have been deposited.
Investors choosing to participate in Scudder's Automatic Withdrawal
Plan must reinvest any dividends or capital gains. For most retirement plan
accounts, the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains is also required.
Scudder Funds Centers
Investors may visit any of the Centers maintained by the Distributor
listed in the Fund's prospectus. The Centers are designed to provide individuals
with services during any business day. Investors may pick up literature or find
assistance with opening an account, adding monies or special options to existing
accounts, making exchanges within the Scudder Family of Funds, redeeming shares
or opening retirement plans. Checks should not be mailed to the Centers but
should be mailed to "The Scudder Funds" at the address listed under "How to
contact Scudder" in the prospectus.
Reports to Shareholders
The Fund issues to its shareholders unaudited semiannual financial
statements and annual financial statements audited by independent accountants,
including a list of investments held and statements of assets and liabilities,
operations, changes in net assets and financial highlights. Each distribution
will be accompanied by a brief explanation of the source of the distribution.
22
<PAGE>
Transaction Summaries
Annual summaries of all transactions in each Fund account are available
to shareholders. The summaries may be obtained by calling 1-800-225-5163.
THE SCUDDER FAMILY OF FUNDS
(See "Investment products and services" in the Fund's
prospectus.)
The Scudder Family of Funds is America's first family of mutual funds
and the nation's oldest family of no-load mutual funds. To assist investors in
choosing a Scudder fund, descriptions of the Scudder funds' objectives follow.
Initial purchases in each Scudder fund must be at least $2,500 or $1,000 in the
case of IRAs. Subsequent purchases must be for $100 or more. Minimum investments
for special plan accounts may be lower.
MONEY MARKET
Scudder Cash Investment Trust ("SCIT") seeks to maintain the stability
of capital, and consistent therewith, to maintain the liquidity of
capital and to provide current income through investment in a
supervised portfolio of short-term debt securities. SCIT intends to
seek to maintain a constant net asset value of $1.00 per share,
although in certain circumstances this may not be possible.
Scudder U.S. Treasury Money Fund seeks to provide safety, liquidity and
stability of capital and consistent therewith to provide current income
through investment in a supervised portfolio of U.S. Government and
U.S. Government guaranteed obligations with maturities of not more than
762 calendar days. The Fund intends to seek to maintain a constant net
asset value of $1.00 per share, although in certain circumstances this
may not be possible.
INCOME
Scudder Emerging Markets Income Fund seeks to provide high current
income and, secondarily, long-term capital appreciation through
investments primarily in high-yielding debt securities issued in
emerging markets.
Scudder Global Bond Fund seeks to provide total return with an emphasis
on current income by investing primarily in high-grade bonds
denominated in foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. As a secondary
objective, the Fund will seek capital appreciation.
Scudder GNMA Fund seeks to provide investors with high current income
from a portfolio of high-quality GNMA securities.
Scudder High Yield Bond Fund seeks to provide a high level of current
income and, secondarily, capital appreciation through investment
primarily in below investment grade domestic debt securities.
Scudder Income Fund seeks to earn a high level of income consistent
with the prudent investment of capital through a flexible investment
program emphasizing high-grade bonds.
Scudder International Bond Fund seeks to provide income from a
portfolio of high-grade bonds denominated in foreign currencies. As a
secondary objective, the Fund seeks protection and possible enhancement
of principal value by actively managing currency, bond market and
maturity exposure and by security selection.
Scudder Short Term Bond Fund seeks to provide a higher and more stable
level of income than is normally provided by money market investments,
and more price stability than investments in intermediate- and
long-term bonds.
23
<PAGE>
Scudder Zero Coupon 2000 Fund seeks to provide as high an investment
return over a selected period as is consistent with the minimization of
reinvestment risks through investments primarily in zero coupon
securities.
TAX FREE MONEY MARKET
Scudder Tax Free Money Fund ("STFMF") is designed to provide investors
with income exempt from regular federal income tax while seeking
stability of principal. STFMF seeks to maintain a constant net asset
value of $1.00 per share, although in certain circumstances this may
not be possible.
Scudder California Tax Free Money Fund* is designed to provide
California taxpayers income exempt from California state and regular
federal income taxes, and seeks stability of capital and the
maintenance of a constant net asset value of $1.00 per share, although
in certain circumstances this may not be possible.
Scudder New York Tax Free Money Fund* is designed to provide New York
taxpayers income exempt from New York state, New York City and regular
federal income taxes, and seeks stability of capital and the
maintenance of a constant net asset value of $1.00 per share, although
in certain circumstances this may not be possible.
TAX FREE
Scudder High Yield Tax Free Fund seeks to provide high income which is
exempt from regular federal income tax by investing in investment-grade
municipal securities.
Scudder Limited Term Tax Free Fund seeks to provide as high a level of
income exempt from regular federal income tax as is consistent with a
high degree of principal stability.
Scudder Managed Municipal Bonds seeks to provide income which is exempt
from regular federal income tax primarily through investments in
long-term municipal securities with an emphasis on high quality.
Scudder Medium Term Tax Free Fund seeks to provide a high level of
income free from regular federal income taxes and to limit principal
fluctuation by investing in high-grade municipal securities of
intermediate maturities.
Scudder California Tax Free Fund* seeks to provide income exempt from
both California and regular federal income taxes through the
professional and efficient management of a portfolio consisting of
California state, municipal and local government obligations.
Scudder Massachusetts Limited Term Tax Free Fund* seeks to provide as
high a level of income exempt from Massachusetts personal and regular
federal income tax as is consistent with a high degree of principal
stability.
Scudder Massachusetts Tax Free Fund* seeks to provide income exempt
from both Massachusetts and regular federal income taxes through the
professional and efficient management of a portfolio consisting of
Massachusetts state, municipal and local government obligations.
Scudder New York Tax Free Fund* seeks to provide income exempt from New
York state, New York City and regular federal income taxes through the
professional and efficient management of a portfolio consisting of
investments in New York state, municipal and local government
obligations.
Scudder Ohio Tax Free Fund* seeks to provide income exempt from both
Ohio and regular federal income taxes through the professional and
efficient management of a portfolio consisting of Ohio state, municipal
and local government obligations.
- ----------
* These funds are not available for sale in all states. For information,
contact Scudder Investor Services, Inc.
24
<PAGE>
Scudder Pennsylvania Tax Free Fund* seeks to provide income exempt from
both Pennsylvania and regular federal income taxes through a portfolio
consisting of Pennsylvania state, municipal and local government
obligations.
GROWTH AND INCOME
Scudder Balanced Fund seeks to provide a balance of growth and income,
as well as long-term preservation of capital, from a diversified
portfolio of equity and fixed income securities.
Scudder Growth and Income Fund seeks to provide long-term growth of
capital, current income, and growth of income through a portfolio
invested primarily in common stocks and convertible securities by
companies which offer the prospect of growth of earnings while paying
current dividends.
GROWTH
Scudder Capital Growth Fund seeks to maximize long-term growth of
capital through a broad and flexible investment program emphasizing
common stocks.
Scudder Development Fund seeks to achieve long-term growth of capital
primarily through investments in marketable securities, principally
common stocks, of relatively small or little-known companies which in
the opinion of management have promise of expanding their size and
profitability or of gaining increased market recognition for their
securities, or both.
Scudder Emerging Markets Growth Fund seeks long-term growth of capital
primarily through equity investment in emerging markets around the
globe.
Scudder Global Discovery Fund seeks above-average capital appreciation
over the long term by investing primarily in the equity securities of
small companies located throughout the world.
Scudder Global Fund seeks long-term growth of capital primarily through
a diversified portfolio of marketable equity securities selected on a
worldwide basis. It may also invest in debt securities of U.S.
and foreign issuers. Income is an incidental consideration.
Scudder Gold Fund seeks maximum return (principal change and income)
consistent with investing in a portfolio of gold-related equity
securities and gold.
Scudder Greater Europe Growth Fund seeks long-term growth of capital
through investments primarily in the equity securities of European
companies.
Scudder International Fund seeks long-term growth of capital through
investment principally in a diversified portfolio of marketable equity
securities selected primarily to permit participation in non-U.S.
companies and economies with prospects for growth. It also invests in
fixed-income securities of foreign governments and companies, with a
view toward total investment return.
Scudder Latin America Fund seeks to provide long-term capital
appreciation through investment primarily in the securities of Latin
American issuers.
Scudder Micro Cap Fund seeks long-term growth of capital by investing
primarily in a diversified portfolio of U.S. micro-cap stocks.
Scudder Pacific Opportunities Fund seeks long-term growth of capital
through investment primarily in the equity securities of Pacific Basin
companies, excluding Japan.
- ----------
* These funds are not available for sale in all states. For information,
contact Scudder Investor Services, Inc.
25
<PAGE>
Scudder Quality Growth Fund seeks to provide long-term growth of
capital through investment primarily in the equity securities of
seasoned, financially strong U.S. growth companies.
Scudder Small Company Value Fund invests for long-term growth of
capital by seeking out undervalued stocks of small U.S. companies.
Scudder Value Fund seeks long-term growth of capital through investment
in undervalued equity securities.
The Japan Fund, Inc. seeks capital appreciation through investment
in Japanese securities, primarily in common stocks of Japanese
companies.
The net asset values of most Scudder Funds can be found daily in the
"Mutual Funds" section of The Wall Street Journal under "Scudder Funds," and in
other leading newspapers throughout the country. Investors will notice the net
asset value and offering price are the same, reflecting the fact that no sales
commission or "load" is charged on the sale of shares of the Scudder Funds. The
latest seven-day yields for the money-market funds can be found every Monday and
Thursday in the "Money-Market Funds" section of The Wall Street Journal. This
information also may be obtained by calling the Scudder Automated Information
Line (SAIL) at 1-800-343-2890.
The Scudder Family of Funds offers many conveniences and services,
including: active professional investment management; broad and diversified
investment portfolios; pure no-load funds with no commissions to purchase or
redeem shares or Rule 12b-1 distribution fees; individual attention from a
service representative of Scudder Investor Relations; easy telephone exchanges
into other Scudder funds; shares redeemable at net asset value at any time.
SPECIAL PLAN ACCOUNTS
(See "Scudder tax-advantaged retirement plans," "Purchases--By
Automatic Investment Plan" and "Exchanges and redemptions--By
Automatic Withdrawal Plan" in the Fund's prospectus.)
Detailed information on any Scudder investment plan, including the
applicable charges, minimum investment requirements and disclosures made
pursuant to Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") requirements, may be obtained
by contacting Scudder Investor Services, Inc., Two International Place, Boston,
Massachusetts 02110-4103 or by calling toll free, 1-800-225-2470. It is
advisable for an investor considering the funding of the investment plans
described below to consult with an attorney or other investment or tax adviser
with respect to the suitability requirements and tax aspects thereof.
Shares of the Fund may also be a permitted investment under profit
sharing and pension plans and IRA's other than those offered by the Fund's
distributor depending on the provisions of the relevant plan or IRA.
None of the plans assures a profit or guarantees protection against
depreciation, especially in declining markets.
Scudder Retirement Plans: Profit-Sharing and Money Purchase
Pension Plans for Corporations and Self-Employed Individuals
Shares of the Fund may be purchased as the investment medium under a
plan in the form of a Scudder Profit-Sharing Plan (including a version of the
Plan which includes a cash-or-deferred feature) or a Scudder Money Purchase
Pension Plan (jointly referred to as the Scudder Retirement Plans) adopted by a
corporation, a self-employed individual or a group of self-employed individuals
(including sole proprietorships and partnerships), or other qualifying
organization. Each of these forms was approved by the IRS as a prototype. The
IRS's approval of an employer's plan under Section 401(a) of the Internal
Revenue Code will be greatly facilitated if it is in such approved form. Under
certain circumstances, the IRS will assume that a plan, adopted in this form,
after special notice to any employees, meets the requirements of Section 401(a)
of the Internal Revenue Code.
26
<PAGE>
Scudder 401(k): Cash or Deferred Profit-Sharing Plan
for Corporations and Self-Employed Individuals
Shares of the Fund may be purchased as the investment medium under a
plan in the form of a Scudder 401(k) Plan adopted by a corporation, a
self-employed individual or a group of self-employed individuals (including sole
proprietors and partnerships), or other qualifying organization. This plan has
been approved as a prototype by the IRS.
Scudder IRA: Individual Retirement Account
Shares of the Fund may be purchased as the underlying investment for an
Individual Retirement Account which meets the requirements of Section 408(a) of
the Internal Revenue Code.
A single individual who is not an active participant in an
employer-maintained retirement plan, a simplified employee pension plan, or a
tax-deferred annuity program (a "qualified plan"), and a married individual who
is not an active participant in a qualified plan and whose spouse is also not an
active participant in a qualified plan, are eligible to make tax deductible
contributions of up to $2,000 to an IRA prior to the year such individual
attains age 70 1/2. In addition, certain individuals who are active participants
in qualified plans (or who have spouses who are active participants) are also
eligible to make tax-deductible contributions to an IRA; the annual amount, if
any, of the contribution which such an individual will be eligible to deduct
will be determined by the amount of his, her, or their adjusted gross income for
the year. Whenever the adjusted gross income limitation prohibits an individual
from contributing what would otherwise be the maximum tax-deductible
contribution he or she could make, the individual will be eligible to contribute
the difference to an IRA in the form of nondeductible contributions.
An eligible individual may contribute as much as $2,000 of qualified
income (earned income or, under certain circumstances, alimony) to an IRA each
year (up to $2,250 for married couples if one spouse has earned income of no
more than $250). All income and capital gains derived from IRA investments are
reinvested and compound tax-deferred until distributed. Such tax-deferred
compounding can lead to substantial retirement savings.
The table below shows how much individuals would accumulate in a fully
tax-deductible IRA by age 65 (before any distributions) if they contribute
$2,000 at the beginning of each year, assuming average annual returns of 5, 10,
and 15%. (At withdrawal, accumulations in this table will be taxable.)
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Value of IRA at Age 65
Assuming $2,000 Deductible Annual Contribution
<S> <C> <C> <C>
- ---------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------- -------------------------
Starting
Age of Annual Rate of Return
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contributions 5% 10% 15%
- ---------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------- -------------------------
25 $253,680 $973,704 $4,091,908
35 139,522 361,887 999,914
45 69,439 126,005 235,620
55 26,414 35,062 46,699
</TABLE>
This next table shows how much individuals would accumulate in non-IRA
accounts by age 65 if they start with $2,000 in pretax earned income at the
beginning of each year (which is $1,380 after taxes are paid), assuming average
annual returns of 5, 10 and 15%. (At withdrawal, a portion of the accumulation
in this table will be taxable.)
27
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Value of a Non-IRA Account at
Age 65 Assuming $1,380 Annual Contributions
(post tax, $2,000 pretax) and a 31% Tax Bracket
<S> <C> <C> <C>
- ---------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------- -------------------------
Starting
Age of Annual Rate of Return
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contributions 5% 10% 15%
- ---------------------------- ------------------------- -------------------------- -------------------------
25 $119,318 $287,021 $741,431
35 73,094 136,868 267,697
45 40,166 59,821 90,764
55 16,709 20,286 24,681
</TABLE>
Scudder 403(b) Plan
Shares of the Fund may also be purchased as the underlying investment
for tax sheltered annuity plans under the provisions of Section 403(b)(7) of the
Internal Revenue Code. In general, employees of tax-exempt organizations
described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (such as hospitals,
churches, religious, scientific, or literary organizations and educational
institutions) or a public school system are eligible to participate in a 403(b)
plan.
Automatic Withdrawal Plan
Non-retirement plan shareholders may establish an Automatic Withdrawal
Plan to receive monthly, quarterly or periodic redemptions from his or her
account for any designated amount of $50 or more. Payments are mailed at the end
of each month. The check amounts may be based on the redemption of a fixed
dollar amount, fixed share amount, percent of account value or declining
balance. The Plan provides for income dividends and capital gains distributions,
if any, to be reinvested in additional shares. Shares are then liquidated as
necessary to provide for withdrawal payments. Since the withdrawals are in
amounts selected by the investor and have no relationship to yield or income,
payments received cannot be considered as yield or income on the investment and
the resulting liquidations may deplete or possibly extinguish the initial
investment. Requests for increases in withdrawal amounts or to change payee must
be submitted in writing, signed exactly as the account is registered and contain
signature guarantee(s) as described under "Transaction information--Redeeming
shares--Signature guarantees" in the Fund's prospectus. Any such requests must
be received by the Fund's transfer agent by the 15th of the month in which such
change is to take effect. An Automatic Withdrawal Plan may be terminated at any
time by the shareholder, the Trust or its agent on written notice, and will be
terminated when all shares of the Fund under the Plan have been liquidated or
upon receipt by the Trust of notice of death of the shareholder.
An Automatic Withdrawal Plan request form can be obtained by calling
1-800-225-5163.
Group or Salary Deduction Plan
An investor may join a Group or Salary Deduction Plan where
satisfactory arrangements have been made with Scudder Investor Services, Inc.
for forwarding regular investments through a single source. The minimum annual
investment is $240 per investor which may be made in monthly, quarterly,
semiannual or annual payments. The minimum monthly deposit per investor is $20.
Except for trustees or custodian fees for certain retirement plans, at present
there is no separate charge for maintaining group or salary deduction plans;
however, the Trust and its agents reserve the right to establish a maintenance
charge in the future depending on the services required by the investor.
The Trust reserves the right, after notice has been given to the
shareholder, to redeem and close a shareholder's account in the event that the
shareholder ceases participating in the group plan prior to investment of $1,000
per individual or in the event of a redemption which occurs prior to the
accumulation of that amount or which reduces the account value to less than
$1,000 and the account value is not increased to $1,000 within a reasonable time
after notification. An investor in a plan who has not purchased shares for six
months shall be presumed to have stopped making payments under the plan.
28
<PAGE>
Automatic Investment Plan
Shareholders may arrange to make periodic investments through automatic
deductions from checking accounts by completing the appropriate form and
providing the necessary documentation to establish this service. The minimum
investment is $50.
The Automatic Investment Plan involves an investment strategy called
dollar cost averaging. Dollar cost averaging is a method of investing whereby a
specific dollar amount is invested at regular intervals. By investing the same
dollar amount each period, when shares are priced low the investor will purchase
more shares than when the share price is higher. Over a period of time this
investment approach may allow the investor to reduce the average price of the
shares purchased. However, this investment approach does not assure a profit or
protect against loss. This type of regular investment program may be suitable
for various investment goals such as, but not limited to, college planning or
saving for a home.
Uniform Transfers/Gifts to Minors Act
Grandparents, parents or other donors may set up custodian accounts for
minors. The minimum initial investment is $1,000 unless the donor agrees to
continue to make regular share purchases for the account through Scudder's
Automatic Investment Plan (AIP). In this case, the minimum initial investment is
$500.
The Trust reserves the right, after notice has been given to the
shareholder and custodian, to redeem and close a shareholder's account in the
event that regular investments to the account cease before the $1,000 minimum is
reached.
DIVIDENDS AND CAPITAL GAINS DISTRIBUTIONS
(See "Distribution and performance
information--Dividends and capital gains
distributions" in the Fund's prospectus.)
The Fund intends to follow the practice of distributing all of its
investment company taxable income, which includes any excess of net realized
short-term capital gains over net realized long-term capital losses. The Fund
may follow the practice of distributing the entire excess of net realized
long-term capital gains over net realized short-term capital losses. However,
the Fund may retain all or part of such gain for reinvestment after paying the
related federal income taxes for which the shareholders may then be asked to
claim a credit against their federal income tax liability. (See "TAXES.")
If the Fund does not distribute an amount of capital gain and/or
ordinary income required to be distributed by an excise tax provision of the
Code, it may be subject to such tax. (See "TAXES.") In certain circumstances,
the Fund may determine that it is in the interest of shareholders to distribute
less than such an amount.
Earnings and profits distributed to shareholders on redemptions of Fund
shares may be utilized by the Fund, to the extent permissible, as part of the
Fund's dividend paid deduction on its federal tax return.
The Trust intends to distribute the Fund's investment company taxable
income and any net realized capital gains in November or December, although an
additional distribution may be made if necessary. Both types of distributions
will be made in shares of the Fund and confirmations will be mailed to each
shareholder unless a shareholder has elected to receive cash, in which case a
check will be sent. Distributions of investment company taxable income and net
realized capital gains are taxable (See "TAXES"), whether made in shares or
cash.
Each distribution is accompanied by a brief explanation of the form and
character of the distribution. The characterization of distributions on such
correspondence may differ from the characterization for federal tax purposes. In
January of each year the Fund issues to each shareholder a statement of the
federal income tax status of all distributions in the prior calendar year.
29
<PAGE>
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
(See "Distribution and performance information--Performance
information" in the Fund's prospectus.)
From time to time, quotations of the Fund's performance may be included
in advertisements, sales literature or reports to shareholders or prospective
investors. These performance figures will be calculated in the following manner:
Average Annual Total Return
Average annual total return is the average annual compound rate of
return for the periods of one year and the life of the Fund, ended on the last
day of a recent calendar quarter. Average annual total return quotations reflect
changes in the price of the Fund's shares and assume that all dividends and
capital gains distributions during the respective periods were reinvested in
Fund shares. Average annual total return is calculated by finding the average
annual compound rates of return of a hypothetical investment over such periods,
according to the following formula (average annual total return is then
expressed as a percentage):
T = (ERV/P)^1/n - 1
Where:
T = Average Annual Total Return
P = a hypothetical initial payment of $1,000
n = number of years
ERV = ending redeemable value: ERV is the value,
at the end of the applicable period, of a
hypothetical $1,000 investment made at the
beginning of the applicable period.
Cumulative Total Return
Cumulative total return is the compound rate of return on a
hypothetical initial investment of $1,000 for a specified period. Cumulative
total return quotations reflect changes in the price of the Fund's shares and
assume that all dividends and capital gains distributions during the period were
reinvested in Fund shares. Cumulative total return is calculated by finding the
cumulative rate of return of a hypothetical investment over such periods,
according to the following formula (cumulative total return is then expressed as
a percentage):
C = (ERV/P) -1
Where:
C = Cumulative Total Return
P = a hypothetical initial investment of $1,000
ERV = ending redeemable value: ERV is the value,
at the end of the applicable period, of a
hypothetical $1,000 investment made at the
beginning of the applicable period.
Total Return
Total return is the rate of return on an investment for a specified
period of time calculated in the same manner as cumulative total return.
Capital Change
Capital change measures the return from invested capital including
reinvested capital gains distributions. Capital change does not include the
reinvestment of income dividends.
Quotations of the Fund's performance are historical and are not
intended to indicate future performance. An investor's shares when redeemed may
be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance of the Fund will
vary based on changes in market conditions and the level of the Fund's expenses.
30
<PAGE>
Comparison of Portfolio Performance
A comparison of the quoted non-standard performance offered for various
investments is valid only if performance is calculated in the same manner. Since
there are different methods of calculating performance, investors should
consider the effects of the methods used to calculate performance when comparing
performance of the Fund with performance quoted with respect to other investment
companies or types of investments.
In connection with communicating its performance to current or
prospective shareholders, the Fund also may compare these figures to the
performance of unmanaged indices which may assume reinvestment of dividends or
interest but generally do not reflect deductions for administrative and
management costs. Examples include, but are not limited to the Dow Jones
Industrial Average, the Consumer Price Index, Standard & Poor's 500 Composite
Stock Price Index (S&P 500), the NASDAQ OTC Composite Index, the NASDAQ
Industrials Index, the Russell 2000 Index, and statistics published by the Small
Business Administration.
From time to time, in advertising and marketing literature, the Fund's
performance may be compared to the performance of broad groups of mutual funds
with similar investment goals, as tracked by independent organizations such as,
Investment Company Data, Inc. ("ICD"), Lipper Analytical Services, Inc.
("Lipper"), CDA Investment Technologies, Inc. ("CDA"), Morningstar, Inc., Value
Line Mutual Fund Survey and other independent organizations. When these
organizations' tracking results are used, the Fund will be compared to the
appropriate fund category, that is, by fund objective and portfolio holdings, or
to the appropriate volatility grouping, where volatility is a measure of a
fund's risk. For instance, a Scudder growth fund will be compared to funds in
the growth fund category; a Scudder income fund will be compared to funds in the
income fund category; and so on. Scudder funds (except for money market funds)
may also be compared to funds with similar volatility, as measured statistically
by independent organizations.
From time to time, in marketing and other Fund literature, Trustees and
officers of the Fund, the Fund's lead portfolio manager, or members of the
portfolio management team may be depicted and quoted to give prospective and
current shareholders a better sense of the outlook and approach of those who
manage the Fund. In addition, the amount of assets that the Adviser has under
management in various geographical areas may be quoted in advertising and
marketing materials.
The Fund may be advertised as an investment choice in Scudder's college
planning program. The description may contain illustrations of projected future
college costs based on assumed rates of inflation and examples of hypothetical
fund performance, calculated as described above.
Statistical and other information, as provided by the Social Security
Administration, may be used in marketing materials pertaining to retirement
planning in order to estimate future payouts of social security benefits.
Estimates may be used on demographic and economic data.
Marketing and other Fund literature may include a description of the
potential risks and rewards associated with an investment in the Fund. The
description may include a "risk/return spectrum" which compares the Fund to
other Scudder funds or broad categories of funds, such as money market, bond or
equity funds, in terms of potential risks and returns. Money market funds are
designed to maintain a constant $1.00 share price and have a fluctuating yield.
Share price, yield and total return of a bond fund will fluctuate. The share
price and return of an equity fund also will fluctuate. The description may also
compare the Fund to bank products, such as certificates of deposit. Unlike
mutual funds, certificates of deposit are insured up to $100,000 by the U.S.
government and offer a fixed rate of return.
Because bank products guarantee the principal value of an investment
and money market funds seek stability of principal, these investments are
considered to be less risky than investments in either bond or equity funds,
which may involve the loss of principal. However, all long-term investments,
including investments in bank products, may be subject to inflation risk, which
is the risk of erosion of the value of an investment as prices increase over a
long time period. The risks/returns associated with an investment in bond or
equity funds depend upon many factors. For bond funds these factors include, but
are not limited to, a fund's overall investment objective, the average portfolio
maturity, credit quality of the securities held, and interest rate movements.
For equity funds, factors include a fund's overall investment objective, the
types of equity securities held and the financial position of the issuers of the
31
<PAGE>
securities. The risks/returns associated with an investment in international
bond or equity funds also will depend upon currency exchange rate fluctuation.
A risk/return spectrum generally will position the various investment
categories in the following order: bank products, money market funds, bond funds
and equity funds. Shorter-term bond funds generally are considered less risky
and offer the potential for less return than longer-term bond funds. The same is
true of domestic bond funds relative to international bond funds, and bond funds
that purchase higher quality securities relative to bond funds that purchase
lower quality securities. Growth and income equity funds are generally
considered to be less risky and offer the potential for less return than growth
funds. In addition, international equity funds usually are considered more risky
than domestic equity funds but generally offer the potential for greater return.
Risk/return spectrums also may depict funds that invest in both
domestic and foreign securities or a combination of bond and equity securities.
Scudder's Theme: Build Create Provide. Marketing and fund literature may refer
to Scudder's theme: "Build Create Provide." This theme intends to encapsulate
the composition of a sound investment philosophy, one through which Scudder can
help provide investors appropriate avenues for pursuing dreams. Individuals
recognize the need to build investment plans that are suitable and directed at
achieving one's financial goals. The desired result from planning and a
long-term commitment to it is the ability to build wealth over time. While there
are no guarantees in the pursuit of wealth through investing, Scudder believes
that a sound investment plan can enhance one's ability to achieve financial
goals that are clearly defined and appropriately approached. Wealth, while a
relative term, may be defined as the freedom to provide for those interests
which you hold most important -- your family, future, and/or your community.
Evaluation of Fund performance or other relevant statistical
information made by independent sources may also be used in advertisements
concerning the Fund, including reprints of, or selections from, editorials or
articles about the Fund Sources for Fund performance information and articles
about the Fund include the following:
American Association of Individual Investors' Journal, a monthly publication of
the AAII that includes articles on investment analysis techniques.
Asian Wall Street Journal, a weekly Asian newspaper that often reviews U.S.
mutual funds investing internationally.
Banxquote, an on-line source of national averages for leading money market and
bank CD interest rates, published on a weekly basis by Masterfund, Inc. of
Wilmington, Delaware.
Barron's, a Dow Jones and Company, Inc. business and financial weekly that
periodically reviews mutual fund performance data.
Business Week, a national business weekly that periodically reports the
performance rankings and ratings of a variety of mutual funds investing abroad.
CDA Investment Technologies, Inc., an organization which provides performance
and ranking information through examining the dollar results of hypothetical
mutual fund investments and comparing these results against appropriate market
indices.
Consumer Digest, a monthly business/financial magazine that includes a "Money
Watch" section featuring financial news.
Financial Times, Europe's business newspaper, which features from time to time
articles on international or country-specific funds.
Financial World, a general business/financial magazine that includes a "Market
Watch" department reporting on activities in the mutual fund industry.
Forbes, a national business publication that from time to time reports the
performance of specific investment companies in the mutual fund industry.
32
<PAGE>
Fortune, a national business publication that periodically rates the performance
of a variety of mutual funds.
The Frank Russell Company, a West-Coast investment management firm that
periodically evaluates international stock markets and compares foreign equity
market performance to U.S. stock market performance.
Global Investor, a European publication that periodically
reviews the performance of U.S. mutual funds investing
internationally.
IBC/Donoghue's Money Fund Report, a weekly publication of the Donoghue
Organization, Inc., of Holliston, Massachusetts, reporting on the performance of
the nation's money market funds, summarizing money market fund activity and
including certain averages as performance benchmarks, specifically "Donoghue's
Money Fund Average," and "Donoghue's Government Money Fund Average."
Ibbotson Associates, Inc., a company specializing in investment research and
data.
Investment Company Data, Inc., an independent organization which provides
performance ranking information for broad classes of mutual funds.
Investor's Daily, a daily newspaper that features financial, economic, and
business news.
Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, a monthly investment advisory publication
that periodically features the performance of a variety of securities.
Lipper Analytical Services, Inc.'s Mutual Fund Performance Analysis, a weekly
publication of industry-wide mutual fund averages by type of fund.
Money, a monthly magazine that from time to time features both specific funds
and the mutual fund industry as a whole.
Morgan Stanley International, an integrated investment banking firm that
compiles statistical information.
Mutual Fund Values, a biweekly Morningstar, Inc. publication that provides
ratings of mutual funds based on fund performance, risk and portfolio
characteristics.
The New York Times, a nationally distributed newspaper which regularly covers
financial news.
The No-Load Fund Investor, a monthly newsletter, published by Sheldon Jacobs,
that includes mutual fund performance data and recommendations for the mutual
fund investor.
No-Load Fund*X, a monthly newsletter, published by DAL Investment Company, Inc.,
that reports on mutual fund performance, rates funds and discusses investment
strategies for the mutual fund investor.
Personal Investing News, a monthly news publication that often reports on
investment opportunities and market conditions.
Personal Investor, a monthly investment advisory publication that includes a
"Mutual Funds Outlook" section reporting on mutual fund performance measures,
yields, indices and portfolio holdings.
Smart Money, a national personal finance magazine published monthly by Dow Jones
and Company, Inc. and The Hearst Corporation. Focus is placed on ideas for
investing, spending and saving.
Success, a monthly magazine targeted to the world of entrepreneurs and growing
business, often featuring mutual fund performance data.
33
<PAGE>
United Mutual Fund Selector, a semi-monthly investment newsletter, published by
Babson United Investment Advisors, that includes mutual fund performance data
and reviews of mutual fund portfolios and investment strategies.
USA Today, a leading national daily newspaper.
U.S. News and World Report, a national news weekly that periodically reports
mutual fund performance data.
Value Line Mutual Fund Survey, an independent organization that provides
biweekly performance and other information on mutual funds.
The Wall Street Journal, a Dow Jones and Company, Inc. newspaper which regularly
covers financial news.
Wiesenberger Investment Companies Services, an annual compendium of information
about mutual funds and other investment companies, including comparative data on
funds' backgrounds, management policies, salient features, management results,
income and dividend records and price ranges.
Working Woman, a monthly publication that features a "Financial Workshop"
section reporting on the mutual fund/financial industry.
Worth, a national publication put out 10 times per year by Capital Publishing
Company, a subsidiary of Fidelity Investments. Focus is placed on personal
financial journalism.
ORGANIZATION OF THE FUND
(See "Fund organization" in the Fund's prospectus.)
The Fund is a series of Scudder Securities Trust, formerly Scudder
Development Fund, a Massachusetts business trust established under a Declaration
of Trust dated October 16, 1985. The Trust's predecessor was organized as a
Delaware corporation in 1970. The Trust's authorized capital consists of an
unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest of $0.01 par value, all of
which are of one class and have equal rights as to voting, dividends and
liquidation. The Trust's shares are currently divided into three series, Scudder
Development Fund, Scudder Small Company Value Fund and Scudder Micro Cap Fund.
The Trustees have the authority to issue additional series of shares
and to designate the relative rights and preferences as between the different
series. Each share of the Fund has equal rights with each other share of the
Fund as to voting, dividends and liquidation. All shares issued and outstanding
will be fully paid and nonassessable by the Trust, and redeemable as described
in this Statement of Additional Information and in the Fund's prospectus.
The assets of the Trust received for the issue or sale of the shares of
each series and all income, earnings, profits and proceeds thereof, subject only
to the rights of creditors, are specifically allocated to such series and
constitute the underlying assets of such series. The underlying assets of each
series are segregated on the books of account, and are to be charged with the
liabilities in respect to such series and with a proportionate share of the
general liabilities of the Trust. If a series were unable to meet its
obligations, the assets of all other series may in some circumstances be
available to creditors for that purpose, in which case the assets of such other
series could be used to meet liabilities which are not otherwise properly
chargeable to them. Expenses with respect to any two or more series are to be
allocated in proportion to the asset value of the respective series except where
allocations of direct expenses can otherwise be fairly made. The officers of the
Trust, subject to the general supervision of the Trustees, have the power to
determine which liabilities are allocable to a given series, or which are
general or allocable to two or more series. In the event of the dissolution or
liquidation of the Trust or any series, the holders of the shares of any series
are entitled to receive as a class the underlying assets of such shares
available for distribution to shareholders.
Shares of the Trust entitle their holders to one vote per share;
however, separate votes are taken by each series on matters affecting that
individual series. For example, a change in investment policy for a series would
be voted upon only by shareholders of the series involved. Additionally,
approval of the investment advisory agreement is a matter to be determined
separately by each series.
34
<PAGE>
The Trustees, in their discretion, may authorize the division of shares
of the Fund (or shares of a series) into different classes, permitting shares of
different classes to be distributed by different methods. Although shareholders
of different classes of a series would have an interest in the same portfolio of
assets, shareholders of different classes may bear different expenses in
connection with different methods of distribution. The Trustees have no present
intention of taking the action necessary to effect the division of shares into
separate classes, nor of changing the method of distribution of shares of the
Fund.
The Declaration of Trust provides that obligations of the Fund is not
binding upon the Trustees individually but only upon the property of the Fund,
that the Trustees and officers will not be liable for errors of judgment or
mistakes of fact or law, and that the Fund will indemnify its Trustees and
officers against liabilities and expenses incurred in connection with litigation
in which they may be involved because of their offices with the Fund, except if
it is determined in the manner provided in the Declaration of Trust that they
have not acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that their actions were in
the best interests of the Fund. However, nothing in the Declaration of Trust
protects or indemnifies a Trustee or officer against any liability to which he
would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross
negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his
office.
INVESTMENT ADVISER
(See "Fund organization--Investment adviser" in the
Fund's prospectus.)
Scudder, Stevens & Clark, Inc., an investment counsel firm, acts as
investment adviser to the Fund. This organization is one of the most experienced
investment management firms in the United States. It was established as a
partnership in 1919 and pioneered the practice of providing investment counsel
to individual clients on a fee basis. In 1928 it introduced the first no-load
mutual fund to the public. In 1953, the Adviser introduced the Scudder
International Fund, the first mutual fund available in the U.S. investing
internationally in securities of issuers in several foreign countries. The firm
reorganized from a partnership to a corporation on June 28, 1985. As of June 30,
1996, the Adviser was responsible for managing more than $23 billion in U.S.
equity securities, including over $6 billion in domestically oriented growth
mutual funds.
The principal source of the Adviser's income is professional fees
received from providing continuous investment advice, and the firm derives no
income from brokerage or underwriting of securities. Today, it provides
investment counsel for many individuals and institutions, including insurance
companies, colleges, industrial corporations, and financial and banking
organizations. In addition, it manages Montgomery Street Income Securities,
Inc., Scudder California Tax Free Trust, Scudder Cash Investment Trust, Scudder
Equity Trust, Scudder Fund, Inc., Scudder Funds Trust, Scudder Global Fund,
Inc., Scudder GNMA Fund, Scudder Portfolio Trust, Scudder Institutional Fund,
Inc., Scudder International Fund, Inc., Scudder Investment Trust, Scudder
Municipal Trust, Scudder Mutual Funds, Inc., Scudder New Asia Fund, Inc.,
Scudder New Europe Fund, Inc., Scudder Securities Trust, Scudder State Tax Free
Trust, Scudder Tax Free Money Fund, Scudder Tax Free Trust, Scudder U.S.
Treasury Money Fund, Scudder Variable Life Investment Fund, Scudder World Income
Opportunities Fund, Inc., The Argentina Fund, Inc., The Brazil Fund, Inc., The
First Iberian Fund, Inc., The Korea Fund, Inc., The Japan Fund, Inc. and The
Latin America Dollar Income Fund, Inc. Some of the foregoing companies or trusts
have two or more series.
The Adviser also provides investment advisory services to the mutual
funds which comprise the AARP Investment Program from Scudder. The AARP
Investment Program from Scudder has assets over $12 billion and includes the
AARP Growth Trust, AARP Income Trust, AARP Tax Free Income Trust and AARP Cash
Investment Funds.
The Adviser maintains a large research department, which conducts
continuous studies of the factors that affect the position of various
industries, companies and individual securities. The Adviser receives published
reports and statistical compilations from issuers and other sources, as well as
analyses from brokers and dealers who may execute portfolio transactions for the
Adviser's clients. However, the Adviser regards this information and material as
an adjunct to its own research activities. Scudder's international investment
management team travels the world, researching hundreds of companies. In
selecting the securities in which the Fund may invest, the conclusions and
investment decisions of the Adviser with respect to the Fund are based primarily
on the analyses of its own research department.
35
<PAGE>
Certain investments may be appropriate for the Fund and also for other
clients advised by the Adviser. Investment decisions for the Fund and other
clients are made with a view to achieving their respective investment objectives
and after consideration of such factors as their current holdings, availability
of cash for investment and the size of their investments generally. Frequently,
a particular security may be bought or sold for only one client or in different
amounts and at different times for more than one but less than all clients.
Likewise, a particular security may be bought for one or more clients when one
or more other clients are selling the security. In addition, purchases or sales
of the same security may be made for two or more clients on the same day. In
such event, such transactions will be allocated among the clients in a manner
believed by the Adviser to be equitable to each. In some cases, this procedure
could have an adverse effect on the price or amount of the securities purchased
or sold by the Fund. Purchase and sale orders for the Fund may be combined with
those of other clients of the Adviser in the interest of achieving the most
favorable net results to the Fund.
The Investment Management Agreement between the Fund and the Adviser is
dated August 12, 1996 and was approved by the Trustees on June 5, 1996 and by
the initial shareholder of the Fund on August 1, 1996. The Investment Management
Agreement (the "Agreement") will continue in effect until September 30, 1997 and
from year to year thereafter only if its continuance is approved annually by the
vote of a majority of those Trustees who are not parties to the Agreement or
interested persons of the Adviser or the Trust, cast in person at a meeting
called for the purpose of voting on such approval, and either by a vote of the
Trustees or of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. The
Agreement may be terminated at any time without payment of penalty by either
party on sixty days' written notice, and automatically terminates in the event
of its assignment.
Under the Agreement, the Adviser regularly provides the Fund with
continuing investment management for the Fund's portfolio consistent with the
Fund's investment objective, policies and restrictions and determines what
securities shall be purchased, held or sold and what portion of the Fund's
assets shall be held uninvested, subject to the Fund's Declaration of Trust,
By-Laws, the 1940 Act, the Code and to the Fund's investment objective, policies
and restrictions, and subject, further, to such policies and instructions as the
Board of Trustees of the Fund may from time to time establish. The Adviser also
advises and assists the officers of the Fund in taking such steps as are
necessary or appropriate to carry out the decisions of its Trustees and the
appropriate committees of the Trustees regarding the conduct of the business of
the Fund.
Under the Agreement, the Adviser renders significant administrative
services (not otherwise provided by third parties) necessary for the Fund's
operations as an open-end investment company including, but not limited to,
preparing reports and notices to the Trustees and shareholders; supervising,
negotiating contractual arrangements with, and monitoring various third-party
service providers to the Fund (such as the Fund's transfer agent, pricing
agents, Custodian, accountants and others); preparing and making filings with
the SEC and other regulatory agencies; assisting in the preparation and filing
of the Fund's federal, state and local tax returns; preparing and filing the
Fund's federal excise tax returns; assisting with investor and public relations
matters; monitoring the valuation of securities and the calculation of net asset
value; monitoring the registration of shares of the Fund under applicable
federal and state securities laws; maintaining the Fund's books and records to
the extent not otherwise maintained by a third party; assisting in establishing
accounting policies of the Fund; assisting in the resolution of accounting and
legal issues; establishing and monitoring the Fund's operating budget;
processing the payment of the Fund's bills; assisting the Fund in, and otherwise
arranging for, the payment of distributions and dividends and otherwise
assisting the Fund in the conduct of its business, subject to the direction and
control of the Trustees.
The Adviser pays the compensation and expenses of all Trustees,
officers and executive employees (except expenses incurred attending Board and
committee meetings outside New York, New York or Boston, Massachusetts) of the
Trust affiliated with the Adviser and makes available, without expense to the
Fund, the services of such Trustees, officers and employees of the Adviser as
may duly be elected officers of the Trust, subject to their individual consent
to serve and to any limitations imposed by law, and provides the Fund's office
space and facilities.
For these services, Micro Cap Fund will pay the Adviser an annual fee
equal to 0.75% of the Fund's average daily net assets payable monthly, provided
the Fund will make interim payments as may be requested by the Adviser not to
exceed 75% of the amount of the fee then accrued on the books of the Fund and
unpaid. The Adviser has agreed until August 31, 1997 to maintain the total
annualized expenses of the Fund at no more than 1.75% of the average daily net
assets of the Fund.
36
<PAGE>
Under the Agreement the Fund is responsible for all of its other
expenses including: organizational costs, fees and expenses incurred in
connection with membership in investment company organizations; fees and
expenses of the Fund's accounting agent; brokers' commissions; legal, auditing
and accounting expenses; taxes and governmental fees; the fees and expenses of
the Transfer Agent; any other expenses of issue, sale, underwriting,
distribution, redemption or repurchase of shares; the expenses of and the fees
for registering or qualifying securities for sale; the fees and expenses of
Trustees, officers and employees of the Fund who are not affiliated with the
Adviser; the cost of printing and distributing reports and notices to
stockholders; and the fees and disbursements of custodians. The Fund may arrange
to have third parties assume all or part of the expenses of sale, underwriting
and distribution of shares of the Fund. The Fund is also responsible for its
expenses of shareholders' meetings, the cost of responding to shareholders'
inquiries, and its expenses incurred in connection with litigation, proceedings
and claims and the legal obligation it may have to indemnify its officers and
Trustees of the Fund with respect thereto.
The Agreement requires the Adviser to reimburse the Fund for all or a
portion of advances of its management fee to the extent annual expenses of the
Fund (including the management fee stated above) exceed the limitations
prescribed by any state in which the Fund's shares are offered for sale.
Management has been advised that, while most states have eliminated expense
limitations, the lowest of such limitations is presently 2 1/2% of average daily
net assets up to $30 million, 2% of the next $70 million of average daily net
assets and 1 1/2% of average daily net assets in excess of that amount. Certain
expenses such as brokerage commissions, taxes, extraordinary expenses and
interest are excluded from such limitations. Any such fee advance required to be
returned to the Fund will be returned as promptly as practicable after the end
of the Fund's fiscal year. However, no fee payment will be made to the Adviser
during any fiscal year which will cause year to date expenses to exceed the
cumulative pro rata expense limitations at the time of such payment.
The Agreement also provides that the Fund may use any name derived from
the name "Scudder, Stevens & Clark" only as long as an Agreement or any
extension, renewal or amendment thereof remains in effect.
In reviewing the terms of the Agreement and in discussions with the
Adviser concerning such Agreement, the Trustees of the Trust who are not
"interested persons" of the Adviser are represented by independent counsel at
the Fund's expense.
The Agreement provides that the Adviser shall not be liable for any
error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Fund in
connection with matters to which the Agreement relates, except a loss resulting
from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the
Adviser in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by the
Adviser of its obligations and duties under the Agreement.
Officers and employees of the Adviser from time to time may have
transactions with various banks, including the Fund's custodian bank. It is the
Adviser's opinion that the terms and conditions of those transactions which have
occurred were not influenced by existing or potential custodial or other Fund
relationships.
None of the officers or Trustees of the Trust may have dealings with a
Fund as principals in the purchase or sale of securities, except as individual
subscribers to or holders of shares of the Fund.
Personal Investments by Employees of the Adviser
Employees of the Adviser are permitted to make personal securities
transactions, subject to requirements and restrictions set forth in the
Adviser's Code of Ethics. The Code of Ethics contains provisions and
requirements designed to identify and address certain conflicts of interest
between personal investment activities and the interests of investment advisory
clients such as the Fund. Among other things, the Code of Ethics, which
generally complies with standards recommended by the Investment Company
Institute's Advisory Group on Personal Investing, prohibits certain types of
transactions absent prior approval, imposes time periods during which personal
transactions may not be made in certain securities, and requires the submission
of duplicate broker confirmations and monthly reporting of securities
transactions. Additional restrictions apply to portfolio managers, traders,
research analysts and others involved in the investment advisory process.
Exceptions to these and other provisions of the Code of Ethics may be granted in
particular circumstances after review by appropriate personnel.
37
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Position with
Underwriter,
Name, Age Position Scudder Investor
and Address with Trust Principal Occupation** Services, Inc.
- ----------- ---------- ---------------------- --------------
Daniel Pierce+*(62) President and Trustee Chairman of the Board and Vice President, Director
Managing Director of Scudder, and Assistant Treasurer
Stevens & Clark, Inc.
Paul Bancroft III (66) Trustee Venture Capitalist and --
1120 Cheston Lane Consultant; Retired, President,
Queenstown, MD 21658 Chief Executive Officer and
Director of Bessemer Securities
Corporation
Thomas J. Devine (69) Trustee Consultant --
641 Lexington Avenue,
28th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Keith R. Fox (42) Trustee President, Exeter Capital --
10 East 53rd Street Management Corporation
New York, NY 10022
Dudley H. Ladd+* (52) Trustee Managing Director of Scudder, Senior Vice President
Stevens & Clark, Inc. and Director
Dr. Wilson Nolen (69) Trustee Consultant (1989 until --
1120 Fifth Avenue present); Corporate Vice
New York, NY 10128 President of Becton, Dickinson
& Company, manufacturer of
medical and scientific products
(until June 1989)
Juris Padegs++#* (64) Trustee Managing Director of Scudder, Vice President and
Stevens & Clark, Inc. Director
Dr. Gordon Shillinglaw (71) Trustee Professor Emeritus of --
Columbia University Accounting, Columbia University
196 Villard Avenue Graduate School of Business
Hastings-on-Hudson
New York, NY 10706
Robert W. Lear (79) Honorary Trustee Executive-in-Residence, --
429 Silvermine Road Visiting Professor, Columbia
New Canaan, CT 06840 University Graduate School of
Business
Robert G. Stone, Jr. (73) Honorary Trustee Chairman of the Board and --
405 Lexington Avenue, Director, Kirby Corporation
39th Floor (inland and offshore marine
New York, NY 10174 transportation and diesel
repairs)
38
<PAGE>
Position with
Underwriter,
Name, Age Position Scudder Investor
and Address with Trust Principal Occupation** Services, Inc.
- ----------- ---------- ---------------------- --------------
Edmund R. Swanberg++ (74) Honorary Trustee Advisory Managing Director of --
Scudder, Stevens & Clark, Inc.
Peter Chin++ (54) Vice President Principal of Scudder, Stevens & --
Clark, Inc.
James M. Eysenbach@ (34) Vice President Vice President of Scudder, --
Stevens & Clark, Inc.
Philip S. Fortuna++ (38) Vice President Managing Director of Scudder, --
Stevens & Clark, Inc.
Jerard K. Hartman++ (63) Vice President Managing Director of Scudder, --
Stevens & Clark, Inc.
Thomas W. Joseph+ (57) Vice President Principal of Scudder, Stevens & Vice President,
Clark, Inc. Director, Treasurer and
Assistant Clerk
David S. Lee+ (62) Vice President Managing Director of Scudder, President, Director and
Stevens & Clark, Inc. Assistant Treasurer
Thomas F. McDonough+ (49) Vice President and Principal of Scudder, Stevens & Clerk
Secretary Clark, Inc.
Pamela A. McGrath+ (42) Vice President and Managing Director of Scudder, --
Treasurer Stevens & Clark, Inc.
Roy C. McKay++ (53) Vice President Managing Director of Scudder, --
Stevens & Clark, Inc.
Edward J. O'Connell++ (51) Vice President and Principal of Scudder, Stevens & Assistant Treasurer
Assistant Treasurer Clark, Inc.
Kathryn L. Quirk++ (43) Vice President and Managing Director of Scudder, Vice President
Assistant Secretary Stevens & Clark, Inc.
Richard W. Desmond++ (60) Assistant Secretary Vice President of Scudder, Vice President
Stevens & Clark, Inc.
Coleen Downs Dinneen+ (35) Assistant Secretary Vice President of Scudder, Assistant Clerk
Stevens & Clark, Inc.
<FN>
* Messrs. Ladd, Padegs and Pierce are considered by the Fund and counsel to
be persons who are "interested persons" of the Adviser or of the Fund,
within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
** Unless otherwise stated, all the Trustees and officers have been associated
with their respective companies for more than five years, but not
necessarily in the same capacity.
# Messrs. Padegs and Ladd are members of the Executive Committee for
Securities Trust, which may exercise all of the powers of the Trustees when
they are not in session.
+ Address: Two International Place, Boston, Massachusetts
</FN>
</TABLE>
39
<PAGE>
++ Address: 345 Park Avenue, New York, New York
@ Address: 101 California Street, Suite 4100, San Francisco, CA 94111-5886
The Trustees and officers of the Fund also serve in similar capacities
with other Scudder Funds.
All Trustees and officers as a group owned less than 1% of the Fund's
outstanding shares as of the commencement of operations.
REMUNERATION
Several of the officers and Trustees of the Trust may be officers or
employees of the Adviser, Scudder Service Corporation, Scudder Trust Company or
of Scudder Investor Services, Inc. and participate in the fees paid by the
Trust. The Trust pays no direct remuneration to any officer of the Trust.
However, each Trustee who is not affiliated with the Adviser will be paid by the
Trust. Each of these unaffiliated Trustees receives an annual trustee's fee of
$4,000 from the Fund and fees of $400 for each attended Trustees meeting, audit
committee meeting or meeting held for the purpose of considering arrangements
between the Fund and the Adviser or any of its affiliates. Each unaffiliated
Trustee also receives $150 per committee meeting other than those set forth
above.
The following Compensation Table provides, in tabular form, the following data.
Column (1) All Trustees who receive compensation from the Trust.
Column (2) Aggregate compensation received by a Trustee from all the series of
the Trust.
Columns (3) and (4) Pension or retirement benefits accrued or proposed to be
paid by the Fund Complex. Scudder Securities Trust does not pay its Trustees
such benefits. Column (5) Total compensation received by a Trustee from the
Trust, plus compensation received from all funds managed by the Adviser for
which a Trustee serves. The total number of funds from which a Trustee receives
such compensation is also provided in column (5). Generally, compensation
received by a Trustee for serving on the board of a closed-end fund is greater
than the compensation received by a Trustee for serving on the board of an
open-end fund.
40
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Compensation Table for Scudder Securities Trust
for the year ended December 31, 1995
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
=========================== ==================================== =================== ================ ===================
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
Total
Pension or Compensation From
Retirement Scudder
Benefits Accrued Estimated Securities Trust
As Part of Fund Annual and Fund Complex
Name of Person, Aggregate Compensation from Complex Expenses Benefits Upon Paid to Trustee
Position Scudder Securities Trust* Retirement
=========================== ==================================== =================== ================ ===================
Paul Bancroft III, $10,350 N/A N/A $142,067
Trustee (15 funds)
Thomas J. Devine, $10,350 N/A N/A $146,267
Trustee (17 funds)
Keith R. Fox, $0** N/A N/A $1,686
Trustee (2 funds)
Dr. Wilson Nolen, $9,950 N/A N/A $148,342
Trustee (16 funds)
Dr. Gordon Shillinglaw, $10,750 N/A N/A $102,097
Trustee (15 funds)
Robert G. Stone, Jr., $10,350 $6,788*** $6,000 $144,302
Honorary Trustee (15 funds)
<FN>
* Scudder Securities Trust consists of three funds: Scudder Development Fund, Scudder Small Company Value
Fund, and Scudder Micro Cap Fund. Micro Cap Fund commenced operations on August 12, 1996.
** Mr. Fox became a Trustee for the Trust on January 1, 1996.
*** Retirement benefits accrued and proposed to be paid as additional compensation for serving on the Board
of The Japan Fund, Inc.
</FN>
</TABLE>
DISTRIBUTOR
The Trust has an underwriting agreement with Scudder Investor Services,
Inc. (the "Distributor"), a Massachusetts corporation, which is a subsidiary of
the Adviser, a Delaware corporation. The Trust's underwriting agreement dated
September 30, 1995 will remain in effect until September 30, 1997 and from year
to year thereafter only if their continuance is approved annually by a majority
of the members of the Board of Trustees who are not parties to such agreement or
interested persons of any such party and either by vote of a majority of the
Board of Trustees or a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the
Fund. The underwriting agreement was last approved by the Trustees on September
6, 1995.
Under the underwriting agreement, the Fund is responsible for: the
payment of all fees and expenses in connection with the preparation and filing
with the SEC of its registration statement and prospectus and any amendments and
supplements thereto; the registration and qualification of shares for sale in
the various states, including registering the Fund as a broker or dealer in
various states, as required; the fees and expenses of preparing, printing and
mailing prospectuses annually to existing shareholders (see below for expenses
relating to prospectuses paid by the Distributor); notices, proxy statements,
reports or other communications to shareholders of the Fund; the cost of
printing and mailing confirmations of purchases of shares and any prospectuses
accompanying such confirmations; any issuance taxes and/or any initial transfer
taxes; a portion of shareholder toll-free telephone charges and expenses of
shareholder service representatives; the cost of wiring funds for share
purchases and redemptions (unless paid by the shareholder who initiates the
transaction); the cost of printing and postage of business reply envelopes; and
a portion of the cost of computer terminals used by both the Fund and the
Distributor.
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The Distributor will pay for printing and distributing prospectuses or
reports prepared for its use in connection with the offering of the Fund's
shares to the public and preparing, printing and mailing any other literature or
advertising in connection with the offering of shares of the Fund to the public.
The Distributor will pay all fees and expenses in connection with its
qualification and registration as a broker or dealer under federal and state
laws, a portion of the cost of toll-free telephone service and expenses of
shareholder service representatives, a portion of the cost of computer
terminals, and expenses of any activity which is primarily intended to result in
the sale of shares issued by the Fund, unless a Rule 12b-1 Plan is in effect
which provides that the Fund shall bear some or all of such expenses.
Note: Although the Fund does not currently have a 12b-1 Plan, and the
Trustees have no current intention of adopting one, the Fund would
also pay those fees and expenses permitted to be paid or assumed
by the Fund pursuant to a 12b-1 Plan, if any, were adopted by the
Fund, notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary in the
underwriting agreement.
As agent, the Distributor currently offers shares of the Fund on a
continuous basis to investors in all states in which shares of the Fund may from
time to time be registered or where permitted by applicable law. The
underwriting agreement provides that the Distributor accepts orders for shares
at net asset value as no sales commission or load is charged to the investor.
The Distributor has made no firm commitment to acquire shares of the Fund.
TAXES
(See "Distribution and performance information--Dividends and capital
gains distributions" and "Transaction information--Tax information,
Tax identification number" in the Fund's prospectus.)
The Fund has elected to be treated as a regulated investment company
under Subchapter M of the Code, or a predecessor statute and has qualified as
such since its inception. It intends to continue to qualify for such treatment.
Such qualification does not involve governmental supervision or management of
investment practices or policy.
A regulated investment company qualifying under Subchapter M of the
Code is required to distribute to its shareholders at least 90 percent of its
investment company taxable income (including net short-term capital gain) and
generally is not subject to federal income tax to the extent that it distributes
annually its investment company taxable income and net realized capital gains in
the manner required under the Code.
The Fund is subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on amounts
required to be but not distributed under a prescribed formula. The formula
requires payment to shareholders during a calendar year of distributions
representing at least 98% of the Fund's ordinary income for the calendar year,
at least 98% of the excess of its capital gains over capital losses (adjusted
for certain ordinary losses) realized during the one-year period ending October
31 during such year, and all ordinary income and capital gains for prior years
that were not previously distributed.
Investment company taxable income generally is made up of dividends,
interest and net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital
losses, less expenses. Net realized capital gains for a fiscal year are computed
by taking into account any capital loss carryforward of the Fund.
If any net realized long-term capital gains in excess of net realized
short-term capital losses are retained by the Fund for reinvestment, requiring
federal income taxes to be paid thereon by the Fund, the Fund intends to elect
to treat such capital gains as having been distributed to shareholders. As a
result, each shareholder will report such capital gains as long-term capital
gains, will be able to claim a proportionate share of federal income taxes paid
by the Fund on such gains as a credit against the shareholder's federal income
tax liability, and will be entitled to increase the adjusted tax basis of the
shareholder's Fund shares by the difference between the shareholder's pro rata
share of such gains and the shareholder's tax credit. If the Fund makes such an
election, it may not be treated as having met the excise tax distribution
requirement.
Distributions of investment company taxable income are taxable to
shareholders as ordinary income.
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Dividends from domestic corporations are not expected to comprise a
substantial part of the Fund's gross income. If any such dividends constitute a
portion of the Fund's gross income, a portion of the income distributions of the
Fund may be eligible for the 70% deduction for dividends received by
corporations. Shareholders will be informed of the portion of dividends which so
qualify. The dividends-received deduction is reduced to the extent the shares of
the Fund with respect to which the dividends are received are treated as
debt-financed under federal income tax law and is eliminated if the shares are
deemed to have been held for less than 46 days.
Distributions of the excess of net long-term capital gain over net
short-term capital loss are taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gain,
regardless of the length of time the shares of the Fund have been held by such
shareholders. Such distributions are not eligible for the dividends-received
deduction. Any loss realized upon the redemption of shares held at the time of
redemption for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to
the extent of any amounts treated as distributions of long-term capital gain
during such six-month period.
Distributions of investment company taxable income and net realized
capital gains will be taxable as described above, whether received in shares or
in cash. Shareholders electing to receive distributions in the form of
additional shares will have a cost basis for federal income tax purposes in each
share so received equal to the net asset value of a share on the reinvestment
date.
All distributions of investment company taxable income and net realized
capital gain, whether received in shares or in cash, must be reported by each
shareholder on his or her federal income tax return. Dividends declared in
October, November or December with a record date in such a month will be deemed
to have been received by shareholders on December 31, if paid during January of
the following year. Redemptions of shares, including exchanges for shares of
another Scudder fund, may result in tax consequences (gain or loss) to the
shareholder and are also subject to these reporting requirements.
An individual may make a deductible IRA contribution of up to $2,000
or, if less, the amount of the individual's earned income for any taxable year
only if (i) neither the individual nor his or her spouse (unless filing separate
returns) is an active participant in an employer's retirement plan, or (ii) the
individual (and his or her spouse, if applicable) has an adjusted gross income
below a certain level ($40,050 for married individuals filing a joint return,
with a phase-out of the deduction for adjusted gross income between $40,050 and
$50,000; $25,050 for a single individual, with a phase-out for adjusted gross
income between $25,050 and $35,000). However, an individual not permitted to
make a deductible contribution to an IRA for any such taxable year may
nonetheless make nondeductible contributions up to $2,000 to an IRA (up to
$2,250 to IRAs for an individual and his or her nonearning spouse) for that
year. There are special rules for determining how withdrawals are to be taxed if
an IRA contains both deductible and nondeductible amounts. In general, a
proportionate amount of each withdrawal will be deemed to be made from
nondeductible contributions; amounts treated as a return of nondeductible
contributions will not be taxable. Also, annual contributions may be made to a
spousal IRA even if the spouse has earnings in a given year if the spouse elects
to be treated as having no earnings (for IRA contribution purposes) for the
year.
Distributions by the Fund result in a reduction in the net asset value
of the Fund's shares. Should a distribution reduce the net asset value below a
shareholder's cost basis, such distribution would nevertheless be taxable to the
shareholder as ordinary income or capital gain as described above, even though,
from an investment standpoint, it may constitute a partial return of capital. In
particular, investors should consider the tax implications of buying shares just
prior to a distribution. The price of shares purchased at that time includes the
amount of the forthcoming distribution. Those purchasing just prior to a
distribution will then receive a partial return of capital upon the
distribution, which will nevertheless be taxable to them.
The Fund intends to qualify for and may make the election permitted
under Section 853 of the Code so that shareholders may (subject to limitations)
be able to claim a credit or deduction on their federal income tax returns for,
and will be required to treat as part of the amounts distributed to them, their
pro rata portion of qualified taxes paid by the Fund to foreign countries (which
taxes relate primarily to investment income). The Fund may make an election
under Section 853 of the Code, provided that more than 50% of the value of the
total assets of the Fund at the close of the taxable year consists of securities
in foreign corporations. The foreign tax credit available to shareholders is
subject to certain limitations imposed by the Code.
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If the Fund does not make the election permitted under section 853 any
foreign taxes paid or accrued will represent an expense to the Fund which will
reduce its investment company taxable income. Absent this election, shareholders
will not be able to claim either a credit or a deduction for their pro rata
portion of such taxes paid by the Fund, nor will shareholders be required to
treat as part of the amounts distributed to them their pro rata portion of such
taxes paid.
Equity options (including covered call options written on portfolio
stock) and over-the-counter options on debt securities written or purchased by
the Fund will be subject to tax under Section 1234 of the Code. In general, no
loss will be recognized by the Fund upon payment of a premium in connection with
the purchase of a put or call option. The character of any gain or loss
recognized (i.e. long-term or short-term) will generally depend, in the case of
a lapse or sale of the option, on the Fund's holding period for the option, and
in the case of the exercise of a put option, on the Fund's holding period for
the underlying property. The purchase of a put option may constitute a short
sale for federal income tax purposes, causing an adjustment in the holding
period of any property in the Fund's portfolio similar to the property
underlying the put option. If the Fund writes an option, no gain is recognized
upon its receipt of a premium. If the option lapses or is closed out, any gain
or loss is treated as short-term capital gain or loss. If the option is
exercised, the character of the gain or loss depends on the holding period of
the underlying stock.
Positions of the Fund which consist of at least one stock and at least
one stock option or other position with respect to a related security which
substantially diminishes the Fund's risk of loss with respect to such stock
could be treated as a "straddle" which is governed by Section 1092 of the Code,
the operation of which may cause deferral of losses, adjustments in the holding
periods of stocks or securities and conversion of short-term capital losses into
long-term capital losses. An exception to these straddle rules exists for
certain "qualified covered call options" on stock written by the Fund.
Many futures and forward contracts entered into by the Fund and listed
nonequity options written or purchased by the Fund (including options on debt
securities, options on futures contracts, options on securities indices and
options on currencies), will be governed by Section 1256 of the Code. Absent a
tax election to the contrary, gain or loss attributable to the lapse, exercise
or closing out of any such position generally will be treated as 60% long-term
and 40% short-term capital gain or loss, and on the last trading day of the
Fund's fiscal year, all outstanding Section 1256 positions will be marked to
market (i.e., treated as if such positions were closed out at their closing
price on such day), with any resulting gain or loss recognized as 60% long-term
and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Under Section 988 of the Code,
discussed below, foreign currency gain or loss from foreign currency-related
forward contracts, certain futures and options and similar financial instruments
entered into or acquired by the Fund will be treated as ordinary income or loss.
Subchapter M of the Code requires the Fund to realize less than 30% of
its annual gross income from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities
and certain options, futures and forward contracts held for less than three
months. The Fund's options, futures and forward transactions may increase the
amount of gains realized by the Fund that are subject to this 30% limitation.
Accordingly, the amount of such transactions that may undertake may be limited.
Positions of the Fund which consist of at least one position not
governed by Section 1256 and at least one futures or forward contract or
nonequity option or other position governed by Section 1256 which substantially
diminishes the Fund's risk of loss with respect to such other position will be
treated as a "mixed straddle." Although mixed straddles are subject to the
straddle rules of Section 1092 of the Code, the operation of which may cause
deferral of losses, adjustments in the holding periods of securities and
conversion of short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses, certain
tax elections exist for them which reduce or eliminate the operation of these
rules. The Fund will monitor its transactions in options, foreign currency
futures and forward contracts and may make certain tax elections in connection
with these investments.
Under the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in
exchange rates which occur between the time the Fund accrues interest or other
receivables or accrues expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign
currency and the time the Fund actually collects such receivables or pays such
liabilities generally are treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss.
Similarly, on disposition of debt securities denominated in a foreign currency
and on disposition of certain options, futures and forward contracts, gains or
losses attributable to fluctuations in the value of foreign currency between the
date of acquisition of the security or contract and the date of disposition are
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also treated as ordinary gain or loss. These gains or losses, referred to under
the Code as "Section 988" gains or losses, may increase or decrease the amount
of the Fund's investment company taxable income to be distributed to its
shareholders as ordinary income.
If the Fund invests in stock of certain foreign investment companies,
the Fund may be subject to U.S. federal income taxation on a portion of any
"excess distribution" with respect to, or gain from the disposition of, such
stock. The tax would be determined by allocating such distribution or gain
ratably to each day of the Fund's holding period for the stock. The distribution
or gain so allocated to any taxable year of the Fund, other than the taxable
year of the excess distribution or disposition, would be taxed to the Fund at
the highest ordinary income rate in effect for such year, and the tax would be
further increased by an interest charge to reflect the value of the tax deferral
deemed to have resulted from the ownership of the foreign company's stock. Any
amount of distribution or gain allocated to the taxable year of the distribution
or disposition would be included in the Fund's investment company taxable income
and, accordingly, would not be taxable to the Fund to the extent distributed by
the Fund as a dividend to its shareholders.
The Fund may be able to make an election, in lieu of being taxable in
the manner described above, to include annually in income its pro rata share of
the ordinary earnings and net capital gain of the foreign investment company,
regardless of whether it actually received any distributions from the foreign
company. These amounts would be included in the Fund's investment company
taxable income and net capital gain which, to the extent distributed by the Fund
as ordinary or capital gain dividends, as the case may be, would not be taxable
to the Fund. In order to make this election, the Fund would be required to
obtain certain annual information from the foreign investment companies in which
it invests, which in many cases may be difficult to obtain. The Fund may make an
election with respect to those foreign investment companies which provide the
Fund with the required information.
If the Fund invests in certain high yield original issue discount
obligations issued by corporations, a portion of the original issue discount
accruing on the obligation may be eligible for the deduction for dividends
received by corporations. In such event, dividends of investment company taxable
income received from the Fund by its corporate shareholders, to the extent
attributable to such portion of accrued original issue discount, may be eligible
for this deduction for dividends received by corporations if so designated by
the Fund in a written notice to shareholders.
The Fund will be required to report to the Internal Revenue Service all
distributions of investment company taxable income and capital gains as well as
gross proceeds from the redemption or exchange of Fund shares, except in the
case of certain exempt shareholders. Under the backup withholding provisions of
Section 3406 of the Code, distributions of investment company taxable income and
capital gains and proceeds from the redemption or exchange of the shares of a
regulated investment company may be subject to withholding of federal income tax
at the rate of 31% in the case of non-exempt shareholders who fail to furnish
the investment company with their taxpayer identification numbers and with
required certifications regarding their status under the federal income tax law.
Withholding may also be required if the Fund is notified by the IRS or a broker
that the taxpayer identification number furnished by the shareholder is
incorrect or that the shareholder has previously failed to report interest or
dividend income. If the withholding provisions are applicable, any such
distributions and proceeds, whether taken in cash or reinvested in additional
shares, will be reduced by the amounts required to be withheld.
Shareholders of the Fund may be subject to state and local taxes on
distributions received from the Fund and on redemptions of the Fund's shares.
The foregoing discussion of U.S. federal income tax law relates solely
to the application of that law to U.S. persons, i.e., U.S. citizens and
residents and U.S. corporations, partnerships, trusts and estates. Each
shareholder who is not a U.S. person should consider the U.S. and foreign tax
consequences of ownership of shares of the Fund, including the possibility that
such a shareholder may be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at a rate of 30% (or
at a lower rate under an applicable income tax treaty) on amounts constituting
ordinary income received by him or her, where such amounts are treated as income
from U.S. sources under the Code.
Shareholders should consult their tax advisers about the application of
the provisions of tax law described in this statement of additional information
in light of their particular tax situations.
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PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS
Brokerage Commissions
To the maximum extent feasible, the Adviser places orders for portfolio
transactions for the Fund through the Distributor which in turn places orders on
behalf of the Fund with issuers, underwriters or other brokers and dealers. The
Distributor receives no commissions, fees or other remuneration from the Fund
for this service.
Allocation of brokerage is supervised by the Adviser.
The primary objective of the Adviser in placing orders for the purchase
and sale of securities for the Fund's portfolio is to obtain the most favorable
net results taking into account such factors as price, commission where
applicable (negotiable in the case of U.S. national securities exchange
transactions but which is generally fixed in the case of foreign exchange
transactions) size of order, difficulty of execution and skill required of the
executing broker/dealer. The Adviser seeks to evaluate the overall
reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid (to the extent applicable) through
the familiarity of the Distributor with commissions charged on comparable
transactions, as well as by comparing commissions paid by the Fund to reported
commissions paid by others. The Adviser reviews on a routine basis commission
rates, execution and settlement services performed, making internal and external
comparisons.
When it can be done consistently with the policy of obtaining the most
favorable net results, it is the Adviser's practice to place such orders with
brokers and dealers who supply market quotations to Scudder Fund Accounting
Corporation for appraisal purposes, or who supply research, market and
statistical information to the Funds. The term "research, market and statistical
information" includes advice as to the value of securities, the advisability of
investing in, purchasing or selling securities, and the availability of
securities or purchasers or sellers of securities; and analyses and reports
concerning issuers, industries, securities, economic factors and trends,
portfolio strategy and the performance of accounts. The Adviser is not
authorized when placing portfolio transactions for the Fund to pay a brokerage
commission (to the extent applicable) in excess of that which another broker
might have charged for executing the same transaction solely on account of the
receipt of research, market or statistical information. The Adviser will not
place orders with brokers or dealers on the basis that the broker or dealer has
or has not sold shares of the Fund. Except for implementing the policy stated
above, there is no intention to place portfolio transactions with particular
brokers or dealers or groups thereof. In effecting transactions in
over-the-counter securities, orders are placed with the principal market makers
for the security being traded unless, after exercising care, it appears that
more favorable results are available otherwise.
The Fund's purchases of securities which are traded in the
over-the-counter market are generally placed by the Adviser with primary market
makers for these securities on a net basis, without any brokerage commission
being paid by the Fund. Such trading does, however, involve transaction costs.
Transactions with dealers serving as primary market makers reflect the spread
between the bid and asked prices. Purchases of underwritten issues may be made
which will include an underwriting fee paid to the underwriter.
Although certain research, market and statistical information from
brokers and dealers can be useful to the Fund and to the Adviser, it is the
opinion of the Adviser that such information will only supplement the Adviser's
own research effort since the information must still be analyzed, weighed, and
reviewed by the Adviser's staff. Such information may be useful to the Adviser
in providing services to clients other than the Fund, and not all such
information will be used by the Adviser in connection with the Fund. Conversely,
such information provided to the Adviser by brokers and dealers through whom
other clients of the Adviser effect securities transactions may be useful to the
Adviser in providing services to the Fund.
The Trustees intend to review from time to time whether the recapture
for the benefit of the Fund of some portion of the brokerage commissions or
similar fees paid by the Fund on portfolio transactions is legally permissible
and advisable.
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund's average annual portfolio turnover rate is the ratio of the
lesser of sales or purchases to the monthly average value of the portfolio
securities owned during the year, excluding all securities with maturities or
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expiration dates at the time of acquisition of one year or less. A higher rate
involves greater brokerage transaction expenses to the Fund and may result in
the realization of net capital gains, which would be taxable to shareholders
when distributed. Purchases and sales are made for the Fund's portfolio whenever
necessary, in management's opinion, to meet the Fund's objective. Under normal
investment conditions, it is anticipated that the portfolio turnover rate in the
Fund's initial fiscal year will not exceed 75%.
NET ASSET VALUE
The net asset value of shares of the Fund is computed as of the close
of regular trading on the Exchange on each day the Exchange is open for trading.
The Exchange is scheduled to be closed on the following holidays: New Year's
Day, Presidents Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day,
Thanksgiving and Christmas. Net asset value per share is determined by dividing
the value of the total assets of the Fund, less all liabilities, by the total
number of shares outstanding.
An exchange-traded equity security is valued at its most recent sale
price. Lacking any sales, the security is valued at the calculated mean between
the most recent bid quotation and the most recent asked quotation (the
"Calculated Mean"). Lacking a Calculated Mean, the security is valued at the
most recent bid quotation. An equity security which is traded on the National
Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation ("NASDAQ") system is
valued at its most recent sale price. Lacking any sales, the security is valued
at the high or "inside" bid quotation. The value of an equity security not
quoted on the NASDAQ System, but traded in another over-the-counter market, is
its most recent sale price. Lacking any sales, the security is valued at the
Calculated Mean. Lacking a Calculated Mean, the security is valued at the most
recent bid quotation.
Debt securities, other than short-term securities, are valued at prices
supplied by the Fund's pricing agent(s) which reflect broker/dealer supplied
valuations and electronic data processing techniques. Short-term securities with
remaining maturities of sixty days or less are valued by the amortized cost
method, which the Board believes approximates market value. If it is not
possible to value a particular debt security pursuant to these valuation
methods, the value of such security is the most recent bid quotation supplied by
a bona fide marketmaker. If it is not possible to value a particular debt
security pursuant to the above methods, the Adviser may calculate the price of
that debt security, subject to limitations established by the Board.
An exchange traded options contract on securities, currencies, futures
and other financial instruments is valued at its most recent sale price on such
exchange. Lacking any sales, the options contract is valued at the Calculated
Mean. Lacking any Calculated Mean, the options contract is valued at the most
recent bid quotation in the case of a purchased options contract, or the most
recent asked quotation in the case of a written options contract. An options
contract on securities, currencies and other financial instruments traded
over-the-counter is valued at the most recent bid quotation in the case of a
purchased options contract and at the most recent asked quotation in the case of
a written options contract. Futures contracts are valued at the most recent
settlement price. Foreign currency exchange forward contracts are valued at the
value of the underlying currency at the prevailing exchange rate.
If a security is traded on more than one exchange, or upon one or more
exchanges and in the over-the-counter market, quotations are taken from the
market in which the security is traded most extensively.
If, in the opinion of the Fund's Valuation Committee, the value of a
portfolio asset as determined in accordance with these procedures does not
represent the fair market value of the portfolio asset, the value of the
portfolio asset is taken to be an amount which, in the opinion of the Valuation
Committee, represents fair market value on the basis of all available
information. The value of other portfolio holdings owned by the Fund is
determined in a manner which, in the discretion of the Valuation Committee most
fairly reflects fair market value of the property on the valuation date.
Following the valuations of securities or other portfolio assets in
terms of the currency in which the market quotation used is expressed ("Local
Currency"), the value of these portfolio assets in terms of U.S. dollars is
calculated by converting the Local Currency into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
currency exchange rate on the valuation date.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Experts
The Financial Highlights of the Fund will be included in the Fund's
prospectus, and the Financial Statement incorporated by reference in this
Statement of Additional Information, in reliance on the report of Coopers &
Lybrand, L.L.P., One Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02109,
independent accountants, and given on the authority of that firm as experts in
accounting and auditing.
Other Information
Many of the investment changes in the Fund will be made at prices
different from those prevailing at the time they may be reflected in a regular
report to shareholders of the Fund. These transactions will reflect investment
decisions made by the Adviser in the light of its other portfolio holdings and
tax considerations and should not be construed as recommendations for similar
action by other investors.
The CUSIP number of Micro Cap Fund is 8111 96 302.
The Fund has a fiscal year end of August 31.
Dechert Price & Rhoads acts as general counsel for the Fund.
The Fund employs State Street Bank and Trust Company, 225 Franklin
Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110 as Custodian.
Costs of $26,600 incurred by the Fund in conjunction with its
organization are amortized over the five year period beginning August 12, 1996.
Scudder Service Corporation ("Service Corporation"), P.O. Box 2291,
Boston, Massachusetts, 02107-2291, a subsidiary of the Adviser, is the transfer
and dividend disbursing agent for the Fund. Service Corporation also serves as
shareholder service agent and provides subaccounting and recordkeeping services
for shareholder accounts in certain retirement and employee benefit plans. The
Fund pays Service Corporation an annual fee for each account maintained for a
participant.
Annual service fees are paid by the Fund to Scudder Trust Company, Two
International Place, Boston, Massachusetts, 02110-4103, an affiliate of the
Adviser, for certain retirement plan accounts.
Scudder Fund Accounting Corporation, Two International Place, Boston,
Massachusetts 02110-4103, a subsidiary of the Adviser, computes net asset values
for the Fund. The Fund pays Scudder Fund Accounting Corporation an annual fee
equal to 0.065% of the first $150 million of average daily net assets, 0.04% of
such assets in excess of $150 million and 0.02% of such assets in excess of $1
billion, plus holding and transaction charges for this service.
The Fund's prospectus and this Statement of Additional Information omit
certain information contained in the Registration Statement which the Fund has
filed with the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933 and reference is hereby made
to the Registration Statement for further information with respect to the Fund
and the securities offered hereby. This Registration Statement and its
amendments are available for inspection by the public at the SEC in Washington,
D.C.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Statement of Assets and Liabilities as of August 1, 1996 and the
Report of Independent Accountants for the Fund is included herein.
48
