Investment objective & strategy
As of Feb. 27, 2026 · prospectusObjective. The Madison Tax-Free National Fund (the "Fund") seeks to receive income from municipal bonds and to distribute that income to shareholders as tax-free dividends.
Strategy. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets (including borrowings for investment purposes) in municipal bonds that are exempt from federal income taxes. These securities may be issued by state governments, their political subdivisions (for example, cities and counties) and public authorities (for example, school districts and housing authorities). The Fund may also invest in bonds that, under federal law, are exempt from federal and state income taxation, such as bonds issued by the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam. The Fund only invests in investment grade bonds, which means bonds rated in the top four rating categories by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization, such as … The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets (including borrowings for investment purposes) in municipal bonds that are exempt from federal income taxes. These securities may be issued by state governments, their political subdivisions (for example, cities and counties) and public authorities (for example, school districts and housing authorities). The Fund may also invest in bonds that, under federal law, are exempt from federal and state income taxation, such as bonds issued by the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam. The Fund only invests in investment grade bonds, which means bonds rated in the top four rating categories by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization, such as Moodys, S&P or Fitch; however, if a bond is downgraded below investment grade, the Fund may need to hold the bond for a period of time in an attempt to avoid selling it at a fire sale price. The Fund invests in general obligation bonds of states and municipalities (backed by the general credit of the issuing city, state or county) and specific or limited purpose bonds (supported by, for example, a specific power company, hospital or highway project). The Fund invests in intermediate and long-term bonds having average, aggregate maturities (at the portfolio level) of 7 to 15 years. The Funds weighted average life as of December 31, 2025 was 8.9 years. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will have an average duration range of 3 to 10 years, although it is expected to center around 3 to 7 years. Duration is an approximation of the expected change in a debt securitys price given a 1% move in interest rates, using the following formula: [change in debt security value = (change in interest rates) x (duration) x (-1)]. By way of example, assume XYZ company issues a five year bond which has a duration of 4.5 years. If interest rates were to instantly increase by 1%, the bond would be expected to decrease in value by approximately 4.5%. Securities are selected for the Fund that, in the opinion of the portfolio managers, provide the highest combination of yield (i.e., the interest rate the bond pays in relation to its price), credit risk and diversification. To a lesser extent, consideration is also given as to whether a particular bond may increase in value from its price at the time of purchase. The Fund generally holds 50-75 individual securities in its portfolio at any given time. This reflects the belief of the Fund's investment adviser, Madison Asset Management, LLC ("Madison"), that your money should be invested in Madisons top investment ideas, and that focusing on Madison's best investment ideas is the best way to achieve the Funds investment objectives. In the event Madison determines that extraordinary conditions exist (such as tax law changes or a need to adopt a defensive investment position) making it advisable to invest a larger portion of the Funds assets in taxable investments, more than 20% and even as much as 100% of the Funds assets could be invested in securities whose income is taxable on the federal or state level. If this situation were to occur, the Fund would not be invested in a manner designed to achieve its investment objective. Although the Fund expects to pursue its investment objective utilizing its principal investment strategies regardless of market conditions, the Fund may invest up to 100% in cash, money market funds, and/or tax-free money market instruments. To the extent the Fund engages in this temporary defensive position, the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective may be diminished.
Top holdings
As of April 30, 2026 · N-PORT| Security | Ticker | Value | % of fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile County | — | $648.90K | 3.53% |
| City of Burlington WI | — | $594.28K | 3.24% |
| Cook County School District No. 111 Burbank | — | $559.58K | 3.05% |
| Medical Center Educational Building Corp. | — | $485.71K | 2.65% |
| Southampton County Industrial Development Authority | — | $481.14K | 2.62% |
| West Virginia Economic Development Authority | — | $458.07K | 2.50% |
| Eastern Kentucky University | — | $445.63K | 2.43% |
| Hialeah Utility System | — | $429.85K | 2.34% |
| RIVERSIDE HEALTHCARE ASSOCIATION OBLIGATED GROUP AG 5.25% 07-01-48 | — | $420.95K | 2.29% |
| WISCONSIN ST HLTH EDUCTNL FA WISMED 11/35 FIXED 4 | — | $400.03K | 2.18% |
Portfolio moves
Jan 31, 2026 → Apr 30, 2026How many positions this fund opened, exited, grew, trimmed, or left unchanged between its two most recent N-PORT snapshots — net changes between point-in-time reports, not a trade log.
Similar funds
Funds whose portfolios most overlap this one, by weight| Fund | Overlap | Net exp. |
|---|---|---|
| BlackRock MuniVest Fund II, Inc. | 2% | — |
| State Street(R) Nuveen Municipal Bond ESG ETF · MBNE | 2% | 0.43% |
| BondBloxx IR+M Tax-Aware Intermediate Duration ETF | 2% | 0.35% |
Advisers
| Firm | Role |
|---|---|
| Madison Asset Management, LLC | Adviser |
Footnotes
- Expense ratio as of February 27, 2026, from the fund's prospectus.
- Net assets and holdings count as of April 30, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
- Total return for calendar year 2025, before tax and after fund expenses. As reported in the fund's prospectus performance bar chart.
Machine-readable: JSON · Markdown. Programmatic access via the agent surface.