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Jan. 31, 2021
GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST Class R6 | Guggenheim Floating Rate Strategies Fund
Guggenheim Floating Rate Strategies Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Guggenheim Floating Rate Strategies Fund (the "Fund") seeks to provide a high level of current income while maximizing total return.
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.
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class R6
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)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 Fees0.65%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) FeesNone
Other Expenses0.21%
Interest and Other Related Expenses0.05 %
Remaining Other Expenses0.16 %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses0.86%
Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)1
-0.03%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)0.83%
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. 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 (whether or not you redeem your shares at the end of the given period) would be:
R6
1 Year$85
3 Years$271
5 Years$474
10 Years$1,058
The above Example reflects applicable contractual fee waiver/expense reimbursement arrangements for the current duration of the arrangements only.
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 20% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund will, under normal circumstances, invest at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in floating rate senior secured syndicated bank loans, floating rate revolving credit facilities (“revolvers”), floating rate unsecured loans, floating rate asset backed securities (including floating rate collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”)), other floating rate bonds, loans, notes and other securities (which may include, principally, senior secured, senior unsecured and subordinated bonds), fixed income instruments with respect to which the Fund has entered into derivative instruments to effectively convert the fixed rate interest payments into floating rate income payments, and derivative instruments (based on their notional value for purposes of this 80% strategy) that provide exposure (i.e., economic characteristics similar) to floating rate or variable rate loans, obligations or other securities. The loans in which the Fund will invest, generally made by banks and other lending institutions, are made to (or issued by) corporations, partnerships and other business entities. Floating rate loans feature rates that reset regularly, maintaining a fixed spread over a reference rate, such as the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) (or a replacement rate for LIBOR) or the prime rates of large money-center banks. The interest rates for floating rate loans typically reset quarterly, although rates on some loans may adjust at other intervals.
The Fund invests in other fixed-income instruments of various maturities which may be represented by bonds, debt securities, commercial paper, forwards, derivatives or other similar instruments that Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (the "Investment Manager"), believes provide the potential to deliver a high level of current income. Securities in which the Fund invests also may include corporate bonds, convertible securities (including those that are deemed to be “busted” because they are trading well below their equity conversion value), agency and non-agency mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities (including collateralized mortgage-backed securities) and CLOs. The Fund may invest in a variety of investment vehicles, such as closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other mutual funds.
The Fund may hold securities of any quality, rated or unrated, including, those that are rated below investment grade, or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality (also known as “high yield securities” or “junk bonds”). The Fund may hold below investment grade securities with no limit. The Fund may hold non-registered or restricted securities (consisting of securities originally issued in reliance on Rule 144A and Regulation S securities). The Fund may also invest in securities of real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and other real estate companies.
The Fund will principally invest in U.S. dollar denominated loans and other securities of U.S. companies, but may also invest in securities of non-U.S. companies, non-U.S. dollar denominated loans and securities (including, but not limited to, denominated in Euros, British pounds, Swiss francs or Canadian dollars), including loans and securities of emerging market countries, sovereign debt securities and Eurodollar bonds and obligations. The Investment Manager may attempt to reduce foreign currency exchange rate risk by entering into contracts with banks, brokers or dealers to purchase or sell securities or foreign currencies at a future date (“forward contracts”).
The Fund also may seek exposures through derivative transactions, including: foreign exchange forward contracts; futures on securities, indices, currencies and other investments; Eurodollar futures; options; interest rate swaps; cross-currency swaps; total return swaps; and credit default swaps, which may also create economic leverage in the Fund. The Fund may engage in derivative transactions for speculative purposes to enhance total return, to seek to hedge against fluctuations in securities prices, interest rates or currency rates, to change the effective duration of its portfolio, to manage certain investment risks, as a substitute for the purchase or sale of securities or currencies and/or to obtain or replicate market exposure. The Fund may use leverage to the extent permitted by applicable law by entering into reverse repurchase agreements and transactions equivalent to a borrowing for investment purposes.
The Fund also may engage, without limitation, in repurchase agreements, forward commitments, short sales and securities lending. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as dollar rolls).
The Investment Manager’s investment philosophy is predicated upon the belief that thorough research and independent thought are rewarded with performance that has the potential to outperform benchmark indexes with both lower volatility and lower correlation of returns as compared to such benchmark indexes.
The Investment Manager may determine to sell a security for several reasons, including but not limited to the following: (1) to adjust the portfolio’s average maturity or duration, or to shift assets into or out of higher-yielding securities; (2) if a security’s credit rating has been changed, the Investment Manager's credit outlook has changed, or for other similar reasons; (3) to meet redemption requests; (4) to take gains; or (5) due to relative value. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may invest in securities that are in default at the time of purchase. If a security defaults subsequent to purchase by the Fund, the Investment Manager will determine in its discretion whether to hold or dispose of such security. Under adverse or unstable market conditions or abnormal circumstances (for example, in the event of credit events, where it is deemed opportune to preserve gains, or to preserve the relative value of investments or in the case of large cash inflows or anticipated large redemptions), the Fund can make temporary investments and may not be able to pursue or achieve its investment objective.
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.
Asset-Backed Securities Risk—Investors in asset-backed securities, including residential mortgage-backed securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities and other structured finance investments, generally receive payments that are part interest and part return of principal. These payments may vary based on the rate at which the underlying borrowers pay off their loans. Some asset-backed securities, including mortgage-backed securities, may have structures that make their performance based on changes in interest rates and other factors difficult to predict, causing their prices to be volatile. In particular, during periods of falling interest rates, asset-backed securities are more likely to be called or prepaid, which can result in the Fund having to reinvest proceeds in other investments at a lower interest rate or less advantageous terms, which would adversely affect the Fund. These instruments are particularly subject to interest rate, credit and liquidity and valuation risks. The terms of many structured finance investments and other instruments are tied to interbank reference rates (referred to collectively as the "London Interbank Offered Rate" or “LIBOR”), which function as a reference rate or benchmark for many underlying collateral investments, securities and transactions. It is anticipated that LIBOR ultimately will be discontinued, which may cause increased volatility and illiquidity in the markets for instruments with terms tied to LIBOR or other adverse consequences, such as decreased yields and reduction in value, for these instruments. These events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments in such instruments.
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities—Investments in commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) are backed by commercial mortgage loans that may be secured by office properties, retail properties, hotels, mixed use properties or multi-family apartment buildings and are particularly subject to the credit risk of the borrower and the tenants of the properties securing the commercial mortgage loans.  CMBS are subject to the risks of asset-backed securities generally and particularly subject to credit risk, interest rate risk, and liquidity and valuation risk. Economic downturns and other events that limit the activities of and demand for commercial retail and office spaces (such as the current economic and public health crisis) adversely impact the value of such securities.
Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities—Residential mortgage-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates given that rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities. As a result, a rising interest rate environment can cause the prices of mortgage-backed securities to be increasingly volatile, which may adversely affect the Fund’s holdings of mortgage-backed securities.  In light of the current interest rate environment, the Fund’s investments in these securities may be subject to heightened interest rate risk. Investments in non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities are subject to increased interest rate risk and other risks, such as credit and liquidity and valuation risks.
Collateralized Loan Obligations and Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk—Collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs") bear many of the same risks as other forms of asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. As they are backed by pools of loans, CLOs also bear similar risks to investing in loans directly. CLOs issue classes or “tranches” that vary in risk and yield. CLOs may experience substantial losses attributable to loan defaults. Losses caused by defaults on underlying assets are borne first by the holders of subordinate tranches. The Fund’s investment in CLOs may decrease in market value when the CLO experiences loan defaults or credit
impairment, the disappearance of a subordinate tranche, or market anticipation of defaults and investor aversion to CLO securities as a class.
Collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) are structured similarly to CLOs and bear the same risks as CLOs including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. CDOs are subject to additional risks because they are backed by pools of assets other than loans including securities (such as other asset-backed securities), synthetic instruments or bonds and may be highly leveraged. Like CLOs, losses incurred by a CDO are borne first by holders of subordinate tranches. Accordingly, the risks of CDOs depend largely on the type of underlying collateral and the tranche of CDOs in which the Fund invests. For example, CDOs that obtain their exposure through synthetic investments entail the risks associated with derivative instruments. The terms of many structured finance investments, including CLOs and CDOs, are tied to LIBOR, which functions as a reference rate or benchmark for many underlying collateral investments, securities and transactions. It is anticipated that LIBOR will be discontinued, which may cause increased volatility and illiquidity in the markets for instruments with terms tied to LIBOR or other adverse consequences, such as decreased yields and reduction in value, for these instruments. These events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments in such instruments.
Commercial Paper Risk—The value of the Fund’s investment in commercial paper, which is an unsecured promissory note that generally has a maturity date between one and 270 days and is issued by a U.S. or foreign entity, is susceptible to changes in the issuer’s financial condition or credit quality. Investments in commercial paper are usually discounted from their value at maturity. Commercial paper can be fixed-rate or variable rate and can be adversely affected by changes in interest rates.
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.
Credit Risk—The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income or other debt instrument or a counterparty to a derivatives transaction or other transaction is unable or unwilling, or perceived to be unable or unwilling, to pay interest or repay principal on time, defaults or otherwise fails to meet its obligations. Actual or perceived changes in economic, social, public health, financial or political conditions in general or that affect a particular type of instrument, issuer, guarantor or counterparty can reduce the ability of the party to meet its obligations, which can affect the credit quality, liquidity and/or value of an instrument. The value of an instrument also may decline for reasons that relate directly to the issuer, guarantor or counterparty, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for goods and services. The issuer, guarantor or counterparty could also suffer a rapid decline in credit rating, which would adversely affect the volatility of the value and liquidity of the instrument. Credit ratings may not be an accurate assessment of liquidity or credit risk.
Currency Risk—Indirect and direct exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. Dollar, which would cause a decline in the U.S. value of the holdings of the Fund. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political, economic and tax developments in the U.S. or abroad.
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 Investment Manager is incorrect about its 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.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts Risk—A forward foreign currency exchange contract is an OTC obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. Foreign currency transactions can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Such events may prevent or restrict the Fund’s ability to enter into foreign currency transactions, force the Fund to exit a foreign currency transaction at a disadvantageous time or price or result in penalties for the Fund, any of which may result in a loss to the Fund. A contract to sell a foreign currency would limit any potential gain that might be realized if the value of the currency increases. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances. Engaging in forward foreign currency exchange contracts will subject the Fund to counterparty credit risk and any failure to perform by a counterparty could result in a loss to the Fund.
Dollar Roll Transaction Risk—The Fund may enter into dollar roll transactions, in which the Fund sells a mortgage-backed or other security for settlement on one date and buys back a substantially similar security for settlement at a later date. Dollar rolls involve a risk of loss if the market value of the securities that the Fund is committed to buy declines below the price of the securities the Fund has sold.
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.
Extension Risk—Certain debt instruments, including mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur at a slower rate or later than expected.  In this event, the expected maturity could lengthen and the Fund’s investment may sharply decrease in value and the Fund’s income from the investment may quickly decline.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to extension risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of rising interest rates. In addition, the Fund may be delayed in its ability to reinvest income or proceeds from these instruments in potentially higher yielding investments, which would adversely affect the Fund.
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.
High Yield and Unrated Securities Risk—High yield, below investment grade and unrated high risk debt securities (which also may be known as “junk bonds”) may present additional risks because these securities may be less liquid, and therefore more difficult to value accurately and sell at an advantageous price or time, and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be subject to greater volatility due to issuer-specific factors, such as operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions. This exposure may be obtained through investments in other investment companies. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund's investments can be comprised of high yield and unrated securities and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks, which may result in losses to the Fund.
Interest Rate Risk—Fixed-income and other debt instruments are subject to the possibility that interest rates could change. Changes in interest rates may adversely affect the Fund’s investments in these instruments, such as the value or liquidity of, and income generated by, the investments. Interest rates may change as a result of a variety of factors, and the change may be sudden and significant, with unpredictable impacts on the financial markets and the Fund’s investments. Fixed-income and other debt instruments with longer durations are more sensitive to changes in interest rates and, thus, subject to more volatility than similar instruments with shorter durations. Generally, when interest rates increase, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments decline and when interest rates decrease, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments rise. During periods of rising interest rates, because changes in interest rates on adjustable rate securities may lag behind changes in market rates, the value of such securities may decline until their interest rates reset to market rates. During periods of declining interest rates, because the interest rates on adjustable rate securities generally reset downward, their market value is unlikely to rise to the same extent as the value of comparable fixed rate securities. During periods when interest rates are low or negative, the Fund’s yield and performance may be adversely affected and the Fund
may be unable to maintain positive returns or minimize the volatility of the Fund's net asset value per share. The risks associated with rising interest rates are heightened given the current low interest rate environment.
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 ("NAV") of the shares and the listing exchange may halt trading of the ETF's shares.
Investment in Loans Risk—The Fund may invest in loans directly or indirectly through assignments or participations. Investments in loans, including loan syndicates and other direct lending opportunities, involve special types of risks, including credit risk, interest rate risk, counterparty risk, prepayment risk and extension risk. Loans may offer a fixed or floating interest rate. Loans are often below investment grade and may be unrated. The Fund’s investments in loans can also be difficult to value accurately and may be more susceptible to liquidity risk than fixed-income instruments of similar credit quality and/or maturity. The Fund is also subject to the risk that the value of any collateral for the loan may be insufficient or unavailable to cover the borrower’s obligations should the borrower fail to make payments, become insolvent, or otherwise default. Transactions in loans are often subject to long settlement periods and often require consent from borrowers and/or an agent acting for the lenders, thus potentially limiting the ability of the Fund to invest sale proceeds in other investments and to use proceeds to meet its current redemption obligations. The Fund thus is subject to the risk of selling other investments at disadvantageous times or prices or taking other actions necessary to raise cash to meet its redemption obligations. Participations in loans may subject the Fund to the credit risk of both the borrower and the seller of the participation and may make enforcement of loan covenants, if any, more difficult for the Fund as legal action may have to go through the seller of the participation (or an agent acting on its behalf). Covenants contained in loan documentation are intended to protect lenders and investors by imposing certain restrictions and other limitations on a borrower’s operations or assets and by providing certain information and consent rights to lenders. In addition to operational covenants, loans and other debt obligations often contain financial covenants which require a borrower to satisfy certain financial tests at periodic intervals or to maintain compliance with certain financial metrics. The Fund invests in or is exposed to loans and other similar debt obligations that are sometimes referred to as “covenant-lite” loans or obligations, which generally are loans or other similar debt obligations that lack financial maintenance covenants or possess fewer or contingent financial maintenance covenants and other financial protections for lenders and investors. These "covenant-lite" loans or obligations typically are particularly subject to the risks associated with investments in loans as described above.
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. These risks are heightened for fixed-income and other debt instruments because of the current low interest rate environment. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund's investments can be difficult to value and potentially less liquid and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks.
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.
Prepayment Risk—Certain debt instruments, including loans and mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur more quickly or earlier than expected.  If this occurs, the Fund might be forced to forego future interest income on the principal repaid early and to reinvest income or proceeds at generally lower interest rates, thus reducing the Fund’s yield.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to prepayment risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of declining interest rates.
Real Estate Investments Risk—The Fund may invest in securities of real estate companies and companies related to the real estate industry, including real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), which are subject to the same risks as direct investments in real estate. The real estate industry is particularly sensitive to economic downturns.
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.
Repurchase Agreements and Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk—In the event of the insolvency of the counterparty to a repurchase agreement or reverse repurchase agreement, recovery of the repurchase price owed to the Fund or, in the case of a reverse repurchase agreement, the securities or other assets sold by the Fund, may be delayed. Because reverse repurchase agreements may be considered to be the practical equivalent of borrowing funds, they constitute a form of leverage. If the Fund reinvests the proceeds of a reverse repurchase agreement at a rate lower than the cost of the agreement, entering into the agreement will lower the Fund’s yield.
Restricted Securities Risk—Restricted securities generally cannot be sold to the public and may involve a high degree of business, financial and liquidity risk, which may result in substantial losses to the Fund.
Securities Lending Risk—Securities lending involves a risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities or deliver the proper amount of collateral, which may result in a loss to the Fund. In the event of bankruptcy of the borrower, the Fund could experience losses or delays in recovering the loaned securities.
Short Sale Risk—Short selling a security involves selling a borrowed security with the expectation that the value of that security will decline so that the security may be purchased at a lower price when returning the borrowed security. The risk for loss on a short sale, which, in some cases, may be theoretically unlimited, is greater than the original value of the securities sold short because the price of the borrowed security may rise, thereby increasing the price at which the security must be purchased. Government actions also may affect the Fund’s ability to engage in short selling.
Sovereign Debt Risk—The debt securities issued by sovereign entities may decline as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from a sovereign debtor's unwillingness or inability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner, which may be affected by a variety of factors, including its cash flow situation, the extent of its reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtor's policy toward international lenders, and the political constraints to which a sovereign debtor may be subject. Sovereign debt risk is increased for emerging market issuers.
Special Situation Investments/Securities in Default Risk—Investments in the securities and debt of distressed issuers or issuers in default involve far greater risk than investing in issuers whose debt obligations are being met and whose debt trades at or close to its “par” or full value because the investments are highly speculative with respect to the issuer’s ability to make interest payments and/or to pay its principal obligations in full and/or on time.
When Issued, Forward Commitment and Delayed-Delivery Transactions Risk—When-issued, forward-commitment and delayed-delivery transactions involve a commitment to purchase or sell specific securities at a predetermined price or yield in which payment and delivery take place after the customary settlement period for that type of security. When purchasing securities pursuant to one of these transactions, payment for the securities is not required until the delivery date. However, the purchaser assumes the rights and risks of ownership, including the risks of price and yield fluctuations and the risk that the security will not be issued as anticipated.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the Fund’s Class R6 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 Class R6 shares compared to those of a broad measure of market performance. Previously, the chart presented the Fund's calendar year returns for Institutional Class shares. 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. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or by calling 800.820.0888.
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Highest Quarter Return
Q2 2020 8.21%
  
Lowest Quarter Return
Q1 2020 -13.61%
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 Year Since Inception
Class R63/13/2019  
Return Before Taxes1.69%3.04%
Return After Taxes on Distributions-0.05%1.17%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares0.94%1.51%
Index
Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
2.78%3.82%
GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST Class R6 | Guggenheim High Yield Fund
Guggenheim High Yield Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Guggenheim High Yield Fund (the "Fund") seeks high current income.
Capital appreciation is a secondary objective.
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.
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class R6
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)None
Redemption Charge (as a percentage of amount redeemed or exchanged)
2.00%*
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 Fees0.60%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) FeesNone
Other Expenses0.25%
Interest and Other Related Expenses0.09%
Remaining Other Expenses0.16%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses0.85%
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. 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 (whether or not you redeem your shares at the end of the given period) would be:
R6
1 Year$87
3 Years$271
5 Years$471
10 Years$1,049
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 81% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund pursues its objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes), under normal circumstances, in a broad range of high yield, high risk debt securities rated below the top four long-term rating categories by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, determined by Security Investors, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (the
"Investment Manager"), to be of comparable quality (also known as “junk bonds”). If nationally recognized statistical rating organizations assign different ratings to the same security, the Fund will use the higher rating for purposes of determining the security’s credit quality. These debt securities may include, without limitation: corporate bonds and notes, convertible securities, commercial paper, discount notes, securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies and instrumentalities (including those not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government), agency and non-agency mortgage-backed securities and other asset-backed securities (including collateralized debt obligations), participations in and assignments of loans (such as senior floating rate loans, syndicated bank loans, secured or unsecured loans, bridge loans and other loans), floating rate revolving credit facilities (“revolvers”), debtor-in-possession loans (“DIPs”) and other loans, and sovereign debt securities and Eurodollar bonds and obligations. These securities may pay fixed or variable rates of interest. These securities also may be restricted securities, including Rule 144A securities that are eligible for resale to qualified institutional buyers.
The Fund also may invest in a variety of investment vehicles, principally, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other mutual funds. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its net assets in securities that are in default at the time of purchase. The debt securities in which the Fund invests will primarily be domestic securities, but may also include foreign securities. Such securities may be denominated in foreign currencies. The Investment Manager may attempt to reduce foreign currency exchange rate risk by entering into contracts with banks, brokers or dealers to purchase or sell securities or foreign currencies at a future date. The Fund may also invest in preferred securities.
The Fund also may seek exposures through derivative transactions, including: foreign exchange forward contracts; futures on securities, indices, currencies and other investments; Eurodollar futures; options; interest rate swaps; cross-currency swaps; total return swaps; and credit default swaps, which may also create economic leverage in the Fund. The Fund may engage in derivative transactions for speculative purposes to enhance total return, to seek to hedge against fluctuations in securities prices, interest rates or currency rates, to change the effective duration of its portfolio, to manage certain investment risks, as a substitute for the purchase or sale of securities or currencies and/or to obtain or replicate market exposure. The Fund may use leverage to the extent permitted by applicable law by entering into reverse repurchase agreements and transactions equivalent to a borrowing for investment purposes.
The Fund also may engage, without limitation, in repurchase agreements, forward commitments, short sales and securities lending. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as dollar rolls).
The Investment Manager selects securities and other investments for purchase and sale based on intensive credit research involving extensive due diligence on each issuer, region and sector. The Investment Manager also considers macroeconomic outlook and geopolitical issues.
The Investment Manager may determine to sell a security for several reasons, including but not limited to the following: (1) to adjust the portfolio’s average maturity or duration, or to shift assets into or out of higher-yielding securities; (2) if a security’s credit rating has been changed, the Investment Manager's credit outlook has changed, or for other similar reasons; (3) to meet redemption requests; (4) to take gains; or (5) due to relative value. Under adverse or unstable market conditions or abnormal circumstances (for example, in the event of credit events, where it is deemed opportune to preserve gains, or to preserve the relative value of investments or in the case of large cash inflows or anticipated large redemptions), the Fund can make temporary investments and may not be able to pursue or achieve its investment objective.
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.
Asset-Backed Securities Risk—Investors in asset-backed securities, including residential mortgage-backed securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities and other structured finance investments, generally receive payments that are part interest and part return of principal. These payments may vary based on the rate at which the underlying borrowers pay off their loans. Some asset-backed securities, including mortgage-backed securities, may have structures that make their performance based on changes in interest rates and other factors difficult to predict, causing their prices to be volatile. In particular, during periods of falling interest rates, asset-backed securities are more likely to be called or prepaid, which can result in the Fund having to reinvest proceeds in other
investments at a lower interest rate or less advantageous terms, which would adversely affect the Fund. These instruments are particularly subject to interest rate, credit and liquidity and valuation risks. The terms of many structured finance investments and other instruments are tied to interbank reference rates (referred to collectively as the "London Interbank Offered Rate" or “LIBOR”), which function as a reference rate or benchmark for many underlying collateral investments, securities and transactions. It is anticipated that LIBOR ultimately will be discontinued, which may cause increased volatility and illiquidity in the markets for instruments with terms tied to LIBOR or other adverse consequences, such as decreased yields and reduction in value, for these instruments. These events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments in such instruments.
Collateralized Loan Obligations and Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk—Collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) bear many of the same risks as other forms of asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. As they are backed by pools of loans, CLOs also bear similar risks to investing in loans directly. CLOs issue classes or “tranches” that vary in risk and yield. CLOs may experience substantial losses attributable to loan defaults. Losses caused by defaults on underlying assets are borne first by the holders of subordinate tranches. The Fund’s investment in CLOs may decrease in market value when the CLO experiences loan defaults or credit impairment, the disappearance of a subordinate tranche, or market anticipation of defaults and investor aversion to CLO securities as a class.
Collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) are structured similarly to CLOs and bear the same risks as CLOs including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. CDOs are subject to additional risks because they are backed by pools of assets other than loans including securities (such as other asset-backed securities), synthetic instruments or bonds and may be highly leveraged. Like CLOs, losses incurred by a CDO are borne first by holders of subordinate tranches. Accordingly, the risks of CDOs depend largely on the type of underlying collateral and the tranche of CDOs in which the Fund invests. For example, CDOs that obtain their exposure through synthetic investments entail the risks associated with derivative instruments. The terms of many structured finance investments, including CLOs and CDOs, are tied to LIBOR, which functions as a reference rate or benchmark for many underlying collateral investments, securities and transactions. It is anticipated that LIBOR will be discontinued, which may cause increased volatility and illiquidity in the markets for instruments with terms tied to LIBOR or other adverse consequences, such as decreased yields and reduction in value, for these instruments. These events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments in such instruments.
Commercial Paper Risk—The value of the Fund’s investment in commercial paper, which is an unsecured promissory note that generally has a maturity date between one and 270 days and is issued by a U.S. or foreign entity, is susceptible to changes in the issuer’s financial condition or credit quality. Investments in commercial paper are usually discounted from their value at maturity. Commercial paper can be fixed-rate or variable rate and can be adversely affected by changes in interest rates.
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.
Credit Risk—The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income or other debt instrument or a counterparty to a derivatives transaction or other transaction is unable or unwilling, or perceived to be unable or unwilling, to pay interest or repay principal on time, defaults or otherwise fails to meet its obligations. Actual or perceived changes in economic, social, public health, financial or political conditions in general or that affect a particular type of instrument, issuer, guarantor or counterparty can reduce the ability of the party to meet its obligations, which can affect the credit quality, liquidity and/or value of an instrument. The value of an instrument also may decline for reasons that relate directly to the issuer, guarantor or counterparty, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for goods and services. The issuer, guarantor or counterparty
could also suffer a rapid decline in credit rating, which would adversely affect the volatility of the value and liquidity of the instrument. Credit ratings may not be an accurate assessment of liquidity or credit risk.
Currency Risk—Indirect and direct exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. Dollar, which would cause a decline in the U.S. value of the holdings of the Fund. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political, economic and tax developments in the U.S. or abroad.
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 Investment Manager is incorrect about its 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.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts Risk—A forward foreign currency exchange contract is an OTC obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. Foreign currency transactions can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Such events may prevent or restrict the Fund's ability to enter into foreign currency transactions, force the Fund to exit a foreign currency transaction at a disadvantageous time or price or result in penalties for the Fund, any of which may result in a loss to the Fund. A contract to sell a foreign currency would limit any potential gain that might be realized if the value of the currency increases. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances. Engaging in forward foreign currency exchange contracts will subject the Fund to counterparty credit risk and any failure to perform by a counterparty could result in a loss to the Fund.
Dollar Roll Transaction Risk—The Fund may enter into dollar roll transactions, in which the Fund sells a mortgage-backed or other security for settlement on one date and buys back a substantially similar security for settlement at a later date. Dollar rolls involve a risk of loss if the market value of the securities that the Fund is committed to buy declines below the price of the securities the Fund has sold.
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.
Extension Risk—Certain debt instruments, including mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur at a slower rate or later than expected.  In this event, the expected maturity could lengthen and the Fund’s investment may sharply decrease in value and the Fund’s income from the investment may quickly decline.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to extension risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of rising interest rates. In addition, the Fund may be delayed in its ability to reinvest income or proceeds from these instruments in potentially higher yielding investments, which would adversely affect the Fund.
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.
High Yield and Unrated Securities Risk—High yield, below investment grade and unrated high risk debt securities (which also may be known as “junk bonds”) may present additional risks because these securities may be less liquid, and therefore more difficult to value accurately and sell at an advantageous price or time, and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be subject to greater volatility
due to issuer-specific factors, such as operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions. This exposure may be obtained through investments in other investment companies. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund's investments can be comprised of high yield and unrated securities and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks, which may result in losses to the Fund.
Interest Rate Risk—Fixed-income and other debt instruments are subject to the possibility that interest rates could change. Changes in interest rates may adversely affect the Fund’s investments in these instruments, such as the value or liquidity of, and income generated by, the investments. Interest rates may change as a result of a variety of factors, and the change may be sudden and significant, with unpredictable impacts on the financial markets and the Fund’s investments. Fixed-income and other debt instruments with longer durations are more sensitive to changes in interest rates and, thus, subject to more volatility than similar instruments with shorter durations. Generally, when interest rates increase, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments decline and when interest rates decrease, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments rise. During periods of rising interest rates, because changes in interest rates on adjustable rate securities may lag behind changes in market rates, the value of such securities may decline until their interest rates reset to market rates. During periods of declining interest rates, because the interest rates on adjustable rate securities generally reset downward, their market value is unlikely to rise to the same extent as the value of comparable fixed rate securities. During periods when interest rates are low or negative, the Fund’s yield and performance may be adversely affected and the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or minimize the volatility of the Fund's net asset value per share. The risks associated with rising interest rates are heightened given the current low interest rate environment.
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 ("NAV") of the shares and the listing exchange may halt trading of the ETF's shares.
Investment in Loans Risk—The Fund may invest in loans directly or indirectly through assignments or participations. Investments in loans, including loan syndicates and other direct lending opportunities, involve special types of risks, including credit risk, interest rate risk, counterparty risk, prepayment risk and extension risk. Loans may offer a fixed or floating interest rate. Loans are often below investment grade and may be unrated. The Fund’s investments in loans can also be difficult to value accurately and may be more susceptible to liquidity risk than fixed-income instruments of similar credit quality and/or maturity. The Fund is also subject to the risk that the value of any collateral for the loan may be insufficient or unavailable to cover the borrower’s obligations should the borrower fail to make payments, become insolvent, or otherwise default. Transactions in loans are often subject to long settlement periods and often require consent from borrowers and/or an agent acting for the lenders, thus potentially limiting the ability of the Fund to invest sale proceeds in other investments and to use proceeds to meet its current redemption obligations. The Fund thus is subject to the risk of selling other investments at disadvantageous times or prices or taking other actions necessary to raise cash to meet its redemption obligations. Participations in loans may subject the Fund to the credit risk of both the borrower and the seller of the participation and may make enforcement of loan covenants, if any, more difficult for the Fund as legal action may have to go through the seller of the participation (or an agent acting on its behalf). Covenants contained in loan documentation are intended to protect lenders and investors by imposing certain restrictions and other limitations on a borrower’s operations or assets and by providing certain information and consent rights to lenders. In addition to operational covenants, loans and other debt obligations often contain financial covenants which require a borrower to satisfy certain financial tests at periodic intervals or to maintain compliance with certain financial metrics. The Fund invests in or is exposed to loans and other similar debt obligations that are sometimes referred to as “covenant-lite” loans or obligations, which generally are loans or other similar debt obligations that lack financial maintenance covenants or possess fewer or contingent financial maintenance covenants and other financial protections for lenders and investors. These "covenant-lite" loans or obligations typically are particularly subject to the risks associated with investments in loans as described above.
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. These risks are heightened for fixed-income and other debt instruments because of the current low interest rate environment. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund's investments can be difficult to value and potentially less liquid and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks.
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.
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.
Prepayment Risk—Certain debt instruments, including loans and mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur more quickly or earlier than expected. If this occurs, the Fund might be forced to forego future interest income on the principal repaid early and to reinvest income or proceeds at generally lower interest rates, thus reducing the Fund’s yield.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to prepayment risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of declining interest rates.
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.
Repurchase Agreements and Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk—In the event of the insolvency of the counterparty to a repurchase agreement or reverse repurchase agreement, recovery of the repurchase price owed to the Fund or, in the case of a reverse repurchase agreement, the securities or other assets sold by the Fund, may be delayed. Because reverse repurchase agreements may be considered to be the practical equivalent of borrowing funds, they constitute a form of leverage. If the Fund reinvests the proceeds of a reverse repurchase agreement at a rate lower than the cost of the agreement, entering into the agreement will lower the Fund’s yield.
Restricted Securities Risk—Restricted securities generally cannot be sold to the public and may involve a high degree of business, financial and liquidity risk, which may result in substantial losses to the Fund.
Securities Lending Risk—Securities lending involves a risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities or deliver the proper amount of collateral, which may result in a loss to the Fund. In the event of bankruptcy of the borrower, the Fund could experience losses or delays in recovering the loaned securities.
Short Sale Risk—Short selling a security involves selling a borrowed security with the expectation that the value of that security will decline so that the security may be purchased at a lower price when returning the borrowed security. The risk for loss on a short sale, which, in some cases, may be theoretically unlimited, is greater than the original value of the securities sold short because the price of the borrowed security may rise, thereby increasing the price at which the security must be purchased. Government actions also may affect the Fund’s ability to engage in short selling.
Sovereign Debt Risk—The debt securities issued by sovereign entities may decline as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from a sovereign debtor's unwillingness or inability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner, which may be affected by a variety of factors, including its cash flow situation, the extent of its reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtor's policy toward international lenders, and the political constraints to which a sovereign debtor may be subject. Sovereign debt risk is increased for emerging market issuers.
Special Situation Investments/Securities in Default Risk—Investments in the securities and debt of distressed issuers or issuers in default involve far greater risk than investing in issuers whose debt obligations are being met and whose debt trades at or close to its “par” or full value because the investments are highly speculative with respect to the issuer’s ability to make interest payments and/or to pay its principal obligations in full and/or on time.
U.S. Government Securities Risk—U.S. government securities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. U.S. government securities are subject to the risks associated with fixed-income and debt securities, particularly interest rate risk and credit risk.
When Issued, Forward Commitment and Delayed-Delivery Transactions Risk—When-issued, forward-commitment and delayed-delivery transactions involve a commitment to purchase or sell specific securities at a predetermined price or yield in which payment and delivery take place after the customary settlement period for that type of security. When purchasing securities pursuant to one of these transactions, payment for the securities is not required until the delivery date. However, the purchaser assumes the rights and risks of ownership, including the risks of price and yield fluctuations and the risk that the security will not be issued as anticipated.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the Fund’s Class R6 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 Class R6 shares compared to those of a broad measure of market performance. 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. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or by calling 800.820.0888.
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Highest Quarter Return
Q2 2020 9.74%
Lowest Quarter Return
Q1 2020 -13.89%
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 YearSince Inception
Class R65/15/2017
Return Before Taxes5.23%4.85%
Return After Taxes on Distributions2.76%2.19%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares2.99%2.52%
Index
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Corporate High Yield Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
7.11%6.02%
GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST Class R6 | Guggenheim Investment Grade Bond Fund
Guggenheim Investment Grade Bond Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Guggenheim Investment Grade Bond Fund (the "Fund") seeks to provide current income.
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.
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class R6
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)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 Fees0.39%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) FeesNone
Other Expenses1
0.19%
Interest and Other Related Expenses0.01 %
Remaining Other Expenses0.18 %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses0.58%
Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)2
-0.08%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)0.50%
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. 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 (whether or not you redeem your shares at the end of the given period) would be:
R6
1 Year$51
3 Years$178
5 Years$316
10 Years$718
The above Example reflects applicable contractual fee waiver/expense reimbursement arrangements for the current duration of the arrangements only.
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 126% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
In pursuit of its objective, the Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in investment grade fixed-income securities (i.e., rated in the top four long-term rating categories by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, determined by Security Investors, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (the "Investment Manager"), to be of comparable quality). If nationally recognized statistical rating organizations assign different ratings to the same security, the Fund will use the higher rating for purposes of determining the security’s credit quality. Such fixed-income securities may include corporate bonds and other corporate debt securities, commercial paper, securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies and instrumentalities (including those not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government), sovereign debt securities, Eurodollar bonds and obligations, agency and non-agency residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities and other asset-backed securities (such as corporate, consumer and commercial asset-backed securities) including collateralized debt, loan and mortgage obligations, participations in and assignments of loans (such as senior floating rate loans, syndicated bank loans, secured or unsecured loans, bridge loans and other loans), zero-coupon bonds, municipal bonds, payment-in-kind debt securities (such as payment-in-kind bonds), convertible fixed-income securities, non-registered or restricted securities (including securities originally issued in reliance on Rule 144A and Regulation S securities), certain preferred securities and step-up securities (such as step-up bonds). These securities may pay fixed or variable rates of interest. Although the Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in investment grade fixed-income securities, such securities (especially those in the lowest of the top four long-term rating categories) may have speculative characteristics.
The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests through a variety of investment vehicles, principally closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other mutual funds. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in preferred stock. While the Fund will principally invest in securities listed, traded or dealt in developed markets countries globally, it may also invest without limitation in securities listed, traded or dealt in other countries, including emerging markets countries. Such securities may be denominated in foreign currencies. The Investment Manager may attempt to reduce foreign currency exchange rate risk by entering into contracts with banks, brokers or dealers to purchase or sell securities or foreign currencies at a future date.
Consistent with its investment objective and principal investment strategies, the Fund also may invest in debt securities or loans that are not investment grade (also known as “high yield/high risk securities” or “junk bonds”). The Fund also may seek exposures through derivative transactions, principally, foreign exchange forward contracts, futures on securities, indices, currencies and other investments, Eurodollar futures, options, interest rate swaps, cross-currency swaps, total return swaps, and credit default swaps, which may also create economic leverage in the Fund. The Fund may engage in derivative transactions for speculative purposes to enhance total return, to seek to hedge against fluctuations in securities prices, interest rates or currency rates, to change the effective duration of its portfolio, to manage certain investment risks, as a substitute for the purchase or sale of securities or currencies and/or to obtain or replicate market exposure. The Fund may use leverage to the extent permitted by applicable law by entering into reverse repurchase agreements and transactions equivalent to a borrowing for investment purposes. The Fund also may engage, without limitation, in repurchase agreements. The Fund may also seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as “To Be Announced” (“TBA”) transactions and/or dollar rolls).
The Investment Manager selects securities and other investments for purchase and sale based on intensive credit research involving extensive due diligence on each issuer, region and sector. The Investment Manager also considers macroeconomic outlook and geopolitical issues. The Investment Manager may employ a tactical asset or sector allocation strategy to seek to capitalize on total return potential created by changing market and economic conditions.
The Investment Manager may determine to sell a security for several reasons, including but not limited to the following: (1) to adjust the portfolio’s average maturity or duration, or to shift assets into or out of higher-yielding
securities; (2) if a security’s credit rating has been changed, the Investment Manager's credit outlook has changed, or for other similar reasons; (3) to meet redemption requests; (4) to take gains; or (5) due to relative value. Under adverse or unstable market conditions or abnormal circumstances (for example, in the event of credit events, where it is deemed opportune to preserve gains, or to preserve the relative value of investments or in the case of large cash inflows or anticipated large redemptions), the Fund can make temporary investments and may not be able to pursue or achieve its investment objective.
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.
Asset-Backed Securities Risk—Investors in asset-backed securities, including residential mortgage-backed securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities and other structured finance investments, generally receive payments that are part interest and part return of principal. These payments may vary based on the rate at which the underlying borrowers pay off their loans. Some asset-backed securities, including mortgage-backed securities, may have structures that make their performance based on changes in interest rates and other factors difficult to predict, causing their prices to be volatile. In particular, during periods of falling interest rates, asset-backed securities are more likely to be called or prepaid, which can result in the Fund having to reinvest proceeds in other investments at a lower interest rate or less advantageous terms, which would adversely affect the Fund. These instruments are particularly subject to interest rate, credit and liquidity and valuation risks. The terms of many structured finance investments and other instruments are tied to interbank reference rates (referred to collectively as the "London Interbank Offered Rate" or “LIBOR”), which function as a reference rate or benchmark for many underlying collateral investments, securities and transactions. It is anticipated that LIBOR ultimately will be discontinued, which may cause increased volatility and illiquidity in the markets for instruments with terms tied to LIBOR or other adverse consequences, such as decreased yields and reduction in value, for these instruments. These events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments in such instruments.
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities—Investments in commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) are backed by commercial mortgage loans that may be secured by office properties, retail properties, hotels, mixed use properties or multi-family apartment buildings and are particularly subject to the credit risk of the borrower and the tenants of the properties securing the commercial mortgage loans.  CMBS are subject to the risks of asset-backed securities generally and particularly subject to credit risk, interest rate risk, and liquidity and valuation risk. Economic downturns and other events that limit the activities of and demand for commercial retail and office spaces (such as the current economic and public health crisis) adversely impact the value of such securities.
Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities—Residential mortgage-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates given that rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities. As a result, a rising interest rate environment can cause the prices of mortgage-backed securities to be increasingly volatile, which may adversely affect the Fund’s holdings of mortgage-backed securities.  In light of the current interest rate environment, the Fund’s investments in these securities may be subject to heightened interest rate risk. Investments in non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities are subject to increased interest rate risk and other risks, such as credit and liquidity and valuation risks.
Collateralized Loan Obligations and Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk—Collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) bear many of the same risks as other forms of asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. As they are backed by pools of loans, CLOs also bear similar risks to investing in loans directly. CLOs issue classes or “tranches” that vary in risk and yield. CLOs may experience substantial losses attributable to loan defaults. Losses caused by defaults on underlying assets are borne first by the holders of subordinate tranches. The Fund’s investment in CLOs may decrease in market value when the CLO experiences loan defaults or credit impairment, the disappearance of a subordinate tranche, or market anticipation of defaults and investor aversion to CLO securities as a class.
Collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) are structured similarly to CLOs and bear the same risks as CLOs including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. CDOs are subject to additional risks because they are backed by pools of assets other than loans including securities (such as other asset-backed securities), synthetic instruments or bonds and may be highly leveraged. Like CLOs, losses incurred by a CDO are borne first by holders of subordinate tranches. Accordingly, the risks of CDOs depend largely on the type of underlying collateral and the tranche of CDOs in which the Fund invests. For example, CDOs that obtain their exposure through synthetic investments
entail the risks associated with derivative instruments. The terms of many structured finance investments, including CLOs and CDOs, are tied to LIBOR, which functions as a reference rate or benchmark for many underlying collateral investments, securities and transactions. It is anticipated that LIBOR will be discontinued, which may cause increased volatility and illiquidity in the markets for instruments with terms tied to LIBOR or other adverse consequences, such as decreased yields and reduction in value, for these instruments. These events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments in such instruments.
Commercial Paper Risk—The value of the Fund’s investment in commercial paper, which is an unsecured promissory note that generally has a maturity date between one and 270 days and is issued by a U.S. or foreign entity, is susceptible to changes in the issuer’s financial condition or credit quality. Investments in commercial paper are usually discounted from their value at maturity. Commercial paper can be fixed-rate or variable rate and can be adversely affected by changes in interest rates.
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.
Credit Risk—The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income or other debt instrument or a counterparty to a derivatives transaction or other transaction is unable or unwilling, or perceived to be unable or unwilling, to pay interest or repay principal on time, defaults or otherwise fails to meet its obligations. Actual or perceived changes in economic, social, public health, financial or political conditions in general or that affect a particular type of instrument, issuer, guarantor or counterparty can reduce the ability of the party to meet its obligations, which can affect the credit quality, liquidity and/or value of an instrument. The value of an instrument also may decline for reasons that relate directly to the issuer, guarantor or counterparty, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for goods and services. The issuer, guarantor or counterparty could also suffer a rapid decline in credit rating, which would adversely affect the volatility of the value and liquidity of the instrument. Credit ratings may not be an accurate assessment of liquidity or credit risk.
Currency Risk—Indirect and direct exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. Dollar, which would cause a decline in the U.S. value of the holdings of the Fund. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political, economic and tax developments in the U.S. or abroad.
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 Investment Manager is incorrect about its 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.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts Risk—A forward foreign currency exchange contract is an OTC obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. Foreign currency transactions can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Such events may prevent or restrict the Fund’s ability to enter into foreign currency
transactions, force the Fund to exit a foreign currency transaction at a disadvantageous time or price or result in penalties for the Fund, any of which may result in a loss to the Fund. A contract to sell a foreign currency would limit any potential gain that might be realized if the value of the currency increases. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances. Engaging in forward foreign currency exchange contracts will subject the Fund to counterparty credit risk and any failure to perform by a counterparty could result in a loss to the Fund.
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, 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 Investment Manager’s 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, 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.
Dollar Roll Transaction Risk—The Fund may enter into dollar roll transactions, in which the Fund sells a mortgage-backed or other security for settlement on one date and buys back a substantially similar security for settlement at a later date. Dollar rolls involve a risk of loss if the market value of the securities that the Fund is committed to buy declines below the price of the securities the Fund has sold.
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.
Extension Risk—Certain debt instruments, including mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur at a slower rate or later than expected.  In this event, the expected maturity could lengthen and the Fund’s investment may sharply decrease in value and the Fund’s income from the investment may quickly decline.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to extension risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of rising interest rates. In addition, the Fund may be delayed in its ability to reinvest income or proceeds from these instruments in potentially higher yielding investments, which would adversely affect the Fund.
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.
High Yield and Unrated Securities Risk—High yield, below investment grade and unrated high risk debt securities (which also may be known as “junk bonds”) may present additional risks because these securities may be less liquid, and therefore more difficult to value accurately and sell at an advantageous price or time, and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be subject to greater volatility due to issuer-specific factors, such as operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions. This exposure may be obtained through investments in other investment companies. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund's investments can be comprised of high yield and unrated securities and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks, which may result in losses to the Fund.
Interest Rate Risk—Fixed-income and other debt instruments are subject to the possibility that interest rates could change. Changes in interest rates may adversely affect the Fund’s investments in these instruments, such as the value or liquidity of, and income generated by, the investments. Interest rates may change as a result of a variety of factors, and the change may be sudden and significant, with unpredictable impacts on the financial markets and the Fund’s investments. Fixed-income and other debt instruments with longer durations are more sensitive to changes in interest rates and, thus, subject to more volatility than similar instruments with shorter durations. Generally, when interest rates increase, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments decline and when interest rates decrease, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments rise. During periods of rising interest rates, because changes in interest rates on adjustable rate securities may lag behind changes in market rates, the value of such securities may decline until their interest rates reset to market rates. During periods of declining interest rates, because the interest rates on adjustable rate securities generally reset downward, their market value is unlikely to rise to the same extent as the value of comparable fixed rate securities. During periods when interest rates are low or negative, the Fund’s yield and performance may be adversely affected and the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or minimize the volatility of the Fund's net asset value per share. The risks associated with rising interest rates are heightened given the current low interest rate environment.
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.
Investment in Loans Risk—The Fund may invest in loans directly or indirectly through assignments or participations. Investments in loans, including loan syndicates and other direct lending opportunities, involve special types of risks, including credit risk, interest rate risk, counterparty risk, prepayment risk and extension risk. Loans may offer a fixed or floating interest rate. Loans are often below investment grade and may be unrated. The Fund’s investments in loans can also be difficult to value accurately and may be more susceptible to liquidity risk than fixed-income instruments of similar credit quality and/or maturity. The Fund is also subject to the risk that the value of any collateral for the loan may be insufficient or unavailable to cover the borrower’s obligations should the borrower fail to make payments, become insolvent, or otherwise default. Transactions in loans are often subject to long settlement periods and often require consent from borrowers and/or an agent acting for the lenders, thus potentially limiting the ability of the Fund to invest sale proceeds in other investments and to use proceeds to meet its current redemption obligations. The Fund thus is subject to the risk of selling other investments at disadvantageous times or prices or taking other actions necessary to raise cash to meet its redemption obligations. Participations in loans may subject the Fund to the credit risk of both the borrower and the seller of the participation and may make enforcement of loan covenants, if any, more difficult for the Fund as legal action may have to go through the seller of the participation (or an agent acting on its behalf). Covenants contained in loan documentation are intended to protect lenders and investors by imposing certain restrictions and other limitations on a borrower’s operations or assets and by providing certain information and consent rights to lenders. In addition to operational covenants, loans and other debt obligations often contain financial covenants which require a borrower to satisfy certain financial tests at periodic intervals or to maintain compliance with certain financial metrics. The Fund may invest in or have exposure to loans and other similar debt obligations that are sometimes referred to as “covenant-lite” loans or obligations, which generally are loans or other similar debt obligations that lack financial maintenance covenants or possess fewer or contingent financial maintenance
covenants and other financial protections for lenders and investors. These "covenant-lite" loans or obligations typically are particularly subject to the risks associated with investments in loans as described above.
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. These risks are heightened for fixed-income and other debt instruments because of the current low interest rate environment. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund's investments can be difficult to value and potentially less liquid and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks.
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.
Municipal Securities Risk—Municipal securities are subject to a variety of risks, including credit, interest, prepayment, liquidity, and valuation risks. In addition, municipal securities can be adversely affected by (i) unfavorable legislative, political or other developments or events, including natural disasters and public health conditions, and (ii) changes in the economic and fiscal conditions of issuers of municipal securities or the federal government (in cases where it provides financial support to such issuers). Municipal securities may be fully or partially backed by the taxing authority or revenue of a local government, the credit of a private issuer, or the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project, which may be adversely affected as a result of economic and public health conditions. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in municipal securities issued by issuers in a particular state, municipality or project, the Fund will be particularly sensitive to developments and events adversely affecting such state or municipality or with respect to a particular project. Certain sectors of the municipal bond market have special risks that can affect them more significantly than the market as a whole. Because many municipal instruments are issued to finance similar projects (such as education, health care, transportation and utilities), conditions in these industries can significantly affect the overall municipal market. Municipal securities that are insured may be adversely affected by developments relevant to that particular insurer, or more general developments relevant to the market as a whole. Municipal securities can be difficult to value and be less liquid than other investments, which may affect performance or the ability to meet Fund redemption requests.
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.
Prepayment Risk—Certain debt instruments, including loans and mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur more quickly or earlier than expected.  If this occurs, the Fund might be forced to forego future interest income on the principal repaid early and to reinvest income or proceeds at generally lower interest rates, thus reducing the Fund’s yield.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to prepayment risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of declining interest rates.
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.
Repurchase Agreements and Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk—In the event of the insolvency of the counterparty to a repurchase agreement or reverse repurchase agreement, recovery of the repurchase price owed to the Fund or, in the case of a reverse repurchase agreement, the securities or other assets sold by the Fund, may be delayed. Because reverse repurchase agreements may be considered to be the practical equivalent of borrowing funds, they constitute a form of leverage. If the Fund reinvests the proceeds of a reverse repurchase agreement at a rate lower than the cost of the agreement, entering into the agreement will lower the Fund’s yield.
Restricted Securities Risk—Restricted securities generally cannot be sold to the public and may involve a high degree of business, financial and liquidity risk, which may result in substantial losses to the Fund.
Sovereign Debt Risk—The debt securities issued by sovereign entities may decline as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from a sovereign debtor's unwillingness or inability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner, which may be affected by a variety of factors, including its cash flow situation, the extent of its reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtor's policy toward international lenders, and the political constraints to which a sovereign debtor may be subject. Sovereign debt risk is increased for emerging market issuers.
To Be Announced (“TBA”) Transactions Risk—The Fund may enter into “To Be Announced” (“TBA”) transactions to purchase or sell mortgage-backed securities for a fixed price at a future date. For example, in a TBA transaction, a seller agrees to deliver a mortgage-backed security to the Fund at a future date, but the seller does not specify the particular security to be delivered. Instead, the Fund agrees to accept or sell any security that meets specified terms. TBA purchase commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities to be purchased declines prior to settlement date or if the counterparty may not deliver the securities as promised. Selling a TBA involves a risk of loss if the value of the securities to be sold goes up prior to settlement date. Recently finalized FINRA rules include mandatory margin requirements that will require the Fund to post collateral in connection with its TBA transactions, which could increase the cost of TBA transactions to the Fund and impose added operational complexity.
U.S. Government Securities Risk—U.S. government securities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. U.S. government securities are subject to the risks associated with fixed-income and debt securities, particularly interest rate risk and credit risk.
Zero Coupon and Payment-In-Kind Securities Risk—Zero coupon and payment-in-kind securities pay no cash interest income and usually are sold at substantial discounts from their value at maturity. Zero coupon and payment-in-kind securities are subject to greater market value fluctuations from changing interest rates than debt obligations of comparable maturities that make current cash-pay interest payments.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Because Class R6 shares had not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus, the following chart and table show 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. Class R6 shares and Institutional Class shares of the Fund would have substantially similar performance because they invest in the same portfolio of securities. However, the performance of Class R6 shares would be higher than Institutional Class shares to the extent Class R6 shares pay lower expenses than Institutional Class shares. 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. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or by calling 800.820.0888.
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Highest Quarter Return  Lowest Quarter Return
Q2 2020 5.49%
  
Q4 2016 -1.44%
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 Years10 Years or Since Inception
Institutional Class
1/29/2013*
  
Return Before Taxes14.91%6.42%5.58%
Return After Taxes on Distributions12.86%4.92%3.90%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares8.89%4.29%3.53%
Index
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
7.51%4.44%3.43%
GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST Class R6 | Guggenheim Limited Duration Fund
Guggenheim Limited Duration Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Guggenheim Limited Duration Fund (the "Fund") seeks to provide a high level of income consistent with preservation of capital.
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.
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class R6
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)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 Fees0.39%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) FeesNone
Other Expenses0.14%
Interest and Other Related Expenses0.02 %
Remaining Other Expenses0.12 %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses0.53%
Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)1
-0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)0.52%
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. 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 (whether or not you redeem your shares at the end of the given period) would be:
R6
1 Year$53
3 Years$169
5 Years$295
10 Years$664
The above Example reflects applicable contractual fee waiver/expense reimbursement arrangements for the current duration of the arrangements only.
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 123% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund intends to pursue its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of debt securities, financial instruments that should perform similarly to debt securities and investment vehicles that provide exposure to debt securities, and debt-like securities, including individual securities, investment vehicles and derivatives giving exposure (i.e., similar economic characteristics) to fixed-income markets. Such debt securities may include, corporate bonds and other corporate debt securities, securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies and instrumentalities (including those not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government), sovereign debt securities, Eurodollar bonds and obligations, agency and non-agency mortgage-backed securities and other asset-backed securities, repurchase agreements, participations in and assignments of bank and bridge loans, commercial paper (including asset-backed commercial paper), zero-coupon bonds, municipal bonds, payment-in-kind securities (such as payment-in-kind bonds), convertible fixed-income securities, non-registered or restricted securities (including those issued in reliance on Rule 144A and Regulation S securities), certain preferred securities and step-up securities (such as step-up bonds). These securities may pay fixed or variable rates of interest and may include adjustable rate securities.
While the Fund will principally invest in debt securities listed, traded or dealt in developed markets countries globally, it may also invest without limitation in securities listed, traded or dealt in other countries, including emerging markets countries. Such securities may be denominated in foreign currencies. However, the Fund may not invest more than 35% of its total assets in debt securities listed, traded or dealt in emerging market countries as determined by Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (the "Investment Manager"), and non-U.S. dollar denominated securities. Emerging market countries are generally considered to be countries with developing economies or markets and may include any country recognized to be an emerging market country by the International Monetary Fund, MSCI, Inc. or Standard & Poor’s Corporation or recognized to be a developing country by the United Nations. The Fund may also invest in preferred stock and convertible securities. The Fund may seek to obtain exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests through a variety of investment vehicles, including closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other mutual funds.
The Fund may hold fixed-income securities of any quality, rated or unrated, including, those that are rated below investment grade (also known as “high yield securities” or “junk bonds”), or if unrated, determined by the Investment Manager to be of comparable quality. If nationally recognized statistical rating organizations assign different ratings to the same security, the Fund will use the higher rating for purposes of determining the security’s credit quality. However, the Fund may not invest more than 35% of its total assets in fixed-income securities that are below investment grade. These may include securities that are in default at the time of purchase.
The Fund may hold securities of any duration or maturity but expects, under normal circumstances, to maintain a dollar-weighted average duration of generally less than 3.5 years. Duration is a measure of the price volatility of a debt instrument as a result of changes in market rates of interest, based on the weighted average timing of the instrument’s expected principal and interest payments. Duration differs from maturity in that it considers a security’s yield, coupon payments, principal payments and call features in addition to the amount of time until the security matures. As the value of a security changes over time, so will its duration.
The Fund may invest in repurchase agreements, which are fixed-income securities in the form of agreements backed by collateral. These agreements, which may be viewed as a type of secured lending by the Fund, typically involve the acquisition by the Fund of securities from the selling institution (such as a bank or a broker-dealer), coupled with the agreement that the selling institution will repurchase the underlying securities at a specified price and at a fixed time in the future (or on demand). The Fund may accept a wide variety of underlying securities as collateral for the repurchase agreements entered into by the Fund. Such collateral may include U.S. government securities, corporate obligations, equity securities, municipal debt securities, asset- and mortgage-backed securities, convertible securities and other fixed-income securities. Any such securities serving as collateral are marked-to-market daily in order to maintain full collateralization (typically purchase price plus accrued interest).
With respect to mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) and other asset-backed securities, the Fund may invest in MBS issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and/or U.S. government sponsored instrumentalities, such as the Government National Mortgage Administration (“GNMA”), the Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”), the Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”). In addition to securities issued or guaranteed by such agencies or instrumentalities, the Fund may invest in MBS or other asset-backed securities issued or guaranteed by private issuers. The MBS in which the Fund may invest may also include residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”), collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”) and commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”). The asset-backed securities in which the Fund may invest include collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”). CDOs include collateralized bond obligations (“CBOs”), collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”), commercial real estate CDOs (“CRE CDOs”) and other similarly structured securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of below investment grade fixed-income securities. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans.
With respect to bank loans, the Fund may purchase participations in, or assignments of, floating rate bank loans that may be secured by real estate or other assets. These participations may be interests in, or assignments of, the loan and may be acquired from banks or brokers that have made the loan or members of the lending syndicate.
To enhance the Fund’s debt exposure, to hedge against investment risk, or to increase the Fund’s yield, at the discretion of the Investment Manager, the direct debt strategy may be combined with a derivative strategy. This strategy could include: foreign exchange forward contracts; futures on securities, indices, currencies and other investments; Eurodollar futures; options; interest rate swaps; cross-currency swaps; total return swaps; and credit default swaps. The Fund may engage in derivative transactions for speculative purposes to enhance total return, to seek to hedge against fluctuations in securities prices, interest rates or currency rates, to change the effective duration of its portfolio, to manage certain investment risks, as a substitute for the purchase or sale of securities or currencies and/or to obtain or replicate market exposure. These transactions may also create economic leverage in the Fund. The Fund may seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as “To Be Announced” (“TBA”) transactions and/or dollar rolls). The Fund may also engage in securities lending.
The Fund may use leverage to the extent permitted by applicable law by entering into reverse repurchase agreements and transactions equivalent to a borrowing for investment purposes.
The Investment Manager selects securities and other investments for purchase and sale based on intensive credit research involving extensive due diligence on each investment (including the investment’s structure), issuer, region and sector. The Investment Manager also considers macroeconomic outlook and geopolitical issues.
The Investment Manager may determine to sell a security for several reasons, including but not limited to the following: (1) to adjust the portfolio’s average maturity or duration, or to shift assets into or out of higher-yielding securities; (2) if a security’s credit rating has been changed, the Investment Manager's credit outlook has changed, or for other similar reasons; (3) to meet redemption requests; (4) to take gains; or (5) due to relative value. Under adverse or unstable market conditions or abnormal circumstances (for example, in the event of credit events, where it is deemed opportune to preserve gains, or to preserve the relative value of investments or in the case of large cash inflows or anticipated large redemptions), the Fund can make temporary investments and may not be able to pursue or achieve its investment objective.
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.
Asset-Backed Securities Risk—Investors in asset-backed securities, including residential mortgage-backed securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities and other structured finance investments, generally receive payments that are part interest and part return of principal. These payments may vary based on the rate at which the underlying borrowers pay off their loans. Some asset-backed securities, including mortgage-backed securities, may have structures that make their performance based on changes in interest rates and other factors difficult to predict, causing their prices to be volatile. In particular, during periods of falling interest rates, asset-backed securities are more likely to be called or prepaid, which can result in the Fund having to reinvest proceeds in other investments at a lower interest rate or less advantageous terms, which would adversely affect the Fund. These instruments are particularly subject to interest rate, credit and liquidity and valuation risks. The terms of many
structured finance investments and other instruments are tied to interbank reference rates (referred to collectively as the "London Interbank Offered Rate" or “LIBOR”), which function as a reference rate or benchmark for many underlying collateral investments, securities and transactions. It is anticipated that LIBOR ultimately will be discontinued, which may cause increased volatility and illiquidity in the markets for instruments with terms tied to LIBOR or other adverse consequences, such as decreased yields and reduction in value, for these instruments. These events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments in such instruments.
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities—Investments in commercial mortgage-backed securities ("CMBS") are backed by commercial mortgage loans that may be secured by office properties, retail properties, hotels, mixed use properties or multi-family apartment buildings and are particularly subject to the credit risk of the borrower and the tenants of the properties securing the commercial mortgage loans.  CMBS are subject to the risks of asset-backed securities generally and particularly subject to credit risk, interest rate risk, and liquidity and valuation risk. Economic downturns and other events that limit the activities of and demand for commercial retail and office spaces (such as the current economic and public health crisis) adversely impact the value of such securities.
Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities—Residential mortgage-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates given that rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities. As a result, a rising interest rate environment can cause the prices of mortgage-backed securities to be increasingly volatile, which may adversely affect the Fund’s holdings of mortgage-backed securities.  In light of the current interest rate environment, the Fund’s investments in these securities may be subject to heightened interest rate risk. Investments in non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities are subject to increased interest rate risk and other risks, such as credit and liquidity and valuation risks.
Collateralized Loan Obligations and Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk—Collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs") bear many of the same risks as other forms of asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. As they are backed by pools of loans, CLOs also bear similar risks to investing in loans directly. CLOs issue classes or “tranches” that vary in risk and yield. CLOs may experience substantial losses attributable to loan defaults. Losses caused by defaults on underlying assets are borne first by the holders of subordinate tranches. The Fund’s investment in CLOs may decrease in market value when the CLO experiences loan defaults or credit impairment, the disappearance of a subordinate tranche, or market anticipation of defaults and investor aversion to CLO securities as a class.
Collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) are structured similarly to CLOs and bear the same risks as CLOs including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. CDOs are subject to additional risks because they are backed by pools of assets other than loans including securities (such as other asset-backed securities), synthetic instruments or bonds and may be highly leveraged. Like CLOs, losses incurred by a CDO are borne first by holders of subordinate tranches. Accordingly, the risks of CDOs depend largely on the type of underlying collateral and the tranche of CDOs in which the Fund invests. For example, CDOs that obtain their exposure through synthetic investments entail the risks associated with derivative instruments. The terms of many structured finance investments, including CLOs and CDOs, are tied to LIBOR, which functions as a reference rate or benchmark for many underlying collateral investments, securities and transactions. It is anticipated that LIBOR will be discontinued, which may cause increased volatility and illiquidity in the markets for instruments with terms tied to LIBOR or other adverse consequences, such as decreased yields and reduction in value, for these instruments. These events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments in such instruments.
Commercial Paper Risk—The value of the Fund’s investment in commercial paper, which is an unsecured promissory note that generally has a maturity date between one and 270 days and is issued by a U.S. or foreign entity, is susceptible to changes in the issuer’s financial condition or credit quality. Investments in commercial paper are usually discounted from their value at maturity. Commercial paper can be fixed-rate or variable rate and can be adversely affected by changes in interest rates.
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.
Credit Risk—The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income or other debt instrument or a counterparty to a derivatives transaction or other transaction is unable or unwilling, or perceived to be unable or unwilling, to pay interest or repay principal on time, defaults or otherwise fails to meet its obligations. Actual or perceived changes in economic, social, public health, financial or political conditions in general or that affect a particular type of instrument, issuer, guarantor or counterparty can reduce the ability of the party to meet its obligations, which can affect the credit quality, liquidity and/or value of an instrument. The value of an instrument also may decline for reasons that relate directly to the issuer, guarantor or counterparty, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for goods and services. The issuer, guarantor or counterparty could also suffer a rapid decline in credit rating, which would adversely affect the volatility of the value and liquidity of the instrument. Credit ratings may not be an accurate assessment of liquidity or credit risk.
Currency Risk—Indirect and direct exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. Dollar, which would cause a decline in the U.S. value of the holdings of the Fund. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political, economic and tax developments in the U.S. or abroad.
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 Investment Manager is incorrect about its 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.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts Risk—A forward foreign currency exchange contract is an OTC obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. Foreign currency transactions can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Such events may prevent or restrict the Fund’s ability to enter into foreign currency transactions, force the Fund to exit a foreign currency transaction at a disadvantageous time or price or result in penalties for the Fund, any of which may result in a loss to the Fund. A contract to sell a foreign currency would limit any potential gain that might be realized if the value of the currency increases. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances. Engaging in forward foreign currency exchange contracts will subject the Fund to counterparty credit risk and any failure to perform by a counterparty could result in a loss to the Fund.
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, 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 Investment Manager’s 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, 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.
Dollar Roll Transaction Risk—The Fund may enter into dollar roll transactions, in which the Fund sells a mortgage-backed or other security for settlement on one date and buys back a substantially similar security for settlement at a later date. Dollar rolls involve a risk of loss if the market value of the securities that the Fund is committed to buy declines below the price of the securities the Fund has sold.
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.
Extension Risk—Certain debt instruments, including mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur at a slower rate or later than expected.  In this event, the expected maturity could lengthen and the Fund’s investment may sharply decrease in value and the Fund’s income from the investment may quickly decline.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to extension risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of rising interest rates. In addition, the Fund may be delayed in its ability to reinvest income or proceeds from these instruments in potentially higher yielding investments, which would adversely affect the Fund.
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.
High Yield and Unrated Securities Risk—High yield, below investment grade and unrated high risk debt securities (which also may be known as “junk bonds”) may present additional risks because these securities may be less liquid, and therefore more difficult to value accurately and sell at an advantageous price or time, and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be subject to greater volatility due to issuer-specific factors, such as operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions. This exposure may be obtained through investments in other investment companies. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund's investments can be comprised of high yield and unrated securities and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks, which may result in losses to the Fund.
Interest Rate Risk—Fixed-income and other debt instruments are subject to the possibility that interest rates could change. Changes in interest rates may adversely affect the Fund’s investments in these instruments, such as the value or liquidity of, and income generated by, the investments. Interest rates may change as a result of a variety of factors, and the change may be sudden and significant, with unpredictable impacts on the financial markets and the Fund’s investments. Fixed-income and other debt instruments with longer durations are more sensitive to changes in interest rates and, thus, subject to more volatility than similar instruments with shorter durations. Generally, when interest rates increase, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments decline and when interest rates decrease, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments rise. During periods of rising interest rates, because changes in interest rates on adjustable rate securities may lag behind changes in market rates, the value of such securities may decline until their interest rates reset to market rates. During periods of declining interest rates, because the interest rates on adjustable rate securities generally reset downward, their
market value is unlikely to rise to the same extent as the value of comparable fixed rate securities. During periods when interest rates are low or negative, the Fund’s yield and performance may be adversely affected and the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or minimize the volatility of the Fund's net asset value per share. The risks associated with rising interest rates are heightened given the current low interest rate environment.
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.
Investment in Loans Risk—The Fund may invest in loans directly or indirectly through assignments or participations. Investments in loans, including loan syndicates and other direct lending opportunities, involve special types of risks, including credit risk, interest rate risk, counterparty risk, prepayment risk and extension risk. Loans may offer a fixed or floating interest rate. Loans are often below investment grade and may be unrated. The Fund’s investments in loans can also be difficult to value accurately and may be more susceptible to liquidity risk than fixed-income instruments of similar credit quality and/or maturity. The Fund is also subject to the risk that the value of any collateral for the loan may be insufficient or unavailable to cover the borrower’s obligations should the borrower fail to make payments, become insolvent, or otherwise default. Transactions in loans are often subject to long settlement periods and often require consent from borrowers and/or an agent acting for the lenders, thus potentially limiting the ability of the Fund to invest sale proceeds in other investments and to use proceeds to meet its current redemption obligations. The Fund thus is subject to the risk of selling other investments at disadvantageous times or prices or taking other actions necessary to raise cash to meet its redemption obligations. Participations in loans may subject the Fund to the credit risk of both the borrower and the seller of the participation and may make enforcement of loan covenants, if any, more difficult for the Fund as legal action may have to go through the seller of the participation (or an agent acting on its behalf). Covenants contained in loan documentation are intended to protect lenders and investors by imposing certain restrictions and other limitations on a borrower’s operations or assets and by providing certain information and consent rights to lenders. In addition to operational covenants, loans and other debt obligations often contain financial covenants which require a borrower to satisfy certain financial tests at periodic intervals or to maintain compliance with certain financial metrics. The Fund invests in or is exposed to loans and other similar debt obligations that are sometimes referred to as “covenant-lite” loans or obligations, which generally are loans or other similar debt obligations that lack financial maintenance covenants or possess fewer or contingent financial maintenance covenants and other financial protections for lenders and investors. These "covenant-lite" loans or obligations typically are particularly subject to the risks associated with investments in loans as described above.
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. These risks are heightened for fixed-income and other debt instruments because of the current low interest rate environment. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund's investments can be difficult to value and potentially less liquid and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks.
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.
Municipal Securities Risk—Municipal securities are subject to a variety of risks, including credit, interest, prepayment, liquidity, and valuation risks. In addition, municipal securities can be adversely affected by (i) unfavorable legislative, political or other developments or events, including natural disasters and public health conditions, and (ii) changes in the economic and fiscal conditions of issuers of municipal securities or the federal government (in cases where it provides financial support to such issuers). Municipal securities may be fully or partially backed by the taxing authority or revenue of a local government, the credit of a private issuer, or the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project, which may be adversely affected as a result of economic and public health conditions. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in municipal securities issued by issuers in a particular state, municipality or project, the Fund will be particularly sensitive to developments and events adversely affecting such state or municipality or with respect to a particular project. Certain sectors of the municipal bond market have special risks that can affect them more significantly than the market as a whole. Because many municipal instruments are issued to finance similar projects (such as education, health care, transportation and utilities), conditions in these industries can significantly affect the overall municipal market. Municipal securities that are insured may be adversely affected by developments relevant to that particular insurer, or more general developments relevant to the market as a whole. Municipal securities can be difficult to value and be less liquid than other investments, which may affect performance or the ability to meet Fund redemption requests.
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.
Prepayment Risk—Certain debt instruments, including loans and mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur more quickly or earlier than expected.  If this occurs, the Fund might be forced to forego future interest income on the principal repaid early and to reinvest income or proceeds at generally lower interest rates, thus reducing the Fund’s yield.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to prepayment risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of declining interest rates.
Real Estate Investments Risk—The Fund may invest in securities of real estate companies and companies related to the real estate industry, including real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), which are subject to the same risks as direct investments in real estate. The real estate industry is particularly sensitive to economic downturns.
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.
Repurchase Agreements and Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk—In the event of the insolvency of the counterparty to a repurchase agreement or reverse repurchase agreement, recovery of the repurchase price owed to the Fund or, in the case of a reverse repurchase agreement, the securities or other assets sold by the Fund, may be delayed. Because reverse repurchase agreements may be considered to be the practical equivalent of borrowing funds, they constitute a form of leverage. If the Fund reinvests the proceeds of a reverse repurchase agreement at a rate lower than the cost of the agreement, entering into the agreement will lower the Fund’s yield.
Restricted Securities Risk—Restricted securities generally cannot be sold to the public and may involve a high degree of business, financial and liquidity risk, which may result in substantial losses to the Fund.
Securities Lending Risk—Securities lending involves a risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities or deliver the proper amount of collateral, which may result in a loss to the Fund. In the event of bankruptcy of the borrower, the Fund could experience losses or delays in recovering the loaned securities.
Sovereign Debt Risk—The debt securities issued by sovereign entities may decline as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from a sovereign debtor's unwillingness or inability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner, which may be affected by a variety of factors, including its cash flow situation, the extent of its reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtor's policy toward international lenders, and the political constraints to which a sovereign debtor may be subject. Sovereign debt risk is increased for emerging market issuers.
Special Situation Investments/Securities in Default Risk—Investments in the securities and debt of distressed issuers or issuers in default involve far greater risk than investing in issuers whose debt obligations are being met and whose debt trades at or close to its “par” or full value because the investments are highly speculative with respect to the issuer’s ability to make interest payments and/or to pay its principal obligations in full and/or on time.
To Be Announced (“TBA”) Transactions Risk—The Fund may enter into “To Be Announced” (“TBA”) transactions to purchase or sell mortgage-backed securities for a fixed price at a future date. In a TBA transaction, a seller agrees to deliver a mortgage-backed security to the Fund at a future date, but the seller does not specify the particular security to be delivered. Instead, the Fund agrees to accept or sell any security that meets specified terms. TBA purchase commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities to be purchased declines prior to settlement date or if the counterparty may not deliver the securities as promised. Selling a TBA involves a risk of loss if the value of the securities to be sold goes up prior to settlement date. Recently finalized FINRA rules include mandatory margin requirements that will require the Fund to post collateral in connection with its TBA transactions, which could increase the cost of TBA transactions to the Fund and impose added operational complexity.
U.S. Government Securities Risk—U.S. government securities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. U.S. government securities are subject to the risks associated with fixed-income and debt securities, particularly interest rate risk and credit risk.
Zero Coupon and Payment-In-Kind Securities Risk—Zero coupon and payment-in-kind securities pay no cash interest income and usually are sold at substantial discounts from their value at maturity. Zero coupon and payment-in-kind securities are subject to greater market value fluctuations from changing interest rates than debt obligations of comparable maturities that make current cash-pay interest payments.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the Fund’s Class R6 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 Class R6 shares compared to those of a broad measure of market performance. Previously, the chart presented the Fund's calendar year returns for Institutional Class shares. 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. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or by calling 800.820.0888.
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Highest Quarter Return
Q2 2020 4.29%
  
Lowest Quarter Return
Q1 2020 -0.39%
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 YearSince Inception
Class R63/13/2019 
Return Before Taxes6.75%4.82%
Return After Taxes on Distributions5.73%3.78%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares4.02%3.25%
Index
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond 1-3 Total Return Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
3.08%3.51%
GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST Class R6 | Guggenheim Macro Opportunities Fund
Guggenheim Macro Opportunities Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Guggenheim Macro Opportunities Fund (the "Fund") seeks to provide total return, comprised of current income and 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.
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class R6
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)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 of the Fund and the Subsidiary0.90%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) FeesNone
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses0.06%
Other Expenses0.19%
Interest and Other Related Expenses0.07%
Remaining Other Expenses0.12%
Other Expenses of the Subsidiary1
0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses1.15%
Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)2, 3
-0.10%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)1.05%
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. 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 (whether or not you redeem your shares at the end of the given period) would be:
R6
1 Year$107
3 Years$355
5 Years$623
10 Years$1,389
The above Example reflects applicable contractual fee waiver/expense reimbursement arrangements for the current duration of the arrangements only.
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 130% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing in a wide range of fixed-income and other debt and equity securities selected from a variety of sectors and credit qualities, principally, corporate bonds, syndicated bank loans and other direct lending opportunities, participations in and assignments of syndicated bank loans (including senior floating rate loans), asset-backed securities (including agency and non-agency residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities, collateralized mortgage obligations and other structured finance investments), U.S. government and agency securities (including those not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government), sovereign debt securities, Eurodollar bonds and obligations, mezzanine and preferred securities, commercial paper, zero-coupon bonds, municipal securities, non-registered or restricted securities (consisting of securities originally issued in reliance on Rule 144A and Regulation S), step-up securities (such as step-up bonds) and convertible securities, and in common stocks and other equity investments that Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (the “Investment Manager"), believes offer attractive yield and/or capital appreciation potential. The Investment Manager may employ a strategy of writing (selling) covered call and put options on such equity securities.
While the Fund will principally invest in securities listed, traded or dealt in developed markets countries globally, it may also invest without limitation in securities listed, traded or dealt in other countries, including emerging markets countries. Such securities may be denominated in foreign currencies. The Fund may hold securities of any duration or maturity. Securities in which the Fund may invest may pay fixed or variable rates of interest. The Fund may invest in a variety of investment vehicles, principally closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other mutual funds.
The Fund may also invest in commodities (such as precious metals), commodity-linked notes and other commodity-linked derivative instruments, such as swaps, options, or forward contracts based on the value of commodities or commodities indices and commodity futures. The Fund may gain exposure to such commodity instruments by investing a portion of the Fund’s total assets in a wholly-owned subsidiary, which is organized as a limited company under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Subsidiary”). The Subsidiary primarily obtains its commodities exposure by investing in commodities, commodity-linked notes, and commodity-linked derivative instruments. The Subsidiary’s investments in such instruments are subject to limits on leverage imposed by the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”). The Fund must maintain no more than 25% of its total assets in the Subsidiary at the end of every quarter of its taxable year.
The Fund may use leverage to the extent permitted by applicable law by entering into reverse repurchase agreements and transactions equivalent to a borrowing for investment purposes. The Fund also may invest or engage in collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs") (which include collateralized bond obligations, collateralized loan obligations and other similarly structured instruments), repurchase agreements, forward commitments, short sales and securities lending and it may seek exposures through derivative transactions, including: foreign exchange forward contracts; futures on securities, indices, currencies and other investments; Eurodollar futures; options; interest rate swaps; cross-currency swaps; total return swaps; credit default swaps; and other foreign currency contracts and foreign currency-related transactions. These investments and transactions may create economic leverage in the Fund and these investments may be traded in the over-the-counter market. The Fund may engage, without limit, in derivative and foreign currency-related transactions for speculative purposes to enhance total
return, to seek to hedge against fluctuations in securities prices, interest rates or currency rates, to change the effective duration of its portfolio, to manage certain investment risks, as a substitute for the purchase or sale of securities or currencies and/or to obtain or replicate market exposure. The Fund may also, without limitation, seek to obtain exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as “To Be Announced” (“TBA”) transactions and dollar rolls).
The Investment Manager will use a relative value-based investment philosophy, which utilizes quantitative and qualitative analysis to seek to identify securities or spreads between securities that deviate from their perceived fair value and/or historical norms. The Investment Manager seeks to combine a credit managed fixed-income portfolio with access to a diversified pool of alternative investments and equity strategies. The Investment Manager’s investment philosophy is predicated upon the belief that thorough research and independent thought are rewarded with performance that has the potential to outperform benchmark indexes with both lower volatility and lower correlation of returns as compared to such benchmark indexes.
The Investment Manager may determine to sell a security for several reasons, including but not limited to the following: (1) to adjust the portfolio’s average maturity or duration, or to shift assets into or out of higher-yielding securities; (2) if a security’s credit rating has been changed, the Investment Manager's credit outlook has changed, or for other similar reasons; (3) to meet redemption requests; (4) to take gains; or (5) due to relative value. The Fund may hold, without limit, fixed-income securities of any quality, rated or unrated, including, those that are rated below investment grade, or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality (also known as “high yield securities” or “junk bonds”) and defaulted securities. If nationally recognized statistical rating organizations assign different ratings to the same security, the Fund will use the higher rating for purposes of determining the security’s credit quality. Under adverse or unstable market conditions or abnormal circumstances (for example, in the event of credit events, where it is deemed opportune to preserve gains, or to preserve the relative value of investments or in the case of large cash inflows or anticipated large redemptions), the Fund can make temporary investments and may not be able to pursue or achieve its investment objective.
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.
Asset-Backed Securities Risk—Investors in asset-backed securities, including residential mortgage-backed securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities and other structured finance investments, generally receive payments that are part interest and part return of principal. These payments may vary based on the rate at which the underlying borrowers pay off their loans. Some asset-backed securities, including mortgage-backed securities, may have structures that make their performance based on changes in interest rates and other factors difficult to predict, causing their prices to be volatile. In particular, during periods of falling interest rates, asset-backed securities are more likely to be called or prepaid, which can result in the Fund having to reinvest proceeds in other investments at a lower interest rate or less advantageous terms, which would adversely affect the Fund. These instruments are particularly subject to interest rate, credit and liquidity and valuation risks. The terms of many structured finance investments and other instruments are tied to interbank reference rates (referred to collectively as the "London Interbank Offered Rate" or “LIBOR”), which function as a reference rate or benchmark for many underlying collateral investments, securities and transactions. It is anticipated that LIBOR ultimately will be discontinued, which may cause increased volatility and illiquidity in the markets for instruments with terms tied to LIBOR or other adverse consequences, such as decreased yields and reduction in value, for these instruments. These events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments in such instruments.
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities—Investments in commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) are backed by commercial mortgage loans that may be secured by office properties, retail properties, hotels, mixed use properties or multi-family apartment buildings and are particularly subject to the credit risk of the borrower and the tenants of the properties securing the commercial mortgage loans.  CMBS are subject to the risks of asset-backed securities generally and particularly subject to credit risk, interest rate risk, and liquidity and valuation risk. Economic downturns and other events that limit the activities of and demand for commercial retail and office spaces (such as the current economic and public health crisis) adversely impact the value of such securities.
Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities—Residential mortgage-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates given that rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities. As a result, a rising interest rate environment can cause the prices of mortgage-
backed securities to be increasingly volatile, which may adversely affect the Fund’s holdings of mortgage-backed securities.  In light of the current interest rate environment, the Fund’s investments in these securities may be subject to heightened interest rate risk. Investments in non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities are subject to increased interest rate risk and other risks, such as credit and liquidity and valuation risks.
Collateralized Loan Obligations and Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk—Collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) bear many of the same risks as other forms of asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. As they are backed by pools of loans, CLOs also bear similar risks to investing in loans directly. CLOs issue classes or “tranches” that vary in risk and yield. CLOs may experience substantial losses attributable to loan defaults. Losses caused by defaults on underlying assets are borne first by the holders of subordinate tranches. The Fund’s investment in CLOs may decrease in market value when the CLO experiences loan defaults or credit impairment, the disappearance of a subordinate tranche, or market anticipation of defaults and investor aversion to CLO securities as a class.
Collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) are structured similarly to CLOs and bear the same risks as CLOs including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. CDOs are subject to additional risks because they are backed by pools of assets other than loans including securities (such as other asset-backed securities), synthetic instruments or bonds and may be highly leveraged. Like CLOs, losses incurred by a CDO are borne first by holders of subordinate tranches. Accordingly, the risks of CDOs depend largely on the type of underlying collateral and the tranche of CDOs in which the Fund invests. For example, CDOs that obtain their exposure through synthetic investments entail the risks associated with derivative instruments. The terms of many structured finance investments, including CLOs and CDOs, are tied to LIBOR, which functions as a reference rate or benchmark for many underlying collateral investments, securities and transactions. It is anticipated that LIBOR will be discontinued, which may cause increased volatility and illiquidity in the markets for instruments with terms tied to LIBOR or other adverse consequences, such as decreased yields and reduction in value, for these instruments. These events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments in such instruments.
Commercial Paper Risk—The value of the Fund’s investment in commercial paper, which is an unsecured promissory note that generally has a maturity date between one and 270 days and is issued by a U.S. or foreign entity, is susceptible to changes in the issuer’s financial condition or credit quality. Investments in commercial paper are usually discounted from their value at maturity. Commercial paper can be fixed-rate or variable rate and can be adversely affected by changes in interest rates.
Commodities Risk—The commodities industries can be significantly affected by: weather; the level and volatility of commodity prices; world events including international monetary and political developments; import controls and worldwide competition; exploration and production spending; and tax and other government regulations and economic conditions.
Commodity-Linked Investments Risk—Commodity-linked investments may be more volatile and less liquid than the underlying commodity, instruments, or measures and their value may be affected by the performance of the overall commodities markets as well as weather, tax, and other regulatory developments.
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.
Credit Risk—The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income or other debt instrument or a counterparty to a derivatives transaction or other transaction is unable or unwilling, or perceived to be unable or unwilling, to pay interest or repay principal on time, defaults or otherwise fails to meet its obligations. Actual or perceived changes in economic, social, public health, financial or political conditions in general or that affect a
particular type of instrument, issuer, guarantor or counterparty can reduce the ability of the party to meet its obligations, which can affect the credit quality, liquidity and/or value of an instrument. The value of an instrument also may decline for reasons that relate directly to the issuer, guarantor or counterparty, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for goods and services. The issuer, guarantor or counterparty could also suffer a rapid decline in credit rating, which would adversely affect the volatility of the value and liquidity of the instrument. Credit ratings may not be an accurate assessment of liquidity or credit risk.
Currency Risk—Indirect and direct exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. Dollar, which would cause a decline in the U.S. value of the holdings of the Fund. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political, economic and tax developments in the U.S. or abroad. When the Fund seeks exposure to foreign currencies through foreign currency contracts and related transactions, the Fund becomes particularly susceptible to foreign currency value fluctuations, which may be sudden and significant, and investment decisions tied to currency markets. In addition, these investments are subject to the risks associated with derivatives and hedging and the impact on the Fund of fluctuations in the value of currencies may be magnified.
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. The Fund's use of derivatives to obtain short exposure may result in greater volatility of the Fund's NAV per share. If the Investment Manager is incorrect about its 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 (including covered call options) 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.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts Risk—A forward foreign currency exchange contract is an OTC obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. Foreign currency transactions can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Such events may prevent or restrict the Fund’s ability to enter into foreign currency transactions, force the Fund to exit a foreign currency transaction at a disadvantageous time or price or result in penalties for the Fund, any of which may result in a loss to the Fund. A contract to sell a foreign currency would limit any potential gain that might be realized if the value of the currency increases. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances. Engaging in forward foreign currency exchange contracts will subject the Fund to counterparty credit risk and any failure to perform by a counterparty could result in a loss to the Fund.
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, 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 Investment Manager’s 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, 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.
Dollar Roll Transaction Risk—The Fund may enter into dollar roll transactions, in which the Fund sells a mortgage-backed or other security for settlement on one date and buys back a substantially similar security for settlement at a later date. Dollar rolls involve a risk of loss if the market value of the securities that the Fund is committed to buy declines below the price of the securities the Fund has sold.
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.
Extension Risk—Certain debt instruments, including mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur at a slower rate or later than expected.  In this event, the expected maturity could lengthen and the Fund’s investment may sharply decrease in value and the Fund’s income from the investment may quickly decline.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to extension risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of rising interest rates. In addition, the Fund may be delayed in its ability to reinvest income or proceeds from these instruments in potentially higher yielding investments, which would adversely affect the Fund.
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.
Geographic Emphasis Risk—To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in one country or geographic region, the Fund will be more vulnerable to the economic, financial, social, political or other developments affecting that country or region than a fund that invests its assets more broadly. Such developments may have a significant impact on the Fund’s investment performance causing such performance to be more volatile than the investment performance of a more geographically diversified fund.
Hedging Risk—The Fund may, but is not required to, engage in various investments or transactions that are designed to hedge a position that the Fund holds.  There can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging investments or transactions will be effective.  Hedging investments or transactions involve costs and may reduce gains or result in losses, which may adversely affect the Fund.
High Yield and Unrated Securities Risk—High yield, below investment grade and unrated high risk debt securities (which also may be known as “junk bonds”) may present additional risks because these securities may be less liquid, and therefore more difficult to value accurately and sell at an advantageous price or time, and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be subject to greater volatility due to issuer-specific factors, such as operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and
competitive industry conditions. This exposure may be obtained through investments in other investment companies. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund's investments can be comprised of high yield and unrated securities and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks, which may result in losses to the Fund.
Interest Rate Risk—Fixed-income and other debt instruments are subject to the possibility that interest rates could change. Changes in interest rates may adversely affect the Fund’s investments in these instruments, such as the value or liquidity of, and income generated by, the investments. Interest rates may change as a result of a variety of factors, and the change may be sudden and significant, with unpredictable impacts on the financial markets and the Fund’s investments. Fixed-income and other debt instruments with longer durations are more sensitive to changes in interest rates and, thus, subject to more volatility than similar instruments with shorter durations. Generally, when interest rates increase, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments decline and when interest rates decrease, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments rise. During periods of rising interest rates, because changes in interest rates on adjustable rate securities may lag behind changes in market rates, the value of such securities may decline until their interest rates reset to market rates. During periods of declining interest rates, because the interest rates on adjustable rate securities generally reset downward, their market value is unlikely to rise to the same extent as the value of comparable fixed rate securities. During periods when interest rates are low or negative, the Fund’s yield and performance may be adversely affected and the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or minimize the volatility of the Fund's net asset value per share. The risks associated with rising interest rates are heightened given the current low interest rate environment.
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.
Investment in Loans Risk—The Fund may invest in loans directly or indirectly through assignments or participations. Investments in loans, including loan syndicates and other direct lending opportunities, involve special types of risks, including credit risk, interest rate risk, counterparty risk, prepayment risk and extension risk. Loans may offer a fixed or floating interest rate. Loans are often below investment grade and may be unrated. The Fund’s investments in loans can also be difficult to value accurately and may be more susceptible to liquidity risk than fixed-income instruments of similar credit quality and/or maturity. The Fund is also subject to the risk that the value of any collateral for the loan may be insufficient or unavailable to cover the borrower’s obligations should the borrower fail to make payments, become insolvent, or otherwise default. Transactions in loans are often subject to long settlement periods and often require consent from borrowers and/or an agent acting for the lenders, thus potentially limiting the ability of the Fund to invest sale proceeds in other investments and to use proceeds to meet its current redemption obligations. The Fund thus is subject to the risk of selling other investments at disadvantageous times or prices or taking other actions necessary to raise cash to meet its redemption obligations. Participations in loans may subject the Fund to the credit risk of both the borrower and the seller of the participation and may make enforcement of loan covenants, if any, more difficult for the Fund as legal action may have to go through the seller of the participation (or an agent acting on its behalf). Covenants contained in loan documentation are intended to protect lenders and investors by imposing certain restrictions and other limitations on a borrower’s operations or assets and by providing certain information and consent rights to lenders. In addition to operational covenants, loans and other debt obligations often contain financial covenants which require a borrower to satisfy certain financial tests at periodic intervals or to maintain compliance with certain financial metrics. The Fund invests in or is exposed to loans and other similar debt obligations that are sometimes referred to as “covenant-lite” loans or obligations, which generally are loans or other similar debt obligations that lack financial maintenance covenants or possess fewer or contingent financial maintenance covenants and other financial protections for lenders and investors. These "covenant-lite" loans or obligations typically are particularly subject to the risks associated with investments in loans as described above.
Investment in the Subsidiary Risk—The Subsidiary, unless otherwise noted in this Prospectus, is not subject to all of the investor protections of the Fund because the Subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act. The Fund is exposed to the risks of the Subsidiary’s investments, which are exposed to the risks of investing in the commodities markets. The Fund also will incur its pro rata share of the expenses of the Subsidiary. In addition, changes in the laws of the United States or the Cayman Islands, under which the Fund and the Subsidiary, respectively, are organized, could result in the inability of the Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as intended and could negatively affect the Fund and its shareholders. The character, timing, or amount that the Fund will pay
in taxes may be affected by the Fund’s investment in the Subsidiary. Future or new legislation, Treasury regulations and/or guidance issued by the Internal Revenue Service may also affect whether income derived from the Fund’s investments in the Subsidiary is considered qualifying income.
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. These risks are heightened for fixed-income and other debt instruments because of the current low interest rate environment. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund's investments can be difficult to value and potentially less liquid and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks.
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.
Municipal Securities Risk—Municipal securities are subject to a variety of risks, including credit, interest, prepayment, liquidity, and valuation risks. In addition, municipal securities can be adversely affected by (i) unfavorable legislative, political or other developments or events, including natural disasters and public health conditions, and (ii) changes in the economic and fiscal conditions of issuers of municipal securities or the federal government (in cases where it provides financial support to such issuers). Municipal securities may be fully or partially backed by the taxing authority or revenue of a local government, the credit of a private issuer, or the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project, which may be adversely affected as a result of economic and public health conditions. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in municipal securities issued by issuers in a particular state, municipality or project, the Fund will be particularly sensitive to developments and events adversely affecting such state or municipality or with respect to a particular project. Certain sectors of the municipal bond market have special risks that can affect them more significantly than the market as a whole. Because many municipal instruments are issued to finance similar projects (such as education, health care, transportation and utilities), conditions in these industries can significantly affect the overall municipal market. Municipal securities that are insured may be adversely affected by developments relevant to that particular insurer, or more general developments relevant to the market as a whole. Municipal securities can be difficult to value and be less liquid than other investments, which may affect performance or the ability to meet Fund redemption requests.
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.
Prepayment Risk—Certain debt instruments, including loans and mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur more quickly or earlier than expected.  If this occurs, the Fund might be forced to forego future interest income on the principal repaid early and to reinvest income or proceeds at generally lower interest rates, thus reducing the Fund’s yield.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to prepayment risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of declining interest rates.
Real Estate Investments Risk—The Fund may invest in securities of real estate companies and companies related to the real estate industry, including real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), which are subject to the same risks as direct investments in real estate. The real estate industry is particularly sensitive to economic downturns.
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.
Repurchase Agreements and Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk—In the event of the insolvency of the counterparty to a repurchase agreement or reverse repurchase agreement, recovery of the repurchase price owed to the Fund or, in the case of a reverse repurchase agreement, the securities or other assets sold by the Fund, may be delayed. Because reverse repurchase agreements may be considered to be the practical equivalent of borrowing funds, they constitute a form of leverage. If the Fund reinvests the proceeds of a reverse repurchase agreement at a rate lower than the cost of the agreement, entering into the agreement will lower the Fund’s yield.
Restricted Securities Risk—Restricted securities generally cannot be sold to the public and may involve a high degree of business, financial and liquidity risk, which may result in substantial losses to the Fund.
Securities Lending Risk—Securities lending involves a risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities or deliver the proper amount of collateral, which may result in a loss to the Fund. In the event of bankruptcy of the borrower, the Fund could experience losses or delays in recovering the loaned securities.
Short Sale and Short Exposure Risk—Short selling a security involves selling a borrowed security with the expectation that the value of that security will decline, so that the security may be purchased at a lower price when returning the borrowed security. A short exposure through a derivative exposes the Fund to counterparty credit and leverage risks. The risk for loss on a short sale or other short exposure, which, in some cases, may be theoretically unlimited, is greater than a direct investment in the security itself because the price of the borrowed security may rise, thereby increasing the price at which the security must be purchased. Government actions also may affect the Fund’s ability to engage in short selling.
Sovereign Debt Risk—The debt securities issued by sovereign entities may decline as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from a sovereign debtor's unwillingness or inability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner, which may be affected by a variety of factors, including its cash flow situation, the extent of its reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtor's policy toward international lenders, and the political constraints to which a sovereign debtor may be subject. Sovereign debt risk is increased for emerging market issuers.
Special Situation Investments/Securities in Default Risk—Investments in the securities and debt of distressed issuers or issuers in default involve far greater risk than investing in issuers whose debt obligations are being met and whose debt trades at or close to its “par” or full value because the investments are highly speculative with respect to the issuer’s ability to make interest payments and/or to pay its principal obligations in full and/or on time.
To Be Announced (“TBA”) Transactions Risk—The Fund may enter into “To Be Announced” (“TBA”) transactions to purchase or sell mortgage-backed securities for a fixed price at a future date. In a TBA transaction, a seller agrees to deliver a mortgage-backed security to the Fund at a future date, but the seller does not specify the particular security to be delivered. Instead, the Fund agrees to accept or sell any security that meets specified terms. TBA purchase commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities to be purchased declines prior to settlement date or if the counterparty may not deliver the securities as promised. Selling a TBA involves a risk of loss if the value of the securities to be sold goes up prior to settlement date. Recently finalized FINRA rules include mandatory margin requirements that will require the Fund to post collateral in connection with its TBA
transactions, which could increase the cost of TBA transactions to the Fund and impose added operational complexity.
U.S. Government Securities Risk—U.S. government securities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. U.S. government securities are subject to the risks associated with fixed-income and debt securities, particularly interest rate risk and credit risk.
When Issued, Forward Commitment and Delayed-Delivery Transactions Risk—When-issued, forward-commitment and delayed-delivery transactions involve a commitment to purchase or sell specific securities at a predetermined price or yield in which payment and delivery take place after the customary settlement period for that type of security. When purchasing securities pursuant to one of these transactions, payment for the securities is not required until the delivery date. However, the purchaser assumes the rights and risks of ownership, including the risks of price and yield fluctuations and the risk that the security will not be issued as anticipated.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the Fund’s Class R6 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 Class R6 shares compared to those of a broad measure of market performance. Previously, the chart presented the Fund's calendar year returns for Institutional Class shares. 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. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or by calling 800.820.0888.
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Highest Quarter Return  Lowest Quarter Return
Q3 2020 6.14%
  
Q1 2020 -5.97%
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 YearSince Inception
Class R63/13/2019  
Return Before Taxes11.54%7.20%
Return After Taxes on Distributions9.62%5.54%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares6.75%4.76%
Index
ICE BofAML 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
0.67%1.37%
GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST Class R6 | Guggenheim Municipal Income Fund
Guggenheim Municipal Income Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Guggenheim Municipal Income Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to provide current income with an emphasis on income exempt from federal income tax, while also considering 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.
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class R6
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)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 Fees0.50%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) FeesNone
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses0.15%
Other Expenses1
0.50%
Interest and Other Related Expenses0.01 %
Remaining Other Expenses0.49 %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses1.15%
Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)2
-0.44%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)0.71%
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. 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 (whether or not you redeem your shares at the end of the given period) would be:
R6
1 Year$73
3 Years$322
5 Years$590
10 Years$1,358
The above Example reflects applicable contractual fee waiver/expense reimbursement arrangements for the current duration of the arrangements only.
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 58% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
In pursuit of its objective, the Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of municipal securities whose interest is free from federal income tax. This investment policy may not be changed without shareholder approval. Interest from the Fund’s investments may be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in securities the interest on which is subject to federal income taxation, including, among others, corporate bonds and other corporate debt securities, taxable municipal securities (which include Build America Bonds and Qualified School Construction Bonds), mortgage-backed and asset backed securities (including collateralized debt obligations), repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements, syndicated bank loans and securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies and instrumentalities (including those not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government). The Fund also may invest up to 20% of its assets in a variety of investment vehicles, principally closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other mutual funds. The Fund may use derivatives for investment purposes (i.e., speculative purposes). Derivatives include futures, forward contracts, Eurodollar futures, options, structured securities, inverse floating rate instruments, swaps, caps, floors, and collars (some of these instruments may be traded in the over-the-counter market). When market conditions are deemed appropriate, the Fund will use leverage to the full extent permitted by its investment policies and restrictions and applicable law. The Fund may use leverage by using derivatives and municipal tender option bonds (“TOBs”), or by entering into reverse repurchase agreements and borrowing transactions (principally lines of credit) for investment purposes. The fixed-income securities in which the Fund invests will primarily be domestic securities, but may also include, up to 20% of its assets, in foreign and emerging markets securities (such as sovereign debt securities and Eurodollar bonds and obligations).
The Fund will allocate assets across different market sectors and maturities and may invest in municipal bonds rated in any rating category or in unrated municipal bonds. The Fund, however, will invest under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets in investment grade securities (i.e., rated in the top four long-term rating categories by a nationally recognized statistical ratings organization or, if unrated, determined by Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (“Guggenheim Partners” or the “Sub-Adviser”) to be of comparable quality). If nationally recognized statistical rating organizations assign different ratings to the same security, the Fund will use the higher rating for purposes of determining the security’s credit quality. The Fund may invest 25% or more of the Fund’s assets in municipal instruments that finance similar projects, such as those relating to education, healthcare, housing, utilities, or water and sewers.
Guggenheim Partners, the Fund’s sub-adviser, selects securities and other investments for purchase and sale based on intensive credit research involving extensive due diligence on each issuer, region and sector. Guggenheim Partners also considers macroeconomic outlook and geopolitical issues.
Guggenheim Partners may determine to sell an instrument for several reasons, including but not limited to the following: (1) to adjust the portfolio’s average maturity or duration, or to shift assets into or out of higher-yielding securities; (2) if a security’s credit rating has been changed, the Investment Manager's credit outlook has changed, or for other similar reasons; (3) to meet redemption requests; (4) to take gains; or (5) due to relative value. Under adverse or unstable market conditions or abnormal circumstances (for example, in the event of credit events, where it is deemed opportune to preserve gains, or to preserve the relative value of investments or in the case of large cash inflows or anticipated large redemptions), the Fund can make temporary investments and may not be able to pursue or achieve its investment objective.
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.
Asset-Backed Securities Risk—Investors in asset-backed securities, including residential mortgage-backed securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities and other structured finance investments, generally receive payments that are part interest and part return of principal. These payments may vary based on the rate at which the underlying borrowers pay off their loans. Some asset-backed securities, including mortgage-backed securities, may have structures that make their performance based on changes in interest rates and other factors difficult to predict, causing their prices to be volatile. In particular, during periods of falling interest rates, asset-backed securities are more likely to be called or prepaid, which can result in the Fund having to reinvest proceeds in other investments at a lower interest rate or less advantageous terms, which would adversely affect the Fund. These instruments are particularly subject to interest rate, credit and liquidity and valuation risks. The terms of many structured finance investments and other instruments are tied to interbank reference rates (referred to collectively as the "London Interbank Offered Rate" or “LIBOR”), which function as a reference rate or benchmark for many underlying collateral investments, securities and transactions. It is anticipated that LIBOR ultimately will be discontinued, which may cause increased volatility and illiquidity in the markets for instruments with terms tied to LIBOR or other adverse consequences, such as decreased yields and reduction in value, for these instruments. These events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments in such instruments.
Collateralized Loan Obligations and Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk—Collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) bear many of the same risks as other forms of asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. As they are backed by pools of loans, CLOs also bear similar risks to investing in loans directly. CLOs issue classes or “tranches” that vary in risk and yield. CLOs may experience substantial losses attributable to loan defaults. Losses caused by defaults on underlying assets are borne first by the holders of subordinate tranches. The Fund’s investment in CLOs may decrease in market value when the CLO experiences loan defaults or credit impairment, the disappearance of a subordinate tranche, or market anticipation of defaults and investor aversion to CLO securities as a class.
Collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) are structured similarly to CLOs and bear the same risks as CLOs including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. CDOs are subject to additional risks because they are backed by pools of assets other than loans including securities (such as other asset-backed securities), synthetic instruments or bonds and may be highly leveraged. Like CLOs, losses incurred by a CDO are borne first by holders of subordinate tranches. Accordingly, the risks of CDOs depend largely on the type of underlying collateral and the tranche of CDOs in which the Fund invests. For example, CDOs that obtain their exposure through synthetic investments entail the risks associated with derivative instruments. The terms of many structured finance investments, including CLOs and CDOs, are tied to LIBOR, which functions as a reference rate or benchmark for many underlying collateral investments, securities and transactions. It is anticipated that LIBOR will be discontinued, which may cause increased volatility and illiquidity in the markets for instruments with terms tied to LIBOR or other adverse consequences, such as decreased yields and reduction in value, for these instruments. These events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments in such instruments.
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.
Credit Risk—The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income or other debt instrument or a counterparty to a derivatives transaction or other transaction is unable or unwilling, or perceived to be unable or unwilling, to pay interest or repay principal on time, defaults or otherwise fails to meet its obligations. Actual or perceived changes in economic, social, public health, financial or political conditions in general or that affect a particular type of instrument, issuer, guarantor or counterparty can reduce the ability of the party to meet its obligations, which can affect the credit quality, liquidity and/or value of an instrument. The value of an instrument
also may decline for reasons that relate directly to the issuer, guarantor or counterparty, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for goods and services. The issuer, guarantor or counterparty could also suffer a rapid decline in credit rating, which would adversely affect the volatility of the value and liquidity of the instrument. Credit ratings may not be an accurate assessment of liquidity or credit risk.
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.
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.
Extension Risk—Certain debt instruments, including mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur at a slower rate or later than expected.  In this event, the expected maturity could lengthen and the Fund’s investment may sharply decrease in value and the Fund’s income from the investment may quickly decline.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to extension risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of rising interest rates. In addition, the Fund may be delayed in its ability to reinvest income or proceeds from these instruments in potentially higher yielding investments, which would adversely affect the Fund.
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.
High Yield and Unrated Securities Risk—High yield, below investment grade and unrated high risk debt securities (which also may be known as “junk bonds”) may present additional risks because these securities may be less liquid, and therefore more difficult to value accurately and sell at an advantageous price or time, and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be subject to greater volatility due to issuer-specific factors, such as operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions. This exposure may be obtained through investments in other investment companies. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund's investments can be comprised of high yield and unrated securities and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks, which may result in losses to the Fund.
Interest Rate Risk—Fixed-income and other debt instruments are subject to the possibility that interest rates could change. Changes in interest rates may adversely affect the Fund’s investments in these instruments, such as the value or liquidity of, and income generated by, the investments. Interest rates may change as a result of a variety of factors, and the change may be sudden and significant, with unpredictable impacts on the financial markets and the Fund’s investments. Fixed-income and other debt instruments with longer durations are more sensitive to changes in interest rates and, thus, subject to more volatility than similar instruments with shorter durations. Generally, when interest rates increase, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments decline and when interest rates decrease, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments rise. During periods of rising interest rates, because changes in interest rates on adjustable rate securities may lag behind changes in market rates, the value of such securities may decline until their interest rates reset to market rates. During periods of declining interest rates, because the interest rates on adjustable rate securities generally reset downward, their market value is unlikely to rise to the same extent as the value of comparable fixed rate securities. During periods when interest rates are low or negative, the Fund’s yield and performance may be adversely affected and the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or minimize the volatility of the Fund's net asset value per share. The risks associated with rising interest rates are heightened given the current low interest rate environment.
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 ("NAV") of the shares and the listing exchange may halt trading of the ETF's shares.
Investment in Loans Risk—The Fund may invest in loans directly or indirectly through assignments or participations. Investments in loans, including loan syndicates and other direct lending opportunities, involve special types of risks, including credit risk, interest rate risk, counterparty risk, prepayment risk and extension risk. Loans may offer a fixed or floating interest rate. Loans are often below investment grade and may be unrated. The Fund’s investments in loans can also be difficult to value accurately and may be more susceptible to liquidity risk than fixed-income instruments of similar credit quality and/or maturity. The Fund is also subject to the risk that the value of any collateral for the loan may be insufficient or unavailable to cover the borrower’s obligations should the borrower fail to make payments, become insolvent, or otherwise default. Transactions in loans are often subject to long settlement periods and often require consent from borrowers and/or an agent acting for the lenders, thus potentially limiting the ability of the Fund to invest sale proceeds in other investments and to use proceeds to meet its current redemption obligations. The Fund thus is subject to the risk of selling other investments at disadvantageous times or prices or taking other actions necessary to raise cash to meet its redemption obligations. Participations in loans may subject the Fund to the credit risk of both the borrower and the seller of the participation and may make enforcement of loan covenants, if any, more difficult for the Fund as legal action may have to go through the seller of the participation (or an agent acting on its behalf). Covenants contained in loan documentation are intended to protect lenders and investors by imposing certain restrictions and other limitations on a borrower’s operations or assets and by providing certain information and consent rights to lenders.
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. These risks are heightened for fixed-income and other debt instruments because of the current low interest rate environment. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund's investments can be difficult to value and potentially less liquid and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks.
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.
Municipal Securities Risk—Municipal securities are subject to a variety of risks, including credit, interest, prepayment, liquidity, and valuation risks. In addition, municipal securities can be adversely affected by (i) unfavorable legislative, political or other developments or events, including natural disasters and public health conditions, and (ii) changes in the economic and fiscal conditions of issuers of municipal securities or the federal government (in cases where it provides financial support to such issuers). Municipal securities may be fully or partially backed by the taxing authority or revenue of a local government, the credit of a private issuer, or the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project, which may be adversely affected as a result of economic and public health conditions. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in municipal securities issued by issuers in a particular state, municipality or project, the Fund will be particularly sensitive to developments and events adversely affecting such state or municipality or with respect to a particular project. For example, the Fund invests a substantial amount of its assets in municipal securities of issuers located in California. As a result, the Fund may be affected significantly by economic, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of California issuers to pay interest or repay principal. From time to time, the Fund may invest a substantial amount of its assets in securities issued by issuers located in other states or municipalities. Certain sectors of the municipal bond market have special risks that can affect them more significantly than the market as a whole. Because many municipal instruments are issued to finance similar projects (such as education, health care, transportation and utilities), conditions in these industries can significantly affect the overall municipal market. Municipal securities that are insured may be adversely affected by developments relevant to that particular insurer, or more general developments relevant to the market as a whole. Municipal securities can be difficult to value and be less liquid than other investments, which may affect performance or the ability to meet Fund redemption requests.
Prepayment Risk—Certain debt instruments, including loans and mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur more quickly or earlier than expected.  If this occurs, the Fund might be forced to forego future interest income on the principal repaid early and to reinvest income or proceeds at generally lower interest rates, thus reducing the Fund’s yield.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to prepayment risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of declining interest rates.
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.
Repurchase Agreements and Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk—In the event of the insolvency of the counterparty to a repurchase agreement or reverse repurchase agreement, recovery of the repurchase price owed to the Fund or, in the case of a reverse repurchase agreement, the securities or other assets sold by the Fund, may be delayed. Because reverse repurchase agreements may be considered to be the practical equivalent of borrowing funds, they constitute a form of leverage. If the Fund reinvests the proceeds of a reverse repurchase agreement at a rate lower than the cost of the agreement, entering into the agreement will lower the Fund’s yield.
Restricted Securities Risk—Restricted securities generally cannot be sold to the public and may involve a high degree of business, financial and liquidity risk, which may result in substantial losses to the Fund.
Sovereign Debt Risk—The debt securities issued by sovereign entities may decline as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from a sovereign debtor's unwillingness or inability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner, which may be affected by a variety of factors, including its cash flow situation, the extent of its reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtor's policy toward international lenders, and the political constraints to which a sovereign debtor may be subject. Sovereign debt risk is increased for emerging market issuers.
Tender Option Bonds Risk—Tender option bonds, residual interest tender option bonds and inverse floaters expose the Fund to the same risks as investments in derivatives, as well as risks associated with leverage, especially the risk of increased volatility. An investment in these securities typically will involve greater risk than an investment in a municipal fixed rate security, including the risk of loss of principal. Because distributions on these securities will bear an inverse relationship to short-term municipal security interest rates, distributions will be reduced or, in the extreme, eliminated as rates rise and will increase when rates fall.
U.S. Government Securities Risk—U.S. government securities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. U.S. government securities are subject to the risks associated with fixed-income and debt securities, particularly interest rate risk and credit risk.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Because Class R6 shares had not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus, the following chart and table show 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. Class R6 shares and Institutional Class shares of the Fund would have substantially similar performance because they invest in the same portfolio of securities. However, the performance of Class R6 shares would be higher than Institutional Class shares to the extent Class R6 shares pay lower expenses than Institutional Class shares. 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. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or by calling 800.820.0888.
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Highest Quarter Return
Q1 2014 4.10%
  
Lowest Quarter Return
Q2 2013 -5.44%
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 Years

Since Inception
Institutional Class
01/13/2012*
  
Return Before Taxes5.45%3.80%4.16%
Return After Taxes on Distributions4.49%2.74%2.99%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares3.23%2.45%2.70%
Index
Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
5.21%3.91%3.80%
GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST Class R6 | Guggenheim Total Return Bond Fund
Guggenheim Total Return Bond Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Guggenheim Total Return Bond Fund (the "Fund") seeks to provide total return, comprised of current income and 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.
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class R6
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)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 Fees0.39%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) FeesNone
Other Expenses0.13%
Interest and Other Related Expenses0.02 %
Remaining Other Expenses0.11 %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses0.52%
Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)1
-0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)0.51%
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. 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 (whether or not you redeem your shares at the end of the given period) would be:
R6
1 Year$52
3 Years$166
5 Years$290
10 Years$652
The above Example reflects applicable contractual fee waiver/expense reimbursement arrangements for the current duration of the arrangements only.
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 116% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund intends to pursue its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in debt securities. Such debt securities may include, corporate bonds and other corporate debt securities, securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies and instrumentalities (including those not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government), sovereign debt securities, Eurodollar bonds and obligations, agency and non-agency residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities and other asset-backed securities (including collateralized mortgage obligations), loans, participations in and assignments of bank and bridge loans, zero-coupon bonds, municipal bonds, payment-in-kind securities (such as payment-in-kind bonds), convertible fixed-income securities, non-registered or restricted securities (including those issued in reliance on Rule 144A and Regulation S securities), certain preferred securities and step-up securities (such as step-up bonds). These securities may pay fixed or variable rates of interest and may include adjustable rate securities. While the Fund will principally invest in debt securities listed, traded or dealt in developed markets countries globally, it may also invest without limitation in securities listed, traded or dealt in other countries, including emerging markets countries. Such securities may be denominated in foreign currencies. Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (the "Investment Manager") may attempt to reduce foreign currency exchange rate risk by entering into contracts with banks, brokers or dealers to purchase or sell securities or foreign currencies at a future date. The Fund may also invest in collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs") (which include collateralized bond obligations, collateralized loan obligations and other similarly structured instruments), preferred stock and convertible securities. The Fund may seek to obtain exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests through a variety of investment vehicles, principally closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other mutual funds.
The Fund may hold fixed-income instruments of any quality, rated or unrated, including, those that are rated below investment grade, or if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality (also known as “high yield securities” or “junk bonds”). If nationally recognized statistical rating organizations assign different ratings to the same security, the Fund will use the higher rating for purposes of determining the security’s credit quality. However, the Fund may not invest more than 33 1/3% of its total assets in fixed-income securities that are below investment grade. The Fund may hold securities of any duration or maturity.
With respect to bank loans, the Fund may purchase participations in, or assignments of, floating rate bank loans that meet certain liquidity standards and will provide for interest rate adjustments at least every 397 days and which may be secured by real estate or other assets. Participations may be interests in, or assignments of, the loan and may be acquired from banks or brokers that have made the loan or members of the lending syndicate. The Fund may also participate in lending syndicates and other direct lending opportunities.
The Fund also may seek exposures through derivative transactions, principally: foreign exchange forward contracts; futures on securities, indices, currencies and other investments; Eurodollar futures; options; interest rate swaps; cross-currency swaps; total return swaps; credit default swaps; and other foreign currency contracts and foreign currency-related transactions, which may also create economic leverage in the Fund. The Fund may engage in derivative and foreign currency-related transactions for speculative purposes to enhance total return, to seek to hedge against fluctuations in securities prices, interest rates or currency rates, to change the effective duration of its portfolio, to manage certain investment risks, as a substitute for the purchase or sale of securities or currencies and/or to obtain or replicate market exposure. The Fund may seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as “To Be Announced” (“TBA”) transactions and/or dollar rolls). The Fund may use leverage to the extent permitted by applicable law by entering into reverse repurchase agreements and transactions equivalent to a borrowing for investment purposes. The Fund also may engage, without limitation, in repurchase agreements.
The Investment Manager selects securities and other investments for purchase and sale based on intensive credit research involving extensive due diligence on each issuer, region and sector. The Investment Manager also considers macroeconomic outlook and geopolitical issues. The Investment Manager may employ a tactical asset or
sector allocation strategy to seek to capitalize on total return potential created by changing market and economic conditions.
The Investment Manager may determine to sell a security for several reasons, including but not limited to the following: (1) to adjust the portfolio’s average maturity or duration, or to shift assets into or out of higher-yielding securities; (2) if a security’s credit rating has been changed, the Investment Manager's credit outlook has changed, or for other similar reasons; (3) to meet redemption requests; (4) to take gains; or (5) due to relative value. The Fund does not intend to principally invest in defaulted securities, but if a security defaults subsequent to purchase by the Fund, the Investment Manager will determine in its discretion whether to hold or dispose of such security. Under adverse or unstable market conditions or abnormal circumstances (for example, in the event of credit events, where it is deemed opportune to preserve gains, or to preserve the relative value of investments or in the case of large cash inflows or anticipated large redemptions), the Fund can make temporary investments and may not be able to pursue or achieve its investment objective.
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.
Asset-Backed Securities Risk—Investors in asset-backed securities, including residential mortgage-backed securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities and other structured finance investments, generally receive payments that are part interest and part return of principal. These payments may vary based on the rate at which the underlying borrowers pay off their loans. Some asset-backed securities, including mortgage-backed securities, may have structures that make their performance based on changes in interest rates and other factors difficult to predict, causing their prices to be volatile. In particular, during periods of falling interest rates, asset-backed securities are more likely to be called or prepaid, which can result in the Fund having to reinvest proceeds in other investments at a lower interest rate or less advantageous terms, which would adversely affect the Fund. These instruments are particularly subject to interest rate, credit and liquidity and valuation risks. The terms of many structured finance investments and other instruments are tied to interbank reference rates (referred to collectively as the "London Interbank Offered Rate" or “LIBOR”), which function as a reference rate or benchmark for many underlying collateral investments, securities and transactions. It is anticipated that LIBOR ultimately will be discontinued, which may cause increased volatility and illiquidity in the markets for instruments with terms tied to LIBOR or other adverse consequences, such as decreased yields and reduction in value, for these instruments. These events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments in such instruments.
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities—Investments in commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) are backed by commercial mortgage loans that may be secured by office properties, retail properties, hotels, mixed use properties or multi-family apartment buildings and are particularly subject to the credit risk of the borrower and the tenants of the properties securing the commercial mortgage loans.  CMBS are subject to the risks of asset-backed securities generally and particularly subject to credit risk, interest rate risk, and liquidity and valuation risk. Economic downturns and other events that limit the activities of and demand for commercial retail and office spaces (such as the current economic and public health crisis) adversely impact the value of such securities.
Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities—Residential mortgage-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates given that rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities. As a result, a rising interest rate environment can cause the prices of mortgage-backed securities to be increasingly volatile, which may adversely affect the Fund’s holdings of mortgage-backed securities.  In light of the current interest rate environment, the Fund’s investments in these securities may be subject to heightened interest rate risk. Investments in non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities are subject to increased interest rate risk and other risks, such as credit and liquidity and valuation risks.
Collateralized Loan Obligations and Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk—Collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) bear many of the same risks as other forms of asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. As they are backed by pools of loans, CLOs also bear similar risks to investing in loans directly. CLOs issue classes or “tranches” that vary in risk and yield. CLOs may experience substantial losses attributable to loan defaults. Losses caused by defaults on underlying assets are borne first by the holders of subordinate tranches. The Fund’s investment in CLOs may decrease in market value when the CLO experiences loan defaults or credit impairment, the disappearance of a subordinate tranche, or market anticipation of defaults and investor aversion to CLO securities as a class.
Collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) are structured similarly to CLOs and bear the same risks as CLOs including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. CDOs are subject to additional risks because they are backed by pools of assets other than loans including securities (such as other asset-backed securities), synthetic instruments or bonds and may be highly leveraged. Like CLOs, losses incurred by a CDO are borne first by holders of subordinate tranches. Accordingly, the risks of CDOs depend largely on the type of underlying collateral and the tranche of CDOs in which the Fund invests. For example, CDOs that obtain their exposure through synthetic investments entail the risks associated with derivative instruments. The terms of many structured finance investments, including CLOs and CDOs, are tied to LIBOR, which functions as a reference rate or benchmark for many underlying collateral investments, securities and transactions. It is anticipated that LIBOR will be discontinued, which may cause increased volatility and illiquidity in the markets for instruments with terms tied to LIBOR or other adverse consequences, such as decreased yields and reduction in value, for these instruments. These events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments in such instruments.
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.
Credit Risk—The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income or other debt instrument or a counterparty to a derivatives transaction or other transaction is unable or unwilling, or perceived to be unable or unwilling, to pay interest or repay principal on time, defaults or otherwise fails to meet its obligations. Actual or perceived changes in economic, social, public health, financial or political conditions in general or that affect a particular type of instrument, issuer, guarantor or counterparty can reduce the ability of the party to meet its obligations, which can affect the credit quality, liquidity and/or value of an instrument. The value of an instrument also may decline for reasons that relate directly to the issuer, guarantor or counterparty, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for goods and services. The issuer, guarantor or counterparty could also suffer a rapid decline in credit rating, which would adversely affect the volatility of the value and liquidity of the instrument. Credit ratings may not be an accurate assessment of liquidity or credit risk.
Currency Risk—Indirect and direct exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. Dollar, which would cause a decline in the U.S. value of the holdings of the Fund. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political, economic and tax developments in the U.S. or abroad. When the Fund seeks exposure to foreign currencies through foreign currency contracts and related transactions, the Fund becomes particularly susceptible to foreign currency value fluctuations, which may be sudden and significant, and investment decisions tied to currency markets. In addition, these investments are subject to the risks associated with derivatives and hedging and the impact on the Fund of fluctuations in the value of currencies may be magnified.
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 Investment Manager is incorrect about its 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.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts Risk—A forward foreign currency exchange contract is an OTC obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. Foreign currency transactions can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Such events may prevent or restrict the Fund’s ability to enter into foreign currency transactions, force the Fund to exit a foreign currency transaction at a disadvantageous time or price or result in penalties for the Fund, any of which may result in a loss to the Fund. A contract to sell a foreign currency would limit any potential gain that might be realized if the value of the currency increases. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances. Engaging in forward foreign currency exchange contracts will subject the Fund to counterparty credit risk and any failure to perform by a counterparty could result in a loss to the Fund.
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, 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 Investment Manager’s 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, 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.
Dollar Roll Transaction Risk—The Fund may enter into dollar roll transactions, in which the Fund sells a mortgage-backed or other security for settlement on one date and buys back a substantially similar security for settlement at a later date. Dollar rolls involve a risk of loss if the market value of the securities that the Fund is committed to buy declines below the price of the securities the Fund has sold.
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.
Extension Risk—Certain debt instruments, including mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur at a slower rate or later than expected.  In this event, the expected maturity could lengthen and the Fund’s investment may sharply decrease in value and the Fund’s income from the investment may quickly decline.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to extension risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of rising interest rates. In addition, the Fund may be delayed in its ability to
reinvest income or proceeds from these instruments in potentially higher yielding investments, which would adversely affect the Fund.
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.
Hedging Risk—The Fund may, but is not required to, engage in various investments or transactions that are designed to hedge a position that the Fund holds.  There can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging investments or transactions will be effective.  Hedging investments or transactions involve costs and may reduce gains or result in losses, which may adversely affect the Fund.
High Yield and Unrated Securities Risk—High yield, below investment grade and unrated high risk debt securities (which also may be known as “junk bonds”) may present additional risks because these securities may be less liquid, and therefore more difficult to value accurately and sell at an advantageous price or time, and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be subject to greater volatility due to issuer-specific factors, such as operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions. This exposure may be obtained through investments in other investment companies. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund's investments can be comprised of high yield and unrated securities and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks, which may result in losses to the Fund.
Interest Rate Risk—Fixed-income and other debt instruments are subject to the possibility that interest rates could change. Changes in interest rates may adversely affect the Fund’s investments in these instruments, such as the value or liquidity of, and income generated by, the investments. Interest rates may change as a result of a variety of factors, and the change may be sudden and significant, with unpredictable impacts on the financial markets and the Fund’s investments. Fixed-income and other debt instruments with longer durations are more sensitive to changes in interest rates and, thus, subject to more volatility than similar instruments with shorter durations. Generally, when interest rates increase, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments decline and when interest rates decrease, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments rise. During periods of rising interest rates, because changes in interest rates on adjustable rate securities may lag behind changes in market rates, the value of such securities may decline until their interest rates reset to market rates. During periods of declining interest rates, because the interest rates on adjustable rate securities generally reset downward, their market value is unlikely to rise to the same extent as the value of comparable fixed rate securities. During periods when interest rates are low or negative, the Fund’s yield and performance may be adversely affected and the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or minimize the volatility of the Fund's net asset value per share. The risks associated with rising interest rates are heightened given the current low interest rate environment.
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.
Investment in Loans Risk—The Fund may invest in loans directly or indirectly through assignments or participations. Investments in loans, including loan syndicates and other direct lending opportunities, involve special types of risks, including credit risk, interest rate risk, counterparty risk, prepayment risk and extension risk. Loans may offer a fixed or floating interest rate. Loans are often below investment grade and may be unrated. The Fund’s investments in loans can also be difficult to value accurately and may be more susceptible to liquidity risk than fixed-income instruments of similar credit quality and/or maturity. The Fund is also subject to the risk that the value of any collateral for the loan may be insufficient or unavailable to cover the borrower’s obligations should the borrower fail to make payments, become insolvent, or otherwise default. Transactions in loans are often subject to long settlement periods and often require consent from borrowers and/or an agent acting for the lenders, thus potentially limiting the ability of the Fund to invest sale proceeds in other investments and to use proceeds to meet its current redemption obligations. The Fund thus is subject to the risk of selling other investments at disadvantageous times or prices or taking other actions necessary to raise cash to meet its redemption obligations. Participations in loans may subject the Fund to the credit risk of both the borrower and the seller of the participation and may make enforcement of loan covenants, if any, more difficult for the Fund as legal action may have to go through the seller of the participation (or an agent acting on its behalf). Covenants contained in loan documentation are intended to protect lenders and investors by imposing certain restrictions and
other limitations on a borrower’s operations or assets and by providing certain information and consent rights to lenders. In addition to operational covenants, loans and other debt obligations often contain financial covenants which require a borrower to satisfy certain financial tests at periodic intervals or to maintain compliance with certain financial metrics. The Fund may invest in or have exposure to loans and other similar debt obligations that are sometimes referred to as “covenant-lite” loans or obligations, which generally are loans or other similar debt obligations that lack financial maintenance covenants or possess fewer or contingent financial maintenance covenants and other financial protections for lenders and investors. These "covenant-lite" loans or obligations typically are particularly subject to the risks associated with investments in loans as described above.
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. These risks are heightened for fixed-income and other debt instruments because of the current low interest rate environment. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund's investments can be difficult to value and potentially less liquid and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks.
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.
Municipal Securities Risk—Municipal securities are subject to a variety of risks, including credit, interest, prepayment, liquidity, and valuation risks. In addition, municipal securities can be adversely affected by (i) unfavorable legislative, political or other developments or events, including natural disasters and public health conditions, and (ii) changes in the economic and fiscal conditions of issuers of municipal securities or the federal government (in cases where it provides financial support to such issuers). Municipal securities may be fully or partially backed by the taxing authority or revenue of a local government, the credit of a private issuer, or the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project, which may be adversely affected as a result of economic and public health conditions. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in municipal securities issued by issuers in a particular state, municipality or project, the Fund will be particularly sensitive to developments and events adversely affecting such state or municipality or with respect to a particular project. Certain sectors of the municipal bond market have special risks that can affect them more significantly than the market as a whole. Because many municipal instruments are issued to finance similar projects (such as education, health care, transportation and utilities), conditions in these industries can significantly affect the overall municipal market. Municipal securities that are insured may be adversely affected by developments relevant to
that particular insurer, or more general developments relevant to the market as a whole. Municipal securities can be difficult to value and be less liquid than other investments, which may affect performance or the ability to meet Fund redemption requests.
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.
Prepayment Risk—Certain debt instruments, including loans and mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur more quickly or earlier than expected. If this occurs, the Fund might be forced to forego future interest income on the principal repaid early and to reinvest income or proceeds at generally lower interest rates, thus reducing the Fund’s yield.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to prepayment risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of declining interest rates.
Real Estate Investments Risk—The Fund may invest in securities of real estate companies and companies related to the real estate industry, including real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), which are subject to the same risks as direct investments in real estate. The real estate industry is particularly sensitive to economic downturns.
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.
Repurchase Agreements and Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk—In the event of the insolvency of the counterparty to a repurchase agreement or reverse repurchase agreement, recovery of the repurchase price owed to the Fund or, in the case of a reverse repurchase agreement, the securities or other assets sold by the Fund, may be delayed. Because reverse repurchase agreements may be considered to be the practical equivalent of borrowing funds, they constitute a form of leverage. If the Fund reinvests the proceeds of a reverse repurchase agreement at a rate lower than the cost of the agreement, entering into the agreement will lower the Fund’s yield.
Restricted Securities Risk—Restricted securities generally cannot be sold to the public and may involve a high degree of business, financial and liquidity risk, which may result in substantial losses to the Fund.
Sovereign Debt Risk—The debt securities issued by sovereign entities may decline as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from a sovereign debtor's unwillingness or inability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner, which may be affected by a variety of factors, including its cash flow situation, the extent of its reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtor's policy toward international lenders, and the political constraints to which a sovereign debtor may be subject. Sovereign debt risk is increased for emerging market issuers.
To Be Announced (“TBA”) Transactions Risk—The Fund may enter into “To Be Announced” (“TBA”) transactions to purchase or sell mortgage-backed securities for a fixed price at a future date. In a TBA transaction, a seller agrees to deliver a mortgage-backed security to the Fund at a future date, but the seller does not specify the particular security to be delivered. Instead, the Fund agrees to accept or sell any security that meets specified terms. TBA purchase commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities to be purchased declines prior to settlement date or if the counterparty may not deliver the securities as promised. Selling a TBA involves a risk of loss if the value of the securities to be sold goes up prior to settlement date. Recently finalized FINRA rules include mandatory margin requirements that will require the Fund to post collateral in connection with its TBA transactions, which could increase the cost of TBA transactions to the Fund and impose added operational complexity.
U.S. Government Securities Risk—U.S. government securities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. U.S. government securities are subject to the risks associated with fixed-income and debt securities, particularly interest rate risk and credit risk.
Zero Coupon and Payment-In-Kind Securities Risk—Zero coupon and payment-in-kind securities pay no cash interest income and usually are sold at substantial discounts from their value at maturity. Zero coupon and payment-in-kind securities are subject to greater market value fluctuations from changing interest rates than debt obligations of comparable maturities that make current cash-pay interest payments.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the Fund’s Class R6 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 Class R6 shares compared to those of a broad measure of market performance. 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. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or by calling 800.820.0888.
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Highest Quarter Return
Q2 2020 5.70%
  
Lowest Quarter Return
Q4 2019 -0.60%
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 Year
Since Inception
Class R610/19/2016 
Return Before Taxes15.23%6.10%
Return After Taxes on Distributions13.04%4.49%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares9.14%3.98%
Index 
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
7.51%4.00%
GUGGENHEIM FUNDS TRUST Class R6 | Guggenheim Ultra Short Duration Fund
Guggenheim Ultra Short Duration Fund
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Guggenheim Ultra Short Duration Fund (the “Fund”) seeks a high level of income consistent with the preservation of capital.
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.
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Class R6
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)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 Fees0.25%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) FeesNone
Other Expenses1
0.13%
Interest and Other Related Expenses0.03 %
Remaining Other Expenses0.10 %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses0.38%
Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)2
-0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver (and/or expense reimbursement)0.36%
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. 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 (whether or not you redeem your shares at the end of the given period) would be:
R6
1 Year$37
3 Years$120
5 Years$211
10 Years$478
The above Example reflects applicable contractual fee waiver/expense reimbursement arrangements for the current duration of the arrangements only.
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 129% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund intends to pursue its investment objective by investing primarily in a diversified portfolio of investment-grade debt securities and similar instruments while maintaining a low duration portfolio (i.e., a duration normally not exceeding one year). The Fund is not a money market fund and does not seek to maintain a stable net asset value ("NAV") of $1.00 per share.
The Fund’s investments will include: debt securities; financial instruments that are expected to perform similarly to debt securities and investment vehicles that provide exposure to debt securities; and debt-like securities, including individual securities, investment vehicles and derivatives giving exposure to (i.e., with economic characteristics similar to) debt securities or other similar instruments or debt security markets. The Fund may seek to obtain exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests through a variety of investment vehicles, principally affiliated and unaffiliated closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other funds.
Debt securities and instruments in which the Fund may invest include corporate bonds and other corporate debt securities, securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies and instrumentalities (including those not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government), sovereign debt securities, Eurodollar bonds and obligations, agency and non-agency mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities, participations in and assignments of bank and bridge loans, commercial paper (including asset-backed commercial paper), zero-coupon bonds, municipal bonds, payment-in-kind securities (such as payment-in-kind bonds), convertible securities, non-registered or restricted securities (including those issued in reliance on Rule 144A and Regulation S securities) and step-up securities (such as step-up bonds). These securities may pay fixed or variable rates of interest. The Fund may also invest in preferred stock and preferred debt securities. Although the Fund will principally invest in debt securities listed, traded or dealt in developed markets, it may also invest without limitation in securities listed, traded or dealt in other markets, including emerging and frontier markets. Such securities may be denominated in foreign currencies.
Although the Fund will invest predominantly in investment grade debt instruments, up to 10% of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in securities that are rated below investment grade (also known as “high yield securities” or “junk bonds”) or if unrated, determined by Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC, also known as Guggenheim Investments (the "Investment Manager") to be of comparable quality. If nationally recognized statistical rating organizations assign different ratings to a security, the Fund will use the higher rating for purposes of determining the security’s credit quality.
The Fund may invest in repurchase agreements, which are fixed-income securities in the form of agreements backed by collateral. These agreements, which may be viewed as a type of secured lending by the Fund, typically involve the acquisition by the Fund of securities from the selling institution (such as a bank or a broker-dealer), coupled with the agreement that the selling institution will repurchase the underlying securities at a specified price and at a fixed time in the future (or on demand). The Fund may accept a wide variety of underlying securities as collateral for the repurchase agreements entered into by the Fund. Such collateral may include U.S. government securities, corporate obligations, equity securities, municipal debt securities, asset- and mortgage-backed securities, convertible securities and other fixed income securities or a combination thereof. Any such securities serving as collateral are marked-to-market daily in order to maintain full collateralization (typically purchase price plus accrued interest).
With respect to mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) and other asset-backed securities, the Fund may invest in MBS issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and/or U.S. government sponsored instrumentalities, such as the Government National Mortgage Administration, the Federal Housing Administration, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation. In addition to securities issued or guaranteed by such agencies or instrumentalities, the Fund may invest in MBS or other asset-backed securities issued or guaranteed by private issuers. The MBS in which the Fund may invest may also include residential mortgage-backed securities, collateralized mortgage obligations and commercial mortgage-backed securities. The other asset-backed securities in which the Fund may invest include collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”). CDOs include collateralized bond obligations (“CBOs”), collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”), commercial real estate CDOs and other similarly structured securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of below
investment grade fixed-income securities. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or if unrated, determined by the Investment Manager to be of comparable quality.
With respect to bank loans, the Fund may purchase participations in, or assignments of, floating rate bank loans that may be secured by real estate or other assets or lend directly, joining a lending syndicate. These participations or assignments may be acquired from banks or brokers that have made the loan or members of the lending syndicate.
To seek to enhance the Fund’s debt exposure, hedge against investment risk or increase the Fund’s yield, the Fund may engage in derivatives transactions, including: foreign exchange forward contracts; futures on securities, indices, currencies and other investments; Eurodollar futures; options; interest rate swaps; cross-currency swaps; total return swaps; and credit default swaps. The Fund may engage in derivative transactions for speculative purposes; to seek to enhance total return; to seek to hedge against fluctuations in securities prices, interest rates or currency rates; to seek to change the effective duration of its portfolio; to seek to manage certain investment risks; as a substitute for the purchase or sale of securities or currencies; and/or to obtain or replicate market exposure. These transactions may create economic leverage in the Fund. The Fund may seek to obtain market exposure to the instruments in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs, “To Be Announced” (“TBA”) transactions and/or dollar rolls). The Fund may also engage in securities lending.
The Fund may use leverage to the extent permitted by applicable law by entering into reverse repurchase agreements and borrowing transactions for investment purposes.
The Fund may hold instruments of any duration or maturity but expects, under normal circumstances, to maintain a dollar-weighted average duration of less than one year. Duration is a measure of the price volatility of a debt instrument as a result of changes in market rates of interest, based on the weighted average timing of the instrument’s expected principal and interest payments. Duration differs from maturity in that it considers an instrument’s yield, coupon payments, principal payments and call features in addition to the amount of time until the instrument matures. As the value of an instrument changes over time, so will its duration.
The Investment Manager selects securities and other investments for purchase and sale based on intensive credit research involving extensive due diligence on each investment (including the investment’s structure), issuer, region and sector. The Investment Manager also considers macroeconomic outlook and geopolitical issues.
The Investment Manager may determine to sell an instrument for several reasons, including but not limited to the following: (1) to adjust the portfolio’s average maturity or duration, or to shift assets into or out of higher-yielding securities; (2) if a security’s credit rating has been changed, the Investment Manager's credit outlook has changed, or for other similar reasons; (3) to meet redemption requests; (4) to take gains; or (5) due to relative value. The Fund does not intend to principally invest in defaulted securities, but if a security defaults subsequent to purchase by the Fund, the Investment Manager will determine in its discretion whether to hold or dispose of such security. Under adverse or unstable market conditions or abnormal circumstances (for example, in the event of credit events, where it is deemed opportune to preserve gains or to preserve the relative value of investments or in the case of large cash inflows or anticipated large redemptions), the Fund can make temporary investments and may be unable to pursue or achieve its investment objective.
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. The Fund is not a money market fund (or equivalent to a money market fund), does not attempt to maintain a stable net asset value, and is not subject to the rules that govern the quality, maturity, liquidity, and other features of securities that money market funds may purchase. Under normal conditions, the Fund’s investments may be more susceptible than a money market fund to interest rate risk, valuation risk, credit risk, and other risks relevant to the Fund’s investments. The Fund’s net asset value will fluctuate. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below.
Asset-Backed Securities Risk—Investors in asset-backed securities, including residential mortgage-backed securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities and other structured finance investments, generally receive payments that are part interest and part return of principal. These payments may vary based on the rate at which the underlying borrowers pay off their loans. Some asset-backed securities, including mortgage-backed securities, may have structures that make their performance based on changes in interest rates and other factors difficult to
predict, causing their prices to be volatile. In particular, during periods of falling interest rates, asset-backed securities are more likely to be called or prepaid, which can result in the Fund having to reinvest proceeds in other investments at a lower interest rate or less advantageous terms, which would adversely affect the Fund. These instruments are particularly subject to interest rate, credit and liquidity and valuation risks. The terms of many structured finance investments and other instruments are tied to interbank reference rates (referred to collectively as the "London Interbank Offered Rate" or “LIBOR”), which function as a reference rate or benchmark for many underlying collateral investments, securities and transactions. It is anticipated that LIBOR ultimately will be discontinued, which may cause increased volatility and illiquidity in the markets for instruments with terms tied to LIBOR or other adverse consequences, such as decreased yields and reduction in value, for these instruments. These events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments in such instruments.
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities—Investments in commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) are backed by commercial mortgage loans that may be secured by office properties, retail properties, hotels, mixed use properties or multi-family apartment buildings and are particularly subject to the credit risk of the borrower and the tenants of the properties securing the commercial mortgage loans.  CMBS are subject to the risks of asset-backed securities generally and particularly subject to credit risk, interest rate risk, and liquidity and valuation risk. Economic downturns and other events that limit the activities of and demand for commercial retail and office spaces (such as the current economic and public health crisis) adversely impact the value of such securities.
Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities—Residential mortgage-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates given that rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities. As a result, a rising interest rate environment can cause the prices of mortgage-backed securities to be increasingly volatile, which may adversely affect the Fund’s holdings of mortgage-backed securities.  In light of the current interest rate environment, the Fund’s investments in these securities may be subject to heightened interest rate risk. Investments in non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities are subject to increased interest rate risk and other risks, such as credit and liquidity and valuation risks.
Collateralized Loan Obligations and Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk—Collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) bear many of the same risks as other forms of asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. As they are backed by pools of loans, CLOs also bear similar risks to investing in loans directly. CLOs issue classes or “tranches” that vary in risk and yield. CLOs may experience substantial losses attributable to loan defaults. Losses caused by defaults on underlying assets are borne first by the holders of subordinate tranches. The Fund’s investment in CLOs may decrease in market value when the CLO experiences loan defaults or credit impairment, the disappearance of a subordinate tranche, or market anticipation of defaults and investor aversion to CLO securities as a class.
Collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) are structured similarly to CLOs and bear the same risks as CLOs including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk. CDOs are subject to additional risks because they are backed by pools of assets other than loans including securities (such as other asset-backed securities), synthetic instruments or bonds and may be highly leveraged. Like CLOs, losses incurred by a CDO are borne first by holders of subordinate tranches. Accordingly, the risks of CDOs depend largely on the type of underlying collateral and the tranche of CDOs in which the Fund invests. For example, CDOs that obtain their exposure through synthetic investments entail the risks associated with derivative instruments. The terms of many structured finance investments, including CLOs and CDOs, are tied to LIBOR, which functions as a reference rate or benchmark for many underlying collateral investments, securities and transactions. It is anticipated that LIBOR will be discontinued, which may cause increased volatility and illiquidity in the markets for instruments with terms tied to LIBOR or other adverse consequences, such as decreased yields and reduction in value, for these instruments. These events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments in such instruments.
Commercial Paper Risk—The value of the Fund’s investment in commercial paper, which is an unsecured promissory note that generally has a maturity date between one and 270 days and is issued by a U.S. or foreign entity, is susceptible to changes in the issuer’s financial condition or credit quality. Investments in commercial paper are usually discounted from their value at maturity. Commercial paper can be fixed-rate or variable rate and can be adversely affected by changes in interest rates.
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.
Credit Risk—The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income or other debt instrument or a counterparty to a derivatives transaction or other transaction is unable or unwilling, or perceived to be unable or unwilling, to pay interest or repay principal on time, defaults or otherwise fails to meet its obligations. Actual or perceived changes in economic, social, public health, financial or political conditions in general or that affect a particular type of instrument, issuer, guarantor or counterparty can reduce the ability of the party to meet its obligations, which can affect the credit quality, liquidity and/or value of an instrument. The value of an instrument also may decline for reasons that relate directly to the issuer, guarantor or counterparty, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for goods and services. The issuer, guarantor or counterparty could also suffer a rapid decline in credit rating, which would adversely affect the volatility of the value and liquidity of the instrument. Credit ratings may not be an accurate assessment of liquidity or credit risk.
Currency Risk—Indirect and direct exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. Dollar, which would cause a decline in the U.S. value of the holdings of the Fund. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political, economic and tax developments in the U.S. or abroad. When the Fund seeks exposure to foreign currencies through foreign currency contracts and related transactions, the Fund becomes particularly susceptible to foreign currency value fluctuations, which may be sudden and significant, and investment decisions tied to currency markets. In addition, these investments are subject to the risks associated with derivatives and hedging and the impact on the Fund of fluctuations in the value of currencies may be magnified.
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 Investment Manager is incorrect about its 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.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts Risk—A forward foreign currency exchange contract is an OTC obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. Foreign currency transactions can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments. Such events may prevent or restrict the Fund’s ability to enter into foreign currency transactions, force the Fund to exit a foreign currency transaction at a disadvantageous time or price or result in penalties for the Fund, any of which may result in a loss to the Fund. A contract to sell a foreign currency would limit any potential gain that might be realized if the value of the currency increases. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances. Engaging in forward foreign currency exchange contracts will subject the Fund to counterparty credit risk and any failure to perform by a counterparty could result in a loss to the Fund.
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, 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. 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 Investment Manager’s 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, 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.
Dollar Roll Transaction Risk—The Fund may enter into dollar roll transactions, in which the Fund sells a mortgage-backed or other security for settlement on one date and buys back a substantially similar security for settlement at a later date. Dollar rolls involve a risk of loss if the market value of the securities that the Fund is committed to buy declines below the price of the securities the Fund has sold.
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.
Extension Risk—Certain debt instruments, including mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur at a slower rate or later than expected.  In this event, the expected maturity could lengthen and the Fund’s investment may sharply decrease in value and the Fund’s income from the investment may quickly decline.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to extension risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of rising interest rates. In addition, the Fund may be delayed in its ability to reinvest income or proceeds from these instruments in potentially higher yielding investments, which would adversely affect the Fund.
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.
High Yield and Unrated Securities Risk—High yield, below investment grade and unrated high risk debt securities (which also may be known as “junk bonds”) may present additional risks because these securities may be less liquid, and therefore more difficult to value accurately and sell at an advantageous price or time, and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be subject to greater volatility due to issuer-specific factors, such as operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions. This exposure may be obtained through investments in other investment companies. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund's investments can be comprised of high yield and unrated securities and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks, which may result in losses to the Fund.
Interest Rate Risk—Fixed-income and other debt instruments are subject to the possibility that interest rates could change. Changes in interest rates may adversely affect the Fund’s investments in these instruments, such as the value or liquidity of, and income generated by, the investments. Interest rates may change as a result of a variety of factors, and the change may be sudden and significant, with unpredictable impacts on the financial markets and the Fund’s investments. Fixed-income and other debt instruments with longer durations are more sensitive to changes in interest rates and, thus, subject to more volatility than similar instruments with shorter durations. Generally, when interest rates increase, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments decline and when interest rates decrease, the values of fixed-income and other debt instruments rise. During periods of rising interest rates, because changes in interest rates on adjustable rate securities may lag behind changes in market rates, the value of such securities may decline until their interest rates reset to market rates. During periods of declining interest rates, because the interest rates on adjustable rate securities generally reset downward, their market value is unlikely to rise to the same extent as the value of comparable fixed rate securities. During periods when interest rates are low or negative, the Fund’s yield and performance may be adversely affected and the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or minimize the volatility of the Fund's net asset value per share. The risks associated with rising interest rates are heightened given the current low interest rate environment.
Investments by Investing Funds and Other Large Shareholders—The Fund is subject to the risk that one or more large investors, including other investment companies that are advised by the Investment Manager or its affiliates, purchases or redeems a large percentage of Fund shares at any time. As a result, the Fund’s performance or liquidity may be adversely affected as the Fund may have to hold a large proportion of its assets in cash and may have to sell investments at disadvantageous times or prices to meet large redemption requests. In turn, the Fund may experience increased portfolio turnover, incur higher transaction costs and realize gains or losses at inopportune times. Such large investors may comprise a significant portion of the Fund's shareholders.
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.
Investment in Loans Risk—The Fund may invest in loans directly or indirectly through assignments or participations. Investments in loans, including loan syndicates and other direct lending opportunities, involve special types of risks, including credit risk, interest rate risk, counterparty risk, prepayment risk and extension risk. Loans may offer a fixed or floating interest rate. Loans are often below investment grade and may be unrated. The Fund’s investments in loans can also be difficult to value accurately and may be more susceptible to liquidity risk than fixed-income instruments of similar credit quality and/or maturity. The Fund is also subject to the risk that the value of any collateral for the loan may be insufficient or unavailable to cover the borrower’s obligations should the borrower fail to make payments, become insolvent, or otherwise default. Transactions in loans are often subject to long settlement periods and often require consent from borrowers and/or an agent acting for the lenders, thus potentially limiting the ability of the Fund to invest sale proceeds in other investments and to use proceeds to meet its current redemption obligations. The Fund thus is subject to the risk of selling other investments at disadvantageous times or prices or taking other actions necessary to raise cash to meet its redemption obligations. Participations in loans may subject the Fund to the credit risk of both the borrower and the seller of the participation and may make enforcement of loan covenants, if any, more difficult for the Fund as legal action may have to go through the seller of the participation (or an agent acting on its behalf). Covenants contained in loan documentation are intended to protect lenders and investors by imposing certain restrictions and other limitations on a borrower’s operations or assets and by providing certain information and consent rights to lenders. In addition to operational covenants, loans and other debt obligations often contain financial covenants which require a borrower to satisfy certain financial tests at periodic intervals or to maintain compliance with certain financial metrics. The Fund invests in or is exposed to loans and other similar debt obligations that are sometimes referred to as “covenant-lite” loans or obligations, which generally are loans or other similar debt obligations that lack financial maintenance covenants or possess fewer or contingent financial maintenance covenants and other financial protections for lenders and investors. These "covenant-lite" loans or obligations typically are particularly subject to the risks associated with investments in loans as described above.
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. These risks are heightened for fixed-income and other debt instruments because of the current low interest rate environment. Based on its investment strategies, a significant portion of the Fund's investments can be difficult to value and potentially less liquid and thus particularly prone to the foregoing risks.
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.
Municipal Securities Risk—Municipal securities are subject to a variety of risks, including credit, interest, prepayment, liquidity, and valuation risks. In addition, municipal securities can be adversely affected by (i) unfavorable legislative, political or other developments or events, including natural disasters and public health conditions, and (ii) changes in the economic and fiscal conditions of issuers of municipal securities or the federal government (in cases where it provides financial support to such issuers). Municipal securities may be fully or partially backed by the taxing authority or revenue of a local government, the credit of a private issuer, or the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project, which may be adversely affected as a result of economic and public health conditions. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in municipal securities issued by issuers in a particular state, municipality or project, the Fund will be particularly sensitive to developments and events adversely affecting such state or municipality or with respect to a particular project. Certain sectors of the municipal bond market have special risks that can affect them more significantly than the market as a whole. Because many municipal instruments are issued to finance similar projects (such as education, health care, transportation and utilities), conditions in these industries can significantly affect the overall municipal market. Municipal securities that are insured may be adversely affected by developments relevant to that particular insurer, or more general developments relevant to the market as a whole. Municipal securities can be difficult to value and be less liquid than other investments, which may affect performance or the ability to meet Fund redemption requests.
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.
Prepayment Risk—Certain debt instruments, including loans and mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, are subject to the risk that payments on principal may occur more quickly or earlier than expected.  If this occurs, the Fund might be forced to forego future interest income on the principal repaid early and to reinvest income or
proceeds at generally lower interest rates, thus reducing the Fund’s yield.  These types of instruments are particularly subject to prepayment risk, and offer less potential for gains, during periods of declining interest rates.
Real Estate Investments Risk—The Fund may invest in securities of real estate companies and companies related to the real estate industry, including real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), which are subject to the same risks as direct investments in real estate. The real estate industry is particularly sensitive to economic downturns.
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.
Repurchase Agreements and Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk—In the event of the insolvency of the counterparty to a repurchase agreement or reverse repurchase agreement, recovery of the repurchase price owed to the Fund or, in the case of a reverse repurchase agreement, the securities or other assets sold by the Fund, may be delayed. Because reverse repurchase agreements may be considered to be the practical equivalent of borrowing funds, they constitute a form of leverage. If the Fund reinvests the proceeds of a reverse repurchase agreement at a rate lower than the cost of the agreement, entering into the agreement will lower the Fund’s yield.
Restricted Securities Risk—Restricted securities generally cannot be sold to the public and may involve a high degree of business, financial and liquidity risk, which may result in substantial losses to the Fund.
Securities Lending Risk—Securities lending involves a risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities or deliver the proper amount of collateral, which may result in a loss to the Fund. In the event of bankruptcy of the borrower, the Fund could experience losses or delays in recovering the loaned securities.
Sovereign Debt Risk—The debt securities issued by sovereign entities may decline as a result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from a sovereign debtor's unwillingness or inability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner, which may be affected by a variety of factors, including its cash flow situation, the extent of its reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtor's policy toward international lenders, and the political constraints to which a sovereign debtor may be subject. Sovereign debt risk is increased for emerging market issuers.
Special Situation Investments/Securities in Default Risk—Investments in the securities and debt of distressed issuers or issuers in default involve far greater risk than investing in issuers whose debt obligations are being met and whose debt trades at or close to its “par” or full value because the investments are highly speculative with respect to the issuer’s ability to make interest payments and/or to pay its principal obligations in full and/or on time.
To Be Announced (“TBA”) Transactions Risk—The Fund may enter into “To Be Announced” (“TBA”) transactions to purchase or sell mortgage-backed securities for a fixed price at a future date. In a TBA transaction, a seller agrees to deliver a mortgage-backed security to the Fund at a future date, but the seller does not specify the particular security to be delivered. Instead, the Fund agrees to accept or sell any security that meets specified terms. TBA purchase commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities to be purchased declines prior to settlement date or if the counterparty may not deliver the securities as promised. Selling a TBA involves a risk of loss if the value of the securities to be sold goes up prior to settlement date. Recently finalized FINRA rules include mandatory margin requirements that will require the Fund to post collateral in connection with its TBA transactions, which could increase the cost of TBA transactions to the Fund and impose added operational complexity.
U.S. Government Securities Risk—U.S. government securities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. U.S. government securities are subject to the risks associated with fixed-income and debt securities, particularly interest rate risk and credit risk.
When Issued, Forward Commitment and Delayed-Delivery Transactions Risk—When-issued, forward-commitment and delayed-delivery transactions involve a commitment to purchase or sell specific securities at a predetermined price or yield in which payment and delivery take place after the customary settlement period for that type of security. When purchasing securities pursuant to one of these transactions, payment for the securities is not required until the delivery date. However, the purchaser assumes the rights and risks of ownership, including the risks of price and yield fluctuations and the risk that the security will not be issued as anticipated.
Zero Coupon and Payment-In-Kind Securities Risk—Zero coupon and payment-in-kind securities pay no cash interest income and usually are sold at substantial discounts from their value at maturity. Zero coupon and payment-in-kind securities are subject to greater market value fluctuations from changing interest rates than debt obligations of comparable maturities that make current cash-pay interest payments.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Because Class R6 shares had not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus, the following chart and table show 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. Class R6 shares and Institutional Class shares of the Fund would have substantially similar performance because they invest in the same portfolio of securities. However, the performance of Class R6 shares would be higher than Institutional Class shares to the extent Class R6 shares pay lower expenses than Institutional Class shares.
On November 30, 2018, Guggenheim Strategy Fund I (the "Predecessor Fund"), which also was an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, reorganized with and into the Fund, which has adopted the Predecessor Fund’s performance history. Accordingly, the performance information shown below for Institutional Class shares of the Fund prior to that date reflects the performance of the Predecessor Fund and not that of the Fund. However, the Predecessor Fund’s policies, guidelines and investment objective were the same as those of the Fund’s in all material respects.
The returns shown below for the Predecessor Fund have been restated to reflect the fees and expenses applicable to the Institutional Class shares of the Fund, exclusive of any applicable expense limitation agreement. As with all mutual funds, past performance (before and after taxes), including the past performance of the Predecessor Fund, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or by calling 800.820.0888.
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Highest Quarter Return
Q2 2020 1.87%
Lowest Quarter Return
Q1 2020 -1.31%
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 Class
3/11/2014*
Return Before Taxes1.75%1.98%1.57%
Return After Taxes on Distributions1.16%1.19%0.90%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1.03%1.17%0.91%
Index
Bloomberg Barclays 1-3 Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
0.54%1.13%0.83%