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Filed Pursuant to Rule 497(e)
Registration File No.: 33-59188
33-45450
333-02419
33-55218
33-46515
33-63685
33-48765
33-81012
SUPPLEMENT TO THE PROSPECTUSES OF
TCW/DW BALANCED FUND Dated November 17, 1997
TCW/DW CORE EQUITY TRUST Dated July 28, 1997
TCW/DW GLOBAL TELECOM TRUST Dated July 28, 1997
TCW/DW INCOME AND GROWTH FUND Dated July 28, 1997
TCW/DW LATIN AMERICAN GROWTH FUND Dated July 28, 1997
TCW/DW MID-CAP EQUITY TRUST Dated July 28, 1997
TCW/DW SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND Dated July 28, 1997
TCW/DW TOTAL RETURN TRUST Dated September 30, 1997
The Trustees of each investment company named above have approved certain
changes to the minimum required investments for each Fund and various matters
pertaining to certain retirement plans, including the terms of the contingent
deferred sales charge applicable to redemptions by such plans. The disclosure
in the section of each of the above Prospectuses entitled "Purchase of Fund
Shares" pertaining to minimum investment requirements (other than the
Prospectus of TCW/DW Balanced Fund, which already contains this disclosure)
is hereby modified to reflect the following:
The minimum initial purchase in the case of an "Education IRA" is $500,
if the Distributor has reason to believe that additional investments will
increase the investment in the account to $1,000 within three years.
In the case of investments pursuant to (i) Systematic Payroll Deduction
Plans (including Individual Retirement Plans), (ii) the InterCapital
mutual fund asset allocation program and (iii) fee-based programs approved
by the Distributor, pursuant to which participants pay an asset based fee
for services in the nature of investment advisory or administrative
services, the Fund, in its discretion, may accept investments without
regard to any minimum amounts which would otherwise be required, provided,
in the case of Systematic Payroll Deduction Plans, that the Distributor
has reason to believe that additional investments will increase the
investment in all accounts under such Plans to at least $1,000.
The first reference in each of the above Prospectuses to "retirement plans
qualified under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code ("401(k) plans")
and other employer-sponsored plans qualified under Section 401(a) of the
Internal Revenue Code . . . for which Dean Witter Trust Company or Dean
Witter Trust FSB serves as Trustee or the 401(k) Support Services Group of
Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. ("DWR") serves as recordkeeper" [Prospectuses dated
July 28, 1997] or "retirement plans qualified under Section 401(k) of the
Internal Revenue Code ("401(k) plans") and other employer-sponsored plans
qualified under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code . . . for which
Dean Witter Trust FSB serves as Trustee or the 401(k) Support Services Group
of DWR serves as recordkeeper" [Prospectuses dated after July 28, 1997] is
hereby changed to "employer-sponsored 401(k) and other plans qualified under
Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code ("Qualified Retirement Plans")
for which Dean Witter Trust FSB ("DWT") serves as Trustee or DWR's Retirement
Plan Services serves as recordkeeper pursuant to a written Recordkeeping
Services Agreement." All subsequent references to such plans in each of the
above Prospectuses are hereby changed to "Qualified Retirement Plans for
which DWT serves as Trustee or DWR's Retirement Plan Services serves as
recordkeeper pursuant to a written Recordkeeping Services Agreement."
The disclosure in the section of each of the above Prospectuses entitled
"Purchase of Fund Shares" pertaining to eligibility to purchase Class D
shares is hereby modified to reflect the following:
Qualified Retirement Plans for which DWT serves as Trustee or DWR's
Retirement Plan Services serves as recordkeeper pursuant to a written
Recordkeeping Services Agreement must satisfy an initial investment
minimum of $25 million to be eligible to purchase Class D shares. Such
Qualified Retirement Plans will be eligible to purchase Class D shares if
they have a
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cumulative net asset value of Class A and Class D shares of the Fund and
other TCW/DW Funds that, together with the current investment amount, is
equal to at least $25 million. For other investors, the $5 million minimum
initial investment requirement and the provisions regarding eligibility to
purchase Class D shares if they have a cumulative net asset value of
shares of Class A and Class D shares of the Fund and other TCW/DW Funds
that, together with the current investment amount, is equal to at least $5
million remains unchanged.
The disclosure in the section of each of the above Prospectuses entitled
"Purchase of Fund Shares" pertaining to the Contingent Deferred Sales Charge
("CDSC") is hereby modified to reflect the following:
In the case of Class B shares of the Fund held by Qualified Retirement
Plans for which DWT serves as Trustee or DWR's Retirement Plan Services
serves as recordkeeper pursuant to a written Recordkeeping Services
Agreement, the three-year CDSC presently applicable only to redemptions of
shares held by such plans whose accounts were opened on or after July 28,
1997 shall now also apply to redemptions of shares purchased on or after
July 28, 1997 by such plans whose accounts were opened before July 28,
1997.
December 31, 1997