Fund Facts and Performance Putnam
Mutual Funds

Putnam Investments

Why Putnam Investments?
Fund Facts and Performance:
Daily Fund Prices (NAV):
 George Putnam Fund of Boston Daily Fund Prices (NAV) Growth and Income
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Investment Objective
Fund Description
Fund Returns
Expense Ratio
Lipper Rankings
Top 10 Holdings
Industry Sectors
Country Allocation
Portfolio Composition
Portfolio Characteristics
Fund Facts
Investment Management
Prospectus

Investment Objective
The fund seeks to provide a balanced investment composed of a well-diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds which produce both capital growth and current income.

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Fund Description
Established in 1937, the industry's first balanced fund pursues growth and income by investing in a combination of value stocks and fixed-income securities. The equity portion targets stock of large companies that are currently undervalued and poised for positive change. The fixed-income portion invests in bonds of governments and private companies that are mostly investment grade with intermediate long-term maturities. The fund typically has a 60%-70% allocation to stocks and a 30%-40% position in bonds.

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Fund Returns
As of Quarter End June 30, 2007All returns in percentages
Class Last
Quarter
Year
to Date
1
Year
3
Year
5
Year
10 Years Life of
Fund
A NAV 2.78% 4.28% 15.00% 8.97% 8.06% 6.43% 9.41%
  POP -2.62% -1.20% 8.96% 7.03% 6.90% 5.85% 9.33%
  Inception date: November 5, 1937
B NAV 2.61% 3.92% 14.11% 8.17% 7.25% 5.63% 8.39%
  CDSC -2.40% -1.08% 9.11% 7.31% 6.95% 5.63% 8.39%
  Inception date: April 27, 1992
C NAV 2.61% 3.93% 14.17% 8.17% 7.26% 5.63% 8.59%
  POP 1.61% 2.93% 13.17% 8.17% 7.26% 5.63% 8.59%
  Inception date: July 26, 1999
M NAV 2.69% 4.07% 14.47% 8.44% 7.54% 5.91% 8.66%
  POP -0.63% 0.69% 10.74% 7.25% 6.82% 5.56% 8.61%
  Inception date: December 1, 1994
S&P 500/Citigroup Value Index
  NAV 5.95% 7.37% 21.77% 15.88% 13.07% 8.46%  
Lehman Aggregate Bond Index
  NAV -0.52% 0.98% 6.12% 3.98% 4.48% 6.02%  

Fund Returns
As of Month End July 31, 2007All returns in percentages
Class Last
Quarter
Year
to Date
1
Year
3
Year
5
Year
10 Years Life of
Fund
A NAV --- 1.53% 10.93% 8.52% 8.67% 5.63% 9.36%
  POP --- -3.81% 5.10% 6.57% 7.51% 5.07% 9.28%
  Inception date: November 5, 1937
B NAV --- 1.15% 10.15% 7.74% 7.87% 4.85% 8.33%
  CDSC --- -3.85% 5.18% 6.87% 7.57% 4.85% 8.33%
  Inception date: April 27, 1992
C NAV --- 1.11% 10.16% 7.72% 7.86% 4.84% 8.54%
  POP --- 0.11% 9.17% 7.72% 7.86% 4.84% 8.54%
  Inception date: July 26, 1999
M NAV --- 1.30% 10.42% 8.00% 8.15% 5.12% 8.61%
  POP --- -2.00% 6.81% 6.82% 7.44% 4.77% 8.56%
  Inception date: December 1, 1994

Data is historical. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. More recent returns may be worth more or less than those shown. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, and you may have a gain or loss when you sell your shares. For the most recent month-end performance, visit www.putnaminvestments.com.



Performance assumes reinvestment of distributions and does not account for taxes. Returns at public offering price (POP) for class A and class M shares reflect the current maximum initial sales charges of 5.25% and 3.25% for equity funds, and 3.75% and 3.25% for income funds (3.25% and 2.00% for Putnam Limited Duration Government Income Fund and Putnam Floating Rate Income Fund), respectively. POP performance of income funds' class A shares (other than Putnam Limited Duration Government Income Fund and Putnam Floating Rate Income Fund) and equity funds' class M shares reflects a reduction in maximum sales charge that took effect April 1, 2005. Class B share returns reflect the applicable contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC), which is 5% in the first year, declines to 1% in the sixth year, and is eliminated thereafter (except for Putnam Limited Duration Government Income Fund and Putnam Floating Rate Income Fund, which is 3% in the first year, declines to 1% in the fourth year, and is eliminated thereafter). Class C shares reflect a 1% CDSC the first year that is eliminated thereafter. Performance for class B, C, M, R, T, and Y shares prior to their inception is derived from the historical performance of class A shares, adjusted for the applicable sales charge (or CDSC) and, except for class Y shares, the higher operating expenses for such shares (with the exception of Putnam Tax-Free High Yield Fund and Putnam AMT-Free Insured Municipal Fund, which are based on the historical performance of class B shares). Class A, M, and T shares of Putnam money market funds have no initial sales charge. For a portion of the period some funds may have limited expenses or been sold on a limited basis with limited assets and expenses, without which returns would be lower. A short-term trading fee of up to 1% may apply.

The S&P 500/Citigroup Value Index is an unmanaged capitalization-weighted index of large-cap stocks chosen for their value orientation. The Lehman Aggregate Bond Index is an unmanaged index of U.S. investment-grade fixed-income securities. Securities in the fund do not match those in the indexes and performance of the fund will differ. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

The use of derivatives involves special risks and may result in losses.



Although value investing targets stocks believed to be priced too low, there is no guarantee they will appreciate.

You can lose money by investing in a fund. Any given fund may not achieve its goal, and is not intended as a complete investment program. All funds have risk. The value and/or returns of a portfolio will fluctuate with market conditions. You may have more or less than the original amount invested when you redeem your shares.

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Expense Ratio

Class Fund's total expense ratio What you pay
A 0.96% 0.96%
B 1.71% 1.71%
C 1.71% 1.71%
M 1.46% 1.46%

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Lipper Rankings 
As of July 31, 2007 
Class 1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
Lipper Category: Balanced
A 71% (539/765) 65% (373/581) 60% (250/421) 50% (112/225)
B 81% (619/765) 83% (483/581) 76% (319/421) 70% (157/225)
C 81% (616/765) 84% (486/581) 77% (321/421) ---
M 78% (591/765) 79% (454/581) 72% (302/421) 65% (146/225)

Lipper Analytical Services, Inc. is an industry research firm whose rankings are based on total return performance and do not reflect the effect of sales charges. Each fund is ranked within a universe of funds similar in investment objective. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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Top 10 HoldingsHoldings will vary over time
As of July 31, 2007Holdings represent 15.81% of portfolio
Rank Fund Percentage of Portfolio
1. Citigroup Inc 2.40%
2. Bank Of America Corp 2.39%
3. At&T Inc 1.90%
4. Jpmorgan Chase & Co 1.64%
5. General Electric Co 1.62%
6. Hewlett-Packard 1.49%
7. Conocophillips 1.30%
8. Verizon Communic 1.16%
9. Wachovia Corp 1.00%
10. Microsoft Corp 0.91%

Represents equity portion of portfolio.

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Industry Sectors 
As of July 31, 2007Sectors will vary over time
Rank Sector Percentage of Portfolio
1. Financial 25.49%
2. Other 18.34%
3. Technology 10.51%
4. Healthcare 7.91%
5. Consumer Cyclical 7.47%
6. Capital Goods 7.27%
7. Communications 6.98%
8. Consumer Staples 6.13%
9. Energy 5.91%
10. Cash 3.99%

Represents equity portion of portfolio.

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Country Allocation
Not available

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Portfolio Composition 
As of July 31, 2007Composition will vary over time
Allocation Percentage
Common Stock 57.07%
Mortgage-backed Securities 29.63%
Corporate Bonds & Notes 8.62%
Cash 3.99%
Foreign Bonds 0.51%
Convertible Bonds 0.12%
Municipal Bonds & Notes 0.06%

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Portfolio Characteristics 
As of July 31, 2007Portfolio characteristics will vary over time
Risk
Beta0.60%
Standard Deviation4.76%
Yield
Class Type NAV POP
A SEC Yield as of 07/31/2007 2.76% 2.61%
  SEC Yield (unsubsidized) 2.75% --
B SEC Yield as of 07/31/2007 1.99% --
  SEC Yield (unsubsidized) 1.98% --
C SEC Yield as of 07/31/2007 1.99% --
  SEC Yield (unsubsidized) 1.98% --
M SEC Yield as of 07/31/2007 2.25% 2.17%
  SEC Yield (unsubsidized) 2.24% --
Distribution
Class Record/Ex
Dividend Date
Payable
Date
Income ST Cap Gain LT Cap Gain
A 05/21/2007 05/30/2007 $0.118000    
B 05/21/2007 05/30/2007 $0.080000    
C 05/21/2007 05/30/2007 $0.083000    
M 05/21/2007 05/30/2007 $0.095000    

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Fund Facts 
As of July 31, 2007 
Fiscal Year EndJuly
Fund StatusOpen to new investors
Dividend FrequencyQuarterly
Number of Issues1503
Turnover (as of fiscal year end)---

Class Inception Symbol CUSIP Number of
Accounts
Outstanding
Shares
Net Assets
A November 5, 1937 PGEOX 746758101 123,131 176,042,931 3,185,429,112
B April 27, 1992 PGEBX 746758200 41,434 23,111,374 413,644,821
C July 26, 1999 PGPCX 746758309 4,400 3,889,633 69,901,338
M December 1, 1994 PGEMX 746758507 2,718 9,982,259 178,597,587
Totals       171,683 213,026,197 3,847,572,858

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Investment Management

Investment Management Team  
     Large-Cap Value, Core Fixed-Income and Global .Asset Allocation
Portfolio Leader  
     Jeanne L. Mockard
Portfolio Members  
     Geoffrey G. Kelley
     Jeffrey L. Knight
     Raman Srivastava

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Prospectus
You agree to receive this
prospectus electronically and to read and agree to its terms before investing or sending money. It contains detailed information about the fund's investment policies, risks, charges and expenses. You can read and print the prospectus while you are online, using a supported browser and Adobe Acrobat Reader™ software. If you would like a preprinted copy of the prospectus, please contact your Edward Jones financial advisor.

This prospectus is not an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy shares in the fund nor shall any such shares be offered or sold to any person in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, purchase, or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction.

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Copyright 2007, Putnam Retail Management


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