N-CSR 1 a_stratintermmuni.htm PUTNAM TAX FREE INCOME TRUST a_stratintermmuni.htm


UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED
MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES



Investment Company Act file number: (811-04345)
Exact name of registrant as specified in charter: Putnam Tax Free Income Trust
Address of principal executive offices: 100 Federal Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110
Name and address of agent for service: Stephen Tate, Vice President
100 Federal Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02110
Copy to:         Bryan Chegwidden, Esq.
Ropes & Gray LLP
1211 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10036
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (617) 292–1000
Date of fiscal year end: July 31, 2021
Date of reporting period: August 1, 2020 — July 31, 2021



Item 1. Report to Stockholders:

The following is a copy of the report transmitted to stockholders pursuant to Rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940:




Message from the Trustees

September 9, 2021

Dear Fellow Shareholder:

Through the summer months of 2021, financial markets continued to rise. Stocks were powered by new highs in corporate earnings, and bonds appreciated despite an uptick in inflation. Experts at Putnam believe inflation will likely be temporary, caused by an uneven recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Even as the economy returns to a more normal trajectory, the evolving pandemic remains a justifiable concern. During these unsettled times, well-managed companies have tried to be flexible and resilient, adapting to conditions while focusing on their goals.

Putnam’s research teams also remain focused on their objectives. They analyze and debate how businesses are adjusting to these challenges as they work to identify investment opportunities for our portfolios. We believe this active approach is well-suited to this time.

Thank you for investing with Putnam.



Current performance may be lower or higher than the quoted past performance, which cannot guarantee future results. Share price, principal value, and return will fluctuate, and you may have a gain or a loss when you sell your shares. Performance of class A shares assumes reinvestment of distributions and does not account for taxes. Fund returns in the bar chart do not reflect a sales charge of 4.00%; had they, returns would have been lower. Performance for class A shares before their inception (9/20/93) is derived from the historical performance of class B shares. See below and pages 8–11 for additional performance information. For a portion of the periods, the fund had expense limitations, without which returns would have been lower. To obtain the most recent month-end performance, visit putnam.com.

Before August 28, 2020, the fund was managed with a materially different investment strategy and may have achieved materially different performance results under its current investment strategy from that shown for periods before this date.

All Bloomberg indices provided by Bloomberg Index Services Limited.

Lipper peer group average provided by Lipper, a Refinitiv company.

* The Bloomberg Municipal Bond — Bloomberg 3–15 Year Blend Municipal Bond Linked Benchmark represents performance of the Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index from inception date of the fund, September 9, 1985, through August 27, 2020, and performance of the Bloomberg 3–15 Year Blend Municipal Bond Index from August 28, 2020, and thereafter.

† The fund’s primary benchmark, the Bloomberg 3–15 Year Blend Municipal Bond Index, was introduced on 1/31/90, which post-dates the inception of the fund.

This comparison shows your fund’s performance in the context of broad market indexes for the 12 months ended 7/31/21. See above and pages 8–11 for additional fund performance information. Index descriptions can be found on pages 14–15.

All Bloomberg indices provided by Bloomberg Index Services Limited.

2 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 




Garrett, how was the market for intermediate-term municipal bonds during the reporting period?

Intermediate-term municipal bonds performed relatively well, even as U.S. Treasury yields rose. [Bond prices move inversely to interest rates.] The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note rose from 0.55% on July 31, 2020, to a high of 1.74% in March 2021 before closing the 12-month period at 1.24% on July 31, 2021. Interest rates moved higher in response to the reopening of the U.S. economy, stimulus measures, and investors pricing in higher inflation expectations.

President Biden’s signing of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan [ARP] in March 2021 provided a tailwind for the asset class. This Covid-19 relief bill provided a windfall of $350 billion in direct aid to states and local governments. This support, coupled with the fact that state budgets have generally outperformed conservative forecasts, has improved the outlook for some of the largest issuers in the municipal bond market. Transit agencies, colleges and universities, and school districts are among the municipal sectors that were targeted for substantial aid in the

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 3 

 



Allocations are shown as a percentage of the fund’s net assets as of 7/31/21. Cash and net other assets, if any, represent the market value weights of cash, derivatives, short-term securities, and other unclassified assets in the portfolio. Summary information may differ from the information in the portfolio schedule notes included in the financial statements due to the inclusion of derivative securities, any interest accruals, the timing of matured security transactions, the use of different classifications of securities for presentation purposes, and rounding. Holdings and allocations may vary over time.


Credit qualities are shown as a percentage of the fund’s net assets as of 7/31/21. A bond rated BBB or higher (SP-3 or higher, for short-term debt) is considered investment grade. This chart reflects the highest security rating provided by one or more of Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch. Ratings may vary over time.

Cash and net other assets, if any, represent the market value weights of cash, derivatives, and short-term securities in the portfolio. The fund itself has not been rated by an independent rating agency.

4 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


ARP. Furthermore, local municipalities have benefited from a strong housing market and higher revenue from local property taxes.

With vaccination progress leading to reopenings in the United States, investors speculated the Federal Reserve might begin scaling back its support for the U.S. economy. In June 2021, the Fed assumed a more hawkish tone. In their commentary, Fed officials projected two rate increases in 2023 if recent inflation persisted, which was sooner than expected. Although the Fed would continue its asset purchases near term, it indicated it was still considering tapering its asset purchases at some point. In July 2021, however, the Fed indicated it wanted to see more progress in the U.S. jobs market before reducing its support for the economy.

Improving municipal credit fundamentals and strong market technicals pushed municipal rates lower, and credit spreads narrowed. [Credit spreads reflect the difference in yield between higher- and lower-rated municipal bonds.] For the 12 months ended July 31, 2021, the Bloomberg 3–15 Year Blend Municipal Bond Index [the fund’s primary benchmark] rose 2.60%, solidly outperforming the broader U.S. fixed-income markets, which delivered a slightly negative result, and U.S. Treasuries.

How did the fund perform during the period?

For the 12 months ended July 31, 2021, the fund outperformed its primary and secondary benchmarks and the average return of its Lipper peer group, Intermediate Municipal Debt Funds.

What strategies or holdings influenced the fund’s performance?

The fund began the period with a duration positioning, or interest-rate sensitivity, that was generally neutral relative to the fund’s Lipper peer group. As part of this strategy, the fund had an overweight exposure to the longer intermediate portion of the yield curve focused on bonds with maturities of 15 years and longer.


Regarding credit risk, the fund had an overweight position in lower-investment-grade securities rated A and BBB and some portions of the lower-rated, high-yield municipal bond market relative to its Lipper peer group. This positioning reflected our view that with economic growth improving, credit spreads were likely to narrow. Narrowing credit spreads tend to reflect improving creditworthiness, which, in turn, can lead to higher prices.

These strategies were intact through the end of 2020 when the municipal bond market typically sees large reinvestment flows at the start of a new calendar year. These flows were met with very muted supply, which helped to support municipal bond prices. With valuations relatively high and absolute rates nearing historical lows in late January 2021, we reduced our interest-rate exposure to a modestly short position. We achieved this by selling higher-rated holdings and securities with maturities of 10 to 20 years while maintaining the portfolio’s overweight to lower-investment-grade securities rated A and BBB and lower-rated, high-yield municipal bonds. This resulted in a more neutral yield-curve positioning and a short duration posture relative to the fund’s Lipper peer group for the balance of the period. From a sector- or industry-positioning perspective, the fund held overweight exposures to hospitals, continuing-care retirement communities, and private higher education relative to the fund’s Lipper peer group.

The fund’s exposure to state and local governments was limited to those with, in our view, diverse tax bases and the ability to enact broad

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 5 

 


revenue enhancements or expense cuts. As part of our strategy for state debt, the fund held an overweight exposure to Illinois relative to the Lipper peer group. We believe Illinois’s financial profile continues to stabilize, and its flexibility and credit fundamentals appear to have improved since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States.

We remain cautious about Puerto Rico due to what we believe are its seemingly fragile economy, weak demographic trends, poor-quality infrastructure, volatile political environment, and history of fiscal mismanagement. As such, the fund remained underweight in its exposure to uninsured Puerto Rico municipal debt relative to its Lipper peer group. We continue to monitor the Commonwealth’s ongoing restructuring efforts for potential opportunities.

What is your outlook for the municipal bond market for the coming months?

The recent infusions under the ARP, fiscal stimulus, and a pick-up in economic activity should help state and local governments enter their 2022 budget sessions with enough cash on hand to help absorb the economic stress of the pandemic, in our view. In August 2021, the Senate passed a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill to repair the nation’s deteriorating roads and bridges, fund new broadband and climate initiatives, and modernize the power grid. The House subsequently passed a budget reconciliation blueprint and set a deadline to vote on the bipartisan deal by September 27, 2021. Depending on the details of the infrastructure bill, in our view, it would likely be a positive development for many municipal borrowers, particularly state and local governments, transit agencies, airports, and other entities that typically finance transportation infrastructure. We believe federal grants could reduce the need for municipal borrowers to issue debt to cover essential services. This would increase fiscal flexibility for these borrowers while avoiding higher tax burdens, in our view.

Municipals were one of the best-performing fixed-income classes during the first half of 2021. Given this result, we believe municipal bond returns in the second half of 2021 are


This chart shows how the fund’s top weightings have changed over the past six months. Allocations are shown as a percentage of the fund’s net assets. Current period summary information may differ from the information in the portfolio schedule notes included in the financial statements due to the inclusion of derivative securities, any interest accruals, the timing of matured security transactions, the use of different classifications of securities for presentation purposes, and rounding. Holdings and allocations may vary over time.

6 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


unlikely to match the relatively strong results of the first half. With current valuations at relatively rich levels versus history, we would view any rate volatility or a market sell-off as a potential buying opportunity. We continue to believe the greatest opportunities reside in the lower tiers of the investment-grade universe as well as the high-yield sectors at this point in the economic recovery. Defaults, despite pandemic-related challenges, remained low and within long-term ranges during the period.

Thank you, Garrett, for your time and insights today.

The views expressed in this report are exclusively those of Putnam Management and are subject to change. They are not meant as investment advice.

Please note that the holdings discussed in this report may not have been held by the fund for the entire period. Portfolio composition is subject to review in accordance with the fund’s investment strategy and may vary in the future. Current and future portfolio holdings are subject to risk. Statements in the Q&A concerning the fund’s performance or portfolio composition relative to those of the fund’s Lipper peer group may reference information produced by Lipper Inc. or through a third party.

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 7 

 


Your fund’s performance

This section shows your fund’s performance, price, and distribution information for periods ended July 31, 2021, the end of its most recent fiscal year. In accordance with regulatory requirements for mutual funds, we also include performance information as of the most recent calendar quarter-end and expense information taken from the fund’s current prospectus. Performance should always be considered in light of a fund’s investment strategy. Before August 28, 2020, the fund was managed with a materially different investment strategy and may have achieved materially different performance results under its current investment strategy from that shown for periods before this date. Data represent past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. More recent returns may be less or more than those shown. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, and you may have a gain or a loss when you sell your shares. Performance information does not reflect any deduction for taxes a shareholder may owe on fund distributions or on the redemption of fund shares. For the most recent month-end performance, please visit the Individual Investors section at putnam.com or call Putnam at 1-800-225-1581. Class R6 and Y shares are not available to all investors. See the Terms and definitions section in this report for definitions of the share classes offered by your fund.

Fund performance Total return for periods ended 7/31/21

  Annual               
  average    Annual    Annual    Annual   
  (life of fund)  10 years  average  5 years  average  3 years  average  1 year 
Class A (9/20/93)                 
Before sales charge  5.64%  51.72%  4.26%  17.81%  3.33%  16.65%  5.27%  4.57% 
After sales charge  5.52  45.65  3.83  13.10  2.49  11.99  3.85  0.38 
Class B (9/9/85)                 
Before CDSC  5.64  44.42  3.74  14.21  2.69  14.51  4.62  3.94 
After CDSC  5.64  44.42  3.74  12.25  2.34  11.51  3.70  –1.06 
Class C (7/26/99)                 
Before CDSC  5.60  42.74  3.62  13.41  2.55  14.12  4.50  3.84 
After CDSC  5.60  42.74  3.62  13.41  2.55  14.12  4.50  2.84 
Class R6 (5/22/18)                 
Net asset value  5.54  55.46  4.51  19.18  3.57  17.58  5.55  4.84 
Class Y (1/2/08)                 
Net asset value  5.54  55.46  4.51  19.18  3.57  17.54  5.54  4.82 

 

Current performance may be lower or higher than the quoted past performance, which cannot guarantee future results. After-sales-charge returns for class A shares reflect the deduction of the maximum 4.00% sales charge levied at the time of purchase. Class B share returns after contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) reflect the applicable CDSC, which is 5% in the first year, declining over time to 1% in the sixth year, and is eliminated thereafter. Class C share returns after CDSC reflect a 1% CDSC for the first year that is eliminated thereafter. Class R6 and Y shares have no initial sales charge or CDSC. Performance for class A, C, and Y shares before their inception is derived from the historical performance of class B shares, adjusted for the applicable sales charge (or CDSC) and, for class C shares, the higher operating expenses for such shares. Performance for class R6 shares prior to their inception is derived from the historical performance of class Y shares and has not been adjusted for the lower investor servicing fees applicable to class R6 shares; had it, returns would have been higher.

For a portion of the periods, the fund had expense limitations, without which returns would have been lower.

Class B and C share performance reflects conversion to class A shares after eight years.

8 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


Comparative index returns For periods ended 7/31/21

  Annual               
  average    Annual    Annual    Annual   
  (life of fund)  10 years  average  5 years  average  3 years  average  1 year 
Bloomberg 3–15 Year                 
Blend Municipal  —  44.67%  3.76%  16.53%  3.11%  15.39%  4.89%  2.60% 
Bond Index *                 
Bloomberg Municipal                 
Bond — Bloomberg                 
3–15 Year Blend Municipal  6.28%  50.69  4.19  17.34  3.25  15.89  5.04  2.51 
Bond Linked Benchmark†                 
Lipper Intermediate                 
Municipal Debt Funds  4.21  38.88  3.32  14.32  2.71  14.15  4.50  3.70 
category average‡                 

 

Index and Lipper results should be compared with fund performance before sales charge, before CDSC, or at net asset value.

All Bloomberg indices provided by Bloomberg Index Services Limited.

Lipper peer group average provided by Lipper, a Refinitiv company.

* The fund’s primary benchmark, the Bloomberg 3–15 Year Blend Municipal Bond Index, was introduced on 1/31/90, which post-dates the inception of the fund.

† The Bloomberg Municipal Bond — Bloomberg 3–15 Year Blend Municipal Bond Linked Benchmark represents performance of the Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index from inception date of the fund, September 9, 1985, through August 27, 2020, and performance of the Bloomberg 3–15 Year Blend Municipal Bond Index from August 28, 2020, and thereafter.

‡ Over the 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, 10-year, and life-of-fund periods ended 7/31/21, there were 214, 189, 160, 119, and 27 funds, respectively, in this Lipper category.


Past performance does not indicate future results. At the end of the same time period, a $10,000 investment in the fund’s class B and C shares would have been valued at $14,442 and $14,274, respectively, and no contingent deferred sales charges would apply. A $10,000 investment in the fund’s class R6 and Y shares would have been valued at $15,546 and $15,546, respectively.

All Bloomberg indices provided by Bloomberg Index Services Limited.

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 9 

 


Fund price and distribution information For the 12-month period ended 7/31/21

Distributions  Class A  Class B  Class C  Class R6  Class Y 
Number  12  12  12  12  12 
Income1  $0.263351  $0.172685  $0.149399  $0.303617  $0.301211 
Capital gains2         
Long-term gains  0.279500  0.279500  0.279500  0.279500  0.279500 
Short-term gains  0.099700  0.099700  0.099700  0.099700  0.099700 
Total  $0.642551  $0.551885  $0.528599  $0.682817  $0.680411 
  Before  After  Net  Net  Net  Net 
  sales  sales  asset  asset  asset  asset 
Share value  charge  charge  value  value  value  value 
7/31/20  $15.33  $15.97  $15.35  $15.38  $15.35  $15.35 
7/31/21  15.37  16.01  15.39  15.43  15.39  15.39 
  Before  After  Net  Net  Net  Net 
Current rate  sales  sales  asset  asset  asset  asset 
(end of period)  charge  charge  value  value  value  value 
Current dividend rate3  1.40%  1.34%  0.80%  0.65%  1.66%  1.65% 
Taxable equivalent4  2.36  2.26  1.35  1.10  2.80  2.79 
Current 30-day             
SEC yield5  N/A  0.25  –0.33  –0.48  0.52  0.51 
Taxable equivalent4  N/A  0.42  N/A  N/A  0.88  0.86 

 

The classification of distributions, if any, is an estimate. Before-sales-charge share value and current dividend rate for class A shares, if applicable, do not take into account any sales charge levied at the time of purchase. After-sales-charge share value, current dividend rate, and current 30-day SEC yield, if applicable, are calculated assuming that the maximum sales charge (4.00% for class A shares) was levied at the time of purchase. Final distribution information will appear on your year-end tax forms.

1 For some investors, investment income may be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax.

2 Capital gains, if any, are taxable for federal and, in most cases, state purposes.

3 Most recent distribution, including any return of capital and excluding capital gains, annualized and divided by share price before or after sales charge at period-end.

4 Assumes maximum 40.80% federal tax rate for 2021. Results for investors subject to lower tax rates would not be as advantageous.

5 Based only on investment income and calculated using the maximum offering price for each share class, in accordance with SEC guidelines.

10 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


Fund performance as of most recent calendar quarter Total return for periods ended 6/30/21

  Annual               
  average    Annual    Annual    Annual   
  (life of fund)  10 years  average  5 years  average  3 years  average  1 year 
Class A (9/20/93)                 
Before sales charge  5.64%  52.95%  4.34%  17.12%  3.21%  16.25%  5.15%  6.15% 
After sales charge  5.52  46.83  3.92  12.44  2.37  11.60  3.73  1.91 
Class B (9/9/85)                 
Before CDSC  5.64  45.49  3.82  13.54  2.57  14.11  4.50  5.52 
After CDSC  5.64  45.49  3.82  11.60  2.22  11.11  3.58  0.52 
Class C (7/26/99)                 
Before CDSC  5.60  43.70  3.69  12.68  2.42  13.58  4.33  5.34 
After CDSC  5.60  43.70  3.69  12.68  2.42  13.58  4.33  4.34 
Class R6 (5/22/18)                 
Net asset value  5.54  56.61  4.59  18.56  3.46  17.09  5.40  6.42 
Class Y (1/2/08)                 
Net asset value  5.54  56.61  4.59  18.56  3.46  17.05  5.39  6.48 

 

See the discussion following the fund performance table on page 8 for information about the calculation of fund performance.

Your fund’s expenses

As a mutual fund investor, you pay ongoing expenses, such as management fees, distribution fees (12b-1 fees), and other expenses. Using the following information, you can estimate how these expenses affect your investment and compare them with the expenses of other funds. You may also pay one-time transaction expenses, including sales charges (loads) and redemption fees, which are not shown in this section and would have resulted in higher total expenses. For more information, see your fund’s prospectus or talk to your financial representative.

Expense ratios

  Class A  Class B  Class C  Class R6  Class Y 
Total annual operating expenses for the fiscal           
year ended 7/31/20*  0.84%‡  1.44%  1.59%  0.58%  0.59% 
Annualized expense ratio for the six-month           
period ended 7/31/21†  0.84%  1.44%  1.59%  0.58%  0.59% 

 

Fiscal year expense information in this table is taken from the most recent prospectus, is subject to change, and may differ from that shown for the annualized expense ratio and in the financial highlights of this report.

Expenses are shown as a percentage of average net assets.

* Restated to reflect current fees.

† Expense ratios for each class are for the fund’s most recent fiscal half year. As a result of this, ratios may differ from expense ratios based on one-year data in the financial highlights.

‡ Distribution and service fees have been restated to reflect current fees.

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 11 

 


Expenses per $1,000

The following table shows the expenses you would have paid on a $1,000 investment in each class of the fund from 2/1/21 to 7/31/21. It also shows how much a $1,000 investment would be worth at the close of the period, assuming actual returns and expenses.

  Class A  Class B  Class C  Class R6  Class Y 
Expenses paid per $1,000*†  $4.20  $7.19  $7.94  $2.90  $2.95 
Ending value (after expenses)  $1,016.50  $1,013.50  $1,013.30  $1,017.80  $1,017.70 

 

* Expenses for each share class are calculated using the fund’s annualized expense ratio for each class, which represents the ongoing expenses as a percentage of average net assets for the six months ended 7/31/21. The expense ratio may differ for each share class.

† Expenses are calculated by multiplying the expense ratio by the average account value for the period; then multiplying the result by the number of days in the period (181); and then dividing that result by the number of days in the year (365).

Estimate the expenses you paid

To estimate the ongoing expenses you paid for the six months ended 7/31/21, use the following calculation method. To find the value of your investment on 2/1/21, call Putnam at 1-800-225-1581.


Compare expenses using the SEC’s method

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has established guidelines to help investors assess fund expenses. Per these guidelines, the following table shows your fund’s expenses based on a $1,000 investment, assuming a hypothetical 5% annualized return. You can use this information to compare the ongoing expenses (but not transaction expenses or total costs) of investing in the fund with those of other funds. All mutual fund shareholder reports will provide this information to help you make this comparison. Please note that you cannot use this information to estimate your actual ending account balance and expenses paid during the period.

  Class A  Class B  Class C  Class R6  Class Y 
Expenses paid per $1,000*†  $4.21  $7.20  $7.95  $2.91  $2.96 
Ending value (after expenses)  $1,020.63  $1,017.65  $1,016.91  $1,021.92  $1,021.87 

 

* Expenses for each share class are calculated using the fund’s annualized expense ratio for each class, which represents the ongoing expenses as a percentage of average net assets for the six months ended 7/31/21. The expense ratio may differ for each share class.

† Expenses are calculated by multiplying the expense ratio by the average account value for the six-month period; then multiplying the result by the number of days in the six-month period (181); and then dividing that result by the number of days in the year (365).

12 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


Consider these risks before investing

Capital gains, if any, are taxable for federal and, in most cases, state purposes. Income from federally tax-exempt funds may be subject to state and local taxes. Bond investments are subject to interest-rate risk (the risk of bond prices falling if interest rates rise) and credit risk (the risk of an issuer defaulting on interest or principal payments). Interest-rate risk is generally greater for longer-term bonds, and credit risk is generally greater for below-investment-grade bonds. Unlike bonds, funds that invest in bonds have fees and expenses. The fund may invest significantly in particular segments of the tax-exempt debt market, making it more vulnerable to fluctuations in the values of the securities it holds than a fund that invests more broadly. Interest the fund receives might be taxable.

The value of investments in the fund’s portfolio may fall or fail to rise over extended periods of time for a variety of reasons, including general economic, political, or financial market conditions; investor sentiment and market perceptions; government actions; geopolitical events or changes; and factors related to a specific issuer, geography, industry, or sector. These and other factors may lead to increased volatility and reduced liquidity in the fund’s portfolio holdings.

Our investment techniques, analyses, and judgments may not produce the outcome we intend. The investments we select for the fund may not perform as well as other securities that we do not select for the fund. We, or the fund’s other service providers, may experience disruptions or operating errors that could have a negative effect on the fund. You can lose money by investing in the fund.

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 13 

 


Terms and definitions

Important terms

Total return shows how the value of the fund’s shares changed over time, assuming you held the shares through the entire period and reinvested all distributions in the fund.

Before sales charge, or net asset value, is the price, or value, of one share of a mutual fund, without a sales charge. Before-sales-charge figures fluctuate with market conditions, and are calculated by dividing the net assets of each class of shares by the number of outstanding shares in the class.

After sales charge is the price of a mutual fund share plus the maximum sales charge levied at the time of purchase. After-sales-charge performance figures shown here assume the 4.00% maximum sales charge for class A shares.

Contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) is generally a charge applied at the time of the redemption of class B or C shares and assumes redemption at the end of the period. Your fund’s class B CDSC declines over time from a 5% maximum during the first year to 1% during the sixth year. After the sixth year, the CDSC no longer applies. The CDSC for class C shares is 1% for one year after purchase.

Share classes

Class A shares are generally subject to an initial sales charge and no CDSC (except on certain redemptions of shares bought without an initial sales charge).

Class B shares are closed to new investments and are only available by exchange from another Putnam fund or through dividend and/or capital gains reinvestment. They are not subject to an initial sales charge and may be subject to a CDSC.

Class C shares are not subject to an initial sales charge and are subject to a CDSC only if the shares are redeemed during the first year.

Class R6 shares are not subject to an initial sales charge or CDSC and carry no 12b-1 fee. They are generally only available to employer-sponsored retirement plans, corporate and institutional clients, and clients in other approved programs.

Class Y shares are not subject to an initial sales charge or CDSC and carry no 12b-1 fee. They are generally only available to corporate and institutional clients and clients in other approved programs.

Fixed-income terms

Current rate is the annual rate of return earned from dividends or interest of an investment. Current rate is expressed as a percentage of the price of a security, fund share, or principal investment.

Yield curve is a graph that plots the yields of bonds with equal credit quality against their differing maturity dates, ranging from shortest to longest. It is used as a benchmark for other debt, such as mortgage or bank lending rates.

Comparative indexes

Bloomberg 3–15 Year Blend Municipal Bond Index is an unmanaged index comprised of investment-grade municipal securities ranging from 2 and 17 years in maturity.

Bloomberg Municipal Bond — Bloomberg 3–15 Year Blend Municipal Bond Linked Benchmark represents performance of the Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index from inception date of the fund, September 9, 1985, through August 27, 2020, and performance of the Bloomberg 3–15 Year Municipal Bond Index from August 28, 2020, and thereafter.

Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index is an unmanaged index of long-term fixed-rate investment-grade tax-exempt bonds.

14 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is an unmanaged index of U.S. investment-grade fixed-income securities.

ICE BofA (Intercontinental Exchange Bank of America) U.S. 3-Month Treasury Bill Index is an unmanaged index that seeks to measure the performance of U.S. Treasury bills available in the marketplace.

S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged index of common stock performance.

Indexes assume reinvestment of all distributions and do not account for fees. Securities and performance of a fund and an index will differ. You cannot invest directly in an index.

BLOOMBERG®  is a trademark and service mark of Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates (collectively “Bloomberg”). Bloomberg or Bloomberg’s licensors own all proprietary rights in the Bloomberg Indices. Neither Bloomberg nor Bloomberg’s licensors approve or endorse this material, or guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information herein, or make any warranty, express or implied, as to the results to be obtained therefrom and, to the maximum extent allowed by law, neither shall have any liability or responsibility for injury or damages arising in connection therewith.

ICE Data Indices, LLC (“ICE BofA”), used with permission. ICE BofA permits use of the ICE BofA indices and related data on an “as is” basis; makes no warranties regarding same; does not guarantee the suitability, quality, accuracy, timeliness, and/or completeness of the ICE BofA indices or any data included in, related to, or derived therefrom; assumes no liability in connection with the use of the foregoing; and does not sponsor, endorse, or recommend Putnam Investments, or any of its products or services.

Lipper, a Refinitiv company, is a third-party industry-ranking entity that ranks mutual funds. Its rankings do not reflect sales charges. Lipper rankings are based on total return at net asset value relative to other funds that have similar current investment styles or objectives as determined by Lipper. Lipper may change a fund’s category assignment at its discretion. Lipper category averages reflect performance trends for funds within a category.

Other information for shareholders

Proxy voting

Putnam is committed to managing our mutual funds in the best interests of our shareholders. The Putnam funds’ proxy voting guidelines and procedures, as well as information regarding how your fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the 12-month period ended June 30, 2021, are available in the Individual Investors section of putnam.com and on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) website, www.sec.gov. If you have questions about finding forms on the SEC’s website, you may call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. You may also obtain the Putnam funds’ proxy voting guidelines and procedures at no charge by calling Putnam’s Shareholder Services at 1-800-225-1581.

Fund portfolio holdings

The fund will file a complete schedule of its portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-PORT within 60 days of the end of such fiscal quarter. Shareholders may obtain the fund’s Form N-PORT on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Prior to its use of Form N-PORT, the fund filed its complete schedule of its portfolio holdings with the SEC on Form N-Q, which is available online at www.sec.gov.

Trustee and employee fund ownership

Putnam employees and members of the Board of Trustees place their faith, confidence, and, most importantly, investment dollars in Putnam mutual funds. As of July 31, 2021, Putnam employees had approximately $569,000,000 and the Trustees had approximately $80,000,000 invested in Putnam mutual funds. These amounts include investments by the Trustees’ and employees’ immediate family members as well as investments through retirement and deferred compensation plans.

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 15 

 


Liquidity risk management program

Putnam, as the administrator of the fund’s liquidity risk management program (appointed by the Board of Trustees), presented the most recent annual report on the program to the Trustees in April 2021. The report covered the structure of the program, including the program documents and related policies and procedures adopted to comply with Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and reviewed the operation of the program from January 2020 through December 2020. The report included a description of the annual liquidity assessment of the fund that Putnam performed in November 2020. The report noted that there were no material compliance exceptions identified under Rule 22e-4 during the period. The report included a review of the governance of the program and the methodology for classification of the fund’s investments. The report also included a discussion of liquidity monitoring during the period, including during the market liquidity challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the impact those challenges had on the liquidity of the fund’s investments. Putnam concluded that the program has been operating effectively and adequately to ensure compliance with Rule 22e-4.

16 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


Important notice regarding Putnam’s privacy policy

In order to conduct business with our shareholders, we must obtain certain personal information such as account holders’ names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth. Using this information, we are able to maintain accurate records of accounts and transactions.

It is our policy to protect the confidentiality of our shareholder information, whether or not a shareholder currently owns shares of our funds. In particular, it is our policy not to sell information about you or your accounts to outside marketing firms. We have safeguards in place designed to prevent unauthorized access to our computer systems and procedures to protect personal information from unauthorized use.

Under certain circumstances, we must share account information with outside vendors who provide services to us, such as mailings and proxy solicitations. In these cases, the service providers enter into confidentiality agreements with us, and we provide only the information necessary to process transactions and perform other services related to your account. Finally, it is our policy to share account information with your financial representative, if you’ve listed one on your Putnam account.

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 17 

 


Trustee approval of management contract

General conclusions

The Board of Trustees of The Putnam Funds oversees the management of each fund and, as required by law, determines annually whether to approve the continuance of your fund’s management contract with Putnam Investment Management, LLC (“Putnam Management”) and the sub-management contract with respect to your fund between Putnam Management and its affiliate, Putnam Investments Limited (“PIL”). The Board, with the assistance of its Contract Committee, requests and evaluates all information it deems reasonably necessary under the circumstances in connection with its annual contract review. The Contract Committee consists solely of Trustees who are not “interested persons” (as this term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”)) of The Putnam Funds (“Independent Trustees”).

At the outset of the review process, members of the Board’s independent staff and independent legal counsel considered any possible changes to the annual contract review materials furnished to the Contract Committee during the course of the previous year’s review and, as applicable, identified those changes to Putnam Management. Following these discussions and in consultation with the Contract Committee, the Independent Trustees’ independent legal counsel requested that Putnam Management and its affiliates furnish specified information, together with any additional information that Putnam Management considered relevant, to the Contract Committee. Over the course of several months ending in June 2021, the Contract Committee met on a number of occasions with representatives of Putnam Management, and separately in executive session, to consider the information that Putnam Management provided. Throughout this process, the Contract Committee was assisted by the members of the Board’s independent staff and by independent legal counsel for The Putnam Funds and the Independent Trustees.

In May 2021, the Contract Committee met in executive session to discuss and consider its recommendations with respect to the continuance of the contracts. At the Trustees’ June 2021 meeting, the Contract Committee met in executive session with the other Independent Trustees to review a summary of the key financial, performance and other data that the Contract Committee considered in the course of its review. The Contract Committee then presented its written report, which summarized the key factors that the Committee had considered and set forth its recommendations. The Contract Committee recommended, and the Independent Trustees approved, the continuance of your fund’s management and sub-management contracts, effective July 1, 2021. (Because PIL is an affiliate of Putnam Management and Putnam Management remains fully responsible for all services provided by PIL, the Trustees have not attempted to evaluate PIL as a separate entity, and all subsequent references to Putnam Management below should be deemed to include reference to PIL as necessary or appropriate in the context.) The Independent Trustees’ approval was based on the following conclusions:

• That the fee schedule in effect for your fund represented reasonable compensation in light of the nature and quality of the services being provided to the fund, the fees paid by competitive funds, the costs incurred by Putnam Management in providing services to the fund, and the application of certain reductions and waivers noted below; and

• That the fee schedule in effect for your fund represented an appropriate sharing between fund shareholders and Putnam Management of any economies of scale as may exist in the management of the fund at current asset levels.

These conclusions were based on a comprehensive consideration of all information provided to the Trustees and were not the result of any single factor. Some of the factors that figured particularly in the Trustees’ deliberations and how the Trustees considered these factors are described below, although individual Trustees may have evaluated the information presented differently, giving different weights to various factors. It is also important to recognize that the management arrangements for your fund and the other Putnam funds are the result of many years of review and discussion between the Independent Trustees and Putnam Management, that some aspects of the arrangements may receive greater scrutiny in some years than others, and that the Trustees’ conclusions may be based, in part, on their consideration of

18 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


fee arrangements in previous years. For example, with certain exceptions primarily involving newly launched or repositioned funds, the current fee arrangements under the vast majority of the funds’ management contracts were first implemented at the beginning of 2010 following extensive review by the Contract Committee and discussions with representatives of Putnam Management, as well as approval by shareholders.

Management fee schedules and total expenses

The Trustees reviewed the management fee schedules in effect for all Putnam funds, including fee levels and breakpoints. Under its management contract, your fund has the benefit of breakpoints in its management fee schedule that provide shareholders with reduced fee levels as assets under management in the Putnam family of funds increase. The Trustees also reviewed the total expenses of each Putnam fund, recognizing that in most cases management fees represented the major, but not the sole, determinant of total costs to fund shareholders. (Two funds have implemented so-called “all-in” management fees covering substantially all routine fund operating costs.) In reviewing fees and expenses, the Trustees generally focus their attention on material changes in circumstances — for example, changes in assets under management, changes in a fund’s investment strategy, changes in Putnam Management’s operating costs or profitability, or changes in competitive practices in the mutual fund industry — that suggest that consideration of fee changes might be warranted. The Trustees concluded that the circumstances did not indicate that changes to the management fee schedule for your fund would be appropriate at this time.

As in the past, the Trustees also focused on the competitiveness of each fund’s total expense ratio. In order to support the effort to have fund expenses meet competitive standards, the Trustees and Putnam Management and the funds’ investor servicing agent, Putnam Investor Services, Inc. (“PSERV”), have implemented expense limitations that were in effect during your fund’s fiscal year ending in 2020. These expense limitations were: (i) a contractual expense limitation applicable to specified open-end funds, including your fund, of 25 basis points on investor servicing fees and expenses and (ii) a contractual expense limitation applicable to specified open-end funds, including your fund, of 20 basis points on so-called “other expenses” (i.e., all expenses exclusive of management fees, distribution fees, investor servicing fees, investment-related expenses, interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses). These expense limitations attempt to maintain competitive expense levels for the funds. Most funds, including your fund, had sufficiently low expenses that these expense limitations were not operative during their fiscal years ending in 2020. Putnam Management and PSERV have agreed to maintain these expense limitations until at least November 30, 2022. The support of Putnam Management and PSERV for these expense limitation arrangements was an important factor in the Trustees’ decision to approve the continuance of your fund’s management and sub-management contracts.

The Trustees reviewed comparative fee and expense information for a custom group of competitive funds selected by Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (“Broadridge”). This comparative information included your fund’s percentile ranking for effective management fees and total expenses (excluding any applicable 12b-1 fees), which provides a general indication of your fund’s relative standing. In the custom peer group, your fund ranked in the second quintile in effective management fees (determined for your fund and the other funds in the custom peer group based on fund asset size and the applicable contractual management fee schedule) and in the fourth quintile in total expenses (excluding any applicable 12b-1 fees) as of December 31, 2020. The first quintile represents the least expensive funds and the fifth quintile the most expensive funds. The fee and expense data reported by Broadridge as of December 31, 2020 reflected the most recent fiscal year-end data available in Broadridge’s database at that time.

In connection with their review of fund management fees and total expenses, the Trustees also reviewed the costs of the services provided and the profits realized by Putnam Management and its affiliates from their contractual relationships with the funds. This information included trends in revenues, expenses and profitability of Putnam Management and its affiliates relating to the investment management, investor servicing and distribution services provided to the funds. In this regard, the Trustees also reviewed an analysis

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 19 

 


of the revenues, expenses and profitability of Putnam Management and its affiliates, allocated on a fund-by-fund basis, with respect to the funds’ management, distribution, and investor servicing contracts. For each fund, the analysis presented information about revenues, expenses and profitability for each of the agreements separately and for the agreements taken together on a combined basis. The Trustees concluded that, at current asset levels, the fee schedules in place for the Putnam funds, including the fee schedule for your fund, represented reasonable compensation for the services being provided and represented an appropriate sharing between fund shareholders and Putnam Management of any economies of scale as may exist in the management of the Putnam funds at that time.

The information examined by the Trustees in connection with their annual contract review for the Putnam funds included information regarding services provided and fees charged by Putnam Management and its affiliates to other clients, including defined benefit pension and profit-sharing plans, sub-advised mutual funds, private funds sponsored by affiliates of Putnam Management, model-only separately managed accounts and Putnam Management’s newly launched exchange-traded funds. This information included, in cases where a product’s investment strategy corresponds with a fund’s strategy, comparisons of those fees with fees charged to the Putnam funds, as well as an assessment of the differences in the services provided to these clients as compared to the services provided to the Putnam funds. The Trustees observed that the differences in fee rates between these clients and the Putnam funds are by no means uniform when examined by individual asset sectors, suggesting that differences in the pricing of investment management services to these types of clients may reflect, among other things, historical competitive forces operating in separate marketplaces. The Trustees considered the fact that in many cases fee rates across different asset classes are higher on average for mutual funds than for other clients, and the Trustees also considered the differences between the services that Putnam Management provides to the Putnam funds and those that it provides to its other clients. The Trustees did not rely on these comparisons to any significant extent in concluding that the management fees paid by your fund are reasonable.

Investment performance

The quality of the investment process provided by Putnam Management represented a major factor in the Trustees’ evaluation of the quality of services provided by Putnam Management under your fund’s management contract. The Trustees were assisted in their review of Putnam Management’s investment process and performance by the work of the investment oversight committees of the Trustees and the full Board of Trustees, which meet on a regular basis with individual portfolio managers and with senior management of Putnam Management’s Investment Division throughout the year. The Trustees concluded that Putnam Management generally provides a high-quality investment process — based on the experience and skills of the individuals assigned to the management of fund portfolios, the resources made available to them, and in general Putnam Management’s ability to attract and retain high-quality personnel — but also recognized that this does not guarantee favorable investment results for every fund in every time period.

The Trustees considered that, in the aggregate, The Putnam Funds generally performed well in 2020, which Putnam Management characterized as a challenging year with significant volatility and varied market dynamics. On an asset-weighted basis, the Putnam funds ranked in the second quartile of their peers as determined by Lipper Inc. (“Lipper”) for the year ended December 31, 2020 and, on an asset-weighted-basis, delivered a gross return that was 2.3% ahead of their benchmarks in 2020. In addition to the performance of the individual Putnam funds, the Trustees considered, as they had in prior years, the performance of The Putnam Fund complex versus competitor fund complexes. In this regard, the Trustees observed that The Putnam Funds’ relative performance, as reported in the Barron’s/Lipper Fund Families survey, continued to be exceptionally strong over the long term, with The Putnam Funds ranking as the 3rd best performing mutual fund complex out of 44 complexes for the ten-year period, with 2020 marking the fourth consecutive year that The Putnam Funds have ranked in the top ten fund complexes for the ten-year period. The Trustees noted that The Putnam Funds’ performance was solid over the one- and five-year periods, with The Putnam Funds ranking 22nd out of 53 complexes and 14th out of 50 complexes, respectively. In addition to the Barron’s/Lipper Fund Families

20 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


Survey, the Trustees also considered the funds’ ratings assigned by Morningstar Inc., noting that 26 of the funds were four- or five-star rated at the end of 2020 (representing an increase of four funds year-over-year) and that this included seven funds that had achieved a five-star rating (representing an increase of two funds year-over-year). They also noted, however, the disappointing investment performance of some funds for periods ended December 31, 2020 and considered information provided by Putnam Management regarding the factors contributing to the underperformance and actions being taken to improve the performance of these particular funds. The Trustees indicated their intention to continue to monitor closely the performance of those funds and evaluate whether additional actions to address areas of underperformance may be warranted.

For purposes of the Trustees’ evaluation of the Putnam funds’ investment performance, the Trustees generally focus on a competitive industry ranking of each fund’s total net return over a one-year, three-year and five-year period. For a number of Putnam funds with relatively unique investment mandates for which Putnam Management informed the Trustees that meaningful competitive performance rankings are not considered to be available, the Trustees evaluated performance based on their total gross and net returns and comparisons of those returns to the returns of selected investment benchmarks. In the case of your fund, the Trustees considered that its class A share cumulative total return performance at net asset value was in the following quartiles of its Lipper peer group (Lipper Intermediate Municipal Debt Funds) for the one-year, three-year and five-year periods ended December 31, 2020 (the first quartile representing the best-performing funds and the fourth quartile the worst-performing funds):

One-year period  3rd 
Three-year period  1st 
Five-year period  1st 

 

For the five-year period ended December 31, 2020, your fund’s performance was in the top decile of its Lipper peer group. Over the one-year, three-year and five-year periods ended December 31, 2020, there were 209, 182 and 160 funds, respectively, in your fund’s Lipper peer group. (When considering performance information, shareholders should be mindful that past performance is not a guarantee of future results.)

The Trustees noted that, effective August 28, 2020, the fund had been renamed Putnam Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund (formerly, Putnam AMT-Free Municipal Fund) and had changed its investment strategies to become an intermediate-term municipal bond fund that could pursue a wider range of opportunities across the municipal bond market. The Trustees considered Putnam Management’s continued efforts to support fund performance through certain initiatives, including structuring compensation for portfolio managers to enhance accountability for fund performance, emphasizing accountability in the portfolio management process, and affirming its commitment to a fundamental-driven approach to investing. The Trustees noted further that Putnam Management had made selective hires and internal promotions in 2020 to strengthen its investment team.

Brokerage and soft-dollar allocations; investor servicing

The Trustees considered various potential benefits that Putnam Management may receive in connection with the services it provides under the management contract with your fund. These include benefits related to brokerage allocation and the use of soft dollars, whereby a portion of the commissions paid by a fund for brokerage may be used to acquire research services that are expected to be useful to Putnam Management in managing the assets of the fund and of other clients. Subject to policies established by the Trustees, soft dollars generated by these means are used predominantly to acquire brokerage and research services (including third-party research and market data) that enhance Putnam Management’s investment capabilities and supplement Putnam Management’s internal research efforts. The Trustees indicated their continued intent to monitor regulatory and industry developments in this area with the assistance of their Brokerage Committee. In addition, with the assistance of their Brokerage Committee, the Trustees indicated their continued intent to monitor the allocation of the Putnam funds’ brokerage in order to ensure that the principle of seeking best price and execution remains paramount in the portfolio trading process.

Putnam Management may also receive benefits from payments that the funds make to Putnam Management’s affiliates for investor or distribution services. In conjunction with the annual review of

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 21 

 


your fund’s management and sub-management contracts, the Trustees reviewed your fund’s investor servicing agreement with PSERV and its distributor’s contract and distribution plans with Putnam Retail Management Limited Partnership (“PRM”), both of which are affiliates of Putnam Management. The Trustees concluded that the fees payable by the funds to PSERV and PRM, as applicable, for such services are fair and reasonable in relation to the nature and quality of such services, the fees paid by competitive funds, and the costs incurred by PSERV and PRM, as applicable, in providing such services. Furthermore, the Trustees were of the view that the investor services provided by PSERV were required for the operation of the funds, and that they were of a quality at least equal to those provided by other providers.

22 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


Audited financial statements

These sections of the report, as well as the accompanying Notes, preceded by the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, constitute the fund’s audited financial statements.

The fund’s portfolio lists all the fund’s investments and their values as of the last day of the reporting period. Holdings are organized by asset type and industry sector, country, or state to show areas of concentration and diversification.

Statement of assets and liabilities shows how the fund’s net assets and share price are determined. All investment and non-investment assets are added together. Any unpaid expenses and other liabilities are subtracted from this total. The result is divided by the number of shares to determine the net asset value per share, which is calculated separately for each class of shares. (For funds with preferred shares, the amount subtracted from total assets includes the liquidation preference of preferred shares.)

Statement of operations shows the fund’s net investment gain or loss. This is done by first adding up all the fund’s earnings — from dividends and interest income — and subtracting its operating expenses to determine net investment income (or loss). Then, any net gain or loss the fund realized on the sales of its holdings — as well as any unrealized gains or losses over the period — is added to or subtracted from the net investment result to determine the fund’s net gain or loss for the fiscal period.

Statement of changes in net assets shows how the fund’s net assets were affected by the fund’s net investment gain or loss, by distributions to shareholders, and by changes in the number of the fund’s shares. It lists distributions and their sources (net investment income or realized capital gains) over the current reporting period and the most recent fiscal year-end. The distributions listed here may not match the sources listed in the Statement of operations because the distributions are determined on a tax basis and may be paid in a different period from the one in which they were earned.

Financial highlights provide an overview of the fund’s investment results, per-share distributions, expense ratios, net investment income ratios, and portfolio turnover in one summary table, reflecting the five most recent reporting periods. In a semiannual report, the highlights table also includes the current reporting period.

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 23 

 


Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Trustees of Putnam Tax-Free Income Trust
and Shareholders of Putnam Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund:

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the fund’s portfolio, of Putnam Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund (one of the funds constituting Putnam Tax-Free Income Trust, referred to hereafter as the “Fund”) as of July 31, 2021, the related statement of operations for the year ended July 31, 2021, the statement of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period ended July 31, 2021, including the related notes, and the financial highlights for each of the periods indicated therein (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of July 31, 2021, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period ended July 31, 2021 and the financial highlights for each of the periods indicated therein in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of July 31, 2021 by correspondence with the custodian, transfer agent and brokers; when replies were not received from brokers, we performed other auditing procedures. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
September 9, 2021

We have served as the auditor of one or more investment companies in the Putnam Investments family of mutual funds since at least 1957. We have not been able to determine the specific year we began serving as auditor.

24 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


The fund’s portfolio 7/31/21

Key to holding’s abbreviations

ABAG Association Of Bay Area Governments 
AGM Assured Guaranty Municipal Corporation 
BAM Build America Mutual 
G.O. Bonds General Obligation Bonds 
NATL National Public Finance Guarantee Corporation 
PSFG Permanent School Fund Guaranteed 
U.S. Govt. Coll. U.S. Government Collateralized 
VRDN Variable Rate Demand Notes, which are floating-rate securities with long-term maturities that carry coupons that reset and are payable upon demand either daily, weekly or monthly. The rate shown is the current interest rate at the close of the reporting period. Rates are set by remarketing agents and may take into consideration market supply and demand, credit quality and the current SIFMA Municipal Swap Index rate, which was 0.02% as of the close of the reporting period. 

 


MUNICIPAL BONDS AND NOTES (94.6%)* Rating** Principal amount Value
Alabama (0.5%)
Jefferson, Cnty. Rev. Bonds, (Refunding warrants)        
5.00%, 9/15/34 AA   $1,075,000 $1,318,467
5.00%, 9/15/33 AA   125,000 153,386
1,471,853
Alaska (1.2%)
AK State Indl. Dev. & Export Auth. Rev. Bonds, (Tanana Chiefs Conference), Ser. A        
4.00%, 10/1/39 A+/F   2,445,000 2,828,519
4.00%, 10/1/38 A+/F   555,000 643,492
3,472,011
Arizona (3.3%)
AZ State Indl. Dev. Auth. Rev. Bonds,
(Equitable School Revolving Fund), Ser. A		        
5.00%, 11/1/38 A   1,110,000 1,371,186
5.00%, 11/1/36 A   1,235,000 1,532,084
5.00%, 11/1/34 A   1,000,000 1,244,574
Glendale, Indl. Dev. Auth. Sr. Living Fac. Rev. Bonds, (Royal Oaks Life Care Cmnty.)        
4.00%, 5/15/31 BBB−/F   1,000,000 1,078,755
4.00%, 5/15/29 BBB−/F   1,000,000 1,084,193
Salt River Project Agricultural Impt. & Pwr. Dist. Rev. Bonds, 5.00%, 1/1/27 ### Aa1   1,200,000 1,484,228
Salt Verde, Fin. Corp. Gas Rev. Bonds, 5.50%, 12/1/29 A3   1,000,000 1,328,536
9,123,556
California (7.0%)
ABAG Fin. Auth. for Nonprofit Corps. Rev. Bonds, (Episcopal Sr. Cmntys.), 6.125%, 7/1/41 A−/F   500,000 501,729
CA Cmnty. Hsg. Agcy. Essential Hsg. 144A Rev. Bonds, (Aster Apt.), Ser. A-1, 4.00%, 2/1/56 BB+/P   250,000 287,033
CA Hsg. Fin. Agcy. Muni. Certif. Rev. Bonds, Ser. 21-1, Class A, 3.50%, 11/20/35 BBB+   920,628 1,097,664
CA State Enterprise Dev. Auth. Student Hsg.
Rev. Bonds, (Provident Group-SDSU
Properties, LLC), Ser. A		        
5.00%, 8/1/30 Baa3   100,000 132,008
5.00%, 8/1/28 Baa3   150,000 190,667


Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 25


MUNICIPAL BONDS AND NOTES (94.6%)* cont. Rating** Principal amount Value
California cont.
CA State Infrastructure & Econ. Dev. Bank        
Mandatory Put Bonds (6/1/26),
(Museum Associates), 0.72%, 12/1/50		 A3   $1,000,000 $1,013,530
Mandatory Put Bonds (8/1/24),
(CA Academy of Sciences), 0.37%, 8/1/47		 A2   1,500,000 1,503,469
CA State Muni. Fin. Auth. Rev. Bonds, (HumanGood Oblig. Group), Ser. A, 4.00%, 10/1/32 A−/F   1,000,000 1,152,766
CA State Poll. Control Fin. Auth. Rev. Bonds,
(San Jose Wtr. Co.), 4.75%, 11/1/46		 A   1,000,000 1,148,124
CA State Pub. Wks. Board Rev. Bonds,
(Various Cap. Projects.), Ser. A, 5.00%, 8/1/32 ###		 Aa3   1,000,000 1,322,200
CA State, Pub. Wks. Board Rev. Bonds, Ser. A, 5.00%, 2/1/30 ### Aa3   1,000,000 1,335,716
Chula Vista, Muni. Fin. Auth. Special Tax Bonds, 5.50%, 9/1/30 AA−   775,000 855,402
Port of Oakland Rev. Bonds        
5.00%, 5/1/28 A2   750,000 949,999
1.081%, 5/1/24 A1   750,000 758,626
Sacramento, City Unified School Dist. G.O. Bonds, Ser. G, AGM        
4.00%, 8/1/36 AA   200,000 244,464
4.00%, 8/1/35 AA   250,000 306,664
4.00%, 8/1/34 AA   500,000 614,343
4.00%, 8/1/33 AA   200,000 246,547
4.00%, 8/1/32 AA   200,000 247,580
San Jose Arpt. Rev. Bonds, (Norman Y Mineta
San Jose Intl. Arpt.), Ser. A, BAM, 4.00%, 3/1/34		 AA   1,800,000 2,214,429
Sierra View, Local Hlth. Care Dist. Rev. Bonds        
5.00%, 7/1/30 A/F   620,000 818,396
5.00%, 7/1/27 A/F   625,000 773,521
4.00%, 7/1/26 A/F   300,000 346,800
4.00%, 7/1/25 A/F   290,000 327,447
4.00%, 7/1/24 A/F   235,000 258,371
4.00%, 7/1/23 A/F   260,000 277,382
4.00%, 7/1/22 A/F   230,000 237,385
Yucaipa Special Tax Bonds, (Cmnty. Fac. Dist.
No. 98-1 Chapman Heights), 5.375%, 9/1/30		 A   375,000 377,689
19,539,951
Colorado (3.2%)
CO State Hlth. Fac. Auth. Hosp. Rev. Bonds, (CommonSpirit Health Oblig. Group)        
Ser. A-1, 4.00%, 8/1/37 T Baa1   150,000 178,937
Ser. A-1, 4.00%, 8/1/38 T Baa1   225,000 266,791
Ser. A-1, 4.00%, 8/1/39 T Baa1   225,000 267,145
Ser. A-1, 4.00%, 8/1/44 T Baa1   750,000 876,237
Ser. A-2, 4.00%, 8/1/49 T Baa1   1,500,000 1,743,460
E-470 Pub. Hwy. Auth. Mandatory Put Bonds (9/1/24), Ser. B, 0.384%, 9/1/39 A2   4,000,000 4,006,562
Vauxmont, Metro. Dist. G.O. Bonds, AGM        
5.00%, 12/1/34 AA   285,000 367,059
5.00%, 12/1/32 AA   250,000 323,781


26 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund


MUNICIPAL BONDS AND NOTES (94.6%)* cont. Rating** Principal amount Value
Colorado cont.
Vauxmont, Metro. Dist. G.O. Bonds, AGM        
5.00%, 12/15/30 AA   $125,000 $145,490
5.00%, 12/15/29 AA   125,000 145,900
5.00%, 12/15/27 AA   125,000 146,714
5.00%, 12/15/25 AA   125,000 147,044
5.00%, 12/1/25 AA   175,000 207,226
8,822,346
Connecticut (1.6%)
CT State Hlth. & Edl. Fac. Auth. Rev. Bonds        
(Masonicare Issue), Ser. F, 5.00%, 7/1/34 BBB+/F   1,250,000 1,446,744
(Masonicare Issue), Ser. F, 5.00%, 7/1/33 BBB+/F   250,000 289,733
(Stamford Hosp. Oblig. Group (The)), Ser. L-1, 4.00%, 7/1/26 BBB+   700,000 810,300
CT State Hsg. Fin. Auth. Mtge. Program Rev. Bonds        
Ser. B-1, 4.10%, 11/15/39 T Aaa   565,000 601,215
Ser. B-1, 4.15%, 11/15/44 T Aaa   1,355,000 1,439,116
4,587,108
District of Columbia (2.2%)
DC Rev. Bonds        
(KIPP DC), Ser. A, 5.00%, 7/1/48 BBB+   1,250,000 1,483,846
(Latin American Montessori Bilingual Pub. Charter School Oblig. Group), 4.00%, 6/1/30 BB+   1,000,000 1,146,320
Metro. Washington DC, Arpt. Auth. Dulles Toll Rd. Rev. Bonds, (Dulles Metrorail & Cap. Impt. Proj.)        
Ser. B, 4.00%, 10/1/44 T A−   665,000 775,719
Ser. B, 4.00%, 10/1/53 T A−   660,000 773,852
Metro. Washington, Arpt. Auth. Dulles Toll Rd. Rev. Bonds, (Dulles Metrorail), 5.00%, 10/1/53 A−   2,000,000 2,057,331
6,237,068
Florida (4.4%)
Cap. Trust Agcy. 144A Rev. Bonds,
(WFCS Holdings II, LLC), Ser. A-1, 3.30%, 1/1/31		 BB/P   230,000 246,940
Double Branch Cmnty. Dev. Dist. Special Assmt. Bonds, Ser. A-1, 4.25%, 5/1/34 A   360,000 378,206
Halifax Hosp. Med. Ctr. Rev. Bonds, 5.00%, 6/1/36 A−   1,375,000 1,622,967
Lakeland, Hosp. Syst. Rev. Bonds,
(Lakeland Regl. Hlth.), 5.00%, 11/15/45		 A2   2,000,000 2,273,930
Orange Cnty., Hlth. Fac. Auth. Rev. Bonds, (Presbyterian Retirement Cmntys.), 5.00%, 8/1/34 A−/F   1,000,000 1,121,245
Orlando Cmnty. Redev. Agcy. Tax Alloc. Bonds, (Republic Drive/Universal), 5.00%, 4/1/23 A+/F   1,630,000 1,675,391
Palm Beach Cnty., Hlth. Fac. Auth. Rev. Bonds,
(Acts Retirement-Life Cmnty., Inc.), 5.00%, 11/15/32		 A−/F   2,000,000 2,398,117
Southeast Overtown Park West Cmnty. Redev. Agcy. 144A Tax Alloc. Bonds, Ser. A-1, 5.00%, 3/1/30 BBB+   240,000 264,322
St. John’s Cnty., Indl. Dev. Auth. Rev. Bonds, (Life Care Ponte Vedra Oblig. Group), Ser. A        
4.00%, 12/15/31 BB+/F   200,000 229,474
4.00%, 12/15/30 BB+/F   195,000 224,630
4.00%, 12/15/29 BB+/F   215,000 249,084


Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 27


MUNICIPAL BONDS AND NOTES (94.6%)* cont. Rating** Principal amount Value
Florida cont.
Village, 144A Special Assmt., (Village Cmnty. Dev. Dist. No. 13), 1.875%, 5/1/25 BB−/P   $700,000 $715,624
Volusia Cnty., Edl. Fac. Auth. Rev. Bonds,
(Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Inc.),
Ser. A, 4.00%, 10/15/38		 A2   750,000 881,316
12,281,246
Georgia (3.4%)
Burke Cnty., Dev. Auth. Poll. Control Mandatory Put Bonds (2/3/25), (Oglethorpe Pwr. Corp.), 1.50%, 1/1/40 Baa1   1,600,000 1,644,775
Gainesville & Hall Cnty., Dev. Auth. Edl. Fac. Rev. Bonds, (Riverside Military Academy), 5.00%, 3/1/37 BB/F   200,000 204,778
Main Street Natural Gas, Inc. Gas Supply Mandatory Put Bonds (9/1/23), Ser. B, 0.817%, 4/1/48 Aa2   2,200,000 2,211,693
Muni. Election Auth. of GA Rev. Bonds,
(Plant Vogtle Units 3 & 4)		        
Ser. A, 5.50%, 7/1/60 A   1,500,000 1,752,189
Ser. A, 5.00%, 1/1/56 A2   500,000 618,304
4.00%, 1/1/46 BBB+   330,000 381,721
AGM, 4.00%, 1/1/46 AA   1,750,000 2,053,896
AGM, 4.00%, 1/1/46 AA   450,000 528,145
9,395,501
Guam (0.1%)
Territory of GU, Pwr. Auth. Rev. Bonds, Ser. A, AGM, 5.00%, 10/1/30 AA   200,000 210,283
210,283
Hawaii (0.1%)
HI State Dept. Budget & Fin. Rev. Bonds,
(Kahala Nui), 5.25%, 11/15/37		 A/F   250,000 262,645
262,645
Illinois (11.1%)
Chicago, G.O. Bonds        
Ser. A, 6.00%, 1/1/38 BBB+   1,600,000 2,006,107
Ser. B-2, 5.50%, 1/1/37 BBB+   1,000,000 1,146,176
Chicago, Motor Fuel Tax Rev. Bonds, AGM, 5.00%, 1/1/31 AA   500,000 537,381
Chicago, Waste Wtr. Transmission Rev. Bonds        
5.00%, 1/1/44 A   500,000 551,769
Ser. C, 5.00%, 1/1/39 A   750,000 857,419
(2nd Lien), 5.00%, 1/1/39 A   565,000 623,786
Ser. C, 5.00%, 1/1/34 A   400,000 459,481
Ser. C, 5.00%, 1/1/33 A   405,000 465,818
Chicago, Wtr. Wks Rev. Bonds, 5.00%, 11/1/39 A   675,000 761,562
IL State G.O. Bonds        
5.00%, 11/1/41 Baa2   600,000 700,803
5.00%, 1/1/41 Baa2   340,000 389,308
5.00%, 11/1/34 Baa2   1,650,000 1,948,760
Ser. C, 5.00%, 11/1/29 Baa2   1,225,000 1,506,711
Ser. D, 5.00%, 11/1/28 Baa2   2,080,000 2,574,447
Ser. D, 5.00%, 11/1/27 Baa2   920,000 1,143,722


28 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund


MUNICIPAL BONDS AND NOTES (94.6%)* cont. Rating** Principal amount Value
Illinois cont.
IL State G.O. Bonds        
4.125%, 11/1/31 Baa2   $830,000 $945,725
4.00%, 1/1/31 Baa2   695,000 775,332
IL State Fin. Auth.        
Mandatory Put Bonds (11/15/26), (OSF Hlth. Care Syst. Oblig. Group), Ser. B-2, 5.00%, 5/15/50 A   1,000,000 1,203,788
Mandatory Put Bonds (9/1/22), (Field Museum of Natural History), 0.568%, 11/1/34 A2   2,445,000 2,445,000
IL State Fin. Auth. Rev. Bonds        
(Rosalind Franklin U. of Medicine and Science), Ser. A, 5.00%, 8/1/31 BBB+   400,000 485,051
(Art Institute of Chicago (The)), 5.00%, 3/1/30 Aa3   1,500,000 1,794,035
IL State Fin. Auth. Student Hsg. & Academic Fac. Rev. Bonds, (U. of IL Chicago), 5.00%, 2/15/50 Baa3   500,000 580,532
Metro. Pier & Exposition Auth. Rev. Bonds, (McCormick Place Expansion), Ser. B, 5.00%, 12/15/33 BBB+   300,000 369,712
Metro. Pier & Exposition Auth. Dedicated State Tax Rev. Bonds, (McCormick), Ser. A, NATL, zero %, 12/15/22 Baa2   5,500,000 5,448,246
Metro. Wtr. Reclamation Dist. of Greater Chicago G.O. Bonds, Ser. A, 5.00%, 12/1/31 AA   1,000,000 1,233,717
30,954,388
Indiana (1.0%)
IN State Fin. Auth. Rev. Bonds, (BHI Sr. Living), 5.75%, 11/15/41 (Prerefunded 11/15/21) BBB/F   1,000,000 1,015,913
IN State. Fin. Auth. Rev. Bonds, (Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech., Inc.)        
5.00%, 6/1/32 A2   200,000 259,881
5.00%, 6/1/31 A2   200,000 260,724
5.00%, 6/1/30 A2   200,000 262,039
5.00%, 6/1/29 A2   175,000 225,041
5.00%, 6/1/28 A2   100,000 125,932
5.00%, 6/1/27 A2   180,000 221,370
4.00%, 6/1/34 A2   235,000 282,307
4.00%, 6/1/33 A2   210,000 253,096
2,906,303
Iowa (0.6%)
IA State Fin. Auth. Solid Waste Fac. Mandatory Put Bonds (10/1/22), (Gevo NW Iowa RNG, LLC), 1.50%, 1/1/42 Aa3   1,700,000 1,719,330
1,719,330
Kansas (0.5%)
KS State Dev. Fin. Auth. Rev. Bonds,
(Lifespace Cmnty’s. Inc.), Ser. S, 5.00%, 5/15/30		 BBB/F   1,455,000 1,459,383
1,459,383
Kentucky (4.8%)
KY Bond Dev. Corp. Edl. Fac. Rev. Bonds, (Transylvania U.), Ser. A        
5.00%, 3/1/32 A−   705,000 897,387
5.00%, 3/1/30 A−   635,000 815,187


Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 29


MUNICIPAL BONDS AND NOTES (94.6%)* cont. Rating** Principal amount Value
Kentucky cont.
KY Bond Dev. Corp. Edl. Fac. Rev. Bonds, (Transylvania U.), Ser. A        
4.00%, 3/1/49 A−   $330,000 $374,967
4.00%, 3/1/46 A−   485,000 552,540
4.00%, 3/1/33 A−   180,000 211,231
KY Pub. Trans. Infrastructure Auth. Rev. Bonds,
(1st Tier Downtown Crossing), Ser. A, 6.00%, 7/1/53		 Baa2   500,000 552,542
KY State Pub. Energy Auth. Gas Supply        
Mandatory Put Bonds (6/1/25), Ser. C-1, 4.00%, 12/1/49 A1   3,150,000 3,543,236
Mandatory Put Bonds (1/1/25), Ser. B, 4.00%, 1/1/49 A1   2,800,000 3,114,165
Louisville & Jefferson Cnty., Metro. Govt. Hlth. Syst. Rev. Bonds, (Norton Healthcare, Inc.), Ser. A, 5.00%, 10/1/30 A   2,750,000 3,317,163
13,378,418
Louisiana (0.9%)
LA Stadium & Exposition Dist. Rev. Bonds, 4.00%, 7/3/23 BBB+/F   500,000 528,984
St. John The Baptist Parish Mandatory Put Bonds (7/1/26), (Marathon Oil Corp.), Ser. A-3, 2.20%, 6/1/37 Baa3   2,000,000 2,104,889
2,633,873
Maryland (0.6%)
Gaithersburg, Econ. Dev. Rev. Bonds,
(Asbury, Oblig. Group), Ser. A, 5.00%, 1/1/36		 BBB/F   300,000 336,344
MD State Hlth. & Higher Ed. Fac. Auth. Rev. Bonds, (Stevenson U.)        
5.00%, 6/1/33 BBB−   425,000 564,639
5.00%, 6/1/31 BBB−   350,000 468,677
4.00%, 6/1/34 BBB−   250,000 304,590
1,674,250
Massachusetts (0.3%)
MA State Hsg. Fin. Agcy. Rev. Bonds, Ser. D, 3.10%, 6/1/30 Aa2   720,000 791,410
791,410
Michigan (4.6%)
Detroit, G.O. Bonds, 5.50%, 4/1/34 Ba3   660,000 848,671
Detroit, Downtown Dev. Auth. Tax Alloc. Bonds, Ser. A, AGM, 5.00%, 7/1/43 AA   3,000,000 3,364,462
Kentwood, Economic Dev. Rev. Bonds,
(Holland Home Oblig. Group), 5.00%, 11/15/37		 BBB−/F   1,000,000 1,149,674
MI State Fin. Auth. Rev. Bonds        
(Trinity Health Corp. Oblig. Group), Ser. A, 4.00%, 12/1/49 T AA−   1,325,000 1,578,760
Ser. H-1, 5.00%, 10/1/39 (Prerefunded 10/1/24) AA−   525,000 597,675
(Pub. Ltg. Auth.), Ser. B, 5.00%, 7/1/39 BB+   2,000,000 2,154,426
(Detroit Wtr. & Swr.), Ser. C-6, 5.00%, 7/1/33 AA−   140,000 158,483
(Detroit), Ser. C-3, 5.00%, 4/1/28 Aa2   700,000 862,097
(Tobacco Settlement), Ser. A-1, 2.326%, 6/1/30 A   764,071 799,315
MI State Fin. Auth. Ltd. Oblig. Rev. Bonds,
(Lawrence Technological U.), 5.25%, 2/1/32		 BB+   1,145,000 1,322,865
12,836,428


30 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund


MUNICIPAL BONDS AND NOTES (94.6%)* cont. Rating** Principal amount Value
Minnesota (1.8%)
Duluth, Econ. Dev. Auth. Rev. Bonds,
(Benedictine Hlth. Syst. Oblig. Group), Ser. A, 4.00%, 7/1/31		 BB/P   $625,000 $694,240
MN State Higher Ed. Fac. Auth. Rev. Bonds, (Augsburg U.), Ser. A, 5.00%, 5/1/46 Ba1   750,000 808,952
St. Paul, Hsg. & Redev. Auth. Charter School Lease Rev. Bonds, (Hmong College Prep Academy), 5.50%, 9/1/36 BB+   3,000,000 3,536,251
5,039,443
Mississippi (0.6%)
MS State Bus. Fin. Corp. Rev. Bonds,
(System Energy Resources, Inc.)		        
2.50%, 4/1/22 BBB+   750,000 754,252
2.375%, 6/1/44 A   900,000 910,999
1,665,251
Missouri (0.3%)
Plaza at Noah’s Ark Cmnty. Impt. Dist. Rev. Bonds        
3.00%, 5/1/26 B+/P   275,000 286,116
3.00%, 5/1/25 B+/P   225,000 233,239
3.00%, 5/1/24 B+/P   200,000 206,124
725,479
Nebraska (1.4%)
Central Plains, Energy Mandatory Put Bonds (1/1/24), (No. 4), 5.00%, 3/1/50 A2   2,500,000 2,765,562
Central Plains, Energy Rev. Bonds, (NE Gas No. 3), 5.00%, 9/1/32 (Prerefunded 9/1/22) A2   1,000,000 1,051,220
3,816,782
New Hampshire (1.5%)
National Fin. Auth. Rev. Bonds, (Caritas Acquisitions VII, LLC), Ser. A, 3.75%, 8/15/30 BBB/P   1,050,000 1,122,771
NH State Hlth. & Ed. Fac. Auth. Rev. Bonds        
(Catholic Med. Ctr.), 5.00%, 7/1/44 BBB+   500,000 586,357
(Southern NH Med. Ctr.), 5.00%, 10/1/37 A−   2,000,000 2,372,303
4,081,431
New Jersey (2.8%)
NJ State Econ. Dev. Auth. Rev. Bonds, Ser. AAA, 5.00%, 6/15/36 Baa1   350,000 421,463
NJ State Edl. Fac. Auth. Rev. Bonds,
(William Paterson U. of NJ (The)), Ser. C, AGM		        
5.00%, 7/1/27 AA   100,000 124,154
5.00%, 7/1/26 AA   100,000 120,842
5.00%, 7/1/25 AA   100,000 117,107
5.00%, 7/1/24 AA   100,000 113,077
NJ State Hlth. Care Fac. Fin. Auth. VRDN        
(Virtua Hlth.), Ser. C, 0.01%, 7/1/43 A-1   1,665,000 1,665,000
(AHS Hosp. Corp.), Ser. B, 0.01%, 7/1/36 VMIG 1   1,500,000 1,500,000
NJ State Trans. Trust Fund Auth. Rev. Bonds        
(Federal Hwy. Reimbursement Notes), 5.00%, 6/15/28 A+   750,000 898,528
Ser. AA, 5.00%, 6/15/36 ### Baa1   775,000 987,421
Ser. A, 4.00%, 6/15/39 ### BBB   1,510,000 1,751,170
7,698,762


Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 31


MUNICIPAL BONDS AND NOTES (94.6%)* cont. Rating** Principal amount Value
New Mexico (0.4%)
Sante Fe, Retirement Fac. Rev. Bonds, (El Castillo Retirement Res.), 5.00%, 5/15/42 BB+/F   $980,000 $999,620
999,620
New York (3.9%)
Albany, Cap. Resource Corp. Rev. Bonds,
(Empire Commons Student Hsg., Inc.)		        
5.00%, 5/1/26 A   400,000 484,288
Ser. A, 5.00%, 5/1/25 A   645,000 755,156
5.00%, 5/1/24 A   575,000 648,975
5.00%, 5/1/23 A   795,000 861,416
Hempstead, Union Free School Dist. G.O. Bonds, Ser. A, 1.00%, 6/30/22 A1   1,750,000 1,762,349
Metro. Trans. Auth. Dedicated Tax Mandatory Put Bonds (6/1/22), Ser. A-2A, 0.47%, 11/1/26 AA   1,820,000 1,820,047
NY City, Indl. Dev. Agcy. Rev. Bonds,
(Yankee Stadium, LLC), AGM, 5.00%, 3/1/28		 AA   500,000 636,341
NY State Mtge. Agcy. Rev. Bonds, Ser. 196, 2.60%, 4/1/25 Aa1   750,000 796,220
NY State Trans. Dev. Corp. Exempt Fac. Rev. Bonds, (Empire State Thruway Partners, LLC.), 4.00%, 10/31/46 BBB−/F   1,500,000 1,782,916
NY State Trans. Special Fac. Dev. Corp. Rev. Bonds        
(JFK Intl. Arpt. Term. 4, LLC), 5.00%, 12/1/29 Baa1   500,000 654,727
(American Airlines, Inc.), 2.25%, 8/1/26 B/F   250,000 259,602
Saratoga Cnty., Cap. Resource Rev. Bonds, (Skidmore College), Ser. 21A, 5.00%, 7/1/25 A1   425,000 501,504
10,963,541
North Carolina (1.4%)
NC State Med. Care Comm. Hlth. Care Fac. Rev. Bonds, (Lutheran Svcs. for the Aging, Inc. Oblig. Group), Ser. C        
5.00%, 3/1/28 ### BB/P   365,000 428,526
5.00%, 3/1/27 ### BB/P   460,000 532,627
5.00%, 3/1/26 ### BB/P   440,000 500,016
4.00%, 3/1/29 ### BB/P   755,000 846,635
NC State Tpk. Auth. Rev. Bonds, 5.00%, 2/1/24 BBB   1,500,000 1,677,456
3,985,260
Ohio (3.4%)
Cuyahoga Cnty., Econ. Dev. Rev. Bonds        
5.00%, 1/1/38 A   1,380,000 1,669,952
5.00%, 1/1/36 A   425,000 516,642
Franklin Cnty., Hlth. Care Fac. Rev. Bonds, (Friendship Village of Dublin Oblig. Group), 5.00%, 11/15/34 BBB+/F   700,000 781,055
Lucas Cnty., Hlth. Care Fac. Rev. Bonds,
(Sunset Retirement Cmntys.), 5.50%, 8/15/30		 A−/F   650,000 652,114
OH State Higher Edl. Fac. Comm. Rev. Bonds,
(John Carroll U.)		        
5.00%, 10/1/30 A3   455,000 588,524
5.00%, 10/1/29 A3   810,000 1,030,326
5.00%, 10/1/28 A3   370,000 462,117


32 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund


MUNICIPAL BONDS AND NOTES (94.6%)* cont. Rating** Principal amount Value
Ohio cont.
OH State Higher Edl. Fac. Comm. Rev. Bonds,
(John Carroll U.)		        
5.00%, 10/1/27 A3   $350,000 $429,320
5.00%, 10/1/26 A3   350,000 419,952
5.00%, 10/1/25 A3   220,000 256,685
OH State Hosp. Rev. Bonds, (Premier Hlth. Partners Oblig. Group)        
5.00%, 11/15/27 Baa1   240,000 298,976
5.00%, 11/15/26 Baa1   285,000 345,996
5.00%, 11/15/24 Baa1   135,000 154,437
Port of Greater Cincinnati Dev. Auth. 144A Rev. Bonds, 4.25%, 12/1/50 BB/P   750,000 772,345
Scioto Cnty., Hosp. Rev. Bonds, (Southern OH
Med. Ctr.), 5.00%, 2/15/33		 A3   500,000 588,534
Warren Cnty., Hlth. Care Fac. Rev. Bonds,
(Otterbein Homes Oblig. Group), Ser. A, 5.75%, 7/1/33		 A   500,000 542,931
9,509,906
Oregon (0.1%)
Keizer, Special Assmt. Bonds, (Keizer Station), Ser. A, 5.20%, 6/1/31 Aa3   245,000 245,917
245,917
Pennsylvania (5.3%)
Chester Cnty., Indl. Dev. Auth. Student Hsg. Rev. Bonds, (West Chester U. Student Hsg., LLC), Ser. A, 5.00%, 8/1/45 Ba2   750,000 787,900
Dallas, Area Muni. Auth. U. Rev. Bonds,
(Misericordia U.), 5.00%, 5/1/29		 Baa3   300,000 329,057
Lackawanna Cnty., Indl. Dev. Auth. Rev. Bonds, (Scranton U.), 4.00%, 11/1/40 A−   500,000 567,542
PA Rev. Bonds, (City of Philadelphia, Wtr. & Wastewater)        
4.00%, 1/1/32 Baa2   540,000 650,724
4.00%, 1/1/31 Baa2   165,000 197,460
4.00%, 1/1/30 Baa2   115,000 136,444
4.00%, 1/1/29 Baa2   725,000 855,020
PA State Tpk. Comm. Rev. Bonds        
Ser. B-1, 5.00%, 6/1/42 A3   675,000 814,457
Ser. B, 4.00%, 12/1/51 A   1,200,000 1,438,214
Pittsburgh Wtr. & Swr. Auth. Mandatory Put Bonds (12/1/23), Ser. C, AGM, 0.67%, 9/1/40 AA   1,875,000 1,891,733
Scranton, School Dist. G.O. Bonds, Ser. 14-R, 0.918%, 4/1/31 A2   5,640,000 5,667,973
Westmoreland Cnty. Indl. Dev. Auth. Hlth. Syst. Rev. Bonds, (Excela Hlth. Oblig. Group), Ser. A        
5.00%, 7/1/28 Baa1   275,000 349,047
5.00%, 7/1/27 Baa1   375,000 465,089
4.00%, 7/1/26 Baa1   300,000 347,743
4.00%, 7/1/24 Baa1   200,000 220,502
14,718,905


Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 33


MUNICIPAL BONDS AND NOTES (94.6%)* cont. Rating** Principal amount Value
Rhode Island (0.8%)
RI Hlth. & Edl. Bldg. Corp. Rev. Bonds,
(Lifespan Oblig. Group-Hosp. Fin.)		        
5.00%, 5/15/33 BBB+   $365,000 $420,168
5.00%, 5/15/26 BBB+   580,000 690,953
Tobacco Settlement Fin. Corp. Rev. Bonds, Ser. B, 5.00%, 6/1/50 BBB−/P   1,000,000 1,118,064
2,229,185
South Carolina (4.8%)
Myrtle Beach, Tax Allocation Bonds, (Myrtle Beach Air Force Base Redev.), 5.00%, 10/1/28 A2   575,000 692,277
SC State Pub. Svcs. Auth. Rev. Bonds        
Ser. A, 5.50%, 12/1/54 A2   1,000,000 1,132,153
Ser. A, 5.00%, 12/1/55 A2   545,000 628,072
(Santee Cooper), Ser. B, 5.00%, 12/1/38 A2   595,000 656,841
(Oblig.), Ser. B, 5.00%, 12/1/37 A2   500,000 606,905
Ser. A, 5.00%, 12/1/36 A2   1,500,000 1,794,209
SC Trans. Infrastructure Bank Mandatory Put Bonds (10/1/21), Ser. 03B        
0.517%, 10/1/31 AA−/P   120,000 120,022
U.S. Govt. Coll., 0.517%, 10/1/31 (Prerefunded 10/1/21) AAA/P   7,860,000 7,864,271
13,494,750
Tennessee (0.4%)
Chattanooga, Hlth. Edl. & Hsg. Fac. Rev. Bonds, (CommonSpirit Health Oblig. Group)        
Ser. A-1, 4.00%, 8/1/37 T Baa1   150,000 178,335
Ser. A-1, 4.00%, 8/1/38 T Baa1   150,000 177,689
Ser. A-2, 5.00%, 8/1/44 T Baa1   150,000 184,775
Ser. A-1, 4.00%, 8/1/44 T Baa1   275,000 323,946
Ser. A-2, 5.00%, 8/1/49 T Baa1   250,000 310,014
1,174,759
Texas (6.4%)
Arlington, Higher Ed. Fin. Corp. Rev. Bonds        
(Harmony Pub. Schools), Ser. A, PSFG, 4.00%, 2/15/51 ## Aaa   2,000,000 2,374,715
(Uplift Ed.), Ser. A, PSFG, 4.00%, 12/1/32 AAA   375,000 436,999
Austin-Bergstrom Landhost Enterprises, Inc. Rev. Bonds        
5.00%, 10/1/36 A3   1,485,000 1,732,154
5.00%, 10/1/33 A3   400,000 468,906
Clifton, Higher Ed. Fin. Corp. Rev. Bonds,
(IDEA Pub. Schools), Ser. B, 5.00%, 8/15/27		 A−   350,000 421,016
Fort Bend, Indpt. School Dist. Mandatory Put Bonds (8/1/26), Ser. B, PSFG, 0.72%, 8/1/51 AAA   1,000,000 1,009,508
Harris Cnty., Cultural Ed. Fac. Fin. Corp. Rev. Bonds, (YMCA of the Greater Houston Area), Ser. A, 5.00%, 6/1/38 Baa2   500,000 516,914
Lake Houston Redev. Auth. Rev. Bonds,
(City of Houston, Reinvestment Zone No. 10)		        
5.00%, 9/1/31 BBB−   200,000 264,264
5.00%, 9/1/30 BBB−   200,000 260,262


34 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund


MUNICIPAL BONDS AND NOTES (94.6%)* cont. Rating** Principal amount Value
Texas cont.
Lake Houston Redev. Auth. Rev. Bonds,
(City of Houston, Reinvestment Zone No. 10)		        
5.00%, 9/1/29 BBB−   $175,000 $224,584
5.00%, 9/1/28 BBB−   150,000 189,351
5.00%, 9/1/26 BBB−   125,000 151,169
5.00%, 9/1/25 BBB−   100,000 117,529
5.00%, 9/1/24 BBB−   100,000 113,904
4.00%, 9/1/33 BBB−   150,000 182,462
4.00%, 9/1/32 BBB−   150,000 183,144
New Hope, Cultural Ed. Fac. Fin. Corp. Rev. Bonds        
(CHF-Collegiate Hsg. Stephenville III, LLC), 5.00%, 4/1/47 (Prerefunded 4/1/25) AAA/P   365,000 427,706
(TX Woman’s U. CHF-Collegiate Hsg. Dining), Ser. B-1, AGM, 5.00%, 7/1/38 AA   860,000 1,056,797
(Tarleton State U. Collegiate Student Hsg.), Ser. A, 5.00%, 4/1/35 (Prerefunded 4/1/25) AAA/P   800,000 937,439
(Collegiate Hsg.-Tarleton St.), 5.00%, 4/1/29 (Prerefunded 4/1/24) AAA/P   1,225,000 1,369,840
(Collegiate Housing Island Campus, LLC.), Ser. A, 5.00%, 4/1/25 (Escrowed to maturity) AAA/P   500,000 583,904
Newark, Higher Ed. Fin. Corp. Rev. Bonds,
(Austin Achieve Pub. Schools, Inc.), 5.00%, 6/15/33		 BBB−/P   200,000 206,089
SA Energy Acquisition Pub. Fac. Corp. Rev. Bonds, (Gas Supply), 5.50%, 8/1/25 A2   1,000,000 1,194,462
Tarrant Cnty., Cultural Ed. Fac. Fin. Corp. Retirement Fac. Rev. Bonds, (Buckner Retirement Svcs., Inc.), 5.00%, 11/15/37 A/F   1,250,000 1,515,328
Temple, Tax Increment Tax Alloc. Bonds, (Reinvestment Zone No. 1), Ser. A, BAM        
5.00%, 8/1/30 AA   250,000 324,806
5.00%, 8/1/29 AA   200,000 256,268
5.00%, 8/1/28 AA   150,000 189,937
5.00%, 8/1/27 AA   125,000 154,297
5.00%, 8/1/26 AA   125,000 150,743
4.00%, 8/1/33 AA   200,000 239,405
4.00%, 8/1/32 AA   225,000 270,453
4.00%, 8/1/31 AA   200,000 241,527
17,765,882
Utah (1.5%)
Murray City, Hosp. VRDN, (IHC Hlth. Svcs., Inc.), Ser. A, 0.03%, 5/15/37 VMIG 1   2,000,000 2,000,000
UT Infrastructure Agcy. Rev. Bonds, Ser. A        
4.00%, 10/15/30 BBB−/F   400,000 487,797
4.00%, 10/15/28 BBB−/F   200,000 239,180
4.00%, 10/15/27 BBB−/F   570,000 674,034
UT State Charter School Fin. Auth. Rev. Bonds, (UT Charter Academies, Inc.), 5.00%, 10/15/30 AA   575,000 697,373
4,098,384


Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 35



MUNICIPAL BONDS AND NOTES (94.6%)* cont. Rating** Principal amount Value
Virginia (0.9%)
Fairfax Cnty., Econ. Dev. Auth. Res. Care Fac. Rev. Bonds, (Goodwin House, Inc.), Ser. A, 5.00%, 10/1/42 BBB+/F   $350,000 $394,585
VA State Small Bus. Fin. Auth. Rev. Bonds,
(National Sr. Campuses, Inc. Oblig. Group)		        
5.00%, 1/1/29 A/F   590,000 741,426
5.00%, 1/1/28 A/F   700,000 877,656
5.00%, 1/1/27 A/F   320,000 390,417
2,404,084
Washington (4.0%)
Seattle, Muni. Lt. & Pwr. Mandatory Put Bonds (11/1/26), Ser. B, 0.27%, 5/1/45 ## Aa2   750,000 750,348
WA State Hlth. Care Fac. Auth.        
Mandatory Put Bonds (7/1/22), (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Ctr.), Ser. B, 1.16%, 1/1/42 A+   1,100,000 1,102,636
Mandatory Put Bonds (7/3/23), (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Ctr.), 1.07%, 1/1/42 A+   8,000,000 8,055,110
WA State Hsg. Fin. Comm. Rev. Bonds,
(Social Certif.), Ser. A-1, 3.50%, 12/20/35		 BBB+   1,167,321 1,379,141
11,287,235
Wisconsin (1.5%)
Pub. Fin. Auth. Student Hsg. Fac. Rev. Bonds, (Beyond Boone, LLC-Appalachian State U.), Ser. A, AGM        
5.00%, 7/1/54 AA   1,475,000 1,786,131
5.00%, 7/1/44 AA   1,000,000 1,220,347
WI State Hlth. & Edl. Fac. Auth. Rev. Bonds, (Three Pillars Sr. Living), 5.00%, 8/15/33 (Prerefunded 8/15/23) BBB+/F   1,000,000 1,098,645
4,105,123
Total municipal bonds and notes (cost $249,817,270) $263,767,050

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS (10.0%)* Principal amount/
shares		 Value
Putnam Short Term Investment Fund Class P 0.09% L Shares 27,436,292 $27,436,292
U.S. Treasury Bills 0.018%, 9/21/21 # § $500,000 499,965
Total short-term investments (cost $27,936,280) $27,936,257

TOTAL INVESTMENTS
Total investments (cost $277,753,550) $291,703,307
Notes to the fund’s portfolio
Unless noted otherwise, the notes to the fund’s portfolio are for the close of the fund’s reporting period, which ran from August 1, 2020 through July 31, 2021 (the reporting period). Within the following notes to the portfolio, references to “Putnam Management” represent Putnam Investment Management, LLC, the fund’s manager, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Putnam Investments, LLC and references to “ASC 820” represent Accounting Standards Codification 820 Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures.
* Percentages indicated are based on net assets of $278,896,563.


36 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund



** The Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s or Fitch ratings indicated are believed to be the most recent ratings available at the close of the reporting period for the securities listed. Ratings are generally ascribed to securities at the time of issuance. While the agencies may from time to time revise such ratings, they undertake no obligation to do so, and the ratings do not necessarily represent what the agencies would ascribe to these securities at the close of the reporting period. Securities rated by Fitch are indicated by “/F.” Securities rated by Putnam are indicated by “/P.” The Putnam rating categories are comparable to the Standard & Poor’s classifications. If a security is insured, it will usually be rated by the ratings organizations based on the financial strength of the insurer. Ratings are not covered by the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. For further details regarding security ratings, please see the Statement of Additional Information.
# This security, in part or in entirety, was pledged and segregated with the broker to cover margin requirements for futures contracts at the close of the reporting period. Collateral at period end totaled $117,988 and is included in Investments in securities on the Statement of assets and liabilities (Notes 1 and 8).
§ This security, in part or in entirety, was pledged and segregated with the custodian for collateral on the initial margin on certain centrally cleared derivative contracts at the close of the reporting period. Collateral at period end totaled $299,970 and is included in Investments in securities on the Statement of assets and liabilities (Notes 1 and 8).
## Forward commitment, in part or in entirety (Note 1).
L Affiliated company (Note 5). The rate quoted in the security description is the annualized 7-day yield of the fund at the close of the reporting period.
T Underlying security in a tender option bond transaction. This security has been segregated as collateral for financing transactions.
### When-issued security.
At the close of the reporting period, the fund maintained liquid assets totaling $26,239,399 to cover certain derivative contracts, tender option bonds, and the settlement of certain securities.
Unless otherwise noted, the rates quoted in Short-term investments security descriptions represent the weighted average yield to maturity.
144A after the name of an issuer represents securities exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. These securities may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers.
On Mandatory Put Bonds, the rates shown are the current interest rates at the close of the reporting period and the dates shown represent the next mandatory put dates. Rates are set by remarketing agents and may take into consideration market supply and demand, credit quality and the current SIFMA Municipal Swap Index, 1 Month US LIBOR or 3 Month US LIBOR rates, which were 0.02%, 0.09% and 0.12%, respectively, as of the close of the reporting period.
The dates shown parenthetically on prerefunded bonds represent the next prerefunding dates.
The dates shown on debt obligations are the original maturity dates.
The fund had the following sector concentrations greater than 10% at the close of the reporting period (as a percentage of net assets):
Health care 23.6%
Education 14.3

FUTURES CONTRACTS OUTSTANDING at 7/31/21
Number of
contracts		 Notional
amount		 Value Expiration
date		 Unrealized
appreciation/
(depreciation)
U.S. Treasury Note 5 yr (Short) 116 $14,435,656 $14,435,656 Sep-21 $(74,574)
Unrealized appreciation —
Unrealized (depreciation) (74,574)
Total $(74,574)


Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 37



OTC TOTAL RETURN SWAP CONTRACTS OUTSTANDING at 7/31/21
Swap counterparty/
Notional amount		 Value Upfront
premium
received
(paid)		 Termination
date		 Payments
received (paid)
by fund		 Total return
received by
or paid by fund		 Unrealized
appreciation/
(depreciation)
Morgan Stanley & Co. International PLC
  $2,000,000 $30,718 $— 11/18/21 — 0.10% minus Municipal Market Data Index AAA municipal yields 10 Year rate — At maturity $30,718
  2,000,000 28,718 — 11/18/21 — 0.10% minus Municipal Market Data Index AAA municipal yields 10 Year rate — At maturity 28,718
  2,750,000 4,084 — 11/2/21 — 0.10% minus Municipal Market Data Index AAA municipal yields 10 Year rate — At maturity 4,084
  1,000,000 24,014 — 11/18/21 — 0.20% minus Municipal Market Data Index AAA municipal yields 30 Year rate — At maturity (24,014)
  1,000,000 24,014 — 11/18/21 — 0.20% minus Municipal Market Data Index AAA municipal yields 30 Year rate — At maturity (24,014)
Upfront premium received — Unrealized appreciation 63,520
Upfront premium (paid) — Unrealized (depreciation) (48,028)
Total $— Total $15,492

CENTRALLY CLEARED TOTAL RETURN SWAP CONTRACTS OUTSTANDING at 7/31/21
Notional amount Value Upfront
premium
received
(paid)		 Termination
date		 Payments
received (paid)
by fund		 Total return
received by
or paid by fund		 Unrealized
appreciation/
(depreciation)
  $11,893,000 $373,202 $(120) 3/29/26 2.51% — At maturity USA Non-revised Consumer Price Index-Urban (CPI-U) — At maturity $(373,322)
Total $(120) $(373,322)


38 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund


ASC 820 establishes a three-level hierarchy for disclosure of fair value measurements. The valuation hierarchy is based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of the fund’s investments. The three levels are defined as follows:

Level 1: Valuations based on quoted prices for identical securities in active markets.

Level 2: Valuations based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly.

Level 3: Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement.

The following is a summary of the inputs used to value the fund’s net assets as of the close of the reporting period:

Valuation inputs
Investments in securities: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Municipal bonds and notes $— $263,767,050 $—
Short-term investments — 27,936,257 —
Totals by level $— $291,703,307 $—
Valuation inputs
Other financial instruments: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Futures contracts $(74,574) $— $—
Total return swap contracts — (357,710) —
Totals by level $(74,574) $(357,710) $—


The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 39


Statement of assets and liabilities 7/31/21

ASSETS   
Investment in securities, at value (Notes 1 and 8):   
Unaffiliated issuers (identified cost $250,317,258)  $264,267,015 
Affiliated issuers (identified cost $27,436,292) (Notes 1 and 5)  27,436,292 
Interest and other receivables  1,921,499 
Receivable for shares of the fund sold  2,779,551 
Receivable for variation margin on centrally cleared swap contracts (Note 1)  1,691 
Unrealized appreciation on OTC swap contracts (Note 1)  63,520 
Prepaid assets  50,280 
Total assets  296,519,848 
 
LIABILITIES   
Payable to custodian  538 
Payable for investments purchased  120 
Payable for purchases of delayed delivery securities (Note 1)  11,982,706 
Payable for shares of the fund repurchased  116,192 
Payable for compensation of Manager (Note 2)  97,928 
Payable for custodian fees (Note 2)  7,725 
Payable for investor servicing fees (Note 2)  27,480 
Payable for Trustee compensation and expenses (Note 2)  127,791 
Payable for administrative services (Note 2)  787 
Payable for distribution fees (Note 2)  53,854 
Payable for variation margin on futures contracts (Note 1)  14,488 
Payable for floating rate notes issued (Note 1)  5,048,159 
Distributions payable to shareholders  22,407 
Unrealized depreciation on OTC swap contracts (Note 1)  48,028 
Other accrued expenses  75,082 
Total liabilities  17,623,285 
 
Net assets  $278,896,563 
 
REPRESENTED BY   
Paid-in capital (Unlimited shares authorized) (Notes 1 and 4)  $260,633,542 
Total distributable earnings (Note 1)  18,263,021 
Total — Representing net assets applicable to capital shares outstanding  $278,896,563 

 

(Continued on next page)

40 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


Statement of assets and liabilities cont.

COMPUTATION OF NET ASSET VALUE AND OFFERING PRICE   
Net asset value and redemption price per class A share   
($207,779,840 divided by 13,514,577 shares)  $15.37 
Offering price per class A share (100/96.00 of $15.37)*  $16.01 
Net asset value and offering price per class B share ($283,635 divided by 18,426 shares)**  $15.39 
Net asset value and offering price per class C share ($11,268,417 divided by 730,528 shares)**  $15.43 
Net asset value, offering price and redemption price per class R6 share   
($802,539 divided by 52,143 shares)  $15.39 
Net asset value, offering price and redemption price per class Y share   
($58,762,132 divided by 3,817,957 shares)  $15.39 

 

*On single retail sales of less than $100,000. On sales of $100,000 or more the offering price is reduced.

**Redemption price per share is equal to net asset value less any applicable contingent deferred sales charge.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 41 

 


Statement of operations Year ended 7/31/21

INVESTMENT INCOME   
Interest (including interest income of $33,641 from investments in affiliated issuers) (Note 5)  $6,701,197 
Total investment income  6,701,197 
 
EXPENSES   
Compensation of Manager (Note 2)  1,142,445 
Investor servicing fees (Note 2)  165,076 
Custodian fees (Note 2)  15,803 
Trustee compensation and expenses (Note 2)  11,922 
Distribution fees (Note 2)  655,079 
Administrative services (Note 2)  6,832 
Interest and fees expense (Note 2)  47,501 
Other  274,671 
Total expenses  2,319,329 
Expense reduction (Note 2)  (30,941) 
Net expenses  2,288,388 
 
Net investment income  4,412,809 
 
REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS)   
Net realized gain (loss) on:   
Securities from unaffiliated issuers (Notes 1 and 3)  11,149,778 
Futures contracts (Note 1)  119,785 
Swap contracts (Note 1)  175,918 
Total net realized gain  11,445,481 
Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on:   
Securities from unaffiliated issuers  (3,275,446) 
Futures contracts  (74,574) 
Swap contracts  (487,521) 
Total change in net unrealized depreciation  (3,837,541) 
 
Net gain on investments  7,607,940 
 
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations  $12,020,749 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

42 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


Statement of changes in net assets

DECREASE IN NET ASSETS  Year ended 7/31/21  Year ended 7/31/20 
Operations     
Net investment income  $4,412,809  $6,923,015 
Net realized gain on investments  11,445,481  2,293,677 
Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation)     
of investments  (3,837,541)  2,057,701 
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations  12,020,749  11,274,393 
Distributions to shareholders (Note 1):     
From ordinary income     
Taxable net investment income     
Class A  (226,240)  (60,577) 
Class B  (490)  (245) 
Class C  (15,969)  (4,710) 
Class R6  (655)  (109) 
Class Y  (53,384)  (12,157) 
From tax-exempt net investment income     
Class A  (3,354,042)  (5,439,930) 
Class B  (4,692)  (15,266) 
Class C  (117,960)  (288,435) 
Class M  —  (8,164) 
Class R6  (12,421)  (10,336) 
Class Y  (898,523)  (1,173,966) 
Net realized short-term gain on investments     
Class A  (1,342,626)  (1,664,142) 
Class B  (2,911)  (6,744) 
Class C  (94,769)  (129,412) 
Class R6  (3,889)  (2,985) 
Class Y  (316,806)  (333,613) 
From net realized long-term gain on investments     
Class A  (3,763,931)  (3,337,313) 
Class B  (8,159)  (13,524) 
Class C  (265,676)  (259,487) 
Class R6  (10,902)  (5,984) 
Class Y  (888,139)  (670,112) 
Decrease from capital share transactions (Note 4)  (1,680,587)  (29,185,992) 
Total decrease in net assets  (1,042,022)  (31,348,810) 
 
NET ASSETS     
Beginning of year  279,938,585  311,287,395 
End of year  $278,896,563  $279,938,585 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 43 

 


Financial highlights (For a common share outstanding throughout the period)

  INVESTMENT OPERATIONS LESS DISTRIBUTIONS RATIOS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA
                        Ratio of net   
  Net asset    Net realized                Ratio  investment   
  value,    and unrealized  Total from  From net  From    Net asset  Total return  Net assets,  of expenses  income (loss)  Portfolio 
  beginning  Net investment  gain (loss)  investment  investment  net realized gain  Total  value, end  at net asset  end of period  to average  to average  turnover 
Period ended­  of period­  income (loss)  on investments­  operations­  income­  on investments­  distributions  of period­  value (%)a  (in thousands)  neta ssets (%)b  net assets (%)  (%) 
Class A                           
July 31, 2021­  $15.33­  .25­  .43­  .68­  (.26)  (.38)  (.64)  $15.37­  4.57­  $207,780­  .87­c,e  1.63­  78 
July 31, 2020  15.38­  .36­  .27­  .63­  (.36)  (.32)  (.68)  15.33­  4.23­  218,232­  .87­c,d  2.36­  42­ 
July 31, 2019  14.93­  .41­  .61­  1.02­  (.41)  (.16)  (.57)  15.38­  7.03­  242,379­  .81­  2.74­  38­ 
July 31, 2018  15.16­  .44­  (.23)  .21­  (.44)  —­  (.44)  14.93­  1.43­  256,172­  .79­  2.91­  32­ 
July 31, 2017  15.71­  .48­  (.56)  (.08)  (.47)  —­  (.47)  15.16­  (.43)  310,029­  .79­  3.14­  31­ 
Class B                           
July 31, 2021­  $15.35­  .16­  .43­  .59­  (.17)  (.38)  (.55)  $15.39­  3.94­  $284­  1.47­c,e  1.08­  78 
July 31, 2020  15.40­  .26­  .28­  .54­  (.27)  (.32)  (.59)  15.35­  3.58­  741­  1.49­c,d  1.75­  42­ 
July 31, 2019  14.95­  .32­  .61­  .93­  (.32)  (.16)  (.48)  15.40­  6.36­  1,025­  1.43­  2.13­  38­ 
July 31, 2018  15.17­  .35­  (.22)  .13­  (.35)  —­  (.35)  14.95­  .85­  1,345­  1.41­  2.29­  32­ 
July 31, 2017  15.73­  .38­  (.56)  (.18)  (.38)  —­  (.38)  15.17­  (1.11)  2,099­  1.41­  2.52­  31­ 
Class C                           
July 31, 2021­  $15.38­  .13­  .45­  .58­  (.15)  (.38)  (.53)  $15.43­  3.84­  $11,268­  1.62­c,e  .90­  78 
July 31, 2020  15.43­  .24­  .27­  .51­  (.24)  (.32)  (.56)  15.38­  3.42­  15,888­  1.64­c,d  1.59­  42­ 
July 31, 2019  14.97­  .30­  .62­  .92­  (.30)  (.16)  (.46)  15.43­  6.26­  19,827­  1.58­  1.98­  38­ 
July 31, 2018  15.20­  .33­  (.23)  .10­  (.33)  —­  (.33)  14.97­  .64­  23,682­  1.56­  2.14­  32­ 
July 31, 2017  15.76­  .36­  (.56)  (.20)  (.36)  —­  (.36)  15.20­  (1.25)  30,961­  1.56­  2.37­  31­ 
Class R6                           
July 31, 2021­  $15.35­  .29­  .43­  .72­  (.30)  (.38)  (.68)  $15.39­  4.84­  $803­  .61­c,e  1.86­  78 
July 31, 2020  15.40­  .39­  .28­  .67­  (.40)  (.32)  (.72)  15.35­  4.47­  410­  .63­c,d  2.60­  42­ 
July 31, 2019  14.94­  .45­  .62­  1.07­  (.45)  (.16)  (.61)  15.40­  7.35­  306­  .57­  2.97­  38­ 
July 31, 2018 †­  14.87­  .09­  .07­  .16­  (.09)  —­  (.09)  14.94­  1.08*  10­  .11*  .60*  32­ 
Class Y                           
July 31, 2021­  $15.35­  .29­  .43­  .72­  (.30)  (.38)  (.68)  $15.39­  4.82­  $58,762­  .62­c,e  1.87­  78 
July 31, 2020  15.40­  .39­  .28­  .67­  (.40)  (.32)  (.72)  15.35­  4.47­  44,668­  .64­c,d  2.59­  42­ 
July 31, 2019  14.94­  .44­  .62­  1.06­  (.44)  (.16)  (.60)  15.40­  7.34­  46,574­  .58­  2.98­  38­ 
July 31, 2018  15.17­  .48­  (.23)  .25­  (.48)  —­  (.48)  14.94­  1.66­  52,804­  .56­  3.14­  32­ 
July 31, 2017  15.73­  .51­  (.56)  (.05)  (.51)  —­  (.51)  15.17­  (.26)  47,696­  .56­  3.36­  31­ 

 

Before August 28, 2020, the fund was managed with a materially different investment strategy and may have achieved materially different performance results under its current investment strategy from that shown for periods before this date.

* Not annualized.

† For the period May 22, 2018 (commencement of operations) to July 31, 2018.

a Total return assumes dividend reinvestment and does not reflect the effect of sales charges.

b Includes amounts paid through expense offset arrangements, if any (Note 2). Also excludes acquired fund fees and expenses, if any.

c Includes interest and fee expense associated with borrowings which amounted to (for each class):

  Percentage of average 
  net assets 
July 31, 2021  0.02% 
July 31, 2020  0.02 

 

d Includes one-time proxy costs of 0.05%.

e Includes one-time proxy costs of 0.02%.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

44 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund  Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 45 

 


Notes to financial statements 7/31/21

Within the following Notes to financial statements, references to “State Street” represent State Street Bank and Trust Company, references to “the SEC” represent the Securities and Exchange Commission, references to “Putnam Management” represent Putnam Investment Management, LLC, the fund’s manager, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Putnam Investments, LLC and references to “OTC”, if any, represent over-the-counter. Unless otherwise noted, the “reporting period” represents the period from August 1, 2020 through July 31, 2021.

Putnam Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund (prior to August 28, 2020 the fund was known as Putnam AMT-Free Municipal Fund) (the fund) is a diversified series of Putnam Tax-Free Income Trust (the Trust), a Massachusetts business trust registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, as an open-end management investment company. The goal of the fund is to seek as high a level of current income exempt from federal income tax as Putnam Management believes is consistent with preservation of capital. The fund invests mainly in bonds that pay interest that is exempt from federal income tax (but that may be subject to federal alternative minimum tax (AMT)). The fund normally maintains an average dollar-weighted maturity between three and ten years. The fund may invest broadly in municipal bonds of any duration (a measure of the sensitivity of a bond’s price to interest rate changes), maturity and credit quality although the bonds the fund invests in are mainly investment-grade in quality. The fund may also invest in investments that are below-investment-grade (sometimes referred to as “junk bonds”), which may be considered speculative. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of the fund’s net assets in tax-exempt investments. Investments paying interest subject to the federal AMT for individuals are considered tax-exempt investments for purposes of this policy. This investment policy cannot be changed without the approval of the fund’s shareholders. The fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in securities the income on which is subject to federal income tax and may invest without limit in investments the income on which is subject to the AMT. Putnam Management may consider, among other factors, credit, interest rate and prepayment risks, as well as general market conditions, when deciding whether to buy or sell investments.

Prior to August 28, 2020 the goal of the fund was to seek high current income exempt from federal income tax. The fund invested mainly in bonds that paid interest that was exempt from federal income tax, were investment-grade in quality, and had intermediate- to long-term maturities (i.e., three years or longer). The fund did not intend to invest in securities the interest on which was subject to the alternative minimum tax (AMT). Under normal circumstances, the fund invested at least 80% of the fund’s net assets in tax-exempt investments. Tax-exempt investments are issued by or for states, territories or possessions of the United States or by their political subdivisions, agencies, authorities or other government entities, and the income from these investments is exempt from federal income tax. This investment policy was changed with the approval of the fund’s shareholders. Putnam Management considered, among other factors, credit, interest rate and prepayment risks, as well as general market conditions, when deciding whether to buy or sell investments.

The fund offers class A, class B, class C, class R6 and class Y shares. Purchases of class B shares are closed to new and existing investors except by exchange from class B shares of another Putnam fund or through dividend and/ or capital gains reinvestment. Class A shares are sold with a maximum front-end sales charge of 4.00%. Class A shares generally are not subject to a contingent deferred sales charge, and class R6 and class Y shares are not subject to a contingent deferred sales charge. Class B shares, which convert to class A shares after approximately eight years, are not subject to a front-end sales charge and are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge if those shares are redeemed within six years of purchase. Class C shares are subject to a one-year 1.00% contingent deferred sales charge and generally convert to class A shares after approximately eight years. Prior to March 1, 2021, class C shares generally converted to class A shares after approximately ten years. The expenses for class A, class B and class C shares may differ based on the distribution fee of each class, which is identified in Note 2. Class R6 and class Y shares, which are sold at net asset value, are generally subject to the same expenses as class A, class B and class C shares, but do not bear a distribution fee, and in the case of class R6 shares, bear a lower investor servicing fee, which is identified in Note 2. Class R6 and class Y shares are not available to all investors.

In the normal course of business, the fund enters into contracts that may include agreements to indemnify another party under given circumstances. The fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be, but have not yet been, made against the fund. However, the fund’s management team expects the risk of material loss to be remote.

The fund has entered into contractual arrangements with an investment adviser, administrator, distributor, shareholder servicing agent and custodian, who each provide services to the fund. Unless expressly stated otherwise, shareholders are not parties to, or intended beneficiaries of these contractual arrangements, and these

46 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


contractual arrangements are not intended to create any shareholder right to enforce them against the service providers or to seek any remedy under them against the service providers, either directly or on behalf of the fund.

Under the fund’s Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust, any claims asserted against or on behalf of the Putnam Funds, including claims against Trustees and Officers, must be brought in state and federal courts located within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Note 1: Significant accounting policies

The following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed by the fund in the preparation of its financial statements. The preparation of financial statements is in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and the reported amounts of increases and decreases in net assets from operations. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Subsequent events after the Statement of assets and liabilities date through the date that the financial statements were issued have been evaluated in the preparation of the financial statements.

Investment income, realized and unrealized gains and losses and expenses of the fund are borne pro-rata based on the relative net assets of each class to the total net assets of the fund, except that each class bears expenses unique to that class (including the distribution fees applicable to such classes). Each class votes as a class only with respect to its own distribution plan or other matters on which a class vote is required by law or determined by the Trustees. If the fund were liquidated, shares of each class would receive their pro-rata share of the net assets of the fund. In addition, the Trustees declare separate dividends on each class of shares.

Security valuation Portfolio securities and other investments are valued using policies and procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. The Trustees have formed a Pricing Committee to oversee the implementation of these procedures and have delegated responsibility for valuing the fund’s assets in accordance with these procedures to Putnam Management. Putnam Management has established an internal Valuation Committee that is responsible for making fair value determinations, evaluating the effectiveness of the pricing policies of the fund and reporting to the Pricing Committee.

Tax-exempt bonds and notes are generally valued on the basis of valuations provided by an independent pricing service approved by the Trustees. Such services use information with respect to transactions in bonds, quotations from bond dealers, market transactions in comparable securities and various relationships between securities in determining value. These securities will generally be categorized as Level 2.

Market quotations are not considered to be readily available for certain debt obligations (including short-term investments with remaining maturities of 60 days or less) and other investments; such investments are valued on the basis of valuations furnished by an independent pricing service approved by the Trustees or dealers selected by Putnam Management. Such services or dealers determine valuations for normal institutional-size trading units of such securities using methods based on market transactions for comparable securities and various relationships, generally recognized by institutional traders, between securities (which consider such factors as security prices, yields, maturities and ratings). These securities will generally be categorized as Level 2. Securities quoted in foreign currencies, if any, are translated into U.S. dollars at the current exchange rate.

Investments in open-end investment companies (excluding exchange-traded funds), if any, which can be classified as Level 1 or Level 2 securities, are valued based on their net asset value. The net asset value of such investment companies equals the total value of their assets less their liabilities and divided by the number of their outstanding shares.

To the extent a pricing service or dealer is unable to value a security or provides a valuation that Putnam Management does not believe accurately reflects the security’s fair value, the security will be valued at fair value by Putnam Management in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Trustees. Certain investments, including certain restricted and illiquid securities and derivatives, are also valued at fair value following procedures approved by the Trustees. These valuations consider such factors as significant market or specific security events such as interest rate or credit quality changes, various relationships with other securities, discount rates, U.S. Treasury, U.S. swap and credit yields, index levels, convexity exposures, recovery rates, sales and other multiples and resale restrictions. These securities are classified as Level 2 or as Level 3 depending on the priority of the significant inputs.

To assess the continuing appropriateness of fair valuations, the Valuation Committee reviews and affirms the reasonableness of such valuations on a regular basis after considering all relevant information that is reasonably

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 47 

 


available. Such valuations and procedures are reviewed periodically by the Trustees. The fair value of securities is generally determined as the amount that the fund could reasonably expect to realize from an orderly disposition of such securities over a reasonable period of time. By its nature, a fair value price is a good faith estimate of the value of a security in a current sale and does not reflect an actual market price, which may be different by a material amount.

Security transactions and related investment income Security transactions are recorded on the trade date (the date the order to buy or sell is executed). Gains or losses on securities sold are determined on the identified cost basis.

Interest income, net of any applicable withholding taxes, if any, is recorded on the accrual basis. Dividend income, net of any applicable withholding taxes, is recognized on the ex-dividend date except that certain dividends from foreign securities, if any, are recognized as soon as the fund is informed of the ex-dividend date. Non-cash dividends, if any, are recorded at the fair value of the securities received. Dividends representing a return of capital or capital gains, if any, are reflected as a reduction of cost and/or as a realized gain.

Securities purchased or sold on a when-issued or forward commitment or delayed delivery basis may be settled at a future date beyond customary settlement time; interest income is accrued based on the terms of the securities. Losses may arise due to changes in the fair value of the underlying securities or if the counterparty does not perform under the contract.

Futures contracts The fund uses futures contracts for hedging treasury term structure risk and for yield curve positioning.

The potential risk to the fund is that the change in value of futures contracts may not correspond to the change in value of the hedged instruments. In addition, losses may arise from changes in the value of the underlying instruments, if there is an illiquid secondary market for the contracts, if interest or exchange rates move unexpectedly or if the counterparty to the contract is unable to perform. With futures, there is minimal counterparty credit risk to the fund since futures are exchange traded and the exchange’s clearinghouse, as counterparty to all exchange traded futures, guarantees the futures against default. Risks may exceed amounts recognized on the Statement of assets and liabilities. When the contract is closed, the fund records a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the contract at the time it was opened and the value at the time it was closed.

Futures contracts are valued at the quoted daily settlement prices established by the exchange on which they trade. The fund and the broker agree to exchange an amount of cash equal to the daily fluctuation in the value of the futures contract. Such receipts or payments are known as “variation margin.” Futures contracts outstanding at period end, if any, are listed after the fund’s portfolio.

Total return swap contracts The fund entered into OTC and/or centrally cleared total return swap contracts, which are arrangements to exchange a market-linked return for a periodic payment, both based on a notional principal amount, for hedging sector exposure and for gaining exposure to specific sectors.

To the extent that the total return of the security, index or other financial measure underlying the transaction exceeds or falls short of the offsetting interest rate obligation, the fund will receive a payment from or make a payment to the counterparty. OTC and/or centrally cleared total return swap contracts are marked to market daily based upon quotations from an independent pricing service or market maker. Any change is recorded as an unrealized gain or loss on OTC total return swaps. Daily fluctuations in the value of centrally cleared total return swaps are settled through a central clearing agent and are recorded in variation margin on the Statement of assets and liabilities and recorded as unrealized gain or loss. Payments received or made are recorded as realized gains or losses. Certain OTC and/or centrally cleared total return swap contracts may include extended effective dates. Payments related to these swap contracts are accrued based on the terms of the contract. The fund could be exposed to credit or market risk due to unfavorable changes in the fluctuation of interest rates or in the price of the underlying security or index, the possibility that there is no liquid market for these agreements or that the counterparty may default on its obligation to perform. The fund’s maximum risk of loss from counterparty risk or central clearing risk is the fair value of the contract. This risk may be mitigated for OTC total return swap contracts by having a master netting arrangement between the fund and the counterparty and for centrally cleared total return swap contracts through the daily exchange of variation margin. There is minimal counterparty risk with respect to centrally cleared total return swap contracts due to the clearinghouse guarantee fund and other resources that are available in the event of a clearing member default. Risk of loss may exceed amounts recognized on the Statement of assets and liabilities.

48 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


OTC and/or centrally cleared total return swap contracts outstanding, including their respective notional amounts at period end, if any, are listed after the fund’s portfolio.

Master agreements The fund is a party to ISDA (International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc.) Master Agreements (Master Agreements) with certain counterparties that govern OTC derivative and foreign exchange contracts entered into from time to time. The Master Agreements may contain provisions regarding, among other things, the parties’ general obligations, representations, agreements, collateral requirements, events of default and early termination. With respect to certain counterparties, in accordance with the terms of the Master Agreements, collateral pledged to the fund is held in a segregated account by the fund’s custodian and, with respect to those amounts which can be sold or repledged, is presented in the fund’s portfolio.

Collateral pledged by the fund is segregated by the fund’s custodian and identified in the fund’s portfolio. Collateral can be in the form of cash or debt securities issued by the U.S. Government or related agencies or other securities as agreed to by the fund and the applicable counterparty. Collateral requirements are determined based on the fund’s net position with each counterparty.

Termination events applicable to the fund may occur upon a decline in the fund’s net assets below a specified threshold over a certain period of time. Termination events applicable to counterparties may occur upon a decline in the counterparty’s long-term and short-term credit ratings below a specified level. In each case, upon occurrence, the other party may elect to terminate early and cause settlement of all derivative and foreign exchange contracts outstanding, including the payment of any losses and costs resulting from such early termination, as reasonably determined by the terminating party. Any decision by one or more of the fund’s counterparties to elect early termination could impact the fund’s future derivative activity.

At the close of the reporting period, the fund did not have a net liability position on open derivative contracts subject to the Master Agreements.

Tender option bond transactions The fund may participate in transactions whereby a fixed-rate bond is transferred to a tender option bond trust (TOB trust) sponsored by a broker. The TOB trust funds the purchase of the fixed rate bonds by issuing floating-rate bonds to third parties and allowing the fund to retain the residual interest in the TOB trust’s assets and cash flows, which are in the form of inverse floating rate bonds. The inverse floating rate bonds held by the fund give the fund the right to (1) cause the holders of the floating rate bonds to tender their notes at par, and (2) to have the fixed-rate bond held by the TOB trust transferred to the fund, causing the TOB trust to collapse. The fund accounts for the transfer of the fixed-rate bond to the TOB trust as a secured borrowing by including the fixed-rate bond in the fund’s portfolio and including the floating rate bond as a liability in the Statement of assets and liabilities. At the close of the reporting period, the fund’s investments with a value of $9,675,990 were held by the TOB trust and served as collateral for $5,048,159 in floating-rate bonds outstanding. For the reporting period ended, the fund incurred interest expense of $5,318 for these investments based on an average interest rate of 0.11%.

Interfund lending The fund, along with other Putnam funds, may participate in an interfund lending program pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC. This program allows the fund to borrow from other Putnam funds that permit such transactions. Interfund lending transactions are subject to each fund’s investment policies and borrowing and lending limits. Interest earned or paid on the interfund lending transaction will be based on the average of certain current market rates. During the reporting period, the fund did not utilize the program.

Lines of credit The fund participates, along with other Putnam funds, in a $317.5 million unsecured committed line of credit and a $235.5 million unsecured uncommitted line of credit, both provided by State Street. Borrowings may be made for temporary or emergency purposes, including the funding of shareholder redemption requests and trade settlements. Interest is charged to the fund based on the fund’s borrowing at a rate equal to 1.25% plus the higher of (1) the Federal Funds rate and (2) the Overnight Bank Funding Rate for the committed line of credit and 1.30% plus the higher of (1) the Federal Funds rate and (2) the Overnight Bank Funding Rate for the uncommitted line of credit. A closing fee equal to 0.04% of the committed line of credit and 0.04% of the uncommitted line of credit has been paid by the participating funds. In addition, a commitment fee of 0.21% per annum on any unutilized portion of the committed line of credit is allocated to the participating funds based on their relative net assets and paid quarterly. During the reporting period, the fund had no borrowings against these arrangements.

Federal taxes It is the policy of the fund to distribute all of its income within the prescribed time period and otherwise comply with the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), applicable to regulated investment companies. It is also the intention of the fund to distribute an amount sufficient to avoid imposition of any excise tax under Section 4982 of the Code.

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 49 

 


The fund is subject to the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification 740 Income Taxes (ASC 740). ASC 740 sets forth a minimum threshold for financial statement recognition of the benefit of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The fund did not have a liability to record for any unrecognized tax benefits in the accompanying financial statements. No provision has been made for federal taxes on income, capital gains or unrealized appreciation on securities held nor for excise tax on income and capital gains. Each of the fund’s federal tax returns for the prior three fiscal years remains subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service.

Distributions to shareholders Income dividends are recorded daily by the fund and are paid monthly. Distributions from capital gains, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date and paid at least annually. The amount and character of income and gains to be distributed are determined in accordance with income tax regulations which may differ from generally accepted accounting principles. These differences include temporary and/or permanent differences from straddle loss deferrals. Reclassifications are made to the fund’s capital accounts to reflect income and gains available for distribution (or available capital loss carryovers) under income tax regulations. At the close of the reporting period, the fund reclassified $11,421 to decrease undistributed net investment income and $11,421 to increase accumulated net realized gain.

Tax cost of investments includes adjustments to net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) which may not necessarily be final tax cost basis adjustments, but closely approximate the tax basis unrealized gains and losses that may be realized and distributed to shareholders. The tax basis components of distributable earnings and the federal tax cost as of the close of the reporting period were as follows:

Unrealized appreciation  $13,682,501 
Unrealized depreciation  (506,862) 
Net unrealized appreciation  13,175,639 
Undistributed ordinary income  11,162 
Undistributed tax-exempt income  55,425 
Undistributed long-term gains  2,472,402 
Undistributed short-term gains  2,570,798 
Cost for federal income tax purposes  $278,095,384 

 

Expenses of the Trust Expenses directly charged or attributable to any fund will be paid from the assets of that fund. Generally, expenses of the Trust will be allocated among and charged to the assets of each fund on a basis that the Trustees deem fair and equitable, which may be based on the relative assets of each fund or the nature of the services performed and relative applicability to each fund.

Note 2: Management fee, administrative services and other transactions

The fund pays Putnam Management a management fee (based on the fund’s average net assets and computed and paid monthly) at annual rates that may vary based on the average of the aggregate net assets of all open-end mutual funds sponsored by Putnam Management (excluding net assets of funds that are invested in, or that are invested in by, other Putnam funds to the extent necessary to avoid “double counting” of those assets). Such annual rates may vary as follows:

0.590%  of the first $5 billion,  0.390%  of the next $50 billion, 
0.540%  of the next $5 billion,  0.370%  of the next $50 billion, 
0.490%  of the next $10 billion,  0.360%  of the next $100 billion and 
0.440%  of the next $10 billion,  0.355%  of any excess thereafter. 

 

For the reporting period, the management fee represented an effective rate (excluding the impact from any expense waivers in effect) of 0.423% of the fund’s average net assets.

Putnam Management has contractually agreed, through November 30, 2022, to waive fees and/or reimburse the fund’s expenses to the extent necessary to limit the cumulative expenses of the fund, exclusive of brokerage, interest, taxes, investment-related expenses, extraordinary expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses and payments under the fund’s investor servicing contract, investment management contract and distribution

50 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


plans, on a fiscal year-to-date basis to an annual rate of 0.20% of the fund’s average net assets over such fiscal year-to-date period. During the reporting period, the fund’s expenses were not reduced as a result of this limit.

Putnam Investments Limited (PIL), an affiliate of Putnam Management, is authorized by the Trustees to manage a separate portion of the assets of the fund as determined by Putnam Management from time to time. PIL did not manage any portion of the assets of the fund during the reporting period. If Putnam Management were to engage the services of PIL, Putnam Management would pay a quarterly sub-management fee to PIL for its services at an annual rate of 0.40% of the average net assets of the portion of the fund managed by PIL.

The fund reimburses Putnam Management an allocated amount for the compensation and related expenses of certain officers of the fund and their staff who provide administrative services to the fund. The aggregate amount of all such reimbursements is determined annually by the Trustees.

Custodial functions for the fund’s assets are provided by State Street. Custody fees are based on the fund’s asset level, the number of its security holdings and transaction volumes.

Putnam Investor Services, Inc., an affiliate of Putnam Management, provides investor servicing agent functions to the fund. Putnam Investor Services, Inc. received fees for investor servicing for class A, class B, class C and class Y shares that included (1) a per account fee for each direct and underlying non-defined contribution account (retail account) of the fund; (2) a specified rate of the fund’s assets attributable to defined contribution plan accounts; and (3) a specified rate based on the average net assets in retail accounts. Putnam Investor Services, Inc. has agreed that the aggregate investor servicing fees for each fund’s retail and defined contribution accounts for these share classes will not exceed an annual rate of 0.25% of the fund’s average assets attributable to such accounts.

Class R6 shares paid a monthly fee based on the average net assets of class R6 shares at an annual rate of 0.05%.

During the reporting period, the expenses for each class of shares related to investor servicing fees were as follows:

Class A  $126,634  Class R6  333 
Class B  270  Class Y  29,600 
Class C  8,239  Total  $165,076 

 

The fund has entered into expense offset arrangements with Putnam Investor Services, Inc. and State Street whereby Putnam Investor Services, Inc.’s and State Street’s fees are reduced by credits allowed on cash balances. For the reporting period, the fund’s expenses were reduced by $30,941 under the expense offset arrangements.

Each Independent Trustee of the fund receives an annual Trustee fee, of which $176, as a quarterly retainer, has been allocated to the fund, and an additional fee for each Trustees meeting attended. Trustees also are reimbursed for expenses they incur relating to their services as Trustees.

The fund has adopted a Trustee Fee Deferral Plan (the Deferral Plan) which allows the Trustees to defer the receipt of all or a portion of Trustees fees payable on or after July 1, 1995. The deferred fees remain invested in certain Putnam funds until distribution in accordance with the Deferral Plan.

The fund has adopted an unfunded noncontributory defined benefit pension plan (the Pension Plan) covering all Trustees of the fund who have served as a Trustee for at least five years and were first elected prior to 2004. Benefits under the Pension Plan are equal to 50% of the Trustee’s average annual attendance and retainer fees for the three years ended December 31, 2005. The retirement benefit is payable during a Trustee’s lifetime, beginning the year following retirement, for the number of years of service through December 31, 2006. Pension expense for the fund is included in Trustee compensation and expenses in the Statement of operations. Accrued pension liability is included in Payable for Trustee compensation and expenses in the Statement of assets and liabilities. The Trustees have terminated the Pension Plan with respect to any Trustee first elected after 2003.

The fund has adopted distribution plans (the Plans) with respect to the following share classes pursuant to Rule 12b–1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The purpose of the Plans is to compensate Putnam Retail Management Limited Partnership, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Putnam Investments, LLC, for services provided and expenses incurred in distributing shares of the fund. The Plans provide payments by the fund to Putnam Retail Management Limited Partnership at an annual rate of up to the following amounts (Maximum %) of the average net assets attributable to each class. The Trustees have approved payment by the fund at the

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 51 

 


following annual rate (Approved %) of the average net assets attributable to each class. During the reporting period, the class-specific expenses related to distribution fees were as follows:

  Maximum %  Approved %  Amount 
Class A  0.35%  0.25%  $516,833 
Class B  1.00%  0.85%  3,746 
Class C  1.00%  1.00%  134,500 
Total      $655,079 

 

For the reporting period, Putnam Retail Management Limited Partnership, acting as underwriter, received net commissions of $7,321 from the sale of class A shares and received $210 and $14 in contingent deferred sales charges from redemptions of class B and class C shares, respectively.

A deferred sales charge of up to 1.00% is assessed on certain redemptions of class A shares. For the reporting period, Putnam Retail Management Limited Partnership, acting as underwriter, received no monies on class A redemptions.

Note 3: Purchases and sales of securities

During the reporting period, the cost of purchases and the proceeds from sales, excluding short-term investments, were as follows:

  Cost of purchases  Proceeds from sales 
Investments in securities (Long-term)  $196,879,934  $213,348,935 
U.S. government securities (Long-term)  —  — 
Total  $196,879,934  $213,348,935 

 

The fund may purchase or sell investments from or to other Putnam funds in the ordinary course of business, which can reduce the fund’s transaction costs, at prices determined in accordance with SEC requirements and policies approved by the Trustees. During the reporting period, purchases or sales of long-term securities from or to other Putnam funds, if any, did not represent more than 5% of the fund’s total cost of purchases and/or total proceeds from sales.

Note 4: Capital shares

At the close of the reporting period, there were an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest authorized. Transactions, including, if applicable, direct exchanges pursuant to share conversions, in capital shares were as follows:

  YEAR ENDED 7/31/21  YEAR ENDED 7/31/20 
Class A  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount 
Shares sold  1,613,430  $24,607,385  1,415,098  $21,536,207 
Shares issued in connection with         
reinvestment of distributions  501,817  7,605,693  594,655  9,036,787 
  2,115,247  32,213,078  2,009,753  30,572,994 
Shares repurchased  (2,833,977)  (43,206,842)  (3,534,814)  (53,492,227) 
Net decrease  (718,730)  $(10,993,764)  (1,525,061)  $(22,919,233) 

 

52 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


  YEAR ENDED 7/31/21  YEAR ENDED 7/31/20 
Class B  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount 
Shares sold  1,524  $23,065  947  $13,867 
Shares issued in connection with         
reinvestment of distributions  838  12,703  2,062  31,387 
  2,362  35,768  3,009  45,254 
Shares repurchased  (32,202)  (491,721)  (21,266)  (324,706) 
Net decrease  (29,840)  $(455,953)  (18,257)  $(279,452) 
 
  YEAR ENDED 7/31/21  YEAR ENDED 7/31/20 
Class C  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount 
Shares sold  124,056  $1,899,650  54,714  $841,363 
Shares issued in connection with         
reinvestment of distributions  30,873  468,892  39,891  607,972 
  154,929  2,368,542  94,605  1,449,335 
Shares repurchased  (457,364)  (6,968,419)  (346,642)  (5,255,836) 
Net decrease  (302,435)  $(4,599,877)  (252,037)  $(3,806,501) 
 
      YEAR ENDED 7/31/20 * 
Class M      Shares  Amount 
Shares sold      388  $6,039 
Shares issued in connection with reinvestment of distributions    406  6,319 
      794  12,358 
Shares repurchased      (77,027)  (1,193,859) 
Net decrease      (76,233)  $(1,181,501) 
 
  YEAR ENDED 7/31/21  YEAR ENDED 7/31/20 
Class R6  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount 
Shares sold  27,391  $420,280  14,623  $223,982 
Shares issued in connection with         
reinvestment of distributions  1,835  27,858  1,279  19,414 
  29,226  448,138  15,902  243,396 
Shares repurchased  (3,772)  (57,645)  (9,106)  (139,161) 
Net increase (decrease)  25,454  $390,493  6,796  $104,235 
 
  YEAR ENDED 7/31/21  YEAR ENDED 7/31/20 
Class Y  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount 
Shares sold  1,780,314  $27,253,031  1,488,045  $22,917,634 
Shares issued in connection with         
reinvestment of distributions  123,307  1,871,614  119,516  1,818,212 
  1,903,621  29,124,645  1,607,561  24,735,846 
Shares repurchased  (996,088)  (15,146,131)  (1,722,263)  (25,839,386) 
Net increase (decrease)  907,533  $13,978,514  (114,702)  $(1,103,540) 

 

* Effective November 25, 2019, the fund converted all of its class M shares to class A shares and class M shares were no longer able to be purchased.

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 53 

 


At the close of the reporting period, Putnam Investments , LLC. Owned 772 Class R6 shares of the fund (1.48% of class R6 shares outstanding), valued at $11,881.

Note 5: Affiliated transactions

Transactions during the reporting period with any company which is under common ownership or control were as follows:

          Shares 
          outstanding 
          and fair 
  Fair value as  Purchase  Sale  Investment  value as 
Name of affiliate  of 7/31/20  cost  proceeds  income  of 7/31/21 
Short-term investments           
Putnam Short Term           
Investment Fund*  $12,630,751  $217,206,840  $202,401,299  $33,641  $27,436,292 
Total Short-term           
investments  $12,630,751  $217,206,840  $202,401,299  $33,641  $27,436,292 

 

* Management fees charged to Putnam Short Term Investment Fund have been waived by Putnam Management. There were no realized or unrealized gains or losses during the period.

Note 6: Market, credit and other risks

In the normal course of business, the fund trades financial instruments and enters into financial transactions where risk of potential loss exists due to changes in the market (market risk) or failure of the contracting party to the transaction to perform (credit risk). The fund may be exposed to additional credit risk that an institution or other entity with which the fund has unsettled or open transactions will default.

On July 27, 2017, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. On March 5, 2021, the FCA and LIBOR’s administrator, ICE Benchmark Administration, announced that most LIBOR settings will no longer be published after the end of 2021 and a majority of U.S. dollar LIBOR settings will no longer be published after June 30, 2023. LIBOR has historically been a common benchmark interest rate index used to make adjustments to variable-rate loans. It is used throughout global banking and financial industries to determine interest rates for a variety of financial instruments and borrowing arrangements. The transition process might lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that currently rely on LIBOR to determine interest rates. It could also lead to a reduction in the value of some LIBOR-based investments and reduce the effectiveness of new hedges placed against existing LIBOR-based investments. While some LIBOR-based instruments may contemplate a scenario where LIBOR is no longer available by providing for an alternative rate-setting methodology, not all may have such provisions and there may be significant uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of any such alternative methodologies. Since the usefulness of LIBOR as a benchmark could deteriorate during the transition period, these effects could occur prior to the date on which the applicable rate ceases to be published.

Beginning in January 2020, global financial markets have experienced, and may continue to experience, significant volatility resulting from the spread of a virus known as Covid–19. The outbreak of Covid–19 has resulted in travel and border restrictions, quarantines, supply chain disruptions, lower consumer demand, and general market uncertainty. The effects of Covid–19 have adversely affected, and may continue to adversely affect, the global economy, the economies of certain nations, and individual issuers, all of which may negatively impact the fund’s performance.

54 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


Note 7: Summary of derivative activity

The volume of activity for the reporting period for any derivative type that was held during the period is listed below and was based on an average of the holdings at the end of each fiscal quarter:

Futures contracts (number of contracts)  60 
OTC total return swap contracts (notional)  $35,700,000 
Centrally cleared total return swap contracts (notional)  $5,500,000 

 

The following is a summary of the fair value of derivative instruments as of the close of the reporting period:

Fair value of derivative instruments as of the close of the reporting period   
  ASSET DERIVATIVES LIABILITY DERIVATIVES
Derivatives not         
accounted for as  Statement of    Statement of   
hedging instruments  assets and    assets and   
under ASC 815  liabilities location  Fair value  liabilities location  Fair value 
Interest rate contracts  Receivables  $63,520  Payables  $495,804* 
Total    $63,520    $495,804 

 

* Includes cumulative appreciation/depreciation of futures contracts and/or centrally cleared swaps as reported in the fund’s portfolio. Only current day’s variation margin is reported within the Statement of assets and liabilities.

The following is a summary of realized and change in unrealized gains or losses of derivative instruments in the Statement of operations for the reporting period (Note 1):

Amount of realized gain or (loss) on derivatives recognized in net gain or (loss) on investments   
Derivatives not accounted for as hedging       
instruments under ASC 815  Futures  Swaps  Total 
Interest rate contracts  $119,785  $175,918  $295,703 
Total  $119,785  $175,918  $295,703 
 
Change in unrealized appreciation or (depreciation) on derivatives recognized in net gain or (loss) 
on investments       
Derivatives not accounted for as hedging       
instruments under ASC 815  Futures  Swaps  Total 
Interest rate contracts  $(74,574)  $(487,521)  $(562,095) 
Total  $(74,574)  $(487,521)  $(562,095) 

 

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 55 

 


Note 8: Offsetting of financial and derivative assets and liabilities

The following table summarizes any derivatives, repurchase agreements and reverse repurchase agreements, at the end of the reporting period, that are subject to an enforceable master netting agreement or similar agreement. For securities lending transactions or borrowing transactions associated with securities sold short, if any, see Note 1. For financial reporting purposes, the fund does not offset financial assets and financial liabilities that are subject to the master netting agreements in the Statement of assets and liabilities.

  Credit Suisse       
  Securities (USA),    Morgan Stanley &   
  LLC (clearing  JPMorgan  Co. International   
  broker)  Securities LLC  PLC  Total 
Assets:         
OTC Total return swap contracts*#  $—  $—  $63,520  $63,520 
Centrally cleared total return  1,691  —  —  1,691 
swap contracts§         
Futures contracts§  —  —  —  — 
Total Assets  $1,691  $—  $63,520  $65,211 
Liabilities:         
OTC Total return swap contracts*#  —  —  48,028  48,028 
Centrally cleared total return  —  —  —  — 
swap contracts§         
Futures contracts§  —  14,488  —  14,488 
Total Liabilities  $—  $14,488  $48,028  $62,516 
Total Financial and Derivative  $1,691  $(14,488)  $15,492  $2,695 
Net Assets         
Total collateral  $—  $—  $—   
received (pledged)†##         
Net amount  $1,691  $(14,488)  $15,492   
Controlled collateral received         
(including TBA commitments)**  $—  $—  $—  $— 
Uncontrolled collateral received  $—  $—  $—  $— 
Collateral (pledged) (including         
TBA commitments)**  $—  $—  $—  $— 

 

* Excludes premiums, if any. Included in unrealized appreciation and depreciation on OTC swap contracts on the Statement of assets and liabilities.

** Included with Investments in securities on the Statement of assets and liabilities.

† Additional collateral may be required from certain brokers based on individual agreements.

# Covered by master netting agreement (Note 1).

##Any over-collateralization of total financial and derivative net assets is not shown. Collateral may include amounts related to unsettled agreements.

§ Includes current day’s variation margin only as reported on the Statement of assets and liabilities, which is not collateralized. Cumulative appreciation/(depreciation) for futures contracts and centrally cleared swap contracts is represented in the tables listed after the fund’s portfolio. Collateral pledged for initial margin on futures contracts and centrally cleared swap contracts, which is not included in the table above, amounted to $117,988 and $299,970, respectively.

56 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


Note 9: New accounting pronouncements

In March 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2020–04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848) — Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. The amendments in ASU 2020–04 provide optional temporary financial reporting relief from the effect of certain types of contract modifications due to the planned discontinuation of LIBOR and other interbank-offered based reference rates as of the end of 2021. The discontinuation of LIBOR was subsequently extended to June 30, 2023. ASU 2020–04 is effective for certain reference rate-related contract modifications that occur during the period March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. Management is currently evaluating the impact, if any, of applying this provision.

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 57 

 


Federal tax information (Unaudited)

The fund has designated 93.70% of dividends paid from net investment income during the reporting period as tax exempt for federal income tax purposes.

Pursuant to §852 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, the fund hereby designates $7,484,697 as a capital gain dividend with respect to the taxable year ended July 31, 2021, or, if subsequently determined to be different, the net capital gain of such year.

The Form 1099 that will be mailed to you in January 2022 will show the tax status of all distributions paid to your account in calendar 2021.

58 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


Shareholder meeting results (Unaudited)

August 19, 2020 special meeting

Approving changes to your fund’s fundamental investment policies regarding investments in tax-exempt investments subject to the federal alternative minimum tax.

Votes for  Votes against  Abstentions 
8,325,813  640,680  610,458 

 

All tabulations are rounded to the nearest whole number.

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 59 

 



60 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 



* Mr. Reynolds is an “interested person” (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940) of the fund and Putnam Investments. He is President and Chief Executive Officer of Putnam Investments, as well as the President of your fund and each of the other Putnam funds.

The address of each Trustee is 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110.

As of July 31, 2021, there were 100 Putnam funds. All Trustees serve as Trustees of all Putnam funds.

Each Trustee serves for an indefinite term, until his or her resignation, retirement at age 75, removal, or death.

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 61 

 


Officers

In addition to Robert L. Reynolds, the other officers of the fund are shown below:

James F. Clark (Born 1974)  Susan G. Malloy (Born 1957) 
Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer  Vice President and Assistant Treasurer 
Since 2016  Since 2007 
Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Risk Officer,  Head of Accounting and Middle Office Services, 
Putnam Investments and Chief Compliance Officer,  Putnam Investments and Putnam Management 
Putnam Management   
  Denere P. Poulack (Born 1968) 
Nancy E. Florek (Born 1957)  Assistant Vice President, Assistant Clerk, 
Vice President, Director of Proxy Voting and Corporate  and Assistant Treasurer 
Governance, Assistant Clerk, and Assistant Treasurer  Since 2004 
Since 2000   
  Janet C. Smith (Born 1965) 
Michael J. Higgins (Born 1976)  Vice President, Principal Financial Officer, Principal 
Vice President, Treasurer, and Clerk  Accounting Officer, and Assistant Treasurer 
Since 2010  Since 2007 
  Head of Fund Administration Services, 
Jonathan S. Horwitz (Born 1955)  Putnam Investments and Putnam Management 
Executive Vice President, Principal Executive Officer,   
and Compliance Liaison  Stephen J. Tate (Born 1974) 
Since 2004  Vice President and Chief Legal Officer 
  Since 2021 
Richard T. Kircher (Born 1962)  General Counsel, Putnam Investments, 
Vice President and BSA Compliance Officer  Putnam Management, and Putnam Retail Management 
Since 2019   
Assistant Director, Operational Compliance, Putnam  Mark C. Trenchard (Born 1962) 
Investments and Putnam Retail Management  Vice President 
  Since 2002 
  Director of Operational Compliance, Putnam 
  Investments and Putnam Retail Management 

 

The principal occupations of the officers for the past five years have been with the employers as shown above, although in some cases they have held different positions with such employers. The address of each officer is 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110.

62 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


Putnam family of funds

The following is a list of Putnam’s open-end mutual funds offered to the public. Investors should carefully consider the investment objective, risks, charges, and expenses of a fund before investing. For a prospectus, or a summary prospectus if available, containing this and other information for any Putnam fund or product, contact your financial advisor or call Putnam Investor Services at 1-800-225-1581. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.

Blend  Income 
Emerging Markets Equity Fund  Convertible Securities Fund 
Focused Equity Fund  Diversified Income Trust 
Focused International Equity Fund  Floating Rate Income Fund 
International Capital Opportunities Fund  Global Income Trust 
International Equity Fund  Government Money Market Fund* 
Multi-Cap Core Fund  High Yield Fund 
Research Fund  Income Fund 
  Money Market Fund† 
Global Sector  Mortgage Opportunities Fund 
Global Health Care Fund  Mortgage Securities Fund 
Global Technology Fund  Short Duration Bond Fund 
  Ultra Short Duration Income Fund 
Growth   
Growth Opportunities Fund  Tax-free Income 
Small Cap Growth Fund  Intermediate-Term Municipal Income Fund 
Sustainable Future Fund  Short-Term Municipal Income Fund 
Sustainable Leaders Fund  Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 
  Tax Exempt Income Fund 
Value  Tax-Free High Yield Fund 
International Value Fund   
Large Cap Value Fund  State tax-free income funds‡: 
Small Cap Value Fund  California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, 
  New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. 

 

Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 63 

 


Absolute Return  Asset Allocation (cont.) 
Fixed Income Absolute Return Fund  Putnam Retirement Advantage Maturity Fund 
Multi-Asset Absolute Return Fund  Putnam Retirement Advantage 2065 Fund 
  Putnam Retirement Advantage 2060 Fund 
Putnam PanAgora§  Putnam Retirement Advantage 2055 Fund 
Putnam PanAgora Risk Parity Fund  Putnam Retirement Advantage 2050 Fund 
  Putnam Retirement Advantage 2045 Fund 
Asset Allocation  Putnam Retirement Advantage 2040 Fund 
Dynamic Risk Allocation Fund  Putnam Retirement Advantage 2035 Fund 
George Putnam Balanced Fund  Putnam Retirement Advantage 2030 Fund 
  Putnam Retirement Advantage 2025 Fund 
Dynamic Asset Allocation Balanced Fund 
Dynamic Asset Allocation Conservative Fund  RetirementReady® Maturity Fund 
Dynamic Asset Allocation Growth Fund  RetirementReady® 2065 Fund 
  RetirementReady® 2060 Fund 
  RetirementReady® 2055 Fund 
  RetirementReady® 2050 Fund 
  RetirementReady® 2045 Fund 
  RetirementReady® 2040 Fund 
  RetirementReady® 2035 Fund 
  RetirementReady® 2030 Fund 
  RetirementReady® 2025 Fund 

 

* You could lose money by investing in the fund. Although the fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it cannot guarantee it will do so. An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The fund’s sponsor has no legal obligation to provide financial support to the fund, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the fund at any time.

† You could lose money by investing in the fund. Although the fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it cannot guarantee it will do so. The fund may impose a fee upon sale of your shares or may temporarily suspend your ability to sell shares if the fund’s liquidity falls below required minimums because of market conditions or other factors. An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The fund’s sponsor has no legal obligation to provide financial support to the fund, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the fund at any time.

‡ Not available in all states.

§ Sub-advised by PanAgora Asset Management.

Check your account balances and the most recent month-end performance in the Individual Investors section at putnam.com.

64 Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund 

 


Fund information

Founded over 80 years ago, Putnam Investments was built around the concept that a balance between risk and reward is the hallmark of a well-rounded financial program. We manage funds across income, value, blend, growth, sustainable, asset allocation, absolute return, and global sector categories.

Investment Manager  Trustees  Jonathan S. Horwitz 
Putnam Investment  Kenneth R. Leibler, Chair  Executive Vice President, 
Management, LLC  Liaquat Ahamed  Principal Executive Officer, 
100 Federal Street  Ravi Akhoury  and Compliance Liaison 
Boston, MA 02110  Barbara M. Baumann   
  Katinka Domotorffy  Richard T. Kircher 
Investment Sub-Advisor  Catharine Bond Hill  Vice President and BSA 
Putnam Investments Limited  Paul L. Joskow  Compliance Officer 
16 St James’s Street  George Putnam, III   
London, England SW1A 1ER  Robert L. Reynolds  Susan G. Malloy 
  Manoj P. Singh  Vice President and 
Marketing Services  Mona K. Sutphen  Assistant Treasurer 
Putnam Retail Management     
100 Federal Street  Officers  Denere P. Poulack 
Boston, MA 02110  Robert L. Reynolds  Assistant Vice President, 
  President  Assistant Clerk, and 
Custodian    Assistant Treasurer 
State Street Bank  James F. Clark   
and Trust Company  Vice President, Chief Compliance  Janet C. Smith 
  Officer, and Chief Risk Officer  Vice President, 
Legal Counsel    Principal Financial Officer, 
Ropes & Gray LLP  Nancy E. Florek  Principal Accounting Officer, 
Vice President, Director of  and Assistant Treasurer 
Independent Registered  Proxy Voting and Corporate   
Public Accounting Firm  Governance, Assistant Clerk,  Stephen J. Tate 
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP  and Assistant Treasurer  Vice President and 
    Chief Legal Officer 
  Michael J. Higgins   
  Vice President, Treasurer,  Mark C. Trenchard 
  and Clerk  Vice President 

 

This report is for the information of shareholders of Putnam Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund. It may also be used as sales literature when preceded or accompanied by the current prospectus, the most recent copy of Putnam’s Quarterly Performance Summary, and Putnam’s Quarterly Ranking Summary. For more recent performance, please visit putnam.com. Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of a fund, which are described in its prospectus. For this and other information or to request a prospectus or summary prospectus, call 1-800-225-1581 toll free. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing. The fund’s Statement of Additional Information contains additional information about the fund’s Trustees and is available without charge upon request by calling 1-800-225-1581.



Item 2. Code of Ethics:
(a) The fund's principal executive, financial and accounting officers are employees of Putnam Investment Management, LLC, the Fund's investment manager. As such they are subject to a comprehensive Code of Ethics adopted and administered by Putnam Investments which is designed to protect the interests of the firm and its clients. The Fund has adopted a Code of Ethics which incorporates the Code of Ethics of Putnam Investments with respect to all of its officers and Trustees who are employees of Putnam Investment Management, LLC. For this reason, the Fund has not adopted a separate code of ethics governing its principal executive, financial and accounting officers.

(c) In April 2021, the Code of Ethics of Putnam Investments was amended. The key changes to the Code of Ethics are as follows: (i) Employees may invest in the Putnam Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) with preclearing requirements for certain individuals (ii) All employees must hold Putnam ETFs in an approved Putnam broker (iii) All access persons must report Putnam ETF trades or holdings in the quarterly transaction report or annual holdings report.

Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert:
The Funds' Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee is comprised solely of Trustees who are “independent” (as such term has been defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in regulations implementing Section 407 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (the “Regulations”)). The Trustees believe that each member of the Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee also possesses a combination of knowledge and experience with respect to financial accounting matters, as well as other attributes, that qualifies him or her for service on the Committee. In addition, the Trustees have determined that each of Dr. Hill, Dr. Joskow, and Mr. Singh qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” (as such term has been defined by the Regulations) based on their review of his or her pertinent experience and education; in the case of Dr. Joskow, including his experience serving on the audit committees of several public companies and institutions and his education and experience as an economist who studies companies and industries, routinely using public company financial statements in his research. The SEC has stated, and the funds' amended and restated agreement and Declaration of Trust provides, that the designation or identification of a person as an audit committee financial expert pursuant to this Item 3 of Form N-CSR does not impose on such person any duties, obligations or liability that are greater than the duties, obligations and liability imposed on such person as a member of the Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee and the Board of Trustees in the absence of such designation or identification.

Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services:
The following table presents fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for services rendered to the fund by the fund's independent auditor:


Fiscal year ended Audit Fees Audit-Related Fees Tax Fees All Other Fees
July 31, 2021 $63,509 $ — $7,088 $ —
July 31, 2020 $50,996 $ — $7,088 $ —

For the fiscal years ended July 31, 2021 and July 31, 2020, the fund's independent auditor billed aggregate non-audit fees in the amounts of $316,388 and $352,930 respectively, to the fund, Putnam Management and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with Putnam Management that provides ongoing services to the fund.

Audit Fees represent fees billed for the fund's last two fiscal years relating to the audit and review of the financial statements included in annual reports and registration statements, and other services that are normally provided in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements.

Audit-Related Fees represent fees billed in the fund's last two fiscal years for services traditionally performed by the fund's auditor, including accounting consultation for proposed transactions or concerning financial accounting and reporting standards and other audit or attest services not required by statute or regulation.

Tax Fees represent fees billed in the fund's last two fiscal years for tax compliance, tax planning and tax advice services. Tax planning and tax advice services include assistance with tax audits, employee benefit plans and requests for rulings or technical advice from taxing authorities.

Pre-Approval Policies of the Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee. The Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee of the Putnam funds has determined that, as a matter of policy, all work performed for the funds by the funds' independent auditors will be pre-approved by the Committee itself and thus will generally not be subject to pre-approval procedures.

The Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee also has adopted a policy to pre-approve the engagement by Putnam Management and certain of its affiliates of the funds' independent auditors, even in circumstances where pre-approval is not required by applicable law. Any such requests by Putnam Management or certain of its affiliates are typically submitted in writing to the Committee and explain, among other things, the nature of the proposed engagement, the estimated fees, and why this work should be performed by that particular audit firm as opposed to another one. In reviewing such requests, the Committee considers, among other things, whether the provision of such services by the audit firm are compatible with the independence of the audit firm.

The following table presents fees billed by the fund's independent auditor for services required to be approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2–01 of Regulation S-X.


Fiscal year ended Audit-Related Fees Tax Fees All Other Fees Total Non-Audit Fees
July 31, 2021 $ — $309,300 $ — $ —
July 31, 2020 $ — $345,842 $ — $ —

Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Registrants
Not Applicable

Item 6. Schedule of Investments:
The registrant's schedule of investments in unaffiliated issuers is included in the report to shareholders in Item 1 above.

Item 7. Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures For Closed-End Management Investment Companies:
Not applicable

Item 8. Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Investment Companies
Not Applicable

Item 9. Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Companies and Affiliated Purchasers:
Not applicable

Item 10. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders:
Not Applicable

Item 11. Controls and Procedures:
(a) The registrant's principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded, based on their evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 180 days of the filing date of this report, that the design and operation of such procedures are generally effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by the registrant in this report is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission's rules and forms.

(b) Changes in internal control over financial reporting: Not applicable

Item 12. Disclosures of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies:
Not applicable

Item 13. Exhibits:
(a)(1) The Code of Ethics of The Putnam Funds, which incorporates the Code of Ethics of Putnam Investments, is filed herewith.

(a)(2) Separate certifications for the principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the registrant as required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, are filed herewith.

(b) The certifications required by Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, are filed herewith.

SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Putnam Tax Free Income Trust
By (Signature and Title):
/s/ Janet C. Smith
Janet C. Smith
Principal Accounting Officer

Date: September 28, 2021
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

By (Signature and Title):
/s/ Jonathan S. Horwitz
Jonathan S. Horwitz
Principal Executive Officer

Date: September 28, 2021
By (Signature and Title):
/s/ Janet C. Smith
Janet C. Smith
Principal Financial Officer

Date: September 28, 2021