LOGO   Summary Prospectus    February 28, 2014

 

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Schwab Global Real Estate Fund

Ticker Symbol:    SWASX

 

 

Before you invest, you may want to review the fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the fund and its risks. You can find the fund’s prospectus, Statement of Additional Information (SAI) and other information about the fund online at www.schwabfunds.com/prospectus. You can also obtain this information at no cost by calling 1-866-414-6349 or by sending an email request to orders@mysummaryprospectus.com. If you purchase or hold fund shares through a financial intermediary, the fund’s prospectus, SAI, and other information about the fund are available from your financial intermediary.

The fund’s prospectus dated June 28, 2013, and SAI dated June 28, 2013, as supplemented February 28, 2014, include a more detailed discussion of fund investment policies and the risks associated with various fund investments. The prospectus and SAI are incorporated by reference into the summary prospectus, making them legally a part of the summary prospectus.

 

Investment objective

The fund seeks capital growth and income consistent with prudent investment management.

Fund fees and expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund.

 

Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment)       
Redemption fee (as a % of the amount sold or exchanged within 30 days of purchase)      2.00   
  
Annual fund operating expenses (expenses that you pay each year
as a % of the value of your investment)
 
Management fees      0.77   
Distribution (12b-1) fees      None   
Other expenses      0.39   
  

 

 

 
Total annual fund operating expenses      1.16   
Less expense reduction      (0.11
  

 

 

 
Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reduction 1      1.05   
  

 

 

 

 

1  

The investment adviser and its affiliates have agreed to limit the total annual fund operating expenses (excluding interest, taxes and certain non-routine expenses) of the fund to 1.05% for so long as the investment adviser serves as the adviser to the fund. This agreement may only be amended or terminated with the approval of the fund’s Board of Trustees.

 

Example

This 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 redeem all of your shares at the end of those time periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The figures are based on total annual fund operating expenses after expense reduction. The expenses would be the same whether you stayed in the fund or sold your shares at the end of each period. Your actual costs may be higher or lower.

 

Expenses on a $10,000 investment

 

1 year   3 years   5 years   10 years
$107   $334   $579   $1,283
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 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 the 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 128% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in securities of real estate companies and companies related to the real estate industry. The fund will provide shareholders with at least 60 days notice before changing this policy. Real estate companies include U.S. and non-U.S. issuers that, in the opinion of the adviser, derive at least 50% of their revenues or profits from the ownership, construction, development, financing, management, servicing, sale or leasing of commercial, industrial or residential real estate or have 50% of their total assets in real estate. Companies related to the real estate industry include companies whose products and services pertain to the real estate industry, such as mortgage lenders and mortgage servicing companies. The fund does not invest directly in real estate.

The fund invests a significant portion of its total assets in real estate investment trusts (REITs) and other similar REIT-like structures. REITs are U.S. real estate companies that own and commonly operate income producing real estate, or that use their assets to finance real estate. REITs are not subject to U.S. corporate income tax provided they comply with a number of tax requirements, including the distribution to shareholders of at least 90% of their net income. A number of other countries have adopted REIT-like structures that are not subject to local corporate income tax provided they distribute a significant portion of their net income to shareholders and meet certain other requirements. The fund also invests in real estate operating companies (REOCs). REOCs are real estate companies that engage in the ownership, development, management or financing of real estate. They may also provide services such as property management, property development, facilities management and real estate financing. REOCs are publicly-traded corporations that have not elected to be taxed as REITs. The three primary reasons for such an election are the (a) availability of tax-loss carry-forwards, (b) operation in non-REIT-qualifying lines of business, and (c) ability to retain earnings.

The fund invests in equity securities, primarily common stocks. The fund may also invest in other types of equity securities, including preferred stocks, convertible securities, rights or warrants to purchase stocks, and exchange traded funds. The fund may also

 

 

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invest in debt securities, including high yield securities (junk bonds), issued by or guaranteed by real estate companies or companies related to the real estate industry, such as fixed, floating or variable rate corporate bonds, collateralized debt obligations, fixed-rate capital securities, mortgage pass through certificates, real estate mortgage investment conduit certificates and collateralized mortgage obligations.

The fund selects investments based on the investment adviser’s analysis of each issuer. In making this determination, the investment adviser may take into account a variety of factors that it determines to be relevant from time to time, such as the issuer’s financial condition, industry position, earnings estimates, management and local and global economic and market conditions. The investment adviser uses a proprietary database and investment model to help choose and allocate the fund’s investments.

The fund may invest in derivative securities, such as swaps, options, futures and options on futures, which are principally tied to the real estate industry, for hedging purposes and to seek returns on the fund’s otherwise uninvested cash. The derivative securities may relate to a specific investment, a group of investments, or the fund’s portfolio as a whole. Derivatives are financial contracts whose values depend upon or are derived from the values of underlying assets, reference rates or indexes. The fund may use investment techniques such as short sales and reverse repurchase agreements. Please see the “Principal risks” section for a description of these investments. The fund may lend its securities to certain financial institutions to earn additional income.

Under normal market conditions, the fund seeks to invest its assets across different countries and regions. The fund’s investments in a single country or a limited number of countries may represent a higher percentage of the fund’s assets from time to time. The fund invests primarily in developed market countries, but may invest up to 15% of its total assets in emerging market countries. “Emerging market” countries include, but are not limited to, countries included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index SM . In allocating the fund’s investments, the investment adviser considers the size and condition of the real estate market in each country and region and the global real estate market as a whole. Except as provided above, the fund is not required to invest or restricted from investing any minimum or maximum percentage of its assets in any one country or region.

The fund sells securities when the investment adviser believes it is appropriate to do so, regardless of how long the securities have been held. Such sales may cause the fund to experience high portfolio turnover and correspondingly increased transaction costs. The sales may also result in capital gain or loss, including short-term capital gain or loss. High portfolio turnover may adversely impact the fund’s performance.

The fund may hold up to 100% of its assets in cash, cash equivalents and other short-term investments for temporary or defensive purposes. The fund may utilize such tactics when the investment adviser believes that market or economic interests are unfavorable for investors. Under such circumstances, the fund may not achieve its investment objective.

Principal risks

The fund is subject to risks, any of which could cause an investor to lose money. The fund’s principal risks include:

Market Risk.  Stock and bond markets and the values of securities held by the fund rise and fall daily. As with any investment whose performance is tied to these markets, the value of your investment in the fund will fluctuate, which means that you could lose money.

Equity Risk.  The prices of equity securities rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual

companies, industries or the securities market as a whole. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles, which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.

Small- and Mid-Cap Risk.  Larger REITs and other real estate companies may be small- to medium-sized companies in relation to the equity markets as a whole. Historically, mid- and small-cap stocks have been riskier than large-cap stocks. Mid- and small-cap companies themselves may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies. Stock prices of smaller companies may be based in substantial part on future expectations rather than current achievements and may move sharply, especially during market upturns and downturns. During a period when mid- and small-cap stocks fall behind other types of investments — bonds or large-cap stocks, for instance — the fund’s small- and mid-cap holdings could reduce performance.

Real Estate Investment Risk.  The fund has a policy of concentrating its investments in real estate companies and companies related to the real estate industry. As such, the fund is subject to risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate securities and an investment in the fund will be closely linked to the performance of the real estate markets. These risks include, among others, declines in the value of real estate; risks related to general and local economic conditions; possible lack of availability of mortgage funds or other limits to accessing the credit or capital markets; defaults by borrowers or tenants, particularly during an economic downturn; and changes in interest rates.

REITs Risk.  In addition to the risks associated with investing in securities of real estate companies and real estate related companies, REITs are subject to certain additional risks. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying properties owned by the trusts, and mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. Further, REITs are dependent upon specialized management skills and may have their investments in relatively few properties, or in a small geographic area or a single property type. Failure of a company to qualify as a REIT under federal tax law may have adverse consequences to the fund. In addition, REITs have their own expenses, and the fund will bear a proportionate share of those expenses.

Debt Securities Risk.  Interest rates rise and fall over time, which will affect the fund’s yield and share price. The credit quality of a portfolio investment could also cause the fund’s share price to fall. The fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a portfolio investment or the counterparty to a derivatives contract fails to make timely principal or interest payments or otherwise honor its obligations. Debt securities may be paid off earlier or later than expected. Either situation could cause the fund to hold securities paying lower than market rates of interest, which could hurt the fund’s yield or share price. Below investment-grade bonds (junk bonds) involve greater credit risk, are more volatile, involve greater risk of price declines and may be more susceptible to economic downturns than investment-grade securities.

Foreign Investment Risk. The fund’s investments in securities of foreign issuers may involve certain risks that are greater than those associated with investments in securities of U.S. issuers. These include risks of adverse changes in foreign economic, political, regulatory and other conditions; changes in currency exchange rates or exchange control regulations (including limitations on currency movements and exchanges); differing accounting, auditing, financial reporting and legal standards and practices; differing securities market structures; and higher transaction costs. These risks may be heightened in connection with investments in emerging markets.

Emerging Markets Risk. Emerging market countries may be more likely to experience political turmoil or rapid changes in market or economic conditions than more developed countries. Such

 

 

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countries often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements and greater risk associated with the custody of securities. In addition, the financial stability of issuers (including governments) in emerging market countries may be more precarious than in other countries. As a result, there will tend to be an increased risk of price volatility associated with the fund’s investments in emerging market countries and, at times, it may be difficult to value such investments.

Geographic Risk. To the extent the fund’s investments in a single country or a limited number of countries represent a higher percentage of the fund’s assets, the fund assumes the risk that economic, political and social conditions in those countries will have a significant impact on its investment performance and it may be subject to increased price volatility.

Convertible Securities Risk.  The value of a convertible security is influenced by changes in interest rates, with investment value declining as interest rates increase and increasing as interest rates decline, and the credit standing of the issuer. The price of a convertible security will also normally vary in some proportion to changes in the price of the underlying common stock because of the conversion or exercise feature.

Derivatives Risk.  The fund’s use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments and could cause the fund to lose more than the principal amount invested. In addition, investments in derivatives may involve leverage, which means a small percentage of assets invested in derivatives can have a disproportionately large impact. However, these risks are less severe when the fund uses derivatives for hedging rather than to enhance the fund’s returns or as a substitute for a position or security.

Leverage Risk.  Certain fund transactions, such as derivatives, short sales and reverse repurchase agreements, may give rise to a form of leverage and may expose the fund to greater risk. Leverage tends to magnify the effect of any decrease or increase in the value of the fund’s portfolio securities, which means even a small amount of leverage can have a disproportionately large impact on the fund. The use of leverage may cause the fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so in order to satisfy its obligations.

Short Sales Risk.  The fund will incur a loss if the price of the security sold short increases between the time of the short sale and the time the fund replaces the borrowed security.

Management Risk.  As an actively managed mutual fund, the fund is subject to the risk that its investment adviser will make poor security selections. The fund’s investment adviser applies its own investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the fund, but there can be no guarantee that they will produce the desired results.

Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) Risk.  When the fund invests in an ETF, it will bear a proportionate share of the ETF’s expenses. In addition, lack of liquidity in an ETF can result in its value being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities.

Securities Lending Risk.  Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in the collateral or delay in recovery of the collateral if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent.

Liquidity Risk.  A particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell. The fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price.

Your investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

For more information on the risks of investing in the fund, please see the “Fund details” section in the prospectus.

Performance

The bar chart below shows how the fund’s investment results have varied from year to year, and the following table shows how the fund’s average annual total returns for various periods compared to that of an index. This information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. All figures assume distributions were reinvested. Keep in mind that future performance (both before and after taxes) may differ from past performance. For current performance information, please see www.schwabfunds.com/prospectus . On September 28, 2009, the Investor Share class and Select Share class were combined into a single class of shares of the fund, and the fund no longer offers multiple classes of shares. The performance history of the fund prior to September 28, 2009 is that of the fund’s former Select Shares.

 

Annual total returns (%) as of 12/31

 

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Best quarter:  36.54% Q2 2009

Worst quarter:  (31.24%) Q4 2008

Year-to-date performance (before taxes) as of 3/31/13:  4.15%

 

Average annual total returns (%) as of 12/31/12

 

       1 year     5 years     Since
Inception
(5/31/07)
 
Before taxes      25.57     1.04     (1.93 %) 
After taxes on distributions      23.19     (0.59 %)      (3.49 %) 

After taxes on distributions and sale of shares

     16.78     (0.06 %)      (2.51 %) 

Comparative Index (reflects no deductions for expenses or taxes)

      
FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Index (Net) 1      28.98     N/A 2       N/A 2  
FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Index (Gross)      29.85     0.66     (1.45 %) 

 

1  

Effective June 28, 2013, the fund changed its comparative index, for purposes of performance calculation, from FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Index (Gross) to FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Index (Net). The Net version of the index more accurately reflects how dividends paid to the fund on its foreign securities are treated for tax purposes, and provides a better basis for comparing the fund’s performance. The net version of the index reflects reinvested dividends net of withholding taxes, but reflects no deductions for expenses or other taxes.

2  

Index inception date: 10/31/2008.

The after-tax figures reflect the highest individual federal income tax rates in effect during the period and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns depend on your individual tax situation. In addition, after-tax returns are not relevant if you hold your fund shares through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, an individual retirement account (IRA) or other tax-advantaged account. In some cases, the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed benefit from any losses on a sale of shares at the end of the measurement period.

 

 

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REG56047-09        00112468   Schwab Global Real Estate Fund TM ; Ticker Symbol:    SWASX

 

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Investment adviser

Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.

Portfolio managers

Jonas Svallin, CFA, Managing Director and Head of Disciplined Active Equity Strategies, is responsible for the day-to-day co-management of the fund. He has co-managed the fund since June 2012.

Wei Li, Ph.D., CFA, Portfolio Manager, is responsible for the day-to-day co-management of the fund. She has co-managed the fund since March 2013.

Purchase and sale of fund shares

The fund is open for business each day that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. When you place orders to purchase, exchange or redeem fund shares through an account at Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Schwab) or another financial intermediary, you must follow Schwab’s or the other financial intermediary’s transaction procedures.

Eligible Investors (as determined by the fund and which generally are limited to institutional investors) may invest directly in the fund by placing purchase, exchange and redemption orders through the fund’s transfer agent. Eligible Investors must contact the transfer agent by phone or in writing to obtain an account application. Eligible Investors may contact the transfer agent:

 

   

by telephone at 1-800-407-0256; or

 

   

by mail in writing to Boston Financial Data Services, Attn: Schwab Funds, P.O. Box 8283, Boston, MA 02266-8323.

The minimum initial investment for the fund is $100. The minimum may be waived for certain investors or in the fund’s sole discretion.

Tax information

Dividends and capital gains distributions received from the fund will generally be taxable as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through an IRA, 401(k) or other tax-advantaged account.

Payments to financial intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and its related companies 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 salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

 

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