reflected, the expenses would
be higher. See the Variable Contract prospectus for information on such charges.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions and
the net expenses shown in the fee table, your costs would be:
The Portfolio 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. These costs, which are not reflected in annual
portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio’s performance.
During the most recent fiscal year, the
Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 24% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Portfolio
The Portfolio attempts to achieve its goal by investing,
under normal market conditions, at least 65% of its assets in equity securities.
Equity securities include common stocks, preferred stocks, securities convertible into stocks, and depositary receipts for such securities. The Portfolio may invest up to 25% of its
net assets in foreign securities.
In selecting investments for the Portfolio, the subadviser is not constrained by any particular investment style. The subadviser may invest the
Portfolio’s assets in the stocks of companies it believes to have above average earnings growth potential compared to other companies (growth companies), in the stocks of companies it
believes are undervalued compared to their perceived worth (value companies), or
in a combination of growth and value companies. While the Portfolio may invest its assets in securities of companies of any size, the Portfolio primarily invests in securities of
companies with large capitalizations.
The subadviser normally invests the Portfolio’s assets across different industries and sectors, but the subadviser may invest a significant
percentage of the Portfolio’s assets in a single industry or sector.
The subadviser uses an active bottom-up investment approach
to buying and selling investments for the Portfolio. Investments are selected primarily based on fundamental analysis of individual issuers and their
potential in light of their financial condition, and market, economic, political, and regulatory conditions. Factors considered may include analysis of an
issuer’s earnings, cash flows, competitive position, and management ability.
The subadviser may also consider environmental, social and governance (ESG)
factors in its fundamental investment analysis where MFS believes such factors
could materially impact the economic value of an issuer. ESG factors considered
may include, but are not limited to, climate change, resource depletion, an issuer’s governance structure and practices, data protection and privacy issues, and diversity and
labor practices. Quantitative screening tools that systematically evaluate an
issuer’s valuation, price and earnings momentum, earnings quality, and other factors may also be considered.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Portfolio
As with any mutual fund, there can be no assurance that the
Portfolio’s investment goal will be met or that the net return on an investment in the Portfolio will exceed what could have been obtained through other investment or savings vehicles. Shares of the Portfolio are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by any bank, government entity or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. If the value of the assets of the Portfolio goes down, you could lose money.
The following is a summary of the principal risks of investing in the Portfolio.
Equity Securities Risk. The Portfolio invests principally in equity securities and is therefore subject to the risk that stock prices will fall and may underperform other asset classes. Individual stock prices
fluctuate from day-to-day and may decline significantly.
ESG Investment Risk. The Portfolio’s adherence to its ESG criteria and application of related analyses when selecting investments may impact the
Portfolio’s performance, including relative to similar funds that do not
adhere to such criteria or apply such analyses. Additionally, the
Portfolio’s adherence to its ESG criteria and application of related analyses in connection with identifying and selecting investments may require subjective analysis and may be more
difficult if data about a particular company or market is limited, such as with
respect to issuers in emerging markets countries. The Portfolio may invest in
companies that do not reflect the beliefs and values of any particular investor. Socially responsible norms differ by country and region, and a company’s ESG practices or the
subadviser’s assessment of such may change over time. ESG characteristics may