<PAGE>
Filed Pursuant to Rule 497(c)
Registration File No.: 33-48765
PROSPECTUS -- APRIL 24, 1998
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TCW/DW Small Cap Growth Fund (the "Fund") is an open-end, non-diversified
management investment company, whose investment objective is capital
appreciation. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing
primarily in common stocks and other equity securities of lesser known,
smaller capitalization domestic and foreign companies. See "Investment
Objective and Policies."
The Fund offers four classes of shares (each, a "Class"), each with a
different combination of sales charges, ongoing fees and other features. The
different distribution arrangements permit an investor to choose the method
of purchasing shares that the investor believes is most beneficial given the
amount of the purchase, the length of time the investor expects to hold the
shares and other relevant circumstances. See "Purchase of Fund
Shares--Alternative Purchase Arrangements."
This Prospectus sets forth concisely the in-formation you should know
before investing in the Fund. It should be read and retained for future
reference. Additional information about the Fund is contained in the
Statement of Additional Infor-mation, dated April 24, 1998, which has been
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and which is available at
no charge upon request of the Fund at the address or telephone numbers listed
on this page. The Statement of Additional Information is incorporated herein
by reference.
Table of Contents
Prospectus Summary .................................................... 2
Summary of Fund Expenses .............................................. 4
Financial Highlights .................................................. 6
Fund and its Management ............................................... 8
Investment Objective and Policies ..................................... 9
Risk Considerations and
Investment Practices ................................................ 10
Investment Restrictions ............................................... 15
Purchase of Fund Shares ............................................... 16
Shareholder Services .................................................. 26
Repurchases and Redemptions ........................................... 29
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes .................................... 30
Performance Information ............................................... 31
Additional Information ................................................ 31
Shares of the Fund are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed or
endorsed by, any bank, and the shares are not federally insured by the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, or any
other agency.
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR HAS THE SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE
ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY
IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
TCW/DW SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND
Two World Trade Center
New York, New York 10048
(212) 392-2550 or
(800) 869-NEWS (toll-free)
Dean Witter Distributors Inc.
Distributor
<PAGE>
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
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<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C>
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THE FUND The Fund is organized as a Trust, commonly known as a Massachusetts
business trust, and is an open-end, non-diversified management investment
company investing primarily in common stocks and other equity securities
of lesser-known, smaller capitalization companies.
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SHARES OFFERED Shares of beneficial interest with $0.01 par value (see page 31). The
Fund offers four Classes of shares, each with a different combination
of sales charges, ongoing fees and other features (see pages 16-26).
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MINIMUM PURCHASE The minimum initial investment for each Class is $1,000 ($100 if the
account is opened through EasyInvest (Service Mark) ). Class D shares
are only available to persons investing $5 million ($25 million for
certain qualified plans) or more and to certain other limited categories
of investors. For the purpose of meeting the minimum $5 million (or
$25 million) investment for Class D shares, and subject to the $1,000
minimum initial investment for each Class of the Fund, an investor's
existing holdings of Class A shares and concurrent investments in Class
D shares of the Fund and other multiple class funds for which Dean Witter
Services Company Inc. serves as manager and TCW Funds Management, Inc.
serves as investment adviser will be aggregated. The minimum subsequent
investment is $100 (see page 16).
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INVESTMENT The investment objective of the Fund is capital appreciation.
OBJECTIVE
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MANAGER Dean Witter Services Company Inc. (the "Manager"), a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Dean Witter InterCapital Inc. ("InterCapital"), is the
Fund's manager. The Manager serves as Manager to ten other investment
companies which are advised by TCW Funds Management, Inc. (the "TCW/DW
Funds"). The Manager and InterCapital serve in various investment
management, advisory, management and administrative capacities to a
total of 101 investment companies and other portfolios with assets of
approximately $113.6 billion at March 31, 1998.
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ADVISER TCW Funds Management, Inc. (the "Adviser") is the Fund's investment
adviser. In addition to the Fund, the Adviser serves as investment adviser
to ten other TCW/DW Funds. As of March 31, 1998, the Adviser and its
affiliates had over $50 billion under management or committed to management
in various fiduciary or advisory capacities, primarily from institutional
investors.
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MANAGEMENT The Manager receives a monthly fee at the annual rate of 0.60% of daily
AND ADVISORY FEES net assets. The Adviser receives a monthly fee at an annual rate of
0.40% of daily net assets (see page 8).
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DISTRIBUTOR AND Dean Witter Distributors Inc. (the "Distributor"). The Fund has adopted
DISTRIBUTION FEE a distribution plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company
Act (the "12b-1 Plan") with respect to the distribution fees paid by
the Class A, Class B and Class C shares of the Fund to the Distributor.
The entire 12b-1 fee payable by Class A and a portion of the 12b-1 fee
payable by each of Class B and Class C equal to 0.25% of the average
daily net assets of the Class are currently each characterized as a
service fee within the meaning of the National Association of Securities
Dealers, Inc. guidelines. The remaining portion of the 12b-1 fee, if
any, is characterized as an asset-based sales charge (see pages 16 and
24).
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ALTERNATIVE Four classes of shares are offered:
PURCHASE
ARRANGEMENTS o Class A shares are offered with a front-end sales charge,
starting at 5.25% and reduced for larger purchases.
Investments of $1 million or more (and investments by certain
other limited categories of investors) are not subject to any
sales charge at the time of purchase but a contingent
deferred sales charge ("CDSC") of 1.0% may be imposed on
redemptions within one year of purchase. The Fund is
authorized to reimburse the Distributor for specific expenses
incurred in promoting the distribution of the Fund's Class A
shares and servicing shareholder accounts pursuant to the
Fund's 12b-1 Plan. Reimbursement may in no event exceed an
amount equal to payments at an annual rate of 0.25% of
average daily net assets of the Class (see pages 16, 19 and
24).
2
<PAGE>
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o Class B shares are offered without a front-end sales charge, but will
in most cases be subject to a CDSC (scaled down from 5.0% to 1.0%) if
redeemed within six years after purchase. The CDSC will be imposed on
any redemption of shares if after such redemption the aggregate current
value of a Class B account with the Fund falls below the aggregate amount
of the investor's purchase payments made during the six years preceding
the redemption. A different CDSC schedule applies to investments by
certain qualified plans. Class B shares are also subject to a 12b-1
fee assessed at the annual rate of 1.0% of the lesser of: (a) the average
daily net sales of the Fund's Class B shares or (b) the average daily
net assets of Class B. All shares of the Fund held prior to July 28,
1997 have been designated Class B shares. Shares held before May 1,
1997 will convert to Class A shares in May, 2007. In all other instances,
Class B shares convert to Class A shares approximately ten years after
the date of the original purchase (see pages 16, 21 and 24).
o Class C shares are offered without a front-end sales charge, but
will in most cases be subject to a CDSC of 1.0% if redeemed within one
year after purchase. The Fund is authorized to reimburse the
Distributor for specific expenses incurred in promoting the
distribution of the Fund's Class C shares and servicing shareholder
accounts pursuant to the Fund's 12b-1 Plan. Reimbursement may in no
event exceed an amount equal to payments at an annual rate of 1.0% of
average daily net assets of the Class (see pages 16, 23 and 24).
o Class D shares are offered only to investors meeting an initial
investment minimum of $5 million ($25 million for certain qualified
plans) and to certain other limited categories of investors. Class D
shares are offered without a front-end sales charge or CDSC and are
not subject to any 12b-1 fee (see pages 16, 23 and 24).
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DIVIDENDS AND Dividends from net investment income and distributions from net capital
CAPITAL GAINS gains, if any, are paid at least once each year. The Fund may, however,
DISTRIBUTIONS determine to retain all or part of any net long-term capital gains in
any year for reinvestment. Dividends and capital gains distributions
paid on shares of a Class are automatically reinvested in additional
shares of the same Class at net asset value unless the shareholder elects
to receive cash. Shares acquired by dividend and distribution reinvestment
will not be subject to any sales charge or CDSC (see pages 26 and 30).
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REDEMPTION Shares are redeemable by the shareholder at net asset value less any
applicable CDSC on Class A, Class B or Class C shares. An account may
be involuntarily redeemed if the total value of the account is less
than $100 or, if the account was opened through EasyInvest (Service
Mark), if after twelve months the shareholder has invested less than
$1,000 in the account (see page 29).
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RISK CONSIDERATIONS The net asset value of the Fund's shares will fluctuate with changes
in the market value of the Fund's portfolio securities. Investing in
lesser known, smaller capitalization companies may involve greater risk
of volatility in the Fund's net asset value than is customarily associated
with larger, more established companies. The Fund is a non-diversified
investment company and, as such, is not subject to the diversification
requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. As a
result, a relatively high percentage of the Fund's assets may be invested
in a limited number of issuers. However, the Fund intends to continue
to qualify as a regulated investment company under the federal income
tax laws and, as such, is subject to the diversification requirements
of the Internal Revenue Code. The Fund may invest in lower rated or
unrated convertible securities, may invest in foreign securities, may
engage in options and futures transactions, and may purchase securities
on a when-issued, delayed delivery or "when, as and if issued" basis,
which may involve certain special risks (see pages 10-15). In addition,
the Fund's portfolio turnover rate may exceed 100%, which may result
in increased brokerage expenses (see page 15).
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</TABLE>
The above is qualified in its entirety by the detailed information appearing
elsewhere in this Prospectus and in the Statement of Additional Information.
3
<PAGE>
SUMMARY OF FUND EXPENSES
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The following table illustrates all expenses and fees that a shareholder
of the Fund will incur. The expenses and fees set forth in the table are
based on the expenses and fees for the fiscal year ended February 28, 1998.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
CLASS A CLASS B CLASS C CLASS D
------------ ------------ ------------ -----------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Shareholder Transaction Expenses
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Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of
offering price) ............................................. 5.25%(1) None None None
Sales Charge Imposed on Dividend Reinvestments ............... None None None None
Maximum Contingent Deferred Sales Charge
(as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption
proceeds).................................................... None(2) 5.00%(3) 1.00%(4) None
Redemption Fees............................................... None None None None
Exchange Fee.................................................. None None None None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (as a percentage of
average net assets)
- -------------------------------------------------------------
Management and Advisory Fees ................................. 1.00% 1.00% 1.00% 1.00%
12b-1 Fees (5)(6)............................................. 0.23% 0.98% 1.00% None
Other Expenses ............................................... 0.27% 0.27% 0.27% 0.27%
Total Fund Operating Expenses (7)............................. 1.50% 2.25% 2.27% 1.27%
</TABLE>
- ------------
(1) Reduced for purchases of $25,000 and over (see "Purchase of Fund
Shares--Initial Sales Charge Alternative--Class A Shares").
(2) Investments that are not subject to any sales charge at the time of
purchase are subject to a CDSC of 1.00% that will be imposed on
redemptions made within one year after purchase, except for certain
specific circumstances (see "Purchase of Fund Shares--Initial Sales
Charge Alternative--Class A Shares").
(3) The CDSC is scaled down to 1.00% during the sixth year, reaching zero
thereafter.
(4) Only applicable to redemptions made within one year after purchase (see
"Purchase of Fund Shares--Level Load Alternative--Class C Shares").
(5) The 12b-1 fee is accrued daily and payable monthly. The entire 12b-1
fee payable by Class A and a portion of the 12b-1 fee payable by each
of Class B and Class C equal to 0.25% of the average daily net assets
of the Class are currently each characterized as a service fee within
the meaning of National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
("NASD") guidelines and are payments made for personal service and/or
maintenance of shareholder accounts. The remainder of the 12b-1 fee, if
any, is an asset-based sales charge, and is a distribution fee paid to
the Distributor to compensate it for the services provided and the
expenses borne by the Distributor and others in the distribution of the
Fund's shares (see "Purchase of Fund Shares--Plan of Distribution").
(6) Upon conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares, such shares will
be subject to the lower 12b-1 fee applicable to Class A shares. No
sales charge is imposed at the time of conversion of Class B shares to
Class A shares. Class C shares do not have a conversion feature and,
therefore, are subject to an ongoing 1.00% distribution fee (see
"Purchase of Fund Shares--Alternative Purchase Arrangements").
(7) There were no outstanding shares of Class A, Class C or Class D prior
to July 28, 1997. Accordingly, "Total Fund Operating Expenses," as
shown above with respect to those Classes, are estimates based upon the
sum of 12b-1 Fees, Management Fees and estimated "Other Expenses."
4
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
EXAMPLES 1 YEAR 3 YEARS 5 YEARS 10 YEARS
- --------- -------- --------- --------- ----------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
You would pay the following expenses on a $1,000 investment
assuming (1) a 5% annual return and (2) redemption at the end of
each time period:
Class A .......................................................... $67 $ 97 $130 $222
Class B .......................................................... $73 $100 $140 $258
Class C........................................................... $33 $ 71 $122 $261
Class D .......................................................... $13 $ 40 $ 70 $153
You would pay the following expenses on the same $1,000 investment
assuming no redemption at the end of the period:
Class A .......................................................... $67 $ 97 $130 $222
Class B .......................................................... $23 $ 70 $120 $258
Class C .......................................................... $23 $ 71 $122 $261
Class D .......................................................... $13 $ 40 $ 70 $153
</TABLE>
THE ABOVE EXAMPLES SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A REPRESENTATION OF PAST OR
FUTURE EXPENSES OR PERFORMANCE. ACTUAL EXPENSES OF EACH CLASS MAY BE GREATER
OR LESS THAN THOSE SHOWN.
The purpose of this table is to assist the investor in understanding the
various costs and expenses that an investor in the Fund will bear directly or
indirectly. For a more complete description of these costs and expenses, see
"The Fund and its Management," "Purchase of Fund Shares--Plan of
Distribution" and "Repurchases and Redemptions."
Long-term shareholders of Class B and Class C may pay more in sales
charges, including distribution fees, than the economic equivalent of the
maximum front-end sales charges permitted by the NASD.
5
<PAGE>
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
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The following ratios and per share data for a share of beneficial interest
outstanding throughout each period have been audited by Price Waterhouse LLP,
independent accountants. The financial highlights should be read in
conjunction with the financial statements, notes thereto, and the unqualified
report of independent accountants which are contained in the Statement of
Additional Information. Further information about the performance of the Fund
is contained in the Fund's Annual Report to Shareholders, which may be
obtained without charge upon request to the Fund.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FOR THE PERIOD
AUGUST 2, 1993*
FOR THE YEAR ENDED FEBRUARY 28, THROUGH
---------------------------------------------------------- FEBRUARY 28,
1998***++ 1997 1996** 1995 1994
- --------------------------------------- ------------------ ----------------- ---------- --------- ---------------
CLASS B SHARES
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
PER SHARE OPERATING PERFORMANCE:
Net asset value, beginning of period .. $15.73 $16.24 $ 9.90 $10.30 $10.00
------------------ ----------------- ---------- --------- ---------------
Net investment loss..................... (0.37) (0.26) (0.19) (0.18) (0.07)
Net realized and unrealized gain
(loss)................................. 5.72 (0.25) 6.53 (0.22) 0.37
------------------ ----------------- ---------- --------- ---------------
Total from investment operations ....... 5.35 (0.51) 6.34 (0.40) 0.30
------------------ ----------------- ---------- --------- ---------------
Net asset value, end of period.......... $21.08 $15.73 $16.24 $ 9.90 $10.30
================== ================= ========== ========= ===============
TOTAL INVESTMENT RETURN+................ 34.01 % (3.14)% 64.04 % (3.88)% 3.00
%(1)
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:
Expenses................................ 2.25 % 2.15 % 2.32 % 2.57 % 2.18
%(2)(3)
Net investment loss..................... (2.05)% (1.70)% (1.75)% (2.04)%
(1.75)%(2)(3)
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
Net assets, end of period, in
thousands.............................. $340,665 $268,783 $153,366 $69,984 $68,209
Portfolio turnover rate................. 61 % 42 % 52 % 116 % 69
%(1)
Average commission rate paid............ $0.0576 $0.0580 -- -- --
</TABLE>
* Commencement of operations.
** Year ended February 29.
*** Prior to July 28, 1997, the Fund issued one class of shares. All shares
of the Fund held prior to that date have been designated Class B
shares.
++ The per share amounts were computed using an average number of shares
outstanding during the period.
+ Does not reflect the deduction of sales charge. Calculated based on the
net asset value as of the last business day of the period.
(1) Not annualized.
(2) Annualized.
(3) If the Fund had borne all its expenses that were assumed or waived by
the Manager and Adviser, the annualized expense and net investment loss
ratios would have been 2.78% and (2.35)%, respectively.
6
<PAGE>
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (continued)
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FOR THE PERIOD
JULY 28, 1997*
THROUGH
FEBRUARY 28,
1998++
------------------
CLASS A SHARES
PER SHARE OPERATING PERFORMANCE:
Net asset value, beginning of period .... $ 18.12
------------------
Net investment loss...................... (0.15)
Net realized and unrealized gain ....... 3.21
------------------
Total from investment operations ....... 3.06
------------------
Net asset value, end of period........... $ 21.18
==================
TOTAL INVESTMENT RETURN+ ................ 16.89 %(1)
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:
Expenses................................. 1.52 %(2)
Net investment loss...................... (1.32)%(2)
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
Net assets, end of period, in thousands $ 276
Portfolio turnover rate ................. 61 %(1)
Average commission rate paid............. $0.0576
CLASS C SHARES
PER SHARES OPERATING PERFORMANCE:
Net asset value, beginning of period .... $ 18.12
------------------
Net investment loss...................... (0.24)
Net realized and unrealized gain ....... 3.20
------------------
Total from investment operations ........ 2.96
------------------
Net asset value, end of period........... $ 21.08
==================
TOTAL INVESTMENT RETURN+ ................ 16.39 %(1)
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:
Expenses ................................ 2.29 %(2)
Net investment loss ..................... (2.10)%(2)
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
Net assets, end of period, in thousands . $ 923
Portfolio turnover rate.................. 61 %(1)
Average commission rate paid............. $0.0576
* The date shares were first issued.
++ The per share amounts were computed using an average number of shares
outstanding during the period.
+ Does not reflect the deduction of sales charge. Calculated based on the
net asset value as of the last business day of the period.
(1) Not annualized.
(2) Annualized.
7
<PAGE>
FINANCIAL HIGLIGHTS (continued)
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FOR THE PERIOD
JULY 28, 1997*
THROUGH
FEBRUARY 28,
1998++
------------------
CLASS D SHARES
PER SHARE OPERATING PERFORMANCE:
Net asset value, beginning of period ... $ 18.12
------------------
Net investment loss ..................... (0.12)
Net realized and unrealized gain ....... 3.21
------------------
Total from investment operations ........ 3.09
------------------
Net asset value, end of period .......... $ 21.21
==================
TOTAL INVESTMENT RETURN+ ................ 17.05 %(1)
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:
Expenses ................................ 1.27 %(2)
Net investment loss ..................... (1.10)%(2)
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
Net assets, end of period, in thousands $ 12
Portfolio turnover rate ................. 61 %(1)
Average commission rate paid ............ $0.0576
* The date shares were first issued.
++ The per share amounts were computed using an average number of shares
outstanding during the period.
+ Calculated based on the net asset value as of the last business day of
the period.
(1) Not annualized.
(2) Annualized.
THE FUND AND ITS MANAGEMENT
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TCW/DW Small Cap Growth Fund (the "Fund") is an open-end, non-diversified
management investment company. The Fund is a trust of the type commonly known
as a "Massachusetts business trust" and was organized under the laws of
Massachusetts on March 11, 1992.
Dean Witter Services Company Inc. (the "Manager"), whose address is Two
World Trade Center, New York, New York 10048, is the Fund's Manager. The
Manager is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dean Witter InterCapital Inc.
("InterCapital"). InterCapital is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Morgan Stanley
Dean Witter & Co., a preeminent global financial services firm that maintains
leading market positions in each of its three primary businesses--securities,
asset management and credit services.
The Manager acts as manager to ten other TCW/DW Funds. The Manager and
InterCapital act in various investment management, advisory, management and
administrative capacities to a total of 101 investment companies, 28 of which
are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, with combined assets of
approximately $109.5 billion as of March 31, 1998. InterCapital also manages
and advises portfolios of pension plans, other institutions and individuals
which aggregated approximately $4.1 billion at such date.
8
<PAGE>
The Fund has retained the Manager to manage its business affairs,
supervise its overall day-to-day operations (other than providing investment
advice) and provide all administrative services.
TCW Funds Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), whose address is 865 South
Figueroa Street, Suite 1800, Los Angeles, California 90017, is the Fund's
investment adviser. The Adviser was organized in 1987 as a wholly-owned
subsidiary of The TCW Group, Inc. ("TCW"), whose subsidiaries, including
Trust Company of the West and TCW Asset Management Company, provide a variety
of trust, investment management and investment advisory services. Robert A.
Day, who is Chairman of the Board of Directors of TCW, may be deemed to be a
control person of the Adviser by virtue of the aggregate ownership by Mr. Day
and his family of more than 25% of the outstanding voting stock of The TCW
Group, Inc. The Adviser serves as investment adviser to ten other TCW/DW
Funds in addition to the Fund. As of March 31, 1998, the Adviser and its
affiliated companies had over $50 billion under management or committed to
management, primarily from institutional investors.
The Fund has retained the Adviser to invest the Fund's assets.
The Fund's Trustees review the various services provided by the Manager
and the Adviser to ensure that the Fund's general investment policies and
programs are being properly carried out and that administrative services are
being provided to the Fund in a satisfactory manner.
As full compensation for the services and facilities furnished to the Fund
and for expenses of the Fund assumed by the Manager, the Fund pays the
Manager monthly compensation calculated daily by applying the annual rate of
0.60% to the Fund's net assets. As compensation for its investment advisory
services, the Fund pays the Adviser monthly compensation calculated daily by
applying an annual rate of 0.40% to the Fund's net assets. The total fees
paid by the Fund to the Manager and the Adviser are higher than the fees paid
by most other investment companies for similar services. For the fiscal year
ended February 28, 1998, the Fund accrued total compensation to the Manager
and the Adviser amounting to 0.60% and 0.40%, respectively, of the Fund's
average daily net assets. During that period, the total expenses of Class B
amounted to 2.25% of the average daily net assets. Shares of Class A, Class C
and Class D were first issued on July 28, 1997. The expenses of the Fund
include: the fee of the Manager and the Adviser, the fee pursuant to the Plan
of Distribution (see "Purchase of Fund Shares"); taxes; transfer agent,
custodian and auditing fees; certain legal fees; and printing and other
expenses relating to the Fund's operations which are not expressly assumed by
the Manager and the Adviser under their respective Agreements with the Fund.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND POLICIES
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The investment objective of the Fund is capital appreciation. This
objective is fundamental and may not be changed without shareholder approval.
There is no assurance that the objective will be achieved.
The Fund invests primarily in common stocks and other equity securities of
lesser known, smaller capitalization companies. The Fund seeks to achieve its
investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of
its total assets in common stocks and securities convertible into common
stock of companies with market capitalizations at the time of purchase
(calculated by multiplying the number of outstanding shares of a company by
the current market price) of less than $1 billion. Generally, no more than
25% of the Fund's total assets will be invested in securities of companies
with market capitalizations of less than $100 million, at the time of
purchase. Investing in lesser-known, smaller capitalization companies may
involve greater risk of volatility of the Fund's net asset value than is
customarily associated with larger, more established companies. The Fund may
invest up to 35% of its net assets in convertible securities. There are no
minimum rating or quality requirements with respect to convertible
9
<PAGE>
securities in which the Fund may invest. See the Appendix to the Statement of
Additional Information for a discussion of ratings of fixed-income
securities.
The Adviser invests the Fund's assets by pursuing its small cap growth
investment philosophy. That philosophy consists of fundamental
company-by-company financial analysis used in conjunction with technical and
quantitative market analysis to screen potential investments and to
continuously monitor securities in the Fund's portfolio. Under normal
circumstances it is expected that the Fund's portfolio will generally contain
securities of more than 100 separate issuers. Dividend income is not a
consideration in the selection of stocks for purchase by the Fund.
While the Fund invests primarily in common stocks and securities
convertible into common stock of small capitalization companies, under
ordinary cir cumstances it may invest up to 35% of its total assets in (i)
equity securities of companies with a market capitalization of more than $1
billion at the time of purchase as long as such investments are consistent
with the Fund's objective of capital appreciation and (ii) money market
instruments, which are short-term (maturities of up to thirteen months)
fixed-income securities issued by private and governmental institutions.
Money market instruments in which the Fund may invest are securities issued
or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies (Treasury bills, notes
and bonds); obligations of banks subject to regulation by the U.S. Government
and having total assets of $1 billion or more; Eurodollar certificates of
deposit; obligations of savings banks and savings and loan associations
having total assets of $1 billion or more; fully insured certificates of
deposit; and commercial paper rated within the two highest grades by Moody's
Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") or Standard & Poor's Corporation ("S&P")
or, if not rated, issued by a company having an outstanding debt issue rated
AAA by S&P or Aaa by Moody's.
There may be periods during which, in the opinion of the Adviser, market
conditions warrant reduction of some or all of the Fund's securities
holdings. During such periods, the Fund may adopt a temporary "defensive"
posture in which greater than 35% of its total assets is invested in money
market instruments or cash.
The Fund is classified as a non-diversified investment company under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Act"), and as such is not
limited by the Act in the proportion of its assets that it may invest in the
obligations of a single issuer. However, the Fund intends to conduct its
operations so as to qualify as a "regulated investment company" under
Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. See "Dividends, Distributions and
Taxes." In order to qualify, among other requirements, the Fund will limit
its investments so that at the close of each quarter of the taxable year: (i)
not more than 25% of the market value of the Fund's total assets will be
invested in the securities of a single issuer, and (ii) with respect to 50%
of the market value of its total assets not more than 5% will be invested in
the securities of a single issuer and the Fund will not own more than 10% of
the outstanding voting securities of a single issuer. To the extent that a
relatively high percentage of the Fund's assets may be invested in the
obligations of a limited number of issuers, the Fund's portfolio securities
may be more susceptible to any single economic, political or regulatory
occurrence than the portfolio securities of a diversified investment company.
The limitations described in this paragraph are not fundamental policies and
may be revised to the extent applicable Federal income tax requirements are
revised.
RISK CONSIDERATIONS AND INVESTMENT PRACTICES
The net asset value of the Fund's shares will fluctuate with changes in
the market value of the Fund's portfolio securities. The market value of the
Fund's portfolio securities will increase or decrease due to a variety of
economic, market or political factors which cannot be predicted.
Small Cap Stocks. As stated above, investing in lesser-known, smaller
capitalization companies may involve greater risk of volatility of the Fund's
net asset value than is customarily associated with larger, more established
companies. Often small capitalization companies and the industries in which
they are focused are still evolving and while this may offer better growth
potential than larger, more established companies, it also may make them more
sensitive to changing market conditions.
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Foreign securities. The Fund may invest up to 25% of the value of its
total assets in foreign securities (other than securities of Canadian issuers
registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or American Depository
Receipts, on which there is no such limit). The Fund's investment in unlisted
foreign securities is subject to the Fund's overall policy limiting its
investment in illiquid securities to 15% or less of its net assets.
When purchasing foreign securities the Fund will generally enter into
foreign currency exchange transactions or forward foreign exchange contracts
to facilitate settlement. The Fund will utilize forward foreign exchange
contracts in these instances as an attempt to limit the effect of changes in
the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the foreign currency during the
period between the trade date and settlement date for the transaction.
Foreign securities investments may be affected by changes in currency
rates or exchange control regulations, changes in governmental administration
or economic or monetary policy (in the United States and abroad) or changed
circumstances in dealings between nations. Fluctuations in the relative rates
of exchange between the currencies of different nations will affect the value
of the Fund's investments denominated in foreign currency. Changes in foreign
currency exchange rates relative to the U.S. dollar will affect the U.S.
dollar value of the Fund's assets denominated in that currency and thereby
impact upon the Fund's total return on such assets.
Foreign currency exchange rates are determined by forces of supply and
demand on the foreign exchange markets. These forces are themselves affected
by the international balance of payments and other economic and financial
conditions, government intervention, speculation and other factors. Moreover,
foreign currency exchange rates may be affected by the regulatory control of
the exchanges on which the currencies trade.
Investments in foreign securities will also occasion risks relating to
political and economic developments abroad, including the possibility of
expropriations or confiscatory taxation, limitations on the use or transfer
of Fund assets and any effects of foreign social, economic or political
instability. Foreign companies are not subject to the regulatory requirements
of U.S. companies and, as such, there may be less publicly available
information about such companies. Moreover, foreign companies are not subject
to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and
requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies.
Securities of foreign issuers may be less liquid than comparable
securities of U.S. issuers and, as such, their price changes may be more
volatile. Furthermore, foreign exchanges and broker-dealers are generally
subject to less government and exchange scrutiny and regulation than their
American counterparts. Brokerage commissions, dealer concessions and other
transaction costs may be higher on foreign markets than in the U.S. In
addition, differences in clearance and settlement procedures on foreign
markets may occasion delays in settlements of the Fund's trades effected in
such markets. As such, the inability to dispose of portfolio securities due
to settlement delays could result in losses to the Fund due to subsequent
declines in value of such securities and the inability of the Fund to make
intended security purchases due to settlement problems could result in a
failure of the Fund to make potentially advantageous investments. To the
extent the Fund purchases Eurodollar certificates of deposit issued by
foreign branches of domestic United States banks, consideration will be given
to their domestic marketability, the lower reserve requirements normally
mandated for overseas banking operations, the possible impact of
interruptions in the flow of international currency transactions and future
international political and economic developments which might adversely
affect the payment of principal or interest.
Convertible Securities. A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note,
preferred stock or other security that may be converted into or exchanged for
a prescribed amount of common stock of the same or a different issuer within
a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. Convertible
securities rank senior to common stocks in a corporation's capital structure
and, therefore, entail less risk than the
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<PAGE>
corporation's common stock. The value of a convertible security is a function
of its "investment value" (its value as if it did not have a conversion
privilege), and its "conversion value" (the security's worth if it were to be
exchanged for the underlying security, at market value, pursuant to its
conversion privilege).
To the extent that a convertible security's investment value is greater
than its conversion value, its price will be primarily a reflection of such
investment value and its price will be likely to increase when interest rates
fall and decrease when interest rates rise, as with a fixed-income security
(the credit standing of the issuer and other factors may also have an effect
on the convertible security's value). If the conversion value exceeds the
investment value, the price of the convertible security will rise above its
investment value and, in addition, may sell at some premium over its
conversion value. (This premium represents the price investors are willing to
pay for the privilege of purchasing a fixed-income security with a
possibility of capital appreciation due to the conversion privilege.) At such
times the price of the convertible security will tend to fluctuate directly
with the price of the underlying equity security.
Because of the special nature of the Fund's permitted investments in lower
rated convertible securities, the Adviser must take account of certain
special considerations in assessing the risks associated with such
investments. (Lower rated convertible and fixed-income securities are
commonly known as "junk bonds.") The prices of lower rated securities have
been found to be less sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates than
higher rated investments, but are likely to be more sensitive to adverse
economic changes or individual corporate developments. During an economic
downturn or substantial period of rising interest rates, highly leveraged
issuers may experience financial stress which would adversely affect their
ability to service their principal and interest payment obligations, to meet
their projected business goals or to obtain additional financing. If the
issuer of a fixed-income security owned by the Fund defaults, the Fund may
incur additional expenses to seek recovery. In addition, periods of economic
uncertainty and change can be expected to result in an increased volatility
of market prices of lower rated securities and a corresponding volatility in
the net asset value of a share of the Fund.
Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements,
which may be viewed as a type of secured lending by the Fund, and which
typically involve the acquisition by the Fund of debt securities from a
selling financial institution such as a bank, savings and loan association or
broker-dealer. The agreement provides that the Fund will sell back to the
institution, and that the institution will repurchase, the underlying
security at a specified price and at a fixed time in the future, usually not
more than seven days from the date of purchase. While repurchase agreements
involve certain risks not associated with direct investments in debt
securities, including the risks of default or bankruptcy of the selling
financial institution, the Fund follows procedures designed to minimize such
risks. These procedures include effecting repurchase transactions only with
large, well-capitalized and well-established financial institutions and
maintaining adequate collateralization.
When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments. From
time to time, in the ordinary course of business, the Fund may purchase
securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis or may purchase or sell
securities on a forward commitment basis. When such transactions are
negotiated, the price is fixed at the time of the commitment, but delivery
and payment can take place a month or more after the date of the commitment.
An increase in the percentage of the Fund's assets committed to the purchase
of securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis
may increase the volatility of the Fund's net asset value.
When, As and If Issued Securities. The Fund may purchase securities on a
"when, as and if issued" basis under which the issuance of the security
depends upon the occurrence of a subsequent event, such as approval of a
merger, corporate reorganization, leveraged buyout or debt restructuring. If
the anticipated event does not occur and the securities are not issued, the
Fund will have lost an investment opportunity. An increase
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<PAGE>
in the percentage of the Fund's assets committed to the purchase of
securities on a "when, as and if issued" basis may increase the volatility of
its net asset value.
Zero Coupon Securities. A portion of the fixed-income securities purchased
by the Fund may be zero coupon securities. Such securities are purchased at a
discount from their face amount, giving the purchaser the right to receive
their full value at maturity. The interest earned on such securities is,
implicitly, automatically compounded and paid out at maturity. While such
compounding at a constant rate eliminates the risk of receiving lower yields
upon reinvestment of interest if prevailing interest rates decline, the owner
of a zero coupon security will be unable to participate in higher yields upon
reinvestment of interest received on interest-paying securities if prevailing
interest rates rise.
A zero coupon security pays no interest to its holder during its life.
Therefore, to the extent the Fund invests in zero coupon securities, it will
not receive current cash available for distribution to shareholders. In
addition, zero coupon securities are subject to substantially greater price
fluctuations during periods of changing prevailing interest rates than are
comparable securities which pay interest on a current basis. Current federal
tax law requires that a holder (such as the Fund) of a zero coupon security
accrue a portion of the discount at which the security was purchased as
income each year even though the Fund receives no interest payments in cash
on the security during the year.
Investment in Real Estate Investment Trusts. The Fund may invest in real
estate investment trusts, which pool investors' funds for investments
primarily in commercial real estate properties. Investment in real estate
investment trusts may be the most practical available means for the Fund to
invest in the real estate industry (the Fund is prohibited from investing in
real estate directly). As a shareholder in a real estate investment trust,
the Fund would bear its ratable share of the real estate investment trust's
expenses, including its advisory and administration fees. At the same time
the Fund would continue to pay its own investment management fees and other
expenses, as a result of which the Fund and its shareholders in effect will
be absorbing duplicate levels of fees with respect to investments in real
estate investment trusts.
Private Placements. The Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in
securities which are subject to restrictions on resale because they have not
been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities
Act"), or which are otherwise not readily marketable. (Securities eligible
for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act, and determined to
be liquid pursuant to the procedures discussed in the following paragraph,
are not subject to the foregoing restriction.) These securities are generally
referred to as private placements or restricted securities. Limitations on
the resale of such securities may have an adverse effect on their
marketability, and may prevent the Fund from disposing of them promptly at
reasonable prices. The Fund may have to bear the expense of registering such
securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting such
registration.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted Rule 144A under the
Securities Act, which permits the Fund to sell restricted securities to
qualified institutional buyers without limitation. The Adviser, pursuant to
procedures adopted by the Trustees of the Fund, will make a determination as
to the liquidity of each restricted security purchased by the Fund. If a
restricted security is determined to be "liquid," such security will not be
included within the category "illiquid securities," which under current
policy may not exceed 15% of the Fund's net assets. However, investing in
Rule 144A securities could have the effect of increasing the level of Fund
illiquidity to the extent the Fund, at a particular period of time, may be
unable to find qualified institutional buyers interested in purchasing such
securities.
OPTIONS AND FUTURES TRANSACTIONS
The Fund may purchase and sell (write) call and put options on portfolio
securities and on the U.S. dollar which are or may in the future be listed on
securities exchanges or are written in over-the-counter transactions ("OTC
options"). Listed options are issued or guaranteed by the exchange on which
they trade or by a clearing corporation such as the Options Clearing
Corporation. OTC options are purchased from or sold (written) to dealers or
financial institutions which have entered into direct agreements with the
Fund.
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The Fund may purchase listed and OTC call and put options in amounts
equalling up to 5% of its net assets. The Fund may purchase put options on
securities which it holds in its portfolio only to protect itself against a
decline in the value of the security. The Fund may also purchase put options
to close out written put positions. The aggregate value of the obligations
underlying the puts determined as of the date the options are sold will not
exceed 50% of the Fund's net assets. There are no other limits on the Fund's
ability to purchase call and put options. The Fund may write covered call and
put options on portfolio securities and on the U.S. dollar without limit. The
Fund may also purchase and write options on stock indexes. See "Risks of
Options on Indexes" in the Statement of Additional Information.
The Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts that are currently
traded, or may in the future be traded, on commodity exchanges on underlying
portfolio securities, on fixed-income securities ("interest rate" futures)
and on such indexes of equity or fixed-income securities as may exist or come
into being ("index" futures). The Fund will purchase or sell interest rate
futures contracts for the purpose of hedging some or all of the value of its
portfolio securities (or anticipated portfolio securities) against changes in
prevailing interest rates. The Fund will purchase or sell index futures
contracts for the purpose of hedging some or all of its portfolio (or
anticipated portfolio) securities against changes in their prices.
The Fund also may purchase and write call and put options on futures
contracts which are traded on an exchange and enter into closing transactions
with respect to such options to terminate an existing position.
New futures contracts, options and other financial products and various
combinations thereof continue to be developed. The Fund may invest in any
such futures, options or products as may be developed, to the extent
consistent with its investment objective and applicable regulatory
requirements.
Risks of Options and Futures Transactions. The Fund may close out its
position as writer of an option, or as a buyer or seller of a futures
contract, only if a liquid secondary market exists for options or futures
contracts of that series. There is no assurance that such a market will
exist, particularly in the case of OTC options, as such options may generally
only be closed out by entering into a closing purchase transaction with the
purchasing dealer. Also, exchanges may limit the amount by which the price of
many futures contracts may move on any day. If the price moves equal the
daily limit on successive days, then it may prove impossible to liquidate a
futures position until the daily limit moves have ceased.
While the futures contracts and options transactions to be engaged in by
the Fund for the purpose of hedging the Fund's portfolio securities are not
speculative in nature, there are risks inherent in the use of such
instruments. One such risk is that the Adviser could be incorrect in its
expectations as to the direction or extent of various interest rate or price
movements or the time span within which the movements take place. For
example, if the Fund sold futures contracts for the sale of securities in
anticipation of an increase in interest rates, and then interest rates went
down instead, causing bond prices to rise, the Fund would lose money on the
sale. Another risk which will arise in employing futures contracts to protect
against the price volatility of portfolio securities is that the prices of
securities, currencies and indexes subject to futures contracts (and thereby
the futures contract prices) may correlate imperfectly with the behavior of
the dollar cash prices of the Fund's portfolio securities and their
denominated currencies.
Year 2000. The management services provided to the Fund by the Manager,
the investment advisory services provided to the Fund by the Adviser and the
services provided to shareholders by the Distributor and the Transfer Agent
depend on the smooth functioning of their computer systems. Many computer
software systems in use today cannot recognize the year 2000, but revert to
1900 or some other date, due to the manner in which dates were encoded and
calculated. That failure could have a negative impact on the handling of
securities trades, pricing and account services. The Manager, the Adviser,
the Distributor and the Transfer Agent have been actively
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<PAGE>
working on necessary changes to their own computer systems to prepare for the
year 2000 and expect that their systems will be adapted before that date, but
there can be no assurance that they will be successful, or that interaction
with other non-complying computer systems will not impair their services at
that time.
In addition, it is possible that the markets for securities in which the
Fund invests may be detrimentally affected by computer failures throughout
the financial services industry beginning January 1, 2000. Improperly
functioning trading systems may result in settlement problems and liquidity
issues. In addition, corporate and governmental data processing errors may
result in production problems for individual companies and overall economic
uncertainties. Earnings of individual issuers will be affected by remediation
costs, which may be substantial and may be reported inconsistently in U.S.
and foreign financial statements. Accordingly, the Fund's investments may be
adversely affected.
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
The Fund's portfolio is actively managed by its Adviser with a view to
achieving the Fund's investment objective. Charles Larsen, Douglas S. Foreman
and Christopher J. Ainley, Managing Directors of the Adviser, are the primary
portfolio managers of the Fund. Mr. Larsen, who has been a primary portfolio
manager of the Fund since September, 1994, has been a portfolio manager of
affiliates of The TCW Group, Inc. since 1984. Mr. Foreman and Mr. Ainley, who
have been primary portfolio managers of the Fund since September, 1994 and
April, 1998, respectively, have been portfolio managers with affiliates of
The TCW Group, Inc. since May, 1994, prior to which they were portfolio
managers with Putnam Investments.
In determining which securities to purchase for the Fund or hold in the
Fund's portfolio, the Adviser will rely on information from various sources,
including research, analysis and appraisals of brokers and dealers, including
Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. ("DWR"), Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated and
other brokers and dealers that are affiliates of the Manager, and others
regarding economic developments and interest rate trends, and the Adviser's
own analysis of factors it deems relevant.
Orders for transactions in portfolio securities and commodities are placed
for the Fund with a number of brokers and dealers, including DWR, Morgan
Stanley & Co. Incorporated and other brokers and dealers that are affiliates
of the Manager. The Fund may incur brokerage commissions on transactions
conducted through DWR, Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated and other brokers
and dealers that are affiliates of the Manager. It is not anticipated that
the portfolio trading will result in the Fund's portfolio turnover rate
exceeding 150% in any one year. The Fund will incur brokerage costs
commensurate with its portfolio turnover rate, and thus a higher level (over
100%) of portfolio transactions will increase the Fund's overall brokerage
expenses. See "Dividends, Distributions and Taxes" for a discussion of the
tax implications of the Fund's trading policy.
Except as specifically noted, all investment policies and practices
discussed above are not fundamental policies of the Fund and, as such, may be
changed without shareholder approval.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The investment restrictions listed below are among the restrictions which
have been adopted by the Fund as fundamental policies. Under the Act, a
fundamental policy may not be changed without the vote of a majority of the
outstanding voting securities of the Fund, as defined in the Act. For
purposes of the following limitations: (i) all percentage limitations apply
immediately after a purchase or initial investment, and (ii) any subsequent
change in any applicable percentage resulting from market fluctuations or
other changes in total or net assets does not require elimination of any
security from the portfolio.
The Fund may not:
1. Invest 25% or more of the value of its total assets in securities of
issuers in any one industry. This restriction does not apply to obli-
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gations issued or guaranteed by the United States Government, its agencies
or instrumentalities.
2. Invest more than 5% of the value of its total assets in securities of
issuers having a record, together with predecessors, of less than three
years of continuous operation. This restriction does not apply to
obligations issued or guaranteed by the United States Government, its
agencies or instrumentalities.
In addition, as a non-fundamental policy, the Fund may not, as to 75% of
its total assets, purchase more than 10% of the voting securities of any
issuer.
PURCHASE OF FUND SHARES
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
GENERAL
The Fund offers each class of its shares for sale to the public on a
continuous basis. Pursuant to a Distribution Agreement between the Fund and
Dean Witter Distributors Inc. (the "Distributor"), an affiliate of the
Manager, shares of the Fund are distributed by the Distributor and offered by
DWR and others (which may include TCW Brokerage Services, an affiliate of the
Adviser) which have entered into selected dealer agreements with the
Distributor ("Selected Broker-Dealers"). The principal executive office of
the Distributor is located at Two World Trade Center, New York, New York
10048.
The Fund offers four classes of shares (each, a "Class"). Class A shares
are sold to investors with an initial sales charge that declines to zero for
larger purchases; however, Class A shares sold without an initial sales
charge are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") of 1.0% if
redeemed within one year of purchase, except for certain specific
circumstances. Class B shares are sold without an initial sales charge but
are subject to a CDSC (scaled down from 5.0% to 1.0%) payable upon most
redemptions within six years after purchase. (Class B shares purchased by
certain qualified plans are subject to a CDSC scaled down from 2.0% to 1.0%
if redeemed within three years after purchase.) Class C shares are sold
without an initial sales charge but are subject to a CDSC of 1.0% on most
redemptions made within one year after purchase. Class D shares are sold
without an initial sales charge or CDSC and are available only to investors
meeting an initial investment minimum of $5 million ($25 million for certain
qualified plans), and to certain other limited categories of investors. At
the discretion of the Board of Trustees of the Fund, Class A shares may be
sold to categories of investors in addition to those set forth in this
prospectus at net asset value without a front-end sales charge, and Class D
shares may be sold to certain other categories of investors, in each case as
may be described in the then current prospectus of the Fund. See "Alternative
Purchase Arrangements--Selecting a Particular Class" for a discussion of
factors to consider in selecting which Class of shares to purchase.
The minimum initial purchase is $1,000 for each Class of shares, although
Class D shares are only available to persons investing $5 million ($25
million for certain qualified plans) or more and to certain other limited
categories of investors. For the purpose of meeting the minimum $5 million
(or $25 million) initial investment for Class D shares, and subject to the
$1,000 minimum initial investment for each Class of the Fund, an investor's
existing holdings of Class A shares and concurrent investments in Class D
shares of the Fund and other TCW/DW Funds which are multiple class funds
("TCW/DW Multi-Class Funds") will be aggregated. Subsequent purchases of $100
or more may be made by sending a check, payable to TCW/DW Small Cap Growth
Fund, directly to Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Trust FSB (the "Transfer Agent"
or "MSDW Trust") at P.O. Box 1040, Jersey City, NJ 07303, or by contacting an
account executive of DWR or any other Selected Broker-Dealer. When purchasing
shares of the Fund, investors must specify whether the purchase is for Class
A, Class B, Class C or Class D shares. If no Class is specified, the Transfer
Agent will not process the transaction until the proper Class is identified.
The minimum initial purchase, in the case of investments through EasyInvest
(Service Mark), an automatic purchase plan (see "Shareholder Services"), is
$100, provided that
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<PAGE>
the schedule of automatic investments will result in investments totalling at
least $1,000 within the first twelve months. The minimum initial investment
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 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, administrative and/or brokerage 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. Certificates for shares purchased will not be issued unless
a request is made by the shareholder in writing to the Transfer Agent.
Shares of the Fund are sold through the Distributor on a normal three
business day settlement basis; that is, payment is due on the third business
day (settlement date) after the order is placed with the Distributor. Since
DWR and other Selected Broker-Dealers forward investors' funds on settlement
date, they will benefit from the temporary use of the funds if payment is
made prior thereto. As noted above, orders placed directly with the Transfer
Agent must be accompanied by payment. Investors will be entitled to receive
income dividends and capital gains distribu tions if their order is received
by the close of business on the day prior to the record date for such
dividends and distributions. Sales personnel of a Selected Broker-Dealer are
compensated for selling shares of the Fund by the Distributor or any of its
affiliates and/or the Selected Broker-Dealer. In addition, some sales
personnel of the Selected Broker-Dealer will receive various types of
non-cash compensation as special sales incentives, including trips,
educational and/or business seminars and merchandise. The Fund and the
Distributor reserve the right to reject any purchase orders.
ALTERNATIVE PURCHASE ARRANGEMENTS
The Fund offers several Classes of shares to investors designed to provide
them with the flexibility of selecting an investment best suited to their
needs. The general public is offered three Classes of shares: Class A shares,
Class B shares and Class C shares, which differ principally in terms of sales
charges and rate of expenses to which they are subject. A fourth Class of
shares, Class D shares, is offered only to limited categories of investors
(see "No Load Alternative--Class D Shares" below).
Each Class A, Class B, Class C or Class D share of the Fund represents an
identical interest in the investment portfolio of the Fund except that Class
A, Class B and Class C shares bear the expenses of the ongoing shareholder
service fees, Class B and Class C shares bear the expenses of the ongoing
distribution fees and Class A, Class B and Class C shares which are redeemed
subject to a CDSC bear the expense of the additional incremental distribution
costs resulting from the CDSC applicable to shares of those Classes. The
ongoing distribution fees that are imposed on Class A, Class B and Class C
shares will be imposed directly against those Classes and not against all
assets of the Fund and, accordingly, such charges against one Class will not
affect the net asset value of any other Class or have any impact on investors
choosing another sales charge option. See "Plan of Distribution" and
"Repurchases and Redemptions."
Set forth below is a summary of the differences between the Classes and
the factors an investor should consider when selecting a particular Class.
This summary is qualified in its entirety by detailed discussion of each
Class that follows this summary.
Class A Shares. Class A shares are sold at net asset value plus an initial
sales charge of up to 5.25%. The initial sales charge is reduced for certain
purchases. Investments of $1 million or more (and investments by certain
other limited categories of investors) are not subject to any sales charges
at the time of purchase but are subject to a CDSC of 1.0% on redemptions made
within one year after purchase, except for certain specific circumstances.
Class A
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shares are also subject to a 12b-1 fee of up to 0.25% of the average daily
net assets of the Class. See "Initial Sales Charge Alternative--Class A
Shares."
Class B Shares. Class B shares are offered at net asset value with no
initial sales charge but are subject to a CDSC (scaled down from 5.0% to
1.0%) if redeemed within six years of purchase. (Class B shares purchased by
certain qualified plans are subject to a CDSC scaled down from 2.0% to 1.0%
if redeemed within three years after purchase.) This CDSC may be waived for
certain redemptions. Class B shares are also subject to an annual 12b-1 fee
of 1.0% of the lesser of: (a) the average daily aggregate gross sales of the
Fund's Class B shares since the inception of the Fund (not including
reinvestments of dividends or capital gains distributions), less the average
daily aggregate net asset value of the Fund's Class B shares redeemed since
the Fund's inception upon which a CDSC has been imposed or waived, or (b) the
average daily net assets of Class B. The Class B shares' distribution fee
will cause that Class to have higher expenses and pay lower dividends than
Class A or Class D shares.
After approximately ten (10) years, Class B shares will convert
automatically to Class A shares of the Fund, based on the relative net asset
values of the shares of the two Classes on the conversion date. In addition,
a certain portion of Class B shares that have been acquired through the
reinvestment of dividends and distributions will be converted at that time.
See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charge Alternative--Class B Shares."
Class C Shares. Class C shares are sold at net asset value with no initial
sales charge but are subject to a CDSC of 1.0% on redemptions made within one
year after purchase. This CDSC may be waived for certain redemptions. They
are subject to an annual 12b-1 fee of up to 1.0% of the average daily net
assets of the Class C shares. The Class C shares' distribution fee may cause
that Class to have higher expenses and pay lower dividends than Class A or
Class D shares. See "Level Load Alternative--Class C Shares."
Class D Shares. Class D shares are available only to limited categories of
investors (see "No Load Alternative--Class D Shares" below). Class D shares
are sold at net asset value with no initial sales charge or CDSC. They are
not subject to any 12b-1 fees. See "No Load Alternative--Class D Shares."
Selecting a Particular Class. In deciding which Class of Fund shares to
purchase, investors should consider the following factors, as well as any
other relevant facts and circumstances:
The decision as to which Class of shares is more beneficial to an investor
depends on the amount and intended length of his or her investment. Investors
who prefer an initial sales charge alternative may elect to purchase Class A
shares. Investors qualifying for significantly reduced or, in the case of
purchases of $1 million or more, no initial sales charges may find Class A
shares particularly attractive because similar sales charge reductions are
not available with respect to Class B or Class C shares. Moreover, Class A
shares are subject to lower ongoing expenses than are Class B or Class C
shares over the term of the investment. As an alternative, Class B and Class
C shares are sold without any initial sales charge so the entire purchase
price is immediately invested in the Fund. Any investment return on these
additional investment amounts may partially or wholly offset the higher
annual expenses of these Classes. Because the Fund's future return cannot be
predicted, however, there can be no assurance that this would be the case.
Finally, investors should consider the effect of the CDSC period and any
conversion rights of the Classes in the context of their own investment time
frame. For example, although Class C shares are subject to a significantly
lower CDSC upon redemptions, they do not, unlike Class B shares, convert into
Class A shares after approximately ten years, and, therefore, are subject to
an ongoing 12b-1 fee of 1.0% (rather than the 0.25% fee applicable to Class A
shares) for an indefinite period of time. Thus, Class B shares may be more
attractive than Class C shares to investors with longer term investment
outlooks. Other investors, however, may elect to purchase Class C shares if,
for example, they determine that they do not wish to be subject to a
front-end sales charge and they are uncertain as to the length of time they
intend to hold their shares.
18
<PAGE>
For the purpose of meeting the $5 million (or $25 million) minimum
investment amount for Class D shares, holdings of Class A shares in all
TCW/DW Multi-Class Funds, and holdings of shares of "Exchange Funds" (see
"Shareholder Services--Exchange Privilege") for which Class A shares have
been exchanged, will be included together with the current investment amount.
Sales personnel may receive different compensation for selling each Class
of shares. Investors should understand that the purpose of a CDSC is the same
as that of the initial sales charge in that the sales charges applicable to
each Class provide for the financing of the distribution of shares of that
Class.
Set forth below is a chart comparing the sales charge, 12b-1 fees and
conversion options applicable to each Class of shares:
CONVERSION
CLASS SALES CHARGE 12B-1 FEE FEATURE
- --------- ------------------------- ------------- --------------------
A MAXIMUM 5.25% 0.25% No
INITIAL SALES CHARGE
REDUCED FOR
PURCHASES OF
$25,000 AND OVER;
SHARES SOLD WITHOUT
AN INITIAL SALES
CHARGE GENERALLY
SUBJECT TO A 1.0%
CDSC DURING FIRST
year.
- --------- ------------------------- ------------- --------------------
B Maximum 5.0% 1.0% B shares convert
CDSC during the first to A shares
year decreasing automatically
to 0 after six years after
approximately
ten years
- --------- ------------------------- ------------- --------------------
C 1.0% CDSC during 1.0% No
first year
- --------- ------------------------- ------------- --------------------
D None None No
- --------- ------------------------- ------------- --------------------
See "Purchase of Fund Shares" and "The Fund and its Management" for a
complete description of the sales charges and service and distribution fees
for each Class of shares and "Determination of Net Asset Value," "Dividends,
Distributions and Taxes" and "Shareholder Services--Exchange Privilege" for
other differences between the Classes of shares.
INITIAL SALES CHARGE ALTERNATIVE--CLASS A SHARES
Class A shares are sold at net asset value plus an initial sales charge.
In some cases, reduced sales charges may be available, as described below.
Investments of $1 million or more (and investments by certain other limited
categories of investors) are not subject to any sales charges at the time of
purchase but are subject to a CDSC of 1.0% on redemptions made within one
year after purchase (calculated from the last day of the month in which the
shares were purchased), except for certain specific circumstances. The CDSC
will be assessed on an amount equal to the lesser of the current market value
or the cost of the shares being redeemed. The CDSC will not be imposed (i) in
the circumstances set forth below in the section "Contingent Deferred Sales
Charge Alternative--Class B Shares--CDSC Waivers," except that the references
to six years in the first paragraph of that section shall mean one year in
the case of Class A shares, and (ii) in the circumstances identified in the
section "Additional Net Asset Value Purchase Options" below. Class A shares
are also subject to an annual 12b-1 fee of up to 0.25% of the average daily
net assets of the Class.
The offering price of Class A shares will be the net asset value per share
next determined following receipt of an order (see "Determination of Net
Asset Value" below), plus a sales charge (expressed as a percentage of the
offering price) on a single transaction as shown in the following table:
SALES CHARGE
--------------------------------
PERCENTAGE OF APPROXIMATE
AMOUNT OF SINGLE PUBLIC OFFERING PERCENTAGE OF
TRANSACTION PRICE AMOUNT INVESTED
- -------------------- --------------- ---------------
Less than $25,000 .. 5.25% 5.54%
$25,000 but less
than $50,000 ...... 4.75% 4.99%
$50,000 but less
than $100,000 ..... 4.00% 4.17%
$100,000 but less
than $250,000 ..... 3.00% 3.09%
$250,000 but less
than $1 million .. 2.00% 2.04%
$1 million and over 0 0
19
<PAGE>
Upon notice to all Selected Broker-Dealers, the Distributor may reallow up
to the full applicable sales charge as shown in the above schedule during
periods specified in such notice. During periods when 90% or more of the
sales charge is reallowed, such Selected Broker-Dealers may be deemed to be
underwriters as that term is defined in the Securities Act of 1933.
The above schedule of sales charges is applicable to purchases in a single
transaction by, among others: (a) an individual; (b) an individual, his or
her spouse and their children under the age of 21 purchasing shares for his,
her or their own accounts; (c) a trustee or other fiduciary purchasing shares
for a single trust estate or a single fiduciary account; (d) a pension,
profit-sharing or other employee benefit plan qualified or non-qualified
under Section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code; (e) tax-exempt organizations
enumerated in Section 501(c)(3) or (13) of the Internal Revenue Code; (f)
employee benefit plans qualified under Section 401 of the Internal Revenue
Code of a single employer or of employers who are "affiliated persons" of
each other within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3)(c) of the Act; and for
investments in Individual Retirement Accounts of employees of a single
employer through Systematic Payroll Deduction plans; or (g) any other
organized group of persons, whether incorporated or not, provided the
organization has been in existence for at least six months and has some
purpose other than the purchase of redeemable securities of a registered
investment company at a discount.
Combined Purchase Privilege. Investors may have the benefit of reduced
sales charges in accordance with the above schedule by combining purchases of
Class A shares of the Fund in single transactions with the purchase of Class
A shares of other TCW/DW Multi-Class Funds. The sales charge payable on the
purchase of the Class A shares of the Fund and the Class A shares of the
other TCW/DW Multi-Class Funds will be at their respective rates applicable
to the total amount of the combined concurrent purchases of such shares.
Right of Accumulation. The above persons and entities may benefit from a
reduction of the sales charges in accordance with the above schedule if the
cumulative net asset value of Class A shares purchased in a single
transaction, together with shares of the Fund and other TCW/DW Multi-Class
Funds previously purchased at a price including a front-end sales charge
(including shares of the Fund, other TCW/DW Multi-Class Funds or "Exchange
Funds" (see "Shareholder Services--Exchange Privilege") acquired in exchange
for those shares, and including in each case shares acquired through
reinvestment of dividends and distributions), which are held at the time of
such transaction, amounts to $25,000 or more. If such investor has a
cumulative net asset value of Class A and Class D shares that, together with
the current investment amount, is equal to at least $5 million ($25 million
for certain qualified plans), such investor is eligible to purchase Class D
shares subject to the $1,000 minimum initial investment requirement of that
Class of the Fund. See "No Load Alternative--Class D Shares" below.
The Distributor must be notified by DWR or a Selected Broker-Dealer or the
shareholder at the time a purchase order is placed that the purchase
qualifies for the reduced charge under the Right of Accumulation. Similar
notification must be made in writing by the dealer or shareholder when such
an order is placed by mail. The reduced sales charge will not be granted if:
(a) such notification is not furnished at the time of the order; or (b) a
review of the records of the Selected Broker-Dealer or the Transfer Agent
fails to confirm the investor's represented holdings.
Letter of Intent. The foregoing schedule of reduced sales charges will
also be available to investors who enter into a written Letter of Intent
providing for the purchase, within a thirteen-month period, of Class A shares
of the Fund from DWR or other Selected Broker-Dealers. The cost of Class A
shares of the Fund or Class A shares of other TCW/DW Multi-Class Funds which
were previously purchased at a price including a front-end sales charge
during the 90-day period prior to the date of receipt by the Distributor of
the Letter of Intent, or of Class A shares of the Fund or other TCW/DW
Multi-Class Funds or shares of "Exchange Funds" (see "Shareholder
Services--Exchange Privilege") acquired in exchange for Class A shares of
such funds purchased
20
<PAGE>
during such period at a price including a front-end sales charge, which are
still owned by the shareholder, may also be included in determining the
applicable reduction.
Additional Net Asset Value Purchase Options. In addition to investments of
$1 million or more, Class A shares also may be purchased at net asset value
by the following:
(1) trusts for which MSDW Trust (an affiliate of the Manager) provides
discretionary trustee services;
(2) persons participating in a fee-based program approved by the
Distributor, pursuant to which such persons pay an asset based fee for
services in the nature of investment advisory, administrative and/or
brokerage services (such investments are subject to all of the terms and
conditions of such programs, which may include termination fees, mandatory
redemption upon termination and such other circumstances as specified in the
programs' agreements, and restrictions on transferability of Fund shares);
(3) employer-sponsored 401(k) and other plans qualified under Section
401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code ("Qualified Retirement Plans") with at
least 200 eligible employees and for which MSDW Trust serves as Trustee or
DWR's Retirement Plan Services serves as recordkeeper pursuant to a written
Recordkeeping Services Agreement;
(4) Qualified Retirement Plans for which MSDW Trust serves as Trustee or
DWR's Retirement Plan Services serves as recordkeeper pursuant to a written
Recordkeeping Services Agreement whose Class B shares have converted to Class
A shares, regardless of the plan's asset size or number of eligible
employees;
(5) investors who are clients of a Dean Witter account executive who
joined Dean Witter from another investment firm within six months prior to
the date of purchase of Fund shares by such investors, if the shares are
being purchased with the proceeds from a redemption of shares of an open-end
proprietary mutual fund of the account executive's previous firm which
imposed either a front-end or deferred sales charge, provided such purchase
was made within sixty days after the redemption and the proceeds of the
redemption had been maintained in the interim in cash or a money market fund;
and
(6) other categories of investors, at the discretion of the Board, as
disclosed in the then current prospectus of the Fund.
No CDSC will be imposed on redemptions of shares purchased pursuant to
paragraphs (1), (2) or (5), above.
For further information concerning purchases of the Fund's shares, contact
DWR or another Selected Broker-Dealer or consult the Statement of Additional
Information.
CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGE ALTERNATIVE--CLASS B SHARES
Class B shares are sold at net asset value next determined without an
initial sales charge so that the full amount of an investor's purchase
payment may be immediately invested in the Fund. A CDSC, however, will be
imposed on most Class B shares redeemed within six years after purchase. The
CDSC will be imposed on any redemption of shares if after such redemption the
aggregate current value of a Class B account with the Fund falls below the
aggregate amount of the investor's purchase payments for Class B shares made
during the six years (or, in the case of shares held by certain Qualified
Retirement Plans three years) preceding the redemption. In addition, Class B
shares are subject to an annual 12b-1 fee of 1.0% of the lesser of: (a) the
average daily aggregate gross sales of the Fund's Class B shares since the
inception of the Fund (not including reinvestments of dividends or capital
gains distributions), less the average daily aggregate net asset value of the
Fund's Class B shares redeemed since the Fund's inception upon which a CDSC
has been imposed or waived, or (b) the average daily net assets of Class B.
Except as noted below, Class B shares of the Fund which are held for six
years or more after purchase (calculated from the last day of the month in
which the shares were purchased) will not be subject to any CDSC upon
redemption. Shares redeemed earlier than six years after purchase may,
however, be subject
21
<PAGE>
to a CDSC which will be a percentage of the dollar amount of shares redeemed
and will be assessed on an amount equal to the lesser of the current market
value or the cost of the shares being redeemed. The size of this percentage
will depend upon how long the shares have been held, as set forth in the
following table:
YEAR SINCE
PURCHASE CDSC AS A PERCENTAGE
PAYMENT MADE OF AMOUNT REDEEMED
- -------------------------- ------------------------
First...................... 5.0%
Second..................... 4.0%
Third...................... 3.0%
Fourth..................... 2.0%
Fifth...................... 2.0%
Sixth...................... 1.0%
Seventh and thereafter .... None
In the case of Class B shares of the Fund purchased on or after July 28,
1997 by Qualified Retirement Plans for which MSDW Trust serves as Trustee or
DWR's Retirement Plan Services serves as recordkeeper pursuant to a written
Recordkeeping Services Agreement, shares held for three years or more after
purchase (calculated as described in the paragraph above) will not be subject
to any CDSC upon redemption. However, shares redeemed earlier than three
years after purchase may be subject to a CDSC (calculated as described in the
paragraph above), the percentage of which will depend on how long the shares
have been held, as set forth in the following table:
YEAR SINCE
PURCHASE CDSC AS A PERCENTAGE
PAYMENT MADE OF AMOUNT REDEEMED
- -------------------------- ------------------------
First ..................... 2.0%
Second .................... 2.0%
Third ..................... 1.0%
Fourth and thereafter .... None
CDSC Waivers. A CDSC will not be imposed on: (i) any amount which
represents an increase in value of shares purchased within the six years (or,
in the case of shares held by certain Qualified Retirement Plans, three
years) preceding the redemption; (ii) the current net asset value of shares
purchased more than six years (or, in the case of shares held by certain
Qualified Retirement Plans plans, three years) prior to the redemption; and
(iii) the current net asset value of shares purchased through reinvestment of
dividends or distributions. Moreover, in determining whether a CDSC is
applicable it will be assumed that amounts described in (i), (ii) and (iii)
above (in that order) are redeemed first.
In addition, the CDSC, if otherwise applicable, will be waived in the case
of:
(1) redemptions of shares held at the time a shareholder dies or becomes
disabled, only if the shares are: (A) registered either in the name of an
individual shareholder (not a trust), or in the names of such shareholder and
his or her spouse as joint tenants with right of survivorship; or (B) held
in a qualified corporate or self-employed retirement plan, Individual
Retirement Account ("IRA") or Custodial Account under Section 403(b)(7) of
the Internal Revenue Code ("403(b) Custodial Account"), provided in either
case that the redemption is requested within one year of the death or initial
determination of disability;
(2) redemptions in connection with the following retirement plan
distributions: (A) lump-sum or other distributions from a qualified
corporate or self-employed retirement plan following retirement (or, in the
case of a "key employee" of a "top heavy" plan, following attainment of age
59 1/2); (B) distributions from an IRA or 403(b) Custodial Account following
attainment of age 59 1/2; or (C) a tax-free return of an excess contribution
to an IRA; and
(3) all redemptions of shares held for the benefit of a participant in a
Qualified Retirement Plan which offers investment companies managed by the
Manager or its parent, Dean Witter InterCapital Inc., as self-directed
investment alternatives and for which MSDW Trust serves as Trustee or DWR's
Retirement Plan Services serves as recordkeeper pursuant to a written
Recordkeeping Services Agreement ("Eligible Plan"), provided that either: (A)
the plan continues to be an Eligible Plan after the redemption; or (B) the
redemption is in connection with the complete termination of the plan
involving the distribution of all plan assets to participants.
With reference to (1) above, for the purpose of determining disability,
the Distributor utilizes the
22
<PAGE>
definition of disability contained in Section 72(m)(7) of the Internal
Revenue Code, which relates to the inability to engage in gainful employment.
With reference to (2) above, the term "distribution" does not encompass a
direct transfer of IRA, 403(b) Custodial Account or retirement plan assets to
a successor custodian or trustee. All waivers will be granted only following
receipt by the Distributor of confirmation of the shareholder's entitlement.
Conversion to Class A Shares. All shares of the Fund held prior to July
28, 1997 have been designated Class B shares. Shares held before May 1, 1997
will convert to Class A shares in May, 2007. In all other instances Class B
shares will convert automatically to Class A shares, based on the relative
net asset values of the shares of the two Classes on the conversion date,
which will be approximately ten (10) years after the date of the original
purchase. The ten year period is calculated from the last day of the month in
which the shares were purchased or, in the case of Class B shares acquired
through an exchange or a series of exchanges, from the last day of the month
in which the original Class B shares were purchased, provided that shares
originally purchased before May 1, 1997 will convert to Class A shares in
May, 2007. The conversion of shares purchased on or after May 1, 1997 will
take place in the month following the tenth anniversary of the purchase.
There will also be converted at that time such proportion of Class B shares
acquired through automatic reinvestment of dividends and distributions owned
by the shareholder as the total number of his or her Class B shares
converting at the time bears to the total number of outstanding Class B
shares purchased and owned by the shareholder. In the case of Class B shares
held by a Qualified Retirement Plan for which MSDW Trust serves as Trustee or
DWR's Retirement Plan Services serves as recordkeeper pursuant to a written
Recordkeeping Services Agreement, the plan is treated as a single investor
and all Class B shares will convert to Class A shares on the conversion date
of the first shares of a TCW/DW Multi-Class Fund purchased by that plan. In
the case of Class B shares previously exchanged for shares of an "Exchange
Fund" (see "Shareholder Services--Exchange Privilege"), the period of time
the shares were held in the Exchange Fund (calculated from the last day of
the month in which the Exchange Fund shares were acquired) is excluded from
the holding period for conversion. If those shares are subsequently
re-exchanged for Class B shares of a TCW/DW Multi-Class Fund, the holding
period resumes on the last day of the month in which Class B shares are
reacquired.
If a shareholder has received share certificates for Class B shares, such
certificates must be delivered to the Transfer Agent at least one week prior
to the date for conversion. Class B shares evidenced by share certificates
that are not received by the Transfer Agent at least one week prior to any
conversion date will be converted into Class A shares on the next scheduled
conversion date after such certificates are received.
Effectiveness of the conversion feature is subject to the continuing
availability of a ruling of the Internal Revenue Service or an opinion of
counsel that (i) the conversion of shares does not constitute a taxable event
under the Internal Revenue Code, (ii) Class A shares received on conversion
will have a basis equal to the shareholder's basis in the converted Class B
shares immediately prior to the conversion, and (iii) Class A shares received
on conversion will have a holding period that includes the holding period of
the converted Class B shares. The conversion feature may be suspended if the
ruling or opinion is no longer available. In such event, Class B shares would
continue to be subject to Class B 12b-1 fees.
LEVEL LOAD ALTERNATIVE--CLASS C SHARES
Class C shares are sold at net asset value next determined without an
initial sales charge but are subject to a CDSC of 1.0% on most redemptions
made within one year after purchase (calculated from the last day of the
month in which the shares were purchased). The CDSC will be assessed on an
amount equal to the lesser of the current market value or the cost of the
shares being redeemed. The CDSC will not be imposed in the circumstances set
forth above in the section "Contingent Deferred Sales Charge
Alternative--Class B Shares--CDSC Waivers," except that the references to six
years in the first paragraph of that section shall mean one year in the
23
<PAGE>
case of Class C shares. Class C shares are subject to an annual 12b-1 fee of
up to 1.0% of the average daily net assets of the Class. Unlike Class B
shares, Class C shares have no conversion feature and, accordingly, an
investor that purchases Class C shares will be subject to 12b-1 fees
applicable to Class C shares for an indefinite period subject to annual
approval by the Fund's Board of Trustees and regulatory limitations.
NO LOAD ALTERNATIVE--CLASS D SHARES
Class D shares are offered without any sales charge on purchase or
redemption and without any 12b-1 fee. Class D shares are offered only to
investors meeting an initial investment minimum of $5 million ($25 million
for Qualified Retirement Plans for which MSDW Trust serves as Trustee or
DWR's Retirement Plan services serves as Recordkeeper pursuant to a written
Recordkeeping Services Agreement) and the following categories of investors:
(i) investors participating in the InterCapital mutual fund asset allocation
program pursuant to which such persons pay an asset based fee; (ii) persons
participating in a fee-based program approved by the Distributor, pursuant to
which such persons pay an asset based fee for services in the nature of
investment advisory, administrative and/or brokerage services (subject to all
of the terms and conditions of such programs, referred to in (i) and (ii)
above, which may include termination fees, mandatory redemption upon
termination and such other circumstances as specified in the programs'
agreements, and restrictions on transferability of Fund shares); (iii)
certain Unit Investment Trusts sponsored by DWR; (iv) certain other open-end
investment companies whose shares are distributed by the Distributor; and (v)
other categories of investors, at the discretion of the Board, as disclosed
in the then current prospectus of the Fund. Investors who require a $5
million (or $25 million) minimum initial investment to qualify to purchase
Class D shares may satisfy that requirement by investing that amount in a
single transaction in Class D shares of the Fund and other TCW/DW Multi-Class
Funds, subject to the $1,000 minimum initial investment required for that
Class of the Fund. In addition, for the purpose of meeting the $5 million (or
$25 million) minimum investment amount, holdings of Class A shares in all
TCW/DW Multi-Class Funds, and holdings of shares of "Exchange Funds" (see
"Shareholder Services--Exchange Privilege") for which Class A shares have
been exchanged, will be included together with the current investment amount.
If a shareholder redeems Class A shares and purchases Class D shares, such
redemption may be a taxable event.
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
The Fund has adopted a Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under
the Act with respect to the distribution of Class A, Class B and Class C
shares of the Fund. In the case of Class A and Class C shares, the Plan
provides that the Fund will reimburse the Distributor and others for the
expenses of certain activities and services incurred by them specifically on
behalf of those shares. Reimbursements for these expenses will be made in
monthly payments by the Fund to the Distributor, which will in no event
exceed amounts equal to payments at the annual rates of 0.25% and 1.0% of the
average daily net assets of Class A and Class C, respectively. In the case of
Class B shares, the Plan provides that the Fund will pay the Distributor a
fee, which is accrued daily and paid monthly, at the annual rate of 1.0% of
the lesser of: (a) the average daily aggregate gross sales of the Fund's
Class B shares since the inception of the Fund (not including reinvestments
of dividends or capital gains distributions), less the average daily
aggregate net asset value of the Fund's Class B shares redeemed since the
Fund's inception upon which a CDSC has been imposed or waived, or (b) the
average daily net assets of Class B. The fee is treated by the Fund as an
expense in the year it is accrued. In the case of Class A shares, the entire
amount of the fee currently represents a service fee within the meaning of
the NASD guidelines. In the case of Class B and Class C shares, a portion of
the fee payable pursuant to the Plan, equal to 0.25% of the average daily net
assets of each of these Classes, is currently characterized as a service fee.
A service fee is a payment made for personal service and/or the maintenance
of shareholder accounts.
24
<PAGE>
Additional amounts paid under the Plan in the case of Class B and Class C
shares are paid to the Distributor for services provided and the expenses
borne by the Distributor and others in the distribution of the shares of
those Classes, including the payment of commissions for sales of the shares
of those Classes and incentive compensation to and expenses of DWR's account
executives and others who engage in or support distribution of shares or who
service shareholder accounts, including overhead and telephone expenses;
printing and distribution of prospectuses and reports used in connection with
the offering of the Fund's shares to other than current shareholders; and
preparation, printing and distribution of sales literature and advertising
materials. In addition, the Distributor may utilize fees paid pursuant to the
Plan in the case of Class B shares to compensate DWR and other Selected
Broker-Dealers for their opportunity costs in advancing such amounts, which
compensation would be in the form of a carrying charge on any unreimbursed
expenses.
For the fiscal year ended February 28, 1998, Class B shares of the Fund
accrued payments under the Plan amounting to $2,989,560, which amount is
equal to 0.98% of the average daily net assets of Class B for the fiscal
year. These payments were calculated pursuant to clause (a) of the
compensation formula under the Plan. All shares held prior to July 28, 1997
have been designated Class B shares. For the fiscal period July 28 through
January 31, 1998, Class A and Class C shares of the Fund accrued payments
under the Plan amounting to $260 and $3,535, respectively, which amounts on
an annualized basis are equal to 0.23% and 1.00% of the average daily net
assets of Class A and Class C, respectively for such period.
In the case of Class B shares, at any given time, the expenses in
distributing Class B shares of the Fund may be in excess of the total of (i)
the payments made by the Fund pursuant to the Plan, and (ii) the proceeds of
CDSCs paid by investors upon the redemption of Class B shares. For example,
if $1 million in expenses in distributing Class B shares of the Fund had been
incurred and $750,000 had been received as described in (i) and (ii) above,
the excess expense would amount to $250,000. The Distributor has advised the
Fund that such excess amounts, including the carrying charge described above,
totalled $13,685,501 at February 28, 1998, which was equal to 4.02% of the
net assets of Class B on such date. Because there is no requirement under the
Plan that the Distributor be reimbursed for all distribution expenses or any
requirement that the Plan be continued from year to year, such excess amount
does not constitute a liability of the Fund. Although there is no legal
obligation for the Fund to pay expenses incurred in excess of payments made
to the Distributor under the Plan, and the proceeds of CDSCs paid by
investors upon redemption of shares, if for any reason the Plan is terminated
the Trustees will consider at that time the manner in which to treat such
expenses. Any cumulative expenses incurred, but not yet recovered through
distribution fees or CDSCs, may or may not be recovered through future
distribution fees or CDSCs.
In the case of Class A and Class C shares, expenses incurred pursuant to
the Plan in any calendar year in excess of 0.25% or 1.0% of the average daily
net assets of Class A or Class C, respectively, will not be reimbursed by the
Fund through payments in any subsequent year, except that expenses
representing a gross sales commission credited to account executives at the
time of sale may be reimbursed in the subsequent calendar year. The
Distributor has advised the Fund that unreimbursed expenses representing a
gross sales commission credited to account executives at the time of sale
totalled $4,948 in the case of Class C at December 31, 1997, which amount was
equal to 0.68% of the net assets of Class C on such date, and that there were
no such expenses that may be reimbursed in the subsequent year in the case of
Class A on such date. No interest or other financing charges will be incurred
on any Class A or Class C distribution expenses incurred by the Distributor
under the Plan or on any unreimbursed expenses due to the Distributor
pursuant to the Plan.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
The net asset value per share is determined once daily at 4:00 p.m., New
York time (or, on days when the New York Stock Exchange closes prior to 4:00
p.m., at such earlier time), on each day that the New York Stock Exchange is
open by taking the net assets
25
<PAGE>
of the Fund, dividing by the number of shares outstanding and adjusting to
the nearest cent. The assets belonging to the Class A, Class B, Class C and
Class D shares will be invested together in a single portfolio. The net asset
value of each Class, however, will be determined separately by subtracting
each Class's accrued expenses and liabilities. The net asset value per share
will not be determined on Good Friday and on such other federal and
non-federal holidays as are observed by the New York Stock Exchange.
In the calculation of the Fund's net asset value: (1) an equity portfolio
security listed or traded on the New York or American Stock Exchange or other
stock exchange is valued at its latest sale price on that exchange; if there
were no sales that day, the security is valued at the latest bid price (in
cases where a security is traded on more than one exchange, the security is
valued on the exchange designated as the primary market pursuant to
procedures adopted by the Trustees), and (2) all other portfolio securities
for which over-the-counter market quotations are readily available are valued
at the latest bid price. When market quotations are not readily available,
including circumstances under which it is determined by the Adviser that sale
or bid prices are not reflective of a security's market value, portfolio
securities are valued at their fair value as determined in good faith under
procedures established by and under the general supervision of the Board of
Trustees.
Short-term debt securities with remaining maturities of sixty days or less
at the time of purchase are valued at amortized cost, unless the Trustees
determine such does not reflect the securities' market value, in which case
these securities will be valued at their fair value as determined by the
Trustees.
Certain of the Fund's portfolio securities may be valued by an outside
pricing service approved by the Fund's Trustees. The pricing service may
utilize a matrix system incorporating security quality, maturity and coupon
as the evaluation model parameters, and/or research and evaluations by its
staff, including review of broker-dealer market price quotations, in
determining what it believes is the fair valuation of the portfolio
securities valued by such pricing service.
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Automatic Investment of Dividends and Distributions. All income dividends
and capital gains distributions are automatically paid in full and fractional
shares of the applicable Class of the Fund (or, if specified by the
shareholder, in shares of any other open-end TCW/DW Fund), unless the
shareholder requests that they be paid in cash. Shares so acquired are
acquired at net asset value and are not subject to the imposition of a
front-end sales charge or a CDSC. (See "Repurchases and Redemptions").
Investment of Dividends or Distributions Received in Cash. Any shareholder
who receives a cash payment representing a dividend or capital gains
distribution may invest such dividend or distribution in shares of the
applicable Class at the net asset value per share next determined after
receipt by the Transfer Agent, by returning the check or the proceeds to the
Transfer Agent within thirty days after the payment date. Shares so acquired
are acquired at net asset value and are not subject to the imposition of a
front-end sales charge or a CDSC (see "Repurchases and Redemptions").
EasyInvest (Service Mark). Shareholders may subscribe to EasyInvest, an
automatic purchase plan which provides for any amount from $100 to $5,000 to
be transferred automatically from a checking or savings account or following
redemption of shares of a Dean Witter money market fund, on a semi-monthly,
monthly or quarterly basis, to the Fund's Transfer Agent for investment in
shares of the Fund. (See "Purchases of Fund Shares" and "Repurchases and
Redemptions--Involuntary Redemption").
Systematic Withdrawal Plan. A systematic withdrawal plan (the "Withdrawal
Plan") is available for shareholders who own or purchase shares of the Fund
having a minimum value of $10,000 based upon the
26
<PAGE>
then current net asset value. The Withdrawal Plan provides for monthly or
quarterly (March, June, September and December) checks in any dollar amount,
not less than $25, or in any whole percentage of the account balance, on an
annualized basis. Any applicable CDSC will be imposed on shares redeemed
under the Withdrawal Plan (see "Purchase of Fund Shares"). Therefore, any
shareholder participating in the Withdrawal Plan will have sufficient shares
redeemed from his or her account so that the proceeds (net of any applicable
CDSC) to the shareholder will be the designated monthly or quarterly amount.
Withdrawal plan payments should not be considered as dividends, yields or
income. If periodic withdrawal plan payments continuously exceed net
investment income and net capital gains, the shareholder's original
investment will be correspondingly reduced and ultimately exhausted. Each
withdrawal constitutes a redemption of shares and any gain or loss realized
must be recognized for federal income tax purposes.
Shareholders should contact their DWR or other Selected Broker-Dealer
account executive or the Transfer Agent for further information about any of
the above services.
Tax Sheltered Retirement Plans. Retirement plans are available for use by
corporations, the self-employed, Individual Retirement Accounts and Custodial
Accounts under Section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code. Adoption of
such plans should be on advice of legal counsel or tax adviser.
For further information regarding plan administration, custodial fees and
other details, investors should contact their account executive or the
Transfer Agent.
EXCHANGE PRIVILEGE
Shares of each Class may be exchanged for shares of the same Class of any
other TCW/DW Multi-Class Fund without the imposition of any exchange fee.
Shares may also be exchanged for shares of TCW/DW North American Government
Income Trust and for shares of five money market funds for which InterCapital
serves as investment manager: Dean Witter Liquid Asset Fund Inc., Dean Witter
U.S. Government Money Market Trust, Dean Witter Tax-Free Daily Income Trust,
Dean Witter California Tax-Free Daily Income Trust and Dean Witter New York
Municipal Money Market Trust (the foregoing six funds are hereinafter
collectively referred to as "Exchange Funds"). Exchanges may be made after
the shares of the Fund acquired by purchase (not by exchange or dividend
reinvestment) have been held for thirty days. There is no waiting period for
exchanges of shares acquired by exchange or dividend reinvestment.
An exchange to another TCW/DW Multi-Class Fund or any Exchange Fund that
is not a money market fund is on the basis of the next calculated net asset
value per share of each fund after the exchange order is received. When
exchanging into a money market fund from the Fund, shares of the Fund are
redeemed out of the Fund at their next calculated net asset value and the
proceeds of the redemption are used to purchase shares of the money market
fund at their net asset value determined the following business day.
Subsequent exchanges between any of the money market funds and any of the
TCW/DW Multi-Class Funds or any Exchange Fund that is not a money market fund
can be effected on the same basis.
No CDSC is imposed at the time of any exchange of shares, although any
applicable CDSC will be imposed upon ultimate redemption. During the period
of time the shareholder remains in an Exchange Fund (calculated from the last
day of the month in which the Exchange Fund shares were acquired), the
holding period (for the purpose of determining the rate of the CDSC) is
frozen. If those shares are subsequently re-exchanged for shares of a TCW/DW
Multi-Class Fund, the holding period previously frozen when the first
exchange was made resumes on the last day of the month in which shares of a
TCW/DW Multi-Class Fund are reacquired. Thus, the CDSC isbased upon the time
(calculated as described above) the shareholder was invested in shares of a
TCW/DW Multi-Class Fund (see "Purchase of Fund Shares"). However, in the case
of shares exchanged into an
27
<PAGE>
Exchange Fund, upon a redemption of shares which results in a CDSC being
imposed, a credit (not to exceed the amount of the CDSC) will be given in an
amount equal to the Exchange Fund 12b-1 distribution fees which are
attributable to those shares. (Exchange Fund 12b-1 distribution fees are
described in the prospectuses for those funds.)
Additional Information Regarding Exchanges. Purchases and exchanges should
be made for investment purposes only. A pattern of frequent exchanges may be
deemed by the Manager to be abusive and contrary to the best interests of the
Fund's other shareholders and, at the Manager's discretion, may be limited by
the Fund's refusal to accept additional purchases and/or exchanges from the
investor. Although the Fund does not have any specific definition of what
constitutes a pattern of frequent exchanges, and will consider all relevant
factors in determining whether a particular situation is abusive and contrary
to the best interests of the Fund and its other shareholders, investors
should be aware that the Fund, each of the other TCW/DW Funds and each of the
money market funds may in its discretion limit or otherwise restrict the
number of times this Exchange Privilege may be exercised by any investor. Any
such restriction will be made by the Fund on a prospective basis only, upon
notice to the shareholder not later than ten days following such
shareholder's most recent exchange. Also, the Exchange Privilege may be
terminated or revised at any time by the Fund and/or any of such TCW/DW Funds
or money market funds for which shares of the Fund have been exchanged, upon
such notice as may be required by applicable regulatory agencies.
Shareholders maintaining margin accounts with DWR or another Selected
Broker-Dealer are referred to their account executive regarding restrictions
on exchange of shares of the Fund pledged in the margin account.
The current prospectus for each fund describes its investment objective(s)
and policies, and shareholders should obtain a copy and examine it carefully
before investing. Exchanges are subject to the minimum investment requirement
of each Class of shares and any other conditions imposed by each fund. In the
case of a shareholder holding a share certificate or certificates, no
exchanges may be made until all applicable share certificates have been
received by the Transfer Agent and deposited in the shareholder's account. An
exchange will be treated for federal income tax purposes the same as a
repurchase or redemption of shares, on which the shareholder may realize a
capital gain or loss. However, the ability to deduct capital losses on an
exchange may be limited in situations where there is an exchange of shares
within ninety days after the shares are purchased. The Exchange Privilege is
only available in states where an exchange may legally be made.
If DWR or another Selected Broker-Dealer is the current dealer of record
and its account numbers are part of the account information, shareholders may
initiate an exchange of shares of the Fund for shares of any of the funds for
which the Exchange Privilege is available pursuant to this Exchange Privilege
by contacting their DWR or other Selected Broker-Dealer account executive (no
Exchange Privilege Authorization Form is required). Other shareholders (and
those shareholders who are clients of DWR or another Selected Broker-Dealer
but who wish to make exchanges directly by writing or telephoning the
Transfer Agent) must complete and forward to the Transfer Agent an Exchange
Privilege Authorization Form, copies of which may be obtained from the
Transfer Agent, to initiate an exchange. If the Authorization Form is used,
exchanges may be made in writing or by contacting the Transfer Agent at (800)
869-NEWS (toll free). The Fund will employ reasonable procedures to confirm
that exchange instructions communicated over the telephone are genuine. The
procedures may include requiring various forms of personal identification
such as name, mailing address, social security or other tax identification
number and DWR or other Selected Broker-Dealer account number (if any).
Telephone instructions will also be recorded. If such procedures are not
employed, the Fund may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or
fraudulent transactions.
Telephone exchange instructions will be accepted if received by the
Transfer Agent between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., New York time, on any day the
New
28
<PAGE>
York Stock Exchange is open. Any shareholder wishing to make an exchange who
has previously filed an Exchange Privilege Authorization Form and who is
unable to reach the Fund by telephone should contact his or her DWR or other
Selected Broker-Dealer account executive, if appropriate, or make a written
exchange request. Shareholders are advised that during periods of drastic
economic or market changes, it is possible that the telephone exchange
procedures may be difficult to implement, although this has not been the case
in the past with other funds managed by the Manager.
Shareholders should contact their account executive or the Transfer Agent
for further information about the Exchange Privilege.
REPURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Repurchases. DWR and other Selected Broker-Dealers are authorized to
repurchase, as agent for the Fund, shares represented by a share certificate
which is delivered to any of their offices. Shares held in a shareholder's
account without a share certificate may also be repurchased by DWR and other
Selected Broker-Dealers upon the telephonic or telegraphic request of the
shareholder. The repurchase price is the net asset value next computed (see
"Purchase of Fund Shares") after such repurchase order is received by DWR or
other Selected Broker-Dealer, reduced by any applicable CDSC.
The CDSC, if any, will be the only fee imposed by the Fund or the
Distributor. The offers by DWR and other Selected Broker-Dealers to
repurchase shares may be suspended without notice by them at any time. In
that event, shareholders may redeem their shares through the Fund's Transfer
Agent as set forth below under "Redemptions."
Redemptions. Shares of each Class of the Fund can be redeemed for cash at
any time at the net asset value per share next determined less the amount of
any applicable CDSC in the case of Class A, Class B or Class C shares (see
"Purchase of Fund Shares"). If shares are held in a shareholder's account
without a share certificate, a written request for redemption to the Fund's
Transfer Agent at P.O. Box 983, Jersey City, NJ 07303 is required. If
certificates are held by the shareholder, the shares may be redeemed by
surrendering the certificates with a written request for redemption, along
with any additional information required by the Transfer Agent.
Payment for Shares Redeemed or Repurchased. Payment for shares presented
for repurchase or redemption will be made by check within seven days after
receipt by the Transfer Agent of the certificate and/or written request in
good order. Such payment may be postponed or the right of redemption
suspended under unusual circumstances. If the shares to be redeemed have
recently been purchased by check, payment of the redemption proceeds may be
delayed for the minimum time needed to verify that the check used for
investment has been honored (not more than fifteen days from the time of
receipt of the check by the Transfer Agent). Shareholders maintaining margin
accounts with DWR or another Selected Broker-Dealer are referred to their
account executive regarding restrictions on redemption of shares of the Fund
pledged in the margin account.
Reinstatement Privilege. A shareholder who has had his or her shares
repurchased or redeemed and has not previously exercised this reinstatement
privilege may, within 35 days after the date of the repurchase or redemption,
reinstate any portion or all of the proceeds of such repurchase or redemption
in shares of the Fund in the same Class from which such shares were redeemed
or repurchased, at their net asset value next determined after a
reinstatement request, together with the proceeds, is received by the
Transfer Agent and receive a pro rata credit for any CDSC paid in connection
with such repurchase or redemption.
Involuntary Redemption. The Fund reserves the right, on 60 days' notice,
to redeem, at their net asset value, the shares of any shareholder (other
than shares held in an Individual Retirement Account or Custodial Account
under Section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code) whose shares due to
redemptions by the shareholder have a value of less than $100 or such
29
<PAGE>
lesser amount as may be fixed by the Trustees or, in the case of an account
opened through EasyInvest (Service Mark), if after twelve months the
shareholder has invested less than $1,000 in the account. However, before the
Fund redeems such shares and sends the proceeds to the shareholder, it will
notify the shareholder that the value of the shares is less than the
applicable amount and allow the shareholder 60 days to make an additional
investment in an amount which will increase the value of his or her account
to at least the applicable amount before the redemption is processed. No CDSC
will be imposed on any involuntary redemption.
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dividends and Distributions. The Fund declares dividends separately for
each Class of shares and intends to pay dividends and to distribute
substantially all of the Fund's net investment income and net realized
short-term and long-term capital gains, if any, at least once each year. The
Fund may, however, determine either to distribute or to retain all or part of
any net long-term capital gains in any year for reinvestment.
All dividends and any capital gains distributions will be paid in
additional shares of the same Class and automatically credited to the
shareholder's account without issuance of a share certificate unless the
shareholder requests in writing that all dividends and/or distributions be
paid in cash. Shares acquired by dividend and distribution reinvestments will
not be subject to any front-end sales charge or CDSC. Class B shares acquired
through dividend and distribution reinvestments will become eligible for
conversion to Class A shares on a pro rata basis. Distributions paid on Class
A and Class D shares will be higher than for Class B and Class C shares
because distribution fees paid by Class B and Class C shares are higher. (See
"Shareholder Services--Automatic Investment of Dividends and Distributions.")
Taxes. Because the Fund intends to distribute all of its net investment
income and capital gains to shareholders and otherwise continue to qualify as
a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue
Code, it is not expected that the Fund will be required to pay any federal
income tax. Shareholders who are required to pay taxes on their income will
normally have to pay federal income taxes, and any state income taxes, on the
dividends and distributions they receive from the Fund. Such dividends and
distributions, to the extent that they are derived from net investment income
or short-term capital gains, are taxable to the shareholder as ordinary
income regardless of whether the shareholder receives such payments in
additional shares or in cash. Any dividends declared in the last quarter of
any calendar year which are paid in the following year prior to February 1
will be deemed, for tax purposes, to have been received by the shareholder in
the prior year. Dividend payments will generally not be eligible for the
federal dividends received deduction.
Distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to
shareholders as long-term capital gains regardless of how long a shareholder
has held the Fund's shares and regardless of whether the distribution is
received in additional shares or in cash. Capital gains distributions are not
eligible for the corporate dividends received deduction.
The Fund may at times make payments from sources other than income or net
capital gains. Payments from such sources, in effect, represent a return of a
portion of each shareholder's investment. All, or a portion, of such payments
will not be taxable to shareholders.
After the end of the calendar year, shareholders will be sent full
information on their dividends and capital gains distributions for tax
purposes. Shareholders will also be notified of their proportionate share of
long-term capital gains distributions that are eligible for a reduced rate of
tax under the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. To avoid being subject to a 31%
federal backup withholding tax on taxable dividends, capital gains
distributions and the proceeds of redemptions and repurchases, shareholders'
taxpayer identification numbers must be furnished and certified as to their
accuracy.
Shareholders should consult their tax advisers as to the applicability of
the foregoing to their current situation.
30
<PAGE>
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From time to time the Fund may quote its "total return" in advertisements
and sales literature. These figures are computed separately for Class A,
Class B, Class C and Class D shares. The total return of the Fund is based on
historical earnings and is not intended to indicate future performance. The
"average annual total return" of the Fund refers to a figure reflecting the
average annualized percentage increase (or decrease) in the value of an
initial investment in a Class of the Fund of $1,000 over periods of one, five
and ten years, as well as over the life of the Fund if less than any of the
foregoing. Average annual total return reflects all income earned by the
Fund, any appreciation or depreciation of the Fund's assets, all expenses
incurred by the applicable Class and all sales charges which would be
incurred by shareholders, for the stated periods. It also assumes
reinvestment of all dividends and distributions paid by the Fund.
In addition to the foregoing, the Fund may advertise its total return for
each Class over different periods of time by means of aggregate, average, and
year-by-year or other types of total return figures. Such calculations may or
may not reflect the deduction of any sales charge which, if reflected, would
reduce the performance quoted. The Fund may also advertise the growth of
hypothetical investments of $10,000, $50,000 and $100,000 in each Class of
shares of the Fund. The Fund from time to time may also advertise its
performance relative to certain performance rankings and indexes compiled by
independent organizations (such as mutual fund performance rankings of Lipper
Analytical Services, Inc.).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Voting Rights. All shares of beneficial interest of the Fund are of $0.01
par value and are equal as to earnings, assets and voting privileges except
that each Class will have exclusive voting privileges with respect to matters
relating to distribution expenses borne solely by such Class or any other
matter in which the interests of one Class differ from the interests of any
other Class. In addition, Class B shareholders will have the right to vote on
any proposed material increase in Class A 's expenses, if such proposal is
submitted separately to Class A shareholders. Also, as discussed herein,
Class A, Class B and Class C bear the expenses related to the distribution of
their respective shares.
The Fund is not required to hold Annual Meetings of Shareholders and in
ordinary circumstances the Fund does not intend to hold such meetings. The
Trustees may call Special Meetings of Shareholders for action by shareholder
vote as may be required by the Act or the Declaration of Trust. Under certain
circumstances the Trustees may be removed by action of the Trustees or by the
shareholders.
Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of a business trust may, under
certain circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for obligations
of the Fund. However, the Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer
of shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Fund, requires that
Fund obligations include such disclaimer, and provides for indemnification
and reimbursement of expenses out of the Fund's property for any shareholder
held personally liable for the obligations of the Fund. Thus, the risk of a
shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is
limited to circumstances in which the Fund itself would be unable to meet its
obligations. Given the above limitations on shareholder personal liability,
and the nature of the Fund's assets and operations, the possibility of the
Fund being unable to meet its obligations is remote and thus, in the opinion
of Massachusetts counsel to the Fund, the risk to Fund shareholders of
personal liability is remote.
Code of Ethics. The Adviser is subject to a Code of Ethics with respect to
investment transactions in
31
<PAGE>
which the Adviser's officers, directors and certain other persons have a
beneficial interest to avoid any actual or potential conflict or abuse of
their fiduciary position. The Code of Ethics, as it pertains to the TCW/DW
Funds, contains several restrictions and procedures designed to eliminate
conflicts of interest including: (a) pre-clearance of personal investment
transactions to ensure that personal transactions by employees are not being
conducted at the same time as the Adviser's clients; (b) quarterly reporting
of personal securities transactions; (c) a prohibition against personally
acquiring securities in an initial public offering, entering into uncovered
short sales and writing uncovered options; (d) a seven day "black out period"
prior or subsequent to a TCW/DW Fund transaction during which portfolio
managers are prohibited from making certain transactions in securities which
are being purchased or sold by a TCW/DW Fund; (e) a prohibition, with respect
to certain investment personnel, from profiting in the purchase and sale, or
sale and purchase, of the same (or equivalent) securities within 60 calendar
days; and (f) a prohibition against acquiring any security which is subject
to firm wide or, if applicable, a department restriction of the Adviser. The
Code of Ethics provides that exemptive relief may be given from certain of
its requirements, upon application. The Adviser's Code of Ethics complies
with regulatory requirements and, insofar as it relates to persons associated
with registered investment companies, the 1994 Report of the Advisory Group
on Personal Investing of the Investment Company Institute.
Shareholder Inquiries. All inquiries regarding the Fund should be directed
to the Fund at the telephone numbers or address set forth on the front cover
of this Prospectus.
32
<PAGE>
TCW/DW Small Cap Growth Fund TCW/DW
Two World Trade Center SMALL CAP
New York, New York 10048 GROWTH FUND
TRUSTEES
John C. Argue
Richard M. DeMartini
Charles A. Fiumefreddo
John R. Haire
Dr. Manuel H. Johnson
Thomas E. Larkin, Jr.
Michael E. Nugent
John L. Schroeder
Marc I. Stern
OFFICERS
Charles A. Fiumefreddo
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Thomas E. Larkin, Jr.
President
Barry Fink
Vice President, Secretary and
General Counsel
Christopher J. Ainley
Vice President
Douglas S. Foreman
Vice President
Charles Larsen
Vice President
Thomas F. Caloia
Treasurer
CUSTODIAN
The Bank of New York
90 Washington Street
New York, New York 10286
TRANSFER AGENT AND DIVIDEND
DISBURSING AGENT
Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Trust FSB
Harborside Financial Center
Plaza Two
Jersey City, New Jersey 07311
INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
Price Waterhouse LLP
1177 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10036
MANAGER
Dean Witter Services Company Inc.
ADVISER PROSPECTUS
TCW Funds Management, Inc. APRIL 24, 1998
<PAGE>
TCW/DW
SMALL CAP
GROWTH FUND
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
APRIL 24, 1998
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
TCW/DW Small Cap Growth Fund (the "Fund") is an open-end, non-diversified
management investment company, whose investment objective is capital
appreciation. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing
primarily in common stocks and other equity securities of lesser-known,
smaller capitalization companies. See "Investment Objective and Policies."
A Prospectus for the Fund dated April 24, 1998, which provides the basic
information you should know before investing in the Fund, may be obtained
without charge from the Fund at the address or telephone number listed below
or from the Fund's Distributor, Dean Witter Distributors Inc., or from Dean
Witter Reynolds Inc. at any of its branch offices. This Statement of
Additional Information is not a Prospectus. It contains information in
addition to and more detailed than that set forth in the Prospectus. It is
intended to provide additional information regarding the activities and
operations of the Fund, and should be read in conjunction with the
Prospectus.
TCW/DW Small Cap Growth Fund
Two World Trade Center
New York, New York 10048
(212) 392-2550 or
(800) 869-NEWS (toll-free)
<PAGE>
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fund and its Management.................... 3
Trustees and Officers.......................... 6
Investment Practices and Policies.............. 12
Investment Restrictions........................ 22
Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage........... 23
The Distributor................................ 25
Purchase of Fund Shares ....................... 29
Shareholder Services........................... 31
Redemptions and Repurchases.................... 35
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes............. 36
Performance Information........................ 37
Description of Shares.......................... 39
Custodian and Transfer Agent................... 39
Independent Accountants........................ 39
Reports to Shareholders........................ 40
Legal Counsel.................................. 40
Experts........................................ 40
Registration Statement......................... 40
Financial Statements--February 28, 1998 ...... 41
Report of Independent Accountants.............. 55
Appendix--Ratings of Corporate Debt
Instruments................................... 56
2
<PAGE>
THE FUND AND ITS MANAGEMENT
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE FUND
The Fund is a trust of the type commonly known as a "Massachusetts
business trust" and was organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts on March 11, 1992. The Fund is one of the TCW/DW Funds, which
currently consist, in addition to the Fund, of TCW/DW North American
Government Income Trust, TCW/DW Latin American Growth Fund, TCW/DW Term Trust
2002, TCW/DW Income and Growth Fund, TCW/DW Mid-Cap Equity Trust, TCW/DW Term
Trust 2003, TCW/DW Term Trust 2000, TCW/DW Emerging Markets Opportunities
Trust TCW/DW Total Return Trust and TCW/DW Global Telecom Trust.
THE MANAGER
Dean Witter Services Company Inc. (the "Manager"), a Delaware corporation,
whose address is Two World Trade Center, New York, New York 10048, is the
Fund's Manager. The Manager is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dean Witter
InterCapital Inc. ("InterCapital"), a Delaware corporation. InterCapital is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co. ("MSDW"), a
Delaware corporation. The daily management of the Fund is conducted by or
under the direction of officers of the Fund and of the Manager and Adviser
(see below), subject to review by the Fund's Board of Trustees. Information
as to these Trustees and officers is contained under the caption "Trustees
and Officers."
Pursuant to a management agreement (the "Management Agreement") with the
Manager, the Fund has retained the Manager to manage the Fund's business
affairs, supervise the overall day-to-day operations of the Fund (other than
rendering investment advice) and provide all administrative services to the
Fund. Under the terms of the Management Agreement, the Manager also maintains
certain of the Fund's books and records and furnishes, at its own expense,
such office space, facilities, equipment, supplies, clerical help and
bookkeeping and certain legal services as the Fund may reasonably require in
the conduct of its business, including the preparation of prospectuses,
statements of additional information, proxy statements and reports required
to be filed with federal and state securities commissions (except insofar as
the participation or assistance of independent accountants and attorneys is,
in the opinion of the Manager, necessary or desirable). In addition, the
Manager pays the salaries of all personnel, including officers of the Fund,
who are employees of the Manager. The Manager also bears the cost of the
Fund's telephone service, heat, light, power and other utilities.
As full compensation for the services and facilities furnished to the Fund
and expenses of the Fund assumed by the Manager, the Fund pays the Manager
monthly compensation calculated daily by applying the annual rate of 0.60% to
the Fund's daily net assets. The management fee is allocated among the
classes pro rata based on the net assets of the Fund attributable to each
Class. While the total fees payable under the Management Agreement and the
Advisory Agreement (described below) are higher than that paid by most other
investment companies for similar services, the Board of Trustees determined
that the total fees payable under the Management Agreement and the Advisory
Agreement are reasonable in relation to the scope and quality of services to
be provided thereunder. In this regard, in evaluating the Management
Agreement and the Advisory Agreement, the Board of Trustees recognized that
the Manager and the Adviser had, pursuant to an agreement described under the
section entitled "The Adviser," agreed to a division as between themselves of
the total fees necessary for the management of the business affairs of and
the furnishing of investment advice to the Fund. Accordingly, in reviewing
the Management Agreement and Advisory Agreement, the Board viewed as most
significant the question as to whether the total fees payable under the
Management and Advisory Agreements were in the aggregate reasonable in
relation to the services to be provided thereunder. For the fiscal years
ended February 29, 1996, February 28, 1997 and February 28, 1998, the Fund
accrued to the Manager and InterCapital total compensation under the
Management Agreement (and the previous management agreement described below)
of $617,772, $1,565,847 and $1,831,059, respectively.
The Agreement provides that in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad
faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations thereunder,
the Manager is not liable to the Fund or any of its investors for any act or
omission by the Manager or for any losses sustained by the Fund or its
investors. The Management Agreement in no way restricts the Manager from
acting as manager to others.
3
<PAGE>
InterCapital paid the organizational expenses of the Fund in the amount of
$170,413 incurred prior to the offering of the Fund's shares. The Fund has
reimbursed InterCapital for such expenses. These expenses have been deferred
and will be amortized by the Fund on the straight line method over a period
not to exceed five years from the date of commencement of the Fund's
operations.
The Management Agreement was initially approved by the Trustees on October
22, 1993 and became effective on December 31, 1993. The Management Agreement
replaced a previous management agreement in effect between the Fund and
InterCapital, the parent company of the Manager. The nature and scope of
services provided to the Fund, and the formula to determine fees paid by the
Fund under the Management Agreement, are identical to those of the previous
agreement. (The previous management agreement was approved by the Trustees on
October 30, 1992 and by InterCapital as the then sole shareholder on June 10,
1993.) The Management Agreement may be terminated at any time, without
penalty, on thirty days notice by the Trustees of the Fund or by the Manager.
Under its terms, the Management Agreement continued in effect until April
30, 1994, and provides that it will continue in effect from year to year
thereafter, provided continuance of the Management Agreement is approved at
least annually by the vote of the Trustees of the Fund, including the vote of
a majority of the Trustees of the Fund who are not parties to the Management
or Advisory Agreement or "interested persons" (as defined in the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Act")), of any such party (the
"Independent Trustees"). Most recent continuation of the Management Agreement
for one year, until April 30, 1998, was approved by the Board of Trustees,
including a majority of the Independent Trustees, at its meeting on April 24,
1997.
THE ADVISER
TCW Funds Management, Inc. (the "Adviser"), a California corporation, is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of The TCW Group, Inc. ("TCW"), whose subsidiaries,
including Trust Company of the West and TCW Asset Management Company, provide
a variety of trust, investment management and investment advisory services.
As of February 28, 1998, the Adviser and its affiliates had over $50 billion
under management or committed to management. The Adviser is headquartered at
865 South Figueroa Street, Suite 1800, Los Angeles, California 90017 and is
registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of
1940. In addition to the Fund, the Adviser serves as investment adviser or
co-adviser to ten other TCW/DW Funds: TCW/DW North American Government Income
Trust, TCW/DW Latin American Growth Fund, TCW/DW Term Trust 2002, TCW/DW Term
Trust 2003, TCW/DW Term Trust 2000, TCW/DW Income and Growth Fund, TCW/DW
Emerging Markets Opportunities Trust, TCW/DW Mid-Cap Equity Trust, TCW/DW
Total Return Trust and TCW/DW Global Telecom Trust. The Adviser also serves
as investment adviser to TCW Convertible Securities Fund, Inc., a closed-end
investment company traded on the New York Stock Exchange, and to TCW Galileo
Funds, Inc., an open-end investment company, and acts as adviser or
sub-adviser to other investment companies.
Robert A. Day, who is Chairman of the Board of Directors of TCW, may be
deemed to be a control person of the Adviser by virtue of the aggregate
ownership of Mr. Day and his family of more than 25% of the outstanding
voting stock of TCW.
Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement (the "Advisory Agreement")
with the Adviser, the Fund has retained the Adviser to invest the Fund's
assets, including the placing of orders for the purchase and sale of
portfolio securities. The Adviser obtains and evaluates such information and
advice relating to the economy, securities markets, and specific securities
as it considers necessary or useful to continuously manage the assets of the
Fund in a manner consistent with its investment objective. In addition, the
Adviser pays the salaries of all personnel, including officers of the Fund,
who are employees of the Adviser.
As full compensation for the services and facilities furnished to the Fund
and expenses of the Fund assumed by the Adviser, the Fund pays the Adviser
monthly compensation calculated daily by applying the annual rate of 0.40% to
the Fund's daily net assets. For the fiscal years ended February 29, 1996,
February 28, 1997 and February 28, 1998, the Fund accrued to the Adviser
total compensation under the Advisory Agreement of $411,848, $1,043,898 and
1,220,706, respectively.
The Advisory Agreement provides that in the absence of willful
misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its
obligations thereunder, the Adviser is not liable to the Fund or any of its
investors for any act or omission by the Adviser or for any losses sustained
by the Fund or its investors. The Advisory Agreement in no way restricts the
Adviser from acting as investment adviser to others.
4
<PAGE>
The Advisory Agreement was initially approved by the Trustees on July 29,
1992 and by InterCapital as the then sole shareholder on June 10, 1993. The
Advisory Agreement may be terminated at any time, without penalty, on thirty
days' notice by the Trustees of the Fund, by the holders of a majority, as
defined in the Act, of the outstanding shares of the Fund, or by the Adviser.
The Advisory Agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its
assignment (as defined in the Act).
Under its terms, the Advisory Agreement had an initial term ending April
30, 1994, and provides that it will continue from year to year thereafter,
provided continuance of the Advisory Agreement is approved at least annually
by the vote of the holders of a majority, as defined in the Act, of the
outstanding shares of the Fund, or by the Trustees of the Fund; provided that
in either event such continuance is approved annually by the vote of a
majority of the Independent Trustees of the Fund, which vote must be cast in
person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. Most
recent continuation of the Advisory Agreement for one year, until April 30,
1998, was approved by Trustees, including a majority of the Independent
Trustees, at a meeting held on April 24, 1997.
Expenses not expressly assumed by the Manager under the Management
Agreement, by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement or by the Distributor
of the Fund's shares, Dean Witter Distributors Inc. ("Distributors" or the
"Distributor") (see "The Distributor"), will be paid by the Fund. These
expenses will be allocated among the four classes of shares of the Fund
(each, a "Class") pro rata based on the net assets of the Fund attributable
to each Class, except as described below. Such expenses include, but are not
limited to: expenses of the Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 (the
"12b-1 fee") (see "The Distributor"); charges and expenses of any registrar;
custodian, stock transfer and dividend disbursing agent; brokerage
commissions and securities transaction costs; taxes; engraving and printing
of share certificates; registration costs of the Fund and its shares under
federal and state securities laws; the cost and expense of printing,
including typesetting, and distributing Prospectuses and Statements of
Additional Information of the Fund and supplements thereto to the Fund's
shareholders; all expenses of shareholders' and trustees' meetings and of
preparing, printing and mailing proxy statements and reports to shareholders;
fees and travel expenses of trustees or members of any advisory board or
committee who are not employees of the Manager or Adviser or any corporate
affiliate of either; all expenses incident to any dividend, withdrawal or
redemption options; charges and expenses of any outside service used for
pricing of the Fund's shares; fees and expenses of legal counsel, including
counsel to the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Fund or of the
Manager or the Adviser (not including compensation or expenses of attorneys
who are employees of the Manager or the Adviser) and independent accountants;
membership dues of industry associations; interest on Fund borrowings;
postage; insurance premiums on property or personnel (including officers and
trustees) of the Fund which inure to its benefit; extraordinary expenses
(including, but not limited to, legal claims and liabilities and litigation
costs and any indemnification relating thereto); and all other costs of the
Fund's operation. The 12b-1 fees relating to a particular Class will be
allocated directly to that Class. In addition, other expenses associated with
a particular Class (except advisory or custodial fees) may be allocated
directly to that Class, provided that such expenses are reasonably identified
as specifically attributable to that Class and the direct allocation to that
Class is approved by the Trustees.
The following owned 5% or more of the outstanding shares of Class A on
April 3, 1998: Dean Witter Reynolds as Custodian for Atsushi Kanbayashi FBO
Atsushi Kanbayashi Money Purchase Plan dated 12/31/96, 169 Eastwood Drive,
San Francisco, CA 94112-10.181%; David Ross, 5076 Rahlves Dr., Castro Valley,
CA 94546-7.975%; Dean Witter Reynolds as Custodian for Florante F. Limcolioc
IRA Rollover, dated 10/08/97, 812 Cedar Street, San Carlos, CA 94070-5.880%;
Dean Witter Reynolds as Custodian for Helen E. McKenzie IRA Rollover, dated
09/11/97, 16326 North 105th Way, Scottsdale, AZ 85259-5.730%; Jeanne Henry,
306 Melton Circle, Jonesboro, AR 72401-5.332%. The following owned 5% or more
of the outstanding shares of Class C on April 3, 1998: Robert J. Dankanyin,
Trustee of the Robert J. Dankanyin Trust dated 04/11/91, Catamaran Street,
Unit D, Marina Del Ray, CA 90292-19.374%; Nancy H. Fullam, 3306 Saw Mill Rd.,
Newton Square, PA 19073-11.339%; Andrew Urban, Option Account, 37 Center
Avenue, Atlantic Highlands, NJ-6.945%. The following owned 5% or more of the
outstanding shares of Class D on April 3, 1998: Dean Witter InterCapital
Inc., ATTN: Maurice Bendrihem, 2 World Trade Center, 73rd Fl., New York, New
York 10048-99.785%.
The Fund has acknowledged that DWR and TCW each owns its own name,
initials and logo. The Fund has agreed to change its name at the request of
either the Manager or the Adviser, if the Management Agreement between the
Manager and the Fund or the Advisory Agreement between the Adviser and the
Fund is terminated.
5
<PAGE>
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Trustees and Executive Officers of the Fund, their principal business
occupations during the last five years and their affiliations, if any, with
the Manager or the Adviser, and affiliated companies of either, and with the
11 TCW/DW Funds and with 86 investment companies of which InterCapital serves
as investment manager or investment adviser (the "Dean Witter Funds"), are
shown below.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
NAME, AGE, POSITION WITH FUND AND ADDRESS PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION DURING LAST FIVE YEARS
- ------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C>
John C. Argue (66) Of Counsel, Argue Pearson Harbison & Myers (law firm);
Trustee Director, Avery Dennison Corporation (manufacturer of
c/o Argue Pearson Harbison & Myers self-adhesive products and office supplies) and CalMat Company
801 South Flower Street (producer of aggregates, asphalt and ready mixed concrete);
Los Angeles, California Chairman, The Rio Hondo Memorial Foundation (charitable
foundation); Advisory Director, LAACO Ltd. (owner and operator
of private clubs and real estate); director or trustee of
various business and not-for-profit corporations; Director, TCW
Galileo Funds, Inc.; Director, TCW Convertible Securities Fund,
Inc.; Director, Apex Mortgage Capital, Inc. and Nationwide
Health Properties, Inc. (each, a real estate investment trust);
Trustee of the TCW/DW Funds.
Richard M. DeMartini* (45) President and Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Stanley Dean
Trustee Witter Individual Asset Management Group, a division of DWR;
Two World Trade Center Director of DWR, the Manager, InterCapital, Distributors and
New York, New York Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Trust FSB ("MSDW Trust"); Member of
MSDW management committee; Trustee of the TCW/DW Funds and the
Van Kampen American Capital Funds; Director and/or officer of
various MSDW subsidiaries; formerly Vice Chairman of the Board
of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.;
formerly Chairman of the Board of the Nasdaq Market, Inc.
Charles A. Fiumefreddo* (64) Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Manager,
Chairman of the Board, Chief InterCapital and Distributors; Executive Vice President and
Executive Officer and Trustee Director of DWR; formerly Executive Vice President and Director
Two World Trade Center of Dean Witter, Discover & Co. (until February, 1993); Chairman
New York, New York of the Board, Director or Trustee, President and Chief
Executive Officer of the Dean Witter Funds; Chairman of the
Board, Chief Executive Officer and Trustee of the TCW/DW Funds;
Chairman and Director of MSDW Trust; Director and/or officer of
various MSDW subsidiaries.
John R. Haire (73) Chairman of the Audit Committee and Chairman of the Committee
Trustee of the Independent Trustees and Trustee of the TCW/DW Funds;
Two World Trade Center Chairman of the Audit Committee and Chairman of the Committee
New York, New York of Independent Directors or Trustees and Director or Trustee of
the Dean Witter Funds; formerly President, Council for Aid to
Education (1978-1989) and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
of Anchor Corporation, an Investment Adviser (1964-1978).
6
<PAGE>
NAME, AGE, POSITION WITH FUND AND ADDRESS PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION DURING LAST FIVE YEARS
- ------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Manuel H. Johnson (49) Senior Partner, Johnson Smick International, Inc., a consulting
Trustee firm; Co-Chairman and a founder of the Group of Seven Council
c/o Johnson Smick International, Inc. (G7C), an international economic commission; Director or
1133 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds; Trustee of the TCW/DW Funds;
Washington D.C. Chairman and Trustee of the Financial Accounting Foundation
(oversight organization of the Financial Accounting Standards
Board); Director of NASDAQ (since June, 1995); Director of
Greenwich Capital Markets, Inc. (broker-dealer) and NVR, Inc.
(home construction); formerly Vice Chairman of the Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve System (1986-1990) and
Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury (1982-1986).
Thomas E. Larkin, Jr.* (57) Executive Vice President and Director, The TCW Group, Inc.;
President and Trustee President and Managing Director of Trust Company of the West;
865 South Figueroa Street Vice Chairman and Director of TCW Asset Management Company;
Los Angeles, California Chairman of the Adviser; President and Director of TCW Galileo
Funds, Inc.; Senior Vice President of TCW Convertible
Securities Fund, Inc.; President and Trustee of the TCW/DW
Funds; Member of the Board of Trustees of the University of
Notre Dame; Director of Orthopaedic Hospital of Los Angeles.
Michael E. Nugent (61) General Partner, Triumph Capital, L.P., a private investment
Trustee partnership; Trustee of the TCW/DW Funds; Director or Trustee
c/o Triumph Capital, L.P. of the Dean Witter Funds; formerly Vice President, Bankers
237 Park Avenue Trust Company and BT Capital Corporation (1984-1988); Director
New York, New York of various business organizations.
John L. Schroeder (67) Retired; Director or Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds; Trustee
Trustee of the TCW/DW Funds; Director of Citizens Utilities Company;
c/o Gordon Altman Butowsky formerly Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer
Weitzen Shalov & Wein of the Home Insurance Company (August, 1991-September, 1995).
Counsel to the Independent Trustees
114 West 47th Street
New York, New York
Marc I. Stern* (54) President and Director, The TCW Group, Inc.; President and
Trustee Director of the Adviser; Vice Chairman and Director of TCW
865 South Figueroa Street Asset Management Company; Executive Vice President and Director
Los Angeles, California of Trust Company of the West; Chairman and Director of TCW
Galileo Funds, Inc; Trustee of the TCW/DW Funds; Chairman of
TCW Americas Development, Inc.; Chairman of TCW Asia, Limited;
Chairman of TCW London International, Limited; Chairman, Apex
Mortgage Capital, Inc. (a real estate investment trust);
formerly President and Director of SunAmerica, Inc. (financial
services company); Director of Qualcomm, Incorporated (wireless
communications); director or trustee of various not-for-profit
organizations.
7
<PAGE>
NAME, AGE, POSITION WITH FUND AND ADDRESS PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION DURING LAST FIVE YEARS
- ------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------
Barry Fink (43) Senior Vice President (since March, 1997) and Secretary and
Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel General Counsel (since February, 1997) of the Manager and
Two World Trade Center InterCapital; Senior Vice President (since March, 1997) and
New York, New York Assistant Secretary and Assistant General Counsel (since
February, 1997) of Distributors; Assistant Secretary of DWR
(since August, 1996); Vice President, Secretary and General
Counsel of the Dean Witter Funds and the TCW/DW Funds (since
February, 1997); previously First Vice President (June,
1993-February, 1997), Vice President (until June, 1993) and
Assistant Secretary and Assistant General Counsel of
InterCapital and the Manager and Assistant Secretary of the
Dean Witter Funds and the TCW/DW Funds.
Charles Larsen (53) Managing Director of the Adviser, Trust Company of the West and
Vice President TCW Asset Management Company.
865 South Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, California
Douglas H. Foreman (40) Managing Director of the Adviser, Trust Company of the West and
Vice President TCW Asset Management Company (since May, 1994); previously
865 South Figueroa Street portfolio manager with Putnam Investments.
Los Angeles, California
Christopher J. Ainley (39) Managing Director of the Adviser, Trust Company of the West and
Vice President TCW Asset Management Company (since February, 1996); formerly
865 South Figueroa Street Senior Vice President of the Adviser, Trust Company of the West
Los Angeles, California and TCW Asset Management Company (May, 1994-February, 1996);
previously portfolio manager with Putnam Investments.
Thomas F. Caloia (52) First Vice President and Assistant Treasurer of the Manager and
Treasurer InterCapital; Treasurer of the Dean Witter Funds and the TCW/DW
Two World Trade Center Funds.
New York, New York
</TABLE>
- ------------
* Denotes Trustees who are "interested persons" of the Fund, as defined in
the Act.
In addition, Mitchell M. Merin, President and Chief Strategic Officer of
InterCapital and DWSC, Executive Vice President of Distributors and MSDW
Trust and Director of MSDW Trust, Executive Vice President and Director of
DWR, and Director of SPS Transaction Services, Inc. and various other MSDW
subsidiaries, Robert M. Scanlan, President and Chief Operating Officer of the
Manager and InterCapital, Executive Vice President of Distributors and MSDW
Trust and Director of MSDW Trust, and Robert S. Giambrone, Senior Vice
President of InterCapital, DWSC, Distributors and MSDW Trust and Director of
MSDW Trust, are Vice Presidents of the Fund. Marilyn K. Cranney, First Vice
President and Assistant General Counsel of the Manager and InterCapital, and
Lou Anne D. McInnis, Carsten Otto and Ruth Rossi, Vice Presidents and
Assistant General Counsels of the Manager and InterCapital, and Frank
Bruttomesso and Todd Lebo, staff attorneys with InterCapital, are Assistant
Secretaries of the Fund.
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, THE INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES, AND THE COMMITTEES
The Board of Trustees consists of nine (9) trustees. These same
individuals also serve as trustees for all of the TCW/DW Funds. As of the
date of this Statement of Additional Information, there are a total of 11
TCW/DW Funds. As of March 31, 1998, the TCW/DW Funds had total net assets of
approximately $3.4 billion and approximately a quarter of a million
shareholders.
8
<PAGE>
Five Trustees (56% of the total number) have no affiliation or business
connection with TCW Funds Management, Inc. or Dean Witter Services Company
Inc. or any of their affiliated persons and do not own any stock or other
securities issued by MSDW or TCW, the parent companies of Dean Witter
Services Company Inc. and TCW Funds Management, Inc., respectively. These are
the "disinterested" or "independent" Trustees. The other four Trustees (the
"management Trustees") are affiliated with either Dean Witter Services
Company Inc. or TCW. Four of the five independent Trustees are also
Independent Trustees of the Dean Witter Funds.
Law and regulation establish both general guidelines and specific duties
for the Independent Trustees. The TCW/DW Funds seek as Independent Trustees
individuals of distinction and experience in business and finance, government
service or academia; these are people whose advice and counsel are in demand
by others and for whom there is often competition. To accept a position on
the Funds' Boards, such individuals may reject other attractive assignments
because the Funds make substantial demands on their time. Indeed, by serving
on the Funds' Boards, certain Trustees who would otherwise be qualified and
in demand to serve on bank boards would be prohibited by law from doing so.
All of the Independent Trustees serve as members of the Audit Committee
and the Committee of the Independent Trustees. Three of them also serve as
members of the Derivatives Committee. During the calendar year ended December
31, 1997, the three Committees held a combined total of sixteen meetings. The
Committees hold some meetings at the offices of the Manager or Adviser and
some outside those offices. Management Trustees or officers do not attend
these meetings unless they are invited for purposes of furnishing information
or making a report.
The Committee of the Independent Trustees is charged with recommending to
the full Board approval of management, advisory and administration contracts,
Rule 12b-1 plans and distribution and underwriting agreements; continually
reviewing Fund performance; checking on the pricing of portfolio securities,
brokerage commissions, transfer agent costs and performance, and trading
among Funds in the same complex; and approving fidelity bond and related
insurance coverage and allocations, as well as other matters that arise from
time to time. The Independent Trustees are required to select and nominate
individuals to fill any Independent Trustee vacancy on the Board of any Fund
that has a Rule 12b-1 plan of distribution. Each of the open-end TCW/DW Funds
has such a plan.
The Audit Committee is charged with recommending to the full Board the
engagement or discharge of the Fund's independent accountants; directing
investigations into matters within the scope of the independent accountants'
duties, including the power to retain outside specialists; reviewing with the
independent accountants the audit plan and results of the auditing
engagement; approving professional services provided by the independent
accountants and other accounting firms prior to the performance of such
services; reviewing the independence of the independent accountants;
considering the range of audit and non-audit fees; reviewing the adequacy of
the Fund's system of internal controls; and preparing and submitting
Committee meeting minutes to the full Board.
Finally, the Board of each Fund has formed a Derivatives Committee to
establish parameters for and oversee the activities of the Fund with respect
to derivative investments, if any, made by the Fund.
DUTIES OF CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEE OF THE INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES AND AUDIT
COMMITTEE
The Chairman of the Committees maintains an office in the Funds'
headquarters in New York. He is responsible for keeping abreast of regulatory
and industry developments and the Funds' operations and management. He
screens and/or prepares written materials and identifies critical issues for
the Independent Trustees to consider, develops agendas for Committee
meetings, determines the type and amount of information that the Committees
will need to form a judgment on various issues, and arranges to have that
information furnished to Committee members. He also arranges for the services
of independent experts and consults with them in advance of meetings to help
refine reports and to focus on critical issues. Members of the Committees
believe that the person who serves as Chairman of both Committees and guides
their efforts is pivotal to the effective functioning of the Committees.
9
<PAGE>
The Chairman of the Committees also maintains continuous contact with the
Funds' management, with independent counsel to the Independent Trustees and
with the Funds' independent auditors. He arranges for a series of special
meetings involving the annual review of investment advisory, management and
other operating contracts of the Funds and, on behalf of the Committees,
conducts negotiations with the Investment Adviser and the Manager and other
service providers. In effect, the Chairman of the Committees serves as a
combination of chief executive and support staff of the Independent Trustees.
The Chairman of the Committee of the Independent Trustees and the Audit
Committee is not employed by any other organization and devotes his time
primarily to the services he performs as Committee Chairman and Independent
Trustee of the TCW/DW Funds and as Chairman of the Committee of the
Independent Trustees and the Audit Committee and Independent Director or
Trustee of the Dean Witter Funds. The current Committee Chairman has had more
than 35 years experience as a senior executive in the investment company
industry.
ADVANTAGES OF HAVING SAME INDIVIDUALS AS INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES FOR ALL TCW/DW
FUNDS
The Independent Trustees and the Funds' management believe that having the
same Independent Trustees for each of the TCW/DW Funds avoids the duplication
of effort that would arise from having different groups of individuals
serving as Independent Trustees for each of the Funds or even of sub-groups
of Funds. They believe that having the same individuals serve as Independent
Trustees of all the Funds tends to increase their knowledge and expertise
regarding matters which affect the Fund complex generally and enhances their
ability to negotiate on behalf of each Fund with the Fund's service
providers. This arrangement also precludes the possibility of separate groups
of Independent Trustees arriving at conflicting decisions regarding
operations and management of the Funds and avoids the cost and confusion that
would likely ensue. Finally, having the same Independent Trustees serve on
all Fund Boards enhances the ability of each Fund to obtain, at modest cost
to each separate Fund, the services of Independent Trustees, and a Chairman
of their Committees, of the caliber, experience and business acumen of the
individuals who serve as Independent Trustees of the TCW/DW Funds.
COMPENSATION OF INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES
The Fund pays each Independent Trustee an annual fee of $2,225 plus a per
meeting fee of $200 for meetings of the Board of Trustees or committees of
the Board of Trustees attended by the Trustee (the Fund pays the Chairman of
the Audit Committee an annual fee of $750 and pays the Chairman of the
Committee of the Independent Trustees an additional annual fee of $1,200). If
a Board meeting and a Committee meeting, or more than one Committee meeting,
take place on a single day, the Trustees are paid a single meeting fee by the
Fund. The Fund also reimburses such Trustees for travel and other
out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with attending such
meetings. Trustees and officers of the Fund who are or have been employed by
the Manager or the Adviser or an affiliated company of either receive no
compensation or expense reimbursement from the Fund. The Trustees of the
TCW/DW Funds do not have retirement or deferred compensation plans.
The following table illustrates the compensation paid to the Fund's
Independent Trustees by the Fund for the fiscal year ended February 28, 1998.
FUND COMPENSATION
AGGREGATE
COMPENSATION
NAME OF INDEPENDENT TRUSTEE FROM THE FUND
- --------------------------- ---------------
John C. Argue............... $5,225
John R. Haire............... 7,375
Dr. Manuel H. Johnson....... 5,225
Michael E. Nugent........... 5,425
John L. Schroeder........... 5,425
10
<PAGE>
The following table illustrates the compensation paid to the Fund's
Independent Trustees for the calendar year ended December 31, 1997 for
services to the 14 TCW/DW Funds and, in the case of Messrs. Haire, Johnson,
Nugent and Schroeder, the 84 Dean Witter Funds that were in operation at
December 31, 1997, and, in the case of Mr. Argue, TCW Galileo Funds, Inc. and
TCW Convertible Securities Fund, Inc. With respect to Messrs. Haire, Johnson,
Nugent and Schroeder, the Dean Witter Funds are included solely because of a
limited exchange privilege between various TCW/DW Funds and five Dean Witter
Money Market Funds. With respect to Mr. Argue, TCW Galileo Funds, Inc. and
TCW Convertible Securities Fund, Inc. are included solely because the Fund's
Adviser, TCW Funds Management, Inc., also serves as Adviser to those
investment companies.
CASH COMPENSATION FROM FUND GROUPS
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FOR SERVICE AS
FOR SERVICES AS CHAIRMAN OF
CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES OF TOTAL
FOR SERVICE COMMITTEES OF INDEPENDENT CASH COMPENSATION
FOR SERVICE AS DIRECTOR INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS/ FOR SERVICES TO
AS TRUSTEE OR TRUSTEE FOR SERVICE AS TRUSTEES TRUSTEES 84 DEAN WITTER
AND COMMIT- AND COMMIT- DIRECTOR OF AND AUDIT AND AUDIT FUNDS, 14
TEE MEMBER TEE MEMBER TCW GALILEO COMMITTEES COMMITTEES TCW/DW FUNDS,
OF 14 OF 84 FUNDS, INC. AND OF 14 OF 84 TCW GALILEO FUNDS, INC.
NAME OF TCW/DW DEAN WITTER TCW CONVERTIBLE TCW/DW DEAN WITTER AND TCW CONVERTIBLE
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEE FUNDS FUNDS SECURITIES FUND, INC. FUNDS FUNDS SECURITIES FUND, INC.
- -------------------- -------- ------- --------------------- ------- ------- -----------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
John C. Argue.......... $71,125 -- $43,250 -- -- $114,375
John R. Haire.......... 73,725 $149,702 -- $25,350 $157,463 406,240
Dr. Manuel H. Johnson . 71,125 145,702 -- -- -- 216,827
Michael E. Nugent...... 73,725 149,702 -- -- -- 223,427
John L. Schroeder...... 73,725 149,702 -- -- -- 223,427
</TABLE>
As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, 57 of the Dean
Witter Funds have adopted a retirement program under which an Independent
Trustee who retires after serving for at least five years (or such lesser
period as may be determined by the Board) as an Independent Director or
Trustee of any Dean Witter Fund that has adopted the retirement program (each
such Fund referred to as an "Adopting Fund" and each such Trustee referred to
as an "Eligible Trustee") is entitled to retirement payments upon reaching
the eligible retirement age (normally, after attaining age 72). Annual
payments are based upon length of service. Currently, upon retirement, each
Eligible Trustee is entitled to receive from the Adopting Fund, commencing as
of his or her retirement date and continuing for the remainder of his or her
life, an annual retirement benefit (the "Regular Benefit") equal to 25.0% of
his or her Eligible Compensation plus 0.4166666% of such Eligible
Compensation for each full month of service as an Independent Director or
Trustee of any Adopting Fund in excess of five years up to a maximumof 50.0%
after ten years of service. The foregoing percentages may be changed by the
Board.(1) "Eligible Compensation" is one-fifth of the total compensation
earned by such Eligible Trustee for service to the Adopting Fund in the five
year period prior to the date of the Eligible Trustee's retirement. Benefits
under the retirement program are not secured or funded by the Adopting Funds.
- ------------
(1) An Eligible Trustee may elect alternate payments of his or her
retirement benefits based upon the combined life expectancy of such
Eligible Trustee and his or her spouse on the date of such Eligible
Trustee's retirement. The amount estimated to be payable under this
method, through the remainder of the later of the lives of such
Eligible Trustee and spouse, will be the actuarial equivalent of the
Regular Benefit. In addition, the Eligible Trustee may elect that the
surviving spouse's periodic payment of benefits will be equal to either
50% or 100% of the previous periodic amount, an election that,
respectively, increases or decreases the previous periodic amount so
that the resulting payments will be the actuarial equivalent of the
Regular Benefit.
11
<PAGE>
The following table illustrates the retirement benefits accrued to Messrs.
Haire, Johnson, Nugent and Schroeder by the 57 Dean Witter Funds for the year
ended December 31, 1997, and the estimated retirement benefits for Messrs.
Haire, Johnson, Nugent and Schroeder, to commence upon their retirement, from
the 57 Dean Witter Funds as of December 31, 1997.
RETIREMENT BENEFITS FROM ALL DEAN WITTER FUNDS
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
ESTIMATED
CREDITED YEARS ESTIMATED RETIREMENT BENEFITS ESTIMATED ANNUAL BENEFITS
OF SERVICE AT PERCENTAGE OF ACCRUED AS EXPENSES UPON RETIREMENT
RETIREMENT ELIGIBLE BY ALL ADOPTING FROM ALL ADOPTING
NAME OF INDEPENDENT TRUSTEE (MAXIMUM 10) COMPENSATION FUNDS FUNDS(2)
- --------------------------- -------------- --------------- ------------------- -------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
John R. Haire............... 10 50.0% $(19,823)(3) $127,897
Dr. Manuel H. Johnson....... 10 50.0 12,832 47,025
Michael E. Nugent........... 10 50.0 22,546 47,025
John L. Schroeder........... 8 41.7 39,350 39,504
</TABLE>
(2) Based on current levels of compensation. Amount of annual benefits also
varies depending on the Trustee's elections described in Footnote (1)
above.
(3) This number reflects the effect of the extension of Mr. Haire's term as
Director or Trustee until June 1, 1998.
As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, the aggregate
number of shares of beneficial interest of the Fund owned by the Fund's
officers and Trustees as a group was less than 1 percent of the Fund's shares
of beneficial interest outstanding.
INVESTMENT PRACTICES AND POLICIES
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
MONEY MARKET SECURITIES
As stated in the Prospectus, the money market instruments which the Fund
may purchase include U.S. Government securities, bank obligations, Eurodollar
certificates of deposit, obligations of savings institutions, fully insured
certificates of deposit and commercial paper. Such securities are limited to:
U.S. Government Securities. Obligations issued or guaranteed as to
principal and interest by the United States or its agencies (such as the
Export-Import Bank of the United States, Federal Housing Administration and
Government National Mortgage Association) or its instrumentalities (such as
the Federal Home Loan Bank), including Treasury bills, notes and bonds;
Bank Obligations. Obligations (including certificates of deposit, bankers'
acceptances, commercial paper (see below) and other debt obligations) of
banks subject to regulation by the U.S. Government and having total assets of
$1 billion or more, and instruments secured by such obligations, not
including obligations of foreign branches of domestic banks except as
permitted below;
Eurodollar Certificates of Deposit. Eurodollar certificates of deposit
issued by foreign branches of domestic banks having total assets of $1
billion or more (investments in Eurodollar certificates may be affected by
changes in currency rates or exchange control regulations, or changes in
governmental administration in the United States or abroad);
Obligations of Savings Institutions. Certificates of deposit of savings
banks and savings and loan associations, having total assets of $1 billion or
more (investments in savings institutions above $100,000 in principal amount
are not protected by Federal deposit insurance);
Fully Insured Certificates of Deposit. Certificates of deposit of banks
and savings institutions, having total assets of less than $1 billion, if the
principal amount of the obligation is insured by the Bank Insurance Fund or
the Savings Association Insurance Fund (each of which is administered by the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation), limited to $100,000 principal amount
per certificate and to 15% or less of the Fund's total assets in all such
obligations and in all illiquid assets, in the aggregate; and
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<PAGE>
Commercial Paper. Commercial paper rated within the two highest grades by
Standard & Poor's Corporation or by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or, if
not rated, issued by a company having an outstanding debt issue rated at
least AAA by Standard & Poor's or Aaa by Moody's.
LENDING OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES
Consistent with applicable regulatory requirements, the Fund may lend its
portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions,
provided that such loans are callable at any time by the Fund (subject to
notice provisions described below), and are at all times secured by cash or
money market instruments, which are maintained in a segregated account
pursuant to applicable regulations and that are equal to at least the market
value, determined daily, of the loaned securities. The advantage of such
loans is that the Fund continues to receive the income on the loaned
securities while at the same time earning interest on the cash amounts
deposited as collateral, which will be invested in short-term obligations.
The Fund will not lend its portfolio securities if such loans are not
permitted by the laws or regulations of any state in which its shares are
qualified for sale and will not lend more than 25% of the value of its total
assets. A loan may be terminated by the borrower on one business day's
notice, or by the Fund on two business days' notice. If the borrower fails to
deliver the loaned securities within two days after receipt of notice, the
Fund could use the collateral to replace the securities while holding the
borrower liable for any excess of replacement cost over collateral. As with
any extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in recovery and in some
cases even loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the
securities fail financially. However, these loans of portfolio securities
will only be made to firms deemed by the Fund's management to be creditworthy
and when the income which can be earned from such loans justifies the
attendant risks. Upon termination of the loan, the borrower is required to
return the securities to the Fund. Any gain or loss in the market price
during the loan period would inure to the Fund. The creditworthiness of firms
to which the Fund lends its portfolio securities will be monitored on an
ongoing basis by the Adviser pursuant to procedures adopted and reviewed, on
an ongoing basis, by the Board of Trustees of the Fund.
When voting or consent rights which accompany loaned securities pass to
the borrower, the Fund will follow the policy of calling the loaned
securities, to be delivered within one day after notice, to permit the
exercise of such rights if the matters involved would have a material effect
on the Fund's investment in such loaned securities. The Fund will pay
reasonable finder's, administrative and custodial fees in connection with a
loan of its securities.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS
When cash may be available for only a few days, it may be invested by the
Fund in repurchase agreements until such time as it may otherwise be invested
or used for payments of obligations of the Fund. These agreements, which may
be viewed as a type of secured lending by the Fund, typically involve the
acquisition by the Fund of debt securities from a selling financial
institution such as a bank, savings and loan association or broker-dealer.
The agreement provides that the Fund will sell back to the institution, and
that the institution will repurchase, the underlying security ("collateral")
at a specified price and at a fixed time in the future, usually not more than
seven days from the date of purchase. The collateral will be maintained in a
segregated account and will be marked-to-market daily to determine that the
value of the collateral, as specified in the agreement, does not decrease
below the purchase price plus accrued interest. If such decrease occurs,
additional collateral will be requested and, when received, added to the
account to maintain full collateralization. The Fund will accrue interest
from the institution until the time when the repurchase is to occur. Although
such date is deemed by the Fund to be the maturity date of a repurchase
agreement, the maturities of securities subject to repurchase agreements are
not subject to any limits.
While repurchase agreements involve certain risks not associated with
direct investments in debt securities, the Fund follows procedures designed
to minimize such risks. These procedures include effecting repurchase
transactions only with large, well-capitalized and well-established financial
institutions whose financial condition will be continually monitored by the
Adviser subject to procedures established by the Board of Trustees of the
Fund. In addition, as described above, the value of the collateral underlying
the repurchase agreement will be at least equal to the repurchase price,
including any accrued interest earned on the repurchase agreement. In the
event of a default or bankruptcy by a selling financial institution, the Fund
will seek to liquidate such collateral. However, the exercising of the Fund's
right to liquidate such collateral could involve certain costs or delays and,
to the extent that proceeds from any sale upon a default of the obligation to
repurchase were less than the
13
<PAGE>
repurchase price, the Fund could suffer a loss. It is the current policy of
the Fund not to invest in repurchase agreements that do not mature within
seven days if any such investment, together with any other illiquid assets
held by the Fund, amounts to more than 15% of its net assets.
WARRANTS
The Fund may invest up to 5% of the value of its net assets in warrants,
including not more than 2% in warrants not listed on either the New York or
American Stock Exchange. Warrants are, in effect, an option to purchase
equity securities at a specific price, generally valid for a specific period
of time, and have no voting rights, pay no dividends and have no rights with
respect to the corporations issuing them. The Fund may acquire warrants
attached to other securities without reference to the foregoing limitations.
WHEN-ISSUED AND DELAYED DELIVERY SECURITIES AND FORWARD COMMITMENTS
From time to time, in the ordinary course of business, the Fund may
purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis and may
purchase or sell securities on a forward commitment basis. When such
transactions are negotiated, the price is fixed at the time of the
commitment, but delivery and payment can take place a month or more after the
date of the commitment. The securities so purchased or sold are subject to
market fluctuation and no interest or dividends accrue to the purchaser prior
to the settlement date. While the Fund will only purchase securities on a
when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis with the intention
of acquiring the securities, the Fund may sell the securities before the
settlement date, if it is deemed advisable. At the time the Fund makes the
commitment to purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery
or forward commitment basis, the Fund will record the transaction and
thereafter reflect the value, each day, of such security purchased or, if a
sale, the proceeds to be received, in determining its net asset value. At the
time of delivery of the securities, the value may be more or less than the
purchase or sale price. The Fund will also establish a segregated account
with the Fund's custodian bank in which it will continuously maintain cash or
U.S. Government securities or other liquid portfolio securities equal in
value to commitments to purchase securities on a when-issued, delayed
delivery or forward commitment basis; subject to this requirement, the Fund
may purchase securities on such basis without limit. An increase in the
percentage of the Fund's assets committed to the purchase of securities on a
when-issued or delayed delivery basis may increase the volatility of the
Fund's net asset value.
WHEN, AS AND IF ISSUED SECURITIES
The Fund may purchase securities on a "when, as and if issued" basis under
which the issuance of the security depends upon the occurrence of a
subsequent event, such as approval of a merger, corporate reorganization,
leveraged buyout or debt restructuring. The commitment for the purchase of
any such security will not be recognized in the portfolio of the Fund until
the Adviser determines that issuance of the security is probable. At such
time, the Fund will record the transaction and, in determining its net asset
value, will reflect the value of the security daily. At such time, the Fund
will also establish a segregated account with its custodian bank in which it
will continuously maintain cash or U.S. Government securities or other liquid
portfolio securities equal in value to recognized commitments for such
securities. Settlement of the trade will occur within five business days of
the occurrence of the subsequent event. Once a segregated account has been
established, if the anticipated event does not occur and the securities are
not issued the Fund will have lost an investment opportunity. The Fund may
purchase securities on such basis without limit. An increase in the
percentage of the Fund's assets committed to the purchase of securities on a
"when, as and if issued" basis may increase the volatility of its net asset
value. The Fund may also sell securities on a "when, as and if issued" basis
provided that the issuance of the security will result automatically from the
exchange or conversion of a security owned by the Fund at the time of the
sale.
OPTIONS AND FUTURES TRANSACTIONS
As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund may write covered call options
against securities held in its portfolio and covered put options on eligible
portfolio securities and purchase options of the same series to effect
closing transactions, and may hedge against potential changes in the market
value of its investments (or anticipated investments) by purchasing put and
call options on portfolio (or eligible portfolio) securities (and the
currencies in which they are denominated) and engaging in transactions
involving futures contracts and options on such contracts.
14
<PAGE>
Call and put options on U.S. Treasury notes, bonds and bills are listed on
several securities exchanges and are written in over-the-counter transactions
("OTC options"). Listed options are issued or guaranteed by the exchange on
which they trade or by a clearing corporation such as the Options Clearing
Corporation ("OCC"). Ownership of a listed call option gives the Fund the
right to buy from the OCC or other clearing corporation or exchange, the
underlying security or currency covered by the option at the stated exercise
price (the price per unit of the underlying security or currency) by filing
an exercise notice prior to the expiration date of the option. The writer
(seller) of the option would then have the obligation to sell, to the OCC or
other clearing corporation or exchange, the underlying security or currency
at that exercise price prior to the expiration date of the option, regardless
of its then current market price. Ownership of a listed put option would give
the Fund the right to sell the underlying security to the OCC or other
clearing corporation or exchange at the stated exercise price. Upon notice of
exercise of the put option, the writer of the option would have the
obligation to purchase the underlying security or currency from the OCC (in
the U.S.) or other clearing corporation or exchange at the exercise price.
OTC Options. Exchange-listed options are issued by the OCC or other
clearing corporation or exchange which assures that all transactions in such
options are properly executed. OTC options are purchased from or sold
(written) to dealers or financial institutions which have entered into direct
agreements with the Fund. With OTC options, such variables as expiration
date, exercise price and premium will be agreed upon between the Fund and the
transacting dealer, without the intermediation of a third party such as the
OCC. If the transacting dealer fails to make or take delivery of the
securities or amount of foreign currency underlying an option it has written,
in accordance with the terms of that option, the Fund would lose the premium
paid for the option as well as any anticipated benefit of the transaction.
The Fund will engage in OTC option transactions only with member banks of the
Federal Reserve System or primary dealers in U.S. Government securities or
with affiliates of such banks or dealers which have capital of at least $50
million or whose obligations are guaranteed by an entity having capital of at
least $50 million.
Covered Call Writing. As stated in the Prospectus, the Fund is permitted
to write covered call options on portfolio securities and on the U.S. dollar,
without limit, in order to aid in achieving its investment objective.
Generally, a call option is "covered" if the Fund owns, or has the right to
acquire, without additional cash consideration (or for additional cash
consideration held for the Fund by its Custodian in a segregated account) the
underlying security (currency) subject to the option except that in the case
of call options on U.S. Treasury bills, the Fund might own U.S. Treasury
bills of a different series from those underlying the call option, but with a
principal amount and value corresponding to the exercise price and a maturity
date no later than that of the security (currency) deliverable under the call
option. A call option is also covered if the Fund holds a call on the same
security as the underlying security (currency) of the written option, where
the exercise price of the call used for coverage is equal to or less than the
exercise price of the call written or greater than the exercise price of the
call written if the mark-to-market difference is maintained by the Fund in
cash, U.S. Government securities or other liquid portfolio securities which
the Fund holds in a segregated account maintained with its Custodian.
The Fund will receive from the purchaser, in return for a call it has
written, a "premium"; i.e., the price of the option. Receipt of these
premiums may better enable the Fund to earn a higher level of current income
than it would earn from holding the underlying securities (currencies) alone.
Moreover, the premium received will offset a portion of the potential loss
incurred by the Fund if the securities (currencies) underlying the option are
ultimately sold (exchanged) by the Fund at a loss. Furthermore, a premium
received on a call written on a foreign currency will ameliorate any
potential loss of value on the portfolio security due to a decline in the
value of the currency. However, during the option period, the covered call
writer has, in return for the premium or the option, given up the opportunity
for capital appreciation above the exercise price should the market price of
the underlying security (or the exchange rate of the currency in which it is
denominated) increase, but has retained the risk of loss should the price of
the underlying security (or the exchange rate of the currency in which it is
denominated) decline. The premium received will fluctuate with varying
economic market conditions. If the market value of the portfolio securities
(or the currencies in which they are denominated) upon which call options
have been written increases, the Fund may receive a lower total return from
the portion of its portfolio upon which calls have been written than it would
have had such calls not been written.
As regards listed options and certain OTC options, during the option
period, the Fund may be required, at any time, to deliver the underlying
security (currency) against payment of the exercise price on any calls it has
written (exercise of certain listed and OTC options may be limited to
specific expiration dates). This obligation
15
<PAGE>
is terminated upon the expiration of the option period or at such earlier
time when the writer effects a closing purchase transaction. A closing
purchase transaction is accomplished by purchasing an option of the same
series as the option previously written. However, once the Fund has been
assigned an exercise notice, the Fund will be unable to effect a closing
purchase transaction.
Closing purchase transactions are ordinarily effected to realize a profit
on an outstanding call option, to prevent an underlying security (currency)
from being called, to permit the sale of an underlying security (or the
exchange of the underlying currency) or to enable the Fund to write another
call option on the underlying security (currency) with either a different
exercise price or expiration date or both. The Fund may realize a net gain or
loss from a closing purchase transaction depending upon whether the amount of
the premium received on the call option is more or less than the cost of
effecting the closing purchase transaction. Any loss incurred in a closing
purchase transaction may be wholly or partially offset by unrealized
appreciation in the market value of the underlying security (currency).
Conversely, a gain resulting from a closing purchase transaction could be
offset in whole or in part or exceeded by a decline in the market value of
the underlying security (currency).
If a call option expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a gain in the
amount of the premium on the option less the commission paid. Such a gain,
however, may be offset by depreciation in the market value of the underlying
security (currency) during the option period. If a call option is exercised,
the Fund realizes a gain or loss from the sale of the underlying security
(currency) equal to the difference between the purchase price of the
underlying security (currency) and the proceeds of the sale of the security
(currency) plus the premium received on the option less the commission paid.
Options written by the Fund will normally have expiration dates of up to
eighteen months from the date written. The exercise price of a call option
may be below, equal to or above the current market value of the underlying
security at the time the option is written. See "Risks of Options and Futures
Transactions," below.
Covered Put Writing. As stated in the Prospectus, as a writer of a covered
put option, the Fund incurs an obligation to buy the security underlying the
option from the purchaser of the put, at the option's exercise price at any
time during the option period, at the purchaser's election (certain listed
and OTC put options written by the Fund will be exercisable by the purchaser
only on a specific date). A put is "covered" if, at all times, the Fund
maintains, in a segregated account maintained on its behalf at the Fund's
Custodian, cash, U.S. Government securities or other liquid portfolio
securities in an amount equal to at least the exercise price of the option,
at all times during the option period. Similarly, a short put position could
be covered by the Fund by its purchase of a put option on the same security
(currency) as the underlying security of the written option, where the
exercise price of the purchased option is equal to or more than the exercise
price of the put written or less than the exercise price of the put written
if the marked to market difference is maintained by the Fund in cash, U.S.
Government securities or other liquid portfolio securities which the Fund
holds in a segregated account maintained at its Custodian. In writing puts,
the Fund assumes the risk of loss should the market value of the underlying
security (currency) decline below the exercise price of the option (any loss
being decreased by the receipt of the premium on the option written). In the
case of listed options, during the option period, the Fund may be required,
at any time, to make payment of the exercise price against delivery of the
underlying security (currency). The operation of and limitations on covered
put options in other respects are substantially identical to those of call
options.
The Fund will write put options for three purposes: (1) to receive the
income derived from the premiums paid by purchasers; (2) when the Adviser
wishes to purchase the security underlying the option (or a security
denominated in the currency underlying the option) at a price lower than its
current market price, in which case it will write the covered put at an
exercise price reflecting the lower purchase price sought; and (3) to close
out a long put option position. The potential gain on a covered put option is
limited to the premium received on the option (less the commissions paid on
the transaction) while the potential loss equals the differences between the
exercise price of the option and the current market price of the underlying
securities (currencies) when the put is exercised, offset by the premium
received (less the commissions paid on the transaction).
Purchasing Call and Put Options. As stated in the Prospectus, the Fund may
purchase listed and OTC call and put options in amounts equalling up to 5% of
its total assets. The Fund may purchase a call option in order to close out a
covered call position (see "Covered Call Writing" above), to protect against
an increase in price of a security it anticipates purchasing or, in the case
of a call option on foreign currency, to hedge against an adverse exchange
rate move of the currency in which the security it anticipates purchasing is
denominated vis-a-vis the currency in
16
<PAGE>
which the exercise price is denominated. The purchase of the call option to
effect a closing transaction on a call written over-the-counter may be a
listed or an OTC option. In either case, the call purchased is likely to be
on the same securities (currencies) and have the same terms as the written
option. If purchased over-the-counter, the option would generally be acquired
from the dealer or financial institution which purchased the call written by
the Fund.
The Fund may purchase put options on securities (currencies) which it
holds in its portfolio to protect itself against a decline in the value of
the security and to close out written put option positions. If the value of
the underlying security (currency) were to fall below the exercise price of
the put purchased in an amount greater than the premium paid for the option,
the Fund would incur no additional loss. In addition, the Fund may sell a put
option which it has previously purchased prior to the sale of the securities
(currencies) underlying such option. Such a sale would result in a net gain
or loss depending on whether the amount received on the sale is more or less
than the premium and other transaction costs paid on the put option which is
sold. Any such gain or loss could be offset in whole or in part by a change
in the market value of the underlying security (currency). If a put option
purchased by the Fund expired without being sold or exercised, the premium
would be lost.
Risks of Options Transactions. During the option period, the covered call
writer has, in return for the premium on the option, given up the opportunity
for capital appreciation above the exercise price should the market price of
the underlying security (or the value of its denominated currency) increase,
but has retained the risk of loss should the price of the underlying security
(or the value of its denominated currency) decline. The writer has no control
over the time when it may be required to fulfill its obligation as a writer
of the option. Once an option writer has received an exercise notice, it
cannot effect a closing purchase transaction in order to terminate its
obligation under the option and must deliver or receive the underlying
securities at the exercise price.
Prior to exercise or expiration, an option position can only be terminated
by entering into a closing purchase or sale transaction. If a covered call
option writer is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction or to
purchase an offsetting OTC option, it cannot sell the underlying security
until the option expires or the option is exercised. Accordingly, a covered
call option writer may not be able to sell an underlying security at a time
when it might otherwise be advantageous to do so. A secured put option writer
who is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction or to purchase an
offsetting OTC option would continue to bear the risk of decline in the
market price of the underlying security until the option expires or is
exercised. In addition, a secured put writer would be unable to utilize the
amount held in cash or U.S. Government or other liquid portfolio securities
as security for the put option for other investment purposes until the
exercise or expiration of the option.
As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund's ability to close out its
position as a writer of an option is dependent upon the existence of a liquid
secondary market on Option Exchanges. There is no assurance that such a
market will exist, particularly in the case of OTC options, as such options
will generally only be closed out by entering into a closing purchase
transaction with the purchasing dealer. However, the Fund may be able to
purchase an offsetting option which does not close out its position as a
writer but constitutes an asset of equal value to the obligation under the
option written. If the Fund is not able to either enter into a closing
purchase transaction or purchase an offsetting position, it will be required
to maintain the securities subject to the call, or the collateral underlying
the put, even though it might not be advantageous to do so, until a closing
transaction can be entered into (or the option is exercised or expires).
Among the possible reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on
an Exchange are: (i) insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii)
restrictions on transactions imposed by an Exchange; (iii) trading halts,
suspensions or other restrictions imposed with respect to particular classes
or series of options or underlying securities; (iv) interruption of the
normal operations of an Exchange; (v) inadequacy of the facilities of an
Exchange or the OCC to handle current trading volume; or (vi) a decision by
one or more Exchanges to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular
class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that
Exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist,
although outstanding options on that Exchange that had been issued by the OCC
as a result of trades on that Exchange would generally continue to be
exercisable in accordance with their terms.
In the event of the bankruptcy of a broker through which the Fund engages
in transactions in options, the Fund could experience delays and/or losses in
liquidating open positions purchased or sold through the broker
17
<PAGE>
and/or incur a loss of all or part of its margin deposits with the broker.
Similarly, in the event of the bankruptcy of the writer of an OTC option
purchased by the Fund, the Fund could experience a loss of all or part of the
value of the option. Transactions are entered into by the Fund only with
brokers or financial institutions deemed creditworthy by the Fund's
management.
Each of the Exchanges has established limitations governing the maximum
number of options on the same underlying security or futures contract
(whether or not covered) which may be written by a single investor, whether
acting alone or in concert with others (regardless of whether such options
are written on the same or different Exchanges or are held or written on one
or more accounts or through one or more brokers). An Exchange may order the
liquidation of positions found to be in violation of these limits and it may
impose other sanctions or restrictions. These position limits may restrict
the number of listed options which the Fund may write.
The hours of trading for options may not conform to the hours during which
the underlying securities are traded. To the extent that the option markets
close before the markets for the underlying securities, significant price and
rate movements can take place in the underlying markets that cannot be
reflected in the option markets.
The extent to which the Fund may enter into transactions involving options
may be limited by the Internal Revenue Code's requirements for qualification
as a regulated investment company and the Fund's intention to qualify as such
(see "Dividends, Distributions and Taxes").
Stock Index Options. As stated in the Prospectus, options on stock indexes
are similar to options on stock except that, rather than the right to take or
make delivery of stock at a specified price, an option on a stock index gives
the holder the right to receive, upon exercise of the option, an amount of
cash if the closing level of the stock index upon which the option is based
is greater than, in the case of a call, or less than, in the case of a put,
the exercise price of the option. This amount of cash is equal to such
difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of
the option expressed in dollars times a specified multiple (the
"multiplier"). The multiplier for an index option performs a function similar
to the unit of trading for a stock option. It determines the total dollar
value per contract of each point in the difference between the exercise price
of an option and the current level of the underlying index. A multiplier of
100 means that a one-point difference will yield $100. Options on different
indexes may have different multipliers. The writer of the option is
obligated, in return for the premium received, to make delivery of this
amount. Unlike stock options, all settlements are in cash and a gain or loss
depends on price movements in the stock market generally (or in a particular
segment of the market) rather than the price movements in individual stocks.
Currently, options are traded on the S&P 100 Index and the S&P 500 Index on
the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the Major Market Index and the Computer
Technology Index, Oil Index and Institutional Index on the American Stock
Exchange and the NYSE Index and NYSE Beta Index on the New York Stock
Exchange, The Financial News Composite Index on the Pacific Stock Exchange
and the Value Line Index, National O-T-C Index and Utilities Index on the
Philadelphia Stock Exchange. Each of the foregoing indexes and any similar
index on which options are traded in the future (including stocks that are
not limited to any particular industry or segment of the market) is referred
to as a "broadly based stock market index." The Fund will invest only in
broadly based indexes. Options on broad-based indexes provide the Fund with a
means of protecting the Fund against the risk of market wide price movements.
If the Adviser anticipates a market decline, the Fund could purchase a stock
index put option. If the expected market decline materialized, the resulting
decrease in the value of the Fund's portfolio would be offset to the extent
of the increase in the value of the put option. If the Adviser anticipates a
market rise, the Fund may purchase a stock index call option to enable the
Fund to participate in such rise until completion of anticipated common stock
purchases by the Fund. Purchases and sales of stock index options also enable
the Adviser to more speedily achieve changes in the Fund's equity positions.
The Fund will write put options on stock indexes only if such positions
are covered by cash, U.S. Government securities or other liquid portfolio
securities equal to the aggregate exercise price of the puts, or by a put
option on the same stock index with a strike price no lower than the strike
price of the put option sold by the Fund, which cover is held for the Fund in
a segregated account maintained for it by the Fund's Custodian. All call
options on stock indexes written by the Fund will be covered either by a
portfolio of stocks substantially replicating the movement of the index
underlying the call option or by holding a separate call option on the same
stock index with a strike price no higher than the strike price of the call
option sold by the Fund.
Risks of Options on Indexes. Because exercises of stock index options are
settled in cash, call writers such as the Fund cannot provide in advance for
their potential settlement obligations by acquiring and holding the
underlying
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securities. A call writer can offset some of the risk of its writing position
by holding a diversified portfolio of stocks similar to those on which the
underlying index is based. However, most investors cannot, as a practical
matter, acquire and hold a portfolio containing exactly the same stocks as
the underlying index, and, as a result, bear a risk that the value of the
securities held will vary from the value of the index. Even if an index call
writer could assemble a stock portfolio that exactly reproduced the
composition of the underlying index, the writer still would not be fully
covered from a risk standpoint because of the "timing risk" inherent in
writing index options. When an index option is exercised, the amount of cash
that the holder is entitled to receive is determined by the difference
between the exercise price and the closing index level on the date when the
option is exercised. As with other kinds of options, the writer will not
learn that it has been assigned until the next business day, at the earliest.
The time lag between exercise and notice of assignment poses no risk for the
writer of a covered call on a specific underlying security, such as a common
stock, because there the writer's obligation is to deliver the underlying
security, not to pay its value as of a fixed time in the past. So long as the
writer already owns the underlying security, it can satisfy its settlement
obligations by simply delivering it, and the risk that its value may have
declined since the exercise date is borne by the exercising holder. In
contrast, even if the writer of an index call holds stocks that exactly match
the composition of the underlying index, it will not be able to satisfy its
assignment obligations by delivering those stocks against payment of the
exercise price. Instead, it will be required to pay cash in an amount based
on the closing index value on the exercise date; and by the time it learns
that it has been assigned, the index may have declined, with a corresponding
decrease in the value of its stock portfolio. This "timing risk" is an
inherent limitation on the ability of index call writers to cover their risk
exposure by holding stock positions.
A holder of an index option who exercises it before the closing index
value for that day is available runs the risk that the level of the
underlying index may subsequently change. If such a change causes the
exercised option to fall out-of-the-money, the exercising holder will be
required to pay the difference between the closing index value and the
exercise price of the option (times the applicable multiplier) to the
assigned writer.
If dissemination of the current level of an underlying index is
interrupted, or if trading is interrupted in stocks accounting for a
substantial portion of the value of an index, the trading of options on that
index will ordinarily be halted. If the trading of options on an underlying
index is halted, an exchange may impose restrictions prohibiting the exercise
of such options.
Futures Contracts. As stated in the Prospectus, the Fund may purchase and
sell interest rate, currency, and index futures contracts ("futures
contracts"), that are traded on commodity exchanges, on such underlying
securities as U.S. Treasury bonds, notes and bills and/or any foreign
government fixed-income security ("interest rate" futures), on various
currencies ("currency futures") and on such indexes of securities as may
exist or come into being ("index" futures).
The Fund will purchase or sell interest rate futures contracts for the
purpose of hedging some or all of the value of its portfolio securities (or
anticipated portfolio securities) against changes in prevailing interest
rates. If the Adviser anticipates that interest rates may rise and,
concomitantly, the price of certain of its portfolio securities fall, the
Fund may sell an interest rate futures contract. If declining interest rates
are anticipated, the Fund may purchase an interest rate futures contract to
protect against a potential increase in the price of securities the Fund
intends to purchase. Subsequently, appropriate securities may be purchased by
the Fund in an orderly fashion; as securities are purchased, corresponding
futures positions would be terminated by offsetting sales of contracts.
The Fund will purchase or sell index futures contracts for the purpose of
hedging some or all of its portfolio (or anticipated portfolio) securities
against changes in their prices. If the Adviser anticipates that the prices
of securities held by the Fund may fall, the Fund may sell an index futures
contract. Conversely, if the Fund wishes to hedge against anticipated price
rises in those securities which the Fund intends to purchase, the Fund may
purchase an index futures contract.
In addition to the above, interest rate, index futures will be bought or
sold in order to close out a short or long position maintained by the Fund in
a corresponding futures contract.
Although most interest rate futures contracts call for actual delivery or
acceptance of securities, the contracts usually are closed out before the
settlement date without the making or taking of delivery. A futures contract
sale is closed out by effecting a futures contract purchase for the same
aggregate amount of the specific type of security (currency) and the same
delivery date. If the sale price exceeds the offsetting purchase price, the
seller would be
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<PAGE>
paid the difference and would realize a gain. If the offsetting purchase
price exceeds the sale price, the seller would pay the difference and would
realize a loss. Similarly, a futures contract purchase is closed out by
effecting a futures contract sale for the same aggregage amount of the
specific type of security (currency) and the same delivery date. If the
offsetting sale price exceeds the purchase price, the purchaser would realize
a gain, whereas if the purchase price exceeds the offsetting sale price, the
purchaser would realize a loss. There is no assurance that the Fund will be
able to enter into a closing transaction.
Interest Rate Futures Contracts. When the Fund enters into an interest
rate futures contract, it is initially required to deposit with the Fund's
Custodian, in a segregated account in the name of the broker performing the
transaction, an "initial margin" of cash or U.S. Government securities or
other liquid portfolio securities equal to approximately 2% of the contract
amount. Initial margin requirements are established by the Exchanges on which
futures contracts trade and may, from time to time, change. In addition,
brokers may establish margin deposit requirements in excess of those required
by the Exchanges.
Initial margin in futures transactions is different from margin in
securities transactions in that initial margin does not involve the borrowing
of funds by a brokers' client but is, rather, a good faith deposit on the
futures contract which will be returned to the Fund upon the proper
termination of the futures contract. The margin deposits made are marked to
market daily and the Fund may be required to make subsequent deposits of cash
or U.S. Government securities called "variation margin," with the Fund's
futures contract clearing broker, which are reflective of price fluctuations
in the futures contract.
Index Futures Contracts. As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund may
invest in index futures contracts. An index futures contract sale creates an
obligation by the Fund, as seller, to deliver cash at a specified future
time. An index futures contract purchase would create an obligation by the
Fund, as purchaser, to take delivery of cash at a specified future time.
Futures contracts on indexes do not require the physical delivery of
securities, but provide for a final cash settlement on the expiration date
which reflects accumulated profits and losses credited or debited to each
party's account.
The Fund is required to maintain margin deposits with brokerage firms
through which it effects index futures contracts in a manner similar to that
described above for interest rate futures contracts. In addition, due to
current industry practice, daily variations in gains and losses on open
contracts are required to be reflected in cash in the form of variation
margin payments. The Fund may be required to make additional margin payments
during the term of the contract.
At any time prior to expiration of the futures contract, the Fund may
elect to close the position by taking an opposite position which will operate
to terminate the Fund's position in the futures contract. A final
determination of variation margin is then made, additional cash is required
to be paid by or released to the Fund and the Fund realizes a loss or gain.
Options on Futures Contracts. The Fund may purchase and write call and put
options on futures contracts which are traded on an exchange and enter into
closing transactions with respect to such options to terminate an existing
position. 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 (a
long position if the option is a call and a short position if the option is a
put) at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option.
Upon exercise of the option, the delivery of the futures position by the
writer of the option to the holder of the option is accompanied by delivery
of the accumulated balance in the writer's futures margin account, which
represents the amount by which the market price of the futures contract at
the time of exercise exceeds, in case of a call, or is less than, in the case
of a put, the exercise price of the option on the futures contract.
The Fund will purchase and write options on futures contracts for
identical purposes to those set forth above for the purchase of a futures
contract (purchase of a call option or sale of a put option) and the sale of
a futures contract (purchase of a put option or sale of a call option), or to
close out a long or short position in futures contracts. If, for example, the
Adviser wished to protect against an increase in interest rates and the
resulting negative impact on the value of a portion of its fixed-income
portfolio, it might write a call option on an interest rate futures contract,
the underlying security of which correlates with the portion of the portfolio
the Adviser seeks to hedge. Any premiums received in the writing of options
on futures contracts may, of course, provide a further hedge against losses
resulting from price declines in portions of the Fund's portfolio.
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<PAGE>
Limitations on Futures Contracts and Options on Futures. The Fund may not
enter into futures contracts or purchase related options thereon if,
immediately thereafter, the amount committed to margin plus the amount paid
for premiums for unexpired options on futures contracts exceeds 5% of the
value of the Fund's total assets, after taking into account unrealized gains
and unrealized losses on such contracts it has entered into, provided,
however, that in the case of an option that is in-the-money (the exercise
price of the call (put) option is less (more) than the market price of the
underlying security) at the time of purchase, the in-the-money amount may be
excluded in calculating the 5%. However, there is no overall limitation on
the percentage of the Fund's assets which may be subject to a hedge position.
Except as described above, there are no other limitations on the use of
futures and options thereon by the Fund.
The writer of an option on a futures contract is required to deposit
initial and variation margin pursuant to requirements similar to those
applicable to futures contracts. Premiums received from the writing of an
option on a futures contract are included in initial margin deposits.
Risks of Transactions in Futures Contracts and Related Options. As stated
in the Prospectus, the Fund may sell a futures contract to protect against
the decline in the value of securities (or the currency in which they are
denominated) held by the Fund. However, it is possible that the futures
market may advance and the value of securities (or the currency in which they
are denominated) held in the portfolio of the Fund may decline. If this
occurred, the Fund would lose money on the futures contract and also
experience a decline in value of its portfolio securities. However, while
this could occur for a very brief period or to a very small degree, over time
the value of a diversified portfolio will tend to move in the same direction
as the futures contracts.
If the Fund purchases a futures contract to hedge against the increase in
value of securities it intends to buy (or the currency in which they are
denominated), and the value of such securities (currencies) decreases, then
the Fund may determine not to invest in the securities as planned and will
realize a loss on the futures contract that is not offset by a reduction in
the price of the securities.
If the Fund has sold a call option on a futures contract, it will cover
this position by holding in a segregated account maintained at its Custodian,
cash, U.S. Government securities or other liquid portfolio securities equal
in value (when added to any initial or variation margin on deposit) to the
market value of the securities (currencies) underlying the futures contract
or the exercise price of the option. Such a position may also be covered by
owning the securities (currencies) underlying the futures contract, or by
holding a call option permitting the Fund to purchase the same contract at a
price no higher than the price at which the short position was established.
In addition, if the Fund holds a long position in a futures contract it
will hold cash, U.S. Government securities or other liquid portfolio
securities equal to the purchase price of the contract (less the amount of
initial or variation margin on deposit) in a segregated account maintained
for the Fund by its Custodian. Alternatively, the Fund could cover its long
position by purchasing a put option on the same futures contract with an
exercise price as high or higher than the price of the contract held by the
Fund.
Exchanges limit the amount by which the price of a futures contract may
move on any day. If the price moves equal the daily limit on successive days,
then it may prove impossible to liquidate a futures position until the daily
limit moves have ceased. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund
would continue to be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin
on open futures positions. In such situations, if the Fund has insufficient
cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily variation margin
requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. In addition,
the Fund may be required to take or make delivery of the instruments
underlying interest rate futures contracts it holds at a time when it is
disadvantageous to do so. The inability to close out options and futures
positions could also have an adverse impact on the Fund's ability to
effectively hedge its portfolio.
Futures contracts and options thereon which are purchased or sold on
foreign commodities exchanges may have greater price volatility than their
U.S. counterparts. Furthermore, foreign commodities exchanges may be less
regulated and under less governmental scrutiny than U.S. exchanges. Brokerage
commissions, clearing costs and other transaction costs may be higher on
foreign exchanges. Greater margin requirements may limit the Fund's ability
to enter into certain commodity transactions on foreign exchanges. Moreover,
differences in clearance and delivery requirements on foreign exchanges may
occasion delays in the settlement of the Fund's transactions effected on
foreign exchanges.
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<PAGE>
In the event of the bankruptcy of a broker through which the Fund engages
in transactions in futures or options thereon, the Fund could experience
delays and/or losses in liquidating open positions purchased or sold through
the broker and/or incur a loss of all or part of its margin deposits with the
broker. Similarly in the event of the bankruptcy of the writer of an OTC
option purchased by the Fund, the Fund could experience a loss of all or part
of the value of the option. Transactions are entered into by the Fund only
with brokers or financial institutions deemed creditworthy by the Adviser.
While the futures contracts and options transactions to be engaged in by
the Fund for the purpose of hedging the Fund's portfolio securities are not
speculative in nature, there are risks inherent in the use of such
instruments. One such risk which may arise in employing futures contracts to
protect against the price volatility of portfolio securities (and the
currencies in which they are denominated) is that the prices of securities
and indexes subject to futures contracts (and thereby the futures contract
prices) may correlate imperfectly with the behavior of the cash prices of the
Fund's portfolio securities (and the currencies in which they are
denominated). Another such risk is that prices of interest rate futures
contracts may not move in tandem with the changes in prevailing interest
rates against which the Fund seeks a hedge. A correlation may also be
distorted by the fact that the futures market is dominated by short-term
traders seeking to profit from the difference between a contract or security
price objective and their cost of borrowed funds. Such distortions are
generally minor and would diminish as the contract approached maturity.
As stated in the Prospectus, there may exist an imperfect correlation
between the price movements of futures contracts purchased by the Fund and
the movements in the prices of the securities (currencies) which are the
subject of the hedge. If participants in the futures market elect to close
out their contracts through offsetting transactions rather than meet margin
deposit requirements, distortions in the normal relationship between the debt
securities or currency markets and futures markets could result. Price
distortions could also result if investors in futures contracts opt to make
or take delivery of underlying securities rather than engage in closing
transactions due to the resultant reduction in the liquidity of the futures
market. In addition, due to the fact that, from the point of view of
speculators, the deposit requirements in the futures markets are less onerous
than margin requirements in the cash market, increased participation by
speculators in the futures market could cause temporary price distortions.
Due to the possibility of price distortions in the futures market and because
of the imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of securities
and movements in the prices of futures contracts, a correct forecast of
interest rate trends may still not result in a successful hedging
transaction.
There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for
futures contracts and related options in which the Fund may invest. In the
event a liquid market does not exist, it may not be possible to close out a
futures position, and in the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would
continue to be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin. In
addition, limitations imposed by an exchange or board of trade on which
futures contracts are traded may compel or prevent the Fund from closing out
a contract which may result in reduced gain or increased loss to the Fund.
The absence of a liquid market in futures contracts might cause the Fund to
make or take delivery of the underlying securities (currencies) at a time
when it may be disadvantageous to do so.
The extent to which the Fund may enter into transactions involving futures
contracts and options thereon may be limited by the Internal Revenue Code's
requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company and the
Fund's intention to qualify as such (see "Dividends, Distributions and
Taxes").
Compared to the purchase or sale of futures contracts, the purchase of
call or put options on futures contracts involves less potential risk to the
Fund because the maximum amount at risk is the premium paid for the options
(plus transaction costs). However, there may be circumstances when the
purchase of a call or put option on a futures contract would result in a loss
to the Fund notwithstanding that the purchase or sale of a futures contract
would not result in a loss, as in the instance where there is no movement in
the prices of the futures contract or underlying securities.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
In addition to the investment restrictions enumerated in the Prospectus,
the investment restrictions listed below have been adopted by the Fund as
fundamental policies, except as otherwise indicated. Under the Act, a
fundamental policy may not be changed without the vote of a majority of the
outstanding voting securities of the Fund, as defined in the Act. Such a
majority is defined as the lesser of (a) 67% or more of the shares present at
a
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<PAGE>
meeting of shareholders, if the holders of 50% of the outstanding shares of
the Fund are present or represented by proxy or (b) more than 50% of the
outstanding shares of the Fund.
The Fund may not:
1. Purchase or sell real estate or interests therein (including limited
partnership interests), although the Fund may purchase securities of
issuers which engage in real estate operations and securities secured by
real estate or interests therein.
2. Purchase oil, gas or other mineral leases, rights or royalty
contracts or exploration or development programs, except that the Fund may
invest in the securities of companies which operate, invest in, or sponsor
such programs.
3. Borrow money, except that the Fund may borrow from a bank for
temporary or emergency purposes in amounts not exceeding 5% (taken at the
lower of cost or current value) of its total assets (not including the
amount borrowed).
4. Pledge its assets or assign or otherwise encumber them except to
secure borrowings effected within the limitations set forth in restriction
(3). For the purpose of this restriction, collateral arrangements with
respect to initial or variation margin for futures are not deemed to be
pledges of assets.
5. Issue senior securities as defined in the Act except insofar as the
Fund may be deemed to have issued a senior security by reason of (a)
entering into any repurchase agreement; (b) purchasing any securities on a
when-issued or delayed delivery basis; (c) purchasing or selling any
financial futures contracts; (d) borrowing money in accordance with
restrictions described above; or (e) lending portfolio securities.
6. Make loans of money or securities, except: (a) by the purchase of
portfolio securities in which the Fund may invest consistent with its
investment objective and policies; (b) by investment in repurchase
agreements; or (c) by lending its portfolio securities.
7. Make short sales of securities.
8. Purchase securities on margin, except for such short-term loans as
are necessary for the clearance of portfolio securities. The deposit or
payment by the Fund of initial or variation margin in connection with
futures contracts is not considered the purchase of a security on margin.
9. Purchase or sell commodities or commodities contracts except that the
Fund may purchase or sell financial or stock index futures contracts.
10. Engage in the underwriting of securities, except insofar as the Fund
may be deemed an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933 in disposing
of a portfolio security.
11. Invest for the purpose of exercising control or management of any
other issuer.
In addition, as a nonfundamental policy, the Fund may not purchase
securities of other investment companies, except in connection with a merger,
consolidation, reorganization or acquisition of assets or by purchase in the
open market of securities of closed-end investment companies where no
underwriter's or dealer's commission or profit, other than customary broker's
commissions, is involved and only if immediately thereafter not more than (a)
5% of the Fund's total assets, taken at market value, would be invested in
any one such company and (b) 10% of the Fund's total assets would be invested
in such securities.
If a percentage restriction is adhered to at the time of investment, a
later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from a change in values of
portfolio securities or amount of total or net assets will not be considered
a violation of any of the foregoing restrictions.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE
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Subject to the general supervision of the Trustees, the Adviser is
responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for the Fund, the
selection of brokers and dealers to effect the transactions, and the
negotiation of brokerage commissions, if any. Purchases and sales of
securities on a stock exchange are effected through brokers who charge a
commission for their services. In the over-the-counter market, securities are
generally traded on a
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<PAGE>
"net" basis with dealers acting as principal for their own accounts without a
stated commission, although the price of the security usually includes a
profit to the dealer. In addition, securities may be purchased at times in
underwritten offerings where the price includes a fixed amount of
compensation, generally referred to as the underwriter's concession or
discount. On occasion, the Fund may also purchase certain money market
instruments directly from an issuer, in which case no commissions or
discounts are paid. During the fiscal years ended February 29, 1996, February
28, 1997 and February 28, 1998, the Fund paid $76,986, $157,019 and $212,905,
respectively, in brokerage commissions.
The Adviser currently serves as investment adviser to a number of clients,
including other investment companies, and may in the future act as investment
adviser to others. It is the practice of the Adviser to cause purchase and
sale transactions to be allocated among the Fund and others whose assets it
manages in such manner as it deems equitable. In making such allocations
among the Fund and other client accounts, the main factors considered are the
respective investment objectives, the relative size of portfolio holdings of
the same or comparable securities, the availability of cash for investment,
the size of investment commitments generally held and the opinions of the
persons responsible for managing the portfolios of the Fund and other client
accounts.
The policy of the Fund regarding purchases and sales of securities for its
portfolio is that primary consideration will be given to obtaining the most
favorable prices and efficient executions of transactions. Consistent with
this policy, when securities transactions are effected on a stock exchange,
the Fund's policy is to pay commissions which are considered fair and
reasonable without necessarily determining that the lowest possible
commissions are paid in all circumstances. The Fund believes that a
requirement always to seek the lowest possible commission cost could impede
effective portfolio management and preclude the Fund and the Adviser from
obtaining a high quality of brokerage and research services. In seeking to
determine the reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid in any
transaction, the Adviser relies upon its experience and knowledge regarding
commissions generally charged by various brokers and on its judgment in
evaluating the brokerage and research services received from the broker
effecting the transaction. Such determinations are necessarily subjective and
imprecise, as in most cases an exact dollar value for those services is not
ascertainable. During the fiscal year ended February 28, 1998, the Fund paid
$59,990 in brokerage commissions in connection with transactions in the
aggregate amount of $26,324,302 to brokers because of research services
provided.
In seeking to implement the Fund's policies, the Adviser effects
transactions with those brokers and dealers who the Adviser believes provide
the most favorable prices and are capable of providing efficient executions.
If the Adviser believes such prices and executions are obtainable from more
than one broker or dealer, it may give consideration to placing portfolio
transactions with those brokers and dealers who also furnish research and
other services to the Fund or the Adviser. Such services may include, but are
not limited to, any one or more of the following: reports on industries and
companies, economic analyses and review of business conditions, portfolio
strategy, analytic computer software, account performance services, computer
terminals and various trading and/or quotation equipment. They also include
advice from broker-dealers as to the value of securities, availability of
securities, availability of buyers, and availability of sellers. In addition,
they include recommendations as to purchase and sale of individual securities
and timing of such transactions. The Fund will not purchase at a higher price
or sell at a lower price in connection with transactions effected with a
dealer, acting as principal, who furnishes research services to the Fund than
would be the case if no weight were given by the Fund to the dealer's
furnishing of such services.
The information and services received by the Adviser from brokers and
dealers may be of benefit to the Adviser in the management of accounts of
some of its other clients and may not in all cases benefit the Fund directly.
While the receipt of such information and services is useful in varying
degrees and would generally reduce the amount of research or services
otherwise performed by the Adviser and thereby reduce its expenses, it is of
indeterminable value and the advisory fee paid to the Adviser is not reduced
by any amount that may be attributable to the value of such services.
Consistent with the policy described above, brokerage transactions in
securities listed on exchanges or admitted to unlisted trading privileges may
be effected through DWR, Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated ("MS & Co."), and
other affiliated brokers and dealers. In order for an affiliated
broker-dealer to effect any portfolio transactions for the Fund, the
commissions, fees or other remuneration received by the affiliated
broker-dealer must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions, fees
or other remuneration paid to other brokers in
24
<PAGE>
connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities being
purchased or sold on an exchange during a comparable period of time. This
standard would allow an affiliated broker-dealer to receive no more than the
remuneration which would be expected to be received by an unaffiliated broker
in a commensurate arm's-length transaction. Furthermore, the Board of
Trustees of the Fund, including a majority of the Trustees who are not
"interested" persons of the Fund, as defined in the Act, have adopted
procedures which are reasonably designed to provide that any commissions,
fees or other remuneration paid to an affiliated broker-dealer are consistent
with the foregoing standard. During the fiscal year ended February 28, 1997,
the Fund paid a total of $110 in brokerage commissions to DWR. The Fund paid
no brokerage commissions to DWR for the fiscal years ended February 29, 1996
and February 28, 1998. The brokerage commissions paid to DWR represented
approximately 0.07% of the total brokerage commissions paid by the Fund for
the fiscal year ended February 28, 1997 and were paid on account of
transactions having an aggregate dollar value equal to approximately 0.11% of
the aggregate dollar value of all portfolio transactions of the Fund during
the period for which commissions were paid. During the period June 1, 1997
through February 28, 1998, the Fund paid a total of $2,473 in brokerage
commissions to MS & Co., which broker-dealer became an affiliate of the
Investment Manager on May 31, 1997 upon consummation of the merger of Dean
Witter, Discover & Co. with Morgan Stanley Group Inc. The brokerage
commissions paid to MS & Co., represented approximately 1.16% of the total
brokerage commissions paid by the Fund for this period and were paid on
account of transactions having an aggregate dollar value equal to
approximately 1.24% of the aggregate dollar value of all portfolio
transactions of the Fund during the period for which commissions were paid.
THE DISTRIBUTOR
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As discussed in the Prospectus, shares of the Fund are distributed by Dean
Witter Distributors Inc. (the "Distributor"). The Distributor has entered
into a selected dealer agreement with DWR, which through its own sales
organization sells shares of the Fund, and may enter into selected
broker-dealer agreements with others. The Distributor, a Delaware
corporation, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MSDW. The Trustees of the Fund,
including a majority of the Trustees who are not, and were not at the time
they voted, interested persons of the Fund, as defined in the Act (the
"Independent Trustees"), approved, at their meeting on June 30, 1997, the
current Distribution Agreement appointing the Distributor exclusive
distributor of the Fund's shares and providing for the Distributor to bear
distribution expenses not borne by the Fund. By its terms, the Distribution
Agreement has an initial term ending April 30, 1998, and will remain in
effect from year to year thereafter if approved by the Board.
The Distributor bears all expenses it may incur in providing services
under the Distribution Agreement. Such expenses include the payment of
commissions for sales of the Fund's shares and incentive compensation to
account executives. The Distributor also pays certain expenses in connection
with the distribution of the Fund's shares, including the costs of preparing,
printing and distributing advertising or promotional materials, and the costs
of printing and distributing prospectuses and supplements thereto used in
connection with the offering and sale of the Fund's shares. The Fund bears
the costs of initial typesetting, printing and distribution of prospectuses
and supplements thereto to shareholders. The Fund also bears the costs of
registering the Fund and its shares under federal securities laws and pays
filing fees in accordance with state securities laws. The Fund and the
Distributor have agreed to indemnify each other against certain liabilities,
including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Under the
Distribution Agreement, the Distributor uses its best efforts in rendering
services to the Fund, but in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith,
gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations, the Distributor is
not liable to the Fund or any of its shareholders for any error of judgment
or mistake of law or for any act or omission or for any losses sustained by
the Fund or its shareholders.
Plan of Distribution. The Fund has adopted a Plan of Distribution pursuant
to Rule 12b-1 under the Act (the "Plan") pursuant to which each Class, other
than Class D, pays the Distributor compensation accrued daily and payable
monthly at the following annual rates: 0.25% and 1.0% of the average daily
net assets of Class A and Class C, respectively, and, with respect to Class
B, of 1.0% of the lesser of: (a) the average daily aggregate gross sales of
the Fund's Class B since the inception of the Fund (not including
reinvestments of dividends or capital gains distributions), less the average
daily aggregate net asset value of the Fund's Class B redeemed since the
Fund's inception upon which a contingent deferred sales charge has been
imposed or upon which such charge has been waived; or (b) the average daily
net assets of Class B. The Distributor also receives the proceeds of
front-end sales charges and of contingent deferred sales charges imposed on
certain redemptions of shares, which are separate and
25
<PAGE>
apart from payments made pursuant to the Plan (see "Purchase of Fund Shares"
in the Prospectus). The Distributor has informed the Fund that it and/or DWR
received (a) approximately $366,000, $648,629 and $1,164,710 in contingent
deferred sales charges from Class B for the fiscal years ended February 29,
1996, February 28, 1997 and February 28, 1998, respectively, (b)
approximately $0.00 and $685 in contingent deferred sales charges from Class
A and Class C, respectively, for the fiscal year ended February 28, 1998, and
(c) approximately $13,125 in front-end sales charges from Class A for the
fiscal year ended February 28, 1998, none of which was retained by the
Distributor.
The Distributor has informed the Fund that the entire fee payable by Class
A and a portion of the fees payable by each of Class B and Class C each year
pursuant to the Plan equal to 0.25% of such Class's average daily net assets
are currently each characterized as a "service fee" under the Rules of the
Association of the National Association of Securities Dealers (of which the
Distributor is a member). The service fee is a payment made for personal
service and/or the maintenance of shareholder accounts. The remaining portion
of the Plan fees payable by a Class, if any, is characterized as an
"asset-based sales charge" as defined by the aforementioned Rules of the
Association.
The Plan was adopted by a majority vote of the Board of Trustees,
including all of the Trustees of the Fund who are not "interested persons" of
the Fund (as defined in the Act) and who have no direct or indirect financial
interest in the operation of the Plan (the "Independent 12b-1 Trustees"),
cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Plan, on
July 29, 1992, and by InterCapital as the then sole shareholder on June 10,
1993.
At their meeting held on October 26, 1995, the Trustees of the Fund,
including all of the Independent 12b-1 Trustees, approved an amendment to the
Plan to permit payments to be made under the Plan with respect to certain
distribution expenses incurred in connection with the distribution of shares,
including personal services to shareholders with respect to holdings of such
shares, of an investment company whose assets are acquired by the Fund in a
tax-free reorganization. At their meeting held on June 30, 1997, the
Trustees, including a majority of the Independent 12b-1 Trustees, approved
amendments to the Plan to reflect the multiple-class structure for the Fund,
which took effect on July 28, 1997.
Under the Plan and as required by Rule 12b-1, the Trustees receive and
review promptly after the end of each fiscal quarter a written report
provided by the Distributor of the amounts expended by the Distributor and
any selected dealer under the Plan and the purpose for which such
expenditures were made. In the Trustees' quarterly reviews of the Plan, they
will consider its continued appropriateness and the level of compensation
provided therein. Class B shares of the Fund accrued amounts payable to the
Distributor under the Plan, during the fiscal year ended February 28, 1998,
of $2,989,560. This amount is equal to 0.98% of the average daily net assets
of Class B for the fiscal year and was calculated pursuant to clause (a) of
the compensation formula under the Plan. This amount is treated by the Fund
as an expense in the year it is accrued. For the fiscal period July 28, 1997
through February 28, 1998, Class A and Class C shares of the Fund accrued
payments under the Plan amounting to $260 and $3,535, respectively, which
amounts are equal to 0.23% and 1.00% of the average daily net assets of Class
A and Class C, respectively, for such period.
The Plan was adopted in order to permit the implementation of the Fund's
method of distribution. Under this distribution method the Fund offers four
Classes of shares, each with a distribution arrangement as set forth in the
Prospectus.
With respect to Class A shares, DWR compensates its account executives by
paying them, from proceeds of the front-end sales charge, commissions for the
sale of Class A shares, currently a gross sales credit of up to 5.0% of the
amount sold (except as provided in the following sentence) and an annual
residual commission, currently a residual of up to 0.25% of the current value
of the respective accounts for which they are the account executives or
dealers of record in all cases. On orders of $1 million or more (for which no
sales charge was paid) or net asset value purchases by employer-sponsored
401(k) and other plans qualified under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue
Code ("Qualified Retirement Plans") for which Morgan Stanley Dean Witter
Trust FSB ("MSDW Trust") serves as Trustee or DWR's Retirement Plan Services
serves as recordkeeper pursuant to a written Recordkeeping Services
Agreement, InterCapital compensates DWR's account executives by paying them,
from its own funds, a gross sales credit of 1.0% of the amount sold.
With respect to Class B shares, DWR compensates its account executives by
paying them, from its own funds, commissions for the sale of Class B shares,
currently a gross sales credit of up to 5.0% of the amount sold (except
26
<PAGE>
as provided in the following sentence) and an annual residual commission,
currently a residual of up to 0.25% of the current value (not including
reinvested dividends or distributions) of the amount sold in all cases. In
the case of Class B shares purchased on or after July 28, 1997 by Qualified
Retirement Plans for which MSDW Trust serves as Trustee or DWR's Retirement
Plan Services serves as recordkeeper pursuant to a written Recordkeeping
Services Agreement, DWR compensates its account executives by paying them,
from its own funds, a gross sales credit of 3.0% of the amount sold.
With respect to Class C shares, DWR compensates its account executives by
paying them, from its own funds, commissions for the sale of Class C shares,
currently a gross sales credit of up to 1.0% of the amount sold and an annual
residual commission, currently a residual of up to 1.0% of the current value
of the respective accounts for which they are the account executives of
record.
With respect to Class D shares other than shares held by participants in
the InterCapital mutual fund asset allocation program, InterCapital
compensates DWR's account executives by paying them, from its own funds,
commissions for the sale of Class D shares, currently a gross sales credit of
up to 1.0% of the amount sold. There is a chargeback of 100% of the amount
paid if the Class D shares are redeemed in the first year and a chargeback of
50% of the amount paid if the Class D shares are redeemed in the second year
after purchase. InterCapital also compensates DWR's account executives by
paying them, from its own funds, an annual residual commission, currently a
residual of up to 0.10% of the current value of the respective accounts for
which they are the account executives of record (not including accounts of
participants in the InterCapital mutual fund asset allocation program).
The gross sales credit is a charge which reflects commissions paid by DWR
to its account executives and DWR's Fund-associated distribution-related
expenses, including sales compensation, and overhead and other branch office
distribution-related expenses including (a) the expenses of operating DWR's
branch offices in connection with the sale of Fund shares, including lease
costs, the salaries and employee benefits of operations and sales support
personnel, utility costs, communications costs and the costs of stationery
and supplies, (b) the costs of client sales seminars, (c) travel expenses of
mutual fund sales coordinators to promote the sale of Fund shares and (d)
other expenses relating to branch promotion of Fund sales. The distribution
fee that the Distributor receives from the Fund under the Plan, in effect,
offsets distribution expenses incurred under the Plan on behalf of the Fund
and, in the case of Class B shares, opportunity costs, such as the gross
sales credit and an assumed interest charge thereon ("carrying charge"). In
the Distributor's reporting of the distribution expenses to the Fund, in the
case of Class B shares, such assumed interest (computed at the "broker's call
rate") has been calculated on the gross credit as it is reduced by amounts
received by the Distributor under the Plan and any contingent deferred sales
charges received by the Distributor upon redemption of shares of the Fund. No
other interest charge is included as a distribution expense in the
Distributor's calculation of its distribution costs for this purpose. The
broker's call rate is the interest rate charged to securities brokers on
loans secured by exchange-listed securities.
The Fund is authorized to reimburse expenses incurred or to be incurred in
promoting the distribution of the Fund's Class A and Class C shares and in
servicing shareholder accounts. Reimbursement will be made through payments
at the end of each month. The amount of each monthly payment may in no event
exceed an amount equal to a payment at the annual rate of 0.25%, in the case
of Class A, and 1.0%, in the case of Class C, of the average net assets of
the respective Class during the month. No interest or other financing
charges, if any, incurred on any distribution expenses on behalf of Class A
and Class C will be reimbursable under the Plan. With respect to Class A, in
the case of all expenses other than expenses representing the service fee,
and, with respect to Class C, in the case of all expenses other than expenses
representing a gross sales credit or a residual to account executives, such
amounts shall be determined at the beginning of each calendar quarter by the
Trustees, including, a majority of the Independent 12b-1 Trustees. Expenses
representing the service fee (for Class A) or a gross sales credit or a
residual to account executives (for Class C) may be reimbursed without prior
determination. In the event that the Distributor proposes that monies shall
be reimbursed for other than such expenses, then in making quarterly
determinations of the amounts that may be reimbursed by the Fund, the
Distributor will provide and the Trustees will review a quarterly budget of
projected distribution expenses to be incurred on behalf of the Fund,
together with a report explaining the purposes and anticipated benefits of
incurring such expenses. The Trustees will determine which particular
expenses, and the portions thereof, that may be borne by the Fund, and in
making such a determination shall consider the scope of the Distributor's
commitment to promoting the distribution of the Fund's Class A and Class C
shares.
27
<PAGE>
Each Class paid 100% of the amounts accrued under the Plan with respect to
that Class for the fiscal year ended February 28, 1998 to the Distributor.
The Distributor and DWR estimate that they have spent, pursuant to the Plan,
$23,248,703 on behalf of the Fund since the inception of the Plan. It is
estimated that this amount was spent in approximately the following ways: (i)
9.91% ($2,303,004)--advertising and promotional expenses; (ii) 0.68%
($157,708) printing of prospectuses for distribution to other than current
shareholders; and (iii) 89.41% ($20,787,991)--other expenses, including the
gross sales credit and the carrying charge, of which 6.95% ($1,443,937)
represents carrying charges, 37.75% ($7,847,883) represents commission
credits to DWR branch offices for payments of commissions to account
executives and 55.30% ($11,496,171) represents overhead and other branch
office distribution-related expenses. The amounts accrued by Class A and
Class C for distribution during the fiscal period July 28, 1997 through
February 28, 1998 were for expenses which relate to compensation of sales
personnel and associated overhead expenses.
In the case of Class B shares, at any given time, the expenses in
distributing shares of the Fund may be more or less than the total of (i) the
payments made by the Fund pursuant to the Plan and (ii) the proceeds of
contingent deferred sales charges paid by investors upon redemption of
shares. The Distributor has advised the Fund that in the case of Class B
shares the excess expenses, including the carrying charge designed to
approximate the opportunity costs incurred by DWR which arise from it having
advanced monies without having received the amount of any sales charges
imposed at the time of sale of the Fund's Class B shares, totalled
$13,685,501 at February 28, 1998. Because there is no requirement under the
Plan that the Distributor be reimbursed for all its expenses with respect to
Class B shares or any requirement that the Plan be continued from year to
year, this excess amount does not constitute a liability of the Fund.
Although there is no legal obligation for the Fund to pay expenses incurred
in excess of payments made under the Plan and the proceeds of contingent
deferred sales charges paid by investors upon redemption of shares, if for
any reason the Plan is terminated, the Trustees will consider at that time
the manner in which to treat such expenses. Any cumulative expenses incurred,
but not yet recovered through distribution fees or contingent deferred sales
charges, may or may not be recovered through future distribution fees or
contingent deferred sales charges.
No interested person of the Fund, nor any Trustee of the Fund who is not
an interested person of the Fund, as defined in the Act, has any direct or
indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan except to the extent
that InterCapital, the Distributor, the Manager and DWR or certain of their
employees may be deemed to have such an interest as a result of benefits
derived from the successful operation of the Plan or as a result of receiving
a portion of the amounts expended thereunder by the Fund.
Under its terms, the Plan remained in effect until April 30, 1994, and
will continue from year to year thereafter, provided such continuance is
approved annually by a vote of the Trustees in the manner described above.
Prior to the Board's approval of amendments to the Plan to reflect the
multiple class structure for the Fund, the most recent continuance of the
Plan for one year, until April 30, 1998, was approved by the Board of
Trustees of the Fund, including a majority of the Independent 12b-1 Trustees,
at a Board meeting held on April 24, 1997. Prior to approving the
continuation of the Plan, the Trustees requested and received from the
Distributor and reviewed all the information which they deemed necessary to
arrive at an informed determination. In making their determination to
continue the Plan, the Trustees considered: (1) the Fund's experience under
the Plan and whether such experience indicates that the Plan is operating as
anticipated; (2) the benefits the Fund had obtained, was obtaining and would
be likely to obtain under the Plan; and (3) what services had been provided
and were continuing to be provided under the Plan by the Distributor, DWR and
other Selected Broker-Dealers to the Fund and its shareholders. Based upon
their review, the Trustees of the Fund, including each of the Independent
12b-1 Trustees, determined that continuation of the Plan would be in the best
interest of the Fund and would have a reasonable likelihood of continuing to
benefit the Fund and its shareholders. This determination was based upon the
conclusion of the Trustees that the Plan provides an effective means of
stimulating sales of shares of the Fund and of reducing or avoiding net
redemptions and the potentially adverse effects that may occur therefrom. In
the Trustees' quarterly review of the Plan, they will consider its continued
appropriateness and the level of compensation provided herein.
The Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount to be spent
for the services described therein without approval of the shareholders of
the affected Class or Classes of the Fund, and all material amendments of the
Plan must also be approved by the Trustees in the manner described above. The
Plan may be terminated at any time, without payment of any penalty, by vote
of a majority of the Independent 12b-1 Trustees or by a vote
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<PAGE>
of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund (as defined in
the Act) on not more than thirty days written notice to any other party to
the Plan. So long as the Plan is in effect, the election and nomination of
Independent 12b-1 Trustees shall be committed to the discretion of the
Independent 12b-1 Trustees.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
As stated in the Prospectus, short-term debt securities with remaining
maturities of 60 days or less at the time of purchase are valued at amortized
cost, unless the Trustees determine such does not reflect the securities'
market value, in which case these securities will be valued at their fair
value as determined by the Trustees. Other short-term debt securities will be
valued on a mark-to-market basis until such time as they reach a remaining
maturity of 60 days, whereupon they will be valued at amortized cost using
their value on the 61st day unless the Trustees determine such does not
reflect the securities' market value, in which case these securities will be
valued at their fair value as determined by the Trustees. Listed options on
debt securities are valued at the latest sale price on the exchange on which
they are listed unless no sales of such options have taken place that day, in
which case they will be valued at the mean between their latest bid and asked
prices. Unlisted options on debt securities and all options on equity
securities are valued at the mean between their latest bid and asked prices.
Futures are valued at the latest sale price on the commodities exchange on
which they trade unless the Trustees determine such price does not reflect
their market value, in which case they will be valued at their fair value as
determined by the Trustees. All other securities and other assets are valued
at their fair value as determined in good faith under procedures established
by and under the supervision of the Trustees.
The net asset value per share for each Class of shares of the Fund is
determined once daily at 4:00 p.m., New York time, (or, on days when the New
York Stock Exchange closes prior to 4 p.m., at such earlier time) on each day
that the New York Stock Exchange is open. The New York Stock Exchange
currently observes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Reverend Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day,
Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
PURCHASE OF FUND SHARES
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund offers four Classes of shares as
follows:
INITIAL SALES CHARGE ALTERNATIVE--CLASS A SHARES
Class A shares are sold to investors with an initial sales charge that
declines to zero for larger purchases; however, Class A shares sold without
an initial sales charge are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge
("CDSC") of 1.0% if redeemed within one year of purchase, except in the
circumstances discussed in the Prospectus.
Right of Accumulation. As discussed in the Prospectus, investors may
combine the current value of shares purchased in separate transactions for
purposes of benefitting from the reduced sales charges available for
purchases of shares of the Fund totalling at least $25,000 in net asset
value. For example, if any person or entity who qualifies for this privilege
holds Class A shares of the Fund and/or other TCW/DW Funds which are multiple
class funds ("TCW/DW Multi-Class Funds") purchased at a price including a
front-end sales charge having a current value of $5,000, and purchases
$20,000 of additional shares of the Fund, the sales charge applicable to the
$20,000 purchase would be 4.75% of the offering price.
The Distributor must be notified by the selected broker-dealer or the
shareholder at the time a purchase order is placed that the purchase
qualifies for the reduced charge under the Right of Accumulation. Similar
notification must be made in writing by the selected broker-dealer or
shareholder when such an order is placed by mail. The reduced sales charge
will not be granted if: (a) such notification is not furnished at the time of
the order; or (b) a review of the records of the Distributor or Morgan
Stanley Dean Witter Trust FSB (the "Transfer Agent") fails to confirm the
investor's represented holdings.
Letter of Intent. As discussed in the Prospectus, reduced sales charges
are available to investors who enter into a written Letter of Intent
providing for the purchase, within a thirteen-month period, of Class A shares
of the Fund from the Distributor or from a single Selected Broker-Dealer.
A Letter of Intent permits an investor to establish a total investment
goal to be achieved by any number of purchases over a thirteen-month period.
Each purchase of Class A shares made during the period will receive the
29
<PAGE>
reduced sales commission applicable to the amount represented by the goal, as
if it were a single purchase. A number of shares equal in value to 5% of the
dollar amount of the Letter of Intent will be held in escrow by the Transfer
Agent, in the name of the shareholder. The initial purchase under a Letter of
Intent must be equal to at least 5% of the stated investment goal.
The Letter of Intent does not obligate the investor to purchase, nor the
Fund to sell, the indicated amount. In the event the Letter of Intent goal is
not achieved within the thirteen-month period, the investor is required to
pay the difference between the sales charge otherwise applicable to the
purchases made during this period and sales charges actually paid. Such
payment may be made directly to the Distributor or, if not paid, the
Distributor is authorized by the shareholder to liquidate a sufficient number
of his or her escrowed shares to obtain such difference.
If the goal is exceeded and purchases pass the next sales charge level,
the sales charge on the entire amount of the purchase that results in passing
that level and on subsequent purchases will be subject to further reduced
sales charges in the same manner as set forth above under "Right of
Accumulation," but there will be no retroactive reduction of sales charges on
previous purchases. For the purpose of determining whether the investor is
entitled to a further reduced sales charge applicable to purchases at or
above a sales charge level which exceeds the stated goal of a Letter of
Intent, the cumulative current net asset value of any shares owned by the
investor in any other TCW/DW Multi-Class Funds held by the shareholder which
were previously purchased at a price including a front-end sales charge
(including shares of the Fund, other TCW/DW Multi-Class Funds or "Exchange
Funds" (see "Shareholder Services--Exchange Privilege") acquired in exchange
for those shares, and including in each case shares acquired through
reinvestment of dividends and distributions) will be added to the cost or net
asset value of shares of the Fund owned by the investor. However, shares of
"Exchange Funds" and the purchase of shares of other TCW/DW Funds will not be
included in determining whether the stated goal of a Letter of Intent has
been reached.
At any time while a Letter of Intent is in effect, a shareholder may, by
written notice to the Distributor, increase the amount of the stated goal. In
that event, only shares purchased during the previous 90-day period and still
owned by the shareholder will be included in the new sales charge reduction.
The 5% escrow and minimum purchase requirements will be applicable to the new
stated goal. Investors electing to purchase shares of the Fund pursuant to a
Letter of Intent should carefully read such Letter of Intent.
CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGE ALTERNATIVE--CLASS B SHARES
Class B shares are sold without an initial sales charge but are subject to
a CDSC payable upon most redemptions within six years after purchase. As
stated in the Prospectus, a CDSC will be imposed on any redemption by an
investor if after such redemption the current value of the investor's Class B
shares of the Fund is less than the dollar amount of all payments by the
shareholder for the purchase of Class B shares during the preceding six years
(or, in the case of shares held by certain Qualified Retirement Plans, three
years). However, no CDSC will be imposed to the extent that the net asset
value of the shares redeemed does not exceed: (a) the current net asset value
of shares purchased more than six years (or, in the case of shares held by
certain Qualified Retirement Plans, three years) prior to the redemption,
plus (b) the current net asset value of shares purchased through reinvestment
of dividends or distributions of the Fund or another TCW/DW Fund (see
"Shareholder Services--Targeted Dividends"), plus (c) increases in the net
asset value of the investor's shares above the total amount of payments for
the purchase of Fund shares made during the preceding six (three) years. The
CDSC will be paid to the Distributor.
In determining the applicability of the CDSC to each redemption, the
amount which represents an increase in the net asset value of the investor's
shares above the amount of the total payments for the purchase of shares
within the last six years (or, in the case of shares held by certain
Qualified Retirement Plans, three years) will be redeemed first. In the event
the redemption amount exceeds such increase in value, the next portion of the
amount redeemed will be the amount which represents the net asset value of
the investor's shares purchased more than six (three) years prior to the
redemption and/or shares purchased through reinvestment of dividends or
distributions. A portion of the amount redeemed which exceeds an amount which
represents both such increase in value and the value of shares purchased more
than six years (or, in the case of shares held by certain Qualified
Retirement Plans, three years) prior to the redemption and/or shares
purchased through reinvestment of dividends or distributions will be subject
to a CDSC.
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<PAGE>
The amount of the CDSC, if any, will vary depending on the number of years
from the time of payment for the purchase of Class B shares of the Fund until
the time of redemption of such shares. For purposes of determining the number
of years from the time of any payment for the purchase of shares, all
payments made during a month will be aggregated and deemed to have been made
on the last day of the month. The following table sets forth the rates of the
CDSC applicable to most Class B shares of the Fund:
YEAR SINCE
PURCHASE CDSC AS A PERCENTAGE
PAYMENT MADE OF AMOUNT REDEEMED
- --------------------------- ------------------------
First ...................... 5.0%
Second ..................... 4.0%
Third ...................... 3.0%
Fourth ..................... 2.0%
Fifth ...................... 2.0%
Sixth ...................... 1.0%
Seventh and thereafter .... None
The following table sets forth the rates of the CDSC applicable to Class B
shares of the Fund purchased on or after July 28, 1997 by Qualified
Retirement Plans for which MSDW Trust serves as Trustee or DWR's Retirement
Plan Services serves as recordkeeper pursuant to a written Recordkeeping
Services Agreement:
YEAR SINCE
PURCHASE CDSC AS A PERCENTAGE
PAYMENT MADE OF AMOUNT REDEEMED
- ------------------------- ------------------------
First .................... 2.0%
Second ................... 2.0%
Third .................... 1.0%
Fourth and thereafter .... None
In determining the rate of the CDSC, it will be assumed that a redemption
is made of shares held by the investor for the longest period of time within
the applicable six-year or three-year period. This will result in any such
CDSC being imposed at the lowest possible rate. The CDSC will be imposed, in
accordance with the table shown above, on any redemptions within six years
(or, in the case of shares held by certain Qualified Retirement Plans, three
years) of purchase which are in excess of these amounts and which redemptions
do not qualify for waiver of the CDSC, as described in the Prospectus.
LEVEL LOAD ALTERNATIVE--CLASS C SHARES
Class C shares are sold without a sales charge but are subject to a CDSC
of 1.0% on most redemptions made within one year after purchase, except in
the circumstances discussed in the Prospectus.
NO LOAD ALTERNATIVE--CLASS D SHARES
Class D shares are offered without any sales charge on purchase or
redemption. Class D shares are offered only to those persons meeting the
qualifications set forth in the Prospectus.
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upon the purchase of shares of the Fund, a Shareholder Investment Account
is opened for the investor on the books of the Fund and maintained by the
Transfer Agent. This is an open account in which shares owned by the investor
are credited by the Transfer Agent in lieu of issuance of a share
certificate. If a share certificate is desired, it must be requested in
writing for each transaction. Certificates are issued only for full shares
and may be redeposited in the account at any time. There is no charge to the
investor for issuance of a certificate. Whenever a shareholder-instituted
transaction takes place in the Shareholder Investment Account, the
shareholder will be mailed a confirmation of the transaction from the Fund or
from DWR or other selected broker-dealer.
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<PAGE>
Automatic Investment of Dividends and Distributions. As stated in the
Prospectus, all income dividends and capital gains distributions are
automatically paid in full and fractional shares of the applicable Class of
the Fund, unless the shareholder requests that they be paid in cash. Each
purchase of shares of the Fund is made upon the condition that the Transfer
Agent is thereby automatically appointed as agent of the investor to receive
all dividends and capital gains distributions on shares owned by the
investor. Such dividends and distributions will be paid, at the net asset
value per share, in shares of the applicable Class of the Fund (or in cash if
the shareholder so requests) as of the close of business on the record date.
At any time an investor may request the Transfer Agent, in writing, to have
subsequent dividends and/or capital gains distributions paid to him or her in
cash rather than shares. To assure sufficient time to process the change,
such request should be received by the Transfer Agent at least five business
days prior to the record date of the dividend or distribution. In the case of
recently purchased shares for which registration instructions have not been
received on the record date, cash payments will be made to DWR or another
selected broker-dealer, and which will be forwarded to the shareholder, upon
the receipt of proper instructions. It has been and remains the Fund's policy
and practice that, if checks for dividends or distributions paid in cash
remain uncashed, no interest will accrue on amounts represented by such
uncashed checks.
Targeted Dividends (Service Mark). In states where it is legally
permissible, shareholders may also have all income dividends and capital
gains distributions automatically invested in shares of any Class of an
open-end TCW/DW Fund other than TCW/DW Small Cap Growth Fund or in another
Class of TCW/DW Small Cap Growth Fund. Such investment will be made as
described above for automatic investment in shares of the applicable Class of
the Fund, at the net asset value per share of the selected TCW/DW Fund as of
the close of business on the payment date of the dividend or distribution and
will begin to earn dividends, if any, in the selected TCW/DW Fund the next
business day. To participate in the Targeted Dividends program, shareholders
should contact their DWR or other selected broker-dealer account executive or
the Transfer Agent. Shareholders of the Fund must be shareholders of the
selected Class of the TCW/DW Fund targeted to receive investments from
dividends at the time they enter the Targeted Dividends program. Investors
should review the prospectus of the targeted TCW/DW Fund before entering the
program.
EasyInvest. (Service Mark) Shareholders may subscribe to EasyInvest, an
automatic purchase plan which provides for any amount from $100 to $5,000 to
be transferred automatically from a checking or savings account or following
redemption of shares of a Dean Witter money market fund, on a semi-monthly,
monthly or quarterly basis, to the Transfer Agent for investment in shares of
the Fund. Shares purchased through EasyInvest will be added to the
shareholder's existing account at the net asset value calculated the same
business day the transfer of funds is effected (subject to any applicable
sales charges). Shares of the Dean Witter money market funds redeemed in
connection with EasyInvest are redeemed on the business day preceding the
transfer of funds. For further information or to subscribe to EasyInvest,
shareholders should contact their account executive or the Transfer Agent.
Investment of Dividends or Distributions Received in Cash. As discussed in
the Prospectus, any shareholder who receives a cash payment representing a
dividend or distribution may invest such dividend or distribution in shares
of the applicable Class at the net asset value per share, without the
imposition of a CDSC upon redemption, by returning the check or the proceeds
to the Transfer Agent within 30 days after the payment date. If the
shareholder returns the proceeds of a dividend or distribution, such funds
must be accompanied by a signed statement indicating that the proceeds
constitute a dividend or distribution to be invested. Such investment will be
made at the net asset value per share next determined after receipt of the
check or proceeds by the Transfer Agent.
Systematic Withdrawal Plan. As discussed in the Prospectus, a systematic
withdrawal plan (the "Withdrawal Plan") is available for shareholders who own
or purchase shares of the Fund having a minimum value of $10,000 based upon
the then current net asset value. The Withdrawal Plan provides for monthly or
quarterly (March, June, September and December) checks in any dollar amount,
not less than $25, or in any whole percentage of the account balance, on an
annualized basis. Any applicable CDSC will be imposed on shares redeemed
under the Withdrawal Plan (see "Purchase of Fund Shares"). Therefore, any
shareholder participating in the Withdrawal Plan will have sufficient shares
redeemed from his or her account so that the proceeds (net of any applicable
CDSC) to the shareholder will be the designated monthly or quarterly amount.
The Transfer Agent acts as agent for the shareholder in tendering to the
Fund for redemption sufficient full and fractional shares to provide the
amount of the periodic withdrawal payment designated in the application. The
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shares will be redeemed at their net asset value determined, at the
shareholder's option, on the tenth or twenty-fifth day (or next following
business day) of the relevant month or quarter and normally a check for the
proceeds will be mailed by the Transfer Agent, or amounts credited to a
shareholder's DWR or other selected broker-dealer brokerage account, within
five business days after the date of redemption. The Withdrawal Plan may be
terminated at any time by the Fund.
Withdrawal Plan payments should not be considered as dividends, yields or
income. If periodic withdrawal plan payments continuously exceed net
investment income and net capital gains, the shareholder's original
investment will be correspondingly reduced and ultimately exhausted.
Each withdrawal constitutes a redemption of shares and any gain or loss
realized must be recognized for federal income tax purposes. Although the
shareholder may make additional investments of $2,500 or more under the
Withdrawal Plan, withdrawals made concurrently with purchases of additional
shares may be inadvisable because of sales charges which may be applicable to
purchases or redemptions of shares (see "Purchase of Fund Shares").
Any shareholder who wishes to have payments under the Withdrawal Plan made
to a third party or sent to an address other than the one listed on the
account must send complete written instructions to the Transfer Agent to
enroll in the Withdrawal Plan. The shareholder's signature on such
instructions must be guaranteed by an eligible guarantor acceptable to the
Transfer Agent (shareholders should contact the Transfer Agent for a
determination as to whether a particular institution is such an eligible
guarantor). A shareholder may, at any time, change the amount and interval of
withdrawal payments through his or her DWR or other selected broker-dealer
account executive or by written notification to the Transfer Agent. In
addition, the party and/or the address to which checks are mailed may be
changed by written notification to the Transfer Agent, with signature
guarantees required in the manner described above. The shareholder may also
terminate the Withdrawal Plan at any time by written notice to the Transfer
Agent. In the event of such termination, the account will be continued as a
regular shareholder investment account. The shareholder may also redeem all
or part of the shares held in the Withdrawal Plan account (see "Repurchases
and Redemptions" in the Prospectus) at any time. Shareholders wishing to
enroll in the Withdrawal Plan should contact their account executive or the
Transfer Agent.
Direct Investments through Transfer Agent. As discussed in the Prospectus,
a shareholder may make additional investments in any Class of shares of the
Fund for which they qualify at any time by sending a check in any amount, not
less than $100, payable to TCW/DW Small Cap Growth Fund, and indicating the
selected Class, directly to the Fund's Transfer Agent. In the case of Class A
shares, after deduction of any applicable sales charge, the balance will be
applied to the purchase of Fund shares, and, in the case of shares of the
other Classes, the entire amount will be applied to the purchase of Fund
shares, at the net asset value per share next computed after receipt of the
check or purchase payment by the Transfer Agent. The shares so purchased will
be credited to the investor's account.
EXCHANGE PRIVILEGE
As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund makes available to its
shareholders an Exchange Privilege whereby shareholders of each Class of
shares of the Fund may exchange their shares for shares of the same Class of
shares of any other TCW/DW Multi-Class Fund without the imposition of any
exchange fee. Shares may also be exchanged for TCW/DW North American
Government Income Trust and five money market funds for which InterCapital
serves as investment manager (the foregoing six Funds are hereinafter
collectively referred to as "Exchange Funds"). Exchanges may be made after
the shares of the fund acquired by purchase (not by exchange or dividend
reinvestment) have been held for thirty days. There is no waiting period for
exchanges of shares acquired by exchange or dividend reinvestment. An
exchange will be treated for federal income tax purposes the same as a
repurchase or redemption of shares, on which the shareholder may realize a
capital gain or loss.
Shareholders utilizing the Fund's Exchange Privilege may subsequently
re-exchange such shares back to the Fund. However, no exchange privilege is
available between the Fund and any other fund managed by the Manager or
InterCapital, other than other TCW/DW Funds and the five money market funds
listed in the Prospectus.
Any new account established through the Exchange Privilege will have the
same registration and cash dividend or dividend reinvestment plan as the
present account, unless the Transfer Agent receives written notification to
the contrary. For telephone exchanges, the exact registration of the existing
account and the account number must be provided.
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<PAGE>
Any shares held in certificate form cannot be exchanged but must be
forwarded to the Transfer Agent and deposited into the shareholder's account
before being eligible for exchange. (Certificates mailed in for deposit
should not be endorsed.)
As described below and in the Prospectus under the caption "Purchase of
Fund Shares," a CDSC may be imposed upon a redemption, depending on a number
of factors, including the number of years from the time of purchase until the
time of redemption or exchange ("holding period"). When shares of a TCW/DW
Multi-Class Fund are exchanged for shares of an Exchange Fund, the exchange
is executed at no charge to the shareholder, without the imposition of the
CDSC at the time of the exchange. During the period of time the shareholder
remains in the Exchange Fund (calculated from the last day of the month in
which the Exchange Fund shares were acquired), the holding period or "year
since purchase payment made" is frozen. When shares are redeemed out of the
Exchange Fund, they will be subject to a CDSC which would be based upon the
period of time the shareholder held shares in a TCW/DW Multi-Class Fund.
However, in the case of shares exchanged into an Exchange Fund, upon a
redemption of shares which results in a CDSC being imposed, a credit (not to
exceed the amount of the CDSC) will be given in an amount equal to the
Exchange Fund 12b-1 distribution fees which are attributable to those shares.
Shareholders acquiring shares of an Exchange Fund pursuant to this exchange
privilege may exchange those shares back into a TCW/DW Multi-Class Fund from
the Exchange Fund with no charge being imposed on such exchange. The holding
period previously frozen when shares were first exchanged for shares of an
Exchange Fund resumes on the last day of the month in which shares of a
TCW/DW Multi-Class Fund are reacquired. A CDSC is imposed only upon an
ultimate redemption, based upon the time (calculated as described above) the
shareholder was invested in a TCW/DW Multi-Class Fund.
When shares initially purchased in a TCW/DW Multi-Class Fund are exchanged
for shares of a TCW/DW Multi-Class Fund or shares of an Exchange Fund, the
date of purchase of the shares of the fund exchanged into, for purposes of
the CDSC upon redemption, will be the last day of the month in which the
shares being exchanged were originally purchased. In allocating the purchase
payments between funds for purposes of the CDSC, the amount which represents
the current net asset value of shares at the time of the exchange which were
(i) purchased more than one, three or six years (depending on the CDSC
schedule applicable to the shares) prior to the exchange and (ii) originally
acquired through reinvestment of dividends or distributions (all such shares
called "Free Shares") will be exchanged first. After an exchange, all
dividends earned on shares in the Exchange Fund will be considered Free
Shares. If the exchanged amount exceeds the value of such Free Shares, an
exchange is made, on a block-by-block basis, of non-Free Shares held for the
longest period of time. Shares equal to any appreciation in the value of
non-Free Shares exchanged will be treated as Free Shares, and the amount of
the purchase payments for the non-Free Shares of the fund exchanged into will
be equal to the lesser of (a) the purchase payments for, or (b) the current
net asset value of, the exchanged non-Free Shares. If an exchange between
funds would result in exchange of only part of a particular block of non-Free
Shares, then shares equal to any appreciation in the value of the block (up
to the amount of the exchange) will be treated as Free Shares and exchanged
first, and the purchase payment for that block will be allocated on a pro
rata basis between the non-Free Shares of that block to be retained and the
non-Free Shares to be exchanged. The prorated amount of such purchase payment
attributable to the retained non-Free Shares will remain as the purchase
payment for such shares, and the amount of purchase payment for the exchanged
non-Free Shares will be equal to the lesser of (a) the prorated amount of the
purchase payment for, or (b) the current net asset value of, those exchanged
non-Free Shares. Based upon the procedures described in the Prospectus under
the caption "Purchase of Fund Shares," any applicable CDSC will be imposed
upon the ultimate redemption of shares of any fund, regardless of the number
of exchanges since those shares were originally purchased.
With respect to the redemption or repurchase of shares of the Fund, the
application of proceeds to the purchase of new shares in the Fund or any
other of the funds and the general administration of the Exchange Privilege,
the Transfer Agent acts as agent for the Distributor and for the
shareholder's selected broker-dealer, in the performance of such functions.
With respect to exchanges, redemptions or repurchases, the Transfer Agent
shall be liable for its own negligence and not for the default or negligence
of its correspondents or for losses in transit. The Fund shall not be liable
for any default or negligence of the Transfer Agent, the Distributor or any
selected broker-dealer.
The Distributor and any selected broker-dealer have authorized and
appointed the Transfer Agent to act as their agent in connection with the
application of proceeds of any redemption of Fund shares to the purchase of
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<PAGE>
shares of any other fund and the general administration of the Exchange
Privilege. No commission or discounts will be paid to the Distributor or any
selected broker-dealer for any transactions pursuant to this Exchange
Privilege.
Exchanges are subject to the minimum investment requirement and any other
conditions imposed by each fund. (The minimum initial investment for the
Exchange Privilege account of each Class is $5,000 for Dean Witter Liquid
Asset Fund Inc., Dean Witter Tax-Free Daily Income Trust, Dean Witter New
York Municipal Money Market Trust and Dean Witter California Tax-Free Daily
Income Trust, although those funds may, at their discretion, accept initial
investments of as low as $1,000. The minimum initial investment for the
Exchange Privilege account of each Class for Dean Witter U.S. Government
Money Market Trust and for all TCW/DW Funds is $1,000.) Upon exchange into an
Exchange Fund, the shares of that fund will be held in a special Exchange
Privilege Account separately from accounts of those shareholders who have
acquired their shares directly from that fund. As a result, certain services
normally available to shareholders of money market funds, including the check
writing feature, will not be available for funds held in that account.
The Fund, each of the other TCW/DW Funds and each of the money market
funds may limit the number of times this Exchange Privilege may be exercised
by any investor within a specified period of time. Also, the Exchange
Privilege may be terminated or revised at any time by the Fund and/or any of
the funds for which shares of the Fund have been exchanged, upon such notice
as may be required by applicable regulatory agencies (presently sixty days
for termination or material revision), provided that six months' prior
written notice of termination will be given to the shareholders who hold
shares of Exchange Funds pursuant to this Exchange Privilege, and provided
further that the Exchange Privilege may be terminated or materially revised
without notice at times (a) when the New York Stock Exchange is closed for
other than customary weekends and holidays, (b) when trading on that Exchange
is restricted, (c) when an emergency exists as a result of which disposal by
the Fund of securities owned by it is not reasonably practicable or it is not
reasonably practicable for the Fund fairly to determine the value of its net
assets, (d) during any other period when the Securities and Exchange
Commission by order so permits (provided that applicable rules and
regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission shall govern as to
whether the conditions prescribed in (b) or (c) exist) or (e) if the Fund
would be unable to invest amounts effectively in accordance with its
investment objective, policies and restrictions.
For further information regarding the Exchange Privilege, shareholders
should contact their DWR or other selected broker-dealer account executive or
the Transfer Agent.
REDEMPTIONS AND REPURCHASES
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Redemption. As stated in the Prospectus, shares of each Class of the Fund
can be redeemed for cash at any time at the net asset value per share next
determined; however, such redemption proceeds will be reduced by the amount
of any applicable CDSC. If shares are held in a shareholder's account without
a share certificate, a written request for redemption to the Fund's Transfer
Agent at P.O. Box 983, Jersey City, NJ 07303 is required. If certificates are
held by the shareholder, the shares may be redeemed by surrendering the
certificates with a written request for redemption. The share certificate, or
an accompanying stock power, and the request for redemption, must be signed
by the shareholder or shareholders exactly as the shares are registered. Each
request for redemption, whether or not accompanied by a share certificate,
must be sent to the Fund's Transfer Agent, which will redeem the shares at
their net asset value next computed (see "Purchase of Fund Shares") after it
receives the request, and certificate, if any, in good order. Any redemption
request received after such computation will be redeemed at the next
determined net asset value. The term "good order" means that the share
certificate, if any, and request for redemption are properly signed,
accompanied by any documentation required by the Transfer Agent, and bear
signature guarantees when required by the Fund or the Transfer Agent. If
redemption is requested by a corporation, partnership, trust or fiduciary,
the Transfer Agent may require that written evidence of authority acceptable
to the Transfer Agent be submitted before such request is accepted.
Whether certificates are held by the shareholder or shares are held in a
shareholder's account, if the proceeds are to be paid to any person other
than the record owner, or if the proceeds are to be paid to a corporation
(other than the Distributor or a selected broker-dealer for the account of
the shareholder), partnership, trust or fiduciary, or sent to the shareholder
at an address other than the registered address, signatures must be
guaranteed by an eligible guarantor acceptable to the Transfer Agent
(shareholders should contact the Transfer Agent for a
35
<PAGE>
determination as to whether a particular institution is such an eligible
guarantor). A stock power may be obtained from any dealer or commercial bank.
The Fund may change the signature guarantee requirements from time to time
upon notice to shareholders, which may be by means of a revised prospectus.
Repurchase. As stated in the Prospectus, DWR and other selected
broker-dealers are authorized to repurchase shares represented by a share
certificate which is delivered to any of their offices. Shares held in a
shareholder's account without a share certificate may also be repurchased by
DWR and other selected broker-dealers upon the telephonic request of the
shareholder. The repurchase price is the net asset value next computed after
such purchase order is received by DWR or other selected broker-dealer
reduced by any applicable CDSC.
Payment for Shares Redeemed or Repurchased. As discussed in the
Prospectus, payment for shares of any Class presented for repurchase or
redemption will be made by check within seven days after receipt by the
Transfer Agent of the certificate and/or written request in good order. The
term good order means that the share certificate, if any, and request for
redemption are properly signed, accompanied by any documentation required by
the Transfer Agent, and bear signature guarantees when required by the Fund
or the Transfer Agent. Such payment may be postponed or the right of
redemption suspended at times (a) when the New York Stock Exchange is closed
for other than customary weekends and holidays, (b) when trading on that
Exchange is restricted, (c) when an emergency exists as a result of which
disposal by the Fund of securities owned by it is not reasonably practicable
or it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund fairly to determine the
value of its net assets, or (d) during any other period when the Securities
and Exchange Commission by order so permits; provided that applicable rules
and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission shall govern as to
whether the conditions prescribed in (b) or (c) exist. If the shares to be
redeemed have recently been purchased by check, payment of the redemption
proceeds may be delayed for the minimum time needed to verify that the check
used for investment has been honored (not more than fifteen days from the
time of receipt of the check by the Transfer Agent). It has been and remains
the Fund's policy and practice that, if checks for dividends or distributions
paid in cash remain uncashed, no interest will accrue on amounts represented
by such uncashed checks. Shareholders maintaining margin accounts with DWR or
another selected broker-dealer are referred to their account executive
regarding restrictions on redemption of shares of the Fund pledged in the
margin account.
Transfers of Shares. In the event a shareholder requests a transfer of any
shares to a new registration, such shares will be transferred without sales
charge at the time of transfer. With regard to the status of shares which are
either subject to the CDSC or free of such charge (and with regard to the
length of time shares subject to the charge have been held), any transfer
involving less than all of the shares in an account will be made on a pro
rata basis (that is, by transferring shares in the same proportion that the
transferred shares bear to the total shares in the account immediately prior
to the transfer). The transferred shares will continue to be subject to any
applicable CDSC as if they had not been so transferred.
Reinstatement Privilege. As discussed in the Prospectus, a shareholder who
has had his or her shares redeemed or repurchased and has not previously
exercised this reinstatement privilege may within 35 days after the date of
redemption or repurchase reinstate any portion of all of the proceeds of such
redemption or repurchase in shares of the Fund in the same Class at the net
asset value next determined after a reinstatement request, together with such
proceeds, is received by the Transfer Agent.
Exercise of the reinstatement privilege will not affect the federal income
tax treatment of any gain or loss realized upon the redemption or repurchase,
except that if the redemption or repurchase, resulted in a loss and
reinstatement is made in shares of the Fund, some or all of the loss,
depending on the amount reinstated, will not be allowed as a deduction for
federal income tax purposes, but will be applied to adjust the cost basis of
the shares acquired upon reinstatement.
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund will determine either to
distribute or to retain all or part of any net long-term capital gains in any
year for reinvestment. If any such gains are retained, the Fund will pay
federal income tax thereon, and shareholders will be required to include such
undistributed gains in their taxable income and will be able to claim their
share of the tax paid by the Fund as a credit against their individual
federal income tax.
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<PAGE>
Because the Fund intends to distribute all of its net investment income
and capital gains to shareholders and otherwise continue to qualify as a
regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code,
it is not expected that the Fund will be required to pay any federal income
tax. Shareholders will normally have to pay federal income taxes, and any
state income taxes, on the dividends and distributions they receive from the
Fund. Such dividends and distributions, to the extent that they are derived
from net investment income or short-term capital gains, are taxable to the
shareholder as ordinary income regardless of whether the shareholder receives
such payments in additional shares or in cash. Any dividends declared in the
last quarter of any calendar year which are paid in the following year prior
to February 1 will be deemed received by the shareholder in the prior
calendar year.
Gains or losses on sales of securities by the Fund will be long-term
capital gains or losses if the securities have been held by the Fund for more
than twelve months. Gains or losses on the sale of securities held for twelve
months or less will be short-term gains or losses.
Distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to
shareholders as long-term capital gains regardless of how long a shareholder
has held the Fund's shares and regardless of whether the distribution is
received in additional shares or in cash. Capital gains distributions are not
eligible for the dividends received deduction.
It is expected that the Treasury will issue regulations or other guidance
to permit shareholders to take into account their proportionate share of the
Fund's capital gains distributions that will be subject to a reduced rate
under the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. The Taxpayer Relief Act reduces the
maximum tax on long-term capital gains from 28% to 20%; however, it also
lengthens the required holding period to obtain the lower rate from more than
12 months to more than 18 months. The lower rates do not apply to
collectibles and certain other assets. Additionally, the maximum capital gain
rate for assets that are held more than five years and that are acquired
after December 31, 2000 is 18%.
Any dividend or capital gains distribution received by a shareholder from
any investment company will have the effect of reducing the net asset value
of the shareholder's stock in that company by the exact amount of the
dividend or capital gains distribution. Furthermore, capital gains
distributions and dividends are subject to federal income taxes. If the net
asset value of the shares should be reduced below a shareholder's cost as a
result of the payment of dividends or the distribution of realized net
long-term capital gains, such payment or distribution would be in part a
return of the shareholder's investment to the extent of such reduction below
the shareholder's cost, but nonetheless would be fully taxable at either
ordinary or capital gain rates. Therefore, an investor should consider the
tax implications of purchasing Fund shares immediately prior to a dividend or
distribution record date.
Dividend payments will be eligible for the federal dividends received
deduction available to the Fund's corporate shareholders only to the extent
the aggregate dividends received by the Fund would be eligible for the
deduction if the Fund were the shareholder claiming the dividends received
deduction. The amount of dividends paid by the Fund which may qualify for the
dividends received deduction is limited to the aggregate amount of qualifying
dividends which the Fund derives from its portfolio investments which the
Fund has held for a minimum period, usually 46 days. Any distributions made
by the Fund will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction with
respect to shares which are held by the shareholder for 45 days or less. Any
long-term capital gain distributions will also not be eligible for the
dividends received deduction. The ability to take the dividends received
deduction will also be limited in the case of a Fund shareholder which incurs
or continues indebtedness which is directly attributable to its investment in
the Fund.
Shareholders are urged to consult their attorneys or tax advisers
regarding specific questions as to federal, state or local taxes.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As discussed in the Prospectus, from time to time the Fund may quote its
"total return" in advertisements and sales literature. These figures are
computed separately for Class A, Class B, Class C and Class D shares. The
Fund's "average annual total return" represents an annualization of the
Fund's total return over a particular period and is computed by finding the
annual percentage rate which will result in the ending redeemable value of a
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hypothetical $1,000 investment made at the beginning of a one, five or ten
year period, or for the period from the date of commencement of the Fund's
operations, if shorter than any of the foregoing. The ending redeemable value
is reduced by any CDSC at the end of the one, five or ten year or other
period. For the purpose of this calculation, it is assumed that all dividends
and distributions are reinvested. The formula for computing the average
annual total return involves a percentage obtained by dividing the ending
redeemable value by the amount of the initial investment, taking a root of
the quotient (where the root is equivalent to the number of years in the
period) and subtracting 1 from the result. The average annual total returns
of Class B for the fiscal year ended February 28, 1998 and for the period
from August 2, 1993 (commencement of operations) through February 28, 1998
were 29.01% and 17.46%, respectively.
For periods of less than one year, the Fund quotes its total return on a
non-annualized basis. Accordingly, the Fund may compute its aggregate total
return for each of Class A, Class C and Class D for specified periods by
determining the aggregate percentage rate which will result in the ending
value of a hypothetical $1,000 investment made at the beginning of the
period. For the purpose of this calculation, it is assumed that all dividends
and distributions are reinvested. The formula for computing aggregate total
return involves a percentage obtained by dividing the ending value by the
initial $1,000 investment and subtracting 1 from the result. The ending
redeemable value is reduced by any CDSC at the end of the period. Based on
the foregoing calculations, the total returns for the period July 28, 1997
through February 28, 1998 were 10.75%, 15.39% and 17.05% for Class A, Class C
and Class D, respectively.
In addition to the foregoing, the Fund may advertise its total return for
each Class over different periods of time by means of aggregate, year-by-year
or other types of total return figures. Such calculations may or may not
reflect the imposition of the maximum front-end sales charge for Class A or
the deduction of the CDSC for each of Class B and Class C which, if
reflected, would reduce the performance quoted. For example, the average
annual total return of the Fund may be calculated in the manner described
above, but without deduction for any applicable sales charge. Based on this
calculation, the average annual total returns of Class B for the fiscal year
ended February 28, 1998 and the period from August 2, 1993 through February
28, 1998 were 34.01% and 17.70%, respectively.
In addition, the Fund may compute its aggregate total return for each
Class for specified periods by determining the aggregate percentage rate
which will result in the ending value of a hypothetical $1,000 investment
made at the beginning of the period. For the purpose of this calculation, it
is assumed that all dividends and distributions are reinvested. The formula
for computing aggregate total return involves a percentage obtained by
dividing the ending value (without the reduction for any sales charge) by the
initial $1,000 investment and subtracting 1 from the result. Based on the
foregoing calculation, the total returns of Class B for the fiscal year ended
February 28, 1998 and the period from August 2, 1993 through February 28,
1998 were 34.01% and 110.80%, respectively. Based on the foregoing
calculations, the total returns for Class A, Class C and Class D for the
period July 28, 1997 through February 28, 1998 were 16.89%, 16.39% and
17.05%, respectively.
The Fund may also advertise the growth of hypothetical investments of
$10,000, $50,000 and $100,000 in shares of the Fund by adding 1 to the Fund's
aggregate total return (expressed as a decimal and without reduction for any
contingent deferred sales charges) and multiplying by $9,475, $48,000 and
$97,000 in the case of Class A (investments of $10,000, $50,000 or $100,000
adjusted for the initial sales charge), or by $10,000, $50,000 and $100,000
in the case of each of Class B, Class C and Class D, as the case may be.
Investments of $10,000, $50,000 and $100,000 in each Class at inception of
the Class would have grown to the following amounts at February 28, 1998:
INVESTMENT AT INCEPTION OF:
INCEPTION -------------------------------
CLASS DATE $10,000 $50,000 $100,000
- ----- ------ -------- ------- ----------
Class A .. 7/28/97 $11,075 $ 56,107 $113,383
Class B .. 8/02/93 21,080 105,400 210,800
Class C .. 7/28/97 11,639 58,195 116,390
Class D .. 7/28/97 11,705 58,525 117,050
The Fund from time to time may also advertise its performance relative to
certain performance rankings and indexes compiled by independent
organizations.
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DESCRIPTION OF SHARES
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All shares of beneficial interest of the Fund are of $0.01 par value and
are equal as to earnings, assets and voting privileges. There are no
conversion, preemptive or other subscription rights. In the event of
liquidation, each share of beneficial interest of the Fund is entitled to its
portion of all the Fund's assets after all debts and expenses have been paid.
The shares do not have cumulative voting rights.
The shareholders of the Fund are entitled to a full vote for each full
share held. The Trustees, except for Messrs. Schroeder and Stern, have been
elected by InterCapital as then sole shareholder of the Fund. Messrs.
Schroeder and Stern were elected by the Trustees of the Trust on April 20,
1995. The Trustees themselves have the power to alter the number and the
terms of office of the Trustees, and they may at any time lengthen their own
terms or make their terms of unlimited duration and appoint their own
successors, provided that always at least a majority of the Trustees has been
elected by the shareholders of the Fund. Under certain circumstances the
Trustees may be removed by action of the Trustees. The shareholders also have
the right to remove the Trustees following a meeting called for that purpose
requested in writing by the record holders of not less than ten percent of
the Fund's outstanding shares. The voting rights of shareholders are not
cumulative, so that holders of more than 50 percent of the shares voting can,
if they choose, elect all Trustees being selected, while the holders of the
remaining shares would be unable to elect any Trustees.
The Declaration of Trust permits the Trustees to authorize the creation of
additional series of shares (the proceeds of which would be invested in
separate, independently managed portfolios) and additional classes of shares
within any series (which would be used to distinguish among the rights of
different categories of shareholders, as might be required by future
regulations or other unforeseen circumstances). The Trustees have not
presently authorized any such additional series or classes of shares other
than as set forth in the Prospectus.
The Declaration of Trust provides that no Trustee, officer, employee or
agent of the Fund is liable to the Fund or to a shareholder, nor is any
Trustee, officer, employee or agent liable to any third persons in connection
with the affairs of the Fund, except as such liability may arise from his own
bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of
his duties. It also provides that all third persons shall look solely to the
Fund's property for satisfaction of claims arising in connection with the
affairs of the Fund. With the exceptions stated, the Declaration of Trust
provides that a Trustee, officer, employee or agent is entitled to be
indemnified against all liabilities in connection with the affairs of the
Fund.
The Fund is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares of
beneficial interest. The Fund shall be of unlimited duration, subject to the
provisions in the Declaration of Trust concerning termination by action of
the shareholders.
CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Bank of New York, 90 Washington Street, New York, New York 10286 is
the Custodian of the Fund's assets. Any of the Fund's cash balances with the
Custodian in excess of $100,000 are unprotected by federal deposit insurance.
Such balances may, at times, be substantial.
Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Trust FSB ("MSDW Trust"), Harborside Financial
Center, Plaza Two, Jersey City, New Jersey 07311 is the Transfer Agent of the
Fund's shares and Dividend Disbursing Agent for payment of dividends and
distributions on Fund shares and Agent for shareholders under various
investment plans described herein. MSDW Trust is an affiliate of Dean Witter
Services Company Inc., the Fund's Manager, and Dean Witter Distributors Inc.,
the Fund's Distributor. As Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent, MSDW
Trust's responsibilities include maintaining shareholder accounts, disbursing
cash dividends and reinvesting dividends, processing account registration
changes, handling purchase and redemption transactions, mailing prospectuses
and reports, mailing and tabulating proxies, processing share certificate
transactions, and maintaining shareholder records and lists. For these
services MSDW Trust receives a per shareholder account fee from the Fund.
INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Price Waterhouse LLP serves as the independent accountants of the Fund.
The independent accountants are responsible for auditing the annual financial
statements of the Fund.
39
<PAGE>
REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fund will send to shareholders, at least semi-annually, reports
showing the Fund's portfolio and other information. An annual report
containing financial statements audited by independent accountants will be
sent to shareholders each year.
The Fund's fiscal year ends on the last day of February. The financial
statements of the Fund must be audited at least once a year by independent
accountants whose selection is made annually by the Fund's Board of Trustees.
LEGAL COUNSEL
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barry Fink, Esq., who is an officer and the General Counsel of the
Manager, is an officer and the General Counsel of the Fund.
EXPERTS
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The financial statements of the Fund included in this Statement of
Additional Information and incorporated by reference in the Prospectus have
been so included and incorporated in reliance on the report of Price
Waterhouse LLP, independent accountants, given on the authority of said firm
as experts in auditing and accounting.
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This Statement of Additional Information and the Prospectus do not contain
all of the information set forth in the Registration Statement the Fund has
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The complete Registration
Statement may be obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission upon
payment of the fee prescribed by the rules and regulations of the Commission.
40
<PAGE>
TCW/DW SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS February 28, 1998
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
NUMBER OF
SHARES VALUE
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C>
COMMON STOCKS (101.5%)
Advertising (2.5%)
274,405 Outdoor Systems, Inc.* .......................................... $ 8,180,714
21,800 TMP Worldwide, Inc.* ............................................ 517,750
--------------
8,698,464
--------------
Aerospace (0.5%)
146,500 United Industrial Corp. ........................................ 1,611,500
--------------
Auto Parts -Original
Equipment (0.4%)
27,300 Tower Automotive, Inc.* ......................................... 1,240,444
--------------
Banks (0.0%)
3,600 Bank of Granite Corp. .......................................... 110,700
--------------
Biotechnology (1.8%)
83,800 BioReliance Corp.* .............................................. 1,948,350
131,900 Cell Therapeutics, Inc.* ........................................ 1,945,525
56,100 Sepracor, Inc.* ................................................. 2,258,025
--------------
6,151,900
--------------
Broadcast Media (7.1%)
96,100 Clear Channel Communications, Inc.* ............................. 8,709,062
173,000 Gemstar International Group Ltd.* ............................... 5,319,750
Heftel Broadcasting Corp.
41,800 (Class A)* ...................................................... 1,969,825
83,300 Metro Networks, Inc.* ........................................... 3,071,687
142,400 VDI Media* ...................................................... 2,136,000
97,700 Westwood One, Inc.* ............................................. 3,028,700
--------------
24,235,024
--------------
Commercial Services (10.1%)
1,700 Administaff, Inc. .............................................. 69,912
39,100 Cambridge Technology Partners, Inc.* ............................ 1,779,050
46,400 Caribiner International, Inc.* .................................. 1,560,200
54,900 Ciber, Inc.* ................................................... 3,664,575
45,600 Compass International Services* ................................. 478,800
9,600 Corrections Corp. of America* ................................... 367,200
77,000 MemberWorks, Inc.* .............................................. 2,310,000
78,700 META Group, Inc. ............................................... 2,341,325
7,400 Radiant Systems, Inc.* ......................................... 138,750
18,900 Renaissance Worldwide, Inc. .................................... 1,122,187
102,150 Robert Half International, Inc.* ............................... 4,622,287
274,200 Romac International, Inc.* ..................................... 6,786,450
115,300 Snyder Communications, Inc.* ................................... 4,734,506
52,100 Superior Services, Inc.* ....................................... 1,374,137
80,100 The Vincam Group, Inc.* ......................................... 2,082,600
40,700 USWeb Corp. .................................................... $ 763,125
31,000 Youth Services International, Inc. .............................. 472,750
--------------
34,667,854
--------------
Computer Services (0.9%)
101,300 International Network Services* ................................. 2,823,737
4,200 Visual Networks, Inc. .......................................... 83,475
--------------
2,907,212
--------------
Computer Software (6.9%)
59,300 CBT Group PLC (ADR)(Ireland)* ................................... 5,433,362
41,300 Concord Communications, Inc.* ................................... 1,177,050
3,200 Micromuse, Inc. ................................................ 60,800
51,200 PeopleSoft, Inc.* ............................................... 2,284,800
95,300 QAD, Inc. ...................................................... 1,441,412
103,000 QuadraMed Corp.* ............................................... 3,270,250
127,400 Security Dynamics Technologies, Inc.* ........................... 4,522,700
235,700 TAVA Technologies, Inc. ........................................ 1,981,353
77,800 Transaction Systems Architects, Inc. (Class A)* ................. 3,355,125
--------------
23,526,852
--------------
<PAGE>
Computer Software &
Services (21.2%)
52,300 Aspect Development, Inc.* ....................................... 2,484,250
111,300 Aspen Technology, Inc.* ......................................... 4,424,175
214,650 Citrix Systems, Inc.* ........................................... 9,028,716
46,700 Clarify, Inc.* .................................................. 700,500
115,450 Computer Horizons Corp.* ....................................... 6,003,400
95,100 Computer Learning Centers, Inc.* ................................ 3,500,869
94,950 Computer Management Sciences, Inc.* ............................. 2,474,634
100,940 CSG Systems International, Inc.* ................................ 3,898,807
208,000 Dendrite International, Inc.* ................................... 5,668,000
85,200 Documentum, Inc.* ............................................... 3,951,150
81,700 HNC Software, Inc.* ............................................. 2,920,775
113,300 Legato Systems, Inc.* ........................................... 5,551,700
222,800 National TechTeam, Inc.* ........................................ 2,297,625
226,400 Saville Systems Ireland PLC (ADR)(Ireland)* ..................... 10,527,600
97,200 Siebel Systems, Inc.* ........................................... 5,977,800
109,600 Viasoft, Inc.* .................................................. 2,959,200
--------------
72,369,201
--------------
Computers (3.4%)
150,100 MRV Communications, Inc.* ....................................... 3,489,825
134,400 Network Appliance, Inc.* ........................................ 3,897,600
227,100 Sigma Designs, Inc. ............................................ 709,687
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
41
<PAGE>
TCW/DW SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS February 28, 1998, continued
NUMBER OF
SHARES VALUE
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
54,000 VeriSign, Inc. ................................................. $ 1,545,750
86,700 Xylan Corp.* .................................................... 2,080,800
--------------
11,723,662
--------------
Electrical Equipment (0.5%)
100,700 Sheldahl, Inc.* ................................................. 1,674,137
--------------
Electronics (1.7%)
65,100 Avid Technology, Inc.* .......................................... 2,250,019
149,100 Computer Products, Inc.* ........................................ 3,718,181
5,500 SRS Labs, Inc.* ................................................. 44,000
--------------
6,012,200
--------------
Electronics -Semiconductors/
Components (1.8%)
154,800 Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.* ................................ 6,250,050
--------------
Financial Services (0.9%)
100,600 Imperial Credit Commercial Mortgage Investment Corp. ........... 1,534,150
66,200 Imperial Credit Industries, Inc.* ............................... 1,390,200
--------------
2,924,350
--------------
Health Equipment &
Services (0.4%)
36,300 IDX Systems Corp.* .............................................. 1,501,913
--------------
Healthcare -HMOs (0.8%)
168,800 Coventry Corp.* ................................................. 2,732,450
--------------
Healthcare Products &
Services (3.8%)
159,967 Concentra Managed Care, Inc.* ................................... 5,488,868
169,900 Ocular Sciences, Inc. ........................................... 3,801,513
200,100 Orthodontic Centers of America, Inc.* ........................... 3,864,431
--------------
13,154,812
--------------
Healthcare Services (2.6%)
143,600 Envoy Corp.* .................................................... 5,833,750
6,600 First Consulting Group, Inc. ................................... 122,925
33,400 Healthcare Recoveries, Inc.* ................................... 709,750
59,900 Superior Consultant Holdings Corp.* ............................. 2,208,813
--------------
8,875,238
--------------
Hospital Management (1.1%)
110,100 Medcath, Inc.* .................................................. 1,679,025
57,700 Curative Health Services, Inc. ................................. 2,127,688
--------------
3,806,713
--------------
Industrials (0.3%)
EduTrek International, Inc.
47,000 (Class A)* ..................................................... $ 1,034,000
--------------
Internet (2.2%)
33,300 DoubleClick Inc. ................................................ 1,063,519
104,600 E*TRADE Group, Inc.* ............................................ 2,784,975
51,000 Yahoo!, Inc.* ................................................... 3,729,375
--------------
7,577,869
--------------
Laser Equipment (0.6%)
71,600 DBT Online, Inc.* ............................................... 2,049,550
--------------
Medical Products &
Supplies (5.7%)
177,800 Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc.* .................................. 2,400,300
170,100 IRIDEX Corp.* ................................................... 1,467,113
79,000 Molecular Dynamics, Inc.* ....................................... 962,813
173,200 PolyMedica Industries, Inc.* .................................... 2,100,050
203,200 Safeskin Corp.* ................................................. 12,471,400
--------------
19,401,676
--------------
Medical Services (1.4%)
17,400 IMPATH, Inc.* ................................................... 598,125
45,300 NeoPath, Inc.* .................................................. 588,900
112,967 Total Renal Care Holdings, Inc.* ................................ 3,636,125
--------------
4,823,150
--------------
Oil Equipment & Services (2.1%)
94,800 Eagle Geophysical, Inc. ........................................ 1,279,800
304,000 Newpark Resources, Inc.* ........................................ 5,852,000
--------------
7,131,800
--------------
<PAGE>
Oil Services (1.3%)
101,600 Friede Goldman International, Inc.* ............................. 3,073,400
84,400 Key Energy Group, Inc.* ......................................... 1,492,825
--------------
4,566,225
--------------
Pharmaceuticals (0.9%)
179,200 Neose Technologies, Inc.* ....................................... 2,508,800
21,000 Pharmacyclics, Inc.* ............................................ 547,313
--------------
3,056,113
--------------
Publishing (0.9%)
49,400 Applied Graphics Technologies, Inc.* ............................ 2,914,600
--------------
Real Estate (0.9%)
55,000 CB Commercial Real Estate Services Group, Inc. ................. 2,062,500
27,500 LaSalle Partners, Inc.* ......................................... 986,563
--------------
3,049,063
--------------
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
42
<PAGE>
TCW/DW SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS February 28, 1998, continued
NUMBER OF
SHARES VALUE
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Real Estate Investment Trust (0.1%)
9,400 CCA Prison Realty Trust ......................................... $ 413,600
--------------
Recreation (1.3%)
153,350 Signature Resorts, Inc.* ........................................ 3,182,013
30,900 Silverleaf Resorts, Inc.* ...................................... 826,575
25,700 Trendwest Resorts, Inc.* ........................................ 520,425
--------------
4,529,013
--------------
Restaurants (0.2%)
46,500 IL Fornaio (America) Corp. ..................................... 633,563
--------------
Retail (0.3%)
22,800 Tiffany & Co. .................................................. 1,071,600
--------------
Retail -Department Stores (0.8%)
64,650 Dollar Tree Stores, Inc.* ....................................... 2,804,194
--------------
Retail -General Merchandise (1.1%)
148,800 Cost Plus, Inc.* ................................................ 3,645,600
--------------
Retail -Specialty (3.3%)
100,700 Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc.* ........................................ 4,348,981
450,100 Intelligent Electronics, Inc.* .................................. 3,010,044
108,100 Marks Bros. Jewelers, Inc.* ..................................... 1,891,750
29,000 Timberland Co. Class A* ......................................... 2,102,500
--------------
11,353,275
--------------
Retail -Specialty Apparel (2.4%)
151,275 Just For Feet, Inc.* ........................................... 2,562,220
204,400 The North Face, Inc.* .......................................... 5,621,000
--------------
8,183,220
--------------
Specialized Services (1.1%)
85,400 MAXIMUS, Inc.* ................................................. 2,092,300
69,300 Pegasus Systems, Inc.* ......................................... 1,524,600
--------------
3,616,900
--------------
Steel (0.4%)
87,500 NS Group, Inc. ................................................. 1,246,875
--------------
Telecommunication Equipment (2.7%)
46,500 Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc.* .................. $ 1,360,125
100,800 GeoTel Communications Corp.* .................................... 2,293,200
79,300 Natural Microsystems Corp.* ..................................... 3,409,900
84,700 Premisys Communications, Inc.* .................................. 2,006,331
--------------
9,069,556
--------------
Telecommunications (0.3%)
48,224 Excel Communications, Inc. ..................................... 1,015,718
--------------
Transportation (1.3%)
103,000 C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. .................................. 2,317,500
20,300 Eagle USA Airfreight, Inc.* ..................................... 581,088
218,250 Miller Industries, Inc.* ........................................ 1,582,313
--------------
4,480,901
--------------
Wholesale & International
Trade (0.2%)
15,700 Daisytek International Corp.* ................................... 737,900
--------------
Wholesale Distributor (1.3%)
215,400 Brightpoint, Inc.* .............................................. 4,402,238
--------------
</TABLE>
TOTAL INVESTMENTS
(Identified Cost $221,081,786)(a) . 101.5% 346,982,875
LIABILITIES IN EXCESS OF
OTHER ASSETS ...................... (1.5) (5,107,199)
-------- -------------
NET ASSETS ........................ 100.0% $341,875,676
======== =============
- ------------
ADR American Depository Receipt.
* Non-income producing security.
(a) The aggregate cost for federal income tax purposes approximates
identified cost. The aggregate gross unrealized appreciation is
$134,313,340 and the aggregate gross unrealized depreciation is
$8,412,251, resulting in net unrealized appreciation of $125,901,089.
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
43
<PAGE>
TCW/DW SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
February 28, 1998
ASSETS:
Investments in securities, at value
(identified cost $221,081,786) .......................... $346,982,875
Receivable for:
Investments sold ....................................... 4,156,733
Shares of beneficial interest sold ..................... 192,681
Deferred organizational expenses ......................... 15,378
Prepaid expenses and other assets ........................ 56,762
--------------
TOTAL ASSETS ........................................... 351,404,429
--------------
LIABILITIES:
Payable for:
Investments purchased .................................. 2,625,803
Shares of beneficial interest repurchased .............. 1,427,537
Plan of distribution fee ............................... 239,545
Management fee ......................................... 163,330
Investment advisory fee ................................ 108,886
Payable to bank .......................................... 4,889,659
Accrued expenses and other payables ...................... 73,993
--------------
TOTAL LIABILITIES ...................................... 9,528,753
--------------
NET ASSETS ............................................. $341,875,676
==============
COMPOSITION OF NET ASSETS:
Paid-in-capital .......................................... $219,566,008
Net unrealized appreciation .............................. 125,901,089
Accumulated net realized loss ............................ (3,591,421)
--------------
NET ASSETS ............................................. $341,875,676
==============
CLASS A SHARES:
Net Assets ............................................... $ 276,305
Shares Outstanding (unlimited authorized, $.01 par value) 13,045
NET ASSET VALUE PER SHARE .............................. $21.18
==============
MAXIMUM OFFERING PRICE PER SHARE,
(net asset value plus 5.54% of net asset value) ...... $22.35
==============
CLASS B SHARES:
Net Assets ............................................... $340,665,135
Shares Outstanding (unlimited authorized, $.01 par value) 16,159,446
NET ASSET VALUE PER SHARE .............................. $21.08
==============
CLASS C SHARES:
Net Assets ............................................... $922,507
Shares Outstanding (unlimited authorized, $.01 par value) 43,753
NET ASSET VALUE PER SHARE .............................. $21.08
==============
CLASS D SHARES:
Net Assets ............................................... $11,729
Shares Outstanding (unlimited authorized, $.01 par value) 553
NET ASSET VALUE PER SHARE .............................. $21.21
==============
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
44
<PAGE>
TCW/DW SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, continued
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
For the year ended February 28, 1998*
NET INVESTMENT INCOME:
INCOME
Dividends ................................. $ 202,416
Interest .................................. 408,214
-------------
TOTAL INCOME ............................ 610,630
-------------
EXPENSES
Plan of distribution fee (Class A shares) 260
Plan of distribution fee (Class B shares) 2,989,560
Plan of distribution fee (Class C shares) 3,535
Management fee ............................ 1,831,059
Investment advisory fee ................... 1,220,706
Transfer agent fees and expenses .......... 491,827
Registration fees ......................... 78,815
Shareholder reports and notices ........... 61,829
Professional fees ......................... 61,512
Custodian fees ............................ 38,172
Trustees' fees and expenses ............... 37,990
Organizational expenses ................... 36,219
Other ..................................... 19,019
-------------
TOTAL EXPENSES .......................... 6,870,503
-------------
NET INVESTMENT LOSS ..................... (6,259,873)
-------------
NET REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN:
Net realized gain ......................... 8,132,612
Net change in unrealized appreciation .... 87,911,112
-------------
NET GAIN ................................ 96,043,724
-------------
NET INCREASE .............................. $89,783,851
=============
- ------------
* Class A, Class C and Class D shares were issued July 28, 1997.
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
45
<PAGE>
TCW/DW SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, continued
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FOR THE YEAR FOR THE YEAR
ENDED ENDED
FEBRUARY 28, 1998* FEBRUARY 28, 1997
- ------------------------------------------------------ ------------------ -----------------
<S> <C> <C>
INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS:
OPERATIONS:
Net investment loss ................................... $ (6,259,873) $ (4,429,662)
Net realized gain (loss) .............................. 8,132,612 (8,185,871)
Net change in unrealized appreciation ................. 87,911,112 (16,577,754)
------------------ -----------------
NET INCREASE (DECREASE) ............................. 89,783,851 (29,193,287)
Net increase (decrease) from transactions in shares of
beneficial interest .................................. (16,691,187) 144,610,586
------------------ -----------------
NET INCREASE ........................................ 73,092,664 115,417,299
NET ASSETS:
Beginning of period ................................... 268,783,012 153,365,713
------------------ -----------------
END OF PERIOD ....................................... $341,875,676 $268,783,012
================== =================
</TABLE>
- ------------
* Class A, Class C and Class D shares were issued July 28, 1997.
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
46
<PAGE>
TCW/DW SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS February 28, 1998
1. ORGANIZATION AND ACCOUNTING POLICIES
TCW/DW Small Cap Growth Fund (the "Fund") is registered under the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Act"), as a non-diversified, open-end
management investment company. The Fund's investment objective is capital
appreciation. The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily
in common stocks and other equity securities of lesser known, smaller
capitalization domestic and foreign companies. The Fund was organized as a
Massachusetts business trust on March 11, 1992 and commenced operations on
August 2, 1993. On July 28, 1997, the Fund commenced offering three
additional classes of shares, with the then current shares designated as
Class B shares.
The Fund offers Class A shares, Class B shares, Class C shares and Class D
shares. The four classes are substantially the same except that most Class A
shares are subject to a sales charge imposed at the time of purchase, some
Class A shares, and most Class B shares and Class C shares are subject to a
contingent deferred sales charge imposed on shares redeemed within one year,
six years and one year, respectively. Class D shares are not subject to a
sales charge. Additionally, Class A shares, Class B shares and Class C shares
incur distribution expenses.
The preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions
that affect the reported amounts and disclosures. Actual results could differ
from those estimates.
The following is a summary of significant accounting policies:
A. VALUATION OF INVESTMENTS -- (1) An equity security listed or traded on the
New York or American or other domestic or foreign stock exchange is valued at
its latest sale price on that exchange prior to the time when assets are
valued; if there were no sales that day, the security is valued at the latest
bid price (in cases where securities are traded on more than one exchange,
the securities are valued on the exchange designated as the primary market
pursuant to procedures adopted by the Trustees); (2) all other portfolio
securities for which over-the-counter market quotations are readily available
are valued at the latest available bid price prior to the time of valuation;
(3) when market quotations are not readily available, including circumstances
under which it is determined by TCW Funds Management, Inc. (the "Adviser")
that sale or bid prices are not reflective of a security's market value,
portfolio securities are valued at their fair value as determined in good
faith under procedures established by and under the general supervision of
the Trustees (valuation of debt securities for which market quotations are
not readily available may be based upon current market prices of securities
which are comparable in coupon, rating and maturity or an appropriate matrix
utilizing similar factors); and (4) short-term debt securities having a
maturity date of more than sixty days at time of purchase are valued on a
mark-to-market basis until sixty days prior to
47
<PAGE>
TCW/DW SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS February 28, 1998, continued
maturity and thereafter at amortized cost based on their value on the 61st
day. Short-term debt securities having a maturity date of sixty days or less
at the time of purchase are valued at amortized cost.
B. ACCOUNTING FOR INVESTMENTS -- Security transactions are accounted for on
the trade date (date the order to buy or sell is executed). Realized gains
and losses on security transactions are determined by the identified cost
method. Dividend income and other distributions are recorded on the
ex-dividend date. Discounts are accreted over the life of the respective
securities. Interest income is accrued daily.
C. MULTIPLE CLASS ALLOCATIONS -- Investment income, expenses (other than
distribution fees), and realized and unrealized gains and losses are
allocated to each class of shares based upon the relative net asset value on
the date such items are recognized. Distribution fees are charged directly to
the respective class.
D. FEDERAL INCOME TAX STATUS -- It is the Fund's policy to comply with the
requirements of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment
companies and to distribute all of its taxable income to its shareholders.
Accordingly, no federal income tax provision is required.
E. DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS -- The Fund records dividends
and distributions to its shareholders on the ex-dividend date. The amount of
dividends and distributions from net investment income and net realized
capital gains are determined in accordance with federal income tax
regulations which may differ from generally accepted accounting principles.
These "book/tax" differences are either considered temporary or permanent in
nature. To the extent these differences are permanent in nature, such amounts
are reclassified within the capital accounts based on their federal tax-basis
treatment; temporary differences do not require reclassification. Dividends
and distributions which exceed net investment income and net realized capital
gains for financial reporting purposes but not for tax purposes are reported
as dividends in excess of net investment income or distributions in excess of
net realized capital gains. To the extent they exceed net investment income
and net realized capital gains for tax purposes, they are reported as
distributions of paid-in-capital.
F. ORGANIZATIONAL EXPENSES -- Dean Witter InterCapital Inc., an affiliate of
Dean Witter Services Co. Inc. (the "Manager"), paid the organizational
expenses of the Fund in the amount of $170,413 which have been reimbursed for
the full amount thereof. Such expenses have been deferred and are being
amortized on the straight-line method over a period not to exceed five years
from the commencement of operations.
2. MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT
Pursuant to a Management Agreement, the Fund pays the Manager a management
fee, accrued daily and payable monthly, by applying the annual rate of 0.60%
to the net assets of the Fund determined as of the close of each business
day.
48
<PAGE>
TCW/DW SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS February 28, 1998, continued
Under the terms of the Management Agreement, the Manager maintains certain of
the Fund's books and records and furnishes, at its own expense, office space,
facilities, equipment, clerical, bookkeeping and certain legal services and
pays the salaries of all personnel, including officers of the Fund who are
employees of the Manager. The Manager also bears the cost of telephone
services, heat, light, power and other utilities provided to the Fund.
3. INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
Pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement, the Fund pays an advisory fee,
accrued daily and payable monthly, by applying the annual rate of 0.40% to
the net assets of the Fund determined as of the close of each business day.
Under the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Fund has retained
the Adviser to invest the Fund's assets, including placing orders for the
purchase and sale of portfolio securities. The Adviser obtains and evaluates
such information and advice relating to the economy, securities markets, and
specific securities as it considers necessary or useful to continuously
manage the assets of the Fund in a manner consistent with its investment
objective. In addition, the Adviser pays the salaries of all personnel,
including officers of the Fund, who are employees of the Adviser.
4. PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
Shares of the Fund are distributed by Dean Witter Distributors Inc. (the
"Distributor"), an affiliate of the Manager. The Fund has adopted a Plan of
Distribution (the "Plan") pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act. The Plan
provides that the Fund will pay the Distributor a fee which is accrued daily
and paid monthly at the following annual rates: (i) Class A -up to 0.25% of
the average daily net assets of Class A; (ii) Class B -- 1.0% of the lesser
of: (a) the average daily aggregate gross sales of the Class B shares since
the inception of the Fund (not including reinvestment of dividend or capital
gain distributions) less the average daily aggregate net asset value of the
Class B shares redeemed since the Fund's inception upon which a contingent
deferred sales charge has been imposed or waived: or (b) the average daily
net assets of Class B; and (iii) Class C -up to 1.0% of the average daily
net assets of Class C. In the case of Class A shares, amounts paid under the
Plan are paid to the Distributor for services provided. In the case of Class
B and Class C shares, amounts paid under the Plan are paid to the Distributor
for services provided and the expenses borne by it and others in the
distribution of the shares of these Classes, including the payment of
commissions for sales of these Classes and incentive compensation to, and
expenses of, the account executives of Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. ("DWR"), an
affiliate of the Manager and Distributor, and others who engage in or support
distribution of the shares or who service shareholder accounts, including
overhead and telephone expenses; printing and distribution of prospectuses
and reports used in
49
<PAGE>
TCW/DW SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS February 28, 1998, continued
connection with the offering of these shares to other than current
shareholders; and preparation, printing and distribution of sales literature
and advertising materials. In addition, the Distributor may utilize fees paid
pursuant to the Plan, in the case of Class B shares, to compensate DWR and
other selected broker-dealers for their opportunity costs in advancing such
amounts, which compensation would be in the form of a carrying charge on any
unreimbursed expenses.
In the case of Class B shares, provided that the Plan continues in effect,
any cumulative expenses incurred by the Distributor but not yet recovered may
be recovered through the payment of future distribution fees from the Fund
pursuant to the Plan and contingent deferred sales charges paid by investors
upon redemption of Class B shares. Although there is no legal obligation for
the Fund to pay expenses incurred in excess of payments made to the
Distributor under the Plan and the proceeds of contingent deferred sales
charges paid by investors upon redemption of shares, if for any reason the
Plan is terminated, the Trustees will consider at that time the manner in
which to treat such expenses. The Distributor has advised the Fund that such
excess amounts, including carrying charges, totaled $13,685,501 at February
28, 1998.
In the case of Class A shares and Class C shares, expenses incurred pursuant
to the Plan in any calendar year in excess of 0.25% or 1.0% of the average
daily net assets of Class A or Class C, respectively, will not be reimbursed
by the Fund through payments in any subsequent year, except that expenses
representing a gross sales credit to account executives may be reimbursed in
the subsequent calendar year. For the period ended February 28, 1998, the
distribution fee was accrued for Class A shares and Class C shares at the
annual rate of 0.23% and 1.0%, respectively.
The Distributor has informed the Fund that for the period ended February 28,
1998, it received contingent deferred sales charges from certain redemptions
of the Fund's Class B shares and Class C shares of $1,164,710 and $685,
respectively and received $13,125 in front-end sales charges from sales of
the Fund's Class A shares. The respective shareholders pay such charges which
are not an expense of the Fund.
5. SECURITY TRANSACTIONS AND TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES
The cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of portfolio securities,
excluding short-term investments, for the year ended February 28, 1998
aggregated $182,612,109 and $189,116,019, respectively.
For the period May 31, 1997 through February 28, 1998, the Fund incurred
brokerage commissions of $2,473 with Morgan Stanley & Co. Inc., an affiliate
of the Manager since May 31, 1997, for portfolio transactions executed on
behalf of the Fund.
Dean Witter Trust FSB, an affiliate of the Manager and Distributor, is the
Fund's transfer agent. At February 28, 1998, the Fund had transfer agent fees
and expenses payable of approximately $4,000.
50
<PAGE>
TCW/DW SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS February 28, 1998, continued
6. SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST
Transactions in shares of beneficial interest were as follows:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FOR THE YEAR FOR THE YEAR
ENDED ENDED
FEBRUARY 28, 1998 FEBRUARY 28, 1997
------------------------------ -----------------------------
SHARES AMOUNT SHARES AMOUNT
-------------- -------------- ------------- --------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
CLASS A SHARES*
Sold 13,711 $ 261,176 -- --
Redeemed (666) (13,032) -- --
-------------- -------------- ------------- --------------
Net increase -Class A 13,045 248,144 -- --
-------------- -------------- ------------- --------------
CLASS B SHARES
Sold 5,153,345 91,806,062 11,470,998 $212,425,149
Redeemed (6,080,943) (109,578,810) (3,824,845) (67,814,563)
-------------- -------------- ------------- --------------
Net increase (decrease) -Class B (927,598) (17,772,748) 7,646,153 144,610,586
-------------- -------------- ------------- --------------
CLASS C SHARES*
Sold 49,455 935,270 -- --
Redeemed (5,702) (111,875) -- --
-------------- -------------- ------------- --------------
Net increase -Class C 43,753 823,395 -- --
-------------- -------------- ------------- --------------
CLASS D SHARES*
Sold 553 10,022 -- --
-------------- -------------- ------------- --------------
Net increase (decrease) in Fund (870,247) $ (16,691,187) 7,646,153 $144,610,586
============== ============== ============= ==============
</TABLE>
- ------------
* For the period July 28, 1997 (issue date) through February 28, 1998.
7. FEDERAL INCOME TAX STATUS
During the year ended February 28, 1998, the Fund utilized approximately
$5,578,000 of its net capital loss carryover. At February 28, 1998, the Fund
had a net capital loss carryover of approximately $3,370,000 which will be
available through February 28, 2005 to offset future capital gains to the
extent provided by regulations.
As of February 28, 1998, the Fund had temporary book/tax differences
primarily attributable to capital loss deferrals on wash sales and permanent
book/tax differences attributable to a net operating loss. To reflect the
reclassifications arising from the permanent differences, paid-in-capital was
charged and net investment loss was credited $6,259,873.
51
<PAGE>
TCW/DW SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Selected ratios and per share data for a share of beneficial interest
outstanding throughout each period:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FOR THE PERIOD
FOR THE YEAR ENDED FEBRUARY 28, AUGUST 2, 1993*
---------------------------------------------- THROUGH
1998***++ 1997 1996** 1995 FEBRUARY 28, 1994
- --------------------------------------- ---------- ------------ ---------- --------- ------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
CLASS B SHARES
PER SHARE OPERATING PERFORMANCE:
Net asset value, beginning of period .. $15.73 $16.24 $ 9.90 $10.30 $10.00
---------- ------------ ---------- --------- -----------------
Net investment loss..................... (0.37) (0.26) (0.19) (0.18) (0.07)
Net realized and unrealized gain
(loss)................................. 5.72 (0.25) 6.53 (0.22) 0.37
---------- ------------ ---------- --------- -----------------
Total from investment operations ....... 5.35 (0.51) 6.34 (0.40) 0.30
---------- ------------ ---------- --------- -----------------
Net asset value, end of period.......... $21.08 $15.73 $16.24 $ 9.90 $10.30
========== ============ ========== ========= =================
TOTAL INVESTMENT RETURN+................ 34.01 % (3.14)% 64.04 % (3.88)% 3.00 %(1)
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:
Expenses................................ 2.25 % 2.15 % 2.32 % 2.57 % 2.18 %(2)(3)
Net investment loss..................... (2.05)% (1.70)% (1.75)% (2.04)% (1.75)%(2)(3)
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
Net assets, end of period, in
thousands.............................. $340,665 $268,783 $153,366 $69,984 $68,209
Portfolio turnover rate................. 61 % 42 % 52 % 116 % 69 %(1)
Average commission rate paid............ $0.0576 $0.0580 -- -- --
</TABLE>
- ------------
* Commencement of operations.
** Year ended February 29.
*** Prior to July 28, 1997, the Fund issued one class of shares. All shares
of the Fund held prior to that date have been designated Class B
shares.
++ The per share amounts were computed using an average number of shares
outstanding during the period.
+ Does not reflect the deduction of sales charge. Calculated based on the
net asset value as of the last business day of the period.
(1) Not annualized.
(2) Annualized.
(3) If the Fund had borne all its expenses that were assumed or waived by
the Manager and Adviser, the annualized expense and net investment loss
ratios would have been 2.78% and (2.35)%, respectively.
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
52
<PAGE>
TCW/DW SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS, continued
FOR THE PERIOD
JULY 28, 1997*
THROUGH
FEBRUARY 28,
1998++
- ---------------------------------------- ------------------
CLASS A SHARES
PER SHARE OPERATING PERFORMANCE:
Net asset value, beginning of period .... $18.12
------------------
Net investment loss...................... (0.15)
Net realized and unrealized gain ....... 3.21
------------------
Total from investment operations ....... 3.06
------------------
Net asset value, end of period........... $21.18
==================
TOTAL INVESTMENT RETURN+ ................ 16.89 %(1)
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:
Expenses................................. 1.52 %(2)
Net investment loss...................... (1.32)%(2)
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
Net assets, end of period, in thousands $ 276
Portfolio turnover rate ................. 61 %(1)
Average commission rate paid............. $0.0576
CLASS C SHARES
PER SHARE OPERATING PERFORMANCE:
Net asset value, beginning of period .... $18.12
------------------
Net investment loss...................... (0.24)
Net realized and unrealized gain ....... 3.20
------------------
Total from investment operations ........ 2.96
------------------
Net asset value, end of period........... $21.08
==================
TOTAL INVESTMENT RETURN+ ................ 16.39 %(1)
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:
Expenses ................................ 2.29 %(2)
Net investment loss ..................... (2.10)%(2)
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
Net assets, end of period, in thousands . $ 923
Portfolio turnover rate.................. 61 %(1)
Average commission rate paid............. $0.0576
- ------------
* The date shares were first issued.
++ The per share amounts were computed using an average number of shares
outstanding during the period.
+ Does not reflect the deduction of sales charge. Calculated based on the
net asset value as of the last business day of the period.
(1) Not annualized.
(2) Annualized.
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
53
<PAGE>
TCW/DW SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS, continued
FOR THE PERIOD
JULY 28, 1997*
THROUGH
FEBRUARY 28,
1998++
- ---------------------------------------- ------------------
CLASS D SHARES
PER SHARE OPERATING PERFORMANCE:
Net asset value, beginning of period ... $18.12
------------------
Net investment loss ..................... (0.12)
Net realized and unrealized gain ....... 3.21
------------------
Total from investment operations ........ 3.09
------------------
Net asset value, end of period .......... $21.21
==================
TOTAL INVESTMENT RETURN+ ................ 17.05 %(1)
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:
Expenses ................................ 1.27 %(2)
Net investment loss ..................... (1.10)%(2)
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
Net assets, end of period, in thousands $ 12
Portfolio turnover rate ................. 61 %(1)
Average commission rate paid ............ $0.0576
- ------------
* The date shares were first issued.
++ The per share amounts were computed using an average number of shares
outstanding during the period.
+ Calculated based on the net asset value as of the last business day of
the period.
(1) Not annualized.
(2) Annualized.
SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
54
<PAGE>
TCW/DW SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
TO THE SHAREHOLDERS AND TRUSTEES
OF TCW/DW SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND
In our opinion, the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities,
including the portfolio of investments, and the related statements of
operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present
fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of TCW/DW Small Cap
Growth Fund (the "Fund") at February 28, 1998, the results of its operations
for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two
years in the period then ended and the financial highlights for each of the
periods presented, in conformity with generally accepted accounting
principles. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter
referred to as "financial statements") are the responsibility of the Fund's
management; our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial
statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these financial
statements in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards which
require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance
about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An
audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts
and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting
principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating
the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits,
which included confirmation of securities at February 28, 1998 by
correspondence with the custodian and brokers, provide a reasonable basis for
the opinion expressed above.
PRICE WATERHOUSE LLP
1177 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10036
April 13, 1998
55
<PAGE>
APPENDIX
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
RATINGS OF CORPORATE DEBT INSTRUMENTS
MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC. ("MOODY'S")
FIXED-INCOME SECURITY RATINGS
Aaa Fixed-income securities which are rated Aaa are judged to be of the
best quality. They carry the smallest degree of investment risk and
are generally referred to as "gilt edge." Interest payments are
protected by a large or by an exceptionally stable margin and
principal is secure. While the various protective elements are likely
to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to
impair the fundamentally strong position of such issues.
Aa Fixed-income securities which are rated Aa are judged to be of high
quality by all standards. Together with the Aaa group they comprise
what are generally known as high grade fixed-income securities. They
are rated lower than the best fixed-income securities because margins
of protection may not be as large as in Aaa securities or fluctuation
of protective elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be
other elements present which make the long-term risks appear somewhat
larger than in Aaa securities.
A Fixed-income securities which are rated A possess many favorable
investment attributes and are to be considered as upper medium grade
obligations. Factors giving security to principal and interest are
considered adequate, but elements may be present which suggest a
susceptibility to impairment sometime in the future.
Baa Fixed-income securities which are rated Baa are considered as medium
grade obligations; i.e., they are neither highly protected nor poorly
secured. Interest payments and principal security appear adequate for
the present but certain protective elements may be lacking or may be
characteristically unreliable over any great length of time. Such
fixed-income securities lack outstanding investment characteristics
and in fact have speculative characteristics as well. Fixed-income
securities rated Aaa, Aa, A and Baa are considered investment grade.
Ba Fixed-income securities which are rated Ba are judged to have
speculative elements; their future cannot be considered as well
assured. Often the protection of interest and principal payments may
be very moderate, and therefore not well safeguarded during both good
and bad times in the future. Uncertainty of position characterizes
bonds in this class.
B Fixed-income securities which are rated B generally lack
characteristics of a desirable investment. Assurance of interest and
principal payments or of maintenance of other terms of the contract
over any long period of time may be small.
Caa Fixed-income securities which are rated Caa are of poor standing. Such
issues may be in default or there may be present elements of danger
with respect to principal or interest.
Ca Fixed-income securities which are rated Ca present obligations which
are speculative in a high degree. Such issues are often in default or
have other marked shortcomings.
C Fixed-income securities which are rated C are the lowest rated class
of fixed-income securities, and issues so rated can be regarded as
having extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment
standing.
Rating Refinements: Moody's may apply numerical modifiers, 1, 2, and 3 in
each generic rating classification from Aa through B in its municipal
fixed-income security rating system. The modifier 1 indicates that the
security ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier
2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and a modifier 3 indicates that the issue
ranks in the lower end if its generic rating category.
COMMERCIAL PAPER RATINGS
Moody's Commercial Paper ratings are opinions of the ability to repay
punctually promissory obligations not having an original maturity in excess
of nine months. The ratings apply to Municipal Commercial Paper as well
56
<PAGE>
as taxable Commercial Paper. Moody's employs the following three
designations, all judged to be investment grade, to indicate the relative
repayment capacity of rated issuers: Prime-1, Prime-2, Prime-3.
Issuers rated Prime-1 have a superior capacity for repayment of short-term
promissory obligations. Issuers rated Prime-2 have a strong capacity for
repayment of short-term promissory obligations; and Issuers rated Prime-3
have an acceptable capacity for repayment of short-term promissory
obligations. Issuers rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime
rating categories.
STANDARD & POOR'S CORPORATION ("STANDARD & POOR'S")
FIXED-INCOME SECURITY RATINGS
A Standard & Poor's fixed-income security rating is a current assessment
of the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific obligation.
This assessment may take into consideration obligors such as guarantors,
insurers, or lessees.
The ratings are based on current information furnished by the issuer or
obtained by Standard & Poor's from other sources it considers reliable. The
ratings are based, in varying degrees, on the following considerations:
(1) likelihood of default-capacity and willingness of the obligor as to the
timely payment of interest and repayment of principal in accordance with the
terms of the obligation; (2) nature of and provisions of the obligation; and
(3) protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the
event of bankruptcy, reorganization or other arrangement under the laws of
bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.
Standard & Poor's does not perform an audit in connection with any rating
and may, on occasion, rely on unaudited financial information. The ratings
may be changed, suspended or withdrawn as a result of changes in, or
unavailability of, such information, or for other reasons.
AAA Fixed-income securities rated "AAA" have the highest rating assigned
by Standard & Poor's. Capacity to pay interest and repay principal is
extremely strong.
AA Fixed-income securities rated "AA" have a very strong capacity to pay
interest and repay principal and differs from the highest-rated issues
only in small degree.
A Fixed-income securities rated "A" have a strong capacity to pay
interest and repay principal although they are somewhat more
susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and
economic conditions than fixed-income securities in higher-rated
categories.
BBB Fixed-income securities rated "BBB" are regarded as having an adequate
capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Whereas it normally
exhibits adequate protection parameters, adverse economic conditions
or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened
capacity to pay interest and repay principal for fixed-income
securities in this category than for fixed-income securities in
higher-rated categories. Fixed-income securities rated AAA, AA, A and
BBB are considered investment grade.
BB Fixed-income securities rated "BB" have less near-term vulnerability
to default than other speculative grade fixed-income securities.
However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse
business, financial or economic conditions which could lead to
inadequate capacity or willingness to pay interest and repay
principal.
B Fixed-income securities rated "B" have a greater vulnerability to
default but presently has the capacity to meet interest payments and
principal repayments. Adverse business, financial or economic
conditions would likely impair capacity or willingness to pay interest
and repay principal.
CCC Fixed-income securities rated "CCC" have a current identifiable
vulnerability to default, and is dependent upon favorable business,
financial and economic conditions to meet timely payments of interest
and repayments of principal. In the event of adverse business,
financial or economic conditions, it is not likely to have the
capacity to pay interest and repay principal.
CC The rating "CC" is typically applied to fixed-income securities
subordinated to senior debt which is assigned an actual or implied
"CCC" rating.
57
<PAGE>
C The rating "C" is typically applied to fixed-income securities
subordinated to senior debt which is assigned an actual or implied
"CCC--" rating.
Cl The rating "Cl" is reserved for fixed-income securities on which no
interest is being paid.
NR Indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is
insufficient information on which to base a rating or that Standard &
Poor's does not rate a particular type of obligation as a matter of
policy.
Fixed-income securities rated "BB", "B", "CCC", "CC" and "C" are
regarded as having predominantly speculative characteristics with
respect to capacity to pay interest and repay principal. "BB"
indicates the least degree of speculation and "C" the highest degree
of speculation. While such fixed-income securities will likely have
some quality and protective characteristics, these are outweighed by
large uncertainties or major risk exposures to adverse conditions.
Plus (+) or minus (-): The rating from "AA" to "CCC" may be modified
by the addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing
within the major ratings categories.
COMMERCIAL PAPER RATINGS
Standard and Poor's commercial paper rating is a current assessment of the
likelihood of timely payment of debt having an original maturity of no more
than 365 days. The commercial paper rating is not a recommendation to
purchase or sell a security. The ratings are based upon current information
furnished by the issuer or obtained by S&P from other sources it considers
reliable. The ratings may be changed, suspended, or withdrawn as a result of
changes in or unavailability of such information. Ratings are graded into
group categories, ranging from "A" for the highest quality obligations to "D"
for the lowest. Ratings are applicable to both taxable and tax-exempt
commercial paper. The categories are as follows:
Issues assigned A ratings are regarded as having the greatest capacity for
timely payment. Issues in this category are further refined with the
designation 1, 2, and 3 to indicate the relative degree of safety.
A-1 indicates that the degree of safety regarding timely payment is very
strong.
A-2 indicates capacity for timely payment on issues with this designation
is strong. However, the relative degree of safety is not as
overwhelming as for issues designated "A-1".
A-3 indicates a satisfactory capacity for timely payment. Obligations
carrying this designation are, however, somewhat more vulnerable to
the adverse effects of changes in circumstances than obligations
carrying the higher designations.
58
