-----BEGIN PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE----- Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov Originator-Key-Asymmetric: MFgwCgYEVQgBAQICAf8DSgAwRwJAW2sNKK9AVtBzYZmr6aGjlWyK3XmZv3dTINen TWSM7vrzLADbmYQaionwg5sDW3P6oaM5D3tdezXMm7z1T+B+twIDAQAB MIC-Info: RSA-MD5,RSA, SUICOq3Z72ZHvy/oFYn5vvN7CoebmyCjYdiXB6qih1jhdymVR522yIm5p9JA4l3H wFx0wKqC/JQ3TlG4Qg+4/w== 0000789289-96-000016.txt : 19960518 0000789289-96-000016.hdr.sgml : 19960518 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0000789289-96-000016 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: 497 PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 1 FILED AS OF DATE: 19960516 SROS: NONE FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: BLANCHARD FUNDS CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000789289 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: UNKNOWN SIC - 0000 [0000] IRS NUMBER: 133333918 STATE OF INCORPORATION: MA FISCAL YEAR END: 0430 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: 497 SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 033-03165 FILM NUMBER: 96568497 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 41 MADSON AVE 24TH FL CITY: NEW YORK STATE: NY ZIP: 10010 BUSINESS PHONE: 2127797979 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 41 MADISON AVENUE 24TH FLOOR CITY: NEW YORK STATE: NY ZIP: 10010 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: BLANCHARD STRATEGIC GROWTH FUND DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 19901225 497 1 BLANCHARD CAPITAL GROWTH FUND (A Portfolio of Blanchard Group of Funds) SUPPLEMENT TO THE PROSPECTUS DATED FEBRUARY 29, 1996 Effective March 31, 1996, the merger of The Chase Manhattan Corporation with and into Chemical Banking Corporation, as described in the Prospectus, was consummated, and Chemical Banking Corporation thereupon changed its name to The Chase Manhattan Corporation ("New Chase"). New Chase is now the parent of The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. (the "Portfolio Adviser"), the adviser to Capital Growth Portfolio (the "Portfolio"). The merger resulted in the automatic termination of the investment advisory agreement between the Portfolio Adviser and the Portfolio. Pursuant to a vote of the shareholders of Blanchard Capital Growth Fund (the "Fund") and the other mutual funds which invest their assets in the Portfolio, a new investment advisory agreement between the Portfolio Adviser and the Portfolio, and a sub-advisory agreement between the Portfolio Adviser and Chase Asset Management, Inc., became effective on May 6, 1996. The foregoing changes did not result in any change to contractual advisory fees payable by the Portfolio, or in any change in the investment management or operation of the Portfolio. In addition to reflecting the forgoing changes, this Supplement reflects the restatement of certain portions of the Fund's Prospectus to conform the disclosure style to that now employed by the Portfolio and to reflect certain changes to the investment policies of the Fund. 1. Please delete the first four paragraphs on the cover page of the prospectus and replace them with the following: "Blanchard Capital Growth Fund (the "Fund") seeks long-term capital growth. The Fund, unlike many other investment companies which directly acquire and manage their own portfolios of securities, seeks its investment objective by investing all of its investable assets in Capital Growth Portfolio (the "Portfolio"), an open-end management investment company with an investment objective identical to that of the Fund. Investors should carefully consider this investment approach. For additional information regarding this investment structure, see "Unique Characteristics of the Fund and Portfolio Structure" on page 22." 2. Please replace the next to the last sentence of the fifth paragraph of the cover page with the following: "Virtus Capital Management, Inc. ("VCM") is the Funds' overall investment manager." 3. Please replace the second paragraph of the sub-section entitled "Fund Management" under the section entitled "Highlights" on page 1 with the following: "The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. (the "Portfolio Adviser" or "Chase"), a wholly owned subsidiary of The Chase Manhattan Corporation, a registered bank holding company, is a commercial bank offering a wide range of banking and investment services to customers throughout the United States and around the world. Its headquarters is at 270 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10017. The Portfolio Adviser, including its predecessor organizations, has over 100 years of money management experience. See "Portfolio Advisory Services- The Portfolio Adviser." 4. Please delete the sections entitled "Investment Objectives and Policies" and "Additional Information on Investment Policies, Techniques and Risk Factors" which begin on page 6 and end at page 10 of the prospectus and replace them with the following: "FUND OBJECTIVE Blanchard Capital Growth Fund seeks long-term capital growth. The Fund is not intended to be a complete investment program, and there is no assurance it will achieve its objective. INVESTMENT POLICIES INVESTMENT APPROACH The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing all of its investable assets in the Portfolio. The Portfolio will invest primarily in a broad portfolio of common stocks. Under normal market conditions, the Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its total assets in common stocks. The Portfolio will seek to invest in stocks of companies with capitalizations of $750 million to $4.0 billion. Current income, if any, is a consideration incidental to the Portfolio's objective of long-term capital growth. The Portfolio's advisers intend to utilize both quantitative and fundamental research to identify undervalued stocks with a catalyst for positive change. The Portfolio is classified as a "non-diversified" fund under federal securities law. The Portfolio's assets may be more concentrated in the securities of any single issuer or group of issuers than if the Portfolio were diversified. The Portfolio may invest any portion of its assets not invested in common stocks in high quality money market instruments and repurchase agreements. For temporary defensive purposes, the Portfolio may invest without limitation in these instruments. To the extent that the Portfolio departs from its investment policies during temporary defensive periods, the Fund's investment objective may not be achieved. FUND STRUCTURE The Portfolio has an objective identical to that of the Fund. The Fund may withdraw its investment from the Portfolio at any time if the Trustees determine that it is in the best interest of the Fund to do so. Upon any such withdrawal, the Trustees would consider what action might be taken, including investing all of the Fund's investable assets in another pooled investment entity having substantially the same objective and policies as the Fund or retaining an investment adviser to manage the Fund's assets directly. OTHER INVESTMENT PRACTICES The Portfolio may also engage in the following investment practices, when consistent with the Portfolio's overall objective and policies. These practices, and certain associated risks, are more fully described in the Statement of Additional Information. FOREIGN SECURITIES. The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities, including Depositary Receipts. Since foreign securities are normally denominated and traded in foreign currencies, the values of the Portfolio's foreign investments may be affected favorably or unfavorably by currency exchange rates and exchange control regulations. There may be less information publicly available about foreign companies than U.S. companies, and they are not generally subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices comparable to those in the U.S. The securities of foreign companies may be less liquid and more volatile than the securities of comparable U.S. companies. Foreign settlement procedures and trade regulations may involve certain risks (such as delay in payment or delivery of securities or in the recovery of the Portfolio's assets held abroad) and expenses. It is possible that nationalization or expropriation of assets, imposition of currency exchange controls, confiscatory taxation, political or financial instability and diplomatic developments could affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in certain foreign countries. Foreign laws may restrict the ability to invest in certain countries or issuers and special tax considerations will apply to foreign securities. The risks can increase if the Portfolio invests in securities of issuers in emerging markets. The Portfolio may invest its assets in securities of foreign issuers in the form of American Depositary Receipts, European Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or other similar securities representing securities of foreign issuers (collectively, "Depositary Receipts"). The Portfolio treats Depositary Receipts as interests in the underlying securities for purposes of its investment policies. The Portfolio will limit its investment in Depositary Receipts not sponsored by the issuer of the underlying securities to no more than 5% of the value of its net assets (at the time of investment). MONEY MARKET INSTRUMENTS. The Portfolio may invest in cash or high-quality, short-term money market instruments. Such instruments may include U.S. Government securities, commercial paper of domestic and foreign issuers and obligations of domestic and foreign banks. Investments in foreign money market instruments may involve certain risks associated with foreign investment. REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS, SECURITIES LOANS AND FORWARD COMMITMENTS. The Portfolio may enter into agreements to purchase and resell securities at an agreed-upon price and time. The Portfolio also has the ability to lend portfolio securities in an amount equal to not more than 30% of its total assets to generate additional income. These transactions must be fully collateralized at all times. The Portfolio may purchase securities for delivery at a future date, which may increase its overall investment exposure and involves a risk of loss if the value of the securities declines prior to the settlement date. These transactions involve some risk to the Portfolio if the other party should default on its obligation and the Portfolio is delayed or prevented from recovering the collateral or completing the transaction. BORROWING AND REVERSE REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. The Portfolio may borrow money from banks for temporary or short-term purposes, but will not borrow for leveraging purposes. The Portfolio may also sell and simultaneously commit to repurchase a portfolio security at an agreed-upon price and time, to avoid selling securities during unfavorable market conditions in order to meet redemptions. Whenever the Portfolio enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, it will establish a segregated account in which it will maintain liquid assets on a daily basis in an amount at least equal to the repurchase price (including accrued interest). The Portfolio would be required to pay interest on amounts obtained through reverse repurchase agreements, which are considered borrowing under federal securities laws. STAND-BY COMMITMENTS. The Portfolio may enter into put transactions, including transactions sometimes referred to as stand-by commitments, with respect to money market instruments in its portfolio. In these transactions, the Portfolio would acquire the right to sell a security at an agreed upon price within a specified period prior to its maturity date. These transactions involve some risk to the Portfolio if the other party should default on its obligation and the Portfolio is delayed or prevented from recovering the collateral or completing the transaction. Acquisition of puts will have the effect of increasing the cost of the securities subject to the put and thereby reducing the yields otherwise available from such securities. CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES. The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its net assets in convertible securities, which are securities generally offering fixed interest or dividend yields which may be converted either at a stated price or stated rate for common or preferred stock. Although to a lesser extent than with fixed-income securities generally, the market value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase, and increase as interest rates decline. Because of the conversion feature, the market value of convertible securities also tends to vary with fluctuations in the market value of the underlying common or preferred stock. OTHER INVESTMENT COMPANIES. The Portfolio may invest up to 10% of its total assets in shares of other investment companies, subject to applicable regulatory limitations. STRIPS. The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its total assets in separately traded principal and interest components of securities backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, including instruments known as "STRIPS". The value of these instruments tends to fluctuate more in response to changes in interest rates than the value of ordinary interest- paying debt securities with similar maturities. The risk is greater when the period to maturity is longer. DERIVATIVES AND RELATED INSTRUMENTS. The Portfolio may invest its assets in derivative and related instruments to hedge various market risks or to increase the Portfolio's income or gain. Some of these instruments will be subject to asset segregation requirements to cover the Portfolio's obligations. The Portfolio may (i) purchase, write and exercise call and put options on securities and securities indexes (including using options in combination with securities, other options or derivative instruments); (ii) enter into swaps, futures contracts and options on futures contracts; (iii) employ forward currency contracts; and (iv) purchase and sell structured products, which are instruments designed to restructure or reflect the characteristics of certain other investments. There are a number of risks associated with the use of derivatives and related instruments and no assurance can be given that any strategy will succeed. The value of certain derivatives or related instruments in which the Portfolio invests may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing economic conditions and market value. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend in part upon the ability of the Portfolio's advisers to forecast these factors correctly. Inaccurate forecasts could expose the Portfolio to a risk of loss. There can be no guarantee that there will be a correlation between price movements in a hedging instrument and in the portfolio assets being hedged. The Portfolio is not required to use any hedging strategies. Hedging strategies, while reducing risk of loss, can also reduce the opportunity for gain. Derivatives transactions not involving hedging may have speculative characteristics, involve leverage and result in more risk to the Portfolio than hedging strategies using the same instruments. There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist at a time when the Portfolio seeks to close out a derivatives position. Activities of large traders in the futures and securities markets involving arbitrage, "program trading," and other investment strategies may cause price distortions in derivatives markets. In certain instances, particularly those involving over-the-counter transactions or forward contracts, there is a greater potential that a counterparty or broker may default. In the event of a default, the Portfolio may experience a loss. For additional information concerning derivatives, related instruments and the associated risks, see the Statement of Additional Information. PORTFOLIO TURNOVER. The frequency of the Portfolio's portfolio transactions will vary from year to year. The Portfolio's investment policies may lead to frequent changes in investments, particularly in periods of rapidly changing market conditions. High portfolio turnover rates would generally result in high transaction costs, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups, and would make it more difficult for the Portfolio to qualify as a regulated investment company under federal tax law. LIMITING INVESTMENT RISKS Specific investment restrictions help the Portfolio limit investment risks for the Fund's shareholders. These restrictions prohibit the Portfolio from: (a) with respect to 50% of its total assets, holding more than 10% of the voting securities of any issuer; (b) investing more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities (which include securities restricted as to resale unless they are determined to be readily marketable in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees of the Portfolio); or (c) investing more than 25% of its total assets in any one industry. A complete description of these and other investment policies is included in the Statement of Additional Information. Except for restriction (c) above and investment policies designated as fundamental in the Statement of Additional Information, the investment objective and policies of the Portfolio and the investment policies of the Fund are not fundamental. Shareholder approval is not required to change any non-fundamental investment policy. However, in the event of a change in the Fund's or Portfolio's investment objective or policies, shareholders will be given at least 30 days' prior written notice. RISK FACTORS The Fund does not constitute a balanced or complete investment program, and the net asset value of the shares of the Fund can be expected to fluctuate based on the value of the securities held by the Portfolio. The Portfolio is subject to the general risks and considerations associated with equity investing, as well as the risks discussed herein. Because the Portfolio is "non-diversified," the value of the Fund's shares is more susceptible to developments affecting issuers in which the Portfolio invests. For a discussion of certain other risks associated with the Portfolio's additional investment activities, see "Other Investment Practices" above." 5. Please delete the last sentence of the fourth paragraph under the sub- section entitled "Management Fees", under the section "Management of the Fund" on page 10 and replace it with the following: "In addition, the Portfolio pays an administrative fee to The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. at an annual rate of .05% of the Portfolio's average daily net assets pursuant to an Administration Agreement wherein Chase provides facilities and personnel necessary to operate the Portfolio." 6. Please delete the section entitled "The Portfolio Adviser" which begins on page 11 of the prospectus and replace it with the following: "THE PORTFOLIO'S ADVISERS Chase acts as investment adviser to the Portfolio pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement and has overall responsibility for investment decisions of the Portfolio, subject to the oversight of the Board of Trustees. Chase is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Chase Manhattan Corporation, a bank holding company. Chase and its predecessors have over 100 years of money management experience. For its investment advisory services to the Portfolio, Chase is entitled to receive an annual fee computed daily and paid monthly based at an annual rate equal to 0.40% of the Portfolio's average daily net assets. Chase is located at 270 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10017. Chase Asset Management, Inc. ("CAM"), a registered investment adviser, is the sub-investment adviser to the Portfolio pursuant to a Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement between CAM and Chase. CAM is a wholly-owned operating subsidiary of Chase. CAM makes investment decisions for the Portfolio on a day-to-day basis. For these services, CAM is entitled to receive a fee, payable by Chase from its advisory fee, at an annual rate equal to 0.20% of the Portfolio's average daily net assets. CAM was recently formed for the purpose of providing discretionary investment advisory services to institutional clients and to consolidate Chase's investment management function. The same individuals who serve as portfolio managers for Chase also serve as portfolio managers for CAM. CAM is located at 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036. PORTFOLIO MANAGER. Dave Klassen, Director of Domestic Equity Management at Chase, and Tony Gleason, Vice President of Chase, have been responsible for the day-to-day management of the Portfolio since September, 1995. Mr. Klassen joined Chase in March 1992 and, in addition to managing the Capital Growth Portfolio, is a manager of the Vista Small Cap Equity Fund and the Growth and Income Portfolio. Prior to joining Chase, Mr. Klassen was a Vice- President and portfolio manager at Dean Witter Reynolds, responsible for managing several mutual funds and other accounts. Mr. Gleason is also responsible for managing the Vista Equity Income Fund. Mr. Gleason joined Chase in 1995 with 10 year of investment experience. In addition, the portfolio managers utilize a computer model program, which scans over 1600 equity securities in their quest for attractive value, used in the U.S. equity selection process." 7. Please delete the section entitled "Unique Characteristics of the Fund and Portfolio Structure" which begins on page 22 of the prospectus and replace it with the following: "UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FUND AND PORTFOLIO STRUCTURE Unlike other mutual funds which directly acquire and manage their own portfolio securities, the Fund invests all of its investable assets in the Portfolio, a separate registered investment company. Therefore, a shareholder's interest in the Portfolio's securities is indirect. In addition to selling a beneficial interest to the Fund, the Portfolio may sell beneficial interests to other mutual funds or institutional investors. Such investors will invest in the Portfolio on the same terms and conditions and will pay a proportionate share of the Portfolio's expenses. However, other investors investing in the Portfolio are not required to sell their shares at the same public offering price as the Fund and may bear different levels of ongoing expenses than the Fund. Shareholders of the Fund should be aware that these differences may result in differences in returns experienced in the different funds that invest in the Portfolio. Such differences in returns are also present in other mutual fund structures. Smaller funds investing in the Portfolio may be materially affected by the actions of larger funds investing in the Portfolio. For example, if a large fund withdraws from the Portfolio, the remaining funds may experience higher pro rata operating expenses, thereby producing lower returns. Additionally, the Portfolio may become less diverse, resulting in increased portfolio risk. However, this possibility also exists for traditionally structured funds which have large or institutional investors. Funds with a greater pro rata ownership in the Portfolio could have effective voting control of the operations of the Portfolio. Whenever the Trust is requested to vote on matters pertaining to the Portfolio, the Trust will hold a meeting of shareholders of the Fund and will cast all of its votes in the same proportion as do the Fund's shareholders. Shares of the Fund for which no voting instructions have been received will be voted in the same proportion as those shares for which voting instructions are received. Certain changes in the Portfolio's objective, policies or restrictions may require the Trust to withdraw the Fund's interest in the Portfolio. Any withdrawal could result in a distribution in kind of portfolio securities (as opposed to a cash distribution from the Portfolio). The Fund could incur brokerage fees or other transaction costs in converting such securities to cash. In addition, a distribution in kind may result in a less diversified portfolio of investments or adversely affect the liquidity of the Fund. State securities regulations generally do not permit the same individuals who are disinterested Trustees of the Trust to be Trustees of the Portfolio absent the adoption of written procedures by a majority of the disinterested Trustees of the Trust reasonably appropriate to deal with potential conflicts of interest up to and including creating a separate Board of Trustees. The Trustees of the Trust, including a majority of the disinterested Trustees, have adopted procedures they believe are reasonably appropriate to deal with any conflict of interest up to and including creating a separate Board of Trustees. Investors in the Fund may obtain information about whether an investment in the Portfolio may be available through other funds by calling 1-800-829- 3863." May 17. 1996 FEDERATED SECURITIES CORP. Distributor A subsidiary of FEDERATED INVESTORS Federated Investors Tower PITTSBURGH, PA 15222-3779 CUSIP 093265403 G01687-01 (5/96) BLANCHARD GROWTH & INCOME FUND (A Portfolio of Blanchard Group of Funds) SUPPLEMENT TO THE PROSPECTUS DATED FEBRUARY 29, 1996 Effective March 31, 1996, the merger of The Chase Manhattan Corporation with and into Chemical Banking Corporation, as described in the Prospectus, was consummated, and Chemical Banking Corporation thereupon changed its name to The Chase Manhattan Corporation ("New Chase"). New Chase is now the parent of The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. (the "Portfolio Adviser"), the adviser to Growth and Income Portfolio (the "Portfolio"). The merger resulted in the automatic termination of the investment advisory agreement between the Portfolio Adviser and the Portfolio. Pursuant to a vote of the shareholders of Blanchard Growth & Income Fund (the "Fund") and the other mutual funds which invest their assets in the Portfolio, a new investment advisory agreement between the Portfolio Adviser and the Portfolio, and a sub-advisory agreement between the Portfolio Adviser and Chase Asset Management, Inc., became effective on May 6, 1996. The foregoing changes did not result in any change to contractual advisory fees payable by the Portfolio, or in any change in the investment management or operation of the Portfolio. In addition to reflecting the forgoing changes, this Supplement reflects the restatement of certain portions of the Fund's Prospectus to conform the disclosure style to that now employed by the Portfolio and to reflect certain changes to the investment policies of the Fund. 1. Please delete the first four paragraphs on the cover page of the prospectus and replace them with the following: "Blanchard Growth & Income Fund (the "Fund") seeks to provide long-term capital appreciation and dividend income. The Fund, unlike many other investment companies which directly acquire and manage their own portfolios of securities, seeks its investment objective by investing all of its investable assets in Growth and Income Portfolio (the "Portfolio"), an open- end management investment company with investment objectives identical to those of the Fund. Investors should carefully consider this investment approach. For additional information regarding this investment structure, see "Unique Characteristics of the Fund and Portfolio Structure", on page 23." 2. Please replace the next to the last sentence of the fifth paragraph of the cover page with the following: "Virtus Capital Management, Inc. ("VCM") is the Funds' overall investment manager." 3. Please replace the second paragraph of the sub-section entitled "Fund Management" under the section entitled "Highlights" on page 1 with the following: "The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. (the "Portfolio Adviser" or "Chase"), a wholly owned subsidiary of The Chase Manhattan Corporation, a bank holding company, is a commercial bank offering a wide range of banking and investment services to customers throughout the United States and around the world. Its headquarters is at 270 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10017. The Portfolio Adviser, including its predecessor organizations, has over 100 years of money management experience. See "Portfolio Advisory Services- The Portfolio Adviser." 4. Please delete the sections entitled "Investment Objectives and Policies" and "Additional Information on Investment Policies, Techniques and Risk Factors" which begin on page 6 and end at page 10 of the prospectus and replace them with the following: "FUND OBJECTIVE The Blanchard Growth & Income Fund seeks to provide long-term capital appreciation and dividend income. The Fund is not intended to be a complete investment program, and there is no assurance it will achieve its objectives. INVESTMENT POLICIES INVESTMENT APPROACH The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing all of its investable assets in the Portfolio. The Portfolio invests in common stocks of issuers with a broad range of market capitalizations. Under normal market conditions, the Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its total assets in common stocks. In addition, the Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its total assets in convertible securities. The Portfolio's advisers intend to utilize both quantitative and fundamental research to identify undervalued stocks with a catalyst for positive change. The advisers believe that the market risk involved in seeking capital appreciation will be moderated to an extent by the anticipated dividend returns on the stocks in which the Portfolio invests. The Portfolio is classified as a "non-diversified" fund under federal securities law. The Portfolio's assets may be more concentrated in the securities of any single issuer or group of issuers than if the Portfolio were diversified. The Portfolio may invest any portion of its assets not invested as described above in high quality money market instruments and repurchase agreements. For temporary defensive purposes, the Portfolio may invest without limitation in these instruments as well as investment grade debt securities. To the extent that the Portfolio departs from its investment policies during temporary defensive periods, the Fund's investment objective may not be achieved. FUND STRUCTURE The Portfolio has an objective identical to that of the Fund. The Fund may withdraw its investment from the Portfolio at any time if the Trustees determine that it is in the best interest of the Fund to do so. Upon any such withdrawal, the Trustees would consider what action might be taken, including investing all of the Fund's investable assets in another pooled investment entity having substantially the same objective and policies as the Fund or retaining an investment adviser to manage the Fund's assets directly. OTHER INVESTMENT PRACTICES The Portfolio may also engage in the following investment practices, when consistent with the Portfolio's overall objective and policies. These practices, and certain associated risks, are more fully described in the Statement of Additional Information. FOREIGN SECURITIES. The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign securities, including Depositary Receipts. Since foreign securities are normally denominated and traded in foreign currencies, the values of the Portfolio's foreign investments may be affected favorably or unfavorably by currency exchange rates and exchange control regulations. There may be less information publicly available about foreign companies than U.S. companies, and they are not generally subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices comparable to those in the U.S. The securities of foreign companies may be less liquid and more volatile than the securities of comparable U.S. companies. Foreign settlement procedures and trade regulations may involve certain risks (such as delay in payment or delivery of securities or in the recovery of the Portfolio's assets held abroad) and expenses. It is possible that nationalization or expropriation of assets, imposition of currency exchange controls, confiscatory taxation, political or financial instability and diplomatic developments could affect the value of the Portfolio's investments in certain foreign countries. Foreign laws may restrict the ability to invest in certain countries or issuers and special tax considerations will apply to foreign securities. The risks can increase if the Portfolio invests in securities of issuers in emerging markets. The Portfolio may invest its assets in securities of foreign issuers in the form of American Depositary Receipts, European Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or other similar securities representing securities of foreign issuers (collectively, "Depositary Receipts"). The Portfolio treats Depositary Receipts as interests in the underlying securities for purposes of its investment policies. The Portfolio will limit its investment in Depositary Receipts not sponsored by the issuer of the underlying securities to no more than 5% of the value of its net assets (at the time of investment). SUPRANATIONAL AND ECU OBLIGATIONS. The Portfolio may invest in securities issued by supranational organizations, which include organizations such as The World Bank, the European Community, the European Coal and Steel Community and the Asian Development Bank. The Portfolio may also invest in securities denominated in the ECU, which is a "basket" consisting of specified amounts of the currencies of certain member states of the European Community. These securities are typically issued by European governments and supranational organizations. CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES. The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its net assets in convertible securities, which are securities generally offering fixed interest or dividend yields which may be converted either at a stated price or stated rate for common or preferred stock. Although to a lesser extent than with fixed-income securities generally, the market value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase, and increase as interest rates decline. Because of the conversion feature, the market value of convertible securities also tends to vary with fluctuations in the market value of the underlying common or preferred stock. MONEY MARKET INSTRUMENTS. The Portfolio may invest in cash or high-quality, short-term money market instruments. Such instruments may include U.S. Government securities, commercial paper of domestic and foreign issuers and obligations of domestic and foreign banks. Investments in foreign money market instruments may involve certain risks associated with foreign investment. INVESTMENT GRADE DEBT SECURITIES. Investment grade debt securities are securities rated in the category BBB or higher by Standard & Poor's Corporation ("S&P"), Baa or higher by Moody's Investors Services, Inc. ("Moody's") or the equivalent by another national rating organization, or, if unrated, determined by the advisers to be of comparable quality. REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS , SECURITIES LOANS AND FORWARD COMMITMENTS. The Portfolio may enter into agreements to purchase and resell securities at an agreed-upon price and time. The Portfolio also has the ability to lend portfolio securities in an amount equal to not more than 30% of its total assets to generate additional income. These transactions must be fully collateralized at all times. The Portfolio may purchase securities for delivery at a future date, which may increase its overall investment exposure and involves a risk of loss if the value of the securities declines prior to the settlement date. These transactions involve some risk to the Portfolio if the other party should default on its obligation and the Portfolio is delayed or prevented from recovering the collateral or completing the transaction. BORROWINGS AND REVERSE REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. The Portfolio may borrow money from banks for temporary or short-term purposes, but will not borrow for leveraging purposes. The Portfolio may also sell and simultaneously commit to repurchase a portfolio security at an agreed-upon price and time, to avoid selling securities during unfavorable market conditions in order to meet redemptions. Whenever the Portfolio enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, it will establish a segregated account in which it will maintain liquid assets on a daily basis in an amount at least equal to the repurchase price (including accrued interest). The Portfolio would be required to pay interest on amounts obtained through reverse repurchase agreements, which are considered borrowings under federal securities laws. STAND-BY COMMITMENTS. The Portfolio may enter into put transactions, including transactions sometimes referred to as stand-by commitments, with respect to securities in its portfolio. In these transactions, the Portfolio would acquire the right to sell a security at an agreed upon price within a specified period prior to its maturity date. These transactions involve some risk to the Portfolio if the other party should default on its obligation and the Portfolio is delayed or prevented from recovering the collateral or completing the transaction. Acquisition of puts will have the effect of increasing the cost of the securities subject to the put and thereby reducing the yields otherwise available from such securities. OTHER INVESTMENT COMPANIES. The Portfolio may invest up to 10% of its total assets in shares of other investment companies, subject to applicable regulatory limitations. STRIPS. The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its total assets in separately traded principal and interest components of securities backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, including instruments known as "STRIPS". The value of these instruments tends to fluctuate more in response to changes in interest rates than the value of ordinary interest- paying debt securities with similar maturities. The risk is greater when the period to maturity is longer. DERIVATIVES AND RELATED INSTRUMENTS. The Portfolio may invest its assets in derivative and related instruments to hedge various market risks or to increase the Portfolio's income or gain. Some of these instruments will be subject to asset segregation requirements to cover the Portfolio's obligations. The Portfolio may (i) purchase, write and exercise call and put options on securities and securities indexes (including using options in combination with securities, other options or derivative instruments); (ii) enter into swaps, futures contracts and options on futures contracts; (iii) employ forward currency contracts; and (iv) purchase and sell structured products, which are instruments designed to restructure or reflect the characteristics of certain other investments. There are a number of risks associated with the use of derivatives and related instruments and no assurance can be given that any strategy will succeed. The value of certain derivatives or related instruments in which the Portfolio invests may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing economic conditions and market value. The ability of the Portfolio to successfully utilize these instruments may depend in part upon the ability of the Portfolio's advisers to forecast these factors correctly. Inaccurate forecasts could expose the Portfolio to a risk of loss. There can be no guarantee that there will be a correlation between price movements in a hedging instrument and in the portfolio assets being hedged. The Portfolio is not required to use any hedging strategies. Hedging strategies, while reducing risk of loss, can also reduce the opportunity for gain. Derivatives transactions not involving hedging may have speculative characteristics, involve leverage and result in more risk to the Portfolio than hedging strategies using the same instruments. There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist at a time when the Portfolio seeks to close out a derivatives position. Activities of large traders in the futures and securities markets involving arbitrage, "program trading," and other investment strategies may cause price distortions in derivatives markets. In certain instances, particularly those involving over-the-counter transactions or forward contracts, there is a greater potential that a counterparty or broker may default. In the event of a default, the Portfolio may experience a loss. For additional information concerning derivatives, related instruments and the associated risks, see the Statement of Additional Information. PORTFOLIO TURNOVER. The frequency of the Portfolio's portfolio transactions will vary from year to year. The Portfolio's investment policies may lead to frequent changes in investments, particularly in periods of rapidly changing market conditions. High portfolio turnover rates would generally result in higher transaction costs, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups, and would make it more difficult for the Portfolio to qualify as a regulated investment company under federal tax law. LIMITING INVESTMENT RISKS Specific investment restrictions help the Portfolio limit investment risks for the Fund's shareholders. These restrictions prohibit the Portfolio from: (a) with respect to 50% of its total assets, holding more than 10% of the voting securities of any issuer; (b) investing more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities (which include securities restricted as to resale unless they are determined to be readily marketable in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees); or (c) investing more than 25% of its total assets in any one industry. A complete description of these and other investment policies is included in the Statement of Additional Information. Except for restriction (c) above and investment policies designated as fundamental in the Statement of Additional Information, the investment objective and policies of the Portfolio and the investment policies of the Fund are not fundamental. Shareholder approval is not required to change any non-fundamental investment policy. However, in the event of a change in the Fund's or Portfolio's investment objective or policies, shareholders will be given at least 30 days prior written notice. RISK FACTORS The net asset value of the shares of the Fund can be expected to fluctuate based on the value of the securities held by the Portfolio. The Fund does not constitute a balanced or complete investment program. The Fund is subject to the general risks and considerations associated with equity investing. Because the Portfolio is "non-diversified," the value of the Fund's shares is more susceptible to developments affecting issuers in which the Portfolio invests. For a discussion of certain other risks associated with the Portfolio's additional investment activities, see "Other Investment Practices" above." 5. Please delete the last sentence of the fourth paragraph under the sub- section entitled "Management Fees", under the section "Management of the Fund" on page 11 and replace it with the following: "In addition, the Portfolio pays an administrative fee to The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. at an annual rate of .05% of the Portfolio's average daily net assets pursuant to an Administration Agreement wherein Chase provides facilities and personnel necessary to operate the Portfolio." 6. Please delete the section entitled "The Portfolio Adviser" which begins on page 12 and replace it with the following: "THE PORTFOLIO ADVISER Chase acts as investment adviser to the Portfolio pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement and has overall responsibility for investment decisions of the Portfolio, subject to the oversight of the Board of Trustees. Chase is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Chase Manhattan Corporation, a bank holding company. Chase and its predecessors have over 100 years of money management experience. For its investment advisory services to the Portfolio, Chase is entitled to receive an annual fee computed daily and paid monthly based at an annual rate equal to 0.40% of the Portfolio's average daily net assets. Chase is located at 270 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10017. Chase Asset Management, Inc. ("CAM"), a registered investment adviser, is the sub-investment adviser to the Portfolio pursuant to a Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement between CAM and Chase. CAM is a wholly-owned operating subsidiary of Chase. CAM makes investment decisions for the Portfolio on a day-to-day basis. For these services, CAM is entitled to receive a fee, payable by Chase from its advisory fee, at an annual rate equal to 0.20% of the Portfolio's average daily net assets. CAM was recently formed for the purpose of providing discretionary investment advisory services to institutional clients and to consolidate Chase's investment management function. The same individuals who serve as portfolio managers for Chase also serve as portfolio managers for CAM. CAM is located at 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036. PORTFOLIO MANAGER. Dave Klassen, Director of Domestic Equity Portfolio Management at Chase, and Greg Adams, Director of U.S. Equity Research at Chase, have been responsible for the day-to-day management of the Portfolio since March 1995. Mr. Klassen joined Chase in March 1992 and, in addition to managing the Growth and Income Portfolio, is a manager of the Vista Small Cap Equity Fund and the Capital Growth Portfolio. Prior to joining Chase, Mr. Klassen was a Vice President and portfolio manager at Dean Witter Reynolds, responsible for managing several mutual funds and other accounts. Mr. Adams joined Chase in 1987 and is also a manager of the Vista Balanced Fund and the Vista Large Cap Equity Fund. In addition, Mr. Adams has been responsible for overseeing the proprietary computer model program, which scans over 1600 equity securities in their quest for attractive value, used in the U.S. equity selection process." 7. Please delete the section entitled "Unique Characteristics of the Fund and Portfolio Structure" which begins on page 23 and replace it with the following: "UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FUND AND PORTFOLIO STRUCTURE Unlike other mutual funds which directly acquire and manage their own portfolio securities, the Fund invests all of its investable assets in the Portfolio, a separate registered investment company. Therefore, a shareholder's interest in the Portfolio's securities is indirect. In addition to selling a beneficial interest to the Fund, the Portfolio may sell beneficial interests to other mutual funds or institutional investors. Such investors will invest in the Portfolio on the same terms and conditions and will pay a proportionate share of the Portfolio's expenses. However, other investors investing in the Portfolio are not required to sell their shares at the same public offering price as the Fund, and may bear different levels of ongoing expenses than the Fund. Shareholders of the Fund should be aware that these differences may result in differences in returns experienced in the different funds that invest in the Portfolio. Such differences in returns are also present in other mutual fund structures. Smaller funds investing in the Portfolio may be materially affected by the actions of larger funds investing in the Portfolio. For example, if a large fund withdraws from the Portfolio, the remaining funds may experience higher pro rata operating expenses, thereby producing lower returns. Additionally, the Portfolio may become less diverse, resulting in increased portfolio risk. However, this possibility also exists for traditionally structured funds which have large or institutional investors. Funds with a greater pro rata ownership in the Portfolio could have effective voting control of the operations of the Portfolio. Whenever the Trust is requested to vote on matters pertaining to the Portfolio, the Trust will hold a meeting of shareholders of the Fund and will cast all of its votes in the same proportion as do the Fund's shareholders. Shares of the Fund for which no voting instructions have been received will be voted in the same proportion as those shares for which voting instructions are received. Certain changes in the Portfolio's objective, policies or restrictions may require the Trust to withdraw the Fund's interest in the Portfolio. Any withdrawal could result in a distribution in kind of portfolio securities (as opposed to a cash distribution from the Portfolio). The Fund could incur brokerage fees or other transaction costs in converting such securities to cash. In addition, a distribution in kind may result in a less diversified portfolio of investments or adversely affect the liquidity of the Fund. State securities regulations generally do not permit the same individuals who are disinterested Trustees of the Trust to be Trustees of the Portfolio absent the adoption of written procedures by a majority of the disinterested Trustees of the Trust reasonably appropriate to deal with potential conflicts of interest up to and including creating a separate Board of Trustees. The Trustees of the Trust, including a majority of the disinterested Trustees, have adopted procedures they believe are reasonably appropriate to deal with any conflict of interest up to and including creating a separate Board of Trustees. Investors in the Fund may obtain information about whether an investment in the Portfolio may be available through other funds by calling 1-800-829- 3863." May 17, 1996 FEDERATED SECURITIES CORP. Distributor A subsidiary of FEDERATED INVESTORS Federated Investors Tower PITTSBURGH, PA 15222-3779 CUSIP 093265304 -----END PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE-----