earnings growth. The Portfolio
may also invest up to 25% of its assets in foreign securities, including emerging market
securities.
The subadviser’s investment process is
driven by bottom-up stock selection. Generally, the subadviser constructs a
portfolio of approximately 45 to 60 stocks using a disciplined team approach,
while at the same time drawing on the unique ideas of each portfolio manager.
Purchase candidates are generally leaders in their industries, with compelling
business models, talented management teams and growth prospects that the
subadviser deems to be superior to consensus expectations over coming quarters.
Stock selection is the primary driver of investment decisions, with all other
decisions purely a by-product of the stock-selection process.
The subadviser believes that investment success comes from focusing on companies poised to
exceed consensus growth expectations on the upside. As a result, the Portfolio
tends to exhibit strong earnings growth relative to consensus and to the benchmark as a whole, which typically results in attractive valuations.
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.
Large-Cap Companies Risk. Large-cap companies tend to be less volatile than companies with smaller market capitalizations. In exchange for this
potentially lower risk, the Portfolio’s value may not rise as much as the value of portfolios that emphasize smaller companies. Larger, more established companies may be unable
to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in
technology and consumer tastes.
Larger companies also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of
successful smaller companies, particularly during extended periods of economic
expansion.
Growth Stock Risk. The Portfolio invests substantially in growth style stocks. Growth stocks may lack the dividend yield associated with value stocks that can cushion total return in a bear market. Also,
growth stocks normally carry a higher price/earnings ratio than many other stocks.
Consequently, if earnings expectations are not met, the market price of growth
stocks will often decline more than other stocks.
Foreign Investment Risk. The Portfolio’s investments in the securities of foreign issuers or issuers with significant exposure to foreign markets involve additional risk. Foreign countries in which the Portfolio
invests may have markets that are less liquid, less regulated and more volatile
than U.S. markets. The value of the Portfolio’s investments may decline because of factors affecting the particular issuer as well as foreign markets and issuers generally, such as unfavorable
government actions, and political or financial instability and other conditions or
events (including, for example, military confrontations, war, terrorism,
sanctions, disease/virus, outbreaks and epidemics). Lack of relevant data and reliable public information may also affect the value of these securities. The risks of foreign investments
are heightened when investing in issuers in emerging market countries.
Emerging Markets Risk. Risks associated with investments in emerging markets may include: delays in settling portfolio securities
transactions; currency and capital controls; greater sensitivity to interest rate
changes; pervasive corruption and crime; exchange rate volatility; inflation,
deflation or currency devaluation; violent military or political conflicts; confiscations and other government restrictions by the United States or other governments; and government
instability. As a result, investments in emerging market securities tend to be
more volatile than investments in developed countries.
Issuer Risk. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial
leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods and services.
Management Risk. The Portfolio is subject to management risk because it is an actively-managed investment portfolio. The Portfolio’s portfolio managers apply investment techniques and
risk analyses in making