BUYING AND SELLING SHARES

You may purchase, redeem (sell) or exchange shares of the Fund on any day the New York Stock Exchange is open, at the Fund's net asset value per share next determined after your order is received in proper form, subject to any applicable sales charge. Shares of the Fund generally are available only through certain investment providers, such as banks, brokerage firms, workplace retirement programs, and financial advisers. Contact any investment provider authorized to sell the Fund's shares. See “Maintaining Your Account” in the prospectus for eligibility requirements for purchases of Institutional Class shares.

Stock splits and reverse stock splits of the issued and outstanding shares of certain classes of the Fund are expected to occur in early 2018.  This will alter the share prices of most classes of shares of the Fund, but will not change the total value of your holdings.  Additional information will be provided in advance of the splits.

For certain investors, shares of the Fund may be available directly from Neuberger Berman BD LLC by regular, first class mail (Neuberger Berman Funds, Boston Service Center, P.O. Box 8403, Boston, MA 02266-8403), by express delivery, registered mail, or certified mail (Neuberger Berman Funds, c/o State Street Bank and Trust Company, 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021), or by wire, fax, telephone, exchange, or systematic investment or withdrawal (call 800-877-9700 (Class A and Class C) or 800-366-6264 (Institutional Class) for instructions). See “Maintaining Your Account” in the prospectus for eligibility requirements for direct purchases of shares and for instructions on buying and redeeming (selling) shares directly.

The minimum initial investment in Class A or Class C shares is $1,000. Additional investments can be as little as $100. These minimums may be waived in certain cases.

The minimum initial investment in Institutional Class shares is $1 million. This minimum may be waived in certain cases.

TAX INFORMATION

Unless you invest in the Fund through a tax-advantaged retirement plan or account or are a tax-exempt investor, you will be subject to tax on Fund distributions to you of ordinary income and/or net capital gains. Those distributions generally are not taxable to such a plan or account or a tax-exempt investor.

PAYMENTS TO INVESTMENT PROVIDERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

If you purchase shares of the Fund through an investment provider or other financial intermediary, such as a bank, brokerage firm, workplace retirement program, or financial adviser (who may be affiliated with Neuberger Berman), the Fund and/or Neuberger Berman BD LLC and/or its affiliates may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the investment provider or other financial intermediary and its employees to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your investment provider or visit its website for more information.

Neuberger Berman Small Cap Growth Fund

Class A Shares (NSNAX), Class C Shares (NSNCX), Institutional Class Shares (NBSMX)

BUYING AND SELLING SHARES

You may purchase, redeem (sell) or exchange shares of the Fund on any day the New York Stock Exchange is open, at the Fund's net asset value per share next determined after your order is received in proper form, subject to any applicable sales charge. Shares of the Fund generally are available only through certain investment providers, such as banks, brokerage firms, workplace retirement programs, and financial advisers. Contact any investment provider authorized to sell the Fund's shares. See “Maintaining Your Account” in the prospectus for eligibility requirements for purchases of Institutional Class shares.

Stock splits and reverse stock splits of the issued and outstanding shares of certain classes of the Fund are expected to occur in early 2018.  This will alter the share prices of most classes of shares of the Fund, but will not change the total value of your holdings.  Additional information will be provided in advance of the splits.

For certain investors, shares of the Fund may be available directly from Neuberger Berman BD LLC by regular, first class mail (Neuberger Berman Funds, Boston Service Center, P.O. Box 8403, Boston, MA 02266-8403), by express delivery, registered mail, or certified mail (Neuberger Berman Funds, c/o State Street Bank and Trust Company, 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021), or by wire, fax, telephone, exchange, or systematic investment or withdrawal (call 800-877-9700 (Class A and Class C) or 800-366-6264 (Institutional Class) for instructions). See “Maintaining Your Account” in the prospectus for eligibility requirements for direct purchases of shares and for instructions on buying and redeeming (selling) shares directly.

The minimum initial investment in Class A or Class C shares is $1,000. Additional investments can be as little as $100. These minimums may be waived in certain cases.

The minimum initial investment in Institutional Class shares is $1 million. This minimum may be waived in certain cases.

TAX INFORMATION

Unless you invest in the Fund through a tax-advantaged retirement plan or account or are a tax-exempt investor, you will be subject to tax on Fund distributions to you of ordinary income and/or net capital gains. Those distributions generally are not taxable to such a plan or account or a tax-exempt investor.

PAYMENTS TO INVESTMENT PROVIDERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

If you purchase shares of the Fund through an investment provider or other financial intermediary, such as a bank, brokerage firm, workplace retirement program, or financial adviser (who may be affiliated with Neuberger Berman), the Fund and/or Neuberger Berman BD LLC and/or its affiliates may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the investment provider or other financial intermediary and its employees to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your investment provider or visit its website for more information.

Descriptions of Certain Practices and Security Types

Foreign Stocks. There are many promising opportunities for investment outside the United States. Foreign markets can respond to different factors and therefore may follow cycles that are different from each other. For this reason, many investors put a portion of their portfolios in foreign investments as a way of gaining further diversification.

Value Investing. At any given time, there are companies whose stock prices, whether based on earnings, book value, or other financial measures, do not reflect their full economic opportunities. This happens when investors under-appreciate the business potential of these companies, or are distracted by transient or non-fundamental issues. The value investor examines these companies, searching for those that may rise in price when other investors realize their worth.

Growth Investing. For growth investors, the aim is to invest in companies that are already successful but could be even more so. Often, these stocks are in emerging or rapidly growing industries. While most growth stocks are known to investors, they may not yet have reached their full potential. The growth investor looks for indications of continued success.

Call Options. A call option gives the purchaser the right to buy an underlying asset or other reference instrument at a specified price, regardless of the instrument’s market price at the time. Writing (selling) a call option obligates the writer (seller) to sell the underlying asset or other reference instrument to the purchaser at a specified price if the purchaser decides to exercise the option. A call option is “covered” if the writer (seller) simultaneously holds an equivalent position in the security underlying the option. The writer (seller) receives a premium when it writes a call option. Purchasing a call option gives the purchaser the right to buy the underlying asset or other reference instrument from the writer (seller) at a specified price if the purchaser decides to exercise the option. The purchaser pays a premium when it purchases a call option.

Put Options. A put option gives the purchaser the right to sell an underlying asset or other reference instrument at a specified price, regardless of the instrument’s market price at the time. Writing (selling) a put option obligates the writer (seller) to buy the underlying asset or other reference instrument from the purchaser at a specified price if the purchaser decides to exercise the option. The writer (seller) receives a premium when it writes a put option. Purchasing a put option gives the purchaser the right to sell the underlying asset or other reference instrument to the writer (seller) at a specified price if the purchaser decides to exercise the option. The purchaser pays a premium when it purchases a put option.

Additional Information about Principal Investment Risks

This section provides additional information about a Fund’s principal investment risks described in its Fund Summary section. The following risks are described in alphabetical order and not in order of importance or potential exposure.

Catalyst Risk. Investing in companies in anticipation of a catalyst carries the risk that the catalyst may not happen as anticipated, possibly due to the actions of other market participants, or may happen in modified or conditional form, or the market may react to the catalyst differently than expected. Furthermore, a catalyst, such as a pending restructuring or spin-off, may be renegotiated or terminated or involve a longer time frame than originally contemplated. In addition, certain catalysts, such as emergence from, or restructuring as a result of, bankruptcy, carry additional risks, and the securities of such companies may be more likely to lose value than the securities of more stable companies. Securities of issuers undergoing such an event may be more volatile than other securities, may at times be illiquid and may be difficult to value, and management of such a company may be addressing a situation with which it has little experience. In circumstances where the anticipated catalyst does not occur or the position is no longer an attractive investment opportunity, the Fund may incur losses by liquidating that position. If the catalyst later appears unlikely to occur or is delayed, the market prices of the securities may decline sharply.

Currency Risk. To the extent that the Fund invests in securities or other investments denominated in or indexed to foreign currencies, changes in currency exchange rates could adversely impact investment gains or add to investment losses. Domestic issuers that hold substantial foreign assets may be similarly affected. Currency exchange rates can be affected unpredictably by intervention, or failure to intervene, by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks or by currency controls or political developments in the U.S. or abroad. To the extent the Fund invests or hedges based on the perceived relationship between two currencies, there is a risk that the correlation between those currencies may not behave as anticipated.

Foreign and Emerging Market Risk. Foreign securities, including those issued by foreign governments, involve risks in addition to those associated with comparable U.S. securities. Additional risks include exposure to less developed or less efficient trading markets; social, political, diplomatic, or economic instability; trade barriers and other protectionist trade policies (including those of the U.S.); significant government involvement in an economy and/or market structure; fluctuations in foreign currencies or currency redenomination; potential for default on sovereign debt; nationalization or expropriation of assets; settlement, custodial or other operational risks; higher transaction costs; confiscatory withholding or other taxes; and less stringent auditing, corporate disclosure, governance, and legal standards. The Fund may have limited or no legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain foreign securities. In addition, key information about the issuer, the markets or the local government or economy may be unavailable, incomplete, or inaccurate. As a result, foreign securities may fluctuate more widely in price, and may also be less liquid, than comparable U.S. securities. World markets, or those in a particular region, may all react in similar fashion to important economic or political developments. In addition, securities issued by U.S. entities with substantial foreign operations may involve risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions in foreign countries, as well as currency exchange rates. Regardless of where a company is organized or its stock is traded, its performance may be affected significantly by events in regions from which it derives its profits or in which it conducts significant operations.

Investing in emerging market countries involves risks in addition to and greater than those generally associated with investing in more developed foreign countries. The governments of emerging market countries may be more unstable and more likely to impose capital controls, nationalize a company or industry, place restrictions on foreign ownership and on withdrawing sale proceeds of securities from the country, and/or impose burdensome taxes that could adversely affect security prices. In addition, the economies of emerging market countries may be dependent on relatively few industries that are more susceptible to local and global changes, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates. Emerging market countries may also have less developed legal and accounting systems. Securities markets in emerging market countries are also relatively small and have substantially lower trading volumes. Additionally, in times of market stress, regulatory authorities of different emerging market countries may apply varying techniques and degrees of intervention, which can have an effect on prices. Securities of issuers in emerging market countries may be more volatile and less liquid than securities of issuers in foreign countries with more developed economies or markets and may require that the Fund fair value its holdings in those countries.

Securities of issuers traded on exchanges may be suspended, either by the issuers themselves, by an exchange, or by governmental authorities. The likelihood of such suspensions may be higher for securities of issuers in emerging or less-developed market countries than in countries with more developed markets. Trading suspensions may be applied from time to time to the securities of individual issuers for reasons specific to that issuer, or may be applied broadly by exchanges or governmental authorities in response to market events. Suspensions may last for significant periods of time, during which trading in the securities and in instruments that reference the securities, such as participatory notes (or “P-notes”) or other derivative instruments, may be halted. In the event that the Fund holds material positions in such suspended securities or instruments, the Fund’s ability to liquidate its positions or provide liquidity to investors may be compromised and the Fund could incur significant losses.

In addition, foreign markets may perform differently than the U.S. market. Over a given period of time, foreign securities may underperform U.S. securities—sometimes for years. The Fund could also underperform if it invests in countries or regions whose economic performance falls short. Further, from time to time, based on market or economic conditions, the Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in one country or geographic region. If the Fund does so, there is a greater risk that economic, political, regulatory, diplomatic, social and environmental conditions in that particular country or geographic region may have a significant impact on the Fund’s performance and that the Fund’s performance will be more volatile than the performance of more geographically diversified funds. The economies and financial markets of certain regions can be highly interdependent and may decline all at the same time. In addition, certain areas are prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, droughts or tsunamis and are economically sensitive to environmental events.

The effect of economic instability on specific foreign markets or issuers may be difficult to predict or evaluate. Some national economies continue to show profound instability, which may in turn affect their international trading and financial partners or other members of their currency bloc.

Growth Stock Risk. Because the prices of most growth stocks are based on future expectations, these stocks tend to be more sensitive than value stocks to bad economic news and negative earnings surprises. The Fund attempts to lessen the risk of such losses by seeking growth stocks that sell at what the adviser believes are reasonable prices. If the adviser is incorrect in its assessment of a stock’s value, this strategy may not provide the expected downside protection. Bad economic news or changing investor perceptions may adversely affect growth stocks across several sectors and industries simultaneously. Growth stocks also may lack the dividends often associated with value stocks that can cushion their decline in a falling market. While the price of any type of stock may rise and fall rapidly, growth stocks may underperform during periods when the market favors value stocks.

High Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading and may have a high portfolio turnover rate, which may increase the Fund’s transaction costs, may adversely affect the Fund’s performance and may generate a greater amount of capital gain distributions to shareholders than if the Fund had a low portfolio turnover rate.

Issuer-Specific Risk. An individual security may be more volatile, and may perform differently, than the market as a whole. The value of an issuer’s securities may deteriorate because of a variety of factors, including disappointing earnings reports by the issuer, unsuccessful products or services, loss of major customers, major litigation against the issuer, or changes in government regulations affecting the issuer or the competitive environment. Certain unanticipated events, such as natural disasters, may have a significant adverse effect on the value of an issuer’s securities.

Liquidity Risk.  From time to time, the trading market for a particular investment in which the Fund invests, or a particular instrument in which the Fund is invested, may become less liquid or even illiquid. Illiquid investments frequently can be more difficult to purchase or sell at an advantageous price or time. Certain investments that were liquid when the Fund purchased them may become illiquid, sometimes abruptly, particularly during periods of increased market volatility or adverse investor perception. An inability to sell a portfolio position can adversely affect the Fund’s value or prevent the Fund from being able to take advantage of other investment opportunities.  Market prices for such securities or other investments may be volatile.  During periods of substantial market volatility, an investment or even an entire market segment may become illiquid, sometimes abruptly, which can adversely affect the Fund’s ability to limit losses.

Liquidity risk may be magnified in rising interest rate environments due to higher than normal redemption rates.  Unexpected episodes of illiquidity may limit the Fund’s ability to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period. To meet redemption requests during periods of illiquidity, the Fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

Market Capitalization Risk (Small-, Mid- and Large-Cap Companies Risk). To the extent the Fund invests in securities of small-, mid-, or large-cap companies, it takes on the associated risks. At times, any one of these market capitalizations may be out of favor with investors. Compared to small- and mid-cap companies, large-cap companies may be unable to respond as quickly to changes and opportunities. Compared to large-cap companies, small- and mid-cap companies may depend on a more limited management group, may have a shorter history of operations, and may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources. The securities of small- and mid-cap companies may fluctuate more widely in price than the market as a whole, may be difficult to sell when the economy is not robust or during market downturns, and may be more affected than other types of securities by the underperformance of a sector or during market downturns. There may also be less trading in small- or mid-cap securities, which means that buy and sell transactions in those securities could have a larger impact on a security’s price than is the case with large-cap securities and the Fund may not be able to liquidate a position at a particular time.

The Fund may define small-, mid-, and/or large-capitalization companies by reference to the market capitalization range of companies in a named index. The size of companies in an index changes with market conditions. In addition, changes to the composition of an index can change the market capitalization range of companies in the index and, therefore, the market capitalization range of companies in which a Fund invests.

Market Volatility Risk. Markets may be volatile and values of individual securities and other investments, including those of a particular type, may decline significantly in response to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, economic or other developments that may cause broad changes in market value, public perceptions concerning these developments, and adverse investor sentiment. Changes in the financial condition of a single issuer may impact a market as a whole. Changes in value may be temporary or may last for extended periods. If the Fund sells a portfolio position before it reaches its market peak, it may miss out on opportunities for better performance. Geopolitical risks, including terrorism, tensions or open conflict between nations, or political or economic dysfunction within some nations that are major players on the world stage, may lead to overall instability in world economies and markets generally and have led, and may in the future lead, to increased market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects.

Operational and Cybersecurity Risk. The Fund and its service providers, and your ability to transact with the Fund, may be negatively impacted due to operational matters arising from, among other problems, human errors, systems and technology disruptions or failures, or cybersecurity incidents. Cybersecurity incidents may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to fund assets, customer data, or proprietary information, or cause the Fund or its service providers, as well as the securities trading venues and their service providers, to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality. A cybersecurity incident could, among other things, result in the loss or theft of customer data or funds, customers or employees being unable to access electronic systems (“denial of services”), loss or theft of proprietary information or corporate data, physical damage to a computer or network system, or remediation costs associated with system repairs. Any of these results could have a substantial adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders.

The occurrence of any of these problems could result in a loss of information, regulatory scrutiny, reputational damage and other consequences, any of which could have a material adverse effect on the Fund or its shareholders. The Manager, through its monitoring and oversight of Fund service providers, endeavors to determine that service providers take appropriate precautions to avoid and mitigate risks that could lead to such problems. While the Manager has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address these problems, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, and it is not possible for the Manager or the other Fund service providers to identify all of the cybersecurity or other operational risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects. Most issuers in which the Fund invests are heavily dependent on computers for data storage and operations, and require ready access to the internet to conduct their business. Thus, cybersecurity incidents could also affect issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, leading to significant loss of value.

Options Risk. The use of options involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. If a strategy is applied at an inappropriate time or market conditions or trends are judged incorrectly, the use of options may lower the Fund’s return. There can be no guarantee that the use of options will increase the Fund’s return or income. In addition, there may be an imperfect correlation between the movement in prices of options and the securities underlying them and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for various options. Government legislation or regulation could affect the use of derivatives and could limit the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment strategies.

When the Fund writes a covered call option, it assumes the risk that it will have to sell the underlying security at an exercise price that may be lower than the market price of the security, and it gives up the opportunity to profit from a price increase in the underlying security above the exercise price. If a call option that the Fund has written is exercised, the Fund will experience a gain or loss from the sale of the underlying security. If a call option that the Fund has written expires unexercised, the Fund will experience a gain in the amount of the premium it received; however, that gain may be offset by a decline in the market value of the underlying security during the option period.

When the Fund writes a put option, it assumes the risk that it will have to purchase the underlying security at an exercise price that may be higher than the market price of the security and the possibility of a loss up to the entire exercise price of each option it sells but without the corresponding opportunity to benefit from potential increases in the value of the underlying security. If the market price of the underlying security declines, the Fund would expect to suffer a loss. However, the premium the Fund received for writing the put should offset a portion of the decline.

If an option is purchased by the Fund and is never exercised or closed out, the Fund will lose the amount of the premium paid and the use of those funds.

Private Placements and Other Restricted Securities Risk. Private placements and other restricted securities are securities that are subject to legal restrictions on their sale and may not be sold to the public unless registered under the applicable securities laws or that have a contractual restriction that prohibits or limits their sale. These securities may not be listed on an exchange and may have no active trading market. As a result of the absence of a public trading market, the prices of these securities may be more volatile and more difficult to determine than publicly traded securities and these securities may involve heightened risk as compared to investments in securities of publicly traded companies. Private placements and other restricted securities may be illiquid, and it frequently can be difficult to sell them at a time when it may otherwise be desirable to do so or the Fund may be able to sell them only at prices that are less than what the Fund regards as their fair market value. A security that was liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid. In addition, transaction costs may be higher for private placements and other restricted securities. The Fund may have to bear the expense of registering such securities for sale and there may be substantial delays in effecting the registration. If, during such a delay, adverse market conditions were to develop, the Fund might obtain a less favorable price than prevailed at the time it decided to seek registration of the securities. In addition, the Fund may get only limited information about the issuer of a private placement or other restricted security, so it may be less able to anticipate a loss. Also, if Fund management receives material non-public information about the issuer, the Fund may, as a result, be unable to sell the securities.

Recent Market Conditions. Some countries, including the U.S., are considering the adoption of more protectionist trade policies, a move away from the tighter financial industry regulations that followed the 2008 financial crisis, and substantially reducing corporate taxes. The U.S. is also said to be considering significant new investments in infrastructure and national defense which, coupled with the prospect of lower federal taxes, could lead to sharply increased government borrowing and higher interest rates. The exact shape of these policies is still being worked out through the political process, but the equity and debt markets may react strongly to expectations, which could increase volatility, especially if the market’s expectations for changes in government policies are not borne out.

High public debt in the U.S. and other countries creates ongoing systemic and market risks and policymaking uncertainty. Interest rates have been unusually low in recent years in the U.S. and abroad. Because there is little precedent for this situation, it is difficult to predict the impact on various markets of a significant rate increase or other significant policy changes, whether brought about by U.S. policy makers or by dislocations in world markets. For example, because investors may buy equity securities or other investments with borrowed money, a significant increase in interest rates may cause a decline in the markets for those investments.

In addition, global economies and financial markets are increasingly interconnected, which increases the possibilities that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact issuers in a different country or region. For example, official statistics indicate a recent growth rate in China that is significantly lower than that in the early part of the decade. This has adversely affected worldwide commodity prices and the economies of many countries, especially those that depend heavily on commodity production and/or trade with China. A rise in protectionist trade policies, and the possibility of changes to some international trade agreements, could affect the economies of many nations in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time.

The precise details and the resulting impact of the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union (the “EU”), commonly referred to as “Brexit,” are impossible to know for sure at this point. The effect on the economies of the United Kingdom and the EU will likely depend on the nature of trade relations between the UK and the EU and other major economies following Brexit, which are matters to be negotiated.

Unexpected political, regulatory and diplomatic events within the U.S. and abroad may affect investor and consumer confidence and may adversely impact financial markets and the broader economy, perhaps suddenly and to a significant degree.

Redemption Risk. The Fund may experience periods of heavy redemptions that could cause the Fund to sell assets at inopportune times or at a loss or depressed value. Redemption risk is greater to the extent that one or more investors or intermediaries control a large percentage of investments in the Fund, have short investment horizons, or have unpredictable cash flow needs. In addition, redemption risk is heightened during periods of declining or illiquid markets. Heavy redemptions could hurt the Fund’s performance.

Risk Management. Management undertakes certain analyses with the intention of identifying particular types of risks and reducing the Fund’s exposure to them. However, risk is an essential part of investing, and the degree of return an investor might expect is often tied to the degree of risk the investor is willing to accept. By its very nature, risk involves exposure to the possibility of adverse events. Accordingly, no risk management program can eliminate the Fund’s exposure to such events; at best, it may only reduce the possibility that the Fund will be affected by adverse events, and especially those risks that are not intrinsic to the Fund’s investment program. While the prospectus describes material risk factors associated with the Fund’s investment program, there is no assurance that as a particular situation unfolds in the markets, management will identify all of the risks that might affect the Fund, rate their probability or potential magnitude correctly, or be able to take appropriate measures to reduce the Fund’s exposure to them. Measures taken with the intention of decreasing exposure to identified risks might have the unintended effect of increasing exposure to other risks.

Sector Risk. From time to time, based on market or economic conditions, the Fund may have significant positions in one or more sectors of the market. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in one sector, industry, or sub-sector of the market, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors, industries, or sub-sectors. An individual sector, industry, or sub-sector of the market may be more volatile, and may perform differently, than the broader market. The industries that constitute a sector may all react in the same way to economic, political or regulatory events. The Fund’s performance could also be affected if the sectors, industries, or sub-sectors do not perform as expected. Alternatively, the lack of exposure to one or more sectors or industries may adversely affect performance. For a summary of the Fund’s recent sector allocations, see its most recent shareholder report. (The information in the report is as of the date of the report and may have changed.) For information about the risks of investing in particular sectors, see the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.

Valuation Risk. The price at which the Fund sells any particular investment may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the investment. Such differences could be significant, particularly for illiquid securities and securities that trade in relatively thin markets and/or markets that experience extreme volatility. If market or other conditions make it difficult to value some investments, SEC rules and applicable accounting protocols may require the Fund to value these investments using more subjective methods, known as fair value methodologies. Using fair value methodologies to price investments may result in a value that is different from an investment’s most recent closing price and from the prices used by other mutual funds to calculate their NAVs. Investors who purchase or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received if the Fund had not held fair-valued securities or had used a different valuation methodology. The value of foreign securities, certain futures and fixed income securities, and currencies, as applicable, may be materially affected by events after the close of the markets on which they are traded but before the Fund determines its net asset value. The Fund’s ability to value its investments in an accurate and timely manner may be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by third party service providers, such as pricing services or accounting agents.

Value Stock Risk. Value stocks may remain undervalued or may decrease in value during a given period, may not ever realize what the portfolio management team believes to be their full value or intrinsic value, or may turn out to have been appropriately priced at the time the Fund purchased them. This may happen because value stocks, as a category, lose favor with investors compared to growth stocks, because of a failure to anticipate which stocks or industries would benefit from changing market or economic conditions, a misappraisal of a stock’s growth potential, or because the stocks’ worth was misgauged. Entire industries or sectors may lose favor with investors, and the Fund, in seeking value stocks, may focus its investments more heavily in those industries or sectors.

Information about Additional Risks

As discussed in the Statement of Additional Information, a Fund may engage in certain practices and invest in certain securities in addition to those described as its “principal investment strategies” in the Fund Summary section. For example, should a Fund engage in borrowing or securities lending, or should a Fund use derivatives or invest in foreign securities, it will be subject to the additional risks associated with these practices and securities.

Borrowing money, securities lending, or using derivatives would create investment leverage, meaning that certain gains or losses would be amplified, increasing share price movements. A Fund that does not engage in derivatives as part of its principal investment strategy may, to a limited extent, use certain derivatives for hedging or investment purposes. A derivative instrument, whether used for hedging or for speculation, could fail to perform as expected, causing a loss for a Fund.

Foreign securities, including the securities issued by foreign governments, involve risks in addition to those associated with comparable U.S. securities, and can fluctuate more widely in price, and may also be less liquid, than comparable U.S. securities. Securities issued by U.S. entities with substantial foreign operations or holdings may involve risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions in foreign countries, as well as currency exchange rates.

In addition, a Fund may be an investment option for a Neuberger Berman mutual fund that is managed as a “fund of funds.” As a result, from time to time, a Fund may experience relatively large redemptions or investments and could be required to sell securities or to invest cash at a time when it is not advantageous to do so.

In anticipation of adverse or uncertain market, economic, political, or other temporary conditions, including during periods of high cash inflows or outflows, the Fund may temporarily depart from its goal and use a different investment strategy (including leaving a significant portion of its assets uninvested) for defensive purposes. Doing so could help a Fund avoid losses, but may mean lost opportunities. In addition, in doing so different factors could affect a Fund’s performance and a Fund may not achieve its goal.

Please see the Statement of Additional Information for more information.

Descriptions of Indices

The Russell 2000® Index is a float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index that measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity market. It includes approximately 2,000 of the smallest securities in the Russell 3000 Index (which measures the performance of the 3,000 largest U.S. public companies based on total market capitalization). The index is rebalanced annually in June.

The Russell 2000® Growth Index is a float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index that measures the performance of the small-cap growth segment of the U.S. equity market. It includes those Russell 2000 Index companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth rates. The index is rebalanced annually in June.

The S&P 500® Index is a float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index that focuses on the large-cap segment of the U.S. equity market, and includes a significant portion of the total value of the market.

Management of the Funds

Investment Manager

Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC (“Manager”), located at [1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104], is each Fund’s investment manager and administrator. Neuberger Berman BD LLC (“Distributor”), located at [1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104], is each Fund’s distributor. Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement, the Manager is responsible for choosing a Fund’s investments and handling its day-to-day business. The Manager carries out its duties subject to the policies established by the Board of Trustees. The investment advisory agreement establishes the fees a Fund pays to the Manager for its services as the Fund’s investment manager and the expenses paid directly by the Fund. Together, the Neuberger Berman affiliates manage approximately $___ billion in total assets (as of 9/30/2018) and continue an asset management history that began in 1939.

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of each Fund's investment advisory agreement is available in the Funds' semi-annual report for the fiscal period ended February 28, 2018.

NBIA may engage one or more of foreign affiliates that are not registered under the 1940 Act (“participating affiliates”) in accordance with applicable SEC no-action letters. As participating affiliates, whether or not registered with the SEC, the affiliates may provide designated investment personnel to associate with NBIA as “associated persons” of NBIA and perform specific advisory services for NBIA, including services for the Fund, which may involve, among other services, portfolio management and/or placing orders for securities and other instruments. The employees of a participating affiliate are designated to act for NBIA and are subject to certain NBIA policies and procedures as well as supervision and periodic monitoring by NBIA.

Neither this Prospectus nor the Statement of Additional Information is intended to give rise to any contract rights or other rights in any shareholder, other than any rights conferred explicitly by federal or state securities laws that have not been waived. The Funds enter into contractual arrangements with various parties, including, among others, the Manager, who provide services to the Funds. Shareholders are not parties to, or intended to be third party beneficiaries of, those contractual arrangements. Where shareholders are not third party beneficiaries of contractual arrangements, those contractual arrangements cannot be enforced by shareholders acting on their own behalf.

Neuberger Berman Guardian Fund: For the 12 months ended 8/31/2018, the management fees (i.e., advisory and administration fees) paid to the Manager by the Fund were [0.76]%, [0.76]% and [0.65]%, respectively, of average daily net assets for Class A, Class C and Institutional Class.

Neuberger Berman Small Cap Growth Fund: For the 12 months ended 8/31/2018, the management fees (i.e., advisory and administration fees) paid to the Manager by the Fund were [1.11]%, [1.11]%, and [1.00]%, respectively, of average daily net assets for Class A, Class C and Institutional Class.

Portfolio Managers

Please see the Statement of Additional Information for additional information about each Portfolio Manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by each Portfolio Manager, and each Portfolio Manager’s ownership of shares in the Fund(s) that he or she manages.

Neuberger Berman Guardian Fund

Charles Kantor is a Managing Director of the Manager. He joined the firm in 2000 and has managed the Fund since October 2015.

Marc Regenbaum is a Managing Director of the Manager. Mr. Regenbaum joined the firm in 2007 and has been an Associate Portfolio Manager of the Fund since February 2017. Prior to being named Associate Portfolio Manager, Mr. Regenbaum was a Senior Research Analyst for the Long Short and U.S. Equity Team.

Neuberger Berman Small Cap Growth Fund

Kenneth J. Turek is a Managing Director of the Manager. He joined the firm in 2002 and has managed the Fund since November 2015.

Chad Bruso is a Senior Vice President of the Manager. He joined the firm in 2006 and has managed the Fund since November 2015.

Marco Minonne is a Senior Vice President of the Manager. He joined the firm in 2013 and has managed the Fund since November 2015. Prior to joining the firm, he was an analyst at an investment company.

Trevor Moreno is a Senior Vice President of the Manager. He joined the firm in 2014 and has managed the Fund since November 2015. Prior to joining the firm, he was an assistant portfolio manager and equity analyst at an investment company.

YOUR INVESTMENT

Shares of the Funds generally are available only through financial intermediaries. For certain investors, shares of a Fund may also be available directly from Neuberger Berman BD LLC, the Funds' Distributor. See “Maintaining Your Account”.

Choosing a Share Class

The Funds offer different classes of shares through this prospectus. Each share class is available through various investment programs or accounts, including certain types of retirement plans and accounts (see limitations below). The services or share classes available to you may vary depending upon how you wish to purchase shares of a Fund.

Each share class represents investment in the same portfolio of securities, but each class has its own sales charge and expense structure, allowing you to choose the class that best fits your situation. When you purchase shares of a Fund, you should choose a share class. If none is chosen, your investment will be made in Class A shares.

Factors you should consider in choosing a class of shares include:

 

■	how long you expect to own the shares
■	how much you intend to invest
■	total expenses associated with owning shares of each class
■	whether you qualify for any reduction or waiver of sales charges (for example, Class A shares may be a less expensive option than Class C shares over time, particularly if you qualify for a sales charge reduction or waiver)
■	whether you plan to take any distributions in the near future
■	availability of (and eligibility for) share classes.

 

Each investor’s financial considerations are different. You should speak with your financial intermediary to help you decide which share class is best for you.

Summary of Primary Differences Among Share Classes

 

 

  

 

Maintaining Your Account

Purchase of Class A and Class C shares —To open an account and purchase Class A and Class C shares of a Fund, contact any financial intermediary authorized to sell the Fund’s shares. Financial intermediaries may have sales charges and/or policies and procedures regarding the availability of front-end sales charge waivers or contingent deferred sales charge waivers applicable to their customers that differ from those discussed herein; any such differences are described in Appendix A to this prospectus. All variations described in Appendix A are applied by, and are the responsibility of, the identified financial intermediary. Such variations may apply to purchases, sales, exchanges and reinvestments of Fund shares. In all instances, it is the purchaser’s responsibility to notify the Distributor or the purchaser’s financial intermediary at the time of purchase of any relationship or other facts qualifying the purchaser for sales charge waivers or discounts. For waivers and discounts not available through a particular financial intermediary, shareholders will have to purchase Fund shares directly from the Distributor, if eligible, or through another financial intermediary to receive these waivers or discounts. See “Financial Intermediaries” if you are buying shares through a financial intermediary.

For Grandfathered Investors (as defined below), instructions for buying shares directly from Neuberger Berman BD LLC, the Funds' Distributor, are under “Buying Shares.”

Purchase of Institutional Class shares —To open an account and purchase Institutional Class shares of a Fund, contact any financial intermediary authorized to sell the Fund’s shares. See “Financial Intermediaries” if you are buying shares through a financial intermediary.

Institutional Class shares are available for purchase (i) primarily through omnibus accounts (either at the plan level or at the level of the financial intermediary) by certain qualified retirement plans (including 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans), profit-sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, (ii) primarily through omnibus accounts by financial intermediaries (including, but not limited to registered investment advisors and financial planners) that have entered into an agreement with the Distributor or an affiliate, (iii) by institutional investors, if approved by the Distributor, or (iv) by accounts or funds managed by the Manager or an affiliate (including the funds in the Neuberger Berman family of funds).

For shareholders who are eligible to buy Institutional Class shares directly from the Distributor (“Eligible Investors”), instructions for buying shares directly from the Distributor are under “Buying Shares.”

If you transact in Institutional Class shares, you may be required to pay a commission to a financial intermediary acting as your broker. You may be eligible to transact in the other share classes that are offered by the Fund that have different fees and expenses.

When you buy shares —Investment checks must be drawn on a U.S. bank. We cannot accept cash, money orders, starter checks, travelers checks, or other cash equivalents. We do accept Bank Checks and Cashier’s Checks from U.S. Financial Institutions.

When you buy shares, you will receive the next share price to be calculated after your order has been received in proper form. Purchase orders are deemed “received in proper form” when the Funds' transfer agent has received payment for the shares. In the case of certain institutional investors and financial intermediaries, the Distributor will process purchase orders when received, on the basis of a pre-existing arrangement to make payment by the following morning. In addition, if you have established a systematic investment program (SIP) with one or more of the Funds, your order is deemed received in proper form on the date you pre-selected on your SIP application for the systematic investments to occur. If you use a financial intermediary, you should check with that provider to find out by what time your purchase order must be received so that it can be processed the same day. Depending on when it accepts orders, it is possible that a Fund’s share price could change on days when you are unable to buy shares.

Whenever you make an initial investment in a Fund or add to your existing account (except with an automatic investment), you will be sent a statement confirming your transaction if you bought shares directly. Investors who bought shares through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary for information regarding transaction statements.

Purchase minimums —The minimum initial investment in Class A or Class C shares is $1,000. Additional investments in Class A or Class C shares can be as little as $100. The minimum initial investment in Institutional Class shares is $1 million. These minimums may be waived in certain cases. See the Statement of Additional Information for more information.

Purchase maximums —For Class C shares, a purchase transaction may not (1) be $1 million or above or (2) increase an investor’s aggregate holdings in Class C shares to $1 million or above.

In addition, if you have significant holdings in the fund family, you may not be eligible to invest in Class C shares. Specifically, you may not purchase Class C shares if you are eligible to purchase Class A shares at the $1 million or more sales charge discount rate (i.e., at net asset value). See “Sales Charges” and the Statement of Additional Information for more information regarding sales charge discounts.

When you sell shares —To sell shares you bought through a financial intermediary, contact your financial intermediary. See “Financial Intermediaries” if you are selling shares through a financial intermediary. If you bought your shares directly from the Distributor, instructions for selling shares are under “Selling Shares.”

When you sell shares, you will receive the next share price to be calculated after your order has been received in proper form, minus any applicable contingent deferred sales charge. Redemption orders are deemed “received in proper form” when a Fund’s transfer agent has received your order to sell.

If you use a financial intermediary, you should check with that provider to find out by what time your redemption order must be received so that it can be processed the same day. Depending on when it accepts orders, it is possible that a Fund’s share price could change on days when you are unable to sell shares.

In some cases, you will have to place your order to sell shares in writing, and you will need a Medallion signature guarantee (see “Medallion Signature Guarantees”).

When selling Class A or Class C shares in an account that you do not intend to close, remember to leave at least $1,000 worth of shares in the account. When selling Institutional Class shares in an account that you do not intend to close, remember to leave at least $1 million worth of shares in the account. Otherwise, a Fund has the right to request that you bring the balance back up to the minimum level. If you have not done so within 60 days, we may close your account and redeem the proceeds. Institutional Class shareholders of a Fund as of the opening of regular trading on the Exchange on July 1, 2009, may continue to hold and buy Institutional Class shares of the Fund as long as they continuously maintain an account of at least $1 million in Institutional Class shares of the Fund; however, this minimum may be waived by the Distributor in certain cases.

The Funds reserve the right to pay in kind for redemptions. The Funds do not redeem in kind under normal circumstances, but would do so when the Manager or the Board of Trustees determines that it is in the best interests of a Fund’s shareholders as a whole or the transaction is otherwise effected in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. Institutional Class shareholders are urged to call 800-366-6264 before effecting any large redemption.

Class A and Class C only —You may reinvest proceeds from a redemption, dividend payment or capital gain distribution without a sales charge in a Fund or another fund in the fund family provided the reinvestment is made into the same account from which you redeemed the shares or received the distribution. Financial intermediaries may have sales charges and/or policies and procedures regarding the availability of front-end sales charge waivers or contingent deferred sales charge waivers applicable to their customers that differ; any such differences are described in Appendix A to this prospectus. If the account has been closed, reinvestment can be made without a sales charge if the new receiving account has the same registration as the closed account. Proceeds from a redemption and all dividend payments and capital gain distributions will be reinvested in the same share class from which the original redemption or distribution was made. Upon an eligible reinvestment, any contingent deferred sales charge on Class A or Class C shares will be credited to your account. Proceeds will be reinvested at the next calculated net asset value after your request is received in proper form. Redemption proceeds from a systematic withdrawal plan are not eligible for reinvestment without a sales charge.

Uncashed checks —We do not pay interest on uncashed checks from Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. We are not responsible for checks after they are sent to you. Checks will not be forwarded if the address of record is incorrect. After allowing a reasonable time for delivery, please call us if you have not received an expected check. While we cannot track a check, we may make arrangements for a replacement. We may be required to transfer assets related to uncashed checks to a state government under the state’s unclaimed or abandoned property law.

When you exchange Class A and Class C shares —Generally, you can move an investment from one fund to a comparable class of another fund in the fund family (or to an eligible money market fund outside the fund family) through an exchange of shares or by electing to use your cash distributions from one fund to purchase shares of the other fund, both without a sales charge. Financial intermediaries may have sales charges and/or policies and procedures regarding the availability of front-end sales charge waivers or contingent deferred sales charge waivers applicable to their customers that differ; any such differences are described in Appendix A to this prospectus. Exchanges from eligible money market funds outside the fund family will be subject to applicable sales charges on the fund being purchased, unless the eligible money market fund shares were acquired through an exchange from a fund in the fund family having a sales charge or by reinvestment or cross-reinvestment of dividends or capital gain distributions from a fund in the fund family having a sales charge. Currently, most, but not all, funds in the fund family offer Class A and Class C shares.

When you exchange Institutional Class shares —Generally, you can move an investment from one fund to a comparable class of another fund in the fund family (or to an eligible money market fund outside the fund family) through an exchange of shares or by electing to use your cash distributions from one fund to purchase shares of the other fund.

When you exchange shares —There are three things to remember when making an exchange:

 

■	both accounts must have the same registration
■	you will need to observe any eligibility requirements, including minimum investment and minimum account balance requirements for the fund accounts involved
■	because an exchange is treated as a sale (redemption) of the exchanged shares for federal income tax purposes, consider any tax consequences before placing your order.

 

The exchange privilege can be withdrawn from any investor that we believe is trying to “time the market” or is otherwise making exchanges that we judge to be excessive. Frequent exchanges can interfere with Fund management and affect costs and performance for other shareholders. Contact your financial intermediary to see if it allows you to take advantage of the fund exchange program and for its policies to effect an exchange.

Grandfathered Investors generally are also eligible to take advantage of the exchange privilege assuming that they meet the requirements set forth above.

See “Additional Exchange Information” in the Statement of Additional Information for information regarding eligible money market funds outside the fund family.

Placing orders by telephone —If you use a financial intermediary, contact your financial intermediary for its policies regarding telephone orders.

If you bought your shares directly from the Distributor, you have the option of placing telephone orders, subject to certain restrictions. This option is available to you unless you indicate on your account application (or in a subsequent letter to us or to State Street Bank and Trust Company) that you do not want it.

Whenever we receive a telephone order, we take steps to make sure the order is legitimate. These may include asking for identifying information and recording the call. As long as a Fund and its representatives take reasonable measures to verify the authenticity of calls, investors may be responsible for any losses caused by unauthorized telephone orders.

In unusual circumstances, it may be difficult to place an order by phone. In these cases, consider sending your order by express delivery.

Proceeds from the sale of shares —For Class A and Class C shares, the proceeds from the shares you sell are typically sent out within two business days after your order is executed, and nearly always within seven days regardless of payment type. For Institutional Class shares, the proceeds from the shares you sell are typically sent out the next business day after your order is executed, and nearly always within seven days regardless of payment type. When you sell shares through your financial intermediary, contact your provider to find out when proceeds will be sent to you. There are two cases in which proceeds may be delayed beyond this time:

 

■	in unusual circumstances where the law allows additional time if needed
■	if a check you wrote to buy shares has not cleared by the time you sell those shares; clearance may take up to 15 calendar days from the date of purchase.

 

If you think you may need to sell shares soon after buying them, you can avoid the check clearing time by investing by wire.

The Funds do not issue certificates for shares.

The Funds typically expect to meet redemption requests, under both normal and stressed market conditions, by redeeming cash and cash equivalent portfolio holdings and/or selling portfolio securities or other instruments. As described further above and in the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information, the Funds also reserve the right to redeem an investor’s shares in kind (i.e., providing investors with portfolio securities instead of cash), in whole or in part to meet redemption requests in stressed market conditions and other appropriate circumstances.

Redemptions in kind may cause you to incur transaction costs to the extent you dispose of the securities redeemed in kind and the value of the securities redeemed in kind may decrease between the time of redemption and the time of such sale. The Funds may also borrow under any available line of credit and other available methods to meet redemption requests in both normal and stressed market conditions and other appropriate circumstances.

Other policies— Under certain circumstances, which may include normal and stressed market conditions, the Funds reserve the right to:

 

■	suspend the offering of shares
■	reject any exchange or purchase order
■	suspend or reject future purchase orders from any investor who has not provided timely payment to settle a purchase order
■	change, suspend, or revoke the exchange privilege
■	suspend the telephone order privilege
■	satisfy an order to sell Fund shares with securities rather than cash
■	suspend or postpone investors’ ability to sell Fund shares or postpone payments on redemptions for more than seven days, on days when trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“Exchange”) is restricted, or as otherwise permitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”)
■	change its investment minimums or other requirements for buying and selling, or waive any minimums or requirements for certain investors
■	remain open and process orders to purchase or sell Fund shares when the Exchange is closed.

 

Important information regarding unclaimed/abandoned property — If your financial intermediary (or, if you bought your shares directly, the Distributor) is unable to locate you, then it is required by law to determine whether your account(s) must be deemed “unclaimed” or “abandoned.” Your financial intermediary (or the Distributor) is required to transfer (or escheat) unclaimed or abandoned property to the appropriate state government in accordance with state law. Your account(s) may also be deemed “unclaimed” or “abandoned” and subsequently transferred to the appropriate state government if no activity (as defined by that state) occurs within the account(s) during the period of time specified by state law or if checks related to the account(s) remain uncashed. Your last known address of record determines which state has jurisdiction.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your financial intermediary (or the Distributor) maintains a correct address for your account(s). An incorrect address may cause your account statements and other mailings to be returned as undeliverable. Neither the Distributor nor a Fund nor its Transfer Agent will be liable to investors or their representatives for good faith compliance with state unclaimed or abandoned property (escheatment) laws. If you use a financial intermediary, contact that provider regarding applicable state escheatment laws.

Medallion Signature Guarantees

You may need a Medallion signature guarantee when you sell shares directly or through a financial intermediary. A Medallion signature guarantee is a guarantee that your signature is authentic.

Medallion signature guarantees are required for a variety of transactions including requests for changes to your account or to the instructions for distribution of proceeds. We reserve the right to require a Medallion signature guarantee on any transaction at our discretion.

Most banks, brokers, and other financial institutions can provide you with one. Some may charge a fee; others may not, particularly if you are a customer of theirs.

A notarized signature from a notary public is not a Medallion signature guarantee.

Financial Intermediaries

The shares available in this prospectus can be purchased through certain financial intermediaries such as banks, brokerage firms, workplace retirement programs, and financial advisers.

The minimum aggregate size for each financial intermediary’s account with a Fund is $1 million for Institutional Class shares. This minimum does not apply to your individual account; however, your financial intermediary may establish a minimum size for individual accounts. The Distributor can waive this $1 million minimum for financial intermediaries in appropriate cases.

The fees and policies outlined in this prospectus are set by the Funds and by the Distributor. However, if you use a financial intermediary, most of the information you will need for managing your investment will come from that provider. This includes information on how to buy and sell shares, investor services, and additional policies.

If you use a financial intermediary, contact that provider to buy or sell shares of the Funds described in this prospectus.

Most financial intermediaries allow you to take advantage of the fund exchange program, which is designed for moving an investment from one fund to a comparable class of another fund in the fund family if made available by that financial intermediary through an exchange of shares. Currently, most, but not all, funds in the fund family offer Class A and Class C shares.

In exchange for the services it offers, your financial intermediary may charge fees that are in addition to those described in this prospectus.

Additional Payments to Financial Intermediaries

The Distributor and/or its affiliates pay additional compensation, out of their own resources and not as an expense of the Funds, to certain financial intermediaries, including affiliates, in connection with the sale, distribution, retention and/or servicing of Fund shares. The amount of these payments may be substantial and may differ among financial intermediaries based on, for example, the level or type of services provided by a financial intermediary. These payments are in addition to any fees paid to compensate financial intermediaries for providing distribution related services to the Funds and/or administrative or shareholder services to Fund shareholders, as well as any commissions paid to financial intermediaries out of sales charges paid by investors. These arrangements are separately negotiated between the Distributor and/or its affiliates, and the recipients of these payments or their affiliates. If your financial intermediary receives such payments, these payments may provide an incentive for the financial intermediary to make the Fund’s shares available to you, or recommend the Fund. If you have purchased shares of a Fund through a financial intermediary, please speak with your financial intermediary to learn more about any payments it receives from the Distributor and/or its affiliates, as well as fees and/or commissions the financial intermediary charges. You should also consult disclosures made by your financial intermediary at the time of purchase. Any such payments by the Distributor or its affiliates will not change the net asset value or the price of a Fund's shares. For more information, please see the Funds' Statement of Additional Information.

Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Fees

The Funds have adopted plans pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Under the plans, each of Class A and Class C pays the Distributor a fee at an annual rate of 0.25% and 1.00%, respectively, of its average net assets to compensate financial intermediaries for providing distribution related services to a Fund and/or administrative or shareholder services to Fund shareholders. The Distributor may also retain part of this fee as compensation for providing these services. These fees increase the cost of investment. Because these fees are paid out of a Fund’s assets on an on-going basis, over the long term they could result in higher overall costs than other types of sales charges.

Information Required from New Accounts

To help the U.S. government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account.

When you open an account, we (which may include your financial intermediary acting on our behalf) will require your name, address, date of birth, and social security number or other taxpayer identification number. We may also require other identifying documents. If we cannot verify the information you supply to us or if it is incomplete, we may be required to return your funds or redeem your account.

Retirement Plans and Accounts

If you use a financial intermediary, contact that provider for information on retirement plans or accounts it may make available for investment in Fund shares.

Internet Access

If you use a financial intermediary, contact that provider about the services and information it provides on the Internet.

Share Prices

Because Class A shares of the Funds have an initial sales charge, the price you pay for each Class A share of a Fund is the Fund's offering price, which is the Fund’s net asset value per share plus any applicable sales charge. The initial sales charge for Class A shares of a Fund may be eliminated in certain circumstances. Because Class C shares of the Funds do not have an initial sales charge, the price you pay for each Class C share of a Fund is the Fund’s net asset value per share. Unless a contingent deferred sales charge is applied, a Fund pays you the full share price when you sell Class A or Class C shares (see “Sales Charges” for more information).

Because Institutional Class shares of the Funds do not have a sales charge, the price you pay for each Institutional Class share of a Fund is the Fund’s net asset value per share. Similarly, because there are no fees for selling Institutional Class shares, a Fund pays you the full share price when you sell Institutional Class shares.

If you use a financial intermediary, that provider may charge fees that are in addition to those described in this prospectus.

The Funds are generally open for business every day the Exchange is open. The Exchange is generally closed on all national holidays and Good Friday; Fund shares will not be priced on those days or other days on which the Exchange is scheduled to be closed. When the Exchange is closed for unusual reasons, Fund shares will generally not be priced although a Fund may decide to remain open and price Fund shares and in such a case, the Fund would post a notice on www.nb.com.

Each Fund normally calculates its share price on each day the Exchange is open once daily as of 4:00 P.M., Eastern time. In the event of an emergency or other disruption in trading on the Exchange, a Fund’s share price would still normally be determined as of 4:00 P.M., Eastern time. In general, every buy or sell order you place will go through at the next share price calculated after your order has been received in proper form (see “Maintaining Your Account” for information on placing orders). If you use a financial intermediary, you should check with that provider to find out by what time your order must be received so that it can be processed the same day. Depending on when it accepts orders, it is possible that a Fund’s share price could change on days when you are unable to buy or sell shares.

Because foreign markets may be open on days when U.S. markets are closed, the value of foreign securities owned by a Fund could change on days when you cannot buy or sell Fund shares. Remember, though, any purchase or sale takes place at the next share price calculated after your order is received in proper form.

Share Price Calculations

The net asset value per share of each class of a Fund is the total value of Fund assets attributable to shares of that class minus the liabilities attributable to that class, divided by the total number of shares outstanding for that class. Because the value of a Fund’s portfolio securities changes every business day, its share price usually changes as well.

A Fund generally values its investments based upon their last reported sale prices, market quotations, or estimates of value provided by an independent pricing service as of the time as of which the Fund’s share price is calculated. Equity securities (including securities issued by ETFs) and exchange-traded derivative instruments held by a Fund generally are valued by one or more independent pricing services approved by the Board of Trustees at the last reported sale price or official closing price or, if there is no reported sale quoted on a principal exchange or market for that security or official closing price, on the basis of market quotations. Debt securities and certain derivative instruments that do not trade on an exchange generally are valued by one or more independent pricing services approved by the Board of Trustees on the basis of market quotations and in the case of derivatives, market data about the underlying investments. Short-term securities held by a Fund may be valued on the basis of amortized cost, unless other factors indicate that amortized cost is not an accurate estimate of the security’s value.

Investments in non-exchange traded investment companies are valued using the respective fund’s daily calculated net asset value per share. The prospectuses for these funds explain the circumstances under which the funds will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.

If a valuation for a security is not available from an independent pricing service or if the Manager believes in good faith that the valuation does not reflect the amount a Fund would receive on a current sale of that security, the Fund seeks to obtain quotations from brokers or dealers. If such quotations are not readily available, the Fund may use a fair value estimate made according to methods approved by the Board of Trustees. A Fund may also use these methods to value

certain types of illiquid securities. Fair value pricing generally will be used if the market in which a portfolio security trades closes early or if trading in a particular security was halted during the day and did not resume prior to the time as of which a Fund’s share price is calculated.

A Fund may also fair value securities that trade in a foreign market if significant events that appear likely to affect the value of those securities occur between the time the foreign market closes and the time as of which the Fund’s share price is calculated. Significant events may include (1) corporate actions or announcements that affect a single issuer, (2) governmental actions that affect securities in one sector, country or region, (3) natural disasters or armed conflicts that affect a country or region, or (4) significant domestic or foreign market fluctuations.

The effect of using fair value pricing is that a portfolio security will be priced based on the subjective judgment of the Manager, operating under procedures approved by the Board of Trustees, instead of being priced using valuations from an independent pricing service. Fair value pricing can help to protect a Fund by reducing arbitrage opportunities available to short-term traders, but there is no assurance that fair value pricing will completely prevent dilution of a Fund’s net asset value by such traders.

Privileges and Services

If you purchase shares through a financial intermediary, consult your financial intermediary for information about privileges and services. If you purchase shares directly from the Distributor, see “Direct Investors” for information about privileges and services.

Sales Charges

Class A sales charges —The initial sales charge you pay each time you buy Class A shares differs depending upon the amount you invest and may be reduced or eliminated for larger purchases as indicated below. The “offering price,” the price you pay to buy shares, includes any applicable sales charge, which will be deducted directly from your investment. Shares acquired through reinvestment of dividends or capital gain distributions are not subject to an initial sales charge.

 

 

The sales charge, expressed as a percentage of the offering price or the net amount invested, may be higher or lower than the percentages described in the table above due to rounding. This is because the dollar amount of the sales charge is determined by subtracting the net asset value of the shares purchased from the offering price, which is calculated to two decimal places using standard rounding criteria. The impact of rounding will vary with the size of the investment and the net asset value of the shares. Similarly, any contingent deferred sales charge paid by you on investments in Class A shares may be higher or lower than the 1% charge described below due to rounding.

Except as provided below, investments in Class A shares of $1 million or more may be subject to a 1% contingent deferred sales charge if the shares are sold within 18 months of purchase. The contingent deferred sales charge is a percentage of the original purchase price or the current market value of the shares being sold, whichever is less.

Class A purchases not subject to sales charges– Sales charge waivers are available for investments in Class A shares by Grandfathered Investors (see “Direct Investors” for more information) provided that such investors have properly notified the Manager or the Distributor of such status in advance of such purchases, except that in the case of accounts of Grandfathered Investors who have a documented relationship with a financial intermediary, the availability of the sales charge waiver may depend on the financial intermediary’s policies and procedures and eligibility requirements regarding such waivers.

When purchasing through a financial intermediary, you may not benefit from certain policies and procedures of the Fund as your eligibility may be dependent upon the policies and procedures of your financial intermediary, including those regarding sales

charge waivers and reductions of sales charges through reinstatement, rights of accumulation, letters of intent, and share class exchanges and/or conversions. In some cases, due to financial intermediary policies and procedures, customers may receive waivers in circumstances that are not expressly provided for herein. In all instances, it is the investor’s responsibility to notify its financial intermediary of any relationship or other facts qualifying the investor for sales charge waivers or reductions. (Please see “Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers” below for additional information).

The Distributor may pay financial intermediaries up to 1% on investments made in Class A shares with no initial sales charge. See “Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Fees” for additional information regarding each Fund’s plans of distribution.

Certain other investors may qualify to purchase shares without a sales charge, such as employees of financial intermediaries authorized to sell funds in the fund family, employees of Neuberger Berman and members of the Funds' Board of Trustees. See “Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers” below for more information.

Class C sales charges —Class C shares are sold without any initial sales charge. For Class C shares, a contingent deferred sales charge of 1% applies if shares are sold within one year of purchase.

Any contingent deferred sales charge paid by you on investments in Class C shares, expressed as a percentage of the applicable redemption amount, may be higher or lower than the percentages described above due to rounding.

Shares acquired through reinvestment of dividends or capital gain distributions are not subject to a contingent deferred sales charge. In addition, the contingent deferred sales charge may be waived in certain circumstances. See “Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers” below for more information. The contingent deferred sales charge is a percentage of the original purchase price or the current market value of the shares being sold, whichever is less. For purposes of determining the contingent deferred sales charge, if you sell only some of your shares, shares that are not subject to any contingent deferred sales charge will be sold first, followed by shares that you have owned the longest. The Distributor pays a fee equal to 1% of the amount invested to financial intermediaries who sell Class C shares. All or a portion of these payments may be made from amounts that each Fund pays the Distributor through its plans of distribution. See “Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Fees” for information regarding each Fund’s plans of distribution.

Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers

Sales charge waivers are available for investments in Class A shares by Grandfathered Investors (see “Direct Investors” for more information) provided that such investors have properly notified NB Group and any affiliates of such status in advance of purchase.

Financial intermediaries may have sales charges and/or policies and procedures regarding the availability of front-end sales charge waivers or contingent deferred sales charge waivers applicable to their customers that differ from those discussed herein; any such differences are described in Appendix A to this prospectus. To receive a reduction in your Class A initial sales charge, you or your financial intermediary must let the Distributor know at the time you purchase shares that you qualify for such a reduction. If you or your financial intermediary does not let the Distributor know that you are eligible for a reduction, you may not receive a sales charge discount to which you are otherwise entitled. In order to determine your eligibility to receive a sales charge discount, it may be necessary for you or your financial intermediary to provide the Distributor with information and records (including account statements) of all relevant accounts invested in the fund family. To have your Class A or Class C contingent deferred sales charge waived, you or your financial intermediary must let the Distributor know at the time you redeem shares that you qualify for such a waiver.

Class A shares of a Fund may be sold at net asset value to the following types of investors, provided that such investors have properly notified their financial intermediary, NB Group (and/or any affiliates), as appropriate, of their eligibility in advance of purchase:

 

1.	current or retired directors, trustees, and officers of the Neuberger Berman Funds, current or retired employees and partners of NB Group and any affiliates, or of any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with a Neuberger Berman Fund, NB Group and any affiliates;
2.	current employees of firms, including wholesalers, that have entered into selling agreements to distribute shares of the Neuberger Berman Funds;
3.	current employees of registered investment advisers that invest in the Neuberger Berman Funds either for proprietary accounts or on behalf of clients;
4.	immediate family members of persons listed in (1) through (3) above (as “immediate family” is defined below);

 

5.	companies exchanging securities with a Fund through a merger, acquisition or exchange offer;
6.	insurance company separate accounts;
7.	NB Group and its affiliated companies;
8.	an individual or entity with a substantial client relationship with NB Group and its affiliated companies, or an individual or entity related or relating to such individual or entity that holds its shares directly with a Fund;
9.	financial intermediaries (including but not limited to registered investment advisors and financial planners) that have entered into an agreement with the Distributor or one of its affiliates, purchasing shares on behalf of clients participating in a fund supermarket or in a wrap program, asset allocation program or other program in which the clients pay an asset-based fee;
10.	Employer-sponsored qualified retirement plans, including 401(k) plans, 457 plans, group 403(b) plans and individual 403(b) accounts, maintained at a financial intermediary that has an agreement with the Distributor, the Manager or the Administrator, profit-sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans; and individual retirement account (“IRA”) rollovers involving retirement plan assets invested in the Funds and transferred in-kind to an IRA held at a financial intermediary that has an agreement with the Distributor, the Manager or the Administrator to service such accounts;
11.	Employee benefit and retirement plans sponsored by NB Group and any affiliates and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with NB Group and any affiliates;
12.	Certain IRAs that are part of an IRA platform sponsored by or maintained at a financial intermediary that has an agreement with the Distributor, the Manager or the Administrator which specifically provides that the Funds' shares are offered at NAV on such IRA platform; and
13.	Qualified Tuition Programs under Section 529 of the Code.

 

Shares are offered at NAV to these persons and organizations due to anticipated economies in sales effort and expense. Once an account is established under this net asset value privilege, additional investments can be made at NAV for the life of the account.

Reducing your Class A initial sales charge —Consistent with the policies described in this prospectus, you and your “immediate family” (your spouse—or equivalent if recognized under local law—and your children under the age of 21) may combine all of your investments in the fund family to reduce your Class A sales charge.

Aggregating accounts to reduce Class A initial sales charge —To receive a reduced Class A sales charge, investments made by you and your immediate family (see above) may be aggregated if made for your own account(s) and/or certain other accounts if all parties are purchasing shares for their own accounts and/or:

 

■	trust accounts established by you or your immediate family (for trusts with only one primary beneficiary, upon the trustor’s death the trust account may be aggregated with such beneficiary’s own accounts; for trusts with multiple primary beneficiaries, upon the trustor’s death the trustees of the trust may instruct the Fund’s transfer agent to establish separate trust accounts for each primary beneficiary; each primary beneficiary’s separate trust account may then be aggregated with such beneficiary’s own accounts);
■	business accounts solely controlled by you or your immediate family (for example, you own the entire business);
■	individual retirement plans, such as an IRA, individual 403(b) plan (see exception in “Purchases by certain 403(b) plans” under “Sales Charges”) or single-participant Keogh-type plan ;
■	endowments or foundations established and controlled by you or your immediate family; or
■	529 accounts, which will be aggregated at the account owner level.

 

Individual purchases by a trustee(s) or other fiduciary(ies) may also be aggregated if the investments are:

 

■	for a single trust estate or fiduciary account, including employee benefit plans other than the individual-type employee benefit plans described above;
■	made for two or more employee benefit plans of a single employer or of affiliated employers as defined in the 1940 Act, excluding the individual-type employee benefit plans described above;
■	for a diversified common trust fund or other diversified pooled account not specifically formed for the purpose of accumulating Fund shares;
■	for nonprofit, charitable or educational organizations, or any endowments or foundations established and controlled by such

	organizations, or any employer-sponsored retirement plans established for the benefit of the employees of such organizations, their endowments, or their foundations; or
■	for individually established participant accounts of a 403(b) plan that is treated similarly to an employer-sponsored plan for sales charge purposes (see “Purchases by certain 403(b) plans” under “Sales Charges” above), or made for two or more such 403(b) plans that are treated similarly to employer-sponsored plans for sales charge purposes, in each case of a single employer or affiliated employers as defined in the 1940 Act.

 

Purchases made for nominee or street name accounts (securities held in the name of an investment dealer or another nominee such as a bank trust department instead of the customer) may not be aggregated with those made for other accounts and may not be aggregated with other nominee or street name accounts unless otherwise qualified as described above.

Concurrent purchases to reduce Class A initial sales charge —You may combine simultaneous purchases (including, upon your request, purchases for gifts) of any class of shares of two or more funds in the fund family to qualify for a reduced Class A sales charge.

Rights of accumulation to reduce Class A initial sales charge —Subject to the limitations described in the aggregation policies above, you may take into account your accumulated holdings in all share classes of the fund family to determine the initial sales charge you pay on each purchase of Class A shares. Subject to your financial intermediary’s capabilities, your accumulated holdings will be calculated as the higher of (a) the current value of your existing holdings (the “market value”) or (b) the amount you invested (including reinvested dividends and other distributions, but excluding capital appreciation) less any withdrawals (the “cost value”). Depending on the entity on whose books your account is held, the value of your holdings in that account may not be eligible for calculation at cost value. For example, accounts held in nominee or street name may not be eligible for calculation at cost value and instead may be calculated at market value for purposes of rights of accumulation. You should retain any records necessary to substantiate the historical amounts you have invested. You must contact your financial adviser or the Distributor if you have additional information that is relevant to the calculation of the value of your holdings. If you make a gift of shares, upon your request, you may purchase the shares at the sales charge discount allowed under rights of accumulation of all of your accounts in the fund family. You may not purchase Class C shares if such combined holdings cause you to be eligible to purchase Class A shares at the $1 million or more sales charge discount rate (i.e. at NAV).

Letter of Intent to reduce Class A initial sales charge —You may reduce your Class A sales charge by establishing a letter of intent. By establishing a letter of intent (the “Letter”), you enter into a nonbinding commitment to purchase shares of funds in the fund family over a 13-month period (the “Period”) and receive the same sales charge (expressed as a percentage of your purchases) as if all shares had been purchased at once; however, purchases made under a right of reinvestment, appreciation of your holdings, and reinvested dividends and other distributions do not count as purchases made during the Period. The market value of your existing holdings eligible to be aggregated as of the day immediately before the start of the Period may be credited toward satisfying the Letter. See “Sales Charges” for more information.

The Letter may be revised upward at any time during the Letter period, and such a revision will be treated as a new Letter, except that the Letter period during which the purchases must be made will remain unchanged. Purchases made from the date of revision will receive the reduced sales charge, if any, resulting from the revised Letter.

The Letter will be considered completed if the shareholder dies within the 13-month Letter period. Commissions to dealers will not be adjusted or paid on the difference between the Letter amount and the amount actually invested before the shareholder’s death.

A portion of your account may be held in escrow to cover additional Class A sales charges that may be due if your total purchases over the Period do not qualify you for the applicable sales charge reduction. When a shareholder elects to use a Letter, shares equal to 5% of the dollar amount specified in the Letter may be held in escrow in the shareholder’s account out of the initial purchase (or subsequent purchases, if necessary) by the Fund’s transfer agent. All dividends and any other distributions on shares held in escrow will be credited to the shareholder’s account in shares (or paid in cash, if requested). If the intended investment is not completed within the specified Letter period, the purchaser may be required to remit to the Distributor the difference between the sales charge actually paid and the sales charge which would have been paid if the total of such purchases had been made at a single time. Any dealers assigned to the shareholder’s account at the time a purchase was made during the Letter period will receive a corresponding commission adjustment if appropriate. If the difference is not paid by the close of the Letter period, the appropriate number of shares held in escrow will be redeemed to pay such difference. If the proceeds from this redemption are inadequate, the purchaser may be liable to the Distributor for the balance still outstanding.

Shareholders purchasing shares at a reduced sales charge under a Letter indicate their acceptance of these terms and those in the Class A and Class C Prospectuses with their first purchase. Employer sponsored retirement plans may be restricted from establishing a letter of intent.

Right of reinvestment —Please see “Maintaining Your Account—When you sell shares” for information on how to reinvest proceeds from a redemption, dividend payment or capital gain distribution without a sales charge.

Contingent deferred sales charge waivers —The contingent deferred sales charge on Class A and Class C shares may be waived in the following cases:

 

■	permitted exchanges of shares, except if shares acquired by exchange are then redeemed within the period during which contingent deferred sales charge would apply to the initial shares purchased
■	tax-free returns of excess contributions to IRAs
■	redemptions due to death or post-purchase disability of the shareholder (this generally excludes accounts registered in the names of trusts and other entities). In the case of joint tenant accounts, if one joint tenant dies, a surviving joint tenant, at the time he or she notifies the Fund’s transfer agent of the other joint tenant’s death and removes the decedent’s name from the account, may redeem shares from the account without incurring a CDSC. Redemptions made after the date of such notification will be subject to a CDSC.
■	distributions from an IRA upon the shareholder’s attainment of age 59½
■	the following types of transactions, if together they do not exceed 12% of the value of an “account” (defined below) annually (the 12% limit):

 

(i) redemptions due to the shareholder receiving required minimum distributions from retirement accounts upon reaching age 70½; and

(ii) redemptions through a systematic withdrawal plan (SWP) established directly with a Fund. For each SWP payment, assets that are not subject to a CDSC, such as appreciation on shares and shares acquired through reinvestment of income dividends and/or other distributions, will be redeemed first and will count toward the 12% limit. If there is an insufficient amount of assets not subject to a CDSC to cover a particular SWP payment, shares subject to the lowest CDSC will be redeemed next until the 12% limit is reached. Any income dividends and/or other distributions taken in cash by a shareholder who receives payments through a SWP will also count toward the 12% limit. In the case of a SWP, the 12% limit is calculated at the time a systematic redemption is first made, and is recalculated at the time each additional systematic redemption is made. Shareholders who establish a SWP should be aware that the amount of a payment not subject to a CDSC may vary over time depending on fluctuations in the value of their accounts. This privilege may be revised or terminated at any time.

For purposes of this paragraph, “account” means:

(a) in the case of Class A shares, your investment in Class A shares of all funds in the fund family; and

(b) in the case of Class C shares, your investment in Class C shares of the particular fund from which you are making the redemption.

 

■	purchases where no commission or transaction fee is paid by the Distributor to authorized dealers at the time of purchase.

 

Exchanges of shares —Exchanges of shares are generally not subject to any applicable sales charges. However, exchanges from eligible money market funds outside the fund family will be subject to applicable sales charges on the fund shares being purchased, unless the eligible money market fund shares were acquired through an exchange from a fund in the fund family having a sales charge or by reinvestment or cross-reinvestment of dividends or capital gain distributions from a fund in the fund family having a sales charge.

Distributions and Taxes

Distributions —Each Fund pays out to its shareholders any net investment income and net realized capital gains. Ordinarily, each Fund makes any distributions once a year (usually in December), except that Equity Income Fund, Global Real Estate Fund and Real Estate Fund typically distribute any net investment income quarterly. Gains from foreign currency transactions, if any, are normally distributed in December. A Fund may make additional distributions, if necessary, to avoid federal income or excise taxes.

Unless you designate otherwise, your distributions from a Fund will be reinvested in additional shares of the distributing class of the Fund. However, if you prefer, you may receive all distributions in cash or reinvest capital gain distributions but receive income dividends in cash. Distributions taken in cash can be sent to you by check or by electronic transfer to a designated bank account or invested in shares of the same class of another fund in the fund family with the same account registration. To take advantage of one of these options, please indicate your choice on your application or contact a Fund in writing or by phone if you bought shares directly. If you use a financial intermediary, you must consult it about whether your income dividends and capital gain distributions from a Fund will be reinvested in additional shares of the distributing class of the Fund or paid to you in cash.

How distributions are taxed —Except for tax-advantaged retirement plans and accounts and other tax-exempt investors (collectively, “exempt investors”) and except as noted in the next sentence, all Fund distributions you receive are generally taxable to you, regardless of whether you take them in cash or reinvest them in additional Fund shares.

Fund distributions to IRAs, Roth IRAs, and qualified retirement plans generally are tax-free. Eventual withdrawals from a Roth IRA also may be tax-free.

Distributions generally are taxable to shareholders other than exempt investors in the year they are received. In some cases, however, distributions received in January are treated for federal income tax purposes as if they had been paid the previous December 31. Your tax statement (see “Taxes and You”) will help clarify this for you.

Distributions of net investment income and the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss (“dividends”) are taxed as ordinary income. However, for individual and certain other non-corporate shareholders (each, an “individual shareholder”) who satisfy certain holding period and other restrictions with respect to their Fund shares on which the dividends are paid, a Fund’s dividends attributable to “qualified dividend income” (generally, dividends the Fund receives on stock of most U.S. and certain foreign corporations with respect to which it satisfies those restrictions) are subject to maximum federal income tax rates that are lower than the maximum rates for ordinary income (“lower maximum rates”).

Distributions of net capital gain (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) are taxed as long-term capital gain and for individual shareholders are subject to the lower maximum rates. The tax treatment of capital gain distributions from a Fund depends on how long the Fund held the securities it sold that generated the gain, not on when you bought your shares of the Fund or whether you reinvested your distributions.

If, for any taxable year, a Fund distributes an amount that exceeds the sum of its investment company taxable income plus net capital gain for that year—which might result from, among other things, the difference between book and tax accounting treatment of certain derivatives and foreign currency transactions—that excess generally will not be taxable (a so-called “return of capital”), which will reduce your tax basis in your Fund shares. To the extent that excess is greater than your tax basis, it will be treated as gain from a redemption of your shares (taxed as described below).

Shareholders should review any notice that accompanies a payment of dividends or other distributions to determine whether any portion of the payment represents a return of capital rather than a distribution of a Fund’s net income and/or realized gains.

How share transactions are taxed —When you sell (redeem) or exchange Fund shares, you generally will realize a taxable gain or loss. An exception, once again, applies to exempt investors. For individual shareholders, any capital gain recognized on a redemption or exchange of Fund shares that have been held for more than one year will qualify for the lower maximum rates.

Additional tax —An individual shareholder’s distributions from a Fund and net gains recognized on redemptions and exchanges of Fund shares are subject to a 3.8% federal tax on the lesser of (1) the individual’s “net investment income” (which generally includes distributions from a Fund and net gains from the disposition of Fund shares) or (2) the excess of the individual's “modified adjusted gross income” over a specified threshold amount. This tax is in addition to any other taxes due on that income. You should consult your own tax professional regarding the effect, if any, this tax may have on your investment in Fund shares.

Taxes and You

The taxes you actually owe on Fund distributions and share transactions can vary with many factors, such as your marginal tax bracket, how long you held your shares and whether you owe federal alternative minimum tax.

How can you figure out your tax liability on Fund distributions and share transactions? One helpful tool is the tax statement that we or your financial intermediary sends you after the end of each calendar year. It details the distributions you received during the past year and shows their tax status. That statement, or a separate statement from us or your financial intermediary, also covers your share transactions.

Most importantly, consult your tax professional. Everyone’s tax situation is different, and your tax professional should be able to help you answer any questions you may have.

Backup Withholding

A Fund is required to withhold at the backup withholding rate from the money you are otherwise entitled to receive from its distributions and redemption proceeds (regardless of whether you realized a gain or loss) if you are an individual shareholder who fails to provide a correct taxpayer identification number to the Fund. Withholding at that rate also is required from a Fund’s distributions to which you are otherwise entitled if you are an individual shareholder and the Internal Revenue Service tells us that you are subject to backup withholding (1) for failing to properly report the receipt of interest or dividend income or (2) for any other reason.

If you use a financial intermediary, you must supply your signed taxpayer identification number form (generally, Form W-9) to your financial intermediary and it must supply its taxpayer identification number to us, in order to avoid backup withholding.

Buying Shares Before a Distribution

The money a Fund earns, either as net investment income or as net realized capital gains, is reflected in its share price until it distributes the money. At that time, the amount of the distribution is deducted from the share price. Because of this, if you buy shares of a Fund just before it makes such a distribution, you will end up getting some of your investment back as a taxable distribution. You can avoid this situation by waiting to invest until after the record date for the distribution.

Generally, if you are an exempt investor, there are no current tax consequences to you from distributions.

Basis Determination and Reporting

Your basis in Fund shares that you acquired or acquire after December 31, 2011 (collectively, “Covered Shares”), will be determined in accordance with the Funds' default basis determination method, which is average basis, unless you affirmatively elect in writing (which may be electronic) to use a different basis determination method acceptable to the Internal Revenue Service. The basis determination method may not be changed with respect to a redemption (including a redemption that is part of an exchange) of Covered Shares after the settlement date of the redemption. A Fund must report to the Internal Revenue Service and furnish to its shareholders the basis information for Covered Shares. See “Additional Tax Information” in the Statement of Additional Information for more information about the rules regarding basis determination and a Fund’s reporting obligation. You should consult with your tax professional to determine the best basis determination method for your tax situation and to obtain more information about how the basis determination and reporting rules apply to you.

Direct Investors

Eligible Investors and Grandfathered Investors are collectively referred to as “Direct Investors”.

“Grandfathered Investors” are investors in any fund in the Neuberger Berman family of funds who hold their shares directly with Neuberger Berman, who established accounts in Investor Class or Trust Class shares prior to March 1, 2008, and who have continuously maintained an account directly with Neuberger Berman since that date. A Grandfathered Investor's “immediate family” (his or her spouse—or equivalent if recognized under local law—and his or her children under the age of 21) are also deemed “Grandfathered Investors.” A Grandfathered Investor's mother, father, sister, or brother may open a custodial account for the Grandfathered Investor's minor children. Grandfathered Investors do not include any financial intermediaries who have accounts with a fund or shareholders who invest through such financial intermediaries.

Statements and Confirmations —Please review your account statements and confirmations carefully as soon as you receive them. You must contact us within 30 days if you have any questions or notice any discrepancies. Otherwise, you may adversely affect your right to make a claim about the transaction(s).

Systematic Investments —This plan lets you take advantage of dollar-cost averaging by establishing periodic investments of $100 or more a month (for Institutional Class, once you make an initial minimum investment of at least $1 million). You choose the schedule and amount. Your investment money may come from an eligible money market fund outside the fund family or your bank account.

Systematic Withdrawals —This plan lets you arrange withdrawals of at least $100 from a fund in the fund family on a periodic schedule. You can also set up payments to distribute the full value of an account over a given time. While this service can be helpful to many investors, be aware that it could generate capital gains or losses.

Electronic Bank Transfers —When you sell Fund shares, you can have the money sent to your bank account electronically rather than mailed to you as a check. Please note that your bank must be a member of the Automated Clearing House, or ACH, system.

FUND fone®—Grandfathered Investors only. Get up-to-date performance and account information through our 24-hour automated service by calling 800-335-9366.

Dollar-Cost Averaging

Systematic investing allows you to take advantage of the principle of dollar-cost averaging. When you make regular investments of a given amount—say, $100 a month—you will end up investing at different share prices over time. When the share price is high, your $100 buys fewer shares; when the share price is low, your $100 buys more shares. Over time, this can help lower the average price you pay per share.

Dollar-cost averaging cannot guarantee you a profit or protect you from losses in a declining market. But it can be beneficial over the long term.

Internet Access

Grandfathered Investors with Internet access can enjoy many valuable and time-saving features by visiting us at www.nb.com.

The site offers more complete information on our funds, including current performance data, portfolio manager interviews, tax information plus educational articles, news and analysis. You can tailor the site so it serves up information that is most relevant to you.

As a Fund shareholder, you can use the web site to access account information 24 hours a day.

If you are a Direct Investor buying or selling shares, instructions are provided in the following charts. Investors buying or selling shares through a financial intermediary should contact it for instructions.

Buying Shares—Direct Investors

 

227