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Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy
Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy
Objective
To seek to provide total return.
Fees and Expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table below does not reflect any fees and expenses imposed under the variable life insurance policies and variable annuity contracts (collectively, Policies) through which this Portfolio is offered. See the Policy prospectus for a description of those fees and expenses.
Shareholder Fees

(fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees (USD $)
Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)   
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses
Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy
Management Fees 0.69%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25%
Other Expenses 0.07%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses 1.01%
Example
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the shares of the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other portfolios. This example does not reflect any fees and expenses imposed under the Policies.

The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the shares of the Portfolio for the time periods indicated. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. The costs are the same for each time period if you continue to hold your shares or if you redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
Expense Example (USD $)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy
103 322 558 1,236
Expense Example, No Redemption (USD $)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy
103 322 558 1,236
Portfolio Turnover
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 49% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy seeks to achieve its objective by allocating its assets primarily among stocks, bonds and short-term instruments of issuers in markets around the globe, as well as investments in derivative instruments, precious metals and investments with exposure to various foreign currencies. The Portfolio may invest its assets in any market that Waddell & Reed Investment Management Company (WRIMCO), the Portfolio's investment manager, believes can offer a high probability of return or, alternatively, can provide a high degree of relative safety in uncertain times. Dependent on its outlook for the U.S. and global economies, WRIMCO identifies growth themes and then focuses its strategy on allocating the Portfolio's assets among stocks, bonds, cash, precious metals, currency and derivative instruments, including derivatives traded over-the-counter or on exchanges. After determining these allocations, WRIMCO seeks attractive opportunities within each market by focusing generally on issuers in countries, sectors and companies with strong cash flow streams and low balance sheet leverage. The Portfolio may, however, also invest in issuers with higher balance sheet leverage if WRIMCO believes that the Portfolio will be appropriately compensated for the increased risk.
  • “Stocks” include equity securities of all types, although WRIMCO typically emphasizes growth potential in selecting stocks by focusing on what it believes are steady-growth companies that fit WRIMCO's criteria for sustainable competitive advantage and that WRIMCO believes are positioned to benefit from continued global rebalancing and the globally emerging middle class. Growth stocks are those whose earnings WRIMCO believes are likely to grow faster than the economy. The Portfolio may invest in securities issued by companies of any size, but primarily focuses on securities issued by large capitalization companies.
  • “Bonds” include all varieties of fixed-income instruments, such as corporate debt securities or securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities (U.S. government securities), with remaining maturities of more than one year. This investment type may include a significant amount, up to 35% of the Portfolio's total assets, of high-yield/high-risk bonds, or junk bonds, which include bonds rated BB+ or below by Standard & Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (S&P), or comparably rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) or, if unrated, determined by WRIMCO to be of comparable quality.
  • “Short-term instruments” include all types of short-term securities with remaining maturities of one year or less, including higher-quality money market instruments.
Within each of these investment types, the Portfolio may invest in U.S. and foreign securities; the Portfolio may invest up to 100% of its total assets in foreign securities, including issuers located in and/or generating revenue from emerging markets. Many U.S. companies have diverse operations, with products or services in foreign markets. Therefore, the Portfolio will have an indirect exposure to foreign markets through investments in these companies. The Portfolio also may invest in private placements and other restricted securities.

WRIMCO may allocate the Portfolio's investments among these different types of securities in different proportions at different times, including up to 100% in stocks, bonds, or short-term instruments, respectively. WRIMCO may exercise a flexible strategy in the selection of securities, and the Portfolio is not required to allocate its investments among stocks and bonds in any fixed proportion, nor is it limited by investment style or by the issuer's location, size, market capitalization or industry sector. The Portfolio may have none, some or all of its assets invested in each asset class in relative proportions that change over time based upon market and economic conditions. Subject to diversification limits, the Fund also may invest up to 25% of its total assets in precious metals.

The Portfolio may gain exposure to commodities, including precious metals, derivatives and commodity-linked instruments by investing in a subsidiary organized in the Cayman Islands (the "Subsidiary"). The Subsidiary is wholly owned and controlled by the Portfolio. Should the Portfolio invest in the Subsidiary, it would be expected to provide the Portfolio with exposure to investment returns from commodities, derivatives and commodity-linked instruments within the limits of the federal tax requirements applicable to investment companies, such as the Portfolio. The Subsidiary is subject to the same general investment policies and restrictions as the Portfolio, except that unlike the Portfolio, the Subsidiary is able to invest without limitation in commodities, derivatives and commodity-linked instruments and, to the extent the Subsidiary invests in derivative instruments, may use leveraged investment techniques.

Generally, in determining whether to sell a security, WRIMCO considers many factors, which may include a deterioration in a company's fundamentals caused by global-specific factors such as geo-political landscape changes, regulatory or currency changes, or increased competition, as well as company-specific factors, such as reduced pricing power, diminished market opportunity, or increased competition. WRIMCO also may sell a security if the price of the security reaches what WRIMCO believes is fair value, to reduce the Portfolio's holding in that security, to take advantage of more attractive investment opportunities or to raise cash.

WRIMCO may, when consistent with the Portfolio's investment objective, seek to manage exposure to certain securities, companies, sectors, markets, foreign currencies and/or precious metals and seek to hedge certain event risks on positions held by the Portfolio. In an effort to manage exposure to companies, sectors or equity markets, WRIMCO may utilize various instruments including, but not limited to, the following: futures contracts, both long and short positions on foreign and U.S. equity indices; total return swaps; credit default swaps; and options contracts, both written and purchased, on foreign and U.S. equity indices and/or on individual equity securities. In seeking to manage foreign currency exposure, WRIMCO may utilize forward contracts and option contracts, both written and purchased, either to increase or decrease exposure to a given currency. In seeking to manage the Portfolio's exposure to precious metals, WRIMCO may utilize futures contracts, both long and short positions as well as options contracts, both written and purchased, on precious metals.

WRIMCO may reduce the Portfolio's net equity exposure by selling, among other instruments, combined futures and option positions, and may effect short sales of individual securities and/or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or take long positions in inverse ETFs.
Principal Investment Risks
As with any mutual fund, the value of the Portfolio’s shares will change, and you could lose money on your investment. The Portfolio is not intended as a complete investment program.

A variety of factors can affect the investment performance of the Portfolio and prevent it from achieving its objective. These include:
  • Commodities Risk. Commodity trading, including trading in precious metals, is generally considered speculative because of the significant potential for investment loss. Among the factors that could affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments in commodities are cyclical economic conditions, sudden political events and adverse international monetary policies. Markets for commodities are likely to be volatile and there may be sharp price fluctuations even during periods when prices overall are rising. Also, the Portfolio may pay more to store and accurately value its commodity holdings than it does with its other portfolio investments. Moreover, under the Federal tax law, the Portfolio may not derive more than 10% of its annual gross income from gains resulting from selling commodities (and other non-qualifying income). Accordingly, the Portfolio may be required to hold its commodities or sell them at a loss, or to sell portfolio securities at a gain, when for investment reasons it would not otherwise do so.
  • Company Risk. A company may perform worse than the overall market due to specific factors, such as adverse changes to its business or investor perceptions about the company.
  • Credit Risk. An issuer of a fixed-income obligation may not make payments on the obligation when due or may default on its obligation.
  • Derivatives Risk. The use of derivatives presents several risks, including the risk that these instruments may change in value in a manner that adversely affects the Portfolio’s net asset value (NAV) and the risk that fluctuations in the value of the derivatives may not correlate with securities markets or the underlying asset upon which the derivative’s value is based. Moreover, some derivatives are more sensitive to interest rate changes and market price fluctuations than others. To the extent the judgment of WRIMCO as to certain anticipated price movements is incorrect, the risk of loss may be greater than if the derivative technique(s) had not been used. Derivatives also may be subject to counterparty risk, which includes the risk that a loss may be sustained by the Portfolio as a result of the insolvency or bankruptcy of, or other non-compliance by, another party to the transaction.
  • Emerging Market Risk. Investments in countries with emerging economies or securities markets may carry greater risk than investments in more developed countries. Political and economic structures in many such countries may be undergoing significant evolution and rapid development, and such countries may lack the social, political and economic stability characteristic of more developed countries. Investments in securities issued in these countries may be more volatile and less liquid than securities issued in more developed countries.
  • Foreign Currency Risk. Foreign securities may be denominated in foreign currencies. The value of the Portfolio’s investments, as measured in U.S. dollars, may be unfavorably affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates and exchange control regulations.
  • Foreign Exposure Risk. The securities of many companies may have significant exposure to foreign markets as a result of the company’s products or services in those foreign markets. As a result, a company’s domicile and/or the markets in which the company’s securities trade may not be fully reflective of its sources of revenue. Such securities would be subject to some of the same risks as an investment in foreign securities, including the risk that political and economic events unique to a country or region will adversely affect those markets in which the company’s products or services are sold.
  • Foreign Securities Risk. Investing in foreign securities involves a number of economic, financial, legal, and political considerations that may not be associated with the U.S. markets and that could affect the Portfolio’s performance unfavorably, depending upon the prevailing conditions at any given time. Among these potential risks are: greater price volatility; comparatively weak supervision and regulation of securities exchanges, brokers and issuers; higher brokerage costs; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and related conversion costs; adverse foreign tax consequences; different and/or less stringent financial reporting standards; custody; and settlement delays. In addition, key information about the issuer, the markets or the local government or economy may be unavailable, incomplete or inaccurate.
  • Growth Stock Risk. Prices of growth stocks may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other stocks. Growth stocks may not perform as well as value stocks or the stock market in general.
  • Interest Rate Risk. A rise in interest rates may cause a decline in the value of the Portfolio’s securities, especially bonds with longer maturities. A decline in interest rates may cause the Portfolio to experience a decline in its income.
  • Investment Company Securities Risk. Investment in other investment companies typically reflects the risks of the types of securities in which the investment companies invest. Investments in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and closed-end funds are subject to the additional risk that shares of the fund may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV per share. When the Portfolio invests in another investment company, shareholders of the Portfolio bear their proportionate share of the other investment company’s fees and expenses as well as their share of the Portfolio’s fees and expenses, which could result in duplication of certain fees..
  • Large Company Risk. Large capitalization companies may go in and out of favor based on market and economic conditions. Large capitalization companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology, and also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of successful smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion. Although the securities of larger companies may be less volatile than those of companies with smaller market capitalizations, returns on investments in securities of large capitalization companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of smaller companies.
  • Liquidity Risk. Generally, a security is liquid if the Portfolio is able to sell the security at a fair price within a reasonable time. Liquidity is generally related to the market trading volume for a particular security. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments, and may be subject to wider fluctuations in market value. Less liquid securities are more difficult to dispose of at their recorded values and are subject to increased spreads and volatility. Also, the Portfolio may not be able to dispose of illiquid securities when that would be beneficial at a favorable time or price.
  • Low-Rated Securities Risk. In general, low-rated debt securities (commonly referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds) offer higher yields due to the increased risk that the issuer will be unable to meet its obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by the debt instrument. For this reason, these bonds are considered speculative and could significantly weaken the Portfolio’s returns. In adverse economic or other circumstances, issuers of these low-rated securities and obligations are more likely to have difficulty making principal and interest payments than issuers of higher-rated securities and obligations.
  • Management Risk. Portfolio performance is primarily dependent on WRIMCO’s skill in evaluating and managing the Portfolio’s holdings and the Portfolio may not perform as well as other similar mutual funds.
  • Market Risk. Adverse market conditions, sometimes in response to general economic or industry news, may cause the prices of the Portfolio’s holdings to fall as part of a broad market decline. The financial crisis in the U.S. and foreign economies over the past several years, including the European sovereign debt crisis, has resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both U.S. and foreign, and in the NAVs of many mutual funds, including to some extent the Portfolio. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the possibilities that conditions in one country or region may adversely affect issuers in another country or region, which in turn may adversely affect securities held by the Portfolio. These circumstances have also decreased liquidity in some markets and may continue to do so. In addition, certain unanticipated events, such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, war, and other geopolitical events, can have a dramatic adverse effect on securities held by the Portfolio.
  • Private Placements and Other Restricted Securities Risk. Restricted securities, which include private placements, are securities that are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, and there can be no assurance of a ready market for resale. The Portfolio could find it difficult to sell privately placed securities and other restricted securities when WRIMCO believes it is desirable to do so, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, and the prices realized could be less than those originally paid or less than the fair market value. At times, it also may be difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the NAV of the Portfolio.
  • Subsidiary Investment Risk. By investing in the Subsidiary, the Portfolio is exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary’s investments. The Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), and is not subject to all of the investor protections of the 1940 Act. Thus, the Portfolio, as an investor in the Subsidiary, would not have all of the protections offered to investors in registered investment companies. However, because the Portfolio wholly owns and controls the Subsidiary, and the Portfolio and Subsidiary are managed by WRIMCO, it is unlikely that the Subsidiary would take action contrary to the interests of the Portfolio or the Portfolio’s shareholders. In addition, changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands, under which the Portfolio and the Subsidiary are organized, respectively, could result in the inability of the Portfolio and/or the Subsidiary to operate as intended and could negatively affect the Portfolio and its shareholders. Although under the federal tax law, the Portfolio may not earn more than 10% of its annual gross income from gains resulting from selling commodities (and other non-qualifying income), the Portfolio has received an opinion of counsel, which is not binding on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or the courts, that income the Portfolio receives from the Subsidiary should constitute qualifying income.
Performance
The chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The chart shows how performance has varied from year to year for the Portfolio. The table shows the average annual total returns for the Portfolio and also compares the performance with those of various broad-based securities market indices and a Lipper peer group (a universe of mutual funds with investment objectives similar to that of the Portfolio). The performance results do not reflect any Policy-related fees and expenses, which would reduce the performance results.

Performance results include the effect of expense reduction arrangements for some or all of the periods shown. If those arrangements had not been in place, the performance results for those periods would have been lower.

Prior to April 30, 2012, the Portfolio’s investment objective was to seek high total return over the long term. Effective as of April 30, 2012, the Portfolio changed its investment objective to seeking to provide total return.

The Portfolio’s past performance does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future. Current performance may be lower or higher. Please call 888.WADDELL for the Portfolio’s updated performance.
Chart of Year-by-Year Returns
as of December 31 each year
Bar Chart
In the period shown in the chart, the highest quarterly return was 15.83% (the third quarter of 2005) and the lowest quarterly return was -18.90% (the third quarter of 2011).
Average Annual Total Returns

as of December 31, 2012
Average Annual Total Returns
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy
19.18% 2.20% 11.73%
Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy S&P 500 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
16.00% 1.66% 7.10%
Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
4.22% 5.95% 5.18%
Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy Barclays U.S. Treasury Bills: 1-3 Month Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
0.08% 0.44% 1.69%
Ivy Funds VIP Asset Strategy Lipper Variable Annuity Global Flexible Portfolio Funds Universe Average (net of fees and expenses)
10.65% 1.63% 8.72%