REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 | ☒ |
Pre-Effective Amendment No. | □ |
Post-Effective Amendment No. 1032 | ☒ |
INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 | ☒ |
Amendment No. 1034 | ☒ |
Counsel for the Fund: | |
Frank
P. Bruno, Esq.
Sidley Austin LLP 787 Seventh Avenue New York, New York 10019-6018 |
Janey
Ahn, Esq.
BlackRock Advisors, LLC 55 East 52nd Street New York, New York 10055 |
Prospectus |
• | BlackRock Wealth Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund |
Investor A: PINXX • Investor C: BMCXX • Institutional: PNIXX |
Fund Overview | Key facts and details about the Fund, including investment objective, principal investment strategies, principal risk factors, fee and expense information and historical performance information | |
|
3 | |
|
3 | |
|
4 | |
|
5 | |
|
7 | |
|
8 | |
|
8 | |
|
9 | |
|
9 |
Details About the Fund | Information about how the Fund invests, including investment objective, investment processes, principal strategies and risk factors | |
|
10 | |
|
13 |
Account Information | Information about account services, sales charges and waivers, shareholder transactions, and distribution and other payments | |
|
18 | |
|
23 | |
|
25 | |
|
26 | |
|
32 | |
|
34 | |
|
34 | |
|
35 | |
|
35 | |
|
36 |
Management of the Fund | Information about BlackRock | |
|
37 | |
|
38 | |
|
39 | |
|
40 |
Financial Highlights |
Financial Performance of the
Fund
|
42 |
General Information |
|
45 |
|
45 | |
|
46 |
Glossary |
Glossary of Investment
Terms
|
47 |
For More Information |
|
Inside Back Cover |
|
Back Cover |
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Investor
A
Shares |
Investor
C
Shares |
Institutional
Shares |
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) | None | None | None |
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of offering price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower) | None 1 | 1.00% 2 | None |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
Investor
A
Shares |
Investor
C
Shares |
Institutional
Shares |
Management Fee | 0.43% | 0.43% | 0.43% |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | None |
Other Expenses | 0.13% | 0.19% | 0.13% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.81% | 1.62% | 0.56% |
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements3 | (0.26)% | (0.32)% | (0.36)% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements3 | 0.55% | 1.30% | 0.20% |
1 | There is no contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) on Investor A Shares purchased directly. However, a CDSC of up to 1.00% may apply to certain redemptions of the Fund’s Investor A Shares purchased in an exchange transaction for Investor A Shares of a fund advised by BlackRock or its affiliates where no initial sales charge was paid at the time of purchase of such fund (each an “Investor A Load-Waived BlackRock Fund”) as part of an investment of $1,000,000 (lesser amounts may apply depending on the Investor A Load-Waived BlackRock Fund) or more. The Investor A Shares CDSC is only charged upon redemptions of Investor A Shares within 18 months after you originally acquired such Investor A Shares of the Investor A Load-Waived BlackRock Fund (a shorter holding period may apply depending on the Investor A Load-Waived BlackRock Fund), unless you qualify for a waiver. There is no CDSC charged on redemptions if you have owned your Investor A Shares for more than 18 months (or for a shorter holding period, as applicable) as measured from you original purchase of Investor A Shares that you exchanged into Investor A Shares of the Fund or if you purchase Investor A Shares of the Fund not through an exchange. |
2 | Since all Investor C shares must be purchased in an exchange transaction for Investor C Shares of a non-money market fund advised by BlackRock or its affiliates (each, a “Non-Money Market BlackRock Fund”), a CDSC of 1.00% may apply to certain redemptions of the Fund’s Investor C Shares. The Investor C Shares CDSC is only charged upon redemptions of Investor C Shares within one year after you originally acquired the Investor C Shares of the Non-Money Market BlackRock Fund, unless you qualify for a waiver. There is no CDSC charged on redemptions if you have owned your Investor C Shares for more than one year (as measured from your original purchase of Investor C Shares that you exchanged into Investor C Shares of the Fund). |
3 | As described in the “Management of the Fund” section of the Fund’s prospectus beginning on page 37, BlackRock, the Fund’s investment manager, has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) as a percentage of average daily net assets to 0.55% (for Investor A Shares), 1.30% (for Investor C Shares) and 0.20% (for Institutional Shares) through July 31, 2021. The agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |
Investor A Shares1 | $ 56 | $233 | $424 | $ 977 |
Investor C Shares2 | $232 | $480 | $851 | $1,895 |
Institutional Shares | $ 20 | $143 | $277 | $ 667 |
1 | These expense figures do not reflect the imposition of the CDSC which may be deducted upon the redemption of Investor A Shares of the Fund received in an exchange transaction for Investor A Shares of an Investor A Load-Waived BlackRock Fund as described in the applicable prospectuses. No CDSC is deducted upon the redemption of Investor A Shares of the Fund that are not acquired by exchange. |
2 | Reflects assessment of applicable CDSC assuming Investor C Shares were acquired by exchange from Non-Money Market BlackRock Fund immediately after purchase of shares from such other fund. |
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |
Investor C Shares | $132 | $480 | $851 | $1,895 |
■ | The Fund will invest in securities whose issuer (or guarantor, if applicable) at the time of the Fund’s investment has better than average performance in environmental practices. In evaluating performance in environmental practices, BlackRock will use data or other environmental, social, or governance risk metrics including ratings provided by independent research vendor(s) in determining whether to invest (or continue to invest) in securities issued or guaranteed by a particular entity. These independent research vendor(s) may consider one or more of the following factors: issuer or industry exposure to environmentally intensive activities, disclosures by an issuer around climate related issues and environmental matters or specific targets or plans by an issuer to manage environmental exposures. BlackRock may change an independent research vendor at any time in its discretion. BlackRock will consider factors such as emissions, energy and water intensity, waste generation, green revenues and environmental disclosure levels in evaluating the environmental performance of an issuer or guarantor. |
■ | U.S. Government securities will be considered to have met the Fund’s environmental criteria |
■ | The Fund will not invest in securities issued or guaranteed by entities: |
— that derive more than 5% of their revenue from fossil fuels mining, exploration or refinement; or | |
— that derive more than 5% of their revenue from thermal coal or nuclear energy based power generation. |
■ | Credit Risk — Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a debt security (i.e., the borrower) will not be able to make payments of interest and principal when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. |
■ |
Environmental Criteria Risk — The risk that because the Fund’s environmental criteria exclude securities of certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons, the Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds
that do not use these criteria. Consequently, the Fund may underperform funds that do not utilize an environmental strategy. BlackRock’s assessment of an issuer’s environmental criteria may change over time, which could cause the Fund to
hold securities that may no longer meet BlackRock’s current environmental criteria.
|
In evaluating the environmental criteria for an issuer or guarantor, BlackRock is dependent upon information and data that may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable. Currently, environmental data often lacks standardization, consistency and in some cases transparency. There may be different methodologies used by different data sources who compile environmental ratings of issuers or guarantors. This could adversely affect the analysis of the environmental criteria relevant to a particular issuer or guarantor. If BlackRock were to solely rely on this data, the Fund may invest in issuers or guarantors who may not meet the environmental criteria for investment. Investing on the basis of environmental criteria is qualitative and subjective by nature and there can be no assurance that the process utilized by any vendors of BlackRock or any judgment exercised by BlackRock will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor. | |
■ | Extension Risk — When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these securities to fall. |
■ |
Financial
Services Industry Risk — Because of its concentration in the financial services industry, the Fund will be more susceptible to any economic, business,
political or other developments which generally affect this industry sector. As a result, the Fund will be exposed to a large extent to the risks associated with that industry, such as government regulation, the availability and cost of capital
funds, consolidation and general economic conditions. Financial services companies are also exposed to losses if borrowers and other counterparties experience financial problems and/or cannot repay their obligations.
|
When interest rates go up,
the value of securities issued by many types of financial services companies generally goes down. In many countries, financial services and the companies that provide them are regulated by governmental entities, which can increase costs for new
services or products and make it difficult to pass increased costs on to consumers. In certain areas, deregulation of financial services companies has resulted in increased competition and reduced profitability for certain companies.
|
|
The profitability of many types of financial services companies may be adversely affected in certain market cycles, including periods of rising interest rates, which may restrict the availability and increase the cost of capital, and declining economic conditions, which may cause credit losses due to financial difficulties of borrowers. Because many types of financial services companies are vulnerable to these economic cycles, a large portion of the Fund’s investments may lose value during such periods. | |
■ | Foreign Exposure Risk — Securities issued or supported by foreign entities, including foreign banks and corporations, may involve additional risks and considerations. Extensive public information about the foreign issuer may not be available, and unfavorable political, economic or governmental developments in the foreign country involved could affect the payment of principal and interest. |
■ | Income Risk — Income risk is the risk that the Fund’s yield will vary as short-term securities in its portfolio mature and the proceeds are reinvested in securities with different interest rates. |
■ | Interest Rate Risk — Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of a debt security may fall when interest rates rise. In general, the market price of debt securities with longer maturities will go up or down more in response to changes in interest rates than the market price of shorter-term securities. Due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of such securities may vary during the period shareholders own shares of the Fund. |
■ | Liquidity Fee and Redemption Gate Risk — The Board has discretion to impose a liquidity fee of up to 2% upon sale of your shares or may temporarily suspend your ability to sell shares if the Fund’s liquidity falls below required minimums because of market conditions or other factors. Accordingly, you may not be able to sell your shares or your redemptions may be subject to a liquidity fee when you sell your shares at certain times. |
■ | Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. The value of a security or other asset may decline due to changes in general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other asset, or factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, exchange, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues like pandemics or epidemics, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. This means you may lose money. |
A recent outbreak of an infectious coronavirus has developed into a global pandemic that has resulted in numerous disruptions in the market and has had significant economic impact leaving general concern and uncertainty. Because the Fund invests in short-term instruments these events have caused some instruments to have declining yields, which may impair the results of the Fund if these conditions persisted. The impact of this coronavirus, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could affect the economies of many nations, individual companies and the market in general ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. | |
■ | Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risks — Mortgage- and asset-backed securities represent interests in “pools” of mortgages or other assets, including consumer loans or receivables held in trust. Mortgage- and asset-backed securities are subject to credit, interest rate, prepayment and extension risks. These securities also are subject to risk of default on the underlying mortgage or asset, particularly during periods of economic downturn. Small movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain mortgage-backed securities. |
■ | Prepayment Risk — When interest rates fall, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more quickly than originally anticipated, and the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields. |
■ | Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts Risk — If the other party to a repurchase agreement or purchase and sale contract defaults on its obligation under the agreement, the Fund may suffer delays and incur costs or lose money in exercising its rights under the agreement. If the seller fails to repurchase the security in either situation and the market value of the security declines, the Fund may lose money. |
■ | Stable Net Asset Value Risk — The Fund may not be able to maintain a stable NAV of $1.00 per share at all times. If the Fund fails to maintain a stable NAV (or if there is a perceived threat of such a failure), the Fund, along with other money market funds, could be subject to increased redemption activity. |
■ | Treasury Obligations Risk — Direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury have historically involved little risk of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of such securities may vary during the period shareholders own shares of the Fund. |
■ | U.S. Government Obligations Risk — Certain securities in which the Fund may invest, including securities issued by certain U.S. Government agencies and U.S. Government sponsored enterprises, are not guaranteed by the U.S. Government or supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. |
■ | Variable and Floating Rate Instrument Risk — Variable and floating rate securities provide for periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. These securities may be subject to greater illiquidity risk than other fixed income securities, meaning the absence of an active market for these securities could make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of them at any given time. |
■ | When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments Risk — When-issued and delayed delivery securities and forward commitments involve the risk that the security the Fund buys will lose value prior to its delivery. There also is the risk that the security will not be issued or that the other party to the transaction will not meet its obligation. If this occurs, the Fund may lose both the investment opportunity for the assets it set aside to pay for the security and any gain in the security’s price. |
As
of 12/31/19
Average Annual Total Returns |
1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years |
BlackRock Wealth Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund — Investor A Shares | |||
Return Before Taxes | 1.90% | 0.88% | 0.44% |
BlackRock Wealth Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund — Investor C Shares | |||
Return Before Taxes | 0.12% | 0.44% | 0.22% |
BlackRock Wealth Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund — Institutional Shares | |||
Return Before Taxes | 2.22% | 1.14% | 0.57% |
Investor A Shares | Institutional Shares | |
Minimum
Initial
Investment |
$1,000
for all accounts except:
• $50, if establishing an Automatic Investment Plan. • There is no investment minimum for employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs). • There is no investment minimum for certain fee-based programs. |
There
is no minimum initial investment for:
• Employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs) and state sponsored 529 college savings plans, each of which may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor to purchase such shares. • Clients of Financial Intermediaries that: (i) charge such clients a fee for advisory, investment consulting, or similar services or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor to offer Institutional Shares through a no-load program or investment platform. • Clients investing through Financial Intermediaries that offer such shares on a platform that charges a transaction based sales commission outside of the Fund. • Tax-qualified accounts for insurance agents that are registered representatives of an insurance company’s broker-dealer that has entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor to offer Institutional Shares, and the family members of such persons. |
Minimum
Additional
Investment |
$50 for all accounts (with the exception of certain employer-sponsored retirement plans which may have a lower minimum). | No subsequent minimum. |
■ | The Fund seeks to maintain a net asset value (“NAV”) of $1.00 per share. |
■ | The Fund will maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity of 60 days or less and a dollar-weighted average life of 120 days or less. For a discussion of dollar-weighted average maturity and dollar-weighted average life, please see the Glossary on page 47. |
■ | Pursuant to Rule 2a-7, the Fund is subject to a “general liquidity requirement” that requires that the Fund hold securities that are sufficiently liquid to meet reasonably foreseeable shareholder redemptions in light of its obligations under Section 22(e) of the Investment Company Act regarding share redemptions and any commitments the Fund has made to shareholders. To comply with this general liquidity requirement, BlackRock Advisors, LLC (“BlackRock”) must consider factors that could affect the Fund’s liquidity needs, including characteristics of the Fund’s investors and their likely redemptions. Depending upon the volatility of its cash flows (particularly shareholder redemptions), this may require the Fund to maintain greater liquidity than would be required by the daily and weekly minimum liquidity requirements discussed below. |
■ | The Fund will not acquire any illiquid security (i.e., securities that cannot be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the value ascribed to them by the Fund) if, immediately following such purchase, more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets are invested in illiquid securities. |
■ | The Fund will not acquire any security other than a daily liquid asset unless, immediately following such purchase, at least 10% of its total assets would be invested in daily liquid assets, and the Fund will not acquire any security other than a weekly liquid asset unless, immediately following such purchase, at least 30% of its total assets would be invested in weekly liquid assets. For a discussion of daily liquid assets and weekly liquid assets, please see the Glossary on page 47. |
■ | The Fund invests in securities maturing within 13 months or less from the date of purchase, with certain exceptions. For example, certain government securities held by the Fund may have remaining maturities exceeding 13 months if such securities provide for adjustments in their interest rates not less frequently than every 13 months. |
■ | The securities purchased by the Fund are subject to the quality, diversification, and other requirements of Rule 2a-7, and other rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The Fund will purchase securities (or issuers of such securities) that are Eligible Securities that present minimal credit risk as determined by BlackRock pursuant to guidelines approved by the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”). For a discussion of Eligible Securities, please see the Glossary on page 47. |
■ | The Fund will invest in securities whose issuer (or guarantor, if applicable) at the time of the Fund’s investment has better than average performance in environmental practices. In evaluating performance in environmental practices, BlackRock will use data or other environmental, social, or governance risk metrics including ratings provided by independent research vendor(s) in determining whether to invest (or continue to invest) in securities issued or guaranteed by a particular entity. These independent research vendor(s) may consider one or more of the following factors: issuer or industry exposure to environmentally intensive activities, disclosures by an issuer around climate related issues and environmental matters or specific targets or plans by an issuer to manage environmental exposures. BlackRock may change an independent research vendor at any time in its discretion. BlackRock will consider factors such as emissions, energy and water intensity, waste generation, green revenues and environmental disclosure levels in evaluating the environmental performance of an issuer or guarantor. |
■ | U.S. Government securities will be considered to have met the Fund’s environmental criteria |
■ | The Fund will not invest in securities issued or guaranteed by entities: |
■ | a security that has short-term ratings at the time of purchase (or which are guaranteed or in some cases otherwise supported by credit supports with such ratings) in the highest rating category by at least two unaffiliated nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSROs”), or one NRSRO, if the security or guarantee was only rated by one NRSRO; |
■ | a security that is issued or guaranteed by a person with such ratings; |
■ | a security without such short-term ratings that has been determined to be of comparable quality by BlackRock; |
■ | a security issued by other open-end investment companies that invest in the type of obligations in which the Fund may invest; or |
■ | a security issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities. |
■ | Borrowing During periods of unusual market conditions, the Fund is authorized to borrow money from banks for temporary purposes in amounts up to one-third of the value of its total assets at the time of such borrowing. Such borrowings may be secured or unsecured. |
■ | Illiquid Investments The Fund will not invest more than 5% of the value of its total assets in illiquid securities that it cannot sell in the ordinary course within seven days at approximately current value. |
■ | Investment Company Securities — The Fund may invest in securities issued by other open-end or closed-end investment companies as permitted by the Investment Company Act. A pro rata portion of the other investment companies’ expenses may be borne by the Fund’s shareholders. These investments may include, as consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and policies, certain variable rate demand securities issued by closed-end funds, which invest primarily in portfolios of taxable or tax-exempt securities. It is anticipated that the payments made on the variable rate demand securities issued by closed-end municipal bond funds will be exempt from federal income tax. |
■ | Municipal Obligations The Fund may, when deemed appropriate by BlackRock in light of its investment objective, invest in high quality, short-term obligations issued by or on behalf of states, territories and possessions of the United States, the District of Columbia, and their respective authorities, agencies, instrumentalities and political subdivisions and derivative securities, such as beneficial interests in municipal trust certificates and partnership trusts (“Municipal Obligations”) issued by state and local governmental issuers which carry yields that are competitive with those of other types of money market instruments of comparable quality. |
■ | Restricted Securities Restricted securities are securities that cannot be offered for public resale unless registered under the applicable securities laws or that have a contractual restriction that prohibits or limits their resale. They may include Rule 144A securities, which are privately placed securities that can be resold to qualified institutional buyers but not to the general public, and securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers that are offered pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. |
■ | Reverse Repurchase Agreements The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements. The Fund is permitted to invest up to one-third of its total assets in reverse repurchase agreements. Investments in reverse repurchase agreements and securities lending transactions (described below) will be aggregated for purposes of this investment limitation. |
■ | Uninvested Cash Reserves — The Fund may hold up to 20% of its assets in uninvested cash reserves. Uninvested cash reserves will not earn income. |
■ | U.S. Treasury Floating Rate Notes — The Fund may invest in U.S. Treasury Floating Rate Notes (FRNs). These are two-year notes issued by the U.S. Treasury that reset their interest rates on a weekly basis. At maturity, the face value of an FRN is paid to the note holder. |
■ | Credit Risk — Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a debt security (i.e., the borrower) will not be able to make payments of interest and principal when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on both the financial condition of the issuer and the terms of the obligation. |
■ |
Environmental Criteria Risk — The risk that because the Fund’s environmental criteria exclude securities of certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons, the Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds
that do not use these criteria. Consequently, the Fund may underperform funds that do not utilize an environmental strategy. BlackRock’s assessment of an issuer’s environmental criteria may change over time, which could cause the Fund to
hold securities that may no longer meet BlackRock’s current environmental criteria.
|
In evaluating the environmental criteria for an issuer or guarantor, BlackRock is dependent upon information and data that may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable. Currently, environmental data often lacks standardization, consistency and in some cases transparency. There may be different methodologies used by different data sources who compile environmental ratings of issuers or guarantors. This could adversely affect the analysis of the environmental criteria relevant to a particular issuer or guarantor. If BlackRock were to solely rely on this data, the Fund may invest in issuers or guarantors who may not meet the environmental criteria for investment. Investing on the basis of environmental criteria is qualitative and subjective by nature and there can be no assurance that the process utilized by any vendors of BlackRock or any judgment exercised by BlackRock will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor. | |
■ | Extension Risk — When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these securities to fall. Rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. The value of longer-term securities generally changes more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, securities may exhibit additional volatility and may lose value. |
■ | Financial Services Industry Risk — Because of its concentration in the financial services industry, the Fund will be more susceptible to any economic, business, political or other developments which generally affect this industry sector. As a result, the Fund will be exposed to a large extent to the risks associated with that industry, such as government regulation, the availability and cost of capital funds, consolidation and general economic conditions. Financial services companies are also exposed to losses if borrowers and other counterparties experience financial problems and/or cannot repay their obligations. |
When interest rates go up, the value of securities issued by many types of financial services companies generally goes down. In many countries, financial services and the companies that provide them are regulated by governmental entities, which can increase costs for new services or products and make it difficult to pass |
increased costs on to consumers. In certain areas, deregulation of financial services companies has resulted in increased competition and reduced profitability for certain companies. | |
The profitability of many types of financial services companies may be adversely affected in certain market cycles, including periods of rising interest rates, which may restrict the availability and increase the cost of capital, and declining economic conditions, which may cause credit losses due to financial difficulties of borrowers. Because many types of financial services companies are vulnerable to these economic cycles, a large portion of the Fund’s investments may lose value during such periods. | |
■ | Foreign Exposure Risk — Securities issued or supported by foreign entities, including foreign banks and corporations, may involve additional risks and considerations. Extensive public information about the foreign issuer may not be available, and unfavorable political, economic or governmental developments in the foreign country involved could affect the payment of principal and interest. |
■ | Income Risk — The Fund’s yield will vary as the short-term securities in its portfolio mature and the proceeds are reinvested in securities with different interest rates. |
■ | Interest Rate Risk — Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of a debt security may fall when interest rates rise. In general, the market price of debt securities with longer maturities will go up or down more in response to changes in interest rates than the market price of shorter-term securities. Due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of such securities may vary during the period shareholders own shares of the Fund. |
■ | Liquidity Fee and Redemption Gate Risk — The Board has discretion to impose a liquidity fee of up to 2% upon sale of your shares or may temporarily suspend your ability to sell shares if the Fund’s liquidity falls below required minimums because of market conditions or other factors. Accordingly, you may not be able to sell your shares or your redemptions may be subject to a liquidity fee when you sell your shares at certain times. |
■ | Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. The value of a security or other asset may decline due to changes in general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other asset, or factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, exchange, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues like pandemics or epidemics, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. This means you may lose money. |
A recent outbreak of an infectious coronavirus has developed into a global pandemic that has resulted in numerous disruptions in the market and has had significant economic impact leaving general concern and uncertainty. Because the Fund invests in short-term instruments these events have caused some instruments to have declining yields, which may impair the results of the Fund if these conditions persisted. The impact of this coronavirus, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could affect the economies of many nations, individual companies and the market in general ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. | |
■ | Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risks — Mortgage-backed securities (residential and commercial) and asset-backed securities represent interests in “pools” of mortgages or other assets, including consumer loans or receivables held in trust. Although asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) generally experience less prepayment than residential mortgage-backed securities, mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, like traditional fixed-income securities, are subject to credit, interest rate, prepayment and extension risks. |
Small movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain mortgage-backed securities. The Fund’s investments in asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-related securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. These securities also are subject to the risk of default on the underlying mortgages or assets, particularly during periods of economic downturn. Certain CMBS are issued in several classes with different levels of yield and credit protection. The Fund’s investments in CMBS with several classes may be in the lower classes that have greater risks than the higher classes, including greater interest rate, credit and prepayment risks. | |
Mortgage-backed securities may be either pass-through securities or collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”). Pass-through securities represent a right to receive principal and interest payments collected on a pool of mortgages, which are passed through to security holders. CMOs are created by dividing the principal and interest payments collected on a pool of mortgages into several revenue streams (“tranches”) with different priority rights to portions of the underlying mortgage payments. Certain CMO tranches may represent a right to receive interest only |
(“IOs”), principal only (“POs”) or an amount that remains after floating-rate tranches are paid (an “inverse floater”). These securities are frequently referred to as “mortgage derivatives” and may be extremely sensitive to changes in interest rates. Interest rates on inverse floaters, for example, vary inversely with a short-term floating rate (which may be reset periodically). Interest rates on inverse floaters will decrease when short-term rates increase, and will increase when short-term rates decrease. These securities have the effect of providing a degree of investment leverage. In response to changes in market interest rates or other market conditions, the value of an inverse floater may increase or decrease at a multiple of the increase or decrease in the value of the underlying securities. If the Fund invests in CMO tranches (including CMO tranches issued by government agencies) and interest rates move in a manner not anticipated by Fund management, it is possible that the Fund could lose all or substantially all of its investment. Certain mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund may invest may also provide a degree of investment leverage, which could cause the Fund to lose all or substantially all of its investment. | |
The mortgage market in the United States has experienced difficulties that may adversely affect the performance and market value of certain of the Fund’s mortgage-related investments. Delinquencies and losses on mortgage loans (including subprime and second-lien mortgage loans) generally have increased and may continue to increase, and a decline in or flattening of real estate values (as has been experienced and may continue to be experienced in many housing markets) may exacerbate such delinquencies and losses. Also, a number of mortgage loan originators have experienced serious financial difficulties or bankruptcy. Reduced investor demand for mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities and increased investor yield requirements have caused limited liquidity in the secondary market for mortgage-related securities, which can adversely affect the market value of mortgage-related securities. It is possible that such limited liquidity in such secondary markets could continue or worsen. | |
Asset-backed securities entail certain risks not presented by mortgage-backed securities, including the risk that in certain states it may be difficult to perfect the liens securing the collateral backing certain asset-backed securities. In addition, certain asset-backed securities are based on loans that are unsecured, which means that there is no collateral to seize if the underlying borrower defaults. | |
■ | Prepayment Risk — When interest rates fall, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more quickly than originally anticipated, and the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields. In periods of falling interest rates, the rate of prepayments tends to increase (as does price fluctuation) as borrowers are motivated to pay off debt and refinance at new lower rates. During such periods, reinvestment of the prepayment proceeds by the management team will generally be at lower rates of return than the return on the assets that were prepaid. Prepayment reduces the yield to maturity and the average life of the security. |
■ | Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts Risk — If the other party to a repurchase agreement or purchase and sale contract defaults on its obligation under the agreement, the Fund may suffer delays and incur costs or lose money in exercising its rights under the agreement. If the seller fails to repurchase the security in either situation and the market value of the security declines, the Fund may lose money. |
■ | Stable Net Asset Value Risk — The Fund may not be able to maintain a stable NAV of $1.00 per share at all times. If the Fund fails to maintain a stable NAV (or if there is a perceived threat of such a failure), the Fund, along with other money market funds, could be subject to increased redemption activity. |
■ | Treasury Obligations Risk — Direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury have historically involved little risk of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of such securities may vary during the period shareholders own shares of the Fund. |
■ | U.S. Government Obligations Risk — Not all U.S. Government securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Obligations of certain agencies, authorities, instrumentalities and sponsored enterprises of the U.S. Government are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States (e.g., the Government National Mortgage Association); other obligations are backed by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury (e.g., the Federal Home Loan Banks) and others are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase an agency’s obligations. Still others are backed only by the credit of the agency, authority, instrumentality or sponsored enterprise issuing the obligation. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to any of these entities if it is not obligated to do so by law. |
■ | Variable and Floating Rate Instrument Risk — Variable and floating rate securities provide for periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. These securities may be subject to greater illiquidity risk than other fixed income securities, meaning the absence of an active market for these securities could make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of them at any given time. |
■ | When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments Risk — When-issued and delayed delivery securities and forward commitments involve the risk that the security the Fund buys will lose value prior to its delivery. There also is the risk that the security will not be issued or that the other party to the transaction will |
not meet its obligation. If this occurs, the Fund may lose both the investment opportunity for the assets it set aside to pay for the security and any gain in the security’s price. |
■ | Borrowing Risk — Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the NAV of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations. |
■ | Cyber Security Risk — Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the Fund’s adviser, distributor, and other service providers, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and negatively impact the Fund’s business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems of the Fund’s service providers or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests. |
■ | Expense Risk — Fund expenses are subject to a variety of factors, including fluctuations in the Fund’s net assets. Accordingly, actual expenses may be greater or less than those indicated. For example, to the extent that the Fund’s net assets decrease due to market declines or redemptions, the Fund’s expenses will increase as a percentage of Fund net assets. During periods of high market volatility, these increases in the Fund’s expense ratio could be significant. |
■ | Illiquid Investments Risk — The Fund’s illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be difficult to sell the illiquid investments at an advantageous time or price. The Fund may be unable to pay redemption proceeds within the time period stated in this prospectus because of unusual market conditions, an unusually high volume of redemption requests, or other reasons. |
■ | Investment in Other Investment Companies Risk — As with other investments, investments in other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, are subject to market and selection risk. In addition, if the Fund acquires shares of investment companies, including ones affiliated with the Fund, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of expenses in the Fund (including management and advisory fees) and, indirectly, the expenses of the investment companies (to the extent not offset by BlackRock through waivers). To the extent the Fund is held by an affiliated fund, the ability of the Fund itself to hold other investment companies may be limited. |
■ | Municipal Securities Risks — Municipal securities risks include the ability of the issuer to repay the obligation, the relative lack of information about certain issuers of municipal securities, and the possibility of future legislative changes which could affect the market for and value of municipal securities. These risks include: |
General Obligation Bonds Risks — The full faith, credit and taxing power of the municipality that issues a general obligation bond secures payment of interest and repayment of principal. Timely payments depend on the issuer’s credit quality, ability to raise tax revenues and ability to maintain an adequate tax base. | |
Revenue Bonds Risks — Payments of interest and principal on revenue bonds are made only from the revenues generated by a particular facility, class of facilities or the proceeds of a special tax or other revenue source. These payments depend on the money earned by the particular facility or class of facilities, or the amount of revenues derived from another source. | |
Private Activity Bonds Risks — Municipalities and other public authorities issue private activity bonds to finance development of industrial facilities for use by a private enterprise. The private enterprise pays the principal and interest on the bond, and the issuer does not pledge its full faith, credit and taxing power for repayment. If the private enterprise defaults on its payments, the Fund may not receive any income or get its money back from the investment. | |
Moral Obligation Bonds Risks — Moral obligation bonds are generally issued by special purpose public authorities of a state or municipality. If the issuer is unable to meet its obligations, repayment of these bonds becomes a moral commitment, but not a legal obligation, of the state or municipality. | |
Municipal Notes Risks — Municipal notes are shorter term municipal debt obligations. They may provide interim financing in anticipation of, and are secured by, tax collection, bond sales or revenue receipts. If there is a shortfall in the anticipated proceeds, the notes may not be fully repaid and the Fund may lose money. | |
Municipal Lease Obligations Risks — In a municipal lease obligation, the issuer agrees to make payments when due on the lease obligation. The issuer will generally appropriate municipal funds for that purpose, but is not obligated to do so. Although the issuer does not pledge its unlimited taxing power for payment of the lease |
obligation, the lease obligation is secured by the leased property. However, if the issuer does not fulfill its payment obligation it may be difficult to sell the property and the proceeds of a sale may not cover the Fund’s loss. | |
Tax-Exempt Status Risk — In making investments, the Fund and its investment manager will rely on the opinion of issuers’ bond counsel and, in the case of derivative securities, sponsors’ counsel, on the tax-exempt status of interest on municipal obligations and payments under tax-exempt derivative securities. Neither the Fund nor its investment manager will independently review the bases for those tax opinions. If any of those tax opinions are ultimately determined to be incorrect or if events occur after the security is acquired that impact the security’s tax-exempt status, the Fund and its shareholders could be subject to substantial tax liabilities. The Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) has generally not ruled on the taxability of the securities. An assertion by the IRS that a portfolio security is not exempt from U.S. federal income tax (contrary to indications from the issuer) could affect the Fund’s and its shareholders’ income tax liability for the current or past years and could create liability for information reporting penalties. In addition, an IRS assertion of taxability may impair the liquidity and the fair market value of the securities. | |
■ | Restricted Securities Risk — Limitations on the resale of restricted securities may have an adverse effect on their marketability, and may prevent the Fund from disposing of them promptly at advantageous prices. Restricted securities may not be listed on an exchange and may have no active trading market. In order to sell such securities, the Fund may have to bear the expense of registering the securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration. Other transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than unrestricted securities. Restricted securities may be difficult to value because market quotations may not be readily available, and the securities may have significant volatility. Also, the Fund may get only limited information about the issuer of a given restricted security, and therefore may be less able to predict a loss. Certain restricted securities may involve a high degree of business and financial risk and may result in substantial losses to the Fund. |
■ | Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk — Reverse repurchase agreements involve the sale of securities held by the Fund with an agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the other party may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could lose money if it is unable to recover the securities and the value of the collateral held by the Fund, including the value of the investments made with cash collateral, is less than the value of the securities. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. In addition, reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the interest income earned in the investment of the proceeds will be less than the interest expense. |
Investor A | Investor C2 | Institutional | |
Availability | Generally available through Financial Intermediaries. | Limited to exchanges from Investor C Shares of the Non-Money Market BlackRock Funds. Must be held through a Financial Intermediary. |
Limited
to certain investors, including:
• Individuals who may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares. • Employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs) and state sponsored 529 college savings plans, each of which may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares. • Employees, officers and directors/trustees of BlackRock or its affiliates and immediate family members of such persons, if they open an account directly with BlackRock. • Participants in certain programs sponsored by BlackRock or its affiliates or other Financial Intermediaries. • Tax-qualified accounts for insurance agents that are registered representatives of an insurance company’s broker-dealer that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Institutional Shares, and the family members of such persons. • Clients investing through Financial Intermediaries that have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer such shares on a platform that charges a transaction based sales commission outside of the Fund. |
Investor A | Investor C2 | Institutional | |
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees? |
No
Distribution Fee.
0.25% Annual Service Fee. |
0.75%
Annual Distribution Fee.
0.25% Annual Service Fee. |
No. |
Redemption Fees? | The Fund may impose a liquidity fee under certain limited circumstances. See “Liquidity Fees and Redemption Gates” below. | The Fund may impose a liquidity fee under certain limited circumstances. See “Liquidity Fees and Redemption Gates” below. | The Fund may impose a liquidity fee under certain limited circumstances. See “Liquidity Fees and Redemption Gates” below. |
Conversion to Investor A Shares? | N/A |
Yes,
automatically approximately ten years after the date of purchase. It is the Financial Intermediary’s responsibility to ensure that the shareholder is credited with the proper holding period. As of the Effective Date (as defined below),
certain Financial Intermediaries, including group retirement recordkeeping platforms, may not have been tracking such holding periods and therefore may not be able to process such conversions. In such instances, the automatic conversion of Investor
C Shares to Investor A Shares will occur approximately ten years after the Effective Date.
In addition, accounts that do not have a Financial Intermediary associated with them are not eligible to hold Investor C Shares, and any Investor C Shares held in such accounts will be automatically converted to Investor A Shares. |
No. |
Advantage | Generally available to most investors. | N/A | No ongoing shareholder servicing fees. |
Disadvantage | You pay ongoing shareholder servicing fees. | Limited availability. | Limited availability. |
1 | Please see “Details About the Share Classes” for more information about each share class. |
2 | Investor C Shares are no longer offered for purchase by the Fund. |
■ | Redemptions of shares purchased through certain employer-sponsored retirement plans and rollovers of current investments in the Fund through such plans; |
■ | Exchanges pursuant to the exchange privilege, as described in “How to Buy, Sell, Exchange and Transfer Shares — How to Exchange Shares or Transfer Your Account”; |
■ | Redemptions made in connection with minimum required distributions from IRA or 403(b)(7) accounts due to the shareholder reaching the age of 70½; |
■ | Certain post-retirement withdrawals from an IRA or other retirement plan if you are over 59 ½ years old and you purchased your shares prior to October 2, 2006; |
■ | Redemptions made with respect to certain retirement plans sponsored by BlackRock or an affiliate; |
■ | Redemptions resulting from shareholder death as long as the waiver request is made within one year of death or, if later, reasonably promptly following completion of probate (including in connection with the distribution of account assets to a beneficiary of the decedent); |
■ | Withdrawals resulting from shareholder disability (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended) as long as the disability arose subsequent to the purchase of the shares; |
■ | Involuntary redemptions made of shares in accounts with low balances; |
■ | Certain redemptions made through the Systematic Withdrawal Plan (“SWP”) offered by the Fund, BlackRock or an affiliate; |
■ | Redemptions related to the payment of BNY Mellon Investment Servicing Trust Company custodial IRA fees; and |
■ | Redemptions when a shareholder can demonstrate hardship, in the absolute discretion of the Fund. |
■ | Individuals with a minimum initial investment of $2 million who may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares; |
■ | Clients of Financial Intermediaries that: (i) charge such clients a fee for advisory, investment consulting, or similar services or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Institutional Shares through a no-load program or investment platform, in each case, with no minimum initial investment; |
■ | Clients investing through Financial Intermediaries that have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer such shares on a platform that charges a transaction based sales commission outside of the Fund, with a minimum initial investment of $1,000; |
■ | Employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs) and state sponsored 529 college savings plans, each of which is not subject to any minimum initial investment and may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares; |
■ | Trust department clients of Bank of America, N.A. and its affiliates for whom they (i) act in a fiduciary capacity (excluding participant directed employee benefit plans); (ii) otherwise have investment discretion; or (iii) act as custodian for at least $2 million in assets, who are not subject to any minimum initial investment; |
■ | Holders of certain Bank of America Corporation (“BofA Corp.”) sponsored unit investment trusts (“UITs”) who reinvest dividends received from such UITs in shares of the Fund, who are not subject to any minimum initial investment; |
■ | Employees, officers and directors/trustees of BlackRock, Inc., mutual funds sponsored by BlackRock or its affiliates (“BlackRock Funds”), BofA Corp., Barclays PLC (“Barclays”) or their respective affiliates and immediate family members of such persons, if they open an account directly with BlackRock, who are not subject to any minimum initial investment; and |
■ | Tax-qualified accounts for insurance agents that are registered representatives of an insurance company’s broker-dealer that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Institutional Shares, and the family members of such persons. |
i. | The current value of an investor’s existing Investor A and A1, Investor C, C1, C2 and C3, Investor P, Institutional, Class K and Premier Shares in most BlackRock Funds, |
ii. | The current value of an investor’s existing shares of certain unlisted closed-end management investment companies sponsored and advised by BlackRock or its affiliates and |
iii. | The investment in the BlackRock CollegeAdvantage 529 Program by the investor or by or on behalf of the investor’s spouse and children. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
How to Pay for Shares (continued) | Making payment for purchases (continued) | For shares purchased directly from the Fund, a check payable to BlackRock Funds which bears the name of the Fund must accompany a completed purchase application. There is a $20 fee for each purchase check that is returned due to insufficient funds. The Fund does not accept third-party checks. You may also wire Federal funds to the Transfer Agent to purchase shares, but you must call (800) 441-7762 before doing so to confirm the wiring instructions. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares | Have your Financial Intermediary submit your sales order |
You
can make redemption requests through your Financial Intermediary. Shareholders should indicate whether they are redeeming Investor A, Investor C or Institutional Shares. The price of your shares is based on the next calculation of the Fund’s
NAV after your order is placed. For your redemption request to be priced at the NAV on the day of your request, you must submit your request to your Financial Intermediary prior to that day’s close of business on the Exchange (generally 4:00
p.m. Eastern time). Certain Financial Intermediaries, however, may require submission of orders prior to that time. Any redemption request placed after that time will be priced at the NAV at the close of business on the next business day.
|
Selling shares held directly with BlackRock |
Methods
of Redeeming
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares (continued) | Selling shares held directly with BlackRock (continued) |
Redeem
by Internet: You may redeem in your account, by logging onto the BlackRock website at www.blackrock.com. Proceeds from Internet redemptions may be sent via check, ACH or wire to the bank account of record. Proceeds
for Investor Shares redeemed by Internet may be paid for non-retirement accounts in amounts up to $25,000, either through check, ACH or wire. Different maximums may apply to investors in Institutional Shares.
Redemption proceeds may be paid by check or, if the Fund has verified banking information on file, through ACH or by wire transfer. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares (continued) | Selling shares held directly with BlackRock (continued) |
the
back cover of this prospectus.
***
If you make a redemption request before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares, the Fund may delay sending your proceeds. This delay will usually not exceed ten days.
Please see
“Account Information — Liquidity Fees and Redemption Gates” for more information.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Exchange Privilege | Selling shares of one BlackRock Fund to purchase shares of another BlackRock Fund (“exchanging”) |
Investor
A, Investor C and Institutional Shares of the Fund are generally exchangeable for shares of the same class of another BlackRock Fund, to the extent such shares are offered by your Financial Intermediary.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Exchange Privilege (continued) | Selling shares of one BlackRock Fund to purchase shares of another BlackRock Fund (“exchanging”) (continued) |
representatives,
(ii) make the exchange via the Internet by accessing your account online at www.blackrock.com, or (iii) send a written request to the Fund at the address on the back cover of this prospectus. Please note, if you indicated on your new account
application that you did not want the Telephone Exchange Privilege, you will not be able to place exchanges via the telephone until you update this option either in writing or by calling (800) 441-7762. The Fund has the right to reject any telephone
request for any reason.
|
Transfer Shares to Another Financial Intermediary | Transfer to a participating Financial Intermediary |
You
may transfer your shares of the Fund only to another Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor. Certain shareholder services may not be available for the transferred shares. All future trading of these assets
must be coordinated by the receiving firm.
|
Transfer to a non-participating Financial Intermediary |
You
must either:
• Transfer your shares to an account with the Fund; or • Sell your shares, paying any applicable deferred sales charge. |
Automatic Investment Plan | Allows systematic investments on a periodic basis from your checking or savings account. |
BlackRock’s
AIP allows you to invest a specific amount on a periodic basis from your checking or savings account into your investment account. You may apply for this option upon account opening or by completing the AIP application. The minimum investment
amount for an automatic investment is $50 per portfolio.
|
■ | Suspend the right of redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the Exchange or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act; |
■ | Postpone the date of payment upon redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the Exchange or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act or if a redemption request is made before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares; |
■ | Redeem shares for property other than cash as may be permitted under the Investment Company Act; and |
■ | Redeem shares involuntarily in certain cases, such as when the value of a shareholder account falls below a specified level or if the Fund does not believe the account is for a natural person. |
■ | 30% weekly liquid assets — If the weekly liquid assets of the Fund fall below 30% of the Fund’s total assets, and the Board determines it is in the best interests of the Fund, the Board may impose at any time, and as early as the same day, a liquidity fee of up to 2% of the amount redeemed, or a redemption gate that temporarily suspends the right of redemption. |
■ | 10% weekly liquid assets — If the weekly liquid assets of the Fund fall below 10% of the Fund’s total assets as of the end of a business day, the Board will impose, at the beginning of the next business day, a liquidity fee of 1% of the amount redeemed, unless the Board determines that imposing such a fee would not be in the best interests of the Fund or determines that a lower or higher fee (not to exceed 2%) would be in the best interests of the Fund. |
Average Daily Net Assets |
Rate
of
Management Fee |
First $1 billion | 0.450% |
$1 billion – $2 billion | 0.400% |
$2 billion – $3 billion | 0.375% |
Greater than $3 billion | 0.350% |
Contractual
Caps1 on
Total Annual Operating Expenses2 (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) |
Total
Annual Fund Operating
Expenses2 after giving effect to all applicable expense limitation provisions (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund Expenses) |
|
Investor A | 0.55% | 0.50% |
Investor C | 1.30% | 1.28% |
Institutional | 0.20% | 0.20% |
1 | The contractual caps are in effect through July 31, 2021. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
2 | As a percentage of average daily net assets. |
Institutional | |||||
Year Ended March 31, | |||||
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Net asset value, beginning of year | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 |
Net investment income | 0.0195 | 0.0213 | 0.0118 | 0.0061 | 0.0013 |
Net realized gain | 0.0000 (a) | 0.0000 (a) | 0.0004 | 0.0002 | 0.0001 |
Net increase from investment operations | 0.0195 | 0.0213 | 0.0122 | 0.0063 | 0.0014 |
Distributions (b) | |||||
From net investment income | (0.0195) | (0.0213) | (0.0122) | (0.0061) | (0.0013) |
From net realized gain | (0.0000) (c) | (0.0000) (c) | — | (0.0002) | (0.0001) |
Total distributions | (0.0195) | (0.0213) | (0.0122) | (0.0063) | (0.0014) |
Net asset value, end of year | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 |
Total Return(d) | |||||
Based on net asset value | 1.97% | 2.15% | 1.23% | 0.63% | 0.13% |
Ratios to Average Net Assets | |||||
Total expenses | 0.56% | 0.60% | 0.56% | 0.56% | 0.56% |
Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 0.20% | 0.20% | 0.20% | 0.20% | 0.24% |
Net investment income | 1.94% | 2.17% | 1.18% | 0.61% | 0.11% |
Supplemental Data | |||||
Net assets, end of year (000) | $369,187 | $336,387 | $305,669 | $569,757 | $605,469 |
(a) | Amount is less than $0.00005 per share. |
(b) | Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. |
(c) | Amount is greater than $(0.00005) per share. |
(d) | Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions. |
Investor A | |||||
Year Ended March 31, | |||||
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Net asset value, beginning of year | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 |
Net investment income | 0.0164 | 0.0178 | 0.0090 | 0.0025 | 0.0007 |
Net realized gain (loss) | 0.0000 (a) | 0.0000 (a) | (0.0002) | 0.0003 | 0.0001 |
Net increase from investment operations | 0.0164 | 0.0178 | 0.0088 | 0.0028 | 0.0008 |
Distributions (b) | |||||
From net investment income | (0.0164) | (0.0178) | (0.0088) | (0.0025) | (0.0007) |
From net realized gain | (0.0000) (c) | (0.0000) (c) | — | (0.0003) | (0.0001) |
Total distributions | (0.0164) | (0.0178) | (0.0088) | (0.0028) | (0.0008) |
Net asset value, end of year | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 |
Total Return(d) | |||||
Based on net asset value | 1.66% | 1.80% | 0.88% | 0.28% | 0.08% |
Ratios to Average Net Assets | |||||
Total expenses | 0.81% | 0.90% | 0.91% | 0.97% | 0.90% |
Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 0.50% | 0.54% | 0.54% | 0.55% | 0.29% |
Net investment income | 1.45% | 1.85% | 0.90% | 0.25% | 0.08% |
Supplemental Data | |||||
Net assets, end of year (000) | $2,616,196 | $484,301 | $180,873 | $122,896 | $176,772 |
(a) | Amount is less than $0.00005 per share. |
(b) | Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. |
(c) | Amount is greater than $(0.00005) per share. |
(d) | Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions. |
Investor C | |||||
Year Ended March 31, | |||||
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Net asset value, beginning of year | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 |
Net investment income | 0.0086 | 0.0105 | 0.0017 | 0.0009 | 0.0010 |
Net realized gain | 0.0000 (a) | 0.0000 (a) | 0.0001 | 0.0001 | 0.0001 |
Net increase from investment operations | 0.0086 | 0.0105 | 0.0018 | 0.0010 | 0.0011 |
Distributions (b) | |||||
From net investment income | (0.0086) | (0.0105) | (0.0018) | (0.0009) | (0.0010) |
From net realized gain | (0.0000) (c) | (0.0000) (c) | — | (0.0001) | (0.0001) |
Total distributions | (0.0086) | (0.0105) | (0.0018) | (0.0010) | (0.0011) |
Net asset value, end of year | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 |
Total Return(d) | |||||
Based on net asset value | 0.87% | 1.05% | 0.18% | 0.10% | 0.10% |
Ratios to Average Net Assets | |||||
Total expenses | 1.62% | 1.64% | 1.65% | 1.62% | 1.57% |
Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 1.28% | 1.28% | 1.24% | 0.71% | 0.26% |
Net investment income | 0.85% | 1.07% | 0.17% | 0.09% | 0.12% |
Supplemental Data | |||||
Net assets, end of year (000) | $ 29,973 | $ 15,174 | $ 21,727 | $ 26,434 | $ 38,069 |
(a) | Amount is less than $0.00005 per share. |
(b) | Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. |
(c) | Amount is greater than $(0.00005) per share. |
(d) | Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions. |
■ | Access the BlackRock website at http://www.blackrock.com/edelivery; and |
■ | Log into your account |
■ | securities with a remaining maturity of 397 calendar days or less (with certain exceptions) that BlackRock determines present minimal credit risks to the Fund after considering certain factors; |
■ | securities issued by other registered investment companies that are money market funds; or |
■ | securities issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities. |
■ | Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs |
■ | Shares purchased through an Ameriprise Financial investment advisory program (if an advisory or similar share class for such investment advisory program is not available) |
■ | Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Ameriprise Financial’s platform (if an advisory or similar share class for such investment advisory program is not available) |
■ | Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within BlackRock Funds) |
■ | Shares exchanged from Investor C Shares of the same fund in the month of or following the 10-year anniversary of the purchase date. To the extent that this prospectus elsewhere provides for a waiver with respect to such shares following a shorter holding period, that waiver will apply to exchanges following such shorter period. To the extent that this prospectus elsewhere provides for a waiver with respect to exchanges of Investor C Shares for load waived shares, that waiver will also apply to such exchanges |
■ | Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Ameriprise Financial or its affiliates and their immediate family members |
■ | Shares purchased by or through qualified accounts (including IRAs, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, 401(k)s, 403(b) TSCAs subject to ERISA and defined benefit plans) that are held by a covered family member, defined as an Ameriprise financial advisor (“FA”) and/or the FA’s spouse, FA’s lineal ascendant (mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, great grandmother, great grandfather), FA’s lineal descendant (son, step-son, daughter, step-daughter, grandson, granddaughter, great grandson, great granddaughter) or any spouse of a covered family member who is a lineal descendant |
■ | Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within BlackRock Funds, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (i.e. Rights of Reinstatement) |
■ | The applicable sales charge on a purchase of Investor A Shares is determined by taking into account all share classes (except any money market funds and retirement plan share classes) of BlackRock Funds held by the shareholder or in an account grouped by Edward Jones with other accounts for the purpose of providing certain pricing considerations (“pricing groups”). This includes all share classes held on the Edward Jones platform and/or held on another platform. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the ROA calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying his or her financial advisor of such assets at the time of calculation. |
■ | ROA is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value (current shares multiplied by NAV). |
■ | Through a LOI, a shareholder can receive the sales charge and breakpoint discounts for purchases such shareholder intends to make over a 13-month period from the date Edward Jones receives the LOI. The LOI is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value of qualifying holdings at LOI initiation in combination with the value that the shareholder intends to buy over a 13-month period to calculate the front-end sales charge and any breakpoint discounts. Each purchase the shareholder makes during that 13-month period will receive the sales charge and breakpoint discount that applies to the total amount. The inclusion of eligible BlackRock Funds assets in the LOI calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying his or her financial advisor of such assets at the time of calculation. Purchases made before the LOI is received by Edward Jones are not covered under the LOI and will not reduce the sales charges previously paid. Sales charges will be adjusted if the LOI is not met. |
■ | Associates of Edward Jones and its affiliates and their family members who are in the same pricing group (as determined by Edward Jones under its policies and procedures) as the associate. This waiver will continue for the remainder of the associate’s life if the associate retires from Edward Jones in good-standing. |
■ | Shares purchased in an Edward Jones fee-based advisory program. |
■ | Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment. |
■ | Shares purchased from the proceeds of redeemed shares of BlackRock Funds so long as the following conditions are met: 1) the proceeds are from the sale of shares within 60 days of the purchase, and 2) the sale and purchase are made in the same share class and the same account or the purchase is made in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) with proceeds from liquidations in a non-retirement account. |
■ | Shares exchanged into Investor A Shares from another share class so long as the exchange is into the same fund and was initiated at the discretion of Edward Jones. Edward Jones is responsible for any remaining CDSCs due to BlackRock, if applicable. Any future purchases are subject to the applicable sales charge as disclosed in the prospectus. |
■ | Exchanges from Investor C Shares to Investor A Shares of the same fund, generally, in the 84th month following the anniversary of the purchase date or earlier at the discretion of Edward Jones. |
■ | The death or disability of the shareholder |
■ | Systematic withdrawals with up to 10% per year of the account value |
■ | Return of excess contributions from an IRA |
■ | Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations |
■ | Shares sold to pay Edward Jones fees or costs in such cases where the transaction is initiated by Edward Jones |
■ | Shares exchanged in an Edward Jones fee-based program |
■ | Shares acquired through a Right of Reinstatement |
■ | $250 initial purchase minimum |
■ | $50 subsequent purchase minimum |
■ | Edward Jones has the right to redeem at its discretion fund holdings with a balance of $250 or less. The following are examples of accounts that are not included in this policy: |
■ | A fee-based account held on an Edward Jones platform |
■ | A 529 account held on an Edward Jones platform |
■ | An account with an active systematic investment plan or LOI |
■ | At any time it deems necessary, Edward Jones has the authority to exchange at NAV a shareholder’s holdings in a fund to Investor A Shares of the same fund at NAV, provided that Edward Jones will be responsible for any remaining CDSC due to BlackRock, if applicable, and that the shareholders meet the eligibility requirements of the new share class. |
■ | Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other BlackRock Fund). |
■ | Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Janney or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Janney. |
■ | Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions from another BlackRock Fund, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within ninety (90) days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (i.e., right of reinstatement). |
■ | Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans. |
■ | Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement. |
■ | Investor C shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are converted to Investor A shares of the same fund pursuant to Janney’s policies and procedures. |
■ | Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder. |
■ | Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s prospectus or SAI. |
■ | Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account. |
■ | Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code. |
■ | Shares sold to pay Janney fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Janney. |
■ | Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement. |
■ | Shares exchanged into the same share class of a different fund. |
■ | Breakpoints as described in the Fund’s prospectus or SAI. |
■ | Rights of accumulation (“ROA”), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of BlackRock Fund assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Janney. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at Janney may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets. |
■ | Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a BlackRock Fund, over a 13-month time period. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at Janney Montgomery Scott may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets. |
■ | Shares purchased by employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan/plan participants |
■ | Shares purchased by a 529 Plan (does not include 529 Plan units or 529-specific share classes or equivalents) |
■ | Shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program |
■ | Exchanges of shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program due to the holdings moving from such Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program to a Merrill Lynch brokerage (non-advisory) account pursuant to Merrill Lynch’s policies relating to sales charge discounts and waivers |
■ | Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Merrill Lynch’s platform |
■ | Shares of funds purchased through the Merrill Edge Self-Directed platform (if applicable) |
■ | Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other BlackRock Fund) |
■ | Shares exchanged from Investor C (i.e. level-load) shares of the same Fund pursuant to Merrill Lynch’s policies relating to sales charge discounts and waivers |
■ | Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Merrill Lynch or its affiliates and their family members |
■ | Shares purchased by directors of the Fund, and employees of BlackRock or any of its affiliates, as described in the prospectus |
■ | Eligible shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions from another BlackRock Fund, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as Rights of Reinstatement). Automated transactions (i.e., systematic purchases and withdrawals) and purchases made after shares are automatically sold to pay Merrill Lynch’s account maintenance fees are not eligible for reinstatement. |
■ | Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder |
■ | Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s prospectus |
■ | Shares bought due to return of excess contributions from an IRA Account |
■ | Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code |
■ | Shares sold to pay Merrill Lynch fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Merrill Lynch |
■ | Shares acquired through a Right of Reinstatement |
■ | Investor A and C Shares of a Fund held in the following IRA or other retirement brokerage accounts: Traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, Rollover IRAs, Inherited IRAs, SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, BASIC Plans, Educational Savings Account and Medical Savings Accounts that are exchanged for Institutional shares of the same Fund due to transfer to certain fee based accounts or platforms |
■ | Investor A Shares sold, where such Investor A Shares were received as a result of exchanges of shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program due to the holdings moving from the program to a Merrill Lynch brokerage (non-advisory) account pursuant to Merrill Lynch’s policies relating to sales charge discounts and waivers |
■ | Breakpoints as described in this prospectus |
■ | Rights of Accumulation (ROA) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts as described in the Fund’s prospectus will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of BlackRock Fund assets held by accounts (including 529 program holdings, where applicable) within the purchaser’s household at Merrill Lynch. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at Merrill Lynch may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets. |
■ | Letters of Intent (LOI) which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases of BlackRock Funds, through Merrill Lynch, over a 13-month period of time |
■ | Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans does not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans |
■ | Morgan Stanley employee and employee-related accounts according to Morgan Stanley’s account linking rules |
■ | Shares purchased through reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions when purchasing shares of the same fund |
■ | Shares purchased through a Morgan Stanley self-directed brokerage account |
■ | Investor C Shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are exchanged for Investor A Shares of the same fund pursuant to Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s share class conversion program |
■ | Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within BlackRock Funds under a Rights of Reinstatement provision, provided the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge |
■ | Shares purchased by employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan |
■ | Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan |
■ | Shares purchased through an OPCO affiliated investment advisory program |
■ | Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other BlackRock Fund) |
■ | Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions from another BlackRock Fund, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as Rights of Reinstatement) |
■ | A shareholder in the Fund’s Investor C Shares will have their shares converted at net asset value to Investor A Shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the conversion is in line with the policies and procedures of OPCO |
■ | Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of OPCO or its affiliates and their family members |
■ | Shares purchased by directors or trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund’s investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in this prospectus |
■ | Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder |
■ | Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s prospectus |
■ | Shares bought due to return of excess contributions from an IRA account |
■ | Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations as described in the prospectus |
■ | Shares sold to pay OPCO fees but only if the transaction is initiated by OPCO |
■ | Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement |
■ | Breakpoints as described in this prospectus |
■ | Rights of Accumulation (“ROA”) and Letters of Intent (“LOI”) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of BlackRock Fund assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at OPCO. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at OPCO may be included in the ROA or LOI calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets |
■ | Shares purchased in a Raymond James investment advisory program. |
■ | Shares purchased of the same Fund or another BlackRock Fund through a systematic reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend distributions. |
■ | Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Raymond James or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Raymond James. |
■ | Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions from another BlackRock Fund, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as Rights of Reinstatement). |
■ | A shareholder in the Fund’s Investor C shares will have their shares converted at net asset value to Investor A shares of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the conversion is in line with the policies and procedures of Raymond James. |
■ | Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder. |
■ | Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s prospectus. |
■ | Shares bought due to return of excess contributions from an IRA Account. |
■ | Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations as described in the Fund’s prospectus or SAI. |
■ | Shares sold to pay Raymond James fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Raymond James. |
■ | Shares acquired through a Right of Reinstatement. |
■ | Breakpoints as described in this prospectus. |
■ | Rights of accumulation which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of BlackRock Fund assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Raymond James. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at Raymond James may be included in the calculation of rights of accumulation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets. |
■ | Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases of BlackRock Funds over a 13-month time period. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at Raymond James may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets. |
■ | Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing share of the same fund |
■ | Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Baird or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Baird |
■ | Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions from another BlackRock Fund, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as Rights of Reinstatement) |
■ | A shareholder in the Fund’s Investor C shares will have their shares converted at net asset value to Investor A shares of the fund if the shares are no longer subject to CDSC and the conversion is in line with the policies and procedures of Baird |
■ | Shares purchased by employer-sponsored retirement plans or charitable accounts in a transactional brokerage account at Baird, including 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans. For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs |
■ | Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder |
■ | Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s prospectus |
■ | Shares bought due to returns of excess contributions from an IRA account |
■ | Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable Internal Revenue Service regulations as described in the Fund’s prospectus |
■ | Shares sold to pay Baird fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Baird |
■ | Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement |
■ | Breakpoints as described in this prospectus |
■ | Rights of Accumulation (“ROA”) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of BlackRock Fund assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Baird. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at Baird may be included in ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets |
■ | Letters of Intent (“LOI”) allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases of BlackRock Funds through Baird, over a 13-month period of time |
Prospectus |
• | BlackRock Wealth Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund |
Service: PNPXX |
Fund Overview | Key facts and details about the Fund, including investment objective, principal investment strategies, principal risk factors, fee and expense information and historical performance information | |
|
3 | |
|
3 | |
|
3 | |
|
4 | |
|
6 | |
|
7 | |
|
7 | |
|
7 | |
|
8 |
Details About the Fund | Information about how the Fund invests, including investment objective, investment processes, principal strategies and risk factors | |
|
9 | |
|
12 |
Account Information | Information about account services, sales charges and waivers, shareholder transactions, and distribution and other payments | |
|
17 | |
|
17 | |
|
18 | |
|
22 | |
|
23 | |
|
23 | |
|
24 |
Management of the Fund | Information about BlackRock | |
|
25 | |
|
26 | |
|
27 | |
|
28 |
Financial Highlights |
Financial Performance of the
Fund
|
29 |
General Information |
|
30 |
|
30 | |
|
31 |
Glossary |
Glossary of Investment
Terms
|
32 |
For More Information |
|
Inside Back Cover |
|
Back Cover |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
Service
Shares |
Management Fee | 0.43% |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | 0.25% |
Other Expenses | 0.16% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.84% |
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements1 | (0.34)% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements1 | 0.50% |
1 | As described in the “Management of the Fund” section of the Fund’s prospectus beginning on page 25, BlackRock Advisors, LLC (“BlackRock”), the Fund’s investment manager, has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) to 0.50% (for Service Shares) of average daily net assets through July 31, 2021. The agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |
Service Shares | $51 | $234 | $433 | $1,006 |
■ | The Fund will invest in securities whose issuer (or guarantor, if applicable) at the time of the Fund’s investment has better than average performance in environmental practices. In evaluating performance in environmental practices, BlackRock will use data or other environmental, social, or governance risk metrics including ratings provided by independent research vendor(s) in determining whether to invest (or continue to invest) in securities issued or guaranteed by a particular entity. These independent research vendor(s) may consider one or more of the following |
factors: issuer or industry exposure to environmentally intensive activities, disclosures by an issuer around climate related issues and environmental matters or specific targets or plans by an issuer to manage environmental exposures. BlackRock may change an independent research vendor at any time in its discretion. BlackRock will consider factors such as emissions, energy and water intensity, waste generation, green revenues and environmental disclosure levels in evaluating the environmental performance of an issuer or guarantor. | |
■ | U.S. Government securities will be considered to have met the Fund’s environmental criteria |
■ | The Fund will not invest in securities issued or guaranteed by entities: |
— that derive more than 5% of their revenue from fossil fuels mining, exploration or refinement; or | |
— that derive more than 5% of their revenue from thermal coal or nuclear energy based power generation. |
■ | Credit Risk — Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a debt security (i.e., the borrower) will not be able to make payments of interest and principal when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. |
■ | Environmental Criteria Risk — The risk that because the Fund’s environmental criteria exclude securities of certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons, the Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds that do not use |
these criteria.
Consequently, the Fund may underperform funds that do not utilize an environmental strategy. BlackRock’s assessment of an issuer’s environmental criteria may change over time, which could cause the Fund to hold securities that may no
longer meet BlackRock’s current environmental criteria.
|
|
In evaluating the environmental criteria for an issuer or guarantor, BlackRock is dependent upon information and data that may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable. Currently, environmental data often lacks standardization, consistency and in some cases transparency. There may be different methodologies used by different data sources who compile environmental ratings of issuers or guarantors. This could adversely affect the analysis of the environmental criteria relevant to a particular issuer or guarantor. If BlackRock were to solely rely on this data, the Fund may invest in issuers or guarantors who may not meet the environmental criteria for investment. Investing on the basis of environmental criteria is qualitative and subjective by nature and there can be no assurance that the process utilized by any vendors of BlackRock or any judgment exercised by BlackRock will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor. | |
■ | Extension Risk — When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these securities to fall. |
■ |
Financial Services Industry
Risk — Because of its concentration in the financial services industry, the Fund will be more susceptible to any economic, business, political or
other developments which generally affect this industry sector. As a result, the Fund will be exposed to a large extent to the risks associated with that industry, such as government regulation, the availability and cost of capital funds,
consolidation and general economic conditions. Financial services companies are also exposed to losses if borrowers and other counterparties experience financial problems and/or cannot repay their obligations.
|
When interest rates go up,
the value of securities issued by many types of financial services companies generally goes down. In many countries, financial services and the companies that provide them are regulated by governmental entities, which can increase costs for new
services or products and make it difficult to pass increased costs on to consumers. In certain areas, deregulation of financial services companies has resulted in increased competition and reduced profitability for certain companies.
|
|
The profitability of many types of financial services companies may be adversely affected in certain market cycles, including periods of rising interest rates, which may restrict the availability and increase the cost of capital, and declining economic conditions, which may cause credit losses due to financial difficulties of borrowers. Because many types of financial services companies are vulnerable to these economic cycles, a large portion of the Fund’s investments may lose value during such periods. | |
■ | Foreign Exposure Risk — Securities issued or supported by foreign entities, including foreign banks and corporations, may involve additional risks and considerations. Extensive public information about the foreign issuer may not be available, and unfavorable political, economic or governmental developments in the foreign country involved could affect the payment of principal and interest. |
■ | Income Risk — Income risk is the risk that the Fund’s yield will vary as short-term securities in its portfolio mature and the proceeds are reinvested in securities with different interest rates. |
■ | Interest Rate Risk — Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of a debt security may fall when interest rates rise. In general, the market price of debt securities with longer maturities will go up or down more in response to changes in interest rates than the market price of shorter-term securities. Due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of such securities may vary during the period shareholders own shares of the Fund. |
■ | Liquidity Fee and Redemption Gate Risk — The Board has discretion to impose a liquidity fee of up to 2% upon sale of your shares or may temporarily suspend your ability to sell shares if the Fund’s liquidity falls below required minimums because of market conditions or other factors. Accordingly, you may not be able to sell your shares or your redemptions may be subject to a liquidity fee when you sell your shares at certain times. |
■ | Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. The value of a security or other asset may decline due to changes in general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other asset, or factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, exchange, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues like pandemics or epidemics, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. This means you may lose money. |
A recent outbreak of an infectious coronavirus has developed into a global pandemic that has resulted in numerous disruptions in the market and has had significant economic impact leaving general concern and uncertainty. Because the Fund invests in short-term instruments these events have caused some instruments to have declining yields, which may impair the results of the Fund if these conditions persisted. The impact of this coronavirus, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could affect the economies of many nations, individual companies and the market in general ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. | |
■ | Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risks — Mortgage- and asset-backed securities represent interests in “pools” of mortgages or other assets, including consumer loans or receivables held in trust. Mortgage- and asset-backed securities are subject to credit, interest rate, prepayment and extension risks. These securities also are subject to risk of default on the underlying mortgage or asset, particularly during periods of economic downturn. Small movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain mortgage-backed securities. |
■ | Prepayment Risk — When interest rates fall, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more quickly than originally anticipated, and the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields. |
■ | Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts Risk — If the other party to a repurchase agreement or purchase and sale contract defaults on its obligation under the agreement, the Fund may suffer delays and incur costs or lose money in exercising its rights under the agreement. If the seller fails to repurchase the security in either situation and the market value of the security declines, the Fund may lose money. |
■ | Stable Net Asset Value Risk — The Fund may not be able to maintain a stable NAV of $1.00 per share at all times. If the Fund fails to maintain a stable NAV (or if there is a perceived threat of such a failure), the Fund, along with other money market funds, could be subject to increased redemption activity. |
■ | Treasury Obligations Risk — Direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury have historically involved little risk of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of such securities may vary during the period shareholders own shares of the Fund. |
■ | U.S. Government Obligations Risk — Certain securities in which the Fund may invest, including securities issued by certain U.S. Government agencies and U.S. Government sponsored enterprises, are not guaranteed by the U.S. Government or supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. |
■ | Variable and Floating Rate Instrument Risk — Variable and floating rate securities provide for periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. These securities may be subject to greater illiquidity risk than other fixed income securities, meaning the absence of an active market for these securities could make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of them at any given time. |
■ | When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments Risk — When-issued and delayed delivery securities and forward commitments involve the risk that the security the Fund buys will lose value prior to its delivery. There also is the risk that the security will not be issued or that the other party to the transaction will not meet its obligation. If this occurs, the Fund may lose both the investment opportunity for the assets it set aside to pay for the security and any gain in the security’s price. |
As
of 12/31/19
Average Annual Total Returns |
1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years |
BlackRock Wealth Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund — Service Shares | |||
Return Before Taxes | 1.92% | 0.92% | 0.46% |
Service Shares | |
Minimum Initial Investment | $5,000 |
Minimum Additional Investment | No subsequent minimum. |
■ | The Fund seeks to maintain a net asset value (“NAV”) of $1.00 per share. |
■ | The Fund will maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity of 60 days or less and a dollar-weighted average life of 120 days or less. For a discussion of dollar-weighted average maturity and dollar-weighted average life, please see the Glossary on page 32. |
■ | Pursuant to Rule 2a-7, the Fund is subject to a “general liquidity requirement” that requires that the Fund hold securities that are sufficiently liquid to meet reasonably foreseeable shareholder redemptions in light of its obligations under Section 22(e) of the Investment Company Act regarding share redemptions and any commitments the Fund has made to shareholders. To comply with this general liquidity requirement, BlackRock Advisors, LLC (“BlackRock”) must consider factors that could affect the Fund’s liquidity needs, including characteristics of the Fund’s investors and their likely redemptions. Depending upon the volatility of its cash flows (particularly shareholder redemptions), this may require the Fund to maintain greater liquidity than would be required by the daily and weekly minimum liquidity requirements discussed below. |
■ | The Fund will not acquire any illiquid security (i.e., securities that cannot be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the value ascribed to them by the Fund) if, immediately following such purchase, more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets are invested in illiquid securities. |
■ | The Fund will not acquire any security other than a daily liquid asset unless, immediately following such purchase, at least 10% of its total assets would be invested in daily liquid assets, and the Fund will not acquire any security other than a weekly liquid asset unless, immediately following such purchase, at least 30% of its total assets would be invested in weekly liquid assets. For a discussion of daily liquid assets and weekly liquid assets, please see the Glossary on page 32. |
■ | The Fund invests in securities maturing within 13 months or less from the date of purchase, with certain exceptions. For example, certain government securities held by the Fund may have remaining maturities exceeding 13 months if such securities provide for adjustments in their interest rates not less frequently than every 13 months. |
■ | The securities purchased by the Fund are subject to the quality, diversification, and other requirements of Rule 2a-7, and other rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The Fund will purchase securities (or issuers of such securities) that are Eligible Securities that present minimal credit risk as determined by BlackRock pursuant to guidelines approved by the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”). For a discussion of Eligible Securities, please see the Glossary on page 32. |
■ | The Fund will invest in securities whose issuer (or guarantor, if applicable) at the time of the Fund’s investment has better than average performance in environmental practices. In evaluating performance in environmental practices, BlackRock will use data or other environmental, social, or governance risk metrics including ratings provided by independent research vendor(s) in determining whether to invest (or continue to invest) in securities issued or guaranteed by a particular entity. These independent research vendor(s) may consider one or more of the following factors: issuer or industry exposure to environmentally intensive activities, disclosures by an issuer around climate related issues and environmental matters or specific targets or plans by an issuer to manage environmental exposures. BlackRock may change an independent research vendor at any time in its discretion. BlackRock will consider factors such as emissions, energy and water intensity, waste generation, green revenues and environmental disclosure levels in evaluating the environmental performance of an issuer or guarantor. |
■ | U.S. Government securities will be considered to have met the Fund’s environmental criteria |
■ | The Fund will not invest in securities issued or guaranteed by entities: |
■ | a security that has short-term ratings at the time of purchase (or which are guaranteed or in some cases otherwise supported by credit supports with such ratings) in the highest rating category by at least two unaffiliated nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSROs”), or one NRSRO, if the security or guarantee was only rated by one NRSRO; |
■ | a security that is issued or guaranteed by a person with such ratings; |
■ | a security without such short-term ratings that has been determined to be of comparable quality by BlackRock; |
■ | a security issued by other open-end investment companies that invest in the type of obligations in which the Fund may invest; or |
■ | a security issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities. |
■ | Borrowing During periods of unusual market conditions, the Fund is authorized to borrow money from banks for temporary purposes in amounts up to one-third of the value of its total assets at the time of such borrowing. Such borrowings may be secured or unsecured. |
■ | Illiquid Investments The Fund will not invest more than 5% of the value of its total assets in illiquid securities that it cannot sell in the ordinary course within seven days at approximately current value. |
■ | Investment Company Securities — The Fund may invest in securities issued by other open-end or closed-end investment companies as permitted by the Investment Company Act. A pro rata portion of the other investment companies’ expenses may be borne by the Fund’s shareholders. These investments may include, as consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and policies, certain variable rate demand securities issued by closed-end funds, which invest primarily in portfolios of taxable or tax-exempt securities. It is anticipated that the payments made on the variable rate demand securities issued by closed-end municipal bond funds will be exempt from federal income tax. |
■ | Municipal Obligations The Fund may, when deemed appropriate by BlackRock in light of its investment objective, invest in high quality, short-term obligations issued by or on behalf of states, territories and possessions of the United States, the District of Columbia, and their respective authorities, agencies, instrumentalities and political subdivisions and derivative securities, such as beneficial interests in municipal trust certificates and partnership trusts (“Municipal Obligations”) issued by state and local government issuers which carry yields that are competitive with those of other types of money market instruments of comparable quality. |
■ | Restricted Securities Restricted securities are securities that cannot be offered for public resale unless registered under the applicable securities laws or that have a contractual restriction that prohibits or limits their resale. They may include Rule 144A securities, which are privately placed securities that can be resold to qualified institutional buyers but not to the general public, and securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers that are offered pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. |
■ | Reverse Repurchase Agreements The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements. The Fund is permitted to invest up to one-third of its total assets in reverse repurchase agreements. Investments in reverse repurchase agreements and securities lending transactions (described below) will be aggregated for purposes of this investment limitation. |
■ | Uninvested Cash Reserves — The Fund may hold up to 20% of its assets in uninvested cash reserves. Uninvested cash reserves will not earn income. |
■ | U.S. Treasury Floating Rate Notes — The Fund may invest in U.S. Treasury Floating Rate Notes (FRNs). These are two-year notes issued by the U.S. Treasury that reset their interest rates on a weekly basis. At maturity, the face value of an FRN is paid to the note holder. |
■ | Credit Risk — Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a debt security (i.e., the borrower) will not be able to make payments of interest and principal when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on both the financial condition of the issuer and the terms of the obligation. |
■ |
Environmental Criteria Risk — The risk that because the Fund’s environmental criteria exclude securities of certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons, the Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds
that do not use these criteria. Consequently, the Fund may underperform funds that do not utilize an environmental strategy. BlackRock’s assessment of an issuer’s environmental criteria may change over time, which could cause the Fund to
hold securities that may no longer meet BlackRock’s current environmental criteria.
|
In evaluating the environmental criteria for an issuer or guarantor, BlackRock is dependent upon information and data that may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable. Currently, environmental data often lacks standardization, consistency and in some cases transparency. There may be different methodologies used by different data sources who compile environmental ratings of issuers or guarantors. This could adversely affect the analysis of the environmental criteria relevant to a particular issuer or guarantor. If BlackRock were to solely rely on this data, the Fund may invest in issuers or guarantors who may not meet the environmental criteria for investment. Investing on the basis of environmental criteria is qualitative and subjective by nature and there can be no assurance that the process utilized by any vendors of BlackRock or any judgment exercised by BlackRock will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor. | |
■ | Extension Risk — When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these securities to fall. Rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. The value of longer-term securities generally changes more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, securities may exhibit additional volatility and may lose value. |
■ | Financial Services Industry Risk — Because of its concentration in the financial services industry, the Fund will be more susceptible to any economic, business, political or other developments which generally affect this industry sector. As a result, the Fund will be exposed to a large extent to the risks associated with that industry, such as government regulation, the availability and cost of capital funds, consolidation and general economic conditions. Financial services companies are also exposed to losses if borrowers and other counterparties experience financial problems and/or cannot repay their obligations. |
When interest rates go up, the value of securities issued by many types of financial services companies generally goes down. In many countries, financial services and the companies that provide them are regulated by governmental entities, which can increase costs for new services or products and make it difficult to pass |
increased costs on to consumers. In certain areas, deregulation of financial services companies has resulted in increased competition and reduced profitability for certain companies. | |
The profitability of many types of financial services companies may be adversely affected in certain market cycles, including periods of rising interest rates, which may restrict the availability and increase the cost of capital, and declining economic conditions, which may cause credit losses due to financial difficulties of borrowers. Because many types of financial services companies are vulnerable to these economic cycles, a large portion of the Fund’s investments may lose value during such periods. | |
■ | Foreign Exposure Risk — Securities issued or supported by foreign entities, including foreign banks and corporations, may involve additional risks and considerations. Extensive public information about the foreign issuer may not be available, and unfavorable political, economic or governmental developments in the foreign country involved could affect the payment of principal and interest. |
■ | Income Risk — The Fund’s yield will vary as the short-term securities in its portfolio mature and the proceeds are reinvested in securities with different interest rates. |
■ | Interest Rate Risk — Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of a debt security may fall when interest rates rise. In general, the market price of debt securities with longer maturities will go up or down more in response to changes in interest rates than the market price of shorter-term securities. Due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of such securities may vary during the period shareholders own shares of the Fund. |
■ | Liquidity Fee and Redemption Gate Risk — The Board has discretion to impose a liquidity fee of up to 2% upon sale of your shares or may temporarily suspend your ability to sell shares if the Fund’s liquidity falls below required minimums because of market conditions or other factors. Accordingly, you may not be able to sell your shares or your redemptions may be subject to a liquidity fee when you sell your shares at certain times. |
■ | Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. The value of a security or other asset may decline due to changes in general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other asset, or factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, exchange, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues like pandemics or epidemics, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. This means you may lose money. |
A recent outbreak of an infectious coronavirus has developed into a global pandemic that has resulted in numerous disruptions in the market and has had significant economic impact leaving general concern and uncertainty. Because the Fund invests in short-term instruments these events have caused some instruments to have declining yields, which may impair the results of the Fund if these conditions persisted. The impact of this coronavirus, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could affect the economies of many nations, individual companies and the market in general ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. | |
■ | Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risks — Mortgage-backed securities (residential and commercial) and asset-backed securities represent interests in “pools” of mortgages or other assets, including consumer loans or receivables held in trust. Although asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) generally experience less prepayment than residential mortgage-backed securities, mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, like traditional fixed-income securities, are subject to credit, interest rate, prepayment and extension risks. |
Small movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain mortgage-backed securities. The Fund’s investments in asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-related securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. These securities also are subject to the risk of default on the underlying mortgages or assets, particularly during periods of economic downturn. Certain CMBS are issued in several classes with different levels of yield and credit protection. The Fund’s investments in CMBS with several classes may be in the lower classes that have greater risks than the higher classes, including greater interest rate, credit and prepayment risks. | |
Mortgage-backed securities may be either pass-through securities or collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”). Pass-through securities represent a right to receive principal and interest payments collected on a pool of mortgages, which are passed through to security holders. CMOs are created by dividing the principal and interest payments collected on a pool of mortgages into several revenue streams (“tranches”) with different priority rights to portions of the underlying mortgage payments. Certain CMO tranches may represent a right to receive interest only |
(“IOs”), principal only (“POs”) or an amount that remains after floating-rate tranches are paid (an “inverse floater”). These securities are frequently referred to as “mortgage derivatives” and may be extremely sensitive to changes in interest rates. Interest rates on inverse floaters, for example, vary inversely with a short-term floating rate (which may be reset periodically). Interest rates on inverse floaters will decrease when short-term rates increase, and will increase when short-term rates decrease. These securities have the effect of providing a degree of investment leverage. In response to changes in market interest rates or other market conditions, the value of an inverse floater may increase or decrease at a multiple of the increase or decrease in the value of the underlying securities. If the Fund invests in CMO tranches (including CMO tranches issued by government agencies) and interest rates move in a manner not anticipated by Fund management, it is possible that the Fund could lose all or substantially all of its investment. Certain mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund may invest may also provide a degree of investment leverage, which could cause the Fund to lose all or substantially all of its investment. | |
The mortgage market in the United States has experienced difficulties that may adversely affect the performance and market value of certain of the Fund’s mortgage-related investments. Delinquencies and losses on mortgage loans (including subprime and second-lien mortgage loans) generally have increased and may continue to increase, and a decline in or flattening of real estate values (as has been experienced and may continue to be experienced in many housing markets) may exacerbate such delinquencies and losses. Also, a number of mortgage loan originators have experienced serious financial difficulties or bankruptcy. Reduced investor demand for mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities and increased investor yield requirements have caused limited liquidity in the secondary market for mortgage-related securities, which can adversely affect the market value of mortgage-related securities. It is possible that such limited liquidity in such secondary markets could continue or worsen. | |
Asset-backed securities entail certain risks not presented by mortgage-backed securities, including the risk that in certain states it may be difficult to perfect the liens securing the collateral backing certain asset-backed securities. In addition, certain asset-backed securities are based on loans that are unsecured, which means that there is no collateral to seize if the underlying borrower defaults. | |
■ | Prepayment Risk — When interest rates fall, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more quickly than originally anticipated, and the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields. In periods of falling interest rates, the rate of prepayments tends to increase (as does price fluctuation) as borrowers are motivated to pay off debt and refinance at new lower rates. During such periods, reinvestment of the prepayment proceeds by the management team will generally be at lower rates of return than the return on the assets that were prepaid. Prepayment reduces the yield to maturity and the average life of the security. |
■ | Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts Risk — If the other party to a repurchase agreement or purchase and sale contract defaults on its obligation under the agreement, the Fund may suffer delays and incur costs or lose money in exercising its rights under the agreement. If the seller fails to repurchase the security in either situation and the market value of the security declines, the Fund may lose money. |
■ | Stable Net Asset Value Risk — The Fund may not be able to maintain a stable NAV of $1.00 per share at all times. If the Fund fails to maintain a stable NAV (or if there is a perceived threat of such a failure), the Fund, along with other money market funds, could be subject to increased redemption activity. |
■ | Treasury Obligations Risk — Direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury have historically involved little risk of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of such securities may vary during the period shareholders own shares of the Fund. |
■ | U.S. Government Obligations Risk — Not all U.S. Government securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Obligations of certain agencies, authorities, instrumentalities and sponsored enterprises of the U.S. Government are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States (e.g., the Government National Mortgage Association); other obligations are backed by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury (e.g., the Federal Home Loan Banks) and others are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase an agency’s obligations. Still others are backed only by the credit of the agency, authority, instrumentality or sponsored enterprise issuing the obligation. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to any of these entities if it is not obligated to do so by law. |
■ | Variable and Floating Rate Instrument Risk — Variable and floating rate securities provide for periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. These securities may be subject to greater illiquidity risk than other fixed income securities, meaning the absence of an active market for these securities could make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of them at any given time. |
■ | When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments Risk — When-issued and delayed delivery securities and forward commitments involve the risk that the security the Fund buys will lose value prior to its delivery. There also is the risk that the security will not be issued or that the other party to the transaction will |
not meet its obligation. If this occurs, the Fund may lose both the investment opportunity for the assets it set aside to pay for the security and any gain in the security’s price. |
■ | Borrowing Risk — Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the NAV of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations. |
■ | Cyber Security Risk — Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the Fund’s adviser, distributor, and other service providers, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and negatively impact the Fund’s business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems of the Fund’s service providers or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests. |
■ | Expense Risk — Fund expenses are subject to a variety of factors, including fluctuations in the Fund’s net assets. Accordingly, actual expenses may be greater or less than those indicated. For example, to the extent that the Fund’s net assets decrease due to market declines or redemptions, the Fund’s expenses will increase as a percentage of Fund net assets. During periods of high market volatility, these increases in the Fund’s expense ratio could be significant. |
■ | Illiquid Investments Risk — The Fund’s illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be difficult to sell the illiquid investments at an advantageous time or price. The Fund may be unable to pay redemption proceeds within the time period stated in this prospectus because of unusual market conditions, an unusually high volume of redemption requests, or other reasons. |
■ | Investment in Other Investment Companies Risk — As with other investments, investments in other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, are subject to market and selection risk. In addition, if the Fund acquires shares of investment companies, including ones affiliated with the Fund, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of expenses in the Fund (including management and advisory fees) and, indirectly, the expenses of the investment companies (to the extent not offset by BlackRock through waivers). To the extent the Fund is held by an affiliated fund, the ability of the Fund itself to hold other investment companies may be limited. |
■ | Municipal Securities Risks — Municipal securities risks include the ability of the issuer to repay the obligation, the relative lack of information about certain issuers of municipal securities, and the possibility of future legislative changes which could affect the market for and value of municipal securities. These risks include: |
General Obligation Bonds Risks — The full faith, credit and taxing power of the municipality that issues a general obligation bond secures payment of interest and repayment of principal. Timely payments depend on the issuer’s credit quality, ability to raise tax revenues and ability to maintain an adequate tax base. | |
Revenue Bonds Risks — Payments of interest and principal on revenue bonds are made only from the revenues generated by a particular facility, class of facilities or the proceeds of a special tax or other revenue source. These payments depend on the money earned by the particular facility or class of facilities, or the amount of revenues derived from another source. | |
Private Activity Bonds Risks — Municipalities and other public authorities issue private activity bonds to finance development of industrial facilities for use by a private enterprise. The private enterprise pays the principal and interest on the bond, and the issuer does not pledge its full faith, credit and taxing power for repayment. If the private enterprise defaults on its payments, the Fund may not receive any income or get its money back from the investment. | |
Moral Obligation Bonds Risks — Moral obligation bonds are generally issued by special purpose public authorities of a state or municipality. If the issuer is unable to meet its obligations, repayment of these bonds becomes a moral commitment, but not a legal obligation, of the state or municipality. | |
Municipal Notes Risks — Municipal notes are shorter term municipal debt obligations. They may provide interim financing in anticipation of, and are secured by, tax collection, bond sales or revenue receipts. If there is a shortfall in the anticipated proceeds, the notes may not be fully repaid and the Fund may lose money. | |
Municipal Lease Obligations Risks — In a municipal lease obligation, the issuer agrees to make payments when due on the lease obligation. The issuer will generally appropriate municipal funds for that purpose, but is not obligated to do so. Although the issuer does not pledge its unlimited taxing power for payment of the lease |
obligation, the lease obligation is secured by the leased property. However, if the issuer does not fulfill its payment obligation it may be difficult to sell the property and the proceeds of a sale may not cover the Fund’s loss. | |
Tax-Exempt Status Risk — In making investments, the Fund and its investment manager will rely on the opinion of issuers’ bond counsel and, in the case of derivative securities, sponsors’ counsel, on the tax-exempt status of interest on municipal obligations and payments under tax-exempt derivative securities. Neither the Fund nor its investment manager will independently review the bases for those tax opinions. If any of those tax opinions are ultimately determined to be incorrect or if events occur after the security is acquired that impact the security’s tax-exempt status, the Fund and its shareholders could be subject to substantial tax liabilities. The Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) has generally not ruled on the taxability of the securities. An assertion by the IRS that a portfolio security is not exempt from U.S. federal income tax (contrary to indications from the issuer) could affect the Fund’s and its shareholders’ income tax liability for the current or past years and could create liability for information reporting penalties. In addition, an IRS assertion of taxability may impair the liquidity and the fair market value of the securities. | |
■ | Restricted Securities Risk — Limitations on the resale of restricted securities may have an adverse effect on their marketability, and may prevent the Fund from disposing of them promptly at advantageous prices. Restricted securities may not be listed on an exchange and may have no active trading market. In order to sell such securities, the Fund may have to bear the expense of registering the securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration. Other transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than unrestricted securities. Restricted securities may be difficult to value because market quotations may not be readily available, and the securities may have significant volatility. Also, the Fund may get only limited information about the issuer of a given restricted security, and therefore may be less able to predict a loss. Certain restricted securities may involve a high degree of business and financial risk and may result in substantial losses to the Fund. |
■ | Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk — Reverse repurchase agreements involve the sale of securities held by the Fund with an agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the other party may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could lose money if it is unable to recover the securities and the value of the collateral held by the Fund, including the value of the investments made with cash collateral, is less than the value of the securities. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. In addition, reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the interest income earned in the investment of the proceeds will be less than the interest expense. |
Availability | Limited to certain investors whose beneficial owner is a natural person, including: Financial Intermediaries (such as banks and brokerage firms) acting on behalf of their customers, certain persons who were shareholders of the Compass Capital Group of Funds at the time of its combination with The PNC® Fund in 1996 and investors that participate in the Capital DirectionsSM asset allocation program. Service Shares will normally be held by Financial Intermediaries or in the name of nominees of Financial Intermediaries on behalf of their customers. Service Shares are normally purchased through a customer’s account at a Financial Intermediary through procedures established by such Financial Intermediary. In these cases, confirmation of share purchases and redemptions will be sent to the Financial Intermediaries. A customer’s ownership of shares will be recorded by the Financial Intermediary and reflected in the account statements provided by such Financial Intermediaries to their customers. Investors wishing to purchase Service Shares should contact their Financial Intermediaries. |
Minimum Investment | $5,000. However, Financial Intermediaries may set a higher minimum for their customers. |
Initial Sales Charge? | No. Entire purchase price is invested in shares of the Fund. |
Deferred Sales Charge? | No. |
Service and Distribution Fees? | No Distribution Fee. 0.25% Annual Service Fee. |
Redemption Fees? | The Fund may impose a liquidity fee under certain limited circumstances. See “Liquidity Fees and Redemption Gates” below. |
Advantage | No up-front sales charge so you start off owning more shares. |
Disadvantage | Limited availability. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Add to Your Investment (continued) | Or contact BlackRock (for accounts held directly with BlackRock) (continued) |
Exchange
will be priced at the NAV determined that day. Contact your Financial Intermediary or BlackRock for further information. Limits on amounts that may be purchased via Internet may vary. For additional information, call BlackRock at (800)
537-4942.
|
Acquire additional shares by reinvesting dividends and capital gains | All dividends and capital gains distributions are automatically reinvested without a sales charge. To make any changes to your dividend and/or capital gains distributions options, please call BlackRock at (800) 537-4942, or contact your Financial Intermediary (if your account is not held directly with BlackRock). | |
How to Pay for Shares | Making payment for purchases | Payment for Service Shares must normally be made in Federal funds or other immediately available funds by your Financial Intermediary, but in no event later than the close of the federal funds wire (normally 6:00 p.m. (Eastern time)). Payment may also, at the discretion of the Fund, be made in the form of securities that are permissible investments for the Fund. If payment is not received by this time, the order will be canceled and you and your Financial Intermediary will be responsible for any loss to the Fund. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full
or Partial
Redemption of Shares |
Have your Financial Intermediary submit your sales order |
You
can make redemption requests through your Financial Intermediary in accordance with the procedures applicable to your accounts. These procedures may vary according to the type of account and the Financial Intermediary involved and customers should
consult their Financial Intermediary in this regard. Financial Intermediaries are responsible for transmitting redemption orders and crediting their customers’ accounts with redemption proceeds on a timely basis.
|
Selling shares held directly with BlackRock |
Methods
of Redeeming
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full
or Partial
Redemption of Shares (continued) |
Selling shares held directly with BlackRock (continued) |
that
are reasonably believed to be genuine in accordance with such procedures. The Fund may refuse a telephone redemption request if it believes it is advisable to do so.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full
or Partial
Redemption of Shares (continued) |
Selling shares held directly with BlackRock (continued) |
the
back cover of this prospectus.
***
If you make a redemption request before the Fund has collected
payment for the purchase of shares, the Fund may delay sending your proceeds. This delay will usually not exceed ten days.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Transfer
Shares to
Another Financial Intermediary |
Transfer to a participating Financial Intermediary |
You
may transfer your shares of the Fund only to another Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor. Certain shareholder services may not be available for the transferred shares. All future trading of these assets
must be coordinated by the receiving firm.
|
Transfer to a non-participating Financial Intermediary |
You
must either:
• Transfer your Service Shares to an account with the Fund; or • Sell your Service Shares, paying any applicable deferred sales charge. |
■ | Suspend the right of redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the Exchange or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act; |
■ | Postpone the date of payment upon redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the Exchange or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act or if a redemption request is made before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares; |
■ | Redeem shares for property other than cash as may be permitted under the Investment Company Act; and |
■ | Redeem shares involuntarily in certain cases, such as when the value of a shareholder account falls below a specified level or if the Fund does not believe the account is for a natural person. |
■ | 30% weekly liquid assets — If the weekly liquid assets of the Fund fall below 30% of the Fund’s total assets, and the Board determines it is in the best interests of the Fund, the Board may impose at any time, and as early as the same day, a liquidity fee of up to 2% of the amount redeemed, or a redemption gate that temporarily suspends the right of redemption. |
■ | 10% weekly liquid assets — If the weekly liquid assets of the Fund fall below 10% of the Fund’s total assets as of the end of a business day, the Board will impose, at the beginning of the next business day, a liquidity fee of 1% of the amount redeemed, unless the Board determines that imposing such a fee would not be in the best interests of the Fund or determines that a lower or higher fee (not to exceed 2%) would be in the best interests of the Fund. |
Average Daily Net Assets |
Rate
of
Management Fee |
First $1 billion | 0.450% |
$1 billion – $2 billion | 0.400% |
$2 billion – $3 billion | 0.375% |
Greater than $3 billion | 0.350% |
Contractual
Cap1 on
Total Annual Operating Expenses2 (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) |
|
Service Shares | 0.50% |
1 | The contractual cap is in effect through July 31, 2021. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
2 | As a percentage of average daily net assets. |
Service | |||||
Year Ended March 31, | |||||
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Net asset value, beginning of year | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 |
Net investment income | 0.0165 | 0.0185 | 0.0092 | 0.0009 | 0.0008 |
Net realized gain | 0.0000 (a) | 0.0000 (a) | 0.0001 | 0.0024 | 0.0001 |
Net increase from investment operations | 0.0165 | 0.0185 | 0.0093 | 0.0033 | 0.0009 |
Distributions (b) | |||||
From net investment income | (0.0165) | (0.0185) | (0.0093) | (0.0009) | (0.0008) |
From net realized gain | (0.0000) (c) | (0.0000) (c) | — | (0.0024) | (0.0001) |
Total distributions | (0.0165) | (0.0185) | (0.0093) | (0.0033) | (0.0009) |
Net asset value, end of year | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 | $ 1.00 |
Total Return(d) | |||||
Based on net asset value | 1.66% | 1.87% | 0.93% | 0.33% | 0.09% |
Ratios to Average Net Assets | |||||
Total expenses | 0.84% | 0.83% | 0.86% | 0.89% | 0.85% |
Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 0.50% | 0.47% | 0.50% | 0.50% | 0.27% |
Net investment income | 1.65% | 1.87% | 0.92% | 0.09% | 0.10% |
Supplemental Data | |||||
Net assets, end of year (000) | $ 5,692 | $ 6,152 | $ 5,655 | $ 6,191 | $520,139 |
(a) | Amount is less than $0.00005 per share. |
(b) | Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. |
(c) | Amount is greater than $(0.00005) per share. |
(d) | Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions. |
■ | Access the BlackRock website at http://www.blackrock.com/edelivery; and |
■ | Log into your account |
■ | securities with a remaining maturity of 397 calendar days or less (with certain exceptions) that BlackRock determines present minimal credit risks to the Fund after considering certain factors; |
■ | securities issued by other registered investment companies that are money market funds; or |
■ | securities issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities. |
Prospectus |
• | BlackRock Wealth Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund |
Premier Shares: BMMXX |
Fund Overview | Key facts and details about the Fund, including investment objective, principal investment strategies, principal risk factors, fee and expense information and historical performance information | |
|
3 | |
|
3 | |
|
3 | |
|
4 | |
|
6 | |
|
7 | |
|
7 | |
|
8 | |
|
8 |
Details About the Fund | Information about how the Fund invests, including investment objective, investment processes, principal strategies and risk factors | |
|
9 | |
|
12 |
Account Information | Information about account services, sales charges and waivers, shareholder transactions, and distribution and other payments | |
|
17 | |
|
18 | |
|
18 | |
|
19 | |
|
21 | |
|
22 | |
|
22 | |
|
23 |
Management of the Fund | Information about BlackRock | |
|
24 | |
|
25 | |
|
26 | |
|
27 |
Financial Highlights |
Financial Performance of the
Fund
|
28 |
General Information |
|
29 |
|
29 | |
|
30 |
Glossary |
Glossary of Investment
Terms
|
31 |
For More Information |
|
Inside Back Cover |
|
Back Cover |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
Premier
Shares |
Management Fee | 0.43% |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | None |
Other Expenses | 0.27% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.70% |
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements1 | (0.50)% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements1 | 0.20% |
1 | As described in the “Management of the Fund” section of the Fund’s prospectus beginning on page 24, BlackRock Advisors, LLC (“BlackRock”), the Fund’s investment manager, has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) to 0.20% (for Premier Shares) of average daily net assets through July 31, 2021. The agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |
Premier Shares | $20 | $174 | $340 | $823 |
■ | The Fund will invest in securities whose issuer (or guarantor, if applicable) at the time of the Fund’s investment has better than average performance in environmental practices. In evaluating performance in environmental practices, BlackRock will use data or other environmental, social, or governance risk metrics including ratings provided by independent research vendor(s) in determining whether to invest (or continue to invest) in securities issued or |
guaranteed by a particular entity. These independent research vendor(s) may consider one or more of the following factors: issuer or industry exposure to environmentally intensive activities, disclosures by an issuer around climate related issues and environmental matters or specific targets or plans by an issuer to manage environmental exposures. BlackRock may change an independent research vendor at any time in its discretion. BlackRock will consider factors such as emissions, energy and water intensity, waste generation, green revenues and environmental disclosure levels in evaluating the environmental performance of an issuer or guarantor. | |
■ | U.S. Government securities will be considered to have met the Fund’s environmental criteria |
■ | The Fund will not invest in securities issued or guaranteed by entities: |
— that derive more than 5% of their revenue from fossil fuels mining, exploration or refinement; or | |
— that derive more than 5% of their revenue from thermal coal or nuclear energy based power generation. |
■ | Credit Risk — Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a debt security (i.e., the borrower) will not be able to make payments of interest and principal when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. |
■ |
Environmental Criteria Risk — The risk that because the Fund’s environmental criteria exclude securities of certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons, the Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds
that do not use these criteria. Consequently, the Fund may underperform funds that do not utilize an environmental strategy. BlackRock’s assessment of an issuer’s environmental criteria may change over time, which could cause the Fund to
hold securities that may no longer meet BlackRock’s current environmental criteria.
|
In evaluating the environmental criteria for an issuer or guarantor, BlackRock is dependent upon information and data that may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable. Currently, environmental data often lacks standardization, consistency and in some cases transparency. There may be different methodologies used by different data sources who compile environmental ratings of issuers or guarantors. This could adversely affect the analysis of the environmental criteria relevant to a particular issuer or guarantor. If BlackRock were to solely rely on this data, the Fund may invest in issuers or guarantors who may not meet the environmental criteria for investment. Investing on the basis of environmental criteria is qualitative and subjective by nature and there can be no assurance that the process utilized by any vendors of BlackRock or any judgment exercised by BlackRock will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor. | |
■ | Extension Risk — When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these securities to fall. |
■ |
Financial Services Industry
Risk — Because of its concentration in the financial services industry, the Fund will be more susceptible to any economic, business, political or
other developments which generally affect this industry sector. As a result, the Fund will be exposed to a large extent to the risks associated with that industry, such as government regulation, the availability and cost of capital funds,
consolidation and general economic conditions. Financial services companies are also exposed to losses if borrowers and other counterparties experience financial problems and/or cannot repay their obligations.
|
When interest rates go up,
the value of securities issued by many types of financial services companies generally goes down. In many countries, financial services and the companies that provide them are regulated by governmental entities, which can increase costs for new
services or products and make it difficult to pass increased costs on to consumers. In certain areas, deregulation of financial services companies has resulted in increased competition and reduced profitability for certain companies.
|
|
The profitability of many types of financial services companies may be adversely affected in certain market cycles, including periods of rising interest rates, which may restrict the availability and increase the cost of capital, and declining economic conditions, which may cause credit losses due to financial difficulties of borrowers. Because many types of financial services companies are vulnerable to these economic cycles, a large portion of the Fund’s investments may lose value during such periods. | |
■ | Foreign Exposure Risk — Securities issued or supported by foreign entities, including foreign banks and corporations, may involve additional risks and considerations. Extensive public information about the foreign issuer may not be available, and unfavorable political, economic or governmental developments in the foreign country involved could affect the payment of principal and interest. |
■ | Income Risk — Income risk is the risk that the Fund’s yield will vary as short-term securities in its portfolio mature and the proceeds are reinvested in securities with different interest rates. |
■ | Interest Rate Risk — Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of a debt security may fall when interest rates rise. In general, the market price of debt securities with longer maturities will go up or down more in response to changes in interest rates than the market price of shorter-term securities. Due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of such securities may vary during the period shareholders own shares of the Fund. |
■ | Liquidity Fee and Redemption Gate Risk — The Board has discretion to impose a liquidity fee of up to 2% upon sale of your shares or may temporarily suspend your ability to sell shares if the Fund’s liquidity falls below required minimums because of market conditions or other factors. Accordingly, you may not be able to sell your shares or your redemptions may be subject to a liquidity fee when you sell your shares at certain times. |
■ | Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. The value of a security or other asset may decline due to changes in general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other asset, or factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, exchange, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues like pandemics or epidemics, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the |
markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. This means you may lose money. | |
A recent outbreak of an infectious coronavirus has developed into a global pandemic that has resulted in numerous disruptions in the market and has had significant economic impact leaving general concern and uncertainty. Because the Fund invests in short-term instruments these events have caused some instruments to have declining yields, which may impair the results of the Fund if these conditions persisted. The impact of this coronavirus, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could affect the economies of many nations, individual companies and the market in general ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. | |
■ | Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risks — Mortgage- and asset-backed securities represent interests in “pools” of mortgages or other assets, including consumer loans or receivables held in trust. Mortgage- and asset-backed securities are subject to credit, interest rate, prepayment and extension risks. These securities also are subject to risk of default on the underlying mortgage or asset, particularly during periods of economic downturn. Small movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain mortgage-backed securities. |
■ | Prepayment Risk — When interest rates fall, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more quickly than originally anticipated, and the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields. |
■ | Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts Risk — If the other party to a repurchase agreement or purchase and sale contract defaults on its obligation under the agreement, the Fund may suffer delays and incur costs or lose money in exercising its rights under the agreement. If the seller fails to repurchase the security in either situation and the market value of the security declines, the Fund may lose money. |
■ | Stable Net Asset Value Risk — The Fund may not be able to maintain a stable NAV of $1.00 per share at all times. If the Fund fails to maintain a stable NAV (or if there is a perceived threat of such a failure), the Fund, along with other money market funds, could be subject to increased redemption activity. |
■ | Treasury Obligations Risk — Direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury have historically involved little risk of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of such securities may vary during the period shareholders own shares of the Fund. |
■ | U.S. Government Obligations Risk — Certain securities in which the Fund may invest, including securities issued by certain U.S. Government agencies and U.S. Government sponsored enterprises, are not guaranteed by the U.S. Government or supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. |
■ | Variable and Floating Rate Instrument Risk — Variable and floating rate securities provide for periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. These securities may be subject to greater illiquidity risk than other fixed income securities, meaning the absence of an active market for these securities could make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of them at any given time. |
■ | When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments Risk — When-issued and delayed delivery securities and forward commitments involve the risk that the security the Fund buys will lose value prior to its delivery. There also is the risk that the security will not be issued or that the other party to the transaction will not meet its obligation. If this occurs, the Fund may lose both the investment opportunity for the assets it set aside to pay for the security and any gain in the security’s price. |
As
of 12/31/19
Average Annual Total Returns |
1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years |
BlackRock Wealth Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund — Institutional Shares | |||
Return Before Taxes | 2.22% | 1.14% | 0.57% |
Premier Shares | |
Minimum Initial Investment |
There
is no minimum initial investment for:
• Clients of Financial Intermediaries that: (i) charge such clients a fee for advisory, investment consulting, or similar services or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor to offer Premier Shares through a no-load program or investment platform. • Employees of BlackRock whose accounts are held through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor to offer Premier Shares. |
Minimum Additional Investment | No subsequent minimum. |
■ | The Fund seeks to maintain a net asset value (“NAV”) of $1.00 per share. |
■ | The Fund will maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity of 60 days or less and a dollar-weighted average life of 120 days or less. For a discussion of dollar-weighted average maturity and dollar-weighted average life, please see the Glossary on page 31. |
■ | Pursuant to Rule 2a-7, the Fund is subject to a “general liquidity requirement” that requires that the Fund hold securities that are sufficiently liquid to meet reasonably foreseeable shareholder redemptions in light of its obligations under Section 22(e) of the Investment Company Act regarding share redemptions and any commitments the Fund has made to shareholders. To comply with this general liquidity requirement, BlackRock Advisors, LLC (“BlackRock”) must consider factors that could affect the Fund’s liquidity needs, including characteristics of the Fund’s investors and their likely redemptions. Depending upon the volatility of its cash flows (particularly shareholder redemptions), this may require the Fund to maintain greater liquidity than would be required by the daily and weekly minimum liquidity requirements discussed below. |
■ | The Fund will not acquire any illiquid security (i.e., securities that cannot be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the value ascribed to them by the Fund) if, immediately following such purchase, more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets are invested in illiquid securities. |
■ | The Fund will not acquire any security other than a daily liquid asset unless, immediately following such purchase, at least 10% of its total assets would be invested in daily liquid assets, and the Fund will not acquire any security other than a weekly liquid asset unless, immediately following such purchase, at least 30% of its total assets would be invested in weekly liquid assets. For a discussion of daily liquid assets and weekly liquid assets, please see the Glossary on page 31. |
■ | The Fund invests in securities maturing within 13 months or less from the date of purchase, with certain exceptions. For example, certain government securities held by the Fund may have remaining maturities exceeding 13 months if such securities provide for adjustments in their interest rates not less frequently than every 13 months. |
■ | The securities purchased by the Fund are subject to the quality, diversification, and other requirements of Rule 2a-7, and other rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The Fund will purchase securities (or issuers of such securities) that are Eligible Securities that present minimal credit risk as determined by BlackRock pursuant to guidelines approved by the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”). For a discussion of Eligible Securities, please see the Glossary on page 31. |
■ | The Fund will invest in securities whose issuer (or guarantor, if applicable) at the time of the Fund’s investment has better than average performance in environmental practices. In evaluating performance in environmental practices, BlackRock will use data or other environmental, social, or governance risk metrics including ratings provided by independent research vendor(s) in determining whether to invest (or continue to invest) in securities issued or guaranteed by a particular entity. These independent research vendor(s) may consider one or more of the following factors: issuer or industry exposure to environmentally intensive activities, disclosures by an issuer around climate related issues and environmental matters or specific targets or plans by an issuer to manage environmental exposures. BlackRock may change an independent research vendor at any time in its discretion. BlackRock will consider factors such as emissions, energy and water intensity, waste generation, green revenues and environmental disclosure levels in evaluating the environmental performance of an issuer or guarantor. |
■ | U.S. Government securities will be considered to have met the Fund’s environmental criteria |
■ | The Fund will not invest in securities issued or guaranteed by entities: |
■ | a security that has short-term ratings at the time of purchase (or which are guaranteed or in some cases otherwise supported by credit supports with such ratings) in the highest rating category by at least two unaffiliated nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSROs”), or one NRSRO, if the security or guarantee was only rated by one NRSRO; |
■ | a security that is issued or guaranteed by a person with such ratings; |
■ | a security without such short-term ratings that has been determined to be of comparable quality by BlackRock; |
■ | a security issued by other open-end investment companies that invest in the type of obligations in which the Fund may invest; or |
■ | a security issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities. |
■ | Borrowing During periods of unusual market conditions, the Fund is authorized to borrow money from banks for temporary purposes in amounts up to one-third of the value of its total assets at the time of such borrowing. Such borrowings may be secured or unsecured. |
■ | Illiquid Investments The Fund will not invest more than 5% of the value of its total assets in illiquid securities that it cannot sell in the ordinary course within seven days at approximately current value. |
■ | Investment Company Securities — The Fund may invest in securities issued by other open-end or closed-end investment companies as permitted by the Investment Company Act. A pro rata portion of the other investment companies’ expenses may be borne by the Fund’s shareholders. These investments may include, as consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and policies, certain variable rate demand securities issued by closed-end funds, which invest primarily in portfolios of taxable or tax-exempt securities. It is anticipated that the payments made on the variable rate demand securities issued by closed-end municipal bond funds will be exempt from federal income tax. |
■ | Municipal Obligations The Fund may, when deemed appropriate by BlackRock in light of its investment objective, invest in high quality, short-term obligations issued by or on behalf of states, territories and possessions of the United States, the District of Columbia, and their respective authorities, agencies, instrumentalities and political subdivisions and derivative securities, such as beneficial interests in municipal trust certificates and partnership trusts (“Municipal Obligations”) issued by state and local governmental issuers which carry yields that are competitive with those of other types of money market instruments of comparable quality. |
■ | Restricted Securities Restricted securities are securities that cannot be offered for public resale unless registered under the applicable securities laws or that have a contractual restriction that prohibits or limits their resale. They may include Rule 144A securities, which are privately placed securities that can be resold to qualified institutional buyers but not to the general public, and securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers that are offered pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. |
■ | Reverse Repurchase Agreements The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements. The Fund is permitted to invest up to one-third of its total assets in reverse repurchase agreements. Investments in reverse repurchase agreements and securities lending transactions (described below) will be aggregated for purposes of this investment limitation. |
■ | Uninvested Cash Reserves — The Fund may hold up to 20% of its assets in uninvested cash reserves. Uninvested cash reserves will not earn income. |
■ | U.S. Treasury Floating Rate Notes — The Fund may invest in U.S. Treasury Floating Rate Notes (FRNs). These are two-year notes issued by the U.S. Treasury that reset their interest rates on a weekly basis. At maturity, the face value of an FRN is paid to the note holder. |
■ | Credit Risk — Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a debt security (i.e., the borrower) will not be able to make payments of interest and principal when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on both the financial condition of the issuer and the terms of the obligation. |
■ |
Environmental Criteria Risk — The risk that because the Fund’s environmental criteria exclude securities of certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons, the Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds
that do not use these criteria. Consequently, the Fund may underperform funds that do not utilize an environmental strategy. BlackRock’s assessment of an issuer’s environmental criteria may change over time, which could cause the Fund to
hold securities that may no longer meet BlackRock’s current environmental criteria.
|
In evaluating the environmental criteria for an issuer or guarantor, BlackRock is dependent upon information and data that may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable. Currently, environmental data often lacks standardization, consistency and in some cases transparency. There may be different methodologies used by different data sources who compile environmental ratings of issuers or guarantors. This could adversely affect the analysis of the environmental criteria relevant to a particular issuer or guarantor. If BlackRock were to solely rely on this data, the Fund may invest in issuers or guarantors who may not meet the environmental criteria for investment. Investing on the basis of environmental criteria is qualitative and subjective by nature and there can be no assurance that the process utilized by any vendors of BlackRock or any judgment exercised by BlackRock will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor. | |
■ | Extension Risk — When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these securities to fall. Rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. The value of longer-term securities generally changes more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, securities may exhibit additional volatility and may lose value. |
■ | Financial Services Industry Risk — Because of its concentration in the financial services industry, the Fund will be more susceptible to any economic, business, political or other developments which generally affect this industry sector. As a result, the Fund will be exposed to a large extent to the risks associated with that industry, such as government regulation, the availability and cost of capital funds, consolidation and general economic conditions. Financial services companies are also exposed to losses if borrowers and other counterparties experience financial problems and/or cannot repay their obligations. |
When interest rates go up, the value of securities issued by many types of financial services companies generally goes down. In many countries, financial services and the companies that provide them are regulated by governmental entities, which can increase costs for new services or products and make it difficult to pass |
increased costs on to consumers. In certain areas, deregulation of financial services companies has resulted in increased competition and reduced profitability for certain companies. | |
The profitability of many types of financial services companies may be adversely affected in certain market cycles, including periods of rising interest rates, which may restrict the availability and increase the cost of capital, and declining economic conditions, which may cause credit losses due to financial difficulties of borrowers. Because many types of financial services companies are vulnerable to these economic cycles, a large portion of the Fund’s investments may lose value during such periods. | |
■ | Foreign Exposure Risk — Securities issued or supported by foreign entities, including foreign banks and corporations, may involve additional risks and considerations. Extensive public information about the foreign issuer may not be available, and unfavorable political, economic or governmental developments in the foreign country involved could affect the payment of principal and interest. |
■ | Income Risk — The Fund’s yield will vary as the short-term securities in its portfolio mature and the proceeds are reinvested in securities with different interest rates. |
■ | Interest Rate Risk — Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of a debt security may fall when interest rates rise. In general, the market price of debt securities with longer maturities will go up or down more in response to changes in interest rates than the market price of shorter-term securities. Due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of such securities may vary during the period shareholders own shares of the Fund. |
■ | Liquidity Fee and Redemption Gate Risk — The Board has discretion to impose a liquidity fee of up to 2% upon sale of your shares or may temporarily suspend your ability to sell shares if the Fund’s liquidity falls below required minimums because of market conditions or other factors. Accordingly, you may not be able to sell your shares or your redemptions may be subject to a liquidity fee when you sell your shares at certain times. |
■ | Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. The value of a security or other asset may decline due to changes in general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other asset, or factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, exchange, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues like pandemics or epidemics, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. This means you may lose money. |
A recent outbreak of an infectious coronavirus has developed into a global pandemic that has resulted in numerous disruptions in the market and has had significant economic impact leaving general concern and uncertainty. Because the Fund invests in short-term instruments these events have caused some instruments to have declining yields, which may impair the results of the Fund if these conditions persisted. The impact of this coronavirus, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could affect the economies of many nations, individual companies and the market in general ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. | |
■ | Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risks — Mortgage-backed securities (residential and commercial) and asset-backed securities represent interests in “pools” of mortgages or other assets, including consumer loans or receivables held in trust. Although asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) generally experience less prepayment than residential mortgage-backed securities, mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, like traditional fixed-income securities, are subject to credit, interest rate, prepayment and extension risks. |
Small movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain mortgage-backed securities. The Fund’s investments in asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-related securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. These securities also are subject to the risk of default on the underlying mortgages or assets, particularly during periods of economic downturn. Certain CMBS are issued in several classes with different levels of yield and credit protection. The Fund’s investments in CMBS with several classes may be in the lower classes that have greater risks than the higher classes, including greater interest rate, credit and prepayment risks. | |
Mortgage-backed securities may be either pass-through securities or collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”). Pass-through securities represent a right to receive principal and interest payments collected on a pool of mortgages, which are passed through to security holders. CMOs are created by dividing the principal and interest payments collected on a pool of mortgages into several revenue streams (“tranches”) with different priority rights to portions of the underlying mortgage payments. Certain CMO tranches may represent a right to receive interest only |
(“IOs”), principal only (“POs”) or an amount that remains after floating-rate tranches are paid (an “inverse floater”). These securities are frequently referred to as “mortgage derivatives” and may be extremely sensitive to changes in interest rates. Interest rates on inverse floaters, for example, vary inversely with a short-term floating rate (which may be reset periodically). Interest rates on inverse floaters will decrease when short-term rates increase, and will increase when short-term rates decrease. These securities have the effect of providing a degree of investment leverage. In response to changes in market interest rates or other market conditions, the value of an inverse floater may increase or decrease at a multiple of the increase or decrease in the value of the underlying securities. If the Fund invests in CMO tranches (including CMO tranches issued by government agencies) and interest rates move in a manner not anticipated by Fund management, it is possible that the Fund could lose all or substantially all of its investment. Certain mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund may invest may also provide a degree of investment leverage, which could cause the Fund to lose all or substantially all of its investment. | |
The mortgage market in the United States has experienced difficulties that may adversely affect the performance and market value of certain of the Fund’s mortgage-related investments. Delinquencies and losses on mortgage loans (including subprime and second-lien mortgage loans) generally have increased and may continue to increase, and a decline in or flattening of real estate values (as has been experienced and may continue to be experienced in many housing markets) may exacerbate such delinquencies and losses. Also, a number of mortgage loan originators have experienced serious financial difficulties or bankruptcy. Reduced investor demand for mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities and increased investor yield requirements have caused limited liquidity in the secondary market for mortgage-related securities, which can adversely affect the market value of mortgage-related securities. It is possible that such limited liquidity in such secondary markets could continue or worsen. | |
Asset-backed securities entail certain risks not presented by mortgage-backed securities, including the risk that in certain states it may be difficult to perfect the liens securing the collateral backing certain asset-backed securities. In addition, certain asset-backed securities are based on loans that are unsecured, which means that there is no collateral to seize if the underlying borrower defaults. | |
■ | Prepayment Risk — When interest rates fall, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more quickly than originally anticipated, and the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields. In periods of falling interest rates, the rate of prepayments tends to increase (as does price fluctuation) as borrowers are motivated to pay off debt and refinance at new lower rates. During such periods, reinvestment of the prepayment proceeds by the management team will generally be at lower rates of return than the return on the assets that were prepaid. Prepayment reduces the yield to maturity and the average life of the security. |
■ | Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts Risk — If the other party to a repurchase agreement or purchase and sale contract defaults on its obligation under the agreement, the Fund may suffer delays and incur costs or lose money in exercising its rights under the agreement. If the seller fails to repurchase the security in either situation and the market value of the security declines, the Fund may lose money. |
■ | Stable Net Asset Value Risk — The Fund may not be able to maintain a stable NAV of $1.00 per share at all times. If the Fund fails to maintain a stable NAV (or if there is a perceived threat of such a failure), the Fund, along with other money market funds, could be subject to increased redemption activity. |
■ | Treasury Obligations Risk — Direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury have historically involved little risk of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of such securities may vary during the period shareholders own shares of the Fund. |
■ | U.S. Government Obligations Risk — Not all U.S. Government securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Obligations of certain agencies, authorities, instrumentalities and sponsored enterprises of the U.S. Government are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States (e.g., the Government National Mortgage Association); other obligations are backed by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury (e.g., the Federal Home Loan Banks) and others are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase an agency’s obligations. Still others are backed only by the credit of the agency, authority, instrumentality or sponsored enterprise issuing the obligation. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to any of these entities if it is not obligated to do so by law. |
■ | Variable and Floating Rate Instrument Risk — Variable and floating rate securities provide for periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. These securities may be subject to greater illiquidity risk than other fixed income securities, meaning the absence of an active market for these securities could make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of them at any given time. |
■ | When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments Risk — When-issued and delayed delivery securities and forward commitments involve the risk that the security the Fund buys will lose value prior to its delivery. There also is the risk that the security will not be issued or that the other party to the transaction will |
not meet its obligation. If this occurs, the Fund may lose both the investment opportunity for the assets it set aside to pay for the security and any gain in the security’s price. |
■ | Borrowing Risk — Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the NAV of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations. |
■ | Cyber Security Risk — Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the Fund’s adviser, distributor, and other service providers, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and negatively impact the Fund’s business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems of the Fund’s service providers or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests. |
■ | Expense Risk — Fund expenses are subject to a variety of factors, including fluctuations in the Fund’s net assets. Accordingly, actual expenses may be greater or less than those indicated. For example, to the extent that the Fund’s net assets decrease due to market declines or redemptions, the Fund’s expenses will increase as a percentage of Fund net assets. During periods of high market volatility, these increases in the Fund’s expense ratio could be significant. |
■ | Illiquid Investments Risk — The Fund’s illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be difficult to sell the illiquid investments at an advantageous time or price. The Fund may be unable to pay redemption proceeds within the time period stated in this prospectus because of unusual market conditions, an unusually high volume of redemption requests, or other reasons. |
■ | Investment in Other Investment Companies Risk — As with other investments, investments in other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, are subject to market and selection risk. In addition, if the Fund acquires shares of investment companies, including ones affiliated with the Fund, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of expenses in the Fund (including management and advisory fees) and, indirectly, the expenses of the investment companies (to the extent not offset by BlackRock through waivers). To the extent the Fund is held by an affiliated fund, the ability of the Fund itself to hold other investment companies may be limited. |
■ | Municipal Securities Risks — Municipal securities risks include the ability of the issuer to repay the obligation, the relative lack of information about certain issuers of municipal securities, and the possibility of future legislative changes which could affect the market for and value of municipal securities. These risks include: |
General Obligation Bonds Risks — The full faith, credit and taxing power of the municipality that issues a general obligation bond secures payment of interest and repayment of principal. Timely payments depend on the issuer’s credit quality, ability to raise tax revenues and ability to maintain an adequate tax base. | |
Revenue Bonds Risks — Payments of interest and principal on revenue bonds are made only from the revenues generated by a particular facility, class of facilities or the proceeds of a special tax or other revenue source. These payments depend on the money earned by the particular facility or class of facilities, or the amount of revenues derived from another source. | |
Private Activity Bonds Risks — Municipalities and other public authorities issue private activity bonds to finance development of industrial facilities for use by a private enterprise. The private enterprise pays the principal and interest on the bond, and the issuer does not pledge its full faith, credit and taxing power for repayment. If the private enterprise defaults on its payments, the Fund may not receive any income or get its money back from the investment. | |
Moral Obligation Bonds Risks — Moral obligation bonds are generally issued by special purpose public authorities of a state or municipality. If the issuer is unable to meet its obligations, repayment of these bonds becomes a moral commitment, but not a legal obligation, of the state or municipality. | |
Municipal Notes Risks — Municipal notes are shorter term municipal debt obligations. They may provide interim financing in anticipation of, and are secured by, tax collection, bond sales or revenue receipts. If there is a shortfall in the anticipated proceeds, the notes may not be fully repaid and the Fund may lose money. | |
Municipal Lease Obligations Risks — In a municipal lease obligation, the issuer agrees to make payments when due on the lease obligation. The issuer will generally appropriate municipal funds for that purpose, but is not obligated to do so. Although the issuer does not pledge its unlimited taxing power for payment of the lease |
obligation, the lease obligation is secured by the leased property. However, if the issuer does not fulfill its payment obligation it may be difficult to sell the property and the proceeds of a sale may not cover the Fund’s loss. | |
Tax-Exempt Status Risk — In making investments, the Fund and its investment manager will rely on the opinion of issuers’ bond counsel and, in the case of derivative securities, sponsors’ counsel, on the tax-exempt status of interest on municipal obligations and payments under tax-exempt derivative securities. Neither the Fund nor its investment manager will independently review the bases for those tax opinions. If any of those tax opinions are ultimately determined to be incorrect or if events occur after the security is acquired that impact the security’s tax-exempt status, the Fund and its shareholders could be subject to substantial tax liabilities. The Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) has generally not ruled on the taxability of the securities. An assertion by the IRS that a portfolio security is not exempt from U.S. federal income tax (contrary to indications from the issuer) could affect the Fund’s and its shareholders’ income tax liability for the current or past years and could create liability for information reporting penalties. In addition, an IRS assertion of taxability may impair the liquidity and the fair market value of the securities. | |
■ | Restricted Securities Risk — Limitations on the resale of restricted securities may have an adverse effect on their marketability, and may prevent the Fund from disposing of them promptly at advantageous prices. Restricted securities may not be listed on an exchange and may have no active trading market. In order to sell such securities, the Fund may have to bear the expense of registering the securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration. Other transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than unrestricted securities. Restricted securities may be difficult to value because market quotations may not be readily available, and the securities may have significant volatility. Also, the Fund may get only limited information about the issuer of a given restricted security, and therefore may be less able to predict a loss. Certain restricted securities may involve a high degree of business and financial risk and may result in substantial losses to the Fund. |
■ | Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk — Reverse repurchase agreements involve the sale of securities held by the Fund with an agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the other party may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could lose money if it is unable to recover the securities and the value of the collateral held by the Fund, including the value of the investments made with cash collateral, is less than the value of the securities. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. In addition, reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the interest income earned in the investment of the proceeds will be less than the interest expense. |
Availability |
Limited
to certain investors, including:
• Individuals who may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares. • Employees of BlackRock whose accounts are held through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Premier Shares. • Participants in certain programs sponsored by BlackRock or its affiliates or other Financial Intermediaries. • Clients investing through Financial Intermediaries that have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer such shares on a platform that charges a transaction based sales commission outside of the Fund. |
Minimum Investment |
There
is no investment minimum for:
• Clients of Financial Intermediaries that: (i) charge such clients a fee for advisory, investment consulting, or similar services or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Premier Shares through a no-load program or investment platform. • Employees of BlackRock whose accounts are held through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Premier Shares. |
Initial Sales Charge? | No. Entire purchase price is invested in shares of the Fund. |
Deferred Sales Charge? | No. |
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees? | No. |
Redemption Fees? | The Fund may impose a liquidity fee under certain limited circumstances. See “Liquidity Fees and Redemption Gates” below. |
Advantage | No ongoing shareholder servicing fees. |
Disadvantage | Limited availability. |
1 | Please see “Details About the Share Class” for more information about Premier Shares. |
■ | Individuals with a minimum initial investment of $2 million who may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares; |
■ | Clients of Financial Intermediaries that: (i) charge such clients a fee for advisory, investment consulting, or similar services or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Premier Shares through a no-load program or investment platform, in each case, with no minimum initial investment; |
■ | Clients investing through Financial Intermediaries that have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer such shares on a platform that charges a transaction based sales commission outside of the Fund, with a minimum initial investment of $1,000; and |
■ | Employees of BlackRock whose accounts are held through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Premier Shares. |
i. | The current value of an investor’s existing Investor A and A1, Investor C, C1, C2 and C3, Investor P, Institutional, Class K and Premier Shares in most BlackRock Funds, |
ii. | The current value of an investor’s existing shares of certain unlisted closed-end management investment companies sponsored and advised by BlackRock or its affiliates and |
iii. | The investment in the BlackRock CollegeAdvantage 529 Program by the investor or by or on behalf of the investor’s spouse and children. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Initial Purchase | Determine the amount of your investment |
Refer
to the minimum initial investment in the “Premier Shares at a Glance” table of this prospectus.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Initial Purchase (continued) | Determine the amount of your investment (continued) |
NAV
calculated on that day. Only purchase and redemption orders submitted through the NSCC Fund/SERV trading platform will be accepted. Shares begin accruing dividends on the third business day following the day the purchase order for the shares is
effected and continue to accrue dividends through the second business day following the day such shares are redeemed.
|
Add to Your Investment | Purchase additional shares | Premier Shares have no minimum for additional purchases. |
Have your Financial Intermediary submit your purchase order for additional shares | To purchase additional shares you may contact your Financial Intermediary. | |
Acquire additional shares by reinvesting dividends and capital gains | All dividends and capital gains distributions are automatically reinvested without a sales charge. To make any changes to your dividend and/or capital gains distributions options, please contact your Financial Intermediary. | |
Full
or Partial
Redemption of Shares |
Have your Financial Intermediary submit your sales order |
You
can make redemption requests through your Financial Intermediary. Shareholders should indicate that they are redeeming Premier Shares. The price of your shares is based on the next calculation of the Fund’s NAV after your order is placed. For
your redemption request to be priced at the NAV on the day of your request, you must submit your request to your Financial Intermediary prior to that day’s close of business on the Exchange (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time). Certain Financial
Intermediaries, however, may require submission of orders prior to that time. Any redemption request placed after that time will be priced at the NAV at the close of business on the next business day. Financial Intermediaries may charge a fee to
process a redemption of shares.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full
or Partial
Redemption of Shares (continued) |
Have your Financial Intermediary submit your sales order (continued) |
The
Fund may reject an order to sell shares under certain circumstances.
***
If you make a redemption
request before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares, the Fund may delay sending your proceeds. This delay will usually not exceed ten days.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Transfer Shares to Another Financial Intermediary | Transfer to a participating Financial Intermediary |
You
may transfer your shares of the Fund only to another Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor. Certain shareholder services may not be available for the transferred shares. All future trading of these assets
must be coordinated by the receiving firm.
|
Transfer to a non-participating Financial Intermediary |
You
must sell your shares.
|
■ | Suspend the right of redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the Exchange or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act; |
■ | Postpone the date of payment upon redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the Exchange or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act or if a redemption request is made before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares; |
■ | Redeem shares for property other than cash as may be permitted under the Investment Company Act; and |
■ | Redeem shares involuntarily in certain cases, such as when the value of a shareholder account falls below a specified level or if the Fund does not believe the account is for a natural person. |
■ | 30% weekly liquid assets — If the weekly liquid assets of the Fund fall below 30% of the Fund’s total assets, and the Board determines it is in the best interests of the Fund, the Board may impose at any time, and as early as the same day, a liquidity fee of up to 2% of the amount redeemed, or a redemption gate that temporarily suspends the right of redemption. |
■ | 10% weekly liquid assets — If the weekly liquid assets of the Fund fall below 10% of the Fund’s total assets as of the end of a business day, the Board will impose, at the beginning of the next business day, a liquidity fee of 1% of the amount redeemed, unless the Board determines that imposing such a fee would not be in the best interests of the Fund or determines that a lower or higher fee (not to exceed 2%) would be in the best interests of the Fund. |
Average Daily Net Assets |
Rate
of
Management Fee |
First $1 billion | 0.450% |
$1 billion – $2 billion | 0.400% |
$2 billion – $3 billion | 0.375% |
Greater than $3 billion | 0.350% |
Contractual
Cap1
on Total Annual Operating Expenses2 (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) |
|
Premier Shares | 0.20% |
1 | The contractual cap is in effect through July 31, 2021. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
2 | As a percentage of average daily net assets. |
Premier | |
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) |
Period
from
07/26/19(a) to 03/31/20 |
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 1.00 |
Net investment income | 0.0117 |
Net realized gain | 0.0000 (b) |
Net increase from investment operations | 0.0117 |
Distributions (c) | |
From net investment income | (0.0117) |
From net realized gain | (0.0000) (d) |
Total distributions | (0.0117) |
Net asset value, end of period | $ 1.00 |
Total Return(e) | |
Based on net asset value | 1.18% (f) |
Ratios to Average Net Assets | |
Total expenses | 0.70% (g) |
Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 0.20% (g) |
Net investment income | 1.75% (g) |
Supplemental Data | |
Net assets, end of period (000) | $ 37 |
(a) | Commencement of operations. |
(b) | Amount is less than $0.00005 per share. |
(c) | Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. |
(d) | Amount is greater than $(0.00005) per share. |
(e) | Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions. |
(f) | Aggregate total return. |
(g) | Annualized. |
■ | securities with a remaining maturity of 397 calendar days or less (with certain exceptions) that BlackRock determines present minimal credit risks to the Fund after considering certain factors; |
■ | securities issued by other registered investment companies that are money market funds; or |
■ | securities issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities. |
Class | Ticker Symbol | |
Investor A
Shares
|
PINXX | |
Investor C
Shares
|
BMCXX | |
Institutional
Shares
|
PNIXX | |
Service
Shares
|
PNPXX | |
Premier
Shares
|
BMMXX |
• | Financial condition; |
• | Sources of liquidity; |
• | Ability to react to future market-wide and issuer- or guarantor-specific events, including ability to repay debt in a highly adverse situation; and |
• | Strength of the issuer’s or guarantor’s industry within the economy and relative to economic trends, and issuer’s or guarantor’s competitive position within its industry; |
2. That is issued by a registered investment company that is a money market fund; or |
Wealth Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund | |
Bank Money Instruments | X |
Commercial Paper and Other Short Term Obligations | X |
Cyber Security Issues | X |
Foreign Bank Money Instruments | X |
Wealth Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund | |
Foreign Short Term Debt Instruments | X |
Forward Commitments | X |
Illiquid Investments | X |
Interfund Lending Program | |
Borrowing, to the extent permitted by the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions | |
Lending, to the extent permitted by the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions | |
Investment in Other Investment Companies | X |
Municipal Investments | X |
Municipal Securities | X |
Municipal Securities — Derivative Products | X |
Municipal Notes | X |
Municipal Commercial Paper | X |
Municipal Lease Obligations | X |
Municipal Securities — Short-Term Maturity Standards | X |
Municipal Securities — Quality Standards | X |
Municipal Securities — Other Factors | X |
VRDOs and Participating VRDOs | X |
Purchase of Securities with Fixed Price “Puts” | X |
Recent Market Events | X |
Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts | X |
Reverse Repurchase Agreements | X |
Rule 2a-7 Requirements | X |
Securities Lending | X |
Structured Notes | |
Taxable Money Market Securities | X |
U.S. Government Obligations | X |
Variable and Floating Rate Instruments | X |
When-Issued Securities and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments | X |
Trustees | Experience, Qualifications and Skills | |
Independent Trustees | ||
Bruce R. Bond | Bruce R. Bond has served for approximately 20 years on the board of registered investment companies, having served as a member of the boards of certain BlackRock-advised Funds and predecessor funds, including the legacy-BlackRock funds and the State Street Research Mutual Funds. He also has executive management and business experience, having served as president and chief executive officer of several communications networking companies. Mr. Bond also has corporate governance experience from his service as a director of a computer equipment company. | |
Susan J. Carter | Susan J. Carter has over 35 years of experience in investment management. She has served as President & Chief Executive Officer of Commonfund Capital, Inc. (“CCI”), a registered investment adviser focused on non-profit investors, from 1997 to 2013, Chief Executive Officer of CCI from 2013 to 2014 and Senior Advisor to CCI in 2015. Ms. Carter also served as trustee to the Pacific Pension Institute from 2014 to 2018. She currently serves as trustee to the Financial Accounting Foundation, Advisory Board Member for the Center for Private Equity and Entrepreneurship at Tuck School of Business, Board Member for Girls Who Invest, Advisory Board Member for Bridges Fund Management and Practitioner Advisory Board Member for Private Capital Research Institute (“PCRI”). These positions have provided her with insight and perspective on the markets and the economy. | |
Collette Chilton | Collette Chilton has over 20 years of experience in investment management. She has held the position of Chief Investment Officer of Williams College since October 2006. Prior to that she was President and Chief Investment Officer of Lucent Asset Management Corporation, where she oversaw approximately $40 billion in pension and retirement savings assets for the company. These positions have provided her with insight and perspective on the markets and the economy. | |
Neil A. Cotty | Neil A. Cotty has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, including 19 years at Bank of America Corporation and its affiliates, where he served, at different times, as the Chief Financial Officer of various businesses including Investment Banking, Global Markets, Wealth Management and Consumer and also served ten years as the Chief Accounting Officer for Bank of America Corporation. Mr. Cotty has been determined by the Audit Committee to be an audit committee financial expert, as such term is defined in the applicable Commission rules. | |
Lena G. Goldberg | Lena G. Goldberg has more than 20 years of business and oversight experience, most recently through her service as a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School. Prior thereto, she held legal and management positions at FMR LLC/Fidelity Investments as well as positions on the boards of various Fidelity subsidiaries over a 12-year period. She has additional corporate governance experience as a member of board and advisory committees for privately held corporations and non-profit organizations. Ms. Goldberg also has more than 17 years of legal experience as an attorney in private practice, including as a partner in a law firm. |
Trustees | Experience, Qualifications and Skills | |
Henry R. Keizer | Henry R. Keizer brings over 40 years of executive, financial, operational, strategic and global expertise gained through his 35 year career at KPMG, a global professional services organization and by his service as a director to both publicly and privately held organizations. He has extensive experience with issues facing complex, global companies and expertise in financial reporting, accounting, auditing, risk management, and regulatory affairs for such companies. Mr. Keizer’s experience also includes service as an audit committee chair to both publicly and privately held organizations across numerous industries including professional services, property and casualty reinsurance, insurance, diversified financial services, banking, direct to consumer, business to business and technology. Mr. Keizer is a certified public accountant and also served on the board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Keizer has been determined by the Audit Committee to be an audit committee financial expert, as such term is defined in the applicable Commission rules. | |
Cynthia A. Montgomery | Cynthia A. Montgomery has served for over 20 years on the boards of registered investment companies, most recently as a member of the boards of certain BlackRock-advised Funds and predecessor funds, including the legacy Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, L.P. (“MLIM”) funds. The Board benefits from Ms. Montgomery’s more than 20 years of academic experience as a professor at Harvard Business School where she taught courses on corporate strategy and corporate governance. Ms. Montgomery also has business management and corporate governance experience through her service on the corporate boards of a variety of public companies. She has also authored numerous articles and books on these topics. | |
Donald C. Opatrny | Donald C. Opatrny has more than 39 years of business, oversight and executive experience, including through his service as president, director and investment committee chair for academic and not-for-profit organizations, and his experience as a partner, managing director and advisory director at Goldman Sachs for 32 years. He also has investment management experience as a board member of Athena Capital Advisors LLC. | |
Joseph P. Platt | Joseph P. Platt has served for over 15 years on the boards of registered investment companies, most recently as a member of the boards of certain BlackRock-advised Funds and predecessor funds, including the legacy BlackRock funds. Mr. Platt currently serves as general partner at Thorn Partners, LP, a private investment company. Prior to his joining Thorn Partners, LP, he was an owner, director and executive vice president with Johnson and Higgins, an insurance broker and employee benefits consultant. He has over 25 years of experience in the areas of insurance, compensation and benefits. Mr. Platt also serves on the boards of public, private and non-profit companies. | |
Mark Stalnecker | Mark Stalnecker has gained a wealth of experience in investing and asset management from his over 13 years of service as the Chief Investment Officer of the University of Delaware as well as from his various positions with First Union Corporation, including Senior Vice President and State Investment Director of First Investment Advisors. The Board benefits from his experience and perspective as the Chief Investment Officer of a university endowment and from the oversight experience he gained from service on various private and non-profit boards. | |
Kenneth L. Urish | Kenneth L. Urish has served for over 15 years on the boards of registered investment companies, most recently as a member of the boards of certain BlackRock-advised Funds and predecessor funds, including the legacy BlackRock funds. He has over 30 years of experience in public accounting. Mr. Urish has served as a managing member of an accounting and consulting firm. Mr. Urish has been determined by the Audit Committee to be an audit committee financial expert, as such term is defined in the applicable Commission rules. |
Trustees | Experience, Qualifications and Skills | |
Claire A. Walton | Claire A. Walton has over 25 years of experience in investment management. She has served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Liberty Square Asset Management, LP from 1998 to 2015, an investment manager that specialized in long/short non-U.S. equity investments, and has been an owner and General Partner of Neon Liberty Capital Management, LLC since 2003, a firm focusing on long/short equities in global emerging and frontier markets. These positions have provided her with insight and perspective on the markets and the economy. | |
Interested Trustees | ||
Robert Fairbairn | Robert Fairbairn has more than 25 years of experience with BlackRock, Inc. and over 30 years of experience in finance and asset management. In particular, Mr. Fairbairn’s positions as Vice Chairman of BlackRock, Inc., Member of BlackRock’s Global Executive and Global Operating Committees and Co-Chair of BlackRock’s Human Capital Committee provide the Board with a wealth of practical business knowledge and leadership. In addition, Mr. Fairbairn has global investment management and oversight experience through his former positions as Global Head of BlackRock’s Retail and iShares® businesses, Head of BlackRock’s Global Client Group, Chairman of BlackRock’s international businesses and his previous oversight over BlackRock’s Strategic Partner Program and Strategic Product Management Group. Mr. Fairbairn also serves as a board member for the funds in the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex. | |
John M. Perlowski | John M. Perlowski’s experience as Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009, as the Head of BlackRock Global Accounting and Product Services since 2009, and as President and Chief Executive Officer of the BlackRock-advised Funds provides him with a strong understanding of the BlackRock-advised Funds, their operations, and the business and regulatory issues facing the BlackRock-advised Funds. Mr. Perlowski’s prior position as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Global Product Group at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, and his former service as Treasurer and Senior Vice President of the Goldman Sachs Mutual Funds and as Director of the Goldman Sachs Offshore Funds provides the Board with the benefit of his experience with the management practices of other financial companies. Mr. Perlowski also serves as a board member for the funds in the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex. |
Name
and Year of Birth1,2 |
Position(s)
Held (Length of Service)3 |
Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years |
Number
of
BlackRock- Advised Registered Investment Companies (“RICs”) Consisting of Investment Portfolios (“Portfolios”) Overseen |
Public
Company and Other Investment Company Directorships Held During Past Five Years |
||||
Independent Trustees | ||||||||
Mark
Stalnecker
|
Chair
of the Board
(Since 2019) and Trustee (Since 2015) |
Chief Investment Officer, University of Delaware from 1999 to 2013; Trustee and Chair of the Finance and Investment Committees, Winterthur Museum and Country Estate from 2005 to 2016; Member of the Investment Committee, Delaware Public Employees’ Retirement System since 2002; Member of the Investment Committee, Christiana Care Health System from 2009 to 2017; Member of the Investment Committee, Delaware Community Foundation from 2013 to 2014; Director and Chair of the Audit Committee, SEI Private Trust Co. from 2001 to 2014. | 36 RICs consisting of 157 Portfolios | None | ||||
Bruce
R. Bond
|
Trustee
(Since 2019) |
Board Member, Amsphere Limited (software) since 2018; Trustee and Member of the Governance Committee, State Street Research Mutual Funds from 1997 to 2005; Board Member of Governance, Audit and Finance Committee, Avaya Inc. (computer equipment) from 2003 to 2007. | 36 RICs consisting of 157 Portfolios | None | ||||
Susan
J. Carter
|
Trustee
(Since 2016) |
Director, Pacific Pension Institute from 2014 to 2018; Advisory Board Member, Center for Private Equity and Entrepreneurship at Tuck School of Business since 1997; Senior Advisor, CCI (investment adviser) in 2015; Chief Executive Officer, CCI from 2013 to 2014; President & Chief Executive Officer, CCI from 1997 to 2013; Advisory Board Member, Girls Who Invest from 2015 to 2018 and Board Member thereof since 2018; Advisory Board Member, Bridges Fund Management since 2016; Trustee, Financial Accounting Foundation since 2017; Practitioner Advisory Board Member, PCRI since 2017; Lecturer in the Practice of Management, Yale School of Management since 2019. | 36 RICs consisting of 157 Portfolios | None | ||||
Collette
Chilton
|
Trustee
(Since 2015) |
Chief Investment Officer, Williams College since 2006; Chief Investment Officer, Lucent Asset Management Corporation from 1998 to 2006. | 36 RICs consisting of 157 Portfolios | None | ||||
Neil
A. Cotty
|
Trustee
(Since 2016) |
Bank of America Corporation from 1996 to 2015, serving in various senior finance leadership roles, including Chief Accounting Officer from 2009 to 2015, Chief Financial Officer of Global Banking, Markets and Wealth Management from 2008 to 2009, Chief Accounting Officer from 2004 to 2008, Chief Financial Officer of Consumer Bank from 2003 to 2004, Chief Financial Officer of Global Corporate Investment Bank from 1999 to 2002. | 36 RICs consisting of 157 Portfolios | None |
Name
and Year of Birth1,2 |
Position(s)
Held (Length of Service)3 |
Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years |
Number
of
BlackRock- Advised Registered Investment Companies (“RICs”) Consisting of Investment Portfolios (“Portfolios”) Overseen |
Public
Company and Other Investment Company Directorships Held During Past Five Years |
||||
Lena
G. Goldberg
|
Trustee
(Since 2019) |
Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School, since 2008; Director, Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. since 2013; FMR LLC/Fidelity Investments (financial services) from 1996 to 2008, serving in various senior roles including Executive Vice President – Strategic Corporate Initiatives and Executive Vice President and General Counsel; Partner, Sullivan & Worcester LLP from 1985 to 1996 and Associate thereof from 1979 to 1985. | 36 RICs consisting of 157 Portfolios | None | ||||
Henry
R. Keizer
|
Trustee
(Since 2019) |
Director, Park Indemnity Ltd. (captive insurer) since 2010; Director, MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation and MUFG Union Bank, N.A. (financial and bank holding company) from 2014 to 2016; Director, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants from 2009 to 2011; Director, KPMG LLP (audit, tax and advisory services) from 2004 to 2005 and 2010 to 2012; Director, KPMG International in 2012, Deputy Chairman and Chief Operating Officer thereof from 2010 to 2012 and U.S. Vice Chairman of Audit thereof from 2005 to 2010; Global Head of Audit, KPMGI (consortium of KPMG firms) from 2006 to 2010; Director, YMCA of Greater New York from 2006 to 2010. | 36 RICs consisting of 157 Portfolios | Hertz Global Holdings (car rental); Montpelier Re Holdings, Ltd. (publicly held property and casualty reinsurance) from 2013 until 2015; WABCO (commercial vehicle safety systems); Sealed Air Corp. (packaging) | ||||
Cynthia
A. Montgomery
|
Trustee
(Since 2007) |
Professor, Harvard Business School since 1989. | 36 RICs consisting of 157 Portfolios | Newell Rubbermaid, Inc. (manufacturing) | ||||
Donald
C. Opatrny
|
Trustee
(Since 2019) |
Trustee, Vice Chair, Member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the Investment Committee, Cornell University since 2004; President, Trustee and Member of the Investment Committee, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum from 2007 to 2014; Member of the Board and Investment Committee, University School from 2007 to 2018; Member of the Investment Committee, Mellon Foundation from 2009 to 2015; Trustee, Artstor (a Mellon Foundation affiliate) from 2010 to 2015; President and Trustee, the Center for the Arts, Jackson Hole from 2011 to 2018; Director, Athena Capital Advisors LLC (investment management firm) since 2013; Trustee and Chair of the Investment Committee, Community Foundation of Jackson Hole since 2014; Member of Affordable Housing Supply Board of Jackson, Wyoming since 2018; Member, Investment Funds Committee, State of Wyoming since 2017; Trustee, Phoenix Art Museum since 2018; Trustee, Arizona Community Foundation and Member of Investment Committee since 2020. | 36 RICs consisting of 157 Portfolios | None | ||||
Joseph
P. Platt
|
Trustee
(Since 2007) |
General Partner, Thorn Partners, LP (private investments) since 1998; Director, WQED Multi-Media (public broadcasting not-for-profit) since 2001; Chair, Basic Health International (non-profit) since 2015. | 36 RICs consisting of 157 Portfolios | Greenlight Capital Re, Ltd. (reinsurance company); Consol Energy Inc. |
Name
and Year of Birth1,2 |
Position(s)
Held (Length of Service)3 |
Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years |
Number
of
BlackRock- Advised Registered Investment Companies (“RICs”) Consisting of Investment Portfolios (“Portfolios”) Overseen |
Public
Company and Other Investment Company Directorships Held During Past Five Years |
||||
Kenneth
L. Urish
|
Trustee
(Since 2007) |
Managing Partner, Urish Popeck & Co., LLC (certified public accountants and consultants) since 1976; Past-Chairman of the Professional Ethics Committee of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Committee Member thereof since 2007; Member of External Advisory Board, The Pennsylvania State University Accounting Department since founding in 2001; Principal, UP Strategic Wealth Investment Advisors, LLC since 2013; Trustee, The Holy Family Institute from 2001 to 2010; President and Trustee, Pittsburgh Catholic Publishing Associates from 2003 to 2008; Director, Inter-Tel from 2006 to 2007. | 36 RICs consisting of 157 Portfolios | None | ||||
Claire
A. Walton
|
Trustee
(Since 2016) |
Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Liberty Square Asset Management, LP from 1998 to 2015; General Partner of Neon Liberty Capital Management, LLC since 2003; Director, Boston Hedge Fund Group from 2009 to 2018; Director, Woodstock Ski Runners since 2013; Director, Massachusetts Council on Economic Education from 2013 to 2015. | 36 RICs consisting of 157 Portfolios | None | ||||
Interested Trustees4 | ||||||||
Robert
Fairbairn
|
Trustee
(Since 2018) |
Vice Chairman of BlackRock, Inc. since 2019; Member of BlackRock’s Global Executive and Global Operating Committees; Co-Chair of BlackRock’s Human Capital Committee; Senior Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2010 to 2019; oversaw BlackRock’s Strategic Partner Program and Strategic Product Management Group from 2012 to 2019; Member of the Board of Managers of BlackRock Investments, LLC from 2011 to 2018; Global Head of BlackRock’s Retail and iShares® businesses from 2012 to 2016. | 122 RICs consisting of 267 Portfolios | None | ||||
John
M. Perlowski5
|
Trustee
(Since 2015)
President and Chief Executive Officer (Since 2010) |
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009; Head of BlackRock Global Accounting and Product Services since 2009; Advisory Director of Family Resource Network (charitable foundation) since 2009. | 123 RICs consisting of 268 Portfolios | None |
1 | The address of each Trustee is c/o BlackRock, Inc., 55 East 52nd Street, New York, New York 10055. |
2 | Independent Trustees serve until their resignation, retirement, removal or death, or until December 31 of the year in which they turn 75. The Board may determine to extend the terms of Independent Trustees on a case-by-case basis, as appropriate. |
3 | Following the combination of MLIM and BlackRock, Inc. in September 2006, the various legacy MLIM and legacy BlackRock fund boards were realigned and consolidated into three new fund boards in 2007. Furthermore, effective January 1, 2019, three BlackRock Fund Complexes were realigned and consolidated into two BlackRock Fund Complexes. As a result, although the chart shows the year that each Independent Trustee joined the Board, certain Independent Trustees first became members of the boards of other BlackRock-advised Funds, legacy MLIM funds or legacy BlackRock funds as follows: Bruce R. Bond, 2005; Cynthia A. Montgomery, 1994; Joseph P. Platt, 1999; Kenneth L. Urish, 1999; Lena G. Goldberg, 2016; Henry R. Keizer, 2016; Donald C. Opatrny, 2015. |
4 | Mr. Fairbairn and Mr. Perlowski are both “interested persons,” as defined in the Investment Company Act, of the Trust based on their positions with BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates. Mr. Fairbairn and Mr. Perlowski are also board members of the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex. |
5 | Mr. Perlowski is also a trustee of the BlackRock Credit Strategies Fund. |
Name
and Year of Birth1,2 |
Position(s)
Held
(Length of Service) |
Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years |
||
Officers Who Are Not Trustees | ||||
Thomas
Callahan
|
Vice
President
(Since 2016) |
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2013; Member of the Board of Managers of BlackRock Investments, LLC (principal underwriter) since 2019 and Managing Director thereof since 2017; Head of BlackRock’s Global Cash Management Business since 2016; Co-Head of the Global Cash Management Business from 2014 to 2016; Deputy Head of the Global Cash Management Business from 2013 to 2014; Member of the Cash Management Group Executive Committee since 2013; Chief Executive Officer of NYSE Liffe U.S. from 2008 to 2013. | ||
Jennifer
McGovern
|
Vice
President
(Since 2014) |
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2016; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2011 to 2015; Head of Americas Product Development and Governance for BlackRock’s Global Product Group since 2019; Head of Product Structure and Oversight for BlackRock’s U.S. Wealth Advisory Group from 2013 to 2019. | ||
Neal
J. Andrews
|
Chief
Financial
Officer (Since 2007) |
Chief Financial Officer of the iShares® exchange traded funds from 2019 to 2020; Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2006. | ||
Jay
M. Fife
|
Treasurer
(Since 2007) |
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2007. | ||
Charles
Park
|
Chief
Compliance Officer (Since 2014) |
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer for certain BlackRock-advised Funds from 2014 to 2015; Chief Compliance Officer of BlackRock Advisors, LLC and the BlackRock-advised Funds in the BlackRock Multi-Asset Complex and the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex since 2014; Principal of and Chief Compliance Officer for iShares® Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC since 2012 and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) since 2006; Chief Compliance Officer for the BFA-advised iShares® exchange traded funds since 2006; Chief Compliance Officer for BlackRock Asset Management International Inc. since 2012. | ||
Lisa
Belle
|
Anti-Money
Laundering Compliance Officer
(Since 2019) |
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2019; Global Financial Crime Head for Asset and Wealth Management of JP Morgan from 2013 to 2019; Managing Director of RBS Securities from 2012 to 2013; Head of Financial Crimes for Barclays Wealth Americas from 2010 to 2012. | ||
Janey
Ahn
|
Secretary
(Since 2019) |
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2018; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2009 to 2017. |
1 | The address of each Officer is c/o BlackRock, Inc., 55 East 52nd Street, New York, New York 10055. |
2 | Officers of the Trust serve at the pleasure of the Board. |
Name |
Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in Supervised Funds |
||
Independent Trustees: | ||||
Bruce R.
Bond
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Susan J.
Carter
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Collette
Chilton
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Neil A.
Cotty
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Lena G.
Goldberg
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Henry R.
Keizer
|
Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | ||
Cynthia A.
Montgomery
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Donald C.
Opatrny
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Joseph P.
Platt
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Mark
Stalnecker
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Kenneth L.
Urish
|
Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | ||
Claire A.
Walton
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Interested Trustees: | ||||
Robert
Fairbairn
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
John M.
Perlowski
|
None | Over $100,000 |
Name |
Compensation
from the Fund |
Estimated
Annual
Benefits upon Retirement |
Aggregate
Compensation from the Fund1 |
|||
Independent Trustees: | ||||||
Bruce R.
Bond
|
$1,276 | None | $400,000 | |||
Susan J.
Carter
|
$1,276 | None | $400,000 | |||
Collette
Chilton
|
$1,276 | None | $400,000 | |||
Neil A.
Cotty
|
$1,276 | None | $400,000 | |||
Lena G.
Goldberg2
|
$1,686 | None | $430,000 | |||
Robert M.
Hernandez3
|
$1,080 | None | $400,000 | |||
Henry R.
Keizer4
|
$1,686 | None | $430,000 | |||
Cynthia A.
Montgomery5
|
$1,686 | None | $430,000 | |||
Donald C.
Opatrny6
|
$1,686 | None | $430,000 | |||
Joseph P.
Platt
|
$1,276 | None | $400,000 | |||
Mark
Stalnecker7
|
$2,915 | None | $520,000 | |||
Kenneth L.
Urish
|
$1,276 | None | $400,000 | |||
Claire A.
Walton
|
$1,276 | None | $400,000 |
Name |
Compensation
from the Fund |
Estimated
Annual
Benefits upon Retirement |
Aggregate
Compensation from the Fund1 |
|||
Interested Trustees: | ||||||
Robert
Fairbairn
|
None | None | None | |||
John M.
Perlowski
|
None | None | None |
1 | For the number of BlackRock-advised Funds from which each Trustee receives compensation, see the Biographical Information chart beginning on page I-9. |
2 | Chair of the Compliance Committee. |
3 | Mr. Hernandez retired as a Trustee of the Trust effective December 31, 2019. |
4 | Chair of the Audit Committee. |
5 | Chair of the Governance Committee. |
6 | Chair of the Performance Oversight Committee. |
7 | Chair of the Board and Chair of the Ad Hoc Topics Committee. |
Fiscal Year Ended March 31, |
Fees
Paid
to BlackRock |
Fees
Waived
by BlackRock1 |
Fees
Reimbursed
by BlackRock |
|||
2020
|
$6,439,350 | $4,670,301 | $65,355 | |||
2019
|
$2,791,831 | $2,169,310 | $62,319 | |||
2018
|
$3,291,754 | $2,475,920 | $44,133 |
1 | In addition to the contractual waiver discussed in the prospectus, BlackRock has voluntarily agreed to waive a portion of the Fund’s management fee in connection with the Fund’s investment in affiliated money market funds. |
Fiscal Year Ended March 31, |
Fees
Paid to
the Administrator |
Fees
Waived by
the Administrator |
||
2020
|
$893,192 | $ 80,244 | ||
2019
|
$384,291 | $ 90,855 | ||
2018
|
$451,108 | $144,164 |
Fiscal Year Ended March 31, |
Fees
Paid
to BlackRock |
Fees
Waived by
BlackRock |
||
2020
|
$31,340 | $ 3,848 | ||
2019
|
$38,212 | $21,384 | ||
2018
|
$31,981 | $18,256 |
Fiscal Year Ended March 31, |
Paid
to the
Accounting Services Providers |
|
2020
|
$54,790 | |
2019
|
$48,201 | |
2018
|
$41,389 |
For the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, |
Investor
A Shares
CDSCs Received on Redemption of Load-Waived Shares |
|
2020
|
$29,687 | |
2019
|
$23,496 | |
2018
|
$26,560 |
Investor C Shares | ||||
For the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, |
CDSCs
Received
by BRIL |
CDSCs
Paid
to Affiliates |
||
2020
|
$2,949 | $2,949 | ||
2019
|
$1,911 | $1,911 | ||
2018
|
$ 131 | $ 131 |
Class Name | Paid to BRIL | Waived by BRIL | ||
Investor A Shares
|
$2,707,171 | $ 0 | ||
Investor C Shares
|
$ 136,264 | $1,686 | ||
Service Shares
|
$ 10,593 | $ 0 |
Regular Broker-Dealer |
Debt
(D)/Equity (E) |
Aggregate
Holdings (000’s) |
||
Barclays Capital,
Inc.
|
D | $100,000 | ||
Mizuho Financial Group,
Inc.
|
D | $ 13,600 |
Name | Address | Percentage | Class | |||
JP Morgan Securities LLC |
4
Chase Metrotech Center
Brooklyn, NY 11245 |
62.14% | Investor A Shares | |||
Edward D Jones and Co |
12555
Manchester Road
St. Louis, MO 63131-3710 |
18.05% | Investor A Shares | |||
Charles Schwab & Co Inc. |
211
Main Street
San Francisco, CA 94105 |
7.45% | Investor A Shares | |||
Wells Fargo Clearing Services |
2801
Market Street
St. Louis, MO 63103 |
17.10% | Investor C Shares | |||
Pershing LLC |
1
Pershing Plaza
Jersey City, NJ 07399-0001 |
13.26% | Investor C Shares | |||
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC |
1
New York Plaza, Floor 12
New York, NY 10004-1901 |
8.92% | Investor C Shares | |||
JP Morgan Securities LLC |
4
Chase Metrotech Center
Brooklyn, NY 11245 |
6.95% | Investor C Shares | |||
National Financial Services LLC |
499
Washington Boulevard
Jersey City, NJ 07310-2010 |
6.53% | Investor C Shares | |||
Raymond James |
880
Carillon Parkway
St. Petersburg, FL 33716-1102 |
6.10% | Investor C Shares | |||
LPL Financial |
4707
Executive Drive
San Diego, CA 92121-3091 |
5.39% | Investor C Shares | |||
National Financial Services LLC |
499
Washington Boulevard
Jersey City, NJ 07310-2010 |
13.64% | Institutional Shares | |||
BlackRock Financial Services LLC |
40
East 52nd Street, Floor 10
New York, NY 010022-5911 |
100% | Premier Shares | |||
Stifel Nicolaus & Co Inc |
501
North Broadway
St. Louis, MO 63102 |
19.92% | Service Shares | |||
JP Morgan Securities LLC |
4
Chase Metrotech Center
Brooklyn, NY 11245 |
18.63 | Service Shares | |||
Raymond James |
880
Carillon Parkway
St. Petersburg, FL 33716-1102 |
5.89% | Service Shares |
• | Portfolio Holdings: “Portfolio Holdings” are a Fund’s portfolio securities and other instruments, and include, but are not limited to: |
• | for equity securities, information such as issuer name, CUSIP, ticker symbol, total shares and market value; |
• | for fixed income securities, information such as issuer name, CUSIP, ticker symbol, coupon, maturity, current face value and market value; |
• | for all securities, information such as quantity, SEDOL, market price, yield, WAL, duration and convexity as of a specific date; |
• | for derivatives, indicative data including, but not limited to, pay leg, receive leg, notional amount, reset frequency and trade counterparty; and |
• | for trading strategies, specific portfolio holdings, including the number of shares held, weightings of particular holdings, trading details, pending or recent transactions and portfolio management plans to purchase or sell particular securities or allocation within particular sectors. |
• | Portfolio Characteristics (excluding Liquidity Metrics): “Portfolio Characteristics” include, but are not limited to, sector allocation, credit quality breakdown, maturity distribution, duration and convexity measures, average credit quality, average maturity, average coupon, top 10 holdings with percent of the fund held, average market capitalization, capitalization range, risk related information (e.g., value at risk, standard deviation), ROE, P/E, P/B, P/CF, P/S and EPS. |
• | Additional characteristics specific to money market funds include, but are not limited to, historical daily and weekly liquid assets (as defined under Rule 2a-7) and historical fund net inflows and outflows. |
• | Portfolio Characteristics — Liquidity Metrics: |
• | “Liquidity Metrics” which seek to ascertain a Fund’s liquidity profile under BlackRock’s global liquidity risk methodology which include but are not limited to: (a) disclosure regarding the number of days needed to liquidate a portfolio or the portfolio’s underlying investments; and (b) the percentage of a Fund’s NAV invested in a particular liquidity tier under BlackRock’s global liquidity risk methodology. |
• | The dissemination of position-level liquidity metrics data and any non-public regulatory data pursuant to SEC Rule 22e-4 (including SEC liquidity tiering) is not permitted unless pre-approved. |
• | Disclosure of Liquidity Metrics pursuant to Section 3 of the Policy should be reviewed by BlackRock’s Risk and Quantitative Analysis Group (“RQA”) and the relevant portfolio management team prior to dissemination. |
* | Global Allocation Exception: For purposes of portfolio holdings, Global Allocation funds include BlackRock Global Allocation Fund, Inc., BlackRock Global Allocation Portfolio of BlackRock Series Fund, Inc. and BlackRock Global Allocation V.I. Fund of BlackRock Variable Series Funds, Inc. Information on certain Portfolio Characteristics of BlackRock Global Allocation Portfolio and BlackRock Global Allocation V.I. Fund is available, upon request, to insurance companies that use these funds as underlying investments (and to advisers and sub-advisers of funds invested in BlackRock Global Allocation Portfolio and BlackRock Global Allocation V.I. Fund) in their variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies on a weekly basis (or such other period as may be determined to be appropriate). Disclosure of such characteristics of these two funds constitutes a disclosure of Confidential Information and is being made for reasons deemed appropriate by BlackRock and in accordance with the requirements set forth in these guidelines. If Portfolio Characteristics are disclosed to one party, they must also be disclosed to all other parties requesting the same information. |
** | Strategic Income Opportunities Exception: Information on certain Portfolio Characteristics of BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio of BlackRock Funds V may be made available to shareholders, prospective shareholders, intermediaries, consultants and third party data providers, upon request on a more frequent basis as may be deemed appropriate by BlackRock from time-to-time. If Portfolio Characteristics are disclosed to one party, they must also be disclosed to all other parties requesting the same information. |
Money Market Funds | ||
Time Periods | ||
Prior
to 5 Calendar Days
After Month-End |
5
Calendar Days After
Month-End to Date of Public Filing |
|
Portfolio
Holdings |
Cannot
disclose without non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement and CCO approval except the following portfolio holdings information may be released as follows:
• Weekly portfolio holdings information released on the website at least one business day after week-end. • Other information as may be required under Rule 2a-7 (e.g., name of issuer, category of investment, principal amount, maturity dates, yields). |
May disclose to shareholders, prospective shareholders, intermediaries, consultants and third-party data providers. If portfolio holdings are disclosed to one party, they must also be disclosed to all other parties requesting the same information. |
Portfolio
Characteristics |
Cannot
disclose without non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement and CCO approval except the following information may be released on the Fund’s website daily:
• Historical NAVs calculated based on market factors (e.g., marked-to-market) • Percentage of fund assets invested in daily and weekly liquid assets (as defined under Rule 2a-7) • Daily net inflows and outflows • Yields, SEC yields, WAM, WAL, current assets • Other information as may be required by Rule 2a-7 |
May disclose to shareholders, prospective shareholders, intermediaries, consultants and third-party data providers. If Portfolio Characteristics are disclosed to one party, they must also be disclosed to all other parties requesting the same information. |
(i) | the preparation and posting of the Fund’s Portfolio Holdings and/or Portfolio Characteristics to its website on a more frequent basis than authorized above; |
(ii) | the disclosure of the Fund’s Portfolio Holdings to third-party service providers not noted above; and |
(iii) | the disclosure of the Fund’s Portfolio Holdings and/or Portfolio Characteristics to other parties for legitimate business purposes. |
• | Fund Fact Sheets are available to shareholders, prospective shareholders, intermediaries and consultants on a monthly or quarterly basis no earlier than the fifth calendar day after the end of a month or quarter. |
• | Money Market Performance Reports are typically available to shareholders, prospective shareholders, intermediaries and consultants by the tenth calendar day of the month (and on a one day lag for certain institutional funds). They contain monthly money market Fund performance, rolling 12-month average and benchmark performance. |
1. | Fund’s Board of Trustees and, if necessary, independent Trustees’ counsel and Fund counsel. |
2. | Fund’s transfer agent. |
3. | Fund’s Custodian. |
4. | Fund’s Administrator, if applicable. |
5. | Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. |
6. | Fund’s accounting services provider. |
7. | Independent rating agencies — Morningstar, Inc., Lipper Inc., S&P, Moody’s, Fitch. |
8. | Information aggregators — Markit on Demand, Thomson Financial and Bloomberg, eVestments Alliance, Informa/PSN Investment Solutions, Crane Data and iMoneyNet. |
9. | Sponsors of 401(k) plans that include BlackRock-advised funds — E.I. Dupont de Nemours and Company, Inc. |
10. | Sponsors and consultants for pension and retirement plans that invest in BlackRock-advised funds — Rocaton Investment Advisors, LLC, Mercer Investment Consulting, Callan Associates, Brockhouse & Cooper, Cambridge Associates, Morningstar/Investorforce, Russell Investments (Mellon Analytical Solutions), Wilshire Associates and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. |
11. | Pricing Vendors — Refinitiv, ICE Data Services, Bloomberg, IHS Markit, JP Morgan Pricing-Direct, FactSet, Loan Pricing Corporation, Valuation Research Corporation, Murray, Devine & Co., Inc. and WM Company PLC. |
12. | Portfolio Compliance Consultants — Oracle Financial Services. |
13. | Third-party feeder funds — Stock Index Fund, a series of Homestead Funds, Inc.; Transamerica Stock Index, a series of Transamerica Funds; and Alight Money Market Fund, a series of Alight Series Trust and their respective boards, sponsors, administrators and other service providers. |
14. | Affiliated feeder funds —Treasury Money Market Fund (Cayman) and its board, sponsor, administrator and other service providers. |
15. | Other — Investment Company Institute, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P., Mizuho Asset Management Co., Ltd., Nationwide Fund Advisors and State Street Bank and Trust Company, Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc. |
• | If participants elect to have their contributions invested in the Fund, the contributions will be invested automatically on the business day following the date they are received in the account. There will be no minimum initial or subsequent purchase requirement pursuant to these types of plans. The amount that may be contributed to a Plan in any one year is subject to certain limitations under the Code; however, assets already in a Plan account may be invested without regard to such limitations on contributions. Cash balances of less than $1.00 will not be invested. |
• | Participants in Custodial Plans who opened their accounts prior to December 6, 1999 had two options concerning cash balances that may arise in their accounts. First, participants could have elected to have such balances automatically invested on a daily basis in shares of the Fund or, in some cases, in another money market mutual fund advised by the Manager. Second, participants (except for RSAs) could have elected to have such balances deposited in an FDIC-insured money market account with one or more commercial banks. After December 6, 1999, certain Custodial Plan accounts no longer have the first option for cash balances. |
• | Participants who have elected to have cash balances automatically invested in the Fund will have such funds invested as follows: cash balances arising from the sale of securities held in the Plan account that do not settle on the day of the transaction (such as most common and preferred stock transactions) will be invested in shares of the Fund on the business day following the day that the proceeds are received in the Plan account. Proceeds giving rise to cash balances from the sale of securities held in the Plan account settling on a same day basis and from principal repayments on debt securities held in the account will be invested in shares of the Fund on the next business day following receipt. Cash balances arising from dividends or interest payments on securities held in the Plan account or from a contribution to the Plan are invested in shares of the Fund on the business day following the date the payment is received in the Plan account. |
Aaa | Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk. |
Aa | Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk. |
A | Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk. |
Baa | Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics. |
Ba | Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk. |
B | Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk. |
Caa | Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk. |
Ca | Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest. |
C | Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest. |
P-1 | Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations. |
P-2 | Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations. |
P-3 | Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations. |
NP | Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories. |
MIG 1 | This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing. |
MIG 2 | This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group. |
MIG 3 | This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established. |
SG | This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection. |
VMIG 1 | This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand. |
VMIG 2 | This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand. |
VMIG 3 | This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand. |
SG | This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand. |
• | Likelihood of payment—capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation; |
• | Nature of and provisions of the obligation, and the promise we impute; |
• | Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors’ rights. |
AAA | An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong. |
AA | An obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong. |
A | An obligation rated ‘A’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong. |
BBB | An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
BB;
B;
CCC; CC; and C |
Obligations rated ‘BB’, ‘B’, ‘CCC’, ‘CC’, and ‘C’ are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and ‘C’ the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions. |
BB | An obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
B | An obligation rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
CCC | An obligation rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
CC | An obligation rated ‘CC’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC’ rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default. |
C | An obligation rated ‘C’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher. |
D | An obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation’s rating is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer. |
NR | This indicates that no rating has been requested, or that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that S&P does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy. |
A-1 | A short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong. |
A-2 | A short-term obligation rated ‘A-2’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory. |
A-3 | A short-term obligation rated ‘A-3’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
B | A short-term obligation rated ‘B’ is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments. |
C | A short-term obligation rated ‘C’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
D | A short-term obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation’s rating is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer. |
• | Amortization schedule—the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; and |
• | Source of payment—the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note. |
S&P’s municipal short-term note rating symbols are as follows: |
SP-1 | Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation. |
SP-2 | Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes. |
SP-3 | Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest. |
AAA | Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events. |
AA | Very high credit quality. ‘AA’ ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events. |
A | High credit quality. ‘A’ ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings. |
BBB | Good credit quality. ‘BBB’ ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity. |
BB | Speculative. ‘BB’ ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met. |
B | Highly speculative. ‘B’ ratings indicate that material credit risk is present. |
CCC | Substantial credit risk. ‘CCC’ ratings indicate that substantial credit risk is present. |
CC | Very high levels of credit risk. ‘CC’ ratings indicate very high levels of credit risk. |
C | Exceptionally high levels of credit risk. ‘C’ indicates exceptionally high levels of credit risk. |
F1 | Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature. |
F2 | Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments. |
F3 | Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate. |
B | Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions. |
C | High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility. |
RD | Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only. |
D | Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation. |
Page | |
|
B-4 |
|
B-4 |
|
B-4 |
|
B-5 |
|
B-6 |
|
B-7 |
|
B-7 |
|
B-8 |
|
B-9 |
|
B-9 |
|
B-9 |
|
B-9 |
|
B-10 |
|
B-10 |
|
B-11 |
|
B-12 |
If
you would like additional information, please contact:
ContactStewardship@blackrock.com |
• | Boards and directors |
• | Auditors and audit-related issues |
• | Capital structure, mergers, asset sales and other special transactions |
• | Compensation and benefits |
• | Environmental and social issues |
• | General corporate governance matters and shareholder protections |
• | establishing an appropriate corporate governance structure |
• | supporting and overseeing management in setting long-term strategic goals, applicable measures of value-creation and milestones that will demonstrate progress, and steps taken if any obstacles are anticipated or incurred |
• | ensuring the integrity of financial statements |
• | making independent decisions regarding mergers, acquisitions and disposals |
• | establishing appropriate executive compensation structures |
• | addressing business issues, including environmental and social issues, when they have the potential to materially impact company reputation and performance |
• | current or former employment at the company or a subsidiary within the past several years |
• | being, or representing, a shareholder with a substantial shareholding in the company |
• | interlocking directorships |
• | having any other interest, business or other relationship which could, or could reasonably be perceived to, materially interfere with the director’s ability to act in the best interests of the company |
• | The company has already taken sufficient steps to address the concern |
• | The company is in the process of actively implementing a response |
• | There is a clear and material economic disadvantage to the company in the near-term if the issue is not addressed in the manner requested by the shareholder proposal |
• | BlackRock clients who may be issuers of securities or proponents of shareholder resolutions |
• | BlackRock business partners or third parties who may be issuers of securities or proponents of shareholder resolutions |
• | BlackRock employees who may sit on the boards of public companies held in Funds managed by BlackRock |
• | Significant BlackRock, Inc. investors who may be issuers of securities held in Funds managed by BlackRock |
• | Securities of BlackRock, Inc. or BlackRock investment funds held in Funds managed by BlackRock |
• | BlackRock, Inc. board members who serve as senior executives of public companies held in Funds managed by BlackRock |
• | Adopted the Guidelines which are designed to protect and enhance the economic value of the companies in which BlackRock invests on behalf of clients. |
• | Established a reporting structure that separates BIS from employees with sales, vendor management or business partnership roles. In addition, BlackRock seeks to ensure that all engagements with corporate issuers, dissident shareholders or shareholder proponents are managed consistently and without regard to BlackRock’s relationship with such parties. Clients or business partners are not given special treatment or differentiated access to BIS. BIS prioritizes engagements based on factors including but not limited to our need for additional information to make a voting decision or our view on the likelihood that an engagement could lead to positive outcome(s) over time for the economic value of the company. Within the normal course of business, BIS may engage directly with BlackRock clients, business partners and/or third parties, and/or with employees with sales, vendor management or business partnership roles, in discussions regarding our approach to stewardship, general corporate governance matters, client reporting needs, and/or to otherwise ensure that proxy-related client service levels are met. |
• | Determined to engage, in certain instances, an independent fiduciary to vote proxies as a further safeguard to avoid potential conflicts of interest, to satisfy regulatory compliance requirements, or as may be otherwise required by applicable law. In such circumstances, the independent fiduciary provides BlackRock’s proxy voting agent with instructions, in accordance with the Guidelines, as to how to vote such proxies, and BlackRock’s proxy voting agent votes the proxy in accordance with the independent fiduciary’s determination. BlackRock uses an independent fiduciary to vote proxies of (i) any company that is affiliated with BlackRock, Inc., (ii) any public company that includes BlackRock employees on its board of directors, (iii) The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., (iv) any public company of which a BlackRock, Inc. board member serves as a senior executive, and (v) companies when legal or regulatory requirements compel BlackRock to use an independent fiduciary. In selecting an independent fiduciary, we assess several characteristics, including but not limited to: independence, an ability to analyze proxy issues and vote in the best economic interest of our clients, reputation for reliability and integrity, and operational capacity to accurately deliver the assigned votes in a timely manner. We may engage more than one independent fiduciary, in part in order to mitigate potential or perceived conflicts of interest at an independent fiduciary. The Global Committee appoints and reviews the performance of the independent fiduciar(ies), generally on an annual basis. |
Page | |
|
B-15 |
|
B-15 |
|
B-15 |
|
B-19 |
|
B-20 |
|
B-21 |
|
B-21 |
|
B-23 |
|
B-25 |
|
B-26 |
If
you would like additional information, please contact:
ContactStewardship@blackrock.com |
• | Boards and directors |
• | Auditors and audit-related issues |
• | Capital structure |
• | Mergers, asset sales, and other special transactions |
• | Executive compensation |
• | Environmental and social issues |
• | General corporate governance matters |
• | Shareholder protections |
• | Employment as a senior executive by the company or a subsidiary within the past five years |
• | An equity ownership in the company in excess of 20% |
• | Having any other interest, business, or relationship which could, or could reasonably be perceived to, materially interfere with the director’s ability to act in the best interests of the company |
We may vote against directors serving on key committees that we do not consider to be independent. |
• | Where the board has failed to exercise oversight with regard to accounting practices or audit oversight, we will consider voting against the current audit committee, and any other members of the board who may be responsible. For example, this may apply to members of the audit committee during a period when the board failed to facilitate quality, independent auditing if substantial accounting irregularities suggest insufficient oversight by that committee |
• | Members of the compensation committee during a period in which executive compensation appears excessive relative to performance and peers, and where we believe the compensation committee has not already substantially addressed this issue |
• | The chair of the nominating / governance committee, or where no chair exists, the nominating / governance committee member with the longest tenure, where the board is not comprised of a majority of independent directors. However, this would not apply in the case of a controlled company |
• | Where it appears the director has acted (at the company or at other companies) in a manner that compromises his / her reliability to represent the best long-term economic interests of shareholders |
• | Where a director has a pattern of poor attendance at combined board and applicable key committee meetings. Excluding exigent circumstances, BlackRock generally considers attendance at less than 75% of the combined board and applicable key committee meetings by a board member to be poor attendance |
• | Where a director serves on an excess number of boards, which may limit his / her capacity to focus on each board’s requirements. The following illustrates the maximum number of boards on which a director may serve, before he / she is considered to be over-committed: |
Public Company CEO | # Outside Public Boards* | Total # of Public Boards | |
Director A | ✓ | 1 | 2 |
Director B | 3 | 4 |
* | In addition to the company under review |
• | The independent chair or lead independent director, members of the nominating / governance committee, and / or the longest tenured director(s), where we observe a lack of board responsiveness to shareholders, evidence of board entrenchment, and / or failure to promote adequate board succession planning |
• | The chair of the nominating / governance committee, or where no chair exists, the nominating / governance committee member with the longest tenure, where board member(s) at the most recent election of directors have received withhold votes from more than 30% of shares voted and the board has not taken appropriate action to respond to shareholder concerns. This may not apply in cases where BlackRock did not support the initial withhold vote |
• | The independent chair or lead independent director and / or members of the nominating / governance committee, where a board fails to implement shareholder proposals that receive a majority of votes cast at a prior shareholder meeting, and the proposals, in our view, have a direct and substantial impact on shareholders’ fundamental rights or long-term economic interests |
• | The independent chair or lead independent director and members of the governance committee, where a board implements or renews a poison pill without shareholder approval |
• | The independent chair or lead independent director and members of the governance committee, where a board amends the charter / articles / bylaws such that the effect may be to entrench directors or to significantly reduce shareholder rights |
• | Members of the compensation committee where the company has repriced options without shareholder approval |
• | If a board maintains a classified structure, it is possible that the director(s) with whom we have a particular concern may not be subject to election in the year that the concern arises. In such situations, if we have a concern regarding a committee or committee chair that is not up for re-election, we will generally register our concern by withholding votes from all available members of the relevant committee. |
• | The mix of competencies, experience, and other qualities required to effectively oversee and guide management in light of the stated long-term strategy of the company |
• | The process by which candidates are identified and selected, including whether professional firms or other sources outside of incumbent directors’ networks have been engaged to identify and / or assess candidates |
• | The process by which boards evaluate themselves and any significant outcomes of the evaluation process, without divulging inappropriate and / or sensitive details |
• | The consideration given to board diversity, including, but not limited to, gender, ethnicity, race, age, experience, geographic location, skills, and perspective in the nomination process |
• | Appears to have a legitimate financing motive for requesting blank check authority |
• | Has committed publicly that blank check preferred shares will not be used for anti-takeover purposes |
• | Has a history of using blank check preferred stock for financings |
• | Has blank check preferred stock previously outstanding such that an increase would not necessarily provide further anti-takeover protection but may provide greater financing flexibility |
• | The degree to which the proposed transaction represents a premium to the company’s trading price. We consider the share price over multiple time periods prior to the date of the merger announcement. In most cases, business combinations should provide a premium. We may consider comparable transaction analyses provided by the parties’ financial advisors and our own valuation assessments. For companies facing insolvency or bankruptcy, a premium may not apply |
• | There should be clear strategic, operational, and / or financial rationale for the combination |
• | Unanimous board approval and arm’s-length negotiations are preferred. We will consider whether the transaction involves a dissenting board or does not appear to be the result of an arm’s-length bidding process. We may also consider whether executive and / or board members’ financial interests in a given transaction appear likely to affect their ability to place shareholders’ interests before their own |
• | We prefer transaction proposals that include the fairness opinion of a reputable financial advisor assessing the value of the transaction to shareholders in comparison to recent similar transactions |
• | Whether we believe that the triggering event is in the best interest of shareholders |
• | Whether management attempted to maximize shareholder value in the triggering event |
• | The percentage of total premium or transaction value that will be transferred to the management team, rather than shareholders, as a result of the golden parachute payment |
• | Whether excessively large excise tax gross-up payments are part of the pay-out |
• | Whether the pay package that serves as the basis for calculating the golden parachute payment was reasonable in light of performance and peers |
• | Whether the golden parachute payment will have the effect of rewarding a management team that has failed to effectively manage the company |
• | The company has experienced significant stock price decline as a result of macroeconomic trends, not individual company performance |
• | Directors and executive officers are excluded; the exchange is value neutral or value creative to shareholders; tax, accounting, and other technical considerations have been fully contemplated |
• | There is clear evidence that absent repricing, the company will suffer serious employee incentive or retention and recruiting problems |
• | The company has already taken sufficient steps to address the concern |
• | The company is in the process of actively implementing a response |
• | There is a clear and material economic disadvantage to the company in the near-term if the issue is not addressed in the manner requested by the shareholder proposal |
Name | Position(s) and Office(s) with BRIL |
Position(s)
and
Office(s) with Registrant |
Abigail Reynolds | Chairman and Member, Board of Managers, and Chief Executive Officer | None |
Christopher Meade | Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel and Senior Managing Director | None |
Lauren Bradley | Chief Financial Officer and Vice President | None |
Gregory Rosta | Chief Compliance Officer and Director | None |
Jon Maro | Chief Operating Officer and Director | None |
Andrew Dickson | Secretary and Managing Director | None |
Terri Slane | Assistant Secretary and Director | None |
Anne Ackerley | Member, Board of Managers, and Managing Director | None |
Michael Bishopp | Managing Director | None |
Thomas Callahan | Member, Board of Managers, and Managing Director | Vice President |
Samara Cohen | Managing Director | None |
Jonathan Diorio | Managing Director | None |
Lisa Hill | Managing Director | None |
Brendan Kyne | Managing Director | None |
Paul Lohrey | Managing Director | None |
Martin Small | Member, Board of Managers, and Managing Director | None |
Jonathan Steel | Managing Director | None |
Ariana Brown | Director | None |
Chris Nugent | Director | None |
Name | Position(s) and Office(s) with BRIL |
Position(s)
and
Office(s) with Registrant |
Lourdes Sanchez | Vice President | None |
Lisa Belle | Anti-Money Laundering Officer | Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer |
Zach Buchwald | Member, Board of Managers | None |
Gerald Pucci | Member, Board of Managers | None |
Philip Vasan | Member, Board of Managers | None |
BlackRock
FundsSM (Registrant)
on behalf of Blackrock Wealth Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund |
|
By: | /s/ John M. Perlowski |
(John
M. Perlowski,
President and Chief Executive Officer) |
Signature | Title | Date | ||
/s/
John M. Perlowski
(John M. Perlowski) |
Trustee,
President and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer) |
July 24, 2020 | ||
/s/
Neal J. Andrews
(Neal J. Andrews) |
Chief
Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
July 24, 2020 | ||
Bruce
R. Bond*
(Bruce R. Bond) |
Trustee | |||
Susan
J. Carter*
(Susan J. Carter) |
Trustee | |||
Collette
Chilton*
(Collette Chilton) |
Trustee | |||
Neil
A. Cotty*
(Neil A. Cotty) |
Trustee | |||
Lena
G. Goldberg*
(Lena G. Goldberg) |
Trustee | |||
Henry
R. Keizer*
(Henry R. Keizer) |
Trustee | |||
Cynthia
A. Montgomery*
(Cynthia A. Montgomery) |
Trustee | |||
Donald
C. Opatrny*
(Donald C. Opatrny) |
Trustee | |||
Joseph
P. Platt*
(Joseph P. Platt) |
Trustee | |||
Mark
Stalnecker*
(Mark Stalnecker) |
Trustee |
Signature | Title | Date | ||
Kenneth
L. Urish*
(Kenneth L. Urish) |
Trustee | |||
Claire
A. Walton*
(Claire A. Walton) |
Trustee | |||
Robert
Fairbairn*
(Robert Fairbairn) |
Trustee | |||
*By:
/s/ Janey Ahn
(Janey Ahn, Attorney-In-Fact) |
July 24, 2020 |
Exhibit 4(rr)
EXECUTION VERSION
BLACKROCK FUNDS
Amendment No. 6 to Addendum No. 5 to the Investment Advisory Agreement
This Amendment dated as of the 1st day of June, 2020 is entered into by and between BLACKROCK FUNDSSM, a Massachusetts business trust (the Fund) and BLACKROCK ADVISORS, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Adviser), and is effective as of the date hereof.
WHEREAS, the Fund and the Adviser desire to amend the original Addendum No. 5 (the Addendum) to the Advisory Agreement (as defined below), made June 1, 2011, as amended to the date hereof, in order to reflect the provisions set forth herein, only with respect to the BlackRock Health Sciences Opportunities Portfolio (the Portfolio); and
WHEREAS, the Fund and the Adviser have entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement dated as of September 29, 2006 (the Advisory Agreement) pursuant to which the Fund appointed the Adviser to act as investment adviser to certain investment portfolios of the Fund; and
WHEREAS, Section 1(b) of the Advisory Agreement provides that in the event the Fund establishes one or more additional investment portfolios with respect to which it desires to retain the Adviser to act as investment adviser under the Advisory Agreement, the Fund shall so notify the Adviser in writing and if the Adviser is willing to render such services it shall so notify the Fund in writing; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 1(b) of the Advisory Agreement, the Fund previously notified the Adviser that it established the Portfolio, and that it desired to retain the Adviser to act as the investment adviser therefore, and the Adviser notified the Fund that it is willing to serve as investment adviser to the Portfolio; and
WHEREAS, the Fund and the Adviser entered into the Addendum, with respect to the Portfolio and other series of the Fund; and
WHEREAS, the Fund and the Adviser desire to amend the Addendum, only with respect to the Portfolio; and
WHEREAS, except as amended hereby, all the terms of the Addendum shall remain in full force and effect;
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree to amend and modify the Addendum as follows:
1. |
Compensation. |
The Adviser shall receive annual compensation from the Fund on behalf of the Portfolio for the services provided and the expenses assumed pursuant to the Advisory Agreement computed daily and payable monthly, as a percentage of the Portfolios average daily net assets, and calculated as follows:
Portfolio |
Average Daily Net Assets |
Management
Fee Rate |
||||
BlackRock Health Sciences Opportunities Portfolio |
First $1 billion | 0.750 | % | |||
$1 billion - $2 billion | 0.700 | % | ||||
$2 billion - $3 billion | 0.675 | % | ||||
$3 billion - $10 billion | 0.650 | % | ||||
Greater than $10 billion | 0.640 | % |
2. |
Miscellaneous. Except to the extent supplemented hereby, the Addendum shall remain unchanged and in full force and effect. |
3. |
Release. BlackRock Funds and Trustees of BlackRock Funds refer respectively to the trust created and the Trustees, as trustees but not individually or personally, acting from time to time under a Declaration of Trust dated December 22, 1988, as amended, which is hereby referred to and a copy of which is on file at the office of the State Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and at the principal office of the Fund. The obligations of BlackRock Funds entered into in the name or on behalf thereof by any of the Trustees, officers, representatives or agents are made not individually, but in such capacities, and are not binding upon any of the Trustees, shareholders, officers, representatives or agents of the Fund personally, but bind only the Trust Property (as defined in the Declaration of Trust), and all persons dealing with any class of shares of the Fund must look solely to the Trust Property belonging to such class for the enforcement of any claims against the Fund. |
[End of Text]
2
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Amendment No. 6 to Addendum No. 5 to the Advisory Agreement to be executed by their officers designated below as of the day and year first above written.
BLACKROCK FUNDSSM | ||||
By: |
/s/ John M. Perlowski |
|||
Name: | John M. Perlowski | |||
Title: | President and Chief Executive Officer | |||
BLACKROCK ADVISORS, LLC | ||||
By: |
/s/ Neal J. Andrews |
|||
Name: | Neal J. Andrews | |||
Title: | Managing Director |
3
Exhibit 10(a)
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement No. 33-26305 on Form N-1A of our report dated May 22, 2020, relating to the financial statements and financial highlights of BlackRock Wealth Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund (formerly known as BlackRock Money Market Portfolio) of BlackRock FundsSM (the Fund), appearing in the Annual Report on Form N-CSR of the Fund for the year ended March 31, 2020, and to the references to us under the headings Financial Highlights and Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm in the Prospectuses and Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm and Financial Statements in the Statement of Additional Information, which are part of such Registration Statement.
/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
July 24, 2020