(a) Scope of rule. This section applies to an advertisement or other sales material (advertisement) with respect to securities of an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. §§ 80a-1 et seq.) (1940 Act), or a business development company, that is selling or proposing to sell its securities pursuant to a registration statement that has been filed under the Act. This section does not apply to an advertisement that is excepted from the definition of prospectus by section 2(a)(10) of the Act (15 U.S.C. § 77b(a)(10)), § 230.498(d), or § 230.498A(g) or (j)(2), or to a summary prospectus under § 230.498 or § 230.498A. An advertisement that complies with this section, which may include information the substance of which is not included in the prospectus specified in section 10(a) of the Act (15 U.S.C 77j(a)), will be deemed to be a prospectus under section 10(b) of the Act (15 U.S.C. § 77j(b)) for the purposes of section 5(b)(1) of the Act (15 U.S.C. § 77e(b)(1)).

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Note 1 to paragraph (a):

The fact that an advertisement complies with this section does not relieve the investment company, underwriter, or dealer of any obligations with respect to the advertisement under the antifraud provisions of the Federal securities laws. For guidance about factors to be weighed in determining whether statements, representations, illustrations, and descriptions contained in investment company advertisements are misleading, see § 230.156. In addition, an advertisement that complies with this section is subject to the legibility requirements of § 230.420.

(b) Required disclosure. This paragraph describes information that is required to be included in an advertisement in order to comply with this section.

(1) Availability of additional information. An advertisement must include a statement that advises an investor to consider the investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses of the investment company carefully before investing; explains that the prospectus and, if available, the summary prospectus contain this and other information about the investment company; identifies a source from which an investor may obtain a prospectus and, if available, a summary prospectus; and states that the prospectus and, if available, the summary prospectus should be read carefully before investing.

(2) Advertisements used prior to effectiveness of registration statement. An advertisement that is used prior to effectiveness of the investment company’s registration statement or the determination of the public offering price (in the case of a registration statement that becomes effective omitting information from the prospectus contained in the registration statement in reliance upon § 230.430A) must include the “Subject to Completion” legend required by § 230.481(b)(2).

(3) Advertisements including performance data. An advertisement that includes performance data of an open-end management investment company or a separate account registered under the 1940 Act as a unit investment trust offering variable annuity contracts (trust account) must include the following

(i) A legend disclosing that the performance data quoted represents past performance; that past performance does not guarantee future results; that the investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost; and that current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. The legend should also identify either a toll-free (or collect) telephone number or a Web site where an investor may obtain performance data current to the most recent month-end unless the advertisement includes total return quotations current to the most recent month ended seven business days prior to the date of use. An advertisement for a money market fund that is a government money market fund, as defined in § 270.2a-7(a)(16) of this chapter, or a retail money market fund, as defined in § 270.2a-7(a)(25) of this chapter may omit the disclosure about principal value fluctuation; and

Note to paragraph (b)(3)(i):

The date of use refers to the date or dates when an advertisement is used by investors, not the date on which an advertisement is published or submitted for publication. The date of use refers to the entire period of use by investors and not simply the first date on which an advertisement is used.

(ii) If a sales load or any other nonrecurring fee is charged, the maximum amount of the load or fee, and if the sales load or fee is not reflected, a statement that the performance data does not reflect the deduction of the sales load or fee, and that, if reflected, the load or fee would reduce the performance quoted.

(4) Money market funds. (i) An advertisement for an investment company that holds itself out to be a money market fund, that is not a government money market fund, as defined in § 270.2a-7(a)(16) of this chapter, or a retail money market fund, as defined in § 270.2a-7(a)(25) of this chapter, must include the following statement:

You could lose money by investing in the Fund. Because the share price of the Fund will fluctuate, when you sell your shares they may be worth more or less than what you originally paid for them. The Fund may impose a fee 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. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The Fund’s sponsor has no legal obligation to provide financial support to the Fund, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Fund at any time.

(ii) An advertisement for an investment company that holds itself out to be a money market fund, that is a government money market fund, as defined in § 270.2a-7(a)(16) of this chapter or a retail money market fund, as defined in § 270.2a-7(a)(25) of this chapter, and that is subject to the requirements of § 270.2a-7(c)(2)(i) and/or (ii) of this chapter (or is not subject to the requirements of § 270.2a-7(c)(2)(i) and/or (ii) of this chapter pursuant to § 270.2a-7(c)(2)(iii) of this chapter, but has chosen to rely on the ability to impose liquidity fees and suspend redemptions consistent with the requirements of § 270.2a-7(c)(2)(i) and/or (ii)), must include the following statement:

You could lose money by investing in the Fund. Although the Fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it cannot guarantee it will do so. The Fund may impose a fee 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. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The Fund’s sponsor has no legal obligation to provide financial support to the Fund, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Fund at any time.

(iii) An advertisement for an investment company that holds itself out to be a money market fund, that is a government money market fund, as defined in § 270.2a-7(a)(16) of this chapter, that is not subject to the requirements of § 270.2a-7(c)(2)(i) and/or (ii) of this chapter pursuant to § 270.2a-7(c)(2)(iii) of this chapter, and that has not chosen to rely on the ability to impose liquidity fees and suspend redemptions consistent with the requirements of § 270.2a-7(c)(2)(i) and/or (ii)), must include the following statement:

You could lose money by investing in the Fund. Although the Fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it cannot guarantee it will do so. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The Fund’s sponsor has no legal obligation to provide financial support to the Fund, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Fund at any time.

Note to paragraph (b)(4).

If an affiliated person, promoter, or principal underwriter of the Fund, or an affiliated person of such a person, has contractually committed to provide financial support to the Fund, the statement may omit the last sentence (“The Fund’s sponsor has no legal obligation to provide financial support to the Fund, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Fund at any time.”) for the term of the agreement. For purposes of this Note, the term “financial support” includes any capital contribution, purchase of a security from the Fund in reliance on § 270.17a-9 of this chapter, purchase of any defaulted or devalued security at par, execution of letter of credit or letter of indemnity, capital support agreement (whether or not the Fund ultimately received support), performance guarantee, or any other similar action reasonably intended to increase or stabilize the value or liquidity of the fund’s portfolio; however, the term “financial support” excludes any routine waiver of fees or reimbursement of fund expenses, routine inter-fund lending, routine inter-fund purchases of fund shares, or any action that would qualify as financial support as defined above, that the board of directors has otherwise determined not to be reasonably intended to increase or stabilize the value or liquidity of the fund’s portfolio.

(5) Presentation. In a print advertisement, the statements required by paragraphs (b)(1) through (b)(4) of this section must be presented in a type size at least as large as and of a style different from, but at least as prominent as, that used in the major portion of the advertisement, provided that when performance data is presented in a type size smaller than that of the major portion of the advertisement, the statements required by paragraph (b)(3) of this section may appear in a type size no smaller than that of the performance data. If an advertisement is delivered through an electronic medium, the legibility requirements for the statements required by paragraph (b)(1) through (b)(4) of this section relating to type size and style may be satisfied by presenting the statements in any manner reasonably calculated to draw investor attention to them. In a radio or television advertisement, the statements required by paragraph (b)(1) through (b)(4) of this section must be given emphasis equal to that used in the major portion of the advertisement. The statements required by paragraph (b)(3) of this section must be presented in close proximity to the performance data, and, in a print advertisement, must be presented in the body of the advertisement and not in a footnote.

(6) Commission legend. An advertisement that complies with this section need not contain the Commission legend required by § 230.481(b)(1).

(c) Use of applications. An advertisement that complies with this section may not contain or be accompanied by any application by which a prospective investor may invest in the investment company, except that a prospectus meeting the requirements of section 10(a) of the Act (15 U.S.C. § 77j(a)) by which a unit investment trust offers variable annuity or variable life insurance contracts may contain a contract application although the prospectus includes, or is accompanied by, information about an investment company in which the unit investment trust invests that, pursuant to this section, is deemed a prospectus under section 10(b) of the Act (15 U.S.C. § 77j(b)).

(d) Performance data for non-money market funds. In the case of an open-end management investment company or a trust account (other than a money market fund referred to in paragraph (e) of this section), any quotation of the company’s performance contained in an advertisement shall be limited to quotations of:

(1) Current yield. A current yield that:

(i) Is based on the methods of computation prescribed in Form N-1A(§§ 239.15A and 274.11A of this chapter), N-3 (§§ 239.17a and 274.11b of this chapter), or N-4 (§§ 239.17b and 274.11c of this chapter);

(ii) Is accompanied by quotations of total return as provided for in paragraph (d)(3) of this section;

(iii) Is set out in no greater prominence than the required quotations of total return; and

(iv) Adjacent to the quotation and with no less prominence than the quotation, identifies the length of and the date of the last day in the base period used in computing the quotation.

(2) Tax-equivalent yield. A tax-equivalent yield that:

(i) Is based on the methods of computation prescribed in Form N-1A (§§ 239.15A and 274.11A of this chapter), N-3 (§§ 239.17a and 274.11b of this chapter), or N-4 (§§ 239.17b and 274.11c of this chapter);

(ii) Is accompanied by quotations of yield as provided for in paragraph (d)(1) of this section and total return as provided for in paragraph (d)(3) of this section;

(iii) Is set out in no greater prominence than the required quotations of yield and total return;

(iv) Relates to the same base period as the required quotation of yield; and

(v) Adjacent to the quotation and with no less prominence than the quotation, identifies the length of and the date of the last day in the base period used in computing the quotation.

(3) Average annual total return. Average annual total return for one, five, and ten year periods, except that if the company’s registration statement under the Act (15 U.S.C. § 77a et seq.) has been in effect for less than one, five, or ten years, the time period during which the registration statement was in effect is substituted for the period(s) otherwise prescribed. The quotations must:

(i) Be based on the methods of computation prescribed in Form N-1A (§§ 239.15A and 274.11A of this chapter), N-3 (§§ 239.17a and 274.11b of this chapter), or N-4 (§§ 239.17b and 274.11c of this chapter);

(ii) Be current to the most recent calendar quarter ended prior to the submission of the advertisement for publication;

(iii) Be set out with equal prominence; and

(iv) Adjacent to the quotation and with no less prominence than the quotation, identify the length of and the last day of the one, five, and ten year periods.

(4) After-tax return. For an open-end management investment company, average annual total return (after taxes on distributions) and average annual total return (after taxes on distributions and redemption) for one, five, and ten year periods, except that if the company’s registration statement under the Act (15 U.S.C. § 77a et seq.) has been in effect for less than one, five, or ten years, the time period during which the registration statement was in effect is substituted for the period(s) otherwise prescribed. The quotations must:

(i) Be based on the methods of computation prescribed in Form N-1A (§§ 239.15A and 274.11A of this chapter);

(ii) Be current to the most recent calendar quarter ended prior to the submission of the advertisement for publication;

(iii) Be accompanied by quotations of total return as provided for in paragraph (d)(3) of this section;

(iv) Include both average annual total return (after taxes on distributions) and average annual total return (after taxes on distributions and redemption);

(v) Be set out with equal prominence and be set out in no greater prominence than the required quotations of total return; and

(vi) Adjacent to the quotations and with no less prominence than the quotations, identify the length of and the last day of the one, five, and ten year periods.

(5) Other performance measures. Any other historical measure of company performance (not subject to any prescribed method of computation) if such measurement:

(i) Reflects all elements of return;

(ii) Is accompanied by quotations of total return as provided for in paragraph (d)(3) of this section;

(iii) In the case of any measure of performance adjusted to reflect the effect of taxes, is accompanied by quotations of total return as provided for in paragraph (d)(4) of this section;

(iv) Is set out in no greater prominence than the required quotations of total return; and

(v) Adjacent to the measurement and with no less prominence than the measurement, identifies the length of and the last day of the period for which performance is measured.

(e) Performance data for money market funds. In the case of a money market fund:

(1) Yield. Any quotation of the money market fund’s yield in an advertisement shall be based on the methods of computation prescribed in Form N-1A (§§ 239.15A and 274.11A of this chapter), N-3 (§§ 239.17a and 274.11b of this chapter), or N-4 (§§ 239.17b and 274.11c of this chapter) and may include:

(i) A quotation of current yield that, adjacent to the quotation and with no less prominence than the quotation, identifies the length of and the date of the last day in the base period used in computing that quotation;

(ii) A quotation of effective yield if it appears in the same advertisement as a quotation of current yield and each quotation relates to an identical base period and is presented with equal prominence; or

(iii) A quotation or quotations of tax-equivalent yield or tax-equivalent effective yield if it appears in the same advertisement as a quotation of current yield and each quotation relates to the same base period as the quotation of current yield, is presented with equal prominence, and states the income tax rate used in the calculation.

(2) Total return. Accompany any quotation of the money market fund’s total return in an advertisement with a quotation of the money market fund’s current yield under paragraph (e)(1)(i) of this section. Place the quotations of total return and current yield next to each other, in the same size print, and if there is a material difference between the quoted total return and the quoted current yield, include a statement that the yield quotation more closely reflects the current earnings of the money market fund than the total return quotation.

(f) Advertisements that make tax representations. An advertisement for an open-end management investment company (other than a company that is permitted under § 270.35d-1(a)(4) of this chapter to use a name suggesting that the company’s distributions are exempt from federal income tax or from both federal and state income tax) that represents or implies that the company is managed to limit or control the effect of taxes on company performance must accompany any quotation of the company’s performance permitted by paragraph (d) of this section with quotations of total return as provided for in paragraph (d)(4) of this section.

(g) Timeliness of performance data. All performance data contained in any advertisement must be as of the most recent practicable date considering the type of investment company and the media through which the data will be conveyed, except that any advertisement containing total return quotations will be considered to have complied with this paragraph provided that:

(1)(i) The total return quotations are current to the most recent calendar quarter ended prior to the submission of the advertisement for publication; and

(ii) Total return quotations current to the most recent month ended seven business days prior to the date of use are provided at the toll-free (or collect) telephone number or Web site identified pursuant to paragraph (b)(3)(i) of this section; or

(2) The total return quotations are current to the most recent month ended seven business days prior to the date of use of the advertisement.

Note to paragraph (g):

The date of use refers to the date or dates when an advertisement is used by investors, not the date on which an advertisement is published or submitted for publication. The date of use refers to the entire period of use by investors and not simply the first date on which an advertisement is used.

(h) Filing. An advertisement that complies with this section need not be filed as part of the registration statement filed under the Act.

Note to paragraph (h):

These advertisements, unless filed with NASD Regulation, Inc., are required to be filed in accordance with the requirements of § 230.497.

(i) Advertisements including fee or expense figures. An advertisement that provides fee or expense figures for an investment company must include the following:

(1) The maximum amount of any sales load, or any other nonrecurring fee, and the total annual expenses without any fee waiver or expense reimbursement arrangement, based on the methods of computation prescribed by the investment company’s registration statement form under the 1940 Act or under the Act for a prospectus and presented at least as prominently as any other fee or expense figure included in the advertisement; and

(2) The expected termination date of a fee waiver or expense reimbursement arrangement, if the advertisement provides total annual expenses net of fee waiver or expense reimbursement arrangement amounts.

(j) Timeliness of fee and expense information. Fee and expense information contained in an advertisement must be as of the date of the investment company’s most recent prospectus or, if the company no longer has an effective registration statement under the Act, as of the date of its most recent annual shareholder report, except that a company may provide more current information if available.

[68 FR 57777, Oct. 6, 2003, as amended at 74 FR 4584, Jan. 26, 2009; 79 FR 47957, Aug. 14, 2014; 85 FR 26093, May 1, 2020; 87 FR 72846, Nov. 25, 2022; 88 FR 17710, Mar. 24, 2023]