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Summary Prospectus
November 1, 2012
American Century Investments
®
International Bond Fund
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Investor Class:
BEGBX
Institutional Class:
AIDIX
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A Class:
AIBDX
C Class:
AIQCX
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R Class:
AIBRX
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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 and other information about the fund online at the web addresses listed below. You can also get this information at no cost by calling or sending an email request. The fund’s prospectus and other information are also available from financial intermediaries (such as banks and broker-dealers) through which shares of the fund may be purchased or sold.
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Retail Investors
americancentury.com/funds/fund_reports.jsp
1-800-345-2021 or 816-531-5575
prospectus@americancentury.com
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Financial Professionals
americancentury.com/ipro/funds/fund_reports_mf.jsp
1-800-345-6488
advisor_prospectus@americancentury.com
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This summary prospectus incorporates by reference the fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information (SAI), each dated November 1, 2012 (as supplemented at the time you receive this summary prospectus), as well as the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm and the financial statements included in the fund’s annual report to shareholders, dated June 30, 2012. The fund's SAI and annual report may be obtained, free of charge, in the same manner as the prospectus.
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Investment Objective
The fund seeks high total return by investing in high-quality, non-dollar-denominated government and corporate debt securities outside the United States.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses 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 $100,000
in American Century Investments funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as variations in charges that may apply to purchases of $1 million or more, is available from your financial professional and in
Calculation of Sales Charges
on page 13 of the fund’s prospectus and
Sales Charges
in
Appendix B
of the statement of additional information.
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Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)
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Investor
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Institutional
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A
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C
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R
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Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed
on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)
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None
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None
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4.50%
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None
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None
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Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)
(as a percentage of the lower of the original
offering price or redemption proceeds when
redeemed within one year of purchase)
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None
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None
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None
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1.00%
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None
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Maximum Annual Account Maintenance Fee
(waived if eligible investments total at least $10,000)
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$25
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None
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None
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None
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None
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Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
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Investor
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Institutional
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A
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C
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R
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Management Fee
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0.80%
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0.60%
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0.80%
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0.80%
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0.80%
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Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees
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None
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None
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0.25%
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1.00%
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0.50%
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Other Expenses
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0.01%
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0.01%
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0.01%
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0.01%
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0.01%
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
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0.81%
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0.61%
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1.06%
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1.81%
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1.31%
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Example
The example below is intended to help you compare the costs of investing in the fund with the costs 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 periods, that you earn a 5% return each year, and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
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1 year
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3 years
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5 years
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10 years
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Investor Class
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$83
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$259
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$450
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$1,002
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Institutional Class
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$62
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$196
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$341
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$763
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A Class
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$553
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$773
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$1,009
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$1,686
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C Class
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$184
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$570
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$981
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$2,124
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R Class
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$134
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$416
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$719
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$1,578
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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 50% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The fund invests its assets in high-quality debt securities, and at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) are invested in debt securities issued by foreign corporations and foreign governments. High-quality debt securities are fixed-income investments, such as notes, bonds, commercial paper, debentures and mortgage- and asset-backed securities that have been rated by an independent rating agency in its top two credit quality categories or determined by the advisor to be of comparable credit quality. The advisor expects the fund’s dollar-weighted average maturity to range from two to 10 years.
The portfolio managers use a combination of fundamental research and bond and currency valuation models, and evaluate each country's economic climate and political discipline for controlling deficits and inflation. Using economic forecasts, the portfolio managers project the expected return for each country. By contrasting expected risks and returns for investments in each country, the portfolio managers select those countries expected to produce the best return at reasonable risk. The portfolio managers limit the use of hedging strategies that minimize the risk of currency fluctuations, but may hedge up to 25% of the fund's total assets into U.S. dollars when the portfolio manager considers the dollar to be attractive relative to foreign currencies.
The fund also invests in derivative instruments, including foreign currency exchange contracts, in order to shift its investment exposure from one currency into another for hedging purposes or to enhance returns.
The fund sells holdings for a variety of reasons, such as to adjust its average maturity or credit quality, to shift assets into and out of higher-yielding securities, or to alter geographic or currency exposure.
Principal Risks
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Foreign Securities Risk
– Foreign securities have certain unique risks, such as currency risk, political, social and economic risk, and foreign market and trading risk. Changes in the value of foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar also could result in gains or losses to the fund. The fund may be affected by political, social or economic events occurring in a country where the fund invests, which could cause the fund's investments in that country to experience gains or losses. The trading markets for many foreign securities are not as active as U.S. markets and may have less governmental regulation and oversight. Because of these risks, and others, securities of foreign issuers may be less liquid, more volatile and harder to value than U.S. securities.
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Currency Risk
– The fund is subject to the risk of a decline in the value of a foreign currency versus the U.S. dollar, which reduces the dollar value of securities denominated in that currency. The overall impact on the fund’s holdings may be significant depending on the currencies represented in the portfolio, how each one appreciates or depreciates in relation to the U.S. dollar, and whether currency positions are hedged. Currency returns are volatile, and to the extent the fund purchases and sells currencies, it will also be subject to the risk that its trading strategies, including efforts at hedging, will not succeed.
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Interest Rate Risk
– Investments in debt securities are also sensitive to interest rate changes. Generally, the value of debt securities and the funds that hold them decline as interest rates rise. Interest rate risk, however, is generally higher for the fund than for funds that have shorter-weighted maturities, such as money market funds and short-term bond funds.
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Credit Risk
– Debt securities, even investment-grade debt securities, are subject to credit risk. Credit risk is the risk that the inability or perceived inability of the issuer to make interest and principal payments will cause the value of the securities to decrease. As a result, the fund's share price could also decrease. Changes in the credit rating of a debt security held by the fund could have a similar effect.
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Single Country Risk
– Investing a significant portion of assets in one country or region makes the fund more dependent upon the political and economic circumstances of that particular country or region than a mutual fund that is more widely diversified.
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Liquidity Risk
– The fund may also be subject to liquidity risk. During periods of market turbulence or unusually low trading activity, in order to meet redemptions it may be necessary for the fund to sell securities at prices that could have an adverse effect on the fund's share price.
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Derivative Risk
– The use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional instruments. The derivatives in which the fund invests are subject to a number of risks, including currency, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and correlation risk.
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Nondiversification
– The fund is classified as nondiversified
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A nondiversified fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a smaller number of securities than a diversified fund. This gives the portfolio managers the flexibility to hold large positions in a smaller number of securities. If so, a price change in any one of those securities may have a greater impact on the fund’s share price than would be the case in a diversified fund and the fund may be more volatile than if it was diversified.
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Market Risk
– The risk that the value of securities owned by the fund may go up and down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably.
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Principal Loss
– At any given time your shares may be worth less than the price you paid for them. In other words, it is possible to lose money by investing in the fund.
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An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit, and it is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency.
Fund Performance
The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows changes in the fund’s performance from year to year for Investor Class shares. The table shows how the fund’s average annual returns for the periods shown compared with those of a broad measure of market performance. The fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future. For current performance information, including yields, please visit americancentury.com.
Sales charges and account fees, if applicable, are not reflected in the bar chart. If those charges were included, returns would be less than those shown.
Calendar Year Total Returns
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Highest Performance Quarter
(2Q 2002): 14.36%
Lowest Performance Quarter
(3Q 2008): -5.83%
As of September 30, 2012, the most recent calendar quarter end, the year-to-date return for the Investor Class was 4.50%.
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Average Annual Total Returns
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For the calendar year ended December 31, 2011
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1
year
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5
years
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10
years
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Since
Inception
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Inception
Date
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Investor Class
Return Before Taxes
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5.72%
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4.92%
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7.78%
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01/07/1992
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Return After Taxes on Distributions
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4.94%
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3.46%
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6.32%
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01/07/1992
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Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
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3.73%
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3.37%
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5.95%
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01/07/1992
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Institutional Class
Return Before Taxes
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5.94%
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5.13%
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5.40%
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08/02/2004
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A Class
1
Return Before Taxes
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0.72%
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3.65%
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7.01%
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10/27/1998
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C Class
Return Before Taxes
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4.65%
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3.12%
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09/28/2007
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R Class
Return Before Taxes
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5.19%
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3.64%
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09/28/2007
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Barclays Global Treasury ex-U.S. Bond Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
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5.24%
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7.18%
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8.38%
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1
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Prior to September 4, 2007, this class was referred to as the Advisor Class and did not have a front-end sales charge. Performance has been restated to reflect this charge.
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The after-tax returns are shown only for Investor Class shares. After-tax returns for other share classes will vary. 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. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or IRAs.
Portfolio Management
Investment Advisor
American Century Investment Management, Inc.
Portfolio Managers
John A. Lovito,
Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager, has served on teams managing fixed-income investments for American Century Investments since joining the advisor in 2009
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Federico Garcia Zamora,
Vice President and Portfolio Manager, has served on teams managing fixed-income investments for American Century Investments since joining the advisor in 2008. Mr. Garcia Zamora has announced his plan to leave American Century Investments. As a result, he will no longer serve as a portfolio manager of the fund as of November 30, 2012.
Simon Chester,
Vice President and Portfolio Manager, has served on teams managing fixed-income investments for American Century Investments since joining the advisor in 2010.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may purchase or redeem shares of the fund on any business day through our website at americancentury.com, in person (at one of our Investor Centers), by mail (American Century Investments, P.O. Box 419200, Kansas City, MO 64141-6200), by telephone at 1-800-345-2021 (Investor Services Representative) or 1-800-345-3533 (Business, Not-For-Profit and Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans), or through a financial intermediary. Shares may be purchased and redemption proceeds received by electronic bank transfer, by check or by wire.
Unless otherwise specified below, the minimum initial investment amount to open an account is $2,500 ($2,000 for Coverdell Education Savings Accounts). Investors opening accounts through financial intermediaries may open an account with $250 for all classes except Institutional Class, but the financial intermediaries may require their clients to meet different investment minimums. The minimum may be waived for broker-dealer sponsored wrap program accounts, fee-based accounts, and accounts through bank/trust and wealth management advisory organizations or certain employer-sponsored retirement plans.
The minimum initial investment amount for Institutional Class is generally $5 million ($3 million for endowments and foundations), but the minimum may be waived if you, or your financial intermediary if you invest through an omnibus account, have an aggregate investment in the American Century family of funds of $10 million or more.
There is a $50 minimum for subsequent purchases, except that there is no subsequent purchase minimum for financial intermediaries or employer-sponsored retirement plans. For purposes of fund minimums, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred account such as a 401(k) or individual retirement account.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank, insurance company, plan sponsor or financial professional), 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 intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
©2012 American Century Proprietary Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
CL-SUM-76153 1211