UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-CSR
CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED
MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES
Investment Company Act file number 811-06440
Fidelity Aberdeen Street Trust
(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)
245 Summer St., Boston, Massachusetts 02210
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)
Margaret Carey, Secretary
245 Summer St.
Boston, Massachusetts 02210
(Name and address of agent for service)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code:
617-563-7000
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Date of fiscal year end: | February 29 |
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Date of reporting period: | February 29, 2024 |
Item 1.
Reports to Stockholders
Fidelity® Multi-Asset Index Fund
Annual Report
February 29, 2024
Contents
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You may also call 1-800-544-8544 to request a free copy of the proxy voting guidelines.
Standard & Poor's®; and S&P®; are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC ("S&P") and Dow Jones®; is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC ("Dow Jones"). The fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by SPDJI, Dow Jones, S&P, or their respective affiliates and none of such parties make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in such product(s) nor do they have any liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions of the index or indices.
Standard & Poor's, S&P and S&P 500 are registered service marks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by Fidelity Distributors Corporation.
Other third-party marks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.
All other marks appearing herein are registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of FMR LLC or an affiliated company. © 2024 FMR LLC. All rights reserved.
This report and the financial statements contained herein are submitted for the general information of the shareholders of the Fund. This report is not authorized for distribution to prospective investors in the Fund unless preceded or accompanied by an effective prospectus.
A fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-PORT. Forms N-PORT are available on the SEC's web site at http://www.sec.gov. A fund's Forms N-PORT may be reviewed and copied at the SEC's Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. Information regarding the operation of the SEC's Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330.
For a complete list of a fund's portfolio holdings, view the most recent holdings listing, semiannual report, or annual report on Fidelity's web site at http://www.fidelity.com, http://www.institutional.fidelity.com, or http://www.401k.com, as applicable.
NOT FDIC INSURED •MAY LOSE VALUE •NO BANK GUARANTEE
Neither the Fund nor Fidelity Distributors Corporation is a bank.
Average annual total return reflects the change in the value of an investment, assuming reinvestment of distributions from dividend income and capital gains (the profits earned upon the sale of securities that have grown in value, if any) and assuming a constant rate of performance each year. The hypothetical investment and the average annual total returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or the redemption of fund shares. During periods of reimbursement by Fidelity, a fund's total return will be greater than it would be had the reimbursement not occurred. How a fund did yesterday is no guarantee of how it will do tomorrow.
Average Annual Total Returns |
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Periods ended February 29, 2024 | Past 1 year | Past 5 years | Past 10 years |
Fidelity® Multi-Asset Index Fund | 18.72% | 9.39% | 8.14% |
$10,000 Over 10 Years |
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Let's say hypothetically that $10,000 was invested in Fidelity® Multi-Asset Index Fund on February 28, 2014. The chart shows how the value of your investment would have changed, and also shows how the S&P 500® Index performed over the same period. |
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Comments from Co-Portfolio Managers Andrew Dierdorf and Finola Foley:
For the fiscal year ending February 29, 2024, the fund returned 18.72%, versus 18.83% for the Fidelity Multi-Asset Composite Index.
Continued global economic expansion and a slowing in the pace of inflation contributed to a favorable backdrop for risk assets the past 12 months. U.S. large-cap stocks led strong performance among many asset categories, driven partly by a narrow set of companies in the information technology and communication services sectors amid excitement for generative artificial intelligence, among other factors. Assets broadly gained in the final three months of the period after investor sentiment largely shifted to a view that policy interest rates had peaked in most countries following historic monetary tightening cycles by the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks.
International equities rose 12.70% for the 12 months, according to the MSCI ACWI (All Country World Index) ex USA Index, including a 6.63% advance in the final three months of the period. By region, Japan (+27%) led the way, whereas Asia Pacific ex Japan (+3%) and the U.K. (+5%) lagged by the widest margin. By sector, tech (+33%), industrials (+21%) and energy (+14%) were top performers. Conversely, real estate (-1%) and consumer staples (0%) lagged most.
U.S. stocks gained 28.60% for the period, as measured by the Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index. The information technology (+58%), communication services (+53%) and consumer discretionary (+30%) sectors were the only sectors to outpace the broader index. Industrials (+24%) and financials (+18%) each had a solid double-digit gain. Conversely, utilities (-2%) and real estate (+5%) lagged most. Growth stocks broadly outpaced value, while larger-caps topped small-caps.
U.S. taxable investment-grade bonds gained 3.33% for the 12 months, per the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, as the Fed slowed the pace of, and eventually paused, interest rate increases. Since March 2022, the Fed has hiked its benchmark interest rate 11 times, by 5.25 percentage points, while allowing up to billions in bonds to mature each month without investing the proceeds. Short-term U.S. Treasuries (+5.28%) and investment-grade corporate bonds (+5.70%) led the way, while commercial mortgage-backed securities gained 4.61% and agencies rose 4.56%. Outside the index, leveraged loans (+11.83%), emerging-markets debt (+10.05%), U.S. high-yield bonds (+9.73%) and Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (+2.51%) all advanced.
The views expressed above reflect those of the portfolio manager(s) only through the end of the period as stated on the cover of this report and do not necessarily represent the views of Fidelity or any other person in the Fidelity organization. Any such views are subject to change at any time based upon market or other conditions and Fidelity disclaims any responsibility to update such views. These views may not be relied on as investment advice and, because investment decisions for a Fidelity fund are based on numerous factors, may not be relied on as an indication of trading intent on behalf of any Fidelity fund.
The information in the following tables is based on the direct Investments of the Fund.
Top Holdings (% of Fund's net assets) |
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Fidelity 500 Index Fund | 41.1 | |
Fidelity International Index Fund | 23.9 | |
Fidelity Extended Market Index Fund | 10.1 | |
Fidelity Emerging Markets Index Fund | 10.0 | |
Fidelity U.S. Bond Index Fund | 7.0 | |
Fidelity Long-Term Treasury Bond Index Fund | 5.0 | |
Fidelity International Bond Index Fund | 2.9 | |
| 100.0 | |
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Asset Allocation (% of Fund's net assets) |
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Percentages shown as 0.0% may reflect amounts less than 0.05%. |
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Showing Percentage of Net Assets
Domestic Equity Funds - 51.2% |
| | Shares | Value ($) |
Fidelity 500 Index Fund (a) | | 18,656,114 | 3,306,796,235 |
Fidelity Extended Market Index Fund (a) | | 9,988,299 | 807,054,561 |
TOTAL DOMESTIC EQUITY FUNDS (Cost $1,097,755,139) | | | 4,113,850,796 |
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International Equity Funds - 33.9% |
| | Shares | Value ($) |
Fidelity Emerging Markets Index Fund (a) | | 79,995,786 | 802,357,733 |
Fidelity International Index Fund (a) | | 39,703,754 | 1,924,440,971 |
TOTAL INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUNDS (Cost $2,326,446,384) | | | 2,726,798,704 |
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Bond Funds - 14.9% |
| | Shares | Value ($) |
Fidelity International Bond Index Fund (a) | | 26,325,844 | 239,038,660 |
Fidelity Long-Term Treasury Bond Index Fund (a) | | 41,473,079 | 400,629,948 |
Fidelity U.S. Bond Index Fund (a) | | 54,951,258 | 561,052,340 |
TOTAL BOND FUNDS (Cost $1,410,683,284) | | | 1,200,720,948 |
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TOTAL INVESTMENT IN SECURITIES - 100.0% (Cost $4,834,884,807) | 8,041,370,448 |
NET OTHER ASSETS (LIABILITIES) - 0.0% | 344,663 |
NET ASSETS - 100.0% | 8,041,715,111 |
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Legend
Affiliated Underlying Funds
Fiscal year to date information regarding the Fund's investments in affiliated Underlying Funds is presented below. Exchanges between classes of the same affiliated Underlying Funds may occur. If an Underlying Funds changes its name, the name presented below is the name in effect at period end.
Affiliate | Value, beginning of period ($) | Purchases ($) | Sales Proceeds ($) | Dividend Income ($) | Realized Gain (loss) ($) | Change in Unrealized appreciation (depreciation) ($) | Value, end of period ($) |
Fidelity 500 Index Fund | 2,949,832,517 | 99,011,460 | 524,659,342 | 48,259,382 | 235,700,097 | 546,911,503 | 3,306,796,235 |
Fidelity Emerging Markets Index Fund | 711,125,258 | 131,680,425 | 80,555,312 | 20,151,360 | (11,533,970) | 51,641,332 | 802,357,733 |
Fidelity Extended Market Index Fund | 718,678,873 | 127,211,645 | 171,992,161 | 9,693,542 | 13,830,982 | 119,325,222 | 807,054,561 |
Fidelity International Bond Index Fund | 218,307,761 | 43,759,018 | 28,059,721 | 7,974,679 | (1,832,012) | 6,863,614 | 239,038,660 |
Fidelity International Index Fund | 1,723,630,107 | 169,194,891 | 171,474,366 | 51,706,916 | 5,445,020 | 197,645,319 | 1,924,440,971 |
Fidelity Long-Term Treasury Bond Index Fund | 360,242,746 | 95,837,316 | 32,577,401 | 12,323,574 | (2,055,254) | (20,817,459) | 400,629,948 |
Fidelity U.S. Bond Index Fund | 503,831,886 | 113,634,909 | 56,199,357 | 16,007,155 | (3,516,447) | 3,301,349 | 561,052,340 |
| 7,185,649,148 | 780,329,664 | 1,065,517,660 | 166,116,608 | 236,038,416 | 904,870,880 | 8,041,370,448 |
Amounts in the dividend income column in the above table include any capital gain distributions from underlying funds, which are presented in the corresponding line item in the Statement of Operations, if applicable.
Amounts included in the purchases and sales proceeds columns may include in-kind transactions, if applicable.
Investment Valuation
The following is a summary of the inputs used, as of February 29, 2024, involving the Fund's assets and liabilities carried at fair value. The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities may not be an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. For more information on valuation inputs, and their aggregation into the levels used below, please refer to the Investment Valuation section in the accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.
Valuation Inputs at Reporting Date: |
Description | Total ($) | Level 1 ($) | Level 2 ($) | Level 3 ($) |
Investments in Securities: | | | | |
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Domestic Equity Funds | 4,113,850,796 | 4,113,850,796 | - | - |
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International Equity Funds | 2,726,798,704 | 2,726,798,704 | - | - |
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Bond Funds | 1,200,720,948 | 1,200,720,948 | - | - |
Total Investments in Securities: | 8,041,370,448 | 8,041,370,448 | - | - |
Statement of Assets and Liabilities |
| | | | February 29, 2024 |
| | | | |
Assets | | | | |
Investments in securities, at value (cost $4,834,884,807)- See accompanying schedule: | | | $ | 8,041,370,448 |
Cash | | | | 242,981 |
Receivable for investments sold | | | | 75,515,186 |
Receivable for fund shares sold | | | | 1,468,251 |
Receivable from investment adviser for expense reductions | | | | 134,795 |
Total assets | | | | 8,118,731,661 |
Liabilities | | | | |
Payable for investments purchased | $ | 71,952,636 | | |
Payable for fund shares redeemed | | 4,400,076 | | |
Accrued management fee | | 663,838 | | |
Total Liabilities | | | | 77,016,550 |
Net Assets | | | $ | 8,041,715,111 |
Net Assets consist of: | | | | |
Paid in capital | | | $ | 4,764,261,646 |
Total accumulated earnings (loss) | | | | 3,277,453,465 |
Net Assets | | | $ | 8,041,715,111 |
Net Asset Value, offering price and redemption price per share ($8,041,715,111 ÷ 142,867,347 shares) | | | $ | 56.29 |
Statement of Operations |
| | | | Year ended February 29, 2024 |
Investment Income | | | | |
Dividends (including $166,116,608 earned from other affiliated issuers) | | | $ | 166,116,608 |
Expenses | | | | |
Management fee | $ | 7,485,493 | | |
Independent trustees' fees and expenses | | 24,457 | | |
Total expenses before reductions | | 7,509,950 | | |
Expense reductions | | (1,518,537) | | |
Total expenses after reductions | | | | 5,991,413 |
Net Investment income (loss) | | | | 160,125,195 |
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) | | | | |
Realized gain (loss) on sale of underlying fund shares | | 236,038,416 | | |
Total net realized gain (loss) | | | | 236,038,416 |
Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investment securities | | | | 904,870,880 |
Net gain (loss) | | | | 1,140,909,296 |
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations | | | $ | 1,301,034,491 |
Statement of Changes in Net Assets |
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| | Year ended February 29, 2024 | | Year ended February 28, 2023 |
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets | | | | |
Operations | | | | |
Net investment income (loss) | $ | 160,125,195 | $ | 138,878,455 |
Net realized gain (loss) | | 236,038,416 | | 46,033,599 |
Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) | | 904,870,880 | | (895,993,858) |
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations | | 1,301,034,491 | | (711,081,804) |
Distributions to shareholders | | (243,802,883) | | (485,751,172) |
| | | | |
Share transactions | | | | |
Proceeds from sales of shares | | 515,838,689 | | 565,002,271 |
Reinvestment of distributions | | 221,521,868 | | 449,193,594 |
Cost of shares redeemed | | (938,860,624) | | (946,208,155) |
| | | | |
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from share transactions | | (201,500,067) | | 67,987,710 |
Total increase (decrease) in net assets | | 855,731,541 | | (1,128,845,266) |
| | | | |
Net Assets | | | | |
Beginning of period | | 7,185,983,570 | | 8,314,828,836 |
End of period | $ | 8,041,715,111 | $ | 7,185,983,570 |
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Other Information | | | | |
Shares | | | | |
Sold | | 9,855,615 | | 11,238,416 |
Issued in reinvestment of distributions | | 4,061,839 | | 8,771,360 |
Redeemed | | (17,946,934) | | (19,019,260) |
Net increase (decrease) | | (4,029,480) | | 990,516 |
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Financial Highlights
Fidelity® Multi-Asset Index Fund |
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Years ended February 28, | | 2024 A | | 2023 | | 2022 | | 2021 | | 2020 A |
Selected Per-Share Data | | | | | | | | | | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 48.92 | $ | 56.99 | $ | 56.29 | $ | 45.60 | $ | 44.37 |
Income from Investment Operations | | | | | | | | | | |
Net investment income (loss) B,C | | 1.11 | | .94 | | 1.14 | | .86 | | 1.09 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | | 7.99 | | (5.65) | | 3.06 | | 11.42 | | 1.59 |
Total from investment operations | | 9.10 | | (4.71) | | 4.20 | | 12.28 | | 2.68 |
Distributions from net investment income | | (1.10) | | (.96) | | (1.14) | | (.88) | | (1.10) |
Distributions from net realized gain | | (.63) | | (2.40) | | (2.35) | | (.70) | | (.35) |
Total distributions | | (1.73) | | (3.36) | | (3.50) D | | (1.59) D | | (1.45) |
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 56.29 | $ | 48.92 | $ | 56.99 | $ | 56.29 | $ | 45.60 |
Total Return E | | 18.72% | | (8.43)% | | 7.07% | | 27.10% | | 5.88% |
Ratios to Average Net Assets C,F,G | | | | | | | | | | |
Expenses before reductions | | .10% | | .10% | | .10% | | .10% | | .10% |
Expenses net of fee waivers, if any | | .08% | | .08% | | .08% | | .08% | | .08% |
Expenses net of all reductions | | .08% | | .08% | | .08% | | .08% | | .08% |
Net investment income (loss) | | 2.13% | | 1.89% | | 1.87% | | 1.73% | | 2.32% |
Supplemental Data | | | | | | | | | | |
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted) | $ | 8,041,715 | $ | 7,185,984 | $ | 8,314,829 | $ | 7,597,894 | $ | 6,446,754 |
Portfolio turnover rate H | | 10% | | 17% | | 28% | | 16% | | 11% |
AFor the year ended February 29.
BCalculated based on average shares outstanding during the period.
CNet investment income (loss) is affected by the timing of the declaration of dividends by any underlying mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Net investment income (loss) of any mutual funds or ETFs is not included in the Fund's net investment income (loss) ratio.
DTotal distributions per share do not sum due to rounding.
ETotal returns would have been lower if certain expenses had not been reduced during the applicable periods shown.
FFees and expenses of any underlying mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are not included in the Fund's expense ratio. The Fund indirectly bears its proportionate share of these expenses.
GExpense ratios reflect operating expenses of the class. Expenses before reductions do not reflect amounts reimbursed, waived, or reduced through arrangements with the investment adviser, brokerage services, or other offset arrangements, if applicable, and do not represent the amount paid by the class during periods when reimbursements, waivers or reductions occur.
HAmount does not include the portfolio activity of any underlying mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
For the period ended February 29, 2024
1. Organization.
Fidelity Multi-Asset Index Fund (the Fund) is a fund of Fidelity Aberdeen Street Trust (the Trust) and is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares. Share transactions on the Statement of Changes in Net Assets may contain exchanges between affiliated funds. The Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), as an open-end management investment company organized as a Delaware statutory trust. Geode Capital Management, LLC serves as sub-adviser for the underlying stock funds.
2. Significant Accounting Policies.
The Fund is an investment company and applies the accounting and reporting guidance of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946 Financial Services - Investment Companies. The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP), which require management to make certain estimates and assumptions at the date of the financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Subsequent events, if any, through the date that the financial statements were issued have been evaluated in the preparation of the financial statements. The Fund's Schedule of Investments lists any underlying mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) but does not include the underlying holdings of these funds. The following summarizes the significant accounting policies of the Fund:
Investment Valuation. Investments are valued as of 4:00 p.m. Eastern time on the last calendar day of the period. The Fund categorizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to value its investments into a disclosure hierarchy consisting of three levels as shown below:
Level 1 - unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical investments
Level 2 - other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, etc.)
Level 3 - unobservable inputs (including the Fund's own assumptions based on the best information available)
Valuation techniques used to value the Fund's investments by major category are as follows:
Investments in open-end mutual funds are valued at their closing net asset value (NAV) each business day and are categorized as Level 1 in the hierarchy. The aggregate value of investments by input level as of February 29, 2024 is included at the end of the Fund's Schedule of Investments.
Investment Transactions and Income. For financial reporting purposes, the Fund's investment holdings and NAV include trades executed through the end of the last business day of the period. The NAV per share for processing shareholder transactions is calculated as of the close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time and includes trades executed through the end of the prior business day. Gains and losses on securities sold are determined on the basis of identified cost. Income and capital gain distributions from any underlying mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are recorded on the ex-dividend date.
Expenses. Expenses directly attributable to a fund are charged to that fund. Expenses attributable to more than one fund are allocated among the respective funds on the basis of relative net assets or other appropriate methods. Expenses included in the accompanying financial statements reflect the expenses of that fund and do not include any expenses associated with any underlying mutual funds or exchange-traded funds. Although not included in a fund's expenses, a fund indirectly bears its proportionate share of these expenses through the net asset value of each underlying mutual fund or exchange-traded fund. Expense estimates are accrued in the period to which they relate and adjustments are made when actual amounts are known.
Income Tax Information and Distributions to Shareholders. Each year, the Fund intends to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, including distributing substantially all of its taxable income and realized gains. As a result, no provision for U.S. Federal income taxes is required. As of February 29, 2024, the Fund did not have any unrecognized tax benefits in the financial statements; nor is the Fund aware of any tax positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits will significantly change in the next twelve months. The Fund files a U.S. federal tax return, in addition to state and local tax returns as required. The Fund's federal income tax returns are subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for a period of three fiscal years after they are filed. State and local tax returns may be subject to examination for an additional fiscal year depending on the jurisdiction.
Distributions are declared and recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income and capital gain distributions are determined in accordance with income tax regulations, which may differ from GAAP. In addition, the Fund claimed a portion of the payment made to redeeming shareholders as a distribution for income tax purposes.
Capital accounts within the financial statements are adjusted for permanent book-tax differences. These adjustments have no impact on net assets or the results of operations. Capital accounts are not adjusted for temporary book-tax differences which will reverse in a subsequent period.
Book-tax differences are primarily due to losses deferred due to wash sales and excise tax regulations.
As of period end, the cost and unrealized appreciation (depreciation) in securities, and derivatives if applicable, for federal income tax purposes were as follows:
Gross unrealized appreciation | $3,502,311,533 |
Gross unrealized depreciation | (363,903,635) |
Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) | $3,138,407,898 |
Tax Cost | $4,902,962,550 |
The tax-based components of distributable earnings as of period end were as follows:
Undistributed ordinary income | $10,179,285 |
Undistributed long-term capital gain | $128,866,281 |
Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on securities and other investments | $3,138,407,898 |
The tax character of distributions paid was as follows:
| February 29, 2024 | February 28, 2023 |
Ordinary Income | $155,221,049 | $ 138,517,165 |
Long-term Capital Gains | 88,581,834 | 347,234,007 |
Total | $243,802,883 | $ 485,751,172 |
3. Purchases and Sales of Investments.
Purchases and sales of securities, other than short-term securities and in-kind transactions, as applicable, are noted in the table below.
| Purchases ($) | Sales ($) |
Fidelity Multi-Asset Index Fund | 780,329,664 | 1,065,517,660 |
4. Fees and Other Transactions with Affiliates.
Management Fee. Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC (the investment adviser) provides the Fund with investment management related services. For these services the Fund pays a monthly management fee to the investment adviser. The management fee is computed at an annual rate of .10% of the Fund's average net assets. Under the management contract, the investment adviser pays all other operating expenses, except the compensation of the independent Trustees and certain other expenses such as interest expense. The management fee is reduced by an amount equal to the fees and expenses paid by the Fund to the independent Trustees.
Interfund Trades. Funds may purchase from or sell securities to other Fidelity Funds under procedures adopted by the Board. The procedures have been designed to ensure these interfund trades are executed in accordance with Rule 17a-7 of the 1940 Act. Any interfund trades are included within the respective purchases and sales amounts shown in the Purchases and Sales of Investments note. During the period, there were no interfund trades.
5. Expense Reductions.
The investment adviser contractually agreed to reimburse the Fund to the extent annual operating expenses exceeded .08% of average net assets. This reimbursement will remain in place through June 30, 2025. Some expenses, for example the compensation of the independent Trustees, and certain miscellaneous expenses such as proxy and shareholder meeting expenses, are excluded from this reimbursement. During the period this reimbursement reduced the Fund's expenses by $1,508,016.
Through arrangements with the Fund's custodian, credits realized as a result of certain uninvested cash balances were used to reduce the Fund's expenses by $10,521.
6. Other.
A fund's organizational documents provide former and current trustees and officers with a limited indemnification against liabilities arising in connection with the performance of their duties to the fund. In the normal course of business, a fund may also enter into contracts that provide general indemnifications. A fund's maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would be dependent on future claims that may be made against a fund. The risk of material loss from such claims is considered remote.
Funds do not invest in underlying mutual funds for the purpose of exercising management or control; however, investments by funds within their principal investment strategies may represent a significant portion of the underlying mutual fund's net assets. At the end of the period, certain Funds were the owners of record of 10% or more of the total outstanding shares of the following underlying mutual funds as shown below.
Fund | Fidelity Multi-Asset Index Fund |
Fidelity Emerging Markets Index Fund | 11% |
Fidelity International Bond Index Fund | 31% |
7. Risk and Uncertainties.
Many factors affect a fund's performance. Developments that disrupt global economies and financial markets, such as pandemics, epidemics, outbreaks of infectious diseases, war, terrorism, and environmental disasters, may significantly affect a fund's investment performance. The effects of these developments to a fund will be impacted by the types of securities in which a fund invests, the financial condition, industry, economic sector, and geographic location of an issuer, and a fund's level of investment in the securities of that issuer. Significant concentrations in security types, issuers, industries, sectors, and geographic locations may magnify the factors that affect a fund's performance.
To the Board of Trustees of Fidelity Aberdeen Street Trust and Shareholders of Fidelity Multi-Asset Index Fund
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the schedule of investments, of Fidelity Multi-Asset Index Fund (one of the funds constituting Fidelity Aberdeen Street Trust, referred to hereafter as the "Fund") as of February 29, 2024, the related statement of operations for the year ended February 29, 2024, the statement of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period ended February 29, 2024, including the related notes, and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period ended February 29, 2024 (collectively referred to as the "financial statements"). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of February 29, 2024, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period ended February 29, 2024 and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period ended February 29, 2024 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Fund's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of February 29, 2024 by correspondence with the custodian and brokers; when replies were not received from brokers, we performed other auditing procedures. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
April 10, 2024
We have served as the auditor of one or more investment companies in the Fidelity group of funds since 1932.
The Trustees, Members of the Advisory Board (if any), and officers of the trust and fund, as applicable, are listed below. The Board of Trustees governs the fund and is responsible for protecting the interests of shareholders. The Trustees are experienced executives who meet periodically throughout the year to oversee the fund's activities, review contractual arrangements with companies that provide services to the fund, oversee management of the risks associated with such activities and contractual arrangements, and review the fund's performance. If the interests of the fund and an underlying Fidelity® fund were to diverge, a conflict of interest could arise and affect how the Trustees and Members of the Advisory Board fulfill their fiduciary duties to the affected funds. FMR has structured the fund to avoid these potential conflicts, although there may be situations where a conflict of interest is unavoidable. In such instances, FMR, the Trustees, and Members of the Advisory Board would take reasonable steps to minimize and, if possible, eliminate the conflict. Each of the Trustees oversees 315 funds.
The Trustees hold office without limit in time except that (a) any Trustee may resign; (b) any Trustee may be removed by written instrument, signed by at least two-thirds of the number of Trustees prior to such removal; (c) any Trustee who requests to be retired or who has become incapacitated by illness or injury may be retired by written instrument signed by a majority of the other Trustees; and (d) any Trustee may be removed at any special meeting of shareholders by a two-thirds vote of the outstanding voting securities of the trust. Each Trustee who is not an interested person (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the trust and the fund is referred to herein as an Independent Trustee. Each Independent Trustee shall retire not later than the last day of the calendar year in which his or her 75th birthday occurs. The Independent Trustees may waive this mandatory retirement age policy with respect to individual Trustees. Officers and Advisory Board Members hold office without limit in time, except that any officer or Advisory Board Member may resign or may be removed by a vote of a majority of the Trustees at any regular meeting or any special meeting of the Trustees. Except as indicated, each individual has held the office shown or other offices in the same company for the past five years.
The fund's Statement of Additional Information (SAI) includes more information about the Trustees. To request a free copy, call Fidelity at 1-800-544-8544.
Experience, Skills, Attributes, and Qualifications of the Trustees. The Governance and Nominating Committee has adopted a statement of policy that describes the experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills that are necessary and desirable for potential Independent Trustee candidates (Statement of Policy). The Board believes that each Trustee satisfied at the time he or she was initially elected or appointed a Trustee, and continues to satisfy, the standards contemplated by the Statement of Policy. The Governance and Nominating Committee also engages professional search firms to help identify potential Independent Trustee candidates who have the experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills consistent with the Statement of Policy. From time to time, additional criteria based on the composition and skills of the current Independent Trustees, as well as experience or skills that may be appropriate in light of future changes to board composition, business conditions, and regulatory or other developments, have also been considered by the professional search firms and the Governance and Nominating Committee. In addition, the Board takes into account the Trustees' commitment and participation in Board and committee meetings, as well as their leadership of standing and ad hoc committees throughout their tenure.
In determining that a particular Trustee was and continues to be qualified to serve as a Trustee, the Board has considered a variety of criteria, none of which, in isolation, was controlling. The Board believes that, collectively, the Trustees have balanced and diverse experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills, which allow the Board to operate effectively in governing the fund and protecting the interests of shareholders. Information about the specific experience, skills, attributes, and qualifications of each Trustee, which in each case led to the Board's conclusion that the Trustee should serve (or continue to serve) as a trustee of the fund, is provided below.
Board Structure and Oversight Function. Abigail P. Johnson is an interested person and currently serves as Chairman. The Trustees have determined that an interested Chairman is appropriate and benefits shareholders because an interested Chairman has a personal and professional stake in the quality and continuity of services provided to the fund. Independent Trustees exercise their informed business judgment to appoint an individual of their choosing to serve as Chairman, regardless of whether the Trustee happens to be independent or a member of management. The Independent Trustees have determined that they can act independently and effectively without having an Independent Trustee serve as Chairman and that a key structural component for assuring that they are in a position to do so is for the Independent Trustees to constitute a substantial majority for the Board. The Independent Trustees also regularly meet in executive session. Michael E. Kenneally serves as Chairman of the Independent Trustees and as such (i) acts as a liaison between the Independent Trustees and management with respect to matters important to the Independent Trustees and (ii) with management prepares agendas for Board meetings.
Fidelity® funds are overseen by different Boards of Trustees. The fund's Board oversees Fidelity's investment-grade bond, money market, asset allocation and certain equity funds, and other Boards oversee Fidelity's alternative investment, high income and other equity funds. The asset allocation funds may invest in Fidelity® funds that are overseen by such other Boards. The use of separate Boards, each with its own committee structure, allows the Trustees of each group of Fidelity® funds to focus on the unique issues of the funds they oversee, including common research, investment, and operational issues. On occasion, the separate Boards establish joint committees to address issues of overlapping consequences for the Fidelity® funds overseen by each Board.
The Trustees operate using a system of committees to facilitate the timely and efficient consideration of all matters of importance to the Trustees, the fund, and fund shareholders and to facilitate compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and oversight of the fund's activities and associated risks. The Board, acting through its committees, has charged FMR and its affiliates with (i) identifying events or circumstances the occurrence of which could have demonstrably adverse effects on the fund's business and/or reputation; (ii) implementing processes and controls to lessen the possibility that such events or circumstances occur or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur; and (iii) creating and maintaining a system designed to evaluate continuously business and market conditions in order to facilitate the identification and implementation processes described in (i) and (ii) above. Because the day-to-day operations and activities of the fund are carried out by or through FMR, its affiliates, and other service providers, the fund's exposure to risks is mitigated but not eliminated by the processes overseen by the Trustees. While each of the Board's committees has responsibility for overseeing different aspects of the fund's activities, oversight is exercised primarily through the Operations and Audit Committees. In addition, an ad hoc Board committee of Independent Trustees has worked with FMR to enhance the Board's oversight of investment and financial risks, legal and regulatory risks, technology risks, and operational risks, including the development of additional risk reporting to the Board. Appropriate personnel, including but not limited to the fund's Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), FMR's internal auditor, the independent accountants, the fund's Treasurer and portfolio management personnel, make periodic reports to the Board's committees, as appropriate, including an annual review of Fidelity's risk management program for the Fidelity® funds. The responsibilities of each standing committee, including their oversight responsibilities, are described further under "Standing Committees of the Trustees."
Interested Trustees*:
Correspondence intended for a Trustee who is an interested person may be sent to Fidelity Investments, 245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210.
Name, Year of Birth; Principal Occupations and Other Relevant Experience+
Abigail P. Johnson (1961)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2009
Trustee
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Ms. Johnson also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Ms. Johnson serves as Chairman (2016-present), Chief Executive Officer (2014-present), and Director (2007-present) of FMR LLC (diversified financial services company), President of Fidelity Financial Services (2012-present) and President of Personal, Workplace and Institutional Services (2005-present). Ms. Johnson is Chairman and Director of Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC (investment adviser firm, 2011-present). Previously, Ms. Johnson served as Chairman and Director of FMR Co., Inc. (investment adviser firm, 2011-2019), Vice Chairman (2007-2016) and President (2013-2016) of FMR LLC, President and a Director of Fidelity Management & Research Company (2001-2005), a Trustee of other investment companies advised by Fidelity Management & Research Company, Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (investment adviser firm), and FMR Co., Inc. (2001-2005), Senior Vice President of the Fidelity® funds (2001-2005), and managed a number of Fidelity® funds.
Jennifer Toolin McAuliffe (1959)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Trustee
Ms. McAuliffe also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds and as Trustee of Fidelity Charitable (2020-present). Previously, Ms. McAuliffe served as Co-Head of Fixed Income of Fidelity Investments Limited (now known as FIL Limited (FIL)) (diversified financial services company), Director of Research for FIL's credit and quantitative teams in London, Hong Kong and Tokyo and Director of Research for taxable and municipal bonds at Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. Ms. McAuliffe previously served as a member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2016). Ms. McAuliffe was previously a lawyer at Ropes & Gray LLP and an international banker at Chemical Bank NA (now JPMorgan Chase & Co.). Ms. McAuliffe also currently serves as director or trustee of several not-for-profit entities.
Christine J. Thompson (1958)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2023
Trustee
Ms. Thompson also serves as a Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Ms. Thompson serves as Leader of Advanced Technologies for Investment Management at Fidelity Investments (2018-present). Previously, Ms. Thompson served as Chief Investment Officer in the Bond group at Fidelity Management & Research Company (2010-2018) and held various other roles including Director of municipal bond portfolio managers and Portfolio Manager of certain Fidelity® funds.
* Determined to be an "Interested Trustee" by virtue of, among other things, his or her affiliation with the trust or various entities under common control with FMR.
+ The information includes the Trustee's principal occupation during the last five years and other information relating to the experience, attributes, and skills relevant to the Trustee's qualifications to serve as a Trustee, which led to the conclusion that the Trustee should serve as a Trustee for the fund.
Independent Trustees:
Correspondence intended for an Independent Trustee may be sent to Fidelity Investments, P.O. Box 55235, Boston, Massachusetts 02205-5235.
Name, Year of Birth; Principal Occupations and Other Relevant Experience+
Elizabeth S. Acton (1951)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Ms. Acton also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Prior to her retirement, Ms. Acton served as Executive Vice President, Finance (2011-2012), Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (2002-2011) and Treasurer (2004-2005) of Comerica Incorporated (financial services). Prior to joining Comerica, Ms. Acton held a variety of positions at Ford Motor Company (1983-2002), including Vice President and Treasurer (2000-2002) and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ford Motor Credit Company (1998-2000). Ms. Acton currently serves as a member of the Board and Audit and Finance Committees of Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (homebuilding, 2012-present). Ms. Acton previously served as a member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2013-2016).
Laura M. Bishop (1961)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2023
Trustee
Ms. Bishop also serves as Trustee or Member of the Advisory Board of other Fidelity® funds. Prior to her retirement, Ms. Bishop held a variety of positions at United Services Automobile Association (2001-2020), including Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (2014-2020) and Senior Vice President and Deputy Chief Financial Officer (2012-2014). Ms. Bishop currently serves as a member of the Audit Committee and Compensation and Personnel Committee (2021-present) of the Board of Directors of Korn Ferry (global organizational consulting). Previously, Ms. Bishop served as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2022-2023).
Ann E. Dunwoody (1953)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2018
Trustee
General Dunwoody also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. General Dunwoody (United States Army, Retired) was the first woman in U.S. military history to achieve the rank of four-star general and prior to her retirement in 2012 held a variety of positions within the U.S. Army, including Commanding General, U.S. Army Material Command (2008-2012). General Dunwoody currently serves as a member of the Board, Chair of Nomination Committee and a member of the Corporate Governance Committee of Kforce Inc. (professional staffing services, 2016-present) and a member of the Board of Automattic Inc. (software engineering, 2018-present). Previously, General Dunwoody served as President of First to Four LLC (leadership and mentoring services, 2012-2022), a member of the Advisory Board and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of L3 Technologies, Inc. (communication, electronic, sensor and aerospace systems, 2013-2019) and a member of the Board and Audit and Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Committees of Republic Services, Inc. (waste collection, disposal and recycling, 2013-2016). General Dunwoody also serves on several boards for non-profit organizations, including as a member of the Board, Chair of the Nomination and Governance Committee and a member of the Audit Committee of the Noble Reach Foundation (formerly Logistics Management Institute) (consulting non-profit, 2012-present) and a member of the Board of ThanksUSA (military family education non-profit, 2014-present). Previously, General Dunwoody served as a member of the Board of Florida Institute of Technology (2015-2022) and a member of the Council of Trustees for the Association of the United States Army (advocacy non-profit, 2013-2021). General Dunwoody previously served as a member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2018).
Robert F. Gartland (1951)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2010
Trustee
Mr. Gartland also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Prior to his retirement, Mr. Gartland held a variety of positions at Morgan Stanley (financial services, 1979-2007), including Managing Director (1987-2007) and Chase Manhattan Bank (1975-1978). Mr. Gartland previously served as Chairman and an investor in Gartland & Mellina Group Corp. (consulting, 2009-2019), as a member of the Board of National Securities Clearing Corporation (1993-1996) and as Chairman of TradeWeb (2003-2004).
Robert W. Helm (1957)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2023
Trustee
Mr. Helm also serves as Trustee or Member of the Advisory Board of other Fidelity® funds. Mr. Helm was formerly Deputy Chairman (2003-2020), partner (1991-2020) and an associate (1984-1991) of Dechert LLP (formerly Dechert Price & Rhoads). Mr. Helm currently serves on boards and committees of several not-for-profit organizations, including as a Trustee and member of the Executive Committee of the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs, a member of the Board of Directors of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Baltimore and a member of the Life Guard Society of Mt. Vernon. Previously, Mr. Helm served as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2021-2023).
Michael E. Kenneally (1954)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2009
Trustee
Chairman of the Independent Trustees
Mr. Kenneally also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds and was Vice Chairman (2018-2021) of the Independent Trustees of certain Fidelity® funds. Prior to retirement in 2005, he was Chairman and Global Chief Executive Officer of Credit Suisse Asset Management, the worldwide fund management and institutional investment business of Credit Suisse Group. Previously, Mr. Kenneally was an Executive Vice President and the Chief Investment Officer for Bank of America. In this role, he was responsible for the investment management, strategy and products delivered to the bank's institutional, high-net-worth and retail clients. Earlier, Mr. Kenneally directed the organization's equity and quantitative research groups. He began his career as a research analyst and then spent more than a dozen years as a portfolio manager for endowments, pension plans and mutual funds. He earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1991.
Mark A. Murray (1954)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Trustee
Mr. Murray also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Previously, Mr. Murray served as Co-Chief Executive Officer (2013-2016), President (2006-2013) and Vice Chairman (2013-2020) of Meijer, Inc. Mr. Murray serves as a member of the Board (2009-present) and Public Policy and Responsibility Committee (2009-present) and Chair of the Nuclear Review Committee (2019-present) of DTE Energy Company (diversified energy company). Mr. Murray previously served as a member of the Board of Spectrum Health (not-for-profit health system, 2015-2019) and as a member of the Board and Audit Committee and Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of Universal Forest Products, Inc. (manufacturer and distributor of wood and wood-alternative products, 2004-2016). Mr. Murray also serves as a member of the Board of many community and professional organizations. Mr. Murray previously served as a member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2016).
Carol J. Zierhoffer (1960)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2023
Trustee
Ms. Zierhoffer also serves as Trustee or Member of the Advisory Board of other Fidelity® funds. Prior to her retirement, Ms. Zierhoffer held a variety of positions at Bechtel Corporation (engineering company, 2013-2019), including Principal Vice President and Chief Information Officer (2013-2016) and Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer (2016-2019). Ms. Zierhoffer currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors, Audit Committee and Compensation Committee of Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc. (healthcare technology, 2020-present) and as a member of the Board of Directors, Audit and Finance Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (aviation operating services, 2021-present). Previously, Ms. Zierhoffer served as a member of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee and as the founding Chair of the Information Technology Committee of MedAssets, Inc. (healthcare technology, 2013-2016), and as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2023).
+ The information includes the Trustee's principal occupation during the last five years and other information relating to the experience, attributes, and skills relevant to the Trustee's qualifications to serve as a Trustee, which led to the conclusion that the Trustee should serve as a Trustee for the fund.
Advisory Board Members and Officers:
Correspondence intended for a Member of the Advisory Board (if any) may be sent to Fidelity Investments, P.O. Box 55235, Boston, Massachusetts 02205-5235. Correspondence intended for an officer may be sent to Fidelity Investments, 245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210.
Name, Year of Birth; Principal Occupations+
Lester Owens (1957)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2024
Member of the Advisory Board
Mr. Owens also serves as a Member of the Advisory Board of other Fidelity® funds. Prior to his retirement, Mr. Owens served as Senior Executive Vice President, Head of Operations, and member of the Operating Committee of Wells Fargo & Company (financial services, 2020-2023). Mr. Owens currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health, Inc. (academic healthcare system, 2022-present). Previously, Mr. Owens served as Senior Executive Vice President and Head of Operations at Bank of New York Mellon (financial services, 2019-2020) and held various roles at JPMorgan Chase & Co. (financial services, 2007-2019), including Managing Director for Wholesale Banking Operations. Mr. Owens also previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (financial services, 2016) and as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Clearing House Interbank Payments System (private clearing system, 2015-2016).
Heather Bonner (1977)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2023
Assistant Treasurer
Ms. Bonner also serves as an officer of other funds. Ms. Bonner is a Senior Vice President (2022-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2022-present). Ms. Bonner serves as Senior Vice President, Vice President, Treasurer, or Director of certain Fidelity entities. Prior to joining Fidelity, Ms. Bonner served as Managing Director at AQR Capital Management (2013-2022) and was the Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer of the AQR Funds (2013-2022).
Craig S. Brown (1977)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2019
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Brown also serves as an officer of other funds. Mr. Brown is a Vice President (2015-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Mr. Brown serves as Assistant Treasurer of FIMM, LLC (2021-present). Previously, Mr. Brown served as Assistant Treasurer of certain Fidelity® funds (2019-2022).
John J. Burke III (1964)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2018
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Burke also serves as Chief Financial Officer of other funds. Mr. Burke is Head of Fidelity Fund and Investment Operations (2018-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Mr. Burke serves as President, Executive Vice President, or Director of certain Fidelity entities. Previously Mr. Burke served as head of Asset Management Investment Operations (2012-2018).
Margaret Carey (1973)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2023
Secretary and Chief Legal Officer (CLO)
Ms. Carey also serves as an officer of other funds and as CLO of certain Fidelity entities. Ms. Carey is a Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel (2019-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments.
David J. Carter (1973)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2020
Assistant Secretary
Mr. Carter also serves as Assistant Secretary of other funds. Mr. Carter is a Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel (2022-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Mr. Carter serves as Chief Legal Officer of Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company LLC - Shareholder Division (transfer agent, 2020-present).
Jonathan Davis (1968)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2010
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Davis also serves as an officer of other funds. Mr. Davis is a Vice President (2006-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Mr. Davis serves as Assistant Treasurer or Director of certain Fidelity entities.
Laura M. Del Prato (1964)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2018
President and Treasurer
Ms. Del Prato also serves as an officer of other funds. Ms. Del Prato is a Senior Vice President (2017-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Ms. Del Prato serves as Vice President or Assistant Treasurer of certain Fidelity entities. Previously, Ms. Del Prato served as President and Treasurer of The North Carolina Capital Management Trust: Cash Portfolio and Term Portfolio (2018-2020).
Christopher M. Gouveia (1973)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2023
Chief Compliance Officer
Mr. Gouveia also serves as Chief Compliance Officer of other funds. Mr. Gouveia is a Senior Vice President of Asset Management Compliance (2019-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Mr. Gouveia serves as Compliance Officer of Fidelity Management Trust Company (2023-present). Previously, Mr. Gouveia served as Chief Compliance Officer of the North Carolina Capital Management Trust (2016-2019).
Colm A. Hogan (1973)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Hogan also serves as an officer of other funds. Mr. Hogan is a Vice President (2016-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Mr. Hogan serves as Assistant Treasurer of certain Fidelity entities. Previously, Mr. Hogan served as Deputy Treasurer of certain Fidelity® funds (2016-2020) and Assistant Treasurer of certain Fidelity® funds (2016-2018).
William Irving (1964)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2023
Vice President
Mr. Irving also serves as Vice President of other funds. Mr. Irving is Head of Fidelity Asset Management Solutions (2022-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Mr. Irving serves as President and Director of Fidelity Diversifying Solutions LLC (investment adviser firm, 2023-present) and President or Director of certain other Fidelity entities. Previously, Mr. Irving served as Chief Investment Officer (CIO) in the Global Asset Allocation division (2020-2022). Prior to that, he was Managing Director of Research in the Global Asset Allocation division (2018-2020) and portfolio manager of certain Fidelity® funds (2004-2018).
Chris Maher (1972)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Maher also serves as an officer of other funds. Mr. Maher is a Vice President (2008-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Mr. Maher serves as Assistant Treasurer of certain Fidelity entities. Previously, Mr. Maher served as Assistant Treasurer of certain funds (2013-2020).
Brett Segaloff (1972)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2021
Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Officer
Mr. Segaloff also serves as AML Officer of other funds. Mr. Segaloff is a Vice President (2022-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Mr. Segaloff serves as Anti Money Laundering Compliance Officer or Anti Money Laundering/Bank Secrecy Act Compliance Officer of certain Fidelity entities.
Stacie M. Smith (1974)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Assistant Treasurer
Ms. Smith also serves as an officer of other funds. Ms. Smith is a Senior Vice President (2016-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Ms. Smith serves as Assistant Treasurer of certain Fidelity entities and has served in other fund officer roles.
Jim Wegmann (1979)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2021
Deputy Treasurer
Mr. Wegmann also serves as an officer of other funds. Mr. Wegmann is a Vice President (2016-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Mr. Wegmann serves as Assistant Treasurer of FIMM, LLC (2021-present). Previously, Mr. Wegmann served as Assistant Treasurer of certain Fidelity® funds (2019-2021).
+ The information includes principal occupation during the last five years.
As a shareholder, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, which may include sales charges (loads) on purchase payments or redemption proceeds, as applicable and (2) ongoing costs, which generally include management fees, distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and other Fund expenses. This Example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in a fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period (September 1, 2023 to February 29, 2024). |
Actual Expenses
The first line of the accompanying table provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000.00 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000.00 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line for a class/Fund under the heading entitled "Expenses Paid During Period" to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period. If any fund is a shareholder of any underlying mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) (the Underlying Funds), such fund indirectly bears its proportional share of the expenses of the Underlying Funds in addition to the direct expenses incurred presented in the table. These fees and expenses are not included in the annualized expense ratio used to calculate the expense estimate in the table below.
Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes
The second line of the accompanying table provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds. If any fund is a shareholder of any Underlying Funds, such fund indirectly bears its proportional share of the expenses of the Underlying Funds in addition to the direct expenses as presented in the table. These fees and expenses are not included in the annualized expense ratio used to calculate the expense estimate in the table below.
Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transaction costs. Therefore, the second line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.
| | | | Annualized Expense Ratio- A | | Beginning Account Value September 1, 2023 | | Ending Account Value February 29, 2024 | | Expenses Paid During Period- C September 1, 2023 to February 29, 2024 |
| | | | | | | | | | |
Fidelity® Multi-Asset Index Fund | | | | .08% | | | | | | |
Actual | | | | | | $ 1,000 | | $ 1,099.40 | | $ .42 |
Hypothetical-B | | | | | | $ 1,000 | | $ 1,024.47 | | $ .40 |
|
A Annualized expense ratio reflects expenses net of applicable fee waivers.
B 5% return per year before expenses
C Expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 182/ 366 (to reflect the one-half year period). The fees and expenses of any Underlying Funds are not included in each annualized expense ratio.
The dividend and capital gains distributions for the fund(s) are available on Fidelity.com or Institutional.Fidelity.com.
The fund hereby designates as a capital gain dividend with respect to the taxable year ended February 29, 2024, $217,448,116, or, if subsequently determined to be different, the net capital gain of such year.
A total of 10.93% of the dividends distributed during the fiscal year was derived from interest on U.S. Government securities which is generally exempt from state income tax.
The fund designates $28,409,165 of distributions paid during the fiscal year ended 2024 as qualifying to be taxed as section 163(j) interest dividends.
The fund designates 7%, and 31% of the dividends distributed in April and December, respectively during the fiscal year as qualifying for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders.
The fund designates 14.73%, and 69.38% of the dividends distributed in April and December during the fiscal year as amounts which may be taken into account as a dividend for the purposes of the maximum rate under section 1(h)(11) of the Internal Revenue Code.
The fund designates 0.60%, and 2.78% of the dividends distributed in April and December, respectively during the fiscal year as a section 199A dividend.
The amounts per share which represent income derived from sources within, and taxes paid to, foreign countries or possessions of the United States are $0.5360 and $0.0395 for the dividend paid December 29, 2023.
The fund will notify shareholders in January 2025 of amounts for use in preparing 2024 income tax returns.
Board Approval of Investment Advisory Contracts and Management Fees
Fidelity Multi-Asset Index Fund
Each year, the Board of Trustees, including the Independent Trustees (together, the Board), considers the renewal of the fund's management contract with Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC (FMR) (the Advisory Contract). The Board, assisted by the advice of fund counsel and Independent Trustees' counsel, requests and considers a broad range of information relevant to the renewal of the Advisory Contract throughout the year.
The Board meets regularly and, at each of its meetings, covers an extensive agenda of topics and materials and considers factors that are relevant to its annual consideration of the renewal of the fund's Advisory Contract, including the services and support provided to the fund and its shareholders. The Board's Operations Committee, of which all the Independent Trustees are members, meets regularly throughout the year and requests, receives and considers, among other matters, information related to the annual consideration of the renewal of the fund's Advisory Contracts before making its recommendation to the Board. The Board also meets as needed to review matters specifically related to the Board's annual consideration of the renewal of the Advisory Contract. Members of the Board may also meet from time to time with trustees of other Fidelity funds through joint ad hoc committees to discuss certain matters relevant to all of the Fidelity funds.
At its September 2023 meeting, the Board unanimously determined to renew the fund's Advisory Contract. In reaching its determination, the Board considered all factors it believed relevant, including (i) the nature, extent, and quality of the services provided to the fund and its shareholders (including the investment performance of the fund); (ii) the competitiveness relative to peer funds of the fund's management fee and total expense ratio; (iii) the total costs of the services provided by and the profits realized by FMR and its affiliates (Fidelity) from its relationships with the fund; and (iv) the extent to which, if any, economies of scale exist and are realized as the fund grows, and whether any economies of scale are appropriately shared with fund shareholders. The Board also considered the broad range of investment choices available to shareholders from FMR's competitors and that the fund's shareholders have chosen to invest in the fund, which is part of the Fidelity family of funds. The Board's decision to renew the Advisory Contract was not based on any single factor.
The Board reached a determination, with the assistance of fund counsel and Independent Trustees' counsel and through the exercise of its business judgment, that the renewal of the Advisory Contract was in the best interests of the fund and its shareholders and that the compensation payable under the Advisory Contract was fair and reasonable in light of all of the surrounding circumstances.
Nature, Extent, and Quality of Services Provided. The Board considered FMR's staffing as it relates to the fund, including the backgrounds and experience of investment personnel, and also considered FMR's implementation of the fund's investment program. The Independent Trustees also had discussions with senior management of Fidelity's investment operations and investment groups with responsibility for the underlying Fidelity funds in which the fund invests. The Board considered the structure of the investment personnel compensation program and whether this structure provides appropriate incentives to act in the best interests of the fund. Additionally, the Board considered the portfolio managers' investments, if any, in the funds that they manage.
Resources Dedicated to Investment Management and Support Services. The Board reviewed the general qualifications and capabilities of Fidelity's investment staff, including its size, education, experience, and resources, as well as Fidelity's approach to recruiting, training, managing, and compensating investment personnel. The Board noted the resources devoted to Fidelity's global investment organization and that Fidelity's analysts have extensive resources, tools, and capabilities that allow them to conduct quantitative and fundamental analysis, as well as credit analysis of issuers, counterparties, and guarantors. Further, the Board considered that Fidelity's investment professionals have sufficient access to global information and data so as to provide competitive investment results over time, and that those professionals also have access to sophisticated tools that permit them to assess portfolio construction and risk and performance attribution characteristics continuously, as well as to transmit new information and research conclusions rapidly around the world. Additionally, in its deliberations, the Board considered Fidelity's risk management, compliance, cybersecurity, and technology and operations capabilities and resources, which are integral parts of the investment management process.
Shareholder and Administrative Services. The Board considered (i) the nature, extent, quality, and cost of advisory, administrative, and shareholder services performed by Fidelity under the Advisory Contract and under separate agreements covering transfer agency and pricing and bookkeeping services for the fund; (ii) the nature and extent of Fidelity's supervision of third party service providers, principally custodians, subcustodians, and pricing vendors; and (iii) the resources devoted by Fidelity to, and the record of compliance with, the fund's compliance policies and procedures.
The Board noted that the growth of fund assets over time across the complex allows Fidelity to reinvest in the development of services designed to enhance the value and convenience of the Fidelity funds as investment vehicles. These services include 24-hour access to account information and market information over the Internet and through telephone representatives, investor education materials and asset allocation tools. The Board also considered that it reviews customer service metrics such as telephone response times, continuity of services on the website and metrics addressing services at Fidelity Investor Centers.
Investment in a Large Fund Family. The Board considered the benefits to shareholders of investing in a fund that is part of a large family of funds offering a variety of investment disciplines and providing a large variety of fund investor services. The Board noted that Fidelity had taken, or had made recommendations to the Board that resulted in the Fidelity funds taking, a number of actions over the previous year that benefited particular funds and/or the Fidelity funds in general.
Investment Performance. The Board took into account discussions that occur with representatives of FMR, and reports that it receives, at Board meetings throughout the year relating to fund investment performance. In this regard the Board noted that as part of regularly scheduled fund reviews and other reports to the Board on fund performance, the Board considered annualized return information for the fund for different time periods, measured against one or more appropriate securities market indices, including a customized blended index that reflects the respective weights of the fund's asset classes (each a benchmark index). The Board also considered information about performance attribution. In its evaluation of fund investment performance at meetings throughout the year, the Board gave particular attention to information indicating underperformance of certain Fidelity funds over different time periods and discussed with the Investment Advisers the reasons for such underperformance.
In addition to reviewing absolute and relative fund performance, the Independent Trustees periodically consider the appropriateness of fund performance metrics in evaluating the results achieved. The Independent Trustees generally give greater weight to fund performance over longer time periods than over shorter time periods. Depending on the circumstances, the Independent Trustees may be satisfied with a fund's performance notwithstanding that it lags its benchmark index for certain periods.
Based on its review, the Board concluded that the nature, extent, and quality of services provided to the fund under the Advisory Contract should continue to benefit the shareholders of the fund.
Competitiveness of Management Fee and Total Expense Ratio. The Board was provided with information regarding industry trends in management fees and expenses. In its review of the fund's management fee and total expense ratio, the Board considered the fund's all-inclusive (subject to certain limited exceptions) fee rate. The Board also considered other expenses, such as pricing and bookkeeping fees and custodial, legal, and audit fees paid by FMR under the all-inclusive arrangement. The Board also noted that Fidelity may agree to waive fees or reimburse expenses from time to time, and the extent to which, if any, it has done so for the fund.
Comparisons of Management Fees and Total Expense Ratios. Among other things, the Board reviewed data for selected groups of competitive funds and classes (referred to as "mapped groups") that were compiled by Fidelity based on combining similar investment objective categories (as classified by Lipper) that have comparable investment mandates. The data reviewed by the Board included (i) gross management fee comparisons (before taking into account expense reimbursements or caps) relative to the total universe of funds within the mapped group; (ii) gross management fee comparisons relative to a subset of non-Fidelity funds in the mapped group that are similar in size and management fee structure to the fund (referred to as the "asset size peer group"); (iii) total expense comparisons of the fund relative to funds and classes in the mapped group that have a similar sales load structure to the fund (referred to as the "similar sales load structure group"); and (iv) total expense comparisons of the fund relative to funds and classes in the similar sales load structure group that are similar in size and management fee structure to the fund (referred to as the "total expense asset size peer group").
The information provided to the Board indicated that the fund's management fee rate ranked above the competitive median of the mapped group for 2022 and equal to the competitive median of the asset size peer group for 2022. Further, the information provided to the Board indicated that the total expense ratio of the fund ranked below the competitive median of the similar sales load structure group for 2022 and below the competitive median of the total expense asset size peer group for 2022.
The Board considered that the fund has an all-inclusive management fee that covers expenses beyond portfolio management, unlike the majority of funds within the mapped group. The Board further considered that, when compared to the total expenses of its competitors, the fund ranked below its load-type group median.
Other Contractual Arrangements. The Board further considered that FMR has contractually agreed to reimburse the fund to the extent that total operating expenses, with certain exceptions, as a percentage of its average net assets, exceed 0.08% through June 30, 2024.
Fees Charged to Other Fidelity Clients. The Board also considered Fidelity fee structures and other information with respect to clients of Fidelity, such as other funds advised or subadvised by Fidelity, pension plan clients, and other institutional clients with similar mandates. The Board noted that a joint ad hoc committee created by it and the boards of other Fidelity funds periodically reviews and compares Fidelity's institutional investment advisory business with its business of providing services to the Fidelity funds and also noted the most recent findings of the committee. The Board noted that the committee's review included a consideration of the differences in services provided, fees charged, and costs incurred, as well as competition in the markets serving the different categories of clients.
Based on its review, the Board concluded that the fund's management fee is fair and reasonable in light of the services that the fund receives and the other factors considered. Further, based on its review of total expense ratios and fees charged to other Fidelity clients, the Board concluded that the fund's total expense ratio was reasonable in light of the services that the fund and its shareholders receive and the other factors considered.
Costs of the Services and Profitability. The Board considered the revenues earned and the expenses incurred by Fidelity in conducting the business of developing, marketing, distributing, managing, administering and servicing the fund and servicing the fund's shareholders. The Board also considered the level of Fidelity's profits in respect of all the Fidelity funds, including the Fidelity funds in which the fund invests.
On an annual basis, Fidelity presents to the Board information about the profitability of its relationships with the fund. Fidelity calculates profitability information for each fund, as well as aggregate profitability information for groups of Fidelity funds and all Fidelity funds, using a series of detailed revenue and cost allocation methodologies which originate with the books and records of Fidelity on which Fidelity's audited financial statements are based. The Audit Committee of the Board reviews any significant changes from the prior year's methodologies and the full Board approves such changes.
A public accounting firm has been engaged annually by the Board as part of the Board's assessment of Fidelity's profitability analysis. The engagement includes the review and assessment of the methodologies used by Fidelity in determining the revenues and expenses attributable to Fidelity's fund business, and completion of agreed-upon procedures in respect of the mathematical accuracy of certain fund profitability information and its conformity to established allocation methodologies. After considering the reports issued under the engagement and information provided by Fidelity, the Board concluded that while other allocation methods may also be reasonable, Fidelity's profitability methodologies are reasonable in all material respects.
The Board also reviewed Fidelity's non-fund businesses and potential indirect benefits such businesses may have received as a result of their association with Fidelity's fund business (i.e., fall-out benefits) as well as cases where Fidelity's affiliates may benefit from the funds' business. The Board considered areas where potential indirect benefits to the Fidelity funds from their relationships with Fidelity may exist. The Board's consideration of these matters was informed by the findings of a joint ad hoc committee created by it and the boards of other Fidelity funds to evaluate potential fall-out benefits.
The Board considered the costs of the services provided by and the profits realized by Fidelity in connection with the operation of the fund and was satisfied that the profitability was not excessive.
Economies of Scale. The Board considered whether there have been economies of scale in respect of the management of the Fidelity funds, whether the Fidelity funds (including the fund) have appropriately benefited from any such economies of scale, and whether there is potential for realization of any further economies of scale. The Board considered the extent to which the fund will benefit from economies of scale as assets grow through increased services to the fund, through waivers or reimbursements, or through fee or expense ratio reductions. The Board recognized that, due to the fund's current contractual arrangements, its expense ratio will not decline if the fund's operating costs decrease as assets grow, or rise as assets decrease. The Board also noted that a committee created by it and the boards of other Fidelity funds periodically analyzes whether Fidelity attains economies of scale in respect of the management and servicing of the Fidelity funds, whether the Fidelity funds have appropriately benefited from such economies of scale, and whether there is potential for realization of any further economies of scale.
The Board concluded, taking into account the analysis of the Economies of Scale Committee, that economies of scale, if any, are being appropriately shared between fund shareholders and Fidelity.
Additional Information Requested by the Board. In order to develop fully the factual basis for consideration of the Fidelity funds' advisory contracts, the Board requested and received additional information on certain topics, including: (i) Fidelity's fund profitability methodology, profitability trends for certain funds, the allocation of various costs to different funds, and the impact of certain factors on fund profitability results; (ii) portfolio manager changes that have occurred during the past year and Fidelity's views regarding portfolio manager investment in the Fidelity funds that they manage; (iii) hiring, training, and retaining personnel; (iv) the arrangements with and compensation paid to certain fund sub-advisers and the treatment of such compensation within Fidelity's fund profitability methodology; (v) the terms of the funds' various management fee structures, including the basic group fee and the terms of Fidelity's voluntary expense limitation arrangements; (vi) Fidelity's transfer agent, pricing and bookkeeping fees, expense and service structures for different funds and classes relative to competitive trends and market conditions; (vii) the impact on fund profitability of recent industry trends, such as the growth in passively managed funds and the changes in flows for different types of funds; (viii) the types of management fee and total expense comparisons provided, and the challenges and limitations associated with such information; (ix) explanations regarding the relative total expense ratios and management fees of certain funds and classes, total expense and management fee competitive trends, and methodologies for total expense and management fee competitive comparisons; (x) information concerning expense limitations applicable to certain funds; and (xi) matters related to money market funds, exchange-traded funds, and target date funds.
Conclusion. Based on its evaluation of all of the conclusions noted above, and after considering all factors it believed relevant, the Board, including the Independent Trustees, concluded that the advisory fee arrangements are fair and reasonable in light of all of the surrounding circumstances and that the fund's Advisory Contract should be renewed through September 30, 2024.
The Securities and Exchange Commission adopted Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the Liquidity Rule) to promote effective liquidity risk management throughout the open-end investment company industry, thereby reducing the risk that funds will be unable to meet their redemption obligations and mitigating dilution of the interests of fund shareholders.
The Fund has adopted and implemented a liquidity risk management program (the Program) reasonably designed to assess and manage the Fund's liquidity risk and to comply with the requirements of the Liquidity Rule. The Fund's Board of Trustees (the Board) has designated the Fund's investment adviser as administrator of the Program. The Fidelity advisers have established a Liquidity Risk Management Committee (the LRM Committee) to manage the Program for each of the Fidelity Funds. The LRM Committee monitors the adequacy and effectiveness of implementation of the Program and on a periodic basis assesses each Fund's liquidity risk based on a variety of factors including (1) the Fund's investment strategy, (2) portfolio liquidity and cash flow projections during normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions, (3) shareholder redemptions, (4) borrowings and other funding sources and (5) certain factors specific to ETFs including the effect of the Fund's prices and spreads, market participants, and basket compositions on the overall liquidity of the Fund's portfolio, as applicable.
In accordance with the Program, each of the Fund's portfolio investments is classified into one of four defined liquidity categories based on a determination of a reasonable expectation for how long it would take to convert the investment to cash (or sell or dispose of the investment) without significantly changing its market value.
- Highly liquid investments - cash or convertible to cash within three business days or less
- Moderately liquid investments - convertible to cash in three to seven calendar days
- Less liquid investments - can be sold or disposed of, but not settled, within seven calendar days
- Illiquid investments - cannot be sold or disposed of within seven calendar days
Liquidity classification determinations take into account a variety of factors including various market, trading and investment-specific considerations, as well as market depth, and generally utilize analysis from a third-party liquidity metrics service.
The Liquidity Rule places a 15% limit on a fund's illiquid investments and requires funds that do not primarily hold assets that are highly liquid investments to determine and maintain a minimum percentage of the fund's net assets to be invested in highly liquid investments (highly liquid investment minimum or HLIM). The Program includes provisions reasonably designed to comply with the 15% limit on illiquid investments and for determining, periodically reviewing and complying with the HLIM requirement as applicable.
At a recent meeting of the Fund's Board of Trustees, the LRM Committee provided a written report to the Board pertaining to the operation, adequacy, and effectiveness of the Program for the period December 1, 2022 through November 30, 2023. The report concluded that the Program is operating effectively and is reasonably designed to assess and manage the Fund's liquidity risk.
A special meeting of shareholders was held on December 14, 2023. The results of votes taken among shareholders on the proposal before them are reported below. Each vote reported represents one dollar of net asset value held on the record date for the meeting. |
Proposal 1 |
To elect a Board of Trustees. |
| # of Votes | % of Votes |
Abigail P. Johnson |
Affirmative | 109,107,309,767.05 | 94.95 |
Withheld | 5,799,378,291.64 | 5.05 |
TOTAL | 114,906,688,058.69 | 100.00 |
Jennifer Toolin McAuliffe |
Affirmative | 109,175,275,002.33 | 95.01 |
Withheld | 5,731,413,056.36 | 4.99 |
TOTAL | 114,906,688,058.69 | 100.00 |
Christine J. Thompson |
Affirmative | 108,987,783,842.76 | 94.85 |
Withheld | 5,918,904,215.93 | 5.15 |
TOTAL | 114,906,688,058.69 | 100.00 |
Elizabeth S. Acton |
Affirmative | 108,779,130,187.70 | 94.67 |
Withheld | 6,127,557,870.99 | 5.33 |
TOTAL | 114,906,688,058.69 | 100.00 |
Laura M. Bishop |
Affirmative | 109,090,772,959.30 | 94.94 |
Withheld | 5,815,915,099.39 | 5.06 |
TOTAL | 114,906,688,058.69 | 100.00 |
Ann E. Dunwoody |
Affirmative | 108,992,925,653.09 | 94.85 |
Withheld | 5,913,762,405.60 | 5.15 |
TOTAL | 114,906,688,058.69 | 100.00 |
John Engler |
Affirmative | 107,582,823,815.81 | 93.63 |
Withheld | 7,323,864,242.88 | 6.37 |
TOTAL | 114,906,688,058.69 | 100.00 |
Robert F. Gartland |
Affirmative | 108,309,686,614.41 | 94.26 |
Withheld | 6,597,001,444.28 | 5.74 |
TOTAL | 114,906,688,058.69 | 100.00 |
Robert W. Helm |
Affirmative | 108,644,546,000.05 | 94.55 |
Withheld | 6,262,142,058.64 | 5.45 |
TOTAL | 114,906,688,058.69 | 100.00 |
Arthur E. Johnson |
Affirmative | 108,147,753,320.09 | 94.12 |
Withheld | 6,758,934,738.60 | 5.88 |
TOTAL | 114,906,688,058.69 | 100.00 |
Michael E. Kenneally |
Affirmative | 108,653,379,991.15 | 94.56 |
Withheld | 6,253,308,067.54 | 5.44 |
TOTAL | 114,906,688,058.69 | 100.00 |
Mark A. Murray |
Affirmative | 108,772,153,970.12 | 94.66 |
Withheld | 6,134,534,088.57 | 5.34 |
TOTAL | 114,906,688,058.69 | 100.00 |
Carol J. Zierhoffer |
Affirmative | 109,153,849,069.06 | 94.99 |
Withheld | 5,752,838,989.63 | 5.01 |
TOTAL | 114,906,688,058.69 | 100.00 |
| | |
Proposal 1 reflects trust wide proposal and voting results. |
1.739303.125
IDV-ANN-0424
Item 2.
Code of Ethics
As of the end of the period, February 29, 2024, Fidelity Aberdeen Street Trust (the trust) has adopted a code of ethics, as defined in Item 2 of Form N-CSR, that applies to its President and Treasurer and its Chief Financial Officer. A copy of the code of ethics is filed as an exhibit to this Form N-CSR.
Item 3.
Audit Committee Financial Expert
The Board of Trustees of the trust has determined that Elizabeth S. Acton is an audit committee financial expert, as defined in Item 3 of Form N-CSR. Ms. Acton is independent for purposes of Item 3 of Form N-CSR.
Item 4.
Principal Accountant Fees and Services
Fees and Services
The following table presents fees billed by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”) in each of the last two fiscal years for services rendered to Fidelity Multi-Asset Index Fund (the “Fund”):
Services Billed by PwC
February 29, 2024 FeesA
| | | | |
| Audit Fees | Audit-Related Fees | Tax Fees | All Other Fees |
Fidelity Multi-Asset Index Fund | $14,600 | $1,400 | $5,100 | $600 |
| | | | |
| Audit Fees | Audit-Related Fees | Tax Fees | All Other Fees |
Fidelity Multi-Asset Index Fund | $14,300 | $1,400 | $5,100 | $600 |
A Amounts may reflect rounding.
The following table(s) present(s) fees billed by PwC that were required to be approved by the Audit Committee for services that relate directly to the operations and financial reporting of the Fund(s) and that are rendered on behalf of Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC ("FMR") and entities controlling, controlled by, or under common control with FMR (not including any sub-adviser whose role is primarily
portfolio management and is subcontracted with or overseen by another investment adviser) that provide ongoing services to the Fund(s) (“Fund Service Providers”):
Services Billed by PwC
| | |
| February 29, 2024A | February 28, 2023A |
Audit-Related Fees | $9,422,800 | $8,469,200 |
Tax Fees | $61,000 | $1,000 |
All Other Fees | $- | $- |
A Amounts may reflect rounding.
“Audit-Related Fees” represent fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the fund audit or the review of the fund's financial statements and that are not reported under Audit Fees.
“Tax Fees” represent fees billed for tax compliance, tax advice or tax planning that relate directly to the operations and financial reporting of the fund.
“All Other Fees” represent fees billed for services provided to the fund or Fund Service Provider, a significant portion of which are assurance related, that relate directly to the operations and financial reporting of the fund, excluding those services that are reported under Audit Fees, Audit-Related Fees or Tax Fees.
Assurance services must be performed by an independent public accountant.
* * *
The aggregate non-audit fees billed by PwC for services rendered to the Fund(s), FMR (not including any sub-adviser whose role is primarily portfolio management and is subcontracted with or overseen by another investment adviser), and any Fund Service Provider for each of the last two fiscal years of the Fund(s) are as follows:
| | |
Billed By | February 29, 2024A | February 28, 2023A |
PwC | $15,035,600 | $14,171,100 |
A Amounts may reflect rounding.
The trust's Audit Committee has considered non-audit services that were not pre-approved that were provided by PwC to Fund Service Providers to be compatible with maintaining the independence of PwC in its(their) audit of the Fund(s), taking into
account representations from PwC, in accordance with Public Company Accounting Oversight Board rules, regarding its independence from the Fund(s) and its(their) related entities and FMR’s review of the appropriateness and permissibility under applicable law of such non-audit services prior to their provision to the Fund(s) Service Providers.
Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
The trust’s Audit Committee must pre-approve all audit and non-audit services provided by a fund’s independent registered public accounting firm relating to the operations or financial reporting of the fund. Prior to the commencement of any audit or non-audit services to a fund, the Audit Committee reviews the services to determine whether they are appropriate and permissible under applicable law.
The Audit Committee has adopted policies and procedures to, among other purposes, provide a framework for the Committee’s consideration of non-audit services by the audit firms that audit the Fidelity funds. The policies and procedures require that any non-audit service provided by a fund audit firm to a Fidelity fund and any non-audit service provided by a fund auditor to a Fund Service Provider that relates directly to the operations and financial reporting of a Fidelity fund (“Covered Service”) are subject to approval by the Audit Committee before such service is provided.
All Covered Services must be approved in advance of provision of the service either: (i) by formal resolution of the Audit Committee, or (ii) by oral or written approval of the service by the Chair of the Audit Committee (or if the Chair is unavailable, such other member of the Audit Committee as may be designated by the Chair to act in the Chair’s absence). The approval contemplated by (ii) above is permitted where the Treasurer determines that action on such an engagement is necessary before the next meeting of the Audit Committee.
Non-audit services provided by a fund audit firm to a Fund Service Provider that do not relate directly to the operations and financial reporting of a Fidelity fund are reported to the Audit Committee periodically.
Non-Audit Services Approved Pursuant to Rule 2-01(c)(7)(i)(C) and (ii) of Regulation S-X (“De Minimis Exception”)
There were no non-audit services approved or required to be approved by the Audit Committee pursuant to the De Minimis Exception during the Fund’s(s’) last two fiscal years relating to services provided to (i) the Fund(s) or (ii) any Fund Service Provider that relate directly to the operations and financial reporting of the Fund(s).
The Registrant has not retained, for the preparation of the audit report on the financial statements included in the Form N-CSR, a registered public accounting firm that has a branch or office that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) has determined that the PCAOB is unable
to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in the foreign jurisdiction.
The Registrant is not a “foreign issuer,” as defined in 17 CFR 240.3b-4.
Item 5.
Audit Committee of Listed Registrants
Not applicable.
Item 6.
Investments
(a)
Not applicable.
(b)
Not applicable.
Item 7.
Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies
Not applicable.
Item 8.
Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies
Not applicable.
Item 9.
Purchase of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers
Not applicable.
Item 10.
Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
There were no material changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the trust’s Board of Trustees.
Item 11.
Controls and Procedures
(a)(i) The President and Treasurer and the Chief Financial Officer have concluded that the trust’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act) provide reasonable assurances that material information relating to the trust is made known to them by the appropriate persons, based on their evaluation of these controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this report.
(a)(ii) There was no change in the trust’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act) that occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the trust’s internal control over financial reporting.
Item 12.
Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management
Investment Companies
Not applicable.
Item 18.
Recovery of Erroneously Awarded Compensation
(a)
Not applicable.
(b)
Not applicable.
Item 19.
Exhibits
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Fidelity Aberdeen Street Trust
| |
By: | /s/Laura M. Del Prato |
| Laura M. Del Prato |
| President and Treasurer (Principal Executive Officer) |
|
|
Date: | April 22, 2024 |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| |
By: | /s/Laura M. Del Prato |
| Laura M. Del Prato |
| President and Treasurer (Principal Executive Officer) |
|
|
Date: | April 22, 2024 |
| |
By: | /s/John J. Burke III |
| John J. Burke III |
| Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer) |
|
|
Date: | April 22, 2024 |