2020-17449: Tailored Shareholder Reports, Treatment of Annual Prospectus Updates for Existing Investors, and Improved Fee and Risk Disclosure for Mutual Funds and Exchange-Traded Funds; Fee Information in Investment Company Advertisements

Summary

The Securities and Exchange Commission ("Commission") is proposing rule and form amendments that would modernize the disclosure framework for open-end management investment companies. The disclosure framework would feature concise and visually engaging shareholder reports that would highlight key information that is particularly important for retail investors to assess and monitor their fund investments. Certain information that may be less relevant to retail investors--and of more interest to financial professionals and investors who desire more in-depth information--would no longer appear in funds' shareholder reports but would be available online, delivered free of charge upon request, and filed on a semi-annual basis on Form N-CSR. Funds' shareholder reports would serve as the central source of fund disclosure for existing shareholders. Thus, instead of delivering prospectus updates to existing shareholders each year, open-end funds would have an alternative way to keep shareholders informed. This framework would rely on the shareholder report (which would include a summary of material fund changes), along with timely notifications to shareholders about material fund changes as they occur and continued availability of the fund's prospectus. The Commission is also proposing amendments to open-end fund prospectus disclosure requirements to provide greater clarity and more consistent information about fees, expenses, and principal risks. Finally, the Commission is proposing amendments to the advertising rules for registered investment companies and business development companies to promote more transparent and balanced statements about investment costs.

The agency’s own summary, as published.

What this changes

Amends 6 parts of the Code of Federal Regulations — the standing rules this notice rewrites.

• 17 CFR 200 Organization; Conduct and Ethics; and Information and Requests
• 17 CFR 230 General Rules and Regulations, Securities Act of 1933
• 17 CFR 239 Forms Prescribed Under the Securities Act of 1933
• 17 CFR 240 General Rules and Regulations, Securities Exchange Act of 1934
• 17 CFR 270 Rules and Regulations, Investment Company Act of 1940
• 17 CFR 274 Forms Prescribed Under the Investment Company Act of 1940