Form 497K NUVEEN INVESTMENT FUNDS

Nuveen Global Infrastructure Fund

 

 

 

 

Investment Objective

The investment objective of the Fund is long-term growth of capital and income.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in “What Share Classes We Offer” on page 39 of the Fund’s prospectus, “How to Reduce Your Sales Charge” on page 44 of the prospectus, in the appendix to this prospectus titled “Variations in Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers Available Through Certain Intermediaries,” and “Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares” on page S-76 of the Fund’s statement of additional information.

Shareholder Fees

(fees paid directly from your investment)

		Class A				Class C				Class R3				Class R6				Class I				Class T
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)			5.75%				None				None				None				None				2.50%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)1			None				1.00%				None				None				None				None
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends			None				None				None				None				None				None
Exchange Fee			None				None				None				None				None				None
Annual Low Balance Account Fee (for accounts under $1,000)2			$15				$15				None				None				$15				$15
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
		Class A				Class C				Class R3				Class R6				Class I				Class T
Management Fees			0.90%				0.90%				0.90%				0.90%				0.90%				0.90%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees			0.25%				1.00%				0.50%				0.00%				0.00%				0.25%
Other Expenses			0.27%				0.27%				0.27%				0.12%				0.27%				0.29%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses			1.42%				2.17%				1.67%				1.02%				1.17%				1.44%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements3			(0.20)%				(0.20)%				(0.20)%				(0.22)%				(0.20)%				(0.22)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements			1.22%				1.97%				1.47%				0.80%				0.97%				1.22%

1	The contingent deferred sales charge on Class C shares applies only to redemptions within 12 months of purchase.

2	Fee applies to the following types of accounts under $1,000 held directly with the Fund: individual retirement accounts (IRAs), Coverdell Education Savings Accounts and accounts established pursuant to the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) or Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA).

 

Summary Prospectus

 

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The Fund’s investment adviser has agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses through July 31, 2019 so that the total annual operating expenses of the Fund (excluding 12b-1 distribution and/or service fees, interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, fees incurred in acquiring and disposing of portfolio securities and extraordinary expenses) do not exceed 1.00% of the average daily net assets of any class of Fund shares. However, because Class R6 shares are not subject to sub-transfer agent and similar fees, the total annual operating expenses for the Class R6 shares will be less than the expense limitation. This expense limitation may be terminated or modified prior to that date only with the approval of the Board of Directors of the Fund.

Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then either redeem or do not redeem your shares at the end of a period. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same and that the fee waivers currently in place are not renewed beyond July 31, 2019. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

		Class A				Class C				Class R3				Class R6				Class I				Class T
1 Year		$	692			$	200			$	150			$	82			$	99			$	371
3 Years		$	975			$	655			$	502			$	297			$	347			$	668
5 Years		$	1,284			$	1,141			$	884			$	536			$	619			$	992
10 Years		$	2,159			$	2,483			$	1,955			$	1,223			$	1,398			$	1,908

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 161% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in equity securities issued by U.S. and non-U.S. infrastructure-related companies. Infrastructure-related companies include companies involved in the ownership, development, construction, renovation, financing or operation of infrastructure assets, or that provide the services and raw materials necessary for the construction and maintenance of infrastructure assets. Infrastructure assets are the physical structures and networks upon which the operation, growth and development of a community depends, which include water, sewer, and energy utilities; transportation and communication networks; health care facilities, government accommodations, and other public service facilities; and shipping, timber, steel, alternative energy, and other resources and services necessary for the construction and maintenance of these physical structures and networks.

Equity securities in which the Fund invests include common and preferred securities, publicly-traded units of master limited partnerships (“MLPs”), and real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). The Fund may also invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other investment companies (“investment companies”). The Fund may invest in companies of any size, including small- and mid-capitalization companies.

In selecting securities, the Fund’s sub-adviser invests in companies that it believes meet one or more of the following criteria:

 

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Attractively valued relative to other companies in the same industry or market.

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Strong fundamentals, including consistent cash flows or growth and a sound balance sheet.

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Strong management teams.

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Long-term contracts to provide infrastructure-based services.

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An identifiable catalyst that could increase the value of the company’s stock over the next one or two years.

The Fund’s sub-adviser generally will sell a security if any of the following has occurred:

 

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The security has hit its price target and the company is no longer attractively valued relative to other companies.

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The company’s fundamentals have significantly deteriorated.

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There has been a significant change in the company’s management team.

 

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A catalyst that could decrease the value of the stock has been identified, or a previously existing positive catalyst has disappeared.

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A better alternative exists in the marketplace.

The Fund’s investments include infrastructure-related securities of non-U.S. issuers. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 40% of its net assets in securities of non-U.S. issuers and, in any case, will invest at least 30% of its net assets in such issuers.

The Fund diversifies its investments among a number of different countries throughout the world. Up to 25% of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in equity securities of emerging market issuers.

The Fund may utilize derivatives, including options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and forward foreign currency exchange contracts. The Fund may use these derivatives to manage market or business risk, enhance the Fund’s return, or hedge against adverse movements in currency exchange rates.

Principal Risks

The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, listed alphabetically, include:

Active Management Risk—The Fund’s sub-adviser actively manages the Fund’s investments. Consequently, the Fund is subject to the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses employed by the Fund’s sub-adviser may not produce the desired results. This could cause the Fund to lose value or its investment results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.

Currency Risk—Changes in currency exchange rates will affect the value of non-U.S. dollar denominated securities, the value of dividends and interest earned from such securities, gains and losses realized on the sale of such securities, and derivative transactions tied to such securities. A strong U.S. dollar relative to these other currencies will adversely affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio.

Cybersecurity Risk—Cybersecurity risk is the risk of an unauthorized breach and access to Fund assets, customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or the risk of an incident occurring that causes the Fund, its investment adviser or sub-adviser, custodian, transfer agent, distributor or other service provider or a financial intermediary to suffer a data breach, data corruption or lose operational functionality. Successful cyber-attacks or other cyber-failures or events affecting the Fund or its service providers may adversely impact the Fund or its shareholders. Additionally, a cybersecurity breach could affect the issuers in which the Fund invests, which may cause the Fund’s investments to lose value.

Derivatives Risk—The use of derivatives involves additional risks and transaction costs which could leave the Fund in a worse position than if it had not used these instruments. Derivative instruments can be used to acquire or to transfer the risk and returns of a security or other asset without buying or selling the security or asset. These instruments may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives can result in losses that greatly exceed the original investment. Derivatives can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value. An over-the-counter derivative transaction between the Fund and a counterparty that is not cleared through a central counterparty also involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of the counterparty to the contract to make required payments. The payment obligation for a cleared derivative transaction is guaranteed by a central counterparty, which exposes the Fund to the creditworthiness of the central counterparty.

Equity Security Risk—Equity securities in the Fund’s portfolio may decline significantly in price over short or extended periods of time, and such declines may occur because of declines in the equity market as a whole, or because of declines in only a particular country, company, industry, or sector of the market.

ETF Risk—An ETF is subject to the risks of the underlying securities that it holds. In addition, for index-based ETFs, the performance of an ETF may diverge from the performance of such index (commonly known as tracking error). ETFs are subject to fees and expenses (like management fees and operating expenses) that do not apply to an index, and the Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any such fees and expenses paid by the ETFs in which it invests. Moreover, ETF shares may trade at a premium or discount to their net asset value. As ETFs trade on an exchange, they are subject to the risks of any exchange-traded instrument, including: (i) an active trading market for its shares may not develop or be maintained, (ii) market makers or authorized participants may decide to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress, (iii) trading of its shares may be halted by the exchange, and (iv) its shares may be delisted from the exchange.

 

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Frequent Trading Risk—The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may exceed 100%. Frequent trading of portfolio securities may produce capital gains, which are taxable to shareholders when distributed. Frequent trading may also increase the amount of commissions or mark-ups to broker-dealers that the Fund pays when it buys and sells securities, which may detract from the Fund’s performance.

Infrastructure Sector Risk—Because the Fund invests significantly in infrastructure-related securities, the Fund has greater exposure to adverse economic, regulatory, political, legal and other changes affecting the issuers of such securities. Additionally, infrastructure-related entities may be subject to regulation by various governmental authorities and affected by government regulation of rates charged to consumers, service interruptions or the imposition of special tariffs and changes in tax law.

Master Limited Partnership Risk—An investment in an MLP exposes the Fund to the legal and tax risks associated with investing in partnerships. MLPs may have limited financial resources, their securities may be relatively illiquid, and they may be subject to more erratic price movements because of the underlying assets they hold.

Non-U.S./Emerging Markets Risk—Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to those of issuers located in or that principally operate in the United States as a result of, among other things, political, social and economic developments abroad and different legal, regulatory and tax environments. These additional risks may be heightened for securities of issuers located in, or with significant operations in, emerging market countries as such countries may have a higher degree of economic instability, unsettled securities laws and inconsistent regulatory systems.

Other Investment Companies Risk—When the Fund invests in other investment companies, including ETFs, you bear both your proportionate share of Fund expenses and, indirectly, the expenses of the other investment companies. Furthermore, the Fund is exposed to the risks to which the other investment companies may be subject.

Preferred Security Risk—Preferred securities generally are subordinated to bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than those debt instruments. In addition, preferred securities are subject to other risks, such as having no or limited voting rights, being subject to special redemption rights, having distributions deferred or skipped, having floating interest rates or dividends, which may result in a decline in value in a falling interest rate environment, having limited liquidity, changing or unfavorable tax treatments and possibly being issued by companies in heavily regulated industries.

Real Estate Investment Risk—The real estate industry has been subject to substantial fluctuations and declines on a local, regional and national basis in the past that may continue to occur in the future. Also, the value of a REIT can be hurt by economic downturns or by changes in real estate values, rents, property taxes, interest rates, tax treatment, regulations, or the legal structure of the REIT. By investing in REITs through the Fund, you bear both your proportionate share of Fund expenses and, indirectly, the expenses of the REITs in which the Fund invests.

Small- and Mid-Cap Stock Risk—Small-cap stocks involve substantial risk. Prices of small-cap stocks may be subject to more abrupt or erratic movements, and to wider fluctuations, than stock prices of larger, more established companies or the market averages in general. It may be difficult to sell small-cap stocks at the desired time and price. While mid-cap stocks may be slightly less volatile than small-cap stocks, they still involve similar risks.

Fund Performance

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.nuveen.com/performance or by calling (800) 257-8787.

 

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The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund’s performance from year to year for Class A shares. The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.

Class A Annual Total Return*

 

 

*

Class A year-to-date total return as of March 31, 2018 was -4.76%. The performance of the other share classes will differ due to their different expense structures.

During the ten-year period ended December 31, 2017, the Fund’s highest and lowest quarterly returns were 20.62% and -17.47%, respectively, for the quarters ended June 30, 2009 and September 30, 2008.

The table below shows the variability of the Fund’s average annual returns and how they compare over the time periods indicated with those of a broad measure of market performance and an index of funds with similar investment objectives. Previously, the Fund used the S&P Global Infrastructure Index (Total Return) (the “Prior Benchmark”) as its primary benchmark, which reinvests dividends paid by non-U.S. index constituents without accounting for applicable withholding taxes. Going forward, the S&P Global Infrastructure Index (Net Total Return) (the “New Benchmark”) will be the Fund’s primary benchmark. The New Benchmark reinvests dividends paid by non-U.S. index constituents after the deduction of taxes withheld from such dividends. The New Benchmark deducts taxes at the maximum statutory withholding rate in each country represented in the Benchmark, although treaties between the United States and many of these countries reduce the actual tax rate applicable to the Fund. Because it accounts for withholding taxes, the New Benchmark more accurately approximates the experience of the Fund than the Prior Benchmark, and is also the primary benchmark employed by a majority of the Fund’s peers. All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.

Both the bar chart and the table assume that all distributions have been reinvested. Performance reflects fee waivers, if any, in effect during the periods presented. If any such waivers had not been in place, returns would have been reduced.

 

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Performance is not shown for Class T shares, which have not been offered for a full calendar year.

 

						Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31, 2017
		Inception Date				1 Year				5 Years				10 Years				Since Inception (Class C & Class R3)				Since Inception (Class R6)
Class A (return before taxes)			12/17/07				12.53	%			8.10	%			5.04	%			N/A				N/A
Class A (return after taxes on distributions)							10.78	%			6.09	%			3.80	%			N/A				N/A
Class A (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares)							8.06	%			5.75	%			3.71	%			N/A				N/A
Class C (return before taxes)			11/3/08				18.55	%			8.59	%			N/A				10.86	%			N/A
Class R3 (return before taxes)			11/3/08				19.03	%			9.11	%			N/A				11.35	%			N/A
Class R6 (return before taxes)			6/30/16				19.95	%			N/A				N/A				N/A				8.99	%
Class I (return before taxes)			12/17/07				19.61	%			9.66	%			5.93	%			N/A				N/A
S&P Global Infrastructure Index (Net Total Return)1 (reflects reinvested dividends net of withholding taxes but reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or other taxes)							19.07	%			8.30	%			2.52	%			8.40	%			10.94	%
S&P Global Infrastructure Index (Total Return)1 (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)							20.13	%			9.21	%			3.42	%			9.37	%			11.91	%
Lipper Global Infrastructure Funds Category Average2 (reflects no deduction for taxes or sales loads)							17.40	%			8.46	%			3.22	%			9.99	%			9.22	%

1

An index that provides liquid and tradable exposure to 75 companies from around the world that represent the listed infrastructure universe. To create diversified exposure across the global listed infrastructure market, the index has balanced weights across three distinct infrastructure clusters: utilities, transportation, and energy.

2	Represents the average annualized returns for all reporting funds in the Lipper Global Infrastructure Funds Category.

Management

Investment Adviser

Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC

Sub-Adviser

Nuveen Asset Management, LLC

Portfolio Managers

 

Name		Title		Portfolio Manager of Fund Since
Jay L. Rosenberg		Managing Director		December 2007
Tryg T. Sarsland		Senior Vice President		December 2012

 

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Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

You may purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the Fund on any business day, which is any day the New York Stock Exchange is open for business. You may purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the Fund either through a financial advisor or other financial intermediary or directly from the Fund. Class A, Class C and Class T shares may not be purchased directly from the Fund. In addition, the availability of Class A, Class C and Class T shares through a financial intermediary will depend on the policies of the intermediary. The Fund’s initial and subsequent investment minimums generally are as follows, although certain financial intermediaries may impose their own investment minimums and the Fund may reduce or waive the minimums in some cases:

 

		Class A, Class C and Class T		Class R3		Class R6		Class I
Eligibility and Minimum Initial Investment		$3,000 for all accounts except:   •  $2,500 for Traditional/Roth IRA accounts.   •  $2,000 for Coverdell Education Savings Accounts.   •  $250 for accounts opened through fee-based programs. (Class T shares are not available through fee-based programs.)   •  No minimum for retirement plans.		Available only through certain retirement plans.   No minimum.		Available only to certain qualified retirement plans and other investors as described in the prospectus and through fee-based programs.   $1 million for all accounts except:   •  $100,000 for clients of financial intermediaries who charge such clients an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or related services.   •  No minimum for certain qualified retirement plans and certain other categories of eligible investors as described in the prospectus.		Available only through fee-based programs and certain retirement plans, and to other limited categories of investors as described in the prospectus.   $100,000 for all accounts except:   •  $250 for clients of financial intermediaries and family offices that have accounts holding Class I shares with an aggregate value of at least $100,000 (or that are expected to reach this level).   •  No minimum for eligible retirement plans and certain other categories of eligible investors as described in the prospectus.
Minimum Additional Investment		$100		No minimum.		No minimum.		No minimum.

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are taxable and will generally be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred account, such as an IRA or 401(k) plan (in which case you may be taxed upon withdrawal of your investment from such account).

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund, its distributor or its investment adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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MPM-FGIF-0818P

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