Investments

We invest mainly in convertible securities of U.S. companies. Under normal circumstances, we invest at least 80% of the fund's net assets in convertible securities. This policy may be changed only after 60 days' notice to shareholders. Convertible securities combine the investment characteristics of bonds and common stocks. Convertible securities include bonds, preferred stocks and other instruments that can be converted into or exchanged for common stock or equivalent value. A significant portion of the convertible securities we buy are below-investment-grade (sometimes referred to as “junk bonds”). The fund invests significantly in convertible bonds that have intermediate- to long-term stated maturities (i.e., three years or longer), but often contain “put” features, which allow bondholders to sell the bond back to the company under specified circumstances, that result in shorter effective maturities. When deciding whether to buy or sell investments, we may consider, among other factors: (i) a security’s structural features, such as its position in a company’s capital structure and “put” and “call” features (a company’s right to repurchase the security under specified circumstances is a “call” feature); (ii) credit and prepayment risks; and (iii) with respect to a company’s common stock underlying a convertible security, the stock’s valuation and the company’s financial strength, growth potential, competitive position in its industry, projected future earnings, cash flows and dividends.