Under normal conditions, the fund will invest at least 80 percent of its net assets (including any borrowings for investment purposes) in bonds. The fund invests in a diversified portfolio of shorter-term investment-grade corporate and government securities, including mortgage- and asset-backed securities, municipal securities, money market securities and bank obligations, and securities of foreign issuers. All of the securities purchased by the fund will be rated investment grade (i.e., rated in one of the four highest credit rating categories) at the time of purchase by at least one of the major credit rating agencies or, if unrated, deemed by the adviser to be investment-grade quality. The fund will not be required to sell a holding if it is later downgraded to a below investment-grade rating. While the fund may purchase an individual security with an effective maturity of up to five years, under normal conditions the funds dollar-weighted average effective maturity will be 1.5 years or less.