Tax-Exempt Bond Fund
 
Class A
Class B
Class C
Ticker Symbol(s)
PTEAX
PTBBX
PTBCX

Principal Funds, Inc. Summary Prospectus March 1, 2013 amended June 14, 2013
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund's prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund's prospectus and other information about the Fund online at www.principalfunds.com/prospectus. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-800-222-5852 or by sending an email request to prospectus@principalfunds.com.
This Summary Prospectus incorporates by reference the Statutory Prospectus for Classes A, B, C, and P shares dated March 1, 2013, as supplemented on March 14, 2013, March 28, 2013, April 2, 2013, May 9, 2013 and June 14, 2013 and the Statement of Additional Information dated March 1, 2013, as supplemented on March 15, 2013, April 2, 2013, April 17, 2013, May 9, 2013 and June 14, 2013 (which may be obtained in the same manner as the Prospectus).
Objective:
The Fund seeks to provide a high level of income that is exempt from federal income tax while protecting investors’ capital.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in Principal Funds, Inc. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in “Choosing a Share Class and The Costs of Investing” beginning on page 214, of the Fund’s prospectus and “Multiple Class Structure” beginning on page 66 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Class A
Class B
Class C
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)
3.75%
None
None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the offering price or NAV at the time Sales Load is paid, whichever is less)
1.00%
5.00%
1.00%

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Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Class A
Class B
Class C
Management Fees
0.45%
0.45%
0.45%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees
0.25%
1.00%
1.00%
Other Expenses
 
 
 
Interest Expense
0.03%
0.03%
0.03%
Remainder of Other Expenses
0.08%
0.94%
0.30%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.81%
2.42%
1.78%
Expense Reimbursement (1)
0.79%
0.15%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses after Expense Reimbursement
0.81%
1.63%
1.63%
(1)  
Principal Management Corporation ("Principal"), the investment advisor, has contractually agreed to limit the Fund’s expenses attributable to Class A, Class B, and Class C shares by paying, if necessary, expenses normally payable by the Fund, excluding interest expense, through the period ending February 28, 2014. The expense limit will maintain a total level of operating expenses (expressed as a percent of average net assets on an annualized basis) not to exceed 0.85% for Class A, 1.60% for Class B, and 1.60% for Class C shares, excluding interest expense. It is expected that the expense limit will continue through the period disclosed; however, Principal Funds, Inc. and Principal, the parties to the agreement, may agree to terminate the expense limit prior to the end of the period.

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 assumes conversion of the Class B shares to Class A shares after the eighth year. 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
Class A
$455
$624
$808
$1,339
Class B
$666
$1,066
$1,407
$2,280
Class C
$266
$543
$948
$2,080
You would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your shares:
 
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
Class A
$455
$624
$808
$1,339
Class B
$166
$666
$1,207
$2,280
Class C
$166
$543
$948
$2,080
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 24.1% of the average value of its portfolio.

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Principal Investment Strategies
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in municipal bonds (securities issued by or on behalf of state or local governments and other public authorities). Many of these are from California and Illinois. Generally, municipal obligations pay interest that is exempt from federal income tax. The Fund also invests in inverse floating rate obligations, which are generally more volatile than other types of municipal obligations. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets below investment grade bonds (sometimes called “high yield bonds” or "junk bonds") which are rated at the time of purchase Ba1 or lower by Moody's and BB+ or lower by S&P (if the bond has been rated by only one of those agencies, that rating will determine whether the bond is below investment grade; if the bond has not been rated by either of those agencies, the Sub-Advisor will determine whether the bond is of a quality comparable to those rated below investment grade). Under normal circumstances, the Fund maintains an average portfolio duration that is within ±50% of the duration of the Barclays Municipal Bond Index, which as of December 31, 2012 was 6.66 years.
Principal Risks
The Fund may be an appropriate investment for investors who are seeking monthly, federally tax-exempt dividends to produce income or to reinvest for modest growth and are willing to accept fluctuations in the value of their investment.
The value of your investment in the Fund changes with the value of the Fund's investments. Many factors affect that value, and it is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, in alphabetical order, are:
Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that the counterparty to a derivatives contract or repurchase agreement, the borrower of a portfolio’s securities, or other obligation, will be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest, or settlement payments, or otherwise to honor its obligations.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. Fixed-income securities are subject to interest rate risk and credit quality risk. The market value of fixed-income securities generally declines when interest rates rise, and an issuer of fixed-income securities could default on its payment obligations.
Geographic Concentration Risk. A fund that invests significant portions of its assets in particular geographic areas (such as California or Illinois) has greater exposure than other funds to economic conditions and developments in those areas.
High Yield Securities Risk. High yield fixed-income securities (commonly referred to as "junk bonds") are subject to greater credit quality risk than higher rated fixed-income securities and should be considered speculative.
Inverse Floating Rate Investments. Inverse floating rate investments are extremely sensitive to changes in interest rates and in some cases their market value may be extremely volatile.
Leverage Risk. Leverage created by borrowing or certain types of transactions or investments may impair the fund's liquidity, cause it to liquidate positions at an unfavorable time, increase volatility of the fund's net asset value, or diminish the fund's performance.
Municipal Securities Risk. Principal and interest payments on municipal securities may not be guaranteed by the issuing body and may be payable only from a particular source. That source may not perform as expected and payment obligations may not be made or made on time.
Portfolio Duration Risk. Portfolio duration is a measure of the expected life of a fixed-income security and its sensitivity to changes in interest rates. The longer a fund's average portfolio duration, the more sensitive the fund will be to changes in interest rates.

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Performance
The following information provides an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows the investment returns of the Fund’s Class A shares for each full calendar year of operations for 10 years (or, if shorter, the life of the Fund). These annual returns do not reflect sales charges; if they did, results would be lower. The table shows, for each share class of the Fund and for the last one, five, and ten calendar year periods (or, if shorter, the life of the Fund), how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare to the returns of one or more broad-based market indices. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. You may get updated performance information online at www.principalfunds.com or by calling 1-800-222-5852.
The Fund commenced operations after succeeding to the operations of another fund on January 12, 2007. Performance for periods prior to that date is based on the performance of the predecessor fund which commenced operations on January 3, 1977.
Total Returns as of December 31 each year (Class A shares)

Highest return for a quarter during the period of the bar chart above:
Q3 '09
10.13
 %
Lowest return for a quarter during the period of the bar chart above:
Q4 '08
-5.96
 %

Average Annual Total Returns
For the periods ended December 31, 2012
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Class A Return Before Taxes
4.95%
4.62%
4.07%
Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions
4.95%
4.62%
4.00%
Class A Return After Taxes on Distribution and Sale of Fund Shares
4.61%
4.59%
4.07%
Class B Return Before Taxes
3.14%
4.36%
3.91%
Class C Return Before Taxes
7.11%
4.61%
3.65%
Barclays Municipal Bond Index   (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
6.78%
5.91%
5.10%
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only and would be different for Class B and Class C shares.

Page 4 of 5



Management
Investment Advisor: Principal Management Corporation
Sub-Advisor(s) and Portfolio Manager(s):
Principal Global Investors, LLC
Douglas J. Gaylor (since 2011), Portfolio Manager
James Noble (since 2013), Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
Purchase minimums per fund (some exceptions apply):
     Initial Investment

$1000

     For accounts with an Automatic Investment Plan (AIP)

$100

     Subsequent Investments

$100

     For accounts with an AIP, the subsequent automatic investments must total $1,200 annually if the initial $1,000 minimum has not been met.
Effective March 1, 2010, Class B shares of the Fund are no longer available for purchase, except through exchanges and dividend reinvestments.
You may purchase or redeem shares on any business day (normally any day when the New York Stock Exchange is open for regular trading) through your Financial Professional; by sending a written request to Principal Funds at P.O. Box 8024, Boston, MA 02266-8024 (regular mail) or 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809 (overnight mail); calling us at 1-800-222-5852; or accessing our website (www.principalfunds.com).
Tax Information
While the Fund intends to distribute income that is exempt from regular federal and possibly some state income taxes, a portion of the Fund’s distributions may be subject to federal income taxes or to the federal alternative minimum tax. A portion of the Fund’s distributions likely will be subject to state income taxes depending on the state’s rules.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank, insurance company, investment adviser, etc.), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment, or to recommend one share class of the Fund over another share class. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.


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