497K 1 d481889d497k.htm IVY VIP ASSET STRATEGY SUMMARY PROSPECTUS Ivy VIP Asset Strategy Summary Prospectus
LOGO    Ivy VIP Asset Strategy
  

 

Summary Prospectus  |  April 28, 2017

as supplemented February 6, 2018

CLASS I SHARES  |  CLASS II SHARES

 

Before you invest, you may want to review the Portfolio’s prospectus, which contains more information about the Portfolio and its risks. You can find the Portfolio’s prospectus and other information about the Portfolio (including the Portfolio’s statement of additional information (SAI)) online at www.ivyinvestments.com/vip-prospectus. You also can get this information at no cost by calling 800.777.6472 or by sending an e-mail request to prospectus.request@waddell.com. You also can get this information from your investment provider. The Portfolio’s prospectus and SAI dated April 28, 2017 (as each may be amended or supplemented), are incorporated herein by reference. This summary prospectus is intended for use in connection with certain life insurance policies and variable annuity contracts offered by certain select insurance companies (Participating Insurance Companies) and is not intended for use by other investors.

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)      N/A

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

 

(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)      Class I1      Class II  

Management Fees

        0.70%        0.70%  

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

        0.00%        0.25%  

Other Expenses2

        0.07%        0.07%  

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses3

        0.77%        1.02%  

 

1 

The Portfolio began offering Class I shares on April 28, 2017.

 

2 

Other Expenses includes the expenses of lvy VIP ASF II, Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Portfolio organized in the Cayman Islands.

 

3 

Through April 30, 2018, Waddell & Reed Services Company (doing business as WI Services Company (WISC)), the Portfolio’s transfer agent, has contractually agreed to reimburse sufficient shareholder servicing fees to ensure that the total annual ordinary portfolio operating expenses (which would exclude interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses, if any) of the Class I shares are at all times equal to the total annual ordinary portfolio operating expenses of the Class II shares less 0.25%, as calculated at the end of each month. Prior to that date, the expense limitation may not be terminated without the consent of the Board of Trustees.

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:

 

        1 Year      3 Years      5 Years      10 Years  

Class I

      $ 79      $ 246      $ 428      $ 954  

Class II

        104        325        563        1,248  

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 68% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

Ivy 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 in derivative instruments, precious metals and investments with exposure to various foreign currencies. The Portfolio may invest its assets in any market that Ivy Investment Management Company (IICO), 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, IICO identifies investment 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, IICO seeks attractive opportunities within each market by focusing generally on issuers in countries, sectors and companies with strong cash flow streams, the ability to return capital to shareholders and low balance sheet leverage. The Portfolio, however, also may invest in issuers with higher balance sheet leverage if IICO believes that the Portfolio will be appropriately compensated for the increased risk.

 

∎  

“Stocks” include equity securities of all types, although IICO typically emphasizes growth potential in selecting stocks by focusing on what it believes are steady-growth companies that fit IICO’s criteria for sustainable competitive advantage and that IICO believes are positioned to benefit from continued global rebalancing and the globally emerging middle class, as well as companies that benefit from infrastructure spending and innovations in technology. Growth stocks are those whose earnings IICO 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. IICO generally focuses on companies that are growing, innovating, improving margins, returning capital through dividend growth or share buybacks and/or offering what IICO believes to be sustainable high free cash flow.

 

∎  

“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 S&P Global Ratings, a division of S&P Global Inc. (S&P), or comparably rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) or, if unrated, determined by IICO 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 and in securities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, including issuers located in and/or generating revenue from emerging markets. Many of the companies in which the Portfolio may invest have diverse operations, with products or services in foreign markets. Therefore, the Portfolio may have indirect exposure to various foreign markets through investments in these companies, even if the Portfolio is not invested directly in such markets. The Portfolio also may invest in private placements and other restricted securities.

IICO 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. IICO 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 Portfolio also may invest up to 25% of its total assets in precious metals.

The Portfolio gains exposure to commodities, including precious metals, derivatives and commodity-linked instruments, by investing in a subsidiary organized in the Cayman Islands (Subsidiary). The Subsidiary is wholly owned and controlled by the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s investment in the Subsidiary is 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 regulated 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, it may use leveraged investment techniques.

Generally, in determining whether to sell a security, IICO 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. IICO also may sell a security if the price of the security reaches what IICO believes is fair value, to reduce the Portfolio’s holding in that security, to take advantage of what it believes are more attractive investment opportunities or to raise cash.

IICO may, when consistent with the Portfolio’s investment objective, seek to hedge market risk on equity securities, manage and/or increase 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 hedge market risk and manage and/or increase exposure to companies, sectors or equity markets, IICO may utilize various instruments including, but not limited to, the following: futures contracts; both long and short positions on foreign and U.S. equity indexes; total return swaps; credit default swaps; and options contracts, both written and purchased, on foreign and U.S. equity indexes and/or on individual equity securities. In seeking to manage foreign currency exposure, IICO 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 event risks, IICO may utilize total return swaps, short futures on commodities, as well as on foreign and domestic equity indexes and options contracts, both written and purchased, on individual equity securities owned by the Portfolio. In seeking to manage the Portfolio’s exposure to precious metals, IICO may utilize long and short futures contracts, as well as options contracts, both written and purchased, on precious metals. IICO also may utilize derivatives for income enhancement purposes.

IICO may reduce the Portfolio’s net equity exposure by selling, among other instruments, combined futures and option positions.

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, generally is 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 resource availability, commodity price volatility, speculation in the commodities markets, 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 (without regard to losses) resulting from selling or otherwise disposing of commodities (and other “non-qualifying” income). Accordingly, the Portfolio may be required to hold its commodities or to 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 be more volatile or 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. There also is the risk that an issuer could suffer adverse changes in its financial condition that could lower the credit quality of a security. This could lead to greater volatility in the price of the security, could affect the security’s liquidity, and could make it more difficult to sell. A downgrade or default affecting any of the Portfolio’s securities could affect the Portfolio’s performance. In general, the longer the maturity and the lower the credit quality of a bond, the more sensitive it is to credit risk.

 

∎  

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 the reference instrument underlying the derivative. Derivatives can be highly complex, can create investment leverage, may perform in unanticipated ways and may be highly volatile, and the Portfolio could lose more than the amount it invests. Derivatives may be difficult to value and may at times be highly illiquid, and the Portfolio may not be able to close out or sell a derivative position at a particular time or at an anticipated price. Moreover, some derivatives are more sensitive to interest rate changes and market price fluctuations than others. To the extent the judgment of IICO 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. When used for hedging, the change in value of the derivative also may not correlate specifically with the security or other risk being hedged. Suitable derivatives may not be available in all circumstances, and there can be no assurance that the Portfolio will use derivatives to reduce exposure to other risks when that might be beneficial. Derivatives also may be subject to counterparty risk, which includes the risk that the Portfolio may sustain a loss as a result of the insolvency or bankruptcy of, or other non-compliance by, another party to the transaction. When the Portfolio uses derivatives, it likely will be required to provide margin or collateral and/or segregate cash or other liquid assets in a manner that satisfies contractual undertakings and regulatory requirements. The need to provide margin or collateral and/or segregate assets could limit the Portfolio’s ability to pursue other opportunities as they arise. Ongoing changes to regulation of the derivatives markets and potential changes in the regulation of funds using derivatives instruments could limit the Portfolio’s ability to pursue its investment strategies.

 

∎  

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 characteristics 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. Emerging markets are more susceptible to capital controls, governmental interference, local taxes being imposed on international investments, restrictions on gaining access to sales proceeds, and less efficient trading markets.

 

∎  

Foreign Currency Exchange Transactions and Forward Foreign Currency Contracts Risk. The Portfolio may use foreign currency exchange transactions and forward foreign currency contracts to hedge certain market risks (such as interest rates, currency exchange rates and broad or specific market movement). These investment techniques involve a number of risks,

 

including the possibility of default by the counterparty to the transaction and, to the extent IICO’s judgment as to certain market movements is incorrect, the risk of losses that are greater than if the investment technique had not been used.

 

∎  

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 operations, 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 are not 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; social, political or economic instability; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and related conversion costs or currency redenomination; nationalization or expropriation of assets; adverse foreign tax consequences; different and/or less stringent financial reporting standards; and settlement, custodial or other operational delays. The risks may be exacerbated in connection with investments in emerging markets. World markets, or those in a particular region, all may react in similar fashion to important economic or political developments. In addition, key information about the issuer, the markets or the local government or economy may be unavailable, incomplete or inaccurate. Securities of issuers traded on exchanges may be suspended, either by the issuers themselves, by an exchange or by governmental authorities. The likelihood of such suspensions may be higher for securities of issuers in emerging markets than in more developed markets. In the event that the Portfolio holds material positions in such suspended securities, the Portfolio’s ability to liquidate its positions or provide liquidity to investors may be compromised and the Portfolio could incur significant losses. Sovereign debt instruments also are subject to the risk that a government or agency issuing the debt may be unable to pay interest and/or repay principal due to cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves or political concerns. In such instance, the Portfolio may have limited recourse against the issuing government or agency.

 

∎  

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 be more volatile or 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. Typically, the longer the maturity or duration of a debt security, the greater the effect a change in interest rates could have on the security’s price. Thus, the sensitivity of the Portfolio’s debt securities to interest rate risk will increase with any increase in the duration of those securities. A decline in interest rates may cause the Portfolio to experience a decline in its income. Interest rates in the U.S. are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase the Portfolio’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates. The Portfolio may be subject to heightened interest rate risk as a result of a rise or anticipated rise in interest rates. In addition, a general rise in rates may result in decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed-income markets generally.

 

∎  

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 othfser investment company’s fees and expenses as well as their share of the Portfolio’s fees and expenses, which could result in the 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 generally is 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. Certain investments that were liquid when the Portfolio purchased them may become illiquid, sometimes abruptly.

 

∎  

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. In addition, these low-rated securities and obligations may fluctuate more widely in price and yield than higher-rated securities and obligations and may fall in price during times when the economy is weak or is expected to become weak. Issuers of securities that are in default or have defaulted may fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case the Portfolio may lose its entire investment. The

 

creditworthiness of issuers of low-rated securities may be more complex to analyze than that of issuers of investment-grade debt securities.

 

∎  

Management Risk. Portfolio performance is primarily dependent on IICO’s skill in evaluating and managing the Portfolio’s holdings. There can be no guarantee that its decisions will produce the desired results, and the Portfolio may not perform as well as other similar mutual funds.

 

∎  

Market Risk. Markets can be volatile, and the Portfolio’s holdings can decline in response to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market or economic developments or conditions that may cause a broad market decline. Different parts of the market, including different sectors and different types of securities, can react differently to these developments. Since the financial crisis that started in 2008, the U.S. and many foreign economies continue to experience its after-effects, which have resulted, and may continue to result, in volatility in the financial markets, both U.S. and foreign. 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 also have decreased liquidity in some markets and may continue to do so. In addition, certain events, such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, war, and other geopolitical events, have led, and may in the future lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on world economies and markets generally.

 

∎  

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. Privately placed securities and other restricted securities will have the effect of increasing the level of Portfolio illiquidity to the extent the Portfolio finds it difficult to sell these securities when IICO 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, the illiquidity of the market, as well as the lack of publicly available information regarding these securities also may make it 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 (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 IICO, 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 derive more than 10% of its annual gross income from gains resulting from selling or otherwise disposing of 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.

 

∎  

U.S. Government Securities Risk. Certain U.S. government securities, such as U.S. Treasury (Treasury) securities and securities issued by the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Other U.S. government securities, such as securities issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) and the Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLB), are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government and, instead, may be supported only by the credit of the issuer or by the right of the issuer to borrow from the Treasury.

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 Class II shares of the Portfolio. The table shows the average annual total returns for Class II shares of the Portfolio and also compares the Portfolio’s returns 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. No performance information is presented for the Portfolio’s Class I shares because the share class has not been in existence for a full calendar year. Once that class has a full calendar year of performance, it will be included in the table below.

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 800.777.6472 for the Portfolio’s updated performance.

Chart of Year-by-Year Returns

as of December 31 each year

 

LOGO

  In the period shown in the chart, the highest quarterly return was 13.96% (the first quarter of 2012) and the lowest quarterly return was -18.90% (the third quarter of 2011).

Average Annual Total Returns

 

as of December 31, 2016    1 Year      5 Years      10 Years  

Class II Shares of Ivy VIP Asset Strategy

      -2.57%        4.76%        5.46%  

MSCI ACWI Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
(Effective February 6, 2018, the MSCI ACWI Index is the Portfolio’s new benchmark index. IICO believes that this index is a more representative index for the types of securities that the Portfolio purchases.)

      7.86%        9.36%        3.56%  

S&P 500 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

      11.96%        14.66%        6.95%  

Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

      2.65%        2.23%        4.34%  

Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Treasury Bills: 1-3 Month Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

      0.26%        0.09%        0.72%  

Lipper Variable Annuity Alternative Other Funds Universe Average (net of fees and expenses)

      6.29%        5.64%        3.82%  

Investment Adviser

The Portfolio is managed by Ivy Investment Management Company (IICO).

Portfolio Managers

F. Chace Brundige, Senior Vice President of IICO, and Cynthia P. Prince-Fox, Senior Vice President of IICO, have managed the Portfolio since August 2014, and W. Jeffery Surles, Senior Vice President of IICO, has managed the Portfolio since February 2018. Effective April 30, 2018, Ms. Prince-Fox is retiring from IICO and will no longer serve as a co-portfolio manager of the Portfolio.

Purchase and Sale of Portfolio Shares

Shares of the Portfolio are currently sold only to separate accounts of Participating Insurance Companies to fund benefits payable under the Policies. Class I shares may be purchased only through fund of funds, advisory or trust accounts, wrap accounts or other asset allocation or fee-based investment arrangements.

The Portfolio’s shares are redeemable. Shares are purchased or redeemed at the Portfolio’s NAV per share next calculated after your order is received in proper form on any business day. The Portfolio does not have initial and subsequent investment minimums. Please refer to your Policy prospectus for more information on purchasing and redeeming Portfolio shares.

Tax Information

Because the Portfolio’s only shareholders are separate accounts of Participating Insurance Companies, distributions the Portfolio makes of its net investment income and net realized gains, if any — most or all of which it intends to distribute annually — and redemptions or exchanges of Portfolio shares generally will not be taxable to its shareholders (or to the holders of the underlying Policies). See the prospectus for your Policy for further tax information.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and other Financial Intermediaries

The Portfolio and its related companies may make payments to a Participating Insurance Company (or its affiliates) or other financial intermediary for distribution and/or other services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Participating Insurance Company or other financial intermediary and your financial advisor to recommend the Portfolio over another investment or by influencing a Participating Insurance Company to include the Portfolio as an underlying investment option in the Policy. The prospectus (or other offering document) for your Policy may contain additional information about these payments.

VIPSUM-ASST