AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON DECEMBER 29, 2020
1933 Act No. 333-251019
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington D.C. 20549
FORM N-14
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Pre-Effective Amendment No. [1]
Post-Effective Amendment No. []
(Check appropriate box or boxes)
WELLS FARGO FUNDS TRUST
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
525 Market Street San Francisco, California 94105
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
(800) 222-8222
(Registrant’s Telephone Number)
Catherine F. Kennedy
Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC
525 Market Street, 12th Floor
San Francisco, California 94105
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
With a copy to:
Marco E. Adelfio, Esq.
Goodwin Procter LLP
901 New York Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
No filing fee is required under the Securities Act of 1933 because an indefinite number of shares of beneficial interest in the Registrant has previously been registered pursuant to Rule 24f-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
1
WELLS FARGO FUNDS TRUST
PART A
PROSPECTUS/PROXY STATEMENT
Important proxy information |
In November 2020, the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of Wells Fargo Funds Trust (the “Trust”) approved the merger of Wells Fargo International Value Fund (the “Target Fund”) into Wells Fargo International Equity Fund (the “Acquiring Fund”), two funds within the same fund family. The merger is subject to approval by Target Fund shareholders.
Please read the following information.
The enclosed document is a prospectus/proxy statement with proposals concerning the Target Fund and Acquiring Fund. As a shareholder of the Target Fund, you are being asked to approve the merger of your fund into the Acquiring Fund. The following information highlights the principal aspects of the proposal, which is subject to a vote of Target Fund shareholders. We encourage you to read the full text of the enclosed prospectus/proxy statement.
What am I being asked to vote on?
As a Target Fund shareholder, you are being asked to approve the merger of your fund into the Acquiring Fund. The Board of the Target Fund believes that this merger will benefit current Target Fund shareholders and unanimously recommends that you vote to approve this merger.
In the merger, the Target Fund will transfer all of its assets and liabilities to the Acquiring Fund in exchange for the same class of shares of the Acquiring Fund. The merger is expected to be a tax-free reorganization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Immediately following the merger of your fund into the Acquiring Fund, you will hold shares of the Acquiring Fund with a dollar value equal to the dollar value of the Target Fund shares you previously held. The Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund are listed in the table below:
Target Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund |
What do we believe are some key benefits of the proposed fund merger?
Among the factors that Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC considered in recommending the merger were the following:
■ | While the annual fund operating expenses of the Acquiring Fund before fee waivers may be higher than those of the Target Fund, Funds Management has agreed (assuming shareholders approve the Merger) to waivers for each share class of the Acquiring Fund through February 28, 2022 to ensure that net expenses paid by each share class of the Acquiring Fund after the Merger are lower than, or equal to, those currently paid by each corresponding share class of the Target Fund. |
■ | Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC serves as the investment manager of the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund. |
■ | Potential for better performance as the Acquiring Fund has outperformed the Target Fund based on current performance. |
Why has the Board of Trustees recommended that I vote in favor of the merger?
In addition to the key benefits described above, among the factors the Board considered in recommending the merger were the following:
■ | Shareholders will not bear the Merger-related expenses (other than brokerage and transaction costs associated with the sale or purchase of portfolio securities in connection with the Merger). |
■ | The merger is expected to be a tax-free reorganization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. |
How do I vote my shares?
We understand that your time is valuable, and our intention is not to burden you with paperwork. The voting process takes only a few minutes. You may vote using any of the three methods below:
■ | By phone: 1-800-207-3156. Agents are available to record your vote Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Eastern Time. You will need the control number found on the enclosed proxy card to vote. |
■ | Online: Refer to the website indicated on the proxy card. You will need the control number found on the enclosed proxy card to log in. |
■ | By mail: Sign, date, and mail the enclosed proxy card in the prepaid-postage return envelope provided. |
Whom should I call with questions about the voting process?
If you have any questions about the proposal or related proxy materials, please call your investment professional, trust officer, or the Wells Fargo Funds at 1-800-222-8222. If you have any questions about voting your proxy, you may call our proxy solicitor, AST Fund Solutions, LLC, at 1-800-207-3156.
| | Wells Fargo Asset Management is a trade name used by the asset management businesses of Wells Fargo & Company. Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company, provides investment advisory and administrative services for Wells Fargo Funds. Other affiliates of Wells Fargo & Company provide subadvisory and other services for the funds. The funds are distributed by Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC, Member FINRA, an affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. | |
© 2020 Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC. All rights reserved. | www.wfam.com |
525 MARKET STREET, 12TH FLOOR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105
1.800.222.8222
December 30, 2020
Dear Shareholder,
On November 17, 19-20, 2020, the investment manager to the Wells Fargo Funds, Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC (“Funds Management”), proposed to the Board of Trustees of Wells Fargo Funds Trust the merger outlined in the table below. The Board of Trustees approved the proposed merger and the related Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, subject to approval by shareholders of the Target Fund shown in the table below.
As a result, you are invited to vote on a proposal to merge your Target Fund into the Acquiring Fund shown in the table below (the “Merger”). The Board of Trustees has unanimously approved the Merger and recommends that you vote FOR the proposal.
Target Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund |
This is a general summary of how the Merger, if approved by shareholders, will work:
■ | The Target Fund will transfer all of its assets to the Acquiring Fund. |
■ | The Acquiring Fund will assume all of the liabilities of the Target Fund. |
■ | The Acquiring Fund will issue new shares that will be distributed to you in a dollar amount equal to the value of your Target Fund shares. |
■ | You will become a shareholder of the Acquiring Fund and will have your investment managed in accordance with the Acquiring Fund’s investment strategies. |
■ | You will not incur any sales charges or similar transaction charges as a result of the Merger. |
■ | It is expected that the Merger will not be a taxable event to the Target Fund, the Acquiring Fund or their shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes. |
Details about the Target Fund’s and the Acquiring Fund’s investment objectives, principal investment strategies, management, past performance, principal risks, fees, and expenses, along with additional information about the Merger, are contained in the attached prospectus/proxy statement. Please read it carefully.
A special meeting of the Target Fund’s shareholders will be held on March 10, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time, at 525 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Although you are welcome to attend the meeting in person, you do not need to do so in order to vote your shares. If you do not expect to attend the meeting, please complete, date, sign and return the enclosed proxy card in the postage-paid envelope provided. You may also vote by other means, such as by telephone or internet, by following the voting instructions outlined in your proxy card. If your Target Fund does not receive your vote after several weeks, you may receive a telephone call from AST Fund Solutions, LLC requesting your vote. AST Fund Solutions, LLC has been retained to act as our proxy solicitor and will receive approximately $30,000 as compensation for seeking shareholder votes and answering shareholder questions. That cost and any other expenses of the Merger (other than brokerage and transaction costs associated with the sale or purchase of portfolio securities in connection with the Merger) will be paid by Funds Management or one of its affiliates, and so will not be borne by shareholders of any Fund. If you have any questions about the Merger or the proxy card, please call AST Fund Solutions, LLC at 1-800-207-3156 (toll-free).
Remember, your vote is important to us, no matter how many shares you own. Please take this opportunity to vote. Thank you for taking this matter seriously and participating in this important process.
Sincerely,
Andrew Owen
President
Wells Fargo Funds
525 MARKET STREET, 12TH FLOOR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105
1.800.222.8222
December 30, 2020
NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON MARCH 10, 2021
A Special Meeting (the “Meeting”) of Shareholders of your Target Fund, a series of Wells Fargo Funds Trust (the “Trust”), as set forth in the table below, will be held at 525 Market Street, 12th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105 on March 10, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time.
Target Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund |
With respect to the Target Fund, the Meeting is being held for the following purposes:
1. | To consider and act upon an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan”) dated as of December XX, 2020, providing for the reorganization of the Target Fund, including the acquisition of all of the assets of the Target Fund by the Acquiring Fund in exchange for shares of the Acquiring Fund (the “Acquisition Shares”) and the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of all of the liabilities of the Target Fund. The Plan also provides for the prompt distribution of the Acquisition Shares to shareholders of the Target Fund in liquidation of the Target Fund. |
2. | To transact any other business which may properly come before the Meeting or any adjournment(s) thereof. |
Any adjournment(s) of the Meeting will be held at the above address. The Board of Trustees of the Trust has fixed the close of business on December 18, 2020 as the record date (the “Record Date”) for the Meeting. Only shareholders of record as of the close of business on the Record Date will be entitled to this notice and to vote at the Meeting or any adjournment(s) thereof.
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT PROXY CARDS BE RETURNED PROMPTLY. ALL SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO COMPLETE, DATE, SIGN AND RETURN WITHOUT DELAY THEIR ENCLOSED PROXY CARD IN THE ENCLOSED POSTAGE-PAID ENVELOPE, OR TO VOTE USING ONE OF THE OTHER METHODS DESCRIBED AT THE END OF THE PROSPECTUS/PROXY STATEMENT SO THAT YOUR SHARES MAY BE REPRESENTED AT THE MEETING. YOUR PROMPT ATTENTION TO THE ENCLOSED PROXY CARD WILL HELP TO AVOID THE EXPENSE OF FURTHER SOLICITATION.
By order of the Board of Trustees,
Catherine Kennedy
Secretary
525 MARKET STREET, 12TH FLOOR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105
1.800.222.8222
December 30, 2020
PROSPECTUS/PROXY STATEMENT
This prospectus/proxy statement contains information you should know before voting on the proposed merger (the “Merger”) of your Target Fund into the Acquiring Fund as set forth and defined in the table below, each of which is a series of Wells Fargo Funds Trust (the “Trust”), a registered open-end management investment company. If approved, the Merger will result in you receiving shares of the Acquiring Fund in exchange for your shares of the Target Fund.
Target Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund |
The Target Fund and Acquiring Fund listed above are collectively referred to as the “Funds.”
Please read this prospectus/proxy statement carefully and retain it for future reference. Additional information concerning each Fund and the Merger has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
The prospectuses, statement of additional information and annual report of the Target Fund are incorporated into this document by reference and are legally deemed to be part of this prospectus/proxy statement. The prospectuses, statement of additional information, semi-annual report and annual report of the Acquiring Fund are incorporated into this document by reference and are legally deemed to be part of this prospectus/proxy statement. Copies of these documents pertaining to either the Target Fund or the Acquiring Fund are available upon request without charge by writing to Wells Fargo Funds, PO Box 219967, Kansas City, MO 64121-99676, calling 1.800.222.8222 or visiting the Wells Fargo Funds website at wfam.com.
You may also view or obtain these documents from the SEC: by phone at 1.800.SEC.0330 (duplicating fee required); in person or by mail at Public Reference Section, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-0213 (duplicating fee required); by email at publicinfo@sec.gov (duplicating fee required); or by internet at www.sec.gov.
The SEC has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus/proxy statement is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The shares offered by this prospectus/proxy statement are not deposits of a bank, are not insured, endorsed or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency and involve investment risk, including possible loss of your original investment.
Table of Contents
Merger Summary (Objectives, Strategies, Risks, Performance, Expense, Management and Tax Information) | |
This section summarizes the primary features and consequences of the Merger. This summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the information contained elsewhere in this prospectus/proxy statement, in the Merger Statement of Additional Information (“Merger SAI”), in each Fund’s prospectus, in each Fund’s financial statements contained in its annual report, in each Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”), and in the related Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan”), a form of which is attached as Exhibit A hereto.
KEY FEATURES OF THE MERGER
The Plan sets forth the key features of the Merger covered thereby and generally provides for the following:
■ | the transfer of all of the assets of the Target Fund to the Acquiring Fund in exchange for new shares of the Acquiring Fund; |
■ | the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of all of the liabilities of the Target Fund; |
■ | the liquidation of the Target Fund by distributing the shares of the Acquiring Fund to the Target Fund’s shareholders; and |
■ | the assumption of the costs of the Merger by Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC ( the “Manager” or “Funds Management”) or one of its affiliates. |
The Merger is scheduled to take place on or about March 26, 2021 (the “Closing Date”). For a more complete description of the Merger, see the section entitled “Merger Information - Agreement and Plan of Reorganization,” as well as Exhibit A. The cost of solicitation and any other expenses of the Merger (other than brokerage and transaction costs associated with the sale or purchase of portfolio securities in connection with the Merger) will be paid by Funds Management or one of its affiliates, and so will not be borne by shareholders of any Fund. Funds Management or one of its affiliates will bear these costs even if the Merger can not be completed.
Special Note Regarding the Meeting
The Meeting of the Target Fund’s shareholders will be held on March 10, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, at 525 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. We intend to hold the Meeting in person. However, we are sensitive to the public health and travel concerns that shareholders may have and recommendations that public health officials may issue in light of the evolving coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. As a result, we may impose additional procedures or limitations on Meeting attendees or may decide to hold the Meeting in a different location or solely by means of remote communication. We plan to announce any such updates on our website (wfam.com), and we encourage you to check this website prior to the Meeting if you plan to attend.
REASONS FOR THE PROPOSAL AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES RECOMMENDATION
At a meeting held on November 17, 19-20, 2020, the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”), including a majority of Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Target Fund, as that term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) (the “Independent Trustees”), considered and unanimously approved the Merger.
Prior to approving the Merger, the Board received the recommendation that the Merger be approved from the Manager. In recommending the approval of the Merger to the Board, the Manager noted that it considered various factors, including asset size, performance and profitability. The Manager indicated to the Board that the proposal to merge the Target Fund into the Acquiring Fund is intended to further rationalize the product offerings of the Wells Fargo fund family.
Before approving the Merger, the Board reviewed information about the Funds and the Merger. This included, among other things, a comparison of various factors, such as the relative sizes of the Funds, the performance records of the Funds, and the expenses of the Funds (including pro forma expense information of the Acquiring Fund following the Merger), as well as the similarities and differences between the Funds’ investment objectives, principal investment strategies and specific portfolio characteristics.
The Board, including all of the Independent Trustees, has concluded that the Merger would be in the best interests of the Target Fund, and that existing shareholders’ interests will not be diluted as a result of the Merger. Accordingly, the Board is submitting the Plan to the Target Fund’s shareholders and unanimously recommends its approval. The Board has also approved the Plan on behalf of the Acquiring Fund. For further information about the considerations of the Board, please see the section entitled “Board Considerations.”
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In addition to the Merger, the Board also approved the reorganization of the Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund, another international equity fund in the fund family, into the Acquiring Fund (the “Diversified International Fund merger”). Unlike the Merger outlined here, the Diversified International Fund merger does not require approval by Diversified International Fund shareholders in order to be completed. Completion of the Merger of the Target Fund is not contingent upon completion of the Diversified International Fund merger.
3 |
MERGER SUMMARY (OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES, RISKS, PERFORMANCE, EXPENSE, MANAGEMENT AND TAX INFORMATION)
The following section provides a comparison of the Funds’ investment objectives, principal investment strategies, fundamental investment policies, risks, performance records, and expenses. It also provides information about what the management and share class structure of the Acquiring Fund will be after the Merger. The information below is only a summary; for more detailed information, please see the rest of this prospectus/proxy statement and each Fund’s prospectus(es) and SAI. In this section, percentages of a Fund’s “net assets” are measured as percentages of net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes. References to “we” in the principal investment strategy discussion for a Fund generally refer to the Manager or the sub-adviser.
WELLS FARGO INTERNATIONAL VALUE FUND INTO WELLS FARGO INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUND
SHARE CLASS INFORMATION
The following table illustrates the share class of the Acquiring Fund you will receive in exchange for your Target Fund shares as a result of the Merger.
If you own this class of shares of the | You will receive this class of shares of the |
Class A | Class A |
Class C | Class C |
Class R6 | Class R6 |
Administrator Class | Administrator Class |
Institutional Class | Institutional Class |
1. | The Acquiring Fund also offers Class R shares. This class is not involved in the Merger. |
The Acquiring Fund shares you will receive as a result of the Merger will have the same dollar value as your Target Fund shares as of the close of business on the business day immediately prior to the Merger.
The procedures for buying, selling and exchanging shares of the Funds are identical. For additional information see the section entitled “Buying, Selling and Exchanging Fund Shares.” Additional information on how you can buy, sell or exchange shares of each Fund is available in the Funds’ prospectuses and SAI. In addition, the distribution policies for the Funds are the same.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND STRATEGY COMPARISON
The following section compares the investment objectives, principal investment strategies and fundamental investment policies of the Funds. The investment objectives of the Funds may be changed without shareholder approval.
Both Funds seek long-term capital appreciation.
Both Funds focus their investments in international equity securities. The primary difference is that the Target Fund, under normal circumstances, invests up to 20% of its total assets in emerging market equity securities, whereas the Acquiring Fund, under normal circumstances, invests up to 30% of its total assets in emerging market equity securities. The Target Fund employs a value-oriented investment strategy, while the Acquiring Fund’s strategy relies on bottom-up stock selection, based on in-depth fundamental research, to seek both growth and value opportunities. The Target Fund is also structured as a feeder fund in a master-feeder structure, investing primarily all of its assets in the Wells Fargo International Value Portfolio, while the Acquiring Fund invests directly in securities.
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund |
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES | INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES |
The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation. | The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation. |
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES | PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES |
Under normal circumstances, we invest: at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets in equity securities of foreign issuers of any market capitalization; and up to 20% of the Fund’s total assets in emerging market equity securities. | Under normal circumstances, we invest: at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets in equity securities of foreign issuers; up to 30% of the Fund’s total assets in emerging market equity securities; and in securities of at least three different countries including the U.S. |
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Wells Fargo International Value Fund | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund |
The Fund is a feeder fund that invests substantially all of its assets in the International Value Portfolio, a master portfolio with a substantially identical investment objective and substantially similar investment strategies. We may invest in additional master portfolios, in other Wells Fargo Funds, or directly in a portfolio of securities. | The types of securities in which we normally invest include common stock, preferred stock, rights, warrants and American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). We consider equity securities of foreign issuers (or foreign securities) to be equity securities: (1) issued by companies with their principal place of business or principal office or both, as determined in our reasonable discretion, in a country other than the U.S.; or (2) issued by companies for which the principal securities trading market is a country other than the U.S. We may use futures or forward foreign currency contracts to manage risk or to enhance return. |
We invest principally in the equity securities of foreign issuers of any market capitalization which we believe are undervalued in the marketplace at the time of purchase and show recent positive signals, such as an appreciation in prices and increase in earnings. We consider equity securities of foreign issuers (or foreign securities) to be equity securities: (1) issued by companies with their principal place of business or principal office, or both, as determined in our reasonable discretion, in a country other than the U.S.; or (2) issued by companies for which the principal securities trading market is a country other than the U.S. We invest in the securities of companies located in at least three countries, not including the U.S. The types of securities in which we normally invest include common stock, preferred stock, rights, warrants and American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). We may use futures or options to manage risk or to enhance return. Factors we consider in determining undervaluation include dividend yield, earnings relative to price, cash flow relative to price and book value relative to market value. We believe that these securities have the potential to produce future returns if their future growth exceeds the market’s low expectations. We use a quantitative investment model to make investment decisions for the Fund. The investment model is designed to take advantage of judgmental biases that influence the decisions of many investors, such as the tendency to develop a “mindset” about a company or to wrongly equate a good company with a good investment irrespective of price. The investment model ranks securities based on fundamental measures of value (such as the dividend yield) and indicators of near-term recovery (such as recent price appreciation). This investment strategy seeks to manage overall portfolio risk while attempting to increase the expected return. | We use bottom-up stock selection, based on in-depth fundamental research as the cornerstone of our investment process. During each stage of the process, we also consider the influence on the investment theses of top-down factors such as macroeconomic forecasts, real economic growth prospects, fiscal and monetary policy, currency issues, and demographic and political risks. Sector and country weights result from rather than determine our stock-selection decisions. Our investment process seeks both growth and value opportunities. For growth investments, we target companies that we believe have strong business franchises, experienced and proven management, and accelerating cash flow growth rates. For value investments, we target companies that we believe are undervalued in the marketplace compared to their intrinsic value. Additionally, we seek to identify catalysts that will unlock value, which will then be recognized by the market. We may purchase securities across any market capitalization. |
A stock is typically sold if the model indicates a decline in its ranking or if a stock’s relative portfolio weight has appreciated significantly (relative to the benchmark). | We conduct ongoing review, research, and analysis of our portfolio holdings. We may sell a stock if it achieves our investment objective for the position, if a stock’s fundamentals or price change significantly, if we change our view of a country or sector, or if the stock no longer fits within the risk characteristics of the Fund’s portfolio. |
Except as noted above with respect to the Funds’ 80% policies, the fundamental investment policies of the Funds, which may only be changed with shareholder approval, are identical. For a comparative chart of the Funds’ fundamental investment policies, please see Exhibit B.
PRINCIPAL RISK COMPARISON
The principal risks of the Target Fund are substantially similar, but not identical, to those of the Acquiring Fund.
The table below compares the principal risk factors of the Target Fund with those of the Acquiring Fund. These risks are described in the section entitled “Risk Descriptions.” As noted in the table below, the Acquiring Fund is subject to foreign currency contract risk, while the Target Fund is not. The Target Fund is subject to options risk and quantitative model risk, while the Acquiring Fund is not. Otherwise, the Funds are subject to the same principal risks.
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund |
Derivatives Risk | Derivatives Risk |
Emerging Markets Risk | Emerging Markets Risk |
Equity Securities Risk | Equity Securities Risk |
5 |
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund |
Not subject to Foreign Currency Contracts Risk | Foreign Currency Contracts Risk |
Foreign Investment Risk | Foreign Investment Risk |
Futures Contracts Risk | Futures Contracts Risk |
Growth/Value Investing Risk | Growth/Value Investing Risk |
Management Risk | Management Risk |
Market Risk | Market Risk |
Options Risk | Not subject to Options Risk |
Quantitative Model Risk | Not subject to Quantitative Model Risk |
Smaller Company Securities Risk | Smaller Company Securities Risk |
The Funds have other investment policies, practices and restrictions which, together with their related risks, are set forth in the Funds’ prospectuses and SAI.
FUND PERFORMANCE COMPARISON
The following bar charts and tables illustrate how each Fund’s returns have varied from year to year and compare each Fund’s returns with those of one or more broad-based securities indexes. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of future results. Current month-end performance information is available for the Funds on the Wells Fargo Funds website at wfam.com.
Calendar Year Total Returns for Class A Shares (%) for the Wells Fargo International Value Fund
|
Highest Quarter: September 30, 2010 | +16.48% |
Lowest Quarter: September 30, 2011 | -19.84% |
Year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2020 is -16.27% |
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ended 12/31/2019 (returns reflect applicable sales charges) | ||||
Inception Date of Share Class | 1 Year | 5 Year | 10 Year | |
Class A (before taxes) | 10/31/2003 | 10.34% | 3.06% | 3.52% |
Class A (after taxes on distributions) | 10/31/2003 | 9.88% | 2.72% | 3.14% |
Class A (after taxes on distributions and the sale of Fund Shares) | 10/31/2003 | 6.92% | 2.51% | 2.86% |
Class C (before taxes) | 4/8/2005 | 15.21% | 3.51% | 3.35% |
Class R6 (before taxes)1 | 7/31/2018 | 17.54% | 4.69% | 4.56% |
Administrator Class (before taxes) | 4/8/2005 | 17.17% | 4.35% | 4.29% |
Institutional Class (before taxes) | 8/31/2006 | 17.46% | 4.66% | 4.55% |
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Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ended 12/31/2019 (returns reflect applicable sales charges) | ||||
Inception Date of Share Class | 1 Year | 5 Year | 10 Year | |
MSCI EAFE Value Index (Net) (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) | 16.09% | 3.54% | 3.98% |
1. | Historical performance shown for the Class R6 shares prior to their inception reflects the performance of the Institutional Class shares, and includes the higher expenses applicable to the Institutional Class shares. If these expenses had not been included, returns for the Class R6 shares would be higher. |
Calendar Year Total Returns for Class A Shares (%) for the Wells Fargo International Equity Fund
|
Highest Quarter: 3rd Quarter 2010 | +17.95% |
Lowest Quarter: 3rd Quarter 2011 | -21.95% |
Year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2020 is -10.29% |
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ended 12/31/2019 (returns reflect applicable sales charges)1 | ||||
Inception Date of Share Class | 1 Year | 5 Year | 10 Year | |
Class A (before taxes) | 1/20/1998 | 8.42% | 3.52% | 4.36% |
Class A (after taxes on distributions) | 1/20/1998 | 8.05% | 2.98% | 3.88% |
Class A (after taxes on distributions and the sale of Fund Shares) | 1/20/1998 | 5.54% | 2.77% | 3.52% |
Class C (before taxes) | 3/6/1998 | 13.07% | 3.97% | 4.18% |
Class R6 (before taxes)2 | 9/30/2015 | 15.39% | 5.05% | 5.23% |
Administrator Class (before taxes)3 | 7/16/2010 | 15.09% | 4.76% | 4.99% |
Institutional Class (before taxes) | 3/9/1998 | 15.36% | 5.03% | 5.24% |
MSCI ACWI ex USA Index (Net) (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) | 21.51% | 5.51% | 4.97% | |
MSCI ACWI ex USA Value Index (Net) (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) | 15.71% | 3.65% | 3.64% |
1. | Historical performance shown prior to July 19, 2010 is based on the performance of the Fund’s predecessor, Evergreen International Equity Fund. |
2. | Historical performance shown for Class R6 shares prior to their inception reflects the performance of Institutional Class shares and includes the higher expenses applicable to Institutional Class shares. If these expenses had not been included, returns for Class R6 shares would be higher. |
3. | Historical performance shown for the Administrator Class shares prior to their inception reflects the performance of the Institutional Class shares and has been adjusted to reflect the higher expenses applicable to the Administrator Class shares. |
SHAREHOLDER FEE AND FUND EXPENSE COMPARISON
This section compares the fees and expenses you pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund.
7 |
For information about the share class of the Acquiring Fund that you will receive in connection with the Merger, please see the section entitled “Share Class Information” above.
The following table entitled “Shareholder Fees” allows you to compare the maximum sales charges of the Funds and includes a Pro Forma column that shows you what the sales charges will be assuming the Merger takes place. The sales charges for each class of shares of the Target Fund are identical to those of the class of shares of the Acquiring Fund. The Target Fund shareholders will not pay any front-end or deferred sales charges in connection with the Merger.
You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the aggregate in specified classes of Wells Fargo Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available in the “Reductions and Waivers of Sales Charges” section of this prospectus/proxy statement and from your financial professional and in the Funds’ prospectuses.
The following table entitled “Annual Fund Operating Expenses” allows you to compare the annual operating expenses of the Funds. The total annual fund operating expenses for both Funds set forth in the following table are based on the actual expenses incurred for each Fund’s fiscal year ended May 31, 2020, in the case of Wells Fargo International Value Fund, and October 31, 2019, in the case of Wells Fargo International Equity Fund. The pro forma expense column shows you what the total annual fund operating expenses (before and after waiver) would have been for the Acquiring Fund for the twelve-month period ended April 30, 2020, assuming the Merger had taken place at the beginning of that period. The pro forma expenses below reflect the completion of the Diversified International Fund merger described earlier in the section entitled “Overview”.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) | |||
Wells Fargo International Value Fund (Pre-Merger) | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund (Pre-Merger) | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund (Pro Forma) | |
Class A | |||
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of the offering price) | 5.75% | 5.75% | 5.75% |
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of the offering price) | None1 | None1 | None1 |
Class C | |||
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of the offering price) | None | None | None |
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of the offering price) | 1.00% | 1.00% | 1.00% |
Class R6 | |||
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of the offering price) | None | None | None |
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of the offering price) | None | None | None |
Administrator Class | |||
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of the offering price) | None | None | None |
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of the offering price) | None | None | None |
Institutional Class | |||
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of the offering price) | None | None | None |
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of the offering price) | None | None | None |
1. | Investments of $1 million or more are not subject to a front-end sales charge, but will be subject to a deferred sales charge of 1.00% if you sell the shares within eighteen months from the date of purchase. |
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Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |||
Wells Fargo International Value Fund (Pre-Merger) | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund (Pre-Merger) | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund (Pro Forma) | |
Class A | |||
Management Fees | 0.82%1 | 0.85% | 0.81% |
Distribution (12b-1) Fees | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Other Expenses | 0.55% | 0.59% | 0.52% |
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses | 0.00% | 0.01% | 0.00% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.37%2 | 1.45% | 1.33% |
Waiver of Fund Expenses | (0.13)% | (0.30)% | (0.19)% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers | 1.24%3 | 1.15%4 | 1.14%5 |
Class C | |||
Management Fees | 0.82%1 | 0.85% | 0.81% |
Distribution (12b-1) Fees | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% |
Other Expenses | 0.55% | 0.59% | 0.52% |
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses | 0.00% | 0.01% | 0.00% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 2.12%2 | 2.20% | 2.08% |
Waiver of Fund Expenses | (0.13)% | (0.30)% | (0.19)% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers | 1.99%6 | 1.90%7 | 1.89%8 |
Class R6 | |||
Management Fees | 0.82%1 | 0.85% | 0.81% |
Distribution (12b-1) Fees | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Other Expenses | 0.12% | 0.16% | 0.09% |
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses | 0.00% | 0.01% | 0.00% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.94%2 | 1.02% | 0.90% |
Waiver of Fund Expenses | (0.10)% | (0.22)% | (0.11)% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers | 0.84%9 | 0.80%10 | 0.79%11 |
Administrator Class | |||
Management Fees | 0.82%1 | 0.85% | 0.81% |
Distribution (12b-1) Fees | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Other Expenses | 0.47% | 0.51% | 0.44% |
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses | 0.00% | 0.01% | 0.00% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.29%2 | 1.37% | 1.25% |
Waiver of Fund Expenses | (0.15)% | (0.22)% | (0.11)% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers | 1.14%12 | 1.15%13 | 1.14%14 |
Institutional Class | |||
Management Fees | 0.82%1 | 0.85% | 0.81% |
Distribution (12b-1) Fees | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Other Expenses | 0.22% | 0.26% | 0.19% |
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses | 0.00% | 0.01% | 0.00% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.04%2 | 1.12% | 1.00% |
Waiver of Fund Expenses | (0.15)% | (0.27)% | (0.16)% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers | 0.89%15 | 0.85%16 | 0.84%17 |
1. | Includes the fees charged by the Manager for providing advisory services to the master portfolio in which the Fund invests substantially all of its assets. |
2. | Includes other expenses allocated from the master portfolio in which the Fund invests. |
3. | The Manager has contractually committed through September 30, 2021, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers at 1.24% for Class A. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund |
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fees and expenses (if any) from funds in which the underlying affiliated master portfolios and funds invest and from money market funds, and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. All other acquired fund fees and expenses from the affiliated master portfolios and funds are included in the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. |
4. | The Manager has contractually committed through February 28, 2022, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers at 1.14% for Class A. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any), and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. |
5. | Effective upon the closing of the Merger, the Manager has contractually committed through February 28, 2022, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers for Class A at 1.14%. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any), and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Funds Trust Board. |
6. | The Manager has contractually committed through September 30, 2021, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers at 1.99% for Class C. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any) from funds in which the underlying affiliated master portfolios and funds invest and from money market funds, and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. All other acquired fund fees and expenses from the affiliated master portfolios and funds are included in the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. |
7. | The Manager has contractually committed through February 28, 2022, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers at 1.89% for Class C. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any), and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. |
8. | Effective upon the closing of the Merger, the Manager has contractually committed through February 28, 2022, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers for Class C at 1.89%. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any), and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Funds Trust Board. |
9. | The Manager has contractually committed through September 30, 2021, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers at 0.84% for Class R6. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any) from funds in which the underlying affiliated master portfolios and funds invest and from money market funds, and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. All other acquired fund fees and expenses from the affiliated master portfolios and funds are included in the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. |
10. | The Manager has contractually committed through February 28, 2022, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers at 0.79% for Class R6. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any), and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. |
11. | Effective upon the closing of the Merger, the Manager has contractually committed through February 28, 2022, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers for Class R6 at 0.79%. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any), and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Funds Trust Board. |
12. | The Manager has contractually committed through September 30, 2021, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers at 1.14% for Administrator Class. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any) from funds in which the underlying affiliated master portfolios and funds invest and from money market funds, and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. All other acquired fund fees and expenses from the affiliated master portfolios and funds are included in the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. |
13. | The Manager has contractually committed through February 28, 2022, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers at 1.14% for Administrator Class. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any), and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. |
14. | Effective upon the closing of the Merger, the Manager has contractually committed through February 28, 2022, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers for Administrator Class at 1.14%. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any), and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Funds Trust Board. |
15. | The Manager has contractually committed through September 30, 2021, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers at 0.89% for Institutional Class. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any) from funds in which the underlying affiliated master portfolios and funds invest and from money market funds, and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. All other acquired fund fees and expenses from the affiliated master portfolios and funds are included in the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. |
16. | The Manager has contractually committed through February 28, 2022, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers at 0.84% for Institutional Class. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any), and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Board of Trustees. |
17. | Effective upon the closing of the Merger, the Manager has contractually committed through February 28, 2022, to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to cap the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers for Institutional Class at 0.84%. Brokerage commissions, stamp duty fees, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any), and extraordinary expenses are excluded from the expense cap. Prior to or after the commitment expiration date, the cap may be increased or the commitment to maintain the cap may be terminated only with the approval of the Funds Trust Board. |
Examples of Fund Expenses
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The examples below are intended to help you compare the costs of investing in the Target Fund with the costs of investing in the Acquiring Fund, both before and after the Merger, and are for illustration only. The examples assume a $10,000 initial investment, 5% annual total return, and that operating expenses remain the same, as in the tables above. To the extent that the Manager is waiving fees or reimbursing expenses, the examples assume that such waivers or reimbursements will only be in place through the one year period for the Target Fund and the two year period for the Acquiring Fund (both pre-merger and pro forma). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
Wells Fargo International Value Fund (Pre-Merger) | ||||
Assuming you sold your shares, you would pay: | After 1 Year | After 3 Years | After 5 Years | After 10 Years |
Class A | $694 | $972 | $1,270 | $2,116 |
Class C | $302 | $651 | $1,127 | $2,442 |
Class R6 | $86 | $290 | $510 | $1,146 |
Administrator Class | $116 | $394 | $693 | $1,543 |
Institutional Class | $91 | $316 | $559 | $1,257 |
Assuming you held your shares, you would pay: | ||||
Class C | $202 | $651 | $1,127 | $2,442 |
Wells Fargo International Equity Fund (Pre-Merger) | ||||
Assuming you sold your shares, you would pay: | After 1 year | After 3 Years | After 5 Years | After 10 Years |
Class A | $685 | $950 | $1,266 | $2,160 |
Class C | $293 | $629 | $1,123 | $2,486 |
Class R6 | $82 | $280 | $519 | $1,207 |
Administrator Class | $117 | $389 | $707 | $1,607 |
Institutional Class | $87 | $301 | $563 | $1,313 |
Assuming you held your shares, you would pay: | ||||
Class C | $193 | $629 | $1,123 | $2,486 |
Wells Fargo International Equity Fund (Pro Forma) | ||||
Assuming you sold your shares, you would pay: | After 1 year | After 3 Years | After 5 Years | After 10 Years |
Class A | $685 | $936 | $1,227 | $2,052 |
Class C | $292 | $614 | $1,083 | $2,379 |
Class R6 | $81 | $264 | $476 | $1,087 |
Administrator Class | $116 | $374 | $665 | $1,491 |
Institutional Class | $86 | $286 | $521 | $1,195 |
Assuming you held your shares, you would pay: | ||||
Class C | $192 | $614 | $1,083 | $2,379 |
Each Fund has a shareholder servicing fee of up to 0.25% for Class A, Class C and Administrator Class shares. Institutional Class and Class R6 shares do not pay a shareholder servicing fee.
FUND MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
The following table identifies the manager and sub-adviser for the Acquiring Fund. The manager and sub-adviser of the Target Fund and Acquiring Fund are the same. Further information about the management of the Acquiring Fund can be found under the section entitled “Management of the Funds.”
Wells Fargo International Equity Fund | |
Investment Manager | Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC |
Investment Sub-adviser | Wells Capital Management Incorporated |
Portfolio Manager, Title/Managed Since | Venkateshwar (Venk) Lal, Portfolio Manager / 2017 |
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TAX INFORMATION
It is expected that the Merger will qualify as a tax-free “reorganization” for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. A receipt of an opinion substantially to that effect from Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, tax counsel to the Acquiring Fund, is a condition to the obligation of the Funds to consummate the Merger. As a tax-free reorganization, the Merger will not be taxable to the Acquiring Fund, the Target Fund or their shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Even though the Merger is expected to be tax-free, because the Merger will end the tax year of the Target Fund, the Merger may accelerate taxable distributions from the Target Fund to its shareholders.
The cost basis and holding period of the Target Fund shares will carry over to the shares of the Acquiring Fund you receive as a result of the Merger, in each case for U.S. federal income tax purposes. At any time prior to the consummation of the Merger, a shareholder may redeem shares, usually resulting in recognition of a gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the redeeming shareholder if the shareholder holds the shares in a taxable account.
For net capital losses realized in taxable years beginning before January 1, 2011, U.S. federal income tax law permits registered investment companies (“RICs”), such as the Funds, to carry forward a net capital loss to offset its capital gain, if any, realized during the eight years following the year of the loss. For net capital losses realized in taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2011, a Fund is permitted to carry forward a net capital loss to offset its capital gain indefinitely. The Target Fund may be presently entitled to significant net capital loss carryforwards for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as detailed in “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger.”
Following shareholder approval of the Merger but before the Closing Date, the Target Fund expects to sell a substantial portion of its portfolio securities in connection with repositioning its portfolio in anticipation of the Merger. These transactions will result in additional transaction costs to the Target Fund and may result in increased taxable distributions to shareholders of the Target Fund. In addition, it is expected that the Acquiring Fund may experience transaction costs immediately following the Merger in connection with reacquiring certain securities previously held by the Target Fund but which are unable to be transferred directly to the Acquiring Fund due to certain jurisdictional restrictions on transfers. Potential transaction costs are estimated to be approximately $244K (representing approximately 0.10%). This estimate of transaction costs is predicated on an assumption that the Target Fund is expected to sell approximately 94% of its portfolio. Transaction costs are dependent on market conditions and actual securities traded; costs could be higher or lower for securities based on liquidity. We expect the transition to occur over a two week period to take advantage of market liquidity and minimize trading costs. Understanding that there is a cost to trading, the portfolio management teams and traders will make every effort to minimize transaction costs. These potential transactions are estimated to result in possible net realized losses of $11 million. The actual tax impact of such sales will depend on the difference between the price at which such portfolio assets are sold and the Target Fund’s basis in such assets. Any net realized capital gain from sales that occur prior to the Merger will be distributed to the Target Fund’s shareholders as capital gain distributions (to the extent of the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) and/or ordinary dividends (to the extent of the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss) during or with respect to the year of sale (after reduction by any available capital loss carryforwards), and such distributions will be taxable to shareholders. This portfolio turnover would be in addition to the portfolio turnover that would be experienced by the Acquiring Fund following the Merger in connection with its normal investment operations. As of September 30, 2020, the Target Fund’s assets were approximately $142 million and as of this date the Target Fund had net unrealized losses of $24 million. In addition, it is expected that the Target Fund may hold a larger amount of cash during this period in connection with repositioning its portfolio. As a result, the Fund may not be invested pursuant to its principal investment strategies.
Certain other U.S. federal income tax consequences are discussed below under “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger.”
An investment in the Acquiring Fund is subject to certain risks. There is no assurance that the return of the Acquiring Fund will be positive or that the Acquiring Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Acquiring Fund is not a deposit of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. or its affiliates; is not insured, or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency; and is subject to investment risks, including possible loss of your original investment. Like most investments, your investment in the Acquiring Fund could result in a loss of money. The following
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provides additional information regarding the various risks (in alphabetical order) of investing in the Acquiring Fund as referenced in the section entitled “Merger Summary - Principal Risk Comparison”.
Derivatives Risk. The use of derivatives, such as futures, options and swap agreements, presents risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in traditional securities. The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the derivatives’ underlying assets, indexes or rates and the derivatives themselves, which may be magnified by certain features of the derivatives. These risks are heightened when derivatives are used to enhance a Fund’s return or as a substitute for a position or security, rather than solely to hedge (or mitigate) the risk of a position or security held by the Fund. The success of a derivative strategy will be affected by the portfolio manager’s ability to assess and predict market or economic developments and their impact on the derivatives’ underlying assets, indexes or reference rates, as well as the derivatives themselves. Certain derivative instruments may become illiquid and, as a result, may be difficult to sell when the portfolio manager believes it would be appropriate to do so. Certain derivatives create leverage, which can magnify the impact of a decline in the value of their underlying assets, indexes or reference rates, and increase the volatility of the Fund’s net asset value. Certain derivatives (e.g., over-the-counter swaps) are also subject to the risk that the counterparty to the derivative contract will be unwilling or unable to fulfill its contractual obligations, which may cause a Fund to lose money, suffer delays or incur costs arising from holding or selling an underlying asset. Changes in laws or regulations may make the use of derivatives more costly, may limit the availability of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the use, value or performance of derivatives.
Emerging Markets Risk. Emerging market securities typically present even greater exposure to the risks described under “Foreign Investment Risk” and may be particularly sensitive to global economic conditions. For example, emerging market countries are typically more dependent on exports and are, therefore, more vulnerable to recessions in other countries. Emerging markets tend to have less developed legal and financial systems and a smaller market capitalization than markets in developed countries. Some emerging markets are subject to greater political instability. Additionally, emerging markets may have more volatile currencies and be more sensitive than developed markets to a variety of economic factors, including inflation. Emerging market securities are also typically less liquid than securities of developed countries and could be difficult to sell, particularly during a market downturn.
Equity Securities Risk. The values of equity securities may experience periods of substantial price volatility and may decline significantly over short time periods. In general, the values of equity securities are more volatile than those of debt securities. Equity securities fluctuate in value and price in response to factors specific to the issuer of the security, such as management performance, financial condition, and market demand for the issuer’s products or services, as well as factors unrelated to the fundamental condition of the issuer, including general market, economic and political conditions. Investing in equity securities poses risks specific to an issuer, as well as to the particular type of company issuing the equity securities. For example, investing in the equity securities of small- or mid-capitalization companies can involve greater risk than is customarily associated with investing in stocks of larger, more-established companies. Different parts of a market, industry and sector may react differently to adverse issuer, market, regulatory, political, and economic developments. Negative news or a poor outlook for a particular industry can cause the share prices of securities of companies in that industry to decline.
Foreign Currency Contracts Risk. A Fund that enters into forwards or other foreign currency contracts, which are a type of derivative, is subject to the risk that the portfolio manager may be incorrect in his or her judgment of future exchange rate changes. The Fund’s gains from positions in foreign currency contracts may accelerate and/or lead to recharacterization of the Fund’s income or gains and its distributions to shareholders. The Fund’s losses from such positions may also lead to recharacterization of the Fund’s income and its distributions to shareholders and may cause a return of capital to Fund shareholders.
Foreign Investment Risk. Foreign investments may be subject to lower liquidity, greater price volatility and risks related to adverse political, regulatory, market or economic developments. Foreign companies may be subject to significantly higher levels of taxation than U.S. companies, including potentially confiscatory levels of taxation, thereby reducing the earnings potential of such foreign companies. Foreign investments may involve exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Such changes may reduce the U.S. dollar value of the investments. Foreign investments may be subject to additional risks, such as potentially higher withholding and other taxes, and may also be subject to greater trade settlement, custodial, and other operational risks than domestic investments. Certain foreign markets may also be characterized by less stringent investor protection and disclosure standards.
Futures Contracts Risk. A Fund that uses futures contracts, which are a type of derivative, is subject to the risk of loss caused by unanticipated market movements. In addition, there may at times be an imperfect correlation between the
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movement in the prices of futures contracts and the value of their underlying instruments or indexes, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain futures contracts.
Growth/Value Investing Risk. Securities that exhibit certain characteristics, such as growth characteristics or value characteristics, tend to perform differently and shift into and out of favor with investors depending on changes in market and economic sentiment and conditions. As a result, a Fund’s performance may at times be worse than the performance of other mutual funds that invest more broadly or in securities that exhibit different characteristics.
Management Risk. Investment decisions, techniques, analyses or models implemented by a Fund’s manager or sub-adviser in seeking to achieve the Fund’s investment objective may not produce the returns expected, may cause the Fund’s shares to lose value or may cause the Fund to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.
Market Risk. The values of, and/or the income generated by, securities held by a Fund may decline due to general market conditions or other factors, including those directly involving the issuers of such securities. Securities markets are volatile and may decline significantly in response to adverse issuer, regulatory, political, or economic developments. Different sectors of the market and different security types may react differently to such developments. Political, geopolitical, natural and other events, including war, terrorism, trade disputes, government shutdowns, market closures, natural and environmental disasters, epidemics, pandemics and other public health crises and related events have led, and in the future may lead, to economic uncertainty, decreased economic activity, increased market volatility and other disruptive effects on U.S. and global economies and markets. Such events may have significant adverse direct or indirect effects on a Fund and its investments. In addition, economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions.
Smaller Company Securities Risk. Securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations tend to be more volatile and less liquid than those of larger companies. Smaller companies may have no or relatively short operating histories, limited financial resources or may have recently become public companies. Some of these companies have aggressive capital structures, including high debt levels, or are involved in rapidly growing or changing industries and/or new technologies.
The following provides additional information regarding the manager and sub-adviser of the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund and also provides expenses related to the operation of the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund.
MANAGER
Funds Management, headquartered at 525 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, provides advisory and fund-level administrative services to the Target Fund and to the Acquiring Fund pursuant to an investment management agreement. Funds Management is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company, a publicly traded diversified financial services company that provides banking, insurance, investment, mortgage and consumer financial services. Funds Management is a registered investment adviser that provides advisory services for registered mutual funds, closed-end funds and other funds and accounts. Funds Management is a part of Wells Fargo Asset Management, the trade name used by the asset management businesses of Wells Fargo & Company.
SUB-ADVISERS
Wells Capital Management Incorporated, an affiliate of Funds Management and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo, located at 525 Market Street, San Francisco, California 94105, is the sub-adviser for the Acquiring Fund. Wells Capital is responsible for the day-to-day investment management activities of the Acquiring Fund. Wells Capital is a registered investment adviser that provides investment advisory services for registered mutual funds, company retirement plans, foundations, endowments, trust companies, and high net-worth individuals.
LSV Asset Management (“LSV”), a registered investment adviser located at 155 North Wacker Drive, Suite 4600, Chicago, IL 60606, is the sub-adviser for the Target Fund. LSV is responsible for the day-to-day investment management activities for the master portfolio in which the Target Fund invests substantially all of its assets. LSV provides investment management services to other mutual funds, corporate clients, endowments and foundations in addition to multi-employer and public investment plans.
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MANAGEMENT AND SUB-ADVISORY FEES
As compensation for the investment management services Funds Management provides to the Acquiring Fund, Funds Management is entitled to receive a monthly fee at the annual rates indicated below, as a percentage of the Acquiring Fund’s average daily net assets.
Fund | Fee | |
Wells Fargo International Equity Fund | First $500M | 0.850% |
Because the Target Fund invests substantially all of its assets in a single master portfolio, the Target Fund pays Funds Management an investment management fee only for Fund-level administrative services. Funds Management receives a fee for advisory services from the master portfolio in which the Target Fund invests. If the Target Fund were to change its investment structure so that it begins to invest substantially all of its assets in two or more master portfolios, Funds Management would be entitled to receive an increased investment management fee covering both asset allocation services and Fund-level administrative services.
If, in reliance upon current published “no-action” interpretative positions of the staff of the SEC, the Target Fund redeems all or a portion of its assets from any master portfolio and invests those assets directly in a portfolio of securities, Funds Management would be entitled to receive an increased investment management fee covering both investment advisory services and Fund-level administrative services under the Management Agreement, it would also be entitled to receive the advisory rate (pass-through advisory fee) listed below which mirrors the current advisory fee charged by Funds Management to the Master Trust portfolio in which the Target Fund invests for the management of those assets.
Feeder Fund | for Fund-Level | for combined | Annual Advisory Rate paid by Master Trust Portfolio2 (as a percentage of net assets) | ||
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | First $5 billion | 0.050% | 0.300% | First $500 million | 0.800% |
1. | Represents the proposed fee payable to Funds Management for providing both asset-allocation services and Fund-level administrative services if the Fund converts into a fund-of-funds. |
2. | Represents the advisory fee payable to Funds Management as investment adviser to the portfolio of Master Trust in which the Fund invests. Funds Management expects that this would be the proposed fee payable to Funds Management for providing advisory services if the Fund converts into a stand-alone Fund. |
As noted above, the Management fee rates for the Acquiring Fund are higher than for the Target Fund. However, as previously noted, assuming shareholders approve the Merger and taking inito account management fee waivers, the annual fund operating expenses after waivers of the Acquiring Fund are lower compared to the Target Fund for each share class.
For providing investment sub-advisory services to the Acquiring Fund, Wells Capital Management is entitled to receive monthly fees at the annual rates indicated below, which are stated as a percentage of the Acquiring Fund’s average daily net assets. Wells Capital Management is compensated for its services by Funds Management from the fees Funds Management receives for its services as investment manager to the Acquiring Fund.
Fund | Assets Under Management | Fee |
Wells Fargo International Equity Fund | First $200M | 0.450% |
For the Acquiring Fund’s most recent fiscal year, the management fee paid to Funds Management, net of any applicable waivers and reimbursement was as follows:
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Fund | As a % of average daily net assets |
Wells Fargo International Equity Fund | 0.65% |
For a discussion regarding the basis for the approval of the Acquiring Fund’s Management Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement by the Board, please see the shareholder report for the six months ended October 31, 2019.
MULTI-MANAGER ARRANGEMENT
The Funds and Funds Management have obtained an exemptive order from the SEC that permits Funds Management, subject to the approval of the Funds Trust Board, to select certain sub-advisers and enter into or amend sub-advisory agreements with them, without obtaining shareholder approval. The SEC order extends to sub-advisers that are not otherwise affiliated with Funds Management or the Funds, as well as sub-advisers that are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Funds Management or of a company that wholly owns Funds Management (“Multi-Manager Sub-Advisers”).
Pursuant to the order, Funds Management, with the approval of the Funds Trust Board, may hire or replace Multi-Manager Sub-Advisers for each Fund that is eligible to rely on the order. Funds Management, subject to the Funds Trust Board’s oversight, has the responsibility to oversee Multi-Manager Sub-Advisers and to recommend their hiring, termination and replacement. If a new sub-adviser is hired for a Fund pursuant to the order, the Fund is required to notify shareholders within 90 days. The Funds are not required to disclose the individual fees that Funds Management pays to a Multi-Manager Sub-Adviser.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE EXPENSES OF THE FUNDS
The Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund each pay Funds Management a class-level administrative fee. The class-level administrative fee is applied on a class-by-class basis and at rates that differ among classes. Funds Management provides or obtains transfer agency services for the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund as part of its class-level administrative service, and the administrative fee paid on a class-by-class basis is intended in part to compensate Funds Management for providing or obtaining those transfer agency services. The Target Fund’s and the Acquiring Fund’s SAI contains more information regarding the administration and transfer agency service fees borne by the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund.
BOARD CONSIDERATIONS
At a regular Board meeting held on November 17, 19-20, 2020 (the “Meeting”), the Board, all of the members of which are Independent Trustees, considered the Merger. In advance of the Meeting, Funds Management provided extensive background materials and analyses to the Board. These materials included the rationale for the proposed Merger, as well as information on the investment objectives and principal investment strategies of both the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund; their respective fee arrangements, operating expense ratios, asset sizes, risk profiles and investment performance; and analyses of certain tax information, transaction cost information and the projected benefits of the Merger. Representatives of Funds Management presented these materials and responded to questions at the Meeting.
The Independent Trustees reviewed and discussed these materials and analyses with Funds Management and among themselves. The Independent Trustees were assisted in their evaluation of the Merger by independent legal counsel, with whom they met separately and from whom they received separate legal advice. After such review, discussion and evaluation, the Board unanimously approved the Plan for the Merger at the Meeting. In its deliberations, the Board considered that some of the projected benefits of the Merger would accrue to Funds Management and its affiliates, in addition to those that would accrue to the shareholders of the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund. In this regard, the Board noted that Funds Management and its affiliates are likely to benefit from the elimination of duplicative expenses and the reduction of other associated operational costs resulting from the consolidation of funds with identical objectives and similar strategies. The Board took into account these benefits, among others, in the context of focusing on Fund shareholder benefits and evaluating the Merger overall, and determined that merging the Target Fund into the Acquiring Fund would be in the best interests of both Funds. The Board further determined that the interests of the shareholders of both the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund would not be diluted as a result of the Merger.
In approving the Plan, the Board did not identify any particular information or consideration that was all-important or controlling, and each Trustee likely attributed different weights to various factors.
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The Board unanimously recommends that shareholders of the Target Fund vote to approve the Merger for the following reasons:
Overall Basis For Approval. The Board considered a number of factors in determining that the Merger would be in the best interests of the Target Fund. After taking into account the Funds’ identical investment objectives and the extent to which their strategies overlap, the Board considered that the Merger would result in a fund that has experienced substantial outflows being merged into a fund with better performance and a lower or identical net expense ratio for each share class, after giving effect to the Merger and fee waiver and expense reimbursement commitments. The Board also reviewed Funds Management’s assessment of other possible options for the Target Fund, including liquidation and whether there were other viable merger candidates among the Wells Fargo Fund family.
Portfolio Management. The Board considered information regarding the qualifications, background, tenure and responsibilities of the personnel who will be primarily responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management of the Acquiring Fund after the Merger. The Board considered that the investment sub-adviser to the Target Fund is LSV Asset Management, and that the investment sub-adviser to the Acquiring Fund is Wells Capital Management, an affiliate of Funds Management.
The Board considered that the investment objectives of the Target Fund and Acquiring Fund – to seek long-term capital appreciation – are identical. The Board considered the principal investment strategy similarities and differences described below. To the extent the principal investment strategies of the Acquiring Fund differ from those of the Target Fund, as described in the section entitled “Merger Summary (Objectives, Strategies, Risks, Performance, Expense, Management and Tax Information) – Investment Objective and Strategy Comparison” above and under Compatible Objectives and Investment Strategies below, the Board considered those differences as part of its overall determination that participating in the Merger would be in the best interests of the Target Fund.
The Board noted that Funds Management agreed (contingent upon the closing of the Merger) to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses for each share class of the Acquiring Fund through February 28, 2022, to ensure that net expenses paid by each share class of the Acquiring Fund after the Merger are lower than, or equal to, those currently paid by each corresponding share class of the Target Fund, and that, thereafter, such a cap may not be raised or removed without Board approval.
The Board considered that the contractual sub-advisory fee rate schedule with respect to the Target Fund provides for lower contractual and effective sub-advisory fee rates than that relating to the Acquiring Fund, and that the effective sub-advisory fee rate to be paid in connection with the management of the Acquiring Fund after the Merger will be higher than that currently paid in connection with the management of the Target Fund. The Board noted that, given the affiliation between Wells Capital Management and Funds Management, the overall compensation retained by Funds Management and its affiliates on a combined basis will exceed that retained under the current arrangement with LSV Asset Management as investment sub-adviser to the Target Fund.
Greater Potential Economies Of Scale And Viability. The Board also considered that shareholders of both the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund may benefit from the potential for greater economies of scale and viability in the future by consolidating the Target Fund into a fund with a higher Morningstar rating and better performance that is expected by Funds Management to have greater potential for asset growth and viability following the Merger.
Compatible Objectives And Investment Strategies. As described in the section entitled “Merger Summary (Objectives, Strategies, Risks, Performance, Expense, Management and Tax Information) - Investment Objective and Strategy Comparison” above, the Board considered that the investment objective of the Target Fund – to seek long-term capital appreciation – is identical to that of the Acquiring Fund.
The Acquiring Fund and the Target Fund have similar principal investment strategies, although the Funds’ strategies and holdings diverge with respect to their allocations to emerging market investments. In this regard, the Board noted that, under normal circumstances, the Target Fund invests (i) at least 80% of its total assets in equity securities of foreign issuers of any market capitalization and (ii) up to 20% of its total assets in emerging market equity securities, while the Acquiring Fund invests (i) at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of foreign issuers, (ii) up to 30% of its total assets in emerging market equity securities, and (iii) in securities of at least three different countries, including the U.S.
The Board also considered that the Target Fund employs a value-oriented investment strategy, while the Acquiring Fund employs a broader investment strategy that pursues both value and growth opportunities.
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The Board considered the holdings of the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund and noted the degree to which the characteristics of their overall holdings are consistent, and the degree to which the Target Fund’s individual holdings are compatible with the Acquiring Fund’s investment strategy. In this regard, the Board considered that Funds Management intends that less than one-tenth of the Target Fund’s historic assets be transferred to the Acquiring Fund in the Merger.
The Board noted that both Funds may invest across any market capitalization and use derivatives to manage risk or enhance return. In addition, the Board noted that the Target Fund relies on a quantitative model to make investment decisions for the Fund, while the Acquiring Fund relies on bottom-up stock selection, based on in-depth fundamental research, to employ its investment strategy. The Board also considered that the Target Fund pursues its principal investment strategies through investment in a master portfolio that pursues identical strategies, while the Acquiring Fund pursues its principal investment strategies through direct investment.
The Board also considered transaction costs and other related fees with respect to the Merger, as well as the tax implications.
Comparative Performance. The Board reviewed the performance of the Target Fund relative to that of the Acquiring Fund, and noted that the Acquiring Fund (Institutional Class) had outperformed the Target Fund for the one-, three-, five- and ten-year periods, ended September 30, 2020. In reviewing comparative performance, the Board considered the similarities and differences between the Funds’ investment objectives and principal investment strategies. Shareholders should consult the chart in the section entitled “Merger Summary (Objectives, Strategies, Risks, Performance, Expense, Management and Tax Information) - Fund Performance Comparison” for more detailed performance information, including information about each Funds’ performance relative to that of its primary benchmark index. Of course, past performance is not predictive of future results.
Gross and Net Operating Expense Ratios of the Funds. The Board noted that the pro forma combined gross operating expense ratio for each share class of the Acquiring Fund is higher than that of each corresponding share class of the Target Fund based on average net assets for the six-month period ended September 30, 2020. The Board also considered that the pro forma combined net operating expense ratio of each share class of the Acquiring Fund will be lower than, or equal to, that of each corresponding share class of the Target Fund, after giving effect to the Merger and taking into account fee waiver and expense reimbursement commitments by Funds Management.
In this regard, the Board noted that Funds Management has agreed (contingent upon the completion of the Merger) to maintain the Acquiring Fund’s pro forma net operating expense ratio cap through February 28, 2022, and that, thereafter, the cap may not be raised without Board approval. Thus, Target Fund and Acquiring Fund shareholders are assured that they will not experience an increase in their net operating expense ratios until February 28, 2022, at the earliest. Shareholders should consult the section entitled “Merger Summary (Objectives, Strategies, Risks, Performance, Expense, Management and Tax Information) - Shareholder Fee and Fund Expense Comparison” for more detailed gross and net operating expense ratio information.
Expenses of the Merger. The Board was advised that Funds Management or its affiliates will bear all expenses incurred in connection with the Merger (other than any brokerage or other transaction costs associated with the sale or purchase of portfolio securities in connection with the Merger).
Conclusion. Ultimately, in the exercise of its business judgment, the Board determined that participating in the Merger would be in the best interests of both the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund. The Board further determined that the interests of the shareholders of both the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund would not be diluted as a result of the Merger.
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION
The following summary of the Plan is qualified in its entirety by reference to Exhibit A attached hereto.
The Plan provides that the Acquiring Fund will acquire all of the assets of the Target Fund in exchange for shares of equal value of the Acquiring Fund (measured on the business day immediately preceding the Merger) and the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of all of the liabilities of the Target Fund, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on a particular Merger date (the “Effective Time”).
The number of full and fractional shares of each class of the Acquiring Fund to be received by each corresponding class of the Target Fund will be determined by dividing the value of assets net of known liabilities attributable to the Target Fund class by the net asset value (“NAV”) of one share of the applicable Acquiring Fund class. The Plan specifies that the
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method of determining the value of the assets net of liabilities and the NAV of each class of the Acquiring Fund shall be the same method used in determining the NAV of the Acquiring Fund in the ordinary course. The valuation will be conducted on the business day immediately preceding the Effective Time or upon such other date as the parties may agree, as of the last time that the Acquiring Fund ordinarily calculates its NAV, or as of such other time as the parties may agree (the “Valuation Date”).
Prior to the Closing Date, the Target Fund will declare a distribution which, together with all previous distributions, shall have the effect of distributing to the Target Fund’s shareholders (in shares of the Target Fund, or in cash, as the shareholder has previously elected) substantially all of the Target Fund’s undistributed investment company taxable income (computed without regard to any deduction for dividends paid) for all taxable periods ending on or prior to the Closing Date, and all of its undistributed net capital gain realized in all taxable periods ending on or prior to the Closing Date (after reduction by any available capital loss carryforwards).
At the Effective Time or as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter, the Target Fund will liquidate and distribute pro rata to the Target Fund shareholders of record of each class as of the close of business on the Valuation Date the full and fractional shares of the corresponding class of the Acquiring Fund received by the Target Fund based on the shares of the Target Fund class owned by such shareholders. After these distributions and the winding up of its affairs, the Target Fund will be terminated as a series of the Trust in accordance with applicable law and its Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (“Declaration of Trust”).
A majority of the Board may terminate the Plan on behalf of the Target Fund or Acquiring Fund under certain circumstances. In addition, completion of a Merger is subject to numerous conditions set forth in the Plan, including approval by Target Fund shareholders, the accuracy of various representations and warranties, and receipt of a tax opinion generally to the effect that the Merger will qualify as a tax-free “reorganization” for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Funds Management will bear all expenses incurred in connection with the Merger (except for brokerage or other transaction costs associated with the sale or purchase of Portfolio securities in connection with the Merger).
MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE MERGER
The following discussion summarizes certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Merger, including an investment in Acquiring Fund shares, that are applicable to you as a Target Fund shareholder. It is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), applicable U.S. Treasury regulations, judicial authority and administrative rulings and practice, all as of the date of this prospectus/proxy statement and all of which are subject to change, including changes with retroactive effect. The discussion below does not address any state, local or foreign tax consequences of the Merger or of holding Acquiring Fund shares. Your tax treatment may vary depending upon your particular situation. You also may be subject to special rules not discussed below if you are a certain kind of Target Fund shareholder, including, but not limited to: an insurance company; a tax-exempt organization; a financial institution or broker-dealer; a person who is neither a citizen nor resident of the United States or an entity that is not organized under the laws of the United States or a political subdivision thereof; a shareholder who holds Target Fund shares as part of a hedge, straddle or conversion transaction; a person who does not hold Target Fund shares as capital asset at the time of the Merger; a holder of Target Fund shares through a tax-deferred account; and an entity taxable as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes; or an investor in such an entity.
We have not requested and will not request an advance ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) as to the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Merger or any related transaction. The IRS could adopt positions contrary to those discussed below and such positions could be sustained. You are urged to consult with your own tax advisers and financial planners as to the particular tax consequences to you of the Merger of the Target Fund and of holding Acquiring Fund shares, including the applicability and effect of any state, local or foreign laws and the effect of possible changes in applicable tax laws.
Qualification of the Merger as a Tax-Free “Reorganization” Under the Internal Revenue Code
The obligation of the Funds to consummate the Merger is contingent upon their receipt of an opinion from Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, tax counsel to the Funds, generally to the effect that the Merger will qualify as a “reorganization” under Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, and therefore generally:
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1. | no gain or loss will be recognized by the Acquiring Fund upon receipt of the Target Fund’s assets in exchange solely for the Acquiring Fund shares and the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of the liabilities of the Target Fund; |
2. | the Acquiring Fund’s tax basis in the assets of the Target Fund transferred to the Acquiring Fund in the Merger will be the same as the Target Fund’s tax basis in the assets immediately prior to the transfer; |
3. | the Acquiring Fund’s holding periods for the assets of the Target Fund will include the periods during which such assets were held by the Target Fund; |
4. | no gain or loss will be recognized by the Target Fund upon the transfer of the Target Fund’s assets to the Acquiring Fund in exchange solely for Acquiring Fund shares and the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of the liabilities of the Target Fund, or upon distribution of Acquiring Fund shares by the Target Fund to its shareholders in complete liquidation; |
5. | no gain or loss will be recognized by the Target Fund’s shareholders upon the exchange of their Target Fund shares solely for Acquiring Fund shares; |
6. | the aggregate tax basis of Acquiring Fund shares a Target Fund shareholder receives in connection with the Merger will be the same as the tax basis of such shareholder’s Target Fund shares exchanged therefor; |
7. | a Target Fund shareholder’s holding period for such shareholder’s Acquiring Fund shares will include the period for which such shareholders held the Target Fund shares exchanged therefor, provided such Target Fund shareholder held such Target Fund shares as a capital asset; and |
8. | the Acquiring Fund will succeed to, and take into account the items of the Target Fund described in Section 381(c) of the Internal Revenue Code, for example, capital loss carryforwards and methods of accounting, subject to the conditions and limitations specified in the Internal Revenue Code and the U.S. Treasury regulations thereunder. |
The tax opinion described above will be based on then-existing law, will be subject to certain assumptions, qualifications and exclusions and will be based in part on the truth and accuracy of certain representations by us on behalf of the Acquiring Fund and the Target Fund.
Status as a Regulated Investment Company
Since its formation, each Fund has elected and believes it has qualified to be treated as a separate “regulated investment company,” or “RIC,” under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. Accordingly, each Fund believes that it has been, and expects to continue to be, relieved of U.S. federal income tax liability to the extent that it makes distributions of its income and gains to its shareholders.
Distribution of Income and Gains
Following shareholder approval of the Merger but before the Closing Date, the Target Fund expects to sell a substantial portion of its portfolio securities in connection with repositioning its portfolio in anticipation of the Merger. These transactions will result in additional transaction costs to the Target Fund and may result in increased taxable distributions to shareholders of the Target Fund. The actual tax impact of such sales will depend on the difference between the price at which such portfolio assets are sold and the Target Fund’s tax basis in such assets. Any capital gains recognized on a net basis in any such sales that occur prior to the Merger will be distributed to a Target Fund’s shareholders as capital gain dividends (to the extent of net capital gain) and/or ordinary dividends (to the extent of net short-term capital gain) during or with respect to the year of sale, and such distributions will be taxable to shareholders.
Additionally, the Target Fund’s taxable year will end as a result of the Merger, which will accelerate any distributions to shareholders from the Target Fund for its short taxable year ending on the date of the Merger. Prior to the Merger, the Target Fund will declare to its shareholders of record one or more distributions of all of its previously undistributed net investment income and net realized capital gain, including capital gains on any securities disposed of in connection with the Merger. Such distributions will be made to such shareholders before or after the Merger. A Target Fund shareholder will be required to include any such distributions in such shareholder’s taxable income for the taxable year in which such shareholder receives the distributions. This may result in the recognition of income that could have been deferred or never realized had the Merger not occurred.
Tax Attributes of the Combined Funds: Utilization of Loss Carryforwards and Unrealized Losses
For net capital losses realized in taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2011, a Fund is permitted to carry forward a net capital loss to offset its capital gain indefinitely. For capital losses realized in taxable years beginning after January 1, 2011, the excess of a Fund’s net short-term capital loss over its net long-term capital gain is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year and the excess of a Fund’s net long-term capital loss over its net short-term capital gain is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year. If
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future capital gain is offset by carried-forward capital losses, such future capital gain is not subject to fund-level U.S. federal income tax, regardless of whether it is distributed to shareholders. The Funds cannot carry back or carry forward any net operating losses.
The Merger may result in a limitation on the ability of the Acquiring Fund to use any capital loss carryforwards and, potentially, any unrealized capital losses (once realized) inherent in the tax basis of the assets of the Acquiring Fund or a Target Fund (the “Limited Fund”). These limitations, pursuant to Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code, are imposed on an annual basis. Losses in excess of the limitation may be carried forward. The Section 382 limitation generally will equal the product of the net asset value of the Limited Fund immediately prior to the Merger and the “long-term tax-exempt rate,” published by the IRS, in effect at such time. As of November 2020, the applicable long-term tax-exempt rate was 0.89%. No assurance can be given as to what long-term tax-exempt rate will be in effect at the time of the Merger. In certain instances, under Section 384 of the Internal Revenue Code, the Acquiring Fund will also be prohibited from using the Target Fund’s capital loss carryforwards and unrealized losses (once realized) against the unrealized gains of the Acquiring Fund immediately prior to the Merger, or vice-versa, to the extent such gains are realized within five years following the Merger. Even if capital loss carryforwards or unrealized losses (once realized) can be used, the tax benefit resulting from those losses may be delayed and will be shared by both the Target Fund and Acquiring Fund shareholders following a Merger. Therefore, Target Fund shareholders may pay more taxes, or pay taxes sooner, than such shareholder otherwise would have paid if the Merger did not occur.
In general, the limitation under Section 382 will apply to capital loss carryforwards and unrealized losses (once realized) of a Fund when its shareholders will hold less than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Acquiring Fund immediately following the Merger. Accordingly, it is expected that the limitation will apply to any losses of the Wells Fargo International Value Fund. Even if the Merger does not result in the limitation on the use of the Fund’s losses, future transactions by the Acquiring Fund may do so.
Finally, in addition to the other limitations on the use of losses, Section 381 of the Internal Revenue Code prescribes that, for the taxable year of the Merger, only that percentage of the Acquiring Fund’s capital gain net income for such taxable year (excluding capital loss carryforwards) equal to the percentage of its year that remains following the Merger can be reduced by the Target Fund’s capital loss carryforwards (as otherwise limited under Sections 382 and 384 of the Internal Revenue Code, as described above).
In addition, the Fund’s capital loss carryovers and unrealized losses, once realized, may be subject to limitation in the hands of the combined Fund after the Merger under various provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Even if the Merger does not result in the limitation on the use of the Fund’s losses, prior or future transactions by the Fund may have done or do so. As of May 31, 2020, the Target Fund had capital loss carryforwards which consisted of $13,306,325 in long-term capital losses. As of October 31, 2019, the Acquiring Fund had capital loss carryforwards which consisted of $11,301,468 in short-term capital losses and $3,067,307 in long-term capital losses. As of the most recent tax year-end, the pro forma combined Acquiring Fund had capital loss carryforwards which consisted of $11,301,468 in short-term capital losses and $16,373,632 in long-term capital losses.
U.S. Federal Income Taxation of an Investment in the Acquiring Fund
The following discussion summarizes certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the Acquiring Fund. This discussion is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. You should consult your tax adviser about your specific tax situation. Please see the prospectus and statement of additional information for the Acquiring Fund for additional U.S. federal income tax information.
Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company. It is intended that the Acquiring Fund will continue to qualify for treatment as a RIC under Subchapter M of Chapter 1, Subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code. The Acquiring Fund will be treated as a separate entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Thus, the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to RICs generally will apply separately to the Acquiring Fund even though the Acquiring Fund is a series of the Acquiring Trust. Furthermore, the Acquiring Fund will separately determine its income, gains, losses and expenses for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
In order to qualify as a RIC under the Internal Revenue Code, the Acquiring Fund must, among other things, derive at least 90% of its gross income each taxable year generally from (i) dividends, interest, certain payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, and other income
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attributable to its business of investing in such stock, securities or foreign currencies (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) and (ii) net income derived from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership, as defined in the Internal Revenue Code. Future U.S. Treasury regulations may (possibly retroactively) exclude from qualifying income foreign currency gains that are not directly related to the Acquiring Fund’s principal business of investing in stock, securities or options and futures with respect to stock or securities. In general, for purposes of this 90% gross income requirement, income derived from a partnership, except a qualified publicly traded partnership, will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership which would be qualifying income if realized by the Acquiring Fund.
The Acquiring Fund must also diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the Acquiring Fund’s taxable year: (i) at least 50% of the fair market value of its total assets consists of (A) cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. government securities and securities of other RICs, and (B) securities of any one issuer (other than those described in clause (A)) to the extent such securities do not exceed 5% of the value of the Acquiring Fund’s total assets and do not exceed 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of the Acquiring Fund’s total assets consists of the securities of any one issuer (other than those described in clause (i)(A)), the securities of two or more issuers the Acquiring Fund controls and which are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships. In addition, for purposes of meeting the diversification requirement described in clause (i)(B), the term “outstanding voting securities of such issuer” includes the equity securities of a qualified publicly traded partnership. The qualifying income and diversification requirements applicable to the Acquiring Fund may limit the extent to which it can engage in transactions in options, futures contracts, forward contracts and swap agreements.
If the Acquiring Fund fails to satisfy any of the qualifying income and diversification requirements in any taxable year, such Acquiring Fund may be eligible for relief provisions if the failures are due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect and if a penalty tax is paid with respect to each failure to satisfy the applicable requirement(s). Additionally, relief is provided for certain de minimis failures of the diversification requirements where the Acquiring Fund corrects the failure within a specified period. If the applicable relief provisions are not available or cannot be met, such Acquiring Fund will be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation, described below.
In addition, with respect to each taxable year, the Acquiring Fund generally must distribute to its shareholders at least 90% of its investment company taxable income, which generally includes its ordinary income and the excess of any net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss. If the Acquiring Fund meets all of the RIC qualification requirements, it generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on investment company taxable income and net capital gain (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) it distributes to its shareholders. For this purpose, the Acquiring Fund generally must make the distributions in the same year that it realizes the income and gain, although in certain circumstances, the Acquiring Fund may make the distributions in the following taxable year. Shareholders generally are taxed on any distributions from the Acquiring Fund in the year they are actually distributed. However, if the Acquiring Fund declares a distribution to shareholders of record in October, November or December of one year and pays the distribution by January 31 of the following year, the Acquiring Fund and its shareholders will be treated as if the Acquiring Fund paid the distribution on December 31 of the first year. The Acquiring Fund intends to distribute its net income and gain in a timely manner to maintain its status as a RIC and eliminate fund-level U.S. federal income taxation of such income and gain. However, no assurance can be given that the Acquiring Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation. See further discussion below in “Taxation of Acquiring Fund Investments” for the Acquiring Fund’s ability to pass through to its shareholders the tax-exempt character of income from certain debt obligations by paying exempt-interest dividends.
Moreover, the Acquiring Fund may retain for investment all or a portion of its net capital gain. If the Acquiring Fund retains any net capital gain, it will be subject to a tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained, but may report the retained amount as undistributed capital gain in a written statement furnished to its shareholders, who (i) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their shares of such undistributed amount, and (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Acquiring Fund on such undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Acquiring Fund will be increased by an amount equal to the difference between the amount of undistributed capital gain included in the shareholder’s gross income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder under clause (ii) of the preceding
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sentence. The Acquiring Fund is not required to, and there can be no assurance that it will, make this designation if it retains all or a portion of its net capital gain in a taxable year.
If, for any taxable year, the Acquiring Fund fails to qualify as a RIC and is not eligible for relief as described above, it will be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation without any deduction for its distributions to shareholders, and all distributions from such Acquiring Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits (including any distributions of its net tax-exempt income and net long-term capital gain) to its shareholders will be taxable as dividend income. To re-qualify to be taxed as a RIC in a subsequent year, the Acquiring Fund may be required to distribute to its shareholders its earnings and profits attributable to non RIC years reduced by an interest charge on 50% of such earnings and profits payable by the Acquiring Fund to the IRS. In addition, if the Acquiring Fund initially qualifies as a RIC but subsequently fails to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, the Acquiring Fund generally will be required to recognize and pay tax on any net unrealized gain (the excess of aggregate gain, including items of income, over aggregate loss that would have been realized if the Acquiring Fund had been liquidated) or, alternatively, to be subject to tax on such unrealized gain recognized for a period of ten years, in order to re-qualify as a RIC in a subsequent year.
Equalization Accounting. The Acquiring Fund may use the so-called “equalization method” of accounting to allocate a portion of its “earnings and profits,” which generally equals the Acquiring Fund’s undistributed investment company taxable income and net capital gain, with certain adjustments, to redemption proceeds. This method permits the Acquiring Fund to achieve more balanced distributions for both continuing and redeeming shareholders. Although using this method generally will not affect the Acquiring Fund’s total returns, it may reduce the amount that the Acquiring Fund would otherwise distribute to continuing shareholders by reducing the effect of redemptions of Acquiring Fund shares on Acquiring Fund distributions to shareholders. However, the IRS has not expressly sanctioned the particular equalization methods used by the Acquiring Fund, and thus the Acquiring Fund’s use of these methods may be subject to IRS scrutiny.
For a description of the Acquiring Fund’s ability to use capital loss carryovers, see “Tax Attributes of the Combined Funds: Utilization of Capital Loss Carryovers and Unrealized Losses” above.
Excise Tax. If the Acquiring Fund fails to distribute by December 31 of each calendar year at least the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for that year (excluding capital gains and losses), 98.2% of its capital gain net income (adjusted for certain net ordinary losses) for the 12-month period ending on October 31 of that year, and any of its ordinary income and capital gain net income from previous years that was not distributed during such years, the Acquiring Fund will be subject to a nondeductible 4% U.S. federal excise tax on the undistributed amounts (other than to the extent of its tax-exempt interest income, if any). For these purposes, the Acquiring Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it is subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax for the taxable year ending within the calendar year. The Acquiring Fund generally intends to actually distribute or be deemed to have distributed substantially all of its ordinary income and capital gain net income, if any, by the end of each calendar year and thus expects not to be subject to the excise tax. However, no assurance can be given that the Acquiring Fund will not be subject to the excise tax. Moreover, the Acquiring Fund reserves the right to pay an excise tax rather than make an additional distribution when circumstances warrant (for example, the amount of excise tax to be paid by the Acquiring Fund is determined to be de minimis).
Taxation of Acquiring Fund Investments. In general, realized gains or losses on the sale of securities held by the Acquiring Fund will be treated as capital gains or losses, and long-term capital gains or losses if the Acquiring Fund has held the disposed securities for more than one year at the time of disposition.
If at least 50% of the value of the Acquiring Fund’s total assets at the close of each quarter of its taxable year consists of debt obligations that generate interest exempt from U.S. federal income tax under Section 103 of the Internal Revenue Code, then the Acquiring Fund may qualify to pass through to its shareholders the tax-exempt character of its income from such debt obligations by paying exempt-interest dividends. The Acquiring Fund intends to so qualify and is designed to provide shareholders with income exempt from U.S. federal income tax in the form of exempt-interest dividends. “Exempt-interest dividends” are dividends (other than capital gain dividends) paid by a RIC that are properly reported as such in a written statement furnished to shareholders.
The Acquiring Fund will report to its shareholders the portion of the distributions for the taxable year that constitutes exempt interest dividends. The designated portion cannot exceed the excess of the amount of interest excludable from gross income under Section 103 of the Internal Revenue Code received by the Acquiring Fund during the taxable year over any amounts disallowed as deductions under Sections 265 and 171(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code. Interest on
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indebtedness incurred to purchase or carry shares of the Acquiring Fund will not be deductible to the extent that the Acquiring Fund’s distributions are exempt from U.S. federal income tax. In addition, an investment in the Acquiring Fund may result in liability for U.S. federal alternative minimum tax (“AMT”). Certain deductions and exemptions have been designated “tax preference items” which must be added back to taxable income for purposes of calculating the U.S. federal AMT. Tax preference items include tax-exempt interest on certain “private activity bonds.” To the extent the Acquiring Fund invests in certain private activity bonds, its shareholders will be required to report that portion of the Fund’s distributions attributable to income from the bonds as a tax preference item in determining their U.S. federal AMT, if any. Shareholders will be notified of the tax status of distributions made by the Acquiring Fund.
Persons who may be “substantial users” (or “related persons” of substantial users) of facilities financed by private activity bonds should consult their tax advisers before purchasing shares in the Acquiring Fund. Furthermore, shareholders will not be permitted to deduct any of their shares of the Acquiring Fund’s expenses in computing their U.S. federal AMT. In addition, exempt-interest dividends paid by the Acquiring Fund to a corporate shareholder are included in the shareholder’s “adjusted current earnings” as part of its U.S. federal AMT calculation, and may also affect its U.S. federal excise liability. As of the date of this filing, individuals are subject to the U.S. federal AMT at a maximum rate of 28%. Corporations are not subject to the U.S. federal AMT. Shareholders with questions or concerns about the U.S. federal AMT should consult own their own tax advisers.
If the Acquiring Fund purchases a debt obligation with original issue discount (“OID”) (generally, a debt obligation with a purchase price at original issuance less than its principal amount, such as a zero-coupon bond), which generally includes “payment-in-kind” or “PIK” bonds, the Acquiring Fund generally is required to annually include in its taxable income a portion of the OID as ordinary income, even though the Acquiring Fund may not receive cash payments attributable to the OID until a later date, potentially until maturity or disposition of the obligation. A portion of the OID includible in income with respect to certain high-yield corporate discount obligations may be treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Similarly, if the Acquiring Fund purchases a debt obligation with market discount (generally, a debt obligation with a purchase price after original issuance less than its principal amount (reduced by any accrued OID)), the Acquiring Fund generally is required to annually include in its taxable income a portion of the market discount as ordinary income, even though the Acquiring Fund may not receive cash payments attributable to the market discount until a later date, potentially until maturity or disposition of the obligation. The Acquiring Fund generally will be required to make distributions to shareholders representing the OID or market discount income on debt obligations that is currently includible in its income, even though the cash representing such income may not have been received by the Acquiring Fund. Cash to pay such distributions may be obtained from sales proceeds of securities held by the Acquiring Fund which the Acquiring Fund otherwise might have continued to hold; obtaining such cash might be disadvantageous for the Acquiring Fund.
If the Acquiring Fund invests in debt obligations that are in the lowest rating categories or are unrated, including debt obligations of issuers not currently paying interest or who are in default, special tax issues may exist for the Acquiring Fund. U.S. federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Acquiring Fund may cease to accrue interest, OID, or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless securities, and how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income. These and other related issues will be addressed by the Acquiring Fund when, as, and if it invests in such securities, in order to seek to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to preserve its status as a RIC and does not become subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax.
Under recently enacted legislation, the Acquiring Fund may be required to incur certain fees that are treated as OID and required to be included in income for financial statement purposed when received (rather than when accrued into income under prior law).
If an option granted by the Acquiring Fund is sold, lapses or is otherwise terminated through a closing transaction, such as a repurchase by the Acquiring Fund of the option from its holder, the Acquiring Fund will realize a short-term capital gain or loss, depending on whether the premium income is greater or less than the amount paid by the Acquiring Fund in the closing transaction. Some capital losses realized by the Acquiring Fund in the sale, exchange, exercise, or other disposition of an option may be deferred if they result from a position that is part of a “straddle,” discussed below. If securities are sold by the Acquiring Fund pursuant to the exercise of a covered call option granted by it, the Acquiring Fund generally will add the premium received to the sale price of the securities delivered in determining the amount of
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gain or loss on the sale. If securities are purchased by the Acquiring Fund pursuant to the exercise of a put option granted by it, the Acquiring Fund generally will subtract the premium received from its cost basis in the securities purchased.
Some regulated futures contracts, certain foreign currency contracts, and non-equity listed options in which the Acquiring Fund invests will be deemed “Section 1256 contracts.” The Acquiring Fund will be required to “mark to market” any such contracts held at the end of the taxable year by treating them as if they had been sold on the last day of that year at market value. Sixty percent of any net gain or loss realized on all dispositions of Section 1256 contracts, including deemed dispositions under the “mark-to-market” rule, generally will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and the remaining 40% will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss, although certain foreign currency gains and losses from such contracts may be treated as ordinary income or loss (as described below). These provisions may require the Acquiring Fund to recognize income or gains without a concurrent receipt of cash. Transactions that qualify as designated hedges are exempt from the mark-to-market rule and the “60%/40%” rule and may require the Acquiring Fund to defer the recognition of losses on certain futures contracts, foreign currency contracts and non-equity options.
Offsetting positions held by the Acquiring Fund involving certain derivative instruments, such as financial forward, futures, and options contracts, may be considered, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, to constitute “straddles.” “Straddles” are defined to include “offsetting positions” in actively traded personal property. The tax treatment of “straddles” is governed by Section 1092 of the Internal Revenue Code which, in certain circumstances, overrides or modifies the provisions of Section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code, described above. If the Acquiring Fund is treated as entering into a “straddle” and at least one (but not all) of the Acquiring Fund’s positions in derivative contracts comprising a part of such straddle is governed by Section 1256 then such straddle could be characterized as a “mixed straddle.” The Acquiring Fund may make one or more elections with respect to “mixed straddles.” Depending upon which election is made, if any, the results with respect to the Acquiring Fund may differ. Generally, to the extent the straddle rules apply to positions established by the Acquiring Fund, losses realized by the Acquiring Fund may be deferred to the extent of unrealized gain in any offsetting positions. Moreover, as a result of the straddle rules, short-term capital loss on straddle positions may be recharacterized as long-term capital loss, and long-term capital gain may be characterized as short-term capital gain. In addition, the existence of a straddle may affect the holding period of the offsetting positions. As a result, the straddle rules could cause distributions that would otherwise constitute qualified dividend income (defined below) to fail to satisfy the applicable holding period requirements (described below) and therefore to be taxed as ordinary income. Furthermore, the Acquiring Fund may be required to capitalize, rather than deduct currently, any interest expense and carrying charges applicable to a position that is part of a straddle, including any interest expense on indebtedness incurred or continued to purchase or carry any positions that are part of the straddle. Because the application of the straddle rules may affect the character and timing of gains and losses from affected straddle positions, the amount which must be distributed to shareholders, and which will be taxed to shareholders as ordinary income or long-term capital gain, may be increased or decreased substantially as compared to the situation where the Acquiring Fund had not engaged in such transactions.
If the Acquiring Fund enters into a “constructive sale” of any appreciated financial position in stock, a partnership interest, or certain debt instruments, the Acquiring Fund will be treated as if it had sold and immediately repurchased the property and must recognize gain (but not loss) with respect to that position. A constructive sale of an appreciated financial position occurs when the Acquiring Fund enters into certain offsetting transactions with respect to the same or substantially identical property, including: (i) a short sale; (ii) an offsetting notional principal contract; (iii) a futures or forward contract; or (iv) other transactions identified in future U.S. Treasury regulations. The character of the gain from constructive sales will depend upon the Acquiring Fund’s holding period in the appreciated financial position. Losses realized from a sale of a position that was previously the subject of a constructive sale will be recognized when the position is subsequently disposed of. The character of such losses will depend upon the Acquiring Fund’s holding period in the position and the application of various loss deferral provisions in the Internal Revenue Code. Constructive sale treatment does not apply to certain closed transactions, including if such a transaction is closed on or before the 30th day after the close of the Acquiring Fund’s taxable year and the Acquiring Fund holds the appreciated financial position unhedged throughout the 60-day period beginning with the day such transaction was closed.
The amount of long-term capital gain the Acquiring Fund may recognize from certain derivative transactions with respect to interests in certain pass-through entities is limited under the Internal Revenue Code’s rules. The amount of long-term capital gain is limited to the amount of such gain the Acquiring Fund would have had if the Acquiring Fund directly invested in the pass-through entity during the term of the derivative contract. Any gain in excess of this amount is treated as ordinary income. An interest charge is imposed on the amount of gain that is treated as ordinary income.
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In addition, the Acquiring Fund’s transactions in securities and certain types of derivatives (e.g., options, futures contracts, forward contracts, and swap agreements) may be subject to other special tax rules, such as the wash sale rules or the short sale rules, the effect of which may be to accelerate income to the Acquiring Fund, defer losses to the Acquiring Fund, cause adjustments to the holding periods of the Acquiring Fund’s securities, convert long-term capital gains into short-term capital gains, and/or convert short-term capital losses into long- term capital losses. These rules could therefore affect the amount, timing, and character of distributions to shareholders.
Rules governing the U.S. federal income tax aspects of derivatives, including swap agreements, are in a developing stage and are not entirely clear in certain respects, particularly in light of an IRS revenue ruling that held that income from a derivative contract with respect to a commodity index is not qualifying income for a RIC. Accordingly, while the Acquiring Fund intends to account for such transactions in a manner it deems to be appropriate, the IRS might not accept such treatment. If it did not, the status of the Acquiring Fund as a RIC might be jeopardized. Certain requirements that must be met under the Internal Revenue Code in order for the Acquiring Fund to qualify as a RIC may limit the extent to which the Acquiring Fund will be able to engage in derivatives transactions.
In addition to the investments described above, prospective shareholders should be aware that other investments made by the Acquiring Fund may involve complex tax rules that may result in income or gain recognition by the Acquiring Fund without corresponding current cash receipts. Although the Acquiring Fund seeks to avoid significant non-cash income, such non-cash income could be recognized by the Acquiring Fund, in which case the Acquiring Fund may have to distribute cash derived from other sources in order to meet the minimum distribution requirements described above. In this regard, the Acquiring Fund could be required at times to liquidate investments prematurely in order to satisfy its minimum distribution requirements.
Taxation of Distributions. Distributions paid out of the Acquiring Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits (as determined at the end of the year), whether paid in cash or reinvested in the Acquiring Fund, generally are deemed to be taxable distributions and must be reported by each shareholder who is required to file a U.S. federal income tax return. Dividends and other distributions on the Acquiring Fund’s shares generally are subject to U.S. federal income tax as described herein to the extent they do not exceed a Fund’s realized income and gains, even though such dividends and other distributions may economically represent a return of a particular shareholder’s investment. Such distributions are likely to occur in respect of shares acquired at a time when the Acquiring Fund’s net asset value reflects gains that are either unrealized, or realized but not distributed. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Acquiring Fund’s earnings and profits, described above, are determined at the end of the Acquiring Fund’s taxable year and are allocated pro rata to distributions paid over the entire year. Distributions in excess of the Acquiring Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will first be treated as a return of capital up to the amount of a shareholder’s tax basis in the shareholder’s Acquiring Fund shares and then as capital gain. The Acquiring Fund may make distributions in excess of its earnings and profits, from time to time.
For U.S. federal income tax purposes, distributions of net investment income generally are taxable as ordinary income, and distributions of net gains from the sale of investments that the Acquiring Fund owned for one year or less will be taxable as ordinary income. Distributions properly reported in writing by the Acquiring Fund as capital gain dividends will be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gain (to the extent such distributions do not exceed the Acquiring Fund’s net capital gain for the taxable year), regardless of how long a shareholder has held Acquiring Fund shares, and do not qualify as dividends for purposes of the dividends-received deduction or as qualified dividend income. Each Acquiring Fund will report capital gain dividends, if any, in a written statement furnished to its shareholders after the close of the Acquiring Fund’s taxable year.
Some states will not tax distributions made to individual shareholders that are attributable to interest the Acquiring Fund earned on direct obligations of the U.S. government if the Acquiring Fund meets the state’s minimum investment or reporting requirements, if any. Investments in GNMA or FNMA securities, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities generally do not qualify for state tax-free treatment. This exemption may not apply to corporate shareholders.
Sales and Exchanges of Acquiring Fund Shares. If a shareholder sells, pursuant to a cash or in-kind redemption, or exchanges the shareholder’s Acquiring Fund shares, subject to the discussion below, the shareholder generally will recognize a taxable capital gain or loss on the difference between the amount received for shares (or deemed received in the case of an exchange) and the shareholder’s tax basis in the shares. This gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shareholder has held the Acquiring Fund shares for more than one year at the time of the sale or exchange, and short-term otherwise.
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If a shareholder sells or exchanges Acquiring Fund shares within 90 days of having acquired such shares and if, before January 31 of the calendar year following the calendar year of the sale or exchange, as a result of having initially acquired those shares, the shareholder subsequently pays a reduced sales charge on a new purchase of shares of the Acquiring Fund or a different RIC, the sales charge previously incurred in acquiring the Acquiring Fund’s shares generally shall not be taken into account (to the extent the previous sales charges do not exceed the reduction sales charges on the new purchase) for the purpose of determining the amount of gain or loss on the disposition, but generally will be treated as having been incurred in the new purchase. Also, if a shareholder recognizes a loss on a disposition of Acquiring Fund shares, the loss will be disallowed under the “wash sale” rules to the extent the shareholder purchases substantially identical shares (including through dividend reinvestment) within the 61 day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition. Any disallowed loss generally will be reflected in an adjustment to the tax basis of the purchased shares.
If a shareholder receives a capital gain dividend with respect to the Acquiring Fund share and the Acquiring Fund share is held for six months or less, then (unless otherwise disallowed) any loss on the sale or exchange of that Acquiring Fund share will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of the capital gain dividend. If such loss is incurred from the redemption of shares pursuant to a periodic redemption plan then U.S. Treasury regulations may permit an exception to this six-month rule. No such regulations have been issued as of the date of this prospectus/proxy statement.
U.S. Federal Income Tax Rates. Non-corporate Acquiring Fund shareholders (i.e., individuals, trusts and estates) are taxed at a maximum rate of 37% on ordinary income and 20% on long-term capital gain.
The flat corporate U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to ordinary income and net capital gain is 21%. Actual marginal tax rates may be higher for some shareholders, for example, through reductions in deductions. Distributions from the Acquiring Fund may qualify for the “dividends-received deduction” applicable to corporate shareholders with respect to certain dividends. Naturally, the amount of tax payable by any taxpayer will be affected by a combination of tax laws covering, for example, deductions, credits, deferrals, exemptions, sources of income and other matters.
In addition, noncorporate Acquiring Fund shareholders generally will be subject to an additional 3.8% tax on their “net investment income,” which ordinarily includes taxable distributions received from the Acquiring Fund and taxable gain on the disposition of Acquiring Fund shares, or, if less, the excess of the shareholder’s “modified adjusted gross income” over $250,000 for married persons filing jointly and $200,000 for single taxpayers.
A U.S. withholding tax at a 30% rate, or lower rate provided under an applicable income tax treaty, will be imposed on dividends and proceeds of redemptions in respect of Acquiring Fund shares received by Acquiring Fund shareholders who own their shares through foreign accounts or foreign intermediaries if certain disclosure requirements related to U.S. accounts or ownership are not satisfied. The Acquiring Fund will not pay any additional amounts in respect of many amounts withheld.
Acquiring Fund shareholders are advised to discuss with their own tax advisers or financial planners tax rates and withholding taxes imposed upon them.
Backup Withholding. The Acquiring Fund generally is required to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury, subject to certain exemptions (such as for certain corporate or foreign shareholders), an amount equal to 24% of all distributions and redemption proceeds (including proceeds from exchanges and redemptions in-kind) paid or credited to the Acquiring Fund shareholder if (i) the shareholder fails to furnish the Acquiring Fund with a correct “taxpayer identification number” (“TIN”), (ii) the shareholder fails to certify under penalties of perjury that the TIN provided is correct, (iii) the shareholder fails to make certain other certifications, or (iv) the IRS notifies the Acquiring Fund that the shareholder’s TIN is incorrect or that the shareholder is otherwise subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax imposed on a shareholder. A shareholder may apply amounts withheld as a credit against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld, provided that the required information is furnished to the IRS. If a shareholder fails to furnish a valid TIN upon request, the shareholder can also be subject to IRS penalties. A shareholder generally may avoid backup withholding by furnishing a properly completed IRS Form W-9.
Foreign Shareholders. For purposes of this discussion, “foreign shareholders” include: (i) nonresident alien individuals, (ii) foreign trusts (i.e., a trust other than a trust with respect to which a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over administration of that trust and one or more U.S. persons have authority to control substantial decisions of that trust), (iii) foreign estates (i.e., the income of which is not subject to U.S. tax regardless of source), and (iv) foreign corporations.
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Generally, distributions made to foreign shareholders will be subject to non-refundable, U.S. federal income tax withholding at a 30% rate (or lower rate provided under an applicable income tax treaty) even if they are funded by income or gains (such as foreign-source dividend and interest income) that, if paid to a foreign person directly, would not be subject to such withholding. The Acquiring Fund could report in writing to its shareholders distributions to foreign shareholders that would not be subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding, if the distributions were attributable to “portfolio interest” from U.S. sources or short-term capital gain and certain other requirements were met. However, the Acquiring Fund cannot provide any assurance that it will make any such designations.
Capital gain distributions and gains recognized by a foreign shareholder on the redemption of Acquiring Fund shares generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding, provided that certain requirements are satisfied.
The 30% (or lower treaty rate) withholding tax described above will be imposed on dividends on, and the gross proceeds of dispositions of, Acquiring Fund shares paid to foreign shareholders unless various information reporting requirements are satisfied. Such withholding tax will generally apply to non-U.S. financial institutions, which generally are defined for this purpose as non-U.S. entities that (i) accept deposits in the ordinary course of a banking or similar business, (ii) are engaged in the business of holding financial assets for the account of others, or (iii) are engaged or hold themselves out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting, or trading in securities, partnership interests, commodities, or any interest in such assets. Prospective foreign shareholders are encouraged to consult their tax advisers regarding the implications of this withholding tax on their investment in the Acquiring Fund.
Before investing in the Acquiring Fund’s shares, a prospective foreign shareholder should consult with its own tax advisers, including whether the shareholder’s investment can qualify for benefits under an applicable income tax treaty.
Tax-Deferred Plans. Shares of the Acquiring Fund may be available for a variety of tax-deferred retirement and other tax-advantaged plans and accounts. Prospective investors should contact their tax advisers and financial planners regarding the tax consequences to them of holding Acquiring Fund shares through such plans and/or accounts.
Tax Shelter Reporting Regulations. Generally, under U.S. Treasury regulations, if an individual shareholder recognizes a loss of $2 million or more, or if a corporate shareholder recognizes a loss of $10 million or more, with respect to shares, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of securities are in many cases exempt from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC are not exempt. Future guidance may extend the current exemption from this reporting requirement to shareholders of most or all RICs. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.
New Tax Legislation. On December 22, 2017, new tax legislation was enacted which includes significant changes in tax rates, restrictions on miscellaneous itemized deductions, changes to the dividends received deduction, restrictions on the deduction of interest and the international operations of domestic businesses. Certain changes have sunset provisions, which are important to note. Because the tax legislation is recently enacted and additional guidance is forthcoming, there is still uncertainty in how the legislation will affect the Fund’s investments and shareholders and whether such legislation could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s investments or the taxation of the shareholders of the Fund. Shareholders are urged and advised to consult their own tax advisor with respect to the impact of this legislation.
Legislative and Administrative Proposals. Prospective shareholders should recognize that the present U.S. federal income tax treatment of the Acquiring Fund and its shareholders may be modified by legislative, judicial or administrative actions at any time, which may be retroactive in effect. The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by Congress, the IRS and the Treasury Department, and statutory changes as well as promulgation of new regulations, revisions to existing statutes, and revised interpretations of established concepts occur frequently. You should consult your tax advisers and financial planners concerning the status of legislative and administrative proposals that may pertain to holding Acquiring Fund shares.
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SHARE CLASS ELIGIBILITY
Class A and Class C shares are generally available through an intermediary with a minimum initial purchase amount of $1,000. The minimum investment amount for additional purchases is $100. Certain types of accounts may be subject to lower investment minimums.
Administrator Class shares are generally available through intermediaries for the accounts of their customers and directly to institutional investors and individuals. Institutional investors may include corporations; private banks; trust companies; endowments and foundations; defined contribution, defined benefit and other employer sponsored retirement plans; institutional retirement plan platforms; insurance companies; registered investment advisor firms; bank trusts; 529 college savings plans; family offices; and funds of funds, including those managed by Funds Management. The following investors may purchase Administrator Class shares and are not subject to a minimum initial investment amount except, as noted below:
■ | Employee benefit plan programs; |
■ | Broker-dealer managed account or wrap programs that charge an asset-based fee; |
■ | Registered investment adviser mutual fund wrap programs or other accounts that charge a fee for advisory, investment, consulting or similar services; |
■ | Private bank and trust company managed accounts or wrap programs that charge an asset-based fee; |
■ | Internal Revenue Code Section 529 college savings plan accounts; |
■ | Funds of funds, including those advised by Funds Management; |
■ | Investment Management and Trust Departments of Wells Fargo & Company purchasing shares on behalf of their clients; |
■ | Endowments, non-profits, and charitable organizations who invest a minimum initial investment amount of $500,000 in a Fund; |
■ | Any other institutions or customers of intermediaries who invest a minimum initial investment amount of $1 million in a Fund; |
■ | Individual investors who invest a minimum initial investment amount of $1 million directly in a Fund; and |
■ | Certain investors and related accounts as detailed in the Statement of Additional Information. |
Eligibility requirements for Administrator Class shares may be modified or discontinued at any time.
Institutional Class shares are generally available through intermediaries for the accounts of their customers and directly to institutional investors and individuals. Institutional investors may include corporations; private banks; trust companies; endowments and foundations; defined contribution, defined benefit and other employer sponsored retirement plans; institutional retirement plan platforms; insurance companies; registered investment advisor firms; bank trusts; 529 college savings plans; family offices; and funds of funds, including those managed by Funds Management. The following investors may purchase Institutional Class shares and are not subject to a minimum initial investment amount except as noted below:
■ | Employee benefit plan programs; |
■ | Broker-dealer managed account or wrap programs that charge an asset-based fee; |
■ | Registered investment adviser mutual fund wrap programs or other accounts that charge a fee for advisory, investment, consulting or similar services; |
■ | Private bank and trust company managed accounts or wrap programs that charge an asset-based fee; |
■ | Internal Revenue Code Section 529 college savings plan accounts; |
■ | Funds of funds, including those advised by Funds Management; |
■ | Investment Management and Trust Departments of Wells Fargo & Company purchasing shares on behalf of their clients; |
■ | Endowments, non-profits, and charitable organizations who invest a minimum initial investment amount of $500,000 in a Fund; |
■ | Any other institutions or customers of intermediaries who invest a minimum initial investment amount of $1 million in a Fund; |
■ | Individual investors who invest a minimum initial investment amount of $1 million directly in a Fund; and |
■ | Certain investors and related accounts as detailed in the Statement of Additional Information. |
■ | Investors purchasing shares through an intermediary, acting solely as a broker on behalf of its customers, that holds |
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such shares in an omnibus account and charges investors a transaction based commission outside of the Fund. In order to offer Fund shares, an intermediary must have an agreement with the Fund’s distributor authorizing the use of the share class within this type of platform. |
Eligibility requirements for Institutional Class shares may be modified or discontinued at any time.
Class R6 shares are generally available for employer sponsored retirement and benefit plans and through intermediaries for the accounts of their customers to certain institutional and fee-based investors, and in each case, only if a dealer agreement is in place with Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC to offer Class R6 shares. The following investors may purchase Class R6 shares:
■ | Employer sponsored retirement plans held in plan level or omnibus accounts, including but not limited to: 401(k) plans, 457 plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans, target benefit plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans; |
■ | Employee benefit plan programs; |
■ | Broker-dealer managed account or wrap programs that charge an asset-based fee where omnibus accounts are held on the books of the Fund; |
■ | Registered investment adviser mutual fund wrap programs or other accounts that charge a fee for advisory, investment, consulting or similar services where omnibus accounts are held on the books of the Fund; |
■ | Private bank and trust company managed accounts or wrap programs that charge an asset-based fee; |
■ | Funds of funds, including those advised by Funds Management; |
■ | Institutional investors purchasing shares through an intermediary where omnibus accounts are held on the books of the Fund including trust departments, insurance companies, foundations, local, city, and state governmental institutions, private banks, endowments, non-profits, and charitable organizations. |
■ | Investors purchasing shares through an intermediary, acting solely as a broker on behalf of its customers, that holds such shares in an omnibus account and charges investors a transaction based commission outside of the Fund. In order to offer Fund shares, an intermediary must have an agreement with the Fund’s distributor authorizing the use of the share class within this type of platform. |
The information in this Prospectus is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any non-U.S. jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to any law or regulation, or which would subject Fund shares to any registration requirement within such jurisdiction or country.
The following is a summary description of the share classes of the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund involved in the Merger.
Class A | Class C | Class R6 | Administrator Class | Institutional Class | |
Front-End Sales Charge | 5.75% | None | None | None | None |
Contingent Deferred Sales Charge (CDSC) | None (except that if you redeem Class A shares purchased at or above the $1,000,000 break point level within eighteen months from the date ofpurchase, you will pay a CDSC of 1.00%) | 1.00% if shares are sold within one year from the date of purchase | None | None | None |
Ongoing Distribution (12b-1) Fees | None | 0.75% | None | None | None |
Shareholder Servicing Fee | 0.25% | 0.25% | None | 0.25% | None |
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Class A | Class C | Class R6 | Administrator Class | Institutional Class | |
Purchase Maximum | None | Not to equal or exceed $1,000,000 | None | None | None |
Annual Expenses | Lower ongoing expenses than Class C | Higher ongoing expenses than Class A because of 12b-1 fees | N/A | NA | NA |
Conversion Feature | None | Yes. Converts to Class A shares after 10 years (8 years beginning November 5, 2020) | None | None | None |
CLASS A SHARES SALES CHARGES
If you choose to buy Class A shares, you will pay the public offering price which is the net asset value (NAV) plus the applicable sales charge. Since sales charges are reduced for Class A share purchases above certain dollar amounts, known as “breakpoint levels,” the public offering price is lower for these purchases. The dollar amount of the sales charge is the difference between the public offering price of the shares purchased (based on the applicable sales charge in the table below) and the NAV of those shares. As described below, existing holdings may count towards meeting the breakpoint level applicable to an additional purchase. Because of rounding in the calculation of the public offering price, the actual sales charge you pay may be more or less than that calculated using the percentages shown below.
Class A Sales Charge Schedule | |||
Amount of Purchase | Front-end Sales | Front-end Sales | Commission Paid to |
Less than $50,000 | 5.75% | 6.10% | 5.00% |
$50,000 but less than $100,000 | 4.75% | 4.99% | 4.00% |
$100,000 but less than $250,000 | 3.75% | 3.90% | 3.00% |
$250,000 but less than $500,000 | 2.75% | 2.83% | 2.25% |
$500,000 but less than $1,000,000 | 2.00% | 2.04% | 1.75% |
$1,000,000 and over | 0.00%1 | 0.00% | 1.00%2 |
1. | If you redeem Class A shares purchased at or above the $1,000,000 breakpoint level within eighteen months from the date of purchase, you will pay a CDSC of 1.00% of the NAV of the shares on the date of original purchase. Certain exceptions apply (see “CDSC Waivers”). |
2. | The commission paid to an Intermediary on purchases above the $1,000,000 breakpoint level includes an advance of the first year’s shareholder servicing fee. |
CLASS C SHARES SALES CHARGES
If you choose Class C shares, you buy them at NAV and the Fund’s distributor pays sales commissions of up to 1.00% of the purchase price to the intermediary. These commissions include an advance of the first year’s distribution and shareholder servicing fee. If you redeem your shares within one year from the date of purchase, you will pay a CDSC of 1.00%. The CDSC percentage you pay is applied to the NAV of the shares on the date of original purchase. To determine whether the CDSC applies to a redemption, the Fund will first redeem shares acquired by reinvestment of any distributions and then will redeem shares in the order in which they were purchased (such that shares held the longest are redeemed first). You will not be assessed a CDSC on Class C shares you redeem that were purchased with reinvested distributions. Class C share exchanges will not trigger a CDSC and the new shares received in the exchange will continue to age according to the original shares’ CDSC schedule and will be charged the CDSC applicable to the original shares upon redemption.
CLASS C SHARES CONVERSION FEATURE
Class C shares will convert automatically into Class A shares eight years after the initial date of purchase or, if you acquired your Class C shares through an exchange or conversion from another share class, eight years after the date you acquired your Class C shares. When Class C shares that you acquired through a purchase or exchange convert, any other Class C
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shares that you purchased with reinvested distributions also will convert into Class A shares on a pro rata basis. A shorter holding period may also apply depending on your intermediary - please see Appendix A—Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers for Certain Intermediaries for further information.
REDUCTIONS AND WAIVERS OF SALES CHARGES
Class A and Class C: Front-End Sales Charge Reductions
You may be eligible for a reduction in the front-end sales charge applicable to purchases of Class A shares under the following circumstances:
■ | You pay a lower sales charge if you are investing an amount over a breakpoint level. See “Class A Shares Sales Charges” above. |
■ | By signing a Letter of Intent (LOI) prior to purchase, you pay a lower sales charge now in exchange for promising to invest an amount over a specified breakpoint level within the next 13 months in one or more Wells Fargo Funds. Purchases made prior to signing the LOI as well as reinvested dividends and capital gains do not count as purchases made during this period. We will hold in escrow shares equal to approximately 5% of the amount you say you intend to buy. If you do not invest the amount specified in the LOI before the expiration date, we will redeem enough escrowed shares to pay the difference between the reduced sales charge you paid and the sales charge you should have paid. Otherwise, we will release the escrowed shares to you when you have invested the agreed upon amount. |
■ | Rights of Accumulation (ROA) allow you to aggregate Class A, Class A2, and Class C shares of any Wells Fargo Fund already owned (excluding Wells Fargo money market fund shares, unless you notify us that you previously paid a sales charge on those assets) in order to reach breakpoint levels and to qualify for sales charge reductions on subsequent purchases of Class A shares. The purchase amount used in determining the sales charge on your purchase will be calculated by multiplying the maximum public offering price by the number of Class A, Class A2 and Class C shares of any Wells Fargo Fund already owned and adding the dollar amount of your current purchase. The following table provides information about the types of accounts that can and cannot be aggregated to qualify for sales charge reductions: |
Can this type of account be aggregated? | Yes | No |
Individual accounts | ✔ | |
Joint accounts | ✔ | |
UGMA/UTMA accounts | ✔ | |
Trust accounts over which the shareholder has individual or shared authority | ✔ | |
Solely owned business accounts | ✔ | |
Traditional and Roth IRAs | ✔ | |
SEP IRAs | ✔ | |
SIMPLE IRAs1 | ✔ | |
Group Retirement Plans | ✔ |
1. | SIMPLE IRAs established using Wells Fargo Funds plan agreements may aggregate at the plan level for purposes of establishing eligibility for sales charge reductions. When plan assets in a Fund’s Class A and Class C shares (excluding Wells Fargo money market fund shares) reach a breakpoint level, all plan participants benefit from the reduced sales charge on subsequent purchases in the plan. However, participant accounts in these plans cannot be aggregated with personal accounts to further reduce sales charges. Other types of SIMPLE IRAs may not aggregate at the plan level for purposes of establishing eligibility for sales charge reductions on subsequent purchases in the plan but plan participants may aggregate their SIMPLE IRA accounts with other personal accounts in order to benefit from sales charge reductions. |
Based on the above chart, if you believe that you own shares in one or more accounts that can be aggregated with your current purchase to reach a sales charge breakpoint level, you must, at the time of your purchase specifically identify those shares to your financial professional or the Fund’s transfer agent. Only balances currently held entirely either in accounts with the Funds or, if held in an account through an intermediary, at the same firm through which you are making your current purchase, will be eligible to be aggregated with your current purchase for determining your Class A sales charge. For an account to qualify for a sales charge reduction, it must be registered in the name of, or held for, the shareholder, his or her spouse or domestic partner, as recognized by applicable state law, or his or her children under the age of 21. Class A shares purchased at NAV will not be aggregated with other shares for purposes of receiving a sales charge reduction.
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CLASS A AND CLASS C: FRONT-END SALES CHARGE WAIVERS
If you fall into any of the following categories, you can buy Class A shares without a front-end sales charge:
■ | You pay no sales charges on Fund shares you buy with reinvested distributions. |
■ | You pay no sales charges on Fund shares you purchase with the proceeds of a redemption of Class A shares of the same Fund within 90 days of the date of redemption. The purchase must be made back into the same account. Subject to the Fund’s policy regarding frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares, you may not be able to exercise this provision for the first 30 days after your redemption. Systematic transactions through the automatic investment plan, the automatic exchange plan and the systematic withdrawal plan are excluded from these provisions. |
■ | Current and retired employees, directors/trustees and officers of: |
• | Wells Fargo Funds (including any predecessor funds); |
• | Wells Fargo & Company and its affiliates; and |
• | family members (spouse, domestic partner, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren and siblings (including step and in-law)) of any of the foregoing. |
■ | Current employees of: |
• | the Fund’s transfer agent; |
• | broker-dealers who act as selling agents; |
• | family members (spouse, domestic partner, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren and siblings (including step and in-law)) of any of the foregoing; and |
• | a Fund’s sub-adviser(s), but only for the Fund(s) for which such sub-adviser provides investment advisory services. |
■ | Qualified registered investment advisers who buy through an intermediary who has entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor that allows for load-waived Class A purchases. |
■ | Insurance company separate accounts. |
■ | Funds of Funds, subject to review and approval by Funds Management. |
■ | Group employer-sponsored retirement and deferred compensation plans and group employer-sponsored employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans. Traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, SEPs, SARSEPs, SIMPLE IRAs, Keogh plans, individual 401(k) plans, individual 403(b) plans as well as shares held in commission-based broker-dealer accounts do not qualify under this waiver. |
■ | Investors who purchase shares that are to be included in certain “wrap accounts,” including such specified investors who trade through an omnibus account maintained with a Fund by an intermediary. |
■ | Investors who purchase shares through a self-directed brokerage account program offered by an intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor. Intermediaries offering such programs may or may not charge transaction fees. |
■ | Investors opening IRA accounts with assets directly transferred from a qualified retirement plan using Wells Fargo Institutional Retirement Trust or another Wells Fargo affiliate for recordkeeping services. For such IRAs to qualify, a Wells Fargo-affiliated entity must hold the account directly on the books of the Fund’s transfer agent, and the services of another intermediary may not be utilized with respect to the IRA. |
CLASS A AND CLASS C: CDSC WAIVERS
■ | You will not be assessed a CDSC on Fund shares you redeem that were purchased with reinvested distributions. |
■ | We waive the CDSC for all redemptions made because of scheduled (Internal Revenue Code Section 72(t)(2) withdrawal schedule) or required minimum distributions (withdrawals generally made after age 70½ for shareholders that reached age 70½ on or before December 31, 2019 and withdrawals generally made after age 72 for shareholders that reach age 70½ after December 31, 2019 according to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidelines) from traditional IRAs and certain other retirement plans. (See your retirement plan information for details or contact your retirement plan administrator.) |
■ | We waive the CDSC for redemptions made in the event of the last surviving shareholder’s death or for a disability suffered after purchasing shares. (“Disabled” is defined in Internal Revenue Code Section 72(m)(7).) |
■ | We waive the CDSC for redemptions made at the direction of Funds Management in order to, for example, complete a merger or effect a Fund liquidation. |
■ | We waive the CDSC for Class C shares redeemed by employer-sponsored retirement plans where the dealer of record waived its commission at the time of purchase. |
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COMPENSATION TO FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS AND INTERMEDIARIES
DISTRIBUTION PLAN
The Acquiring Fund has adopted a distribution plan (12b-1 Plan) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), for the classes indicated below. The 12b-1 Plan authorizes the Acquiring Fund to make payments for services and activities that are primarily intended to result in the sale of Acquiring Fund shares and to reimburse expenses incurred in connection with such services and activities. The 12b-1 Plan provides that, to the extent any shareholder servicing payments are deemed to be payments for the financing of any activity primarily intended to result in the sale of Acquiring Fund shares, such payments are deemed to have been approved under the 12b-1 Plan. Under the 12b-1 Plan, fees are paid up to the following amounts:
Fund | Class C |
International Equity Fund | 0.75% |
These fees are paid out of the relevant Class’s assets on an ongoing basis. Over time, these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than other types of sales charges.
SHAREHOLDER SERVICING PLAN
The Acquiring Fund has adopted a shareholder servicing plan (“Servicing Plan”). The Servicing Plan authorizes the Acquiring Fund to enter into agreements with the Acquiring Fund’s distributor, manager, or any of their affiliates to provide or engage other entities to provide certain shareholder services, including establishing and maintaining shareholder accounts, processing and verifying purchase, redemption and exchange transactions, and providing such other shareholder liaison or related services as may reasonably be requested. Under the Servicing Plan, fees are paid up to the following amounts:
Fund | Class A | Class C | Class R6 | Administrator Class | Institutional Class |
International Equity Fund | 0.25% | 0.25% | N/A | 0.25% | N/A |
ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS AND INTERMEDIARIES
In addition to dealer reallowances and payments made by certain classes of the Fund for distribution and shareholder servicing, the Fund’s manager, the distributor or their affiliates make additional payments (“Additional Payments”) to certain financial professionals and intermediaries for selling shares and providing shareholder services, which include broker-dealers and 401(k) service providers and record keepers. These Additional Payments, which may be significant, are paid by the Fund’s manager, the distributor or their affiliates, out of their revenues, which generally come directly or indirectly from Fund fees.
In return for these Additional Payments, the Fund’s manager and distributor expect the Fund to receive certain marketing or servicing considerations that are not generally available to mutual funds whose sponsors do not make such payments. Such considerations are expected to include, without limitation, placement of the Fund on a list of mutual funds offered as investment options to the intermediary’s clients (sometimes referred to as “Shelf Space”); access to the intermediary’s financial professionals; and/or the ability to assist in training and educating the intermediary’s financial professionals.
The Additional Payments may create potential conflicts of interest between an investor and a financial professional or intermediary who is recommending or making available a particular mutual fund over other mutual funds. Before investing, you should consult with your financial professional and review carefully any disclosure by the intermediary as to what compensation the intermediary receives from mutual fund sponsors, as well as how your financial professional is compensated.
The Additional Payments are typically paid in fixed dollar amounts, based on the number of customer accounts maintained by an intermediary, or based on a percentage of sales and/or assets under management, or a combination of the above. The Additional Payments are either up-front or ongoing or both and differ among intermediaries. In a given year, Additional Payments to an intermediary that is compensated based on its customers’ assets typically range between 0.02% and 0.25% of assets invested in a Fund by the intermediary’s customers. Additional Payments to an intermediary that is compensated based on a percentage of sales typically range between 0.10% and 0.25% of the gross sales of a Fund attributable to the financial intermediary.
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More information on the FINRA member firms that have received the Additional Payments described in this section is available in the Statement of Additional Information, which is on file with the SEC and is also available on the Wells Fargo Funds website at wfam.com.
BUYING AND SELLING FUND SHARES
For more information regarding buying and selling Fund shares, please visit wfam.com. You may buy (purchase) and sell (redeem) Fund shares as follows:
Opening an Account | Adding to an Account or Selling Fund Shares | |
Through Your Financial Professional | Contact your financial professional. | Contact your financial professional. |
Through Your Retirement Plan | Contact your retirement plan administrator. | Contact your retirement plan administrator. |
Online | New accounts cannot be opened online. Contact your financial professional or retirement plan administrator, or refer to the section on opening an account by mail. | Visit wfam.com. |
By Telephone | Call Investor Services at 1-800-222-8222. | Call Investor Services at 1-800-222-8222. |
By Mail | Complete an account application and submit it according to the instructions on the application. Account applications are available online at wfam.com or by calling Investor Services at 1-800-222-8222. | Send the items required under “Requests in Good Order” below to: Regular Mail Overnight Only |
Requests in “Good Order”. All purchase and redemption requests must be received in “good order.” This means that a request generally must include:
■ | The Fund name(s), share class(es) and account number(s); |
■ | The amount (in dollars or shares) and type (purchase or redemption) of the request; |
■ | If by mail, the signature of each registered owner as it appears in the account application; |
■ | For purchase requests, payment of the full amount of the purchase request (see “Payment” below); |
■ | For redemption requests, a Medallion Guarantee if required (see “Medallion Guarantee” below); and |
■ | Any supporting legal documentation that may be required. |
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Purchase and redemption requests in good order will be processed at the next NAV calculated after the Fund’s transfer agent or an authorized intermediary1 receives your request. If your request is not received in good order, additional documentation may be required to process your transaction. We reserve the right to waive any of the above requirements.
1. | The Fund’s shares may be purchased through an intermediary that has entered into a dealer agreement with the Fund’s distributor. The Fund has approved the acceptance of a purchase or redemption request effective as of the time of its receipt by such an authorized intermediary or its designee, as long as the request is received by one of those entities prior to the Fund’s closing time. These intermediaries may charge transaction fees. We reserve the right to adjust the closing time in certain circumstances. |
Medallion Guarantee. A Medallion Guarantee is only required for a mailed redemption request under the following circumstances: (1) if the address on your account was changed within the last 15 days; (2) if the amount of the redemption request exceeds $100,000 and is to be paid to a bank account that is not currently on file with Wells Fargo Funds or if all of the owners of your Wells Fargo Fund account are not included in the registration of the bank account provided; or (3) if the redemption request proceeds are to be paid to a third party. You can get a Medallion Guarantee at a financial institution such as a bank or brokerage house. We do not accept notarized signatures.
Payment. Payment for Fund shares may be made as follows:
By Wire | Purchases into a new or existing account may be funded by using the following wire instructions: |
By Check | Make checks payable to Wells Fargo Funds. |
By Exchange | Identify an identically registered Wells Fargo Fund account from which you wish to exchange (see “Exchanging Fund Shares” below for restrictions on exchanges). |
By Electronic Funds Transfer (“EFT”) | Additional purchases for existing accounts may be funded by EFT using your linked bank account. |
All payments must be in U.S. dollars, and all checks and EFTs must be drawn on U.S. banks. You will be charged a $25.00 fee for every check or EFT that is returned to us as unpaid.
Form of Redemption Proceeds. You may request that your redemption proceeds be sent to you by check, by EFT into a linked bank account, or by wire to a linked bank account. Please call Investor Services at 1-800-222-8222 regarding the requirements for linking bank accounts or for wiring funds. Under normal circumstances, we expect to meet redemption requests either by using uninvested cash or cash equivalents or by using the proceeds from the sale of portfolio securities, at the discretion of the portfolio manager(s). The Wells Fargo Funds may also borrow through a bank line of credit for the purpose of meeting redemption requests, although we do not expect to draw funds from this source on a regular basis. In lieu of making cash payments, we reserve the right to determine in our sole discretion, including under stressed market conditions, whether to satisfy one or more redemption requests by making payments in securities. In such cases, we may meet all or part of a redemption request by making payment in securities equal in value to the amount of the redemption payable to you as permitted under the 1940 Act, and the rules thereunder, in which case the redeeming shareholder should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of any securities received.
Timing of Redemption Proceeds. We normally will send out redemption proceeds within one business day after we accept your request to redeem. We reserve the right to delay payment for up to seven days. If you wish to redeem shares purchased by check, by EFT or through the Automatic Investment Plan within seven days of purchase, you may be asked to resubmit your redemption request if your payment has not yet cleared. Payment of redemption proceeds may be delayed for longer than seven days under extraordinary circumstances or as permitted by the SEC in order to protect remaining shareholders. Such extraordinary circumstances are discussed further in the Statement of Additional Information.
Retirement Plans and Other Products. If you purchased shares through a packaged investment product or retirement plan, read the directions for redeeming shares provided by the product or plan. There may be special requirements that supersede or are in addition to the requirements in this Prospectus.
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Exchanges between two funds involve two transactions: (1) the redemption of shares of one fund; and (2) the purchase of shares of another. In general, the same rules and procedures described in the Funds’ prospectuses under “Buying and Selling Fund Shares” apply to exchanges. There are, however, additional policies and considerations you should keep in mind while making or considering an exchange:
■ | In general, exchanges may be made between like share classes of any fund in the Wells Fargo Funds complex offered to the general public for investment (i.e., a fund not closed to new accounts), with the following exceptions: (1) Class A shares of non-money market funds may also be exchanged for Service Class shares of any retail or government money market fund; (2) Service Class shares may be exchanged for Class A shares of any non-money market fund; and (3) no exchanges are allowed into institutional money market funds. |
■ | If you make an exchange between Class A shares of a money market fund and Class A shares of a non-money market fund, you will buy the shares at the Public Offering Price of the new fund unless you are otherwise eligible to buy shares at NAV. |
■ | Same-fund exchanges between share classes are permitted subject to the following conditions: (1) the shareholder must meet the eligibility guidelines of the class being purchased in the exchange; (2) exchanges out of Class A and Class C shares would not be allowed if shares are subject to a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge (“CDSC”); and (3) for non-money market funds, in order to exchange into Class A shares, the shareholder must be able to qualify to purchase Class A shares at NAV based on current Prospectus guidelines. |
■ | An exchange request will be processed on the same business day, provided that both funds are open at the time the request is received. If one or both funds are closed, the exchange will be processed on the following business day. |
■ | You should carefully read the Prospectus for the Fund into which you wish to exchange. |
■ | Every exchange involves redeeming fund shares, which may produce a capital gain or loss for tax purposes. |
■ | If you are making an initial investment into a fund through an exchange, you must exchange at least the minimum initial investment amount for the new fund, unless your balance has fallen below that amount due to investment performance. |
■ | If you are making an additional investment into a fund that you already own through an exchange, you must exchange at least the minimum subsequent investment amount for the fund you are exchanging into. |
■ | Class C share exchanges will not trigger a CDSC. The new shares received in the exchange will continue to age according to the original shares’ CDSC schedule and will be charged the CDSC applicable to the original shares upon redemption. |
Generally, we will notify you at least 60 days in advance of any changes in the above exchange policies.
FREQUENT PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS OF FUND SHARES
Wells Fargo Funds reserves the right to reject any purchase or exchange order for any reason. If a shareholder redeems $20,000 or more (including redemptions that are part of an exchange transaction) from a Covered Fund, that shareholder is “blocked” from purchasing shares of that Covered Fund (including purchases that are part of an exchange transaction) for 30 calendar days after the redemption.
Excessive trading by Fund shareholders can negatively impact a Fund and its long-term shareholders in several ways, including disrupting Fund investment strategies, increasing transaction costs, decreasing tax efficiency, and diluting the value of shares held by long-term shareholders. Excessive trading in Fund shares can negatively impact a Fund’s long-term performance by requiring it to maintain more assets in cash or to liquidate portfolio holdings at a disadvantageous time. Certain Funds may be more susceptible than others to these negative effects. For example, Funds that have a greater percentage of their investments in non-U.S. securities may be more susceptible than other Funds to arbitrage opportunities resulting from pricing variations due to time zone differences across international financial markets. Similarly, Funds that have a greater percentage of their investments in small company securities may be more susceptible than other Funds to arbitrage opportunities due to the less liquid nature of small company securities. Both types of Funds also may incur higher transaction costs in liquidating portfolio holdings to meet excessive redemption levels. Fair value pricing may reduce these arbitrage opportunities, thereby reducing some of the negative effects of excessive trading.
Wells Fargo Funds, other than the Adjustable Rate Government Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Ultra Short-Term Income Fund and Ultra Short-Term Municipal Income Fund (“Ultra-Short Funds”) and the money market funds, (the “Covered Funds”). The Covered Funds are not designed to serve as vehicles for frequent trading. The
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Covered Funds actively discourage and take steps to prevent the portfolio disruption and negative effects on long-term shareholders that can result from excessive trading activity by Covered Fund shareholders. The Board has approved the Covered Funds’ policies and procedures, which provide, among other things, that Funds Management may deem trading activity to be excessive if it determines that such trading activity would likely be disruptive to a Covered Fund by increasing expenses or lowering returns. In this regard, the Covered Funds take steps to avoid accommodating frequent purchases and redemptions of shares by Covered Fund shareholders. Funds Management monitors available shareholder trading information across all Covered Funds on a daily basis. If a shareholder redeems $20,000 or more (including redemptions that are part of an exchange transaction) from a Covered Fund, that shareholder is “blocked” from purchasing shares of that Covered Fund (including purchases that are part of an exchange transaction) for 30 calendar days after the redemption. This policy does not apply to:
■ | Money market funds; |
■ | Ultra-Short Funds; |
■ | Dividend reinvestments; |
■ | Systematic investments or exchanges where the financial intermediary maintaining the shareholder account identifies the transaction as a systematic redemption or purchase at the time of the transaction; |
■ | Rebalancing transactions within certain asset allocation or “wrap” programs where the financial intermediary maintaining a shareholder account is able to identify the transaction as part of an asset allocation program approved by Funds Management; |
■ | Transactions initiated by a “fund of funds” or Section 529 Plan into an underlying fund investment; |
■ | Permitted exchanges between share classes of the same Fund; |
■ | Certain transactions involving participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans, including: participant withdrawals due to mandatory distributions, rollovers and hardships, withdrawals of shares acquired by participants through payroll deductions, and shares acquired or sold by a participant in connection with plan loans; and |
■ | Purchases below $20,000 (including purchases that are part of an exchange transaction). |
All Wells Fargo Funds. In addition, Funds Management reserves the right to accept purchases, redemptions and exchanges made in excess of applicable trading restrictions in designated accounts held by Funds Management or its affiliate that are used at all times exclusively for addressing operational matters related to shareholder accounts, such as testing of account functions, and are maintained at low balances that do not exceed specified dollar amount limitations.
In the event that an asset allocation or “wrap” program is unable to implement the policy outlined above, Funds Management may grant a program-level exception to this policy. A financial intermediary relying on the exception is required to provide Funds Management with specific information regarding its program and ongoing information about its program upon request.
A financial intermediary through whom you may purchase shares of the Fund may independently attempt to identify excessive trading and take steps to deter such activity. As a result, a financial intermediary may on its own limit or permit trading activity of its customers who invest in Fund shares using standards different from the standards used by Funds Management and discussed in this Prospectus. Funds Management may permit a financial intermediary to enforce its own internal policies and procedures concerning frequent trading rather than the policies set forth above in instances where Funds Management reasonably believes that the intermediary’s policies and procedures effectively discourage disruptive trading activity. If you purchase Fund shares through a financial intermediary, you should contact the intermediary for more information about whether and how restrictions or limitations on trading activity will be applied to your account.
The Target Fund generally makes distributions of any net investment income and any realized net capital gains at least annually. The Acquiring Fund generally distributes net investment income quarterly and realized net capital gains, if any, at least annually. Please note, distributions have the effect of reducing the NAV per share by the amount distributed.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of a single share. The NAV is calculated as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on each day that the NYSE is open, although the Fund may deviate from this calculation time under unusual or unexpected circumstances. The NAV is calculated separately for each class of shares of a multiple-class Fund. The most recent NAV for each class of a Fund is available at wfam.com. To
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calculate the NAV of the Fund’s shares, the Fund’s assets are valued and totaled, liabilities are subtracted, and the balance, called net assets, is divided by the number of shares outstanding. The price at which a purchase or redemption request is processed is based on the next NAV calculated after the request is received in good order. Generally, NAV is not calculated, and purchase and redemption requests are not processed, on days that the NYSE is closed for trading; however, under unusual or unexpected circumstances, the Fund may elect to remain open even on days that the NYSE is closed or closes early. To the extent that the Fund’s assets are traded in various markets on days when the Fund is closed, the value of the Fund’s assets may be affected on days when you are unable to buy or sell Fund shares. Conversely, trading in some of the Fund’s assets may not occur on days when the Fund is open.
With respect to any portion of the Fund’s assets that may be invested in other mutual funds, the value of the Fund’s shares is based on the NAV of the shares of the other mutual funds in which the Fund invests. The valuation methods used by mutual funds in pricing their shares, including the circumstances under which they will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing, are included in the prospectuses of such funds. To the extent the Fund invests a portion of its assets in non-registered investment vehicles, the Fund’s interests in the non-registered vehicles are fair valued at NAV.
With respect to the Fund’s assets invested directly in securities, the Fund’s investments are generally valued at current market prices. Equity securities, options and futures are generally valued at the official closing price or, if none, the last reported sales price on the primary exchange or market on which they are listed (closing price). Equity securities that are not traded primarily on an exchange are generally valued at the quoted bid price obtained from a broker-dealer.
Debt securities are valued at the evaluated bid price provided by an independent pricing service or, if a reliable price is not available, the quoted bid price from an independent broker-dealer.
We are required to depart from these general valuation methods and use fair value pricing methods to determine the values of certain investments if we believe that the closing price or the quoted bid price of a security, including a security that trades primarily on a foreign exchange, does not accurately reflect its current market value as of the time the Fund calculates its NAV. The closing price or the quoted bid price of a security may not reflect its current market value if, among other things, a significant event occurs after the closing price or quoted bid price are made available, but before the time as of which the Fund calculates its NAV, that materially affects the value of the security. We use various criteria, including a systemic evaluation of U.S. market moves after the close of foreign markets, in deciding whether a foreign security’s market price is still reliable and, if not, what fair market value to assign to the security. In addition, we use fair value pricing to determine the value of investments in securities and other assets, including illiquid securities, for which current market quotations or evaluated prices from a pricing service or broker-dealer are not readily available.
The fair value of the Fund’s securities and other assets is determined in good faith pursuant to policies and procedures adopted by the Fund’s Board of Trustees. In light of the judgment involved in making fair value decisions, there can be no assurance that a fair value assigned to a particular security is accurate or that it reflects the price that the Fund could obtain for such security if it were to sell the security at the time as of which fair value pricing is determined. Such fair value pricing may result in NAVs that are higher or lower than NAVs based on the closing price or quoted bid price. See the Statement of Additional Information for additional details regarding the determination of NAVs.
INFORMATION ON SHAREHOLDERS’ RIGHTS
FORM OF ORGANIZATION
The Funds are series of the Trust. The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered with the SEC under the 1940 Act, which continuously offers shares to the public. The Trust is organized as a Delaware statutory trust and is governed by the Declaration of Trust and applicable state and federal law.
CAPITALIZATION
The beneficial interests in the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund are represented by an unlimited number of transferable shares of beneficial interest. The Trust’s governing documents permit the Board to allocate shares into an unlimited number of series, and classes thereof, with rights determined by the Board, all without shareholder approval. Fractional shares may be issued by both the Target Fund and Acquiring Fund. The Target Fund’s and the Acquiring Fund’s shares represent equal proportionate interests in the assets belonging to the shares of the same class of that Fund. Except as otherwise required by the 1940 Act or other applicable law, shareholders of the Fund are entitled to receive dividends and other amounts as determined by the Board. Shareholders of the Target Fund and Acquiring Fund vote separately, by
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class, as to matters that affect only their particular class and, by Fund, as to matters, such as approval of or amendments to advisory or investment management agreements or proposed mergers, that affect only their particular Fund.
SHAREHOLDER LIABILITY
Under Delaware law, shareholders of a Delaware statutory trust are entitled to the same limitation of personal liability extended to stockholders of a Delaware corporation. Other than in a limited number of states, no such similar statutory or other authority limiting business trust shareholder liability exists. As a result, to the extent that the Trust or shareholders of the Trust are subject to the jurisdiction of a court that does not apply Delaware law, shareholders of the Trust may be subject to liability. To guard against this risk, the Declaration of Trust (a) provides that any written obligation of the Trust may contain a statement that such obligation may only be enforced against the assets of the Trust or the particular series in question and the obligation is not binding upon the shareholders of the Trust; however, the omission of such a disclaimer will not operate to create personal liability for any shareholder; and (b) provides for indemnification out of the Trust property of any shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust. Accordingly, the risk of a shareholder of the Trust incurring financial loss beyond that shareholder’s investment because of shareholder liability should be limited to circumstances in which: (i) the court refuses to apply Delaware law; (ii) no contractual limitation of liability was in effect; and (iii) the Trust itself is unable to meet its obligations.
SHAREHOLDER MEETING AND VOTING RIGHTS
Since the Target Fund and Acquiring Fund are both series of the Trust, the rights of the shareholders of each such Fund are identical. For further information, please see the section entitled “Capital Stock” in the Acquiring Fund’s SAI.
LIQUIDATION
In the event of the liquidation of the Acquiring or Target Funds, the shareholders would be entitled to receive, when and as declared by the Board, the excess of the assets belonging to such Fund and attributable to the class over the liabilities belonging to the Fund and attributable to the class. In either case, the assets so distributable to shareholders of the Fund will be distributed among the shareholders in proportion to the number of shares of the class of the Fund held by them and recorded on the books of the Fund.
LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION OF TRUSTEES
Under the Declaration of Trust, all persons contracting with or having any claim against the Trust or a particular series shall look only to the assets of the Trust or such series, respectively, for payment under such contract or claim; and the Trustees shall not be personally liable therefor. No Trustee shall be liable to the Trust or to any shareholder for any loss, damage or claim incurred by reason of any act performed or omitted by such Trustee in good faith on behalf of the Trust, a series or a class, and in a manner reasonably believed to be within the scope of authority conferred on such Trustee by the Declaration of Trust, except that a Trustee shall be liable for any loss, damage or claim incurred by reason of such Trustee’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office. Subject only to the express limitations in the 1940 Act, other applicable laws, and the Declaration of Trust, the Trust or the appropriate series shall indemnify each of its Trustees to the fullest extent permitted under the 1940 Act and other applicable laws. The Trust may also advance money for such litigation provided that the Trustee undertakes to repay the relevant Fund if his or her conduct is later determined to preclude indemnification and certain other conditions are met.
The foregoing is only a summary of certain characteristics of the operations of the Declaration of Trust and Delaware law and is not a complete description of those documents or law. Shareholders should refer to the provisions of the Trust Instrument and Delaware law directly for more complete information.
VOTING INFORMATION CONCERNING THE MEETING
SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION
This prospectus/proxy statement is being sent to shareholders of the Target Fund in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board, to be used at the Meeting to be held at 10:00 a.m., Pacific time, on March 10, 2021 at 525 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 and at any adjournments thereof. This prospectus/proxy statement, along with a Notice of the Meeting and a proxy card, is first being mailed to shareholders of the Target Fund in January 2021. Only
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shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 18, 2020, (the “Record Date”) are entitled to notice, and to vote at the Meeting or any adjournment(s) thereof. If you wish to participate in the Meeting, you may submit the proxy card included with this prospectus/proxy statement by mail, vote by other means, such as by telephone, or attend the Meeting in person. (See the back of this prospectus/proxy statement and the proxy card for voting instructions.) If you wish to attend the Meeting in person, please call 1-800-207-3156 for instructions.
You can vote by returning your properly executed proxy card in the envelope provided. When you complete and sign your proxy card, the proxies named will vote on your behalf at the Meeting (or any adjournments thereof) as you have indicated. If you return a properly executed proxy card, but no choice is specified, your shares will be voted FOR approval of the Plan. If any other matters are properly presented at the Meeting for action, the persons named as proxies will vote in accordance with the views of management of the Target Fund. If any other matters about which the Target Fund did not have timely notice properly come before the Meeting, authorization is given to the proxy holders to vote in accordance with the views of management of the Target Fund. Abstentions and “broker non-votes” (i.e., shares held by brokers or nominees as to which (i) instructions have not been received from the beneficial owners or the persons entitled to vote and (ii) the broker or nominee does not have discretionary voting power on a particular matter) will be counted as shares that are present and entitled to vote for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum, and will have the effect of a vote against the Plan. Any proposal for which sufficient favorable votes have been received by the time of the Meeting may be acted upon and considered final regardless of whether the Meeting is adjourned to permit additional solicitation with respect to any other proposal. In certain circumstances in which the Target Fund has received sufficient votes to approve a matter being recommended for approval by the Board, the Target Fund may request that brokers and nominees, in their discretion, withhold submission of broker non-votes in order to avoid the need for solicitation of additional votes in favor of the matter.
Shareholders may revoke a proxy prior to the Meeting by giving timely written notice of such revocation to the Trust at the address above, stating that the proxy is revoked, by submitting a subsequent proxy timely and in accordance with the methods prescribed by this prospectus/proxy statement, or by attending the Meeting and voting in person. Any shareholder who has returned a properly executed proxy card, including a broker who may hold shares on your behalf, has the right to revoke it at any time prior to its exercise by attending the Meeting and voting his or her shares in person, by submitting a letter of revocation to the Trust prior to the date of the Meeting, by submitting a later dated and properly executed proxy card to the Trust prior to the date of the Meeting, in accordance with the methods prescribed in this prospectus/proxy statement. Unless revoked, all valid proxies will be voted in accordance with the specifications thereon or, in the absence of such specifications, FOR approval of the Plan.
The Declaration of Trust states that one-third of the issued and outstanding shares of the Target Fund entitled to vote in person or by proxy at the Meeting shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at the Meeting. However, approval of a Merger requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Target Fund. A vote of the majority of the outstanding voting securities is defined in the 1940 Act as the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the voting securities present at the Meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of your Target Fund are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of your Target Fund.
In voting on the Plan, each share of the Target Fund will be entitled to one vote, and each fractional share will be entitled to a proportionate fractional vote.
Proxy solicitations will be made primarily by mail, but proxy solicitations may also be made by telephone, through the Internet or personal solicitations conducted by officers and employees of AST Fund Solutions, LLC, its affiliates or other representatives of the Target Fund (who will not be paid for their soliciting activities). In addition, AST Fund Solutions, LLC, the Funds’ proxy solicitor, may make proxy solicitations and will receive compensation for seeking shareholder votes and answering shareholder questions in an amount estimated to be $30,000 with respect to the proposals covered by this prospectus/proxy statement. That cost and other expenses of the Meeting and the Merger will be paid by the Funds.
In the event a quorum is not present at the Meeting or in the event that a quorum is present but sufficient votes to approve a proposal are not received, the persons named as proxies may propose one or more adjournments of the Meeting to permit further solicitation of proxies. The persons named as proxies will vote in favor of adjournment those proxies that they are entitled to vote in favor of the relevant proposal. They will vote against any such adjournment those proxies required to be voted against such proposal. The Meeting, whether or not a quorum is present, may be adjourned from time to time by the vote of a majority of the shares of the Target Fund represented at the Meeting, either in person or by proxy. Abstentions and broker non-votes will not be voted on a motion to adjourn.
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A shareholder who objects to the proposed Merger will not be entitled under either Delaware law or the Declaration of Trust to demand payment for, or an appraisal of, his or her shares. However, shareholders should be aware that the Merger as proposed is not expected to result directly in recognition of gain or loss to shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes and that, if the Merger is consummated, shareholders will be free to redeem the shares of the Acquiring Fund which they receive in the transaction at their then-current net asset value. Shares of the Target Fund may be redeemed at any time prior to the consummation of its Merger. Shareholders of the Target Fund may wish to consult their own tax advisers and financial planners as to any differing consequences of redeeming Target Fund shares prior to the Merger or exchanging such shares in the Merger.
If the Target Fund’s shareholders do not vote to approve the Merger, the Board may consider other possible courses of action for the Target Fund, including liquidation.
The votes of the shareholders of the Acquiring Fund are not being solicited by this prospectus/proxy statement and are not required to carry out the Merger.
NOTICE TO BANKS, BROKER-DEALERS AND VOTING TRUSTEES AND THEIR NOMINEES. Please advise the Target Fund whether other persons are beneficial owners of shares for which proxies are being solicited and, if so, the number of copies of this prospectus/proxy statement needed to supply copies to the beneficial owners of the respective shares.
The number of shares of the Target Fund outstanding as of the Record Date was as follows:
Class of Shares | Number of Shares Outstanding and Entitled to Vote |
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | |
Class A | 3,654,925 |
Class C | 28,647 |
Class R6 | 750,317 |
Administrator Class | 236,635 |
Institutional Class | 6,267,783 |
As of Record Date, the officers and Trustees of the Trust owned as a group less than 1% of the outstanding shares of any class of the Fund. Except as noted below in the table, to the Fund’s knowledge, no persons owned of record 5% or more of any class of shares of the Fund. No person is reflected on the books and records of the Funds as owning beneficially 5% or more of any shares of the Funds as of Record Date. Any shareholder who holds beneficially 25% or more of the outstanding common shares of a Fund may be deemed to control the Fund until such time as it holds beneficially less than 25% of the outstanding common shares of the Fund. Any shareholder controlling a Fund may be able to determine the outcome of issues that are submitted to shareholders for vote, including the vote to approve the Plan, and may be able to take action regarding the Fund without the consent or approval of the other shareholders.
Name and Address of Shareholders | Class | Number of | Percentage of | Percentage of |
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | ||||
National Financial Services LLC For | A | 3,137,243.823 | 85.84% | 36.08% |
Great-West Trust Company LLC | A | 261,867.142 | 7.16% | 3.01% |
American Enterprise Investment Svc | C | 12,456.807 | 43.48% | 2.56% |
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Name and Address of Shareholders | Class | Number of | Percentage of | Percentage of |
Raymond James | C | 11,513.334 | 40.19% | 2.37% |
LPL Financial | C | 1,722.951 | 6.01% | 0.35% |
Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC | C | 1,658.928 | 5.79% | 0.34% |
Massachusetts Mutual Insurance Co | Administrator | 128,200.294 | 54.18% | 46.40% |
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC | Administrator | 16,742.281 | 7.08% | 6.06% |
Charles Schwab & Co Inc | Administrator | 13, 699.897 | 5.79% | 4.96% |
LPL Financial | Administrator | 13,278.452 | 5.61% | 4.81% |
Pershing LLC | Administrator | 12,885.241 | 5.45% | 4.66% |
National Financial Services LLC For | Administrator | 11,896.354 | 5.03% | 4.31% |
National Financial Services LLC For | Institutional | 2,795,238.260 | 44.60% | 21.27% |
American Enterprise Investment Svc | Institutional | 1,298,755.380 | 20.72% | 9.88% |
Raymond James | Institutional | 831,022.072 | 13.26% | 6.32% |
Great-West Trust Company LLC | R6 | 122,727.131 | 16.36% | 3.64% |
Mid Atlantic Trust Company | R6 | 46,633.728 | 6.22% | 1.38% |
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Name and Address of Shareholders | Class | Number of | Percentage of | Percentage of |
Wells Fargo International Equity Fund | ||||
Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC | A | 1,664,036.240 | 27.88% | 16.16% |
National Financial Services LLC For | A | 319,268.899 | 5.35% | 3.10% |
American Enterprise Investment Svc | A | 302,834.590 | 5.07% | 2.94% |
Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC | C | 164,554.966 | 30.83% | 29.02% |
American Enterprise Investment Svc | C | 122,747.346 | 23.00% | 21.65% |
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC | C | 67,532.379 | 12.65% | 11.91% |
Raymond James | C | 46,494.248 | 8.71% | 8.20% |
Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC | Administrator | 14,973.170 | 31.11% | 4.47% |
Pershing LLC | Administrator | 11,860.292 | 24.64% | 3.54% |
National Financial Services LLC For | Administrator | 5,388.405 | 11.20% | 1.61% |
MLPF&S | Administrator | 4,339.748 | 9.02% | 1.29% |
LPL Financial | Administrator | 4,129.695 | 8.58% | 1.23% |
Charles Schwab & Co Inc | Administrator | 3,724.130 | 7.74% | 1.11% |
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Name and Address of Shareholders | Class | Number of | Percentage of | Percentage of |
National Financial Services LLC For | Institutional | 2,971,075.435 | 36.56% | 19.12% |
American Enterprise Investment Svc | Institutional | 974,733.675 | 11.99% | 6.27% |
MLPF&S | Institutional | 869,358.106 | 10.70% | 5.60% |
Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC | Institutional | 788,427.298 | 9.70% | 5.07% |
Wells Fargo Bank NA | Institutional | 589,503.272 | 7.25% | 3.79% |
Talcott Resolution Life | R | 26,785.330 | 94.37% | 94.37% |
Wells Fargo Bank NA | R6 | 1,685,418.400 | 54.56% | 42.41% |
Comerica Bank | R6 | 1,325,991.621 | 42.93% | 33.36% |
The audited financial highlights of each Fund for the last five fiscal years are incorporated by reference from the applicable Fund’s prospectus.
The SAI incorporates by reference the following financial statements, including the financial highlights for the periods indicated therein and the reports thereon of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm to the Funds.
Fund Name | Financial Statements | Audited or Unaudited |
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | May 31, 2020 | Audited |
Wells Fargo International Equity Fund | October 31, 2019 | Audited |
The following tables set forth the capitalizations of the Target Fund, the Acquiring Fund and Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund, the fund described earlier in the section entitled “Overview” also proposed to merge into the Acquiring Fund, as of October 31, 2020 and the capitalization of the Acquiring Fund on a pro forma basis as of that date after giving effect to the proposed acquisition of assets at net asset value of the Target Fund and Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund. The pro forma data reflects an exchange ratio for each Class as listed in the table below.
Exchange Ratio | |
Wells Fargo International Value Fund |
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Exchange Ratio | |
Class A | 1.1563 |
Class C | 1.1389 |
Class R6 | 1.1528 |
Administrator Class | 1.1771 |
Institutional Class | 1.1624 |
Wells Fargo | Wells Fargo International Value Fund | Wells Fargo | Adjustments | Combined | |
Total Net Assets | |||||
Class A | $43,916,452 | $46,006,675 | $62,800,435 | $0 | $152,723,562 |
Class C | $682,489 | $375,461 | $5,793,585 | $0 | $6,851,535 |
Class R | N/A | N/A | $296,674 | $0 | $296,674 |
Class R6 | $23,251,364 | $8,085,694 | $32,010,743 | $0 | $63,347,801 |
Administrator Class | $4,014,036 | $1,920,078 | $86,051,805 | $0 | $91,985,919 |
Institutional Class | $10,777,888 | $77,490,122 | $589,239 | $0 | $88,857,249 |
Total | $82,642,229 | $133,878,030 | $187,542,481 | $0 | $404,062,740 |
Net Asset Value per Share | |||||
Class A | $11.50 | $12.06 | $10.43 | $0 | $10.43 |
Class C | $10.57 | $11.74 | $10.31 | $0 | $10.31 |
Class R | N/A | N/A | $10.65 | $0 | $10.65 |
Class R6 | $11.80 | $11.94 | $10.36 | $0 | $10.36 |
Administrator Class | $10.90 | $12.17 | $10.34 | $0 | $10.34 |
Institutional Class | $11.72 | $11.95 | $10.28 | $0 | $10.28 |
Total Shares Outstanding | |||||
Class A | 3,818,467 | 3,813,787 | 6,020,930 | 987,931 | 14,641,115 |
Class C | 64,548 | 31,982 | 562,045 | 6,104 | 664,679 |
Class R | N/A | N/A | 27,847 | 27,847 | |
Class R6 | 1,970,089 | 677,303 | 3,091,081 | 378,652 | 6,117,125 |
Administrator Class | 368,178 | 157,718 | 8,319,999 | 47,846 | 8,893,741 |
Institutional Class | 919,227 | 6,486,736 | 57,335 | 1,182,813 | 8,646,111 |
Total | 7,140,509 | 11,167,526 | 18,079,237 | 2,603,346 | 38,990,618 |
The Target Fund and Acquiring Fund are subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the 1940 Act, and in accordance therewith files reports and other information with the SEC.
These items can be inspected and copies may be obtained at prescribed rates at the Public Reference Facilities maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of such filings may be available at the following Commission regional offices: 3 World Financial Center, Suite 400, New York, NY 10281-1022; 33 Arch Street, 23rd Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1424; 701 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106-1532; 801 Brickell Ave., Suite 1800, Miami, FL 33131; 3475 Lenox Road, N.E., Suite 1000, Atlanta, GA 30326-1232; 175 W. Jackson Boulevard, Suite 900, Chicago, IL 60604; 1801 California Street, Suite 1500, Denver, CO 80202-2656; Burnett Plaza, Suite 1900, 801 Cherry Street, Unit 18, Fort Worth, TX 76102; 15 W. South Temple Street, Suite 1800, Salt Lake City, UT 84101; 5670 Wilshire Boulevard, 11th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90036-3648; and 44 Montgomery Street, Suite 2600, San Francisco, CA 94104.
Copies of such materials can also be obtained by mail from the Public Reference Branch, Office of Consumer Affairs and Informational Services, SEC, Washington, D.C. 20549 at prescribed rates or by calling 1-202-551-8090.
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR EXECUTING PROXY CARD
The following general rules for signing proxy cards may be of assistance to you and may help to avoid the time and expense involved in validating your vote if you fail to sign your proxy card properly.
1. INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTS: Sign your name exactly as it appears in the Registration on the proxy card.
2. JOINT ACCOUNTS: Either party may sign, but the name of the party signing should conform exactly to a name shown in the Registration on the proxy card.
3. ALL OTHER ACCOUNTS: The capacity of the individual signing the proxy card should be indicated unless it is reflected in the form of Registration. For example:
CORPORATE ACCOUNTS REGISTRATION | VALID SIGNATURE |
(1) ABC Corp. | ABC Corp. |
(2) ABC Corp. | John Doe, Treasurer |
(3) ABC Corp. c/o John Doe, Treasurer | John Doe |
(4) ABC Corp. Profit Sharing Plan | John Doe, Trustee |
TRUST ACCOUNTS REGISTRATION | |
(1) ABC Trust | Jane B. Doe, Trustee |
(2) Jane B. Doe, Trustee u/t/d 12/28/78 | Jane B. Doe, Trustee |
CUSTODIAL OR ESTATE ACCOUNTS REGISTRATION | |
(1) John B. Smith, Cust. f/b/o John B. Smith, Jr. UGMA | John B. Smith |
(2) John B. Smith | John B. Smith, Jr., Executor |
After completing your proxy card, return it in the enclosed postage-paid envelope.
OTHER WAYS TO VOTE YOUR PROXY
(Certain of the options outlined below may not be available to all shareholders. Please consult your proxy card for a list of the voting methods that are available to you).
VOTE BY TELEPHONE:
1. Read the prospectus/proxy statement and have your proxy card at hand.
2. Call the toll-free number on your proxy card.
VOTE BY INTERNET:
1. Read the prospectus/proxy statement and have your proxy card at hand.
2. Go to the Web site indicated on your proxy card and follow the voting instructions.
The Internet and telephone voting procedures are designed to authenticate shareholder identities, to allow shareholders to give their voting instructions, and to confirm that shareholders’ instructions have been recorded properly. Please note that, although there is no charge to you for voting by telephone or electronically through the Internet associated with this prospectus/proxy statement, there may be costs associated with electronic access, such as usage charges from Internet service providers and telephone companies, that must be borne by the shareholders.
Voting by telephone or Internet is generally available 24 hours a day. Do not mail the proxy card if you are voting by telephone or Internet. If you have any questions about voting, please call AST Fund Solutions, LLC, our proxy solicitor, at 1-800-207-3156 (toll free).
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AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION
WELLS FARGO FUNDS TRUST
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION
Dated as of December 21, 2020
This AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION (this “Plan”) is made as of December 21, 2020, by Wells Fargo Funds Trust ( “Funds Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust, for itself and on behalf of its respective Acquiring Fund(s) and its respective Target Fund(s), as indicated in the chart below; and as to Section 15 of this Plan only, Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC (“Wells Fargo Funds Management”), the investment manager to each series of Funds Trust.
Target Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Diversified International Fund | International Equity Fund |
International Value Fund | International Equity Fund |
Cash Investment Money Market Fund | Heritage Money Market Fund |
WHEREAS, Funds Trust is an open-end management investment company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”);
WHEREAS, the parties desire that each Acquiring Fund acquire the assets and assume the liabilities of its corresponding Target Fund (“Corresponding Target Fund”), as set forth in the chart above opposite a corresponding Acquiring Fund (“Corresponding Acquiring Fund”), in exchange for shares of equal value of the Acquiring Fund and the distribution of the shares of the Acquiring Fund to the shareholders of the Target Fund in connection with the liquidation and termination of the Target Fund (the “Reorganization”); and
WHEREAS, the parties intend that the Reorganization qualify as a “reorganization,” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and that each Fund will be a “party to a reorganization,” within the meaning of Section 368(b) of the Code, with respect to the Reorganization;
NOW, THEREFORE, in accordance with the mutual promises described herein, the parties agree as follows:
1. Definitions.
The following terms shall have the following meanings:
1933 Act: The Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
1934 Act: The Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
Acquiring Fund: Each Fund listed in the column entitled “Acquiring Fund, as set forth above.
Acquiring Class: The class of the Acquiring Fund’s shares that Funds Trust will issue to the shareholders of the Target Fund Class, as set forth above.
Acquiring Fund Financial Statements: The audited financial statements of the Acquiring Fund for its most recently completed fiscal year and the unaudited financial statements of the Acquiring Fund for its most recently completed semi-annual period.
A-1 |
Assets: All property and assets of any kind and all interests, rights, privileges and powers of or attributable to a Fund, whether or not determinable at the appropriate Effective Time and wherever located. Assets include all cash, cash equivalents, securities, claims (whether absolute or contingent, Known or unknown, accrued or unaccrued or conditional or unmatured), contract rights and receivables (including dividend and interest receivables) owned by a Fund and any deferred or prepaid expense shown as an asset on such Fund’s books.
Assets List: A list of securities and other Assets and Known Liabilities of or attributable to the Target Fund as of the date provided.
Board: The Board of Trustees of Funds Trust.
Closing Date: March 26, 2021, or such other date as the parties may agree to in writing with respect to the Reorganization.
Corresponding Target Class: The Target share class set forth opposite an Acquiring Class in the chart on the first page of this Plan.
Effective Time: 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on the first business day following the Closing Date of the Reorganization, or such other time and date as the parties may agree to in writing.
Fund: An Acquiring Fund or a Target Fund.
Know, Known or Knowledge: Known after reasonable inquiry.
Liabilities: All liabilities of, allocated or attributable to, a Fund, whether known or unknown, accrued or unaccrued, absolute or contingent or conditional or unmatured.
Registration Statement: The Trust’s registration statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC and in effect from time to time.
Reorganization Documents: Such bills of sale, assignments, and other instruments of transfer as Funds Trust deems desirable for the Target Fund to transfer to the Acquiring Fund all rights and title to and interest in the Target Fund’s Assets and Liabilities and for the Acquiring Fund to assume the Target Fund’s Assets and Liabilities.
Target Class: The Target Fund share class set forth opposite an Acquiring Class.
Target Fund: Each Fund listed in the column entitled “Target Fund”.
Target Fund Financial Statements: The audited financial statements of the Target Fund for its most recently completed fiscal year and the unaudited financial statements of the Target Fund for its most recently completed semi-annual period.
Valuation Time: The time on the Reorganization’s Closing Date, the business day immediately preceding the Closing Date if the Closing Date is not a business day or such other time as the parties may agree to in writing, that Funds Trust determines the net asset value of the shares of the Acquiring Fund and determines the value of the Assets of or attributable to the Target Fund, net of known Liabilities. Unless otherwise agreed to in writing, the Valuation Time of a Reorganization shall be the time of day then set forth in the Acquiring Fund’s and Target Fund’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A as the time of day at which net asset value is calculated.
2. Regulatory Filings. Funds Trust shall prepare and file any required filings including, without limitation, filings with state or foreign securities regulatory authorities.
3. Transfer of Target Fund Assets. Funds Trust shall take the following steps with respect to the Reorganization:
(a) At the Effective Time, Funds Trust with respect to each series that is a Target Fund shall assign, transfer, deliver and convey all of each Target Fund’s Assets to its Corresponding Acquiring Fund on the bases described in Subsection 3(c) of this Plan. Funds Trust with respect to each series that is an Acquiring Fund shall then accept each Target Fund’s Assets and assume each Target Fund’s Liabilities such that at and after the Effective Time (i) all of the Target Fund’s Assets at or after the Effective Time shall become and be the Assets of its Corresponding Acquiring Fund and (ii) all of the Target Fund’s Liabilities at the Effective Time shall attach to its Corresponding Acquiring Fund, and be enforceable against the Acquiring Fund to the same extent as if initially incurred by the Acquiring Fund.
(b) Within a reasonable time prior to the Closing Date, each Target Fund shall provide, if requested, its Assets List to its Corresponding Acquiring Fund. The Target Fund may sell any investment on the Assets List prior to the Target Fund’s Valuation Time. After the Target Fund provides the Assets List, the Target Fund will notify its Corresponding Acquiring
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Fund of its purchase or incurrence of additional investments or of any additional encumbrances, rights, restrictions or claims not reflected on the Assets List, within a reasonable time period after such purchase or incurrence. Within a reasonable time after receipt of the Assets List and prior to the Closing Date, the Acquiring Fund will advise its Corresponding Target Fund in writing of any investments shown on the Assets List that the Acquiring Fund has reasonably determined to be impermissible or inconsistent with the investment objective, policies and restrictions of the Acquiring Fund.
(c) Funds Trust shall assign, transfer, deliver and convey each Target Fund’s Assets to its Corresponding Acquiring Fund at the Reorganization’s Effective Time on the following bases:
1. | In exchange for the transfer of the Assets, Funds Trust shall simultaneously issue and deliver to the Target Fund full and fractional shares of beneficial interest of each Acquiring Class. Funds Trust shall determine the number of shares of each Acquiring Class to issue by dividing the value of the Assets net of Known Liabilities attributable to the Corresponding Target Class by the net asset value of one Acquiring Class share. Based on this calculation, Funds Trust shall issue shares of beneficial interest of each Acquiring Class with an aggregate net asset value equal to the value of the Assets net of Known Liabilities of the Corresponding Target Class. |
2. | The parties shall determine the net asset value of the Acquiring Fund shares to be delivered, and the value of the Assets to be conveyed net of Known Liabilities, as of the Valuation Time substantially in accordance with Funds Trust’s current valuation procedures. The parties shall make all computations to the fourth decimal place or such other decimal place as the parties may agree to in writing. |
3. | Funds Trust shall cause its custodian to transfer the Target Fund’s Assets with good and marketable title to the account of the Acquiring Fund. Funds Trust shall cause its custodian to transfer all cash in the form of immediately available funds. Funds Trust shall cause its custodian to transfer any Assets that were not transferred to the Acquiring Fund’s account at the Effective Time to the Acquiring Fund’s account at the earliest practicable date thereafter. |
4. Liquidation and Termination of each Target Fund and Registration of Shares. Funds Trust also shall take the following steps for the Reorganization:
(a) At or as soon as reasonably practical after the Effective Time, Funds Trust shall dissolve and liquidate the Target Fund, and terminate the Target Fund as an authorized series of Funds Trust, in accordance with applicable law and its Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration of Trust”) by transferring to shareholders of record of each Corresponding Target Class full and fractional shares of beneficial interest of the Acquiring Class equal in value to the shares of the Corresponding Target Class held by the shareholder. Each shareholder also shall have the right to receive any unpaid dividends or other distributions that Funds Trust declared with respect to the shareholder’s Corresponding Target Class shares before the Effective Time. Funds Trust shall record on its books the ownership by the shareholders of the Acquiring Fund shares; Funds Trust shall simultaneously redeem and cancel on its books all of the issued and outstanding shares of each Corresponding Target Class. Funds Trust does not issue certificates representing Fund shares, and shall not be responsible for issuing certificates to shareholders of the Target Funds. Funds Trust shall wind up the affairs of the Target Fund.
(b) If a former Target Fund shareholder requests a change in the registration of the shareholder’s Acquiring Fund shares to a person other than the shareholder, Funds Trust shall require the shareholder to (i) furnish Funds Trust an instrument of transfer properly endorsed, accompanied by any required signature guarantees and otherwise in proper form for transfer; and (ii) pay to the Acquiring Fund any transfer or other taxes required by reason of such registration or establish to the reasonable satisfaction of Funds Trust that such tax has been paid or does not apply.
5. Representations, Warranties and Agreements of Funds Trust. Funds Trust, on behalf of itself, and, as appropriate, each Target Fund and each Acquiring Fund, represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each Acquiring Fund and each Target Fund, respectively as follows:
(a) Funds Trust is a statutory trust duly created, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware. The Board duly established and designated each Fund as a series of Funds Trust and each Acquiring Class as a class of the Acquiring Fund. Funds Trust is an open-end management investment company registered with the SEC under the 1940 Act.
(b) Funds Trust has the power and all necessary federal, state and local qualifications and authorizations to own all of its properties and Assets, to carry on its business as described in its Registration Statement on Form N-1A as filed with the SEC, to enter into this Plan and to consummate the transactions contemplated herein.
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(c) The Board has duly authorized execution and delivery of the Plan and the transactions contemplated herein. Duly authorized officers of Funds Trust have executed and delivered the Plan. The Plan represents a valid and binding contract, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject as to enforcement to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, arrangement, moratorium and other similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles. The execution and delivery of this Plan does not, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Plan will not, violate the Declaration of Trust of Funds Trust. Funds Trust does not need to take any other action to authorize its officers to effectuate the Plan and the transactions contemplated herein.
(d) Each Fund has qualified as a “regulated investment company” under Part I of Subchapter M of Subtitle A, Chapter 1, of the Code in respect of each taxable year since the commencement of its operations, and will continue to so qualify until the Effective Time and has computed its federal income tax liability, if any, under Sections 852 and 4982 of the Code.
(e) Funds Trust has duly authorized the Acquiring Fund shares to be issued and delivered to the Target Fund as of the Effective Time. When issued and delivered, the Acquiring Fund shares shall have been registered for sale under the 1933 Act and shall be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and no shareholder of the Acquiring Fund shall have any preemptive right of subscription or purchase in respect of them. There are no outstanding options, warrants or other rights to subscribe for or purchase any Acquiring Fund shares, nor are there any securities convertible into Acquiring Fund shares.
(f) Each Fund is in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws, rules and regulations, including, without limitation, the 1940 Act, the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and all applicable state securities laws. Each Fund is in compliance in all material respects with the investment policies and restrictions applicable to it set forth in the Form N-1A Registration Statement currently in effect. The value of the Assets net of Known Liabilities of the Acquiring Fund has been determined using portfolio valuation methods that comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the policies of such Acquiring Fund.
(g) Funds Trust does not know of any claims, actions, suits, investigations or proceedings of any type pending or threatened against Funds Trust or any Fund or its Assets or businesses. There are no facts that Funds Trust currently has reason to believe are likely to form the basis for the institution of any such claim, action, suit, investigation or proceeding against Funds Trust or any Fund. For purposes of this provision, investment underperformance or negative investment performance shall not be deemed to constitute such facts, provided all required performance disclosures have been made. Neither Funds Trust nor any Fund is a party to or subject to the provisions of any order, decree or judgment of any court or governmental body that adversely affects, or is reasonably likely to adversely affect, its financial condition, results of operations, business, properties or Assets or its ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Plan.
(h) Funds Trust is not a party to any contracts, agreements, franchises, licenses or permits relating to the Funds except those entered into or granted in the ordinary course of its business, in each case under which no material default exists. Funds Trust is not a party to or subject to any employee benefit plan, lease or franchise of any kind or nature whatsoever on behalf of any Fund.
(i) Funds Trust has timely filed all tax returns, for the Funds for all of their taxable years to and including their most recent taxable year required to be filed on or before the date of this Plan, and has paid all taxes payable pursuant to such returns. To the knowledge of Funds Trust, no such tax return has been or is currently under audit and no assessment has been asserted with respect to any return. Funds Trust will file all of the Fund’s tax returns for all of their taxable periods ending on or before the Closing Date not previously filed on or before their due dates (taking account of any valid extensions thereof).
(j) Since the date of the Target Fund Financial Statements and the Acquiring Fund Financial Statements, there has been no material adverse change in the financial condition, business, properties or Assets of the Target Fund or Acquiring Fund, respectively. For purposes of this provision, investment underperformance, negative investment performance or net redemptions shall not be deemed to constitute such facts, provided all customary performance disclosures have been made.
(k) The Target Fund Financial Statements and the Acquiring Fund Financial Statements, fairly present the financial position of the Acquiring Fund as of the Fund’s most recent fiscal year-end and the results of the Fund’s operations and changes in the Fund’s net assets for the periods indicated. The Target Fund Financial Statements and the Acquiring Fund Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied.
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(l) To the Knowledge of Funds Trust, neither the Target Fund nor the Acquiring Fund has any Liabilities, whether or not determined or determinable, other than Liabilities disclosed or provided for in the Target Fund Financial Statements and the Acquiring Fund Financial Statements, respectively, or Liabilities incurred in the ordinary course of business.
(m) Except as otherwise provided herein, Funds Trust shall operate the business of each Fund in the ordinary course between the date hereof and the Effective Time, it being agreed that such ordinary course of business will include the declaration and payment of dividends and distributions approved by the Board in anticipation of the Reorganization. Notwithstanding the foregoing, each Fund shall (i) complete all measures prior to the Effective Time to ensure that the Reorganization qualifies as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code; and (ii) take all other appropriate action necessary to ensure satisfaction of representations in certificates to be provided to Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP in connection with its opinion described in Section 6(d), regardless of whether any measures or actions described in this sentence are in the ordinary course.
6. Conditions to Funds Trust’s Obligations. The obligations of Funds Trust with respect to the Reorganization shall be subject to the following conditions precedent:
(a) Funds Trust shall have duly executed and delivered the Target Fund Reorganization Documents.
(b) All representations and warranties of Funds Trust made in this Plan that apply to the Reorganization shall be true and correct in all material respects as if made at and as of the Valuation Time and the Effective Time.
(c) Funds Trust, on behalf of itself, and, as appropriate, each Target Fund and each Acquiring Fund, shall have delivered to Funds Trust a certificate dated as of the Closing Date and executed in its name by its Treasurer or Secretary stating that the representations and warranties of Funds Trust in this Plan that apply to the Reorganization are true and correct at and as of the Valuation Time.
(d) Funds Trust shall have received an opinion dated as of the Closing Date in a form reasonably satisfactory to it of Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, upon which each Fund and its shareholders may rely, based upon representations reasonably acceptable to Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP made in certificates provided by Funds Trust, on behalf of itself and each Fund, the Funds’ affiliates and/or principal shareholders, substantially to the effect that the Reorganization will qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, and each Fund will each be a “party to a reorganization,” within the meaning of Section 368(b) of the Code, with respect to the Reorganization.
(e) No action, suit or other proceeding shall be threatened or pending before any court or governmental agency in which it is sought to restrain or prohibit or obtain damages or other relief in connection with the Reorganization.
(f) The SEC shall not have issued any unfavorable advisory report under Section 25(b) of the 1940 Act nor instituted any proceeding seeking to enjoin consummation of the Reorganization under Section 25(c) of the 1940 Act.
(g) Funds Trust shall have performed and complied in all material respects with each of its agreements and covenants required by this Plan to be performed or complied with by it prior to or at the Reorganization’s Valuation Time and Effective Time.
(h) Except to the extent prohibited by Rule 19b-1 under the 1940 Act, and unless, in the opinion of Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, a Target Fund’s Reorganization constitutes a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1)(F) of the Code, prior to the Valuation Time, the Target Fund shall have declared a dividend or dividends, with a record date and ex-dividend date prior to the Valuation Time, which, together with all previous dividends, shall have the effect of distributing to the Target Fund shareholders all of its previously undistributed (i) “investment company taxable income” within the meaning of Section 852(b) of the Code (determined without regard to Section 852(b)(2)(D) of the Code, (ii) amounts equal to the excess of (A) the amount specified in Section 852(a)(1)(B)(i) of the Code over (B) the amount specified in Section 852(a)(1)(B)(ii) of the Code, and (iii) net capital gain (within the meaning of Section 1222(11) of the Code), if any, realized in taxable periods or years ending on or before the Effective Time.
(i) The Board of Funds Trust shall not have terminated this Plan with respect to the Reorganization pursuant to Section 9 of this Plan.
(j) The shareholders of the Target Fund whose shareholders are being asked to approve the Reorganization shall have approved the Reorganization if and to the extent, and in the manner, required by Funds Trust’s Declaration of Trust and applicable law.
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7. Tax Matters. Except where otherwise required by law, Funds Trust shall not take a position on any tax returns inconsistent with the treatment of each Reorganization for tax purposes as a “reorganization”, within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code and each Acquiring Fund and the Corresponding Target Fund will comply with the record keeping and information filing requirements of Section 1.368-3 of the Treasury Regulation in accordance therewith.
8. Survival of Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of Funds Trust shall survive the completion of the transactions contemplated herein.
9. Termination of Plan. A majority of the Board may terminate this Plan with respect to the Acquiring Fund or Target Fund, as appropriate, by majority vote, if: (i) the conditions precedent set forth in Section 6, are not satisfied on the Closing Date; or (ii) it becomes reasonably apparent to the Board that such conditions precedent will not be satisfied on the Closing Date.
10. Governing Law. This Plan and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be governed, construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, except to the extent preempted by federal law, without regard to conflicts of law principles.
11. Amendments. The Reorganization of certain Target Funds will be presented to shareholders for approval. Funds Trust may, by agreement in writing authorized by the Board, amend this Plan with respect to the Reorganization at any time, including, with respect to any Target Fund whose shareholders are being asked to approve the Reorganization, before or after such Target Fund’s shareholders approve of the Reorganization. After a Target Fund’s shareholders, who are being asked to approve the Reorganization, approve a Reorganization, however, Funds Trust may not amend this Plan in a manner that materially adversely affects the interests of such Target Fund’s shareholders with respect to that Reorganization. This Section shall not preclude Funds Trust from changing the Closing Date or the Effective Time of a Reorganization.
12. Waivers. At any time prior to the Closing Date, Funds Trust may by written instrument signed by it (i) waive the effect of any inaccuracies in the representations and warranties made to it contained herein and (ii) waive compliance with any of the agreements, covenants or conditions made for its benefit contained herein. Funds Trust agrees that any waiver shall apply only to the particular inaccuracy or requirement for compliance waived, and not any other or future inaccuracy or lack of compliance.
13. Limitation on Liabilities. The obligations of Funds Trust and each Fund shall not bind any of the Trustees, shareholders, nominees, officers, agents, or employees of Funds Trust personally, but shall bind only the Assets and property of the particular Fund. The execution and delivery of this Plan by the officers of Funds Trust shall not be deemed to have been made by any of them individually or to impose any liability on any of them personally, but shall bind only the Assets and the property of the Acquiring Fund or the Target Fund, as appropriate.
14. General. This Plan supersedes all prior agreements between the parties (written or oral), is intended as a complete and exclusive statement of the terms of the agreement between the parties and may not be changed or terminated orally. The headings contained in this Plan are for reference only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Plan. Nothing in this Plan, expressed or implied, confers upon any other person any rights or remedies under or by reason of this Plan. Neither party may assign or transfer any right or obligation under this Plan without the written consent of the other party.
15. Expenses.Wells Fargo Funds Management hereby agrees to bear all expenses incurred by any party hereto that are not otherwise borne by an affiliated person of Wells Fargo Funds Management (which affiliated persons do not include any series of Funds Trust) in connection with the Reorganization and with this Plan (other than any brokerage or other transaction costs associated with the sale or purchase of portfolio securities in connection with the Reorganization), whether or not the Reorganization is consummated. Notwithstanding the foregoing, expenses will in any event be paid by the party directly incurring them if and to the extent that the payment by another party of such costs and expenses would result in the disqualification of such party as a “regulated investment company” within the meaning of Section 851 of the Code.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their duly authorized officers designated below to execute this Plan as of the date first written above.
WELLS FARGO FUNDS TRUST
for itself and on behalf of its Target Funds
and on behalf of its Acquiring Funds
ATTEST:
/s/ Johanne Castro
Name: Johanne Castro
Title: Assistant Secretary
BY
/s/ Catherine Kennedy
Name: Catherine Kennedy
Title: Secretary
WELLS FARGO FUNDS MANAGEMENT, LLC
(a party to this Plan as to Section 15 only)
ATTEST:
/s/ Johanne Castro
Name: Johanne Castro
Title: Assistant Vice President
BY:
/s/ Paul Haast
Name: Paul Haast
Title: Senior Vice President
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COMPARISON OF THE FUNDS’ FUNDAMENTAL INVESTMENT POLICIES
Borrowing | |
Target Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund |
The Fund may not borrow money, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, including the rules, regulations and any exemptive orders obtained thereunder. | The Fund may not borrow money, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, including the rules, regulations and any exemptive orders obtained thereunder. |
Commodities | |
Target Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund |
The Fund may not purchase or sell commodities, provided that (i) currency will not be deemed to be a commodity for purposes of this restriction, (ii) this restriction does not limit the purchase or sale of futures contracts, forward contracts or options, and (iii) this restriction does not limit the purchase or sale of securities or other instruments backed by commodities or the purchase or sale of commodities acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments. | The Fund may not purchase or sell commodities, provided that (i) currency will not be deemed to be a commodity for purposes of this restriction, (ii) this restriction does not limit the purchase or sale of futures contracts, forward contracts or options, and (iii) this restriction does not limit the purchase or sale of securities or other instruments backed by commodities or the purchase or sale of commodities acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments. |
Concentration | |
Target Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund |
The Fund many not purchase the securities of issuers conducting their principal business activity in the same industry if, immediately after the purchase and as a result thereof, the value of a Fund’s investments in that industry would equal or exceed 25% of the current value of the Fund’s total assets, provided that this restriction does not limit a Fund’s investments in (i) securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, (ii) securities of other investment companies, or (iii) repurchase agreements. | The Fund may not purchase the securities of issuers conducting their principal business activity in the same industry if, immediately after the purchase and as a result thereof, the value of a Fund’s investments in that industry would equal or exceed 25% of the current value of the Fund’s total assets, provided that this restriction does not limit a Fund’s investments in (i) securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, (ii) securities of other investment companies, or (iii) repurchase agreements. |
Diversification | |
Target Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund |
The Fund may not purchase securities of any issuer if, as a result, with respect to 75% of a Fund’s total assets, more than 5% of the value of its total assets would be invested in the securities of any one issuer or the Fund’s ownership would be more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, provided that this restriction does not limit a Fund’s investments in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, or investments in securities of other investment companies; | The Fund may not purchase securities of any issuer if, as a result, with respect to 75% of a Fund’s total assets, more than 5% of the value of its total assets would be invested in the securities of any one issuer or the Fund’s ownership would be more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, provided that this restriction does not limit a Fund’s investments in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, or investments in securities of other investment companies; |
Issuing Senior Securities | |
Target Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund |
The Fund may not issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, including the rules, regulations and any exemptive orders obtained thereunder. | The Fund may not issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, including the rules, regulations and any exemptive orders obtained thereunder. |
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Lending | |
Target Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund |
The Fund may not make loans to other parties if, as a result, the aggregate value of such loans would exceed one-third of a Fund’s total assets. For the purposes of this limitation, entering into repurchase agreements, lending securities and acquiring any debt securities are not deemed to be the making of loans. | The Fund may not make loans to other parties if, as a result, the aggregate value of such loans would exceed one-third of a Fund’s total assets. For the purposes of this limitation, entering into repurchase agreements, lending securities and acquiring any debt securities are not deemed to be the making of loans. |
Real Estate | |
Target Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund |
The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent a Fund from investing in securities or other instruments backed by real estate or securities of companies engaged in the real estate business). | The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent a Fund from investing in securities or other instruments backed by real estate or securities of companies engaged in the real estate business). |
Underwriting | |
Target Fund | Acquiring Fund |
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | Wells Fargo International Equity Fund |
The Fund may not underwrite securities of other issuers, except to the extent that the purchase of permitted investments directly from the issuer thereof or from an underwriter for an issuer and the later disposition of such securities in accordance with a Fund’s investment program may be deemed to be an underwriting. | The Fund may not underwrite securities of other issuers, except to the extent that the purchase of permitted investments directly from the issuer thereof or from an underwriter for an issuer and the later disposition of such securities in accordance with a Fund’s investment program may be deemed to be an underwriting. |
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WELLS FARGO FUNDS TRUST
PART B
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (SAI)
WELLS FARGO FUNDS TRUST
525 MARKET STREET, 12TH FLOOR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105
1.800.222.8222
PART B
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
December 30, 2020
Relating to the acquisition of assets of
WELLS FARGO INTERNATIONAL VALUE FUND
a series of
WELLS FARGO FUNDS TRUST
by and in exchange for shares of
WELLS FARGO INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUND
a series of
WELLS FARGO FUNDS TRUST
Class A, Class C, Class R6, Administrator Class, Institutional Class
This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus but should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus/Proxy Statement dated December 30, 2020, for the Special Meeting of Shareholders of the Target Fund (as defined below) to be held on March 10, 2021. The Prospectus/Proxy Statement, into which this SAI has been incorporated by reference, may be obtained without charge by calling 1-800-222-8222 or writing to Wells Fargo Funds, PO Box 219967, Kansas City, MO 64121-99676. Unless otherwise indicated, capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined have the same meanings as are given to them in the Prospectus/Proxy Statement.
INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE IN STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This SAI consists of this cover page and the following described items, which are hereby incorporated by reference:
1. | The Statement of Additional Information dated October 1, 2020, as supplemented to date, for Wells Fargo International Value Fund, which was filed electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 24, 2020, File No. 811-09253, on Form N-1A, accession no. 0001081400-20-001127. |
2. | The Statement of Additional Information dated March 1, 2020, as supplemented to date, for Wells Fargo International Equity Fund, which was filed electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 24, 2020, File No. 811-09253, on Form N-1A, accession no. 0001081400-20-000172. |
3. | The financial statements, including the notes to the financial statements, and the reports of the independent registered public accounting firm thereon contained in the annual report for Wells Fargo International Value Fund, for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020, filed electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 6, 2020, File No. 811-09253, accession no. 0001193125-20-212021. |
4. | The financial statements, including the notes to the financial statements, and the reports of the independent registered public accounting firm thereon contained in the annual report for Wells Fargo International Equity Fund, for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2019, filed electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 27, 2019, File No. 811-09253, accession no. 0001193125-19-324665. |
5. | The financial statements, including the notes to the financial statements, contained in the semi-annual report for Wells Fargo International Equity Fund, for the fiscal half-year ended April 30, 2020, filed electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 1, 2020, File No. 811-09253, accession no. 0001193125-20-185297. |
In addition, this SAI consists of a narrative description of the pro forma effects of the reorganization of the Wells Fargo International Value Fund into the Wells Fargo International Equity Fund.
NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION OF THE PRO FORMA EFFECTS OF THE REORGANIZATION FOR WELLS FARGO INTERNATIONAL VALUE FUND INTO WELLS FARGO INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUND
The unaudited pro forma information provided herein should be read in conjunction with the annual reports of Wells Fargo International Value Fund and Wells Fargo International Equity Fund dated May 31, 2020 and October 31, 2019, respectively. The shareholder reports are on file with the SEC and are available at no charge.
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The unaudited pro forma information set forth below for the twelve months ended April 30, 2020 is intended to present supplemental data as if the proposed Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (the “Reorganization”) of Wells Fargo International Value Fund (the “Target Fund”) into Wells Fargo International Equity Fund (the “Acquiring Fund”) (collectively, the “Funds”) had occurred as of May 1, 2019. The Reorganization is intended to combine the Target Fund with a similar fund managed by Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC (“Funds Management”).
The Target Fund is a gateway feeder fund that invests all of its assets in a single master portfolio of the Wells Fargo Master Trust with a substantially similar investment objective and substantially similar investment strategies.
The Reorganization provides for the acquisition of all the assets and all the liabilities of the Target Fund by the Acquiring Fund, in a tax-free exchange for shares of the Acquiring Fund at net asset value. Following the Reorganization, the Acquiring Fund will be the accounting and performance survivor. As a result of the Reorganization, Class A, Class C, Class R6, Administrator Class and Institutional Class shareholders of the Target Fund would become shareholders of Class A, Class C, Class R6, Administrator Class and Institutional Class, respectively, of the Acquiring Fund.
In addition to the Reorganization, the Board of Trustees also approved the merger of the Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund, another international equity fund in the fund family, into the Acquiring Fund. Unlike the Reorganization of the Target Fund, the merger of Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund into the Acquiring Fund does not require approval by its shareholders in order to be completed. Completion of the Reorganization of the Target Fund is not contingent upon completion of the Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund merger.
The proforma financial statements are prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles which require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts in the proforma financial statements. Actual results could differ materially from those estimated.
All expenses incurred by the Target Fund and Acquiring Fund in connection with the Reorganization will be borne by Funds Management or one of its affiliates. The expenses to be borne by Funds Management or one of its affiliates do not include any brokerage or other transaction expenses incurred by the Funds in connection with the Reorganization, which will remain the responsibility of the Funds.
The Funds have the same investment manager, administrator, distributor, fund accounting agent and custodian. Each service provider has entered into an agreement with Wells Fargo Funds Trust, which governs the provision of services to the Funds. Such agreements contain the same terms with respect to each Fund.
Before the closing date of the Reorganization, the Target Fund expects to sell a substantial portion of its portfolio securities in connection with repositioning its portfolio in anticipation of the Reorganization. These transactions will result in additional transaction costs to the Target Fund and may result in increased taxable distributions to shareholders of the Target Fund. In addition, it is expected that the Acquiring Fund may experience transaction costs immediately following the Reorganization in connection with reacquiring certain securities previously held by the Target Fund but which are unable to be transferred directly to the Acquiring Fund due to certain jurisdictional restrictions on transfers. It is not anticipated that the securities of the combined portfolio will be sold in material amounts following the consummation of the merger in order to comply with the policies and investment practices of Acquiring Fund.
As of April 30, 2020, the net assets of the Target Fund, Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund and the Acquiring Fund were $575,750,106, $79,707,129, and $189,768,868, respectively. The net assets of the pro forma combined Acquiring Fund as of April 30, 2020 would have been $845,226,103.
On a pro forma basis for the twelve months ended April 30, 2020, the proposed Reorganization, along with the Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund merger, would result in an increase of $6,353,246 in management fees based on the contractual management fee structure and the average net assets of the combined Acquiring Fund. The proposed Reorganization would result in a total increase in expenses of $5,711,696. The net increase in overall expenses is due to increased management fees and savings in duplicative fees paid by the individual funds and various reduced operating costs of the pro forma combined Acquiring Fund. For the twelve months ended April 30, 2020, the fee waivers and expense reimbursements for the Target Fund, Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund and the Acquiring Fund were $1,072,889, $432,680 and $819,079, respectively, resulting in total fee waivers and expense reimbursements of $1,982,080 on a pro forma basis. This amount includes a decrease in waivers of $342,567 to maintain expenses of the combined Acquiring Fund at its expense cap.
No significant accounting policies, including the securities valuation policies, will change as a result of the proposed Reorganization.
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All investments are valued each business day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4 p.m. Eastern Time), although the Fund may deviate from this calculation time under unusual or unexpected circumstances.
Equity securities that are listed on a foreign or domestic exchange or market are valued at the official closing price or, if none, the last sales price. If no sale occurs on the principal exchange or market that day, a fair value price will be determined in accordance with the Fund’s Valuation Procedures.
Forward foreign currency contracts are recorded at the forward rate provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee at Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC.
The values of securities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at rates provided by an independent foreign currency pricing source at a time each business day specified by the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee.
Many securities markets and exchanges outside the U.S. close prior to the close of the New York Stock Exchange and therefore may not fully reflect trading or events that occur after the close of the principal exchange in which the foreign securities are traded, but before the close of the New York Stock Exchange. If such trading or events are expected to materially affect the value of such securities, then fair value pricing procedures approved by the Board of Trustees of the Fund are applied. These procedures take into account multiple factors including movements in U.S. securities markets after foreign exchanges close. Foreign securities that are fair valued under these procedures are categorized as Level 2 and the application of these procedures may result in transfers between Level 1 and Level 2. Depending on market activity, such fair valuations may be frequent. Such fair value pricing may result in net asset values that are higher or lower than net asset values based on the last reported sales price or latest quoted bid price.
Investments in registered open-end investment companies are valued at net asset value. Interests in non-registered investment companies that are redeemable at net asset value are fair valued normally at net asset value.
Investments which are not valued using any of the methods discussed above are valued at their fair value, as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees has established a Valuation Committee comprised of the Trustees and has delegated to it the authority to take any actions regarding the valuation of portfolio securities that the Valuation Committee deems necessary or appropriate, including determining the fair value of portfolio securities, unless the determination has been delegated to the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee. The Board of Trustees retains the authority to make or ratify any valuation decisions or approve any changes to the Valuation Procedures as it deems appropriate. On a quarterly basis, the Board of Trustees receives reports on any valuation actions taken by the Valuation Committee or the Wells Fargo Asset Management Pricing Committee which may include items for ratification.
The merger is expected to be tax-free for federal income tax purposes. This means that no gain or loss is expected to be recognized by the Target Fund or its shareholders as a result of the merger. The aggregate tax basis of the Acquiring Fund shares received by the shareholders of the Target Fund will be the same as the aggregate tax basis the shareholders of the Target Fund held in their shares of the Target Fund immediately before the merger.
If the Reorganization is consummated, the combined Acquiring Fund would seek to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company, if such qualification is in the best interests of shareholders, by complying with the provisions available to certain investment companies, as defined in applicable sections of the Internal Revenue Code, and would make distributions of substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net realized capital gains (after reduction for capital loss carryforwards) sufficient to relieve it from all, or substantially all, federal income taxes. In addition, the Target Fund and Acquiring Fund will make any required income or capital gain distributions prior to consummation of this Reorganization, in accordance with provisions of the Internal Revenue Code relating to tax-free reorganizations of investment companies. Accordingly, no provision for federal income taxes is required.
As of May 31, 2020, the Target Fund had had capital loss carryforwards which consisted of $13,306,325 in long-term capital losses. As of October 31, 2019, the Acquiring Fund had capital loss carryforwards which consisted of $11,301,468 in short-term capital losses and $3,067,307 in long-term capital losses. As of the most recent tax year-end, the pro forma combined Acquiring Fund, including Wells Fargo Diversified International Fund, had capital loss carryforwards which consisted of $18,325,914 in short-term capital losses and $16,373,632 in long-term capital losses.
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WELLS FARGO FUNDS TRUST
PROXY CARD
![]() | PROXY CARD |
YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT NO MATTER HOW MANY SHARES YOU OWN. PLEASE CAST YOUR PROXY VOTE TODAY! | |
VOTER PROFILE: Voter ID: 12293222 Security ID: 123456Y204 Shares to Vote: **confidential** Household ID: 233922232 **please call the phone number to the right for more information | |
VOTER CONTROL NUMBER: 1234 5678 2322 | |
VOTE REGISTERED TO: | |
THOMAS NADER AST FUND SOLUTIONS 48 WALL STREET, 22ND FLOOR NEW YORK, NY 10005
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Wells Fargo International Value Fund
PROXY FOR A SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON MARCH 10, 2021
The undersigned, revoking all Proxies heretofore given, hereby appoints Catherine F. Kennedy, Maureen E. Towle and Johanne F. Castro or any of them as Proxies of the undersigned, with full power of substitution to each, to vote on behalf of the undersigned all shares of Wells Fargo International Value Fund, a series of Wells Fargo Funds Trust, that the undersigned is entitled to vote at the meeting of shareholders, and at any adjournment(s) thereof, to be held at 10:00 a.m., Pacific time, on March 10, 2021, at 525 Market Street, 12th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105, as fully as the undersigned would be entitled to vote if personally present.
Do you have questions?
If you have any questions about how to vote your proxy or about the meeting in general, please call toll-free (800) 207-3156. Representatives are available to assist you Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Eastern time.
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for this Special Meeting of Shareholders to Be Held on March 10, 2021. The proxy statement and the accompanying notice of Special Meeting of Shareholders for this meeting are available at: https://vote.proxyonline.com/WellsFargo/docs/InternationalValue.pdf
Wells Fargo International Value Fund | PROXY CARD |
NOTE: PLEASE SIGN EXACTLY AS YOUR NAME(S) APPEAR ON THIS PROXY, If joint owners, EITHER may sign this Proxy. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, trustee, guardian, or custodian for a minor, please give your full title. When signing on behalf of a corporation or as a partner for a partnership, please give the full corporate or partnership name and your title, if any. | ||
SIGNATURE (AND TITLE IF APPLICABLE) | DATE | |
SIGNATURE (IF HELD JOINTLY) | DATE |
The votes entitled to be cast by the undersigned will be cast according to instructions given below with respect to the Proposal. If this Proxy Ballot is executed but no instructions is given, the undersigned acknowledges that the votes entitled to be cast by the undersigned will be cast by the proxies, or any of them, “FOR” the proposal. Additionally, the votes entitled to be cast by the undersigned will be cast at the discretion of the proxy holder on any other matter that may properly come before the Special Meeting.
THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF WELLS FARGO FUNDS TRUST WHICH UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR THE PROPOSAL.
TO VOTE, MARK CIRCLE IN BLUE OR BLACK INK. Example: ●
PROPOSAL: | FOR | AGAINST | ABSTAIN | |
1. | To consider and act upon an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan”) dated as of December 21, 2020, providing for the reorganization of the Wells Fargo International Value Fund (the “Target Fund”), including the acquisition of all of the assets of the Target Fund by the Wells Fargo International Equity Fund (the “Acquiring Fund”) in exchange for shares of the Acquiring Fund (the “Acquisition Shares”) and the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of all of the liabilities of the Target Fund. The Plan also provides for the prompt distribution of the Acquisition Shares to shareholders of the Target Fund in liquidation of the Target Fund. | O | O | O |
2. | To transact any other business which may properly come before the Meeting or any adjournment(s) thereof. |
THANK YOU FOR CASTING YOUR VOTE