As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 17, 2012

1933 Act Registration No. 033-16905

1940 Act Registration No. 811-05309

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form N-1A

Nuveen Investment Funds, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

(312) 917-7700

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code):

Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: As soon as practicable after effectiveness.

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):

If appropriate, check the following box:

CONTENTS OF POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 135

This Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement comprises the following papers and contents:

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Preliminary Prospectus dated December 17, 2012

Subject to Completion

Table of Contents

NOT FDIC OR GOVERNMENT INSURED     MAY LOSE VALUE     NO BANK GUARANTEE

Section 1    Fund Summaries

Nuveen Dividend Value Fund

Investment Objective

The investment objective of the Fund is long-term growth of capital and income.

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 $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in “What Share Classes We Offer” on page 25 of the Fund’s prospectus, “How to Reduce Your Sales Charge” on page 27 of the prospectus and “Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares” on page S-55 of the Fund’s statement of additional information.

Shareholder Fees

(fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Example

The following 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 either redeem or do not redeem your shares at the end of a period. 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:

2

Section 1    Fund Summaries

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 33% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of companies that, in the opinion of the Fund’s sub-adviser, have the ability to pay above average dividends and finance expected growth, have strong management, and are trading at attractive valuations. The Fund’s sub-adviser will generally sell a security if the security is no longer expected to meet the sub-adviser’s dividend or growth expectations or if a better alternative exists in the marketplace.

The Fund will attempt to maintain a dividend that will grow over time. As a result, higher-yielding equity securities will generally represent the core holdings of the Fund. However, the Fund also may invest in lower-yielding, higher-growth equity securities if the sub-adviser believes they will help balance the portfolio. The Fund’s equity securities include common stocks, convertible preferred stocks, and corporate debt securities that are convertible into common stocks. All such equity securities will provide current income at the time of purchase.

The Fund invests in convertible debt securities in pursuit of both long-term growth of capital and income. The securities’ conversion features provide long-term growth potential, while interest payments on the securities provide income. The Fund may invest in convertible debt securities without regard to their ratings, and therefore may hold convertible debt securities which are rated lower than investment grade.

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in non-dollar denominated equity securities of non-U.S. issuers. In addition, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its assets, collectively, in non-dollar denominated equity securities of non-U.S. issuers and in dollar-denominated equity securities of non-U.S. issuers that are either listed on a U.S. stock exchange or represented by depositary receipts that may or may not be sponsored by a domestic bank. Up to 15% of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in equity securities of emerging market issuers. A country is considered to be an “emerging market” if it is defined as such by Morgan Stanley Capital International Inc.

The Fund may utilize options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and forward foreign currency exchange contracts (“derivatives”). The Fund may use these derivatives to manage market or business risk, enhance the Fund’s return, or hedge against adverse movements in currency exchange rates.

Principal Risks

The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily, which means you could lose money. 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 include:

Credit Risk—Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a debt security may be unable or unwilling to make interest and principal payments when due and the related risk that the value of a debt security may decline because of concerns about the issuer’s ability or willingness to make such payments. In addition, parties to other financial contracts with the Fund could default on their obligations.

Derivatives Risk—The use of derivatives involves additional risks, such as liquidity, interest rate, counterparty, market, credit and management risks, and transaction costs which could leave the Fund in a worse position than if it had not used these instruments. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives could have a large impact on performance. Recent legislation requires the development of a new regulatory framework for the derivatives market. The impact of the new regulations is still unknown, but has the potential to increase the costs of using derivatives, may limit the availability of some forms of derivatives or the Fund’s ability to use derivatives, and may adversely affect the performance of some derivative instruments used by the Fund as well as the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment objective through the use of such instruments.

Section 1    Fund Summaries

3

Equity Security Risk—Equity securities may decline significantly in price over short or extended periods of time, and such declines may occur in the equity market as a whole, or they may occur in only a particular country, company, industry, or sector of the market.

High Yield Securities Risk—High yield securities are high risk investments that may cause income and principal losses for the Fund. They generally have greater credit risk, are less liquid and have more volatile prices than investment grade securities.

Interest Rate Risk—Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of the Fund’s portfolio will decline because of rising interest rates.

Non-U.S./Emerging Markets Risk—Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to those of issuers located in or that principally operate in the United States as a result of, among other things, political, social and economic developments abroad and different legal, regulatory and tax environments. These additional risks may be heightened for securities of issuers located in, or with significant operations in, emerging market countries. Also, changes in currency exchange rates may affect the Fund’s net asset value, the value of dividends and interest earned, and gains and losses realized on the sale of securities.

Fund Performance

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.nuveen.com/MutualFunds/PricingPerformance/Performance.aspx or by calling (800) 257-8787.

The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund’s performance from year to year for Class A shares. The performance of the other share classes will differ due to their different expense structures. The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.

Class A Annual Total Return

During the ten-year period ended December 31, 2012, the Fund’s highest and lowest quarterly returns were         % and         %, respectively, for the quarters ended                      and                     .

The table below shows the variability of the Fund’s average annual returns and how they compare over the time periods indicated with those of a broad measure of market performance and an index of funds with similar investment objectives. Class R6 shares commenced operations on February 28, 2013. The returns for Class R6 shares shown below reflect Class I performance prior to February 28, 2013 adjusted for the difference in fees between the classes. All 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. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.

4

Section 1    Fund Summaries

Both the bar chart and the table assume that all distributions have been reinvested. Performance reflects fee waivers, if any, in effect during the periods presented. If any such waivers were not in place, returns would be reduced.

Prior to July 1, 2004, Class R3 shares were designated Class S shares, which had lower fees and expenses. The performance information in the table prior to July 1, 2004 is based on the performance of the Class S shares. If current fees and expenses had been in effect, performance would have been lower.

Management

Investment Adviser

Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc.

Sub-Adviser

Nuveen Asset Management, LLC

Portfolio Managers

Section 1    Fund Summaries

5

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

You may purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the Fund on any business day, which is any day the New York Stock Exchange is open for business. You may purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the Fund either through a financial advisor or other financial intermediary or directly from the Fund. Class B shares are available only through exchanges and dividend reinvestments by current Class B shareholders. The Fund’s initial and subsequent investment minimums generally are as follows, although the Fund may reduce or waive the minimums in some cases:

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are taxable and will generally be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred account, such as an IRA or 401(k) plan.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund, its distributor or its investment adviser 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 financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

6

Section 1    Fund Summaries

Nuveen Large Cap Growth Opportunities Fund

Investment Objective

The investment objective of the Fund is long-term growth of 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 $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in “What Share Classes We Offer” on page 25 of the Fund’s prospectus, “How to Reduce Your Sales Charge” on page 27 of the prospectus and “Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares” on page S-55 of the Fund’s statement of additional information.

Shareholder Fees

(fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Example

The following 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 either redeem or do not redeem your shares at the end of a period. 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:

Section 1    Fund Summaries

7

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 88% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in common stocks of large-capitalization companies, defined as companies that have market capitalizations of $5 billion or greater at the time of purchase.

In selecting stocks, the Fund’s sub-adviser invests in companies that it believes exhibit the potential for superior growth based on factors such as above average growth in revenue and earnings, strong competitive position, strong management, and sound financial condition. The Fund’s sub-adviser will generally sell a stock if the stock hits its price target, the company’s fundamentals or competitive position significantly deteriorate, or if a better alternative exists in the marketplace.

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in non-dollar denominated equity securities of non-U.S. issuers. In addition, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its assets, collectively, in non-dollar denominated equity securities of non-U.S. issuers and in dollar-denominated equity securities of non-U.S. issuers that are either listed on a U.S. stock exchange or represented by depositary receipts that may or may not be sponsored by a domestic bank. Up to 15% of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in equity securities of emerging market issuers. A country is considered to be an “emerging market” if it is defined as such by Morgan Stanley Capital International Inc.

The Fund may utilize options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and forward foreign currency exchange contracts (“derivatives”). The Fund may use these derivatives to manage market or business risk, enhance the Fund’s return, or hedge against adverse movements in currency exchange rates.

Principal Risks

The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily, which means you could lose money. 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 include:

Derivatives Risk—The use of derivatives involves additional risks, such as liquidity, interest rate, counterparty, market, credit and management risks, and transaction costs which could leave the Fund in a worse position than if it had not used these instruments. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives could have a large impact on performance. Recent legislation requires the development of a new regulatory framework for the derivatives market. The impact of the new regulations is still unknown, but has the potential to increase the costs of using derivatives, may limit the availability of some forms of derivatives or the Fund’s ability to use derivatives, and may adversely affect the performance of some derivative instruments used by the Fund as well as the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment objective through the use of such instruments.

Equity Security Risk—Equity securities may decline significantly in price over short or extended periods of time, and such declines may occur in the equity market as a whole, or they may occur in only a particular country, company, industry, or sector of the market.

Investment Focus Risk—Different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions. The Fund emphasizes a growth style of investing and therefore seeks companies experiencing high rates of current growth; such companies may be more volatile than other types of investments. Furthermore, because the Fund focuses its investments in large-cap stocks, the Fund may not benefit from gains in smaller cap sectors of the market.

8

Section 1    Fund Summaries

Non-U.S./Emerging Markets Risk—Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to those of issuers located in or that principally operate in the United States as a result of, among other things, political, social and economic developments abroad and different legal, regulatory and tax environments. These additional risks may be heightened for securities of issuers located in, or with significant operations in, emerging market countries. Also, changes in currency exchange rates may affect the Fund’s net asset value, the value of dividends and interest earned, and gains and losses realized on the sale of securities.

Fund Performance

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.nuveen.com/MutualFunds/PricingPerformance/Performance.aspx or by calling (800) 257-8787.

The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund’s performance from year to year for Class A shares. The performance of the other share classes will differ due to their different expense structures. The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.

Class A Annual Total Return

During the ten-year period ended December 31, 2012, the Fund’s highest and lowest quarterly returns were         % and         %, respectively, for the quarters ended                      and                     .

The table below shows the variability of the Fund’s average annual returns and how they compare over the time periods indicated with those of a broad measure of market performance and an index of funds with similar investment objectives. Class R6 shares commenced operations on February 28, 2013. The returns for Class R6 shares shown below reflect Class I performance prior to February 28, 2013 adjusted for the difference in fees between the classes. All 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. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.

Both the bar chart and the table assume that all distributions have been reinvested. Performance reflects fee waivers, if any, in effect during the periods presented. If any such waivers were not in place, returns would be reduced.

Prior to July 1, 2004, Class R3 shares were designated Class S shares, which had lower fees and expenses. The performance information in the table prior to July 1, 2004 is based on the performance of the Class S shares. If current fees and expenses had been in effect, performance would have been lower.

Section 1    Fund Summaries

9

Management

Investment Adviser

Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc.

Sub-Adviser

Nuveen Asset Management, LLC

Portfolio Managers

10

Section 1    Fund Summaries

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

You may purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the Fund on any business day, which is any day the New York Stock Exchange is open for business. You may purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the Fund either through a financial advisor or other financial intermediary or directly from the Fund. Class B shares are available only through exchanges and dividend reinvestments by current Class B shareholders. The Fund’s initial and subsequent investment minimums generally are as follows, although the Fund may reduce or waive the minimums in some cases:

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are taxable and will generally be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred account, such as an IRA or 401(k) plan.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund, its distributor or its investment adviser 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 financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

Section 1    Fund Summaries

11

Nuveen Mid Cap Growth Opportunities Fund

Investment Objective

The investment objective of the Fund is capital appreciation.

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 $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in “What Share Classes We Offer” on page 25 of the Fund’s prospectus, “How to Reduce Your Sales Charge” on page 27 of the prospectus and “Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares” on page S-55 of the Fund’s statement of additional information.

Shareholder Fees

(fees paid directly from your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Example

The following 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 either redeem or do not redeem your shares at the end of a period. 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:

12

Section 1    Fund Summaries

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 114% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in common stocks of mid-capitalization companies, defined as companies that have market capitalizations at the time of purchase within the market capitalization range of the companies in the Russell Midcap^® Index immediately after its most recent reconstitution prior to such purchase. It is expected that reconstitution of the index will occur each year at the end of June. Immediately after the most recent reconstitution, the range was $520 million to $17.9 billion.

In selecting stocks, the Fund’s sub-adviser invests in companies that it believes exhibit the potential for superior growth based on factors such as above-average growth in revenue and earnings, strong competitive position, strong management, and sound financial condition. The Fund’s sub-adviser will generally sell a stock if the stock hits its price target, the company’s fundamentals or competitive position significantly deteriorate, or if a better alternative exists in the marketplace.

Under certain market conditions, the Fund may frequently invest in companies at the time of their initial public offering.

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in non-dollar denominated equity securities of non-U.S. issuers. In addition, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its assets, collectively, in non-dollar denominated equity securities of non-U.S. issuers and in dollar-denominated equity securities of non-U.S. issuers that are either listed on a U.S. stock exchange or represented by depositary receipts that may or may not be sponsored by a domestic bank. Up to 15% of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in equity securities of emerging market issuers. A country is considered to be an “emerging market” if it is defined as such by Morgan Stanley Capital International Inc.

The Fund may utilize options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and forward foreign currency exchange contracts (“derivatives”). The Fund may use these derivatives to manage market or business risk, enhance the Fund’s return, or hedge against adverse movements in currency exchange rates.

Principal Risks

The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily, which means you could lose money. 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 include:

Derivatives Risk—The use of derivatives involves additional risks, such as liquidity, interest rate, counterparty, market, credit and management risks, and transaction costs which could leave the Fund in a worse position than if it had not used these instruments. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives could have a large impact on performance. Recent legislation requires the development of a new regulatory framework for the derivatives market. The impact of the new regulations is still unknown, but has the potential to increase the costs of using derivatives, may limit the availability of some forms of derivatives or the Fund’s ability to use derivatives, and may adversely affect the performance of some derivative instruments used by the Fund as well as the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment objective through the use of such instruments.

Equity Security Risk—Equity securities may decline significantly in price over short or extended periods of time, and such declines may occur in the equity market as a whole, or they may occur in only a particular country, company, industry, or sector of the market.

Investment Focus Risk—Different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions. The Fund emphasizes a growth style of investing and therefore seeks companies experiencing high rates of current growth; such companies may be more volatile than other types of investments.

Section 1    Fund Summaries

13

Mid-Cap Stock Risk—Stocks of mid-cap companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than those of larger, more established companies or the market averages in general.

Non-U.S./Emerging Markets Risk—Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to those of issuers located in or that principally operate in the United States as a result of, among other things, political, social and economic developments abroad and different legal, regulatory and tax environments. These additional risks may be heightened for securities of issuers located in, or with significant operations in, emerging market countries. Also, changes in currency exchange rates may affect the Fund’s net asset value, the value of dividends and interest earned, and gains and losses realized on the sale of securities.

Fund Performance

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.nuveen.com/MutualFunds/PricingPerformance/Performance.aspx or by calling (800) 257-8787.

The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund’s performance from year to year for Class A shares. The performance of the other share classes will differ due to their different expense structures. The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.

Class A Annual Total Return

During the ten-year period ended December 31, 2012, the Fund’s highest and lowest quarterly returns were         % and         %, respectively, for the quarters ended                      and                     .

The table below shows the variability of the Fund’s average annual returns and how they compare over the time periods indicated with those of a broad measure of market performance and an index of funds with similar investment objectives. Class R6 shares commenced operations on February 28, 2013. The returns for Class R6 shares shown below reflect Class I performance prior to February 28, 2013 adjusted for the difference in fees between the classes. All 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. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.

Both the bar chart and the table assume that all distributions have been reinvested. Performance reflects fee waivers, if any, in effect during the periods presented. If any such waivers were not in place, returns would be reduced.

Prior to July 1, 2004, Class R3 shares were designated Class S shares, which had lower fees and expenses. The performance information in the table prior to July 1, 2004 is based on the performance of the Class S shares. If current fees and expenses had been in effect, performance would have been lower.

14

Section 1    Fund Summaries

Management

Investment Adviser

Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc.

Sub-Adviser

Nuveen Asset Management, LLC

Portfolio Managers

Section 1    Fund Summaries

15

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

You may purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the Fund on any business day, which is any day the New York Stock Exchange is open for business. You may purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the Fund either through a financial advisor or other financial intermediary or directly from the Fund. Class B shares are available only through exchanges and dividend reinvestments by current Class B shareholders. The Fund’s initial and subsequent investment minimums generally are as follows, although the Fund may reduce or waive the minimums in some cases:

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are taxable and will generally be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred account, such as an IRA or 401(k) plan.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund, its distributor or its investment adviser 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 financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

16

Section 1    Fund Summaries

Section 2    How We Manage Your Money

To help you better understand the Funds, this section includes a detailed discussion of the Funds’ investment and risk management strategies. For a more complete discussion of these matters, please see the statement of additional information, which is available by calling (800) 257-8787 or by visiting Nuveen’s website at www.nuveen.com.

Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc. (“Nuveen Fund Advisors”), the Funds’ investment adviser, offers advisory and investment management services to a broad range of mutual fund clients. Nuveen Fund Advisors has overall responsibility for management of the Funds, oversees the management of the Funds’ portfolios, manages the Funds’ business affairs and provides certain clerical, bookkeeping and other administrative services. Nuveen Fund Advisors is located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606. Nuveen Fund Advisors is a subsidiary of Nuveen Investments, Inc. (“Nuveen Investments”). On November 13, 2007, Nuveen Investments was acquired by investors led by Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC, which is a private equity investment firm based in Chicago, Illinois. The Nuveen family of advisers has been providing advice to investment companies since 1976, and had $220 billion of assets under management as of September 30, 2012.

Nuveen Fund Advisors has selected its affiliate, Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (“Nuveen Asset Management”), located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, to serve as sub-adviser to each Fund. Nuveen Asset Management manages the investment of the Funds’ assets on a discretionary basis, subject to the supervision of Nuveen Fund Advisors.

The portfolio managers for Nuveen Dividend Value Fund are Cori B. Johnson and Derek M. Sadowsky. The portfolio managers for Nuveen Large Cap Growth Opportunities Fund are Harold R. Goldstein, Scott M. Mullinix and James A. Diedrich. The portfolio managers for Nuveen Mid Cap Growth Opportunities Fund are James A. Diedrich, Harold R. Goldstein and Scott M. Mullinix.

Section 2    How We Manage Your Money

17

Additional information about the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers and the portfolio managers’ ownership of securities in the Funds is provided in the statement of additional information.

Management Fees

The management fee schedule for each Fund consists of two components: a Fund-level fee, based only on the amount of assets within a Fund, and a complex-level fee, based on the aggregate amount of all eligible fund assets managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors.

The annual Fund-level fee, payable monthly, is based upon the average daily net assets of each Fund as follows:

Each Fund’s complex-level fee rate is determined by taking the current overall complex-level fee rate, which is based on the aggregate amount of the “eligible assets” of all Nuveen funds, and making, as appropriate, an upward adjustment to that rate based upon the percentage of the particular Fund’s assets that are not “eligible assets.” The maximum overall complex-level fee rate is 0.2000% of a Fund’s average daily net assets, which is based upon complex-level eligible assets of $55 billion, with the complex-level fee rate decreasing incrementally for eligible assets above that level. Fund-specific complex-level fee rates will not exceed the maximum overall complex-level fee rate of 0.2000%. As of September 30, 2012, the Funds’ complex-level fee rates were as follows:

18

Section 2    How We Manage Your Money

For the most recent fiscal year, each Fund paid Nuveen Fund Advisors the following management fees (net of fee waivers and expense reimbursements) as a percentage of average daily net assets:

Information regarding the Board of Directors’ approval of the investment management agreements is currently available in the Funds’ annual report for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2011.

The Funds’ investment objectives, which are described in the “Fund Summaries” section, may be changed without shareholder approval. If a Fund’s investment objective changes, you will be notified at least 60 days in advance. The Nuveen Large Cap Growth Opportunities Fund and Nuveen Mid Cap Growth Opportunities Fund have each adopted a non-fundamental investment policy pursuant to Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act (a “Name Policy”) whereby the Nuveen Large Cap Growth Opportunities Fund, under normal market conditions, will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in common stocks of large-capitalization companies and the Nuveen Mid Cap Growth Opportunities Fund, under normal market conditions, will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in common stocks of mid-capitalization companies. As a result, each Fund must provide shareholders with a notice meeting the requirement of Rule 35d-1(c) at least 60 days prior to any change of its Name Policy. The Funds’ investment policies may be changed by the Board of Directors without shareholder approval unless otherwise noted in this prospectus or the statement of additional information.

The Funds’ principal investment strategies are discussed in the “Fund Summaries” section. These are the strategies that the Funds’ investment adviser and sub-adviser believe are most likely to be important in trying to achieve the Funds’ investment objectives. This section provides more information about these strategies, as well as information about some additional strategies that the Funds’ sub-adviser uses, or may use, to achieve the Funds’ objectives. You should be aware that each Fund may also use strategies and invest in securities that are not described in this prospectus, but that are described in the statement of additional information. For a copy of the statement of additional information, call Nuveen Investor Services at (800) 257-8787 or visit Nuveen’s website at www.nuveen.com.

Convertible Securities

Nuveen Dividend Value Fund may invest in convertible securities, which are hybrid securities that combine the investment characteristics of bonds and common stocks. Convertible securities typically consist of debt securities or preferred securities that may be converted within a specified period of time (typically for the entire life of the security) into a certain amount of common stock or other equity security of the same or a different issuer at a predetermined price. They also include debt securities with warrants or common stock attached and derivatives combining the features of debt

Section 2    How We Manage Your Money

19

securities and equity securities. Convertible securities entitle the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt securities, or dividends paid or accrued on preferred securities, until the securities mature or are redeemed, converted or exchanged.

Securities Lending

Each Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of its total assets to broker-dealers, banks, and other institutions to generate additional income. When a Fund loans its portfolio securities, it will receive, at the inception of each loan, cash collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of the loaned securities. Under these Funds’ securities lending agreement, the securities lending agent will generally bear the risk that a borrower may default on its obligation to return loaned securities. The Funds, however, will be responsible for the risks associated with the investment of cash collateral. A Fund may lose money on its investment of cash collateral or may fail to earn sufficient income on its investment to meet its obligations to the borrower.

When a dividend is paid on a security that is out on loan, the borrower receives the dividend and in turn makes a payment of the same amount to the Fund. Dividends, if they constitute “qualified dividends,” are taxable at the same rate as long-term capital gains. These payments made by borrowers, however, are not qualified dividends, and are taxable at higher ordinary income rates. As a result, some of the distributions received by shareholders who hold Fund shares in taxable accounts may be subject to taxation at a higher rate than if the Fund had not loaned its portfolio securities.

Temporary Investments

In an attempt to respond to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions, each Fund may temporarily invest without limit in cash and in U.S. dollar-denominated high-quality money market instruments and other short-term securities, including money market funds. Being invested in these securities may keep a Fund from participating in a market upswing and prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective.

Portfolio Holdings

A description of the Funds’ policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Funds’ portfolio holdings is available in the Funds’ statement of additional information. Certain portfolio holdings information for each Fund is available on the Funds’ website—www.nuveen.com—by clicking the “Products & Performance—Mutual Funds” link and following the applicable link for your Fund. By following these links, you can obtain a list of your Fund’s top ten holdings as of the end of the most recent month. A complete list of portfolio holdings information is generally made available on the Funds’ website ten business days after the end of the month. This information will remain available on the website until the Funds file with the Securities and Exchange Commission their annual, semi-annual or quarterly holdings report for the fiscal period that includes the date(s) as of which the website information is current.

Risk is inherent in all investing. Investing in a mutual fund involves risk, including the risk that you may receive little or no return on your investment or even that you may lose part or all of your investment. Therefore, before investing you should consider carefully the principal risks and certain other

20

Section 2    How We Manage Your Money

risks that you assume when you invest in the Funds. These risks are listed alphabetically below. Because of these risks, you should consider an investment in the Funds to be a long-term investment.

Principal Risks

Credit risk: Nuveen Dividend Value Fund is subject to the risk that the issuers of debt securities held by the Fund will not make payments on the securities. There is also the risk that an issuer could suffer adverse changes in financial condition that could lower the credit quality of a security. This could lead to greater volatility in the price of the security and in shares of the Fund. Also, a change in the credit quality rating of a bond could affect the bond’s liquidity and make it more difficult for the Fund to sell. When the Fund purchases unrated securities, it will depend on the sub-adviser’s analysis of credit risk without the assessment of an independent rating organization, such as Moody’s or Standard & Poor’s.

Derivatives risk: The use of derivatives presents risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in traditional securities. Among the risks presented are market risk, credit risk, management risk and liquidity risk. Derivatives can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value, and there is the risk that changes in the value of a derivative held by a Fund will not correlate with the underlying instruments or the Fund’s other investments.

The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the underlying asset, index or rate, which may be magnified by certain features of the derivatives. Derivative instruments also involve the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of the counterparty to the derivative instruments to make required payments or otherwise comply with the derivative instruments’ terms. These risks are heightened when the management team uses derivatives to enhance a Fund’s return or as a substitute for a position or security, rather than solely to hedge (or offset) the risk of a position or security held by the Fund.

In addition, when a Fund invests in certain derivative securities, including, but not limited to, when-issued securities, forward commitments and futures contracts, it is effectively leveraging its investments, which could result in exaggerated changes in the net asset value of the Funds’ shares and can result in losses that exceed the amount originally invested. The success of a Fund’s derivatives strategies will depend on the sub-adviser’s ability to assess and predict the impact of market or economic developments on the underlying asset, index or rate and the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions. A Fund may also enter into over-the-counter (OTC) transactions in derivatives. Transactions in the OTC markets generally are conducted on a principal-to-principal basis. The terms and conditions of these instruments generally are not standardized and tend to be more specialized or complex, and the instruments may be harder to value. In general, there is less governmental regulation and supervision of transactions in the OTC markets than of transactions entered into on organized exchanges. In addition, certain derivative instruments and markets may not be liquid, which means the Fund may not be able to close out a derivatives transaction in a cost-efficient manner.

Short positions in derivatives may involve greater risks than long positions, as the risk of loss on short positions is theoretically unlimited (unlike a long position, in which the risk of loss may be limited to the amount invested).

Section 2    How We Manage Your Money

21

Some of the risks associated with the use of futures contracts are the imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the instruments held by a Fund and the price of the futures contract, liquidity risks, and losses caused by unanticipated market movements.

Recent legislation requires the development of a new regulatory framework for the derivatives market. The impact of the new regulations is still unknown, but has the potential to increase the costs of using derivatives, may limit the availability of some forms of derivatives or a Fund’s ability to use derivatives, and may adversely affect the performance of some derivative instruments used by a Fund as well as the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment objectives through the use of such instruments.

Equity security risk: Equity securities may decline significantly in price over short or extended periods of time. Price changes may occur in the market as a whole, or they may occur in only a particular country, company, industry, or sector of the market. In addition, the types of securities in which a particular Fund invests, such as value stocks, growth stocks, large-capitalization stocks, mid-capitalization stocks, small-capitalization stocks and/or micro-capitalization stocks, may underperform the market as a whole.

Frequent trading risk: Frequent trading of Fund securities may produce capital gains, which are taxable to shareholders when distributed. Frequent trading may also increase the amount of commissions or mark-ups to broker-dealers that a Fund pays when it buys and sells securities, which may detract from the Fund’s performance.

High yield securities risk: As a principal investment strategy, Nuveen Dividend Value Fund may invest in high yield securities, which involve more risk than investment grade securities. High yield securities may be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic conditions than investment grade securities, and they generally have more volatile prices and carry more risk to principal. In addition, the secondary trading market may be less liquid, meaning that it may be more difficult to sell or buy a security at a favorable price or time. Consequently, a Fund may have to accept a lower price to sell a security, sell other securities to raise cash, or give up an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance.

Interest rate risk: Nuveen Dividend Value Fund may invest in or have exposure to debt securities as a principal investment strategy. Debt securities will fluctuate in value with changes in interest rates. In general, debt securities will increase in value when interest rates fall and decrease in value when interest rates rise. Longer-term debt securities are generally more sensitive to interest rate changes.

Investment focus risk: Different types of stocks tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions. Funds that emphasize a growth style of investing often seek companies experiencing high rates of current growth; such companies may be more volatile than other types of investments. Funds that emphasize a value style of investing often seek undervalued companies with characteristics for improved valuations; such companies are subject to the risk that the valuations never improve. Certain Funds invest in companies with new, limited or cyclical product lines, services, markets, distribution channels or financial resources, or companies where the management of such companies may be dependent upon one or a few key people, or companies conducting initial public offerings or other

22

Section 2    How We Manage Your Money

major corporate events such as acquisitions, mergers, or liquidations; such companies can be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than stocks of larger, more established companies or the stock markets in general.

Mid-cap stock risk: While stocks of mid-cap companies may be slightly less volatile than those of small-cap companies, they still involve substantial risk. Mid-cap companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, and they may be dependent on a limited management group. Stocks of mid-cap companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than those of larger, more established companies or the market averages in general.

Non-U.S./emerging markets risk: Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to those of issuers that principally operate in the United States due to political, social and economic developments abroad, different regulatory environments and laws, potential seizure by the government of company assets, higher taxation, withholding taxes on dividends and interest and limitations on the use or transfer of portfolio assets. To the extent a Fund is allowed to invest in depositary receipts, the Fund will be subject to many of the same risks as when investing directly in non-U.S. securities. The holder of an unsponsored depositary receipt may have limited voting rights and may not receive as much information about the issuer of the underlying securities as would the holder of a sponsored depositary receipt.

Other non-U.S. investment risks include the following:

Section 2    How We Manage Your Money

23