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National Tax Free Fund (LANSX) - Class A

Fund Finder

What is the National Tax Free Fund?

Goal & Strategy

The goal of this Fund is tax-exempt income through investing in investment grade and high yield long-term securities of domestic tax-exempt issuers. This Fund seeks to provide exposure to national municipal bonds through strategic targeting of relative value opportunities, in-depth credit research, and a comprehensive understanding of the nuances and anomalies of the municipal markets.

Fund Basics

 
Ticker LANSX
CUSIP 543902100
Fund Number 6
Inception Date 04/02/1984
YTD Returns at NAV (as of 05/20/2013) 1.78%
Dividend Frequency Monthly
(Daily Accrual)
Expense Ratio (as of 04/30/2013)
Gross 0.79%
Net 0.73%
Lipper Category Avg. 0.84%
Total Net Assets (as of 04/30/2013) $2.20 B
Number of Issues (as of 04/30/2013) 512
Minimum Initial Investment $1,000
Maximum Offering Price (MOP) - Returns with sales charges reflect a maximum sales charge of 2.25%.
Yield(as of 05/20/2013)
Dividend Yield Subsidized1 Unsubsidized2
NAV - 3.67%
MOP - 3.58%
30-Day Standardized Yield (as of 04/30/2013) 3.52%

Price(as of 05/20/2013)
  Price ($) Change ($) Change (%)
NAV 11.66 -0.01 -0.09
MOP 11.93 -0.01 -0.08
52-Week High & Low at NAV ($)
High (12/06/2012) 11.84
Low (06/12/2012) 11.18
In absence of the fee waiver, yields shown would have been lower. Yields for other share classes will vary.

How has the Fund Performed?

Average Annual Returns

(as of 04/30/2013)
  YTD (%) 1-YR (%) 3-YR (%) 5-YR (%) 10-YR (%) Since
Inception (%)
NAV
Lipper Category Avg. 1.46 6.17 6.52 5.67 4.39    -
Index 1.39 5.19 6.18 6.09 5.05 7.40
MOP -0.38 6.23 7.45 6.48 4.48 6.92
Expense Ratio Gross0.79% Net0.73%
  YTD (%) 1-YR (%) 3-YR (%) 5-YR (%) 10-YR (%) Since
Inception (%)
NAV 0.58 9.22 8.30 6.93 4.67 6.98
Lipper Category Avg. 0.33 6.31 6.54 5.70 4.37    -
Index 0.29 5.25 6.23 6.10 5.01 7.38
MOP -1.70 6.79 7.49 6.45 4.43 6.89
Expense Ratio Gross0.79% Net0.73%
The performance quoted represents past performance, which is no indication of future results. Current performance may be higher or lower than the performance data quoted. Returns shown include the reinvestment of all distributions. Returns shown at net asset value do not reflect the current maximum sales charge, had the sales charge been included, returns would have been lower. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that shares, on any given day or when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Therefore, there can be no assurance of future results.

Why This Fund?

Role in Portfolio

A core portfolio that provides investors with exposure to a nationally invested municipal bond portfolio that potentially delivers attractive income free from federal taxation.

Key Advantages

Experience
Provides investors with exposure to an experienced investment team.

Research
Focuses on in-depth credit research to select securities that avoid federal income tax.

The value of your investment will change as interest rates fluctuate and in response to market movements. When interest rates fall, the prices of debt securities tend to rise, and when interest rates rise, the prices of debt securities are likely to decline.

How is the Fund Currently Positioned?

(as of 03/29/2013)
  • Our primary focus has been to overweight maturities in the 10-year and 21- to 25-year maturity ranges due to the steep yield curve and total return potential.
  • Relative benchmark duration exposure is managed to reduce interest-rate sensitivity relative to the portfolio's benchmark, the Barclays Municipal Bond Index.
  • Two of the largest sector overweights relative to the benchmark are in health care and government-appropriated bonds due to attractive spreads and strong fundamentals in the current economic environment. One of the largest underweights is to the utilities sector owing to tight credit spreads rather than any underlying credit concerns.
  • We continue to maintain our overweight to lower-rated bonds relative to the benchmark due to attractive credit spreads and solid underlying credit quality.
  • We are overweight high-tax states due to better liquidity.
The Fund's portfolio is actively managed and may change significantly over time.

The credit qualities of securities in the portfolio are assigned by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), such as Standard & Poor's, Moody's, or Fitch, as an indication of an issuer's creditworthiness. Ratings range from 'AAA' (highest) to 'D' (lowest). Bonds rated 'BBB' or above are considered investment grade. Credit ratings 'BB' and below are lower-rated securities (junk bonds). High-yielding, non-investment-grade bonds (junk bonds) involve higher risks than investment-grade bonds. Adverse conditions may affect the issuer's ability to pay interest and principal on these securities.

RELATED CONTENT

Overall Morningstar Ratings


(as of 04/30/2013)
Category Muni National Long
Load
Load Waived
Morningstar rated the Lord Abbett National Tax Free Fund Class A share (load) 5, 4 and 3 stars and (load waived) 5, 5 and 3 stars among 221, 207 and 171 Muni National Long Funds for the overall rating and the 3, 5 and 10 year periods ended 04/30/2013, respectively.

Investment Team

Team Leader
Daniel S. Solender, CFA
Partner
Years Experience:  27
Supported By
15 Investment Professionals
11 Years Avg. Industry Experience
Years experience refers to industry experience.