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Jan. 31, 2021
GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST | Guggenheim Capital Stewardship Fund
Guggenheim Capital Stewardship Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Guggenheim Capital Stewardship Fund (the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the Family of Funds, as defined on page 50 of the Fund’s prospectus. This amount may vary depending on the Guggenheim Fund in which you invest. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the “Sales Charges-Class A Shares” section on page 26 of the Fund’s prospectus and the “How to Purchase Shares” section on page 63 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class AClass CInstitutional
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)
4.75%NoneNone
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)
None*
1.00%**
None
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management Fees
0.90%0.90%0.90%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees
0.25%1.00%None
Other Expenses1
0.14%0.14 %0.14%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
1.29%2.04%1.04%
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although the actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Class AClass CInstitutional
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year$600$307$207$106
3 Years$865$640$640$331
5 Years$1,149$1,098$1,098$574
10 Years$1,958$2,369$2,369$1,271
Class AClass CInstitutional
RedeemedNot Redeemed
1 Year$600$307$207$106
3 Years$865$640$640$331
5 Years$1,149$1,098$1,098$574
10 Years$1,958$2,369$2,369$1,271
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 147% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund pursues its investment objective, under normal market conditions, by primarily investing in equity securities that the Fund believes will provide attractive long-term returns relative to the S&P 500 Index. The Fund may also invest in pooled investment vehicles to gain exposure to equity securities and, while the Fund generally does not intend to normally hold a significant portion of its assets in derivatives, the Fund may invest in derivatives, consisting of forwards, options, swaps and futures contracts (some of these instruments may be traded on the over-the-counter markets), in order to maintain exposure to the equity market at times when it is not able to purchase the corresponding securities directly, or when it believes that it is more appropriate to use derivatives to obtain the desired exposure to the underlying assets. Equity securities in which the Fund may invest include common stocks, preferred stocks, stock warrants and rights, and convertible securities. Pooled investment vehicles in which the Fund may invest include exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other mutual funds.

The Fund may invest in any number of issuers of any size, including small-capitalization issuers. In addition, the Fund may invest in non-U.S. investments, including issuers in emerging markets and may purchase depositary receipts. The Fund is actively managed and may trade without regard to the length of time an investment has been owned by the Fund, which may result in higher portfolio turnover.

The Fund primarily invests in companies that have implemented “multi-stakeholder management systems.” Multi-stakeholder management systems seek to create durable long-term value for shareholders by aligning the interests of all of a company’s core stakeholders, including investors, customers, employees, business partners and communities in which a company does business. Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC, the Fund's investment manager (the "Investment Manager"), and Concinnity Advisors, LP, the Fund’s sub-adviser (the “Sub-Adviser”), believe that companies that successfully implement multi-stakeholder management systems are generally better positioned to create sustained long-term value for their shareholders than competing companies that do not implement such systems.

To identify an initial universe of companies that it believes have exemplary multi-stakeholder management systems, the Sub-Adviser uses its proprietary research methodology system, which seeks to identify the components of those management systems, including, but not limited to: (1) customer loyalty; (2) employee engagement, as demonstrated by high levels of loyalty; (3) efficient use of “intangible” assets; (4) high supplier loyalty, as demonstrated by the maturity of supply chain activities; and (5) community engagement. After the Sub-Adviser identifies the initial universe of companies, the Investment Manager then uses its proprietary quantitative models approved by the Sub-Adviser to create a list of securities, which are comprised of securities issued by the companies identified by the Sub-Adviser. The Sub-Adviser then reviews the list of securities provided by the Investment Manager and will create and provide the Investment Manager with securities to be purchased by the Fund. The Investment Manager retains the responsibility for executing the trades instructed by the Sub-Adviser based on the Fund’s investment policies and limitations.

The Sub-Adviser may instruct the Investment Manager to sell a security for several reasons including, but not limited to, the following: (1) the company no longer meets the Sub-Adviser’s standards for a strong multi-stakeholder management system; (2) to meet redemption requests; and (3) if the Sub-Adviser believes doing so is in the Fund’s interest.

Under adverse, unstable or abnormal market conditions, the Fund could invest some or all of its assets in cash, derivatives, fixed-income instruments, government bonds, money market instruments, repurchase agreements or securities of other investment companies. The Fund may be unable to pursue or achieve its investment objective during that time and temporary investments could reduce the benefit from any upswing in the market.
PRINCIPAL RISKS
The value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate and is subject to investment risks, which means investors could lose money. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any governmental agency. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below.

Convertible Securities Risk—Convertible securities may be subordinate to other securities. The total return for a convertible security depends, in part, upon the performance of the underlying security into which it can be
converted. The value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality.

Counterparty Credit Risk—The Fund makes investments in financial instruments and over-the-counter ("OTC")-traded derivatives involving counterparties to gain exposure to a particular group of securities, index, asset class or other reference asset without actually purchasing those securities or investments, to hedge a position, or for other investment purposes. Through these investments and related arrangements (e.g., prime brokerage or securities lending arrangements or derivatives transactions), the Fund is exposed to credit risks that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to make timely payments or otherwise to meet its contractual obligations. If the counterparty becomes bankrupt or defaults on (or otherwise becomes unable or unwilling to perform) its payment or other obligations to the Fund, the Fund may not receive the full amount that it is entitled to receive or may experience delays in recovering the collateral or other assets held by, or on behalf of, the counterparty. If this occurs, the value of your shares in the Fund will decrease.

Depositary Receipt Risk—The Fund may hold the securities of non-U.S. companies in the form of depositary receipts. The underlying securities of the depositary receipts in the Fund’s portfolio are subject to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that may affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the value of the securities underlying the depositary receipts may change materially when the U.S. markets are not open for trading. Investments in the underlying foreign securities also involve political and economic risks distinct from those associated with investing in the securities of U.S. issuers.

Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other investments, including risks relating to leverage, imperfect correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, high price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty credit, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. Their use is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. If the portfolio managers are incorrect about their expectations of market conditions, the use of derivatives could also result in a loss, which in some cases may be unlimited. In addition, the Fund’s use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments. Some of the derivatives in which the Fund invests may be traded (and privately negotiated) in the OTC market. OTC derivatives are subject to heightened counterparty credit, liquidity and valuation risks. Certain risks also are specific to the derivatives in which the Fund invests.

Futures Contracts Risk—Futures contracts are exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. Risks of futures contracts may be caused by an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the instruments and the price of the underlying assets. In addition, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction because of an illiquid market. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Investment Manager or Sub-Adviser, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund’s net asset value ("NAV"). Futures are also subject to leverage and liquidity risks.
Options Risk—Options and options on futures contracts give the holder of the option the right, but not the obligation, to buy (or to sell) a position in a security or in a contract to the writer of the option, at a certain price. Options are subject to correlation risk because there may be an imperfect correlation between the options and the markets for underlying instruments that could cause a given transaction to fail to achieve its objectives. The successful use of options depends on the portfolio managers' ability to predict correctly future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the markets for options and the underlying instruments. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Investment Manager or Sub-Adviser, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Options are also particularly subject to leverage risk and can be subject to liquidity risk.
Swap Agreements Risk—Swap agreements are contracts among the Fund and a counterparty to exchange the return of the pre-determined underlying investment (such as the rate of return of the underlying index). Swap agreements may be negotiated bilaterally and traded OTC between two parties or, for certain standardized swaps, must be exchange-traded through a futures commission merchant and/or cleared through a clearinghouse that serves as a central counterparty. Risks associated with the use of swap agreements are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions, due in part
to the fact they could be considered illiquid and many swaps trade on the OTC market. Swaps are particularly subject to counterparty credit, correlation, valuation, liquidity and leveraging risks. While exchange trading and central clearing are intended to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity, they do not make swap transactions risk-free. Additionally, applicable regulators have adopted rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on OTC swaps, which may result in the Fund and its counterparties posting higher margin amounts for OTC swaps, which could increase the cost of swap transactions to the Fund and impose added operational complexity.

Emerging Markets Risk—Investments in or exposure to emerging markets are generally subject to a greater level of those risks associated with investing in or being exposed to developed foreign markets, as emerging markets are considered to be less developed than developing countries. Furthermore, investments in or exposure to emerging markets are generally subject to additional risks, including the risks associated with trading in smaller markets, lower volumes of trading, and being subject to lower levels of government regulation and less extensive and transparent accounting, auditing, recordkeeping, financial reporting and other requirements.

Equity Securities Risk—Equity securities include common stocks and other equity and equity-related securities (and securities convertible into stocks). The prices of equity securities generally fluctuate in value more than fixed-income investments, may rise or fall rapidly or unpredictably and may reflect real or perceived changes in the issuing company’s financial condition and changes in the overall market or economy. A decline in the value of equity securities held by the Fund will adversely affect the value of your investment in the Fund. Common stocks generally represent the riskiest investment in a company and dividend payments (if declared) to preferred stockholders generally rank junior to payments due to a company’s debtholders. The Fund may lose a substantial part, or even all, of its investment in a company’s stock.

Foreign Securities and Currency Risk—Foreign securities carry unique or additional risks when compared to U.S. securities, including currency fluctuations, adverse political and economic developments, unreliable or untimely information, less liquidity and more volatility, limited legal recourse and higher transactional costs. The Fund may hold the securities of non-U.S. companies in the form of American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"). The underlying securities of the ADRs in the Fund's portfolio are subject to risks common to foreign securities as well as fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that may affect the value of the Fund's portfolio. In addition, the value of the securities underlying the ADRs may change materially when the U.S. markets are not open for trading.

Growth Stocks Risk—Growth stocks typically invest a high portion of their earnings back into their business and may lack the dividend yield that could cushion their decline in a market downturn. Growth stocks may be more volatile than other stocks because they are more sensitive to investor perceptions regarding the growth potential of the issuing company.

Investment in Investment Vehicles Risk—Investing in other investment vehicles, including, ETFs, closed-end funds and other mutual funds, subjects the Fund to those risks affecting the investment vehicle, including the possibility that the value of the underlying securities held by the investment vehicle could decrease or the portfolio becomes illiquid. Moreover, the Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the underlying vehicles’ expenses, which will reduce the Fund’s performance. In addition, investments in an ETF are subject to, among other risks, the risk that the ETF's shares may trade at a discount or premium relative to the net asset value of the shares and the listing exchange may halt trading of the ETF's shares.

Large-Capitalization Securities Risk—The Fund is subject to the risk that large-capitalization securities may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. Larger, more established companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges such as changes in technology and may not be able to attain the high growth rate of smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion.

Leverage Risk—The Fund’s use of leverage, through borrowings or instruments such as derivatives and reverse repurchase agreements, may cause the Fund to be more volatile and riskier than if it had not been leveraged.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk—It may be difficult for the Fund to purchase and sell particular investments within a reasonable time at a fair price, or the price at which it has been valued by the Investment Manager for purposes of the Fund’s net asset value, causing the Fund to be less liquid and unable to realize what the Investment Manager believes should be the price of the investment. Valuation of portfolio investments may be difficult, such as during
periods of market turmoil or reduced liquidity, and for investments that may, for example, trade infrequently or irregularly. In these and other circumstances, an investment may be valued using fair value methodologies, which are inherently subjective, reflect good faith judgments based on available information and may not accurately estimate the price at which the Fund could sell the investment at that time.

Management Risk—The Fund is actively managed, which means that investment decisions are made based on investment views. There is no guarantee that the investment views will produce the desired results or expected returns, causing the Fund to fail to meet its investment objective or underperform its benchmark index or funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. Furthermore, active and frequent trading that can accompany active management, also called “high turnover,” may have a negative impact on performance. Active and frequent trading may result in higher brokerage costs or mark-up charges, which are ultimately passed on to shareholders of the Fund. Active and frequent trading may also result in adverse tax consequences.

Market Risk—The value of, or income generated by, the investments held by the Fund may fluctuate rapidly and unpredictably and the Fund may incur losses as a result of factors affecting individual companies or issuers or particular industries. In addition, developments related to economic, political, social, public health, market or other conditions may cause volatility in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or debt markets, which could adversely impact the Fund and its investments. Under such conditions, the Fund may experience significant redemption activity by shareholders and could be forced to sell portfolio securities or other assets at unfavorable prices in an effort to generate sufficient cash to pay redeeming shareholders. The Fund's investments may perform poorly or underperform the general securities markets or other types of securities. Governmental authorities and regulators have enacted and continue to enact significant fiscal and monetary policy changes designed to support financial markets, which present heightened risks to markets and Fund investments and are resulting in low interest rates and in some cases, negative yields, and such risks could be even further heightened if these actions are discontinued, disrupted, reversed or are ineffective in achieving their desired outcomes. It is unknown how long current circumstances will persist, whether they will reoccur in the future and whether efforts to support the economy and financial markets will be successful.

Mid-Capitalization Securities Risk—The Fund is subject to the risk that mid-capitalization securities may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. Securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more speculative, volatile and less liquid than securities of large companies. Mid-capitalization companies tend to have inexperienced management as well as limited product and market diversification and financial resources, and may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than large capitalization companies.

OTC Derivatives Trading Risk—Certain of the derivatives in which the Fund may invest may be traded (and privately negotiated) in the OTC market. OTC derivatives are complex and often valued subjectively. Improper valuations can result in increased cash payment requirements to counterparties or a loss of value to the Fund. In addition, such derivative instruments are often highly customized and tailored to meet the needs of the counterparties. If a derivative transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price. As a result and similar to other privately negotiated contracts, the Fund is subject to counterparty credit risk with respect to such derivative contracts.

Preferred Securities Risk—A company’s preferred stock generally pays dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred stock will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects.

Regulatory and Legal Risk—U.S. and non-U.S. governmental agencies and other regulators regularly implement additional regulations and legislators pass new laws that affect the investments held by the Fund, the strategies used by the Fund or the level of regulation or taxation applying to the Fund (such as regulations related to investments in derivatives and other transactions). These regulations and laws impact the investment strategies, performance, costs and operations of the Fund or taxation of shareholders.

Sector Emphasis Risk—If the Fund invests a significant amount of its assets in any one sector, the Fund’s performance will depend to a greater extent on the overall condition of the sector and there is increased risk that the Fund will lose value if conditions adversely affect that sector. The prices of securities of issuers in a particular
sector may be more susceptible to fluctuations as a result of changes in economic, public health or business conditions, government regulations, availability of basic resources or supplies, or other events that affect that industry or sector more than securities of issuers in other sectors. To the extent the Fund is heavily invested in a particular sector, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than the value of shares of a mutual fund that invests in a broader range of sectors. 

Small-Capitalization Securities Risk—The Fund is subject to the risk that small-capitalization securities may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. Securities of small-capitalization companies may be more speculative, volatile and less liquid than securities of larger companies. Small-capitalization companies tend to have inexperienced management as well as limited product and market diversification and financial resources, and may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than mid- or large-capitalization companies.

Sub-Adviser’s Proprietary Research Methodology Risk–There can be no assurance that the Sub-Adviser’s research methodology will prove to be effective in identifying favorable investment opportunities for the Fund.

Value Stocks Risk—Value stocks are subject to the risk that the intrinsic value of the stock may never be realized by the market or that the price goes down.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the Fund’s Institutional Class share calendar year performance from year to year and average annual returns for the one, five and ten year or since inception periods (if shorter), as applicable, for the Fund’s Institutional Class shares compared to those of a broad measure of market performance. As of the date of the Prospectus, the Fund’s Class A and Class C shares had not yet commenced operations. Accordingly, no performance is shown for such classes. As with all mutual funds, past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
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Highest Quarter Return
Q2 2020 19.07%
  
Lowest Quarter Return
Q1 2020 -18.43%
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (for the periods ended December 31, 2020)
After-tax returns shown in the table are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of any state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”).
Inception1 Year5 YearsSince Inception
Institutional Class9/26/2014 
Return Before Taxes
16.00%13.28%10.77%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
14.14%10.46%8.33%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
10.28%9.27%7.44%
Index  
S&P 500 Index
18.40%15.22%12.99%