Under normal market conditions, Retail Tax Free Obligations Fund invests at least 80% of its total assets in high-quality, short-term municipal securities that pay interest that is exempt from federal income tax, including the federal alternative minimum tax. The municipal securities in which the fund invests include variable rate demand notes (VRDNs) and tender option bonds (TOBs), which are floating rate instruments that provide the fund with the option to put or tender the VRDN or TOB back to the issuer at par. VRDNs and TOBs typically have some form of external credit or liquidity support. The fund also may invest in other municipal securities, including commercial paper, municipal notes and other short-term municipal obligations.

Municipal securities are issued by state and local governments, and certain U.S. territorial possessions, to finance public infrastructure projects such as streets and highways, schools, water and sewer systems, hospitals, and airports. They also may be issued to refinance outstanding obligations as well as to obtain funds for general operating expenses and for loans to other public institutions and facilities. There are two principal classifications of municipal securities:

Under normal market conditions, up to 20% of the fund’s total assets may be invested in taxable money market securities and municipal securities subject to the alternative minimum tax, although the fund does not currently intend to invest in municipal securities subject to the alternative minimum tax.

Because the fund refers to tax-free investments in its name, it has a fundamental investment policy that it will normally invest its assets so that at least 80% of the income that it distributes will be exempt from federal regular income tax, including the federal alternative minimum tax. This policy may not be changed without shareholder approval.