research process. No one factor or consideration is determinative in the stock selection process. The Investment Adviser may decide to sell a position for various reasons,
including when a company’s fundamental outlook deteriorates, because of valuation and price considerations, for risk management purposes or when a company is deemed to be misallocating capital. In addition, the
Investment Adviser may sell a position in order to meet shareholder redemptions.
The Fund may invest up to 10% of its Total Assets in fixed income securities, such as government, corporate and bank debt obligations.
The Fund’s benchmark index is the Russell 1000® Growth Index.
Principal Risks of the Fund |
Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or any government agency. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program.
There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Investments in the Fund involve substantial risks which prospective investors should consider
carefully before investing. The Fund's principal risks are presented below in alphabetical order, and not in the order of importance or
potential exposure.
Foreign and Emerging Countries Risk. Foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss because of more or less foreign government regulation; less public information; less stringent investor protections; less stringent accounting,
corporate governance, financial reporting and disclosure standards; and less economic, political and social stability in the countries in which the Fund invests. The imposition of exchange controls (including repatriation
restrictions), sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments, or from problems in share registration, settlement or custody,
may also result in losses. Foreign risk also involves the risk of negative foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other
instruments through which the Fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. These risks may be more pronounced in
connection with the Fund’s investments in securities of issuers located in, or otherwise economically tied to, emerging countries.
Investment Style Risk. Different investment styles (e.g., “growth”, “value” or “quantitative”) tend to shift in and out of favor depending upon market
and economic conditions and investor sentiment. The Fund may outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles. Growth investing is an example of an investment
style. Growth companies are often expected by investors to increase their earnings at a certain rate. When these expectations are not met, investors can punish the stocks inordinately even if earnings showed an absolute increase.
Issuer Concentration Risk. The Fund intends to invest in up to approximately 40 companies. This relatively small number of
issuers may subject the Fund to greater risks, because a decline in the value of any single
investment held by the Fund may adversely affect the Fund’s overall value more than it would affect that of a fund holding a greater number of investments.
Large Shareholder Transactions Risk. The Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Fund. Such large shareholder redemptions, which may occur rapidly or
unexpectedly, may cause the Fund to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do
so, which may negatively
impact the Fund's net asset value (“NAV”) and liquidity. Similarly, large Fund share purchases may adversely affect the Fund's performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash or
otherwise maintains a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. These transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase
transaction costs. In addition, a large redemption could result in the Fund's current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Fund's expense ratio.
Market Risk. The value of the securities in which the Fund invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors or governments
and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets. Events such as war, acts of terrorism, social unrest, natural disasters,
the spread of infectious illness or other public health threats could also significantly impact the Fund and its investments.
Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Risk. Investments in mid-capitalization and small-capitalization companies involve greater risks than those
associated with larger, more established companies. These securities may be subject to more
abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity, and these issuers often face greater business risks.
Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund focuses its investments in one or more sectors (such as the information technology
sector), the Fund will be subject, to a greater extent than if its investments were diversified
across different sectors, to the risks of volatile economic cycles and/or conditions or
developments that may be particular to that sector, such as: adverse economic, business, political, environmental or other developments.
Stock Risk. Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets
have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in
the future.
The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund
by showing: (a) changes in the performance of the Fund’s Class P Shares from year to year; and (b) how the average annual total returns of the Fund’s Class P Shares compare to those of a broad-based securities market
index. The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the
future. Updated performance information is available at no cost at https://www.gsam.com/content/dam/gsam/pdfs/us/en/fund-resources/monthly-highlights/retail-fund-facts.pdf?sa=n&rd=n or by calling the appropriate phone number on the back cover of the Prospectus.
Performance reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the periods shown.