ABN AMRO Funds
Common Shares
Investor Shares
Supplement dated December 6, 1999 to the
Prospectus dated May 3, 1999
Money Market Funds: Treasury Money Market Fund(US) , Government Money Market
Fund(US), Money Market Fund(US) and Tax-Exempt Money Market Fund(US)
Bond Funds: Fixed Income Fund(US) and Tax-Exempt Fixed Income Fund(US)
Balanced Fund: Balanced Fund(US)
Stock Funds: Value Fund(US), Growth Fund(US), Small Cap Growth Fund(US) and Real
Estate Fund(US)
International Funds: International Equity Fund(US), TransEurope Fund(US), Asian
Tigers Fund(US), Latin America Equity Fund(US) and International Fixed Income
Fund(US)
This supplement supersedes and replaces any existing supplements to the
Prospectuses for the Common Shares and the Investor Shares. This supplement
provides new and additional information beyond that contained in the
Prospectuses for the Common Shares and the Investor Shares. It should be
retained and read in conjunction with those Prospectuses.
The following supplements similar information found in the "Value Fund(US)"
section beginning on page 5 of each Prospectus for the Common and Investor
Shares:
Investment Goal: High level of total return through capital appreciation and
current income.
Principal Investment Strategies: The Value Fund invests in common stocks or
other equity securities of U.S. companies with market capitalization levels
generally greater than $1 billion. The Sub-Advisor utilizes a disciplined
valuation approach designed to identify stocks of companies that are
undervalued. Undervalued securities are normally characterized by relatively low
price to earnings ratios, low ratios of market price to book value, or
underlying asset values that the Sub-Advisor believes are not fully reflected in
the securities' current market price. Further, the Value Fund is constructed in
a diversified manner to take advantage of opportunities across many industries.
By investing in undervalued securities that have good prospects for earnings
growth and combining this with careful diversification, the Sub-Advisor attempts
to achieve a better return, over the long-term, than generally accepted
value-style measures.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Value Fund: The Value Fund's large-cap,
value-style securities can be cyclical. So, in addition to the general risks of
investing in any Stock Fund, the Value Fund's large-cap, value-style securities
may underperform mid-cap, small-cap or growth-style securities, or the equity
markets as a whole when they are out-of-favor or when they remain undervalued.
The following supplements similar information found in each Prospectus for the
Common and Investor Shares:
The name of Small Cap Growth Fund(US) has been changed to Small Cap Fund(US).
Effective November 30, 1999, the Intermediate Government Fixed Income Fund was
terminated and all outstanding shares redeemed.
Effective November 30, 1999, the Limited Volatility Fixed Income Fund was
terminated.
Effective July 31, 1999, the Small Cap Value Fund was terminated and all
outstanding shares were redeemed.
As of December 1, 1999, ABN AMRO Funds are distributed by Provident
Distributors, Inc., which is not a bank affiliate.
The following supplements similar information found in the "Small Cap Growth"
section beginning on page 9 of each Prospectus for the Common and Investor
Shares:
Investment Goal: High level of total return primarily through capital
appreciation.
Principal Investment Strategies: The Small Cap Fund primarily invests in common
stocks and other equity securities of domestic companies that have smaller
capitalization levels (generally market capitalizations of less than $1.5
billion at the time of initial purchase) that are either undervalued or that the
Sub-Advisor believes have strong prospects for capital appreciation through
earnings growth. Generally, no more than 75% of the Small Cap Fund's investments
will be devoted to one particular strategy at any one time.
In selecting growth-style investments for the Small Cap Fund, the Sub-Advisor
reviews a company's sales and earning growth rates, and evaluates the strength
of its balance sheet. The Sub-Advisor seeks investments that have above average
sales growth, earnings growth or return on equity relative to their industry
peers. Although the Sub-Advisor targets growth sectors of the U.S. economy, such
as technology, health care, and consumer and business services, the Sub-Advisor
diversifies broadly across industry sectors. The Small Cap Fund also focuses on
companies that the Sub-advisor believes have a competitive advantage in their
industry or market niche.
In selecting value-style investments for the Small Cap Fund, the Sub-Advisor
focuses on undervalued investments based on such measures as price/earnings,
price/cash flow, price/book and price/sales ratios. The Sub-Advisor typically
uses a quantitative screen that ranks the attractiveness of an investment based
on a combination of valuation measures such as price/earnings and price/cash
ratios. In further evaluating the attractiveness of an investment, the
Sub-Advisor considers business conditions in the company's industry and its
competitive position in that industry. The Sub-Advisor conducts fundamental
research on certain investments, which often includes reviewing SEC filings,
examining financial statements and meeting with top-level company executives.
While broadly diversifying the Small Cap Fund's assets across many industry
sectors, the Sub-Advisor seeks companies with solid profit prospects and returns
on capital.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Small Cap Fund: In addition to the general
risks of investing in any Stock Fund, the Small Cap Fund is subject to the risks
of investing in small-cap companies. Investments in small-cap companies involve
greater risk than is customarily associated with larger, more established
companies due to the greater business risks of small size, limited markets and
financial resources, narrow product lines and frequent lack of depth of
management. The securities of small-sized companies may be subject to more
abrupt or erratic market movements than securities of larger, more established
companies.
The Small Cap Fund's small-cap securities may under-perform mid-cap or large-cap
securities, or the equity markets as a whole when they are out-of-favor or when
they do not achieve anticipated growth levels.
Due to its investment strategy, the Small Cap Fund may have a high portfolio
turnover rate. A portfolio turnover rate of 100% or more may result in higher
transaction costs, higher levels of realized capital gains and additional taxes
than if the turnover rate was lower. In seeking total return opportunities, the
Sub-Advisor considers such costs and potential gains and taxes in determining
whether to sell a particular security.
The following supplements similar information found in the "Investment Advisor"
section beginning on page 60 of the Prospectus for the Common Shares and page 59
of the Prospectus for the Investor Shares:
The Sub-Advisors
As of December 6, 1999, Mellon Equity Associates, LLP ("Mellon Equity"), 500
Grant Street, Suite 4200, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15258, serves as the
investment Sub-Advisor of the Value Fund, pursuant to a sub-advisory agreement
(the "Mellon Sub-Advisory Agreement") with the Advisor. The Sub-Advisor is a
limited liability partnership organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission
("SEC") under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the "Advisers
Act"). It currently provides a full range of investment advisory services to
both investment companies and institutional clients. Mellon Bank, N.A., a
national banking association, is the 99% limited partner, and MMIP, Inc., a
Delaware corporation, is the 1% general partner of the Sub-Advisor. Mellon Bank,
N.A. owns 100% of MMIP, Inc. Under the Mellon Sub-Advisory Agreement, the
Sub-Advisor manages the Value Fund, selects investments and places all orders
for purchases and sales of the Value Fund's securities, subject to the general
supervision of the Board of Trustees of the Trust and the Advisor. The
Sub-Advisor receives a fee from the Advisor for its services. As of October 31,
1999, the Sub-Advisor had approximately $35 billion under management.
Messrs. Rydell and Sikorski of Mellon Equity, are jointly responsible for
implementing the Value Fund's policies and strategies on a day-to-day basis.
Together they co-manage large-cap value assets for Mellon Equity.
William P. Rydell, CFA, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mellon Equity,
has been with the Mellon organization since 1973 when he began his career as a
securities analyst. He has been President and CEO of Mellon Equity since 1994.
Mr. Rydell holds an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan, a B.A. in Economics
from Wabash College and is a member of the Association for Investment Management
and Research.
Mark W. Sikorski, CFA, is a Vice President and portfolio manager with Mellon
Equity and has been with the Mellon organization since 1996. Prior to that, he
managed various corporate treasury projects for Northeast Utilities, including
investment evaluations and bond refinancings. Mr. Sikorski holds an M.B.A. from
the University of Bridgeport, a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Duke
University and is a member of the Association for Investment Management and
Research.
As of December 6, 1999, Delaware Management Company, 2005 Market Street, 38th
Floor, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19103 serves as the investment Sub-Advisor of
the Small Cap Fund, pursuant to a sub-advisory agreement (the "Delaware
Sub-Advisory Agreement") with the Advisor. Delaware Management Company is a
separate series of Delaware Management Business Trust ("DMBT"), a Delaware
business trust organized under the laws of the State of Delaware, and is
registered with the SEC under the Advisers Act. DMBT provides a full range of
investment advisory services through Delaware Management Company and Delaware
Investment Advisers ("DIA"), another series of DMBT. Delaware Management Company
provides investment management services to other registered investment
companies. DIA provides investment advisory services to large taxable and
tax-exempt institutional accounts. DMBT is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary
of Lincoln National Corporation, which is also known as Lincoln Financial Group.
Under the Delaware Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Sub-Advisor manages the Small Cap
Fund, selects investments and places all orders for purchases and sales of the
Small Cap Fund's securities, subject to the general supervision of the Board of
Trustees of the Trust and the Advisor. The Sub-Advisor receives a fee from the
Advisor for its services. As of October 31, 1999, the Sub-Advisor had
approximately $46 billion in assets under management in mutual funds, closed-end
funds and institutional accounts.
Members of an investment management committee of Delaware Management Company are
jointly responsible for supervising the Small Cap Fund's investment policies and
strategies. Messrs. Frey and Beck, the Fund's co-managers, are primarily
responsible for implementing the Small Cap Fund's policies and strategies on a
day-to-day basis under the committee's general supervision.
Value Team:
Christopher S. Beck, CFA, Vice President/Senior Portfolio Manager of the
Sub-Advisor, heads the team that manages the value side of the portfolio. Mr.
Beck, who has been in the investment business for 18 years, joined Delaware
Management Company in 1997 as a Vice President and senior portfolio manager.
From 1995 to 1997 he managed a small cap mutual fund at Pitcairn Trust Company.
Prior to that, he was Chief Investment Officer of the University of Delaware
Endowment Fund. Mr. Beck holds a BS from the University of Delaware and an
M.B.A. from Lehigh University. When making investment decisions for the Fund,
Mr. Beck regularly consults with Andrea Giles.
Andrea Giles, Assistant Vice President/Research Analyst for the
Sub-Advisor, holds a BSAD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and an M.B.A. in Finance from Columbia University. Prior to joining
Delaware Investments in 1996 as a research analyst, she was an account
officer in the Leveraged Capital Group with Citibank.
Growth Team:
Gerald S. Frey, Senior Vice President/Senior Portfolio Manager of the
Sub-Advisor, heads the team that manages the growth side of the Fund. Mr.
Frey, who has been in the investment business for over 25 years, has been a
senior portfolio manager with Delaware Investments since 1996. He holds a
BA in Economics from Bloomsburg University and attended Wilkes College and
New York University. From 1985 to 1996, he was a senior director and
portfolio manager with Morgan Grenfell Capital Management in New York.
Marshall T. Bassett, Vice President/Portfolio Manager, joined Delaware
Investments as a Vice President and portfolio manager in 1997. From 1989 to
1997, he served as Vice President in Morgan Stanley Asset Management's
Emerging Growth Group, where he analyzed small growth companies. He
received his bachelor's degree and M.B.A. from Duke University.
John A. Heffern, Vice President/Portfolio Manager, holds a bachelor's
degree and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He joined Delaware Investments as a Vice President and portfolio manager in
1997. From 1994 to 1997, he was Senior Vice President of Equity Research
with NatWest Securities Corporation's Specialty Finance Services unit.
Jeffrey W. Hynoski, Vice President/Portfolio Manager, joined Delaware
Investments in 1998 as a portfolio manager. From 1993 to 1998 he served as a
Vice President at Bessemer Trust Company in the mid and large capitalization
growth group. Mr. Hynoski holds a BS in Finance from the University of Delaware
and an M.B.A. from Pace University.
Stephen T. Lampe, Vice President/Portfolio Manager, earned a bachelor's degree
and an M.B.A. at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. He joined
Delaware Investments in 1995 as a research analyst and provides analytical
services for small and mid-capitalization stocks. From 1990 to 1995, he was a
manager at Price Waterhouse. Mr. Lampe is a Certified Public Accountant.
Lori P. Wachs, Vice President/Portfolio Manager, has been a research
analyst with Delaware Investments since 1992. She is a graduate of the
University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, where she majored in Finance
and Oriental Studies.
The following replaces and supplements similar information found in the
"Investment Advisor" section beginning on page 60 of the prospectus for the
Common Shares and page 59 of the prospectus for the Investor Shares:
Messrs. Edmond Leung, Karl Lung, Alex Ng, Lester Poon and Paritosh Thakore,
members of the Asian Equity Team, have been jointly and primarily responsible
for the day-to-day management of the Asian Tigers Fund since November, 1999.
Edmond Leung, CFA, has been associated with the Advisor and/or its affiliates
since January, 1995 as a senior portfolio manager. Previously, he worked at
Ivory & Sime (Asia) Ltd., Hong Kong, as an investment manager from August, 1992
to January, 1995. Mr. Leung holds an M.B.A. in Finance from the Chinese
University of Hong Kong and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Hong
Kong. Mr. Leung is a member of the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts,
Australian Society of Certified Public Accountants and an Associate Member of
the Hong Kong Society of Accountants.
Karl Lung, CFA, has been associated with the Advisor and/or its affiliates since
March, 1995 as a portfolio manager. Previously, he worked at W.I. Carr (Far
East) Ltd., Hong Kong, as a research manager from March, 1993 to March, 1995.
Mr. Lung has an M.B.A. from the University of Toronto and an Honorary B.A. in
Communications from McMaster University, both located in Canada. Mr. Lung is a
member of the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts.
Alex Ng has served as portfolio manager for the Asian Tigers Fund since July,
1995. Mr. Ng has been associated with the Advisor and/or its affiliates since
1988 as a portfolio manager. Mr. Ng also serves as the Managing Director for a
Hong Kong-based affiliate of the Advisor and the Chief Investment Officer of an
Asian Pacific-based affiliate of the Advisor. Mr. Ng joined ABN AMRO's
Investment Representative Office in Singapore in January 1988 before being
transferred to the Securities subsidiary in Hong Kong. Previously, Mr. Ng worked
as a financial analyst in Malaysia. Mr. Ng holds a degree in Economics from the
University of California in Los Angeles.
Lester Poon has been associated with the Advisor and/or its affiliates since
September, 1992 as a portfolio manager. He holds an M.B.A. in Finance and
International Business from New York University and a B.S. in Electrical
Engineering from the University of Hong Kong. Mr. Poon is a member of the
Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts.
Paritosh Thakore has been associated with the Advisor and/or its affiliates
since February, 1995 as a portfolio manager. Previously, he worked at Unifund,
S.A., Hong Kong, as an investment manager from July, 1993 to February, 1995. Mr.
Thakore holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
John Erickson, Vice President of the Advisor, has served as portfolio manager
for the Tax-Exempt Fixed Income Fund since October, 1999. Mr. Erickson has been
associated with the Advisor and/or its affiliates since 1997, when he joined as
a fixed income strategist. He also works as a municipal bond strategist in the
Trust and Asset Management Department at LaSalle National Bank. From 1988 to
1996 Mr. Erickson had management responsibilities for the mutual and common
trust municipal funds at First Chicago. Mr. Erickson holds an M.B.A. in Finance
from Northwestern University and a B.B.A. in Business Administration with a
concentration in Finance from the University of Notre Dame.
Steven Haldi, Vice President of the Advisor, has served as portfolio manager for
the Tax-Exempt Money Market Fund since October, 1999. Before joining the
Advisor, Mr. Haldi worked for 15 years at First National Bank of Chicago in the
Fixed Income Portfolio Management Group. Mr. Haldi holds an M.B.A. from
Benedictine University and a B.S. in Finance from Eastern Illinois University.
Messrs. Boal, Germack and Youngberg, members of the Fixed Income Portfolio
Management Team, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day
management of the Fixed Income Fund and the fixed income portion of the Balanced
Fund. Messrs. Boal and Youngberg have been members of the team since January,
1999 and Mr. Germack since August, 1999.
Frank Germack III, CFA, Vice President of the Advisor, has served as portfolio
manager for the Intermediate Government Fixed Income Fund, the fixed income
portion of the Balanced Fund and the Fixed Income Fund since August, 1999. Mr.
Germack joined the Advisor in March, 1998 as an analyst. Previously, Mr. Germack
served as an analyst with Ford Motor Credit Company and as an assistant
portfolio manager with Ford Life Insurance Company. Mr. Germack holds an M.B.A.
in Finance from Pennsylvania State University and a B.S.M. in Finance from
Tulane University. Mr. Germack is a member of the Association of Investment
Management and Research and the Investment Analysts Society of Chicago.
Edwin Bruere, CFA, Senior Vice President of the Advisor, has served as
co-manager of the Value Fund since August, 1999. Mr. Bruere has been associated
with the Advisor and its predecessors since 1988. He has served as a member of a
portfolio management committee and as a portfolio manager. Previously, he served
two years as a Managing Director of an investment management firm and six years
as a Senior Director at Continental Bank (Bank of America). Mr. Bruere holds an
M.B.A. from Indiana University and a B.S. in Business from Iowa State
University.
Kurt Moeller, Vice President of the Advisor, has served as co-manager of the
Value Fund since August, 1999. Mr. Moeller began his investment career in 1995
as a research assistant for the Indiana University Foundation. He worked as a
fundamental equity analysts at Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co., LLC, a Boston
money management firm, from 1996 through 1998. Mr. Moeller holds an M.B.A. in
Finance from Indiana University and a B.A. in Economics and History from Rice
University.
As of November 1999, Paul Becker and Nancy Ellefson, have been co-managers of
the Growth Fund and are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day
management of the Fund.
Paul Becker, CFA, Group Senior Vice President of the Advisor, has been
associated with the Advisor or its affiliates since 1984 and has served as
a Group Senior Vice President for the Advisor since May, 1999 and as a
Group Senior Vice President for LaSalle National Bank since October, 1984.
As Group Senior Vice President for the Advisor, Mr. Becker is responsible
for various investment process activities that include asset allocation,
stock selection and fixed income teams. Mr. Becker has over 19 years of
investment management experience and over 10 years of teaching experience
in economics. Mr. Becker holds an M.B.A. and a B.S. in Economics and a B.S.
in Finance from DePaul University and is a member of the Investment
Analysts Society of Chicago and Association for Investment Management and
Research.
Nancy Ellefson, CFA, Vice President of the Advisor, has served as an analyst and
assistant portfolio manager of the Growth Fund since 1993. Ms. Ellefson holds an
M.B.A. in Finance from DePaul University and a B.S. in Business Management and
Finance from the University of Wisconsin - Parkside and is a member of the
Investment Analysts Society of Chicago.
Messrs. Bettink, Leo, Maas, Maters, Moolenburgh, Neihoff, Ploeger and Postma and
Ms. Pals-de Groot, members of the International Equity Team, are jointly and
primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the International Equity
Fund. Mr. Maters has been a member of the International Equity Team since
November, 1999 and the other portfolio managers since April, 1999.
Jacco Maters has been associated with the Advisor and/or its affiliates
since July, 1996 as a portfolio manager. Mr. Maters has a degree in
Economics from the University of Tilburg, The Netherlands.
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[ABN-A-030-01]
