Notes to Schedules of Investments (Unaudited)
Additional Information Associated with the Schedules of Investments (Unaudited)
BMO Funds, Inc. (the “Corporation”) is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Act”), as amended as an open-end management investment company. As of November 30, 2020, the Corporation consisted of 28 portfolios, including 5 target risk diversified portfolios within this quarterly report (individually referred to as the “Fund,” or collectively as the “Funds”), each with differing share class offerings as well as 23 other portfolios whose quarterly report is available under a separate cover. BMO Asset Management Corp. serves as the Funds’ investment adviser (the “Adviser”), a Delaware corporation headquartered in Chicago, Illinois that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BMO Financial Corp.
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Fund | | Inception Date | | Investment Objective |
Conservative Allocation Fund | | May 30, 2014 | | To provide total return primarily from income, secondarily from appreciation. |
Moderate Allocation Fund | | May 30, 2014 | | To provide total investment return from income and appreciation. |
Balanced Allocation Fund | | May 30, 2014 | | To provide total investment return from income and appreciation. |
Growth Allocation Fund | | May 30, 2014 | | To provide total investment return from income and appreciation. |
Aggressive Allocation Fund | | May 30, 2014 | | To provide total investment return primarily from appreciation, secondarily from income. |
Each Fund seeks to achieve its investment objectives by investing in a mix (without limitation) of BMO Funds and unaffiliated mutual funds. The Funds are designed to provide investors with investment management, asset allocation, and ongoing reallocation over time. Each Fund is considered a “fund of funds” because it invests in other mutual funds. A fund of funds bears its own direct expenses in addition to bearing a proportionate share of expenses charged to the underlying funds in which it invests.
2. | Fair Value Measurements Discussion and Disclosure |
Investment Valuations—Investments in other open-end registered investment companies are valued at net asset value.
Securities or other assets for which market valuations are not readily available, or are deemed to be inaccurate, are valued at fair value as determined in good faith using methods approved by the Board of Directors (the “Directors”). The Directors have established a Pricing Committee, which is responsible for determinations of fair value, subject to the supervision of the Directors. In determining fair value, the Pricing Committee takes into account all information available and any factors it deems appropriate. Consequently, the price of securities used by a Fund to calculate its Net Asset Value (“NAV”) may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments; it is possible that the fair value determined for a security is materially different than the value that would be realized upon the sale of that security and the differences may be material to the NAV of the Fund or the financial statements presented.
Securities held in certain funds may be listed on foreign exchanges that do not value their listed securities at the same time each Fund calculates its NAV. Most foreign markets close well before each Fund values its securities, generally 3:00 p.m. (Central Time). The earlier close of these foreign markets gives rise to the possibility that significant events, including broad market moves, may have occurred in the interim.
The Pricing Committee may determine that a security needs to be fair valued. In valuing underlying fund investments, the Funds use the NAVs reported by the underlying funds. An underlying fund may need to fair value one or more of its investments, which may, in turn, require a Fund to do the same because of delays in obtaining the underlying fund’s NAV.
Fair Valuation Measurement defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in accordance with GAAP, and requires disclosure about fair value measurements. It establishes a fair value hierarchy that distinguishes between (1) market participant assumptions developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting issuer (observable inputs), and (2) the reporting issuer’s own assumptions about market participant assumptions developed based on the best information available in the circumstances (unobservable inputs). It also provides guidance on determining when a significant decrease occurs in the trade volume and/or frequency for an asset, when a transaction is not orderly, and how that information must be incorporated into fair value measurement.
In August 2018, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) — Disclosures Framework — Changes to Disclosure Requirements of Fair Value Measurement (“ASU 2018-13”) which introduces new fair value disclosure requirements as well as eliminates and modifies certain existing fair value disclosure requirements. ASU 2018-13 would be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 and for interim periods within those fiscal years; however, management has elected to early adopt ASU 2018-13 effective with the current reporting period as permitted by the standard. The impact of the Funds’ adoption was limited to changes in the Funds’ financial statement disclosures regarding fair value, primarily those disclosures related to transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy and disclosure of the range and weighted average used to develop significant unobservable inputs for Level 3 fair value measurements, when applicable.
Various inputs are used in determining the value of the Funds’ investments. The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. These inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below:
Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical securities. An active market for the security is a market in which transactions occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis. Common and preferred stocks, options and futures contracts, and U.S. registered mutual funds are generally categorized as Level 1.
Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.). Fixed income securities, repurchase agreements and securities valued by an independent fair value pricing service are generally categorized as Level 2.
Level 3—significant unobservable inputs, including management’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments.