Investment Strategy

The Fund seeks income, capital appreciation, and relative stability of value. To pursue this objective, the Fund invests primarily in shares of other registered investment companies (the “underlying funds”). The Fund will be diversified among a number of asset classes, and its allocation among underlying funds will be based on an asset allocation model developed by Madison Asset Management, the Fund's investment adviser.

Why Madison Conservative Allocation Fund

  • Active asset allocation reflects real-time convictions
  • Active risk management seeks participation in rising markets and protection of capital during downturns
  • Adaptive to changing markets

Key Highlights (As of Friday November 08, 2024)

Class A

Class C

NAV

9.90

10.08

Change($)

0.00

0.00

YTD(%)

6.38%

5.77%

Ticker

MCNAX

MCOCX

Inception Date

06/30/06

02/29/08

Expense Ratio

0.99

1.74

Morningstar Overall
Rating™ as of 10/31/24

Among 139 Conservative Allocation funds

View ratings for 3, 5 and 10-year periods

35%

target equity exposure

17

Average years of PM industry experience

13

holdings1

$44.3M

net assets1

Commentary

If you hadn’t heard the term “yen carry trade” before, it was likely burned into your lexicon by early August. The rapid ascent of the formerly shunned Japanese currency was behind a nasty bout of volatility that took U.S. stocks down nearly 10%, as investors were forced to quickly unwind levered investments and prevent further losses as the yen moved against them.

Performance

Average annual returns, %

Portfolio Highlights

Top Ten Fund Holdings (As of 10/31/24)

MADISON CORE BOND FUND

30.46%

ISHARES 7 10 YEAR TREASURY BON

6.07%

ISHARES TREASURY FLOATING RATE

10.08%

DISTILLATE US FUNDAMENTAL STAB

5.09%

MADISON INVESTORS FUND

9.58%

ISHARES AAA A RATED CORPORAT

3.73%

JANUS HENDERSON MORTGAGE BACKE

8.54%

VANGUARD INFORMATION TECHNOLOG

3.53%

SCHWAB INTERMEDIATE TERM U.S.

6.47%

INVESCO EXCHANGE TRADED FUND T

2.54%

The Morningstar Rating™ for funds, or “star rating”, is calculated for funds with at least a three-year history. Exchange-traded funds and open-ended mutual funds are considered a single population for comparative purposes. It is calculated based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a fund’s monthly excess performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The Morningstar Rating does not include any adjustment for sales loads. The top 10% of funds in each category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a fund is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five-, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics, and may not indicate positive performance.  Ratings may vary by share class.

1 Data as of September 30, 2024.

Performance quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee and is not a reliable indicator of future results. Investment returns and principal values will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than that shown.

Net Asset Value (NAV) is the amount per share you would receive if you sold shares that day. Change refers to the amount (in dollar terms) that the value of the share price changed from the previous day’s close of trading. The Year-to-date (YTD) return is the net change in the value of the fund’s share price (in percentage terms) at NAV from January 1 to the current date shown above. Expense ratios are as of each fund’s most recent prospectus.  For more detailed information on performance, including returns for the most recent month-end or quarter-end, view Performance.

Investment returns assume all distributions are reinvested and reflect all applicable fees and expenses. Returns for Class A shares reflect deduction of the 5.75% maximum sales charge.  Benchmark Index returns assume all distributions are reinvested. Indexes are unmanaged and, therefore, have no fees. Investors cannot invest directly in an index.

The Fund is a fund of funds, meaning that it invests primarily in the shares of underlying funds, including exchange traded funds (“ETFs”).  Thus, the Fund’s investment performance and its ability to achieve its investment goal are directly related to the performance of the underlying funds in which it invests.  Each underlying fund’s performance, in turn, depends on the particular securities in which that underlying fund invests and the expenses of that underlying fund.

An investment in the Fund is subject to risks of the underlying funds in direct proportion to the allocation of its assets among the underlying funds, and there can be no assurance the Fund will achieve its investment objective.  The risks associated with an investment in the Fund can increase during times of significant market volatility. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include asset allocation risk, interest rate risk, credit and prepayment/extension risk, non-investment trade risk, equity risk, ETF risk, foreign security risk, and market risk.

Investing in underlying funds that invest in foreign securities involves risks relating to currency fluctuations and to political, social, and economic developments abroad, as well as risks resulting from differences between the regulations to which U.S. and foreign issuers and markets are subject. These risks may be greater in emerging markets. The investment markets of emerging countries are generally more volatile than markets of developed countries with more mature economies. Investing in underlying funds that invest in small- and mid-sized companies are susceptible to greater risk than is customarily associated with investing in more established companies. Investing in underlying funds that invest in non-investment grade securities, may provide greater returns but are subject to greater-than-average risk. More detailed information regarding these risks can be found in the Fund’s prospectus.

The ICE BofA U.S. Corporate, Government & Mortgage Index is a broad-based measure of the total rate of return performance of the U.S. investment grade bond markets. The index is a capitalization-weighted aggregation of outstanding U.S. treasury, agency and supranational mortgage pass-through, and investment grade corporate bonds meeting specified selection criteria.

The Conservative Allocation Fund Custom Index consists of 65% Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, 24.5% Russell 3000® Index and 10.5% MSCI ACWI ex-USA Index. The custom index is calculated using a monthly re-balancing frequency (i.e., rebalanced back to original constituent weight every calendar month-end).  See market index descriptions below.

The Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based flagship benchmark that measures the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market. The index includes Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage backed-securities, asset-backed securities, and corporate securities, with maturities greater than one year.

The Russell 3000® Index measures the performance of the largest 3,000 U.S. companies representing approximately 98% of the investable U.S. equity market. The Russell 3000® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive, unbiased and stable barometer of the broad market.

THE MSCI ACWI ex-USA Index (net) is a market-capitalization-weighted index maintained by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) and designed to provide a broad measure of stock performance throughout the world, with the exception of U.S.-based companies. The index includes both developed and emerging markets.

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