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SEPTEMBER 28, 2026
Prospectus
BlackRock Balanced Fund, Inc. | Investor, Institutional and Class R Shares Investor A: MDCPX • Investor C: MCCPX • Institutional: MACPX • Class R: MRBPX
This Prospectus contains information you should know before investing, including information about risks. Please read it before you invest and keep it for future reference. The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Not FDIC Insured • May Lose Value • No Bank Guarantee
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Table of Contents
Fund Overview Key facts and details about the Fund, including investment objective, principal investment strategies, principal risk factors, fee and expense information and historical per formance information Investment Objective .............................................................................. 3 Fees and Expenses of the Fund ............................................................... 3 Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund .............................................. 4 Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund .................................................... 5 Per formance Information ........................................................................ 10 Investment Manager and Sub-Adviser....................................................... 11 Por tfolio Managers ................................................................................. 11 Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares .......................................................... 11 Tax Information....................................................................................... 13 Payments to Broker/Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries ................ 13
Details About the Fund Information about how the Fund invests, including investment objective, investment process, principal strategies and risk factors How the Fund Invests.............................................................................. 14 Investment Risks.................................................................................... 16
Account Information Information about account services, sales charges and waivers, shareholder transactions, and distributions and other payments How to Choose the Share Class that Best Suits Your Needs ...................... 31 Details About the Share Classes ............................................................. 35 Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Payments...................................... 40 How to Buy, Sell, Exchange and Transfer Shares ....................................... 41 Account Services and Privileges .............................................................. 46 Fund’s Rights ......................................................................................... 48 Par ticipation in Fee-Based Programs ........................................................ 48 Shor t-Term Trading Policy ........................................................................ 49
Management of the Fund Information about BlackRock and the Por tfolio Managers BlackRock .............................................................................................. 50 Por tfolio Manager Information ................................................................. 51 Conflicts of Interest ................................................................................ 51 Valuation of Fund Investments ................................................................. 52 Dividends, Distributions and Taxes........................................................... 54
Financial Highlights Financial Per formance of the Fund ........................................................... 55
General Information Shareholder Documents.......................................................................... 59 Cer tain Fund Policies .............................................................................. 59 Statement of Additional Information ......................................................... 60
Glossary Glossary of Investment Terms ................................................................. 61
Intermediary-Defined
Sales Charge Waiver Policies
Intermediary-Defined Sales Charge Waiver Policies................................... A-1
For More Information Fund and Service Providers ............................................... Inside Back Cover Additional Information....................................................... Back Cover
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Fund Overview
Key Facts About BlackRock Balanced Fund, Inc.
Investment Objective
The investment objective of BlackRock Balanced Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”) is to seek the highest total investment return through a fully managed investment policy utilizing equity, debt (including money market) and convertible securities.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. Amounts in the table are rounded to the nearest basis point, which in some cases may be “0.00.” You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to your financial professional or your selected securities dealer, broker, investment adviser, service provider or industry professional (including BlackRock Advisors, LLC (“BlackRock”) and its affiliates) (each, a “Financial Intermediary”), which are not reflected in the table and example below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000 in the fund complex advised by BlackRock or its affiliates. More information about these and other discounts is available from your Financial Intermediary and in the “Details About the Share Classes” and the “Intermediary-Defined Sales Charge Waiver Policies” sections on pages 35 and A-1, respectively, of the Fund’s prospectus and in the “Purchase of Shares” section on page II-97 of Part II of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Investor A Shares
Investor C Shares
Institutional Shares
Class R Shares Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) 5.25% None None None Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of offering price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower) None 1 1.00% 2 None None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Investor A Shares
Investor C Shares
Institutional Shares
Class R Shares Management Fee 3 0.42% 0.42% 0.42% 0.42% Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 1.00% None 0.50% Other Expenses 0.12% 0.13% 0.13% 0.25% Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses 4 0.02% 0.02% 0.02% 0.02% Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 4 0.81% 1.57% 0.57% 1.19% Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements 3 (0.01)% (0.01)% (0.01)% (0.01)% Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements 3 0.80% 1.56% 0.56% 1.18% 1 A contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 0.75% is assessed on certain redemptions of Investor A Shares made within 18 months after purchase where no initial sales charge was paid at the time of purchase as part of an investment of $250,000 or more. 2 There is no CDSC on Investor C Shares after one year. 3 As described in the “Management of the Fund” section of the Fund’s prospectus beginning on page 50, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive the management fee with respect to any portion of the Fund’s assets estimated to be attributable to investments in other equity and fixed income mutual funds and exchange-traded funds managed by BlackRock or its affiliates that have a contractual management fee, through June 30, 2028. In addition, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive its management fees by the amount of investment advisory fees the Fund pays to BlackRock indirectly through its investment in money market funds managed by BlackRock or its affiliates, through June 30, 2028. The contractual agreements may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested directors of the Fund or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. 4 The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not correlate to the ratios of expenses to average net assets given in the Fund’s most recent Annual Financial Statements and Additional Information, which do not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.
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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 periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has 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:
1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years Investor A Shares $602 $769 $950 $1,473 Investor C Shares $259 $495 $854 $1,662 Institutional Shares $ 57 $182 $317 $ 713 Class R Shares $120 $377 $653 $1,442
You would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your shares:
1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years Investor C Shares $159 $495 $854 $1,662
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 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 132% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund invests in a combination of equity securities, fixed-income securities and derivatives. The proportion the Fund invests in each category at any given time depends on Fund management’s view of how attractive that category appears relative to the others. The Fund intends to invest at least 25% of its assets in equity securities and at least 25% of its assets in senior fixed income securities, such as U.S. government debt securities, corporate debt securities, and mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities.
With respect to the Fund’s equity investments, the Fund primarily intends to invest in equity securities or other financial instruments that are components of, or have characteristics similar to, the securities included in the MSCI All Country World Index (the “ACWI”). The ACWI is a capitalization-weighted index from a broad range of industries chosen for market size, liquidity and industry group representation. In selecting equity investments, the Fund primarily uses proprietary return forecast models that incorporate quantitative analysis. Equity securities include common stock and preferred stock. The Fund primarily seeks to buy common stock and may also invest in preferred stock. From time to time, the Fund may invest in shares of companies through “new issues” or initial public offerings (“IPOs”). The Fund may also purchase convertible securities. The Fund may invest in securities of both U.S. or non-U.S. issuers without limit, which can be U.S. dollar based or non-U.S. dollar based and may be currency hedged or unhedged. The Fund may invest in securities of companies of any market capitalization.
With respect to the Fund’s fixed-income investments, the Fund will invest primarily using model-based asset allocation and security selection models. The Fund may invest in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities; mortgage-backed securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities, including U.S. agency mortgage pass-through securities; commercial mortgage-backed securities; mortgage to-be-announced (“TBA”) securities; debt obligations of U.S. issuers, including corporate bonds; municipal securities; asset-backed securities; and U.S.-registered dollar-denominated debt obligations of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest in bonds issued by companies located in countries other than the United States, including companies in emerging markets. These securities may have all types of interest rate payment and reset terms, including fixed rate, adjustable rate, floating rate, zero coupon, contingent, deferred, payment in kind and auction rate features. The Fund seeks to invest a substantial portion of its assets in U.S.-registered, dollar denominated bonds. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its assets in securities rated below investment grade (“high yield” or “junk” bonds). The Fund may invest in bonds of any maturity or duration.
The Fund may invest a significant portion of its fixed income holdings in U.S. agency mortgage pass-through securities, which are securities issued by entities such as the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”) and the
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Federal National Mortgage Association that are backed by pools of mortgages. Most transactions in mortgage pass through securities occur through standardized contracts for future delivery in which the exact mortgage-backed securities to be delivered are not specified until a few days prior to settlement. The Fund expects to enter into such contracts on a regular basis.
The Fund may use derivatives, including options, futures, swaps (including, but not limited to, total return swaps), forward contracts and various other instruments, both to seek to increase the return of the Fund and to hedge (or protect) the value of its assets against adverse movements in currency exchange rates, interest rates and movements in the securities markets. The Fund may also invest in indexed and inverse securities.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
Risk is inherent in all investing. The value of your investment in the Fund, as well as the amount of return you receive on your investment, may fluctuate significantly from day to day and over time. You may lose part or all of your investment in the Fund or your investment may not perform as well as other similar investments. The following is a summary description of principal risks of investing in the Fund. The relative significance of each risk factor below may change over time and you should review each risk factor carefully. Equity Securities Risk — Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities fluctuates based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. Debt Securities Risk — Debt securities, such as bonds, involve risks, such as credit risk, interest rate risk, extension risk, and prepayment risk, each of which are described in further detail below: Credit Risk — Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a debt security (i.e., the borrower) will not be able to make payments of interest and principal when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on both the financial condition of the issuer and the terms of the obligation. Interest Rate Risk — The market value of bonds and other fixed-income securities changes in response to interest rate changes and other factors. Interest rate risk is the risk that prices of bonds and other fixed-income securities will increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates during a period of low interest rates. For example, if interest rates increase by 1%, assuming a current portfolio duration of ten years, and all other factors being equal, the value of the Fund’s investments would be expected to decrease by 10%. (Duration is a measure of the price sensitivity of a debt security or portfolio of debt securities to relative changes in interest rates.) The magnitude of these fluctuations in the market price of bonds and other fixed-income securities is generally greater for those securities with longer maturities. Fluctuations in the market price of the Fund’s investments will not affect interest income derived from instruments already owned by the Fund, but will be reflected in the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund may lose money if short-term or long-term interest rates rise sharply in a manner not anticipated by Fund management. To the extent the Fund invests in debt securities that may be prepaid at the option of the obligor (such as mortgage backed securities), the sensitivity of such securities to changes in interest rates may increase (to the detriment of the Fund) when interest rates rise. Moreover, because rates on certain floating rate debt securities typically reset only periodically, changes in prevailing interest rates (and particularly sudden and significant changes) can be expected to cause some fluctuations in the net asset value of the Fund to the extent that it invests in floating rate debt securities. These basic principles of bond prices also apply to U.S. Government securities. A security backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government is guaranteed only as to its stated interest rate and face value at maturity, not its current market price. Just like other fixed-income securities, government-guaranteed securities will fluctuate in value when interest rates change. A general rise in interest rates has the potential to cause investors to move out of fixed-income securities on a large scale, which may increase redemptions from funds that hold large amounts of fixed-income securities. Heavy redemptions could cause the Fund to sell assets at inopportune times or at a loss or depressed value and could hurt the Fund’s performance. Extension Risk — When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these obligations to fall. Prepayment Risk — When interest rates fall, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more quickly than originally anticipated, and the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields.
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Foreign Securities Risk — Foreign investments often involve special risks not present in U.S. investments that can increase the chances that the Fund will lose money. These risks include: The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities depositories, which may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business and may be subject to only limited or no regulatory oversight. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates can affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. The economies of certain foreign markets may not compare favorably with the economy of the United States with respect to such issues as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources and balance of payments position. The governments of certain countries, or the U.S. Government with respect to certain countries, may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions through capital controls and/or sanctions on foreign investments in the capital markets or certain industries in those countries, which may prohibit or restrict the ability to own or transfer currency, securities, derivatives or other assets. Many foreign governments do not supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities to the same extent as does the United States and may not have laws to protect investors that are comparable to U.S. securities laws. Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets may result in delays in payment for or delivery of securities not typically associated with settlement and clearance of U.S. investments. The Fund’s claims to recover foreign withholding taxes may not be successful, and if the likelihood of recovery of foreign withholding taxes materially decreases, due to, for example, a change in tax regulation or approach in the foreign country, accruals in the Fund’s net asset value for such refunds may be written down partially or in full, which will adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value. Convertible Securities Risk — The market value of a convertible security performs like that of a regular debt security; that is, if market interest rates rise, the value of a convertible security usually falls. In addition, convertible securities are subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest, principal or dividends when due, and their market value may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. Since it derives a portion of its value from the common stock into which it may be converted, a convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock, including the potential for increased volatility in the price of the convertible security. Corporate Loans Risk — Commercial banks and other financial institutions or institutional investors make corporate loans to companies that need capital to grow or restructure. Borrowers generally pay interest on corporate loans at rates that change in response to changes in market interest rates such as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) or the prime rates of U.S. banks. As a result, the value of corporate loan investments is generally less exposed to the adverse effects of shifts in market interest rates than investments that pay a fixed rate of interest. The market for corporate loans may be subject to irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads. In addition, transactions in corporate loans may settle on a delayed basis. As a result, the proceeds from the sale of corporate loans may not be readily available to make additional investments or to meet the Fund’s redemption obligations. To the extent the extended settlement process gives rise to short-term liquidity needs, the Fund may hold additional cash, sell investments or temporarily borrow from banks and other lenders.
Derivatives Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may increase its costs, reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Derivatives involve significant risks, including: Leverage Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives can magnify the Fund’s gains and losses. Relatively small market movements may result in large changes in the value of a derivatives position and can result in losses that greatly exceed the amount originally invested. Market Risk — Some derivatives are more sensitive to interest rate changes and market price fluctuations than other securities. The Fund could also suffer losses related to its derivatives positions as a result of unanticipated market movements, which losses are potentially unlimited. Finally, BlackRock may not be able to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates and other economic factors, which could cause the Fund’s derivatives positions to lose value. Counterpar ty Risk — Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will be unable or unwilling to fulfill its contractual obligation, and the related risks of having concentrated exposure to such a counterparty. Illiquidity Risk — The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for derivatives and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could expose the Fund to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Fund to value accurately. 6
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Operational Risk — The use of derivatives includes the risk of potential operational issues, including documentation issues, settlement issues, systems failures, inadequate controls and human error.
Legal Risk — The risk of insufficient documentation, insufficient capacity or authority of counterparty, or legality or enforceability of a contract. Volatility and Correlation Risk — Volatility is defined as the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short time period. A risk of the Fund’s use of derivatives is that the fluctuations in their values may not correlate with the overall securities markets. Valuation Risk — Valuation for derivatives may not be readily available in the market. Valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil since many investors and market makers may be reluctant to purchase complex instruments or quote prices for them. Hedging Risk — Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The use of hedging may result in certain adverse tax consequences. Tax Risk — Certain aspects of the tax treatment of derivative instruments, including swap agreements and commodity-linked derivative instruments, are currently unclear and may be affected by changes in legislation, regulations or other legally binding authority. Such treatment may be less favorable than that given to a direct investment in an underlying asset and may adversely affect the timing, character and amount of income the Fund realizes from its investments.
Emerging Markets Risk — Emerging markets are riskier than more developed markets because they tend to develop unevenly and may never fully develop. Investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative. Emerging markets are more likely to experience hyperinflation and currency devaluations, which adversely affect returns to U.S. investors. In addition, many emerging financial markets have far lower trading volumes and less liquidity than developed markets. High Portfolio Turnover Risk — The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities. High portfolio turnover (more than 100%) may result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. The sale of Fund portfolio securities may result in the realization and/or distribution to shareholders of higher capital gains or losses as compared to a fund with less active trading policies. These effects of higher than normal portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund performance. High Yield Bonds Risk — Although junk bonds generally pay higher rates of interest than investment grade bonds, junk bonds are high risk investments that are considered speculative and may cause income and principal losses for the Fund.
Indexed and Inverse Securities Risk — Indexed and inverse securities provide a potential return based on a particular index of value or interest rates. The Fund’s return on these securities will be subject to risk with respect to the value of the particular index. These securities are subject to leverage risk and correlation risk. Certain indexed and inverse securities have greater sensitivity to changes in interest rates or index levels than other securities, and the Fund’s investment in such instruments may decline significantly in value if interest rates or index levels move in a way Fund management does not anticipate. Leverage Risk — Some transactions may give rise to a form of economic leverage. These transactions may include, among others, derivatives, and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet the applicable requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), and the rules thereunder. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio will be magnified when the Fund uses leverage. Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. An investor could lose money over short periods due to fluctuation in the Fund’s net asset value in response to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities or other investments held by the Fund may underperform the markets, the relevant indices or benchmarks, or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies, or may otherwise fail to perform as intended. The value of a security or other asset may decline due to changes in general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other asset, or factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, exchange, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The success of the Fund’s activities could be affected by interest rates, availability of credit, inflation rates, economic uncertainty, changes in laws, tariffs and trade barriers, supply chain disruptions, economic sanctions, currency exchange controls, and local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, natural and 7
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environmental disasters, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, or other events. The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by using proprietary models that incorporate quantitative analysis and is subject to “Model Risk” as described below. Recent policy initiatives undertaken by the U.S. government have the potential to impact international relations, trade agreements and the overall regulatory environment in ways that could create uncertainty and instability in domestic and global markets, and could adversely affect the investment performance of the Fund. In particular, actions taken by the U.S. government in respect of international trade relations could lead to trade wars, increased costs for imported goods, disruptions in supply chains, reduced foreign investment, and instability in regions where the Fund invests. Mid Cap Securities Risk — The securities of mid cap companies generally trade in lower volumes and are generally subject to greater and less predictable price changes than the securities of larger capitalization companies. Model Risk — The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by using proprietary models that incorporate quantitative analysis. Investments selected using these models may perform differently than as forecasted due to the factors incorporated into the models and the weighting of each factor, changes from historical trends, and issues in the construction and implementation of the models (including, but not limited to, software issues, issues related to the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (“AI”), and other technological issues). There is no guarantee that BlackRock’s use of these models will result in effective investment decisions for the Fund. The information and data used in the models may be supplied by third parties. Inaccurate or incomplete data may limit the effectiveness of the models. In addition, some of the data that BlackRock uses may be historical data, which may not accurately predict future market movement. There is a risk that the models will not be successful in selecting investments or in determining the weighting of investment positions that will enable the Fund to achieve its investment objective. Money Market Securities Risk — If market conditions improve while the Fund has invested some or all of its assets in high quality money market securities, this strategy could result in reducing the potential gain from the market upswing, thus reducing the Fund’s opportunity to achieve its investment objective. Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risks — Mortgage- and asset-backed securities represent interests in “pools” of mortgages or other assets, including consumer loans or receivables held in trust. Mortgage- and asset backed securities are subject to credit, interest rate, prepayment and extension risks. These securities also are subject to risk of default on the underlying mortgage or asset, particularly during periods of economic downturn. Small movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain mortgage-backed securities. Municipal Securities Risks — Municipal securities risks include the ability of the issuer to repay the obligation, the relative lack of information about certain issuers of municipal securities, and the possibility of future legislative changes which could affect the market for and value of municipal securities. Budgetary constraints of local, state, and federal governments upon which the issuers may be relying for funding may also impact municipal securities. These risks include: General Obligation Bonds Risks — Timely payments depend on the issuer’s credit quality, ability to raise tax revenues and ability to maintain an adequate tax base. Revenue Bonds Risks — These payments depend on the money earned by the particular facility or class of facilities, or the amount of revenues derived from another source. Private Activity Bonds Risks — Municipalities and other public authorities issue private activity bonds to finance development of industrial facilities for use by a private enterprise. The private enterprise pays the principal and interest on the bond, and the issuer does not pledge its full faith, credit and taxing power for repayment. Moral Obligation Bonds Risks — Moral obligation bonds are generally issued by special purpose public authorities of a state or municipality. If the issuer is unable to meet its obligations, repayment of these bonds becomes a moral commitment, but not a legal obligation, of the state or municipality.
Municipal Notes Risks — Municipal notes are shorter term municipal debt obligations. If there is a shortfall in the anticipated proceeds, the notes may not be fully repaid and the Fund may lose money. Municipal Lease Obligations Risks — In a municipal lease obligation, the issuer agrees to make payments when due on the lease obligation. Although the issuer does not pledge its unlimited taxing power for payment of the lease obligation, the lease obligation is secured by the leased property. Tax-Exempt Status Risk — The Fund and its investment manager will rely on the opinion of issuers’ bond counsel and, in the case of derivative securities, sponsors’ counsel, on the tax-exempt status of interest on municipal bonds and payments under derivative securities. Neither the Fund nor its investment manager will independently review the
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bases for those tax opinions, which may ultimately be determined to be incorrect and subject the Fund and its shareholders to substantial tax liabilities. “New Issues” Risk — “New issues” are IPOs of equity securities. Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. In addition, the prices of securities sold in IPOs may be highly volatile or may decline shortly after the IPO. Operational and Technology Risks — The Fund is directly and indirectly susceptible to operational and technology risks, including those related to human errors, processing errors, communication errors, systems failures, cybersecurity incidents, and the use of AI, which may result in losses for the Fund and its shareholders or may impair the Fund’s operations. While the Fund’s service providers are required to have appropriate operational, information security and cybersecurity risk management policies and procedures, their methods of risk management may differ from those of the Fund. Operational and technology risks for the issuers in which the Fund invests could also result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investments in such issuers to lose value. Preferred Securities Risk — Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies. Sovereign Debt Risk — Sovereign debt instruments are subject to the risk that a governmental entity may delay or refuse to pay interest or repay principal on its sovereign debt, due, for example, to cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, political considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity’s debt position in relation to the economy or the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund or other multilateral agencies. Structured Securities Risk — Because structured securities of the type in which the Fund may invest typically involve no credit enhancement, their credit risk generally will be equivalent to that of the underlying instruments, index or reference obligation and will also be subject to counterparty risk. The Fund may have the right to receive payments only from the structured security, and generally does not have direct rights against the issuer or the entity that sold the assets to be securitized. In addition to the general risks associated with debt securities discussed herein, structured securities carry additional risks, including, but not limited to: the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; and the possibility that the structured securities are subordinate to other classes. The Fund is permitted to invest in a class of structured securities that is either subordinated or unsubordinated to the right of payment of another class. Subordinated structured securities typically have higher yields and present greater risks than unsubordinated structured securities. Structured securities are typically sold in private placement transactions, and there currently is no active trading market for structured securities. Structured securities are based upon the movement of one or more factors, including currency exchange rates, interest rates, reference bonds and stock indices, and changes in interest rates and impact of these factors may cause significant price fluctuations. Additionally, changes in the reference instrument or security may cause the interest rate on the structured security to be reduced to zero. Certain issuers of such structured securities may be deemed to be “investment companies” as defined in the Investment Company Act. As a result, the Fund’s investment in such securities may be limited by certain investment restrictions contained in the Investment Company Act. U.S. Government Issuer Risk — Treasury obligations may differ in their interest rates, maturities, times of issuance and other characteristics. Obligations of U.S. Government agencies and authorities are supported by varying degrees of credit but generally are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government will provide financial support to its agencies and authorities if it is not obligated by law to do so. U.S. Government Mortgage-Related Securities Risk — There are a number of important differences among the agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government that issue mortgage-related securities and among the securities that they issue. Mortgage-related securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA” or “Ginnie Mae”) are guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest by GNMA and such guarantee is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. GNMA securities also are supported by the right of GNMA to borrow funds from the U.S. Treasury to make payments under its guarantee. Mortgage related securities issued by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac are solely the obligations of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, as the case may be, and are not backed by or entitled to the full faith and credit of the United States but are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the Treasury.
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Performance Information
The information shows you how the Fund’s performance has varied year by year and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Effective March 3, 2025, the Fund changed its name, investment process and investment strategies. Performance for the periods prior to March 3, 2025 shown below is based on the investment process and investment strategies utilized by the Fund under the name “BlackRock Sustainable Balanced Fund, Inc.” Effective April 8, 2022, the Fund changed its name, investment process and investment strategies. Performance for the periods prior to April 8, 2022 shown below is based on the investment process and investment strategies utilized by the Fund under the name “BlackRock Balanced Capital Fund, Inc.” The table compares the Fund’s performance to that of the MSCI All Country World Index (Net), the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index and a customized weighted index comprised of the returns of the MSCI All Country World Index (Net) (60%) and the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (40%) (the “Custom Benchmark”). The Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index and the Custom Benchmark are relevant to the Fund because they have characteristics similar to the Fund’s investment strategies. To the extent that dividends and distributions have been paid by the Fund, the performance information for the Fund in the chart and table assumes reinvestment of the dividends and distributions. As with all such investments, past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future results. Sales charges are not reflected in the bar chart. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. However, the table includes all applicable fees and sales charges. If the Fund’s investment manager and its affiliates had not waived or reimbursed certain Fund expenses during these periods, the Fund’s returns would have been lower. Updated information on the Fund’s performance, including its current net asset value, can be obtained by visiting www.blackrock.com or can be obtained by phone at (800) 882-0052.
Investor A Shares ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS BlackRock Balanced Fund, Inc. As of 12/31
8.20%
14.24%
-3.41%
21.57% 15.12% 16.32%
-15.69%
16.59% 12.48% 15.31%
-20%
-10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
During the ten-year period shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a quarter was 15.44% (quarter ended June 30, 2020) and the lowest return for a quarter was -13.04% (quarter ended March 31, 2020). The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2026 was 7.67%.
For the periods ended 12/31/25 Average Annual Total Returns 1 Year 5 Years 10 Years BlackRock Balanced Fund, Inc. — Investor A Shares Return Before Taxes 9.25% 7.04% 8.91% Return After Taxes on Distributions 6.38% 4.88% 6.66% Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares 6.22% 4.81% 6.37% BlackRock Balanced Fund, Inc. — Investor C Shares Return Before Taxes 13.39% 7.36% 8.83% BlackRock Balanced Fund, Inc. — Institutional Shares Return Before Taxes 15.57% 8.46% 9.79% BlackRock Balanced Fund, Inc. — Class R Shares Return Before Taxes 14.84% 7.77% 9.09% MSCI All Country World Index (Net) 1 (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes, except for withholding taxes on reinvested dividends) 22.34% 11.19% 11.72
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For the periods ended 12/31/25 Average Annual Total Returns 1 Year 5 Years 10 Years Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 7.30% (0.36)% 2.01% Custom Benchmark (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes, except for withholding taxes on reinvested dividends as noted above) 16.22% 6.57% 7.96% 1 Returns for net indices generally assume the reinvestment of dividends after the deduction of the maximum withholding tax in each country applicable to non-residents of the country as determined by the index provider. Such indices use withholding tax rates that are often at a higher rate than the rates to which the Fund is subject in each country, including for countries where the Fund is not subject to withholding taxes. When this is the case, index performance will be lower than if the index used the Fund’s applicable withholding tax rates, if any. For additional comparative performance information for the MSCI All Country World Index, please see the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
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 the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns are shown for Investor A Shares only, and the after-tax returns for Investor C, Institutional and Class R Shares will vary.
Investment Manager and Sub-Adviser
The Fund’s investment manager is BlackRock Advisors, LLC (previously defined as “BlackRock”). The Fund’s sub adviser is BlackRock International Limited. Where applicable when discussing the Fund’s investment strategies and risks, “BlackRock” refers to both BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited.
Portfolio Managers
Portfolio Manager
Portfolio Manager of the Fund Since Title Philip Green 2006 Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. Michael Pensky, CFA 2022 Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. Daniel Felder, CFA 2022 Director of BlackRock, Inc. Raffaele Savi 2022 Senior Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. Richard Mathieson 2022 Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. Anna Hawley, CFA 2022 Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. Scott Radell 2022 Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. Jasmita Mohan 2023 Director of BlackRock, Inc.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may purchase or redeem shares of the Fund each day the New York Stock Exchange is open. To purchase or sell shares you should contact your Financial Intermediary, or, if you hold your shares through the Fund, you should contact the Fund by phone at (800) 441-7762, by mail (c/o BlackRock Funds, P.O. Box 534429, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15253-4429), or by the Internet at www.blackrock.com. The Fund’s initial and subsequent investment minimums generally are as follows, although the Fund may reduce or waive the minimums in some cases:
Investor A and Investor C Shares Institutional Shares Class R Shares Minimum Initial Investment
$1,000 for all accounts except: • $50, if establishing an Automatic Investment Plan. • There is no investment minimum for employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs). • There is no investment minimum for certain fee-based programs.
There is no minimum initial investment for: • Certain employee benefits plans, such as health savings accounts, and certain employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs), state sponsored 529 college savings plans, collective trust funds, investment
$100 for all accounts.
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Investor A and Investor C Shares Institutional Shares Class R Shares Minimum Initial Investment (continued)
companies or other pooled investment vehicles, unaffiliated thrifts and unaffiliated banks and trust companies, each of which may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor to purchase such shares. • Clients of Financial Intermediaries that: (i) charge such clients a fee for advisory, investment consulting, or similar services or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor to offer Institutional Shares through a no-load program or investment platform. • Clients investing through a self directed IRA brokerage account program sponsored by a retirement plan record-keeper, provided that such program offers only mutual fund options and that the program maintains an account with the Fund on an omnibus basis. $2 million for individuals and “Institutional Investors,” which include, but are not limited to, endowments, foundations, family offices, local, city, and state governmental institutions, corporations and insurance company separate accounts who may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor to purchase such shares. $1,000 for: • Clients investing through Financial Intermediaries that offer such shares on a platform that charges a transaction based sales commission outside of the Fund. • Tax-qualified accounts for insurance agents that are registered representatives of an insurance company’s broker dealer that has entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor to offer Institutional Shares, and the family members of such persons. Minimum Additional Investment
$50 for all accounts (with the exception of certain employer sponsored retirement plans which may have a lower minimum).
No subsequent minimum. No subsequent minimum.
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Tax Information
The Fund’s dividends and distributions may be subject to U.S. federal income taxes and may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are a tax-exempt investor or are investing through a qualified tax-exempt plan described in section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, in which case you may be subject to U.S. federal income tax when distributions are received from such tax-deferred arrangements.
Payments to Broker/Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary, the Fund and BlackRock Investments, LLC, the Fund’s distributor, or its affiliates may pay the Financial Intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services.
These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Financial Intermediary and your individual financial professional to recommend the Fund over another investment.
Ask your individual financial professional or visit your Financial Intermediary’s website for more information.
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Details About the Fund
Included in this prospectus are sections that tell you about buying and selling shares, management information, shareholder features of BlackRock Balanced Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”) and your rights as a shareholder.
How the Fund Invests
Investment Objective The investment objective of the Fund is to seek the highest total investment return through a fully managed investment policy utilizing equity, debt (including money market) and convertible securities.
This investment objective is a fundamental policy of the Fund and may not be changed without approval of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities, as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).
Investment Process Fund management utilizes a top-down asset allocation strategy to determine the Fund’s overall exposure to equities versus fixed-income securities, as well as identify investment opportunities within equities, fixed-income and currency markets at the country and/or sector level.
Within the Fund’s equity and fixed income allocations, Fund management primarily selects individual securities for the Fund by using methods that rely on proprietary quantitative models and investment insights.
The Fund has no minimum holding period for investments, and will buy or sell securities whenever Fund management sees an appropriate opportunity.
Principal Investment Strategies The Fund invests in a combination of equity securities, fixed-income securities and derivatives. The proportion the Fund invests in each category at any given time depends on Fund management’s view of how attractive that category appears relative to the others. The Fund intends to invest at least 25% of its assets in equity securities and at least 25% of its assets in senior fixed income securities, such as U.S. government debt securities, corporate debt securities, and mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities.
With respect to the Fund’s equity investments, the Fund primarily intends to invest in equity securities or other financial instruments that are components of, or have characteristics similar to, the securities included in the MSCI All Country World Index (the “ACWI”). The ACWI is a capitalization-weighted index from a broad range of industries chosen for market size, liquidity and industry group representation. In selecting equity investments, the Fund primarily uses proprietary return forecast models that incorporate quantitative analysis. Equity securities include common stock and preferred stock. The Fund primarily seeks to buy common stock and may also invest in preferred stock. From time to time, the Fund may invest in shares of companies through “new issues” or initial public offerings (“IPOs”). The Fund may also purchase convertible securities. The Fund may invest in securities of both U.S. or non-U.S. issuers without limit, which can be U.S. dollar based or non-U.S. dollar based and may be currency hedged or unhedged. The Fund may invest in securities of companies of any market capitalization.
With respect to the Fund’s fixed-income investments, the Fund will invest primarily using model-based asset allocation and security selection models. The Fund may invest in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities; mortgage-backed securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities, including U.S. agency mortgage pass-through securities; commercial mortgage-backed securities; mortgage to-be-announced (“TBA”) securities; debt obligations of U.S. issuers, including corporate bonds; municipal securities; asset-backed securities; and U.S.-registered dollar-denominated debt obligations of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest in bonds issued by companies located in countries other than the United States, including companies in emerging markets. These securities may have all types of interest rate payment and reset terms, including fixed rate, adjustable rate, floating rate, zero coupon, contingent, deferred, payment in kind and auction rate features. The Fund seeks to invest a substantial portion of its assets in U.S.-registered, dollar denominated bonds. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its assets in securities rated below investment grade (“high yield” or “junk” bonds). The Fund may invest in bonds of any maturity or duration.
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The Fund may invest a significant portion of its fixed income holdings in U.S. agency mortgage pass-through securities, which are securities issued by entities such as the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”) and the Federal National Mortgage Association that are backed by pools of mortgages. Most transactions in mortgage pass through securities occur through standardized contracts for future delivery in which the exact mortgage-backed securities to be delivered are not specified until a few days prior to settlement. The Fund expects to enter into such contracts on a regular basis.
The Fund may use derivatives, including options, futures, swaps (including, but not limited to, total return swaps) forward contracts and various other instruments, both to seek to increase the return of the Fund and to hedge (or protect) the value of its assets against adverse movements in currency exchange rates, interest rates and movements in the securities markets. The Fund may also invest in indexed and inverse securities.
Other Strategies Applicable to the Fund In addition to the principal investment strategies discussed above, the Fund may also invest or engage in the following investments/strategies: Borrowing — The Fund may borrow up to the limits set forth under the Investment Company Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief. Collateralized Debt Obligations — The Fund may invest up to 10% of its net assets in collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”), of which 5% (as a percentage of the Fund’s net assets) may be in collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”). CDOs are types of asset-backed securities. CLOs are ordinarily issued by a trust or other special purpose entity and are typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and non-U.S. senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans, held by such issuer. Illiquid Investments — The Fund may not acquire any illiquid investment if, immediately after the acquisition, the Fund would have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Investment Companies — The Fund has the ability to invest in other investment companies, such as exchange traded funds (“ETFs”), unit investment trusts, and open-end and closed-end funds, subject to the applicable limits under the Investment Company Act and the rules thereunder. The Fund may invest in affiliated investment companies, including affiliated money market funds and affiliated ETFs. Real Estate Investment Trusts — The Fund may invest in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). Real Estate-Related Securities — The Fund may also invest in securities of companies that derive a significant proportion of their revenues and profits from, or have a significant proportion of their assets invested in, (i) the development, construction, management, or sale of real estate; (ii) real estate holdings; or (iii) products or services related to the real estate industry. Securities Lending — The Fund may lend securities with a value up to 33 1⁄ 1⁄3 ⁄3 % of its total assets to financial institutions that provide cash or securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government as collateral. Short Sales — The Fund may make short sales of securities, either as a hedge against potential declines in value of a portfolio security or to realize appreciation when a security that the Fund does not own declines in value. The Fund will not make a short sale if, after giving effect to such sale, the market value of all securities sold short exceeds 10% of the value of its total assets. The Fund may also make short sales “against-the-box” without regard to this restriction. In this type of short sale, at the time of the sale, the Fund owns or has the immediate and unconditional right to acquire the identical security at no additional cost. Small Cap and Emerging Growth Securities — The Fund may invest in equity securities of issuers with limited product lines or markets. Standby Commitment Agreements — Standby commitment agreements commit the Fund, for a stated period of time, to purchase a stated amount of securities that may be issued and sold to the Fund at the option of the issuer. Temporary Defensive Strategies — For temporary defensive purposes, for example, to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, the Fund may depart from its principal investment strategies and may restrict the markets in which it invests and may invest without limitation in cash, cash equivalents, money market securities, such as U.S. Treasury and agency obligations, other U.S. Government securities, short-term debt obligations of corporate issuers, certificates of deposit, bankers acceptances, commercial paper (short-term, unsecured, negotiable promissory notes of a domestic or foreign issuer) or other high quality fixed income securities. Temporary defensive positions may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.
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When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments — The purchase or sale of securities on a when-issued basis, on a delayed delivery basis or through a forward commitment involves the purchase or sale of securities by the Fund at an established price with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The Fund enters into these transactions to obtain what is considered an advantageous price to the Fund at the time of entering into the transaction.
ABOUT THE PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT TEAM OF THE FUND
The Fund is managed by a team of financial professionals. Philip Green, Michael Pensky, CFA, Daniel Felder, CFA, Raffaele Savi, Richard Mathieson, Anna Hawley, CFA, Scott Radell and Jasmita Mohan are the portfolio managers and are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Please see “Management of the Fund — Portfolio Manager Information” for additional information about the portfolio management team.
Investment Risks
This section contains a discussion of the general risks of investing in the Fund. The “Investment Objectives and Policies” section in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) also includes more information about the Fund, its investments and the related risks. As with any fund, there can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective or that the Fund’s performance will be positive for any period of time. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or by any bank or governmental agency. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
Convertible Securities Risk — The market value of a convertible security performs like that of a regular debt security; that is, if market interest rates rise, the value of a convertible security usually falls. In addition, convertible securities are subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest, principal or dividends when due, and their market value may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. Since it derives a portion of its value from the common stock into which it may be converted, a convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock, including the potential for increased volatility in the price of the convertible security. Corporate Loans Risk — Commercial banks and other financial institutions or institutional investors make corporate loans to companies that need capital to grow or restructure. Borrowers generally pay interest on corporate loans at rates that change in response to changes in market interest rates such as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) or the prime rates of U.S. banks. As a result, the value of corporate loan investments is generally less exposed to the adverse effects of shifts in market interest rates than investments that pay a fixed rate of interest. However, because the trading market for certain corporate loans may be less developed than the secondary market for bonds and notes, the Fund may experience difficulties in selling its corporate loans. Transactions in corporate loans may settle on a delayed basis. As a result, the proceeds from the sale of corporate loans may not be readily available to make additional investments or to meet the Fund’s redemption obligations. To the extent the extended settlement process gives rise to short-term liquidity needs, the Fund may hold additional cash, sell investments or temporarily borrow from banks and other lenders. Leading financial institutions often act as agent for a broader group of lenders, generally referred to as a syndicate. The syndicate’s agent arranges the corporate loans, holds collateral and accepts payments of principal and interest. If the agent develops financial problems, the Fund may not recover its investment or recovery may be delayed. By investing in a corporate loan, the Fund may become a member of the syndicate.
The market for corporate loans may be subject to irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads.
The corporate loans in which the Fund invests are subject to the risk of loss of principal and income. Although borrowers frequently provide collateral to secure repayment of these obligations they do not always do so. If they do provide collateral, the value of the collateral may not completely cover the borrower’s obligations at the time of a default. If a borrower files for protection from its creditors under the U.S. bankruptcy laws, these laws may limit the Fund’s rights to its collateral. In addition, the value of collateral may erode during a bankruptcy case. In the event of a bankruptcy, the holder of a corporate loan may not recover its principal, may experience a long delay in recovering its investment and may not receive interest during the delay. Debt Securities Risk — Debt securities, such as bonds, involve risks, such as credit risk, interest rate risk, extension risk, and prepayment risk, each of which is described in further detail below:
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Credit Risk — Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a debt security (i.e., the borrower) will not be able to make payments of interest and principal when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on both the financial condition of the issuer and the terms of the obligation.
Interest Rate Risk — The market value of bonds and other fixed-income securities changes in response to interest rate changes and other factors. Interest rate risk is the risk that prices of bonds and other fixed-income securities will increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise.
The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates during a period of low interest rates. For example, if interest rates increase by 1%, assuming a current portfolio duration of ten years, and all other factors being equal, the value of the Fund’s investments would be expected to decrease by 10%. (Duration is a measure of the price sensitivity of a debt security or portfolio of debt securities to relative changes in interest rates.) The magnitude of these fluctuations in the market price of bonds and other fixed-income securities is generally greater for those securities with longer maturities. Fluctuations in the market price of the Fund’s investments will not affect interest income derived from instruments already owned by the Fund, but will be reflected in the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund may lose money if short-term or long-term interest rates rise sharply in a manner not anticipated by Fund management.
To the extent the Fund invests in debt securities that may be prepaid at the option of the obligor (such as mortgage backed securities), the sensitivity of such securities to changes in interest rates may increase (to the detriment of the Fund) when interest rates rise. Moreover, because rates on certain floating rate debt securities typically reset only periodically, changes in prevailing interest rates (and particularly sudden and significant changes) can be expected to cause some fluctuations in the net asset value of the Fund to the extent that it invests in floating rate debt securities.
These basic principles of bond prices also apply to U.S. Government securities. A security backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government is guaranteed only as to its stated interest rate and face value at maturity, not its current market price. Just like other fixed-income securities, government-guaranteed securities will fluctuate in value when interest rates change.
Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility, and could negatively impact the Fund’s performance. A general rise in interest rates has the potential to cause investors to move out of fixed-income securities on a large scale, which may increase redemptions from mutual funds that hold large amounts of fixed-income securities. Heavy redemptions could cause the Fund to sell assets at inopportune times or at a loss or depressed value and could hurt the Fund’s performance.
During periods of very low or negative interest rates, the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns. Certain countries have recently experienced negative interest rates on certain fixed-income instruments. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates.
Extension Risk — When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these obligations to fall. Rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. The value of longer-term securities generally changes more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, securities may exhibit additional volatility and may lose value.
Prepayment Risk — When interest rates fall, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more quickly than originally anticipated, and the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields. In periods of falling interest rates, the rate of prepayments tends to increase (as does price fluctuation) as borrowers are motivated to pay off debt and refinance at new lower rates. During such periods, reinvestment of the prepayment proceeds by the management team will generally be at lower rates of return than the return on the assets that were prepaid. Prepayment reduces the yield to maturity and the average life of the security.
Derivatives Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may increase its costs, reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Derivatives involve significant risks, including:
Leverage Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives can magnify the Fund’s gains and losses. Relatively small market movements may result in large changes in the value of a derivatives position and can result in losses that greatly exceed the amount originally invested. Market Risk — Some derivatives are more sensitive to interest rate changes and market price fluctuations than other securities. The Fund could also suffer losses related to its derivatives positions as a result of unanticipated
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market movements, which losses are potentially unlimited. Finally, BlackRock may not be able to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates and other economic factors, which could cause the Fund’s derivatives positions to lose value. Counterpar ty Risk — Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will be unable or unwilling to fulfill its contractual obligation, and the related risks of having concentrated exposure to such a counterparty. Illiquidity Risk — The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for derivatives and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could expose the Fund to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Fund to value accurately. Operational Risk — The use of derivatives includes the risk of potential operational issues, including documentation issues, settlement issues, systems failures, inadequate controls and human error.
Legal Risk — The risk of insufficient documentation, insufficient capacity or authority of counterparty, or legality or enforceability of a contract. Volatility and Correlation Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Volatility is defined as the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short time period. A risk of the Fund’s use of derivatives is that the fluctuations in their values may not correlate with the overall securities markets. Valuation Risk — Valuation for derivatives may not be readily available in the market. Valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil since many investors and market makers may be reluctant to purchase complex instruments or quote prices for them. Derivatives may also expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. Certain transactions in derivatives involve substantial leverage risk and may expose the Fund to potential losses that exceed the amount originally invested by the Fund. Hedging Risk — When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that the Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The use of hedging may result in certain adverse tax consequences noted below. Tax Risk — The federal income tax treatment of a derivative may not be as favorable as a direct investment in an underlying asset and may adversely affect the timing, character and amount of income the Fund realizes from its investments. As a result, a larger portion of the Fund’s distributions may be treated as ordinary income rather than capital gains. In addition, certain derivatives are subject to mark-to-market or straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”). If such provisions are applicable, there could be an increase (or decrease) in the amount of taxable dividends paid by the Fund. In addition, the tax treatment of certain derivatives, such as swaps, is unsettled and may be subject to future legislation, regulation or administrative pronouncements issued by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”). Regulatory Risk — Derivative contracts are subject to regulation under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) in the United States and under comparable regimes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, with respect to uncleared swaps, swap dealers are required to exchange variation margin with the Fund and may be required by applicable regulations to collect and/or exchange initial margin with the Fund. Both initial and variation margin may be comprised of cash and/or securities, subject to applicable regulatory haircuts. In certain cases, shares of investment companies may not be posted as collateral under applicable regulations. In addition, regulations adopted by global prudential regulators require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, including many derivatives contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Fund, to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. The implementation of these requirements with respect to derivatives, as well as regulations under global regulations regarding clearing, mandatory trading and margining of other derivatives, may increase the costs and risks to the Fund of trading in these instruments and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in the Fund. Future regulatory developments may impact the Fund’s ability to invest or remain invested in certain derivatives. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund itself is regulated. BlackRock cannot predict the effects of any new governmental regulation that may be implemented on the ability of the Fund to use swaps or any other financial derivative product, and there can be no assurance that any new governmental regulation will not adversely affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.
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Risks Specific to Cer tain Derivatives Used by the Fund Swaps — Swap agreements, including total return swaps that may be referred to as contracts for difference, are two-party contracts entered into for periods ranging from a few days to more than one year. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the value(s) or cash flow(s) of one asset for another over a certain period of time. Swap agreements involve the risk that the party with whom the Fund has entered into the swap will default on its obligation to pay the Fund and the risk that the Fund will not be able to meet its obligations to pay the other party to the agreement. Swap agreements may also involve the risk that there is an imperfect correlation between the return on the Fund’s obligation to its counterparty and the return on the referenced asset. In addition, swap agreements are subject to market and illiquidity risk, leverage risk and hedging risk. Credit Default Swaps — Credit default swaps may have as reference obligations one or more securities that are not currently held by the Fund. The protection “buyer” may be obligated to pay the protection “seller” an up-front payment or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract, provided generally that no credit event on a reference obligation has occurred. Credit default swaps involve special risks in addition to those mentioned above because they are difficult to value, are highly susceptible to illiquid investments risk and credit risk, and generally pay a return to the party that has paid the premium only in the event of an actual default by the issuer of the underlying obligation (as opposed to a credit downgrade or other indication of financial difficulty). Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts — Forward foreign currency exchange transactions are OTC contracts to purchase or sell a specified amount of a specified currency or multinational currency unit at a price and future date set at the time of the contract. Forward foreign currency exchange contracts do not eliminate fluctuations in the value of non-U.S. securities but rather allow the Fund to establish a fixed rate of exchange for a future point in time. This strategy can have the effect of reducing returns and minimizing opportunities for gain. Futures — Futures are standardized, exchange-traded contracts that obligate a purchaser to take delivery, and a seller to make delivery, of a specific amount of an asset at a specified future date at a specified price. The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts and options are: (a) the imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the instruments held by the Fund and the price of the futures contract or option; (b) the possible lack of a liquid secondary market for a futures contract and the resulting inability to close a futures contract when desired; (c) losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which are potentially unlimited; (d) the investment adviser’s inability to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other economic factors; and (e) the possibility that the counterparty will default in the performance of its obligations. Options — An option is an agreement that, for a premium payment or fee, gives the option holder (the purchaser) the right but not the obligation to buy (a “call option”) or sell (a “put option”) the underlying asset (or settle for cash in an amount based on an underlying asset, rate, or index) at a specified price (the “exercise price”) during a period of time or on a specified date. Investments in options are considered speculative. When the Fund purchases an option, it may lose the total premium paid for it if the price of the underlying security or other assets decreased, remained the same or failed to increase to a level at or beyond the exercise price (in the case of a call option) or increased, remained the same or failed to decrease to a level at or below the exercise price (in the case of a put option). If a put or call option purchased by the Fund were permitted to expire without being sold or exercised, its premium would represent a loss to the Fund. To the extent that the Fund writes or sells an option, if the decline or increase in the underlying asset is significantly below or above the exercise price of the written option, the Fund could experience a substantial loss. Emerging Markets Risk — The risks of foreign investments are usually much greater for emerging markets. Investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative. Emerging markets may include those in countries considered emerging or developing by the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation or the United Nations. Emerging markets are riskier than more developed markets because they tend to develop unevenly and may never fully develop. They are more likely to experience hyperinflation and currency devaluations, which adversely affect returns to U.S. investors. In addition, many emerging markets have far lower trading volumes and less liquidity than developed markets. Since these markets are often small, they may be more likely to suffer sharp and frequent price changes or long-term price depression because of adverse publicity, investor perceptions or the actions of a few large investors. In addition, traditional measures of investment value used in the United States, such as price to earnings ratios, may not apply to certain small markets. Also, there may be less publicly available information about issuers in emerging markets than would be available about issuers in more developed capital markets, and such issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those to which U.S. companies are subject. Many emerging markets have histories of political instability and abrupt changes in policies. As a result, their governments are more likely to take actions that are hostile or detrimental to private enterprise or foreign investment than those of more developed countries, including expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, high
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rates of inflation or unfavorable diplomatic developments. In the past, governments of such nations have expropriated substantial amounts of private property, and most claims of the property owners have never been fully settled. There is no assurance that such expropriations will not reoccur. In such an event, it is possible that the Fund could lose the entire value of its investments in the affected market. Some countries have pervasive corruption and crime that may hinder investments. Certain emerging markets may also face other significant internal or external risks, including the risk of war, and ethnic, religious and racial conflicts. In addition, governments in many emerging market countries participate to a significant degree in their economies and securities markets, which may impair investment and economic growth. National policies that may limit the Fund’s investment opportunities include restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests. Emerging markets may also have differing legal systems and the existence or possible imposition of exchange controls, custodial restrictions or other foreign or U.S. governmental laws or restrictions applicable to such investments may adversely affect the Fund’s performance. Sometimes, they may lack or be in the relatively early development of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property. Many emerging markets do not have income tax treaties with the United States, and as a result, investments by the Fund may be subject to higher withholding taxes in such countries. In addition, some countries with emerging markets may impose differential capital gains taxes on foreign investors. Foreign companies with securities listed on U.S. exchanges may be delisted if they do not meet U.S. accounting standards and auditor oversight requirements, which may significantly decrease the liquidity and value of the securities. Practices in relation to settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part because the Fund will need to use brokers and counterparties that are less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence, undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets, and, along with other factors, could result in ownership registration being completely lost. The Fund would absorb any loss resulting from such registration problems and may have no successful claim for compensation. In addition, communications between the United States and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates.
Equity Securities Risk — Common and preferred stocks represent equity ownership in a company. Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities will fluctuate and can decline and reduce the value of a portfolio investing in equities. The value of equity securities purchased by the Fund could decline if the financial condition of the companies the Fund invests in declines or if overall market and economic conditions deteriorate. The value of equity securities may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or an increase in production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. In addition, the value may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a company or industry, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in inflation, interest or currency rates or generally adverse investor sentiment. Foreign Securities Risk — Securities traded in foreign markets have often (though not always) performed differently from securities traded in the United States. However, such investments often involve special risks not present in U.S. investments that can increase the chances that the Fund will lose money. In particular, the Fund is subject to the risk that because there may be fewer investors on foreign exchanges and a smaller number of securities traded each day, it may be more difficult for the Fund to buy and sell securities on those exchanges. In addition, prices of foreign securities may go up and down more than prices of securities traded in the United States. Cer tain Risks of Holding Fund Assets Outside the United States — The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities depositories. Some foreign banks and securities depositories may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In addition, there may be limited or no regulatory oversight of their operations. Also, the laws of certain countries limit the Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a foreign bank, depository or issuer of a security, or any of their agents, goes bankrupt. In addition, it is often more expensive for the Fund to buy, sell and hold securities in certain foreign markets than in the United States. The increased expense of investing in foreign markets reduces the amount the Fund can earn on its investments and typically results in a higher operating expense ratio for the Fund than for investment companies invested only in the United States. Currency Risk — Securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests may be denominated or quoted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. For this reason, changes in foreign currency exchange rates can affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. Generally, when the U.S. dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency loses value because the currency is worth fewer U.S. dollars. Conversely, when the U.S. dollar decreases in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency gains value because the currency is worth more
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U.S. dollars. This risk, generally known as “currency risk,” means that a strong U.S. dollar will reduce returns for U.S. investors while a weak U.S. dollar will increase those returns. Should the Fund invest in a debt security denominated in U.S. dollars and issued by an issuer whose functional currency is a currency other than the U.S. dollar, and such currency decreases in value against the U.S. dollar, such issuer’s ability to repay its obligation under the U.S. dollar-denominated security may be negatively impacted. Foreign Economy Risk — The economies of certain foreign markets may not compare favorably with the economy of the United States with respect to such issues as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources and balance of payments position. Certain foreign economies may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets or the imposition of punitive taxes. In addition, economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events, military action and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to the governments of certain countries, or the U.S. Government with respect to certain countries, prohibiting or imposing substantial restrictions through capital controls and/or sanctions on foreign investments in the capital markets or certain industries in those countries. Capital controls and/or sanctions may include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to own or transfer currency, securities, derivatives or other assets and may also include retaliatory actions of one government against another government, such as seizure of assets. Any of these actions could severely impair the Fund’s ability to purchase, sell, transfer, receive, deliver or otherwise obtain exposure to foreign securities and assets, including the ability to transfer the Fund’s assets or income back into the United States, and could negatively impact the value and/or liquidity of such assets or otherwise adversely affect the Fund’s operations, causing the Fund to decline in value. Other potential foreign market risks include foreign exchange controls, difficulties in pricing securities, defaults on foreign government securities, difficulties in enforcing legal judgments in foreign courts and political and social instability. Diplomatic and political developments, including rapid and adverse political changes, social instability, regional conflicts, terrorism and war, could affect the economies, industries and securities and currency markets, and the value of the Fund’s investments, in non-U.S. countries. These factors are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to predict and take into account with respect to the Fund’s investments. Governmental Supervision and Regulation/Accounting Standards — Many foreign governments do not supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities to the same extent as such regulations exist in the United States. They also may not have laws to protect investors that are comparable to U.S. securities laws. For example, some foreign countries may have no laws or rules against insider trading. Insider trading occurs when a person buys or sells a company’s securities based on material non-public information about that company. In addition, some countries may have legal systems that may make it difficult for the Fund to vote proxies, exercise shareholder rights, and pursue legal remedies with respect to its foreign investments. Accounting standards in other countries are not necessarily the same as in the United States. If the accounting standards in another country do not require as much detail as U.S. accounting standards, it may be harder for Fund management to completely and accurately determine a company’s financial condition. Settlement Risk — Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets differ significantly from those in the United States. Foreign settlement and clearance procedures and trade regulations also may involve certain risks (such as delays in payment for or delivery of securities) not typically associated with the settlement of U.S. investments. At times, settlements in certain foreign countries have not kept pace with the number of securities transactions. These problems may make it difficult for the Fund to carry out transactions. If the Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a purchase of securities, it may miss attractive investment opportunities and certain of its assets may be uninvested with no return earned thereon for some period. If the Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a sale of securities, it may lose money if the value of the security then declines or, if it has contracted to sell the security to another party, the Fund could be liable for any losses incurred. Withholding Tax Reclaims Risk — The Fund may file claims to recover foreign withholding taxes on dividend and interest income (if any) received from issuers in certain countries and capital gains on the disposition of stocks or securities where such withholding tax reclaim is possible. Whether or when the Fund will receive a withholding tax refund is within the control of the tax authorities in such countries. Where the Fund expects to recover withholding taxes, the net asset value of the Fund generally includes accruals for such tax refunds. The Fund regularly evaluates the probability of recovery. If the likelihood of recovery materially decreases, due to, for example, a change in tax regulation or approach in the foreign country, accruals in the Fund’s net asset value for such refunds may be written down partially or in full, which will adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value. Shareholders in the Fund at the time
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an accrual is written down will bear the impact of the resulting reduction in net asset value regardless of whether they were shareholders during the accrual period. Conversely, if the Fund receives a tax refund that has not been previously accrued, shareholders in the Fund at the time of the successful recovery will benefit from the resulting increase in the Fund’s net asset value. Shareholders who sold their shares prior to such time will not benefit from such increase in the Fund’s net asset value. High Portfolio Turnover Risk — The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities. High portfolio turnover (more than 100%) may result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. The sale of Fund portfolio securities may result in the realization and/or distribution to shareholders of higher capital gains or losses as compared to a fund with less active trading policies. These effects of higher than normal portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund performance. High Yield Bonds Risk — Although junk bonds generally pay higher rates of interest than investment grade bonds, junk bonds are high risk investments that are considered speculative and may cause income and principal losses for the Fund. The major risks of junk bond investments include: Junk bonds may be issued by less creditworthy issuers. Issuers of junk bonds may have a larger amount of outstanding debt relative to their assets than issuers of investment grade bonds. In the event of an issuer’s bankruptcy, claims of other creditors may have priority over the claims of junk bond holders, leaving few or no assets available to repay junk bond holders. Prices of junk bonds are subject to extreme price fluctuations. Adverse changes in an issuer’s industry and general economic conditions may have a greater impact on the prices of junk bonds than on other higher rated fixed-income securities. Issuers of junk bonds may be unable to meet their interest or principal payment obligations because of an economic downturn, specific issuer developments, or the unavailability of additional financing. Junk bonds frequently have redemption features that permit an issuer to repurchase the security from the Fund before it matures. If the issuer redeems junk bonds, the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in bonds with lower yields and may lose income. Junk bonds may be less liquid than higher rated fixed-income securities, even under normal economic conditions. There are fewer dealers in the junk bond market, and there may be significant differences in the prices quoted for junk bonds by the dealers. Because they are less liquid than higher rated fixed-income securities, judgment may play a greater role in valuing junk bonds than is the case with securities trading in a more liquid market. The Fund may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting issuer.
The credit rating of a high yield security does not necessarily address its market value risk. Ratings and market value may change from time to time, positively or negatively, to reflect new developments regarding the issuer. Indexed and Inverse Securities Risk — Indexed and inverse securities provide a potential return based on a particular index of value or interest rates. The Fund’s return on these securities will be subject to risk with respect to the value of the particular index. These securities are subject to leverage risk and correlation risk. Certain indexed and inverse securities have greater sensitivity to changes in interest rates or index levels than other securities, and the Fund’s investment in such instruments may decline significantly in value if interest rates or index levels move in a way Fund management does not anticipate. Leverage Risk — Some transactions may give rise to a form of economic leverage. These transactions may include, among others, derivatives, and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. As an open-end investment company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the Fund is subject to the federal securities laws, including the Investment Company Act and the rules thereunder. Under Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act, among other things, the Fund must either use derivatives in a limited manner or comply with an outer limit on fund leverage risk based on value-at-risk. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet the applicable requirements of the Investment Company Act and the rules thereunder. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio will be magnified when the Fund uses leverage. Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. An investor could lose money over short periods due to fluctuation in the Fund’s net asset value in response to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities or other investments held by the Fund may underperform the markets, the relevant indices or benchmarks, or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies, or may otherwise fail to perform as intended. The value of
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a security or other asset may decline due to changes in general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other asset, or factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, exchange, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The success of the Fund’s activities could be affected by interest rates, availability of credit, inflation rates, economic uncertainty, changes in laws, tariffs and trade barriers, supply chain disruptions, economic sanctions, currency exchange controls, and local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, natural and environmental disasters, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, or other events. The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by using proprietary models that incorporate quantitative analysis and is subject to “Model Risk” as described below. Recent policy initiatives undertaken by the U.S. government have the potential to impact international relations, trade agreements and the overall regulatory environment in ways that could create uncertainty and instability in domestic and global markets, and could adversely affect the investment performance of the Fund. In particular, actions taken by the U.S. government in respect of international trade relations could lead to trade wars, increased costs for imported goods, disruptions in supply chains, reduced foreign investment, and instability in regions where the Fund invests. Mid Cap Securities Risk — The securities of mid cap companies generally trade in lower volumes and are generally subject to greater and less predictable price changes than the securities of larger capitalization companies. Model Risk — The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by using proprietary models that incorporate quantitative analysis. Investments selected using these models may perform differently than as forecasted due to the factors incorporated into the models and the weighting of each factor, as well as the level and scope of changes from historical trends. In addition, issues in the construction and implementation of the models, including software or hardware malfunction, power loss, software bugs, malicious code, viruses, system crashes, issues related to the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (“AI”), and other technological failures or various other events or circumstances within or beyond the control of BlackRock, may adversely impact the Fund. Please see also “Operational and Technology Risks” below. There is no guarantee that BlackRock’s use of these models will result in effective investment decisions for the Fund. Some of the models used by BlackRock rely on historical data and may not accurately predict future market movements. The Fund bears the risk that the models used by BlackRock will not be successful in forecasting movements in the market or in determining the size, direction, and/or weighting of investment positions that will enable the Fund to achieve its investment objective. In addition, the models may not be reliable in the event of unusual or disruptive events that cause market movements, which may be inconsistent with the historical performance of individual markets. In such instances, the models may produce unexpected results, which can result in losses for the Fund. Furthermore, because predictive models may be constructed based on data supplied by third parties, the success of relying on such models may depend heavily on the accuracy and reliability of such data. Money Market Securities Risk — If market conditions improve while the Fund has invested some or all of its assets in high quality money market securities, this strategy could result in reducing the potential gain from the market upswing, thus reducing the Fund’s opportunity to achieve its investment objective. Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risks — Mortgage-backed securities (residential and commercial) and asset-backed securities represent interests in “pools” of mortgages or other assets, including consumer loans or receivables held in trust. Although asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) generally experience less prepayment than residential mortgage-backed securities, mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, like traditional fixed-income securities, are subject to credit, interest rate, prepayment and extension risks. Small movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain mortgage-backed securities. The Fund’s investments in asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-related securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. These securities also are subject to the risk of default on the underlying mortgages or assets, particularly during periods of economic downturn. Certain CMBS are issued in several classes with different levels of yield and credit protection. The Fund’s investments in CMBS with several classes may be in the lower classes that have greater risks than the higher classes, including greater interest rate, credit and prepayment risks. Mortgage-backed securities may be either pass-through securities or collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”). Pass-through securities represent a right to receive principal and interest payments collected on a pool of mortgages, which are passed through to security holders. CMOs are created by dividing the principal and interest payments collected on a pool of mortgages into several revenue streams (“tranches”) with different priority rights to portions of the underlying mortgage payments. Certain CMO tranches may represent a right to receive interest only 23
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(“IOs”), principal only (“POs”) or an amount that remains after floating-rate tranches are paid (an “inverse floater”). These securities are frequently referred to as “mortgage derivatives” and may be extremely sensitive to changes in interest rates. Interest rates on inverse floaters, for example, vary inversely with a short-term floating rate (which may be reset periodically). Interest rates on inverse floaters will decrease when short-term rates increase, and will increase when short-term rates decrease. These securities have the effect of providing a degree of investment leverage. In response to changes in market interest rates or other market conditions, the value of an inverse floater may increase or decrease at a multiple of the increase or decrease in the value of the underlying securities. If the Fund invests in CMO tranches (including CMO tranches issued by government agencies) and interest rates move in a manner not anticipated by Fund management, it is possible that the Fund could lose all or substantially all of its investment. Certain mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund may invest may also provide a degree of investment leverage, which could cause the Fund to lose all or substantially all of its investment. The mortgage market in the United States has experienced difficulties that may adversely affect the performance and market value of certain of the Fund’s mortgage-related investments. Delinquencies and losses on mortgage loans (including subprime and second-lien mortgage loans) and a decline in or flattening of real estate values (in each case as has been experienced and may continue to be experienced in many housing markets) may exacerbate such delinquencies and losses. Also, a number of mortgage loan originators have experienced serious financial difficulties or bankruptcy. Reduced investor demand for mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities and increased investor yield requirements have caused limited liquidity in the secondary market for mortgage-related securities, which can adversely affect the market value of mortgage-related securities. It is possible that such limited liquidity in such secondary markets could continue or worsen. Asset-backed securities entail certain risks not presented by mortgage-backed securities, including the risk that in certain states it may be difficult to perfect the liens securing the collateral backing certain asset-backed securities. In addition, certain asset-backed securities are based on loans that are unsecured, which means that there is no collateral to seize if the underlying borrower defaults. Municipal Securities Risks — Municipal securities risks include the ability of the issuer to repay the obligation, the relative lack of information about certain issuers of municipal securities, and the possibility of future legislative changes which could affect the market for and value of municipal securities. Budgetary constraints of local, state, and federal governments upon which the issuers may be relying for funding may also impact municipal securities. These risks include: General Obligation Bonds Risks — The full faith, credit and taxing power of the municipality that issues a general obligation bond secures payment of interest and repayment of principal. Timely payments depend on the issuer’s credit quality, ability to raise tax revenues and ability to maintain an adequate tax base. Revenue Bonds Risks — Payments of interest and principal on revenue bonds are made only from the revenues generated by a particular facility, class of facilities or the proceeds of a special tax or other revenue source. These payments depend on the money earned by the particular facility or class of facilities, or the amount of revenues derived from another source.
Private Activity Bonds Risks — Municipalities and other public authorities issue private activity bonds to finance development of industrial facilities for use by a private enterprise. The private enterprise pays the principal and interest on the bond, and the issuer does not pledge its full faith, credit and taxing power for repayment. If the private enterprise defaults on its payments, the Fund may not receive any income or get its money back from the investment. Moral Obligation Bonds Risks — Moral obligation bonds are generally issued by special purpose public authorities of a state or municipality. If the issuer is unable to meet its obligations, repayment of these bonds becomes a moral commitment, but not a legal obligation, of the state or municipality. Municipal Notes Risks — Municipal notes are shorter term municipal debt obligations. They may provide interim financing in anticipation of, and are secured by, tax collection, bond sales or revenue receipts. If there is a shortfall in the anticipated proceeds, the notes may not be fully repaid and the Fund may lose money. Municipal Lease Obligations Risks — In a municipal lease obligation, the issuer agrees to make payments when due on the lease obligation. The issuer will generally appropriate municipal funds for that purpose, but is not obligated to do so. Although the issuer does not pledge its unlimited taxing power for payment of the lease obligation, the lease obligation is secured by the leased property. However, if the issuer does not fulfill its payment obligation, it may be difficult to sell the property and the proceeds of a sale may not cover the Fund’s loss. Tax-Exempt Status Risk — In making investments, the Fund and its investment manager will rely on the opinion of issuers’ bond counsel and, in the case of derivative securities, sponsors’ counsel, on the tax-exempt status of interest on municipal obligations and payments under tax-exempt derivative securities. Neither the Fund nor its investment manager will independently review the bases for those tax opinions. If any of those tax opinions are
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ultimately determined to be incorrect or if events occur after the security is acquired that impact the security’s tax exempt status, the Fund and its shareholders could be subject to substantial tax liabilities. The IRS has generally not ruled on the taxability of the securities. An assertion by the IRS that a portfolio security is not exempt from U.S. federal income tax (contrary to indications from the issuer) could affect the Fund’s and its shareholders’ income tax liability for the current or past years and could create liability for information reporting penalties. In addition, an IRS assertion of taxability may impair the liquidity and the fair market value of the securities. “New Issues” Risk — “New issues” are IPOs of equity securities. Investments in companies that have recently gone public have the potential to produce substantial gains for the Fund. However, there is no assurance that the Fund will have access to profitable IPOs and therefore investors should not rely on these past gains as an indication of future performance. The investment performance of the Fund during periods when it is unable to invest significantly or at all in IPOs may be lower than during periods when the Fund is able to do so. In addition, as the Fund increases in size, the impact of IPOs on the Fund’s performance will generally decrease. Securities issued in IPOs are subject to many of the same risks as investing in companies with smaller market capitalizations. Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. In addition, the prices of securities sold in IPOs may be highly volatile or may decline shortly after the IPO. When an IPO is brought to the market, availability may be limited and the Fund may not be able to buy any shares at the offering price, or, if it is able to buy shares, it may not be able to buy as many shares at the offering price as it would like. Operational and Technology Risks — The Fund and the entities with which it interacts directly or indirectly are susceptible to operational and technology risks, including those related to human errors, processing errors, communication errors, systems failures, cybersecurity incidents, and the use of AI, which may result in losses for the Fund and its shareholders or impair the Fund’s operations. These entities include, but are not limited to, the Fund’s adviser, administrator, distributor, other service providers (e.g., index and benchmark providers, accountants, custodians, and transfer agents), financial intermediaries, counterparties, market makers, authorized participants, listing exchanges, other financial market operators, and governmental authorities, as applicable. Operational and technology risks for the issuers in which the Fund invests could also result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investments in such issuers to lose value. The Fund may incur substantial costs in order to mitigate operational and technology risks. Cybersecurity incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events against an issuer in which the Fund invests, the Fund or any of its service providers. They include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to systems, misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting or destroying data, and causing operational disruption. Geopolitical tension may increase the scale and sophistication of deliberate attacks, particularly those from nation states or from entities with nation state backing. Cybersecurity incidents may result in any of the following: financial losses; interference with the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV; disclosure of confidential information; impediments to trading; submission of erroneous trades by the Fund or erroneous subscription or redemption orders; the inability of the Fund or its service providers to transact business; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines; penalties; reputational damage; reimbursement or other compensation costs; and other legal and compliance expenses. Furthermore, cybersecurity incidents may render records of the Fund, including records relating to its assets and transactions, shareholder ownership of Fund shares, and other data integral to the Fund’s functioning, inaccessible, inaccurate or incomplete. Power outages, natural disasters, equipment malfunctions and processing errors that threaten information and technology systems relied upon by the Fund or its service providers, as well as market events that occur at a pace that overloads these systems, may also disrupt business operations or impact critical data. In addition, the risks of increased use of AI technologies, such as machine learning, include data risk, transparency risk, and operational risk. The AI technologies, which are generally highly reliant on the collection and analysis of large amounts of data, may incorporate biased or inaccurate data, and it is not possible or practicable to incorporate all relevant data into such technologies. The output or results of any such AI technologies may therefore be incomplete, erroneous, distorted or misleading. Further, AI tools may lack transparency as to how data is utilized and how outputs are generated. AI technologies may also allow the unintended introduction of vulnerabilities into infrastructures and applications. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result of these risks associated with AI technologies. AI technologies and their current and potential future applications, and the regulatory frameworks within which they operate, continue to quickly evolve, and it is impossible to anticipate the full scope of future AI capabilities or rules and the associated risks to the Fund. While the Fund’s service providers are required to have appropriate operational, information security and cybersecurity risk management policies and procedures, their methods of risk management may differ from those of the Fund in the setting of priorities, the personnel and resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. The Fund and its adviser seek to reduce these risks through controls, procedures and oversight, including establishing business continuity plans and risk management systems. However, there are inherent limitations in
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such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks that may affect the Fund have not been identified or may emerge in the future; that such plans and systems may not completely eliminate the occurrence or mitigate the effects of operational or information security disruptions or failures or of cybersecurity incidents; or that prevention and remediation efforts will not be successful or that incidents will go undetected. The Fund cannot control the systems, information security or other cybersecurity of the issuers in which it invests or its service providers, counterparties, and other third parties whose activities affect the Fund. Lastly, the regulatory climate governing cybersecurity and data protection is developing quickly and may vary considerably across jurisdictions. Regulators continue to develop new rules and standards related to cybersecurity and data protection. Compliance with evolving regulations can be demanding and costly, requiring substantial resources to monitor and implement required changes. Preferred Securities Risk — Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies. Sovereign Debt Risk — Sovereign debt instruments are subject to the risk that a governmental entity may delay or refuse to pay interest or repay principal on its sovereign debt, due, for example, to cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, political considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity’s debt position in relation to the economy or the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund or other multilateral agencies. If a governmental entity defaults, it may ask for more time in which to pay or for further loans. There is no legal process for collecting sovereign debt that a government does not pay nor are there bankruptcy proceedings through which all or part of the sovereign debt that a governmental entity has not repaid may be collected. Structured Securities Risk — Because structured securities of the type in which the Fund may invest typically involve no credit enhancement, their credit risk generally will be equivalent to that of the underlying instruments, index or reference obligation and will also be subject to counterparty risk. The Fund may have the right to receive payments only from the structured security, and generally does not have direct rights against the issuer or the entity that sold the assets to be securitized. In addition to the general risks associated with debt securities discussed herein, structured securities carry additional risks, including, but not limited to: the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; and the possibility that the structured securities are subordinate to other classes. The Fund is permitted to invest in a class of structured securities that is either subordinated or unsubordinated to the right of payment of another class. Subordinated structured securities typically have higher yields and present greater risks than unsubordinated structured securities. Structured securities are typically sold in private placement transactions, and there currently is no active trading market for structured securities. Structured securities are based upon the movement of one or more factors, including currency exchange rates, interest rates, reference bonds and stock indices, and changes in interest rates and impact of these factors may cause significant price fluctuations. Additionally, changes in the reference instrument or security may cause the interest rate on the structured security to be reduced to zero. Certain issuers of such structured securities may be deemed to be “investment companies” as defined in the Investment Company Act. As a result, the Fund’s investment in such securities may be limited by certain investment restrictions contained in the Investment Company Act. U.S. Government Issuer Risk — Treasury obligations may differ in their interest rates, maturities, times of issuance and other characteristics. Obligations of U.S. Government agencies and authorities are supported by varying degrees of credit but generally are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government will provide financial support to its agencies and authorities if it is not obligated by law to do so. U.S. Government Mortgage-Related Securities Risk — There are a number of important differences among the agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government that issue mortgage-related securities and among the securities that they issue. Mortgage-related securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA” or “Ginnie Mae”) are guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest by GNMA and such guarantee is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. GNMA securities also are supported by the right of GNMA to borrow funds from the U.S. Treasury to make payments under its guarantee. Mortgage related securities issued by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac are solely the obligations of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, as the case may be, and are not backed by or entitled to the full faith and credit of the United States but are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the Treasury.
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Other Risks of Investing in the Fund
The Fund may also be subject to certain other non-principal risks associated with its investments and investment strategies, including: Borrowing Risk — Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations. Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk — In addition to the typical risks associated with fixed-income securities and asset-backed securities, CDOs, including CLOs, carry additional risks including, but not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the risk that the collateral may default or decline in value or be downgraded, if rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization; (iii) the Fund may invest in tranches of CDOs that are subordinate to other tranches; (iv) the structure and complexity of the transaction and the legal documents could lead to disputes among investors regarding the characterization of proceeds; (v) the investment return achieved by the Fund could be significantly different than those predicted by financial models; (vi) the lack of a readily available secondary market for CDOs; (vii) the risk of forced “fire sale” liquidation due to technical defaults such as coverage test failures; and (viii) the CDO’s manager may perform poorly. Expense Risk — Fund expenses are subject to a variety of factors, including fluctuations in the Fund’s net assets. Accordingly, actual expenses may be greater or less than those indicated. For example, to the extent that the Fund’s net assets decrease due to market declines or redemptions, the Fund’s expenses will increase as a percentage of Fund net assets. During periods of high market volatility, these increases in the Fund’s expense ratio could be significant.
Illiquid Investments Risk — The Fund may not acquire any illiquid investment if, immediately after the acquisition, the Fund would have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Liquid investments may become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. There can be no assurance that a security or instrument that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund, and any security or instrument held by the Fund may be deemed an illiquid investment pursuant to the Fund’s liquidity risk management program. The Fund’s illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be difficult to sell the illiquid investments at an advantageous time or price. In addition, if the Fund is limited in its ability to dispose of illiquid investments during periods when shareholders are redeeming or selling their shares or the Fund’s net assets otherwise shrink, the Fund will need to dispose of liquid securities to meet redemption requests and illiquid securities will become a larger portion of the Fund’s holdings. An investment may be illiquid due to, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed-income securities or the lack of an active trading market. To the extent that the Fund’s principal investment strategies involve derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have greater exposure to the risks associated with illiquid investments. Illiquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions or sale of Fund shares may be higher than normal. In addition, when there is illiquidity in the market for certain securities, the Fund, due to limitations on illiquid investments, may be subject to purchase and sale restrictions. Investment in Other Investment Companies Risk — As with other investments, investments in other investment companies, including ETFs, are subject to market and selection risk. In addition, if the Fund acquires shares of investment companies, including ones affiliated with the Fund, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of expenses in the Fund (including management and advisory fees) and, indirectly, the expenses of the investment companies (to the extent not offset by BlackRock through waivers). To the extent the Fund is held by an affiliated fund, the ability of the Fund itself to hold other investment companies may be limited. Large Shareholder and Large-Scale Redemption Risk — Certain shareholders, including a third-party investor, the Fund’s adviser or an affiliate of the Fund’s adviser, or another entity, may from time to time own or manage a substantial amount of Fund shares, including funds or accounts over which the Fund’s adviser has discretion, or may invest in the Fund and hold its investment for a limited period of time. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder or large group of shareholders would not redeem their investment or that the size of the Fund would be maintained. Redemptions of a large number of Fund shares by these shareholders may adversely affect the Fund’s liquidity and net assets. These redemptions may force the Fund to sell portfolio securities to meet redemption requests when it might not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Fund’s NAV and increase 27
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the Fund’s brokerage costs and/or accelerate the realization of taxable income and cause the Fund to make taxable distributions to its shareholders earlier than the Fund otherwise would have. In addition, under certain circumstances, non-redeeming shareholders may be treated as receiving a disproportionately large taxable distribution during or with respect to such tax year. The effects of taxable income and/or gains resulting from such transactions would particularly impact non-redeeming shareholders who do not hold their Fund shares in an IRA, 401(k) plan or other tax-advantaged plan. To the extent that such transactions result in short-term capital gains, such gains will generally be taxed at the ordinary income tax rate for shareholders who hold Fund shares in a taxable account. The Fund also may be required to sell its more liquid Fund investments to meet a large redemption, in which case the Fund’s remaining assets may be less liquid, more volatile, and more difficult to price. In addition, large redemptions can result in the Fund’s current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, which generally results in an increase in the Fund’s expense ratio. Because large redemptions can adversely affect a portfolio manager’s ability to implement a fund’s investment strategy, the Fund also reserves the right to redeem in-kind, subject to certain conditions. In addition, large purchases of Fund shares may adversely affect the Fund’s performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would, diluting its investment returns. Ownership Limitations Risk — If certain aggregate and/or fund-level ownership thresholds are reached through transactions undertaken by BlackRock, its affiliates or the Fund, or as a result of third-party transactions or actions by an issuer or regulator, the ability of BlackRock and its affiliates on behalf of clients (including the Fund) to purchase or dispose of investments, exercise rights or undertake business transactions may be restricted by law, regulation or rule or otherwise impaired. The capacity of the Fund to invest in certain securities or other assets may be affected by the relevant threshold limits, and such limitations may have adverse effects on the liquidity and performance of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. For example, ownership limits may apply to securities whose issuers operate in certain regulated industries or in certain international markets. Such limits also may apply where the investing entity (such as the Fund) is subject to corporate or regulatory ownership restrictions or invests in certain futures or other derivative transactions. In certain circumstances, aggregate and/or fund-level amounts invested or voted by BlackRock and its affiliates for client funds and accounts managed by BlackRock (including the Fund) may not exceed the relevant limits without the grant of a license or other regulatory or corporate approval, order, consent, relief or non-disapproval. However, there is no guarantee that permission will be granted, or that, once granted, it will not be modified or revoked at a later date with minimal or no notice. In other cases, exceeding such thresholds may cause BlackRock and its affiliates, the Fund or other client accounts to suffer disadvantages or business restrictions. Ownership limitations are highly complex. It is possible that, despite BlackRock’s intent to either comply with or be granted permission to exceed ownership limitations, it may inadvertently breach a limit or violate the corporate or regulatory approval, order, consent, relief or non-disapproval that was obtained. Real Estate-Related Securities Risk — The main risk of real estate-related securities is that the value of the underlying real estate may go down. Many factors may affect real estate values. These factors include both the general and local economies, vacancy rates, changes in rent schedules, tenant bankruptcies, the ability to re-lease space under expiring leases on attractive terms, the amount of new construction in a particular area, the laws and regulations (including zoning, environmental and tax laws) affecting real estate and the costs of owning, maintaining and improving real estate. The availability of mortgage financing and changes in interest rates may also affect real estate values. If the Fund’s real estate-related investments are concentrated in one geographic area or in one property type, the Fund will be particularly subject to the risks associated with that area or property type. Many issuers of real estate-related securities are highly leveraged, which increases the risk to holders of such securities. The value of the securities the Fund buys will not necessarily track the value of the underlying investments of the issuers of such securities. In addition, certain issuers of real estate-related securities may have developed or commenced development on properties and may develop additional properties in the future. Real estate development involves significant risks in addition to those involved in the ownership and operation of established properties. Real estate securities may have limited diversification and are, therefore, subject to risks inherent in operating and financing a limited number of projects. Real estate securities are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency and defaults by borrowers or tenants. Reference Rate Replacement Risk — The Fund’s investments, payment obligations and financing terms may be based on floating rates, such as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), Sterling Overnight Interbank Average Rate (“SONIA”), and other similar types of reference rates (“Reference Rates”). The elimination of a Reference Rate or any other changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of a Reference Rate could have an adverse impact on the market for, or value of, any instruments (including debt instruments and certain derivative instruments) or payments linked to those Reference Rates. In addition, any substitute Reference Rate and any pricing adjustments imposed by a regulator or by counterparties or otherwise may adversely affect the Fund’s performance and/or net asset value. 28
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In addition, interest rates or other types of rates and indices which are classified as “benchmarks” have been the subject of ongoing national and international regulatory reform, including under the European Union (“EU”) regulation on indices used as benchmarks in financial instruments and financial contracts (known as the “Benchmarks Regulation”). The Benchmarks Regulation has been enacted into United Kingdom (“UK”) law by virtue of the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended), subject to amendments made by the Benchmarks (Amendment and Transitional Provision) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/657) and other statutory instruments. Following the implementation of these reforms, the manner of administration of benchmarks has changed and may further change in the future, with the result that relevant benchmarks may perform differently than in the past, the use of benchmarks that are not compliant with the new standards by certain supervised entities may be restricted, and certain benchmarks may be eliminated entirely. Such changes could cause increased market volatility and disruptions in liquidity for instruments that rely on or are impacted by such benchmarks. Additionally, there could be other consequences which cannot be predicted. REIT Investment Risk — In addition to the risks facing real estate-related securities, such as a decline in property values due to increasing vacancies, a decline in rents resulting from unanticipated economic, legal or technological developments or a decline in the price of securities of real estate companies due to a failure of borrowers to pay their loans or poor management, investments in REITs involve unique risks. REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in limited volume, may engage in dilutive offerings of securities and may be more volatile than other securities. REIT issuers may also fail to maintain their exemptions from investment company registration or fail to qualify for the “dividends paid deduction” under the Internal Revenue Code, which allows REITs to reduce their corporate taxable income for dividends paid to their shareholders. Ordinary REIT dividends received by the Fund and distributed to the Fund’s shareholders will generally be taxable as ordinary income and will not constitute “qualified dividend income.” However, a non-corporate taxpayer who is a direct REIT shareholder may claim a 20% “qualified business income” deduction for ordinary REIT dividends, and a regulated investment company may report dividends as eligible for this deduction to the extent the regulated investment company’s income is derived from ordinary REIT dividends (reduced by allocable regulated investment company expenses). A shareholder may treat the dividends as such provided the regulated investment company and the shareholder satisfy applicable holding period requirements. Reliance on Advisor Risk — The Fund is dependent upon services and resources provided by BlackRock, and therefore BlackRock’s parent, BlackRock, Inc. BlackRock is not required to devote its full time to the business of the Fund and there is no guarantee or requirement that any investment professional or other employee of BlackRock will allocate a substantial portion of his or her time to the Fund. The loss of, or changes in, BlackRock’s personnel could have a negative effect on the performance or the continued operation of the Fund. Securities Lending Risk — The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. Short Sales and Short Position Risk — Because making short sales or taking short positions in securities that it does not own would expose the Fund to the risks associated with those securities, such short sales or positions involve speculative exposure risk. In such situations, the Fund will incur a loss as a result of a short sale or position if the price of the reference instrument increases after the Fund entered into the short sale or position. The Fund may engage in short sales and gain short exposure through certain derivative instruments, such as futures, options or swaps. The Fund may lose more money than the actual cost of a short sale or position and the potential losses are theoretically unlimited on a short sale or position. Small Cap and Emerging Growth Securities Risk — Small cap or emerging growth companies may have limited product lines or markets. They may be less financially secure than larger, more established companies. They may depend on a small number of key personnel. If a product fails or there are other adverse developments, or if management changes, the Fund’s investment in a small cap or emerging growth company may lose substantial value. In addition, it is more difficult to get information on smaller companies, which tend to be less well known, have shorter operating histories, do not have significant ownership by large investors and are followed by relatively few securities analysts. The securities of small cap and emerging growth companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger cap securities or the market as a whole. In addition, small cap and emerging growth securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, borrowing costs and earnings. Investing in small cap and emerging growth securities requires a longer term view. Standby Commitment Agreements Risk — Standby commitment agreements involve the risk that the security the Fund buys will lose value prior to its delivery to the Fund and will no longer be worth what the Fund has agreed to
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pay for it. These agreements also involve the risk that if the security goes up in value, the counterparty will decide not to issue the security. In this case, the Fund loses both the investment opportunity for the assets it set aside to pay for the security and any gain in the security’s price. Valuation Risk — The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of any particular portfolio investment may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the investment, particularly for securities that trade in thin or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair valuation methodology or a price provided by an independent pricing service. As a result, the price received upon the sale of an investment may be less than the value ascribed by the Fund, and the Fund could realize a greater than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. Pricing services that value fixed-income securities generally utilize a range of market-based and security-specific inputs and assumptions, as well as considerations about general market conditions, to establish a price. Pricing services generally value fixed-income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but the Fund may hold or transact in such securities in smaller, odd lot sizes. Odd lots of securities in certain asset classes may trade at lower prices than institutional round lots, and the value ultimately realized when the securities are sold could differ from the prices used by the Fund. The Fund’s ability to value its investments may also be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers. When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments Risk — When-issued and delayed delivery securities and forward commitments involve the risk that the security the Fund buys will lose value prior to its delivery. There also is the risk that the security will not be issued or that the other party to the transaction will not meet its obligation. If this occurs, the Fund may lose both the investment opportunity for the assets it set aside to pay for the security and any gain in the security’s price.
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Account Information
How to Choose the Share Class that Best Suits Your Needs
The Fund currently offers multiple share classes (Investor A, Investor C, Institutional and Class R Shares in this prospectus), each with its own sales charge and expense structure, allowing you to invest in the way that best suits your needs. Each share class represents an ownership interest in the same investment portfolio of the Fund. When you choose your class of shares, you should consider the size of your investment and how long you plan to hold your shares. Either your financial professional or your selected securities dealer, broker, investment adviser, service provider or industry professional (including BlackRock and its affiliates) (each a “Financial Intermediary”) can help you determine which share class is best suited to your personal financial goals. Investor A Shares and Investor C Shares are sometimes referred to herein collectively as “Investor Shares.”
For example, if you select Institutional Shares, you will not pay any sales charge. However, only certain investors may buy Institutional Shares. If you select Investor A Shares, you generally pay a sales charge at the time of purchase and an ongoing service fee of 0.25% per year. You may be eligible for a sales charge reduction or waiver.
If you select Investor C or Class R Shares, you will invest the full amount of your purchase price, but you will be subject to a distribution fee of 0.75% per year for Investor C Shares and 0.25% per year for Class R Shares and a service fee of 0.25% per year for both classes of shares under plans adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act. Because these fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges. In addition, you may be subject to a deferred sales charge when you sell Investor C Shares within one year. Classes with lower expenses will have higher net asset values and dividends relative to other share classes.
The Fund’s shares are distributed by BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BlackRock.
The table below summarizes key features of each of the share classes of the Fund offered by this prospectus.
Share Classes at a Glance 1
Investor A Investor C 2,3 Institutional Class R Availability Generally available through Financial Intermediaries.
Generally available through Financial Intermediaries. Must be held through a Financial Intermediary.
Limited to certain investors, including: • Individuals and “Institutional Investors,” which include, but are not limited to, endowments, foundations, family offices, local, city and state governmental institutions, corporations and insurance company separate accounts, who may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares. • Certain employee benefits plans, such as health savings accounts, and certain employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs), state sponsored 529 college savings plans, collective trust funds, investment companies or other pooled investment vehicles, unaffiliated thrifts and unaffiliated banks and trust
Available only to certain employer sponsored retirement plans.
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Investor A Investor C 2,3 Institutional Class R Availability (continued)
companies, each of which may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares. • Employees, officers and directors/ trustees of BlackRock or its affiliates and immediate family members of such persons. • Participants in certain programs sponsored by BlackRock or its affiliates or other Financial Intermediaries. • Tax-qualified accounts for insurance agents that are registered representatives of an insurance company’s broker-dealer that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Institutional Shares, and the family members of such persons. • Clients investing through Financial Intermediaries that have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer such shares on a platform that charges a transaction based sales commission outside of the Fund. • Clients investing through a self directed IRA brokerage account program sponsored by a retirement plan record-keeper, provided that such program offers only mutual fund options and that the program maintains an account with the Fund on an omnibus basis. Minimum Investment $1,000 for all accounts except: • $50, if establishing an Automatic Investment Plan (“AIP”). • There is no investment minimum for employer sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs). • There is no investment minimum for certain fee-based programs.
$1,000 for all accounts except: • $50, if establishing an AIP. • There is no investment minimum for employer sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs). • There is no investment minimum for certain fee-based programs.
There is no investment minimum for: • Certain employee benefits plans, such as health savings accounts, and certain employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs), state sponsored 529 college savings plans, collective trust funds, investment companies or other pooled investment vehicles, unaffiliated thrifts and unaffiliated banks and trust companies. • Employees, officers and directors/ trustees of BlackRock or its affiliates and immediate family members of such persons. • Clients of Financial Intermediaries that: (i) charge such clients a fee for advisory, investment consulting, or similar services or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Institutional Shares through
• $100 for all accounts.
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Investor A Investor C 2,3 Institutional Class R Minimum Investment (continued)
a no-load program or investment platform • Clients investing through a self directed IRA brokerage account program sponsored by a retirement plan record-keeper, provided that such program offers only mutual fund options and that the program maintains an account with the Fund on an omnibus basis $2 million for individuals and Institutional Investors. $1,000 investment minimum for: • Clients investing through Financial Intermediaries that offer such shares on a platform that charges a transaction based sales commission outside of the Fund. • Tax-qualified accounts for insurance agents that are registered representatives of an insurance company’s broker-dealer that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Institutional Shares, and the family members of such persons. Initial Sales Charge? Yes. Payable at time of purchase. Lower sales charges are available for larger investments.
No. Entire purchase price is invested in shares of the Fund.
No. Entire purchase price is invested in shares of the Fund.
No. Entire purchase price is invested in shares of the Fund.
Deferred Sales Charge?
No. (May be charged for purchases of $250,000 or more that are redeemed within 18 months.)
Yes. Payable if you redeem within one year of purchase.
No. No.
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees?
No Distribution Fee. 0.25% Annual Service Fee.
0.75% Annual Distribution Fee. 0.25% Annual Service Fee.
No. 0.25% Annual Distribution Fee. 0.25% Annual Service Fee. Redemption Fees? No. No. No. No. Conversion to Investor A Shares?
N/A Yes, automatically approximately eight years after the date of purchase. It is the Financial Intermediary’s responsibility to ensure that the shareholder is credited with the proper holding period. As of the Effective Date (as defined below), certain Financial Intermediaries, including group retirement recordkeeping
No. No.
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Investor A Investor C 2,3 Institutional Class R Conversion to Investor A Shares? (continued)
platforms, may not have been tracking such holding periods and therefore may not be able to process such conversions. In such instances, the automatic conversion of Investor C Shares to Investor A Shares will occur approximately eight years after the Effective Date. In addition, accounts that do not have a Financial Intermediary associated with them are not eligible to hold Investor C Shares, and any Investor C Shares held in such accounts will be automatically converted to Investor A Shares. Advantage Makes sense for investors who are eligible to have the sales charge reduced or eliminated or who have a long-term investment horizon because there are no ongoing distribution fees.
No up-front sales charge so you start off owning more shares. These shares may make sense for investors who have a shorter investment horizon relative to Investor A Shares.
No up-front sales charge so you start off owning more shares. No distribution or service fees.
No up-front sales charge so you start off owning more shares.
Disadvantage You pay a sales charge up-front, and therefore you start off owning fewer shares.
You pay ongoing distribution fees each year you own Investor C Shares, which means that over the long term you can expect higher total fees per share than Investor A Shares and, as a result, lower total performance.
Limited availability. Limited availability. You pay ongoing distribution fees each year you own Class R Shares, which means that over the long term you can expect higher total fees per share than Investor A Shares and, as a result, lower total performance. 1 Please see “Details About the Share Classes” for more information about each share class. 2 If you establish a new account, or have an existing account, directly with the Fund and do not have a Financial Intermediary associated with your account, you may only invest in Investor A Shares. Applications without a Financial Intermediary that select Investor C Shares will not be accepted and accounts without an associated Financial Intermediary will not be eligible to hold Investor C Shares. 3 The Fund will not accept a purchase order of $500,000 or more for Investor C Shares (may be lower on funds that have set a lower breakpoint for purchasing Investor A Shares without a front-end sales charge). Your Financial Intermediary may set a lower maximum for Investor C Shares.
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The following pages will cover the additional details of each share class, including the Institutional Shares requirements, the sales charge table for Investor A Shares, reduced sales charge information, Investor C Share contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) information and sales charge waivers.
The availability of certain sales charge waivers and reductions will depend on whether you purchase your shares directly from the Fund or through a Financial Intermediary. Financial Intermediaries may have different policies and procedures regarding the availability of front-end sales charge waivers or deferred sales charge waivers, which are discussed below. In all instances, it is your responsibility to notify the Fund or your Financial Intermediary at the time of purchase of any relationship or other facts qualifying you for sales charge waivers or reductions. For waivers and discounts not available through a particular Financial Intermediary, shareholders will have to purchase Fund shares directly from the Fund or through another Financial Intermediary to receive these waivers or reductions. Please see the “Intermediary-Defined Sales Charge Waiver Policies” section beginning on page A-1 of the Fund’s prospectus to determine any sales charge waivers and reductions that may be available to you through your Financial Intermediary.
More information about existing sales charge reductions and waivers is available free of charge in a clear and prominent format via hyperlink at www.blackrock.com and in the SAI, which is available on the website or on request.
Details About the Share Classes
Investor A Shares — Initial Sales Charge Option The following table shows the front-end sales charges that you may pay if you buy Investor A Shares. The offering price for Investor A Shares includes any front-end sales charge. The front-end sales charge expressed as a percentage of the offering price may be higher or lower than the charge described below due to rounding. Similarly, any CDSC paid upon certain redemptions of Investor A Shares expressed as a percentage of the applicable redemption amount may be higher or lower than the charge described below due to rounding. You may qualify for a reduced front-end sales charge. Purchases of Investor A Shares at certain fixed dollar levels, known as “breakpoints,” cause a reduction in the front-end sales charge. Once you achieve a breakpoint, you pay that sales charge on your entire purchase amount (and not just the portion above the breakpoint). If you select Investor A Shares, you will pay a sales charge at the time of purchase as shown in the following table.
Your Investment
Sales Charge as a % of Offering Price
Sales Charge as a % of Your Investment 1
Dealer Compensation as a % of Offering Price Less than $25,000 5.25% 5.54% 5.00% $25,000 but less than $50,000 4.75% 4.99% 4.50% $50,000 but less than $100,000 4.00% 4.17% 3.75% $100,000 but less than $250,000 3.00% 3.09% 2.75% $250,000 and over 2 0.00% 0.00% — 2 1 Rounded to the nearest one-hundredth percent. 2 If you invest $250,000 or more in Investor A Shares, you will not pay an initial sales charge. In that case, BlackRock compensates the Financial Intermediary from its own resources. However, if you redeem your shares within 18 months after purchase, you may be charged a deferred sales charge of 0.75% of the lesser of the original cost of the shares being redeemed or your redemption proceeds. Such deferred sales charge may be waived in connection with certain fee-based programs.
No initial sales charge applies to Investor A Shares that you buy through reinvestment of Fund dividends or capital gains.
Sales Charges Reduced or Eliminated for Investor A Shares There are several ways in which the sales charge can be reduced or eliminated. Purchases of Investor A Shares at certain fixed dollar levels, known as “breakpoints,” cause a reduction in the front-end sales charge (as described above in the “Investor A Shares — Initial Sales Charge Option” section). Additionally, the front-end sales charge can be reduced or eliminated through one or a combination of the following: a Letter of Intent, the right of accumulation, the reinstatement privilege (described under “Account Services and Privileges”), or a waiver of the sales charge (described below).
Reductions or eliminations through a Letter of Intent or right of accumulation will apply to the value of all qualifying holdings in shares of mutual funds sponsored and advised by BlackRock or its affiliates (“BlackRock Funds”) owned by (a) the investor, or (b) the investor’s spouse and any children and a trust, custodial account or fiduciary account for the benefit of any such individuals. For this purpose, the value of an investor’s holdings means the offering price of the
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newly purchased shares (including any applicable sales charge) plus the current value (including any sales charges paid) of all other shares the investor already holds taken together.
See the “Intermediary-Defined Sales Charge Waiver Policies” section beginning on page A-1 of the Fund’s prospectus for sales charge reductions and waivers that may be available to customers of certain Financial Intermediaries.
Qualifying Holdings — Investor A and A1, Investor C, Investor P, Institutional, Class K and Premier Shares (in most BlackRock Funds), investments in certain unlisted closed-end management investment companies sponsored and advised by BlackRock or its affiliates (“Eligible Unlisted BlackRock Closed-End Funds”) and investments in the BlackRock CollegeAdvantage 529 Program.
Qualifying Holdings may include shares held in accounts held at a Financial Intermediary, including personal accounts, certain retirement accounts, UGMA/UTMA accounts, Joint Tenancy accounts, trust accounts and Transfer on Death accounts, as well as shares purchased by a trust of which the investor is a beneficiary. For purposes of the Letter of Intent and right of accumulation, the investor may not combine with the investor’s other holdings shares held in pension, profit sharing or other employer-sponsored retirement plans if those shares are held in the name of a nominee or custodian.
In order to receive a reduced sales charge, at the time an investor purchases shares of the Fund, the investor should inform the Financial Intermediary and/or BlackRock Funds of any other shares of the Fund or any other BlackRock Fund or Eligible Unlisted BlackRock Closed-End Fund that qualify for a reduced sales charge. Failure by the investor to notify the Financial Intermediary or BlackRock Funds may result in the investor not receiving the sales charge reduction to which the investor is otherwise entitled.
The Financial Intermediary or BlackRock Funds may request documentation — including account statements and records of the original cost of the shares owned by the investor, the investor’s spouse and/or children showing that the investor qualifies for a reduced sales charge. The investor should retain these records because — depending on where an account is held or the type of account — the Fund and/or the Financial Intermediary, BlackRock Funds or Eligible Unlisted BlackRock Closed-End Funds may not be able to maintain this information.
For more information, see the SAI or contact your Financial Intermediary.
Letter of Intent An investor may qualify for a reduced front-end sales charge immediately by signing a “Letter of Intent” stating the investor’s intention to make one or more of the following investments within the next 13 months which would, if bought all at once, qualify the investor for a reduced sales charge:
i. Buy a specified amount of Investor A, Investor C, Investor P, Institutional, Class K and/or Premier Shares,
ii. Make an investment in one or more Eligible Unlisted BlackRock Closed-End Funds and/or
iii. Make an investment through the BlackRock CollegeAdvantage 529 Program in one or more BlackRock Funds.
The initial investment must meet the minimum initial purchase requirement. The 13-month Letter of Intent period commences on the day that the Letter of Intent is received by the Fund.
The market value of current holdings in the BlackRock Funds (including Investor A, Investor C, Investor P, Institutional, Class K and Premier Shares, Eligible Unlisted BlackRock Closed-End Funds and the BlackRock CollegeAdvantage 529 Program Class A and Class C Units) as of the date of commencement that are eligible under the Right of Accumulation may be counted towards the sales charge reduction.
The investor must notify the Fund of (i) any current holdings in the BlackRock Funds, Eligible Unlisted BlackRock Closed-End Funds and/or the BlackRock CollegeAdvantage 529 Program that should be counted towards the sales charge reduction and (ii) any subsequent purchases that should be counted towards the Letter of Intent.
During the term of the Letter of Intent, the Fund will hold Investor A Shares representing up to 5% of the indicated amount in an escrow account for payment of a higher sales load if the full amount indicated in the Letter of Intent is not purchased. If the full amount indicated is not purchased within the 13-month period, and the investor does not pay the higher sales load within 20 days, the Fund will redeem enough of the Investor A Shares held in escrow to pay the difference.
Right of Accumulation Investors have a “right of accumulation” under which any of the following may be combined with the amount of the current purchase in determining whether an investor qualifies for a breakpoint and a reduced front-end sales charge:
i. The current value of an investor’s existing Investor A and A1, Investor C, Investor P, Institutional, Class K and Premier Shares in most BlackRock Funds, 36
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ii. The current value of an investor’s existing shares of Eligible Unlisted BlackRock Closed-End Funds and
iii. The investment in the BlackRock CollegeAdvantage 529 Program by the investor or by or on behalf of the investor’s spouse and children.
Financial Intermediaries may value current holdings of their customers differently for purposes of determining whether an investor qualifies for a breakpoint and a reduced front-end sales charge, although customers of the same Financial Intermediary will be treated similarly. In order to use this right, the investor must alert BlackRock to the existence of any previously purchased shares.
Other Front-End Sales Charge Waivers The following persons may also buy Investor A Shares without paying a sales charge: Certain employer-sponsored retirement plans. For purposes of this waiver, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs; Rollovers of current investments through certain employer-sponsored retirement plans, provided the shares are transferred to Investor A Shares of the same or another BlackRock Fund as either a direct rollover, or subsequent to distribution, the rolled-over proceeds are contributed to a BlackRock IRA through an account directly with the Fund; or purchases by IRA programs that are sponsored by Financial Intermediary firms provided the Financial Intermediary firm has entered into a Class A Net Asset Value agreement with respect to such program with the Distributor; Insurance company separate accounts; Registered investment advisers, trust companies and bank trust departments exercising discretionary investment authority with respect to amounts to be invested in the Fund; Persons participating in a fee-based program (such as a wrap account) under which they pay advisory fees to a broker-dealer or other financial institution; Financial Intermediaries who have entered into an agreement with the Distributor and have been approved by the Distributor to offer Fund shares to self-directed investment brokerage accounts that may or may not charge a transaction fee; Persons associated with the Fund, the Fund’s manager, the Fund’s sub-advisers, transfer agent, Distributor, fund accounting agents, Barclays PLC (“Barclays”) and their respective affiliates (to the extent permitted by these firms) including: (a) officers, directors and partners; (b) employees and retirees; (c) employees of firms who have entered into selling agreements to distribute shares of BlackRock Funds; (d) immediate family members of such persons; and (e) any trust, pension, profit-sharing or other benefit plan for any of the persons set forth in (a) through (d); State sponsored 529 college savings plans and rollovers of such 529 plans into Roth IRAs as permitted under the Internal Revenue Code; and Accounts opened directly with the Fund that do not have a Financial Intermediary associated with the account.
In addition, a sales charge waiver may be available for investors exchanging Investor P Shares of another BlackRock Fund for Investor A Shares of the Fund through an intermediary-processed exchange, provided that the investor had previously paid a sales charge with respect to such shares.
In addition, Financial Intermediaries may, in connection with a change in account type or otherwise in accordance with a Financial Intermediary’s policies and procedures, exchange one class of shares for Investor A Shares of the same Fund. In such cases, such exchange would not be subject to an Investor A Shares sales charge. The availability of Investor A Shares sales charge waivers may depend on the policies, procedures and trading platforms of your Financial Intermediary; consult your financial adviser.
See the “Intermediary-Defined Sales Charge Waiver Policies” section beginning on page A-1 of the Fund’s prospectus for sales charge reductions and waivers that may be available to customers of certain Financial Intermediaries.
Investor A Shares at Net Asset Value If you invest $250,000 or more in Investor A Shares, you will not pay any initial sales charge. However, if you redeem your Investor A Shares within 18 months after purchase, you may be charged a deferred sales charge of 0.75% of the lesser of the original cost of the shares being redeemed or your redemption proceeds. For a discussion on waivers, see “Contingent Deferred Sales Charge Waivers.”
If you are eligible to buy both Investor A and Institutional Shares, you should buy Institutional Shares since Investor A Shares are subject to a front end sales charge and an annual 0.25% service fee, while Institutional Shares are not. The Distributor normally pays the annual Investor A Shares service fee to dealers as a shareholder servicing fee on a monthly basis.
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Investor C Shares — Deferred Sales Charge Option If you select Investor C Shares, you do not pay an initial sales charge at the time of purchase. However, if you redeem your Investor C Shares within one year after purchase, you may be required to pay a deferred sales charge of 1.00%. The charge will apply to the lesser of the original cost of the shares being redeemed or the proceeds of your redemption. When you redeem Investor C Shares, the redemption order is processed so that the lowest deferred sales charge is charged. Investor C Shares that are not subject to the deferred sales charge are redeemed first. In addition, you will not be charged a deferred sales charge when you redeem shares that you acquire through reinvestment of Fund dividends or capital gains. Any CDSC paid on the redemptions of Investor C Shares expressed as a percentage of the applicable redemption amount may be higher or lower than the charge described due to rounding.
Effective November 23, 2020 (the “Effective Date”), Investor C Shares will automatically convert to Investor A Shares approximately eight years after the date of purchase. It is the Financial Intermediary’s responsibility to ensure that the shareholder is credited with the proper holding period. As of the Effective Date, certain Financial Intermediaries, including group retirement recordkeeping platforms, may not have been tracking such holding periods and therefore may not be able to process such conversions. In such instances, the automatic conversion of Investor C Shares to Investor A Shares will occur approximately eight years after the Effective Date. The automatic conversion of Investor C Shares to Investor A Shares is not a taxable event for Federal income tax purposes. Please consult your Financial Intermediary for additional information.
In addition, accounts that do not have a Financial Intermediary associated with them are not eligible to hold Investor C Shares, and any Investor C Shares held in such accounts will be automatically converted to Investor A Shares.
See the “Intermediary-Defined Sales Charge Waiver Policies” section beginning on page A-1 of the Fund’s prospectus for sales charge reductions and waivers that may be available to customers of certain Financial Intermediaries.
You will also pay distribution fees of 0.75% and service fees of 0.25% for Investor C Shares each year. Because these fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges. The Distributor uses the money that it receives from the deferred sales charges and the distribution fees to cover the costs of marketing, advertising and compensating the Financial Intermediary who assists you in purchasing Fund shares.
The Distributor currently pays dealers a sales concession of 1.00% of the purchase price of Investor C Shares from its own resources at the time of sale. The Distributor pays the annual Investor C Shares distribution fee and the annual Investor C Shares service fee as an ongoing concession and as a shareholder servicing fee, respectively, to dealers for Investor C Shares held for over a year and normally retains the Investor C Shares distribution fee and service fee during the first year after purchase. For certain employer-sponsored retirement plans, the Distributor will pay the full Investor C Shares distribution fee and service fee to dealers beginning in the first year after purchase in lieu of paying the sales concession. This may depend on the policies, procedures and trading platforms of your Financial Intermediary; consult your financial adviser.
Contingent Deferred Sales Charge Waivers The deferred sales charge relating to Investor A and Investor C Shares may be reduced or waived in certain circumstances, such as: Redemptions of shares purchased through certain employer-sponsored retirement plans and rollovers of current investments in the Fund through such plans; Exchanges pursuant to the exchange privilege, as described in “How to Buy, Sell, Exchange and Transfer Shares — How to Exchange Shares or Transfer Your Account”; Redemptions made in connection with minimum required distributions from IRA or 403(b)(7) accounts due to the shareholder reaching the age of 72; Redemptions made with respect to certain retirement plans sponsored by the Fund, BlackRock or an affiliate; Redemptions resulting from shareholder death as long as the waiver request is made within one year of death or, if later, reasonably promptly following completion of probate (including in connection with the distribution of account assets to a beneficiary of the decedent); Withdrawals resulting from shareholder disability (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code) as long as the disability arose subsequent to the purchase of the shares; Involuntary redemptions made of shares in accounts with low balances; Certain redemptions made through the Systematic Withdrawal Plan (“SWP”) offered by the Fund, BlackRock or an affiliate; Redemptions related to the payment of BNY Mellon Investment Servicing Trust Company custodial IRA fees; and
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Redemptions when a shareholder can demonstrate hardship, in the absolute discretion of the Fund.
See the “Intermediary-Defined Sales Charge Waiver Policies” section beginning on page A-1 of the Fund’s prospectus for sales charge reductions and waivers that may be available to customers of certain Financial Intermediaries. More information about existing sales charge reductions and waivers is available free of charge in a clear and prominent format via hyperlink at www.blackrock.com and in the SAI, which is available on the website or on request.
Institutional Shares Institutional Shares are not subject to any sales charge. Only certain investors are eligible to buy Institutional Shares. Your Financial Intermediary can help you determine whether you are eligible to buy Institutional Shares. The Fund may permit a lower initial investment for certain investors if their purchase, combined with purchases by other investors received together by the Fund, meets the minimum investment requirement.
Institutional Shares may also be available on certain brokerage platforms. An investor transacting in Institutional Shares on such brokerage platforms through a broker acting as an agent for the investor may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker. Shares of the Fund are available in other share classes that have different fees and expenses.
Eligible Institutional Shares investors include the following: Individuals and “Institutional Investors” with a minimum initial investment of $2 million who may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares; Clients of Financial Intermediaries that: (i) charge such clients a fee for advisory, investment consulting, or similar services or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Institutional Shares through a no-load program or investment platform, in each case, with no minimum initial investment; Clients investing through Financial Intermediaries that have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer such shares on a platform that charges a transaction based sales commission outside of the Fund, with a minimum initial investment of $1,000;
Certain employee benefits plans, such as health savings accounts, and certain employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs), state sponsored 529 college savings plans, collective trust funds, investment companies or other pooled investment vehicles, unaffiliated thrifts and unaffiliated banks and trust companies, each of which is not subject to any minimum initial investment and may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares; Trust department clients of Bank of America, N.A. and its affiliates for whom they (i) act in a fiduciary capacity (excluding participant directed employee benefit plans); (ii) otherwise have investment discretion; or (iii) act as custodian for at least $2 million in assets, who are not subject to any minimum initial investment;
Holders of certain Bank of America Corporation (“BofA Corp.”) sponsored unit investment trusts (“UITs”) who reinvest dividends received from such UITs in shares of the Fund, who are not subject to any minimum initial investment; Employees, officers and directors/trustees of BlackRock, Inc., BlackRock Funds, BofA Corp., Barclays or their respective affiliates and immediate family members of such persons who are not subject to any minimum initial investment; Tax-qualified accounts for insurance agents that are registered representatives of an insurance company’s broker dealer that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Institutional Shares, and the family members of such persons; and Clients investing through a self-directed IRA brokerage account program sponsored by a retirement plan record keeper, provided that such program offers only mutual fund options and that the program maintains an account with the Fund on an omnibus basis.
The Fund reserves the right to modify or waive the above-stated policies at any time.
Class R Shares Class R Shares are available only to certain employer-sponsored retirement plans. For this purpose, employer sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs. If you buy Class R Shares, you will pay neither an initial sales charge nor a CDSC. However, Class R Shares are subject to a distribution fee of 0.25% per year and a service fee of 0.25% per year. Because these fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges.
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Class R Shares do not offer a conversion privilege.
The Distributor currently pays the annual Class R Shares distribution fee and annual Class R Shares service fee to dealers as an ongoing concession and as a shareholder servicing fee, respectively, on a monthly basis.
Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Payments
Plan Payments The Fund has adopted a plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act with respect to the Investor Shares and Class R Shares that allows the Fund to pay distribution fees for the sale of its shares and/or shareholder servicing fees for certain services provided to its shareholders.
Under the Plan, Investor C and Class R Shares pay a distribution fee to the Distributor and/or its affiliates for distribution and sales support services. The distribution fees may be used to pay the Distributor for distribution and sales support services and to pay the Distributor and BlackRock and its affiliates for sales support services provided and related expenses incurred in connection with the sale of Investor C and Class R Shares. The distribution fees may also be used to pay Financial Intermediaries for sales support services and related expenses. All Investor C and Class R Shares pay a maximum distribution fee per year that is a percentage of the average daily net asset value of the Investor C and Class R Shares of the Fund. Institutional and Investor A Shares do not pay distribution fees.
Under the Plan, the Fund also pays shareholder servicing fees (also referred to as general shareholder liaison services fees) to Financial Intermediaries for providing support services to their customers who own Investor Shares and/or Class R Shares of the Fund. The shareholder servicing fee payment is calculated as a percentage of the average daily net asset value of Investor Shares and Class R Shares of the Fund. All Investor Shares and Class R Shares pay this shareholder servicing fee. Institutional Shares do not pay a shareholder servicing fee.
In return for the shareholder servicing fee, Financial Intermediaries (including BlackRock) may provide one or more of the following services to their customers who own Investor Shares and Class R Shares:
Answering customer inquiries regarding account status and history, the manner in which purchases, exchanges and redemptions or repurchases of shares may be effected and certain other matters pertaining to the customers’ investments; Assisting customers in designating and changing dividend options, account designations and addresses; and Providing other similar shareholder liaison services.
The shareholder servicing fees payable pursuant to the Plan are paid to compensate Financial Intermediaries for the administration and servicing of shareholder accounts and are not costs which are primarily intended to result in the sale of the Fund’s shares.
Because the fees paid by the Fund under the Plan are paid out of Fund assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges. In addition, the distribution fees paid by Investor C and Class R Shares may over time cost investors more than the front end sales charge on Investor A Shares. For more information on the Plan, including a complete list of services provided thereunder, see the SAI.
Other Payments by the Fund In addition to fees that the Fund may pay to a Financial Intermediary pursuant to the Plan and fees the Fund pays to its transfer agent, BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. (the “Transfer Agent”), BlackRock, on behalf of the Fund, may enter into non-Plan agreements with affiliated and unaffiliated Financial Intermediaries pursuant to which the Fund will pay a Financial Intermediary for administrative, networking, recordkeeping, sub-transfer agency, sub-accounting and/or shareholder services. These non-Plan payments are generally based on either (1) a percentage of the average daily net assets of Fund shareholders serviced by a Financial Intermediary or (2) a fixed dollar amount for each account serviced by a Financial Intermediary. The aggregate amount of these payments may be substantial.
Other Payments by BlackRock From time to time, BlackRock, the Distributor or their affiliates also may pay a portion of the fees for administrative, networking, recordkeeping, sub-transfer agency, sub-accounting and shareholder services described above at its or their own expense and out of its or their profits. BlackRock, the Distributor and their affiliates may also compensate affiliated and unaffiliated Financial Intermediaries for the sale and distribution of shares of the Fund. These payments would be in addition to the Fund payments described in this prospectus and may be a fixed dollar amount, may be based on the number of customer accounts maintained by the Financial Intermediary, may be based on a percentage of the value of shares sold to, or held by, customers of the Financial Intermediary or may be calculated on another
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basis. The aggregate amount of these payments by BlackRock, the Distributor and their affiliates may be substantial and, in some circumstances, may create an incentive for a Financial Intermediary, its employees or associated persons to recommend or sell shares of the Fund to you.
Please contact your Financial Intermediary for details about payments it may receive from the Fund or from BlackRock, the Distributor or their affiliates. For more information, see the SAI.
How to Buy, Sell, Exchange and Transfer Shares
The chart on the following pages summarizes how to buy, sell, exchange and transfer shares through your Financial Intermediary. You may also buy, sell, exchange and transfer shares through BlackRock if your account is held directly with BlackRock. To learn more about buying, selling, exchanging or transferring shares through BlackRock, call (800) 441-7762. Because the selection of a mutual fund involves many considerations, your Financial Intermediary may help you with this decision.
With certain limited exceptions, the Fund is generally available only to investors residing in the United States and may not be distributed by a foreign Financial Intermediary. Under this policy, in order to accept new accounts or additional investments (including by way of exchange from another BlackRock Fund) into existing accounts, the Fund generally requires that (i) a shareholder that is a natural person be a U.S. citizen or resident alien, in each case residing within the United States or a U.S. territory (including APO/FPO/DPO addresses), and have a valid U.S. taxpayer identification number, and (ii) a Financial Intermediary or a shareholder that is an entity be domiciled in the United States and have a valid U.S. taxpayer identification number or be domiciled in a U.S. territory and have a valid U.S. taxpayer identification number or IRS Form W-8. Any existing account that is updated to reflect a non-U.S. address will also be restricted from making additional investments.
The Fund may reject any purchase order, modify or waive the minimum initial or subsequent investment requirements for any shareholders and suspend and resume the sale of any share class of the Fund at any time for any reason. In addition, the Fund may waive certain requirements regarding the purchase, sale, exchange or transfer of shares described below.
Under certain circumstances, if no activity occurs in an account within a time period specified by state law, a shareholder’s shares in the Fund may be transferred to that state.
How to Buy Shares
Your Choices Important Information for You to Know Initial Purchase First, select the share class appropriate for you
Refer to the “Share Classes at a Glance” table in this prospectus (be sure to read this prospectus carefully). When you place your initial order, you must indicate which share class you select (if you do not specify a share class and do not qualify to purchase Institutional Shares, you will receive Investor A Shares). Certain factors, such as the amount of your investment, your time frame for investing, and your financial goals, may affect which share class you choose. Your Financial Intermediary can help you determine which share class is appropriate for you. Class R Shares are available only to certain employer-sponsored retirement plans. Next, determine the amount of your investment
Refer to the minimum initial investment in the “Share Classes at a Glance” table of this prospectus. Be sure to note the maximum investment amounts in Investor C Shares. See “Account Information — Details About the Share Classes” for information on a lower initial investment requirement for certain Fund investors if their purchase, combined with purchases by other investors received together by the Fund, meets the minimum investment requirement. Have your Financial Intermediary submit your purchase order
The price of your shares is based on the next calculation of the Fund’s net asset value after your order is placed. Any purchase orders placed prior to the close of business on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) will be priced at the net asset value determined that day. Certain Financial Intermediaries, however, may require submission of orders prior to that time. Purchase orders placed after that time will be priced at the net asset value determined on the next business day.
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Your Choices Important Information for You to Know Initial Purchase (continued)
Have your Financial Intermediary submit your purchase order (continued)
A broker-dealer or financial institution maintaining the account in which you hold shares may charge a separate account, service or transaction fee on the purchase or sale of Fund shares that would be in addition to the fees and expenses shown in the Fund’s “Fees and Expenses” table. The Fund may reject any order to buy shares and may suspend the sale of shares at any time. Certain Financial Intermediaries may charge a processing fee to confirm a purchase. Or contact BlackRock (for accounts held directly with BlackRock)
To purchase shares directly from BlackRock, call (800) 441-7762 and request a new account application. Mail the completed application along with a check payable to “BlackRock Funds” to the Transfer Agent at the address on the application. The Fund limits purchases by personal check to $500,000 per trade. Add to Your Investment
Purchase additional shares For Investor A and Investor C Shares, the minimum investment for additional purchases is generally $50 for all accounts (with the exception of certain employer-sponsored retirement plans which may have a lower minimum for additional purchases). The minimums for additional purchases may be waived under certain circumstances. Institutional and Class R Shares have no minimum for additional purchases. Have your Financial Intermediary submit your purchase order for additional shares
To purchase additional shares you may contact your Financial Intermediary. For more details on purchasing by Internet see below.
Or contact BlackRock (for accounts held directly with BlackRock)
Purchase by Telephone: Call (800) 441-7762 and speak with one of our representatives. The Fund has the right to reject any telephone request for any reason. Purchase in Writing: You may send a written request to BlackRock at the address on the back cover of this prospectus. Purchase by VRU: Investor Shares may also be purchased by use of the Fund’s automated voice response unit (“VRU”) service at (800) 441-7762. Purchase by Internet: You may purchase your shares and view activity in your account by logging onto the BlackRock website at www.blackrock.com. Purchases made on the Internet using the Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) will have a trade date that is the day after the purchase is made. Certain institutional clients’ purchase orders of Institutional Shares placed by wire prior to the close of business on the NYSE will be priced at the net asset value determined that day. Contact your Financial Intermediary or BlackRock for further information. The Fund limits Internet purchases in shares of the Fund to $100,000 per account per day. Different maximums may apply to certain institutional investors. Please read the On-Line Services Disclosure Statement and User Agreement, the Terms and Conditions page and the Consent to Electronic Delivery Agreement (if you consent to electronic delivery), before attempting to transact online. The Fund employs reasonable procedures to confirm that transactions entered over the Internet are genuine. By entering into the User Agreement with the Fund in order to open an account through the website, the shareholder waives any right to reclaim any losses from the Fund or any of its affiliates incurred through fraudulent activity. Acquire additional shares by reinvesting dividends and capital gains
All dividends and capital gains distributions are automatically reinvested without a sales charge. To make any changes to your dividend and/or capital gains distributions options, please call (800) 441-7762 or contact your Financial Intermediary (if your account is not held directly with BlackRock). Participate in the AIP BlackRock’s AIP allows you to invest a specific amount on a periodic basis from your checking or savings account into your investment account. Refer to the “Account Services and Privileges” section of this prospectus for additional information.
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Your Choices Important Information for You to Know How to Pay for Shares
Making payment for purchases Payment for an order must be made in Federal funds or other immediately available funds by the time specified by your Financial Intermediary, but in no event later than 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time) on the first business day following BlackRock’s receipt of the order. If payment is not received by this time, the order will be canceled and you and your Financial Intermediary will be responsible for any loss to the Fund. For shares purchased directly from the Fund, a check payable to BlackRock Funds which bears the name of the Fund must accompany a completed purchase application. The Fund limits purchases by personal check to $500,000 per trade. There is a $20 fee for each purchase check that is returned due to insufficient funds. The Fund does not accept third-party checks. You may also wire Federal funds to the Fund to purchase shares, but you must call (800) 441-7762 before doing so to confirm the wiring instructions.
How to Sell Shares
Your Choices Important Information for You to Know Full or Partial Redemption of Shares
Have your Financial Intermediary submit your sales order
You can make redemption requests through your Financial Intermediary. Shareholders should indicate whether they are redeeming Investor A, Investor C, Institutional or Class R Shares. The price of your shares is based on the next calculation of the Fund’s net asset value after your order is placed. For your redemption request to be priced at the net asset value on the day of your request, you must submit your request to your Financial Intermediary prior to that day’s close of business on the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time). Certain Financial Intermediaries, however, may require submission of orders prior to that time. Any redemption request placed after that time will be priced at the net asset value at the close of business on the next business day. Regardless of the method the Fund uses to make payment of your redemption proceeds (check, wire or ACH), your redemption proceeds typically will be sent one business day after your request is submitted, but in any event, within seven days. Certain Financial Intermediaries may charge a fee to process a redemption of shares. The Fund may reject an order to sell shares under certain circumstances. Selling shares held directly with BlackRock
Methods of Redeeming Redeem by Telephone: You may redeem Investor Shares held directly with BlackRock by telephone request if certain conditions are met and if the amount being sold is less than (i) $100,000 for payments by check or (ii) $250,000 for payments through ACH or wire transfer. Certain redemption requests, such as those in excess of these amounts, must be in writing with a medallion signature guarantee. For Institutional Shares, certain redemption requests may require written instructions with a medallion signature guarantee. Call (800) 441-7762 for details. You can obtain a medallion signature guarantee stamp from a bank, securities dealer, securities broker, credit union, savings and loan association, national securities exchange or registered securities association. A notary public seal will not be acceptable. The Fund, its administrators and the Distributor will employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine. The Fund and its service providers will not be liable for any loss, liability, cost or expense for acting upon telephone instructions that are reasonably believed to be genuine in accordance with such procedures. The Fund may refuse a telephone redemption request if it believes it is advisable to do so.
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Your Choices Important Information for You to Know Full or Partial Redemption of Shares (continued)
Selling shares held directly with BlackRock (continued)
During periods of substantial economic or market change, telephone redemptions may be difficult to complete. Please find alternative redemption methods below. Redeem by VRU: Investor Shares may also be redeemed by use of the Fund’s automated VRU service. Payment for Investor Shares redeemed by the VRU service may be made for non-retirement accounts in amounts up to $25,000, either through check, ACH or wire. Redeem by Internet: You may redeem in your account by logging onto the BlackRock website at www.blackrock.com. Proceeds from Internet redemptions may be sent via check, ACH or wire to the bank account of record. Payment for shares redeemed by Internet may be made for non retirement accounts in amounts up to $100,000 per account per day, either through check, ACH or wire. Different maximums may apply to certain institutional investors. Redeem in Writing: You may sell shares held at BlackRock by writing to BlackRock, P.O. Box 534429, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15253-4429 or for overnight delivery, Attention: 534429, 1350 Penn Avenue, Suite 102, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222. All shareholders on the account must sign the letter. A medallion signature guarantee will generally be required but may be waived in certain limited circumstances. You can obtain a medallion signature guarantee stamp from a bank, securities dealer, securities broker, credit union, savings and loan association, national securities exchange or registered securities association. A notary public seal will not be acceptable. If you hold stock certificates, return the certificates with the letter. Proceeds from redemptions may be sent via check, ACH or wire to the bank account of record. Payment of Redemption Proceeds Redemption proceeds may be paid by check or, if the Fund has verified banking information on file, through ACH or by wire transfer. Payment by Check: BlackRock will normally mail redemption proceeds within one business day following receipt of a properly completed request, but in any event within seven days. Shares can be redeemed by telephone and the proceeds sent by check to the shareholder at the address on record. Shareholders will pay $15 for redemption proceeds sent by check via overnight mail. You are responsible for any additional charges imposed by your bank for this service. The Fund reserves the right to reinvest any dividend or distribution amounts ( e.g ., income dividends or capital gains) which you have elected to receive by check should your check be returned as undeliverable or remain uncashed for more than 6 months. No interest will accrue on amounts represented by uncashed checks. Your check will be reinvested in your account at the net asset value next calculated, on the day of the investment. When reinvested, those amounts are subject to the risk of loss like any Fund investment. If you elect to receive distributions in cash and a check remains undeliverable or uncashed for more than 6 months, your cash election may also be changed automatically to reinvest and your future dividend and capital gains distributions will be reinvested in the Fund at the net asset value as of the date of payment of the distribution. Payment by Wire Transfer: Payment for redeemed shares for which a redemption order is received before 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time) on a business day is normally made in Federal funds wired to the redeeming shareholder on the next business day, provided that the Fund’s custodian is also open for business. Payment for redemption orders received after 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time) or on a day when the Fund’s custodian is closed is normally wired in Federal funds on the next business day following redemption on which the Fund’s custodian is open for business. The Fund reserves the right to wire redemption proceeds within seven days after receiving a redemption order if, in the judgment of the Fund, an earlier payment could adversely affect the Fund.
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Your Choices Important Information for You to Know Full or Partial Redemption of Shares (continued)
Selling shares held directly with BlackRock (continued)
If a shareholder has given authorization for expedited redemption, shares can be redeemed by Federal wire transfer to a single previously designated bank account. Shareholders will pay $7.50 for redemption proceeds sent by Federal wire transfer. You are responsible for any additional charges imposed by your bank for this service. No charge for wiring redemption payments with respect to Institutional Shares is imposed by the Fund. The Fund is not responsible for the efficiency of the Federal wire system or the shareholder’s firm or bank. To change the name of the single, designated bank account to receive wire redemption proceeds, it is necessary to send a written request to the Fund at the address on the back cover of this prospectus. Payment by ACH: Redemption proceeds may be sent to the shareholder’s bank account (checking or savings) via ACH. Payment for redeemed shares for which a redemption order is received before 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time) on a business day is normally sent to the redeeming shareholder the next business day, with receipt at the receiving bank within the next two business days (48-72 hours), provided that the Fund’s custodian is also open for business. Payment for redemption orders received after 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time) or on a day when the Fund’s custodian is closed is normally sent on the next business day following redemption on which the Fund’s custodian is open for business. The Fund reserves the right to send redemption proceeds within seven days after receiving a redemption order if, in the judgment of the Fund, an earlier payment could adversely affect the Fund. No charge for sending redemption payments via ACH is imposed by the Fund. *** If you make a redemption request before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares, the Fund may delay mailing your proceeds. This delay will usually not exceed ten days. Redemption Proceeds Under normal circumstances, the Fund expects to meet redemption requests by using cash or cash equivalents in its portfolio or by selling portfolio assets to generate cash. During periods of stressed market conditions, when a significant portion of the Fund’s portfolio may be comprised of less-liquid investments, the Fund may be more likely to limit cash redemptions and may determine to pay redemption proceeds by (i) borrowing under a line of credit it has entered into with a group of lenders and/or (ii) transferring portfolio securities in-kind to you. The SAI includes more information about the Fund’s line of credit. If the Fund pays redemption proceeds by transferring portfolio securities in-kind to you, you may pay transaction costs to dispose of the securities, and you may receive less for them than the price at which they were valued for purposes of redemption.
How to Exchange Shares or Transfer Your Account
Your Choices Important Information for You to Know Exchange Privilege Selling shares of one BlackRock Fund to purchase shares of another BlackRock Fund (“exchanging”)
Investor or Institutional Shares of the Fund are generally exchangeable for shares of the same class of another BlackRock Fund, to the extent such shares are offered by your Financial Intermediary. No exchange privilege is available for Class R Shares. You can exchange $1,000 or more of Investor Shares from one fund into the same class of another fund which offers that class of shares (you can exchange less than $1,000 of Investor Shares if you already have an account in the fund into which you are exchanging). Investors who currently own Institutional Shares of the Fund may make exchanges into Institutional Shares of other BlackRock Funds except for investors holding shares through certain client accounts at Financial Intermediaries that are omnibus with the Fund and do not meet applicable minimums.
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Your Choices Important Information for You to Know Exchange Privilege (continued)
Selling shares of one BlackRock Fund to purchase shares of another BlackRock Fund (“exchanging”) (continued)
There is no required minimum amount with respect to exchanges of Institutional Shares. You may only exchange into a share class and fund that are open to new investors or in which you have a current account if the fund is closed to new investors. Some of the BlackRock Funds impose a different initial or deferred sales charge schedule. The CDSC will continue to be measured from the date of the original purchase. The CDSC schedule applicable to your original purchase will apply to the shares you receive in the exchange and any subsequent exchange. To exercise the exchange privilege, you may contact your Financial Intermediary. Alternatively, if your account is held directly with BlackRock, you may: (i) call (800) 441-7762 and speak with one of our representatives, (ii) make the exchange via the Internet by accessing your account online at www.blackrock.com, or (iii) send a written request to the Fund at the address on the back cover of this prospectus. Please note, if you indicated on your new account application that you did not want the Telephone Exchange Privilege, you will not be able to place exchanges via the telephone until you update this option either in writing or by calling (800) 441-7762. The Fund has the right to reject any telephone request for any reason. Although there is currently no limit on the number of exchanges that you can make, the exchange privilege may be modified or terminated at any time in the future. The Fund may suspend or terminate your exchange privilege at any time for any reason, including if the Fund believes, in its sole discretion, that you are engaging in market timing activities. See “Short-Term Trading Policy” below. For U.S. federal income tax purposes a share exchange is a taxable event and a capital gain or loss may be realized. Please consult your tax adviser or other Financial Intermediary before making an exchange request. Transfer Shares to Another Financial Intermediary
Transfer to a participating Financial Intermediary
You may transfer your shares of the Fund only to another Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor. Certain shareholder services may not be available for the transferred shares. All future trading of these assets must be coordinated by the receiving firm. If your account is held directly with BlackRock, you may call (800) 441-7762 with any questions; otherwise please contact your Financial Intermediary to accomplish the transfer of shares. Transfer to a non-participating Financial Intermediary
You must either: • Transfer your shares to an account with the Fund; or • Sell your shares, paying any applicable deferred sales charge. If your account is held directly with BlackRock, you may call (800) 441-7762 with any questions; otherwise please contact your Financial Intermediary to accomplish the transfer of shares.
Account Services and Privileges
The following table provides examples of account services and privileges available in your BlackRock account. Certain of these account services and privileges are only available to shareholders of Investor Shares whose accounts are held directly with BlackRock. If your account is held directly with BlackRock, please call (800) 441-7762 or visit www.blackrock.com for additional information as well as forms and applications. Otherwise, please contact your Financial Intermediary for assistance in requesting one or more of the following services and privileges.
Automatic Investment Plan
Allows systematic investments on a periodic basis from your checking or savings account.
BlackRock’s AIP allows you to invest a specific amount on a periodic basis from your checking or savings account into your investment account. You may apply for this option upon account opening or by completing the AIP application. The minimum investment amount for an automatic investment is $50 per portfolio.
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Dividend Allocation Plan
Automatically invests your distributions into another BlackRock Fund of your choice pursuant to your instructions, without any fees or sales charges.
Dividend and capital gains distributions may be reinvested in your account to purchase additional shares or paid in cash. Using the Dividend Allocation Plan, you can direct your distributions to your bank account (checking or savings), to purchase shares of another fund at BlackRock without any fees or sales charges, or by check to a special payee. Please call (800) 441-7762 for details. If investing in another fund at BlackRock, the receiving fund must be open to new purchases. EZ Trader Allows an investor to purchase or sell Investor Shares by telephone or over the Internet through ACH.
(NOTE: This option is offered to shareholders whose accounts are held directly with BlackRock. Please speak with your Financial Intermediary if your account is held elsewhere.) Prior to establishing an EZ Trader account, please contact your bank to confirm that it is a member of the ACH system. Once confirmed, complete an application, making sure to include the appropriate bank information, and return the application to the address listed on the form. Prior to placing a telephone or Internet purchase or sale order, please call (800) 441-7762 to confirm that your bank information has been updated on your account. Once this is established, you may place your request to sell shares with the Fund by telephone or Internet. Proceeds will be sent to your pre-designated bank account. Systematic Exchange Plan
This feature can be used by investors to systematically exchange money from one fund to up to four other funds.
A minimum of $10,000 in the initial BlackRock Fund is required, and investments in any additional funds must meet minimum initial investment requirements.
Systematic Withdrawal Plan
This feature can be used by investors who want to receive regular distributions from their accounts.
To start an SWP, a shareholder must have a current investment of $10,000 or more in a BlackRock Fund. Shareholders can elect to receive cash payments of $50 or more at any interval they choose. Shareholders may sign up by completing the SWP Application Form, which may be obtained from BlackRock. Shareholders should realize that if withdrawals exceed income the invested principal in their account will be depleted. To participate in the SWP, shareholders must have their dividends reinvested. Shareholders may change or cancel the SWP at any time, with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice. If a shareholder purchases additional Investor A Shares of a fund at the same time he or she redeems shares through the SWP, that investor may lose money because of the sales charge involved. No CDSC will be assessed on redemptions of Investor A or Investor C Shares made through the SWP that do not exceed 12% of the account’s net asset value on an annualized basis. For example, monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual SWP redemptions of Investor A or Investor C Shares will not be subject to the CDSC if they do not exceed 1%, 3% and 6%, respectively, of an account’s net asset value on the redemption date. SWP redemptions of Investor A or Investor C Shares in excess of this limit will still pay any applicable CDSC. Ask your Financial Intermediary for details. Reinstatement Privilege
If you redeem Investor A or Institutional Shares and buy new Investor A Shares of the same or another BlackRock Fund (equal to all or a portion of the redemption amount) within 90 days of such redemption, you will not pay a sales charge on the new purchase amount. This right may be exercised within 90 days of the redemption, provided that the Investor A Share class of that fund is currently open to new investors or the shareholder has a current account in that closed fund. Shares will be purchased at the net asset value calculated at the close of trading on the day the request is received. To exercise this privilege, the Fund must receive written notification from the shareholder of record or the Financial Intermediary of record, at the time of purchase. Investors should consult a tax adviser concerning the tax consequences of exercising this reinstatement privilege.
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Fund’s Rights
The Fund may: Suspend the right of redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the NYSE or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act; Postpone the date of payment upon redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the NYSE or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act or if a redemption request is made before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares; Redeem shares for property other than cash as may be permitted under the Investment Company Act; and Redeem shares involuntarily in certain cases, such as when the value of a shareholder account falls below a specified level.
Note on Low Balance Accounts. Because of the high cost of maintaining smaller shareholder accounts, BlackRock has set a minimum balance of $500 in each Fund position you hold within your account (the “Fund Minimum”), and may redeem the shares in your account if the net asset value of those shares in your account falls below $500 for any reason, including market fluctuation.
You will be notified that the value of your account is less than the Fund Minimum before the Fund makes any involuntary redemption. This notification will provide you with a 90 calendar day period to make an additional investment in order to bring the value of your account to at least $500 before the Fund makes an involuntary redemption. This involuntary redemption will not charge any deferred sales charge, and may not apply to accounts of certain employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including IRAs), qualified state tuition plan (529 Plan) accounts, and select fee-based programs at your Financial Intermediary.
Participation in Fee-Based Programs
If you participate in certain fee-based programs offered by BlackRock or an affiliate of BlackRock, or by Financial Intermediaries that have agreements with the Distributor or in certain fee-based programs in which BlackRock participates, you may be able to buy Institutional Shares, including by exchanges from other share classes. Sales charges on the shares being exchanged may be reduced or waived under certain circumstances. You generally cannot transfer shares held through a fee-based program into another account. Instead, if you choose to leave the fee-based program, you may have to redeem your shares held through the program and purchase shares of another class, which may be subject to distribution and service fees. This may be a taxable event and you may pay any applicable sales charges or redemption fee. Please speak to your Financial Intermediary for information about specific policies and procedures applicable to your account.
Generally, upon termination of a fee-based program, the shares may be liquidated or the shares can be held in an account. In certain instances, when a shareholder chooses to continue to hold the shares, whatever share class was held in the program can be held after termination. Shares that have been held for less than specified periods within the program may be subject to a fee upon redemption. Shareholders that held Investor A or Institutional Shares in the program may be eligible to purchase additional shares of the respective share class of the Fund, but may be subject to upfront sales charges with respect to Investor A Shares. Additional purchases of Institutional Shares are permitted only if you have an existing position at the time of purchase or are otherwise eligible to purchase Institutional Shares. Please speak to your Financial Intermediary for more information.
Certain Financial Intermediaries may, in connection with a change in account type (for example, due to leaving a fee based program or upon termination of the fee-based program) or otherwise in accordance with the Financial Intermediary’s policies and procedures, exchange the share class held in the program for another share class of the same fund, provided that the exchanged shares are not subject to a sales charge and the shareholder meets the eligibility requirements of the new share class. Please speak to your Financial Intermediary for information about specific policies and procedures applicable to your account.
Details about the features of each fee-based program and the relevant charges, terms and conditions are included in the client agreement for each fee-based program and are available from your Financial Intermediary. Please speak to your Financial Intermediary for more information.
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Short-Term Trading Policy
The Board of Directors (the “Board”) has determined that the interests of long-term shareholders and the Fund’s ability to manage its investments may be adversely affected when shares are repeatedly bought, sold or exchanged in response to short-term market fluctuations — also known as “market timing.” The Fund is not designed for market timing organizations or other entities using programmed or frequent purchases and sales or exchanges. The exchange privilege for Investor Shares and Institutional Shares is not intended as a vehicle for short-term trading. Excessive purchase and sale or exchange activity may interfere with portfolio management, increase expenses and taxes and may have an adverse effect on the performance of the Fund and its returns to shareholders. For example, large flows of cash into and out of the Fund may require the management team to allocate a significant amount of assets to cash or other short-term investments or sell securities, rather than maintaining such assets in securities selected to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Frequent trading may cause the Fund to sell securities at less favorable prices, and transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions, can reduce the Fund’s performance.
A fund’s investment in non-U.S. securities is subject to the risk that an investor may seek to take advantage of a delay between the change in value of the fund’s portfolio securities and the determination of the fund’s net asset value as a result of different closing times of U.S. and non-U.S. markets by buying or selling fund shares at a price that does not reflect their true value. A similar risk exists for funds that invest in securities of small capitalization companies, securities of issuers located in emerging markets or high yield securities (junk bonds) that are thinly traded and therefore may have actual values that differ from their market prices. This short-term arbitrage activity can reduce the return received by long-term shareholders. The Fund will seek to eliminate these opportunities by using fair value pricing, as described in “Management of the Fund — Valuation of Fund Investments” below.
The Fund discourages market timing and seeks to prevent frequent purchases and sales or exchanges of Fund shares that it determines may be detrimental to the Fund or long-term shareholders. The Board has approved the policies discussed below to seek to deter market timing activity. The Board has not adopted any specific numerical restrictions on purchases, sales and exchanges of Fund shares because certain legitimate strategies will not result in harm to the Fund or its shareholders.
If as a result of its own investigation, information provided by a Financial Intermediary or other third-party, or otherwise, the Fund believes, in its sole discretion, that your short-term trading is excessive or that you are engaging in market timing activity, it reserves the right to reject any specific purchase or exchange order. If the Fund rejects your purchase or exchange order, you will not be able to execute that transaction, and the Fund will not be responsible for any losses you therefore may suffer. For transactions placed directly with the Fund, the Fund may consider the trading history of accounts under common ownership or control for the purpose of enforcing these policies. Transactions placed through the same Financial Intermediary on an omnibus basis may be deemed part of a group for the purpose of this policy and may be rejected in whole or in part by the Fund. Certain accounts, such as omnibus accounts and accounts at Financial Intermediaries, however, include multiple investors and such accounts typically provide the Fund with net purchase or redemption and exchange requests on any given day where purchases, redemptions and exchanges of shares are netted against one another and the identity of individual purchasers, redeemers and exchangers whose orders are aggregated may not be known by the Fund. While the Fund monitors for market timing activity, the Fund may be unable to identify such activities because the netting effect in omnibus accounts often makes it more difficult to locate and eliminate market timers from the Fund. The Distributor has entered into agreements with respect to Financial Intermediaries that maintain omnibus accounts with the Transfer Agent pursuant to which such Financial Intermediaries undertake to cooperate with the Distributor in monitoring purchase, exchange and redemption orders by their customers in order to detect and prevent short-term or excessive trading in the Fund’s shares through such accounts. Identification of market timers may also be limited by operational systems and technical limitations. In the event that a Financial Intermediary is determined by the Fund to be engaged in market timing or other improper trading activity, the Fund’s Distributor may terminate such Financial Intermediary’s agreement with the Distributor, suspend such Financial Intermediary’s trading privileges or take other appropriate actions.
There is no assurance that the methods described above will prevent market timing or other trading that may be deemed abusive.
The Fund may from time to time use other methods that it believes are appropriate to deter market timing or other trading activity that may be detrimental to the Fund or long-term shareholders.
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Management of the Fund
BlackRock
BlackRock, the Fund’s investment adviser, manages the Fund’s investments and its business operations subject to the oversight of the Board of the Fund. While BlackRock is ultimately responsible for the management of the Fund, it is able to draw upon the trading, research and expertise of its asset management affiliates for portfolio decisions and management with respect to certain portfolio securities. BlackRock is an indirect, majority-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc.
BlackRock, a registered investment adviser, was organized in 1994 to perform advisory services for investment companies. BlackRock International Limited, the Fund’s sub-adviser (the “Sub-Adviser”), is a registered investment adviser organized in 1995 and is an affiliate of BlackRock. BlackRock and its affiliates had approximately $15.3 trillion in investment company and other portfolio assets under management as of June 30, 2026.
The Fund has entered into a management agreement (the “Management Agreement”) with BlackRock. Under the Management Agreement, BlackRock receives for its services to the Fund a monthly fee as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. With respect to the Fund, the maximum annual management fees that can be paid to BlackRock (as a percentage of average daily net assets) are calculated as follows:
Average Daily Net Assets Rate of Management Fee First $250 million 0.500% $250 million – $300 million 0.450% $300 million – $400 million 0.425% Greater than $400 million 0.400%
BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive the management fee with respect to any portion of the Fund’s assets estimated to be attributable to investments in other equity and fixed-income mutual funds and exchange-traded funds managed by BlackRock or its affiliates that have a contractual management fee through June 30, 2028. In addition, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive its management fees by the amount of investment advisory fees the Fund pays to the Manager indirectly through its investment in money market funds managed by BlackRock or its affiliates, through June 30, 2028. The contractual agreements may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non interested directors of the Fund or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.
BlackRock has entered into a sub-advisory agreement with the Sub-Adviser, an affiliate of BlackRock, with respect to the Fund. Under the sub-advisory agreement, BlackRock pays the Sub-Adviser for services it provides for that portion of the Fund for which the Sub-Adviser acts as sub-adviser a fee equal to a percentage of the management fee paid to BlackRock under the Management Agreement with respect to the Fund.
A discussion of the basis for the Board’s approval of the Management Agreement with BlackRock and the sub-advisory agreement with the Sub-Adviser is available in the Fund’s reports filed on Form N-CSR for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2026.
For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2026, BlackRock received a management fee, net of management fee waivers, at the annual rate of 0.41% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.
From time to time, a manager, analyst, or other employee of BlackRock or its affiliates may express views regarding a particular asset class, company, security, industry, or market sector. The views expressed by any such person are the views of only that individual as of the time expressed and do not necessarily represent the views of BlackRock or any other person within the BlackRock organization. Any such views are subject to change at any time based upon market or other conditions and BlackRock disclaims any responsibility to update such views. These views may not be relied on as investment advice and, because investment decisions for the Fund are based on numerous factors, may not be relied on as an indication of trading intent on behalf of the Fund.
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Portfolio Manager Information
Information regarding the portfolio managers of the Fund is set forth below. Further information regarding the portfolio managers, including other accounts managed, compensation, ownership of Fund shares, and possible conflicts of interest, is available in the Fund’s SAI.
Portfolio Manager Primary Role Since Title and Recent Biography Philip Green Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund.
2006 Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2006.
Michael Pensky, CFA Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund.
2022 Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2021; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2018 to 2020.
Daniel Felder, CFA Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund.
2022 Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2021; Vice President of BlackRock, Inc. from 2017 to 2020.
Raffaele Savi Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio.
2022 Senior Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2023; Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2009 to 2022. Richard Mathieson Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio.
2022 Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2011.
Anna Hawley, CFA
Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio.
2022 Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2022; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2009 to 2021. Scott Radell Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio.
2022 Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009.
Jasmita Mohan Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio.
2023 Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2019.
Conflicts of Interest
The investment activities of BlackRock and its affiliates (including BlackRock, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Affiliates”)), and their respective directors, officers or employees, in managing their own accounts and other accounts, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders.
BlackRock and its Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and in the ordinary course of business may engage in activities in which their interests or the interests of other clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BlackRock and its Affiliates act, or may act, as an investor, research provider, investment manager, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, trader, lender, index provider, agent and/or principal. BlackRock and its Affiliates may have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities, derivatives and other assets in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest.
BlackRock and its Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading and advise accounts and other funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same or similar types of securities, currencies and other assets as are held by the Fund. This may include transactions in securities issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, including investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BlackRock, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act. The trading activities of BlackRock and its Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the 51
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Fund. These activities may result in BlackRock or an Affiliate having positions in assets that are senior or junior to, or that have interests different from or adverse to, the assets held by the Fund.
The Fund may invest in securities issued by, or engage in other transactions with, entities with which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund may also invest in issuances (such as debt offerings or structured notes) for which an Affiliate is compensated for providing advisory, cash management or other services. The Fund also may invest in securities of, or engage in other transactions with, entities for which an Affiliate provides or may provide research coverage or other analysis.
An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and receive compensation from, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund.
Neither BlackRock nor any Affiliate is under any obligation to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. The results of the Fund’s investment activities, therefore, may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate. It is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
In addition, the Fund may enter into transactions in which BlackRock or an Affiliate or their directors, officers, employees or clients have an adverse interest. The Fund may be adversely impacted by the effects of transactions undertaken by BlackRock or an Affiliate or their directors, officers, employees or clients.
From time to time, BlackRock or its advisory clients (including other funds and accounts) may, subject to compliance with applicable law, purchase and hold shares of the Fund. The price, availability, liquidity, and (in some cases) expense ratio of the Fund may be impacted by purchases and sales of the Fund by BlackRock or its advisory clients.
The Fund’s activities may be limited because of regulatory restrictions applicable to BlackRock or an Affiliate or their policies designed to comply with such restrictions.
Under a securities lending program approved by the Board, the Fund has retained BlackRock Investment Management, LLC, an Affiliate of BlackRock, to serve as its securities lending agent to the extent that it participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the securities lending agent will receive a fee from the participating Fund based on the returns earned on the Fund’s lending activities, including the investment of the cash received as collateral for the loaned securities. In addition, one or more Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
BlackRock and its Affiliates may benefit from a fund using a BlackRock index by creating increasing acceptance in the marketplace for such indexes. BlackRock and its Affiliates are not obligated to license an index to a fund, and no fund is under an obligation to use a BlackRock index. The terms of a fund’s index licensing agreement with BlackRock or its Affiliates may not be as favorable as the terms offered to other licensees.
The activities of BlackRock and its Affiliates and their respective directors, officers or employees, may give rise to other conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. Please see the SAI for further information.
Valuation of Fund Investments
When you buy shares, you pay the net asset value, plus any applicable sales charge. This is the offering price. Shares are also redeemed at their net asset value, minus any applicable sales charge or redemption fee. The net asset value used in determining your share price is the next one calculated after your purchase or redemption order is received. The net asset value of each class of shares normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the close of regular trading hours of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time), on each day that the NYSE is open for trading, based on prices at the time of closing, provided that any Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. The net asset value of shares is calculated by dividing the value of the net assets of each class of shares (i.e., the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of outstanding shares of the class, generally rounded to the nearest cent.
Generally, Institutional Shares will have the highest net asset value because that class has the lowest expenses. Investor A Shares will have a higher net asset value than Investor C or Class R Shares, and Class R Shares will have a higher net asset value than Investor C Shares. Also, dividends paid on Investor A, Institutional and Class R Shares will generally be higher than dividends paid on Investor C Shares because Investor A, Institutional and Class R Shares have lower expenses.
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The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities held by the Fund is determined pursuant to BlackRock’s valuation policies and procedures. BlackRock has been designated by the Board as the valuation designee for the Fund pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Investment Company Act.
Equity securities and other equity instruments (except ETF options, equity index options or those that are customized) for which market quotations are readily available are valued at market value, which is generally determined using the last reported official closing price or, if a reported closing price is not available, the last traded price on the exchange or market on which the security or instrument is primarily traded at the time of valuation. Shares of underlying open end funds that are not traded on an exchange (including money market funds) are valued at net asset value. Shares of underlying exchange-traded closed-end funds or other ETFs are valued at their most recent closing price.
The Fund values fixed-income portfolio securities and certain derivative instruments using prices provided by dealers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by the Fund’s approved independent third-party pricing services, each in accordance with BlackRock’s valuation policies and procedures. Pricing services may use valuation models that utilize certain inputs and assumptions to derive values. Pricing services generally value fixed-income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but the Fund may hold or transact in such securities in smaller odd lot sizes. Odd lots of securities in certain asset classes may trade at lower prices than institutional round lots, and the value ultimately realized when the securities are sold could differ from the prices used by the Fund. The amortized cost method of valuation may be used with respect to debt obligations with 60 days or less remaining to maturity unless BlackRock determines in good faith that such method does not represent fair value.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of regular trading hours of the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the net asset value of the Fund’s shares are determined as of such times. U.S. government securities, money market instruments and fixed income securities are generally priced as of close of regular trading hours on the NYSE.
When market quotations are not readily available or are believed by BlackRock to be unreliable, BlackRock will fair value the Fund’s investments in accordance with its policies and procedures. BlackRock may conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of trading or other reasons, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, when there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation, or if the trading market on which a security is listed is suspended or closed and no appropriate alternative trading market is available. A “significant event” is deemed to occur if BlackRock determines, in its reasonable business judgment prior to or at the time of pricing the Fund’s assets or liabilities, that the event is likely to cause a material change to the last exchange closing price or closing market price of one or more assets held by, or liabilities of, the Fund.
For certain foreign assets, a third-party vendor supplies evaluated, systematic fair value pricing based upon the movement of a proprietary multi-factor model after the relevant foreign markets have closed. This systematic fair value pricing methodology is designed to correlate the prices of foreign assets in one or more non-U.S. markets following the close of the local markets to the prices that might have prevailed as of the Fund’s pricing time.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used.
The Fund may accept orders from certain authorized Financial Intermediaries or their designees. The Fund will be deemed to receive an order when accepted by the Financial Intermediary or designee, and the order will receive the net asset value next computed by the Fund after such acceptance. If the payment for a purchase order is not made by a designated later time, the order will be canceled and the Financial Intermediary could be held liable for any losses.
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Dividends, Distributions and Taxes
BUYING A DIVIDEND
Unless your investment is in a tax-deferred account, you may want to avoid buying shares shortly before the Fund pays a dividend. The reason? If you buy shares when the Fund has declared but not yet distributed ordinary income or capital gains, you will pay the full price for the shares and then receive a portion of the price back in the form of a taxable dividend. Before investing you may want to consult your tax adviser.
The Fund will distribute net investment income, if any, and net realized capital gains, if any, at least annually. The Fund may also pay a special distribution at the end of the calendar year to comply with federal tax requirements. Dividends may be reinvested automatically in shares of the Fund at net asset value without a sales charge or may be taken in cash. If you would like to receive dividends in cash, contact your Financial Intermediary or the Fund. Although this cannot be predicted with any certainty, the Fund anticipates that a significant amount of its dividends, if any, will consist of capital gains. Capital gains may be taxable to you at different rates depending on how long the Fund held the assets sold.
You will pay tax on dividends from the Fund whether you receive them in cash or additional shares. If you redeem Fund shares or exchange them for shares of another fund, you generally will be treated as having sold your shares and any gain on the transaction may be subject to tax. Fund distributions derived from qualified dividend income, which consists of dividends received from U.S. corporations and qualifying foreign corporations, and from long-term capital gains are eligible for taxation at a maximum rate of 15% or 20% for individuals, depending on whether their income exceeds certain threshold amounts, which are adjusted annually for inflation.
A 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on the net investment income (which includes, but is not limited to, interest, dividends and net gain from investments) of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000, or $250,000 if married filing jointly, and of trusts and estates.
Your dividends and redemption proceeds will be subject to backup withholding tax if you have not provided a taxpayer identification number or social security number or the number you have provided is incorrect.
If you are neither a tax resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a foreign entity (other than a pass through entity to the extent owned by U.S. persons), the Fund’s ordinary income dividends will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies. However, certain distributions reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends, interest-related dividends or short-term capital gain dividends and paid to a foreign shareholder may be eligible for an exemption from U.S. withholding tax.
Separately, a 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source dividends, interest and other income items paid to (i) certain foreign financial institutions and investment funds, and (ii) certain other foreign entities. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions and investment funds will generally either need to (a) collect and report to the IRS detailed information identifying their U.S. accounts and U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures for identifying U.S. accounts and withhold tax on certain payments made to noncomplying foreign entities and account holders or (b) if an intergovernmental agreement is entered into and implementing legislation is adopted, comply with the agreement and legislation. Other foreign entities will generally either need to provide detailed information identifying each substantial U.S. owner or certify there are no such owners.
Dividends and interest received by the Fund and capital gains recognized by the Fund may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. You may be able to claim a credit or take a deduction for foreign taxes paid by the Fund if certain requirements are met.
This section summarizes some of the consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for individualized tax advice. Consult your tax adviser about the potential tax consequences of an investment in the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
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The financial highlights tables are intended to help investors understand the Fund’s financial performance for the periods shown. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the tables represent the rate of return that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. The information has been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP whose report, along with the Fund’s audited financial statements, is included in the Fund’s Annual Financial Statements and Additional Information for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2026, as filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR, which is available upon request and at www.blackrock.com. BlackRock Balanced Fund, Inc. Institutional
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) Year Ended 05/31/26 Year Ended 05/31/25 Year Ended 05/31/24 Year Ended 05/31/23
Period from 10/01/21 to 05/31/22 Year Ended 09/30/21 Net asset value, beginning of period $ 27.00 $ 26.44 $ 23.22 $ 23.94 $ 28.28 $ 24.89 Net investment income (a) 0.68 0.65 0.58 0.53 0.19 0.23 Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) 4.54 1.90 3.38 (0.40) (1.27) 4.22 Net increase (decrease) from investment operations 5.22 2.55 3.96 0.13 (1.08) 4.45 Distributions (b) From net investment income (0.86) (1.09) (0.74) (0.13) (0.11) (0.24) From net realized gain (1.55) (0.90) — (0.72) (3.15) (0.82) Total distributions (2.41) (1.99) (0.74) (0.85) (3.26) (1.06) Net asset value, end of period $ 29.81 $ 27.00 $ 26.44 $ 23.22 $ 23.94 $ 28.28 Total Return (c) Based on net asset value 20.53% 10.00% 17.39% 0.83% (4.88)% (d) 18.30% Ratios to Average Net Assets (e) Total expenses 0.55% 0.54% 0.55% 0.55% 0.71% (f)(g) 0.75% (h) Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed 0.54% 0.53% 0.53% 0.54% 0.50% (f)(g) 0.50% (h) Net investment income 2.43% 2.44% 2.40% 2.34% 1.08% (f)(g) 0.85% (h) Supplemental Data Net assets, end of period (000) $621,630 $552,461 $525,217 $490,719 $554,201 $666,819 Portfolio turnover rate of the Fund 132% (i) 101% (i) 127% (i) 152% (i) 296% (j) —% (j) Portfolio turnover rate of the Master Total Return Portfolio (i) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 459% Portfolio turnover rate of the Master Advantage Large Cap Core Portfolio N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 111% (a) Based on average shares outstanding. (b) Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. (c) Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions. (d) Not annualized. (e) Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds. (f) Annualized. (g) From October 1, 2021 through April 1, 2022, the Fund invested in the Master Advantage Large Cap Core Portfolio and the Master Total Return Portfolio (the “Master Portfolios”) as part of a master-feeder structure and received its corresponding allocated fees waived and expenses and/or net investment income from the Master Portfolios. Includes the Fund’s share of the Master Portfolios’ allocated fees waived of less than 0.01%. (h) Includes the Fund’s share of the Master Portfolios’ allocated expenses and/or net investment income. Includes the Fund’s share of the Master Portfolios’ allocated fees waived of less than 0.01%. (i) Includes mortgage dollar roll transactions (“MDRs”). Additional information regarding portfolio turnover rate is as follows:
Year Ended 05/31/26 Year Ended 05/31/25 Year Ended 05/31/24 Year Ended 05/31/23
Period from 10/01/21 to 05/31/22 Year Ended 09/30/21 Portfolio turnover rate 98% 79% 99% 117% N/A 161% (j) Excludes transactions in the Master Portfolios.
Financial Highlights
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BlackRock Balanced Fund, Inc. Investor A
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) Year Ended 05/31/26 Year Ended 05/31/25 Year Ended 05/31/24 Year Ended 05/31/23
Period from 10/01/21 to 05/31/22 Year Ended 09/30/21 Net asset value, beginning of period $ 26.81 $ 26.27 $ 23.05 $ 23.79 $ 28.14 $ 24.78 Net investment income (a) 0.61 0.58 0.52 0.47 0.15 0.16 Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) 4.51 1.88 3.35 (0.38) (1.27) 4.20 Net increase (decrease) from investment operations 5.12 2.46 3.87 0.09 (1.12) 4.36 Distributions (b) From net investment income (0.79) (1.02) (0.65) (0.11) (0.08) (0.18) From net realized gain (1.55) (0.90) — (0.72) (3.15) (0.82) Total distributions (2.34) (1.92) (0.65) (0.83) (3.23) (1.00) Net asset value, end of period $ 29.59 $ 26.81 $ 26.27 $ 23.05 $ 23.79 $ 28.14 Total Return (c) Based on net asset value 20.26% 9.71% 17.07% 0.63% (5.06)% (d) 17.98% Ratios to Average Net Assets (e) Total expenses 0.79% 0.78% 0.80% 0.80% 0.95% (f)(g) 1.01% (h) Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed 0.78% 0.77% 0.78% 0.79% 0.75% (f)(g) 0.76% (h) Net investment income 2.19% 2.19% 2.15% 2.09% 0.84% (f)(g) 0.59% (h) Supplemental Data Net assets, end of period (000) $1,000,502 $908,272 $899,668 $844,573 $922,198 $952,967 Portfolio turnover rate of the Fund 132% (i) 101% (i) 127% (i) 152% (i) 296% (j) —% (j) Portfolio turnover rate of the Master Total Return Portfolio (i) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 459% Portfolio turnover rate of the Master Advantage Large Cap Core Portfolio N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 111%
(a) Based on average shares outstanding. (b) Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. (c) Where applicable, excludes the effects of any sales charges and assumes the reinvestment of distributions. (d) Not annualized. (e) Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds. (f) Annualized. (g) From October 1, 2021 through April 1, 2022, the Fund invested in the Master Portfolios as part of a master-feeder structure and received its corresponding allocated fees waived and expenses and/or net investment income from the Master Portfolios. Includes the Fund’s share of the Master Portfolios’ allocated fees waived of less than 0.01%. (h) Includes the Fund’s share of the Master Portfolios’ allocated expenses and/or net investment income. Includes the Fund’s share of the Master Portfolios’ allocated fees waived of less than 0.01%. (i) Includes MDRs. Additional information regarding portfolio turnover rate is as follows:
Year Ended 05/31/26 Year Ended 05/31/25 Year Ended 05/31/24 Year Ended 05/31/23
Period from 10/01/21 to 05/31/22 Year Ended 09/30/21 Portfolio turnover rate 98% 79% 99% 117% N/A 161% (j) Excludes transactions in the Master Portfolios.
Financial Highlights (continued)
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BlackRock Balanced Fund, Inc. Investor C
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) Year Ended 05/31/26 Year Ended 05/31/25 Year Ended 05/31/24 Year Ended 05/31/23
Period from 10/01/21 to 05/31/22 Year Ended 09/30/21 Net asset value, beginning of period $ 21.46 $ 21.40 $ 18.82 $ 19.67 $ 23.81 $ 21.15 Net investment income (loss) (a) 0.31 0.30 0.27 0.24 0.01 (0.04) Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) 3.57 1.52 2.73 (0.33) (1.01) 3.57 Net increase (decrease) from investment operations 3.88 1.82 3.00 (0.09) (1.00) 3.53 Distributions (b) From net investment income (0.64) (0.86) (0.42) (0.04) — (0.05) From net realized gain (1.55) (0.90) — (0.72) (3.14) (0.82) Total distributions (2.19) (1.76) (0.42) (0.76) (3.14) (0.87) Net asset value, end of period $ 23.15 $ 21.46 $ 21.40 $ 18.82 $ 19.67 $ 23.81 Total Return (c) Based on net asset value 19.36% 8.85% 16.16% (0.18)% (5.49)% (d) 17.07% Ratios to Average Net Assets (e) Total expenses 1.55% 1.56% 1.57% 1.56% 1.72% (f)(g) 1.78% (h) Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed 1.54% 1.55% 1.56% 1.55% 1.52% (f)(g) 1.52% (h) Net investment income (loss) 1.42% 1.42% 1.37% 1.33% 0.07% (f)(g) (0.17)% (h) Supplemental Data Net assets, end of period (000) $80,398 $79,597 $87,312 $88,603 $110,628 $134,700 Portfolio turnover rate of the Fund 132% (i) 101% (i) 127% (i) 152% (i) 296% (j) —% (j) Portfolio turnover rate of the Master Total Return Portfolio (i) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 459% Portfolio turnover rate of the Master Advantage Large Cap Core Portfolio N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 111%
(a) Based on average shares outstanding. (b) Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. (c) Where applicable, excludes the effects of any sales charges and assumes the reinvestment of distributions. (d) Not annualized. (e) Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds. (f) Annualized. (g) From October 1, 2021 through April 1, 2022, the Fund invested in the Master Portfolios as part of a master-feeder structure and received its corresponding allocated fees waived and expenses and/or net investment income from the Master Portfolios. Includes the Fund’s share of the Master Portfolios’ allocated fees waived of less than 0.01%. (h) Includes the Fund’s share of the Master Portfolios’ allocated expenses and/or net investment income. Includes the Fund’s share of the Master Portfolios’ allocated fees waived of less than 0.01%. (i) Includes MDRs. Additional information regarding portfolio turnover rate is as follows:
Year Ended 05/31/26 Year Ended 05/31/25 Year Ended 05/31/24 Year Ended 05/31/23
Period from 10/01/21 to 05/31/22 Year Ended 09/30/21 Portfolio turnover rate 98% 79% 99% 117% N/A 161% (j) Excludes transactions in the Master Portfolios.
Financial Highlights (continued)
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BlackRock Balanced Fund, Inc. Class R
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) Year Ended 05/31/26 Year Ended 05/31/25 Year Ended 05/31/24 Year Ended 05/31/23
Period from 10/01/21 to 05/31/22 Year Ended 09/30/21 Net asset value, beginning of period $ 23.59 $ 23.34 $ 20.52 $ 21.32 $ 25.55 $ 22.59 Net investment income (a) 0.44 0.42 0.38 0.34 0.07 0.05 Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) 3.93 1.67 2.97 (0.35) (1.12) 3.83 Net increase (decrease) from investment operations 4.37 2.09 3.35 (0.01) (1.05) 3.88 Distributions (b) From net investment income (0.71) (0.94) (0.53) (0.07) (0.03) (0.10) From net realized gain (1.55) (0.90) — (0.72) (3.15) (0.82) Total distributions (2.26) (1.84) (0.53) (0.79) (3.18) (0.92) Net asset value, end of period $ 25.70 $ 23.59 $ 23.34 $ 20.52 $ 21.32 $ 25.55 Total Return (c) Based on net asset value 19.78% 9.30% 16.60% 0.24% (5.32)% (d) 17.56% Ratios to Average Net Assets (e) Total expenses 1.17% 1.17% 1.19% 1.19% 1.35% (f)(g) 1.39% (h) Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed 1.17% 1.16% 1.18% 1.18% 1.14% (f)(g) 1.13% (h) Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed and excluding interest expense 1.16% 1.16% 1.18% 1.18% 1.14% (f)(g) 1.13% (h) Net investment income 1.80% 1.78% 1.75% 1.71% 0.44% (f)(g) 0.21% (h) Supplemental Data Net assets, end of period (000) $12,877 $11,587 $11,440 $10,245 $11,061 $13,132 Portfolio turnover rate of the Fund 132% (i) 101% (i) 127% (i) 152% (i) 296% (j) —% (j) Portfolio turnover rate of the Master Total Return Portfolio (i) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 459% Portfolio turnover rate of the Master Advantage Large Cap Core Portfolio N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 111%
(a) Based on average shares outstanding. (b) Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. (c) Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions. (d) Not annualized. (e) Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds. (f) Annualized. (g) From October 1, 2021 through April 1, 2022, the Fund invested in the Master Portfolios as part of a master-feeder structure and received its corresponding allocated fees waived and expenses and/or net investment income from the Master Portfolios. Includes the Fund’s share of the Master Portfolios’ allocated fees waived of less than 0.01%. (h) Includes the Fund’s share of the Master Portfolios’ allocated expenses and/or net investment income. Includes the Fund’s share of the Master Portfolios’ allocated fees waived of less than 0.01%. (i) Includes MDRs. Additional information regarding portfolio turnover rate is as follows:
Year Ended 05/31/26 Year Ended 05/31/25 Year Ended 05/31/24 Year Ended 05/31/23
Period from 10/01/21 to 05/31/22 Year Ended 09/30/21 Portfolio turnover rate 98% 79% 99% 117% N/A 161% (j) Excludes transactions in the Master Portfolios.
Financial Highlights (concluded)
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General Information
Shareholder Documents
Electronic Access to Annual and Semi-Annual Reports, Annual and Semi-Annual Financial Statements and Additional Information and Prospectuses Electronic copies of most financial reports and prospectuses are available on BlackRock’s website. Shareholders can sign up for e-mail notifications of annual and semi-annual reports, Annual and Semi-Annual Financial Statements and Additional Information and prospectuses by enrolling in the Fund’s electronic delivery program. To enroll:
Shareholders Who Hold Accounts with Investment Advisers, Banks or Brokerages: Please contact your Financial Intermediary. Please note that not all investment advisers, banks or brokerages may offer this service.
Shareholders Who Hold Accounts Directly With BlackRock: Access the BlackRock website at http://www.blackrock.com/edelivery; and Log into your account.
Delivery of Shareholder Documents The Fund delivers only one copy of shareholder documents, including prospectuses, shareholder reports and proxy statements, to shareholders with multiple accounts at the same address. This practice is known as “householding” and is intended to eliminate duplicate mailings and reduce expenses. Mailings of your shareholder documents may be householded indefinitely unless you instruct us otherwise. If you do not want the mailing of these documents to be combined with those for other members of your household, please contact the Fund at (800) 441-7762.
Certain Fund Policies
Anti-Money Laundering Requirements The Fund is subject to the USA PATRIOT Act (the “Patriot Act”). The Patriot Act is intended to prevent the use of the U.S. financial system in furtherance of money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities. Pursuant to requirements under the Patriot Act, the Fund is required to obtain sufficient information from shareholders to enable it to form a reasonable belief that it knows the true identity of its shareholders. This information will be used to verify the identity of investors or, in some cases, the status of Financial Intermediaries. Such information may be verified using third party sources. This information will be used only for compliance with the Patriot Act or other applicable laws, regulations and rules in connection with money laundering, terrorism or economic sanctions.
The Fund reserves the right to reject purchase orders from persons who have not submitted information sufficient to allow the Fund to verify their identity. The Fund also reserves the right to redeem any amounts in the Fund from persons whose identity it is unable to verify on a timely basis. It is the Fund’s policy to cooperate fully with appropriate regulators in any investigations conducted with respect to potential money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities.
BlackRock Privacy Principles BlackRock is committed to maintaining the privacy of its current and former fund investors and individual clients (collectively, “Clients”) and to safeguarding their non-public personal information. The following information is provided to help you understand what personal information BlackRock collects, how we protect that information and why in certain cases we share such information with select parties.
If you are located in a jurisdiction where specific laws, rules or regulations require BlackRock to provide you with additional or different privacy-related rights beyond what is set forth below, then BlackRock will comply with those specific laws, rules or regulations.
BlackRock obtains or verifies personal non-public information from and about you from different sources, including the following: (i) information we receive from you or, if applicable, your Financial Intermediary, on applications, forms or other documents; (ii) information about your transactions with us, our affiliates, or others; (iii) information we receive from a consumer reporting agency; and (iv) from visits to our website.
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BlackRock does not sell or disclose to non-affiliated third parties any non-public personal information about its Clients, except as permitted by law, or as is necessary to respond to regulatory requests or to service Client accounts. These non-affiliated third parties are required to protect the confidentiality and security of this information and to use it only for its intended purpose.
We may share information with our affiliates to service your account or to provide you with information about other BlackRock products or services that may be of interest to you. In addition, BlackRock restricts access to non-public personal information about its Clients to those BlackRock employees with a legitimate business need for the information. BlackRock maintains physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that are designed to protect the non public personal information of its Clients, including procedures relating to the proper storage and disposal of such information.
Statement of Additional Information
If you would like further information about the Fund, including how it invests, please see the SAI.
For a discussion of the Fund’s policies and procedures regarding the selective disclosure of its portfolio holdings, please see the SAI. The Fund makes its top ten holdings available on a monthly basis at www.blackrock.com generally within 5 business days after the end of the month to which the information applies.
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Glossary
This glossary contains an explanation of some of the common terms used in this prospectus. For additional information about the Fund, please see the SAI.
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses — the Fund’s pro rata share of the fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund as a result of investing in other investment companies.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses — expenses that cover the costs of operating the Fund.
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index — a broad-based flagship benchmark that measures the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market. The index includes U.S. Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities (agency fixed-rate pass-throughs), asset-backed securities and commercial mortgage-backed securities (agency and non-agency).
Distribution Fees — fees used to support the Fund’s marketing and distribution efforts, such as compensating Financial Intermediaries, advertising and promotion.
Management Fee — a fee paid to BlackRock for managing the Fund.
MSCI All Country World Index (Net) — an index that captures large- and mid-cap representation across 23 developed markets and 24 emerging market countries. With 2,460 constituents, the index covers approximately 85% of the global investable equity opportunity set.
Other Expenses — include accounting, transfer agency, custody, professional fees and registration fees.
Service Fees — fees used to compensate Financial Intermediaries for certain shareholder servicing activities.
Shareholder Fees — fees paid directly by a shareholder, including sales charges that you may pay when you buy or sell shares of the Fund.
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Intermediary-Defined Sales Charge
Waiver Policies
Intermediary-Defined Sales Charge Waiver Policies
Ameriprise Financial:
Front-end sales charge reductions on Investor A Shares purchased through Ameriprise Financial Shareholders purchasing Investor A Shares of the Fund through an Ameriprise Financial platform or account are eligible only for the following sales charge reductions, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s prospectus or SAI. Such shareholders can reduce their initial sales charge on the purchase of Investor A Shares as follows:
Transaction size breakpoints, as described in this Fund’s prospectus or SAI. Rights of accumulation (ROA), as described in this Fund’s prospectus or SAI. Letter of intent, as described in this Fund’s prospectus or SAI.
Front-end sales charge waivers on Investor A shares purchased through Ameriprise Financial Shareholders purchasing Fund shares through an Ameriprise Financial platform or account are eligible for the following front-end sales charge waivers, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s prospectus or SAI. Such shareholders may purchase Investor A shares at NAV without payment of a sales charge as follows: Shares purchased by employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs. Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same Fund (but not any other fund within BlackRock Funds). Shares exchanged from Investor C Shares of the same fund in the month of or following the 7-year anniversary of the purchase date. To the extent that this prospectus elsewhere provides for a waiver with respect to exchanges of Investor C Shares or conversion of Investor C Shares following a shorter holding period, that waiver will apply to exchanges following such shorter period. To the extent that this Fund’s prospectus elsewhere provides for a waiver with respect to exchanges of Investor C Shares for load waived shares, that waiver will also apply to such exchanges. Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Ameriprise Financial or its affiliates and their immediate family members. Shares purchased by or through qualified accounts (including IRAs, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, 401(k)s, 403(b) TSCAs subject to ERISA and defined benefit plans) that are held by a covered family member, defined as an Ameriprise financial advisor and/or the advisor’s spouse, advisor’s lineal ascendant (mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, great grandmother, great grandfather), advisor’s lineal descendant (son, step-son, daughter, step daughter, grandson, granddaughter, great grandson, great granddaughter) or any spouse of a covered family member who is a lineal descendant. Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within BlackRock Funds, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (i.e. Rights of Reinstatement).
CDSC waivers on Investor A and C Shares purchased through Ameriprise Financial Fund shares purchased through an Ameriprise Financial retail brokerage account are eligible only for the following CDSC waivers, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s prospectus or SAI: Redemptions due to death or disability of the shareholder Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in this Fund’s prospectus or SAI Redemptions made in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account Shares purchased through a Right of Reinstatement (as defined above) Redemptions made as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code
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D.A. Davidson & Co. (“D.A. Davidson”): Effective March 1, 2021, shareholders purchasing Fund shares including existing Fund shareholders, through a D.A. Davidson platform or account, or through an introducing broker-dealer or independent registered investment adviser for which D.A. Davidson provides trade execution, clearance, and/or custody services, will be eligible for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Prospectus or the Fund’s SAI.
Front-End Sales Charge Waivers on Investor A Shares Available at D.A. Davidson
Shares purchased of the same Fund or another BlackRock Fund through a systematic reinvestment of capital gains and dividend distributions. Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of D.A. Davidson or its affiliates and their family members as designated by D.A. Davidson. Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions of the same Fund or another BlackRock Fund, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as Rights of Reinstatement). A shareholder in the Fund’s Investor C Shares will have their shares converted at net asset value to Investor A Shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the conversion is consistent with D.A. Davidson’s policies and procedures.
CDSC Waivers on Investor A and C Shares Available at D.A. Davidson
Shares sold due to the death or disability of the shareholder. Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s prospectus. Shares bought due to return of excess contributions from an IRA account. Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA or other qualifying retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code. Shares acquired through a Right of Reinstatement.
Front-End Sales Charge Discounts Available at D.A. Davidson: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation and/ or Letters of Intent
Breakpoints as described in this Prospectus. Rights of accumulation which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of BlackRock Fund assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at D.A. Davidson. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at D.A. Davidson may be included in the calculation of rights of accumulation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets. Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases of BlackRock Funds, over a 13-month time period. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at D.A. Davidson may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
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Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P. (“Edward Jones”):
Policies Regarding Transactions Through Edward Jones
The following information has been provided by Edward Jones:
Effective on or after June 10, 2026, the following information supersedes prior information with respect to transactions and positions held in fund shares through an Edward Jones system. Clients of Edward Jones (also referred to as “shareholders”) purchasing fund shares on the Edward Jones commission and fee-based platforms are eligible only for the following sales charge discounts (also referred to as “breakpoints”) and waivers, which can differ from discounts and waivers described elsewhere in this prospectus or statement of additional information (“SAI”) or through another broker-dealer. In all instances, it is the shareholder’s responsibility to inform Edward Jones at the time of purchase of any relationship, holdings of BlackRock Funds, or other facts qualifying the purchaser for discounts or waivers. Edward Jones can ask for documentation of such circumstance. Shareholders should contact Edward Jones if they have questions regarding their eligibility for these discounts and waivers.
Breakpoints
Breakpoint pricing, otherwise known as volume pricing, at dollar thresholds as described in the prospectus.
Rights of Accumulation (“ROA”)
The applicable sales charge on a purchase of Investor A Shares is determined by taking into account all share classes (except certain money market funds and any assets held in group retirement plans) of BlackRock Funds and the BlackRock CollegeAdvantage 529 Program held by the shareholder or in an account grouped by Edward Jones with other accounts for the purpose of providing certain pricing considerations (“pricing groups”). If grouping assets as a shareholder, this includes all share classes held on the Edward Jones platform and/or held on another platform. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the ROA calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying Edward Jones of such assets at the time of calculation. Money market funds are included only if such shares were sold with a sales charge at the time of purchase or acquired in exchange for shares purchased with a sales charge. The employer maintaining a SEP IRA plan and/or SIMPLE IRA plan may elect to establish or change ROA for the IRA accounts associated with the plan to a plan-level grouping as opposed to including all share classes at a shareholder or pricing group level. ROA is determined by calculating the higher of cost minus redemptions or market value (current shares multiplied by NAV).
Letter of Intent (“LOI”)
Through a LOI, a shareholder can receive the sales charge and breakpoint discounts for purchases such shareholder intends to make over a 13-month period from the date Edward Jones receives the LOI. The LOI is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value of qualifying holdings at LOI initiation in combination with the value that the shareholder intends to buy over a 13-month period to calculate the front-end sales charge and any breakpoint discounts. Each purchase the shareholder makes during that 13-month period will receive the sales charge and breakpoint discount that applies to the total amount. The inclusion of eligible BlackRock Funds assets in the LOI calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying Edward Jones of such assets at the time of calculation. Purchases made before the LOI is received by Edward Jones are not adjusted under the LOI and will not reduce the sales charge previously paid. Sales charges will be adjusted if the LOI is not met. If the employer maintaining a SEP IRA plan and/or SIMPLE IRA plan has elected to establish or change ROA for the IRA accounts associated with the plan to a plan-level grouping, LOIs will also be at the plan-level and may only be established by the employer.
Sales Charge Waivers Sales charges are waived for the following shareholders and in the following situations: Associates of Edward Jones and its affiliates and other accounts in the same pricing group (as determined by Edward Jones under its policies and procedures) as the associate. This waiver will continue for the remainder of the associate’s life if the associate retires from Edward Jones in good-standing and remains in good standing pursuant to Edward Jones’ policies and procedures. Shares purchased in an Edward Jones fee-based program. Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment.
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Shares purchased from the proceeds of redeemed shares of BlackRock Funds so long as the following conditions are met: the proceeds are from the sale of shares within 60 days of the purchase, the sale and purchase are made from a share class that charges a front load and one of the following (“Right of Reinstatement”):
The redemption and repurchase occur in the same account. The redemption proceeds are used to process an: IRA contribution, return of excess contributions, conversion, recharacterizing of contributions, or distribution, and the repurchase is done in an account within the same Edward Jones grouping for ROA.
The Right of Reinstatement excludes systematic or automatic transactions including, but not limited to, purchases made through payroll deductions, liquidations to cover account fees, and reinvestments from non-mutual fund products. Shares exchanged into Investor A Shares from another share class so long as the exchange is into the same fund and was initiated at the discretion of Edward Jones. Edward Jones is responsible for any remaining CDSCs due to BlackRock, if applicable. Any future purchases are subject to the applicable sales charge as disclosed in the prospectus. Exchanges from Investor C Shares to Investor A Shares of the same fund, generally, in the 84th month following the anniversary of the purchase date or earlier at the discretion of Edward Jones.
Contingent Deferred Sales Charge (“CDSC”) Waivers If the shareholder purchases shares that are subject to a CDSC and those shares are redeemed before the CDSC is expired, the shareholder is responsible to pay the CDSC except in the following conditions: The death or disability of the shareholder. Systematic withdrawals with up to 10% per year of the account value. Return of excess contributions from an IRA. Shares redeemed as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations. Shares redeemed to pay Edward Jones fees or costs in such cases where the transaction is initiated by Edward Jones. Shares exchanged in an Edward Jones fee-based program. Shares acquired through a NAV Reinstatement. Shares redeemed at the discretion of Edward Jones for Minimum Balances, as described below.
Other Important Information Regarding Transactions Through Edward Jones
Minimum Purchase Amounts for Investor A and Investor C Shares
Initial purchase minimum: $250
Subsequent purchase minimum: none
Minimum Balances
Edward Jones has the right to redeem at its discretion fund holdings with a balance of $250 or less. The following are examples of accounts that are not included in this policy: A fee-based account held on an Edward Jones platform A 529 account held on an Edward Jones platform An account with an active systematic investment plan or LOI
Exchanging Share Classes
At any time it deems necessary, Edward Jones has the authority to exchange at NAV a shareholder’s holdings in a fund to Investor A Shares of the same fund at NAV, provided that Edward Jones will be responsible for any remaining CDSC due to BlackRock, if applicable, and that the shareholders meet the eligibility requirements of the new share class.
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J.P. Morgan Securities LLC: Effective September 29, 2023, if you purchase or hold Fund shares through an applicable J.P. Morgan Securities LLC brokerage account, you will be eligible for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”), or back-end sales charge, waivers), share class conversion policy and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s prospectus or SAI.
Front-end sales charge waivers on Investor A Shares available at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Shares exchanged from Investor C (i.e., level-load) Shares of the same Fund pursuant to J.P. Morgan Securities LLC’s policies relating to sales load discounts and waivers. Qualified employer-sponsored defined contribution and defined benefit retirement plans, nonqualified deferred compensation plans, other employee benefit plans and trusts used to fund those plans. For purposes of this provision, such plans do not include SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, SAR-SEPs or 501(c)(3) accounts. Shares of Funds purchased through J.P. Morgan Securities LLC Self-Directed Investing accounts. Shares purchased through rights of reinstatement. Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same Fund (but not any other fund within the fund family). Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC or its affiliates and their spouse or financial dependent.
Investor C to Investor A Share conversion
A shareholder in the Fund’s Investor C Shares will have their shares converted by J.P. Morgan Securities LLC to Investor A Shares (or the appropriate share class) of the same Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the conversion is consistent with J.P. Morgan Securities LLC’s policies and procedures.
CDSC waivers on Investor A and C Shares available at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder. Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s prospectus. Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account. Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code. Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-end load discounts available at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC: breakpoints, rights of accumulation & letters of intent
Breakpoints as described in the prospectus. Rights of Accumulation (ROA) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts as described in the Fund’s prospectus will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC. Eligible fund family assets not held at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC (including 529 program holdings, where applicable) may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets. Letters of Intent (LOI) which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, through J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, over a 13-month period of time (if applicable).
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Janney Montgomery Scott LLC:
Effective May 1, 2020, if you purchase fund shares through a Janney Montgomery Scott LLC (“Janney”) brokerage account, you will be eligible for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”), or back-end sales charge, waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s prospectus or SAI.
Front-end sales charge* waivers on Investor A shares available at Janney
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other BlackRock Fund). Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Janney or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Janney. Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions from another BlackRock Fund, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within ninety (90) days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (i.e., right of reinstatement). Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans. Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement. Investor C shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are converted to Investor A shares of the same fund pursuant to Janney’s policies and procedures.
CDSC waivers on Investor A and C shares available at Janney
Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder. Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s prospectus or SAI. Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account. Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code. Shares sold to pay Janney fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Janney. Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement. Shares exchanged into the same share class of a different fund.
Front-end sales charge* discounts available at Janney: breakpoints, rights of accumulation, and/or letters of intent
Breakpoints as described in the Fund’s prospectus or SAI. Rights of accumulation (“ROA”), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of BlackRock Fund assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Janney. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at Janney may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets. Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a BlackRock Fund, over a 13-month time period. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at Janney Montgomery Scott may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
*Also referred to as an “initial sales charge.”
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Merrill Lynch: Purchases or sales of front-end (i.e. Investor A) or level-load (i.e., Investor C) mutual fund shares through a Merrill platform or account will be eligible only for the following sales load waivers (front-end, contingent deferred, or back-end waivers) and discounts, which differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s prospectus. Purchasers will have to buy mutual fund shares directly from the mutual fund company or through another intermediary to be eligible for waivers or discounts not listed below.
It is the client’s responsibility to notify Merrill at the time of purchase or sale of any relationship or other facts that qualify the transaction for a waiver or discount. A Merrill representative may ask for reasonable documentation of such facts and Merrill may condition the granting of a waiver or discount on the timely receipt of such documentation.
Additional information on waivers, discounts, and share class exchanges is available in the Merrill Sales Load Waiver and Discounts Supplement (the “Merrill SLWD Supplement”) and in the Mutual Fund Investing at Merrill pamphlet at ml.com/funds. Clients are encouraged to review these documents and speak with their financial advisor to determine whether a transaction is eligible for a waiver or discount.
Front-end Load Waivers Available at Merrill
Shares of mutual funds available for purchase by employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation, and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans provided the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan. For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans Shares purchased through a Merrill investment advisory program Brokerage class shares exchanged from advisory class shares due to the holdings moving from a Merrill investment advisory program to a Merrill brokerage account Shares purchased through the Merrill Edge Self-Directed platform Shares purchased through the systematic reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same mutual fund in the same account Shares exchanged from level-load shares to front-end load shares of the same mutual fund in accordance with the description in the Merrill SLWD Supplement Shares purchased by eligible employees of Merrill or its affiliates and their family members who purchase shares in accounts within the employee’s Merrill Household (as defined in the Merrill SLWD Supplement) Shares purchased by eligible persons associated with the Fund as defined in this prospectus (e.g. the Fund’s officers or trustees) Shares purchased from the proceeds of a mutual fund redemption in front-end load shares provided (1) the repurchase is in a mutual fund within the same fund family, (2) the repurchase occurs within 90 calendar days from the redemption trade date, and (3) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account (known as Rights of Reinstatement). Automated transactions (i.e. systematic purchases and withdrawals) and purchases made after shares are automatically sold to pay Merrill’s account maintenance fees are not eligible for Rights of Reinstatement
Contingent Deferred Sales Charge (“CDSC”) Waivers on Front-end, Back-end, and Level Load Shares Available at Merrill
Shares sold due to the client’s death or disability (as defined by Internal Revenue Code Section 22(e)(3)) Shares sold pursuant to a systematic withdrawal program subject to Merrill’s maximum systematic withdrawal limits as described in the Merrill SLWD Supplement Shares sold due to return of excess contributions from an IRA account Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the investor reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulation Front-end or level-load shares held in commission-based, non-taxable retirement brokerage accounts (e.g. traditional, Roth, rollover, SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans) that are transferred to fee-based accounts or platforms and exchanged for a lower cost share class of the same mutual fund
Front-end Load Discounts Available at Merrill: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent
Breakpoint discounts, as described in this prospectus, where the sales load is at or below the maximum sales load that Merrill permits to be assessed to a front-end load purchase, as described in the Merrill SLWD Supplement
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Rights of Accumulation (ROA), as described in the Merrill SLWD Supplement, which entitle clients to breakpoint discounts based on the aggregated holdings of mutual fund family assets held in accounts in their Merrill Household
On or about May 1, 2026, assets not held at Merrill will no longer be included in the ROA calculation. For more detail on the timing and calculation, please refer to the Merrill SLWD Supplement Letters of Intent (LOI), which allow for breakpoint discounts on eligible new purchases based on anticipated future eligible purchases within a fund family at Merrill, in accounts within your Merrill Household, as further described in the Merrill SLWD Supplement
On or about May 1, 2026, Merrill will no longer accept new LOIs. For more detail on the timing, please refer to the Merrill SLWD Supplement.
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Morgan Stanley Wealth Management:
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Investor A Share Front-End Sales Charge Waiver Effective July 1, 2018, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management clients purchasing Investor A Shares of the Fund through Morgan Stanley’s transactional brokerage accounts are entitled to a waiver of the front-end sales charge in the following circumstances: Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer sponsored retirement plans does not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans Morgan Stanley employee and employee-related accounts according to Morgan Stanley’s account linking rules Shares purchased through reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions when purchasing shares of the same fund Shares purchased through a Morgan Stanley self-directed brokerage account Investor C Shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are exchanged for Investor A Shares of the same fund pursuant to Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s share class conversion program Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within BlackRock Funds under a Rights of Reinstatement provision, provided the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge
Unless specifically described above, no other front-end sales charge waivers are available to mutual fund purchases by Morgan Stanley Wealth Management clients through Morgan Stanley’s transactional brokerage accounts.
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Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.: Effective May 1, 2020, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through an Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (“OPCO”) platform or account are eligible only for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s prospectus or SAI.
Front-End Sales Charge Waivers on Investor A Shares available at OPCO
Shares purchased by employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan Shares purchased through an OPCO affiliated investment advisory program Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other BlackRock Fund) Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions from another BlackRock Fund, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as Rights of Reinstatement)
A shareholder in the Fund’s Investor C Shares will have their shares converted at net asset value to Investor A Shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the conversion is in line with the policies and procedures of OPCO Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of OPCO or its affiliates and their family members Shares purchased by directors or trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund’s investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in this prospectus
CDSC Waivers on Investor A and C Shares available at OPCO
Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s prospectus Shares bought due to return of excess contributions from an IRA account Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations as described in the prospectus Shares sold to pay OPCO fees but only if the transaction is initiated by OPCO Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement
Front-End Sales Charge Discounts Available at OPCO: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent
Breakpoints as described in this prospectus Rights of Accumulation (“ROA”) and Letters of Intent (“LOI”) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of BlackRock Fund assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at OPCO. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at OPCO may be included in the ROA or LOI calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets
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Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. and Each Entity’s Affiliates (“Raymond James”):
Effective March 1, 2019, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Raymond James platform or account, or through an introducing broker-dealer or independent registered investment adviser for which Raymond James provides trade execution, clearance, and/or custody services, will be eligible only for the following sales charge waivers (front end sales charge waivers and CDSC waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this prospectus or the SAI.
Front-End Sales Charge Waivers on Investor A Shares Available at Raymond James
Shares purchased in a Raymond James investment advisory program. Shares purchased of the same Fund or another BlackRock Fund through a systematic reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend distributions. Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Raymond James or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Raymond James. Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions from another BlackRock Fund, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as Rights of Reinstatement). A shareholder in the Fund’s Investor C shares will have their shares converted at net asset value to Investor A shares of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the conversion is in line with the policies and procedures of Raymond James.
CDSC Waivers on Investor A and C Shares Available at Raymond James
Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder. Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s prospectus. Shares bought due to return of excess contributions from an IRA Account. Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations as described in the Fund’s prospectus or SAI. Shares sold to pay Raymond James fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Raymond James. Shares acquired through a Right of Reinstatement.
Front-End Sales Charge Discounts Available at Raymond James: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation and/or Letters of Intent
Breakpoints as described in this prospectus. Rights of accumulation which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of BlackRock Fund assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Raymond James. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at Raymond James may be included in the calculation of rights of accumulation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets. Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases of BlackRock Funds over a 13-month time period. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at Raymond James may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
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Robert W. Baird & Co. (“Baird”):
Effective January 1, 2026, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Baird platform or account will only be eligible for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and CDSC waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s prospectus or SAI.
Front-End Sales Charge Waivers on Investor A Shares Available at Baird
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Baird or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Baird Shares purchased within 90 days following a redemption from a BlackRock Fund, provided (1) the redemption and purchase occur within the purchaser’s Baird household, and (2) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as Rights of Reinstatement) A shareholder in the Fund’s Investor C shares will have their shares converted at net asset value to Investor A shares of the fund if the shares are no longer subject to CDSC and the conversion is in line with the policies and procedures of Baird Shares purchased by employer-sponsored retirement plans or charitable accounts in a transactional brokerage account at Baird, including 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans. For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs
CDSC Waivers on Investor A and C Shares Available at Baird
Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s prospectus Shares bought due to returns of excess contributions from an IRA account Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable Internal Revenue Service regulations as described in the Fund’s prospectus Shares sold to pay Baird fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Baird Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement
Front-End Sales Charge Discounts Available at Baird: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation, & Letters of Intent
Breakpoints as described in this prospectus Rights of Accumulation (“ROA”) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of BlackRock Fund assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Baird. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at Baird may be included in ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets Letters of Intent (“LOI”) allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases of BlackRock Funds through Baird, over a 13-month period of time
A-12
NM0926U-5977302-73/76
Page 74
Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC and Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC (collectively, “Wells Fargo Advisors”)
Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC operates a First Clearing business, but these rules are not intended to include First Clearing firms. Effective April 1, 2026, clients of Wells Fargo Advisors purchasing Fund shares through Wells Fargo Advisors are eligible for the following sales charge discounts (also referred to as “breakpoints”) and waivers, which can differ from discounts and waivers described elsewhere in the prospectus or SAI. In all instances, it is the investor’s responsibility to inform Wells Fargo Advisors at the time of purchase of any relationship, holdings, or other facts qualifying the investor for discounts or waivers. Wells Fargo Advisors can ask for documentation supporting the qualification.
Wells Fargo Advisors Investor A Share front-end sales charge waivers information. Wells Fargo Advisors clients purchasing or converting to Investor A Shares of the Fund in a Wells Fargo Advisors brokerage account are entitled to a waiver of the front-end load in the following circumstances: Wells Fargo Advisors employee and employee-related accounts according to Wells Fargo Advisor’s employee account linking rules. Legacy accounts and positions receiving affiliate discounts prior to April 1, 2026 will continue to receive discounts. Going forward employees of affiliate businesses will not be offered NAV. Shares purchased through reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions when purchasing shares of the same fund.
WellsTrade, the firm’s online self-directed brokerage account, generally offers no-load share classes but there could be instances where an Investor A Share is offered without a front-end sales charge.
Unless specifically described above, other front-end load waivers are not available on mutual fund purchases through Wells Fargo Advisors.
Wells Fargo Advisors Contingent Deferred Sales Charge information. CDSC imposed on Fund redemptions will not be rebated based on future purchases.
Wells Fargo Advisors Investor A Share front-end load discounts Wells Fargo Advisors clients purchasing Investor A Shares of the Fund through Wells Fargo Advisors brokerage accounts will follow the following aggregation rules for breakpoint discounts: Effective April 1, 2026, SEP or SIMPLE IRAs will not be aggregated as a group plan. They will aggregate with the client’s personal accounts based on Social Security Number. Previously established SEP and SIMPLE IRAs may still be aggregated as a group plan. Effective April 1, 2026, employer-sponsored retirement plan (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans) accounts will aggregate with other plan accounts under the same Tax ID and will not be aggregated with other retirement plan accounts under a different Tax ID or personal accounts. For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans. Gifts of shares will not be considered when determining breakpoint discounts.
A-13
NM0926U-5977302-74/76
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For More Information
Fund and Service Providers
FUND BlackRock Balanced Fund, Inc. 100 Bellevue Parkway Wilmington, Delaware 19809 Written Correspondence: P.O. Box 534429 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15253-4429 Overnight Mail: Attention: 534429 1350 Penn Avenue, Suite 102 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222 (800) 441-7762
MANAGER BlackRock Advisors, LLC 100 Bellevue Parkway Wilmington, Delaware 19809
SUB-ADVISER BlackRock International Limited Dundas House 20 Brandon Street Edinburgh, EH3 5PP United Kingdom
TRANSFER AGENT BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. 118 Flanders Road Westborough, Massachusetts 01581
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM Deloitte & Touche LLP 115 Federal Street Boston, Massachusetts 02110
ACCOUNTING SERVICES PROVIDER The Bank of New York Mellon 240 Greenwich Street New York, New York 10286
DISTRIBUTOR BlackRock Investments, LLC 50 Hudson Yards New York, New York 10001
CUSTODIAN The Bank of New York Mellon 240 Greenwich Street New York, New York 10286
COUNSEL Ropes & Gray LLP 1211 Avenue of the Americas New York, New York 10036
NM0926U-5977302-75/76
Page 76
Additional Information
For more information: This prospectus contains important information you should know before investing, including information about risks. Please read it before you invest and keep it for future reference. More information about the Fund is available at no charge upon request. This information includes:
Annual/Semi-Annual Reports and Form N-CSR The Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports and Form N CSR contain additional information about the Fund’s investments. The annual report describes the Fund’s performance, lists portfolio holdings, and discusses recent market conditions, economic trends and Fund investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance for the last fiscal year. In Form N-CSR, you will find the Fund’s financial statements.
Statement of Additional Information A Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”), dated September 28, 2026, has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The SAI, which includes additional information about the Fund, may be obtained free of charge, along with the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports and other information such as Fund financial statements, by calling (800) 441-7762. The SAI, as amended and/or supplemented from time to time, is incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
BlackRock Investor Services Representatives are available to discuss account balance information, mutual fund prospectuses, literature, programs and services available. Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Eastern time), on any business day. Call: (800) 441-7762.
Purchases and Redemptions Call your Financial Intermediary or BlackRock Investor Services at (800) 441-7762.
World Wide Web General Fund information and specific Fund performance, including the SAI, annual/semi-annual reports and other information such as Fund financial statements, can be accessed free of charge at www.blackrock.com/ prospectus. Mutual fund prospectuses and literature can also be requested via this website.
Written Correspondence BlackRock Balanced Fund, Inc. P. P.O. Box 534429 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15253-4429
Overnight Mail BlackRock Balanced Fund, Inc. Attention: 534429 1350 Penn Avenue, Suite 102 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
Internal Wholesalers/Broker Dealer Support Available on any business day to support investment professionals. Call: (800) 882-0052.
Portfolio Characteristics and Holdings A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures related to disclosure of portfolio characteristics and holdings is available in the SAI.
For information about portfolio holdings and characteristics, BlackRock fund shareholders and prospective investors may call (800) 882-0052.
Securities and Exchange Commission You may also view and copy public information about the Fund, including the SAI, by visiting the EDGAR database on the SEC’s website (http://www.sec.gov). Copies of this information can be obtained, for a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov.
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. No one is authorized to provide you with information that is different from information contained in this prospectus.
The SEC has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT FILE # 811-02405
PRO-BF-0926
NM0926U-5977302-76/76
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"text": "qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000 in the"
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"text": "A contingent deferred sales charge (\u201cCDSC\u201d) of 0.75% is assessed on certain redemptions of Investor A Shares made within 18 months after"
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"text": "income mutual funds and exchange-traded funds managed by BlackRock or its affiliates that have a contractual management fee, through"
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"text": "June 30, 2028. In addition, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive its management fees by the amount of investment advisory fees the"
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"text": "majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund."
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"text": "The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not correlate to the ratios of expenses to average net assets given in the Fund\u2019s most recent"
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